What is a National Youth Poet Laureate? It makes sense that many people don’t know how to answer this question, as Amanda Gorman is the first. Most of us probably heard her name for the first time at President Biden’s inauguration as she swept America off its feet with the reading of her original poem, “The Hill We Climb.” However, the poetry world has known her for much longer. Gorman was named the first national youth poet laureate at just 19 at a historic ceremony at Gracie Mansion in 2017. The unprecedented title honors a teen poet who demonstrates not only extraordinary literary talent but also a proven record of community engagement and youth leadership. 

I’m sure everyone is tired of hearing about the ways COVID is changing nearly every aspect of our lives, but one thing Nyack isn’t willing to let go of is our annual Hallway Decorating, a way to spark a sense of unity, along with some competition, across every grade. Each grade’s elected student council picks a winter theme and gets one afternoon to turn their assigned school hallway into a winter wonderland, if you will. From Aloha-holiday to Polar Express to The Grinch, we have seen some great themes throughout the years. Unfortunately, it won’t be possible for us to decorate all together in school this year, but the student government has come up with some great ways to keep the holiday spirit alive. 

Congratulations, Nyack High School. We have officially made it through two months of the COVID school year and are now taking on our third! Besides adjusting to the temporary all-virtual instruction, we dealt with the tension of the election. It makes sense that our focus is divided among  high school, politics, the virus, and more. Seniors have been anxiously crammed for their November first college deadline, while freshmen are still  trying to adapt to a new school amidst a pandemic. It’s no secret we’re all stressed out.