Opening a yearbook is usually a moment of excitement for most students, however for one of Florida’s 1,485 public high schools, 80 students were shocked to see that their portraits had been altered to cover their chests and shoulders. All of the students were female and none were consulted by the school administration in regards to the edits.

On May 25, 2021, the world was reminded of the murder of George Floyd from last year. The infamous act of police brutality took the nation by storm last spring when we were just starting to be affected by the COVID virus. The video of former officer Derek Chauvin putting his knee on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds went viral across social media, which sparked desire into the hearts of activists and protesters that a change in our society is needed. 

High school; four years of laughter, joy, sadness, and memories that will last a lifetime. Back in 2017 when I entered Nutley High School, I knew I’d be here for four years and at the time that seemed like forever, but in all honesty it went by in what seems like the blink of an eye. Now the class of 2021 is about a week away from graduation and a new chapter of our lives. 

It’s fair to say that in the last 15 years, Godzilla has had it pretty rough. After the end of the Millenium series (running from 1999 to 2004) with mostly middling box office returns, Toho decided to put the big guy to sleep, this time seemingly permanently.

The Covid-19 pandemic has left the world in a state of chaos for more than a year. For Americans, the pandemic experiences have been a whirlwind of damage to families, friends, and personally as well. The public has been on edge, waiting for something to be done to stop the spread of COVID. Scientists have been working endlessly on developing an effective and safe vaccine since January of 2020. 

The 2021 NFL draft will begin Thursday, April 29th, and will end on Saturday, May 1st. The players in this 2021 draft are really athletic and have a bright future. Some of the players put up big performances in college and, in my opinion, NFL coaches are going to be happy whoever they land in the draft.

Crimes targeting Asian Americans have risen dramatically since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition that tracks incidents of violence and harassment against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S., reported nearly 3,800 instances of discrimination against Asians in the past year. The actual number could be much higher.

For almost a year, students and teachers have been learning and working at home due to Covid-19. As things started to open up around the state of New Jersey, the districts have been trying to bring back a little bit of normalcy. The Governor has allowed high school sports to take place, at various levels and with precautions, since the fall.

On January 6, 2021, a traumatic experience occurred that would forever affect our nation’s history. A mass assemblage of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. in response to presidential victory Joseph R. Biden. Trump expressed the anger of his defeat numerous times to the media since the November election and believed there was an error in the process of counting the votes.

On Wednesday January 6, 2021, a group of domestic terrorists invaded the U.S. Capitol building as lawmakers met to certify the electoral college votes for President Elect Biden. Earlier in the day, President Trump had directed his supporters to “fight like hell,” “stop the steal” of the election, and go to the capitol building during his “Save America” rally.

Fashion is more than just putting on a set of clothes. It is also a way for someone to express their artistry and sublime way of thinking. While these people are showing creativity, there are also those who may not be able to have the same perception. These people will do one of two things: they will either carry on with their lives being at peace with the fact that they do not have the same perception, or they will hate the fact that others cannot visualize and understand what they see and end up slandering someone because of the hatred.

The year 2020 has been rough for us all. The deadly virus that has kept us all stuck in our homes and the amount of surprising deaths of celebrities have taken a toll on all of our hearts. But one thing that has affected many all with the same magnitude has been the Black Lives Matter Movement. This movement was formed by African Americans to combat police brutality, which has resulted in tragic deaths to people such as Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

2020 has been one of the most unforgettable, unprecedented, uncertain, hectic, disastrous and exhausting years I think any individual has ever experienced. From Kobe and Gianna Bryant's death, to the impeachment investigation, to the outbreak of Coronavirus, to George Floyd’s death, to the wildfires in the west coast, to the notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, to the impending election, 2020 has been a year no one will ever forget. Who knows what still awaits us in these last three months?

Over the last six months, the deadly, contagious virus, COVID-19, has continued to infect more and more Americans every single day. As of October 1, there are 7,262,630 cases of COVID-19 and there have been 206,852 fatalities. With the news and social media constantly updating us, it’s been scary to see how many Americans have contracted the virus over time.

Sometimes you will never know the meaning of a moment until it becomes a memory. Going into high school as an incoming freshman, I was always told by upperclassmen things like “Don’t take it for granted,” “It goes by in the blink of an eye,” and more. I always brushed it off. I had four years ahead of me. Now that my high school career has come to an end, I wish I could have cherished every moment more than I ever did. 

On June 7th, hundreds of people marched through Nutley in solidarity in response to the recent deaths due to police brutality, specifically George Floyd of Minnesota. The protest started with a gathering in Yanticaw Park where people listened to the leaders of the protest as well as other black community members who spoke about personal experiences and the importance of the movement. 

High school is coming to a close for the Class of 2020, and soon a new chapter will begin. Growing up in the changing society after 9/11/01, we are now living through a new change in society to add on top of that. Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, there was already talk of the new ways that people will need to adapt to these growing concerns about the spread of the virus. 

NHS is such a great place, with great teachers, artwork shown on the walls of the hallway, but one thing I’ll really miss is my friends. I moved four years ago to New York from Nutley, leaving my friends behind. Moving back in September, to attend the same school, with my old friends was like a dream come true. Being able to catch up with them face-to-face and not using a phone felt great. Of course I miss my other friends from New York. I still contact them, and hopefully see them again one day.

Over the past weeks, the Covid-19 virus has changed the world socially and physically.  Closure of schools, shops, and distancing guidelines have been put in place to make sure that everybody was staying away from one another and keeping healthy. 

Like many other high school seniors out there, this is not how I thought my senior year would end. When we got the news that we were going to be out of school for about two weeks, everyone was like, “Sweet! Two week break,” but little did we know that those were our last moments in high school. It’s been three months since and it still feels so strange. Although I’m extremely sad of what we lost- prom and [possibly] graduation- I’m very excited for the future.