 TAKING A STAND WITH THE LAMPSTAND: Help Save The Next Girl is a non-profit organization that was formed in 2009 to help educate young girls and women about predatory dangers. It is based out of Southwest Virginia with 13 partners including the Roanoke Police Department and The Joyful Child Foundation. The HSTNG club was first brought to North Cross by Bailey Sanders ‘16. It is currently run by Fiona Parnell ‘26 as President. Emma Votta ‘26 is the Vice President and Millie Chopski ‘26 is a Representative. The club has been very active in the community recently and has been raising money and supplies for The Lampstand. This is a shelter for young female victims and survivors of sex trafficking from ages 12 -17. These donations and supplies were organized and distributed into a total of 30 bags that will be given to The Lampstand organization and their partnering shelter that helps women ages 18 and older who do not qualify for The Lampstand. Members of the club and other donors gathered fun supplies such as fuzzy socks, marshmallows, journals, blankets and stickers. As well as essentials such as shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, toiletries bags and loofahs. In total the club raised exactly $1,500 from cash donations and a GoFundMe. “It was amazing. I was in TJ MAXX for supplies and people would ask me what all the stuff in my chart was for. I told them and they would give me five or ten dollars right there,” said Parnell. Votta said.“It was inspiring because everybody, boys and girls, worked together to help.” Packing the bags took the entire block for lunch and over 20 people gave their time for this project. Indira Weed ‘25 describes the event as “fulfilling” and says “Help Save The Next Girl is so important because it educates people on the dangers that women face in the world, and we are able to help amazing causes such as The Lampstand shelter!” Faculty Advisor Sarah Cocowitch is very glad to have HSTNG at North Cross because the “issues we learn about are truly life-saving” and “aren’ts something you learn in academic classes but are critical as young women (and men) head off to college.” She sees the impact the members of the club are making in the community and success they are having with their fundraisers and is “in awe” of what they have accomplished and will in the future.
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 QUIET BACKSTAGE: Lower School actors in Peter Pan Jr. are embracing their mischievous characters with dramatic lighting provided by Evie Eagan ‘25. The Upper School students who provided backstage assistance were Suvi Hansen ‘26, Samantha Belderes ‘28, Evie Eagan ‘25, Noah Shorey ‘26, Taahir Iman ‘27 and Caroline Welfare ‘27. Lightboard Operator, Eagan, has been helping out with tech for North Cross’s theatre since 2022 with the production of Little Shop of Horrors. She’s primarily helped out with lighting and sound through the years but has done a bit of everything. The lightboard can be a stressful and difficult position to manage, but Belderes ‘28 says “She really kept it together the whole time. We are going to miss her a lot.” Eagan also helped out with getting the rowdy kids into their mics backstage before each performance. This was tricky because often the younger kids would misplace their mic belts which were used to secure the mics onto the actors. There was also some trouble backstage keeping the budding actors quiet and behaved. One such event was when the kids would roll around in their Heelys and say, “I’m flying!” They used these shoes onstage to imitate “flying” across the sky to Neverland and it was difficult to limit this to only onstage. Eagan’s favorite memory of the production was opening night. “The theatre was completely packed,” she said, “and it was amazing to see all the actors get so much love from the audience!” Thomas Costello, Director and Choreographer, has worked with Evie in every production since he joined North Cross two and a half years ago. She was a part of the tech crew for Mr. Costello with the productions of Tuck Everlasting, Annie Jr., The Addams Family, and Peter Pan Jr. “She is very easy going, always ready to help with whatever we need.”
Photo by Sarah Sledd  Remington Lewis ‘27, who prefers to go by her nickname Remi, is one of the many additions to North Cross this school year. A social butterfly, she enjoyed the homecoming dance and looks forward to her close friend Julia Corliss’s senior night volleyball game on October 16.
The 5-foot-9 middle and outside hitter joined the Varsity Volleyball team and has contributed ten kills, four aces and four blocks in the 23 sets she has played this season. Unfortunately, Lewis sprained her ankle during an intense game against Roanoke Catholic. She was in a boot for a couple weeks but Lewis is back on the court with more enthusiasm than ever. Lewis is also enthusiastic about the beginning of basketball season as she has been playing since she was 6 years old. Her jersey number is 2, the day of her dog, Pepe’s, birthday. She played on a travel basketball team with sophomore Maddie Howes ‘27 last winter. “I would say she is probably one of the most supportive players I have played with,” Howes said. With such an interest in extracurricular activities, the benefits of NCS are not lost on Lewis. “It’s really nice! The teachers are really nice, very welcoming,” Lewis said, when asked about her experience at NCS so far. “You know they really want to get to know you. They always greet you and say hi to you.” Lewis is also involved in Media Club. She has an older brother, Conner and loves listening to the artist Frank Ocean. She can’t decide between “Seigfried” or "Bad Religion" for her favorite song. Lewis also loves to travel. Her favorite place she’s visited was Lake Como, Italy. She loved the food and beautiful landscape. In the pesto capital of Italy, Genoa, Lewis enjoyed muscles, pasta, and an amazing chocolate cake for dessert, saying that this “was my favorite meal of the trip, and still might be my favorite meal of all time.” But not much else in the U.S. compares to her favorite burger from Jack Brown’s in downtown Roanoke. Though Lewis is an outgoing friendly face to say hi to in the hallways, she does have her secrets. “No one knows my middle name,” Lewis said, “And I won’t tell anyone!"  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.”
 A TRIP FOR THE BOOKS: My grandmother, mother, sister and I are having an incredible experience at the palace of Versailles in France. My grandmother took the women of my family on a trip to Europe this summer. We visited London and Paris, seeing all that the cities had to offer. Versailles’ gardens were spectacular to see in person after waiting my whole life to visit them. I’ve wanted to visit Paris since I was a little girl so this trip truly was a dream come true.
My sister Virginia said, “My favorite part was all the statues.” Throughout the garden we could see statues of famous people and art created by fascinating artists. The body of water seen near the top of this photo was a gorgeous pond where the wind blew ripples across its surface. And even though it was too cold at the time for the fountains to be turned on and show us their beauty, we were in awe of the gold accents along the edges. Such a memorable trip! |
I am MargaretHello! I'm Margaret and I'm a freshman this year. I am on the Varsity volleyball team and I also participate in theatre and I love to sing. I like to bake and listen to music in my free time. I'm excited to be a part of the journalism program this year. Archives
January 2025
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