![Within the U.S., the busiest shopping period of the year is Cyber Week, the time from Thanksgiving through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, shoppers spent 3.3 billion on Cyber Monday, which is a 7.3% year-over-year increase from 2023. “When I was younger, I would always be out with my mom getting Christmas gifts or just shopping in general. Now, as she has gotten older, I've noticed [that almost] every day, I'll open the front door and there's three packages that my mom has ordered. Part of that is she just doesn't always have the time to go to a store for 30 minutes to an hour, but the other part is when she gets bored, she has easy access to [shopping],” junior Grace Garetson said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/DSC_0249.JPG-1200x801.jpg)
![French teacher Marieme Toure serves a plate of the Senegalese food she prepared for her AP French Language and Culture class, to senior Faiza Syed. “I never had Senegalese food before,” Syed said. “I thought it was so cool that she was able to bring a part of her culture [and] background to us.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_0798-1200x906.jpeg)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
Katia Thomas (‘27) began her journey with Grades of Green, a nonprofit organization focused on environmental initiatives, while composting at her old school. Now, she partners with the Green Organization to continue pursuing her love for sustainability and to inspire others.
From advocacy to community projects to eco-friendly practices, Thomas engages in activities that promote environmental sustainability. She was recognized in November at The Green Organization Awards in London, where she received the Green Ambassador Award, a prestigious scholarship for students who have made valuable contributions to the sustainability sphere.
“I just want to inspire hope and get people excited about sustainability and encourage people to take action in their own lives,” Thomas said. “Whether it’s small steps or big steps, I think we can all do something to help combat the climate crisis.”
Chloe Ventura (’27), one of Thomas’s close friends, said Thomas’s passion for sustainability intersects with her belief in the value of collaboration.
“Katia really loves teamwork at Grades of Green,” Ventura said. “She has a mentor who really helps her with her projects, so she really believes teamwork is key.”
Thomas’s dedication to sustainability has also led her to work with the Green Team, a smaller unit within the Green Organization, where Thomas acted as the co-producer and script supervisor of “Green SuperHeroes 2030.” The documentary follows a group of students as they work together to fight environmental damage and protect the planet’s future.
“It’s about many kids from different places around the world who have sustainability projects or focused on climate change and are really interested in them,” Thomas said. “It’s really supposed to be a hopeful documentary, because a lot of documentaries about climate change are really sad and stressful, and they get you anxious. So we really wanted to just combat some of that anxiety and bring hope surrounding the issue.”
As with any large project, especially one that spans multiple countries to provide different perspectives, Thomas said she faced significant challenges.
“One of the biggest challenges working on the film, I’d say, was budget because you’re trying to reach out to all these people around the world and get them filmed, ” Thomas said. “We really wanted to diversify our views on the climate change issue and bring in all these different people.”
Beth Gold, faculty adviser of the Artemis Center, said Thomas’s kind, caring and positive attitude influences her peers. She said Thomas is always ready to contribute and work hard on upcoming projects.
”People are in awe of her — the high profile that she has — because she is so humble and quiet, does not self-promote … They’re inspired by her example,” Gold said. “She likes to work with others and have it feel like, you know, more can be accomplished with a group rather than a single individual.”
As a newly named Green Ambassador, Thomas said she is focused on building connections with sustainable organizations and projects around the world. She is now able to help expand these initiatives by networking on projects and upholding the organization’s green values, she said.
Thomas’s impact will only expand and present new environmental opportunities for success, Gold said.
“Passion, humility — Katia doesn’t seek the spotlight, she’s all about greening the world and empowering youth to step up,” Gold said. “For Katia, it’s not about the recognition; it’s about doing the work and making a real difference.”
This story was originally published on The Oracle on December 19, 2024.
