SEARCH RESULTS

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Mean Girls (2024) – Pros and Cons Maleah Gossai Volume 4 Issue 4 May 29, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching Over the last decade, many have pointed out that Hollywood has been doing more reboots and sequels than ever before. These criticisms came out at a time of Disney live-action remakes of classic animated films and sequels upon sequels to movies that either didn’t need it or had several sequels already. These criticisms have only proven truer with this year’s release of Mean Girls , a screen adaptation of the Broadway musical based on the 2004 movie. Mean Girls (2024) hasn’t just been critiqued for being a reboot of a cult classic, however. No, the criticisms go much deeper than that. The film, despite being a musical, was not at all marketed like one, leading many to believe that it was a cheap, cash-grabby remake rather than an adaptation of a Broadway show. This, along with claims of the actors not doing the characters justice and of the film just being bad, left a sour taste in the mouths of many viewers. However, today I’ll delve deep into the pros and cons of the film, at least from my perspective, to evaluate if these complaints are justified or if people were just desperate for a reason to hate the movie. Pro : The movie brings the musical to more people. As any musical fan knows all too well, seeing shows live on Broadway is, unfortunately, expensive . Many who wish to see a show will likely not due to the high price of tickets, which can be at least a hundred dollars a person. So, the release of a film adaptation of Mean Girls the Musical provides many aspiring theater kids with the opportunity to experience the musical for a fraction of the price. While yes, movie tickets have gotten much more expensive in recent years due to inflation, many who can’t afford Broadway tickets can still afford movie tickets, and with the movie recently hitting streaming, this brings the experience of Mean Girls in the comfort of one’s home, providing those who maybe can’t fork over the hundreds of dollars for a trip to Times Square with the chance to watch the Tony-nominated musical. Con : The songs in the movie fall flat. There’s a reason the movie was marketed without any mention of the songs: it’s because they’re not exactly the best. The songs from the new movie lack the same emotion, depth, or even just the composition as the ones from the original Broadway cast recording, and it shows. Take the song “Stupid with Love” as an example. It’s a song by our main protagonist Cady Heron about how she may be intelligent but simply cannot understand love and how it works as she navigates feelings for Aaron Samuels, the movie’s love interest. In the musical, actress Erika Henningsen sings the song with emotion, matching the song’s peppy and bright instrumentals with her vocals. However, in the movie, actress Angourie Rice, while her singing is pleasant, sings with less tone variety, making her iteration of the character seem much less enthusiastic than Henningsen’s. The song “World Burn” has this issue, too. The song, sung by our main antagonist, Regina George, is meant to convey how Regina feels after she realizes she’s been conned by Cady and as she begins framing Cady for having written the infamous Burn Book. In the original cast recording, actress Taylor Louderman sings the song with rage in her voice, exactly conveying how Regina felt in the moment, and the backing vocals reading out the terrible things written in the Burn Book make the song one of the best in the musical. In the movie, actress Renee Rapp does an excellent job as Regina, but the backing vocals and instrumental fall short of doing what made the original so great. Pro : The movie incorporates more diversity through its new cast. The original Mean Girls wasn’t exactly the most diverse movie. Sure, it was the early 2000s and diversity was not as good as it is now, but it still could’ve done better. This issue is somewhat adjusted in the 2024 adaptation, with three of our main characters – Janis, Karen, and Damian – being actors of color. Karen, now Karen Shetty rather than Karen Smith, is played by Indian actress Avantika Vandanapu. Janis, now Janis Sarkisian instead of Janis Ian, is played by Hawaiian actress Auli’I Cravalho. Damian, now Damian Hubbard rather than Damian Leigh, is played by Black actor Jaquel Spivey. While sure, nothing can ever truly “fix” the original film’s diversity issue, and yes, Hollywood should be funding original films with characters of color rather than rebooting films and casting actors of color in them, this more diverse cast is a welcomed change from the original film and gives people of various backgrounds a chance to see themselves in a movie as classic as Mean Girls . Con : It’s far, far too soon to reboot a cult classic. The original Mean Girls is having its 20th anniversary this year in October. However, while 20 years is a long time (especially since this movie is older than I am), it feels way too soon to shove the original to the side in favor of the new movie, especially one as ingrained in pop culture as Mean Girls is. The movie is a classic, there’s no denying it, and while the new movie can stand on its own as an adaptation of the musical, it just feels like a cheap attempt at making money based on existing intellectual property (IP), which, unfortunately, it is. Maybe if it had been worked on for longer, if it had been given a few more years for the original movie to become an “old movie,” it would’ve been more successful as a reboot. The original Mean Girls has never been an “irrelevant” franchise, as its sheer status as a classic 2000s teen flick has been enough to cement in the minds of adults and teens. If the movie had been pushed back a few years to a 2029 release date for the film’s 25th anniversary, maybe it could have been an excellent, critically acclaimed musical adaptation that pays respect and homage to the original. As it stands, the movie falls into the same category as Disney live-action remakes: a film created in order to capitalize on the success of the preexisting IP of a beloved franchise. That’s not to discredit the movie’s quality in any way, of course, but the film has that air of “Hollywood cash grab” to it that unfortunately can’t be canceled out by its uniqueness as a musical reboot rather than just a remake. Final Verdict: It’s a good movie; it’s just a product of Hollywood’s current state. As someone who checks all the boxes for this movie’s target audience, I can safely say I liked this movie. It’s no cult classic, of course, that status still belongs to the original, and while the music isn’t on the same level as the original musical’s, it’s still a fun, enjoyable watch. Much of the criticism was unfounded, likely caused by the fact that people couldn’t handle that they rebooted Mean Girls at all, but in most cases like this, the internet often blows things out of proportion. Sure, it’s a cash-grabby reboot greenlit by Hollywood execs in order to squeeze a quick buck out of one of the most beloved 2000s movies out there, but it’s a good cash grab that makes for a good time, especially when watched with friends or loved ones. The internet isn’t always to be trusted, and this case is no exception. Mean Girls (2024) is an entertaining movie that will surely entertain fans of original and new fans alike. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Lights On for Education Back to Sections Marissa Nardone - Lights On for Education - 2 By Marissa Nardone April 22, 2021 Photography Volume 1 Issue 7

Back to Articles Advice Back to Sections The Pros and Cons of Attending Multiple Schools By Isabella Somma Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by Fine Arts America This interview discusses the positives and negatives of attending multiple schools, how that can mold you academically and socially, and compares the schooling system of Valley Stream North to a high school in Chesterton, Indiana. In this interview, conducted by Isabella Somma, Valley Stream North Senior Gurjosh Multani, a newer Valley Stream North High School student, reflected on his previous high school years. Question 1: Have you ever lived anywhere else besides Valley Stream? If so, where? I’ve lived in Germany, Indiana, and Queens. Can you explain the timeline? Yeah, so I was born in Germany in this little city called Ingolstadt. It’s the home of Ali. Then I moved to America in 2008 and then I lived in New York from 2008 to 2016 in Floral Park, Queens. Then I moved to Indiana in 2016 to this little city called Chesterton. It was actually one of the only Blue [Democratic] cities in all of Indiana, and then in 2020, I moved to another city in Indiana called Bloomington, where the University is: Indiana University of Bloomington. In August of 2020, I moved back to New York, here in Elmont actually, and I went to Elmont Memorial, and then in 2021, I moved to Valley Stream. Question 2: Out of all of the schools you attended, which is your favorite? Which has given you the best social experience? The best educational? The best social experience has definitely been North. The best educational experience has definitely been Chesterton High School in Indiana. What programs did they offer that made it superior in education? It wasn’t necessarily the individual programs; it was more of the school as a whole and the budget of the school that allowed for more opportunities. It was ranked in the 1,000s out of the 24,000 high schools in all of the United States. They had a cooler system for scheduling where the day was organized in blocks instead of periods. I really liked that I think about this a lot actually while comparing Indiana to North. So, I would have eight classes, but I would only take four a day and they would all be an hour and a half long so if I had work to do, I would have two days to do it because I take that class every other day. Question 3: How has living in multiple places shaped you as a person? It definitely has helped me socialize better; I know what to do now in any kind of social situation. I’m also very open to change because of this and I think it’s easier for me to make friends. That’s about it. Question 4: How has living in multiple places shaped you academically as a student? I actually think moving has ruined me academically. Well not “ruined,” but definitely made it worse because I was on the track to being an advanced student throughout high school in Indiana, which started in 9th grade, but then moving to New York in 10th grade put me in regular classes, and that really messed me up, but then I got back to AP classes in 11th grade. I still think that if I was in Indiana, I would be a lot smarter. Question 5: What are your plans for after high school? Do you wish to attend college? I do wish to attend college. After college, I definitely plan to stay in New York - just not in Valley Stream. Are there any colleges you have in mind? I am undecided right now, but probably in the state of New York. I definitely hope to get my bachelor’s degree in Engineering or some kind of computer science. BACK TO TOP

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 Artwork Portrait Back to Sections Emily Rung - Portrait - 2 By Emily Rung January 20, 2021 Graphite Volume 1 Issue 4

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 Articles Feature Back to Sections Thanksgiving: History and Traditions By Charis Hackman Volume 3 Issue 2 December 23, 2022 Image provided Getty Images Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated by people all over the country. The holiday is observed on November 24. The holiday is based on the ideals of the original Thanksgiving, a harvest festival, that the pilgrims and settlers from England had with the Native Americans of the area, the Wampanoag in 1621, probably over 400 years ago. History Of Thanksgiving In 1620, Pilgrims came to the New World on the Mayflower, seeking religious and economic freedom. Their original destination was between Virginia and the Hudson River area in what is now the state of New York. But bad weather, like storms and rough waves, caused the ship to change course resulting in the boat arriving in the area near what is known as Cape Cod on November 11, 1620. But after failing to find open land to settle on, they ventured further to the Plymouth area in Massachusetts. But there were people already living in Massachusetts long before the pilgrims came. Native Americans like the Wampanoag have lived in the Massachusetts area for hundreds of years. The pilgrims arrived in Plymouth on December 16, 1620, and started building their colony there. But the Pilgrims were not prepared for the winter in the area, which was very different than the winter in England. As a result, many got sick with exposure, scurvy, and many other contagious diseases as well as malnutrition, as the seeds they brought from England would not grow in the soils of early America. The pilgrims did not know how to hunt and fish on the land, as it was different than the land in England which resulted in many deaths and only half of the pilgrims surviving that first winter in the New World. In March, the pilgrims were visited by a man named Samoset, who welcomed them. Later, he brought an English-speaking man named Tisquantum, also known as Squanto, who was the last of a native American tribe called the Pawtuet. He was kidnapped by a sea captain who had come to his people’s land years before and taken him to Europe. He later gained his freedom and traveled back to the Americas, where he learned that all of his people had died from the plague; then, he began living with the Wampanoag people. After he was introduced to the pilgrims, he decided to help them and teach them how to survive the American wilderness. He taught the pilgrims how to catch fish, cultivate corn, find berries and plants and to tell which ones were not poisonous. Around the same time, the pilgrims, with Squanto’s help, made an alliance with the Wampanoag which lasted for more than 50 years. By the time fall rolled around, the pilgrims were doing much better, thanks to the Wampanoag. To celebrate, the governor of the pilgrims, William Bradford, organized a feast. He invited the leader of Wampanoag, Chief Massasoit, and some of his people to join them in the celebration. It lasted for three whole days. They ate duck, deer, turkey, berries, corn, corn soup, seafood, and the vegetables they grew that year, like carrots and beans. Thanksgiving Traditions People in the United States each have their unique way of celebrating Thanksgiving. The most common is having a traditional dinner with friends and family, eating turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, collard greens, etc., and desserts like apple and pumpkin pie. But there are other ways to celebrate Thanksgiving than just eating dinner. One of the most popular is watching Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, established by Macy in 1924. The parade draws more than 3 million spectators and more than 27.4 million viewers as of last year. Macy’s Thanksgiving parade is an event in which giant balloons of characters from popular culture, like Charlie Brown, Blues Clues the dog, and Hello Kitty. The parade also includes performances from famous singers and performance groups like the Rockettes, with Santa and Ms. Claus arriving at the end of the parade. Another Thanksgiving tradition is watching football which was developed in 1876 when the IFA (Intercollegiate Football Association) started hosting their championship day on the holiday. However, it was not as popular then as it is now. On Thanksgiving Day, the NFL hosts three football games; this year consisted of the Cowboys and the Lions, per tradition, with the Bills, Giants, Patriots, and Vikings. Another tradition is breaking a wishbone, a forked bone found in most birds and some non-avian birds, which is thus found in the turkey. It is said that with a wishbone, two people make a wish on it, then break it, and the one with the most significant piece of the bone wins and gets their wish granted. Another more recent tradition is the celebration of Friendsgiving, a casual meal enjoyed by friends, specifically during Thanksgiving. Friends get together, eat meals, do puzzles, do a scavenger hunt, play games like Bingo, Jenga, Connect 4, UNO, Poker, or Headbands, decorate pumpkins, and watch movies. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections MBK Zo Elrington Volume 5 Issue 3 January 14, 2025 The My Brother's Keeper Club at their Project Adventure trip. Image Provided by Ms. Coleman. The My Brother's Keeper (MBK) initiative, started in 2014 by President Barack Obama, seeks to “Change the Narrative” of boys and young men by closing and eliminating the opportunity gaps they face and helping them reach their full potential. Last year, the initiative was brought to the Valley Stream Central High School District. The pioneering members of VSN's MBK embraced the mentoring brotherhood organization at VSN. VSN’s MBK went on a field trip to Brookville Outdoor and Environmental Education Center’s 20-acre land. In conjunction with the other MBK chapters of our Valley Stream Central High School District, the young men participated in adventure education and teambuilding courses focused on developing trust, communication, problem-solving, risk-taking, and cooperation. Spanning over the center’s twenty-acre former NIKE Missile Base, the teams, diversified into six to eight MBK members from each group, navigated a series of field challenges and trials in the chilling cold. Collective Motion In the first challenge, the boys were tasked by their Brookville Sherpas to complete a racecourse wearing giant team skis. The classic teambuilding exercise, amplified by the biting cold and slippery gravel, initially proved challenging for the boys before they applied their MBK tenets to the exercise. They realized the key to the exercise was to unify and actively listen under one leading voice, a tenet they practice in their respective weekly meetings with the aid of a talking piece or stick. After having this epiphany, the boys were able to finish the racecourse in never-before-seen times and fashions - forwards, backwards, and even while facing different directions on the same skis! The important lesson of unifying under one voice provided a solid example and reinforced the initiatives founding beliefs of organized communal collective work to achieve the same goals and in this case, staying afoot. Building Bridges In the second challenge, the boys were tasked by their Sherpas, in riddle like fashion, to transport each brother platform to platform across three wooden blocks spaced ten feet away from each other. The boys could only use two short planks to set transversely across the gap, relying on their brothers to stand and secure the first plank as they walked across to the second one which overlapped the first plank and connected to the next platform. Repeating this process, they placed plank on top of plank and reached the end ensuring that every brother crossed safely, leaving no man behind. The practice reinforced and symbolized the process of building bridges, a tenet important to MBK’s mission to build bridges of opportunity for boys and young men of color. By Each Other’s Bootstraps The next challenge seemed to be the thrill of the day for many of the brothers. The men shot gasps and gawks at the twelve-foot wall that hung amongst the Brookville trees. The Sherpas, demonstrating the danger of the exercise, told the boys what they’d have to do in a serious fashion, losing the blissful ignorance that might’ve been construed by the previous riddles. The boys would have to support each other up the wall and onto the platform above. Those who summited first assisted in pulling the scaler up the wall while those on the bottom boosted their teammates by cupping their feet in their hands and pushing upwards. The coordinated support and trust of the boys secured and simplified the seemingly risky exercise, as they pulled each other over the wall. The overarching message could not be ignored, as they learned the lesson of peer support in overcoming physical and social obstacles in pursuit of improved outcomes. Redefining the idiom, they pulled each other up by each other’s bootstraps above the wall, symbolizing collective assistance in overcoming social inequities, an important goal of the MBK initiative. The Future The junior members, two of whom will attend the MBK New York State Symposium in Albany this year and continue “Changing the Narrative,” cannot wait to have this experience again. They only hope that next time the weather is a little warmer than thirty-five degrees. MBK North expresses its gratitude to Faculty Advisor Ms. Coleman, Mr. Heyward, and the VSCHS District for facilitating this trip. They hope to be featured once again in the school paper with a positive report from the 2024 New York State My Brother’s Keeper Symposium in Albany. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections TOPSoccer at the Valley Stream Soccer Club By Manal Layachi Volume 2 Issue 6 April 14, 2022 Image provided by www.liherald.com TOPSoccer stands for “The Outreach Program for Soccer.” It is a program for young adults and children who have intellectual and/or physical disabilities. My father, Azzedine Layachi, founded this program for the Valley Stream Soccer Club for my brother Zak. He founded it in September of 2014. My other brother, Elyas, and I volunteer and teach the kids the fundamentals of how to play soccer; I’ve been doing it since I was 5 years old. My favorite part is spending time with the kids and helping them. When they smile, it fills me with joy. Here are some questions that my father answered for me: What inspired you to found this program? My own son and kids like him who would miss the opportunity to play sports. What is your favorite part of each session? The parachute. That is the favorite for all players, and it involves teamwork, singing, and turning in circles as a group. Do you like helping others? Yes. That is one of our purposes in life, to be there for others. Why do you like teaching kids how to play soccer? It is my passion and I want the players to acquire that passion too. It is an easy sport to play. Will you continue to do this for the rest of your life? For as long as I can. A lot of new kids sign up and it feels good to make a change. Anyone can volunteer, even if you don’t know how to play soccer. All in all, I love this TOPSoccer program and helping others, and I can’t wait for the season to start! BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork The Memory Project Back to Sections Christabel By Katherine Cevada March 28, 2022 Digital Art Volume 2 Issue 5