 Featured above is Pietra Fischer ‘26 (center), Lilly Lenkowski ‘28 (center left), Garima Patel ‘28 (left), and many more students from the NCS Upper and Middle School participating in this year’s spring musical Matilda. The students above are members of the ensemble playing students attending the school that Matilda goes to. In this particular scene they are singing the “School Song” which introduces the main character Matilda as well as other new students to their school. On April 10 the Matilda cast performed scenes of the musical for Middle and Upper School students before putting on the full musical April 11-12. Mary Huff ‘31 headlined as the lead, Matilda, who is a young girl that feels misunderstood by her parents because she likes to read books but when she starts attending school where she meets her welcoming teacher Mrs. Honey, she finally feels accepted and she ends up being adopted by Mrs. Honey in the end. Emily Nguyen ‘27, who played one of the main characters in the musical Miss Honey, stated that “this was my first time being in a musical production, yet everyone in the cast was super welcoming and nice to me.” Photo by Morgan Kemp
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“Trust me, this will be the best decision of your life” CrossWalk Instructor Kevin Finch exclaims to his attentive students as he encourages them to consider joining the Peace Corps. Finch gave a presentation about his time in the Peace Corps and how his travels to Honduras changed his life for the better. When speaking about language barriers, Finch said, “My wife was fluent in Spanish, though I had only taken a beginner class before we left.” By the end of his two year stay Finch said, “I could speak pretty good Spanish.” While staying in Honduras Finch explained how he gained a new perspective on life, and a new sense of gratitude for the life and privileges we have here in the United States. One of the hardships he mentioned was that they had a limited supply of water, with running water for only an hour out of the day. Though it was the hardships that taught him how to be deeply thankful. Finch remarked one of his favorite experiences was when he formed a girls basketball team at the local elementary school that he would volunteer at. Perhaps that is why both of his daughters, Addie ‘25 and Brigitte ‘27 play sports. In conclusion, Finch’s two-year stay in Honduras ended up being extremely beneficial for his own growth but also for all of the people’s lives that he improved for the better.
 When North Cross teachers are confronted with mental abuse claims from students, they deny everything. “Everynight I have at least an hour of homework,” reported an anonymous student, “this is torture!!”. Another student claims that “the extreme amounts of unnecessary work is physically taxing too; last week I almost sprained my wrist from carrying all of my enormous textbooks!”.
There seems to be a common theme shared between many students attending NCS Upper-School, that is the shared idea that high schoolers are overworked in school. Each of the students interviewed mentioned sleep loss due to amounts of assignments given in a single day which then affects their attention span in class throughout the next day. When one of these anonymous students stood up for themselves in class telling the teacher that “I didn’t finish my homework because you assigned me too much work!”, the teacher lashed out by failing that student in their class effectively dropping their GPA and that student was therefore not able to pursue their dream of going to Harvard for law school. Though this may seem like an extreme situation, another student recalled an encounter with a teacher where they got into a physical altercation over excess amounts of homework. Instead of the teacher taking accountability after the incident, the student was promptly expelled from campus, yet the teacher continued to assign excess amounts of work to students everyday. While this article is not meant to force blame onto teachers, it is meant to bring awareness to students who suffer from the work that they assign. I'm sure many highschool students will attest to the fact that they are overworked in school, and when they attempt to reason with their teachers and educators they are often shut down and ignored because they are merely students.  “You’re so sweet, Cooper! Every Valentine’s Day, you get me the best gift!” Ella said to her husband, Cooper. Each year, he surprised her with something thoughtful. This time, he had given her a bouquet of pink tulips—her favorite.
Just as they were basking in their love and laughter, the doorbell rang. Curious, Ella peeked through the window and saw a delivery man standing at their doorstep, holding a heart-shaped box of chocolates. “You got me flowers and chocolates, Cooper? You’re too sweet!” Ella exclaimed, assuming the delivery was for her. She opened the door with a cheerful, “Good morning!” The delivery man smiled and glanced at his clipboard. “I have a delivery for a Cooper. Is he home?” Ella’s expression faltered. “Uh… yeah, he’s right here.” She turned toward Cooper, who had just stepped into view. “Great! I’ve got a package for you from Jessica. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!” With that, the delivery man returned to his truck and drove off, leaving Ella frozen in place. She slowly turned to Cooper, holding the box of chocolates with trembling hands. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Who… the heck… is Jessica?” Cooper opened his mouth to answer, but Ella wasn’t done. “Why is another woman sending you chocolates? Are you buying flowers for her too? Does our marriage mean nothing to you?” Her voice rose with each question, her eyes flashing with hurt and anger. “Ella, listen—” “No, you listen!” she interrupted, her voice shaking. “We’ve been married for two years, together for ten, and you’re willing to throw that all away for some girl?!” “It’s not like that,” Cooper muttered. “Oh really? Then what is it like? Are you seeing her?” “No!” Cooper snapped, his frustration bubbling up. “It’s nothing like that. I haven’t seen Jessica in years.” Ella’s anger wavered, replaced by confusion. “What?” Cooper exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Jessica is… an ex. A crazy ex. We dated in college for barely a month, and she became obsessed with me. I even had to transfer schools because she wouldn’t leave me alone. She followed me, watched me, even stalked me from her car. When I finally confronted her, she denied everything. It got so bad that I decided to pack up and leave. I haven’t heard from her since. Until now.” Ella stared at him, trying to process everything. “Why didn’t you ever tell me this before?” Cooper hesitated. “I don’t know. Maybe I was scared you wouldn’t believe me.” She reached for his hand, her grip firm. “Cooper, you can tell me anything. You don’t have to be scared.” He let out a breath, sinking onto the couch. “I just need to relax.” Ella sat beside him, leaning into his shoulder. “I agree.” As they settled into the comfort of their favorite TV show, the tension between them slowly eased. But just beyond the warm glow of their living room, a small window framed an eerie sight. A shadow shifted in the darkness. A pair of eyes peered inside, watching, waiting.  Dancers often compete against each other individually as well as in teams, it requires lots of skill and athleticism, and there is a high risk of injury among dancers.
The debate of whether dance is a sport or not has been ongoing for many years. Based on a recent Herald survey, 29 of 38 students say dance is a sport. When asked why dance qualifies as a sport, one high school football coach in Iowa said, “Dance is a sport because they’re competing against other teams and working together.” But what actually classifies something as a sport versus an art? Well, according to the Oxford Dictionary a sport is defined as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment” and an art form can be “any activity regarded as a medium of imaginative or creative self-expression.” Meanwhile, an art form is “any activity regarded as a medium of imaginative or creative self-expression.” Given the physical exertion and skill needed to become even an amateur dancer, one might assume dance is naturally recognized as a sport. However, this is not the case. Some believe that dance is purely an art form and should not be considered a sport due to the lack of competition in many of the different styles of dance. Others oppose this claim acknowledging the physical exertion and strength needed to excel in dance. Dance should be recognized as both a sport and an art form due to the physical demands and skill required to be a proficient dancer. Dancing has been around for thousands of years with some of the earliest human civilizations using dance as a way to express themselves. Modern forms of dance such as ballet and jazz have only been around for the past couple of centuries. Ballet was invented in the 15th century during the Renaissance era and it was first only available to the rich nobles who would have private instruction from ballet masters. More recent evolutions of dance include the establishment of jazz, tap, hiphop, and modern styles of dance. The earliest of these examples would be tap dancing as it was invented in the 18th century and it was a fusion of British and West African dance styles. Both jazz and modern dance were invented in the early 20th century and they both heavily contrasted the restrictive nature of ballet, almost protesting the strict rules of ballet. Lastly, the earliest example of modern dance would be hiphop as it was invented in the 1970s in the Bronx, New York City. Hip hop was highly influenced by the streetwear, fashion style, music, and artwork that engulfed the city and it took elements of the city's culture to create the style of dance it is today. Along with that, each century of human culture and history has been reflected through new styles of dance that correlate to the societal changes of that time period. Many of these examples wouldn’t be considered sports as they serve a different purpose. For example the cultural dances of early human civilizations really don’t require a large amount of athleticism and they do not meet the requirements of a sport as there is no competition between individuals. Though more modern styles of dance such as ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop and more meet the set expectations of a sport. Unlike many sports, dance is often an individual pursuit. Dancers train extensively in class, improve their skills at home, and showcase their abilities on stage. While dance studios function like sports teams, they differ in one key aspect: dancers often compete against each other for the lead role in performances or the coveted solo spot at national competitions. Ultimately, dance cannot be confined to a single category. It embodies the creativity of an art form and the physicality of a sport. While some may argue otherwise, the discipline, endurance, and competitive nature of dance prove that it deserves recognition as both.  “Jordan!! Come down stairs now! Everyone is waiting for you,” my mom screams at the top of her lungs.
“Ughhhh, I hate Thanksgiving,” I mutter quietly to myself, as I force myself out of bed and down the steps to our dining room, which is filled with relatives I haven’t seen in months. I managed to fake a, “Nice to see you!” along with a joyful “Hi!” when I greeted each of my relatives, none of whom I was happy to be spending time with. Every Thanksgiving in my family ends the same [way] every year: someone ends up mentioning politics, which then results in an all out screaming match between aunts and grandfathers. On top of that, the food isn’t even worth all of the arguing! The turkey is dryer than the Sahara and the stuffing has an odd mushy texture to it. Overall, Thanksgiving sucks! After about 30 minutes of dinner, things start to go south when my grandfather Papa brings up the election. When I see my aunt's face start to turn more annoyed and angry, I know that she is going to blow soon. That's how I know it's the perfect time to get away. “Excuse me, I just have to use the restroom. I'll be back in a minute,” I say knowing full well I will not be back anytime soon. I’ve started a sort of tradition every Thanksgiving of leaving dinner early to get away from the chaos. This year, to distract myself from the family drama, I wanted to take the family dog Daisy for a walk. “Daisy! Come here, let's go for a walk!” Soon after my calls for her. Daisy comes rushing towards me excited for her walk. Daisy and I walk all the way up our hill and we circle around the neighborhood. After around an hour of walking around, I can tell Daisy is ready to go home, as she looks exhausted and pants almost like pleading for some water. I'm also getting a little tired, so we start heading back home. As we approach my house, I notice that a couple things seem a little different. The closer we get to my house, the more I notice that something is wrong. There aren't any cars filling up my driveway or even any parked in front of the house. I start running towards my house, as I'm concerned and questioning myself if everyone left. “Did we really walk for that long, Daisy?” I ask myself. After a couple knocks on my front door I resort to screaming “Mom!!” through our mail slot. I finally see her coming down the stairs to come let me in. As soon as she opens the door I ask “Where’d everyone go?” To which she says, “Jordan hone they all left, the dinner ended hours ago.” All I can think about is how I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my family members I won’t see until next year. My mom notices my worried expression, so she tells me, “Jordan, you should have stayed for dinner. You missed the best part, dessert!” I guess I should have stayed… Maybe I should have been more grateful to see my relatives… Maybe Thanksgiving doesn’t suck after all.  Charlie Zhao ‘26 of China and Kevin Tran ‘26 of Vietnam, prepare to demolish their opponents in the NCS dodgeball competition. Leyton Sturn ‘25 has hosted a dodgeball tournament for the past couple years. The reason behind this tournament is ultimately to raise money, as well as awareness, for those who suffer from diabetes. This year the dodgeball tournament raised over $150, which was donated to a charity for diabetics. “I loved playing in the dodgeball tournament,” Sophia Camp ‘27 said, “and it felt good knowing I was supporting a good cause.” In short, this year's dodgeball tournament was filled with fun and it was all towards a good cause. Photo by Akali Koeda
 Maria Albishah ‘27 steps up to the lane, ball in hand, ready to get a strike. The SCA hosts an annual bowling night, and this year it was hosted on Dec. 6. “It was amazing and I loved my matching costume with Nola,” Albishah said. As pictured above, Albishah was dressed head to toe in her festive gear. While she did not win best costume, her festive wear certainly won in her team's hearts as other members of the “Festive Wear” team remarked that they had been “robbed” of the best costume award.
 KABOOM: Getulio Brasil's chemistry class watches in awe as they see an explosive and reactive chemical reaction. The particular reaction shown above is meant to show how reactive sodium can be. Sodium is so unstable and reactive that when it comes in contact with water or air, a reaction much like the one displayed in the picture above, will occur. After seeing the explosion Ainsley Miles ‘27 exclaimed with excitement that “It was like a firework!”. Many other students were just as amazed by this experiment as Ainsley was. Overall, this experiment was a fun way to get students involved and excited about coming to chemistry class.
 Annabelle Coles ‘27, the underclass team’s quarterback, sprints down the field with the football as her opponents attempt at snatching the ball from her. On Oct. 16, the NCS upper school had an exciting and thrilling Powderpuff game with the upper-classmen (dressed in black jerseys) winning 14-7. “I was so close to scoring a touchdown!” said Ainsley Myles ‘27, pictured in white on the far right, after the football game.. Both teams had been practicing for this game for weeks, and because it got suspended due to weather conditions, the suspense only grew in time. Along with the Powderpuff game, NCS students got to enjoy the annual Fall Festivus activities with complementary chicken wings from local business, LA Wings.
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Dara Kerman
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