LIFE
North Pointe – Wednesday, April 24, 2019 – 2
Students, staff adjust to Ramadan during exam season By Michael Hartt & Farrah Fasse PAGE EDITOR & STAFF REPORTER
Humanities teacher Kareem Hakim has been observing Ramadan, a month-long Islamic holiday where observers practice fasting from sunrise to sunset, since he was in eighth grade; he has been dealing with the struggle of hunger during Ramadan ever since. Even though some who do not observe Ramadan may see it as a miserable month filled with hunger pains, Hakim argues that it is a month of understanding how lucky one truly is, although, he also admits that it can be difficult to maintain his normal energy when not eating or drinking all day. “It’s supposed to be all about if you can abstain from things that are actually good for you, like food and drink as they’re essential to life. There’s no way you could go everyday without it. If you can abstain from those things, then you can definitely abstain from things that are not good for you,” Hakim said.“It’s a super humbling time period, because you realize how fortunate you are that you take these things for granted.” Senior Ramsha Rizvi agrees with Hakim on Ramadan being humbling and emphasizes how much of a beneficial experience it is. Rizvi also says that she is not as occupied with routinely activities, which frees up time for her do work on other things. “I love Ramadan, because it’s so much fun for me. It’s oddly relaxing in a way,” Rizvi said. “There’s a schedule we all follow and it’s more family-oriented than other months. It’s a nice time of ref lection for yourself.”
Advanced Placement, which is owned by nonprofit organization College Board, currently has a policy in place allowing students to take AP tests later if there is a school-related conflict, important event, or a celebration of a religious holiday. Hakim is grateful for said policy, and says that if he was taking AP exams he would still take the tests as scheduled, but he understands others’ individual needs as well. “I really appreciate the fact that they’re (College Board) understanding of those things, because you want it to be a level playing field,” Hakim said. “At the same time, I know that those tests cause a lot of anxiety for everybody, so in the end you might just want to get it over with.” Normal in-class tests, even if not in an AP class, can be difficult for students practicing fasting during Ramadan, according to sophomore Jasmina Baci. “It does get a little hard towards tests, because I tend to eat my stress, but it’s not too bad if you focus on what you are studying,” Baci said. In order for students to be successful on tests throughout Ramadan, Hakim recommends getting a good night’s rest and eating brain food such as oily fish or walnuts. “I think (Muslims fasting) have to be really intentional with what they eat, when they can eat, and how much water they drink when they can drink,” Hakim said. “Getting a proper night’s sleep is essential and communication (is key) if they need any (extra) help.”
RAMADAN FEAST | The photo above depicts the traditional Islamic tradition of feasting after the sun goes down, during Ramadan. Junior Ramsha Rizvi said that she loved the holiday. “I love it because it’s so much fun for me. It’s oddly relaxing in a way,” Rizvi said. “There’s a schedule we all follow and it’s more family-oriented than other months. It’s a nice time of reflection for yourself.”
First time Bring Your Kid to Work Day hosted by Student Association By Sofia Ketels MANAGING EDITOR
On Wednesday, April 17, North’s median age hit a sudden decrease due to the addition of over 30 young children — all of whom were participants in the Student Association’s first Bring Your Kid to Work Day event. Sophomore and Student Association member Emily McCloskey volunteered to help out during seventh hour in the library, where many of the children were playing games and working on various crafts. To McCloskey, one of the highlights of the hour for her was simply seeing the change in her teacher’s behavior in a completely different environment than she was used to. “They were much more relaxed and fun,” McCloskey said via email. “North, overall, had a much more inviting environment.” Seventh hour was also a favorite for Social Studies teacher Bridget Cooley’s daughter, Parker. Throughout the day, kids participated in a new activity every hour: breakfast and German songs with German teacher Susan Sipos in first hour, science and chemistry related activities with science teachers Jaime Hainer and Kristi Lee in second, and a cooking class with lifeskills teacher Michael Viviani in third. After lunch in the Student Union during fourth
and fifth hour, kids went on to a field day, and split their sixth and seventh hours between the planetarium and the library with physics teacher Don Pata and library media specialist Amanda Pata, respectively. Cooley was able to spend time with the kids during her first and fourth hour prep periods, and said that the day was not only a fun way to hang out with her daughter and show her what her job is, but also to create a sense of family in school. As for her daughter, Cooley said that she enjoyed the planetarium, making crystals in second hour and getting to be around the “big kids” in high school. “Obviously my family is the most important thing to me, but North family is very important to me too, and this day brought that all together,” Cooley said via email. “I think any opportunity for parents to expose their kids to new things is great. My daughter also got to hang out with her Norsekid friends.” Leading up to the event, McCloskey said that she wasn’t entirely sure how the event would be run, or what to expect come the big day. But, like Cooley, she was thoroughly impressed with the work that Student Activities director Peggy Bonbrisco and Student Association adviser Jonathan Byrne did throughout the day. Between interacting with her teachers who brought their kids to class, along with playing with them herself in the library, Mc-
Closkey said that her experience was wonderful, and that she wished she had been able to participate more. She also said that she even had a learning moment when interacting with the younger kids throughout her day. “From this experience, I realized that even though some of the kids were much younger than I am, our interests actually aren’t that different,” McCloskey said. “We shouldn’t talk down to them because it only makes them feel more out of place.” Both Cooley and McCloskey said that, given the opportunity, they would be more than willing to participate in a potential repeat of this event next year, and even take on a larger role or increased participation. McCloskey said that she enjoyed the day so much that she wishes it had been available to additional students outside of mainly the Student Association and the National Honors Society. To her, this is a unique opportunity for all students to use their free period to help out with something fun, not necessarily just for service hours or brownie points. “By allowing more students to sign up to help with the activities during their tutorials,” McCloskey said, “I think that it could become a day that everyone in the school will look forward to and remember.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BROOKLYN MCWHORTER
MINI NORSEMEN | English teacher Jonathen Byrne (right) poses in a picture with two of his children. Emily McClosky, a Student Association member, loved the experience of a Bring Your Kid to Work Day. I definitely had a wonderful time in my classes with teachers who brought kids, but also during my tutorial when I was directly working with the kids,” McClosky said.
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