Five Things You Should Know – February
A High Schooler’s Guide to Staying Informed
Already this month, major world and political events have occurred. The presidential State of the Union was among them, setting the precedent for the rest of Trump’s first term and the looming election.
February 7, 2020
1. History of the Super Bowl
The American Super Bowl is the highest and most prestigious game for teams in the National Football League. Since February is Super Bowl month, here’s some background on the famous game you may not have known. The first Super Bowl was held in 1967, in Los Angeles, California. Tickets to that first Super Bowl cost only $12 – and it’s the only Super Bowl that hasn’t sold out. For this year’s Super Bowl, tickets were said to average around $6,000 dollars – and every seat was filled. While a lot has changed since 1967, the Super Bowl was still special, with the Chiefs making their first appearance in 50 years (This Super Bowl was almost an exact replica of the very first Super Bowl … but the Chiefs played the 49ers instead of the Packers).
To see more about each Super Bowl, visit: https://www.nfl.com/super-bowl/history
2. Flu Season & Coronavirus
The months of December through February are often the peak of cold and flu season. This year, in addition to the usual rounds of colds and coughs, fear of the Coronavirus has been circulating as well. So, what is the coronavirus? The CDC describes strains of the Coronavirus as common in animals, and they generally stay out of humans, except for cases like this one. The first case of the virus was reported in Wuhan, China, and fear spread quickly. It has since been declared a National Health Emergency. To stay tuned on the real information and updates, see: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html Meanwhile, washing your hands, covering your mouth, and having some Vitamin C will keep the common cold and flu away this season.
3. Spring? Colorado Weather
Everyone knows Colorado weather does what it wants when it wants. But the dry winter and warm January have people asking – Spring? Or Winter? February was kicked off with an almost record-breakingly warm weekend, followed by a dumping of snow. While the whiplash weather isn’t a new phenomenon, many are wondering what this means the spring will look like. In the span of a few days, Colorado almost hit both of February’s previous temperature records – a high of 74 and a low of -16. Already, The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a snowy March – possibly like the one we saw last year. Tune in to the news and weather radar to catch the latest in February and the predictions for spring.
https://www.almanac.com/weather/longrange/CO/Denver#
4. Iowa Caucuses – What does it mean?
The Iowa Caucuses are an important step in the race for the presidency, and the first indicator of a candidate’s success. This year’s caucus proved to be more hectic than expected – here’s what you need to know.
The Iowa Caucuses are the first major event in the presidential races. They are used to get an idea of how voters are feeling about each candidate in order to possibly predict who the country may vote for. Instead of individual voters casting ballots, the caucuses hold meetings where they discuss and then choose someone to vote for. At this year’s Democratic caucus, in the throes of impeachment and the State of the Union, disarray ensued. Despite the caucus wrapping up the evening of Feb. 3, results have still been withheld. While the cause of the chaos isn’t exactly clear, this doesn’t bode well for the candidates and the upcoming election. In order to be successful, the candidates need to be able to organize their campaigns and bases. With election day getting closer, and with many of us voting for the first time, it is important to stay informed on policy, polls, and events.
https://abcnews.go.com/Elections
5. President Trump’s State of The Union
The State of the Union is highly anticipated and widely watched speech by the President of the United States. The speech serves as a way for the President to convey to the American people the ‘state of the union’ or in other words, the condition of America. Presidents also often use it to announce what they’ve done, what they plan to do, and to reaffirm their beliefs. President Trump’s State of the Union is also an important event in the time leading up to the election, and essential to staying politically informed on Trump and partisan interactions.
Watch the speech here:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/05/us/politics/state-of-union-live-chat.html
