News
NPHS Junior, Zorian Shepko-Hamilton reflects on the War in Ukraine
By Maggie Heenan, Staff Writer For the past few weeks, opening your phone or any social media app would greet you with the same exact thing: videos, photos, or updates about the war in Ukraine. For most of us, this brutal conflict exists only in our phone screens or on the television, but for many,
Which Movie is Your Soulmate?
By Olivia Urrico, Staff Writer The Myers Briggs personality test is a personality type indicator based on a combination of multiple psychological theories. After separating these characteristics into 16 personalities, your personality type can be detected by a combination of acronyms. You can find out your personality type by taking the test here. I have decided
“Unmasking” the NPHS Community
By Julia Demskie, Assistant Editor-in-Chief What does the bottom half of the world’s face look like? Naturally, human brains strive to fill empty spaces with what makes sense to them. Since March of 2020, this has taken the form of creating noses, mouths, and jaws to match the eyes and foreheads seen in passing while
Feeling SAD? You’re Not Alone
By Parker Reed, Staff Writer Why did the alarm go off when it’s still dark outside? The early morning cracks like an egg on my head, concealing my eyes and trickling off my chin into a pool of lethargy without enough daylight to mark the line between day and night. As a result of variations
Meet Mr. Burger
Lyla Laffin and Sophie Brassard, Staff Writers For those of you who don’t already have him as a teacher, New Paltz High School has recently welcomed a new member to the Social Studies department, Mr. Burger. He decided to come back to the Hudson Valley after going away for college because “New Paltz seemed like
Lessons Learned From A Year of Remote Schooling
By Georgia Schultz, Staff Writer After a year and a half of this strenuous COVID-19 pandemic, it has become apparent how influential and critical in person school is to students and teachers. With the COVID cases in New York state having risen, the threat of returning to remote learning has loomed overhead, and it begs
Gift Giving in New Paltz
By Sophie Brassard and Julia McCloskey Gift giving is often cause for stress as you search for the perfect item for your loved ones. Of course, one of the easiest ways to find a present is online, where all you need is a smart phone or computer and you have millions of options at your
Ready for College?
By Lindsey Clinton, Co-Editor-in-Chief It’s January, and New Paltz High School seniors have started to wonder if our high school has adequately prepared them for the next chapter in their lives. Thoughts about the classes provided to students as well as their exposure to the surrounding world come to the forefront of the discussion between
Students Devise New Ways to Cope with Stress
Squirming at a desk for 6 hours a day leaves little time to idle in the bliss of being a teenager. Adolescents are left to wonder, “How do we cope?”
Mental Health and COVID
By Georgia Schultz, Writer On March 22, 2021, all schools in New York reopened for hopefully the final time during the COVID-19 pandemic. The devastation of this virus has caused over 5 million deaths, economic strife, and the unrivaled curbs of social interaction, branding serious impacts and effects on the mental health of teens. For
Instagram’s Influence on the Female Teenage Brain: What Age is Best to Join Instagram
By Evie Kortan, Staff Writer According to CNN, in the United States, half of kids have a form of social media by age twelve. Although Instagram’s terms of service states that one must be thirteen or older to join Instagram, it’s very easy for younger kids to join because there is no age-verification process. According
Meeting Dr. Simms: A Conversation with NPHS’s New Principal
By Kendall Lucchesi, Assistant Editor-in-Chief Anyone who has roamed the hallways of New Paltz High School the past four years will tell you one thing with certainty; the door to the main office remains closed. So, when students entered our hallowed halls in September, only to be greeted with a wide open office door, it
Should 16-Year-Olds Vote?
Andrew Balaban, Staff Writer Senate Bill S366, a New York State Senate Bill currently in the Elections Committee, proposes an amendment to New York election law that would lower the voting age in state and local elections from 18 to 16. The bill also aims to incorporate civics into high school social studies curricula, and
Leaf Peepers Flood the Streets of New Paltz
By Sophie Bassard and Lyla Laffin, Staff Writers The quaint town of New Paltz is typically filled with college students and residents, but as soon as October hits, streets are clogged with people from all over New York. Once temperatures drop to the 60s and there’s just a hint of red in the trees, tourists
An Inspiring Legacy: Mrs. Sutton to Retire
By Julia Demskie, Assistant Editor-in-Chief New Paltz High School will lose a glowing, passionate member of its staff at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Linda Sutton, beloved English teacher, and junior class advisor, has decided to retire after an incredible 33 years. During her time in New Paltz, she has been known to
Assistant Principal, Mrs. Schneck-Suma, Looks to Break the Mold
By Mason Roepe, Staff Writer After working for 12 years as an art teacher, Mrs. Schneck took a job as Vice Principal at Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls. After three years there, she was excited to come to a smaller school and truly get to know the staff and students. “I think this is
The Importance of Just One Word
Podcast by Kylie Ayala, Staff Writer March of 2020: everything went dark. Students’ education came to a screeching halt for weeks on end. Our “normal” learning environment was exchanged for Online Google Meets and Google Classroom assignments. Finally back to fully in-person school, students were asked to describe their COVID-19 experience in just one word.
Back to School Through the Eyes of the New Paltz Staff
By Parker Reed, Staff Writer Mr. Cook Have you seen students lack the confidence to interact with one another? “I have not been able to discern if the issue is a lack of confidence, or just a comfort level with not socializing after being quarantined and adding the masks and availability of phones to the
Heirs’ Property: “The Biggest Problem You’ve Never Heard Of”
By Andrew Balaban, Staff Writer On December 6, 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act (UPHPA) into law. New York is among the 18 jurisdictions to have adopted the act. Its widespread implementation, among other
Education in 2020: Re-Learning Teaching
By Julia Demskie, Staff Writer When the world plunged into full lockdown just before the start of spring last year, no one could foresee the conditions schools would face upon coming back the next fall. The 2020-2021 school year has
The Maroon 