General Interest

Are Standardized Tests a Fair Measure of Student Ability? 

By: Roudina Abdelnaby

Albert Einstein once said, “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” This is the flaw many see in the education system today. Since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, a single score or a percentile rank has become the primary way many universities and states view students. While such scores were meant to be a fair way to measure everyone, there is a growing concern that reducing a student’s potential to a single number fails to measure creativity, critical thinking, and leadership.

Standardized tests are exams given and graded in the same way to keep results objective. Supporters argue that these exams provide a universal standard, making it easier to compare the academic performance of a student from a small town to one from a large city. Without these tests, it would be difficult to tell if a high GPA at one school is as impressive as a high GPA at another school with different academic standards. However, the idea that these tests are truly objective might be misleading. A consistent score is only helpful if the test actually measures what matters. But these exams often focus on a narrow range of subjects that forces teachers to limit what they instruct.

Some students feel these tests are more about strategy than actual knowledge. Bayside High School junior Aditya Pathak believes that the exams often reward "tricks" rather than a deeper understanding of the subjects tested. “The SAT is a great example because students need to know tricks on how to use the Desmos calculator.” Pathak went on to explain that shortcuts for grammar and math are often required just to save time, which might not reflect what a student actually knows. 

In “What Standardized Tests Do Not Measure” from Rethinking Schools, Peter Murrell refers to Robert Sternberg, a psychologist from Yale University, who notes that these tests tend to measure basic recall, not deeper understanding or practical skills.

The high stakes of these exams also greatly impact student health. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, “Students' level of a stress hormone, cortisol, rises by about 15 percent on average in the week when high-stakes standardized tests are given.” This spike in stress can lead to difficulty concentrating. Bayside High School senior Hyunwoo Paek shares, “In my personal experience, whenever I take a standardized test, I feel so overwhelmed that I tend to make mistakes on easy questions.” Such test anxiety causes students to lose focus, and thus the test is not a solid assessment of a student’s knowledge of the topics tested. There is also a major debate on whether these tests are fair in terms of accessibility. For instance, Paek feels the system inherently helps those with more money and access to tutoring services.

  Countries like Finland, however, offer a different perspective. In Finland, students do not take mandatory standardized tests until the end of high school. Instead, teachers grade students based on their daily work and individual growth. According to Lidija Misic from Humanium, this approach focuses on equality and trust. Even without standardized testing, Finland is frequently ranked as having one of the best education systems in the world.

In the end, the reliance on standardized tests is a highly debated topic. While such assessments provide a method for institutions to rank students, they can also miss a student’s genuine talent and potential. The goal of evaluating students should be to help them learn, not just to give them a number. Moving forward, the challenge for schools may be to find a better evaluator—one that uses data to improve education without reducing a student's worth to a single score.

Are Humans Really Going to Explore Beyond the Solar System?

By: Wenxu Li

After the invention of the telescope, humanity has imagined traveling beyond Earth. Excitement peaked during the Cold War space race between the US and the Soviet Union, where they competed to reach the moon. That event proved space exploration possible, and people wondered if humanity could explore beyond the solar system.

Space exploration deepens our understanding of the universe and ensures the long-term survival of humanity. However, exploring beyond the solar system presents challenges. According to Next Horizon’s article “How Long Would It Take to Reach Alpha Centauri? All Propulsion Options Explained”, with current technology, traveling beyond the solar system would take 10,000 years, and to our nearest star, Proxima Centauri, would take 70,000 years, as it is around 4 light-years away. Intergalactic travel is even more unrealistic, as galaxies move away from us faster than the speed of light. Beyond physical limitations, limited government funding, with its focus on Earth, ethics, and health are also factors.

Still, research continues. The Antimatter Manhattan Project studies the concept of antimatter propulsion. The article from Universe Today, “The Case for an Antimatter Manhattan Project” by Mark Thompson, states that “For missions beyond our local region of space, we need something fundamentally more energetic than chemical combustion … antimatter.” Antimatter is something that annihilates when it contacts matter, converting mass to huge amounts of energy. The article adds, “As a source of energy, antimatter can potentially enable spacecraft to reach nearby stars at significant fractions of the speed of light.”

Even with these ideas, some people remain skeptical about the likelihood of traveling further in the universe. Bayside High School freshman Aritri Mozumder questions, “Would they? Probably not unless the government focuses on the topic and has the money for it.” Bayside High School freshman Hendrix Landess adds, “By no means should it be our top priority … there’s no reason to do it now.” Then, there's ethics; if we were to discover life beyond, some people feel that we should leave them alone.  Landess supports this by saying, “Time and time again, and especially today, we can’t handle people being different … It would just create confusion, separation, and chaos.”

However, others are more enthusiastic. “It may come as a risk,” Bayside High School freshman Justin Mejia-Sosa says, “but it’s a gamble we need to take; exploring what is considered to be the unknown could bring in major discoveries.” “Exploring beyond our solar system can help humans better understand the universe and our place in it,” Bayside High School Chemistry Teacher Ms. Nada Naser adds. “While the costs and political or technological difficulties are real, the scientific knowledge, technological advances, and inspiration gained can benefit humanity in many ways.”

“Pursuing exploration beyond the solar system is something that humanity should still work to accomplish,” Landess says. While problems still arise, many seek solutions.  Bayside High School freshman Haimen Sahlu suggests, “We need to develop technologies suited for environments outside of Earth.” Ms. Naser also adds, “The best solution is long-term investment in scientific research, physics education, and international cooperation.”

Whether the benefits could outweigh the cost is uncertain. Maybe interacting with extraterrestrial life could go horribly wrong, like our own history with colonialism and supremacism. Maybe the mission itself could go horribly wrong, like a malfunction or health problems. Maybe the effort simply isn’t worth it, and we should stay on Earth instead.Yet curiosity still pushes some people. Despite risks, they know that something extraordinary could be waiting in the unknown. Whether exploration beyond becomes a reality or fiction, one thing is clear: the challenges must be solved in order to pursue space exploration, especially outside our solar system.

How Internet Trends Shape Modern Society Across Generations: Positives and Negatives

By: Tazrian Taimur

Since the early 1990s, the internet has become a big part of people's lives. With the use of the internet comes social media platforms and numerous trends. These could range from phrases, dances, or even products. In the 2010s, the Ice Bucket Challenge was popularized on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram in support of raising awareness of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). A multitude of videos were made by users across the globe and shared online for viewers, some interested in taking up the challenge themselves. Throughout generations, slang and lingo have evolved and have been created.

Social media apps connect people from all over the world. According to “Internet Usage Statistics” written by Lexie Pelchen for Forbes,  “Out of the nearly 8 billion people in the world, 5.35 billion of them, or around 66% of the world's population, have access to the internet, according to Statista.” As previously mentioned, the Ice Bucket Challenge in the summer of 2014 brought attention to ALS. According to the ALS Therapy Development Institute, “From everyday people to celebrities, people from all walks of life participated — recording themselves, sharing the videos on social media, and challenging others to join the movement… All told, the Ice Bucket Challenge raised an estimated $135 million for ALS in the United States, and $220 million worldwide.” This illustrates the impact of social media and how it brings attention to important topics that can help benefit other people. Not only does social media bring attention to social problems, but it also provides a platform for people to express themselves. Whether it's to demonstrate their talents (singing, dancing, art) or to speak about their ideas, social media allows people to share them with others around the globe and find people who may be interested in their content.

Despite the positives of social media, there are also negative aspects. Some negative parts include stress, misinformation, generational divides, and how trends can impact one’s attention span, especially for younger generations. According to “Gen Z, Social Media, and Mental Health”, written by Shelby Crosier for Emory Rollins School of Public Health,  “Some of this harm, according to the Surgeon General’s Advisory, could stem from exposure to harmful content from influencers who encourage physical and social comparison, to violent and explicit material.” To add to this, many young people feel the need to comply with social trends to fit in or to have a large platform on social media, which could lead to detrimental results.

Bayside students and teachers have experience with social media and have their own opinions about it. Mr. Jeon, an AP Pre-Calculus teacher at Bayside High School, shared, “I think they bring joy to a lot of individuals, but they also distract a lot of individuals.” “Watching other people following trends is funny, but I feel like I would never follow them myself because I don’t have the self-esteem to do it,” Bayside High School junior Chelsea Herrera said. 

Yi Chen Wang, another Bayside junior said, “I work as a teacher assistant, and internet trends to me are like a horror movie. The kids in my class keep repeating the 6-7 TikTok trend, and it drives me crazy every day. Children learn from the TikTok trends language and they use it in class, which I think is a negative effect because the content on social media isn’t always positive. In my personal experience, I haven’t seen many good things from internet trends.”

Despite what generation one may be from, social media has made an everlasting impact—whether it's for a positive or negative reason.

Are Luxury Brands Worth the Price?

By: Adrien Tecpanecatl

Most people dream of having a high-paying job with countless luxuries such as a Louis Vuitton bag, a wallet from Gucci, Cartier watches, or even a fanny pack from Dior. Society tends to associate these brands with high luxury, incredible quality, and extremely expensive items that most can’t even fathom owning. Social media lets people see their favorite music artists or actors walking the streets of California wearing Balenciaga clothes or Versace sunglasses and flaunting their wealth around. In short, luxury brands are perceived to be correlated with riches. However, do the so-called “rich people” brands carry the same quality as the brands that the middle class is used to?

Some brands have long and rich histories of producing luxury goods. For example, Louis Vuitton was founded all the way back in 1854 by a French craftsman named, well, Louis Vuitton. Prada was started in Italy in 1913 by two brothers as a store for high quality leather goods, which eventually grew enough that it became the official leather goods supplier to the Italian Royal House. Hermés was founded in 1837 as a workshop for horse harnesses, which eventually expanded into other luxury goods and grew into one of the biggest brands in the world. All of these companies started from somewhere and grew notoriety among the public as the finest quality products in the world.

A natural question that people ask as they shop at luxury stores is why everything is so wildly expensive. Well, the branding that these companies use is that their products are made of the finest materials and craftsmanship. That’s what they want you to believe, but in reality, some of these companies may be lying. A CNN article by Kati Chitrakorn, “Luxury goods were once built to last. Now, some fall apart as easily as fast fashion”, delves into this topic. In November 2025, a designer named Elena Qiu posted a video to X demonstrating the hollow parts of a pair of Maison Margiela heels she purchased for $1,000. The heel was made of cheap plastic rather than leather. Furthermore, Diana Kakkar, the co-founder of a luxury garment supplier, explained in an interview that some brands label a sweater as “100% wool” when, in reality, it contains only about 30% wool and 70% polyester or acrylic. Many products are marketed as “fine goods,” yet the truth behind their materials often tells a very different story.

Despite all of the shortcomings of some luxury brands, they are still very popular in society. In an analysis done by the McKinsey Global Fashion Index, the economic profit of luxury goods nearly tripled between the years of 2019 to 2024. However, many individuals have had to cut back spending in recent months due to economic uncertainty, and it shows in the data. 2025 was a down year for the luxury market. For example, a survey conducted by J.P. Morgan Global Research in 2025 concluded that 60% of consumers across America and Europe purchased secondhand luxury goods using resale platforms. Simply, the market for these kinds of goods has shrunk over the past year.

The media definitely plays a part in the popularity of luxury brands. Many big celebrities such as Drake and Timothee Chalamet are constantly debuting new outfits and accessories based off of luxury brands. If someone were to see their favorite celebrity in a Chanel jacket, why wouldn’t they want to look as cool as them? Although luxury brands have their cons, they are still undoubtedly a staple in the fashion industry and will be for decades to come.

Authentically Fake: Performing Realness in a Time of Personality Loss

By: Justin Zhuo

There’s something about an old digital camera from the early 2000s that we can’t put into words: the soft details on a face, the shadow from the flash creating that effortless look, or maybe just the low quality of the picture. Compared to today’s photography standards, such old digital cameras thrive off a new trend of embracing the past, of embracing the nostalgic tinge that resonates with a generation suffering a lost sense of authenticity.

 The fatigue of making the perfect impression and maintaining a social presence denies users true authentic expression, especially when every story and message is shared in a calculated manner. It’s hard to genuinely socialize in the confines of unwritten online rules: reply too fast to someone you barely know and you’ll seem desperate, but leave your best friend on read for an hour and you’re suddenly cold and distant. It’s the same with posting as well: make too many posts and you’ll risk appearing loud and obnoxious—it’s best to leave space for at most three posts to seem composed and mysteriously charming, unless you look “stupid” in your photos, which is another layer of nuance to worry about. 

Bayside High School senior Adam Moustafa shares that his father maintained a close-knit circle during his youth. Friends back then didn’t hold the same modern expectations of maintaining this fake impression for others. Moustafa adds, “Looking [perfect] for others wasn’t such a crucial expectation.”

These forms of constant consumption begin to mask what true authenticity means. When we’re bogged down by these endless social patterns, we start to yearn for something real, something resembling authentic human interaction. And so came the rising trend of these digicams and camcorders. They supposedly capture a truer sense of life; they’re characteristic of a time when we imagine people had real relationships that weren’t bound by our modern social demands. But these cameras only became an outlet of performing authenticity; “Technology alone can’t replace true interaction,” says Bayside High School senior Christine Soo.

It’s easy to simply blame our phones, but that doesn’t negate how much these patterns of thought have bled into the threads of our daily lives. It doesn’t stop at social media or digital cameras, especially seeing everyone hitting up vintage clothing stores like L Train Vintage or adopting older fashion trends like Y2K in a vain attempt to recover the lost sense of individuality. Bayside High School senior Jessenia Rashed agrees, “We dress performatively; everyone is trying to make themselves look unique.” The difference now is the result of how we’ve given our own little spin to it; over-accessorizing to oblivion just in hopes of appearing unique.

The ‘authenticity’ reaches a point where the consumption of vintage clothing, vintage cameras—vintage whatever—becomes simply that: consumption. The authenticity hollows out once the intention steers towards trying to look authentic, because most of us fail to grasp what authenticity really means. It all becomes a fad.

But recognizing these fruitless attempts at looking real is performative in and of itself. Avoiding the performative look is still performative. The cycle will only continue: digicams will fade and get replaced with the next thing the TikTok gods decide to throw at our weary wallets while Fashionnova hauls and baggy jeans will collect dust in our closets.

There is no clean-cut solution, but there doesn’t have to be. Looking authentic shouldn’t even be a concern if we simply maintained genuine connections and stopped performing for an invisible audience. This insidious race to be unique only eats away at true authenticity, and once these vintage stores close, the next trend will only be a test on how much we’ve changed.