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The Chronicles of Weibel
Fred E. Weibel Elemmentary
Presidents Day
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by Shruthi Suresh
What is Presidents Day and why do we need to celebrate it? Well, presidents are very important and powerful people. They have a big impact on the rules of our country and our laws. The reason we have a day to celebrate them is to thank them for all of their hard work and contribution.
George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays take place in the same week! We celebrate Presidents Day on the Monday of that week. People are supposed to take that day off school/work so that they can spend their time learning about the importance of these famous people, but instead, many people just use Presidents Day as an excuse to take the day off and relax. Some schools are even closed for the whole week of Presidents Day!
Our current president is the 46th US President, Joe Biden. He is a Democrat, and was the Vice President of the US, serving under President Barack Obama two terms ago. Vice President Kamala Harris stands by President Biden as the first female Vice President in the history of the United States of America. People better get used to calling her husband the “First First Husband”. Anyway, I really hope you’ll make more of an effort to learn about presidents next Presidents Day.
Also, I’ll help you make up for all the Presidents Days you have missed with one paragraph. You all most likely know that George Washington was our first president, and Abraham Lincoln was famous for ending slavery, but they have more meaningful stories. Did you know that Washington, at first, helped Britain take control of America? Or that Lincoln started his career in Illinois? Next President’s Day, promise me you’ll learn at least one new fun fact about the current president!
B for Bitcoin
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by Aarav Gultajani
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Have you ever heard the term bitcoin? You probably have heard your parents talk about bitcoin, but have you ever wondered what it is?
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency - wait, what is a cryptocurrency? Cryptocurrency is a new type of currency that is decentralized and virtual. Decentralized means that it is not tied to any country. Virtual means that there is no physical exchange of money involved. When you give a quarter to your friend, you are actually giving it in person. Unlike physical exchanges, cryptocurrency is virtual. Think about it like this. There are two people named Karen and Joe. They are sitting next to each other at a table. Joe wants to give Karen a dollar bill, so he just hands over a dollar from his wallet. They could use an app such as PayPal, but PayPal IS NOT a cryptocurrency because, well, it transfers money in dollars, which is not a decentralized currency. They could exchange bitcoins instead of dollars. All of these exchanges are called transactions, even if they are digital. You are probably still wondering what bitcoin is, though. Let’s find out.
We can start by trying to understand why bitcoin was invented. Bitcoin was made because the bank system needed peoples’ trust. People have to hope the bank does not devalue the money by printing too much of it. With bitcoin, the number of bitcoins in the world cannot be increased or decreased. This way, the number of bitcoins will stay fixed. There is no “government” to “print” more bitcoins. Bitcoin is also hard to hack and considered to be extremely secure. Everyone has their own account called a digital wallet and password that is encrypted in a secret language. No one else knows this language besides the person who owns the account...
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Groundhog Day
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by Aarav Gultajani
​Lots of people celebrate Groundhog Day, but it is one of the weirdest traditions to exist. Many people know about this tradition, but for those who don’t, no need to worry! This article will tell you a whole lot about Groundhog Day.
Groundhog Day is a celebration that dates back all the way to 1841. This celebration is hosted in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Every year on February 2nd, people watch a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil. They think that Punxsutawney Phil will determine if there is an early spring or a long winter. Here comes the weird part. Word is that if Phil sees his shadow on that day, there will be six more weeks of winter, but if he does not, then there will be an early spring.
Now that you know what Groundhog day is, how did it even start? Well, you see, it comes from an old Christian holiday called Candlemas Day. It marked the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. On Candlemas Day, priests would give out candles that had their “blessing”. Candles were used during the winter. Remember, this was in olden times, so candles were their only source of light. Superstition held that if the day was sunny and clear, people could expect a long winter, but if the sky was cloudy, warm weather would arrive soon. The Germans then changed this tradition, introducing the groundhog. They believed that if the groundhog saw his shadow, there would be six more weeks of bad weather, or a “Second Winter.” This is how Candlemas Day is similar to Groundhog Day.
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Many people who settled in Pennsylvania were German. This is why Groundhog Day started in Pennsylvania. Germans brought the tradition of Groundhog Day with them...
Valentine's Day
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by Shruthi Suresh
Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day this year? Many people celebrate this famous holiday by giving out flowers, chocolate, and cards. It’s also common for people to get married on Valentine’s Day!
Valentine’s Day is celebrated to honor Saint Valentine of Rome, a 3rd century Roman saint, commonly known as Saint Valentine. He loved to marry couples, meaning he loved to be the groom’s best man. He was the one who declared the couple married.
During the 3rd century, Rome was ruled by Emperor Claudius. Valentine didn’t like Claudius, because the emperor wanted to have a big army. Claudius wanted men to join the army but many men wouldn’t fight because they didn’t want to leave their families. The emperor was furious. He thought that if men were not married, they wouldn’t be able to build their own families, and then they would join the emperor’s army without hesitation. So the emperor decided not to allow any more marriages!
Valentine did not like the king’s crazy idea because, as you know, he loved to marry couples- and he believed in love strongly. So he continued his favorite activity in secret, helping couples elope...
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March 28, 2021
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