After being stuck at home for the past four months and for the foreseeable future, I have learned a few things. In these times that we are all going through, I feel as though it is extremely difficult to look at the positives. I have had a hard time doing so, since senior year was ruined and the uncertainty of college life next year is looming. 

At 11:30 a.m. on June 7, 2020,  I stood in a clearing within a crowd of over 100 people near Yanticaw’s Frank Cocchiola Playground. The Township of Nutley organized a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest to join the millions of voices across the country. Signs were held up high in the air, ranging from “Educators for Black Lives” to the names of victims of police brutality. 

In these times of uncertainty, the public just wants real answers. People are finding it very hard to trust others in regards to their own health and safety, and some feel that our own government is now questionable. The release of the COVID-19 conspiracy video, Plandemic, was all over social media. It was then removed from Youtube, as some believe it revealed what may be going on behind closed doors.

Saturday Night Live has been around for decades and when a show has been around for that long, there are many examples of downfalls the show has made. With the world going into quarantine, SNL had to halt production on its current season. However, it was decided that they would create three “at home” episodes.

by Jordan Greene

Creative Writing Corner: From our Peers in the NHS Creative Writing Class

I never thought that I would have to write an article such as this one, nor do I want to write it now. The coronavirus expanded in what seems like seconds and has now altered the lives of everyone across the globe. Now, we are all struggling, trying to grasp a society that once seemed a dystopia to us all. In this article, I am breaking the barriers of formal journalism and writing an account of feelings that seniors, including myself, are experiencing in a time of uncertainty, disbelief, and trepidation. 

The pandemic that is COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, has been affecting many worldwide. Many countries, including the U.S. have been on a country-wide quarantine since the middle of March, so staying positive during this very negative time has been difficult for many. However, since being on this quarantine, there have been many positives that have come from it.

In today’s society, no matter where you are in the world, it's fast moving and non-stop. This is especially an issue in large, more-developed cities. Because people are always out and about going to work, traveling on vacation or just to explore the world, taking the children to practice or music lessons, or simply going to a friend’s house a few blocks over, pollution is a very prominent issue in the world, and has been for countless years. 

On March 2nd, Nutley High School traveled back 40 years with the  debut of its spring musical Rock of Ages: High School Edition. Although this production consisted of teenagers, individuals who had not been part of the rock experience of the 1980s, I am happy to say that I, a teenager, “wanted to rock” more than I ever had before.

Music festivals have been around for decades and are increasing in popularity  today. There are people, like me, who grew up going to concerts and even these festivals. Most people who have never been to a concert are going to these music festivals like Governors Ball, Coachella, and Made in America without the proper knowledge and preparation for these events. 

Creative Writing Corner: From our Peers in the NHS Creative Writing Class

 by Jordan Greene

After 42 long years, three Star Wars trilogies have now been completed.

New Jersey will always have a very interesting reputation. Its diversity, culture, and location are something I have always appreciated. However, this love is not shared by all. According to a recent poll by Matt Shirley, a social media poll taker, New Jersey is the most hated state by Deleware, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut. While many of our neighbors may not be too fond of us, New Jersey has always focused on what it loves most; itself. In fact, according to that same poll taker, when asked what’s your favorite state, New Jersey was the only state that “Likes No One.”

"Modern Love" is a column run by the New York Times where anyone from anywhere can submit their stories of love. Its main point is to prove that any type of love is valid. Not all love is between two lovers. It can be parents, pets, children, you name it. Not all types of love need to be romantic. 

Celebrity: “A famous person; the state of being well known,” according to Google dictionary. Those people associated with fame, the names created by the media, often ones like this newspaper, they are celebrities. But what really defines a celebrity in the 21st century? A celebrity is someone we used to associate with talent. They had something special about them to make them known, but that’s not really the case anymore.

What can representation do for the youth of America?  

by Alexa Forcer

In the last few decades, each generation of teenagers have had their own iconic form of social media. It started with AOL Instant Messenger, then eventually MySpace. This generation, my generation, would probably call Instagram or Twitter their most iconic form of social media. However, Generation Z’s usage of Twitter, for example, and Millennials’ usage of MySpace are completely different. While MySpace and AOL tended to only control the online world, Instagram and Twitter have extremely large real-world effects.

Behind all of the flashing lights and loud music, there is a lot that goes into creating music and performing. Many people do not realize the time and energy most artists put into their music and especially their concerts. One artist in the rap industry tops them all: Travis Scott. There are countless headlines all over the internet calling him the best performer on earth, including in Rolling Stone. He really puts on a show. 

Following the biggest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spiderman: Far From Home depicts Peter Parker, portrayed by Tom Holland, and his friends in Europe for a class trip after the major events that occurred in Avengers: Endgame. Far From Home is the 23rd movie in the MCU and is the final movie of the Infinity Saga. After just coming back from the vanished (from Thano’s snap) after five years and losing his only father figure, Tony Stark, all in one day, Peter just wants to enjoy his summer and tell the girl he likes how he feels.

The Handmaid's Tale is a book and television series taking millennials by storm. It is dystopian fiction woven together by the highly accredited, Margaret Atwood. The book became so popular, it was turned into a show on HBO. Sadly, for those who prefer watching to reading, today we’re staying strictly old-school.