As my first year at Nutley high school quickly comes to a closing, I’d like to write to all future freshmen, and give my full truth on high school. 

Dozens of students from the Performing Arts program took part in the spring musical, Mean Girls, on March 7, 8, and 9, 2025. 

A few weeks ago, I dined at Sonoma Bistro, a place well known for its vibrant atmosphere. As I walked into the front doors of the Mexican restaurant Sonoma Bistro Bar and Grill on Passaic Avenue, I was greeted by the rush of lively music and delicious aromas. Colorful murals of Mexican art lined the walls, and festive decorations were all around me. There were floor to ceiling windows showing off the bustling street of Passaic and letting in beautiful light which my family and I greatly enjoyed.

On March 13th, 2024 it was confirmed that the Nutley Board of Education was missing $7 million due to financial and accounting issues. Following this revelation, many changes have been made to our school system to compensate for the sudden loss of money, and some of these changes have had detrimental effects on students’ education.

Our mornings in school start the same every day: once the second bell rings students sit down and immediately hear the crackling of the loudspeaker before the inevitable announcements start to blare throughout the school. However, students usually talk over the announcements and place their attention elsewhere. Many students don’t give their attention to the information they hear.

Many students complain about the Nutley High school dress code; but, I feel there is a lot of freedom when it comes to what students want to wear. Many come to school in tank tops and tube tops and boys come in tank tops and slides and slippers. No teachers say anything, and comparing that to middle school and elementary school, students have a lot more freedom.

Peer pressure is something that pretty much every high school student deals with at some point. It's like this invisible force pushing you to do things, maybe things you don't really want to do. But hey, dealing with it is part of growing up, right?

In an era where science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, also known as STEM education, often takes the spotlight, the importance of arts and music education should not be overlooked. While STEM subjects really do play an important part in the world, the arts and music play a pivotal role in shaping well-rounded people and allow creativity, a quality that is essential for success in any field. 

Starting the school day later than 8:05 a.m. in the morning is a highly talked about discussion. There are countless reasons to do so; but, school wise, the most important reason is because students, teens especially, do not get enough sleep at night. 

You know how sometimes we have a big test to study for,  but, instead of reviewing our notes or reading the chapters, we end up spending hours on our phone?  That's what social media does to most students. Instead of studying or doing homework, we get stuck scrolling through TikTok or Instagram. We're so busy watching videos and texting our friends that we forget about our schoolwork.

Over the course of the last two years, artificial intelligence (AI) has infiltrated classrooms all across the nation. Along with its growth, the accessibility to different artificial intelligence platforms has increased overtime. 

In the halls of Nutley High School, the idea of school uniforms might sound like a buzzkill at first; but, let's dive into the benefits of creating a uniform policy that can not just go beyond matching, but also a great sense of unity and reducing distractions. Nutley High should consider the switch to a school uniform policy.

Desks. They’re a symbol of the education system. An outdated, uncomfortable symbol of the education system. Not only are desks extremely uncomfortable to sit in, but they may be inhibiting the learning process in the classroom.

High school is a time for students to develop into young adults while preparing for the next phase of their lives. High schoolers can have a lot on their plate at times, from attending classes, doing homework and projects, participating in extracurricular activities, preparing for standardized testing, and the list can go on. One of the most ineffective courses that high schools provide is a study hall period. These designated periods give students the opportunity to catch up on studying, work on homework, and complete projects and such.

There is nothing better than cozying up on your couch with a nice book, or, in more recent cases, with a blue-light emitting screen. Instead of flipping through crisp pages with their fingers, lots of people are finding themselves scrolling down their phones to get to the next chapter. Ebooks are becoming the new generation’s version of literature. They’re highly accessible, cheap, and you can find practically any book you want to read. But is online reading taking away from the true book experience?

The holidays are a time for people to spend time with their family and friends, and in some cases exchange gifts and presents. Whether it’s someone’s lover, friend, family, or any other acquaintance in their life, holidays are typically for appreciation and love for each other. One common act of affection is buying chocolates and other candies, and the candygram service at Nutley High School is a great way to do that. However, students seeing their peers receiving loads of candy during class while they receive nothing can make them feel left out.

In recent years, the cost of higher education has skyrocketed, with college tuition prices reaching all-time highs. According to a recent report by the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2022-2023 academic year is $10,090 for in-state public universities and $36,880 for private universities. This is a significant increase compared to previous years and has put a strain on many families and students who are struggling to afford higher education.

* Names have been changed.

Sexual education in high school is a sensitive subject, but the topic needs to be discussed more. Here at NHS, sex ed is taught in junior year; however, what is known about high school juniors is that many of them have already begun having sex before they first step into their sex-ed class. Nearly three in ten 13-year-olds to 16-year-olds are sexually active and “have been with someone in an intimate or sexual way,” according to NBC News. 

Fall is arguably one of the best seasons, especially the drinks. Every year stores like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts come out with their seasonal specials. This year they even have some new additions like Dunkin’s Blood Orange Refresher and Starbucks Apple Crisp Macchiato. People rave about the drinks waiting for them to return, but how good are they?

Every season, every NFL team has a few players that have a “breakout season.” Some are expected and some are very unexpected. In order for a player to breakout, they must have things go right, whether its cause of coaching, schemes, team chemistry or more. For example someone who had a big breakout season last year was Maxx Crosby. I’ll be talking about players that I think will have a breakout season and ones that need a breakout season.