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Back to Articles News Back to Sections Performing Arts Program Amelia Mohan Volume 5 Issue 2 November 25, 2024 Image Provided by Valley Stream Central High School District Instagram On three to four Wednesdays a year, the Performing Arts Program at Valley Stream Central High School performs showcases to display all the work the program makes. The program begins in 9th grade, where students can take musical theatre, text performance, and dance - in place of gym. Students who enroll in this program are highly motivated to become better public speakers while performing in front of an audience. After level one, a student must audition for a concentration: musical theatre, dance, or acting. Showcase is a fantastic opportunity because being able to perform on the auditorium stage is an enriching experience. Students work hard every day in their classes to put on the best show where all styles are highlighted. Acting’s first performance is traditionally Shakespeare. Showcase has been a tradition for years and participation is included in the student’s grade. Even if a student joins after the 9th grade, it is still necessary to complete level one. Students coming from North or South take the bus to Central in the morning; students will take the bus in the afternoon if they are in the upper level. The staff are determined to make all students successful on stage, including those who also want to pursue theatre production or the arts. Students in the program can also learn how to use equipment such as the sound board and controlling the lighting, to learn theatre tech. Additionally, the program is involved with coordinating field trips to see musicals. The program’s strength shows the significance of performance in student lives. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections School Threats By Erin Seitz Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by Herald In recent times, there has been an uproar of conversation on gun violence and the effects it has on schools and education in Valley Stream school communities. In the school we go to every day, Valley Stream North, there has been another recent threat to student safety. Starting on Snapchat, there was a threat of a shooting and bombing to an educational area, where students are supposed to feel safe. Gun violence is leading to a change in scholars’ educations and causing a threat to their safety in a building where all they are supposed to be worrying about is learning. As the threat arose through social media, parents and guardians had to face the choice and worries of sending their child to school that week. The threat was stated to be from Tuesday, October 25th, until Friday, October 28th. As missing school for 4 days isn’t an option for most students due to the pace of learning in every class, parents and guardians had to watch their children leave the house in the morning with the nagging fear of what could happen at school. Some parents made the difficult choice, causing their children to face the educational consequences of staying completely home from school. This threat also was sent to other schools such as Long Beach High School, all stating the same thing. Worries from the students and parents all arose, as uncertain questions about what to do developed. It was reported that upwards of half the student body remained home on Tuesday, either due to their guardians’ worries or their own. How is it fair that students had to miss days of education to these threats? How is it fair the students had to fall behind in classes due to the nagging fear of violence? Shootings and bombings in schools have had a recent uprise. Since 2012, the year of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, there have been approximately 948 school shootings. Valley Stream North fortunately hasn’t had a shooting but has had multiple threats to the safety of its students and educators. In 2018, there was a shooting threat to the school, leading to the arrest of a past senior. On October 24th, 2021, a bomb threat was sent to Valley Stream North High School, threatening the lives of the building’s students and teachers. Now, on October 24th, 2022, there has been yet another one. How many more times are students’ and teachers’ lives going to be threatened? Schools came up with temporary solutions to the recent threat such as banning backpacks for the duration of the week and only allowing laptops into the building to try to ease fears. Extracurriculars, from sports to clubs, had all been cancelled as well. But schools shouldn’t have to worry about coming up with solutions to help protect the students and teachers inside of them. The fear of guns and weapons being in the wrong hands should not be involved in an educational building’s worries. The worries a student should have are about learning, studying, and completing assignments. The fear of being injured or worse, killed in the building they are sent to everyday, shouldn’t be a worry they have to face. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Jensen McRae: An Unsung Lyricist Noa Cordova Volume 5 Issue 4 April 8, 2025 “I read your fortune… I saw the mother-wound.” I happened to scroll to Jensen McRae singing about her third date with someone: my introduction to her profound lyricism and my favorite artist.  Instantly impressed, I turned to Spotify to find her only official album, Are You Happy Now? released in 2022. Naturally, I deemed it my favorite album. I would consider the album a sung story about maturing and personal discovery through her perspective as a woman of color. One House Down From the Girl Next Door Following her across media platforms, I’ve learned about her journey as a musician and as a person as she openly shares her experiences through social media and most notably, her music. Born in Los Angeles, she cherishes her Californian roots and currently uses her platform to bring awareness to the wildfires through song. She shared that although accepted to Harvard University, she chose to pursue music at the University of Southern California’s Thorton School of Music. The twenty-seven-year-old songwriter nicknames herself the girl one house down from the girl next door, highlighting her disconnection to the American female archetype. This Love Letter Begins: Are You Happy Now? Top 5 Tracks Are You Happy Now? rightfully earns the title of a “no-skip” album, with each track telling a compelling story independently of the others. Her two debut singles included in the album, “Wolves” and “White Boy” powerfully showcase her experiences as a woman of color. “Wolves” metaphorically describes losing your innocent worldview and keeping your guard up as a woman after threatening experiences with seemingly friendly men. “Wolves” precisely details an experience that women too frequently face and can fully appreciate through her song without McRae explicitly stating it. “White Boy” encapsulates her self-given nickname and her tacit competition with “white” girls in romantic relationships as a woman of color as she writes, “white girl arrives, I turn invisible.”   With a strong identity crisis theme, “My Ego Dies At The End” remains her top song on Spotify. Singing about a dream, she illustrates the surreal feeling of losing soul-searching and desperately trying to define yourself; we can all relate to thinking we’ve lost ourselves, explaining the nineteen million Spotify streams. “Machines” flows like a poem with a simple but pivotal moment in each stanza working together to tell a coming-of-age narrative. Her lyricism sticks with you as she opens her poetic mind and shares that she outgrew superpowers, met God, drank for the first time, and learned the cost of growing up. Lastly, inspiring the subheading, I consider “Adam’s Ribs” a masterpiece. Written as a biblical allusion, “Adam’s Ribs” McRae sings from Eve’s perspective, “to Adam, from your ribs.” While it speaks keenly to Christians as a novel, religious take on a love song, anyone familiar with Genesis can appreciate her artistic approach to highlighting her experience as a female in relationships. Beyond the Album: Are You Happy Now? While McRae only released one album in 2022, she continues posting her songwriting across social media platforms for her followers and recently announced her sophomore album I Don’t Know How but They Found Me coming out in April. Unsurprisingly, her unreleased songs astound me as much as her released album tracks. I would consider Jensen McRae a growing, but critically underrated artist worthy of recognition. Her masterful songwriting, pure voice, and fitting background instrumentals make her songs wise additions to a playlist. I encourage you to listen to the tracks I nominated top five, but know you have another ten album tracks to add to the ranking or you could pick from her entire discography. I hope you’re happy now. BACK TO TOP

Marco Alvarez LAYOUT TEAM & SPREADSHEET MANAGER Hello all! I am part of the Layout Team and I manage the spreadsheet for the North Star and Polaris Magazine. My goal is to help publish the works of your fellow students. You may have seen me around in other activities or classes, so know that I keep your interests in mind when I meet with other members and editors. I look forward to sharing your work with our community this year!

Back to Artwork Back to Sections Leaf Layering Anonymous December 23, 2022 Volume 3 Issue 2

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections The First Black Congresswoman By Shinedip Kundlas Volume 2 Issue 5 March 28, 2022 Image provided by Associated Press During her seven terms in the House of Representatives, Shirley Anita Chisholm, the first African American woman to serve in Congress and the first African American to seek a presidential nomination in the United States, has been outspoken in her advocacy for women and minorities. Born and raised in New York, Shirley Chisholm was born the oldest of four daughters to immigrant parents from Guyana and Barbados. While her parents worked to settle their family in Bedford-Stuyvesant during the Great Depression, Chisolm spent part of her childhood living on her maternal grandparents' farm in Barbados. She received a British education during this time. However, Chisholm returned to the states to finish high school and graduated top of her class. On a scholarship, she attended Brooklyn College and graduated with a Bachelor of sociology in 1946. Before starting her political career, Chisholm worked as a nursery school teacher from 1946 to 1953. At Columbia University, Shirley Chisholm obtained an M.A. in early childhood education three years later. From 1959 to 1964, she served for New York City's Division of Day Care as an educational consultant. Chisholm became involved in several campus and community groups throughout her training to become a teacher. Politics became her interest and her skills of organizing and fundraising developed from there. Her deep resentment towards the treatment of women originated from the role women played in local politics at that time, which consisted mainly of staying in the background and serving as an afterthought to their male counterparts. Chisholm found a way to express her opinions about economic and social structures in a rapidly changing nation through campus politics and her membership in the NAACP, an organization fighting for equal rights for African Americans since 1909. A second African American woman was elected to Albany's legislature in 1964 when Shirley Anita Chisholm was elected to the New York state assembly. Chisholm continued her service in the state assembly until 1968, when she ran for the U.S. Congress. She was elected and began serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to 1982. In 1972, Chisholm ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, claiming the other candidates did not represent the concerns of black and minority voters and the poor. The campaign for Chisholm's Democratic Party presidential nomination in 1972 was marked by discrimination. After pursuing legal action, she was allowed to make just one speech after being barred from participating in televised primary debates. Across the nation, women, minorities, and students flocked to the "Chisholm Trail." Despite severe under-funding and disagreements with the primarily male Congressional Black Caucus, she won 12 primaries and 152 delegates' votes. However, she did not win the Democratic nomination, yet the nation still admired Chisholm. In January 1983, Chisholm left Congress and co-founded the National Political Congress of Black Women. She campaigned for Jesse Jackson's presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988. Shirley Anita Chisholm made history as America's first black presidential candidate and first black congresswoman. Upon leaving Washington, Shirley Chisholm said she did not want to be remembered as "the nation's first black congresswoman" or, as she put it, "the first black congresswoman." Instead, she stated, "I'd like them to say that Shirley Chisholm had guts". Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm will continue to inspire generations of women of color to run for office, and her legacy will never be forgotten. "I want history to remember me not just as the first black woman to be elected to Congress, not as the first black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a black woman who lived in the 20th century and dared to be herself. " - Shirley Chisholm BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Art & Culture Back to Sections The Project By Kayla Duvert Volume 1 Issue 2 November 24, 2020 Image provided by Glenda Cohen Remote learning. No matter how long we do it, it seems as if it’s a choice. A choice between you and yourself only. Whether or not you turn on your camera, raise your hand to answer a question or click Join when the meeting starts. It all seems easier to not do once you’ve already stopped doing it. It becomes a cycle of impulse. A cycle that seems never ending, until it does. A cycle that continues until a change occurs in your cycle. Change During my cycle of impulse, I heard my chorus teacher Mrs. Schneider say the word “project”. Sitting at home in my room - that’s now become my classroom - I hear the words, project… project… project project ! A Recycled Percussion Instrument Project .Then it struck me. We were actually learning from our computers. It actually counts. It seems so easy to avoid it, but it counts. So I start to do it. Pay Attention A Recycled Percussion Instrument. It seems easy to not do it, but it’s easy to do it also. Then the words reoccur in my head. An endless thought, it counts. My ears are sharp. I pay close attention to what my teacher says: “You will use ordinary materials from home to create a musical instrument”. I can do this. It’s easy to do. It counts. Do It I need to make an instrument. Drums, maracas, guitars, xylophones; they’re all instruments. So many, yet I don’t know what to choose. I don’t have a plan. So, I do what I know how to do: act on impulse. I grab things. I don’t have a full thought, but I grab things. I grab a plastic container from the cabinet, colored pencils from my sister’s pencil case, tape from the desk, rubber bands from the bathroom, push pins that have already been pushed into my wall and a drawstring that was once used for my pants. Still no plan, only impulse. I start the taping things, decorating things and tying things. Still no plan, only impulse. I’ve now created an instrument with no plan, no name, no idea of what it even is. So, confused by my acts of impulse. Confusion that I wouldn’t suffer if I hadn’t done it at all. Then I remember, it counts . I can play the instrument, it’s still an instrument, so it counts. ShowTime Weeks later my teacher utters the same words that initiated all of this. Project. A Recycled Percussion Project. She says, “You guys will present your percussion projects today if you have them”. I have my instrument, I’m ready, I’m here. While others play, I tune them out and practice in the meantime. Only hearing sounds from my instrument: my impulse enacted instrument. A voice breaks my train of thought, “Kayla do you have your instrument?” Of course, I do. I’m ready. It’s my turn. After all of that grabbing, taping, tying and decorating, it’s my turn. I play. Welcoming each note, I played and making it my only focus. Nothing except this project seemed to matter. My never-ending cycle of procrastination has been put to rest. I did something that counts. BACK TO TOP

Rehmat Kaur SPORTS SECTION EDITOR, HISTORY COLUMNIST Hello, dear readers! I'm Rehmat Kaur, the North Star's SPORTS Editor and History Columnist. All my Feature History articles will be under the column named "Tales Through Time". I will also be assisting our fellow writers with ideas and see them through to completion. Outside of North Star, I also take part in sports. I'm Girl's Varsity Badminton Team's Captain and play for our school's Tennis team. I'm also a member of SPO which helps the 7th graders have a wonderful first year at North. I'm looking forward to having an exquisite time and helping you in bringing out your creative side. Interview With the Seniors of Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse Team Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More Boy's Varsity Basketball Recap with Interviews Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More The 10 Sikh Superman & John Smyth Rehmat Kaur Feature Read More Battle of Saragarhi – 21 Sikh Soldiers vs 10,000 Men Rehmat Kaur Feature Read More Interview With the Seniors of Boys Varsity Volleyball Team Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More Questionnaire With Football Seniors Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More Tales Through Time: Lewis and Clark Expedition Rehmat Kaur Feature Read More Tales Through Time: The Native Americans: Years Ahead of the Europeans Rehmat Kaur Feature Read More ENGLISH TEACHER Interviews - Grammar Issues Rehmat Kaur Feature Read More Interview with Mr. Lodato: Featured New Faculty Member Rehmat Kaur Feature Read More Behind the Rallies: Your 2025 Girls’ Badminton Team Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More Student Spotlight: Eyslin Turcios (Interview) Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More Leaps and Bouts: Adaobi Okammelu's Fencing Feats Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More Boys’ Badminton: Flagship and Banner Year Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More Spring Recap 2024 Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More Badminton Season Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More Athlete Spotlight: Naomi Gonzalez (Interview) Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More Who will be the Men's Singles Winner of Australian Open 2024? Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More FALL RECAP Rehmat Kaur Sports Read More Tales Through Time: The Medici Family Rehmat Kaur Feature Read More

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Roses for Valentine’s Day By Angelina Odone and Elaine Ching Volume 2 Issue 4 February 10, 2022 Image provided by Good Housekeeping In any high school, there is bound to be drama. And Salem High School is in no way different. There’s always bound to be some sort of love triangle. And in this case, it involves some of the smartest people at their school. Hi, I’m Decennia Jeong, and I’ll be telling you about these idiots at my school who annoy everyone with their antics. Well, some of them are more annoying than others. Firstly, there’s my best friend, Adaline Chu. I love her, but she can be extremely petty when someone upsets her. That certain someone would be Ezra Popescu, an egotistical, talkative maniac. And along with him comes his silly little girlfriend, Cathy August, another annoying fool who has no common sense. Sadly, a ton of academic knowledge is wasted on them. They have no common sense, and they’re severely oblivious. Adaline Chu is a brilliant girl who’s interested in social studies and dreams of becoming a history teacher. This doesn’t require her to work that hard in school, but she does it out of pure vengeance for Ezra Popescu. He, too, doesn’t need to work that hard, and he wants to be a graphic artist. He, too, has a deep hatred for Adaline. Ever since meeting in the sixth grade, they’ve had an academic rivalry. One that requires them to be horribly mean to each other. For example, Adaline calls Ezra “Egotistical Eggo,” “Eccentric Eyesore,” or “Eerie Earthquake.” Any of the few, but never his real name. As for Ezra, he too has many unkind names for his rival, “Annoying Addie,” “Agonizing Abomination,” and “Arrogant Angel.” Of course, they also call each other a few censored names that I won’t say out loud. As for Cathy August, she wants to be a pediatrician, so she is justified in taking her studies very seriously. She and Ezra have known each other since they were five. They’ve been friends for practically forever but have only just started dating during freshmen year. Considering it’s now their junior year, they go out on vintage movie drive-ins and are annoyingly clingy in the hallways, so much so that they’ve gained the reputation of “never been seen alone.” Due to the relationship status of Cathy, she also has a deep hatred for her boyfriend’s rival, Adaline - given the fact she’s extremely smart and Cathy has suspicions about her potential relationship with her boyfriend. While we could go through their whole lives, I would dare to say that the most interesting and annoying encounter of the trio was on Valentine’s 2019, pre-covid. Adaline’s POV It all started like any other day. During the first period, it was announced that the juniors and seniors would be let out for a special competition revolving around a charity for the Pediatric Hospital of Salem. I looked over at my best friend, Decennia, and we both looked at each other, thankful that today won’t be another day filled with AP classes and listening to the “never been seen alone” couple throughout the whole day. The class president, Bethany Rivera, also talked about how seniors will be going door to door asking for donations, while the juniors will be going to local stores and asking for sponsorship. Two people from each grade: if they gathered the most money by 4 p.m. that day, they will be granted an invitation to the hospital’s charity dinner and a trophy to be shown at the school. I look around our AP Art class, don’t judge me, I’m good at art, and I needed a GPA booster to beat Eccentric Eyesore, deciding who’s the biggest competition. Immediately my eyes landed on good ol’ Egotistical Eggo and his girlfriend, Cathy. And to my surprise, they aren’t as chatty as usual. They actually seem kind of sad and quiet. Must be trouble in paradise. I don’t actually mind Cathy, but she’s practically connected to the hip to Eggo, so she’s annoying by association. While the rest of the announcements finish up, I whisper over to Decennia. “We’re totally partnering up for this, right?” “Obviously. It’s not like they won’t let us choose teams, knock on wood.” I give her a thumbs up and go back to listening to the announcements. Once they finish, our tired teacher, Mr. Daniel, is gathering some papers. I’m assuming they’re for the competition and not some new art project. He stands up and begins talking. “As you all know from the announcements, you’ll be allowed to leave class right after the first period ends. However, until then, I will be announcing your partners and handing out the papers needed to complete this contest.” I shot Decennia a dirty look, insinuating that she didn’t knock on wood hard enough. She just shoots back a shrug and mouths, “Can’t be that bad.” Mr. Daniel starts reading the names off his list. I wouldn’t mind most of the people in this class, except for a few. “Decennia and Lola.” “Max and Jason” “Cathy and Jojo” I glance over at Eerie Earthquake and Cathy, and to my surprise, they don’t seem that upset. “Sofia and Samuel” “Hannah and Hank” My adrenaline and annoyance rise as I realize there aren’t that many names left. Most of the people I would hang out with are gone, but I would do anything to not have to work with him. “Harry and Sanna” And those are the last two names other than ours. To my disappointment, Mr. Daniel announces the last two names. “And last but certainly not least, Adaline and Ezra.” Great, just great. “Well, class, remember that this is not some fun day off, as you are raising money for a great cause. So don’t use this as a romantic getaway from your academic troubles. Please try to win this contest. And don’t forget to finish your sixth piece for your portfolio! Now you should all meet with your partners.” Decennia shoots me a remorseful look as she gets up to meet with Lola, a nice kid who’s known for drawing extremely detailed portraits. While I groan and get up to go meet the eyesore of a guy. I take my time and walk extremely slowly, hoping he just asks to switch our partners, so he can be with Cathy, and I can be with Jojo. By the time I sat down, Cathy’s gone. Surprising, but maybe they’re just playing by the rules. He just looks at me, except he looks tired; he doesn’t look like his usual annoying, ambitious self. “Soo, we’re partners, and clearly neither one of us wants to have to work with each other, so I was thinking that I could switch with Jojo, so you can work with Cathy, and I won’t have to work with you, and that’s probably the best idea given the fact that both of us will be happy and-” “Stop rambling, please.” “Rude.” “Look, I don’t think the school wants us switching partners since it’ll just be easier if they already know the teams since they’re predetermined. Plus, this makes it easier for them to assign the invites.” “Okay, but we hate each other.” “We would also both hate being punished by the school.” “True.” “So, we’re a team then?” “Ugh, fine.” “Trust me, it’s not exactly my favorite pastime to have to partner up with you, Arrogant Angel.” “I know. It must truly bother an eyesore like you to have to work with someone as great as me.” “Well, someone clearly doesn’t understand oxymorons.” “I know; you can’t even admit it, Eggo.” “At least I come up with better nicknames than a waffle brand.” “You just don’t deserve anything that requires creativity.” “You just can’t come up with anything better.” “You know I could...must we go over every achievement I’ve had-” Just when I was about to flaunt all my awards and titles on them, I was interrupted by the bell signaling we were allowed to leave and begin our contest. I stood up and smoothed down my light pink ruffled dress. I chose it for today; it fits appropriately, I would believe. I picked up my messenger bag. Thankfully, I don’t have to stop by my locker, so we have plenty of time to get a head start. I watch him pick up the backpack, and as he puts it on, I notice his sweater has a Bugs Bunny head on it. And he has the nerve to call me “generic”. Thankfully, today is warmer than usual, so neither of us has coats. I walk out into the hallway and grab the papers for the contest, and he follows suit. We pass by the complaining ninth and tenth graders, thanking whatever god there is that I’m a junior. While we’re walking, he starts the conversation, “So, since we’re going to be going to multiple places, I would assume we should take one car? I know I can barely stand being next to you, but this way, we would save energy, and it would just be easier overall”. “Fine, but only for the environment.” I walk to school anyway, so it’s not like I had a choice, but he doesn’t need to know that. We head out into the parking lot, where he leads me to a small, blue Toyota with an array of decals on the back window. Most of them are cute; at least he seems to have good taste in car decals. He slides into the driver’s seat while I slide into the passenger seat. I flip down the mirror as a reflex and check myself. My heart earrings and necklace are in place, as is my red headband and my white cardigan isn’t out of place either. Luckily, my eyeliner is also still in check. I notice him looking at me with an annoyed expression. “What? Have you ever seen anyone make sure they look presentable? I know you can be stupid, but I would think you would pick up on this typical human habit, no?” I say since clearly, he doesn’t intend on starting the conversation. “I’m just amazed at how a person can be so self-absorbed that they don’t hear their partner asking where they want to go first.” Oops . I blush out of embarrassment because I certainly wasn’t expecting that. “Oh, um, sorry about that.” He sighs and then manages to speak in the most annoying voice, “It’s fine, but would you mind answering the question?” “Sure, let’s just go to the main street and work our way out from there?” “No, everyone will be there.” “If you weren’t going to follow my advice, why even ask me?” “Well, I thought you would have good advice, but clearly, I was wrong.” “Aw, you had some respect for me! I’m flattered,” I say in the most sarcastic voice I can muster. He rolls his eyes and responds with, “We should start with the stores that are the farthest away from here and work inwards.” “Fine, your car, your rules.” “Great.” It isn’t the greatest idea in existence, but I don’t really care that much. As much as I hate him, he can be smart. Of course, he’ll never know I feel that way about him. We drove in silence until I started fidgeting with the radio. I flip stations, but I can’t find any that seem to be playing good music. I just shut it off and go through my bag until I find my headphones and connect them to my phone until he interrupts me with a snarky response, “Oh come on, Annoying Addie, I know you’re rude and unbearable, but I would think you wouldn’t listen to music when you’re hanging out with someone?” I snap back with, “We’re not hanging out, and I don’t hear you speaking, do I?” He’s quick to respond with, “Fine, let’s play a game.” “What type?” “We can alternate in asking things like our favorite foods, colors, teachers, etcetera.” I’m perplexed given the fact that I don’t think he has any interest in me, but I overcame it and started the game, “Okay, I’ll start, favorite teacher?” I ask. “Pomerado.” “You?” “Murray.” “Favorite food?” “None.” “How can you not have a favorite food?” “I love all food; I can’t just choose one.” “Fine.” “Why do you call me eyesore?” “Because we don’t like each other?” I wasn’t expecting anything too personal, and I’m confused as to why they’re asking this now but offer the most obvious answer. “Oh, well, you don’t mean anything like Uhm, it’s not like I’m ugly or anything, right? Well, you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to, but I was just wondering since it’s been eating at me inside for a while and none of my nicknames for you relate to your physical appearance since that would be extremely rude and um, I just wanted to ask you.” Does Ezra actually take my insults to heart? All this time, I just figured that it was in one ear and out the other, but, clearly, it’s affecting him. I actually feel bad for him, but just this once. “Look. When I insult you and call you names, I don’t actually mean it. Especially not ‘eyesore.’ I only mean it when I call you egotistical.” He doesn’t respond, but I can see a sense of relief in his expression. I truly thought he didn’t actually take the insults seriously. I mean, we’re enemies . I assumed it was obvious that we would be mean to each other in every way – it’s just how things were. Does he seriously care about what I think? He doesn’t say a word to me for the rest of the car ride. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or if he was just stuck in his thoughts. Whatever it was, it doesn’t matter. I was just happy we only had a few minutes until we arrived at our destination. We finally make it to our first stop: a small plaza right outside of Salem. We get out of the car and walk to the nearest store, which is a tiny boutique. We step into the store, which is very pastel, and decorated with the cutest Valentine’s Day decorations. I step in front of him and walk up to the owner. “Hey, kiddos, what can I do for you guys today?” As I begin to recite the introduction, I had come up with on the car ride, Ezra cuts me off. “Good morning, ma’am. We’re juniors at Salem High School, and our school has challenged us to obtain sponsorship from stores around the city. We are supporting the Pediatric Hospital of Salem. All you need to do is sign here, which will be physical proof of your support. You will also be delivered signs and other ‘decorations’ that will encourage shoppers here to support the cause.” The lady’s face lights up with a smile. “Well, I’d be delighted to support your cause!” She takes his pen and fills out the form. We thank the lady, and as we walk out of the store, I roll my eyes. Of course, he had to steal my thunder like that. I planned out exactly what I was going to say, but I shouldn’t act surprised that he decided to take the lead rather than me. We walk down the sidewalk to the next store, and as we’re walking, a question arises: what’s going on with him and Cathy? They were acting so weird around each other in class earlier, but I didn’t want to ask anything. But now I was curious. And the more I thought about it, the more curious I became. “Did something happen between you and Cathy?” “Why do you ask?” “I don’t know; you just seemed a bit cold towards each other in class earlier. It was odd since you guys are always connected at the hip. It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me; I mean, I’m decent enough of a person to respect your privacy, whether or not we get along.” “Wow...such a rare sighting. You...being nice to me? I’m shocked. I didn’t know you were capable of such a task!” I roll my eyes at that. “You’re avoiding my question.” He laughs. “It’s nothing. We’ve just been having slight problems, lately, that’s all.” I quickly glanced at him. The laughter and certain tone threw me off, but everything else said otherwise. He and Cathy were definitely not fine. But I wasn’t going to ask again because I didn’t want it to seem like I cared. Well, I didn’t care. Or at least that’s what I told myself. We walked into the next store: the ice cream parlor. I check to make sure that I have my wallet just in case I end up wanting a scoop or two. When we walk into the store, the man greets us immediately with a huge smile on his face. “Mornin’ you two! What’s a young couple like you doing out so early? Shouldn’t you be at school?” I almost fell backward at that comment. Ezra laughs. “No, sir, we’ve actually come to ask you for your-” “-for your support and sponsorship in supporting the Salem Pediatric Hospital. Our school has challenged us to go out and ask for the shop owner’s support. All you need to do is fill out this form, and we’ll deliver you all the supplies needed to showcase your support to all your customers.” I hand the man the form, and as he fills it out, Ezra mutters to me, “It’s actually the Pediatric Hospital of Salem.” I give him a death stare. “Oh no! Now the shop owner will never know what I was talking about!” Ezra smiles, and we turn back to the man. “Have a great day, sir!” “You too, kids.” “Wait a second. While we’re here, can I get a scoop of chocolate in a cup?” I was not leaving without ice cream. “Great idea. Can I get a cookie dough scoop?” “Coming right up!” “You brought the money?” I ask Ezra. “I think I have my card in my pocket.” He searches through all his pockets and looks at me worriedly. “I think I forgot it in my locker.” “Seriously?” “Can you please buy it for me? I swear I’ll pay you back when I get the chance.” “Fine,” I say, annoyed, “but only because the man already scooped the ice cream.” I pay the man, and we make our way outside. We make our way down the sidewalk, and we enter all the open stores as we walk. Every store, we say the same thing. We ask the shop owner for their support, they say yes, we give them the form, and we leave. We finish off the plaza in a matter of forty-five minutes. To be fair, it’s a relatively small plaza. As we head back to the car, I start to rethink all these years. Maybe Ezra isn’t as bad as I’ve always made him out to be. Maybe he’s just annoyingly smart. Always beating me at everything we did. I just wanted to win at something, and it forced me to paint a really bad picture of him in my head. To be honest, he was quite fun to be around. And I definitely meant what I said about not being serious about the whole “eyesore” thing. I can’t think like that, though. I have to resist. Because if I don’t, everything I’ve worked so hard for in the past five years will be put at risk. As I come back to reality, I notice Ezra staring at me in a confused way from the driver’s seat. He had been staring at me like that for the last few minutes because I was just standing there. Whoops. I open the door and hop into the passenger’s seat. “I suppose you’ve decided to join me in the car finally?” “I suppose I have.” We drove in silence. After a few minutes, he breaks the silence with something I never actually thought that I’d hear. “Cathy and I broke up.” “Actually?” “Yeah. I don’t know if you could tell before today, but there have been some tensions. She was a bit possessive, and anywhere that I went, she went. Anything I did, she did. Y’know, there are some things that people just want to keep for themselves. TV shows, music artists, books, all of that stuff. If I liked something, she also would miraculously decide that she liked it, and she’d pretend it was a coincidence. If I was ever somewhere without her, she would question me for hours on end – and I’m not even exaggerating. It wasn’t fun. And anyway, somebody else captured my attention. I didn’t want to lead her on and make her think I was still into it when I wasn’t.” Out of all the things that I expected him to say about him and Cathy, that was not one of them. I knew that they’d had their fair share of fights throughout the years, but they always made up in the end. I guess this was their last straw. We continue down the main road. After about ten minutes, I begin flipping through the radio stations. I finally came across a good song – “Message in a Bottle.” It’s a great song, but it definitely did not fit the situation and mood of the car. He hums along to the song. At least I can tell he’s got good music taste. We pulled up to the larger shopping center. It’s a bit further away from our school, so there aren’t any of our classmates here. This shopping center was huge. The best part was it was all our territory to work with. We decided to split up, so we could cover the whole area in half the amount of time. Once we finish that shopping center, we move on to the next, and we keep using that strategy until it’s time to return to school. On the way back to school, we counted how many shops we had. We counted thirty, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but once we got back to the school, we realized how much that really was. Everyone else had around half of what we had, with the closest to us being twenty-four. We met Bethany Rivera in the main office. “Congrats, you guys! You’ve won the challenge!” “I guess that means our strategy worked!” I say to Ezra with a smile. “That also means that you two get to go to the hospital’s charity event tonight!” Honestly, I totally forgot about the event. I was too caught up in the fact that I was actually having a good time with Ezra. Bethany gives us all the details about tonight’s event. “It begins at 7:00 p.m. sharp. Don’t be late!” We say goodbye to Bethany, and we begin to walk to our lockers. He gives me a smile. “I actually can’t believe we won the challenge.” “Same. And out of all people, I could’ve won this with. Who would’ve thought that we would actually make a pretty great team?” “Good point. And I actually had a lot of fun today. I think I was wrong about you, Addie.” He rummages through his locker and hands me the money he owes me. “You don’t have to give me the money. It was only a few bucks; it really doesn’t matter.” He gets his money back. “So, I guess I’ll see you tonight, Ezra?” “Are we on a real-name basis now?” “I guess we are.” When I got home, I found that he had slipped the money into my bag when I wasn’t looking. It took me a little while, but I managed to perfect my makeup, and I slipped my lilac-colored dress on. Not too fancy, but nice enough that I won’t look out of place. Ezra was picking me up – for the environment. He pulls me up to my house, and I wave goodbye to my family. I struggle a little bit to walk down my driveway in my heels. I’ll get used to it – I figure I should just sit as much as possible during the event, so I don’t embarrass myself. I hop into the passenger seat of his car. “You look really nice,” he says to me, which I really appreciate. “Thanks, it took super long to get ready, though. You look incredibly nice yourself.” “Thanks.” He pulls up the address of the venue on his phone. We talk and laugh as we drive, and it feels like we’ve been friends with each other forever. Funny how that checks out – I quite literally hated him this morning. We pull up to the venue – at 6:58 p.m., just on time. We walk up to the entry, and we tell the people our names. As we find our seats, he begins to say something, but he gets cut off by someone on the stage, beginning the ceremony. The speaker begins to announce people’s names – people who have made large contributions to the hospital. Eventually, the speaker announced our names. We follow the lead of everyone else, and we stand up and wave. It felt nice to be applauded and praised for something. The ceremony only lasts about twenty-five minutes, and then they begin to serve food. Everyone was mingling with the people at their tables, but for us, it was only the two of us. Ezra begins to say what he is saying before the ceremony begins. “Do you remember when we were in the car, and I was telling you about Cathy?” “Yeah, how could I forget?” “Remember how I said that there was someone else who had been on my mind?” “... Yeah” “Well, I know this sounds a little weird, and I probably should’ve saved this for the end of the dinner, so I don’t make anything awkward, but it doesn’t matter now. I know we have had a rivalry for years. But the person who I have been thinking about lately is you. I didn’t want to think anything of it at first because I thought that nothing would become of it anyways – I assumed you thought I was the absolute worst person ever, but after today I don’t think you think of me like that anymore, so I figured that-” “After today, it’s hard to deny liking you, but I think I do, and I think I have for a while now. I just mistook my feelings of attraction for hatred.” He smiles at me and holds out a bouquet of roses. I return his smile, and he puts his hand on mine. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections “Once On This Island” is coming soon! By Rachel Ezeadichie Volume 2 Issue 1 October 8, 2021 Image provided by Once On This Island Musicals are a wonderful way to bring people together. Whether you act in them or watch them, they are entertaining, fun, and a great way to show your talent. From Broadway premieres to high school productions, it takes hard work and dedication to pull the show together. Speaking of high school productions, North High School has a Drama Club of its own, performing our rendition of “Once On This Island.” “Once On This Island” takes place in the French Antilles, specifically Haiti. Two kinds of people live on this island: peasants, who live off the mercy of the gods and grand hommes , wealthy French people who reside on the other side of the island with fancy cars, houses, and lives. “Once on This Island” stars Ti Moune, an orphan adopted by Mama Euralie and Tonton Julien. As Ti Moune grows older, she longs for a grand homme to marry her. The girl’s prayer makes two of the gods, Papa Ge and Ezrulie, make a bet. Ezrulie, Goddess of love, takes on that love is stronger than death; Papa Ge, the demon of death, takes the opposite view. This lays the pathway to the rest of the musical. This musical’s central theme is classism. Ti Moune cannot marry a grand homme because she is a peasant, but she is determined to try. I thought I was not going to like this musical, but I was mistaken. It has fantastic songs, and after just the first listen, you will fall in love. Of many of the productions I’ve watched, all the diverse ways these characters were portrayed had me mesmerized. I could feel how each character felt just through the way they sang or presented themselves. Though this show may be one act, I feel like with North’s talented cast, the experience and creativity of our directors, and the behind-the-scenes work of our stage crew, this show will be a fantastic success. Listen for the annoucements and check the North High School Teams page for information about dates, times, and tickets! BACK TO TOP