This feature explores the multifaceted role of modern guidance counselors, examining how they serve as the crucial bridge between academic rigor and mental health support. Drawing on insights from professional counseling frameworks and an interview with a practicing school counselor, this piece reveals how these educators identify early academic distress, dismantle structural barriers, navigate acute psychological crises and steer students safely through the high-stakes crucible of college admissions.

The Art of Early Academic Intervention

Academic struggles rarely happen overnight; they announce themselves through missed assignments, dipping grades and subtle shifts in classroom engagement. When asked how they identify students struggling academically early on and what specific interventions they use, Natalie Cruz, a fellow guidance counselor for Baruch High School students with last name initials M-Z, explains that the safety net begins with a robust network of observant teachers. Since educators interact with students daily, they act as the primary early-warning system.

Counselors back up these human observations with hard data, tracking performance through transcripts, progress reports and digital gradebooks like Jupiter. Once a struggling student is flagged, the intervention is hands-on. Rather than waiting for a crisis, counselors proactively pull students aside, bridge learning gaps, encourage participation in after-school tutoring and occasionally pair them with stronger peer models who can help anchor their study habits. According to official New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), these comprehensive support systems are designed to bridge academic achievement with the social-emotional well-being of students, ensuring students meet graduation requirements while staying mentally resilient.

Navigating Structural Barriers and Special Circumstances

Academic success is rarely a straight line; it is frequently interrupted by structural barriers like learning differences, scheduling friction, or the invisible weight of extracurricular pressure. When confronted with these obstacles, a counselor’s primary role shifts to that of a fierce advocate with administration and teaching staff.

When questioned about how they advocate for students facing structural hurdles or scheduling conflicts to ensure they stay on track to graduate, Cruz emphasizes that communication is key. She ensures that the teaching staff is fully briefed on individual student needs so that necessary accommodations are met. If a student misses extensive class time, counselors coordinate with teachers to keep course materials accessible online, while requiring direct check-ins when absences accumulate. For seniors buckling under time-management strain, intervention often looks remarkably practical: counselors redirect their focus on the students’ well-being by  creating personalized planners and introduce digital organizational tools, such as Google Calendar (which also happens to be Cruz’s favorite tool), helping students visualize their workloads before burnout takes hold.

The Crucible of College Admissions and Burnout Prevention

Perhaps no period tests a student’s psychological endurance quite like the senior year college application cycle. Responding to how they help students organize, track and complete applications, essays and testing requirements without burning out, counselors point to structural relief.

Many schools have integrated dedicated spaces like senior seminar classes — built directly into the school day — to give students protected time to complete complex paperwork, recommendation surveys and critical deadlines without feeling isolated. To prevent burnout, counselors deliberately decentralize the process. They engage the broader school community, positioning English teachers as key resources for personal essay reviews and parents as logistical advisors when informed of deadlines.

For first-generation college applicants and underrepresented groups navigating complex financial landscapes, FAFSA applications and scholarship searches, the anxiety can feel insuperable. To counter this, schools host dedicated financial aid workshops and offer intensive one-on-one family support sessions for those lost in the process. Yet, despite the best organizational systems, psychological fatigue is inevitable. As Cruz wisely notes when reflecting on the natural weight of the process:

“At any point you feel burned out, come and find counselors they want to help and support — you’re not alone.”

The Psychological Anchor: Trust, Stress and Confidentiality

Beyond GPA tracking and college portals lies the heaviest part of the job: psychological assessment. When students walk into an office displaying severe stress, anxiety or depression, the immediate priority is radical empathy and trust-building. Asked how they build trust with students who struggle to open up, Cruz stresses that establishing trust and an open, non-judgmental demeanor is essential. For a student stepping into an office during an acute crisis, a warm, immediate introduction — such as greeting them with relief that they sought help and asking what physical comfort preferences they have—can instantly de-escalate panic.

However, this deep emotional availability exists in constant tension with professional boundaries. When asked how they maintain the delicate balance between student confidentiality and involving parents or administration when psychological concerns arise, Cruz states that counselors rely on clear, transparent rules of thumb. Confidentiality is strictly honored until a threshold of safety is crossed: if a student is actively endangering themselves or others, or experiencing severe physical and emotional harm, intervention is legally and ethically required. Rather than acting as an authority figure policing the student, the counselor frames the safety network as a circle of care — reassuring the student that the adults in their circle are activated because they are on their side, with reporting frequency and severity guiding the next steps.

A Broader Institutional Framework

Institutions like Baruch High School heavily lean into this holistic philosophy, embedding advisory structures and restorative practices directly into their academic schedule. By blending restorative justice with dedicated mental health resources, parent coordinators and outside clinical partnerships, schools recognize that academic success is fundamentally tethered to emotional safety.

Ultimately, guidance counseling is an exercise in relentless presence. In an educational environment driven by metrics, testing and transcripts, the counselor’s office remains a rare sanctuary where a student is treated not as a data point, but as a whole person. As counselors remind their hallways day in and day out: the doors are open, the resources are there and no student has to navigate their issues alone.

Humans are increasingly becoming the biggest threat to most fish species. From contributing to global warming to overfishing, human activity is significantly depleting fish populations. Though many nations, including the United States, are trying to implement laws to protect these animals, not enough is being done and many populations are unable to bounce back properly. Hazel Foley, a senior, doesn’t eat fish herself, but is planning on studying ecology in college. She said that although the fishing regulations in the United States are better than in other counties, “even now Hudson Valley is a spot that is right off of New York City, and it’s this big underwater valley where a bunch of marine animals live. And there’s fishing boats. Those will go there and while there is an okay regulation in terms of how much fish you can take, again, a lot of these boats end up coming here and it disrupts the ecosystem. Disrupts the animals and their lives…Overfishing is the idea of not taking a lot of fish, but at a rate in which fish are dying faster than they are reproducing. A lot of fishing companies know what the limit is and they want their business to keep going as well, so conservation is important to them.”

Herring, for example, is considered the most numerous fish species on the planet. Nevertheless, the species faces challenges like overfishing but also climate change, especially as the temperatures of the oceans increase. According to the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center, “rising sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and associated large-scale climatic patterns are generally pushing herring to spawn earlier.” This means that when the fish spawn, the algae that they feed on has not yet grown, since it relies on sunlight. Without their food source, the herring is not able to develop and many newly hatched clusters die. Herring was once considered poor man’s food, but it has now spiked in price, even though it still is considered a more affordable fish.

The rise in fish prices has created a barrier for people, but even with inexpensive prices, it’s difficult to find some that are good-quality. Alice Tonelli, a senior who eats fish every week, said that when people have access to fish, it’s usually, “Not good fish. Well, my mom is the one who will be able to tell really, because she says that sometimes when I pick out fish. She’ll say that it’s not fresh. But I can tell a little bit sometimes, the tuna is a little — the texture is a little off sometimes.”

Fish hold culinarily significance in many countries and some populations are very reliant on these animals as a food source, which means they have a large cultural impact as well. Erica Moore, a senior, visits Japan almost every year, and said, “There’s a lot of stories I’ve heard of fish. For example there’s koinoburi.” Those are these carp shaped windsocks hung from poles and are a symbol for kids day. “You know how fish, when they give birth they go up this huge [river] but also when they’re growing. It represents fish that go upstream and survive. And so that’s why they use a fish.”  

Many Baruchians relate to fish in this context as well; as freshmen we enter this school and we find our way upstream through those four years. We make it out of the river and into the vast sea. Fish can be consumed, both ironically and unironically, and it’s important to appreciate them and their contributions to our ecosystem, culture and diet.

In the recently aired television show “Sterling Point”, the primary writer, Megan Park, is well into adulthood. This may be a controversial example because many reviews of the show have said that this project is true to the experiences of teenagers today. 

Alina Novick, a junior, said, “I think ‘Sterling Point’ does a good job at representing our age group. The characters act very naturally and it seems like they use improv sometimes, which may help. Especially with the main characters’ more emotional scenes.” Novick’s perspective is a prevailing view. 

Abby Marden, another junior, said, “I don’t think it was too accurate. Nobody’s family unknowingly owns an island and the plot was just not realistic. The dialogue was kind of accurate but not in a natural way, it seemed forced.” Marden’s opinion differs from Novick’s significantly. She finds the premise unrealistic and the characters only partially authentic, but Novick points out that the actors’ improv helps make the character’s dialogue feel more realistic.

Novick’s view seems to represent most reviews of the show. Critics generally praise “Sterling Point” across the board for being among the best in the Young Adult category. On the other hand, I believe that reviews like this were written because people are so used to obscured portrayals of young adults in film that this was the best example among a long history of inaccurate ones.

Additionally, as I see it, no matter how much research a person may do on recent slang, current Gen-Z language can never be completely depicted by somebody who isn’t in our generation. It would be like a 16-year-old trying to write a show based in the 1990s. It would sound utterly unnatural. 

While we can’t expect somebody 25 years older than us to perfect our language, we can do better to include younger writers in the development of ideas and scripts. There are many great film schools out there with aspiring screenwriters who would love to share their creative opinions. These individuals should actively be getting recruited to writing rooms as a helping hand to solve this issue.

As Marden said, “I wish people in our generation could be the ones dictating what goes into the scripts for young adult television.”

But first, I had to learn what Baruchians were actually interested in doing.  I interviewed a diverse range of students, spanning across several grades. They were asked various questions— when they had free time, how far they would travel, how much money they would spend, what they like to do— and their answers were compiled and used to select a few cheap, fun, peaceful, active and delicious places I could recommend.

Whilst interviewing students, I began to notice two common themes. First, a lot of students like to do physical activities with friends. Lucas Pai, a senior, said that he likes going to ninja and climbing gyms throughout the city. Wagnel Baez, a junior, talked about how he liked to play volleyball with his friends. So, in the “Hanging out” section of this article, I included a variety of places you could go to for sport or to workout. Additionally, I noticed that some students enjoy spending time in more peaceful places. Jacob Becerril, a junior, as well as other students, talked about his affinity for more scenic, peaceful activities rather than competitive athletics. So, I tried to represent their interests in the “Peaceful Spots” section of this article. And, if nothing else, there’s a “Tea & Sweets” section at the very end of this all, because who doesn’t like either?

Hanging Out

Of course, I’ve ought to first talk about the funnest, or funniest, places to spend time with friends. Personally, with some of my friends, we usually have no ideas when it comes to where to hang out. And, even if we do miraculously conceive one, half of us disagree and we return to the drawing board. So, at the end of it all, we just end up not hanging out. To combat this, I’ve written up about a few, varied places to hopefully give you some baseline ideas.

Ferox Ninja Park (Greenpoint Ave/G Line)

Ferox Ninja Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is something you would see on American Ninja Warrior, except you can try it for yourself. It has plenty of ninja activities there. There are giant, 16 foot ramps you can attempt to top. There are also a bunch of courses with static or moving holds, or a combination of both, that are actually pretty fun; you could race your friends on them or, for the harder ones, just try to complete them. It even houses a miniature ultimate tag arena in which you can play an ardent game of tag with your friends. And if you’re worried about food, there are good, and relatively cheap, ramen and boba shops nearby. The park itself costs $40 per person to enter, which is a little pricey, but, going there myself, I’d say it’s worth it.

The Uncommons (West 4th St-Washington Square/A,C,E,D,B,F Lines)

The Uncommons in Greenwich Village is a board game café where you can sit down to a variety of games with your friends. For $10 per student, you can play nearly every board or card game in existence— their walls really are stacked to the roof with games galore. If you get hungry, they sell food as well! I’ve heard they have pretty good coffee, and, if you don’t like coffee, they sell tons of other drinks as well. They also sell, essentially, homemade 7/11 food: chips, pizza, pigs in a blanket, etc. Also, make sure to bring your student ID. They’re always open, so go anytime.

Gantry State Park (Vernon Blvd-Jackson Avenue/7 Line)

Gantry State Park sits along the waterfront of Long Island City, Queens, facing Manhattan. Though not substantially wide, it’s quite a large park that packs in a lot of different things. First and foremost, the park has a wide range of sports fields. There are multiple basketball courts and medium-sized grass fields and, a strangely, typically unused beach volleyball court. I’ve only ever used the volleyball court, but all sports there are fun and vigorous. But, if you’re more for sitting down and relaxing, there’s a public library in the park that is pretty big and has a lot to do by itself. There’s a board game area and the interior architecture of the building is mesmerizing. Lastly, Gantry State Park itself is an extremely unique and amazing place to explore. There are the gantries which, during warmer months, host live events. Throughout the rest of the park, there are trails, boardwalks, hammocks, benches and gardens which all serve to make a really beautiful park. Also, there are tasty food trucks and restaurants right near the park.

Frames Bowling Lounge (Times Square 42nd-St/A,C,E,B,D,F,M,R,N,Q,W,1,2,3,7)

Frames Bowling Lounge in Midtown offers traditional bowling, arcade games (air hockey, skee-ball, etc.) and karaoke. While some of the other amenities may incur additional charges, bowling is priced at $30/hour lane rentals on Mondays and Tuesdays, $60/hour from Wednesday to Saturday, and $25/person on Sundays. Now, these are pretty outrageous prices. This doesn’t include shoe rentals, food, drink, or anything else you might like to do. So, if you still want to bowl but are uninterested in paying this much money, I’d suggest Lucky Strike; it’s in the same area and is much cheaper than Frames. But, if you’re willing to spend the money, this place looks really cool and I think it’s at least somewhat worth it.

Cunningham Park (Fresh Meadows, Queens)

Cunningham Park is a large, heavily forested park which houses some of the best bike trails in the city. Though it’s somewhat far out, being a bus ride away from Jamaica-179th St, it has some really exceptional mountain biking. In fact, it has eight miles of mountain biking contained within the park. And, because it’s so far out, it’s likely to be unoccupied if you decide to go there. I personally love biking, and though I’ve never been here, I think this place looks incredible and I’d totally go there with friends.

Hudson River Waterfront Greenway (The West Side of Manhattan)

The Hudson River Waterfront Greenway is a path which spans from Dyckman Street in Inwood to Battery Park in Battery City— nearly the entire length of the west side. Though you can walk the length of it,  it’s really excellent for biking. But, unlike Cunningham Park, which is good for mountain biking, the Greenway is better for very calm, very beautiful bikes right along the river. You could also stop at times for food or sightseeing. The west side is strong in both those categories. As a freshman, I used to run down the Greenway for my wrestling team. So, I can guarantee you, from a lot of “experience,” that there is amazing food and even better sunsets right off the Greenway.

Peaceful Spots

In my research, I’ve found a whole bunch of peaceful spots to visit— they’re surprisingly easy to come by for a city so rapid. Anyway, these are perfect for when you’d like to have a quieter day or would simply like a little peace. Also, some of them house cool exhibitions that you might enjoy seeing.

The MET Cloisters (Dyckman St/A Line)

The MET Cloisters— located in Inwood, Manhattan— is a beautiful, castle-like museum that houses medieval era gardens, artworks and architecture. It is a very peaceful and incredible place to walk around in. And, most importantly, it’s free for residents of New York and New Jersey with a valid ID. I discovered The MET Cloisters last year, sometime in April, when my friend mentioned wanting to visit it. Upon searching it and looking at some of its photos, I realized how amazing it really is. I can’t fully describe how amazing its gardens are, or how scarce genuine medieval architecture is in the United States. I implore you to check The MET Cloisters out. In particular, the gardens are really something to behold.

Conservatory Garden (103rd St/6 Line)

As you’ll begin to realize, a lot of these places detailed here are gardens or green spaces. Considering that, I’ll try not to give the same old spiel for each of them. Anyways, the Conservatory Garden is, for being six acres, a quite quaint place located on the eastern end of Central Park. You enter into the garden through Vanderbilt Gate— a beautiful, gilded age gate which used to fence Cornelius Vanderbilt’s mansion. Once you’re actually inside, you’ll realize that the Conservatory Garden is really composed of three, smaller gardens. Firstly, the English Garden. Here, soft and colorful foliage frame the Burnett Fountain. Next, the French Garden— an open space that houses weird geometric shrubs, the Three Dancing Maidens sculpture and the Untermyer fountain. Finally, the Italianate Garden— where an incredible geyser fountain sits amongst large lawns and purple-pink trees.

Ford Foundation Building (Grand Central-42nd St/4,5,6,7 Lines/MetroNorth/LIRR) 

Though most of the building is office space, the Ford Foundation Building features a twelve story atrium they’ve made into a huge garden filled with tons of different plant life. There are all sorts of stuff, from shrubs to vines to tropical and subtropical trees to a reflecting pool and fountain. There are also massive windows which pour light into the atrium, making for a particularly open feel. And it’s free to visit, you just have to register before coming there.

The National Arts Club (23rd St-Baruch College/6 Line) 

The National Arts Club in Gramercy Park lives in the Samuel J. Tilden house, a Victorian Gothic Revival brownstone — whatever that means. It’s completely free and, being right by our school, pretty easy to visit when you’d like. Inside the house, there are art galleries which rotate daily, many wonderful permanent fixtures (stained glass, etc.) and 150+ cultural events which occur annually. But, for me, the best part about this place is that it’s a bit of classic, 1920’s, old New York; I think it’s cool to experience the city’s past in the flesh while seeing a bunch of interesting artworks. That’s rare and that’s special. 

Mercer Labs (Fulton St/4,5 Lines | Cortlandt St/N,R,W Lines)

Mercer Labs is this insane, experimental art facility which makes huge exhibits of completely new art forms. I’ve never been there myself, but I’ve seen parts of Mercer Labs appear on my recommendation. There’s apparently this cave-like hallway, brimming with pink flowers, where you can order sparkling drinks in. There’s also this giant robotic arm that draws things into a mound of sand — it’s all super insane. It is a little pricey to go there, as it is $46 for students, but, personally, I think this crazy experience is worth that price.

New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden (Kill Van Kull) 

For those of you who live in Staten Island, or who are willing to travel the distance to see this, there is a classical outdoor Chinese garden at Snug Harbor in Staten Island. There are apparently only two of these in the entire United States; so, if you’re a senior and moving away, I particularly urge you to check it out. Anyways, it’s a walled garden with eight considerately designed structures, structures which range from simple gazebos to full-on houses. Accompanying them are rocks— imported from China— as well as waterfalls and koi ponds which build the Garden’s scenery. Paths and bridges flow throughout the garden, guiding you through its brilliantness. Like MET Cloisters, the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden is one of those places that I just think looks so cool; they are equally as seldom as they are exquisite. But it does cost $4 to enter.

Tea & Sweets

While writing this, I felt that I had already discussed the food scene for most of these recommended places. So, I thought it would be redundant to write a whole other section just about food when all these places already have some. Also, a lot of people feel very vehemently about their tastes, tastes which could be very different from mine. So, I’m not sharing my favorite food spots because I don’t want to be the subject of their ridicule. However, I did want to talk about some of the best tea and sweets places in the city.

Lilies’ Victorian Establishment (50th st/A,C,1 Lines)

Lilies’ Victorian Establishment is a café that sells British brunch foods. It’s made to resemble an English style tea room: they plate food with three-tiered cake stands and china and silver silverware; they serve all the classics as well— finger sandwiches, macaroons, tea, etc.— alongside larger meals like brunch, lunch, or dinner dishes; and, all around, their walls are adorned with pink flowers and warm chandeliers fall from their hard ceilings. But the best part about it is that it’s cheap. It costs about $40.00 a person, which for a restaurant is astoundingly cheap. Lilies’ Victorian Establishment is perfect for a budget, aesthetic lunch.

Two Cookies (Spring St/6 Line)

Two Cookies is a bakery, located in SoHo, which sells chocolate chip cookies through a window facing outwards onto the sidewalk. The bakery itself has no interior, being more of a grab-and-go spot, but what it lacks in experience it makes up for in flavor. The cookies are incredible, and they’re pretty big as well, although they are priced at $5.00 a cookie, but overall, I’d say they’re totally worth it. So, if you’re ever in the area and craving a cookie, I’d recommend you stop by.

The Chai Spot (Grand St/B,D Lines)

I actually found this place while on social media and I thought it looked interesting enough to write about in this article. It’s this wonderful little spot in Little Italy which, as the name suggests, serves chai. And their chai looks bomb–  like a truly remarkable chai. Their flavors also look really tasty as well. But what makes this place extraordinary is its atmosphere. Overall, it’s a super cozy and warm place, but it has this giant room that’s just brimming with soft rugs and smushy couches for you to sink into. The place looks killer. Although it is $6.50 a cup, so it’s a bit expensive.

Sweet Moment (Grand St/B,D Lines | Canal St/R,N,Q,W,J,Z,6)

Sweet Moment is a small, Korean-inspired restaurant that serves sandwiches, drinks and shaved ice. The restaurant isn’t super large, but it’s cozy on the inside and its food is pretty good. Their sandwiches were savory, filling and were very tasty and satisfying to eat. Their shaved ice was good too; the flavors, especially the mango flavor, were particularly excellent. When I went, I found it an enjoyable place to eat food and play games— imposter, euchre, etc.— with my friends. Its bathrooms are also really clean and that is a big plus.

The Federal Reserve states that inflation is a general rise in prices across the entire economy over time. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) projected that there is an annual 2% increase in consumer expenses, and many feel this effect; researchers at the Peter G. Peterson foundation found that 46% of Americans feel negative about the U.S. economy over the next year. 

For senior Jason Suazo, the shifts in the economy are obvious in his everyday life.

“Water used to be, like, a dollar, a dollar or two back in the day, and now it’s like five, so I noticed that it was a pretty big jump,” Suazo said. 

That sudden jump changes the way students interact with other financial aspects of their lives, leaving many students feeling ripped off. Suazo noticed that these financial changes made him cut back on other expenses: lunch, transportation and things that aren’t necessities.

“It makes me kind of sad because, like, if you’re on the run somewhere and you just want a quick, tiny water, you have to pay so much for it… when you already have water… So basically the convenience is like, it’s less, it’s worse.”

Other students shared their frustrations, saying that the small prices have increased over the course of a week. Jesus Perea-Gonzalez noticed the increase in everyday basics, noticing that a bag of chips jumped from two dollars to three dollars, while other things climbed even higher.

“A bag of chips was $2 and usually I would buy that every single day, but now that it’s $3, I don’t think it’s like, I don’t think I get my money’s worth anymore,” Gonzalez said. “Honestly, it angers me.”

To combat these changes, Gonzalez has turned into a smart shopper, trying to find lower priced items and cheaper alternatives to keep his budget afloat without trying to give up what he likes. 

For senior Ankit Ojha, the financial situation hits closer to home during his daily routine. He noticed routine purchases increased in price, such as Arizona iced teas moving from $1 to $1.50. He had to change his habits and routines entirely. When Ojha notices price changes, he does not try to find alternatives like his peers. Instead, he simply walks away. 

“For some cases, I stop eating from the place that raises the prices.” 

Does he eat when these prices are prohibitive? “No,” he said.

While students notice the economic changes in real time, high school students know how to adapt and stretch their budgeting to combat the impacts of inflation. But sometimes, they are left defeated.

“If they raise the price, I just don’t buy from them,” Ojha said.

A figure looms, and its silence speaks volumes. A demand. Who–or what–is this? What do they want? 

Suddenly, lightning flashes to reveal the face of Uncle Sam.

Yes. Oh, yes. There is only one thing he could want at this hour.

Income tax.

It comes for every law-abiding individual, and as students of Baruch College Campus High School inch closer to adult life, they also approach the reality of income tax.

However, the 411 Press found that some students feel unprepared or underinformed.

“I only know that they take a certain amount of money from your paycheck once you get paid. But that’s really all I know,” said Rami Elgendy, a junior at Baruch. “Barely anything,” said Gentian Mersimi, a freshman.

Income tax is also a source of worry for some Baruchians. When asked if she feels any anxiety regarding the future responsibility of filing her returns, Roselyn Guveara, a sophomore, said that she did. It is perfectly normal to feel worry or anxiety surrounding the duties associated with adulthood, but doing so while going in blind may be unwise. 

“That would help. Yeah, that would help a lot,” said Elgendy when asked about the possibility of being given the run-down on income tax. “I feel like a lot of teens should be pushed to learn about their taxes at a young age. So when they get older it’s not like a burden, it’s just like an assignment,” Elgendy said.

For some, this void of knowledge also extends into the home. “No, not at all,” said Mersimi when asked if he ever participated in a conversation surrounding income tax in his household. 

The absence of income tax as a topic in regular conversation appears to have left students at Baruch with a gap in their knowledge. This may warrant some concern, as filing income tax returns is a serious responsibility, and an often complex one at that. In response to this, a short collection of facts regarding income tax has been included below to serve as a foundation of knowledge for those who need it.

A Starter Guide to Income Tax

Defined by Merriam-Webster as “a charge usually of money imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes,” income tax is collected by the government, and is removed from the taxable income. Income is the money one makes, and taxable income can be reduced by deductions.

A deduction is an amount of money that is subtracted from the income and that will not be taxed. There are two kinds: standard and itemized.

Most opt for standard deductions, which are flat amounts determined by the IRS, and that correspond with a taxpayer’s filing status. For example, people filing as the head of household receive a standard deduction of $24,150. That is $24,150 that will be left alone.

One is only required to pay income tax once their income surpasses the standard deduction for their filing status.

Itemized deductions, on the other hand, are individual expenses that are added together. These expenses may be of the medical and dental varieties, gifts to charity, casualty or theft losses and more. Itemized deductions are generally only used if their sum equates to more money than the standard deduction.

Itemized deductions and standard deductions cannot both be used. One must be chosen over the other.

But exactly how much money will be taken from the taxable income?

Firstly, it depends on the tax bracket under which a given taxpayer falls. Think of tax brackets like buckets. For a single filer in 2026, the first bucket can hold $0 to $12,400. The government will take 10% of this amount. The next bucket holds the next $12,401 to $50,400. Now, 12% of the money in this bucket will be taken. Remember, this is not compounding. Once a bucket is full, the money in it will be taxed at the bucket’s corresponding rate. If someone makes $48,000, then $12,400 of those will be taxed at a rate of 10%, and the remaining $35,600 will be taxed at a rate of 12%. Here is a helpful diagram from Fidelity Investments:

Secondly, it depends on how many levels of income tax are being paid. There are three in total: federal, state and local. 

In New York City, all three use tax brackets. However, these brackets hold different amounts and are taxed at different rates. The example above used the federal brackets.

Everyone must pay their federal income tax, but the other two depend on their domicile and their place of work. For instance, if one lives in the state of New York but works in the state of New Jersey, then instead of paying income tax for both states, the state of New York provides a tax credit that prevents one from being taxed twice on the same sum of money. This, however, has its limits.

Demystifying Income Tax

Students at Baruch approach adulthood, but the many responsibilities that come with it need not be the looming shadows that many young folk see. The dark is only unnerving when one does not know what to expect. Turn the lights on and, well, what lies ahead no longer seems so scary, and it is clear that a responsibility like doing your taxes is “not like a burden, it’s just like an assignment,” as Elgendy said.

Meet the Teams and the Captains

Heading the Baruch boys varsity soccer team is senior Nathaniel Berg, who has been on the team all four years of high school and accumulated multiple accolades. Throughout his career, the team has reached the playoffs twice and even made it to the city semifinals once, and they are looking to continue this success. “The team’s performing very, very well so far. We’ve picked up speed. The team’s getting better and better as each game goes on,” said Berg. When asked about the keys to his team’s success thus far, he said, “I think we have a really good sense of community. I would also say we have some really strong players this year. We got a great incoming class as well as some really good returning players.”

The captains of the Baruch girls varsity soccer team are Siena Niheu, Amelia Bose and Grace Konds. All three are seniors, and have led the team to playoff appearances each of the last two seasons. They already acquired a win in the season opener against the defending champions, Institute For Collaborative Education, and secured a monstrous 12-0 victory over The High School for Climate Justice. Bose emphasized the importance that working together has played over the course of the season, saying, “I think the keys to our success are just, I guess, teamwork on and off the field.”

Rounding out the fall sports at Baruch is the girls varsity volleyball team, whose captains are senior Chu Pan and junior Alina Novick. With a first year coach, they are looking to build a new culture on their team while continuing their past success. They have already claimed a shutout win against Frederick Douglas Academy. Keeping this team successful and prosperous is their strong bond and sense of community. Pan said, “We are so close as a team, like we’re all friendly. We have so much fun together, but on the court, we’re really competitive.”

Roles of the Captains

These captains are the heart and soul of this school, and are keeping these teams together throughout the highs and lows. When asked about their roles on the team, each captain had unique answers that revealed the impact they have had on their team’s success.

Regarding Nathaniel Berg’s role on the boys soccer team, he said, “I help out in practice, I lead the team in speeches. You always have to be supportive, both on and off the pitch and you have to establish a sense of community with the whole soccer team; you have to make sure the underclassmen and the upperclassmen keep coming back.” This strong leadership and positivity has proved to be effective, and it is a main reason why they have had so much roster retention in recent years and elite team chemistry.

Amelia Bose has a slightly different approach when it comes to being a team captain of the girls soccer team, although there are still many parallels between their captaining styles. Specifically, her job involves more hands-on, logistical tasks. She said, “As a captain, I do a lot of the communication things between the coach and players. So, like, I remind the team of important information, like when practice is going to be, what color we’re wearing. And then also we do a lot of captain’s practices that we run. And yeah, just kind of motivating the team, doing like pregame speeches.” With the team’s head coach, Mr. Segreti, recently going on paternity leave, all of the captains have stepped up to the challenge and embraced a larger role on the team.

On the contrary, the captains of the girls volleyball team have very constructive styles of leading, in addition to their general responsibilities. Alina Novick said, “We’re responsible for like relaying any messages from the coach to the team, because she goes through us first and asks our opinions on like drills and stuff. So we kind of have to take in our mistakes and figure out how to fix them.” These responsibilities also include tasks not specific to the team’s performance and execution, as explained by Chu Pan. She said, “We also have to manage like the outside stuff merch and fundraising and all that stuff for our team.”

Looking Ahead

Looking to the future, all the captains have similar aspirations when it comes to the goals of their seasons, and they have very high expectations of their teams’ capabilities.

Berg said, “I believe our team is a deep playoff team. So if not the semifinals, the finals, that would be the goal.”

Bose is just as optimistic and excited for the future, and said, “My goal definitely is to get a nice deep run in the playoffs. Last year we made it to the quarterfinals, so it’d be nice to be back there, maybe go even farther.”

Once again, Pan piggybacked off the other captains’ ideas. She said, “We want to make the playoffs, and hopefully not lose a game the rest of the season. And we want to have fun doing it.”

Final Thoughts

It’s important we appreciate the captains for all their hard work and effort that they have channeled towards these Baruch sports teams. These teams are ready for anything that comes in their way, and we wish them continued success for the rest of their seasons. Hopefully, more Baruchians will be able to attend games and increase their support for fall sports as these teams gear up for the playoffs.

Since taking office in January, Mamdani has focused on issues such as affordable housing, transportation and city services. Baruch High School students interviewed on this mostly had positive opinions of Mamdani, but each person pointed to different parts of his time in office.

Mamdani became mayor after previously serving as a New York state assemblyman from Queens. During his campaign, he focused heavily on making New York more affordable. Some of his campaign ideas included freezing some rents, making buses free, expanding child care and creating city owned grocery stores. His use of social media also helped him connect with younger voters and made his campaign different from more traditional political campaigns.

Aldrin Gazio, a junior, said he generally supports Mamdani but admitted he hadn’t done much research into his accomplishments.

“I’m going off kind of vibes here, in a way. I haven’t gone too much into the research aspect of it,” Gazio said.

Gazio also said they liked having a younger mayor and felt that New York was moving in a good direction. Gazio said they were interested in the idea of free buses because public transportation can be difficult for people who cannot afford it.

Alfredo Flores, a senior, pointed to the city’s emergency snow shoveling program as their favorite accomplishment. The program paid New Yorkers to help clear snow during emergencies. The student also mentioned Mamdani’s support for small businesses.

“I think we’re prospering as New York,” Flores said.

Jose Luis Hernandez, another junior, focused more on housing and said Mamdani’s rent policies stood out to them because of the effect high rent can have on families.

“I feel like it helps my family and helps a lot of other families, considering that landlords like to raise prices and how that can destroy families and stuff,” Hernandez said.

The Mamdani administration has also released its first Mayor’s Management Report, which measures the performance of city agencies. The report says the city repaired 229,000 potholes, a 27% increase from the previous fiscal year, while affordable housing completions increased to 26,971. However, the report covers the entire 2026 fiscal year, meaning it includes six months from former Mayor Eric Adams administration and six months from Mamdani’s.

The report has shown some improvements, but there are still problems for the administration to address. City and State reported that ambulance and fire response times increased during the fiscal year.

As Mamdani approaches his first year as mayor, his administration still has time to work on the promises that helped him prosper in the election. The students interviewed mostly viewed his performance positively, but their answers also showed that people notice different accomplishments and have different expectations for what he should do next.

Mamdani’s approach to leadership as New York’s youngest mayor in over a century is a topic of much contention. But Hernandez, and many others, believe “He’s putting us in the right direction.”

That’s the question that The Met’s exhibit “Chasing Clouds” attempts to answer. The exhibit is made up of images of clouds from all around the world, by several different artists. It shows a variety of different paintings of clouds from throughout the 19th-century as well as early attempts to photograph the sky and catalog clouds with technology. By contrasting these two different ways of capturing clouds, the exhibit is able to show both a romanticized and a scientific version of clouds and of the world as a whole.

Besides traditional paintings, there are also many different sketches and watercolors of clouds. There were contributions from several different artists, such as John Singer Sargent, Joseph Michael Gandy and John Constable, all capturing different places from across the world. These works were done very quickly, within a matter of minutes, purely for the purpose of capturing the sky and the clouds at a very specific moment of time. Clouds are not a stationary thing, they are constantly moving– which does not make them easy to capture in a painting that will take days or months to complete. These short-form pieces of art give the viewer a quick glimpse of how the world looked at a certain point in time – a time that we can never see again. 

Even today, we are still trying to find ways to capture a hyper-specific instant in time. Nazlima Talukder, a senior at Baruch, said that she uses “stories and Instagram notes…they have a temporary photo that only lasts a day, and then it goes away. But you have that memory, like, posted.” Additionally, in permanent forms of art, Talukder said “sometimes I also put my emotions into my artwork. So if I’m, like, feeling sad, I’ll use, like, blue colors or, like, cooler-toned colors. If I’m feeling more joyous, I’ll use lighter tones, like yellow, green, red.” Even though it has become easier to recreate moments with reference photos, etc., there is still something to be said for the value of quick sketches done in the moment. As Talukder said, “you’re really capturing the in-the-moment feelings. So you’re really living in the present. You’re not thinking of, like, future problems…And that’s, like, a very fleeting thing. It’s really difficult to capture compared to, like, if you put a lot of time and effort into, like, a longer piece.” 

Anna Wierciszewski, another senior at Baruch said that “when you make a sketch, you create something really fast, you focus and you put all your energy into that one thing, that scene or thing that most stands out to you – so it’s basically a lens of how you find things important or how you see things and you don’t have time for all the frills and the details, so that might not be as important to an artist when they want to show something to their audience. So with those clouds, obviously the artist is kind of doing their own thing too, cause those clouds are not gonna wait on him to finish the painting, so he adds his own little touch to it and that makes it personal, and that makes it different from anything that he could see.”

Beyond the contrast of paintings and sketches, the main dichotomy in “Chasing Clouds” was the juxtaposition between the abstract representations of clouds and the photographs that literally captured clouds just as they were. In the 19th-century, photography was just beginning to be developed. Photography was not the quick thing that it is today. Photos took a long time to set up, and it was a complex process to develop the photos, especially when it came to photos of the sky.

One of the earliest photos in the exhibit was taken in 1853 by John Beasley Greene of the Nile River in Egypt. But in this photo, there are no clouds visible at all. In fact, several of the early photos in this exhibit seem to be unrelated to clouds. However, in the case of many of these early photographs, the skies were “painted out” in order to bring the viewer’s attention to the subject of the land, as early photographs of the sky could turn out strange and distracting. The photograph entitled “La Ciotat”, taken in 1860 by Edouard Baldus is another prime example of this phenomenon. However, another photographer Gustave Le Gray took a different approach, and made a point of including the sky and clouds in his photographs. In his photograph “The Great Wave, Sète” taken in 1857, there was a separate photograph just taken of the clouds that was then printed on top of a photo of the ocean. Several of these early photographs of clouds were used for meteorology and to further scientific discoveries about clouds, not to mention that they were taken using the new technology surrounding photography. These photos show a more scientific approach to capturing clouds. In a time of new invention, similar to the rise in new technologies we are seeing in our present day, creatives began to adopt a more scientific mindset. 

And the same thing is happening today. Baruch senior Erica Moore said that she sees the world through a lens that is “sometimes science, sometimes art, because like sometimes, you know, there’s stuff like AI slop…so in those kinds of experiences, I’m like, I can’t, I have to look for the source, like I’m like source, what’s your source? What’s your evidence, you know?” 

Our environments and the world around us are never constant, now more than ever. With the rise of new technology and the landscape of the world constantly changing, it’s hard to stay present and be able to focus on little things that make up the backdrop of our lives. Like clouds. The “Chasing Clouds” exhibit shows us a multitude of ways to capture clouds, but it also reveals the different ways that we interpret and try to represent our vision of the world to others. Whether it’s through photography, sketches, paintings, or posts on social media, we all have ways that we try to record and document the world we live in as we move through it, and “Chasing Clouds” tells us that this is not a new pursuit.

Kelly Clancy, an editor, parent and grassroots organizer, is leading a push for a two-year moratorium on AI in public education. In an open letter to school leadership, Clancy’s organization argues that school districts are rushing to integrate AI tools without understanding their long-term cognitive impacts—effectively repeating the exact mistakes made with smartphones a decade ago. 

“We knew 10 years ago that cell phones were really bad for attention,” Clancy said. “And we did nothing about it.” The petition urges officials to temporarily halt the integration of AI in classrooms while researchers, educators and policymakers evaluate its impact on learning, privacy, mental health and child development.

Clancy continued, “There was a whole decade of kids who had phones… and there was never any sort of central message. We know that there were really terrible impacts.” She points to research indicating that the constant distraction of screens has actively hindered cognitive development across an entire generation. While the recent phone bans have been a massive success—restoring social interaction and classroom participation—advocates worry that districts are undermining this victory by pushing one-to-one laptops and AI tools into every lesson plan.

The Cognitive Harms

The argument for a two-year pause on AI isn’t just about screen time; it’s about how fundamentally different adolescent brains can develop when focused on screens. While AI tools may be helpful shortcuts for adults who already know how to think critically—a process called cognitive offloading—Clancy warns that for students, the technology poses a deeper threat: cognitive stunting.

Clancy explains, “[Cognitive stunting] means that you never develop those neuro pathways to begin with. There’s also a lot of research talking about how it’s leading to the cognitive flat lining, the lack of diversity in terms of thought and it’s streamlining the types of language that’s used.”

For student writers, this “flattening” of language is alarming. Beyond the academic shifts, advocates are raising flags about severe mental health risks, data privacy concerns and the rise of cyberbullying and deepfake harassment tied to AI tools in schools.

Clancy points to a real-world example of an adolescent who died of a drug overdose, whose ChatGPT logs revealed a tragic truth: the student would alternate between asking for math homework help, seeking relationship advice and asking how high he could get on specific substances. 

Without human interference, these platforms can quickly become a buffer rather than a tool for genuine support. 

Clancy continued, “A two year moratorium would allow us to figure out where AI is, because right now we have no idea–there’s no list–it would allow us to figure out what we want and what our goal is in terms of a public education system that prepares kids to live in the world. And it would help us make sure that we’re not making the same mistakes that we did allowing phones in the school.”

Furthermore, there are data privacy risks also at hand. Large scale tech corporations rely heavily on data mining to train and refine their models to feed back to students and therefore turning student work and interactions into corporate property.

“Tech bros’ incentives align with enriching their shareholders,” Clancy said. “What they want is to create a generation of kids who are hooked and addicted to their products, and they want to mine your data. Those two things are not commensurate with the goal of public education.”

The Double Standard: AI in Grading and Lesson Planning

One of the most contentious aspects of the current AI system in schools is the transactional environment it creates between educators and students. While students face strict consequences or accusations of cheating by utilizing AI, a growing number of teachers are turning to the very same technology to generate lesson plans, worksheets, and even provide feedback on student work. 

Clancy calls the reliance on AI grading software “educator malpractice,” arguing that it dismantles the very foundation of the learning process.

“The world doesn’t need 50 more essays on Macbeth,” Clancy said. “What the world needs is 50 more humans that have written essays on Macbeth and thought about that process. The only way we can make that process worthwhile is if we entrust educators to evaluate it.”

According to Clancy, automated grading programs reduce nuanced writing to baseless, superficial feedback.For students, the argument is simple: if they are putting in actual human effort into their assignments, they have a contractual right to demand that their work be read and analyzed by a human.

Keeping the “Human” in Public Education

A common defense for AI adoption in schools is the pressure to make students prepare for a future that is dominated by advanced technology and AI. 

However, Clancy points out a stark contradiction among the technology’s founders, There’s a Wall Street Journal article where they asked all of these AI executives how they’re educating their kids in the age of AI, and not a single one of them said that they were having their kids learn how to use AI.”

Clancy continued, “The people who want to make money off of you using AI—they’re not doing that for their kids. I believe in investing in a system where I would be happy if my kids went to any school. I want to build something that’s for all kids, not just for my kids.”

As the job market shifts, the exact skills that cannot be mechanized such as deep analysis, original writing and empathetic human connection are proving to be the most resilient. Clancy notes that while technical fields like computer science are facing intense job market corrections, fields that require human thought and analysis remain vital.

Ironically, the pushback against over-digitization is increasingly coming from students themselves. While the initial reaction to cellphone bans and Yondr pouches was met with frustration, the reality on the ground has shifted. Without the constant anxiety of what students can be described as a self-imposed surveillance state, where any minor mistake might be recorded and uploaded to various social media platforms, classrooms and lunchrooms have naturally become more lively and collaborative.

Ultimately, the call for an AI moratorium is an effort to protect, strengthen and ensure the longevity of human connection. While technology can optimize tasks, students ultimately thrive on structure, routine and real relationships built with educators—not with algorithms.