NCS Goes to Iceland
By Maeve Parker
In June of 2023, I traveled with North Cross students all over Iceland. It was a trip I will never forget.
When I heard the flight attendant announcing our arrival, I looked out the window and saw nothing but a big clearing of rocks for miles and far in the distance a tiny little airport. My first thought was: Are we on the moon? I was so shocked about how Iceland looked, especially because it looked so different from any picture I had seen.
Once we had made it off of the plane, we found our guide for the next week and stepped on the big tour bus for the first time of our trip. Little did we know, we would become very fond of that tour bus because we would be spending a lot of time on it. And I mean a LOT of time.
Our entire group was exhausted, but it was only 6:30 am in Iceland, so we still had a long day ahead of us.
The first day was so much fun! Iceland was not at all what I had expected, but in the best way possible. I had expected to see only beautiful grass and mountains, but instead I saw a different landscape anywhere I turned. There was always something to look at, which is definitely the reason it makes Iceland so unique.
I very soon realized a couple of things about Iceland: Everything is spread out, there are not many people, everyone is so nice, it is so clean, and almost everywhere you look there is either a green scooter or construction.
Iceland leads the world in eco-friendly policies, everything was organized and clean, which made the country as a whole so beautiful.
One of the things that made this trip so special was the people we met along the way. The third day into the trip we made it to our last hotel and we found out that we were not the only school group visiting. The hotel we were in had a huge basement with a game room, so our group decided it would be fun to check it out. When we got there we found around 50 kids that were our age from the UK.
Over the next couple of nights, everyday after touring Iceland, we went to the game room and met up with our new friends from the UK.
Despite this being a highlight, my favorite part of the trip would definitely have to be the glacier hike. For the glacier hike, we all wore special shoes with spikes, helmets and harnesses. The glacier was huge and so pretty, and once we got to the top, we all got to drink some glacier water that was flowing down the glacier. It was definitely the best water I’ve ever had.
Finally, on the last day of the trip we got to go to the Blue Lagoon. I was unsure if I would like it or not because some people were saying that it was really gross due to having thousands of visitors everyday. Nonetheless, we all got in and I wasn’t surprised to see that the lagoon, like everything else in Iceland, was beautiful and clean
In June of 2023, I traveled with North Cross students all over Iceland. It was a trip I will never forget.
When I heard the flight attendant announcing our arrival, I looked out the window and saw nothing but a big clearing of rocks for miles and far in the distance a tiny little airport. My first thought was: Are we on the moon? I was so shocked about how Iceland looked, especially because it looked so different from any picture I had seen.
Once we had made it off of the plane, we found our guide for the next week and stepped on the big tour bus for the first time of our trip. Little did we know, we would become very fond of that tour bus because we would be spending a lot of time on it. And I mean a LOT of time.
Our entire group was exhausted, but it was only 6:30 am in Iceland, so we still had a long day ahead of us.
The first day was so much fun! Iceland was not at all what I had expected, but in the best way possible. I had expected to see only beautiful grass and mountains, but instead I saw a different landscape anywhere I turned. There was always something to look at, which is definitely the reason it makes Iceland so unique.
I very soon realized a couple of things about Iceland: Everything is spread out, there are not many people, everyone is so nice, it is so clean, and almost everywhere you look there is either a green scooter or construction.
Iceland leads the world in eco-friendly policies, everything was organized and clean, which made the country as a whole so beautiful.
One of the things that made this trip so special was the people we met along the way. The third day into the trip we made it to our last hotel and we found out that we were not the only school group visiting. The hotel we were in had a huge basement with a game room, so our group decided it would be fun to check it out. When we got there we found around 50 kids that were our age from the UK.
Over the next couple of nights, everyday after touring Iceland, we went to the game room and met up with our new friends from the UK.
Despite this being a highlight, my favorite part of the trip would definitely have to be the glacier hike. For the glacier hike, we all wore special shoes with spikes, helmets and harnesses. The glacier was huge and so pretty, and once we got to the top, we all got to drink some glacier water that was flowing down the glacier. It was definitely the best water I’ve ever had.
Finally, on the last day of the trip we got to go to the Blue Lagoon. I was unsure if I would like it or not because some people were saying that it was really gross due to having thousands of visitors everyday. Nonetheless, we all got in and I wasn’t surprised to see that the lagoon, like everything else in Iceland, was beautiful and clean
Travel Benefits Mental Health
By Maeve Parker
Travel is a part of our everyday lives. Whether you are walking your dogs, driving to the grocery store, or even traveling across the world, it affects us all. As you engage in each of these tasks, you are allowing time for your mind to process things going on in your daily life. Simply getting away from your everyday life for just a moment can instantly decrease stress and improve your mood.
As traveling connects us to the world around us, I believe that it can have a very positive impact on our mental health. According to WebMD, travel relieves stress, enhances creativity and boosts overall happiness.
With these powerful benefits, travel can be a tool to help a person through a hard time. I know very well that some days, getting out of bed seems impossible, but the benefits of getting out of bed and getting a simple breath of fresh air can be transformative and positively impact the rest of my day.
Many people at North Cross engage in some form of traveling. When asked about how traveling affects her mental health, student Fiona Parnell ‘26 has a unique outlook on the topic. For as long as she can remember Fiona has gone to Ireland to visit her family. Her sister, Maeve Parnell ‘23 currently attends college at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
“It is where I get my happiness from,” she said. “Ireland is my home. It is where I feel like I belong. It has helped me improve my confidence as it gives me a connection to my culture.” In Fiona’s instance, traveling improves her mental health because it is a way she can “destress from the rest of the world” and opens her to new connections with people in another country.
Another student with a one of a kind experience with travel is Ameer Albishah ‘26. Ameer has been to countries in Europe and the Middle East, and so naturally travel has become a huge and important part of his life.
“It helps me improve my mental health a lot because it’s so relaxing and calming,” he said. His favorite part of traveling is getting to visit his family in Jordan every summer.
“I visit my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and my best friends in Jordan,” he said. “It’s so much fun and I always look forward to it”
Travel is very meaningful to Ameer. “Traveling is a big part [of] improving my mental health,” he said.
Travel has improved my life in similar ways to Ameer and Fiona. I was born in Brisbane, Australia, however my family moved back to the United States when I was still very young, so I don’t remember my experience very much. However, due to being born in such a unique place, it has led me to become very interested and curious in the world around me. I have always wondered what Brisbane was like, and the dream of going back has motivated me to become interested in traveling in general.
One of my favorite activities is walking my dogs on the Fern Park trail near my house, and although it seems like a simple thing to do, it means much more to me. It makes me feel connected to my neighborhood and Roanoke, while also allowing me to destress from the rest of the world just like Fiona and Ameer.
Our lives can sometimes feel like they are in non-stop motion and there is no time in between to focus on yourself. However, by focusing on this motion, you can learn different ways to use it to help improve your overall well-being.
Travel is a part of our everyday lives. Whether you are walking your dogs, driving to the grocery store, or even traveling across the world, it affects us all. As you engage in each of these tasks, you are allowing time for your mind to process things going on in your daily life. Simply getting away from your everyday life for just a moment can instantly decrease stress and improve your mood.
As traveling connects us to the world around us, I believe that it can have a very positive impact on our mental health. According to WebMD, travel relieves stress, enhances creativity and boosts overall happiness.
With these powerful benefits, travel can be a tool to help a person through a hard time. I know very well that some days, getting out of bed seems impossible, but the benefits of getting out of bed and getting a simple breath of fresh air can be transformative and positively impact the rest of my day.
Many people at North Cross engage in some form of traveling. When asked about how traveling affects her mental health, student Fiona Parnell ‘26 has a unique outlook on the topic. For as long as she can remember Fiona has gone to Ireland to visit her family. Her sister, Maeve Parnell ‘23 currently attends college at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
“It is where I get my happiness from,” she said. “Ireland is my home. It is where I feel like I belong. It has helped me improve my confidence as it gives me a connection to my culture.” In Fiona’s instance, traveling improves her mental health because it is a way she can “destress from the rest of the world” and opens her to new connections with people in another country.
Another student with a one of a kind experience with travel is Ameer Albishah ‘26. Ameer has been to countries in Europe and the Middle East, and so naturally travel has become a huge and important part of his life.
“It helps me improve my mental health a lot because it’s so relaxing and calming,” he said. His favorite part of traveling is getting to visit his family in Jordan every summer.
“I visit my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and my best friends in Jordan,” he said. “It’s so much fun and I always look forward to it”
Travel is very meaningful to Ameer. “Traveling is a big part [of] improving my mental health,” he said.
Travel has improved my life in similar ways to Ameer and Fiona. I was born in Brisbane, Australia, however my family moved back to the United States when I was still very young, so I don’t remember my experience very much. However, due to being born in such a unique place, it has led me to become very interested and curious in the world around me. I have always wondered what Brisbane was like, and the dream of going back has motivated me to become interested in traveling in general.
One of my favorite activities is walking my dogs on the Fern Park trail near my house, and although it seems like a simple thing to do, it means much more to me. It makes me feel connected to my neighborhood and Roanoke, while also allowing me to destress from the rest of the world just like Fiona and Ameer.
Our lives can sometimes feel like they are in non-stop motion and there is no time in between to focus on yourself. However, by focusing on this motion, you can learn different ways to use it to help improve your overall well-being.
Dodgeball tournament raises money for juvenile diabetes research
By Anna Ciccozzi
Scout Kappes ‘26 and her teammates proudly hold up W’s in the air following their win in this year’s Dodgeball Tournament. This November is National Diabetes Month. With the help of Leyton Sturm ‘25, Asst. Athletic Director Christopher Pollock, and the SCA, the Upper School was able to bring back last year’s dodgeball tournament to raise money to combat juvenile diabetes. “It was a good way to raise money for diabetes,” said Kappes. “There was lots of good sportsmanship going around and it was just really fun.” Kappes’ team consisted of five girls and five guys, who all worked together to secure victories round after round. When it came to Kappes’ strategy for the game, she took a more cautious approach that helped her stay in the game. “I just hid behind everyone until there was a couple people left and then I finally got out there,” said Kappes. Scout will “absolutely play again next year,” as she tries to defend her team’s winning title. COOKIE SALE HELPS ADD TO JD FUNDRAISER By Maeve Parker For this year’s JDRF dodgeball fundraiser, student Lucy Paige Ellett ‘26 decided to bring a new level of excitement to the event with her delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies. Lucy Paige got this brilliant idea because she wanted to find a way to bring more people into the tournament and encourage donations from our school’s community. The night before the event, Lucy Paige spent the entire afternoon making over 150 cookies to put in 50 Zziploc bags, to make sure her cookies would be the highlight of the event. She ended up selling every single one of the cookies with the help of Anna Ciccozzi ‘26 and Suvi Hansen ‘26. Lucy Paige was extremely excited about the community’s support during the fundraiser. “The tournament had a really good energy and competitive atmosphere,” she said. “Iit was such a fun thing to do for such a good cause!” Events like these are what bring our school closer and make everyone feel like they are a part of something special. Lucy Paige summeds up this school spirit. by saying, “Things like this are super fun to be a part of because they remind me of how much of a family our school is.” |
By Lauren Boone
Leyton Sturm ‘25 made a long-awaited announcement at break to inform the high school of another dodgeball tournament. Sturm was diagnosed with diabetes almost 10 years ago; spreading awareness and donating to the cause is one of his greatest intentions. High schoolers each donated two dollars to play in the tournament, all of their profits being raised to the juvenile diabetes foundation. Students, parents and faculty also made individual donations. About a week before the dodgeball tournament and Sturm’s announcement, teams quickly began to form and students came together to decide their costume themes. Themes included Jerseys, Christmas attire, pajamas, black and pink outfits. “Dodgeball was a really good thing we did for our school, especially for Leyton,” said Sophia Brown ‘24. “The highlight of my game was getting coach Eubank out with my first hit.”,” said Sophia Brown ‘24. My team chose the Christmas theme although there was another team with the same theme. We won our first game but lost the second, placing second in the tournament. My team included Tilden Ayers ‘26, Mason Jolley ‘26, Ethan Grigas ‘26, Jacob Juneau ‘26, Carter Krzeminski ‘26, Brandon Carey ‘26 Eliza Vogel ‘26, Grace Sheppard ‘25 and Kenzie Gibbs ‘25. |
Early Earth Day: Students remove 20,000 pounds of invasive species at Fallon Park
|
JUST THE FACTS
WHO: “About 60” AP Biology, Biology, Geoscience and Green Club students WHAT: Cleared out invasive species like autumn olive, Chinese privet, Japanese honeysuckle, Morrow’s honeysuckle, kudzu in the woods of a public park. WHEN: March 22 WHERE: Fallon Park is in NE Roanoke on the border with Vinton where Tinker Creek flows. WHY: To allow native species to thrive. |
Cafeteria staff keep the kitchen clean so kids can eat good food with confidence
By Nhi Le
Nowadays, food safety is a concern for students like us. There are 29.6 million lunches served daily and 4.9 billion annually according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in data 2019. The USDA oversees food safety. More than 300 breakouts of food illness happened in school, and 16,000 students were affected according to ABC News.
The cafeteria must follow the Virginia Department of Health rules and regulations. They are also governed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, which contain all the regulations about the use of supply and safety precautions. The cafeteria is inspected twice a school year, and they always score perfect or nearly perfect on the reports. Within all the reports, rules and regulations, food and lunches from the cafeteria are safe and will not cause any health illness like food poisoning.
As we all know, the NCS cafeteria is where most students buy snacks, drinks, and lunch. Six people are working in total; four full-time and two part-time. The Akers, commonly called Donnie and Ann, were the ones who took over and take care of the cafeteria. Donnie Akers has been working in the NCS cafeteria since 2004 and Ann joined him later. All the staff has been working for over five years for NCS.
Not only cooking and baking, but cleaning is also one of the most important processes. “We clean the kitchen all day long.” said Ann Akers. They always make sure the kitchen is clean at the end of the shift day and ready for the next day. Every week, the freezer and the walk-in area will be mopped and deeply cleaned at least three times.
The process starts with planning the menu for the whole month. Then they order all the ingredients, supplies, etc. After receiving the groceries, the cafeteria begins prepping, cooking, and baking. The salad bar is fresh and prepared every morning. Nearly all the food in the cafeteria is homemade, and not many schools are still doing that. The cafeteria staff comes to school around 7 a.m., to set up breakfast for the students. Then they start cooking and getting ready for the Lower School lunchtime at 10:30 am. They prepare food for the Middle School and then Upper School students. The amount of food they have to provide is enormous, since more than half of the 600 students buy lunch from the cafeteria.
The number of students buying lunch changes every day, therefore there are always leftovers. However, the cafeteria comes up with exciting and creative ways to minimize the amount of food they have to throw away. Ann usually makes the leftovers into some type of soup or creates something new.
“All in all the students treat us very well,” Donnie said, “and we love being around all of you.” Not only Donnie but all the other staff share their love with all the students. However, they also wanted to remind us that they prepare for three different areas of North Cross: Lower School, Middle School and Upper School. Furthermore, students should only take what they can eat. The Akers ask students to avoid being wasteful, because there are people who come after them in line for lunch. They said “Remember to follow all the rules in the cafeteria. Never forget to treat others as you want to be treated yourself.”
Nowadays, food safety is a concern for students like us. There are 29.6 million lunches served daily and 4.9 billion annually according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in data 2019. The USDA oversees food safety. More than 300 breakouts of food illness happened in school, and 16,000 students were affected according to ABC News.
The cafeteria must follow the Virginia Department of Health rules and regulations. They are also governed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, which contain all the regulations about the use of supply and safety precautions. The cafeteria is inspected twice a school year, and they always score perfect or nearly perfect on the reports. Within all the reports, rules and regulations, food and lunches from the cafeteria are safe and will not cause any health illness like food poisoning.
As we all know, the NCS cafeteria is where most students buy snacks, drinks, and lunch. Six people are working in total; four full-time and two part-time. The Akers, commonly called Donnie and Ann, were the ones who took over and take care of the cafeteria. Donnie Akers has been working in the NCS cafeteria since 2004 and Ann joined him later. All the staff has been working for over five years for NCS.
Not only cooking and baking, but cleaning is also one of the most important processes. “We clean the kitchen all day long.” said Ann Akers. They always make sure the kitchen is clean at the end of the shift day and ready for the next day. Every week, the freezer and the walk-in area will be mopped and deeply cleaned at least three times.
The process starts with planning the menu for the whole month. Then they order all the ingredients, supplies, etc. After receiving the groceries, the cafeteria begins prepping, cooking, and baking. The salad bar is fresh and prepared every morning. Nearly all the food in the cafeteria is homemade, and not many schools are still doing that. The cafeteria staff comes to school around 7 a.m., to set up breakfast for the students. Then they start cooking and getting ready for the Lower School lunchtime at 10:30 am. They prepare food for the Middle School and then Upper School students. The amount of food they have to provide is enormous, since more than half of the 600 students buy lunch from the cafeteria.
The number of students buying lunch changes every day, therefore there are always leftovers. However, the cafeteria comes up with exciting and creative ways to minimize the amount of food they have to throw away. Ann usually makes the leftovers into some type of soup or creates something new.
“All in all the students treat us very well,” Donnie said, “and we love being around all of you.” Not only Donnie but all the other staff share their love with all the students. However, they also wanted to remind us that they prepare for three different areas of North Cross: Lower School, Middle School and Upper School. Furthermore, students should only take what they can eat. The Akers ask students to avoid being wasteful, because there are people who come after them in line for lunch. They said “Remember to follow all the rules in the cafeteria. Never forget to treat others as you want to be treated yourself.”
Should we only commemorate one day to being thankful? Recently, the North Cross community has been given several things to be thankful for -- an amazing football team that brought home a state championship, an exciting Thanksgiving assembly, a week-long break and all the lovely sports teams that worked very hard this season.
What about the thespians in the winter play? They rehearse every day to entertain us in January. Next week, the Chorale will perform, and the Band will give its winter concert in two weeks.
We shouldn’t only see this as a time for thankfulness but also a time for reflection. According to a Harvard University study, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. However, we only designate one day to be thankful. Every day we are blessed with the gift of life. Is that not the most important thing we should be thankful for? And yet we choose to only express this before a rotisserie turkey during Thanksgiving dinner. We should be thankful more often -- for the groundskeepers who work tirelessly to make sure the North Cross ground remains picturesque or the cafeteria staff who make breakfast for the dorm kids and provide us with wonderful food -- we owe them a great deal of gratitude.
With finals and college application deadlines approaching, our vision can be clouded by stress, but we cannot forget to thank our teachers who facilitate our academic growth and development. And we should especially thank Ms. Sommers, Mrs. Schlachter and Ms.Taylor; these diligent ladies put a lot of effort into their jobs and make the student experience better. Finally, at a college-prep school, we should all thank our Director of College Counseling Julie Avaatsmark.
Gratitude is not only a feeling but a skill, we should share our appreciation often and cultivate this skill.
What about the thespians in the winter play? They rehearse every day to entertain us in January. Next week, the Chorale will perform, and the Band will give its winter concert in two weeks.
We shouldn’t only see this as a time for thankfulness but also a time for reflection. According to a Harvard University study, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. However, we only designate one day to be thankful. Every day we are blessed with the gift of life. Is that not the most important thing we should be thankful for? And yet we choose to only express this before a rotisserie turkey during Thanksgiving dinner. We should be thankful more often -- for the groundskeepers who work tirelessly to make sure the North Cross ground remains picturesque or the cafeteria staff who make breakfast for the dorm kids and provide us with wonderful food -- we owe them a great deal of gratitude.
With finals and college application deadlines approaching, our vision can be clouded by stress, but we cannot forget to thank our teachers who facilitate our academic growth and development. And we should especially thank Ms. Sommers, Mrs. Schlachter and Ms.Taylor; these diligent ladies put a lot of effort into their jobs and make the student experience better. Finally, at a college-prep school, we should all thank our Director of College Counseling Julie Avaatsmark.
Gratitude is not only a feeling but a skill, we should share our appreciation often and cultivate this skill.
Gratitude Feature
Should we only commemorate one day to being thankful? Recently, the North Cross community has been given several things to be thankful for -- an amazing football team that brought home a state championship, an exciting Thanksgiving assembly, a week-long break and all the lovely sports teams that worked very hard this season.
What about the thespians in the winter play? They rehearse every day to entertain us in January. Next week, the Chorale will perform, and the Band will give its winter concert in two weeks.
We shouldn’t only see this as a time for thankfulness but also a time for reflection. According to a Harvard University study, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. However, we only designate one day to be thankful. Every day we are blessed with the gift of life. Is that not the most important thing we should be thankful for? And yet we choose to only express this before a rotisserie turkey during Thanksgiving dinner. We should be thankful more often -- for the groundskeepers who work tirelessly to make sure the North Cross ground remains picturesque or the cafeteria staff who make breakfast for the dorm kids and provide us with wonderful food -- we owe them a great deal of gratitude.
With finals and college application deadlines approaching, our vision can be clouded by stress, but we cannot forget to thank our teachers who facilitate our academic growth and development. And we should especially thank Ms. Sommers, Mrs. Schlachter and Ms.Taylor; these diligent ladies put a lot of effort into their jobs and make the student experience better. Finally, at a college-prep school, we should all thank our Director of College Counseling Julie Avaatsmark.
Gratitude is not only a feeling but a skill, we should share our appreciation often and cultivate this skill.
What about the thespians in the winter play? They rehearse every day to entertain us in January. Next week, the Chorale will perform, and the Band will give its winter concert in two weeks.
We shouldn’t only see this as a time for thankfulness but also a time for reflection. According to a Harvard University study, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. However, we only designate one day to be thankful. Every day we are blessed with the gift of life. Is that not the most important thing we should be thankful for? And yet we choose to only express this before a rotisserie turkey during Thanksgiving dinner. We should be thankful more often -- for the groundskeepers who work tirelessly to make sure the North Cross ground remains picturesque or the cafeteria staff who make breakfast for the dorm kids and provide us with wonderful food -- we owe them a great deal of gratitude.
With finals and college application deadlines approaching, our vision can be clouded by stress, but we cannot forget to thank our teachers who facilitate our academic growth and development. And we should especially thank Ms. Sommers, Mrs. Schlachter and Ms.Taylor; these diligent ladies put a lot of effort into their jobs and make the student experience better. Finally, at a college-prep school, we should all thank our Director of College Counseling Julie Avaatsmark.
Gratitude is not only a feeling but a skill, we should share our appreciation often and cultivate this skill.
Students get more applause than faculty
By Kenzie Raub '24
For the second Student Faculty Cup of the year, North Cross held its first ever lip sync competition.
“Just being able to have fun in the auditorium with everybody there again, it just felt like things were getting back to normal and we were all able to be in the same place,” says Dr. Tim Naginey, one of the teachers that participated in the competition.
The groups that performed in the competition ranged from 9th graders all the way to faculty members. There was one group representing the freshman class, two groups of sophomores, one group of juniors and two senior groups. The winning group among the students later went on to battle against the faculty team. The winner of both the student groups and against the faculty was a 10th grade group performing “Status Quo” from High School Musical.
“It was surprising,” says Dami Bankole, a one of the group members of the winning team, “We didn’t think we would win.”
According to Bankole, it only took about one full lunch period and half of another one to perfect their dance routine. Bankole also says that Selden Burns and Cate Cook were the main people that gathered the group together. It was an event for SCA. The whole group consisted of Bankole, Burns, Cook, Dajah Garrison, Nadia Hosny, Ansley Ayers, Teea Hash, Kathryn Hancock, Alexis Teter, Elinor Blackshaw and Danny Phung. In addition to her own group, Bankole says her favorite performances were the senior group that lip synced “Gold Digger” by Ye because of how entertaining it was and the other sophomore group that performed “Careless Whisper” by George Micheal because of its comedic factor.
“We had a lot of fun doing the little part at the beginning, that was probably my favorite part,” Bankole said, “And the part where she got food thrown on her, that was pretty funny. I didn’t know we were using real food until she actually, like, threw it on her.”
Meanwhile, Naginey says that their entire dance routine was all improv and they had no dance practice prior to the performance. Mistie Dickenson, the biology and environmental studies teacher, was the mastermind behind the group, being the one to gather the teachers up to perform. A few teachers, such as Chris Brandon and Stephen Belderes, joined at the last minute and hopped on stage for the actual competition. Similarly to Bankole, Naginey’s favorite performance was the “Careless Whisper” group, saying that it was hilarious.
“I think the sense of community where all the grades and all the teachers are all getting on stage and embarrassing themselves really brings everyone closer together,” Naginey says, “Having fun with the kids, it’s really good, I think it’s really important. It’s one of the great things that North Cross does, they try to encourage the sense of community with everyone, not just students but students and teachers together.”
For the second Student Faculty Cup of the year, North Cross held its first ever lip sync competition.
“Just being able to have fun in the auditorium with everybody there again, it just felt like things were getting back to normal and we were all able to be in the same place,” says Dr. Tim Naginey, one of the teachers that participated in the competition.
The groups that performed in the competition ranged from 9th graders all the way to faculty members. There was one group representing the freshman class, two groups of sophomores, one group of juniors and two senior groups. The winning group among the students later went on to battle against the faculty team. The winner of both the student groups and against the faculty was a 10th grade group performing “Status Quo” from High School Musical.
“It was surprising,” says Dami Bankole, a one of the group members of the winning team, “We didn’t think we would win.”
According to Bankole, it only took about one full lunch period and half of another one to perfect their dance routine. Bankole also says that Selden Burns and Cate Cook were the main people that gathered the group together. It was an event for SCA. The whole group consisted of Bankole, Burns, Cook, Dajah Garrison, Nadia Hosny, Ansley Ayers, Teea Hash, Kathryn Hancock, Alexis Teter, Elinor Blackshaw and Danny Phung. In addition to her own group, Bankole says her favorite performances were the senior group that lip synced “Gold Digger” by Ye because of how entertaining it was and the other sophomore group that performed “Careless Whisper” by George Micheal because of its comedic factor.
“We had a lot of fun doing the little part at the beginning, that was probably my favorite part,” Bankole said, “And the part where she got food thrown on her, that was pretty funny. I didn’t know we were using real food until she actually, like, threw it on her.”
Meanwhile, Naginey says that their entire dance routine was all improv and they had no dance practice prior to the performance. Mistie Dickenson, the biology and environmental studies teacher, was the mastermind behind the group, being the one to gather the teachers up to perform. A few teachers, such as Chris Brandon and Stephen Belderes, joined at the last minute and hopped on stage for the actual competition. Similarly to Bankole, Naginey’s favorite performance was the “Careless Whisper” group, saying that it was hilarious.
“I think the sense of community where all the grades and all the teachers are all getting on stage and embarrassing themselves really brings everyone closer together,” Naginey says, “Having fun with the kids, it’s really good, I think it’s really important. It’s one of the great things that North Cross does, they try to encourage the sense of community with everyone, not just students but students and teachers together.”
Screen Free Day Survey conducted Feb. 1-3
Top-10 Lists
Top 10 shows (that I watched on Netflix):
By Hania Raza
In the world of television shows, there are many beautiful creations, but the following are my most memorable ones.
10. The Letter for the King
The Letter for the King, a Netflix Original series released in 2020, depicts the story of a boy who must deliver a secret letter to the King. With only six episodes, the directors, Alex Holmes and Felix Thompson, were able to tell an adventurous tale taking place in medieval times for kids.
9. Alexa & Katie
Alexa & Katie, also a Netflix Original series, is a story about a high school girl, Alexa, who suffers from cancer, and her best friend, Katie. Each episode is a new experience that the friends go through together, and each of the four seasons is a year of their highschool careers.
8. iCarly
iCarly aired on Nickelodeon from 2007 - 2012. It is set apart from other television shows because it is a show about a show. It follows the story of a group of friends that start an internet show, iCarly. The series became very popular in 2010, and certainly holds some nostalgia for people who used to watch as kids. It appealed to many because, growing up surrounded by the internet, kids wanted to start their own channel on YouTube or start an internet show like iCarly.
7. Stranger Things
Stranger Things is a Netflix Original series, based on a conspiracy theory, about a group of kids discovering a government cover-up during the Cold War. The show’s first season was released in 2016 and the fourth season is set to come out in mid-2022. The viewers are able to see the child actors grow up in front of them, on screen.
6. The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy, first released in early 2019, shows the story of seven children with extraordinary gifts, who are adopted by the billionaire owner of the academy. With two seasons, this Netflix Original series was fairly well received. It is different from most superhero shows, depicting the academy as a big family with unhealthy relationships.
5. The Dragon Prince
The Dragon Prince, another Netflix Original, is the first animated series on this list. Following the story of princes and elves trying to end the long standing conflict between their nations, the show’s target audience was kids ages 9-12, though it can be enjoyed by all ages. It has a positive representation of different sexualities, disabilities and races.
4. A Series of Unfortunate Events
A Series of Unfortunate Events, also a Netflix Original series, is a dark story about three siblings being followed around by the villainous Count Olaf, who will do anything to get the large fortune that their parents left for them. In every episode, the fourth wall is broken by the narrator, Lemony Snicket, and the audience is warned of the sad tales they will see.
3. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018-2020)
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, a Netflix Original animated series, is a reboot based on another series made in 1985. It follows the story of a group of teenagers who have to save their planet against the Horde. She-Ra is seen as a powerful role model for many women and girls. The series is one of the few children’s shows with LGBTQ+ representation, which is impactful for many.
2. Anne with an E
Anne with an E was based on the book Anne of Green Gables and portrays the story of a young girl, Anne, who is trying to adapt to life with her new adoptive parents. Taking place in the late 19th century, the show was able to accurately show many societal issues, like racism and gender inequality, during that time. In addition, the show brings awareness to the residential schools that Native American children were forced into, away from their families, and never seen again.
1. Avatar the Last Airbender
Avatar the Last Airbender aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 - 2008 with three seasons. It is a story about three nations, Earth, Water and Air, that have been attacked by the Fire nation for the past century. Each nation has its own benders, in other words, people born with their nation’s powers. There are firebenders, waterbenders, airbenders, and earthbenders, but only one master of all the elements, the avatar. The avatar must stop the war and bring peace to the world. Though this series was targeted towards a younger audience, it can appeal to teens or adults because there are some interesting small details. For example, the fighting styles of each group of benders are based on real life fighting styles, which match with the characteristics of the nation. Water benders are seen using Tai Chi, which is characterized by control rather than aggression.
By Hania Raza
In the world of television shows, there are many beautiful creations, but the following are my most memorable ones.
10. The Letter for the King
The Letter for the King, a Netflix Original series released in 2020, depicts the story of a boy who must deliver a secret letter to the King. With only six episodes, the directors, Alex Holmes and Felix Thompson, were able to tell an adventurous tale taking place in medieval times for kids.
9. Alexa & Katie
Alexa & Katie, also a Netflix Original series, is a story about a high school girl, Alexa, who suffers from cancer, and her best friend, Katie. Each episode is a new experience that the friends go through together, and each of the four seasons is a year of their highschool careers.
8. iCarly
iCarly aired on Nickelodeon from 2007 - 2012. It is set apart from other television shows because it is a show about a show. It follows the story of a group of friends that start an internet show, iCarly. The series became very popular in 2010, and certainly holds some nostalgia for people who used to watch as kids. It appealed to many because, growing up surrounded by the internet, kids wanted to start their own channel on YouTube or start an internet show like iCarly.
7. Stranger Things
Stranger Things is a Netflix Original series, based on a conspiracy theory, about a group of kids discovering a government cover-up during the Cold War. The show’s first season was released in 2016 and the fourth season is set to come out in mid-2022. The viewers are able to see the child actors grow up in front of them, on screen.
6. The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy, first released in early 2019, shows the story of seven children with extraordinary gifts, who are adopted by the billionaire owner of the academy. With two seasons, this Netflix Original series was fairly well received. It is different from most superhero shows, depicting the academy as a big family with unhealthy relationships.
5. The Dragon Prince
The Dragon Prince, another Netflix Original, is the first animated series on this list. Following the story of princes and elves trying to end the long standing conflict between their nations, the show’s target audience was kids ages 9-12, though it can be enjoyed by all ages. It has a positive representation of different sexualities, disabilities and races.
4. A Series of Unfortunate Events
A Series of Unfortunate Events, also a Netflix Original series, is a dark story about three siblings being followed around by the villainous Count Olaf, who will do anything to get the large fortune that their parents left for them. In every episode, the fourth wall is broken by the narrator, Lemony Snicket, and the audience is warned of the sad tales they will see.
3. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018-2020)
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, a Netflix Original animated series, is a reboot based on another series made in 1985. It follows the story of a group of teenagers who have to save their planet against the Horde. She-Ra is seen as a powerful role model for many women and girls. The series is one of the few children’s shows with LGBTQ+ representation, which is impactful for many.
2. Anne with an E
Anne with an E was based on the book Anne of Green Gables and portrays the story of a young girl, Anne, who is trying to adapt to life with her new adoptive parents. Taking place in the late 19th century, the show was able to accurately show many societal issues, like racism and gender inequality, during that time. In addition, the show brings awareness to the residential schools that Native American children were forced into, away from their families, and never seen again.
1. Avatar the Last Airbender
Avatar the Last Airbender aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 - 2008 with three seasons. It is a story about three nations, Earth, Water and Air, that have been attacked by the Fire nation for the past century. Each nation has its own benders, in other words, people born with their nation’s powers. There are firebenders, waterbenders, airbenders, and earthbenders, but only one master of all the elements, the avatar. The avatar must stop the war and bring peace to the world. Though this series was targeted towards a younger audience, it can appeal to teens or adults because there are some interesting small details. For example, the fighting styles of each group of benders are based on real life fighting styles, which match with the characteristics of the nation. Water benders are seen using Tai Chi, which is characterized by control rather than aggression.