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Back to Articles Advice Back to Sections College Advice from a Senior By Shubhdip Kundlas Volume 1 Issue 3 December 16, 2020 Original photo by Shubhdip Kundlas Hello all rising freshman, sophomores, and juniors! My name is Shubhdip Kundlas and I am currently a senior here at North. I would like to give all of you advice on the college application process and to make sure you are prepared to the fullest extent. Applying to college can be extremely stressful, but remember one thing: it is only stressful if you allow it to be. If you make the necessary preparations and start on time, there will be a minimal amount of stress involved. That brings me to my first piece of advice: Sign up for SAT/ACT exams as soon as possible. With many test centers closing due to COVID-19 restrictions, many seniors, including me, had very limited opportunities to take these tests as many testing centers repeatedly closed and hindered our chances to achieve the score we wanted. Although we don’t know how the situation will be by the end of the year, don’t wait to find out. If you haven’t started to study for the test yet, don’t worry: it’s not too late! There’s still time to study and fully prepare for the next set of examinations that will start in March 2021. Many colleges have gone “test-optional” this year, but some of them have made it clear it would only be for current seniors. Will schools be test-optional next year as well? I don’t know if they will or not, but again - take it anyway because if you get a good test score, it will only help you. If you haven’t taken an SAT or ACT yet, there is no need to worry; instead, begin preparing as soon as you can. My second piece of advice: stay motivated! Freshman and sophomores, join as many extracurriculars that work for you, and for Juniors that are not in any club or sport and have not been a part of any in the past, I advise you sign up for some clubs that you are interested in as many of them still accept new members. Remember, you are competing against other students, so you want to build a strong application that is unique to you and participating in extracurriculars is an essential to that. Also, apply to honor societies. If you meet their criteria, and you are accepted, they can also boost your application. To all freshman and sophomores: grades are very important for gaining admission to your dream school, but it isn’t just about your GPA. There are an array of factors like extracurriculars, essays, and teacher recommendations. Taking AP courses makes you stand out to colleges who will know your motivation to complete rigorous coursework. Juniors, we are almost at the halfway mark of this year, and although it won’t be easy to make a drastic change in your GPA, it can still be done. Considering that we have 3 marking periods left, by working hard and putting in your best effort, you can definitely improve your GPA. Again, there is still time for you to drastically improve your application! Join extracurriculars and work hard on your grades. Although it may seem that you can’t make a difference at this point, you 100% can. Just start from today. Join extracurriculars, work harder, and just be confident. Confidence and motivation are key to help your success in the college application process, and it all starts from this point on. My third piece of advice: start early! Whether you are a freshman or junior, it is never too early to start preparing for college. Make a checklist consisting of tasks helping you prepare for college season including but not limited to: extracurriculars, grades, recommendation requests, scholarships and essays. Also, research your colleges! Make a list of colleges divided into three sections: reach schools (schools that will be difficult to get into but may have a chance), target schools (schools where you fall well within the range of their requirements and have a decent chance), and safe schools (schools that you have a high chance of getting into). Juniors, around May or June, think of teachers that you know might write you a stellar letter of recommendation and politely request it from them either face to face or by email (whichever option you are comfortable with) as it will give them an early notice and more time to write your letter. Research the schools you will be applying to and make a list of their requirements. I advise you to get a head start on your personal statement essay over the summer and make rough drafts so you can go over it with your English teacher in September. Working on your essay over the summer will allow you to pace yourself in a way that you are not rushed to complete it by the deadline and have a lot of time to think. By researching your colleges, you will get to know what supplemental essays they require, as some will require none, and some can require more than five. It’s all about planning, and the earlier you plan, the better the result will be. Please do not stress out! You will get through with this. It may seem as if it’s the most stressful time of your high school career, but trust me, it’s not. As long as you prepare yourself beforehand and have the confidence to tackle any setback, you won’t need to worry. Remember, plan out your goals for the rest of the year and make a list of tasks to complete by September. The sooner you begin, the more gratifying and successful the experience will be. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Who Am I Back to Sections Self Collage By Marisa Mohan November 19, 2021 Photography Volume 2 Issue 2

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections My Favorite Anime/Manga (By Women!) By Zoie James Volume 1 Issue 6 March 18, 2021 Image provided by Amazon When quarantine first started, my passion for anime grew; I would binge-watch seasons of anime or even finish an entire series in one day. Many teens at our school have an interest in anime like myself, so I decided to write a list of anime and manga written by women since it’s Women’s History Month! Toradora! by Yuyuko Takemiya Toradora! describes the story of Taiga Aisaka and Ryuji Takasu, two high schoolers who have crushes on each other’s best friends. They agree to help each other woo their crushes while dealing with other chaotic predicaments and experiences at their high school. Will Taiga and Ryuji win their crushes’ hearts, or will they end up finding love elsewhere? Kids on the Slope by Yuki Kodama Kaoru Nishimi, the new student, doesn’t have many friends and keeps to himself often. When Kaoru first meets classmate Sentaro Kawabuchi, Kaoru is not too fond of Sentaro because of his bad reputation; however, after meeting Ritsuko Mukae, Sentaro’s best friend, she takes Kaoru to her family’s music store – where they find Sentaro playing the drums to jazz music! Ritsuko asks Kaoru to play the piano along with Sentaro’s drums, but Kaoru refuses at first. However, after playing together, Kaoru and Sentaro develop a friendship, and Kaoru slowly comes out of his shell. Kids on the Slope shows how music can bring different people together and helps others find joy during the toughest of times. Inuyasha by Rumiko Takahashi Kagome Higurashi, a middle schooler from Tokyo, falls down a well at her family shrine – and wakes up in Japan’s Sengoku Period. Kagome then meets the half-demon Inuyasha after she accidentally shatters the Shikon Jewel, and the shards scatter all throughout Japan. In this anime, Kagome and Inuyasha go on dangerous and mystical adventures to find all the shards of the Shikon Jewel before Naraku, an evil half-demon, snatches the jewel from them. Noragami (Stray God) by Adachitoka Hiyori Iki had a normal middle school life until she got hit by a bus while trying to save a stranger in the middle of the road - but the stranger is not human. He is the nameless god, Yato, who wants someone in the human world to make a shrine for him and hopes that Hiyori will do so when he offers to fix her body. Hiyori’s soul left her body after the bus accident; she can still use her human body, but Hiyori’s soul often leaves her body uncontrollably. After befriending Yato, Hiyori goes on many adventures with him and his friend Yukine while meeting other gods in their town. Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun by Izumi Tsubaki Chiyo Sakura confesses her love to fellow student Umetaro Nozaki; in response, Umetaro gives Chiyo an autograph and asks her to work with him. He takes her to his apartment, where Chiyo later realizes that Umetaro is the manga author Sakiko Yumeno and agrees to take the job as his assistant for his latest manga, Let’s Fall in Love, where Umetaro and Sakura use students at their school as influences for the characters. Chiyo sees this as an opportunity to get closer to Umetaro, and hopefully confess her feelings to him once again – will they stay friends, or fall for each other? BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections The Season of Summer By Carolina Grace Figueroa Volume 1 Issue 8 June 8, 2021 Image provided by SpiritGroups My favorite season of the year is summer! I love the warm weather, school vacation, and endless fun attached to summer months. The warmer weather is the perfect atmosphere for social and outdoor activities like camping, roller skating, bike riding, and beach days. One of my favorite parts about summer is the fact that school is closed for two months. This means you are free to do whatever you want and don’t have to worry about curfews or waking up early for school. The summer break calls for staying up late and waking up whenever you want to. Everyone works hard during the school year, so they deserve this free time. There is no worrying about homework, projects, or studying for a test. Hot and humid summer weather is stress free and the perfect time to relax and unwind with family, hang out with friends, soak up the sun at the beach, dive into a fresh cold swimming pool, try your luck at surfing or water skiing, go boating or fishing, and play tennis or beach volleyball. Summertime is also the perfect season for concerts, carnivals and festivals. Many concerts take place at outdoor beach stadiums. Lots of local celebrations and festivals take place, like the Strawberry Festival, the Jazz Music Festival, the Nassau County Fair, and the Jones Beach Air Show (featuring the Thunderbirds). You can never get bored on a nice summer day or night. There are fun daytime activities, like picnics, parks, barbeques, sports, swimming and playing cornhole. Friends and family love to spend time together with lots of good food, drinks, music, and sing-a-longs. Everyone is laughing and having a great time together! Summer nights are full of outdoor movies, parties, gazing at the sparkly stars and bright moon, playing fun games, and enjoying stories while making s’mores around campfires. I look forward to staying up late and watching a good movie while eating junk food! I like wearing more comfortable and lighter clothing, putting on a bathing suit, sporting snazzy sunglasses, and slipping into flip-flops to feel cool under the hot sun. I also enjoy hearing the iconic jingle of my favorite neighborhood ice cream truck, as I always look forward to it approaching my house. Ice cream is cold and refreshing on a hot summer day! One of the best events of the year happens during the summer: the Fourth of July. Celebrating Independence Day is very extravagant, especially when people gather around to watch the spectacular display of fireworks. The vibrant colors and loud sounds of the fireworks are amazing. To me, Memorial Day is the official start of Summer and Labor Day concludes the summertime. Many friends and families take off from work for well-needed exploration, summer vacations, and travel to exotic or tropical destinations. Summer is a low point in television viewing (other than younger children’s shows) because there is so much to keep one busy outdoors. There are also many summer jobs to explore, like lifeguards and industries that cater to recreation. Typically, animated movies are popular to be released theatrically in movie theaters during the summer months. Many children attend fun-filled summer camps, either daily or overnight, and develop a sense of independence and self-confidence as they learn new skills and try new adventures away from home. Certain fruits, like mangoes, watermelon and pineapples, become ripe during the summer, so this season presents the opportunity for people to enjoy them. Summertime makes me so happy! It allows for bright and longer days (therefore, shorter nights), exposes the beauty of nature, flowers are in bloom, grasses are greener, and many birds and animals return to blossoming fields. I look forward to visiting the sunflower farms and lavender fields out on Eastern Long Island during the summer, as well as picking my own strawberries and blueberries to delight in. The summer gives life, birth, and rebirth to life all around us, as plants blossom, animals happily resume activity, and nature feels “alive” again. I love carefree summer days and can’t wait for them to arrive! BACK TO TOP

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 A Change in Pitch By Kayla Duvert Volume 1 Issue 6 March 18, 2021 Image provided by How to Sing Smarter For a while now, my peers from Mrs. Schneider’s chorus class were accustomed to using our voices as instruments, changing our pitches as the notes changed as we would with instruments. Holding out full notes in music, as we would with instruments. Now with an airborne virus amid us, our instruments were instructed to be put to rest. Our instruments, the only instrument some of us knew how to play, were considered a threat to the health of others and an accomplice to spreading a virus. Though our instruments can’t be used, that doesn’t mean that we can’t find another: an instrument that’s navigable through our fingers and not our mind. An instrument unfamiliar to us, but it becomes familiar once we start playing. An instrument known as the piano to most, but as a substitute to us. As with every instrument, we first learned the basics: the different staffs and notes. Then we put our knowledge to test. Playing the songs, we used to sing with an alternative instrument. The notes we used to sing together, we now play alone at whatever volume we desire. With our voices being the only thing that connects us, playing an almost foreign instrument alone is often undesirable. It was foreign to both our fingers and our minds. Making music alone is foreign to us, but there is comfort in the fact that we are learning it together: learning, playing and performing it together, but in walls that continue to separate us. Those walls that separate us will be the one thing that protects us long enough to unite us, so we could continue to use our vocal instruments alongside our newly introduced one. An instrument with a change in pitch now represents a change in our lives. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections A Scholarly Quest in Statistics By Ala Paruch and Lucy Wu Volume 1 Issue 8 June 8, 2021 Image provided by the Corporate Finance Institute With the rush of submitting the last few assignments and completing in-class finals for the school year, students were distraught and stressed. So rather than take a boring paper final, as per tradition, AP Statistics students were instead sent on a ‘quest’ to design, carry out, and present a research study or experiment of their choice. Researching a Question To begin our little ‘quest,’ we formulated our research question with the limitations of Covid in mind. In past years (aka the “before Covid”), students were permitted to conduct their study by going around the classrooms and asking students questions, or even asking them to taste test different foods. However, this year, we tried to avoid studies structured that way in the interest of time, but primarily in the interest of safety as well (I know, I know, we could have answered the age-old question of Pepsi vs. Coke, but I guess that’s another unknown in this world). As much as that seems like a disadvantage, it gave us a good opportunity to utilize Teams and send everyone their surveys digitally. Equipped with as much determination and motivation as juniors in a pandemic can have (to be fair, it’s dwindling quite quickly…) we are committed to making our project work, regardless of the treacherous obstacles in our way. This also sparked an idea for our research question. Since the start of quarantine, most people have been using technology more to stay connected. We assumed that to pass the time, most people have probably binge watched many TV shows (at least we have). So why not examine exactly that? In the end, we decided to research whether the grade of the student is associated with their favorite TV show. Designing the Experiment (How do we do this?) Once we determined our research inquiry, we had to finalize a few more details to continue our quest. First, we had to establish the explanatory and response variables in the study, or in other words, what causes (explanatory variable) the outcome of our study (response variable). Looking back at the question, we can safely say that the grade level affects the preference in the TV show , and not the other way around, so grade level is the explanatory variable and TV show preference is the response variable. Next, we had to formally establish the parameter of study (what we are studying) and the population of interest (who we are studying). Here we were looking at the favorite TV show (parameter of study) of all students at Valley Stream North from grades 7-12 (population of interest). Seems straight-forward so far, right? Well, let’s get into the nitty-gritty details - the experimental design . We had to establish a random method of collecting our data to fairly sample the population and get a representative sample. To equally represent each grade in our experiment, we chose English as the class we would send the survey to, since all students in the building are required to take English every year (and no, we didn’t want to randomly select from a roster because that would take an EXTREMELY long time to obtain all the names). Next, we established a system of selecting one class period per grade. Thanks to Ms. Small, we obtained a list of all English classes, along with their class period and name of the teacher. We then organized all classes by grade and assigned each class within the grade a number from 1 to n (n being the total number of English classes per grade). This process is also known as cluster sampling . Using the random integer generator function on the Ti-84 CE calculator (your trusty yellow Algebra I calculator), we randomly selected our sample classes, one class from each grade. Each student in each one of the selected classes is part of our sample . Upon choosing our sample, we expanded on the research question and formed a hypothesis, or rather the null and alternative hypotheses (those are fancy statistical words to define no statistically significant change vs. a statistically significant change - and don’t worry, we’ll cover what statistically significant means in a little bit). Collecting Our Data (and now… we wait) As stated before, we wanted to harness the power of Microsoft Forms to obtain our data for easy distribution and even easier analysis with Microsoft Excel (by the way, this article was NOT sponsored by Microsoft in any way, shape, or form). In fact, if you want to take a look, here’s the link to the original Microsoft Forms survey we used: https://forms.office.com/r/km5zdEekpz . We simply asked each student in our sample two questions: their grade level and TV show of preference from the list (we’re not perfect, so we will address this limitation later, but you can take a guess at what we probably should have done in the meantime). Luckily, we obtained 100 responses to the survey. Since it was a voluntary survey, we did not anticipate that all 140 students would fill it out, but we attempted to account for this by picking a slightly larger sample. By the way, shoutout to all of the amazing English teachers who took the time to share the survey with their students! Significance Testing (sounds scarier than it is) In statistics, to obtain “evidence” that something is either statistically significant or not, we can use a fancy math test known as a significance test (literally does what it says: it determines how likely an event is to occur by random chance in comparison to a claim). Since the data that we collected contains two distributions (a mathematical function that shows the possible values for a variable and how often they occur), the grade of a student and the favorite TV show of a student, and we are testing the association between them (NOT CAUSATION), we used a Chi-Square test to perform our calculations (FYI it’s pronounced KAI not CHAI). But alas, it’s never that simple, is it? There are three flavors of the Chi-Square tests: a Chi-Square test for Goodness of Fit , a Chi-Square test for homogeneity , and a Chi-Square test for independence , with each having different thresholds and conditions. Since we are going to have a single sample of data (not two samples) with multiple choices (not a single line of data), this fulfills the conditions to use the Chi-Square Test for independence , where you test whether two distributions are independent from each other as the name suggests. At this stage, we select our alpha value (commonly written as α ), which just sets the level where we conclude that there is either evidence of significance or no evidence of significance. If the p-value (probability value, or how likely something is to occur) generated by our significance test is HIGHER than our alpha, there is no evidence that there is a significant difference, whereas if the p-value is lower than our alpha, there is statistical evidence that there is a significant difference. Since this is a non-life-threatening decision, we used the standard 0.05 threshold for our study. After picking the alpha, there is one more task we must complete to perform the significance test, and that is ensuring that the conditions for the test are satisfied. The conditions for a Chi-Square Test for independence are as follows: The Random Condition , which requires the researchers to obtain a sample randomly or to randomly assign a treatment to a group of volunteers. This checks whether bias occurred in the sampling process and helps eliminate it. The 10% Condition , which uses the formula. 0.1N n (Where n in the sample size and N is the population of interest size). In simpler terms, this means that the sample we pull from the population has to be less than or equal to 10% of the size of the population of interest. The Expected Counts Condition estimates the probability of each cell in a two-way table of a Chi-Square data set considering the null hypothesis is correct. In short, it calculates the estimated probability for each category in theory, which we later compare with real life results. However, this condition requires all values in the data set to be equal or greater than 5. We fully met the random condition and and the 10 percent condition, because we randomly picked the class periods to fill out the survey, and it is safe to assume that there are more than 1000 students (n*10 = 100*10 = 1000) at Valley Stream North High School. On the other hand, the expected counts were not fully satisfied, with a few values below 5; however, we still continued our experiment, but continued it with caution . Analyzing the Data You know the drill now! First, we sorted and tallied the data by TV show preference for each of the grades. We input that table into a matrix in our calculator. Using the X2-Test (Chi-Square test) function on our handy calculators, we generated a p-value for our data. Place your bets now on whether the test was statistically significant or not, and no cheating! Drumroll please… with a p-value of 0.54 which was (drastically) higher than our alpha value of 0.05, the test was not statistically significant! With this rather disappointing result, we fail to reject the null hypothesis that the tests are independent. We did not find sufficient evidence to conclude that there is a significant difference between the two distributions. Why use the confusing wording to formulate our conclusion you may ask? Well, let’s try to understand. The term “ fail to reject ” implies exactly what the second sentence of the conclusion said: we did not find enough evidence (or our p-value was nearly not small enough) to say that the null hypothesis was wrong. However, just because the null hypothesis isn’t incorrect, it doesn’t mean that it is correct and using statements such as “ accept the null hypothesis ” would mathematically be incorrect and just would also just be a statistical faux pas. Discussing our Limitations ( uh-oh …) Sailing was smooth… until it wasn’t. So, we ran into some rough waters at certain stages of the process. When designing the questions, we only realized when it was too late that we should have probably asked the questions in terms of TV show genre rather than specific shows, to decrease the likelihood of a student choosing “other” and inflating that category, compromising the integrity of our study. We were pressed for time, so we had to rely on the integrity of the students (most of whom did very well) to answer the survey. Since this survey was a voluntary response survey, we could not control the nonresponse bias, so anyone who didn’t respond was sadly not part of the study. There was also the risk of the teacher posting the survey for their class not responding. Since we decided to give out the survey digitally, we reached out to the teachers on Teams in hopes that they would be willing to post our survey on the teams for each designated class. With that arose the possibility of them not seeing the message or even humanly reading it and then not responding, besides the usual risk of them saying “no.” Thankfully, that didn’t happen; however, it was significantly harder to ensure we got any responses at all. Lastly, (and perhaps most unfortunately), out of all the shows we anticipated would be popular among students, not a single student picked Jeopardy! as their favorite show to watch. Besides the shame this is, it also posed problems during the data analysis. Finishing with Conclusions (Hooray! We did it.) If you take anything away from this article, please remember: AP Statistics is the best class at Valley Stream North High School (and no, we received no extra points for saying that). We hope you will embark on the same journey we took and challenge your own perception of statistics. Going back to formal conclusions though, as we mentioned earlier, we did not get a statistically significant result, so we can sadly admit that as of now, there is no clear association between a student’s grade level and their favorite TV show. Even though we didn’t get the exact results we were hoping for, there are still a few things we learned from this experience. Firstly, we learned that designing an experiment is more (emotionally) draining than we initially thought. We also learned how to design an experiment that is safe for the public amidst a pandemic. Lastly, we tested the bounds of our friendsh- just kidding, we had a lovely time working with each other! We did spend long phone calls discussing the appropriate Chi-Square test to use, alongside collecting responses from many, many students. Yet because of this quest to design an experiment, our friendship only grew stronger with each statistical obstacle we overcame. But even if things don’t work out (like our expected counts), remember to hold your head up high, triple-check your calculations, and just "keep swimming! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections To Blush or Not to Blush? Giancarlo Oliveri Volume 4 Issue 2 January 16, 2024 Image provided by Patrick Ta Cosmetics Makeup trends have evolved significantly just in the past decade alone. From matte-based looks with blinding highlighter, to the current dewy clean girl makeup, many have shortened their application time from hours to minutes at a time. Notably, one of the greatest changes to date is blush . Ever since the Ancient Egyptians first rosy-d their cheeks, many consider blush as a staple of their makeup routines. However, with increasingly popular methods of powder, liquid, matte, and cream blushes on the market and the recent I’m Cold Girl makeup trend, based on appearing flushed, many think blush usage has gone overboard. Has it? On one hand blush elevates one’s appearance as most cosmetics are intended to do. Appearing feminine, rosy, and classic; with prominent usage from pin-up girls in the 50s, to striking 80s supermodels, all the way to the liquid users now. When blended correctly, blush adds a feminine flush to the face! Further, when applied from the temples of the cheek, one looks contoured, adding the illusion of cheekbones, and framing the face in a sharp, almost model-like way. On the other hand, blush may add the unintended consequence of sweatiness. As mentioned briefly, the dewy look is in style, with moist setting sprays, and liquid/cream products in power, many look as if they had just perspired. Pounds of blush may add to this effect, with some appearing as if they just ran the New York City Marathon or like a tomato. However, to others this look is appealing, seen with popular actors and influencers such as Sydney Sweeney’s character in the hit-tv show Euphoria , or Hailey Bieber, dawning the look frequently. In contrast, the natural, light, no-makeup look has always been applauded. Focusing primarily on concealing blemishes, adding warmth to the face, and appearing effortless and flawless, this look highlights natural features without the time and products needed for other looks. This may also appear more beginner-friendly, with less abstract, time-consuming processes required for other looks. The verdict? Completely up to your preference. There is no better way to find out than testing and trying new unexplored methods and techniques. Skyrocketing in popularity in 2016, the YouTube Beauty Community remains strong today, with anyone from Drag Queens to at-home influencers providing tutorials. Also, makeup does not have to be the flashiest, or priciest, with expense ≠ quality. Makeup from your local CVS or Walgreens, otherwise drugstore makeup works as, if not better than most luxury brands, with the bonus of not hurting your bank account. No matter your choice however, it is important to note the significance of your dollar. Many popular companies such as Covergirl, Clinique or Maybelline, still readily test on animals in 2023. So, regardless of if you are trying out a new product, remember not to support companies that harm animals. For more information, attached is an article detailing cruelty-free brands: https://ethicalelephant.com/cruelty-free-makeup-drugstore-brands/ . Also, overconsumption, or the excessive buying then disposing of items, remains a prominent epidemic, with millions of products ending up in landfills and later in our ozone layer. Thus, choosing cruelty-free brands that will last, rather than hopping on the next mini-trend is essential to repairing our increasingly declining environment. Overall, whether you like the rosy look, the natural look, or an in-between, makeup is a highly diverse form of expression, for anyone and everyone willing to pick up a beauty blender. As such, experimentation with one’s look is inevitable, especially with the diversity of products, and ingredients, most evidently with blush; a staple for many. However, regardless of if you enter a Sephora , or CVS Pharmacy, be mindful with what you spend your money on, as your choices could harm both animal and human health. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Advice Back to Sections Gas leak at North surprises all, results in evacuation By Alicja Paruch Volume 2 Issue 5 March 28, 2022 Image provided by Forbes Hello Dear Readers, Today I would like to give you a piece of advice concerning some recent occurrences in our school building. This school year has engulfed us, as both students and staff, in many tragedies and forced us to take responsibility for ourselves and others and, as a consequence, make crucial decisions. Because of all of this, sometimes being in the school building can feel not totally safe and any surprise event or break in a routine can add to, or trigger, stress. In January, the students of Valley Stream North walked into the building, and they immediately encountered a strong gas smell. Not even five minutes into the first period of the day, most classes changed locations and settled in the gym. While in the aura of uncertainty, students tried to figure out what would happen next, Ms. Bounaspina had to step up and take sole charge of the building, as both Dr. Small and Mr. Jara happened to be absent. As trivial as this event may seem, and students spent around an hour supervised in the gymnasium, this unexpected event could have resulted in stress for students (as well as staff members). If you, my dear reader, find yourself in a similar kind of situation, or any time you feel yourself tense up and want to manage your stress quickly, try these fast-acting techniques: 1. Steady your breathing Take some deep breaths until your breathing becomes steady. Try a slow inhale, hold your breath for 4 or 5 seconds and exhale. 2. Consider your situation Try to gauge the situation you are currently in and remember to see if someone is already taking care of the situation. Look for the safe and familiar aspects. 3. Ask questions If you can, ask questions! People around you will be more than willing to help. I hope this helps calm you down in any stressful moment! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections The History of the Iceberg A68A By Cody Sung Volume 1 Issue 5 February 12, 2021 Image provided by English News To start off here, let’s have a bit of context on icebergs. Icebergs are pieces of ice that broke off from Antartica for multiple reasons. Larger and more frequent ice breaks are oftentimes considered an effect of climate change. They can be an issue to ship traffic and oftentimes wildlife. As well as being a problem for wildlife nearby, melting icebergs cause sea levels to rise. Note that only large icebergs have names, and names vary depending on the original sighting area and child icebergs breaking off (for example, iceberg D300 breaks into iceberg D300A and D300B). In July 2017, Iceberg A68 breaks off from the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antartica, which is expected from scientists, as cracks were visible for months at this point. A couple of years after that, a piece (A68B) separates off from the main iceberg (A68A). This is the start of iceberg A68A proper. A68A continues to move north, just like iceberg A68 when it was named that way. In April 2020, another chunk of ice, A68C breaks off from A68A. There are now 3 icebergs, although the most significant one, A68A, continues its march north. After this, in the month of November 2020, A68A is now considered a threat to the wildlife on South Georgia Island, which is in the Southern Hemisphere, near Antartica and South America. Local penguins, seals, underwater life, and other wildlife are at risk. In December of 2020, the scientific community believes a collision is now almost inevitable, at less than 31 miles away. Later in December, A68A scrapes the seabed near South Georgia Island, causing iceberg A68D to come off. Later in the month, a few days before Christmas, icebergs A68E and A68F break off A68A. A68A starts to fall apart faster compared to before, as the warmer weather up north finally starts to kick in. In January 2021, A68G splits off from A68A. This is the end of the road for iceberg A68A, as the complete breakup of the iceberg is almost inevitable given the conditions. As of right now, A68A has vastly diminished from its size when it was the largest iceberg in the world, about the size of New Jersey. The iceberg will continue to diminish in size as it is facing warmer temperatures and harsher conditions. It was once considered a major threat to wildlife on South Georgia Island, and even scraped the bed of the island, but is now a diminishing iceberg. The sheer size of the iceberg when it broke from Antartica has raised a debate over the possibility that climate change had a role in this, and if we’ll see more massive bergs like this in the future. For now, only time will tell what will happen to Earth’s icebergs. BACK TO TOP