North Star News, Sept. 26, 2019

​North Star News September 26, 2019Â

North Star NewsÂ

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Journalism Class, Fall 2019

Pelosi calls for impeachment inquiry on TrumpÂ

By Nicole Nantz September 26, 2019 Â

On September 24, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi called for an impeachment inquiry on President Donald Trump. It is believed that Trump pressured Ukrainian president ​Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former U.S. vice president and presidential candidate, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden. Not only that, Congress has frozen $309 million that was meant to help Ukraine against Russia. This story is still developing, and there are pushing investigations. ​Click here to go to the New York Times for updates.Â

đ&#x;”źPhoto Credit to Alex Wong/ Getty Images

Niles North students go on a climate strikeÂ

By Lanie Mae Rasay September 26, 2019 Â

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Niles North participated in the Global Climate Strike on September 20 during homeroom. The Global Climate Strike is the week long disruption of schools and businesses in order to stress the issue of environmental harm. The purpose is to convince countries’ leaders to devote to helping the environment with harsher climate goals.  16 year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg is the leader of Global Climate Strike.  Thunberg travelled from Sweden to attend the Climate Action Summit hosted in New York.  “This is all wrong,â€? she said at the summit, “I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!â€? eco-activist Thunberg angrily said.Â

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​ ​ ​Photo Credits: Ella Yoo  Niles North students walked out and listened to speeches made by the strike’s leaders: Student Government’s president junior Ovi Banerjee, and Climate Change Club members junior Elliot Parrish and his sister junior Abigael Parrish. Â

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September 26, 2019

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“When I announced to the student body and faculty of our school that we were organizing a walkout, the one question everyone asked was: ‘Why are we taking the time out of our busy days to leave the building and walk around it in a circle?’â€? Elliot Parrish said. “I have an answer to that question. Because the very life of our planet is at stake, and some of us would like to do something about it!â€? The speeches emphasized the issue of climate change and their mission to work towards a better environment. Students then walk around the school chanting about saving the planet and then returned to the rest of their day. “Definitely opened my eyes to an urgent problem,â€? junior strike participant Angelie Prem said. “And it made me‌ how do I say this? It made me see the world a different way and this world needs help. It allowed me to believe that I can make a change just with my community.â€? Click ​here​ for more info on the strike.

Climate strikes shake the nation as Thunberg voices her anger Â

By Ian Imhof September 26, 2019

On Friday, September 20, many students from cities such as Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles protested the current issues of climate change. The protests which were partially inspired by Greta Thunberg, a 16 year old Swedish environmentalist, who attended the U.N. Climate action summit which took place this past weekend, from September 21 - 23. The strikes happened in over 163 countries, with over 2,500 events taking place. These events had millions of people attend and participate. Â

đ&#x;”źPhoto Credit to NBC NewsÂ

Thunberg who attended the Climate Change Summit had this to​ ​say to the world leaders attending the summit, “​You say you hear us and that you understand the urgency. But no matter how sad and angry I am, I do not want to believe that. Because if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act, then you would be evil. And that I refuse to believe.â€?  These powerful words uttered by this young activist brought many world leaders to agree with her, and say that they had been failing to do their jobs to curb climate change. One such leader, Allen Michael Chastanet who is the Prime Minister of St. Lucia, a Carribean Island Nation commented on the remarks by Thunberg and had this to say, “I want to echo the sentiments and the emotion of Greta -- that she could come here and condemn us all,â€? “and deservedly so.â€? The strikes in the United States specifically could be a response to the current administration’s views on climate change, and their attempts to remove or roll back certain restrictions that have been placed. Such laws as the Clean Water Act, which protects streams, rivers, and other such bodies of water. The Trump administration sought to redefine/restrict which of these bodies of water should or should not be protected. Some of these redefinings, and restrictions led to about 51 percent of wetlands and 18 percent of streams across the U.S. lose their federal protections.  Â

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September 26, 2019

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North Star News Poll:​ Many people worldwide participated in a walkout on September 20 to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change. ​North Star News​ wanted to know your reactions. Thank you for your feedback.

We asked: Do you believe in climate change? You answered…

YES NO I believe climate change shouldn’t be a political opinion or a belief.. it should be considered a fact. The signs are clear that species populations are declining, the oceans are contaminated with plastic, our air is unhealthy, the temperatures as rising and weather events are becoming more and more extreme/dangerous. But, whether or not people believe in climate change, our actions will either heal our earth, or needlessly make the earth a healthier, better, more beautiful place. Everyone has a different opinion and that’s alright but we have to understand how our actions impact our environment.

I believe it's a liberal hoax and used as another excuse to give up more rights to the government and for the government to control our lives even more. If they really do want to do something about lowering emissions they should bomb the coal factories in China and India because the U.S has one of the lowest emissions rates in the world.

There are a lot of statistics that prove that the climate crisis is real. In addition there is a large visual representation of the problem seen in melting glaciers and icebergs. I feel that the climate strike is a very important issue but frankly I don’t think the walkout was helpful. Most of the students that walked out probably didn’t know anything about it and were only walking out to get out of class. I think that before a walkout could be helpful, everyone walking needs to know what it is, what’s causing it, and how can we fix it. Then they are able to educate their communities and any new person who wants to join the strike.

Because their claim is not true this "world ending in 18 months" thing is fake the world was supposed to end when it turned 2000 but it didn't.... The climate is always changing.

We can't stop that.

The weather has not been normal and doesn't go according to schedule. There is definitely a lot of changes in the climate because of us. I believe the greenhouse effect and that it is the cause of this. We produce more greenhouse gases than normal, and this creates the heat to increase in the earth. The ice is melting at a rapid rate in the Arctic and in other cold areas, and this causes the sea levels to rise. There are so many signs that I believe are true.

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September 26, 2019

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Student Government discusses lunch issues with QuestÂ

By Danielle Lehrer September 26, 2019Â

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đ&#x;”źA Niles North student getting lunch​/​PhotoÂ

Courtesy of Danielle LehrerÂ

 Niles North has recently changed their food service from Organic Life, to Quest. There have been many mixed reviews about the new provider, Quest, so student government decided to reach out and start a committee where representatives express comments and concerns from the community.  In a recent interview, Junior, Nahiyan Chowdhury, Vice President of Niles North Student Government, stated that he joined the Quest Food Committee because he was hearing lots of complaints from students and wanted to resolve them. “I want to create negotiations so that we can negotiate better food prices and learn more about quest,â€? Chowdhury said. At their meeting Quest offered committee members a variety of high quality selections that were not on the school’s menu.  “It was great, definitely a lot better than anything we had last year,â€? Chowdhury said. “They gave us grilled parmesan and pastas.â€? Quest wants to add new options to the menu and are using the committee as taste testers.  Chowdhury expressed that Quest is very open to input and had multiple high representatives of the company at the meeting including Quest’s owner. Nahiyan personally likes that there are more options including Starbucks products, brand name cereal, smoothies, candy, but those prices are not negotiable.  Since the point of the meeting was about concerns that the student body, including portion size and price, Chowdhury talked about the company’s reaction to these concerns.  “Quest discussed how the Viking Meal (previously known as Free and Reduced Lunch) is only 10 cents more than what Organic Life option so there is not that much on affordability to go on, Chowdhury said they talked about the costs of everything and that they are not making much of a profit on it. They make only 2-3% on a good year with us so they can’t really change the pricing. However, we did talk about increasing portion sizes instead to improve value.â€?  There has only been one meeting of the Food Committee but ​North Star News​ will keep updates on how Quest and Student Government are working on changes.Â

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September 26, 2019

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Niles North debate competes this weekend đ&#x;”˝Annual Debate Banquet, May 2019Â

By Sabha Fatima September 26, 2019Â

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The Niles North debate team will compete at a tournament this Saturday, September 28 at Niles West High School. The Niles North team was created nearly a decade ago by Social Studies teacher Katie Weston. The team has slowly worked its way up, competing and ranking at a national level. Now, the team is coached by Social Studies teacher Lauren Velazquez, who was brought in to â€?continue the tradition of Viking greatnessâ€? as statedÂ

by Velazquez herself. Debate is a great opportunity for students to get out of their comfort zone and speak up. This year’s turnout grew to about 50 future debaters, most of whom regularly come to practices after school on Tuesdays. New debaters are always welcome and practice schedules can always be modified to fit any other extracurriculars that they may be part of. “Competitive debate requires young people to be able to think on their feet and to digest and explain complex ideas in a short amount of time...my Varsity get so excited and pumped when talking about strategy and "the game" that becomes an infectious energy that seems to get new debaters excited.â€? says Velazquez. Majority of the rules and ideas are formed by the students themselves, allowing for flexible practices and no set structure to the team. “I also love that debate showcases the brilliance of this young generation. So often I worry that adults don't give young people enough credit...I get to be hopeful that this generation is more than capable of taking on the complicated issues of our world and doing great things.â€? explains Velazquez. The Niles North Debate team is competing at Niles West High School on Saturday, September 28.  Â

Here’s what happened near Area 51Â

By Misha Raykhlin September 26, 2019 Â

​Photo by John Locher/AP from npr.orgÂ

​ ​On September 20, a few thousand people from all over the worldÂ

and in the US showed up to Area 51 to “See them aliens.â€? What originally started off as a joke on Facebook by Matty Roberts exploded into multiple gatherings near Area 51. Events like Alienstock and the Storm Area 51 bootcamp hosted music and parties for alien enthusiasts to come on down. ​In addition there were a few people who were arrested that tried to get close to Area 51 for crimes and were charged with disorderly conduct, including one person who was treated for dehydration. Among them were two Dutch YouTubers: Ties Granzier, 20, and Govert Charles Wilhelmus Jacob Sweep, 21 who got 3 miles deep into the Nevada National Security Site. On the next day they were both sentenced to a year in jail. Until the sentence was suspended and were giving three days in jail and each had to pay a fine of $2,280. Â

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September 26, 2019

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Asexual Awareness Week to be recognized in October Â

By Olivia Frey September 26, 2019Â

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This October, from the 20-26, will be a week celebrating and raising awareness for asexuals and asexuality.  Asexuality is defined as a “lack of sexual attractionâ€?. This sexual orientation, much like other sexual orientations, is about what someone feels, not what someone does. Asexuals could still date, fall in love, get married, or have children. Furthermore, much like how sexuality is seen on a spectrum, asexuality is seen on a spectrum as well. One could enjoy sexual intimacy, but is not sexually attracted to anybody.  The idea of asexuality popped up in the 1860’s, when Hungarian journalist Karl-Maria Kertbeny coined the words, heterosexual, homosexual, and “monosexualsâ€? (referring to people who only matsturbate and don’t have sex).  But over the course of the 20 and 21st century, scientific research and books written about the sexual orientation became more mainstream. Asexuality week is the perfect time to let friends and relatives know that their sexual orientation is valid, and if they ever need a person to talk to about their feelings.  For more information regarding this topic, check out ​Campus Pride's article about Asexuality Awareness Week.​ ​ ​ ​PC creds: teentalkÂ

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iPhone 11 hits the market to mixed reviewsÂ

By Lisette Becerra September 26, 2019 Â

Last month, Apple released their newest phones: The iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 pro. According to Apple, the iPhone 11’s new features include,“A new dual‑camera system captures more of what you see and love. The fastest chip ever in a smartphone and all‑day battery life let you do more and charge less. And the highest‑quality video in a smartphone, so your memories look better than ever� according to the company.  Meanwhile the pro is “A transformative triple‑camera system that adds tons of capability without complexity. An unprecedented leap in battery life. And a mind‑blowing chip that doubles down on machine learning and pushes the boundaries of what a smartphone can do. Welcome to the first iPhone powerful enough to be called Pro� as claimed by Apple.  There a multiple differences between the two phones including camera quality. The pro has a triple camera system which adds a telephoto lens, an extra hour of battery life, more water resistance, is made of stainless steel rather than aluminum, and more storage. “Well, I own an iPhone X,� student teacher Michael Johnson, said. “I haven’t done much research and I need to look into details.� “I don’t know how to feel about it,� senior Nathan Lagato said. “I think Apple comes up with extravagant, unnecessary technology all the time�. To find out more information, and form your own opinion, visit your local Apple store. Tell ​North Star News y ​ our opinion in ​our latest poll​.

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September 26, 2019

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Preparations for Homecoming are underway

By Hannah Freireich September 26, 2019

With Homecoming City of Stars right around the corner, make sure to pay attention to important dates and be ready to buy your tickets.

On Tuesday October 1, there is a girls Powderpuff football informational meeting that seniors and juniors must attend if they plan on playing in the game scheduled for October 15.

On Friday, October 11, there will be Homecoming hallway decorating after school at 3:30pm until 5:30pm.

Tuesday October 15, The girls Powderpuff game will be at 7pm at the Main Stadium. Go out and watch as the senior girls take on the junior girls.

Homecoming Spirit week is October 15-October 18. Tuesday, October 15 is Twinkling Twin day.

Thursday, October 17 is Bright Lights (Neon) Day. And on Friday, October 18 it is Blackout Day. This is a perfect way to get into the homecoming spirit so make sure you participate!

If you plan on inviting someone to the Niles North Homecoming, check your email for the guest permission slip.

Tickets for the Homecoming dance go on sale the week of for $20 otherwise it will be $30 at the door the night of the event.

Homecoming City of Stars will take place on October 19 at 7:00pm.

Homecoming is a night of fun that only happens once a year so make sure you don’t miss out!

National Hispanic Heritage Month has begun

By Juliana Peña September 26, 2019

Americans begin to observe Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15 through October 15. Many Latin American countries celebrate their independence around September 15, marking a time of celebration for Hispanics.

In order to celebrate the history, culture, and contributions of the countries Hispanic Americans you should “Look around at all the beautiful art you can find in murals, music, THE FOOD, literature,” Latinx Club Sponsor, Alejandra Arteaga said. “The community should make an attempt to attend events that celebrate the beautiful culture and sacrifices of our people.”

Photo Courtesy from The New York Times ​Niles North’s very own Latinx club is planning to hold a community wide party on November 1, in order to celebrate the school’s very own Hispanic Heritage.

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September 26, 2019

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Niles North’s Club PASA arrives at Niles WestÂ

By Lanie Mae Rasay September 26, 2019Â

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Pan-Asian Student Association, also known as PASA, is a club for the Pan-Asian community: Asians and Pacific Islanders. Pan-Asian is an inclusive term to  “We wanted to create a space for AAPI/API (Asian American Pacific Islander / Asian Pacific Islander) students,â€? PASA’s developer Rachel Song said. “To celebrate AAPI/API individual identities and lived experiences.â€? “PASA was also created in order to discuss different issues within Asia and the Asian-American community,â€? Niles West’s PASA’s President Kristine Hwang said. “It’s awesome, I think it’s nice to have a club but not just for Asians, it’s not a cultural club. It’s a space for Asians of any origin and like to discuss issues or things that they experience,â€? Niles North’s Girls Soccer Coach Andrew Park said. “If you look at the demographics. There’s a lot of Asians at this school.â€?Â

Click ​here​ for Niles North’s demographics & click ​here​ for Niles West’s demographics. PASA in both schools would like to benefit their communities.   Â

đ&#x;”˝Photo credits: senior Grace LeeÂ

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“Goals are to fundraise a decent amount of money so we can donate to nonprofits,â€? NW Vice President Ko said. “Also just have a safe space to talk about topics with students and even have some fun. We are planning movie nights and discussions.â€? “I would really like PASA to collaborate with clubs like MSA (Muslim Student Association), FEM Club (Feminism Club), NAHS (National Arts Honors Society), DM (Dance Marathon) and many more,â€? senior Niles North’s PASA member Aashi Prajapati said. Niles North’s PASA meets every Tuesday in room 3020 and keep updated with PASA for both schools through Instagram. Niles North’s PASA:@nn.pasa  Niles West’s PASA: @nw.pasa Â

North Star News​

September 26, 2019

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Niles North vs. Buffalo Grove game update

Nicole Nantz September 26, 2019

Photo Courtesy from Tracy Allen / Pioneer Press⊳

Last Friday, September 19, Niles North's varsity football team lost to Buffalo Grove, 29-51.

Though Buffalo Grove had multiple penalties issued to them throughout the game, the Bison still won.

Many of the people watching the game had different reactions. One of those reactions was from a sophomore who was at the game. “I thought it was nice, we could have done better,” she said.

“But I guess we didn’t lose terribly. And, there were some really good things that our team did.”

The head coach of the football team, Patrik Pistorio, talked about the highlights of the game.

“Chris Bland had 136 yards rushing and 185 passing on Friday,” he said. “Zach Yoshioka had 12 tackles for the defense.”

Pistorio also brought up what the varsity team needs to work on. “In all 3 phases (Offense, Defense, and Special teams ) we need to eliminate critical errors.” he said. “Offensively we need to improve upon our ability to score within the redzone.”

The current season has had its wins and losses. Here are the results of this season’s games.

DATE

OPPONENT

POINTS NN-OPPONENT

8/30/2019

Al Rab; the Raiders

7-6

9/6/2019

Niles West; the Wolves

49-14

9/13/2019

Schaumburg; the Saxons

12-56

9/20/2019

Buffalo Grove; the Bison

29-51

The games have an even amount of wins and loses so far. One Sophomore varsity player, Riley Reotutar, commented on the current season. “​This season so far has been going okay,” he said. “We started off strong but for the past 2 weeks have hit a slump. But I believe in every single one of my teammates and I know we can turn this around.”

The next game for the Vikings will be on Friday, September 27, at Vernon Hills High School against their own football team, the Cougars. The varsity team will be playing at 7:30 PM. The Homecoming Game against Maine East will also be happening on October 18.