SCHOOL PAPER- SEPT 2023

Varsity Club makes comeback at Hawks Nest; Seniors lead movement to resurrect organization

RILEY HEROLD Entertainment Editor

Varsity Club is not brand new to NH, but it is back in action for the first time since Covid. Seniors Mekenzie McCann, Noel Bailey, and Stella Manns are leading the way. The organization is open to anyone who is playing a varsity sport or has played one in their previous year of high school.

Their first official meeting was held on Wednesday, Sept. 13 in the auditorium. Meetings will continue at least once every month, but more meetings might be needed, especially as events are getting closer.

Currently, the organization is working on the fall pep rally for fall sports. They are also working towards getting approval for a possible winter dance and two more pep rallies for the winter, as well as spring sports. Manns stated, “We plan to fund raise for money in order to boost the school spirit in the athletics department, but also to make the pep rallies fun for the whole school!”

Varsity Club disappeared from NH after Covid hit. There was no need for pep rallies and spirit fun because of quarantine. When school went back, there were no fall sports in production, so there was no need for a pep rally or varsity club.

McCann, Bailey, and Manns never even heard of Varsity Club until English teacher Mrs. Jennifer Chandler mentioned it to them.

Bailey stated, “Last year we found out that SGA was considering not doing a pep rally. This meant there wasn’t going to be anything really fun for the seniors next year. I couldn’t let that happen, because it is my last year of high school. So, we decided to restart the club.”

Varsity Club is all about supporting all NH sports and bolstering the school’s spirit as well. They want to get athletes involved and eventually have them take over the organization so it will continue for generations, Bailey stated, “if the Varsity Club dies next year, there most likely will not be a pep rally or anything.”

McCann stated, “as a senior, I didn’t want a boring senior year. I saw what other schools were doing as a junior and I wanted to do that for my senior year. That’s why I personally wanted to start the club. I wanted to be more involved in the school, but also get everyone else involved as well.

McCann continued “We want to leave a legacy and show what can be done at NH. I just want to give it my all this year because we get one last shot to make high school great.” Bailey stated “Varsity Club is taking over!”

Marzullo joins Hawks Nest as new assistant principal

MEKENZIE MCCANN H/S Editor

Mrs. Kristina Marzullo was newly welcomed into the Hawks Nest this year as an Assistant principal. She left Joppatowne High School where she was their assistant principal for four years. Before becoming an administrator she states that she “was a [an English] teacher at C.Milton Wright High school for eight years.”

She then became an instructional coach where she was “at several different schools [...] for four years, and then [...] became a literacy coach for two years, and then became an assistant principal,” Marzullo states.

Marzullo comments that she is “actually a career changer,” and her first job was “working with the Federal Government for 12 years, [where she] did graphic and web design for them. [...] It was a really high profile [job, where she] was

at Capital Hill doing congressional briefings at least twice a week, because I would run the medicare.gov website” The educator added. That job “was really political and lots of high profile stuff” and she “also got to meet two presidents.” She added that the job became “exhausting” and “English was [her] minor, and [she] always loved kids, [...] [so she] went back and got [her] Masters in education and became an English teacher.”

Marzullo states that “every couple of years the central office gives assistant principals different experiences at different places, so they [...] assign us where we go. [...] So, we kind of go where they tell us, but they like to give us that new experience.” Marzullo says that “the agriculture program” is the biggest differ-

ence from Joppatowne, where the school had the PTECH program, which focused more on tech- nology.

ence,” she comments. “My favorite part about North Harford [...] is the faculty and staff, and the kids as well. [...] Everyone has been super welcoming and super nice, and I am starting to get to know some of the kids which is great. Some of the teachers I have known for a while, but some are new to me too, so all the teachers and the faculty and staff have been super [...] supportive,” Marzullo states.

“For me this year and next year it will look completely different, but this year the biggest impact would be that I got to know and build relationships with as many people that I can, because that is really the foundation [...] of my work,” states Marzullo.

North Harford has the “Natural Resource [program] which is cool, [...] and to see farm animals and kids taking care of them, [...] that is a huge differ-

“I love working with the kids, [...] it is my favorite. I like seeing you guys blossom into young adults and grow, and it is awesome to see you come from ninth grade all the way to being seniors, [...] and that is absolutely my favorite part, just working with [students] and helping [them] through [their] high school career,” Marzullo comments.

“It is to make sure that I build those relationships with [students] and teachers so that I can move you forward. Hopefully that has the biggest impact at the end of the year so that I can get to know some kids and more teachers on a personal level and help people move and grow,” says Marzullo. Finally, Marzullo comments that she is “excited to be here, I am excited for the next couple of years and I am hoping that they leave us where we are for a while so that we can build a strong administrative team over the next few years. [...] The students are great, love the teachers, and so far [everything has been] good.”

Vice president Noel Bailey (left), president Mekenzie McCann (middle), and secretary Stella Manns (right). To get updates about Varsity Club, go follow the Instagram at @nhvarsityclub. PHOTO CREDIT: Riley Herold

“...I like seeing you guys blossom into young adults and grow, and it is awesome to see you come from ninth grade all the way to being seniors, [...] and that is absolutely my favorite part, just working with [students] and helping [them] through [their] high school career.”

~Mrs. Kris Marzullo

Inmates escape same prison, years apart; Systems needs to be more proactive EDITORIAL

On Thursday, Aug. 31, prisoner Danilo Cavalcante escaped from the Chester County Correctional Facility. This was the third time in recent news that a prisoner escaped from this very same facility.

According to cbsnews, another prisoner, Igor Vidra Bolte has escaped the same correctional facility twice in the past five years - the same way that Cavalcante escaped.

Both escaped by ‘crab-walking’ up a wall into an opening, as viewed in the security camera footage.

Three escapes, in five years, from the same prison. What is wrong with that statement?

The Chester County Correctional Facility has released a claim stating that they plan to make adjustments to the security of the facility.

This correctional facility is located near Longwood Gardens in PA. This area’s population is about 19,531, according to census. gov. 19,531 people's lives are put at risk every time a prisoner escapes this facility.

Locals were intensely waiting for a fortnight wondering what was around the corner until the police had Cavalcante in custody on Wed., Sept. 13.

Cavalcante went through with his crab-walking escape plan following the announcement that he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, according to cnn.com.

Putting aside the ease Cavalcante had escaping a correctional

Barbieland: where all are welcome

VIEWPOINT

facility, the real issue here is that this has happened before..with the same escape method.

In this situation, if the issue of an easily escapable facility was adjusted when the first escape took place in 2019, then about 20,000 might now have been afraid of being murdered by a convict of “first degree murder in the fatal stabbing of his former girlfriend in 2021,” according to cnn.com.

Now, not pointing the finger at a specific correctional facility, this issue applies to so many things in today's world.

It is why so many things go awry. If issues in the world can be analyzed and solved immediately after the first hiccup in a process occurs, how many amplified issues would be saved from news headlines?

It comes down to this question: Do correctional facilities and prisons rely on the usage of human surveillance too much?

According to cbsnews.com questions are circulating the topic of “staffing levels and communication methods.” Was this a mistake of human nature, or was it simply a lack of physical security? At this point, the real issue here does matter in a sense, but truly it doesn’t. What matters is solving the issue - whatever it is - all together.

This is a matter of analyzing errors in security and facilities, then acting to solve them.

This is a question not answered now, but a question to think about every time a human error leads to a big evening news story blasted across television screens.

Has anyone ever noticed that most girls have grown up playing with baby dolls? Play kitchens? Doll strollers?

Most girls, at the young age of three, grew up pretending to be a mother- attending to their baby dolls, walking their baby in a stroller around the living room, making dinner for her “family” with her little kitchen set.

That was, at least, until she got her first Barbie. The doll that taught young girls that “you can be anything.” Now, girls can grow up pretending to be a firefighter, a teacher, or even president. This was one of the first ideas that director Gerta Gerwig brought to The Barbie movie. As everyone sat comfortably in theaters, dressed head to toe in pink, and snacking on some popcorn, they all watched the first scene of the film. Where a little girl is introduced to Barbie, and in result, immediately smashes her old baby dolls. What seemed to be just a silly little scene to start out the movie, was actually a scene with a deeper meaning. A scene which symbolized that little girls don’t have to stick inside the doll box of pretending to be a mother for fun. They can instead, open up their boxes and be anything with Barbie.

that seemed to not be the case. At all.

The fact is, this film was made for women. It was made for women to feel seen. But underneath all of that deep meaning hidden in glitter and pink, there is also a meaning waiting to be seen by men.

The main message of Barbie was intended to be that the patriarchy affects everyone, regardless of gender. But that seemed to go right over a lot of people’s heads.

Viewers who didn’t quite get the message of the film have claimed that Barbie is “anti-men” and “anti-feminism.” Which is

archy, and takes this idea back to Barbieland. Barbieland is now distraught, and taken over by men.

Ever since the release of the film, there have been countless videos on TikTok made of women crying after seeing the movie. Feeling so touched and moved. While men come out of the movie feeling like they were “targeted,” and the only thing they got out of that movie was that they want a Mojo-Dojo-Casa-House - the name of Ken’s home which he stole from Barbie, by the way.

The truth is though, men were targeted in this movie. But so were women. This movie is a satire. Its purpose is to convey a message through targeting people’s actions in the real world. If someone is getting upset over a satire because they feel targeted - that literally means that movie was intended for them.

Cavalcante crab walks up the narrow opening of Chester County Correctional Facility. In the video of the escape no security alarm sounded when he slipped beyond the camera view.

PHOTO CREDIT: cbsnews.com

Cry of the Hawk

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News Editors: Kris Gray, Lexi Gott

This movie was truly made for every woman. It was made for all the little girls who still play with their Barbies, for the middle school girls who think they’re too old to play with dolls anymore, for the teenagers who watched the movie and felt connected to their inner child again, and for all the moms who have devoted so much to their children. Each of these aspects were demonstrated in the film.

It was also supposed to serve a purpose to the men, for them to hopefully realize how women are looked at in our world. For them to have a wake up call. But

not the case. The Barbie movie does have a lot to say about menbut let’s not confuse the message with something negative.

The plot of the movie follows Barbie and Ken, leaving their world named “Barbieland” to go into the real world. Barbieland is a place where women have the upperhand on society, and all of the Barbies are more in control rather than the Kens are.

When Barbie leaves her land and enters the real world, she discovers that her world and our world are the complete opposite. She gets catcalled, strange looks, and disrespect as soon as she enters the world. Whereas Ken starts to receive special treatment. He feels good about himself, he for once feels greater than Barbie. Barbie however, does not. She feels like an “object,” as she says in the film.

Ken finds out about the patri-

Health and Science Editor: Mekenzie McCann

Men in this film are painted to be disrespectful towards women. Women in this film are painted to be disrespectful towards women. Greta Gerwig did not create the line, “Women hate women and men hate women. It’s the only thing we all agree on,” for no reason.

The role of Ken was not intended to make men feel bad about themselves and to make them feel lower than women.

It was to highlight the path followed by most males once they realize that we live in a male-dominated society.

It just hurts, as a woman, to see a movie in so much depth and meaning being tossed to the side by people all because they felt called out.

There is so much to say about this film, so much to feel about this film, but it seems to only be appreciated by women.

But after all, it’s hard to blame men for not understanding when this movie was not made for them.

Opinion/Editorial

Editors: Mackenzie Scott, Noel Bailey

Features Editor: Isabel Kropkowski

IDR Editor: Emily Johnson Society, Students & Culture Editor: Gabby Moxham

Video Editor: TBD

Copy Editor: Lily Corcoran

Social media Coordinator: Noel Bailey

Entertainment Editor: Riley Herold

Sports Editor: Stella Manns

Events Coordinator & Business Manager: Bella Arist

Reporters: Mason Clark, Lila Parry, Brookelyn Priebe, Katie Vanarsdale, Kendall Walter

Announcements Tech: Gabby Moxham

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.

Human connection is unavoidable

and good grades. And I am more than that.

Oftentimes, these colleges that “desperately” want me to attend have never taken the opportunity to engage in more than a “Hello! We believe you would thrive at *blank*. Please visit *website* to learn more.”

EMILY JOHNSON

IDR

Editor

Since the summer before my senior year, I’ve received loads of mail from colleges. Some are as close as Baltimore, and others as far as Montana and Florida. They all claim to be “the perfect fit” for me.

But these colleges only see my GPA, my academic achievements, my community service record.

They don’t see my personality, my values, the people who have shaped who I am.

These schools see dollar signs

Now, not everybody is preparing to attend college; however, this can be connected to a valuable lesson for any age. Getting to know a person and their complexities is more valuable than some believe.

The feeling of a friend remembering your birthday, or a family member picking up your favorite food for lunch is a feeling that can be compared to very little.

Connecting with other humans on an emotional level can provide benefits such as an increased sense of belonging and purpose, reduced stress levels, boosted happiness, and much more, according to www.mayoclinic.org

Getting to know others can

also open the door to new opportunities and experiences that you may have never come across otherwise. From clubs and activities to trips and travel, you never know what may arise. The smallest greeting or exchange can lead to a world of possibilities.

Connecting with others allows you to form relationships, some of which can help you to cope with life’s curveballs and celebrate important milestones. Birthdays, holidays, graduations, you name it; you’ll likely have somebody by your side, or at least thinking of you, no matter where you are.

All in all, connection with others provides benefits, potential new experiences, and opportunities to learn more about a person than what is found on the surface. Just chatting with a person can brighten someone’s day, and let’s be honest; genuine human connection almost always results in a smile.

Protecting therapy-speak; When medical terms are misused in social situations

EDITORIAL

When talking to friends, or scrolling through TikTok or Instagram, it’s quite often that you hear the words “gaslighting,” “trauma,” or “trigger,” - among others - to describe certain behaviors and experiences. However, is it wrong to think that these terms are being overused to the point where they’re losing their meaning?

Over the past few years, the conversation around mental health has grown a lot. According to a survey done by HealthPartners, “results show that there has been a statistically significant decrease in [mental health] stigma among survey respondents.” This destigmatization can be partly credited to increased education concerning mental health issues, which is absolutely incredible for those who deal with illnesses of that kind. On the flip side, that means that, due to the nature of the internet, terms for certain experiences or conditions have

Letting go of toxic people; Putting old friendships to rest

EDITORIAL

Yearlong relationships are hard to let go of and finally get rid of. Toxic people can consume your life, and you can find it difficult to let someone go who you once cared for.

broadened to an extent - and may have even become a little diluted. This phenomenon is known by experts as “concept creep.” According to Neuroscience News, concept creep is “the historical tendency for harm-related concepts to expand their meanings.” Take the word boundary, for example. Recently, actor Jonah Hill came under fire for demanding that his ex-girlfriend, professional surfer Sarah Brady, take down all photos of her in a bathing suit and not surf with other men, citing those as his “boundaries,” according to the New York Post. However, therapists claim this was a misuse of the word.

Therapist Jeff Geunther explains, “A boundary is a healthy limit a person sets for themselves to protect their well-being and integrity...It is a rule or guideline that one creates to identify reasonable, safe and permissible ways for others to behave towards them, and how they’ll respond when someone passes those limits.” In the case of Hill

and Brady, the term boundary is misused. Instead of setting a reasonable guideline for his partner, Hill tried to dictate that Brady, a surfer, could not have pictures of herself in a bathing suit and could not surf with men, when that is quite literally her job. That is not a boundary; that is plain jealousy. Now, there is no doubt that the use of therapy-speak can be good. For example, someone may be able to identify problems from a past experience, figure out symptoms for possible diagnosis, and be able to learn to communicate in a healthy way. However, this is not the same as manipulating and bending a term’s definition to fit an experience that has nothing to do with it.

Breaking up with your partner doesn’t make you narcissistic. A mom leaving her child alone outside for 10 minutes does not make her neglectful. The use of therapy-speak should be used with good intentions, not for making yourself sound like a barely-qualified therapist.

Preventing sun damage, cancer, aging; Why you should be wearing sunscreen everyday

EDITORIAL

The effects of wearing sunscreen every day prevents sunburn, skin cancer, and aging, while also being moisturizing. However, most people don't even think about putting sunscreen on in the morning. Every singe day people should be wearing sunscreen.

Most people are unaware of the fact that it is recommended to wear sunscreen with at least a 30% SPF level. SPF is a sunscreens ‘sun protection factor,’ or how it can protect from UV rays. Most people only wear sunscreen on beach days, pool days, or times when they plan to be outside for long periods of time. But the truth is, this isn't the only time

when that should happen. Wearing sunscreen daily will prevent people from aging with leathery, wrinkly skin.

The American Cancer Society says that on estimate, over 5.4 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer every year, and it is the most common while also being the most preventable type of cancer. One in five people will get skin cancer, and not wearing sunscreen increases your chances - not just in summer, and not just when you're outside.

Even on a cloudy day people of all ages should still be wearing a regular spf sunscreen, just because it is gloomy outside, it doesn't mean the sun can’t damage skin. Clouds do not block UV rays. According to Deborah

Toxic people can be defined as “anyone whose behavior adds negativity and upset to your life,” according to webmd.com. It continues saying toxic people have traits such as “lying, bending the truth, exaggerating, or leaving out information so that you take a certain action or have a certain opinion of them.” When you first meet someone, you most likely do not see their entire personality. As you continue a friendship with someone, you finally can see some of these red flags coming through; this probably does not happen right away, but sometimes gradually over the time of a couple of months or even years. This brings up the problem of distancing. Some tips from positivepsychology.com suggest “understand the other person's perspective,” “avoid taking things personally,” and “try to take a break.” Distancing can be a good solution for some, as it provides the way out of a friendship without being harsh or unnecessarily

mean, but explaining to the other person why you need time apart and explain how their behavior is negatively impacting you. When someone with these kinds of characteristics continues on into your life, it’s hard to focus on yourself, as sometimes you have to look out for them and their behavior, as it’s putting you in bad positions. Some people might also feel obligated to be in these friendships not only because they have lasted for so long but because the person they are friends with has such reckless behavior and you feel as though you must be the person of reason. Being a person of reason can be good in healthy relationships as it provides perspective and other opinions to your friend’s situations but, in toxic relationships these events may be exaggerated, and you may not know the best way to handle them to have the person not continue making poor choices.

If you are experiencing friendships where you feel as though they are negatively impacting you, distance yourself the best you can and if they aren’t getting the hint, make the point to say something. If they react negatively, let them go and not let them

Tranq terrorizes drug users in Philly

EDITORIAL

According to WebMD, Xylazine, commonly known as tranq, “is a non-opioid sedative analgesic medication that’s largely mixed into (adulterated) and used as an additive with other opioid substances like heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine.”

Fentanyl cut with xylazine is called “tranq dope.” Drug “cookers” add the sedative as a way to “bulk up or boost” the effects of the drug being sold. Heroin was pushed out by fentanyl for its powerful effects. Still, it doesn’t last as long as heroin. Adding xylazine “gives it legs,” reports Sarah Laurel, the founder of Savage Sisters, a harm-reduction group. But, it is originally intended to calm and facilitate the medical procedures of animals like horses and cattle. Tranq is not FDA-approved for humans. So, how did it get mixed up in the street supply?

scesses. A recovering addict named James Sherman who attempts to help users still on the streets, believes “it is absolutely horrible…some people aren’t ready to see it.” “It’s literally people’s flesh rotting, and you can smell it.”

No matter where it is injected, if it is snorted or smoked, these large wounds can appear anywhere. Some lesions become infected and are forced to be amputated because they do not heal.

Maggie is a user residing in Philadelphia and she explains, “you shoot up and you miss, you get a sore. You don’t take care of your sore, you’ll wind up in the hospital with a hole.” Dr. Joseph D’Orazio of Temple University Hospital describes that “sometimes you can see the bones, and we were starting to see more patients that were requiring amputations.”

S. Sarnoff, MD, president of The Skin Cancer Foundation, “most ultraviolet rays from the sun can penetrate cloud cover and fog,”’

In a poll done of 201 students at NHHS, 80% of people said they didn't wear sunscreen, 12% said they usually wear sunscreen, and eight percent said that they do wear sunscreen - only eight percent.

That number is far too low for developing teenagers. At this time skin is in its prime and needs to be taken care of and protected with proper skincare.

Skin cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer, and by not wearing sunscreen, you are voluntarily increasing your risk of cancer. If you get diagnosed, it is a life-changing experience.

The tranquilizer is not a federally-controlled substance, according to WebMD. It is easily accessible with a veterinarian’s prescription.

But, with the newly revealed effects of the drug, laws are evolving to address the deadly repercussions of consumption.

Take Philadelphia for example. The Drug Enforcement Agency records that in 2021, the city had a total of 1,276 overdose deaths. 82 percent of those deaths involved fentanyl. Philly’s Kensington neighborhood is the largest open-air drug market on the East Coast, and tranq has sunk its teeth into residents’ necks.

Users looking to reach a high with tranq suffer the effects of severe, painful ulcers and ab-

Another effect of this heinous substance is the “tranq walk.” Because the drug was originally intended to sedate large animals, when used by humans, it puts the person in an unconscious state and a lazy position. The drug has spread to 48 of the 50 states.

This has been a worsening issue since the ‘70s. What happened to “the drug war”? Why hasn’t America won this fight, focused on this enemy? The city of Philly and the United States owe it to citizens to eliminate this virus.

Change starts at home. There must be an internal “reconstruction” or communities will continue to fall apart before outsiders even get close.

Applying to college; Receiving no help from school

It would be far more beneficial to know how to apply to a school rather than how to find one.

Thank goodness for my mom joining all of these Facebook groups (which I thought was incredibly stupid at the time). They actually turned out to be very useful, in the grand scheme of things.

MEKENZIE MCCANN H/S Editor

I know I’m not alone in this mess known as college applications.

Maybe you are also having to answer questions like whether or not you have ever been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic violation?

Or are there any criminal charges currently pending against you?

Have you entered a guilty, no contest, nolo contendere or Alford plea to a criminal charge, or plea under a first offender act?

No, no, and no.

Who knew that these were the kind of things that I would need to respond to on the Common App.

I thought applying to college would be an exciting time. But it isn’t.

It’s exhausting.

Not knowing what to do or how to do it, makes this whole process so incredibly stressful.

In fact, it makes me want to cry. I feel like I have been left to figure everything out on my own. And that’s scary, leaving me afraid that I might mess something up and not get into college.

Common App opened on August 1, and I had no idea how to work it. Prior to the end of my junior year there was no instruction from the guidance department on how to set up a Common App profile or how to navigate the website. Instead they taught lessons on how to find colleges on Naviance.

High school gym wastes athlete’s time

Why do students have to waste their time at school on gym classes if they are already doing a sport outside of school? Students who do a varsity sport or any highly intense sport outside of school should not have to do PE to lower the risk of overuse injuries and open up spaces in schedules for other classes.

students participated in at least 60 minutes of physical activity,” wrote The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. But gym class makes sure that students are getting in and hour of physical activity.

cal activity, so gym wouldn’t benefit them. Also, those students could take other classes that may be more useful to them than gym.

These groups have been more helpful than just about anything else. These groups told me what type of activities and information that colleges wanted when filling out the activities section of Common App.

Another group taught me that it is very important to apply to literally every scholarship there is possible, as I learned very quickly that out-of-state tuition is not cheap.

Thank you to the teacher who told me that I had to go into Naviance to request a letter of recommendation, when I was not told that you had to click a button to request it.

I have been to the guidance office two times in less than a month just to get my transcripts sent to schools.

I was told that I had to fill out a form to give permission to get them sent. But if these forms were handed out at the end of last year, the counselors would not have to see students individually just to give us a paper.

What really would have been helpful is a guidance counselor who SHOWED us how to apply to college, who took the time to come to our English classes during our junior year and tell us what to do, and to help us succeed during this new challenge, someone that was there to help me figure out what to write in the activities section, and how to make myself look like the type of person that a college wants.

If this kind of change was made, no student would have to navigate a tricky process by themself, causing more stress in a year that is already so very challenging.

Doing gym, if you don’t do any sport outside of school, is important because it gives you some physical activity throughout the week. “17% of youth ages 10 to 17 had obesity,” says The State of Childhood obesity. Physical education can help reduce the likelihood of obesity in youth. “In 2017, only 26.1% of high school

Although gym benefits students who don’t do gym, it can be detrimental to students who do an intense sport outside of school. Doing gym on top of another sport can add to the problem of overuse injuries. “Overuse injuries are responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries in middle and high school students,” reports UC Davis Health. For students who do a time consuming sport outside of school, it is not necessary to do gym.

They are already getting physi-

Gym class takes up a period in students' schedule where they could be taking a class that they actually care about - a class that is going to help them get into a better college, or just grow their knowledge of the subject in general.

Students who do sports outside of school could then take more classes that will be more useful than gym.

Gym class is useful to students who don’t do physical activity outside of school. But students who do varsity or intense sports outside of school should be excused from gym class.

Disney is trying too hard; Company attempts to address unnecessary issues

live action movie is not like the original. She told a reporter from Variety that she doesn’t like the focus in the original movie of the, “love story with a guy that literally stalks her.”

NOEL BAILEY

Op/Ed

Editor

Disney realized how well the princess movies did during the time periods they were released, and have decided to bring them back, but as live action films. This included Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid.

When they redid these movies, they never changed the original plot of the princesses falling in love and being with their true loves. But that is not the same case as the new live action Disney princess movie of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Actress Rachel Zegler plays the role of Snow White, and she has shared to fans that the new

Lack of support systems in schools

VIEWPOINT

Teachers in schools have been making things a lot more difficult for their students; with the lack of support systems, some students struggle a lot in classes due to the lack of connection they have with the teacher.

When teachers do not make comfortable environments for their students, it makes for a really difficult and uncomfortable class for a lot of kids. Some may see this problem a lot in AP classes. There is a much higher standard placed on AP students - which is understandable if they elected to take these advanced classes, so they are held to a much higher standard. But sometimes these students are given no connection to their teachers. Teachers make no effort to get to know their students, so when their students need help on assignments,

it is very difficult to go ask a teacher they have no connection with.

According to Turnitin.com, teachers can “Create a supportive and caring learning environment,” “prioritize high-quality teacher-student relationships,” and “Make introductions immediately and get started on the right foot.” Just because you are teaching an AP or even an honors class, do not forget your students are still in high school who need the extra support from teachers.

Creating a more positive environment teachers can make it easier for their students to learn and be able to focus without having to be worried about asking questions or wondering how their teacher will view them if they ask a question that they “should” know as an AP student. According to uworld.

com, what makes a good AP teacher is “creativity in lesson (and test), design focused on skills necessary for mastery of the AP exam, perception of student strengths, [and the] ability to set goals based on student weaknesses.” Some teachers also have to keep in mind that not all their students are going to be taking the AP Exam, and while those students should be prepared for the exam regardless of if they are taking it or not, they shouldn’t feel this pressure to take it if they choose not to.

While some teachers do a fantastic job at managing a classroom, making it a comfortable environment and preparing their students for college, remember these kids are still high schoolers and still might need the extra help that any other high school student would need.

Looking back at the plot of the movie, not once did Prince Charming “stalk” Snow White, from my understanding of the movie. He looked for the girl he thought could be the love of his life because he loved her singing so much. Yes, that idea is not a real or typical thing, but in no way is that “stalking.”

Zegler also shared with Variety Snow White is “not going to be saved by the prince, and she's not [going] to be dreaming about true love.” Instead, according to Zegler, she’s “dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true.”

I’m confused on why Zegler thinks it's so bad to fall in love. What has happened to her that she thinks that the whole plot of the very first Disney Princess movie needs to be changed? I feel bad for her; one for the fact that someone has destroyed her so much she has to change the movie for everyone else in the world, and secondly, the amount of backlash she is already getting just from that one single interview.

She is putting the idea out there that falling in love makes you weak, when it does the complete opposite. Little girls that watch this movie are going to see

strong independent women, but why have we gotten rid of the chance to let girls dream of true love?

Falling in love doesn’t make you as weak as people are trying to portray it nowadays. This Snow White movie has taken it too far. Women’s empowerment is very important - I'm not denying that fact. But we're overdoing it in this movie.

You can have women empowerment while also being in love.

Also, don’t even get me started on the roles of the seven dwarfs; only one of them has actual dwarfism. The rest of the people that play the roles are all average height; they took these role opportunities from people with dwarfism who already don’t get enough roles in Hollywood. This movie would have been a great chance to give them roles, but instead, they totally blew it.

Disney even changed the name of the role from the seven dwarfs to the “magical creatures,” according to thedirect.com. Disney has tried to be so inclusive that they have done the complete opposite by taking these roles away from people that have had spare roles in Hollywood.

The new movie seems to be nothing like the original movie. I wouldn’t even count this movie as a Disney original remake, because this is a completely different plot of the movie. They have ruined the whole plot of the original movie and taken roles away from people that already don’t get enough. Disney, do better.

PHOTO CREDIT: wdwnt.com

The picture is taken from set during filming. The movie is coming to theaters March 2024.

New addition to Hawks Nest; Familiar face joins staff

KRIS GRAY News Editor

As the 2023-2024 school year starts, North Harford High School introduced some new staff members. One of the latest additions are Special Educator Mr. Alexander Lumbard. This is not the first time the Nest has welcomed the teacher.

Lumbard explains that he has “worked at NHHS previously in a different position but [still with] a strong connection to the faculty and school.”

Lumbard describes that he has “worked in [many] schools in various capacities.” Some of these schools include Aberdeen High School, Patterson Mill Middle School, Joppatowne High School, Bel Air High School, Harford Tech High School, and Magnolia Middle School. The educator received his “bachelor degree from Nazareth College in Rochester, New York and [his] Master’s at the University of Notre Dame of Maryland.”

Lumbard feels that special edu-

cation was “a good position for [him] because he too [has] been in the student seat having difficulties.” As a child, the teacher “had a reading disability that [he] still work[s] through today.” It enables him with the opportunity to “relate on different levels.” With all of Lumbard’s educational experiences, he has learned “much as a special educator.” One lesson that he learned is “that while every student is different, every student has something amazing to share.” He hopes that

“as teachers, students, friends, and humans [we] create an environment and relation that allows others to share their story comfortably and openly.” Due to this lesson learned, Lumbard’s “goal is to help all students at NHHS...and ensure that all students’ needs, both academic and emotional, are met.” The educator believes that “a compassionate, energetic, and hard-working student body is a powerful force in making a school great.” Out of all of the previous

schools, “the student body here at NHHS is one of the best [he has] worked with,” states Lumbard. While Lumbard dedicates a great amount of effort and dedication to his work, he leaves time for play. Him and his four kids “love being outside.” According to the educator, “every chance [they] get, [they] are downhill skiing and riding mountain bikes.” One fun fact about the new educator is that he is a dual citizen with citizenship in both the US and Canada.

Changes made to library; Leyburn settling in at new school

EMILY JOHNSON IDR Editor

A new librarian calls for a library transformation. Mrs. Megan Leyburn has been teaching for 20 years, and her move from North Harford Elementary School to North Harford high school has come with some changes.

Her goal currently is to “get to know the teachers and where [she] can fit into their curriculum,” while also changing up the layout and decor of the library.

The first task she tackled was re-arranging some of the shelves

and tables to make it more open, The librarian also made new displays as well. She would like to have “more interactive spaces where the kids can come and do activities,” such as puzzles.

She is also looking to shift some books around, and group them by genre, so that it’s easier for students to find novels that interest them.

Aside from revamping the physical space, Leyburn has been dealing with a multitude of technology issues within the first two weeks of school. She claimed it’s been “a little overwhelming”

due to the number of issues they’ve had, and that “everybody keeps reassuring [her] it’s an anomaly.” Some of the issues have come from the re-imaging of the laptops over the summer.

Another task Leyburn will take on is running the school’s book club. She’s going to “take it from the kids and see what they want,” regarding the club and how it operates.

Bathroom policy creates mixed reactions; Staff, students adapt to recent adjustments

KATIE VANARSDALE Reporter

This year, a major change for the school has been the color zoned bathrooms. This decision has come with both praise and some frustration from different members of the North Harford High School community.

Art teacher Mr. Jason Blevins had nothing but good things to say about the new bathroom system. “I think, whether students like it or not, it has helped with hall traffic and with what I call the ‘clown car scenario,’ where you fit a million people into that bathroom at any time, at any given time of the day,” said the educator.

“Those kids are spending a large portion of their school day in that bathroom, not in class.” Blevins believes this system makes kids only use the bathroom closest to the class they’re in, instead of allowing them to wander the hallways during class.

Wilson flips to new chapter

BELLA ARIST Reporter

best friend.”

causes the bathrooms to “get overcrowded, and then you just have to wait and it takes longer, in my opinion.” Messick also says that she “thinks the bathroom monitors are a good idea, so I think that as long as they’re doing their job, it should be fine.”

Senior Kayla Doll adds, “I feel like it’s stupid and it looks like we’re in elementary school.” She also says she’s “confused as to why they added it.”

As North Harford will be saying goodbye to former nurse Joane Dorsey, the staff welcomes a new face. Ms. Melissa Wilson joins the Hawks after working at North Harford Middle School for 6 years.

Prior to NHMS, Wilson worked at Edgewood High School for 6 years and Havre de Grace for 3 years. She also states, “I have experience in home health, telephone triage, and I also worked at Shock Trauma for 7 years.”

Being a school nurse has taught her different things. She says, “I am a parent of 2 boys (now men), so I understand each stage of childhood development in that

Passes are designed for students to have access to specific bathrooms depending on the location of the classroom they are in. The administration has made the adjustment in an attempt to keep bathrooms safe and more accessible to students.

Student resource officer Deputy Amy Caviston agrees and says, “From what I have heard, it seems as though the bathroom changes have helped keep the hallways clear of kids walking aimlessly around.”

Meanwhile, junior Mariah Messick says this new system

With regard to how the new system can be improved, science teacher Mr. Michael Knoll says “class change time is still an issue in the bathrooms. I don’t know the answer to that because there isn’t the staffing to monitor that during that change time.”

This system has potential as well as problems that could be solved, all of which are being used to solve the problem of overcrowded bathrooms, specifically during class time.

Wilson wanted to work at NHHS because she has “been at the middle school and thought it would be a good transition to be able to work with the same group of students through high school.”

Ms. Wilson is adjusting to her experience at the high school. She worked at NHMS for six years prior to joining this school until retirement.

PHOTO CREDIT: Bella Arist

She also has worked with Mrs. Bishop in the past. They have a personal relationship; Bishop’s daughter is married to Wilson’s son, so they share a granddaughter.

The new staff member shares, “my husband graduated from here in 1985, and both of my sons graduated here as well.” She explains one of the things she was most excited for is “getting to work with [her]

aspect. But working with this many students, covering several different geographical and socio-economic areas has taught me that each child comes with a special set of circumstances that have to be taken into consideration when treating them.” Like Dorsey shared last year, Wilson also has positive things to say about this school and its environment. She shares. “I love the North Harford area and school. It is a great place to work overall.”

One display Leyburn has created is called ‘Barbenheimer.’ Both movies opened in theaters on the same day, causing crowds and chaos.

PHOTO CREDIT: Emily Johnson

PHOTO CREDIT: Katie Vanarsdale

Envirothon travels to Canada for competition; Team scores 10th place finish out of 52

KENDALL WALTER Reporter

The Envirothon team, coached by Ms. Laura. O'Leary, placed 10th out of 52 in the National Envirothon Competition in Moncton City, Brunswick, Canada.

The competition included teams from the United States, Canada, and China.

Envirothon is an academic environmental team where students learn about different environmental topics and natural resources such as soils, aquatics, wildlife, forestry and then a fifth topic that changes every year.

Last year it was adapting to climate change. They pick the fifth topic based on where the next international competition is going to be.

The team was made up of seniors Blake Carberry, Maddie Caiazzo, Anna O’Leary, junior Frank DeLuca, and recent graduate Julia Eakes,

This was the first time a NH team qualified for the international competition.

O’Leary said, “We won the country competition and that is a big stinking deal because it's super, super competitive.

For the longest time Harford Christian always just won and won for years, more than a decade.”

O’Leary added, “They got a 98% in forestry 89% in wildlife; they were amazing really.”

Caiazzo, a senior , says, “I definitely learned a lot and it made me want to have a career in environmental science and just getting to know people that have careers in environmental science made me learn a lot about what I could do with that job.”

Because of Envirothon, Caiazzo wants to get a career in environmental studies.

Caiazzo said, “On behalf of winning the competitions I'm proud of us all, we really had to work together and we studied

New cafeteria manger welcomed

ALEXIS GOTT

News Editor

North Harford welcomes our very own new cafeteria manager, Ms. Ashley Lewis, to the Hawks Nest for this upcoming school year.

Lewis’s role as a cafeteria manager is to ensure many different aspects to student’s meals at the high school, but also at North Harford Elementary School, Dublin Elementary School, and Darlington Elementary School, where she is also responsible for assuring food services.

The manager explains that she is in control for various different responsibilities.

Such as to “supervise and participate in preparation and service of food.”

As well as to “assure compliance with all sanitation and health requirements set by the state health department and the food and nutrition services.”

Many, many, more important roles as a cafeteria manager to not only the Hawks Nest, but three other schools here in Harford County as well.

Lewis shares that she has “worked for Harford County Food and Nutrition in the cafeteria for 6 years now in various elementary, middle, and high schools.”

The nutrition worker continues that she feels that she is mostly looking forward to “being able to serve my community,”

Teachers adjust to different jobs

ISABEL KROPKOWSKI Features Editor

Two current NH staff members took new positions over the summer. Mrs. Emily Johnstone and Ms. Jeanne Heinze have new jobs within the school.

Heinze was a student counselor last school year, now she works as an Apprenticeship and WorkForce Development Teacher Specialist. Heinze mainly works now with juniors and seniors to connect students with apprenticeship programs around the county and works at job sites.

Heinze’s job is new to the school; originally there was one person who was in charge of apprenticeships for all high schools in the county.

ting into the swing of things.

Johnstone transitioned from a Mathematics Department Chair and teacher to an Instructional Assessment and Data Specialist (IADS). Her transition during the first week of school “was extremely weird not being in the classroom, getting to know my new students and making a fool of myself to try and get them to laugh,” she says.

Johnstone said she has enjoyed organizing tests, and she compares it to a huge puzzle. She commented that she enjoys the challenges the new position has given her, learning new testing platforms and wrapping her head around new information has been kind of fun.

and worked so hard for it. So, I think we deserved it.”

The hours and stress put into the competitions are intense, according to Carberry.

“They gave you a massive schedule of what you were doing each day, and they had stuff from 6am to midnight. So you were just booked with so much stuff everyday for nationals.”

During their time in Canada these students worked all day with really only one day to explore.

Now people in her position are shared among two to three schools. She enjoys getting out and talking to businesses and employers. “I enjoy working with students to work towards something good for them,” she says. Her position within the program helps to allow students to get real life experience in the workplace. Her biggest struggle with changing her mindset from working with students and careers to now being in just the workforce aspect.

“I struggled to get organized,” she stated. But, after a few weeks of school, she is get-

She has also taught herself many commands on Excel, she added.

Over the past few years, Johnstone has been very involved in testing, so her position which focuses on that was very tempting for her.

Her children attend North Harford Elementary, so she did not want to leave the area. Johnstone stated that even though tests are not always easy, she wants to encourage students to try their best on all assessments.

Both Heinze and Johnstone said they are excited to continue their new positions.

and “Being able to provide meals for our students and see the happiness it brings them.”

She adds that she graduated from North Harford High School and that “this area has always been home to me.”

With the transition from this new job, Lewis explains that the hardest part about it was “Leaving staff and students from [her] old school,”

She “worked at [her] old school for 4 years and when you work with people for years you create good relationships and when you leave you still have contact with people but miss seeing them every day.”

So far, Lewis shares that her favorite thing about her job is by far “feeling welcomed to North Harford High School.” She feels as though “the cafeteria staff are already like family to me,”

Also, she states that “the staff and administration at North Harford have been very helpful and welcoming making this an easy transition for me to come to a new school.”

The cafeteria manager says that what inspired her most to take her newfound role here at the Hawks Nest was “to make sure that every student has an opportunity to have a nutritious meal and support their education.”

The manager adds that “[she is] proud to be part of that and this inspired me to take this position so I could be more involved.”

Dixon transfers to Hawk Nest; Building engineer creates culture of cleanliness

LILY CORCORAN Copy Editor

Every school could not function and be orderly without its custodial staff. This year, Mrs. Bobbi-Jean Dixon was introduced to the Nest as our newest building engineer, setting a new standard of order for students.

Dixon previously worked at North Bend Elementary School in Jarrettsville for almost a decade. When she came to North Harford, she noticed that there was a “lot of potential.” She continues, “I see everybody doing the amazing things they are doing. Everybody works as a team, and everyone is very welcoming.” She adds that her standards have actually gone up higher for the school due to its potential.

Dixon shares that she is excited to see new growth at The Nest. She says, “I am excited to make more friendships within the building, and other things like that.”

According to her, the rest of the custodial staff were very friendly and welcoming to her when she came to the school for the first time.

There are many differences from her last job at North Bend Elementary to here, according to Dixon. “At my last job, it was just me by myself all day. I had a team, but they were not work-

Dixon is usually traveling throughout the building during the day. She can be found in the cafeteria on A-days if students want to chat!

ing with me throughout the entire day, so I was pretty much a loner,” she explains. “Here, I have a team that works with me during the day, which is super nice, so there are a lot of differences.”

She adds, “There is a lot more paperwork on this end that I am taking care of [over] longer periods of time, where I could do, like, a week or a day at the other

school.” And, of course, there are differences with the students. “I just think it is cool to see students grow and become young adults,” Dixon shares.

To students who may see Dixon and want to say hello, she says, “I am really friendly! I am always welcome to a conversation if you need anything. If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know!”

From left to right, Blake Carberry, Maddie Caiazzo, Julia Eakes, Anna O’Leary, Frank DeLucia. Mrs. Laura O’Leary. The team placed 10th out of 52 in the National Envirothon Competition.

PHOTO CREIT: Mrs. Laura O’Leary

PHOTO CREDIT: Lily Corcoran

Alumni return to teach tech classes

STELLA MANNS

Sports Editor

Two new tech teachers have been added to the Nest for the 2023-2024 school year, Mrs. Chelsea Carr and Mr. Jacob Birchfield. This is Mrs. Carr's fourth year of teaching, however this is her first year teaching since 2014.

She took off nine years after the birth of her first son, and recently decided to return to teaching.

Carr added that she previously taught at “Church Creek Elementary” where she “taught art.” She attended “the Maryland Institute College of Art for” her “bachelor's degree in illustration.” Then

New counselor joins faculty at The Nest

LILA PARRY

Reporter

It's a new school year, which means new staff in the building. The Hawks’ Nest has 15 new staff members this year, including guidance counselor Ms. Kristi Palmerino, who has worked for four years in elementary and middle schools.

Palmerino said this is a career change for her. “I did something for over 20 years,” explained

she went to Johns Hopkins for her degree in teaching.

So far, Carr says she enjoys

“high school students are a lot more independent.”

In her original job as a graphic designer, Carr said that she “didn’t like being behind a desk all day.”

She realized she “liked working with kids a lot more than just being isolated in a cubicle.”

Carr is an alumnus, as she graduated in 2001 as a Hawk. She expressed how it is ‘really neat to see how the school has changed and how it stayed the same.

She said she is “really excited to see all the events the school has” coming up this year.

Like Carr, Birchfeild is also returning to his alma mater to teach

The educator says that “getting to know all the kids and watching them learn new things,” is what he is looking forward to.

He wanted to become a teacher because he is “passionate about seeing kids learn and being a leader” in the community.

Birchfield said hs is excited to “watch the students grow into better people.

teaching “high school students” since she has “only taught elementary.” She expressed that the

Palmerino. She said she “wanted to help students do their best in school and help prepare and guide them for whatever their next step might be after graduation.”

Guidance counselors in our school help with a number of things, including helping with academics, guiding students through everyday life, and helping students plan their futures. Palmerino is now stepping into that role of helping students, and she says she couldn’t be more excited.

As a new staff member, Palmerino’s main goal is “getting familiar with the school and getting to know the students.” She said

She added that she “hopes everyone can get something out of tech and see how it impacts their lives in some way.”

that NH has a large number of students, but the guidance counselor strives to get to know as many as she can. “I have not been at the high school level before,” she said. “I have worked in elementary and middle school.” She says that with a school that has more students than an elementary or middle school, it gives her more opportunities to help students.

Also, now that she is a high school guidance counselor, she will be helping students plan out their futures. That includes helping them get students ready for college, future jobs, and future opportunities.

North Harford’s guidance

Guidance department adds new staff

GABRIELLE MOXHAM

SSC Editor/Studio manager

As the school year awakens, with students old and new bustling in, welcoming all, including many new staff members this year.

One of these new additions to NH faculty is Mr. Bob Winter. Winter is a new member in the counseling office, however, he is not new to counseling, “I have worked at Aberdeen High School, Patterson Mill High School, and Swan Creek.

He comes to The Nest with a Bachelor's degree from York College of PA, and a Master’s degree from McDaniel College.

He may be new at NHHS, but not every element at the school is unfamiliar to the counselor.

“My wife Mrs. Winter teaches social studies and through her I have made a lot of friends.”

Also, while the counselor may have a shorter commute to work, he said he isn't new to the area. “I have lived in Harford County almost all my life and I love the northern part of the county.” He also partakes in many activities

that Har-Co has to offer such as hunting, kayaking, crabbing, and camping. In terms of sports teams, he is a “die-hard Ravens and Orioles fan.”

Winter claims that the hardest part about what he does is “listening to the sad stories my students experience.”

However, he has many reasons for coming into school every day, “getting a paycheck for one! But also, the fact that [he] gets to help students through problems and also help students find their future, whether that’s the military, college, or trades.”

Although he has been in this occupation for a while, he said he still finds things to look forward to. He said that he continues to “learn new things every day! Whether it's something personal about a student, or even hearing students talk about the Ag program.”

One of Winter’s goals is to learn more about the magnet program this year, along with trying to meet and connect with as many students as possible.

Winter did not always want

to be a counselor. He said “it wasn’t until I started coaching high school baseball that I thought about working as a counselor.“ As far as athletics, Winter shares that he also played basketball in college for York. One fun fact he would like to share with the students and staff is that he has three daughters, nine year-old twins and a 12 year-old.

as he graduated from North Harford in 2015. His “previous job was a boat captain.”

counselors play a role in students' lives, but Palmerino says that isn’t just all they do. Teachers and counselors have much more to them than just a job. One of Palmerino’s favorite activities outside of school is traveling. “I love to travel,” she says. “I will take any opportunity to go somewhere new.” She's been to a total of 13 countries. “I hope that number continues to grow,” stated Palmerino.

As Palmerino continues through the year as a counselor at North Harford High School, she said she will try to get to know every student and work with them to help them towards their achievements.

He expressed his enthusiasm and excitement about being at things like the “tractor day’ events in the spring, and he hopes to make an impact by “having a good relationship with teachers and students.”

Night of Fun hosted by team; Stone View Farm highlighted

KATIE VANARSDALE Reporter

Supporting the girl’s varsity soccer team. Getting into the fall spirit. These were both great reasons to go to the North Harford Family Fun Night, hosted by the soccer team at Stone View farm, on Friday, September 15.

“We decided to host this event as we were looking for a fundraiser that could also be used as a team bonding event,” says Aidan Riordan, coach of the girls varsity soccer team.

He added, “ This is a great opportunity to participate in some fall activities, while raising money for our program to purchase new uniforms in the next year or two.”

Hosting fundraisers comes with its own set of challenges, and this fundraiser is no exception according to the coach. “The hardest part about planning fundraisers is finding a day everyone can attend. People are very busy with their personal lives and other things like high school sports, school, jobs, and club sports.” said Riordan. “We

were able to schedule it on a scheduled day off school, which makes it easier for everyone to attend,” the coach commented.

According to the head coach. “One of my favorite parts was contacting the local soccer clubs to promote our event and explaining the benefits of attending.” He added that he also “enjoyed sharing the flyers on social media.” He added that “most of the high school teams in Harford County have very professional social media pages, so we’ve been working to create and promote our Instagram page.”

Riordan wanted to make this event something that was fun for all ages. He said he “invited local club soccer teams, elementary and middle school aged, to attend as well, so I’m excited let them see what high school soccer is all about.”

He believes that high school sports “should be a memorable experience, so I want these future players to look forward to high school soccer as we focus on building a strong culture on and off the field.”

Mrs. Chelsea Carr

PHOTO CREDIT: Stella Manns

Mr. Jacob Birchfield

PHOTO CREDIT: Stella Manns

Mrs. Kelly receives her ‘24 jersey. Each new staff member received a jersey before the first day of school.

PHOTO CREDIT: @hawksreporter via Instagram

Mr. Winter Photo credit: Gabrielle Moxham

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The Summer I Turned Pretty released; Season two gets mixed reviews

MEKENZIE MCCANN

H/S Editor

Back on June 17, 2022, The Summer I Turned Pretty season one was released. In May 2023, the new episodes of the show were announced, and it was released on July 14.

The new season consisted of eight episodes, and was created by Jenny Han. The show is based off of her book series of the same title. Different from the first season, this set of episodes were released on a weekly schedule, with a new episode every week.

Senior Korynn Sims states that the show being released weekly “was very stressful, but it gave me something to look forward to each week.”

Fellow senior Kayla Doll agrees with Sims, and says that she likes when shows are released “all at once so that [she] can binge the whole show.” Senior Ella Appleby also agrees with Sims and Doll about the staggered release.

Season two of the show consists of “Belly [the main character] and the Fisher brothers working together to save the cousins beach house from being sold by [the brothers’] Aunt Ju-

lia,” according to Screen Rant

“I liked the show for the plot, it felt very back and forth, and I do not think that Belly deserved either of them,” states Sims. Doll says that she found the new season to be “kind of cringey.”

Sims comments that she is team “Jellyfish (Jeramiah and Belly) all the freaking way because he is so sweet and more attractive, and he has always been there for her.”

Appleby states that she found season one to be “a lot more boring than season one” and the ending of the show “was the main reason that it turned [her] off.”

“The ending hurt me; I do not like that we saw how sad Conrad was and that it did not end with everyone happy,” says Sims.

Doll “did not like the ending” and she is team “Conrad because Jeramiah is toxic and not attractive,” she states.

Shortly after the release of season two, the announcement of season three was released. However, it may be a while before the show returns due to “WGA and SAG-AFTRA went on strike, and that no work on the third season will begin until labor negotiations between the guilds and the studios have been resolved,” according to Variety

NH alumni returns as teacher; Continues creating cartoons

RILEY HEROLD Entertainment Editor

Tech teacher Mrs. Chelsea Carr was the editorial and political cartoonist at North Harford for Cry of the Hawk during her junior year in 1999 to 2000. She has created cartoons for all kinds of newspapers, magazines and online websites, and has been published in The New Yorker, Mad Magazine, a website that was run by Disney, the Aegis, and Go Comics.

Carr started cartooning in sixth grade after she moved to Harford County after previously living in Baltimore County. This is where she meant her best friend, who introduced her to her love of cartooning.

North Harford High, I kept doing them.

After graduating from NHHS and attending the Maryland Institute College of Art, she started her career as a graphic designer

nowhere to keep her away from others. She now is encountering fairytale creatures that test her patience while she’s trying to be on her best behavior.”

As for her other publishing outlets, she draws animals for the New Yorker that deal with problems people can relate to, and she also responds to different articles in the Aegis that have already been published.

Carr states, “For example, a reporter for Aegis just published a book, so I did a cartoon for her book encouraging people to buy it.”

This is a collection of cartoons previously ran in the New Yorker, as well as Carr’s syndicated comic. To find Carr’s syndicated comic visit https://www.gocomics.com/curses.

and cartoonist. Carr started doing cartoons for the Aegis and the newspaper once called the Record.

For her next project, she is thinking about creating a graphic novel inspired by her daughter who loves chickens. It’s only in the early stages of creation.

Carr stated, “I made my best friend by cartooning. One day, this girl drew a person’s body and sat down next to me at lunch and said,, ‘Draw a head.’ So, I drew an animal head and she thought it was really funny, so we decided to make a comic strip together.”

She continues, “We started doing comic strips at North Harford Middle, and then when I went to

For the most part, Carr mostly works on graphic novels and cartoons for kids. She has a comic on a website called Go Comics, which is a syndicate that’s published three times a week. The comic is called Curses, which was released last year around Halloween.

Carr explains, “It’s about a little witch who has a bad temper, who cursed her younger brother permanently into a frog. Her family moved out into the middle of

Carr shares, ”As for the graphic comic about chickens, I was thinking about calling it Born Yesterday. It’s the end of the world and an alien invasion has begun. These chicks have just hatched and imprinted on the aliens. Now, what will happen next? You will just have to wait and see.”

For those who read lots of graphic comics, Carr says that she would love to hear suggestions on student favorites. Carr adds that she is always open to suggestions and would love to talk to students. To find her, visit D103 in the basement or send her an email.

Writers, actor’s strikes flood Hollywood; Films, series to be continued

ALEXIS GOTT

News Editor

The largest intervention of the film and television industry in years - the Hollywood strikes, is pushing back TV series and films for what could be “until the beginning of 2024, at the earliest,” according to the research firm LightShed Partners

In May of 2023, The Writers Guild of America (WGA) began a strike, mainly due to concerns focusing on residuals from streaming networks. Shortly after in July, SAG-AFTRA actors’ followed WGA with their own strike, mainly due to their own worries over job security and pay.

These two situations intersected with each other, as the writer’s strike was already ongoing once the contract between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) concluded on July 12. The collision led to a Hollywood disaster.

Without a contract in place between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP, an actor’s strike began.

In simple terms, both writers (SGA) and actors of America (SAG-AFTRA) went on two separate strikes beginning at different times, but are both still ongoing protests in Hollywood.

The organizations began their strikes as both writers and actors had contracts between AMPTP ended. Every three years, the contract is to be re-signed. But this time around, the members of both organizations voted to begin a strike instead as they could not reach an agreement on terms and conditions.

With the re-sign of this contract, writers would not be paid for reruns- otherwise known as streams from viewers. Because of this, writers only receive a tiny cut of pay from streams.

Actors began their strike since negotiations between their union and AMPTP could also not agree on negotiations. Their pay was also unfair, and regulations con-

sidering AI were concerningly loose. Without an order over the use of AI there could be unauthorized use of actors’ images or their own voice.

Viewers are being directly affected by these strikes overflowing Hollywood. T.V shows and films like Stranger Things, Deadpool 3, Beetlejuice 2 the film adaptation of Wicked, Avatar 3, and more will not be continued to production or writing until these strikes end.

Junior Mia Sbodio shares her disappointment with Stranger Things’ postponement of production. “It sucks that we have to wait even longer for the final season. I understand why the actors and writers involved all deserve their own equal pay, but it is just disappointing to wait longer,” she says.

Junior Jenna Trzeciak also expresses that she’s “very upset” of the postponement of the series. “I just really need to know what happens next, and waiting for so long is just not ideal,” she shares.

Shortly after the release, the announcement of season three was released. Season two was released on July 14, 2023.

PHOTO CREDIT: The Wrap

PHOTO CREDIT: Chelsea Carr

Oppenheimer depicts creation of atomic bomb; Film becomes fourth-biggest movie of 2023

KRIS GRAY News Editor

“Now

I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” recited physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer as he witnessed the first detonation of the atomic bomb on July 16, 1945. Rotten Tomatoes gives Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of this event a 93% fresh rating.

The motion picture details the appointment of Oppenheimer by Lieutenant General Leslie Groves to work on the Manhattan Project during World War Two. The physicist and his team spend years creating and reforming the atomic bomb, the first nuclear weapon used in war. As a result of this, the director indicates the importance of the film as he believes that “if [his] worst fears are true, he’ll be the man who destroyed the world. Who’s more important than that?”

Oppenheimer was released on

July 21 of this year with much anticipation. As a result of this anticipation, the film surpassed its 100 million dollar budget by grossing over 890 million dollars, as of September 11. But, this is nothing new for Nolan. For example, his third Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, made over one billion dollars.

Part of the reason for the film’s success can be accredited to the incorporation of “an all-star cast” as stated in Forbes. Cillian Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, Florence Pugh is Jean Tatlock, and Robert Downey Jr. takes on the role of Lewis Strauss. Other cast members include Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Rami Malek, and Gary Oldman.

The three-hour-long movie blew to large proportions when the world announced that Nolan’s film would be released on the same day as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Instead of pitting the films against each other, social media

embraced this coincidence and introduced the cultural phenomenon, “Barbenheimer.” This concept accents the extreme contrast between an intense historical drama such as Oppenheimer, and a bubbly, pink comedy like Barbie, which easily became the rivalry of the summer.

Senior Roger Carey said that his favorite scene was “when they ignite the bomb and it’s just quiet while it explodes.” The Daily Beast records that “Nolan envisions it in heightened contrasts: loud and noiseless; swift and patient; exhilarating and dismaying; closeup and panoramic; and triumphant and tragic.”

Carey felt that the three-hour movie did feature some “boring parts, especially about politics.” The senior reaffirms his approval, saying that he thinks “the creator of the atomic bomb would be pleased by the film’s portrayal of him, because it is not one-sided and encompasses his feelings.”

New frights at Pennsylvania haunt;

Field of Screams introduces new things in 2023

MACKENZIE SCOTT OP/ED Editor

KENDALL WALTER Reporter

Opening for its 31st year, Field of Screams brings guests from all over the world new frights this year. Scaring “one and a half million victims since 1993,” Field of Screams introduced two new features for 2023 including Axe throwing, where participants can “test [their] lumberjack skills,” says fieldofscreams. com. The other new attraction, The Chainsaw Bar, serves themed drinks for guests aged 21 and up. Field of Screams includes four attractions such as the Nocturnal Wasteland. In the attraction themed around grim woods, guests will walk down “narrow, winding paths through the dense overgrown vegetation.” New to the Wasteland in 2023 are creatures and characters “found only in your worst nightmare.” The Haunted Hayride is one of the attractions at Field of Screams that takes you on a trip into the cornfield through many different stations of different types of themed attractions. The Den of Darkness has three stories made up of a 170-year-old barn. Guests can “experience the Gory Garage as you try to escape the clutches of Leroy the mechanic,” according to fieldofscreams.com. Fi-

nally, the Frightmare Asylum has four floors “of the demented and deranged.” New in 2023, “visitors will explore the recreational wing where the inmates are just dying to meet you.”

One attraction clown named Carnage said actors must stay in character the whole night. His character is from the Frightmare

just so many good things about the whole place.” He added the hayride has a “giant tunnel” that disorients riders, and “no place around here has that.”

Carnage said he is very passionate about his job and says, “I love being scared, but I have a lot more fun doing the scaring.” Carnage is often seen chasing people around with a very loud rubber chicken.

Two major announcements made by Taylor Swift Fans mark their calendars for Oct. 13, 27

Asylum, and he says, “They let me out at night to scare people. You see, we have an agreement, but if I go outside the bounds, they’ll zap me!”

Carnage is one of the scarers at the front of the grounds before people get on the attractions. He also mentioned that he enjoys going on the attractions as well as being part of them. Carnage said he “can’t just pick one” thing he likes about the event. “There’s

Along with all of the big four attractions, the haunt includes a calendar of events such as bands, dance teams, and a rap battle. The event offers three different five-minute escape rooms ranging in levels of difficulty. Field of Screams is open for the season from Sept. 8 till Nov. 10; the haunt is open only on select dates. For those that miss the Halloween season, Field of Screams offers select dates for four off-season events: Christmas on Dec. 9, Valentine’s Day on Feb. 10, St. Patrick’s Day on March 16, and Halfway to Halloween on May 4. Note that only the Den of Darkness and the Frightmare Asylum are open on these dates. According to fieldofscreams.com, on Nov. 10, they will host the extreme blackout night, where the attractions will be more intense and guests will be subject to “new methods of torture, physical restraint, and isolation that are not part of our regular show.”

EMILY JOHNSON

IDR Editor

As singer Taylor Swift said, “The rumors are terrible and cruel, but honey[,] most of them are true.” Fans have been speculating about the release date of the re-recorded 1989 album, and Swift finally revealed in Los Angeles that the album will be released Oct. 27.

The album will contain 16 re-recorded tracks, plus five (previously unreleased) tracks from The Vault, which is where her unreleased music is located. Some speculate that there may also be collaborations with other artists, such as Harry Styles.

The album cover includes parallels to the original cover, such as seagulls and the color scheme of blue and white. This is also the first cover that features a smiling Swift.

There are also limited edition CD’s and records of the album, each being a different color. Fans quickly realized that the colors of Swift’s performance dresses aligned with the colors of the CD’s and records.

Swift began re-recording her music in April of 2021, according to Vox. Previously, her old record label, Big Machine Records, had been sold, along with the rights to her earlier music. So, under

Republic Records, she has been able to re-record songs from her first six albums, including Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation, and own the rights to the tracks.

Swift gained the rights to her albums Lover, Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights as they were created under the new label.

The Eras Tour Concert film was also announced on Sept. 1 and will be released in theaters on Oct. 13. The film will span a length of two hours and 40 minutes, according to IMDb. Tickets are priced at $13.13 for children (13 is a notorious number in the Swift fandom) or $19.89 for adults (matching the name of the album).

Junior Natalie Thomas has been a fan of Swift since she was seven years old. She predicts that the album will sound “the same but also different,” because of changes in the instrumentals. Thomas also added that she will be purchasing the album, and going to see the movie.

Fellow junior Poppy Smith believes Swift will “definitely sound more mature” in the re-recorded album, but won’t be purchasing it, as she normally streams the music instead. Smith added that she was “really surprised because [she] thought it would be on Netflix,” instead of in theaters. How-

Three skeletons lurk in the middle of the event. The entrance to one of the attractions (Frightmare Asylum) has been making people’s hearts race for 31 years.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kendall Walter

Hawks Happenings

10/7

Fourth Annual Oktoberfest at Hopkins Farm Brewery

Moving to Alaska at 18; Buraszeski “winging it”

BROOKELYN PRIEBE

Reporter

Former senior North Harford student Ross Buraszeski moved to Anchorage, Alaska alone in a “spur of the moment” decision at the end of this summer. He says, “I came here on vacation a couple of times and thought it was cool, and while we were here, we explored a bunch of stuff. My brother and I rented these bikes and we just went biking through the city and I found West Anchorage High School and the building was huge.”

He continues, “later that day, I googled the school and found out

While Alaska is known for its cold weather, Buraszeski isn’t worried about the weather at all.

“I have a heated garage, so I just have to make it from my front door to the garage door and then I’m good. I have a huge Carhartt jacket that will keep me warm.”

Buraszeski says it’s different there; he says the state is “pure freedom in every way,” not only because he is living alone, but because “there’s not a lot of police and no one is strict on the laws because there’s really no crime, and people up [there] just don’t care as much.”

He hasn’t had any second-guessing, even though his

10/8

Harford County Pet Expo at the Bel Air Armory

10/12-10/15 Kid’s Pumpkin and Crafts at J’Ville Grill

Students participate in Youth Academy;

HarCo Sheriff’s office hosts summer program

GABRIELLE MOXHAM

Studio Manager

West Anchorage High School is also called the “Nest” but instead of the “Hawks Nest” it’s the “Eagles Nest.” It is the oldest high school in Alaska, according to usnews.com.

it was, like, the best high school around.” He then went around and talked to locals and went to look at the school.

Buraszeski planned to move in just three weeks. He found an apartment to rent online and went without a plan. He says it’s his “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” He got a year lease on his apartment, so after he graduates, he can come back to Maryland or stay there if he chooses to.

He said the biggest struggle for him was buying a car. Once he arrived in Alaska, he had no car and had to walk or uber everywhere he went which he said was “painful.”

mom kept asking him why he was so calm and not nervous about moving; he just told her that whatever happens, he will figure something out as it goes. He is just “winging it.”

Although he likes living in Alaska, he still misses Maryland a lot. He says, “I miss not having this many bills, because I still have all my Maryland bills plus my uphere bills, and it’s too much.”

He continues, “and I miss my house and having a whole house that’s mine, and I miss all my friends, family, and my truck,” but he really likes how there isn't any income or sales tax there.

“Walt”zing away from Disney

BROOKELYN PRIEBE Reporter

Math teacher Alison Austin says she used to work at Disney. She says her first job was selling tickets outside of Magic Kingdom. Then she said she “was a client service coordinator so I worked with hotels and timeshares that would gift or sell Disney tickets at the hotels.”

Austin added that she “worked for Disney Vacations Club, which is the Disney timeshare.” According to nerdwallet.com, through Disney Vacations Club, “owners buy points, called Vacation Points, which can then be redeemed on stays at Disney resorts and for other types of Disney vacations.”

Austin said she did “an internship at Disney where students can get college credit.”

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office offers an opportunity to participate in the Youth Academy Program during the summer to all Harford County high schoolers.

This gives students the chance to learn about what it is like to be a part of many different branches of law enforcement including sheriff, S.W.A.T, forensics, and more. Participants spend five days and four nights at the Harford Glen Environment Education center with no cost.

Anyone involved gets to experience classroom instruction and hands-on activities, learning and enforcing sheriff responsibilities, as well as traditional summer camp activities and team bonding exercises.

Students that are interested in signing up are able to contact their school resource officer (SRO) in order to apply, and find out more information about the course.

A few NH students did attend the program over the summer, including senior Luke Brown.

Brown attended the program during July 31-Aug. 4. “It was a lot of fun, and I recommend it to everyone. My favorite part would probably have been when we got to re-enact scenarios

because you get to clear buildings and work with people in order to handle traffic stops,” he stated.

The senior liked how educational the program was. “We learned about traffic stops, forensics, how to hold and manipulate a weapon the correct way, along with how to handle and attempt to de-escalate a situation in the case of domestic violence.”

He continues, “we also learned about the drugs on the street, how they affect you, and how much money you can make from selling them as well as the time in jail you could do for that. The last thing I remember we learned about was being undercover.”

Brown believes that he would like to work in the field of law

enforcement when he gets older. However, he would like to join the Marine Corps first. He had a general idea of what he wanted to do before the program, but he states, “this really solidified my decision, and I am definitely planning on joining after the corps.”

NH’s, School Resourse Officer comments on the program, “the youth academy program is beneficial for high school students because, they get to learn what the sheriff’s office is all about, and they get to be exposed to different facets of law enforcement or criminal justice so it is educational for that.

The program also looks great on resumes.”

Students watch demonstration together. Peers learned about K-9 units, dog training, and how they are used.

County Sheriff’s Office

PHOTO CREDIT: asdk12.org

PHOTO CREDIT: Harford

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

10/15

Fall Craft Fair at Slate Farm Brewery

10/18-10/21

Garden Glow at Ladew Topiary Gardens

10/19

Early dismissal

10/20 School closed

Special tradition continues for 12th graders; Senior sunrise event held on field

EMILY JOHNSON

IDR Editor

Rise and shine, class of 2024!

The SGA sponsored an early morning meet-up, where seniors could gather with friends and take pictures, during the sunrise. The event took place on Friday, Sept. 8, and started at 6AM, on the turf.

Many seniors brought blankets and chilled with their friends, while enjoying donuts.

SGA president Bella Brockmeyer said she purchased “300 donuts for the whole senior class” and she believes it was worth it to get up early to attend.

Sara Ford attended the sunrise

and enjoyed taking pictures with her friends with the sunrise. She believes it was worth it to get up early for the event. Ford didn’t arrive at the field until 6:40-6:50, but stayed and enjoyed the views

Hawks Happenings

berry also attended the event, both arriving between 6:00 AM and 6:20 AM. Both seniors believe it would be fun to continue the tradition for future classes, but Carberry added that he didn’t believe “it was worth it to get there at 6 AM,” while Helwig mentioned that it would be better if the event started closer to 6:15- 6:30 AM.

Katrina Winkler added that she had fun and that “it was a nice way to start off our last year with everyone.”

until 7:05 AM. “[She thinks] it’s a good tradition, and we should definitely do it every year.”

Cole Hellwig and Blake Car-

Lilly Moody attend the event and believed “it was fun, but needed more advertising” She arrived “around 5:55 and [she] stayed until 7:00” and then went and got food with a friend. “It was fun, memorable, and enjoyable.”

Students attend military programs

LILA PARRY Reporter

Seniors Korynn Sims and Austin Parry tested themselves at military academy summer programs. Sims went to the Summer Seminar program at the Naval Academy, while Parry went to the Academy Introduction Mission (AIM) at The Coast Guard Academy.

The Naval Academy Summer Seminar program “is a six-day program that gives high school students a taste of what it’s like to be a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy,” states The United States Naval Academy. Sims describes it as “very rigorous in terms of discipline; throughout the week, we learned how to work as a squad, platoon, company, and battalion.” She continues, “I got to participate in physical fitness daily and experience academic classes that exposed specific naval academy academics to me.”

Sims favorite part was “either the physical fitness test or the mock plebe summer test, [which was on] the second to last day of the seminar.” The mock plebe test turned into a big competition between squads at the end

of the week. “During this we did a lot of physical stuff, tons of running and a lot of team spirit yelling,” explained Sims.

But at the program, it wasn’t just all fun and games. The senior’s least favorite part was “being tested at the end of the week.” She explains, “[On] day one, we’re all handed a sheet of paper with tons of information to memorize, then at the end of the week, we stood on the wall and were tested on how much we actually were able to memorize.” If they answered wrong, then their whole group would have to do a physical exercise for punishment. Even though it was hard, there were many good things that came out of it, which included meeting people from all around the country.

“I’m still in contact with people from all over, such as Massachusetts, Virginia, California, Minnesota, Texas, and Mexico,” said Sims.

The AIM Program “Is a oneweek summer program where you’ll immerse yourself in Academy life,” says The United States Coast Guard Academy. The goal of AIM is to put you to the test and get a feel for what the acad-

Senior travels, meets people, works on Brazilian farm

emy is like. Parry described his experience as, “a lot of yelling, but pretty fun; we built things in engineering workshops, and learned about military customs.” He says, “going into it, I was feeling pretty good until they started yelling, and then I wasn’t.” While at the program, students wake up early and throughout the day test their mind and body through many different activities.

At the program they learned new activities, including sailing. “The sailing was very fun and all of it was great, but especially the sailing,” said Parry.

Although there were some fun things, there were also hard things and unenjoyable things. One thing that Parry struggled with was “The shouting, not just them shouting at you, but you shouting back at them,” he explained.

Just like Sims, Parry also got to meet people all around the world “It was pretty cool, my two roommates were really cool,” said Parry.

Both Sims and Parry had a great experience at the programs and said they are still working hard and trying to get into the Academys.

STELLA MANNS Sports Editor

During the summer, most students travel to the local beaches in Maryland and Delaware. But for senior Timothy Morrow his summer looked a bit different. Morrow spent one month of his summer on a farm in Minas Gerais, Brazil. He stayed and worked on a “cattle and coffee farm.” During his stay, Morrow stayed with a family friend. The senior really enjoyed meeting “the people” in Brazil because “they were really nice.”

An ordinary day for Morrow in Brazil began when he woke up around six and “made a pot of coffee.” The coffee he would drink was “from the farm.” He would then “feed the cows, move the cows.” Next according to Morrow he would “take care of the calves” by giving them “their shots” and feeding the calves as well.

The good climate, magnitude of fertile soil and altitude of Minas Gerais, is what makes the coffee beans that grow there, such “high quality” according to foodandroad.com. Kamba.coffee writes that Minas Gerais “accounts for

more than 55%” of Brazil’s coffee production. To add to that, nescafe.com states that “Brazil is a top producer of coffee” in the world.

Coffee farming in Minas Gerais makes a large impact on that number for Brazil, since it produces more than half of Brazil’s international output. The farm Morrow stayed on, also contributes to this large number, so during his time there, he contributed to the overall number as well.

Morrow did not just stay on the farm during his entire stay, he was in “Belo Horizonte for three days.” He added that he “would regularly go to Santo Antônio do Amparo. The senior enjoyed both places because of their “friendly” atmospheres. When he would travel to Santo Antônio do Amparo the locals “would all greet” him.

During his trip through interactions with different people in Brazil’s large cities and small towns Morrow expressed that he was able “to better grasp the issues that people face outside of the United States.” He has high hopes to travel back to Brazil.”

Close to 70 students attended this event, according to Bella Brockmeyer. The sun rose between 6:40 AM and 6:50 AM.

PHOTO CREDIT: Emily Johnson

Fan or not a fan?

New strain of Covid-19 detected; Case numbers rising

MEKENZIE MCCANN H/S Editor

Recently, there has been a new version of Covid-19 called BA.2.86. There have been multiple cases detected in the United States, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Denmark, and Israel. According to CBS News, “officials say they remain well-equipped to deal with the strain if it continues to spread.”

The new variant began to raise concerns earlier this month when “variant trackers noticed a handful of new sequences showing up in global virus databases with a large number of genetic changes different from other circulating strains,” says CBS News.

The BA.2.86 has been found to have 36 mutations. According to CBS News, these “mutations include changes at key parts of the virus that could help the variant dodge the body’s immune defenses from prior infections or vaccinations.”

“BA.2.86 is a newly designated variant of Omicron, which itself is a variant of SARCSCoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,” according to Yale Medicine. “The virus that caused Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is not going away any time soon. There is definitely an “uptick” of cases right now, but as opposed to the past 3 years, there is a higher level of immunity in the community, either by those who received the vaccine, have gotten the booster or who have some “natural immunity” from having had the disease,” states nurse Melissa Wilson.

From Yale Medicine, Dr. Scott Roberts states that because the new variant “has so many mutations that make it different

Pottery: Art teacher explains importance of science; Chemical formulas make artwork

STELLA MANNS Sports Editor

from other coronavirus strains, many medical experts wonder if it has the potential to bypass immune defenses both from natural infection and prior vaccination.”

Health teacher Mrs. Jacquelyn Williams says that “the big picture is that it is continuing to change and is continuing to modify itself and morph itself which means that it is continuing to survive, despite what we are trying to do to make it so it does not [keep continuing to survive].”

According to Roberts, “‘The big question is if BA.2.86 will have the same exponential growth that Omicron did-in terms of case numbers-or if it will die out, which is certainly what everyone wants.’”

Williams also comments that she thinks that “enough people are vaccinated that it is going to keep [the number of cases] down, and [she] thinks that [people] are more educated and more serious about [the new variant] to know that [they] do have symptoms.”

Wilson comments that “there is a recently approved vaccine for the new strain. The choice to receive the vaccine is a personal one and can be based on a variety of factors- age, health status, exposure risk, health status of family members living at home, etc. My suggestion for anyone is to discuss the vaccine with their healthcare provider and make a decision based on what is best for that individual.”

“The good news is that, thanks to the greater degree of herd immunity from infection and vaccination, the world is not as vulnerable to serve illness or infection from the coronavirus as it was in 2020,” states Roberts.

Around 4000 B.C., the original potter’s wheel was constructed in Mesopotamia. Before the invention of this wheel, pottery was constructed by hand. Pottery was always known as a utilitarian style of ‘art.’ However, after the new mass-production style of pottery created by the use of the potter’s wheel, ceramics took on a more artistic purpose of expression.

Art teacher Mrs. Lisa Campbell teaches many types of art for the hawks. She teaches two ceramics classes, three-dimensional design, and an advanced version of the course. In her classes, Campbell makes sure her students know how important chemistry and physics are to the art of pottery.

According to Campbell, within “the basics of throwing” clay, there is an “equal and opposite reaction.” “Structural strength” is key when throwing on the potter’s wheel, Campbell added. Forces applied to the clay by the potter’s hand changes the shape and thickness of

the clay, relating to physics. “Depending on the position of the hand” it can “propel the wall up” or down on the wheel, she explained.

Wet clay is molded into a desired shape, then dried to become brittle. Next, it is placed in extreme heat that cooks the clay to a hardened finish. How does a material that came from the Earth soft, turn to a rock solid piece of art? The answer is simple: chemistry.

60% of the Earth’s crust is formed by the feldspar group of minerals. Clay is found after erosion occurred for many years. It is sometimes found after it has been moved through rivers and deposited in other places than where it was formed.

The particles in clay are broken down into smaller pieces by hitting against other rocks in bodies of water. Due to the widespread deposits of clay, it can be found in many soil samples across the world.

According to edu.rsc.org, “crystallographic studies” have found that “clay minerals are composed of sheets of tetrahedral sili-

con dioxide and octahedral aluminum oxide.” These sheets are attached by connecting oxygen atoms.

Kaolinite is one of the most important minerals found in works of pottery. “Through the structure, properties, and transformation of kaolinite,” the “physical changes involved” in the formation of pots can be better understood.

Once pots are constructed to the desired form that the artist wants it to be dried, this dry pot can then be placed in the kiln. In the kiln, “once the temperature reaches around 500ºC,” the changes made to the work of art are “irreversible,” according to edu.rsc.org. Up to this point, the hydrogen bonds in the pottery can be considered weaker.

Weaker bonds are then replaced by oxygen bridges, these bridges are shorter than the bonds previously in place. This causes the pieces to shrink minimally in the heating process. Pots must be fired to around 1000°C; at this degree, the pottery is stronger and has the tendency to dry fast.

Malaria manifesting in Maryland

BROOKELYN PRIEBE Reporter

According to health.maryland. gov, a Maryland resident who lives in the National Capital Region has been confirmed with a positive case of Malaria. This resident has not traveled outside of the U.S. recently, and it is the first time in 40 years there is a case not related to traveling. Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes. It is preventable and it is curable, according to who.int. Ways to prevent it include wearing bug spray, using a mosquito net, or getting rid of still standing water - mosquitoes most likely will not lay eggs in moving water, according to science teacher Mr. Robert Lamar.

Junior Maggie Dawson says she would prevent it by wearing a bug repellent bracelet that her grandmother once bought her. She then says, “also there are candles we light on our deck that keeps bugs away.” She

confirms that both of these options do work.

Lamar also says that only female mosquitoes will bite.

Senior Reese Carroll says, “I’ve heard it is really bad and especially for pregnant women, because it could affect the baby.”

He continues, “I don’t know what else I would do to prevent

Super blue moon lights up sky; Rare event steals attention

sily.”

Physics teacher Mrs. Kristian Jones-Knoll adds, “it is typically from tropical climates, so itsn’t something we see often in the United states.”

According to cdc.gov, symptoms of malaria include “fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, and vomiting may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells.”

According to the borgenproject.org, the word “malaria” means “bad air.” Carroll says this is no coincidence.

PHOTO CREDIT: NEWS MEDICAL

it other than wearing bug spray, and if I ever did get it, I would be a little frightened since it is life-threatening, but I know doctors can help with that ea-

Clevelandclinic.org says that it’s important to treat malaria right away. “Your provider will prescribe medications to kill the malaria parasite. Some parasites are resistant to malaria drugs. Some drugs are given in combination with other drugs. ”

”The type of parasite will determine what type of medication you take and how long you take it.”

KENDALL WALTER Reporter

A supermoon, a full moon, and blue moon: the super blue moon appeared in the sky on August 30, 2023. That night, the US saw the closest and brightest full supermoon of the year. A supermoon is when the moon is at or near the closest point to Earth while also being a full moon, according to NASA; that is how it gets its title of a “supermoon.”

Since the moon is the closest it will be to the earth, the moon appears brighter and larger in the sky. A blue moon is when two full moons are in the same month. The moon isn’t really blue - it’s just the term used. Now, this event only occurs every two or three years, while supermoons (when it’s closer) happen about three to four times each year; what is rare is when they happen at the same time. (Source: moon.nasa.gov)

Special education teacher

Mr. Matthew Swoboda said, “It

was very large because it was a supermoon, and the second full moon of the month.” He continues that he “found it pretty cool, because the moon is also very cool.”

Swoboda used to be in the young astronauts club in middle school and uses a reflection telescope to admire the sky. “I thought it was going to be cooler but it didn’t really look like anything,” senior Payton Rodriguez added.

There were mixed reactions to the super blue moon. However, there is no denying of how rare this event is; the moon is 222,043 miles away from Earth, according to Space.com. This causes higher tides, and due to the hurricanes that passed through recently, the tides and waves on Labor Day weekend were very intense. There were lots of riptide risks and alerts to not get in unless supervised, causing dangerous seas for the end of summer weekend, according to CNN

Boys volleyball setting up for strong season

RILEY HEROLD Entertainment Editor

Volleyball season is officially in full swing, with the team excited to get back out on the court.

New players are making their debut appearances, while others return for the 2023 fall season.

For JV, sophomore Chad Bavis says this is also his first year on the NH volleyball team. Bavis stated, “I'm most looking forward to becoming better as a player, but also hoping to be able to get a good kill in the front row.”

As for returning players, JV sophomore Johnathon Bowen has played volleyball for two years. He stated, “ For this season, I’m most excited about winning with my team, but also improving my

Members of the boys varsity volleyball team celebrate gaining points. On Wednesday, Sept. 20,the team played against Patterson Mill, winning 3-0.

Hawks continue uncommon dance form; Juniors step into success

LILY CORCORAN

Copy Editor

Many people have seen all sorts of dancers perform, whether the genre is ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, or even jazz. However, there is one type of dancing that many do not know about: Highland dancing.

According to Historic UK, the first ever documented evidence of Highland dancing dates back to the year 1258, where Scottish “kings and clan chiefs used the Highland Games as a means to select their best men at arms, and the discipline required to perform the Highland dances allowed men to demonstrate their strength, stamina and agility.” According to the source, there are four main competitive dances: The Sword Dance (Gille Chaluim), The Seann Triubhas, The Highland Fling and The Reel of Tulloch.

Although it is not a very known sport, that doesn’t mean that the dance isn’t practiced today. Juniors Liv Minichiello

Sport for Life; Cornhole kickoff: All are welcome

KRIS GRAY News Editor

According to Sport for Life, the organization “strives for a sport and physical activity system that is a catalyst for change that centers the aspirations of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility for everyone.”

At North Harford High School, the advisors of the club are Special Educator Mrs. Kolbi Stahl and Inclusion Helper Mrs. Michele Santelli. “I would say that Sports for Life is an opportunity for general education students and special education students to get together and interact and play sports together and make relationships.”

Last year, students participated in basketball, bowling, etc.

and Jamie Berigtold have been dancing together for a long time.

Minichiello describes Highland dancing as, “a form of dance originating from Scottish tribes that represent Scottish culture. It’s usually done in a traditional outfit called a kilt.”

Minichiello shares, “I have been dancing since I was four years old. I enjoy it because it’s a very niche type of dance, and I can get out my emotions in trying to perfect the dances.” Berigtold, on the other hand, says, “I’ve been dancing since I was two years old, and I enjoy it because it lets me get my energy out in a healthy way and get exercise in a fun way! Also, I learn about other cultures and new skills through dance.”

There are both positive and negative things about dancing.

Berigtold shares, “For me, the best parts are that it helps with my social anxiety, and it gives me a chance to show people what I’ve worked hard on.” Minichiello explains that “the best part about performance dancing is

This year, the county is starting off with cornhole. Where civilians play this game for recreation, likely at fairs or carnivals, these athletes are training competitively.

Every wednesday, the team has practice by the atrium lockers during homeroom.

Senior Aiden Jablon is a team member of Sports for Life and his “favorite part is just making connections with the kids and meeting new people.”

In practices and tournaments, there is plenty of team-bonding. Helpers like Jablon mentor and encourage the players to try their best and come out strong. Friendship is the foundation of North Harford’s team.

The senior “loved the basketball tournament.” In these final scrimmages, each participating school has the chance to compete against other harford county entities.

The Hawks scored second

skills so I’m ready for varsity next year.”

Varsity junior Andrew Tagliaferri stated, “There are many things that are going on at the court all at once.” He added that “just trying to make a good play is hard because a lot of things can go unseen.”

The junior then said “ nothing is really easy in volleyball except serving because you have the most control over it.”

Tagliaferri continued, “For example, you need to be ready when defending, such as blocking, and covering any tips over the net.” But at the same time, he said the “back row players need to be ready for the hit, so the pass can go to the setter so he can pass it

to the hitter to try and get a kill.”

As for preparing, many many players decided to take training in their own ways.

Varsity senior Casey Smith has played volleyball since junior year. He stated, “ For my training this year, I played beach volleyball throughout the summer. I just thought it was a fun way to still work on my volleyball skills but also have fun while doing it.”

Tagliaferri stated, “A fun story I have is what happened last night Sept. 18, against Fallston (3-1 win). Our middle hitter, [sophomore] Jordan Bogarty scored a point using his face when blocking a hit. He got hit in the face, and it went back over the net and he scored because of it.”

Girls volleyball: Positive mindets Rallying to win

KENDALL WALTER Reporter

[that] things that seem impressive actually aren’t that hard. For example, dancing over a sword sounds hard, but the swords aren’t sharp; if you mess up, no one knows what the dance is supposed to look like, so they won’t know.” On the flip side, Berigtold adds that “the worst part is the anxiety that I’ll make a mistake. But then, you realize that in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter because you’ll never see most of these people again, and it’s just a chance to improve.”

Of course, no sport goes without some sort of injury. “We had a girl pierce her foot on a sharp sword once,” Minichiello shares. “We called it Scottish acupuncture.”

Berigtold “absolutely” recommends that people try Highland dancing. “Even if you think that it’s not for you, give it a shot because you’ll learn something new and have fun doing it. Plus, you can make a lot of friends through dance, just like any other extracurricular!”

place in last year’s bowling tournament and top three in basketball according to Jablon.

Stahl encourages students to “keep an ear out for the announcements. We’re always welcoming new people in our classroom, we are always asking people to come to Best Buddies.”

Stahl added that it does not matter wheter students are interested in the sports or not but if students “just have an interest in meeting people,” the Sport for Life program “is the perfect place to do it.” This is “because it is more about relationships” between students, while “the competition aspect is secondary” Stahl expressed.

The cornhole tournament will take place on October 24 at Bel Air High School from 2:30 to 4:30 pm.

Anyone can come and the players would love it if the community would come and show their green and gold pride.

Girls volleyball has started off this season with six games so far. The team is ready for more and working well, according to varsity coach Mrs. Barbra Matthews and JV coach Ms. Jaqui Zorzi.

Captains this year are seniors Dyllan Dinbokowitz and Rylee Brangan on varsity, with sophomore Alyssa Wise and freshman Avalynn Cunningham on JV.

Varsity captain Dinbokowitz said, “being captain means giving the younger players someone to look up to and being a leader when things get tough. It means helping to push your teammates harder so they can improve along with you.” She also added, “This is my senior season, so my hope is to leave a lasting impact for the girls in the future years and to just enjoy my last year playing.” This is Dinbokowitz’s eighth year playing volleyball, and she believes the chemistry between the team is clicking fast.

Sophomore Catie Weahage (setter) said, “last year was my first year ever playing, so if I'm being honest, I did really rough. But I was patient, and with my club team, I was able to really grow into a more confident and better player.” She also stated, “I think the hardest part about volleyball is probably the mentality

you have to have. It's easy to have one bad pass, set, hit, or serve, and just to have that set you up for failure. But once you get past that, it makes playing a lot less mentally tolling.” This is Weahage’s second year playing for the school and in total, while she also participated in club volleyball during the off season, perfecting her dive for the ball.

Matthews has been coaching girls volleyball for 11 years and says she is most excited to, “see where the team goes; with the practicing and team bondings that they have, [she] thinks we'll end up okay.” Matthews also said that she is most proud of “how well they play together, and how they treat each other on and off the court.” Matthews believes that the girls are really coming together as a team, and focusing on the goals of hitting harder and getting to the ball quicker.

Junior Emily Signor (middle blocker) says that the hardest part about volleyball is “sometimes keeping a positive mental state. If you get in your head about your mistakes, it will mess you up. It can be hard sometimes, but volleyball is ninety percent a mental game.” Signor has been playing volleyball for about six years and this season is working on communicating better on the court.

PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Hartlaub

Varsity girls volleyball has a roster of two Seniors, four juniors, five sophomores and one freshman - 12 in total. Last year, the roster was 14 girls in total.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jaqui Zorzi

Field hockey:

STELLA MANNS Sports Editor

With a 2-1 season opener over C. Milton Wright on Sept. 13 , the field hockey team has a positive outlook on the upcoming season. They are led by head coach and English teacher, Mrs. Carla Harward, in her 11th year of coaching the Hawks.

Captains of the 2023 roster include seniors Mekenzie McCann (defense) Sarah Reifsnyder (goalie), and Korynn Sims (midfield).

Wednesday, Oct 4 at 6:45, the Hawks will have their senior night, where they will celebrate this season's seniors: Grace Conklin (midfield), Sara Ford (midfield), Izzy Hendricks (forward), Amber Kozlowski (forward), McCann, Reifsnyder, Sims, and Natalie Sturgill (forward).

During the game versus the Mustangs, McCann said that the team “fought really hard and played” their best.

She claimed that if the team “keeps up with this energy in every game, and use everyone on the team's strengths then” they will be able to “be a really successful team this season.”

To Sims, being a captain “means putting what is best for the team

Looking for deep playoff run Team has high hopes this season

above all and stepping up and leading.” As a caption Sims stated that she wants to “do what’s in the teams best interest even if it’s not what everyone agrees on.”

McCann is “most excited to see how far the team will go” this season. Junior, Mollie Fialcowitz (forward) wants everyone “to play as a team and come together to go as far” as they did “last year.” Fialcowitz feels confident saying that the team could go as far as the 2022 season.

“Finally being a senior on senior night” is one of the things Sims is excited for this season.

With team bondings hosted by juniors, Delaney Heffner and Sarah Welzant, the team has been able to get to know each other again.

McCann also added that sometimes during practices there are “challenges where the team competes against each other.”

Fialcowitz added that they “have a lot of intensity at practice” and the team really “works on a lot of great” drills.

After an overtime 2-1 loss to Hereford last year, McCann said she wants to win the rematch on Oct. 17 at The Nest this season.

Aiming for back of net; Boys soccer making their mark

EMILY JOHNSON

IDR Editor

Boys soccer is back in action, and has 5-2 record so far, under the coaching of Mr. Erik Lane and Mr. Randy French.

Each team has three captains, including seniors Matthew Siedlecki, Ben Wardle, and Mason Barker on varsity, and sophomores Trent McCarthy, Emory Winn, and freshman Jacob Babiak on JV.

Senior defender Siedlecki has been playing for five years, and is now a captain on varsity. He stated that their practices have been going well, and that there “hasn’t been many bad moments.”

While the team is still working on bonding through events like team dinners, they “plan on

having another playoff run and making it to States again.”

Personally, he is looking forward to enjoying “every little moment with the guys” and winning against C. Milton Wright again.

As of Sept. 18, the varsity team has played seven games, with wins against Towson, Sparrows Point, Century, North East, and Aberdeen. Both losses were close against Perry Hall and Hereford.

Senior right defender Sean Babiak has been playing soccer since he was five years old. He believes they will “do well this season, if [they] keep working hard and playing with heart.”

Babiak claims that “everybody needs to have the same goal” in order to be successful. Similarly to Siedlecki, he would like to beat

Taking over endzone

NOEL BAILEY Op/Ed Editor

Football season is back in action this fall, taking over the field as their fans in the student section follow them to cheer them on.

team this year are Preston Miller, Kent Holcombe, and Clay Lawerence. Miller says that being a captain “means the coaches and other players trust you to lead the team and make the right decisions for everyone.”

C. Milton Wright in the playoffs.

Junior Jack Worden is also a member of the varsity team, and he hopes to win against Fallston, along with going back to States.

The team’s senior night will take place on October 16. Eight players will be recognized, including Babiak, Mason Barker, Antonio Fuggitti, Michael Lawry, LB Salamone, Logan Shum, Siedlecki, and Wardle.

Sophomore Brayden Cornman is a part of the JV team, and Cornman’s main goal as of right now is for the team to get a goal in one of their games.

The JV team record as of Sept. 18 is 1-4, with a win against North East, and losses against Towson, Sparrows Point, Aberdeen, and Hereford.

The team has started the season off with a blowout game against Perryville, winning by a score of 31-14 on Sept. 1. The team continued their win streak against Joppatowne in the first home game of the season at the Hawks’ Nest with a score of 17-0 on Sept. 14. The team has had one loss against Bel Air.

The team is led by head coach and athletic director Mr. Justin Martinek, who said his favorite thing about coaching is when it's game night and “the team is able to showcase all of the hard work.”

According to Martinek, the team “came together as one unit, and I think that is one of the reasons for our success.” The team seems to have a positive atmosphere from the captains, taking “their leadership roles seriously and is keeping the team focused on track,” says Martinek.

The senior captains of the

Lawrence likes the responsibility of “motivating the team and having everyone getting better at each practice.”

Miller has “very high” expectations for the team this season, since they have “a lot of talent and [he] would hate to see it all go to waste.”

All of the players have been working in practices to get ready for games, and Miller said that the team has especially been working on “incorporating a pass game a lot more.”

Miller said they are already “very solid running the ball,” but they need to “be able to pass the ball to win crucial games.” Lawrence shares that their team is “physically stronger than most teams in the UCBAC.”

Miller said that he is most excited for the team’s game against the Fallston Cougars because he feels “there is always a different energy going into that game.”

Cross Country taking strides, improving times, winning meets

MEKENZIE

H/S Editor

MCCANN

This season the cross country team will participate in a total of 10 events. Three have already taken place, the Maryland Track and Trail Cross Country Invite on September 9, a multi team event on September 12, and another tri meet at Patterson Mill on September 18.

The Track and Trail meet resulted in a first place finish for the girls in a field of 17 teams. The Hawks nudged out both C. Milton Wright and Harford Tech at the invitational. All seven of the Hawks varsity girl runners placed in the top 25 competitors,

with junior Eden Hussung, freshman Maddie Coyle, and sophomore Kendall Chandler leading the team.

The boys team saw its first victory this season at the Patterson Mill meet, with seniors James Ortt and Austin Parry, and junior Justin Collins leading the pack of Hawks runners. Senior captain Ortt comments that during this season he looks forward to “doing really well at regionals and making” the teams “way up as we start the season.”

Blake Carberry, senior captain, states that he wants “to run faster than I did last year.”

Junior captain Hussung says

that she “did fairly well” last season “but definitely not as good as I am doing now, considering it was my first year.” Hussung continues to say that this season she is looking forward towards “everyone to keep improving their times and just enjoying the season.” She also says that this season she wants to “continue to improve my times and become a better runner.”

Carberry agrees with Ortt and also wants “to win Regionals because it is the only [meet] that matters.” Hussung agrees with Carberry and Ortt. To train for the season during the summer Hussung “meet up with a couple

people from the team a couple of days during the week,” she states.

Ortt comments that “practices have overall been good, it has been a hard time with the weather being so hot and getting back into the swing of school.”

Hussung states that “practices have been really good, the workouts can be tough sometimes, but I think they are only making [the team members] stronger.”

The team has had team dinners at team members junior Reagan Cadden and sophomore Jack Apples. “We had a pool party on a Saturday for breakfast after a long run, and [...] we had a taco party as well,” Ortt says.

Senior Mekenzie McCann jumps out of the way of a ball flying at her face. The team lost 0-3 in this game to Towson High School.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rachael Sims

The boys ran in their senior night home meet on Sept 12. Catch the team at CMW on Oct 7.

PHOTO CREDIT: James Ortt