SEARCH RESULTS

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections Tied to Tye Dye: SPO Noa Cordova Volume 5 Issue 1 September 20, 2024 Image Provided by Catherine Modzelewski. As most of us remember, transitioning from elementary school to high school upon graduating 6th grade poses challenges. The transition from 6th grade to 7th grade comes with a significant change in terms of environment, independence, friendships, activities, and academic expectations. Some students are fortunate enough to have the guidance of older siblings or peers, but many incoming 7th-grade students do not; even 7th-grade students who do, may feel they need additional guidance. Upon entering a new stage, in this case starting secondary-level schooling, having an older figure or mentor to look up to can ease the transition process. The Student Peer Organization here at North, SPO, has the unique opportunity of serving as a mentorship program for 7th graders. While North’s clubs consist of students of all grade levels, SPO members are juniors and seniors dedicated to working closely with 7th graders exclusively. Each spring, current SPO members enter sophomore English classrooms to introduce SPO to the upcoming juniors and briefly explain the application process. If you’re an upcoming junior or senior, and considering applying to join SPO, these are some questions to consider. What are the responsibilities of SPO members? SPO members are responsible for attending meetings, planning lessons, and serving as exceptional role models for 7th graders. SPO meets on Fridays immediately after school in room 235. Mrs. Melluso and Ms. Christiansen, the SPO advisors, keep the meetings brief; however, these mandatory meetings are essential to our lesson-planning process. During Friday meetings, members discuss lesson plans with their group and divide the work so that lessons run smoothly. Besides attending meetings, SPO members are responsible for planning engaging lessons for 7th-grade students. At the Friday meetings, the advisors provide a lesson outline that each group can work with or alter to fit the needs of their 7th-grade students. SPO groups decide on interactive components for their lessons like Kahoots, worksheets, coloring activities, physical games, etc. The 7th-grade orientation and 7th-grade Fun Day are two out-of-the-classroom activities that SPO members help lead. Most importantly, SPO members are role models for 7th-grade students, academically and socially; this includes working well with your SPO group and respecting the 7th-grade teachers, and students while running lessons. How are SPO groups made? The SPO advisors, Mrs. Melluso and Ms. Christiansen assign SPO groups at the beginning of the school year. In September, once you know which classes you are taking, the advisors send out chats asking which periods you do not want to be pulled out from. If you are taking several APs, like many SPO members, try narrowing it down to one you’d like to avoid missing. SPO groups are assigned depending on the members’ available periods and 7th-grade English teachers’ schedules. If you speak a second language, you will likely be placed in an ENL classroom. Usually, SPO groups consist of four to five members; the advisors set up Teams chats for each group to communicate with outside of Friday meetings. What’s the process for joining SPO? SPO comprises about 50 members selected through an application and interview process. After current SPO members enter the sophomore classrooms during the spring, the advisors will send out a form to the English teachers for interested students to apply. The forms ask about your interest in SPO, availability for the upcoming year, leadership experience, etc. After filling out the form, Mrs. Melluso will have a sign-up sheet for interviews in room 235. Applicants schedule their interviews based on their availability during the dates provided. The interview questions mimic the application questions and give the advisors a sense of who you are in person, apart from the digital application. Additionally, the advisors typically ask for two teachers to vouge for your character, so keep two teachers in mind who know you well and are willing to serve as a character reference. Be sure to hand in your application on time and show up to your scheduled interview to be considered as a candidate! Why join SPO? The Student Peer Organization provides upperclassmen with the unique opportunity to assume the role of teachers for a period. The club encourages student leadership, facilitates collaboration among peers, and provides a space to work with a diverse group of people. And yes, SPO may stand out on a college application, but it’s about more than how you look on paper. As a SPO member, I’ve gotten to meet and collaborate with new people that I may not have gotten to work with otherwise. You learn and grow in your leadership as you surround yourself with other phenomenal leaders in SPO. The 7th graders, although they can be a handful, teach us a lot about patience and compassion. If you’re considering going into teaching or enjoy working with others and strengthening your leadership skills, SPO could be the organization for you. Additionally, we have, arguably, the best, loudest shirts in the building. Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with one of our wonderful SPO advisors, Mrs. Melluso, about the club and her perspective as an advisor. Additionally, she provides a little insight into how they review candidates. How did SPO start?  “SPO existed for I don’t even know how long before I got here. Ms. Ehrlich, a school social worker, retired in 2021 and Ms. Christensen and I took it over.” Why did you become a SPO advisor? Ms. Melluso shared that she insisted that SPO needed to continue running, but she couldn’t do it on her own, so she recruited Ms. Christiansen, a school psychologist, as her co-advisor. “Because I feel that the lessons that SPO goes in and teaches are important for the 7th graders to receive. We used to do a lot of lessons on bullying, we did lessons on how one's actions have a ripple effect and how it’s not just in that moment, but it can hurt or make someone feel better for days or weeks.” What is SPO’s purpose in the North community? “SPO’s real purpose is to help acclimate the 7th graders into our building. They [SPO members] are here as role models, they are here as guides…they are here to be mentors.” What kind of candidates do you look for during the interview process? What kind of students should apply to SPO? “It’s a big question because the thing is we don’t go in with a set candidate in mind. We want our incoming SPO members to be from across the board. We are not looking for the already popular, already athletic, already in these other activities kind of student; we actually look for the student that is underutilized because it's very difficult when you have a student who is in 10 clubs already, is vice president of this one, president of that one…they become very overextended. We’re not looking for the student who is taking 5-6 Aps; we don’t care if you’re taking APs or not. Sometimes when kids tell us they are not taking APs, we’re shocked because we don’t get those kids very often. We’re looking for anybody who has an interest in making our school a better place and wants to work with 7th graders and mentor them. We’re not looking for “resume-builders” … if you’ve never been in a club before, SPO is not the club for you. Essentially, Mrs. Melluso and Ms. Christiansen look to organize a diverse, dedicated group of student leaders. Whether you are heavily involved or not, SPO could be the club for you. Diversity in terms of extracurricular involvement, academic pathways, and identity are important to SPO. 7th-grade students need to have role models they can relate to; younger boys seeing older boys leading or bilingual students mentoring ENL students can have a profound impact on their school experience and willingness to get involved throughout high school. I would advise against hesitating to apply because you “do not meet certain criteria” because as Mrs. Melluso established, it does not exist. Lastly, congratulations to our newly accepted SPO members for the 2024-2025 school year! Azor, Alissa Balde, Mariam Berrios-Villalobos, Maria Bonilla, Francesca Buonomo, Karen Cabrera, Daniella Cordova, Mia Dekel, Julianna Frederique, Lia Garufi, Sabrina Gonzalez, Naomi Hunt, Matthew Kaur, Itratt Khizer, Wardah Lavoie, Audrey Manrique-Flores, Dulce Mina, Leandra Nunnari, Alessia Quagliata, Giavanna Redezpovic, Maida Romano, James Sherman, Claudia Singh, Reba Sullivan, Savannah Verso, Dominick Visnay, Alianiz BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork The Memory Project Back to Sections Kimberly Shresta - Memory Project - 1 By Kimberly Shresta March 18, 2021 Volume 1 Issue 6

Back to Artwork Back to Sections Trip to the Grocery Store Kimberly Shrestha February 24, 2023 Volume 3 Issue 3

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections All County Athletes By Aleeza Dhillon Volume 3 Issue 3 February 24, 2023 Image provided by VSN XC/TF Instagram Listed below are all the All-County winners from North’s Winter Track team: All-County Girls Nattaly Lindo (11th grade) County Champion – Shot Put, County Champion – 20lb Weight Throw Melissa Innocent (12th grade) 2nd place – 3000m, 2nd place – 1500m, 3rd place – 1000m Moanna Thelusca (11th grade) 2nd place – 20lb Weight Throw Sahar Ali (10th grade) 2nd place – 1500m Racewalk Gabriela Mensah (12th grade) 3rd place – Triple Jump Brooke Fessler (11th grade) 3rd place – High Jump Haley Quinlan (9th grade) 3rd place – 1500m Racewalk All-County Boys Joshua Lopez (12th grade) County Champion – Shot Put Kevin Beltran (11th grade) 2nd place – 1000m, 2nd place – 1600m Sedgeley Duperval (11th grade) 2nd place – 300m, 2nd place – Long Jump Ethan Smalls (12th grade) 2nd place – 25lb Weight Throw On February 7th, North’s winter track team competed in the County Championship at St. Anthony’s High School. Boys’ and girls’ teams placed second in the County, with many athletes getting a new personal best! The team was Conference Champions this year, their 15th championship in a row. All-Conference Melissa Innocent (12th grade) Conference Champion – 3000m, 1500m and 1000m Gabriela Mensah (12th grade) Conference Champion – Long Jump and Triple Jump Moanna Thelusca (11th grade) Conference Champion – 20lb Weight Throw, 2nd place – Shot Put Nattaly Lindo (11th grade) Conference Champion – Shot Put, 2nd place – 20lb Weight Throw Charis Hackman (12th grade) Conference Champion – 4x400m Relay, 3rd place – High Jump Sahar Ali (10th grade) Conference Champion – 1500m Racewalk Victoria Singh (10th grade) Conference Champion – 4x400m Relay Kyla Lodge (12th grade) Conference Champion – 4x400m Relay Anaiya Jarrell (11th grade) Conference Champion – 4x400m Relay Brooke Fessler (11th grade) 2nd place – High Jump, 3rd place – Triple Jump Ericka Leus (10th grade) 3rd place – 55m Hurdles Haley Quinlan (9th grade) 3rd place – 1500m Racewalk All the athletes on the team worked their hardest to have an amazing season. The coaches, Mike Frazer and Tim Boyens, are proud of all the improvements and progress their athletes have made. Great job to everyone on the team, and let’s hope for an amazing spring season. BACK TO TOP

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 5 February 12, 2021 "FRIENDSHIP 7" ARTICLES 2022 Midterm Elections Not Far Away: Possibility of a Polar Opposite of 2018 Results By Logan Balsan News Read More Blackened Beige & Bleached Beige By Osaiyekemwen Ogbemudia Polaris Read More Creative Writing Review By Noah Gonzalez Feature Read More Double Standards: State Instruction Allows for High-Risk Sports but Not Performance Groups By Craig Papajohn-Shaw and Lucy Wu Editorial Read More Government, Media, and the Pandemic: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly By Lucy Wu Editorial Read More M'oreal By Nora Chery Polaris Read More North Honor Society Inductees Sworn In By Garrick Neuner and Craig Papajohn-Shaw News Read More REVIEW: John P. McCarthy takes a break from editing the Sports Section to watch (and rank) Disney Movies By John McCarthy Entertainment & Media Read More Social Media By Christiana Fredriks Entertainment & Media Read More The Amazing Kayla Santo By John McCarthy Sports Read More The History of the Iceberg A68A By Cody Sung Science & Technology Read More The Sasquatch: Fact or Fake? By Matteo Somma Science & Technology Read More What is Being Done About Mental Health at VSN? By Craig Papajohn-Shaw Editorial Read More Ask Ala: Valentine's Day By Ala Paruch Advice Read More Claudette Colvin, the Girl Who Made History Before Rosa Parks By Shinedip Kundlas Feature Read More Don't act, just be. By Alain Deen Feature Read More Effects of Videogames By Rachel Ezeadichie Science & Technology Read More Just Dance! By Ismaela Andre Entertainment & Media Read More NASA Artemis: We Are Going By Elyas Layachi Science & Technology Read More Painting Seashells By Carolina Figueroa Art & Culture Read More Reflections on I, Too By Sasha Smalls Art & Culture Read More Story Behind the Shot 03 By Eva Grace Martinez Entertainment & Media Read More The Excitement of Twitch Channel Point Predictions By Garrick Neuner Entertainment & Media Read More The Obesity of Squirrels By Manal Layachi Feature Read More Valentines’ Sweets By Christina Ossa Feature Read More BLACK AMERICAN ARTISTS LOAD MORE

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections Former New York Governor George Pataki Should Contest Incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2022 By Logan Balsan Volume 1 Issue 4 January 20, 2021 Image provided by Fox News Now that the 2020 Election Results were certified on January 6th, and Judge Merrick Garland was chosen to be President-Elect Biden’s Attorney General over Andrew Cuomo, Governor Cuomo will seek to achieve what his father, Mario Cuomo, could not: win a fourth term as Governor of New York. Cuomo has been a wreck for New York State from the start. Since 2014, according to Forbes , Cuomo pocketed over $6 million in campaign funds from State contractors in return for $7 billion in state funds. Not only is his office riddled in potential ethics violations during the normalcy before the pandemic, Governor Cuomo has also performed some questionable actions during the pandemic. For one, he fudged the true amount of COVID patients sent to nursing homes, only to downplay that the facilities were not required to take in COVID patients, while an order from his office said otherwise. This story was picked up by the left-leaning news outlet CNN. This poor leadership and policy-making abilities have been widespread throughout his three 4-year terms thus far. For example, his tax policies are driving thousands of New Yorkers out of State, forcing our congressional delegation to decrease by two seats, as projected by census approximations. New York would only send 25 Representatives, compared to the 27 we send currently. Cuomo even advocated to raise taxes in December of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. In a new proposal to legalize marijuana recreationally, the State would pocket over $300 million in excise taxes, officials familiar with the matter have stated. However, I will give a thumbs up to Cuomo for allowing us to attend school in-person, though, the cons do outweigh the pros. Who has been frequently vocal against Cuomo’s pandemic leadership abilities? Former Republican New York Governor George Pataki. Don’t know who George Pataki is? Let me give you some background. George Elmer Pataki, a Republican, is a politician who served in both chambers of the New York State legislature as well as Mayor of Peekskill, NY before catapulting into the Governor’s Office in 1995 after defeating popular New York Governor Mario Cuomo, who is also Andrew Cuomo’s father. Pataki served in the Governor’s Office during turbulent times: helping New York rebuild from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th. He also oversaw the construction of the Freedom Tower, beginning in 2006 under his Administration. Currently the most recent Republican to serve in the office, Pataki was able to appeal to both social conservatives and liberals as well as fiscal conservatives and liberals in his policy-making. Reading Pataki’s 2016 Presidential Campaign Platform, it is evident why he appealed to voters across both aisles. While the Republican Party has been labeled “pro-life”, Pataki believes in legalized abortions with limits. He has supported lowering taxes, as well as expanding Obamacare as the nation’s healthcare system. His views have crossed party lines, which is what undecided voters normally look for. Based on the realities under Cuomo’s administration, I think the New York State Republican Party should recruit Former Governor Pataki to run in 2022 against Governor Cuomo. He would be their party’s strongest contender, being a former Governor, and providing strong leadership during 9/11. While he has been out of the political arena for almost 13 years, and tried to jumpstart a campaign for President in 2016, the Republicans have the best candidate right in front of them. It is vital for our State that Cuomo lowers taxes, or that someone steps in and ousts him in 2022. Right now, I think our best option to pass such an action is George Pataki. BACK TO TOP

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

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections OPERATION GREEN LIGHT JUST AHEAD! Chris Cavaliere Volume 5 Issue 2 November 25, 2024 Image Provided by Turner Publishing, Inc. Valley Stram North Spartans proudly wear green, their school color. Green is the color of hope. We wear it to show school spirit for our sport teams, clubs and for the pride we have for our school community. How about we shine green for our veterans this month? Did you know that November is National Veterans and Military Families Month? Veterans Day is November 11th. Respecting veterans and their families on a day or a month needs more recognition. Greenlight a Vet is a campaign of recognition, support and appreciation for our veterans and their families. It’s simple: change one lightbulb at your home to green. Just think of driving through our community at night during the month and seeing homes with green lightbulbs shining bright. We could start a great conversation and message of gratitude. Lightbulbs symbolize ideas. We can plan assemblies and share ideas on how to continue honoring veterans though our Student Council, National Honor Society, students and teachers. We can expand appreciation by participation at Wreaths Across America. It happens in December and May for remembrance during the holidays and for Memorial Day. I have placed wreaths at veterans’ gravesites at this event and it gave me a feeling of pride. I was also lucky enough to participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington Cemetery. Veterans should never be forgotten. Do you know the significance of folding the American flag and how it should never touch the ground? Do you know how to retire a flag? I am a Boy Scout, and I’ve learned many protocols that symbolize respecting veterans. Let’s learn and honor our veterans together. Participation in Operation Green Light will continue the Spartan spirit in a way that has never been done before. Think of this, one night a veteran or a family member of a veteran drives through the Valley Stream community and sees streets of homes with green lights shining! I have had one in the front of my house for many years. This will be an incredible “Thank You” for them all to receive, so let’s start the conversation and let’s make it happen. Sources: https://www.nysac.org/issues/veterans-affairs/operation-green-light/ https://www.militaryonesource.mil/media/toolkits/service-provider/national-veterans-military-families-month/ https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/ https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/flagdisplay.pdf BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Don’t Drink and Drive: The Simulator Cody Sung Volume 4 Issue 4 May 29, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching Ever wanted to know what it’s like to drive drunk without the risk? Ever wonder why it’s important to not drive after drinking? The juniors and seniors at North got the answers to these questions at the Save a Life Tour event in the gymnasium on Thursday, March 28, 2024. The Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) club helped organize this event along with the company behind the Save a Life Tour, Educational Support Systems Inc. The Save a Life Tour comes to North every year thanks to this partnership, with this year’s event being the latest installment, with both seniors and juniors being able to sign up for it. Once they entered the gym, the students had a chance to wear a headset that simulated vision while drunk and attempt to put shapes into a container while wearing the headset. They then were able to sit down at two simulators – one for drinking and driving and one for distracted driving. Both simulators had a large screen, a chair, a brake, and a gas pedal in front of it, and a repurposed Xbox controller as a steering wheel. The screen showed a car interior that reacted to input from the steering wheel and the pedals and a city with various vehicles and pedestrians. The drunk driving simulator had a VR headset that showed the view inside the car and delayed reactions to simulate the participant being drunk, while the distracted driving simulator involved the participant using a phone to simulate texting while driving. I got to help with the event and tried both simulators myself. I do not know how to drive, so it made both simulators even more difficult. I began with the drunk driving simulator – I pushed the gas pedal to start, began to drive...then fell off a cliff into the water. I tried it again and got stuck on a curb before crashing – again. I had a bit more luck with the distracted driving simulator and managed to avoid cars and drive quite a bit before crashing into a small pole. I tried again and got stuck on a curb, got off the curb, got onto the highway, and crashed into a car after driving 60 miles an hour, mostly on the median to avoid other cars. In the end, we all had fun and got an experience to help us learn about the dangers of drunk and distracted driving. Afterward, the participants had the opportunity to fill out questionnaires about their experiences with the simulators, sign a pledge not to drive distracted or drunk, and get a rubber wristband. I had a lot of fun helping with the event and am glad it showed people the dangers of drunk and distracted driving. I hope everyone reading this will learn to protect themselves and others by not drinking alcohol before driving and not being distracted by anything while on the road. For more information, go to home - Save A Life Tour BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Advice Back to Sections About Me! By Chloe O'Connell Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by Marketing Sage Hi, my name is Chloe O’Connell! I’m in 7th grade, and this is my section called “Ask Chloe”. Here’s a little about me. I am the oldest and I have two siblings. I have a dog named Bandit. Fun fact: I was born with plagiocephaly, which means I was born with a flat head, so I had to wear a helmet when I was a baby. When I grow up, I want to help kids and become a pediatrician. My family is Puerto Rican and Italian, and we are also a bit Irish. I hope this helps you get to know me! Please send in your questions for our new “ Ask Chloe” advice column to oconnelc3990@vschsd.org, and Chloe will try to help you navigate the wonders of middle school. BACK TO TOP