Back to Artwork The Memory Project Back to Sections Hadiza- Elaine Ching Elaine Ching February 24, 2023 Volume 3 Issue 3

Back to Artwork Who Am I Back to Sections I Don't Know By Elaine Ching November 19, 2021 Mixed Media Volume 2 Issue 2

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections The Artist Mikayla Aziz Volume 4 Issue 1 November 6, 2023 Image provided by iStock Mimic me my muse, and Mock my modesty. Diminish my once magnificent murals to Mere mirrors. Manipulate my humility while Making clear my vain idolatry. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Art & Culture Back to Sections A Dominican Bodega That Sells Amazing Food for a Great Price By Benjamin Amirazodi Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by Jovanny Quiroz The Papo Deli is located on Rockaway Avenue in Valley Stream. Despite being called a deli, it is technically a bodega . For those who do not know, a bodega is a type of store popularized in Puerto Rico where the owners would not only sell food but also anything that they can sell. For example, one could buy cleaning supplies, food, utensils, and about anything relating to taking care of your home or self-care. Some food you can buy in Papo Deli are chicharron which is pork with a tough layer of skin on it, pernil which is similar to pulled pork, and even sodas like Inca Cola, which is a Peruvian soda, spaghetti and sandwiches filled with meat, usually pork, and vegetables. Normally when I go there, I like to get a small or medium plate of pernil, rice with beans and an Inca Kola. This place is also faried-priced; one could get the most delicious, fair-sized portion of lunch, some of which might serve as another meal, for around seven or ten dollars. The workers here are also very kind, especially if you are a regular customer at the deli. The workers will almost always try to make small talk and ask how your day is going, however you should keep in mind that not all the workers speak English fluently, so if you don’t get a response right away ask someone else or if you can speak to them in Spanish. Sometimes you might run into a regular customer, which isn't too uncommon because there are two Spanish barbers nearby, they normally like to greet everyone when walking in and say goodbye to everyone when leaving. Which is always nice and always brightens up the mood. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections Growing Use of Technology in Society Today By Neha Singh Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by GoodCore Are you becoming more dependent on your devices, just like most people in our society today? Do you find technology more helpful? Has artificial intelligence actually made your life easier? Do you use facial recognition instead of remembering your passwords? Are driverless cars the future you want? Although technology is really useful and helps us in our daily lives, is that a positive thing? Using facial recognition instead of remembering passwords is easier and more convenient but it decreases a person’s memory capacity. Before the advent of our advanced technology, we used to be able to memorize most passwords, but now most people can’t even remember their email passwords. Technology has affected mostly everyone but especially teenagers since they typically use new technology faster and more than adults do. However, do you know about the plus sides of technology in society? Artificial intelligence is now being used in medicine and medicinal research. With complex computer algorithms, computer chip implants can be used to advance people’s cognitive skills. With gene editing, we’re able to reduce the serious risks or development of health conditions in babies. Additionally, with robot exoskeletons, we can increase people’s muscular strength for lifting in manual labor jobs with built-in artificial intelligence systems. Is this really best for our society? Many people have different opinions about where technology should be used. Should we depend heavily on technology in the medical field as well? Or should it only remain for our entertainment, communication, and other daily life tasks? According to a Pew Research Center poll, 46% of United States adults think facial recognition technology is good for society, whereas 56% of United States adults think computer chip implants are bad for society. In the same poll, 30% of United States adults think gene editing is good for society and 30% think it is bad for society, whereas 42% of United States adults are unsure whether robotic exoskeleton is good or bad for society. Could this be due to a lack of knowledge regarding technology among the general population? Artificial intelligence is a fairly new concept in society, and we still don’t know everything about it. Although it is controlled by different computer algorithms, there isn’t always someone monitoring the technology, so anything could go wrong at any given moment. Technology is not 100% reliable, and this can be seen in our everyday lives. How many times has your phone died when you needed it? Or did your computer crash? Or do you have no service? Or the program or application you’re using is taking too long to respond? Although artificial intelligence is different and works through computer algorithms, crashes or hacks can still happen, so is technology really that good for our society today? BACK TO TOP

Shea Flannelly POLARIS LITERARY MAGAZINE EDITOR Hello everyone! My name is Shea Flannelly, and I am eager to introduce myself as the Editor-in-Chief of Polaris. My role directly aligns with my deep love for creative writing. Outside of Polaris, I am President of Alliance, Vice President of SADD, a participant in Drama Club, and an active member of SWAC. I am thrilled to look at your submissions and see your unique creations! Your creativity is meaningful, and your art deserves to be seen! I Love the Color Green Shea Flannelly Polaris Read More

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections ENL Buddy Program VSN By Alisson Alas Volume 2 Issue 6 April 14, 2022 Image provided by VSCHSD.ORG The ENL Buddy Program, advised by ENL Department Chair Ms. Swinton, is one of the many clubs offered at North . The ENL Buddy Program offers many activities: Students get to go into ENL classes and do fun and creative activities with the ENL students. Students got to make hallway decorations for World Language Week and participated in this year’s PS I Love You Day event. Students got to go into ENL classrooms and make holiday cards for staff members. Students can help other ENL students feel welcomed to North by helping them get around during their first days in the building. According to Ms. Swinton: “The ENL Buddy program is designed to help new and/or struggling ENL students connect to the North community. Mentors, who are current or former ENL students, work with students individually, visit ENL classrooms and facilitate lessons for students that are designed to build community and also lead after-school activities during meeting time.” For me I think joining this club is an amazing idea since I was a ENL student, I definitely feel like the ENL students feel welcomed to North because they have other students who know how they feel and who are willing to help them get around and get familiar with the environment. According to Ms. Swinton: “Mentors are typically current or former ENL students because they have a shared, lived experience with our newest Spartans. Mentors often also share a similar language and cultural backgrounds with the mentees.” Here's what she said about the activities and plans for the year: “This year, mentors have planned and facilitated classroom lessons that speak to the North's core values of respect, integrity, and kindness. Members of the ENL Buddy Program have also helped to create holiday cards for members of the community, participated in PS I Love You Day by creating positive messages and decorating the school hallway with them and designed flags from around the world in honor of World Language Week.” If you like helping, doing fun and creative activities, have been or are an ENL student, this is the club to join. If you share a similar language and cultural backgrounds with the mentees, you would really be able to make someone's day and transition into our school much easier and get that amazing rush of energy while helping somebody else. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections FALL RECAP Rehmat Kaur Volume 4 Issue 2 January 16, 2024 Image provided by Sophia Songveeratham Boys Volleyball had an undefeated regular season going 16-0 and winning the Conference Championship. They qualified for the playoffs where they lost a hard-fought battle to Great Neck North. Senior Danny Kosior earned All-County honors. Junior Erik Ziemblicki also earned All-County Honors and was named Conference Player of the Year. Girls Volleyball had a conference record of 5-9. They played Bellmore JFK in the playoffs where they lost a hard-fought battle. Alyanna Nadal earned All-County honors, Isabella Feldman and Nattly Lindo both earned All-County Honorable Mention and Cianna Nadal earned All-Conference. They also earned distinction as a NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Team with a team GPA of 93.214. The Girls Varsity Tennis team had 9 wins and 5 losses. Anna Persaud received All Conference and Ella Cason received the USTA Sportsmanship Award. The players performed admirably in all their matches, making the season memorable. They also earned distinction as a NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Team with a team GPA of 93.325. Boys Varsity Cross-Country won the Division Champions with Coach Tim Boyens. Kevin Beltran and Matteo Somma received All-County, while Chamar Borden , Mateusz Grabowski , Frank Polizzi , and Charles Wu received All-Conference for their amazing performance. They also earned distinction as a NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Team with a team GPA of 95.971. Girls Varsity Soccer earned distinction as a NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Team with a team GPA of 91.652. Dayanara Castillo received All-Country, while Lia Giaconelli and Elena Magno earned the All-County Honorable Mention. Claudia Sherman received the All-Conference for her amazing performance. The Boys Varsity Football season was summed up by 2 wins, against Division and Floral Park, and 6 losses. Senior Nicholas Naumov earned the All-County Honorable Mention and Terry Medor received All-Conference. Boys Varsity Soccer player Alexis Avila Bermeo received the All-Country, while Raphael Baez and Joaquin Perez earned All-Conference. District Varsity Girls Swimmer, sophomore Sarah Flynn, received the All-Conference and 100M Butterfly & 200 Medley Relay. Girls Cross Country earned distinction as a NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Team with a team GPA of 93.496. Junior Manal Layachi represented the girls' team at the State-Qualifier Championships at Bethpage State Park on Saturday November 4th, 2023. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Spiral of Ants by Lemon Demon By Stephy Varughese Volume 1 Issue 6 March 18, 2021 Image provided by Onedio Spiral of Ants - YouTube Over and over The pheromones, the overwhelming harmony Consuming the colony The Circle rules your life Chop, chop! Don't want to be late Lift up and carry your weight You've got no choice but to dance in a spiral of ants True bugs might laugh in your face Don't fret, you're leading the race Don't let the bastards step on your hands in a spiral of ants You can't remember where you came from (In a spiral of ants) You can't remember where you're going (In a spiral of ants) You can't remember knowing You are one ant Over, it's over The pheromones, the self-avoiding odyssey Consuming the colony The Circle rules your life Now, now! Don't run out of breath Don't feel surrounded by death, no Take the wheel, this could be your chance, in a spiral of ants False bugs, you'll soon be alone See how they drop like a stone You're free now forever to dance in a spiral of ants. Now you remember where you came from (From a spiral of ants) Now you remember where you're going (To a spiral of ants) You've got to keep it flowing. You are one ant (Over, over, over) Over and over The pheromones, the overwhelming harmony Consuming the colony Creating its own gravity Before we knew it, we became a hurricane. And the bugs who laughed got blown away. As we proclaimed: The Circle rules your life _______________________________________ Lemon Demon is a band made by internet star Neil Cicirega. Cicirega had been on the internet making funny videos like “The Harry Potter Puppet Pals,” Ultimate Showdown, random skits, and of course, Lemon Demon, since the late 2000’s and as a teenager. The song “Spiral of Ants” comes from one of his more recent albums, Spirit Phone , which focuses on strange phenomena in history, mixed with a story. I highly recommend listening to his music if you like weird indie songs and overall randomness with upbeat tunes. Spirit Phone is a great starter album if you are interested. The title “Spiral Ants” is a natural phenomenon that happens in real life to a certain species of ant. There are ants called Army Ants who, unlike other species of ant, are completely blind. This is because of their compound eyes that are used to sense light activity instead of sight. However, because of this, these army ants have a tough time sensing each other out. The solution to this problem is releasing specific pheromones so that the ant before them can sense their pheromone and vice versa. When the scent of the last ant gets lost, the ant before that ant gets confused and get cut off from the main pack. The ants then look over and over, following the wrong trail which makes them walk in a never-ending spiral. Because they aren’t aware that they are walking this spiral, they keep walking thinking that they are reaching their destination. This leads to them walking till they eventually die. This is called the Death Spiral or, in this case, the Spiral of Ants. The speaker is never mentioned in the song, but we can assume that the speaker is a high being or just a disembodied figure. This is proven by the speaker speaking directly about you especially in line 20 “Now, now! Don't run out of breath” and the constant use of “you’re” in the chorus. Repeatedly in the song, the speaker tells “you” which is to assume is the listener. Also, in the song, they refer to the listener as “one ant”. This would mean that we are considered “ants.” The tone of the song sounds repetitive, mysterious, and collected in the beginning then goes into a very upbeat tune while still keeping the same unsettling vibe. “Before we knew it, we became a hurricane” is a metaphor that compares ants to a hurricane. This whole song in itself however is a metaphor in itself because it's comparing us people the spiral of ants. The song’s theme or the message is that despite living in and endless death loop, you’ll always be part of society. What I mean by this is that the “spiral” represents society, and the ant, you. The song starts you off with an omen-type tone as if you were not there at all, yet everything is still in shape. In lines five though eleven, the song hurries you up as if to say, “Come on, it's time to start your life!” Everything in the tone feels like you are new, unfazed by death or harm. This is supported in the lines when “you can’t remember where you are going” or “you don’t know where you came from.” This proves that at this stage, you simply are naïve about how the “spiral” is. Like how they, “you are one ant” like, you are only just a person existing. Then when it says “true bugs might laugh in your face”, they are referring to people outside of your life or people who try to weigh you down. This is confirmed later in the song where it says, “And the bugs who laughed got blown away.” This shows that despite people weighing you down and making fun of status, they aren’t in a worse situation as you. This also shows the change you felt before about the outside bugs changed when you got more engulfed into the spiral for in the beginning, these bugs were called “true bugs” while later in the song, these true bugs were now called “fake bugs.” By the second verse, the sudden realization that you are being controlled by society kicks in. Especially when the speaker says, “don’t feel surrounded by death.” You are now realizing the reality of it all, yet you try to get ahold of yourself and be a leader since “it could be your chance in the Spiral of Ants.” Later on, as stated previously, all the true bugs become false bugs as you realize that the true bugs you looked up to aren’t the same bugs anymore. The chorus of the song, however, brings this statement farther up by saying that you know where you are going and doing yet all in all, you are still just an ant. Yet you work and work to keep that spiral going. Then the repetitiveness of “over” really hits hard on this sad outcome of life. Then reaching the last chorus, we see the noticeability of the destruction of life. The overwhelming harmony of society that “consumes” the colony still goes on and on from the moment you were born till now. The remaining lines reflect how chaotic and crazy everything is to you as even society makes “its own gravity.” Everything is swirling around like a hurricane and all scattered in a mess. However, in the last two lines, it shows that despite it all, the circle still rules your life and repeats itself over and over again. BACK TO TOP

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