Volume 85: Issue 9

SYLVANIANORTHVIEW VOLUME85 ISSUE9 03292011

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Sylvania schools rally together for Issue 2

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KOFFMAN

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MELICK PASSING ISSUE 2 is imperative for the Sylvania school system next year. Many students and teachers attended the Levy Rally and some even spoke to raise awareness including senior Yianni Papadimos.

M.JACOBS

BUSINESS

With one failed levy request and having already cut $6.4 million from the 2010-’11 Sylvania Schools budget, something has to give. While 75 staff positions already must be eliminated to meet the budget, in order to avoid further staffing cuts, it is crucial that Sylvania citizens vote for the next levy on May 3.

A Sylvania Schools levy rally was held this past Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. Northview’s gym was full of supportive parents, students and

citizens of Sylvania. The various schools mascots, NV cheerleaders, and the Southview dance team were there to cheer on the school system.

Four students spoke in support of the levy: an elementary and junior high student and two high school students representing each level of schooling.

Senior Yianni Papadimos represented NV as well as Principal Stewart Jesse.

Superintendent Dr. Brad Reiger then spoke to the audience to show his appreciation for all of the support the district is receiving.

“I am continually impressed and inspired by the character of our

students and staff,” said Dr. Reiger.

Yard Signs stating “Excellence in Sylvania’s Economy” were passed out for free to each attendee at the rally. Coupons to Shorty’s Barbeque were also distributed to encourage attendance at the fund raiser that was being held at the restaurant after the rally to raise money for the cause. Tendollar t-shirts were also being sold with each school’s name listed to support the levy.

“It was great to see all the different schools and people there to support Sylvania schools,” said senior Adam Simpson.

excused from school and are provided with hotel rooms for competitions.

Some members have over a 100% attendance rate. One member has 200% attendance due to all the extra time he has put in.

“We put in a lot of extra time in order to have everything ready for the competition,” said Kinsel.

Several fund raisers are held in order to pay for the team’s expenses, including a day in which they winterize lawn mowers.

Each year the team builds a robot to compete in a specific type of game.

This year’s challenge is called Logo Motion and involves the robots putting inflated tubes on racks in order to make the FIRST logo.

For the first 15 seconds the robots STRICK move on their own and after that are controlled by two drivers. Kinsel and NV senior Diego Waxemberg were the drivers for the team.

“It was intense and very nerve racking,” said Waxemberg, “but when everything is going well it is exciting and fun.”

Teams form alliances in groups of three and face off against other teams in matches. The team that scores the most points wins. Bonus points can be earned by placing other tubes on the racks, putting the tubes on the highest level of the rack and by deploying mini bots to climb up poles at the end of the match.

The Cat Attack participated at the Boilermaker Regional on March 17 to 19 at Purdue. Teams from all over the country attended including teams from Alabama, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. The robot does not always run smoothly however.

“If we didn’t have a problem with the robot then the world must have ended,” said Kinsel, “but that is normal.”

The team finished second over all, making it all the way to the finals.

“It was the greatest thing ever, getting our medals, walking up to the podium, the feeling of accomplishment,” said Waxemberg.

The team took part in over 20 matches over the three days and the time moved quickly for the participants.

“I was so focused on making sure the robot was working properly that I didn’t even realize we had made it to the finals,” said Kinsel.

The team will participate in the Smoky Mountain Regional in Knoxville, Tennessee March 31 through April 2.

It appears that the team may be on the same track as they were on in 2005 when they went to the grand championship and placed third in the world.

“We came in second in our first regional tournament that year, won the second one, and went on to the championship,” said Kinsel, “We’ve set a precedent.”

MELICK

Cat Attack crushes competition at Purdue D.ALDRICH

NEWS

There is a club where students from several different schools are united together in a common cause.

The members are skilled at building, programming and driving. They meet several hours every week in order to finish their creation and get it ready to compete. These dedicated people are members of the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) DANA Team 451, The Cat Attack.

High school students from several schools in the Toledo area are involved in the team. Members include students from Springfield, Ottawa Hills, Maumee Valley Country Day School, St. John’s Jesuit, Southview, several home schooled students and Northview.

There are about 20 total members on the team, five from NV. The team works on several different aspects of constructing the robot. Some participate in the actual building of the robot while others work on the programming code.

“Programming the robot had a very real world feel to it in the sense that you had very little time to complete a very large task,” said senior member Cameron Kinsel.

The team meets Tuesdays and Thursdays for three hours and Saturdays for up to 12 hours. Members who attend 90% of the meetings are

Drama dept. update

The drama department has many exciting things happening this spring including the finishing of the Performing Arts Center.

“Even though the performing arts center is behind schedule, we’ve all been able to familiarize ourselves to the new space,” said senior Kramer Lindsley. “I look forward to it being finished.”

The cast of The Brother’s Grimm Spectaculathon put on an encore performance of the show March 23 at Southview.

“We’ve been working really hard to prepare the show,” said sophomore Natalie Szczerba.

“We have all really come together.”

The cast took the show to the Thespian State Conference March 26-27 in Dublin, Ohio.

Junior Hannah Quinn is the only Northview student in the All Ohio show. This show is the opener for the state conference. Kids from all over Ohio can audition, but only a small group is selected, according to Quinn.

“All Ohio was such a great experience. I am so glad I was able to do something like this,” she said. “We rehearsed and put an amazing show together in 10 days.”

Rehearsals for Fiddler on the Roof have also begun, according to sophomore Chad Singer and performances will be April 14-17.

-Caitlin DeGross

Students take OGT Ohio sophomores participated in the statemandated Ohio Graduation Tests during the week of March 14.

While underclassmen came to school at the regular time, juniors and seniors had a two-hour late start.

“The full week gave me back so much sleep that I’ve been missing,” said senior Nicole Hobbs. “Because of all the short periods from last week, this week feels like the longest week of the entire school year.”

While sophomores took the real OGTs, freshmen took practice tests to help prepare them for their turn next year.

The practice tests are then graded by NV teachers.

Teachers have until after spring break to grade the freshman practice tests. “If that’s what it takes to identify the freshmen in need and to help them succeed, then grading is worth my time,” said Science teacher Ms. Jennifer Crosley.

The five tested sections of the OGTs include Reading, Math, Writing, Science and Social Studies. Students must pass all five parts in order to graduate with a high school diploma, according to the Department of Education.

“The OGTs were pretty easy, but I hated having to wake up early when the juniors and seniors got to sleep in,” said sophomore Chad Singer.

“I can’t wait for my extra two hours of sleep next year.”

- Stephanie McCaskey

NEWS

02 Career Tech students go to States M.HAWLEY

STAFF

‘Tis the season for career tech students to head to state competition. The career programs include Early Childhood Education, Med Tech, Exploring Careers in Education and Business Tech.

Early Childhood is headed by Mrs. Terry Morris and Juniors Shannon Ford and Meagan Moyer are attending the state competition. Ford is participating in Language and Literacy and Moyer is competing in the Early Childhood STAR Event. The STAR event is the process of creating a portfolio of examples of what they have done in the preschool that included pictures, lesson plans, and teacher evaluation. There was also a container filled with supplies related to a theme that each contestant was assigned to create a lesson plan with.

“Language and Literacy is telling a story without a book along with an extension plan that relates to the story,” said Ford.

The Med Tech program, headed by Mrs. Pat Johnson and Mrs. Dawn Soldner, is sending 19 students to states in Columbus. The Juniors include Amy Goldi for First Aid and CPR, McKinzie Elchert for Medical Terminology, Nick Hamilton for voting delegate and Melissa Hrovat for Courtesy Court. Jacob Mikolajczyk and Katie Musteric are both attending for Community Awareness, and Shaena Rabbani is attending for Interviewing Skills. Amber Short is competing for Prepared Speaking, Mandy Stober and Brittney White for Career Health Display. The Seniors include Lexi Fisher, Jenelle Nearhood, Gabby Radke, Aubree Simon and Ashley Ann Yeager for CERT Skills. Kenasia Guilford and Chelsea Kania for Voting Delegate and Raina Padilla for Community Awareness.

“For Voting Delegate I listen to all of the speeches and I decide who would be best for HOSA positions. I am the representative for the Sylvania Chapter,” said senior Chelsea Kania.

“We should do well overall. I am an Ohio State Parlimentarian for HOSA. So that’s a really big honor and I look to represent Northview well,” said senior Jenelle Nearhood.

The Exploring Careers in Education program is headed by Mrs. Wanda Snyder. The juniors competing include Jessica Jessing, Sam Sarmento,

KOFFMAN

WORKING WITH THE PRESCHOOLERS at NV is one way that Early Childhood Education students practice their skills that they will use to compete at state competition. Junior Katie Perkins is one of the many students in a career tech program. Students from every career tech program are headed to state competition this year.

Courtney Hendrix and Amelia Howerter.

“We are staying in a hotel for two nights with a bunch of other schools, we are really excited,” said Jessing.

Seniors going to state conference include Ally Holding, Austin Schmidt, Erin Miller, Chelsea Nye, Bailey Whitman, Anna Fisher and Sarah Lewandowski and Katie Boileau. These students will be competing in events such as prepared speaking, impromptu speaking, scrapbooks, posters and literature books.

“We made a tri-fold, some people are doing poetry and others are making a scrap book,” said Hendrix

The Business Tech program is headed by Mrs. Sue Briddell. This program sent five juniors and six seniors. Junior Tony Mazzioti went for Advanced Office Systems and Procedures and junior Stephenie Honisko went for Entrepreneurship.

The junior team was made up of Madison Decator, Allie McDonald and Emma Parlette. Senior Adam Simpson competed in Fundamental Spreadsheet Applications and Shelby Shtilman competed in Advanced Spreadsheet Applications. The final senior team was made up of Ryan Darah, Nick Dorner, Emily Due and Josh Kleinert.

After state competitions, senior Shelby Shtilman qualified to advance to Nationals.

The Engineering program is headed by Mr. Ryan Reed. The Junior Engineering program placed first in States. The juniors who attended state competition were Kyle Lammie, James Donofrio, Chris Jablonski, Chris Harris, Dani Lulfs, Jamel Ahmed, Austin Schwierking, Josh Davis and Stewart Besly. They got first place overall with the Square One award and first place in The Bubble Wrap and Just Ducky events.

The engineering team also got second place for craftsmanship and engineering.

“It was a good experience even though it was really frustrating. We did our best with our limited resources,” said junior Dani Lulfs.

New budget cuts bring changes for academics, extracurricular activities L.HEADMAN STAFF

Students, parents, staff, and administration have been waiting patiently for a new budget to be put into place and to pass. The Sylvania Board of Education approved the cuts for 2011-’12 that was proposed by the Superintendent.

This includes about $5 million in cuts including 75 jobs, but only 47 teachers. The new plan includes more ways to help the budget such as increasing the pay-to-play cost and increasing lunch costs by 25¢.

“The willingness of Sylvania teachers, support staff, administrators and board of education members to make salary concessions led to a revision of the budget reduction plan for 2011-’12. The economic sacrifice of staff members, coupled with a significant number of retirements, enabled positions to be taken off the reduction list. The changes to the budget reduction plan will have a positive impact on the overall student experience,” said Superintendent Dr. Brad Rieger.

In the four core classes; math, science, social studies and English, there will be a reduction of the number of sections of classes being offered.

Also, double block math will no longer be offered and the number of electives will be reduced.

For the career tech programs, the number of sections offered will be cut and Exploring Careers in Education I will be eliminated. Those going into Careers in Education II will be allowed to

finish the program and then the program will be eliminated the following year.

World languages also will see a reduction in the number of sections and courses being offered. French Conversation, Honors French IV and Honors Spanish IV will no longer be offered.

According to the new plan, the average class size will be around 28 students.

“A significant number of positions will still have to be eliminated going into next school year. The budget reduction plan is far from painless. The 4.9 mill operating levy on May 3, 2011 is necessary to regain the district’s financial stability and prevent additional and deeper cuts in academic programs, extracurricular activities, and services,” said Dr. Rieger.

On a happier note, there will be flexible student scheduling for seniors and juniors. They will be allowed to arrive late or leave earlier if they can schedule their academic classes in contiguous periods allowing for commons or a study hall first or ninth period.

There was also a change to the proposed $200 for pay-to-play per sport. The first sport is now going to cost $150. The second sport will be $125 and after that the third sport is free of charge. Families with multiple students will only be required to pay a total of $450 no matter how many sports they play.

“No one wants to pay more money and I think the prices are fair now,” said sophomore Emily Hosler’s mom, Robin Hosler. “I like the fact that there is a family cap and if a student participates

MELICK STUDENTS HOLD A SIGN during the Levy Rally Kickoff to show their support for the Sylvania Schools. Even if the May 3 levy does not pass, Sylvania Schools are making changes for the 2011- ‘12 school year. Changes include such things as flexible scheduling and reduction of certain classes needed for graduation. with a travel team club sport, they would know those prices are much higher.”

Transportation will be reduced and bus routes will be re-made. Also, fees will be increased for summer school and summer gym, the OGT Academy fee, preschool fees, and the use of the

NV pool will go up, according to Dr. Reiger.

“There is nothing positive about this, there are still teachers being cut, but at least now we can move in a clear direction,” said Principal Mr. Stewart Jesse. “On a more positive note, now we can continue to next year and move forward.”

Penny War generates camaraderie, funds S.MCCASKEY STAFF

Students with loose change put it to good use during the annual Penny War during the week of March 7. Students were to place pennies in their first period teacher’s container and thus the teacher with the most pennies by the end of the week would win.

The winner of this year’s Penny War was Mrs. Tami Blue. Close runners-up included Mrs. Meredith Diehl, Mrs. Heather Tussing, Mr. Don Wachowiak and Mr. Dan Dick.

“Winning was pretty amazing,” Mrs. Blue said. “Our goal was to sweep Top of the Tree

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Teacher and the other teachPenny War. Beers’ containI BROUGHT IN $12 IN A ing all the way ers, which BAGGIE I STOLE FROM MY down here (the counted as end of E-Hall) negative SISTER’S PLASTIC ELEPHANT we didn’t want points. people to forget Strategy PIGGIE BANK SHE HAD BEEN about us.” was involved SAVING FOR LIKE FOUR YEARS. “The interfor Mrs. esting thing is Blue’s class -HALEY WHITCOMB, JUNIOR that a teacher when it came that has the most money doesn’t necessarily win,” to turning in their change. “We waited until the explained Mrs. Wanda Snyder, teacher of Explor- last day of the last period,” junior Alicia Gonzalez ing Careers in Education. Students were encour- said. aged to dump silver change and dollar bills into “The penny war creates really great involve-

ment. We start to hate pennies,” said senior Anna Fisher, who helped count the money raised. Students raised about $300.

“I brought in $12 in a baggie I stole from my sister’s big plastic elephant piggie bank she had been saving for like four years,” junior Haley Whitcomb from Mrs. Blue’s class said.

The money raised goes to Exploring Career’s expenses when the group goes to the Future Educators of America Conference. Such expenses as registration and food are funded partly by fund raisers such as the Penny War. The class with the winning teacher was given a student-prepared breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, fruit and other breakfast treats.

NEWS

03 NV Orchestra to perform in Florida B.THOMAS

OP/ED

This spring break, 64 members of the Orchestra will bring a little more magic to the “happiest place on earth,” Walt Disney World.

Mrs. Pamela Thiel and the Chamber and Concert Orchestras will travel to Orlando, Florida to perform a concert in Downtown Disney and to experience the parks.

“I am most excited for the warm weather and to see the parks,” said junior Brittany Rakich. “I have not been there since I was a little kid.”

The Orchestras will travel 20 hours by bus and 925 miles to reach their destination.

The first day they are scheduled to eat at the Rainforest Café at Downtown Disney. Later, the Orchestras will hit Epcot where they will gain a better understanding of the demands placed on professional musicians through a mock studio recording experience with an instrumental workshop.

“The workshop we are scheduled to do is supposed to be very cool,” said Mrs. Thiel.

On the second day of the trip, the Orchestras will travel to Downtown Disney and perform at the Waterside stage.

“Playing on a professional stage in Disney is going to be a magical experience,” said sophomore Jacob Pawelczyk.

Everyone vacationing in the Orlando area is invited to the concert at the Waterside stage as it is open and free of charge to the public. The performance will begin at 12:15 p.m.

The Concert and Chamber Orchestras will combine for the concert where they will play Spirit of the American West by Soon Hee Newbold, Dragon Dances by Soon Hee Newbold, Colors of the Wind by Menken and Conley, Sheebeg and Sheemore by O’Carolan and Hopkins, A Whole New World by Menken and Custar, Blue Rhythmico by Kirt Mosier, and Orange Jam by Jeffrey Bishop.

After the performance, the Orchestras will visit Disney’s Hollywood studios for the remainder of the day.

Cocoa Beach will be invaded with Northview musicians April 5. While there, the students will enjoy the water and a beach-side barbeque. Afterward, the students will travel to Downtown Disney

MELICK ORCHESTRA PRACTICES HARD FOR the upcoming trip to Florida this spring break. Cellists Henry Gray, Mackenzie Apel, Dylan Simmons and Jennifer Stobinski practice for the upcoming concert in Disney. for a dinner at the International Headquarters of Planet Hollywood.

Later that night, the students will witness a circus like no other at Cirque de Soleil’s La Nouba.

On the last day of the trip, the Orchestras will roam several themed “lands” such as Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom.

“I plan to go into Cinderella’s Castle and find Cinderella,” said sophomore Ian Pribe. “When I find her, I will serenade her with my beautiful cello music.”

Before departing for Sylvania, the Orchestras will experience

one last hoorah at Wishes Nighttime Spectacular.

“I have never been to Florida,” said sophomore Kaylie Shallenbarger. “So, I’m most excited for this new experience with the Orchestra.”

The trip costs roughly $849. However, the students had several fund raising opportunities through Caruth sales, Great American, Fruits sales, Little Caesars and Kroger rewards. The Orchestras raised $10,000 in fund raising toward the trip.

“The whole trip will be fun,” said Mrs. Thiel. “I’m excited to get out of town and spend time with the students in Disney.”

Senior class service project centers around helping the relief effort in Japan M.KEENE

STAFF

A massive earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean about 230 miles northeast of Tokyo, Japan on March 11. The earthquake had a magnitude of 8.9 on a scale of 10.0.

This is the largest earthquake in Japan’s history, according to infoplease. com. The earthquake caused damage with blackouts, numerous fires and a deathly tsunami.

The tsunami caused by the earthquake was 23-feet high, the giant waves swept through cities and rural areas. It swept away cars, homes, buildings, trains and boats.

“It really is tragic what happened to the country of Japan,” said freshman Ruth Chaban, “I really hope that we never have to go through that.”

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued warnings for Russia, Taiwan, Hawaii, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and the west coasts of the U.S., Mexico, Central America and South America. As of March 24, the confirmed death toll was 9,800. That number

due to the amount of waves that swamped Hawaii beaches and brushed the U.S. western coast but it did not immediately cause major damage. Kauai was the first of the Hawaiian islands struck by the tsunami, according to breakingnewsie.com.

“It’s a wake up call for us to make sure we’re prepared for any kind of disaster,” said Mr. David Briggs.

Senior Class advisor Mrs. Peggy Jones is helping to make a difference by participating in ISOH/IMPACT, which is an organization that reaches out and serves others. For this year’s seniors, the class project is to donate bagged rice and cleaning products to those is need in Japan.

“When the earthquake hit Haiti, NV students pulled together and donated many items,” said Mrs. Jones, “and when the tsunami hit Japan, one of the seniors asked if we could do something again so we decided that another donation would be a great senior class project.”

Every teacher is individually collecting donated items in their classrooms and Jones will collect the donated items over spring break. The items will be taken to the ISOH/IMPACT center in Perrysburg, Ohio.

“To get students involved, I asked each teacher to take a collection in their room,” said Jones. Those items will be taken to the ISOH/ IMPACT organization located in Waterville and they will then be taken to Japan.

“Hopefully everyone will find a place in their heart and donate to our friends in Japan,” said Jones.

what society is pushing on them, according to Powazki.

Each week a new topic is brought up about how to lead a Christian life as a young woman.

Mrs. McGough suggested this book to Miklovic and Powazki to use in the Bible study, according to Miklovic.

“It’s a chance for me to meet with other Christian girls and talk about problems we all are going through and how to live a life through God,” said senior Kaylie Martinez. “In a high school setting you often don’t get a Godly perspective on how you should live.”

Some of the topics that are discussed, or will be discussed, are the importance of inner beauty, how to live a life through God, how truly important having a boyfriend and feeling accepted is, and living a life through God in a high school setting, according to Powazki.

“As we were going through the book, we saw that the lies really applied to high school girls,” said Powazki.

As of now only about four to five girls attend this Bible study.

“We’d love to have it keep growing,” said Powazki. “Every girl is welcome to come and learn what God’s word has to say about everyday situations.”

Along with studying the Bible, baked goods are brought in for everyone to enjoy.

“I’ve made friends through this Bible study and I don’t mind eating cookies every week,” said Miklovic.

The discussions are very interesting and much time and effort has been put forth to create these uplifting discussions, according to Mrs. McGough.

“Going to this Bible study would be a great way for

might rise with 17,500 people still missing in Japan, according to the Canadian Press.

“Hopefully they find the missing people and they can recover from this tragedy,” said sophomore Nicole Marston.

The tsunami started in Japan and made its way to Honolulu, Hawaii. Beaches were evacuated

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IT’S A WAKE UP CALL FOR US TO MAKE SURE WE’RE PREPARED FOR ANY KIND OF DISASTER. -MR. DAVID BRIGGS, TEACHER

English teacher Mrs. Kathy Benya has a son, Nicholas Benya, who lives in Kishiwada, Japan, south of Osaka. Benya teaches English at a school to students. The area that he lives in has not yet been affected by everything that is currently happening.

“We are relieved that our family is safe and we are praying for all of those people in Japan who are suffering,” said Mrs. Benya.

New girls only Bible study club formed M.PORTERFIELD STAFF

Are you a girl who is interested in learning about Jesus? Every Monday after school is a Bible study hosted by juniors Audrey Miklovic and Sarah Powazki in E14, Mrs. April McGough’s room.

Miklovic and Powazki approached Mrs. McGough with the idea of a Bible study to be held in her room.

“I think it’s great that they wanted to share their faith and promote positive interactions among girls,” said Mrs. McGough. “It takes a lot for a person to stand up for what they believe.”

Powazki and Miklovic were involved in the Bible study previously offered last year and wanted to continue with the study.

This all-girls Bible study focuses on the book “Lies Women Believe”. This book focuses on lies that apply to high school girls and affect their everyday lives.

The book tries to encourage girls to focus on what God has to offer them rather than

girls to learn about God and meet other girls that share a common belief,” said Mrs. McGough.

“Anyone who comes to this Bible study seems to enjoy the thoughts and ideas shared.”

This girls only Bible study is the only one offered at Northview.

OP/ED

04

Weight room improved

The weight room has needed improvements for many years, but nothing has been done about it, until now. The Football team recently cleaned, rearranged and painted the weight room.

“It is the same room with a new attitude,” said junior James Aponte.

The new weight room is painted black with motivational quotes all over the walls. In addition the team also renamed the weight room “The Jungle.”

The weight room improvements were much needed. The weights can now all fit on the racks and they have organized the machines in a way that makes the room seem much bigger.

“The coaches moved the equipment and we painted the room for six hours,” said sophomore Kyle Holdridge.

The weight room was renovated as new football coach Mr. Marek Moldawsky plans to give the football program a new identity. An identity that can be seen on The Jungle’s walls with quotes like “swag” and “believe.”

“It’s the beginning of a new era for Northview Football,” said sophomore Chris Nowicki.

For many years students have complained about the weight room, but until now no one had taken the initiative to clean it up. Now that it’s clean, we need to take responsibility and keep it that way. It will take you two minutes to clean up the weights when you’re done using them and will keep the room looking new.

“The new weight room creates a better atmosphere to work out in. It also feels good to know that we worked hard on it,” said sophomore Brandon Donnelley.

These changes made by the football team were very much needed and it’s about time someone took initiative instead of just complaining about it. The other teams should respect what the football team is doing and keep the weight room clean, so the weight room never gets as bad as it was before the remodeling.

-Drew Crandall

NV FOOTBALL PLAYERS PAINTED the locker room and wrote quotes over the wall for inspiration. Sophomore Michael Tidd spots Jason Bylica to prepare for the upcoming football season.

Parents; they control our lives. They control what we do and when we do it. If you were to come home late or past a curfew, you would most likely be grounded for the rest of the weekend or get your phone taken away. The sad thing is, some students can be grounded for one weekend and think it is the end of the world. Little do we know, we may have it better than we think we do.

“Chinese parented” Sophia Chua, daughter of “Tiger Mom” would be considered grounded for “life,” according to Northview students.

Sophia can not have sleepovers, playdates, be in a school play, watch TV or play computer games and is also not allowed get any grade less than an “A.” In Tiger Mom’s “eyes,” if her child gets a “B,” there would first be a screaming and hair tearing explosion by the parents. Then she would get dozens to hundreds of practice tests for her child to take until her grade went up to an “A,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

Amy Chu, also known as “Tiger Mom”, is a mother who is in favor of strict rules for her child. An article about Chu was released January 8th in The Wall Street Journal explaining her demanding ways of raising her children. Because of her strict rules and unbelievable stories, she has received the title as “Tiger Mom.” This article about her in The Wall Street Journal states that not all Chinese parents are like this, but Chu feels that after all of the hard work that she does for her kids, they should show her

respect and produce excellent scores in school.

The reason that “Tiger Mom” demands perfect success is because she believes that her children can achieve it. If her child does not achieve what is expected, “Tiger Mom” believes that she did not work hard enough. Therefore, the solution is always pounding her child with more and more work.

“I am normal. I hang out with friends everyday and I am the one who pushes myself to do well in school, not my parents,” said senior Serena Chang.

There have been many times that I have gotten mad at my parents, but never for not letting me do something or signing me up for too many activities. I am planning on attending the NV musical; try imagining your parents not letting you go to a play for no reason.

“I can’t imagine my parents not letting me hang out with my friends, ever. I do what I want,” said senior Zach Lutton.

On the other hand, the “Tiger Mom” way of living explains the stereotype for why Chinese students are extremely smart. There are different techniques to gain intelligence other than the “Tiger Mom’s” method. Attending science fairs, going to the library and watching modules on the computer are other ways of gaining intelligence.

The draw back from “Tiger Mom’s” way of learning is that no social skills are being taught.

When you want to interview for a job, you first have to interact with somebody. How are “Tiger

MELICK

Tiger Mom controls kids lives

Mom’s” children supposed to know how to do that when they have been removed from society basically their whole life?

I talked to some NV students about their ways of being punished and it seemed like the most popular method was getting their phone taken away. According to freshman DJ Schumacher, his parents threaten to take his phone away when he comes home with a bad grade. He is the one that motivates himself to achieve better grades because he knows what the consequences are.

Sophomore Jessica Rentner said that her parents do not take her phone away or ground her when she receives bad grades. She said that she would continue to get the same grades if her parents grounded her.

Junior Allen Scharfenberg feels good about how relaxed his parents are with his grades.

“If I’m trying hard, then that is all that matters, right?” said Scharfenberg.

Reading about the “Tiger Mom” and hearing other students opinions on their parents has definitely changed my perspective on my own parents. I have realized that there isn’t only one way of parenting. All and all, from crazy mom, to relaxed mom, NV students respect their parents and the way they are disciplined.

“This is almost a level of respect that American parents have on their children,” said senior Audrey Hunter. “I respect my mom the same way she respects me.”

-Skylar Rose

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.

Conformity proves not always beneficial in today’s society What do you think of when you hear the word “conformity?” Conformity, with all of its negative connotations, is part of our everyday lives whether we consciously notice it or not.

The clothes we wear, the way we speak and even the way we think are all the effect of conformity. As social creatures, humans are predisposed to desire approval and acceptance by our peers. There is no doubt that conformity in today’s society is a powerful force in guiding our decisions and behavior.

An assignment was given in Mrs. Sarah Rhine’s AP Psychology class that posed the question: what happens when we break the social norm? Each student was to act in a way that was out of his or her social norm. After completing the experiment the student then had to write a paper detailing the reactions they received, how they felt while doing the project, negative effects, and importance of conformity in humanity.

While some of the experiments proved to be humorous, a far greater number of them ended up revealing the shocking result of clashing with society’s norm.

Junior Andrea Binz chose to pretend to be blind for her experiment. She walked around the mall and went out to eat with her sister while wearing dark glasses and using a cane to walk. She even went to see an actual blind woman who taught her some techniques.

“I couldn’t look directly at people, or even anywhere near them, I had to walk slower and I held onto my sister’s arm,” said Binz.

As she walked around the mall, Binz was surprised by the reactions that she received.

“There was a lot of staring and some people even came back to look at me again,” she said.

“One woman in Victoria’s Secret was confused as to whether I was blind or deaf.”

At the restaurant, Binz said that “the waitress would not look at me or talk to me, but asked my sister what I wanted to eat instead.”

She was shocked by the reactions that she received. “I was upset that people stared at and ignored me, but I don’t blame them too much.”

Overall, Binz felt like the reactions were a result of curiosity and confusion. “People didn’t know what they should do, because they weren’t used to seeing something like that in everyday life,” she said. “Their behavior reflects their curiosity and they either go out of their way to be nice to you, or they are rude and stare at you. It just makes people uncomfortable.”

Senior Amber McKown dressed to look like a pregnant teen for her experiment.

She walked around the mall and went dress shopping, which caused plenty of negative reactions.

“People treated me awful. It felt like I was walking around with a second head,” she said.

“I was looking at prom dresses and someone said to me ‘Yeah, that’s where you belong.”

Overall, she learned that “society is really judgmental,” and discovered that the old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” still holds true.

“Taking the time to get to know people before you pass judgment is really important,” she said.

Juniors Luke Zona and Miraj Neve portrayed a homosexual couple by strolling through the mall holding hands.

People “looked at me very weird and avoided me,” said Zona. “Some people looked scared and moved their kids away.”

Although he felt “awkward” doing the experiment, Zona said that he “gained a new respect for people who go outside of the social norm.”

“I won’t be so quick to judge others because now I know what it is like to walk in their shoes,” he said.

Junior Michael Besly dressed like a homeless person and walked through a jewelry store.

“Everyone was staring at me, the worker refused to help me, and the security guard eventually asked me to leave.”

Although the reactions were negative, Besly said that he “wasn’t surprised.”

“I don’t think people can get over stereotypes,” said Besly. “If you go against the social norm, you are setting yourself up to be discriminated against.”

-Bridget Thomas & Kelsey Pomeroy

OP/ED

05

Michigan creates unconstitutional law, could create small town tyranny The Shock Doctrine is a book that was written in 2007 by author Naomi Klein, arguing that otherwise implausible reforms are pushed through legislation during a man made and often fabricated crisis. It is not fiction.

A controversial law proposed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder was approved by the state house on February 23, giving life to the term Emergency Manager, an individual appointed by the governor to reign over a town he deems as in a state of “financial emergency,” according to michiganmessenger.com.

An Emergency Manager is given the power to re-determine contracts, reorganize departments, take over pension plans, enter into agreements to restructure debt and dissolve or consolidate fiscally troubled towns and schools.

Snyder’s budget cuts so deep into a town’s finances, many will be put under rule of an Emergency Manager while some towns like Pontiac who’s police force was diminished from over 100 officers to 41, already have been.

This new law is unconstitutional and promotes a form of dictatorship. An Emergency Manager is not elected by the community it has control over. However, they have the authority to completely wipe out that community’s elected officials. This strips an individual of their right to voice their opinion through voting.

An emergency manager can also strip local workers of their union rights, including collective bargaining rights.

And who is this Emergency Manager exactly? It could be a lawyer or a politician, but it could also be that of a corporate firm.

“ [

please.

Well, isn’t that nice?

At the bare minimum, an Emergency Manager should work with elected officials, who would have a better understanding of their town’s needs than I don’t know, let’s say, Wal-Mart.

A corporation does not care about the state of a local community. What they do care about is taking the local out of that community – making a town dependent on their corporation.

An Emergency Manager (who should not exist in the first place), at the very least should not be a corporation, but an individual elected by the town.

In being absorbed in laws like this one – I ask, where is America? Where is Democracy? Is it hidden under the shadow of people like Governor Snyder, who insist on disregarding our nation’s standards? Is it laying in the dirt some place, distraught over the reality of an appointed Emergency Manager who could very well be a corporation? There are protests held and editorials written in direct disapproval of bills like these, but they are not enough.

So I ask, where is America, where is democracy…and where are the riots?

- Estar Cohen

] ”

THIS NEW LAW IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND PROMOTES A FORM OF DICTATORSHIP.

Governor Snyder and the state house have deemed it appropriate for a corporation to have control of local communities. In other words, goodbye Ann Arbor – hello Exxon Mobilville.

The bill specifically states that an Emergency Manager does not have to consult with elected representatives (if they choose to keep them around) – that they can carry out their powers as they

Rebecca Black’s Friday stirs debate Today is Saturday and Sunday comes afterwards. Friday Friday Friday. The hit-single by Rebecca Black has become a huge sensation since it was posted on youtube.

Currently the video has 42,809,989 views and is in the top 20 on itunes. The 13-year-old has been living the dream while receiving death threats. Even though she is making it rich, everyone claims they hate it.

“The Friday song is annoying and I do not understand why everyone is obsessed with it,” said sophomore Katie Giovannucci, “The girl, Rebecca Black, has gotten so many views that there are so many songs mocking her song such as The Saturday Song.”

If this song is so hated among students, then why is it all everyone can talk about? Her song is being talked about on the radio, she was on Good Morning America and is all people can listen to on youtube. The song’s lyrics are not the best and the video is dumb, but it does get stuck in your head when you listen to it.

You may say you hate it but you’re still talking about it and that gives Black just what she wants. She is making loads of money off this song with all the iTunes purchases and every time someone shares it through youtube they spread the word even more.

If people hate it, or they do not, she is getting something out of it. There are always one hit wonders and this is just another one of those hits. Even if they are good or bad, the money comes pouring in and the singers end up making out big time in the end.

If the song is getting all the hype it’s getting some people must like it. Maybe people are too afraid too admit it. As students we try so hard to fit in and when a big crowd of people say that they hate a song, we tend to go along with that to fit in. When people go around dissing the song, even if we love it, we go along with the crowd.

“It’s just stupid, it has no point and all it says is Friday,” said freshman McKenzie Watt Take this as a wake up call. If you like something, just admit it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and it’s okay if you like a catchy song by a young girl. The lyrics may not be the most creative, but the tune is catchy and it is remembered by everyone.

After seeing the video, try to not get the song stuck in your head, or not think about it.

“It’s like she is saying a sentence with a beat,” said freshman Carlee Winzeler Hopefully people can admit they like the song and if they do

favorite video or song?

not, stop giving it the hype it doesn’t deserve. A song should be popular for it being great, not for being dumb.

I asked 103 students, about 10% of the population, if they liked the song. About 13.6% like the song while 86.4% did not like it. As I went around asking people their opinion of the song, either they had not heard it, or were disgusted by it.

Also, half of the people only said they liked it because it was a good laugh. I next asked if they had watched it on youtube, about 70.9% have tuned into the popular video while 29.1% have kept away. Of that, about 36.9% shared it with other people on youtube and 63.1% did not share it with anyone.

To my biggest shock, 46.6% said they have only listened to it once, while 53.3% said they had listened to it several times. If all these people hate it, why do they want to listen to it several times.

It can’t be that fun to make fun of if it is that bad and you would assume it would get old. Either you like it or not. There is no in between. For those who watched it more than once, those students obviously do not hate it. If you enjoy listening, listen to it. Just because everyone else hates it does not mean that you have to. *percentages were based out of 103 students, or 10% of the population.

--Libby Headman

What’s your

part of the Friday

cereal

“I like how she eats in the

beginning.”

- freshman

IN MOTION

Rachel Stubleski

what seat sit in.”

notions

“When she asks she should

- sophomore

Lia O’Donnell

ending,

“The

when it’s over.”

- junior

Shannon Ford “I love how she flips out about

partyin’, partyin’, yeah!”

- senior

Jeff Cooperider

Should all religions be studied

Sylvania Northview high school is a public school. Public as in anyone, of any religion, can attend. I have no qualms with learning about the bible in class, my only argument is that we should also learn about every other influential book written regarding religion.

It is means equality. No, I am not saying that learning about the bible in English class is a violation of any laws, because the bible is being looked at purely as a literary work, but I do believe that students should be given the opportunity to read the books of all major religions.

It is simply a form of expanding one’s horizons; only

in public school?

studying the bible is treading on eggshells as far as fairness is concerned. Because many Sylvanians are familiar with the bible, Genesis is the only religious book closely studied in English classes.

Whatever happened to the Torah and the Quraan? Personally, I would like to learn how different religious books interact – how they are similar and different from each other. That kind of knowledge is valuable to my overall education of literature.

“It’s a good thing to have exposure to different religions and cultures,” said senior Omar Badawi. “People have preconceived

notions about others.”

Students should be encouraged to explore the cultures of others and the influential religious books should be studied as works of literature. In a public school so focused on equality, should education of religious books not be equal?

-Mamie Silver

FEATURES

06 Heard

in the Hallway Mary Grace Fitzgerald

“All I want to be is a shooting star.

That’s all.”

“Those milksha bring a kes don’t ny boy s to the yard.” ( said to a boy about t hat boy )

Morgan Hawley

Many Wildcats are venturing to a far away land of warmth, sun, sand and palm trees for spring break. For those who are staying in the land of indecisive weather temperatures and excessive pot holes, here are some inspiring ideas of how to pass the week of spring break.

E HALL

k “I don’t thin I want to be American anymore.”

A HALL

CAFETERIA

D HALL Most people walk through the hallways with just one thing on their mind: getting to the next class. What most students don’t

C HALL often think about are the conversations surrounding them. For a day or two, I made a conscious effort to listen

B HALL

“All the hungry birds were in the same tree!”

to people talking in the hallway. I’ll share with you some blips of conversations that I heard in the hallway.

F HALL

J

Spring Break in the SYL

“I guarantee 1 out of 3 girls in this hall is wearing green underwear.”

-Qzar, who doesn’t love overpriced laser tag?

-Dinner at the docks . . . oh wait the Chinese bought them out . . .

-Club hype, if you wanna get shot . . .

-Go watch a mall fight, apparently they’re happening all the time. That’s prime time entertainment, as long as you don’t break curfew!

-Lay out in the sun try to catch some t-town rays. . . j-wow came here, we must have some merit. . . or something.

If those ideas don’t float your boat, here are some of the ways NV students have spent their break.

“I’m going tanning so it looks like I went somewhere.” - Senior Alexis Shadler “I’m going shopping since I’m not spending my money on spring break.”

- Senior Audrey Hunter “Ever since 7th grade, I’ve broken a bone over spring break. So this year I’m going to try and ‘break’ the streak.” - Freshman D.J. Schumacher

“No, that’s disgusting!

We should just make a fort.”

“I’m going to the abandoned quarry and going skinny dipping! Okay maybe not skinny dipping because if the cops catch us it will be awkward to out run them naked.” - Senior Ilyse Golding “I’m making a cake, marking it with a J, and putting it in the oven for Joshy and me!” - Junior Caleb Simmons “I am buying a canoe and taking a vacation down 10 Mile Creek.”

- Sophomore Devon Schumaker

The Luck of the Wildcats Many students at Northview were visited by the luck of St. Patrick’s Day. With celebrations of bursts of green and jig-dancing March 17, the day brought good luck to several good-fortuned individuals.

Wed Wil ding ton ‘14

“Wh e I did n I wa s pec better pole v te th au 6 fe d, getti an wha lting, et. I n t felt g more I exlike a bi than rd.”

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“I

C Go hristi elln na itz ‘12

By Jennifer Deng

tor w k i V klo rric a B ‘11

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FEATURES

07 ALLY YOCOM KISSED A GIRL.

A.YOCOM

FEATURES

One day while I was sitting in my Senior Comp & Lit class, my teacher said something that caught my attention. She mentioned how quickly rumors spread around Northview. Well of course, this is high school after all. She mentioned how something will happen around fourth or fifth period and by the end of the day, everyone will know about it. I decided it would be a good idea to test out this idea. I had the newspaper staff start a rumor about me last Monday and I planned to see how far it would go. The rumor was that I kissed a girl. We thought this would be a good rumor to spread because it was scandalous enough since I have a boyfriend, but it is not anything I could get in trouble for.

This could be a really interesting story to write, but it could also be one of the worst ideas that I have ever had. Hopefully it is not the latter.

After fourth period, I was beginning to get a little worried. Maybe I am completely oblivious, but I did not think anyone was whispering or looking at me weird. I really had not heard one thing about the rumor yet. I had to make sure people knew about it, or else I could not write the story. We sent out a few other staff members to ask around and see if anyone had heard about it. A group of boys were asked in the cafeteria and they responded by saying “Oh yeah, that’s been going around. We already know.”

After telling four people on Monday, the rumor was apparently already “going around”.

After a group of my friends found out, one of them was apparently very upset and was wondering out loud whether or not my boyfriend knew about it. This brought about all sorts of questions like “Was he there?” “Is it technically cheating?” and “Are they going to break up?” It was around this time that it was said that this happened while I was drunk down at Ohio University with my sister. Not only are people spreading around the rumor, but they are making up stories to go along with it.

The next few reactions I heard of were quite the opposite of the previous ones. After some approval, pride, a few exclamations of “That’s hot!” and one “Get it girl!” I realized how quick people were to believe such a crazy rumor. I even had one person reportedly speculate on who it was that I kissed. Sorry Victoria Northrup. I love you and I cannot wait to room together next year, but I would definitely put this type of thing “past us.” So now, at the end of the second day, three more people have bought into my rumor and a story has also developed.

In just two days, my idea has officially become a full-blown rumor throughout the junior and senior classes. It is also possible that it spread a little bit over to Southview because it was mentioned at the Sylvania Girls’ Lacrosse team’s practice last night. Even though many of those girls do not know me, I was told that they all did not even question the rumor. They immediately believed it and started asking questions about my sobriety at the time of the event and also about my relationship with my boyfriend.

Another story that has been going around along with the rumor is why my friends, Amanda Metcalf and Mary Grace Fitzgerald, have talked about the rumor behind my back.

Today people were talking about how the two of them are such terrible friends and that Amanda even started the rumor because we are apparently in a huge fight. So I guess I should reassure everyone that they were both in on this story and they were supposed to help start the rumor. Everything they said was to get reactions out of people about the situation and report it back to me so I could write this.

I heard one comment about my rumor that really surprised me. While talking to a staff member, someone who knows me said, “Oh yeah, I heard that. She does it all the time.” I can assure you that I do not. Even if this was said as a joke, someone listening could have taken it seriously and added that on the next time the rumor was mentioned.

A junior on staff was sitting in her math class today and half of her class was apparently discussing the rumor. She mentioned names to me and I only knew about half of them. I understand that students are going to talk about me if I start a rumor about myself, but if people that I do not know act like they know what happened, that sort of freaks me out.

The thing that I found most interesting was that every time people wanted to know more about the rumor they said things like, “I’ll ask around”, “I wonder who would know” and “I’ll find out the details from someone.” Hi, my name is Ally. The one the rumor was about, you could have asked me. Just a suggestion.

Have you spread a rumor this week?

The fifth day was probably the day where I had the least anxiety about this rumor. Everyone had pretty much already heard about it and gave their two cents on the situation.

I have to say, after a week of so much drama about it, I am really glad that I did not have to be bothered by it today. I only heard of one thing concerning the rumor and it was even said in the pub when I left the room to make a phone call. Granted, this comment was really nice and it seemed like the person was concerned about the circumstances. Someone whispered to the people in the room, “Okay, there’s a really big rumor going around about her. It’s really bad, but I’m not going to say anything.” I really do appreciate this person not actually spreading the rumor.

From what I have heard, the rumor is pretty much common knowledge at this point.

A staff member will ask a person in school and they will all say the same thing, “Yeah, I heard.” Of course those statements are embellished a little with bits of stories that they heard about the rumor, but everyone knew that it happened.

This has been one of the most interesting weeks I have ever had. I was initially really worried about putting myself into this situation, what if people heard about the rumor and were not even surprised? That would definitely force me to rethink the way I act, not to mention make me really sad.

I wrote this story to try to inform everyone about how quickly rumors can spread and how they actually are not all true. I mean, think about it. I am probably the least likely person to do this. Really, ask me about my weekend sometime and you will be bored before I finish telling you about how much I worked at Forever 21 and how many Law and Order: SVU re-runs I watched.

I heard two other rumors this week and I was with a few people who were talking about them. When I questioned whether the rumors were true or not, the response was “Oh no, it’s really true. He even admitted it.” Well how is that really any different than someone questioning my rumor and the reply being “No, it’s true because Amanda told the person who told me and she’s Ally’s best friend”? Mary Grace just added on that Amanda told her about the rumor, so the person in one of the rumors I heard about could have never admitted to it. My point is that anyone can add that part on to any rumor and it instantly becomes believable.

I never actually kissed a girl. The Friday of the weekend everyone thinks this happened I spent my night eating pizza and watching Tosh.0 with my boyfriend. On that Saturday I went prom dress shopping and watched One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest with my parents. Hopefully the rest of you find this to be as important as I do. I wanted this story to prove to people that even though it is cliche, you cannot believe everything you hear. Because sometimes a newspaper staff will find it entertaining to spread a fake rumor and sit back and watch while everyone freaks out.

Have you heard a rumor this week?

No

Yes

Finally someone has actually confronted me about the rumor. One of my best friends, Chelsea Kania, called me really upset to ask me about everything she had heard. “Al, I was so sad. I heard Amanda was the one that started it and I didn’t want there to be a big fight!”

I ended up having to tell her that it was not true and that we made it up for a newspaper story. I think it was then that she got a little mad at me for freaking her out so much. So Chels, I am really sorry for causing you a mini freak out, but talking to me about the rumor first is what a true friend does.

I was also told that someone was convinced that they had to tell my boyfriend about the rumor. They were planning on pulling him aside and telling him at Turnabout. That sounds like a great idea to me because if this were a real rumor, then my whole night would be ruined along with my senior year Turnabout. I cannot understand why someone would take it upon themselves to possibly ruin my personal relationship. Besides, my boyfriend goes to a different school. No one here is really even close enough to him to feel like they should break the news to him. The fourth day went pretty smoothly besides those two situations.

Some staffers told me about conversations they had with other people and things they had overheard. The main observation was that a lot of people knew about it, heard different stories to go along with it and everyone that was heard talking about the rumor believed it.

Have you started a rumor this week?

Yes

Yes

No No

119 juniors and seniors were polled

The seed is planted. A staff member went out into the hallway and found two senior boys to tell the rumor to. After a quick “did you hear about Ally?” we had one boy immediately believe it. The other was planning to go ask around and find out if it was true, further spreading the rumor already.

The rumor was also told to two boyfriends of staff members in order to ensure the rumor would spread. That was all: only four people were told in order to get the rumor started.

FEATURES

08

by amanda metcalf

Senior Ken Bodie, wearing tight jeans and portaying Justin Bieber, sings to his “baby” Dan Graeff.

Seniors Rami Amrou and Austin Pase measure Gabe Jones as he prepares himself for the difficult task of jumping over ten chairs.

Junior attendant Caleb Simmons presents his mom with flowers.

Dancing as if he is a Chippendale is senior Matt Babcock.

After performing the youtube video “Yes Dance” seniors Ryan Laplante and Drew Korn mimic a dance from White Chicks.

Senior Addison Hirschfeld shows his pride as he leads the school in the Star-Spangled Banner.

Escorting his mom is sophomore attendant Quinton Hackett.

Asking Mr. Lefevre about Northview dances is senior Adam Simpson portraying Borat.

Enjoying his shining moment with his mother is freshman attendant Basrur Abhijith.

photos by jack melick

A&E

09

PORTLANDIA Where young people go to retire The dream of the 90’s is alive in Portland.

Comedian Fred Armisen assures counterpart Carrie Brownstein in the pilot episode of hit IFC series Portlandia that Portland, Oregon is a place where piercings and tattoos are still alive - an “alternative universe” where people are still all about saving the planet, forming bands, riding bikes and buying cds at record stores.

“Remember when people were content to be un-ambitious?” says Armisen, explaining the concept more thoroughly in the sketch that paved the way for the entire premise of the show. “Sleep till 11, just hang out with your friends…I mean having no occupation whatsoever. Maybe working a couple of weeks at a coffee shop…Portland is a city where young people go to retire.”

Produced by Lorne Michaels (executive producer of Saturday Night Live), the show showcases a series of short comedic sketches starring Armisen and Brownstein who portray a variety of characters including (but not limited to) feminist book store owners to a Portland couple who insist on setting up a full 20 by 10 “outdoor” apartment, complete with cooking station and white picket fence for a movie in Irving Park.

Being a sketch comedy fiend, I have been waiting since the end of HBO’s Mr. Show to once again have a reason to watch television. When first introduced to Portlandia, I was ecstatic. The setting of Portland is a unique plot line for the show while the humor is extremely clever and often ironic.

Three episodes after its premiere in January of 2011, IFC renewed the show for a second season set to air in 2012.

Mini-marathons of Portlandia re-runs can be caught on IFC most Sunday afternoons.

However, the time slot often changes so check out ifc.com to view a day- to-day schedule.

Full sketches can be viewed on hulu.com and ifc.com.

The story behind a life changing project FEATURES

2011 Summer Concerts

It was a dream that started it all. Literally.

In December 2003, PostSecret founder Frank Warren went on a trip to Paris, France. On his first day there, Warren purchased three Antoine de Saint-Expery’s “Little Prince” postcards from a small gift shop near his hotel. That night, he had a dream about these postcards: a dream that would essentially change his life forever. According to postsecretcommunity.com, Warren describes the dream as lucid, meaning he was aware that he was dreaming. In his dream, Warren examined his three new postcards. However, they were extremely altered with messages written on their backs. The first postcard read, “unrecognized evidence, from forgotten journeys, unknowingly rediscovered” while the second postcard was about a “reluctant oracle” postcard art project.

Warren could not understand the message on the last postcard.

In January 2004, Warren started his “reluctant oracle” project, inspired by his dream.

Every Sunday, Warren would pass out postcards to people on the streets of Washington D.C. that were blank on one side and included an invitation to share a secret on the other. Eventually, Warren’s project was covered by the media on local, national and international levels. The last message from the “reluctant oracle” project bore the message: “You will find your answers in the secrets of strangers.” One week later, PostSecret began.

PostSecret is essentially an ongoing art project. Warren receives between 100 and 200 secrets per day from all over the world in the form of homemade postcards, often in languages he can not comprehend, making him known to be the “most trusted stranger in America.”

However, Warren has also received secrets on other interesting objects including a burger bag from In & Out, seashells, a bag of coffee and even a potato. Warren posts select secrets on

the project blog, postsecret.com, every Sunday or has had them printed in one of his published books, including PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives, My Secret: A PostSecret Book, The Secret Lives of Men and Women: A PostSecret Book, A Lifetime of Secrets: A PostSecret Book and the most recent book Confessions on Life, Death, & God. His first book was a New York Times best-seller and his most recent book was number one on the New York Times best-seller list in 2009. His blog has over 3,000,000 visitors per month and has been awarded “Best American Blog” as well as “Blog of the Year.” The Washington Post called Warren’s traveling exhibit of postcards “one of the five best art shows in 2005.”

Warren brought his secrets to Toledo when he visited Owens Community College Wednesday.

Tickets for the show ranged from $10-$20. At the seminar, viewers had the opportunity to see the postcards that were banned from the PostSecret publications and listen to the inspirational, interesting, heartbreaking and amusing stories behind some secrets. Brave audience members were able to share their own secrets at the microphone, which proved to be one of the most emotional parts of the presentation. Warren also gave every person in the audience a free postcard, inviting them to forever become a part of the PostSecret project.

“When we think we are keeping a secret, that secret is actually keeping us,” said Warren, explaining that his project is so much more than just a chance for him to read people’s secrets. At the seminar, Warren shared a story that helped him to discover his own secret. A few years ago, Warren received a postcard that had a picture of a door with holes all over it. The message claimed that the holes were from when the person’s mother tried to tear down their door so that she could continue to beat them. When Warren posted this postcard on his website, it did not take long for the postcard to receive a flow of picture replies displaying holes in people’s own doors.

The Toledo Zoo 07/15 – Lady Antebellum 07/20 – Steely Dan 07/11, 18, 25 & 08/1 – Music Under the Stars: Free Sunday evening concerts 08/6 - Rock ‘N’ Roar: Three bands, one DJ, four stages and one great night.

09/20 – Darius Rucker

SCENE with

Miserable City

In seeing this flood of support and first-hand understanding, Warren was able to remember his own childhood where he was abused as well.

“There are two types of secrets: ones that we keep from others and the ones that we keep from ourselves,” said Warren.

Besides this tragedy, Warren shared that he has experienced a fair share of misfortune in his life: his parents’ divorce, a friend’s death, a friend’s suicide and being both homeless and jobless for a short period of time. However, Warren stated that if he could have the opportunity to go back and take all of the bad things that have happened to him away, he would choose not to.

“All of the good stuff in my life is connected with the bad,” said Warren. He claimed that he probably would not be anywhere near where he is today without all of the bad experiences in his life.

As a result of his friend’s suicide, Warren volunteered at the Hopeline call lines for a good period of time, where he helped those who were contemplating suicide. Ever since, Warren has been extremely dedicated to helping those who battle with depression and suicidal thoughts.

In 2005, the All-American Rejects asked if they could use some of the PostSecret postcards in their music video for “Dirty Little Secret.” While Warren refused at first, he then asked them to double the money that they were willing to pay and donate it to Hopeline. They agreed and the music video became one of the most requested on MTV. PostSecret has come to help suicidal people in many other ways besides through Hopeline as people’s lives have been completely turned around by reading the PostSecret postcards. For example, there have been numerous occasions reported to Frank where people have realized that their burn is shared by others and have changed their mind about committing suicide.

While secrets range from sad to embarrassing to happy, Warren’s underlying message is that we are never alone in any of our secrets.

Forbes Magazine ranked Toledo, Ohio as the twelfth most miserable city in the United States of America February 2 along with 19 others. They based their decision on statistical factors such as unemployment rates, tax rates, commute times, professional sports teams, change in median home prices, foreclosures, convictions of public officials and weather conditions, according to forbes. com.

What they did not take into consideration, however, was the unbelievably talented and close knit music and art community Toledo has to offer. Local filmmaker Tim Ide has embarked on a local art series inspired by the Forbes Article. He’s calling it “Miserable City, you’re in good company.”

Mickey Finn’s Pub hosted the first event of the series on March 3 which featured poets Ryan A. Bunch and John Dorsey, a souljazz group called It’s Essential and singer/ songwriter Abby Ray. A new artist will appear on Mickey Finn’s stage every Thursday as part of the series.

To ensure the upmost quality of the recordings, each artist performs an identical set twice, the footage of which is edited to create a worthy result.

The recordings are planned to be released on a DVD and donated to every library branch in the county, according to Ide. They will document the artists that thrive in Toledo.

On the bill to perform April 21 is Northview’s own Indigo, a jam band comprised of junior David Dilallo, senior Estar Cohen and alumni Mark Joseph and Travis and Tyler Aukerman.

“It should be a good show,” said Dilallo.

“It will be nice to have a professional film recording.”

A complete update of artists to perform on the series can be found on Ide’s facebook group, “Miserable City, you’re in good company.”

Huntington Center

Ford Field Detroit, MI

Ohio State Fair July 27 - August 7 Columbus, OH

Wood County Fair August 2-8 Bowling Green

04/6 – Rush

06/1 – Taylor Swift

07/30 – Meatloaf 08/1 – David Cowder Band 08/2 – Loretta Lynn/The Oak Ridge Boys 08/3 – Big Time Rush 08/4 – Trace Adkins feat Brantley Gilbert 08/5 – The O’Jays & Journey feat Foreigner and Night Ranger 08/7 – Brad Paisley feat Blake Shelton and Jerrod Niemann

08/6 – Chris Young and Steel Magnolia

04/23 – Steve Miller Band and Gregg Allman 05/4 – Tim McGraw feat Luke Bryan and The Band Perry 06/7 - Michael Buble 07/29 – Keith Urban

08/2 – Kenny Chesney feat Zac Brown Band, Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker Palace of Auburn Hills Detroit. MI 04/2 - Lil Wayne feat Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross & Travis Barker 05/15 - Usher feat Akon 06/3 - Phish 07/28 - Katy Perry

cohen

you’re in good company

PostSecret comes to Owens A.METCALF

on

08/7 - Kenny Rodgers

Fulton County Fair September 2-8 Wauseon, OH

09/4 – Reo Speedwagon 09/5 – Vince Gill

-Katelynn McCoy

10

Millions of brackets wrecked by lower seeds

SPORTS Boys’ Tennis aims for Columbus

D.CRANDALL STAFF

Out of 5.9 million brackets submitted to ESPN.com, none remain perfect after the first two rounds, according to the web site.

Millions of fans across the country are seeing red lines through their brackets thanks to teams such as Butler, Virginia Commonwealth, Richmond, Morehead State and Marquette.

“The city of Richmond, Virginia has two sweet 16 teams, the same amount as the Big Ten and the Big East,” said sophomore Chris Emery.

This is amazing, because the week before, everyone was questioning whether or not VCU should have even made the tournament, let alone picked them to win. The other team from Richmond also destroyed several brackets when they upset Georgetown in the first round. According to ESPN.com only 39% of the brackets filled out on their site had Richmond winning their first round game.

The game that could have wrecked the most brackets was the Morehead State win over Louisville. Several experts expected Louisville to make a deep run in the tournament and very few had them losing their first round match up against 13-seeded Morehead.

Every year the madness occurs, but it’s so hard to pick which upset will occur and when a team’s magical run will end. If you lose one game, it can wreck your whole bracket, depending on how far you had that team going.

“I had a good bracket, until Syracuse lost, because I had them in the national championship,” said sophomore Tyler Dewitt.

Every year the teachers hold their own bracket challenge. After the first two rounds, Ms. Christina Comprato has the best bracket.

Even though they mess up brackets, Cinderella teams are what make March fun.

If everyone could just fill out the perfect bracket there would be no needs to even play the games. So thank you Cinderella teams for messing up all our brackets and making March the greatest time of year for college basketball fans.

“I like the upsets unless they wreck my bracket,” said freshman Adam Liber.

FORRESTER BLASTING A FOREHAND is an easy way to get a point for junior Brandon Rachwal. This year the tennis team consists of many juniors and sophomores as there is only one senior and one freshman on the squad. Senior Fred Hadley is optimistic going into this season and has dreams of his team heading to Columbus in late May to participate in the state championship competitions.

A.HIRSCHFELD SPORTS

As spring bounces into season, so does the Boys’ Tennis team. The squad began conditioning for the upcoming season at the beginning of March. These training sessions included running around the school, up and down stairs and suicides.

Tryouts were held March 7 and 8 and about 15 to 20 athletes made the team. These young men practice Monday through Friday, weather permitting.

The team is compiled of many young players as the lone senior Fred Hadley is the eldest member of the team.

“We should be good,” Hadley said. “I do not think we will have any major problems.”

Also, only one player represents the freshmen class on the squad this season. Freshman Basrur Abhijith reps it for the class of 2014.

The Cats are coached by Mark Fisher who “is a really good coach,” according to Hadley.

The Junior Varsity squad is coached by Jason Rentner.

The boys had their first match March 28

against the Central Catholic Fighting Irish at the Northview tennis courts.

The Cats also have matches March 30 at St. Francis and March 31 at Clyde High School.

“We may run into some tough matches this year but we will be able to pull through,” said Hadley. “If we could get to States, that would be awesome.”

If the team were to achieve this goal, they would find themselves in Columbus, Ohio come late May. The state competitions will be held at the Stickney Tennis Center May 27 and 28 at the Ohio State University.

world as they completely dominated the experienced Boilermakers 94-76. VCU will play number 10 seed FSU March 25 in the Sweet Sixteen at 9:57pm.

The 29-7 Atlantic 10 Tournament Champions, Richmond, have gone through the tournament rather easily so far as a number 12 seed. In the first round, Richmond played a solid fifth seeded Vanderbilt team that was predicted by many to make a deep run in the tournament. The Spiders thought otherwise, as they won a nail biter against Vanderbilt 69-66.

It was expected that they would play a surging Louisville team in the second round, but Louisville lost on a buzzer beater to 13 seed Morehead State 62-61. Richmond completely overmatched Morehead State as they won 6548. Richmond will play number one seed Kansas March 25 in the Sweet Sixteen at 7:27pm.

FSU got healthy at the right time as leading scorer and rebounder junior forward Chris Singleton with 13 points and 6.7 rebounds, returned for the NCAA Tournament after missing most of the regular season because of an injury.

The tenth seeded Seminoles started tournament play with a bang as they beat a consistent seventh seeded Texas A&M team 57-50.

The Seminoles then had the large task of playing Big East powerhouse Notre Dame. FSU however, was not fazed by the Fighting Irish as they marched all over them in a 71-57 whooping.

The Seminoles will play VCU in the Sweet Sixteen.

It just wouldn’t be March Madness if last year’s national runner up, Butler, wasn’t making some noise in the tournament. The eighth seeded Bulldogs started Tournament play off with some late game magic as senior forward Matt Howard nailed in a buzzer beating lay up to defeat Old Dominion 60-58. The Bulldogs then played number one seed Pitt in a game filled with controversy.

Butler was leading 70-69 in the waning seconds, but junior guard Shelvin Mack ignorantly fouled Pitt’s Gilbert Brown at mid-court and put Brown in a situation to win the game. Brown made the first free throw, but missed the second and Howard got the rebound and was inexplicably fouled by Pitt’s Nasir Robinson. Howard then made his first free throw and purposely missed the second as Butler won in the most unlikely of fashion 71-70. Butler then faced number four seed Wisconsin and held off a late rally by the Badgers to win 65-57. The Bulldogs will play number two seed Florida in the Elite Eight on March 26 at 4:37pm.

March Madness: Underdogs shock college basketball world B.MILLER

STAFF

This year’s National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament has been like every other, unpredictable. There have been major upsets in every region including Morehead State over Louisville 62-61, Butler over Pittsburgh 71-70 and Florida State destroying Notre Dame 71-57. Like any other March, this one has a few Cinderella teams including Richmond University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Butler University and Florida State University.

The most surprising team in the NCAA Tournament has to be VCU and was one of the final 68 to qualify for the tournament and had possibly the worst resume of any at large team to ever make the field. With a 26-11 record and an 11 seed, however, VCU had to play in Dayton, Ohio against the University of Southern California for the right to play Georgetown and won 59-46. The Georgetown Hoyas were slumping coming into the tournament with a four game losing streak and VCU added to that by dominating the sixth seeded Hoyas 74-56.

Next, VCU played the red hot Purdue Boilermakers and shocked the college basketball

SPORTS LAX teams look for success

11 Baseball aims for the fences D.CRANDALL STAFF

A.MILLIRON STAFF

The Boys’ Lacrosse team began the season with a loss of 8-5 to Central Catholic March 22 with various injuries. Senior AJ Mehling and sophomore Harrison Scott were injured in the game. Mehling and Scott suffered neck and head injuries, respectively. They started off with a quick lead of 2-0 until CCHS scored six straight goals in a row.

“At halftime we realized how we were in a big deficit in the score,” said senior Tim Fleck.

The main scorers were sophomores Connor Simon and Kyler Zielinski, junior Austin Powlesland and Mehling.

“It is hard to tell how the season will be, due to the injuries, but if we have no more we should win a lot,” said senior Travis Baker.

“I think we will be much better than last year and I am hoping for a winning season,” said senior Doug Vandini.

The boys played at Tecumseh last Friday.

The Girls’ Lacrosse team started off the season at a charity tournament this Saturday. The five teams that participated were Bedford, Perrysburg, Anthony Wayne, Notre Dame and Sylvania. Each team was asked to bring as many canned food items as they could to be donated to families in need.

“The JV and Varsity teams have good chemistry, so if we work together we will do well,” said junior Maddie Klein.

MELICK WARMING UP for practice is the only way prepare for a successful season. Senior Ian Edinger and his fellow Wildcats have their sights set high due to the number of upperclassman on their team this year. The team set high goals for themselves this year including, winning an NLL title. The seniors on the team are Austin Schmidt, John Joseph, Jeremy Reynolds, Zach Ryder, Ian Edinger, Carter Paxton and Tom Connin.

The Baseball team is looking to build off of last year’s success with a very experienced group. Last year they only graduated one senior and this year’s team looks to be a senior led group.

“I think our experience will help us make a deep run in the tournament,” said senior Carter Paxton.

The team returns a solid pitching staff that includes seniors Austin Schmidt, John Joseph, Jeremy Reynolds, Zach Ryder and junior Brandyn Hall.

The pitching staff looks to be one of the best in the area and will be the backbone of this year’s team.

“Our pitching staff this year is going to be very good, because we are returning five varsity pitchers from last year’s team,” said Reynolds.

The middle infield includes junior Joey Dipofi at shortstop and Joseph at second base. At first base will be UT signee Schmidt. Hall will start at third when not on the mound. Paxton and junior Dalton Carter both look to spend time behind the plate catching.

The outfield also returns several key components including seniors Ryder and Ian Edinger and junior Kyle Goff.

The team as a whole, also has several utility players that can fill in when the starters are sitting and have to pitch. Those utility players include juniors Donnie Nagle, Travis Zuber and Kyler Omey.

“We are very deep this year. We have 18 players this year instead of the usual 13,” said Omey.

The team has very high goals set for this year, including winning an NLL title.

“I hope to be able to win the league title and make it through Districts and hopefully win a state title,” said Reynolds.

The Wildcats opened action against Bedford Friday night and will open up NLL play against Rossford April 11.

SCOREBOARD!

Winter sports have ended at Northview. Some ended on good notes, while others have some regrets.

Here is a look at how the Wildcat and LadyKat teams ended their winter seasons.

39-32 59-36 67-42 52-28 67-42 74-34 48-36 59-53 52-27 72-45 72-45 36-60

1/8 Southview 1/15 Rossford 1/21 Bowling Green 1/28 Maumee 1/29 Bedford 2/4 Perrysburg 2/11 Anthony Wayne 2/12 Whitmer 2/15 St. Francis 2/18 Southview 2/25 Springfield 3/1 Waite

42-51 77-54 51-75 33-51 45-59 39-64 36-48 44-60 52-51 52-51 51-61 41-60

gymnastics

hockey

Final Overall (21-8-3)

1/18 Rossford 1/21 Bowling Green 1/22 Findlay 1/25 Anthony Wayne 1/29 Maumee 2/1 Springfield 2/5 Southview 2/12 Perrysburg 2/15 Rossford 2/19 Bowling Green 2/26 Waite 3/3 Notre Dame

Final Overall (4-17)

Final Overall (18-4)

girls basketball boys basketball

by mary grace fitzgerald

1/7 Centerville 1/8 St. Francis 1/14 Bowling Green 1/15 North Allegany 1/15 Upper St. Clair 1/16 Gilmour 1/21 Bowling Green 1/22 Findlay 1/29 St. Johns 2/12 St. Johns 2/13 St. Francis 2/17 Perrysburg 2/23 Anthony Wayne 2/26 St. Johns

6-0 2-5 3-0 2-1 6-3 1-2 3-0 3-2 3-4 3-2 7-3 9-0 11-3 2-5

1/17 Perrysburg 1/22 Patrick Henry 2/21 NLL Tourney 2/25 Districts

swimming

Fremont Ross Port Clinton Southview ND/SJJ Perkins

Girls L L W L L

4th 10th 4th 10th

Boys L L L L L

wrestling

NLL Finals Meet Record Tournament Score

3rd (3-4) 93.5

Weather hinders Softball team’s schedule A.KALANQUIN SPORTS

“We lost 7-0,” Yeager said. “But our coach made a lot of position changes that we weren’t used to.”

The girls were supposed to have scrimmages

“ [

The Softball team is pitching their way into the spring season. The team began conditioning and open gyms in the fall and currently practice Monday through Friday from 3-5pm at Veteran’s Field, their home field, weather permitting.

When the weather is noncompliant, the team moves into the gym, fashioning nets around the walls to ensure safety and as a form of protection for the walls, according to sophomore Hayley Ulmer.

For the past few months, the girls have been conditioning at NV, focusing mainly on running, agility skills and on the fundamentals of softball, according to senior Ashley Yeager.

The team’s first scrimmage was March 19 against Lakota. Unlike last year’s outcome, which was an 8-0 victory for the Kats, Lakota managed to come out on top this time.

Ulmer said. “He brings a lot of knowledge to the game.”

The team aims to improve on hitting and communications skills this season, according to Yeager.

“We have a young freshman pitcher this year,” Ulmer said. “So we really need to bring our hitting this year.”

With only four returning seniors, Yeager, Hannah Spangler, Morgan Williamson and Aubriana Schroeder, the team is fairly young. The LadyKats graduated five seniors including former pitcher Aly Matthews.

“The seniors this year are good leaders and connect well with the team,” Ulmer said.

Also on the team are three

] ”

THE SENIORS THIS YEAR ARE GOOD LEADERS AND CONNECT WELL WITH THE TEAM. -HAYLEY ULMER, SOPHOMORE

March 22 and 23 against Liberty-Benton and Clay respectively, but inclement weather led to their cancellations. The Clay scrimmage was rescheduled and held on Saturday.

Coaches Steve Kyle and Todd Omey lead the team in their second year coaching at NV. “Coach Kyle has had a lot of experience,”

freshmen, Cassidy Ghesquiere, Brianna Quinones and Lori Myer.

The LadyKats also hope to improve their record from last year, when they went 3-12 in the Northern Lakes League.

The LadyKats’ first game is April 11 against Rossford.

SPORTS

12 Track conditions for NLL success B.MILLER

STAFF

The Boys’ Track and Field team looks to pick up from where they ended last year when they won their third consecutive Northern Lakes League Title and finished third at Districts. Head Coach Mr. David Briggs however, is going to have a hard time replacing star athletes like Jacob Barnes and Jarred Bowens, who graduated last year. The boys’ have a lot of young talent returning as regional qualifiers seniors Kevin McKown, Collin Quinn, senior Mike Wallace and juniors James Ragland and Blake Miller look to lead the team to their fourth consecutive NLL Title.

“It takes athletes from all areas and puts them on one team and we have a lot of fun,” said Mr. Briggs.

The boys are once again led by arguably the best distance team in Northwest Ohio. Leading the distance runners sophomore Kyle Brooks, junior Matt Disher, McKown, cross country state runnerup Wallace and junior Chris Weaver.

“We have a very deep distance team and have talent across the board,” said Brooks.

The field events have vastly improved since last year and are senior heavy at each event. High jumper senior Aaron Coolman looks to recover from a preseason injury and continue his success from last year along with long jumpers senior Zach Crampton and Quinn. The pole vaulters have one of the best trios in Northwest Ohio as seniors Bryan Bussing, Jake Martinez and Chris Sneider look to place at the top in leagues this season. The throwers have improved the most with new coach Mr. Patrick Kilbaine and are led

by senior Gabe Jones and junior Devin Welch.

“4-peat, our new coach is a real nice guy and we have never had a group this big before,” said Jones.

The mid-distance runners and sprinters look to continue their NLL dominance. The mid-distance runners are led by a trio of juniors including Josh Davis, Miller and Ragland. Replacing Bowens is a hard task, but Quinn, freshman Eric Massey and junior Austin Schwierking attempt to make up for him in the sprints and hurdles.

“I plan on us acquiring a 4-peat,” said Quinn.

The team will begin the season April 1 at St. Francis for the Knight Warm-up and then travel the following week to Whitmer to participate in the Gold W Invitational April 9.

The Girls’ Track team also looks to improve on their third place NLL finish last season. The girls’ biggest loss from last year is the irreplaceable state champion Meredith Wagner who now runs for the Ohio State University. Head Coach Mrs. Holly Nartker has a lot of high quality talent as state qualifiers sophomore Janelle Noe, senior Mackenzie Reeves and junior Allison Work attempt to dominate Northwest Ohio again this year.

“Our team looks to be one of one of the best in the NLL this season,” said Coach Nartker.

The girls are led by a distance crew that once again qualified for states as a team in cross country. The distance team is led by junior Moe Dean and sophomore Abby Masters.

“I’m excited for the season and hope that we have a good distance team again,” said Dean.

The girls are led mostly by sophomores in all of the field

MELICK GETTING A GOOD JUMP OFF THE BLOCKS is key to a great race and these LadyKats are practicing their starts in hopes of crushing the future competition.

THE WEIRDEST

MASCOTS IN THE CONTINENTAL US

MELICK THROWING A BIG METAL BALL, or shot put, may not seem like an easy task, but freshman Gabe Rioux makes it look easy. The throwers have a new coach this year, Mr. Patrick Kilbaine events and look to improve from their freshman season. Leading the high jump and long jump are regional qualifiers sophomores Megan Matrisciano and sophomore Lauren Yurjevic. The girls’ pole vaulting team continues to get better as they are led by senior Alexa Kalanquin and Matrisciano. Learning new techniques on how to throw from their new coach Mr. Patrick Kilbaine, the throwers team, led by senior Julia Hage and sophomore Alli Wipf, continue to improve.

“We will be better since we have more experience,” said Lauren Yurjevic.

The mid-distance runners are ready to show everyone that they are the best around as Noe, Reeves and 800-meter district record holder Work look to leave everyone in the dust this season.

“I hope we can all make it to States again,” said Work.

The sprinters look to improve a lot from the previous season as they are led by sophomores Stephanie Duwve, Mackenzie Miller, Lauren Yurjevic, and senior Samantha Yurjevic.

“Our motto is look good, feel good, be good,” said Samantha Yurjevic.

The team will begin the season April 1 at St. Francis for the Knight Warm-up and then travel the following week to Eastwood for the Eastwood Invitational on April 9.

By: Yianni Papadimos

With all this March Madness infecting the air, many teams have hit the court with tremendous skill and hunger for the game. After some thorough research, it has been determined that there are quite a few NCAA Division 1 teams that find themselves represented by mascots of the strangest sort. The following list is composed of the 19 weirdest mascots in the NCAA.

Delaware Fighting Blue Hens

Presbyterian Blue Hose

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Tennessee Volunteers

St. Bonaventure Bonnies

Centenary Gentlemen

Nebraska Corn Huskers

Campbell Fighting Camels

Drexel Dragons

LA Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns

Stony Brook Seawolves

IPFW Mastodons

Tulane Green Waves

UC Irvine Anteaters

St. Peter’s Peacocks

Mizzou KC Kangaroos

Syracuse Orange

Ohio State Buckeyes

Toledo Rockets

The most frightening of farm fowl.

All-American for Service Hours.

The most frightening of farmers.

Finger lickin’ champions.

Only extinct mascot in the NCAA. Some pretty gross dining halls.

Put another shrimp on the barbi.

The scariest nut you’ll ever crack.

Putting out the flame since 1880.

By far the laziest.

Spit in the competition’s face!

Completely made up.

Oh, the irony!

Shake your tail feathers.

Most mascots are nouns.

Only man made mascot.

Devil priests are oxymoronic.

Title 9 hasn’t kicked in yet.

Not real.