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

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Book Review: IT by Stephen Hawking By Isabel Barrett Volume 3 Issue 2 December 23, 2022 Image provided by Elaine Ching Summer, 1958 – a group of children in the town of Derry, Maine, have just stumbled upon the horrific truth behind the disappearance of multiple kids in the past year: a demonic clown-creature known as Pennywise weaponizes fear and devastates their town every generation. Brought together by this discovery, these seven kids become The Losers and are what may be the only hope of stopping Pennywise and its rampage. Through a summer of growing up and learning to face their fears, The Losers can bring peace back to their bloodied town—but not forever. Twenty-eight years later, the only member of this group that remained in Derry sends out a call to every other member, who have all long-forgotten that summer. The message? Pennywise is back. I would say I enjoyed reading IT by Stephen King. I loved getting to know every member of The Losers, and the themes of growing up, facing fears, and friendship resonated with me. However, it is a very dragged-out novel. At over 1,100 pages, chapters seem to go on forever, and there are many slow moments. But when faster scenes occur, it’s something amazing—the action that occurs during encounters with Pennywise kept me on my toes. Even though I never thought I would be spooked by a horror novel, since they did not usually have the graphic imagery to match what is described, you could say I was a little scared in some parts. But even then, the action does not start for a good while in this novel (if you are not counting the prologue, which is still a creepy and promising way to start off this story, but it is lighter compared to later scenes and getting thrown into hundreds of pages of exposition right after may squash any enjoyment), and I am willing to bet that a more reluctant reader, and maybe even some considered more avid readers, might not stick around for that. As much as I did enjoy The Losers and empathized with them when learning about their issues when the chapters seem to go on forever, you just want these kids to get their personal problems solved so you can get back to the action. I feel like I blanked out during scenes that were not as major because there was too much information to keep my interest in them. Usually, I love stories with a lot of exposition—I want to learn about the characters and settings I am being introduced to, of course—but in this book, I feel like there was too much meat and not enough bread to keep the sandwich together. Despite my problems with how this book presented information, I still think readers up to the challenge will enjoy this story. The seven main characters, from Richie Tozier and his comedic relief to Ben Hanscom and his one-sided crush on another group member, are all charming in their own ways, and readers will love to root for them. The tale of Pennywise has been a staple in the horror genre for decades, and I can see why. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections "Flowers" Elaine Ching Volume 4 Issue 3 March 13, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections New Year Traditions Around The World Machai Augustine Volume 5 Issue 3 January 14, 2025 Image Provided by Max Ching Each year, January comes around and surprises us with another new year for new hopes, dreams, and wishes. We all enjoy having some sort of tradition to celebrate. Nearly every culture has different customs and traditions that determine how our new year will go. So, let’s learn about how various cultures and regions celebrate the new year. Ireland is known for celebrating with drinks on New Year’s, but they have other traditions. For example, one popular tradition is banging bread on the walls and doors in your house. If bread isn’t available, you can also use pots, pans, or spoons. This superstition-based practice is done to ward off any evil spirits in the area that could haunt and ruin the celebrations and bring good luck and protection for you and your family in the coming year. Another Irish tradition is putting berries and ivy under their pillows, which is supposed to bring you good luck when it comes to romance. Unlike citizens in most other nations, South Africans celebrate the new year on both the first and second of January. This is because historically, slaves in Cape Town were given a day off on January 2nd. Because of this, they use this day to not only celebrate the new year but also remember the mistreatment of their people in the past. Despite this solemn aspect of the holiday, South African traditions are overall like American ones, involving lots of partying and going out into nature to celebrate. One of Greece’s quirky traditions is hanging onions on the doors of houses. In some cultures, onions symbolize rebirth due to their fertility and how they seem to grow even when neglected. This tradition is meant to help household members thrive and become a new person in the new year. There is also a traditional dish that the Greeks have for the new year: vasilopita , a special sweet bread. Vasilopita honors Saint Basil the Great, a saint beloved by Greeks because of his passion to help those in need. The reason why this sweet bread is so special is because of a coin planted within the bread, meant to symbolize the wealth and treasures that Saint Basil gave away. Now that you know a little bit more about new year traditions around the world, what will you try to implement into your New Year celebration? Sources: New Year's Eve Irish Traditions - Twinkl Greek New Year Traditions Celebrating New Years Day in Africa | Africa Imports New Year's Day 2025 in South Africa How to do Christmas & New Year the Greek way - Greek from Greece BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections ENGLISH TEACHER Interviews - Grammar Issues Rehmat Kaur Volume 4 Issue 2 January 16, 2024 Image Provided by Picture by PaperTrue Grammar is a set of rules that helps us organize our sentences. It covers a variety of features of the English language. We all make grammatical errors on a regular basis, whether we are writing or speaking. I asked our amazing English teachers about the grammatical problems they see students have all the time. Capitalization A reader can benefit from capital letters. They indicate the beginning of a sentence, highlight essential words in a title, and they indicate proper names and formal titles. In English, the initial word of a phrase and all proper nouns (words that name a specific person, place, organization, or object) are capitalized. “Students forgetting to use basic capitalization really icks me!! That's text speaking crossing over to formal writing (Ms. Belbol). Similar Sounding Words “Older teens and adults mix up terms that can be easily corrected by a quick Google search like "their, there, they're" or "you're" and "your" (Ms. Mclarney). Words that sound the same but have distinct meanings and spellings might be difficult to distinguish. People are frequently perplexed by three extremely common ones: their, there, and they're. The words their, there, and they're all sound the same. The possessive pronoun their implies "belonging to them," as in "their house is new"; there is used to designate a specific area or location, as in "don't go there" and "there is a shop"; and they're is a contraction of "they are," as in "they're winning the game." ‘"there" is written when the writer means "they're" or "their"’ (Ms. Mansfield). Using you're and your wrongly is one of the most prevalent writing mistakes, especially when writing anything fast like an email or text message. You're is an abbreviation of the phrase you are, as in "you're wearing blue", "you're needed in class", and "make sure you're on time". Any of these lines would read the same if you were substituted with you're . Your is a possessive adjective that indicates ownership. There is no contraction here. Your is generally followed by a word, such as "Your seat is close to the window", "check your phone", or "I need your papers". If you’re was substituted for your in these example sentences, it would not make sense. Incorrect Usage of Apostrophes "My biggest grammar ick is the misuse of the apostrophe. Either people don't use it at all, so they have contractions and possessives without an apostrophe, OR they use it anytime there is a word that ends in an "s"" (Ms. Modzelewski). To express possession when the name is singular, add an apostrophe followed by a "s" to the end of the name (e.g., Mike's jacket). If a name is single but ends in a "s," you should always add an apostrophe to emphasize possession, but you can also add another "s" after the apostrophe if you choose (e.g., Lucas' car OR Lucas's car). If the name is plural, just add an apostrophe at the end to indicate ownership (e.g., the Miles' house). Forming a contraction with a name also requires adding an apostrophe with a "s," therefore examine the context of the phrase to ensure that the meaning is obvious. “Since it's holiday time, my BIGGEST ick is when people use an apostrophe with their names. It's wrong to say "Love, The Belbol's" because the Belbols don't own anything here; just put the s: "Love, The Belbols" (Ms. Belbol). “In a piece of student writing? Hm...so many grammar problems, so little time. But we have a virtual epidemic of missing possessive apostrophes in students ' (plural, possessive) writing today (Mrs. Mansfield). ” (Ms. Mansfield). Usage of “wanna” and “gonna” “I really despise when students use: wanna and gonna.... they are NOT words!!! Write want to or going to (Ms. Melluso). Formal English writing should be flawless, which means the writer should have chosen words with precision. When used in writing, "gonna" and "wanna" seem informal. Using "going to" and "want to" will improve the quality of your writing. These are just a few of the numerous grammatical errors that we make, as shared by some of our amazing English teachers. This involves not capitalizing when needed and getting confused between similar sounding words like "there" "their" "they're" and "your" "you're". The incorrect use of apostrophes is a typical error in student writing and using informal words like “gonna” and “wanna”. To improve our writing, we should proofread and check for grammatical errors. Sources Referenced: https://thewritepractice.com/grammar-vs https://omproofreading.com/grammar-vs-punctuation BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Shower Caitlyn Hunte Volume 6 Issue 3 Image Provided by Unsplash I want to know what you think when you shower Not in a weird way though When you feel the water rushing down When you peer down at your toes What goes on in your head Oh, how desperate I am to know Are you thinking about your body? Are you neutral, proud, ashamed? Are you thinking about things that never should've happened? All the days you can't regain? Things that can't be removed? The rest of what remains? Are you thinking about your friendships? What's gone and who still stayed Do you ponder whether you should stay with them? If they really are what your brain made? Do you remember that one girl Do you want to braid her hair? Is that guy still on your mind? Has he proven that he cares? Maybe careers in the future, Maybe dreams lost in the past What could've happened if you didn't move fast enough? Would it still be here, in your grasp? Are you just thinking of butterflies and snow? Music that inspires you to grow? What happens in the afterlife? What lies down there, below? Is it your aunt, is it your dog? Is it an ant? Is it the crisis of smog?  Is it an alleyway? Is it sound? Is it lost, can it ever be found?  Is it me? Is it the trees? Is it a breeze, does it carry you away?  Is it the rain? Is it your god? Is it writing that makes you want to stay? I want to know. I want to know you I want to feel how you do I want to see you Have deep conversations with you What is it? That you think about? When you're in the shower? BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Water God and Child By Alanna Tieschmaker Volume 2 Issue 6 April 14, 2022 Image provided by Pleasanton Glass Kai’s spring was his safe place. His spring had remained undiscovered and untouched for centuries; He was happy for it to remain that way. He’s seen the carnage that followed humans like moths to a flame. He’s seen what they did to the waters, polluting them with their machines and litter. Furthermore, they never seemed to care about the damage they caused. They remained ignorant of the consequences of their actions. It saddened Kai to see the effects on ocean life. When he visited other rivers and lakes, he could hear the cries of the sea animals, suffering in the once clear, now murky waters. And so, to stop the ache that came from his helplessness, he ventured out of his spring less and less. In only a century, he stopped leaving his spring entirely. The guilt rose every decade or so, but he couldn’t stand to hear the desperate praying to end the pain they were in. No, it was best to stay here where humans were not. Sure, he hadn’t left his abode for centuries, but he knew humans. They were selfish and benighted. They would never change; That, he was sure of. -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- Kedrick was bored. This was not a huge surprise, as there was never anything for him to do. Mom and Dad never wanted to play with him. Whenever he asked, Mom would say "Later" in her upset voice. When she first told him that, he had believed her. Dad would always give him the same look every time. It was a look that said, "How many times will you ask this question?" The last time he asked, his dad became angry and told him that he didn't want to play at all. He stopped asking after that. The kids in his village never wanted to play either. He tried to ask them, but the girls would laugh at him, and the boys pushed him. Other times, they would pretend he wasn't there at all. So, in conclusion, there was nothing to do! Kedrick was on his bed when it happened. Looking out the window of his room, something caught his eye. There was a pretty bird in the tree! Instead of the dull down that was usually found on birds, it was a bright blue! Kedrick jumped down from his bed and sped out the door. Sadly, as he got closer, the bird startled and flew into the woods. Kedrick, who had been chasing after the bird, skidded to a stop at the forest's edge. He's never been in it; no one has. His mom always told him to stay away from the woods and never enter them. Remembering that information almost made Kedrick turn away. But then the memory of the last denial from his mom hit him. A bitterness flared inside the small child, and he decided if his mom didn't listen to him, he wouldn't listen to her just this once. With a nod, Kedrick entered the woods. -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-10 minutes later~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-    Kedrick was absolutely lost. He had run in the direction the pretty bird had gone, but then there was a squirrel that he just had to hold, and then there was something shiny at the base of that tree and… Looking around, he saw nothing but trees, trees, and more trees. Where should he go? He decided to choose a direction and just walk in that direction. He looked at the shiny thing tree (He couldn’t figure out what the shiny thing was) and decided to turn right from it. He walked and looked around with wonder and awe as he saw many animals. The thicket seemed to creep in the longer he ambled. Eventually, he came up to a cliff wall and decided to take a break. He felt like he had been walking for hours! He sat down against the wall and leaned back. The cliff face was surprisingly comfortable and … soft? Intrigued, Kedrick leaned back more and suddenly fell through the wall. Surprised, he couldn’t protect his head and hit it hard against the ground. -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- There was something in his spring. When the barrier was disrupted, he felt something made its way through. It couldn’t be an animal; no animals would have a problem with the barrier. And it couldn’t be another deity; most of them were gone and the ones left wouldn’t want to visit him. Which only left one dreaded option… a human. There was a human in his spring! BACK TO TOP

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