By: Aydan Bejinariu

Have you ever wondered why this summer felt so short? Why you are already back in school? I have felt the same way and didn’t realize what the reason for the feeling was. I didn’t think much of it until I looked back on the schedule and realised that we started school earlier than last year. This year’s summer felt like a breeze just because CPS decided to push our summer back. Even though it was a few days I could have still been chilling by the pool instead of rotting in school still trying to find ways to reactivate my brain. Jackson Limone, a senior at Taft, stated, “It would have been nice for a longer summer since senior year is packed with applications, final credits and such. It would have given us more breathing room before all the stress hit, but hey at least we end earlier than last year.” Many students share the same feeling as Jackson. For seniors especially, the change feels a little bit like a setback since this year comes with more pressure and responsibilities.  Another senior, Alex Vittori, said, “Honestly summer feels short every year, but knowing that we have an intended shorter summer makes me feel disappointed. I wanted to work more hours and also spend time with my cousins who were visiting from out of town.” While some students are trying to see a hopeful side, such as ending school earlier in June, many still feel that a longer summer break would have given them the time they needed to recharge. Whether it’s working, traveling, or just relaxing, students agree that summer never feels long enough, and this year proved that more than ever. 

By: Aaliyah Mendez

School is back! Welcome back to another new school year of success and hard work. Taft has been busy this summer with Taft 2025 summer camps for students to enjoy activities of their choice. An opportunity for a great active experience that Taft provides before school starts. The summer camps include Junior Eagle Girls softball camp, Gaming Camp, Guitar Camp and many more. Most of the camps started in early July. Taft also offered this summer After school matters for students to earn money while learning a new skill. Students who applied either for Podcast exploration, water polo, and Art & Social Media.  Started in June and lasted a couple of days. The eagles are back for even more activities that Taft provides. The students who participated in the summer camps are even more prepared for this school year to get a head start in which clubs and sports they want to engage in this year or rest of the years at Taft. Senior Miley Avila participated in band after school and talked highly of Taft's many clubs for students' interest. Global politics teacher Mattew Francolino is head of the GloPo book club and during the summer he always promotes his club to students. Activities during the summer and school are essential for students' futures. Senior Mia Gonzalez has spoken about how before getting a job she wished she participated in Taft's extracurricular activities before her senior year to experience new interests and hobbies that she could have discovered if she had joined. Taft summer was busy but this school year is busier.. So Welcome back Eagles and enjoy this school year.  

By: Michal Laczak and Ryan Harrity

As the summer season ends, a ton of leagues are starting in European soccer such as the Premier League and LaLiga. The NFL is in preseason with the regular season just a few weeks away. The MLB regular season is in the latter third of its length with the playoff race on its way. The first game in the Premier League was Liverpool against Bournemouth, with Liverpool winning 4-2. This was the first EPL game since the passing of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, both who died in a car accident in Spain a month ago. Since then, Liverpool’s site has stated “Diogo Jota is immortalised as Liverpool Football Club’s number 20 forever.” Along with this, Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo was racially abused by a Liverpool fan in a wheelchair. After he was removed, Semenyo scored 2 goals until Chiesa and Salah ultimately made it 4-2. As we get closer to the start of the NFL Season, there are some teams to be hopeful about.This especially the Chicago Bears with Ben Johnson being at the helm for his first year. The Offensive Line has looked strong in the preseason. The O-Line has always been an issue of the Bears. Every good team needs good O-linemen to develop new players like Caleb Williams. As the regular season winds down and the playoff race starts to heat up, we’re starting to see some contenders and some pretenders. Recently, with a couple of hot streaks, The Milwaukee Brewers have taken the lead of the National League Central. They had a streak of eleven wins as well as a 13 game win streak after a 2-3 losses. The Chicago Cubs have significantly cooled off after the All Star Break. Their All Stars, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker have been abysmal on the hitting front after both were considered for National League MVP.  Using the stat app Statmuse, Kyle Tucker has become much worse, hitting with a .182 batting average in 26 games with only one home run. It has recently been found out that Tucker has been hitting with a hairline fracture in his wrist since June. PCA has hit .234 since the break, only achieving 22 hits with two of them being home runs. Currently, the Brewers and Cubs are engaged in 5 games that are extremely crucial in finding out which team will take the Central.

By: Samantha Barajas

The interdisciplinary unit has officially come to Taft. The interdisciplinary includes four subjects: English, math, science, and social studies. Each subject have their own teachers who play a role in organizing the unit and putting the curriculum together. This unit is primarily for upcoming Sophomores, its purpose is to transition them to the varsity campus. Seventh, eighth, and ninth-grade students are also included in the program. They desire for all students in the program to experience and explore change. Chemistry teacher Niki Safakas said that the interdisciplinary unit is still in its early stages and their goal is for Sophomore students to complete the unit in their first 3 weeks of school. In regards to the ultimate goal for the students, Safakas said, “See that the skills that they are learning can be connected and that they can be used outside that subject.” Math teacher Michele Saporito said via g-chat, “The unit will teach students a lot and will get them involved in the school community.” Saporito helped develop the math unit and helped students collect and analyze data. Saporito said, “The most significant  part is having students make a prediction for Taft’s future identity.” The interdisciplinary unit is being used to help students, primarily Sophomores, use the skills they learn in the classroom outside of the classroom. They also explore the identity of Taft and adjust to being at the varsity campus. The unit is still at its early stages and students are continuing to learn through it.