Editorial: Your Way to Change the World (p

by The Vista - NDA Student Newspaper

Mr. NDA Core Team (p

Take the Time Now; Change the World Tomorrow

As bold girls of Notre Dame Academy, we should be taking a stand and deciding to further our education in politics.

Before we know it, we are going to see dramatic changes in politics and who is in power. We need to ensure that we are going to be happy and satisfied with those serving in office, and we cannot do that without first knowing what we want.

Now is the time to branch out and grow our understanding of the United States government, as well as our state and local government. We cannot get anywhere without educating ourselves, and we need to be proactive enough to take the initiative of finding a good education and good sources of information.

Once we are able to go past our understanding of what we know, we are then in a good position to start looking at specific people and finding those who best emulate the qualities we wish to see. This is where voting comes into play.

Voting is the most important aspect of government that we have the chance of getting involved with. Voting is one of the biggest examples of democracy we see in our government today, and as citizens of the United States, we have a responsibility to ourselves and those with a disadvantage of not being able to vote to make our government the best it can be and elect leaders we feel will best serve our country.

If we do not take the opportunity we have in front of us to look into the future and what we wish to see, we are only hurting ourselves down the line.

When we turn 18 and have the legal opportunity to vote and don’t take that initiative, we might not be happy with the turnout and will only have ourselves to blame. Voting is not the only thing, however. We need to make sure we know the people we are voting for, before we get to the polls.

The time to find information and better ourselves, and our government, is now. We have the chance to find information and be prepared for the next stop of voting when we are of legal age and educated. KAIROS- the seemingly mysterious event all seniors partake in that no one really knows what goes on or why those that participate come back so changed. The only thing those of us that have not gone can do is wonder what occurs at this rite of passage students of Notre Dame Academy will one day experience. With the seniors coming back so altered, could it be an alien abduction? The world is at a place in time where aliens could very well be a real thing. We also know that Notre Dame Academy girls are bold and brilliant enough to be capable of finding said aliens. If this is true, the seniors could then be able to communicate with these creatures. Could it be that these aliens are teaching them life skills? Perhaps how to cook a meal and do their laundry? Maybe self defense classes we pray they will never need to use? It could also be something else entirely. Could it be all virtual reality to meet with other girls around the country? NDA has virtual reality headsets, so does this mean that there could be more somewhere that are being used at KAIROS to show NDA seniors around our beautiful world? Our seniors could be getting the experience of a lifetime with these headsets and might be making relationships with others that they could then use later in life. It is said to high school students all the time that making connections is the most important thing, and that the more connections a student has, the easier it will be for her later in life to find the right college, the perfect job, or even the right place to call home outside of the Notre Dame Academy walls. But again, what if it is a completely different? Could it be one big donation center where NDA seniors do acts of service and help those in the community? NDA girls are beautiful inside and out, so it would not be surprising if they did service that benefits those around them. Service is such a simple and powerful thing someone can do that would make sense as to why these seniors come back with such uplifting and powerful attitudes. No matter what Notre Dame Academy seniors are doing at KAIROS, they all come back better people who are ready for the rest of their lives and to make their lives and those around them significantly better. KAIROS is an incredibly important part of NDA that builds lifelong friendships with senior classes.

Cheers and Jeers

Cheers to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries being elected as the first Black leader of a national political party.

Cheers to the Success of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team. Jeers to Trying to Come Up with New Year’s Resolutions.

Jeers to the Porch Pirates who Steal Christmas Gifts.

Cheers to Christmas Break!  Jeers to having to scrape the windshield on a frosty morning.

An Eagle’s View What’s the Secret of Senior Kairos?

Sammie Paris

Girls Shine the Light on Mr. NDA

Gina Napoli

Mr. NDA has been an ongoing NDA tradition for 18 years. It is a competition and show that focuses on the talents and personalities of boys from SJJ and SFS, but it takes a lot of work and talent from NDA girls to make it happen. The show is performed in the early new year and is planned for over three months. Mr. NDA is planned by the Core Team, which is comprised of groups of students that combine their individual skills and form teams that work on different aspects of the show, ranging from student director to social media to photography and more. The Core Team members can be sophomores through seniors. Each girl chooses a team she wants to participate in, which often reflects her own personal talents and interests. “I am a part of the social media and recruitment team. I wanted to be involved in the promotional aspects of Mr. NDA because I take a special interest in marketing, as it is my desired future career choice,” core team member and senior Stephanie Miller said. Girls are also encouraged to pick teams they might have experience in from a class or an extracurricular activity outside of school. “I am one of the sound and lighting booth liaisons. I wanted to be a part of this committee because I am familiar with the booth tech due to my time as an IB theater student,” core team member and senior Carly McMahon said. Mr. NDA is well known around the school, and most Core Team members have gone to the show in past years and found it fun and exciting. The show truly is an anticipated part of the school year, which creates interest for students to want to become involved. “This is my first time participating in Mr. NDA. I decided to try out because I have seen the shows in previous years, and it always looked fun, so I wanted to be a part of it this year,” core team member and junior Vaibhavi Goyal said. The team meets at lunch most weeks, as well as attending Sunday practices with the escorts and contestants. Each team meeting is filled with new ideas to add to the show. “My favorite part about Mr. NDA planning has been the creativity among our group. Someone brings up an idea, everyone runs with it, and the idea develops into such a funny aspect of the show,” core team member and junior Morgan Szozda said. Students may think they need to have show experience to be in Mr. NDA; however, that is not the case. Most core team members have never been on stage before, and Mr. NDA is proven to be a great way to enter the “show” life. Each core team member typically has a part in the show, which includes a group dance. “I’ve never participated in a show. That’s why I was a little nervous to try out for Mr. NDA, but the core team makes me feel so comfortable I no longer have any worries. I am most excited about my family coming to show day,” Morgan said. Mr. NDA will be Friday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. in the PAC.