Halloween is traditionally scary with masks and monsters, but due to the pandemic of COVID-19, many people are starting to wonder what Halloween will look like this year.

Dr. Shad Marvasti, a Valley doctor, says we need to come up with creative ways to stay connected to family and friends. If you leave candy out for trick-or-treating ghouls and goblins, he suggests that you leave out pre-packaged candy in small allotments so kids are not reaching their hands into the same bowl.

 Being a Bear Essential News Young Reporter is teaching me to be creative, have a strategy, and to use my time wisely. I learned that you can use these same tools in chess when I joined A Tale of Two Kings, a chess academy in Tucson.

It offers individual and group lessons, chess camps, tournaments and now with coronavirus, it also has online options. Chess is almost 1,500 years old but it is still a very popular game around the world.

 I am going to write about the festive spirit of the season of fall (not capitalizing the word “fall” is actually proper grammar!). So, let’s get into some fall-themed fun!

 Currently during the COVID-19 pandemic, masks have been a suggestion by scientists and health officials to help prevent the spread of the virus, along with hand washing and socially distancing. Here is information regarding the science of how mask wearing helps prevent the spread and which materials are best. The information included is from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other relevant websites.

 Girls in 6th-12th grades are invited to join a free “Girls Who Code” club hosted by Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) at UArizona. This year the club will meet online, so girls anywhere can join. “Students with all levels of coding experience are welcome, though the program is designed as a first introduction to coding,” explained Amanda Bertsch, the Lead Facilitator of the club.

 Think you know everything there is to know about light rail? Think again! Late last year, I went on a tour of the Valley Metro Operations and Maintenance Center, guided by Debby Thacker, assistant manager of Rail Operations. My first glimpse of the OMC was from a conference room with a huge glass window looking down on a giant mechanics shop. I was so amazed to see a whole train inside the building, along with a lot of fascinating machinery that does many incredible jobs.

 National Twins Days 2020 happened Friday, Aug. 7 through Sunday, Aug. 9. This event occurs on the first full weekend in August each year.

Being a twin is special because you have someone that understands you. Your twin gets you through hard times and is always there by your side to help you, no matter what.

Another special part that we love about being twins is that we get to share special moments together, like our birthdays (even though Ellie is nine minutes older!)

Isabella, the older twin (by minutes!)

Hello, my name is Isabella and I have an identical twin sister named Gianna! Since National Twin Day is in the month of August, I am going to tell what it’s like being a twin. First of all, I am the older twin by three minutes, but my sister was born a quarter of an inch taller than me. Though we have a lot of similarities, we actually have a lot of differences.

 Recently I was able to attend the first Chief Science Officer (CSO) Math Festival. CSO Sahiba helped to plan the event and presented to those in attendance. Students were able to select two 45-minute breakout sessions to attend in addition to being a part of the general session for everyone. The available sessions included: Interactive Math Problems, Problem Solving Strategies, Math Theory, and Math in Real Life.

 Do you recognize yourself in a mirror? Does your dog? Scientists have determined that most children recognized themselves in a mirror by the age of 2, but what about animals?

In 1970, a scientist named Gordon Gallup Jr. created the Mirror Test or MSR Test to see if animals had self-awareness. It works like this: a mark is painted on an animal in a place they cannot see, like their face, and then they are placed in front of a mirror. If the animal recognizes the mark as being something that shouldn’t be there and attempts to remove it, then they have self-awareness.