Transitioning from high school to college is scary. For most, the financial obligations that come with housing, meal prep, transportation, and access to school materials, can take a lot of work to balance as a new college student.  For this, FAFSA, a federal student financial aid application, is the key to covering the financial expenses of the new academic year. Depending on income, students can...

When it comes to the horror genre, there have been only about a dozen Thanksgiving-themed horror movies created,  compared to 150 Christmas, Halloween, and St. Patrick’s Day horror movies. So, when I first saw the trailer for Thanksgiving ( “There will be no leftovers”), I was very intrigued. Director Eli Roth adapted the idea for this movie from his fake trailer that aired 16 years ago,...

I've never been a huge fan of podcasts, but more into watching videos or listening to music. The podcasts I've seen on my TikTok feed or online don't catch my attention because most of them are older people discussing news topics that don't interest me, and overall the idea of podcast’s seemed boring. Around a year ago I saw a clip of a podcast, a group of friends on my TikTok for you page talking...

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, world-renowned pop sensation, released her country-inspired album on March 29th, 2024. Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s 8th studio album, is the follow-up album to her house-inspired album Renaissance which topped the charts upon being released, its accompanying tour, The Renaissance Tour, virtually selling out every venue it played, spanning multiple cities, states, countries,...

It’s never easy when a teacher has to miss a day or two, and it’s even more difficult when a teacher has to miss several months. Following Pulido’s maternity leave, there was a need for someone to come in and guide  Pulido’s English 12 and Theater 1-2 and 3-4 classes, as well as be an advisor for the drama club. Fortunately, there was no other person better for the job than former Alisal English...

  Social media has become accessible to anyone, anywhere; and has become the perfect feeding ground for hate speech and misogyny to thrive. Labeled under the title of “alpha males,” they describe themselves as strong, confident, assertive, and in control, able to lead and inspire their peers while maintaining power. Additionally, alpha male influencers spread misogynistic views to encourage...

For many seniors, the end of the school year gets them thinking - What’s the next step when we start adulthood after high school?  Many will go to college or to trade school, the military, work in the family business, and others just decide to take a break from school and see what the next step in their lives is.  For those who follow the traditional way, going to college offers an opportunity...

This year the art teachers have been working towards getting more events for students interested in the creative arts field. A big event that took place was the Carmel Art Association Annual Youth Exhibition and Competitor called For The Love of Art where students were able to display their work for the public to see. The main steps that the teachers were looking for were juniors and seniors with...

From being one of the most hated pre-debut groups, ILLIT officially debuted at #10 on the Top World 200.  ILLIT is a South Korean girl group under Belift Lab, a sub-label of Hybe. The group is composed of five-members: Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, and Iroha.  Formed through the JTBC reality show "R U Next?” and originally as six, they released their mini album, Super Real Me, on March 25,...

The majority of college students are barely making enough money to live off. This situation has gotten even worse, due to the cost of living and soaring inflation. It will take financial knowledge to be able to maneuver the transition into adulthood as successfully as we can.  Currently, most California high schools don’t teach financial literacy, which is a big issue. Mainly, because financial...

PROM SEASON, with the stress of buying a dress or renting a tux, the promposals, the memories of getting ready and going out to eat, and the memories you will make at the dance. It is now time to start preparing  The Prom Expo was held on April 5th. It was an opportunity for students to see dresses, tuxedos, corsages and boutonnieres, and a limo by local businesses to get ideas for prom.  To...

Have you ever questioned the meaning of life? Have you ever asked yourself what your purpose in life is? I know I have, I also know there is no simple answer to these questions. Luckily, we are not alone. Crossroad Connections provides a safe place where people can discuss these kinds of questions with others who are also questioning these topics.      You might be wondering: what is Crossroad...

Sculpted waist, clear skin, and having a tone body are beauty standards that apply to both men and women. Beauty standards can also be defined as, “A set of values applied to the appearance of both men and women to be regarded as beautiful and handsome in order to rightly fit in the community”. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but our ideals on beauty and what we find attractive...

Total solar eclipses occur once every two to three years. Usually in the middle of nowhere like Antarctica and Greenland. Very rarely does it pass through a populous center, and very rarely does it pass through North America. The last time North America got a solar eclipse was in 2017 and if you think, “well, that’s pretty recent…”, the last solar eclipse before that was in 1979.  39 solar...

If you’ve ever watched a spy movie, or spy comedy, you know that things aren’t always what they seem. Argylle is a spy action-comedy film directed by Matthew Vaughn. Argylle stars Bryce Dallas, John Cena, Dua Lipa, Henry Cavill, and Sam Rockwell.  The movie starts out with secret agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) infiltrating a club where he goes up to a dressed up LaGrange (Dua Lipa) and begins...

Resurrected from her four-year hiatus from music, Ariana Grande returned to the music industry on March 8th with her highly anticipated 7th studio album, "eternal sunshine”.  Completely occupied with her role as Glinda in the film “Wicked”, Grande showed no signs of releasing music anytime soon. On the Zach Sang Show, a podcast hosted by Zach Sang, Grande revealed that “Wicked” was put...

Starting a new school year is one of the most exciting times. You get a clean slate, starting off with new teachers and new classmates, but have you ever had a teacher once and you wished to have them for more than one year?  The term looping refers to the idea of having a teacher for more than one school year. The teacher follows their students to the grade that follows. Some schools have already...

No matter where you find yourself, there are always life-changing opportunities waiting for you. In the case of math teacher Jesus Rocha, volunteering to assist as a teacher led to a completely new career path. Despite still working for his teaching credentials, he is currently co-teaching with math teacher Pedro Ramirez.  Rocha was born and raised in North County. Right after graduating from high...

Watching videos of people eating is strange, but many find it entertaining. The rise in popularity of these ‘mukbang’ videos in which people eat food on camera has been popularized on TikTok.  Lately, most TikTok food videos have all involved an overload of Red 40 and spice-filled food items. The oddest and most infamous food being eaten in these hit videos is the Chamoy Pickle Kit. The kit...

Better than Jordan? Better than Curry? How I discovered the real G.O.A.T of the NCAA basketball and why she, not Jordan or Curry, should be appreciated more in today’s world.  A huge disclaimer: I’m not a basketball guy. Before this piece, I wouldn’t watch NCAA basketball for either men or women, I wouldn’t even watch NBA beyond the Finals with my family.  However, March Madness, with...