Volume 84: Issue 5

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NV HOCKEY Season starts strong with a 2-0 record

Sylvania Northview HS 5403 Silica Drive Sylvania, OH 43560

De c ember 15, 2009

Th e

See SPORTS, PG 12 for the full feature.

Student n Prints Sylvania Northview

Volume 84

Issue 5

NHS Blood drive ‘finds Hemo’

SEX & NV: IS OUR CURRENT SEX ED. EFFECTIVE?

See COMMENTARY, PG 6 for the full, controversial debate.

Benefit Ball raises money for Sal’s Pals

By KATHERINE CHANG

Feature s edit or

Halie Langhals WAITING PATIENTLY TO GIVE BLOOD is senior Shane Wheatley. Wheatley was among over 230 students who signed up to donate blood.

By SARAH SQUILLANTE

Co-edit or In a gym filled with food, fish decorations, and a little bit of fear, Northview’s National Honor Society held their annual Blood Drive December 4, collecting approximately 180 units of blood, surpassing last year’s count of about 145 units.

The Blood Drive Committee, consisting of seniors Daniel Rhollans, Laura Guinness, Emily Holshoe, Sarah Squillante, Neal Cousino and Bethany Galati, started planning for this annual event months in advance with the help of NHS advisor, Mrs. Fran Borchers and the four NHS officers. They decided on the theme of “Finding Hemo”, which was carried through gym decorations, locker signs, NHS t-shirts, and even the movie “Finding Nemo” playing in

the waiting area.

A change in the Red Cross requirements enabled students 16 and over to donate, but increased weight restrictions prohibiting some females from participating. Despite this restriction, the Red Cross collected enough blood to potentially save 540 lives. NHS organized a drive that was even larger than that of Bowling Green, according to Mrs. Borchers.

“I was extremely pleased” said NHS advisor Mrs. Fran Borchers, “but what pleased me the most was how the Red Cross complimented our student body.”

The morning started early for the set-up crew, which consisted of NHS seniors Cody Brant, Jacob Barnes, Harry Zeitler, Matt Jahns and Connor McEwen, who arrived around 6:30 a.m. to help set up chairs for questioning, load in food, and set up the canteen.

NHS members were also on hand throughout the day to help with a range of

jobs, including hand-holding, escorting donors to the canteen, serving food at the canteen and transporting blood.

“The first time I watched someone give blood, it was a little creepy,” said Brant, “but I got used to it.”

Some even sported the infamous “Buddy the blood drop” suit.

“It [the suit] was surprisingly hot and quite a chore, but it was worth it because I got to cheer up a few frightened donors,” said Nate Miklovic, “and I administered quite a few high fives.”

Each member was required to work a three period shift.

Food was provided by Jojo’s, Barry’s Bagels, Brieschkie’s, Padrone’s, Sautter’s and Cici’s, as well as NHS members and NV staff.

“It was serious, but we all had fun,” said Mrs Borchers, “and it was such a success with the amount of participation that we had.”

Northview students made CF stand for Cure Found December 11 at NV’s first Benefit Ball. Student Government hosted the ball and provided dancing, music and food with all proceeds donated to Sal’s Pals, a local organization dedicated to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. The dance started at 9 p.m. and ended at 11:30 p.m.

Student Government organized the event as their charity project and designated dance committee members to plan the dance.

Committee members included juniors Nick Dorner, Serena Chang and Jackie Leizermen and sophomore Taylor Weis, led by President Katherine Chang.

“We always do a charity event and we wanted to make it something everyone would go to,” said Weis. “A dance was a good way to get tons of support and raise money for Sal’s Pals.”

The dance featured a DJ, a spectacular light show and food donated by numerous local businesses who agreed to sponsor the event.

Committee members started the project in early November. Planning included finding a DJ, creating decorations and finding local businesses to sponsor the event.

Members met after school on the day of the dance to decorate. The walls were decked in orange and white, Sal’s Pals signature colors, and statistics about CF were also painted on the walls.

“People were excited to go since it’s something new and it’s for a good cause,” said Serena Chang.

Bible Study Music department prepares for winter season Club created

By MARY GRACE FITZGERALD

St aff writ er With a series of concerts and events, the Northview Music Department has been getting ready for the holiday season.

This year, instead of simply a jazz band holiday concert, all of the bands and orchestras performed together Sunday. Concert band, Concert Orchestra, Jazz Cats, Symphonic Band, Chamber Orchestra, Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble all participated in the holiday concert.

Three of the groups were on the gym floor performing at one time with each band playing two songs. The first group to play was Concert Band, Concert Orchestra and Jazz Cats. Concert Band played “Runway Sleigh” and “On the Edge of the Sword”.

Symphonic Band, Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Band played second. Symphonic Band played the songs “Jingo Jango” and “In the Winter of 1730”. Jazz Band played the songs “Blues brothers” and “Birdland”. Wind Ensemble delighted the crowd with “Chester” and “Variations on a Shaker Melody”.

“We had practiced these songs for a while, so I think they sounded good,” said Sarah Hanline, who plays in the wind ensemble.

Chamber Orchestra played the songs “Jupiter” and “Sleigh Ride”.

“We haven’t done this kind of casual concert before,” said junior Serena Chang, a member of the Chamber Orchestra.

After the concerts, guests and members

Haley Nelson REHEARSING FOR THEIR HOLIDAY CONCERT are the A Capella choir women. Director Ms. Dawn Gallehue Kingman ran through warm ups with the choir before they performed. of the bands and orchestras were treated to snacks and desserts in the back of the gym.

A Capella Choir and Harmony Road Show also had a holiday concert December 10 in the Little Theater. A Capella choir, the larger choir group, sang the songs “Elijah Rock”, “The Word was God”, “Bogoroditse Devo”, “Still, Still, Still”, “Two Latvian Carols” and “Who are the Brave”.

“We still have a lot of minor details to work on before contest in March,” said Choir Director Dawn Gallehue Kingman. “We are

well on our way to having a successful concert season.”

Harmony Roadshow sang “O Na Ta Lux”, “Acap Overtures”, “Embraceable You”, “Little St. Nick”, “Alma Mater”, “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Joy to the World”.

“We have been working on these songs since the beginning of the year for this concert and for the New York trip,” said senior Emilly Thomas. “We feel confident in these songs and they are all pretty pieces that fit with our strengths as a group.”

Northview has added a new club to its program this year, different from any sort before: the Bible Study Club. The club met for the first time November 18 in Mr. Greg Christy’s room, with 25 to 30 students attending.

“The turnout was great,” said Bible Study leader senior Nate Miklovic. “The entire room was full.”

The Bible Study Club was the brainchild of Miklovic, who has been teaching youth groups and preaching in church for the last couple of years.

“I felt that a lot of people would be interested,” said Miklovic.

In early November, he asked Mr. Christy if he was willing to donate his room to the club every Wednesday morning from 7-7:30a.m. After Mr. Christy agreed, Principal Mr. Stewart Jesse approved the new club and posters began appearing in NV’s halls.

“Nate came sometime in October and asked if the club could be held in my room,” said Mr. Christy. “I agreed and I pay attention myself to the study sometimes.”

The first meeting was a study of the Book of John; Miklovic hopes to get through one chapter a week in order to finish all 21 chapters of the book.

“I believe I am called to serve and love God and I want to encourage people to do the same,” said Miklovic. “The Bible Study Club can help with that.”

-Sarah Fatemi

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NEWS

December 15, 2009

World Language Clubs carol at zoo SPADE brings home wins from Whitmer

By MEAGAN MOYER

St aff writ er Northview Speech and Debate traveled to Whitmer High School December 5, taking third overall in the team sweepstakes.

Seniors Courtney Tipton placed first in Dramatic Interpretation, Haley Nelson placed first in Original Oratory, Sarah Fatemi placed fourth in Impromptu Speaking, John Holler placed first in International Extemporaneous and freshman Mandy Binz placed sixth in Oratorical Interpretation.

There are three kinds of debate, which include Public Forum, Policy and Lincoln Douglas. There are about nine speech categories versus three debate categories; at NV, there is at least one competitor in each one.

Three public forum teams placed. Seniors Jacob Justinger and Alyse Rogerson placed fourth, seniors Elizabeth Schwartz and Connor McEwen took third and senior Haley Hofbauer and sophomore Taylor Weis placed second.

In Lincoln Douglas, sophomore Jennifer Deng placed seventh, and senior Haley Armstrong came in fifth.

“I love debating,” said Deng. “It gives me such an accomplished feeling when I completely obliterate my opponent’s argument.”

Practices for debate are held every Monday and Wednesday in Coach Mr. Joe Drouillard’s room. Students use Google wave to work together and edit cases when they are at home.

Speech practices run Monday through Thursday on the schedule of the students.

Sylvania hosts H1N1 vaccine clinic

By ALEXX KLEIN

Sport s edit or H1N1 vaccinations came to Northview’s gymnasium this past Saturday. The Lucas County Health Department conducted the free clinic for Sylvania students from 8a.m. to 2p.m. During the last two hours of the clinic, the Health Department officials invited community members considered to be in a high-risk group to be inoculated, according to Superintendent Brad Reiger.

On December 4, the faculty was informed that they would not be permitted to be vaccinated unless they were in the high risk category.

“Initial information received from the health department indicated that all teachers would be able to get the shot because they deal with kids,” said Assistant Superintendent Mr. Scott Nelson. “That was changed last minute by the health department due to the quantity of vaccinations available and to make sure that they were addressing the high risk groups that they initially set out to target.”

A packet in the main office was available to be picked up by the students with information from the Health Commissioner Dr. David Grossman and a parent consent form.

The swine influenza virus was first identified in the United States in April 2009, according to Dr. Grossman. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that children and young adults aged six months through 24 years be vaccinated as soon as the vaccine became available.

According to the CDC, other groups recommended for the first doses of the vaccine are pregnant women, people who live with children younger than six months of age, health care and emergency medical services workers, and people ages 25 though 64 years who have diabetes, HIV, or heart or lung disease.

Katherine Pence PRACTICING A FEW SPANISH CHRISTMAS CAROLS are Spanish Club President senior Haley Hofbauer and sophomores Jimmy Stevens and Bailey Feldstein. This is the first year that the Spanish Club will be having someone play guitar as background music for the carolers.

By HALEY HOFBAUER

News edit or The Northview World Language Clubs will invade the Toledo Zoo with holiday cheer tomorrow night, December 16. The NV French, Spanish and German clubs will be caroling at the zoo at 6p.m.

In order to be able to attend caroling at the zoo with any of the World Language Clubs, each student was required to turn in a permission slip December 14 and had to attend a certain number of practices in order to learn the songs.

The Spanish Club has been caroling at the zoo for the four years. According to senior Spanish Club secretary Leah Smith, the Spanish Club goes caroling every year because it is a great way to use the language and have a fun time.

“The Spanish Club members really enjoy going caroling at the zoo,” said Smith. “It’s always my favorite activity that the club does.”

This year the Spanish Club will be singing Cascabeles (Jingle Bells), Los Peces en el rio (The fish in the river), Rodolfo era un Reino (Rudolph the red noised reindeer), and a few other holiday favorites.

Unlike previous years, the club decided to spice things up a bit by having Mr. Jeremy Holloway and sophomore Jimmy Stevens play guitar to accompany the carolers. They will be playing guitar for Noche de Paz (Silent Night) and Vendid Adoremos (O Come all Ye Faithful).

Along with the Spanish Club the German Club will also be caroling at the zoo December 16. This will be the German Club’s third year caroling at the zoo.

“We’re really excited to go this year,” said Frau Christina Forster. “Last year we had a huge snowstorm and had to cancel the caroling event.”

The German Club members will be singing a few holiday favorites such as O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree), Stille Nacht (Silent Night) and Jingle Bells.

Switching things up this year, the French Club decided to go caroling at the zoo instead

of caroling at the Kingston Senior Center. This will be the French Club’s first year caroling at the zoo in five years, according to Ms. Kim Gogel.

“We decided to change things this year because it’s been five years since we’ve gone to the zoo,” said Ms. Gogel. “We also wanted to share another event with the German and Spanish clubs.”

In order to get zoo goers excited for the upcoming holidays, the French Club will be singing a few holiday classics and they will also be passing out candy canes. The French Club will be singing Le Petit renne au nez rouge (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), Joie sur la terre (Joy to the World) and Mon Bonhomme de Neige (Frosty the Snowman), among other holiday favorites.

“I love to sing and I really enjoy French class so caroling sounded like a really fun idea,” said freshman Meagan Welsh. “I also really wanted to see the lights at the Zoo.” Whether or not it’s snowing or freezing cold, the Toledo Zoo will be filled with cheerful, singing students of NV Spanish, French and German clubs December 16.

Second annual Santa breakfast raises funds for senior After-Prom

By HARLEY ROHRBACHER

St aff writ er Northview’s cafeteria held it’s second ever Santa Breakfast to raise money for the senior class After Prom on December 5. The event was held from 8 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. and over 280 people were in attendance, according to senior Courtney Tipton.

The Santa breakfast raised around $1,200 for After Prom, which will be on May 15 after the seniors last high school dance. Admission to this event was free, but if people donated money at the door, their name was put into a raffle for prizes that included Lights at the Zoo tickets, the new Cosi building called Imagination Station tickets, and Chili’s coupons, according to Tipton. Kelly Tipton, Courtney Tipton’s mom, was one of the many adults on the Parent Organization committee that helped organize this special event While the crowd was served breakfast food like pancakes and sausage , little kids could get their picture taken with Santa for a fee of $5.

Many children sat on Santa’s lap and told him what they wanted for Christmas, according to senior Amy Mierzwiak.

“It was so fun to sit on Santa’s lap,” said freshmen Alexis Kaetzel. “I asked him for a new camera.”

There was also a table for crafts where kids could make picture frames to put their picture of them and Santa in, according to Kaetzel.

Katherine Pence ANXIOUSLY WAITING TO MEET with Santa Claus are two children who attended the breakfast.

There were many volunteers that included adults and students, as well as NV’s cheerleading team.

“I definitely think it’s a good fundrasier and we should keep doing it,” said Kaetzel, “The kids really enjoyed it.”

BEYO n D v Sylvania contemplates change in school schedule

By SKYLAR ROSE

St aff Writ er Students may find themselves having only seven days off of school for Winter Break next year instead of the usual 10 as the Sylvania School’s Calendar Committee discusses possibilities of changing the 20102011 school year calendar.

A schedule change needs to occur due to the construction taking place around the Sylvania School District, according to the Calendar Committee. Three schools are being built and several are being renovated over the summer of 2010 thus requiring a later start date of September 1. To make up for this late start, days will be removed from winter break.

“I don’t like this idea because of the fewer days we would have for break,” said junior Mackenzie Reeves. “I need more time to sleep.”

First semester is also being affected and will have less days than second semester in order to keep exams for the high schools in January.

“I noticed that the first semester would have ten less days than the second semester on the new schedule. This means if a student has a first semester class, their teacher will be cramming all of their work in because they don’t have enough days,” Health teacher Mr. Rick Schneider said.

Principal Mr. Stewart Jesse is also worried about the fewer days in the first semester.

“It will be hard because the students that have a semester class will have extra days in the second semester as compared to the first.”

“Sylvania Schools has a great staff and students,” said Mr. Jesse. “All in all, we will make this new schedule work. “

Ottawa Hills City Council proposes a deer cull

By ADAM JURSKI

Edit orial s edit or A rapid increase in the deer population has led Ottawa Hills City Council members to consider a village wide deer kill to help control the population.

This proposed plan passed a huge hurdle as the City Council voted 4-2 on November 23 to approve an exemption to a 1940 Ordinance that disallowed the discharge of firearms within the city limits.

Selectively killing dear, or culling, would be done by an outside contractor hired by the city. The number of deer planned to be culled would be around 50 deer. There are currently over 100 deer in Ottawa Hills, according to The Toledo Blade.

This proposal has the village deeply divided. Nearly half the citizens feel there should be a deer cull, while the other half feels the cull is unnecessary. Supporters say that the deer cull is necessary to keep the citizens of the village safe from car collisions, or ruining people’s property.

“The old Toledo dog warden should be the deer warden; when is the last time you have seen a herd of stray rabid dogs roaming Toledo?” said senior Michael Dorsey.

Opponents to the cull say that the severity of the issue has been largely inflated and could cost upwards of $30,000 to the village. Other options, such as better fencing or wider use of repellents, are also being suggested as alternatives to the cull, according to The Toledo Blade.

“It is not the deer’s fault that they are living,” said senior Alyse Rogerson. “They are just unfortunate to be the deer to live in Ottawa Hills.”

If City Council passes the deer cull within the next few months, it would most likely begin in late February or March.

Opponents are trying to get a temporary restraining order on the killings to delay them until May, when the vote would go to the people and not be decided by city council.

Any meat from the deer would be salvaged and given to local food pantries.

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December 15, 2009

New librarian visits English classes, gives ‘book talks’

By ALEXA KALANQUIN

GRABBING A NEW BOOK TO READ is Mrs. Darla Omey. Mrs. Omey, as the new librarian, has started “Book Talk” in order to encourage students to read and check out books from the school library. To promote “Book Talk” every so often Mrs. Omey goes around to English classes to talk about books that are worth reading.

St aff writ er Once a month Mrs. Darla Omey, one of the librarians from the Northview library, visits each freshmen English class and discusses books that are featured in the library. The goal of the book discussions is to give more exposure to the library and to inform students of the resources available to them.

“I wanted to share the books and what the library has to offer,” said Omey. “It’s also a fun way to get to know the students as well as teachers in the English department.”

Since “Book Talk” has begun, novels such as The Secret Life of Bees and The Lovely Bones have become popular and have even created a waiting list.

“I thought [Book Talk] was interesting and now I know what sections to look in for a good book,” said freshman Laura Connor.

In the future, Omey hopes to expand her book discussions to more grades at NV to give the library even more popularity.

Ms. Huey

Black Friday increases holiday sales

By MOLLY PORTERFIELD

St aff writ er Black Friday is the day known for big sales in stores across the United States. November 27 was the day sales broke out this year. Black Friday is one of the most important days for the economy. This important shopping day could make or break a store’s yearly sales. According to The Boston Globe, the holiday season is crucial for retailers because it can account for 25% to 40% of annual sales. Black Friday is considered the official start of the holiday shopping season.

“This year was the first time I’ve ever been shopping on Black Friday. I didn’t go until late afternoon though, because I was afraid of the morning mayhem. By 2p.m. things were actually pretty calm,” said NV German teacher

Ms. Forster.

With such low prices comes a bit of chaos.

According to The Blade, at least two people broke into six or more cars in the Toys ‘R Us parking lot.

“I was surprised at the way people acted.

They were aggressive, greedy, and ungrateful even though Christmas is supposed to be a happy time”, said mall worker Elizabeth Razo.

Some stores, such as Walmart, stayed open for 24 hours starting on Thanksgiving Day due to the death of an employee last Black Friday.

This tactic was used to control the massive crowds and to avoid another fatal incident.

At the Appliance Center in Maumee, 1,000 customers had already shopped by 7p.m., although the store normally only sees about 150 customers per day, according to The Blade.

“The crowds were insane!”, said sophomore Stephenie Honisko.

On Thanksgiving Day, newspapers arrived with at least three inches of advertising with stores boasting the lowest prices. For most sales, the earlier you came, the better the bargains. It was reported by one observer that the Target parking lot was full, out to Monroe street, by 7a.m. “I found DVD’s at Target for 3 dollars,” said sophomore Brenna Welzbacher.

According to the Boston Herald, sales on Black Friday climbed just 0.5 percent from 2008. On average, consumers spent 8.5% less per person this year on Black Friday weekend, according to the Advertising Specialty Institute.

The name “Black Friday” originally came from the nineteenth century. It was associated with the financial crisis in 1869, according to Wikipedia. The earliest uses of the name came from Philadelphia and refers to the heavy traffic on the day after Thanksgiving.

Food drive collects over 1,400 items

By SARAH FATEMI

Edit orial s edit or For the last three weeks before Thanksgiving break, students were urged to bring in canned foods and toiletries.

Non-perishable canned goods, cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items were brought in from students all over the school in order to help the underprivileged during the season of giving, according to English teacher Mrs. Samantha Stevens, who worked on the food drive for the Connections Committee.

“We looked at the Homeroom Connections schedule and saw that a lot of them were around the time of Thanksgiving,” she said.

“We decided to donate to the Sylvania Area Family Services.”

It took about a month to set up for the drive and once it was put into full-gear, two walk-through homerooms were held specifically for students to drop off their donations in the brown box inside each classroom. In order to motivate students to donate, each student in the winning homerooms received a free slushie coupon.

At the end of the three weeks, the overall count for donated goods was 1,457 items, with

Laura Guinness ABOUT HALF OF the items collected are gathered in the gym before being picked up by the Sylvania Area Family Services. were awarded, according to Mrs. Stevens.

The SAFS is in partnership with Big nine winning homerooms, one winner per homeroom zone. Around 200 slushie coupons

Brothers/Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio.

“The loaders from the SAFS workers thought it was going to be like last year and were hoping that they had enough room,” said Mrs. Stevens. “It went pretty well this year.”

Yearbooks on sale

SPECIAL PRICE DECEMBER ONLY

:)

$60

room E-6 can’t buy after January 30th

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EDITORIALS

December 15, 2009

Local band of NV graduates impresses with originality Single life never felt so good. Northview graduates Sarah (2000) and Ben Cohen (2004) released their first full length album, “So Much For Romance,” with their local band The AntiVillains at Ottawa Tavern November 25. And who needs love when you have moody guy/girl harmonies, catchy guitar riffs and villainous (or are they superheroes?) instrumentals.

The band, consisting of Ben Cohen, lead guitar and vocals, sister Sarah Cohen, acoustic guitar and vocals, and Sam Woldenberg, percussion, has been together since they played power-pop songs at Northview with their band, Drive. Since then, each member has studied music and graduated from the University of Toledo and has spent the past two years perfecting the nine tracks available on the album. During this time period, the band has also played various shows at music venues in Toledo and surrounding areas, making their stage performance something to be marveled over.

I was at first skeptical at the choice of venue for the long anticipated CD release party. With every concert I have attended at Ottawa Tavern, it has become clear to me that it is a bar first and a music venue second. The downtown Toledo hotspot was packed with people, but where were the fans? Would The AntiVillains even be heard above this careless

noise erupting from the bar? Yes. I would soon discover that not even the loudest, most obnoxious customers that night would be able to overcome the musical power that is the local indie rock sensation. And to my absolute pleasure (and somewhat relief), the fans began to pour in.

The AntiVillains created an ambience by hanging flowers from the ceiling, transforming the Ottawa Tavern into their very own album cover. It was a beautiful and creative touch, showcasing just how important the entire concept of the CD, from melody to artwork, was to the musicians. As soon as the venue was tense with anticipation, a chord was struck, that of the very first song on the album. And so it began. Listeners were carried through a musical journey as the band played straight through their album, letting loose to upbeat jazz tunes like “So Much for Romance” and closing their eyes during ballads such as the final track on the CD, “To Be The One,” allowing themselves to be swept away by Sarah’s entrancing vocals and powerful lyrics. As an added bonus to fans who have grown up alongside The AntiVillains, retired band members graced the stage throughout the night, making the event not only a glimpse into the band’s future, but a tribute to their past as well.

“Their music was to my soul what the sun

and sea are to the sand and the shoreline,” said senior Ben Miller. He was among NV seniors Travis Auckerman, Matt Mahon, Corey Howe and Michael Stebing who attended the party.

A brief intermission took place to give both the audience and band a chance to prepare for the upcoming set in which The AntiVillains would play all new music. A special surprise was presented during this downtime in which Ben débuted three of his new solo tracks as “Benny Goodtimes,” his DJ/Producer-Ultra persona. The music was set to a film which completely embodied the theme of “So Much for Romance,” with clips from famous romantic films like “West Side Story.”

Round two of The AntiVillains show was anything but sloppy seconds. I felt rejuvenated, swimming in the sounds of the band’s latest songs. It takes a rare ability to provide an audience member the opportunity to escape from the nuisances of every day life through music. As the night ended, looking upon everyone’s smiling and relaxed faces, I could feel that this feat was accomplished. Now I am only left with one question; when can we expect the next album?

“So Much For Romance” is available for purchase at local record store Culture Clash and The Happy Badger in Bowling Green.

-Estar Cohen

t he s em e s t er

R eport s t n e v e V N g n i w e i Re v card

W ILDCAT CHARI T Y WORK

Although we could never criticize NV’s charitable efforts, it seems the students and staff have gone above and beyond their call of duty.

With the recent Blood Drive (which rivaled BGSU in its size and success level), this past weekend’s Benefit Ball and the numerous drives held by various NV organizations, students have been not only diligent, but creative in their collection of funds and their support of non-profit organizations. This new relationship between NV and altruism is one that should continue.

A+

HOMECOMING When in Rome...or when in Hades?

Unfortunately, it was difficult to tell the difference. With less than memorable decorations and t-shirts, this year’s dance fell short of previous years. The song choices were unpopular with most students and problems arose with the new ID policy.

Next year, a little pre-planning would go a long way.

But then again, the student body has certainly never been closer.

Th e

C

POWDER PUFF FOOTBALL Our boys football team may not have had a win-filled season, but the senior and junior girls (along with the help of many staff members) were able to pull off a fantastic football feat.

With the reinstatement of an old tradition, t h e powder puff game was a good-natured, competitive way to increase school spirit (which was definitely much needed). The planning got started a little late, which inhibited the amount of practice the girls were able to have and it would have been nice to see more students turn out for the game, however, it was certainly a success for a first time event.

B

NEW GRADING SCALE Students may miss getting a 5.0 in an honors class, but the new grading scale has done its job in an effort to balance GPAs. It was inconvenient for this change to occur for the class of 2010, but it is without a doubt less confusing and eliminates students from having inflated GPAs. Although the reasons behind the old system may have been unclear, it seems to be working fine, so it makes us wonder, why did we feel the need to change it? We’re wondering if the hassle was worth it. This issue definitely stands in the middle, with both pros and cons.

B-

-Sarah Squillante & Haley Nelson

Student Prints Sylvania Northview High School 5403 Silica Drive Sylvania, Ohio 43560 2009-2010

Co-Editors-In-Chief: Haley Nelson & Sarah Squillante Advisor: Sarah Huey News Editor: Haley Hofbauer Photo Editor: Abbey Strick Features Editors: Katherine Chang & Yianni Papadimos Sports Editor: Alexx Klein Opinions Editors: Sarah Fatemi & Adam Jurski Business Editor: Kristi Kopaniasz Staff Writers: David Aldrich, Alex Carter, Estar Cohen, Mary Grace Fitzgerald, Addison Hirschfeld, Margot Jacobs, Alexa Kalanquin, Nicole Mangas, Elizabeth Masson, Amanda Metcalf, Aurora Milliron, Megan Moyer, Kelsey Pomeroy, Molly Porterfield, Harley Rohrbacher, Skylar Rose, Mami Silver, Bridget Thomas, Brian Wadsworth, Ally Yocom The Student Prints is the official student-produced newspaper of Sylvania Northview High School. It is distributed monthly at no charge to serve the purpose of informing students, faculty, staff, administration and the Sylvania community of current issues. The main goal of The Prints is to present coverage of events in an unbiased and accurate manner.

The paper also respects the opinions and ideas of the entire NV community. Signed letters to the editors are encouraged and should be no longer than 300 words. All letters can be turned into the publications room, E-6. The Prints reserves the right to edit letters that contain grammatical errors, accuracy and profane or libelous comments. The newspaper staff is entirely responsible for the content of the paper and supports the First Amendment to the Constitution. Unsigned editorials published in The Prints are written by staff members, and agreed upon by a majority vote of the editorial board. The Prints is carefully examined by its staff and adviser prior to publication to prevent incorrect or libelous information. The newspaper staff does not endorse advertisements published in The Prints. Advertising specifications may be obtained by calling (419) 824-8708.

The newspaper follows the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook guidelines for punctuation and grammar. The Prints is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and Quill and Scroll.

Black Friday popularity caused by economy Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past year or so, cut off entirely from television, newspapers and society in general, you have without a doubt heard about the troubles of today’s economy.

It’s impossible to watch the news or listen to the radio without hearing phrases such as “in this kind of economy” or “with the recession that we are in”.

That said, most people, including myself, believed that the 2009 Black Friday sales would be incredibly insubstantial, that many Americans would stay home instead of rushing out to get the best bargains of the year.

In the spirit of The Office’s Dwight Schrute, I say this turned out to be: False.

On the contrary, this year’s Black Friday sales were up from last year, by .05% to be exact, according to ShopperTrak.

More people spent the day waiting in lines, waking up ludicrously early, and running out of stores with bags in hand and pure fire in their eyes, venturing on the never-ending hunt for “the deal”.

Even more popular than store shopping this year was online shopping, especially after “Cyber Monday”, something that even I, an avid shopper, had never heard of.

For any of you who don’t know what Cyber Monday is, it is basically the Black

Even more popular than store shopping this year was online shopping, especially after “Cyber Monday”, something that even I, an avid shopper, had never heard of.

Friday of online shopping, and needless to say, it was extremely successful. The average online order increased by 35% since last year, and the average number of items purchased per order increased by 18% as well, according to marketing firm Coremetrics.

The popular items on many people’s wish lists this year included electronics, such as flat-screen televisions, laptops and high-tech cell phones.

My belief is that the improved sales were not in spite of the economy, but rather, as a result of it.

It makes more sense for people on tight budgets to shop on one or two days of the year with the best deals, sales and bargains so that they can get their money’s worth on things that they were planning to buy anyway.

Although I spent the wee hours of Black Friday sleeping, I was happy to hear that so many people braved the cold and shopped like there was no tomorrow, or rather, no recession.

The results of the shopping-frenzy really were an optimistic foil to what we have generally been hearing on the news and in the media.

I think this shows that no matter how bad the economy gets, nothing, and I mean nothing, can stand between America and its fervent desire to shop.

-Kelsey Pomeroy

Something in The Student Prints get you riled up, make you want to scream or do you just want to have your opinion heard?

Then write a letter to the editor! We will print all appropriate letters.

Turn them in to room E-6 or Ms. Huey’s mailbox.

If you wish to remain anonymous please sign it, but write anonymous on the bottom and we will keep you that way.

COMMENTARY

December 15, 2009

5

Which sex education program is the best fit?

Sex is a controversial topic, everybody has a different view...

In the wise words of Coach Carr from the timely movie Mean Girls, “Don’t have sex. If you have sex, you will get pregnant and you will die.” While this quote evokes comedy because of its absurdity, it is sadly how some schools view sex education.

Coach Car is obviously a parody of the typical health teacher who advocates abstinence as the only way to stay safe from sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy, but this mockcomedy conveys an important message; abstinence is not the only way to “stay safe”.

While I do attest that abstinence is the only way to have a zero percent chance of contracting an STD or becoming pregnant, it should not be the only method taught in schools.

The idea of abstinence as the only means of staying safe represents more personal ideas of morality that should not be discussed in schools. Also, when abstinence is the only idea promoted in schools, an ignorance towards the effectiveness of contraceptives and condoms is developed. The idea that abstinence is the only responsible approach to sex obstructs students’ individual interpretations of what sex means to them and results in an uninformed student body. With this thought in mind, safe sex should be taught in schools.

Limiting ourselves to the idea that abstinence is the only means with which we can stay safe only instills ignorance in the minds of students. With the advancements in medicine and technology, the medical and health market have created a multitude of contraceptives and condoms that effectively prevent pregnancy and/or the transmittance of STDs. Such a variety of pregnancy and STD prevention give sexually active individuals more options to suit their own personal needs.

Shots, pills, vaginal rings and patches are available as forms of birth control while there are five different types of condoms with over ten brands, according to Dr. Rick Sowadsky.

Having sex in this day and age is no longer as “unsafe” as it was 30 years ago. Planned Parenthood confirmed that when used correctly, condoms are 98% effective at preventing pregnancy and protecting individuals from STDS and forms of birth control are 98% effective at preventing pregnancies.

Using both at the same time, the risks of becoming pregnant or contracting an STD decreases even more.

“The reality is that teens aren’t going to stay abstinent,” said senior Ashleigh Williams. “We should then teach about safe sex in schools.”

Having sex before marriage or having multiple partners is made safe to the point that the risk of pregnancy or disease is almost eliminated from the equation. If abstinence is the only method taught in sex ed., students will remain uninformed that sex can be safe. Teaching safe sex allows students to know the whole story about sex and that having it is no longer a dangerous activity if handled correctly.

Not only does the sole teaching of abstinence promote ignorance, but teaches moral values that are inappropriat inappropriate for schools to discuss. Schools have a limi limited jurisdiction in regards to what value values they can advocate. Some societal nor norms dealing with being an ideal law-abid or law-abiding citizen can be encouraged, but choic choices dealing with religious and personal beliefs must be left up to the indivi individual to decide. Whether the choic choice is to remain monogamous or n not, the school cannot advocate eith either side. The only way to remain im impartial on this issue is to teach ssafe sex.

The safe sex approach teaches sex in an objective manner, allowing students to m be informed about the science b and risks of sex without advocating either monogamy or sexual activity. eith Schools should allow students Sch to make this decision, without imposing their views. im While abstinence is the only way w to be 100% sure one does not contract an STD or become n pregnant, it should not be the p only method taught in regards o st t o staying safe. Schools must come to a realization that teenagers in re this day and age need to learn about the an ef effective forms of protection a n d birth control available. They bi must also be given the freedom to choose se which sexual lifestyle suits them, even if this means a sexually active one. Safe m sex needs to be taught in order to remain o b j e c t i ve on the issue of sex and to inform the student body that sex can be safe. As convincing as Coach Carr sounds, chances are C when done right, righ you will not get pregnant and die from having sex. havi -Katherine Chang

THE PEAN UT GALLERY “I believe that sex ed in general is a good idea because it saves you from an awkward talk with your parents.”

-Senior Corey Howe

Personal choice – who isn’t a fan?

Whether you’re 16 or 60, it seems as though free will is always considered to be one of the most important elements in life. Personal choice is one of the key foundations of our society and of our government.

And shouldn’t this ideal apply to the type of sex education taught in schools?

Whether it’s abstinence or safe sex, students need to be educated about all the options available to them, and only then can they make the right choice. No one has the authority to take command over such a personal decision for another human being, and more student freedom regarding this topic would only improve their understanding of sex and their choices.

Students would be much more receptive to this sort of education, often called Abstinence-Plus education, if they would be presented with a complete range of options. Education about all choices (safe sex, abstinence and everywhere in between) is the only sure fire way to accomplish the goal of this education – to cut down on teen pregnancies, the transmission of STDs, and other related problems. It seems unfair for a school to “choose” a path for its entire student body, at least in terms of their education. Everyone deserves a full and all-encompassing sex education. At Northview, our current sex-education appears to be not quite as directed as necessary.

A prime opportunity for educators to help students understand how many options they do have in this field exists.

Educators can help students learn about the realities of this subject today and the repercussions of having sex. This important learning can occur without forcing any student down a certain road that may not fit their life or belief system.

Many may argue that, regardless, students must follow whatever rules or plans the school lays down. This is very true and in my experience, I have seen that my teachers and the school in general have students’ best interests in mind when working to provide us with a quality education. Yet, students will be much more open to listening if they are not forced toward a certain choice. Free will is very important.

Further, “By denying teens the full range of information regarding human sexuality, abstinence-only education fails to provide young people with the information they need to protect their health and well-being,” according to a paper written by the University of California, San Francisco Research Institute.

Thus, it appears that providing students with all the information is much more effective than providing an abstinence only education or safe sex only education.

It has also been found that abstinence only programs do not delay sexual initiation or reduce pregnancy or STD contraction rates. On the other hand, safe sex programs alone do not apply to a wide enough demographic of students. A moderate or Abstinence-Plus education program appeals to all students and provides all students with a wide-ranging and appropriate education on the subject.

An Abstinence-Plus program at Northview would provide students with a realistic and applicable look at sex, its repercussions and personal choice. Such a moderate program would acknowledge the realities teens must face today regarding sex, while also providing all student students a look at their many, many options.

Students will open up to learni learning more readily if a more effective and aallencompassing ssex education can be provided. So, wheth whether t h e right choice for you is abstinence, or perha perhaps safe sex is the bett better route for your life, one o power cannot deny the pow of personal choice. Free Fr will and a detailing of all the options will serve as the best teachers for any a student.

But then again, tthe choice is yours.

-Haley Nelson Nels

“He loves me. I won’t get pregnant. We’re being cautious, but am I really ready for this?” She said.

“It’s going to be fine. I’m using a condom,” She said.

Nearly half (46%) of all 15-19-year-olds in the United States have had sex at least once, according to guttmacher. org. This raises questions such as: What have they been taught about “safe” sex? What does it even mean to be “safe”? Do those 46% of teens understand the risks associated with sexual activity? All of these questions can all come back to one source: health class. At Northview, Health is a required course during the freshman year of a students’ high school career.

“I teach about both being safe while having sex and completely abstaining from sex,” said NV Health teacher Rick Schneider. “My goal in teaching this class, which will affect the students for the rest of their lives, is to not only impart knowledge but to also stress the importance of making good decisions in life especially in sexuality issues.”

Health teachers need to emphasize that the best way to not get pregnant or acquire a sexually transmitted disease or deal with the emotional stress is to practice abstinence. Since so many teenagers are having sex, it is important to stress the importance of remaining abstinent. The best way to encourage abstinence is to tell them what risks are associated with having sex. Many adolescents know some of the risks with having sex, but think, “that could never happen to me”.

Each year, almost 750,000 women aged 15-19 become pregnant. Overall, 75 pregnancies occur every year per 1,000 women aged 15-19, according to guttmacher.org. Any sexually active teenager could be apart of those 750,000 adolescent pregnancies. One’s life changes drastically once a baby becomes part of their life, but that is a well-known fact.

Another well-known fact is that there is a possibility that you can acquire an STD from being sexually active.

Many students are aware of this, but yet again think it could never happen to them. On the contrary, STD’s are the most common types of infections in the U.S. today, according to worththewait.org. Acquiring an STD can become life altering, according to worththewait.org.

Teachers should also explain how having sex will affect students emotionally. After having sex for the first time, there are multiple hormones in the brain that causes you to become emotionally attached to that one person. Sex changes everything, according to awomensview.com. Many teenagers become emotionally attached after sex. Typically, both people in the relationship become very attached to the other; which can result in a loss of friends and missing out on normal high school activities. Health teachers also should express how special your virginity is.

Do you want your life-partner to be the first person you have sex with? Are you u mature enough to deal with the emotional stress that occurs while in a sexually active relationship? Do o you want to possibly get pregnant or a STD?? Health teachers should ask all the above questions.

Students need to realize ze that all these possibilities are very real. eal. They could easily happen to you iff you have sex. It is such a speciall thing and teachers need ed to emphasize how great sex can be if you wait until you are married.

If you wait, then you will be giving your virginity to the love of your life. You will bee sharing that with someone eone who loves you for exactly ctly re who you are. Also, there ou get will be no worries if you pregnant because you have someone who will be there e. In for better or for worse. and or addition, if your husband o wait, wife has also chosen to there will be no issue about D. The possibly having an STD. iated emotional issues associated ot be with having sex will not present because you will be ne you sharing it with someone ife. are committed to for life.

Health teachers need to ance emphasize the importance t. The of remaining abstinent. only way to have truly safe ve it. sex is to simply not have -Nicolee Mangas

WHAT SEX EDUCATION PROGRAM DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE FOR HIGH SCHOOL? “Schools need to stop preaching abstinence-only because it’s not working.

People will have sex whether we tell them to or not; they might as well make it safe. ”

-Junior Kevin St orer “I’ve always believed in abstinence so I think that’s what should be taught, but then again, this is high school so we need to be realistic.”

-Senior Kat e Mut chler

“Our bodies tell us to have sex, so it’s eventually going to happen. For that reason, I believe schools should teach students about safe sex. ” -Senior Taylor Heninger

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December 15 2009

EDITORIALS

Class rings: important piece of Foggy days dangerous high school or waste of money?

Each year, high school students across the country purchase class rings, buying from representatives including Herff Jones, ArtCarved, and Northview’s own sales rep, Jostens. Such companies manage to promote and advertise how class rings are a perfect way to display the summary of a student’s high school experience. Class rings supposedly provide a way to record top activities, clubs, sports and most of all, memories.

However, with price tags on class rings often amounting to hundreds of dollars, many students and their families are asking if this widespread trend is actually worth the money.

The history of the class ring can be traced back to the United States Military Academy, otherwise known as West Point. In 1835, a batch of cadets from the academy began the class ring tradition, which symbolized unity and honor.

Class ring advocates today would agree that rings are a wonderful way to honor our high schools, but also to celebrate high school memories and experiences. The rings seem to supply a testimonial pertaining to a student’s high school encounters, as they are personalized accordingly. Class rings bestow and express a student’s sense of pride towards their school.

“I love my class ring,” said junior Kaylie Martinez. “It offers me a way to show and express my high school experience with others.”

On the contrary, some students may find that there is a negative connotation when wealth is associated with class rings. Depending upon whether a student has an endless or limited amount of money to spend on a ring is a major factor in determining whether one should be purchased.

For instance, if I was told that I could buy any class ring that I desired, no matter the

to drivers

Ms. Huey ‘I LOVE MY class ring! Every time I look at it I think about the great experiences I’ve had here at Northview,” said senior Nicole Mangas. “I wear it all the time.” This year many Northview sophomores bought class rings of their own despite the expensive cost. expense, I would already be wearing a rock on my finger, engraved with the year 2012.

Unfortunately, I do not have that kind of money to spend, and neither do many of my peers.

Instead of spending several hundred dollars on a ring, many other students, myself included, have a more practical outlook. Saving that extra cash for a car, or perhaps even a down payment to a college fund is a better alterative.

“Class rings are too expensive, especially when I feel like I would not wear the ring long enough to make the cost worthwhile,” said sophomore Sarah Powazki.

Purchasing a class ring can be seen as

a risky move, as it may be misplaced, or interests change throughout high school. The solution to the many factors pointing against the possession of class rings is to find a more meaningful, and less expensive alternative.

For example, keeping a journal or portfolio to record different activities and memories is not nearly as costly and definitely more vivid and telling then a class ring.

Are class rings essentially worth the money? Like most other things, it comes down to the individual.

-Bridget Thomas

Proper way to decorate your house for Christmas season When is the best time to put up Christmas lights? That is a big question that most people have not been able to answer yet. I love Christmas as much as the next person, but to put up lights and blow up animals all over your yard before Thanksgiving is ridiculous.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that should be celebrated and not be forgotten because the Christmas lights must come up. As I drove around Sylvania during Thanksgiving Break, I noticed more houses were decorated earlier than last year. It feels like Thanksgiving is being forgotten more and more as the years pass.

First, never ever put up lights before

Thanksgiving. This is too early and not very festive. Decorations should be put up the day after Turkey Day. A second idea is not overloading your yard with various blow up Santas and animals. This makes your yard look tacky and overdone. No one wants to be neighbors with the house that looks like a Winter Wonderland, especially if it looks like one in October.

Thirdly, no music is needed with your decorations. Having speakers play Christmas music 24/7 is overkill. No one wants to be neighbors with this house either.

Also, after Christmas, the lights must come

down. Leaving them on for another month or two is not cool or acceptable. Christmas is over and so are decorations. An acceptable time to take lights down is the week after Christmas ends. New Year’s Day is probably the best day to take all of the blow up animals off the yard and the lights off the trees. Keeping all the decorations up for another month or two also makes your house look bad.

If you follow these guidelines you should be fine on Christmas decorating. Doing this will still show your Christmas spirit without being overdone.

-Aurora Miliron

It is 7:10 in the morning as I inch my way down my street. The misty haze, also known as fog, has formed an impenetrable blanket around my car. The neighborhood, full of houses, people and cars, is now nonexistent. All that can be seen is the little patch of pavement in front of me. It is like a wonderland until I turn around a corner. I almost hit a car head on because we cannot see each other. This scary situation (that has happened all too often this semester) is all because of one thing: fog.

“Why didn’t we have a fog delay?” said freshman Derek Reiner as I drove him to school. I am unable to answer because the question baffles me as well.

Being a senior, I can remember plenty of fog delays but there have not been any this year. In addition, the foggy days there have been this year are significantly worse than any fog delay I can remember. Then why wasn’t there a fog delay?

The superintendent may delay the opening of school when such an alteration in the regular session is required for the protection of the health and safety of students and staff members, according to the Sylvania City School District bylaws and policies.

I understand that the superintendent probably had a good reason for not calling these delays, but Sylvania is a big school district. It is the administrator’s job to drive around and assess when the weather is safe enough for all students and staff to drive to school throughout the district not just in one area, according to the Sylvania Schools district website. It makes me wonder where exactly the administrators go to check the weather.

Normally on my drive to school, the fog gets thinner as I get close to Northview.

Out where I live (by Pacesetter Park) the fog is dense and thick. It makes it almost impossible to see when driving.

This area probably is not checked because if it were, there would have been a fog delay. There are so many NV students that live in the Cobblestones, Twelve Lakes, and Edgewater Place neighborhoods that I cannot keep track on all my fingers and toes. These students, like myself, had to inch their way through the fog. I would deem the days when such fog rolls in that a delay is “required for the protection of the health and safety of students and staff members”.

“Senior Meredith Wagner drives me to school every morning. One morning, it was so hard to see she almost drove right off the road,” said freshman Abby Masters.

Fog reduces the visibility and thus contributes to accidents. Thankfully, no one has been in an accident due to the fog on one of these days. Regardless, I was almost in a head-on collision and I am sure there were other close calls as well.

The administration needs to do a better job of assessing the weather situation, especially the fog. Many students have been at risk because of delays that were not called. The lack of delays is just simply unacceptable.

-Nicole Mangas

Animals treated unfairly at the Circus, from their performance to their upkeep It started out as a day just like any other. I was browsing through The Toledo City Paper in my kitchen and stumbled across an ad for the Ringling Brothers’ Circus. The show was in town and I was excited to make plans to go that very night. I had seen the circus once when I was a kid but I still wondered what I had been missing for all of these years. I got to school and discussed how much fun it would be to see the circus with my friends in Commons. I decided to ask senior, Alex Kruger to escort me to “The Greatest Show On Earth”. He eagerly accepted my invitation and we headed downtown.

Alex picked me up at around seven. By the time we arrived, the circus had begun. There were flashing lights and vendors selling peanuts and cotton candy.

For the first act, the ringmaster brought out the horses. The horses were so enchanting, with acrobats doing tricks on their backs. Everything looked beautiful. Next they brought out the cutest little white ponies. That’s when the “trouble in paradise” began. The ponies were instructed with a whip to run around in circles numerous times. All resembling one another, they were then told to line up and trot off the stage. Next were the mini-horses, like the ones on “The Rob and Big show.” These small horses had a wooden board tied to their backs with goats standing on the board. The goats looked frightened and had their feet attached to the board so they wouldn’t fall off.

The next act featured various clowns dancing around to a song that had the lyric “over the top” in it repeatedly. Little did I know these simple lyrics would apply to what I would view for the rest of the show.

The worst was yet to come. Alex and I decided to stretch our legs and take a look around. We felt obligated to do the original circus act of buying a bag of peanuts. We sauntered back to our seats to wait for the next act to begin. We discussed our views of the performance thus far and concurred that up to that point the circus was only worthy of an “it was a lot better when I was six” rating. We both agreed the animals did not seem willing to do these tricks. The lights briskly went dim and we were back to

watching more of the animals’ misfortune.

The next thing we saw were about eight black, wooden boxes all lined up in a row. The ringleader picked up the wall on the first box and about eight tigers filed out into a large metal cage. There were pedestals lining the cage where the tigers went and obediently perched. The animals were confined to the small surface areas of the pedestals and looked uncomfortable and ashamed. They played what looked like a game of musical chairs. The trainer whipped them, directing each one to their assigned platforms.

After the brief game of “musical chairs” the tigers each did a separate talent, received a piece of meat as a reward, and headed back into their boxes. The last tiger did his talent perfectly. He looked toward the trainer for his piece of meat and calmly found that he had been tricked. There was not a piece of meat for him. The trainer stuck the prod in the tigers face until he disgracefully shuffled back into his dark wooden box.

This small part of the circus almost brought me to tears.

The act that followed caused me to leave the circus early. The elephants. They were all marched out wearing humiliating headpieces with sparkles and feathers.

The elephants were commanded to sit on these small pedestals, to stand on one foot, roll over, lie on the ground, immediately get back up and walk from pedestal to pedestal.

All of these activities were obviously very difficult for such a large animal to accomplish.

The elephants looked sorrowful and tired. Watching the elephants struggle to get up off the ground was what forced me to leave.

The trick that the animals were forced to do were so humiliating and degrading. Not one of the animals seemed willing to do these things. We saw the cargo trailers that these animals were being kept in on our way in and we were apprehensive. Living a life like this for the animals sounds in no way enjoyable.

As I watched the elephants get up I immediately did the

same and left the arena. Outside we were stopped by a woman who was an advocate of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, (PETA) which is an animal rights group, she politely handed us a flyer. We walked and read the flyer. This is when we discovered the horror.

The Ringling Brothers’ Circus has been cited by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), numerous times for failing to provide veterinary care, minimum space, exercise and drinking water for the performing animals. The USDA warned them about endangering animals and the public has also cited them. The brochure stated two tigers and a two-year-old lion had suffered injuries and heat exhaustion being transported in poorly ventilated boxcars. The Ringling Brothers got a warning after they shot and killed a caged tiger. According to PETA. The elephants were the next victims we read about. Ringling trainers have been videotaped viciously hitting elephants with sharp metal bull hooks. The brochure told us that elephants in the wild walk up to 30 miles per day. The elephants in the Ringling Brothers circus are shackled 96% of the time and are only able to move three feet forward or backward. Most of the elephants in the Ringling Brothers Circus were caught in the wild. The circus has been warned by the USDA for injuring two baby elephants by forcibly pulling them away from their mothers.

The Ringling Brothers’ employees have been arrested for assorted things, such as sexual battery, possessing child pornography, assault with dangerous weapons and aggravated bank robbery according to PETA. This experience has really affected the way that I look at the circus. I used to love it when I was little. Now it seems to be an awful place. Watching these animals being mistreated and degraded was so upsetting. Try and attend only animal free circuses and encourage the people around you to do the same.

You can visit circuses.com to see the video footage that shows the Ringling’s inhumane treatment of their animals.

-Margot Jacobs

FEATURES arts &

entertainment University of Toledo

Holiday Concert

Review

It was the worst of times and it was the worst of times. The University of Toledo’s Jazz Holiday Family Spectacular was held December 5 in the Doerman Theatre on campus. The two of us, juniors Margot Jacobs and Estar Cohen, attended the concert to support Northview graduate of 2004 Steve Knurek playing stand up bass in UT’s premiere student jazz ensemble.

Upon entering the building, we were greeted by a long line of disgruntled college students. Grumblings of, “I don’t want to be here” and “I can’t believe my professor is making us see this,” swept the hallway. This thoroughly confused us for we were very excited to attend the concert. After all, how could a performance featuring jazz legend, Jon Hendricks, be so torturous? How little we knew.

We were presented with the pleasant surprise of a $5 ticket price instead of the original $10, being mistaken for UT students.

It was a wonderful lack of understanding that led us to believe the night would be a satisfying one. Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there.

As we took our seats, we opened up our programs, anxious to see what the night had in store for us. We expected nothing less than a professional showcase of the student ensemble and a wide range of music. The cover read, UT Jazz Holiday “Family” Spectacular. We were not exactly certain what this could mean.

Jazz is often family friendly and we could not understand why it may be necessary to be put in the title. We decided, however, to ignore it and continue on through the program, only to be confused once more when we realized the whole performance was completely comprised of Christmas songs. There was little time to mull this over for the concert soon began with the musical stylings of Em Mossblad, a violinist playing, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

But wait, this little person was much too short and much too young in his sound to be a part of the UT Jazz Ensemble. This is because he was not.

He was, in actuality, a faculty member Gunnar Mossblad’s son. To some in the audience, this was a sweet gesture and we would agree if it had not been for the following events. To our dismay, the concert continued on similarly with sporadic appearances of the faculty’s children, hence, the “family” spectacular. This participation included a rendition of “We Three Kings” performed by Isabella Weik, accompanied by her father Jay on jazz guitar and a Santa Claus gimmick in which all faculty children were invited onto stage to receive goodie bags and inform the audience what they would like for Christmas.

Once again, a sweet gesture, but completely overdone.

The children were probably on stage for a total of five minutes, but this was immediately followed by the kids pacing up and down the aisles, chatting with “Santa” and passing out gift bags. This completely drew away from the music that was being played by the UT Jazz Ensemble, which is why we gathered in the first place.

The music itself, (when played by the Jazz Ensemble), was up to par. It was apparent that the students were talented and passionate.

And for many, the showcase was completely acceptable. After all, the venue was striking and the theme of Christmas is often very popular. But, as we left the concert that night, we could not help but feel dissatisfied with the lack of diversity in holiday music and annoyed with the childish distractions.

-Estar Cohen & Margot Jacobs

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December 15, 2009

What your Boy or Girl Wants this

Holiday Season Follow the Arrows to Find the Perfect Gift

For Your Boy

10

Brian Wadsworth

3

kets to a Pro Game or Concert- Take kets An iPod/MP iPod/MP3 shower radio- I know what Tickets

you ou might b be thinking: how much will that cost me? But don’t you worry because these are actually very inexpensive. They usually run under $30 and are a great gift for that guy in your life. Think about it. Wouldn’t you rather be listening to your iPod or radio instead of having to pass the time listening to your own voice? ice? ce? Thi This might be a no-brainer.

9 8

Customized ustomiz T-shirts- Clothing can be a greatt id idea but it may be time to take it to the next level. Guys have a certain ego complex but believe me it’s not our fault. Try helping that self-esteem with a custom t-shirt with his name me on it. it Bacon acon LLi Lip Balm- This might be one of my favorites vorites orites but bu I’m not sure yet. This is just a little something to top off an already much larger gift. No more fruity flavored chap sticks and lip balms! Time to get something you both will really enjoy, together, with each other, on a nice candle lit evening, together.

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Season eas ason Set of his Favorite TV showNow ow wo on to a more serious note with something that the both of you can enjoy. Over the winter break there will be those nights when you just want to stay in and watch television. With this gift idea you will be able to just stay in together and watch TV all night.

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Framed Picture- Now with this gift I am not Framed really ally th thi thinking along the lines of a regular photo but more to try and boost that ego he has. This works especially if he is an athlete. Try and find one of his favorite photos of himself playing his sport. Blow this image up to a larger scale and frame it for him. Trust me with this.

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Butt/Face Towel- Now wait a second, let me Butt/Fa try ry and eexplain this one to you. It is a bathroom towel with the word “FACE” at one end and “BUTT” at the other. Definitely a humorous gift indeed, but the best part about it is that he will actually use it.

Basically asically Anything Flannel- Flannel is pretty tt universal i I would say. In the tough winter weather, I see no better way to stay warm and stylish than in a nice flannel shirt.

The rugged “lumberjack” look is starting to catch on so help that boyfriend of yours to stay p in the loop.

3

Gunmetal unmetal Mesh ID Bracelet- This is more than an n like likely going to cost you a trip online as it will be difficult to find in any shop. An ID bracelet is a perfect way to make sure that you got him something legitimate for the holiday season. Have his name printed on the bracelet and you will have success this season.

her to a Walleye W game or her favorite band.

This is something you can both enjoy, while being together. Make sure you get tickets for something you both enjoy, so it’s not a miserable night for one of you.

2

Bag of of He Her Favorite Things- Hers could include gift cards, pictures, chocolate, and flowers. You’re probably thinking, how big of a bag? It’s not the size of the gift that matters, it’s the thought that you put into it. If you put all of her favorite goodies in, it will make her holidays happy.

1

Datee nnight- Take your girlfriend out to dinner er aand a movie. Don’t be greedy and let her pick! Of course you have to pick up the check, but the benefits will out weigh the cost.

The Top Gifts Disco coo Ball- You are most likely reading this gift gif right now and thinking to yourself, “what the heck is this guy thinking?” But let me paint the picture. You and your boyfriend are exchanging gifts with each other at one of your respective houses. You open your gift and to no surprise you find out it’s something not so great because let’s just face it: guys are not the best gift givers. But then you hand him your disco ball gift. He opens it and of course the immediate reaction is either laughter or suspicion because he has no idea what you were thinking. But then you install the disco ball, turn off the lights, put on some Marvin Gaye and before you know it the two of you are dancing the night away. The perfect gift for your holiday needs.

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A HatHat-- N Now this is a very broad gift idea but it will be simple and easy based on your boyfriend’s taste. If he is a sports fanatic then getting a hat should be simple as you can just get one of his favorite team. If he has already decided on a college then a hat of the specific college should do just fine. Also, stocking caps and other outdoor gear will certainly suffice.

For That Girl

4

Skylar Rose

Jewelryewelry- A heart necklace is good, but don’t ewelrybe corny with the “you+ me = love.” Get her something that she could wear even on a casual occasion. This doesn’t have to be very expensive. You could get a plain piece of jewelry and get her name engraved on it at “Things Remembered” in Westfield Mall.

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PerfumeP Perfum erfum “What if she thinks I think she smells ll b bad?” If you and your girlfriend have been dating for a while, you should know what kind of perfume she likes. She won’t take it offensive if you get her the fantasy smell. Don’t get her something fruity or a body spray. Man up and get her the designer label.

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Spa Gif Spa Gift Card- Girls love to get pampered and nd this is i a perfect gift that will make them feel good. This gift is not cheap and will certainly meet your “girl’s” needs. You can get this gift card at David Broadway and Reve.

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iTunes Gift Card- This is not a bad gift!

Everyone loves listening to music, so just make this an extra gift to get her. Be sure it goes along with something else. Get her a $15 card, not $50.

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Sports Team Apparel- Is she a big sports fan? Get her an OSU sweatshirt or her favorite professional team t-shirt. Make sure you talk to her parents about what size to get her so that you don’t buy an offensive size.

Chick Flicks- Let her pick the movie to go to.

Don’t moan and groan about her taking you to a romantic comedy or chick flick! Don’t show any emotion about not wanting to go to her choice of movie. Your girlfriend will be mad and all girls don’t like it when they don’t get their choice of events to go to!

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CD’s- Make her a CD of all the songs that she likes. Also, be sure to mix in some that remind you of her. No, we won’t think that this is stupid and lame of you. Your girlfriend and her friends will realize that boys do in fact have emotions and are sensitive humans. This gift will lower the stereotypes that most guys portray.

Holiday Fun Across the City 7 Toledo Activities to do During Winter Break 77

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Let’s face it. We all love winter break and look forward to it weeks in advance, but year after year, it slips by us too quickly and we feel that we haven’t enjoyed it as much as we could.

“There’s nothing to really do in Toledo over break besides go to the zoo, which gets old,” said junior Ellen Drabek.

Although it may not appear so, Toledo gives many different opportunities to have fun during the winter season that are not widely known to students at Northview. It’s time to break out of the lazy routine we develop during break and visit one of the many winter activities that Toledo has to offer.

One of Toledo’s oldest traditions, Children’s Wonderland is back and going strong. Many people stop going once they hit junior high because they think they are too old, but sitting on Santa’s lap and taking rides on the Wonderland Express will always be fun.

Children’s Wonderland is a great place to take younger siblings or to just go with a bunch of your friends. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children.

“I love going to Children’s Wonderland.

It’s fun,” said junior Ashley Yeager. “I didn’t know it opened again.”

Tired of the same crowded sledding at NV’s hill? There are plenty of other sledding hills available around the Toledo area.

“NV’s hill is too crowded,” said junior Allison Ormsby. “It would be nice to go someplace new and different.”

Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon has a hill that is purported to be the highest elevation in Lucas County. This 70 foot tall slope, appropriately called the “Big Hill”, has a nice, slightly steep ride on one side. The other side is unmowed, much steeper and full of prickly weeds for the more adventurous sledders.

Nona France Recreational Area in Whitehouse has a hill with a steeper side that provides a fast and bumpy ride for those speed

demons, and a gentle, enjoyable ride for others.

This man-made hill is 60 feet tall and provides a fun ride for everyone.

For those people who don’t like tall hills, Fort Miamis Park in Maumee has a series of gentle hills for sledding. These hills send sledders on a ride that flies up and down over bumps. It’s described as “sort of like a bobsled track that shoots you down a path” according to sledriding.com.

Love the snow but tired of just sledding or making snowmen that seem to melt in a few days (thank you Global Warming)? The Chalet in Mill Stream Run Reservation, located in Strongsville, is home to two 1,000 foot toboggan runs. These refrigerated slopes are made out of ice and do not require snow to run. They are open Thursday through Sunday and tickets can range from $3 to $8. The lines can be long, but the ride is well worth the wait.

If you’re looking for a more exciting way of picking out a Christmas tree this year, head on down to Whitehouse Christmas Tree Farm.

This farm is open Thursday through Sunday and provides each group with a saw to cut down their very own tree. While searching through the trees for the perfect one, you can sip on complimentary hot chocolate and snacks. Trees range from two feet to 45 feet and a wagon ride through the entire farm is available for children.

The Medina Ice Festival is a unique experience to enjoy after winter break is over.

Open February 12-15, this festival showcases local artists’ talent in the public square of Medina. To escape the cold weather, visitors can duck into many unique shops to warm up.

Although many students at NV may complain about the lack of available activities in the 419, there are actually plenty of opportunities to live up the winter besides visiting the infamous Lights Before Christmas for the seventh year in a row. Try going tobogganing or extreme sledding, and actually enjoy your winter break.

-Amanda Metcalf and Ally Yocum

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FEATURES

December 15, 2009

Volunteering at Northview

By Elizabeth Masson Need volunteer hours? While volunteering at a local hospital or nursing home is always a good option, many students don’t realize that Northview also offers a variety of volunteering options that allow hours to be earned during a commons or study hall. Whether you like working in busy or quiet environments, with teachers or students, or simply spending time in a cozy, quiet library, NV has a job for you.

Guidance Aids

Teacher Aids

Guidance aids are responsible for running passes, organizing files, greeting visitors, helping counselors, running errands as needed and performing miscellaneous tasks. Students work Monday through Friday during their free periods, according to Guidance Secretary Mrs. Kim Pietrykowski. “(Working in the Guidance Office) looks good on a college application,” said senior Shane Wheatley, “and you are helping teachers.”

Those wanting to work as a Guidance Aid should talk to Mrs. Pietrykowski. Aids are also sometimes selected by counselors or students are notified of open positions during commons or study hall.

“All different office aids are a good option because it helps the school and gives an opportunity to see how the school functions,” said Mrs. Pietrykowski. “You get to deal with different people and learn new things.”

Lab and teacher aides perform a wide variety of tasks specific to the teacher they are assisting.

For example, lab aids to Mr. Andy Roth wash dishes, help with grading, set up equipment, perform labs and complete miscellaneous tasks.

Days worked vary depending on the student, but most work Monday through Friday. Becoming a lab aid is great opportunity because students can review chemistry and see it in a different light, while also learning new levels and aspects, according to Mr. Roth.

“It’s an excellent way to volunteer because I can brush up on my chemistry for the AP Chemistry test not only by doing the work and making solutions for Mr. Roth, but also by listening to the chemistry class he teaches while I work,” said senior Haley Armstrong.

Students interested in becoming a teacher or lab aid should meet with their preferred teacher and fill out a form in the Guidance Office. Any teacher can have an aid.

Photos

by Halie Langhals

Peer Mentors

Peer mentors are responsible for working with and tutoring students in Regular Education or Special Education classes, particularly in harder classes. Volunteers work up to five days per week and have the option of working more than one period a day, according to Intervention Specialist Ms. Christine Saverstorm. “(Volunteering as a Peer Mentor) was a good learning experience because you can see what they do,” said senior Carmen Watson.

Interested students should meet with Ms. Saverstorm to begin planning a volunteering schedule.

“This is a good opportunity if anyone wants to make a decision or whether to teach or work in an educational field, work with differently abled students, or broaden their perspectives,” said Ms. Saverstorm. “It gives people a diverse aspect of life and opens their mind to different people.”

PICTURED FROM TOP LEFT TO RIGHT: Amanda Metcalf, Michelle Vince, Amber Ulrich, Kelsey Rentner, Roger Guilford, Zach Walentowski, Emily Snook and Andrea Kimmet.

PICTURED FROM BOTTOM LEFT TO RIGHT: Sia DuFour and Kate Benham.

Library Assistants Student Library Assistants deliver materials to teachers, shelve books, check books in and our and help other students as needed. Assistants usually volunteer throughout the week although this schedule can be changed if necessary. Volunteering in the library is a good opportunity because students gain library experience that can be used throughout their life, as well as learn to interact with other students and teachers, according to Library Media Specialist Mrs. Darla Omey.

“It’s great because I like communicating with people and helping teachers out,” said senior Lindsey Yost.

Any student wishing to become a Library Assistant should meet with Mrs. Omey to determine a volunteering schedule.

Corner

A New York Times Bestseller and now major motion picture, Sapphire’s PUSH is a blunt and straight-forward story of Claireece Precious Jones.

Precious, her name throughout the novel, has been sexually abused since age seven, forced to bare her father’s children at the ages of 12 and 16 and is constantly abused by her lazy, welfare-dependent mother.

However, when this gritty, strong-minded protagonist is sent to an alternative school to fit her educational needs, she learns what it is like to feel loved and appreciated for the first time.

With the help of the other

“I asked you to come so I could watch you live” may seem like a dull if not corny phrase, but in Nicholas Sparks’ newest novel, The Last Song, these words are enough to make you cry for the last 90 pages.

17-year-old Ronnie, short for Veronica, is forced to visit her father in North Carolina with whom she guiltlessly hasn’t spoken to in three years. In trying to avoid her father, she meets the rich Will Blakelee, who definitely is not her type. Despite this, she begins to find herself falling in love with him. Slowly, she begins

girls at the “Each One Teach One” school and a compassionate teacher, Precious learns that there have been great injustices in her life and she needs to free herself. Finally fed up with the abuse, Precious decides to escape from everything and everyone that has ever made her feel “stupid.”

Written in the broken English of a partially illiterate, hardened-by-thecity teenager, PUSH is a challenge to read. In some ways the lingo brings the story to life, but in many cases the flat vernacular is confusing and fails to create a 3-D world for the reader.

It is obvious that Sapphire is

De x te r by De s ig n Dexter Morgan, the protagonist in Jeff Lindsay’s newest novel Dexter

By Design, is not your average hero.

By day he seems like a perfectly normal guy, he has a job at the Miami Police Department with a new wife and two step children. He brings in doughnuts to work and is always polite to everyone. However, as fans of Lindsay’s series of Dexter novels or the Showtime television show “Dexter” know, Dexter is in fact a serial killer. Don’t worry though, he is still a very entertaining narrator and he only kills people who really deserve it.

The story begins with Dexter on his honeymoon in Paris with his new bride Rita. After seeing some famous and disturbing artwork, Dexter returns to Miami to his day

Office Assistants run passes, help with filing, change the large outside sign and aid in various office tasks. Most students volunteer Monday through Friday, although days can be tailored to fit a student’s schedule, according to Attendance Secretary Mrs. Bonnie Kobee.

“Working in the Attendance Office provides me with an opportunity to learn life-long values,” said sophomore Joe Masson, “and allows me to meet many great new friends.”

Interested students should talk to Mrs. Kobee or Assistant Principal Mrs. Amanda Ogren. New volunteers are accepted every semester.

“It gives students a good opportunity to see how the other side works,” said Mrs. Kobee, “Sometimes it opens their eyes.”

T he L a s t So ng

Reader’ Re a de r’ss

PU S H

Office Aids

job as a blood spatter analyst and his nighttime hobby of murdering people, carefully following his father’s code to make sure his victims truly deserve it. Dexter is busy with his job and family as well, looking after Rita’s two children, Astor and Cody, who, after much abuse from their imprisoned father, have begun to show signs of becoming just like Dexter.

As if all this was not enough, there is a new killer in town that uses bodies in a new, disturbing way and Dexter’s sister, Sergeant Deborah Morgan, turns to Dexter to figure out whom this new and strangely artistic killer might be.

Dexter By Design, the fourth book in the series, is a great improvement over the previous installment, Dexter

to respect her father once again, but loggerhead turtles, beach volleyball and liar’s poker are not enough to keep the summer joyous. A group of pyromaniac teens continually attempt to ruin Ronnie’s summer, and a secret that is being kept from her causes everything to crash down on her at once.

Unlike Sparks’ previous topselling books, The Last Song chronicles various events during a teenager’s life rather than a love story between two adults. One would assume that the lack of comfortable ground would

be evident in Sparks’ writing, but he succeeds in intricately presenting the importance of young love and the love between family and God as well. Sparks proves that he not only understands the love that adults can hold for one another, but that he also understands a teenager’s vulnerability in love and maturation.

Along with Sparks’ other novels that have been adapted into films, The Last Song has been produced into a motion picture starring Miley Cyrus and hits theaters in April. ~Amanda Met calf

unable to tell Precious’ story with this flattened English at times when Precious, who talks about being unable to read for 16 years and who confuses “insect” with “incest”, breaks out of her character by making very well developed comparisons, such as “I feel like my blood a giant river swell up inside me and I’m drowning.”

Nevertheless, PUSH is an incredibly moving and powerful novel. It is written to capture the hearts of middle-class readers who can scarcely imagine the hardships that occur in places such as Harlem, the setting of PUSH. People tend to

push the bad and the ugly under the carpet and only focus on the good.

This novel, however, pushes the bad and ugly to the forefront, demanding that people take notice.

It is a wonderful story of hope and accomplishment told through abuse and conflict; it will make the reader laugh and cry all in the same sitting.

Though the dialect is dull and Precious’ random character breaks are strange, this thrilling blend of the compassion of a child and the rage of an adult leaves no doubt that Sapphire’s PUSH will give the reader some food for thought. ~Mamie Silver

in the Dark. The new book returns to a more reality based story compared to the third novel’s somewhat silly ,supernatural theme. The plot has its twists and turns like all mystery novels and the novel begins well with a humorous, bizarre description of Dexter’s honeymoon.

The middle of the novel however starts to lag and become a bit repetitive. At least one plot development involving a trip to Havana seemed somewhat unnecessary and could have been cut to lead up faster to the conclusion, which is a thrilling climax to the story and finishes the book on a high note.

The truly interesting part of the novel is that Lindsay has committed to developing his characters more fully than in his previous novels. Dexter, funny and entertaining as always, seems to reveal that he may actually

not be an emotionless monster as he himself believes. He might actually have some human feelings, but he would never admit it.

His sister Deb, who found out what Dexter was in a previous book, has to deal with the fact that her brother is a murderer and struggling to decide whether to let him be or arrest him. Also, Rita, a character who previously had been seen by Dexter as stupid, revealed she may be smarter and more complex than Dexter previously believed.

Dexter By Design is a very entertaining read despite some lulls in the plot during the middle.

The development of the characters and their interaction with each other is what really makes the novel impressive and will keep readers waiting for the next installment to hit the shelves. ~David Aldrich

FEATURES

December 15, 2009

NV Holiday Edit ion

Top Ten Gifts for the Holidays

By Bridget Thomas & Molly Porterfield Staff Writers

10. Clothing

Us teens love keeping up with the latest trends. The cold weather can be cured with a cozy, warm sweater.

Many gift cards to American Eagle, Hollister, and Abercrombie will be on student’s lists.

9. The world’s largest gummy bear

Candy is a must during the holidays. Vat19.com boasts having the gummy bear to cure all of your sugar cravings. At nine inches tall and five pounds heavy, this 12,600 calorie monster candy can be shared with the whole family.

8. Laptop

With college approaching for most high school students, many are wishing for a laptop to help them stay organized and. Not to mention how great it is to have your own computer and your own online freedom.

7. Modern Warfare II

Between practicing your aim and enjoying the new maps, Modern Warfare 2 will definitely cure your gaming fever. A compelling gun game that feels like you’re actually in a battle is sure to grant all of your holiday wishes.

6. The Beatles Rock Band

Students are very excited about this new game. The songs of the band that started rock and roll can now be played in your own living room.

5. Money

Tired of receiving all those gifts you do not need or want? Sometimes it is just better to buy what you really want for the holidays instead of explaining your list to your relatives.

4. Books

Cold? Wrap up in a warm blanket and settle down with a good book. The Twilight and Harry Potter Series will surely warm you up. From Steven King to Nicholas Sparks, our favorite authors are great for relaxing during the holidays.

3. Digital Camera

The best way to spread holiday cheer is to take pictures for all to hold dear. A digital camera is the perfect gift for capturing those Kodak moments during the seasons.

2. Automobile

This gift won’t exactly fit underneath the tree, but a big bow on top will do. At least you can now say goodbye to the days of driving the family mini-van.

Students are hoping to kick off this cold, winter season with a hot, new ride.

1. iPod Touch

The iPod keeps getting better and better. As the holidays approach, students want nothing more than a new high tech music, movie, and gaming device.

A Festivus for the Rest Of Us As all of you saps out there prepare for your simple holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa etc. We anxiously await December 23. This day is called Festivus: the holiday for the rest of us. Your limited mind probably can’t even comprehend what Festivus entails, but that’s why we’re here. As avid Seinfeld viewers for most of our lives, we feel we are more than qualified to introduce to you a holiday that you should already be familiar with.

Much like the other holidays, Festivus begins with a great feast known as the Festivus meal. During this meal, family and friends enjoy each other’s company but only for a short while.

Then, the Airing of Grievances begins. This fun holiday activity allows all at the table to tell everyone how they have disappointed them in the last year.

To some this may appear cruel and perhaps a little confrontational.

We see it as shoveling the driveway, cleaning the whiteboard, starting over if you will. This tradition may take awhile depending on the deformity of your family and friends.

The decoration of choice during this holiday is much simpler than most others. Festivus doesn’t demand a bright and flashy display of lights, tinsel or nutcracker dolls. Instead, we display the Festivus Pole. The name generally explains the definition of the decoration. The Festivus Pole (which is 100% aluminum) illuminates neighborhoods and lights a fire in the hearts of many.

Moving the holiday along, we come to the Feats of Strength. As the Festivus Meal and the Airing of Grievances come to an end, the head of the household chooses his victim.

He challenges him to a wrestling match, if you can even call it that.

The holiday technically does not end until the head of the household is pinned. If the challenger fails to pin the head of the house, then they find themselves in an unfortunate place.

The modern day punishment of a tenminute time-out in the cold winter air cannot be compared to the ancient Festivus punishment of banishment from the holiday.

You may find this holiday to be somewhat bitter or even vindictive, but there is a soft side to Festivus: the Festivus Miracle. Nobody knows how or where these little miracles come from, but certainly not from some fat, bearded cookie monster. All we know for sure is that they exist. They can come in any shape, size or material and are guaranteed to cheer you up when you need it the most, like the unknown gooey center of a filled donut.

On December 23 as you rush to get your Aunt Millie her annual 8-pack of glue sticks and you by chance pass the home of the Hirschfelds or the Stricks, you may be blinded by the brightness of the Festivus Pole. Your ears may ring with the sound of disappointments and your hearts may fill with the true meaning of the proclamation, “It’s a Festivus miracle!”

-Abbey Strick & Addison Hirschfeld

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SPORTS

December 15, 2009

sport switch with Addison Hirschfeld and Yianni Papadimos

Two student athletes take a crash course in an unfamiliar sport A Day at Diving After a long day of school, and two hours of vigorous basketball practice, there is nothing more that I would rather do than go home and flop on the couch.

Unfortunately, this was not the case when, last week, gym shorts turned into board shorts, basketball shoes into bare feet, and hard wood into a glassy flat bed that is the Northview pool.

Last week I had the opportunity to test out my sea legs by practicing with the Northview Diving team. As basketball practice concluded at around 5 o’ clock, I rushed to the natatorium anxiously wanting to get into the pool.

My mind was turning, for I had no idea what to expect.

The only experience I ever had with diving boards was the sun-soaked summer days at the Jewish Community Center. Considering that my family’s membership at the JCC ended long ago, I would venture to say that the last time I had stepped foot on a diving board would have been at the meager age of 11. The scene was set for embarrassment.

As I opened the doors to enter the watery world, I was immediately slapped in the face with the bold hand that rules the pool: humidity.

Perspiration met me almost right away as I found myself disgusted at how sticky the air was. My feelings of discomfort quickly changed gears, as I noticed that I was the only person in the pool who was not almost completely naked.

Speedos filled my vision as I felt all eyes turn to the only kid with clothes on: me. After meeting the dive coach, Phil, I rushed to the boys’ locker room to change into my swimming trunks in hopes to feel a little more comfortable.

My pale body shimmered gently through the natatorium as I stepped out of the locker room sporting my Pacsun board shorts. Coach Phil immediately made me feel like a part of the team, as he demanded that I get warmed up. In diving, warming up is simply diving into the cool water off of a starting block.

After observing the seasoned divers, I attempted to imitate their ways. With the help of my new teammates and Coach Phil, I was learning the basics of diving fairly quickly.

However, my confidence quickly diminished as I made the move from the block, to the diving board.

A couple of pencil dives got me comfortable with the springy “fiberboard.” Shortly into practice, however, I noticed that I lacked a key athletic talent that was very useful in the art of diving.

Balance was not my ally. One

ABBEY STRICK would not expect fatigue to be a factor in diving, but I was surprised at the breath it took to continuously pull myself out of the water after every dive attempt. Sooner than later, I found myself asking for athletic advice from sophomore girls, needless to say it was an embarrassment for a two-sport varsity athlete.

As practice resumed, Phil increased the difficulty of the dives he was having me perform (or at least attempt).

Back dives, front flips and back flips increasingly became easier for me to perform.

I surprised myself, and coach Phil, at how naturally the sport of diving came to me.

The number of boys on the dive team this year is very low and Coach Phil, sarcastically of course, asked me if I would join the team. I suppose that I impressed him, although the dives I conquered were very simple in comparison to those that true members of the team

JUNIOR JOHN JOSEPH and sophomore Jeff Small give junior Yianni Papadimos points on shooting a basketball during his sports swap.

PREPARING TO DIVE into the pool is junior Addison Hirschfeld.

HIRSCHFELD STRETCHES OUT before diving practice.

PAPADIMOS CONCENTRATES while Coach Shadle explains a play to the team in preparation for their game against Perrysburg. perform.

So now I was feeling confident, and I had a swagger like I’d been there before as I continued to improve my diving skills. Needless to say, I was setting myself up for disaster. Coach Phil suggested that I attempt a spin along with a front flip, and immediately my “Yes I can, I’m Addison Hirschfeld” attitude devoured all of my reasoning. Somewhere between my dismount and my collision with the water, something went wrong.

In attempting to spin synchronistically with my front flip, I ended up attempting a “double”, which is two front flips. This intricate move should end with the diver entering the pool elegantly feet first. Unfortunately, elegance and grace are not words that describe any of my movements in any sport. The attempted “double” left me crashing back first onto the

deceivingly solid water. Not only was my pride broken, but my back was as well.

With the conclusion of my last dive, Coach Phil and I decided that my practice should end before my life did.

As I walked back to the locker room, with my back aching and red, I decided that diving is a very physically demanding sport.

The amount of concentration, balance and technique that goes in to being a successful diver is amazing.

Compared to my experiences with football and basketball, diving is just as difficult but for different reasons. Diving’s difficulty compliments its excitement as you twirl through the air knowing that your landing will be soft, almost always. So if I find myself on a diving board next summer, I am certain that I will be able to impress, at least myself, with the skills that I learned at diving practice.

-Addison Hirschfeld

A Day at Basketball The echoing screeches of rubber soles on hard wood is an after school sound we often take for granted. A week ago, I spent an afternoon practicing with the generators of this sound, the kings of the sky, the NV Boy’s Basketball Team.

Coming into the practice, I was not incredibly sure of what to expect having not touched a basketball since the sixth grade. Nevertheless, I held my head high and prepared for what was to come, whether I was to be humiliated, shunned, or possibly successful. The team’s response, as they came out of the locker room, was not at all what I had expected.

I was quickly passed a basketball by one of the junior varsity players and before I could ask any questions, I found myself being put in position to shoot a free throw.

Guiding me were several junior and sophomore players who, without my prompting, began giving me tips as to how the shot was correctly made.

I failed miserably multiple times, only managing to hit the backboard, net and wall behind the basket.

“You can’t just throw it,” said junior John Joseph.

“You’ve got to shoot it up.

Flick your wrist.”

After a few more airballs, things started to line up and before I knew it, I had officially sunk a basket. I was quickly brought back to reality by the congratulations from the players around me.

This is what helped me to understand that this group of students was more accepting than expected. If they were able to take kindly to an idiot such as myself, they must have had a strong sense of fraternity.

That was certainly true.

As we circled up to begin pre-practice stretching, I was shocked when Head Coach Terry Shadle handed me the Perrysburg scouting report.

As the team stretched with the senior players in the center, I became lost in the report’s details and was almost to the point of wondering who I would be guarding before I realized that I would not be playing in the game the next day. It was fascinating to be aware of the lengths to which the coaching staff went to see that their players knew what they were up against. They even went so far as to assign certain players to whom they would be guarding. This is something apparently done often.

“We get the scouting reports almost every game,” said junior Jacob Sturt, “and they really help us get ready.

It shows that the coaches are dedicated to the program.”

After becoming sufficiently limber, we proceeded to do baseline drills from one end of the court to the other. The team went in two groups recognizing the hierarchical arrangement that comes with having a varsity and junior varsity team. I made the mistake of leaving with the varsity players. Surprisingly enough, I managed to scamper along, keeping up (for the most part) through the high knees, karaokes and butt kickers.

It was then that the actual “practice” part of the practice began. Being the eve of their game against Perrysburg, the team took the floor to practice plays. Not their own, but those of the Yellow Jackets. With the JV players positioning themselves as the opponents, the varsity team prepared for the game by running the plays they would come across the following night.

My time spent with the Boy’s Basketball team was enlightening. I learned how to handle a basketball and the logistics that go into a practice.

However, I also witnessed first hand the sense of brotherhood these young men share. After spending a practice with them, I can confidently say that this team makes their own opportunities. They are able to open their own doors and fight to win.

-Yianni Papadimos

SPORTS

11

December 15, 2009

Boys and Girls Basketball look to dominate the competition

NV swim team gets new coach

By AURORA MILLIRON

St aff writ er Dominating the Northern Lakes League with a first place standing is the Northview Girl’s Basketball team. They won their first game against Perrysburg November 28 with a score of 62-36.

This was a major game for the LadyKats since Perrysburg has beaten the girl’s team three years in a row. The Yellow Jackets won the NLL last year and are picked to finish second this year.

Leading the team in points were sophomores Skylar Rose, Miriam Justinger, J.J Jessing, and senior Hannah Small.

“Hard work and team work was a big factor in our win against Perrysburg,” said junior Tori Busby.

A main struggle for the offensive was rebounding, but they were able to overcome this weakness and win.

On November 30 the LadyKats faced Libbey High School. NV found themselves in a tighter game than with Perrysburg, but managed to come away with a 69-62 win.

The team started out slow but was able to come back and win by seven points.

According to Small, everyone worked really well together.

December 4, the LadyKats won yet another game against Anthony Wayne. The score was another dominating one with the LadyKats defeating the Generals 60-37.

Staying down on defense was one of the things the girl’s had trouble with, according to sophomore Courtney Hendrix. In the end, they still were able to dominate the game.

“Our strength is not counting on just one person, but each person has a role to play,” said junior Valerie Sohasky.

NV won their fourth game in a row on December 7 against Bowsher with a score of 7035. Again, defense was one of the weaknesses

By LAURA GUINNESS

Phot ographer Ohio State University graduate Stephanie Raezer has accepted the position of 2009-2010 Northview swimming head coach. The quest to find a new coach ended two weeks before the start of the season when Raezer stepped up to lead the team. Raezer swam at OSU and was the assistant coach for the University of Toledo’s women’s swimming team.

Q.

What previous experience do you have as both an athlete and a coach?

A.

As a lifetime swimmer, a collegiate coach, and an age-group coach, I have learned so many great things. For me, swimming was my life; I loved every piece of it. I hope I can pass on some of that love to each of these swimmers now.

DRIVING HARD TO THE HOOP is senior Jacob Zureich in the team’s game against Southview December 5 . The Wildcats were defeated by a score of 80-64 in a tough season home opener, but look to improve as their season moves forward. in the usually strong team.

According to Small, even though the team is young the upperclassmen are stepping up.

Last year, the LadyKats finished third in the league with a record of 17-6. This season they are picked to win the league title.

Much of this success can be attributed towards the leadership of the two senior captains, Olivia Fouty and Small.

The girl’s went into their next game against Bowling Green December 11 with an undefeated record of 4-0.

However, the Boy’s Basketball team has not been as successful. On their first home game against Southview they suffered a 80-64 loss.

The leading scorers were junior Jacob Sturt

and seniors Jarred Bowens and Jacob Zureich.

“Southview is a team that I want to beat.

It is a good thing we face them twice so we can have another chance to get revenge,” said Bowens.

On December 8, they faced league rivals Perrysburg. Losing at halftime by a score of 24-14, the boys struggled to make a comeback.

The final score ended up being 64-34. Sturt and Zureich were once again leading scorers.

According to Zureich, the reason they lost was because there are a lot of young players who do not have a lot of varsity experience and are not adjusted to the speed of the game yet.

The next game for the Wildcats is at home December 12 against the Bowsher Rebels.

Winter sports teams begin seasons Dance Team, Wrestling and Gymnastics start competing

By ALEXA KALANQUIN

St aff writ er As the fall season concluded, winter sports started their seasons.

The Wrestling team is led by captains senior Bobby Callejas and juniors Billy Sargent and Jake Martinez. No tryouts were held, but the team trains after school. The first meet was at Northwood December 4. Callejas placed fourth and Todd Enis took second.

“As a team we didn’t do very well, since we only had two people place. There were 18 teams there, which made it a very tough tournament,” said Sargent.

The team’s biggest rivals this year are Southview, Perrysburg, and Bowling Green.

The NV SV match was December 10, with SV winning 40-23.

“We came into the meet prepared, but we knew we were the underdogs,” said Sargent.

“The team is pretty inexperienced,” said Sargent. “We need to change our mentality into being more aggressive.”

Dance team held tryouts in May, and the team now practices three days a week. The captains on the team are seniors Melissa Rondinelli, Morgan Melchert and Lauren Cowell.

The team performs at half time at the varsity Boys Basketball games as well as at two to three competitions in February. The girls performed a hip-hop dance to a 90’s dance mix for the first game of the Boys Basketball season against Southview.

“We have a few new additions to the team and they’re doing very well,” said junior Bailey Whitman. “We have some sweet new dances coming up as well as neat costumes.”

The next performance by the Dance Team

was December 12 during halftime of the NV vs. Bowsher game.

The Gymnastics team held tryouts the week of November 9 and have their first meet tonight at Fort Meigs YMCA. The seniors are Hailey Nowak, Alex Melick and Chelsie Parton.

The GymKats are coached by Mrs. Heather Tussing and their biggest rivals this year are SV and Whitmer, according to sophomore Katie O’Keefe.

“My goal is to improve my skills from what they were last year,” said O’Keefe. “I don’t really have a favorite event though, it just seems to be whatever I’m good at that day.”

“We have a pretty strong team this year, better than the past two years, and ultimately we hope to send some girls to states,” said Nowak.

Q. What made you want to coach NV this

year?

A.

I really love coaching… and this gave me a great opportunity to work with a number of kids who really work hard and want to be better.

Q.

Have you worked with specific coaches who have influenced you as a coach or have encouraged you to take a head coaching position?

A.

Lars Jorgensen (UT headcoach) is my biggest influence. He is not only a great coach but also a wonderful teacher. He encouraged me to take this position and gave me the motivation and encouragement to do a great job.

Q.

When are you looking forward to most this season? How do you hope to improve as a team?

A.

I am looking forward to working with each swimmer and helping them reach their individual goals and I want to have a team go to the state meet! As a team I would love to see leadership and maturity, there is nothing better than seeing your team improve all around, in the water and out of the water.

Q.

What was your specialty/stroke in high school and college swimming?

A.

In high school I was a 500 and 200 yard/ meter freestyler. In college I was a distance swimmer! I also swam the 400 IM religiously.

So every meet I swam the 1,000/ 1,650, 500, and 400 IM. I loved every minute of it.

Q.

What types of training will the team experience this year?

rtrsialPro wrestling deserves more notice Spdo A.I’m not sure what the training has been e ito in the past but I hope they will learn to be I have been a professional wrestling fan for a couple years now. Many people, including myself, had previously thought that wrestling is stupid, or at least something that I would not be interested in. Now I have realized that I was wrong and feel that it is a superior form of entertainment.

Unfortunately, pro-wrestling is not really considered “cool” in today’s society. It is the target of ridicule from many people and is targeted unfairly. Wrestling is a legitimate form of entertainment and is watched by millions of people every week all over the world. For some reason, I feel ashamed to be a wrestling fan, like it is something I have to keep secret or else be subjected to looks of confusion or derision.

Wrestling is just like any form of entertainment today. There are several companies active today including World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The big argument against wrestling is that it is fake. Well, most other

things of TV are fake as well and it is unfair that wrestling gets faulted for being scripted when sitcoms and dramas are scripted as well.

Some would argue that pro-wrestling is not a sport. While it is not a competitive sport, it should be considered in the realm of sports. It is thought of as sports entertainment and involves physical activity even though the ending is predetermined.

Wrestling has something that other sports do not have. A wrestling match creates drama and involves storylines and frames it around action in the ring. The storylines can involve a wrestler betraying his friend, two guys fighting over a girl, or two wrestlers trying to outdo the other in the ring. Good wrestling storylines can provide definite quality entertainment, something that regular sports cannot do. A football or baseball game can be enjoyable and exciting to watch, but it also could be a bad or boring game, something the producers of a wrestling match can easily avoid.

Good wrestlers are able to either get the crowd to boo or cheer for them based on what they do in the ring. They also use what they say on the microphone during promos to get a reaction and some are very talented actors and, like Dwayne Johnson, have gone on to have careers in movies.

The main part of wrestling is the matches themselves. Although the ending is predetermined and some maneuvers may not be entirely real or inflict any pain, wrestlers still take risks when they go out to perform and they often do not get the respect they deserve. They put on an exciting form of physical entertainment and are similar to any action show but are not treated as such because wrestling is “fake.”

Wrestling features entertaining storylines and performers just like any other form of television entertainment. Hopefully people will see wrestling for what it truly is, not a fake sports show but real entertainment.

- David Aldrich

tougher, more confident, and swim with better technique. This team will be challenged every day to do something better and faster, making them the best athletes they can be.

Q.

What is one goal you would like the team to work towards?

A.

1.)Great technique 2.) Solid unity as a team 3.)100% best times

Q.

How do you think the team is looking so far? What do you see that you would like to see changed or improved?

A.

I have seen a lot of improvement already!

What we need to work on includes turns, starts, race strategy, oh and technique, technique, technique!

Q.

What are your future goals involving your love for coaching? Do you wish to stay with NV for years to come or do you have other plans for your coaching career?

A.

I’ve missed coaching and I have never coached high school before. So I’m anxious to see how the whole season plays out, but so far I love it! All I can hope for is that I can teach this team to be better swimmers, that they can at least walk away faking something they’ve learned.

12

5

SPORTSVIEW

December 15, 2009

Things You Didn’t Know About Northview Hockey

1

The locker room? Awesome.

Unlike any other team who calls Tamo it’s home, the NV hockey team’s locker room is outfitted with it’s own workout room, couches, televisions, stereo, chairs and computers.

All of this was acquired from donations from people in the NV community, alumni and former coach James Cooper. Most players arrive early for games to relax and get focused.

2

Ay ziggy zoomba.

NV celebrates after a victory with a postgame song thought up by Coach Jones. It is modeled after the Bowling Green fight song and as the team huddles after a win, they sing, “Roll along you Wildcat warriors, roll along and fight for Northview High School,” according to junior Tyler Harding.

3 4

They can’t be touched.

Like most sports teams, the Wildcats have a pregame ritual. Before every game, NV warms up and stretches out. They gather in the locker room and listen to “Can’t Be Touched” by Roy Jones Jr. Then, the players and coaches say a prayer in honor of former player Jake Thornton. “Jake was really close to everybody on the team and we want to honor him before our games,” said junior Drew Korn.

St. Francis is on the top of their hit-list.

“We are looking forward to the St. Francis game the most because people think they already have the state ring on their finger,” said Harding. Prior to this past weekend’s play, NV was 2-0-0 in the league and St. Francis was 1-0-0. The Cats play SFS January 30 at Tamo.

“They [St. Francis] are undefeated and everyone says they are so good. We want to beat them,” said junior captain Nolan Culver.

5

LINING UP FOR the National Anthem are juniors Ryan LaPlante, Nolan Culver, Graham Kelsey, Tyler Harding and Aaron Booth. These five were the starting line-up in their season opener against St. Johns Jesuit High School.

BATTLING AGAINST THE BOARDS with a St. Johns player is sophomore Zach Felser and Kelsey. The Cats had a significant victory against the Titans after their appearance in the Frozen Four last year.

CHECKING A ST. JOHNS player to stop the impending goal is Harding. The Wildcats won their season opener 5-2. “Everyone was pumped, even the new kids because it was their first ever league game, but all the others from last year’s team were so excited for this game because it was the perfect chance to get back at St. Johns,” said Culver.

SKATING BACK for the puck is senior Jordan Jones. Jones is a four year member of the team.

PHOTOS BY ABBEY STRICK

Thursday means team dinner.

Every Thursday the team gathers for a home cooked meal at one of the player’s houses. “I look forward to team dinners every week because the food is always really good,” said junior Graham Kelsey. “It really brings us closer as a team.”

-Alexx Klein and Abbey Strick

Tiger is a cheater; not in golf, but with women

By BRIAN WADSWORTH

St aff writ er Say it isn’t so Tiger! Woods is a dirty, dirty man. We thought he was a straight shooter hitting the fairway every time. But no! He is in the trap and I am not talking about the sand.

The PGA golfer was investigated after crashing his Escalade on November 27 outside of his home in Orlando, Florida. After numerous reports, ten women have spoken up that they have had an affair with Woods, according to CBSsports.com

Life was great for the profound golfer: winning tournaments, endorsing sponsors, and being a role model for children across the world. Now with all that has happened to Woods, PGA professional golfer, his reputation is tarnished and now the rebuilding will begin.

Woods has been on his scandalous run for at least three years now, according to Fox News.

The famous athlete has been married for five years to Swedish model Elin Nordegren.

Woods has been the feature star for sponsors such as Nike and Gatorade for several years but with this latest scandal, Gatorade has

decided to drop him.

Woods has been an icon in the golf world for about a decade now. He has been the face of the PGA tour and a role model for kids everywhere. His incredible attention to detail and his endless pursuit of being the best has been a model for not only up and coming golfers but also other athletes.

This latest episode just proves that no one is perfect. All the role models you might have once loved to see succeed you now love to see lose. Tiger Woods is not the only celebrity to mess up and certainly will not be the last.

Superstars like Alex Rodriguez and Kobe Bryant have their baggage. It is a shame to see Woods’ name linked with them now.

He has tarnished his long lived reputation.

However, I think it is safe to say that his golfing reputation might survive.

Many analysts have started to move past all the scandal and have begun to think about how this will affect his golf career. Will it motivate or will he crumble under the pressure? But honestly people, he is still Tiger Woods. The man that won 54 times in a row when having a 54-hole lead. He will become even better now.