For many years, the Egg Drop Challenge was popular with Lincoln School’s 6th graders, who were under the direction of retired teacher, Mr. Comune. It’s an opportunity for the students to bond, practice their engineering skills, and exercise friendly competition.  “Our curriculum was up for review and we wanted to include additional units of study such as Engineering and Coding,” says Spring Garden Media Specialist Mrs. Janine Sarno. 

For the past 22 years, the Nutley Chamber of Commerce, an organization representing many businesses in Nutley, has held an annual 5K run. This event is one of the two fundraising events for the Chamber of Commerce. This year,  Jim McGuire (President of the Chamber of Commerce), Christina Rodriguez (runner), Dawn Gajewski (runner), and Jaylin Romero (runner) reflected on their experiences and goals for this run. “It was a beautiful morning. I felt confident in my training,” says Dawn, “but was actually just glad to see the race had a good turnout and people enjoying themselves.”

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.