It’s that time of the year again, when rain seems like it never ends, and the flowers flourish to their extravagant colors. As we leave the stretched out month of March in the past, and welcome April, many can be thrilled for multiple reasons. First, all students are able to take a week off of school to relax their minds. This calls for no homework, studying, or tests to complete. Several students and their families decide to travel for spring break.

Nutley High School’s Night of the Nations, although being postponed for 2 years because of COVID, has been an NHS tradition for years. Having been held in the cafeteria and arranged by the student body, Night of the Nations is an event which celebrates the cultures of the world with food, games, traditions, and more. Complete with music, recipes, and endless celebration, it rarely disappoints.

On March 23, Nutley High School senior Fabian Jimenez spoke with the Maroon and Gray regarding his experiences as one of the school’s thespians.

Distributive Education Clubs of America, also known as DECA, is a club for high school and college level students that prepares them for a future career in the business field. Beth Christman, a junior at Nutley High School (NHS), has participated in the club since her sophomore year but it was completely virtual then. 

On Tuesday, April 5th, NHS and the Key Club came together to organize this year's blood drive. Key Club advisors Ms. Mazza and Ms. Durso came together with the help of the members to set up this act of service. This was just one of the many fundraisers Nutley High School has done for the good of the community. Not only did it bring awareness to health and charity, but as well as teaching students lessons in life and putting themselves in somebody else's shoes. 

Shots rang out at East Rutherford’s American Dream Mall on Thursday, April 7. An announcement of a firearm entering the building was declared a few minutes before 6:00 p.m. and sent shoppers into a frenzy. As they ran for safety within nearby stores, they created a disarray that separated children from their parents.

Named after Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick, an annual celebration in his honor and of Irish culture occurs on March 17. Throughout years of both immigration and emigration, St. Patrick’s Day is now a worldwide celebration to pay homage to everything Irish.

Mr. Vicchiariello, also known as Mr. V is the well-known director of Bands for Nutley High School. He is known for his exquisite performing band as well as being one of the best music teachers in this school. Mr. V has worked in the Nutley School District for 12 years.

As COVID begins to calm down, life at Nutley High School gains some of its previous normality. Doors that were shut by the pandemic, including those of the NHS Staff Coffee Shop, reopen as the high school staff and students ease back into life as it was before. However, this grand reopening is just the beginning of a world full of improvements and opportunities.

As January comes to an end, here comes February to continue. This month is also known as Black History Month. In which our society dedicates and brings light upon African Americans and the significant events they have gone through. Nutley High School members and staff participate in this month to educate students and welcome the students who come from African descent.

Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is a 15-day festival widely celebrated in East and Southeast Asian cultures. A time when family and friends gather to feast, it is an event to honor and remember ancestors, and is moreover tied to the lunar calendar.

The Super Bowl has been an annual  tradition in the United States for over half a century. It eventually became an unofficial American holiday complete with family gatherings, snacks, and an elaborate halftime show.

The college admissions process can be stressful for any senior around the world. Two seniors at Nutley High School, Caroline Warburton, and Natalie Rufino share their personal experiences about applying to college. They explain where they are in the process, what their plans are, and how COVID impacted the process. 

Nutley High School provides a broad range of clubs to fuel students’ creativity and passion. The Robotics Club, overseen by Mr. Vance Campbell and Mr. Matt Cupo, is a mix of hard work while also having fun and working with others.

As humans, we should be in a constant state of self-improvement, whether that improvement be mental, physical, or social. However, the winter season and new strands of the Coronavirus sometimes put a monkey-wrench in our plans. With the right mindset, challenges can quickly go from burdens to learning experiences. When our focus is directed not only at one thing but an image as a whole, we become a healthier version of who we were yesterday. 

Ryan Depersio, NHS alumnus and popular local chef, grew up in Nutley and stayed here for most of his life until just recently moving, but still, remaining close. DePersio is a very well-known chef with three restaurants in the North Jersey area. His first restaurant, Fascino, which he opened at 25, is in Montclair. The other two are located in Jersey City - Battello and Kitchen Step.

Something that has always been an ongoing experiment is the production of robots. Robots were invented way back in the early 1920s. Now in 2022, many evolutions have grown within these experiments. It has been over 100 years since the first robot was ever displayed. 

Lately, the Coronavirus has appeared to be unstoppable. Thousands of new cases arise every week and new variants emerge which take the world by storm. Recently, the Omicron variant seems to have affected almost everyone in some way. Many people are concerned for their own safety, hoping their family and friends don’t get sick. But some people tend to forget about one of the key factors in this equation, healthcare workers. Teri Ashworth is a speech-language pathologist at Newton Medical Center.

As the winter holidays approach, there are still many non-profit organizations and people in need during this time. Interviewed between December 14th and 15th, Key Club advisors, Mrs. D’Urso ad Ms. Mazza, shared their ideas for the club’s December events, while highlighting the importance of giving.

Every year, the holiday season comes and goes. Even alongside changes that will inevitably come, there will always be at least some tradition that stands and is shared with those we love. Despite the pandemic that tainted the celebration season last year, even trickling into this one, holiday traditions and celebrations never seemed to fail. Jane Tsilova-Tuero, who celebrates Hanukkah, Abigail Puleo, who celebrates Christmas Day, and Amaya Negron, who celebrates Three Kings Day, all spoke about their holiday’s history, traditions, and celebrations.