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Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections FAFSA Overview Rachel Ezeadichie Volume 4 Issue 4 May 29, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching College is a wonderful opportunity to continue one’s educational journey and learn more about oneself and what opportunities lie ahead. Attending college, however, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars without scholarships or financial aid. This leads many students to apply for state and federal financial aid through the FAFSA form. FAFSA or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form is a form that students need to complete each year to receive financial aid for college. The form helps determine eligibility for financial aid and gives students access to financial assistance through grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and loans. The FAFSA form helps students by allowing them to apply for financial aid to assist them with college payments. It asks for information regarding the student’s and their family’s financial status, personal information, and other details to determine eligibility. This information is sent to the colleges of a student’s choice and each college decides the amount of aid given, if any. Some information needed to complete the form includes a social security number, federal income tax return, and W-2 forms. It is recommended to create a FSA ID (Federal Student Aid Identification) as it is needed to renew the FAFSA each year. The form itself takes about an hour to fill out and can be submitted online, mailed, or submitted through your college of choice. After the form is submitted, students receive a SAR (Student Aid Report) that reviews the information provided and an EFC (Expected Family Contribution), an index number that determines eligibility for federal aid. Completing the FAFSA offers many benefits and has become a crucial step in the college process for many. Although tedious and complicated at times, this form allows more students to receive the assistance they need and gives many people access to the resources they need to further their education. It serves as a gateway to new opportunities, and it should be utilized as such. If you are having difficulties with the form or do not understand parts of it, talk to a teacher or guidance counselor or visit the official website at studentaid.gov . With the FAFSA, students are paving the way for a more affordable education, one step at a time. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections The Enemy That Should Be a Friend – The College Essay Ismaela Andre Volume 4 Issue 1 November 6, 2023 Image provided by BibGuru Many seniors must write a 650-word personal statement. This is usually referred to as “the college essay.” Once they hear this they think, “Oh that’s not too bad.” However, once their teacher says, “It has to be about you,” they instantly complain or get lost. Little do they know, the college essay is a gift, not a nuisance. The college essay allows students to showcase their unique personalities and experiences. Even though your grades and standardized test scores provide a glimpse of your academic abilities, the essay showcases your character, passions, and personal growth. It helps colleges paint a picture of who you are and what you aspire to become. This personal touch usually humanizes an application by transforming a set of statistics into an aspiring student. College essays also empower students to tell their own stories. Personally, it helped me dive deeper into a past incident. It allowed me to voice an aspect of myself that makes me who I am. The college essay offers opportunities for you to discuss your life experiences, challenges you have overcome, or unique perspectives on the world. In doing so, it promotes diversity and inclusion, as it enables those from various backgrounds to share narratives and enrich the campus community with their distinct viewpoints. Another positive is that it encourages you to think deeply about your aspirations and goals. Crafting a personal statement forces you to clarify your values, beliefs, and the impact you wish to make in the world. Personally, this process was transformative for me because it further showed how much I love to support my peers and others. I learned more about who I am and what I wanted while writing this personal statement. The college essay is much more than a mere requirement; it is a benefit that serves the interests of both you and the admissions committees. It offers you the chance to express yourself, share your story, and explore your narrative creativity and true goals. Simultaneously, it aids admissions officers in making informed decisions and building diverse, vibrant campus communities. Even though the college essay seems daunting, its positives far outweigh any negatives. Therefore, it should be embraced as an opportunity for growth, expression, and self-discovery, for both applicants and institutions alike. When you start writing, it can be hard to stop and before you know it, you will have over 650 words! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections Editorial: To Fear or Not  By Shinedip Kundlas Volume 3 Issue 4 May 18, 2023 Image provided by iStock The human psyche is made up of complex structures of thoughts, actions, and emotions which make up the human conscious and unconscious. As the human psyche influences a thought, an action, and certain behavior, the emotion of fear also similarly influences the human psyche. Humans and nonhumans alike experience fear, one of our strongest and most primal emotions. Whether it be arachnophobia or pogonophobia, fear causes everyone to act a certain way when dealing with situations. Fear affects the human psyche for it influences abnormal behavior and responses from an individual. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on humans not only financially but mentally as well. Amid the outbreak, people started to panic buy and loaded up on supplies. As Americans faced the possibility of a lengthy stay at home, toilet paper demand increased dramatically and so did their fear of a supply shortage. In the face of fear, individuals turn to different behavioral patterns than normal such as panic buying. This fear influences abnormal behavior such as the unnecessary buying and overloading of toilet paper. This abnormal behavior caused by fear can also be seen in other situations such as natural disasters or storms. When the news channel broadcasts that there is going to be a superstorm or hurricane hitting a person’s town, that person and along with many will run to the nearest grocery store to load on water, bread, canned goods, etc. News channels will often show empty grocery store shelves and aisles with a single person with 3 carts full of supplies. These situations demonstrate how fear, can drive a person to do abnormal things such as load up on abnormal numbers of food and supplies. The process of fear starts with a frightening stimulus and ends with the body preparing for its own protection. There's nothing more frightening than hearing a door slam in an empty apartment, sensing a knife pressing against your neck, or for some, seeing a spider. For some people, a fear of a spider may trigger abnormal responses. For instance, a person who has arachnophobia jumps in fear as they see a spider skittering across their bedroom floor. Now, that same fear response will trigger every time the person comes into their room, fearful of that spider. The person will make sure they don’t enter that room until they are sure the spider is gone or every time, they look at their bedroom floor, they will confuse other things for the spider. Some individuals who suffer from extreme arachnophobia are so afraid of spiders that they cannot even go into their basements or garages for fear of finding one there. In order to avoid dealing with spiders, they will actually leave the house when they encounter one. This may seem abnormal to some, however, the person who suffers from this fear, has this fear not only affecting their behavior but other aspects of their psych emotions as well. Fear is an aspect of life where the human psyche can either be positively or negatively affected. The constant fear causes abnormal thoughts and behavior which can lead to negative impacts on the human mind. The psyche of an individual is very sensitive and complex and the simplest thing as fear, can affect it to major extents. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Portrait Back to Sections Fairy Light By Sienna Munro January 20, 2021 Photography Volume 1 Issue 4

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections The Science of Studying By Alyssa Garufi and Hannah Lee Volume 2 Issue 6 April 14, 2022 Image provided by IStockPhoto Dear VSN students,  How do you study? With APs, regents, and finals coming up, it is important to master your studying technique to achieve higher grades on your assessments. Reading over notes and class materials repeatedly seems to be the first scenario that comes to mind when you hear the word “study.” However, according to scientific studies, this repetitive action of rereading notes and drilling random information into our brains tends to “go in one ear and out the other." Science shows us that our brains work best when we truly understand the topic rather than simply memorizing information that does not logically make sense to us. The way we can optimize the capabilities of our minds is through - just like learning how to ride a bike - trial and error. The more we challenge and quiz our brains, the better prepared our brains will be.  Chances are you have been taught that studying through repetition works, right? Wrong . One of the biggest misconceptions in students is that repetition is a valuable way of studying. However, scientists have found that repetition is not as effective as we have been led to believe. In fact, Ed DeLosh, an associate professor at Colorado State University, has found that “might be the worst [method] compared to a variety of strategies you might use.” In addition, we have also been taught to stick to our learning style and not stray from what works best. Turns out that is false as well. It may be better for us to deviate from our usual methods and try out new strategies. According to DeLosh, struggling while learning “actually has benefits for long-term learning.” One such strategy that has been scientifically proven effective is quizzing yourself. Typically, we perceive quizzes and tests as methods to evaluate the progress of a student from the beginning of the year. However, DeLosh’s research shows that “quizzing is actually among the best ways to prime the brain to remember material in the future.” In DeLosh’s class, students take quizzes on a weekly basis - but don’t be alarmed. These quizzes aren’t meant to place pressure on students in terms of grades. In fact, every quiz is open-book and students tend to do well on all of them. Each quiz tests a similar concept but has variations of questions. By answering varying questions on the same topic, students learn to master the concepts that DeLosh quizzes them on. Not only does this help his pupils learn the material, but it also gives them good grades and helps them study periodically rather than cramming everything at the end of the year. In the end, his students were very successful in mastering the course. DeLosh’s study shows us that quizzing is, in fact, a highly effective method of studying for tests. So, the next time you are studying for a big exam, gather a couple of your friends and quiz each other on the topics. While quizzing strategies help optimize the capabilities of our brain, without the motivation to take on quizzes, the information present will be of little help to most of us. You must strive to not only take on the best studying strategies, but consider strategies that are best for you ! A “perfect” studying schedule is different for each individual and it is important to try different methods of studying to find which works best and gives you the most motivation. Joshua Robinson, a Wall Street Journal reporter, states that listening to music while studying does aid your memory and improve attention, allowing you to grasp the information more. The next time you are not motivated to sit down and take practice tests, listen to your favorite song, and use it to make studying a bit less intimidating. If music is too distracting to you, try to find a change of scenery instead. Sometimes sitting alone in your room trying to study leads to distractions. Instead, bring your books outside, or to a library, or even just another room in your house. According to Cory Stieg, a Health and Wellness reporter from Make It , changing settings while studying can boost your overall wellbeing and mood, allowing you to do better on exams.  Now you know you can study effectively. You have hopefully learned a handful of new and effective studying strategies for your upcoming test, so go out and try to use some of these methods! With a ton of tests coming up, implementing these studying strategies may help you improve a lot. Remember, do not stress yourself out too much over tests and exams. You’ve got this!  Best of luck,  Hannah and Alyssa 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 Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections COPPA Compliance and the Importance of Internet Safety By Rachel Ezeadichie Volume 3 Issue 2 December 23, 2022 Image provided by Termly Have you ever wondered how safe you were on the internet? How much information were websites taking and why? How safe is your information on the internet? Certain rules have been put in place to ensure the safety of you and your information. In particular, children’s information has been the focus of government officials and lawmakers. COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rules) is a set of rules and regulations in place for online companies that market towards children under 13 years of age. COPPA was originally written out and suggested in 1998 due to a growth in companies that targeted children. COPPA was only enacted in 2000 and has seen multiple reviews and updates since then from 2001-2022 by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). COPPA applies certain rules to websites and companies that are directed towards or collect the information of children under 13 years of age. If COPPA applies to a company, certain information needs to be included in the company’s privacy policy. Namely, the type of information taken and its reason for use. Additionally, parental consent is required in terms of seeking a child’s information. Personal information cannot be taken for longer than it is being used and data collected must be under careful supervision when in use and when it is discarded. Websites can only share the information with third-party operators’ who can ensure its safety and confidentiality. Parental consent and confidentiality of information are very important and are top priorities of the FTC when it comes to COPPA and the internet in general. So, you can rest easy knowing that your information is federally protected. Safety is one of the first components to be considered while surfing the web. While the internet is a fun place, it is also a dangerous one. Therefore, it is crucial to be aware of your interactions on the internet. Going to dangerous websites jeopardizes your safety, your computer’s safety, and the safety of people around you. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections National Issues Interconnecting Locally By Cody Sung Volume 1 Issue 6 March 18, 2021 Image provided by Texas Creative All countries change, including the United States. Changes and problems are going on nationally that also are going on locally. Here are three of them: diversifying suburbs, overcrowded hospitals due to the pandemic, and sea level rise. All of these can be seen locally as well as in places across the country. Let’s first start off with something in the present: overcrowded hospitals due to the coronavirus pandemic. This has been a problem affecting the entire country, as hard-hit areas are overfilled, causing a shortage of medical resources and more deaths resulting from it. As I’m writing this, in East Meadow, in this very county, there is a 96% ICU occupancy, similar to some of the rates we saw last year in hard-hit areas in the nation. In fact, in Brooklyn, a hospital has its ICU full . Suburbs with and without hospitals across the nation are getting more diverse while this is going on. In a generation, suburbs are more diverse than ever. My colleagues’ parents lived in an Italian community suburb of NYC. Now, that community/suburb has more diversity than before. More minorities now live in suburbs than in urban centers, not only locally, but nationally. This is changing politics there, as seen in the 2018 midterms and 2020 elections with many more Democratic votes cast. But those suburbs might be underwater soon. Sea level rise: the biggest challenge to coastal areas in the near future. Water levels worldwide may rise by up to 8 feet by 2100. This means that Long Beach would be wiped off the map, along with places such as JFK International Airport. This will affect places from Miami to the Bay Area, as it is a national and worldwide problem. Worse, flooding will be more severe and humans would have to live deeper inland due to this. These are things that we not only can see nationally, but locally too. This is the reason why national politics can affect us locally, as problems nationally will affect Long Island. So next time a national election comes, go vote, as it can truly affect your community, as there is a connection between the local stage and the national stage. Sources: The New York Times How Full Are Hospital I.C.U.s Near You? - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Bloomberg The Changing Demographics of America's Suburbs - Bloomberg www.climate.gov Climate Change: Global Sea Level | NOAA Climate.gov Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts (noaa.gov) How Full Are Hospital I.C.U.s Near You? See how many Covid-19 patients are being treated, and how many I.C.U. beds remain available, at individual U.S. hospitals. www.nytimes.com BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections A Divided America: Can We Actually “Build Back Better”? By Craig Papajohn-Shaw Volume 1 Issue 2 November 24, 2020 Image provided by POSO It’s over. At approximately 11:30 AM on Saturday, November 7th, the state of Pennsylvania, with its 20 electoral votes, was declared to 77-year-old, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., putting him over the 270 threshold of electoral votes needed to win the presidency. He would be announced as the future 46th President of the United States with his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, being declared the future 49th Vice President of the United States. Former Vice President Biden would only be the second practicing Catholic elected as President, and Senator Harris would be the first woman in the position of Vice President. This is not to mention Harris is of Black Caribbean and South Asian descent, which makes another first for an American VP. While this is a monumental win for Democrats, the results of the Senate and House races have made Americans, especially Democrats, question whether the country can actually “Build Back Better,” as well as whether the varying political visions of the Democrats caused the party to lose seats in the House. The infighting of the Democratic Party has been an issue over the last decade, recently exemplified when 29 Democrats, across the large spectrum of the party’s beliefs, ran to become the Presidential nominee for the party. The large spectrum of democrats includes the progressive, liberal, and centrist (or moderate) wings. In this election, the Republicans flipped 11 seats in the house for a net gain of eight, with 8 races yet to be called (As of 11/19/20). Polling suggested Democrats were supposed to gain 10-15 seats, but rather, they lost seats, putting Nancy Pelosi’s position as Speaker of the House in peril. The weakened majority in the House came as a shock to Democrats and Republicans alike. The progressive wing of the party was blamed for these losses based on polling, proving that the Democratic party is not shifting as much left as polls suggested. Many centrist Democrats pointed fingers at Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, saying that her self-described democratic socialist agenda caused voters to turn away from the Democratic ticket in the down-ballot races. Even some members of the progressive caucus such as California Representative Jared Huffman (CA-2) concurred, stating, “I think Republicans did get some traction trying to scare people on this ‘socialist narrative.’” The results of the House races gave implications that Americans do not agree on policies such as Medicare for All (abolishing privatized healthcare), defunding the police, abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and a federal job guarantee. Representative Connor Lamb (PA-17), a centrist Democrat, claimed the progressive policies are “unrealistic” and that the false promises being made, cost Democrats in key races. He further went on to say that the Biden administration should keep the progressives at arm’s length. Additionally, moderate Republican and former Ohio Governor, John Kasich, who supported the Biden-Harris ticket, bluntly stated, “The Democrats have to make it clear to the far-left that they almost cost him this election.” The multiple accusations generated a defensive response from Representative Ocasio-Cortez stating to the Times , “I don't even know if I want to be in politics.” The deflection from the Congresswoman reflected the division within the Democratic party and displayed how the many sides of the party cannot seem to be, let alone act unified. Former Vice President Biden has pledged that he will be a president for all Americans, not just those who voted for him. However, the divide within his own party might make it difficult for him to reunite the heavily divided nation. This becomes especially challenging with a divided Congress. The Democrats have a slim majority in the House, while the Republicans have a 50-48 majority in the Senate (as of 11/19/20), with two runoff races in Georgia taking place in January that will determine which party has the majority in the Senate. With President Trump refusing to concede, a smooth transition of power is unlikely to happen based on Tweets that he has sent. The lame-duck President has retweeted multiple times, “WE WILL WIN,” even though all major media outlets made the call that the former Vice President would be the projected 46th President. The former Vice-President will have adversities to overcome, no matter the circumstances in Congress. In order to “Build Back Better”, Joe Biden will need to reach across the aisle to work with both parties to amend the great divide in our country. The Biden-Harris Administration will be responsible for establishing new precedents for future generations. The former Vice President is known for his ability for working with the Republican Party, which is reassuring in our currently divided nation. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Art Back to Sections The Long Island Arts Alliance Scholar Artist: Alena Moreira By Sophia Rhall Volume 1 Issue 1 November 1, 2020 Original artwork by Alena Moreira The Long Island Arts Alliance, or LIAA, is an organization that supports nonprofit arts, as well as arts education across Long Island. The Scholar Artist award is a prestigious one given to the “best of the best” on Long Island each year. This year's Scholar Artist is our very own Alena Moreira! The Scholar Artist award is in collaboration with Newsday, and the New York County Bank Foundation, so the Valley Stream North community can watch our talented peer appear in Newsday to represent her gorgeous art and represent our community of artists here at our school. Alena is a senior at North High School who has been creating art since she was very young. Since her mom was a graphic designer, art was constantly surrounding her, fueling her passion for it. Alena began submitting to art exhibits in elementary school and moved on to competitions in her sophomore year. According to Alena, her favorite thing about art is that it can “mean different things to different people, but also art can realize the imaginary,” which is what Alena loves most about her creations. As a Visual Arts category applicant, Alena was required to put together her artistic “resume” and her artistic demonstration, a portfolio of ten of her works. She is conflicted about how she wants her art to manifest in her life but wants to help others with it rather than just display it. It’s very easy to tell that Alena will accomplish this and so much more, and we are all extremely excited to see it! BACK TO TOP