I’ve gotten used to hearing the phrase “opposites attract,” but I never really understood it or believed it to be true until this year. Coming into freshman year, I had the most basic idea of high school stereotypes: the jocks, the nerds, the band kids, the burnouts and the popular crowd. But as time continued to move forward, my perspective on social groups completely shifted. I found myself being involved in clubs and activities that I wouldn’t have even thought of joining when I was a freshman, and was surprised that I was able to get along well with people who had very dissimilar interests than I did. Although we were as different as night and day, somehow we were able to fit together like puzzle pieces.

This year, I find myself connecting this cliche to our very unique Tom Tom staff. When I first found out we would be having separate sports and lifestyles classes this year, I thought it would be interesting to see how each class would act and work differently, considering that I thought mostly boys would take sports and mostly girls would take lifestyles. Evidently, that turned out to be very true. But what I didn’t see coming was the way that each class works in its own unique way; sports tends to be a little on the louder and more laid-back side, while still managing to do work; and lifestyles tends to be more reflective and quiet. Surprisingly, these two classes couldn’t have turned out better. Somehow we manage to work with both classes in a way that allows us to be even more productive and organized, while also figuring out how to communicate with each effectively. Although we work well together as two separate classes, our class rosters between sports and lifestyles reflect the stereotype between genders in today’s society; yet, at the same time, a constant contradiction. Although our classes tend to be more of one gender over the other, our executive team is made up of mostly women. In addition to myself and Paige Hope, the managing editor, print director Jillian Everett and digital director Rebekah Cartlidge run the show in a male-dominated class. On the flip side, print director Jason Wood and digital director Jack Connelly manage the female-dominated class. Nonetheless, we still come out with quality products between both classes.

Considering that March is Women’s History Month, the Tom Tom decided to take a stand and emphasize the importance of this month and how the women of ACHS can unite to send a strong message about women’s rights. Featured in the “N” issue is English teacher Mary Easton reenacting the iconic poster of Rosie the Riveter, which represents the true power and strength that every woman has. By scanning the purple Tom Tom circle with the Aurasma app, you’ll be able to see an inspirational message from some of our female Sequoits. Around the school today you’ll find a number of recreations of famous women’s rights posters and advertisements using members of our Sequoit community. These posters are an extension of this issue of the “N” magazine.

In our “N” magazine, you’ll find that these stories reflect the concept of “Like Night and Day” just as much as this note does. Similarly to past magazines, each feature’s headline is a cliche that starts with the letter “N.” Department editor Rachel Beckman writes about the hardships of being a student in today’s society, while staff member Haley Edwards tells the perspectives of students who struggle with overcoming their fears every day. On the opposite end of the spectrum, staff member Emma Dejong tells the tale of Sequoit students and staff who have benefitted from international travel, while department editor Gracie Bouker describes Sequoit families that come from all different kinds of backgrounds. On the brighter side, department editor Lauryn Hugener and staff member Allison Smith give the Tom Tom Tries a good ol’ twist by trying new and unique foods. From rating popular lipsticks to investigating the streaming of TV, there is a lot more to our 36-page lifestyles magazine than meets the eye.

Thank you for taking the time to read our magazine. We hope that even though our content may seem as diverse as night and day, we can provide you insight as to what it means to be an equal member of our Sequoit community.