SEARCH RESULTS

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections My Past, Not Relevant By G Heiss Volume 1 Issue 8 June 8, 2021 Image provided by The Guardian It has been hours since the king had been summoned home. He previously was in the mortal realm to take care of affairs and deals people wanted to make. Then his second-in-command called him down in an emergency pentagram. He almost felt sorry for the guy who was probably standing there confused for a while, staring at the scorched ground left in his wake. Why did you summon me here, Corvin?" Since he was in his home now, Varis could feel his energy boost and return to him, large magenta wings now protruding from his shoulder blades and spreading out to their full 11-foot span before folding against his back. Four horns painlessly growing out from his skull, two curling upwards from the top of his head, the other two sprouting out from seemingly the bottom of his brunette head of hair. By this time, his nails had extended to claws, his eyes turned from white and brown to black and red, sharper than average teeth growing more and a whip like tail extending from his lower back. The tail thrashing as it grew before it settled as he waited for his second in command to answer his previous question. Corvin Rex. An ash demon who had a raven animal morph. The two have known each other their whole lives, despite them being away from each other for a long period of time. "Your presence was requested, Varis. An Imp by the name of Zodariis has been causing trouble in the slums and was brought here. His pale skin seemed to vastly contrast from the king's own tanner skin. And when Varis turned to walk to the throne room, one of Corvin's pale hands caught his wrist. Red irises met black and Varis felt himself tense at the rare sight of Corvin's face of concern. "Be wary, Varis.. Something seemed off about this imp…" Varis forced his body not to shudder as he swallowed down his nerves and scowled. "I'm not scared a low-leveling Imp from this ring of hell." His voice echoed in the hall as he twisted his wrist slightly to get the other demon to let go. When Corvin did let go, Varis began to walk down the lavishly decorated hall toward the throne room. The halls were decorated with large pillars and numerous paintings of the previous rulers of the 9 rings. Said pillars were Roman in origin, laced with small golden details that he had never really bothered to look at in the past. Red eyes flicked to the many photos on the walls as his scowl grew. Varis could almost feel the eyes of the previous rulers follow his moments in almost a judgmental way. Calrash. One of the first demon queens to take the throne at the beginning of what the humans call the Cambrian. She was a tyrant to say the least, but she had been the first who dared to challenge Lucifer for the title, and she had been the only successful one at that. "Meus Rex." A distant voice made it way to Varis's pointed ears and immediately his attention is on an incubus guard that was standing in front of his father's painting. Ur'Gest Cicero. Benevolent to the 9 circles that watched his every move. Behind closed doors however, Varis knew better. "The Imp is being held by the best of the guard. It has shown some impressive strength for an Imp." Varis could hear him talking, but his eyes were trained on his father’s own red eyes. The sound of echoed skin on skin was deafening in the castle halls. Each slap of skin was followed by a child's cry of pain. "You were supposed to be the powerful one! Why were you born a runt?!" Guards who passed the door always had a look of sympathy for the child. But none had the nerves to stand up to Ur'Gest. Anyone who seemed to do so, weren't seen the next rise of the blood moon. "What do you mean, father?" A young version of Varis, bruised and red looked up at his much larger father with tear-stained cheeks and unshed tears still stinging his eyes. Then he got picked up by his small wings. Another cry of pain came from the boy as his father tightened his grip on the wings and tossed him aside. "Pathetic. You should be able to fly by now." Varis's eyes widen in fear as the king, his father, drew closer...And closer. Raising a hand to-- "Meus Rex!" The guard choked out, clawing at the hand around his neck and struggling for oxygen. Varis let go of the guard and had a look of regret on his face. "Please, escort yourself to the infirmary to see to any potential wounds. I am so sorry about that, I got lost in thought." The guard bowed his head and quickly walked away to head in the direction of the infirmary. Varis looked down at his hand that had been choking the guard previously, scowling and taking a few deep breaths. His father was gone. Ur'Gest died over 8 centuries ago. While Varis was still relatively new to the throne, having only been king for two centuries, things were already vastly different. Varis had spent most of his "teenage" years in the mortal realm. When he learned to adapt as time went on, he closely observed how the world leaders went about managing their countries. Taking liking to George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte for a short amount of time, Toussaint-Louverture, and Henri Guisan. His magic had allowed him to learn, to study with the children that were "his age." "Your Highness." There was a voice again that pulled him from his thoughts, this one was different from before. When Varis focused, it was two of the most decorated soldiers he had made sure were kept in the army. The two soldiers were kneeling down with their wings folded against their backs with one arm on their knees and the other on the odd-looking Imp. The Imp should've had a red pigment in his skin if  he were to be from the pride ring. Maybe even an orange. However, this one had green. Varis narrowed his eyes to see into the Imp's soul. His real name was Niagron, he died of an assassination and was a greedy man in his life by the name he can only find being Kyoji. A dark aura surrounded the demon king and a low growl came from his throat as he approached the Imp and grabbed its face by its chin. "What do you want, greed spawn?" Venom laced with Varis's voice as the Imp growled back and moved to get out of the king's grasp. "I want to challenge your authority, Cicero!" Every other demon in the room went silent. They all recall just how powerful the last king was and how the king's own wife, Varis's mother, killed him by essentially drowning him in lava. Ur'Gest was a fire demon, his wife, Flanora, a lava demon. It was publicly known that not even Varis knew the full extent of his own power. "We can escort him to a separate location where--" "No." Varis butted in and took a deep breath. "Why do you propose to challenge me, greed spawn?" Murmurs from servants, guards and soldiers rose at this notion. Varis was interested in the fight and the fire in the Imp's eyes reminded him a lot of himself back in his youth. The last challenge to a king that had happened that wasn't an internal matter was when Ur'Gest came into power. And that was nearly 3000 years ago. "I came to challenge your logic! What made you say you had the right to waltz down back into hell and take the place of king? What in your past make you king?!" Another round of silence. The soldiers who were previously holding the Imp backed away as they knew just a fraction of what their king is capable of. The servants are also hyper-aware of his untamed power that had direct ties to his emotions. Especially his anger. The Imp's eyes widen in alarm and any previous fearlessness he had quickly dissipated as the king's appearance began to change. Growing in size in all proportions by at least another ten feet. His previous human looking skin now turning an angry red and his eyes appeared as if they held the infinite space of void. Magenta wings turning a deep shade of scarlet and the tip of his tail igniting in blue flames. " Prior actus non refert …" Varis's voice was loud . The whole castle seemed to echo the deep guttural voice that now belonged to the king. Not even moments later, the screams of the damned could be heard throughout the entire pride ring. Servants of the castle looked at what remained of the Imp with some pity and others looked disgusted. Ashes were quickly swept away as Varis returned to his normal size and his second in command pushed the doors open as if he were in a hurry. "What happened? Where is the Imp? What did he want?" The look on Varis's face alone was enough to shut the ravenette up, black eyes looking to the king's face as he slowly approached. Something was evidently wrong. But Corvin knows better than to pry. "He came to challenge my authority, asking what gave me the right to sit on the throne." Corvin sucked in a tense breath, his jaw clenching at the notion and he gave a strained nod of his head to show he understood why Varis looked the way he did. "And… what did you say?" "My past? Not relevant." Latin Translations: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meus Rex : My King Prior actus non refert: Prior actions do not matter BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections Double Standards: State Instruction Allows for High-Risk Sports but Not Performance Groups By Craig Papajohn-Shaw and Lucy Wu Volume 1 Issue 5 February 12, 2021 Images provided by Robert Summerlin (top) and the University of Richmond Orchestra (bottom) On Friday, January 22nd, Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) set forth guidance to allow sports that are classified as “high-risk” after much pushback from parents. The Governor advised local officials, who would make the final verdict on the play of high-risk sports, to determine “whether there has been a more transmissible variant of COVID-19 identified in the area; local rates of COVID-19 transmission or rate of positivity; and local ability to monitor and enforce compliance.” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) announced that high-risk sports will be permitted to begin play, while Nassau’s Executive Laura Curran (D) finalized and approved procedures a few days after.  During County Executive Curran’s press conference, she expressed two policies that were in contrast of Executive Bellone’s policies: athletes playing high-risk sports in Nassau would not be mandated to take part in weekly COVID testing, and two spectators per athlete will be allowed to attend Section VIII sporting events. However, districts can choose to opt-out of partaking in high-risk sports, or add additional safety measures, such as testing, as they see fit. The Valley Stream Central High School District has indicated mandated tests will be enforced for those athletes participating in high-risk sports. However, the letter released from the District Director of Athletics, Mr. Scott Stueber, on January 25th - which outlined the kick-off to Winter Sports - did not mention safety procedures. Reassuringly, Mr. Michael Frazer, the Valley Stream North Athletic Director, reiterated Curran’s mask and social distancing mandate in a message to students on February 1st. It is worth mentioning students who are “full-remote” may still come after school to participate in after-school sports in person, as per state instruction. High-risk Junior-Varsity and Varsity sports include basketball, competitive cheerleading, football, wrestling, volleyball, and lacrosse. The Winter sports of basketball, competitive cheerleading, and wrestling began tryouts around some districts in Section XI and Section VIII as early as Wednesday, February 3rd. The district further announced it would allow Junior-High sports for the modified “Fall” and Spring season. It is worth noting COVID-19 rates in both counties are still high; the 14-day average on January 28th was 6.6% in Nassau County and 7.1% in Suffolk County, but are slowly declining. These rates are still over the 14-day Nassau County average of 1.1% on September 6th when Executives deemed high-risk sports as well as low and moderate risk sports unsafe to go forward with. Many were unsure about student safety, especially in wrestling. Patrick Pizzarelli, the Section VIII Executive Director, which is the governing body of sports in Nassau County, stated he is "concerned about the safety of wrestling. We are already seeing the implications of allowing high-risk sports. Newsday reported on February 9th that 14 basketball teams and two wrestling programs had to pause their season in Suffolk County for either positive COVID-19 tests or contact tracing. While wearing masks is required for sitting on the sideline or spectating in the audience, when playing a sport, no mask is required. However, it is advisable to mandate masks while performing a sport. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) announced the mandate of masks while playing volleyball, a high-risk sport. While it was not a mandate of masks in all high-risk sports, it was a step in the right direction from the Association to keep everyone as safe as possible. In addition, according to NYS, the District will lose over a million dollars or a nearly 4% depreciation in total aid for the 2021-2022 school year. VSCHSD is within the top 10 school districts in Long Island that will suffer from losses to state aid, yet the district is still prioritizing sports programs even with the knowledge of the imminent future. Guide: Link here to Newsday [ 50 LI school districts would lose state aid under Cuomo's proposal | Newsday ] While high-risk sports will occur no matter the potential risk or cost, performance-based extracurriculars, and other music programs are still not allowed to take place. Currently, at Valley Stream North (VSN), Orchestra is the only music class where students are permitted to play instruments in person which started in September; everyone must be separated by six feet and masked, based on state guidelines. Chorus and Band, on the other hand, are only permitted if 12 feet of distancing between instrumentalists or vocalists is available; however, Mr. Holly and Mr. Morris’s band classes are playing with special masks at 12 feet apart, which just started on Tuesday, February 9th. Furthermore, performance-based extracurriculars are also not allowed to be held in the school district, regardless if proper distancing can be achieved. Music groups at VSN such as Breakfast Club, advised by Ms. Rebecca Hayden, 7:10 Downbeats, advised by Mr. Adam Thorn, Jazz Band, advised by Mr. Todd Holly, and Theatre Productions, directed by Mr. Joseph Moniaci, were all halted due to the pandemic. However, the commencement of high-risk sports raises the question if it is necessary to prevent these groups from performing. The only planned music performance for the entire school year is the Virtual District Music Festival (VDMF). It will consist of two pieces of music chosen by the respective conductors in the Orchestra, Chorus, and Band. Students involved will record themselves playing each piece individually and will send it to be incorporated in an integrated video. While many are grateful to have even one performance this year, although virtual, the music department will not hold its two regularly scheduled student concerts in the Winter and the Spring. If contact sports such as football and wrestling can occur, why can’t extracurricular performance groups perform in person when social distancing can easily be achieved? Furthermore, Dr. David Brown, President of the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), has addressed the hypocrisy of choosing to allow sports but not music in an impassioned letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo. Guide: Link here to letter [ https://www.nyssma.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Letter-to-Governor-in-regard-to-Atheltics-and-12-Feet-for-Music.pdf ]. The double standard of prioritizing high-risk sporting events and sports in general, which debatably put students at a greater risk of contracting the virus, displays the misinterpreted message of “safety” that districts are attempting to exemplify. As we are approaching the one-year mark of the pandemic, many students feel desperate to go back to “normal.” On January 25th, the District sent an email to parents surveying the interest in hybrid students to go into school five days a week. To some capacity, this would combine cohorts A and B leading to larger class sizes. However, proceeding with this plan only contributes to the double-standard, especially when extracurricular performance groups cannot meet even when social distancing can be attained. Once again, this option raises safety concerns for students especially when some students and faculty members have failed to properly wear masks in certain instances. Because this is the case, musical groups objectively pose a smaller risk because they require no person-to-person contact and as in Orchestra groups, will mandate masks. When high-risk contact sports are allowed to practice and play games, and students will soon be ushered back into the building, what is to stop musicians from performing together in-person? BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections A Dive into the Pop Music of 2024 Mya Hans Volume 5 Issue 4 April 8, 2025 This year has been big for the music industry, with many songs and artists breaking records and receiving nominations for Grammys. Artists released new albums and started viral trends that will leave an effect on the years to come. Let’s look at some of the most memorable albums and events that took place in the music industry this year. Guts Tour: Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts Tour started in February and will end in July of next year. Her tour brought a lot of excitement to Gen Z, with many clips of her concert being posted on TikTok and YouTube. She sang popular songs from her discography like “Driver’s License” and “Vampire.” Her songs include slow songs, rock, and pop, with heartfelt, relatable lyrics to people in this generation. Her show in Los Angeles was filmed and released on Netflix, which was titled: GUTS World Tour , and takes fans into the exciting experience of being in the concert. The Eras Tour: Taylor Swift The Eras Tour was a highly successful tour that started last year in March and just ended this December. Taylor Swift, one of the most successful singers of this generation, has managed to have the highest-grossing tour of all time, surpassing musical legends like Michael Jackson and Beyonce. According to Business Insider, “The tour stretched for 149 dates, visited 21 countries, and grossed over $2 billion in ticket sales.” Eternal Sunshine: Ariana Grande Eternal Sunshine by Ariana Grande was released on March 28 and includes beautifully written songs ranging from hip-hop, pop, and ballads. Her album was highly anticipated by the public, considering she hasn’t released one since 2020. This album gave Grande three Grammy nominations and debuted number 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Hit me Hard and Soft: Billie Eilish Hit me Hard and Soft was Billie’s Eilish’s third studio album and released on May 17th. This album release was popular, and trending on TikTok. Her songs “Birds of a Feather,” went viral on all platforms, especially TikTok. “Birds of a Feather” was number 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart, reflecting its huge success. Brat: Charli XCX The hit album Brat went extremely viral, starting many trends, becoming a cultural phenomenon. It came out on June 7th and immediately started gaining popularity. The song “Apple” became a TikTok dance. And Gen Z, started using the term “Brat Summer” to describe the summer of 2024 and trends. Brat was also used for Kamala Harris’s campaign during the election. Kamala HQ, the official X page for Kamala Harris’ campaign, made her banner Brat themed. Moreover, on TikTok many edits of Kamala have went viral with songs from the Brat Album, and Charli XCX called Kamala Harris “brat” which many seem like an insult, but in Gen Z terms, it’s an extreme compliment, meaning she’s iconic and confident. Short N’ Sweet: Sabrina Carpenter The album Short N’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter was released on August 23rd including hit songs like “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Her tour was also trending on TikTok for its catchy songs and her cute outfits, which changed colors every show. The tune of her song “Espresso” was also used in a very popular SNL skit called “Domingo.” This album also hit number one the Billboard 200 and solidified her name in the music industry and in the world, giving her many opportunities like her own Christmas special on Netflix, her own drink at Dunkin, and more. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections The Price of Wealth By Sumaiya Ramsaroop Volume 1 Issue 3 December 16, 2020 Original image provided by Getty Images Visualizing $1 Billion The human brain, though highly advanced, cannot fully grasp the magnitude of one billion dollars, let alone one trillion dollars. Through the lens of time, however, we can better visualize these large sums of wealth. One million seconds equals about 11.5 days. One billion seconds equals about 32 years. One trillion seconds equals about 31,710 years. Our ability to comprehend the expanse of one billion (or one trillion) dollars has never been more relevant than it is today. Today’s Billionaire Climate In the wake of COVID-19 and its ravaging effects on the country, markets have continued to grow, garnering an additional $406 billion for American billionaires between March 18 and April 29––a period when 30 million Americans filed for unemployment (McKeever). By the end of November, U.S. billionaires’ gains since the beginning of the pandemic have surpassed $1 trillion, all while debates over a second stimulus check have droned on in Congress (Collins). While 2020 marks one of the worst global economic crises, wealth trends between the top 1% and the bottom 50% have diverged against each other, with billionaires growing exponentially more wealthy, as middle and lower-class families choose between their safety and returning to the workforce, amidst a worsening pandemic. “How the Other Half Lives,” starkly contrasts with how the other 1% lives. As the wealth gap continues to widen, the U.S. houses more billionaires today than ever before. These trends beg the question––how are billionaires making their money? Billionaires ultimately acquire their heaps of wealth by two means: inheritance and/or the exploitation of the working class. On a global scale, nearly 42% of billionaires have either inherited their wealth entirely, or to a degree (Imberg & Shaban 16). The other 58% of billionaires are labeled by WealthX’s 2020 Billionaire Census as “self-made;” however, in understanding the expansive nature of a billion dollars—or tens of billions of dollars—no amount of individual effort can possibly achieve that amount of wealth. A moral implication of billionaires, particularly those “self-made,” lies in how they obtain their wealth—through the direct exploitation of the domestic and foreign working class. Exploiter & Exploited Jeff Bezos, the world’s wealthiest individual, exploits his employees by the threat of termination for taking breaks and/or going to the bathroom while working. The salary of an Amazon employee reflects a $15 minimum wage which results in a median annual worker pay of about $28,466; in contrast, Bezos makes more than $8,961,187 in just one hour alone (Hoffower). While the employees who maintain Bezos’s wealth qualify for food stamps and receive punishment for protesting the cutting of their $2 COVID-19 hazard pay, Bezos has only grown more wealthy, and by the billions. Now spearheaded by billionaire Tim Cook, the case of Apple brings another facet of worker exploitation to the table, as the first company to achieve a market value of $1 trillion relies heavily on outsourcing for its wealth. China Labor Watch, a nonprofit group working to ensure the fair treatment of Chinese laborers, shed light upon the company's rollback of safety training, withholding of bonus payments, as well as the employment of more temporary workers than permitted by Chinese labor laws (Albergotti). The nonprofit labelled this exploitation as a political and economic move on the behalf of Apple and their manufacturer, Foxconn, to absorb the cost of tariffs by maximizing their worker’s output. This isn’t the first time the Chinese industrial park, Foxconn City, has made the news. Beginning in 2010, a chain of suicides arose amongst laborers at the factory. Exploitative and torturesome working conditions in the Apple factory catalyzed the tens of suicides attempted by these laborers. Foxconn CEO, billionaire Terry Gou, responded to the deaths and continued attempts by installing “suicide nets” outside of the factory’s buildings and forcing workers to sign pledges stating they would not attempt suicide (Merchant). Gou’s immediate response lacked any reform to the exploitative nature of working conditions in his factory. A System of Billionaires “Self-made” billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs have undoubtedly revolutionized society with their ideas, but there comes a point when their wealth overwhelmingly depends on the productivity of their workers. And at this point, a billion dollars does not come from being self-made, it comes from being exploitative. This is merely the system––a system that leaves poor, undocumented immigrants, foreign workers, and minorities at a disproportionate likelihood of being exploited and overlooked by the government, and at the mercy of businesses whose harmful capitalistic efforts remain supported by national policy. So why don’t billion-dollar companies give back to those who made them a billion-dollars? Critics will say it’s not that simple. I have no interest in blatantly arguing that every billionaire lives with the cruel intention to exploit; however, I do acknowledge and remain firm in the belief that the system in which billionaires arise and operate is inherently cruel and exploitative. No individual person will ever require a wealth so magnitudinous that the human brain cannot comprehend its expanse. But every individual person deserves basic human rights and a simple sense of security. How we get there? That is for you and me to decide. Here’s to constructing a new system founded upon compassion and armored with integrity––where giving back is that simple. Albergotti, Reed. "Apple accused of worker violations in Chinese factories." The Washington Post , Sept. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/09/09/apple-accused-worker-violations-chinese-factories-by-labor-rights-group/. Collins, Chuck. "US Billionaire Wealth Surges Past $1 Trillion Since Beginning of Pandemic." Inequality.org , 25 Nov. 2020, inequality.org/great-divide/u-s-billionaire-wealth-surges-past-1-trillion-since-beginning-of-pandemic/. Hoffower, Hillary. "We did the math to calculate how much money Jeff Bezos makes in a year, month, week, day, hour, minute, and second." Business Insider , 9 Jan. 2019, www.businessinsider.com/what-amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-makes-every-day-hour-minute-2018-10. Imberg, Maya, and Maeen Shaban. Billionaire Census 2020 . WealthX, June 2020. WealthX , www.wealthx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Wealth-X_Billionaire-Census_2020.pdf. McKeever, Vicky. "US billionaires boost collective wealth by $406 billion as markets rebound in the coronavirus pandemic, report finds." CNBC , 1 May 2020, www.cnbc.com/2020/05/01/us-billionaires-boost-wealth-by-406-billion-as-markets-rebound.html#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20now%20has,American%20households%2C%20the%20report%20highlighted. Merchant, Brian. "Life and Death in Apple's Forbidden City." The Guardian , 18 June 2017, www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/18/foxconn-life-death-forbidden-city-longhua-suicide-apple-iphone-brian-merchant-one-device-extract. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Beauty in Nature Back to Sections Nora Rivera - Beauty in Nature By Nora Rivera February 10, 2022 Photography Volume 2 Issue 4

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Donald Trump’s Indictments and Court Case Sahar Ali Volume 4 Issue 3 March 13, 2024 Image Provided by Kaiser Health News Lately, you may have heard about former President Donald Trump in the news. You may have heard about trials and indictments. These charges made against the former President may not seem serious to us; however, it is a significant moment in the history of the United States. WHO IS DONALD TRUMP? Former President Donald Trump was born on June 14th, 1946, in Queens, New York. His father, Fred Trump, was a real estate developer. As a child, he studied at the New York Military Academy, and later, the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania, during his adolescence. In 2005, Trump married Melania Knauss and later had his fifth child, Barron Trump. Children from his previous marriages include Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, and Tiffany. Donald Trump ran for president during the 2016 election. Although he had lost the popular vote against Democrat Hillary Clinton, he won the majority of the Electoral College votes, which determines who takes the role of U.S. President. Trump’s victory led him to become the 45th President of the United States of America. His slogan, which many people are familiar with was, “Make America Great Again.” During his presidency, Donald Trump made many changes and improvements to the United States. He signed a major tax reform bill into law and oversaw a reduction in federal regulations. Trump had protectionist trade policies that imposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum. Additionally, the Trump Administration discussed trade agreements with countries including Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, and China. The former President also increased military budgets, enforced border and immigration control, and decreased the prices of prescription drugs. But even though all these accomplishments were made by Trump and his administration, this does not mean that Trump did not have any dark moments during his presidency. As President, Donald Trump used his position to criticize the media and members of his administration. On Twitter, now known as X, Trump posted 26,000 tweets consisting of false statements reflecting the former president’s ideas, which eventually led him to be permanently banned from the social media platform. Additionally, after more than 150 years, Trump was the United States’s first chief executive to not attend the next President’s inauguration. Under the Trump administration, there was a surge of fake news and misinformation regarding racism, terrorism, illegal immigration, and sexism. The former President also made multiple claims that would require fact checking; this included his assertion that voter fraud led to his defeat in the 2020 election. Not only that, but COVID hit the United States while Trump was in power; under the Trump Administration, the nation’s economy suffered as thousands of Americans lost their jobs and businesses during the pandemic. Donald Trump decided to run for a second presidential term during the 2020 election; however, it did not go as he planned. Trump lost both the popular vote and Electoral College Vote to the democratic candidate, Joe Biden, the current President of the United States. The former President falsely claimed that widespread voter fraud was the leading cause of his loss. His defeat in the 2020 election was the start of the many issues that would later arise for Trump. IMPEACHMENT Impeachment occurs when a government official is charged with a crime. If the official is found guilty during their trial, they will be removed from office. In 1868, President Andrew Johnson, along with President Bill Clinton in 1998, were both impeached by the House of Representatives. Former President Donald Trump was impeached in 2019 and 2021; later for the unprecedented events that occurred on January 6th, 2021. On January 6th, 2021, during the “Save America” rally, hundreds of Trump supporters gathered at Washington D.C., where the former President encouraged his supporters to protest the counting of the Electoral College Votes. As time progressed, violence erupted as law enforcement was overwhelmed by the enormous number of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol. The violence caused by Trump’s supporters resulted in the breaching of the United States Capitol and impediment of the vote count. As a result, the United States Capitol suffered millions of dollars in damage and five people lost their lives. Following the violence at the Capitol, the United States House of Representatives approved the second Article of Impeachment against Donald Trump on January 13th, 2021: the incitement of insurrection. Donald Trump is the only president in the history of the United States to have been impeached twice by Congress. This January marked three years since the attack on the Capitol. COURT CASE Along with being impeached, the former President has multiple court cases to deal with. American journalist and author, E. Jean Carroll, claimed that former president Donald Trump sexually abused her in the 1990s. Trump denies these claims; however, in May 2023, a jury found that Trump sexually abused Carroll in 1996 at a luxury department store and further went on to defame her in 2022. As a result, Trump must pay $5 million dollars in damages, but the question that remains is how much the former president must pay for the defamation. As of publication of this issue, a Manhattan federal jury decided former President Donald Trump should pay $83.3 million to the writer, Carroll. The previous case is not the only one Trump must await trial for. Letitia James, the New York State Attorney General, led an investigation into Donald Trump’s business practices that eventually devised a lawsuit that accused the former President of “staggering” fraud. The investigation began back in 2019 when Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified to Congress that the former President manipulated his net worth for his own benefit. In a filing, Letitia James described how the Trump Organization inflated the value of the company’s properties. In September of 2022, James rejected a settlement offer given by Donald Trump’s lawyers. Further, James went on to file a lawsuit against the former President and his family business, which accused them of fraudulent business practices that were observed to occur in a pattern. A year later, the civil trial started against Trump on October 2nd, 2023. Although the former President attempted to have his trial delayed, a New York Appeals Court rejected his request. The judge of the case found that Donald Trump consistently engaged in fraud by inflating the value of his assets; in simple words, Trump did not conduct business according to the law, which caused the former President to lose control over many of his New York properties. Not only that, but Trump, along with his sons, could be prohibited from conducting business in New York. This case is still ongoing as Trump tries to delay the trial until after the 2024 election. Although Donald Trump and his administration had many achievements during the presidency, there are still numerous trials awaiting him. The former President has 91 felony charges for 4 criminal indictments, which include his attempt to overturn the result of the 2020 election after he faced defeat. Even with all these allegations against him, Donald Trump will again be a candidate for the 2024 election. As of publication, Nikki Haley has since dropped out of the race. SOURCES: Trump seeks delay of civil trial in E. Jean Carroll defamation suit - CBS News Donald J. Trump | The White House How federal impeachment works | USAGov Text - H.Res.24 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. | Congress.gov | Library of Congress Trump Trials: Two court appearances as Trump’s appeals and civil cases continue - The Washington Post How America Changed During Trump’s Presidency | Pew Research Center Trump NY Fraud Trial: What to Know After Closing Arguments - The New York Times ( nytimes.com ) BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections FAFSA Overview Rachel Ezeadichie Volume 4 Issue 4 May 29, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching College is a wonderful opportunity to continue one’s educational journey and learn more about oneself and what opportunities lie ahead. Attending college, however, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars without scholarships or financial aid. This leads many students to apply for state and federal financial aid through the FAFSA form. FAFSA or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form is a form that students need to complete each year to receive financial aid for college. The form helps determine eligibility for financial aid and gives students access to financial assistance through grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and loans. The FAFSA form helps students by allowing them to apply for financial aid to assist them with college payments. It asks for information regarding the student’s and their family’s financial status, personal information, and other details to determine eligibility. This information is sent to the colleges of a student’s choice and each college decides the amount of aid given, if any. Some information needed to complete the form includes a social security number, federal income tax return, and W-2 forms. It is recommended to create a FSA ID (Federal Student Aid Identification) as it is needed to renew the FAFSA each year. The form itself takes about an hour to fill out and can be submitted online, mailed, or submitted through your college of choice. After the form is submitted, students receive a SAR (Student Aid Report) that reviews the information provided and an EFC (Expected Family Contribution), an index number that determines eligibility for federal aid. Completing the FAFSA offers many benefits and has become a crucial step in the college process for many. Although tedious and complicated at times, this form allows more students to receive the assistance they need and gives many people access to the resources they need to further their education. It serves as a gateway to new opportunities, and it should be utilized as such. If you are having difficulties with the form or do not understand parts of it, talk to a teacher or guidance counselor or visit the official website at studentaid.gov . With the FAFSA, students are paving the way for a more affordable education, one step at a time. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Art Guild Back to Sections Art Guild- Isabella Mascetti Isabella Mascetti November 6, 2023 Colored Pencil Volume 4 Issue 1

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections All County Athletes By Aleeza Dhillon Volume 3 Issue 3 February 24, 2023 Image provided by VSN XC/TF Instagram Listed below are all the All-County winners from North’s Winter Track team: All-County Girls Nattaly Lindo (11th grade) County Champion – Shot Put, County Champion – 20lb Weight Throw Melissa Innocent (12th grade) 2nd place – 3000m, 2nd place – 1500m, 3rd place – 1000m Moanna Thelusca (11th grade) 2nd place – 20lb Weight Throw Sahar Ali (10th grade) 2nd place – 1500m Racewalk Gabriela Mensah (12th grade) 3rd place – Triple Jump Brooke Fessler (11th grade) 3rd place – High Jump Haley Quinlan (9th grade) 3rd place – 1500m Racewalk All-County Boys Joshua Lopez (12th grade) County Champion – Shot Put Kevin Beltran (11th grade) 2nd place – 1000m, 2nd place – 1600m Sedgeley Duperval (11th grade) 2nd place – 300m, 2nd place – Long Jump Ethan Smalls (12th grade) 2nd place – 25lb Weight Throw On February 7th, North’s winter track team competed in the County Championship at St. Anthony’s High School. Boys’ and girls’ teams placed second in the County, with many athletes getting a new personal best! The team was Conference Champions this year, their 15th championship in a row. All-Conference Melissa Innocent (12th grade) Conference Champion – 3000m, 1500m and 1000m Gabriela Mensah (12th grade) Conference Champion – Long Jump and Triple Jump Moanna Thelusca (11th grade) Conference Champion – 20lb Weight Throw, 2nd place – Shot Put Nattaly Lindo (11th grade) Conference Champion – Shot Put, 2nd place – 20lb Weight Throw Charis Hackman (12th grade) Conference Champion – 4x400m Relay, 3rd place – High Jump Sahar Ali (10th grade) Conference Champion – 1500m Racewalk Victoria Singh (10th grade) Conference Champion – 4x400m Relay Kyla Lodge (12th grade) Conference Champion – 4x400m Relay Anaiya Jarrell (11th grade) Conference Champion – 4x400m Relay Brooke Fessler (11th grade) 2nd place – High Jump, 3rd place – Triple Jump Ericka Leus (10th grade) 3rd place – 55m Hurdles Haley Quinlan (9th grade) 3rd place – 1500m Racewalk All the athletes on the team worked their hardest to have an amazing season. The coaches, Mike Frazer and Tim Boyens, are proud of all the improvements and progress their athletes have made. Great job to everyone on the team, and let’s hope for an amazing spring season. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Gas Prices Continue to Increase By Raj Singh Volume 2 Issue 6 April 14, 2022 Image provided by USA Today I’m sure that if you have been watching the news, listening to your parents, or paying for gas itself, you know how expensive gas is. As of April 7th, in Nassau County, New York, gas prices per gallon were $4.268, which is a lot compared to last year’s average of $2.901. You might wonder, “Why is gas so expensive?” It’s a lot more complicated than you think, with a multitude of reasons. Firstly, COVID-19 has caused plenty of damage to the world economy, and one of the reasons is inflation. Let’s say in 2019, 5 barrels of oil cost $15 (this is a hypothetical); with shipping slowing during Covid has the number of barrels decreased, which wouldn’t be so bad as the barrels would be worth $6, right? Nope, inflation has caused the price of the, let’s say, only 2 barrels to go to $20, inflation has caused prices to rise at the same time stock of oil has decreased, causing the price of oil per gallon to rise a couple of dollars. (A link below will show the actual prices of barrels of oil.) Covid restrictions have become increasingly damaging as workers aren’t allowed to work, and production decreases are stopped entirely. In China, they have a “Zero Covid Policy,” which shuts down entire cities and areas in order to keep Covid cases at 0; this has caused lots of cities to be shut down and also oil refineries, which of course, ramps up the price of oil to nations that import Chinese oil like Australia, and even though here in the US we don’t use Chinese oil that high price impacts here too since the global economy is connected increasing our prices more. Now for the biggest and most prominent cause for the increase in price, the War in Ukraine. Foreign companies and investors have been running out of the country; they have left Russia due to its “Humanitarian Violations.” It is because they felt that other companies and investments would leave Russia, so they did it themselves, causing a chain reaction. Anyways, this lack of investment and foreign companies has caused the Russian economy to shrink and start collapsing. In turn, this has caused Russian oil and gas to collapse too, causing prices in Europe to rise and, in turn, the rest of the world. This is the leading cause of the current spike in price. Here is a reason that only has a mild effect currently and has a more significant impact in the future, America, and Canada have been producing more oil than ever before; in fact, in America, imports from the Middle East have been declining, and what oil we still import mostly comes from Canada, oil produced here has to come from shale and sand adding an extra process. At the same time, in the Middle East, they take it straight out of the ground, refine and sell it. This has caused North American oil to be a bit more expensive, the effect is small, and it’s an overall positive since soon America will be an overall oil exporter rather than an importer, and we probably won’t join any more wars in the Middle East since they don’t hold our oil interests anymore. BACK TO TOP