The Pulse - February 2022

February 2022 Issue 3

Q&A with Co-creator of “Dora the Explorer,” Eric Weiner

By Jonah Weinstock grade. I had a great writing teacher.

The Pulse: Who are some of your favorite writers that have influenced you on your journey?

Screenshot of Eric Weiner and Pulse Writer Jonah Weintsock Screenshot Courtesy of Jonah Weinstock.

Featured in this issue: •

OP-ED

•

Harvey News

•

Reports

•

Sports News

•

Reviews

Eric Weiner co-created and produced several preschool television shows, including the big hit “Dora the Explorer.” This Nickelodeon show features Dora going on different adventures with her sidekick, a monkey named Boots. Dora is a Latina girl who uses her knowledge of Spanish to communicate with her friends, overcome obstacles, and reach her own personal goals.

Dora is a very uplifting character who tries to get all her friends and children watching the television show involved in her adventures and explorations.

Dora is also an open-minded character who enjoys playing sports, traveling the world, and helping her friends and family. The Pulse interviewed Eric Weiner on Dec. 8, 2021.

The Pulse: Where did you grow up?

Weiner: I was born in New York, and I grew up in Hillsdale, New Jersey which is a tiny little commuter town near Englewood. When I was in sixth grade, I moved to Providence, Rhode Island.

The Pulse: Did you like to write when you were younger, and if so, can you tell us about your early writings?

The Harvey School 260 Jay Street Katonah, NY 10536

Weiner: That’s such an interesting question to me. A lot of writers have so many more stories of how they couldn’t stop writing. My mother had this story that I dictated to her when I was three. I told her, “We all went skiing, daddy broke his leg, he later died.” It was a dark, edible tale. However, I didn’t really get interested in writing until I was in 10th

Weiner: Hemingway was definitely one of them.

At that point, I started reading everything he had ever written. Dr. Seuss is up there with Shakespeare, but not enough people give him credit because he had to write with such a simple word list, like “Cat in The Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham.” They’re amazing books. Roald Dahl also was another great children’s writer. He wanted to write like a lot of children’s writers for adults and grownups.

His agent kept saying she couldn’t sell his fantastic adult novel. She kept saying to him, “Why don’t you try a children’s book?”

The Pulse: Before you created the character of Dora, did you work on any other previous character creations?

Weiner: I actually did.

One that I worked on was “Cyberchase.” When I was working on it, I created a lot of characters like Hacker.

When I started writing for children’s television, I thought I would write for an older audience, but for whatever reason, all my jobs were for younger people until I hit preschool, and basically, you can’t go any younger. In every case, even if you’re just a script writer for a certain show, you’re probably going to end up creating a character that’s needed for the episode.

The Pulse: Can you tell us about the process of creating Dora?

Weiner: At the beginning, when I first came on board, Dora was a raccoon.

What happened was Albie Hecht, who was the head of Nickelodeon at that time, had just been bitten by a raccoon. He fell asleep in his yard in upstate New York with his aunt, and hanging down from the lawn chair, a raccoon bit him. From that point, he said we were

not doing a show about a raccoon. There was a lot of debate about whether to make Dora an animal or a human. We were stuck as adults with reality and rules that preschoolers aren’t stuck with. So, we thought, how do we have a human girl run around this crazy forest? It took a long time for us to commit to her being human.

The Pulse: Is there a common theme that runs through each of the episodes of “Dora the Explorer?”

Weiner: I would say one of the themes of every episode is that it is OK for preschoolers to ask for help.

Dora always asks us for a lot of help. She asks some of the characters, such as Map and The Backpack.

I really think the central theme is just embodied in Dora of confidence, joy in life, and then her love for pretty much everyone that she meets. I saw from watching preschoolers that what makes her lovable is her love for others. Under everything is being so loving.

The Pulse: What are the ingredients of a good cartoon?

Weiner: You have to entertain and engage your viewer, or they are gone.

The Pulse: What advice would you give high schoolaged aspiring artists, writers, and creators?

Weiner: One thing is to have confidence and not hold it against yourself that you’re young. Another thing is if you’re doing something for kids. Try it out on some real kids. You’ll learn so much from their reactions.

Whatever age group you’re writing for, if you can find someone that you can trust to tell your story to, you’ll feel whether you have them or you don’t, try it out.

Don’t work in a bubble.

The Pulse would like to thank Eric Weiner for taking the time to share his knowledge and experience of his globally famous television show, “Dora the Explorer.”

Harvey’s Basketball Team Returning Strong

By Lily Dalrymple

The varsity boys basketball team is back at Harvey, and they look great! Head coach Denis Arnautovic and assistant coach Connor Welles have constructed a winning team for this season.

The roster consists of seniors Regimantas Ciunys, Dom D’Onofrio, Charlie Hildebrant, Jayden Kass, and Ryan Rodriguez, juniors Marcus Diaz, Myles Feldman, Bradley Lederer, Brandon Mallon, Kirk Ortega, and Charles Treseler, and sophomores Jared Effinger and Stepan Romenskiy.

In their return after the COVID-delayed seasons, The Harvey School played their first Varsity boys basketball game of the 2021-22 season.

In a home game against Masters of Connecticut, the boys put out a starting five of Ciunys (RC), Feldman, Kass, Ortega, and Romenskiy.

By halftime, Harvey was leading 52 to 27. Kass was remarkable with 14 rebounds he had during the game. Romenskiy played incredibly, calling plays for his team and providing 16 points.

And the most notable player, RC, not only dunked multiple times, but he also put up 46 points. The final score was 80 to 59, with Harvey coming out victorious and leaving a huge impact for their first game.

“The boys had an outstanding performance in their debut. It was a fantastic first step that puts them in a good position to have a successful season,” Coach Welles commented.

In their next game, Harvey played Storm King at home but unfortunately lost. There was a valiant effort with RC putting up 27 points, Kass with 14, and Romenskiy with eight.

The boys lost 87-58 in the end, but throughout the game, they still showed immense talent and potential. The team believes that they will learn from this loss and work harder to play better against other teams.

Coach Arnautovic commented, “We lost against a good opponent. In the first half, we struggled to beat the pressure, which resulted in easy baskets and a big lead. In the second half, we made a run, but, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to turn it around.”

Basketball cont. on pg. 5

Page 2

Dear Editor,

The Pulse Staff

OP/ED

Faculty Features

Psychology, Please!

Harvey School Hires First Ever School Counselor

After a stressful year of online school and confusion about what the future would hold, the Harvey administration has done a great job of bringing things back to normal. There are many examples of Harvey’s usual aspects reappearing, such as students having their free periods in the arts center again.

Still, some things were, unfortunately, not revitalized, such as the popular psychology course, previously taught by retired faculty member Mr. Robert Cook. Many students here at Harvey are saddened Editor-in-Chief/Layout

by Mr. Cook’s departure and would absolutely love for the psychology course to be brought back into the Amanda Mohamad curriculum. I believe that this course would be very beneficial to the students here at Harvey for a variety of reasons.

Junior Editor Emma Galgano

Lily Dalrymple Spencer Elkind Dan Gasch Dylan Gueli Halima Konteh Bradley Lederer Jonah Weinstock

Faculty Advisor Virginia Holmes

Winter 2022 Pulse Staff

This year, The Harvey School added a new staff member named Ms. Jacquie Butera. Ms. Butera is Harvey’s first ever school counselor.

She currently resides in Danbury, Connecticut with her husband and her dogs. She has two step children in their twenties who live away from home, and she has two horses that she considers her babies.

Ms. Butera was born on Long Island but moved to Westchester when she was three because her father became the principal of a middle school in Ardsley. She attended Horace Greeley High School.

As teenagers, high school students are thrown into what seems to be an endless pit of emotions.

They deal with friendships, relationships, stress, heartbreak, and so much more. It can be challenging for students to navigate or even understand the feelings they are experiencing, but psychology classes can guide them to understanding the ever-growing brain.

After high school, she went to Marymount College and completed a bachelor’s degree in social work, and she majored in sociology and anthropology. While attending Marymount, she randomly took a social work class, but she ended up having an incredible professor that inspired her to continue down the sociology path.

Psychology is a course that not only covers human emotion and development, but also explains why they occur. Learning about the causes and effects of human behaviors can help high school students obtain healthy coping habits, such as organizational and listening skills.

Finding her way in life, Ms. Butera knew she wanted to do something to help people in pain. Although she originally didn’t know what that course would look like, she found her way to social work. Ms. Butera started her career at a child abuse prevention center, worked with the runaway and homeless youth program for a few years, and then connected with the department of community mental health in Westchester.

Also, the psychology major is very popular among many colleges, mainly due to the fact that taking these courses opens a gateway to lots of possible careers. According to BestColleges.com, a psychology degree can lead to job offers in the areas of education, health care, human resources, and more. If students here at Harvey are offered the opportunity to take a psychology course, it can lead to new realizations for what they hope to pursue beyond high school.

The students here at Harvey all have different reasons for wanting to study psychology. Kevon Patterson, a senior who recently committed to Cornell University to major in business, says that a psychology class would have given him a head start to “mastering” his marketing skills before his freshman year. Kevon also stated, “I feel that a psychology course could be necessary for the students in the senior class, as we are all transitioning into adulthood and should learn how to understand and interact with others.”

Kirk Ortega, a current junior at Harvey, hopes for the course to be brought back during his senior year. Kirk stated, “I have always been interested in how the brain develops and processes information, so psychology would be a perfect course for me.”

If Kirk has the opportunity to take the course next year, it could help him determine a possible major as he starts the college application process. Students like Kirk hope to learn about psychology not only for college, but also because they simply enjoy the concepts and believe that it would be a fun class to add to a demanding curriculum.

Currently, the only psychology course that is taught here at Harvey is Sports Psychology, taught by Athletic Director Raymond Lacen. This course is mainly aimed toward athletes and those who hope to pursue a career in physical education. Many students who have taken Mr. Lacen’s course expressed a great liking for it, and optimistically, with the advocacy of the passionate student body (and this OP/ED!), the yearlong psychology class will be brought back into the Harvey curriculum!

Sincerely, Halima Konteh

After moving to Rye, New York, she

By Lily Dalrymple

consulted with Rye Country Day School (RCDS), and it was suggested that she become a school counselor. She was hired to become the Dean of Student Life Administrator at RCDS, where she worked for 26 years. During the start of her career at RCDS, she quickly found that she loved being a part of a community.

When asked about why she came to Harvey, Ms. Butera said, “I’m super excited to be here, and I was looking for something that felt more aligned with my personal values and a community that would be different in its approach to education.” One of Ms. Butera’s goals ay Harvey is to revive an equestrian program with a barn and horses. She also wishes to be a part of a club revolving around mental health.

because of the new counselor position that Harvey has never had before. She was excited to start a program as a counselor and work with the school to explore the needs of students.

Ms. Butera said she loves to work with teenagers because she “hated being one.” She has tremendous empathy for the struggle that teenagers go through. She believes teenagers are fun and transparent, and they always keep her laughing.

Outside of work, Ms. Butera works with a dog rescue program because animal rescue is very important to her. Horseback riding and spending time with family are her other favorite activities. When she’s not at Harvey, she runs her own private practice in Rye. Harvey has positively influenced Ms. Butera as well. She talks about loving everything about the school from her new colleagues to the students. She said, “I feel like people are super honest, open, warm, and welcoming.”

Something that Ms. Butera brings to the table for Harvey is her wealth of experience in working with teenagers and her love of working with teenagers. She was attracted to Harvey

Page 3

Ms. Butera at her desk in Sylvan Hall.

Photo Courtesy of Harvey Communications.

Ms. Butera is grateful to be here and in the Harvey community. And at the end of the interview, she said, “If I haven’t met you yet, please come by and say hello. I would love to meet you, because getting to know people is really important to me.” Her office is located in between Mr. DePalma’s office and the admissions entrance (her room is where Mr. Dunn worked last year).

Forte’s Friendly Welcome

By Halima Konteh

to get involved in education, leading her to The Harvey School.

Each year, The Harvey School has a special group of people who work behind the scenes, ensuring that the students and faculty on campus have a productive school year. Located in the cozy white cottage, students will meet a friendly staff member who will welcome them with a bright smile, offer to print or staple their papers, and even have a warm conversation with them as they wait for their scheduled meetings. That person is Ms. Debra Forte, the new registrar and assistant to the Head of the Upper School, Philip Lazzaro.

Aside from all of the things that Ms. Forte does to make students feel welcomed and prepared, she also handles student and faculty information such as grade transcripts and teacher reports. She helps keep Mr. Lazzaro organized when time gets to its busiest, and she is always there for any job Harvey may need her to fill, displaying a heartfelt dedication to our community. Before we were lucky enough to have Ms. Forte join The Harvey School, she engaged in many adventures and notable positions.

Ms. Forte was born and raised in Yonkers, New York, roughly a 40-minute drive from our school here in Katonah, New York. For high school, she attended the Good Counsel Academy in White Plains, New York, and she went on to pursue a college degree at Quinnipiac University.

She chose to major in Public Relations, as she was really fond of creative writing and producing video content.

While in her junior year of college, Ms. Forte grew fond of traveling after her study abroad experience in Seville, Spain. Ms. Forte stated that she “absolutely loved” the Spanish culture while studying abroad, including the tapas, which are savory bite-sized appetizers that can include a variety of ingredients. While in Spain, Ms. Forte was able to explore other parts of Europe as well. After graduating from Quinnipiac with a public rela-

When asked why she chose Harvey, Ms. Forte stated that she was “drawn” to Harvey’s sense of community. She also stated that her job here at Harvey includes all of the aspects that she enjoyed at her last one, such as project managing and communicating with many different groups of people, making it the perfect place for her.

Ms. Forte at her desk in Shea Cottage.

Photo Courtesy of Greg Janos.

tions degree, Ms. Forte worked for many agencies that specialized in the field, but eventually she transitioned into employee communications.

Switching over into employee communications brought Ms. Forte back to her love of traveling, as she was able to work for organizations located in London and New York City. Ms. Forte ended up loving the city of London so much that she lived there for eight years.

When asked about her favorite place that she has traveled so far, Ms. Forte confidently stated that Africa has by far been the most beautiful place that she has been. She states that the continent has a “natural beauty,” and she also pointed out how she appreciates African wildlife and culture.

After moving back to New York, Ms. Forte landed a job at New York University (NYU) as a communications manager for the medical center. At NYU, she worked on fascinating projects such as the opening of a new hospital, and she was also involved in communications related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although she enjoyed her job at the medical center, Ms. Forte was eager

Ms. Forte believes Harvey is a special place for many reasons. She stated, “I really appreciate everyone’s can-do attitude and how everyone is willing to help one another.” As this is Ms. Forte’s first position in education, she truly appreciates how easy everyone has made it for her to adjust and become a part of the community.

Outside of work, Ms. Forte has been happily married for six years to her husband James, whom she met during her time in London, and they are parents to an 18-month-old boy named Miles. Ms. Forte described her son Miles as a “happy boy who is constantly keeping us on our toes.”

When Ms. Forte has personal downtime, she enjoys exploring the outdoors with activities such as hiking and kayaking. She also describes herself as a “musical theatre buff,” as she enjoys seeing live shows. Although she has not been able to see one in a while, she hopes to do so again in the coming months.

Each day at The Harvey School, Ms. Forte does a wonderful job aiding students and faculty with whatever they may need, making each day brighter for whoever crosses her path. If you have not yet met Ms. Forte, we at The Pulse encourage you to stop by and introduce yourself, as she is still eager to learn new names and faces.

We hope you all get to meet Ms. Forte before the school year ends, and maybe she’ll share a story or two about her wonderful adventures abroad!

Reports

Page 4

Page 5

Betty White: A National Treasure In early December 2021, The Pulse discussed writing an article on American actress Betty White celebrating turning 100. Unfortunately, White died of natural causes Dec. 31, 2021, only 17 days shy of what would have been her 100th birthday. Nonetheless, this American sweetheart deserves to be celebrated for the successful career and life she lived.

Betty Marion White was born Jan. 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois.

Her mother, Tess, was a housewife, and her father Horace was a lighting company executive. According to White’s autobiography, White’s official name is “Betty” and not “Elizabeth,” for which Betty is a common nickname, because her parents did not want their daughter to have to live with the many nicknames associated with the name Elizabeth.

When White was about 1-year old, her family moved to Alhambra, California, and once the Great Depression hit, they moved to Los Angeles, California. White attended Horace Mann Elementary School, where her interest in the performing arts first sparked. Here, she wrote and played the lead in her own play.

White attended Beverly Hills High School and graduated in 1939.

According to her Wikipedia page, White started her career immediately after graduation with local theater and modeling castings, but she put that on hold when the U.S. entered World War II in 1941.

During the war, White volunteered with American Women’s Voluntary Services, where she was a PX (post exchange) truck driver.

By Amanda Mohamad

White married her second husband, Lane Allen, in 1947, but they divorced in 1949, as White wanted to prioritize her career, but Allen wanted a family. On June 14, 1963, White married her third husband, Allen Ludden, who was the host of the game show “Password.”

White legally changed her name to Betty White Ludden and became a stepmother to Ludden’s children from a previous marriage.

The late Betty White at The TMA Heller Awards in 2015.

Photo Courtesy of AmoMama.

Additionally, White participated in troop events before their deployment. It was during this time that she met her first husband, Dick Barker, but they were divorced within a year.

When World War II ended, White went back on the scene looking for work, but she was often turned down for “not being photogenic,” so she started doing radio shows, where she read for commercials or had small parts, only to be paid $5 per show. In 1949, White was offered her own radio show, “The Betty White Show,” which she co-hosted with Al Jarvis until his departure in 1952.

In 1952, “The Betty White Show” was made into a daily talk and variety show hosted by White, which was broadcast on NBC. While the show was only on the air for two years, it left a major mark on television history, specifically due to one of White’s dancers, Arthur Duncan.

Viewers of the show that lived in southern states fought against Duncan, a Black dancer, being on the show and demanded he be fired, but White refused.

White gained even more television fame in the 1970s with her role as Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” White won two Emmy awards two years back-toback for this role. In 1975, White hosted the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and continued to do so for 10 years.

From 1985-1992, White starred as Rose Nylund in the sitcom “The Golden Girls.” After just one season, White won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, and she was nominated for the same award every year of the show’s run. “The Golden Girls” ran seven seasons and follows four divorced or widowed women. Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Rose (White), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), and Sophia (Estelle Getty) all lived together in Miami, Florida After the end of “The Golden Girls,” White mostly pursued guest roles on a variety of television shows. Her career started to resurge when she starred alongside Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in the romantic comedy movie “The Proposal.” White also made another major mark in television history at 88-years-old as the oldest host to date of “Saturday Night Live” in 2010, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

Update on the Pandemic According to Insider, White originally wanted to pursue a career as a forest ranger, as she gained an interest in wildlife when her family would vacation to Sierra, Nevada.

However, in the 1930s, women were not allowed to become forest rangers.

This did not stop White from leading a philanthropic life to help animals in need.

According to IMDb, White worked in support of animal welfare throughout her life for organizations such as the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, Actors and Others for Animals, and the African Wildlife Foundation. White was a member of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association from 1974 until her death and donated $100,000 to the zoo in April 2008.

White died peacefully in her home on Dec. 31, 2021. She died only three days after People magazine released a cover story with the headline “Betty White Turns 100!”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, White spent most of her time in her home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California and out of the spotlight.

Carol Burnett, a good friend of White’s, told People, “I spoke to Betty’s assistant, who was with her when she passed, and she said the very last word out of her mouth was ‘Allen.’” Allen Ludden died of stomach cancer in 1981, and White never remarried. On Jan. 11, 2022, White’s autopsy and official cause of death revealed that she suffered a stroke six days before her death.

White’s career spanned about 80 years, which is an impressive feat for anyone in the entertainment industry! White’s kindness to those inside and outside of the industry was inspirational and will forever be remembered. Thank you for being OUR friend, Betty.

A Prick of Blood

By Emma Galgano

Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty on four counts of wire fraud due to a fraud investigation of her company Theranos. Theranos was a privately held corporation founded by Elizabeth Holmes, who served as the chairperson and the CEO of the company.

The purpose of Theranos was to eliminate the large needles and tubes of blood required to operate standard diagnostic devices. The company claimed that with a prick of blood, Theranos could run hundreds of diagnostic tests at once on their machine called “Edison.” However, these claims were later proven false.

According to CNN Business, these four charges include one count of conspiracy to defraud investors and three wire fraud counts tied to specific investors.

Holmes attended Stanford University in 2002, where she

studied chemical engineering and worked as a student researcher and laboratory assistant in the School of Engineering. In March 2004, she dropped out of Stanford University and used her tuition money as seed funding for Theranos. Holmes filed her first patent application for a wearable drug-delivery patch at the end of her freshman year.

According to BBC, Holmes pitched the idea of using equipment that would eliminate needles to her medicine professor Phyllis Gardner at Stanford University. Gardener responded, “I don’t think your idea is going to work,” explaining it was impossible to do what Holmes claimed could be done. Gardener explained that to use the technology Holmes wanted, there would have to be more than a droplet of blood.

Several other expert medical professors gave Holmes the same opinion as Gardner. However,

Holmes did not relent, and she succeeded in getting her advisor and dean at the School of Engineering, Channing Robertson, to back her idea.

Holmes stood out to the world with not just her innovative idea but also with her appearance.

Holmes was an admirer of Apple founder Steve Jobs and portrayed that inspiration by copying his style of always wearing a black turtleneck.

Also, during Holmes’s public appearances, she spoke in a deep baritone voice. Former Theranos colleagues claimed that the deep voice she used was just an act and that her voice was a more common high-pitched female voice.

By the end of 2010, Theranos had more than $92 million in venture capital. This led to Holmes being introduced to former Secretary of State George Shultz, who joined

Reports

By Jonah Weinstock

On Feb. 11, 2020, The World Health Organization announced the official name for the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) called COVID-19. The virus was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China. Professor David Macdonald of Oxford University, said, “the virus is believed to have come from bats that were being sold at wet markets in Wuhan.”

According to Worldometer, as of Jan. 18, 2021, there are approximately 320 million people around the world who have COVID-19, and about 5.5 million people who have died from it.

COVID-19 comes from a big family of different viruses known as coronaviruses. Most recently, two variants of Coronavirus have mutated into existence: Delta and Omicron.

In December 2020, the Delta variant was discovered in India when a volatile outbreak evolved.

According to the National Center for Science Education, “By the end of August 2021, Delta made up more than 99% of US cases, replacing all previous circulating streams.”

On Nov. 26, 2021, The World Health Organization identified a new variant of concern and named it Omicron on Nov. 30.

A Prick of Blood cont. from pg. 4

Theranos slowly went downhill when they announced a partnership with Walgreens in 2013.

What excited customers about Theranos was that they could order diagnostic tests without doctor approval.

When customers went to Walgreens to get the diagnostic tests that they ordered, most of the time, the Walgreens workers would use needles, needing to retrieve way more than a single drop of blood.

Customers began to complain and became confused, because Theranos’s whole concept was that they only needed “a drop of blood.”

The bombshell that sped up the downfall of Theranos was because of John Carreyrou, a writer for the Wall Street Journal. After Carreyrou received interviews and hints from former medical experts that worked for Theranos, he began a monthlong investigation.

Co-founder of Theranos, Elizabeth Holems modeling for Forbes magazine.

Photo Courtesy of Forbes.

the board of directors of Theranos.

According to Business Insider, William Perry (former Secretary of defense), Henry Kissenger (former Secretary of State), David Boies (American lawyer), and many more powerful and wealthy Americans sat on the Theranos board of directors.

A Prick of Blood cont. on pg. 5

Scientists working for Theranos employees anonymously sent over company documents. They stated that the “Edison” device gave inaccurate results, revealing that the company had been using commercially available machines manufactured by other companies for most of its testing.

Due to these speculations, Holmes was charged with 11 counts of fraud. Many investors became angry and disappointed with Holmes.

Alan Eisenman, a Texas businessman and Theranos investor said, “I think

The Omicron variant was noticed when The California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health confirmed a case of COVID-19 in an individual. A person was traveling from South Africa and arrived in the United States on Nov. 22, 2021. Both Delta and Omicron are impacting millions of people worldwide.

What are some of the differences between these two variants?

One of the main differences is that the Omicron variant is much more transmissible than the Delta variant.

In December 2021, the Omicron variant reached a high spike in COVID-19 cases in the Houston area, according to The Texas Medical Center Dashboard. The weekly average of new positive cases on a daily rate was 5,390 during Christmas week.

The Delta variant took three times as long to reach a peak over the summer. Omicron has a higher number of mutations than Delta.

Omicron has about 50 mutations, while Delta has about half of that.

While Omicron causes less severe illness than Delta, the symptoms are more or less the same: headache, sore throat, cough, and fatigue, “The infections of Omicron are milder if you are vaccinated and have had your booster,” says Dr. William Schnaffer, an epidemiologist at the Vanderbilt University Medical there was business fraud. I think that I was lied to and taken advantage of.” His anger is derived from him losing $1.2 million from his Theranos investments.

Holmes’s trial began Sept.

8, 2021, after four delays. The most recent delay was because Holmes revealed she was pregnant. Holmes gave birth to her first child in July 2021.

According to NPR, Holmes took the witness stand for more than 20 hours to defend herself.

She accused her ex-boyfriend and former deputy at Theranos, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, of sexual abuse, which clouded her judgment.

Holmes’s jury returned guilty verdicts on four charges, not guilty on four charges, and a “mistrial” on three others. Holmes’ sentencing will take place Sep. 26, 2022.

As the jury handed down its decisions, Holmes appeared stoic, showing little emotion and looking straight ahead. After the verdict was read, she went directly to her family.

Holmes faces up to 20 years and $250,000 in prison, and the fact that her trial commanded so much attention doesn’t help her. Holmes’s trial has shocked the world and has changed the way people look at medical technology.

Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He also claims, “What we haven’t seen yet is a substantial body of information about what Omicron will do to unvaccinated people.”

Omicron also has a shorter incubation time than Delta. “Omicron now takes as little time as three days in order for all those symptoms to appear,” says Dr. Waleed Javaid the director of infection prevention and control at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “People with Omicron may report that they have symptoms like nausea, but their loss of taste and smell is less severe than with Delta.”

a virologist at the University of Cambridge, conducted a study that concluded, “Omicron does a worse job of infecting lung cells because the virus cannot grab onto an important protein on the lung’s surface.”

No matter what strain of COVID-19 one might have, all strains are considered upper respiratory illnesses. Getting vaccinated and following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines such as hand-washing, social distancing, testing, wearing masks, and quarantining, are the best ways to protect oneself against Delta, Omicron, or any other COVID-19 variant.

According to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Omicron was found to be 2.7 to 3.7 times as infectious as the Delta variant among vaccinated people. Although cases continue to skyrocket, Omicron is causing fewer severe cases and hospitalizations.

According to the website “Our World of Data,” there were 119,661 patients hospitalized with Omicron in the United States as of Jan. 6, surpassing the record high Delta wave of 97,811, and approaching last winter’s peak of 133, 268.

The ongoing crisis between Delta and Omicron.

Image Courtesy of NBC 10 Philadelphia.

While Delta and Omicron have many of the same symptoms, Omicron appears to cause less damage in the lungs. Dr. Ravi Gupta, Basketball cont. from Cover

There is no doubt that the boys will come back and start making their run for the Housatonic Valley Athletic League (HVAL) championship. As of early January, their overall record is 1-1, but since Storm King is not an HVAL team, Harvey’s HVAL record stands 1-0.

During practice, the boys improve their skills and condition to be the best. They start with dribbling, stretching, and a layup drill. Next, they go through their different plays to utilize in games. You would be tired just from looking at how much running they do.

Finally, since Hildebrandt is a captain, he shows his leadership by trying to earn the team’s respect. He said, “When it comes to leadership, I’m not the type of guy who’s giving the team motivational speeches all the time. I have always tried to lead by example, and once I get back on the court this season, it will be something I make an effort to do.”

Coach Arnautovic said the strongest thing about the team is “the competitive spirit, great attitude, and they are willing to work for each other.” Go Cavs!

Charlie Hildebrandt, one of the team’s captains, is a senior who has played on varsity since sophomore year. Hildebrant has been out with a finger injury, missing the first two games of the season, but he is itching to get back in.

Hildebrandt commented on his team, saying, “I feel like the level of talent of the team is higher than any other year I have been at Harvey.” He feels optimistic that the team will make it far this season just by getting better and taking everything one day at a time.

The team huddled up at their game against Storm King.

Photo Courtesy of Harvey School Communicaitions.

Sports News

Sports News

Page 6

Justin Jaques Headed to Hartford As of Nov. 16, 2021, The Harvey School has another Division I collegiate athletic commitment.

Senior Justin Jaques has signed with University of Hartford to play lacrosse. Justin started playing lacrosse at Harvey in seventh grade and quickly became a consistent force for the team. Throughout his years at Harvey, Justin has become an incredible player on the lacrosse field and an intelligent individual in the classroom.

When interviewed by The Pulse, Justin explained that his connection with University of Hartford began at a recruiting event. He reached out to them, and they asked him to come to their prospect camp.

Justin stated, “It all went uphill from there,” and soon after, they gave him a verbal offer.

In addition to his devotion to the Harvey team, Justin has played for club teams outside of school. He explained, “You’re getting presented with some of the best talent around the nation.” He credited club lacrosse for helping to shape his mindset on the field.

By Dan Gasch

Justin continued, “You’re going to mess up a lot, but even if you mess up, it doesn’t matter, because you have to keep playing.

People will forget if you make a bad play if you make an even better one the next play.” In addition, he added that “Talent means nothing. You need to go out every day and work your heart and soul out.”

The Pulse asked, “What would you say to a younger lacrosse player?” Justin stated, “I think that when kids hear they’re not talented, it immediately means they should give up, and that’s obviously not the case.”

Justin credited Harvey lacrosse coach and teacher Mr. Jason Hill for helping the team remain consistent regardless of the roster size. Justin stated, “He’s a very good coach. No matter how many players we had on the team, he’d always make the best of it.” While talking about his time with the Harvey lacrosse program, Justin went on to say, “Overall, it was a good experience, and I made a lot of new friends.”

Mr. Hill had glowing things to say about Justin. Mr. Hill stated, “Justin is a great player who knows the game well. Also, as a freshman, he stepped up and became a leader very early on.” Mr. Hill also noted that Justin put in a lot of work outside of the season, from which he gained a lot of experience.

Throughout his lacrosse career, Justin has looked up to professional lacrosse player Lyle Thompson. According to Justin, Thompson grew up on a Native American reservation and did not have many resources. However, Thompson found ways to practice, sometimes even using elements from nature in place of expensive equipment.

An Overview of 2021 in the UFC

cited for his time at Hartford, saying, “It felt like home when I stepped on campus.”

Justin was able to get to this point through hard work and dedication to his sport. Next fall, Hartford will be gaining an impressive lacrosse player and a well-respected individual. The Pulse wishes Justin luck in the next chapter of his life!

When it came to making the decision to sign with Hartford, Justin stated multiple reasons. From a lacrosse aspect, he said, “I really bonded well with the team, and I could tell that the coach really knows how to develop his players.”

Off the field, Justin is looking forward to joining the school’s computer science program. Justin also made it clear that he is very ex-

Harvey lacrosse player, Justin Jaques.

Image Courtesy of ACZ Visuals.

Intensity on Ice

By Spencer Elkind A lot of sports are simply unplayable during the winter here in New York. On account of the freezing cold and snow, many of the most popular sports such as baseball, football, and golf postponed their professional seasons. Meanwhile, other sports like basketball and tennis are forced to move indoors.

However, there is a sport that was specifically engineered to be played during the winter season: hockey. And following the always eventful COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many sports to shut down permanently, the Harvey varsity hockey team is finally back.

When it comes to hockey, teamwork is more important than anything else. To ensure the team runs smoothly and efficiently, a good coach is essential to steer the ship and motivate the players to perform at their best.

Our current head hockey coach is Mr. Alex Morse, and The Pulse was fortunate enough to interview him about what makes the hockey team unique and special, especially after a yearlong absence.

What makes Mr. Morse effective is that he isn’t just a hockey coach, he’s also an avid hockey fan. He described the first time he remembered being interested in the sport at a very young age. He stated, “I’ve been interested since I was two or three, and my father used to be a hockey coach.”

and we’ve been able to hang out really well.” He went on to state that he hoped many of those one-goal losses could shift into one-goal wins.

So, that leads to the most important question: How far can this team go? As far as Mr. Morse is concerned, they have a shot at going all the way, but it’s not going to be easy. They have 11 more games left to play as of the time this article was written.

If the younger players are able to step up and become more of a force to be reckoned with, Harvey might have a shot at going far and potentially becoming a championship contender. However, Mr. Morse emphasized the fact that that possibility is most likely a long shot, and they have a ways to go.

Hockey is a difficult and intense sport. But after a yearlong absence and a rough start, it seems like things are finally looking up for Harvey’s hockey team. Sure, it’ll be difficult, but under the leadership of Mr. Morse, the team has a shot at living up to their champion-level predecessors.

Of course, running not just a hockey team, but any sports team requires a huge commitment. Mr. Morse stated, “Most people don’t understand how much time and effort goes into preparing for practice and traveling.

Sometimes I don’t get home from school until after 9 p.m.” And that’s only half of what the role requires. According to him, keeping the team motivated is a huge challenge as well.

Another big impact on the team has obviously been the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This is actually the first year since COVID-19 started when it’s been safe to have a team, and according to Mr. Morse, that had a big impact on the state of the team.

In the twoyear hiatus, many of the most experienced or skilled players graduated or just didn’t have a senior-year season. Now the team has just a handful of returning players alongside a whole new batch of novice players ready to earn their stripes.

As of Jan. 13, 2022, the Harvey hockey team has played four games and lost three of them. However, Mr. Morse was able to shed new light on the exact circumstances of their three losses.

Mr. Morse explained that the team had been “very competitive, even though we’re one and three. All three of those losses were very close,

Page 7

An intense battle on the ice as Harvey fought its way to a 2020 HVAL championship.

Photo Courtesy of Harvey Communications.

2021 was a widely productive year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the biggest mixed martial arts organization in the world. The company has been steadily gaining popularity across the globe since it was founded in 1993.

This past year was no different, as the UFC hosted many successful events that brought in new fans.

The first major event of the year, UFC 257, was held Jan. 23, 2021, and it featured the return of megastar Connor McGregor in a highly anticipated rematch with lightweight contender Dustin Poirier.

In addition, the card featured the debut of entertaining lightweight Michael Chandler. The card was a major success, selling around 1.6 million pay-per-view buys and setting up a trilogy fight between McGregor and Poirier after Poirier scored a knockout victory, evening the two at one win each.

On April 24, the UFC returned to a sold-out arena for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fights were held at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

When asked by a reporter what it was like to have fans in the arena again, UFC president Dana White stated, “There’s just a different energy you get when people are here.

And tonight was amazing.” After the return of fans, the UFC held fights wherever they could, traveling to Madison Square Garden, Houston, Texas, and even Yas Bay Arena in Abu Dhabi.

By Dan Gasch

Although the UFC hosted many incredible fights in 2021, nothing was more jaw-dropping than the last pay-per-view of the year: UFC 269. According to the UFC, the card was headlined by major title fights in the women’s bantamweight division (135 lbs) and the men’s lightweight division (155 lbs).

In preparation for this article, The Pulse interviewed upand-coming mixed martial artist and Harvey student Isaac Akrongold, who is a UFC superfan. Since he is a fighter himself, The Pulse asked him which UFC fighter he looks up to most. His answer was lightweight Michael Chandler.

Looking to the future, Isaac is anticipating McGregor’s next fight. McGregor is recovering from a broken leg he suffered in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July and will not be able to step into the octagon until this summer at the earliest.

The women’s bantamweight title had champion and UFC legend Amanda Nunes, who is widely regarded as the greatest female fighter of all time, taking on Julianna Peña, who was ranked the No. 4 contender within the division at the time. The odds makers had Nunes as an almost 10-1 favorite, but shockingly Peña defeated Nunes in just the second round of the fight.

The first round was not close, with Nunes dominating and seemingly in control of all aspects of the fight. Once the bell rang for the start of round two, it was a completely different fight. Peña started to find success with her hands, and after connecting on a barrage of punches, she landed a crucial takedown. Seconds later, the fight was over, with Peña submitting Nunes with a rear naked choke.

In the main event, champion Charles Olivera took on No. 1 contender Dustin Poirier. Despite Olivera being the champion, the odds were in favor of the challenger due to his impressive resume and recent success. Regardless of the odds, Olivera was able to get a third- round finish using his incredible jiu-jitsu skills to secure a submission.

In addition, when talking about the fight with Gaethje, which was Isaac’s favorite fight this year, he stated, “These two gladiators were destined to cross paths at some point… I had the privilege of watching it live, and I felt like I was going to have a heart attack from the excitement the fight brought.”

Michael Chandler moments before his fight with Justin Gaethje.

Photo Courtesy of mma fighting.com

In just his first year in the UFC, Chandler instantly became a fan favorite after a knockout win in his first fight within the organization.

He went on to fight for the championship, and he was a part of one of the best fights of the year with Justin Gaethje. Despite coming up short in both bouts, Chandler did not lose any fans, showing off his toughness in both fights.

Isaac stated, “Chandler is more than a role model to me; he is a hero. Losing to Charles Olivera and handling that high profile failure only to bounce back and have a fight of the year with Gaethje is a true demonstration of grit and perseverance.”

When McGregor does come back, he will undoubtedly have the attention of all UFC fans. Possible opponents for McGregor include Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier, or another high ranked contender, if he is looking to pursue a championship.

Going into 2022, there will certainly be some huge moments with many events already booked for the new year. In addition, some of the best divisions in the sport such as men’s bantamweight, men’s lightweight, and women’s bantamweight should have crucial fights in the near future.

2021 will go down as an incredible year in a rapidly evolving sport that continues to grow seemingly every time the UFC hosts a fight. Hopefully, 2022 will carry the momentum of 2021 for the UFC, and fans will get treated to another year of outstanding fights.

The Final “Strike” As the news fearfully predicted, the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that governs 2017 through 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons has expired without a new CBA. Owners and players were unable to come to terms with a new CBA by the time the current agreement expired. To stop the destruction of the union and preempt a players’ strike during the season, owners locked out the players on Dec. 2, 2021. The 2021 lockout marked the first work stoppage in nearly three decades.

According to ESPN, one common mistake about the recent MLB lockout is that it is not technically a strike. It is, by definition, a lockout, since it was initiated by the management of a company during a labor dispute. The lockout prevents players from using team facilities and free agents from signing new contracts until a new agreement is reached.

As stated by Dodger Blue, the 1994-95 strike was the longest in MLB history. It lasted 232 days and made the most significant impact. It forced the sport to cancel 948 games, including the 1994 postseason, making MLB the first American professional sports league to lose playoffs over labor struggles.

By Emma Galgano

The team owners voted unanimously to lock out the players and trigger the league’s first work stoppage since 1994-95, as stated by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to reporters. CBS Sports stated that though the lockout coincided with the CBA’s expiration, it should be noted that negotiations could have continued without shutting down the league.

Manfred alleged the league did not observe a sense of urgency from the MLB Players Association to make a deal. Manfred claimed that locking out the players was the owners’ way of applying “pressure” on the union and making progress in negotiations.

The CBA is the agreement between the MLB Players Association and MLB itself. It describes the rules of employment and the financial structure of the game. This leads to the question: Will the MLB have a salary cap?

The Pulse had the opportunity to interview Michael Sciacchitano, a baseball player for the New York Black Sox in the men’s league Hudson Valley National Adult Baseball Association. Before that position, Sciacchitano also played baseball for Ketcham High School,

a team that won section titles and a state title in 2005.

The Pulse asked Sciacchitano if he believes the MLB should have a salary cap. He stated, “I think eventually the MLB will have to set a salary cap in the future, because in this current market, the offers seem to be getting out of hand.

For example, the Mets are paying an outrageous amount for players like Scherzer, who is still good but toward the end of his career.”

Major League Baseball lockout causes a stoppage in all MLB activity.

Photo Courtesy to Charles Rex Arbogast.

Sciacchitano continued, “Francisco Lindor was given a 10-year $341 million contract as a shortstop. Lindor paved the way for other star shortstops to sign upward of $340 million contracts. Also, shortstop Corey Seager for the Texas Rangers was offered a 10-year $325 million contract. This eventually

could lead to other positions feeling the same way, with teams overspending.”

Payroll disparities often highlight the difference between contenders and rebuilders in the MLB. For example, the Dodgers carried a payroll above $260 million this year, but the Pirates were at $50 million.

This led to the league reportedly proposing a salary floor. A large chunk of Major League players come from the first 60 picks in the draft, so there is much value from receiving top picks.

According to USA Today, the league also proposed making players eligible for free agency at 29 ½ years old. Lastly, the league wants to find more value in free agency.

MLB’s 125 highest-paid players’ mean salary dipped from $18.9 million in 2020 to $18.4 million in 2021. The league’s luxury tax has essentially turned into a salary cap for most teams. As of Dec. 16, 2021, the MLB has not come to an agreement on the CBA.

Reviews

Country in the City A Concert Review By Bradley Lederer

When You Are “Home Alone” A LEGO Review By Dylan Gueli In another room on the bottom floor, you will see the dinner table with the record player in the corner. Finally, on the exterior of the bottom floor, you will see very welldesigned LEGO Christmas lights and the statue that the pizza guy always runs over.

On Nov. 29, 2021, country singer Luke Combs hosted a concert at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City. Throughout the show, Combs performed hit songs like “Better Together,” “Cold as You,” and “Hurricane,” performing to a sold-out crowd of country music fans.

This concert was the second to last stop on his tour, What You See Is What You Get. The tour concluded at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on Dec. 3. Combs posted on his Instagram @lukecombs, thanking the audiences from Boston and New York City for a great sold-out concert.

The opening acts of the concert at MSG were performed by other country artists Ray Fulcher and Ashley McBryde. Both artists brought a good taste of what the main concert was going to be like. Fulcher was the first act of the night and got the crowd going early.

The second act was by Ashley McBryde. McBryde had great energy throughout her performance, which really got fans out of their seats, dancing and singing to her songs. In between acts, there was a 15-minute intermission to change the set for each artist performing. All of the sets were done with extreme precision, care, and they looked awesome while the artists were up on the stage singing.

During the concert, Luke Combs performed around 25 songs, while also singing a new hit song “Doing This,” which was released on Nov. 10, 2021. Several times during the concert, Combs stopped to talk to his fans and thank them for how supportive they have been throughout his rise in the music industry.

Combs seemed like a very humble guy throughout the concert. He frequently showed his gratitude to his fans and to those who helped him in his career. At one point in the concert, he stopped to thank his middle school music teacher, deeming them the reason he got into music.

At the concert, there were food vendors all around the stadium. Since the concert was sold out, the food lines were backed up. If you were at the concert, you would have never grown hungry with the amount of food there.

According to fellow Pulse writer Dan Gasch, who attended the concert with me, the food and merchandise were overpriced.

With approximately 20 thousand people in attendance, Combs seemed to please all of them with his stellar performance. At the end of the concert, when Comb’s was about to end the show, the fans were upset that he was ending it, and they encouraged him to play one more song. Combs, being the generous person he is, took extra time out of his night to perform an encore for his fans.

Personally, as someone who had never attended a Luke Combs concert before this one, I really enjoyed his songs, especially “Hurricane.” That song is extremely catchy, and I found the performance during that particular song to be a lot of fun. Another song which I enjoyed was “1, 2 Many.” During that performance, Combs stopped the music and let the audience sing part of the song.

Also, after so many months without live music due to COVID-19, I really appreciated the band’s energy. They were spectacular all night long.

Overall, the concert was really well done, and it was put together in a ay where it felt welcoming to all fans across the New York area. As someone who just got into country music myself, this concert changed the way I think about the genre, and it opened my eyes to more country singers, country songs, and hopefully more country concerts to come.

Page 8

Open “Home Alone” LEGO set featuring all of its rooms.

Photo Courtesy of Dylan Gueli.

Many people think LEGO makes toys that only children play with, but now LEGO is drifting toward producing LEGO for all ages. LEGO has become more of a product marketed to adults who collect.

The “Home Alone” LEGO was designed by Alex Strozhuk and was released Nov. 1, 2021. This set costs $250. It is based on the “Home Alone” movie which was released in 1990 and is an iconic film that is loved by many people. It contained lots of scenes that ended up being brought into the LEGO set.

The “Home Alone” movie is about 8-year-old Kevin McAllister, played by Macaulay Culkin, who was accidentally left home alone when his family traveled to France for Christmas. There were two robbers in Kevin’s town, so he had to create all of these plans to trap the robbers and stop them, many of which are featured in the LEGO set.

The iconic scene where a cutout of NBA player Michael Jordan was spinning on the train to pretend Kevin’s family was still home with him was put into this LEGO set, and it moves. There was also the famous scene where Kevin imagines the furnace opening and trying to eat him, which is replicated in this LEGO set. All the favorite scenes from the movie were put into this LEGO, making it look like the movie has come to life.

There are multiple bags that come in this large build, and a certain amount corresponds to a part of the house. There are three floors you build and then put together. Within each floor, there is an interior design that you build that shows the same furniture as the movie.

The upper floor of the “Home Alone” set contains Buzz’s (Kevin’s older brother) bedroom, where Kevin goes to take his money and collapses the shelves. The way to collapse the shelves is to pull a different lever on the back.

On the other side of the house, you see Kevin’s parents’ room, where he hides and jumps on the bed while eating popcorn.

Then finally, you have the bathroom, which is really fun, because this is when Kevin acts like an adult in the bathroom using all the products and singing.

Finally, you have the attic where Kevin had to sleep as a punishment for misbehaving the night before. In this part of the LEGO set, you may notice the blueprint plans he had created to stop the robbers sitting on a bed. Also, you have a treehouse outside where Kevin connects a zipline to escape from the robbers at the end of the movie.

The “Home Alone” LEGO set is one of the best ones on the market. There are lots of little details when the set is complete that it stand out. Compared to all my other builds, the “Home Alone” set is probably the most enjoyable set to build and look at because the whole set can open up, making you able to see the it all easily.

Is this LEGO worth the cost? Well, if you really like LEGO, you are getting a lot for the price.

There are many LEGO sets that cost way more and don’t have as much, such as The Daily Bugle. For its price, the “Home Alone” set has a giant house and well-detailed movement.

So, yes, the “Home Alone” LEGO set is so worth the cost! If you want a higher-end LEGO, go for this set! I rate this LEGO a 9.5/10 for all these reasons.

Reviews

2021 Movies: Year in Review

By Spencer Elkind It is no secret that 2020 was a year that changed everything. Many activities we take for granted and once enjoyed on a daily basis became deadly superspreader events. That includes the simple act of going to the cinema.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all the major films that were set to come out in 2020 were pushed to 2021 and beyond. Therefore, 2021 was always going to be a huge year for movies, both for excited fans and nervous studios. Each month, new content was released for us to enjoy.

During the first two months of 2021, January and February, a huge winter surge of COVID-19 was still taking place, keeping people separate and preventing movies from getting off the ground. These two months were dominated by art films like “Nomadland,” “Minari,” and “Malcolm and Marie.”

Meanwhile, Warner Brothers instituted their 2021 film plans to release all their content in hybrid releases on HBO Max and in theaters.

The box office finally began showing signs of life in March. Disney dropped their 59th animated feature, “Raya and the Last Dragon,” in a hybrid release on March 5. Despite also premiering on Disney+, it defeated the sci-fi movie “Chaos Walking” at the box office and recuperated its $100 million budget.

Warner Brothers dominated the later part of the month, debuting “Zack Synder’s Justice League” on March 18. Exclusively on HBO Max, the R-rated director’s cut was well-received by fans who had campaigned for its release. On March 31, the long-awaited monster movie “Godzilla vs. Kong” also arrived on HBO Max in a hybrid format. It grossed $463 million, becoming the highest-grossing American movie since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

April was another quiet month for the box office mainly dominated by the continued success of “Godzilla vs. Kong.” On April 23, Warner Brothers released “Mortal Kombat” in another hybrid release. It remains HBO Max’s most viewed streaming title and grossed $125 million.

The next month opened with “The Wrath of Man” on May 7, which grossed $100 million and seemed to show that May would be another strong month for theaters. The horror movie “Spiral” and Netflix-exclusive zombie thriller “Army of the Dead” both arrived on May 14, but neither succeeded in drawing much attention.

Everything changed on May 28, however, with Paramount’s long-awaited horror sequel “A Quiet Place 2,” and Disney’s crime thriller “Cruella.”

Both of these movies would be huge successes, with “Cruella” grossing $230 million, while “A Quiet Place 2” grossed $300 million against a $60 million budget, becoming the biggest success of the COVID-19 era.

Those movies continued to dominate into June, outdoing the horror sequel “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” and movie musical “In the Heights.” The month ended with “F9,” the 10th installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, which grossed $725 million and topped the COVID-19 box office. In July, theaters began their return as massive movies began to drop one after the other. This included horror movies like “The Forever Purge,” thrillers like “Old” and “The Green Knight,” and family movies such as “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and “Jungle Cruise.”

However, the highlight was the return of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “Black Widow.” Despite dropping on Disney+ in a hybrid release, it grossed $390 million and brought Marvel back in epic fashion.

August opened in epic fashion with James Gunn’s R-rated DC movie “The Suicide Squad,” which crashed at the box office but soared on HBO Max. Fear of the newly emerging Delta variant meant only one other movie, the sci-fi comedy “Free Guy,” really got off the ground, grossing $330 million.

In September, the Delta variant led many studios to consider more delays, but those fears faded when Marvel released their 25th feature film, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” Grossing $430 million, “Shang-Chi” broke multiple pre-pandemic records and restored faith among studios.

October began with Sony’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” which shattered expectations and grossed $485 million, marking October as another big month. One week later, the 25th James Bond film “No Time to Die” ended the modern Bond era, unseating “F9” with a $730 million profit. Other releases this month include horror movies like “Halloween Kills” and “Antlers,” as well as the historical epic “The Last Duel.” The month closed with the sci-fi epic “Dune,” which made $380 million.

November opened with “Eternals,” Marvel’s newest movie, earning $390 million. As we entered Thanksgiving, the box office was dominated by the drama film “House of Gucci,” “Ghostbusters Afterlife,” and “Encanto,” Disney’s 60th animated feature.

And now we enter December. We expected the big releases to continue. Among them were the movie musical “West Side Story,” the long-awaited fourth movie in the Matrix saga, and the animated movies “Rumble” and “Sing 2.”And of course, we can’t forget “Spider-Man, No Way Home.” The hype for this movie is unlike anything seen in a while, and it could potentially be the first billion-dollar movie since the pandemic.

(Update: As of January 3rd, 2022, “Spider-Man, No Way Home” has grossed $1.4 billion, more than any other film in the last two years.)

So now, after an off-year where big movies really couldn’t get off the ground, it seems like the tides are turning in 2021. However, it’s still going to require more time to get things back to normal, and we’re all hoping 2022 will bring bigger movies and better profits for studios (“The Batman,” anyone?).

The set contains 24 bags, and each bag builds a certain amount of the set. There is a pretty big book to use when you are trying to put the LEGO together, but it is easy to read and follow.

Luke Combs performing at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Photo courtesy of Sounds Like Nashville

In one room on the bottom of the house, you have the train and the Michael Jordan build, along with the Christmas tree and the stockings.

The moving train gets controlled by a handle on the outside that you can twist.

Page 9

What is most likely the biggest movie of the year, “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Image Courtesy of IMDb.