The student news site of Western Albemarle High School

The Western Hemisphere

The student news site of Western Albemarle High School

The Western Hemisphere

The student news site of Western Albemarle High School

The Western Hemisphere

Words...

Word of the Week #1

January 6, 2023

Have you ever wondered; from where was the word “whale” wrought? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Welcome to Word of the Week where I will answer any and all of your etymological inquiries....

Bacteria and yeasts metabolize natural sugars, creating delicious results.

Fermentation and its Endless Applications

Tatiana Bird, Staff Writer March 30, 2022

Some of the most important developments in human history came about all thanks to microscopic unicellular organisms. This may be hard to believe with our macroscopic view, but upon further investigation,...

The okapi is nicknamed the African unicorn.

Credit: Daniel Jolivet - https://www.flickr.com/photos/sybarite48/7973333500/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65399174

Extraordinary Endangered Animals: Okapi

Marja-Helena Barrett, Staff Writer June 1, 2021

The okapi, nicknamed the “African Unicorn”, is the only living relative of the giraffe. It looks like a cross between a zebra and a deer, with stripes on its legs, and knobby horns on its head. It...

Brian ODea (left) and Walker Martin (right), respectively.

The Hat Piece

Brian O'Dea and Walker Martin May 18, 2021

This comprehensive list is our objective review of all types of hats. We left out religious headwear on purpose, and if you feel like we missed any important genre of hat then please notify the writers...

Check out the Moo Thru at the new Dairy Market!

Food in Review: Ice Cream

Darrah Sheehan and Kimball Sheehan May 5, 2021

The Moo Thru: You might be slightly confused about why we are reviewing the Moo Thru because you know it to be a road trip stop located in Northern Virginia. However, the Moo Thru recently established...

In Myanmar, the Irrawaddy Dolphin has learned to participate in “cooperative fishing” with the fishermen in the area. This is a phenomenon that occurs nowhere else in the world.  
Credit: WWF

Extraordinary Endangered Animals: Irrawaddy Dolphin

Marja-Helena Barrett, Staff Writer May 5, 2021

The Irrawaddy Dolphin is a charismatic-looking beluga-like dolphin with a rounded face. An ancient Chinese text from AD 800 even referred to them as “river pigs”. These dolphins inhabit the coastal...

This species essentially spends its entire life underground. It uses a long tongue to eat ants and termites in its underground home.

Credit: Benjamin Tapley

Extraordinary Endangered Animals: Purple Frog

Marja-Helena Barrett, Staff Writer April 21, 2021

The purple frog, or the pig-nosed frog, looks like a grumpy purplish blob with a pointy nose. Scientists discovered this frog only 18 years ago in the Western Ghats of India, and it belongs to the family...

Enjoy the delicious house-made granola on top of the smoothie bowls at the Juice Laundry!

Food in Review: Juice Places

Darrah Sheehan and Kimball Sheehan March 30, 2021

The Corner Juice: The Corner Juice is exactly where you would expect it to be: on the Corner (but they also have a location on the downtown mall). This European-inspired cafe was founded by University...

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) classified this species as critically endangered in 2015, and this classification remains today.

Extraordinary Endangered Animals: Pied Tamarin

Marja-Helena Barrett, Staff Writer March 22, 2021

The pied tamarin, also known as the Brazilian bare-faced tamarin, is endemic to the lowland tropical forests of Brazil. It has a small hairless face, large ears that resemble something of an elf, and it...

Megan Futty’s food blog lists her healthy recipes with more detail. Her first blog post is a recipe for chocolate chip banana bread. Here is the link to her blog page: https://meganfutty.wixsite.com/foodiefutty.

Food for Thought: Student Blogs Promote Healthier Eating During the Quarantine

Kimball Sheehan, Assistant Editor May 18, 2020

Worried about developing unhealthy eating habits during the quarantine?  Here are two food accounts to keep you healthy and fit, created by WAHS students Megan Futty and Katie Carter. Their recipes are...

WAHS Students Stay Connected Through “Quarantine Madness”

WAHS Students Stay Connected Through “Quarantine Madness”

Kimball Sheehan, Assistant Editor May 7, 2020

Amber Parker decided to create an Instagram account for quarantine games. Since everyone has been so bored being quarantined at their houses, she created this account to bring people together and play...

A pangolin walks around, looking like a dinosaur.

Mammal of the Month: Pangolin

William Peritz, News Editor April 28, 2020

Well here we are, two years later. Everyone's favorite mammal-appreciation series returns for its third season, which means, fun fact: it’s older that the shelf life of canned applesauce. It’s true....