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

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Squid Games By Augustine Magapan Volume 2 Issue 3 January 14, 2022 Original artwork by Elaine Ching Everyone enjoys spending time with each other. No matter who you are with, whether it’s family, friends, relatives, or even your pet, it would be reasonable to watch a show or movie for everyone’s amusement. Netflix is the platform to go to. There are about 207 million subscribers to Netflix. Although you are watching Netflix with other people, what if you were alone? An action-packed, gory, horror, puzzle-solving thriller series may be a suitable genre for you. On September 17th, 2021, Netflix released an original series called Squid Games . Squid Games is an action-packed, gory, horror, puzzle-solving, thriller series that revolves around people competing for money. As viewers start the show, they investigate the life of a protagonist named Gi-hun who is divorced and in debt to some Korean mafia. On the verge of being killed by the Korean mafia and losing his daughter to her stepdad, he finally wins the jackpot on a bet with horseback riding; however, he is robbed of the money and does not have anything left. Walking in tears, he encounters a man in a suit who asks him if he would like to play ddakji , which is a childhood game. He told Gi-hun that if he wins, he gets 100,000 won, but if he loses, Gi-hun must pay 100,000 won. Unfortunately, Gi-hun does not win the game and must give the man the money. Luckily for him, the man in the suit was nice enough to tell Gi-hun that he must use his body; therefore, Gi-hun gets slapped in the face. Since that was the only consequence of losing, Gi-hun keeps playing until he wins. Finally, Gi-hun was able to win, and he earned 100,000 dollars. The businessman tells him that there are a lot more games like that if he competes in the organization called the “Squid Games.” Gi-hun takes time to think about the offer and decides to go. When he arrives at the meeting spot, a mysterious man in a red suit with a mask with a shape on it picks him up. Gi-hun goes in the van and sees other people passed out. Soon, Gi-hun has also passed out. Once Gi-hun wakes up, he sees a lot of other people there wearing a green tracksuit just like his. He also sees other people having a certain number on their clothes. Gi-hun was considered Player 456. The competitors meet more of these red-suited men and accept the terms and conditions of the games. The superiors of the red-suited people told the players that every time they win, more money is added to their bank accounts; however, if they lose a game, they will be eliminated. Every time a player is eliminated, more money is added to their bank accounts. Once everything is settled, while being unknown to their surroundings, the competitors play their first game. The first game was simple, it was Red Light, Green Light. The goal of the game is to make it to the other side of the field without being caught by the big robot. When it’s a green light, players are supposed to go, when it’s a red light, players are supposed to stop and be frozen. If a person is not frozen at a red light, or doesn’t make it to the end in time, they are eliminated. The game starts and players are already sprinting, trying to make it to the end; however, the first person who messed up because he wasn’t frozen on red light was shot. It took a while for the other players to realize that if people lose in the game, they will die. This led to a lot more people panicking and getting shot leading to more than 100 people dead in the first challenge. The first episode of the series is a gruesome one. Gi-hun luckily makes it across along with a lot of other people. Once the first game was over, the superior guards showed the winning players how much money was banked. Although it was a lot of money, people who won the challenge wanted to go home while some wanted to keep playing. The superior guards then revealed that everyone who is competing in these squid games are in debt with a gigantic financial loss. In order to leave squid games, everyone must vote to see whether or not people are still going to play or leave. Luckily, the voting results came to where everyone is allowed to leave safely. Once Gi-hun was able to go back to his normal life, he encounters other people who were also in the game. It then switches perspectives to the other players with interesting back stories and problems in their lives. This helps create more development for the characters to help viewers have a better understanding of the story. When Gi-hun was walking around, he realizes that his mother is about to go bankrupt due to his brother, who was also in the squid games, selling her shop. This frustrates Gi-hun since not only his mother is suffering from financial loss, but his mother is also feeling very ill alongside with his debt to the mafia and wanting his daughter back. He realizes that he doesn’t have anything else to live for and goes back to the Squid Games once again with the other characters. As viewers continue to watch, they will stumble on new friends and foes for Gi-hun, new challenges to face, and plot twists of other perspectives. The main question for viewers is, what in the world is Squid Games? It is more than just mere games for money, so what is it? Today, Squid Games is one of the most popular series on Netflix. Many people dressed up as them for Halloween, others made TikToks based on the series, and some even made their own version of Squid Games like Mr. Beast, a professional YouTuber who gives millions to people. Squid Games is overall a significant series to watch to solve mysteries and find out the reason why people take certain actions. 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Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Black Lives Matter: Effects of Social Movement on Social Media By Nehilah Grand-Pierre Volume 1 Issue 4 January 20, 2021 Image provided by The Pew Research Center June 2nd, 2020 started as each day of quarantine did, resisting the urge to check Instagram first thing in the morning. Yet, this day was different. Unlike the previous days of quarantine posts, there were no whipped coffee or at-home workouts shared. There were only black squares, from classmates and friends to celebrities like Rihanna, and companies such as Apple and Netflix. According to Forbes, there were already 28 million black squares hashtagged “ #blackouttuesday ” by 11:14 am that morning. So, I posted mine, perhaps out of sheer obligation, but asking myself if that really helped. What is Black Out Tuesday? The reason behind this mass sharing of nothing for the day was because June 2nd marked one week since the passing of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man murdered by the white police officer, Derek Chauvin, captured on the viral video which shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck. Instagram was not the only platform on which users demonstrated a viral response to the tragedy. However, Researchers at Pew concluded that from May 26th to June 7th, #BlackLivesMatter was used 47.8 million times on Twitter alone. “George Floyd's death was filmed, but he still died” states Sasha Smalls, 17-year-old high school senior, and President of the Black Student Union here at Valley Stream North High School. “The filming hasn’t changed anything other than the fact that more people can see it in real time.” Now, it just isn’t that the world is watching, but also reacting, as on May 28th 2020, 8.8 million Twitter users shared post tagged with #BlackLivesMatter while protests began to emerge across the country, and the globe. The Difference With the advent of social media, movements like Black Lives Matter are able to gain traction fast, and with a larger audience than ever before. “The use of social media has evolved from simple conversations” says Tomi Akitunde, the head writer of MaterMae, an online resource with articles and aids for black mothers, which strides to educate others on the black community; the MaterMae Instagram page currently has over twelve thousand followers. “People are using it to be seen and say things they might’ve thought but never felt comfortable speaking out loud because they didn’t have people in their immediate community who felt like them or looked like the way they did. Now they have the whole world to listen to them”. Instagram and Twitter offer the opportunity for more people to get involved, with news coming in faster than experienced by any previous generation. “These social issues have become a part of our day to day lives” states Akitunde. “Now everything is right there because of social media. Now celebrities are involved, it's in your face”. The video of George Floyd’s death perhaps was the most in-your-face example of police brutality, a key conflict that the Black Lives Matter movement seeks to eradicate. Though the Black Lives Matter movement began in 2016 when the murder of Treyvon Martin occurred, more people have been forced to join the conversation in 2020 because of how undeniably graphic George Floyd’s death video was, whether they agreed it was worth protesting against or not. The Day Everything Changed Though Floyd’s death did not mark the first instance of a black man dying at the hands of police officers, June 2nd marked the first day of the change in atmosphere that has been present on Instagram. #TheShowMustBeStopped , another hashtag shared on Black Out Tuesday, highlights that change needed to be brought to Instagram in order to provide space for black voices and stories, as the hashtag #Amplifyblackvoices went viral as well. This shift in attitude presented on Black Out Tuesday demonstrated lasting effects. Instagram users continue to use their accounts to share infographics, petitions, links and other helpful resources months after George Floyd’s death. Posts from pages like @soyouwanttotalkabout and @chnge appear on Instagram stories, as educating others has almost become the new trend of Instagram, and both pages now have a combined following of over 4.1 million. “If I want to know how I can help out or educate myself, all I have to do is click on an Instagram story” states Smalls. “I was scrolling through Instagram 3 days ago like a normal gen-z teen, and I followed @chnge , so it came up. I stopped and I read the story without having to get up and go watch the news. Just as though I was trying to check up on Kylie Jenner, I could read about something that could affect my community.” There have been negative effects from the educational atmosphere that has seemed to present itself onto Instagram, however, despite its benefits of bringing important social issues to light. “People are finding a community, but at the same token, there’s this really polarized ‘I’m right you're wrong’ [and] no room for different viewpoints. Everything is very extreme because Black Lives Matter is a matter of life or death” states Akitunde. “Those infographics are really good at making people want to tag and share. The dangerous thing is when they are not sourced. I had to educate this woman I went to high school with once, because she shared something saying ‘Hey White People if you want to be a good ally stop saying black lives matter...what you need to say is this:...’. The source was an organization that doesn’t exist”. Allyship Though non-black POC and white allies may have the best intentions, sharing information on any social media platform should be done with caution. “Being a good ally is not something you call yourself, someone in the community has to bestow it upon you and it's also something you constantly have to be working at” tells Akitunde. The importance of allyship, however, doesn’t negate the fact that there still needs to be space left for black voices, though speaking up might be frightening. “I would love to have more white people, and republicans join the BSU meetings” Smalls says. “When I upload something like ‘Black Lives Matter’ to the BSU Instagram, I don’t want to push out potential club members.” The Takeaway Instagram has been a space where users can present the best of themselves (by literally posting their highlight reels), and display themselves through their pictures and captions. However, when the show must be stopped, social movements cause users to respond. Though selfies have been replaced by petitions, and VSCO links by www.blacklivesmatters.cardd.co/ , posting a black square is not enough to evoke change, and shouldn’t be thought of as such. “This kind of performative activism, where some people think that just posting a black screen with a hashtag is enough to evoke change, some of these people only do it because they don’t want to be hated on by those around them and then they go back to doing something that doesn’t help the movement” Smalls states. Therefore, it is not what the screen says that will push social change, but rather the character of that person behind the screen. Instagram may now provide the resources, but it is still the responsibility of the user to want to push the social movement beyond the walls of social media, and truly make the work happen, and the world a better place. BACK TO TOP

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4 January 20, 2021 "SIRIUS'S SCINTILLATION" ARTICLES 25th Amendment vs. Impeachment By Matteo Somma News Read More A Lack of Representation By Alain Deen Entertainment & Media Read More Ask Ala: Friends By Ala Paruch Advice Read More Ask Ala: Sports & Clubs By Ala Paruch Advice Read More EA's FIFA By Habib Rattani Entertainment & Media Read More Former New York Governor George Pataki Should Contest Incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2022 By Logan Balsan Editorial Read More Fun Winter Snow Activities By Carolina Figueroa Feature Read More In a Brown Study By Osaiyekemwen Ogbemudia Polaris Read More LIVE Inauguration Updates By Craig Papajohn-Shaw and Logan Balsan News Read More Little Women Discuss “Little Women” By Simar Thind, Sasha Smalls, and Kamille Shrestha Entertainment & Media Read More NFL Playoff Predictions By John McCarthy Sports Read More School Times By Augustine Magapan Editorial Read More Snow: The White, Fluffy Killer By Matteo Somma Science & Technology Read More Sweet Treats for Cold and Cozy Nights By Christina Ossa Feature Read More The Fashion Industry By Ava Sloane Art & Culture Read More The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 By Manal Layachi Entertainment & Media Read More The Quality of Family Time By Manal Layachi Feature Read More Why Was This Song Nicknamed the Anthem of 2020 By Isabella Menjivar Entertainment & Media Read More A Frightening Welcome to the 117th Congress: Impeachment 2.0 By Craig Papajohn-Shaw News Read More A Party Divide That Can Destroy America By Craig Papajohn-Shaw Editorial Read More Ask Ala: Other Questions By Ala Paruch Advice Read More Black Lives Matter: Effects of Social Movement on Social Media By Nehilah Grand-Pierre Feature Read More En Garde! By John McCarthy Sports Read More Forward By Varshanie Naitram Polaris Read More Implications of Capitol Hill Attack By Simar Thind Editorial Read More Indian Farmers Protest By Shinedip Kundlas News Read More Life of a Teenager By Moanna Thelusca Feature Read More Morning Roast By Erin St. Angelo Polaris Read More Presidential Libraries By Cody Sung Feature Read More Show The Cameras What They Want By Nora Chery Polaris Read More Story Behind the Shot 02 By Olivia Neuner Entertainment & Media Read More The Comeback of Winter Track and Field By Joseph Garofalo Sports Read More The Great Conjunction: A Historic Phenomenon By Elyas Layachi Science & Technology Read More The Kennedys Have Just Lost Their Winning Streak By Logan Balsan News Read More The Vice President's House By Cody Sung Feature Read More Winners and Losers – An Overview of Double Elimination Brackets By Garrick Neuner Sports Read More FACE VALUE LOAD MORE

Back to Articles Letter from the Editor Back to Sections A Final Send-Off By Craig Papajohn-Shaw Volume 2 Issue 7 June 13, 2022 Original photography by Elyas Layachi Volume 2 of North Star has come to a close with this final issue. 7 Issues with over 100 insightful articles and brilliant original artwork. It has been my honor to serve as the Editor-in-Chief of this magazine over the last year and work on the leadership staff since its relaunch in September 2020. We followed a common format to last year’s Volume, where we wrote about monthly themes; however, this year our goal was to write more about topics pertaining to the students at North, this was seen with the addition of our “student news” section on our front page. A couple of noteworthy points of pride I’d like to mention: Most notably was our success at the Adelphi Quill Awards; our magazine came home with three awards! 1st place for Best Visual work (Kimberly Shrestha- Art Section Editor), 2nd Place for Best Opinion Piece (Craig Papajohn-Shaw - Editor-in-Chief and Lucy Wu - Senior Website Designer), and 3rd place for Best News article (Craig Papajohn-Shaw - Editor-in-Chief and Lucy Wu - Senior Website Designer). We are so proud of our award recipients this year, and the leadership staff will be researching additional journalism competitions to attend in the upcoming year. In our artwork section this year, we featured outstanding works from the Memory Project. This year, artists took inspiration from children in Nigeria. In coordination with Art Honor Society President Luiginna Frederique, 11 portraits were featured on our website to portray those Nigerian children who have been displaced from their homes. I would like to congratulate Shinedip Kundlas who will assume the role of Editor-in-Chief for the 2022-2023 school year (Volume 3). The North Star executive board appointed Shinedip to this position in June as a result of her dedication and writing accomplishments for the magazine; she will represent a fresh perspective to the leadership staff starting next school year. I would also like to congratulate Matteo Somma who will assume the role of Senior Website Designer after training for this position for the last year. He, along with Shinedip, will continue to grow on the success of North Star . It has been a pleasure working with this year’s staff and I wish the best of luck to next year’s staff under the leadership of Shinedip. Please welcome me in congratulating the 2022-2023 North Star Leadership Team Editor-in-Chief: Shinedip Kundlas Senior Website Designer: Matteo Somma Managing Editor: Elyas Layachi Entertainment and Media Editor: Alain Deen News Editor: Everton Prospere Feature Editor: Christina Ossa Art Section Editor: Kimberly Shrestha Polaris Editor: Navrosedip Kundlas Sports Editor: Aleeza Dhillon Science & Technology Editor: Elyas Layachi Senior Social Media Designer: Elaine Ching Treasurer: Alain Deen A final thought, you may not feel comfortable writing or telling a story, but you have ideas and principles. Use your knowledge to research those whose voice speaks to you and vote. Before signing off, we must thank Ms. Mansfield for her steadfast advisorship; we couldn’t have done any of this without her guidance, enthusiasm, and experience. Additionally, we thank the staff at North for their continued support. Lastly, thank you to our readers; your concerns, thoughts, and accomplishments are the inspiration behind every issue. I wish you all a great summer and I can't wait to see what you accomplish next year. All the best, Craig Papajohn-Shaw Editor-in-Chief BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Art & Culture Back to Sections The History of Christmas By Leah Ally Volume 3 Issue 2 December 23, 2022 Christmas, observed on December 25th, is a holy religious event as well as a cultural and economic phenomenon. The public has been celebrating it with customs and rituals both religious and secular in nature for two millennia now. Christmas Day is marked by Christians as the anniversary of the birth of the spiritual figure, known as Jesus, whose teachings serve the foundation of their faith. Around the world, the middle of winter has traditionally been a festive period. It began with early Europeans as they celebrated light and birth in the deepest winter days centuries before the arrival of the man known as Jesus. When the worst of winter was over and longer days and more sunlight could be looked forward to, the winter solstice was celebrated. In most of Europe, the end of December was the ideal period for festivities. Most cattle were killed at that time of year so they would not need to be fed throughout the winter. Many people only had access to fresh meat during that time of year. Also, much of the wine and beer produced over the year had finally fermented and was ready for consumption. As a result, people began to see the winter season as a rewarding time of year fit for celebration. The main holiday on the early years of Christianity was Easter as opposed to honoring the birth of Jesus. Church leaders made the decision to make the birth of Jesus a holiday in the fourth century. Church leaders boosted the likelihood that Christmas would be widely accepted by timing it to coincide with traditional winter solstice holidays, but they also relinquished control over how it was observed. Christianity had largely displaced pagan religion by the Middle Ages. On Christmas, believers went to church before having a wild celebration in a drunken carnival-like setting much like Mardi Gras today. Throughout the centuries, Christmas was considered one of the most joyous times of year, yet it did not become a national holiday until June 26th, 1870. The United States did not widely celebrate Christmas until the 19th century, yet it was America that had reinvented Christmas and its traditions. It was turned from a boisterous carnival festival into a day focusing on families, serenity, and nostalgia. Why was this transition made? Early in the 19th century, there was turbulence and class struggle. Unemployment was prevalent at the time, and the disenfranchised classes frequently rioted around the Christmas season. In reaction to a Christmas riot, the New York City Council established the first police force in the city in 1828. This inspired some upper-class citizens to start changing how Christmas was observed in America. Christmas has faced numerous reforms throughout its history, yet the basic idea of the holiday has remained: a time for family and friends to be with each other and celebrate the winter season. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections My Lifeline During Finals Week: Running Manal Layachi Volume 5 Issue 1 September 20, 2024 Image Provided by Manal Layachi Study Work Study Six hours' worth of Quizlets and practice tests When will the exams end? I need a break Where do I go? A place called home: the local park I lace up my favorite running shoes, tie my hair into a perfect bun Then, I start running As I listen to my favorite music, the sun shining brightly on my face the breeze cooling my body, my mind begins to clear I feel refreshed and new As I get home, I am ready to study again The next day, I ace the chemistry regents Running is truly a lifeline during finals week BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections 2022 Oscar Predictions By Alain Deen Volume 2 Issue 5 March 28, 2022 Image provided by ABC News The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, evaluates and rewards the creative prowess of films through an artistic and technical lens. For many, the ceremony is regarded as the most prestigious and significant in terms of the film industry. Over the years, the ceremony has faced a lot of controversy, memorable pop moments, and a long-awaited countdown. After two years of postponements, audiences crave a solid, smooth-flowing ceremony. The Oscars have always held a special place in my film-loving heart. It should be a national holiday. As an aspiring filmmaker, writer, and actor myself, the Oscars are more than just an awards ceremony. It is a culmination of a year’s creative, artistic, and introspective thought. This year’s ceremony is taking place on March 27th, proving to be vastly long awaited. There are various predictions for each category’s winners, and here are my takes. Best Picture: Belfast CODA Don’t Look Up Drive My Car Dune King Richard Licorice Pizza Nightmare Alley The Power of the Dog West Side Story In my opinion, this was the hardest category to predict. I believe West Side Story will take the cake due to the film’s visual and aesthetic beauty. Cinematography is a vastly underrated portion of the filmmaking process, and this film excels at it. Although it bombed at the box office, I believe it will steal the show. Best Actor: Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog Andrew Garfield , tick tick…BOOM! Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth Will Smith , King Richard It has been an interstellar year for Andrew Garfield. From Spider-Man: No Way Home to tick tick…BOOM! he has put on a stunning display in terms of his performances. Although Will Smith is the favorite to win, considering he has never won an Oscar before, I do believe Andrew Garfield takes the edge due to his surprisingly stunning singing, piano playing, and dancing in tick tick…BOOM! Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos Kristen Stewart, Spencer Watching Spencer was nothing short of a captivating, generation-defying experience. Kristen Stewart delivers a stunning performance as the late Princess Diana. Although the film has received mix reviews, it is worth noting that Stewart’s performance is the standout characteristic of the film. Any royal story is sure to grab audiences’ captivation, and Stewart portrays the Princess of our hearts in the most breathtaking manner possible. Best Supporting Actress: Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter Ariana DeBose, West Side Story Judi Dench, Belfast Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard In my humble opinion, Ariana DeBose is the likely winner for this category. West Side Story created a new definition for cinematic excellence. The film is stunning both visually and conceptually. This is largely in part due to DeBose’sperformance as well. Although a newcomer, she delivered the role of Maria perfectly. Her dedication to the character and the role at large is largely evident in the film’s output. Additionally, she has proven a fan favorite. Best Supporting Actor: Ciaran Hinds, Belfast Troy Kostur, CODA Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog J.K Simmons, Being the Ricardos Kodi Smit-Mcphee, The Power of the Dog This might be an unpopular opinion, but I believe J.K Simmons delivered a beautiful performance in Being the Ricardos. Simmons as been a regular in the industry for decades upon decades, and I believe it is his time to get his hands on a second iconic golden statue. It was amazing to see him portray William Frawley in such an intricate, in-depth manner. Therefore, I believe he is best suited for the award this time around. Best Director: Kenneth Branagh, Belfast Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza Steven Spielberg, West Side Story You have probably noticed a pattern over the course of this prediction list. I am slightly biased toward West Side Story, as I found the film spectacular through a plethora of cinematic landscapes. Most prominently, the film’s cinematography creates a new definition of the word. It is quite possibly the most cinematically appealing film I have ever watched. Never have I seen such a beautiful medley of angles, color grading, lighting, and shot output in a film before. Spielberg delivers big with this production, and I look forward for what he has to offer in the near future. Best Animated Feature: Encanto Flee Luca The Mitchells vs. the Machines Raya and the Last Dragon This category has three amazing nominees. Encanto, Luca, and The Mitchells vs. the Machines being the standouts for me. Although I prefer Pixar’s animated films, Disney stole the show this year with Encanto. It was an endearing, innocent tale conjoined with visually stunning representations of Colombian culture. Luca , another cultural phenomenon, demonstrated widespread appeal. However, the catchy songs of Encanto generated widespread buzz on a global scale. It is worth noting that The Mitchells vs. the Machines was an underrated masterpiece and deserves credit where it is due. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Who is Saint Valentine Annie Rachek Volume 6 Issue 3 June 8, 2026 Image Provided by Creazilla logo Many of us have celebrated or at least heard of St. Valentine’s Day, a Christian holiday celebrated on 14 th of February each year. But have you ever wondered who St. Valentine was? St. Valentine’s Day is often a day to give chocolates and spend time with your loved ones, but its namesake was a 3 rd century man of legends who performed weddings in secret. A saint is a person who is regarded as a good role model and must be canonized by the pope to be an officially venerated saint. There are many St. Valentines, but we will be focusing on St. Valentine of Rome or Valentinus; Valentinus was a popular name and means Valentine in Latin. He was also called Valentine of Terni. Valentine was born around A.D 226. Since this was a time when people’s lives were not well recorded, his childhood is shrouded in mystery besides the fact that he grew up in the Roman era, and a legend about him being an orphan. Saint Valentine was a doctor before becoming a priest, and he often preached to people about the meaning of true love and how to recognize love. After he became a priest, he married couples who could not get married legally due to the tyranny of Emperor Claudius II. Emperor Claudius outlawed marriages because it thought it would distract existing soldiers and saw it as an obstacle for recruiting new soldiers. Saint Valentine was sent to jail when Emperor Claudius found out. He continued to teach people about love despite being in prison and was even able to become friends with his jailer, Asterious. Valentine would read to Asterious’ blind daughter, Julia, when she went to visit him in prison. The emperor also started to take a liking to Valentine and even offered him a pardon if he renounced his faith. When Valentine refused, Emperor Claudius was enraged and sentenced Valentine to death. On February 14 th , 270 at the age of around 44 years old, St. Valentine of Rome was beaten, *stoned, beheaded, and killed. Hence, Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 th . Many St. Valentine’s Day traditions arose from his life. For example, before Valentine was killed for his faith, he wrote a letter to Julia to thank her for being his friend. It was signed “From Your Valentine” and inspired the tradition of people sending letters to their “Valentine” on this day to show love to the people they care about. Some say that when Julia read the letter it cured her blindness. Saint Valentine is the patron saint of love, marriages, engagements, young people, greetings, travelers, people with epilepsy (epilepsy is a brain disorder, and he is most likely the patron saint of this since he had a medical background), and beekeepers. Paper hearts and knick-knacks often occupy many people’s homes during the Valentine season to celebrate the love he showed to others. Whether this helped you pick a gift for your Valentine or, if you do not celebrate, gave you insight into this man and holiday, I hope this answered your question of, “Who is St. Valentine?” * When someone is stoned, a group of people throw rocks, often heavy, big, and sharp until that person dies. Sources Hallow History.com Dynamic Catholic FaithND Learn religions BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Hutchinson Makes Three By Samantha Altieri Volume 3 Issue 4 May 18, 2023 Image provided by The Arkansas Democrat Gazette On Sunday, April 2nd, 2023, former Arkansas Governor, Asa Hutchinson, announced his presidential bid for the 2024 Election. Former Governor Hutchinson becomes the third candidate on the Republican side to announce their candidacy for the president of the United States in the 2024 election cycle, with President Donald Trump and former Governor Nikki Hayley announcing previously.  Hutchinson’s announcement comes with a dig at the former president he runs against, declaring Trump should drop out of the race immediately. Hutchinson’s remarks come at a tense time for Trump, who will now face charges in Manhattan for an alleged hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential election campaign.  Hutchinson has been critical of the case against Trump but expresses his respect for the criminal justice system. The former Governor shared a desire to respect the process taking place through the courts, while also respecting the office of the presidency.  BACK TO TOP