What you need to know:
- Culinary students will be eligible to participate in FBLA and DECA starting next semester.
- The Odysseus Moon lander landed and died out, but was able to provide scientific data that will aid NASA in its future endeavors.
- The “flour massacre” in Gaza potentially endangers current international efforts to form a ceasefire agreement.
School
Students enrolled in a culinary course are eligible to participate in business clubs like FBLA and DECA. Culinary offers the opportunity to learn skills that support a variety of careers in hospitality and tourism, such as event planning, food and beverage service management and catering. Classes under the CTE Program are designed to support students with hands-on learning experiences and teach them skills that are directly linked to post-secondary education and careers.
“I think the curriculum is deeply connected to skills every student should know for their future,” culinary teacher Megan Miller said. “At some point in time, everyone needs to cook for themselves. It’s healthier and more affordable than eating out for every meal. Whether students intend on following this pathway for a career or not, it is an important life skill to have.”
Community
The primary presidential election took place on March 5, and San Jose leaders found themselves facing a shortage of voting locations. According to the San Jose Spotlight, council member Peter Ortiz of District 5 believed that this shortage risked silencing the community.
“It’s not giving the community a voice and then we get elected representatives who don’t have our best interests at hand,” Ortiz said in an interview with the San Jose Spotlight.
County election workers said that it was too late to add additional centers for the voting of the primary presidential elections, but will implement the received feedback for more voting booths in the upcoming November election.
National
On Feb. 22, the Odysseus moon lander marked the first United States landing on the moon in 52 years — the first since 1972. But, due to complications during the landing that left the lander lying on its side, the battery died on Feb. 27. The lander was sent to the moon to gather scientific data, evaluating the environment at the moon’s south pole and lunar surface. Before it died, the lander was briefly able to gather data and photos to send back to Earth.
“We’re going 1,000 times further into space than the International Space Station,” Steve Altemus, the Intuitive Machines CEO, said in an interview with CNN. “And we’re doing it autonomously or robotically without human intervention.”
As for the future, NASA aims to carry out more robotic science missions, seeking to learn more about the lunar environment as it focuses on preparing to land astronauts on the moon. The space agency anticipates a launch date for the crewed mission sometime in 2026.
International
On Feb. 29, the Al-Rashid humanitarian aid incident, also known to many as the “flour massacre,” led to the deaths of 112 people and injured another 760 in Gaza, potentially endangering current international efforts to form a ceasefire agreement. In the early hours of the morning, Palestinians had gathered to collect food and water supplies provided by international aid organizations, when, according to accounts from Palestinians on the scene, Israeli soldiers surprised them and opened fire. However, the Israeli Military denies this, contending that the majority of the deaths can be attributed to stampedes around the trucks. Following the event, the U.S. has committed to airdropping aid into the strip to avoid future incidents. As of now, Israel is allowing a limited number of aid trucks into the strip that delivers tents, essential fuel and construction materials to rehabilitate critical infrastructure. While Israel has recently publicly committed to a proposed six-week temporary ceasefire, the results of the massacre have potentially soured diplomatic ties between the Jewish state and Hamas, threatening current negotiations.
