Stories

The National English Honor Society (NEHS) is a club that has returned to Nease.

It’s finally Christmas time! What better way to get into the holiday spirit and festivities than to look at the beautiful Christmas lights all over Jacksonville!

Christmas is just around the corner, and so is the long-lasting debate of the appropriate time to start listening to Christmas music.

December 2nd Nease Highschool’s cheer team is having their first competition.

From May 2, 2023, to September 27, 2023, screenwriters of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike due to compensation concerns and threats of overpowering usage of artificial intelligence in Los Angeles, California.

On November 12, 2023 the Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a big loss against the San Francisco 49ers.

After 8 years, the dystopian world of The Hunger Games has returned to the big screen with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Nease Link Crew is hosting a holiday-themed spirit week December 11th-15th.

Toys for Tots is a program ran by the U.S. Marine Corps that aims to collect and distribute unopened Christmas toys to less fortunate children across the country.

Friday August 4th 2023, was the end of the largest conference realignment in NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) history.

From now to Friday, December 15th, students are able to make Holiday Cards to send to the senior citizens at Starling.

As we get closer to the holiday season, many people grow excited about Florida’s unique events that are focused on this special time of year.

Jacksonville, Florida has long been known as a major center for cultural, musical, and artistic events and highlights, and the music scene is no different.

The most celebratory seasons are here! Fall and winter, of course. I’m here to give you some great movie suggestions to brighten up this time of year.

PSA to all Taylor Swift fans! You can now join other Swifties on a cruise, called “In My Cruise Era”, to the Bahamas and celebrate all things Taylor!

With many major albums being released this year, such as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (Taylor Swift,) For All The dogs (Drake,) Pink Tape (Lil Uzi Vert,) THE FIRST TIME (The Kid Laroi,) and many others some smaller artists go under the radar.

On Wednesday, November 15th, 2023, Nease’s PTSO will be hosting a Holiday Sweet Treat Event for our Nease staff.

Are you interested in learning how you can make Earth a cleaner and more sustainable place to live? Then Beaches Go Green is the right club for you!

On Saturday, November 11th, the Nease Swim and Dive team competed at their state championship meet in Ocala, Florida.

Five Nights at Freddy’s was a movie sensation.

On November 4, 2023, around 5:45 a.m., a burglary took place at a Ponte Vedra storage unit, just 5.5 miles from Davis Park, where a shootout took place just a few hours later.

The city of Jacksonville holds an annual rescue mission called Shoeboxes of Love.

In today’s world AI is becoming increasingly more present, facilitating benefits to human life in various fields.

The Nease Panther Pride Marching Band has officially ended its 2023 season of their show “Hope Springs Eternal”.

On May 9th, 2021, thirteen-year-old, Tristan Bailey, was found murdered near a retention pond in a St. Johns County neighborhood.

Picture this, you just got assigned a group project in your history class and need to exchange numbers with your new assigned partners.

The Nease Panther Pride Marching Band has officially ended its 2023 season of their show “Hope Springs Eternal”.

Halloween is a favorite holiday among many kids and adults in America and other countries around the world.

Sarah Katz, 21, a University of Pennsylvania student, died on September 10, 2022, after drinking Panera’s Charged Lemonade.

The longtime leader of Duval Teachers United, the union representing teachers and staff in Duval County schools, has retired.

As the population in St Johns County continues to rise, the district plans to respond by opening five new schools.

This past Thursday, Track or Treat took place on the Nease track.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have played their home games at TIAA Bank Field since 1995, which is around roughly 28 years

History was made on May 16th when Democrat Donna Deegan became the first female mayor of
Jacksonville.

On May 9th, 2023, MTV News was shut down after Paramount Global announced that it would lay off around 25% of its staff.

As of May 12, associate professor Dr. Joseph Dituri of the University of South Florida has broken the world record for days spent living underwater.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour began just a few months ago in Arizona. She is set to perform in many different cities, she opened in Arizona, and is closing in California, with a total of 52 separate shows in about 20 different cities.

This story is continued from the Senior Issue of The Vertical.

Tuesday, May 9th, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill enforcing  several educational changes such as the prohibition of student cell phone use during class along with the restriction of the use of the social-media platform TikTok, on school grounds.

Interlachen High School, in Putnam County, Florida, had an incident on Friday, April 22nd when two students had to be rushed by ambulance to the hospital with vaping-induced health issues.

The new Super Mario Bros movie came out on April 5th 2023 and it quickly became a hit for both children and adults.

This story in continued from the Senior Issue of The Vertical.

Early this Monday morning, on April 24, 2023, a gymnastics gym, Gymnastics Unlimited, caught on fire.

House Speaker Paul Renner introduced House Bill 1 to make vouchers available to all Florida children eligible to enter kindergarten through 12th grade. The bill would greatly expand the state’s voucher programs by allowing voucher recipients to use public funds for more than tuition at a private school and transportation. Families would be allowed to spend the money on home-schooling, college courses, private tutoring and specialized testing such as Advanced Placement exams. “It’s about freedom and opportunity,” Renner shares during his news conference. “We empower parents and children to decide the education that meets their needs.” Critics say that the legislation will hurt public schools by sending money to private schools that aren’t held to the same accountability standards. Hearings about the bill are set to begin sometime next week. The Legislature will begin its annual 60-day session March 7th. At this time, the Senate does not have a companion bill. By: Kailey Buecker More Information: https://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/2023/01/20/florida-house-speaker-wants-to-expand-school-voucher-program/ https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/01/19/florida-lawmakers-seek-expand-voucher-eligibility-all-k-12-students/

On Wednesday, April 19th Florida’s Board of Education approved an expansion to the Parental Rights in Education law, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. This expansion was requested by Governor Ron DeSantis. The law currently bans classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. This new rule will extend that law up to 12th grade.  This law had drawn intense criticism from progressive groups. Joe Saunders is the senior political director of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Florida. He said that this law is part of DeSantis’ “assault on freedom.” Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said, “All we are doing is we are setting the expectations, so our teachers are clear: that they are to teach to the standards.”  By: Mary Vega More Information: https://www.news4jax.com/entertainment/2023/04/19/florida-board-passes-desantis-expansion-of-the-parental-rights-in-education-bill/ https://www.fox13news.com/news/florida-education-board-to-discuss-parental-rights-law-expansion-through-12th-grade

On Thursday morning, at 4:45 AM, Florida residents across the state were woken up by a notification on their phones from the Emergency Alert System.

SpaceX has called off its first launch attempt of Starship, its most powerful rocket ever built, after a problem cropped up during fueling.

On Wednesday, April 12th, Fort Lauderdale experienced record breaking rainfalls, which caused flooding throughout the area.

A large “blob” of seaweed, estimated to be twice the size of the United States, is moving towards Florida.

The role of an athletic director is not for the faint of heart. Their role consists of overseeing all elements of an athletic program like organizing events such as fundraisers, managing budgets, ordering equipment, hiring coaches and other sports personnel, and promoting the school’s sports. After a long and thorough process, Nease welcomed Chris Gallagher in early January to fulfill this role as the new athletic director.

On February 24th, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a large-scale invasion of Ukraine to demilitarize the country. Since Russia’s invasion began, there have been more than 40,000 deaths, more than 50,000 non-fatal injuries, at least 15,000 people missing, approximately 14 million people displaced, more than 140,000 buildings destroyed, and approximately $350 billion worth of damage. When Russia initially began the invasion, many expected them to quickly overwhelm Ukraine. However, Ukraine has been able to survive for nearly a whole year under…

Rihanna’s halftime show performance has started controversy amongst viewers. Rihanna made a bold move to not feature a guest star in her performance, deciding to entertain over 70,000 fans by herself after not performing for about a year. She also announced her second pregnancy with A$AP Rocky. The NFL also announced that they do not pay performers, they solely cover expenses and production costs. Her setlist included: B**** Better Have My Money, Where Have You Been, Only Girl (In the World), We Found Love, Rude Boy, Work, Wild Thoughts, Pour It Up, All of the Lights, Run This Town, Umbrella, and Diamonds. By: Sydney Valdivia Nease students were asked: How did you feel about the Superbowl halftime show? Malia Davidson: “I thought the halftime show was good. All these people are hating on it for no reason.” Emma Mudget: “I thought it was a good show and the suspended platforms were really cool.” Ellakate Rolf: “I liked it but I was expecting the productions to be a little bit more.” Allie Leonard: “I liked it but it’s probably because I liked Rihanna, if I didn’t I would think it was boring.” Gaby Hobatch: “I thought it was good but I feel like there has been better halftime shows in previous years.” Yash Singh: “It was alright.” Caleb Laguens: “I thought she did a good job. The set was nice. I thought the dancers were a little cringy.” Tess Murphy: “I liked it, I thought it was a good show but it didn’t stand out from any of the other shows.” By: Caroline Triplett

Covid-19 left quite an impact on the entire world, however not all these effects are bad. For instance, many College and Med students were left with astronomical amounts of debt strictly due to Covid-19. However, according to CNN, President Biden is pushing for a “student loan forgiveness program” that promises to deliver up to $20,000 of debt relief for millions of borrowers. Although this might sound like a perfect solution, it comes with many flaws that millions around the world continue to point out. Twenty-six million people applied for this program before the federal district court program shut it down. The Supreme Court will hear about this case on February 28th with a decision to come in early June or July. By: Isabel Bostic More information: 5 things to know for Feb. 27: Winter storm, Covid-19, Student loans, Turkey, SpaceX – CNN How Did Biden’s Second Year Impact Our Wallets? | GOBankingRates

Nease boy’s wrestling achieved the honor of competing in state finals! Junior and 3A Region Champion Alan Rivera (20-5, RQ) and senior Jacob Lutz (34-5, RQ) competed on March 4th in the Silver Spurs Arena in an attempt to take home the gold.

The Paleontology Club explores the endless possibilities fossils have. The Paleontology Club is an educational club that intends to teach students about “how to properly care for and prepare each fossil, all while teaching them how to identify and learn from the specimens.”

As the winter sports season comes to an end, the Nease Girls Varsity soccer team will be playing their last game on Friday the 20th at home vs. St. John’s Country Day School. They have had a very successful season with 10 wins, 3 ties, and just two losses. They will be hosting their first district game vs. Oakleaf.  Lauren Lucero, a senior, plans on attending the University Of Alabama at Birmingham to continue her athletic and academic career. In addition, Ava Surage, a senior, has been a leader on the team this year with 6 goals scored.  The junior varsity team had an extremely successful season as well, with only two losses and 10 wins. Jess Morley, a sophomore, was a very important player for this team’s offense with scoring every single game she played in.  By: Isabel Bostic

After months of searching, Nease High School has finally found itself a new Athletic Director: Chris Gallagher. After the previous position-holder stepped down in 2022, the administration scrambled to get someone else to cover for him.

This year, the Nease Marching Band received a surprise invitation to come and perform at the Daytona 500 pre-show, February 19th

Both Zaxby’s and Chik-fil-a sandwiches are very popular at the Nease cafeteria, but which one do students prefer?

The NFL has announced that Rihanna will be the halftime performer for Super Bowl 57 which will be at 6:30 pm on Sunday, February 12th.

On May 9, 2021, St Johns county was rocked by the news of Tristyn Bailey’s brutal
death. Now, around 2 years later her murderer, Aiden Fucci, pleaded guilty to first-degree
murder on February 6 before the jury selection for the trial due to the amount of overwhelming
evidence convicting Fucci.

To take measures against the opioid epidemic in Duval County, local addiction advocates and state health officials announce a new program to battle this issue: “CORE” or “Coordinated Opioid Recovery.”

Flo Rida, an American singer and rapper, filed a lawsuit against Boca Raton-based Celsius Holdings Inc.

After being named the number one ROTC academy in the nation in 2022, Nease’s NJROTC
continues to uphold its distinguished position.

The Nease Marching Band has been invited to perform at the Dayton 500 today, January 19th.

On the first day back from winter break, 10 NJROTC cadets were already packed and rearing to compete in the NJROTC Area 12 Air Rifle Championships in Anniston, Alabama against 18 other schools and 81 total shooters.

The Nease High School’s spring sports season is quickly approaching.

The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Wednesday to ban the TikTok app on all government devices as a result of security concerns with the app.

Officials at Orlando International Airport share that bad weather has prevented the delivery of fuel to airports.

Argentina and France are the two opposing teams approaching the FIFA Final occurring this
Sunday, December 18th, 2022.

On November 30, a tragedy devastated the local Alligator Farm Zoological Park in St. Augustine. Two of their priceless Galapagos tortoises were missing from their enclosure.

Kanye West is an American songwriter, producer, and rapper who has recently stirred up controversial topics in the news and various social media platforms because of his questionable commentary.

The holiday season has officially begun in Northeast Florida, so here is a list of light displays to visit with friends and family.

There has been an increasing lack of affordable housing in Jacksonville.

A Bob Marley exhibit is opening in 2023 in Los Angeles.

At least 5 people were killed and 25 injured in a shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub, Club Q, in Colorado Springs on November 19th.

This week saw the quickest drop in mortgage rates since 1981, a 41-year timespan, falling nearly half a percentage point.

In light of the recent tragic shooting of three University of Virginia football players, thousands have sent their prayers and support.

Tropical Storm has recently wreaked havoc on the St. Augustine area.

As of early this week, the number of humans living on our planet Earth surpassed 8 billion, about 12 years after surpassing 7 billion and 48 years after reaching 4 billion.

Members of the Ramallah-American Club of Jacksonville gave away Thanksgiving meals Sunday morning.

The NASA moon rocket has faced several complications this year while attempting to complete its first test flight.

For continuous updates on the 2022 Midterm Elections, tune into The Vertical website, The Associated Press, and the New York Times.

Even after a rough first half, the jags being 2-6, were able to come away with the win on Sunday against the Raiders, ending their 4 game losing streak.

La Fuerza, the Hispanic/Latino cultural club at Nease, worked with our media center specialist, Mrs. Millian, to throw an amazing fiesta in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

As we get into the cooler months of fall and winter, it is noticeable how early the sun sets and how late the sun rises.

In 2021, twenty-year-old Darius Sam, a First Nations individual accomplished the now-imaginable feat of completing a 100-mile ultramarathon to raise awareness for mental health.

This holiday season, all of Jacksonville has the opportunity to make a difference in the homeless community by donating shoeboxes to the City Rescue’s Annual Shoeboxes of Love Project.

On Tuesday, St. Johns County held a town hall meeting regarding the proposed 1 cent sales tax referendum which will be voted on during the November 8th general election.

The city council is under a federal court order to redraw its city and school board boundaries after a federal judge claimed the plan approved earlier this year was unconstitutional.