2
September 2016
NEWS & OPINION
The Stentorian I NCSSM
6.2 Magnitude Italy Earthquake Kills 247
By MARGAUX WINTER
In the middle of the night of
Aug. 24, a massive earthquake
hit central Italy four km east of
Norcia, Italy. At its maximum,
the earthquake hit levels of 6.2
on the Richter scale.
Many videos have surfaced
on the internet; small children
being pulled from the rubble
of death tragically caused by
the quake, over 1000 people
have been displaced, either due
to their homes collapsing, or
the mandatory evacuation in
place for a few days after the
earthquake.
Over 100 miles away in
Rome, the aftershocks were
strong. The shakes lasted for
about 30 seconds, and although
13th century clock tower now
stands frozen at 3:36 am, the
exact time the earthquake hit.
Amatrice is located in the
mountains and is often a cool
getaway for travelers during
the heat of summer.
“Before and After” photos
show every twisting road,
previously home to houses and
shops now covered with rubble.
stamp if honor of this dish.
Other remote mountain
villages suffered greatly from
the earthquake, and their windy
roads have been causing issues
both for those vehicles trying
to access broken buildings,
and ways in which to extract
buried people. Unsurprisingly,
both the Pope and local
bishops have been calling for
the victims.
Over the past few years,
Italy has suffered many
earthquakes, including two in
2012 and one in 2009.
The internet has taken
particular notice of the large
numbers of service dogs who
have saved hundreds of people.
One black Labrador in
particular saved an eight-year-
Devastation in Italy displaces over 1000 people from their homes.
ALBERTO l>!ZOLLI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES: CNN
by firefighters, and other
people prompted to take action
by this monstrosity. The hard
to reach places cause major
issues during rescue attempts,
as hundreds of years old brick
buildings crumbled on top of
people.
In addition to the hundreds
terrifying left little to no harm.
However, the epicenter of
the quake; Amatrice, Accumoli
and Arquata del Tronto are
completely devastated. The
mayor of Amatrice released a
statement saying Amtrice “is
no more.” Amtrice used to be
a town of 2,000, the town’s
One of Amatrice’s tourist
attractions is the “Festival of
the Spaghetti all’Amatriciana,”
usually occurring Aug.
27th and 28th. This festival
celebrating Amatrice’s special
recipe for pasta is a huge boost
for Amatrice’s economy. In
2008, Italy even launched a
prayers for all those affected.
As Italy is a predominantly
Catholic country, times such as
these bring people together in
religious settings.
Pope Francis skipped the
catechism lesson during his on
the 31st and led pilgrims at St.
Peter’s Square in praying for
old girl, and then when on to
meet both Pope Francis and
German Chancellor Angela
Merkel. As Italy pieces itself
together after this tragedy, the
country is asking for blood
donations from locals and
hopes to build more earthquake
resistant buildings in the Mure.
Reflections on Junior Adjustment
By TIFFANY FREDA
Adjustment to a new way
of living plays a major part in
the lives of a incoming juniors
who are filled with sporadic
thoughts of what should be
done next.
The common things running
through the minds of new juniors
involve academic planning,
stress, and campus activities.
Questions and statements that
roam the halls include: “I hope
I’ll be able to do this.” “Why
do I have so much to do?” and
“When’s the next party?”
Although so many different
thoughts circulate campus,
coming to NCSSM is considered
the opportunity a lifetime to
many of the juniors.
From the start, plenty of
juniors worry about whether or
not they will assimilate into the
crowd. They wonder if they will
end up with homesickness, or
even why they are here.
The truth is that all of these
things result in both excitement
and nervousness in every
situation, varying with each
junior on campus.
MICHAEL CARTER
Juniors choose treats at the 2016 Ice Cream Social.
All of the juniors are in the
same boat at the start of this
school year. Being a newbie
in a strange environment can
be nerve racking, but many
juniors are feeling the same
way about the stress of the
work load, the anticipation of
the hall activities, and the want
of numerous lifelong friends.
Also, the hundreds of
NCSSM students here are
here for a reason, and every
individual has arrived with
talents and interests, which they
can use to find a close group of
like-minded individuals.
NCSSM’s campus has
countless clubs and interest
groups that will let juniors
express themselves and get
involved in whatever they love
to do.
Stephanie Yao, a current
junior, recommended to “go to
as many campus events and talk
to as many people as possible.”
This task is undoubtedly
possible since the weeks and
weekends are filled with never-
-ending opportunities for
students to take part in campus
activities, including Happy
Half which is a fan favorite for
socializing.
Felice Policastro, a junior,
stated, “My transition was
really smooth. I went to all
of the social events and met
so many new people. Some
people struggled, but that may
have been based on different
personalities.”
Also, each member of faculty
is known to be very welcoming
and to be truly looking out for
every student’s best interests.
They are always there to offer
advice if the students feel the
need for it.
Having such an incredible
support team of adults and other
students, as well as forming
healthy relationships, have
helped make the adjustment for
juniors at least a little bit easier.
Time management is a major
factor in helping juniors focus
on what is in front of them
without the inconvenience of
too many distractions.
Junior Nina Yao says that
“students are looking for a bit
more organization throughout
the year, something that would
make time management a little
less stressful.”
Not focusing on stress of
adjusting, and using time wisely
allows juniors to concentrate
more on what they want and
need to do over the next couple
of years at NCSSM in order to
prepare for their future.
Many of the juniors have
already heard the wakeup call
saying that their newfound
independence from their family
also means that it’s time to start
taking care of themselves.
And so far, some' of the
juniors have noticed that living
through that fact can be made
easier by managing their own
schedule, finding thefr own
interests and opportunities and
talking to any of the people they
are now living with.