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Teacher Spotlight! This Month: Ms. Thorne
Teacher Spotlight! This Month: Ms. Thorne
by Donovan Dougherty
In this edition of Teacher Spotlight we have the one and only Ms. Thorne. Now, Ms. Thorne can be a pretty intimidating figure at Notre Dame; if you work as an English teacher for that long you tend to be, but as our student body can attest, Ms. Thorne is one of the most personable teachers around. Now, she may be personable but Ms. Thorne is a proudly assertive lady, and she won’t put up with any distractions or goofing off in her class. Ms. Thorne inspires respect in her students, but at the same time, she makes you feel like family.
As a graduate of Elmira College, Ms. Thorne is the top dog in all things relating to the English language and literature. Ms. Thorne is probably one of the only people I know who can not only explain what a polysyndeton is but use it in a sentence also.
Other than killing it in the classroom, Ms. Thorne is an avid supporter of Notre Dame sports, especially basketball and you can usually see her somewhere in the stands. I’m only one guy, so to just scratch the surface of Ms. Thorne we’re going to have to talk to our Notre Dame student body.
Violet Daly, 12th Grade: "Ms. Thorne is a very understanding teacher who you can tell truly enjoys helping to teach students every day."
Cameron Niedrich, 11th Grade: "She’s really good at helping me write essays."
Simeon Scarselletta, 11th Grade: "Ms. Thorne is always pushing us to do our best on every assignment."
Winter Break
Winter Break
by Gavin Meier
Presidents' Weekend is the celebration of the lives of every US president past and present. Originally it was established as a national holiday in 1885 in recognition of our first president George Washington. Presidents' Day is celebrated on the third Monday of February and starts Winter Break for us at Notre Dame. We have Winter Break to give the students and faculty a break from school in the middle of winter.
American Heart Month
American Heart Month
by Piper Young
When most people think of February, they think of Valentine’s Day. We buy each other chocolate and flowers, and decorate the house with hearts. While this celebration is a fun way to show our love for each other, I challenge you to put your and your partner’s health first this month. Though many may not know already, February is also American Heart Month. Throughout the month of February, we should challenge ourselves to evaluate our own cardiovascular health. In America, Heart Disease is the leading cause of death and recent research from the CDC even suggests that the heart disease death rate in Chemung county is the second highest in the state. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, “Practicing self-care can keep our hearts healthy. Being physically active, eating healthier foods, getting enough sleep, not smoking, and finding healthy ways to reduce stress can help prevent heart disease. And, when we take care of our hearts, we set an example for those around us to do the same.” After your Valentine’s Day dinner this year, I encourage you to go for a walk or runny with your hunny!
Carnival
Carnival
by Donovan Dougherty
Carnival is a valued and honored tradition across the world, and especially here at the Notre Dame Maryleaf. Now obviously, here in the States, Carnival is just not as popular. It may be because of a cultural difference, the fact that we have Mardi Gras, or our holidays being so heavily based on the British. Either way, Carnival is usually not celebrated in great mass here in the States but what about in other parts of the world? What about Brazil, Italy, or Spain?
Well, there Carnival is the biggest party of the year. From people partying in the streets in masks or elaborate costumes, Carnival consumes entire towns. People take off work and instead walk out into the streets to be with their fellow citizens to enjoy themselves and let loose. Food during Carnival varies from place to place but a few examples are crostoli in Italy, feijoada in Brazil, or torrijas in Spain. Carnival allows people to just enjoy themselves and put aside petty squabbles from work or family, and honestly, America really needs a day like that.
Now obviously many of you may have already asked the question, “Okay, so how is Mardi Gras any different?” Well, dear reader, that is because Carnival is an entire season; Mardi Gras is a day. Carnival can extend for an entire week since it starts to signal the new liturgical year of the lenten season, while Mardi Gras is just for Fat Tuesday. This is why Carnival is most prevalent in Catholic countries and not in non-majority Catholic nations like Great Britain or Germany. So in all actuality, Mardi Gras IS Carnival but I tend to believe we need to follow our European and South American friends and make Mardi Gras just a bit longer.
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes
by Violet Daly
Our Lady of Lourdes is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in commemoration of her apparitions to Saint Bernadette Soubirous, a fourteen-year-old peasant girl, in the grotto of Lourdes, France, in 1858. Our Lady directed Bernadette to dig in the nearby ground, which yielded a spring with healing properties that is still active today. We celebrate Our Lady by having Mass and honoring her contributions to the school, such as our infamous school colors inspired by her clothing and golden flowers
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
by Kylie Agan
Valentine’s Day is celebrated annually on February 14th. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring Saint Valentine. Valentine’s Day is a holiday centered around romance due to the belief that St. Valentine, as a priest, would go against the orders of the emperor and conduct Christian marriage ceremonies for couples in secret. Valentine’s Day is a popular holiday in English-speaking countries - such as the United States, Canada, and Australia - but is also celebrated in South American, European, and Asian countries. Traditions throughout these countries are generally the same when it comes to this day, including the exchange of valentines, and a large presence of roses, chocolate, and stuffed animals - common symbols of Valentine’s Day. Notre Dame's National Honor Society held a fundraiser for carnations and Dove chocolate hearts on the 14th this year. Student Council also sold singing-grams for three dollars, and would come to people’s classes and sing them a chosen song addressed to them by whoever paid. Valentine’s Day is a social staple, and a great excuse to display your love for the special people in your life just a little bit more passionately.
Winter Pep rally
Winter Pep rally
by Violet Daly
Our winter pep rally this year was hosted by Notre Dame's Student Council, Izzy Griffin, Violet Daly, Donovan Dougherty and Allie O'Brien. At this pep rally, we honored several sports teams and recognized our student athletes. We also mentioned the Science Olympiad team and many other clubs. We played games including a Valentines Day themed tug-o-war and a cake-eating contest.
Dumpling competition
Dumpling competition
by Archer Choi
On February 8, 2023, Notre Dame High School had a dumpling competition. Many people signed up and six teams participated. After 30 minutes of hard work, each team’s 40 dumplings were boiled. Some opened in the boiling water, yet others didn’t. After all the team's dumplings were done cooking, the presentations started. There were fun raps, dances, jokes, and a fun experience to watch and enjoy. The judge, our cook, Mr. Mack had a tough choice ahead.
When he came to a decision, the whole room was silent, everyone hoping to come up on top. The winners were the Dumpster Diving Dumplings; leading the team was a senior, Allie O’Brien.
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