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 Editorial Back to Sections It’s Okay to Have Friends Jasmine Roberts Volume 4 Issue 4 May 29, 2024 Image Provided by Annie Diep Mental health problems are among the greatest concerns for Gen Z. Maintaining one's mental health is imperative to the mobility of the self; it is the self-care be fore facial soaps and painted lips. Excessive self-diagnosing and negative outlooks on life among Gen Z contribute significantly to mental health concerns. The negative moments of a person’s life are often labeled as “trauma”, even when said “trauma” does not correlate to the scientific studies of how trauma operates. Has mental illness now become trivialized from the point of view of those who are genuinely impacted by it? Is it now “normal” to suffer? Does being happy mean that there is no substance within you, that you aren’t “deep”? Realistically, the world can be bitter and disappointing, and enforcing ideas of loneliness or solitude on social media apps and each other can compound the problem. It’s vital that Gen Z young people engage with each other and find healthy ways to cope with the ever-changing world and learn to perceive the world with more optimism. If subliminal messages say much, it is known that drilling negative ideas into the core of the mind will have detrimental impacts. It's okay to touch grass and breathe fresh air, and it’s okay to be that happy person who smiles at a squirrel eating a nut. It’s okay to live in your own little world as time moves on and the flowers in your tiny garden grow. However, please stay informed about wars and famines, and question the system, but don’t forget to do it with a smile and as open a mind as possible. Entering adulthood has its challenges, so let’s not take for granted the time of gold we have now before that gold becomes iron and rusts away. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Art & Culture Back to Sections Ramadan and Eid in Islam By Nidha Dar and Mairaab Jahangir Volume 1 Issue 8 June 8, 2021 Image provided by India TV Have you ever seen or heard Eid and Ramadan greetings and wondered what they are all about? Why do Muslims celebrate Eid and Ramadan and when do they do so? What is the Muslim way of celebrating Eid and Ramadan? These are only a few questions out of a plethora that many people typically have about the Islamic month and holidays. In this article, we will be explaining a bit about both Eid and Ramadan. To begin, it is almost necessary to start with Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and occurs when the new crescent moon is first sighted. Because the Islamic calendar is based on the phases of the moon, Ramadan goes back approximately 10-11 days each year. Ramadan mainly holds significance in Islam because it is regarded as the time when the Quran was first revealed to the prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him). Additionally - it is a time of year when Muslims overall truly acknowledge the blessings that they have, and overall thank Allah for them. During Ramadan, it has been taught to Muslims through the actions of the prophet to fast for 30 days from sunrise to sunset, and fasting being one of the five pillars of Islam. Fasting includes abstinence from drinking, eating, immoral activities, and rage. Other acts of worship such as prayer, reading the Quran, and charitable giving are encouraged during this time. During the month, Muslims rise early almost every day to eat suhoor , a pre-dawn meal, and break their fast with iftar , a meal occurring at sunset. Not all Muslims are required to fast though - children, the elderly, those who are pregnant, those who are menstruating and those who have medical related health problems are exempt from fasting. If a person cannot fast, it is recommended that they make up their fast later in time, but if they cannot, they can make charitable payments known as fidya or kaffara . These help to provide to those who are less fortunate with a meal to sustain them for a day, which in turn is equivalent in action to fasting. Eid directly translates from Arabic into English as the festival or feast. In a typical Islamic year, there are two major Eids, Eid al-Fitr earlier in the year (in the Islamic month of Shawwal) and Eid al-Adha later on in the year (in the Islamic month of Dhul-Hijjah). Both are extremely important holidays in the religion of Islam, both with their respective and differing purposes. Eid al-Fitr simply means "the festival of breaking the fast", and is usually a three-day lasting celebration with special morning prayers. People exchange ceremonial embraces and greet one another with the phrase "Eid Mubarak," which translates as "Blessed festival." Meals are prepared at home, and gifts or money are given to younger members of the family and those in need. People will typically dress in their very best clothing, usually of their own cultural background. Muslims are taught to forgive and to seek forgiveness during these days. Practices on the days of Eid-al-Fitr vary from country to country, culture to culture, and even household to household. The other Eid, Eid al-Adha, is known as the "Festival of Sacrifice." It comes at the end of the Hajj, a pilgrimage that millions of Muslims undertake (if they are able to afford it) to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia (Hajj is also one of the five pillars of Islam). Eid al-Adha commemorates Allah's command to Ibrahim (may peace be upon him) to sacrifice his son Ismail (may peace be upon him) as a testament of his faith. The story, as told in the Quran, depicts Shaytaan or Satan’s attempt to tempt Ibrahim (may peace be upon him) into disobeying Allah's command. Ibrahim (may peace be upon him), on the other hand, remains dedicated to his actions and informs Ismail (may peace be upon him), who agrees to be sacrificed. But, just as Ibrahim (may peace be upon him) is about to slaughter his child, Allah intervenes and a sheep is sacrificed in his place. Muslims slaughter an animal during Eid al-Adha to remember Ibrahim’s (may peace be upon him) sacrifice and to remind themselves of the need to submit to Allah's will. Most of the meat from this Eid is donated to those less fortunate, or given to local family friends. A small portion of the meat is kept to the family who paid for the animal, mainly as a token of charity. On this Eid people wear their best clothing as well, and spend time with family. Both Eid and Ramadan prove to be pivotal times in Islam. With the variety of culture in the United States, more and more people are learning about what they are, and further educating themselves about Islam. As of two years ago, the Valley Stream schools close for Eid. May everyone who celebrated Eid and Ramadan have had a pleasant time, and for those who didn’t, we hope you learned a little bit about Eid and Ramadan. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections The Last Time Elaine Ching Volume 5 Issue 1 September 20, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching It’s that time of year again.  When you’re ready to throw out every single textbook, test, and temporary ID and to delete the Microsoft Teams app from your phone  and hang up your backpack until next fall.  But still  anticipation  excitement  anxiety  all hang in the air.  After all cries of  “what are you doing for summer?” “what classes are you taking next year?” “when are you going to start the summer assignment?” “which senior will you miss the most?” Fill the hallways and walk home from that final final.  And for most, this isn’t the last time they’ll do this. This isn’t their last time talking about their schedules for “next school year.” This won’t be the final time they shut their locker, knowing they’ll be back in September just to reopen it.  There will be a meeting with their guidance counselors to talk about “next year’s schedule” next year.  But for some, this is the last time. No more “Oh I’ll take that class when I’m a senior”  Or  “I think I’ll keep Chorus and Orchestra in my schedule”  Or  “I’ll come and visit you sometime next year, enjoy your summer!”  After all,  Seniors may be the ones graduating But for the junior class This is their final time saying “Have a good summer and see you next year!” BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Prism Back to Sections Sienna Munro - Prism By Sienna Munro November 24, 2020 Volume 1 Issue 2

Back to Artwork Pop Art Back to Sections Merab Fatima - Pop Art By Merab Fatima January 14, 2022 Photography Volume 2 Issue 3

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections The Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg By Craig Papajohn-Shaw Volume 1 Issue 6 March 18, 2021 Image provided by The New Yorker Notorious Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG): unstoppable, strategic, dissenting, iconic. The death of late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg came to a shock to many in late September after losing her battle with pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg, beloved by many, was notable for fighting for gender equality and for her feminist qualities prior and during her tenure on the Supreme Court. Prior to her term on the court, she overcame adversities to her gender. When she attended Harvard Law, she was one of nine women in classes consisting of 500 students. However, Ginsburg would not graduate from Harvard Law. Her husband, Martin, graduated from Harvard a year sooner and was offered a job at a law firm in New York City. With Ginsburg still having a year yet to receive her degree, she requested her credits be transferred to Columbia University, which would allow her to graduate with a Harvard Degree. The request was not granted, but she would still graduate top of her class from Colombia. Her past experiences defined her and contributed to the role she would play as both a lawyer and a judge. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter (D-GA) appointed Ginsburg to the United State Appeals for the District of Columbia. Serving for 13 years, President Bill Clinton (D-AR) would then appoint her to the Supreme Court as only the second female Justice (after Sandra Day O’Connor). President Joe Biden (D-DE) chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time of Justice Ginsburg’s nomination, rallying his colleagues to support her nomination to the Supreme Court. When she joined the court, she was known as the “consensus builder,” having a moderate ideology. However, as time progressed and the political landscape of the country changed, she became known as one of the most, if not the most, liberal Justices on the court, even though her views on the law did not change. Ginsburg did not let her liberal ideologies stand in the way of her relationship with conservative Justices such as Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Scalia. In Ginsburg’s and Scalia’s joint appearance in 2015, Scalia jokingly stated, “Call us the odd couple. She likes opera, and she is a very nice person. What is not to like? Except her views on the law.” The ideological opposites attracted and contributed to the civil dynamic on the most prestigious court in the country. Ginsburg’s career epitomizes the idea of equality for all citizens and her views on the law played a crucial role in several landmark decisions. First displayed in her majority opinion in United States v. Virginia, Ginsburg stated the decision that the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) male-only admissions policy was unconstitutional in 1996. Furthering on her views of equal treatment and opportunity for all, the 2015 Supreme Court Case Obergefell v. Hodges decided the fate of legalizing gay marriage on a federal level; she joined the majority opinion of the court. In the controversial 5-4 decision, the opinion of the court claimed that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees the right to marry as one of the foundational liberties it protects. In memory of Ginsburg, a six-foot bronze statue was unveiled on March 15th outside 445 Albee Square in Downtown Brooklyn's City Point in New York City. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (D-NY) tweeted on that day: “Ruth Bader Ginsburg dedicated her life to breaking down barriers and making our country a more equitable place. Her powerful example has inspired New Yorkers of all generations, and this new statue will ensure her legacy lives on for generations.” Ginsburg challenged laws that discriminated on the basis of sex, and while the door to her composing decisions on the court has closed, the precedents Ginsburg set have changed the course of history, and those doors will forever remain open. BACK TO TOP

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 Feature Back to Sections Interview with Mr. Moniaci By Cody Sung Volume 3 Issue 3 February 24, 2023 Image provided by Discovery.Inc I was fortunate to be able to interview Mr. Moniaci virtually through Teams. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1996. His first teaching experience came from one of his close friend’s mom, who was one of the secretaries at Berner Junior High School in Massapequa, where he was a substitute teacher. With that, he also got an opportunity to be the drama director there. “I kind of enjoyed running the drama club,” he stated, and realized that he wanted to be a teacher, going back to school to get his master’s degree in secondary education from Columbia University, graduating in 1998. He did his student teaching at LaGuardia High School for Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan; he started his formal teaching career at North High School in September of 1998. He has run the Drama Club here for almost as long as he has been a teacher, saying “I always wanted to do both [teaching history and being involved in the performing arts], and I was happy to have the opportunity at North all these years.” In his 25 years here, he recalls how the school has had more and more students, from around 800 to 1400, and how the hallways used to be less crowded. I inquired to Mr. Moniaci about whether his dual passion for history and acting led him to be the host of What History Forgot, a TV show about forgotten American history. He remembers he got the job from a former Binghamton student who had to do an internship at a production company, Atlas. As part of the internship, he had to pitch a show to the CEO and emailed Mr. Moniaci about a possible history show. In his reply, Mr. Moniaci gave him ideas for what to talk about. “And then, totally kidding around, I wrote at the end, ‘and I get to be the host.’” At the meeting, the CEO liked the forgotten history idea, and the following day, Mr. Moniaci found out he was pitched to be the host. He did a test run of it, and American Heroes Channel picked it up. When the show got released, he said, “the fact that I had a TV show in the first place was pretty crazy.” How did North find out about this? The first year it came out, in 2015, he told his students he was doing a show. “The way I was doing it … I didn’t miss any days at North … I would film on the weekends,” he stated. For one episode during season 2, he took the luggage from North, went to JFK Airport, and flew to California to film. He recalled that his students knew it was coming out. When it did, he entered a classroom, and the students gave him a standing ovation, “which was really sweet. It was really funny.” However, he says the funniest stories came from when his students didn’t know about the show. They would go to him, shocked to see Mr. Moniaci on TV. After what he noted was a unique experience, Mr. Moniaci returned to his usual schedule. Now, he teaches AP United States History, African American History, a sociology elective, and US History and Government. He says he is extremely passionate about teaching history and enjoys being a teacher at North, and he wants to return to doing so as soon as possible. Mr. Moniaci is very inspirational, and we all have something to learn from him. We are all very lucky at North to have Mr. Moniaci as a social studies teacher. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections One Year of India’s Farmers’ Protest By Shinedip Kundlas Volume 2 Issue 1 October 8, 2021 Image provided by Jaskaran Singh I t’s been one year since the farmers in India had started to protest the three agriculture acts which were passed in September of last year by the Parliament of India. Since August 2020, an estimated of 200 million people in India have participated in the ongoing protest of the three agriculture laws. Here’s a recap of the protests. August 2020: India enters a recession Economists in August announced that India has entered its biggest recession in history. Farmers who couldn’t sell their crops at the wholesale markets, also known as “mandis”, had been closed and shut down by the government, panicked. August 2020: Protests Begin Reports come in as protests against the new agriculture laws began in Northern states such as Punjab and Haryana. The All India Kisan Sangharsh coordination committee began to assist in these protests. September 2020: The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commission Act is passed by Prime Minister Modi In September, PM Modi passes the new Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commission Act. According to the Indian government , this act grants farmers “more freedoms” by dismantling the APMC and permitting them to market their crops to anyone for any price. Many of the farmers opposed; they argued that it will leave them more susceptible than ever since this act allows major corporations to drive down the cost of key crops. PM Modi and the government has proposed and crafted this act without any input from the farming community. November 11, 2020: Burning of fields Farmers began demonstrating their frustration and anger with the new laws by burning their fields. In response to the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commission Act instead of hand clearing any leftover crop residue, the workers chose to burn the leftover crop residue. November 23, 2020: The March towards Delhi From across the nation, Indian farmers began marching towards Delhi, India’s capital. Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim farmers walked together to their march for justice. The farmers were met with large police groups on November 26. They used tear gas, water cannons, and physical force to keep the farmers from entering. However, despite this, the farmers kept pushing forward. November 26, 2020: The world’s largest strike happens in India On Nov. 26, over 250 million workers from industries like banking, to transportation, to oil and natural gas production, to doctors and teachers, went on the world’s largest coordinated strike of all time. November 27, 2020: Granted Entrance to Delhi After news broke worldwide, the government announced that the protesters would be granted peaceful access to Delhi. Protestors quickly spread out taking over streets and highways. December 1, 2020: Government officials meet with protest leaders For the first time, government officials officially meet with protest leader. Both sides agreed the talks had been “good” even though no conclusion or decision had been made. December 8, 2020: Strike shuts down parts of India Thousands of protesters effectively shut down public transportation, shops, and markets nationwide during the ongoing strike. January 24, 2021: Tractor Rally With tractors, farmers protest on the streets of Delhi despite the harsh conditions they are meant with. However, the Modi Administration refuses to rescind the three agricultural laws farmers have protested for months, in spite of renewed discussions between the Indian Supreme Court and union leaders. February 4, 2021: Celebrities speak out Indian government officials slammed celebrities and others for their comments supporting farmer protests, calling them "neither accurate nor responsible". This followed Rihanna, Teen activist Greta Thunberg, and niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, lawyer-author Meena Harris' spoke out on the farmer protests. March 05, 2021 In the interest of the farmers and Punjab, a resolution was passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, to call for the unconditional withdrawal of the farm laws and the continuation of the government's existing food grain procurement system based on the MSP March 8, 2021: 100 Days Farmers complete 100 days at Delhi’s borders. May 27, 2021: Black Day The farmers marked six-months of the agitation by burning effigies of government officials. Although the crowds at the three borders have thinned, farm leaders said that the protests would continue until 2024. June 26, 2021: Seven months More farmers march to Delhi to mark seven months of protest against the farm laws. August 7, 2021: Visit of ‘Kisan Sansad’ Leaders of 14 opposition parties met at the Parliament House and decide to visit Kisan Sansad (Farmers’ Parliament). August 28, 2021 Haryana Police brutally attacked farmers at the Bastara toll plaza on the national highway, resulting in several injuries. The protests against the farm law passed last year have renewed the spotlight once again. September 11, 2021 After a five-day standoff between farmers and the Karnal (Haryana) district administration, a retired judge from the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been recruited to conduct a probe into the August 28 police brutality on farmers at the Bastara toll plaza, ending the five-day standoff. September 17, 2021: September 17, 2021 marks one year of India’s Farmers’ Protest. September 27, 2021 The farmer bodies announce Bharat Bandh (National Strike) with many other groups and bodies joining in support and solidarity with farmers. It’s been one year since the Farmers’ Protest has begun. It’s been ten months since Indian farmers have been sleeping on the border of Delhi. Notes & Resources: A thorough article clarifying what the massive, historic farmers’ protests in India are about  can be found here . An outline to how the MSP affects the numerous states of India  can be found here . Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce BACK TO TOP