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

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Cody's Words of Advice Cody Sung Volume 5 Issue 1 September 20, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching It has been an amazing five years at Valley Stream North High School. Before I leave, I want to give a few words of advice. Don’t procrastinate. I procrastinate with everything (even with this article!) and while I have made it out, it was very stressful sometimes. Something that I found helpful is taking breaks every 30 minutes. Use around 5 minutes to drink, exercise, or do anything else that you find helpful, and then focus for the next 30 minutes. Keep going until you are done with the task. Manage your time well. I always struggled with this since I always underestimated the time I needed to do a certain task. Always allot significantly more time to a task than you think it takes. Additionally, start early with big projects. I always waited until the last day or last few days, and I always stayed up multiple hours late finishing the project. My mom was not happy. Starting early allows you to spread out the project over many days and not have to crunch everything into a few days. There’s always the issue of you having so much work to do in a day that it doesn’t allow you to work on the project, and a more spread-out approach helps mitigate this – just work more on the project a different day when you have less work! Find a balance in life. I don’t have specific advice about this as it depends on the person, but don’t try to overload yourself with classes and activities – it’s a great way to harm your mental health. Yes, sometimes you must do that (*cough* beloved Asian parents cough ), but if you do, pick classes and activities you genuinely find enjoyable. No, “activities” doesn’t mean that you should relax for multiple hours and cram work in at the end of the day (see the first paragraph on procrastination). And as a final piece of advice: stay informed about science and the news in general. It never hurts knowing more about what’s going on in the world. Thank you for reading my articles in the North Star , and good luck. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris, Fiction Back to Sections Senior Year By Shinedip Kundlas Volume 3 Issue 4 May 18, 2023 Image provided by ibarna Senior Year, a time of change and growth, A journey of memories, both bitter and sweet, The end of one chapter, a new one to greet. Days filled with laughter, moments of tears, The future lies ahead, beckoning us to explore, Senior Year, a time to cherish, to adore. Endless nights studying, preparing for exams, Counting down to graduation day, Senior Year, a time we won't forget, come what may. To the memories, the love, and the tears, A time of growth, of laughter, and cheer, A bittersweet ending, but a new beginning near. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris, Fiction Back to Sections Petals By Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 3 Issue 4 May 18, 2023 Image provided by Elaine Ching Glistening raindrops fall, On purple petals they rest, Nature's beauty shines BACK TO TOP

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

Back to Articles Advice Back to Sections Advice: Friends and Poetry Aamna Raja Volume 5 Issue 3 January 14, 2025 Image Provided by Elaine Ching “Hi! I'm a student here at North and I fear that I’m in a bit of a pickle! One thing about me is I LOVE writing poems, but I HATE reading them to others. I was with my friends the other day and who I THOUGHT was my best friend forever, grabbed my diary and read a bunch of my poems to the WHOLE CAFETERIA!! Please, what should I do? I love my best friend so much. We love shopping and going to Hot Topic together, but I don’t know how to confront them about this. My heart is broken.” -Pedro Hey there Pedro! To start, I want to let you know that your feelings are valid- trusting someone with something as personal as your poetry, only to have that trust betrayed in a public way, must have been heartbreaking. You are in no way, shape, or form overreacting. I can’t take that feeling away, but I can help you formulate a plan to try and get some inner peace. Firstly, reflect on your feelings. Try and figure out exactly what you’re feeling. Are you angry? Embarrassed? Hurt? Understanding these feelings is important before taking any action. You seem to already have an outlet to cope: writing poetry. I understand if you’re scared it will happen again. In this case, it is best to write this poetry at home or maybe even in a locked note on your phone. It will not only give you clarity on your situation, but also help you figure out how to go about the next step: starting a conversation. Confrontations don’t need to be dramatic and emotional. You can talk to your best friend (let’s call him Dylan) and ask to go to a Hot Topic. While shopping, you can safely express your feelings in an environment you both feel comfortable in. When communicating with Dylan, try and remain calm, as anger will only complicate your emotions further. Your goal is to try and mend your relationship as best you can, not to start a fight. After this, take some time to reflect on whether you’re able to rebuild your trust. Maybe at the food court while getting Addams Family Burger King milkshakes and listening to My Chemical Romance . Remember, you do not have to show him your poems again if you decide to trust him once more; they’re your safe outlet. Pedro, even the strongest of silver chain necklace bonds have their ups and downs. You can try your best to mend the relationship, but don’t give in so much effort that it becomes a chore. You got this! Stay strong Pedro, -Aamna BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Rollercoasters By Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by UnSplash Life's a rollercoaster, don't you see? It doesn't matter which you pick, you'll still scream Full of twists and turns, no one said it's easy Life's the same way, can't you see? One day you're on top of the world, the next day you're on the ground crying   One spins you, until your head's dizzy The other it drops you from extremes Sometimes it feels so slow waiting Then you're on but not you just want to get off Life's the same way, can't you see? One day you're on top of the world, the next day you're on the ground crying   Life speeds by just like a coaster You just sat in and the ride's already over Friends are the riders next to you Some stay and others leave you Life's the same way, can't you see? One day you're on top of the world, the next day you're on the ground crying BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Nostalgic Musings Back to Sections Sophia Song - Nostalgic Musings - 3 By Sophia Song February 10, 2022 Photography Volume 2 Issue 4

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

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Lies By Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 2 Issue 4 February 10, 2022 Image provided by Polygon Life is a game At the end you're still going to get the blame It doesn't matter if you want to play You'll still get tricked into saying okay People do things Which bind them in return with strings When they finally break through, their heart gets hit with regret No wonder why they rather forget We trust people without thinking It's so careless that we end up fleeing We hope our running will make us free When we know at the end, we'll end up at that same tree We keep going back Hoping we're ready for the next attack We lookout for the unknown enemy When they're standing right there acting friendly As soon as we turn around They get ready for a rebound Falling down, shattered into pieces We thought we had put up all the braces Swallowed into a hole of darkness Back into the castle of mistress When will we escape? From our own mistakes? Trust isn't something to give But something to earn It isn't a piece of candy Given to anyone who makes us happy We get trapped in our own puzzles Built from our own troubles We blame others for our misdeeds Like they're the ones who plant our seeds Life is a game At the end you're still going to get the blame It doesn't matter if you want to play You'll still get tricked into saying okay Phony smiles and showering compliments That's exactly how they play They use you for their accomplishments All you need to say is okay To get into their game of lies As soon as they get their prize They'll leave you without a goodbye Leaving you all alone to die BACK TO TOP