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

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Trapped By Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 2 Issue 3 January 14, 2022 Image provided by Saatchiart.Com Trapped in a glass box I can see out, but no one can see in People think I'm like a fox But they don’t know what's under my skin All they see is the outside Which I easily cover up with a face No one can see what I hide Whatever they see, they embrace   No one asks questions No how was your day They don't bother reading expressions It doesn't matter how gray Sitting there in a depressed like-state At this point I'm too far gone That I don't care if I'm late Or if the test in front of me is done   Phony laughs, fake smiles No one can tell the difference All my coach cares about are the miles If I'm there or not, no cares about my presence Everyone thinks my life is picture perfect Perfect grades, friends, family, and life But they don't know the real effect They don’t know about the knife   I'm shattered into tiny pieces Too small to glue back together It doesn’t matter the amount of braces You can't help someone who already surrendered Deep down inside its ugly But don't worry, no one knows I’m not happy Everyone thinks I'm so friendly They don't know that I'm pretty snappy   Binded by those ice-cold chains There's not enough warmth to melt the pain Those empty eyes are all the remains Everything else is drowning in the rain My wings fell down three years ago Leaving me all alone Broken down with an empty echo Dead without a backbone   BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections En Garde! By John McCarthy Volume 1 Issue 4 January 20, 2021 Original photo by Coach Mary Parisi Winter sports have been back for two weeks now, and one team in action is our district fencing team. North’s own Ms. Parisi and her squad has already competed in three matches, with two wins against Syosset and Cold Spring Harbor. The team looks very promising, according to Ms. Parisi. The smart and passionate coach had this comment about the team: “I am very excited to return as head coach of the girls’ district fencing team. From the first ‘en garde’ to the last touch, these ladies truly give their all in practices and competitions. The team has been vigilant in adhering to the new safety protocols this season, and it is truly a pleasure to work with such a responsible and talented group of young ladies. In actuality, fencing strategy can be applied to everyday life, since an important part of the sport is maintaining a safe distance and keeping your mask on! I’m overjoyed to be coaching again and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season unfolds!” Here are our own fencers from VS North: Afira Mahmood (epee, 2 wins) Marisa Mohan (epee) Diane Tomax (foil) Filomena Pereira (foil, 1 win) Irene Quintero (foil, 2 wins) Tayler Rochester (sabre, 6 wins) Congratulations to the girls for the success they’ve had so far! Although no spectators are allowed at matches, I’m sure we will hear great things about our sports teams, especially fencing. The Winter Sports season has much more to it, and we can’t wait to see what will come next. Go Spartans! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections 2023 Oscar Predictions By Alain Deen Volume 3 Issue 3 February 24, 2023 Image provided by US Weekly The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, evaluate and reward the creative prowess of films through an artistic and technical lens. The ceremony is largely regarded as one of the most prestigious nights within the industry, underscoring the talent, grit, and passion placed into the filmmaking process. As an aspiring filmmaker, writer, and actor myself, The Oscars are more than just an awards ceremony. The event proves to be pinnacle of creative, artistic, and introspective thought in terms of the past year. This year’s ceremony is taking place on March 12th, and there are various predictions regarding this year’s nominees. I will be covering the more popular categories, just as I did in my 2022 prediction article. Here are my takes. Best Picture: Top Gun: Maverick Women Talking Everything Everywhere All at Once The Banshees of Inisherin Triangle of Sadness The Fabelmans All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water Elvis Tar In my opinion, Baz Luhrmann’s star-studded Elvis biopic takes the cake for this category. The unique editing, aesthetic, cinematography, and performances brand the film in an elegant, award-winning fashion. Compared to all of the other titles listed above, Elvis has generated the most fan fare by a landslide. However, it is worth noting that I personally believe Everything Everywhere All at Once is the better film in terms of pacing, writing and plot. Even so, I predict Elvis to win however due to its large cultural impact in the last eight months or so. Best Actor Brendan Fraser, The Whale Austin Butler, Elvis Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin Bill Nighty, Living Paul Mescal, Aftersun Austin Butler has emerged as one of the prominent faces of Hollywood this past year with the success of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. It is safe to say that Butler committed to the role in ways we cannot comprehend. For instance, Butler nailed his accent to the tea, to the point where it has remained almost a year after filming culminated. Therefore, I predict his performance to win in the best actor category. In contrast to the other actors nominated, Butler has displayed an exceeding level of commitment. Any actor willing to devote his time, grit, and fortitude in a role is deserving of winning this award, and Butler did just that. Best Actress Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans Cate Blanchett, Tar Ana De Armas, Blonde Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once For me, Michelle Yeoh’s performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once has to be one of the greatest I have seen in my 18 years of life. Yeoh’s multifaceted performance underscores the duality of livelihood. Her subtle motions, gestures, accompanied with her character’s (Evelyn Quan Wang’s) buoyant personality makes the performance award-winning for me. It takes a different skillset to play Evelyn, which Michelle mastered impressively. What makes her performance even more impressive is that this is Yeoh’s first leading role in a Hollywood film. Best Supporting Actor Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once The casting in Everything Everywhere All at Once, was seemingly written in the stars. Ke Huy Quan delivers a stunning performance as Waymond Wang, as Quan felt the screenplay was written specifically for him. Specifically, Quan portrayed three versions of the same character, whom he believes are all different representations of himself. Quan felt a deeper connection to Wang’s different personas, underscoring his natural connection to the role. Unlike Austin Butler (whom I predict to win in the best actor category), Quan did not put as much grit and sweat into the role. However, I am not implying he is undeserving, but rather emphasizing Quan’s raw talent and natural ability, to which he is greatly deserving of the award in this category. Best Director Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin Todd Field, Tar Ruben Ostlund, Triangle of Sadness Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once Daniel Kwan, Everything Everywhere All at Once Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, was nothing short of a captivating, compelling, and engrossing watch. Spielberg’s direction proves to be nuanced, complex, and brilliant in terms of his transition into modern storytelling. The film finds Speilberg nodding at his familial roots which bolstered his passion for film. Spielberg seemingly synthesizes the concepts of life and art, culminating in a beautiful ode to the craft of film and the genius surrounding the filmmaking process. Just from watching the film, viewers embody the passion and grit provided by Spielberg, making his direction extraordinarily memorable and quite deserving of this award. Best Supporting Actress Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once Hong Chau, The Wale Kerry Condon delivers a stunning performance in The Banshees of Inisherin. Playing Siobhán, Condon performed while channeling grief from her beloved dog’s death. This is an interesting way to approach a role, which surprisingly paid off for the Irish actress. While I was not exceedingly impressed with this category’s nominees, I believe Condon is deserving of the role, as she successfully examined the intricacies of a woman’s dignity, intelligence, and nuances. Best Animated Feature Turning Red Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio Marcel the Shell with Shoes On The Sea Beast Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Along with the other categories, one must not forget the importance and cultural impact of animation. I believe Pixar’s Turning Red , is greatly deserving of this category’s award due to its coming-of-age plotlines, risk, and minority representation. Pixar took a risk when developing this film, conjuring dialogue which deals with puberty along with a critique on traditionality. This very concept brands the film in an award-winning fashion. It is worth noting that Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio was an underrated masterpiece and deserves the credit where it is due. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections My First Memory of Stitches By Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 2 Issue 5 March 28, 2022 Image provided by Pediatric Urgent Care of New York Life is full of troubles. Just waiting to unfold As fragile as bubbles But for a five-year-old, I was still bold The day was full of delight. However, the horror was yet to come As I approached the swings, the boy took flight Smashing my head till I fell, wishing I had never come The nails on the floor poking my ear Hoping they would fill their hunger RRRRIP as the world disappeared The last thing I heard was my mom screaming in anger. When I woke up, the nurse’s smile was as bright as the sun But I knew this was no fun My mother was a rabbit, scared and small I wished instead of the park we had gone to the mall I wished instead of the park we had gone to the mall BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Geocaching By Carolina Figueroa Volume 2 Issue 5 March 28, 2022 Image provided by Winchester-Frederick Country Convention & Visitors Bureau Do you love to be outdoors, solve riddles, and search for interesting things? If so, you may want to try searching for geocaches! Geocaching is a popular “fun outdoor recreational activity and hobby that feels like real-world treasure-hunting”! People participate in geocaching from all over the world by using navigational techniques to “hide and seek” compact containers at specific locations marked by coordinates worldwide. They hide small containers, called geocaches or caches, with small prizes inside, and then other people try to find them using maps and clues on their Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers or GPS-enabled mobile devices. Currently, there are more than 3 million geocaches hidden around the world for people to find. A typical geocache is created when a player hides a small-scale waterproof container somewhere in the world and then logs its exact location on the Geocaching app. Inside the container, the hider will put a logbook (or a notebook that players can sign) with a pen or pencil and sometimes small prizes, pins, trinkets, or little toys for trading. These mini toys and trinkets are usually of more sentimental worth than financial. Some geocachers may choose to use large plastic storage containers (similar to Tupperware). Next, other players try to find what has been hidden using the navigation system on the Geocaching app. Sometimes finding a geocache will be easy and straightforward, but other times they are very well hidden in their spots and you really have to look and search hard for them! To get started, you first have to download the Geocaching app on a smartphone. When you click on the app, it shows you a map of nearby or local geocaches. You can also search for geocaches in different locations. For instance, if you plan on being away, you can search to see if and where there are geocaches in that location as well. Once you click on a geocache, you are able to see a description of it and other information about it, such as how much time it may take for you to find it. Next, click “navigate” to open up the directions to guide and navigate you to the spot. You will have to ask an adult to drive you to a park that you walk around together. Some geocaches may be hidden in other public spots, like a walking path in town. Other geocaches are hidden in parks, urban areas, forest, deserts, underwater, on top of mountains – pretty much anywhere you can imagine! The rule for a hiding place is “the geocache should not be easily visible to a passerby who is not looking for the cache. It should be a camouflaged hiding spot and the cache should blend perfectly into their environment”. People use their creativity to find hard and challenging hiding places, like in a tree hollow or stump, underneath bushes, wedged securely in-between rocks, using a fake rock or small fake squirrel container, or even road signs (a magnetic geocache, nestled between the sign itself and the pole). Another rule is “ do not ever bury geocaches (do not create a hole in the ground to find or place a geocache)”. Once you navigate to the location, you will have to look at the recent activity and description in the app for any hints or signs for clues that might help you find the cache. Have fun on your search! Geocaches come in all shapes and sizes and most often they are a small tube or a medium-sized box that looks like a heavy-duty plastic container. The container could also be innovatively stored inside an object. People from around the world cleverly and creatively store and hide geocaches in fun containers. For example, hidden in the woods in Germany, one geocache is housed in a tricky wooden birdhouse covered in puzzles for finders to solve. In Spain, a plastic super-sized strawberry geocache container looks like a big piece of fruit. In Massachusetts, a geocache has its logbook hidden within a classic calling telephone. In California, a tiny tube is screwed into the back of a plastic pigeon to hold a geocache’s logbook. And in Holland, a container features a hen with plastic eggs, one of which contains the logbook! There should always be a logbook so you can write down that you found the geocache with the date. The geocacher signs the log with their established code name and dates it, in order to prove that they found the cache. Many times, “you will find small prizes called tradeables, like small toys, pins, keychains, or crafts. You can take one of them as long as you replace it with an item of similar value”. When you are done signing the log, you must place the geocache back exactly where you found it so that other people can find it! Geocaching is a fun and exciting way to spend time outdoors, explore the beauty of nature, exercise your mind and body, solve puzzles and riddles, appreciate quality time with family and friends, and enjoy treasure-hunting! It is a hobby and interest that delights and appeals to all ages. It provides fun and happiness for the whole family. You may experience new places and meet new people, and you will stay active and healthy while creating lasting new memories. You will realize that discovery, exploration, beauty, and adventure still exist in the real world. Good luck searching for cool and interesting geocaches, wherever you may be in the world! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Welcome to BSU! By Sasha Smalls and Ahmya McMillan Volume 1 Issue 2 November 24, 2020 Original logo by Sasha Smalls Black Student Unions have been a space for advocacy and education operating in schools and universities around the country for decades. But where did this begin? During the Civil Rights Movement, in response to racial injustice, Jerry Varnado and James Garrett created the first Black Student Union at San Francisco State University, a predominately white campus. Vernando and Garret started a campus movement that demanded institutions of higher learning to address the needs of their black students. This has laid the groundwork for reform, advocacy, and change across many student bodies in various U.S. communities. “Welcome to BSU!” The title for our first meeting that announced the revival and revamping of Valley Stream North High School’s very own Black Student Union. The club began last year as an effort by some Class of 2020 seniors to rally school spirit and support for the Black student demographic here at North. Kristina Dormeus, Carlton Paris, Tonei Laroche, Sydney Hunt, Amir Grant, along with our gracious advisors Assistant Principal Mrs. Small and Teacher Member Ms. Coleman, put BSU on the map. The current cabinet is grateful for much of the groundwork established by last year’s cabinet and acknowledge all the contributions they have made to get the ball rolling for this club. When COVID-19 hit Long Island and soon thereafter Valley Stream, the school went full-remote during the month of March. Over quarantine, BSU, like most clubs, found it challenging to make the switch to virtual. Gratefully, in all this chaos, we managed to hold elections for this year’s cabinet: President Sasha Smalls (Class of 2021), Vice President Tobi Adebowale (Class of 2021), Treasurer Chris Devis (Class of 2021), Secretary Mereddith Rony (Class of 2021), Head Event Coordinator (Ahmya McMillan Class of 2021), and Junior Council Member Ariana Paul (Class of 2022). Over the summer of 2020, BSU was remodeled with a new mission and renewed perspective (not to mention a fantastic website and Instagram that you should check out - see below ). Our mission is to enhance North's community. We are an inclusive organization open to students of all backgrounds. We desire to create a welcoming, judgment-free learning environment and safe space. Through a mixture of information and discussion, we serve to educate and inform the community. We want the conversations of our meetings to transfer out and positively affect how North students conduct themselves: respectfully, kindly, with integrity, and with the utmost confidence. With a focus on Black history and culture, BSU delves into perseverance and overcoming adversity. Discussing current events and topics gives our members insight concerning the minority youth of America. Above all, we emphasize embracing the younger students at North. The sooner they feel empowered, the sooner they can outwardly influence the community here at North and around the world. Let’s discuss how we go about achieving all this. This year’s cabinet members sat down soon after our first club meeting and decided it would be best to do bi-weekly meetings. “Quality over quantity,” said Mrs. Small, and we all agreed. The cabinet meets independently twice. Once to solidify a club meeting topic, determine who will be designing the PowerPoint presentation, and discuss agenda items; then we meet again by Sunday to collaborate on the shared PowerPoint and delegate who speaks at what slide. By Tuesday, we have run everything by Mrs. Small, and we are ready to meet with our club. We have found that certain discussions warrant longer discussions, and we want to give everyone who desires, a chance to share. Therefore, we will have a longer discussion/meeting topic such as police brutality or political perspectives followed by a shorter meeting topic such as plans for Black Solidarity Day. We believe this balance is essential, or we fear we may lose the interest of club members who have to divide their time between schoolwork, jobs, and extracurriculars - much like the members of our cabinet. We acknowledge that the club is a Black Student Union, but we are an inclusive organization, as you may read in our mission statement. Our topics correlate with an issue plaguing the Black community members in America, but we also address other communities such as Latinx and Middle Eastern. We also put an emphasis on perspective and fervently exercise “playing the Devil’s advocate” during our meetings to balance the conversations. Now that you have learned about BSU, we would love to hear from you! You can reach out via email, Instagram, our website, or Teams chat. We have listed all our information below. Email : vsnbsu@gmail.com Instagram : vsn_bsu Website : esmalls28.wixsite.com/vsnbsu Microsoft Teams code : zwf3p7w BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections North's Hidden Gems Rachel Ezeadichie Volume 5 Issue 4 April 8, 2025 Image Provided by Rachael Ezeadichie While most students at North High School are engrossed in their studies, academics are not the only opportunities children have access to here. Students can always join one of the many clubs at our school, whether it’s B.S.U. or S.T.O.P., or something else that interests them (acronym optional). One of the lesser-known clubs at Valley Stream North is the Weightlifting Club. Recently, I have started to attend their meetings and have found a welcoming community and an opportunity to improve my strength and health. The Weightlifting Club at VSN meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the weight room (which has been moved to the wrestling room) from 2:45 to 3:30. Despite its name, the Weightlifting Club is not just for lifting weights, but for anyone who wants a place to work out after school without having to commit to joining a sport for the semester. When I first started going in early December, I was nervous as I was not used to working out using the equipment there, and I had never been in that “gym environment” outside of Phys. Ed. But, after just one session, I had already started feeling more comfortable with working out on the machines and accepting help when it came to correcting my form and technique. While I was there, I had the opportunity to interview Coach Dias, the club’s advisor, and ask him some questions about the club and its community: Who is welcome to join the club? Dias: Everyone is welcome. There are no restrictions. What characteristics and activities do the club promote? Dias: It’s a fitness and weightlifting club, so it promotes fitness, people lifting weights to get stronger for either a sport or just to look better and feel better. Do you enjoy being the club’s advisor? Dias: I think, for the most part, there’s a nice comradery among all the people that come here, it’s a good group. Everyone helps each other. Obviously, I tried to help people with how they’re doing their exercises, but it really is a nice group. What would you say to someone who is hesitant or debating joining? Dias: Well, if you’re hesitant or debating whether to join because you feel self-conscious, it’s a very good group. Everyone helps each other; there’s nobody here that’s super-advanced to where you would feel inferior. So, I think everyone should give it a chance. You’re going to feel better, you’re going to look better, and you’re going to have more confidence in everything else that you do. The Weightlifting Club is one of North’s hidden gems, a part of the school that I am glad to have discovered. Even if you’re only slightly interested, consider visiting and see if it is a community right for you. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Does Glasses Equal Intelligence: A Stereotype or Fact? Akilan Subramaniyan Volume 6 Issue 3 June 8, 2026 Image Provided by Akilan Subramaniyan You are struggling with your algebra homework, desperate for an answer. You need help from somebody who is comfortable with this concept. However, you must choose between someone who is wearing glasses and someone who is not. The person wearing glasses is probably smart; thus, he should help you…right? Well, the answer is not that simple. We will be looking into the worlds of frames and intelligence, and whether there is a correlation between them. Apart from the many stereotypes we encounter, this stereotype is one that’s well-known and long-standing. However, before the creation of this stereotype, what was the historical aspect of glasses? The earliest corrective lenses were crystals polished to magnify text. This originates in ancient Egypt and China. However, wearable glasses date back to Italy in the 13 th century. These glasses were the modern equivalent of what we normally use today. Crucially, glasses were not widely used, as they were luxurious and lavish items. Hence, the upper class, consisting of the wealthy and educated, used it. People who are into education and transcriptions, even in their old age, were the first to utilize glasses. These people were primarily scholars and monks. This early concept shaped the path for the modern-day stereotype as it connected eyewear to educational goals ( NeuroLaunch Editorial Team). Now that we know where everything started, we can start to delve into why people conclude that eyewear equals intellect. As discussed before, eyewear is often expensive. Usually, those who could afford glasses and be “studious” were educated. This led to the connection that a person who wears glasses is likely educated ( Mo & The Team ). In addition, a physical aspect also plays a role. Someone who is wearing glasses may look more “genuine.” He or she could look more skilled, knowledgeable, and sharp with glasses ( Ellix ). These details prove why people think a person who wears glasses is smarter or more competent. Furthermore, in media, smart people are frequently depicted with glasses, giving the character a “nerd or geek” style ( TV Tropes ). Both these details subtly support this stereotype, influencing people into the trend. Likewise, this also applies to the world. People like Benjamin Franklin, Stephen Hawking, Mark Zukerberg, Bill Gates, and numerous other figures all wear glasses. This reinforces the stereotype and gives examples of people who wear glasses who were successful, intelligent, and innovative ( NeuroLaunch Editorial Team). Now we have a deep understanding of the cultural, social, and psychological view of this stereotype. Now it is time to magnify through a lens into the biological aspect. In other words, what does science say? To put it simply, there is no clear correlation between glasses and intelligence. In one study, students with and without vision correction were observed based on their educational capabilities. Students wearing glasses did a bit better, but this could be the result of socioeconomic status, and someone with access to eyecare could have more academic possibilities ( Mo & The Team ). Some other studies show that there is a small connection between myopia (near-sightedness) and minimally higher IQ scores. This could mean that people who wear glasses for myopia are smarter. However, glasses help with vision issues other than myopia, like hyperopia. This correlation only applies to glasses wearers with myopia. Additionally, this small link is a correlation and does not necessarily equal causation. There could be other factors influencing this ( Vivue) . On the other hand, a large genetic study done with about 3,000 participants proves a connection between wearing glasses and cognitive functions. The study shows 30 percent of “intelligent people” are more likely to wear glasses . This study still has its flaws, as it is based on European ancestry ( Dockrill ). Even though it is such a massive study, you cannot easily conclude that wearing glasses equals being smarter. Nonetheless, what is “near work” and how does it connect to what we are talking about? Near work is when you work close-up to something while needing concentration. Activities that fall under this category, especially when done in the dark, include coding, studying, computer work, writing, reading, and screentime for hours. These activities often help you do better at school. Overtime these activities can regularly exhaust your eyes and can affect the growth of your eyes, specifically in those predisposed to Myopia genetically. Moreover, this near work could result in: Myopia and educational success. Nevertheless, behavior patterns, genetics, and environment still influence this complicated pattern. So, to tie it all up, if someone is truly smart and is wearing glasses for myopia, there could be a chance that they participated in near-work activities, which made them smart. Not the glasses, their effort and work made the person smart ( Ellix; Mo & The Team; Vivue ). Finally, intelligence comes beyond physical traits. It comes from valuable skills, memory, innovative thinking, flexibility, and emotional acknowledgement (Mo & The Team). Critically, people who are wearing glasses are often pushed into this stereotype, making them work harder to be “smart.” On the other hand, people who do not need glasses might be judged less smart due to the absence of frames. This can have serious problems in the real world (NeuroLaunch Editorial Team). It is safe to say that for the most part… wearing glasses will not make a person smarter. Someone who is simply wearing glasses will not automatically be smarter. However, his or her actions and effort will make the person smarter. While doing activities that support academic success, there is a chance for the person to develop a need for vision correction (glasses). However, this is not entirely true and is influenced by other factors. Intelligence comes from within and cannot be easily identified through physical cues. We must question stereotypes, whether big or small, so we can all grow and become open-minded and inclusive to everybody. Just maybe, we might be able to ask for help with a tricky algebra question to a person without glasses. Glasses and Intelligence: Exploring the Cultural Connection Are People With Glasses Smart? | Myth Busting Truths Smart People Wear Glasses - TV Tropes Do Smart People Really Wear Glasses? Science (Kind of) Says Yes | by Tau Ellix | Medium Do Glasses Make You Look Smarter? The Truth About the Stereotype and IQ - Affordable Prescription Glasses, Eyewear Online | Vivue People Who Wear Glasses Really Are More Likely to Be Smart, Says Huge Study : ScienceAlert BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections North Star Club and Mrs. Byrne By Jeselys Vazquez Volume 2 Issue 3 January 14, 2022 Original photography by Christy Mansfield Hello, my name is Jeselys Naylana Vazquez and I’m in 10th grade! I’ve recently joined North Star. It is club where you write new articles about different topics of the month or your choice of what you decide to write about. I’ve always wanted to join a club but never made the time to manage my schedule to make time for it. I feel like a lot of people have the same issue or just forget about it, until at the worst times it comes to mind. My 8th period teacher Mrs. Byrne, the lovely, sweet lady in room 113, assigns her students a quick assignment on watching a video or reading an article and explain our personal thoughts or ideas about it. Sometimes in class on Fridays, she tells her students to check out the North Star page, choose an article we’d like to read, and tell her what we learned or what we got from it. I enjoyed the times we read the articles from our smart and inspiring writers. It really helps and educates readers in a variety of subject areas. Every time she read my response or called on me to tell her what I learned about the article I read because she was pleased with my answers. She asked me why don’t I join the Poetry Club or the North Star ? I said, I’ll think about it”. I asked the leader of the club if I could still join, and she said, “Yes!” Here, I am writing my first article for the North Star and starting to pursue more of what I love, which is writing. Thank you, Mrs. Byrne! And thank you North Star. BACK TO TOP