Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Meatless Monday! By Samantha Altieri Volume 1 Issue 6 March 18, 2021 Image provided by The Monday Campaigns Join the Ecology Club and participate in Meatless Monday, an international effort with a goal to encourage people to eat meat-free meals on Mondays to improve both their personal health and the Earth’s health. Eating just one meatless meal a week can even reduce your chances of developing diseases such as Type-2 Diabetes or obesity, which often go hand in hand. The idea of Meatless Monday was first introduced during World War I in an effort to reduce meat consumption which would help the war effort in terms of rationing food. The Ecology Club’s goal is to promote environmental awareness, as well as highlight ways we can create a healthier environment here at VSN. It is thought that global mass consumption of animal foods is hurting our ecosystems and climate. Raising livestock, or meat products, for human consumption requires more land, water, and energy compared to growing plants. It takes the same amount of energy to produce one hamburger as it does to take 36 showers! Raising animals for food also requires massive amounts of plant crops to feed these animals. Beyond the resources required to raise animals for food, livestock such as cows emit large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that greatly contributes to climate change. Skipping one serving of meat for 52 meals a year (only 1 meal a week!) saves the equivalent emissions of CO2 to driving 348 miles in a car ! The Ecology Club members, along with advisor and science teacher Mrs. Restuccio, have been participating in Meatless Mondays for weeks now. There are many delicious meal ideas for a Meatless Monday such as: Veggie burgers Pasta and sauce Smoothies Grilled Cheese Vegetable soup Salads Cereal Pizza Avocado toast Chickpea meatloaf Meat alternative sausage (like Beyond Meat) & peppers We hope you will consider joining the Ecology Club in participating in Meatless Monday! Every small action by individuals, even if they don’t seem like they are doing very much, can lead to helping the environment in big ways if we do it together! BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Lights On for Education Back to Sections Sarah Wilder - Lights On for Education By Sarah Wilder April 22, 2021 Marker Volume 1 Issue 7

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections MLB 2021 Season By Leah Ally Volume 2 Issue 3 January 14, 2022 Image provided by Sport Vault MLB The MLB (Major League Baseball) season is over, meaning that one of the most memorable campaigns in recent memory has ended. There were hundreds of unforgettable events this season, from a shocking trade deadline to the continued struggle of playing through a worldwide pandemic. Starting with the 2021 trade deadline, the MLB faced a dramatic shift with 80 players trading teams as deals were consistently developing. As trades progressed, news updates were nonstop, with transactions left and right. Almost every star player who could have been available had secured a deal—some for more apparent reasons. A total of ten players had been through trades in the same season they were to be on the All-Star team, which was record-setting. Kris Bryant, Trea Turner, and Joey Gallo were among those that took part. The Chicago Cubs were one of the busiest teams during the trade deadline as they offloaded a staggering number of top players, including notable names like Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez. As we all know, COVID-19 has affected every one of us one way or another, including the sports industry. Coming back from a brief 2020 season, during which no spectators were allowed at any MLB games, along with the risk of progressing throughout the season, 2021 sought improvement for both fans and players. Following 2020, stadiums implemented suitable procedures to effectively follow CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and accommodate fans/players, even to the point of many stadiums having the ability to carry out audience capacity. Although thorough protocols had been put into place, surges in covid cases throughout the season caused dozens of games to be postponed and became a health concern among numerous teams. An appropriate example is the 167 positive Covid cases that had reached players on 28 MLB teams, apart from the A’s and Rangers that had astonishingly achieved 0 throughout the season. To wrap up this unpredictable yet exhilarating season, The World Series took place between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros. It would later end in 6 games as the Braves claimed their second championship since relocating to Atlanta. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Art & Culture Back to Sections First Day of School Traditions Around the World By Carolina Grace Figueroa Volume 2 Issue 1 October 8, 2021 Image provided by Little Passports Schools around the globe have different start dates, calendars, and traditions. The first day of a new term at school is an exciting time filled with prospects of gaining more knowledge, making new friends, and building community. I enjoy learning about different cultures and found some fascinating traditions to mark the start of the school year in other countries. Children from other countries celebrate back to school in fun, different, and exciting ways. First-day back-to-school traditions from around the world include: In Japan, parents traditionally send their kids a lunch of rice, seaweed sauce, and quail eggs on the first day of school. This symbolizes good luck for the new school year. Children also receive a stiff, hard-sided backpack (called randoseru ) as a present on their first day of elementary school to carry all their school supplies. The randoseru helps form a kind of cultural unity and bond that brings the kids together. In Indonesia, the focus of the first day of school is to help children get acquainted and make new friends rather than getting right into academic lessons. Schools use this first day to organize kids into social peer groups for fun activities and as an orientation for students to get to know each other. This creates a sense of community environment for them. In India, the first day of school (called praveshanolsavam , or “Admissions Day”) also coincides with the beginning of the rainy, monsoon season. Parents often give their children unique gifts, including a brand-new umbrella, along with other fun goodies. In Germany, on the first day of school, parents often give their children a schultuete (“school cone”), which is a giant paper, plastic, or cone-shaped cardboard package that is decorated and filled to the brim with school supplies, candies, treats and other small gifts. This marks new beginnings and is given to make the children’s new school year a little sweeter! In Italy, children wear a “work smock” or “work coat” (called grembiule ) over their clothes in primary school. In Kindergarten, girls wear pink and red checkers, while boys wear blue and white checkers. After first grade, the smocks are a deep blue color. The children must also wear a specific color of ribbon to indicate what grade they are in. In Kazakhstan, each child brings a single flower to their new teacher on the first day of school. The teacher then gathers all the flowers together to make one large bouquet for the classroom. Parents also give their children a present containing sweets, a pencil, and a candle. Teachers and parents arrange a friend’s ceremony and food-feast so students can get together to make new friends. In Holland, children are transported safely in an eco-friendly cargo bike (called bakfietsen ) on the first day of school. This cargo bike consists of a large box, cart, or basket with wheels attached to the front of an adult bike. What a fun way to be transported to school! In Vietnam, students are dressed and ready to perform for their family, friends, and local officials that have gathered to send them off on the first day of school. After the colorful ceremonies, this nationwide festival holds traditional games and artistic performances for the children to enjoy together. In Russia, the first day of school is known as “Knowledge and Skills Day,” when a traditional ceremony of the “first bell” is held, where one of the younger girls is hoisted up onto the shoulders of an older boy who carries her around the line of students as she rings the first bell to mark the start of school. The children must wear formal attire to school. Children also often bring a fresh flower bouquet for their teacher and receive a balloon in return. In America, children wear a brand new first day of school outfit and pose for a picture, sometimes holding a sign which has the school year or grade they are entering written on it. Taken every year on the first day of school, these photos mark how much the child has grown and progressed from year to year. Parents may also complete the first day of school interview page, like an “All About Me” questionnaire, with their child or leave lunchbox love notes as a surprise! The start of the new school year around the world has, of course, been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic this year. Every school year, the beginning of a new grade gives children an opportunity for a fresh start and to set new goals for themselves, either socially, academically, athletically, or personally. Each first day of school is such a milestone in children’s lives and always a memorable moment. Good luck to every student worldwide on their first day back to school for this new school year! Hopefully, these first days back to school, cultural ceremonies, and traditions will see a more sense of normalcy next year. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Claudette Colvin, the Girl Who Made History Before Rosa Parks By Shinedip Kundlas Volume 1 Issue 5 February 12, 2021 Image provided by the BBC Most people remember Rosa Parks as the first black woman to refuse to give up her bus seat to a white man. However, many Americans are unaware of the fifteen-year-old black girl who did the same nine months prior to Rosa Parks's arrest. Her name was Claudette Colvin. Colvin was a young black woman who grew up in a poor black neighborhood in Montgomery, Alabama. It all started when Colvin was laughed at by a white boy while she was in the store with her mother. She began to put her hands up and tell him that despite having different skin tones they were really the same. She was slapped by her mother and told to never touch a white person again. After that, she became well aware of the Jim Crow laws and knew she had to be on guarded behavior in public. She attended an all-black school which taught children about black history including famous black Americans. Her teachers thought that African Americans and their legacies weren’t talked about enough in teaching American history. Colvin soon started to look up to Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth to learn more about black historical figures. On March 2nd, 1955, Colvin and her friends were going to take the city bus home from school that day. They sat behind the first five rows which were reserved for white people. A white woman proceeded to walk in after the girls and had nowhere to sit. The bus driver made Colvin and her friends get up. Claudette’s friends got up; however, she herself refused. She remained seated as she remembered her favorite famous black Americans. After she had refused multiple times, a traffic officer was called by the bus driver. Claudette was then asked again why she wouldn't get up, she said it was her constitutional right. The police were called, and they kicked her, threw her books on the floor, and dragged her into the police car. Claudette Colvin became the first black woman arrested for challenging segregation laws. She was called racist and sexist names by the police and was arrested. However, she was soon let out after her minister paid her bail. Soon Claudette started to get bullied by her classmates, and parents told their kids she was crazy. Her experience made her into the historical figure she is today. We can only thank her for her contributions and her heroic actions. However, Colvin thinks her achievements have been greatly forgotten. Many remember Rosa Parks for what she did because she was a lighter middle-class woman while Colvin was a poor and darker colored young girl. Although Rosa Parks's arrest overshadowed Claudette Colvin's arrest, she will still be remembered for her bravery. Her arrest led to the segregation of the Montgomery buses becoming illegal just by testifying in the Browder v. Gayle case. This soon led to the end of many human rights violations of blacks in Alabama and other states.  The stories of MLK and Rosa Parks are very encouraging, but those were the stories of people in their 40s and 50s. Claudette was just 15. Her story should inspire many teens, but Colvin has been largely forgotten. This is why it is important for us to teach our students the broader truths about black history and to remember the lesser known, but still historic figures like Claudette Colvin. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Beauty in Nature Back to Sections Fence By Quinn O'Connor February 10, 2022 Photography Volume 2 Issue 4

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections A James Bond Review: A Journey Jasmine Roberts Volume 5 Issue 2 November 25, 2024 Image Provided by Max Ching James Bond will always have a lasting impact on film culture. With its iconic intro illustrating the silhouette of the titular Bond walking across the screen as a gun barrel tracks his every stride, ready for the kill. Only for the masterful 007 to pull from his person, his very own smooth, black Walther PPK to hinder the perpetrator, nothing but scarlet blood dripping down a fuzzy screen. Most can recognize the phrase “Shaken, not stirred” uttered by the suave debonair that is Sean Connery, or if one is a fan of all that is Bond. Maybe they wished for an exact replica of the silver Aston Martin DB5 driven by Bond in Goldfinger. Some might desire to gallant with 007, as a beautiful, yet savvy, Bond Girl or as a siren to entrap him and kill him for SPECTRE, the terrorist organization after Bond. During the Summer, my mother and I found ourselves driven to obsession by the Daniel Craig Bond movies, the British actor being one out of seven who have played the secret agent. Amongst the quiet hours of night, we could be found in amazement at the quick wit of sardonic British humor and the profound family of MI6 shared by Bond, Moneypenny, Q, M, and even the eclectic villains orbiting the franchise. Or the way the filmography falls deeply in love with the elegant and traditional environment of James Bond’s England, forming a lush and utterly beautiful film to watch. We could also be found crying at the struggles faced by Daniel Craig's Bond. Never have my eyes felt more underwater than when Bond sacrificed himself for who he loved and subsequent lighting a guiding will-o’-the-wisp for a new Bond to emerge, as is tradition. Yet, the exploration of Bond began to tickle a certain curiosity in me. I have always had a love for the unlabored sophistication of Bond, no matter his era. Dreams lingered in my mind of Cuban cigarettes and aged wine, bespoke of suits, and legacy sports cars. When I decided to begin my journey through Bond by beginning at the first of the twenty-five movies, with Dr. No, I knew from there, my ability to turn back was forever gone from me. I finally understood, I would conquer Bond to its pinnacle. I would not consider Dr. No my favorite of the films I have watched. It has a multitude of issues, such as plot progression, unnecessary behaviors, and nullified thrills. Despite this. it was a good start in Jamaica, where the original Ian Fleming novels were written. I understood where the adaptation was planning on taking me, and I certainly liked it. But I must say that Goldfinger , the third of the films, has shown why it is the most beloved and highly rated of the Bond Films, as it is the exact opposite of my problems with Dr. No. This article was not only a review of the Bond Films, but an explanation to understand why I love them so much and my thought process in dissecting further films. Nonetheless, if all I have said entices you in anyway, then I think it would be most prudent to quickly watch the films from Connery to Craig, as James Bond is a busy man on a mission to save the world. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Back to Sections Nora Chery By Nora Chery November 7, 2022 Volume 3 Issue 1

Back to Artwork Line Back to Sections Lillian Dolan - What is Line - 7 By Lillian Dolan November 1, 2020 Photography Volume 1 Issue 1

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Groundhog Day Wardah Khizer Volume 6 Issue 3 Image Provided by Mohammad Arshad The North American tradition of Groundhog Day is celebrated every year on February 2nd. This day dictates that if groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow at Gobbler's Knob, six more weeks of winter follow. This year, when Phil emerged from his burrow, he saw his shadow. The “President of the Inner Circle [the group responsible for planning events and caring for Phil] and groundhog interpreter Tom Dunkel listened to [Phil] carefully, and the prediction was announced: Six more weeks of winter” (USA Today). The Origins of Groundhog Day Groundhog Day grew out of old European traditions where people looked to animals, such as badgers and bears, to predict how long winter would last. These old traditions blended with the Christian holiday of Candlemas, which used the weather on February 2nd to forecast the coming season, and with the Celtic festival Imbolc, another mid-winter marker tied to seasonal change. When German settlers came to Pennsylvania in the 1700s, they brought these beliefs with them and swapped the European animals for the local groundhog. The town of Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania eventually became the center of the tradition. In 1886, a local newspaper editor, Clymer H. Freas, helped turn it into the event we know today as “he proclaimed Punxsutawney Phil, the local groundhog, to be the one and only official weather forecasting groundhog” (National Weather Service). Now, the tradition has spread widely, and thousands of people watch Phil make his annual weather prediction. Punxsutawney Phil’s Immortality Groundhogs can live until they are 6 years old, but Phil has been making predictions since 1886, which makes him 140 years old. His secret to longevity is quite unique: Phil drinks a magic elixir on the first Saturday in September, adding seven years to his life for every drink he takes. The President of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club states that “The magic Elixir is something super-secret, it’s been handed down from handler to handler through the years, it’s a concoction of a lot of different herbs and spices and some super-secret formulas that only the handler knows” (WETM). How accurate are Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions? CBS News claims that “Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog, not a meteorologist. Between 2013 and 2023, he saw his shadow seven times, and of those seven, he was correct only once.” As of 2025, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration claims that Phil is the 17th most accurate weather-predicting groundhog with 35% accuracy. Staten Island Chuck took first place with 85% accuracy. Although Chuck is dependable for weather predictions, “his behavior can be a bit unpredictable. He once bit the hand of the Mayor of New York City” (NOAA). At the end of the day, Punxsutawney Phil does not need to be accurate to hold a special place in people's hearts. Sources: Did the groundhog see his shadow? Results of Phil's 2026 prediction Groundhog Day: Ancient Origins of a Modern Celebration | Folklife Today Ground Hog History How accurate are Punxsutawney Phil's Groundhog Day predictions? Here's how he ranks in 2026. - CBS News At 137 years old, Punxsutawney Phil has a secret to living forever BACK TO TOP