By Julia Labrada
If you’re familiar with the properties of water, you’ll know that at temperatures below 32° Fahrenheit, it freezes. Once temperatures exceed 32°, the newly formed ice melts and takes the form of water. However, the US agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement gives a completely different meaning to the word ICE. What you might not be familiar with, however, is its “melting point”. In light of recent events, many Americans, including students here at Nyack, find themselves asking the same question: “Where and when will the US government draw the line between law enforcement and discrimination?”
Image provided by Kevin Chen
Image by Casper Mattress
By Hailie Vasquez
At 7:30 a.m., classrooms across the country are filled with students staring blankly at whiteboards, clutching coffee cups, and stifling yawns. For many high school students, chronic exhaustion has become a normal part of daily life. What appears to be a minor inconvenience is, in reality, a widespread public health issue with serious academic, emotional, and physical consequences.
Image by New York Times
By Haley Serrano
The start of a new semester feels like turning over a fresh page. For many students, semester one came with stress, late nights, and balancing school with a million other things. While we all probably wished to undo some of the first semester, the second semester isn't about repeating old habits; it's about resetting.
Image by the University of South Carolina
By Madison Narain
Schools are structured to teach students problem solving skills, creativity, and cognitive performance. However, it is not clear if standardized grading systems can truly highlight and enforce these skills within students. In fact, some argue that it discourages competency and efficiency in various areas such as self-discovery.
By Joanna Johnson
Have you ever wondered what happened to the students who once walked the same halls as you? “Where Are They Now” will be a three-part series that catches up with alumni whose stories continue to inspire and intrigue us. For this article, I reached out to graduates from different backgrounds who graduated in the past few years and are pursuing different career paths, inviting them to share their personal and professional journeys since graduating from Nyack High School.
Image by schools.nyc.gov
By Rianna Morgan & Sasha Weintraub
February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate and honor the achievements of African and Black people, and to commemorate their history. It has been officially celebrated every February in the United States and Canada since 1976, and this year, in 2026, we celebrate the 100th year of Black History tributes.
Image by Whiskful Cooking
By Valentina Ceriello
When we think of Valentine’s Day, we think of hearts, flowers, Cupid, and most importantly, candy. Did you know that behind these special candies, there are interesting histories? Let’s take a look at four famous Valentine’s Day candies and the history behind them.
By Mikayla Gleeson
Valentine’s Day baking sounds cute in theory… until you remember you’re tired, busy, and definitely not a professional baker. Luckily, Valentine’s desserts don’t need to be complicated to be good. In fact, the best ones are usually the easiest, quick to make, hard to mess up, and perfect for sharing with friends (or keeping for yourself).
Image by Bulk Candy Store
By Mackenzie Lynch & Olivia McGuire
On July 22, 2023, Harry Styles performed the last show of his two year long tour, “Love on Tour.” For 22 months prior, his face was everywhere. Every time you turned on the radio, his new song “As it Was” was playing. But, after 173 shows and the release of his third album, Harry’s House, he disappeared off the face of the Earth. In the three years since his disappearance, Styles’s former One Direction band mates Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson all released new music and went on tour. Liam Payne, the fifth member of the famous boy band, tragically passed away on October 16th, 2024.
By Rianna Morgan & Sasha Weintraub
On January 1st, 2026, Zohran Mamdani became the 112th Mayor of New York City. Since then, he has started making changes and fulfilling some campaign promises. In this article, we will discuss a few of those achievements and how they affect or help people in the community and all around the world.
Image by Emma McIntyre for Getty Images
Image by Kent J. Edwards for the New York Times
The Spectrum Staff
Editors-in-Chief...................................Ian Bowen & Justin Morales
Copy Editors..............................Beatrice Gunther, Marleigh Graziano, Olivia McGuire
Layout............................................Justin Morales, Ian Bowen
Photographer.............................................................Justin Morales
Staff Advisors............................................Robin Maslanek & Adele Metrakos
Staff: Justin Morales, Ian Bowen, Olivia McGuire, Mackenzie Lynch, Joanna Johnson, Mikayla Gleeson, Beatrice Gunther, Madison Narain, Valentina Ceriello, Erica Bowen, Lyla Christiano, Rianna Morgan, Sasha Weintraub, Mayeli Parada, Marleigh Graziano, Hannah Varughese
Social media and the internet were once places intended to foster connection and create online communities for people to interact with one another without being physically present. But that’s just it – people are no longer physically present. We’re 20 years out from the early formative days of social media, where Myspace and Facebook were deemed as revolutionary tools that would change the world. In the decades since, the social media industry has boomed and then altered, now serving as an industry to capture user attention rather than foster human connection. To put it simply, it’s not as fun anymore.
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