Back to Artwork Black American Artists Back to Sections Sir Charles, Alias Willie Harris By Barkley Hendricks February 12, 2021 Volume 1 Issue 5 Medium: Oil on Canvas, Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Back to Articles Polaris, Art & Culture Back to Sections Open For the Flower Nora Chery - Class of 2023 Volume 4 Issue 1 November 6, 2023 Image provided by Nora Chery BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Art & Culture Back to Sections History of Easter Leah Ally Volume 5 Issue 5 July 5, 2025 While Easter is globally recognized and celebrated in both religious and secular contexts, its true origins, and details about the holiday itself often get hindered. In a religious context, it is typically celebrated by Christian individuals for the resurrection of Jesus, but how did the celebration come about and how did it continue to evolve? Typically known to be celebrated on a Sunday in April, many people do not understand how the exact day is determined, as this year it took place on April 20th. Before diving into the various ways Easter is celebrated today and the specific details of determining the day, it is crucial to understand its origins beyond the basics. First and foremost, without Good Friday, there would not be Easter Sunday. Good Friday is the Friday before Easter which serves as a day of commemoration of Jesus’s crucifixion. It is significant to understand that Jesus’s crucifixion was carried out by the Romans as they viewed him as a threat to authority. This was because his claim as the Son of God also known as the Messiah meant that he would be more powerful than any other leader and be deemed as the King of Jews. So, the Romans perceived this claim as the beginning of a possible rebellion against their traditional political system. As Jesus began gaining followers, it became clear that the Roman government would inevitably face resistance from its citizens. After being arrested and going on trial, a decision had to be made; Therefore, the only decision that appeared most justifiable was to carry out the execution of Jesus. Crucifixion was a popular punishment used during this time because of the intense and cruel pain it caused due to the strain it put on the body. This somber event marked Jesus’s death and was and is still seen as Jesus’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of the world’s sins, according to Christianity. Shortly after, he was buried in a tomb, and this led to the idea of Holy Saturday. This is simply the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. After a seemingly uneventful day, the resurrection of Jesus takes place, and, according to belief is risen from the dead. This discovery is first made when his tomb is found empty by women who are later told by angels that he had been resurrected. To prove he had risen from the dead, Jesus made numerous appearances to his disciples. In the span of forty days after his resurrection, Jesus serves as a teacher to the disciples as he reveals the importance of spreading his gospel to as many civilians as possible. After these forty days, Jesus officially ascends into Heaven, marking the end of his time on Earth. Now that the religious context of Easter is understood, this leads to how Easter began to be celebrated and why. It may serve as a surprise to many that the origins of Easter celebrations are not religious. Easter was originally a celebration of the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. This is where both night and day are 12 hours each, symbolizing the transition from winter into spring. It was only the resurrection of Jesus that caused Easter to become a religious holiday. Not only was it because the resurrection occurred around the same time as the vernal equinox but because they both represented rebirth and relief. While Easter was celebrated along with the spring equinox in 325AD, the first major church council, the Council of Nicaea, officially determined a new time for Easter to be celebrated. It was determined that it should always be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. Since Easter was heavily associated with springtime, it eventually became represented by rabbits and eggs. In the pagan celebration of the arrival of Spring, eggs and rabbits were seen as symbols of fertility and rebirth which made sense for it to be associated with the resurrection. Additionally, eggs were already a prominent symbol for Christians because of Lent, a 40-day celebration meant for fasting and abstaining from what an individual desires. In this case, Christians abstained from eggs during Lent and would celebrate on Easter Sunday by having eggs. Over time and as we see today, the Easter Egg Bunny became a prominent figure in how Easter is recognized and celebrated. It is now common to celebrate Easter with not only church services and prayer but also egg hunts and Easter baskets. Therefore, Easter has faced numerous transitions since its creation from a pagan holiday to a religious holiday and now incorporating secular traditions. All in all, Easter’s rich history has proven itself to be complex, yet significant in how it is celebrated today. While the secular traditions reflect how our world has changed over time, it is just as important to recognize Easter’s religious importance and why it continues to be observed with prayer and worship. It cannot be denied that Easter is a globally celebrated holiday that will continue to carry on its pagan history. Sources: Easter | Origin, Christianity, Jesus, Traditions, History, Name, Facts, & Dates | Britannica Easter Symbols and Traditions - Easter Bunny, Easter Eggs & Christianity | HISTORY The history of Easter - Christianity BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Whispers of the Ocean Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 5 Issue 2 November 25, 2024 Image Provided by Zaida Ayestas Munguia The ocean breathes a timeless song, With waves that dance, both fierce and strong. Beneath the sun’s warm, golden glow, Secrets in the depths below. Endless blue, where horizons blend, A realm of dreams that never end. Whispers of salt and tales of the deep, Guardians of treasures, silent and steep. Storms may rage and tempests roar, Yet calm will follow, peace restore. The tides, they rise, and then they fall, A rhythmic pulse, nature’s call. In twilight’s hush, when skies grow dim, Stars reflect in waters grim. The ocean holds what time forgot, A canvas vast, a world untaught. So here we stand, in awe, we gaze, At the ocean's wild, eternal maze. A reminder of life’s ebb and flow, In its embrace, we come to know BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Interview with Mr. Arata  By Gurjosh Multani Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by VSCHSD Q: State your name and your occupation. " My name is Anthony Arata, and my occupation is Permanent Sub here at Valley Stream North, but I am in Grad school at St. John’s University in order to become a Special Education teacher.” Q: Have you lived anywhere other than Valley Stream and if so, where? “I live in Franklin Square.” Q: Do you enjoy your job? “I love my job.” Q: Anything else to add to that? “It's an honor to be able to come back to where I went to high school and to inspire kids how I was inspired to be a teacher.” Q: What inspired you to start working this job? " My 10th grade special education teacher Mr. Achatz.” [pronounced “ACK-its”] Q: How do you feel about the recent threat to this school? "It's scary, but the reality of every day as a teacher and a student is that it can happen anywhere and there's protocols to be safe, but there're people who want to harm students and we just have to be as safe as possible always. And if you see something, always say something.” Q: What would you do for the security of the school if you were in charge? “If I was in charge of the security... Hmm Well, we already have cameras everywhere, which is definitely necessary, and the ID is to keep track of who comes in and out. But I would maybe just have scanners that way they could see when you walk through, so it scans you. That way we can prevent the lines in the morning, so it'd be an easier transition for students and faculty.” Q: Do you have any advice for the new generation of kids? "Find your passion and do something that you love because I go to work every day, I'm happy to be there, and I love what I do. As long as you do something that makes you happy, it's then that you'll be set for life.” BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Spotlight Back to Sections BHM - Kamala Harris By Kimberly Shrestha February 12, 2021 Digital Art Volume 1 Issue 5

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Student Wellness Advisory Committee By Jeselys Vazquez Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by University of Wisconsin Since September 2021, the Student Wellness Center has become an official program where students from all grade levels could participate. On October 17h, Ms. Kehoe, one of the school’s psychologists, made an announcement for the week’s activity, which was “Yoga with Ms. Lynn.” Every Tuesday after school, they have different activities that students can participate in and enjoy. In addition, another activity occurred on October 25th, which was the “College Application Information Session,” where students received a variety of tips and insights for when they apply to college. With the reminders on North High School’s Teams channel and morning announcements, the Wellness Center has become successful in more student participation and involvement with after-school activities. For example, one activity -- fall arts and crafts -- were more hands-on, and more students showed up. Recently, an exciting idea has been going around: dog therapy. The advisors will possibly start looking to have dog therapy as an activity for the end of November, which would be awesome, if you ask me. Also, in December, the Wellness Center will start the Student Wellness Advisory Committee (S.W.A.C.). In a couple of weeks, a survey will be sent out for students to sign up as a chance to become an ambassador to represent your grade level. The application will be selective, but the more people that sign up, the merrier. Students in grades 10 through 12 will be Senior Wellness ambassadors, and those in grades 7 through 9 will become Junior Wellness ambassadors. I would highly suggest looking into it because it can be a wonderful opportunity for you to make new friends, learn leadership skills, become more involved with the school, and add to your transcript as an activity you did throughout your school years. Also, you would work with the Wellness Center Staff to produce ideas for activities and themes that help promote all our areas of wellness. So hopefully, the S.W.A.C will be a success in December. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Lights On for Education Back to Sections Gilana Etame - Lights On for Education - 1 By Gilana Etame April 22, 2021 Digital Art Volume 1 Issue 7

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections The End Annie Diep Volume 5 Issue 1 September 20, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching What does a story mean by ‘The End’? How can we know what exactly is ‘The End’? What is ‘The End’? Why do these simple words, ‘The End’ invoke such intense emotions? Why do these simple words, dictate my mind's destination? Is ‘The End’ for a scholar a B in their carefully formed A’s? Is ‘The End’ for a woman when their hair starts to grey? Is ‘The End’ for a mother when they lose what keeps them at bay? Is ‘The End’ for a creative when they’ve lost their way? Is ‘The End’ for a daughter when they disobey? BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections The Sasquatch: Fact oar Fake? – Homophone Edition By Alena Moreira and Lucy Wu Volume 1 Issue 7 April 22, 2021 Image provided by Patterson-Gilmlin Original article by Matteo Somma: The Sasquatch: Fact or Fake? *Note that the original article will be temporarily inactive but will be reuploaded on Friday, May 7th, after contest results have been announced.* Contest rules are listed in the flyer in Teams and on the front page advertisements. How many homophones can you find? Fur centuries their halve bin countless sightings of the Sasquatch, moor commonly referred two as Bigfoot, do two its large foot sighs. Over 10,000 “witnesses” claimed two have scene a tall, Harry figure walking on too legs. The species Sasquatch inn question has bean spotted everywhere from awl the way north inn Alaska two the swamps of Florida. Weather it bee a person dressed up fir attention oar a failed science experiment, won thing’s fur shore: there’s something out their. The common name Sasquatch comes from the primitive ages of the Native People. Sasquatch is believed two bee a simplified version of the Salish word Sasq’sts meaning “wild man” ore “Harry man”. The Salish people, known as the Sta’ailes, claimed two have a clothes spiritual bond with the Sasquatch. The Sasquatch can bee described as tall and Harry. But if u look deeper into the Sasquatch, Yeti, Bigfoot, and other similar creatures that awl faul under the Sasquatch profile, u can c a common theme among awl of them; muscular and slim. Unlike bares, the Sasquatch is vary muscular and thin. Also unlike bares, the Sasquatch towers at an outstanding nine feat tall and is rarely seen on awl for legs, rather standing on its hind legs like humans. The Sasquatch is also reported two have ape-like footprints similar two humans but substantially larger. Inn the United States, only won state out of fifty has yet two report a Sasquatch sighting and that wood bee Hawaii. The Sasquatch has bin reported inn countries awl over the whirled such as Russia, Switzerland, Canada, and Indonesia. Why’ll naught awl descriptions match North America's description, they awl faul under the same category oar tall, muscular, Harry, and walking upright. Won of many theories on the Sasquatch is that it is a group of Neanderthals that never dyed off ore developed into modern-day human beans. A prime peace of evidance fir this is Zana. Zana was a female Sasquatch/Neanderthal that was captured inn the Russian wilderness inn the 19th century. After the Russian government captured Zana, they kept her inn a cage for the wrest of her life and experimented on her. Recently a British scientist who goes bye Bryan Skyes (a professor at Oxford University) has taken jean and silica samples of the descendants of Zana, and his findings whir remarkable. He found that Zana was a Sub-Sahara African that was probably once a slave during the ruling of the Ottomans. He also found tracings of Neanderthal inn they’re jeans, moor then the average human wood have, at leased. Billions of dollars have bean put into proving the Sasquatch’s existing but almost awl have come two a dead end. Sew that question lays on ewe, is the Sasquatch a fact oar a fake? How many homophones did you find? The answer is 92 homophones (see answer key below). Fur centuries their halve bin countless sightings of the Sasquatch, moor commonly referred two as Bigfoot, do two its large foot sighs . Over 10,000 “witnesses” claimed two have scene a tall, Harry figure walking on too legs. The species Sasquatch inn question has bean spotted everywhere from awl the way north inn Alaska two the swamps of Florida. Weather it bee a person dressed up fir attention oar a failed science experiment, won thing’s fur shore : there’s something out their . The common name Sasquatch comes from the primitive ages of the Native People. Sasquatch is believed two bee a simplified version of the Salish word Sasq’sts meaning “wild man” ore “ Harry man”. The Salish people, known as the Sta’ailes, claimed two have a clothes spiritual bond with the Sasquatch. The Sasquatch can bee described as tall and Harry . But if u look deeper into the Sasquatch, Yeti, Bigfoot, and other similar creatures that awl faul under the Sasquatch profile, u can c a common theme among awl of them; muscular and slim. Unlike bares , the Sasquatch is vary muscular and thin. Also unlike bares , the Sasquatch towers at an outstanding nine feat tall and is rarely seen on awl for legs, rather standing on its hind legs like humans. The Sasquatch is also reported two have ape-like footprints similar two humans but substantially larger. Inn the United States, only won state out of fifty has yet two report a Sasquatch sighting and that wood bee Hawaii. The Sasquatch has bin reported inn countries awl over the whirled such as Russia, Switzerland, Canada, and Indonesia. Why’ll naught awl descriptions match North America's description, they awl faul under the same category oar tall, muscular, Harry , and walking upright. Won of many theories on the Sasquatch is that it is a group of Neanderthals that never dyed off ore developed into modern-day human beans . A prime peace of evidance fir this is Zana. Zana was a female Sasquatch/Neanderthal that was captured inn the Russian wilderness inn the 19th century. After the Russian government captured Zana, they kept her inn a cage for the wrest of her life and experimented on her. Recently a British scientist who goes bye Bryan Skyes (a professor at Oxford University) has taken jean and silica samples of the descendants of Zana, and his findings whir remarkable. He found that Zana was a Sub-Sahara African that was probably once a slave during the ruling of the Ottomans. He also found tracings of Neanderthal inn they’re jeans, moor then the average human wood have, at leased . Billions of dollars have bean put into proving the Sasquatch’s existing but almost awl have come two a dead end. Sew that question lays on ewe , is the Sasquatch a fact oar a fake? BACK TO TOP