SYLVANIANORTHVIEW VOLUME85 ISSUE7 02152011
THESTUDENTPRINTS NHS Carnation sale helps love blossom
EXCHANGE 11 SEX 06
SWIM 12
PAPADIMOS READING OFF THE NAME on the tag of a carnation, senior Nicole Hobbs delivers a carnation first period. National Honor Society members sold them during the week of February 4 and they were delivered Friday.
S.MCCASKEY STAFF
UPCOMING AFFAIRS>> FEBRUARY15 girlsbasketball vs.rossford
FEBRUARY18 boysbasketball vs.southview
FEBRUARY19 OMEA honorsfestival
FEBRUARY21 president’sday noschool
FEBRUARY22 washington’s birthday
FEBRUARY23 NVjazzfestival
FEBRUARY25 homeroom
MARCH10 froshsoph
academicawards
MARCH14-18 OGTweek
With the onset of Valentine’s Day, it was time again for the annual carnation sale. Each February, Northview’s chapter of the National Honors Society sells carnations to students in order to raise funds for various activities and charities. The sale began February 4 and continued through the following week, with the flowers being delivered to students on Friday. The NHS ordered 500 red carnations, according to advisor Mrs. Frances Borchers.
“Hopefully we will be able to sell all of them,” Mrs. Borchers said before the sale began. “The money will really help us.” Due to the two snow days that occurred during the week that the sale began, the preparation meeting was cancelled. Despite the spontaneity of the snow days, NHS was able to pull together and create a successful fundraiser. The carnations were sold for $1 each, ultimately bringing in a total of $502.46. In previous years, revenue from
the carnation sale was used for After Prom, as well as donated to charities such as Relay For Life and the Dr. Gorman Scholarship Fund. NHS is currently undecided on where the funds raised from this year’s carnation sale will go. Carnations were delivered Friday to ensure their freshness, even though Valentine’s day was not until Monday. “I think the carnation sale is a good and fun way to raise money for the school. It is a fun Valentine’s Day tradition,” said junior Brenna Welzbacher.
Fiddler cast, prep begins B.THOMAS
OP/ED
A grand total of 41 students have been cast for Northview’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. The actors and actresses began preparation for the spring musical January 31 and will continue rehearsals four days a week for approximately three hours each day until the show is ready for audiences in April, according to drama teacher Mr. Don Wachowiak. Cast auditions and Technical Interviews were held January 24 and 25. The results were released to each student individually by letter January 28. The NV theatre directing team determined the cast members. The team included Mr. Wachowiak, costume director Ms. Courtney Altenburg, choreographer Ms. Brandi Shepard, and vocal director Mrs. Amy Johns. Students came to the audition prepared to perform a two-minute monologue. They were also required to sing an audition song and to participate in a dance audition, according to Mr. Wachowiak. Receiving lead roles in the play are seniors Yianni Papadimos as Tevye, Kayla Keisser as Tzeitel, Kaylie Martinez as Yente, Kramer Lindsley as Motel, Victor Barricklow as Perchik, Jim Park as Lazar Wolf, Matt Crawford as Nachum, Brittany Von Stein as Grandma Tzeitel, Kyle Kolebuck as Constable and Courtney Gilliland as Shaindel. Juniors with lead roles include Hannah Quinn as Golde, Bailey Feldstein as Chava, Zach Johnson as Avram, Vikki Hiznay as Fruma-Sarah and Travis Bihn as Fyedka. Sophomores with lead roles include Natalie Szczerba as Hodel and Chad Singer as the Fiddler and Rabbi.
THOMAS BEING CARRIED may seem a little frightening, but senior Kayla Keisser practices it at Fiddler rehearsal during the Wedding Scene. Freshmen who received lead roles include Mitch Kahn as Mordcha and Joe Jennewine as Mendel. “We look at the audition first and foremost and create a list of students who did the best,” said Mr. Wachowiak. “Then we fill lead and featured roles STRICK from this list based on a number of variables depending on the show. We then decide which of the remaining students will make the chorus based on our needs and who we need to cut.” Rehearsals will mainly be held in the new choir, orchestra and band rooms based on their availability. “Mrs. (Dawn) Kingman, Mrs. (Pamela) Thiel and Mr. (Gene) Bohland have graciously allowed us to borrow their spaces since the theatre is not yet ready,” said Mr. Wachowiak. “We hope to move to the new stage as soon as it’s available.” Fiddler on the Roof was performed at NV 20 years ago, according to cast
member senior Kaylie Martinez. “Our goal is to have people stop talking about that production and start talking about ours,” said Martinez. “This is my first lead in a NV musical,” said cast member senior Kramer Lindsley. “I plan to make theatre the center of my schedule for awhile until the show is over.” The cast is scheduled to perform the show in the new NV Performing Arts Center. The production will be ready for audiences April 14-17. Tickets will cost $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Audiences will have the opportunity to see the cast perform a total of four shows. “I don’t usually get excited until the show starts coming together with the cast, crew and pit to create the show on stage,” said Mr. Wachowiak. “I get my personal satisfaction when the students take their bows and the audience shows their appreciation.” MELICK
Business Tech competes
Business/Career Technology, taught by Mrs. Sue Briddell showed their skills at the Business Professionals of America Regional Competition, for teenagers throughout the entire country on January 25. “Competing at BPA is a great opportunity for my business students and it gives them a chance to see how their skills measure up to the skills of others,” said Mrs. Briddell. According to Mrs. Briddell, there are about 56 different contests that Business Technology students can enter. A total of 32 Northview and Southview students placed in the top six of their events and ten of those students placed in the top ten of their divisions. Those ten students are: juniors Stephanie Honisko for “Entrepreneurship,” juniors Madison Decator, Allie McDonald, and Emma Parlette for “Presentation Management Team,” senior Adam Simpson for “Fundamental Spreadsheet Application,” seniors Ryan Darah, Nick Dorner, Emily Due and Josh Kleinert, for “Global Marketing Team,” and Shelby Shtilman for “Advanced Office Systems and Procedures.” Those students will also be representing Sylvania at the State Leadership Conference for BPA in Columbus in March. “Sure it’s exciting to go to states for BPA but I wouldn’t have been able to get to this point in my educational career without Mrs. Briddell,” said Simpson “She’s the reason we are going to states.” -Meghan Keene
Grad goes Hollywood Aspiring actor, and 2008 Northview graduate, Oliver Cooper will make his movie debut in Project X, a film directed by Tom Phillips. Cooper had no agent and no previous acting experience prior to being hired for Project X, according to The Toledo Blade. He initially auditioned online for the movie and was hired after nine auditions. The film is scheduled for release in November. The plot is centered on a group of kids documenting a house party that goes awry. Cooper began his career in entertainment during his senior year where he participated in open-mic nights in Toledo and Ann Arbor, according to The Blade. He describes his comedic style as “100 percent self-deprecating,” according to The Blade. Cooper’s career initially kicked off after his brother, a web producer for NBC, got him a job interning for The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, according to The Blade. Recently, Cooper began another project, a web series titled The Lois Levine Show, according to The Blade. Cooper currently lives in Beverly Hills where he continues to pursue his dream of becoming a successful comedian and actor, according to The Blade. -Bridget Thomas
NEWS
02 Language SPADE students qualify for Week features culture
Get ready for a week filled with food, films and foreign fun. World Language Week (WLW) will take place February 22 to 25 in language classrooms all over Northview. French, Spanish and German students will be given the chance to experience other cultures in a week that aims to challenge typical cultural stereotypes, according to French teacher Mrs. Kim McElroy. Tuesday of WLW will be a film festival day, in which language students will watch films in either French, Spanish or German. Wednesday and Thursday of WLW will be “café days,” in which the world language classrooms will be transformed into Europeanstyle cafes. On these days, students will be able to read newspapers created by other language classes, in order to get a better understanding of these other cultures. “We want the students to feel like they are sitting in a café somewhere, reading a newspaper,” said Mrs. McElroy. Another scheduled event of WLW will be the cultural presentations given by students in each world language. Students will listen to four to five presentations from students in other language classes, according to Mrs. McElroy. The overall theme of this year’s WLW is to challenge the stereotypes of other countries and cultures, as well as some typical views of Americans.
[“ ”] THE GOAL IS TO MAKE STUDENTS MORE AWARE OF OTHER CULTURES. -MRS. McELROY
“The goal is to make students more aware of other cultures,” said Mrs. McElroy. Of course, no WLW would be complete without foreign food. Like last year, there will be finger foods from all three languages, as well as hot beverages like hot chocolate and coffee. “The food was really good last year, so I’m the most excited about the hopefully delicious food this year,” said junior Brooke Lorigan. On the final day of WLW, international students from the University of Toledo will be traveling to NV to speak about their native countries. While the countries these guest speakers come from will not be known until the day of, it is sure to be a thoroughly enlightening experience. “The international speakers were my favorite part of WLW last year,” said junior Boram Kim. “I’m excited to hear the speakers this year and to learn about new cultures and countries.” Spanish teacher Mrs. Monday hopes that students will use WLW as an opportunity to improve their presenting skills. “It’s important that they learn to present formally, in both speaking and writing,” said Mrs. Monday. -Kelsey Pomeroy
States, host Syl tournament J.DENG
STAFF
The Speech and Debate team wrapped up 2010 and marched head-on into 2011 with a winning attitude. The team finished off the first half of the season at the last tournament of December: Wauseon. The debate team was housed at the middle school while members of the speech team competed at the high school. Juniors Emma Parlette and Taylor Weis placed sixth as a team in Public Forum Debate. All three veteran Lincoln Douglas debaters who competed at the tournament placed; sophomore Nadeen Sarsour placed fifth, senior Jackie Leizerman placed second and junior Jennifer Deng placed first. “As a Lincoln Douglas team, I think we’ve become a threat to all other teams,” said Sarsour. “It has been really helpful working together and exciting to all be doing so well.” Along with a new year came new topics in both Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas debate. On January 8, students woke up early and traveled to Liberty-Benton High School to compete. The team as a whole proved its competency as, even with unfamiliar issues, it prevailed on the awards stage. In Lincoln Douglas Debate, Deng placed sixth and Sarsour placed fifth. Parlette and sophomore Michael Schwartz placed first in Public Forum debate. “I felt great. I wasn’t expecting it, but it was awesome,” said Parlette, “All the hard work paid off.” The following weekend of January 14 and 15, the team hosted its own tournament in cooperation with Southview. “Sylvania is the biggest tournament in the state. In fact, it’s bigger than states,” said Leizerman. The function required the use of Northview, SV and McCord Junior High. Speech events were hosted at NV, Lincoln Douglas Debate and Public Forum Debate took place at SV and Policy Debate was placed at McCord. Records showed that about 650 speech competitors showed up at NV. “Sylvania was a brilliant tournament,” said senior Kramer Lindsley. “I met a lot of great people and I got to see how intense my competition was.” Lindsley and his partner, senior Viktor Barricklow, performed the piece Of Mice and Men. “Performing a duo is an incredibly unique experience. It always makes me exhausted after a day of competing, but it is so worth it.” At SV, there were around 400 students and at McCord there were 50 debaters. The number of competitors raised by about 100 students compared to last year’s Sylvania tournament. Schools traveled from cities over three hours away to attend the enormous tournament; 44 high schools participated in the tournament total. While most NV students spent the week preparing for exams, the Speech and Debate team spent the week preparing for the tournament. Club members were required to stay after school most days of the week to prepare judging ballots, organize speech prompts, and set up chairs. “The tournament takes a lot of work to set up, run, and take down, but all the work is definitely worth it,” said Leizerman. At Sylvania, juniors Moe Dean and Andrew Newmyer were quarter finalists in Policy Debate.
LULFS PRACTICING THEIR PUBLIC FORUM, juniors Emma Parlette and Taylor Weis placed sixth as a team in the event at Wauseon. In Public Forum people work in teams for their side alternating speeches. Because there were so many Policy debate teams, the tournament met the qualifications to be a Pre-District Qualifying (PDQ) tournament. All teams that made it to quarterfinals automatically qualified for States. So far, the team of Dean and Newmyer and the team of junior Luke Zona and sophomore Will Heinrichs have qualified through various tournaments throughout the season. “PDQing was awesome because it took pressure off of my debates,” said Newmyer, “personally, I think it made me better.” After the last exam finished on Friday, the Speech and Debate team left promptly to head to the Wooster Tournament. After a three-hour bus ride, the Policy debaters had to step off the bus and go straight into rounds. All other categories competed on Saturday only. Dean and Newmyer went to quarterfinals in Policy Debate and placed fifth overall. Additionally, Dean placed fifth for the Policy Debate Speaker Award, meaning she was the fifth best speaker out of all Policy debaters. On January 29, the team stayed in the Toledo area to compete at Perrysburg, the last invitational tournament before District Qualifying tournaments, so competitors raced to put the final touches on their cases and pieces and get the full benefit from the tournament. “Our piece has definitely come a long way since we first performed it,” said freshman Eben Corron. “We have changed how we act out parts and changed the voices and poses of different characters.” Corron competed in Duo Interpretation at Perrysburg with his partner Wil Wed-
dington. Several teams placed at the local tournament. The team of Parlette and Weis placed third in Public Forum Debate. In Lincoln Douglas Debate, Deng placed sixth, Sarsour placed fourth and Leizerman placed second. On February 5, the dedicated members of the Speech and Debate team contended at the State Qualifying Tournament held at Wauseon High School. Qualifying to the State Tournament were Deng and Leizerman in Lincoln Douglas Debate. Also in Lincoln Douglas Debate, Sarsour qualified to be a second alternate. In Public Forum Debate, the team of Parlette and Chris Harris qualified to be a first alternate for the State Tournament. In Policy Debate, the team of Dean and Newmyer and the team of Zona and Heinrichs have pre-district qualified for the State Tournament. The team of senior Kelvin Lui and freshman Zack Rioux qualified as a first alternate in Policy Debate. The team of juniors Eric Matuszewski and Troy Dyer qualified to be a second alternate in Policy Debate. “I drew two decent quotes and then a terrible one, so I was not extremely happy for the rest of the day,” said sophomore Haley Ritzert. “I wish more people could have qualified.” Ritzert competed in Impromptu speaking at the State Qualifying Tournament. States will take place March 3 - 5. The tournament will be held at Whitmer High School. The team looks to qualify for Nationals on February 18 and 19 at Gahanna-Lincoln High School.
school year and beyond. Many people were curious if the cuts would stay the same or if the Board of Education would make changes after hearing Sylvania residents’ opinions and ideas. People showed their outrage after the first board meeting on January 10 at Southview. Students, parents, teachers and anyone who cared could head to SV and share their opinion in front of the School Board at the Open Forum January 13. They came to try and sway the board’s decision on all the different proposed cuts that will be decided later in February. At an after school meeting on January 28 teachers were asked to take concessions, according to Sylvania Education Association President Mr. Perry Lefevre. Teachers were asked to take an 18-month pay freeze and each teacher in Sylvania had the opportunity to vote on passing the concessions.
Teachers had three days to vote and passed the pay freeze with a vote of 479-8. The teachers also agreed to a reduction to the school calendar from 185 days to 184 days. This will result in one less professional development day or teacher workday. With these concessions passing it will save at least $1 million and possibly more. The new contract that was approved by the School Board will last from now until June 30, 2012. Teachers were not the only people who took concessions. Support staff such as secretaries, janitors, bus drivers and cafeteria workers will also be taking a pay freeze for 18 months. Administrators took a pay cut as well which includes the 2009 salary rate through June 30, 2012, according to information provided by Dr. Brad Rieger. They are also hoping to get 30 teachers to retire which would save at least an additional $1 million adding to the $1 million already saved, according to Mr. Lefevre. The teachers must decide by February 15 if they want to retire in order to receive a special retirement incentive. This would help reduce the total debt the district is in. It will not completely eliminate all the cuts, but it will help the board with its overall debt, according to Mr. Lefevre. “I hope that the community will see how the teachers really value education and the school’s excellence award given to the Sylvania School District in several years past,” said Spanish teacher Mrs. Lindsey Jurski, “They will now see we are willing to take cuts which I hope they will follow through by voting for the levy coming up in the spring.”
Teachers to take pay freeze L.HEADMAN STAFF
The Sylvania students, teachers and community have all been tensing up about the recent proposal for the cuts after the levy failed in N o v e m b e r. Things such as sports, teachers, classes, and programs were among the list of things in jeopardy for the 2011-’12
NEWS Garage sale for After Prom
03
Global Update B.THOMAS
OP/ED
Egyptian government still in turmoil
MELICK people shopping at NV’s annual garage sale look through the cafeteria. The sale, run by the After Prom committee, was held to raise funds for the event. Gently used items were collected weeks in advance including items such as clothing and toys.
K.POMEROY OP/ED
A line formed out the door to shop at the yearly garage and bake sale on February 5, with proceeds benefiting the After Prom, despite the snowy weather. The sale was run by the After Prom committee comprised of senior parents, according to Principal Mr. Stewart Jesse. The committee began collecting gently used items for the sale three weeks in advance,
according to Mr. Jesse. Some of the donation items they asked for were clothing, small appliances, books, toys and furniture, according to Jennifer Vizina, the Treasurer of the NV Class of 2011 Senior Activities. The sale was held from 9a.m. to 3p.m. in the cafeteria, during which patrons could browse the tables of items as well as enjoy some of the donated baked goods. Overall, the sale made over $5000, which Mr.
Jesse considers to be very successful. “We did very well despite the weather,” said Mr. Jesse. “Almost everyone who came into the sale bought something.” The money raised will be used to purchase the supplies and materials needed for the After Prom such as decorations, t-shirts for the seniors and prizes that can be won in the raffle. “Because of fundraisers like this, the seniors won’t have to buy anything themselves,” said Mr. Jesse.
along with emergency medical cards, parking, PAM and the database. She also took care of clearing the seniors for the dean and setting up all files for students in the upcoming year, according to Mrs. Kobee. “I truly miss all of the students and staff,” said Mrs. Kobee. She did a sufficient amount of summer work such as taking care of the locks and organizing summer packets with information sent out before school starts she said. Parking fines and printing forms were also included in this summer work. For personal reasons, she decided to leave NV for a different job opportunity in the school system. Ohio Association of Public
School Employees (OAPSE) includes staff such as attendance workers and secretaries. These staffers have the option to “bump” or take another position if they have seniority and are qualified for the job. This option is only available to a staff member if their job was cut by at least 20 percent. If Mrs. Kobee were to stay at NV she would only have worked ten months out of the year, losing two holidays and vacation time. Along with these cuts she would have lost two months pay and her insurance would have doubled she said. Until the position is posted and bid on, Judy Aldrich will fill in for Mrs. Kobee, according to Mrs. Ogren.
Mrs. Kobee changes position M.PORTERFIELD STAFF
Due to the recent budget cuts, some teachers and faculty made the decision to transfer to new positions in the Sylvania School District. On January 14, Mrs. Bonnie Kobee was notified that a position was available to her, according to Mrs. Amanda Ogren. Mrs. Kobee worked at NV for about 14 years and in the district for 25 years. Recently, Mrs. Kobee decided to take a job transfer. She now works at the district office in Student Services at 4747. At NV Mrs. Kobee kept track of attendance
Career tech goes to work A.MILLIRON STAFF
Career Tech classes are participating in internships to begin the new semester. The Engineering, Cosmetology, Business, Early Childhood, Med Tech and Exploring Careers classes are all participating in internships during the day that are related to their respective class. The Cosmetology class went to different salons and interviewed to see if they would be able to intern there, according to senior Taylor Peyton. Students are required to complete 150 hours interning in the salons. “I love it, because it is a better experience and I get to work with customers,” said Peyton. Exploring Careers students go into any classroom in the Sylvania school district. They also got to choose what grade they want to teach, according to senior Bailey Wittman. They have been doing this ever since school started and are at their placements from 12:25-2:30 everyday. “It really shows you whether or not you should be a teacher or not,” said Wittman. The Engineering class is also participating in
Thanks Med Tech for a great Cupid Shuffle!
Anti-government protesters began a national crisis in Egypt January 28. After 30 years of President Hosni Mubarak’s authoritarian rule, rebellion swept Egypt while United States President Barak Obama advised the nation’s ally against the use of violence. The Egyptian protesters chanted in Tahrir Square “The people want the regime to fall,” according to www.news.yahoo.com. President Obama notified President Mubarak that he should not use police and soldiers in a violent crackdown on the protests in Egypt. President Obama addressed the nation after a day of fury saying that he called President Mubarak and told him “to refrain from any violence against peaceful protesters” and to turn a “moment of volatility” into a “moment of promise,” according to The New York Times. President Obama reminded President Mubarak of the protesters’ rights. President Mubarak had spoken to the people of Egypt just one hour before. He dismissed his government but vowed to stay in office to stabilize Egypt, according to The New York Times. The Obama administration shifted from cautious assistance to detaching itself from President Mubarak. The administration warned President Mubarak that he is obliged to confront the cause of distress in his people and offered to review $1.5 billion in American aid, according to The New York Times. In President Mubarak’s speech to the people of Egypt, he vowed to expand and increase economic opportunity and further develop democracy. “He has a responsibility to give meaning to those words,” said President Obama, according to The New York Times. Street battles progressed across several Egyptian cities throughout the day, including Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. The protesters burned down the headquarters of the ruling party in Cairo. Police cars and stations were set on fire and in response; the police beat the protesters with tear gas, water, rubber-coated bullets and live ammunition. President Mubarak resigned from office February 11. His resignation ended three decades of autocratic rule, according to www. news.yahoo.com. Egypt’s Vice President Omar Suleiman announced to the Egyptian people that a military council will be managing the country’s affairs until a new presidential election in September.
New alcohol sensor possible for cars
KOFFMAN READING TO STUDENTS is one activity senior Haley Gasser gets to do in the elementary schools. Early Childhood classes help with various activities. internships. Students went around the Sylvania area looking for an engineering company willing to take them as an intern, according to senior Blake Warniment. They are only participating in their internships for third quarter. “I get to work with the tools and machines that engineers usually use,” said Warniment. The Med Tech class is working at the hospitals and with firemen in the area. They are able to go
into the hospitals and go into surgeries, according to senior Tiffany Murdock. They have been doing this since second quarter and will continue it for the rest of the second semester. “I get to see a lot of stuff you wouldn’t normally and learn new things,” said Murdock. The Early Childhood class is working in schools. They are able to go into the elementary schools in the area and help the kids with various work including spelling words. They stay in the classroom from four to six weeks, according to senior Haley Gasser. “I enjoy it and it helped me decide if I wanted to be a teacher one day,” said Gasser. The Business Tech class is also interning at various places in the Sylvania area. According to senior Adam Simpson, the Business Tech teacher, Mrs. Sue Briddell, was able to help him get his internship. They keep it for the whole semester and leave during their usual Business class time. “The internship is really getting me ready for life after college,” said Simpson.
The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety released information pertaining to automatic sensors in future cars that may detect whether a driver is drunk. Federal officers and researchers announced the information January 28. The sensors are designed to measure the amount of alcohol in one’s blood in one of two possible ways, according to www.news. yahoo.com. The sensors can analyze the driver’s sobriety either by breath or through the skin. The technology is being designed as unobtrusive. For example, sophisticated touch-based sensors are to be placed strategically on steering wheels and door locks. Both methods eliminate the need for drivers to take any extra steps and those who are sober would not be delayed in getting on the road said researchers, according to www. news.yahoo.com. The technology detects whether the driver is sober enough to safely operate the vehicle. If the driver’s blood-alcohol level is legal, the driver is permitted to continue on, virtually unaware of the sensors. However, if the technology detects that the driver is over the legal blood-alcohol levels, the car will not start, according to www.news.yahoo.com. This technology could potentially prevent an estimated 9,000 alcohol related crashes in the United States, according to www.news.yahoo.com. “I think that this is a really good idea,” said junior Audrey Miklovic. “The only people it is inconvenient to are the drunk people who should not be driving at all.”
OP/ED
04 ABC family airs Mean Girls
Students take part in school decisions
2, another stupid sequel
Two. Dos. Duex. Zwei. All ways to express the number two, after one, before three. But some of the “terrible two’s” should not be expressed at all. Some sequels of movies should have never hit the silver screen. The primary movie that has come to my attention is Mean Girls 2. The ABC Family knock-off aired on January 22. Mean Girls is my personal favorite movie. It has become a pop culture household name for teenagers across the nation. Who hasn’t heard the phrase, “YOU CAN’T SIT WITH US!” I mean come on; you cannot tell me the scene of Gretchen Weiners screaming at Regina George from across the lunch table doesn’t pop into your head. When you say Mean Girls 2, what pops into your head? A bunch of washed up Disney stars trying to make a buck by butchering a classic movie. When I heard that my worst nightmare was becoming a reality, my jaw dropped in astonishment. Movie producers simply just shouldn’t even try to compete with the classics. “They shouldn’t have even tried to compare with the first. You just don’t mess with the original Mean Girls,” said junior Amber Ulrich. Another classic, which is more of a blast from the past, is the movie Grease. This movie has music and dancing of the happy-go-lucky 50’s era. Three years later, Grease 2 came along. You put on a Grease CD and I will sing along to every, yes every, song. I am sure I am not alone, there has to be a handful of other teenagers who are familiar with the songs as well. If you put on a Grease 2 soundtrack, the number of people who sing along dwindles increasingly. Grease was such a widely popular movie; a sequel was not even necessary. “Grease 2 was a joke. The music wasn’t nearly as good as the first one,” said sophomore Stephanie Smith. Next, I present: The Twilight Saga. With those three words, I am sure to either spark a twinkle in your eye, or rage within your heart. Personally, I love Twilight. I read all the books, before they hit mainstream mind you, and saw all the movies. Call me a fanatic, but I even went to the midnight showing of Eclipse. After watching a Twilight movie, I am left yearning for more, despite the fact I already know what happens. Sophomore Conner Simon, however, begs to differ. “Twilight was bad the first time, they didn’t need to make any more,” said Simon. There are a slew of Bring It On cheerleading movies for whatever type of cheerleader is inside you. Either you hate cheerleaders and watch the movies to make fun of their stupidity and jumping up and down saying “GO TEAM GO!” or you think they’re total babes and just watch the movies because that’s the only action you’re ever going to get, or you are an actual cheerleader and you just enjoy the unrealistic comparison of you to them. If you have seen these movies, then you will agree with me, the second Bring It On- Bring It
PHOTO ART BY YIANNI PAPADIMOS AND BRIDGET THOMAS On Again - was one that we choose to forget. The rest of the movies are solidly entertaining, but this one causes us to cringe in fear once it comes onto the screen. “All the characters were ugly and the plot was too predictable,” said sophomore Katie Dorsey. Another favorite childhood movie is The Sandlot. Everyone has seen this movie whether baseball is your pastime passion or not. Thinking back, I think we were all secretly afraid of “The Beast”. And even though it was merely a miniature poodle behind your neighbors’ fence, you still ran in fear after watching The Beast from the Sandlot. And then 12 years later, Sandlot 2 was born. It was the little annoying brother that just would not go away. It could not compare with the original Sandlot, no matter how hard it tried
to be just like the first classic backyard baseball movie. “It’s just not the same with different actors,” said senior Jeremy Reynolds. “I didn’t like them messing with my favorite childhood movie,” said senior John Joseph. Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2. Wait, even the fact that there was an original Beverly Hills Chihuahua is stupid enough on its own. It is hard to tell everyone just to stop making sequels, because there are some good ones. Star Wars and Harry Potter are series that are legends because of their sequels. But come on Hollywood, enough is enough. I know the economy is hard, but stop trashing the classics just to get through the recession; its not working. -Morgan Hawley
Lately, student participation has been soaring through the halls. From choosing the Prom theme to voting in homeroom for spirit days, the NV students have been asked more for their opinion. Seniors in Class Government collected song suggestions to represent the Prom theme from different seniors, according to senior Class Government Treasurer Mary Grace Fitzgerald. After those seniors on Class Government chose the top five songs the whole senior class got to vote for their top song. This allows everyone to state their opinion and choose a theme that is accepted among the majority of the seniors. Also in homeroom student Government passed out a flyer with different options for the upcoming spirit week in February. The suggestions included things such as Cupid Day, Catholic School Day, and Hippie Day. The students were told to pick three of the suggestions or write in their own. “Being able to pick what to wear for spirit days will get more people involved. We will be a more spirited school in general,” said sophomore Lia O’Donnell. This is a great way to get students involved in the school and promote school spirit. With all the students participating in the voting process they get to express their opinions and help make the dance, week, or any other activity more fun and this will be get the most students involved. One main concern is the amount of spirit and with student involvement more black and gold will be streaming through the halls at an ultimate high. “Picking spirit days will help raise school spirit,” said freshman D.J. Schumacher People are generally embarrassed to run around in crazy outfits during school. So as people get to choose what they wear more people are likely to do it. “Having students vote for spirit days will get more people to dress up, especially when they get to choose what they wear,” said sophomore Emily Hosler. Some people also make decisions whether or not they are going to a dance, such as Homecoming and Turnabout, based on the theme. Students scrolling through their iPods making song selections for the upcoming 2011 Prom will help attendance at Prom skyrocket. “We wanted everyone to get involved and have a say in the theme,” said Class Government Representative senior Samantha Yurjevic. Hopefully we keep this student participation up and keep everyone involved. -Libby Headman
Decrease in calamity days causes problems As crazy as this may sound, it snows in Northwest Ohio. I know it’s a shocking revelation, but sometimes the roads even get icy. Cars either slip or get stuck, busses do not start, and students turn an unpleasant shade of blue as their hands and noses freeze off on the walk to school. We have not yet discovered how to change the weather (though I am sure that invention is on the way), so we must accommodate for it. I hate to break it to the school officials, but calamity days are a necessary evil. Let’s face it, school days added on to the end of
the school year serve little point for the teachers and even less of a point for the students. Former Governor Ted Strickland created a plan in which calamity days would be reduced to three this year, to one next year, and to none the year after. “Governor Strickland wanted schools to be more competitive against children from warmer states,” said Principal Stewart Jesse. Unfortunately, northern-state students have to deal with natural weather complications that southern-state students do not
Co-Editors-In-Chief: Abbey Strick and Yianni Papadimos Advisor:Sarah Huey News Editors:David Aldrich & Mamie Silver Features Editors:Ally Yocom & Amanda Metcalf Sports Editors:Addison Hirschfeld & Alexa Kalanquin Opinions Editors:Kelsey Pomeroy & Bridget Thomas Arts & Entertainment Editor:Estar Cohen Business Editor:Margot Jacobs Staff Photographer:Jack Melick Staff Cartoonist: Katie Simrell Staff Writers:Mary Grace Fitzgerald, Aurora Milliron, Savannah King, Molly Porterfield, Skylar Rose, Drew Crandall, Caitlin DeGross, Jennifer Deng, Morgan Hawley, Libby Headman, Meghan Keene, Katelynn McCoy, Stephanie McCaskey, and Blake Miller
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.
have to experience, and southern-state students have to deal with hurricanes and other extreme weather that the north generally does not encounter. With a decreased number of snow days, the potential for twohour delays increases because the district would be less willing to call off school, according to Mr. Jesse. “As snow days you have to make up are decreased, it would be easier to make the decision for a two-hour delay than a day off,”
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I HATE TO BREAK IT TO THE SCHOOL OFFICIALS, BUT CALAMITY DAYS ARE A NECESSARY EVIL.
said Mr. Jesse. Wait a second, driving in wintery weather is dangerous. We need to be honest here, students are not the best drivers. Mixing unpredictable weather with inexperienced drivers is a bad idea. Not only is driving when the roads are slippery hazardous, but it could be a potential problem for career tech classes. Career tech students are required to have a certain number of minutes of instruction and with an increased number of two-hour delays the students might not be able to obtain all of the time they need, according to Mr. Jesse. Yes, snow days take away five precious days of school a year, but making up days after exams does not help. Perhaps, the calamity days should instead be built into the school year. There is a school in California that does just that, according to Mr. Jesse. The year would be four days longer prior to exams, but students would not have to come in on any of the Fridays in May. Then, if a snow day is called, everyone would simply have to come to school on one of the Fridays. Unfortunately, a similar plan is not in place. Instead, the way calamity days will be made up is uncertain. Luckily for students in the following years, Governor John Kasich is arranging to reinstate the five snow day policy, according to Mr. Jesse. No definite information has been released as to when the snow day policy will be changed, but before the governor was elected he did state that he may put a new policy into effect for 2011. -Mamie Silver
OP/ED
Tattoos and piercings All that or too much?
In high school, expressing yourself is important to most of us and we want to show our peers the real us. Some people dress differently or dye their hair different colors to express themselves. Many people use body piercings and tattoos to do that as well. “Tattoos and piercings are a great way of expressing yourself,” said junior Kyle Turner. “They are an awesome way to show off your sense of style or personality.” I believe tattoos and piercings are a great way to express your sense of style or personality.” Tattoos and piercings are a great way of expressing yourself. However, since tattoos are permanent, you should get something that means something to you. Something with a deep meaning like the loss of a friend or family member tattoos and piercings are a great way of expressing yourself. Piercings and tattoos are a personal choice and should not be frowned upon by other people. People make a big deal about others having a lot of piercings and tattoos when it is not their place to judge. If you do not want piercings or tattoos, then don’t get them. “I think people are afraid to get tattoos and piercings because of how they will be judged by others. It’s your body so you can do what you want to it,” said sophomore Stephanie Smith. In today’s society, people call piercings and tattoos “trashy” and they think they are unattractive. Tattoos are considered a work of art. They are designed by a tattoo artist and carefully applied to the skin with varieties of ink. People shouldn’t have to think twice about getting a
tattoo or piercing because of how they will be treated differently. “I love piercings. They are a way to express yourself, but I would be afraid to get some of the ones I want because in today’s society it could make getting a job harder because there are people who will judge you for them,” said junior Mackenzie Bihn. With every piercing and tattoo, people stereotype others. If you have your belly button pierced you are automatically “easy” or “trashy”. If you have gauges you are “bad” or a “druggie”. If you have a tattoo on your lower back you are a “tramp”, that tattoo has even gotten the name “tramp stamp”. If you have your lip pierced you’re a “punk” or an “emo”. In reality, they are only piercings and only tattoos. They don’t make you something that you’re not. “I’m only 15 and I have two tattoos,” said sophomore Kyle Reid. “I feel they are unique and they tell a little about you.” “I think tattoos are pretty cool. You can get anything you want, like some kind of design that shows what kind of person you are,” said sophomore Samantha Olrich. People shouldn’t be so quick to judge people with piercings and tattoos. They don’t affect the person’s personality. You should still give a person a chance even if they have a lot of piercings or tattoos. A lot of people get tattoos in honor of someone or to remember an important time in their life. They also convey a message and a lot of times they are very meaningful. -Caitlin DeGross
These days, in a matter of a few hours you could be the proud owner of a new tattoo or piercing. But the ease of getting either of those should not entice people to cover themselves in such heinous embellishments. I have nothing against a meaningful tattoo, a small stud in your nose or your cartilage being pierced. However, lately I’ve seen young men and women with upwards of ten piercings or tattoos and frankly, they should not be proud of that. Not only are they putting themselves in danger of many diseases and infections every time they decide to get another one, but they are also ruining how other people view them. I am not happy to say it, but much of the public judges people who have multiple tattoos or piercings. They can be stereotyped as the criminals of society and people will look down on them. Because much of America chooses to be ignorant and clump everyone with multiple tattoos or piercings this way, without even saying or doing anything, a person will make a judgment about you that will probably never change. The excuse many people will give when told the above is that they “don’t care what others think of them.” Believe me, when it becomes harder for you to obtain a job and actually start a career in your chosen field, you will realize your permanent decorations were not such a great idea. You will also realize that you do in fact care what others think because you want a possible employer to like you and want to hire you. Many businesses do not find it appropriate for their employees to be covered in this form of art, and after filling out countless job applications, it is most of the time banned. Just the other day when I was at work at Forever 21, I was helping
a young woman pick out an outfit for her job interview the next day. She had a hard time finding a top with a neckline high enough t o cover her tattoos on her chest and she did not want her interviewer to see them because she knew it would hurt her chances of getting the job. This woman was only applying to be a sales associate in a jewelry store in the mall, not some big, important job at a Fortune 500 company. After interacting with her and seeing many other people in public, I still want to ask if tattoos and piercings are important enough to compromise your future. It seems like they are the “thing to do” as a teenager, but they are almost always regretted later. They realize that the rather large skull on their left calf or the seven holes in their ears were probably things they should have never paid for. Teens seem to always get tattoos or piercings on a whim. Whatever the current fad is, it seems to end up tattooed on many teens’ bodies. Just because you really love Twilight now, does not mean you will when you are 50 and have a wrinkly picture of Edward’s face on your back. And do not even get me started on getting your significant other’s name tattooed on some part of your body. Have fun removing that when you two break up after five months. As for piercings, the thought process is more like, “This one guy I saw at this concert had his (insert body part) pierced, I want that!” I did not know it was acceptable to have a ring in your nose that makes you look like a bull, or surface piercings that look like you stuck sequins all over your chest. How extreme some piercings have become disturbs me a little bit as well. I have seen piercings down a person’s back with ribbon laced through them to look like a corset, or bars all the way along a girl’s chest right below her collarbone. Since when are those normal or even safe things to do to your body? I can only cringe at the thought of stretching and the ribbon pulling one of the piercings out of a person’s back. Huge, grotesque tattoos or just strange piercings are not decorative or classy, and will probably not impact a person’s life positively. There are way too many negative results for those things to be worth it. Not only are they generally not socially accepted, you could put yourself in danger. Seriously think about the consequences before you put either a tattoo or a piercing on your body, I guarantee the bad will outweigh the good. -Ally Yocom
05 Please change the song: current tunes need some work
Disclaimer: I do not mean to offend anyone. If you are a dedicated fan to one of the talentless musical artists I will be mentioning in the following article, please don’t waste your time reading it. Turn the radio on to 92.5 FM or another popular station and you are sure to hear a large variety of talent – everything from Bruno Mars to Britney Spears and Ke$ha. Oh, wait, Britney Spears and Ke$ha? Talent? Those words really should never be used in the same sentence. Yes, the songs these artists produce might sound appealing, but please do not mistake sound with talent. Whatever happened to musicians who can actually sing? And, gasp, ones who have mastered a musical instrument? The thing that most mainstream singers call music is simply sound; a lot of auto tuned, computer generated crap. There is absolutely no comparison between Ke$ha’s auto tuned “music” and the clear emotion that flows from a pure acoustic guitar or piano. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that all popular or current music is bad, I am just saying that a large portion of students fill their head on a daily basis with music not actually created by humans. Computers started out as a good way to touch up imperfections in a song and have turned into monsters that eat up raw music and spit back something that doesn’t even sound like a human voice. Perhaps this is just a result of fantastic technological innovation, or maybe it is because touring has become so much more important to musicians. Naturally, people want to attend the concert of someone who is attractive as well as talented. It’s the ugly truth. Singers such as Taylor Swift, Ke$ha, Fergie (as proven by her oh-so-wonderful singing at the Super Bowl), and Britney Spears are all gorgeous. If they have a terrible voice, computers can just create their voice for them. No problem. Full stadiums bring in a lot of money and the musical industry has discovered that artists with strange or novelty clothing, big hair, and loads of make up sell out concerts. It is only logical that those artists that fit the quota or have a lot of money to get an initial album produced become famous. So, if many popular artists are actually sell-outs, what is an innocent student to do? Find a musician, any musician, who has worked hard to be where they are today and listen to a video of them playing live. Do they sound breathy, as though they are about to keel over from lack of airflow? Are they so off pitch you clasp your ears in pain? Then forget about that artist and keep searching until you find one that sounds as good or better than they do recorded. Those are the musicians that truly deserve to be rolling in your money. --Mamie Silver
Hand sanitizer often does more harm than good Many antiseptic products kill necessary bacteria
There is something hazardous in Northview’s classrooms. I will give a hint to what it is. What is proclaimed as a heroic disease fighter, in most purses across the nation and feels cool between the palms of your hands? Hand sanitizer, of course. So, what is it that makes hand sanitizer so dangerous? It kills 99 percent of all bacteria, does is not? Exactly. Hand sanitizer kills up to 99 percent of the bacteria it comes in contact with, but this is not a good thing. Despite common misconceptions, not all bacteria are harmful to us. Although we kill off bad bacteria using the substance, we also kill off good bacteria, which we need to fight disease, according to associatedcontent.com. Our ability to stay healthy does not root from just eating right or getting enough exercise.
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DESPITE COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS, NOT ALL BACTERIA ARE HARMFUL TO US.
In order to truly resist disease, we have to be exposed to harmful bacteria in small amounts. When we are consistently using hand sanitizer, we are deteriorating our immune system. Our bodies become more susceptible to illness because the alcohol in the sanitizer is so strong it strips things that we need away. It is easy to use something solely based on its convenience and the recommendation of others. But I warn students and faculty, not everything we are presented with is necessarily the best for us. It is wise to research a product before using it extensively, rather than allowing yourself to be blind in routine. As far as hand sanitizer goes, I recommend good ol’ fashioned soap and water. How could you go wrong with a classic? -Estar Cohen
FEATURES
06 let’s talk about
with mary grace fitzgerald
Growing up, America’s favorite shows were Boy Meets World, Family Matters, Full House and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, according to The Examiner. The top songs were “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, TLC’s “Waterfalls” and “One” by U2, according to VH1’s poll of the 100 greatest songs of the 90’s. Now we have quality, wholesome television shows like Skins and Jersey Shore. The Teen Choice Awards 2010 list of the top TV shows includes Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The list also includes the top songs; most of which are from the R&B genre, with a few from Rock and Pop. For example, “Fing Perfect” by Pink. If you are anything like me, you rush to change the station or mute the TV when your mom walks in the room. The reason this happens is because we are embarrassed that every other word is replaced with the very inconspicuous BEEP. Also, there is always the possibility that your mom walks in during the “only sex scene in the whole movie.” Or the classic “I was just listening to the beat of the music, not the lyrics!” (It’s okay, I believe you.) At this point you are probably just frustrated and have convinced yourself that your parents listened to and watched the same things when they were younger. This, however, is probably not true. With the television shows, movies, commercials, and popular music, it’s hard to get away from the sexual innuendos, drug references and illusions to things that are (or should be) illegal to people our age. In the 90’s when we were growing up, the popular teen songs and TV shows were much more appropriate. The way our generation has been desensitized to these types of things is unnoticeable unless you really think about it. We mindlessly sing the words to songs that we hear on the radio, not considering the consequences it may have. When we repeat the words to a song like “No Hands” by Waka Flocka Flame, we inadvertently make it okay in our minds for people to tell girls to “lose their pants” while others “throw dat cash.” It sounds a little bit ridiculous out of context because Juaquin Malphurs (Waka Flocka Flame) understands that if the beat to a song is good, he’ll make money. The way to get the attention of our generation is to get as close to “the line” as possible, and that means that artists that want to become successful will inevitably cross this line. With people constantly crossing this line, it pushes it farther and farther back. According to Education Resources Information Center, 56% of all TV shows contain sexual content; these shows average more than three scenes with sex per hour, and 23% of all shows contain depictions of sexual behavior. More than 8% of all shows include sexual content featuring teens, specifically high school students. We need to realize how much our society has changed because of the media, and how it portrays sex. Reducing exposure to sexual talk and manners can significantly delay the onset of sexual activity. Lyrics in songs, lines in movies, and episodes on TV make sex a commonality. Getting rid of these persistent, common influences is almost impossible, but they can be addressed. One way that this can be addressed is by discussing your own beliefs with parents, or trusted adults. This simple discussion can ensure that high school students understand the real risks of having sex.
media
does the
sex?
notions
IN MOTION
change your opinion on
“Watching
JerseyShore
doesn’t make me want to have sex.”
- freshman
Kooper Carter
“They’re promoting sex in a
bad way.
They make it seem like it’s not a big deal.”
- sophomore
Jenna Forgette “It makes it seem
cooler popular - junior
and like it’s the thing to do.”
Hannah Quinn “None of that’s real. It’s all
over dramatic unrealistic.” - senior and
Trent Victor
FEATURES
07
新年快乐 2:37p. m. Fe bru a ry 2
ha p py chin e s e n e w ye a r
When I woke up this morning, the first thing on my mind was not whether the groundhog had seen its shadow or not. Nor was I wondering whether school had been cancelled (thanks to 13 ABC, I had already known not to set my alarm the night before). The idea that consumed my thoughts as I reluctantly rolled out of bed was that today is the last day of the Year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese Lunar calendar. The Lunar calendar marks this year’s February 2 as the last day of the Year 2010. As the clock struck 11a.m. in our Eastern Time zone, people in China threw off their hats and set off fireworks to welcome the new year at midnight. In China, New Years is the biggest and most enthusiastically celebrated holiday. It brings about the opportunity to reach one’s goals and set forth towards achieving one’s dreams. The holiday signifies the start of something bigger and better than the previous year. My mom said that she always enjoyed New Year’s Eve when she was little because it was the one day when she could eat all of the yummy snacks that she wanted. Her favorite treats were peanuts and sesame candy, or 花生 和芝麻糖. I’m hoping to take advantage of this special “New Year’s Eve treatment” today; maybe I’ll eat a few extra 饼干(cookies) or treat myself to some 沙其玛 (a Chinese flour cake dessert). New Year’s Eve is a day full of happiness and preparation of delicious food. New Year’s Eve afternoon in China is spent much like Thanksgiving morning in the States is spent: cooking tons of food.
6: 55p. m. Fe bru a ry 2
We just finished preparing our dinner! New Year’s is the time for families to get together, making New Year’s Eve dinner the family reunion dinner. In China, many migrant workers stand in line for days to buy train tickets in the prospect of returning home to visit families. When my parents were growing up, New Year’s Eve dinner consisted of whole fish, many dishes of stir-fried vegetables and soy-products, pork, duck and rice. Some families in China also make dumplings to replace rice. New Year’s Eve dinner is always the biggest. It is the one time of the year when cost doesn’t matter. The dinner is generally made to be big enough to last the following three days. This break in the kitchen is supposed to allow for the God of the Kitchen to report back to the Main God. Looking back, my mom made the conjecture that the tale was made up partially to give the chef of the house a vacation from cooking. Since my family normally eats rice for dinner, we decided to add some uniqueness to our table by making dumplings. With the guidance of
my mother, I chopped and mixed pork, mushrooms and eggs to make the filling for our dumplings. My mom taught me how to fold the dumpling skins properly to make the dumplings look like cute little crescent-shaped mounds. The shape of the dumpling signifies good fortune because it is made into the shape of China’s old currency: the golden nugget. Not only did our dumplings look like money, but one of them contained money! A fun Chinese tradition is to hide a coin inside one of the dumplings. Whoever has the luck of eating the dumpling is promised to have good fortune in the coming year. So inside one of the dumplings, we stuffed a silver 元 (Chinese dollar known as “Yuan”). We pan-fried half of the dumplings and boiled the rest. My personal preference is pan-fried dumplings; they taste magnificent. We also cooked tofu, mushrooms and soy beans and pork. I’m super hungry and the food smells delicious, so bon appetite -or as the Chinese say, “多吃多吃!
9:41p. m. Fe bru a ry 2
My dad was the lucky winner of the dumpling with the coin in it. If you ask me, I think I needed the money and good fortune more, but fate has its ways. After fulfilling our physiological need for food, we played cards. 争上游 (known popularly as “Toki”) is a Chinese favorite. A tradition started quite a while ago in China is the 新年晚会 (New Year’s Eve show) broadcast on television. About 1.3 billion people tune in each year at the same time to watch this show. The best singers, dancers, comedians and actors are recruited from all across China to participate in the show. Participants train for months to put on a five-hour show airing from 8 o’clock in the evening to 1 o’clock in the morning. Unfortunately, my family cannot watch it tonight because we don’t get Chinese television, but I am sure we will be able to borrow it from one of our friends. I can not wait to see it; it is one of the highlights of Chinese New Year for me. Another tradition that my family won’t be following through with tonight is setting off firecrackers at midnight. When my parents were little, they would stay up until midnight and set off firecrackers before they went to sleep to “ward off all of the evil spirits of the past year” and “keep the evil spirits from following them into the new year.” We figure our neighbors probably won’t appreciate being woken up to the festivities in the middle of the night. I am reluctant to say I won’t be staying up until midnight either; I feel that it would not be the most intelligent plan to proceed with on a school night. So I will write next year, or 明年写!
51 : 2p. m. Fe bru a ry 3
On New Year’s Day, the day is typically spent visiting friends and family. Everybody wishes each other “Happy New Year.” Over delicious snacks, neighbors and friends have the opportunity to catch up with one another and reconnect. Relatives and good friends practice the ritual of giving red envelopes enclosing money to each other’s children. This has always been my favorite part of Chinese New Year as I have grown up. My parents told me that people generally give either $6 or $8. The word “six” in Chinese is “六” sounds phonetically like 溜” (they are both pronounced “liu”). The latter of the two means “smooth” as in “having everything go smoothly in everyday life.” This gives the number six a hopeful connotation. Likewise, the Chinese word for eight is meant to represent good fortune. Eight, or “八” (pronounced “ba”), rhymes with the word for rich and prosperous, which is “发” (pronounced “fa”). Thus, receiving $6 or $8 as a gift is not only wonderful because one is receiving money, but one is also receiving good fortune. Usually, after my brother and I wished my parents “Happy New Year,” we would get the red envelopes that we so desired. Today, I decided to try my luck and see if a simple “Happy New Year” would work on other people as well. I made my way to senior Serena Chang’s house, rang her doorbell, and wished her “Happy New Year.” To my delight, after three customary bows, she presented me with a red envelope. Chinese New Year is better than Christmas.
84 : 7p. m. Fe bru a ry 3
Well, Chinese New Year Day is coming to an end. After dinner, my parents presented me with the red envelope that I had been looking forward to all day. As it turns out, I did not even need the “lucky dumpling”. I received two envelopes from my mom and dad. They contained, in amount, $6 and $8, thus wishing me wealth and good fortune in this upcoming year. Not only do I hope to become richer this year, but I am actually going to set myself a resolution that I can keep. This, year, I am going to speak more Chinese. So starting now, Happy New Year, or 新年快乐!
邓婷
FEATURES
08
TheItty the itty Bitty bitty
K. McCoy STAFF
valentine committee Valentine Committee Senior Alexis Shadler
“In first grade Brittany von Stein and I got into a major fight over who was going to be Graham Kelsey’s Valentine.”
Sophomore Alyssa Kr uger
“One of our family’s friend’s dad’s sent me chocolates and a teddy bear. I thought it was really sweet and I will always remember it because I did not have a Valentine, but I felt thought of.”
Roses, cards, chocolates and love all wrapped up for one day. Every year around the world people mark their calendars in order to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Millions of people spend February 14 with a little bit of extra love in their heart. Couples tend to spend the day together or go out for the evening on a romantic date enjoying each other’s company in the candlelight. Many people also call this day “singles awareness day.” To those who do not have a significant other they dread the day singled out for love. This day is meant for love and joy, not for fear and hatred. Families and young children sometimes get more excited about the day than young adults and teenagers. What happened to the good ole days when everyone got a valentine? I remember elementary school; getting excited to receive valentines and candies from my fellow classmates. I would wake up on Valentine’s Day and a rose would be on the counter from my father. Every year this tradition continued. Valentine’s day does not have to be about being with that one other person that you love, but it can be about surrounding yourself with people and family you love.
Senior Ken Bodie
Junior Macy Fret z
“In first grade some boy in my class gave me a Barbie book about love and asked me to be his Valentine. It was really weird.”
Sophomore Ada m Gonia “One year my mom got me a new basketball jersey so I wore it to school. During art class I spilled paint on myself. Then a girl in my class, who I had a crush on, gave me a Valentine’s card and it made me feel better.”
Senior A shley Yeager
“When I was younger my mom would ask me who I thought the cutest girl in class was and of course, being younger, I thought all the girls had cooties, but she still forced me to pick one. Once I did, she made me make them an extra note to make them feel special and give them a little teddy bear.”
Sophomore Laura Connor “In third grade two boys had a competition of who could give me more Valentine’s Day cards.”
“In fifth grade my mom gave me my sister’s Dora the Explorer Valentine’s cards instead of mine. So I passed the Dora ones out and I was so embarrassed.”
to the rig ht to the rig ht to the rig ht to the rig ht, to the left to the left to the left to the left Students Shuffle to Cure Diabetes now kick now kick now now kick now kick, now walk it by yourself, now walk it by yourself By Morgan Hawley and Ally Yocom
On February 11, 786 students danced the Cupid Shuffle for Juvenile Diabetes. There was over $1,500 earned for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The fundraiser was a roaring success. The shuffle was sponsored by the Sylvania Med Tech. Junior Jacob Mikolajczyk
Senior Jenelle Nearhood
Photos by: Audrey Miklovic and Jack Melick
Senior Alexis Shadler & junior Dani Lulfs
Junior Morgan Hawley & Senior Stephan Grumm
A&E OH...
a ridiculously good time? We let loose and floated through tunes like Ramble On Rose and what was undoubtedly the highlight of the first set – Birdsong. That was only the beginning. We had dipped our feet into the Dead-infused pond water. Jerry Garcia had nibbled on our toes. Next thing we knew, we were plummeting into a vast, warm ocean. This was no pond – this was the perfect opener to a second set – China Cat Sunflower into I Know You Rider. There was no containing the audience now. Pretty soon we were taken into one of our personal favorites, Playing In The Band. The energy resonating from the stage was undeniable. DSO went into what we would like to call a toasty jam. The improvisation was impressive – warm and sweet – something we’d snack on any day of the week. Each member of the band left the stage after soloing until there was only the sound of two drum kits being played. The percussionists led us into a pulsating Space. At this point, much of the audience lost interest in what was being produced on stage. But we became entranced by the music, which in our eyes had great depth and proved that DSO was not just a cover band, but a group of accomplished musicians.
OSCARS? After an hour of Space, the band was back together again. The concert took a surprising sharp turn when we were taken into a Playing In The Band Reprise. We held on to our seats, metaphorically speaking, and were driven to a musical cliff at what seemed to be 100 miles per hour. But, just as we thought we were about to drive over the edge, we took another quick turn and comfortably took in the scenery presented by calming ballad Stella Blue. The concert seemed to be coming to a close, but not before DSO took us into another danceable classic, Not Fade Away. The crowd went wild. By the last chorus, Newport itself seemed to be singing, “You know our love will not fade away.” The band left the stage, but the people kept singing. DSO obviously had the perfect plan; leave them with Not Fade Away and they will surely call for an encore. They returned with One More Saturday Night, an almost perfect ending. I say almost because Lisa Mackey, DSO’s own Donna Jean, joined the band for one very last song, Werewolves of London. The show was revealed to be the Grateful Dead’s October 27, 1990 set at Zenith in Paris, France. Now, isn’t that something?
This I believe...
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To turn in a “This I Believe” statement, just keep it between 250-500 words, sign it and bring it to room E-6.
I BELIEVE THAT EVERY EVENT IS A LESSON AND EVERY PERSON IS A TEACHER.
We were finally talking again. For weeks I had wished we would talk and things would go back to normal and I was finally getting my chance. Of course it didn’t turn out as expected. We were stuck in the same spot, in the same conversation we always had. We were speaking, but neither of us were really saying anything. However, this time, what was meant to be a harmless conversation turned into a huge turning point. I decided right then and there that enough was enough. He had let me down and showed me that he wasn’t the person I thought he was. I believe that you live and you learn. Every mistake in life is important if you learn something
- AUDREY HUNTER, SENIOR
from it. I believe that every event is a lesson and every person is a teacher. The struggles we go through and overcome make us who we are today. Each event’s importance depends entirely on what you take out of it. After something occurs, good or bad, you have to take a step back and evaluate the situation and your choices. Every person you encounter in life has a purpose. Many people don’t realize all of the teachers they have around them. I believe that they are all valuable and able to teach us something different about ourselves. Now, I could say the lesson he taught me
”
was not to trust so easily or that people change, but that’s not what I took out of the situation. He truly taught me the lesson of letting go. As sad as it is sometimes, you have to let the negative people in your life go. In order to live a positive, happy life, you have to surround yourself with people who have these qualities. Sometimes both people in a situation are better off if you both just let go and move on. It is not an easy task but when you take a step back and look at the situation you can always find the life lesson. He didn’t mean to, but I believe he taught me about myself. - Audrey Hunter, senior
MTV’s Skins disappoints
United States vs. United Kingdom S.KING
STAFF
On television, we see everything. And by everything, I really do mean everything. Many popular topics such as sex, profanity, drugs and violence are exploited often on television. Now there is a new show on MTV that many believe glamorizes these topics; Skins. The show is based around seniors in high school finding themselves and having fun by partying and exploring their sexualities. Teens and parents alike are beginning to complain about this new show. While parents are complaining about this show for its content, teenagers have a different protest. They are saying the show is a horrible replica of the original version broadcast in the United Kingdom, according to junior Caleb Gillen. “The United States Skins is an exact copy of the UK version, so it’s not very interesting because I’ve seen the UK version already,” said Gillen. The two shows are so similar because they share a creator. According to the Skins Wiki
website, the creators of the UK version, Bryan Elsley and Jamie Britain, are also the creators of the US version. There are some differences too. One main difference between the US and UK Skins is the censorship. Or, in the case of UK Skins, the lack thereof. The Programme Code of the Independent Television Commission says that there is no absolute ban on bad language in the UK, according to mediawatchuk.org.uk. The UK version uses swear words constantly. In the US, swearing is deemed appropriate on a case by case basis, as the Federal Communications Council is inconsistent in its rulings, according to MSNBC. “UK Skins can get away with more so it makes it more interesting,” said sophomore Emma Pierce. Another difference between the two shows lays with the characters. Some characters retain their same name and personalities from the UK version. However, other characters keep the same personality, but have gone under a name change. For example, the UK version has a drug-addicted girl named Cassie. The US version has a girl with the same personality named Cadie.
DAVID ALDRICH
THOSE
DARK STAR ORCHESTRA We can’t stop smiling. Dark Star Orchestra brought its Grateful Dead tribute to Columbus’s Newport Music Hall January 28. Margot Jacobs and I stood among hundreds of fans, anticipating what we were certain would be a night to remember. The crowd was surprisingly contented, almost patient in their waiting for the music to begin. This was a pleasant contrast compared to other large-scale concerts where most people are inclined to aggressively shove their way through the crowds. On the contrary, the energy at Newport had an overall friendliness about it and when lead guitarist Jeff Mattson led us into the first set, it became apparent that all us fans had something substantial in common – we had found the Promised Land. Before long, DSO had its audience bursting in song. “Shake it, shake it sugaree/Just don’t tell them that you know me.” The groove was contagious and we had no problem succumbing to that infectious sound. Midst the light show and all those faces without names came a purpose so spectacularly clear in what very well could have been just another Friday night. The people were dancing and the band was playing loud. What else could we do but forget our troubles and have
09
“UK Skins is more realistic about what kids actually do and it’s not as clean cut,” said junior Jennifer Stobinski. I have only seen as many episodes of UK Skins as there are US Skins, so that way I can make a fair comparison. From what I have watched, I like the UK version more because it seems more realistic. “I like the old one better because it’s not censored and it’s closer to real life,” said Gillen. The swearing is definitely more realistic, as well as the relationships between the characters. The fact that UK Skins seems to have more realistic relationships may lie with the actors themselves. Both shows use amateur actors, but maybe the UK ones are better and can relate to their characters and each other better than the US actors. The US version seems like every other teen drama on TV right now. It might develop more to the realistic drama of the UK version, but until then, I feel it is just the same as everything else on TV like Gossip Girl or 90210. US Skins appears on Monday nights at 10p.m. on MTV.
The Academy Awards will air on February 27 and the nominees have already been announced. More importantly, I have seen all ten contenders for Best Picture and have ranked them all. I have provided here my ranking for each film, along with a short summary, my thoughts and its chances of winning the big prize. 10. The Kids Are All Right: Two children of a lesbian couple seek out their donor dad and awkward moments ensue. While not a terrible film, The Kids Are All Right is just all right. The movie is billed as a comedy, but has almost no humorous moments and is actually a serious drama about adultery. It has no shot of winning Best Picture but could do better in some of the acting categories. 9. Toy Story 3: Andy’s beloved group of toys is shipped off to a day care center when its owner goes off to college, but the seemingly happy place is not as it appears to be. While it is fun to see these characters again, there is nothing about Toy Story 3 that makes it much better than the other children’s movies that came out this year. This will not win Best Picture but is almost a lock for Best Animated Film. 8. The King’s Speech: King George the VI of England must overcome his stuttering in order to give his people confidence in their country. I was expecting to like this movie very much, but it disappointed me. It was good, with well-done performances, but it is a darker film than I expected and left me feeling a bit cold. This is one of the frontrunners for Best Picture and its star Colin Firth is also the frontrunner for Best Actor. 7. Winter’s Bone: A young woman living in the Ozarks must track down her meth-dealing father or lose her family’s house. Winter’s Bone is a very authentic feeling film with very convincing performances by the whole cast. It is this strength the film has that makes it difficult to watch at times and a bit hard to want to watch over again. It has a chance to win in several categories, but may come up empty on Oscar night. 6. Black Swan: A ballerina’s world and mind both start to unravel when she is given the lead role in her company’s production of Swan Lake. This is a well-made psychological thriller, with great performances by Natalie Portman and most of her supporting cast. It also has a creepy atmosphere without over the top visuals. It does not cover much new ground however. It will probably not win Best Picture but Portman is a good bet for Best Actress. 5. 127 Hours: A true story about mountain climber Aron Ralston, a man who must go to desperate measures to free himself from a rock that has crushed his hand. 127 Hours is built around James Franco’s performance as Ralston and he gives a great one. It is also pretty intense, especially Ralston’s eventual method of escape. The film’s best chance of an award is for Best Actor. Franco, who is co-hosting the show with Anne Hathaway, has the best shot of upsetting Firth for the acting trophy. 4. The Fighter: Another true story about boxer Mickey Ward who has to deal not only with his in-ring opponents but also his domineering manager mother and drug addled trainer brother. The Fighter struck a very nice tone; it balanced between being too sentimental and too gritty. The film managed to be engaging, inspiring and realistic simultaneously. The movie has a good chance of winning several acting Oscars and is also a dark horse for Best Picture. 3. Inception: A group of people attempt to invade a man’s dreams and insert into his mind a thought that he will believe to be his own. Inception manages to be complicated yet still totally accessible. The movie’s logic can be deeply thought about, but the film can also be viewed as an entertaining heist movie. There is not much hope that this will win any major prizes, but has a good shot at some technical awards. 2. True Grit: A teenage girl hires a competent yet drunken U.S. marshal to track down her father’s killer. The movie was more easy-going than I expected it to be based on the trailers. It is a very engaging journey with an ending that is not really a happy one, but is still immensely satisfying. This is a remake of the film that won John Wayne his Oscar and Jeff Bridges is nominated in the same role. This is another dark horse for Best Picture and Hailee Steinfeld has a chance at winning Best Supporting Actress. 1. The Social Network: Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg invents something called “The Facebook.” This movie grew on me as I was watching it, and by the end it made me immediately want to watch it again. It is a film that features several layers of story and very great, nuanced performances, with the main character remaining something of a mystery. This is the other frontrunner along with The King’s Speech for the Best Picture Oscar.
10 New
coaches join NV sports
A.STRICK
COEDITOR
Three new faces will join the Wildcat sports scene next year. The volleyball, soccer and football teams all required a new coach for the 2011-2012 season because all three coaches resigned, according to Athletic Director Mr. Chris Irwin. “When hiring a new coach, we post it to the school for five days, then to the district for five days, and then I have a few media outlets that I use including the state web site, the Ohio High School Athletic Association and The Blade,” said Mr. Irwin. Ms. Sarah Wilson, a middle hitter from Findlay high school who also played five years at the University of Toledo (she was red-shirted her freshman year due to a shoulder injury), is replacing 2010 volleyball coach, Tony Geer. “I’ll really miss Coach Tony but if the change will help the program then I’m all for it,” said junior Sara Metcalf. Coach Wilson also played for Premier Volleyball Club through high school and coaches there now. Last year, she was the Assistant Varsity coach at Perrysburg High School, according to her resume. “I am a coach who feels that the harder you work and the more effort you give, the more fun you will have,” said Coach Wilson. “I also feel that there needs to be a lot of respect and trust between teammates and coaches for there to be any chance of a winning season. When I push players outside their comfort zone, it’s amazing to see just how much they can grow both as a person and as a player.” Mr. Jon Haynes, the five-year Varsity Assistant at Northview, is replacing long-time Boys’ Soccer Coach Ryan Creech. Coach Haynes was formerly coached by Coach Creech. “I’m stepping away indefinitely from the coaching position so that I can watch my girls play soccer next year and spend time with my family in general,” said Coach Creech. “My kids are involved in so much now it was hard to balance coaching and being a good dad. I wasn’t able to spend as much time on coaching as I wanted to, or as I used to, and rather than be a subpar coach I decided to give up the responsibility because I will not be a subpar dad.” Coach Haynes has extensive playing experience including, as previously mentioned, playing NV soccer under Coach Creech for four years. He also played Pacesetter soccer for 10 years and for the University of Toledo for the 2004-2005 season, according to his resume. “Creech didn’t care who you were, he treated everyone the same. If you worked hard he respected you. He definitely knows the game,” said senior Nick Dorner. “Haynes is a class act and will definitely continue Creech’s success.” Among many awards, Coach Haynes won the award for District Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010 and currently holds the NV goal scoring record of 22 goals. “I’m really proud of him [Coach Haynes],” said Coach Creech. “He was hired because he is so well known by the players in the area and, also, he is a product of the system that I’ve built. It will be a smooth transition for the team.” Taking the place of football coach Eric Keller will be Marek Moldawsky. Coach Moldawsky was the defensive coordinator for St. John’s Jesuit’s football team last year. He has also been an Assistant Track Coach at Start, NV and St. John’s and has been a part of the football coaching staff for Southview, Macomber, Start and Bowsher, according to his resume. “I’ve had the opportunity to have worked with some great coaches in my life at both the college and high school level and they all say the same thing: turning a program around is about hiring great coaches, forming relationships with players, parents, and school staff, changing attitudes, working hard, and always having fun,” said Coach Moldawksy. He has had many achievements thus far in his coaching career, a few being nine trips into post-season play, 13 winning seasons in 15 years in the Missouri Valley Conference, The City League and the Northern Lakes League and has coached five student-athletes who went on to play professional football. Eleven position players who have played under Coach Moldawsky are currently playing Division 1 football at The Ohio State University, The University of Michigan, University of Illinois, Northwestern University, Georgetown University and UT. Boys interested in playing football next year met with Coach Moldawsky last Tuesday. “Simply put, my plan for the NV football program is improvement both on the field and in the classroom. I met some of the players yesterday and I liked what I heard and saw. NV kids are solid,” said Coach Moldawsky. “If they commit to the training program and the coaches there is nothing they cannot do.”
SPORTS GymKats prepare for NLL’s S.ROSE
STAFF
The Gymnastics team has had a tough season so far. With participating in only one invitational meet, they remain in fourth place in the NLL standings. Despite their lack of participants, stand out sophomore Megan Matrisciano is on her way to States again, according to head coach Mrs. Heather Tussing. “She’s [Matrisciano] having a great season so far. She works extremely hard and I am very proud of her,” said Mrs. Tussing. The Kats were supposed to compete against a full team at an invitational but it was cancelled due to the weather, according to Mrs. Tussing. The GymKats are lead by senior captains Jenelle Nearhood and Jessica Seiler. They have improved greatly since the season started, according to Seiler. “I make up the beam routines for the team and try to help the girls out whenever I can,” said Seiler. Championships were held last Saturday. TWISTING AND TURNING THROUGH THE AIR, sophomore Megan Matrisciano is on her way to States for the second straight year, according to head coach Heather Tussing. PRACTICING ON THE LOW BAR is sophomore Kelsey Gilmore. The GymKats continue to work hard throughout the season and are currently in fourth place in the NLL.
PHOTOS BY MELICK
Broomball kicks off season K.MCCOY
STAFF
Broomball, “hockey with chicks minus the sticks,” and it is no girly sport, according to senior Alyssa Johnson. Northview currently has two teams. The original team, the Ice Ninjas, started last school year. The Nightmare was added this year due to many new members wanting to play. The season started February 4, but preseason conditioning and scrimmages started in January. Candice Fournier coaches the teams and they practice once a week at Sylvan Elementary School,
according to Johnson. “Practicing in a gym and playing on ice is difficult. It is also hard getting ice time for our scrimmages due to hockey,” said Johnson. Each player is required to use a broom, wear a mouth guard, a helmet, shin guards and broomball shoes. The shoes have a spongy bottom that are specifically designed for the players to not slip on the ice. A common tradition is for the teams to tape their broom with bright colored electrical tape to know who to hit the ball to during the game. The sport is played with ten players; two forwards, one goalie, two defense, two offense, one center, and
one mad dog, the position who can go anywhere on the ice. The games are 18 minutes long split into two nine minute halves, according to Johnson “Almost every school around here has a broomball team and some have more than one. Each team name is unique,” said Johnson. Broomball, like every other sport, has an AllStar game at the end of the season. One to two players from each team play each other. Broomball also gives scholarships for seniors at the banquet at the end of the season. “Playing broomball is different from the other sports that I play. I think people should just try it for the fun of it,” said senior Mel Worley.
with three champions. Senior Tanner Newland and juniors Brian Elden and Todd Enis all went 5-0. Senior Billy Sargent and junior Charles Mason followed closely behind with a 4-1 record in the tournament. “We handled ourselves a lot better than I thought we would. I am really proud of our team,” said Sargent. The wrestlers faced SV January 27, and fell to the Cougars 27-40. “As a team we could have done better against Southview, but we should end up beating them in leagues,” said Harder.
Due to the snow days, the team faced Springfield February 5. They came up short and fell to the Blue Devils 46-19. “The match was important because it was senior night. This year we are losing three seniors that were great leaders for the team,” said sophomore Devon Schumaker. NLL’s began for the Wildcat wrestlers February 12. “We have the ability and determination to place at least top three. We have to worry about Perrysburg, Maumee and Springfield. They’re tough teams,” said Sargent.
als; I could not comprehend the fact that one day, my peers would be as accomplished as the athletes on TV. “One day” has come. It had been quite a few years since I had seen a gymnastics meet on TV. Recently, I was lying on the couch at a friend’s house when she changed the channel to BCSN. “Wait, isn’t this Northview?” she said. I focused on the screen for a minute, and realized I recognized the girl who at that point was just beginning her floor routine. My friend and I were captured by the action on screen as we watched senior Jenelle Nearhood, sophomore Kelsey Gilmore and sophomore Megan Matrisciano perform their routines. “We try to make [our routines] creative and dance-y because we get points off or gain points for artist creativity,” said Matrisciano. She showed her
skills doing flips such as handsprings, front layouts and pikes to the tune of The Italian Job. By the time the coverage cut to a commercial, I realized my jaw was dropped so low that it was about one millimeter from dislocation. The amazement that overtook me at the age of six had revisited my body at that moment. It was breathtaking to watch my peers perform routines that had seemed so impossible years before. “It’s fun knowing little kids look up to me and, one day, hope to do what I can do,” said Gilmore. So essentially, I find it remarkable to attend a school where my peers around me are capable of feats I have always held in very high esteem. I sincerely extend my adulation to the members of the LadyKat gymnastics team.
Wrestling seeks top three finish M.HAWLEY
STAFF
The Wildcat Wrestling team looked to end their season finishing in the top three for the Northern Lakes League Tournament. The weekend of January 22 the Wrestling Wildcats traveled to Clay for the Maumee Bay Tournament where they placed 12th out of 28 teams. “Overall, we did pretty good. I was mostly happy we finished ahead of Southview and Maumee,” said junior Jacob Harder. Then, the team headed to the Anthony Wayne Duels and came out of the tournament
Spreading the love for gymnastics J.DENG
STAFF
As a wee little youngster, I used to sit for hours in front of my television, channel surfing until a show caught my eye. At the age of six however, only a select few shows were able to amuse me and actually keep my attention. My top shows ranged from Lizzie McGuire on Disney Channel to Pokémon on Cartoon Network. Among these child-friendly sitcoms and simple-plotted cartoons was a TV favorite that might have appeared to be out of place in a young child’s choices: gymnastics. Throughout my early childhood years, I was always pleasantly elated when I happened to flip the channel to sports coverage on high school gymnastics. I would sit in awe watching the “big girls” so skillfully perform floor routines, magically stay on the balance beam, and soar what seemed like h u n d re d s of feet into the air doing jumps and flips. To me, they looked like Olympic profession-
SPORTS
11 German learns the American game D.CRANDALL STAFF
In the last couple of years the United States has dominated international basketball winning the FIBA World Championship in 2010 and the Olympics in 2008. According to sophomore German exchange student Arne Roglin the US gets better through intense training. The sophomore is currently playing on Northview’s JV team trying to figure out the American style of the game.
Q
What is the difference between American and German Basketball? American basketball is way faster because they practice and workout so much more. In Germany we try to keep up with America. What part of the game did you struggle with when coming to the US?
A
Q
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I struggled with learning the plays because I didn’t know what the some of the basketball terms meant in English.
Q
Did you watch American basketball in Germany? Yeah. I remember my friends and I watched the Olympics just to see better basketball and my favorite player Dwayne Wade. Do you think playing in the US will help when you return to Germany and play? Yes I feel like the workouts and weightlifting has really helped me. I also have improved a lot on my jump shot. When I return to Germany I am expecting to dominate.
A
Q
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What do you enjoy about the American style of the game? I really enjoy the high speed and high intensity of the game here.
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This year Roglin has helped lead the JV team to a record of 8-5.
Q
In Germany did you play for your high school? No, but I played for two different teams. I played on a club team, which is sort of like travel basketball and I also played on a team with college-aged kids.
A
MELICK
GOING IN FOR A LAY UP is sophomore Arne Roglin. Roglin is a foreign exchange student from Germany attending NV this year. He is a member of the JV basketball team.
Workout numbers down this year B.MILLER
STAFF
During the winter, many male athletes at Northview are part of sports programs like swimming, basketball and wrestling. Athletes that are not on a sports team during the winter seem to get a little lazy and don’t do a lot of physical activities. A lot of these athletes however, have the option of going to winter workouts and staying in top tier physical shape. “People need to stop playing X-box, get off the couch and show up to workouts,” said senior Chris Sneider. This winter, however, there have been far less athletes involved with winter workouts than in years past. For the month of January, there have been about 30 athletes showing up to each workout session on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, according to gym teacher Mr. David Briggs. This is a huge decrease from the
roughly 70 athletes that were preparing for fall and spring sports throughout the winter last year. “The team exercise drills have put me in top physical condition,” said sophomore Kyle Brooks. These workouts are especially important for eighth graders, freshmen and sophomores. They usually have not spent much time in the weight room and need to increase their speed so that they can hope to have better seasons than the previous year. Otherwise, they will most likely not get any stronger or faster and will probably get the same results on the field as the previous season. “They need to create healthy habits so that they are ready to contribute at a varsity level in the future,” said Mr. Briggs. With new head soccer coach Jonathon Haynes and new head football coach Marek Moldawsky just recently being hired, it is no wonder that there is a huge decrease in the number of athletes
at winter workouts. Mr. Briggs and American History Teacher Mr. Brian Blakeman are doing their best to condition athletes that play football, soccer and run track and cross-country. Mr. Briggs and Mr. Blakeman, however, are not enough to convince students at NV to get excited for their next sport season and come to workouts. “It is an opportunity to get trained for free and is for any male athlete,” said Mr. Briggs. Hopefully, since the football and boys’ soccer players have just found out who their head coaches are, and settle in with their new philosophies, the numbers for the workouts will greatly increase. In the meantime, all anyone can do is go to the workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school and try to convince their other teammates to come and workout with them. “Once the coaches get figured out, everything will get back to normal,” said junior James Aponte.
Packers win close, Rodgers MVP B.MILLER
STAFF
This year’s Super Bowl featured the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers, two of the most successful franchises in the National Football League. The game, as expected, went down to the wire and was a Super Bowl to remember, especially for Packers fans. “I was going absolutely crazy,” said junior Allen Scharfenberg. The festivities started off on a bad note as Christina Aguilera possibly performed the worst National Anthem in Super Bowl history as she messed up the lyrics. “Christina Aguilera disgraced America,” said junior Lindsey Loss. After the National Anthem was finally over, the big game started. The Packers started the game off hot, as they drove the length of the field and scored on a 29 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers to wide receiver Jordy Nelson to make it 7-0. Twenty four seconds after the Rodgers and Jennings hookup, Packers’ safety Nick Collins intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and returned it for a 37 yard touchdown to put the Packers up
14-0 going into the second quarter. Roethlisberger and running back Rashard Mendenhall led the Steelers down the length of the field before their drive stalled and kicker Shaun Suisham kicked a 33 yard field goal to cut into the Packers lead and make it 14-3. Later in the second quarter, the Steelers were driving down the field once again until Roethlisberger threw his second interception to Packers’ cornerback Jarret Bush. Rodgers then orchestrated a beautiful drive and ended it with a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Greg Jennings to take a convincing 21-3 lead. “I was thinking that we totally had this and that there was no way that the Steelers would come back,” said junior John Broer. The Steelers, however, refused to give up as Roethlisberger took his team down the field in the closing minutes of the first half and threw an eight yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward to give his team some momentum as they trailed at halftime 21-10. History was against the Steelers as no team in Super bowl history had ever come back from a halftime deficit of 11 or more points. “I felt the Steelers had the momentum going into halftime,” said junior Chris Jablonski.
After an eye popping performance by the Black Eyed Peas, except for Fergie’s Sweet Child of Mine performance, the second half started. The Steelers started the third quarter on a mission by blowing right through the Packers’ defense and scored on Mendenhall’s eight yard touchdown run to get the Steelers back in the game and make it 21-17. The Steelers’ defense completely dominated the Packers’ offense in the third quarter, but the Steelers did not capitalize. “I thought that they had an opportunity for a comeback,” said junior Chris Spinks. To start the fourth quarter, it seemed that the Steelers would pull off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history as they were driving down the field with ease. That all ended when Packers’ linebacker Clay Matthews forced Mendenhall to fumble and Packers’ linebacker Desmond Bishop returned it seven yards to give the Packers solid field position. Rodgers then led a momentum shifting drive as he threw his second touchdown pass to Jennings for eight yards to put the Packers up 28-17. “I jumped up and laughed at Jablonski because he’s a Steelers fan,” said junior Josh Davis. The Steelers kept clawing back however, as
Roethlisberger threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Wallace and wide receiver Antwaan Randle El converted a two-point conversion to put the score at 28-25. Rogers then drove his team deep into the red zone before the Steelers’ defense held the Packers to a mere 23 yard field goal by kicker Mason Crosby to make the score 31-25. “When the game is on the line, I want Roethlisberger,” said Spinks. The Steelers got the ball back with just minutes remaining as Roethlisberger tried to beat the Packers’ on another game winning touchdown pass to Wallace just as they did on December 20, 2009 in their 37-36 win in Pittsburgh. The Packers’ defense held strong this time, however, as they forced the Steelers to turn the ball over on downs after a pass by Roethlisberger went right through Wallace’s hands on fourth and five. Rodgers took a couple of kneel downs and then celebrated as his Packers defeated the Steelers 31-25. It seemed that Rodgers had finally gotten the Brett Favre monkey off his back. He was also named the most valuable player after throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns. “Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL,” said senior Brian Downing.
SPORTS
12 Hoop Cats claw the court hard “Lamb is a great player,” said Severson. “We just did not have an answer for him down low.” NV spent the next week preparing for their game against NLL powerhouse Perrysburg February 4. The Cats again struggled to put the biscuit in the basket as they shot just a mere 38% from the field. NV relied on jumpshots against the Jackets, which resulted in a lack of attempts from the free throw line. The Cats attempted just six shots from the charity stripe and only converted on two of those efforts. A cultivation of all of these factors led to a loss for NV, 39-64. “We did not shoot well against Perrysburg,” said Severson. “I think we need to be cycling more players on and off the court so as a team we have fresh legs.” After already being postponed twice earlier this season for weather reasons, NV finally tipped off at home against the Springfield Blue Devils February 8. Springfield jumped on the Cats early and did not let up from the throttle. The Cats posed a dismal performance in the first half, and their attempt at a third quarter comeback was washed away with lights out shooting from the Devils. Schmidt led the squad with 14 points however it was not enough as NV lost 45-65. “We really struggled on offense,” said Sturt. “But on a good note I thought that Schmidt played well.” The Cats played Anthony Wayne and Whitmer this past weekend and will face off against cross-town rivals Southview at home February 18.
A.HIRSCHFELD SPORTS
The members of the Northview Boys’ Basketball team are struggling to discover and maintain a winning attitude. Despite their fresh, young talent and great senior leadership, the boys continue to come up short on the scoreboard. “We struggle with consistency,” said senior Jacob Sturt. “We turn the ball over too much and we don’t always play defense.” NV made the long and winding trek to Bowling Green January 21 to face off against the league leading Bobcats. The slumping Cats could not keep up with BG and the NLL’s leading scorer Chauncey Orr. Senior Austin Schmidt led NV with 18 points and sophomore Connor Hartnett poured in an additional 14, however the Cats fell to BG 51-75. “While serving my one game suspension I got to see the game from a different view and we really struggled against BG,” said senior Jake Severson. The following weekend NV traveled to Maumee in hopes of capturing their second league win of the year. The rims weren’t kind to the Cats as they struggled to produce scoring chances and could not capitalize on the ones they did
attain. A low scoring match up left NV on the wrong end of the equation as they fell 33-51. The 33 points that the Cats were able to tally was their lowest point total of the season. Hartnett led NV in scoring with 11 points. “We played well for a half, but we fell apart in the second half,” said Sturt. The next night the Cats hosted their only out of state opponents, the Bedford Kicking Mules. Bedford’s sophomore sensation Jackson Lamb was a man amongst boys and led the Mules in a rout of the Cats. The Cats were led in scoring by junior Casey Schaffer with 14 points, and Hartnett also contributed 13. Turnovers did not help NV’s cause as they coughed up the ball 16 times against the Mules. NV would lose 45-59.
GOING UP STRONG is senior Austin Schmidt who led the Cats in scoring against BG with 18 points.
Hockey team readies for NHC playoffs D.CRANDALL STAFF
The Northview Hockey team lost a critical Northwest Hockey Conference matchup against St. Johns January 29. St. Johns got off to a quick start by scoring early in the first period. NV responded quickly as senior Nolan Culver scored tying the score at 1-1. Minutes later sophomore Drew Crandall
converted on the power play giving the Cats a 2-1 lead going into the second period. That would remain the score until late in the second period when NV started to get into penalty trouble. SJJ was able to convert on two 5 on 3 opportunities giving them the lead going into the third period. The struggles continued in the third when St. Johns scored just seconds in giving them a 2-4 lead. The Wildcats showed some life when senior Aaron Booth scored to make it 3-4, but it was too
little too late as SJJ went on to win 3-4. “Even though the refs were bad, we still took a lot of stupid penalties and SJJ capitalized,” said sophomore Nick LaPlante. The loss would end up costing the team a share of the NHC title. The Wildcats finished the season with a 6-2 league record. “I was very disappointed after the game, but it is a good learning experience right before playoffs,” said junior goalie Austin Gryca. The Cats earned a number two seed in the
MELICK
Red Division Playoffs and faced off against SJJ on Saturday night. “We are focusing on the details and making sure we do the little things right, to make sure the big picture is as good as possible. So we can find our way through the playoffs and make it back to States,” said junior Phil Bowles. After the league playoffs, the Wildcats will begin their state playoff run February 17 against Perrysburg. NV earned the second seed for the Toledo District.
Swim flies to sectional competition Y.PAPADIMOS
COEDITOR
Though both the Wildcat Swim teams found themselves facing many unique challenges this season, including a lack of numbers and experience, the boys and girls still found a way to pull out strong for the final leg of their season. Northview stepped up to the block in preparation for a tri-meet with Maumee and Springfield January 25. Sophomore Molly Wheeler pulled in first for the 200 Meter Individual Medley, touching in for the finish at 2:45. Wheeler dominated once again in the 100 Meter Freestyle and junior Kelly O’Connell placed second with times of 1:06 and 1:10, respectively. Other notable times include sophomore Lindsay Peyton’s 5:33 in the 400 Meter Freestyle. The boys’ team also dove in strong for what some members of the team called The 2011 Meet of Misfit Boys. “The meet had five teams from all over Northwest Ohio,” said senior co-captain Ben McClurg. “Every single one had around seven guys or less.” The boys also fought strong for a well deserved win. Senior Britain Fretz placed first in the 200 Meter Freestyle, going a 2:21. McClurg stole first in the 200 Meter Individual Medley with a time
of 2:36. In diving, junior Jacob Mikolajczyk shattered the competition with a total of 211.6 points, while sophomore Logan Newland placed second at 193.6. The following weekend, the Wildcats suited up for the Northwest Ohio Aquatic Conference (NWOAC) Championships. The meet took place January 29 at Fremont Ross’ Natatorium. Members of the teams swam with dreams of new personal records, but also hoped to glimpse a preview of what their coming Sectional meet times would be. The outcome of Sectionals determines if each individual swimmer will be able to compete at Districts. “There were two ways [to make varsity] last year,” said sophomore Kaeli Peer. “We had a varsity set that was basically ten 100’s on a certain time for boys and girls. If you made all ten, you lettered. Also, anyone making it to Districts, as individuals or on a relay, got their letter.” Winter weather once again fought hard against the Aqua Cats in hopes of keeping them out of the water. With two school cancellations due to the white out conditions, the teams could
Girls Bball continues league domination A.KALANQUIN SPORTS
The Northview LadyKat Basketball team is in position to win their second Northern Lakes League title in a row. The Kats faced the Bowling Green Bobcats January 21 for the second time this season. NV came out on top with a big win of 59-36, and four team members in double digits. Senior Katelynn McCoy and juniors Miriam Justinger, Skylar Rose and Jessica Jessing each scored 10, 21, 15 and 11 points respectively. Next, the team took on the Findlay Trojans and outplayed the opposition with the 67-42 score, reflecting NV’s aggressive offense. Justinger led in scoring with 22 points, with Rose right behind her with 20 points. The LadyKats played Anthony Wayne January 25 and began the first half with a 30-10 lead. NV’s tough defense and quick transitions helped in the Kats’ 5228 victory, according to Justinger. “Our strategy was to play good defense and contain Emma Ricketts (AW’s best player),” said Justinger.
The evening of February 5, the LadyKats’ dads dressed up in outrageous NV spirit-wear in support of their daughters’ rivalry game against Southview. Earlier in the season, NV was victorious against the Cougars with a score of 40-30. Despite the heavy snowfall that took place the same night as the rivalry rematch, the frigid weather could not contain the heated battle. Justinger tore apart the SV defense in the first half, scoring 17 points and tallied 19 for the entire game. Also, Jessing and McCoy added to NV’s second win over SV with 12 and 7 points respectively. The final score of the game was 48-36, putting the Kats one step closer to their goal of a second NLL title. NV took their next step February 8 against an improved Springfield squad. However, the Devils seemed to be no match for the Kats as NV not only doubled Springfield’s point total, but blasted them by 40. The Kats ran away with the win 74-34. “The Springfield game was a key game for us,” said Justinger. “It was a banner game for sure because if we want to win the league and get our year on the NLL banner again we needed to win that game,” said Justinger.
not practice at a time when physical consistency was becoming quite important. “Taper is something we do at the end of the season,” said senior Trent Victor. “The practices ease up so we get more rest. That way we have more energy for Sectionals and Districts.” After the two days off, the teams splashed down to the University of Toledo Natatorium for a meet against St. John’s and Notre Dame. “The St. John’s meet felt like crap. We had just had two days of no practice,” said Victor. “Those days ruined me because I was already missing two later in the week.” Last Saturday, the Wildcats slipped on their slickest suits at St. Francis for their Sectional competition, each with hopes of qualifying for Districts.