Fall Edition︱Writing
Acrostic Poem | By Kira
All the kids playing in the leaves
Ucan’t think clearly with this degrees
To warm up, we have a nice hot drink
Using the new ice rink
Moving around the bonfire
Not only using marshmallows but chocolate, too
Reflections of Change - An Original Poem | By Kelly
Autumn breeze blows, as time goes
Seasons change and animals rearrange
Their homes left alone, chilled to the bone
People weaving around malls
Others leaving through the halls
Going to different places to see familiar faces
Pumpkins on display everywhere with leaves in our hair
Zipping through the sky, watching us wave bye
Us, sipping cocoa and other going loco
Because all the shopping is non stopping
To get ready to see new spaces and earn people’s good graces
October's Ending | By Kelly
Chills fill the halls
With thrills that are made with creepy dolls
Faces that haunt,
And souls that are filled with daunt
People end up with frightful faces
Which could later enjoy delightful places
For the next season, would be bright for a reason
For they look forward to a holiday that doesn’t include treason
As many would settle around the fire
Just to smile unless the situation were dire
November's Mission | By Kelly
November is the start of a new time
It’s also when winds make more chime
People wrapped in warmer wear
Tighter than they can bare
The times of November are about good graces
To get together with familiar faces
For the days may be short and cold
But the days can mark bold
For the time of Day may rearrange
But the significance of November doesn’t change
The Editor’s Essays - Essay 1 Introduction | By Jack
Well, here I am. Back again. Nostalgia is a strange thing, isn’t it? Always brings us back. It’s one of the only human emotions not geared towards forward motion, one of the only emotions pulling us away from the world of go-go-go. Nostalgia turns the tiger into the turtle. That explains why I, Jack Napier Hiraldo, have returned to the position of editor-in-chief of the Oliver Wendell Holmes newspaper.
A brief introduction, for those of you who have been living under a rock. (Has high school made me more confident Yes, it has!) Through the years 2021-2024, I was a student at Oliver Wendell Holmes. I was valedictorian of my year, and now attend the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts (oh, what a pretentious name!) In seventh grade, I founded the school newspaper with my good friend, Jaden Garcia Kovacs (now attending Murray Hill Academy and still coding the beautiful newspaper website), and Science teacher Ms. Leon. While Ms. Leon was on maternity leave, Ms. Castro stepped in, and now the two lead this fine paper. And what a job they have done with it! I was shocked when Ms. Leon came to me with the proposition to relive my glory days as editor of OWH News & Broadcasting. Allow me to say how lucky you are to be a part of this modernized, well-oiled machine, happily ignoring the wishes of nostalgia and instead pushing forward, always improving.
I also see a lot of improvement in the students in the newspaper, many of whom I worked with last year. Their writing has gotten better and better. I sincerely believe that this group of students is the best yet, and there’s only more to come from them.
Now let me move to the purpose of The Editor’s Essays, for if I’ve learned anything from years spent writing to the masses, it’s that you have to have a purpose. I’ve spent a lot of time pondering how I was going to contribute to the paper this year, and I’ve decided to write a series of essays, one every edition, that will tell my OWH story. To avoid boring those not that interested in the specifics of my tenure at OWH, I will use the essays as a vessel for middle school wisdom. Perhaps you may learn something.
So, I will begin my dabble in autobiography writing next edition, with The Editor’s Essays: Essay 2: When The Leaves Turn Brown. Until then, dear readers!
Gen Z’s identity crisis | By Sophia
Gen Z is having an identity crisis. But why…? Gen Z is the first generation with modern technology meaning social media has been made a crucial part of their lives and we don’t even want to acknowledge how this is a problem. Countless of trends have surfaced on TikTok, from the “The Clean Girl Aesthetic” to “Acubi aesthetic”. On the surface, it may seem like all fun and games–after all, it is just a change of style, right? But society is moving quickly as are these trends. It is quite easy to be left behind and get stuck on one “trend” and to be considered “outdated” for still sticking to one trend, showing how social media leads to peer pressuring.
But why are we doing this? Why are we so easily influenced? Validation! In the article “Gen-Z and the crisis identity” by Ralph Cunnington, he confirmed that the reason for this identity crisis was for endorsement. He states “This problem has been compounded by a further factor—the need for validation.” Francis Fukuyama is a political scientist who dug deeper on the topic of psychology on the human mind. Fukuyama stated that “Human beings do not just want things external to themselves, such as food, drink, Lamborghinis, or that next hit,” humans “also crave positive validation about their worth and dignity.” We could connect this to the reasons of why humans desire positive opinions from peers.
Now, let’s go back to Gen Z - young, impressionable children who are continuously on their phone scrolling for countless hours of their day to consume media that is only providing an unrealistic standard of what one should be! You may wonder, what are solutions for Gen Z in this era of social media? We could spread PSA on multiple platforms to spread awareness of what kids consume on social media and be honest with ourselves by taking the time to reflect on our lives without social media it’s distorting in the way of your own journey.
There has been a giant Gen Z identity crisis thanks to social media. Surprisingly nobody ever notices it. Francis Fukuyama, a scientist politician suspects this is because of how it was in the human mind and nature to desire being loved or respected by others. This even comes to the point where they’ll change their interests or part of themselves for mutual appreciation. This can be supported when he stated, “Human beings do not just want things external to themselves, such as food, drink, Lamborghinis, or that next hit. They also crave positive judgments about their worth and dignity.” We can connect this with Gen Z always craving validation by their peers. In results of this, they tend to try hard to hop from trend to trend on social media to gain social approval or attests be socially relevant. But how do we solve it? Well, let’s start in trying to stay on one interest even if it’s outdated without being peer pressured. This could allow us to take some time to reflect and use our time. Hopefully, then others realize that it’s completely alright to still have interest in one piece media without having the worry to change it for the sake of appeasing others.
How far is too far? | By David
Some of you will soon be choosing where to attend High School.
If your choice is far, you may have to succumb to the circumstances of long commutes.
For some of us, mornings are the MOST excruciating time of the day. Morning commutes can be long but doable, but it is possible for it to get out of hand. Although it sounds like an endless journey, it is rumored that Mr. Carroll commutes from another state, and he is always on time. But if you are one to 1.5 hours away, are you setting up yourself for success to keep up your attendance and punctuality? There are different factors to a doable commute, such as consistency of transportation and possible delays.
Let me ask you this: if you had to wake up at the crack of dawn to get to school on time, would you choose a distant school? The obvious answer is no–you may want to be home until 7 am, studying or eating breakfast, and still make it to school early. As some of us have learned from Ms. Boris in Health class, sleep is one of the most important aspects for pubescent growth; without it, we lose important functions. Being sleep-deprived makes it difficult to focus in school. With this continuous difficulty, living far from school can take a detrimental toll on our physical and mental health, which can negatively impact our academic performance. A healthy student is an academic student; in conclusion, if its unreachable, it's not worth it.