For Kaylee Timonet, school was always a place for her to thrive and be a leader especially as the Student Body President of her class, but all that was taken away from her with a simple dance.
On September 30th, while at a party with her mom, Kaylee and her friends were dancing when a DJ filmed them and the video was eventually posted online. Although this video was taken outside of school, and nothing in it associated the school she attended, Kaylee’s principal, Jason St. Pierre took it upon himself to find the video and talk to Kaylee about it. Kaylee was called into his office the following week, and was immediately punished and scrutinized for of her dance because St. Pierre claimed that the dance was “not living in God’s ideals” thus forcing his religion upon the 17-year old. He took away a scholarship Kaylee had worked incredibly hard to achieve, along with taking away her preposition as president. Punishments should never be given for no reason, but unfortunately sometimes they are. For Kaylee Timonet this was the case, and the punishment she received was heightened to an unbelievable extent due to her just enjoying life and having fun. Following receiving this devastating information which could possibly hinder her future, Kaylee used Tik Tok to share her story with the world. Her story immediately received lots of attention spreading it across various new outlets around the country. In response to the outrage among teenagers all over the US, St. Pierre was asked to back down from his position as principal and apologize to Kaylee and her mother for the entire situation. Kaylee’s story has shown teenagers all over the country that there will always be a support system there for them with the help of social media. The extent at which people have come together to back Kaylee has been incredible to see and it shows us the advocacy of the new generation. This entire story makes me realize how powerful our generation is, but it also makes me appreciate the freedom and support from adults that we have at our school.
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Editorial
Dancing - a harmless activity you can do anywhere, with anyone, and at any time. For some, dancing comes as a form of art or expression, but for others, it’s a way to connect and spend time with friends and family. Dancing can be many things, but being the reason for costing your future should not be one of them. For senior Kaylee Timonet of Louisiana,, a video of her dancing with friends at a private party would be the reason she lost her chance at a college scholarship. After her principal, St. Pierre, got a hold of the video, he called her into his office where he chastised her for not living up to “God Ideals.” He proceeded to take away her role as Student Government President and remove the school’s support for her college scholarships. Since then, her story has gone viral across many platforms and news outlets, where she has gained support against her unjust punishment. Fellow classmates have shown support in a protest walkout at school asking to “Let the girl Dance.” After all the backlash with St. Pierre's punishment, he has since given back her position as president and resumed endorsement for her scholarships. Unfortunately, although the situation seems to be resolved, the deadline for Timonet’s scholarship passed before her punishment could be reversed. “Regardless of what the principal thought about Timonet’s dancing, I think his punishment was a step too far,” said Upper School SCA President, Attilio Ciccozzi ‘24. “I myself love dancing," Attilio mentioned, “and I'm glad that if another student or myself were in her position, our North Cross community would have reacted much differently.” Upper School Director Stephen Belderes had a visceral reaction. “This is literally literally the plot of Footloose,” he said. “That's outrageous. It makes no sense.” At North Cross, dances are a key aspect of student life that brings excitement and anticipation all throughout Willis Hall. This October, high schoolers are gearing up for Homecoming week and all the activities associated with it. As we go into Homecoming, we should be glad to be at a school like NCS.
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ongratulations to all seniors for battling senioritis and making it to graduation! We have overcome several trials and tribulations, (such as the AP exams), but we have also enjoyed several events together! Personally, my favorite events from my senior year were Prom and the Senior Trip. When we surveyed the senior class, most felt that their favorite event was the Senior Trip. We thank all the facilitators who put every event together for our enjoyment. To any incoming freshmen, sophomores and juniors reading this, my only advice would be to work hard because every year counts. But also don’t forget to enjoy your high school years. To the incoming seniors, my advice would be to schedule your college meeting with Ms. Aavatsmark as soon as possible! Also, make sure to find time for yourself amidst all the stress you’re about to be put through. However, also remember, that life (hopefully) only gets better from here ! (unless you peak in high school). Good luck ! Yours truly, Massoki Maka < Meanwhile, some staff members shared words of appreciation for seniors: “Many seniors are in my friend group like Haley, Rocio, Irene, Massoki, Eleena. They are all great friends. When I first came to the dorm, they stopped by my room, helped me unpack and introduced me to the others. Without them I couldn’t have a wonderful school year like this.” - Nhi Le “The senior class meant family to me because people like Massoki, Rocio, Irene, Haley and many others have had such a great impact on me. They welcomed me with open arms and we formed an unbreakable bond. I will miss them dearly and will never ever forget them. - Rabia Ferron “The senior class was very encouraging. An example of this is how encouraging Kylie Schaefer was to the new freshman on the tennis team. She was always encouraging us to do our best and was a great role model. She helped us connect as a team.” - AB Cullen “Quiet at first, Massoki Maka seemed serious and a bit scary. I later realized how wrong I was. She was funny and thoughtful. One of the most down to earth people I have ever met.” - Aadeetri Pandey “The senior class of 2023 is a very talented class in and out of the classroom. Everyone is always giving 100% no matter what they are doing whether it is homework, classwork, quizzes/tests, practicing a sport, playing a game, or even just doing something to help in the community. An example of someone who exemplifies this hard work is Zach Morgan, who was always training and getting better for his teammates and is always pushing through the pain to reach the goal of winning a state championship. The class of 2023 is very amazing and I can’t wait to see what everyone’s future holds for them. They will all be greatly missed by North Cross.” - Tristan Lange Recently, the students of Willis Hall have been forced to attend advisory every other Thursday. Prior to this, advisory only took place on ad hoc occasions, like when students needed to choose their subjects and electives for the next year, for example. When we asked the advisory coordinator, Brett Odom, why this change was brought about, Odom said that the impetus of making advisory more common was to build connections between students and between students and advisors. An additional benefit is also a sense of community and bonding.
When the students of the Willis Hall Herald came together to discuss advisory, they highlighted the following positive attributess about advisory: “Advisors are really kind, and one can share their thoughts and feelings.” Others said, ”The idea of advisory is good.” and “Advisory is pretty fun.” However, there were also negative comments, such as: “It is held too early in the morning,” or “It is boring, not because of my advisor, but because we have nothing to do,” and, “I just don’t like advisory, period.” A survey that we conducted between April 26-28 yielded the following results: When asked if students felt that advisory is a safe place to share their feelings, 37.7% of students agreed whereas 39% of students disagreed. 27% were neutral. When asked if students felt that advisory helps students connect with their advisors 56% agree, 23.8% disagreed and 20% were neutral. Lastly, when asked whether the advisory program helps students make connections with other students, 50% disagreed, 33% were neutral and 16% of people agreed. Some of the advice given by students include: “to make the information more entertaining and have more time so the advisor can really get the point across for the information;” “To not force attendance and to have fun competitive games to make people want to be there and maybe provide some muffins or something;” “To make it more like a activity period and please not in the morning and also not for seniors;” and “There needs to be less ‘fun’ hands on activities, and more directed social conversations in the advisory room between the students and the teachers. This will provide a sense of trust between the teachers and the students, and will produce more productive and worthy information for the advisees to gather in civilized discussion.” Some very interesting comments include: “Advisory doesn’t really have a clear ‘purpose’ to me. It just seems like a group meeting but there’s nothing specific about it that stands out to me. We should only have Advisory to choose classes. Seniors do not need to attend and I don’t see the point of Advisory throughout the year because students would rather catch up on work before school or sleep in longer.” One of the biggest takeaways from this survey is that many Upper School students do not see the purpose of advisory. North Cross should work to see that their students understand the point of advisory and find it to be a necessary tool. On April 20, our advisory was centered around drinking and driving. Prom was approaching and many juniors and seniors drive themselves. Schools always worry about drinking and driving and need to inform students for general safety. Many students in Willis Hall cannot drive. We question whether its a school’s job to inform students about the dangers of driving under the influence. Most of the Herald staff felt as though it is not the school’s job to inform students about the dangers of driving, because it happens outside of school premises. We believe that it is common sense and should be reinforced by students’ parents. 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. |
Editors:Editor-in-Chief: Archives
April 2024
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