NORTH HARFORD HIGH SCHOOL
211 PYLESVILLE ROAD, PYLESVILLE MD 21132
410-638-3650
DECEMBER 22, 2020
Local event lights up the night;
Holiday tractor parade connects community, students, guests JACKIE BULTMAN Video editor Although COVID-19 has taken so many things this year, holiday cheer is not one of those. Amy Boegner, the program director for Mason-Dixon Country received a message “from a mother telling me that her 3-year-old son said it was the best night of his life.” A week before the event, Boegner had said, “there are 200 people that have registered on Facebook as attending.” The 200 registered turned into thousands who actually showed up on the date, December 5. Boegner stressed, “there was an unexpected number of people both on the road to watch the parade and at the Brewery.” Junior and FFA Reporter, Zachary Wyatt agrees, “The event seemed to be a huge success. I have been to other events here and have never seen such a large crowd.” Everyone enjoyed this event safely. “Vendor participants had to sign a waiver to adhere to CDC guidelines, social distancing and masks. The vendors at Falling Branch are also being kept at a minimum,” Boegner clarified. And the highlight of the event, the tractors, had quite the numbers as well. “Although tractors
were supposed to pre-register, and I had 18 by Saturday morning, last counted we ended up with 34,” Boegner explained. The tractors came from the North Harford High School FFA, and all over Harford and
Cecil County. Teagan Flaherty, junior and FFA Secretary affirmed, “the NHHS FFA Alumni participated in the tractor parade. Also some FFA members helped decorate the tractors before the parade occurred.”
The Highland Association partnered with Mason-Dixon Country and their Delta Christmas Fair, an annual event. “The Christmas Fair is a whole weekend of holiday events, and the parade was featured as the
Festively lit tractors of the community are ready to be featured in the parade.Covid-19 doesn’t stop the community from holiday celebrations. Photo credit: Teagan Flaherty
Saturday night festivities for their brochure,” Boegner noted for why such a crowd arrived. Food trucks, cookies, and plenty of family photo opportunities were on site at Falling Branch Brewery. Along with this, NHHS FFA sold wreaths from the annual poinsettia and wreath fundraiser at this event. “North Harford FFA sold all of our wreaths and our members and officers came to help volunteer,” Flaherty explained. She also admitted, “it was nice to see members come out to help volunteer, it sucks sometimes to be an officer and only see members through a screen.” Wyatt similarly points out, “I think it was a great way for the community to get together, after nearly nine months of quarantine. Despite the cold, it was nice to see everyone having a nice time with their families.” This was the Highland Holiday Christmas Tractor Parade’s first year. But, Boegner believes, “there is a very good chance this will become an annual event, with the weekend tying into the Delta Christmas Fair. There are multiple opportunities for area small businesses as well as the NHHS Ag community and FFA alumni.”
Emergency workers warn about holiday dangers MEGHAN KALCK SSC Editor Happy holidays but do not burn that turkey or ham. During the holiday season local fire and EMS have a bigger than normal job because not everyone is staying safe during the holiday season. Nick Janczak is a member at Fallston Volunteer Fire Company (FVFAC) and is also a junior at Harford Technical High School. He states that “emergency services often see an influx of calls,” during the holidays and they range from mild medical emergencies all the way to full blown house fires. Janczak stated that “people unknowingly create fire hazards,” and that “seasoned drivers flip their cars due to black ice or slushy snow.” Other similar calls range from grandparents throwing out their hip
while trying to keep up with their grandkids playing in the snow. People deep frying an unthawed turkey causing a big explosion is another hazard. Janczak adds “running excess calls is always tiring on the body.” He stated that running back to back calls gets exhausting and also causes lack of sleep. “Imagine having to wake up at three a.m. and immediately having to calculate medication dosage rates,” Jancack also stated. Fire and EMS officials say that running calls about house fires can take a long time, as they clear the scene. Sometimes “rehab units” are deployed to make sure the firefighters stay in peak condition to continue fighting the fire. The people often running the calls can miss out on family events as well during the holidays and the cold temperatures
do not stop fires from ple turn their stove on to keep stopping, it makes warm or may have too fires easier to many heaters runstart due to ning at the same “Imagine having to the dry air. time, said Kalck. MicheDuring wake up at three a.m. al Kalck, the holidays and immediately havwho is “houses are E M S closed up ing to calculate medicaChief and not tion dosage rates,” at FVaired out as - Nick Janczak, memmuch causFAC, stated ing the spread ber of Fallston Volun“More of germs,” teer Fire Company stated Kalck. people This can lead to are cookthe flu or simply ing who don’t the common cold unnormally cook,” der normal circumstances. which is one of the There are also many respiratomain contributors to house fires. “More people are trying ry calls due to the cold weather. to keep warm,” Kalck stat- Kalck stated that EMS also get ed and people sometimes try calls to nursing homes because to keep warm the wrong way. families may visit them for the He added that some peo- first time in a while and they
don’t realize how sick they are and may want them in a hospital. “More calls is more work,” Kalck stated, doing a lot of calls is very tiring especially having to wake up early to a fire or emergency alarm when your body is not ready to function correctly. It’s not just EMS and fire who get overwhelmed but also hospital staffing tend to get a lot of patients during this time of year. Kalck gets the occasional gas leak or Christmas tree fire call every now and then but most of the calls are due to simple accidents that people did not mean to do. The Christmas tree fires are normally started by broken lights on the trees, be sure to check your lights! These accidents are simply caused by “human nature” stated Janczak, people will unknowingly create these hazards.
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Cry of the Hawk
December 22, 2020
Fast fashion killing Earth’s resources Phones work both ways; EDITORIAL When you start to realize that what contributes the most to our planet’s destruction are reasons that stem from pride and convenience, it makes you think twice about what people should really be concerned about when living their day to day lives Fast fashion is something we all know about. It seems like your favorite clothing brand/store is adding a new collection of styles of clothes to their websites every week. Not to mention these stores that come out with new clothes the most often, usually have the cheapest clothes. These clothes tend to fall apart quickly and will not last longer than one fashion season. For example, according to a McKinsey and Company graphic “the average consumer bought 60% more clothing in 2014 than in 2000 but kept each garment for half as long.” Clearly fast fashion is an innovation to the multi trillion-dollar apparel industry that is practically brand new. With things like social media and influential tv shows and series’ if you’re not wearing the latest fashion or presenting yourself in a way that isn’t con-
sidered modern the truth is you will be judged. We would all like to say we’ve never judged anyone for their choices in fashion especially because the clothes we wear are a form of self-expression. However, we know that now more than ever we live in a world where what we wear, and our image can be seen by the entire world. And who wouldn’t want to be accepted with an audience like that? It’s the sad truth and it’s disappointing to hear. Another sad truth is the amount of natural resources that are being wasted on cheap trendy clothes that won’t last for more than a year. According to Planet Aid in order to make one cotton t-shirt use “2,700 liters of water—what one person drinks in two-anda-half years”. Picture how much water you drink in a day or even a week and multiply that amount by 912.5 times over. The cotton used for textiles alone has been directly linked to the Aral Sea nearly disappearing. Cotton farmers excessively used the rivers that fed the sea and now it is almost gone. This is all being used for a natural material, the synthetic materials (materials made from
plastic) that are in our clothing contributed to 1.5 trillion pounds of greenhouse gases in 2015 alone. That is equivalent to 185 coal-fired power plants' annual emissions. If that doesn’t make you think, I don’t know what will. The scariest par of this, is that scientists and environmentalists have studies that show we are not slowing down when it comes to textile consumption. According to Planet Aid butt the time 2050 hits which is only 30 years away we are set to triple our resource consumption just to be used for fashion. Fortunately, an additional trend we have seen in the past couple years is the trend of thrifting for second handed clothes to achieve that authentically vintage look. In addition, North Harford has encouraged the selling, buying, and using of second hand clothes through our wear and share events during Earth Day. The next time you go to the American Eagle store to buy your 7th black t-shirt, that new polyester sweater or those ripped jeans you have wanted, think about how much energy you’ll be wearing on your back. That seems like a lot of weight to be carrying around just to stay up with the latest trend.
New lighting shed on left-hand dominance ANNIE FINHOLM Column
Left-handed people make up a total of ten percent of the world’s population, so it’s no surprise we’re forgotten about when new inventions are created. I will, for a short while, place you in the body of a lefty to demonstrate these inconveniences. Let’s begin in the morning, shall we? It’s a blindingly bright spring morning and you awake for the school day shortly after the sun rises. From your wardrobe, you snag a pair of jeans and pull them on, satisfied with the outfit you’ve chosen. However, when you go to zip up the pants, you sigh in agony because you cannot reach the catch.
Once you arrive at school, you head to the computer lab to quickly type up a research paper that you forgot was due the same day. When you reach the data-heavy portion of your report, your fingers move to the right of the keyboard where the numbers are located. You find yourself performing a yoga move as you stretch the entirety of your arm across your body to reach these keys. You become ambidextrous to use the connected mouse. It’s either that or be forced to face the wrath of the librarian who becomes unnerved whenever someone switches the location of the mouse to the side that coordinates with their hand dominance. You remember that your class requires a lot of notetaking. You pull out your royal blue binder and open it to the section of the class you are in. After you flip to the worksheet that the rest of the class has started, you go to begin writing, but stop suddenly. Blocking you from jotting down any sort of cohesive thought is a cumbersome metal ring. For the second time that day, you find yourself having to contort your body into unhuman-like posi-
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tions. This time, however, it is to enable your hand to reach the leftmost side of the paper. The same situation applies to the spiral journal that encompasses your notes. Except for this time, you have two options. The first is the same resolution provided for the binder, which is to transform yourself into a contortionist. The second choice is to rest your hand on top of the always-frozen, greatly uncomfortable spiral. You have an assembly next class that your entire grade is to attend. You groan in agony because you brought the same blasted spiral notebook to this meeting, and, on top of this, you must take these annotations from the lap desks provided on the side of the chairs. Once more, you must relocate your gluteus maximus to the upper left corner of the chair and turn your journal completely horizontal. So, the next time a lefty asks you to pardon the amount of space their notebook takes up, politely allow them to use as much space as they need because living in a world built for right-handed people a can be difficult enough and the space can be game changing.
News Editors: Caitlyn Allen, Kensington Boyanich Opinion/Editorial Editor: Hannah Krizek, Kylie Redding Features Editor: Zoe Mikles IDR Editor: Rachel Keeney Society, Students & Culture Editor: Meghan Kalck Video Manager: Emily Green, Lauren Brandis Copy Editor: Emily Iampieri, Lillian Greco Social Media Coordinator: Evan Kuzemchak
Don’t stop checking on friends
KENDALL SHUBERT Column
I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of using the “they haven’t texted me so I’m not going to text them” phrase before. But why did we start using it? We shouldn’t normalize it being okay not to check on people, even if they aren’t checking on you. Every single person deals with things that no one else knows about. Whether it’s something deep or something more surface level, you never know what someone is struggling with. That random check up on a person you haven’t talked to in a while could be the reason they smile that day. Some people don’t reach out because they are busy working on themselves, trying to keep themselves okay. That doesn’t mean they don’t want to talk to you. There could also be underlying reasons like they feel as if you don’t want to hear from them. Whatever the reason is, reach out anyway. Do it even if you feel like they don’t want to talk to you or it’s been too long so it
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would just be weird. They could have no one to talk to and the fact that you reached shows that someone does care. Despite the troubles going on in your own life those simple interactions with others could benefit your OWN life. You’re giving each other an outlet that maybe neither of you realized you had because you didn’t take the extra step to check in. Yes, it sucks when you think your friend would have texted you by now and they haven’t. But they could be thinking the same exact thing about you. Put your pride aside and be the friend they expect you to be, even if what they are dealing with may not be as big as what you’re dealing with. Everyone feels things differently and deals with them differently too. You could be the type of person that no matter what you’re dealing with you put on a smile and hide those emotions, but they could shut everyone out because it’s the only way they can hold it together. Don’t discredit other people’s feelings and how they deal with it just because it’s different from the way you do. If you see signs that someone is acting different than usual or it’s been a while since you’ve heard from someone, text them. A simple “Hi, how are you?” is better than ignoring the fact that someone may be struggling just because they didn’t text you. Be the bigger person. Be the difference. Check in on people.
The Cry of the Hawk newspaper is published 10 times a year by North Harford’s Journalism II/III class. All editorials and viewpoints express the feelings of those on the staff and not necessarily those of fellow students, administrators, or teachers. Please do not hesitate to submit letters to Advisor Jen Chandler in room D207. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, must be signed, and may not contain vulgarity.
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December 22, 2020
Cry of the Hawk
Missing value of learning important life necessities All hail to our chief president MADISON FETHERSTON Column
As the class of 2021 steadily approaches the end of their senior year, we reflect on all those years. The same little kids who laughed and played tag at recess made their way to varsity sports. The class of 2021 has not had an easy senior year, students and staff alike feel that they are missing out due to the pandemic, but as we grow closer to the end of our high school career, teach-
ing ourselves behind computer screens, I wonder how much we have learned. By the time we have left high school, many of us will have an abundance of knowledge, but the classics we read in English didn’t teach me how to apply for colleges, and as I solved for y, paying taxes didn’t become any easier. While I am grateful for the courses made available to me in school, there is so much left to learn by ourselves. Who will teach us how to change a tire? What class can we take to learn time management? When will we learn how to write a check? While we are required to have gym credits, art credits, and at least two years of a foreign language, we are not required to enter the “real world” with the knowledge we will undoubtedly need. We are required to learn MLA format, which some may never use once they pursue their fu-
tures, the class of 2021 is yet another year of graduates who were not required to take a home economics class. A class that teaches lessons of great importance such as cooking, nutrition, personal finance, personal wellness, housekeeping, were deemed less important than subjects such as trigonometry, AP English, and Spanish II. We attend school to prepare for our futures, which will all be different and extraordinary in their own way, so why do we take the same classes? Science and history are required for three of our four high school years and we only need half a credit in health to graduate. While I am thankful for my many years spent in a safe learning environment and with free transportation and countless opportunities, I wonder if the amount of teaching is equal to the amount of learning that students take in on a day to day basis.
Global supply of fossil fuels continue to fall EDITORIAL Fossil fuels are defined as organic material formed by the decomposition of dead plants and animals over millions of years. These materials, first in the form of coal, were first used in the 1880’s to power electricity. Climate change, according to NASA, is “a long term change in the average weather patterns that...define Earth’s local, regional, and global climates.” Such a natural process would not be an issue if the contributing factor of global warming was not accelerating the increase in the planet’s temperature. Fossil fuels are the primary source of energy in the world today and, more specifically, have been ever since the late American 19th century. Burning fossil fuels emits numerous air pollutants or ‘greenhouse gas’. These harmful gases trap heat within the atmosphere creating the well known problem of glob-
al warming. Since 1800 the United States has emitted over 90 billion metric tons of carbon, keeping a relatively even trend. From 2017-2018 increased by 3.1 percent and are about 10.2 percent below that of the year 2005 according to the Our World in Data fossil fuel data charts. 2020 currently has emissions 11 percent lower than 2019 and is on track for 2021 to be 6 percent lower than the current year. Though the US emissions have been very slowly decreasing over the past few years, the HAHB Stanford team estimates that should the world continue to burn fuel the way it is, by the year 2060 the available fossil fuel reserves will have depleted. Meaning that the current generations will be in their 60’s and 70’s when the world is forced into an emergency hault. There have been consistent efforts from countries around the world to decrease the amount of
greenhouse gas emissions over the past decade to where it has slowed a bit in order to better grasp the situation. The increased activity of global warming due to these emissions have only hastened the actions of scientists, activists, and common citizens to attempt to combat the rising sickness of the planet. Things like cutting down on dairy products, meat products, walking more, using reusable bottles and bags, recycling, donating to environmental organizations, limiting light and electricity usage, etc. are but a few lifestyle changes to help fight climate change. Time is running out and scientists estimate that, should emissions increase for a prolonged amount of time, 2050 will most likely be when the world is past the point of no return. There is only one Earth; people only have this one planet. It needs to be taken care of before it really becomes too late.
EDITORIAL On November 3, we picked the man who will lead our nation for the next four years. It is imperative to remember that neither one of the candidates were perfect beings. Over the course of our country's history, we have falsely begun to assume that the president should not hold flaws. While believing this we have overlooked the checks and balances put in place by our ancestors. They never intended for the leader to be a completely perfect man. There is a reason our country has over 200 elected officials. All with different responsibilities to different sectors of our magnificently complicated government. While it is shameless to hope for our leader not to make mistakes, it is also senseless. When Washington left office he told the people that “in reviewing the incident of my administration I am unconscious of intentional error nevertheless I am too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors.” Washington knew then and we ought to know now that the president will not make errors always, but from time to time make a wrong decision (except President Bartlet he always made it work in the end... of course he was a fake president). Somewhere in our long history, we have held our current leaders up to a standard we believe was set by past presidents. What you and I forget is that the good old days were not as good as we like to believe. Presidents have been just as polarizing as they are now. Politics is not new. It has been around since before our flag was flying, these political remarks, ideologies, and systems we have today have likely been debated in the chamber of congress before. To further demonstrate, I would like to let you in on a conversation last week that Abraham Lincoln and George
Washington had over coffee (tea still gives Washington a level of synesthesia). Though this conversation is entirely fictitious, the content of it highlights how even two of our greatest leaders contributed unfairness, inequality, lack of compassion, and downright bad policy to our history. WASHINGTON: Over 40 presidents. And 27 amendments. I remember when we wrote the constitution, we figured 13 amendments max! Slaves were freed over one-hundred years ago and the country still has racism. When are people finally going to live up to the preamble of the constitution? LINCOLN: Well you set such an example of treating everyone equally soWASHINGTON: Oh yeah? What about you and the natives? You stole their land and mistreated them. LINCOLN: Now wait a minute, we both did that… WASHINGTON: I do not understand how we built airplanes before letting women vote. LINCOLN: Wait, women can vote now? WASHINGTON: And you Mr. Emancipator allowed a war to go one for like 4 years. The world was created in under a tenth of that time. LINCOLN: And one day you will have to tell us all how you did it! While you are doing that you can tell everybody how you let your troops starve and how it took you 11 hours to paddle across the Delaware River. WASHINGTON: Sure… let them know how you thought about sending all the slaves back to Africa. LINCOLN: Well I figured since your administration forcefully migrated thousands of men and women, I would but make it a reunion. Neither one of us has been a perfect pacesetter, so to be as fair as possible, let us hope the next generation thinks of something better, and the next generation after that even better.
Ranked-choice voting: side effects may include dismantling two party system EDITORIAL The two-party system is one that has existed in America since the country’s beginning. And while there are third parties with candidates, the likelihood of one of them winning is slim to none. In the past two elections, moderate voters have felt as though they are “picking the lesser of two evils” in a sense that neither candidate is the person they most desired. Look at 2016-according to every major news source, voter turnout was much lower than years prior, with only 58.1 percent of eligible voters hitting the polls. One option that seems better than not voting is to vote third party, but the way the US currently operates, a third-party candidate is never going to win the election. In fact, many Joe Biden supporters this election urged people who planned on
voting third party to “settle for The candidate with the fewest Biden” because a vote for Jo Jor- votes is eliminated, and voters genson (or any other third par- who picked that candidate as ty- yes that includes Kanye West ‘number one’ will have their votes and writing in “Bernie Sanders”) count for their next choice.” (fairis a vote for Donald Trump. vote.org) In order for the LibertarLet’s make this ian party (or any third simpler: there are party) to receive propthree choices, er funding, they must A, “Changing the sys- candidates garner five percent B, and C. Vottem would make it er’s favorite of the vote. The fact that this still hasn’t so that the winner of candidate is happened doesn’t A, their next the election was cho- choice is B, make the future seem too bright for sen by the majority and their third parties. least favorite of the people.” The way it would is C. However, work is “In races where once votes are voters select one winner, counted, it looks if a candidate receives more as though A has the than half of the first choices, fewest votes. The voter’s that candidate wins, just like in ballots would then be cast to B any other election. However, if (see graphic for visual breakthere is no majority winner after down). counting first choices, the race This system, which is already is decided by an ‘instant runoff.’ being used in Maine, ensures
that a candidate wins with more than half the votes, but would also encourage voters to pick a third-party candidate. As stated previously, a third party vote is viewed as a throwaway vote because, under the current system, a third-party candidate will never win. Ranked-choice voting allows voters to be confident in their vote, knowing that they are always contributing to a real candidate, no matter what. Currently, a candidate can win an election with less than 50 percent of the votes. Changing the system would make it so that the winner of the election was chosen by the majority of the people. One of the main benefits of ranked-choice voting is visible in primary elections- with as many Democratic candidates as there were this year, perhaps a different candidate would’ve been up against the incumbent had ranked-choice voting been im-
plemented. Think about Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, they both had extremely similar views, and it’s likely that given the option to rank their choices, voters whose first choice was Warren would’ve made Sanders their second choice. The Ranked Choice Voting Act has already been proposed and is sponsored by Representative Jamie Raskin (D- Maryland). “The Act would require that all U.S. House and Senate elections be conducted with ranked-choice voting beginning in 2022. It would replace all congressional runoff elections.” (fairvote.org). But why stop at congressional votes? Let’s implement this for all elections. Give the power to the people- elect a candidate that most people want. Read more at https://www. fairvote.org/the_ranked_choice_ voting_act
Cry of the Hawk
December 22, 2020
Baseball, apple pie, Fords, Corvettes, riots:
American traditions change EDITORIAL
worth of British tea in today’s money. That’s a successful protest. Not long after, America was left to govern itself. Many citizens were left without compensation for their efforts, and they were being represented by a weak governance. What a group of farmers decided to do...revolt. This is known today as Shays’ rebellion, a rather large armed uprising of farmers that ended in the death of at least 12 Americans. Because of this (and other events) a group of trusted representatives headed to Philadelphia
York became the epicenter of riots and LQBTQ pride. What is When asked about baseball in known today as The Stonewall the blockbuster movie MoneyRiots was caused by a police raid Ball, Brad Pitt’s character said, and people who were ready to “It’s hard not to get romantic stand up for who they were. Hisabout baseball.” torians look at this event as the In accordance with that, you beginning of the modern Pride could say that it’s tough not to movement. get romantic about the AmeriSince its inception, Black Lives can Dream and American history. Matter values have produced A great number of people don’t peaceful protest as well as riots. want to tax the rich because the Whether these actions are jusAmerican Dream tells us that tified is not up to any journalist, some day we will be in those nor is it for anyone to say if these shoes. riots along with peaceful protest What started in the bay of New will produce necessary change. York and the harbor of Boston But what can be unhas produced an increddeniably agreed is that ibly dense history. The in American history, romance of it all spews change has been brought out; farmers take on the by riots. greatest navy ever asWhile it is obvious sembled, they build the that The United States is land of free so each can not a utopia it is also consay as they please and tinuously getting better. they produce a country The hope was never to that is built on Thomas create a perfect society, Paine’s beliefs. in fact when the framers One guaranteed freedecided to announce its dom is the right to proBlack Lives Matter protesters took to the creation they called it test. What is not guarstreets to fight against police brutality. The a “more perfect union,” anteed is that anything movement is being met with more hostility meaning that though it will change from such from law enforcement. is not always perfect, it is protests. What is guarPhoto Credit: Jose Sanchez better than before and it anteed is the right to should continue to trend safely protest. What is to draft The Constitution, and that way. There is no doubt hynot guaranteed is the right to riot. perhaps a Bill of Rights also. pocrisy, hatred and polarization While it is fascinating and roJust under two centuries and a in our society and history. mantic to believe that landmark civil war later, Dr. Martin Luther Still, perhaps the romance will social-changes are brought about King taught those seeking change spew out after this “more perfect by protest, such a belief is also to be courageous. Still today, union” overcomes its undeniable fictitious and irresponsible. The truth is American history shows Americans revere his peaceful shortcomings and can finally that to really produce any mean- protest. Unfortunately, Dr. King break the streak of at least one ingful change, usually rioting never lived to see The Civil Right riot per decade. act of 1968. In fact, after his death Hopefully one day there will helps push things along. a massive civil uprising occurred be another way to revise society When the colonists were subin many prominent cities across in this country. jects of King George they stuDenounce or support riots as diously attempted to negotiate the country, and not long after these riots took place, President you must, but you can’t say they with him— nothing came of it. Johnson called for the act to be aren’t effective. After all MLK did What did seem to get the King to passed immediately. say “riots is the language of the rethink his tax policy was when Only months after these riots unheard.” Maybe lend them an a group of Bostonians destroyed took place, a small club in New ear more often? an estimated 1,000,000 dollars
Little things changing worlds HANNAH KRIZEK Op/ed Editor
It all comes down to the things you do to help yourself throughout the day. It could be as simple as that flavorful iced coffee you make every morning. For some reason, the simple little things can change the gist of an entire day. Ok, so maybe it’s not just a drink that can change your day, but there are plenty of things that can- and we should embrace those things. Doing things for YOURSELF throughout the day to keep you
going is so important, but I think so many people forget that they matter too. That means taking care of your body and your mind. I know that making other people feel happiness, and putting out good energy into the world is extremely important too, but this can all be done while not forgetting about the fact that you matter too. It’s virtually impossible to satisfy everyone around you but I feel like it’s genuinely super easy to get caught up in the desire to do so. When you fail to satisfy one person, you suddenly feel a light weight on your shoulders that gets heavier with each person you feel you disappoint. And in the middle of all of this, you begin to lose sight of your own needs because you are spending so much time worrying about others. But here’s my message to you. Don’t forget about YOU. This might sound so silly, and you might think this is obvious,
but lots of people put themselves on the back burner most of the time. There are countless excuses for why we do this, but mostly because we just don’t take the time. It’s almost like the metaphor that goes like, “life is a highway”... you’re on this highway of living all the time, but you don’t always take an exit. Give yourself a breather, do something to relieve yourself of any bad emotions you’re feeling, be kind to your mind. Go out and get some self care, take a walk on some nature trails (get outside), read a book, watch a movie, do anything you love to do that is relaxing to you. Take that bit of time for you and just you. Doing things for yourself does not mean other people in your life don’t matter. They certainly do. But the reality is that a happier you makes it even easier to help those around you to find the same joy in their own life.
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Harry Styles defies gender norms;
Makes statement with dress EDITORIAL
to act or think in a certain way to prove themselves “manly” Harry Styles sparks major so- enough, and if they choose not cial media controversy by hav- to subscribe to the typical biing the audacity to wear what he nary-concept of gender, then wants in a photo shoot. Styles is they’re the problem. the first male to be featured on The issue doesn’t end with the cover of Vogue Magazine what men are supposed to wear, alone, and shockingly to many, but it extends to expecting he was wearing a dress. men to participate in specific Though a lot of people ap- outlined activities, carry themplauded his decision to defy selves a certain way, refrain gender stereotypes and take a from talking about their feelstand against toxic masculini- ings, and fit into a cookie-cutter ty, some also opposed the move mold given to them by society. and saw it as a direct attack on While society has progressed traditional family values. to a point that women Candace Owens, a can wear traditionconservative poally “masculine” litical activist, clothing, men “At the end of the day, still face is included in the latter. scrutiny for it’s 2020; it’s well past Owshowing time to break out of the ens took a a hint of very clear pressures of gender roles femininity. stance on This douand just treat people with Twitter, ble stankindness.” commentdard pering that we petrates the need to “bring harmful notion back manly men” that men are lessand implying that femithan for expressing themnine men will crumble our so- selves in any way other than ciety, motivating offensive and “the norm.” closed-minded replies from her This is part of the conversupporters that call Styles a sation that Styles ended up “sick person” and a “freak.” sparking as a result of his phoHowever, a quick Google to shoot. In response to the opsearch will reveal that “manly position, mostly led by Owens, men” have been observed wear- he clapped back with another ing long, dress or robe-like gar- picture of him in a dress and ments in nearly every culture the caption “bring back manly throughout history, including men.” Evidentially Styles feels Jesus in most Christian de- that a man isn’t defined by his pictions of Him. It was even a sense of style. normal practice for mothers to At the end of the day, it’s 2020; dress their little boys in gen- it’s well past time to break out der-neutral dresses, the same of the pressures of gender roles style that girls wore, until and to just treat people with mid-19th-century, simply out of kindness. Men in dresses won’t convenience. crumble society. Restricting Most opposition seems to what people wear because it come from a place of toxic doesn’t align with your perfect masculinity. As a society we’ve view of what a man or a woman adapted the idea that men need “should” be, very well may.
Cry of the Hawk
December 22, 2020
Page 5 - News
Creating ‘Impact’ on recovering athletes CAITLYN ALLEN News editor From a Hawks basketball player to a college athlete, alumni Bobby Esbrant is now a part owner of Impact Sports Physical Therapy, located in Hanover, Maryland. Esbrant grew up in the Jarrettsville area. He attended Jarrettsville Elementary, North Harford Middle and High. A basketball player in high school, he continued his athletic and academic career at Stevenson University, where he graduated with a degree in Biology. He pursued physical therapy school at the University Maryland School of Medicine and earned his doctorate degree there. Esbrant claims when he was in high school, he had “no idea what he wanted to do.” He adds he had a family friend who owned a physical therapy practice, so he started working for him when he was in high school. Once he got to college and he started to have a lot of injuries from basketball, he “went through with the rehab process and I got to see things from the other side as a patient.” He adds, “I realized that there
Alumni Bobby Esbrant is a part time owner of Impact Sports Physical Therapy. Esbrant is helping a client with speed and agility. Photo credit: Bobby Esbrant is a lot missing for patients. There was a lot missing and I felt that the environment that I was in it
Beekeeping alumna own dogs that sniffs out diseases in hives KENDALL SCHUBERT Business manager
with the smell of the beehive disease. It took about eight months for her to train Mack North Harford Alumna Cy- and about five months for Tukka. bil Preston is the state apiarist The Maryland Department of and head apiary inspector for Agriculture’s website states how Maryland. Preston oversees the a trained inspector dog can sniff inspection of honeybees and out diseases in 100 hives in just inspections of all identifica- 45 minutes compared to a person tion of bees. She also regulates who inspects diseases in 45 hives laws that pertain to honeybees. in one day. Their site also says The alumna has four dogs, two how Mack and Tukka can only of which are state employees inspect the hives from Novemright alongside her. Mack, a yel- ber to March when the bees are low lab, and Tukka, her springer dormant, so they don’t get stung. spaniel are bee inspectors. PresTheir family was contacted by ton trained her dogs to be able Disney and got featured on the to sniff out diseases in beehives. Disney+ show It’s a Dog’s Life. To train Mack and Tukka, The producer Bill Farmer, who Preston worked with the Mary- voiced Goofy and Pluto, loves land Department of Corrections dogs according to Preston and in their K9 unit. They let her decided to make a show that feainto the Bootcamp to train the tures dogs with a purpose, workdogs by scent. The police dogs ing, and out of the ordinary pups. would train with drug smells The tv crew came to their while Tukka and Mack trained house and took videos and interviews of Preston’s pups. The show has two fifteen-minute segments, the dog that was featured on the same episode as Mack and Tukka, was a surfing dog. Preston graduated high school and believed she wanted to pursue a career in nursing but during her schooling, she realized that wasn’t what she wanted, she wanted to work outdoors with nature. The alumna said she took a short course in beekeeping and fell in love with it. She “started with just a few beehives and now own[s] Cybil has two dogs, Mack and Tuk- 40 colonies.” Preston has ka. Preston trained them to sniff out her own business called Cybbee’s where she grows diseases in bee hives produce and sells honey Photo credit: Cybil Preston and other bee products.
wasn’t suitable for myself. I felt as if I should be doing something different than people in their fif-
ties or sixties.” Esbrant adds this is what inspired him to “start his own business and build an environment that catered and tailored to higher level athletes.” Esbrants says his favorite part about his job is “working with highly motivated athletes.” The therapist adds he has been “blessed to work with professional athletes and got to experience pretty cool things I never thought I would get to experience.” For example, he got contracted to work with a player on the Washington Nationals and he traveled throughout the year with the baseball team working with that athlete. He also has pro boxers that he works with and travels with, he has worked with a ton of NFL players including Ravens players, and a lot of NBA players. Esbrant adds he loves “being able to help them to be a part of their journey of success.” The physical therapist says the hardest part about his job is working with “unmotivated people.” He adds he doesn’t have to deal with much of that now, but “most of my headaches now come from the business side of things.”
Internship in Greenhouse MARISSA ALTENBURG H/S editor
like her internship her career. Bundick adds “ I will be roMegan Bundick is a soph- tating every few weeks through omore at West Virginia Uni- the different jobs and asversity working for a major in pects of the greenhouse, such management, growing, Horticulture and a minor in as Agribusiness going to an in- shipping, and maintenance. “I am most looking forward ternship in Peyton, Colorado. Bundick is interning from Janu- to the opportunity to learn all ary to June at the Altman’s Green- of the ins and outs of a greenhouse. “It is a company with house. I am least looking forgreenhouses all over the country. ward to being away from everyThey provide wholesale plants one I have known my entire life. The Vic and Margaret Ball Infor places like Lowes. They grow ornamentals and succulents.” ternship Program website says that “current undergraduate The internship is students who are enrun through the Vic rolled full time in a and Margaret Ball Internship “I am most look- floriculture/environmental hortiProgram and ing forward to the culture or busipartnered with Amer- opportunity to learn all ness program at a two- or fourican Floral the ins and outs of the year college Endowment or university greenhouse” (AFE). “You have to ap- - Megan Bundick, soph- in the United States with a ply by writomore at West Virrecognized floriing a paper, culture program having a recginia are eligible for ommendation this award. Students letter, submitting must have a ‘C’ or betyour transcripts, and ter grade point average and resume. You can apply to work at three different green- participate in an internship.” houses and hopefully one of your They also add “Three types of top three picks will be where awards are available. The threeyou go” Stated Bundick. An in- month experience includes a ternship can last three, four, or $1,500 grant. The four-month six-month intervals. “The reason experience includes a $3,000 it is an internship and scholar- grant. The six-month experience ship is because you are awarded includes a $6,000 grant. Each 1000 dollars per each month you recipient also receives a paid inare doing your internship. So, I ternship from his/her employam getting 6,000 dollars for my er which must be equal to no time out there” Stated the intern. less than minimum wage. The Bundick says she is interested total dollars awarded for this in working in a greenhouse as her scholarship is $3,500.” They say career, including moving west to their farm was started by a paswork with large company green- sion for plants that started 40 houses. She plans to make work years ago and has continued on.
French club finding fun for members LILLIAN WEATHERMAN Reporter Bonjour from Madame Arist and the French Club. The organization isn’t just all French; it teaches you the history and provides the opportunity for students to interact. The group meets on Thursday and the president, Elena Schell, has been working with the other officers to plan virtual events and activities. “I prepare a Kahoot that has something to do with the month,” Schell explained. She also mentioned that they recently had a Halloween party. They celebrate French culture with holiday parties and before COVID would take trips to places like Virginia for a film festival and a restaurant in Baltimore. “Currently my favorite thing is interacting with other people,” junior Madalyn Rhoades says. They have meetings just for officers and the president to make plans on what they are going to do for their next activity. She also says that it’s been hard since they cannot do their “usual parties and get togethers,” but they try their best to have fun and are continuing to make plans for their club. The French Club also welcomes anyone at any level of language. They even have a member that is taking German as well. Schell says, “We do our very best in order to make French Club accessible language wise to everyone despite their level.” She also says it’s easy to learn the basics of French and they play a lot of French games that help get the language down. “We don’t really speak French during club time,” Madame Arist states. She adds “French Club is just a social club for kids that are interested in the culture.” Schell talks about what they are going to do next for the holiday “Even though the French do not really celebrate the holiday, we are trying our best to infuse our own festivities with as much French culture as possible.” Schell also stated, “Everything is virtual, so we do our best to have all activities free and simple to supply to the whole club.” Schell plans to work hard and start sparking up ideas for the Christmas season. “We have our first Christmas meeting tomorrow,” Schell explained. Schell also says for their second meeting to do a scavenger hunt on Microsoft Teams around members houses. “We are also doing a Secret Santa letter exchange where we mail letters to each other and after 3 letters arrive, we have to guess who it was based on the clues they give in their letters,” according to Schell.
Page 6/ NEWS
Cry of the Hawk
FOT teachers explain struggles facing students; New way of learning impacts education experience GRACE FELDBUSH Reporter
Brian Dougherty, they have done a few building activities at home with items students can find This year with virtual learnaround their house. “Aside from ing has caused FOT teachers to the hands-on activities, we are struggle with finding different also using several different prelesson plans, considering their sentation websites and apps such classes are usually hands on. as MS Sway and Adobe Spark. Mr. Timothy Pistel, who We have been doteaches FOT, says ing some coding and it is hard to keep building houses and students interestapartments using ed while online. Inonline sites such stead of their normal as Floor planner hands-on projects, and Home styler.” they are doing a lot of Dougherty states. computer-based proDougherty says, grams like drafting “The hardest part of and coding. not being in class is “I think it’s been not being able to see tough for most stueveryone and have dents. I know it must the fun we would be hard to sit behind normally have in the a screen all day long real classroom.” – it is for us too,” Mr. Dougherty adjusting to new ways of teachDougherty says Pistel states. He also ing. He is hoping to go back to normal teaching that despite virtual says he has seen a lot classes, he tries to of students working in the future. get to know stuhard and is very im- PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Dougherty dents by just startpressed with their ing random converwork ethic at this says he likes to think positive and sations with them to get to know time. This FOT teacher says it is says he likes having extra time on them. Mr. Dougherty explains hard to get materials to students Fridays to meet with students “While there are some who love for activities, but they have who need extra help. “There are a lot of students it others are faced with a chalfound a way to make it work. “My advanced classes will be that I don’t even know what they lenging home environment. Some getting Arduino electronics kits look like much less anything are struggling with mental health to work with but for the most about their interests and person- issues associated with being part, we will be doing projects alities,” Pistel said. He wishes he disconnected from friends and with materials like cardboard could get to know the students teachers. Isolation can be a relaxing change -but long-term is not that people have easy access to,” more while being online. According to FOT teacher Mr. healthy.” he said. He explains that the biggest challenge for him is not seeing students faces. He thinks it would go much better if students left their cameras on throughout class, because it would help the teachers and the students stay focused. FOT teacher, Pistel
Alumnus advocates continue eductation after high school
ERICA OTTE Reporter
week and that one gesture goes a long way.” This former college student In college, Jeffery Green was “truly enjoyed working as a stuhired to work at Towson Univerdent ambassador at Towson Unisity admissions to advocate stuversity and having the dents’ continued learning. opportunity to meet so This job was called being a many wonderful people.” student ambassador and as a He also hopes “to continstudent ambassador, he and ue this line of work as an the rest of his team would Admissions Counselor.” present then share their perAs a 2010 NH graduate, sonal experiences along with he has some helpful adother helpful information vice and tips for current needed to enter college. NH students, especially An average workday those about to graduate “consisted of first meeting and go off to college or, and greeting all the visiteven, those students that ing families or schools.” The just started college. presentation included “the His “biggest advice university and the enrollJeffery Green and his co-workers right coming into college is to ment process.” Afterwards, stay organized because he gives the possible future before an open house event. Green hopes those due dates come Towson University students to”inspire others to futher their educafast. It’s better to spread and their families a tour tion...” the work out then try to around the campus while Photo Credit: Jeffery Green cram it all in one night.” discussing the different loIn addition, he suggests cations. In his opinion, the most import- perience, “one of the greatest les- “building relationships with ant thing about public speaking sons [he] took from working at your professors because they will for this job is “sounding really Towson is: when you’re in a field support and help you in so many confident in how you relay your where you interact with others, a different ways,” such as “being information.” Green believes simple smile or greeting to some- a potential job reference when searching for jobs.” “that eliminating phrases, such one could make their day.” While he is currently working as ‘um’ and ‘like’ also makes you Green is very patient and mindsound more professional in your ful of others and has to be when in landscaping, he is applying to position.” communicating with people for be a Towson University Student In doing this, Green wanted to a job, so he keeps in mind that Ambassador again because he enbe able to “inspire others to fur- “you never know what others joyed working to inspire possible ther their education by attending have gone through or that they future college students to further college.” This job had many op- could’ve been having a bad day/ their educations. portunities and lessons to learn, not only for the students, but the workers, also. Out of the many lessons he was able to take away from this ex-
December 22, 2020
HCC receives campus care grant ADDY DEAN
ra Burke you may be able to receive a $25 ShopRite gift card to In March of 2019 HCC opened help pay for your groceries. its food pantry to help support These gift cards are in limited students with food instability. supply but are given out every Since its opening over 950 stu- semester. dents have used it. Earlier this The NACAS foundation is month the college campus re- a nonprofit, charitable corporaceived a NACAS care grant to tion formed to support and prohelp improve the food pantry. mote aid services. They donate The care grant came in the grants and help with innovation amount of $7,850, all this money to improve the quality of stuwill be put towards the dent life on and off campus. food pantry for its According to the “Students students. NACAS students gogoing off to Specifically, the ing off to college money is to aid in college sometimes sometimes expebuilding a larg- experience a lack rience a lack of er storage space of fulfillment of fulfillment of bawith more shelvneeds such as basic needs such sic ing, a refrigerator food, homelessness as food.” and freezer, and and poor mental fund the installation -NACAS health. It is their mission of a door to the area; in turn through the campus care improving its accessibility to grant to help improve services students. to help students in those areas. Not only will the service be The Campus Care grant up to improved upon, but its contents $25,000 is awarded to schools will as well. students will have who apply to receive a grant to access to more nutritious fresh programs that focus on the sucfoods, such as meat and pro- cesses of students. duce, in addition to the nonperAccording to Feeding Amerishable items that are currently ica over 35 million Americans available through the pantry. had experienced a struggle with HCC came to receive this food insecurity in 2019. In admoney due to Dr. Griselda dition, they’ve estimated that Flores and Laura Burke of the more than 50 million people Office of Student Life working will experience food insecurity with Coordinator for Grants in 2020 due to the effects of the Brandy Naughton to secure the coronavirus. grant. North Harford has a similar According to the HCC web- program called The Care Closet site through reading out to Lau- where students donate items to.
Page 7/ NEWS
Cry of the Hawk
Wreath fundraiser benefits students in NH ag program BEN SERSEN Reporter
Young entrepreneur impacted by Covid, faces uncertain future COLBY CRISS Reporter Coming out of high school, some people are looking for basic 9-to-5 to get the paycheck consistently, some are looking to going to college, and others want to do something community-related. One former NH student ventured into selling essential oils and starting his own business. Alumnus Samuel Badders explains life “hasn’t been too bad since graduating.” Badders explained how he started Midnight Alchemy. “My friend and I came up with a plan for Midnight. “We wanted to help others with natural healing things. So we started with a few roll-ons and other products.” As his business was beginning to take shape, COVID-19 struck. It took a hit on multiple
Teaching techniques in art adjusted KIMBERLY EDGAR Reporter
North Harford is home to a long history of agriculture and the magnet program which brings students from other Harford County Schools here so they can learn a variety of skills. The students in this program recently held a fundraiser selling wreaths, The event began on Nov. 15 and a pickup window of Dec. 2-4. Pricing ranged from $8$30 depending on size, the wreaths were decorated Photo credits: (DYLAN SLAGLE/ safely and then made avail- STAFF PHOTO / Carroll County able for pick up from the ag Times) Josh Sellers (right) and Greg parking lot to ensure safety Dell (left) chop corn for silage in a and social distancing. Pick- field that will be planted with cover up was also limited to re- crops. Carroll county farmers enquest only and supporters roll more than 40,000 acres of cover had the option to pick up crops each year. their wreaths. Cotton, wool, and leather are all According to Erika Edwards, the NRAS Magnet Pro- agricultural products. Agriculture also provides wood gram/FFA Advisor and certified for construction and paper prodprofessional Horticulturist, the ucts.” team of students and teachers According to World Bank figsold “138 wreaths as well as ures, in 2016 more than 700 milover 500 poinsettias with the lion hectares (1.7 billion acres) Elkridge Harford Hunt club were devoted to growing corn, topping the list of sales by purwheat, rice, and other staple chasing 150 poinsettias for their cereal grains—nearly half of all members.” cultivated land on the planet. According to the flyer proAccording to the United duced by junior Zachary Wyatt, States Department of Agriculthe money raised by this fundture (USDA), the Magnet proraiser benefits the NH magnet gram was brought to NH in and agriculture programs as September 2010 and only “sixty they look to guide more stustudents from throughout Hardents into the long list of careers ford County will be accepted in agriculture including scientific jobs such as molecular biol- into this new program” in the ogist or genetic researcher or a program’s first year. The change to the Agmore hands-on occupation such riculture program stems from as a farmer or a large animal vetcounty farmers raising concerns erinarian. about the decreasing number of Agriculture is an important area farmers and the future of piece in the everyday lives of alfarming in Harford County, “Agmost every person, according to riculture is not attracting young, National Geographic reporting that “Agriculture provides most bright, motivated people.” (Via of the world’s food and fabrics. USDA)
businesses, including Badders. “When COVID-19 hit it seemed people were not buying as much, and it dwindled to barely getting one sale a week. We made a joint decision that it was time.” Badders added that he is“not sure if we will be able to continue. Maybe after some time we will rebrand and try to start anew...” Reflecting on his time at NH, Badders said it “the school has changed so much since I was there.” He added that he was “not a popular kid” and that he “was quiet and considered the dork.” Badders notes. “I was bullied a lot in high school. I was only 5 feet [in height] at the time and barely weighed 100 lbs. It was not easy back then, especially keeping the secret I was gay. I had to hide who I was for fear of even more bullying.”
December 22, 2020
“What can I say?” states art teacher Jason Blevins, “It has been a challenge in many ways.” Teaching art efficiently is proven to be difficult according to Blevins, in an attempt to not only take care of his family but to ensure his students still get the most of his teaching. To demonstrate certain techniques, Blevins states that his “document camera has certainly come in handy this year.” PowerPoint is a main resource for important information, just in case students need to take a look at class notes, Blevins also mentions. According to The Guardian, “Drawing through a screen is obviously an entirely different experience but brings up a range of interesting challenges.” To work through some of these challeng-
es, Blevins has stayed “in constant contact with students and parents through e-mail and Its Learning to help students stay on track and to stay up to date [with] their well-being.” “Learning art has been harder [due to] internet problems and not being able to be there in person with the teacher to ask for help,” states junior Ryan Mink. Internet issues are a problem now that everything’s online, and to try to learn something hands on is proven to be difficult according to Mink. “A typical class starts with a review of what was covered over the previous class,” states Blevins. “As always, there is a Q and A at some point in the first ten minutes of class. After all of that, I will introduce new terms and concepts and most often demonstrate techniques.” Other resources like Padlet
have been used for project progress for art class, that way the teacher can give feedback. “My Fine Art Prep students prefer to email progress,” states Blevins. According to Common Sense Education, “There are plenty of online bulletin board sites out there, but Padlet is one of the more intuitive and appealing for kids.” Sophomore Ian Calhoun believes that, “[students] can’t easily get help on stuff because art is a very hands-on class and our teacher can’t help us through a laptop.” Another challenge students face is the lack of materials. According to Calhoun, materials were provided at the beginning of the year, but they soon ran out. Most of the projects students usually do were canceled due to virtual learning this school year expressed Calhoun. Some students left art at school in March.
NH graduate provides for her community MADISON FETHERSTON Reporter From a young age, Angie Gullion was influenced by the craftiness of her mother and aunt, who owned a sewing shop, years later Gullion followed in their footsteps and started her own business, Thompson Valley Embroidery and Sewing. During the closure of schools in March, Gullion’s self-owned business began, since then she has made over 2,000 face masks. While many had time to spare during the beginning of the pandemic, Gullion made use of her time, rekindling her sewing skills and learning how to embroidery with a brand-new embroidery machine that arrived just as schools began to close for the 2019-2020 school year. Gullion suggests that unlike many small businesses, COVID ended up helping her business. It was her mission to provide quality face masks to her community during the pandemic.
Gullion has a history of providing for her community in troubling times, from 2003 to 2016 Gullion served as a member of the Darlington Volunteer Fire Company. Over a span of 13 years, Gullion would serve as an EMS Lieutenant, EMS Captain, and an EMS Chief. Gullion claims, “I volunteered because I love helping people and giving back to my community.” Both Gullion and her husband, Jason Gullion, were long term members at Darlington Volunteer Fire Company. “My husband Jason has been my biggest supporter, he cheers me on, and I have gotten braver to reach out to people. We both sew and embroider and he’s my computer guru. We are looking forward to obtaining our official business license and growing in 2021.” While Jason Gullion is a full time EMS Lieutenant with Baltimore City Fire Department, he helps Gullion with her projects in his spare time. While Thompson Valley Em-
broidery and Sewing is not limited to mask making, Gullion claims that without a doubt her favorite project so far has been helping to keep her community safe with her masks. Together the Gullion’s donated their time to making masks for every single member of the Darlington Volunteer Fire Company. Graduating with the class of ‘94, Gullion’s credits courses such as home economics, horticulture, and agriculture for fueling her independence and craftiness. While she didn’t plan on starting a career with her sewing skills, she’s glad that she can do her part and that her talent can be used to help those in need. Gullion mainly operates online through Facebook, where she advertises and promotes custom made products such as her face masks and wooden signs. While providing custom masks for all ages, Gullion said she strives to keep her community safe during the pandemic.
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Cry of the Hawk
December 22, 2020
December 22, 2020
Cry of the Hawk
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December 22, 2020
Cry of t
Expectation VS. Reality:
People of the past predicted what 2020 would look like In 1999 futurist Ray Kurzweil predicted that life expectancy in 2020 will rise past 100. Reality: In 2019 the average life expectancy was 72.6 years old according to the United Nations. Books will be dead, Kurzweil predicted that “paper books and documents will rarely be used... Documents are available through wireless networks.” Reality: Although the revenue of the U.S book publishing industry has decreased, the industry still sold 675 million print books according to the Association of American Publishers’ annual report. The world’s population will reach eight billion by 2020. This prediction was made in 1994 by the International Food policy Research Institute. Reality: The world’s population has reached 7.7 billion according to a 2019 report from the United Nations. A 1967 newsletter from The Futurist published an article which predicted that “by 2020 it will be possible to breed intelligent species of animals, such as apes, that will be capable of manual labor.” Reality: We do not have apes living in our houses doing labor for us. While there is one species of self-domesticated ape, the Bonobo, apes will not be performing chores for us anytime soon.
30% of students chose
Jupiter
Compiled by: Zoe Mikles
21% of students chose
34% of students chose
Mars
If you could live on another planet which planet would you choose?
Venus
Out of 163 students polled
15% of students chose
Mercury
Compiled by: Lexie Haigler
Predicted timeline of future events on Eart Year of:
2035-
Year of:
2042-
Global airline fleet has The City of Trees project is completed in Mandoubled chester, England
By 2035, there will likely be significant growth of commercial airplanes. The Asia Pacific and Middle Eastern airlines will become more prominent in aviation.
The project to plant three million new trees is completed, increasing biodiversity, and improving drainage systems in the city as the trees grew to maturity.
Year of:
Year of:
Over 80% of the Amazon rain forest has been lost.
Nomadic floating cities roam the oceans
2099-
The Amazon is less than one-fifth of its original size, leaving mass extinctions of its flora and fauna, and the loss of the communities of its indigenous people in its wake.
2100-
Year of:
2640-
The longest-running music piece comes to an end
Compiled by: Leah Hillier
Because of rising sea levels, millions of people have been forced to migrate, some opt to live on floating artificial islands that are entirely self-sufficient.
In St. Burchardi Church, in Germany, an organ has Ben playing since September 5, 2001, and was designed to have a duration of exactly 639 years.
Year of:
22,000-
The Chernobyl di saster site become fully safe
Source:f
The Chernobyl exp sion from 1986 h experienced nuclear cay to the point wh radiation at the cen of the disaster zone almost nonexisten
10-11 - Features
the Hawk
The year 3000
Plans for colonizing space; NHHS weighs in SUMMER GRACE Reporter
Many scientists, organizations, and countries have been participating in the space race. According to Science Journalist Christopher Wanjek, China is preparing to send crewed missions to the moon by the 2030s. Elon Musk, Space X founder is hoping to “take people to the Red Planet, while Bigelow Aerospace is drawing up plans for Earth-orbiting hotels,” as stated by Wanjek. Science teacher Timothy Dougherty thinks space exploration should be one of the least of our concerns. “It is expensive and with our planet amid a catastrophe called climate change, perhaps we should dedicate our research and development to the solving of this problem first,” he says. Aaron Huth, a junior, also thinks colonizing space isn’t a good idea. “Space is a beautiful place and humans shouldn’t be responsible for tarnishing other planets,” Huth shares. He says he wouldn’t want any part of space besides earth to be ruined. “Wall-E was one of those movies that showed that we need to take better care of our planet and if we can’t take care of our planet why should we go expand out to others,” Huth adds on. “Colonizing space is such an intriguing topic,” states science teacher Douglas Heeter. Mr. Heeter thinks there are quite a few logistical points that have to be considered, “Mainly what is needed to create a contained environment with all of the needs we have here on Earth that enable us to survive.”
Teacher speaks on Earth’s troubles; Pollution, fossil fuels, climate change Tech f yo nolog re: utu g the f etectin les cer D Can rt Need Sma
Compiled by: Hannah Krizek
Technology of the future: Heart Monitoring T-shirt
Photo credit: BBC Science Focus Magazine
th
ies
Year of:
7,200,000-
Mount Rushmore has eroded away
futuretimeline.net
plohas r dehere nter e is nt.
The faces of the presidents on Mount Rushmore have completely disappeared due to Granite’s erosion rate of around one inch per 10,000 years.
Technology of the future: Energy storing bricks
Photo Credit: D’arcy Laboratory
COLBY CRISS Reporter In present times, we are being bombarded by issue after issue. According to BBC News, “[Covid-19] is surging in many regions and countries that had apparent success in suppressing initial outbreaks are also seeing infections rise again.” and we are also struggling with economic turbulence as we try to overcome the recession from March of this year according to the Dow Jones Industrial Average. However, we tend to forget the problems the planet we live on is facing. We are experiencing a ton of problems with our oceans. According to NOAA, “global sea level has been rising over the past century, and the rate has increased in recent decades. Sea level continues to rise at a rate of about one-eighth of an inch per year”. We are also dealing with the troubles of global warming. According to NASA, global warming is being caused by “human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heattrapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth’s atmosphere”. Earth and Environmental Systems teacher Timothy Dougherty gave his thoughts about our current global climate. “I do not think that we are protecting the planet well at all. We are in the middle of a catastrophe and unfortunately not recognizing how bad it is getting around the world.” Dougherty said about our planet’s current state. On the subject of pollution, Dougherty stated that “pollution of many types is severely damaging
our planet but the problem of carbon dioxide and how it is creating the climate catastrophe is the number one worst thing we face”. Dougherty also gave his stance on what we should do to help our planet.“The number one thing we should do is dedicate every resource possible to changing all energy systems to renewable forms as soon as possible,” Dougherty said. What renewable forms could we choose? According to EIA, the forms of renewables are “geothermal, solar, wood, hydro, and wind energy”. While “fossil fuels—coal, petroleum, and natural gas— have been the major sources of energy” according to EIA, hydroelectric usage has been on the rise, accounting for 30% according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Dougherty showed his optimism of a lesser-used fossil fuel world, stating“With strong leadership, we can have all countries working together to end the use of fossil fuels in this decade.” We have had agreements towards climate change in the past. According to UNFCCC, “the Paris Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius”. However, according to the White House the United States cut ties with the agreement in June 2017. This shows that not every country may be ready to give up their fossil fuel’s yet.
Page 12/ ENT
December 22, 2020
Cry of the Hawk
Dempsey returns as McDreamy;
BTS makes mark in music world
*Spoiler alert*
Singing, dancing and style. BTS, has been making their beat heard in the music world. According to Celia Fernandez, a journalist for Oprah Magazine, “If people don’t know about BTS yet, it’s time to get familiar.” National Public Radio speaker, Marie Sherman, explains that KPOP stands for Korean Popular Music, the genre originated in South Korea. Sherman adds that KPOP is, “a maximalist dreamland full of color, high concept-performances and videos, a plethora of performers and unrivaled choreography.” According to billboard charts, BTS, a band with seven male members is the most popular KPOP group in the world. With KPOP growing in popularity, BTS is singing what people want to hear. According to Billboard, their album, ‘Love yourself: Tear’, which is sung in Korean became, “the first primarily foreign- language Number One album in twelve years.” The content that BTS covers is a lot different than many other KPOP groups. According to BBC, many other groups sing about love and relationships while BTS covers different topics such as mental health, elitism, and bullying. Bang si- Hyuk, the creator of BTS has commented that, “the boys don’t shy away from singing about the pain felt by today’s generation.” While many fans love the group’s music, BTS also puts a great amount of focus on their performances. “The band loves to make their performances vibrant and colorful to draw attention
Grey’s Anatomy fans react to new season KENDALL SCHUBERT Business Manager
Season 16 of Grey’s Anatomy was cut off early due to COVID-19 in the spring of 2020. Season 17’s two-hour premiere is what would’ve been season 16’s finale. Fans not knowing what will happen at the end of the premiere, seeing a dead character wasn’t it. Patrick Dempseey, McDreamy is back. Derek Shepard died in a car crash in season 11 of Grey’s Anatomy. Senior Tori Simms says, “he was one of the best characters on the show. When he died it was heartbreaking. I always wanted him to come back, but he died so how could he.” In the show, Meredith Grey contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized because of it. At the end of the two-hour premiere, Grey collapses in the parking lot. The scene fades to a beach where she’s sitting on a rock and she hears someone call her name. As she turns around, she sees Derek, the love of her life. Senior Ashley Worden says, “When my friends and I would talk about this season we all had our theories, Derek coming back being one of them, but we never
believed he would come back.” McDreamy making his return isn’t the only thing happening in season 17. At the end of the last season, Teddy Altman cheated on her fiancé, Owen Hunt with her ex-boyfriend Tom Koracick. She had done so multiple times and planned on cutting Koracick off once she was married to Hunt but Altman sent a voicemail to Hunt by accident when she was with Koracick. With the new season jumping a few months forward from where last season ended, fans are getting the missing pieces of what is going on with the characters in chunks of flashbacks. Simms says, “I think Owen and Teddy are going to separate for good and Teddy will get back together with Koracick.” After the turmoil that’s been Amelia Shepherd’s love life from her first fiancé overdosing, to Hunt and her divorcing, she found Atticus Lincoln, fellow surgeon and the father of her child. Simms believes that “Amelia and Link are going to get married.” As for other characters like Maggie Pierce, Jackson Avery, Jo Wilson, and Richard Weber, they all have their storylines.
Simms thinks “Maggie and her boyfriend are going to stay together, maybe Jackson and Jo will get together because Jo is moving on from her breakup with Alex Karev and with Richard being co-chief, now he and Bailey can be a power duo.” When it comes to Meredith and Derek’s story, the only thing keeping them apart is the beach. The beach is the path Grey needs to cross if she wants to be with him again, but that means leaving behind their children, friends, and family. Grey is currently in a coma state from being sick and that’s when she sees Shephard. Worden believes “Meredith is going to keep seeing all of the old characters that have died while she’s on the beach.” Grey’s lungs and heart are not doing well either. Worden predicts “Christina is going to come back to help with Meredith’s heart or to just be there, and all of the rest of the characters who are alive will be making an appearance.” Both Simms and Worden believe that Meredith Grey will pass away from COVID-19, but it’s only the beginning of the season so time will tell.
Grey’s Anatomy welcomes back old castmates. New season showcasing COVID-19 concerns. Photo Credit: DKODING Entertainment.
Writer reveals experiences as an author; NH graduate’s best-selling novels read across world ALEXA FALLS Reporter
Ever since she was little growing up in rural Maryland, best-selling author Tracy Banghart-Blanton always loved reading and “as soon as [she] found out it was actually A JOB THAT PEOPLE DID, [she] knew [she] wanted to do it.” To gain writing experience, she said she has gone through, “many, many years of reading, writing bad poetry, creative writing classes, lots of practice and a lot of luck to get a book published.” Banghart is mostly interested in the young adult fantasy genre since “so many involve characters on a journey of discovery, which is one of [her] favorite themes.” She also loves, “writing about characters finding their agency and being empowered.” Many of Banghart’s ideas for stories come from an existing feeling of frustration with things going on in the world, or just a feeling or experience she wants to
process. She adds that she “loves building characters and plot and teasing out all the possibilities.” Banghart-Blanton enjoys writing about, “characters finding their agency and being empowered.” Some of her all-time favorite novels are The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley and On Fortune’s Wheel by Cynthia Voigt. Banghart has, “always looked up to them for writing beautiful feminist stories.” Authors that have helped Banghart through the publishing process include Ellen Goodlett, Anna Bright, Natalie C Parker, Dhonielle Clayton, and Jessica Spotswood. Banghart mentions that, “they are incredibly talented authors whose books I adore.” Of the nine novels Banghart has written, she says that her favorite is A Season of Sinister Dreams, “It’s a book I started writing many years ago, and for a long time I didn’t think it would be published.” The book is all about, “first kisses, first loves, first battles, and first experiences with magic.” Bang-
hart adds that, “it’s really special and exciting knowing it’ll be a real book on shelves next year.” The book will be added to shelves on June 21 of 2021. It is available for pre-order now, according to Banghart’s official website. Banghart calls her writing style “fantasy lite” which consists of word building, “but the characters and plot drive the story.” Banghart has been told her by readers that her books are fast paced and exciting and have, “just enough details to ground you in the world before whisking you off on adventures.” For writers that are starting their writing journeys to become authors, Banghart says that “the most important thing to do is read! Banghart mentions that, “it’s important to connect on an emotional level to your characters and their struggles and it’s important to connect on an emotional level to your characters.” She also adds to, “have fun as you write, and try to be as authentic as you can.”
ZOE MIKLES Features Editor to their music”, according to Si- Hyuk. Mr. Son, the band’s choreographer explains that, “impressive music videos seem to be a big factor of the success, they make our message more effective.” These performances do not come without a cost though, according to Mr. Son, the group rehearses, “until the performance is perfect, sometimes 12 to 15 hours a day if necessary.” Social media has also had a role in the success of BTS. Suga, a member of BTS commented in an interview that the group is, “so lucky to be born at the right time, without social media [they] wouldn’t be so successful”. In 2018, the group won a Billboard award for “top social artist”, beating out stars like Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber. BTS has a personal twitter that each member posts to. This is very different from many other Kpop groups that have their social media accounts run by an executive. Si-Hyuk detailed that, “by allowing the boys to run their own account, the fans feel more involved in their lives.” While BTS is making an impact on Western pop culture, the hype has not quite reached North Harford High. According to an Instagram poll of 234 students, only six percent of participants have listened to BTS. Lauren Smith, a NHHS junior, is among those who have listened. She stated that, “ they have pretty good music, the songs have a nice flow to them and they are really good hype songs.”
Page 13/ ENT
Cry of the Hawk
December 22, 2020
First man to appear solo on Vogue cover;
Students review new Call of Duty
Harry Styles makes mark in history
KENSINGTON BOYANICH News Editor
MAURA CHANEY Entertainment Editor
With the new releases of the Playstation 5 and Xbox One X this also allows for new games to be released on these consoles. The Call of Duty franchise had been releasing multiple games since its first in 2003. The games have been set in different time periods including the new game which takes place in a cold war setting. The game titled, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was released on November 13 by the popular publisher Activision. GameStop has an average review for the game as 3.8 stars with majority of them being five stars and the second majority, one star. According to GameStop the game drops players into the early 1980’s during the Cold War. In single player characters will come face to face with historical figures. As an elite operative you will follow the trail of a figure known as Perseus, who is on a mission to destabilize the global balance of power and change the course of history. Many students have also voiced their opinion on the new game and added features. Freshman Preston Miller who has played some of the older games before said, “It’s very good! I like how when you level up your guns you unlock new attachments for your guns. All the maps are perfect with some
Following the release of his Grammy nominated album “Fine Line”, Harry Styles has made 2020 his year. After receiving numerous “Album of The Year” awards and three Grammy nominations, Styles adds becoming the first man to appear solo on the cover of Vogue Magazine to his list of achievements this year. Styles appears as the cover story for the December issue of Vogue Magazine, where he is photographed in a dress and jacket styled by Gucci. As readers flip through the pages, Styles can be seen wearing, as he would describe, “gender-bending” clothing. The singer-songwriter tells Vogue, “Clothes are there to have fun with and experiment with and play with. When you take away ‘There’s clothes for men and there’s clothes for women,’ once you remove any barriers, obviously you open up the arena in which you can play.” After Styles’ feature in Vogue surfaced across the internet, many fans took it to Instagram and Twitter to show their excitement. Although there were hundreds of thousands of positive reactions to the interview embedded in the magazine and the
outfits he was presented in, there were many negative reactions that caught the attention of fans. Political commentator, Candace Owens expressed her reaction to the magazine cover on Twitter, where she described his clothing choice as “an outright attack” and urged the return of “manly men”. Thousands of Twitter users replied under her tweet sharing comments of agreements but even more replied rushing to Styles’ defense. Senior Caroline Ulmer, an avid Harry Styles supporter expressed her appreciation for his fashion choices on social media. “I was so beyond excited when his Vogue edition was announced, and the magazine showed so many great photos and a fun interview with an acoustic recording of my favorite song of his, ‘Cherry’,” she says. “It’s amazing to see him set a milestone as the first male solo feature, and I think the backlash was rude and unnecessary. He looks great in everything he wears, and he has become known over the years as someone to set fashion trends and dress outside the ‘norm’ and it inspires so many people!” Another fan of Styles, senior Aspen Vinyard was impressed with the photoshoot and ex-
plained how she loved seeing him inspire others with his act of expression through fashion. “He puts up with the backlash he receives and challenges these gender norms, which is so inspiring because it shows he is confident in himself and who he wants to be and it inspires others to challenge gender norms,” says Vinyard. The former One Direction member made another magazine appearance, featuring in the December issue of Variety magazine, where he spoke about the negative comments he received. “To not wear [something] because it’s females’ clothing, you shut out a whole world of great clothes,” he says. “And I think what’s exciting about right now is you can wear what you like. It doesn’t have to be X or Y. Those lines are becoming more and more blurred.” After hearing the comments being made about him, Styles posted a new photo from the Variety magazine, where Styles was named “Hitmaker of The Year”, in an outfit similar to those found in Vogue. This photo captioned: “Bring back manly men” in response to Candace Owens’ original tweet sent fans in a spiral and made room for even more support for the singer.
being bigger and some smaller. They made a new Nuke Town map which is actually very fun for all game modes especially free for all. The zombie’s aspect of the game is cool and enjoyable.” Sophomore Louisa Gray has also played the game. “The maps for multiplayer are pretty good. The zombies game mode is especially fun with the added reverse dimension thing and you can add armor. I do not really like it better than Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops 2 but since the recent ones were not as good it is fun.” Freshman Anna O’Leary says that, “The gaming communityis a fun community, but it can be extremely toxic, especially if you are a female. The guys can be super annoying and say misogynistic things like, go ‘back to the kitchen’, and other things. You either get screamed at or perverted things said to you.” In a poll of nearly 100 students, 32% of students at North Harford High School have played the new game while the other 68% haven’t yet. Out of the 32% of students that had played it 59% said they enjoyed the game. Of the 68% of students that had not played it yet, 36% said they would give it a try later or were planning on playing the new game in the future.
Free time allows for longer binges; Netflix releases many new shows
Styles poses in his Gucci wear for the December issue of Vogue. 40,000 subscriptions were purchased in the first week of release, putting the magazine on a waiting list for buyers. Photo Credit: Vogue
KENSINGTON BOYANICH News Editor A number of streaming services including, Hulu, Netflix, and Disney Plus have released many new movies and shows during the long quarantine. Some shows and movies have also begun filming recently, including a new season of the popular show Stranger Things that is set to release sometime before at least July 2021. Newly introduced shows that have recently been released include Ratched, an American psychological thriller series about a nurse who works at a mental institution and she eventually becomes a monster to her patients. This series currently only has one season with eight episodes. North Harford High sophomore Ian Calhoun recently finished watching this show. He states how, “[He loves] Sarah Paulson, which is the reason [he] started it, and the overall plot of the show being creepy and mysterious is really interesting to me.” He also rated it a 4/5 saying how he, “wished the ending was better.” Another popular Netflix show that has recently come out is The Haunting of Bly Manor, a gothic romantic drama series about a young governess who arrives at the manor and begins to see apparitions that haunt the estate. The series currently has one season and nine episodes. North Harford High sophomore Genevieve Sudbrink has watched this series and says how she “loves the show.” Sudbrink says that she,
“liked the inclusion of LGBTQ characters and a lesbian romance story. I thought that was cool and not done very often. I started watching it because I like spooky stuff and it caught my interest.” Sudbrink rated the show a 4/5 because, “I liked the LGBTQ representation and I thought it was an intriguing plot and idea that was very captivating to watch. The only thing I didn’t like was the actress who played the nanny. I’m not a fan of the actress and her voice was annoying.” Some students have also mentioned watching the Netflix original series Grand Army which follows high schoolers in Brooklyn, New York and their experiences with growing up and navigating through the high school atmosphere. It currently has one season with nine episodes, each episode averaging around 50 minutes. Sophomore Anna Koerber has recently watched this series. “I started watching it because my sister was also watching it, and she had liked it a lot. I would rate it a 4/5. It’s good. I love the feminism that takes place in the show and I enjoy how realistic it is in the real world, but it is not my favorite show.” Some shows coming to Netflix soon are: season nine of American Horror Story arriving on November 13, season four of The Crown coming November 15, and many more new shows and movies.
Page 14- Student, Society, and Culture
Cry of the Hawk
December 22, 2020
Former newspaper editor become real estate lawyer;
Chasing after life's opportunities JESSICA FANNIN Reporter Jamie Goodwin is a 1993 North Harford Graduate that went on to become a real estate lawyer. Before graduation, she was the editor in chief of the journalism staff. At the time, they had a different method of producing the newspaper. Goodwin unraveled the many steps that it took to produce just one page. The editors would type up the articles before printing them out. Then they, “would cut out every article and place them on a light board.” After the articles, “were perfectly aligned, they were glued together.” She remembers, “getting permission to leave class to finish the pages for,” their teacher Mr. Mason. Staff members would “stay after school,” and even, “miss a sports practice,” to finish their work. This is because the “deadline for printing had to be met.” “Everyone in journalism wanted to be an editor,” Goodwin recalls. To get this position, “your name was thrown into the ring and the students voted on who they wanted to be elected.” After securing her position, the first year was described as, “a process of getting comfortable and learning from more experienced editors.” Things improved in the second year as Goodwin became, “more confident and relaxed.”
The articles that were produced by the staff at the time were so nicely made that they “got some awards for the newspaper layout.” After graduating, Goodwin moved on to attend college at Johns Hopkins.
Goodwin’s sister, Bethany Wright, says her sister is, “the best older sister [...] [she] could ask for. She’s very inspiring.” Photo credit: Providence St. Joseph Health She explained the reason she applied for the college was that “it was a very highly regarded local college that [...] she would be close enough to home, but far enough to stay on campus.” As an undergraduate, she studied, “English and art history.” A lesson she learned from Johns Hopkins is, “if you work hard and stay focused, you can ac-
complish anything in life.” Moving on to bigger things, Goodwin transferred to a college in Manhattan, Newyork called Fordham University, School of Law. She chose this school so far away from home because she, “wanted to go to New York to experience its city life and it seemed like an opportunity [...] [she] couldn’t pass up.” She also knew that if she wanted to go for big things and experiment in life, “college is a perfect time.” From Fordham, she learned that “becoming a lawyer you can have a great lifestyle. You can control your life in a way that you couldn’t with other occupations.” From going through, “college, law school, passing the bar exam, and working for a law firm for 9 years,” Goodwin was able to, “eventually become a real estate lawyer for a really big health care system to help with major hospital transactions that are for developing new hospitals.” Her job brought her to the “amazing, beautiful city of Seattle.” She described it as mountainous and green, a bustling, “cosmopolitan that is very urban, with great restaurants, and music. From her journey and the life she has built with a “wonderful husband, three kids, and a big dog,” in the big city of Seattle, Goodwin learned, “life can take you anywhere.” She recommended, “staying confident”
Birchfield starts at-home bakery GREER STRINE Sports Editor
During quarantine, many teens spent their time making crafts, trying new TikTok dances, watching new shows, or even trying new sports. However, junior Julia Birchfield started an at-home bakery. “I was compelled to start a bakery because after working 40 hours per week since May, I came home and didn’t have anything to do, I knew I needed a project,” Birchfield stated. Starting Nourished Bakery seemed quite obvious for her because she had been baking and cooking her entire life and opening a bakery, or something along those lines had always been a dream in the back of her mind. Birchfield opened her bakery recently and as soon as she opened, she was “overwhelmed with kind words, immense amounts of support, and so many orders.” She chose the name Nourished Bakery because she feels “that in today's society, with so much diet culture, you can feel if you enjoy a baked good, it’s unacceptable. However, I feel that everyone
should nourish and appreciate their bodies and their soul, so the name felt so fitting to me.” Currently, Birchfield uses Instagram, which she can be found @nourishedbakery, and other social media platforms to
Chocolate caramel pretzel cake (pictured) is Birchfield’s most popular item. Photo Credit: Julia Birchfield gain more attention from potential customers. “I try to post on my various accounts every single day, once a day. That way people can start seeing my name, and hopefully becoming more compelled to order from me.” Not only is she on social media, but she added that she also launched her website. She can
be found at nourishedbakery. webstarts.com where contact information can be found, as well as images of what her treats look like. “My most popular item is probably my chocolate caramel pretzel cake, which ironically is my least favorite to make. This cake has many components and takes a while to complete, but it’s still delicious!” Starting her bakery from the love of spending time in the kitchen, Birchfield explains that she loves baking and cooking so much, she would much rather keep up with Nourished Bakery as a side job. She feels as if she continues baking as a career, she might lose “the love I have for baking. Doing something that I enjoy so much every single day, could make me not enjoy it as much anymore. It's also not exactly the lifestyle I would envision for myself.” Her best-selling item has been her decorated cakes, but her menu also consists of “cupcakes, many different specials, cookies, and muffins,” according to Birchfield. Getting anywhere from one to 15 orders per week and averaging around 10 currently.
How top holiday songs are created;
Students’ thoughts on Christmas music BEN IAMPIERI Reporter With Christmas coming up in less than a month, people are writing their Christmas lists, hoping to get all the clothes and toys they wish for. The most commonly wished for items were clothes or a new console. The release of the Xbox Series X was on November 10, and the PlayStation 5 came two days later. They sold out almost as they were released, being a hotspot for parents to get their children the new machines. “My Christmas list is mostly clothes and shoes,” sophomore Sierra Weaver says. “I just like getting new clothes. It’s good to get something new once in a while and it makes you feel nice.” “On my list is mostly clothes, jewelry, and board games,” sophomore Stephanie Erisman says. “I want a new hybrid style bike,” Mr. Timothy Pistel, Field of Technology teacher says. “My old bike was broken this summer.” Most of the hot new items can only be bought online, or are encouraged to because of COVID-19. This doesn’t seem to bother most people as they have been shopping online for years. “I will do a lot of purchasing online, explains Mrs. Jenny Beigel, a math teacher. “That’s
been pretty normal for me [the] last few years.” Science teacher, Mr. Brady Green he “usually shop[s] online.” According to Fortunly, “60% of US consumers prefer to buy their gifts online.” Sophomore Sam Chan is hoping to get “custom cables from CableMod” for his PC, containing one of the new graphics cards, recently released by NVIDIA. “I had to keep refreshing the website and be super quick.” “One frustrating thing about online shopping is when scalpers can buy hundreds, sometimes even thousands of an item on limited stock, and sell it for more than what it is valued at,” Chan explains. ”They are making it unfair to the community and making the stock go away instantly.” Only 15 states ban scalping, according to Legalzoom. Not everyone asks for a tangible gift or a typical present that you can order online. “All I want for Christmas is a vaccine,” Mr. Green says. “And a PS5,” he adds. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is hoping to have vaccines soon in 2021, so he may have a late Christmas present. “Most of the things I would wish can’t be bought anyway,” Mrs. Beigel explains. “It’s really about spending time together and making Christmas fun for our kids.”
December 22, 2020
Cry of the Hawk
Page 15- Student, Society, and Culture
NH students recall importance of heritage; Covid-19 keeping students home for holidays Tradition remains prevalent through difficult times CHLOE WARD Reporter Tradition is an idea many are holding onto this year, despite this holiday season being unconventional. Whether it is the big family dinner, lighting the candles, or opening presents, everyone has a favorite that they refuse to let go of, no matter how crazy the world gets. One holiday, celebrated by most in the North Harford area is Christmas. Every year it is anticipated for and is classically known as the “most wonderful time of the year”. The uniqueness of Christmas comes down to the number of traditions, and every family has its variation and favorites. Activities include stuffing stockings, family breakfast or dinner, opening and wrapping presents, visiting family, decorating the tree- the list goes on. Junior Isabella Silvestri claims it is her favorite holiday and opens up about her favorite tradition from her childhood: the suspense of waiting for her parents to let her down to open presents in the morning.” My brother would rush into my room, wake me up, and we’d wait for my parents to wake up and drink their coffee,” she describes, “we would sit on the top on the stairs for what felt like forever.” Only after they were done were they allowed to rush down and spend the morning all together.
Christmas is significant because it is a gateway for genuine happy family memories, like Silvestri’s, that are remembered for a lifetime. She hopes to continue to celebrate this with her children in the future. However, Christmas is not the only holiday being celebrated during this time. Hanukkah is also coming up, bringing another set of widely loved traditions. Clare Cummings, North Harford Junior, actually celebrates both holidays. Half of her family is Christian, and the other half Jewish, so her family combines the two during the winter season. She gets to spend some nights of Hanukkah with her grandparents, lighting candles and opening presents for all eight nights. Then she gets to go on the other side of the family and open presents for Christmas. Out of all the amazing traditions she gets to partake in, Cummings says that her favorite is the food. “We have Christmas dinner, which is always so good,” she describes, “but then we also make latkes, which is so good.” Latkes are a form of potato pancakes, Cummings clarifies. She says that she loves the variety of traditions that she gets to celebrate every year, and how she can spend it all with her family. Even though this year she has to spend it at home with her immediate family members, it will not hold her back from her latkes.
SUMMER GRACE Reporter The upcoming holiday season looks very different in 2020. With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise daily, many protocols have been implemented to stop the spread. Out of state travel has been highly discouraged by Governor Hogan and state health officials. At North Harford High School, 86% of 215 students surveyed are spending their holidays at home. The other 14% are planning to travel. Junior Lahela Thomas is traveling to Florida for the holidays. Her family was originally supposed to take a cruise to Hawaii. However, it was canceled this summer due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Now they're traveling to Disney since “things are opening up again and [her] grandparents like to take [Thomas] and [her] sister somewhere every year.” According to Thomas, her family typically spends their holidays at Disney. Other students prefer to stay local for Christmas. Senior Abigail Merson's family has decided to stay local because “[they] want to stay safe and follow the Covid-19 restrictions as much as possible.” For Thanksgiving, Merson stayed
in Harford County and celebrated with her immediate family instead of traveling to her aunt and uncle’s house in Carroll County. According to Merson, this saved on travel time and helped reduce the spread of Covid. Sophomore Riley Stewart has a similar plan for how to spend her holidays. She shares that she's staying home this year because “Covid is going on and [she] has a lot of family members who are at high risk for getting Covid, so we are just going to have a family dinner.” They also plan to open gifts while FaceTiming their extended families. Stewart’s family will still be able to talk and celebrate together virtually. Juniors Jessica Dudok and Teagan Flaherty typically stay home for the holidays. “We always host Christmas so our family always comes to us,” Dudok explains. Similarly, Flaherty states, “We never really travel for Christmas anyways and usually stay home.” She’s also decided to stay home because some of her family members are at a higher risk for Covid so “it’s safer to just stay home.” Another student spending her holidays at home is soph-
omore Julia Eakes. Eakes and her family normally visit her grandparents and cousins in Virginia between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. “This year we aren’t going because we don’t want to possibly expose my grandparents to Covid,” she shares. Eakes says it’s “always a big gathering” and her family would rather be safe and just FaceTime instead of posing a health risk to each other. Sophomores Reilly Holmstrom and Piper Wright are also staying local. “I’m staying home because my grandparents are old and very nervous about getting Covid,” Holmstrom explains. She says she does plan on seeing a few friends over the holidays since “they’re at less of a risk.” Wright says her family never goes anywhere because her family lives very close to one another. “It’s never like a big gathering so we are all staying safe and following Covid guidelines,” she shares. In addition, junior Kayla Smith typically doesn’t travel for the holidays. “My family tradition for Christmas is to go to both of my grandparents' houses to see our family,” Smith says. Sometimes the extended family will travel to see Smith’s over the holidays, but they won’t be visiting this year.
Widden Dream In The Wood; Senior sells homemade items
CAITLYN ALLEN News editor
Senior Rebecca Morris has an online shop called “widdendreaminthewood” on Etsy and an Instagram @widdendreaminthewood, where she sells a bunch of different items, but they are all homemade crafts, paintings, and jewelry. Morris states she mainly has been “focusing on a lot of crocheted goods”, but she also has a lot of “paintings, miniatures, and resin and clay jewelry.” Morris adds she has “gotten into crafty things hen I was little with my aunt and grandma.” She was commissioned to do a few customed dog portraits for her grandparents.” The artist adds she was “bored during quarantine” which gave her a boost in her inspiration and items. The senior states her “grandmas basement when I was little was all crafts” and she “started doing a lot of her favorite things when I was really little.” When Morris grew up, she says “creating things was always a nice escape from my more difficult schoolwork” and she “always wanted to try new things.” Morris states she does not get all her ideas by herself. She “loves the new ideas that people give me when they find out that I do this.” Morris adds all
of her “popular items are things that I made because people asked for them or I thought of a gift idea for a specific someone. Morris adds she is “bad at keeping up with the Instagram and posting new things” and that she would “rather make things that I like and see if others like them than try and stretch myself to what others want.” The artists favorite thing is “making things and seeing when they make other people happy.” In particular, “my crocheted bee plushies come to mind, because everyone's immediate reaction is just wanting to hold them.” To advertise her store, Morris will “instead of charging my friends for their items, I ask my friends to spread posts, photos, and business cards for me.” She adds she does this “a lot particularly right before I do an in-person market." According to Morris, using her friends has been her best marketing strategy. Morris claims she has not sold a lot yet, mainly to people she knows or knows of, but is “going as a vendor to the Belle Aire market” which has helped her a lot. The prices for her items vary a lot due to all the different things she makes. Morris’s least expensive item is “real butterfly wing stick-
ers and crocheted scrunchies” which are both two dollars each, and her “most expensive item is crocheted granny square pants” at 150 dollars. The artists claims the time it takes for her to make these items varies a ton. “A lot of my jewelry and small crocheted items take less than an hour, but a full afghan or the pants can take up to a month. Pet portraits take two or three days. Resin jewelry I can pour a lot of it in resin for an hour, but I spend hours looking for leaves, flowers, lichen, and mushrooms to use in the resin and it takes a few days to dry.” Morris’s overall goal of her store is to “make others happy.” Most of her items that she loves to make, and people love to buy overlap and she “loves to see people light up when they see something, I have worked really hard on.” Morris’s favorite thing to do is “pet portraits because they make people so happy and I get to see a lot of dogs.” She adds she plans on doing more “open air markets in the spring” She started “making new friends with local artists.” The artist would “love if more people commissioned me to make random things for them because it is more interesting and keeps me from getting stuck in a rut.”
Page 16/ IDR
Cry of the Hawk
December 22, 2020
? ? ? ? w o n k u o y o d h c How mu Step by step how to address an envelope Compiled by:Rachel Keeney
Step 2: Street address
First, in the middle of the envelope write the person's first and last name who is recieving the letter.
Under where you just wrote their name, write their street The postage address followed by their town, state, and zip code. stamp goes in the upper right Step 3: Return address corner Put the return address in top left corner (your address). This is your name, your address, and town, state, and zip code.
l Have their correct email address
How to invest in the stock market
Step 1:Recipients ‘ name
Step 4: Postage stamp
Top 5 stocks to invest in for December 2020:
1: Brookfield Property REIT inc. 2: NRG Energy inc. 3: Ardagh Group SA 4: NortonLifeLock inc. 5: GrafTech International Ltd. Source: nerdwallet.com
Decide how you want to invest
Choose whether you want to invest by yourself or go through a stock broker.
Educate yourself on different stocks
Stock mutal funds: allow you to purchase small pieces of many stocks in one transaction. Individual stocks: Investing in a single company.
Set a budget Set a certain amount of money that you would like to spend on stocks so you don't go over.
Focus on the long term
Stocks won't immediately make you money; when the stock market fluctuates, adjust your stock.
Page 17/IDR
Respect your elders:
Secrets of talking to adults LILLI GRECO Reporter Communication is key, and a large portion of your day is communicating, whether it be speaking aloud or writing it down in an email, a text or a post on your Instagram. Of course, most of this is a casual sort of communication, and usually with people within your generation or age bracket, so you already know all the expectations and rules. But what about when you need to talk to someone older? Or in a position of power? “Just be polite,” Theresa Freligh says. “When I was young and my sisters and I had to talk to our grandparents, we always were respectful. We didn’t use slang around them, and we were never rude or dismissive. We always listened to what they had to say.” Etiquette wise, if you’re speaking in person to an adult, it’s good to remember not to use slang around them too much. “It comes off as rude,” Freligh says. Be clear and direct - stand up straight and don’t mumble. Eye contact is important as well. Don’t argue or whine - it’ll make you seem childish and immature. “If you’re going to talk to an adult, you need to speak like one,” Freligh says. Rosary Greco had some other advice. “Don’t cross your arms if you’re talking to an adult.” She says. “You’ll come off as bored, and then it’s taken as rude.” It’s important to actually talk as well. “When I’m talking to teenagers,” Greco says. “I find that usually they only have two or three word answers and usually have their phones in their hands.” Remember to disengage from your electronics in a conversation and actually participate. “Common manners are important as well.” Greco says. Remember you please and thank yous, as well as your welcome. Keep to polite topics of conversation if you can as well - which means no politics, especially if it’s going to start an argument. “Just showing basic respect and manners really helps you a lot in the long run,” Freligh says. “If you play your cards right, it shouldn’t matter that the person you’re talking to is older.” “Politeness is key,” Greco says. “If you’re professional and polite, everything will turn out alright.”
Cry of the Hawk
December 22, 2020
How to file taxes Gather your important documents. Including (but not limited to) Your social security number W-2 Form 1099 forms Charitable donations
Choose how to file taxes, either online or by printing out IRS Form 1040 and filing by hand. You might need to make online copies of your W-2 and 1099 forms if you do not already have them.
Talk with the IRS If you owe... Pay the IRS or speak about a payment plan to make up the amount you missed previously.
From: Nerd Wallet
If you are getting a refund... To speed up the process, avoid filing your taxes on paper and opt for a direct deposit payment, you can track your refund on the IRS website.
Compiled by: Leah Hillier
Cry of the Hawk
December 22, 2020
Alumna has passion for science ERICA OTTE Reporter An alumna of North Harford High School, Cari Biscoe is currently a Program Supervisor of the Land and Water Division for the Harford County Health Department as a Licensed Environmental Specialist. She works for the state government to protect state groundwaters from contamination and hazardous pollution; Laws enforced Code of Maryland Regulation protect these waters. These laws must be maintained by the county and state government workers, such as Cari Biscoe. “For example, when a new home is proposed outside the public utilities then a well must be drilled for a potable source. As a reviewer [she makes] sure the location meets all the setbacks and the licensed Maryland well driller drills the well to compliance following CoMAR laws (The Code of Maryland Regulations; all Maryland administrative regulations). Lastly, after the water supply is connected to the home then it is sampled to satisfy it is a potable water supply for consumption.” Her average workday consists of “communicating with employees about their daily schedules and routine inspections with licensed septic installers and well drillers”. Along with communication, Cari also “demonstrate[s] structure within the CoMAR regulation and oversee[s that] they are followed by the licensed installers as well as being available to Harford County citizens for questions.” Citizens may call her office to look up their property’s well and septic information with records dating back to 1950. Since the Land and Water Division is a part of the Health
Department Cari, “had to take action when the Covid-19 pandemic hit because [Cari’s] office is considered a major hub for the health of the citizens within Harford County and ensures that the citizens are protected based on the Governor’s statements and course of actions. Our Health Divisions make sure these enforced actions are maintained and keep the citizens safe based on the CDC guidelines and Gov. Hogan’s guidance [..] The Harford County Health Department has a big role in Covid-19 as far as keeping track of cases, obtaining medical supplies for protection to citizens and medical professionals, keeping up to date on when vaccines are available, and ensuring the citizens are informed about the latest updates on Covid-19”. Reflecting on her high school experience, she added that her “high school teachers and classes made it clear that [her] interest was science and biology.” “Environmental Science with Mr. Pool was an eye-opener [for her]”, however, she only took the classes without being in the magnet program. So, “when [she] joined the Envirothon program, the doors opened to even more of the environmental world. Therefore, [she] decided to seek a college with these bases. As a senior, [she] was also an Environmental Science recipient and received a 1,000 dollars scholarship to my college career.” Her advice to current North Harford students and graduates would be to “enjoy your time now, live your loves and keep your head up. Embrace your peers as they mold your ways to who you are going to become in life. And lastly be yourself and show your true colors.”
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Pine or plastic tree is more harmful to environment;
Decorations have detrimental drawbacks BEN SERSEN Reporter
Ahh yes, December; a time filled with candy canes, presents, good cheer, and loads of trash. The age old tradition of Christmas has been around since the year 336 when ancient romans recorded the first known Christmas celebration whilst under Constantine (being that he was the first Christian Roman emperor) however, according to Britannica the tradition of gift giving was not popularized until the early 1800’s. For many centuries gift giving was a tradition on december 6 due to Saint Nicholas day however, the tradition of exchanging gifts for Christmas grew exponentially in popularity due to the 1823 poem “The night before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore and again in 1843 when the novella “ A christmas carol” was released. With the tradition of gift giving growing in popularity the tradition of gift boxes and wrapping paper also grew exponentially during the rise of Christmas. The University of Stanford revealed in a question and answer on their website that Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Years Eve timezone than any other time of the year, this amounts to over 25 million tons of garbage or over 1 million extra tons a week! The trash from your brand new Iphone is not the only thing loading the landfill however, according to Phs Wastekit, over 6 million trees are thrown
away each and every year and over 14% of people surveyed in 2017 claimed they throw away their plastic trees rather than reusing them the next year. The sale of natural trees stayed around the same at 23.4 million annually from 20032017 meanwhile the sale of artificial trees increased from 7.3 million to 9.6 million fake trees sold each year in that same time period (via The National Christmas Tree Association.) Cutting down trees may seem
provide oxygen for us to breathe as well as providing watershed and habitats for wildlife. A five or six foot tree takes approximately a decade to grow and once they are cut dowm. Farmers often plant at least one tree in its place, however, this number is subjective and ranges from farmer to farmer (via The New York Times.) Now lets flip the script, a recent survey by The American Christmas Tree Association found that three quarters of American households have a Christmas tree on display and around 80 percent of those trees were artificial trees. Artificial trees have Photo credits: Davidson Christmas Tree Farm been said Pictured above is a photo of one of the largest “cut your own” tree farms in Maryland. David- to reduce envison Christmas Tree Farm opened for their 52nd the ronmental season on Nov 23 and they will be open everyimpact to day until December 23. lower than that of a real tree if bad for the environment howev- used for more than five years, er, the trees harvested for Christ- according to the ACTA. mas are planted on farms just Junior Lahela Thomas claimed as corn or lettuce is rather than “Real Christmas trees do have being cut from forests on a large some cons to go along with such scale, said Bert Cregg, an expert as some insects may find their in Christmas tree production way into your home from the and forestry at Michigan State trees” as well as claiming “Fake University. Natural Christmas Christmas trees are an investtrees also provide many bene- ment, you pay a little extra now fits to the environment as they and it can be used years later.”
Staying warm this winter;
Bundle up and donate MADISON FETHERSON Reporter
As the days get shorter and temperatures plunge across the country, for many the solutions are obvious. Break out the winter coats, stock up on firewood, and stay indoors. However, for many obvious solutions such as staying indoors and keeping warm isn’t always an option. In 2019, a total of 567,715 people were reported homeless by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Maryland reported about 6,561 homeless people in 2019, while states such as California reported 151,278 people that have experienced homelessness on a given night. When polled 98 percent of 200 polled North Harford students claimed that they have suitable winter attire such as jackets, socks, hats, and gloves. When the same 200 were polled 77 percent had donated winter clothes in the last five years. Before the holiday season schools often make an effort to participate in canned
food drives, Toys for Tots, and other donation services to provide for those in need during the holiday season. Providing for a winter clothes donation does not require a trip to the store, but rather a few simple steps. While many have found it effective to layer in the winter before heading out to school, work, or even the supermarket, this becomes a challenge for those who make-up homelessness statistics. one in two homeless individuals are unsheltered, which becomes an even greater challenge as temperatures plummet and COVID cases continue to rise. A recent U.S. Census survey has shed light on poverty rates in Maryland. Nearly 40 million Americans live below the poverty line, the overall poverty rate in Maryland is 9.4 percent, roughly 553,000 residents. Upon further analysis it is noted that Baltimore City has the highest poverty rate, with 21.8 percent of its population below the poverty line, while Calvert
County has the lowest, at 5.1 percent below the poverty line. When considering donations, organizations such as Salvation Army, Goodwill, and American Red Cross are only a few charity organizations that provide for those in need. The Salvation Army offers assistance for families in poverty, domestic abuse survivors, people facing the aftermath of disasters, and the elderly. The Salvation Army accepts most clothing items; however these items should be in good condition for the next owner. You can donate via drop-off location or schedule a pickup to provide for this organization. Rather collecting dust and remaining in the same spot it has been for years; an old coat can be a new coat keeping someone warm this holiday season. While many assume that homeless persons are in need of coats, clothing items such as socks are a clothing item of great importance. Living on the streets, many unsheltered people hardly take off their shoes.
Page 19/ Sports
Cry of the Hawk
December 22, 2020
Students participate in non-traditional sports Risk and reward;
GRACE FELDBUSH Reporter
Freshman Mackenzie Scott has been doing archery since Nov. 2019. According to Scott, she joined and actively participated in the archery club last year at the middle school, and ever since then, she continued to do it to maintain and keep up with her skills. “Archery has impacted me to this day because it has continued to be a passion of mine and still actively practice.” Scott states, “Archery is something that I want to keep up with, it is something I enjoy and can do by myself when I have nothing to do, and there is always room to get better which is the best part.” Junior Amber Farnsworth has been jousting since she was about two years old. According to Farnsworth her family was jousting since before she was born and
when she was young, she would be taken to tournaments with the rest of her family and let her ride. Farnsworth says this happens with all her family members, including her brother and younger cousins. “As soon as they are old enough to sit on a horse, they are led down to the jousting track.” “I look up to our President of the Amateur Jousting Club of Maryland (AJC), which is the club I belong to... He is one of the best jousters we have, and he knows a lot about jousting.” Farnsworth states. He says that jousting is more the type of sport where there isn’t a coach, but if an athlete needs help, he/ she can turn to the club and everyone there gives each other tips and helps each other. According to Farnsworth, they have state and national tournaments, but she doesn’t
usually go to them. They are mostly just for fun. Jousting is an individual sport, and most are not competitive. Farnsworth says injuries happen often and it can range on how severe the injury is. Simple injuries like hitting a ring you miss while going down a track or getting stepped on by a horse is very common. Severe injuries happen very often to people, but barely ever happen to horses. “I haven’t gotten a major injury, but my mom and some of my other family members have from falling off the horse.” Farnsworth states. Farnsworth says many jousting clubs are slowly falling apart and starting to struggle because not many people are interested in the sport. Farnsworth says, “I hope more people decide to try the sport so jousting clubs can stay open.”
Finding the right balance JESSICA FANNIN Reporter
Mrs. Marie McComas is a NH graduate who is known as “the jack of all trades,” juggling many different businesses including “Model A Fitness, house flipping, and rental maintenance.” Her husband works in the nuclear power field. McComas said "taking risks, but balance risks,” is important along with giving, “120% on every job.” The NH alumni said building a gym like Model A Fitness, “in the middle of nowhere was a huge risk.” She told her husband, Darin, that if they “could not afford to buy all brand new equipment at the 15-year mark,” she was going to consider closing the gym.” Starting they “found buildings off Main Street in Delta,” and they “quickly had an agreement to buy the original Model A Ford Dealership from Len Nelson.” But after not being able “to come to an agreement with Len on moving out,” they had to walk away from the project there. They were “very disappointed […] mostly because people were counting on a gym coming to town.” McComas did not stop there and recommended to her husband, “let’s build one.” After some thinking, she described how they “began writing a business plan to present to
Athletes inspired by professional athletes JESSICA FANNIN Reporter Many athletes have had a role model that has pushed them to do better and to achieve goals that seemed impossible at first. Professional athletes, those who have already broken records and set the bar of success higher, are often the people that fill this spot. For Bethany Grzymala, a junior, someone she has looked up to is Teddy Forance. “Teddy is a professional contemporary dancer that I have had the incredible opportunity to work with at dance conventions and a more intimate setting for choreography last year!” Grzymala described. He has influenced her intentions behind her movements as a dancer, “with the artistry and strength that he brings.” Her admiration for the professional dancer showed when she described how “his positivity in the dance studio is like no other. As the owner of CLI Studios (an online dance platform) he has brought positivity to my training even during quarantine.” Forance not only affected her life in the dance studio but who she is outside of it, as the aspiring dancer now tries “spreading positivity to others.” “Being an athlete has helped me overall be more conscious about my health and keeps me in a competitive and focused state of mind,” Grzymala stated. “It took a lot of time and thought for me to realize what I needed to do to be able to further my dance education and make myself accountable for my success.” From this tough decision, she was “able to identify the opportunity and the ability to grow at my new home.” Jassete Umbel is an athlete who made her dreams come true as a professional surfer on the United States Women's Juniors surf team. Umbel explained how “I was 11-years-old when I saw a surf
contest out front of my house and I begged my parents to sign me up but they were “anti-contest”, so I walked over and signed myself up and I ended up winning the event, and I was hooked ever since.” An athlete that gave her the determination and motivation to never give up is pro surfer Bethany Hamilton. From the work ethic Umbel gained from Hamilton she described how “surfing became the sport that means everything to me, it’s in my eyes, the most beautiful
it on the USA surf team and got contacted by O’Neill, that was huge for me! I surf because it’s fun, therapeutic, and so healthy for you!” For junior football player Tristan McGregor, a pro athlete that has inspired him is John Randle. McGregor explained that Randle has “affected my work ethic because he was never seen as a future pro athlete in a long shot, undrafted, and still got into the hall of fame. It just showed me that no matter what people think of you, you can change their opinions with actions.” He explained that “being an athlete has influenced me to do better with my schoolwork so I can have a future in sports.” McGregor also revealed that the way he keeps calm under pressure is “by not focusing on what has happened, but rather what’s going to happen.” “When NH beat Patterson Mill at homecoming last year,” was the proudest moment in his football career so far. Brian Stoehr is another athlete that was able to make their childhood dream of becoming a professional athlete come true. Stoehr is Gryzmala poses during Dance a professional body boarder who won the U.S. tour Hope Cure. Her role model Teddy Florance, gave her dance and for body boarding twice. Growing up he always life advice. PHOTO CREDIT: looked up to a professionMike Gilette al body boarder, Jay Reale. Stoehr also looked up to Kelsport there is, and I feel so blessly Slater and Tiger Woods’ ed and lucky I’ve been able to ability to go “so much further make it my career for so long.” beyond anyone else in their Another role model in the respective sports in a certain pro surfer's career was her time.” In Stoehr’s opinion, “all Dad. She explained how it three of these guys were the was, “my dad who taught me best at what they did. They when I was little if you ever are as professional as profesget held under just think of sional athletes can become.” something happy, think of The professional body boardme and your mother and take er explained how, “if I look a deep breath. I also pray a back throughout my whole lot when I feel pressure, or if career, I could summarize my something is weighing heavy greatest achievement as simon me, and that helps a lot!” ply living out my childhood Umbel’s proudest moment dream. It is something that in surfing is, “when I made I am still doing to this day.”
McComas snaps a photo of her own gym. Her and her husband took the risk to build Model A fitness. PHOTO CREDIT: Marie McComas the bank, and here [...] [they] are 18 years later.” When it comes to having a balance in running the business, McComas adds that it is hard at the first. “You don’t in the beginning- the business has to come first. Darin continued to work out of town, and [...] [she] ran the daily operation. But if both of you understand the commitment that is needed you can do anything," she said. They, “both realized [...] [they] were building a future,” and that right now they, “must do what had to be done. And sometimes that meant giving up the balance.” McComas calls herself a “social butterfly,” explaining herself and her husband, “are such a huge part of the community,” and they, “love getting to know the members.” She also added that, “fitness people tend to become a family of their own..” For McComas, the gym offered her, “the opportunity to have a business and a huge family all in one.” According to McComas, another positive take away from the business is having the “opportunity to shine." Due to her husband still working in the nuclear power field everything was done with her “artistic talents.” The couple took a lot of the knowledge about entrepreneurship from their parents and applied it to the many businesses they still run. They knew they “wanted something bigger for their kids,” and that “you’re only young once,” so you might as well try as many things as possible to have a shot in making it out on top. Their motivation came from the fact that they “are not scared people,” and that there was never a doubt they, “could work through anything.” The successful gym owner described what she remembers from high school. "For some reason reading The Great Gatsby in Mr. Gant's class sticks out. The class was split up into 4 groups,” and they each had to read a book and then figure out a way to tell the rest of the class about the book in an interesting way. McComas said her group, “choose to make a movie acting like a grandfather was telling a young child about the book.” She also commented she felt, “lucky to have teachers that made lasting impressions, including Mr. Pyle, Mr. Holtz, Mr. Booze, Mr. Grove to name just a few!”
Page 20/ Sports
Cry of the Hawk
December 22, 2020
Ford joins athletic staff as lax, basketball coach Former Hawk dives into opportunities; Alumna travels across country for experiences BEN SERSEN Reporter
tion in 2010, and even broke the school record for most shutouts in a career as a soccer goalkeeper with 29 mentions. Ford started coaching right out of college in 2015.The PSU alumna claims she started coaching after a career ending injury, where she missed both her junior and senior season. Ford credits those two seasons spent on the sidelines as
I thought it would be a waste if I didn't share some of what I learned with other athletes.” Haley Ford is one of the NH’s newest addition to coaches brought in over the the coaching staff also enoff-season and she’s taking over joys vegetable gardening. as coach for the girls varsity laMrs. Ford stated she “fell in crosse team and the girls varsilove with it” because “it alty basketball team. Ford takes lows you to get in that same on both teams after the canflow state that sports do” celed seasons in early 2020 due When she was an athlete to the COVID-19 pandemic. for NH and PSU, Ford enjoyed Ford is a NH alumna from listening to “Anythe class of 2011 thing Lil Wayne or and she had a list Biggie Smalls” beof achievements fore games to get including starting herself in the zone three years at midand ready to play. field, helping lead the Ford played for Hawks to a regional NEMS Lacrosse Club championship and under head coach the state finals in the Paula Priest, win2010 lacrosse season. ning the 2010 Top of She was selected as the Bay Championfirst team all-counship and was named ty and received the team's team “UnHaley Ford (#3) snaps a pic with her class to the 2010 Club sung Hero” Award in her senior year. Ford’s class accounted for National Championship All-Tournaas a junior as well as 52% of the teams scoring in 2015. PHOTO ment Team as well leading her team in CREDIT: Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics as Leading NEMS ground balls for juin ground balls. nior and sophomore her influence to start coaching One thing Coach Ford hopes seasons, and was named which would ultimately bring for her athletes is “having an second team all-counher back to her alma mater. understanding that it is just a ty after sophomore season. Coach Ford claimed “I learned game, and the game ends someFord also played four years a lot from the coaching staff. day so enjoy the ride. The balof varsity soccer, earning first Learning from some of the best ance of working hard and havteam all-county honors as a coaches in the country not just ing fun will allow you to get junior and senior and all-state about lacrosse, but about life, the most out of sports and life.” honorable mention recogni-
JESSICA FANNIN Reporter
Bethany Wright, a former student at NH, left high school on a mission to make something of herself. She explained how coming from the small town of Jarrettsville she knew “there was more out there, something bigger and [...] [she] wanted to experience it all.” So, she did just that, reaching out to the colleges that she wanted to attend and writing about herself, her swimming, and her training regimen. Her, “first stop was UCLA.” Wright will, “never forget the feeling of stepping off the plane and driving onto the UCLA campus. The coach picked [...] [her] up in a convertible, it was 80 degrees outside, and [...] [she] could see snow on the mountains.” The alumni “had died and gone to heaven.” The 1997 graduate decided to go all the way to California for college because “UCLA had the perfect mix of academics and athletics. [...] [Her] parents made it clear that I had to go to college.” “Being slightly rebellious at the time,” she said “Ok then, I will go as far away from here as possible.” Honestly speaking Wright was, “homesick the first month at UCLA.” Despite wanting to go home her mom told her, “to give it a year,” before they seriously talked about that. They, “never had to have that talk because [...] [she] got into a groove and never looked back.” Being across the country on a different team Wright said her “first day of practice at UCLA was dramatically different,” from her previous swim team experience at North Harford or YMCA. Wright confessed that she “did horribly,” during their “Three and a half hours of swim and five-mile run.” After a hard talk with her new coach about why she was performing so poorly, the aspiring swimmer decided she was going to give “110% every practice.” Wright said she,“dropped about four seconds freshmen
year, received the most improved award, and made the NCAA’s. She “was the only freshmen and 1 of 8 on the team to do so. Hard work does pay off!” Wright added. After graduating from UCLA, the swimmer tried out for the National Swim team. She, “packed up the car right after graduation to move to Irvine to swim for a team called Nova, where [...] [she] would be coached by the best Olympic coach.” Stepping into the unknown, Wright said she moved to Irvine without planning where she would stay beforehand. She shared that “I had to call friends who I knew lived there for a place to sleep.” Things did not go as planned for her dad, who was traveling to California to help her move. “His truck broke down in Nevada and he had to buy a new one to make it the rest of the way,” the swimmer recalls. Wright explained that to be selected for the US National Team, “you have to be one of the top six competitors in the United States for your particular event.” After getting settled in her new home she was determined to be “one of the top six competitors,” for her stroke, the butterfly. At “the peak of [her] training heading into the 2004 Olympic Trials, a typical day would look like this: Bike 10 miles to practice, swim for one and a half hours, one hour of weightlifting, a bike ride home, eat 1,800 calories, sleep for one to two hours, swim two hours, do one hour of stretch cords and abdominal work, and then run three miles.”
If you would like to learn more about Bethany Wright, scan the QR code and read the remainder of the article!
Alumnus competes in international trapshooting GREER STRINE Sports Editor For most athletes, they choose from the sports offered within their high school like soccer, lacrosse, football etc. However, NH alumnus Jeremy Adkins chose a different sport- trapshooting. After graduating in 2015, Adkins now competes on an international team. He explains “in its basic form it’s shooting a randomly angled flying object with a shotgun from different positions 25 times. It's more reaction and instinct based.” Adkins started trapshooting in his sophomore year of high school. By his senior year in 2015, he was introduced to international trap. Adkins explained, “It is American trap on steroids. Smaller targets, faster targets, harder angles, and you only have about one point eight seconds to hit the
target before it’s out of range.” and I’ve been an independent know what my biggest achieveTraveling across the ment is because my country for compeend goal is to get to tition, Adkins stated the Olympics, until that he joined an Olymthen I don’t think anypic team called The thing will be enough.” Keystone Eagles which “In my peak seawas near Harrisburg, son I’ll go through 250PA where they com300 shells a session, peted in national comusually about once a petitions. “I had the week. Then I usually opportunity to reprego out and compete sent the United States against people who in Germany for the do that about every Munich Grand Prix, other day,” he states. where I tied for seventh Currently, Adkins is and my teammate got ranking in the top 30 fourth plus, we endOlympic shooters in ed up getting third in the US, in the top ten squads,” said Adkins. Adkins aims to hit the clay disk launched on the East Coast, No matter his sucinto the air. He shot the disk perfectly, to shat- and the top shooter cess rate, he commentin Maryland, he states ter the target. PHOTO CREDIT: Jeremy Adkins ed that “after about his hopes are high to four years with The achieve his Olympic Keystone Eagles, we parted ways team since then. I honestly don’t goal. He added, “Just last month
I won the Maryland state championship in American trap.” From his experience in the sport, he claims the best thing he has learned is “good things don’t come to those who wait. It comes to those who persevere through the struggles and chains holding them down to reach the goal they have set for themselves.” With maintaining this attitude, Adkins stated it allows him to keep going and working towards his Olympic dream. According to Adkins, “This sport has changed me significantly over the years, I went from a very shy, quiet, background person with no friends to a very social, confident, and outgoing person with friends across the globe. It has opened up doors I never thought were possible and I wouldn’t change a thing about how much I’ve dedicated to this sport.”