By Layla Katz

We’ve been hearing the terms “LGBTQ+” and “pronouns” a lot lately. From my point of view, it’s great to finally see the LGBTQ+ community getting recognized by the mainstream. But for many people, the words can be confusing and alienating. So I thought I would try to create a basic guide to some LGBTQ+ terminology.

L is for lesbian. This describes women who have a romantic attraction towards other women.

G is for gay. Although this word is often used to describe men who are attracted to men, it really means being attracted to the same gender, and the term can apply to women also. 

B is bisexual, being attracted to both males and females. 

T is for transgender, which is a person who feels that the gender they were born with doesn’t match the way they feel inside, their true identity. For example, sometimes people who are born female identify as a male and vice versa. Some people feel like they do not have a gender at all (agender), and some feel that they identify with more than one gender (gender fluid or nonbinary).

Q means queer or questioning. Queer describes anyone who is not heterosexual (attracted only to the opposite sex) and cisgender (identifying as the gender you were born with). Questioning is when you don’t exactly know your gender identity or romantic preferences.

Plus refers to all the other categories that are not specifically covered by LGBTQ. 

Now, let’s talk about pronouns.

A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun. Some examples are I, you, he, she, it, and they. A person might choose a pronoun to match the gender they identify with. “They” is often used when someone is nonbinary or agender. Pronouns are a personal choice, so the best thing to do is just ask someone what they want to be called.

Sometimes it can be confusing to use new pronouns for a person you have known for a long time, and it can be awkward to use “they” to refer to a single person. But it is worth taking the time and trouble to make someone feel like they are respected. 

This brings me to another important term: ally. That is someone who may be heterosexual and cisgendered but tries to support, encourage, and stand up for people who identify as LGBTQ+. 

One of the last things that I would like to bring up is how the LQBTQ+ community is getting much more attention. Not that long ago, people never really talked about how they might feel when it comes to sexual orientation and gender orientation. Now the LGBTQ+ community has so much more recognition. We have TV shows that accurately portray LGBTQ+ characters! I remember growing up, watching TV shows like Family Guy, seeing a “stereotyped” gay character, and being pretty upset with how they portrayed the persona. Then I would go and watch a TV show like Steven Universe and see beautiful depictions of LGBTQ+ characters and get overwhelmed with joy from all the sweet moments characters would interact in. 

Now, here we are. The end of the article. But don’t go yet! I want to leave with some ending words. The LGBTQ+ community is huge! All the stuff that I said is just at the tip of the iceberg and it is evolving all the time. So remember, if you don’t know something, it’s OK! 

By Camila Barajas

Right now, eighth graders are making choices that will literally shape our futures: What high school to go to. Here in Bradley Beach, we have the opportunity to select from a handful of different public high schools that could help us with our future educational endeavors, from large to small. Although we are far from college, the schools we choose are where we spend the next four thrilling years of our lives.

At this moment, you might not have put your finger on the high school you are passionate about and 100% ready for. But do not worry, I’m here to guide you.

If you are looking for a high school that will put you on an elite academic track, you should think about applying to one of the five Monmouth County Vocational School District high schools: the Academy of Allied Health and Science, Biotechnology High School, Communications High School, High Technology High School, and MAST (The Marine Academy of Science and Technology). These schools accept one student per school district as long as they meet minimum requirements. All other spots are given to applicants with the highest total points. The points are made up from exams as well as grades in core subjects in seventh and eighth grades. Overall, these programs look for reliable and consistent students who are on an advanced academic track.

Allied Health is a great place to look into if you take interest in medical topics and or are looking for new opportunities in the medical field. It sits close to Neptune High School, only a few short minutes away. Communications, in Wall Township, provides exemplary learning experiences in areas such as digital video, journalism, publishing, commercial art, computer programming, and TV/radio broadcasting. Every course is offered at the honors level. Biotech, in Freehold, concentrates on laboratory science, research, mathematics, and technology. High Tech, in Lincroft, focuses on technology and engineering and is a great school to kickstart your STEM career. And lastly for the vocational schools is MAST, on Sandy Hook. MAST focuses heavily on marine science and technology and prepares its students for a career in its respective specialties. 

Furthermore, Red Bank Regional High School and Neptune High School are also great options for students who are ready to take that next step. 

Red Bank offers a handful of academies you could apply to. These academies include Early Childhood Development, Engineering, Finance, Information Technology, and lastly Visual and Performing Arts. Red Bank does require an essay noting why you are interested in one of these academies and an entry exam in late January. The Visual and Performing Arts program requires a portfolio of work.

If these do not appeal to you, Neptune High School is also a great high school to attend. Neptune can give you a chance to grow wherever you want to pursue your future career. This high school only sits a few minutes away from Bradley Beach and it offers a wide variety of options in academics and athletics. The cafeteria food is supposed to be pretty good too. Best of all, all of our students are eligible to attend.

If you want to get a jumpstart on college classes, the Poseidon program at Neptune High School is the place for you. Poseidon only accepts first-generation students to attend their academy (meaning their parents cannot have graduated from college). If you want to attend Poseidon, you will need to complete an entrance exam, get teacher recommendations, and write a 500-word essay explaining why you’re interested in their academy. If you apply to Poseidon, take note that you will still attend Neptune High School. College classes will be given through Brookdale. 

Lastly, whichever high school you choose (or which chooses you), remember that high school is what you make it. All of the above high schools carry most of the same classes and courses and can all aid you in your journey after middle school. We have a great team of faculty and teachers who can help us with any questions we have. To the next step! 

by Molly Flynn

I first heard about robots when my brother made one for his fourth-grade class. I always thought it was cool that you could make an inanimate object move and do things for you. I’m very into robots because there are so many things you can do with them, and they are super useful. 

So, I decided I wanted to make one. I wanted it to move and look like a mad scientist. I learned to build a robot by watching a few videos. My grandfather makes things out of metal such as toys and robots. He was very helpful. 

I did this project in my kitchen with my mom and grandpa. Each step took five minutes to an hour.

Now, I’m going to tell you how to make this robot. 

The items you will need are an RC car, two metal bars, four AA batteries, scissors, glue and a mini saw. Decorations (optional): oatmeal tube, mashed potato container, velcro, markers, paper, paint, googly eyes and cotton balls. 

by Max Gast

A fresh, blue paint job. Brand new slides. Earlier in the year, my childhood stomping grounds, the playground on the boardwalk next to Park Place Avenue, was renovated. Now my job is to ask: New or old? Which is better? 

Most of the playground was changed, as you can see in the pictures displayed. The add-on part with the twin slides is gone. The rock wall and swings are still there, along with some other small things. Sadly, the very annoying drums were removed from the premises. They will be missed.

 In my opinion, the biggest changes were to the slides. No longer are there stairs leading up to the slides and the fire pole. Instead, on the complete opposite side, there are two twin slides where a rock wall used to be. There is a new rock wall to replace the old one on the side of the area with the twin slides.

The most disappointing part is it is now just one big playground. There used to be a smaller playground next to the big one, and they were tied together using monkey bars. It made a simple game of tag way more high stakes. This is because if someone was coming up on you, you could try and climb across at risk of your legs being able to get tagged. Also, the slide’s removal is kind of disappointing because it was replaced by three, much smaller, slides at the other sides. It may seem kind of dangerous but, on the old slide, I used to climb up the outside. That may be why there aren’t any closed slides.

If I’m going to be honest, the theme is a tad unoriginal, being reminiscent of a pirate ship. The pirate ship theme is always a go-to for beach playgrounds. You can see pirate-themed playgrounds in Avon and Belmar. The old playground really had no theme, and that was fine. The whale on the side that you’re supposed to climb up kind of reminds me of the beach playground in Asbury Park.

Even though I’m putting the playground in a kind of bad light, there are some good new changes. There are tunnels leading up to the peak with the slides and the rock wall. I believe that the swings got painted and they look really nice now. The colors are vibrant, attracting more kids compared to the old dull colors.  It’s hard to tell, but I think the new playground is smaller. I guess it depends on how you look at it.

Now with all that down, we have to answer the big question. Which one is better? In my opinion, the old playground was way better. Also though, I feel like the new playground was made to be more for a younger age group. This is because the massive closed slide is gone, along with the firepole. Also, the flexible bridge is gone. There are more things to climb up than to walk, making it harder to trip.

Older students will find it hard to compare the two because, for a lot of us, that playground has been there forever. I do think that a new generation of kids who live in Bradley Beach will grow to love it. Kind of like we did. It may be sad to see it go, but it does open a new door for the kids of Bradley Beach.

All in all, I think the old playground was better than the new one, but that doesn’t mean the new one is bad. It just means that it is different. Different can be good, so I am going to leave it at that.