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< Back About the Course This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Your Instructor Kelly Parker This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left.

Back to Artwork Who Am I Back to Sections I Don't Know By Elaine Ching November 19, 2021 Mixed Media Volume 2 Issue 2

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

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Marvel’s Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Cultural Identity Done Right By Alain Deen Volume 2 Issue 1 October 8, 2021 Image provided by Marvel Watching Marvel’s “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” was both a refreshing and vivid experience. It is a film that dives deep into the roots of Asian American culture, as well as Chinese culture in general. Interestingly enough, I am not a Marvel fan. I know of many Marvel characters, their abilities, and general story lines. However, I classify myself as an average viewer looking only for the occasional Marvel entertainment. This is exactly what the film provided for my friends and me. It serves as an origin story, making the film rather easy to follow. On top of that, I grew attached to the characters with ease. In my book, that is the pinnacle of a great film. A film with intricate fight scenes, themes of familial strife, and a stunning performance by Awkwafina (who played Katy), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings offers most attributes I look for in an origin story. The film follows Shang-Chi, who also goes by Shaun (Simu Liu), who resides in what is now present-day San Francisco with his friend Katy. While living a rather normal life, Shang-Chi is later forced to face the ramifications of his past. An epic journey ensues, during which we discover more and more about the origins of Shang-Chi as a character. Additionally, we are introduced to a wide range of characters on this epic journey, such as Shang-Chi’s sister Xialing, as well as the loveable Trevor Slattery and his Dijiang pet Morris. The film also has cinematography way ahead of its time. If I were to have a tier list of the best fight sequences of all time, the bus rodeo in this film would be up there. If there was one word to describe it: herculean. Let’s talk culture. I thought this film portrayed Asian American and Chinese culture beautifully. The subtle themes of familial bonding, accompanied with language, love, and sacrifice make the film all the better. On another note, the film was the first to have an entire Asian cast, making it revolutionary in its own sense. Not only that, but it is also the first Marvel film to contain an Asian lead. Because of this, the film has a wider appeal, which allows it to be a box-office bonanza. It has made $364.3 million at the box office so far. Overall, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” proves to be a cinematic masterpiece. I highly recommend it. It really is a beautiful showcase of Asian culture, and I am sure that there will be more greatness to come. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections Athlete Spotlight: Kevin Beltran By Navrosedip Kundlas and Matteo Somma Volume 3 Issue 4 May 18, 2023 Image Provided by Valley Stream North XC/Track Facebook Page Junior distance runner Kevin Beltran has been making waves in the running world with his impressive accomplishments. As a four-time All-County athlete and two-time All-State athlete, Beltran has consistently proven himself an exceptional runner. His talents have not gone unnoticed, as he has been ranked #1 on the Long Island Team in Cross Country by Just In Time Racing . Beltran's achievements are not limited to the team rankings. He also holds several Valley Stream North distance records. As Beltran continues to excel in his running career, we are all looking forward to seeing what he will achieve in the future. Beltran’s Athletic High School Accomplishments (thus far): Four-Time Season All-County Runner for Indoor Track and Field (2021-22), Outdoor Track and Field (2022), Cross Country (2022), and Indoor Track (2022-23) Two-Time All-State Runner in the 5000-meter and the 1000-meter Intersectional Relay #1 Long Island Cross Country Team by Just in Time Racing School Records Held by Kevin Beltran (thus far): Junior and overall, 5000-meter School Record Holder (Cross Country 2022) with a time of 15:47.75 Junior and overall, 4000-meter School Record Holder (Cross-Country 2022) with a time of 12:52.30 Junior and overall, 1000-meter School Record Holder (Indoor Track 2022-23) with a time of 2:33.98 Junior and overall, 1600-meter School Record Holder (Indoor Track 2022-23) with a time of 4:30.33 Junior and overall, one mile (1609-meters) School Record Holder (Indoor Track 2022-23) with a time of 4:24.57 Junior and overall, 3200-meter School Record Holder (Indoor Track 2022-23) with a time of 9:41.39 Sophomore and overall, 1600-meter School Record Holder (Outdoor Track 2022) with a time of 4:20.40 As Kevin Beltran looks towards the future, it's clear he has already made a significant impact on the local world of distance running. His impressive achievements as a junior have earned him widespread recognition and respect from the running community, as well as VSN students, staff and alumni. Beltran's hard work and dedication to his sport, as well as the influence of VSN Track coaches Mr. Frazer and Mr. Boyens, have certainly paid off, and it's likely he will continue to achieve great heights in the years to come. As we have watched Beltran's scholastic running career unfold, he is a rising star in the sport, and we can't wait to see where his talents take him next. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Who Am I Back to Sections Anonymous - Who Am I? - 2 By Anonymous November 19, 2021 Volume 2 Issue 2

Back to Artwork Chalk Pastel Peppers Back to Sections Chalk Pastel Peppers- Emily Rung Emily Rung November 6, 2023 Chalk Pastel Volume 4 Issue 1

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections Favorite Fonts from a Font Fanatic By Lucy Wu Volume 2 Issue 2 November 19, 2021 Image provided by The Trendy Timber Usually, I try not to develop strong feelings on any topic, but this time I’ll allow myself to unapologetically voice my opinions. No one asked for this article, but here I am revealing my innermost thoughts on a seemingly minute detail of life: fonts. But typeface permeates (nearly) everything. Personally, I believe how you choose to present these letters matters as much, and dare I say even more, as what you choose to say in those words. Each font tells a story, evoking a subconscious emotion in the reader from infusing each phrase with its personality. Like metaphors, onomatopoeia, and imagery, typography should be deemed a literary device, or a visual one at least. With all that said, some certainly function better than others to accomplish your goals. Note: Serifs refer to the little annexed feet at the ends of each letter stroke. (If you look closely, this font has serifs for example.) Sans-serif is the opposite: it lacks any extraneous tips. The Good Ones Times New Roman – The Classic Even if you’re not a font connoisseur (a.k.a. someone with a mildly unhealthy obsession with the way letters look on a page who is totally not me), chances are you can easily identify this font, because it’s so universal. That book from English you’re (not) reading? Probably Times New Roman. It strikes the balance of classy and sophisticated perfectly, without being overbearing and gaudy. Arguably, this is the best serif font because of its steadfastness over time and trustworthiness as sworn by from professionals of all kinds. Not to mention, it’s incredibly versatile for any application in life: long research papers, an essay you drafted at 11:26 PM due at 11:59 PM, or even an email to the dean explaining how you definitely did not cut class 8th period and that the sub just neglected to take attendance that day even though you were clearly alive and present (just a hypothetical situation, of course). Times New Roman doesn’t imply anything you don’t want it to: it’s neutral and unassuming. Plus, if your favorite hobby is procrastination from indecisiveness (which is totally not me), it gives you the peace of mind of choosing because it’s unobtrusive and understated in its simplicity, but still elegant enough to show you care (at least a little). And let’s be honest, even the name sounds cool too. While Times New Roman can be perceived as boring or old fashioned, everyone knows it’s the safe choice. When in doubt, use Times New Roman. Century Gothic – The Beauty When I’m not writing academically, I love using Century Gothic for headings to accent my work. But I didn’t always know this font existed. In 8th grade, our social studies teacher Mrs. Kovalsky, used a certain font with Times New Roman body text to accentuate her titles. She used it so much so, that it became part of her personal brand and we accordingly dubbed it the “Kovalsky font.” While some loathed her vocabulary lists or never-ending packets, I developed a deep veneration for this woman because she understood typography and knew how to use it well, employing it to keep the class organized and stable. After much speculation and a subsequent deep investigation, I uncovered her signature font was none other than Century Gothic. For me, looking at this font gives me internal tranquility and constancy. Oddly enough, it’s nostalgic, reminding me of a time when life could be reduced to a few vocabulary lists and the chaos of high school did not exist yet. Even if you didn’t have the experience I did, just look at the perfect circles of ‘o’ and the precision of lines in ‘x.’ Nothing is wasted with this font, and I can appreciate the geometric design and succinct aesthetic as much as the orderliness it evokes for me. The Less Good Ones Arial – The Default Ack. All I can say. Something about it just irritates me on a sub-dermal level. The way the letters are shaped is just so banal. To the untrained eye, it looks like any other sans serif font, but I can assure you it is not nearly as deserving of the praise it receives. If I told you that you live in a world where the dot of the ‘i’ is not a circle, but a square , can you still have faith in humanity? Exactly. I can’t quite pinpoint overarchingly what it is about Arial that annoys me, but maybe that in of itself is enough to say “no thanks.” Please, do yourself a favor and change your default font on Google Docs from Arial to something much more respectable and reputable, like Times New Roman. Comic Sans – The First Grader To preface this discussion, it’s easy to lose friends over the strong emotions that Comic Sans elicits, so read on with your own caution (don’t say I didn’t warn you). If you’re in first grade or younger, I’ll give you a pass. This the only age range where font typography should that closely resemble bad handwriting. From that point forward, it would be a disservice to impressionable young children to use a font that has zero structure. Just look at each character. Not one of them has a spine, and if anything, it adds little wobbles and bends to each letter. It doesn’t even commit fully to those imperfections, which otherwise could have made it an interesting font. The fact that I live in a world where this font exists makes me shudder to even think about it. The reaction to this abomination of a font is visceral for me. I can’t remember when I started hating this font (yes, I know hate is a strong word, but this is justified), but I can’t remember a time when I remotely liked this font either. On a brighter note, a friend had mentioned dyslexics particularly benefit from using this font, because of its unorthodox lettering pattern. If you’re dyslexic, you get a pass, too. Everyone else? We may have to reevaluate our friendship if you feel otherwise. Jazz Font – The Nightmare This one is not explicitly used as a conventional writing font, but if you play a non-string instrument or experienced the misfortune of encountering this writing style, you know exactly what I’m talking about. (For those of you who don’t, here it is: https://www.mozart.co.uk/about-mozart/fonts/mozartjazzfont.htm .) It’s like taking Times New Roman, a perfectly readable and elegant font, and unnecessarily italicizing and bolding it so already complex chords bleed into each other. It’s sacrilegious. Seriously, why is all jazz or syncopated music written with this font?? I’m certain the creators must think it helps me “feel the swing,” and I can’t fault them for that sentiment. But this is one of the rare times writing in a style is not conducive to producing the desired effect because of the poor execution. From my perspective, if I’m reading a chart for the first time and my part is the integral baseline, I can’t be squinting at my notes, trying to decipher them (plus I’m nearsighted, so this really helps no one). If anything, now I’m confused if my E flat minor augmented chord has an extraneous double flat on the D, or if it’s meant for the B. And merged with the other chords in the measure, I might as well throw away any hope of trying to read what’s happening. Don’t even get me started on trying to interpret if there are now six or seven sharps among the five thousand key changes because I guess half the time. Yeah. If the goal was to hinder my ability to read the music so much so that I resort to inventing new chord progressions to enhance the jazz-icantplaythecorrectnotesanywaysbutitsjazzsoitdoesntmatter, then I guess they succeeded on that end. North Star Fonts Lastly, because you’ve read this far, I’ll let you in on the intentional but subtle secrets of North Star’s typography. Getting the intricate and minute details right was an unexpectedly important part of the process for designing this website since I wanted to emphasize a fresh modern take, but still remain professional for our publication. Futura – The Sans Serif I’ve always liked this font a lot. I like the thin lines and its uncomplicated design. It’s clean and modern, everything you can want in a sans serif font. It’s Century Gothic’s younger sister, if you will. What more can I say? When I had the option to pick a font, this font saturated the thoughts in the back of my mind. Eventually, I realized I would need a thinner font anyways to accommodate for the sizing constraints of the website, so the decision was fate. (Sidenote: how do you pronounce the name of this font? Future – ah or foo-tur-ah? It makes sense the first way but intuitively I’ve just pronounced it the latter way. Please help because I’ve never figured it out to this day.) Museo – The Schrödinger However, I still wanted a statement font, something to make us truly unique. I was in the midst of debating serif or sans-serif for the main North Star font, a looming choice which caused me much stress, to be completely honest. I felt serif would be playing it safe, but I didn’t want to be safe, I wanted to be unapologetically bold. At the same time, a sans serif font with Futura, which is already a strong sans serif, felt unnecessary and didn’t provide enough contrast. Plus, it would all be a little too modern, taking away from the literary experience. Not to mention, this would be the first font seen by those who visited the website, and thus the one to make a first impression: an invaluable experience. Thus, it needed to be perfect . So when I stumbled across this font, I immediately knew it was a top contender because it is neither serif or sans-serif but the perfectly unique mix of both all at once. What finally sold it for me though, was not the font itself. ‘Museo’ is a Spanish cognate for ‘museum’ in English, which functions perfectly if you view the body of work on North Star as a collection of student masterpieces set out for display. Additionally, the word can also be interpreted to mean ‘muse,’ or someone who inspires artistic thought, which is exactly what our publication strives to function as. And because we all know I love a word with multiple meanings, the stars aligned for a brief moment, and thus it was settled. The rest is history. With that, I conclude my list of good and less good fonts, alongside my reasoning for each. Alas, you exclaim “ how dare you bash Comic Sans, my favorite font!” Firstly, that’s a hot take, but if you want to contest my unabashedly intense opinions, I gladly challenge you to a (friendly) duel in the next North Star article. Until then, I implore you to choose common sense over Comic Sans. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Lights On for Education Back to Sections Robert Moses Bridge By Olivia Muscatelli April 22, 2021 Photography Volume 1 Issue 7

Back to Articles Advice Back to Sections Ask Ala: Valentine's Day By Ala Paruch Volume 1 Issue 5 February 12, 2021 Image provided by Glamour Q. Hi Ala. During the pandemic, it has become a lot harder to see my friends and talk as much as we used to. I want to keep in contact with them, but I’m not sure how, what would you do? Thanks! A. Hello! For sure this is a relatable matter for many people at the moment, so thank you for bringing this up! Keeping in touch with the people you usually used to see at school can be difficult and requires a different approach. Before the pandemic, school or outside activities could bring you closer to others and it was significantly easier to talk with them regularly because your obligations put you in the same space anyway. However, the current situation demands a bigger sense of responsibility from both parties. You have to be sure to connect regularly, though ‘regularly’ can differ for every relationship since no one relationship is the same. To talk routinely, don’t be afraid to reach out first. It doesn’t have to be a full-blown discussion each time you talk, you can just say “Hi” or check in how the other is doing/feeling. Managing relationships (whether platonic or romantic) sounds scary, but in all reality, if all parties want to keep what they have worked so hard to build, you will be able to make it. Use this as an opportunity to grow together and get to know each other even better. Small gestures of kindness and care will get you through this. I hope this helps! Q. Hi Ala, Usually, people go out for Valentine’s Day, but as you know things are different this year. Instead of going out, what activities can I do on Valentine’s Day virtually? A. Hello and thank you for your question! The pandemic has definitely complicated the year’s Valentine's Day, but we can’t let this reduce its fun or importance. You can certainly do the old ‘new’ fashioned date through zoom. You and the person you would like to spend the day with can both cook or order a meal and eat it on the call together while having a nice conversation. If you want to go all out, you can order the food for the other person. Be sure to dress up and have everything set up before the call. Another thing you could do is to go on a video-game date and play video games together. If you both like this activity, it might be enjoyable to play some of your favorites. Additionally, you both could ‘go’ online shopping and maybe even get yourselves matching outfits. You could watch a movie together or stream your favorite shows (don’t forget the snacks). Referring to the first suggestion, if you’d like, you can cook the meals together beforehand. All in all, spending time with each other, celebrating all you have achieved and looking forward to the bright future that awaits you matters most. Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope this helps! BACK TO TOP