SEARCH RESULTS

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Class Acts Giavanna Quagliata Volume 5 Issue 4 April 8, 2025 Don’t know how to get involved? I have an idea for you! Class Acts is a yearly competition for grades 10 through 12. During the event, four teachers are assigned to judge the competition. Each grade performs one act in each of the following categories: band, vocal, lip sync, and dance. Once the performances are finished, the judges make their remarks privately and decide which grade gets first, second, and third overall for their performances. Signing up is easier than you think it is. All you have to do is go to your Grade Council’s Team and look for the tab that says “CLASS ACTS 2025”. Fill out the form linked along with any friends who are part of your act, and your advisor will let you know if you made it into the show! Class Acts is Friday, March 14th at 7 PM. Do you know what that means? It means you can still sign up! Even if you don’t want to perform in Class Acts, you can always be there for support. If your friends are performing, or if you just want to go to check it out! Just ask your advisor or even a friend to help you get a ticket. Class Acts is for everyone, so whether you step up and perform or just sit in the audience, there’s no reason you shouldn’t get involved in this school activity. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Advice Back to Sections Angelina’s College Application Timeline  By Angelina Somma Volume 1 Issue 2 November 24, 2020 Original photo by Angelina Somma Winter and Spring of Junior Year: During the winter and spring of junior year the college search is on. During this time, you should be creating your college list. How do I begin my college list? In order to begin your college list, you need to ask yourself a few questions…. Where do I want to go to school? - Location is a major part of picking a college. In order to decide which location is best for you, you need to ask yourself the following questions: Do you want to go someplace warm or cold? Do you want to commute or live on campus? Do you want to go to college in a big city or a small town? Do you want to stay in New York or go to school in a different state? Do you want to stay on the east coast or go to school on the west coast? What kind of school do I want to attend? - Different colleges have different opportunities to offer students. It’s important you know which opportunities are important to you before selecting a school. In order to do this, you need to ask yourself the following questions: Do I want to attend a big school or a small school? Do I want small class sizes or large lecture halls? Are there any academic programs I want my college to have? Are there any extracurricular activities I want my college to have? Do I want to attend a school with an academic or athletic culture? Do I want a more or less academically rigorous school? What schools can I attend? - Academic requirements range between schools and can be found on the college’s website. You should have safety schools and reach schools!  In order to find which colleges are best for you, you need to ask yourself the following questions: Does (insert college) require standardized test scores? If they do, what scores are required? How does my GPA compare to the GPA of students admitted to the college? Do admissions look for students involved in extracurricular activities? End of Junior Year: A list of potential schools: This list does not have to be finalized!!! I had 10 schools on my list at the end of junior year and I applied to 6. Begin attending virtual tours and information sessions for the schools on your list. The more you learn about a school the easier your decision will be! Create a Common Application account: Once you have created an account, add the schools you are interested into your list. Once you add your schools check out their writing requirements. You should make a list of all of the essays you will need to write. Begin brainstorming for your essays: Procrastination is not your friend! Once you have a list of the essays you need to write you should brainstorm ideas. I made a google doc and bulleted possible topics for each of my essays. Summer Going into Senior Year: College Essay: During the summer you should write a rough draft of your college essay. Your teacher will help you make edits in September, but the more you do over the summer the less work you do in September. Supplemental Essays: During the summer you should write a rough draft for each of your supplemental essays. You will have to edit these on your own so stay organized. Stay Informed: Keep attending information sessions, virtual tours, and if possible visit campuses. The more information you learn about each school the easier your decision will be! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Soldier By Nora Chery Volume 1 Issue 8 June 8, 2021 Image provided by Medpage Today The soldier has survived the impossible. But there’s so much going on in that little helmet of his That he smacks it away, smacking it away. Until it goes away, except it never does. The soldiers says he’s fine, but those words quickly float away Without any meaning. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Valley Stream North Breakfast Club’s Performance in Queens Elaine Ching and Manal Layachi Volume 4 Issue 2 January 16, 2024 Image provided by Elaine Ching Valley Stream North Breakfast Club’s Performance in Queens            On Friday, December 8th, 2023, members of North’s Breakfast Club, a select string ensemble that rehearses on Tuesday and Friday mornings under the instruction of Mrs. Hayden, along with other North High School musicians, took a field trip to P.S. 811Q. This is an annual field trip that the students participate in as they try to bring holiday cheer to P.S. 811Q through festive attire, music, and activities.             The Breakfast Club started with a performance involving various holiday and winter songs. With pieces ranging from Christmas Carols to Hanukkah medleys, the ensemble brought joy to the students as they played. Students had fun as they sang and clapped along to familiar tunes. However, students mainly engaged with the Breakfast Club on their last song,  Jingle Bells  as teachers and students sang the Yuletide tune and North percussionists played jingle bells. Meanwhile, Breakfast Club members played the tune on their instruments and walked around the auditorium. Performing  Jingle Bells  is a beloved tradition by both Breakfast Club members and P.S. 811Q.  -Concert Order- Feliz Navidad Happy Hanukkah Light the Candles We Wish You a Merry Christmas Gloria Deck the Hall Hanukkah Holiday Modern Christmas Classics Jingle Bells                After the Breakfast Club’s performance, the musicians split into pairs to share their instruments with P.S. 811Q students. With violins, violas, cellos, and basses galore students had a pleasure getting to experience playing the string instruments. Some 811Q students even brought in their own instruments; one student brought in his recorder. The sheer amount of joy that the students got from playing the instruments was evident as this was one of the few times they interacted with music at their school. North students were grateful to work with 811Q students, as Arshdeep Singh says, “It really felt like a blessing to work with kids that are not fortunate enough to experience this on a day-to-day basis.”            North students displayed great amounts of respect, integrity, and kindness as they led musical workshops in the gymnasium. North students’ love of music was palpable as one could easily see how much passion they had whether it was teaching about rhythm, boom whackers, or the instrumental anatomy of a violin. Just take it from Breakfast Club bassist Sophia Reese who states, “I’m so incredibly lucky to teach and share my love for music with those who are unable to experience music on the daily like we are. Going to P.S. 811Q with Breakfast Club has been one of the highlights of this year and last.” Additionally, Manal Layachi, Breakfast Club violinist, says “I led the music note station where the kids had to write how music makes them feel on a paper-colored music note. It felt awesome helping the kids express their feelings about music. I helped a boy with his music note and he gave me a hug. It was so heartwarming, and I felt amazing after. Making a difference for these children makes me happy and special. It feels good to make a difference and make connections and new memories with these kids.” BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Portrait Back to Sections Unknown - Portrait By Unknown January 20, 2021 Photography Volume 1 Issue 4

Back to Artwork Who Am I Back to Sections Anonymous - Who Am I? - 9 By Anonymous November 19, 2021 Volume 2 Issue 2

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections Cool Creatures: Episode 2, The Axolotl By Matteo Somma Volume 2 Issue 2 November 19, 2021 Image provided by BBC At first glance, the axolotl ( ak ·suh·laa·tl) may look like a scene from a nightmare, but it actually is a mystical and mysterious creature about which scientists don’t know much. Indigenous to only Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco in Mexico, the axolotl inhabited the regions for the last 10,000 years. However, they are now critically endangered. Being a type of salamander, the axolotl is an amphibian, spending most of its time in the water. Recently, axolotls have been forced into the pet trade, as more are bred in captivity due to more people wanting this mysterious creature as a pet. Unfortunately, this does mean multiple accounts of severe animal neglect occur both in pet stores and at people's homes. What many don’t realize before buying these animals is how large they grow and how complex their diet is. Similar to other amphibians, axolotls are carnivores. They require a large variety of foods such as mollusks, different kinds of worms, insect larvae, crustaceans, and even small fish. However, many of these dietary items can be difficult to find. Axolotls are not just “fish,” they are complex creatures that need adequate care to thrive, let alone survive. In the wild, as well as in captivity, axolotls are known to be tough and healthy. They can survive in waters as cold as 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Considering they are from the warm climate of Mexico, that’s pretty impressive! Axolotls are often described as forts stuck in their tadpole phase, due in large part to them having both long tails and legs. Furthermore, axolotls are much larger than normal-sized amphibians, growing up to 18 inches long. Overall, the axolotl is a super cool, mysterious, and mystical creature. Unfortunately, due to large amounts of pollution, water diversion, and an expanding human population, their habitats are slowly disappearing. However, there is hope for the future, with many captive breeding projects for the species in the works. Thanks for tuning in for Cool Creatures Episode 2! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections The Culture Fair’s Magnificence By Jeselys Naylana Vazques Volume 2 Issue 6 April 14, 2022 Image provided by Ariadne Yurem Palacios Martinez On April 1st, 2022, the first VSN Culture Night since the start of the pandemic was held to celebrate the end of World Language Week and everyone's unique and special nationalities from all around the world in school. It was my first time going, and I was excited to see all the different tastes of foods from all parts of the world and the entertaining performances. When you entered that evening, you saw a hallway with various options of food you could try—each one looking tastier than the next. I tried a Mexican dessert; it was amazing and could make anyone happy with just one bite. People wore their traditional clothes, looking spectacular, representing their ethnic backgrounds. Decorations all over the first floor and posters on each table to represent what part of the world the food was from and its significance. There was also a henna booth, and a competition to vote on posters! You thought that was all? As some time passed, it was already time for the fashion show of who wore the best outfit from their culture. It was a hard decision, but the two best dressed won an Amazon gift card! After all this, there were dance performances; participants choreographed and sometimes sang a song. I can't even put into words how spectacular Culture Night was. If I were to, though, I would say it was magnificent, and I wish to not only attend again next year, but to also participate in it all. If you couldn't participate in or make it this year, never forget there is always next year! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Enjoy the Silence Jasmine Roberts Volume 6 Issue 2 December 22, 2025 A peculiar quote was spoken into the atmosphere one day with no true origin or genesis to explain its magnitude in the understanding of the role that art plays in the modern world. The quote said softly on one unspecific day, during an unspecific time: “Books were made for reading, music for hearing; films for seeing; a silent film must stay silent.’’ This quote pertained to the evolution of the film and the fears of those who saw it roar into the modern-day beast it would become. Birthed in the silence of nitrate film stock and negative film, it grew into what was deemed “The Talkies” around 1927 with the introduction of early sound demonstrated by the 1927 silent film “The Jazz Singer.” Although an avalanche would roll down the snow hill that is film, one by one descending together a series of events which would bring CGI, VFX, and digital video into modern films. The silent film has been arguably forgotten in modern day discourse on what makes beautiful cinematography, what makes a film intriguing, unnerving , and most importantly, what makes a film, not a book, or a song, or a stage play, or even a perfectly framed photo, but instead a series of photos stitched together to tell a tale made to both exist within the time of the viewer, but also supersede it all the same. To explain the type of stock and film that silent films were shot on, it is to also describe the physical appearance of silent films themselves. To a keener eye, or a zealot of the art form. A silent film is not simply what was once colored, turned black and white, having its vibrant color suffocated out of our vision. Instead, it captures the world turned monochrome, until it embodies both light and shadow. However, neither is this definition definitive; instead, the idea that silent films are solely monochrome, is a misconception. For instance, in the film Waxworks (1924) , a story narrating the imaginative ways in which a nameless poet schemes stories to bring historical wax figures to life, simply cannot be considered black and white, neither can it be considered a reflection of how color is shown in modern day film. In fact, a tint is applied to each scene to set the mood and tone. When the scenes are set in the hot, swarthy, arid Arabian desert, the tint takes an orange appeal, when the scenes begin in the icy winter of the Russian lands, the tint takes upon a blue to reflect said winter storm. The 1907 short film, Le Spectre Rouge , is one of the closest examples of color made diverse. White for bone, yellow for gold, and purple for granite caves within the unfolding scene. Even in the realm of black and white, progress had been made from the 1920’s to the 1950’s. For example, not only had the sound system slowly begin to develop prominence, but also end the need for intertitles, or printed text, spliced between shots to convey dialogue or action, while derailing the studio system or a method in which actors were signed to a specific studio such as Warners or MGM and would exclusively work with said studio on films. Around the 50’s, the freelance actor arose, or the system mostly used in the modern age. The silent film would soon be lost, as with many things, by its own evolution. Although, there might stand a modern-day director, such as director, Denis Villenueve, best known for his modern adaptation of literary work known as Dune, might profess a desire to film a movie in complete silence, only using narrative, physical and environmental storytelling to convey plot, tone, and message of a film, stating to the Times of London that, ‘’movies have been corrupted by television.’’ It is warranted to suspect that the context in which olden silent films were curated was also a lighter to the spark they had which allowed them to be completely absent from audible dialogue but not absent from humanity. Weimer Germany, the roaring 20’s, the infancy of film, the exploration, testing, trial and error, imperfections, all followed into the creation of the silent film. The grainy film and stock, the theatrical stage like acting, the bare film stages and imperfect faces smothered in camera correcting makeup in shades of yellow and blue. Without these things, both little and small, can there ever be a silent film, or more likely an uncanny imitation, taking the nose and eyes of the medium but never the heart and the mind. Fixing the superficially understood aesthetic upon a mannequin who poses in what feels human but is known to be unnatural. With modern advancements in technology, silent films have truly been allowed to die. But unlike The Golden Age of Hollywood or the peepshow shock value which carried on into the modern age, there is no detective to arrest its murderer: Time. The rawness of early films was its charm. There were no billionaire corporations to ensnare, nor were there large franchises to milk dry. Later, the Hayes Code would arrive, limiting what could be shown on screen, and while that might be a different story. One can only wonder if technology has killed film. Had CGI, digital camera, streaming, and years and years of film history both grown film to what it is, but also stunted its lifeblood from running freely and warming its body with the unbridled oddity of the silent film? As it seems, the silent film might be without a detective to cause the jailing of its executioner; it might stay rotting in a black and white alleyway, of pale skies and black markings. It might wither away and be called upon when intellectuals must signal their intellect, and directors desire to draw attention to the madness in their minds. Nonetheless, film must be seen, not heard, and therefore it needs a lawyer, and advocate for its remains. This article is simply evidence to be given to discovery; a cold case finally gone warm for this piece of film history. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections ENGLISH TEACHER Interviews - Grammar Issues Rehmat Kaur Volume 4 Issue 2 January 16, 2024 Image Provided by Picture by PaperTrue Grammar is a set of rules that helps us organize our sentences. It covers a variety of features of the English language. We all make grammatical errors on a regular basis, whether we are writing or speaking. I asked our amazing English teachers about the grammatical problems they see students have all the time. Capitalization A reader can benefit from capital letters. They indicate the beginning of a sentence, highlight essential words in a title, and they indicate proper names and formal titles. In English, the initial word of a phrase and all proper nouns (words that name a specific person, place, organization, or object) are capitalized. “Students forgetting to use basic capitalization really icks me!! That's text speaking crossing over to formal writing (Ms. Belbol). Similar Sounding Words “Older teens and adults mix up terms that can be easily corrected by a quick Google search like "their, there, they're" or "you're" and "your" (Ms. Mclarney). Words that sound the same but have distinct meanings and spellings might be difficult to distinguish. People are frequently perplexed by three extremely common ones: their, there, and they're. The words their, there, and they're all sound the same. The possessive pronoun their implies "belonging to them," as in "their house is new"; there is used to designate a specific area or location, as in "don't go there" and "there is a shop"; and they're is a contraction of "they are," as in "they're winning the game." ‘"there" is written when the writer means "they're" or "their"’ (Ms. Mansfield). Using you're and your wrongly is one of the most prevalent writing mistakes, especially when writing anything fast like an email or text message. You're is an abbreviation of the phrase you are, as in "you're wearing blue", "you're needed in class", and "make sure you're on time". Any of these lines would read the same if you were substituted with you're . Your is a possessive adjective that indicates ownership. There is no contraction here. Your is generally followed by a word, such as "Your seat is close to the window", "check your phone", or "I need your papers". If you’re was substituted for your in these example sentences, it would not make sense. Incorrect Usage of Apostrophes "My biggest grammar ick is the misuse of the apostrophe. Either people don't use it at all, so they have contractions and possessives without an apostrophe, OR they use it anytime there is a word that ends in an "s"" (Ms. Modzelewski). To express possession when the name is singular, add an apostrophe followed by a "s" to the end of the name (e.g., Mike's jacket). If a name is single but ends in a "s," you should always add an apostrophe to emphasize possession, but you can also add another "s" after the apostrophe if you choose (e.g., Lucas' car OR Lucas's car). If the name is plural, just add an apostrophe at the end to indicate ownership (e.g., the Miles' house). Forming a contraction with a name also requires adding an apostrophe with a "s," therefore examine the context of the phrase to ensure that the meaning is obvious. “Since it's holiday time, my BIGGEST ick is when people use an apostrophe with their names. It's wrong to say "Love, The Belbol's" because the Belbols don't own anything here; just put the s: "Love, The Belbols" (Ms. Belbol). “In a piece of student writing? Hm...so many grammar problems, so little time. But we have a virtual epidemic of missing possessive apostrophes in students ' (plural, possessive) writing today (Mrs. Mansfield). ” (Ms. Mansfield). Usage of “wanna” and “gonna” “I really despise when students use: wanna and gonna.... they are NOT words!!! Write want to or going to (Ms. Melluso). Formal English writing should be flawless, which means the writer should have chosen words with precision. When used in writing, "gonna" and "wanna" seem informal. Using "going to" and "want to" will improve the quality of your writing. These are just a few of the numerous grammatical errors that we make, as shared by some of our amazing English teachers. This involves not capitalizing when needed and getting confused between similar sounding words like "there" "their" "they're" and "your" "you're". The incorrect use of apostrophes is a typical error in student writing and using informal words like “gonna” and “wanna”. To improve our writing, we should proofread and check for grammatical errors. Sources Referenced: https://thewritepractice.com/grammar-vs https://omproofreading.com/grammar-vs-punctuation BACK TO TOP