Cry of the Hawk- Sept 2022

Hawks begin year celebrating school spirit;2022 Homecoming week comes to close

NOEL BAILEY Op/Ed Editor

Homecoming 2022 was North Harford’s second week of school this year with spirit week, the pep rally, the big football game, and the dance all being in the very beginning of the school year for students and faculty.

Everyone lent a helping hand to make this year’s homecoming possible. Biology teacher Mrs. Elizabeth Martin, math teacher Mrs. Jennifer Fisher-Smith and English teacher Mrs. Jennifer Chandler were the main teachers coordinating and helping with all of the events of homecoming week.

SGA seniors Noa Blanken, Ju lia Blondell, Samina Dhani, and junior Bella Brockmeyer helped plan the events too.

This year’s spirit week was September 12 to September 16 the day of the football game and pep rally. That Monday was pa jama day. Tuesday was Hawai ian day. Wednesday was jersey day. Thursday was neon day. We ended the week on Friday with class colors day, Freshmans wore white, sophomores wore yellow, juniors wore green, and seniors wore black.

Students dressed up for spirit week this year but also wished for “something more creative like Adam Sandler day,” junior Kay la Doll said. Brockmeyer, a SGA

member, said “we do the same ones every year, we need a change.”

Sophomore Katie Jones wants to “bring back holiday day.”

The pep ral ly was held at 1-1:45 Friday, September 16. At the pep rally, every sports team did a lap sit relay. There were also other games students were able to partic ipate in. SGA ordered all of the necessary things that were needed for the games before school started since it was so early this year.

“It was fun,” senior Rile igh Crawford said about the pep rally. Junior Lilly Moody felt like “it would have been more fun if

everyone was a little more hyped” during the pep rally. Also, junior

Korynn Sims said it was fun “but could have involved each class more in some way.”

It was the first time since 2019 that the Hawk’s Nest had fireworks after this year’s game.

North Har ford is the only school in Harford County al lowed to have fire works at the school.

“This tra dition has been going on since I’ve gone here,” gym teacher Mr. Justin Martineck says. Mr. Martineck is the new athletic di rector and the varsity football coach. Stu

dents went down onto the turf after the game to sit and watch the fireworks together. “[There was] food and lots of fun on Friday night,” Mrs. Martin said about the football game against Bel Air, one of North Harford’s rivals.

The Booster Club was one of many organizations that had booths at the homecoming festi val. Along with being in charge of fireworks, they all donated money for the fireworks that cost around $5,000-$7,000, according to Mr. Martineck.

The homecoming dance was on Saturday, September 17. The theme picked this year was En chanted Garden. The dance was from 7-10 pm. The SGA along side volunteers from the jour nalism staff and other students who wanted to help joined in to set up for the dance. 850 students bought tickets for the dance ac cording to Fisher-Smith.

Seniors Riley Stoneback and Nathan Santana won the 2022 homecoming queen and king. “It was totally tubular to win,” Santana said. “My reaction to winning was like a ‘wait what’ kind of moment,” Stoneback said. Stoneback’s math teacher convinced her to sign up to be on court. Santana “felt like it was going to be a cool experience” to maybe win homecoming king when he applied to be on court.

New job position implemented across HCPS; Ford hired as Safety and Security Liaison at The Nest

ALEXA FALLS News Editor

Beginning this year, Renee Ford will be the Safety and Se curity Liaison at NHHS. Her role will be very important in keeping students and teachers safe while in the building by making sure everything is in or der at NHHS.

The Safety and Security Li aison position is a new posi tion that was developed out of the office of safety and security through Harford County Public Schools, according to principal Brian Pawlicki.

Ford has multiple responsibilities in this position including recognizing faces and names of teachers and students in school. If an active assailant were to

ever enter the building, Ford would be able to decipher if the assailant was a student at this school or not. Pawlicki states, “She is basically the eyes and ears of the adminis tration.”

Some of the other jobs she has are checking the cam eras regularly, watching over hallways and restrooms to make sure everything is in order. Addition ally, she works in the cafeteria, monitors parking in the parking lots, and she helps to enforce school rules such as making sure students aren’t wearing

hats, hoods, and enforcing dress code. She is also a witness to

searches of students, according to Pawlicki.

Pawlicki says that one of the reasons Ford was a great candi date for this position is “she is very familiar with the school and the commu nity, and she’s worked here before.” He ex plains that Ford is, “really great with kids” and if something were to go wrong, Ford wouldn’t “height en the situation or problem, she [would] calm the situation, she’s very good at that, she’s very good at speaking to kids to not upset the situation.”

Heath teacher Jacquelyn

Williams stated that she feels 100% safe in school and even safer with Ford here, “because I know that there’s even more steps [that are] taking place for safety to happen and more peo ple are looking into it.”

Junior Preston Miller says that the safety implementation at North Harford, “could be a little bit better but I do feel safe since there is a resource officer and there are a lot of trusted adults in the building.” Miller adds that Ford’s job as the Safety and Se curity Liaison, “could help and [it’s important to do] anything to help safety with students because I feel like some people don’t feel safe in school […] I feel like anything we can do to help makes a big difference.”

“Ford is, “really great with kids” and if something were to go wrong, Ford wouldn’t “heighten the situation or problem, she [would] calm the situation.”

~ Bryan Pawlicki, principal

Riley Stoneback and Nathan Santana winning homecom ing court. They put on the sashes and crowns.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lindsay Guckert

Teen problems arise from oversharing on social media

EDITORIAL

People today spend lots of time on social media. More recently, with it becoming a major part of life, teens have been sharing con stant details of their day-to-day lives.

While many people don’t re alize it, teens have been sharing lots of information on the inter net. With lots of free time, shar ing about events or general post ing can be damaging. Problems can occur while posting seem ingly innocent things.

Microsoft Support says that, “Posting photos from the trips you're currently on could alert criminals that you're currently out of town.”

Posting things such as the de tails of your summer vacation or simply your upcoming weekend trips location can let people with ill intentions know about your whereabouts and the lack of se curity at your home while you're away. This also applies to shar ing your location on apps such as snapchat where users can have

anyone added see their location.

Sometimes you overshare with out even knowing that you're do ing it. Answering questions from followers in things like Q&As on your story can give away more information than you think. Ac cording to Microsoft Support, “What was the name of your first pet?" or "Where did you go to high school?" are common secu rity questions that attackers can frequently find the answers to with a simple social media search on their target.”

Problems also occur when it comes to things like job appli cations or college admissions.

College Reality Check says, “Col leges can see posts on social me dia, such as Snapchat, Instagram, or TikTok, if the accounts are not set to private. Up to 25% of college admissions officers check out applicants' social media pres ence. Sometimes, they do so if anonymous third parties report troubling online posts by appli cants.”

When posting as a high schooler, you may want to be cautious

if you have public accounts that may be flagged for not following guidelines or posting something that may be seen by potential col lege administrators or job hirers. Posting things like reckless be havior or hateful words can make job hirers not want to hire you for the things you say and do.

According to New Digital Age, “4 in 5 people are still oversharing personal data on social media.” This doesn’t only go for teens, as adults can overshare just as much as teens. Sharing things relating to their personal lives or their children’s lives puts whole fami lies at risk.

So next time you think about sharing something on your pub lic social media, you could make your account private to only your friends or only share specif ic things with close friends and family.

While it may be tempting to share your location or where you’re on vacation, think about who might be able to see that in formation and what they could do with it.

Summer’s negative impact on students

VIEWPOINT

The summer for most stu dents is a time for celebration and release from the schoolwork they’ve been working on for the past nine months. Other students, however, may dread that three-month period of being home.

Students with difficult re lationships with their parents or struggle being home for all hours of the day might think that summer is the worst thing. Parental abuse is a big issue that many kids may face. School is an escape for many.

According to 12 News Now, “With school out for the sea son, children who are victims of abuse do not have an extra set of eyes.” Teachers are able to look out for signs of physical abuse or emotional abuse.

While that’s on the more se vere side of summer troubles, other students can suffer from loneliness or boredom. The seven-hour school day gives them things to do and keeps days busy. With the lack of clubs or sports, students can be left home alone.

Being home alone all day especially impacts younger students. Middle and younger high school students (or even

older elementary school stu dents) may be left home alone all day while parents work.

Without the ability to drive or friends that can drive and take them places, they deal with loneliness on a more extreme level.

The most common thing people always discuss is the setback in learning. ID On line says, “The long summer vacation breaks the rhythm of instruction, leads to forget ting, and requires a significant amount of review of material when students return to school in the fall. Also, the long sum mer break can have a greater negative effect on the learning of children with special educa tional needs.”

The setbacks these students face are harmful. Some people require constant reminders or explanations on topics. While summer enrollments are an op tion for some parents, they may not be able to afford to send their children or be able to help transport them back and forth to a summer program.

Lower income families are af fected too. Huffpost says “many kids, especially lower income kids, don’t have this opportu nity. “Doing nothing,” for low income kids is fundamentally

News

Falls,

Opinion/Editorial

Bailey, Mackenzie Scott

Features

Isabel Kropkowski

different from the American ideal of “doing nothing” in the summer.” They don’t get access to playgrounds or a big yard if they live in smaller buildings. Lower income familys can also rely on school during the day so they know their children are being feed and taken care of.

Some schools do year-round school. They break up the three-month summer break throughout the year. Instead of it being a long three months, you will have extended holiday breaks and more week long breaks periodically throughout the year.

While the year-round school may not be the best solution, there should be some oth er ways to make the summer break more tolerable for stu dents suffering from loneliness or boredom and a way to help support those who are experi encing physical and emotional abuse.

The abuse doesn’t stop during the school year, but school is a form of escapism. We need more options for them. If we do not provide solutions to something im pacting so many people, consequences such as declining mental and physical health will be shown in these kids.

Super fans subjected to scrutiny; Sports enthusiasts celebrated

most people go to his concerts. Fans have even copied his out fits to wear to the concerts. But this is what we get the most hate for- How we show our support through outfits.

Football fans do the same thing, though. They usually don't show up to games with sparkles and boas on, but they come dressed up in team colors.

NOEL BAILEY

Op/Ed Editor

Sports fans. They support their favorite teams and players. They go to their games when they get the chance to. They dress up to show which team they support and their team spirit.

Fangirls. They support their fa vorite artists and bands. They go to their concerts when they get the chance to. They dress up for the concert to match the theme and feel good about themselves.

Do you see a difference between the two? Because I don’t. But for some reason there is a difference.

Fangirls are looked down upon, while sports fans are treated like normal human beings.

As soon as you say you're a fan of a certain artist, people have something to say. Which in most sports cases yes, you do get neg ative feedback from people who don’t like the same team as you. But not how fangirls do.

Personally, I think Harry Styles fans get the most hate. Which, yes, this could be biased because I am one of those fans. We go to concerts dressed up in bright colors, lots of patterns, sparkles, boas, and more on. That’s how

Health and Science Editor:

Mekenzie McCann

Entertainment Editor: Kimberly Edgar Sports Editors: Reese Showalter, Stella Manns

IDR Editor: Emily Johnson Society, Students & Culture Editor: Meghan Kalck

Video Editor: Matthew Ledford

Copy Editors: Ben Iampieri, Lily Corcoran

Events Coordinator: Bella Arist

Social Media Coordinator & Business Manager: Kensington Boyanich

Reporters: Kimberly Allen, Bryn Cespedes, Deane Conway, Emma Cornman, Alexis Gott, Gabby Moxham, Jack O’Connor, Brookelyn Priebe, Lilly Schisler, Brianna Seiser, Sarah Welzant

Announcements Tech: Meghan Kalck

At North Harford’s games, the themes we dress for at the games are the same thing. You're show ing your support for our school and team through dressing up for the games.

That's what girls do when they go to concerts. They show up dressed up like the artist to show their support. The only difference between the two is that one is a sports team and the other is an artist.

Even at the world sport games people show up painting them selves as the colors of the team they support. That has been hap pening forever. People have been known to paint names on their stomach to make a point that their team and fans are better than the other.

This is hypocritical and sexist. Fangirls are doing the same thing as male sports fans except in dif ferent ways of expressing them selves through their clothing. It comes down to the fact that it’s girls dressing up for something they enjoy and that not being sports.

It's hypocritical to make fun of a girl dressing up for a concert if you go and dress up for the football games every Friday night.

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.

Taking accountability: Climate change exists

VIEWPOINT

Climate change skeptics' refusal of scientific evidence is purely psychological. And, funnily enough– psychology is also a classified science; just like the globally inclined issue that is climate change.

Climate change is defined by NASA as, “a long-term change in the average weather pat terns that have come to de fine Earth’s local, regional and global climates.”

According to Columbia Climate School, the climate

change we see today is “not natural.” Generally speaking, climate change should be a re sult of a natural phenomenon.

However, we see an anthropo genic (originating in human ac tivity) change of climate.

The Australian Psychologi cal Society states that 97% of climate scientists have recog nized that “climate change is caused by human behavior.”

Due to this, our Earth is in a state of anthropogenic climate change. Our climate change is not natural, it is man made.

Currently, our planet is spi

raling into distress. Our cli mate is in a crisis, and we are the main reason why.

“We burn fossil fuels and chop down forests, causing average temperatures to rise worldwide,” states the Envi ronmental Defense Fund.

These actions are causing so much distress in our world. Yet regardless, individuals still re fuse to believe that this climate crisis is not at an all-time stake.

Skeptics believe that “cli mate change is natural,” or that “climate change is good for us,” and finally the famous “well,

College costs cause lack of applications; Enrollment impacted by financial obligations

EDITORIAL

College tuition amounts in America are almost twice the amount they are in European countries. The tuition per year in the U.S. is around $12,320 for two years in a public uni versity and $48,510 for a pri vate university, according to Top Universities. The source also states that tuition for a masters degree in Europe can range from $14,440-42,000.

The median debt for college students in 2021 was between $20,000-24,999, according to Best Colleges. An average stu dent loan is structured to take 10 years to pay off, but research has shown it takes “21 years, on average,” states Ramsey Solu tions.

Many resources offer tips on how to pay off student loan debt including, “getting a sec ond job,” and “selling your pos

sessions.” The idea of a freshout-of-college student trying to get their life together by sell ing what little they have and working more is ridiculous.

The United States is the leading country in student loan debt with a staggering 60.5% of all graduate completers hav ing federal debt. 54.2% of grad uates have debt from under graduate studies, according to the Education Data Initiative.

They also state that the federal loan balance is $1.620 trillion, and it accounts for 92.7% for all student loan debt in the Unit ed States.

An article written by Kristen Scatton, who has 11 years of ex perience in college admission, describes the situation as, “1 in 3 recent high school gradu ates skip college because it is a waste of money.” Scatton goes on to state that, “34% of 18-24 year-olds who aren't currently

enrolled in college can't afford it.”

When a society's masses don't go to college, it can have detrimental effects on the fu ture of a country. Jason Lane, dean of Miami University’s College of Education, Health and Society says about this cri sis, “Society is going to be less healthy. It’s going to be less economically successful.

It’s going to be harder to find folks to fill the jobs of the future, and there will be low er tax revenues because there won’t be as many people in high-paying jobs. It will be harder for innovation to occur.”

Adriana Lleras-Muney, an economist at UCLA continues on to Lane’s statement, “the growing gap in educational attainment could also worsen existing divisions over politics, socioeconomic status, race and national origin.”

Struggling to stay afloat; Living off of $2 wages

wage. I know some restaurants and other places who use servers have an automatic way for the tip to go right on the bill without having to rely on the kindness of the customers, but most do not.

KENSINGTON BOYANICH Business Manager

The minimum wage in Mary land is $12.50. The average cost of a gallon of gas is $3.44, and the typical rent price is $1,357 a month. When working for min imum wage you would need to work over 100 hours a month just to pay off your rent, not includ ing gas prices or other essentials. While minimum wage is already barely enough to survive, a server makes a mere wage of $2 an hour.

Yes, you heard me right, 2 dollars an hour. This is not even enough money for a singular gal lon of gas. Servers live off your tips.

It is not some glamorous job where you get paid tips along with the minimum wage but it is these very tips that are our whole

Although I’m sure in the nice, fancy, and expensive restaurants servers make bank. But it isn't al ways easy to get hired into one of these establishments and usually the staff they do accept have had a decent amount of prior experi ence. It is also never guaranteed that people will tip.

Not only are our earnings slim when a table decides it is a good idea to “dine and dash,” but the bill is immediately the server's re sponsibility to pay off. Although I am not sure this rule applies to all places, it sure does where I work.

If you look up server minimum wage anywhere you get very mixed answers. Some say it is $16 while others say it is $2. This is ridiculous, there isn't even a set standard for how much an em ployer must pay their workers per hour.

If you go to a restaurant and can not afford to tip the person serving you at least 15%, do not go out to eat.

It may sound harsh but it re

ally is just the reality we live in. These workers' only income is based on the kindness and grat itude of the people who walk through the front door. I know that people will still argue with me and try to fight me on the issue saying things like, “but they picked that job.” Although I can see the thought process behind this statement sometimes it real ly is people's only choice.

The restaurant industry makes up 10% of the entire United States workforce according to AmTrust Financial. I also feel as though a large part of our culture and how we congregate as people is done through food, restaurants being the perfect places for that. We live in a country with a foodie culture, going out to eat is really just the norm here. So why do some people pay those who cater to their every need so little?

The idea that this country that has no free healthcare or college and inflation rates that are through the roof, makes people live off of $2 an hour is unethical. So the next time you go out to eat, remember what really hap pens behind the scenes. Be kind, be grateful, be forgiving, we are trying to get by just as you are.

maybe climate change is real, but it’s too late to take action.”

The climatic changes we are seeing lately debunk those first two claims.

Climate change may be nat ural, and is good for us, but not when it’s causing our animals to un-adapt and die, not when rapid and incredibly frequent wildfires are happening, and not when we are experiencing extensive periods of droughts.

The terrifying truth that skeptics won’t accept is on its way to becoming a real ity. There is still time to aid

the planet and to prevent this emergency from reaching its destructive capacity. We can assist climate change by simply limiting energy, such as turn ing lights off in rooms you are not in, recycle, or even throw away less food.

Our Earth is in need of our help and ignoring that will not make our situation any better.

If we continue to debunk and ignore our problem, the planet that nourishes us with our sup plies and needs to survive asnd flourish will die, and we will die with it

Second amendment abusement; Explaining its harm in America

EDITORIAL

As of September 5, 2022, the Gun Laws Archive has record ed 472 mass shootings this year. It has only been 276 days of 2022.

Gun violence in America is exceedingly prevalent, and the cause of this are the laws con trolling the weapon.

Gun laws in the United States are weak. They provide little to no effort into owning a gun. The requirements to own a gun, as stated by The New York Times, can be done in “less than an hour,” and in clude only a quick background check to see if the person is a convicted felon or abuser.

After an individu al completes their background check, they are permitted to purchase their desired fire arm.

Less guns means less gun violence. It’s that simple. It should not be that easy to own a weapon so deadly. The amount of gun violence seen in America is unsettling.

Violence from guns includes not just mass shootings, but also suicide, injuries, and even unintentional firearm deaths.

“Firearms recently became the number one cause of death for children in the United States,” reported KFF. This re lates to suicide by guns, shootings, and accidents involving guns.

So, if guns are a leading cause of death, why are they so easy to attain?

The second amendment gives citizens the right to ob tain firearms to be able to en sure safety and protection. But as of now, the ability to easily own firearms is the root of cit izens' lack of protection and safety.

Abusement of the sec ond amendment needs to be stopped. It’s killing America.

The most common mis conception about firming gun

laws is that activists are attempting to completely get rid of gun laws, which in most cas es, just isn’t true.

Activists attempting to strengthen gun laws are just trying to keep citizens safe, and to do that, firearms are a significant factor to doing so.

There are pros and cons to owning firearms.

Pros include a form of self-de fense, feeling more secure and confident, and more.

However the cons include much mortality.

Deaths upon deaths are root ed from guns. And usully, it’s because there is irresposible usage of the weapon.

The second amendment should still be contem porary in America. However, they should be vastly stringent than they are now.

Gun laws are important. They should be providing us safety and security in our homes, almost like a safe ty net for Americans.

Knowing that there is a way to defend oneself if needed brings soundness and ease.

But it doesn’t. It should not be normal to look for the quickest exit in a movie the ater, have drills in schools in case a shooter is active in the building, enter public spaces and see signs everywhere stat ing that “this building prohib its fireams.” But that is our despairing reality.

Representatives who have the ability to limit this hap pening should be using their power.

These represantives seem to continue to talk about changes occuring soon, but then noth ing ever ensues. It should be harder to be able to possess a firearm than it is now.

The two steps to own a gun that can end lives in a blink of an eye does not sound like the American dream we usually imagine. What we hope and dream of. So, why is that the brutal truth?

“Firearms recently became the number one cause of death for children in the United States,”

- KFF

Toxic masculinity hurts young men; Teen minds influenced by flawed mindsets

It is 2022. Some may know it as “the year of the influencer,” ac cording to Influencer Marketing Hub.

It is becoming very clear, es pecially as the year comes to a close, that some people should not be influencers. Perpetuating certain ideas and projecting them on to young minds can have very negative effects on those who see these influencers on social media.

One of these influencers being referenced is the ever-infamous Andrew Tate. If you somehow have not heard of this man, you are quite lucky.

Here’s the rundown: Andrew Tate is a kickboxer who has gained notoriety online for be ing very, very misogynistic. Some examples of Tate’s extremely

flawed thinking includes how he allegedly only dates 18 and 19 year olds since it's “easier to imprint” on them. In one video, Tate described how he’d “deal” with a woman who accused him of cheating: “It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck.

Shut up, [explicative].” When asked about doing CPR, Tate replied saying that he’d only do CPR for “hot women” because he is not gay.

This is quite appalling, right?

What’s even more appalling, however, is the fact that many, many young men are agreeing with and looking up to Tate, who has been dubbed, “the king of toxic masculinity.”

So, what exactly is toxic masculinity? In the words of writer Taneasha White, toxic

Teen deserve breaks; Recess positively impacts

It’s safe to assume that as high schoolers, we all miss recess.

How can we not? Recess was one of the best parts of the day in elementary school.

Getting a whole 30 minute break from the stress of class work, projects, and grades in ex change for being with friends and generally having a great time ev ery single day sounds like heaven!

And then middle school came. Gone were the days where we could have a nice break from school and brain fog, and in came the phrase, “Well, you don’t get wellness breaks in the real world!”

This isn’t very fair, right? As students, we deserve some time to stop working.

According to the CDC, well ness breaks benefit students by, “improving their memory, atten tion, and concentration” as well as, “improving their social and emotional development.”

Yes, we are high schoolers, but our brains are still developing and will continue to develop until the age of 25.

And, is there really any sort of teacher that doesn’t want to expand a student’s attention span and concentration?

Also, in the day and age of com munication through technology, we need all the social development we can get.

Adults always say, “Maybe if you got off your phone, you’d be better at talking to people!”

However, you cannot talk to people verbally if there is no time to.

Ten minutes at the bus ramp and 30 minutes of lunch, where everyone is busy eating, is not enough time to have a decent conversation by many people’s standards.

Not only that, but according to Commonwealth Charter Acad emy, not having a wellness break

can have detrimental effects on students such as childhood de pression and anxiety, as well as decreased academic performance.

As one report puts it, “More class time does not lead to better scores.”

While the idea of more class time leading to better scores makes sense, that is not the case.

According to Texas Children’s Hospital, “There are many studies that show children that get a recess break between cognitive activi ties showed better focus and at tention on the next cognitive ac tivity than children who did not get a break.”

Furthermore, disruptions in class caused by a student acting silly could be prevented if there were a way to let out pent up en ergy.

Some could argue that lunch and gym are perfectly fine substi tutes for a wellness break. How ever, that is not the truth.

Lunch is only about 30 minutes long, and you are expected to sit still and eat for most of the time, only getting up to throw things in the trash or to use the bath room so that your teacher doesn’t yell at you for asking to go in the middle of class.

Gym is no different. Yes, you are getting physical activity, but some people don’t enjoy the competitiveness or the pressure to do well in gym class. You cannot really have much fun if the “fun” you’re having is for a grade.

Some people, believe it or not, just don’t like sports.

So, lunch and gym are both out of the picture.

Yes, we are high schoolers, but we’re still kids.

Which is why high schools should implement wellness breaks once again, for the benefit of students’ mental health, phys ical health, and academic perfor mance.

masculinity is, “Generally... an adherence to the limiting and potentially dangerous societal standards set for men and mas culine-identifying people.” Some common traits of toxic masculin ity include mental and physical toughness, aggression, stoicism (not showing emotions), ho mophobia, sexism, and more.

Toxic masculinity is the rea son why young men are afraid to like traditionally feminine things such as makeup and fashion. It is the reason why many men are pressured into staying silent about their struggles for fear of being perceived as a “sissy.”

The mindset is also to blame for many of young men’s mental health issues. According to Pat rick Davarhanian, an AP Psychol ogy teacher at a California high school, “Research states that boys

who are brought up in an atmo sphere of toxic masculinity…of ten avoid mental health services, resist to preventative health care, engage in heavy drinking, nor malize tobacco use and partici pate in other risky behaviors.

It also includes being less like ly to seek help and admit vulner abilities which results in greater incidences of violence and sui cide.”

With statistics like these, it is no wonder that men die at a larg er rate than women. In fact, men die from suicide about four times more often than women! Overall, the death rate for men is 1.6 times the death rate for women, ac cording to the Brookings Institu tion. It does not help that when ever a man tries to open up about his problems, he’s shut down be cause becoming emotional is seen

as “weak” or “unmanly.”

Not only does this negatively affect young men’s mental health, but it also reinforces many mi sogynistic ideas and actions.

Let’s go back to the conversa tion about Andrew Tate, who be lieves that sexual assault victims should, “bear some responsibil ity” for what happened to them.

Many women are killed every year for rejecting the advances of men, which is the result of major insecurity.

Do you see the problem here?

People only get hurt because of toxic masculinity.

If we are to fix this issue, we cannot have internet personali ties such as Andrew Tate perpet uating such horrible ideas to such a wide audience.

So, why don’t we stop making the issue worse and start helping?

162 people polled

Real activists aren’t hypocrites

VIEWPOINT

During quarantine of 2020, so cial media activism was at an all time high.

Our boredom was cured from constantly scrolling on various platforms.

But if you recall, society was also at an all-time rage from racial injustice, causing social media to flood with activists.

Activism is a term used when individuals are campaigning to bring awareness to a specific po litical or social change.

We call the individuals who do this “activists.”

Bringing awareness to causes important to you is very crucial for society to get anywhere with change- without awareness or ac tion, there is no reformation.

While quarantine was abroad, activists used social media to vo calize their rage within racial in justice, abortion laws, and other serious topics.

As you may remember, the Black Lives Matter movement was a huge deal.

It always has been, and atten

tion was brought into its view.

Posts coursed through Insta gram, Twitter, TikTok, and more.

These posts uplifted the cause and eventually brought so much attention that change actually happened.

Finally, there was justice within the court system, and George Floyd’s murderers were placed in jail.

This is a prime example of ac tivism bringing change. Within attention and rage in America, activists brought justice. True activism looks exactly like this. Bringing attention and giving your all into causes.

Whether that’s reposting peti tions, going to protests, donating, or any other sources of change.

However, what isn’t true ac tivism, is reposting an infograph ic on your story about racial in justice, and then go and hang out with your friends who use racial slurs three times a day.

This is an issue because this is what we call fake activism.

Posting on your Instagram sto ry about why women’s rights are so important- and then calling up

your guy friend who has degrad ed women multiple times is not okay.

It is extremely hypocritical and reflects the idea that you don’t actually care about the move ments you claim to be concerned about.

Doing this disregards the en tire point of being an activist.

You can not call yourself an ally or supporter to a movement and follow it up with being friends with the exact type of people you are against.

You also can’t support the con tent and not the cause of a cam paign.

Reposting a simple post on your story to make it seem like you care about it is just extremely insensitive.

Although doing this helps bring awareness to a situation, it also doesn’t do any good if you can’t take three seconds out of your day to sign a petition, make a small donation (if you can) or even call out your misogynistic friends.

Activism is true through literal actions, not digital ones.

Student sworn into HCPS Board of Education

KRIS GRAY News Editor

“I am a loud person and I have very strong opinions. I love that it allows me to help people,” states Senior, Noa Blanken. Blanken is NHHS’s Senior Class Presi dent, Executive Vice President of SGA, and the new HCPS Student Member of the Board of Education.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the senior was sworn in on the evening of August 22. She took place as “the 35th student member of the Board of Education of Har ford County.” Blank en believes that this position allows her to be “the voice of the students”.

When first ap proached for the po sition, the student’s reaction was “no”. She explains, “I thought it was way too much responsibility. I didn’t know enough about it.” But, after spend ing time with a previ ous Student Member of the Board, who “completely calmed [her] nerves”, she read “a bunch of past meeting minutes” and finally said okay.

She was “very ex cited” about the new position and “invited [her] whole family to the swearing in cer emony.” Ever since,

Blanken states that she has been in a “whirlwind” of “a million committees, a million meetings, networking events, and emails.”

Some of the responsibilities that come with that are going to board meetings and “being the voice of the students.” When a part of the meetings, “if there

is a vote I feel would not be the best bet for the students, I voice that loud and clear,” according to Blanken. She is also in the Cal endar Committee where she “is helping to write the 2023-2024 calendar for next year.”

In addition, The Class Presi dent expresses her role in “in troducing new bills and laws”. Her goal is to “hopefully, increase the quality of Harford County Public Schools for years to come.”

Nevertheless, this is not the only area Blan ken plays a role in. As class president, the student focuses on “do ing class activities and fundraisers.” She ex plains, “So, if we go on a class trip, that is on me. I helped plan and set up for Homecoming, and I’ll do the Senior Class t-shirts, the Senior Sunrise, and collabo rate with the Executive Board to discuss spirit week.”

Due to her many po sitions and two forms of employment, Blanken elaborates on her struggles with balanc ing this; “my self-care is a 20-minute-nap on the couch.”

The student plans on “going to a four-year [college] for pre-vet erinarian or veterinary science and getting in volved with emergency veterinary care.”

School decor for new year;New flags flying in parking lot

REESE SHOWALTER Sports Editor

At the start of the school year, NHHS principal Mr. Bryan Paw licki bought new school decora tions. He bought new flags that are being flown outside of the school entrances.

The banners consist of the school logo, the hawk, and “GO HAWKS!” and “WELCOME” written in big letters down the middle with a green background.

NH Helps, a parent organi zation created by Mrs. Jennifer Chandler on Facebook, decorat ed the entrances to the school for homecoming as well.

Senior Noa Blanken said, “I think it is super cool and nice that Mr. Pawlicki would do some thing like that for our school. I really like it.”

Usually, at the start of school, the decorations are outside but due to weather this year, the school decided to decorate inside near the cafeteria and the atrium.

According to Chandler, there was conversation about the out continuing to decorate inside in stead of decorating the outside. A lot of students enjoyed the decorations being inside instead of the usual decorations that are outside.

The homecoming decorations consisted of balloon arches, signs, banners, streamers, and more. Almost all the decorations were green and gold adding to the excitement of the homecoming game.

Senior Piper Wright said, “It

was definitely a surprise to see during spirit week. I really liked that the school did it though, it just added more leading up to homecoming.”

Wright added, “a lot of stu dents liked the decorations on the inside. When they were out side we barely saw them but since they were inside and in ‘popular’ places, a lot of students saw them and it added to spirit week.”

Senior Reilly Holmstrom agreed with Wright. “Spirit week is always a lot of fun. I enjoy the week in general. It was really nice to see the school decorated as well. It just added to the fun of the week.”

Blanken said, “It was really cool to come in and see the new flags, it added to the school spirit. It is really awesome.”

She also said, “I love the new flags. I first saw them when I was coming up for the open house. They make me feel so welcome and at home.”

Holmstrom said, “I saw the flags on the first day of school. I really like how they look. I think it makes students feel welcome. I also really like that there is a flag by the bus ramp and the park ing lot so all students get to see them.”

Holmstrom also said, “I think it is really important to have things, like these decorations at school. I really like that our school has so much school spirit. I also really like that they are near both en trances so all students are able to see them.”

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain dead at 96; NHHS students, staff pay tribute to monarch’s legacy

KRIS GRAY News Editor

According to Britannica, Eliz abeth Alexandra Mary Wind sor was the queen of the Unit ed Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and many other realms and territories from Feb ruary 6, 1952 to September 8, 2022. “She was a symbol of grace, resolve, and stability for both the U.K. and the world,” states histo ry teacher Mr. Benjamin Scarborough.

The Queen was born on April 21, 1926 in London, England and spent her last days at Balmoral Castle, the British royal family’s estate in Aberdeenshire, Scot land. Scarborough, “was not sur prised that the Queen passed, given her advanced age, but…was still saddened by it.”

The Monarch came to power at 25 years of age and passed at 96, ending 70 years of service to the British Commonwealth. The BBC records that, “as a 21-year-old princess, Elizabeth had vowed to devote her life to service.” Later, during her Silver Jubilee in 1977, she revealed that, “although that vow was made in [her] salad

days, when [she] was green in judgment, [she does] not regret nor retract one word of it.”

Elizabeth was the longest reigning British monarch in his tory with her son, Charles III, succeeding her as King of the United Kingdom and the Com monwealth at 73 years old, ac cording to Statista.

Junior Julianna Chaney ex presses that she was, “very surprised when [she] heard of the Queen’s death.” The junior thought she would live forever. Chaney states, “Queen Elizabeth showed me that women can be successful in very powerful positions. I don’t think anyone could live up to her legacy.”

Other North Harford High School students voice their reac tions to the event. Junior Thomas White believes, “we can all see each other in Queen Elizabeth because inside, we are all queens.”

Scarborough continues, “she was the face of Britain and repre sented the traditions and values I most associate with the British.”

The teacher is worried that, “the British monarchy may face troubles in the future. Queen

Elizabeth II was beloved by most British people, but King Charles III’s approval ratings are quite low. Because it is a position that is not elected, [he] wonder[s]

how long British taxpayers will be willing to support it.”

Reuters writes that detractors view, “the new king [as] weak, vain, interfering, and ill-equipped

for the role of sovereign.” Sup porters say that “it is a distortion of the good work he does” and he is misunderstood for his concern for all his “fellow Britons.”

This is the first instance TV cameras were allowed at a British Monarch’s funeral. Reuters recorded that the Queen’s funeral was watched by 11.4 million people in the U.S. PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson Collection

Blanken is in “meetings in the board office till 11:30 or midnight.” The student represents “all 42,000 students and staff of Harford County.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Kathy Albergo

ALEXA FALLS News Editor

On June 30 of this year, Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn to the supreme court, becoming the first black woman voted to be a su preme court justice in the court's 233-year long history. Jackson’s confirmation was decided on a vote of 53–47. Her confirmation was decided on a vote of 53–47 from the Senate on April 7 of this year in which each dem ocratic senator and three republican senators voted for her.

Before becom ing a supreme court justice, Jack son worked as a journalist and re searcher at Time magazine and then attended Harvard Law School and Harvard Univer sity, according to Britannica. During her time spent at Harvard, she was a supervising editor of the Harvard Law Review as well.

With Harvard being one of the most prestigious ivy league schools, President Joe Biden stated she is “uniquely accomplished and wide-ranging background” which is one reason why he thought she would be a good can

didate to replace former justice

Ketanji Brown Jackson becomes supreme court justice Students travel in summer; Exploring foreign countries

Stephen G. Breyer who had plans to retire, according to Britannica.

Jackson was nominated to the supreme court earlier this year on February 25.

Senior Yoyin Ogunyemi said, "I think she is a very intelligent woman. I love how she is able to stand her ground and stand in what she believes in.” Ogunyemi

mindset that can help us do bet ter as a country.”

Senior Neah Shaw says that Jackson, “is very refreshing. She gets right to the point, makes bold statements and knows what she is doing.” Shaw adds, “I love her confidence and [I] hope that she keeps doing what she does.”

Ogunyemi says, “[her great mind set] can teach young POC (people of color) to fight for what’s right and to take leader ship.”

Shaw states that the addition of Jackson to the supreme court is a step in the right direction for Ameri cas justice system and says, “get ting people of different genders and backgrounds allow people to bring new insight that others would not think of.”

NOEL BAILEY Op/Ed Editor

North Harford had students with big trips this past summer. Senior Delaney O’Neil and soph omore McKenna O’Neil went to Iceland this summer, while ju nior Timothy Morrow went on a trip to Europe.

Morrow went to Europe for 41 days. He started his trip in Swit zerland and ended it in Belgium. Morrow left America on June 20 to fly out to Dublin, Ireland, for a five hour layover, then had his flight to Switzerland. He stayed in Switzerland for two weeks with his great aunt. They hiked mountains and different parts of the country. There were many “beautiful views,” according to Morrow.

gium to stay with his grand mother again. He then flew home July 31 with a five hour layover in Dublin again to catch his flight home.

Sisters Dulaney and McK enna O’Neil took a trip to Ice land for about seven days. The sisters also went with their mom and aunt. The trip was “a very last minute idea that we made in June and then went in August,” M. O’Neil said. They started their trip in Reykjavik but then traveled to Selfoss and Vik. They traveled by car when in Iceland.

adds, “I do believe it [Jackson be coming a supreme court justice] is a step in the right direction be cause this type of representation matters, and she also had a great

She adds, “I also believe that this allows black people to feel comfortable with going into a po sition like [Jacksons], even other POC.”

Morrow then went to Belgium to stay with his grandmother. Him, his uncle, and cousins all drove to France and Germany to stay there a couple nights, along with the Netherlands. They made their way to their desti nation in Norway. The family did a biking trip together along the fjords of Norway for 13 days. They stayed in tents at camping grounds. They saw more nice views and went to many dif ferent places while they biked. They also had a chance to take a train if they didn’t want to bike that day.

Morrow ended his trip in Bel

They went to three different hot spring lagoons, “Sky La goon, Blue Lagoon, and the Se cret Lagoon.” They also hiked, saw waterfalls, toured ice caves and glaciers, and rode icelandic ponies. They went to the fa mous Black Sand Beach while they were there. It was “my favorite part,” D. O’Neil said. “The view onto the ocean was beautiful and I loved the scen ery. There were tons of huge rocks in the middle of the water, and even small caves on the beach,” she explained.

The weather they had in Ice land was “very rainy,” accord ing to D. O’Neil. The tempera ture was around 50 degrees fahrenheit. For two days, it was pouring rain outside. But for three days, the sisters expe rienced sunnier days.

School supply prices rising; Care Closet opening, growing

KIMBERLY EDGAR Entertainment Editor

“Inflation has driven up the prices of books and supplies by 3.11% compared to last year, and Americans are spending $11 bil lion more than in 2019. That’s a cost increase of about $170 per family,” says Meghan Grey of Key C News. Inflation and the need for school supplies influenced assistant principal Mr. Ed Stevens and others to create a “care closet” for any student who is in need.

“We had a lot of students who lost a lot of supplies in fires during 2020, so we all got together,” says Ste vens.“We thought it would be nice if students had a place to go in order to get things like binders and backpacks.” Stevens got in contact with Mrs. Laurie Namey, the principal at Magnolia Middle School, since they already had a closet set up. “I believe that they also have food, like a food pantry set up. We decided that we probably don’t want to do that because we would have to worry about allergies and expira tion dates,” says Stevens.

The care closet started right

around when COVID-19 broke out. Stevens mentions that he had already set up several racks and bins for the supplies to be stored in by this time. Stevens and administrator Mrs. Kim Id dings went to Mason Dixon last year for assistance with offering school supplies.

The issue currently resides with the lack of publicity. It is

in the room, someone will deliver the items directly to them dis creetly,” says Stevens.

Stevens explains that several people, including local churches, are offering to contribute to the care closet. It is not complete ly stocked as of now, but school supplies and some clothes are available. According to Stevens, anyone can donate to the care closet by going to the main office and asking. He hopes to set up some do nation bins in several hot spots in the school.

important that students know about the closet and what it offers. The closet is located in between the nurses office and the student store, but if you are in need of supplies or clothing, Stevens explains that students should see their counselor or an adult to get what they need from the closet. “It will be private so that no one else will see someone

Stevens emphasizes that he is looking for items that are not used. “Hood ies and coats we will take gently used, but person al items like deodorant should be new. We won’t turn anything away, but we don’t want clothing that students don’t want anymore because of [something like a stain],” says Stevens.

The plan for managing the care closet will be handed to the students in the life skills classes. “We want them to organize the [closet] because they do little jobs to help build life skills,” adds Stevens. He is still in the plan ning stages for the closet and Ste vens says that he will continue to

Ketanji Brown Jackson modeling for Vogue. Jackson makes history with new role.

PHOTO CREDIT: Annie Leibovitz

New Starting Lineup

Fashionable Fits: Students share what they wear

Take note:

Ideas on making an impact

Celebrating 30 years of fear

MACKENZIE SCOTT Op/Ed Editor EMMA CORNMAN Reporter

Field of Screams recently opened their doors for their 30th year. The only location in Lancast er, Pennsylvania includes four haunted attractions, live music, food, five-minute escape games and merchandise.

The four attractions at Field of Screams include the Nocturnal Wasteland, the Haunted Hay ride, the Den of Darkness, and the Frightmare Asylum. The Noctur nal Wasteland is a haunted trail where you walk through the slen der forest filled with overgrown areas and many mutant creatures. The Haunted Hayride takes you on a ride through the cornfields

There will be a day race from 11am-4pm and a night race at 4:30pm-6pm. You can sign up to be a runner or one of the zombies. The run benefits the PA Breast Cancer Coalition. They are also hosting their extreme blackout on November 11th.

The extreme blackout is a separate event from their normal show and will be in complete darkness. Guests will be subject ed to physical restraints and iso lation. Waivers must be signed to attend the extreme blackout night. This night is one day only and is $50 in advance and $60 on site or online the day of. Tickets for regular nights can be pur chased in person or onsite if not

Musical traveling experience for educator;Choir director warms up for tour

KIMBERLY EDGAR Entertainment Editor

Music teacher Mrs. Katelyn Hemling will be traveling to Eu rope on Oct. 14 through Oct. 23 for a singing tour. According to Hemling, “the tour is a European tour with a group called Balti more Choral Arts Society. Baltimore Choral Arts is an auditioned, local ensemble that performs regionally.”

Hemling found out about this tour through singing with Deer Creek Chorale. “Our director is a friend of the Baltimore Choral Arts Director, and so some members of Deer Creek au ditioned and will be travel ing with Choral Arts,” says Hemling. Hemling and the group will be performing with European Orchestras as well as performing with the Vienna Radio Sympho ny Orchestra and the Vien na Singakademie, a well-es tablished European group.

According to Hemling, they will perform under the direction of Marin Alsop. “Marin Alsop is the former conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and one of the only, if not the only, woman to lead a major US Or chestra. She has always been a musical inspiration of mine and singing for her is hugely excit ing.”

Hemling mentions that the singing tour will give her professional networking opportunities that she will take back with her.

“In my undergraduate degree, I performed with choirs and loved it so much. I was fortunate to travel and record a lot and al

ways loved the experience,” says Hemling. “I always talk about performance opportunities and experiences with my students,

ten and are incredible once in a lifetime learning experiences.”

The group will travel to Europe and will visit Vienna, Austria, Prague, Czech Republic, and Berlin, Germany.

When Hemling was in college, she traveled frequent ly to Oxford Uni versity during the summer to per form with a choir.

“We did this trip every year and while it was a tour of sorts, it was based in one location so going to countries like this is going to be new for me.”

going into multiple themed areas with clowns, mad scientists and many more creatures of the night. The Den of Darkness is one of two haunted houses that is made up of a 120-year-old barn. The build ing goes deep back and contains many rooms filled with things lurking in the dark. Finally, they have the Frightmare Asylum. The four floored house contains doc tors and nurses that live there.

Added for 2022 in the four at tractions is the Deadwood Cem etery and the Tree of Death in the Nocturnal Wasteland. The Gory Greenhouse, the Putrid Pantry and the Rotting Flesh Kitchen was added to the den of Den or Darkness. Lastly the Psy cho Clowns were added into the Frightmare Asylum.

The other activities offered are free events such as live music, dance showcases, a battle of the bands on October 1st and a Rap Battle on October 21st. They are hosting the 10th annual 5k Zom bie Fun-Run on November 12th.

sold out. VIP front of the line ac cess is available for an additional price.

Visitors at Field of Screams such as Caelin, Jenna, and Paige, all believed going to this event was more enjoyable with friends rather than family. Caelin has been to FOS before and was glad to come back. She explained how she was looking forward to the live band and hanging out with friends. On the other hand, pa trons such as Jenna and Paige have never visited FOS before.

Jenna was excited to go since FOS, “was a bucket list activity” and that she was, “really enjoying [her] first experience.” Paige’s fa vorite attraction in the event that night was the Haunted Hayride.

Enjoy the festivities while you can. Field of Screams is open for a limited time only from Sep tember 9th to November 11th. You can get more information on scream@fieldofscreams.com for more information on specific dates and their other events.

and when this tour came around I felt it would be the perfect op portunity to show students how teachers can still be active per formers.”

The tour’s purpose is to “ex pand performers' horizons, allow them a chance to get out of their comfort zones, see the world, learn new things about the craft, and sing for new people,” says Hemling. She recommends this experience to anyone because “tours like this don’t happen of

The main piece the group will be performing is the Chichester Psalms by Leon ard Bernstein, ac cording to Hem ling. “I am not sure of the exact reasoning behind the selection. However, Marin Alsop was a student of Bernstein, so singing it with someone who knew the composer so closely is really cool.”

Hemling is looking forward to this opportunity to branch outside of her comfort zone on a chance of a lifetime. “I am so thrilled to have this chance and to be able to go meet new people, learn from so many incredible people in my field, and bring all of that back to Hawks Choir,” says Hemling.“Being afforded oppor tunities like this helps me grow.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Hawks give thoughts, opinions on new film

SARAH WELZANT Reporter

Marvel Studios has announced their new movie, Black Pan ther: Wakanda Forever, which is supposed to be a sequel to the previous Black Panther, which was released in 2018. The making of this movie is in memory of actor Chadwick Boseman, who un fortunately passed away at 43 years old from colon cancer on August 28, 2020.

Marvel has chosen not to recast Boseman’s character, T’Challa, and instead linked his death into the plot of the sequel. The movie is expected to be released in theaters by November 11, 2022. Marvel's website describes the story to be about the Wakandan’s fight to protect their kingdom following their king (T’Challa)’s death.

The original movie had got ten a IMDb rating of 7.3/10, with many public reviews discussing how it is their favorite movie out of the Marvel Cinematic Uni verse [MCU]. Fans of the origi

nal movie claim that Black Pan ther is, “One of the greatest films in the MCU, and probably one of

movies.” She describes that the movie was very good with inclu siveness with race and culture.

Sophomore Jordan Law son thinks the same in that, “Black Panther had a decent plot; it’s different from other Marvel movies because it has a different kind of feel and storyline.”

the best superhero films.”

Many people think that Black Panther achieves what a lot of other movies have not. Junior Kayla Doll stated, “I’m really hop ing that they are going to address Chadwick’s death and memori alize him.” She then went on to say that, “the first movie was cool because it was a change in Marvel

In the original, T’Challa’s father dies, and he must come back to Wakanda to take his spot as king. Along with becoming a king, T’Chal la faces many challenges to protect himself and his king dom. Lawson stated she will, “Absolutely, one hundred percent” see the new movie when it comes out. She ex plained that she feels very excited about the sequel of Black Panther as well as many others around the world.

Sophomore Cael Sims liked that Black Panther was a new take on a superhero character. He explains about other things that he liked about the movie such as “including a different culture.”

Teacher Katelyn Hemling is preparing for a singing tour coming in October. Hemling had done minor traveling with a choir in her musi cal past.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kimberly Edgar

Horror enthusiasts enter the haunted hayride. Guests were prepared to get scared during the Field of Screams experiences.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kaylee Scott

Living for the music; Students experiencing musicians

KENSINGTON BOYANICH Business Manager

Students express themselves in various ways, one of which is through music. There are many artists and genres that cater to all kinds of people and their tastes. Some, however, greatly enjoy the experience of going to see their favorite artists perform in per son.

Senior Brynn Hoffman has been to 11 dif ferent concerts in her life. “I enjoy the com munity feeling that concerts give you. You know how everyone there likes the same thing as you and it's a good feeling knowing you are in the same room with someone famous that you love.”

Hoffman is a lover of Harry Styles and has been to four concerts of his, traveling to Pittsburgh and New York city to see him perform. “The best and definitely my favorite concerts I have been to are the Harry Styles ones. He is my all time favorite artist and the energy during his performances are unmatched.”

Hoffman goes as far as “camp ing out” for concerts. This is when concert goers who have general admission tickets wait outside the venue for hours or even days. People usually do this in order to be close to the stage by “rushing the barricade.” Hoff man states though that with the concerts she has camped out at they have given her the number in line she is. This ensures that her spot won't be taken so she can go get food and use the bathroom. “Usually people are nice though and will help you out if you need something.” Hoffman endures the hours outside of the venue because, “it is important for me to be close to the stage because I love to connect with the artist.”

Junior Emma Hammond also enjoys going to concerts. “I have been to two concerts, one for Harry Styles and the other for 5 Seconds of Summer. The thing I enjoy most about going to con certs is the excitement I feel from seeing the artist perform live, and I love the preparation before

Second annual Renaissance Festival to take place

MATTHEW LEDFORD Video Editor

With the North Harford’s Re naissance Festival rapidly appearing on the horizon, arriving on Sat urday Nov. 5, 2022, the consideration of making it a new tradition for the school as a new unique staple of the drama pro gram was a success as this extraordinary event enters its second year.

Last year, the event had a large turnout with Mrs. Nancy Green, the drama teacher and event coordinator, receiving 15 boxes of canned food donations throughout the three-hour event, which were all donat ed to the Mason Dixon Foundation. With such a considerate amount of donations last year, the school is planning to do nate continuously in the future.

The goods were used as payment by the door. This year, each guest is asked to bring a canned good or a personal hy giene product to donate, which will act as their admission ticket, according to Green.

new home to donated clothes. The remainder of the journalism students will be running a stand

who will be performing Shake spearian scenes outside,” Green stated. She added, “Dr. Ben Fisler, who is a Shakespear ian expert from HCC, will be hosting some interactive work shops, Shakespearian mad libs, and a sword stage combat demo and workshop.”

hand, like getting all dressed up. It really gets you excited.” Ham mond also states about the Harry Styles concert she attended, “It was for sure my favorite concert so far. I got the experience of being in New York City. I just loved the vibe of the whole arena.”

Hoffman and Hammond have both had many good experiences with the concerts they have been to as well. Hoffman talks about how she met Louis Tomlinson, who used to be a member of the band One Direction with Harry Styles. Hoffman also says, “When I saw 5 Seconds of Summer in concert, I caught the guitar pick that they threw into the audi ence.”

Hammond also talks about her favorite concert experience, “When I walked into the arena for the Harry Styles concert I was blown away by how big it was and how many people there were. There were a lot of cool lights all around the arena.”

Teachers Mrs. Nancy Green and Mrs. Jennifer Chandler make use of the photo booth during last year’s Renaissance Festi val. Green has planned for yet another suc cessful turn out.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer Chandler, Nancy Green

From the success that the jour nalism program had last year, they will also have a booth this year. Mrs. Jennifer Chandler will be running her annual wearand-share table, which gives a

where they will be leading jew elry making activities as well as having a photobooth in front of a green screen with a large se lection of costumes. Not only are there activities, but they are also going to be selling popcorn.

“There will be many students

The drama teach er stated that in the background creating a delightful sound will be an ensemble group from the NH band department, who will play renais sance themed tunes as well as the Har monics, who will put on a performance us ing their voices, sing ing common Renais sance aged musicals. Music isn’t the only performing art that will be offered. Green said that there will be Renaissance dance lessons. In addition, there will be options to create and deco rate a masquerade mask, participate in a scavenger hunt, and be able to attend many different interactive workshops, all while being able to watch the scenes up close.

Green believes the music, along with the many characters dressed in Renaissance attire, will carry the event to success.

Young star performing in band; Local shares message, experience

KIMBERLY EDGAR Entertainment Editor

“The band is called Shangrila, the name comes from a spinoff of Nirvana, the name being an un achievable higher place,” says se nior Ethan Leight. Shangrila has been around for five years and Leight has been a member for two to three years. Leight found out later about it. “I found an ad on Craigslist, showed up to a dingy base ment alone and the rest was his tory,” says Leight. Leight’s roles in the band are pri marily drummer and writer. Leight describes inher iting these posi tions as a result of his skill set. “I started formally training [as a drummer] at the age of four until now, which would make a total of 13 years.” Leight adds that the writing part of the job is “the sharing of ideas where the best idea wins.”

Shangrila is described as “alter

native, grunge, and shoegaze,” ac cording to Leight, “but [the band] calls it aggressively dreamy.” Ac cording to Shoegaze Craze, the shoegaze genre is, “characterized

well. Leight adds that his first public performance made him feel, “nervous, but after a while everything around me faded into a super focus.” Shangrila will have their next performance on October 16 at the Bal timore SoundStage. Leight recom mends being a part of the band and states that it can be sim plified as practicing and failing. “Practice is 90% of it, because once you are on stage, it is all muscle mem ory. But when you fail, you learn how to fix things quickly without interrupting the performance.”

by overwhelmingly loud, distort ed guitars and echoing reverb, the signature shoegaze sound deemphasizes the vocals, often treating the human voice as just another instrument in a wash of sonic texture.”

Leight explains that every pub lic performance the band has goes

Leight explains that it is crucial to learn how to cover up your mistakes because the audience won’t notice unless there is attention drawn to it.

Music for Leight is a way for him to express his ideas and message without words, and he uses his membership in the band as a way to fulfill his goal of being unique. “The drums are a vehicle for my expression,” says Leight.

Harry Styles performs on stage at Mad ison Square Garden. Senior Brynn Hoff man has been to four of Styles previous concerts.

PHOTO CREDIT: Brynn Hoffman

Local Ethan Leight performing as the drum mer in Shangrila. The band has released 12 songs.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ethan Leight

Hawks Happenings

Freshman predict future; Who will be class president, valedictorian, more

GABRIELLE MOXHAM Reporter

As a freshman in high school, students usually have trouble planning two weeks ahead of them let alone their life goals. Still navigating the hallways, their style, friends, and hobbies, it can be confusing for these young adults to know who they are and what they want.

One art influenced freshman, Mia Siegel, said, “Right now, I've just started publishing a web comic with my best friend, so ideally by the time I’m a senior, I would love to be either done or almost done with that.” Art is Siegel's pathway, and she hopes for a successful career in it. In terms of valedictorian, she fore sees fellow freshman Jzaleilah Barroquillo taking that role be cause, “she was top of our class last year, and she puts 120% into everything she does.”

Freshman Meghan Suman

has somewhat different dreams in life. As a member of the cheer team, “[Becoming] cheer cap tain is ideal, I have been cheer ing since I was little and I want to do softball.” As for her career, she is more interested in the psy chology field and hopes to go “somewhere in Florida, probably North or Southeastern.” In terms of class president, Suman would elect freshman Kendall Chandler because, “she puts a lot of effort into her classes, being focused and loves learning.”

Unlike the past couple of stu dents, freshman Christopher Ortt, has no ideas of his current pathway, and not sure of where he will be senior year. Ortt is presently taking the elective classes of band, French, and GIS, but says he personally isn’t very interested in GIS or band. He shows no sign of decisiveness on signing up for clubs, either. He is essentially free-handing high

school and, “going with the flow.” Ortt commented “not me,” as his prediction of valedictorian of his class.

Freshman Evelyn Gonzalez says she wants to, “be planning out what college I want to go or apply to, and have experience working in retail at a beau ty store.” She wants to go into cosmetology as a career, so she wants to be acquainted with the business. She believes freshman Rund Farouki will be valedicto rian and possibly class president.

In all seriousness, it is fairly nor mal for incoming freshmen to be a little bit lost in what their goals are for the future. It is always helpful to try out new things and find what you like, plus clubs and sports look great for college re sumes if you plan to go to college. If you have any questions, never hesitate to reach out to your up perclassmen friends or teachers or admin.

Summer fun in Rocks

MEKENZIE MCCANN H/S Editor

Every summer, the Harford County 4-H Camp and Deer Creek Overlook hosts a 4-H summer camp, “A Week Along the Creek.” Teenagers, between the ages of 13-18, participate in 30 hours of training to become a counselor for elementary and middle school students who at tend the camp.

Through the summer, three camps are offered, in cluding Clover Camp for kids ages five to seven, Junior camp for eight-10 year olds, and Intermediate camp for tweens ages 11-13.

Over the course of February through May, the counselors report that they go through hours of training which includes safety, dealing with homesickness, team building, and more.

Senior Elisabeth Holmes comments that the, “role as a counsel or is to make sure the campers have fun and are staying safe.”

Holmes says that she, “chose to become a counselor because [she] had been a camper since [she] was eight and had a lot of fun, so becoming a coun selor seemed like the next logi cal step, plus [her] brother was a counselor when he was younger.”

Senior Carmen Santoro says that she chose to become a coun selor “because being at camp is

always fun.”

Holmes added that being a counselor has ups and downs, but her favorite part of being a counselor includes, “seeing the smiles on [the camper’s] faces as they fall in love with camp.” San toro says that she struggled with staying calm and often got frus trated.

Many counselors reported that working with children and going through all the training can teach

gained many leadership skills while being a counselor by “lead ing the pack around and guiding” the campers, comments Santoro.

Holmes also had the oppor tunity to become a Youth Direc tor where she “ oversaw all the [other] counselors and campers, and made sure that camp was running smoothly and tried to help wherever [she] was needed,” Holmes states.

According to Deer Creek Over look, “the Harford County 4-H camp is a unique, private non-profit organi zation run by a 13 member all-volunteer Camp Board.”

The camp has been enriching lives for nearly a century. The current land of the 4-H camp was, “first transferred to Harford County 4-H Clubs, Inc. on July 9, 1925,” says the Deer Creek Overlook website.

Leather business takes flight; NH alumnus becomes entrepreneur

EMMA CORNMAN Reporter

Zachary Cornman, a young entrepreneur and 2022 North Harford alumnus has been handling a leather business all on his own. For over a year now, Cornman spends hours on each order producing products that last for decades.

Cornman’s business is named Cornman Leather Works and you can find him at CornmanLeatherWorks@gmail.com.

In his business, he “accepts orders of what people want and builds them from scratch.” He offers designs for paper patterns before the final print on the leather and can apply custom colors and designs to each piece. Cornman works with leather to tack gear for horses such as bridle, reins, and saddle bags. He also can hand make holsters, gun belts, regular belts, wallets, handle wraps, and knife sheaths.

Cornman offers services for leather restoration, cleanings, repairs, and even modifications to existing works. He is currently working on making saddles from scratch. Zachary mentions that, “if you have an idea and show me a picture, I can make it.”

His business first started by simply being bored during lockdown when COVID-19 was first appearing. Cornman mentioned that wood was too expensive to buy, and he was simply always interested in leather works.

The idea of working with leather came from a time where he was “trying to find a belt or holster online and couldn’t find anything like what [he] was imagining. So, [he] decided to just make it [himself]. [He] wanted it to be a hobby that paid for itself, but it became so suc cessful that [he] made it into a business.”

the teenagers life skills that will always be with them.

“Being a counselor has helped me learn that to enjoy the mo ment and not to worry about anything else as well [as] taking on more responsibility, but still taking care of myself,” comments Holmes.

Santoro also says that she has

The property in cludes multiple ven ues such as Deer Creek Overlook Cen ter, Rocks Lodge, Dormitories, Crafts Building, Pavilions, Swimming Pool, Archery Range, and more. Samantha Johnson, freshman, at tended the 4-H camp. She chose to be a camper, “because it was something different and exciting to do during the summer,” says Johnson. She also said the camp, “was a great, fun experience and [she] got to meet new people.”

Cornman wishes to “eventually be able to make it into a full-time job. [He] wants to be a small business owner where [he] can make enough to support [himself] and [his] future family.”

He states that “after the military, [he] wants to have the leather business as [his] main career.”

As a young business owner, Cornman says that “it’s fun and will hopefully lead to a promising future but it is a little scary spending all this money into [his] business.”

Some advice Cornman gives to those wanting to start their own business is to “save up a lot of money before you start, and while you are saving up that money, learn everything you possibly can about your preferred profession and what you wish to do with it.”

For example, he mentions how he, “took a year just to learn what tools to buy, what leather to use, and how to make patterns.” Bottom line, Cornman presses the idea to, “never stop learning” about what you want to do.

10/5 School closed for Yom Kippur

10/17 Field hockey senior night and boys volleyball senior night

10/18 Boys soccer senior night

Carmen Santoro and friends pose for a selfie at the Final Campfire. Every year the camp is held for three different weeks, and ranges for campers ages 5-13.

PHOTO CREDITS: Allison Coyne

Seasonal allergies are coming; Are you ready?

RILEY HEROLD Reporter

Summer is coming to a close, and fall is coming closer every day. And with those changes, sea sonal allergies can be a problem.

According to ValuePenguin, “Seasonal allergies cost consum ers $266 a year, on average, or more than $16,000 over a life time.” People spend lots of money just to help reduce how severe their seasonal allergies are. With spending so much just to reduce the severity, different ages spend different amounts. According to ValuePenguin, “ages 18 to 24 spend $390 a year, ages 25 to 40 spend $353 a year, ages 41 to 55 spend $209 a year, and ages 56 to 75 spend $143 a year.”

According to Yale Medicine, “When you come in contact with a substance that you’re allergic to, called an allergen, your im mune system treats it as an in truder. In response, your immune system releases chemicals [….] which cause a cluster of allergic symptoms: runny eyes and nose, itchy, watery eyes, sneezing and coughing.”

These symptoms a lot of peo ple recognize from just being sick or having allergies. A lot of people confuse the two because they do share similar symptoms.

Senior Sophia Schull stated, “I’m

constantly getting up to get tis sues, my nose is really runny, and sometimes I cough which makes people think I have Covid.”

This confusion is what makes people flinch when someone coughs or sneezes when it's only seasonal allergies. Junior Benjamin Steele said, “we can be sent home because the nurse thinks we're sick or something, and that becomes a problem.”

Seasonal allergies affect students’ day to day life, school, and work. Senior Delaney O’Neil stat ed, “I have trouble sleeping with having a stuffy nose, constantly needing to get tissues, and need ing to get up and blow your nose, which is really annoying having to do that, and then your sleep schedule is messed up. You don’t feel the same the next day.”

Steele stated, “My eyes are red all the time, it makes my eyes itchy, and I have to sneeze a lot, so it kind of makes it hard to fo cus in class if I’m always itching my eyes.”

O’Neil stated “I feel like it af fects going to work. One time I had to go to work, and I had to cough, and I started coughing ev erywhere and I felt really bad for everyone.”

Overall, as Schull stated, “Sea sonal allergies are just really bad, they’re awful.”

Foreign exchange student adjusts, Discusses challenges she’s facing

GABRIELLE MOXHAM Reporter

“In the 2019-2020 Academ ic Year, 20,362 international students studied in the state of Maryland. 739 of these students attended high school or second ary schools in Maryland,” ac cording to hostfamilies.org.

North Harford has been wel coming many new students this year but one in particular, Ma rissa Luna (junior) is a little far ther away from home than most.

We are lucky enough to be greeting her as our foreign ex change student this year. She did choose to be a foreign exchange student but had no say in where she landed. In order to adjust slightly and get a head start to the school year Luna was sent and arrived here a week before school started.

Luna is currently staying in Jarrettsville with her host family and is enjoying her time so far.

She claims “North Harford is really different from my other school.” She enjoys that she had the opportunity to choose her electives, and “the opportunity

to join after school activities like clubs and sports.”

In Michoacán Mexico where she is from, most schools don’t have clubs and sports, only pri vate schools.

Another difference from back home is that she used to have one class that she traveled with throughout the day, so now she has the opportunity to meet new people but it does make it slightly more tough to make close friends.

In terms of different school rules Luna said “the dress code, all of the schools in Mexico wear a uniform both public and private, but here you can dress pretty much however you want.”

She enjoys having the abil ity to wear her own clothes but comments “I like to dress up cute and I hate when I pick something random and wear it.”

Breaking out Monkeypox facts; Community responds to information

BROOKELYN PRIEBE Reporter

According to the CDC, mon keypox is a rare disease caused by a virus - which is part of the same family as variola virus - which causes smallpox. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to small pox symptoms, but milder and are rarely fatal. The virus is not related to chickenpox.

The CDC states that, once in fected with the disease, “a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus. The rash goes through different stages before healing completely.” The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

The Monkeypox rash typically starts on the face and spreads to many areas of the body. People

usually have between 10 and 150 pox-like bumps on their skin. Some people developed more than 200 bumps, according to the CDC.

Junior Reese Carroll says he has heard about monkeypox but he, “doesn’t really know much about the virus.”

He says, “my mom kind of just brought it up to me in the car a few weeks ago and told me what it was, and it sort of made me a little worried because it sounds horrible, and I don’t want to have to go through quarantine again if that’s what you have to do when you get it.” Carroll continues, “I haven’t met someone who has had it yet so I’m not as worried about it since [my] mom told me, but it is still something I hope I never experience.”

As of September 27, there

Page 15- Students, Society, and CultureCry of the HawkOctober 4, 2022 Sometimes it’s difficult for her to pick what to wear. Even though Luna speaks quite fluent English Luna has run into diffi culty with the language barrier on more than one occasion.

are no treatments specifically for monkeypox. But because the viruses that cause monkeypox and smallpox are similar, anti viral drugs developed to protect against smallpox may be used to treat monkeypox effectively.

Senior Piper Wright says, “I have only heard about monkey pox through the news and social media, and definitely TikTok too.”

Wright continues, “I think it is something to worry about to an extent. Obviously, no one wants to get it but clearly it hasn’t taken over the U.S like Covid did. So to me, it's just another virus that is out there. We should definitely take some precaution, but I don’t think we need to lock down or break down again over a virus that hasn’t spread as quickly as Covid.”

10/19 Girls soccer senior night

10/20 Early dismissal

10/21School closed

10/28 Football senior night

10/28 Girls volleyball senior night

Compiled by: Mekenzie Mccann

What’s

Alumna uses physical therapy to begin sports faster; How PT process aided athlete in recovery

MATTHEW LEDFORD Video Editor

Alumna Greer Strine graduated in 2022. Strine played for the varsity field hockey and tennis teams while she attend ed NHHS. In her senior field hockey season, she “tore [her] labrum in [her] hip and had a stress fracture to [her] femoral head.” In total, the athlete has been in physical therapy for eight months at McLaughlin Physical Therapy, located in Jarrettsville.

“For [her] first stint of phys ical therapy, [she] was work ing on healing the stress frac ture, as well as strengthening [her] leg and hip. [She] was on crutches for four weeks, rang ing from November to Decem ber, where [she] started PT around Christmas time,” Strine says.

She continued PT all the way through August. She had found out in mid-March that she needed hip surgery, so she had continued physical thera py, and knew that her road to recovery had just begun. She took a three-day break from her surgery to getting back into the swing of PT.

“Going back to physical ther apy right after surgery was tough. It took a lot of persever ance, willingness to work, and a positive mental state,” Strine states.

During physical therapy, she did many strengthening and stretching exercises, as well as a lot of cycling. Before ev ery session began, she used a stimulation machine for 10 to 15-minutes. There are two pads that are placed on the targeted area, where it adds gentle elec trical currents, which stimu late the nerves, to provide pain relief.

Following stimulation, the physical therapist will often massage the area, loosing up the muscles and relieving ten sion. With a lot of pushing, pulling, and stretching, slow progress is made.

Strine then moved out to the gym area where she went on the stationary bike for

anywhere between five to 10 minutes. She would do a lot with the resistance bands that were wrapped around her legs, where she then had to walk in certain ways. She would also use the resistance bands to re gain motion in her hip as well.

“PT felt very repetitive, and it was an extremely long and defeating process. There were many times where [Strine] felt like no progress was be ing made. [She] also started to lose hope that [she’d] return to the field anytime soon,” Strine comments.

With the support of the staff at McLaughlin, she felt that she was being well taken care of, and they truly knew what was best for her. They worked with her to create a unique PT regimen that allowed her to get back onto the field as quickly as possible.

While working alongside her surgeon, the physical thera pists were able to read his plan of recovery that was individu alized for Strine. The surgeon often recommended taking a step back to see what prog ress had been made, and what else was needed to continue forward. He had been trying to find a way to help her back onto the sports field as quickly as he could, so she was able to perform a lot of exercises that were unique to her sport.

At PT, the therapists were able to replicate the move ments she often made in games and in practice and allowed them to specialize in those ar eas.

Things didn’t always go as quickly as she’d hoped, but looking back, Strine has no ticed significant progress from where she started to where she is now.

Currently, Strine is playing club field hockey at High Point University. She states, “[She] has to sit out of a lot of the conditioning and sprints, since it still puts too much pressure on [her] joints, which [her] hip still cannot handle, but is working with [her] coach to ease her way back to playing the sport that [she] loves.”

Focus on sleeping eight hours, eating habits; Staying healthy year round

MEKENZIE MCCANN H/S Editor

“Adequate sleep contributes to a student’s overall health and well-being […] the proper amount of sleep at night [helps to] stay focused, improve concentration, and improve academ ic performance,” according to the CDC.

The amount of sleep that a per son needs depends on their age. According to the American Acad emy of Sleep Medicine, students from ages 13 to 18-years-old should get eight to ten hours of sleep per every 24 hours.

Sophomore, Evan Os wald comments that he gets “around eight to ten hours” of sleep a night. Mason Clark, junior comments that when he “gets more than eight hours of sleep he feels more tired, and not as well rested.”

(neurotransmitter) responsible for sleep.”

Teenagers that do not get the proper amount of sleep have “a higher risk for many health prob lems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, and injuries” says the CDC.

Better Health Channel com ments that effects of teenage sleep deprivation include “short

To get the right amount of sleep, “avoid screens such as computers, TV or smart phones, loud music, homework, or any other activity that gets your mind racing for at least an hour before bedtime,” says Better Health Channel.

Clark states that he “runs around his house” and wears his energy out, and Oswald com ments that he “listens to You Tube videos with white noise” to help them fall asleep.

“[Teens are at] a higher risk for many health prob lems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, and injuries.”

~Center for Disease Control

Eating better and healthier foods for your body helps you protect “against many chron ic noncommunicable diseas es, such as heart disease, di abetes and cancer,” says the World Health Organization.

Reasons that adolescents might not get enough sleep in clude, “puberty hormones [that] shift the teenager’s body clock forward by about one or two hours, making them sleepier one to two hours later,” according to Better Health Channel.

“Smartphones and other devic es used around [the time adoles cents go to] bed [...] reduce sleep time. Teens who put down their smartphones an hour before bed gain an extra 21 minutes sleep a night,” says Better Health Chan nel, and states that, “light cues the brain to stay awake. In the evening, lights from televisions, mobile phones and computers can prevent adequate production of melatonin, the brain chemical

ened attention span, memory impairment, lack of enthusiasm, risk-taking behavior, reduced sporting performance,” and more.

It is important to get the right amount of sleep every night. One way you can do that is by main taining your regular sleep sched ule.

You, “should go to bed and wake up at about the same time each day,” according to Nation wide Childrens.

Another way to make sure you get the right amount of sleep is to, “avoid oversleeping on week ends [...] and take early afternoon naps,” says Nationwide Chil drens.

Make sure to eat plenty of vegetables and fruit “they are important sources of vi tamins, minerals, dietary fiber, plant protein and antioxidants,” according to the World Health organization. Oswald comments that when he eats healthy, he eats “salads and fruits.”

According to the World Health Organization, “Eating too much [fats and oils], particularly the wrong kinds of fat, like saturated and industrially-produced transfat, can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

“Sugars should represent less than 10% of your total energy in take[...]” and “keeping your salt intake to less than 5h per say helps prevent hypertension and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke in the adult popula tion,” says the World Health Or ganization.

Focusing on mental health in September

BROOKELYN PRIEBE Reporter

September is suicide prevention awareness month, a time where people bring all awareness to the struggle of depression and sui cide. This month is used to shift people’s perception on the subject and to teach people the truths and dif ficulties about suicide.

People who have strug gled can open up with more of an ease during this month to share their journey with suicide, whether it is their own story or how someone else’s sto ry has affected them.

The suicide and crisis life line is 988. The hotline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that pro vides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

Students believe that a month for suicide awareness is not near ly enough time.

Junior student, Caitlyn Travag line believes that this month is not enough time. She says, “[sui cide] should be talked about al ways. It is more preventative that

way and it is a big killer of teens and I think it should definitely be

only bring awareness to suicide for only one month. Half the peo-

fine to focus on it and give it a month, but people should always be thinking about it and always bring awareness to it.”

Junior Blake Howell says, “to me, suicide prevention month is perceived as dumb, people go all out and post and talk about it just for one month. It is just dumb how people

just saying stuff for the atten tion.”

Reinecke says, “I have gone through my own stuff and people really won’t notice it, and when they do, they just put on a show. They should check up on you no matter what. Even if they know you’re going through something or not.”

Field ‘Hawkey’ challenges 2022 season

MEGHAN KALCK SSC Editor/Studio Manager

The North Harford High School field hockey team has already been in a lot of action this school year and is currently winning 4-1 so far this season, as of September 17.

Senior Grace Underwood (left back, defense) explained how the season is going “good so far,” in regards to overall scores and league standings.

“We are such a strong team,” Underwood says. “The team has so much talent as a whole and they all work together super well when it comes to practices and games.” The team is looking for ward to the rest of the season be cause it can only go up from here, and the team has been working hard to play their best game.

Senior Kaley Mullhausen (right wing, offense) agrees with Underwood- the season so far is

“going really well,” and the team is super close as friends. “We all really respect each other.” They all work great together when playing. This creates a great team chemistry and leads to better per formance on the field.

Coach Carla Harward is very impressed with the team’s chem istry and how they are,“very much bonded as a team.” She is also very pleased with how the team has been playing so far, hop

ing that they continue to get bet ter and better. She believes that the team has the potential to go all the way to states this year.

Harward is proud of the team with how well they listen in practice and implement what they learn into the games they play. “They support each other, and their communication is also improving on the field,” she ex plains. They have been practicing techniques such as passing, and she is very pleased to see these skills on the field. Underwood and Mullhausen also believe that their team has the potential to go all the way to states this year.

Last year the team won the re gionals, but did not take home the state title.

Their biggest competition that they have played is Hereford High School, which they had al ready played this season. “We lost to them in double time, but we have to go into every game thinking that we are the best,” Underwood says.

“Confidence is key when play ing, but you also have to have good sportsmanship while play ing the game,” Mullhausen says “Everyone on the team is seen as an equal, and no one is better than another person on or off the field.”

Varsity football stunted Homecoming Friday; Hawks athletes shine on Sunday in Ravens’ stadium

REESE SHOWALTER Sports Editor

Hawks football had their homecoming game on September 16 at 6:45 they played against the Bel Air bobcats.The varsity team did lose there game 0 - 42. The junior varsity team won their game against Bel Air 14 -6.

The home coming game had booths and food vendor's setup before and during the game. There were also fire works after the game where fans were in vited onto the field to watch.

This year the Hawks only have four home games. These games are against C. Mil ton Wright, Bel Air, Har ford Tech, and Fallston. The Hawks have seven away games. In total they will play 11 games.

The team is planning on working on many things to improve their game play. Senior Brooks Bondura said, “the whole team

needs to work on getting locked in and focused at practice so we can have a productive practice.”

Junior Preston Miller said, “We are trying new things to see if they will work, I think we are trying a new offense and hopeful ly that will work better.”

Bondura said a good thing that happened during the game was “we kept pushing and gave it our all and we were able to shut down a good team all first quar

ter but in the second quarter we started to not try as hard and the game dynamic changed pretty fast.”

Senior Nathan Santana said, “I think we need to improve on tackling and coming together and complete the goals we have set for the season.”

Santana added some of the team's goals this season, “We want to complete the goal of go ing to the playoffs again.” Bondu-

ra agrees with Santana, “The goal is to have a home playoff game at the end of the season.”

Santana said, “During the game we did have some positives, we had a few interceptions and some long runs for positive yards.”

A few varsity play ers went to the Ravens halftime combine event and won beating South Car roll, winning 500 dollars for North Harford High. They currently have the fast est time this year at 32.47 seconds.

Miller said, “Right after the Home coming game a few of us went to the Ravens game, that was really cool, see ing the way our teammates play during that it was really energetic and I feel like if we can play like that during our games and just have fun. I think we could play a lot better than we are right now.”

Golfers make memories, swing into fall season

STELLA MANNS Sports Editor

North Harford’s co-ed golf team, unlike other fall sports, is about halfway through their season. The Hawks are leading the season 7-2.

The team plans to play in the state qualifier rounds on September 20. In the UCBAC golf league, the players go through a nine hole golf course, rather than 18.

Coach Nick Panos has a goal, “to be more skilled at the end of the season than [the team] is now.”

Coach Panos expresses that the team has had a “very solid first half of the season”. The Hawks are led by captain John Manzari, senior.

The starters of the golf team include Manzari, juniors Alex Martinelli and Nicholas Co chran, sophomores Lucas Parks, Coulter Parsons, and Logan Rakesraw, and fresh men Greg Sebring and Ashley Picha.

Manzari thinks this, “new team has potential to be really good and beat any team in the county.” As captain he strives to, “set an example that [he] think[s] could really help the team be successful.” Manzari is ready to see the team improve as a whole but, also some indi viduals go above and beyond in the sport.

Junior Alex Martinelli is facing his first year as a Hawk after transferring from Harford Tech. Martinelli has been play ing golf for three years. He is looking forward to state qual ifiers on 9/20. Sadly he, “does not think [he] will qualify at states.” Martinelli likes to be a part of the good team dynamic they have built.

Junior Nicholas Cochran has “been playing golf for eight years,” and this year on the Hawks co-ed team he is “real ly looking forward to states.” As the state qualifier is com ing up, he is getting prepared. Cochran says all the players “clicked at the start of the sea son.”

Fellow junior Cooper Honig has only “played golf for three to four months.” In his most re cent match at Furnace Bay, the Hawks stole the win and Ho nig shot a 44. He feels the team has a good dynamic.“[They] enjoy playing together,” ac cording to Honig.

Freshman Ashley Picha looks to have a prosperous first season. Picha hopes to perform well in the upcoming state qualifier rounds. She has “been playing golf for two and a half to three years” and looks forward to the second half of the fall season.

Picha believes the team has “been doing pretty well.” She says you have to acknowledge that “some people will have better matches than others.” Lookout for the hawks next match 10/6 at Fallston.

Hawks celebrate a win against Govenor Thomas Johnson High School. The team has a current record of 1-4.

PHOTO CREDIT: REESE LYNCH

Hawks soccer teams start 2022 season

STELLA MANNS Sports Editor

This year at The Nest, boys and girls varsity soccer teams hit the ground running, both with winning records. Boys soccer faces coaching changes while the Lady Hawks are seek ing redemption for last year's loss in the semi-finals against Hereford.

Boys soccer boasts a 4-1 re cord as of 9/22. A last minute change in coaching staff has not been detrimental for the boys. Former head coach and guidance counselor Mr. John stone has coached the boys for many seasons before leaving North Harford this fall. He has now handed down the torch to Coach Erik Lane.

Lane coached boys JV for the 2021-2022 season and has many aspirations for the coming sea son. The team's keepers, juniors Mikey Lawry and Tony Fuggit ti, have been supplying, “excel lent shot stopping this season.” With a defensive line led by senior captain, Tyler “TJ” Berg er, the Hawks have had three shutouts. Anchors in the strong midfield include seniors Kian Pucher and Austin Smith.

Co-captain Smith thinks this season the team “has the poten tial to go as far as [they] want.”

Everyday, the boys have been building chemistry and hosting team dinners too. Smith is ex cited to “get to the playoffs this season.”

Making an appearance on the field for his second season, senior Cameron Radomsky thinks that

ments that “the team has a high chance at regionals this season.” As this is his first official year on the varsity team Siedlecki has high hopes to “take back the re gional title” for North Harford.

Returning girl’s soccer coach Ora Cummings is pumped up

new talented group of fresh man” ready to hit the fields, says Cummings. She says to look out for freshmen Savannah Pi cha, Mia Honig, Ashley Shelton, Presley Caslin and Zoe Shum. Cummings is ready to play C. Milton Wright again this season after “they got the best of us [the team] last year.”

Senior and co-captain Jenna Amrhein is hyped for the season to be in full swing. In the past three regular season games Am rhein has scored three goals.

She thinks that the girls are a “strong team” and they “play with a lot of heart.” As a co-cap tain, Amrhein is trying to be a role model and encourage all new and returning players.

Girl’s volleyball team serving up great start; progress this season

MEGHAN KALCK SSC Editor/Studio Manager GABRIELLE MOXHAM Reporter

The girls volleyball team has a tied season so far with a 2-2 record but is hoping to pull out some more wins following the rest of the season.

Senior Sierra Wendland says that the team “blends really well on the court.” They are still get ting to know each other because it is still a little early in the sea son but they have “really come together.”

Girls soccer prepares for home game. The Hawks current record is 4-1-1.

PHOTO CREDIT: TERRI QUICK

the team “will definitely make re gionals this year.” Radomsky, the right defensive back, is most excited by how the ball movement has improved on the field.

Agreeing with Radomsky, junior Matthew Siedlecki com

Cross country season starts; Runners participate in meets

BEN IAMPIERI Copy Editor

The Hawks’ cross country team began practicing on August 12 to prepare for their 2022 season.

The cross country team signed up for an invitational on Septem ber 3 at Hood College. 33 other teams participated. Senior cap tain Sierra Weaver said “There were a lot of people there and it was a lot of people who hadn’t run a race before, so [our team] didn’t know what we were doing,” she explained.

James Ortt, junior team cap tain, also said the meet was differ ent from most others, “but it was still really interesting to get out there and see different landscapes to run at.”

They had their first league meet on September 13, against Fallston and Edgewood. The girls came in first overall with freshman Ken dall Chandler leading for North Harford in second place with a time of 22:08, then senior Finley Lavin in fifth place with a time of 23:30, followed by Weaver in sixth with a time of 24:00.

The boys came in second over all with a first-place finish from Ortt (17:57), then junior Austin Parry with a 19:06 third-place fin ish. The next boy for North Har ford was junior Blake Carberry, who placed twelfth with a time of 21:12.

Weaver’s favorite meet was the Fallston course. “It was an easy course, but I didn’t like the loop,” she said.

Ortt also liked the Fallston meet the most. “It was the first

meet that I tried my best on and I was really happy with my perfor mance,” he explained.

The second invitational the team participated in is the Bull Run Invitational at Hereford on September 17. It is a three-mile distance compared to a normal five-kilometers. The girls placed seventh, with Lavin leading in 21st with a time of 23:05. Next is Chandler in 29th place with a 23:39, then junior Ava Carberry in 49th with a 24:54.

Overall, the boys got 21st place. Leading the boys in 27th place with an 18:02 is Ortt. Next, in 65th place is Parry with a 19:42. Third, in 139th place is Carberry with a time of 21:29.

Ortt believes the Bull Run this year was much better than the previous year. “I was really happy with how I placed and I was really happy to see the team come out even though it was on the same day as homecoming,” he said.

The team’s second league meet was against Joppatowne at Bo Manor. The girls came in first overall with Lavin leading for North Harford in second place with a time of 22:16. Behind Lavin was Chandler with a time of 23:06. Following Chandler was Carberry with a time of 23:32.

The boys came in second over all with Ortt in first with a time of 17:24. Next was Carberry in fifth with a 20:05, then senior Ben Iampieri in eighth with a 21:35.

“Bo Manor was okay, but there were a lot of holes and there was no shade so I was dying of heat exhaustion,” Weaver said.

for the 2022-2023 season. The girls varsity soccer team is 4-11 as of 9/23, Cummings took on a team of 24 girls this season consisting of six freshman, three sophomores, ten juniors and five seniors. There is a “very young,

New on the pitch this year, sporting a Hawks jersey is fresh man Zoe Shum. As a freshman, she said she is nervous to start high school soccer because it “is a whole different level of ag gression.” Shum is excited for a competitive first season accompanied by her friends.

Both teams are in a battle to be the first to bring home a state championship trophy to North Harford since 1995.

According to the players, cap tains, and coaches of the teams, bringing home a state champion trophy is a realistic goal.

New summer trend spikes

JACK O’CONNOR Reporter

The relatively new sport that has swept backyards and beaches across America and has had a profound impact on people of all ages.

Spikeball is described by the company as, “if volleyball and foursquare had a baby.”

This new game is being played more and more as time goes on and it has even made its way into the homes of some North Harford High School students.

Sophomore Tucker Deal said, “I was first introduced to spikeball about two or three years ago and I’ve only really played it in backyards or pool parties.”

Spikeball was reintroduced to the world in 2008 and has just recently become popular.

According to ESPN, spike ball started off in the late 1980’s as “Roundnet” and was brought back as spikeball, introduced on the television se ries Shark Tank.

It then spread to Coney Island and became a popu lar summertime competition alongside the hotdog eating contest.

Further funding and adver tising has brought it all the way from Coney Island and has expanded it across the world.

Some students play it for fun, others play it to be competi tive, and some just play it to be with their friends.

Sophomore Nick Chaney says, “I play spikeball when ever I get the chance, I think that it’s one of the best sports to play with friends. I love the teamwork and the crazy plays you can make.”

Physical Education teacher Kristopher Kapinos says, “The sport is great for hand eye co ordination and cooperation be tween teammates.”

He has also states that it is part of the recreational games unit in his class.

This may be something to look forward to if you are tak ing Gym this year, or some thing that will affect your deci sion to take it next year.

Spikeball is a great sport to play with friends and family, but students felt like it would be even better if they could play it with someone new.

Sophomore Jamail Holmes states, “I would love to play a game of spikeball with Shaq, He’d be the best teammate.”

While other students said they'd want to play with fa mous sports players, actors, and even well known crimi nals.

Overall, Spikeball has had a profound impact on both America and especially on North Harford.

With nearly every student having at least heard of or seen a game of spikeball.

Everyone who has played it loves it and has had wild, crazy, and funny things to tell about it.

Working together and having good team chemistry helps with the teams overall perormance on the court, helping with commu nication .

The team still has some things to work on according to Wend lend such as needing “to get in the habit of not giving up when we are down,” and keeping up the energy.

The team overall has great communication and “our trust in each other has improved,” but even with that she believes that they have “little chance of ma king it to states.”

Senior Sierra McManus stated she thinks “we are doing well, but there are definitely a lot of areas that could use improve ment like team bonding off the court. Where we could do slee povers or team dinners.”

McManus believes they do well with communication and on the court they are “put together.” She claims she sees a lot of poten tial.

One main goal especially according to the seniors was that they wanted to be closer, and have no drama.

They look forward to having a great season and hopefully the best so far.

According to Coach Barbara Mathews, training usually looks like “about an hour and a half of good practice, usually including hitting, a lot of conditioning, and a lot of working on past mistakes from previous games.” Mathews goals this season include, impro vement in general and building a better team. So far she believes they are doing fairly well this season.

While Mathews does not be lieve in “star” players, however, she claims she does have key players, as in players who are re turning from last year.

It is easier to call them this because she already knows their strengths and weaknesses along with what they contribute to the team.

These returning players inclu de Isabella Singh (setter), Sierra McManus (outside hitter), Sierra Wendland (libero).

Because they do not have anyone to shoot footage of their matches, the volleyball team says it is difficult to assess how things are going in real time..Mathews commented that if anyone is interested in doing film, they should see her in the office.