We Can All Overcome Fear

We Can All Overcome Fear

By Mya Pazmino Salazar

Feeling Discouraged

“You must tell yourself: No matter how hard it is, or how hard it gets, I'm going to make it¨. -Les Brown

2020: A year where many felt discouraged. The beginning of 2020 started with a pandemic. Many doors closed, and computers opened. People were so frustrated, so confused. Nothing felt the same. Students missed being around their friends and teachers and lost hope of being able to be the same as they used to be. Teachers felt the same way. Many teachers tried to stay positive, overcome the hard times, and sadly lost those they loved along the way. When school doors finally opened, you couldn’t recognize anyone because they wore masks. So many felt scared of getting COVID-19. For all of us who are feeling discouraged, look for the silver lining. Twenty twenty also brought families together more than ever. This includes my own family who barely spent time with one another. However during the quarantine, I got to spend more time with my family.

Becoming More United

“We are as strong UNITED, as weak we are DIVIDED.” -Albus Dumbledore

Today many are feeling alone, scared, even depressed. But that ends NOW! Text a friend or family member a message of encouragement. Not only will your message encourage them, it will also make their day full of joy and happiness because they know you care for them. And what about your teachers? Well, teachers aren't teaching to faces, but black boxes instead. Teachers feel alone, and they worry if you are there or not. Well, it’s not hard to turn on your camera. I know sometimes you want to hide, or you're having a bad hair day. But just turn your camera on for 2-5 minutes and wave to your teacher. You can even unmute yourself and say hello or good morning. Doing these kinds of things will not only make your friends or teachers feel good, but you as well. By doing these things, we become more united. We start helping one another. The people you texted might do the same and send a message to others. Teachers will wave back or unmute and say hello.

Taking Control Of Fear

“Dont quit. Suffer now, And live the rest of your life as a champion.” -Muhammad Ali At the beginning of the quarantine, I was scared of many things until one day I told someone close to me how I was feeling. That person told me this story: “A girl screamed in the hallways and no one heard. Then a mouse asked, ‘Why are you screaming?’ The girl replied, ‘I am scared.’ The mouse smiled and said, ‘Is fear in control of you or are you in control of fear?’ The girl looked at the mouse and didn’t scream ever again.” ` When that person told me this story, I realized that I was being controlled by fear. Now ask yourself--Have I let fear take control of me? I was once controlled by fear, but I set myself free, and you can too.

Columna en Español

Todos Podemos Superar el Miedo

De Mya Pazmino Salazar

Sentirse Desanimado:

¨”Debes decirte a ti mismo: No importa cuán difícil sea, O cuán difícil se ponga, lo voy a lograr” -Les Brown 2020, un año en el que muchos se sintieron desanimados. El comienzo de 2020 comenzó con una pandemia. Muchas puertas se cerraron, pero las computadoras se abrieron. Muchos estaban tan frustrados, tan confundidos. Nada se sintió igual. Los estudiantes también extrañaron estar con sus amigos, incluidos los maestros, perdieron la esperanza de poder ser los mismos que solían ser. Y los profesores sintieron lo mismo. Muchos profesores intentaron mantener una actitud positiva y trataron de superar los tiempos difíciles. Y muchos perdieron a quienes amaban en el camino.

Y cuando se abrían las puertas, no se podía reconocer a nadie, porque llevaban máscaras. Y algunos tenían miedo de contraer COVID-19. Pero para todos aquellos que se sientan desanimados. No lo mire de esta manera, 2020 también unió a las familias más que a lo largo de los años. Incluida la mía, mi familia apenas pasaba tiempo juntos, pero durante la cuarentena pude pasar más tiempo con mi familia.

Volviéndose Más Unidos:

“Somos tan fuertes UNIDOS, tan débiles estamos DIVIDIDOS” -Albus Dumbledore.

Hoy en día, muchos se sienten solos, asustados incluso deprimidos. ¡Pero eso termina AHORA! Envíale un mensaje de aliento a un amigo o alguien que conozcas. Tu mensaje no solo los animará, sino que también hará que su día esté lleno de alegría y felicidad porque saben que los cuidas. ¿Y los profesores? Bueno, los profesores no están enseñando a caras sino a cajas. Los profesores se sienten solos y se preocupan si estás ahí o no. Bueno, no es difícil encender la cámara. Sé que a veces quieres esconderte o tienes un mal día con el cabello. Pero solo enciende tu cámara durante 2-5 minutos y saluda a tu maestro. O anule el sonido y diga hola o buenos días. Hacer estas cosas no solo hará que tus amigos o profesores se sientan bien, sino que tú también lo harás. Y haciendo esto nos unimos más. Empezamos a ayudarnos unos a otros. Las personas a las que envió un mensaje de texto podrían hacer lo mismo y enviar un mensaje a otras personas. Los maestros saludarán o dejarán de silenciar y saludarán.

Tomando el Control del Miedo:

¨ No se rinda. Sufre ahora y vive el resto de tu vida como un campeón ¨ -Muhammad Ali

Al comienzo de la cuarentena, estaba asustado hasta que un día se lo conté a alguien cercano. Y esa persona me dijo que fue “Una niña gritó en los pasillos, nadie escuchó. Entonces un ratón preguntó: "¿Por qué gritas?" La niña respondió "Tengo miedo". La mayoría sonrió "¿El miedo te controla o tú tienes el control del miedo?" La niña miró al ratón y no volvió a gritar ''. `` Cuando esa persona me lo dijo, decidí que el miedo me

Spotlight on a frontline worker: Nicholas Brighina

Behind the Envelope

By Enmy Palencia

Postal workers are some of the most underrated workers out there, but without them you wouldn’t get that new game you always wanted, or that love letter you waited so long for. All you have to do is make a few clicks and in no time you’d receive your long awaited item right to your door. But what's happening behind the scenes?

When interviewing postal worker Nicholas Brighina, a North Plainfield resident, I got to listen to how he feels about his job and what it's really like, especially now, during a pandemic. Nicholas applied for the job in 2003 and has been a postal worker in Iselin, NJ for 17 years. Additionally, he has a special distinction: he’s a Letter Carrier Congressional Liaison. Every congressperson in the United States has a letter carrier assigned to them. There are twelve in NJ. Mr. Brighina is assigned to Tom Malinowski, a NJ congressman. Together they discuss which standards to maintain when going door to door, amongst other things. Although he loves his job, it wasn’t originally what he planned to be. In fact, he jokes around saying being a postal worker isn’t anyone's first choice. However, growing up he looked forward to seeing his mailman, and he would always wait to see if he had gotten a letter.

While becoming a mailman wasn’t in his original plans, he grew to love his job. The residents on his route slowly became his second family, and he loves that he gets to meet all kinds of people. Under normal circumstances, he works from 8 am to 4:30 pm, however due to Covid and staff shortages, he often works until late in the evening.

When Covid struck, he was incredibly scared that he would catch the virus and bring it home. Since being a Postal worker isn’t something they can do from home, he risks his own and his family’s lives everyday so that he can get people's necessities to their house. To make sure he keeps himself safe, he carries soap and a jug of water in his mail truck, and walks around with hand sanitizer. He washes his hands and sanitizes them roughly 10 times a day. Additionally, as soon as he gets home he takes a shower and cleans his belongings.

Covid-19 isn’t Mr. Brighina’s only challenge, though. He works through all types of weather and says rain is one of the hardest. He has tricks to get through everything, though! When in hot weather, he wears light clothes and a hat to block out the sun. In the winter he wears as many layers as possible, and reports that wool socks are key. For the awful rainy days, he just

remembers that soon the day will be over and he will be warm and dry at home with his family.

spotlight on a frontline worker: Lori Jeffers

A Paramedic Saving Lives

By Mya Pazmino Salazar

Lori Jeffers is a paramedic in the state of New Jersey. Whenever someone

calls 911, the crew that comes in the ambulance to help us is called BLS (Basic Life

Support). When things are really serious, Lori answers those calls because her job

is called ALS (Advanced Life Support). She has been doing this job for 15 years! Lori

and her crew work together treating and transporting patients to the hospital.

“Working as a paramedic is hard,” Lori says. “We are taking very ill people to the

hospital and often their family members cannot accompany them. That is so sad

because we know they will be alone.” Not only is she a paramedic, she also works

at the Covid testing site at Kean University in Union.

When Covid 19 took over our lives, Lori’s work life changed too. When called

into an emergency, she and her crew used to go into homes and talk to a patient's

family about their medical history. But now, in order to preserve their PPE

(personal protective equipment) and ensure their own safety, only one paramedic

will go inside, or sometimes if possible, they just have the patient come outside if

they aren't too sick. In addition, when a patient is in the ambulance, they always

open doors and windows for ventilation until they are ready to drive to the

hospital.

Lori also has her own family and friends to worry about. Although two of her

kids are in the Army and not nearby, her middle son does live nearby. However, to

keep him safe, she has had limited exposure to him. She’s also stayed away from

friends until she got a negative Covid test. Only then did she feel safe to see

anyone. Thankfully, Lori received the Covid vaccine in January and feels so much

safer.

Lori is a frontline worker and a hero. She knows she can make a difference,

especially during a crazy pandemic. “I think helping people who are scared and

sick is a privilege, and my job is very rewarding,” says Lori. She wishes the best for

people and hopes they can get the Covid vaccine to one day return to our

everyday lives. She hopes that one day kids will go back to school, and everything

will go back to normal. Until then, Lori hopes that everyone is staying safe by

wearing a mask.

Cyberbullying

By Luisa Henriquez

You may ask what is cyberbullying and why should I know about this?

Cyberbullying is a type of bullying that takes place over digital devices. This type

of bullying can occur through messages, social media, video games, or any app

where you can share content. Cyberbullying can affect someone's life and future a

lot because it can cause physical and emotional pain. This can cause a serious

problem with the person's mental health. Results of cyberbullying on someone’s

mental health could be anxiety, depression, fear of socializing, insecurities, and

low self-esteem.

If you are being bullied talk to someone you trust like a parent, sibling,

friend, cousin, guidance counselor, or teacher. Although you may not feel like it,

you need someone to talk to, especially if you have not told anyone yet. It’s

important because they will help you. It's bad keeping things inside you, so release

all the anger and sadness to someone. They are going to be there for you and help

you get through it. Most importantly, do not sit and read comments or hate

messages because that is something that is going to cause you a lot of emotional

pain.

Cyberbullying is one of the most horrible experiences a human can go

through that another human causes them. When we login to social media, we can

see negativity everywhere. There is often a lot of body shaming, hate, and even

death threats. Perhaps people who do this think it’s not a big deal because it’s

only words, but they are actually creating a lot of scars in that person's life.

People who cyberbully need to remember that bringing someone down doesn't

mean you are going to feel better about yourself. Instead it will make you feel even

worse.

Covid-19 Impacts Local Pizzeria

By Bennie Sokolowski

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, some people have been

wondering about the impact it’s had on restaurants. Recently, I

interviewed Dominic from DiMola’s, the local pizzeria here in North

Plainfield that has been open since 1985. I wanted to know if the business

had suffered due to quarantine.

According to Dominic, it was difficult financially when they had to

shut down indoor dining. DiMola’s adjusted their business hours, but

luckily never had to close completely or fire any employees. Dominic also

told me that the prices of the products they buy to cook the food

increased so much, and that some even tripled! Yet DiMola’s never raised

their prices. They felt very strongly that they

didn’t want to price gouge their customers.

Dominic told me it was helpful that they already

had a delivery system in place so they could

continue to operate.

I also asked Dominic about the safety

precautions taken during Covid-19. He told me

that DiMola’s installed Plexiglass, bought face

coverings, gloves, and a cleaning system.

Although it was expensive, they followed all the CDC guidelines in order

to keep customers safe.

Covid-19 has been hard for many businesses and DiMola’s is no

exception. After my interview, I learned that not only do they have the

best pizza, they are also really safe.

ANIMAL CORNER

Adopt or Shop?

By Erika Castro

Many people love having pets like dogs or cats, so when you’re looking for one,

there are two options: adopt or shop. You may have heard the slogan Adopt, Don’t Shop.

But what does it mean, and why is it even important?

Pet stores get their adorable puppies from places called puppy mills. What are

they? Puppy mills are inhumane breeding facilities. The bad thing is that they prioritize

money over the welfare of the dogs. They keep the mom in a cage for her entire life and

only use her for breeding. She never leaves her cage and often doesn't have enough food

each day or any space to exercise. She doesn’t get to run, or see sunlight, or even go to the

vet. Puppy mill owners treat the animals like robots. Because of this, most are not

medically well, and when they are no longer of use, they are either killed or abandoned.

The people who run these puppy mills don’t care about anything but money. However, if

everyone stopped shopping for dogs, these puppy mills will close down due to the lack of

clients.

Your best bet when looking for a new dog or cat is to adopt from a rescue. There

are so many benefits to this. For one, adoption is way cheaper. Usually when you adopt an

animal they come neutered/spayed and are up to date on vaccinations. The rescues also

make sure there are no other medical issues with the pet before they allow it to be

adopted. This can help in the long run. Secondly, you can save a life. Sometimes when they

are filled to capacity, adoption centers must euthanize the animals because there's just no

room. Even if they aren’t killed, imagine living in a tiny cage everyday, waiting to find a

forever home.

Clearly, adopting is something you should consider doing. You can save lives, and

you can save your wallet!

For more information on puppy mills, visit

For more information on rescuing a dog or cat, visit

www.petfinder.com

ANIMAL CORNER (continued)

Furry Friends Looking For Forever Homes

Gentle Ben was abandoned in Scotch Plains

and left to survive on his own. His family

tossed him out and left him homeless. He

become a frequent visitor to the Best Friend

thrift shop in Scotch Plains, and he captured

the heart of the store manager. She knew that

he would not survive this long, cold, snowy

winter we had. Gentle Ben has so much love to give, and we would

really love to place him in a loving family.

************************************************************

Our beautiful 10 year old senior girl Peggy is looking for her forever home. She

was surrendered to us when her own became ill and could no longer care for

her. She was in rough shape and

needed a few tumors removed from her body,

but is now in a wonderful foster home. She

desperately deserves a forever home where she

can spend the rest of her sunset years relaxing

on a cushy bed or the couch. Peggy is good with

other non-invasive dogs and has spent time at

Camp Bow Wow in Bridgewater. He would also

be ok as the only dog. She loves people more

than anything and would do best in a home

where someone is home most of the day as she has

some separation anxiety. Senior pitties make the

best cuddle bugs!!!!

Fashion: How did it all start??

By Kiara Vasquez

Have you ever wondered about fashion? How did it begin? Who started it? Where did it originate? Read on to learn more about the wonderful world of FASHION!

The Beginning of Fashion

The first modern fashion designer was Charles Frederick Worth. He lived in Lincolnshire, England and first started designing clothes in 1858. Before he set up his fashion house in Paris, clothing was made

by anonymous dressmakers and the designs were meant to look like Charles Frederick Worth

styles worn by royalty.

What Is Fashion Design?

Fashion design is a form of art dedicated to the creation of clothing and other lifestyle

accessories. Modern fashion design is divided into two basic categories: haute (pronounced like OAT) couture and ready-to-wear. The haute couture collection is dedicated to certain customers and each article of clothing is made to fit one specific person’s body exactly. It is very

expensive! Ready to wear clothes are the ones we find in clothing stores with standard sizes.

Do you want to become a fashion designer?

Becoming a fashion designer is really competitive! Lots of people want to do it! To really stand out, the first step to becoming a fashion designer is to go to a fashion school to learn everything you can about the industry. A famous fashion school near us is called FIT--Fashion Institute of Technology--located in New York City! It’s also really important to be up to date on all the new trends.

For more information on FIT, visit https://www.fitnyc.edu/