January 2024
A Picture of Gaza
By Sarina Mohammad
Staff Writer
Keeping Witness: A collection of images of Gaza from the past, wanting to showcase its beauty so it is not forgotten in the midst of current events:
Photo 1: From @majd.arandas on Instagram (unfortunately no longer with us) - A couple of young men in Gaza enjoying the golden sunset near the calm sea, embodying what it means to be alive.
Photo 2: From @majd.arandas - Cultivation of olives, which Palestinians hold very dear as they symbolize meticulous caretaking and adoration of the land and resilience, given that olive trees tend to live very long lives.
Photo 3: From @motaz_azaiza on Instagram (recently forced to evacuate from Gaza) - Children from Deir Al Balah refugee camp engaging in an exciting game of street soccer.
Photo 4: From @majd.arandas on Instagram - Vibrant colors decorate the sky of the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Photo 5: From @motaz.azaiza on Instagram - A couple of women snacking, drinking refreshing juice, encouraging an adorable little girl pretending to balance on a tightrope, and overall just making memories on a rooftop in Gaza.
The Media Center Gets a New Name
By Gracie Graham
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
A long overdue event has swept over the Victor J. Andrew community: the renaming of our Media Center. While it doesn’t sound like a big deal, it actually is, and it may encourage you to think twice and appreciate the history of a place we use every day. The Dorothy Davis Turner Media Center is named after a remarkable woman whose story was not told until recently. The D230 community all started with Davis funding the first high school in Orland Park. While teaching in the community, she focused on her goal and turned the Tinley-Orland area into a more suburban focused community to live in. Without Davis, our schools (that currently rank highest in Illinois) would not be here to educate thousands of students a year, turning them into productive, contributing citizens of our modern society. Class of 2023 students, Serena Naji, Bojana Blagojevic, Ryan Kolacki, Jake Drucker, and Charlianne Johnson, all recognized the lack of credit given to Davis, and with the help of their AP Language teacher, Mrs. Sullivan, they encouraged change within their community. Their efforts highlight a movement to give women the recognition they deserve for their accomplishments, which is often diminished or overlooked.
We reached out to Serena Naji, a leader for this change, and asked her to explain her vision and process to get the Media Center name changed. Naji focused on Turner after a lesson in AP Literature surrounding The Handmaid's Tale, a literary work that focuses on the theme of female oppression, and quickly connected it to Davis being under appreciated for her life's work.
While initially, they wanted to rename a space used by the entire district, after meeting with Dr. Nolting, Naji and the students discovered that their purpose needed to be airtight and convincing, as places in our district often do not get renamed. Unfortunately, a setback they found was the lack of information and credit given to Davis on the internet. Luckily, they were able to access primary source documents with the help of Mr. Duffy, a former Andrew History teacher, as well as Davis' granddaughter. Naji, Kolacki, and Drucker were able to present their proposal in front of the school board president during their first semester of college. Within her mission, Naji found she was able to understand more about what women went through to get recognition, even after Davis' various accomplishments set thousands of students up for success. Naji, along with the team of Andrew alumni, should be commended for the time and hard work to ensure that Davis was recognized for her contributions to our community. This acknowledgment not only highlights Dorothy Davis Turner but is a statement of the importance of honoring women for their achievements in society.
Valentines Day Activities
By Elena Aviles
Staff Writer
No matter your relationship status during this holiday, Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy this time of love and festivities. Many activities can be done with anyone you wish to spend this holiday with to celebrate! Here are some ideas of ways to take advantage of this year's Valentine's Day!
Galentine’s Party
For all of the people who want to spend a day appreciating the love that they have for their friends, a Galentine’s party is the perfect opportunity! These parties often take place during a meal such as a brunch or dinner and can be celebrated by making sweet treats such as chocolate-covered strawberries or cookies, and adorned the table with elaborate decorations. These festivities allow you to spend quality time with your friends and show each other the support and love that all friends deserve to receive!
Picnic
A picnic is the perfect way to have an intimate and meaningful meal with people who are important to you in your life, while at the same time being able to appreciate the beauty of nature and life around you. Find a peaceful location to sit outside on a cozy blanket, and pack a meal full of tasty treats and sweet flavors to enjoy Valentine’s Day!
Baking Treats
For all of these parties and meals, you will need to find certain foods and snacks to make to enjoy with your loved ones. Some ideas for Valentine’s Day-inspired treats to create for these celebrations include:
Fruit skewers
Red velvet cookies
Chocolate covered pretzels
Raspberry bars
Pink cinnamon rolls
Heart-shaped sugar cookies
Strawberry bundt cake
Pink macrons
Feel free to be creative with more sweet treats and other themed items to create for these festivities!
Notes of Kindness
While there are festive ways to share memories with loved ones, there are also less elaborate ways to demonstrate your love and appreciation for the people in your life. One such way that does not take too much time or resources is to write notes to the people in your life whom you would like to thank. These notes can even be made more festive by writing them on colored paper and cutting them out to make them look like sweetheart candies with important, meaningful messages on them to share your love during this holiday!
Board Game Night
One of the best ways to bond with friends and important people in your life is to play games with them. Board games are a fun activity that provide a wide variety that can be played by everyone and bring people together! Have everyone bring their favorite game and find some new competitions to compete against your friends! Such group activities help bring a group together and strengthen your relationships while allowing you to have fun!
Staff Resolutions
By Elisabeth Skorupa
Editor-in-Chief
New Year's resolutions have been an inspiration for many to change the course of their lives in the upcoming year. Sometimes, these goals are simple and easy to manage, while others are much more extravagant and lead observers to question a person's capability to keep this streak going. Many affirm to remain consistent with their goals and follow through with their resolutions, however, a select few may fail to reach their personal expectations. These affirmations can lead to a happier, healthier, and more enjoyable lifestyle. In addition to this, anyone can decide to hold themselves to a higher level and achieve newly established goals. This year, The Circuit Newspaper has reached out to all of the Andrew staff and asked them to generously share their New Year’s Resolutions for 2024.
Many of our staff members and teachers have decided to incorporate exercise and physical activity into their daily lives.
“Exercise more and eat healthier” - Ms. Deval
“Play golf in at least 4 different states” - Mr. Zukowski
“Working on taking better care of myself! Have to lose those lbs.” - Mr. Dalton
“To incorporate daily exercise as part of my self-care. I participate in "Run The Year" and in order to cover 2024 miles of steps (I walk, not run) in the year, it averages to 5.53 miles per day. Whatever I still need to reach 5.53 miles after a day of teaching, I finish on my treadmill at home. I am also trying to incorporate resistance training 4-5 days per week. 2024 is for a healthier me!” - Mrs. Johnson
“Run a 5K” - Mr. Keane
Many prospective cooks have also confirmed courageous attempts at new home-cooked recipes!
“Eat more home-cooked meals and fewer restaurant meals!” - Ms. Boston
“To start making the recipes I saved on Pinterest all last year!” - Ms. McGlynn
“Only go out to eat once a week and stop eating after 6 P.M.” - Ms. Macialek
“Eat Healthy More Vegetable.” - Ms. Bailey
“Eat less processed foods and drink more water” - Mrs. McCreary
Many staff members have also affirmed to conquer personal goals to benefit their unique lifestyles as well!
“Drastically reduce my amount of online shopping.” - Mrs. Malcom
“This year's resolution was to spend more time supporting the DETROIT LIONS!” - Mr. Weber
“ To fill my gas tank before it's on E.” - Ms. de la Vega
“To keep my desk clean!” - Ms. Del Bianco
"Spend less money on Amazon each month and close all the activity rings on my Apple Watch each day” - Mrs. Sukalo
“To get more organized” - Mr. Sapit
Mindfulness and positivity are also very important among the members of our staff and have inspired many to spend time helping themselves and others around them.
“If I think or hear something nice about someone, I will say it to them.” - Ms. Sweeney
“This year I decided to try and listen to something encouraging at the start of each day and in the evening reflect on my day and think of the good moments throughout the day that I was grateful for. Starting and ending the day with something positive has been a great start to the new year.” - Ms. Mangabhai
“To have a healthier, happier, and more fun New Year than 2023.” - Mrs. Birch
“Pray every day!” - Mr. Spiel
“Have more fun! Try new restaurants, go to new places, say yes to adventures!” - Mrs. Cochran
“Embrace everything life has to offer today” - Ms. Cotter
“To make my health and self-care a priority through exercise, healthy eating, and spending more time in nature.” - Mrs. Ward
“My New Year's resolution is to incorporate more wellness in my life. More family time, more sleep, and better eating habits.” - Dr. Othman
Vogue Winter
Fashion 2024
Fashion 2024
By Danya Rihan
Staff Writer
It is official, the coldest season of the year has begun. It is time to switch out your autumn apparel to something warmer. Here are the new fashion trends of 2024.
To start, black Mary Janes are in style! Loafers have also made a reappearance in the fashion world. Each one of these appears to be mostly low to the ground with a little heel, to show elegance and femininity.
Moving forward, there has been an uprise in long dresses. As always, beige and black colors are a staple in all wardrobes. Long dresses are a simple, one-and-done option. Knit, cozy dresses are the way to go on a winter morning!
Next, easy layers (dresses or sweaters) have gained popularity. You could find multicolored layers or solid color layers. Different designs could also be used as statement pieces. Another benefit is they keep you warm! The fun part about these layers is they’re also a one-and-done option, similar to the long dresses.
Finally, some classic wide-leg pants. Wide-legged pants have never left style and are super modest. Investing in a good pair of wide-legged pants in versatile colors, such as black and brown, could be used for an endless amount of outfits. Wide-legged pants are a staple in 2024 fashion!
Overall, 2024 winter fashion seems to prioritize modesty, simplicity, and comfy pieces! This type of clothes could be found in any clothing store because they’re all timeless, and dare I say, business casual.
You can't go wrong with a pair of Mary Janes.
chickoshoes.com
Layering is in and easy for every day wear.
By Lauren M
Wide leg pants are a staple for 2024.
jadore-fashion.com
Valentine’s Day: Family, Friends, and Sweethearts
By James Abraham
Staff writer
Valentine’s Day: a day looked forward to by the most devoted of couples and the day feared by the loneliest of people. But, why should Valentine’s Day just be delegated towards showing affection to people of romantic interest? For whatever reason, we’ve slowly assumed that Valentine’s Day only involves love between a couple, and entirely forgets about platonic and familial love. Here are some great ideas to shower the people in your life love, regardless of relationship status.
Family
From the parents who cared and nurtured you every step of the way, to the siblings who manage to pester you every moment, to the cousins who stay over at your house so much they basically live there, families are always there for us. A great way of showing your appreciation for them is to focus your Valentine’s Day on spending time with them. For starters, family game night is an amazing household tradition that slowly got weeded out due to the sheer hustle of our lives. This is a perfect day to plan ahead a board or video game to play with your family, bond with them, and have some fun! Another great idea is centering a gathering around food, which time and time again have proven to be the perfect act of communion. Having homemade food and sitting with the people you love is a phenomenal way to display affection.
Friends
Friends are some of the best gifts this universe has ever granted us. It’s a miracle that we’ve connected with people who share the same interests, feelings, ideas, and hobbies as we do, so much so that we’ve bonded with them, and in some cases, become like a second family. Why not appreciate them on Valentine's Day? There are so many possibilities. For one, you can take on a challenging escape room with them. Escape rooms are a great way to collaborate with your group to try and solve puzzles. The puzzles are super intricate and it takes a ton of coordination in order to win. Another fun activity is Valentine’s baking. Baking cookies or a cake in the shape of a heart, or even no shape at all and just having each other’s presence can be so enthralling. Baking sugar cookies and having a decorating station sounds like the perfect way to spend a day!
Sweethearts
Now, even though I feel that Valentine’s Day should separate itself from the idea that it’s strictly isolated to couples, they can still enjoy a good Valentine’s Day. One amazing activity is to scour around shops and businesses and get things at a couple’s discount. There’s nothing more attractive than fiscal responsibility. Then, of course, you can always go the route of the tried and true Valentine’s restaurant date. Any restaurant that can fit in your budget is a perfect way to spend the day, especially since the restaurants are usually themed for the occasion! Be sure to call for a reservation though! Things book up fast.
There are so many ways to spend your Valentine’s Day, you can even take the day off for relaxation, and see it as a self care opportunity. Go to the spa, pick up a book, turn your text notifications off. and don’t feel the need to respond to texts or emails for a full day. Valentine’s Day is a great time for all sorts of love.
February Snow
By Samir Kayed
Staff Writer
Hey there, T-Bolts! Get ready for some snow talk. It looks like Tinley Park is in for some snowfall throughout February. Starting at an average of 4.1 inches, the snowfall rarely exceeds 9.0 inches or falls below 0.4 inches. By the end of the month, the average snowfall is expected to be 3.4 inches, with rare extremes of 8.1 inches. And mark your calendars, because the highest average 31-day accumulation of 4.1 inches is predicted for February 12. Stay warm out there!