![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
Sexplained is an educational podcast intended to support teenagers’ comprehensive health by providing information and advice regarding sexual health. In the fourth episode of Sexplained, host Ella Dorfman (‘25) interviews Dr. Lauran Evans about her career journey and expertise in the HPV vaccine and HPV stigma.
Disclaimer from Podcaster Ella Dorfman (‘25): In today’s podcast I’ll be talking about barrier birth control methods. I know everyone has different comfort levels with sexual health topics, so you might want to skip this one if it is not right for you, or give it a listen with a parent, guardian or trusted adult. I’m 16 and have served on Teen Source’s California Sexual Education Youth Advisory Board, am a leading ambassador with the YHES4Condoms Campaign, and work for the Sexual Education Company, TeenSource. I aim to provide listeners with information that comes from well-researched and informed data, but I’m not a doctor, and you should always consult a professional if you are seeking medical advice. This episode should not replace any conversation with a doctor. And just as a head’s up, all my informational content comes from the Teen Source website, so if you want to learn more that is a safe and great place to do so.
Rating: This podcast episode has received a “Clean” or “All-Ages Rating” from a standards and practices expert.
This story was originally published on The Oracle on May 1, 2024.