1 . As a high school student, you’re likely used to learning through reading textbooks.     1     This lies at the heart of “experiential appreciation,” a philosophy that encourages you to engage directly with the world around you. It’s about learning from real-life experiences, and discovering a more profound and engaging way to learn.

To practice experiential appreciation, you can start by getting involved in hands-on activities related to your subjects. They will provide a firsthand understanding of the concepts you’re studying, making learning active and meaningful. So, try joining a sports team, picking up a paintbrush, or taking part in a local charity event.     2    

As you dive deeper, immerse (沉浸) yourself fully in the surroundings and activities. When you’re in nature, don’t just look around.     3     Touching the leaves, feeling the wind and listening to the birds can enrich your learning and make each moment more memorable.

    4     After trying something new, ask yourself what you learned and how it made you feel. Write in a journal or discuss it with friends. This self-discovery turns experiences into life lessons and offers a deeper understanding of the world.

Experiential appreciation transforms learning from a task to be completed into a journey to be treasured.     5     So, explore the world around you, let every experience shape you, and discover the endless possibilities that await. This is the core of true learning, where every moment is a step towards a richer, more enlightened life.

2 . Sharing is regarded as both a social morality and a personal virtue. It is a wonderful thing that increases pleasure and reduces sorrow. Then why do we tend to be happier when sharing with others?     1    

We have shared with others since the beginning of civilization and interaction. It is one of the primary ways we learn to communicate.    2     People from these cultures open up their homes to traveling visitors and those curious about learning their cultural practices. However, sharing doesn’t always need to be this grand gesture. Simple acts like exchanging compliments can also brighten up a person’s day and make them feel more positive.

    3     Oxytocin helps build trust, relieve stress and anxiety, improve immune (免疫的) function and benefit your overall wellbeing as a result. When people are in possession of generous levels of Oxytocin in their bodies, they are more empathetic (有同感的) towards others and feel more generous than they would in normal circumstances. You can gain Oxytocin even by making online donations. You need not have to physically share in person to experience the benefits of the hormone.

When you share your belongings with others, you are expressing trust in their ability to keep your possession safe and out of harm’s way. If your trust pays off in them, you experience a sense of happiness. We tend to be more emotionally satisfied and happy when we are able to build trust in our relationships. Trust and happiness are closely related experience.

Humans are social animals.    5     If we happen to have encouraging and supportive friends and family to rely on, we are less prone (倾向于) to anxiety and depression. However, if we tend to lack a reliable social support system in our lives, our happiness can suffer. Sharing helps build new relationships. Social interactions advance your health, wealth and general wellbeing.

5 . When Ryan Boyland graduated from medical school this spring, his parents, Michelle and Roosevelt Boyland, wanted to do something special to mark their son’s achievement as the first person in their family to become a doctor.

Michelle Boyland came up with the brilliant idea of renting out a billboard after seeing a story on TV.

“Everybody knew about it except Ryan. And I told him that I needed to talk to him and we’re going to meet at his older brother’s apartment in the parking lot,” Michelle Boyland explained, adding that the parking lot was near where the billboard was located. “Ryan had tons of questions as usual. ‘Why are we meeting? How come we can’t talk about it right now over the phone?’ I said, ‘This is very important. I need to see your face.’”

When his mother, brother and sister took him to see the billboard in person, Ryan Boyland had no idea what was going to happen until he finally looked up and saw his photo towering above the roadway.

“The first thing I thought was, how long it had been there and how many people had already seen me before I had seen me? A moment of mild panic kind of entered me,” he recalled. “In the past, I have been a little bit hesitant about receiving such attention and seeing my head 20 feet off the ground was a bit of a shock.”

The billboard, which reads, “Congratulations Doctor Ryan Boyland Class of 2023 University of Nebraska Medical Center,” stands tall in front of Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska.

“I chose that location because it’s right down the street from the church that we attend, as wellas right down the street from the high school that Ryan went to 10 years ago,” Michelle Boyland said, adding, “I wanted it to inspire our community. I wanted it to inspire the kids, little kids, middle schoolers that they can be doctors too.”

Ryan Boyland has gotten ready to move to Denver to begin his career as an emergency medicine residency(住院医生) in Denver Health.

“He’s accomplished a lot in a very short period of time and I’m looking forward to many more accomplishments in the future. Hopefully, he’ll start taking credit for it a little bit better,” dad Roosevelt Boyland said.

6 . 2024 Western Colorado Elementary Science Fair

EUREKA! and D51 are partnering to host our annual elementary (小学的) science fair! Here’s your chance to apply your love of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) by conducting your own scientific investigation.

Participation is open to all 3-5^th graders living in Wester Colorado, and students can either enter as an individual or as a team of no more than 3 members. Judging will be based on grade, and a team composed of students from multiple grades will be judged in the grade category of the oldest participant’s grade.

Project Submission

All participants must complete all of the following by March 7, 2024:

●Complete the registration form (one per team)

●Create a display poster (either physical or electronic) summarizing their project and email the file or a clear photo of it to the science fair committee

● Create a video presentation (less than 5 minutes) explaining their project to the judges, and submit it to the science fair committee

Public Viewing

Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Location: EUREKA! McConnell Science Museum

Participants can display their posters and present their projects to the public (optional) .

Safety Regulations

It is important to wear proper protective gear (装备) when necessary in addition to disposing of (处理) waste properly when conducting a scientific investigation. We strongly recommend that guardians look up and study Safety Data Sheets for any chemicals that their students use and have responsibility for not allowing students to experiment with dangerous chemicals. EUREKA! holds the right to not display projects if they believe the components break our safety regulations.

7 . Changing schools can be a difficult experience for a child, because making new friends can be hard in a new environment.

10-year-old RafaelAnaya and Amanda Moore have proven that friendship can go beyond any language barrier (障碍). Rafael had just begun going to Paloma Elementary after he moved to California from Mexico with his family. Amanda noticed that her classmate Rafael ate lunch and went home alone, and looked sad in the cafeteria every day without any friends. She felt sympathy (同情) for him.

One day she decided to join Rafael for lunch. When trying to communicate, she realized that he spoke Spanish but did not speak much English, so the next day she decided to write him a note using Google Translate. Amanda translated her note into Spanish and began practicing reading the note so she could speak with her new friend. On the way to school, Amanda asked her mom Kimber to correct her note, and her mom was so proud of her kind little girl that she decided to share her story online.

Hundreds of thousands of people online were deeply touched when hearing of the kindness of Amanda to reach out to Rafael at their school. Amanda’s note read:

“Would you like to sit with me today? Look for me and I will show you where I sit. We can paint or simply tell scary stories. Thank you for your time.”

Amanda’s mom said that since her daughter gave Rafael the note, the two have become good friends. They spend time together at school and also go trick-or-treating together for Halloween. Rafael told ABC news that he and Amanda would be friends “forever.”

Amanda’s act of kindness shows how wonderfully she was raised; to be kind to others, regardless of their language ability or country of origin.

9 . For most people, the weekly shopping is just an ordinary task.     1     When I travel abroad, the first thing I do after dropping my bags off is go to the grocery store (杂货店).

The variety of products in different countries fascinates me every time I travel somewhere new.     2     Another surprise in Malta was their selection of ice cream available even in the smallest grocery stores, the best of which was a pack of delicious ice cream sandwiches.

By wandering around a grocery store in another country, I can imagine what the lives of its citizens are like. In Italy, I saw one aisle (过道) filled entirely with different types of pasta. I smiled to myself and thought that Italians really do love their pasta.     3     Because I can see the types of things that Germans might buy on impulse (一时冲动).

    4     But it is important to get involved in the daily lives of a country’s citizens and know more about them through grocery shopping. I can watch kids begging their parents for sweets. Or watch couples pick up snacks and drinks for a party on a Friday night.     5     Indeed, it’s a chance to slow down and imagine what people’s lives are like, and find that they are not so different from our own.

10 . While many people adventure to the tops of mountains, there is a lot to be found underground as well. Here, we’ve found four secret caves that are worth knowing about.

1. Hidden Cave at Grimes Point, Nevada

Hidden Cave was formed about 21,000 years ago. Native Americans used it to store tools. The cave was discovered by four kids out looking for treasure in 1927. When they found the cave, they were the first humans in the 20th century to see it. Today, Hidden Cave is a free public tourist attraction.

2. Ice Caves, North Dakota

Ice Caves, located in the northwest part of North Dakota, were first discovered by Joe Quinion in the early 1900s. These caves get their name from their cool temperatures. People have reported seeing ice and snow from the previous winter in the caves well into July. The caves ’ thick sandstone and limited air flow help keep ice from melting.

3. The Ramble Cave, New York

Unlike other secret caves that are located in remote (偏远的) areas, the Ramble Cave is located right in the middle of America’s biggest city — in New York’s Central Park. However, it wasn’t originally part of the designer’s plan for the park. Instead, it was discovered by accident by workers in the 1850s. The cave was a popular attraction for children in its early days but was closed in 1934 after a man was shot and killed in this cave.

4. Tears of the Turtle, Montana

This cave wasn’t found until 2006. It is located in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness, a vast area with no roads. That means to reach this cave, you have to hike or ride a horse 33.7 kilometers into the wilderness area from Meadow Creek. Also, with a depth of 496.5 meters, the cave is definitely not for inexperienced explorers.