2019-2020

Ways to Keep Warm

By Giuliana Evangelista

Jan. 2 2018

As the Winter comes along, so does the eternal impression that you’re dying. So here are some tips to help you survive yet another winter WITHOUT BREAKING THE DRESS CODE!

1. Wear layers! Unlike in the summer where even when you don’t have clothes on and still feel like your skin is melting, you can stock up on warmth! To keep the school department happy and you with NO DETENTION wear long sleeves underneath your uniform shirt.
2. Keep moving. Yes I know nobody likes to exercise, but the more you move, the more your body warms up, so the warmer you are, the happier you are.
3. DON’T GET SICK! For fish’s sake nobody wants to get sick either and when you’re sick you feel colder, like a frozen fish in the lake.
4. Wear gloves! The school has no rules about gloves so wear them when you want and wrap up your hands like they’re some sort of wrap you’re about to eat!

Fans Await Premiere of The Last Jedi

By Mike Landy

Dec. 14 2017

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away fans due to experience long dry spells with little-to-no fresh Star Wars content to look forward to.

That reign of uncertainty has been ushered out by a revamped trilogy taking place after the events of Return of the Jedi (or 36 ABY in the Star Wars calendar system, ABY stands for After Battle of Yavin.) Star Wars now a Disney-owned entity is churning out films yearly and appealing to a wider fanbase than ever before.

The Last Jedi, the third Star Wars movie in as many years will mark the return to prominence for Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker, the main protagonist in the original saga. Skywalker made an appearance at the end of the 2015 The Force Awakens but had no dialogue, It is expected that he will influence the path of this trilogy’s main character, Rey.

Rey, fresh off of a victory of sorts against the dark Kylo Ren, has made her way to the planet Atch-To in pursuit of a teacher so she may learn to control her newfound force powers. She is accompanied by the familiar R2-D2. Our other heroes are scattered about and will have their own storylines during the film.

Fans also wait with anticipation to see how Director Rian Johnson dealt with the sudden and tragic curve thrown to the film when Carrie Fisher, the voice and face of Princess Leia Organa, passed away last December. It was likely that, had Fisher lived, we would have been given confirmation of Leia’s status as force sensitive.

Andy Serkis’ character Supreme Leader Snoke and the mystery around him has led to two years of fan speculations and theories. Perhaps some of them will be confirmed or refuted in this newest installment.

BB-8, the lovable, soccer ball-like droid that captured audiences’ hearts will be countered by the First Order’s BB-9E.

Despite all of these stories, if you ask a Star Wars fan, they are unlikely to identify any of them as the reason they are excited for the movie. The reason these films work so well is that they capture something that is uniquely unfulfilled by similar science fiction tales. The reason Star Wars is as big as it is (The Force Awakens, is the highest grossing movie of all time at just over 2 billion) is because it is fun. There is no equal when it comes to the one measurement that is most important: fun.

Star Wars movies, more than anything, leave an audience elated. It’s something that makes you long for the days of running around the yard, gifted with the incredible skillset of a Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader. In order to appreciate these movies fully, you must embrace them for all their bizarre-ness and enmesh yourself in this made up universe. You must take them for what you see on screen and forget the unspoken nerdiness that you acquire when you understand fully, and care about deeply, the differences and meanings in something as simple as the color of a lightsaber.

I know I look forward to watching the 8th installment of this unrivaled saga. I am also likely to enjoy watching it again - numerous times - in theaters and then going on to discuss and debate it with fellow followers. I expect the force to be strong with this one, and so should you.

Ranking Star Wars Episodes

By Mike Landy

Dec. 14 2017

Kearny High School’s Computer Science Appreciation Week

By Brianna Heim

Dec. 12 2017

Claudia Alduquerque, a freshman in Mr. Torre’s 7th period class, tried coding for the first time with the Music Note coding tutorial on the Beginner level. Her code dealt with adding different notes for the codes to run, but she was unable to complete the tutorial. She’d love to try the “Hour of Code” again if it was more interactive and there were more graphics to work with. Overall, Claudia enjoyed her hour of coding.

Muhammad Nadeeon, a senior, chose the Beginner Level of the Crossroad coding tutorial which he had to use motion movement algorithms. If he had the chance to participate in the event again, he’d be more than willing. From his “Hour of Coding” Muhammad learned basic algorithms for movement.

Mr. Torre’s classes all participated in the event “Hour of Code” and received certificates after their completion. The students have a found a way to relate coding to their favorite activities and had a genuinely great time and had fun even though at first they didn’t believe they would.

Not So Awkward Christmas Story

By Alyssa Lopez

Dec. 12 2017

The sound of little feet running floated around the house, but that was nothing compared to the slam of Bruce’s door being pushed open. Bruce unfortunately woke up to his younger sister, Joan, jumping on him and screaming, “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” Bruce was about to complain when Joan’s words finally registered in his mind. In seconds he jumped out of bed and was running towards the Christmas tree alongside Joan. When they got to the living room where the tree was they screamed, “CHRISTMAS!” However, both of them quickly fell short and shut up when they realized there were more people than their parents. Their whole family was there for Christmas and now everyone was looking at the pair.

Bruce immediately coughed behind his hand awkwardly and said, “Uh, hi everyone…” Beside him Joan just waved. For a few agonizing seconds there was nothing but silence. Then the duo’s mom, Lena, burst out laughing. The family was now just looking at her. “You know it’s gonna be a great day if your mom starts laughing at you the first time she sees you.” Bruce meant to whisper but he was never good at keeping his thoughts to himself. Actually, everyone heard him and broke out into laughter. Bruce smiled and laughed along. He couldn’t help but think, ‘Maybe this Christmas won’t be so bad after all.’ Then Aunt Gina stood up and said, “ As much as I loved this little spectacle, I want my kisses from my niece and nephew!” Joan and Bruce both winced. Aunt Gina was one of those aunts that would hug you and another you in kisses on the cheek. So for the next five minutes they dealt with Aunt Gina’s affection, then after that the next ten minutes were spent saying hello to everyone else. “Alright, alright, I think the kids want to open their presents now. Go ahead kids.” The kids smiled brightly at their mother’s words. The duo looked at each other and rushed the tree. Joan immediately threw herself onto her stomach and tried to get the presents at the back of the tree. Meanwhile, Bruce slid on his knees to the front of the tree and started going through the presents there. Quickly and efficiently, the two had the presents sorted into three piles. One pile had Joan’s presents, the second had Bruce’s presents, and the last had all the other presents for other family members.

Both quickly tore into their presents. Both of them were severely disappointed. “Clothes? Socks?” Joan couldn’t help but ask. Immediately, Aunt Gina said, “Why of course! You two are still growing and we all decided to save you the money and buy clothes for you now. Don’t you both love them?” Bruce and Joan both looked at the matching onesies they held and winced. “Of course, we do!” They said it at the same time, and had their family not been oblivious they would have seen the lies on the duo’s faces. Thankfully, after five hours of awkward eating and chatting, their family left. It was only Joan, Bruce, and Lena. “I am proud of both of you for dealing with our weird family. So here are your Christmas presents from me.”

Bruce and Joan’s heads snapped up and saw their mom holding a bag. When they rushed her, she actually screamed and dropped the bag. The kids grabbed the bag and sorted the presents into two piles, one pile for each of them. “Biggest to smallest presents or vice versa?” Bruce asked his sister. “Start small, go big.” They then ripped into their smallest present. “I got a unicorn!” “I got a book!” Bruce held up his book happily, while Joan did the same with her unicorn. “Alright, next present.” The pair listened to their mom and in seconds unwrapped their next present. “An Xbox one!” “A laptop!” The two were screaming and laughing. “Bruce, we can play together on my new Xbox one!” “Definitely! And I can search things up for you on my laptop!” The two were screaming to one another instead of having an actual conversation. At this point Lena was on the ground laughing. She was laughing so much, she almost couldn’t say, “Open *snort* your last presents kids.” The two quickly put their other presents to the side. They both looked at each other and Joan ripped into her present first. “I got a crafting station! I can finally make stuff without making a mess!” Bruce couldn’t help but laugh. Lena laughed and said, “That’s why I got you that present. I’m honestly done cleaning up after your crafting sessions. I had glue in my hair for a week after the last one.” Bruce just laughed harder and was now rolling on the floor. “Oh shush you. Open your last present.” Bruce finally calmed himself and opened his last present. “I got a bookshelf!” Low and behold, in Bruce’s hands was a box from Ikea containing the parts and tools needed to make a bookshelf. Lena smiled and said, “Well, you are always tripping on the stacks of books in your room since you have so many. So I thought why not get him the bookshelf he has wanted since the start of the year.” Bruce jumped to his feet and said, “I’m going to put it together now!” Joan and Lena followed him. Joan said, “I want to help- Bruce, watch out!” However, Joan’s warning was in vain. A loud crash resounded through the house. As Bruce laid on the ground, Joan fussed over him and Lena was on the ground laughing. He couldn’t help but think, ‘Most awkward and best Christmas ever.’

Different Types of Relatives You Meet During the Holidays

By Giuliana Evangelista

Nov. 29 2017

1. The Nosy One- This one always seems to butt in your business whether you like it or not. "Come on? A pretty gal like you, doesn't have a boyfriend yet? Where's your job honey?" You know that last one is dripping with venom.
2. The Classic Grandparent(s)- "What are you wearing?" "What horrible thing you have done to your hair it was perfectly beautiful before!" We can always count on them to embarrass us at the table, which means be prepared at all times.
3. The "Significant" Other- This one is the newly found girlfriend/boyfriend of the bunch. You've never seen them before, and there's that awkward silence between you two.
4. The Narcissistic- This one only cares about themselves. "Guys! Guess what I bought last month, I got a new job, there's a new blah blah blah blah blah." The rest is history, as you never really pay attention.
5. The One "Going Through Some Stuff"- Now, everyone has their days and sometimes it may land on a holiday, but that's just life and it's normal. What's not normal is every single year you hear the exact same things going "badly in their life". They know it's their fault, you know it's their fault, everyone knows it's their fault, they just pretend nothing's wrong with them.
6. The Photo Addict- Okay, okay, who doesn't like some totally artsy photos to for the sake of having a good Instagram feed? But there's a line... and this person crosses it. Every single second of the day, taking pictures with every single thing or person they could find.

Sweet Potato Soufflè

By Smantha Barros

Nov. 16 2017

Thanksgiving is a time for friends, family, and giving thanks. But most importantly, it's a time for food! Most of us eat all the same foods like turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. But this year, Chef Colletti, the culinary instructor here at Kearny High School, decided to share with us a recipe for a delicious Sweet Potato Soufflè! Chef Colletti created this recipe and made this dish for Thanksgiving brunch at a hotel she used to work at and now Kearny High students have the opportunity to make it themselves and spice up their Thanksgiving meals. Here is the recipe:

Library and Photography Classes Join Together for Project

By Giuliana Evangelista

Nov. 14 2017

There's an art storm coming up! Ms. Donnelly from the photography class and Mrs. Admenta from the Media Center have currently been teaming up for a new project. They are planning on asking photography students to make art according to their assigned genres. The students are supposed to pick a genre, for example Fantasy, and make a book cover based on that genre. After perfecting the art, Ms. Donnelly will print out a large copy and Mrs. Admenta will put up the cover next to its assigned genre. Keep an eye out for more news!

World Vegan Month

By Maria Zago

Nov. 4 2017

November is World Vegan Month! The Vegan Society recognized this at first in 1994 as only a day. It then became a week and it is now an entire month to celebrate the benefits and rapid growth of vegan-friendly products, and how far the movement of a vegan lifestyle has come. Veganism itself is a learning process so this is an excellent opportunity to learn more about a plant based diet and how to eliminate animal products. A vegan lifestyle is a still a new and wild concept to many, so one of your goals should be to encourage others, and share discoveries you make along the way.

The best way to participate is to challenge yourself to go vegan for 30 days and if it ever crossed your mind before, now is the perfect time to start. Like any other goal, it won’t be easy, so here are some things to consider and that might help:

• Have someone taking this challenge with you! It doesn’t even have to be a competition, just having someone by your side is great motivation and support.
• Go at your own pace! The early days are probably the hardest but there’s always room for adjustment.
• Think of it as a lifestyle change, not just a diet, so eat right and don’t forget any essentials. There’s vegan alternatives to almost anything you can think of, so you won't be missing much. Try to swap out just one meal first or your favorite food for a vegan version.
• Be open to try new things and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Remember this actually takes time, patience, courage, and curiosity. Just the initial decision to make a change is a huge step so regardless, be sure to give yourself a pat on the back for the progress you make, even if it’s not monumental.

Thirty days may seem like a long time, but it’s only a temporary commitment. It's definitely worth it and you might even last longer than that. Don’t give up, and good luck! To learn more visit https://www.vegansociety.com/take-action/campaigns/world-vegan-month or https://www.vegan.com/how/.

November Break: What to do

By Nicole Cohen-Perez

Nov. 2 2017

There is no doubt that at some point during the school day someone says something along the lines of “I need a day off.” Unlike other years, students have the advantage of a week off from November 6 to November 10. Sometimes people find themselves letting time pass by without doing anything, and often regret it afterwards. The week off is a perfect opportunity to be productive or to do something you never get the chance to do.

What's For Lunch?

By Lucas Pinheiro

Oct. 2017