Issue 3 - Sylvania Northview High School
Transcription
Issue 3 - Sylvania Northview High School
SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL TAKES THE STAGE Th e For more info see EDITORIALS, PG 5 and FEATURES, PG 8 NEW LUCAS COUNTY ARENA OPENS DOWNTOWN Sylvania Northview HS 5403 Silica Drive Sylvania, OH 43560 No vember 10, 2009 See SPORTS, PG 11 Student n Prints Sylvania Northview Volume 84 Issue 3 Chemistry classes celebrate mol day with holiday style COMPUTERS AND HOMEWORK: IS THE RELATIONSHIP A BLESSING BURDEN? OR A BUR See EDITORIALS, PG 5 for the full debate. NV JUNIORS AND SENIORS SUIT UP FOR THE FIRST ANNUAL POWDERPUFF FOOTBALL GAME For a detailed look, see FEATURES, PG 7. Abbey Strick PASSING A MARSHMALLOW as part of a Mol Day competition in Ms. Jenn Crosley’s classroom is junior Graham Kelsey and senior Abby Reeb. The team chose to celebrate “Mol-oween” and ended up winning the award for best theme in their class. By AURORA MILLIRON St aff writ er Chemistry teacher Miss Jenn Crosley has been in charge of Mol Day for the past seven years. After going to a conference and seeing a teacher enthused over Mol Day, she started researching the activity. Mr. Andy Roth started helping her after the first year, then Mr. Ellis started teaching Chemistry and joined the group. At this point, a NV Chemistry tradition had begun, according to Ms. Crosley. Mol Day is celebrated October 23 from 6:02a.m. until 6:02p.m in Chemistry classes. This event is a very “puny” holiday with each activity during the day incorporating the word Mol. The theme this year was “Molar Express.” Each team of students picked a holiday and then creatively dressed up and made a team flag. Some holidays that were chosen included Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, Fourth of July, and Memorial Day. “I think that it is a way for students to have fun with the word Mol and start to lose their fear about the concept,” said Ms. Crosley. “My group decided to choose Valentine’s Day and call it Molentine’s Day,” said junior Mel Worley. Individually, every student had to sew his or her own stuffed mole. The moles would then be decorated in accordance with the holiday chosen and could be dressed up in various clothes or have patterns glued on. “Mol Day was a fantastic experience and winning the best Mol further intensified the joy of learning Avogadro’s number,” said junior Viktor Barricklow. Some activities that the students participated in were “Mol in one,” “molesical chairs,” “ring a mole,” “name that tune,” “pin the mole” and “molwing.” The biggest part of the day were the Mol races. Each team chose one team member to race with their stuffed mole on their back with flippers on their feet. The chosen member then crawled on his hands and knees to the finish line without the stuffed mole falling off. “Mol Day was amazing,” said junior Mackenzie Reeves. “It was definitely the best day so far; I was so happy.” Everyone also brought in different kinds of foods, such as chips and salsa, guacamole and quesadillas to celebrate their holidays to share for Mol Day. “Watching everyone compete and enjoy the festivities is the best part of Mol Day, “ said Mr. Roth. Captains compete in assembly By SKYLAR ROSE St aff writ er NV’s fall sports teams went out in style with an assembly November 23 that Student Government took a lot of time to prepare for, according to Advisor Mrs. Jenson. “During the week leading up to the assembly, Student Government discussed ideas together and with Mr. Jesse to get ready for Friday,” said senior President Katherine Chang. On Friday, all Student Government members missed 8 and 9 periods to set up the gym. The band played the Alma Mater to kick off the assembly. Then, senior Matt Meehan MCed the beginning of the assembly before students watched the fall sports slide show. All of the fall sport team captains were recognized. To add some competition between the captains, there was a relay race between the sports. There were six teams total with four captains per team. Each captain had to go to the middle of the gym and put on two pieces of sporting equipment. “It was really fun but also hard because I kept dropping the football and pom pom while Abbey Strick WORKING TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE is senior football captain Tyler James during the Fall Sports Assembly. Football and cheer captains won the relay race. doing the crab walk,” said Cowell. The first person had to bear crawl, the second person had to crab walk, the third person had to do the wheel barrel, and the fourth person had to army crawl. The team with senior football players Scott Goellnitz and Tyler James and cheerleaders Lauren Cowell and Morgan Melchert won the relay. “Our team was so good,” said Goellnitz. “I started out super fast so that the two girls in the middle didn’t have to do much. We won because Tyler finished it for us. To end the assembly, the Varsity football players were brought down to the gym floor to pep up the school for their game against Southview the next Friday. Band plays for junior highs By MOLLY PORTERFIELD St aff writ er Junior highs and elementary schools around Sylvania were visited by some of Northview’s musical organizations. The NV marching band visited McCord, Arbor Hills, Highland, Hillview, and Maplewood to play for students and teachers November 4. NV’s choirs sang for the students at McCord and Arbor Hills. “Going to the schools is always a bunch of fun,” said senior Taylor Meek. “The students who are in band and the kids who attend the different schools really enjoy this event.” The marching band performed songs from the football season, such as Hey Baby. Many students from the band sang to their siblings or former teachers attending the school as Hey Baby played on. “I had been seeing the band come to my school since first grade,” said freshman Greg Clapp. “It was really cool to actually be able to participate in it this year.” The band also played the NV Fight Song, Back in Black, Shine Down, Respect, and many more. NV’s marching band tours the junior highs and elementary schools every year. After lunch half the band went to Hillview and the other half went to Maplewood. There the students continued to play their stand tunes and a few of their favorite half-time shows, according to Meek. “It was really exciting to see how happy the little kids were when the band would play,” said Meek. Younger students around the area got to hear the NV symphonic, ACapella, road show and chamber choirs sing. These NV musical organizations gave younger students in the NV district an idea of what they can be involved with in their future high school careers. “I think it’s a really good thing to travel to the schools because we get to show them what marching band in high school is all about,” said junior field commander Julia Hage. “It’s also one of the bands favorite events to participate in all year.” 2 Olander Hike: Seussical cast, NHS volunteer Northview’s National Honor Society and Theatre celebrated Halloween a little early by passing out candy to trick-or-treaters October 24 at the Halloween Hike. Sylvania’s Halloween Hike is an annual event held at Olander Park where festive trickor-treaters get a preview of the upcoming Halloween holiday. Chair people Leah Smith and Haley Hofbauer, organized NHS’s participation in this year’s hike with over 20 NHS members handing out candy. “NHS covered four out of the 20 some stations at the Hike,” said Smith. “There were also lots of other community groups there like the Sylvania Advantage, the Sylvania Police Department and Girl Scouts.” The members were separated into groups of five at each station. Students signed up to participate in the Hike during the summer meeting. Dressed in costumes, members met at the Maintenance Building at 5:15p.m. and stayed until about 7:45p.m. passing out candy to the children. “It was really fun passing out the candy to the kids,” said NHS member Melissa Rondinelli, “but it was just really cold outside.” NV’s Seussical the Musical cast and crew also participated in the Hike in order to create publicity for the play. All members were welcomed to come but only the lead roles and make-up crew were required to participate. “We met at school about an hour before the Hike to get the cast in costume and make-up,” said senior stage manager Marissa Mercurio. Cast members were dressed as their Seussical characters while the make-up crew and stage managers wore their Seussical shirts. NHS and Seussical members were not the only NV faces seen at the Hike. NV teachers Mr. Andy Roth, Mrs. Seal-Roth and Mr. Dan Dubiel brought along their children to join in the Halloween festivities. “My kids and I go to the Halloween Hike every year,” said Mr. Roth. “I purposely made my kids say ‘trick or sucrose’ to some of my former students that were at the Hike.” - Katherine Chang Drama club ended at NV For the first time in five years, there will be no Northview Drama Club for the 2009-2010 school year. Mr. Don Wachowiak, the Director of the NV theatre program, will not be serving as the adviser this year. “I decided that I was not going to continue as the adviser if I wasn’t getting paid for it,” said Mr. Wachowiak. There is still a possibility of the Winter One Act plays being produced as usual this year, according to Mr. Wachowiak, but only if funding allows. As of right now, however, these productions are on hold, since they are a function of the Drama Club. “I am just really upset that it might not happen this year,” said sophomore Erin Owens, who participated in One Acts last year. “It was a great opportunity and I would be sad to see it go.” In regards to whether or not Drama Club will resume next year, “it all depends on future negotiations,” according to Mr. Wachowiak. - Kelsey Pomeroy Cheerleaders host dance After the home football game, the Northview cheerleaders hosted a spirit dance in the auxiliary gym October 23. “It was a lot of fun to be able to go to a dance without having to dress up,” said sophomore Christine Blaisdell. Tickets for the dance were on sale for $5. The cheerleaders sold t-shirts that said, “Cage SV” which were on sale for $12, and also included a ticket. “The dance was a lot more fun than I expected it to be, they should have another one,” said sophomore Natalie Forrester. The NV tailgate was on October 28 at the Village Inn. Also, the Village Inn catered the event. - Meagan Moyer NEWS November 10, 2009 World language clubs celebrate traditional festivities, culture By HALEY HOFBAUER News edit or Ever wanted to eat a skull? The Northview Spanish Club was able to do just that on November 4 in celebration of the very popular Hispanic holiday, Dia de los Muertos. Dia de los Muertos is celebrated in Latin America and Mexico on the second day of November. Dia de los Muertos is similar to Halloween except for the fact that Dia de los Muertos revolves around honoring the dead, instead of haunted houses and other frightening things. “It’s important for Spanish Club to celebrate Dia de los Muertos because it gets students familiar with some Hispanic traditions,” said Mrs. Chris Monday. “The Dia de los Muertos celebration is also one of the kids favorites and when it’s fun they’ll remember the holiday more.” Every year, in order to celebrate this holiday, the Spanish Club makes sugar skulls. The recipe for making the sugar skulls is very simple. All that is need is water, sugar, a mold of a skull and an assortment of candies to decorate the skulls. “I thought making the skulls were a lot of fun,” said junior Kasey Brooks. “I hope I get to experience this super fun event again next year.” Spanish Club will be selling t-shirts from November 6 through November 13. The Spanish Club will also be starting their Holiday caroling practices soon in order to prepare for caroling at the Toledo Zoo December 16. The Spanish Club was not the only World Language club celebrating these past couple of weeks, the NV German Club held a celebration for Oktoberfest October 29. Oktoberfest is celebrated in Munich. The people of Munich celebrate this holiday in order to celebrate a royal wedding. “We like to celebrate Oktoberfest because it’s a huge part of Southern German culture and it is one of the most famous festivals in the world,” said Frau Christina Forster. “It’s important that our students experience it.” To bring Oktoberfest to life the German Club ate traditional Oktoberfest foods, learned fun facts, and played games, according to Frau Forster. German Club will be celebrating Fashing, a German form of Mardi Gras, on November Stephanie Yarnell DECORATING THEIR SUGAR SKULLS are juniors Kasey Brooks and Taylor Wieslack. The Spanish Club celebrated the famous Hispanic holiday Dia de los Muertos by making sugar skulls. The skulls could have been decorated with an assortment of candies such as skittles, chocolate chips and many different colored frostings. 12 after school. Fashing officially begins on November 11 which is the beginning of the Mardi Gras season in Central Germany. The French Club and French classes kicked off National French Week on Friday November 6. National French Week runs from November 6-10. To celebrate National French Week students in all levels of French could participate in a plethora of activities. On November 9 students had the option of making a dessert to place in the teachers lounge for teachers to enjoy during their lunches. Students could make anything from creme puffs to brioche oau chocolat, according to Ms. Kim Gogel. “We like to give the teachers an extra sweet treat that they can look forward to,” said Ms. Gogel. “We also want to make sure National French Week reaches out to the teachers as well as the students.” Along with “dessert for teachers” French Club is having a scavenger hunt with students in French at Arbor Hills Junior High and McCord Junior High today at 3. The students from Arbor Hills and McCord will be traveling to NV immediately after their schools let out. “We invite the kids from Arbor Hills and McCord in order to let them see how French Club is at NV,” said Ms. Gogel. “We also invite them because it helps to ease their anxieties about coming to NV next year.” The scavenger hunt will take place around NV and all the clues are going to be in French. The students will be split up into different groups and once they find what the clue is asking for they have to take a picture of it. The next French Club event will be Holiday caroling at the Toledo Zoo on December 16 along with the Spanish and German Clubs. The French Club will be holding caroling practice sessions throughout November and the beginning of December to prepare for the big event. SPADE full of new faces, ready for competitive new season By HARLEY ROHRBACHER St aff writ er The Speech and Debate Team has already received some great news this year, according to senior President Elizabeth Schwartz. “We are a part of the National Forensics League and based on how our team did throughout last year at the tournaments, we are placed as being in the top 10% of all teams in the nation, which is a great honor,” said Schwartz. SPADE has welcomed 12 new debaters and about 15 new “speechies” to the team this year, according to Schwartz. “This is the largest amount of new members we have had in years,” said Schwartz. “When we had our parents meeting, we had to find more chairs for everyone to sit in, which was exciting.” The first big SPADE event was a fashion show held November 9 in Northview’s cafeteria after school. “It’s just a fun way to show the novices what they should and should not wear at tournaments,” said senior Vice President John Holler. The coaches for SPADE this year include head coach, Mr. Joe Drouillard, the speech coach, NV graduate Mr. Griffin Browning, and the debate coach, St. John’s Jesuit and Ohio State University graduate, Mr. David Zavac. “We were worried about how debate would do this year after losing our debate coach,” said Schwartz. “But David has been a great help to the team already.” Natalie Forrester REVIEWING A PUBLIC FORUM CASE is senior President Elizabeth Schwartz and Connor McEwen and freshman Michael Schwartz. Returning members this year are seniors Elizabeth Schwartz, Haley Nelson, Courtney Tipton, John Holler, Sarah Fatemi, Alyse Rogerson, and Jacob Justinger. Junior returning members include Viktor Barricklow and Kelvin Lui. Jennifer Deng and Moe Dean are the returning members for the sophomore class. The first SPADE tournament is November 6 and 7 at Perry High School in Canton, Ohio. BEYO n D v Augu st 28, 2009 AP Gov’t students work polls By HALEY HOFBAUER News edit or Mr. Perry Lefevre’s AP government students got a taste of life as a poll worker on Election Day November 3. Many of Mr. Lefevre’s students assisted the Board of Elections at different poll stations around the district. There were around 40 students participating from both Northview and Southview. Approximately 20 students represented NV. In order to prepare and learn about the polls, students had to attend a workshop that taught them about the voting process and how the Election Day was going to run, according to senior John Holler. The students also learned how to put together the computerized voting machines and how to check in voters. “I thought the workshop was extremely enlightening,” said Holler. “Although it was a little long, it really helped prepare us for the actual election day.” The night before Election Day, the student volunteers had to be at their poll station to check the machines and make sure that they were functioning properly. The students had to be there from 6pm until all the machines were tested and everything else was ready to go for the next day. “I had to set up all the machines by myself because no one else at my precinct knew how to,” said senior Connor McEwen. “It didn’t take as long as I thought to set up and I was surprised at how much I remembered about the machines from the workshop.” Students were placed randomly around the county. Students could have been placed anywhere from SV to Whiteford Elementary to McCord Jr. High School. However, some students were placed as far away as the UAW, which is the Local 14 Union Hall on Jackman “I got to work in Toledo and it was interesting to see all the people that came out to vote. Working the polls definitely has me looking forward to voting in the future,” -s enior Haley Armstrong and Alexis. The day of the election students had to be at their poll stations from 6am to whenever their precinct closed which was usually around 8:30pm, with an hour for lunch. During the day of the election students were kept very busy. At 6am students helped the other people at their site set up machines and get all the paperwork ready. Everything had Co-edit ors Students are rarely afforded the opportunity to get an up-close look at politics. On October 23, current Lucas County Commissioner and former Toledo mayoral candidate, Mr. Ben Konop, spoke to Mr. Perry Lefevre’s sixth and seventh period AP Government classes. He spoke about how he became County Commissioner, the importance of revitalizing Toledo, what his job entails and his views regarding current issues. We sat with him in-between classes to ask a few more personal questions. Q: A: What is your connection to Northview? I grew up in the NV district and I had Swine flu affects absences The flu season has hit early with the arrival of the pandemic influenza virus H1N1 or the Swine Flu. Since the regular flu season does not usually start until late November, the majority of flu cases in the past few months are being treated by doctors and schools as the Swine Flu, according to Principal Mr. Stewart Jesse. “The percent increase of absences has been between 20-33%. Teacher absences have increased as well due to themselves and their own children getting sick,” said Mr. Jesse. “We have seen that most doctors are simply viewing their patients’ symptoms and treating them for the Swine Flu. Therefore, most of our recent absent students might not have had the Swine Flu but were just being treated for it to prevent the virus from having a chance to spread. Usually we see that students are absent for about three days, and then they come back.” “When I had the Swine Flu, my doctor told me to not come into contact with other people until I went 24 hours without having a fever,” said junior Austin Pase. “I missed an entire week of school.” This year’s Swine Flu, or A-H1N1/09, is a type of zoonotic disease or disease that can jump between species, according to Megan Foster SITTING AT THE PROVISIONAL VOTING TABLE AT MCCORD JUNIOR HIGH is senior AP Government student Katherine Chang. Judges were required to be at their voting location at 6 a.m. and to stay to close down the polls until 8 p.m. to be set up and ready to go by 6:30am because that’s when the polls officially opened. Once the polls were opened students would wait until someone came into their precinct in order to check them in and make sure they were in the right place to vote. Students were either at a greeting table, where people found out which precinct they were in, or they were at a certain precinct checking in people waiting to vote. At 7:30pm the polls officially closed. At this time students had to shut down all the machines and record the number of ballots used on each machine. They also had to make sure all the equipment and ballots were safely secured in their appropriate containers. “I thought the day was going to go by really slowly, but it really wasn’t that bad,” said senior Natalie Dicola. “Although I was really upset I didn’t get to vote, I ended up having a really good time.” For helping the Board of Elections run the polls on Election Day the students received $140. The whole idea behind having students work the polls is to get them involved with the voting process and to be able to see how their political system works. “I think it’s important for students to work the polls because students are the future electorate and it gives them a great opportunity to see our political system from the ground up,” said Mr. Lefevre. “It’s really great that we have a system that allows our students to participate in something like this.” Lucas county commissioner visits AP Government classes By HALEY NELSON and SARAH SQUILLANTE 3 two brothers and two sisters who graduated from here. I was part of the 1984 Homecoming festivities when my sister forced me to dress up as cupid and sit on the cheerleading float. And of course, I was a frequent sledder on the NV hill. Q: A: Why do you come talk to young students? I enjoy being around young, smart people, like here at NV. It is good to get out of the office and actually interact with students. Q: What is your job as Lucas County Commissioner? A: My job is basically an administrative position; I make sure that the sales taxes we receive are spent correctly and work to maintain the community. Q: What is the hardest party of your job? A: It is difficult to deal with a contracting economy, which has greater needs, but fewer resources and doing so in a place that is very resistant to change. Q: What do you hope to do in the future? A: Well, tonight, I’m hoping to go the Walleye game [laughs]. In all honesty, I would like to continue doing public service in some way. Q: A: What is your advice to high school students? I have noticed a big problem is that young people are not voting. Toledo’s average voter is about 60 years old; therefore politicians are only looking to serve that age group because we do not know how a younger generation feels. I would definitely advocate more political participation and interest. “We have seen that most doctors are simply viewing their patients’ symptoms and treating them for the Swine Flu,” - Principal Mr. St ewart Je s s e Google Health. Not only does this disease include two genes from pig viruses found in European and Asian pigs, but it also includes genetic strains of the bird flu and human flu viruses, making this virus a quadruple reassortant; a virus containing genetic material from two are more viruses, according to Observer Today. Since only .23% of 10,000 cases were found to be fatal, U.S. health officials conclude that the Swine Flu is no more dangerous than the regular flu, according to bio-medicine.org. It is found that the disease can be fatal to those above the age of 65, children younger than five, pregnant women and people with other chronic medical conditions. More than 70% of people hospitalized due to H1N1 have fallen into these categories, according to Observer Today. “People are acting like the Swine Flu exists all over NV,” said junior Ken Bodie. “I think it’s just an excuse to get out of school.” Lucas County received 1,500 doses of vaccinations October 9, according to toledoonthemove.com. These vaccinations came in two different types: a nasal spray and an injection. The nasal spray was first made available to health and emergency workers and the injection is primarily recommended for pregnant women and children. Those who have the greatest fatality risks of the virus are first in line for vaccinations. “The nasal vaccination was easy to get,” said German teacher Ms. Christina Forster. “After I got it, though, it made me sick. If you’re going to get vaccinated, I wouldn’t recommend getting the nasal spray.” Common symptoms of A-H1N1/09 include chronic cough, congestion, headache, unusual fatigue and body sores. Fever, vomiting and diarrhea are also common but are not true to all cases, according to medicinenet.com. Fatality occurs when the virus attacks the lungs and leads to pneumonia or respiratory failure. Vaccination is not the only way to avoid the Swine Flu. President Obama has recommended three simple steps to avoid the spread of disease, according to USA Today. These steps are simply frequent hand washing, covering coughs and staying at home when even slightly ill. - Amanda Metcalf EDITORIALS November 10, 2009 Scholarships awarded for wrong reasons Scholarships. This word encompasses so many different things; you can receive an athletic, academic, or miscellaneous scholarship. They all have standards that must be met. To get an academic scholarship your GPA, ACT and SAT scores all must be high enough to even qualify but way that colleges decide who receives academic scholarships is wrong. Many schools basically decide how much they are giving you based on your GPA, ACT and SAT scores. Scholarship Boards have a chart to decide how much money you receive. The chart usually has class rank, GPA, and ACT/ SAT scores. Then you are awarded money for how well you preform on the test. This is not an accurate way to decide who gets how much money you receive. What if you took a bunch of honors and advanced placement classes and that is why you have a lower GPA? What if you’re not good at taking standardized tests? Many students have lower GPAs because they chose to challenge themselves academically. Those students’ GPAs are normally still very good, but they could be higher if that student would have taken all regular courses. That student instead chose to challenge themselves in high school. That student should get awarded for challenging themselves and not penalized because their GPA is not a 4.0. In addition, there are plenty of students who do not do well on standardized tests. Many students felt ill prepared because there was no material to study. Also, it is over common knowledge. There is no just way to know for certain that every [student] being tested has a fair amount of knowledge going into the test, according to brighthub.org/education. In other words, standardized tests may not necessarily be fair because there is no way to test the amount of knowledge that person has acquired throughout their schooling. Standardized testing, though, it is supposedly linked to demonstrating college I propose a change to this process. Other colleges have already changed their policies to become “test optional” schools. This means that you do not have to send in your SAT or ACT scores if you choose not to. readiness, may not necessarily be a proper way to assess a student’s knowledge and their ability to do well in college. For example, a student who could be extraordinarily brilliant could go to college and be completely there for a social event. The money that the college had invested in that student will have gone to waste. Also, determining how much scholarship money a student will receive because of their class rank is sketchy as well. Many schools, like NV, have very high standards when it comes to academics. Also, since NV is a big school, the class sizes are larger therefore there are more students who will have a good GPA. If a student is ranked seventieth in their class but yet has a very respectable GPA, doesn’t it still look bad that this student is ranked so low? It should not matter how many other students have a better GPA than them. Some schools do not have as good of academics as NV so having class rank be a factor in how much scholarship money a student receives is not fair. I propose a change to this process. Other colleges have already changed their policies to become “test optional” schools. This means that you do not have to send in your SAT or ACT scores if you choose not to. Instead you can send in some of your latest writing assignment or something other than your scores depending on what university you are applying to, according to Wittenberg College representative Bridget Mourse. In addition, colleges should just throw out their charts that determine how much money they will give you. Colleges should look at how many honors or AP classes you have taken from your transcripts and then compare that to your GPA. It is not right when a student who has taken maybe one honors class receives more money than a student who took many honors classes just because the first student had a higher GPA. Scholarships should be based on how the student does overall and what they spend their time doing, not based on some chart that decides how much money a student will get. -Nicole Mangas Respect NV, custodians - clean up By the end of the day, Northview is a mess. Bits of paper litter the floor in classrooms. Someone in the hallway apparently tripped and neglected to pick up their things. Some unidentifiable food is stuck to the cafeteria floor. And the bathrooms: trash cans overflowing, hair in the sink, soap residue slowly dyeing the bathroom floor pink (and that’s just the girls’ bathroom.) However, by the next day it is as if a reset button has been pushed – hallways are spotless, bathrooms have been cleaned, floors swept and the cafeteria is no longer sticky. This miraculous transformation is the work of NV’s dedicated custodial staff. It is such a common occurrence that most students no longer notice nor realize the incredible effort that is needed to maintain the school. What seems like a simple task of sweeping floors or emptying trash is, in actuality, a full-time job of almost constant work. A single custodian can be responsible for multiple areas of the school, according to custodian Ruth Warnke, who has worked at NV for 12 years and personally ensures that the windows, hallways, floors, cafeteria and boys’ bathroom is kept clean. In addition to their many responsibilities, custodians also have to work difficult hours. At a time when most students are still struggling to even get out of bed, some begin arriving at school at 6:00 a.m., spending most of their shift on their feet. The simple objective of all this hard work is to make the school as clean, and therefore as enjoyable, for the students as possible. Fast forward to during the school day. Someone who thinks they are sweet at life attempts to throw a piece of paper away basketball-style from across the room, misses completely, and then neglects to pick it up. Another person in the hallway decides to start a shoving match with someone else, causing them to drop their things, which somehow never get picked up. In the cafeteria, crumbs from people’s lunches wind up all over the tables, and their owners leave without giving a second thought. I am at a loss to explain what goes on in the bathrooms. But it needs to be said that each and every thoughtless action mentioned above is a slap in the face to those who work so hard to keep our school as clean as it is. I am not saying that it is every student’s job to police every other student, wiping the floors and giving lectures on pollution in their free time. Students are here to learn. However, they are also here to learn manners. The vast majority of students in this building are 14 and up, which is plenty old enough to know where those torn-off paper edges belong. If everyone were to clean up only after themselves, this school would be much cleaner, and give our awesome custodial staff a well-deserved break. After all, it is common courtesy to not just walk off and leave your gigantic mess for someone else to deal with. “Just clean up after yourselves,” said Warnke. “That would help.” Through the simple act of cleanliness students would not only become more responsible, they would also be more fair to the custodians by not making them do unnecessary cleaning. Some messes are just going to happen, of course, and there is no way around it, but if it is a case of a student just being lazy, that needs to stop. And while you’re at it, why not say a quick thank you to those who work so hard to keep our school shining. After all, a little appreciation goes a long way. -Elizabeth Masson Swine flu frenzy unnecessary “Breaking News: Swine flu is on the loose.” This title plagues every aspect of our society’s media today. But is it really necessary? Swine flu can be a harmful illness but so can many other types of sicknesses. The virus is life threatening when you have prior health conditions and contract it. But the fear that swine flu promotes is extensive to the point where it becomes greater than just a healthy concern. It consumes people so immensely that they feel it is necessary to wear face masks to the mall when in reality a routine washing of hands would suffice. The media hypes everything up way too much especially with the two words “breaking news.” This simple phrase embellishes stories, making them seem more important than they truly are. The media says things like “Breaking news: it will snow tomorrow.” Next thing you know, lines in the grocery store are forming with crazed parents stocking up enough bottled water to survive inside their houses for days. People are trailing toboggans behind them to transport their over abundance of groceries home for the so called “storm of the century” that seems to reoccur every year. Four-wheel drive is being put to use and the snow has yet to hit the ground. But hey, rather be safe than sorry, right? The media forces citizens to abandon their critical thinking skills. Rather than thinking about the situations themselves, they listen to exactly what the news reporter tells them. Our society could be compared to a population of lemmings, the rodents that follow each other over a cliff and end up drowning in the sea. People take the words of the newscaster or meteorologist and run with them, often too far. So the true question is posed: Is the risk of contracting swine flu as serious as it’s made out to be? Is it necessary to wear a surgical, germprotective mask to the mall? Is the hysteria of the swine flu virus rational and based on fact or is it glorified, unreal fear created by the media? swine flu is a concern, but abiding by every warning claiming to keep us safe will make us crazy. For example we are told to use purell on our hands before, during, and after each class. Swine-cycle Takin’ over by Daniel Rhollans Hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed in all classrooms. But, some expert reports say that germs become immune to purell, and overuse could encourage new purell resistant bacteria to form. They tell us to go back to soap and water hand washing. But then, the sink handle may have swine flu germs on it. Maybe the best advice is to get plenty of rest and stay well hydrated. But should I drink water from the faucet? I am told that this source carries heavy metals and other pollutants that are bad for me. Then again, if I drink bottled water from a plastic container, the chemicals from the plastic container could be harmful. Perhaps I should just find a glacier with pure water frozen centuries ago for my hydration source. But my travel path to the glacier might be too dangerous. Think for yourself: Do not blindly follow everything that the media tells you to do. Swine flu is an important concern, but I advise you to gather your own information and decide for yourself if it deserves the over-exaggeration. -Margot Jacobs Swine flu...see how it’s riding in and taking control? Th e 4 Student Prints Sylvania Northview High School 5403 Silica Drive Sylvania, Ohio 43560 2009-2010 Co-Editors-In-Chief: Haley Nelson & Sarah Squillante Advisor: Sarah Huey News Editor: Haley Hofbauer Photo Editor: Abbey Strick Features Editors: Katherine Chang & Yianni Papadimos Sports Editor: Alexx Klein Opinions Editors: Sarah Fatemi & Adam Jurski Business Editor: Kristi Kopaniasz Staff Writers: David Aldrich, Alex Carter, Estar Cohen, Mary Grace Fitzgerald, Addison Hirschfeld, Margot Jacobs, Alexa Kalanquin, Nicole Mangas, Elizabeth Masson, Amanda Metcalf, Aurora Milliron, Megan Moyer, Kelsey Pomeroy, Molly Porterfield, Harley Rohrbacher, Skylar Rose, Mami Silver, Bridget Thomas, Brian Wadsworth, Ally Yocom The Student Prints is the official student-produced newspaper of Sylvania Northview High School. It is distributed monthly at no charge to serve the purpose of informing students, faculty, staff, administration and the Sylvania community of current issues. The main goal of The Prints is to present coverage of events in an unbiased and accurate manner. The paper also respects the opinions and ideas of the entire NV community. Signed letters to the editors are encouraged and should be no longer than 300 words. All letters can be turned into the publications room, E-6. The Prints reserves the right to edit letters that contain grammatical errors, accuracy and profane or libelous comments. The newspaper staff is entirely responsible for the content of the paper and supports the First Amendment to the Constitution. Unsigned editorials published in The Prints are written by staff members, and agreed upon by a majority vote of the editorial board. The Prints is carefully examined by its staff and adviser prior to publication to prevent incorrect or libelous information. The newspaper staff does not endorse advertisements published in The Prints. Advertising specifications may be obtained by calling (419) 824-8708. The newspaper follows the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook guidelines for punctuation and grammar. The Prints is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and Quill and Scroll. EDITORIALS Homework on the computer: a blessing or a burden? Technology. Technology. Technology. Some people say it has been a positive addition to our society. Others disagree. However, after 13 years of schooling, it is clear to me that technology, especially computers, have only aided in my ability to learn and improve my education. Whether reading a 13th century poem for my Literature class or preparing for a dissection with the help of a virtual pig anatomy simulator, using the computer has always been a welcomed and helpful component of my time at school. Computers have consistently improved my ability to learn. Utilizing an interactive graphing program online for Calculus class or viewing an array of online illustrations for my English studies have helped me to better grasp the concepts my teachers are throwing at me. Online educational aids are novel ways to educate students. They are completely unavailable in a textbook and clarify concepts and ideas that are left vague and unrealistic on a two-dimensional sheet of paper. Interactive online quizzes, blogging, or world language web quests, for example, elucidate class material and further learning beyond traditional notes and worksheets. ksheets. Students need an education that is applicable to real life – and only an online medium can truly translate this tangibility. ibility. This generation of Northview students is much h more suited to use technology and the Internet; providing iding additional learning aids online i only is l llogical. i l In addition, ddition, the nuances and creativity available on the he Internet to help students are incredible – making ing the use of computers a key and effective tool to educate students. Using the innovative features ures computers have to offer in education coincides cides perfectly with the district initiative ative regarding the installation n of SmartBoards martBoards in all classrooms mss m and encouraging teachers to usee this technology as another nother teaching tool. Further, I know from p e r s o n a l rience that experience puter resources computer are a fantastic and ssary part of necessary y’s highly changing today’s and increasingly modern ational world. educational I can remember back to omore year when my biology teacher had sophomore our class use an online simulator that mirrored the ns of real human DNA. I was finally able to actions trulyy comprehend the effects certain proteins can nature of our have on the brain and see the true an genetic system, an image our text book and human illustrating. class hand outs were not clearly often guided My social studies teachers have o take online quizzes that provide me with a me to nostic report of what I need to continue to diagnostic w before an upcoming test. Thus, the computer review ides an effective and stress-free way for students to provides ctively prepare for exams, and accordingly, learn. effectively It cannot be denied that today’s society is becoming easingly concerned with the environment and increasingly into lesson plans livingg “green”. Incorporating computers and homework schedules fits into this “green” ideal. Teachers will not be forced to make countless douts of class readings or reference materials when handouts this work can simply be accessed online. exaample of this idea. My literature class serves as a good example kl our class l is assigned d about b h d ing from f medieval d l Weekly, three readings, ranging poems to classic epics to modern satires, in order for us to understand different literary principles, ideas, and techniques. acher where to print All of this reading is very necessary, however if our teacher copies for each of his about 40 students, he would likely bee printing about 300 wo class periods, and sheets a week. This is an extremely large number for only two multiplied by all teachers at NV and the entire United States, it is clear that a large amount of paper would be consumed. Thus, using computers to assign this reading and similar assignments is certainly eco-friendly. Some assert that using the computer is a nuisance. However, I find struggling through important concepts and endangering the environment to be a greater issue. But, that’s just personal. Computers serve as a creative, innovative, and eco-friendly manner for teachers to improve a student’s modern day education. From interactive quizzes, a plethora of educational texts, and three dimensional science and math models, the computer is an essential way to help all students learn with more ease, and thus become more interested in school. So, in my book, I’m giving technology like computers a big check mark of approval. Important concepts and endangering the environment to be a greater issue. But, that’s just personal. Computers serve as a creative, innovative, and eco-friendly manner for teachers to improve a student’s modern day education. From interactive quizzes, a plethora of educational texts, and three dimensional science and math models, the computer is an essential way to help all students learn with more ease, and thus become more interested in school. So, in my book, I’m giving technology like computers a big check mark of approval. -Haley Nelson 5 November 10, 2009 My homework load for tonight consists of a blog, an online-quiz, and revising a French paper. All three of these activities require one of the greatest gadgets ever created: the computer. With the computer, you can access the Internet at your fingertips, type a composition rather than write it, and even add special effects to presentations. Because it is considered to be easier, it is not at all surprising that many teachers require many assignments to be done using a computer. But is it really as less of a hassle as many people perceive it to be? First of all, my household only owns one computer. Every day, it is a (friendly) battle between my sister and I over who can use the computer right at that minute, and it is not exactly her fault. Her teachers require her to complete many assignments online as well, and chances are that many of your siblings’ teachers do too. This is excluding both of your parents, who prob probably have a million e-mails to check daily. So, why don’t you just use a computer at the library? That is normally a goo good alternative. However, all of the library’s computers are taken up because an entire class is there h ffor the h whole h l per period. iod. The computer lab has the same issue. And what normally happens when an entire class is logging on a t the exact same time? Some sort of technical problem inevitably occurs with the computers, which is not always necessarily fixed that same day. Plus, many students cannot seem to remember their password and are stuck logged out of their account for a few days. Computers can go wrong at any time, but many teachers have recently stopped accepting the “technical failure” excuse, as valid as it may be. Your screen freezes, your printer runs out of ink, your flash drive randomly decides to be damaged. Yet, many students have stressfully still had to deal with it. What happens with the press of a wrong key while you are typing up a lengthy paper? If it is not saved, the entire thing can be lost. S o m e teachers also assume t h a t students are equipped ith just with about everything. I recently had to buy a microphone and headset for an assignment in one of my classes. Though headsets and microphones are not very expensive, it was still time-consuming having to go to many different stores to see if they had the right kind as well as figuring out how to install and use it. Not only that, but the program I was to use for it had to be a specific kind. And I am not exactly what you would call a computer whiz. I do not even want to get started on the other distractions that are right on the computer. Every time I log onto Facebook, I see at least a few thousand statuses that read, “I should be studying/doing homework, but instead, I’m messing around on Facebook.” This is not even including other networking sites and countless online games that can instantly grab the attention of students away from what is truly important. Although students should be mature enough to know when it is work time and when it is play-time, you have to admit that when you are sitting right in front of the computer staring right at the screen, logging on to an unrelated site does seem very tempting. I am not saying that we should not have some assignments online. However, it actually would be less of a hassle if less were assigned online. -Sarah Fatemi Drama Club a must for NV Northview upholds the tradition of housing dozens of extra-curricular activities. There has always been a way to become involved. With an entire spectrum of clubs ranging from Speech and Debate to Spanish Club to our very own Harry Potter Club, one would think NV had all the corners covered. Wrong. For the first time in years, NV does not have a Drama Club. The reasoning why this cancellation of dramatic celebration occurred is simple. The advisor was not being paid. For years, the teacher in charge of Drama Club, Mr. Don Wachowiak, was not receiving a stipend for his efforts. However, it should be noted that many organizations, such as the Twilight and PingPong Clubs, have advisors that do not receive stipends. A stipend is a sum paid in surplus to a teacher’s actual paycheck. They receive it for leading students on a team or club as well as coordinating different academic activities. For example, a head swim coach who has worked at NV for seven years or more makes an estimated $7,530 for his or her efforts in coaching. An Art Club advisor who has been working at NV for seven years or more earns about $1,528, according to the Sylvania Education Association Contract. The Drama Club has ceased to exist because Mr. Wachowiak has stepped down as advisor for the understandable reason of not being compensated. With this resignation, the activities within Drama Club have come to an end. In the past, the Drama Club met monthly. They also traveled to multiple conferences and hosted a Winter One Act Play Festival, in which student playwrights were able to showcase their work. At the end of the year, the club hosted the “Red Carpet Awards” which honored students for their dramatic achievements. All of the Drama Club related activities took valuable time away from Mr. Wachowiak’s personal life. He was dedicating large sums of time towards work that could be called nothing except volunteerism. However, Mr. Wachowiak had attempted several times to communicate his troubles. “On two different occasions, I submitted a proposal to address student safety, supervision, liability, and compensation concerns,” said Mr. Wachowiak. Mr. Stewart Jesse had received the proposal and sent it forward to the School Board. The School Board has not yet responded, according to Mr. Wachowiak. With this resignation, the activities within Drama Club have come to an end. In addition to not being paid for his work in the Drama Club, Mr. Wachowiak receives $3,965 for both the musical and play, which requires the same amount of time and work as coaching the swim team. “Coaching and advising is always a labor of love,” said Ms. Sarah Huey. “However, to dedicate a huge chunk of your life and time to something is stressful and takes away from time you could be spending with your family and friends. Being paid helps balance out that inequity.” Both Ms. Huey and Mr. Wachowiak enjoyed working with students involved in their programs. However, while Ms. Huey coached the swim team from November to February of last year, Mr. Wachowiak worked on the play and musical from September through May. I can see why he would be upset. In truth, the choice belongs to the students. Those who participated in Drama Club in the years before would like it reinstated. However, in order for this to occur, it has come to the point that students need to take action. Drama Club members and their parents can voice themselves through letters to Mr. Jesse, Dr. Rieger, or the School Board. If we want Drama Club back, we will have to do something about. -Yianni Papadimos TV shows lack new ideas but not vampires Edward Cullen. Stefan Salvador. Bill Compton. What do all three of these characters have in common? They are all handsome, blood-sucking vampires. I personally do not have anything against vampires. However, I do have a bit of a problem when just about every movie or TV show recently released involves an innocent girl who unsuspectingly falls in love with a gorgeous vampire. Remember a few years ago, when every show on TV was about FBI agents or policemen? I could not even count how many different CSI versions there were. What about a few years after that, when everything was about the exciting life of a doctor, like Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice? And do not even get me started on all the TV movies on Lifetime. We may as well just call it the same movie but with different characters each time. Now, it is the vampires’ turn to overtake every angle of entertainment and there is not much difference between the plots. In every movie or show there is always an unsuspecting girl who can’t get this vampire hottie out of her head. I know, I know, there is just something so attractive about a guy who has a healthy serving of blood in his daily diet, not to mention, an overly pale face and ridiculously sharp teeth. I am not saying that it is wrong to be interested in vampire culture—humans seem to have this inexplicable fascination with fantasy creatures. It is when there are continual duplicates of the exact same thing that makes the entire theme seem cheesy and old news. Variety and originality are good things, when it comes to constructing a plot. I could probably predict what happens in True Blood’s next episode just by watching The Vampire Diaries. Maybe instead of chasing after an innocent girl like some sort of pedophile, the vampire could come across his identical twin, who just happens to be human. Or instead of making all the vampires desirable heartthrobs with ripped abs and six-packs, add a bit of chub and acne, just to spice things up a bit. For now, all I can do is throw out these suggestions or pray that this vampire phase passes fast. -Sarah Fatemi 6 November 10, 2009 Cold rooms, wet spots: could NV be haunted? Halloween may be over, but ghosts do not follow calendars. They continue to roam the earth, stuck between this world and the next. At first glance, Northview seems to be an ordinary school, but behind the sunny façade, there lies a more mysterious side, filled with strange occurrences. NV has experienced several odd happenings that obviously point to the paranormal. People do not want to believe the truth and try to use “reason” and “common sense” to explain the unexplainable. Hopefully, the following will expose NV as the haunted Mecca it truly is. Cold spots are often cited as being evidence of a spirit or ghostly presence. During the first few months of the school year, science teacher Mr. Andy Roth’s room, D-10, was much colder than the surrounding area no matter what time of day. The room has since grown warmer, indicating that the presence has left. Some would claim that this was a problem with the heating of the room and that it is now fixed. I find it just as possible that some sort of cleansing or exorcism took place to purge the room of the spirits that dwelled there. There have also been puddles forming on the floors of the school’s bathrooms on several occasions. What some see as evidence of a leaky pipe or messy students could also be seen as evidence of the beyond. Ectoplasm is a physical manifestation left by ghosts, according to wisegeek.com. It seems that ghosts are infesting the schools bathrooms and leaving this residue behind. Other spooky episodes include doors shutting by themselves, computers freezing and students walking around with blank distant expressions on their faces. Now some would claim that drafts, faulty programming and general tiredness explain these things, but these are just nonbelievers trying to find a logical explanation. Hopefully, now that all the evidence has been presented together, people will see that these cannot all be coincidences and that our high school is definitely, supposedly, possibly, sort of haunted . . . maybe. -David Aldrich COMMENTARY Review: Seussical the Musical impresses with creativity, talent After the phenomenal production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast last year, the general consensus was that this year’s musical would have extremely large shoes to fill. We were all left wondering; could such a fine performance possibly be topped? The answer to this question is definitely yes. Last weekend, Northview Theatre brought Seussical the Musical to the Franciscan Center and I, for one, was blown away. The acting was impressive, the songs thrilling, and the costumes and scenery vividly eye-catching. To call the show “amazing” would be doing it a great injustice. As I sat in my seat, eyes wide and mouth open, I was dimly aware of the fact that I was witnessing genuine talent, something that I am beginning to expect from NV’s gifted actors and actresses. The passion that the performers possessed was evident in the way that they danced, sang, and acted their way through the lively and uplifting musical that reminded us all that “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” The well-known Dr. Seuss story was narrated by the Cat in the Hat (played by senior Alex Gibson) and included many of the lovable characters that we all know from childhood, including Horton the Elephant (senior Andrew Szczerba), Mr. and Mrs. Mayor (played by junior Yianni Papadimos and senior Haley Nelson), Gertrude McFuzz (senior Hannah Dickerson), and Mayzie LaBird (senior Sia DuFour). One of the main characters, Jojo, was played by freshman Jack Melick, who lit up the theatre with a huge smile and a fantastic onstage personality. Brittany Von Stein, the Sour Kangaroo, had a notably unbelievable voice, while Thing One and Thing Two (played by junior Kaylie Martinez and freshman Morgan Rondinelli) delighted the audience with their crazy antics and comical expressions. To round out the cast were the chorus groups, such as the Whos, including elementary and middle-school aged students, Bird Girls, Wickersham Brothers, and even the Circus Acts to add to the jovial and entertaining atmosphere. Of course, the impressive music must be mentioned as well. NV’s pit orchestra played the marvelously zany music that complimented the acting so perfectly. They performed memorable songs that surely prompted goose bumps to raise on the arms of many an audience member, as they were played with so much enthusiasm and zest. All in all, Seussical the Musical was a fabulous performance of epic proportions. When the curtain was drawn and the final bows were made, I had only one thought in my mind; once again, NV Theatre had done the impossible and made fantasy a reality. And to those spectacular students and directors, I say this. Well done, everyone, well done. -Kelsey Pomeroy High School relationship love time-line By Mamie Silver One Month-It has now become St aff writ er socially acceptable to change your Facebook status to “in a relationship.” That is unless, of course, your boyfriend/girlfriend hasn’t kissed you, hugged you, or held your hand (basically, he acts like you have swine flu), in which case you should seriously question your boyfriend/ girlfriend picking abilities. Awkward ConversationC’mon, it’s happened to all of us. Assuming your potential boyfriend/girlfriend has gotten past the whole be-mean-to-theircrush stage, this period could last anywhere from a day to multiple months and is treacherous for both parties. One Week-At this point it could go either way. Did conversation flow or did he talk about the weather and school assignments the whole time (bad sign, unless you plan on being a weatherforecasting teacher when you grow up)? Oh, and be sure to start holding hands to make everyone aware of your newand-improved status. At this stage “the relationship hasn’t really progressed yet,” said freshman Meghan Leonard. One Day-Does this really even count as dating? Nine Months-If you haven’t already, you’d better spit out those three little words, because if you don’t soon your boyfriend/girlfriend may soon begin to wonder if you’re only in it for the free dates. Three Months-OK, we have now reached the time where dating becomes obnoxious to those who do not share your great compassion for your new love.Yes, this is the stage where some high school students find it completely acceptable to stop suddenly in the hallway and hug, kiss, or make out. Also, you abruptly lose your previous identity and your name is replaced by “that kid After High Schoolthat’s dating so-and-so.” Do not worry, this loss of Different college-Unless you individuality is completely normal. are star-crossed lovers, your relationship will (and trust me, it pains me to say this) probably end here. But don’t worry! It is widely accepted that college students are 27% more attractive than high school students, according to, well, no one. THE PEA NUT GALLERY Two Years-If you have made it this far, you might as well get married now (that was a joke), because not a whole lot of high school relationships will last this long.“To me, the most important aspect in a relationship is to be honest and respect each other,” said senior Brooke Darah. So, by this time go ahead and tell your significant other all of those gross things about yourself that no one really wants to know (like that toe-fungus you are trying to get rid of). Don’t worry, they won’t run away screaming. Hopefully. Six Months-Unless your boyfriend/ girlfriend is one of those super dramatic, obnoxiously over-sensitive types, it is now universally acceptable to start calling your boyfriend/girlfriend by nicknames and making fun of them for all the dumb things they do that you had previously ignored.This stage tends to be a big deal for high school students (oftentimes characterized by cheesy gifts and going out to Taco Bell for ‘nice Mexican cuisine’), probably because many relationships may be coming close to an end. One Year-Face it, high school students are lazy, and what better way to spend your time than to be lazy together? By this time, the average high school student in a relationship has come to the realization that dates are just way too expensive and that it is perfectly acceptable to watch TV and eat pizza together. After all, what could be more romantic than gaining weight with the one you love? “The ‘we love each other so much’, lovey-dovey stage is over,” said senior Colleen Grondin. Same College-You have put up with each other for this long so congratulations! Your relationship has a good chance of surviving. IF YOU COULD MAKE YOUR OWN DAY FOR SPIRIT WEEK, WHAT WOULD IT BE? “I would make the spirit day theme old people so everyone would dress up like an old person.” “Ninja day would be awesome.” -Junior Ellen Drabek -Fre s hman Libby Headman “I think we should have superhero day because a lot of people would do it.” -Sophomore Ali Rent s chler “ We should have government official day because government officials are genuinely important.” -Senior Daniel Rhollans FEATURES November 10, 2009 7 PO W D E R P U F F F O O T B A L L The Sport of True Champio n s CATCHING FIRE IN THE MASSIVE POST-GAME BONFIRE IS the “beatsv” sign. The bonfire was built and supervised by the Sylvania Fire Department. RUNNING THE BALL UP THE FIELD is junior Raina Padilla. Padilla gained many yards for her team. Padilla was a very important player, contributing to many of the junior girl’s successful plays. MANOEUVRING AROUND SENIOR DEFENDER ALEXX KLEIN is junior Mel Worley. The girls had to be swift on their feet because they were not allowed to tackle. ATTEMPTING TO RIP THE FLAG FROM SENIOR HANNAH SMALL IS junior Aurora Milliron while seniors Emily Snook and Kaitlyn Bryan block. Milliron contributed a great deal to the junior team defense, so much so that she was accidently tripped during one of the plays. CHEERING TOGETHER IN A HUDDLE IS the junior girls team. The Junior Girls emerged from the woods when they were announced for the crowd while the seniors came from atop the hill doing a cheer reminiscent of Remember the Titans. COACH ERIC KELLER TALKS WITH GIRLS from the junior team. Coach Keller, along with other NV football coaches, volunteered to referee for the game. Photos by Katherine Pence and Ms. Huey By KATHERINE CHANG Feature s edit or The Northview junior and senior Powderpuff teams prepped NV for the rivalry football game against the Southview Cougars October 29. It was a day filled with cheering, jeering, aggressive plays and victory chants as the juniors in pink faced off against the seniors in baby blue. Seniors and juniors that signed up to play Powderpuff practiced the day before and prepared for their big day by decking out their cars with car paint and dressing in football uniforms at school. Both teams also advertised the competition by posting signs around the school in support of their respective teams. “It was a good bonding experience for all the seniors,” said senior Hannah Small. “All the girls were able to get along and hang out.” The ladies met at the bottom of the hill at 5:30p.m. in order to get warmed up and pumped up for the game. Once Mr. Mike Czernakowski announced the junior and senior Powderpuff teams, both came out in style as the juniors ran cheering out of the woods and the seniors rolled down the hill yelling the “Hoo Ha” cheer. “It was so much fun to watch the girls play and it made me want to play,” said senior Amy Mierzwiak. “It made me kind of regret my decision.” The game started a little after 6p.m. with the seniors winning possession of the ball with the coin toss. Within 30 seconds, senior Seneca Perry scored the first touchdown. Perry scored two of the three touchdowns for the seniors, with Small scoring the other. The juniors managed a comeback scoring two touchdowns after the senior’s first two. Touchdowns were scored by juniors Ashley Yeager and Raina Padilla with assists from quarterback Mel Worley. The seniors came out victorious winning the first Powderpuff football game 21-14. “I always thought we were going to win even though I was a little worried at the end,” said senior player Morgan Hojnacki. “But we pulled through when senior Alexx Klein stopped their last down.” The juniors put up a great effort despite their lost and kept the game close. “I was upset that the juniors lost but I thought we played really well for being the underrated team,” said Worley. Immediately following the game, Student Government sponsored a bonfire with the help of the fire department and supplied free pop, pizza and activities for those who attended. “We also had some fun stations while the bonfire was running,” said senior Student Government member Stephanie Yarnell. “You could decorate pumpkins, make bandanas and guess which baby pictures matched which football players.” The game had a positive turnout, attracting parents, students, faculty members and even former NV students. The event is hoped to become a new tradition at NV after its success, according to principal Mr. Stewart Jesse. “The game was more successful than I could have imagined. The girls had fun and the boys seemed to like coaching,” said Mr. Jesse. “My hope is that we continue to have it for years to come. It was a very enjoyable experience.” Spirit Week Ignites Wildcat P ride Hairspray, stethoscopes, cheese puffs and flannel were all essential parts of Northview’s spirit week. NV’s spirit week and wacky wildcats pumped up students for the cross-town rivalry game against Southview October 30. Leg warmers and oversized sweaters were popular ensembles on Monday for 80’s Day. Students wore bright, colorful clothing representative of the retro time period. “80’s day is absolutely my favorite,” said junior Hannah Spangler. “I wished I had lived in that era.” To follow the 80’s theme, the Wacky Wildcat during all lunch periods was a competition to see which grade could dress the biggest 80’s hairstyle using a comb, hairspray and scrunchies. Instead of students filling the halls on Tuesday, there were police officers, doctors and the occasional superhero. Students went all out, dressing in occupational attire that included scrubs, lab coats, business suits and officer uniforms. Tuesday’s Wacky Wildcat was a student favorite. Participants raced to dress in a variety of professional clothing put in a box and run down the other end of the cafeteria. Sylvania turned into the Wild West on Wednesday for Country Western Day. Students dressed in plaid shirts and cowboy boots to continue high participation for spirit week. Lumberjacks also occupied the halls Wednesday, due to a misprint on the flyers that were posted around the school. “I was really disappointed when I learned that it was actually Country Western Day. I love lumberjacks,” said junior Chelsea Kania. The classic game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey was westernized for the Wacky Wildcat on Wednesday with Pin the Tail on the Horse. Students had to pin the tail on the horse’s CATCHING CHEESEBALLS with shaving cream-covered faces are freshman Bailey Rahman, senior Brendan Conolly, junior Ken Bodie and sophomore Brooke Miller. MARCHING IN THE HALLS are freshman band members Mackenzie Apel and Lindsay Wright. HUDDLING IN PREPARATION for the Powderpuff game are juniors Gabby Radke, Taylor Kotlarczyk and Ilyse Golding. SENIOR STEPHANIE YARNELL shows her spirit by dressing-up in leg warmers and tights for 80’s day. Photos by Abby Strick and Natalie Forrester backside after being spinning around in circles blindfolded. Powderpuff team colors filled the halls on Thursday in recognition of the Powderpuff football game that evening. Juniors sported their pink shirts and seniors wore their blue jerseys. Sophomores and freshman wore the color of the team they were cheering for or a combination of the two colors. The teachers also supported the girls’ football teams by wearing their black shirts with both pink and blue. At lunch, students stuffed their faces with powdered doughnuts in a race using only their mouths. Students brushed the cobwebs off of their spirit wear on the last day of spirit week. Staff and students were completely covered in black and gold in support of our football team as they faced off against the Cougars that night. “More people were spirited than I have ever seen,” said junior Katelyn Collins. “But I think Student Government should come up with more original spirit days.” NV brought back an old favorite by having students throw cheese puffs at their partners’ shaving cream-covered face from behind their backs. The week ended with a bang when the whole school followed the band into the gym to get pumped up for the annual NV vs. SV football game. After singing the Alma Mater, senior captains Ryan Kremcheck, Scott Goellnitz and Tyler James were introduced and got the NV fans cheering and pumped for the game later that evening. The band’s performance featured the drum line. - Mary Grace Fitzgerald and Ally Yocom 8 An interview with the Cat in the Hat, senior Alex Gibson. HOW DID THE CAT IN THE HAT ROLE COMPARE WITH YOUR PREVIOUS ROLES? “All my other roles have been deep voiced, manly men. This role allows me to let loose and get more creative with character.” WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR PERSONAL GOALS TO ACCOMPLISH IN THEATRE THIS YEAR? “I put a lot more of myself into the character because the script doesn’t always tell you exactly what to do.” WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE IN SEUSSICAL AND WHY? “I really like the last scene, because it is the biggest part of the show.” WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART? “It’s hard to be constantly highenergy, even after a terrible day.” WHAT PART DO YOU ENJOY THE MOST? “It’s so different from other roles I’ve had, but it definitely gives me more freedom.” An interview with Gertrude McFuzz, senior Hannah Dickerson November 10, 2009 FEATURES Seussical practices, produces and performs By SARAH SQUILLANTE AND BRIDGET THOMAS St aff writ ers Northview’s Theatre Department entertained audiences with their presentation of Seussical the Musical. The musical attracted mass numbers of viewers at the Franciscan Center November 6, 7 and 8. Over 148 students were involved in the production, which included flying, outlandish costumes, props and a $30 to $35 thousand price tag. The costs were covered through advertisement sales, ticket sales and various fundraisers held by the cast and crew. Rehearsals started for the production the second week of school, with two hours dedicated to vocal rehearsals. Closer to production week, they lasted six hours or longer. Tech week began November 2, when the crew officially moved to the Franciscan Center and began four days worth of rehearsals complete with costumes, make-up, props and lighting. The musical was chosen as a way to give the senior class the opportunity to showcase as many students as possible, according to director Mr. Don Wachowiak. “It’s really challenging in the pit, vocally and with the acting as well,” said Mr. Wachowiak. “But it’s a show where people are familiar with the characters but not the plot.” “In the end when the cast, crew and pit are recognized for their talents and hard work, it makes it worth it for me,” said Mr. Wachowiak. WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR GOALS FOR THIS MUSICAL? “I wanted to work really hard and have a great experience.” HOW DID THE ROLE OF GERTRUDE COMPARE TO PREVIOUS ROLES YOU HAVE PLAYED? “The character is really awkward, but I can really relate to her.” WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE AND WHY? “The opening because it is so energetic.” WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF BEING IN THE PLAY? “It was difficult to work with all the set pieces.” WHAT’S THE PART YOU LOVED MOST? “Working with such a great cast.” PORTRAYING THING 1 AND THING 2 ARE junior Kaylie Martinez and freshman Morgan Rondinelli. “Being Thing 1 has been a blast and Morgan and I have become great friends,” said Martinez. SETTING THE SCENE AS THE CAT IN THE HAT IS senior Alex Gibson. “I had to be more willing to make a fool of myself,” said Gibson. BUILDING SET PIECES IN PREPARATION FOR THE SHOW is senior Paige Luther. PAINTING A SET PIECE FOR THE SHOW is senior Baily Managhan. REHEARSING WITH THE PIT ORCHESTRA IS senior Jennifer Grimmer. The pit orchestra was comprised of musicians from both band and orchestra. “It’s hard work, but when it comes down to the actual musical, it’s fun,” said freshman bassist Tabatha Hass. Photos by Halie Langhals and Haley Nelson A&E November 10, 2009 Art s & Ent ert ainment The Camera’s Lens Autumn Film Reviews and Anticipations 2012 What if the world came to an end? What if this happened in the next three years? This theme has grown popular among movie producers. There was the blizzard in The Day After Tomorrow, the evil alien that had a big heart in The Day the Earth Stood Still and the sun being too strong and burning the earth in Knowing. All would be very unfortunate things to happen, especially that evil alien thing, but what would a movie be like if it was about an actual event that would probably happen in the future. 2012 comes out on November 13 and is based on the predictions of many different religions and people about the supposed end of the world that will happen on December 21, 2012. The movie follows John Cusack as he tries to get his family to China to one of the ships that the world governments has made to try and save the human race from extinction. After watching some sneak previews of the movie in Mr. Frank Ulrich’s astronomy class during our “end of the world and earth” chapter, the movie looks like it is going to be awesome. Seeing Cusack race his limousine down the street like Jeff Gordon going for his fifth Sprint Cup Championship with a humongous crack in the earth following him looks extremely exciting. There are tons of special effects in the movie and they look well done, especially the aircraft carrier crashing on top of the White House. With many people believing that the world will end, coupled with the media needing a good story to blow out of proportion, New Moon Vampires and werewolves and suspense, oh my! The beloved Twilight saga is back with the sequel, New Moon, hitting the big screen November 20. For those who have not had the pleasure of reading the series of books, the fans of the movies will have to make a hard decision. The main focus of New Moon shifts from vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) to werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). This leaves not only protagonist Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) in confusion, but the fans have to decide which team they’re on as well: Team Edward or Team Jacob. “I’m on Team Edward,” said sophomore Sami Leslie. “He actually cares about Bella, and Jacob only acts on his dad’s orders.” Motorcycles and voices in her head are the least of Bella’s worries in New Moon. When Edward’s life faces danger with the introduction of the Volturi, Bella races across the world in attempt to save his life. With the premiere of New Moon approaching quickly, one would expect Northview’s Twilight Club to have plans well underway for the upcoming movie. In reality, this is far from true. “Ms. Crosley isn’t even sure that she’s going to have a Twilight Trick ‘r Treat 2012 is actually based on what could possibly happen in the future. Of course, the movie is most likely heavily “Hollywoodized,” as I do not believe a title wave of water will rush over the Himalayas with an Asian monk ringing a bell, but something on December 21, 2012 could possibly happen. A lot more likely than an alien landing in a big floating ball (Day the Earth Stood Still) in my opinion. Plus, everyone knows the world will end on that day by a black hole that no one will see. November 13 cannot come soon enough. I believe that 2012 will be one of the best movies that comes out this year. The fear of “what could happen” adds a lot of excitement to the movie. -Adam Jurski Club this year,” said senior Caitlyn Brant. New Moon has much to live up to since 2008’s Twilight grossed $35.7 million on its opening day, according to movietickets.com. “I went to the midnight premiere of Twilight last year,” said junior Jackie Leizerman. “I’m anticipating it to be even better this year due to the growing popularity and expectations that it has to live up to.” New Moon should be even more exciting than the first movie, including more suspense and action-packed scenes. Personally, I’m just looking forward to seeing Lautner without a shirt on. Can you blame me, ladies? -Amanda Metcalf zombies of children deep in a It’s Friday night in late October and you and your friends are scanquarry. After reading, you’re ning the shelves at the local movie store. What are you looking for? A probably expecting me to exscary movie to put you in the holiday spirit even if that means paying plain exactly what role these the price of checking corners and avoiding mirrors for a while. characters played in the movie. Scary movies come out one after the other during the spooky You want to know more. season and it’s hard to decide which one is the one for you, especialWell, I couldn’t tell you ly since there’s such a fine line between good and bad scary movies. more if I wanted to because That’s when you see it: Trick ‘r Treat. With a figure appearing to be a that’s pretty much how the small child with a pumpkin on its head on the cover and the claim that story ended. it’s “The best Halloween film of the last 30 years”. It seems like there’s After doing a comprehenno way to go wrong with the film. sive search on Google about the Wrong. After watching the Halloween horror film the only emomovie, I learned that pumpkintion that I felt was disappointment, wishing for those 82 minutes of boy’s mission was to terrorize my life that I knew I would never get back. Trick ‘r Treat consists of anyone who broke a Halloween four interwoven story lines that at first seem like a great idea. tradition or was just down on Well, it would have been if the story lines had been given an endthe holiday in general. ing. Almost nothing in the movie is explained and it seems that the I suppose this makes sense, directors just quit and stopped filming in the middle of the story. but considering that he wasn’t The main character is a little pumpkin headed terrorist who gets even a part of every story line shot multiple times after pelting his victim with razor sharp candy. I’m not sure how he can constiI’m shaking in fear just thinking about it. Even after the multiple tute for a main character. The shots, pumpkin boy lives and walks out without a scratch. idea is actually a good one, but Along with this character there are a set of vampires, a crazy unfortunately the movie did not portray it at all. Better luck next year Legprincipal who carves real heads with his son instead of pumpkins and endary Pictures. -Abbey Strick Law Abiding Citizen The cinema has become the home for the epic revenge flick but most will have to live up to the comparison of the most recent Gary Gray movie. The latest film to reel people in to the cinema is Law Abiding Citizen. The justice-seeking film has been around since movies first showed up, however Law Abiding Citizen creates a new twist as stars Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx put on a perfect performance. After helplessly witnessing the brutal murder of his wife and child, Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) becomes outraged when his attorney Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) makes an offer to the thugs he watched kill his only family. One of the defendants is offered to testify against the other in exchange for a petty three-year sentence while the other is put on death roe after the testimony. Shelton is more than willing to testify against both but somehow the evidence he presents as an eyewitness is proved “inconclusive” and can’t be used to prove the two guilty. The news of verdict is crushing to Shelton’s hopes and he seeks out to avenge the death of his family. Shelton believes that true justice can only be sought through death and destruction of the people involved in his family’s murder. So he sets out to take matter into his own hands. A series of unimaginable murders begin with the thug who started it all when the thug who killed Clyde’s family is brutally murdered. You can see the rage and fury in Shelton when he is killing the murderer and the viewer takes a new perspective of the star. No remorse is felt for the latest victim after what he had done to Shelton’s family, but it becomes very evident that Shelton has only just begun his revenge. Shelton becomes the main suspect in the murder and is taken into custody by the police. One would assume that this would be the end of the rage in Shelton but he has a much bigger plan for everyone in Philadelphia. Although Shelton is in jail, the murders do not stop. His lawyer, the judge, and many others involved in the case become victims in Shelton’s plan to take down the justice system of the city while Shelton is still in custody. The authorities have no idea what to do, as they cannot stop the monster that has become Clyde Shelton. Law Abiding Citizen is a suspense thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. As a viewer you learn to grieve with Shelton and what has happened. Also you see what he is truly trying to say. His message is spoken loud and clear through his rage and timely acts of seeking justice for the city of Philadelphia. Law Abiding Citizen opened in theaters October 16 and continues to be at the top of the box office list. This thriller is a must-see and would be worth the ridiculous prices of movie theater tickets. -Brian Wadsworth 9 Music on the SCENE With Estar Cohen DISCOVERING MUSIC AT BOWLING GREEN Northview seniors Emily Holshoe and CJ Wendt were among over 300 young musicians that gathered to glimpse their future education as Bowling Green’s College of Musical Arts hosted its’ annual “Music Discovery Day” October 19. Upon attending, prospective students could learn about their major or course of interest by sitting in on rehearsals, participating in seminars and meeting with faculty. Holshoe and Wendt are both considering a career in music. “I want to go into music education and BG has an excellent program for it,” said Holshoe. Students broke off to meet the faculty of their choice after a brief welcome in BGSU’s Kobacker Hall. Departments visited were composed of Brass/Percussion, Keyboard, Strings, Voice/Choral/Opera and Woodwind. It was then up to the individual to divide their time as they saw fit. Some of the activities offered included sitting in on music classes such as choir, attending seminars about audition processes, taking tours of the Arts Village Residence Hall and meeting with faculty to discuss questions personally “Music Discovery Day was really great,” said Holshoe. “We got to see what the directors and teachers are like. BG has an amazing music program.” An “All College” Concert was held near the end of the day to showcase specific ensembles future students could audition for. Among these ensembles were the Collegiate Chorale, Philharmonia, Wind Symphony, Brass Choir and Jazz Lab Band I. Music Discovery Day focused on making the dream of studying music a reality for potential students. It is a free event and is open to anyone in high school. Registration for next year’s gathering can be found on BG’s website. NV STUDENTS BATTLE FOR FAME The Collingwood Arts Center erupted with applause as Northview senior Emilly Thomas was named one of two winners for the Sylvania Community Partnership’s first ever “Battle for Fame” October 24. The event initiated Red Ribbon Week and was in association with the organization “America’s Pride.” High school musicians looking for a chance to perform went through an audition process and were then placed into one of two categories; vocalists who played instruments and those who did not. Seniors Emilly Thomas, Nathan Watt, Sia Dufour and Corey Howe and junior Estar Cohen made the cut and competed for a feature on FOX Toledo Idol, $50 and a music video produced by FOX. “Battle for fame was a great experience,” said Howe. “The talent had a wide variety, from rap to indie music, and it was enjoyable to see all these young kids from Toledo have such a passion for music through such an organized event.” A brief intermission was held for an “audience competition” in which audience members had the opportunity to perform a talent of their own in high hopes of winning a gift card to dine at Olive Garden. After a winner was selected for the audience contest, a panel of judges determined the final four for BFF, a top two being picked for each category. The audience decided the winners by way of applause, clapping for their favorite talent act of the afternoon. Thomas won first place in the category of “vocalists who did not play instruments.” Sam and Anna Gorman, Bowling Green high school students, took first place in the category of “vocalists who played instruments.” “BFF was awesome and I really appreciated the chance I got to perform,” said Thomas. “The competition was great too. It was just an overall really fun experience.” 10 SPORTS November 10, 2009 Northview Volleyball wins Sectional Final; loses to St. Ursula in District Semifinal game By KRISTI KOPANIASZ Bu s ine s s edit or The Northview LadyKat Volleyball team was poised and ready start on their post season road after finishing up their last two regular season games at home. First up on senior night was the Rossford Bulldogs. Six LadyKat seniors were honored for their hard work and dedication over the last four years. Seniors Katie Bartlett, Kristi Kopaniasz, Katie Roemer, Becca Turley, Stephanie Yarnell, and Kaylie Zollweg were showered with gifts from their junior teammates and the underclassmen on Freshman and JV respectively. Once the senior night festivities were over it was time to get to the action. Although they started off slow the LadyKats were able to pick up their play to defeat the Bulldogs in three straight sets for what would be the last win at home for the seniors. The next game would be a big rivalry game for NV as the Southview Cougars would be their last regular season opponent. The last time the LadyKats faced the Cougars, NV topped them winning in four sets. The stands were packed with fans ready to watch the action begin. As the line-ups were announced each varsity player threw an I Love Spandex t-shirt out into the crowd. It was a tough battle, the game went point for point but the LadyKats were not able to establish a lead and lost in three sets. With the regular season behind them the girls would start fresh and work towards a run in post season play. NV received a bye in the first round of Sectionals as they were awarded the fourth seed on the District and a number two seed in their Section at the district meeting, where coaches determined the district bracket. October 22 they faced the Waite Indians. “Even though we viewed Waite as an easy win, we could not look past them,” senior Katie Roemer. “We took it one point at a time to get a solid win.” It was an easy win for the LadyKats as they flew past Waite in the Sectional Final in three sets. The LadyKats could not celebrate for long as their next opponent would be state and nationally ranked St. Ursula Academy. They played each other earlier in the season so each team knew what to expect going into the match up. Coach Tony Geer created his practice plans around the SUA defense, trying to exploit their weaknesses to gain an advantage. The LadyKats would give SUA a tough fight in the first game as NV had leads twice late in the game. “I felt really prepare going into the SUA because we had a really good practice the day before and since we played them earlier in the season, said freshman Megan Frame. “I was not nervous at all, I was more anxious to see how good our play was going to be.” NV would keep SUA on there toes as NV was only one of the few teams in the region that earned up into 20 points with them. The LadyKats would lose the close first game 25-20 and would lose the next two games, giving SUA a ticket to the District Final. “Although our record didn’t end up how we wanted, we had a couple games that went down to the wire, they could have gone either way. We still stayed close as a team though.” said junior Erika Vogelson. “It was cool that at the end of the season we could still look back and see the good that came out of the season.” Photo by Laura Guinness CELEBRATING AFTER SCORING A POINT AGAINST LEAGUE RIVAL SOUTHVIEW are seniors Katie Bartlett, Becca Turley, and Kristi Kopaniasz and juniors Erika Vogelson, Abbey Strick celebrate in the middle of the court. The LadyKats went 1-1 with SV during their regular season. Lacrosse begins indoor play; boys split into NV/SV teams while girls remain together By AURORA MILLIRON Representative Mike McMahon. Along with these problems there are emotional disadvantages. The boys are upset by how they are losing the teammates they have been playing with for a long time. Not only are the boys getting split but NV is going to have a huge Splitting up is always hard to do. The Sylvania Boys Lacrosse disadvantage compared to SV. The SV team has more offensive team separated into two different teams, a Northview and a players and are getting the coaches. NV, however, has more Southview team for this spring’s season. defensive players and are not getting the coaches that they have This change has been hard for the boys since most of them been playing under. The boys are upset and very unhappy about have been playing on the same team since junior high or even younger. The boy’s team has been dominant for the past three “It’s nice to have one years, even winning the state title from 2007-2009. “It stinks to be split but it had to be done,” said senior Conner last chance to play McEwen. “For lacrosse to become a varsity sport the split had to with everyone from happen.” To become a part of the OHSAA it will take about three Sylvania because years and then lacrosse will hopefully be a varsity sport for NV we have all played and SV, according to McEwen. The divide will certainly have its disadvantages. It will cost together since fourth $400 for each boy to participate in NV lacrosse this year as grade.” opposed to last year which was $65. New equipment including helmets, gloves, and jerseys will have to be purchased showing NV’s logo instead of the Sylvania Mapleleaf. There will be no transportation anymore and the boys must rely on parents to drive them to games. The boys used to have this split, according junior Elliot Grieve. a bus that they could take to all away games that will no longer To help pay for the cost to play, the parents are holding be available due to the year annual mulch sale, which will benefit anyone who the split. Lacrosse participates. For each bag that they sell they will receive a $1 will remain as a profit to help pay the pay to play fee. non-varsity sport, Even though captains have not been decided yet, senior instead it is a Ryan Coutts and juniors AJ Mehling and Doug Vandini seem club at NV and to be in the running for this title, according to Grieve. They are no varsity letters hoping to lead the team this year and be strong even though will be given they do not have as many players now as they did before. out, according “We may not be the strongest team this year since we only to Sylvania have five returning varsity players,” said Coutts. Recreation The NV and SV boys will play together for the last time St aff writ er - s enior Ryan Cout t s during the indoor session of lacrosse. In their first game against Perrysburg, the players the skills and the teamwork that allowed them to advance so far in the past. The final score of the game was 10-4. “It’s nice to have one last chance to play with everyone from Sylvania because we have all played together since fourth grade,” said Coutts. Unlike the boys, the girl’s Sylvania Lacrosse team will remain one team. Although there have been rumors of a split and petitions going around both high schools, neither are true. The two captains, juniors Lydia Grum and Aurora Milliron, feel that they will be a strong team this year. “I am very excited to have been chosen to lead the team this year with Aurora and I have a feeling we will go very far,” said Grum. Last season, the girl’s team went to the Quarter Finals and lost to Ottawa Hills in a very close game. They had previously beaten Ottawa Hills twice in overtime. “It was very upsetting to lose to a team that we knew we could beat,” said sophomore Cassie Stansley. In order to avoid making the mistake twice, the captains are already starting to set up conditioning, parent meetings, and team bonding. “The team wants to be very close with each other this year and not be as cliquey,” according to Grum. The indoor season started off well for the girls team, as they claimed victory over Anthony Wayne with a score of 9-3. “The indoor season is a lot of fun and it is helping me learn how to play lacrosse before the outdoor season starts,” said sophomore Cami Pavain. There will be a parent and player meeting November 10 at 7 p.m. in the back of Tamoshanter. This meeting will discuss conditioning, meeting the coaches, and discussing what Girl’s Lacrosse is all about. “I enjoy lacrosse because it is a combination of all the sports I enjoy playing,” said junior Mel Worley. “I’m looking forward to trying something new.” SPORTS 11 November 10, 2009 Cross country teams dominate Football fi nishes leagues, districts, regional races season on rough note By ALEXX KLEIN Sport s edit or The Northview Girl’s and Boy’s Cross Country teams won their second and eighth consecutive Northern Lakes League titles, respectively, October 17. NLL’s took place at Bowling Green State University and both teams went in with only one loss in the league. Depth was seen in the varsity and junior varsity races for the LadyKats, according to Girl’s Head Coach Jon Monheim. They placed four girls in the top 10 and all seven in the top 20. Freshman Abby Masters took the front running role coming in second overall. Sophomore Alison Work, junior Mackenzie Reeves, senior Nicole Mangas, freshman Janelle Noe, and sophomore Moe Dean placed sixth, eighth, ninth, 11th, and 16th respectively. Runners two through six’s times were separated by only 27 seconds on NV’s team. “This team has the opportunity to do some huge things in the coming weeks and what better way to head into these meets than with the performances put forth here,” said Monheim. Led by junior Erin Koffman, the girls swept the JV race, taking the top eight spots. The team put forth an impressive total team effort, according to Monheim. “We won the varsity race by 33 points over the second place team and beat some other very respectable squads,” said Monheim. The boy’s team also had a dominating performance, placing all seven varsity runners in the top 10. Senior Jacob Barnes, followed by juniors Kevin McKown and Mike Wallace and seniors Sean O’Connell, Derek Pohlman, Nick Homan, and Harry Zeitler led the team to their first place finish. “Taking the top six places, we could not have asked for much more,” said Barnes. The JV team took the first six places in their race with freshman Kyle Brooks leading the pack. NV returned to Pearson Park for the second time this season for the District race October 24. The girl’s claimed their second consecutive district title and By ADDISON HIRSCHFELD St aff writ er Halie Langhals RUNNING HARD IS SENIOR Meredith Wagner. The Northview Girls Cross Country worked hard to win the league, district and regional title. Wagner was the district and regional individual champion leading the girls to a strong season. Wagner will look to finish her cross country year strong with a good showing at states. according to Monheim, most of the team ran their best times of the season. Last year at Districts, NV had three girls under 20 minutes and this year they had five under 19:40. The seventh girl on NV’s team this season ran 20:15, which is a minute and five seconds faster than their seventh girl last season. According to Monheim, the sixth and seventh girls didn’t have their best races and the team still ran well. “I was a little disappointed because I didn’t run my best race, but at the same time, I was happy that we still competed well as a team,” said junior Mackenzie Reeves. Senior Meredith Wagner, who placed first overall, led the LadyKats and Masters and Dean placed third and fourth respectively. “Watching them all come in so close together was exciting. Having our top seven girls in the top 15 is amazing,” said senior Morgan Hojnacki. Each week the season inches forward, the little things get more important, according to Monheim. “Everyone left is a good team. The teams that take care of the ‘little things’ like sleeping, eating, and hydrating will ultimately run the best,” said Monheim. The boy’s continued their dominance in the district with their third consecutive title. All five scorers for the team finished in the top 10 and Zeitler and Pohlman rounded out the varsity team in 12th and 17th place, respectively. Barnes was the individual champion, with Wallace, Homan, O’Connell, and Brooks not far behind. For the regional race, both teams headed south; the girl’s to Pickerington and the boy’s to Tiffin. The LadyKats won their first ever regional title and advanced to the state meet with 61 points, which was 10 less fewer than second-place Dublin Scioto. “The course was muddy, wet, and slippery,” said Wagner. “All the times were a lot slower because of the sloppy conditions.” “When Meredith put the ‘war paint’ under her eyes at the start and the rest of the girls followed suit, I knew it was going to be a good day,” said Monheim. “They did a tremendous job of destroying the field in the middle part of the race and we accomplished our goal of wanting three girls in the top 15 and five in the top 25.” Wagner and Masters received first-team all region and Dean and Work were honorable mention. “Our six and seven runners [Noe and Reeves] were clearly the best six and seven in the race. Once again, it was a total team effort,” said Monheim. A few hours away from the girls team, the NV boys claimed a regional title of their own, one year after the shock of not qualifying for the state meet. “Last year after the regional meet we were devastated, so we trained hard over the summer,” said O’Connell. “Hopefully our hard work will pay off.” NV placed over the top team in the state, St. Ignatius, and had a pair of runners in the top five as Wallace was fourth and Barnes was fifth. “There’s still one race, and that’s the big one,” said Wallace. “We’re happy, but not satisfied. Both teams competed this past Saturday at the state meet in Columbus, Ohio. The Fall Sports Banquet was held yesterday at NV. All teams started together in the gym, then broke off into their respective sports. Toledo sports fans get hooked on Lucas County Arena and Walleye By BRIAN WADSWORTH St aff writ er Toledo has something new to cheer about with the new arrival of the Lucas County Arena and the return of hockey in the city. The arena will become the new home of the Toledo Walleye and a haven for concerts and other special events. The new facility opened on October 4 when officials let fellow civilians take a peek at the arena. People were stunned and excited at the site of the arena and knew it was a step in the right direction for Toledo according to Toledo News. The first actual show to take place in the Lucas County Arena was when critically acclaimed comedian Jeff Dunham came to town. The show on October 9 was a huge success as the arena was packed with eager fans and anxious tourists. The real opener seemed to be with the return of Toledo’s hockey team as the new look Walleye opened their season on October 16. The team was a fresh start as no players from the previous Toledo Storm were on the season opening roster. With young and promising talent showing up for the Walleye, fans certainly have something to get excited about. The hockey did turn out to be very entertaining as well. The game was very up-tempo and the Walleye’s new talent showed a lot of intensity in the opening day loss. The Wa l l e y e p re s e n t e d a n excellent game to a very competitive team from last year in the Florida Everblades. Everyone seemed anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new arena and when the Walleye began their inaugural season, The Lucas County Arena was filled t o its maximum limit as people swarmed in to record an attendance of 8,000 people. The place was so busy that it became difficult to walk around. Concessions had long lines and merchandise was flying off shelves. The arena was rocking, as everyone was ready for the future of entertainment in Toledo. The concessions were p r o b a b l y t h e only drawback that I can think of. Since there were so many p e o p l e attending the game, the lines for the concessions became ridiculously lengthy. The wait became too lengthy and I found myself missing parts of the game. With this being the first game of the season though some leeway is needed and since the rest of the arena is so wonderful, I won’t complain. Even though the concessions took quite a bit of time, the food was worth the wait. The facility offered a various selection of typical arena food such as hot dogs, pizza, and cheeseburgers. The grub was prepared with quality and satisfied many of the fans. Another thing that needs some well-deserved attention is the seating in the arena. A number of times I viewed the facility in different angles and found myself enjoying each perspective more than the one before it. As I toured the building some more I found that it resembled another new building in Ohio. The Lucas County Arena and Columbus’ Nationwide Arena seemed very similar with the Lucas County Arena obviously being much smaller. Still, it was a beautiful facility that featured two levels and a number of suites on the second level. The arena shall continue to e n t e r t a i n thousands of eager hockey and arena football fans along with avid band followers, as the new facility will host a number of concerts. Injuries limit a coach’s options, but only 11 players are needed to field a football team. The Northview football team ended their season with more than a few men down. The Cats traveled to Anthony Wayne October 16 already without senior quarterback Ryan Kremchek and senior running back Torrence Garland. Kremchek suffered a cracked rib against Bowling Green October 9 while Garland went down with an ankle injury against Springfield October 2. The loss of their starting backfield did not slow down the Cats. Junior Brian Downing led the team with three touchdown passes, one to junior Addison Hirschfeld and two to junior Jake Severson. “It was very exciting to score my first varsity touchdown,” said Severson. “Especially because it was such a big moment in the game.” Severson’s score tied things up early, but NV found themselves ahead in the second quarter, 14-7, when Hirschfeld caught his score. The Wildcats however, suffered another loss due to injury when junior running back Zach Ryder went down with what turned out to be a broken ankle. “Ryder was a big loss,” said Severson. “It would have been nice to have him in our defensive backfield against the General’s running game. His cut tackles were definitely missed.” A vicious AW running game plagued the young NV defense. A back and forth first half was followed by a lopsided second. AW’s running attack proved to be too much for the shorthanded Cats, NV lost 21-56. The Wildcats tried to bounce back October 23 while hosting the Perrysburg Yellow Jackets at Cats’ Stadium. The Jackets started off scoring early, but NV responded with a score of their own when Downing found senior Tyler James for a touchdown. Once again, injuries plagued the Cats. Downing, along with several other NV players, went down with shoulder injuries throughout the game. This left the opportunity for underclassmen to step up. Sophomore quarterback Brandyn Hall had to fill in behind center. “It was fun getting into the game Friday night,” said Hall. “I’m glad I got some varsity experience.” Hall connected with James for another Wildcats’ score, but PBurg answered with scores of their own. The young players helped NV stick with the Jackets through the first half, but PBurg proved to be too much in the late quarters. The Cats would lose their last home game of the season 13-41. NV closed their season with the battle of Sylvania against rival Southview on October 30 at Cat’s Stadium. The Cats found themselves in a hole early. A 28 point first quarter for the Cougars was set up by great field position due to the Cats’ lack of execution offensively. NV’s last game of the year ended in a losing effort, 0-49. NV finished the 2009 season 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the league. NV will graduate nine seniors from the team this year. “I’ll never have the same feeling on a Friday night. It is like a big part of me has been taken away because I won’t be with my teammates. I’ll never forget Addison Hirschfeld,” said senior quarterback Ryan Kremcheck. “Tough way to end, but it is what it is,” said senior Scott Goellnitz 12 SPORTSVIEW Girls advance to Regional Finals, Boy’s season ends at District Semis November 10, 2009 Abbey Strick By ALEXA KALANQUIN St aff writ er Ending the season strong, the Boy’s Soccer team concluded their regular season with a 4-2 win against Akron St. Vincent St. Mary October 17. Junior A.J. Klever, sophomore Michael McPeek and freshman Sam Miller scored for the Wildcats. Next, the team played Clay in the first round of the state tournament. They were led to a 4-1 victory with goals by senior captain Josh Watkins, Klever, McPeek and sophomore Allen Scharfenberg. The boys faced St. Francis October 27 at Southview for the Division 1 District Semifinals. Watkins scored the first goal of the game late in the first half with a long shot, but about six minutes later; the game was tied at 1-1. The game was intense with dominating play from NV, resulting in double overtime. The first period of OT was scoreless, but in the second period, SFS scored off a set piece from about 35 yards out. “We had our ups and downs and it was disappointing how our season ended, but overall it was a great experience,” said Watkins. “It was different than the previous years because we were the underdog this season, but we did better than everyone expected. The Girl’s Soccer team finished off their season with a 1-1 tie against North Royalton October 17. The game was tied late in the second half by freshman Laura Connor. The girls began the state tournament with a convincing 7-0 win over Waite with goals from senior Bri Scharfenberg, juniors Lexi Fisher, Alexa Kalanquin, Samantha Yurjevic, sophomores Jessica Jessing, Natalie Roemer and freshman Paige Williams. In the second round, the LadyKats played Clay. The team won 4-3 in overtime with goals from Connor, junior Haley Gasser, and senior captain Kate Schmidt. Schmidt scored four minutes into overtime to finish the game. “The game should have never gone into OT, we had momentum the entire game so I knew we’d win in the end,” said Schmidt. The LadyKats faced NLL rival Anthony Wayne October 28 for the Division 1 District Semifinals. Twenty-nine seconds into the game, Gasser scored off an assist from junior Lindsey Thomas. NV held on to the 1-0 lead until the second half when AW scored the equalizing goal that sent the game into overtime. The LadyKats gave up two consecutive corner kicks early in OT, but about six minutes in, Schmidt received a pass from Scharfenberg that resulted in a shot that would end AW’s season. Schmidt faked left then hit a left footed shot that soared past AW keeper, Emily Wolfe’s hands. “We owed it to ourselves and the players before us to put AW in their place and let them know we didn’t perform our best against them earlier in the season,” said Schmidt. “Their cockiness and arrogance fed our fire and the parents holding up the banner for their NLL title made us realize that that was the only championship they’d be celebrating this year.” The team won 2-1 and played St. Ursula October 31 for District Finals. The game was scoreless at the half, but SUA scored twice in the second half to make it 2-0. The LadyKat’s first goal came from sophomore Brooke Snead late in the second half. “The team was fighting back hard and scoring the goal helped us pick up the intensity to get us back in the game,” said Snead. “We knew we had to come back after SUA scored because none of us wanted our season to yet.” Then, with 1:36 left on the clock, Schmidt took a free kick that bounced off the cross bar and was headed in by junior Nicole Hobbs. The game was sent into double overtime, but was still left at 2-2 after a two 15 minute periods of OT. A shootout followed OT, and junior Chelsea Nye, sophomore Stephanie Jenkins, Kalanquin and Gasser scored for the LadyKats. Two of SUA’s shooters missed the frame and sophomore keeper Jessica Jessing stopped one of the Arrows’ shots, which made NV District champions for the third year in a row. The regional semifinal game was held at Ottawa Hills against Findlay November 3. Findlay was first to score, but Schmidt tied the game up before half time. Schmidt also scored the game winning goal with about 20 minutes left to play. “The team played hard and we did what we needed to do to win,” said Schmidt. “It’s exciting because we were the underdogs all year and everyone thought without last years seniors we couldn’t go far [in the tournament] and we proved them wrong.” The LadyKats face Medina November 6 for regional finals at Ashland. KICKING THE BALL out of the goal box against Anthony Wayne is sophomore Jessica Jessing. The LadyKats defeated AW 2-1 in the District Semi-Final with Jessing in goal. COMPETING FOR A LOOSE BALL against a St. Francis player is sophomore Denzel Wheaton (left). The boys team made it to district semifinals this year. Halie Langhals FIGHTING TO STEAL THE BALL from an opposing Anthony Wayne player is senior Tiffany Laplante (below). AW defeated the LadyKats during the regular season but the girls were determined to redeem themselves during the post-season. Abbey Strick LOOKING TO PASS THE BALL off is sophomore Alex Weiner (left) at Timberstone. Halie Langhals FOCUSING ON THE DEFENSE is senior Bri Scharfenberg. The girls advanced all the way the regional finals against Medina.