Editorial

4 — Thursday, May 26, 2022 — North Pointe SENIORS

By Farrah Fasse EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Four years, 60 stories and I don’t know how many reads later, I’m writing my final story for the North Pointe. The concept is still foreign, and I haven’t quite grasped the finality of it.

As Editor-in-Chief, my purpose in compiling a paper is not to tell you what to think or how you should feel about issues. In fact, I believe it is despicable for publications to “push” their readers toward a certain way of thinking by misrepresenting or cherry-picking information. This practice, infuriatingly common in this day and age, is sacrilegious to the art of journalism. What’s even more frustrating is watching audiences fall victim to these false narratives, since all news sources are not created equal.

I’ve done my best to present unbiased and truthful information as Editor-in-Chief. Bias of a publication rots their reliability, thus one of my main objectives has been to equip our readers with valuable information to form their own opinion. My role ends after getting you that information, so what you do with the news you read is up to you. Thinking critically about what you read and hear is a cornerstone of having a wellfunctioning and intellectual society, however it is something that is largely lacking in our society. So, here’s my challenge to you: when consuming media, or any type of information, make sure to view it holistically. Have your uncle who shares posts on Facebook that get flagged by Snopes fact checker serve as a cautionary tale for you. Try not to have such entrenched beliefs that you are unable to accept information that pushes those beliefs. Welcome new information and challenge the beliefs that you hold.

Acting as a leader in the classroom this year has pushed my personal growth, and contributed to my self-actualization. There’s far too many people to thank individually, but I am so proud to have been Editor-in-Chief. It truly has been an honor to lead such an amazing staff this year, and I will miss them greatly. Next year, you’ll be in good hands. I often get kudos for how the paper looks and for the quality of the stories, but I’m only one person in a room of 35. None of our greatness would be possible without the dedication and hard work of such accomplished writers, designers and artists, whom I always reiterate that I am so lucky to have led. I will always remember the positive impact that North has had on me, and will always appreciate the school that I have called home for four years. Also, any non-seniors out there, when a senior tells you that your last year will go by fast, believe them. Take the time to enjoy your time as Norsemen, because you’ll miss it when it’s gone.

GRACE ROSSMAN

By Grace Cueter, Annabelle Julien & Grace Rossman MANAGING EDITOR & SECTION EDITORS

SOPHIA DRAGICH

The special community created within the journalism room combined with our love for writing and producing something that makes us proud has pushed us to dedicate an incredible amount of time during our high school years to the North Pointe. We are looking forward to taking on our new positions and all that they require. Following years of building our writing, design and communication skills, we will be serving as the executive board of North Pointe, Grace Cueter as Editor-in-Chief, and Annabelle Julien and Grace Rossman as Managing Editors. We are so excited to be working alongside each other to lead the program.

The North Pointe has changed drastically since its first publication in 1968. But, through these many years, the core of our newspaper has remained the same. As elements such as art and layouts modernize and change through time, we have kept and will continue to keep one thing the same. The strong and reliable stories we publish in the North Pointe are the foundation of this publication, and even with the changes we intend to make, the integrity of the newspaper will be sustained. Words are a remarkably powerful tool, and writing will always be the core of the North Pointe.

In the upcoming year we plan to modernize the layout of our publication, primarily with more visual and interactive elements to attract more student interest. We will strive to create something that students feel excited about picking up and looking at in its entirety. Our hope is that with this visual shift, we can create a stronger North Pointe culture, a community that not only takes pride in our work, but also feels that the publication is truly representative of the world around us.

However, it is important that we make sure we don’t neglect our duty as journalists to cover both the good and the bad. While it is understandable that we would like to gravitate towards the positive, we cannot hide the negative. We live in a world where there is hardship and injustice, tragedy takes place and our newspread exposes truth and highlights accomplishments in our community.

We are so proud of everything we have accomplished as a group in the past years, however we know there’s always room for improvement, which is one of the many reasons that we are eager to step into our new roles, and are dedicated to learning how to best intrigue and inform our readers about the world around us. We have had the opportunity to observe the leadership of our current Editor-in-Chief, Farrah Fasse, and will take her legacy with us into the future. We hope you are as excited to read and see the future of our work as we are to lead this publication in the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.

GRACE ROSSMAN

Four years ago, as scared freshmen, with our schedules crumpling in our tight grips and backpacks stuffed to the gills with all sorts of supplies, we didn’t know all of the growth we would experience under the guidance of caring teachers and staff, in a school filled with endless opportunities. We are grateful for the impact that North has had on us.

When coming to North, we were given the freedom to make decisions and do things on our own. We were allowed to make mistakes, and find solutions to our problems. We will not miss the hall sweeps, and the “whoosh” sound down the hallway of kids bolting to their classes to avoid being caught. However, we appreciate the lesson in punctuality since when we are adults, our consequences for repeated tardiness will likely be a severance package and not a lunch detention. Taking the initiative to take care of our responsibilities will be beneficial in our next steps in life, whether it be in college or in the workforce. As adults, we will have to solve our own issues and make decisions while under pressure.

North’s breadth of course offerings allow every student to have an opportunity to explore various subjects. Even though they are optional, many seniors have taken an AP class to get a taste of the rigor they’ll experience in higher education. Gathering desks in a circle in APUSH for the “Meeting of the Minds” helped us grow our higher order thinking skills and we got so deep into American history that we even became historical figures for a couple of class periods. We all may have gotten sick of discussing what the green light symbolizes in “The Great Gatsby”, but it helped us understand that not everything is surface-level. Though some assignments and exams may have caused some consternation, our teachers helped us to be engaged thinkers.

North has all of the aforementioned things, but it offers so much more, which sets it apart from the other 1,870 high schools in Michigan. The education students receive here is hard to top, the dedication and care of teachers is one of the best in the state and our mental health team is truly devoted to all students in this building. North is a family, and everyone in our building works toward a collective goal of ensuring everyone within our walls feels safe and cared for. That’s what makes North, North. That, and the Union cookies that are baked with love and served with a smile. North will always be “home” to us and for that we are grateful.