NORTH HARFORD HIGH SCHOOL
211 PYLESVILLE ROAD, PYLESVILLE MD 21132
410-638-3650
May
2021
Dougherty moves from teaching to retirement HANNAH KRIZEK Op/Ed Editor After 6 years of teaching at Southampton Middle School, 5 years at North Harford Middle School, and 19 years at North Harford High School, for a total of 30 years in the teaching environment, Dougherty is finding retirement at the end of this school year. From other teachers he has worked with throughout the years of his teaching career, and the students he has taught, all when asked about him have nothing but good to say. Dougherty taught a series of classes throughout his career including biology, earth science, and astronomy. This year he taught anatomy, marine science, and environmental systems. Retiring is all part of life but for Dougherty, the “long realization that 30 years would be enough,” is what really struck him to act with retirement. He has had “two long careers,” and simply, “looks forward to enjoying life a bit more.” After retirement, Dougherty has very simple plans for him. He explains that he does not plan on working anymore but plans on, “traveling, reading, and playing a great deal of tennis.”
The educator added he has an immense number of feelings that
go along with retirement. “I do feel an immense sense of relief
Dougherty is a biology, earth science, astronomy, marine science, and an envrionmental science teacher. He is leaving North Harford after 30 years in the teaching community. Photo credit: Kylie Redding
mostly because of how difficult teaching has been during this pandemic.” The recent pandemic has caused a lot of stress on most, making retirement, even more, something to look forward to. Dougherty himself is a North Harford alumnus, along with his two sons, so, “working within the community that [he] grew in and raised [a] family in has been very rewarding,” he discusses. Considering the period of time he spent as part of the Hawk family, he adds that a million and one memories were made. When talking and thinking about these memories, he discusses his students saying, “I will remember the relationships and connections I have made with my students.” Along with that he says, “I will remember my teaching colleagues and many great times that we had here. Throughout his years he has made many relationships with teachers in the building. Mr. Green is another science teacher that has worked beside him for 19 years. This means, “19 years of lunchtime fun, 19 years of field trips to the zoo, the aquarium, and a couple to New York City, ‘’ says Mr. Brady Green.
Mrs. Patty Massetti, another teacher who has spent an abundant number of years teaching with Dougherty, leaving memories to be shared, and things to be remembered. She has taught with him for 16 years and says her favorite memory that she shared with him over the years were, “the lunchtime laughs over the years and his remarkable ability to predict weather forecasts and school closures.” Students of his continue to say only positive remarks about him. Senior Julianna Spangler says, “One thing I’d like to tell him is thank you for being an awesome teacher and having a positive impact on students.” Sophomore Arron Huth also discusses that his favorite memory was the aquarium trip that was for marine science, and he says that one thing he would want to say to Mr. Doughtery is, “I wish we had a full year of school for your last year, you were one of my favorite teachers.” As Dougherty looks forward to a different look at his life, he specifically says, “I hope that I have been able to spark an interest in many things that have helped people have a better life.”
Custodian depar ts The Nest after long career;
Moving from North Harford to Florida GRACE FELDBUSH News editor Ms. Wilma Evans, one of North Harford High School’s longest serving custodians, is leaving as she retires after working at The Nest for the last 42 years. Evans remarked that a lot of the kids and faculty members are now good friends of mine, and I will miss them dearly.” “I will always miss putting on shows, dressing up, making craft books, and going to football and baseball games with other workers because we have made so many good memories doing those things,” Evans states. “We used to put on shows, we would get in costume and do scenes and entertain the school which was one of my favorite things about being here,” Evans states. Evans commented that “When this job became available I took it, before I took it I was a substitute at North Harford Middle and High School,
and I never knew I would be here for so long,” Evans says. “Being around all the peo-
ple and the kids day after day is what made me love my job,” Evans says. She hopes every-
Evans will be retiring after 42 years at North Harford. She will continue her life in Florida. Photo credit: Grace Feldbush
one treats the school well when she leaves and has a happy life while she is down in Florida. “Her heart really did beat for this school as corny as it sounds,” Ms. Robin Anderson, one of Evan’s co-workers states. Anderson hopes she can continue to feel as passionate about life as Evans did in this building and with the people here in the future. “She really is just such a silly person. I will always remember the time she kept calling a futon, a crouton.” Anderson says. “Ms. Wilma would go all out for spirit days, and I am going to miss seeing her dress up days during spirit week,” secretary Mrs. Kimberly Iddings states. Iddings wishes that Evans will get to spend lots of time with her family in Florida after retirement and to get the relaxation she deserves. “She always knew how to make me laugh, and I will miss her presence in this building,” Iddings says. “Her generosity and kindness
to the people in the community are what I remember her by,” drama teacher Mrs. Nancy Green says. Green hopes Evans will have time to spend with her great nephews and nieces in the future, Green explains that Evans was always so helpful during the drama performances. “No matter where you look, Ms. Wilma is there with a cheerful attitude all of the time,” Mrs. Lori Rake, Spanish teacher, says. She explains she loved seeing Evans’ dedication during spirit week. “Without Mrs. Wilma in the building there will definitely be an empty feeling for many who were close with her,” Rake states. “My favorite memory of Ms. Wilma is when I walked in on her and Ms. Robin playing with the drums in the band room,” Mrs. Jeanne Grimmel states. Grimmel says she is going to miss seeing her kind face day after day and she wishes her nothing but happiness just as what shebrought to North Harford herself.
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Stop the cycle and slow down-enjoy the moments RACHEL KEENEY Column
seriously. Enjoying what my teachers were saying, excited to go to lunch despite the plastic shields, and looking forward to after-school practice. Looking back at past years, I rushed through everything. And I don’t mean I rushed through tests, or I rushed to get ready; I mean the days. Sitting in class just waiting for it to end or wishing I didn’t have an away game at Bo Manor, and just wishing I could lay in bed all day. Who would have thought all those wishes would come true my senior year? Now that my senior year is coming to an end, even though it feels like it just started, it's bittersweet. Each day I've soaked up and appreciated every aspect of it. Athletes specifically will understand how precious each season is with your team, this year particularly. My high school lacrosse season this year is my one and only senior season, and with that comes a lot of pressure. I want to finish my last game proud of myself and that I was able to create as many memories as possible. I know some days feel like
When I reflect on my high school experience, I genuinely only can think of the best memories. I had a busy schedule starting right at freshman year. With a full workload of honors and AP classes, to being a 3-sport athlete and having practices and games every day, the balance was hard, but the memories will really last a lifetime. As my last few days of school approach, I really started to take my last in-person learning days
you’ve been at school for an eternity, but once you hit senior year school feels like a blink. Be excited for the day and look forward to what you have going on at school. Be pumped for your lacrosse game, even if it's against a bad team. And really is it that hard to be nice? Trust me, you're going to be glad you can say you were a kind person in high school. Because not everyone is. And please, please don’t rush to grow up. You aren't lame for hanging out with your parents. And most likely you're going to regret one day not being around them enough, so just skip the regret now and go spend time with them. If I could tell my freshman self one thing, it would be to just enjoy every moment of school. People aren't lying when they say high school flies by. So, go to every football game, participate in spirit week, watch the musicals, join a club, and start racking up those memories. You never know when another pandemic can happen and take it all away. Again.
Leaving doesn’t always mean goodbye;
Sometimes it’s ‘see you soon’ KENDALL SCHUBERT Column
I'm a happy person but the one thing that makes me feel like clouds are crowding my sky is thinking about how I'm going to be moving away from the people I love the most to fulfill the dreams I have for myself. My relationship with my parents is one I’ll be eternally grateful for. They’ve shown me what true unconditional love looks like towards their children and towards each other. This has made me a family girl, but one that wants to travel and be where it’s warm. It’s not that I want to leave Maryland, or my parents, or the life I have here. I want to experi-
ence a life outside of what I know. I want to grow in an environment I’ve chosen for myself. I love the warmth of the sun and the feeling that comes along with those sunny days. I’m a beach girl who loves to body surf in the waves and take walks on the beach. The desire I have to be somewhere that accommodates my favorite things is what I need to be happy on my own and grow as a person. You constantly hear people saying, “I want to leave, I hate it here, I can’t wait to get away from my parents.” But my reasoning for wanting to get out of Maryland differs from many. I’ve chosen a college that will benefit my career choice and where I believe I’ll be the happiest. A school that also happens to be seven hours away. The thought of being so far away from my parents, my brother, and my best friends makes me go into hysterics. Despite knowing that this new chapter of my life will benefit me the most. During these final days of my childhood, I look back on my years and smile. The days of wrestling with my brother and doing my best to annoy him and his friends because I’m the baby sister and it’s my job
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May 20, 2021
Cry of the Hawk
to be annoying. The four years we spent apart while he was at college and now that he’s home, it’s my turn to go now. The countless memories I’ve made with my beautiful friends. The long lasting friendships, laughs, and car concerts. Being the only person in my friend group moving out of the state will make these last two months together the most cherishable time we have. The jump from living with my parents and them being accessible to me and what I need to living on my own in an entirely different state several hours away will be an adjustment to say the least. The independence of my awaiting new life is one I’m ready to face. I’m excited, scared, ready, nervous, happy, and sad. Every emotion hits me at a different time when I think about leaving Harford County. Being a happy person, the whirlwind of emotions I’m experiencing are hard to handle at times. But time and time again, my people never fail to pull me out of whatever hole I start to fall in. Remind me that this is a good thing. This isn’t the end. The sun will continue to shine and I will continue to grow.
Hating goodbyes,
Learning to love hello’s; New beginnings ahead EMILY GREEN Column
I call my mom to make sure I'm doing my laundry the right way, or to ask how to file my taxes, and how long to put the mac and cheese in the microwave, but now it is finally time to learn to do it on my own. I must become an adult and that word is the scariest thing any teen has to prepare for. To the people that have entered my life and stayed, and the people who came in my life and left, thank you. If it wasn’t for those people, I don’t think I would be the person who sits here writing this now. Even though I'm still so young and have more to learn I never liked using the phrase I feel as if I caught a glimpse of “goodbye” because it made me what true happiness feels like. feel as if I was finishing the last People can come and go in your chapter of my favorite book or life but it’s up to you to grow watching all the leaves finally fall from each and everyone of those off that tall tree. It wasn’t until I relationships. I figured out from tried my cap and gown on pre- each person in my life what I do paring for my final moments as a and don’t value in a potential senior in high school that I real- friend, boyfriend, or simple acized, there is a universal truth we quaintance. When the time comes and all face in our lives, whether I have to say “goodbye” we want to or not: evto these truly amazerything comes to an ing people in my end. “It wasn’t until life, it won’t be I have always an easy faredisliked endI tried my cap and well, because ings, whether gown on preparing for they made it be the last me into the day of summy final moments as a I am mer, parting senior in high school that person today, they ways with my c h i l d h o o d I realized, there is a univer- held hand along best friends, sal truth we all face in our every step or leaving a lives, whether or not we of the way, childhood but now I home, endwant to or not: everyhave to walk ings are inevthing comes to an end.” on my own itable. Leaves - Emily Green into the beginwill fall, you ning of my new will close that journey. book, and you will I know at first it say goodbye. That is going to be hard livday is near for me and ing life without them right my fellow classmates, and I must prepare to say goodbye to by my side, but even though they all things familiar and comfort- aren't holding my hand they are still my biggest supporters, just able. My future is full of so many from farther away. Goodbyes are bittersweet, you possibilities and my goals are to fathom them all in a lifetime, but are left uncertain if you will ever for anyone, a new journey can be see that person again. So I am gointimidating, especially a teenage ing to make sure I hold on longer girl from a small town in Harford to every hug and laugh I share County. I have looked forward with the people I care about. So, to my new life, where there is so for now, instead of saying goodmuch to see and do, and it's that bye to all things constant in my time of my life where I turn that life, I will be content with saying “see you next time,” because fantasy into a reality. Let me tell you this now, it I know this story of mine isn’t won’t be an easy transition, I ending, it is just beginning a new know there will be days where chapter.
Health and Science Editor: News Editors: Marissa Altenburg Caitlyn Allen, Kensington Boyanich Entertainment Editor: Opinion/Editorial Editors: Maura Chaney Hannah Krizek, Kylie Redding Sports Editor: Features Editor: Greer Strine Zoe Mikles Business Manager: IDR Editor: Kendell Schubert Rachel Keeney Reporters: Society, Students & Culture Editor: Addy Dean, Grace Feldbush, Madison Fetherston, Meghan Kalck Jake Gay, Summer Grace, Malinah Jercheid, Erica Video Managers: Otte, Annie Finholm, Ben Sersen, Jackie Bultman, SilEmily Green, Lauren Brandis via Martinez, Jessica Fannin, Kimberly Edgar, Chloe Copy Editors: Ward, Dani Becker, Alexis Haigler, Colby Criss, Paige Emily Iampieri, Lilliana Greco, Leah Hillier Webster Social Media Coordinator: Announcements Tech Evan Kuzemchak Victoria Hanna
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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March 29, 2020
Cry of the Hawk
The good, the bad, and the years that flew by The time has come and gone; MADISON FETHERSTON Column
So, this is it. The grand finale, the last hoorah, the end of our high school career. As I sit at home debating what to write for my senior column, I know for sure that I’d rather be writing my final piece for Cry of the Hawk in the studio, surrounded by the rest of J-crew. The way it should have been. Rolling out of bed after the third alarm, heading to school, and counting down the seconds until math class was over. Our senior year was nothing short of a disappointment, and through the hardship all I can
say is that I am unconditionally proud of the Class of 2021. Despite an underwhelming senior year, I am thankful for the ones who made this bittersweet ending a little sweeter. We all had our bad days, but sometimes you have to keep your chin up, because the bad days make the good days better. In your lifetime you will have some really rough times. Failed tests, losing games, and broken pencils. Sometimes you’ll struggle to understand certain material, you’ll struggle to see the light at the end of the tunnel during a never-ending class period, and you’ll forget about that due date. That being said, some days were really worth rolling out of bed. The heated discussions in English, nonsense laughter during second period classes, occasionally roaming the halls, and the people who made a bad day better. Even simple events make me smile from my virtual classroom, like how the sweetest girl at a nearby locker never failed to have an extra pencil for me between periods, or how a certain tech teacher always had room to spare (even though I should have been in a different class)
Of course, being optimistic is easier said than done, but don’t let one bad moment ruin a day that just started. Keep your chin up on those hard days when you’d rather be in bed because you have so much more ahead of you. Cherish the good moments, cherish the bad moments. Let today be today and stop wishing for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Before you know it, you’ll be graduating. I didn’t believe that during my freshman year, I definitely didn’t believe it my sophomore year, and somehow it didn’t click my junior year. Now all those years feel like a blur of good memories with cheering student sections, compassionate teachers, crowded hallways, and the occasional “what do you mean we had homework?” Before you graduate, roll out of bed and make those memories that are going to make graduation bittersweet. Enjoy all those classes with your favorite teacher. Take advantage of the clubs you can join and the activities you can take part in. Surround yourself with good people and make great memories. be proud of yourself when you graduate.
A perfect placement, wondering where to go
LAUREN BRANDIS Column
From day one stepping through those glass atrium doors, the pressure is on for you to find your fit. Scavenging through friend groups to find my real friends. Despite being outgoing, I never felt that perfect fit within my own school, which was extremely unsettling. I have had friends who come
and go and a select few who have stuck through thick and thin. Never holding that cliche solid group of friends began to destroy me. The weekends were my only escape from the circular formed cliques. Was I supposed to be with the quiet kids? The popular kids? Not a clue reached my mind when debating this social dilemma. I had my cousin Rachel Ewers, who was a junior at North Harford when I was a freshman. Unfortunately, my junior year when she left for college a thousand miles away, I was alone. I was on my own; still fighting for that freshman year goal. I was extremely discouraged thinking that “I'm halfway done high school and I still don't have that solid group.” I began to get a feeling that there was something different about me because I couldn't find my fit. By blaming myself for the prob-
lem, I couldn't realize that the solution was actually my location. Rekindling friendships with past friends who transferred to private school for high school was my one way ticket to finding my fit. I began to become notorious for only hanging out with private school people which gave me the nickname “miss private school.” Not the name I particularly wanted to be associated with by my entire class, but it stuck. The name was funny at first but became old quickly. Two years later, the name remains. I've gained a few others along the road, one of the most common is the chatter of “daddy's money.” I've learned to laugh at the remarks. I've found my true people on the outside of our school and there’s no problem with that. Not being able to click with people you are forced to be around five days a week shouldn’t be the problem on your mind.
Stepping forward in life CAITLYN ALLEN Column
I feel like just yesterday I was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at my grandparents house before they took me to daycare. I feel like I should be asking my mom to drive me to my friends house and pick me up before midnight. I feel like my mom should be making and buying me dinners. But no. I am 18. I am an adult. Being a kid has come and gone. It is time to be on my own. High school has thrown many obstacles in my way to try and get in the way of my success. Within these obstacles, I have wanted to cry, quit, and give up. There are many times I came It’s time. Time to put away home from school or practice and the high school books. Time to said “I’m done. I’m not coming put on your cap and gown. Time back.” I thought I wouldn’t ever to walk across the stage. Time be able to make it. to grab your diploma. Time to I live every day tired. I live evthrow your cap in the air. Time eryday thinking “what things do to say “I made it” and move on. I have to push myself to accomI have had a high school ex- plish today.” I thought I wouldn’t perience that I never thought I be able to push through. But look would have. at me now. I am here. I made it. From starting freshman year If there is anything that I with a mental illness that has learned from high school, it is still affected me to this day, to that you need to do things for having a near death experience yourself. People will turn on you at gymnastics, to getting my spot in a split of a second. You can’t for gymnastics taken away be- live for others, you need to do cause of covid, to having issues what is right for you and what with friends, to workwill benefit you. ing endless hours at At the end of the work, staying up day, the only thing countless hours that matters is to get my homethat you are hap“If there is anything py and content work done. I am tired. The with yourself, I learned from high time has come and that only school, it is that you and gone. comes with Even need to do things for putting yourthough these self first. What yourself.” things are goyou think mat- Caitlyn Allen ing to stick ters now won’t with me forevmatter next er, so have the month, next year, good things. Being or even next week. a straight A student Keep pushing, keep my whole high school going, you will make it. career, going to sporting I promise. events and dances, getting an It is time to move on. Rememathletic and academic scholar- ber the good, forget the bad, and ship to attend West Chester start the next chapter in your life. University, to getting promoted Start fresh and do it for you, foat work and receiving a scholar- cus more on yourself, while still ship from them, to making new keeping those around you in friends. mind. Find an even balance and I am thankful. But the time has go with it. The time has come and come and gone. gone. It is time to move on.
Letting go, holding on; finding balance in farewell MAURA CHANEY Column
Just like many other high school students, some of my fa-
vorite films take place in a school environment. But, as expected, this sets ridiculously unlikely standards once you get to high school. Take Clueless, where Cher Horowitz is a popular student from Beverly Hills with high fashion and an attitude for debate. Now, I do love a good debate, but for the past four years, I’ve been rolling up to school in my older brother’s hand-me-down sweats every day. Growing up with High School Musical didn’t help either. I used to sit in front of the TV with my friends when I was eight, dreaming of what high school would be like. I can tell you right now, they left out a global pandemic
storyline that would have related to my senior year. Songs and musical numbers about that would have really caught the viewer's attention. I completed my senior year completely virtually. I have yet to step foot in school since March 2020. I thought being at home for school would be the worst possible solution, but realistically, it helped me drastically, especially with college preparation. I was in the comfort of my own home. I didn’t feel the pressure to make a college decision based on anyone other than myself. And that’s when it hit me. None of the things I was worried about in high school matters. Now, I know what you’re
thinking, ‘What do you mean nothing matters? Of course it matters.’ It does, but it doesn’t. For the first three years of high school I was constantly fearful that I may miss out on something; a football game, a party, seeing a movie with my friends. Or what about that one test I studied all night for only to be disappointed in my grade? If we’re on the topic of movies, a specific quote by Zac Efron in 17 Again always sticks in my head: “When you’re young, everything feels like the end of the world. It isn’t. It’s just the beginning.” In my final year of high school I focused on my own goals, putting myself first and prioritizing the
things that matter. Yes, grades are important when applying to college, but one bad test grade won’t define you, and unfortunately it took me a while to realize that. I know I said movies set unrealistic standards, but they all share one thing in common. A breakthrough moment, and this is real. Prioritize yourself, take care of yourself, work hard, but realize and remember that once you graduate high school, nothing that happened in those four years matters anymore, nothing negative at least. When I’m old, am I going to mope around, tearing myself up over my grade on my freshman year English paper? As if!
Cry of the Hawk
May 20, 2021
Remembering things just to tell ‘em so long JAKE GAY Column
You never truly know what’s going to happen in life. Unless, your teacher suddenly puts the wet paper towel on the thermostat. Then you know for sure the room is about to feel like you are being cooked medium-well. Either way, you have to play the cards that life deals you. And, it is never too late to roll with the punch’s life throws at you, or your fate is written in the stars and you can’t change your stars. Can you? (Okay, insert your favorite cliché here). What I am saying is, read the rest of this column and you will find out (textbook foreshadowing). The truth is my life has not gone according to plan. My plan and “God’s Plan” didn’t coincide (thanks a lot Drake!) My plan was to be a greaser and fall in love with a wholesome exchange student, and then have to choose between her and my fellow greasers. After multiple, PG-13 song tracks, and nearly R-rated choreography for a family musical, I would eventually choose Sandy over cliche. Either way, life is not a cliché. You should be glad that cliches don’t happen. God’s plan (not the song) had me bouncing from
Waiting for gold ZOE MIKLES Column
There is no gold at the end of the rainbow, kid. As a child I believed in all thing’s make believe, from unicorns to sea monsters and everything in between. After seeing a car commercial where a perfect
Page 4- Op/Ed
Being yourself-ish:
thing to thing, including many things that I never thought were, well, a thing. For some reason His plan controlled my life, like He was God or something! Four years might seem like a long time, but if you do it right, it seems like not enough. You can certainly fill the time. The truth is, I could have continued my middle school vibe of still being an awkward almost-person. Not being outgoing, by metaphorically building a one-by-one box and hiding from anything that made me nervous— like in Fortnite (Are you liking all these pop culture references?) Get over yourself! Since I decided to own myself, I’ve been in musicals and performed in a play. I’ve participated in Mr. North Harford (losing miserably and consecutively). I’ve been on sports teams, and I’ve cheered on my school in the front row of the student section... as a junior (*insert cool guy sunglasses emoji*). I’m forever thankful I didn’t wait to do any of these activities. My middle school self didn’t jump into new activities. In middle school I did nothing. Therefore, I’m really thankful that middle school doesn’t really mean anything in the long run; people forget that you used to have swimming right before math and you used to smell like chlorine while we learned about y=mx+b, (advice for the innumerous amount of middle school students that will read this column). COVID-senior year didn’t allow for much of anything. If I had waited to do any of these things until this school year, and didn’t get the chance to, I would be like when Spongebob doesn’t get the promotion and walks home saying “I’m ready depression.” There will inevitably be a time
you want to escape or run away from your problems. It worked for Forrest Gump, but maybe you could just watch a movie and not wear out those awesome sneakers you just bought. So, I suggest watching The Breakfast Club the summer after freshman year. Watching this you will learn that you have to decide who you are, because everybody else will try. Afterwards watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off during senior year, and you will realize that “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” And finally, (and I should have started here) you will either be nostalgic or regretful when something ends. When high school ends, all you have left is memories and opportunities. When it comes to opportunities nobody will seize them for you. You make a choice. Depending on your choice, you will either embrace nostalgia or deal with regret. If you must deal with regret, you can only look forward and accept your mistakes. There are things I regret (but that’s not what we are talking about). Nostalgia, well at least when you look back, you will have a laugh at your almost-grown self, and remember that time that flew by, full, and hilarious and you miss it. Finally (for real this time), life goes on after high school, no matter how bad your English seminar went; it will not matter when you are married (in case you were worried about that). Lastly, (I can’t tell you how I know this, but,) there is a secret, crazy, and extremely awesome space hidden under the… (Insert classic cliffhanger here).
little family drove to the end of the rainbow and found a pot of gold, leprechauns were added to my long list. I truly believed that one day I would find my pot of gold and my little leprechaun, and I would be happy. I held onto this plan until middle school where I moved onto fantasizing about the “per fect high school experience.” The perfect friends, the perfect weekends, the perfect grades. Going into the fist year of high school, I had expectations, a plan for how my years would go. No one could convince me it would go any other way. The first year of high school was fine. I had the motivation to get up early, wash my face, brush my hair, and put on nice clothes every day. I would go to school, talk to the same people, eat the same lunch, and get the same A’s on assignments every day. I was content with the life I had drawn up for myself, finally making my vast imagination a reality. I had a beeline view to my pot of gold at the end of senior year. Sophomore year rolled around, and things began to take a turn away from my perfect plan. Around November, going to school began to feel different, more tiring and less exciting. My
longtime friends started fighting, my role then became mediator, in a last minute attempt to keep my picture-perfect high school “group” from falling apart. It fell apart anyways. I stopped sleeping and drank energy drinks just school experience”, yet it proved to stay awake in class, too wor- not to be impossible. Junior year came along, and, ried about getting any grade less than an A. I got a C anyways. I with no plan, I was bracing for a barely ate, scared that with my hard impact. I had never lived life newfound anxiety it would make day to day. It felt like I had been dropped into the deep end withme sick. I became sick anyway. Despite my absolute best efforts out any swimming lessons. Now, this is when the magic to hold on to my high school comes in. I went dream, my perfect to school. I pot dropped what and shattered “No plan brings noth- wore I wanted. right before Talkmy eyes, ing to mess up. I had ed to spreadfinally broken free of the whoing the g o l d mental shackles I placed upon ever I I had myself. I started finding little ew adn t -. imagined all over fragments of shining gold in A c t e d however the hard everyday life.” I wanted to tile floors of act. No plan the cold school brings nothing to hallway. mess up. I had finally So, what is there to do when one hits a so-called “rock broken free of the mental shackbottom”? Move on. Now that’s les I placed upon myself. I started easier said than done, especially finding little fragments of shining for someone like me, who spent gold in everyday life. Laughing so long fixating on getting my pot with my friends at lunch; golden, of gold that was the “perfect high falling in love; golden, compli-
Bluntness is better than benevolence EMILY IAMPIERI Column
Sometimes I wish I was a people pleaser. I am who I am, and I’m happy with who I am... sometimes. A big part of my personality is how straight-forward I am. People always joke with me about having no filter, or do the opposite and admit that they actually admire the way that I just don’t care. And that’s great, that’s fine, but I want people to like me. I refuse to change who I am, even though sometimes I don’t like who I am. I’ve lost friends over the fact that I can’t control what I say or when I say it. I’m not being mean; I’m just speaking my mind. And sometimes that means saying things that others may not have wanted to hear. Growing up you’re always told to “be yourself” but the issue that no one wants to talk about is that a lot of people don’t actually like who you are. So throughout high school I was constantly split between wanting to just be myself or wanting to make people like me. Be yourself even if it means subjecting yourself to constant non-constructive criticism from your peers who simply just can’t stand your personality. Though I’ve always picked to be myself, I do find myself wondering how different things
could be if I chose to be “likable” instead. I do believe in alternate universes where there exists a version of ourselves who made a different choice- and I wonder if the version of me that chose to be a people pleaser is happier. I showed Mrs. Chandler my rough draft and she said to me “This is interesting, Emily, because I believe you are a people pleaser.” Did she mean the alternate version of me? Because I really don’t believe that I live to please people. In fact, I find myself so often doing the exact opposite of that. Do you know how exhausting it is to hear “Emily, this person doesn’t like you” as often as I do? It’s so overplayed. Why do I even care that someone I think I saw once in the hallway doesn’t like me because of some preconceived notion they have about me? Actually, when I put it that way, I don’t care. Whatever I said that made you upset, everyone else was probably thinking it anyways. In fact, when people actually take the chance to get to know me beyond what they observe, they learn to like my bluntness. I have always and will always be the friend you go to when you need a completely honest answer. My friends don’t worry about me lying to them because they know I never will. Would you really rather be told “you look great!” and end up going out looking like an idiot as opposed to hearing me say “you look horrible. Go change.” Besides, being a people pleaser is so boring. I live to please myself, not everyone else. I am selfish. So what? We all should be. I’m a no nonsense, straight to the point, no filter person and that’s the way I like it. menting a stranger in the hallway; golden. I began collecting little moments of pure joy instead of being blindsided by my false dream. It’s a few weeks before graduation now. This year was nothing close to my old image of the “perfect” senior year but, that’s okay. If you would’ve told freshman me what this year had in store I probably would have gone into a full mental breakdown. The girl sitting here now writing this is not that same girl anymore. I appreciate the time I had to spend with myself, away from all of the noise that is high school. With that silence came acceptance of myself and new strength to improve the way I view the world. There is no big pot of gold waiting for me at graduation, things didn’t go as planned and that wouldn’t have been okay back then but, it is now. Now, I’m on to the next chapter of my life and I’ll be sure to savor my small moments of gold along the way.
Cry of the Hawk
May 20, 2021
Page 5 - News
NH alumni now traveling world; Smith takes on photojournalism MAURA CHANEY Entertainment editor
2003 North Harford High School graduate, Patrick Smith, travels around the globe as a photojournalist for Getty Images, snapping pictures of major events including the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup Finals, Daytona 500, the Olympics, and much more. After being involved in sports throughout high school, Smith made the ultimate decision to stop playing the athletics he was an active participant in, leading him to find another outlet that would bring out a creative side in him. He says, “I wanted to do something that would challenge me and push me. Sports taught me about the ups and downs, and the teachings of the sports was something I wanted to still be involved in, however, I gave up playing sports in college, and I needed a new challenge.” This then sparked his interest in shooting videos and quickly transitioned into photographing sports and writing stories for his college’s newspaper where he found a love for writing and taking pictures of athletes in action. A story that Smith would describe as his “personal favorite to shoot” is that of Johnny Quinn, a wheelchaired bodybuilder. This was the first time he had photographed and interviewed an
individual with physical chal- Although these situations arise lenges, making the experience where he may be in a difficult pospecial for both him and Quinn. sition to take a photo, he says it Smith says he has to become doesn’t bother him too much, as a “fly on the wall” and blend in his job consists of showing the with the crowd to be able to world what is happening that day. photograph a scene that is natSmith also enjoys the fact that ural and not one that had been his job offers him opportunities planned, designed, or intention- to travel, and he says “It is so ally set a particular way, in this humbling and powerful that case, backstage at a just because I take bodybuilding pictures, I can be competition. introduced to “I wanted to do After different something that would traveling cultures w i t h and difchallenge me and push me. Quinn ferent Sports taught me about the ups for a peoand downs, and the teachings of perip l e od of the sports was something I wanted to a n d time, along still be involved in, however, I gave t h e learni n g up playing sports in college, and I w a y about have needed a new challenge.” his chalfun do- Maura Chaney, lenges, ing it, and belike trying Entertainment editor friending him, new foods, Smith was able being surto capture photos that rounded by amazheld more power, saying, “The ing teammates that will push closer I am to the subjects, the and inspire me, but also having more powerful the pictures are.” photographers that have seen On the other side of things, and done it all is incredible.” he has had to be in uncomfortNow having children at home, able or awkward situations to Smith says some trips are hard take a photo that holds meaning to take, where he may be alone and capture the purpose of the in a hotel room for a week or photo or the event taking place. even a month, but there are some
events where he is with a large group and he is able to have fun with the work he is capturing, an example being a trip to Brazil, the Bahamas, Europe, and Japan being a personal favorite. Smith will be covering the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan this year. Smith is always on the go, and he says he enjoys not being sat in an office confined to a space. His schedule is given to him at the beginning of each month, letting him know where he may have to travel to in that month. However, on an average work day at home, he spends time with his kids before heading off to his local location, such as a Wizards game in D.C. A current favorite photo Smith has taken is one of Tom Brady reflected into the Vince Lombardi trophy after the Super Bowl. “Knowing that he changed teams and won, to me that’s my favorite picture right now; a really cool moment knowing that sports are still going on,” he says. He explains how the constant rise of opportunities to take a photo gives him many favorites to choose from, and his favorites are always changing with every opportunity granted. He hopes this job will stick without him throughout his life, giving him access to different parts of the world and allowing him to grow as a photojournalist.
Gap yer giving students opportunities; Students fight feelings of discouragement KIMBERLY EDGAR Reporter “Covid and potentially having all online classes discouraged me from wanting to attend college right away,” states Senior Julianna Spangler. Spangler is planning to do a gap year for the upcoming school year. A gap year “is a time between high school and college where a student switches from traditional academic classroom learning to other meaningful ways of continuing their education,” according to Global Citizen. Gap years can be beneficial for several different reasons including, learning another language, getting leadership skills, or gaining hands-on experience as an intern or employee, according to Mikael Mulgeta of Best Colleges. Spangler’s main reason for doing the gap year was her feeling of not being ready for college. During her gap year she states that she will be working full-time, “during my gap year I am searching for a potential career choice and stability overall.” Spangler also expects that she will have no financial problems with attending college after her gap year because she will be working. Research supports Spangler’s choice to work full-time during
her gap year, “Students who have taken a gap year report higher job satisfaction. Taking some quality time to find a career that matches your skills, passion, and talents and then build ex-
perience and education around it is important and might make all the difference later in life,” states Isabelle of EF Education. “The benefits to taking a gap year would be, gaining confi-
Senior Julianna Spangler is planning to do a gap year for the upcoming school year. Spangler said she felt discouraged about attending college right away. Photo credit: Julianna Spangler
dence to take a step back and focus on what is in front of you. There’s no rush into starting your adult life and a lot of individuals don’t even get a job in the field they have a degree [in]. Taking time to figure out what you want saves time, money, and stress,” Spangler explains. Although Spangler believes there are a lot of positives to taking a gap year, she also mentions that a “drawback” would be feeling “like you’re not on the right path. But she adds, “everyone is different, you shouldn’t be afraid to do what’s in your best interest.” A common fear of taking a gap year is, according to EF Education, being uncomfortable while doing a gap year. EF Education also mentions a solution to this fear saying the statement, “embrace it! Taking a gap year is about breaking free from typical patterns and giving yourself the time and space to figure things out about yourself and the world you live in.” Another common fear is not wanting to go back to school. “I don’t think it will be hard to transition from the gap year into my future plans. I am going to be planning for my later schooling and working on my priorities while I’m taking time off.”
Graduate continues jour nalism ANNIE FINHOLM Reporter Journalism, according to North Harford graduate Zoe Finholm, is “the act or art of writing newsworthy stories to be read or seen by a mass audience.” The college freshman highlights the importance of journalism through the emphasis on the knowledge gained from the class. Finholm currently attends Hood College as a first year and Communication Arts major. From the Class of 2020, Finholm is the current web editor and a writer for the Hood college’s newspaper entitled The Blue and Grey. In addition to these responsibilities, the graduate works to “advertise the paper to Hood students and faculty.” In the previous semester at Hood, the journalist focused most of her writing on “the Covid-19 pandemic, and how it impacted the campus and Frederick community. For the final issue in the second semester, coming out on May 10, the writers are ‘focused on life after the pandemic and how [they] will move on from this part of history.’” While in journalism at North Harford, Finholm states that she learned “the basics of writing for the public and mass communication,” as well as “things like writing in AP style, how to write in the inverted pyramid style, and how to ask good interview questions.” The graduate utilizes these skills for all her classes related to her major, but “use [them] all the time when working for The Blue and Grey.” Finholm says that she not only uses the knowledge learned in high school journalism in class, but “in [her] day-to-day life.” The first year has said that she has “gotten a lot of soft skills from writing for The Blue and Grey.” These include skills such as “perseverance, working on a deadline, and communicating with others.” The opportunity to write for the paper has taught her the importance of these skills, says Finholm. The journalist states that despite not having “a lot of experience writing for The Cry of the Hawk,” there are some considerable differences between writing for a high school newspaper and a college one. She elaborates by stating The Blue and Grey “publish[es] more often- every other week instead of every month” and that they “have a little more flexibility with the length of the story since [they] don’t have length requirements.” Finholm notes another key difference between the two publishing sites is that “everyone works on the website for The Cry of the Hawk, but [she does] almost all of the work on the website for The Blue and Grey.”
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Cry of the Hawk
May 20, 2021
Journalism aluma reflects on class;
Virtual Art show set to display
ERICA OTTE Reporter
EVAN KUZEMCHAK Social Media Coordinator
Gives advice to upcoming staff doing that. I found that when you reach out first, you create a connection with your professor that is already comfortable,” allowing her to do better in class in a more comfortable environment. Her new social
submitting articles or page designs also imprinted in my mind Aleah Bikle is a North Harford just how important deadlines High School alumna that took and due dates are in college,” several Journalism classes while Bikle says, “Once I receive my in high school. These classes alworkload for that class at the belowed her to improve upon many ginning of the week, I start workof her skills. “Through ing on completing it taking journalism, I right away, finishwas able to improve ing it early rather in certain skills such than procrastinatas communication, ing and waiting the leadership, organizanight before it’s due tion, time manageto save me from any ment, accountability, extra stress and a and design. One of the jam-packed weekprimary abilities jourend.” nalism gifted me was After high school, the freedom to share she majored in my opinions and ideas Pre-Nursing at Harwith others who were ford Community willing to listen,” Bikle College. Her “hope states. is to find enjoyment Aleah Bikle graduated class of 2020 Now that she is a through a career from North Harford High. Bikle is now majorhigh school graduate in medicine,” Bikle ing in pre-nursing at Harford Community. Phoand in college, she has states, “I’ve always to Credit: Aleah Bikle carried these skills known that I wantwith her, assisting her ed to be someone in her daily life as well. This has skills allowed her to create new who can help others alleviate helped her in both her social friends, social skills, and confi- problems. I think that a career skills as well as her writing and, dence. “Through conducting in- in the medical field will be beneven, her personality. Bikle says, terviews, I talked to more peo- eficial to my growth as a human “I truly believe that if I hadn’t ple than I ever did the first two being.” taken Journalism, college would years of high school. Journalism “I understand any nerves that have been a completely different propelled me into this new so- come about while expressing experience. I am now a student cial world where I got to meet opinions or even asking for help, who reaches out to my teachers amazing people and reach even believe me, I’ve been there, done before the semester even starts more through my writing,” Bikle that. Nerves were always someto introduce myself and explain adds. thing that I viewed as negative. my excitement in starting the Along with that skill, she I learned through opportunities course.” gained another valuable skill- that journalism provided me, In other years before Journaltime management. “Learning that nerves can become a positive ism, she “wouldn’t even think of time management skills through thing.” Says Bikle.
Envirothon 2021 Competition; Providing learning experience ERICA OTTE Reporter
basis throughout the school year every Thursday at 2:15, which is after the second dismissal. The purpose of this club is to compete in environmentally based activities on a countrywide level. These students compete for recognition as well as scholarships by using
usually meant to solve a specific environmental problem. According to Envirothon.org, While another part of this test students learn to empower and consists of five entirely different educate others with the Entests. These topics are “forestry, virothon program. Thus, they aquatics, wildlife, soils, and the can then take action in their fifth topic which changes every local communities, encouragyear.” This combines the in-class ing them and those material and new they influence to out-of-class skills become involved from these handswith careers that on activities. consistently assist As of this year, in environmental there are only 10 and resource conmembers on the servation. Around NHHS Envirothon 500,000 students in team,” split up into 45 U.S. States along an A and B team” with certain areas of due to the number Canada participate of members that in this program. can be on one team. One of the many The pandemic A picture representing what knowledge clubs at North Haralso affected their can be gained about one’s environment through ford High School is ability to have this program. Photo Credit: North Harford High Envirothon. Enviroin-person compeSchool Website thon “is an academic titions, so they are club where we comheld online. pete with a team on Therefore, this tests centered around the en- and being able to demonstrate year is also very different from vironment,” says NHHS senior their knowledge of the environ- previous years of Envirothon Erin O’Leary. ment, natural resources, and the competitions. “Last year the full This competition consists of science behind it. contest was cancelled, and this several parts, including presen“Normally, there are two parts year we just took the tests at the tations that are judged based on to the test, one where we have state level. We are all still learndifferent categories with both to present to a panel of judges ing, especially since the state written and presentation-based our ideas in response to a certain test covers very different matetesting methods. prompt they give us,” O’Leary rial than usual,” says O’Leary. This club meets on a weekly states. These said prompts are O’Leary is excited for the event.
they “just had to do something so that the students could showcase “Students around the world their artwork.” Campbell feels seemed to kind of fade into the that viewers will miss out on shadows this year.” says Jason that “personal experience when Blevins, art teacher. Blevins you see the artwork in front of wants the “people to know and you” and “now it’s on a screen.” be reminded of the fact that Campbell says that viewing art [students] were there all along, in person “it’s a different level of struggling and dealing with loss experiences, it’s more personal.” Now that the show is virtual like the rest of the adult world.” Campbell says “when students But recently students were givare taking photos they have to en the chance to ‘step out of that be mindful,” and that “nothing shadow’ with an upcoming viris taking away from the art, the tual art show and use art as “a lighting is very importway to move through these ant, the angle is very struggles.” important.” But Blevins feels Campbell says that an “In perstudents don’t son [art show] “[students] were necessarily is always prefthere all along, strugthink of that, erable to virgling and dealing with so it’s her and tual,” but this year Blevins loss like the rest of the Blevins job to “teach them and the art deadult world.” how to do it.” partment felt The art will as they “had to -Jason Blevins be displayed via do something to Art teacher “various formats showcase what like the morning [North Harford] a n nouncements students had acand on the televisions complished despite the throughout the school.” It can obstacles they faced.” Due to also be found through Blevins Itthe show being virtual, Blevins slearning pages and “possibly on says they have lost that opporthe school website.” To go about tunity “to have the experience of talking with other students and producing, Blevins and Campparents about their work face to bell “had students upload imagface.” Blevins states “That kind es of their work to power points of interaction does so much to which were then saved as MPEG enrich students’ view of them- videos.” Blevins feels he “was continuselves and their work.” Blevins ously amazed at the quality of the adds that “It is also great pracwork that students were able to tice in learning how to put create throughout the year,” dethemselves out there in a public spite the circumstances. “The evway.” idence is in the show” of the stuAgreeing with Blevins, Mrs. dents’ hard work and dedication. Campbell, art teacher, believes
Food trucks cook up storm GRACE FELDBUSH Reporter Food trucks in Jarrettsville have recently been cooking up a storm of people eager to try all different kinds of foods. The food trucks are located at the Jarrettsville volunteer fire company every Wednesday night from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There are many options for food and drinks for all ages there. Junior Kaylyn Shew says “I really like how they have such a variety of different foods available, so everyone has something different to get.” Shew explains that when she goes with friends or family everyone is in the mood for something different, which makes it easy for everyone to find what they like there. “Having a gluten allergy makes it hard going out to eat but having so many options available makes it easy there,” Shew states. She says her favorite thing to get there are the smoothies and acai bowls to cool her down after long days at school and work. Junior Aaron Huth says his family likes going there
Wednesday nights to have the whole family together to spend time with each other. “I think it is a good family environment because you see a lot of friends from around the community there, and it is fun to be able to pick out anything you want to eat,” Huth explains. “My favorite thing to get there is the Greek food from the Greek food truck because I have always been a fan of Greek food and it is surprisingly good there,” Huth states. He says he loves sitting outside with his family getting fresh air while eating and talking about their week. Sophomore Rylee Holmstrom says, “I like going with my mom and sister after lacrosse practices because it is a nice way to wind down and talk about how my practice went.” She explains that she usually just gets pizza there and the pizza is better than most pizza she has had. “I love the variety there since my little sister is a picky eater and my mom likes to get fancy things so it is perfect for us,” Holmstrom states. According to Holmstrom, the environment is family friendly, and people of all ages are there.
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Cry of the Hawk
HCPS opens vaccine clinics; Students 16+ eligible for shot BEN SERSEN Reporter
Harford County Public Schools announced that starting May 10, all 12 Harford County’s schools will be open for one day to allow students the opportunity to receive their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Starting Monday May 10, students of Aberdeen High, Bel Air High, and Alternative Education will get their chance at the vaccine. Students of Harford County will be given one day in accordance with the students’ school, “ The clinics are optional and will be available for students 16 and older. A parent/guardian consent form must be completed and returned to the school nurse by Friday, May 7, 2021” according to HCPS.org. On Tuesday, May 11, students of C. Milton Wright High and Edgewood High will get their opportunity to take their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine. On May 12, students of Fallston High and Harford Technical High have the ability to get their first doses. And May 13, the last doses of the week will be given out to students of Havre de Grace High and Joppatowne High as students look to get their vaccine in before the weekend. Fast forward to Monday, May 17, students here at North Har-
ford High will get their opportunity to vaccinate for the first time as well as students at Patterson Mill High. Tuesday, May 18, students at John Archer School will be the last to get their first vaccinations as Harford County Public School looks to keep their students safe and at ease. As for the second dose, schools will be opening their doors to students three weeks later, starting June 1 with Aberdeen, Alternative Edu, and Bel Air High. As for students here at North Harford as well as Patterson Mill, the second dose will be available in schools on Tuesday, June 8 According to the Baltimore Sun, “High school students who are still learning virtually from home can participate in the clinics, too. Their parents or guardians must fill out a consent form, and it should be turned in at their child’s school before the clinics begin. Students alone can go into the school when they arrive for their vaccines — anybody with them must stay outside in their vehicles.” During an April 26 Board of Education meeting, officials urged the community to take measures to protect themselves from COVID-19, especially as high school graduations scheduled for the end of this month approach.
Seniors share summer plans;
Post-graduation activites ALEXA FALLS Reporter
After graduation, many seniors plan on heading off to college to pursue their career. Before then, they have other plans for the summer. Seniors share their thoughts. Senior Maria Fetter says, “My sibling and I will probably take a couple of road trips and impromptu cheap(er) flights. I will just take the summer as it comes. If I end up somewhere in Peru, which is highly possible, I’ll send a postcard to Mrs. Chandler and my parents.” She adds, “Other than that, I will continue to volunteer as an EMT and work part-time.” Fetter says that she is looking forward to traveling by plane across the world as well, “you’ll definitely catch me on a plane heading anywhere but the US. It’s a perk of being vaccinated and following coronavirus safety guidelines.” Senior Nicole De Atley shares, “I plan to enjoy time with my friends and family before I leave.” She shares that she is going to attend Colorado State University (CSU) and plans to major in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation biology, “I visited CSU in 2019 and loved the environment and how green the school is. The school is very focused on keeping the earth healthy, which is also my focus
in life too.” Fetter announces, “I have been accepted to Mount St. Mary’s University, University of Iowa, and The College of Saint Rose. Out of these three, I will most likely attend the University of Iowa to study global and public health.” She adds, “I chose this school because it is far enough away to give myself some freedom and the ability to travel around. I applied to the other colleges because they are both Catholic colleges and closer to towns where some extended family lives.” The memories that come along during high school can be hard to leave. Fetter says, “My favorite memory during high school is hard to choose because I have many. If I had to choose one, it would definitely be the opening night of my first production, South Pacific.” Fetter describes, “I was a freshman and a newbie on Tech Crew, and I was the ‘mic wrangler’ for the cast members and a runner between the stage and the booth. I spent time between scenes talking to people in the cast and singing and dancing along to the songs with some of the cast members and helping with makeup and costumes.” De Atley shares, “I loved being in the ag program and making friends with similar interests as me.”
May 20, 2021
Hawks pursue filmmaking at home ANNIE FINHOLM Reporter Lights. Camera. Action! The film festival, according to sophomore Julia Eakes, was “a celebration of the arts and a recognition ceremony for the very talented student filmmakers at NHHS.” Drama teacher Nancy Green elaborates by stating the festival was a “collaboration between many departments and programs including English, journalism and chorus, science, Misentity, Cry of the Hawk, and drama club.” Sophomore Kris Grady states that the film festival “started when [her] drama teacher Mrs. Green tasked the drama II [classes] with creating short films to present to the class.” From that point forward, Grady says, Green “opened the film festival to anyone in the school,” which is how around 70 films were entered. Grady announces that the festival took place on “April 22 at 7 p.m. on a live teams meet,” and was “aced as a major even for that day since Earth Day at North Harford is typically a large festival with animals, games, etc., but was cancelled due to Covid-19.” Grady claims that the turnout was “quite impressive” with appearances of “students, teachers, and film industry professionals.” Eakes states that there were over “100 attendees on the teams meeting, and more people can view it via the link of the recorded ceremony. Sophomore Stephanie Erisman says that the community was “very supportive” of the event,
“considering all the gracious gifts that were used as prizes.” She states that it “seemed like mainly journalism and other students took care of managing it.” Grady states that the community response was “very positive” and that “lots of businesses pitched in when it came to hosting the event and providing prizes.” According to Grady, “Some of these local businesses were Vagabond Sandwich company, local jewelry shops, a local Starbucks, and much more.” The drama teacher adds that some of the other supporters of the event were “Eats and Sweets, Pairings Bistro, Bonkey’s Ice Cream, [the] NRAS program, and even Harford Glen,” among many others. Green states that it was “inspiring” to see the community getting involved. According to Green, “Not one person who [they] called to solicit a prize donation said no” and that all the businesses were “way more generous with the prizes than [they] expected.” She says that this “goes to show what a wonderful support system NHHS has in our local business community.” Grady states that the message for the film festival was to showcase student’s creative abilities and “how important it was to utilize this time at home and make something positive out of it.” Eakes and Green agree that the purpose of this event was to create a safe and fun festival despite the circumstances. According to Eakes, the top prizes included “Abbey Saltzer,
who won the prize for the Best Overall Short Film as well as Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and first place in the Art and Fiction category.” The first-place awards for each category went to, “Abbey Saltzer in Art and Fiction, Stephanie Erisman in Music, Lillianna Greco in Documentaries, Cole Hellwig in Nature, Voices of Equity club in PSA, Jessica Fannin in Foreign Language, and Emma Cieri in Animation,” says Eakes. Grady claims that some of the top prizes were a basket of organic honey products, special jewelry packages, and $50 visa gift cards. The prizes were gifted to the winners of each category, which, according to Grady, were “action, comedy, PSA, documentary, foreign language, music [and] live performance, and animation.” In order for a film to win, says Eakes, it must be “very professional in acting and editing quality.” She states that if hard work and determination showed through in the film, there was a high chance of it winning. Grady adds that the film required a “cohesive storyline or idea, [cohesive scenes], and simply [a] show [of] passion.” Erisman believes that this will “become an annual event” due to “how many people that had [entered and] how much fun it ended up being.” Grady agrees with this and imagines the festival would “be even better in person because the films could be shown in the auditorium and be a much bigger event.”
New classes offer students variety;
2021-2022 schedules consist of technology courses SUMMER GRACE Reporter In preparation for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year, many students have already created their class schedules. Some of which are courses that have never been taught before. Principles of Art, Media, and Communication is part of a new interactive media completer program that North Harford will be offering. According to Mrs. Jeanne Heinze, the course mainly focuses on graphic design, digital media, and interactive media. “Emphasis will be placed on group project development, and individual portfolio development,” the Education Planning Guide reads. The goal for students upon successful completion of this course, is to gain a “foundational working knowledge of graphic design, digital media and interactive media.” Mr. Brian Dougherty will be teaching the course. “I am looking forward to teaching Principles of Art, Media, and Communication,” he shares. Mr. Dougherty says this class
is basically an intro course for the Interactive Media and Design pathway. “This is the first course of four in this pathway - Interactive Media and Design I, Interactive Media and Design II, and Interactive Media Production (IMP) Portfolio Capstone/Internship,” he explains. Dougherty says he took a course last year that covered the entire pathway as well as meeting with and talking to others that are currently (or will be) teaching this initial course. Security Fundamentals is a combination of two courses, (introduction to social media and introduction to cyber security), taught by a professor from Harford Community College who will be traveling to NH to teach. “Students could earn 6 college credits, they will need to pay tuition for the courses but it will be reduced as a dual enrolled student,” Mrs. Heinze explains. These classes are only available for rising juniors and seniors. Introduction to Cybersecurity, “introduces students to the evolving field of cybersecurity,” the Education Planning Guide re-
ports. Students will learn about cyber-attacks and techniques for “identifying, detecting, and defending against common cybersecurity threats.” Students learn about software and hardware, network, Internet, and wireless security as well as a foundation for a more advanced study of cybersecurity. HCC’s Introduction to Social Media course “introduces students to a variety of social media platforms,” describes the Education Planning Guide. This class’s curriculum focuses on the professional and personal applications of social media, as well as their limitations. Students will also learn related topics including the role of social media in advertising and public relations. The Education Planning Guide explains that students “may produce digital content for the college magazine’s Facebook page and/or participate in other hands-on assignments.” Field trips may also be required. These new course offerings are sure to provide variety to student schedules. Students can now take classes to fit their future.
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May 20, 2021
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Most likely to host Saturday Night Live
Most likely to always be
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Chloe McCartor
Most likely to save the planet
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Most likely to be late to their own wedding
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in the student section
Sunshine student
Most likely to brighten your day
Henry Mejia
Kendall Schubert
Rachel Keeney
2021 Senior perlatives
Most likely to be the next Elon Musk Jacob Kirby
Not pictured
sults pulled from a Microsoft form with 198 answers Anna Boegner
Most likely to survive on a deserted island
Lucas Sexton
Becca Morris
John Wild
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May 20, 2021
Cry of the Hawk
Popular video games: What students should try next
Learning, laughing on the go:
BEN IAMPIERI Reporter
Student’s favorite podcasts
After the recent Among Us and Fall Guys craze has died down, people have been left wondering what games are worth playing and talking about. Minecraft is the most notable video game, as it is number one on the best selling charts, according to Wikipedia. Minecraft is a sandbox video game created by Mojang and ported to mobile devices and modern consoles. “I like how you can have the freedom of starting something completely new and creative. This is yours and you can play against other people,” Brynn Hoffman, sophomore, who has been playing the game on Xbox since she was seven comments. Minecraft has been at the top for years. “Minecraft seems to be timeless.” Cameron Nall plays Minecraft on the PS4. “I like building from nothing to something,” she says. Sam Chan, sophomore, has been playing the game since it came out. “The only limit is your imagination. [You can] go wherever you want. No one can tell you what you can or cannot do,” Chan explains. “Ever since it launched I have been in love with the game.” Another multi-platform game is Call of Duty, a first-person shooter published by Activision. As another video game at the top charts, there are many people who play it. Hoffman plays the game on Xbox. “I like the learning aspect of different strategies in the game since I’m fairly new to it,” she says. Grand Theft Auto, known commonly as GTA, is a top-selling series of action-adventure games that are now published by the company Rockstar Games. Bella Southard, sophomore, has been playing the game for years on weekends. She likes “that you
get to drive around and off mountains.” Rocket League is a free, popular game that you can find on all platforms. Cruz Cespedes, sophomore, got the game two years ago and has been playing it for a few hours when he has time. His favorite part of the game is “being able to enjoy the game with my friends and play custom games.” Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is a tactical shooter developed by Ubisoft. Julia Blondell, sophomore, says this is one of her favorite games because of its focus on teamwork. “The game features a large number of unique characters that can directly counteract other characters, which is something I enjoy,” she explains. “Despite the fact that the game does not have the best of reputations, I really enjoy playing it.” As a word of advice, she recommends not arguing with your teammates, because they will likely team-kill you. League of Legends is a freeto-play, multiplayer online battle arena game developed by Riot Games. Although it has been around for over a decade, it still has a growing fanbase. Grace Herron, junior, has recently started playing the game, and it is her new favorite. “It’s pretty toxic, so not many people are friendly,” she starts. “But I play with my friends from school and it’s a lot of fun.” Blondell played League of Legends for a while before growing out of it. “It’s fast-paced, addictive, [and] full of thrilling champions,” she starts. “I like that the system is modified on a regular basis, which ensures that bugs and other issues that seem to be exploited are addressed.” Also made by Riot Games is Valorant, a free-to-play first-person hero shooter. Chan has been playing the game for almost a year. “I have had a lot of fun on
it,” he says. “I think the concept of the game is amazing as well as the features that are in the game such as specific agent abilities and different weapon stats.” “I recommend it for anyone who likes first-person shooter games and for people who like strategy, as you have to communicate with your team in order to gain a win for the round,” Chan says. A game similar to Valorant is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), a multiplayer first-person shooter game developed by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment. Reese Showalter, sophomore prefers CS:GO over Valorant. “I enjoy the look and different game modes of CS:GO compared to Valorant,” Showalter explains. Herron grew up watching CS surf videos, a game mode in CS:GO. “It was one of the first PC games I’ve ever played, so it holds a special place,” she says. When it comes to mobile games, Among Us is still near the top, along with strategy games like Supercell’s Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, and Ninja Kiwi’s Bloons Tower Defense (BTD). “I’ve been playing BTD5 for 7 years and it’s a game that I’ll never get bored of,” James Zangrilli, North Harford alumni says. “The classic battle between monkeys and balloons is the greatest thing to have come to this world since sliced bread.” Griffin Hevesy, junior, has been playing BTD5 since elementary school. “I like how you are [a] monkey,” he explains. As for Nintendo-specific games like Mario Kart and Super Smash bros that are top 50 highest-sellers. Ian Calhoun, sophomore has enjoyed playing Mario Kart with their friends since they were 7. “It’s just something I play when I’m bored,” Calhoun says.
LILLI GRECO Copy Editor
During the recent year, as people have reached out for different forms of entertainment, more and more people have turned to podcasts to pass the long hours. There’s something for everyone out there - comedy, supernatural and paranormal stories, advice, etc. The number of podcasts on Spotify has more than tripled since the end of 2019, going from 700,000 to 2.2 million (The Guardian). Recently, Spotify introduced ranked charts for their podcast selection, keeping track of what shows are popular with listeners. At the time of writing, the highest ranked podcasts (and their categories) are as follows, The Magnus Archives in art, Jocko Podcast in business, The Joe Rogan Experience in comedy, The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast in education, The Adventure Zone in fiction, American Glutton in health & fitness, You’re Wrong About in history, Tales from the Stinky Dragon in leisure, Dissect in music, The Daily in news, The Bible in a Year in religion & spirituality, Invisibilia in science, We Can Do Hard Things in society & culture, Called Game in sports, Lex Fridman Podcast in technology, CounterClock in true crime, and The Friendship Onion in TV & film. Senior Hannah Burgess recommends And That’s Why We Drink, a comedy and true crime podcast
hosted by Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz. “It’s pretty funny.” Burgess said. “Em tells stories about paranormal stuff, like cults or conspiracy theories, and Christine tells true crime stories both well known ones and smaller cases you don’t hear about as much.” And That’s Why We Drink has been in production since 2017 and has over 200 episodes (Apple Podcasts). Burgess also said, “A lot of people listen to Crime Junkie and Wine and Crime too.” In similar strains to And That’s Why We Drink, Crime Junkie and Wine and Crime blend comedy and true crime together to make something that thrills the mind and makes you laugh. Along a similar strain, junior Chloe Romm recommended Tight Pants. “It’s another true crime podcast.” She said. “I really like it - it’s pretty cool.” Senior Sydney Pollitt said, “Anything by Alan Watts. Specifically, Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid At All. In simple terms, he explains about how everything on earth and beyond is implied by something else. So for example, joy can go with pain and death is a part of reality but it also implies life. It’s a lot of philosophy.” “He [Alan Watts] is a philosopher I follow, and he talks a lot about how we just need to put trust in the universe and wait for it to guide us.” Pollitt said. “I find it comforting.”
Alternate Reality Games thriving online LEAH HILLIER Copy Editor Alternate Reality Games are narratives that use both the internet and the real world as a form of storytelling, using multiple media, including telephones and emails, but they tend to use the Internet as a binding medium. Many of the puzzles require full communities to solve and have fanbases dedicated to them. There are both ARGs that start at a nonsensical trailhead, and others that have deep lore and complex storylines. The Guy Fieri themed ARG that took place at the beginning of 2021 is a prime example of an ARG that started from an unusual source. It began as a Tumblr blog called Fieri Frames and descended into a true ARG, even getting Tumblr staff in on the ARG at one point. “ARGs are really fun to participate in, I’ve made a lot of friends through them”, says senior Holly Fisher. Due to their unique nature, terms that are essential to understanding ARGs developed, including the addressing of the people running the ARGs being called the “puppet masters”, these individuals are responsible for maintaining the game and telling the story. The separation of puppet masters from the players of the game is called the “curtain”, paying homage to the Wizard of Oz’s line, “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”. (unfiction) Rabbit holes, or trailheads, indicate the start of an ARG, they
tend to be websites, as those are the most cost-effective and easiest to update options, however, they can be found anywhere, from in a real video game to a post on social media, even some popular TikTok accounts are getting in on the ARG scene, Averno, a series of stories that became popularized through TikTok, created an ARG leading up to the release of one of their albums, Dazed. “I’m in a couple of Discord servers where we met because of an ARG, everyone is really friendly and nice”, says Fisher. Discord is a common platform for problem-solving for ARGs because of its collaborative nature and the many people who can participate in them, either through voice chats or through text, they are commonly used because they support mass amounts of people in one server. Fisher’s advice for people planning on getting into ARGs is, “if you plan on getting into ARGs, I would recommend brushing up on video and photo editing software, I use VLC a lot to inspect videos, it’s cool cause you can pull videos from YouTube or other platforms and go through frame-by-frame.” Fisher has a favorite type of way puppetmasters hide their clues. “I enjoy using spectrograms, I think it’s really cool that you can hide images in audio files, one of the first ARGs I participated in relied on spectrograms very heavily, they’re still some of my favorite ways that people hide clues for their ARGs.”
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Cry of the Hawk
May 20, 2021
‘Lord of the Rings’ TV series to release in 2021 EVAN KUZEMCAHAK Social Media Coordinator
Oscars 2021 Over view: Wi nn e r s an d n om in ati o ns KENDALL SCHUBERT Business Manager
The annual Academy Awards were presented on Sunday, April 25, 2021, to award movies released in 2020. This was the 93rd Academy Awards, making it the ninth decade to hold the ceremony. The winners of the night are announced. The actor taking the award for leading role was Anthony Hopkins for his performance in The Father. The nominees in the category were Riz Ahmed’s Sound of Metal, Chadwick Boseman’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Gary Oldman’s Mank, and Steven Yeun’s Minari. The actress awarded for her leading role in a film was Frances McDormand in Nomadland. The actresses nominated were Viola Davis’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Andra Day The United States vs Billie Holiday, Vanessa Kirby’s Pieces of a Women, Carey Mulligans’ Promising Young Women. Senior Ben Ewers watched this year’s Oscars because he “loves to watch award shows and seeing all the fashion.” Ewers was mostly excited because Andra Day and Carey Mulligan were both nominated for Actress in a Leading Role. Daniel Kaluuya won the award for Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah. The actress Yuhjung Youn won Actress in a Supporting Role for Minari. Ewers favorite speech was from Yuh-jung Youn because it was “so cute and funny.” Disney’s Soul took the title for Animated Feature Film directed by Pete Doctor and Dana Murray. Disney’s Onward was also nominated for the category, as well as Over the Moon, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: FARMAGEDDON, and Wolfwalkers. The award for directing was won by Nomadland’s Chloé Zhao. Nominees were as follows: An-
other Round’s Thomas Vinterburg, Mank’s David Fincher, Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung, and Promising Young Women’s Emerald Fennell. The Documentary (Feature) award was won by My Octopus Teacher, directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed about the filmmaker Craig Foster. The Documentary (Short Subject) was won by Colette, directed by Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard. Music (Original Score) was awarded to the writers, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste, of Disney’s Soul. Other Original Scores nominated for the category were Da 5 Bloods by Terence Blanchard, Mank by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Minari Emile Mosseri, News of the World by James Newton Howard. Nominated for best Sound was Greyhound, Sounds of Metal, Mank, News of the world, and Soul. The winner of the category was Sounds of Metal by Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh. The category of Short Film was won by Two Distant Strangers by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe for live action. The Short Film winner of animated film was If Anything Happens I Love You by Will McCormack and Michael Govi. Production Design was won by Mank with Production Design by Donald Graham Burt and Set Decoration by Jan Pascale. Makeup and Hairstyling awarded to Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson. Finally, for Best Picture, the nominees included The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Nomadland, Mank, Minari, Promising Young Women, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of Chicago 7. The nominee to take home the award was Nomadland with Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, the producers.
A lifetime ago, in 1954 the Lord of the Rings trilogy, written by J. R. R. Tolkien, started with the first book (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings) published in July and the next two books published in the next 15 months. 47 years later in 2001, The Fellowship of the Rings debuted in theaters. Just six years before Peter Jackson, director, started planning his six movies, 21 Oscar-winning series with no clue of how successful he was going to be. Now, we are traveling back to the folklore series for a new Lord of the Rings TV series on Amazon. Filming started in November 2019 and has recently resumed, following the global shutdown in March. In a recent update, Amazon exec. Jennifer Salke provides more details. “All of us would love a big, addictive show that is executed at the top of its game.” Salke suggested. “We’re really excited about The Lord of the Rings. Despite all the chatter about it, the deal just closed a month ago.” Salke suggests that 2021 is the hope” for release. “But there are other people who wish it was 2020.” Despite the show being in the filming stage of the first season, it has been renewed and production is being started for a second.
Five seasons have already been confirmed. Violet Kazi, Junior, says she “would rather have [the show] as a TV series because it is somewhat based on the book The Silmarillion” (a collection of mythopoetic stories by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien). Kazi says this is because the “book is hard to read, so having more of those wouldn’t be good.” Kazi feels “since it is a TV series they can go into more detail that the films can’t, but with (hopefully) the same visuals.” Kazi ends with saying “having more books with this plot would” make it “weird because J. R. R Tolkien is dead” and she feels “it won’t be the same.” The TV series is claimed to be a prequel and is set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit (a connecting book series by J. R. R. Tolkein) and The Lord of the Rings. Kazi feels the productions will “probably try and film it the same way as they did with The Lord of the Rings.” She adds that “some of the characters have longer lifespans/ immortality so they could” be included, “there are also descendants of characters that have been mentioned throughout the stories” that Kazi thinks will make an appearance. Kazi predicts “Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf, Sauron, Legolas, Tom Bombadil, Arwen, The Ents, and
Isildur” to appear in the prequel. Kazi is happy with the fact that Amazon is spending so much because “they have tons of money.” She feels that “if [Amazon] is investing this much into the series then that means it should be really good.” Kazi says if the series fails “then itll be funny because Amazon and Jeff Bezos [will] look dumb for spending so much and then having it wasted.” Agreeing with Kazi, Richard Peddicord, English Teacher, says he “really loves the visual style of the movies, and up to that point in” his life, he “had never seen another film bring a book to life as well as The Fellowship of the Ring did.” Yet still Peddicord believes the “books do a better job of telling the story.” Pedicord says this because “The theme of ordinary or unexpected people possessing great courage is a little more consistent in the books, and that is what [he] always liked best about Tolkien’s stories.” From Peddicord’s understanding, “[the show] will lead up to the Last Alliance of Men and Elves when Sauron is defeated, and the One Ring is lost. (Which we see in the prologue of the first Lord of the Rings film.)” Peddicord thinks the show “could be one of the better productions seen set in Tolkien’s world.”
Pictured are Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Frodo (Elijah Woods), and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) in front of one of the many locations in Middle Earth. Photo credit: Collider
Students pick favorite albums, songs
ALEXA FALLS Reporter
For many years, music has been a way to express your culture, feelings, and personality. The genres of music that are popular today are drastically different from genres that were popular in the past. Students share their favorite genres of music and their favorite artists. Genres range from pop, R&B, country, rock, hip hop, and more. Sophomore Logan Chapman says, “I really like to listen to any music as long as it puts me in a good mood.” He adds, “Mostly, I like pop and 90’s R&B.” Chapman mentions, “I love an artist with a powerful voice like Demi Lovato or Ariana Grande.” He says that his favorite album of Grande’s is Sweetener, and he enjoys the songs God is a woman, breathin, and no tears left to cry. Both Lovato and Grande fall into the pop genre.
He adds “I’ve also grown a fascination recently for Lana Del Rey […] I recently found this artist named Peter McPoland he is so good.” Del Rey is an indie rock artist and McPoland is an alternative artist. Sophomore Tatiana Gonzalez says, “I think mostly my favorite genres are R&B, pop, alternative, and indie. The lyrics and instruments [that] R&B, alternative, and indie use are really calming to me and I prefer that over anything.” She adds, “I like pop when I’m in a bubbly mood or if I just need to brighten things up.” Gonzalez mentions, “I listen to a lot of Daniel Caesar, Summer Walker, Frank Ocean, H.E.R, all their music just has such a great feel to it, and their vocals are amazing, also ZAYN.” All of those artists fall into the R&B category. As for pop, “I listen to mostly One Direction [and] Harry Styles, even though most of his
songs wouldn’t be considered pop, they just make me feel good and happy and they’re all catchy as well.” Gonzalez mentions, “I like Arctic Monkeys, The Neighbourhood, Girl in Red, Rex Orange County, their music is just either so calming or exactly the opposite.” She adds, “The instruments and vocals can be so different and that’s what I really like.” Each of those artists are a part of the indie or alternative genre. Sophomore Haley Ferran mentions, “I really like rock so [I enjoy] AC/DC, Queen, etc.” Ferran also says she listens to songs that are popular on TikTok, for example, she likes National Anthem by Lana Del Rey because of its popularity on the app. Ferran adds, “I really like Mother Mother,” an alternative rock band. Her favorites from them are “Hayloft, Burning Pile, Oh Ana […] A lot of their songs I do enjoy.”
Page 14- Student, Society, and Culture
Cry of the Hawk
May 20, 2021
Working through summer;
Students talk about fun summer jobs GRACE FELDBUSH Reporter Many students have exciting summer jobs that are starting up soon or have already started this season. Open your ears to hear about the fun stuff you can get into. Senior Jackson Miller explains that he has his own landscaping business. Miller Brother services is a landscaping business, with Miller as the face of the business. His two younger brothers often help with the workload, to get a little spending money. “I really love having my own business because I like being my own boss,” Miller states. He says that he does not enjoy being bossed around by others and likes making his own schedule and doing things his own way. “Having my two brothers help me with my work is fun because I like having somebody to keep me company throughout the day,” Miller says. He says he thinks working with his brothers makes their relationship better and makes their bond closer. “I like having a good relationship with the people in my family so spending this time with my brothers is always really important to me, and I really enjoy working with them,” Miller says. Sophomore Madalyn Rutch got a job at a small snack shop at Bayside Beach in Maryland. “I want-
ed a fun simple job to get a little money this summer and thought working at the beach would be a dream,” Rutch states. “The snack shop is only a few blocks away from my house at bayside, which is convenient since then I can walk to my job every day since I do not have my license,” Rutch says. She explains that her and her younger brother both got a job there which will make starting out easier since she will have a familiar face nearby. “The only other job I have had is babysitting so I am really looking forward to this experience of a real job,” Rutch states. She explains that she is looking forward to the new challenge and learning new skills through this job. Junior Vance Haire says he loves lifeguarding at the North Harford Swim Club every summer for the past few years. “I really love being outside in the sun all the time during my summers,” Haire states. “The environment there is always positive and the people I work with are easy to get along with and have become good friends to me,” Haire explains. The lifeguard explains it is a fun way to make money during the summer and make friends. There are multiple opportunities for creative jobs in the area to keep you busy during the summer. Get out there and get going.
Virtual finals:
Virtually the same
DANI BECKER Reporter
When it hits May the finals season begins. Students partake in finals every year and the tests, normally, are 1/18 of your grade. Two big differences this year are: the finals are virtual and they are now 1/9 of your grade. Meaning, that if you receive two A’s and two B’s you need at least a C to get a final grade of A. One student wasn't too happy about this. Senior Haley Ries, says “For one, we have gone through the worst senior year ever and now we have to worry about our finals?” Ries explains that she wishes the school decided to make them count for less or honestly not have them at all. She was done with the stress after this changing year. Ries exclaims, “We’ve gone through a lot but they really didn’t change a thing when it came to finals season.” Ries was not the only student upset about it all. Junior Morgan Buckland, also explains that "On top of all of my classes being virtual, taking finals virtually creates more stress and really makes it a sad end to the year." Buckland, like Ries, wishes the school made finals easier or counted for less of the grade. A few other students agreed. Junior Nick Mullins stated the
same problems as Ries and Buckland. There are some students though who think it is a normal part of the year and that we are expected to take them. Junior Grant Maxa, is one of the few. He states, "We have always had to take finals. I guess in a way I'm just getting them done because I know I have to." Maxa does explain that this year was a very unfortunate and sad year, but he was prepared to take finals as they come every year in high school. Sophomore Abigail Buckland, has the same thoughts as Maxa. She says, "As much as I despise school, finals won't affect your grade too harshly and it's something we are all used to." Buckland believes no one should really ‘complain’ because they happen every year. She explains, "They stink, but they'll be done soon and we can all enjoy a semi-normal summer!" All tests and finals seem to be different for students this year, and most seem to wish they gave some leniency with the finals. But every single student said they will try their hardest and be happy with whatever outcome. In Ries' words, " It's my last year in high school and I will not be letting some final score ruin my graduation."
Global connections expanded JESSICA FANNIN Reporter
At NH, students have been given the opportunity to learn a language in a “unique and thrilling way,” according to language teacher Mary Capellan. Some of the language teachers have set up a safe environment for students to interact with people from schools in Spain, Germany, and France. Capellan believes having these pen-pals are important because they, “make the world seem smaller. By connecting with people in different places it makes them more real to the learner.” She loves how having a partner school, “allows for the opportunity to build a relationship with someone you never would have met in a safe way.” “It also encourages students to see cultural aspects of a new place and come more alive while learning,” Capellan added. Something special students have learned about Spanish culture from their partner’s videos is how “they celebrate a new year by eating 12 grapes.” Capellan has learned some lessons herself when it comes to, “the community of Basque where the partner school is located and how that region is different from others.” She has even freshened up on language characteristics that are specific to Spain. Such as, “improving Vosotros word skills because they don’t use that in the Caribbean where most of [...] [her] communication with Spanish speakers has taken place.” French teacher Larissa Arist
revealed that the best experience she had while working with partner schools in France was, “having a group of about 15 French high school students visit the U.S. and stay with some NH students in the fall of 2019.” She believes the “most valuable thing about learning another language is the connection you can make with people,” which is why Arist strives to give her students the opportunity. She hopes that the experience inspires students’, “curiosity for people and cultures around the world along with, increases motivation to grow and explore. Maybe they can even gain a friend to go visit one day!” A partner at the Spanish school, Intza Jackson, “would have loved to have done this earlier.” She found it, “interesting to see how different the culture and studying was between the schools. It is nice meeting someone else who has lived a different experience to give another perspective.” She is fluent in English because her “Dad is from New Zealand,” so English is her first language. Jackson also gained her skills from her, “studies for a degree.” From her partner she feels like she saw, “a more relaxed lifestyle when it came to school because it doesn’t look as stressful as the Spanish school system.” Jackson hopes her partner was able to see the freedom they have “to move around and go out with friends,” since they live in a little town. Madison Quick is a Junior that was, “very excited to talk to other people in a different country.” She
noticed that the “major difference between the way Spain does their school days compared to America is their breaks. In Spain, the students get a break in the middle of the day that lasts a few hours. The students are allowed to leave and go home, and return later.” As simple as talking about school and sports with someone sounds, it can easily become complicated when there is a language difference. For Quick, her main challenges included “trying to keep up and understand the writing and fluent Spanish,” of her partner. But Madison still enjoyed the experience because “taking the time to constantly listen to the partner talk in Spanish and going back to understand him,” helped Quick become better at Spanish and, “overall love the experience!” Bradley Tompkins is a Sophomore who also found the experience, “really exciting.” He learned so much from talking about, “school and different activities during the holidays.” Tompkins found that many Spanish towns, “have central areas where markets and parades take place, kind of like America.” He also learned, “that Spanish schooling is more lecture-based, like college or AP classes, while American schools use different methods to teach like worksheets, review games, etc.” For the Sophomore, “biggest challenge was having trouble interpreting what [...] [his] partner was saying when he was talking in Spanish, otherwise, communication was not too difficult.”
May 20, 2021
Cry of the Hawk
Meyer shares 13 years of dance experiences MARISSA ALTENBURG H/S Editor
Chloe Meyer is a North Harford senior and has been dancing for 13 years now. She is a ballet and pointe dancer for the Mid Atlantic Youth Ballet. Meyer says she got started dancing at an ‘after school ballet class in kindergarten” that her mom signed her up for. The dancer adds “I currently do ballet and pointe but I have taken lyrical, modern, hip hop, jazz, and tap in the past. I love pointe because it is so physically demanding but you also have to be artistic. I also like it because of how challenging it is. I don’t always get things perfect on the first try or my 1,000th try, but with practice and a lot of dedication, I can master whatever ballet move or piece of choreography I am trying to do. My favorite dance was the Snow Queen pas de deux in Nutcracker because partnering is an added challenge, but once you get the hang of it you can feed off each other’s energy. Also, it’s really fun to get lifted and turned by the guy, because together you can do things that were not possible for a soloist.” As a dancer Meyer puts hours into her pieces to perfect them for the few minutes they are being performed on the stage. The performer adds that the countless hours takes a toll on your body adding “As pointe dancers, our toes often take a lot of weight for long periods, which hurts and can result in minor injuries like bruised toenails, which we will dance on the next day. On top of
that most dancers are constantly sore because of how much muscle is required to do what we do. I just wish people could look at ballet as a sport, because it is just as physically demanding.” Meyer adds that she loves pointe be-
Chloe Meyer has been dancing since she was in kindergarten. She shares her plans to continue dancing in college. Picture credit: Chloe Meyer cause of how physically demanding and at the same time so artistic and challenging. “When I dance I am on cloud 9, everything melts away and all I have to worry about is if my arms are in the right place and my head at the correct angle. It’s exhilarating and exhausting all at once and sometimes it can be incredibly frustrating, but when something works right I
just feel like a rock star.” adds the dancer. Meyer talks about the benefits of dance saying that it has helped her become more physically fit and stay healthy, build confidence, has been mentally stimulating and meditative, and given her friendship opportunities. But the most beneficial part was “from the grit it helped me build, I was not always a favored student, but I had goals I wanted to achieve such as getting my pointe shoes. I persevered through the struggles and I achieved my goal, I am now applying this in my real life with the challenges I encounter”. A standout memory for Meyer was “This weekend, we had a small in-studio performance in front of a live audience, which was the first live audience I had performed in front of in almost 500 days. I was assigned a solo that was extremely challenging for me and I was nervous, however all of the girls who were performing snuck into the back of the audience when I did my solo and cheered for me the entire time. I remember having a huge smile on my face the entire time, I hope I remember that for my entire life, it was so special to know that everyone had my back and was proud of me.” Meyer plans to continue dancing in college however not having a vehicle on campus provides a challenge to get to a studio but she intends to take her personal ballet barre and continue to move.
Stock Markets, NFT’s, The DogeFather, worlds of cryptocurrency:
Hawks look into new forms of money JAKE GAY Reporter
After over a year of quarantine, many around the country are returning to normalcy. However, the first quarter of 2021 has been anything but normal for the stock market and The United States economy. With the hedge-fund and GameStop phenomenon gaining the interest of many (notably millennials and Gen-Z) this winter, there is a growing interest in stocks. Some capitalized on the advice from investors on the social media platform Reddit, while others learned the reality of the stock market over the winter and lost hundreds of dollars. The new year has also brought heightened interest and investment in the world of cryptocurrency when looking at the market. For the first time some retailers, restaurants, and airlines alike have all begun to accept the cryptocurrency Bitcoin as payment. Cryptocurrency is defined by Merriam Webster as “a digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralized system using cryptography, rather than by a centralized authority.” The decentralized system of
cryptocurrency has caused many investors and bankers (including Warren Buffet) for years to have concerns about them. Buffet told economic journalists in 2019 that, “There’s been a lot of frauds connected with it. There have been disappearances, so there’s a lot lost on it. Bitcoin hasn’t produced anything.” However recently, many celebrities and billionaires have begun to invest and encourage others to invest in the world of crypto. Most notably, Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk has invested and encourages his followers to invest in the new cryptocurrency “Dogecoin.” Elon Musk has encouraged his fans to invest in the coin and also was sure to mention it when he hosted Saturday Night Live! on May 8. Earning himself the moniker “The Dogefather,” the cryptocurrency saw a large spike in value after Musk's appearance in the television show. Similar increases in value have also been seen after Musk posted on Twitter encouraging investors to buy-in. This led many to wonder if cryptocurrency is safe enough to invest in and if it is the currency of the future? In a recent poll of North Harford students, 75 out of 250 stu-
dents were interested in investing in cryptocurrency, if given the opportunity. North Harford business teacher Eugene Liebel says that investing in cryptocurrency is “... speculative, meaning chances for big gains but also big losses. The part I worry most about is the central banks eventually coming out with their versions of crypto and pushing out the ones that are already out there. Part of crypto’s charm is that it is not regulated by a central bank, but that's also what scares me most. It’s only backed by people seeing value in it, nothing else.” The new year has also brought a heightened interest in “NFT’s” or Non-Fungible tokens. These tokens are unique units of data that exist entirely online. Some examples of an NFces of digital art, unique episodes of podcasts, and other collectibles. These tokens can be worth upwards of a million dollars due to their uniqueness. However, many ask the question, can’t these digital images and tokens just be copy and pasted… the answer— yes. For example, a piece of digital art that has been sold or traded as an NFT can be copied and pasted like any other image.
Page 15- Student, Society, and Culture
Students are excited for future travel;
Hawks are leaving country for new experiences KYLIE REDDING Op/Ed Editor As summer arrives, many people excitedly get ready to travel and explore—especially after being stuck inside for the last year. Several students from North Harford, such as junior Joshua Woods, and junior Grace Herron, have unique vacation plans for the future. Woods’ family had a cruise planned for the summer of 2021, but it got “pushed due to COVID,” so now it’s scheduled for January of 2022. According to Woods, “It became my birthday gift, and it’s 11 days” long. The cruise will be going to Curacao, Aruba, and the Dominican Republic, which are all places that he has “never been to.” Woods stated, “I have done a little research and I know it’s going to be hot.” Upon looking into where he’s going, Woods discovered “It looks like a nice picture area and it has great sunsets.” Not only has he never been to one of the countries he’ll be visiting, but Woods has also never been on a cruise either. He’s most excited to “go on the waterslide and the pool area.” Woods explained that his favorite “part about exploring new places is the way different people express themselves in an area that you don’t typically go to.” And he mentioned that he likes
experiencing and trying new things. On the other hand, instead of going with her family this June, Herron is flying to Ireland by herself to visit her sister. Herron explained, “She moved over there for college and I haven’t seen her since before the pandemic.” Though she isn’t a fan of planes due to the “air pressure on airplanes” irritating her ears, Herron commented that “if it means that I can see my sister, then it’s all worth it.” Herron is excited to “explore Irish nature, like the cliffs” and see “the town of Dublin.” She also mentioned making cheese, seeing the Guinness factory, exploring the town of Derry, and going to the Dublin zoo with her sister. Herron’s grandmother was an Irish immigrant, so Herron has an Irish passport and citizenship, along with her American citizenship. This will be her first time visiting, but she has family there who she is excited to see! She shared, “I love talking and meeting new people, so I’m very excited to do it in another country this time!” Both Woods and Herron also pointed out that they will be following the recommended Covid-19 precautions. These two students cannot wait for their trips and are sure to return with lots of memories and new experiences!
Cry of the Hawk
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May 18, 2021
Congratulations Class of 2021 Caitlyn Elizabeth Allen- West Chester University Joseph Wesley Allen- Undecided Janine Elizabeth Alrub- Undecided Jacob Alexander Ament - Undecided Jake Edward Amrhein- Undecided Hunter Joel Eskil Anderson - Undecided Matthew David Anderson - Undecided Mario Kiriakos Arnas- Harford Community College Lance Shannon Arnold JR - Undecided Landon Emerson Arthur- University of Maryland Kyle Jacob Ashburn - Undecided Katie Marie Babylon- Harford Community College Kellie Lillian Ann Babylon- Harford Community College Austin Michael Bach- Delaware Valley University Jamie Nicole Bagrosky- Harford Community College Brenden Garrett Barben- Firefighter Gavin Reed Barker - Undecided Danielle Elizabeth Becker- Harford Community College Jonathan Thomas Becker- Growing Landscaping Buisness Daniel Charles Beichler- US Army` Rebecca Ashley Benincasa - Undecided Carsyn Makayla Bennett- Harford Community College Matthew Connor Biedermann- Welding Elijah Gerald Bigelow- Harford Community College Anna Caroline Boegner- University of Maryland Kylie Marie Bomhardt- University of Maryland Keegan Terri Bowling- Harford Community College Lauren Mae Brandis- Millersville University Jordan Douglas Brown - Undecided Laurel Anne Brown- Cedarville University Hannah Amelia Burgess- Seton Hill University Matthew Rielly Busick- Technician Derek Anthony Caiazzo- University of Indianapolis Charles Andrew Vernon Canapp- Harford Community College Mary Beth Carey - Undecided Megan Ann Carter - Undecided William Patrick Cassidy- Lafayette College Wyatt Dylan Chaky - Harford Community College Cara Nicole Chaney- Shenandoah University Maura Elizabeth Chaney- Loyola University Ashley Nicole Conaway- Marywood University Brandan Wayne Cook- HCC Electrical Apprenticeship program Autumn Lynn Corsello - Undecided Jon Michael Cumberland - Undecided Madeline Elizabeth Danielczyk - Undecided Nicole Kiyo De Atley- Colorado State University Adelene Lauren Dean- Roanoke College Camille Victoria Denard - Undecided Jack Ryan Depriest- US Army Millianna Carmela DeRosa- Undecided Olivia Darleen Desimone - Undecided Kevin William Diem- Marine Corps
🧭 Mapping out the
future
🧭
Kortney Nicole Dongarra - Undecided Ryan Preston Dougherty - Undecided Karissa Rose Dugan - Undecided Tara Elizabeth Elgin- Harford Community College Joshua Andrew Elliott - Undecided Joshua David Etzel- Salisbury University Benjamin Francis-Matthew Ewers- Harford Community College Leah Nicole Festerman- York College Madison Elizabeth Fetherston- Harford Community College Maria Eunhye Fetter- University of Iowa Noah Aiden Fish - Undecided Holly Robin Fisher - Undecided Nathan Andrew Fitzgerald - Undecided Kyle Jacob Fortune- Harford Community College Michael Thomas Fournier - Undecided Bryn Elizabeth Frank- Shippensburg University Luisa Diane Freimuth - Undecided Carlee Canceran Galbraith- Harford Community College Sharalyn Lacey Gardiner - Undecided Monica Feliza Garin- York College of PA Jacob William Gay- University of Tampa Rachel Sophia Gellner - Undecided Julia Ann Gentile - Undecided Cheyenne Brooke George- Harford Community College Andrew Robert Gerhardt - Undecided Hannah Danielle Gibson - Undecided Nickolas Daniel Gibson - Undecided Riley John Gilmore- Harford Community College Shaun Ashley Glogowski - Undecided Lina Marie Goetz- Frostburg State University Kyle James Golley - Undecided Aliyah Marie Gomez- Undecided Shelby Quinn Gore- UMD Institute of applied agriculture Zachary Isaiah Graf - Undecided Madison Lynn Grammer - Undecided Grace Leslie Grasham - Undecided Amber Marie Gray - Undecided Lillianna Evelyn Greco - Undecided Emily Marie Green- Towson University Jordan Thomas Griffey - Undecided Zachary Sean Grimm - Undecided Bethany Renee Gring- Undecided Nicole Elizabeth Hackett- Harford Community College Kevin Mitchell Halford- Frostburg State University Julia Nicole Hallock - Undecided Matthew Tyler Harrington - Undecided Benjamin Mitchell Harvey - Undecided Liza Becca Harvey- Lancaster County Career and Technical Center William Brandon Lane Hash - Undecided Darian Amber Hauf- Millersville University Jenna Faith Heim- University of Tampa Chase Frederick Hellwig - Undecided
Dylan Kenneth Hildt- University of Maryland, Baltimore County Matthew James Hogan- University of Maryland Emma Dawn Hopkins- Elizabethtown College Kaylee Mae Hough - Undecided Austin Everett Hovermill- Harford Community College Betania Hoyos-Angeles - Undecided Laura Rochelle Huffman- Mount St. Mary’s Emily Grace Iampieri- Washington College Dylan Benjamin Jablon- York College Julianna Leigh Jackson- Harford Community College Javon La Mar James - Undecided Blake Christopher Jandreau - Undecided Cole Robert Jirsa- University of Maryland, Baltimore County Emily Reagan Johnson- York College Joseph Carl Johnson - Undecided Cleavon Gavin Liam Jones JR - Undecided Kate Elyse Jones - Undecided Allison Caroline Kahl - Undecided Alexander William Karcher- Harford Community College Zoey Marie Keaton - Undecided Kylan Quinn Keehan- James Madison University Ella Gray Keenan- Harford Community College Rachel Lauren Keeney- Millersville University Sean Mark Kelly - Undecided Tylar Chelsea Kight- Salisbury University Morghan Grace Kilduff- University of Alabama in Huntsville Jacob Benjamin Kirby - Undecided Anthony James Klapka - Undecided London Christopher Kobus- Harford Community College Erin Kimberly Kramer- Harford Community College Max Fletcher Krouse- HCC Electrical Apprenticeship Program Camron Garret Kuchling - Undecided Carley Paige Kurek - Undecided Miles Joseph La Seta - Undecided Daniel Lee Lane - Undecided Brandon Tien Le - Undecided Matthew Jeffrey Leimbach- Harford Community College Luc Anthony Lepore - Undecided Tyler James Lewis - Undecided Klohe Kay List- Harford Community College Gavin Bennett Little- Harford Community College Kyle Ambrose Lowe - Undecided
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Cry of the Hawk
May 18, 2021
🎓Happy Graduation Hawks!🎓 Brooke Elizabeth Lucky- Harford Community College Lily Ann Macatee- Gettysburg College Mason Peter Manzo - Undecided Taylor June Mason- University of Maryland Ian Nathanial McAllister - Undecided Chloe Bianca McArtor - Undecided Cameron Lee McBee - Undecided Logan Allen McCarter - Undecided Brayden Clinton McCartin - Undecided Dalton Marshall McDaniel - Undecided Sarah Emily McDermott - Undecided Gwyneth Marie McDougall - Undecided Jacqueline Nicole McGowan-University of Louisville Kyla Gabrielle McLaughlin - Undecided Kierstyn Ann McManus- University of Tampa Samantha Michelle Meisel- Harford Community College Henry Joaquin Mejia- York College Abigail Grace Merson- Harford Community College Chloe Noelle Sienkiewicz Meyer- College of the Atlantic Zoe Catherine Mikles- Goucher College Andrew David Miller- Harford Community College Jackson Laird Miller - Harford Community College Maleik Vincent Miller - Undecided Mason Lane Minnick - Undecided Joseph Blackburn Moore - Undecided Kassidy Nicole Moore - Undecided Rebecca Margaret Morris- University of Vermont Nathan Pierce Morrow - Undecided Isabella Maria Moskos- Work Brooke Elizabeth Nall - Undecided Lydia Mae Negrete - Undecided Sarah Cathryn Nevin- Military college of South Carolina (The Citadel) Conor Charles O’Callaghan- St. Mary’s College Grace Diana O’Donnell- Harford Community College Erin Kelly O’Leary- Lafeyette College Katlyn Nicole Ochab- Harford Community College Jillian Leigh Ostrowske- University of Kentucky Austin Lee Palmer - Undecided Ella Grace Palmer - Undecided Nicholas Phillip Alton Park- Diesel Mechanic Joshua Timothy Parsons - Undecided Andrew Thomas Patton- Colorado State University
Maddison Noel Pawlukovich- Salisbury University Mackenzie Faith Pelt- Harford Community College Kaleb Augustus Peters - Undecided Grant Alexander Pfaff - Undecided Sophia Maria Phelps- University of Delaware Adam Francis Pivec - Undecided Sydney Larue Pollitt- Harford Community College Tristan Alexander Pomeroy- Community College Baltimore County Dundalk Jillian Elizabeth Powell- Harford Community College Cora Elizabeth Presley - Undecided Angelia Marie Prosser - Undecided Bryce Logan Ralph - Undecided Jessica Lynne Randow - Undecided Corey Matthew Rankin - Undecided Haley Nicole Rankin - Undecided Justin Michael Reynolds - Undecided Kolby Andrew Reynolds - Undecided Norah Rose Rhode - Undecided Jeffrey Sterling Rhoten- HCC Electrician Apprenticeship Program Christina Janelle Richardson - Undecided Haley Madison Ries- Harford Community College Rachael Ann Ritchie- Harford Community College Chloee Rayne Roberson- York College Jozlyn Rene Robinson- Undecided Brooke Elizabeth Rodano- The Savannah College of Art and Design Rachel Bryanna Rogers- Harford Community College Jessica Joy Rowan - Undecided Theodore James Rush- Baylor University Mackenzie Elizabeth Saboy- Harford Community College Gwendolyn Millicent Sansbury- Harford Community College Bridget Terese Sawyers- Harford Community College Autumn Nicole Sayers - Undecided Alyssa Meghan Saylor- Harford Community College Andrew John Schafer - Undecided Hannah Rees Scheide-Palm beach Atlantic University Elena Gloria Schell- University of Massachusetts Amherst Brooke Alexandra Schmidt- Air-Force Kendall Jean Schubert- University of North Carolina Wilmington Lucas Andrew Sexton- Welding Conor David Sheahen - Undecided Madeline Victoria Simms- Working Victoria Ann Simms- Towson University Arielle Victoria Simon- Harford Community College Korina Grace Skokowski- EMT school Andrew James Slezak - Undecided Kendall Elizabeth Smith - Undecided Mackenzie Lynn Smith- Towson University Elise Mikayla Snyder - Undecided Oluwadamilola Ifeoluwa Sopeyin- Undecided
Ariel Lynn Soul - Undecided Julianna Elizabeth Spangler - Undecided Andrew Patrick St. Clair - Undecided Natalie Anne Steltzer- Mount Aloysius College Riley Jacob Stem – Diesel Mechanic Ethan Everett Stinnett- Harford Community College Hayden Patrick Stoneback- Coastal Carolina University Layla Lee Stubler - Undecided Nicholas Michael Sturgill - Undecided Luke Thomas Tapler - Undecided Trinity Ann Testerman - Undecided Megan Paige Thomas- North Carolina State University Hannah Paige Torbert - Undecided Tyler Allan Torbit - Undecided Sophia Marie Trimble - Undecided Zackary Wayne Trommer- Musician Alyssa Paige Tyszko- Harford Community College Caroline Margaret Ulmer- University of Maryland Matthew Scott Valdez - Undecided Rylee McKenna Vance Daley- Harford Community College Daniel Chad Vaughn- Logger Aspen Michelle Vinyard- Virgina Tech Jonah Alexander Viverette - Undecided Michael Cory Alan Walker- Undecided Ethan Everett Wallace- Electrical Engineering Dustin Joshua Ward - Undecided Cole Brannick Wardle- Harford Community College Lauryn Alexandria Warfield- Winthrop University Brandon James Watkins - Undecided Trenton David Watson - Undecided Ryan Daniel Webb- University of Delaware Jeremy Edward Weber- Harford Community College Madelyn Mychal Weber- Harford Community College Patrick James Weber- Harford Community College Paige Renee Webster - Undecided Jayden Marie Weiman- Montanna State University Nicholas David Weimann- Harford Community College Samuel Jared Wheeler - Undecided William David White- Coastal Carolina University Victoria Kathryn Whitting- Culinary School Angelyn Elizabeth Wiggin- Sweet Briar College John Michael Wild III - Undecided Hayleigh Jordan Wiley- Harford Community College Gracie Elizabeth Wilson - Undecided Mitchell Lee Wittkamp- Salisbury University Shanyn Mary Cathryn Wolfe- Undecided Owen James Woodward - Undecided Ashley Elizabeth Worden- University of North Carolina Wilmington Jonathan King Wu- University of Maryland, Baltimore County Stephanie Renee Zagraiek - Undecided
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Cry of the Hawk
May 20, 2021
First flight to another world, Brains run memories in pattern to keep from damage New possibilities with Mars helicopter JACKIE BULTMAN Video Editor Built by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), named Ingenuity, it is the first helicopter that is able to fly on a different planet. The copter took flight on July, 30, 2020, attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover at Cape Canaveral, Florida. On February 18, 2021, the rover landed on the Jezero Crater on Mars. When the Perseverance rover reached a suitable spot on Mars, its protective shield dropped out followed by the copter itself. The helicopter’s main purpose is to be a demonstration to test the technology used for the first powered flight on Mars. Ingenuity achieved its goal with the completion of three successful flights. NASA explained, “For the first flight on April 19, 2021, Ingenuity took off, climbed to about 10 feet (3 meters) above the ground, hovered in the air briefly, completed a turn, and then landed.” The execution of the minimalistic task, is a major milestone in NASA’s eyes. The historic flight was the very first powered, controlled flight in an extremely thin atmosphere. And even more colossal, the first flight on a different world. Junior Gabe McGill agreed, “this is absolutely a huge milestone for people who like space but I can understand how the average person doesn’t have much interest in this subject.” Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA headquarters, explained that Ingenuity could, “further expand our horizons and broaden the scope of what is possible with Mars exploration.” And McGill noted, “As of right now, all rovers sent to other planets have to travel by wheel, which greatly limits both the distance they can explore and the places they can reach. A flying rover will probably answer a lot of questions for NASA.” In succession, the helicopter
victoriously accomplished flying further distances and greater altitudes, during other experimental flights. “The most recent flight took place on April 30, climbing to an altitude of sixteen feet and then traveling 872 feet for a round-trip at around 117 seconds,” NASA revealed. “Traveling at such a far distance in such a short time, on a completely different planet, is astounding and an impressive step for the helicopter, ” junior Jamie Kavanagh said. Ingenuity flies entirely on its own, with only minimal commands from Earth sent in advance. Thus, the helicopter must take off, fly, and land by itself and with almost no help from the NASA team. NBC notes, “Engineers and flight controllers will also have to deal with a communications lag, which means NASA won’t know how the helicopter performed — or even if it survives — up to a full day after. Built to be strong and light, Ingenuity only weighs 4 pounds, is 4 feet in length, and can survive the harsh environment of Mars. And powered fully by solar panels, Lithium-ion batteries are provided with enough energy for one 90-second flight per Martian day. Many are comparing Ingenuity to the original flights of the Wright brothers in 1903. Kavanagh agreed, “these test flights are the first of the future of NASA on Mars, and will lead a legacy the same way that the Wright brothers did so many years ago.” NASA revealed, “a postage stamp-size swatch of fabric from the Wright brothers’ first airplane, the 1903 Wright Flyer, was attached to a cable beneath the Ingenuity’s solar panel.” “As a whole, the ingenuity helicopter and the rover has likely inspired a new generation of engineers who will probably be the ones constructing and designing the spaceships that may take humanity to Mars and maybe even beyond,” McGill concluded.
The helicopter is NASA’s latest ground breaking accomplishment. Ingenuity is a step in the direction, to broaden the horizon for space travel in the future. Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
MARISSA ALTENBURG H/S Editor Brains are the key to our past. They are keeping all of our memories from childhood safe. New studies show that we have to keep rotating these precious times to keep them crystal clear. A health and science article from Fatherly.com states that children will begin to remember things at two years old but don’t have a solid memory until they are seven. Somehow they can still remember things from those toddler days seventy plus years in the future. This is because your brain rotates its memories in a cycle to preserve any damage from them constantly being run through your mind with overlapping them with other neurological impulses. The mixing of the impulses could be detrimental to the recognition in parts of that memory. If the memory were to continue to sit there it would gain the damage from the never and you would lose it. The memories rotate to gain the damage equally and not affect certain memories and not others.
Another issue could occur if there is new information coming in and cause there to be a mix
Science shows how memories are rotated to save them from damage. The new idea can help maybe come up with a way to prevent memory shortage. in the short term memories that are waiting to go into the rotation. They can get mixed with the new incoming information according to Quanta Magazine. 96 percent of 150 students polled say that they have experienced a feeling of rotating memories, where they can not recall something but then have that
memory rotate in a few days to weeks later. This also comes in the form of things like remembering a toy you had from your childhood without any motivation for recollection but you just think about it because those memories are being recalled to the forefront of your mind. Memories are recalled when your brain thinks of a particular memory, your brain sends nerves to the memory that tells it to be brought out. This brain stimulation pattern causes a stimulation in that part of their memory and lets you remember. The hippocampus located in the temporal lobe is the main response section of the brain that helps to recall the memory. There are other things that could affect memory loss more. Things such as antidepressants or other medications for the brain can work faster to damage memories causing more memory loss than others. With an increase of age and some diseases can cause for there to be total memory loss.
Experimenting with monkey-human embryos
VICTORIA HANNA Reporter According to Insoo Hyun, a bioethicist at Case Western Reserve University and Harvard University, thousands of United States citizens die every year waiting for an organ transplant, and they might’ve come up with a way to help. As described in the article written in the journal Cell, embryos that are a mix of human and monkey cells were created in part to try and find new ways to produce organs for people who need transplants. One of the major problems in medicine, according to Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a professor in the Gene Expression Laboratory of the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences in La Jolla, California, and a co-author of the Cell study, is organ transplantation. Belmonte also adds that the demand for organs is much higher than the supply. In recent years, researchers have been trying to cure this supply and demand problem by injecting human stem cells into sheep and pig embryos to test if they will grow human organs. However, this approach has not worked so far.
Now, Belmonte and a team of scientists from China have teamed up to try something different. These scientists have injected 25 cells, known as induced pluripotent stem cells from humans, into embryos from macaque monkeys. These mon-
development of human cells in these other animals,” Belmonte says, “We are very, very excited.” Another scientist who’s doing similar research also gave quotes, “This work is an important step that provides very compelling evidence that someday when we understand fully what the process is we could make them develop into heart or a kidney or lungs,” says “This knowledge will al- a Dr. Jeffrey Platt, a professor of low us to go back now and microbiology and immunology try to re-engineer these at the University of Michigan. The biggest concern pathways that are suc- they’re worried about is cessful for allowing ap- that someone could try to take their work further by propriate development of making a baby out of an human cells in these other embryo made this way. Critics worry that human cells animals,” could become part of the de-Juan Carlos Izpisua veloping brain of the embryo. Students are also worried Belmonte about this, sophomore Gavin keys are m o r e Moxley, is worried about someclosely genetically related to hu- thing happening like it does mans than sheep and pigs are. in the movies, “There could be After only one day, human cells monkeys with advanced brains were detected to be growing in trying to take over,” He says. 132 of the embryos according to Senior Jackson Miller agrees reports made by the researchers. with this, while be believes “This knowledge will allow us to that the experiment could “save go back now and try to re-engi- lives”, it could also have some neer these pathways that are suc- bad side effects, if the wrong peocessful for allowing appropriate ple get ahold of the information.
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Cry of the Hawk
Lady Hawk goes to Alabama for tournament; Drawing in crowds one play at a time EVAN KUZEMCHAK Social Media Coordinator
even if you get tired, your form must be perfect.” Marks feels “All my life I’ve been aiming that “one little lazy day could get to go to college for softball,” says you in a bad habit with playing.” Tonya Marks, junior. Marks has Usually, Marks has “One “been playing since [she] was to two tournaments a month, six years old,” and Marks has so that’s about five to seven been “on three travel teams” her games each tournament.” Due “whole life, which travel anyto COVID Marks team has not where in the U.S.” Marks dream had as many tournaments. This when she “was younger was to summer, Marks has “10 tournaplay at a division 1 level ments: Four being out of softball” and Marks of state.” One of the feels she is “getting tournaments being closer to that dream.” in Alabama, Marks So far Marks has and her team will be had “DI, DII, and DIII “traveling there for schools interested” in a week-long tournahaving Marks on their ment against teams team, including Towfrom all over the U.S.” son University (DI), and Marks says “ this is a Notre Dame of Maryharder tournament to land University (DIII). play in” due to the fact Marks' dream school is that southerners “play the University of Michsoftball year-round, so igan (UMich) which is Junior Tonya Marks, at bat during a softball game they have more playin the state her mom is where she plays for her travel team, Maryland Dynas- ing time than” people from. Marks “just loves ty. She is a strong hitter and has hit many home runs up north. Marks team the area, but they also beat “the number in her career. PHOTO CREDIT: Tonya Marks have an amazing softball one team in Texas” team and coach (Carlast year at Alabama. ol Hutchins)” who’s coached 37 out, but is now going to Alabama.” On the Educational side, to seasons. According to UMich, To train, Marks practices ev- prepare herself, Marks “makes Hutchins has “a career record ery day. When Marks isn't on sure [her] GPA does not get of 1,631-525-5 over her 37 total the field you can find her work- low. A 3.5 GPA average is ususeasons as an NCAA head coach, ing out or helping “coach a 14u ally what [Marks] sits at.” This Hutchins owns more wins than softball team in [her] travel orga- year Marks has been “trying to any other coach -- in any divi- nization.” Marks says her “tech- stop procrastinating,” that way sion -- in NCAA softball history.” nique is to never give up, even if she does not fall behind and can Marks feels “very excited” but you're tired.” Marks states the still play sports. Marks is sched“nerve-racking at the same time” technique “is to focus on form, uled to take the SAT’s soon. because she feels that she really needs to “make the right decision.” Marks says in order to help her and her teammates with their goals, her “travel coach has been taking [the] team to places of interests (places we want colleges to look at us.)” Mark's team was planned to go to Vancouver, Canada “for a tournament, but due to COVID” the team “had to drop
Track, field taking off; Girls team sprints to victory EMILY IAMPIERI Copy Editor
did so good to get us there and I didn’t want to let them down.” Hyman compliments her teammates saying “all four of us put in so much effort.” The relay consisted of Hyman, Annika Peterson (‘22), Sophie Trimble (‘21), and Darian Hauf (‘21). At Tech, the girls beat the
foot vault also earned her the Harford County record and tied On April 9, the track and her with the UCBAC record. field team took on Fallston at Coach Jimmy Cachola says home for their first meet after “the previous (NH) record Darfour weeks of practice, and on ian broke stood for 16 years, so April 16 they traveled to Harher new record will stand, hopeford Tech to race against the fully, for at least another 16.” Cobras as well as Aberdeen. "It was honestly such a relief The girls conquered the having gotten 11 feet and Cougars 108-28 while the breaking the record,” boys took 70-26 loss. The Hauf says. “I have been Lady Hawks were able to consistently jumping take first in every event exthat height in practice so cept the 3200m, high jump, it was great to be able to and long jump while the make it an official PR.” boys only took home first Hauf also won a in the 4x800m relay and the tight race in the 100m discus and shot put events. against Harford Tech At the meet against Fallsenior Nya Ray, winston, the girls had 33 perning by .20 seconds. sonal records (PR’s) and In both meets, the the boys earned 20. Senior girls 4x800m relay has Erin O’Learey, senior sets up to throw run to victory unopErin O’Leary’s PR in the the discus. Her talent in this event has got- posed. Sophomore Sierdiscus earned her a school ten her a spot on a D1 track and field team. ra Weaver says “I love record. O’Leary threw 108 PHOTO CREDIT: Cheryl Brown feet, shattering the previrunning when there ous record of 101’2 set in isn’t any competition 2004 by Catherine Purdue. Cobras and Eagles 91-52because I feel like I just do my O’Leary says that she was 22. The boys lost to both best and I don’t feel like I have “speechless” after hearing that Tech and Aberdeen 82-58to go faster or slower dependshe broke the discus record. 28 respectively. The lady ing on the people around me.” The girls 4x200m relay came hawks attained 25 new PR’s Freshman James Ortt down to the last leg, with the and the boys achieved six. crossed the finish line for the Hawks winning by just .30 Highlighting the PR’s is Hauf, boys first win of the meet in seconds. Freshman Aubrey who also set a new record. The the 800m. Alongside Ortt Hyman sprinted the last leg of senior pole vaulted a height of another athlete running the the race, she says “while I was 11 feet, breaking the previous 800m, was senior Gavin Litrunning I was just thinking to school record, set by her in tle, who concluded his high push myself because my team 2019, by nine inches. Hauf’s 11 school track career on April 16.
May 20, 2021
To mock or not to mock BEN SERSEN Column
It’s late April meaning, terrible, wildly inaccurate mock drafts are at their peak. Sports analysts such as Colin Cowherd and Daniel Jeremiah make strides during the draft season for their continuous elaborate failures. Mock drafts are a fun way to predict how a team may do in terms of drafting for the year; however, most analysts just cannot predict correctly. In a recent mock draft by Colin Cowherd, he planted Kyle Pitts as the pick for the Cincinnati Bengals. While Pitts is a generational talent and would definitely set the Bengals up with a good threat receiving, this pick would likely never happen. Jamarr Chase, the number one ranked receiver in the draft also happens to be Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s former teammate. He is one of two players slated as the Bengals pick and he is even less likely than the next man in question. Penei Sewell is a phenomenal talent that is a no-brainer for any team in need of a line and the Bengals sit among the top of that list. The thought that the Bengals pick a tight end (which is not a position of need for the Bengals) over a very talented wide receiver with ties to the organization, or even a left tackle sure to protect Joe Burrow’s blind side for ten or more years is absolutely ridiculous and it was only one of Cowherd’s many mistakes. The Detroit Lions hold the seventh pick in the draft and
their pick has sports analysts puzzled. Mock drafts by CBS and SportsCenter have the team picking lineman Rashawn Slater, other drafts often vary; However, Colin Cowherd had the team picking quarterback Trey Lance out of North Dakota State even after the trade for Jared Goff earlier in the year. While Cowherd’s draft has the picking quarterback, he is not the only analyst opting away from the trenches. Mock drafts from Bleacher Report claim that the Detroit Lions will select players such as Micah Parsons as well as claiming that Penei Sewell will fall out of the top-10 picks. Sports analysts try year after year to find the most accurate draft, however the chances of any analyst getting higher than around 50 percent of picks is absolutely unheard of. The popularity and revenue generated from complete stupidity makes a person wonder how to get a job in that industry. Sports analyzing has changed from statistics and accuracy to a game of popularity and opinion, the most popular analysts make more than some NFL players that they’re “analyzing”. The popularity growth that some analysts have acquired due to their downright embarrassing claims and terrible “hot takes” keep them in business as it creates media buzz whether negative or not and this has become a common theme in sports news. The theme of under performing at your job to get more revenue relates to someone paying a McDonald's worker to spit in your food just to see your reaction, it is unfair to the viewer and it is plaguing the sports media mock draft culture. Mock drafts are a way to predict the small details of a teams future, however the blatant incorrect predictions for the reason of merely standing out of the crowd is just plain stupid.
Virtual races grow in popularity;
At home challenges bring new advantages MARISSA ALTENBURG H/S Editor
The time has come that everyone wants to start working out for summer. Some want their ‘summer body’ others want to lose that ‘quarantine 15’, so many people have begun training for races. With rising numbers, most races have turned virtual. The Harford County Student Government had a fundraiser that was a run. Many North Harford students participated in this run including junior Grace Herron and sophomore Elizabeth Herron. The sisters ran on the Ma and Pa trail. Elizabeth says “you could run anywhere as long as it was three-ish miles”. The race was a 5k. Grace adds “It lasted the week between March 15-19.” Grace says “ I missed the team building aspect and how everyone could see each other.” Elizabeth
says “I missed the connection that it usually has because everyone was doing it separately. It was fun seeing the pictures of everyone running and having fun!” New businesses like the Conqueror Challenge have started. They were created to help people be motivated to get people active in their own homes. They have a series of different challenges that range in mileage from 21 to 2485 miles. They start out with a basic quiz that lets you pick the best challenge for you. Every challenge comes with four virtual postcards to motivate you along with a medal when you complete your challenge. Many other races have been created. Races of different things have come around like a Friends race based on the show, Willy Wonka races, and even cow and flamingo-based races.
Page 20/ Sports
Cry of the Hawk
May 20, 2021
Which carries more weight: Girl’s lacrosse springs into action When worlds collide; How friendship changed baseball for two men FALLS Stress on performance ALEXA Reporter BEN SERSEN Reporter in sports or in school ERICA OTTE Reporter Junior Lauren Smith does not play a sport, so it cannot take up time in her life, however as she has seen other people balance work, school, clubs, and sports. In terms of her own schoolwork, she takes around six hours a week to complete it, not counting classwork or any make-up work she might aquire. “Sports may make it a bit more difficult to keep grades up, but with the copious amounts of free time due to COVID setting time aside to study and do homework is made much easier,” Smith says. In her opinion, school takes up more time with more pressure put on students to do well on schoolwork rather than sports. “The pressure to do well in school is more than the pressure to do well in a sport, especially when you consider the fact that if you’re not doing well in school, your sports privileges get revoked,” she adds. On the other hand, Sophia Quinn, who is also a junior at North Harford, thinks differently. She plays volleyball unprofessionally (as in she is not on a team at the moment), however, she “feel[s] like it would take up a lot of my[her] time considering how long after school practices are and how long you need to train” if she was able to play on a team. Currently, school already takes up a lot of Quinn’s time. “I need about four to five hours a day to complete my schoolwork depending on how much I accomplish or if I get distracted so about 20 hours a week,” Quinn says. How busy somehow is outside of both school and sports as well as each of those is also a factor. According to Quinn, “Being busy definitely hurts my ability to finish my schoolwork since I’m home most of the day I’m able to easily get distracted. Plus having the ability to just leave with my brothers and put my schoolwork to the side makes it very difficult and hard to prioritize.” Additionally, “I’m assuming both will be a lot to deal with but I’m guessing it would be more pressure with sports since it’s not just you, it’s your whole team. Schoolwork would also be a pressure since you need to do well to be able to do sports but I think it’s more of the person’s priorities at the end of the day,” Quinn adds. According to an Ohio University study, parents and coaches can create added stress in both school and sport-related activities. 30 percent of students that quit a sport said it was due to negative actions, pressure, or a toxic environment of either a coach or parent. Although exercise can help to alleviate stress, five to 10 percent of players experience excessive stress, especially those with anxiety from spectators and coaches, who prioritize winning over what other lessons and experiences that can come from sports.
Recently, spring sports have started back up again. Many students who participate in spring sports, such as lacrosse, have given their feedback on how everything is going so far. Athletes and coaches share their thoughts. Lacrosse coach Patty Murdy says, “I enjoy watching players successfully apply what they are taught at practice which helps develop their abilities to play in college and the life lessons learned along the way.” Murdy mentions, “It has been tough after not having a season last year due to COVID. The seniors on varsity have really stepped up to bridge the gap created and have helped build on their strengths.” She adds, “They lead by example and we appreciate our time on the field because we all know anything can happen due to COVID.” Senior and varsity captain Lauryn Warfield says, “I still love playing lacrosse, even with being restricted with masks, it’s still the same.” She adds, “We are still able to play the same game even though we aren’t necessarily allowed to do pregame things with the team or have any additional team bonding activities.” To comply with COVID guidelines, “We now have limited practices, we used to practice a lot longer than the HCPS rules of an hour and a half, [and]
we have less time to warm up for games” Warfield mentions. She adds, “the announcements for games are completely different because we can’t technically touch hands, and our stick check is now different.” Senior Emma Hopkins states, “I like playing lacrosse even with COVID restrictions [since] it allows me to play lacrosse with my teammates and friends which is better than last year not playing at all!” Hopkins says that other than wearing masks, “we have to social distance, and we can’t shake hands.” As of mid-April, they have competed against CMW, Bel Air, Edgewood, and Fallston. The team has been close to winning most of their game, losing by only one to two goals. Murdy mentions,”We lost to CMW 15-17, Bel Air 6-8, and Fallston in triple overtime 8-9. We beat Edgewood 18-0” The team has gotten stronger according to Murdy, “The girls have been back and forth scoring in all three losses and each game has worked hard to capitalize on missed offensive opportunities.” Murdy says, “So far the JV team was quarantined the day of their first game. So they were unable to play any games. They returned back to practice on Thursday April 22 and played their first game of the season against Perryville on Thursday April 29.”
The North Harford Baseball team defeated Harford Tech with a score of 7-2 however this was not the only victory in favor of the Hawks. Junior Garrett Reineke, won big during this game as he beat longtime friend and rival, junior Zack Rives of Harford Tech who had once gone to NH middle. Reinecke spoke on the win claiming “it was just another game to me,” while also claiming, “ I think we still win because I think we are more skilled.” Reinecke’s claims do not go unbacked however as NH (10-2) sits at number two on Maxpreps Maryland high school baseball power rankings, placing only behind Archbishop Spalding (17-4-2) while Harford Tech places 38 at a record of four wins and seven losses. Reinecke spoke on his rivalry claiming “Friendly rivalries are a lot more fun because it is a lot more competitive [to play] against people you know.” As well as stating, “One thing I envy [about Zack] is his passion for the game and my only advice I’d give is to not get in your own head.” The junior put emphasis on keeping things friendly claiming, “Zack is my hubby.” He adds, “ I think Zack could definitely go to college for sports and potentially even the league, baseball or football, he has a fire that not many others have.” Rives had the utmost respect for Reinecke claiming, “Garrett and I have become better friends through baseball, which then pushes me to be a better player and competitor.” Reineke continued, “Our friendship did not make the game more important to me, only because of the predictable outcome. If the skill level between teams were more balanced, that would be a different story.” Rives had a lot to say about his friend and fellow competitor, using words such as “hustle” and “discipline” to describe Reinecke. “From sprinting to every ball to make the play, to backing up his teammates in a play, he always knows where to be and he gets there as quickly as possible,” according to Reineke. Rives claimed “As for advice, I would say to keep working on the physical aspect of the game. He is very talented at playing the game and has the mental discipline [to make the league], but nobody is perfect.” Rives left the interview in good spirits, leaving the remark towards his friend, “Keep grinding, and never let the pedal off the metal. One day you might be as good as me,” in good fun towards his competitor and friend, Reinecke.
Goodbye Maryland, hello Indiana GREER STRINE Sports Editor Through his high school experience, senior Derek Caiazzo has participated in both wrestling and lacrosse during the time at the Hawks Nest. Now, his time in Maryland is coming to an end, where he is making the switch to Indiana to play collegiate lacrosse. For the past few years, his focus was on lacrosse in hopes of drawing college attention. This mindset along with hard work and dedication to the sport led him to receive a scholarship to the University of Indianapolis (UIndy), an NCAA Division II school, to play on their men’s lacrosse team. He is planning on studying pre-physical therapy, “I chose this because not only does it interest me, but I feel like I can give back to athletes just like me while helping them physically achieve their dreams.” Caiazzo started playing lacrosse when he was five years old. Caiazzo states, “The game was introduced to me by some very close family friends and ever since I held a stick in my hand, I loved the game.” On the North Harford men’s lacrosse team, he plays mid-field. He had verbally committed to Indianapolis back in Sept. of 2020. He had chosen UIndy because of
the “huge accomplishments they Not only has playing lacrosse at have achieved over the seven years NH helped him grow as a player, of having a lacrosse program. he adds, but “[I] wrestled for three I have also heard great things years, and I’d say it helped me about the school from other become a better athlete through coaches and players. Plus, I loved the conditioning, fast decision the cammaking, p u s . ” as well as The self-discipline.” men’s lacrosse Over the years team at CaiazUIndy zo has has had a played successfor many ful past c l u b Caiazzo teams stated. such as AccordT r u e ing to Maryathletics. uindy. Midfielder, Derek Caiazzo, looks for op- land for six years, edu, in tions where he could run or pass the ball toTrue Na2019, the team had wards the goal. Caiazzo is committed to play t i o n a l s c o r e d D2 lacrosse for the University of Indianapo- Prospect for three a total lis. PHOTO CREDIT: Derek Caiazzo years, of 412 National for one points, 265 goals, 147 assists, True UC Mavericks for 902 shots, 319 face-offs won, and year, 74 saves. They have made three one year, and Susquehanconference tournament appear- na Stripers for three years. ances and one NCAA tourna“I was drawn to the UIndy lament appearance. He comments, crosse team because of the broth“The coaches were super easy erhood of the players on and off to work with as well as being the field, the competitiveness, easy to communicate with. I and the coaches always willreally liked their philosophy.” ing to help you,” Caiazzo said.
Going into his junior year, he started looking for the right fit for college recruitment. He had other offers on the table such as Belmont Abbey, Bellarmine, UNC Greensboro, Arcadia, as well as a few others, according to Caiazzo. He mentioned, “the recruiting process had a lot of ups and downs. I think the hardest part was finding a college that had what I wanted academically, as well as a team that I could see myself being on and playing with.” After all, through all the teammates and coaches that he has met along the way, he states, “I am beyond thankful for my amazing coaches and teammates I’ve had throughout my four years, especially Lucas Sexton, Josh Etzel, Matt Biederman, and Dylan Jablon.” He also added, “I’d like to specifically thank Coach Kevin Totaro of TRUE Maryland, he helped me through the recruiting process a ton, and never lost faith in me and my abilities. As well as Coach Rich, the NH head coach who had helped me to strive to become a great team leader.” Caiazzo mentioned, “I would just like to thank my family for all of the support and sacrifices that they have made for me. They have always been my biggest fans, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world!”