The Talon

Noel Castillo

Noel Castillo, Editor-in-Chief

Noel is a senior at SPHS, he is the current Editor-in-Chief and this is his fourth year writing for the Talon. He enjoys providing entertainment and information for others and one way he can do both is getting the scoop on people’s lives and sharing them. He loves listening to and writing hip-hop music, skateboarding, learning, playing video games and hanging out with friends. 

All content by Noel Castillo
Max Leonards manager as well as Founder & Talent Manager of Mad Lettuce Management Matt Ladis personally contacted me and shared early access of JUDO!. Additionally, I received access to the press release and some of Leonards own thoughts on his project.  “This project was me getting everything off my chest. I had a lot of changes happening in my life all around me. I had just gotten out of a relationship, I was graduating college, everything just kind of flipped for me. There was a time I wasn’t even making music during that time of change. But eventually, I found my way back and let this project be all the expressed feelings I had kept inside, Leonard said.

JUDO! – EP Review

Noel Castillo, Editor in Chief
April 16, 2024
April Print

April Print

Noel Castillo, Editor in Chief
April 5, 2024
February Print Issue

February Print Issue

Noel Castillo, Editor in Chief
February 17, 2024
Embers underclassmen editors have tabulated the votes and have announced the 2024 senior class superlative winners.

Senior Superlative Winners 2024

Noel Castillo, Editor in Chief
February 15, 2024
According to ericdoa.com, his official website, his debut EP Bleed Vol. 1 released in 2019 under Lopez’s original alias “Killeric.” Additionally, he is affiliated with emo-rap, trap, alternative rock and “danceable R&B.” After becoming famous for belting out the egregious phrase: “Imagine if Ninja got a low taper fade,” after having just spilled out his guts about his late grandfather, ericdoa even has high schoolers like junior Mitch Murray, who singsongingly uttered the phrase to his friends in group chats and showed off his impeccable jawline.

DOA – EP Review

Noel Castillo, Editor in Chief
February 15, 2024
December Print

December Print

Noel Castillo, Editor in Chief
January 12, 2024
October Print

October Print

Noel Castillo, Editor in Chief
January 8, 2024
On the observation deck of Edge, a skyscraper, overseeing the New York City skyline. My experience in this leadership position has taught me the vital skills of communication and planning. With hands-on experience working with adults and organizations, I plan to make change at a larger scale, Class President Rory Jenkins said. In college, I plan on participating in student government to make a direct impact in my college community by working alongside professors, older students, and community based organizations. Eventually, I would like to take my understanding of leadership learned through this position to the national level by becoming a member of the United States House of Representatives.

A Class President’s Classy Pursuit

Noel Castillo, Editor in Chief
October 31, 2023
August Print Issue

August Print Issue

Noel Castillo, Editor in Chief
September 6, 2023
Despite launching a week after summer began, Honeydew has stayed in my rotation for one and a half months now. Overall, it is reminiscent of other great works in the hip-hop/pop genres like Frank Oceans Blonde or Tylers IGOR but specific to the season. Additionally, Honeydew currently remains Biking With Francis sole project and has a surprising amount of various other reviews online for a band with such a small following. 

Honeydew | EP Review

Noel Castillo, Editor in Chief
August 13, 2023
The collage is comprised of the actual album cover (top right) as well as three other singles featured on the album. In the top left is Return of the Corpse, the bottom left is Shameless Gorillas and the bottom right is Guerilla Warfare. Guerilla Warfare is not actually a song on the project; instead, the lyrics on the song are featured in a track by a different name.

Tragedy of a Clown | EP Review

Noel Castillo, Editor in Chief
January 20, 2023
The lunch crew gathers in the lunch line after morning prep work. From left to right is Hohman in the dark orange, Dudley in the blue shirt and black mask, and Frazier in the light blue mask and pink bandana. “Basically, [our job] is to help out the manager in any way you can.” Dudley said. “Cook the food, prep it, lots of cleaning, doing whatever you can to make life easier for the manager. Photo by Noel Castillo

The Lunchroom and Its Trusted Crew

Noel Castillo, Features Editor
January 28, 2022
Kurious, mostly known for a couple features with MF DOOM, teams up with a mysterious artist named Ro Data to put together a 22 minute long EP with 8 separate songs. The tracklist includes songs that are all under 3 minutes, except for Seeing Ghosts, the outro track. The album cover depicts a massive monkey monster with “Koncrete Jungle” in heavily stylized writing. Photo by Noel Castillo

“Koncrete Jungle” Hip-Hop EP Review

Noel Castillo, Features Editor
December 17, 2021
Karah Parks started teaching long before she became a teacher, mentoring other students even when she was still in high school. She recently graduated college and got her teaching certification to return to SPHS and create a fun environment for students to learn. “I love working with students and I love sharing my passion for reading and writing with the students I work with,” Parks said.

Parks Teaching in the Park

Noel Castillo, Features Editor
October 13, 2021
Lucas Cropper has gotten more interested about the creation process of songs and has experimented with his own lyrics and delivery. In the photo, he is listening to hip-hop songs and trying to pull out what makes them stand out to him. Outside of the frame is one of Cropper’s friends finding samples to make beats. “I now want to pursue a career in hip hop that will inevitably get me no where,” Cropper said.

Listening to Hip-Hop

Noel Castillo, Staff Writer
June 1, 2021
Load More Stories
Activate Search
Noel Castillo