Back to Artwork Heckscher Back to Sections Memory Tree Entry 5 April 14, 2022 Mixed Media Volume 2 Issue 6

Back to Articles News Back to Sections To Mask or Not To Mask By Craig Papajohn-Shaw Volume 2 Issue 4 February 10, 2022 Image provided by Deseret News Update 03/01/2022: On Sunday, February 27th, Governor Hochul announced she would lift the mandatory mask mandate across schools in New York State; school districts can decide whether to continue the mandate. On Tuesday, March 1st, the Valley Stream Central High School District Board of Education voted unanimously to opt for a mask optional plan. Acting Superintendent Loper has amended the masking policy within his " District Reopening Plan ." Starting Wednesday, March 2nd, masks will no longer be mandated for students or staff within the district; Dr. Loper noted that the decision will now rest with each family and student. -------- In his first few weeks in office, newly elected Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R-NY) already found himself embroiled in a dispute with Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY). One of Blakeman's pledges during his campaign is that he would manage the pandemic with "economic, social and mental health consequences in mind." As promised, he signed an executive order removing the mask mandate in Nassau County schools and giving local school boards discretion to decide how to proceed with regard to mandating masking. Hochul threatened to remove county board members who voted to toss the mask requirement and cut funds to those districts; the Governor claims state law supersedes local county orders. Even with the threats made by the Governor, on January 20th, the Massapequa Union Free School District Board of Education voted to end the student and staff mask mandate; districts such as Island Trees followed suit. This is not the first time the Massapequa School District attempted to drop the mask mandate; back in October, the district filed a lawsuit challenging the mandate's legality. Massapequa's Board of Education Trustee Cher Lepre emphasizes, "it can't always just be Massapequa willing to take a stand." Hochul's current executive order on the New York schools mask mandate is in effect until February 1st, and then renewed it once again until February 28th; the order can continue to be renewed at the Governor's discretion as long as the courts don’t rule it to be unconstitutional. The Governor has implied that she would decide whether to renew the order close to the deadline of the current mandate, as she will have to evaluate the severity of the pandemic at that time. The Governor is up for election in 2022, and her decision to renew may be influenced by the fact that she will first have to survive the Democratic primary prior to the general election. As New York State (NYS) sees a drop in daily cases with projections showing positive cases will be even lower in NYS by mid-February, as well as an increase in people receiving their booster shot, there is even further doubt about whether the Governor will renew the order. The issue sparked further controversy when the Nassau County Supreme Court ruled Hochul's mask mandate unconstitutional. Prior to Former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) leaving office, the New York Legislature terminated his "emergency powers," which gave the authority to the Governor's office to institute a mask mandate. When Governor Hochul took office, she renewed the order of a mask mandate without having those powers granted by the legislature. At least 25 districts opted for a mask-optional policy on January 25th; this was until the Department of Health filed an appeal, at which point Appellate Judge Robert Miller issued a "stay" until he can review the matter of the case at the appellate level. In Valley Stream North's Advanced Placement (AP) Government and Politics classes, an anonymous poll was conducted questioning students: "Do you agree with Massapequa school district's decision to NOT require masks anymore for all students?" The AP Government class consists of 12th graders; 77 students responded to the polls, where 27 of the students "approved" of Massapequa's decision, with 50 "against" the district's decision. The poll results implied 65% of students across the three sections of the course feel wearing masks should be mandated in schools. While the 77 students may not be a holistic view of how all students (or staff members) feel in the building, it indicates Massapequa's decision does concern the students at North. In response to the poll results, a senior in one of the sections of the class voiced, "Personally, I agree with the majority of students on this issue. Our school has a large number of students, and while some of my classes have approximately 15 students, some have approximately 30. Continued mask-wearing allows me to feel safe interacting with so many different people on a daily basis." At the time of publication, The Valley Stream Central High School District had not indicated the desire to lift the mask mandate. In the event that the Governor does not renew the state mandate during the current school year, the Board of Education will have to vote on the matter, at which time they will have to consider many factors, including the safety of staff and students. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Pep Rally of '24 and Senior Year Cross Country Season Manal Layachi Volume 5 Issue 2 November 25, 2024 Image Provided by Mother of Manal Layachi Senior year has arrived A bittersweet and joyful time Back to a routine Living the dream Homecoming flies by Having the time of my life Pep rally gets me pumped I cannot wait to run and jump As my coach calls out the names of my teammates, He forgets to call mine, But I know he is playing and I have to wait As the only senior on the team, I feel special like a queen When my coach calls my name I run across the turf and accept all of the fame As I run under the tunnel made by my teammates, I feel amazing and great My confidence increases and I celebrate I have been doing cross country for four years Although there will be tears when I graduate, there will also be cheers As I run every day and receive my senior banner, I remember all of my athletic accomplishments without regrets as I am a master I know I did my best and got faster. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Malverne Fall Festival Andrew Lavoie Volume 4 Issue 1 November 6, 2023 Image provided by the LIHerald Bouncy castles! Food trucks! Street vendors! You must be at the Malverne Fall Festival! On Sunday, October 15th, the Malverne Fall Festival was held outside of the Malverne Train Station. Many organizations attended including the Islanders who had hockey games to play, the Boy Scouts who were selling knishes and hot dogs, and even several live bands. This event is an iconic Malverne experience and has been happening for years. On that Sunday, I was helping the Boy Scouts at the festival by selling food. However, the Boy Scouts were not the only group selling food. There was a chicken and waffles truck, a Greek truck, and an empanada truck to name a few. Additionally, there were games and bouncy castles for the kids to play, including a shark ride that tried to throw its passengers off. Furthermore, there was a 5k as part of the festivities which Brian Guiheen of Chaminade won with a time of 17:37. Another event held during the festival was a car show. The show included numerous cool cars to look at and walk past. Aside from all the activities, one of the most important things to do at the festival is socializing. Whether it is talking to a friend or meeting a new acquaintance, the festival is always a great place to socialize. However, humans were not the only ones who were socializing. There was a stand selling dog treats where many of them were able to play. There were many vendors at the festival selling various cool items. There was a person selling books, someone selling healing crystals, and even someone selling lizards. Back to the Boy Scouts: we were raising money to help pay for the wrapping of our trailer and a renovation of our summer campsite. We were able to raise $778 thanks to all the generous customers. Throughout the entire event, there was lively music and plenty to do and eat. My favorite part of the festival was the food because it was excellent, but I was not the only one having a good time. I saw people buy lizards, eat 10 knishes, and get thrown off the shark ride. It was an exciting time for everyone who was there, and I sure am looking forward to it again next year. Thanks again to everybody who donated to the Boy Scouts! BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Line Back to Sections Lillian Dolan - What is Line - 3 By Lillian Dolan November 1, 2020 Photography Volume 1 Issue 1 This picture is of a wicker basket. I used artificial light (a lightbox). It was taken around noon.

Back to Artwork Pop Art Back to Sections Thalie Joseph - Pop Art By Thalie Joseph January 14, 2022 Acrylic Volume 2 Issue 3

Back to Articles Fiction Back to Sections Finding Himself By Alain Deen Volume 1 Issue 1 November 1, 2020 Image provided by Buxr The bell's clang shook him. An announcement traveled through the school: "We are on lockdown due to the rapid spread of Covid-19". He heard the news and stormed to his locker. As he rapidly packed, the sight of students running struck him. He realized this virus wasn't something to joke about, but rather a serious matter that wrecked the lives of so many. He began to grasp the baffling concept: he is living through a piece of history. Almost as if the survivors of other tragic occurrences were passing the torch. The other students were either filled with excitement or drowning in misery. As for him…he did not know how to feel. He simply put all his stress and worries behind him, which subsequently lead to even more. It wasn't about being admitted into the school's "Junior Honor Society" anymore, or receiving a 90 or higher on Friday's science exam. It was more about…old fashioned survival. The mysterious virus seemed to strike the most unsuspecting, innocent people. It didn't come with a warning label, as pleasant as that would have been. Its freshness sparked the most issues, since there were (and still are) no methods to combat the illness. He felt unsure and afraid of whatever came next. Hundreds of questions pounded his brain at the same time. Is this the end? Do we have to wear masks for the rest of our lives? What did we do to deserve this? The unnecessary guilt began to weigh on him. Why did it attack others? That question only fate could decide. His mother felt more worried than he did. She didn’t allow him out of the house for nearly two months. He expressed great understanding, but his patience slowly weakened. He started getting into his own head, a feeling most people hate with a burning passion. He began questioning his purpose. He pitied himself for not knowing his career path, whereas everyone else he knew seemed to have their entire lives planned out. The only idea he had crossed his mind every month or so. He enjoyed the process of cutting up and putting together footage, which resulted in a medley of contrasting sound and visual elements. An "editing sandwich". He seemed to have a knack at this…uncommon interest. His eyes moved across the screen as swift as lightning, cutting the clips together seamlessly. However, editing didn't fulfill that pit he felt. With quarantine and the feeling of being overshadowed by his peers, he felt stuck. His shame got the best of him, and he couldn’t help but scour the internet for new hobbies and interests. After days of searching, his eyebags weighed more than his mother's purse. His mind as jumbled as a tedious crossword. Despite days of hopelessness, an unusual but surprising occurrence took place. He came full circle. He stumbled upon filmmaking classes that taught the basics of editing, acting, and visual media. His eyes bulged. He began to notice this reoccurrence. Almost as if this was his destiny, accompanied with a few more mediums. Subsequently, he begged his mother to let him take these classes. The pit inside of him remained but took on a new form. The pit suffused with excitement. He literally could not wait and started writing a short film before any instruction. His preparation took days, and when the first day of class arrived, it was almost if he knew the exact direction she was headed. Over the three weeks, he hastily storyboarded and shot the film using whatever materials he could find. These items seemed to have fell of the face of the Earth. He vigorously checked every corner of his house and still could not recover anything. However, a vague memory bounced around in his mind. He received a tri-pod and microphone for his past birthday. A wave of relief soared through his body. After finding this equipment, there was no looking back. He sent the script to two of his closest friends to participate in the film, over Zoom, of course. Weeks of constant shooting, editing, and acting resulted in the same process he's always excelled in: creating a medley of contrasting sound and visual elements. His film served as a public service announcement for teens to stay home during the lockdown. Due to its theme, message, and visual elements, he received an A++. The highest grade in the class. His heart pumped faster than the speed of light. His eyes enlarged to the size of a hot air balloon. He felt not a wave, but a tsunami of excitement. After this experience, he started taking his skills in acting an editing to the popular social media platform "TikTok". There, he struck the eye of a bigger creator, and started writing scripts for her. He began mentorship under this popular creator and took multiple classes with her. The birth of an interesting yet exciting friendship took place. He continued perfecting this craft, and now stands at almost 10,000 TikTok followers. He rebuilt himself from a lost, meek boy to a confident, influential young man. He is me. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections The Role of an Outgoing President By Cody Sung Volume 1 Issue 2 November 24, 2020 Image provided by Jeremy Enecio Election Day is for most politicians, especially for the executive branch. On November 3rd, people cast their ballots. On November 7th, 2020, 4 days after Election Day, major news networks announced that Former Vice President Joe Biden was going to be the next President of the United States. The time period from the election to the next inauguration is called the transition period, if there is a new president. So, what is this transition all about, and what’s the role of the outgoing president in it? First, we need to explain what happens during the transition. The General Services Administration (GSA) is the government organization behind the transition. It does everything from providing office space for the candidates to providing vital information to the Congressional Inaugural Committees (and other related organizations). It’s the central organization that authorizes the beginning of the presidential transition. If it doesn’t, then the government does not go into transition mode. During this time, the President-Elect's transition team has a meeting with the important staff of the outgoing administration and the president-elect is given access to the resources the president has, including security to keep him/her safe. The security includes restricted airspace above the president-elect's house. The “lame-duck” president (outgoing president) has a role too, though. The outgoing President can let the President-Elect read the President’s Daily Briefing so the new president can be prepared on January 20th to tackle the latest threats to the nation. In fact, President Truman let both candidates in 1952 read the President’s Daily Briefing due to him being upset that he didn’t learn about the US making an atomic bomb until over a week into his presidency. The outgoing president also invites the president-elect to the White House to have a conversation, which is what President Obama did for President Trump. Most importantly, the outgoing president must allow resources to be directed to the president-elect, including the President’s Daily Brief. In short, the outgoing President must provide the President-Elect with the intelligence and resources necessary to have a smooth change of power on January 20th, so the new president can govern on minute one. And yet there is one more thing traditionally done by the leaving president: writing a little note for the new Commander-in-Chief. President Obama wrote a friendly note to President Trump and placed it in the top drawer of the Resolute Desk, and President George W. Bush wrote a note to President Obama as well. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections NS New Teachers Opinions Sarah Velez Volume 5 Issue 2 November 25, 2024 Image Provided by Valley Stream Central High School District New Teachers’ Opinions- What do they have to say? Here at Valley Stream North, it is crucial to provide a welcoming environment to everyone, whether we are speaking to young seventh graders, or teachers who have been here since yearbooks were printed in black and white. I got the opportunity to interview three new teachers here at Valley Stream North: Mr. Mounce, Ms. Enella, and the new head of the language department, Mrs. Gallegos. Mr. Mounce, ELL What inspired you to become a teacher? Mr. Mounce : “I think like a lot of teachers, I’ve had a lot of teachers in my life that inspired me to want to become an educator. I can think back to my high school life and a lot of teachers that I still keep in touch with, and they’ve impacted my life in ways that I would like to do for the next generation of students. I have also always had a passion for sharing things I’m interested in and teaching always seemed like a good fit for me.” Why did you choose ELL? Mr. Mounce : “So for me, I’ve always had an interest in language. Growing up, my mom spoke Greek and though I never learned to speak it, I think it made me become more interested in language and how we communicate with each other. I studied linguistics in college and my passion for language along with my interest in education made me believe that being an ELL teacher would be a great fit for me.” What has been your favorite part about working at Valley Stream North so far? Mr. Mounce : “My favorite part is the people. Everybody I’ve met has been very helpful and friendly and I can’t wait to meet even more people and make many friends along the way.” Ms. Enella, Social Studies What are your expectations for this school year? Ms. Enella: “My expectations for the school year is to continue to learn and grow in this profession and to continue to establish myself here at north, become more involved in the community and at the school.” Why did you choose History? Ms. Enella: “I chose history because I think it’s very valuable knowledge for people to have and I really want to show that to my students. It’s important to have context to be a knowledgeable person or citizen here and personally I just think it’s very interesting to see how we came from very basic beginnings and have established society thus far.” What inspired you to become a teacher? Ms. Enella: “I’d always really liked social studies, and I’ve always worked with children, so once I was thinking about college, it kind of just made sense to combine both of them. There's a lot of benefits that come with teaching, you get summers off and it’s a good stable career.” Mrs. Gallegos, World Language Dept. Chair Why did you choose World Language? Mrs. Gallegos: “I love languages, and I think it’s not just the language that I love, it’s the cultures that come with the languages. You learn the words, you learn the expressions, but you don’t really learn them until you know the culture. I just think it’s so interesting how people who move to the United States find people who also speak their same language or have their same culture, and I think what languages do, is they bring common ground. I feel like languages have a human effect that brings people together.” Is this your first teaching job? Mrs. Gallegos: “I’ve been in education for 25 years; I actually started my public-school teaching career at Memorial. It’s very cool to be back in Valley Stream because I think Valley Stream is a special place.” What inspired you to become a teacher? Mrs. Gallegos: “I had no intention of becoming a teacher. I was actually studying to become a broadcast journalist and while I was doing my internship at a TV station, I received a call from a friend of mine asking if I could teach Italian at a private elementary school because their teacher had suddenly left, and I said yes and I fell in love with teaching. And so, after I graduated, I went back to school for my master’s to get my certification to become a teacher.” North Star would like to offer a warm welcome to our new teachers! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Fresh Pumpkin Pie vs. Canned Pumpkin Pie: Is it Worth the Time? By Christina Ossa Volume 1 Issue 3 December 16, 2020 Original photo by Christina Ossa When it comes to the holidays, it can be confusing what to or how to bake, what recipes to use, and how much time to devote to your desserts, so the process can get complicated. It’s also very tempting to just ask Mom to bake something or buy something for the holiday dessert, but this year you should try something new. Even if you’ve never baked before or aren’t interested in baking, you should at least give it an attempt. This year, you should try to bake a pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkins. Now, I know this could sound like plenty of work, but the outcome is worth the effort you put into it. This pie is strong in its spice flavor, yet it has a sweet touch to it. The texture also is like pudding, and if you’re feeling up to it, making the crust gives it such a different dimension of flavor. The crust tastes like a shortbread cookie, and it’s sweet and flaky like one too. But, like all amazing desserts, this pie will take its fair share of time and effort. If you’re a baking fanatic like me, or even just a casual baker on the side, you’ll definitely enjoy the process. Also, if it’s too much work to make the crust, then just cut that step out because as good as it is, a downfall is that it’s also a tedious process to roll out and form the dough. If you are going for a pre-made pie crust, however, I recommend the crust from the brand Pillsbury . Also, I made my sweetened condensed milk from scratch, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to because it was a long process to make it. But the difference between canned and fresh ingredients is huge, and you’d be surprised by the difference in flavor. Homemade condensed milk and pumpkin puree is a lot better than canned in my opinion; there aren’t any preservatives plus you get a richer, more homogenous, sweet flavor to your pie. I’d say start either the morning of or one to a couple of days before making the pie itself and take about two hours to prepare the puree and condensed milk if you’re planning on making them. Also, you need to buy SUGAR pumpkins for this recipe, but you’re probably wondering: what’s a sugar pumpkin? Well to answer that, it’s a pumpkin that’s a lot richer and sweeter than the pumpkins you would carve for Halloween. If you’re going to make the puree, you need to buy sugar pumpkins, but that’s where it could get tricky to make this pie. During my own experience, I went hunting for sugar pumpkins and I couldn’t seem to find them anywhere. But, while you can’t find them at your local supermarket, a more fresh supermarket like Trader Joe’s (which is where I eventually bought mine from) or Whole Foods suffices. Also, if you live near a local farmer’s market or feel like driving out to one then they’ll likely have fresh sugar pumpkins depending on the orchard. Making the puree itself can be tedious though, and you’ll need either a blender or food processor to puree the pumpkin flesh. But the outcome is worth it, and once my puree was done, it tasted like butternut squash but much sweeter. The filling for your pie is the most important part, and just before you add the eggs I recommend that you do a taste-testing so that you can tell whether your filling needs more spice, sugar, or dairy. The filling for the pie is one of my favorite parts of this recipe because you’re halfway done, and once I saw all of my ingredients together, I got this sense of accomplishment. It feels nice to know that you’re contributing to a special dinner, and it gives a warm feeling of sorts to bake a pie during the cold, windy weather. After my pies were out of the oven, I put them to chill for a day since I made them the day before Thanksgiving. Letting them chill deepened the flavor of the pie and allowed the filling to settle. The overall result was amazing on our Thanksgiving table. I can assure you that if you want to wow your family or anyone you’re spending the holidays this year with, you should definitely give your best shot at making the fresh ingredients. Compared to the pie I made with canned pumpkin puree and condensed milk, my fresh ingredient pie was so much more flavorful and rich. Usually, I would sense a strange after-taste when I use canned pumpkin, but that taste was gone in the pie with the fresh pumpkin. The pie with the fresh sweetened condensed milk was also much sweeter and more complex in flavor than the pie with canned condensed milk. In almost all areas of the canned put up against the fresh pie, the fresh pie won out. While there’s no doubt it will take a lot more time to make a pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkins, as I continue saying, you should put in the time and effort to make it this way. Not only does it taste better, but looking at my pies once I was done made me feel like I did something important, something meaningful. It was also a good pastime to make these pies since with COVID-19 and the pandemic that’s hit our world it seems we need many meaningful activities to pass the time. So use your extra time during this holiday-pandemic to bake a pie for your family. I’m sure everyone will be wowed no matter your skill level with baking and you’ll feel accomplished yourself. Recipe: Pumpkin Puree: -2-3 Sugar Pumpkins (Depending on size) -Food processor/blender Homemade sweetened condensed milk: -3 cups whole milk -½ cup heavy cream -1 cup granulated sugar Crust: -2 cups all-purpose flour -2 tbsp granulated sugar -Pinch (about ½ tsp) kosher/fine salt -2 egg yolks -4 tbsp ice water Pumpkin Pie: -15 oz Pumpkin Puree (canned/homemade) -1 cup/can sweetened condensed milk -½ cup heavy cream - ½ cup whole milk -½ cup dark brown sugar - ½ cup granulated sugar -1 tbsp molasses -½ tsp nutmeg -1 tsp cinnamon - ½ tsp ginger -¼ tsp cloves -⅛ tsp allspice -½ tsp salt (fine or kosher works) - 3 eggs -2 egg yolks Directions: Pumpkin Puree: -Preheat your oven to 400°F -Wash off your pumpkins with any type of soap, thoroughly -Grab a sharp and easy to handle knife and cut your pumpkins in half -Scoop out the seeds and guts from the pumpkins with a spoon -Grab a baking sheet/tin that’s oven-safe and oil it and the pumpkins, generously -Put the pumpkin tray into the oven for 40-45 minutes or until tender enough to poke through with a fork -Peel the pumpkin skin off the flesh of the pumpkin -Blend the pumpkin flesh in a blender or food processor until the consistency is soft and drippy -Store and chill for later use in a glass/plastic container Sweetened Condensed Milk: -Pour all of the ingredients into a saucepan -Put the heat on medium-high and lower to medium or medium-low when the mixture begins to boil -Whisk every 1-2 minutes until the consistency becomes thick and sticky like canned sweetened condensed milk -Once done, store and chill in a glass/plastic container until you’re ready to use it Crust: -First add the dry ingredients, whisking the flour, sugar, and salt together -Make sure your butter is COLD or frozen and chop it into cubes -Combine the butter with your dry mixture and rub the butter into your flour mixture with your fingertips (the coldest part of your hand) -Once well-combined, whisk two eggs in a bowl and mix it with ice water -Pour about a tablespoon at a time into your dough and combine it with a fork until it forms clumps in your hand when you squeeze a piece of the dough -Turn this mixture into a ball and put saran wrap over it and let it chill for 2-3 hours (or until hardened) -Once hardened, flour a counter/surface and a rolling pin and roll out your dough to ¼ in thick -Lightly fold your dough over 4 times and place the tip lined in the middle of your pie pan -Unfold the dough and make sure it’s lined up with the pie pan correctly -Optional: once lined up, make a design of your choice for the edges of the pie shell -Once done, put in the fridge to chill until your filling is ready Filling: -Preheat oven to 400°F -Pour in the puree, condensed milk, heavy cream, and whole milk into a large bowl and whisk until well incorporated -Add your spices, molasses, salt, and sugars -Taste mixture with a spoon before adding eggs to add anything more (if needed) -Separate two egg yolks and whites, use only the yolks -Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks into the mixture -Pour the mixture into your chilled pie dish and put the dish onto a baking sheet to avoid spillage or oil seeping from the pan -Put into the oven at 400°F for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350°F for 30-35 minutes -Chill the pie overnight or for a day until you’re ready to serve it BACK TO TOP