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Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Echoes of You Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 5 Issue 2 November 25, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching In quiet moments, shadows cast, A laughter echoes from the past. Cousin, friend, with spirit bright, Now lost to us, like stars at night. Memories linger, bittersweet, In every smile, in every heartbeat. The games we played, the dreams we shared, In every corner, your spirit’s bared. Time moves on, yet still I stand, With heavy heart and empty hand. Your voice, a melody in the breeze, A whispered comfort, a gentle tease. Though distance stretches, love remains, A bond that time can’t break or change. In every tear and every sigh, You live within me, never goodbye. So here I hold your memory dear, In every moment, you are near. Though we must part, this truth holds fast: Love knows no end; it ever lasts. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Fiction, Polaris Back to Sections Nature's Elegance By Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 3 Issue 4 May 18, 2023 Image provided by Elaine Ching White flowers in bloom, Grace dark brown branches with poise, Nature's elegance BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Show The Cameras What They Want By Nora Chery Volume 1 Issue 4 January 20, 2021 Image provided by Jasmien Wynants The little girl sat on her pink stool in front of her pink vanity, the golden mirror lights pouring their light on her small round face and her small body. Using her reflection, she applied red lipstick, a brand she teamed up with, on her little non-existent lips while her humming of a mainstream song bounced around the room. How long are you going to keep putting on that makeup, darling? They're expecting you," a voice with a tint of sweetness mixed with annoyance spoke up. The little girl's red lipstick pauses, midway on her bottom lip. She glances at the left side of her mirror, her eyes seeing the large lens that belonged to a bridge camera. She turns her head, facing the camera's body towering over her. Her eyes meet the backsides of smartphones and their smaller lens, on both sides and top of the bridge camera. Millions of them, pushing, shoving, and stacking on amongst each other, forming a stadium just to get a view of her, millions of their lenses were staring right at her. The little girl felt sweat form on her forehead, a drop of nervousness forming inside her chest. She never thought that this many cameras would take an interest in her. The bridge then says in a small cheerful voice, "Go on, and you can do it," while adjusting its lens. The little girl shifting on the cushion of her stool, hesitating until a small plop on the ground startled her. She looked down at her feet to see a heart that was no smaller than a dime, it's vibrant red, and cherry scent attracted her to pick it up. Every touch she felt on its smooth surface, a shimmer of warmth had risen in her chest, spreading. She grinned ear to ear. The cameras watched her, stood up from her stool, and grew. She no longer was a little girl. Through their lenses, she is a woman with grinning red lips and revealing clothes that showed her grown up body. When she rolled, the woman danced and thrust her hips; the lenses clicked with joy while sprinkled her with hearts. The cherry smell enveloped her, loading her nostrils with encouragement. When she got on the ground, lifted her long-grown legs, they clicked with excitement, showering her with hearts. When she swung around, picked up a low squatting stance, and threw her hips back, the clicks grew stronger with eagerness, dousing her with hearts. The hearts kept on arriving, coming down and bouncing off her body every time she twisted and curved her body. "That's my girl!" said the bridge camera, and she felt validation flood all over her body. But suddenly, Swoosh! The woman felt an intense pain graze through her left shoulder; she yelped. The audience paused, stunned, as did the woman, heavily breathing as she peered at her shoulder to see a gash already forming with blood trickling down at the length of her arm. She looked back at her vanity, following the direction of the weapon that cut her to see a heart bigger than a dime, its lower half pinned to the right side of the mirror frame. She stared at it with fright; 'Aren't hearts supposed to be a good thing?' she thought. Her reflection catches her attention; she stares at it with dazed confusion that soon transformed into confused horror. Her reflection was not a grown woman with a grown body; it was a little girl with a little body. Her small round face covered in sweat and smudged with red lipstick from dancing she was too young to do, in an outfit she was too young to wear, with a gash she was too young to have. "What are you waiting for?" said the annoying Bridge camera, dismissing the event that just happened. "Show the cameras what they want. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Story Behind the Shot 01 By Garrick Neuner Volume 1 Issue 3 December 16, 2020 Original photography by Garrick Neuner (top left), Eva Grace Martinez (bottom left), and Olivia Neuner (right) Welcome to the first article in our newest segment, Story Behind The Shot ! (Thank you to Samantha Altieri for the title.) This segment serves to highlight the purpose and artistry behind Valley Stream North students’ use of social media. I’m the first author for the column, so here I’ll share 3 pictures from my Instagram account that best explain my purpose on the platform. Before I begin, I should address the large beaked animal in the room. In all my posts, I don an eerie, realistic, yet silly rubber bird mask. I bought the covering at a Halloween store as a simple yet evocative costume – me, but with a pigeon head. The acclaim from my fellow trick-or-treaters and unsuspecting homeowners alike gave me a unique and strange surge in confidence, allowing me to play out an eccentric character with almost no repercussions. Following that day, unfortunately, the mask sat collecting dusk in my closet, leaving all my Halloween fun behind. A few months later, feeling a nostalgic pang for the holiday and a desire to revive my character, I strove to share my concealed self once again. This time, though, I knew to record the experience for the entertainment of myself and my friends. Anonymity This picture in front of my mirror was the first I captured while wearing my mask, so it holds a special place in my heart. The inspiration for the photo came from my curiosities about social media, including why people post pictures of themselves on a consistent basis. Having rarely used Instagram before that day, I didn’t see the appeal. Eager to try new things, though, I planned to post a new image that day. The mask both metaphorically and literally hid my face from view, which I suppose could portray my ideas as deeply as a viewer sees fit. In a funny yet ironic commentary, along with my plain camera shyness, I posted the image with a simple caption: “Feelin pretty cute today”. The Likes flowed in, bringing me a hit of dopamine that finally made me realize why people post like this - and that I’d need to keep my own posts infrequent. (Photo credit Garrick Neuner) Adventure This photo represents the most effort I have put into a post. With careful planning, multiple accomplices, and even extra props, the hunt was on for the perfect snapshot of my day in Manhattan. One of my group's many destinations on that hectic day was the Vessel, an interactive tourist attraction and the symbol of the new Hudson Yards. This location was quite literally built for photographic opportunities, so it seemed natural to prepare to produce an amazing picture. Navigating the Vessel proved tiring after an already grueling walk through the city, with its gritty stone stairs providing no rest for exhausted legs. Nonetheless, we marched to the middle of the bronze tower to search for the perfect image. With props in hand and a spotter to make sure our coast was clear, I posed and the photo was captured by the camera (of THE NORTH STAR’s own Grace Martinez!). (Photo credit Grace Martinez) Awareness The photos I took in Vermont add one last facet to my Instagram experience. On my (pre-COVID) travels, I made it my goal to document my journeys with the crow mask in order to diversify the content on my account. Instead of lazily staring out the window on a long car ride, I actively sought out photo-ops. Even when arriving at a destination, I would search for the best places and angles to take a picture from. My increased awareness for my surroundings brought me more in touch with the environments I have encountered, both natural and manmade. My sister Olivia suggested I hide behind the flowers at our friends’ scenic Vermont home, and I loved the picture so much that it became the profile pic I use to this day. (Photo credit Olivia Neuner) If you’d like to write the next Story Behind the Shot , message me or our adviser, Mrs. Mansfield! BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Portfolio Back to Sections Portfolio Arunima Roy - 1 By Arunima Roy June 13, 2022 Mixed Media Volume 2 Issue 7

Back to Artwork Line Back to Sections Lillian Dolan - What is Line - 4 By Lillian Dolan November 1, 2020 Photography Volume 1 Issue 1 This picture is of a dish. I used a lightbox and it was taken around 1pm.

Back to Artwork Line Back to Sections Isabella Somma - What is Line By Isabella Somma November 1, 2020 Graphite Volume 1 Issue 1

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections Perseverance: A New Addition to The Martian Robotic Family By Elyas Layachi Volume 1 Issue 6 March 18, 2021 Image provided by NASA Introduction Did you know that as of 2016, 18 out of the 44 missions to Mars were successful? Or that Russia has the most mission failures, and that the first picture of the surface of Mars was taken by Viking 1 on July 20th, 1976? These facts are among many regarding the robotic exploration of Mars. With the launch and recent landing of Perseverance , many more facts are coming our way, and it might even find the one question humans have pondered on for centuries: are we alone in the universe? In our own galaxy? Even our solar system? History of Mars Missions Since 1960, we have launched several dozen missions to Mars to learn more about its composition, past, and whether it has life or signs of ancient life. The first successful flyby of Mars happened in 1965, and since then, four nations have made it to Mars successfully: the US., the Soviet Union, the ESA, and India. Other nations, including Russia, Japan, and China, however, were unsuccessful in their missions. The first NASA mission to Mars was the Mariner 9 , which successfully launched on May 30, 1971, and it became the first artificial satellite of Mars. Other missions were successfully launched after the Mariner 9 , with the Vikings 1 and 2 in 1975 and 1976. They became the first spacecraft to land safely on the surface of another planet. It was quite a milestone for NASA, for it proved that robotic exploration of Mars was possible. This paved the way for more recent developments, with the landings of the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity , which were launched in 2003 and landed on the Martian surface in 2004. Although the rovers are identical to each other, they are exploring different regions of Mars. Each of the rovers carries a sophisticated set of instruments to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet’s past. The landing of Perseverance is a continuation of the Spirit and Opportunity missions, but with a different goal. Mission Purpose According to NASA, the Perseverance rover is designed to study the rock record of Mars to reveal more about the geologic processes that created and modified Martian curst and surface through time. It will test technologies that help sustain human presence on Mars someday, as well as search for possible signs of past or present life. Its first objective is to study the rocks and landscape at Jezero crater to reveal the region’s history. Its second objective regards astrobiology. Perseverance will attempt to determine the habitability of the ancient environment of Mars. It will also search for potential evidence of past life using its observations. Mission goals include determining whether life ever existed on Mars, characterizing the climate of Mars, characterizing its geology, and preparing for human exploration in the 2030s. Mission Recordings What makes the Perseverance mission special is its recordings of landing. It is the first mission to have video of the landing of Perseverance as it descended through the atmosphere and deployed during the “skycrane” stage. Additionally, with the onboard microphone, Perseverance produced the first-ever recording of Martian winds. The link to the NASA Mars library, which contains these videos and many more, is below. Video Gallery: Perseverance Rover - NASA Mars BACK TO TOP

BACK TO ALL ARTICLES BACK TO SECTIONS ENTERTAINMENT & MEDIA VIDEOS My Future - Billie Eilish (Cover by Ian Rios) 00:00 / 03:14 ARTICLES The War of the Pens: George R.R. Martin Versus Brandon Jasmine Roberts April 8, 2025 Read More A Dive into the Pop Music of 2024 Mya Hans April 8, 2025 Read More Party School | Jon Hart Jasmine Roberts January 14, 2025 Read More Jensen McRae: An Unsung Lyricist Noa Cordova April 8, 2025 Read More Glicked: Which Movie is Better? Mya Hans January 14, 2025 Read More Tanka Sahari's Secret Life Sarah Velez November 25, 2024 Read More What should Rachel review next? First name Last name Email What should Rachel review? Why should Rachel review it? Submit 1 2 3 4 5 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 ... 14

Back to Artwork The Memory Project Back to Sections Esther By Isabella Somma March 28, 2022 Mixed Media Volume 2 Issue 5