Back to Artwork Line Back to Sections Lillian Dolan - What is Line - 1 By Lillian Dolan November 1, 2020 Photography Volume 1 Issue 1 This picture displays the lines on a manhole cover. It was taken at around noon.

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Sisters By Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 2 Issue 4 February 10, 2022 Image provided by Vector Shock My sister shines so bright Whenever we step out on a night She glows like a firefly I love how she isn't shy Because she's bursting with ideas so divine No wonder why my parents named her shine Brighter than the sun My sister always makes sure we have fun Her writing makes people wonder Why their writing doesn't bring that thunder She's bursting with ideas so divine No wonder why my parents named her shine Tennis and badminton are her favorite sports She owns all the courts Her kindness touches everyone's hearts Everyone is astounded by her smart After all, she's bursting with ideas so divine No wonder why my parents named her Shine BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections This Body of Mine Madisen Dubose Volume 4 Issue 4 May 29, 2024 Artwork Provided by Madisen Dubose BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Nightmare on Main Street Back to Sections My Cartoon Nightmare By Arunima Roy October 8, 2021 Volume 2 Issue 1

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections No Swimming By Eva Grace Martinez Volume 1 Issue 7 April 22, 2021 Image provided by James MacDonald The sign says no swimming. The little man doing laps has a great red line drawn through his head. You feel the cold water on your chest and wonder how you got here. Was it the burning hot arguments with people you used to love? Or maybe the icy cool rejection from the ones you thought had your back? Did you walk here, in the midst of the summer haze? Did you drive here, in the sting of the winter chill? So many questions filter through your head. You remember, you think, the way the moon looked outside. It was brighter than ever, and impossibly white. Something surely happened, there’s a reason you’re here. Though you can’t quite remember if it was pain or success. The sign says no swimming. You’re in up to your neck. Maybe it’s okay to sink back and rest. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Two New North Clubs By Cody Sung Volume 2 Issue 6 April 14, 2022 Image provided by Chess.com There are now two new clubs at Valley Stream North High School. The first one is the Chess Club, run by Mr. Lepanto, one of our Social Studies teachers. The second one is The Readers, advised by Mr. Toffolo, our Library-Media Specialist. I was given the chance to speak with both about their respective clubs. First, I spoke to Mr. Lepanto. I asked him how the Chess Club was established. He said that students approached him and asked if he plays chess and if he would like to start a club. He is an outstanding chess player himself and would like to share his knowledge with students. He says that the Chess Club is for anyone, no matter what level of chess player. He also has his own commitment to the students of North, as he says he always wants to be available for his students. The club officially meets every three weeks on Mondays, but Mr. Lepanto says that “When I’m going to be at school working late on other days, they can stay in the library and play chess on their own.” He added that a lot of students were interested in the club. He was incredibly happy that there was a large amount of interest and said, “That’s stunning.” He hopes that they can play against each other competitively in tournaments and next year play against other schools. I also spoke to Mr. Toffolo and asked him about how his new club, The Readers, started. He said that it began with three students coming to him and saying that they wanted to start a book club. They also talked to Ms. Belbol, the head of the English department, and Dr. Small, the principal, about it. Both Ms. Belbol and Dr. Small informed the students that an advisor was needed, so they came to Mr. Toffolo. The club meets every other Friday. While The Readers is initially meant for the upper grades, he is looking forward to starting a junior high book club. The junior high book club would occur every other week as well, alternating with The Readers. Mr. Toffolo said that “Right now, our important thing is we are trying to find a good first book for us to read.” With that book, he plans to do things a little bit differently compared to a regular book club or an English class. He says that in a regular English class, you get to read, but “to study it, and not necessarily for pleasure.” Students seem to enjoy that idea. The club had many interested students at its first meeting according to Mr. Toffolo. He is hoping to have a steady member count, enough to become an official club. These two clubs have a very promising outlook and will hopefully do very well in the future. If you are interested in joining the Chess Club, please contact Mr. Lepanto at lepantob@vschsd.org . If you are interested in joining The Readers, please contact Mr. Toffolo at toffoloc@vschsd.org . BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Is War Coming? By Raj Singh Volume 2 Issue 5 March 28, 2022 Image provided by BBC As you might have heard, Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine. There have been estimates of 100,000 soldiers at the Russo-Ukrainian border amassed for a potential invasion. Western powers have since acted with no more than warnings to stop this. What is happening, and why is it happening? Context: Ukraine is a nation in Eastern Europe that has historically been either an independent nation fighting for survival or under Russian control. In 2013, the current situation began; Ukraine had considered joining the European Union (EU) and made landmark political and trade deals. Though they had a Pro-Russia president who suspended talks to keep Ukraine away from the West, the citizens in Kiev, the capital city, started protesting this action in the streets. This began hostilities between Pro-Russians against Anti-Russians in Ukraine. Russia then invaded Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, a strategic port next to the Black Sea. Russia, a primarily cold country, has many ports that freeze over the winter; due to this issue, Russia wanted this territory as the peninsula is much warmer. In addition to the favorable Mediterranean climate, millions of Russians reside in Crimea. Russia's casus belli - a reason a nation claims it goes to war, often a lie to war without seeming like an aggressor - was to protect the rights of the millions of Russians living in Crimea. In response to Russia's declaration, Eastern regions in Ukraine then promptly rebelled, causing a brief war which a ceasefire halted. Now the ceasefire is being threatened by Russia invading Ukraine again. INFORMATION – Russia's troops comprise of self-propelled guns, tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles. With this buildup, Russia could launch an invasion in early 2022. The troops are located 186 miles from the Ukrainian-Russian border in a training facility and could attack at any moment. Russia said the troops were there for military drills only, but there is doubt amongst the West. Russian Opinion: The Kremlin states the military buildup and training are being done to curb Western aggression against them. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an alliance of primarily Western countries created decades ago to stop Soviet expansion in Europe, has sold weapons and stationed NATO troops in Ukraine since the ceasefire. Due to this expansion by the West, which is viewed as an aggressive encroachment on Russian security, the Kremlin claims they are the victim and believe they can act on their own security risks. Ukrainian Opinion: Ukraine states that Russia cannot control whether Ukraine gets closer with NATO. The government says that Russia is trying to maintain Ukrainian independence and its future. Citizens of Ukraine fear that a coup d’état, the seizure of a government and its power by an independent group, could happen as a precursor to invasion. In addition, Ukraine is currently going through an energy crisis and believes that its cause is Russia, which is attempting to destabilize the country. NATO Opinion: NATO says if Russia were to invade Ukraine, a NATO partner, they could start economic sanctions and political restrictions on Russia. NATO has prepared the members of the alliance who reside in the Baltic region and the Black Sea for the worst. NATO cannot protect Ukraine with a military force since Ukraine is not a member of the organization. However, NATO will allow Ukraine to become a member, should it choose to, and encourages the country to defy Russia. On January 12th, 2022, a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, occurred to discuss a solution. The situation remains tense, and as I write this, world peace is at stake. American Opinion: America is reviewing multiple options. American officials like President Biden met in Geneva to discuss peace. However, simultaneously, America was armed and continued to supply military assistance to Eastern Europe in preparation for the worst. Fiscally, America delivered 450 million dollars in assistance to Ukraine in 2021 and considered the possibility of launching economic sanctions on Russia. Other factors: Separate from this situation, another former Soviet state has had trouble. Kazakhstan had massive unrest in its capital and in other locations, leading to a Russian-led coalition of troops sent into the state to stop the unrest. There is plenty of doubt that Russian forces will leave Kazakhstan soon. The pipe that leads to Germany, Nord Stream 2, allegedly threatens Ukraine. It uses pipes through the Baltic Sea to pass around Eastern Europe instead of an overland route. Traditionally, the pipes would go through Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, which was a bargaining tool for the country and a source of money through tariffs. These pipes are vital to the Russian gas industry, so if Russia were ever to step out of line, Eastern Europe could cut the lines to damage the industry. However, with the new Baltic pipes, Ukraine loses, in addition to the extra income, its bargaining chip, and leverage over Russia. The U.S. used to have sanctions on the company that built the Baltic pipes but waved them to fix its relationship with Germany depending on those lines. However, in November, America added new sanctions to the company, with growing support from U.S. senators and politicians in Ukraine. Both sides are somewhat to blame; NATO has been encroaching closer to Russia, an aggressive action, but Russia should not have backed the separatists nor have invaded. PRIMARY SOURCE: https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/03/europe/ukraine-russia-2021-tensions-explainer-cmd-intl/index.html BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections Border Crisis: The Reasons Behind the Surge By Everton Prospere Volume 2 Issue 1 October 8, 2021 Image provided by BBC News In recent months, a series of migrant waves have swept the United States southern border, particularly affecting the state of Texas. Most recently, a large number of immigrants have come to Del Rio, a town located in southwestern corner of the state. As per CNN, over 14,000 migrants arrived at Del Rio, forming a temporary encampment under a bridge. The arrival of such a significant number of migrants marked an added border crisis which the government scrambles to control. However, while the Biden administration attempts to tackle this crisis, The Washington Post describes it as the biggest surge in over twenty years. In order to comprehend this rush of immigrants, several social, economic, and political reasons require evaluation. The country of origin must first be taken into account when assessing migrant surges. These immigrants have mostly come from the country of Haiti. Haiti, officially known as the Republic of Haiti, is a small country sharing the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. In modern times, Haiti is known for its political and environmental issues. The country’s president, Jovenel Moïse, was recently assassinated in his own residence by an armed group of mercenaries. This threw the already fragile and impoverished country into more political unrest, with the government unable to control most of the country. Following this political instability, the country was hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, killing over 2,200 people and crippling the already-poor infrastructure, according to The Guardian. These two examples show the type of instability Haiti suffers, in turn explaining the recent migrant surge. However, most immigrants did not come directly from Haiti; rather, the majority already resided in Latin America and South America. The Associated Press reports many Haitians fled to the United States because of an extension granted during the spring to the protections of Haitian migrants already residing in the United States; despite this, online posts communicating the extension often left out the portion of the policy that announced only migrants in the United States were eligible. This misinformation created an effect in which thousands of migrants crossed the Mexican border to Del Rio, seeking refuge. A final cause to this crisis is the stability and opportunity in the United States. One Haitian migrant, interviewed by CNN, specifically stated that “[he] wanted a better life,” which continues to demonstrate the assets the United States has to offer. To immigrants, the United States is primarily a land of freedom - a privilege that many countries do not offer their citizens. With the Biden administration attempting to handle the border crisis through court cases and deportations, the rest of the country continues to follow the headlines. With recent reports of border patrol agents whipping migrants on horseback, as well as widespread disease affecting the migrants (according to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, about twenty percent of migrants at the border are ill), the country watches the unstable scenes occurring at the border. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Beauty in Nature Back to Sections Matthew Scatturo - Beauty in Nature By Matthew Scatturo February 10, 2022 Photography Volume 2 Issue 4

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Disney Characters Ariana Hack Volume 5 Issue 3 January 14, 2025 Image Provided by Elaine Ching From a Blonde princess who was forced to clean and cook To mysterious mustache pirates such as Captain Hook From a mermaid curious as can be Who spent most of her time trapped under the sea From a space astronaut “To Infinity and Beyond” To “Best friends forever” that will never break their bond To a little clownfish that almost ends up as bait Up to his father to decide his fate To a one-eyed monster aspiring to be scary To a jealous attitude filled pixie dust fairy What do these characters all have in common you see? Well, my dear they are friends of Walt Disney. Please dream whether you are near or far Because magic happens when you wish upon a star. BACK TO TOP