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Back to Articles Advice Back to Sections Ask Ala: Sports & Clubs By Ala Paruch Volume 1 Issue 4 January 20, 2021 Image provided by the New York Times Q. Dear Ala, I have some questions about the clubs and sports here at North high school. One of them is when will all of the clubs and sports open up. Another is what are some that you think are interesting. The last one is what are some of the early morning clubs and sports and some late-night clubs and sports. Sincerely, King of clubs Q. Dear Ala, I have a couple questions about the sports. I want to know about when the baseball team starts, how many people do they let on the team? Also, when do we also get the details about the season? Thank you for your help! Q. Dear Ala, I've been waiting for the sports and heard they're coming soon so I wanted to ask when the exact date sports are coming back like track, basketball, and many more. Thank you, 7th grader who's going to bring many championships to North. Q. Dear Ala, I play sports. I feel like sports are never going to come back at North. Do you know when sports are coming back? Thanks. Sincerely , Want Sports, 12 A. Dear Readers! I have received a few emails regarding sports and clubs at North this year, so I decided to answer them collectively right here. 😊 Regarding sports this year, the 7th and 8th grade sport seasons do not have any season dates, so for the younger grades I am sorry to say that as of now, there are no sports. For the 9th-12th graders, winter sports started on January 4th and are set to end on February 26th. The winter sports approved for this upcoming season are winter track and field, boys and girls bowling, rifle, girls’ fencing, and girls’ gymnastics. If you have any more questions about sports, you can check out the articles below to see more information or contact Mr. Frazer. http://www.vschsd.org/Assets/Athletic_Links/092420_Fall_2020_Athletic_Update_2.pdf?t=637365445779900000 Valley Stream Central High School District (vschsd.org) Clubs did start this year, though they have been altered accordingly to the new public health circumstances. An Online Club Fair came out on December 4th on the North High School Team page to showcase and advertise all clubs offered by the VSN. You can check it out and see what clubs interest you. These videos will explain the premises of each club, how they work and when they meet. You could also contact Mrs. Italiano, North’s Student Activities Director, for an updated list of clubs and activities. I hope this helps! BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork The Memory Project Back to Sections Netania Muhammad - Memory Project - 1 By Netania Muhammad March 18, 2021 Volume 1 Issue 6

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections K-pop By Ismaela Andre Volume 2 Issue 4 February 10, 2022 Image provided by Channel Korea Music is always around us. There are many genres to choose from and many to listen to. Many people listen to rap, pop, and R&B. However, more genres are taking the world by storm. One of them is K-pop. K-pop is Korean music that consists of Korean and English or only Korean. This music genre is taking over the music industry. Most K-pop music is made by groups. Some popular groups are BTS, NCT U, 127 and Dream, Twice, Itzy, Enhypen, Tomorrow x Together, Ateez, Stray Kids, Blackpink, and more. Even some solo artists like IU, Kang Daniel, also fit into this category. This musical genre is very inspirational. Most songs send global messages and inspire their listeners to come together as one. At the beginning of the school year, I talked to two seventh graders. They both told me that they liked K-pop, and ever since then, we always say “Hi” to each other whenever we see each other in the hallways. In that example, I connected with two kids that are three years younger than me because of K-pop. This shows how K-pop can bring many people together. Also, K-pop artists aren’t all Korean. Some are Japanese, Thai, American, or French. Musicians of various races sing K-pop, and all races should feel comfortable listening to it. I recommend K-pop to everyone because it is a unique and diverse music genre. You may be hesitant at first because the lyrics are not sung in English; however, you should go for it because it is a fantastic experience. Have fun listening! BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Prism Back to Sections Masooma Zaidi - Prism By Masooma Zaidi November 24, 2020 Volume 1 Issue 2

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections The Life of Pi By Augustine Magapan Volume 2 Issue 5 March 28, 2022 Image provided by MARCA On March 14th we celebrate Pi Day because Pi, a numerical value of 3.14159265358979323 and so on, is represented as 3/14. Although Pi Day revolves around the concept of an irrational number used to find the area and circumference of a circle, we will be celebrating a story that also has the name “Pi”. We will commemorate the story, “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel. I, myself, have not read the book; however, I have watched the movie. With a strong rating and having the name “Pi”, I could not leave this out of the new issue for North Star . In the movie, it initially starts in Canada where a writer interviews a man named Pi about his life story in order to understand religious faith. Firstly, the Canadian writer originally heard of Pi from Pi’s so-called uncle, Mamaji, a family-friend who enjoyed swimming in pools. He asks Pi why he is named “Pi” as in the number 3.14. However, Pi responds saying that ‘Pi’ isn’t his real name; instead, he was named Piscine Molitor Patel, because of the recognition of his uncle who was also a champion swimmer that told many stories and one of them happened to be the Piscine Molitor which is a swimming pool in Paris. Throughout Pi’s childhood, he was raised in Pondicherry, India where his father was a businessman who owned a zoo. As Pi was growing up, people referred to him as “Pissing” Patel due to the phonetic sound of his birth name. As Pi continues to get bullied at school for his nickname, he changes it to Pi, short for Piscine. It is not as recognizable, and he explains to other students in future grades that it represents the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet and the number 3.14. As time progresses even further in Pi’s academic career, he earns the respect of his fellow classmates for knowing an abundance of numbers after 3.14 of Pi which impresses the Canadian author. Although Pi changing from “Pissing” to Pi led the Canadian author into marvel, the author wanted Pi to convince him that God exists; consequently, Pi moved on from his academic and origins of his childhood to his religious understanding. Pi stated that at birth, he was a Hindu. He learned the virtues of Hinduism until he went to Munnar and learned Christianity. One day Ravi, Pi’s brother, dared Pi to go drink the holy water in a Church in Munnar. Pi soon did it and was encountered by a priest. Afterwards the priest gave Pi water since he saw he was thirsty. Pi asked why God would send his own son to atone the sins of the innocent people. The priest replied that it was because he loved us. Pi was astonished and talked to the priest more and more and thanked the Hindu gods that he is learning about new religions and practices. When Pi went back to India, he discovered Muslim and started practicing the traditions by kneeling and putting his head on the floor that was “holy”; furthermore, he learned Arabic to increase his religious morality. After understanding the concept of God by learning multiple religions, Pi then used those practices every day. One day during dinner, Pi prayed for his food while the rest of his family did not. He was made fun of by his brother and his father told him that learning multiple religions would overlap and ultimately cancel out the religious spirit inside of Pi. Pi ignored his father and continued to practice and empower his religious mindset every day. For example, he wanted to feed a tiger named Richard Parker, who was supposed to be named Thirsty since the hunter found the tiger as a cub at first drinking water, but the papers got switched up where the hunter was named Thirsty and the tiger named Richard Parker. As Richard Parker got close to Pi when he was feeding him, Pi got caught by his father; consequently, Pi gets scolded. Pi told his father that animals also have souls and that we should respect them, but his father responded that they are not friends and that they are dangerous. His father then demonstrates that animals are dangerous by placing a goat in front of Richard Parker. Afterwards, the tiger violently kills the goat, scarring Pi. The demonstration Pi’s father made led him to feel bored and unhappy with his life. Until one day, he meets a girl named Anandi. Pi was invited to play music for the practice of dancers in India since the person who usually plays the music was absent. While Pi played the music for the women who were practicing dance, the teacher got upset that they weren’t doing well; therefore, Anandi, one of the dancers, led them. Pi became attracted to her where soon started to follow her everywhere she went. One day, he got caught by her and he asked about why she did a certain position even though it was not in the dance routine. This made Anandi interested in Pi where they both talked about religion for the rest of their time together. Unfortunately, Pi’s family had to sell their zoo since they were moving to Canada for a better life. This affected Pi greatly, since he had to say goodbye to Anandi right after they met. Pi then boards a boat that takes him and his family all the way to Canada along with other passengers and the animals from the zoo. While being on the boat, Pi struggles with the racism inside the boat from the French people; fortunately, some of the passengers were immigrants and dealt with the same issue. As the boat continues on the journey, Pi goes outside quarters on a stormy night seeing that the ship is damaged and about to sink. Struggling to stay on the boat, Pi and a few animals are the only ones that evacuate the ship leaving everyone else dead. A few days afterwards, Pi is stranded with an orangutan, hyena, zebra, and Richard Parker. Throughout their time in the boat, they all die one by one leaving Pi with Richard Parker. Pi then needs to focus on learning how to take care of himself and dealing with Richard Parker on a small boat. The movie continues where Richard Parker and Pi are still stranded on the boat struggling to survive with limited supplies. In order to survive together, they must learn how to communicate with each other and persevere or else they will die in a shameful way. Pi lost everything he has and only has God and the tiger. Will he make it out alive or go down hopelessly? Read or watch the story to find out! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections Super Bowl 57 Review By Andrew Lavoie Volume 3 Issue 3 February 24, 2023 Image provided by The Analyst On February 12, 2023 Super Bowl 57 took place with the Eagles and Chiefs representing their conferences. Both teams were coming off big wins against formidable opponents in the Bengals and 49ers. Both conference championship games had some controversy, but all that mattered at the time this article was written was the Super Bowl. First off, let's get into injuries on the defensive side of the ball. According to cbssports.com star chief's cornerback L’jarius Sneed had cleared concussion protocol and would most likely play on Sunday. Another Chiefs player, linebacker Willie Gay was questionable to play (shoulder) but in my opinion whether or not he played would not make a very big impact on the impact of the game. The last injured Chiefs player Defensive Tackle Tershawn Watson would not play Sunday (knee). However, like I said earlier, neither of the injured chiefs players, on the defense at least, would change anything. Similar to the Chiefs, the Eagles did not have any injured defensive players that would make an impact on the game individually. Despite that, many of those injuries were to players on the defensive line, who, despite not being very successful individually, have made this Eagles defensive line a force to reckon with this season. Now, onto the offensive side of the ball. The Chiefs had several key injuries to their wide receiver unit including Juju Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney, and both players were questionable to return while Mecole Hardman was on injured reverse and wouldn’t play Sunday. This may have been bad for the Chiefs as these are some of his favorite targets. However, I assumed that Toney would be cleared to play, and Patrick Mahomes still had star TE Travis Kelce to throw to. Not to mention, Patrick Mahomes's high ankle sprain which he would play on had been affecting his mobility in the last two playoff games. On the Eagles offense, there were no major injuries except for a couple to the offensive line. Overall, I think the Eagles won the injury battle with limited injuries on both sides of the ball. Onto to the overall performance of the teams. The Eagles had been very explosive, but so had the Chiefs. The Eagles may have had some struggles with one of their best units, the offensive line, due to injuries. As for the quarterbacks, both had been playing great and, in my opinion, it was up to the rest of the team to decide who wins. The defenses were both good, but the Chiefs have an edge because of the injuries to the Eagles offensive line and their overall play was better with veteran Chris Jones leading the way. In general, I thought that the Chiefs would win because of one, their overall ability, two, their experience on the big stage, and 3: Pat Mahomes's natural ability to finish plays no matter what. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections The Science of Studying By Alyssa Garufi and Hannah Lee Volume 2 Issue 6 April 14, 2022 Image provided by IStockPhoto Dear VSN students,  How do you study? With APs, regents, and finals coming up, it is important to master your studying technique to achieve higher grades on your assessments. Reading over notes and class materials repeatedly seems to be the first scenario that comes to mind when you hear the word “study.” However, according to scientific studies, this repetitive action of rereading notes and drilling random information into our brains tends to “go in one ear and out the other." Science shows us that our brains work best when we truly understand the topic rather than simply memorizing information that does not logically make sense to us. The way we can optimize the capabilities of our minds is through - just like learning how to ride a bike - trial and error. The more we challenge and quiz our brains, the better prepared our brains will be.  Chances are you have been taught that studying through repetition works, right? Wrong . One of the biggest misconceptions in students is that repetition is a valuable way of studying. However, scientists have found that repetition is not as effective as we have been led to believe. In fact, Ed DeLosh, an associate professor at Colorado State University, has found that “might be the worst [method] compared to a variety of strategies you might use.” In addition, we have also been taught to stick to our learning style and not stray from what works best. Turns out that is false as well. It may be better for us to deviate from our usual methods and try out new strategies. According to DeLosh, struggling while learning “actually has benefits for long-term learning.” One such strategy that has been scientifically proven effective is quizzing yourself. Typically, we perceive quizzes and tests as methods to evaluate the progress of a student from the beginning of the year. However, DeLosh’s research shows that “quizzing is actually among the best ways to prime the brain to remember material in the future.” In DeLosh’s class, students take quizzes on a weekly basis - but don’t be alarmed. These quizzes aren’t meant to place pressure on students in terms of grades. In fact, every quiz is open-book and students tend to do well on all of them. Each quiz tests a similar concept but has variations of questions. By answering varying questions on the same topic, students learn to master the concepts that DeLosh quizzes them on. Not only does this help his pupils learn the material, but it also gives them good grades and helps them study periodically rather than cramming everything at the end of the year. In the end, his students were very successful in mastering the course. DeLosh’s study shows us that quizzing is, in fact, a highly effective method of studying for tests. So, the next time you are studying for a big exam, gather a couple of your friends and quiz each other on the topics. While quizzing strategies help optimize the capabilities of our brain, without the motivation to take on quizzes, the information present will be of little help to most of us. You must strive to not only take on the best studying strategies, but consider strategies that are best for you ! A “perfect” studying schedule is different for each individual and it is important to try different methods of studying to find which works best and gives you the most motivation. Joshua Robinson, a Wall Street Journal reporter, states that listening to music while studying does aid your memory and improve attention, allowing you to grasp the information more. The next time you are not motivated to sit down and take practice tests, listen to your favorite song, and use it to make studying a bit less intimidating. If music is too distracting to you, try to find a change of scenery instead. Sometimes sitting alone in your room trying to study leads to distractions. Instead, bring your books outside, or to a library, or even just another room in your house. According to Cory Stieg, a Health and Wellness reporter from Make It , changing settings while studying can boost your overall wellbeing and mood, allowing you to do better on exams.  Now you know you can study effectively. You have hopefully learned a handful of new and effective studying strategies for your upcoming test, so go out and try to use some of these methods! With a ton of tests coming up, implementing these studying strategies may help you improve a lot. Remember, do not stress yourself out too much over tests and exams. You’ve got this!  Best of luck,  Hannah and Alyssa BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Advice Back to Sections How to Maintain a Healthy Relationship With Someone By Ala Paruch Volume 2 Issue 4 February 10, 2022 Image provided by Golden Tech Hi Ala, As a senior, it's hard to escape from the social media bubble. Whether it be social anxiety distractions or insecurities that stem from being on Instagram all the time and seeing what people are posting and doing on nights out, how can I maintain a healthier relationship with social media? Dear Reader, Thank you so much for asking this excellent question. I feel this question hits home for many students, and it poses many issues for adolescents and high schoolers. Social media takes up many people's time; just look at your screen time. Using it for so long gives social media a chance to influence us greatly. We get an insight into people's lives, projects, and even food. The beautiful photo compositions, stunning drawings, and stories lure the users in with seemingly no end. As users, we must remember that Instagram and other platforms only show what the author wants to show. The outwardly perfect lives of people on social media are filled with struggles, pain, and sadness outside of the frame of the posts. I notice the more time I spend on social media, the more I doubt myself, my abilities, and my choices. The constant comparisons those platforms force upon us can create anxiety, depression, and even cause people to consider suicide. Thus, it is essential not to let yourself fall into the spiral of despair. Firstly, internalize that the content shown on social media is not the whole truth. This will help you stop comparing yourself to others. Also, remember that making different life choices or being at a different stage in life is okay! Everyone advances at a different rate. You can also try limiting your screen time on social media. You can either specify the time spent or the number of posts you look at each day. This will require a lot of self-control and will take a lot of time to adjust to, so be patient with yourself. When you are on social media, remember that you decide when you start and stop watching social media and choose who you follow. If you know that a specific user makes you anxious or doubtful, you can simply unfollow them. This is, of course, not to say you can't delete social media, but it's understandable to want to keep it. Social media has a lot of positives, so try to concentrate on what makes you happy. Make it a platform to improve your day, not diminish your self-worth. I hope this helps! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Goodbye Covid, the End is Near By Manal Layachi Volume 1 Issue 7 April 22, 2021 Original photo by Manal Layachi Masks and social distancing. Loss of loved ones, others are convalescing. Days full of sorrow and sadness. Loss of real interaction left me with virtual madness. Boredom is eating me up, as everything is on zoom. It fills me up with gloom. While quarantine can be dark, I found light in it. More free time for a hermit. More family time and freedom. Hello happiness, goodbye darkness, and boredom. Spring brings hope and cheerful faces. Soon there will be no masks in all places. Families and friends will be closer together as in the past. The sun and rainbow will take over the gloomy sky at last. Everyone will live in peace and harmony. Everyone will get through this as one of many. We will come out stronger than before. We will overcome this nightmare and live our dream even more. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections The Orb By Alanna Tieschmaker Volume 3 Issue 3 February 24, 2023 Image provided by Pyro Richard couldn’t believe that he was doing this. Sneaking into the king’s museum was the last thing he wanted to do. Rumors had spread throughout the kingdom, and with them the idea of a cold and unfeeling king. If a village missed their payment, there would be no mercy. Every last person would be hunted down and killed by soldiers told to be as ruthless as their ruler. So why was he here, risking himself a cruel faith? He sighed quietly, careful to not make a sound that could alert the guards patrolling the area. He knew exactly why he was doing this. It wasn’t out of boredom or for fame. No, it was all for the sake of his little brother.  Even thinking of the situation leading up to this moment was hard. They had been sleeping in a sheltered underpass. Richard had been unsure, but his brother seemed so happy to have a clean place to sleep and nothing had happened the past few nights. So, against his better instincts, Richard settled down for the night, pulled his little brother closer and fell asleep. How he paid for ignoring his gut.  Thunder cracked through the air, startling him from his sleep. Looking around frantically, he saw a scene from his worst nightmare. A hulking figure stood over his brother, who was farther away than before. Lightning flickered and illuminated the underpass, gleaming off the blade that was held above his brother’s head. Richard froze, knowing that any wrong move could spell the end for his brother. “Don’t ya move a muscle,” growled the figure, pulling his brother closer and putting the knife at his throat.  “I won’t!” Richard responded desperately; eyes pinned to the knife. “What do you want from us? You can have anything, just please, put my brother down.” “You don’t get to make demands here!” The knife drew blood, waking his brother. “Richie?” he mumbled, still half-asleep and unaware of what was happening. Looking down, he drew a sharp breath when he saw the arms holding him in place. He traced them upwards and found the knife at his throat. “Hey, hey, don’t look at that, eyes on me.” Richard coaxed, trying to prevent his brother from panicking. Panicking could lead to death with the strength of the hold, and he couldn’t handle another death.  The man relaxed his grip enough to snap twice, then re-strengthened it again. Three other people filled the alcove, signaled by the snaps. Without turning away, he ordered one of them to bring a coil of rope and sent the others to restrain Richard. Knowing fighting back would hurt more than just him, he allowed his arms to be roughly pulled behind his back.  “Now this one.” The thug pulled his brother’s face to meet his, greedy eyes meeting terrified eyes. “He would be perfect for the job. He’s skinny and wouldn’t be missed if he was caught by the king.”  Richard went deathly pale, hearing what may happen to his precious younger sibling. The king was ruthless, and any intruders faced a gruesome death. Nothing would change that, not even the intruder being a child. He couldn’t let that happen to his brother. “Wait!” he cried, careful to stay still while grabbing the thug’s attention. “Let me go in his place.” “And why should we do that?” replied the man, a sneer clear on his face. “He’s perfect for the job.” “W-well I would do a better job. I can do everything that he can and would be faster on my feet.” There was silence as the gang considered the offer. Then, to Richard’s relief, the head thug put down his brother although not so gently.  “Fine. A bigger brat is less likely to tattle anyways. But just for a bit o’ insurance...”  The hilt of the knife slammed down onto his brother’s head, knocking him unconscious.  “Emmet!” Richard surged forward, scared that his brother had been killed despite his offer being accepted. However, he was still held by the other thugs, who quickly wrestled him back.  “Oy brat! Be careful or I actually will kill him.” One of the thugs holding him down began to tie his hands behind his back, pulling harder than necessary. The other pulled a piece of cloth across his eyes, taking away one of the senses he needed to survive this situation. “Load ‘em up boys!” hollered the lead thug. “Move it!” Richard was shoved forward, almost falling over from the unexpected push. He caught himself at the last moment, and blindly shuffled forward, having no choice but to trust his captors.  Richard was pulled out of his memory when he heard movement below him. The guards were finally changing shifts. There was only a small period when he could sneak in according to the thugs. He had spent days looking over plans, knowing that everything he had depended on getting this right. It wasn’t just his life on the line.  ‘Now --’ he thought, slipping off his perch and landing next to a window. His location would be out of sight for a minute and a half while the change happened. Richard pushed on the old window, which swiveled and allowed him to slip through and jump down. He landed in a silent crouch on the museum floor. He was in.   BACK TO TOP