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.
Thanksgiving is a joyous holiday where people focus on who and what they are thankful for. During this holiday, many families and friends choose to spend meaningful time with one another. Unfortunately for many families, this could not happen last year due to COVID-19.
On November 28, 2021, famous entrepreneur and fashion designer of Off-White as well as the artist director of Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh passed away at 41-years-old in Chicag
On December 2nd, Nutley High School hosted an event called, “Instant Decision Day” annually where seniors get to meet directly with select schools and get an acceptance statement on the spot. This year, students met virtually with college counselors and were able to at minimum, walk away with more knowledge of the college process or at maximum, run away with a full-ride scholarship to said school.
Nutley High School has a broad spectrum of clubs for students to participate in. It is a way to educate themselves on topics they already know about or are interested in. These clubs range from coding, to jazz, to the arts, to robotics, and many more.
Mr. Vicchiariello is the NHS Director of Bands and has been teaching for over a decade. Interviewed on October 28, 2021, he shares his experiences and what his job entails. He acknowledges all of his students as equals, proudly stating, “There are no substitutes.”
Coming back to school full time, after the year of hybrid, is a changeling time for a multitude of reasons. Students now are back to waking up at 6:30AM. Many will stress about getting good grades. Some students have to get homework done every single night on top of extracurricular activities.
With the Marching Band season ending, a new music program is coming back into the spotlight this winter.
Indoor Percussion is back and better than ever, accepting people from all grades to join.
Under any circumstances, the transition from one school to another is rarely easy. This is especially true when that transition feels not only like stepping into a new school, but an entirely new world. Nutley High School’s freshman students, after being either hybrid or entirely virtual for a year and a half, are expressing great hopes and some fears for the journey ahead.
