Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Tomato Tomâto- NYSSEF Finalist Noa Cordova Volume 4 Issue 4 May 29, 2024 Image Provided by Mrs. Mansfield Commonly, “tomato/tomâto” expresses the idea that two things are essentially the same thing despite minor, inconsequential differences. In the case of Ismaela Andre’s research project, this idiomatic expression is far from applicable. Ismaela Andre, a senior Advanced Science Research student, earned her spot as a New York State Science and Engineering Fair (NYSSEF) finalist through her 3-year tomato research project which broadly focused on distinctions between two tomato types. Inspired by her study of Stevia and Splenda sugar in Science Research 9A alongside Mr. DiSclafani, she decided to continue studying sugar. Her freshman-year sugar research concluded that natural sugar, like cane sugar, is the healthiest, and maintained an interest in natural sugars. In Science Research 10, she concentrated on articles related to natural sugars including that of nectar, sunflower seeds, honey, and most notably, fruits. So, how did this well-known household ingredient become the focus of Ismaela’s research project? Peaches and tomatoes were the final contenders for the focus of her research. Her mentor Dr. Samuel Hutton, Associate Professor at the University of Florida, specialized in tomatoes, resulting in her tomato-focused research project. Ismaela followed an elaborate process to successfully carry out her research. Her mentor shipped indeterminate and determinate tomato seeds from Florida; indeterminate tomatoes continue to produce until the first autumn frost while determinate tomatoes only produce once. Assisted by Cold Spring Harbor research manager Blaine Fitzgerald, she put the seeds through germination for two weeks at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory greenhouse and transplanted them in Uplands Farm; by mid-September, she had fully grown tomatoes to work with. She measured the brix level, or the sugar content, of the tomatoes using a digital refractometer, which measures exactly that. Using a statistical test called a “t-test”, she found the statistical significance of her data when comparing indeterminate and determinate tomatoes. From her work outside, she began her work inside writing her senior paper. Her paper details significant findings: miniature indeterminate tomatoes had a higher brix level, and the green shoulder effect, a common disorder during the ripening stages of a fruit, does not affect a tomato’s sweetness. Her latter finding clarified a misconception about the relationship between the green shoulder effect and a tomato’s quality; although the abnormality affected tomatoes’ appearance, it does not mean they are “bad.” Full interview with Ismaela Andre: What was the biggest challenge? "I would say the biggest challenge of this process was definitely the connection part…the process of working with your mentor who's in Florida while working in Cold Spring Harbor. The communications were hectic because of the distance, but my professor was good at ensuring I had everything I needed.   What did you enjoy most? “I definitely enjoyed the experience of doing the project…when I would go down to cold spring harbor, plant the seeds and the process of watching the tomatoes grow.”   What did you take away from the experience?   “I did get learn how connections are very powerful...if I hadn’t gotten to know my mentor, I wouldn’t have been able to get into the Cold Spring Harbor Lab. Another thing that was equally important was learning the vocabulary of journal articles and annotating them.” Ismaela’s research delved deep into a common produce item and produced outstanding results that earned her an honorable mention at NYSSEF. Her hard work distinguished her from the many high school scientists across the state. Naturally, Ismaela will continue to pursue scientific studies as she focuses on chemistry as part of her pre-med track as an aspiring gynecologist. Ismaela shared, “The most valuable lesson for me was the learning experience itself and knowing that no matter where you go, you’ll always learn something new.” Congratulations, Ismaela! You are continuing to make North proud. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Art Guild Back to Sections Art Guild- Quinn O' Connor Quinn O' Connor November 6, 2023 Acrylic Volume 4 Issue 1

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Halloween Poem By Cody Sung Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by History Halloween! Oh, Halloween! It’s the holiday Of the month! You sometimes get Chills in your bones But there’s candy, too! That’s right – there's candy So don’t hide away! If you come out and knock Then you might Get some sweet candy Hooray! Halloween! Oh Halloween! It’s night With a few frights! The decorations are cool But they are A bit scary, too Ho-hey! But hey At least there’s candy So don’t get freaked out And all you must do is Just go and relax And Eat Your Candy!! Hooray! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections TikTok Ban in the United States Sahar Ali Volume 5 Issue 5 July 5, 2025 Image Provided by Sahar Ali JANUARY 2025 – On the evening of January 18th, users of the popular social media platform, TikTok, received a pop-up message that read “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” further adding that a U.S. law banned the app, yet President Trump was working on a solution to bring the app back to users. Many users of the app, including myself, were beyond upset; the app so many loved and relied on the most was gone. But why did this happen? U.S. lawmakers feared that TikTok threatened national security with its tie to China through ByteDance, the app’s parent company. According to The American University (AU), lawmakers were worried that ByteDance would share American user data or manipulate TikTok’s algorithm and release misinformation or propaganda against the United States; therefore, the app created fear amongst individuals, and many believe that it could be used as a tool for espionage. During TikTok’s hearing in front of the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar claimed that the app gathered “unprecedented amounts” of user data that can be used by China against the United States (CBS News). However, there is no noticeable evidence that TikTok shares users’ data with the Chinese government (AU). According to CBS News, Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky claimed, “Most of the reasons the government banned [TikTok] were based on accusations, not proof . . . [TikTok has] never been tried and found guilty of sharing information with the communist government.” As a result of these allegations, TikTok launched “Project Texas,” an initiative used to protect American user data. According to NPR, the social media platform spent $2 billion dollars to enforce the agreement which essentially “[walled] off any potential influence by Beijing by placing Austin-based Oracle as a supervisor of sorts over the data exchanged between ByteDance and TikTok.” TikTok had its appearance in the United States Supreme Court and was represented by lawyer Noel Francisco who “did not deny the potential national security risks,” instead claimed “I’m disputing the means that they have chosen” (CBS News). During the hearing, Justice Brett Kavanaugh claimed that Congress, along with the President, were worried about China’s access to millions of American teenagers’ and adults’ information who were on the app that could be used to develop Chinese spies and blackmail hundreds of people (CBS News). In early January, TikTok argued that the Supreme Court’s law to ban the app in the United States “[represented] an unprecedented suppression of free speech” (NPR). However, the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that “divestiture is necessary” in an effort to dissolve American lawmakers’ fears regarding what China can do with the information of users (NPR). The Supreme Court also found that Congress’s law was not unconstitutional. From 2017 until 2021, during his first term as President, Donald Trump aimed to get TikTok banned in the United States; now in his second term, Trump affirmed to keep the popular social media platform in the United States, which is apparent by the message TikTok displayed for American users when the app shut down that Saturday night. But TikTok’s ban was extremely short-lived. The following day, Sunday, January 19th, American users of TikTok were surprised to see that the app was no longer dark and was functioning as it regularly did less than 24 hours after the ban. Similarly to how a pop-up message appeared when TikTok was no longer available, the app presented a new pop-up that read “Welcome Back!” and thanked users for their patience. The message further claimed, “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” The social media platform’s revival was due to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump (Forbes). This executive order according to CNN Business would extend the ban by 75 days in hopes to get TikTok sold to an American owner. The future of TikTok remains rocky even after its revitalization in the United States just a day after it was inaccessible to users. Fortunately, the app did not stop working on April 5th, the deadline for the ban’s extension, but the search for an American owner continues for TikTok. SOURCES: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/18/nx-s1-5266146/tiktok-offline-supreme-court-ban https://www.american.edu/sis/news/20250123-national-security-and-the-tik-tok-ban.cfm https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-is-tiktok-being-banned-supreme-court-congress/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/esatdedezade/2025/01/20/tiktok-was-unbanned-after-just-12-hours-heres-why/ https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/01/tech/tiktok-ban-deadline-trump-what-to-expect BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Nightmare on Main Street Back to Sections Part 2 By Dilraj Singh October 8, 2021 Volume 2 Issue 1

Back to Artwork Nightmare on Main Street Back to Sections Nightmare on Main Street- Isabella Mascetti Isabella Mascetti November 6, 2023 Pen Volume 4 Issue 1

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Karma Nathaly Zavala Volume 6 Issue 3 June 8, 2026 Image Provided by Unsplash When love is unrequired, the pain it brings The heartache, the longing, the shattered wings But karma waits in the shadows, patient and sly Seeking justice for the tears we cry A love that blooms but cannot be A flame that burns for all to see The heart aches with longing and desire, But fate’s cruel hand conspiring between liars In the game of love, karma plays its role, With twist and turns, it grips into a storm of love A love that’s forbidden, a love that competes Karma and revenge make their own deals A love that’s pure, get faced with defeat The fickle hand of fate, it weaves its threats Guiding in a different wave, love and revenge will reset its game Impossible love tangled and torn, in the dance of fate, we are sworn Betrayal, deceit, revenge takes its fates Like a new game The past comes back, the truth unfolds In the echoes of a love gone wrong, karma dances to its own song during the storm BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections The Comeback of Winter Track and Field By Joseph Garofalo Volume 1 Issue 4 January 20, 2021 Original photo by Coach Michael Frazer: Ryan John, Junior, 300m January 4th was a great beginning to the new year for many student athletes across Long Island as low and moderate risk sports could begin playing again. Though many sports are still on hold in the modified Winter season, such as all Junior High Sports and JV/Varsity Basketball, New York State classifies Winter Track and Field, Fencing, Rifle, and Gymnastics to be low and moderate risk sports, allowing these teams the ability to return to a sense of normalcy. As a track athlete myself, it feels a little strange due to all the new protocols; however, it is a great feeling to be back on the track. As we are two weeks into the season already, the protocols have become normal rather than a distraction, and we are all hard at work again. On the first day of practice, we began in the gym, all 6 feet apart with masks on as Coach Frazer and Coach Boyens instructed us in the new rules. Some included masks while we run, indoors and outdoors where we cannot keep 12 feet of social distancing, sanitizing weights, poles, and other equipment before another person uses them, and no more indoor meets at St. Anthony’s High School in Huntington, which to many, was the best part of the meets. All this aside, many aspects were still the same including many events, practices, and just our team being together in general. As we were hard at work the past two weeks, Friday, January 15th was our first track meet in the “new normal.” With it being held on our home field, and with only North athletes attending, it was a great success even with the cold weather. Many athletes got outstanding scores for their first track meets of the season including junior Ryan John who jumped 20 feet - 3 inches in the Long Jump, and Senior Danielle Phillip who had a 45.00 second run in the 300 meters (both former state qualifiers). We also had great performances by 9th graders Nicola Petruccelli, Zaiden Jackson, and Nattaly Lindo in their first meet on the Varsity Track and Field team. It was a great feeling to be back, and we hope to see other sports return soon. Do your part by wearing a mask and keep your physical distancing up so that many other athletes can participate in the modified Fall and Spring seasons. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Who Am I Back to Sections Who Am I? By Arunima Roy November 19, 2021 Mixed Media Volume 2 Issue 2

Back to Artwork The Memory Project Back to Sections Aisha- Camille Malcom Camille Malcom February 24, 2023 Volume 3 Issue 3