OPINION | Page 5 SOCIAL MEDIA CANNOT “BE REAL”?
www.TheNDBCatalyst.com
Volume 9, Issue 2
the
ARTS & LIFE | Page 8 WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE HAUNTED HOUSE?
SPORTS | Page 11 FALL SPORTS CELEBRATE SENIOR NIGHTS
CATALYST
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL
@theNDBCatalyst
1540 Ralston Avenue, Belmont, CA 94002
October 2022
NDB prepares for fall spirit events
MOLLY PHAN / THE CATALYST
ASB Spirit Director Zeina Zumot works on signs representing each of the Spirit Days to hang in the hallways. by Lauren Fitzgerald Staff Writer As the school year fades into October and students settle into their classes, NDB’s student and staffulty leaders prepare for all of the spirit activities that come during the Halloween season. The community looks forward to celebrating the annual
fall Spirit Week, Link-OWeen, Dingbat Rally and of course, Halloween. Monday, October 24 through Friday, October 28 is Spirit Week at NDB, and students will be allowed to dress up according to daily themes decided upon by ASB. On the Monday following, October 31, students will dress up in Halloween costumes in
observance of the holiday. The day will close with NDB’s annual Dingbat Rally, filled with games, cheering and surprises. “They can expect it to be similar to the Welcome Back rally but more themed for Halloween,” said ASB Spirit Director Zeina Zumot. “They [should] just come with a lot of spirit.”
tendance, seated in front of Serra HS’s award-winning band. Together, they were able to connect the music to the dances and lead the crowd through the thrilling game. The teams began warming up as nerves racked the crowd. After losing one of the team’s top players, senior Ciara Mangan, to an injury just days before the game, team members were worried about their performance on the court. Menlo came in with confidence, winning the first set 21-25. NDB, catching up, took the second set with a score of 2521. NDB lost the third set with a close score of 23-25, but they took the crown for the fourth set, 25-16. With stakes high, the NDB
by Editorial Staff
In the past, themes have been split into subcategories – either assigned to sister classes, upperclassmen versus lower classmen or an open choice. This year, the themes are Barbeque Dads vs. Soccer Moms on Monday, Babies vs. Boomers on Tuesday, Class Colors on Wednesday, Celebrity Day on Thursday and 80’s Neon on Friday.
Preparations for the week began long before the announcement of the themes. Recent developments with disciplinary measures at NDB have complicated Spirit Week, as the first two days were revoked until students were able to improve respect for the school space. “I’m super frustrated knowing all of the
anticipation and work that went into making these spirit days possible,” said ASB Activities Director Caitlynn Reynolds. However, with students motivated to regain their spirit days, behavior improved and Spirit Week is back on. Other activities planned for Spirit See FALL SPIRIT | Page 2
NDB defeats Menlo in Emergence of rainbow fentanyl in the the Dig Pink game U.S. puts children and teenagers at risk by Ashley Strain Sports Editor
On the evening of October 6, fans filled the stands of the Moore Pavilion with high energy and loads of adrenaline. The NDB Varsity Volleyball team put up a fight against Menlo School, winning the Dig Pink game. The freshmen and JV teams also won their games. Leading up to the games, the week was filled with preparation for the school-wide event. NDB students held bake sales, wore Dig Pink spirit gear and geared up for the big event. Advertised as a spirit point event, eventually won by the Dragons, NDB students were heavily influenced to attend the game and support the Tigers. The NDB Varsity Spirit Squad was also in at-
See DIG PINK| Page 11
The fentanyl crisis in the United States has drastically worsened in recent months, driven by the new production of “rainbow fentanyl,” a deadly drug seemingly targeted toward children and teenagers. Fentanyl, an extremely addictive synthetic opioid, is the world’s deadliest drug. It is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and causes around 60,000 overdose-related deaths in the U.S. annually. It is often mixed with other opioids to increase its strength and create a short-term high, and most fentanyl overdoses occur when a user takes a dose of what they believe to be heroin or cocaine, but is actually a lethal dose of fentanyl.
KATE DAVIDSON / THE CATALYST
Rainbow fentanyl is being disguised as candy, making trick or treating especially dangerous during the Halloween season. The U.S. has been in the midst of an opioid crisis for over 20 years. The number of deaths caused by opioid overdose increases annually, and the percentage of those deaths that are caused by fentanyl grows greater each year as well. In 2021, 80,000 people died from opioid overdose, and
70,000 of those deaths were fentanyl-related. As the number of fentanyl overdoses in the U.S. continues to increase, a new type of this drug entered the illegal market and poses a major threat to young generations. In August of 2022, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Admin-
istration began to find and seize “rainbow fentanyl,” a new, brightly-colored type of fentanyl. The candy-like nature of the drug puts all people, especially children and young adults, at risk of accidental ingestion and overdose. As of October See FENTANYL| Page 2