Category: Opinion

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...

10 days with an Italian

Sevan Gulleyan, Staff Writer

December 20, 2018

At first, I did not know what I was more anxious about — the language barrier or the cultural differences. I had spent the day before cleaning the guest room and all I could think to myself was “I hope she's normal.” Then, they arrived. On Nov. 30, a group of 24 Italian students from the Leonardo Da ...

Student council member: Representatives must take action to get gradebook access back

Thomas DeWitt, Staff Writer

December 19, 2018

For over two months, Pascack Valley students have been barred from checking their grades during school hours. The consensus? Students are upset. Lately, we have been hearing a lot about the fight to reopen Genesis. But what about the fight against closing Genesis in the first place? As a member of student council...

The gradebook is a privilege

Brendan Broesler, Staff Writer

December 10, 2018

(Editor's note: The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The Smoke Signal or its staff.) Hello Pascack Valley students. Many of you have read the recent Letter to the Editor discussing the Genesis petition and how it came to be. Many of you know the writer personally. I am here, distraught and in total co...

Letter to the Editor: ‘We won’t back down until our grades are up’

Christian Downey, Pascack Valley Student

December 2, 2018

(Editor's Note: A petition was created on Google Forms by two sophomores regarding the permanent closure of the online gradebook during school hours. The gradebook found on Genesis, the portal where students can access their grades, was announced closed on Nov. 19 after a trial period from Oct. 1...

‘Actions speak louder than words’

Rachel Cohen, Staff Editor

November 28, 2018

The Pittsburgh shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27 took 11 innocent lives. It has sparked a national conversation and the rise of other anti-Semitic incidents across the country in the past month. According to an article by CNN, the FBI has recently released data showing that hate crimes across the U.S. have risen in the ...