We asked ChatGPT to wrie an editorial that congratulates the Global Studies Program for all its successes while also encouraging the school to focus more on Africa. The NCS global studies has never sponsored a trip to any country in Africa, despite the numerous Africans who have come to study here. While we appreciate that this may not happen soon, there are several other ways the school can incorporate African culture into our curriculum or daily lives. For example, we can add courses centered around African history. AP is currently developing a course for 2024 called “AP African American Studies.” This would be good to add to our curriculum, as it will make African Americans feel like they shouldn’t only have to wait for Black History month to be celebrated. Another way in which our school can incorporate African culture is through food. It would be greatly appreciated by the few African students present to enjoy food from our homes and see our peers enjoying it as well. Although the following editorial is generic, it draws very good points that NCS should dedicate more effort into understanding Africa and understanding its intricate and interesting culture and history. We edited the formulaic response.


As students of this esteemed high school, we are lucky to be exposed to a world of diverse cultures and ideas through the school's global studies program. From exploring ancient civilizations to learning about contemporary global issues, this program has enriched our understanding of the world and helped us to become more globally aware citizens.
However, as we celebrate the successes of this program, it is important to acknowledge that there is still work to be done in terms of providing equal attention to all regions of the world. One area that could benefit from more focus is Africa.
By increasing the attention given to Africa in our global studies program, we can work towards breaking down these barriers and fostering a greater appreciation for the continent and its people. This could include exploring the history, culture, and current events of various African countries, as well as inviting guest speakers or organizing cultural events.
In addition to benefiting our own education, giving more attention to Africa in our global studies program would also help to promote greater diversity and inclusivity within our school community. By learning about and appreciating the unique perspectives and experiences of African people, we can become more empathetic and compassionate individuals, better equipped to navigate an increasingly interconnected world.
In conclusion, while we applaud the efforts of our school's global studies program, we call for a greater emphasis on Africa in order to promote greater understanding and inclusivity. We believe that by working towards a more comprehensive and balanced global studies program, we can prepare ourselves to be responsible and informed citizens of the world.

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.

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. 

The most intriguing part of the ban on cellphones in the upper school is that the claims on which it is based perpetuate the idea that every negative thing in a teenager’s life is caused by the presence of cellphones in their lives.
I’m sure we as students have all heard something along the lines of ‘it’s because of that darn phone,’ or ‘Well maybe if you weren’t on your phone so much, x wouldn’t happen.’ This is said because it is so much easier to blame some feelings or instances on the tiny piece of technology in your hand, than to unpack why something is actually happening.
It’s redundant to complain about the new policy, I know. However it’s not the ban of phones that troubles me the most, I am able to understand that technology as a whole is not good for the development of adolescent brains. It’s the fact that every possible explanation for why the ban on phones is in place was because it was a ‘it’s because of that darn phone’ claim.
An ‘it’s because of that darn phone’ claim (as defined by me) is a claim in which one makes in order to imply that something going on is because of ‘that darn phone’ and does not consider that the retreat to a phone could be caused by something completely different. 
For example, the school’s most popular reason for banning cellphones is because they want the student body to talk to each other, and not to be antisocial and consumed in their phones. 
Putting phones aside, let’s consider why a student may not be interacting with another student on any given day.
Maybe that student just flunked a quiz, and doesn’t want to talk to anyone for a couple of minutes. Maybe that student has been having a really hard time recently, and doesn’t have the energy to put on a smile for their peers. Maybe that student is under-stimulated, and needs a minute to play a silly game on their phone. Or maybe, that student just doesn’t want to talk to the people around them.
Yes, there are some students who pull out their phones to scroll through Instagram when they could be talking to their friends who are right in front of them, but that one student who is needlessly using their phone does not represent the entire student body. 
I would also argue that our student body is incredibly interactive with each other. We chat with each other during sports, we have an incredible amount of interest clubs that students actively participate in, and there is no lack of cross talking between class changes or in the classes themselves. 
Another very common idea that has been brought up is the link between social media and teenage mental health. However a 2020 report called “Tweens, Teens, Tech & Mental Health” by Common Sense and Candice Ogders, a professor of psychological science, says that any identified associations between social media and mental health are too small, and therefore it is difficult to distinguish between cause and effect.
UCI School of Ecology summarized Ogders’ point. “The claim that screen time and social media use is a cause of mental health outcomes is uncertain, and identified associations are small, accounting for less than 1% of the differences between adolescents, and offer no way to separate cause from effect,” the articled surmised. “This is because mental health disorders emerge from a complex set of social, genetic, and experiential factors, which have varying influence across development and situations.” 
To offer concrete scientific evidence on why phones and social media are damaging teens (and society as a whole) would have sufficed. The school could have left us with a study by a credible scientist or a quote from a health organization. Instead chosen claims are ones that perpetuate the idea that every feeling or situation that teenagers experience is a reflection of how phone obsessed they are. 
To have a community that talks to each other, it is not necessary to simply bring the hammer down, but to have productive conversations with each other, that do not just indulge the point of view of adults. Teenagers have thoughts and feelings, sometimes phones are simply a mirror of what an individual is feeling, and that’s what we should be talking about.
- Helen Hertz


I believe that there is tremendous value in the phone policy. Phones should not be used in a classroom setting (unless for an activity) because it distracts from the lesson. 
However, I question the ban on phones outside of the classroom. While I recognized the the use of phones between classes could muddle the learning mindset and render future lessons less effective, the use of phones outside of class can have some merit.   
The principle argument offered by the administration as to why they banned phones is that this ban will result in the development of communication skills. If this is such a high priority, then why haven’t we banned all forms of solitary activity? I would argue that reading a novel during break would have the same impact as phones on communication. Through the lens of communication development, isn’t scrolling through tiktok just as isolating as reading a book?  
Instead I would argue that using phones during breaks can be beneficial. While the act of using phones can be solitary, it can also be communal as well. Imagine a scenario where a student finds a funny tiktok, then decides to share it with their friends. Although the initial act of finding the tiktok was solitary, the sharing of it can be communal. While a lack of sharing could be a potential problem, I have not observed this during break or lunch as of yet.  
Regardless, our school should be carful in how it chooses to exert its power. While the school could take a hands-off towards students and say that high schoolers are responsible for themselves and whatever poor decision they make is their own concern, that would likely result in a highly unproductive atmosphere. On the flip side, high schoolers can’t have zero freedom. They need to develop their own discipline and responsibly for latter in life.   
The point I’m trying to make here is that while the school could regulate phones during breaks, phone use during class is far more of an issue. Letting students use their phones during breaks but not class would provide a balance between letting students experiment with maturity and structure.  -Konur Onufer

The phone policy does not make sense on a practical or theoretical level. Supposedly, the idea is that they want us to be talking to each other when we are not in class, however, generally when we are not talking to each other outside of class it is because we are working on homework. Also, a lot of the time when we would have been on our phones before, we were not supposed to be talking to each other anyways. Finally, the rule where we cannot even get our phones out to just plug them in is totally illogical. We are not using them to plug them in, and it is important that they are charged after school when we do need them.
-- Jamey Davis
I feel like the phone policy makes kids more sneaky & everyone just uses their phones without teachers knowing. I also feel that a lot of students use their phones to do school work so taking them away is hard. The goal of the school is to get students to interact more which has worked in some regard, but most of the things students talk about they find on their phones so we just sit there in silence. In my opinion nothing has changed with this new policy. I do agree with the fact of if you are on your phone in class it should be taken, but during break and lunch I feel like it is pointless. - Ava Dalaski
I think its worked very well. Less phones has allowed us to become a better community through more interactions with each other. 
- Peter Krzeminski​

The no cell phone rule is necessary since it goes without saying that using a phone while you should be paying attention in class can be disruptive and distracting. Due to the importance of this rule, it must be effectively enforced. For example, removing cell phones entirely from the school day may cause students to feel as though they are giving up a lot of freedom, which encourages sneaky behavior. Additionally, the immediate consequences of having your phone taken away without the opportunity for a second chance may lead students and teachers to mistrust each other. 
-Anne-Marie Sloan

By Kenzie Raub '24

Students and teachers are expressing their desire for a creative writing class for the entire school.
“It provides another avenue for creativity,” says Via Dancea, ‘25. “Like, the same way we have art class and graphic design and stuff. Creative writing could help make that even more accessible to people with different passions.”
Creative writing is offered as a class in the middle school, and was going to be a class in the upper school, but was canceled due to not having enough students signing up for it. However, that leaves a large question unanswered: what about the students who did sign up? Their passion for writing hasn’t died just because the class was taken away. A class like this has been anticipated by many, especially since the school was so close to having it once. This feeling is shared not only by students, but by teachers as well, and there are many exceptional candidates to teach this class.
“That’s the beauty of North Cross,” says Josh Kier, the English 10 teacher. “We have so many talented teachers. I think, off the top of my head, Dr. Naginey would be an astounding teacher for a creative writing class.”
A big part of being a good fit for a creative writing teacher is being encouraging to students, being fascinated by the direction their students go, and being passionate to always keep learning. All of these fit the description of why Kier sees Naginey as a good option for teaching the class, along with English teacher and theater director Polly Jones, French teacher Chris Brandon and Spanish teacher Rachell Phillips.
“I think it would help make people think in stories,” says Phoebe Anderson, ‘22. “Which is good because it helps people understand each other because, you know, everybody has a story, and if you’re thinking of making your own stories, you understand what people think and how they think.”
Creative writing opens up an entirely new type of writing compared to the analytical type of writing that is taught in regular English classes. It has a lot more expression in it, and it doesn’t require you to have to write based off of another work. The class could teach students about how to form characters and delve deeper into how the human mind works. It also allows students to find an escape, letting out their inner feelings and thoughts through descriptive writing and turn it into something beautifully relatable for others.
“Creative writing, it’s such a self-discovery process that you can’t control,” says Kier. “If a teacher claims that they can control it, they’re lying, or they’ve fooled themselves. Bearing witness to that in an individual is, like, really intimate and cool and fun.

By Hania Raza '24

Most people do not know much about the month of Ramadan and its significance to Muslims around the world. 
Every year, Ramadan is celebrated and observed by more than two billion people with day-long fasting from sunrise to sunset. In addition to self-control, it also encourages charity by invoking an appreciation for a privileged life and its comforts. 
Because Islam follows the lunar calendar, Ramadan occurs a little bit earlier every year. This year, it started in the Spring, which happens to be the busiest school season of all due to AP and final exams as well as big state games for athletes. 
School life in the United States during Ramadan is somewhat different from many countries with a Muslim majority population. 
Although studies from the Institute of Labor Economics have shown that fasting improves performance in school among students, the school day is modified in some countries for prayer and naps. Friday, a sacred day for Muslims, is a day when school and work are off in many areas during Ramadan. 
Although many people believe that these modifications are not necessary in the United States, Ramadan certainly deserves to be talked about in schools to educate the faculty and staff along with the non-Muslim students. 
With Debbie Taylor in the new position of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director, the school is becoming more and more adaptive to Muslims during Ramadan. Because some students are fasting, the conference room has been reserved for Muslims as a quiet room during lunch. In addition, the faculty and staff are aware of the students who are observing Ramadan and what it means to them. 
Umair Rasul ‘24 explained the significance of Ramadan. “It takes a lot of self-control for someone to fast for the entire month,” said Rasul, “It shows patience, which is a big part of Islam. It’s not that it affects your mood at all. It’s really hard to do, so it helps a lot of your self reservation.” 
As of right now, the student body has been left to educate themselves about what Ramadan is and the importance of the month to Muslim students. 
“I think it maybe deserves a little more attention,” said Rasul, “because a lot of people don’t know that you’re fasting, and they try and offer you food.”
Maida Ahmad ‘27, a Muslim student, said “I agree that Ramadan does not get enough attention at our school, but I understand that the faculty is aware of the students who are fasting. The kids, however, do not know much about this month, so it would be better if they were educated about it.” 
To educate students about Ramadan, schools could provide time for a short presentation about it during morning announcements. This would improve the understanding of culture and religion among the students.

By Gracean Ratliff '23

​According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word student is defined as a scholar or learner, especially one who attends a school. 
Although we are all here at North Cross to attend school, go to class, do homework, study hard, make good grades, graduate with honors and go to college; we are all much more than who we are perceived to be in the classroom. 
When I walk into each of my classes, my mind tends to place each of my classmates into categories of “Hard Worker”, “Class Clown”, “The Shy Kid”, ect.. However, the more I listen to their stories and hear the way people talk about them, they are all put into the category of “More Than I Perceived Them To Be”. 
Once the 3:10 bell rings, all of the students change into something more. Athletes, Artists, Interns, Musicians, Fans and many many more. We all dedicate ourselves, our time and our effort into more than just our academics. 
More than 71%  of the students participate in varsity athletics, either as a player, manager, or assistant coach. We have brought out teams to many victories, state championships and a great record for the Raider athletics. Some of the students go above and beyond in improving their athletic abilities by participating in club and travel sports. Their efforts not only make their teams better but also improve their game even more. 
One of my favorite things about our sports program, both playing and watching, is the Muscaro Maniacs student section. For most of the games, the bleachers always have fans there cheering the players on. Even after their studies and their own practices, they will find themselves at Willis or Cook fields cheering on a team. They give the players more motivation, more energy and more firepower to do the best in their game. 
Mrs. Jackson’s and Mrs. Sledd’s classrooms are filled with many talented artists. They have taught us to put our creative and wonderful minds to use in the classroom, but some students have a passion and love for what they are taught and they show the world what they can do. They take what they do and make masks, stickers, jewelry, crochet clothing, then become business men and women and sell them. There has always been a person in at least one of my classes who is always doodling on their worksheets. Those people have always stuck out to me because they are always doing more art outside of the art room. With or without a passion for a future in the arts, we are among some of the most talented artists who are always striving to do more. 
During the summer, we have so many opportunities to participate in internships for many local businesses in Roanoke. Even during our longed for break away from being a student, some of us take those opportunities and get to experience what we’re passionate about in the real world. We become architects, medical “professionals”, interior designers, construction workers, set builders, biologists, designers and physical therapists, along with many more. The summer internship program really gives us a great chance to put the word “more” to use.          Once we age and become eligible, a lot of us become a part of the working class. With having shifts before school, after school, on weekends, on holidays and even picking up a shift on days when we aren’t in school; we are always looking for more ways to spend our free time. We are babysitters, lifeguards, hostesses, waitresses, sales associates and so much more. Some spend two days out of their week working and others find the time to work every day after school. A lot of our student workers, along with having loads of AP assignments, extracurriculars and spending time with their families and friends; keep working even while their sport is in season. With as much stress that comes along with working, on top of the other stress brought on by school, sports and other activities; we find time, energy and eagerness to do more.
Mrs. Doninni and Mrs. Capellaro are lucky to be able to teach such talented musicians, and in some cases have taught them for as long as they have been musicians. Hearing some of my peers play their instruments outside of the bandroom, learning to play new instruments just for fun and having a passion to sing off of the stage; is music to my ears. I have been surprised by many to hear that they know how to play a completely different instrument than what they play in the band and that they are involved in All District or State Choir. The band and choir rooms are filled with many musicians who strive to do more. 
During activity period, we are offered many different clubs to participate in. Some of those have made such an impact on us that we take what we learned from the club and use it outside of school. After a crocheting club was offered, Willis Hall became filled with chrocheres who are constantly working on a new hat, scarf or stuffed animal. Guitar Club has helped many beginning musicians learn how to play and often go home and practice even more. With our amazing opportunities during activity period, we have an even broader horizon for learning and doing something more. 
Other than our efforts in expanding what we learn from extracurricular activities, we still prove to be more. During Spirit Week, everyone dresses up everyday and makes homecoming week even more fun. We have opened up our homes to the dorm students and Argentinian students to learn more about their culture and to give back even more. Willis Hall is filled with people who do and are much more than what may be perceived. 
We are not strangers to “judging a book by its cover.’ ‘It’s impossible to properly categorize someone just by how we see them, hear them, how we feel around them and overall how they come across. But I encourage you to change their category to “More Than I Perceived Them To Be” once that perspective has changed. 
We are surrounded by fascinating and talented people who do more every day. Although by definition, we are “scholars and learners who attend a school,” we are so much more. 
Afterall, more does happen here. 

By Helen Hertz '24

​For the past two months I’ve watched as my classmates have become comfortable enough to take off their masks, and go back to “normal,” as so many people like to say.
But what is normal anymore?
This might seem like a silly question, because of course “normal” is a world where people don’t cover half their faces, or avoid close contact, or create events around certain sets of rules. “Normal” isn’t even being entirely cautious with our health.
So I guess with that out of the way, my next question is; How does one return to a “normal” they never knew in the first place?
All of the adults I’ve spoken to lately have begun to encourage me to begin my “teen experience” now that COVID seems to have hit a slow patch. What the “teen experience” is to them I’m sure is much different than the modern “teen experience”, but nonetheless, how can I live a life that seems so different from the one I’ve lived for two years of my life?
I find a strange comfort in wearing a mask. I like the fact that people are more cautious with their health. I like that I’ve barely gotten sick over the past two years.
There are so many things I’ve liked about my lifestyle since March 2020, and I’m not sure how jumping off the deep end into a post-COVID world will sit with me. 
I’m not going to throw statistics in your face about COVID’s effects on teenagers’ mental health, because as much as I’d like to, I’d like this to feel more like an honest discussion about what our futures look like than spewing information to prove a point.
Because adjustments are hard. Especially complete changes to one’s lifestyle. 
I go to the grocery store now and I’m the only one wearing a mask anymore, I still turn down invitations to hangout with my friends because I don’t want to be in packed public spaces, and I still make an effort to keep my circle small, just in case one of them gets COVID. 
I’ve gotten so used to doing these things that I look at pictures of myself in school from two years ago, and I don’t even remember what my “normal” life was like.
I know people are eager to live their lives. I know students are excited to have a normal prom, a normal graduation, and a normal summer. But maybe there is a way we can live those experiences to the fullest without becoming overwhelmed by a sudden surge of “normal.”
This transition period from “COVID life” to “after COVID life” isn’t going to be easy. 
So I’ve created a list of things I suggest we as a community try and do, to be a little more careful with ourselves, as we adjust to a “normal” we haven’t lived for a while.
First, let’s try to be more sensitive to people who are going through the adjustment process. 
I’ve been seeing a lot of pressure on students lately to completely dive into school-wide events, assemblies, and ceremonies. We’ve previously had a lot of Zoom options, but as of late the general consensus seems to be to lead everyone directly back into the large crowded rooms that are full of people. 
Going from a 20 student classroom for assembly, to the entire upper school in the auditorium can be daunting. In being more sensitive to those who would like to slowly move their way to the auditorium, keeping Zoom in at least one classroom a morning can be a huge help.
Secondly, we as a community should both try to understand students who continue to wear masks, as well as be understanding of students who have chosen not to wear masks.
I’ve been hearing quite a bit of cross talk about students and their mask wearing status, when the truth is, we have no idea why they either don’t wear a mask, or still wear a mask. 
Students who don’t wear masks might finally feel comfortable enough to not wear one to school. Students who still wear masks to school might have a reason to wear one we don’t know about, an elderly relative to protect, a sickly family member or friend whose immune system is weak, or they might just prefer to wear one for their own health. 
We are a mask optional school. We should be comfortable with mask wearers, and non-mask wearers. 
Last but not least, we should understand that when students do adjust to “normal”, it doesn’t mean they will necessarily possess the energetic, outgoing, and extroverted “North Cross” attitude that people have come to expect from the students. 
With all this talk about “going back to normal”, I think we forget that “normal” looks different for everyone. One kid’s normal could be a quiet day, and another’s could be an energy-packed, high strung, chaotic day.
We need to expect and cater to both. As a school it is our job to make sure all students feel welcome, regardless of what their “normal” is.
We aren’t a community without different people. We aren’t a community without different opinions. Therefore, we shouldn’t be a school without options.