Alexa Stone and Isabel Lindner, 11th Grade, Staff Writers  Since 2020, Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) cutoff scores for six out of the eight Specialized High Schools have decreased. Common Sense investigates possible causes for this drop in scores. Throughout the city, thousands of students annually prepare for the test, using different resources like private tutors, group prep classes, and workbooks, or they go into it blind.  Although many people value t

Ela Oksoy, Grade 11, News Editor & Veronica Mollod, Grade 11, Current Events Editor HSAS requires students to keep their phones in their lockers following the statewide phone ban.   Education Law §2803 states that all phones and other devices connected to the internet are no longer allowed in New York state schools. Common Sense investigates whether the phone ban is essential to foster social connection, or merely an unsustainable hindrance. Since its implementation in the

Syeda Ahmed Grade 10, Staff Writer and Theo Bonin, Grade 9, Staff Writer HSAS has seen fluctuating yet notable demographic shifts over the past decade, emerging as one of the more inclusive and diverse specialized high schools in New York City, with White, Asian, and Hispanic students compromising more than 20% of the student body each. Common Sense  looks at the progress made and what remains for HSAS to be on the right track.  Our school hasn’t always been the “melting po

Sebastian Kopp, Grade 9, Staff Writer Dinosaurs. Potentially the most famous and adored group of animals to ever exist. Two hundred years...

Ari Schaer, Grade 11, Staff Writer Universal Music Group (UMG) is recognized as the most prominent music group globally, representing...

Mirabelle Medwed, Grade 9, Staff Writer US News: In the Iowa caucuses, the first event of the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary,...

Ava Karaganis, Grade 10, Staff Writer Sleep is fundamental to our ability to process information in our day-to-day lives. It’s important...

Tahsan Latif, Grade 10, Staff Writer Happy Year of the Dragon! Beginning February 10 and ending February 24, families across the world...

Jack McCurry, Grade 11, Staff Writer Javier Milei is the new populist leader of Argentina. The country is home to the second largest...

Georgia Hoseman, Grade 11, Staff Writer School instagram accounts are taking over. Whether they’re related to gossip, clubs, or memes,...