Montgomery County Public Schools Northwood High School 919 University Boulevard W. Silver Spring, MD 20901
News
myMCPS vs Edline Pg.3
November, 2017 Volume 9 Issue #2
Features
Introducing New Teachers Pg. 4
Sports
Obsaa Feda Headed to Nationals Pg. 11
“I liked seeing all the different ways people could wear something and make it look normal on a day so strange,” -Mariam Marah (‘18)
“I enjoy seeing the unity between classmates by wearing their class colors. It seems like on that one day we are a family,” -Michael Layman (‘18)
Students Embrace A Fun-Filled Spirit Week Spirit week is one of the most notable fall traditions in Northwood history, and a week everyone looks forward to in the dog days of the fall. NHS started out the week with pop culture day, a day filled with references to characters from our culture. We saw costumes from memes, to rapper Amine, to the Kardashians and Rubix Cubes. Religious figures brought out strong reactions and Darla from Finding Nemo engaged in many laughs. “My favorite part is seeing all the different characters and
people. It was interesting to see how students put their own twist on their costumes,” said senior Lisa Jimenez Tuesday was twin day and excitement was in the air. Many people twinned with their friends and it showed across Northwood. “Looking around and seeing everybody twining made me feel more proud about my school,” said junior Neil Shrestha. Wednesday, the Hump day of the week, was Wacky Tacky day and Northwood dressed to impress. We
El Ritmo de Northwood The Northwood Rhythm
The Latin dance club is fairly new to Northwood with this year being their first year of competition. Currently, there are thirty five students, but for the competition only sixteen of the members will go. This club was established by Heather Bradley. She co-sponsors the group with Northwood’s new dance teacher, Mr. Lemus, Ms. Pacheco in the Foreign Languages Dept. and two other dance coaches coming from the After School Dance Fund. They are Gabby Ochoa and David Cuevas. Ms. Bradley and her colleagues work to advocate for more students to join this club to cultivate their dance skills and a positive cultural identity. To prepare for the competition these students must endure very intense practices that involve collab
El club de baile Latino es un poco nuevo en Northwood. Este año será el primero que los estudiantes compitan. Hasta ahora hay treinta y cinco estudiantes, pero para la competencia solo diecisiete miembros van a ir. Este club establecido por la señora Heather Bradley. Ella colabora con el nuevo maestro de danza, Mr. Lemus, Ms. Pacheco que es maestra de Español y dos mas entrenadores que vienen del after school dance fund. Ellos son Gabby Ochoa y David Cuevas. La señora Bradley y sus compañeros de danza trabajan para que mas estudiantes se ingresen al club para mejorar sus abilidades en el baile latino y para cultivar una identidad positiva. Para preparase para la competencia los estudiantes tienen que practicar muy
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saw outfits from mismatched socks, to bright neon colors, to clashing color schemes. “I liked seeing all the different ways people could wear something and make it look normal on a day so strange,” said senior Mariam Marah. Thursday came around, and everyone was ready for it. Thursday was Pajama day and almost everyone participated around the school. “I love being able to get out of bed, put some slippers on, and walk out of the house without feeling crazy,” said
junior Ashley Hernandez. Friday was class colors day. Seniors were black, Juniors were red, Sophomores were gray, and Freshman were white. A sea of black filled the stadium during the pep rally when the seniors came out on the field. “I enjoy seeing the unity between classmates by wearing their class colors. It seems like on that one day we are a family,” said senior Michael Layman. By Jackson Hawkins
Fighting for Improvement Reps advocate for change
Understanding the ins and the outs of this school is necessary in order to convince the Board of Education to fund and support new changes. Northwood students proved to be up to the challenge at the Capital Improvement Plan meeting held in Rockville, MD. On November 6th, seven students went to testify on behalf of Northwood High School. Issues that were discussed included facilities for ESOL students, plumbing, computer access in the media
center, additional space in the lunchroom, and renovating the school to fit a population of 2500 by 2022. Victor Fabrits Lugo , a freshman started off the student testimonies making an argument for more spaciousness for teachers. He advocated for both students and teachers, describing how students don’t have places to look for help and teachers don’t have places to wait and meet with their students. He transitioned into issues of plumbing and how the bathroom toilets constantly overfill stating, “ I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty gross to me.” Alec Musheno, a junior followed with two photos to compare how Northwood looked when it opened in 1956 with the way Northwood looks today in order Continued on Page 2
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News Continued Story: Fighting for Improvement to show that the school has not changed at all. He noted how alumni who graduated over fifty years ago, “were surprised to return back to the same exact core building.”Nicole Devitt-Tapia and Evan Moore, both juniors further elaborated on how the foundation of the school over 60 years old and cannot handle the increased population size of today. Daniel Perez and Baeta Moulou, both juniors, along with Sinergy Martel, a senior, noted that 22% of the students at Northwood are enrolled in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses. This rising percentage of ESOL students accounts for Northwood having Contninued Story: The Northwood Rhythm oration with everyone to get on the same page. Students change throughout the experience. Not every member knows each other that well. However, when facing the rigorous practices for competition a different side comes out of the members. Ms. Bradley said, “The first week everyone is like ‘oh yea I’m so excited ha-ha’ and by this week they’re like ‘why are you leaving fifteen minutes early’ or ‘you can’t do it that way or we’ll look crazy on stage.’” She explains that the reasoning for there being catfights is because not only do members have to work together, but they have to put in fifteen hours a week for practice. The fact that it’s for a competition creates greater tensions but in the end, it’s always worth it. They have a variety of genres of music, such as reggaeton, mambo, bachata, merengue and more. Northwood is switching the dynamic up and giving their interpretation on latin ballroom dancing. In typical teams they may start off with bachata or merengue. However, they are starting off with a reggaeton song converted into a mambo. There are different branches and components of the competition that the members have to prepare for including group, partner, parent-student and “Jack-and-Jill” competitions. The couples must dance on stage with other teams and then come out for only a thirty second spotlight, where they compete the hardest. Ms. Bradley said, “It’s pretty terrifying in the middle of Strathmore, they have to go out there and show everything that they can do … If you mess up those thirty seconds it’s game over.” This opportunity to compete wouldn’t be possible without the Board of Education and the After School Dance Fund collaborating. This is the eighteenth year, and it began at
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the 3rd largest ESOL population in the county. Each student noted that, as a result, Northwood is in dire need of more resources and space. Daniel stated, “We should give all students, regardless of race, background, ethnicity, nationality, they must have tool, space, and the commitment to succeed in competitive world that is changing every single day.” Cole Peavy, a junior, closed the evening by stating, “ To completely rebuild Northwood’s infrastructure in order to completely revitalize our school would mean the world to our staff, students, and our community. To make them feel like they matter just as much would bring something new to a struggling community: Hope.” By Kacie Arauz-Gutierrez Seneca Valley High School. Mr. Lemus was part of his high school’s dance group called Sabor Latino at Gaithersburg High School, which sparked his interest in dance and inspired him to get his bachelors in dance as well as his M.F.A (Masters of Fine Arts). Ms. Bradley says, “Its cool, its like full circle for him because he’s back doing the same thing for other students.” The competition date is set for November 20th at Strathmore in Rockville at 7 p.m. Tickets cost ten dollars in advance and twenty five dollars at the door. Two of the members Latin Dance Club named Bridgette Hernandez and Daniel Parra know how frightening it may be to perform on stage in front of many people. As Bridgette Hernandez states “ I turn my feeling of nervousness into energy that I can use to fuel my competitiveness and really put my 100 percent out there.” Also Daniel Parra believes stage fright is nothing to worry about stating that “ dont think about the people who are staring at you, just focus on dancing and changing the fear to adrenaline, just go for it.” Despite the intense atmosphere for competition. Ms. Bradley explains that being in the Latin Dance Club gives an opportunity to get away from the stressfulness of school. It gives students the opportunity to grow and learn without the constraints of other things. She, together wtih Mr. Lemus and Ms. Pacheco, has watched some students who knew little to nothing about dance excel and become excellent dancers. By Brandon Murillo
Historia Contigua: El Ritmo de Northwood fuerte con sus compañeros. No todos los miembros se conocen bien. Cuando se práctica rigurosamente para la competencia nos tenemos que conocer de una forma muy rápida. En un ambiente tensa así como una competencia, puede surgir tensiones la señora Bradley dice, “La primera semana cada uno dice ‘oh si estoy muy emocionada’ y después ellos empiezan a reclamar y dicen ‘porque te vas quince minutos tempranos’ o ‘tú no lo puedes hacerlo así o se va a ver mal en el escenario’.” Ella explica de que esas tensiones surgen a raíz de que tienen que practícalos quince horas a la semana en adición a lo que ya tienen que hacer como estudiantes. Preparar para una competencia siempre es algo estresante pero vale la pena. Hay varios géneros de música como reggaeton, mambo, bachata, merengue y más. Northwood está cambiando la dinámica, dando su interpretación de la danza de ballroom. En los grupos normales ellos empiezan con bachata o merengue. Pero el grupo de northwood va a empezar con una canción de reggaeton convertido en mambo. Son varios componentes para los cuales tienen que preparase incluyendo baile en grupo, parejas, padre-hijo/a y “Jack-and-Jill”. Las parejas tienen que bailar en el salón con otro competidores. Las parejas tienen treinta segundos para bailar solos donde ellos muestran lo mejor de su baile. La señora Bradley dice, “Pueden tener miedo los estudiantes de bailar en medio del escenario de Strathmore. Ellos tienen que salir y mostrar todo lo que pueden. Si te equivoca en esos treinta segundos la competencia se acabó.” Esta oportunidad para competir no es posible sin la colaboración de la junta de educación y el afterschool dance fund. An sido dieciocho años de competencia desde que empezó en la escuela secundaria de Seneca Valley. El señor Lemus fue parte del grupo de danza latina, “Sabor Latino”, y esa experiencia es lo que le impulso ser bailador. Él se graduó con su licenciatura en baile y también su M.F.A. Señora Bradley dice, “es como un círculo completo para el porqué ahora está inspirando a otros así como la experiencia fue para el. El día de la competencia es el veinte de noviembre
News News Editor Matthew Haile-Mariam
MyMCPS vs Edline
The challenges that come with change
News Staff Juan Florecin Madison Kearns Kacie Arauz-Gutierrez Features Editor Gabriella Villatoro Features Staff Lena Detchoua Tchamaco Ana Lazo-Mendoza Davina Whyte Ashley Mendoza Sports Editor Cameron Rice Sports Staff Surafel Debele Jackson Hawkins Baeta Moulou Blake Silver Design Editor Joe Ryan Newpaper Advisor Daryl Alston
Over the summer, MCPS changed the way that students check their assignments and their grades. Instead of using Edline to check grades and assignments, students across the county must now use myMCPS, since the company that owned Edline discontinued it. Other reasons for the change were due to issues the county had related to communication and cost. When it was first announced that students and teachers would no longer be able to use Edline, most students, if not all, were surprised by the announcement. Robert Rodriguez, a senior student at Northwood High School, stated, “I still don’t understand how things work in myMCPS. I wished it was better explained on how things
Special Thanks Ms. Heather Bradley en Strathmore en Rockville a las 7 p.m. Los boletos están a $10 con anticipación y $25 en la puerta. Dos miembros del club de baile latino se llaman Bridgette Hernandez y Daniel Para conocen el susto de bailar en una competencia enfrente a muchas gentes. Bridgette Hernandez explicó que “yo cambio mis sentimientos de ser nervioso y lo convierto la energía que puedo usar para competir y enseñar mi cien por ciento” Daniel Para cree que tener miedo en el escenario no es nada de que preocuparse, no pienses que la gente te hasta mirando, sólo enfócate en bailar y cambiar el miedo la adrenalina Aunque la práctica para la competencia es muy dura la señora Bradley explica que estar en el club de baile latino te da la oportunidad de olvidarse del estrés de la escuela en algo que amas y te da la oportunidad de crecer y aprender. Ella, junto con el señor Lemus y la señora Pacheco, ya ha visto a estudiantes que sabían muy poco al comenzar ya convertirse en bailadores excelentes. Por Brandon Murillo Traducido Por Gabriella Villatoro
worked.” A similarity that myMCPS and Edline both have is having access to detailed grades and attendance information. As well as access to instructional resources if a teacher decides to post them and access to work due dates and deadlines. A few differences between the two is that myMCPS Patrol has links to historical grade/transcript data for students that have been in MCPS for more than a year, Edline didn’t provide access for historical grade data. Certainly, myMCPS doesn’t have a grade calculator app, which helps a student assign a score on an assignment to see how it would impact their grade in any of their courses. Ryan Casavant, one of the staff development teachers at Northwood, is helping to implement the new program. He stated, “The feedback that I’ve heard from teachers has been positive. Though, there has been some confusion about where
students go to find their grades.” Casavant noted that there were some challenges.“Teachers are learning a new platform and there is a lot to learn... Students will have to adjust to having some course content online for some of their courses. Students need to know that there is a difference between myMCPS Classroom and the myMCPS Portal. The Portal is where students access data and Classroom is where students access course content, learning resources and assignments/assessments.” Students have expressed many concerns. Ryan Pineda, a senior student at Northwood High School, said that “Using Edline was helpful because I could use Edline Helper to see how assignments would impact my grade for any of my classes.” Many students wished for a better introduction for myMCPS when the switch had to made from Edline. Over 100 students of Northwood High School participated in a survey to determine whether they preferred Edline or myMCPS. Over 90% of students preferred Edline over myMCPS. Some of their comments are included in the chart. By Juan Florecin
What Students had to Say “Edline had a better layout.” “[Edline] was more straightforward and didn’t have all of the excess information that students don’t need. It worked well, there was no need to change it.” “A lot of my teachers don’t put the grades up on myMCPS.” “It’s so much easier to access. I don’t need to go through a million windows to login and see my grades, and the myMCPS app only has a couple of my classes in it.” “I think Edline was more to the point and simple. MyMCPS has too many things that most students dont even use.” “MyMCPS is extremely tricky to navigate. It takes even longer for grades to update on my mcps then it did on Edline.” “MyMCPS is difficulty.”
Crackdown On Lunch Rules On September 22nd 2017, Northwood’s students and staff were presented with a unique situation; a social media threat. While the social media threat was resolved, new safety procedures were enacted for the security of the entire student body. This has not happened in Northwoods recent years, and administration has began to tighten down on Northwoods security policies. Students have always been told that they are forbidden to leave campus during lunch, as the risk of crossing University Boulevard, the major road in front of Northwood, is too great. In light of the social media threat that occurred a couple of weeks ago, Northwood has tightened down on this rule, enforcing that kids will not be leaving Northwood unless allowed by administration. As the bell marking the end of fourth period rings, many students used to flood the doors, walking to catch a bus or to their car to drive to get food or other necessities. This will no longer be tolerated, and while it has been a rule for a very long time, students will get sent back to the building if they have no pass which allows them to leave school
early. Students with internships must obtain a sticker from administration which, when shown to the staff and police, will allow them to leave to go to their internship. There are staff members standing by entrances and exits to Northwood, and students are encouraged to obey the newly enforced rule and stay on property until school ends.
“[I]t’s all about safety, it’s not about food deliveries, it’s about safety...when no one is monitoring the outside, we have all sorts of people coming on the property.” -Ms. Claudette Smith (Assistant Principal)
While this rule makes sense for the safety of the students and for liability reasons, many students are outraged by this. “I get it now...but it wasn’t fair because sometimes it is a struggle to get food at home, and so
your only option is to buy food, but now you can’t and we go hungry” Panashe Moyo (18) states. Many students are confused as to why there is such a big fuss over going down the road to local restaurants, and while there is no substantial backlash, students at Northwood are not happy. Destiny Martinez (18) says, “It’s unfair cause my mom wouldn’t care if I go out to get food, so why should the school care.” Most students are fairly understanding, as the previous social media threat scared students and teachers alike. Olamide Oladiran (19) says, “It’s the way they’re going about it [security measures], I feel like I’m in prison, we’re constantly under supervision. Having a whistle blown in your face as if you are some kind of dog doesn’t help, I know kids don’t listen, but there has to be a better way.” Staff members at Northwood are taking these new lunch changes very seriously. There are more security guards and other staff members posted around the building to ensure that everyone coming in and out of the building has a valid reason to be on the property. Food bought off campus and brought back to school
will be confiscated and returned at the end of the day. Ms. Smith wants to let students know “it’s all about safety, it’s not about food deliveries, it’s about safety...when no one is monitoring the outside, we have all sorts of people coming on the property.” This is a permanent policy, and students should not anticipate the end of the new security measures. Overall, these new policies were only implemented to keep students safe, and if you have any suggestions, do not hesitate to talk to a staff member. By Madison Kearns
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Features
Opinions
Introducing Northwood’s Newest Teachers
Isabel Incorvati Before coming to Northwood, Isabel Incorvati, current NSL teacher, worked in a high school in North Carolina, but is now quite pleased with the Maryland school system. She states, “Maryland provides you with the necessary resources.” Ms. Incorvati has always loved government and anything that had to do with government. Her minor in college was government, she describes teaching NSL as “a dream scenario.” Before studying government Isabel wanted to be a doctor, but as she went discovering more of the career, she became uninterested and began working on Capitol Hill. Working with politicians helped her deter-
Cristian Lemus There is a classroom tucked away in the back of the school that holds a lot of meaning to many students, the dance studio. The teachers there stay relatively consistent, however, this year, a new dance teacher was hired, which came as a shock to many students. A bright eyed and energetic person, Mr. Cristian Lemus is the new dance teacher at Northwood, and he agreed to sit down and share a little bit about who he is, and why he chose to come teach here. Whether it’s teaching advanced technique to his upper level classes, or helping students out with choreography, Mr. Lemus is certainly a teacher worth noting. When asked about how long he’s been teaching Mr. Lemus laughs, and uses his fingers to help count out the years, and in total,
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mine what she wanted to do. After working with Capitol Hill, she felt that helping students had more of an impact for society. Ms. Incorvati truly feels that teaching NSL is what she always wanted to do. Ms. Incorvati’s motivation to come to school is her students; she is always concerned about teaching and developing new relationships with students. She states, “When I get up in the morning and really don’t want to come to school, I wonder what would happen if I wasn’t there.” Isabel has a deep concern for her students and always wants to be supportive when it comes to helping students complete their work. Building a relationship with a student is very important because she feels as if she is creating a bond that will help her to get to know the student better. “It is the most important part of my job.” By Brandon Murillo
he has been teaching for 9 years. He attended Gaithersburg High School, where he started the Latin dance team, as dancing has been a big passion of his throughout his life. Originally, he was going to go to culinary school, however, by the time that college came around, he decided that he was going to pursue dancing as his profession. Like many students here at Northwood plan to do, Mr. Lemus went to Montgomery College, where he obtained his associate’s degree in dance, then transferred to the University of Maryland to get his masters in dance education. When asked about his classes and what he wants to achieve, Lemus makes a general statement, “My goal for this year is to really get them [students] out of their comfort zone...considering a different form of communication through body movement.” Being a male in a female dominated industry is hard, but limiting yourself to Lemus wants students to be excited about dance, excited to move, and excited to learn new ways of dancing. Being a relatable and enthusiastic teacher (even first thing in the morning) can be hard, but Mr. Lemus captures that perfectly, all while maintaining structure in his classes. By Madison Kearns
Christopher Hawkins Receiving both a bachelor’s and a masters in English from the University of Maryland and a minor in classical mythology, Christopher Hawkins is well suited for what he teaches, ninth grade on-level English and tenth grade English honors. Mr.Hawkins developed his passion to teach over the years and he has demonstrated it as a little kid. As he said himself, “When I was younger, I did a lot of tutoring. When I was in the boy scouts, I did help younger scouts to grow; When I was in college I did more tutoring, I was also a teacher’s aid. . . I was always around teaching.” Interestingly, Chris was not always into
Anika Burtin One of the newest additions to the English teacher staff on Northwood’s team is also among the highest ranked additions you’ll see in any school with a Ph.D, Dr. Burtin is one of the newest English teachers at Northwood. Since elementary school, Burtin knew that teaching was her calling.“ I knew since 3rd grade that I wanted to be a teacher. I decided to go into this profession because I believed, and still do, that all children deserve a good education regardless of their background or family situation,” said Anika. Fresh out of college, Burtin was put into the teaching world in the middle of the school year, but subbing was not going to be an option. “Since it was the middle of
English, he thought he was going to major into musical education, considering he is also a musician outside of school. But, he made the best decision and majored in english. Besides being a musician outside of school, he is also gamer. Because he likes to have a bit of adrenaline in his life. For example, he used to go caving but he hopes that one day he can go skydiving to relive his fun days as long as there is time to do more adrenaline junkie things but at the same time he has to also balance out teaching. He dislikes it when students start insulting each other and make the other party feel as if they themselves don’t matter and their beliefs don’t either, he really will not tolerate it. When asked what he wants to achieve here at Northwood during his time, he said he wanted to have his kids start thinking critically and to help them, not just on what they read, but on what they hear and see because “If I can just start getting some critical thinking about how that kind of shapes us and who we are and how we process that, I’m happy.” By Ashley Mendoza a school year I decided that I would work as a temp before applying for a full-time teaching job. I didn’t want to be a substitute because I was scared it would make me hate teaching! Before the next school year started I applied to Prince George’s County Public Schools.” After landing a job in PG County, Dr. Burtin enrolled her daughter into Northwood. Burtin shared, “I was really impressed when we came to visit the school while she was in 9th grade. When I decided to apply for a part time position, Northwood called and I was excited about the interview. Everyone I met was kind and dedicated. It felt like a place where I could fit in.” That kindness and dedication was not only felt with the teachers by Dr. Burtin, but was felt generally throughout the whole school. “ In the short time I have been here my favorite thing about Northwood is the general atmosphere of the school. By and large it feels like a place with a lot of positive energy. That inspires me.” said Burtin. “ I genuinely hope to make a positive impact while I am at Northwood. I want to help students prepare for their futures by helping them become critical readers and effective writers.” By Cameron Rice
Stop Forcing Spirit Week on the Apathetic In high schools all across America, spirit week is a timeless event that brings joy and school pride to the many students who partake in the festivities. To some, however, spirit week is just a pointless and forced weeklong headache that doesn’t matter at all. In their minds, dressing up in a silly costume or wearing the school colors has no impact on their lives. These people are not wrong; school spirit isn’t being tested for a grade and usually won’t be seen outside of school. Now, this isn’t an article that aims to call out these kinds of people, but to simply find the reasoning behind their way of thinking.
“[T]he entire concept of school spirit is rather meaningless.” For those who don’t participate in spirit week at Northwood, the entire concept of school spirit is rather meaningless. Think of it from their point-of-view: having pride in your school cannot have much impact on our performance in sports or academics compared to other schools, so why even bother? And if you don’t even like your school at all, why act like you have school spirit for an entire week? Despite its importance to the many students with school pride here at Northwood, it is obvious that others simply don’t share the same enthusiasm for showing their school spirit during spirit week. Another reason why people don’t participate in spirit week is because the daily themes may be
too confusing, too hard to follow, or just too boring to put in the effort in dressing up. For Spirit Week this year at Northwood, the days were Pop Culture, Twin Day, Wacky Tacky Day, Pajama Day, and Class Colors Day. While most of these themes seem easy to follow, many students were left confused as to what the broad category of “Pop Culture” meant. Those who did participate dressed up as figures ranging from rappers like Chief Keef to fictional characters like Penny Proud, because apparently “pop culture” day meant to dress up as any known famous figure, real or not. Since this was not clearly communicated, many students did not know how to dress up. As a result, Pop Culture day had the least student participation rate of the entire week. As for the other days like the generic Pajama day and Twin day, students felt no motivation to do the same thing every other school was doing. Perhaps if there were more unique themes during Spirit Week, more students would participate and have even more school spirit. For all of these reasons why some people don’t participate in spirit week, apathy is the underlying cause behind all of them. High schoolers as a whole tend to view school-sponsored events as “corny”, and not worth putting in the effort to participate. Spirit Week is usually the one of the only events of this nature that students participate in, but even now less and less students care every year. Perhaps if more control of the themes and events was given to the students, then more would be willing to participate. By Matthew Haile-Mariam
Don’t take Spirit Week for Granted As spirit week approached people all around school were extremely excited. SGA is responsible for making up the days of the week. In this year’s spirit week began with pop culture day, then twin day, then wacky tacky day, then pajama day, and finally class colors day. Pictures were posted everyday on instagram, especially by the senior class. This idea of spirit week excited many people like Gisselle Valenzuela (‘18) who said spirit week “gives students a chance to have fun and even unites the school as a whole, for example when we all dress the same for twin day.”
Spirit week “gives students a chance to have fun,” -Gissele Valenzuela (‘18)
This follows into a topic of unity within classes. This unity creates a safe school environment in which students feel included and like they belong. Having an activity everyone can participate is extremely rare, and spirit week does that for many students. Eli Miller (‘18) expresses this when stating “ Spirit week gets people excited about school, sports, and homecoming. It motivates us students to unite a form our own community.” Spirit week is completely the opposite of just any regular day. Stu-
dents can wear hats all day long. On wacky tacky students wore sports bras over sweatshirts. These days are so unique, where the judgment between one another is forgotten because most students are wearing crazy outfits. Malika Buscaino (‘19) stated “ In a normal day we wouldn’t be united this way. In a way we let go of all norms which brings us all together. “ Teachers also encourage students to participate, for every student that participates, they get points for the class. Sponsors really encourage everyone to get involved so that they can win the spirit competitions at the end of the week. There are big flyers created by SGA encouraging students to come together with their school. Mr. Daniel Stein, 2018 Class Sponsor, stated that he encourages students to participate during spirit week because “when more people participate and dress up and wear what they are suppose to wear it helps everyone feel pride. Especially freshmen who come from all around the county, so when they see the juniors and senior participating they feel like they should too.” The importance of uniting a school makes school a lot easier. Going to class every single morning and having to sit through eight hours of education isn’t easy. Although if their is school unity and spirit the school day and weeks become a lot easier for at least one week. By Kacie Arauz-Gutierrez
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Features It’s a fact that sexual assault, harassment and abuse happen in the united states, yet it’s a sensitive issue. An issue that we should talk about because it’s important that as a society we are aware of these issues and are informed on how to aid others who are experiencing these issues or if one’s self is facing these issues. Below are definitions and statistics for each word. The purpose is to inform the differences between all of these issues because though there may be some overlap, they are not all the same. By Gabriela Villatoro
Student Definitions Sexual Assault“Anything a person is not comfortable with, like even touching them”- Gisselle Valenzuela (‘18) “Not having consent and its physical and verbal”- Mariam Marah (18’)
Sexual Harassment“Someone touching me without asking” - Bitanya Zewdie (19’) “Whens someone constantly does things to you that you don’t want them to do in an inappropriate manner”- Jordan Sales (‘20)
Sexual Abuse“Sexual abuse is when someone forces you into sexual interactions”- Bitanya Zewdie (19’) “Sexual abuse can be verbal and can be physical and when they’re harassing you and making advances you don’t like”Parent
Professional Definitions
Features Sexual Assault The Victim’s Story
After the incident on October 5th, when Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment; there was an outburst of women coming forward and admitting they were sexually assaulted. From Kevin Spacey, to Louis C.K, to Roy Moore, these men all have sexually assaulted people, and we’ll touch on one of the victim’s story. In March 2015 the model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez met Harvey Weinstein, a famous movie producer. Following that event, Harvey Weinstein emailed her modeling agency asking for a business meeting. So, Ambra Gutierrez met with Mr. Weinstein the next morning and that’s when it all started: the unwanted advances and unwanted touches. All she wanted was to advance in her career. ` That evening Ms. Gutierrez rushed to the nearest police station to report what had happened and got in contact with the Special Victims Division. Luckily for her, the Special Victims Division came with the plan; she would meet with Mr.Weinstein the following day, while having a microphone on her, and they would attempt to get some sort of confes-
sion from Harvey Weinstein. On the recording you can hear him persist for her to go into his hotel room while he would shower. You can hear Ms. Gutierrez say no many times, but yet he persisted. Now, they’re standing right outside his door and she refuses to move any further. She declines and says “I don’t want to,” “I want to leave” before confronting him about what happened yesterday in the meeting. Harvey Weinstein. apologizes but still persists her to come inside, saying that “I’m used to that. Come on. Please.” Gutierrez catches on to that and is shocked, realizing he has done this many times before. Weinstein and Gutierrez dispute in the hotel hallway for about two minutes before Harvey Weinstein finally lets her leave. If Weinstein were to be charged for this encounter, he would be charged with sexual abuse in the third degree, punishable by up to three months in jail. By Ashley Mendoza
Resources for Students One in six women and one in thirty-three men will experience attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. In light of the Harvey Weinstein incident, it is important to acknowledge that this is not uncommon, and sexual harassment is taken very seriously at Northwood. There are many resources for students if they or a friend has been sexually harassed. “Part of being a teen is learning boundaries and when they have been violated,” says Mrs. Levine. All of Northwood’s staff is here to support all of the students their times of need. If you or a loved one has been sexually assaulted, please, don’t hesitate to tell someone, it makes all the difference. By Madison Kearns
Going into college next year are you scared of sexual assault, abuse, or harassment?
“Yes, because you never know what can happen. In this point in time anything can happen which is the worst part of our world today.” -Miriam Meskel (‘18)
“Yes and no. It is something that is in the back of my mind. I won’t let it prohibit me from having a successful college career. If I let myself succumb to fears and things that could happen, I will forever regret not rising above and taking my college experience worthwhile.” -Lisa Jimenez (‘18)
“I mean yeah, but it is not my number one concern. Like of course I’m scared of it but I’m not gonna be paranoid going into college.” -Britney Vaing (‘18)
“It’s a problem that many college students face, it can definitely happen. It’s a problem you have to consider but it’s not going to restrict me from pursuing my college career.” -Caprielle Woehr (‘18)
“No because when it came to looking at schools, it was very important for me to ask questions over their campus safety. By learning their safety additions. It has made me more comfortable and has taken away that fear.” -Chaylin Henderson (‘18)
#METOO #HOWIWILLCHANGE Going into college next year are you scared of sexual assault, abuse, or harassment? How can you help support your female friends?
Sexual Assault-
Any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.
Sexual Harassment -
Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
Sexual Abuse -
Unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force, making threats or taking advantage of victims not able to give consent.
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“Well unfortunately in our society, as a male I have never truly been worried about it , but becoming aware of the threat It poses to women it does concern me ‘cause I feel like I can be one to help my female friends stay safe and away from people who would do that.” -Eli Miller (‘18)
“Not really because I’m a white male and so I’m kinda privileged when it comes to that stuff but I worry about my friends for sure.” “Pay more attention especially at social events and not hesitate to stand up for someone they see who might be in trouble.” -Nicolas Benavides (‘18)
“It’s always best to talk to someone, anyone that can help you. Always get the authority involved when it gets into things like sexual assault. The most important thing is to talk to someone.” -Ramon Holloway (‘18)
“I don’t think I would be afraid cause not to be sexist but because I’m a guy.”
“No, because me being a conscious black male I know I wouldn’t get into a situation.”
“Make sure they’re surrounded by people who advocate for these things and instead of being quiet about it speak up and help.” -Matar Diop (‘18)
“I can walk them home when we go out late and make sure they get home late. I can also defend them if I see something, and also make sure all my female friends carry something to defend themselves if they go out late.” -Wayne Glandville (‘18)
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As one of the premier and most anticipated events of spirit week, Northwood hosted the annual Juniors vs. Seniors Powderpuff football game. With weeks of preparation and plenty of hard work, our strong lady football players and our spirited male cheerleaders dazzled the crowd and put on a show for the whole school to witness. As one of the most competitive powder puff games in the school’s history, the build up for the game was intense. Playful trash talk throughout the halls and on social media fueled the athletes. The ladies, all good friends, were nothing short of rivals once the whistle blew and the game started. “I have some friends that are seniors and they know I love them, like Hajs for example. But to be honest, I saw them as in the way of a victory during the game. You could almost say they were my enemies.” laughed junior Kenia Hernandez. This was the mindset that was burning up inside each junior as they looked to take down the seniors. Beating the seniors in the powder puff game is a major slap in the
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Powder Puff Game
The first 5 students to turn in the maze and trivia questions completed to Mr. Alston in B213 win a prize!!!
senior’s face. That was well known throughout the class of 2019. Offensive focal point Kendalle Foster embodied that very mindset. “Going into the game, I knew we had a chance of winning and that it would be a very close game. The teams seemed pretty even and the intensity was up. What else can you really ask for?”
“We missed the first kick and they missed their first kick and I was sweating,” -Silvia Hernandez
Even though the juniors put up a good fight and made the game come down to the wire, it was the class of 2018 that escaped powder puff with the wind and with bragging rights. In a game that was tied 6-6, due to scheduling issues by the school, the game had to be cut short. This meant that it would all come down to game-winning field goal kicks, the most stressful part of football.
“I was definitely stressed and worried about those field goal kicks.” voiced senior representative Silvia Hernandez. “We missed the first kick and they missed their first kick and I was sweating. Then Melanie made her kick that won the game for us and everyone started jumping and screaming. Nice senior year moment.” The seniors haven’t lost powderpuff in recent memory and this group of seniors didn’t want to leave on that legacy. They also didn’t want to leave on a legacy of having bad male cheerleaders to cheer them on. “While playing, it was hard to peep the cheerleaders because I was stressed. But when I could peep them, it was cool to see them doing their thing. Especially because they did not have a big group to work with. But for what they had, they
Trivia 1. How many students is Northwood predicted to have attending in 2020?
2. What is the record for Northwood’s Cross Country course?
3.What year did Northwood High School officially open? did great. Winning this game was awesome too. But let’s not forget one thing...SENIOR SZN!” said a proud Haja Sannoh. Great job Gladiators and congrats to the winning seniors and also the juniors for competing in a great game. The bar was set high for this powderpuff gme, and even with the school’s poor scheduling, a great game was put forth. Kudos. By Cameron Rice
Viva la Futbol
If you love soccer then you probably knew all about the soccer tournament. But, maybe you saw the gym packed with cheering students and energetic players nearly everyday at lunch and wondered what was going on. That was the soccer tournament. Organized by ESOL teacher, Ms. Jenny Gutierrez, throughout the months of September and October, students at Northwood came together in the gym to compete against each
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other and fight to hold the winning trophy. It was a time for students to come together, show off their skills, and enjoy themselves. And all of the athletes had one goal in mind - to score and progress to the next level. There was no requirement to join the tournament; students just created their ultimate teams and showed up. Students were given the opportunity to come up with a name that represented them well and some athletes
even designed their own uniforms. Students who participated in the tournament felt excited. “Soccer is the only sport I know how to play, and coming here and running with my friends makes me feel happy,” Baoko Palo said. The tournament started with twelve teams and some progressing to the next level while others getting knocked out. In the end, there could only be one victor. “It was sad to be out of the tournament, but it was a great experience to play with my friends” said Henok Tesfaye. The rules were simple, and it mirrored a real soccer tournament to attract more students. The team who scored the most goals before the time ended progressed to the next level. The winning teams played against each other, and it went on like that until only two teams were left. The tournament revealed great talent from many players. “It had always been my dream to score the winning goal, and make my team proud,” Omar Sanyang said. The soccer tournament was a great
4. Which player set the record for number of goals scored in a Northwood Soccer match?
5. Who won the lunch soccer tournament?
Fall Captains experience for many students. At the end of this soccer journey one team was left with the trophy. Team “Mitad del Mundo” finished with the big win led by their captain Herson Reyes. This has been the soccer tournament, and as sad as it was for some students to see it end, others can’t wait for next year to step up their game and take the title as the new champions. By Surafel Debebe
How did your season go? “It went pretty good, we have started off a bit slow but we got faster as the season goes on.” Obssa Feda (‘19) - Cross Country “We did really good this year, we had a lot of great routines for football games.” Ashley Murray (‘18) - Poms “We won more games this season than we had in the past few [years]. We actually had a team that worked together more but there were a few losses that we could’ve taken and we didn’t capitalize on that.” Eli Miller (‘18) - Boys Soccer
What some improvements that you’ve seen from last year?
Final Results Mitad del Mundo vs. The Afros Score: 2-0 Winner: Mitad del Mundo Runner-up: The Afros
“Our chemistry gotten better as a team. We work better, learning how to play with each other.” Stephanie Urrutia (‘19) - Girls Soccer “Last year we had two people on the team who played for the team, but this year we actually played as a team and everyone played and we worked better together.” Zoey Hofmann (‘18) - Field Hockey “Our single legs stunts have gotten a lot better [and] we can do harder stunts now. Although we do have many tumblers, our stunting has strengthened.” Simone Hill (‘18) - Cheer
Girls Cross Country 8-0
Varsity Field Hockey 3-9-1
Boys Cross Country 8-0
JV Field Hockey 0-9
Varsity Boys Soccer 4-9-3
Varsity Volleyball 2-13
JV Boys Soccer 7-2-1
JV Volleyball 1-10
Varsity Girls Soccer 2-11
Varsity Football 0-10
JV Girls Soccer 3-5-1
JV Football 1-7
Any advice for new captains next year? “Continue to motivate your team even if the games isn’t going in your favor.” Stephanie Urrutia (‘19) - Girls Soccer “Try to encourage your team as much as you can to give them confidence in themselves and the team.” Kendalle Foster (‘19) - Girls Volleyball “No matter how hard it is push yourself, if you can show the people around you that you’re motivated, then they can fall in your path.” Eli Miller (‘18) - Boys Soccer
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Boy’s varsity soccer had a very successful season overall and the gladiators could not be anymore proud. They finished off their season going 3-7-2. While the record shows a losing record, the overall season was a success beating Wheaton, Watkins Mill, and Paint Branch. Not only did they beat these three teams but they also tied our rival, Blair in a hard fought game on both sides. They eventually used this success to their advantage in the first round of the playoffs where they beat Paint Branch in Overtime with about five minutes left, with the golden goal! Congratulations on a strong season, gladiators! Rewind to senior night, the last home game for a team and specifically for those senior athletes. Senior night is a very emotional night for all those seniors who put their hard time and effort into these sports. Being a senior playing a sport can be very stressful and hard but also has a sentimental value to it. “Playing a sport senior year can be stressful because that is the time that seniors are working on college apps, essay, scholarships. It can also be very fun come senior night but it can be emotional as it is the last time you will be playing that sport for your high school,” Senior center midfielder, Daniel Monge says.
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Spotlight
Success On and Off the Field
Feda Wins Consortia
Many of the senior playing sports have a hard time keeping up with work especially in October when the November 1st deadline approaches. “Now that I have to worry about college apps, it’s hard to manage keeping school work and sports balanced cause I barely have time to do any of it,” Senior defender Eli Miller says. Some seniors have certain strategies for keeping up with work and some do not struggle with a sport and homework. “It is not very hard because I never let my work stack up,” Senior left back Jeffrey Vo says. There have been a lot of big moments for this largely successful boys soccer team during the season and even before the season started. “Definitely the biggest moment this season is tying up with Blair in the last 10 minutes and forcing a tie,” Miller says. Another big moment came on the 12th of September playing wheaton where the gladiators were down 2-0 at half and scored
4 goals in the second half to win the game. While the end of the fall sports season is approaching, the boys gladiator soccer team has their eyes on a bigger prize. “Our goal is to win any type of championship including divisions, regionals, and states,” Vo states. These seniors that are playing some of their final games here, all had advice to those underclassmen playing any sports.
“My advice is to always stay focused and work hard. A lot of the success will come from your attitude. Always encourage your teammates and respect them along with your coach,” Monge says. While the season might end for these Gladiators, these friendships they make through sports will last forever. By Jackson Hawkins
Winter Sports Preview
Q: How was indoor track last year and what were some perks? A: “We had a lot of good relays and individual event people. We also had a lot of people running in states. The perks would be going to the meets and watching everyone compete. ” Q: What do you expect for indoor track this year? A: “To go to states again and improve my times definitely. I see bright things for indoor track this year. Our coaches are good and they want to help us improve.” -Jason Weinfeld (‘19) Indoor Track
Q: How was basketball season last year and what were some perks? A: “I feel like we had a rough season last year because we didn’t really have that much experience. We did not have a lot of seniors. We tried to play together as a team which was nice . Some perks were, at least for me, getting to play games 2-3 times a week because I really like the competition so that was fun for me.” Q: What do you expect for basketball season this year? A: “I think that we will be better than last year. What I expect this year is for all of us to improve since we all have a lot of experience.” -Nick Boboshko (‘19) Boys Varsity Basketball
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Q: How was wrestling season last year and what were some perks? A: “It was fun and really competitive. I really enjoy wrestling and it was definitely the best part of my school year. I love the competition it brought me.” Q: What do expect for wrestling season this year? A: “I expect to win a lot. I expect to have a great wrestling season. There are a lot more people joining this year, including girls which is new. I feel like I do good due to the practice i’ve been getting and the conditioning the coaches have been offering.” -Christian Herrera (‘18) Wrestling
The boys cross country team shined at the consortia meet in what was a very competitive and talent-stacked event hosted by Northwood. Obsaa Feda set a new record in the course running 16:16 and led the varsity pack over Einstein in a close 53-57 victory, as well as the other schools in attendance. Feda is now a two-time champ in the consortia meet after winning it in his sophomore year last cross country season. But just
winning the meet wasn’t the goal this time around. This time, there were record setting aspirations in mind and Feda wasn’t going to settle for anything less. “The course record was held by someone who wasn’t a Gladiator. I felt like I had a duty to my school to come and take this record as well as the victory. Setting a new record was definitely in my head during the whole race,” said Feda. It was that determination and
Fall Play Opens
Q: How was swim last year and what were some perks? A: Swim team was actually really nice and it’s very different from all the other sports. We are all super connected and really close and we all support each other in a lot of ways. Some perks about swim last year was the fact that we were all so close and practices were always fun. Competing was really fun, especially because you get to choose your own event, do what you do best and just be apart of a family which is great.”
This school year Northwood students will be performing Picnic by William Inge for the fall play. What makes this play unique is that a majority of the cast and lead roles are female characters. The play was first produced in 1953. The setting takes place in the 1950’s in a small town in Kansas. Picnic begins on Labor Day in a quiet neighborhood of Kansas. The mother of Madge, Flo Owens, wants her to marry a man named
Alan. Who is also the local millionaire’s son. Other characters like Rosemary Sydney and Mrs. Potts join other women in the community to prepare for the annual picnic. However, the once quiet neighborhoods atmosphere changes when a friend of Alan named Hal Carter ends up in Mrs. Potts hospitable home. People become heavy hearted and change of events happen to several others in a matter of hours of Hal Carter’s appearance.
focus that led the way for the boys to capture a tough victory. With the challenge of Einstein and every other school in the way, Northwood’s boys came together and went to war together, each lifting the other up throughout the process. “It’s cool to see all of our hard work finally starting to pay off. We have had a pretty good season so far and it’s all due to the extra work we put it in over the summer,” exclaimed Feda. It is without a doubt that this group of varsity boys, along with the whole cross country team, worked extremely hard over the summer to reach where they are now. Lucky for the team, Coach Gio and Coach Adams were there to push the athletes along the way. These two coaches are extremely passionate and only want the best for this team. When asked about winning the meet, Coach Gio had this to say, “Winning the consortia meet is big and very meaningful to Northwood. Obsaa winning the meet overall and setting a new record is amazing too. I’m very proud of this group.” Just as the coaches are, Obsaa is very proud of his varsity team as well. As one of the
most successful teams in the school, getting the XC brand up and elevating Northwood’s status in the high school sports world is big thing for him. “As a team, the varsity boys qualified for the state meet which is amazing. We are just going out there and running, there isn’t much else to it. We want to put Northwood on the map and get the respect that we believe we deserve as an XC team.” With the season winding down, it seems safe to say that Northwood is officially on the map in the world of cross country. With many goals accomplished this year for Feda and this XC team, it’s only appropriate that one last goal be emphasized by Feda himself. “I already won consortia and I have already won regionals. My next and final goal is to win states and claim the state title. I already know it won’t be easy because of the great talent in Maryland, but nothing good comes easy in life!” With this goal in mind and an intense level of motivation and determination, Feda went on to place eleventh and take home hardware for himself and his school. Next up is nationals. Good luck Obsaa. Northwood is behind you. By Cameron Rice
With any production whether it may be a musical, dance, or theatrical performance there are challenges. Elle Ulasevich says that memorizing lines can be difficult for her. She says, “I have some monologues that are a struggle at times. On top of memorizing lines, there’s blocking that can get difficult if others aren’t doing their blocking and it gets messed up.” Another cast member shares her difficulties within the play. Hannah smith states, “Finding a backstory for my character in order to give a more authentic performance.” She explains that though everyone is given their lines and
scripts, it does not say everything that the character is and what their experiences are. The actors or actresses themselves have to determine that. Several hours in a week are spent on the production Picnic Elle Ulasevich says “Rehearsals after school can last about three hours each and I put in about 5 hours every couple of days, so two hours of lines and 3 hours of rehearsals.” Northwood has put on several astounding performances, without a doubt Picnic will be one of them. By Gabriella Villatoro
-Monica Chavez (‘18) Swim Team
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Spotlight French Exchange Students Nine French ambassadors visited Northwood High School from October 28th through November 4th. Before they left, we asked them a few questions about their experience here.
Nora Kroussa hosted by Mr. Medor Did you Choose to come to Northwood ? “Yes” What is your favorite part of being in America so far? “The cheer competition was really entertaining.” How is high school different here ? “We get sent to the office if we sleep in class. No phones allowed at all.”
Bruce Castra hosted by Jake Pliskin
Diarra Halimatou hosted by Nia Peters
Did you choose to come to Northwood?
Did you choose to come to Northwood?
“Yes”
“They wrote a letter to the person in charge of the program. He chose them and gave them their host families.”
What is your favorite part of America ? “Yesterday was. Halloween is different in France. We went trick or treating, which is a typical American thing to do. Also we got to go see an NBA Wizards match because it’s very popular here and seems fun, we don’t do it in France.” How is school different from over there ?
What is the culture like here? What is different? “In the USA everything is big. In france everything is small, cars, food, and buildings.” How is school different from school over there?
“We didn’t have water fountains in the hall- “The lockers.” way. The gym and facilities for sports is new , we don’t have sports” What’s one thing you miss about France ? What is one thing you miss about France?
“My family and the food.”
“The food.”
Freshmen of the Week
Daisha Budd - 10/9-10/13 Yanira Carranza Portillo - 10/9-10/13 Heidi Garmise - 10/16-10/20 Aaliyah Brandon - 10/16-10/20 Donna Duran - 10/23-10/27 Anita Henderson - 10/23-10/27 Laila Goodwin - 10/30-11/3 Edgar Garcia - 10/30-11/3 Christian Estrada - 11/6-11/10 Cameron Williams - 11/6-11/10
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Join the Comic Club! Every Tuesday during lunch in room LC7!