Category: Opinion

Bergen County made the right choice, although slightly late

March 12, 2020

President Donald Trump’s European travel ban. Professional sports seasons. March Madness. The stock market. Broadway. Disneyland. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. The coronavirus pandemic has spread throughout the United States, exceeding 1,200 cases as of Wednesday, according to The N...

‘The Call of the Wild’: Not your average dog tale

Danielle Braune, Staff Writer

February 24, 2020

Many movie-goers purposefully don’t see movies with dogs because they know they will be sobbing afterwards. That notion reigned true with “The Call of the Wild.” “The Call of the Wild” was a rollercoaster; it had its emotional ups and downs, but the way everything settles at the end lea...

‘Birds of Prey’: A comical and action packed film

Danielle Braune, Staff Writer

February 16, 2020

Newly single Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) kicks off “Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn” by wiggling herself out of yet another near-death experience by promising she would find a diamond that the antagonist, Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), had been searching for. After ex...

Kobe Bryant’s death brought out the worst in national media

Spencer Goldstein, Sports Editor

January 27, 2020

It’s just one of those things that stops time. Shock, sadness, denial. All at once. Kobe Bryant can’t just die… There’s no way. The day before, he was congratulating LeBron James for passing him in career points. And now, he, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and se...

A need for some Z’s

Ilmie Xhaferi, Staff Editor

November 20, 2019

I rolled out of bed on a school morning to the sound of my alarm echoing off of the walls. The night before, I had gotten home at 8:30 p.m. from volunteering at the local food pantry followed by weekly Smoke Signal meetings. I sat down at my desk to begin my homework which included researching for an es...

Editorial: Seniors need to take responsibility for losing privileges

Smoke Signal Editorial Board

October 15, 2019

Leading up to their senior year, students look forward to gaining the privilege to leave the building during lunch and park in the Pascack Valley parking lot. This year, this opportunity was not obtained by around 70 seniors, according to Pascack Valley Assistant Principal John Puccio, who eithe...

‘Beetlejuice: The Musical’ is filled with twists and surprises

Jason Leibfried, Staff Writer

September 22, 2019

A giant neon sign reading “Betelgeuse Betelgeuse” and a Tim Burton-esque proscenium capped off with purple and pink lights swirling around the theatre? Add a little “Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!” and you are in for the fright of your life. Recently, I saw the Broadway Musical “Beet...

Support for South Dakota

Ellie Kim, Staff Editor

September 9, 2019

(Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of The Smoke Signal or its staff.) I watched as the buildings and restaurants quickly turned into rolling plains and cornfields on the bus drive from the hotel in Rapid City to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation for three hours. The reservation was a tiny town located in the middle of nowhere. As part of the Pascack Valley club, One Spirit, I had made the trip to South Dakota during the last week of July in order ...

Tony Awards 2019 Breakdown

Jason Leibfried, Staff Writer

May 29, 2019

The 2019 Tony Award nominations were released on April 30 and will be awarded on June 9 of this year. The show airs on Sunday, June 9, at 8 p.m., on most streaming services or CBS. The season saw the premiere of 11 new musicals and two new revivals of musicals. The leading musicals by nominations ...

‘What it truly means to be an Indian in America’

Rachel Cohen, Staff Editor

May 7, 2019

(Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of The Smoke Signal or its staff.) The Battle of Little Bighorn. The Massacre at Wounded Knee. The Fort Laramie Treaty. Since the founding of our country, Native Americans have been swept under the covers. Whe...

‘Putting together the pieces’

Shauna McLean, Pascack Valley Student

March 27, 2019

(Editor’s note: Shauna McLean is a senior at Pascack Valley and a prominent member of the student body. She is the president of PV's Debate Team and the co-editor of the LitMag. McLean has written two Letters to the Editor before, but this is her first Op-Ed for The Smoke Signal.) I didn’t go ...

‘We should give back’

Ellie Kim, Staff Writer

January 6, 2019

Pine Forest High School in North Carolina lacks enough funds to provide their students with science materials. They are without sufficient calculators, folders, batteries, and can not even afford a poster of the periodic table. Pine Forest High School is only one of many underfunded schools, yet here...