Volume XXIII, Issue VII: April 13, 2022
4515 Portola Pkwy. Irvine, CA 92620
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News
A&E
Accent
Honors Concert
Ash Girl takes the stage
Transfer Students
In for a Wild Ride: Welcome to Northwood, future T-wolves!
Ellie Chan The Northwood Howler
CLUBS FOR LIFE: Senior Corina Lee (left) listens as Club Commissioners junior Annabel Tiong (middle) and senior Jenny Zhang host a club presidents’ meeting outlining the new club handbook. By Erin Tsai
Staff Writer
Hi future Timberwolves! Welcome to Northwood, the happiest place on Earth. Just kidding, this isn’t Disneyland. But just because we aren’t the happiest place on Earth doesn’t mean that high school’s a drag either. Fall season launches us right into football season, where you can experience the incredible school spirit in our student section. Glance into the cheering crowd and you will spot a sea of matching colors based on the dress up days. The pep squad keeps the crowd hyped up as students with face
paint scream loudly. With the marching band’s vibrant music and color guard’s mesmerizing flag choreography, you will discover that halftime never fails to be spectacular. “Marching band has been a really great experience for me because of all the time that we spend with one another,” junior June Lee said. “Being involved in the first few rallies of the year and all of the football games just adds to that sense of school pride.” Northwood, with over 2000 students, is probably unlike any other school you’ve been at. But don’t worry, we’re not like most of the high schools you see on TV. At North-
wood, our counselors are here to support you whenever you need, and our Link Crew, made of upperclassmen, are here to help freshmen like you transition to high school life. “I’ve done two years of Link Crew and it’s pretty fulfilling to be able to make people feel like they belong in a community,” senior Sarah Hsu said. “I know that once I leave, they’ll continue to make Northwood a great environment.” At our school, there’s also a class for everyone to find and expand on their passions while also meeting others with the same interests. There’s the typical electives you’re already familiar with—orchestra, art
and drama. But here at Northwood, we’ve got so many more options to offer. You could take technical theater to learn the behind-the-scenes of every musical and play we put on. You could audition for a jazz ensemble. You could take video production, computer graphics or even journalism (psst—join The Howler!). Another way to get involved on campus is to join ASB and class council. As a part of these groups, you’ll be in charge of bringing many school events to life, from school dances to sip and studies, while being a part of a tightly knit and supportive community that is one of the most enthusiastic at Northwood. Look out for
Freshman Class Council applications and election information when the school year starts if you’re interested. With all of this said, it’s easy to ignore all these things and just stay in your comfort zone, but there are so many ways to create memories for a lifetime here. From Spanish Club and Mock Trial to Acapella Club and Academic Decathlon, you can join one of the 80+ clubs we have, or even create one of your own. Take an elective that you’ve never thought to take. Try out for something you’ve never heard of before. The world is yours to explore, so make the most of the short four years you have at Northwood. Catch ya’ later, T-wolf.
A night of art and performance at Irvine Talks Chapter V By Parashar Bharadwaj Staff Writer
Silently huddled on the grass patch surrounding a dimmed high school amphitheater, students and parents intently listened to the thoughtful, genuine stories of high school students from all across Irvine. The fifth edition of Irvine Talks, an event where students reflect on the past and hope for the future through a variety of self-expression methods from music to speech, took place on April 2 with the theme, “Pieces of Me.” Held at Portola High School, students engaged in performances surrounding topics such as anxiety, sexuality and disabilities. Five
Northwood students took the stage over the weekend: juniors Layan Alasseel and Christine Kuftedijan along with seniors Delaney Wong, Shinhye Park and Amithi Ravi. “The best part about performing was knowing that I have a chance to share my journey growing up and the challenges I’ve faced, especially doing so with my best friend,” Alasseel said, who performed with Kuftedijan. “Having someone with a
similar story showed me that I wasn’t alone and that someone was there for me, and that was an amazing feeling.” The organizers of the event had the sole idea of inclusivity in mind, aiming to allow stories that often go unnoticed in the hustle of daily life to receive the recognition they deserve. “Irvine Talks is about celebrating vulnerability and individuality across all six of our IUSD high schools,” Irvine Talks publicist junior Ayushi Das said. “It brings our community together for a heartwarming night of storytelling, and allows us to pause our fast-paced lives for a few hours and find comfort in other people’s journeys.” The event ran smoothly, with initial musical showings from Northwood juniors Howard Wu and Noelle
Escalante. Performing songs like from Irvine high “Blessed” by Daniel Caesar, “Isn’t schools who worked She Lovely’’ by Stevie Wonhard to plan the event der and “Just the Two of after school on weekUs” by Grover Washingdays as well as weekends. ton, the musicians felt that “Every decision we their performances helped made was difficult, but set the mood. the outdoor event came “Since we went before the together beautifully event, we kind of made everyin the end, making one relaxed,” Wu said. “Nothe countless early body knew what to expect morning and late unless they had been before, night hours of work and all of the musical perworth it.” Das said. formances were nice and Stay tuned for Irchill. I would say that set vine Talks Chapter VI, a soft prelude to something which will take place heavy later.” next year, continuing to Credit for the successful inspire and represent high event also goes to the people beschool students from all Andrew Lee The Northwood Howler hind the scenes: students across the city.