JENNIE’s New Album ‘Ruby’

Kadia Zhou (9) | STAFF REPORTER

Global superstar, Jennie of BLACKPINK, released her first debut solo album on March 7, 2025, entitled Ruby after departing from YG Entertainment and Interscope Records in 2023. Jennie wrote and co-produced Ruby with a large range of collaborators, including Doechii, Dua Lipa, Kali Uchis, and more. The album revolves around Jennie’s relationships, influence and success, and explores music genres such as pop, hip-hop, and R&B. Ruby is supported by five singles, Mantra, Love Hangover, ExtraL, Like Jennie, and Handlebars, all successfully reaching high placements on the Billboard Global 200, Circle Digital Chart, Billboard Hot 100, and more.  read more

The Star Event of STUCO: The Promised Brawl Stars Tournament

Trevor Wu (11) | STAFF REPORTER

Think back to last year, to our own student council elections, the first time in a long time we were able to elect our student government. What made noise, got the crowd electrified? That’s right, the oath that if they were voted, a Brawl Stars tournament would be held. The competition was forgotten for a while, and many even assumed we were misled in order to gain our votes. However, on the Tuesday of February 18, it was finally announced. STUCO would be holding the long awaited tournament on February 27th, with sign ups beginning the following thursday. The ticket sale period lasted from the 20th to the 24th, and costed $2 per participant. The tournament was played in the 3v3 game modes, with players pre-establishing their teams during sign ups. It was hosted in the library, with rumored to be over 25 participating teams. The team who won it all, proved to be above the rest, and crowned themselves the champions, consisted of Nathan, Jared, and Peter! Congratulations to our first ever St. Robert Brawl Stars titleholders, and although there was no prize, they gained honour, or as some would say, aura. Their win marked the end of the tournament, so that is all for today, until next time, and don’t play too much Brawl Stars. read more

What is Ash Wednesday and why do we celebrate it?

Timothy Wu (11) | Staff Reporter

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. This year, Ash Wednesday falls on February 14th, and it holds deep significance for Catholics worldwide. The day is named after the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful in the shape of a cross, accompanied by the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). read more

Maybe Flowers aren’t that Lovely After all

Paria Shahir (9) | STAFF REPORTER

She climbed up the hill alone. During her ascent, her eyes roamed in search of the white poppies. She plucked each one she found by its delicate sprig, as others flailed with the breeze around her. Once she had gathered a basket full of pearl-white flowers, she sat down under the flourishing cherry tree on top of the hill, from where the entire town with all its vibrancy was visible.
She settled under the shade and began to write, addressing her love, who was entangled in the chaos of the battlefield somewhere remote. She wrote of love, of the longing to cry in his arms. She rendered her heart in words, speaking of the town news, the apple pie that had filled the house with its scent that morning, and of spring. read more

Global Extinction: Are Breeding Programs Enough?

Emily Yang (10) | STAFF REPORTER

In the past decade, nearly 500 species have been declared extinct, with reports by the United Nations estimating that half of all species are to be extinct by 2050. One of the primary measures to prevent this trajectory are breeding and conservation programs, with the most common being captive breeding. However, there is the question of their effectiveness. Are they truly enough to protect our diminishing biodiversity? read more

The Environmental Cost of Cheap Clothes

Parnian Esmaeilishayeh (12) | STAFF REPORTER

Due to fast fashion, H&M, Zara, Forever 21, Shein, Urban Outfitters, and many more have become multi-million brands. The fashion industry has expanded tremendously over the years. Although many of these developments were positive, there has also been an expansion in fast fashion, which is appalling. Fast fashion is the leading cause of climate change, water pollution, and harm to aquatic life.  read more

Soft Skills Vs Hard Skills

Angela Xiao (9) | STAFF REPORTER

Throughout our life, we obtain skills that help us in school, work, etc., and these skills can be separated into two categories: hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are technical skills that are relevant in certain jobs, such as having the knowledge of accounting or languages. On the other hand, soft skills are usually related to personality, such as time management or leadership skills. However, the debate remains as to which of these skills are more important. read more

Beauty Standards: The Thief of Joy

Serena Ahmad (9) | STAFF REPORTER

“Comparison is the thief of joy,” as quoted by President Theodore Roosevelt, highlights that constantly comparing ourselves to others can cause us to feel dissatisfied with our lives. Beauty standards are a common source of this misery. Beauty standards are society’s perception of attractiveness. This often includes ideal facial features, body weight, skin tone, etc. However, the establishment of these standards are extremely toxic towards certain demographics, particularly young girls.  read more