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The updated classrooms on the third floor of the B-building are ready to be utilized by students and teachers after being under construction since the beginning of the school year. On Dec. 13, many English classes were moved to these new rooms, while the old classrooms on the opposite side of the third floor closed for the same remodel. As well as a change of location for their English classes, many freshmen received a new locker on the opposite side of the hall. This proved to be challenging for freshman Jhilmil Chhaya, who is still adjusting to the building, and has never gotten the opportunity to familiarize herself with the building before construction. “We went to our new classroom today to look around, and I had no idea where we even were,” Chhaya said. “It’s definitely going to be harder since I just got used to getting to my class and finding my locker perfectly.”

As an English teacher changing classrooms, Kristen Alles understands these possible confusions for the underclassmen. “I think freshmen might have a bit of a challenge,” Alles said. “They're new to the building in general. I think it might be a bit of a challenge for them to get used to which stairwell they need to use, where their classrooms might be and their locker adjustment.” Aside from the possible confusion the new construction has caused, classrooms have been completely modernized. Following suit of the second floor renovations completed over the summer, these classrooms have freshly painted walls, brand new floors, improved technology, new lights and ceiling tiles. In addition to classrooms, the lecture hall has also undergone construction and a complete redesign. The elimination of the movie theater seating has created a space with an open and modern feel, and the space has been turned into two rooms with the addition of a wall. The lecture hall has been designed to match the classrooms updated thus far, according to Assistant Principal Katy Vernier. “You’ve got the accent wall that matches through the whole B-building, the new floor, and a lot of rooms have these new whiteboards,” Vernier said. The newly reopened North hallway staircase received improvements as well. Although the stairs look the same, the change comes from the addition of tempered glass windows allowing the staircase to stay at a consistent temperature. Throughout the coming years, the rest of the staircases will gradually receive the same update. As junior Vanessa Ciaramitaro walked through the newly opened staircase, she noticed the better regulation of temperature. “I think that in the previous years at North the temperatures in the stairwells were pretty cold,” Ciaramitaro said, “But, I believe now with the new construction and the new stairwells, that the temperature is more regulated and more comfortable to be in.” In addition to visual and cosmetic changes, asbestos, a cancer-causing mineral, has been removed from the ceiling tiles in the east and west half of the third floor. Alles finds peace of mind knowing her classroom is now free from it. “When it was there, it was completely covered, so there was no imminent danger or anything like that,” Alles said. “I do think, generally speaking, it gives a little bit of reassurance that it's not there.” Even though there have already been major changes made, North’s construction will continue for about two more years, according to Vernier. The construction will continue to have its effects on underclassmen and upperclassmen alike, including Ciaramitaro. “It's kind of frustrating because one of the best parts of school is passing time and being able to take laps around the hallways,” Ciaramitaro said, “But, it will be nicer for the future students at North to have a new, redone school.”

KATIE MADIGAN NEW DIVIDE I The changes from construction are shown on the third floor in between the east and west hallway. For English teacher Kristen Alles, these renovations were much anticipated. “I am looking forward to greater space, new paint and a new feeling,” Alles said.

By Kaitlyn Barr & Annabelle Julien SECTION EDITORS

Recently, students at many schools around the world are creating anonymous accounts on Instagram, turning this account making into a huge trend. Some of the most popular accounts for documenting different events or topics at schools include content of students’ poor parking, school lunches, photos of students sleeping in class and students not wearing their masks properly. With so many students being active on social media, accounts like these can garner a large following fairly easily.

Kids and teens are heavily influenced by what they see on social media, according to clinical social worker Therese Tuski Scarpace, who specializes in children and adolescents. “The reality is that in adolescence, it is the time to evolve into the person you want to be,” Scarpace said. “Social media can influence who you should be.”

Agreeing with Scarpace, senior Michael Villeneuve acknowledges that social media and popular accounts often dictate how people, especially teenagers act, and sees the impact among his peers.

“I see so many students following the most recent trend in hopes of gaining likes or validation of some kind,” Villeneuve said. “Admittedly, a lot of the trends are fun and funny, but it’s just interesting to see the herd mentality that comes with them.”

Understanding how social media can aid in helping him stay in touch and connect with students, math teacher Benjamin Godwin stays active on social media. Though he appreciates North’s presence on social media, which helps him keep up with events and other information, he acknowledges that the rise of anonymous accounts has its disadvantages.

“I appreciate the quote on quote official ones, like Student Association, and the one for North Pointe and all of those,” Godwin said. “While I find some humor in the unofficial ones like the parking one or I've seen one of kids sleeping in class, I think that opens a door to some easy bullying, and just things that we don't necessarily want to portray ourselves as.”

Though these anonymous accounts have received some backlash, Villeneuve believes that these platforms encourage students to reflect on their behaviors and improve them so they will not be posted on these accounts.

“I think I can speak for everyone when I say these accounts have made me more aware of what I'm doing during school,” Villeneuve said. “I think they ultimately have a positive effect on students – they definitely give me and my peers something to laugh about.”

While the intent behind the accounts is to give students a laugh and entertain them, according to Godwin, it is possible for these accounts to do more harm than good. “If someone from outside the school were to look at [these accounts] and they were to just see a whole Instagram of just kids sleeping in class, that paints an ugly picture for you guys as students [and] for me as a teacher,” Godwin said. Although some accounts could negatively represent teachers and students, Scarpace believes that social media teaches youth what the world’s standards are. “I think the anonymous posts can help because they plant the seed of reality [in the viewers],” Scarpace said. “As long as a person sees something, it is imprinted in the brain on some level.”

KAITLYN BARR

“Salmon in the Classroom,” a program run by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, has made its way to SCI203. This program brings a hands-on experience to approximately 300 classrooms around the state of Michigan, where students can observe the life cycle of salmon in their classroom. Tracy Page, the Aquatic Education Coordinator for the DNR, has run “Salmon in the Classroom” for four years. “I think the most impactful thing out of salmon in the classroom is the ability to connect students to a resource that they would normally never see,” Page said. “Being able to see those fish that you would normally never get to see and never understand, and using them as a catalyst to build an appreciation of nature and want-to-be stewards, and take care of nature, I think is a really cool thing.” These Chinook salmon eggs will grow and hatch in chemistry teacher Christopher Trepanowki’s classroom. 138 eggs were placed in the tank, and approximately 110 of them will survive to be released. Not only will his students get to observe the salmon as they grow each day, they will be able to relate the experience to their chemistry curriculum. “We'll be making connections, especially in the chemistry class, to things like the water chemistry,” Trepanowski said. “It just looks like clear water, but there's a lot more in that water, a lot of those invisible chemicals that are harmful and beneficial to the eggs as they grow.” All students in his chemistry classes will get to experience this from the eggs’ beginnings in Nov. 2021, into April 2022 when they release them into the Clinton River. Sophomore Ben Graham and his classmates are a part of this experience and look forward to the future of this project. “I can kind of say for everyone that it's fun to have them in the classroom,” Graham said. “I think it's just cool because, again, you normally don't have salmon in a classroom.” The overall goal of the program, according to Trepanowski, is to create a meaningful learning environment and experience for the students whether it be an elementary or high school classroom. “One of the things I hope they learn is just how incredible life is,” Trepanowski said.