International day stories
Symposium 2025 photos and captions
Model UN journeys to New York City
17 students and two chaperones spend four days representing Russia.
By Isla Whittle
The excited group of Model UN students sits in the front row at the opening ceremony, waiting for it to begin before they attend their committee sessions. The more they wait, the more their excitement lessens until a group of singers come out and sing “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Not only did they sing it, but they put on a great show for the audience of roughly 1,000 students.
This large number was only about half of all the students that attended this National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) conference.
This concert had followed a long day, with most of the students needing to get up at 4:45 that morning to catch an early train. After an eight hour long train ride, they finally arrived in New York City. After walking a mile and a half through the city, with their luggage, to get to the hotel, they had a couple of hours to settle into the hotel and get dinner. Quickly following the opening ceremony, where the concert had been performed, they only had 15 minutes to get to their committee sessions. The session lasted two hours, from 9:00-11:00. Most of the students didn’t get to bed until about 12:30, or 1:00 am. This made their day last from 5:00 am-1:00 am, about 20 hours long.
This committed group of students, led by faculty advisors Hannah Ewing and Michael Koss, went up to New York City for a Model UN conference. The conference was three days long, with five committee sessions. During these committee sessions, the students represented a country, known as “delegates” of that country. This year, NCS was assigned to Russia. The students spent their three days at the conference intensely debating with other students from all over the world, eventually deciding on resolutions.
Maidah Ahmad ‘27 participated in a UN Energy Assembly committee. “Our committee topic was sustainable urban development in megacities,” Ahmad said. “We discussed things like renewable energy, funding, and incentives for countries to participate. We also discussed newer ideas and how the carbon emissions of AI could be nuanced when using it to help create solutions to our problems.”
The conference consisted of an opening ceremony, five committee sessions, a closing ceremony, and a special guest speaker. This assembly took place on Thursday, the second
day of the conference. The guest speaker was none other than the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden. Out of the many questions that students submitted, Biden answered one of our own student’s questions, Shree Patel ‘28. Patel asked, “What’s your favorite type of ice cream?”
“I’m known for two things,” Biden said, “RayBan Sunglasses and chocolate chip ice cream.”
“I was very shocked and grateful that I got the experience to see him talk,” Patel said. “I had no idea that they were going to pick my
question until they asked it!”
The excited group of Model UN students sits in the front row at the opening ceremony, waiting for it to begin before they attend their committee sessions. The more they wait, the more their excitement lessens until a group of singers come out and sing “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Not only did they sing it, but they put on a great show for the audience of roughly 1,000 students.
This large number was only about half of all the students that attended this National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) conference.
This concert had followed a long day, with most of the students needing to get up at 4:45 that morning to catch an early train. After an eight hour long train ride, they finally arrived in New York City. After walking a mile and a half through the city, with their luggage, to get to the hotel, they had a couple of hours to settle into the hotel and get dinner. Quickly following the opening ceremony, where the concert had been performed, they only had 15 minutes to get to their committee sessions. The session lasted two hours, from 9:00-11:00. Most of the students didn’t get to bed until about 12:30, or 1:00 am. This made their day last from 5:00 am-1:00 am, about 20 hours long.
This committed group of students, led by faculty advisors Hannah Ewing and Michael Koss, went up to New York City for a Model UN conference. The conference was three days long, with five committee sessions. During these committee sessions, the students represented a country, known as “delegates” of that country. This year, NCS was assigned to Russia. The students spent their three days at the conference intensely debating with other students from all over the world, eventually deciding on resolutions.
Maidah Ahmad ‘27 participated in a UN Energy Assembly committee. “Our committee topic was sustainable urban development in megacities,” Ahmad said. “We discussed things like renewable energy, funding, and incentives for countries to participate. We also discussed newer ideas and how the carbon emissions of AI could be nuanced when using it to help create solutions to our problems.”
The conference consisted of an opening ceremony, five committee sessions, a closing ceremony, and a special guest speaker. This assembly took place on Thursday, the second
day of the conference. The guest speaker was none other than the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden. Out of the many questions that students submitted, Biden answered one of our own student’s questions, Shree Patel ‘28. Patel asked, “What’s your favorite type of ice cream?”
“I’m known for two things,” Biden said, “RayBan Sunglasses and chocolate chip ice cream.”
“I was very shocked and grateful that I got the experience to see him talk,” Patel said. “I had no idea that they were going to pick my
question until they asked it!”
Decades Day: Maria Albishah, Remi Lewis
Remi Lewis ‘27 sits with friends, Scout Kappes ‘26 and Maddie Howes ‘27, on Decades Day of Spirit Week. For Homecoming Spirit Week the SCA chose the theme of decades for each grade on Monday. The freshmen wore ‘70s fashions, the sophomores dressed for the ‘80s, the juniors were decked out in ‘90s gear and the senior class traveled back to the 2000s. Each grade enjoyed searching for an outfit to match their decade. The competition during break for who had the best costume was won by Tristan Lange ‘26. “I think the person that had the best outfit was Julia Corliss with her amazing flip phone costume,” Lewis said. Lewis’ own costume consisted of blue jeans, a Virginia Tech jacket, an orange headband and yellow Nikes. There was some speculation among students about the results of the contest ,but by the end of the day it was forgotten and students eagerly awaited Tuesday’s Duo Day. To describe the Decades Day in one word Lewis enthusiastically said, “colorful.” Caption and photo by Margaret Bass
Maria Albishah '27 dresses like a teenager from the ‘70s during spirit week. The ‘70s
was a glorious era marked by the birth of new styles of music, such as disco. Also, this era is
known as a decade of fashion freedom. Maria combined both elements very well in the photo. She explained why she wanted to be part of this., ‘’ ‘I dress up because I want to participate, and also, to win,’’ she said. ‘’I like how I look blond, maybe I should dye.” Something that is unknown just by looking at the picture is the outfit in its entirety. She wore bell bottoms, widely used at the time. [After not winning one of the three prizes, the Herald polled students about who looked best on Decades Day, and Maria won the poll (and homemade cookies)].
was a glorious era marked by the birth of new styles of music, such as disco. Also, this era is
known as a decade of fashion freedom. Maria combined both elements very well in the photo. She explained why she wanted to be part of this., ‘’ ‘I dress up because I want to participate, and also, to win,’’ she said. ‘’I like how I look blond, maybe I should dye.” Something that is unknown just by looking at the picture is the outfit in its entirety. She wore bell bottoms, widely used at the time. [After not winning one of the three prizes, the Herald polled students about who looked best on Decades Day, and Maria won the poll (and homemade cookies)].
Stories from 2023-24
My Drake hoodie. Photo by my sister
Over spring break I went with my older sister to Lexington, Kentucky on March 10 to see Drake and J.Cole in concert. The concert was more than four hours long and had a full audience.
We left early in the morning at 6 a.m. for the four-hour drive. The drive was very smooth with not a lot of traffic. When we arrived in Lexington we were immediately very hungry so we stopped to eat at this new taco restaurant called “Los Tacos,'' which was very delicious.
We then did our makeup very quickly then proceeded to start going to the merch line, which was almost a 20-minute wait, although it was worth it. The merch prices ranged from $220 to $40 being the least expensive. The most expensive was the blue Drake hoodie, which of course everyone was getting. Although I spent a little too much on a hoodie, it was worth it to me to show how much I love Drake’s music.
We then went inside the stadium and sat in the back. Before Drake came on the stage, Jack Harlow was also at the concert, who is a famous singer and he signed my tickets! After getting our tickets signed, me and my sister were very happy. Then to our surprise J. Cole came out on our row so we were very close to him and got good pictures and videos. Although Drake didn't come out into any rows we were still very happy and appreciative that we got to enjoy the concert and watch him perform. He sang our favorite songs including “Best I Ever Had.” and “Fancy.'' We enjoyed the night and sang all our favorite songs!
We left early in the morning at 6 a.m. for the four-hour drive. The drive was very smooth with not a lot of traffic. When we arrived in Lexington we were immediately very hungry so we stopped to eat at this new taco restaurant called “Los Tacos,'' which was very delicious.
We then did our makeup very quickly then proceeded to start going to the merch line, which was almost a 20-minute wait, although it was worth it. The merch prices ranged from $220 to $40 being the least expensive. The most expensive was the blue Drake hoodie, which of course everyone was getting. Although I spent a little too much on a hoodie, it was worth it to me to show how much I love Drake’s music.
We then went inside the stadium and sat in the back. Before Drake came on the stage, Jack Harlow was also at the concert, who is a famous singer and he signed my tickets! After getting our tickets signed, me and my sister were very happy. Then to our surprise J. Cole came out on our row so we were very close to him and got good pictures and videos. Although Drake didn't come out into any rows we were still very happy and appreciative that we got to enjoy the concert and watch him perform. He sang our favorite songs including “Best I Ever Had.” and “Fancy.'' We enjoyed the night and sang all our favorite songs!
Student responses to survey
“I’m going to try and be more mindful of how/when I use social media, i.e. if I’m just scrolling to scroll I’m going to try and stop and find something else to do. Otherwise I’ll likely keep it the same.”
“I feel that the policy is a little strict but I also understand why it is in place.”
“I understand the intent and motives behind it. However I don’t believe it is a good policy because it really just creates more of a ‘want’ to go on your phone when you get home (which is when you’re supposed to do homework).”
“I think it’s disrespectful to use cell phones in class and thats a given. If a student is using their phone without permission in class its right to take it away from them. But otherwise, when we have free time, I think we should be able to use our phone or even glance at it without being punished. . . . I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect students to spend the entire school day not using their phones. It causes students to be sneaky and want to use their phone more. But if we have those designated times where we’re allowed to use our phones, it makes us less likely to feel the need to use it.”
“It is sporadically enforced, so it is largely ineffective.”
“I feel annoyed by it. Trying to limit our phone time during all school hours is unrealistic and unhelpful. We are going to go into the workplace with these devices when we become adults so we need to learn to manage our time with them properly instead of playing a game of hidey phone with the faculty because of this rule. Simply telling people to not use it at all, even during breaks or lunch, has not been working nor is it going to work in the future unless widespread phone usage is drastically changed for everyone, not just this school. Not only is it unhelpful but the reasoning given and the times it is restricted are inconsistent. The primary reason I have been given is that we need to not use our phones so that we can stay connected with other students. But even in situations where you cannot connect with other students, i.e. finishing a test early and having literally no other work to do, phones are still moderated as if we gain any benefit from staring listlessly at a wall.Overall it is an inefficient rule which I believe will only harm students ability to balance social media and their work in future settings.”
“I’m alright with it. It doesn’t really affect me, and I feel like others are on their phones WAY too much throughout the day.”
“I think it is good because I would be distracted in class if I was using my phone.”
“I think it’s up to the teachers in class. Outside the class I don’t think it’s too big of a deal.”
“I think its good to stop us being on our phones because we have too much screen time.”
“I think it’s wrong to think that limiting phones will allow us to be together more. I use my phone for other things than ignoring people.”
“I feel like it is definitely not working. The only teacher I have ever had that enforces the policy is Dr. Andrews.”
“Personally I don’t like it. During classes phones should not be out in any way however when it’s break or lunch, I don’t think phones should get taken away. Part of the reason they take away our phones is to make us connect with others. However you could use this argument for someone reading a book at break or doing homework. They are avoiding social contact which is what you are trying to avoid with phones. I think in class it definitely makes sense to not have phones out, but change your reason why you don’t want phones out during break and lunch. It is selective hearing pretty much when you are prohibiting phones but not books and homework. Thank you.”
“It is fine because I am never on my phone during school, unless I have to turn in an assignment digitally.”
“Despite my academic success and responsibility, I’m denied freedom and respect due to the unfounded assumption that I’m incapable of using my phone at an appropriate time, for appropriate reasons.”
"We are not children; we are capable of balancing the freedom to use our cellphones with paying attention in class and keeping in touch with our surroundings. The narrative that we are all “addicted to our phones” is just not true; it’s only those of us who are chronically online. The vast majority of the students at this school, I believe, deserve the respect to be allowed to decide for themselves when the best time to use their phones is. The small portion of our student population that is so irresponsible with their cell phones, missing out on class time to scroll on TikTok, should be dealt with individually. The rest of us would like the freedom to respond to a text message, Google something, take a picture, jot down a note with our phones whenever it is convenient for us, or indulge in a little digital entertainment in our free time, as that’s how we do things outside of this school. I don’t doubt anyone on the school board or administration is unaware of this logic; I know you are just obsessed with saying “North Cross is a CELL PHONE FREE SCHOOL” as if that makes this school special. It doesn’t. It’s not even true, and it never will be. What would make this school special is being able to say “North Cross is a community of students who can be trusted to use their phones freely, while simultaneously achieving academic excellence and maintaining strong social circles.”
--- Anne Marie Sloane ‘24
“I feel that the policy is a little strict but I also understand why it is in place.”
“I understand the intent and motives behind it. However I don’t believe it is a good policy because it really just creates more of a ‘want’ to go on your phone when you get home (which is when you’re supposed to do homework).”
“I think it’s disrespectful to use cell phones in class and thats a given. If a student is using their phone without permission in class its right to take it away from them. But otherwise, when we have free time, I think we should be able to use our phone or even glance at it without being punished. . . . I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect students to spend the entire school day not using their phones. It causes students to be sneaky and want to use their phone more. But if we have those designated times where we’re allowed to use our phones, it makes us less likely to feel the need to use it.”
“It is sporadically enforced, so it is largely ineffective.”
“I feel annoyed by it. Trying to limit our phone time during all school hours is unrealistic and unhelpful. We are going to go into the workplace with these devices when we become adults so we need to learn to manage our time with them properly instead of playing a game of hidey phone with the faculty because of this rule. Simply telling people to not use it at all, even during breaks or lunch, has not been working nor is it going to work in the future unless widespread phone usage is drastically changed for everyone, not just this school. Not only is it unhelpful but the reasoning given and the times it is restricted are inconsistent. The primary reason I have been given is that we need to not use our phones so that we can stay connected with other students. But even in situations where you cannot connect with other students, i.e. finishing a test early and having literally no other work to do, phones are still moderated as if we gain any benefit from staring listlessly at a wall.Overall it is an inefficient rule which I believe will only harm students ability to balance social media and their work in future settings.”
“I’m alright with it. It doesn’t really affect me, and I feel like others are on their phones WAY too much throughout the day.”
“I think it is good because I would be distracted in class if I was using my phone.”
“I think it’s up to the teachers in class. Outside the class I don’t think it’s too big of a deal.”
“I think its good to stop us being on our phones because we have too much screen time.”
“I think it’s wrong to think that limiting phones will allow us to be together more. I use my phone for other things than ignoring people.”
“I feel like it is definitely not working. The only teacher I have ever had that enforces the policy is Dr. Andrews.”
“Personally I don’t like it. During classes phones should not be out in any way however when it’s break or lunch, I don’t think phones should get taken away. Part of the reason they take away our phones is to make us connect with others. However you could use this argument for someone reading a book at break or doing homework. They are avoiding social contact which is what you are trying to avoid with phones. I think in class it definitely makes sense to not have phones out, but change your reason why you don’t want phones out during break and lunch. It is selective hearing pretty much when you are prohibiting phones but not books and homework. Thank you.”
“It is fine because I am never on my phone during school, unless I have to turn in an assignment digitally.”
“Despite my academic success and responsibility, I’m denied freedom and respect due to the unfounded assumption that I’m incapable of using my phone at an appropriate time, for appropriate reasons.”
"We are not children; we are capable of balancing the freedom to use our cellphones with paying attention in class and keeping in touch with our surroundings. The narrative that we are all “addicted to our phones” is just not true; it’s only those of us who are chronically online. The vast majority of the students at this school, I believe, deserve the respect to be allowed to decide for themselves when the best time to use their phones is. The small portion of our student population that is so irresponsible with their cell phones, missing out on class time to scroll on TikTok, should be dealt with individually. The rest of us would like the freedom to respond to a text message, Google something, take a picture, jot down a note with our phones whenever it is convenient for us, or indulge in a little digital entertainment in our free time, as that’s how we do things outside of this school. I don’t doubt anyone on the school board or administration is unaware of this logic; I know you are just obsessed with saying “North Cross is a CELL PHONE FREE SCHOOL” as if that makes this school special. It doesn’t. It’s not even true, and it never will be. What would make this school special is being able to say “North Cross is a community of students who can be trusted to use their phones freely, while simultaneously achieving academic excellence and maintaining strong social circles.”
--- Anne Marie Sloane ‘24
Herald staff interviews Dr. Andrews about smartphone policy and mental health
Otter.ai summary and mostly edited transcript of press conference with Dr. Andrews on smartphone policy
The correlation between smartphone use and mental health was a central theme in the conversation. Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) highlighted the adverse effects on attention span and task completion, while Speaker 4 emphasized the multitasking and distraction caused by smartphones. Speaker 6 raised the point that some individuals use their phones as a coping mechanism for negative emotions. The psychological effects of smartphone and social media use were also discussed, including addiction, anxiety, and the potential for these platforms to influence people's opinions and biases. Despite these concerns, Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) revealed they don't use social media due to mental health concerns.
Transcript
https://otter.ai/u/XovPLqhMZDo52MuRIM6Xkwq3uzQ?view=transcript
Action Items
Phone use and mental health on campus.
“There is a direct correlation between smartphone use and decrease in mental health. It is a huge issue, alright . . . . The more you use your phone, the more harm you are doing to your mental health. Your generation does deal with mental health issues on a level never seen before. Again, is directly related to having those phones in your hand from a young age, in addition to other factors, stuff sort of surrounding COVID. But there's so so much data that says smartphone use is bad for your mental health. We care about your mental health, alright. So [that is] one of the biggest reasons we are trying to keep you off the phones. It's one reason why every time I have to check my phone, I feel not great about it. So we're anxious about it, and I to try to stay off of it as much as I can.
Here's a conversation that I've had with students throughout the year where they say, 'You know what? When I'm feeling when I'm not feeling great. Being on my phone makes me feel better. So that is actually positive for my mental health, right?' Wrong. What do you call it if there's something that in order for you to feel good? You have to be on? What is another word we have for that? Addiction? Right? So the same way you know what, some people, they say, I don't feel good, but if I can get some heroin in me, I'm going to feel a lot better way and is that a good argument? To do heroin? No. So when you make that argument about your phone, that's actually a great argument for saying you need to spend time away from your phone. If you are dependent on your phone to make you feel better, then your phone has an unhealthy relationship with your phone and is actually having a negative impact on your mental health, and your ability to process uncomfortable situations in your life. Right so the same way, we're not going to let you drink alcohol on campus. We're not going to let you smoke tobacco and marijuana on campus, even though, in their way, they might make you feel better in the moment or forget about problems that you're having in the moment. Would we all agree that's actually pretty bad for you in the long run? So the relationship with the phone is very, very similar. Yes, it might help you forget about your problems in that moment. But it is creating a dependency that is unhealthy and is going to have really negative long lasting effects on your mental health and your ability to be happy just with yourself. Does that make sense? So as as I said when all these administrators are coming back from this conference [to share findings with] the faculty on Wednesday, we were all given big reminders about this stuff, you will probably see people a little more invested in keeping you off from the phones even more than usual. But that's a big part of the reason why. It was sort of the reason why we'll continue with that policy and why it's not just a, 'Oh, we want kids to be doing we're telling them in the classroom.' Well that's part of it. But your health and truly safety are also are much bigger parts of where we're coming from. Alright? So I mean when you're talking about phones, you gotta understand. I'm coming from this from the standpoint of thinking about phones, very similar to how we think about drugs or alcohol on campus. It is a very similar kind of relationship that a lot of people have with their phones.”
Liam Rippel: Do you think we should be able to use our phones during lunch and stuff like breaks, since that's like our free time? And if you don't, why?
Dr. A: I think going through the school day apart from your phone it is one entirely . . . healthy practice. Right. And again, I'm coming from the standpoint the same way. I wouldn't let you drink alcohol during lunch, right? Is that what you’d say, that's a fair ask Liam? So I'm thinking about it the same way in terms of your your health and in terms of being able to be present and focusing on what is happening on campus.
Aadeetri Pandey: I understand what you're saying about the addiction to your phone? But do you really think drugs and your phone is like a good comparison? Because both of them like kind of ruin your mental health . . . [but] what also we wonder is like, like, actually, health health, not just your mental health?
Dr. A: I'm not crazy about the separation of those two things, because I do think mental health is just straight up health, but I totally understand what you're saying. So let me also say, Do phones have . . utility? Absolutely. Right? There are definitely positive ways of using your phone. Same way, when it is legal for you, using legal substances in moderation is not bad. . . . These things that make us feel better or help us in certain social situations can be okay, same way using our phone as a tool. We all are recording me right now. Right? That's great. You have a tool, you can use it. You have permission to use it, because it's being used in a positive and functional way. Here's a way to use it as a tool that has a function that's going to help you accomplish something. And we're happy to allow you to do that. That's where the permission and instruction comes by so it is not likely to you no one is ever, ever, ever, ever allowed to use their phone on campus. But we require permission instruction, so that we make sure that we're only using those bones in a way that is productive for that's the goal. So, the same way. We wouldn't just put something in place to say hey, 'let's all eat sugar cookies all day long.' And we say hey, 'maybe we have one sugar cookie a day.' And we maybe try to find out the health number or something like that. So yeah, I don't think y'all are gonna be totally unexposed to smartphones or social media, just because you're not using it off. But I totally understand your concern. Yes,
Q: What are your thoughts on like, people who use their phones as work like if they do like social media, or if like they need it for their workplace or job?
Dr. A: Um, well, I think unfortunately, you do need a smartphone or a lot of different kinds of work today. I mean, that is how people are constantly getting in touch with me on campus, whatever if they need me somewhere. You know, I have to text with Mr. Belderes more than I'd like. People check work emails and things. I actually generally think that is a quite negative development in human history, because it basically means you are attached to your work 24 hours a day, that is not a healthy relationship to your work. And a lot of the things that we do on our phones can be done in other ways. You know, so there's actually this they'll find somebody crazy. There is a difference in terms of what happens with your brain, when you are say using a desktop computer, versus when you are using your phone. What happens in your brain when you're using those two different channels? It is different. And I'll give you a personal example. I was actually we were just talking about this earlier. So I have a three year old daughter. And you're again you may say this is hey, that's just a personal anecdote doesn't mean anything but I think it's a good illustration of what we're talking about. You can show her a cartoon or movie or something so watch it on the screen, and she will pay attention and she will have a conversation with you while she is watching and normally behaves pretty well and enjoys the narrative. And it gets a lot you know, they're often children's programs. She's getting a lot out of it. So I don't have much of an issue with her watching especially as these kinds of education.
Dr. A: If she is holding, if we say put a show on the border on a tablet and she's holding it for behavior changes, absolutely. And she does not listen to anyone else around her. She does not pay attention to anything else around her and she becomes a just like living breathing meltdown. If you tried to separate her from that piece of technology at all. She becomes an entirely different person, right because that's why we've just had to realize okay, we don't hold screens like in our house. So I think, again, there's a big difference in the development of technology here. And what's great is people are studying the science of this and what it does to our brains, but unfortunately what we're finding is it is almost entirely negative. And so that's again, it comes back to the health thing so obviously that is something that that happens. Again, it is creating a negative work life balance, I think to be sure. But that's also maybe just my personal perspective. on that.
Q: So you talked about things like health relates to your use of your cell phone in a cell phone has a negative effect on health, and sometimes we're allowed to like fill out a survey and assembly or like we're given fresh news around. How do you differentiate that from like being able to use my phone during lunch? Because it has less of an effect on my own?
Dr. A: It's a great question here. Here's what I would say. Is that in those moments, again, back to Aadeetri's question, we're talking about moderation being so to this, it's as an instance, where you know, hey, you can take out this tool, use this tool for a brief amount of time to complete a task is done it becomes a it's a it's a functional tool, and and then you put it back away, right? But let me ask you this. How often do you when you open up your phone to fill out those surveys? Is that the only thing you do? When you open up that? Sometimes when I get back on my phone, I have like a text from somebody. Okay, all right. Right. So, you immediately get into that, well, there's all these other tasks I have to start doing. Right. So that's part of why I say do this one task and put it away because so much of the nature of phones also is they are designed to encourage you to attempt to multitask, right? Which again, you're never doing one thing well, if you're multitasking. You're doing two things and you're doing two things poorly because you're chopping up your attention in between them and not actually multitasking. You're just doing two things in an unproductive way.
You can say Dr. Andrews is terrified of technology. He's a weirdo, whatever. I don't think that's totally true. But this is something that I take really seriously. And if you want I here's what I'll say. Since I have gotten a smartphone, and I was very resistant. My wife basically made me get one at one point because my one phone was no longer working. And at that point in time. A lot of cellphone companies were discontinuing phones that weren't smartphones because they wanted you to purchase a data plan. I didn't want to purchase at that point. So I just had this broken phone to like couldn't text and stuff like that. So my wife said you have to get a new phone. Ever since that moment. I'll just be honest, I've become dumber. I've become so much less capable of a thinker as a writer like I was. I was. I was just a much more capable human before I got smarter. I don't mind admitting that and I can I could just my attention is so much worse. My attention span. My ability to complete tasks is so much worse. It is I can I can tell you, absolutely. It has had an utterly negative effect on my life. You know, I also don't want to talk to people about anxiety and depression medication that I've never had issues with before I got a smartphone. Now is that the only contributing factor? Probably not, but it is certainly one, because I mean, I just am very, very aware of how it has rewired my brain in a negative way. You have a question?
Q: I don't know. Kinda like I don't know how to form it. But like, do you think people would like be a little biased? Like what you're saying because they feel like it's like more of an opinion? You know?
Dr. A: In which part because again, most of what I'm saying here is backed up by a ton of scientific data, like the drug part, like where you are comparing it to like being addicted. Again, again, I would say that's a that's a that is a that is a scientifically driven concept. That's not That's not just my my opinion, that that is that the addiction stuff, the sort of the connection between the addiction and the dopamine that smartphones are designed to create that dopamine hit works the same way that that drugs alcohol. So it is not like a comparison that I'm just pulling out of the sky or just personal opinion that comes from from the scientific studies. That's the science that's driving all those questions.
Q: So you said you there's like a difference between how your brain reacts like being on your phone versus like being on a desktop or like a laptop. And so a lot of people here have like MacBooks and stuff, and they can pretty much do the exact same thing on their laptop as they do their phones. So would you so what would you do about that to make that less of a problem like in class because some people I know have their MacBooks and they can like text, their friends or something like that, and I'll see them doing that or they can like, get on their Instagram or something like that or their camera roll. So, is there anything that you'd want to do about that to limit that or is that like separated from your smartphone?
Dr. A: Great question, sir. All great questions for y'all in journalism class or something that's awesome. So, in my classes, for instance, you are not allowed to have your computer open unless given permission to do so. That is going to almost always be if we're working on paper, something. Otherwise, I do try to keep that stuff out of the classroom as well. And if someone is doing stuff they're not supposed to be doing on that computer, and they lose, lose that privilege in that time. We don't have a school wide policy about that. But what I do think that that is generally but I think there's a lot of teachers have similar policies in their in their classes. That no you shouldn't be on your computer, either during class unless you're being instructed to do something on that computer. And this primarily goes back to the multitasking, right? Because you cannot be paying attention to what you're supposed to be learning if you're scrolling Instagram or text messaging on your computer. So that's behavior that we should also should be limiting as much as possible. Course it's this little little more different because you know, sometimes you do need to be on your computer for writing for assignments. But for instance, if your effect is let's say you're in my class, I say hey, we're gonna be working on an essay draft during class today. If you are trying to work on that essay draft while also having a text message conversation with your friend or your art. You are chopping up your brain's ability to write that essay draft probably explains some of the weirder essay drafts that I see sometimes, because I'm thinking, oh, this person probably was not paying attention. If you want to hear a funny story about this multitask. Alright, so I was teaching a college freshman composition course at Western Washington University many years ago, and I received a paper from a student once, and in the middle of a sentence in the paper was, I don't remember the topic of the paper, but just trust me it had absolutely nothing to do with a television show of any kind. But all of a sudden, in the middle of a paragraph or middle of a sentence, email, whatever that suddenly switches to just a description of the events of the television show they were watching. And all sudden it's a summary of hey, here's the thing that I don't remember what show was until I sat down with them to have a conference and said, ‘Can you tell me what is going on in this paragraph?’ And they said, ‘Oh my gosh. While I was watching that show, I was writing my paper but I didn't even realize I had typed that out. I didn't even realize I had done that.’ Right? So that is how chopped up their attention was that they were just typing out what was happening on the TV, not even realizing it. And so, there's just this paragraph up above the TV show in the middle of their paper and they had no idea how bad the multitasking, we had a good laugh about it and they rewrote it.
Q: Aadeetri said, going back to scientifically but phones are relatively new, especially technologies relatively like new and here like at least in human history. And so, there's always like new research and data coming out like about cellphones and mental health. So, like, what it's like for now I think it's I mean it's happening as much as there's like data about supporting like, phones are bad. There's also data supporting that phones are like good, do you know?
Dr. A: Good in what sense because again, I'm not I'm not denying the functionality right? Phones have functionality. They have productive uses. So when you say that phones are good, what do you mean by that?
Q: Like, I guess not good for us, but like, you know, good stuff, like, I understand like it can be disruptive for a lot of people, but it can also like help people get their stuff.
Dr. A: Sure. And again, that is this is a question of moderation and dependency and you can go back to if your phone is the one thing that can get you through something tough. That is that is while again at times, that may be an okay, quick fix the same way. Hey, you know what would cheer me up right now, maybe if I went and got an ice cream cone. Do you want to? Have you ever had a day like that? No, it's not ice cream at least. All right, well, sometimes, sometimes. For instance, I need a little I need a little sweet treat to cheer me up. But if that is the only thing that gets me through tough times, and I'm having tough times a lot of the time, is that I'm eating ice cream all day, because that's what makes me happy. That's what gets me through it. So even something as benign as that I think I think is similar. And again, there's maybe studies I’m missing, but what has come across to us as is almost entirely negative effects on mental health. But absolutely, as we gather more data, we want to take that all into account for sure.
Gracie! Like you were talking about like we have a bad day like picking like cheating. Sometimes the only thing we can cheer you up is like my friends and I don't really get to see them anymore. So, the only way I can talk to them is like on my phone. But like that's the only thing that made me feel better on a day like that? Like I have to have my phone to see them. Is that still like the same though? Is that still bad?
Dr. A: Um, that's an interesting question. Because what I would say I think that, you know, you're having those that human-to -uman interactions. And I would say, you know, here on campus, for instance, we have humans we can talk to as well and especially like Miss Cocowich, who is wonderful to talk to. I know I see your face. I know that's not the same thing, right? I saw a C scale and I know it's not the same thing. But again, I'm not saying you can't use your phone, off campus. We have a responsible kind of like, bad thing. Um, I don't know, I certainly wouldn't say for his for instance, is that as text messaging with your friends on the same way as scrolling through Instagram or Tiktok, or whatever. I would say absolutely not based on studies I've seen that the social media stuff is the absolute worst aspect of the phones for your mental health. And and I would say we should all be off all of that stuff forever. That is a personal opinion because there's almost there's there's so little good that can come out of that. But I wouldn't put those two things in the same way. The same way using your phone again to record me talking to y'all is not the same thing. So don't do not mistake me for saying that. Your phones are always all bad. No, there are tools and tools can be used and productive or unproductive ways. And unfortunately, the fact that we have a lot of unproductive uses, and so that's why we want our best on campus to make sure that the only time we are interacting with those is when they're being used in a productive way. As much as we can, is it going to be perfect? Probably not. Right. And but we are trying to process as much information as we can to look at as much science as we can to get as much feedback from experts as we can and then implement policies that support those findings. Are there baby timings? Good question.
I thought I'd tell you this is this is awesome. I'm very, very impressed. Having a great time. All right.
Q: So what's the most impactful factor your dad using driving people have bad like mental health problems? Like the most impactful factor ongoing using making people have mental health problem? Gaming? Contact with your friend?
Dr. A: I think it is. And again, this is just based on my own research, but it would be social media, most social media in general. And one part of that is they are literally designed with the hope of addicting you to them. You can, you know, go back and look at the development of certain apps where they will end they will they will create situations where you have to press an extra button just to sort of train your thumb, that hey, muscle memory, you want to be pressing as many buttons as possible. It keeps you active, keeps you engaged with it in a way to keep you addicted. For instance, I remember I believe it was an interview with an engineer who worked for, I forget if it was Facebook or Instagram, but talking about him leaving the company because of realizing just that where so much of the position’s work was trying to create negative behaviors in the users. Get them addicted. Also, there's a lot of resources, the worse you feel, the more you're addicted to those apps. And so those apps drive you towards information that rile you up often because the worse you feel, you actually want to come back to it. So, there are these really, really unhealthy drivers behind a lot of development of those social media apps. And the goals are just not healthy at all right? They are trying to profit off your misery as much as possible.
Eason Q: So both public social media and the contact like Snapchat use are more used more to connect with a friend, but Instagram is while Instagram was made for public news or whatever. I would say so. It wasn't celebrities’ posts. So, in both ways, will like impact or just, you know, public social media. More.
Dr. A: Let me make sure I'm hearing the question I'm saying. So, it's social media that is geared just towards communicating with friends versus social media that is geared towards taking in public posts and information? Yeah. I'm not going to claim to know that specifically. I can't speak specifically to that question. Right. So, I'm trying not to talk about things I haven't researched so that specific question I couldn't say.
I'm Caroline Welfare: You're like [on] kind of a theme of like every time some new technology comes out like back when on cars were first invented a bunch of the parents, or grandparents even, were worried about how their children’s time were spent. We're spending too much time driving the it's like, like the old hates the new or something. Like that's like the simplest way to put it. I'm like, do you think that is like relevant at all -- that kind of thing? Or do you think it's more like, there's studies that show actual harm? And like, we're like, do you think it's, it's like the side of the science that you might specifically be looking at? I'm like, do you think that might that your bias might influence like which pieces of evidence that you lean to more?
I'm totally understand where you're coming from right. Obviously, then yes, absolutely there's always some anxiety around new technologies and what they might be doing to people. Absolutely. Um, in this case, I would say I and our administrators here, try to read pretty widely in terms of the effects and things that are that are being seen in the studies. that are being done. And don't try to approach that with any bias. The problem is, that's just where the science seems to always go. Or at least as far as I'm aware. And so, again, that's why that's why one of the reasons why our administrators went out to this conference last week is to hear from international panels of speakers and experts and researchers. about stuff like this. What is the newest information out there? And so then they are bringing this back and seeing how we can try to improve everything that we're doing here based on that research. So that is when you hear that like Hey Mr. Belderes is in San Francisco for a few days, or Miss Lemon is in DC for the week or whatever we might hear. That is part of that information gathering process. That is why they go to these conferences is to try to process as much of that new information that comes out in out every year as possible. And then we see our responsibility as a school is to develop policies based on that information that we're trying to bring in.
Aadeetri: Yes, although you say like social media is bad. Do you think it could like be used good? Because you have social media too? Because what do you like? Do you have social media on your phone?
Dr. A: No, I don't do social media.
The correlation between smartphone use and mental health was a central theme in the conversation. Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) highlighted the adverse effects on attention span and task completion, while Speaker 4 emphasized the multitasking and distraction caused by smartphones. Speaker 6 raised the point that some individuals use their phones as a coping mechanism for negative emotions. The psychological effects of smartphone and social media use were also discussed, including addiction, anxiety, and the potential for these platforms to influence people's opinions and biases. Despite these concerns, Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) revealed they don't use social media due to mental health concerns.
Transcript
https://otter.ai/u/XovPLqhMZDo52MuRIM6Xkwq3uzQ?view=transcript
Action Items
- [ ] Review latest research and data on effects of smartphone usage on mental health and share findings with faculty
- [ ] Implement school policies to limit student smartphone usage on campus based on research (School administrators and teachers)
- [ ] Do not allow phone usage in class unless given explicit permission by teacher
- [ ] Confiscate phones if students use them without permission in class
- [ ] Only allow phone usage for specific instructed tasks in class
- [ ] Have students put phones away immediately after completing allowed tasks on them
- [ ] Prohibit computer usage in class unless instructed by teacher
- [ ] Confiscate computers if students use them without permission
- [ ] Refer struggling students to counselors like Ms. Cocowitch for support
- [ ] Gather continuous feedback from experts to improve policies
Phone use and mental health on campus.
- Smartphone use directly correlates with mental health issues, including addiction and decreased productivity.
- Speaker 1(Dr. A.) argues that the relationship between people and their phones is similar to that of drugs or alcohol, with a potential for negative long-term effects on mental health.
- The speaker emphasizes that the school's policy on phone use is not just about keeping students occupied, but also about prioritizing their health and safety.
- Speakers discuss the use of phones during breaks and lunch, with some arguing for moderation and others advocating for abstinence.
- Exercise addiction can be unhealthy when it interferes with other aspects of life.
- Educators encourage responsible phone use by setting limits and providing instruction.
- Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) expresses concern about the constant need for smartphones and social media in today's workplace, citing negative effects on mental health and relationships.
- Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) shares a personal anecdote about their three-year-old daughter's behavior while watching a show on a tablet, highlighting the impact of screen time on children's attention and behavior.
- Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) discusses the negative effects of technology on mental health, citing decreased attention span and increased stress levels.
- Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) advises using technology in moderation and focusing on one task at a time to avoid multitasking and its negative consequences.
- Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) expresses regret over smartphone use, citing negative impact on cognitive abilities.
- Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) emphasizes scientific backing for smartphone addiction comparison to drug use, while Speaker 6 questions distinction between phone and laptop use.
- Teacher (Dr. A.) restricts computer use in class to prevent multitasking and promote focus on learning.
- College student accidentally types summary of TV show while writing paper.
- Speaker 3 (Dr. A.) mentions both positive and negative effects of phones, with examples of how they can be helpful and harmful.
- Speaker 7 shares their personal experience of relying on their phone for communication with friends, highlighting the potential negative impact of over-reliance on technology.
- Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) mentions that using phones can be productive, but unproductive uses can negatively impact mental health.
- Speaker 1 (Dr. A.) praises the students for asking thoughtful questions and engaging in a productive conversation about phone use.
- Engineer reveals social media apps are designed to be addictive, profit from users' misery.
- Caroline notes that concerns about new technologies, such as social media, are not new and have been raised throughout history.
- Administrators attend conferences to gather information on new technologies and their effects, and develop policies based on that research.
“There is a direct correlation between smartphone use and decrease in mental health. It is a huge issue, alright . . . . The more you use your phone, the more harm you are doing to your mental health. Your generation does deal with mental health issues on a level never seen before. Again, is directly related to having those phones in your hand from a young age, in addition to other factors, stuff sort of surrounding COVID. But there's so so much data that says smartphone use is bad for your mental health. We care about your mental health, alright. So [that is] one of the biggest reasons we are trying to keep you off the phones. It's one reason why every time I have to check my phone, I feel not great about it. So we're anxious about it, and I to try to stay off of it as much as I can.
Here's a conversation that I've had with students throughout the year where they say, 'You know what? When I'm feeling when I'm not feeling great. Being on my phone makes me feel better. So that is actually positive for my mental health, right?' Wrong. What do you call it if there's something that in order for you to feel good? You have to be on? What is another word we have for that? Addiction? Right? So the same way you know what, some people, they say, I don't feel good, but if I can get some heroin in me, I'm going to feel a lot better way and is that a good argument? To do heroin? No. So when you make that argument about your phone, that's actually a great argument for saying you need to spend time away from your phone. If you are dependent on your phone to make you feel better, then your phone has an unhealthy relationship with your phone and is actually having a negative impact on your mental health, and your ability to process uncomfortable situations in your life. Right so the same way, we're not going to let you drink alcohol on campus. We're not going to let you smoke tobacco and marijuana on campus, even though, in their way, they might make you feel better in the moment or forget about problems that you're having in the moment. Would we all agree that's actually pretty bad for you in the long run? So the relationship with the phone is very, very similar. Yes, it might help you forget about your problems in that moment. But it is creating a dependency that is unhealthy and is going to have really negative long lasting effects on your mental health and your ability to be happy just with yourself. Does that make sense? So as as I said when all these administrators are coming back from this conference [to share findings with] the faculty on Wednesday, we were all given big reminders about this stuff, you will probably see people a little more invested in keeping you off from the phones even more than usual. But that's a big part of the reason why. It was sort of the reason why we'll continue with that policy and why it's not just a, 'Oh, we want kids to be doing we're telling them in the classroom.' Well that's part of it. But your health and truly safety are also are much bigger parts of where we're coming from. Alright? So I mean when you're talking about phones, you gotta understand. I'm coming from this from the standpoint of thinking about phones, very similar to how we think about drugs or alcohol on campus. It is a very similar kind of relationship that a lot of people have with their phones.”
Liam Rippel: Do you think we should be able to use our phones during lunch and stuff like breaks, since that's like our free time? And if you don't, why?
Dr. A: I think going through the school day apart from your phone it is one entirely . . . healthy practice. Right. And again, I'm coming from the standpoint the same way. I wouldn't let you drink alcohol during lunch, right? Is that what you’d say, that's a fair ask Liam? So I'm thinking about it the same way in terms of your your health and in terms of being able to be present and focusing on what is happening on campus.
Aadeetri Pandey: I understand what you're saying about the addiction to your phone? But do you really think drugs and your phone is like a good comparison? Because both of them like kind of ruin your mental health . . . [but] what also we wonder is like, like, actually, health health, not just your mental health?
Dr. A: I'm not crazy about the separation of those two things, because I do think mental health is just straight up health, but I totally understand what you're saying. So let me also say, Do phones have . . utility? Absolutely. Right? There are definitely positive ways of using your phone. Same way, when it is legal for you, using legal substances in moderation is not bad. . . . These things that make us feel better or help us in certain social situations can be okay, same way using our phone as a tool. We all are recording me right now. Right? That's great. You have a tool, you can use it. You have permission to use it, because it's being used in a positive and functional way. Here's a way to use it as a tool that has a function that's going to help you accomplish something. And we're happy to allow you to do that. That's where the permission and instruction comes by so it is not likely to you no one is ever, ever, ever, ever allowed to use their phone on campus. But we require permission instruction, so that we make sure that we're only using those bones in a way that is productive for that's the goal. So, the same way. We wouldn't just put something in place to say hey, 'let's all eat sugar cookies all day long.' And we say hey, 'maybe we have one sugar cookie a day.' And we maybe try to find out the health number or something like that. So yeah, I don't think y'all are gonna be totally unexposed to smartphones or social media, just because you're not using it off. But I totally understand your concern. Yes,
Q: What are your thoughts on like, people who use their phones as work like if they do like social media, or if like they need it for their workplace or job?
Dr. A: Um, well, I think unfortunately, you do need a smartphone or a lot of different kinds of work today. I mean, that is how people are constantly getting in touch with me on campus, whatever if they need me somewhere. You know, I have to text with Mr. Belderes more than I'd like. People check work emails and things. I actually generally think that is a quite negative development in human history, because it basically means you are attached to your work 24 hours a day, that is not a healthy relationship to your work. And a lot of the things that we do on our phones can be done in other ways. You know, so there's actually this they'll find somebody crazy. There is a difference in terms of what happens with your brain, when you are say using a desktop computer, versus when you are using your phone. What happens in your brain when you're using those two different channels? It is different. And I'll give you a personal example. I was actually we were just talking about this earlier. So I have a three year old daughter. And you're again you may say this is hey, that's just a personal anecdote doesn't mean anything but I think it's a good illustration of what we're talking about. You can show her a cartoon or movie or something so watch it on the screen, and she will pay attention and she will have a conversation with you while she is watching and normally behaves pretty well and enjoys the narrative. And it gets a lot you know, they're often children's programs. She's getting a lot out of it. So I don't have much of an issue with her watching especially as these kinds of education.
Dr. A: If she is holding, if we say put a show on the border on a tablet and she's holding it for behavior changes, absolutely. And she does not listen to anyone else around her. She does not pay attention to anything else around her and she becomes a just like living breathing meltdown. If you tried to separate her from that piece of technology at all. She becomes an entirely different person, right because that's why we've just had to realize okay, we don't hold screens like in our house. So I think, again, there's a big difference in the development of technology here. And what's great is people are studying the science of this and what it does to our brains, but unfortunately what we're finding is it is almost entirely negative. And so that's again, it comes back to the health thing so obviously that is something that that happens. Again, it is creating a negative work life balance, I think to be sure. But that's also maybe just my personal perspective. on that.
Q: So you talked about things like health relates to your use of your cell phone in a cell phone has a negative effect on health, and sometimes we're allowed to like fill out a survey and assembly or like we're given fresh news around. How do you differentiate that from like being able to use my phone during lunch? Because it has less of an effect on my own?
Dr. A: It's a great question here. Here's what I would say. Is that in those moments, again, back to Aadeetri's question, we're talking about moderation being so to this, it's as an instance, where you know, hey, you can take out this tool, use this tool for a brief amount of time to complete a task is done it becomes a it's a it's a functional tool, and and then you put it back away, right? But let me ask you this. How often do you when you open up your phone to fill out those surveys? Is that the only thing you do? When you open up that? Sometimes when I get back on my phone, I have like a text from somebody. Okay, all right. Right. So, you immediately get into that, well, there's all these other tasks I have to start doing. Right. So that's part of why I say do this one task and put it away because so much of the nature of phones also is they are designed to encourage you to attempt to multitask, right? Which again, you're never doing one thing well, if you're multitasking. You're doing two things and you're doing two things poorly because you're chopping up your attention in between them and not actually multitasking. You're just doing two things in an unproductive way.
You can say Dr. Andrews is terrified of technology. He's a weirdo, whatever. I don't think that's totally true. But this is something that I take really seriously. And if you want I here's what I'll say. Since I have gotten a smartphone, and I was very resistant. My wife basically made me get one at one point because my one phone was no longer working. And at that point in time. A lot of cellphone companies were discontinuing phones that weren't smartphones because they wanted you to purchase a data plan. I didn't want to purchase at that point. So I just had this broken phone to like couldn't text and stuff like that. So my wife said you have to get a new phone. Ever since that moment. I'll just be honest, I've become dumber. I've become so much less capable of a thinker as a writer like I was. I was. I was just a much more capable human before I got smarter. I don't mind admitting that and I can I could just my attention is so much worse. My attention span. My ability to complete tasks is so much worse. It is I can I can tell you, absolutely. It has had an utterly negative effect on my life. You know, I also don't want to talk to people about anxiety and depression medication that I've never had issues with before I got a smartphone. Now is that the only contributing factor? Probably not, but it is certainly one, because I mean, I just am very, very aware of how it has rewired my brain in a negative way. You have a question?
Q: I don't know. Kinda like I don't know how to form it. But like, do you think people would like be a little biased? Like what you're saying because they feel like it's like more of an opinion? You know?
Dr. A: In which part because again, most of what I'm saying here is backed up by a ton of scientific data, like the drug part, like where you are comparing it to like being addicted. Again, again, I would say that's a that's a that is a that is a scientifically driven concept. That's not That's not just my my opinion, that that is that the addiction stuff, the sort of the connection between the addiction and the dopamine that smartphones are designed to create that dopamine hit works the same way that that drugs alcohol. So it is not like a comparison that I'm just pulling out of the sky or just personal opinion that comes from from the scientific studies. That's the science that's driving all those questions.
Q: So you said you there's like a difference between how your brain reacts like being on your phone versus like being on a desktop or like a laptop. And so a lot of people here have like MacBooks and stuff, and they can pretty much do the exact same thing on their laptop as they do their phones. So would you so what would you do about that to make that less of a problem like in class because some people I know have their MacBooks and they can like text, their friends or something like that, and I'll see them doing that or they can like, get on their Instagram or something like that or their camera roll. So, is there anything that you'd want to do about that to limit that or is that like separated from your smartphone?
Dr. A: Great question, sir. All great questions for y'all in journalism class or something that's awesome. So, in my classes, for instance, you are not allowed to have your computer open unless given permission to do so. That is going to almost always be if we're working on paper, something. Otherwise, I do try to keep that stuff out of the classroom as well. And if someone is doing stuff they're not supposed to be doing on that computer, and they lose, lose that privilege in that time. We don't have a school wide policy about that. But what I do think that that is generally but I think there's a lot of teachers have similar policies in their in their classes. That no you shouldn't be on your computer, either during class unless you're being instructed to do something on that computer. And this primarily goes back to the multitasking, right? Because you cannot be paying attention to what you're supposed to be learning if you're scrolling Instagram or text messaging on your computer. So that's behavior that we should also should be limiting as much as possible. Course it's this little little more different because you know, sometimes you do need to be on your computer for writing for assignments. But for instance, if your effect is let's say you're in my class, I say hey, we're gonna be working on an essay draft during class today. If you are trying to work on that essay draft while also having a text message conversation with your friend or your art. You are chopping up your brain's ability to write that essay draft probably explains some of the weirder essay drafts that I see sometimes, because I'm thinking, oh, this person probably was not paying attention. If you want to hear a funny story about this multitask. Alright, so I was teaching a college freshman composition course at Western Washington University many years ago, and I received a paper from a student once, and in the middle of a sentence in the paper was, I don't remember the topic of the paper, but just trust me it had absolutely nothing to do with a television show of any kind. But all of a sudden, in the middle of a paragraph or middle of a sentence, email, whatever that suddenly switches to just a description of the events of the television show they were watching. And all sudden it's a summary of hey, here's the thing that I don't remember what show was until I sat down with them to have a conference and said, ‘Can you tell me what is going on in this paragraph?’ And they said, ‘Oh my gosh. While I was watching that show, I was writing my paper but I didn't even realize I had typed that out. I didn't even realize I had done that.’ Right? So that is how chopped up their attention was that they were just typing out what was happening on the TV, not even realizing it. And so, there's just this paragraph up above the TV show in the middle of their paper and they had no idea how bad the multitasking, we had a good laugh about it and they rewrote it.
Q: Aadeetri said, going back to scientifically but phones are relatively new, especially technologies relatively like new and here like at least in human history. And so, there's always like new research and data coming out like about cellphones and mental health. So, like, what it's like for now I think it's I mean it's happening as much as there's like data about supporting like, phones are bad. There's also data supporting that phones are like good, do you know?
Dr. A: Good in what sense because again, I'm not I'm not denying the functionality right? Phones have functionality. They have productive uses. So when you say that phones are good, what do you mean by that?
Q: Like, I guess not good for us, but like, you know, good stuff, like, I understand like it can be disruptive for a lot of people, but it can also like help people get their stuff.
Dr. A: Sure. And again, that is this is a question of moderation and dependency and you can go back to if your phone is the one thing that can get you through something tough. That is that is while again at times, that may be an okay, quick fix the same way. Hey, you know what would cheer me up right now, maybe if I went and got an ice cream cone. Do you want to? Have you ever had a day like that? No, it's not ice cream at least. All right, well, sometimes, sometimes. For instance, I need a little I need a little sweet treat to cheer me up. But if that is the only thing that gets me through tough times, and I'm having tough times a lot of the time, is that I'm eating ice cream all day, because that's what makes me happy. That's what gets me through it. So even something as benign as that I think I think is similar. And again, there's maybe studies I’m missing, but what has come across to us as is almost entirely negative effects on mental health. But absolutely, as we gather more data, we want to take that all into account for sure.
Gracie! Like you were talking about like we have a bad day like picking like cheating. Sometimes the only thing we can cheer you up is like my friends and I don't really get to see them anymore. So, the only way I can talk to them is like on my phone. But like that's the only thing that made me feel better on a day like that? Like I have to have my phone to see them. Is that still like the same though? Is that still bad?
Dr. A: Um, that's an interesting question. Because what I would say I think that, you know, you're having those that human-to -uman interactions. And I would say, you know, here on campus, for instance, we have humans we can talk to as well and especially like Miss Cocowich, who is wonderful to talk to. I know I see your face. I know that's not the same thing, right? I saw a C scale and I know it's not the same thing. But again, I'm not saying you can't use your phone, off campus. We have a responsible kind of like, bad thing. Um, I don't know, I certainly wouldn't say for his for instance, is that as text messaging with your friends on the same way as scrolling through Instagram or Tiktok, or whatever. I would say absolutely not based on studies I've seen that the social media stuff is the absolute worst aspect of the phones for your mental health. And and I would say we should all be off all of that stuff forever. That is a personal opinion because there's almost there's there's so little good that can come out of that. But I wouldn't put those two things in the same way. The same way using your phone again to record me talking to y'all is not the same thing. So don't do not mistake me for saying that. Your phones are always all bad. No, there are tools and tools can be used and productive or unproductive ways. And unfortunately, the fact that we have a lot of unproductive uses, and so that's why we want our best on campus to make sure that the only time we are interacting with those is when they're being used in a productive way. As much as we can, is it going to be perfect? Probably not. Right. And but we are trying to process as much information as we can to look at as much science as we can to get as much feedback from experts as we can and then implement policies that support those findings. Are there baby timings? Good question.
I thought I'd tell you this is this is awesome. I'm very, very impressed. Having a great time. All right.
Q: So what's the most impactful factor your dad using driving people have bad like mental health problems? Like the most impactful factor ongoing using making people have mental health problem? Gaming? Contact with your friend?
Dr. A: I think it is. And again, this is just based on my own research, but it would be social media, most social media in general. And one part of that is they are literally designed with the hope of addicting you to them. You can, you know, go back and look at the development of certain apps where they will end they will they will create situations where you have to press an extra button just to sort of train your thumb, that hey, muscle memory, you want to be pressing as many buttons as possible. It keeps you active, keeps you engaged with it in a way to keep you addicted. For instance, I remember I believe it was an interview with an engineer who worked for, I forget if it was Facebook or Instagram, but talking about him leaving the company because of realizing just that where so much of the position’s work was trying to create negative behaviors in the users. Get them addicted. Also, there's a lot of resources, the worse you feel, the more you're addicted to those apps. And so those apps drive you towards information that rile you up often because the worse you feel, you actually want to come back to it. So, there are these really, really unhealthy drivers behind a lot of development of those social media apps. And the goals are just not healthy at all right? They are trying to profit off your misery as much as possible.
Eason Q: So both public social media and the contact like Snapchat use are more used more to connect with a friend, but Instagram is while Instagram was made for public news or whatever. I would say so. It wasn't celebrities’ posts. So, in both ways, will like impact or just, you know, public social media. More.
Dr. A: Let me make sure I'm hearing the question I'm saying. So, it's social media that is geared just towards communicating with friends versus social media that is geared towards taking in public posts and information? Yeah. I'm not going to claim to know that specifically. I can't speak specifically to that question. Right. So, I'm trying not to talk about things I haven't researched so that specific question I couldn't say.
I'm Caroline Welfare: You're like [on] kind of a theme of like every time some new technology comes out like back when on cars were first invented a bunch of the parents, or grandparents even, were worried about how their children’s time were spent. We're spending too much time driving the it's like, like the old hates the new or something. Like that's like the simplest way to put it. I'm like, do you think that is like relevant at all -- that kind of thing? Or do you think it's more like, there's studies that show actual harm? And like, we're like, do you think it's, it's like the side of the science that you might specifically be looking at? I'm like, do you think that might that your bias might influence like which pieces of evidence that you lean to more?
I'm totally understand where you're coming from right. Obviously, then yes, absolutely there's always some anxiety around new technologies and what they might be doing to people. Absolutely. Um, in this case, I would say I and our administrators here, try to read pretty widely in terms of the effects and things that are that are being seen in the studies. that are being done. And don't try to approach that with any bias. The problem is, that's just where the science seems to always go. Or at least as far as I'm aware. And so, again, that's why that's why one of the reasons why our administrators went out to this conference last week is to hear from international panels of speakers and experts and researchers. about stuff like this. What is the newest information out there? And so then they are bringing this back and seeing how we can try to improve everything that we're doing here based on that research. So that is when you hear that like Hey Mr. Belderes is in San Francisco for a few days, or Miss Lemon is in DC for the week or whatever we might hear. That is part of that information gathering process. That is why they go to these conferences is to try to process as much of that new information that comes out in out every year as possible. And then we see our responsibility as a school is to develop policies based on that information that we're trying to bring in.
Aadeetri: Yes, although you say like social media is bad. Do you think it could like be used good? Because you have social media too? Because what do you like? Do you have social media on your phone?
Dr. A: No, I don't do social media.
NCS Goes to Iceland
PARAGLIDING OVER ICELAND: Ssomeone paaglides over the infamous Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach in Iceland. The black sand is formed by water erosion of lava rock after a volcanic eruption, which is simultaneously beautful and dangerously razor-sharp. The earthquakes add to the list of geologic forces that create sharp rocks. Photo by Maeve Parker
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
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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
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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 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 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.