Olympics Recap

By Kayleigh Murphy

The 2024 Summer Olympics took place this past July and August in Paris, France, for the 33rd time since their modern outset in the late 1800s. With over 200 countries competing in sports ranging from archery to water polo, thousands of athletes competed for a chance to win an Olympic medal, showcasing their passions on the world stage. 

The Olympics officially began on July 26th with the opening ceremony, which consisted of cultural performances and the parade of athletes. This opening parade featured all of the competitors, each representing their countries. Each nation had athlete flag bearers for both the opening ceremony and closing, chosen by fellow athletes and team captains. The United States chose LeBron James and Coco Gauff for the opening, plus Katie Ledecky and Nick Mead to close out the event. 

Olympic athletes have made their way to becoming household names and stars. 

Possibly the most exciting, four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles, returned for her third Olympics after withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as a result of “the twisties.”This is a phenomenon where a gymnast’s mind and body disconnect while airborne, causing her to lose sense of where she was in the air. With her return to the games in 2024 came an anticipated comeback the world was waiting for. Simone exited this year's Olympics with three gold medals and one silver, including the golds for women’s artistic individual and team all-around.

Competing countries were ranked throughout the weeks based on the number of medals they receive, specifically gold. Over the course of the games, athletes like Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, and many more contributed several gold medals individually for the United States. Ultimately, Torri Huske obtained the most medals for the US, and the second most overall, with three gold medals and two silver in swimming.

 As for team sports, both the womens and mens basketball teams, women's soccer, and several more all won gold while competing multiple times through bracket competitions.

Competing closely, China won the same amount of gold medals as the US. With one day left of the games, the US was sitting only one gold medal behind them, ranking second. It had all come down to the women’s basketball team playing in the final gold-medal game. The United States team barely beat France with a final score of 67-66; they won the final gold medal needed to place team USA in first place. In the final analysis, the United States placed first with 40 goal medals and 126 medals total. 

Catastrophic Trio of Hurricanes Devastates Florida

By Karolina Mroczek, Grade 11

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30. Although it is almost over based on our calendar, some may say it is only the beginning as this season has been much more active than usual. So far, 10 hurricanes have formed this season, three of which hit and devastated Florida. Furthermore, the overall damage caused by these hurricanes is roughly $150 billion and over 370 people have been killed by the storms. 

Florida faced many natural challenges with nearly back-to-back hurricanes since August. Hurricane Debby, a Category 1 storm, reached Florida in the first week of August. Despite its weaker strength (compared to other hurricanes this season), Debby caused widespread flooding and heavy rain throughout the southeastern United States. Towards the end of September, Category 4 Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc upon Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, and Tennessee. The storm itself caused over 230 deaths (which accounted for over 60 percent of the total hurricane deaths in the 2024 season). In early October, Hurricane Milton hit Florida. It was a Category 3 storm known for being the cause of 100 tornadoes in Florida alone. These three hurricanes have caused remarkable devastation in Florida, severely damaging infrastructure.

Due to the severity of the 2024 hurricane season, relief efforts are more important than ever. So far, organizations such as the Salvation Army and Convoy of Hope have helped Floridians impacted by the hurricanes by distributing relief supplies. Also, President Biden announced that $612 million would be given to help Florida rebuild its electric grids. Even major celebrities, such as Taylor Swift and Ryan Reynolds, have shown support and donated to the cause. With the help of donors and charity organizations, the year-long rebuilding of Florida has a bright future.

The hurricane season may be coming to an end, but it definitely is not over yet. Meteorologists say that more hurricanes can form as early as mid- to late October.

Europa Clipper

By Simon Benca, Grade 11

This year, NASA has launched a rocket to Jupiter’s moons to find out if life can exist there. Scientific research currently shows that underneath its icy outer layer, Europa may have all of the conditions needed for life to exist there. The rocket will travel in space for six years and contain a spacecraft that will orbit Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.

NASA has been planning a mission to explore Europa since 2013. Europa has been considered to be one of the most promising habitable environments in our solar system. For this mission, they have developed the Europa Clipper, the largest spacecraft used for planetary missions. This 16 foot tall spacecraft has enough solar arrays to collect enough light to power it, even though it is extremely distant from the sun.

On October 14, 2024, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, containing the Europa Clipper, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Europa Clipper is predicted to reach Jupiter’s moon by 2030. It will then orbit Europa to determine if it can sustain life. The plan is for the Europa Clipper to use thermal instruments to discover warmer parts of the ice and possibly underwater eruptions. It will also measure the composition of the moon’s atmosphere.

NASA’s plan to explore Europa will be monumental in the search for life outside of our planet. In 2030, the Europa Clipper will begin orbiting Jupiter’s fourth largest moon, which will help determine if the conditions there can sustain life.