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Back to Articles News Back to Sections The Documents Found in Joe Biden’s Homes By Cael Javier Volume 3 Issue 3 February 24, 2023 Image provided by Reuters In the U.S., the Presidential Records Act controls all the rules on presidential records and classified files of the White House. It established that presidential records are the property of the U.S. government. They must be preserved and are not the president’s private property. Before this law was passed, presidents who were leaving office just took their documents with them when they left the White House. It was considered their personal property. With this law, the records became the property of the U.S. government, and the National Archives oversee them. The law applies to the president, vice president, and some portions of the Executive Office of the President, including the National Security Council and Council of Economic Advisers. It lays out the requirements for maintaining and securing the information during and after a presidency. Starting in November 2022, documents started turning up at Joe Biden’s former D.C. house. On November 2nd, Biden’s lawyers found classified documents in an office that Biden used after he left the vice presidency. A few days later, the National Archives inspector-general contacted a prosecutor at the Justice Department to let them know that classified documents were found at the office. The FBI then began an assessment to get better knowledge of whether the information was mishandled. On November 14th, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Chicago U.S. Attorney John Lausch Jr. to conduct an initial investigation. The FBI conducted a search of the former Biden office. It is unsure whether any new records were recovered. The search was mutual, and a warrant was not needed. About a month later, more documents were found in Biden’s garage in Delaware. On December 20th, Biden’s personal counsel informed Lausch about this information. On January 9th, 2023, the White House revealed that a small number of classified documents were found on November 2nd in a locked closet in Biden’s former office. The next day, Biden stated that he was shocked the documents were found and that he did not know what they consisted of. The White House then revealed that more documents were found in Joe Biden’s house in Wilmington, Delaware. Garland appointed the former justice official Robert Hur as special counsel to further investigate the handling of the documents. On January 20th, the FBI conducted a thorough search of Biden’s home in Wilmington, and they found six more classified items. This search did not require a warrant. On February 1st, the FBI searched Biden’s home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Biden’s lawyers reported that there were not any classified records recovered. The investigators took materials and handwritten notes that might be related to Biden’s time as vice president. There are still updates on this situation today. The documents should be kept safe with the U.S. government and the National Archives. Joe Biden has not faced accusations of destroying documents, unlike Donald Trump. Trump has been accused of destroying documents while in office. If he were convicted of destroying documents, he would not be eligible to run for president again. Biden’s case is different. The Act requires evidence that his actions were unlawful. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Pep Rally of '24 and Senior Year Cross Country Season Manal Layachi Volume 5 Issue 2 November 25, 2024 Image Provided by Mother of Manal Layachi Senior year has arrived A bittersweet and joyful time Back to a routine Living the dream Homecoming flies by Having the time of my life Pep rally gets me pumped I cannot wait to run and jump As my coach calls out the names of my teammates, He forgets to call mine, But I know he is playing and I have to wait As the only senior on the team, I feel special like a queen When my coach calls my name I run across the turf and accept all of the fame As I run under the tunnel made by my teammates, I feel amazing and great My confidence increases and I celebrate I have been doing cross country for four years Although there will be tears when I graduate, there will also be cheers As I run every day and receive my senior banner, I remember all of my athletic accomplishments without regrets as I am a master I know I did my best and got faster. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Strawberry Matcha Boba Tea Shea Flanelly I am strawberry matcha boba tea from the Kung-Fu Tea a couple miles from my house. A strange drink that probably shouldn't even exist. I splash when I walk. Sugar spills down my ribs, and the tapioca pearls rattle inside me Like loose teeth, like I was built with a chaotic touch. Every sip of me is a gamble Sometimes I'm pure sugar, Sometimes I’m bitter, like grass, Sometimes you choke on me and laugh about it later. Even sealed tight in plastic, I fizz, I shake, I want to explode through the straw, to stain your hands pink and green so you never forget I was here. But the truth is, I’m always half-finished, lukewarm by the time you notice me again. You carry me around like an obligation, like something too strange to throw away, and I sit there, wondering if I was ever really worth the sip. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections The Importance of Intrinsic Motivation By Alain Deen Volume 1 Issue 8 June 8, 2021 Image provided by Knowledge One Intrinsic motivation proves to be one of the most important aspects when it comes to both education and modern-day industry. In simple terms, intrinsic motivation is the act of doing an activity or task with a sheer passion for it. Passion proves to be the key to success, as it provides us with a sense of reason. Instead of performing tasks or activities simply because one enjoys it, a lot of the time people exhibit extrinsic motivation. This type of motivation emphasizes performing activities or tasks solely for external factors, such as compensation or validation. Unfortunately, modern day industry in recent decades has been plagued with superficial and materialistic ideals, which stems from education. From youth, we are taught to learn subject material and simply regurgitate said material on exams. This provides room for comparison, allowing for unnecessary ideals of competition to arise among students. The examinations begin to define a student’s intelligence, which can often be especially degrading. Then, the sheer desire for good grades develops, which do not compensate for enjoyment of learning course material. This concept is then translated into the workplace in later life, and often creates cynical working environments. Therefore, it is crucial to fuel passion into modern day education, specifically through the encouragement of intrinsic motivation. With intrinsic motivation, students are more likely to succeed, as they are willing to put in the effort due to their enjoyment of the subject matter. For instance, it helps in fueling one’s passions, as it drives students to achieve these goals. Establishing a grade curriculum which is both well-rounded and provides students with the niche-specific concepts allows for a more integrated and positive working environment. Experts argue that when students are less focused on short-term results, but long-term skills and implications, their overall positivity and performance goes up. This also applies to modern day industry. When employees pursue an occupation which fulfill their passions, performance increases, which corroborates that intrinsic motivation is a necessary component to occupational well-being. It is evident that the creation of materialistic and greedy tendencies translates into modern occupation. For instance, employees might simply arrive at work with the sheer desire for compensation, without any sort of passion present. This creates a lackluster working spaces, with little to no room for creativity. Therefore, instilling these ideals from an early age might reverse these effects. Overall, I believe it is necessary for students and young adults to question their passions. Not only does it create a more positive environment themselves, but those around them too. Fueling your interests is simply imperative, especially in high school. Thus, I recommend joining clubs, sports, and even engaging in outside extracurriculars to help develop and discover those interests. Trust me, you’ll thank me later! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections The 10 Sikh Superman & John Smyth Rehmat Kaur Volume 5 Issue 4 April 8, 2025 Image Provided by Rehmat Kaur Picture provided by Rehmat Kaur – shows a kara which is one of the five external articles a baptized Sikh wears. A kara is an iron bracelet which is worn on the right hand. It symbolizes that God has no beginning or ending and acts as a reminder that a Sikh should do not that the anything that God would disapprove of. Background It was May 16th, 1915, in the trenches of northern France during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. The British army's first battalion of Highland Light infantry ran across no man's land and seized a section of the German trench. The Highlanders were isolated in a 200-yard stretch of enemy trench, separated from reinforcements by 250 yards of no man's land. The next day, another party of troops was dispatched from Commander Officer Lieutenant John Smyth's trench, and the same thing happened to them. The Germans were steadfast in their refusal to allow the British troops to send assistance. The Senior British Commander gave the order to continue the mission and dispatch more soldiers. With the orders, Smyth requested volunteers from his 4th company, 115 men, to accompany him on the exceedingly perilous mission. But every single man rushed forward and offered to accompany him. Smyth picked ten recruits and proceeded to plan their mission. The Ordeal At 3:00 p.m., Smyth and his ten Sikh men head to the frontline trench with two crates containing 48 grenades apiece. They plunged over the parapet and into a destroyed exploratory trench, gaining yards into no man's land. They were subjected to a persistent storm of German artillery fire, and a fire cascade dropped on them. However, it produced coverage as bodies and smoke were strewn across the ground. They leaped from cover to cover, attempting to reach the stream that runs through the middle of the no-man's land. However, two Sikh troops died in the mud after a shell struck them. Symth instructed the guys to continue marching through the dust caused by shell falls. He made it to the next cover, but the ground fell faster than predicted, exposing two more Sikh men to the enemy's fire. Seven soldiers remained as they lunged toward the stream and fell into the waist-deep water. Four more troops fell when gunfire struck them. Only Smyth and Sikh soldier Lal Singh remained, making progress toward their goal. They arrived at the frontline with only one box, but it was sufficient to hold the trench until dark when further supplies were sent. Smyth was eventually able to return to his trench after nightfall. When Smyth returned, he noticed his orderly, Ishar Singh, waiting for him on the parapet. Ishar Singh had sat there since the mission began, even though Smyth's death had been reported a long time ago. He was confident that his commanding officer would return. Ishar saluted and said the Sikh greeting or Warcry, “ Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Shri Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh ” which means the Khalsa (Sikhs) are of Vaheguru (God), so the victory of Khalsa as the Army of the Timeless Being – is Vaheguru’s victory. Legacy Armed with only a few tools and unwavering drive, their gallantry would be remembered throughout military history. All ten Sikh warriors were given the Indian Distinguished Service Medal. When discussing the events John Smyth stated, “What kept me going was the courage of my men. I gave them leadership and they gave me support.” The narrative of the ten Sikh Supermen is a timeless tale of bravery, sacrifice, and perseverance. It exemplifies humanity's tenacious spirit, telling us that even in the worst of circumstances, hope and bravery can prevail. Names of the 10 Sikh Supermen: Service Number 131, Lance Naik, Mangal Singh, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs Service Number 702, Sepoy Lal Singh, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs Service Number 638, Sepoy Sucha Singh, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs Service Number 962, Sepoy, Sapuran Singh, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs Service Number 1255, Sepoy, Sarain Singh, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs Service Number 1036, Sepoy, Fateh Singh, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs Service Number 1001, Sepoy, Ujagar Singh, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs Service Number 1249, Sepoy, Sundar Singh, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs Service Number 1339, Sepoy, Ganda Singh, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs Service Number 1360, Sepoy, Harnam Singh, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvb_S8it4C8 https://www.sikhnet.com/news/%E2%80%9C10-sikh-supermen%E2%80%9D-die-battle-festubert-1915 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI-5ZMrxeIE https://www.schooltube.com/the-10-sikh-supermen-a-story-of-unwavering-courage/ BACK TO TOP

Isabel Barrett FEATURE SECTION EDITOR Hi! I’m Isabel Barrett, the editor for the Featured section of North Star. If you enjoy human interest stories, then the Featured section is for you! Besides writing, I also enjoy art, playing video games, and making websites, and I’m part of the Tri-M Honor Society and Drama Club. I look forward to sharing fun and interesting stories with our community this year! The Failures of Smartpass Isabel Barrett Editorial Read More Book Review: IT by Stephen Hawking By Isabel Barrett Feature Read More

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections I Want to Knit Jasmine Roberts Volume 5 Issue 5 July 5, 2025 Desire is a state of mind, to want does not equate to action, and procrastination thickens into anxiety. I wanted to knit for quite a while now; I needed to do something with my hands other than the rhythmic dance of my fingers against a simulacrum of action a billionaire deemed to be my phone. My mind buzzed with flickering, hot, but cold images of what I should be doing every time I saw a photo-perfect image of the impossible to craft, the Fair Isle sweater, my mind created its own yarn-stitched palace in which, even as I laid in my sticky bed, face buried in a summer-impeding sweaty pillow, it still felt as if that Fair Isle sweater was all mine. Cut and weaved into its soft flesh, the white moon rose on a black, inky night. The hem was ever so perfect that it sent my crooked spine straight, my body tried to fit into it, tried to construct my bones, squish my viscera, twist my nerves until I could squeeze into the sweater behind my blinking phone screen, become what I wanted most, fit my identity as vast as the midnight sky, into the size of an image online. My eyes were dry from staring at the sweater too fondly, envy was bile, and fear of accomplishment worked as vivisection, dissecting my own worthiness for a crowd of my own conscious. The blackness of a wasted night overwhelmed my grey matter and turned me bitter. I wanted to knit like that anonymous adult; they were rich in the token of internet attention, fed plump and fat with congratulations on a completed project when I stewed in my hot room, stretching to do anything…everything. I wanted to manipulate complex weaves of perfection until I created something that would make others stare in awe. I would wear my sweater for others, my body a work of art; it would fit slenderly on my form, and my identity would be crafted, not by my actions, but by how my fingers worked at the needles speaking, by short glances, of a story in every knit and purl. I wanted to knit, I should have screamed, but instead, I muttered the words beneath my determined breath. It had been months, a year. I knew the basics, and so all I needed was the time. I moved from my bed, my forgotten phone, vanquished from the Eden of my attention, I wanted to be Eve if she ignored the apple. I stretched one foot after the other, sneaking past other obligations, I couldn’t walk straight, and I didn’t want to. I moved and danced over to where I stashed my unused yarn, towards the needles I promised my mother I would never lose, for they were made from bamboo, whittled down into a point, just so I could make something someone else would cherish for me. With crooked fingers, gnawed down just to my skin, bloody around square corners from nervousness and despair, I looked for those needles. I only found one. I lost the other. ‘’Oh well.’’ I shrugged and fell right back to my bed, scrolling past the photo of the sweater, I looked upon the next post: A stack of read books, each approximately 1000 pages, and 1 million years old. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Back to Sections Welcoming Mr. Bracco! Mikayla Aziz Image Provided by Christy Mansfield You may have seen a new face around the halls during passing periods or dismissal. With a big personality, upbeat energy, and lovable demeanor, he is hard to miss. This school year, we welcomed Mr. Bracco to North High School. His official position at North as our interim principal means that he is temporarily filling in for Dr. Small as principal. Do not worry, we are in great hands for the meanwhile. Mr. Bracco is no stranger to administrative positions. In fact, he has 30 years of experience in this area and many more with teaching Science. And though he is not here permanently, he is certainly worth trying to get to know and accept, nonetheless. Mr. Bracco is not a Long Island native; he grew up in Astoria where he began teaching at St. John’s Preparatory School. He is a science guy who taught a variety of classes including regents, general, and AP chemistry, microbiology, and seventh and eighth grade science. He then moved to John Adams High School where he continued teaching science for a year before eventually landing at Elmont Memorial High School where his administrative journey began. Bracco started off teaching science at Elmont and later became a science chairperson there until being asked to apply for assistant principal. He holds fond and humble memories of this time, saying “I was truly fortunate to have some good mentors when I was over at Elmont, so people took interest in me. They saw that I had leadership potential, so they encouraged me to go for my administrative degree.” With his leadership skills and years of prior experience under his belt, Mr. Bracco felt that this type of position was the next logical step in his career. He got his administrative degree at “CW Post”, now known as Long Island University Post, and was an assistant principal at Elmont for 7 years. However, he did not stop there. After moving further on Long Island, he was a principal in Suffolk County for 20 years before eventually retiring from Kings Park School District. But even after working in administration for 27 years, Mr. Bracco could never forget his teaching experience. “If you want to be a good administrator, you need to be a teacher at heart, you cannot forget the days you spent in a classroom. That is critical,” he claims. Now, following 8 years of retirement, Mr. Bracco is temporarily back in action. You may be wondering why he would want to leave such an easygoing and laidback lifestyle of relaxation, traveling, and family time; however, according to him, retirement is not all it is cracked up to be. “After 4 or 5 years [of retirement], when you have done something for 40 years and you just find yourself sitting at home on your couch, you say to yourself, ‘Is this all that is left in life? For me to watch Netflix all day long?’” he remarks. Sitting around all day is especially hard for someone as passionate as Bracco, as he recalls, “I felt an urge to come back because I still feel like I have something to give.” Now, as he fills in for Dr. Small for the time being, he promises to work to the best of his ability to ensure that when she does come back, North is the place that she left, and “she doesn’t feel like she’s missed a beat.” But what exactly does a principal even do? According to Mr. Bracco, a high school building principal such as himself oversees hiring, safety, and even working with colleges such as Adelphi University or SUNY Albany to implement AP classes and programs in our schools. Overall, he describes his job as doing “whatever needs to be done to ensure that the kids entrusted in our care are leaving here with the best possible education that they can muster for the 21st century.” Principals who are engaged and show such clear care for their schools are beyond impactful and important for a high school community. So far, Mr. Bracco has been loving his time at North High School. When asked about his experience thus far, he states, “the kids are fantastic, the staff is excellent, and the community, I mean talk about community and support!” going on to say “I like the fact that it is a diverse community. We can all learn from each other: diverse cultures, different languages, I mean that is the best scenario because that is what the world is. It is a mosaic.” With his determination, experience, and charisma, I am positive that we at North can benefit and learn from having Mr. Bracco here as well. During his retirement, Bracco has been able to focus more on his hobbies and interests. Outside of work, one of his main hobbies is reading. He challenges himself to read 15 books per year as he considers himself an “avid reader” who particularly enjoys fiction and historical fiction. Though unpaid, he loves sharing his thoughts and making book reviews on Good Reads, and he is a part of the Barnes and Noble review staff as well. He has recently finished The View from Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani, a fictional romance novel following a woman dealing with divorce, loss, and self-discovery. Another enjoyable read he highly recommends is The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy. This book is a historical fiction thriller about siblings Bobby and Alicia Western coping with the legacy of their parents’ work on the Manhattan Project. Aside from literature, Mr. Bracco is a huge family guy. He loves spending time with his wife of 42 years and his four grandchildren who live nearby. He also considers fishing to be his biggest hobby. Mr. Bracco has always been extremely passionate about his career. As a student, you can usually tell when a teacher is there for money versus when they love their job and care about their students, and Mr. Bracco falls into the latter group. Teaching was more than just a form of employment for him. He believes that “the teacher profession in general is a profession, but it is also a vocation. Not everybody can be a teacher. It takes a tremendous amount of demanding work, understanding, patience, and perseverance to be a teacher.” From the way he reminisces on his teaching days and how he was just itching to get back to work, you can tell he really practices what he preaches. “Ponce de León tried to find the fountain of youth, and I always say the fountain of youth is working in a building with students,” Bracco also added. Just being able to give back to younger generations and the impact he has is enough to keep him young too. And when you meet someone as bubbly and genuine as Mr. Bracco, it is impossible to doubt that he genuinely loves what he does. So, the next time you see Mr. Bracco in the hallways or happen to be passing through the cafeteria hall, stop, and say hi to welcome him to our little community at North. We have been lucky to have him here! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Quarantine Feelings By Cody Sung Volume 1 Issue 3 December 16, 2020 Image provided by Getty Images In this quarantine I have so many emotions One for boredom One for tiredness One for sadness. I am like a cake mix All the ingredients Of emotions Are mixed into me And then baked In the oven Of social distancing. But yet still I see hope Up ahead Down the road Of quarantine. Our actions are right Our feelings are just And We have hope inside As we know We are defeating a beast. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections Election Turnout: Divided Democrats Can’t Understand a Winning Strategy By Craig Papajohn-Shaw Volume 2 Issue 2 November 19, 2021 Image provided by The Democratic Poltical Initiative Democrats witnessed their worst nightmare as they viewed the results for the 2021 election. Nationally, Virginia's once trending Democratic stronghold obtained a Republican Governor, Glenn Youngskin, Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsone Sears, and Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, who defeated their respective Democrat opponent. In New Jersey, a state President Joe Biden (D) won by 16 percentage points, narrowly re-elected Democratic Governor Phil Murphy by three percentage points. Locally in Nassau County, Anne Donnoley (R) defeated New York State Senator Todd Kaminsky (D); one of the most significant upsets of the night was Bruce Blakeman (R) defeating incumbent Laura Curran (D) for County Executive. Curran, the favorite to win and the first female executive in the county, did not concede the election as 19,000 absentee ballots were still to be counted. She conceded on Tuesday, November 16th. The Republican “red wave” locally and across the nation during this off-year election exposes the unclear agenda of the Democratic party and how it affects voter turnout. Since the Democrats have taken complete control of the executive and legislative branches, the party’s factions have been highlighted in their disagreements. From the progressive side of Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes (D-NY) and Cori Bush (D-LA) to the moderate Democrat Senators of Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), policies including the Build Back Better and Infrastructure plans have been difficult to pass with a slim majority in each house of Congress. Exit polling showed President Biden’s controversial decisions regarding Afghanistan, his failure to fulfill campaign promises, unclear agenda, and a low approval rating heavily contributed to the outcome of the 2021 elections. While Decision 2021 was an off-year election, the results show the plausible implications of Decision 2022, the midterm elections, and how Democrats could lose control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Not only that, focusing on the low voter turnout locally, let’s analyze turnout in 2017, 2020, and 2021. Just as in 2021, 2017 was an off-year election, meaning neither the Presidential nor midterm elections occurred. The former Nassau County Legislature from the 5th district, Laura Curran, ran against Republican opponent Jack Martins. Curran defeated Martin by three percentage points with 147,102 votes, compared to the 139,204 votes Martins received. Nassau residents in this race cast 288,281 votes. In a similar off-year election in 2021, Curran was up for re-election and received 123,317, while her Republican counterpart received 135,128 votes (excluding the approximate 19,000 absentee ballots). Including the approximate 19,000 absentee ballots, about 277,845 Nassau residents would have cast their vote in the recent election, over 10,000 fewer votes cast than the previous county executive election. States including Texas, Florida, and Georgia have implemented new voter restriction laws, unlike in New York, where legislators attempt to pass laws that ease voter registration. Logically, it doesn’t make sense that voter turnout was lower on Long Island in 2021 than in 2017 especially considering the divisive political nature and strong opinions about the country's future. Aside from that, 723,220 Nassau residents voted in the 2020 Presidential Election, displaying their neglecting to participate in local elections. As much as the liberal and conservative media like to focus on party politics, they fail to hold voters accountable who are registered to go to the polls but choose not to, especially in states where it’s easy to vote. If Democrats look to maintain or even add onto their majority in both houses of Congress, they need to focus on voter turnout, as they did in 2020. Use instances from activists such as Stacey Abrams (D-GA) when she assisted in registering hundreds of thousands of voters in the state of Georgia, which debatably delivered Joe Biden the win in that state. The strategy of registering new voters and making sure they voted as well as swaying moderate voters proved successful in 2020. However, the confusion in the party narrative contributed to the decreased voter turnout. This divisive environment of the Democratic Party and a diminished sense of urgency compared to the presidential election, where moderate voters voted for Biden, resulted in those who voted blue in 2020 voting Republican as they had in years past or not turning out to vote at all. BACK TO TOP