COPS builds chemistry with U of D Mercy By Wendy Ishmaku & Emily Martinbianco ASSISTANT EDITOR & STAFF REPORTER

Flames burst in the palms of hands. Snow appeared in 70-de-gree weather. The COPS club had arrived. Junior Alicia Brown walked into a classroom full of college-level chemistry students at University of Detroit Mercy (UDM), ready to represent North’s Chem Club (COPS).

“We first got there, all the U of D kids were already in there. Maybe 20 or 25, and there was this one girl

who was the head of everything. She knew everything,” Brown said. “She was their leader, but she was a student, too.”

But that feeling of intimidation soon ignited into excitement when the experiments resulted in explo-sive, multicolored flames.

“The other fire experiment we did was where t h e r e was these bubbles, and if they were dense enough, then when you shoot the fire out the blow-torch, it would burn. And your hands had to be wet so your hands would burn too, but (they weren’t actually) burning,” junior Malene Smith, a member of COPS club, said.

“I think I almost burned a kid though,” Brown said. “But it’s okay

because his hands were wet.” To contrast the flames, the

students also produced snow in 70-degree weather. They teamed up with the UDM Chemistry Club to form these flakes with a polymer that absorbs water.

“It’s similar to the water absor-bents in babies’ diapers; just this one flakes into snow,” Steven Kos-

mas, science teacher and COPS leader said.

He also helped both chemistry groups conduct these experiments, includ-ing the thermite ex-periment, which he said was his favorite. It was executed by a chemist who held a

sparkler under a flower pot, and after the thermite ignited, liquid iron was formed.

Continued on Page 2

NORTH POINTEFRidAY, noVeMBeR 1, 2013

S I N C E 1 9 6 8 GRoSSe Pointe noRtH HiGH SCHooL

@myGPN www.myGPN.org VOLUME 46, ISSUE 4 © 2013 North Pointe

Generalized web content filters violate library resources rightsBy Colleen Reveley & Sydney ThompsonEDITOR & BUSINESS MANAGER

According the the Library Bill of Rights, it is the li-brary’s duty to “... provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and histori-cal issues.” Library Media Specialist Karen Villegas, though, has discovered that North students’ American Library Association (ALA) rights are being violated with the web content filters that are placed on the Internet on school computers.

Though Villegas is in charge of what books go on the shelves in the library, she is not in control of stocking students’ media resources on the Internet.

“I operate in loco parentis, which basically means as a parent. I would never put anything on the shelf that is inappropriate. We have a collection policy,” Villegas said. “Why doesn’t the selection policy for the print ma-terial also apply to the electronic materials? See now, when it comes to electronic resources, we purchase databases that are reviewed for accuracy not only ap-propriateness.”

The different media outlets make it complicated for libraries to have a uniform system for filtering media.

“The way our electronics are filtered is not the same as the way our written material is selected. The way I understand it is everything comes through by tags or categories,” Villegas said. “It’s the reverse of how we have selected other resources in the libraries. I’m not sure all the resources that should be available for kids are being available.”

Assistant Principal David Reed-Nordwall said that North administration is aware of consequences that fil-tering can have. Filters can be too general or completely off topic.

“The thing we have noticed is from the beginning is the second you start filtering, you’re gonna catch things

that you don’t need to catch,” Reed-Nordwall said. “But I think in the digital world, it’s how we handle the fu-ture. It’s an unknown future.”

Two things that Reed-Nordwall said the school has yet to face are how to provide the students with the in-formation that they have the right to see and how to prevent situations that could be legally harmful to the student and the school.

“If I have freshman (online) and they just put in a search and it comes up with inappropriate material, the school is liable to be sued,” Reed-Nordwall said. “And so we have to kind of pick the lesser of two evils.”

Reed-Nordwall has acknowledged the fact that the Internet resources provided by the school are not be-ing filtered in an effective way because of how recently and readily any sort of information is available, and he says he knows creating an efficient web content filter is a process.

“Libraries themselves are working on developing more robust databases and sites that do some collecting for you. There are millions of documents out there that would be helpful in a school setting. That’s too much to look through,” Reed Nordwall said. “I think one of the things I can’t get around is anybody out there, any-where in the world can write a document, a pseudo-in-tellectual document and toss it out there. How are you as students verifying that this is a true, credible source and that you are handling it in a way that’s not leaving you unprotected against basically misinformation?”

An article from www.ala.org interpreted a section of the Library Bill of Rights as, “the responsibility of the governing board to adopt policies that guarantee stu-dents access to a broad range of ideas. These include policies on collection development and procedures for the review of resources about which the concerns have been raised.” The “governing board” that decides what is appropriate for students to view in the district is the School Board.

Senior Uribi Beaumont has encountered problems with the filters in terms of completing projects for health class. The web filters have prevented students from searching subjects that may be viewed as mature or controversial, despite providing educational value.

“There have been many times when I’ve wanted to do a project on something controversial, like marijua-na, but I’m narrowed down to a ‘safer’ topic because we are restricted from seeing the websites that would help me (find) information on that topic,” Beaumont said. “There are plenty of reliable medical marijuana web-sites online that are blocked simply because it’s weed.”

Continued on Page 2

SAT TESTING Saturday, nov. 2 at 8 a.m. in the Cafeteria

POPS & PASTRIES CONCERT

Saturday, nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the north gym

NO SCHOOL ELECTION DAY

tuesday, nov. 5

WESTERN MICHIGAN

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE VISIT

Wednesday, nov. 6 during 2nd hour in the PAC

FINANCIAL AID NIGHT

thursday, nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in the South gym

FALL SPORTS AWARDS

Monday, nov. 11 at 7 p.m. & Wednesday, nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in the PAC

“

“

IDEAS This

Type of joke may

noT be your

cup of Tea, buT

leT The idea

sTeep a liTTle

longer.

Common App glitches slow down application process By Anu SubramaniumWEB MANGER

Being exited out of the program, having an essay deleted and hav-ing to resend an application are just some of the difficulties senior Col-leen Maher has experienced while using the Common Application.

“I was so upset. I was furious. I tried rewriting it on a Word doc, there was no way I could remem-ber everything I had written, so I basically had to start over,” Maher said.

On Aug. 1 the Common App launched a revised form that is ac-cepted by over 500 colleges nation-wide. Along with the changes made in the revised form of the Common Application, the managing server was also changed to Naviance. How-ever, the recent issues are not within the Naviance server itself but the lack of communication between the serv-er and the new form of the Common Application.

“The issues were that the Com-mon App wasn’t adequately ready to roll out, so students were having dif-ficulty uploading their transcripts, and Naviance couldn’t connect the two together because all the little electrical things were not worked out,” counselor Milissa Pierce said.

Maher isn’t the only one experi-encing difficulties. Many colleges — such as Northwestern University, Duke University, Boston University and many others — are having to postpone their deadlines because students’ transcripts are not properly sending.

“We have gotten multiple email notifications from many colleges saying they have pushed (back) their deadlines probably about a week or more because of the issues with the Common Application,” Pierce said.

Despite the issues that many of the seniors are experiencing with the Common Application, the new server has helped in other areas. Naviance enables a word count on essays and makes it possible for students to submit Advanced Place-ment test scores and standardized test scores with a code to the school of their choice. Naviance also allows students to schedule college visits, search for scholarship opportunities, look at the college’s activity calendar, and match up students with schools based on the criteria the student is looking for.

“It gives us a bigger view of where students have applied,” Pierce said. “It allows us the opportunity to help students find schools better for them-selves with the matching and the ap-plications that the students need.”

Because Naviance is a newer soft-ware that the district purchased last spring, it is still a learning process for the counselors and graduat-ing class.

The Class of 2013 applied using Docufy, which was later bought by Parchment. Towards the end of the year, however, the Class of 2013 entered the data of where they were attending college into Naviance. The Class of 2014 is the first class to use the new form of the Common Application in the new server, Naviance.

“It just seems like there are a lot of bugs that need to be worked out,” Maher said. “The idea of the Com-mon App is good, but it is just a lot of work when you have other applica-tions to fill out.”

PHoto CC nodoWS.CoM

Luke

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SPORTSCross country coach Scott Cooper congratulates seniors Julia and Sarah Rustmann after a meet on Saturday, oct. 26.

“

”

I think I almost burned a kid though, but it’s okay because his hands were wet.

Alicia BrownCOPS CLUB MEMBER

kRiSten kALed

PaGE 3

Link Crew prepares a No Shave November fundraiser for men’s cancer awarenessBy Andrea Scapini & Emma BrockNews editor & iNterN

November may be off to a rough start. Link Crew is hosting a No Shave Novem-ber fundraiser to support men’s cancer awareness.

“We’re going to donate a percentage of what we make in the fundraiser to raise awareness to men’s cancer,” Joe Dr-ouin, a Link Crew adviser, said. “Right now we’re in the process of finding the right charity. We have no funding for Link Crew and lots of things we want to do for Link Crew. We need to find money and this is a way for us to raise money for Link Crew.”

This idea was initially pro-posed by Assis-tant Principal David Reed-Nor-dwall. He wasn’t thinking of it from a fundraising standpoint, however.

“It really started, the No Shave No-vember, from Mr. R.N. joking about get-ting all the guys together and doing a No Shave November,” Drouin said. “So we joked about it and we were just trying to find a good fundraiser for Link Crew so I threw it out there and we went to the Stu-dent Link Conference and L’anse Creuse North (High School) does it.”

Following in L’anse Creuse’s footsteps, the male staff involved in No Shave No-

vember must begin the month clean shaven. Each male teacher involved, the “grower,” has a “hype squad” of at least two Link Crew students. Every week, that male teacher will have fundraisers, like bake sales and can drives. At the end of the week, whichever teacher raises the least money must shave, and is eliminated.

“It’s not about who can grow the best beard, it’s about who can raise the most money and get the most support,” Dr-ouin said. “I know I’m excited and I know Mr. Bandfield was excited because he said that any excuse not to shave is a good thing to do. We’ll have some fun and I think it will be a little camaraderie amongst the staff and among the stu-dents, too, because granted, this is the first time we’re kind of pinning teacher against teacher.”

Athletic Director Ben Bandfield said he’s looking forward to the event.

“It’s a cool idea, I think it’s for a great cause and it’s going to save me some time

in the morning,” Bandfield said. “It’s going to be a cool thing for North. The kids and teachers and all the staff will come together and it’s going to be a neat thing for everybody and once again it’s for a good cause.”

Drouin ex-pects the fund-raiser to have a positive impact on North’s overall atmosphere.

“It’s a really good thing and plus it gives a chance for the

staff to have fun with the students,” Dr-ouin said. “So many of the students see us in an instructional world where we’re in front of a class room and we’re an au-thority figure. This kind of gives them a chance to back us and go for a cause and see that we’re going for the same thing.”

Bandfield wants the first-place honor and trophy prize at the end of the month.

“Go Team Bandfield,” Bandfield said. “We’re actually Team Geico: This contest is going to be so easy a caveman could win it.”

2 – Friday, Nov. 1, 2013 – North Pointe newsCOPs teams up with U of D Mercy chemistry clubCoNtiNued from page 1

“The thermite was done on a larger level. They did it outside, and there was a patch of grass burnt out from that partic-ular reaction, so I thought that was kinda cool,” Kosmas said.

In addition to the thermite, Brown said Kosmas guided and improved the UDM Chemistry Club by contributing to their experiments. He motivated the college students as they were walking the COPS club through their labs.

“They showed us like three or four ex-periments, and Mr. Kosmas helped them out and made their experiments a lot bet-ter,” Brown said.

COPS also represented North by intro-ducing a series of trials the college had not seen before.

“The U of D kids were so fascinated with it. We showed them how to make snow, we showed them this magic sand trick because the water would never get stuck on it,” Brown said. “We showed them a lot of cool stuff, and they really liked it. They were showing their teachers ‘Can we get this? Let’s try this out.’”

By going to U of D, COPS was able to see how a chemistry club was held on a col-lege level.

“They got to see exactly what the col-lege was doing and compared it to what we were doing. The college had some stuff that we wouldn’t normally put into stu-dents’ hands, and we had a lot of hands-on stuff that college students didn’t have, so I think that we complemented each other as a good arrangement,” Kosmas said. “We’ve worked together in the past, but we’re trying to build that up so hope-fully we will get U of D’s Chem Club to come to North.”

In addition to working with UDM Chemistry Club, COPS is planning on spreading the chemistry to Girl Scouts. The team’s goal is to put together an all-girls panel to visit Girl Scout troops and show them some of the experiments they did with UDM.

“We’re going to do a mentoring pro-gram for Girl Scouts so they can get inter-ested in science,” Smith said. ”Usually, I think U of D does it, but we’re gonna do it with elementary students and basically teach them about chemistry.”

COPS anticipates taking on this task and others because of their devotion and enthusiasm towards the club.

“I’m pretty sure Mr. Kosmas is gonna have a lot of cool things for us to look for-ward to,” Brown said. “And then it relates back to class too, which helps, so it’s really beneficial in both ways.”

We want great things for you.business.udmercy.edu

Announcing the Commerce Scholarship for exceptional business majors.Another reason why our business degrees add value(s).

The UDM Commerce Scholarship is a renewable $25,000 scholarship for outstanding freshmen entering as business majors. You can learn more about it, as well as our five-year B.S./MBA program, at an upcoming UDM Visit Day.

You’ll also learn how our business administration degree gives you everything you need to get started in your career—the latest in accounting, law, finance, marketing, management, information systems, international business—as well as a lifelong ethical perspective that you can only get from a Jesuit and Mercy institution.

UDM business majors take advantage of internships at major companies, mentoring from corporate executives, and service-learning courses that bring a hands-on approach to real-world issues. And our AACSB accreditation means you are attending an elite university where teaching matters as much as research—and accountability reigns.

Come to a Visit Day and learn more.

UDM Visit Day –

Sat., Oct. 5

or Sat.,

Dec. 7

RSVP at adm

issions

.event

s@udmerc

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or

call 800-635-5020.

Web content filters violate rightsCoNtiNued from page 1

Illegal substances are not the only filtered web pages. Villegas has also had problems with students coming to her for blocked sites on different topics.

“There will be kids that are looking for information on secondhand smoke or a lot of health topics for their health class. Well, secondhand smoke pages are filtered out. So there are pages that are not available to them because of the filter that is put in place,” Villegas said. “I feel like they are just not made accessible.”

Independent companies are hired by the district to do the web filtering. Con-sumer Reports reviewed the software

used to filter the Internet in schools and found “that while Internet blockers have gotten better at blocking pornography, the best also tend to block many sites they shouldn’t. In addition, Consumer Reports found the software to be less effective at blocking sites promoting hatred, illegal drugs or violence.”

In the 2002 book Youth, Pornography, and the Internet, The National Research Council made the point that schools cannot stop students from using the web, but they can teach them how to use it appropriately.

Regarding student Internet use, The Research Council drew this analogy, “Swimming pools can be dangerous for children. To protect them, one can in-stall locks, put up fences and deploy pool alarms. All these measures are helpful, but by far the most important thing that one can do for one’s children is teach them how to swim.”

Official Link Crew No Shave November: The

Rules of the Beard1. Everyone must shave on October 31st.2. Shaving and trimming the beard hairs are not allowed.3. If rule 2 is violated, the partici-pant may donate $20 to get back in. (However, this will not count to-wards their total.)4. Stray hairs may be groomed. The original length must be maintained.

Editor’s dEskPaTricia bajis

“Grosse Pointe Public School administrators and teachers are responsible for encouraging and ensuring freedom of expression and freedom of the press for all students, regardless of whether

the ideas expressed may be considered unpopular, critical, controversial, tasteless or offensive.”

Board of Education Policy

OUr EDiTOrial

Library censorship jeopardizes rights

Google search “second-hand smoking statistics” on a computer in the school library, and you will find your results blocked by North’s web-content filters.

The School Board decides the standards by which Internet content is restricted. The school district hires independent companies to filter Internet content.

This filtering infringes upon students’ rights. Accord-ing to the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, “ ... libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.” This includes information about controversial topics such as drugs and violence, which are often blocked. The Supreme Court has also said that censoring library Internet access is illegal because it blocks access to free speech, which is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This kind of censorship, in addition to being illegal, is unnecessary.

Although the filters block some inappropriate web-sites and images, they are not always successful in restricting access to indecent material. The system used to classify images as inappropriate is ineffective. Some indecent images do slip through the cracks.

In addition, there’s a high chance the pictures and websites being stifled are harmless; few are inappropri-ate in nature, and they have the potential to be useful learning tools. It is difficult for students to learn how to identify reliable websites if they can’t compare them with inaccurate, unreliable ones, which the filters automati-cally remove from search results. Students researching the harmful effects of certain drugs in their health or biology classes often find their results blocked. Teach-ers who want to use sites such as Flickr to enable students to share lab photos find themselves stymied by the school’s overzealous Internet filters. Completing research on school computers is a hassle that yields more frustration than answers. The filter system is simply inconvenient.

The Internet censorship practiced at North is excessive and ends up restricting access to practical information. It would be better to pick and choose which sites to block access to. Harmful websites could be identified by trac-ing web traffic on inappropriate sites. It would be better to concentrate efforts on restricting access to the most visited websites that the school considers unacceptable, instead of blindly blocking any content that could be construed as inappropriate, which the current process does.

The Supreme Court has affirmed that speech and expression over the Internet deserve as much protec-tion as speech found in books and newspapers. Just as libraries cannot legally restrict access to books, they cannot legally restrict access to online information.

Obstructing access to information is against the purpose of schools and libraries; helping students in their search for knowledge and giving them the tools necessary to apply that knowledge are a library’s most vital responsibilities. By restricting access to information, the libraries are doing the opposite of what they ought to be doing. They are making research and learning more difficult to accomplish and withering away our rights to see the world for what it is.

North Pointe – Friday, Nov. 1, 2013 – 3

Maria LiddaneEditor-in-chiEf

Izzy EllerylifE Editor

Andrea ScapininEws Editor

Colleen ReveleysPorts Editor

Gabby BurchettManaging Editor

Lauren SemackwEB contEnt ManagEr

Melina GlusacidEas Editor

Sydney ThompsonBusinEss ManagEr

Getting away: gaming opens portal to a new world

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Maria LiddaneMANAGING EDITORS: Gabby Burchett, Dayle MaasSECTION EDITORS: Andrea Scapini, Melina Glusac, Izzy Ellery, Colleen Reveley WEB CONTENT EDITORS: Marie Bourke, Lauren SemackWEB MANAGERS: Emma Puglia, Anu Subrama-niamBUSINESS MANAGER: Sydney ThompsonSTAFF DEVELOPMENT EDITOR: Patricia BajisDESIGN EDITOR: Kristen KaledASSISTANT EDITORS: Haley Reid, Wendy Ishmaku, Jennifer Kusch, Audrey Kam, Katelyn CarneySTAFF REPORTERS: Jenna Belote, Radiance Cooper, Dora Juhaz, Erica Lizza, Emily Martinbianco, Brittney Hernandez, Malika Kanneganti, Caelin Micks, Diajah Williams, Brigitte SmithINTERNS: Dana O’Donnell, Thomas Remenar, Emma Brock, Mora Downs, Kristina Kowalski, Haley Makino, Isabella Meteer, Billy Moin, Ritika Sanikommu, Addison Toutant, Calix Waldrop, Olivia Asimakis, Alex Batts, Josie Bennett, Yena Berhane, Dajai Chatman, Claire Dalian, Lia DeCoste, Erin Haggerty, Lawrence Lezuch, Kayla Luteran, Lillian Rancourt, Josie Riley, Stephanie Roy, Maya Sewell, Gowri Yerramalli

The North Pointe is edited and produced by Advanced Journalism students at Grosse Pointe North High School and is published every two weeks. It is in practice a designated public forum without prior review. Com-ments should be directed to the student editors, who make all final content decisions. The views expressed are solely those of the authors or the student editorial board and do not reflect the opinions of the Grosse Pointe School System.

We are a member of the Michigan Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press As-sociation and Student Press Law Center. We subscribe to McClatchy-Tribune Information Services and iStockphoto.com.

One copy is available free to all community members. Additional copies may be pur-chased. Our editorial policy and advertising rates are available online at myGPN.org. The North Pointe is printed on 100% recycled paper.

CONTACT US707 Vernier RoadGrosse Pointe Woods MI, 48236Phone: 313.432.3248Email: northpointe@gpschools.orgTwitter: @myGPN

FACULTY ADVISER: Shari Adwers, CJE

our editorial represents the opinion of the north Pointe Editorial Board consisting of the editors above and staff members

Erica lizza and Jennifer Kusch.

After com-ing home from a stressful day at school, there’s only one thing that can help me unwind: video games.

Video games are a fantastic art form that are, as of late, incredibly re-alistic and make someone feel like they are a part of a fake war, like in the game Call of Duty. The resemblance to actual war scenarios is surprisingly accurate at some points, but that isn’t what I play to get away from the real world.

Developers like Microsoft are focusing almost solely on making games resemble the real world. In this process, they lost what the main point of a video game was back in the ‘80s: to be surreal.

Like most people I know, I play video games to get away from the real world — to get away from real issues, to feel like I’m in a world that doesn’t exist. Sure, those trick shots in first-person shooter games are surreal, but that’s not the sort of nonreal-ism I like.

Now, the giant space pterodactyl that I can shoot in the mouth is an entirely dif-ferent story and provides the sort of non-realism that I love. The sort that I can sit down, relax and detach myself from the fact that I’m about to kill a four-legged ig-loo demon with what is essentially a mir-ror on fire.

Even though these games are action-based and frantic at times, players are

able to focus on one thing and use that to relieve stress. Defeating a difficult fight in a game gives a morale boost that helps transfer over to real-life activities. If I beat the giant dragon with a unicorn horn in my game, I feel like I can do my Algebra without trouble. I finish my homework at a very late hour, but with little trouble.

Games that are an extension of reality are games that I don’t really understand. Virtually killing other humans that could have a spouse and kids is really stressful to me, which is the opposite reason I play video games. I play to be away from real world consequences, not to think about them constantly.

Video games are often attacked by the media for influencing our generation to become killers, which I can agree with on some level. Those incredibly realistic games could be fueling people who were the attackers in recent shootings.

But to make a sweeping generalization that video games have little worth? I dis-agree. They’re healthy alternatives that can help a person unwind and calm down. The problem is with games that are an extension of reality. They seem to make someone more aggressive instead of re-laxed. That’s certainly not beneficial.

The surreal games, on the other hand, are almost mindless and nearly inconse-quential in terms of influencing the young-er generation. It’s a perfect way to end a day. There are benefits as well. The people who play these games are happier and less aggressive.

Except when fighting that space ptero-dactyl. Then we’re aggressive.

My tUrNaDDisOn TOUTanT

“It tasted really good, but I did think it was expensive.”

“I didn’t like it. I felt like the service wasn’t very good.”

“I like how it is set up and decorated and the whole vibe of it.”

Givonne Skiffer-TerrysoPhoMorE

Anna GruberJunior

“I do like the new Biggby, I’m glad they came into that location. I think they did a very nice job making it aesthetically pleasing.”

“I like it. The baristas are all really nice and it has a great atmosphere”

“They have really great drinks, but it is way too overpriced.”

Teresa BennettathlEtic dEPartMEnt clErK

Julie PappasMath tEachEr

Keelia HamdansEnior

It’s a PUN-derful lifeI find myself to be monu-

mentally more hilarious than I actually am – the dis-crepuncy is quite large.

I can’t help cracking non-stop jokes in class that no one but myself under-stands. They may get a good chuckle here and there, but I can’t stop, even when I know they’re not funny.

Needless to say, if you’ve ever had a conversation with me, it usually contains anywhere from one to ten puns, my prefered form of comedic style.

Don’t give me that look! It’s not everyday you’re in the presence of a comedic genius. Well, more like the spawn of a genius, as my dad claims the title of being the pun-tastic master.

Let me explain. My dad, who was always

the one to attend my soccer games growing up, made sure (intentionally or not – I’m still not sure) that every-one knew he was a “cool and hip jokester.” So one day af-ter a game, my dad made his way over to a conversation I was having with my fellow teammate, Tenley.

Naturally, he asked her where her friends Nine-ly, Eight-ly and Seven-ly were. You have my permission to cringe. Unfortunately, I’m only scratching the surface here, folks.

This type of joke may not be your cup of tea, but let the idea steep a little longer. It’s the instant facial expres-sion of pathetic sympathy and the conversation of how terrible the joke was after, that I love.

Puns hold a unique qual-ity to lift your spirits up in a way no other joke can; it’s almost heavenly. The actual pun itself is terribly cringe-worthy and pitiful but is usually worse than the situ-ation that’s upsetting you, thus making you happier.

But in a world masked by humor provided by the witty realms of Tumblr or Twitter, puns are indubita-bly kicked to the wayside.

Here’s a little droplet of in-formation for you to ponder over: the great mind of Wil-liam Shakespeare dipped his feet into the pun-pond quite a bit using almost 3,000 of these rhetorical devices in his plays. So, I guess calling me the next Shakespeare wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration.

And if you ever need a terrible pun, I am definitely the one to go to as my dad has rubbed off on me more than I intended.

For example, if you were one of the lucky people I stole a safety pin from on Toga Day, I most likely asked you to o-pin it for me. Or, a couple weeks ago, I hurt my left wrist, but I was all right. And the best time to go to the dentist is always tooth-hurty!

So as I conclude my writ-ing where I have successful-ly driven away any remain-ing friends that I had before this, I’ll leave you with a little sentiment.

Don’t underestimate the power that a good ol’ fash-ion pun has to cheer you up.

And if you find yourself stressed on this jubilant day over a test, homework or after school activity and need a quick pick-me-up, just remember — where there’s an Anne hath a will, there’s an Anne Hathaway.

iDEas

By Dana O’Donnell your turn: do you like the new Biggby coffee in grosse Pointe?

Sawyer BarshfrEshMan

4 – North Pointe – Friday, Nov. 1, 2013

Faces in the crowdLolly Duus

Figaro! While the average person chants this word play-fully, Freshmen Lolly Duus knows a lot more about this word, and opera, than meets the ear.

In middle school, Duus got a chance to experience what the official performers get to see.

“I was in the Michigan opera theatre – chil-dren’s chorus,” Duus said. “We basically per-formed with the Michigan opera theatres and their operas.”

Getting in wasn’t easy and not everyone made it. Duus credits her hard work and a love for music for her opportunity.

“When I was in 7th grade I auditioned be-cause you have to audition to be a part of it, and I got in,” Duus said.

Performing in front of the large crowds at both the concert and the opera house was nerve-wracking for Duus at times, but it could never get the best of her.

“Every show, there was like 4,000 people there, and I was really nervous,” Duus said. “But after I get on stage, all the nerves go away.”

Micah DarnellJunior Micah Darnell is no

stranger to reaching out to help other students. She has just begun her second year in Knots, the peer-to-peer program at North for special needs students.

“I joined because my friends and I used to sit with the special need kids at lunch occasionally by ourselves, so a special needs teacher told us about the club. I like helping out and everyone is really nice which is a plus,” Darnell said.

Before joining Knots, she was helping spe-cial needs students in other organizations.

“When I was in middle school I used to help out with this other school’s Special Olympics,” she said.

Although Darnell is planning on choosing a career path other than helping special needs students, she still plans on continuing to help others. Helping people will always be an im-portant aspect of her life.

“I like the fact that in this club you are mak-ing a difference right then and there,” Darnell said.

Ashley CarrollIt doesn’t seem like build-

ing structures out of cans would have a big impact on a person. But it did on fresh-man Ashley Carroll. It was one of her favorite things she did as a National Junior Hon-or Society member at Parcells Middle School.

“We participated with an organization to do-nate cans to people who were in need of food. What we did with them is we built structures out of them, kinda like statues, and then people would vote on which one they thought was the best,” Carroll said.

Carroll enjoyed having a larger role in the project.

“I was one of the leaders of the group, and I really got to participate,” Carroll said. “We all would stay after school, and a lot of people were doing it.”

She hopes to be accepted into the National Honors Society in the future to participate in more community service projects.

By Diajah Williams, Dana O’Donnell & Erin Haggerty

on campus

By Diajah WilliamsStaff RepoRteR

Orchestra teacher Laura Rasmussen’s passion for music keeps her itching to try new ideas and techniques. Of the many instruments she can play, the least com-mon is the fiddle.

“A fiddle is a violin, but when you play a fiddle style of music, it’s called a fiddle,” Rasmussen said. “[Fiddling] is a tradition-al music of the Americans, so like old time fiddle music or bluegrass music in that genre. It’s sort of like country but more tra-ditional and not as poppy as today’s coun-try music probably would be.”

Rasmussen got involved with fid-dling when she was in college, not knowing it would become one of her favorite hobbies.

“In college I was obviously a music education major and I was also a music performance major and I met a group of five people who were really into that kind of music and before orchestra rehearsal,

they would be improvising and making up their own music with each other and it was just very fun to watch,” Rasmussen said. “One day, I tried to play something along with them even though I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Rasmussen parties a little differently than other people might, feeding into one of her favorite pastimes.

“I love to learn fiddle tunes and go to parties with other musicians and just play in a big circle and improvise; we call them jams,” she said. “We just jam together and play and you learn new tunes from other people and bring your own tunes.”

The musicians she met at jam sessions introduced her to a new world of music, that not only became a solid part of her life as a musician, but helped her gain new friendships.

“Eventually, we became friends and we would go to fiddle camps together where you would meet other people that fiddled and I’d just have long jam sessions all night when we were playing,” Rasmussen said.

Orchestra teacher Laura Rasmussen realized her passion for music a little late in the game. “I would say maybe junior year of high school was when I thought seriously about majoring in music and that’s kind of a late realization compared to other people,” Rasmussen said.

Orchestra teacher Laura Rasmussen

LEFT: Science teacher Elizabeth Michaels explains to seniors Ricky Thomas and Ronald Kyles what is shown in the slides. “What makes it cool is that we all have heard of the word muscles and cartilage and skin, but we don’t know what they really look like,” Michaels said. “And then at the end there’s no test, they have to be able to go to microscope to microscope and identify each tissue.”

BrigittE SmitH

What is the difference between teaching middle school orchestra, to coming to North to teach high school level?“middle school is a little more laid back, the kids are a little goofier and they’re not afraid to show their personality and that’s really fun. You get feed off of that energy and be a little goofier than you would with high schoolers.”

Are you nervous about conducting your first concert on Saturday?“i’m not nervous, i’m really excited. i’m excited to see what improvements we can make be-cause we have one more week. i wanna hear what the end result sounds like and it’s always a celebration of all the work you’ve done so it feels really good to show that to everyone’s friends and families.”

How do you like the students at North so far?“the students are really passionate about music and really want to work hard. they’re doing really well and made lots of progress since the beginning of the year. (they have been) work-ing on string techniques and just working up to our first concert and they’ve come a long way in the last two months.”

BOTTOM LEFT: Junior Jamie Lackner finds this experiment unique and rewarding. “The most interesting part of using the microscopes so far has been drawing what you see in the field of view. All the individual cells are small and delicate,” Lackner said. BOTTOM RIGHT: Senior Geoffrey Fong takes a look at a sample.

RIGHT: Junior Quinn Gallant views the slides of tissue through the microscope. “It was an interesting experiment because I was looking at tissues found in the body,” Gallant said.

First and second hour physiology classes have been studying human tissue samples for the past month. “I always wanted to learn more about the

human body and what it is composed of, and after all, histology is basically studying the anatomy of human tissue,” junior Alex Andreoli said.

physiology classes view human tissues

By Jeffrey Valentic & Caelin MicksphotogRapheR & Staff RepoRteR

FiVe minutes with

By Katelyn Carney & Caelin MicksAssistAnt editor & stAff reporter

Freshman twins Nadya and Alanah Herfi credit their older sister, senior Mariah Herfi, for sparking their passion for musicals.

“When we were little kids, she would sing and sing all the time, and then you want to do whatever your older sister does because we would sing, too and make up dances,” Nadya said.

Nadya and Alanah are currently a part of the First English Lutheran Church’s production of The Sound of Music. Nadya plays a Von Trapp child, and Alanah plays a nun. This is the twins’ sixth musical together.

“You look up to your older sister, so if she did it, we did it,” Nadya said. “She wanted to do the musicals at First Eng-lish Church, so we did them just to fol-low her.”

Mariah guides and supports her younger sisters’ interests.

“The best advice I have given them is don’t worry about how you look to other people just get into character, and go with it even if you think you look silly,” Mariah said.

Performing arts has always been a bonding staple for the Herfi family.

“It is really awesome to have all have the same passion for music and acting because we can give each other con-structive criticism (we usually do) and also help each other picking songs for auditions or running lines. It is really cool to be able to share that,” Mariah said.

The twins not only have support from their actual family, but also from the family they’ve found among First English Church performers.

“Everyone has grown to each other. It’s the same group of 30 people every single year, so it’s like a family reunion,” Nadya said. “We get to stay together for three months, and then you leave each other. We get to see each other again and all get back together in August and hang out twice a week until November.”

Nadya and Alanah have come across roles that they’ve both wanted but known only one of them could be cho-sen. Alanah said that they try to keep conflict to a minimum as they plan which roles to audition for.

The Sound of Music runs at First Eng-lish Evangelical Lutheran Church on Friday Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. (with dinner at 6 p.m.) and Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. For tickets, call 313-884-5040.

By Jennifer Kusch, Gowri Yerramalli & Lillian RancourtAssistAnt editor & interns

Sophomore Nassif Daher has two birth-days.

“My real one is on March 5, but my Ameri-can citizenship says it’s on August 15,” Daher said.

This is because Daher was born in Leba-non. At the age of 9 months, Daher moved to the United States with his parents to start a new life after his father’s car-rental business declared bankruptcy.

Now, every summer, Daher journeys from Grosse Pointe to Lebanon. He appreciates the country for its sentimental value, as he visits family. Aesthetically, the Lebanon pleases Daher as well.

“It’s really mountainous and beauti-ful,” Daher said. “Lebanon is a really small country. It’s about the size of Maryland. So we can go from the South to North and back in one day. We’ve done that before.”

His favorite Lebanon adventure was vis-iting an underground cave system.

“The cave system goes throughout the coun-try,” Nassif said. “We took a tour of the cave with a boat. The water was freezing cold and we saw many stalagmites.”

Daher loves the U.S. and Lebanon, but

feels there are some significant contrasts between the two.

“The biggest difference would be the people. They have a totally different way of viewing things,” Daher said. “Another difference would be that the electricity is out for half of the day. You have to have a generator, solar panels or wind turbines to have electricity in your house.”

Nonetheless, Daher recognizes both countries as his home, admiring each for their unique qualities.

“I like both countries equally,” Daher said. “I like Lebanon for relaxing, but I like America for working.”

When he grows older, Daher wants to take his kids back to Lebanon to experi-ence what he did growing up.

“My dream is to take my kids over there a lot,” Daher said. “I want them to meet the family and see where I lived.”

Although he has an entirely new life in the States, he doesn’t forget about Leba-non. It is what keeps him going back.

“Family is the biggest thing I love over there,” Daher said.

No matter how long he lives in America, Daher will always have a connection with Lebanon.

“Lebanon is basically where I’ve grown up,” Daher said. “It is like a second home to me.”

life

Dad’s military experience shapesdaughters’ lives

Emily HuguEnin

Twin tradition: Herfi sisters keep music playing

Moving around with their dad allowed senior Maci Miller and freshman Madi Miller to see the differences among people in Grosse Pointe compared to the people they met in Texas. They notice that Grosse Pointers are more judgemental. “‘Cause like if you don’t wear what they wear or you’re not cool or anything they won’t hangout with you, but in Texas it’s like you dress how you dress, and you are who you are,” Madi said.

north Pointe – Friday, nov. 1, 2013 – 5

Summer trek to Lebanon connects sophomore to roots

By Olivia Asimakisintern

Junior Maci and Freshman Madeline Miller’s lives have turned into a mael-strom starting six years ago when their father, David Miller, was assigned a new military base in Fort Hood, Texas.

“It’s fun but hard at the same time. Fun because you get to travel and meet new people and get to see different things around the world, but it’s hard because when you get close to people, then you have to leave, and your dad gets deployed, and you have to see him go, too,” Maci said.

Abandoning their lives in Grosse Pointe, the Miller sisters started over in a new city. Although Madeline was up-set because she left her mother’s side of the family, she enjoyed the atmosphere in Texas, and making friends came very naturally to her.

“They don’t really judge you ... I got their numbers, and we would hang out all the time,” Madeline said.

Life’s drill became different. Their dad lived on the base, and the Miller sisters

lived nearby but off base with their moth-er. They each had their own military I.D.s to pass through a high-lockdown gate to get onto the base. The Miller sisters sel-dom enjoyed their father’s company be-cause he worked day and night.

“I decided to join the military because I felt it was my duty as a United States citi-zen to defend the honor of my country, to continue the fight against terrorism and to provide stability for my family,” David said.

Things became even more challenging when David had to serve in Iraq. While he was away, it not only affected him but the well-being of his daughters and wife. Maci and her mom Michelle attended counseling sessions to cope with inability to sleep and their pure longing for their dad and husband.

“I think it affects me in a lot of ways. I’m really close to my dad, and I can talk to him about anything, so when he’s gone, it’s like the person that is always there for me and gets me through anything isn’t there anymore,” Maci said.

The distance disheartened David as well.

“The thought of being separated from my family was a nightmare for 365 days that I spent over in Iraq. I was constant-ly worried about their safety, and the thought of not being able to see them everyday really took a toll on me,” David said.

David was deployed to Iraq as a combat engineer. He drove a Mine-Resistant Am-bush Protected vehicle (MRAP) and was the first to go on route-clearance mis-sions, looking for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and explosively formed penetrators (EFPs).

These missions would last 5-6 hours. He would also partake in search and de-stroy missions. These were done on foot. David would search for enemy wires and breach houses to check for insurgents hidden in homes. He also served as a tower guard, a 6-12 hour shift monitoring suspicious activity.

While in Iraq in 2009, David was looking for bombs, but the bomb found him first. Caught in an explosion, David endured a horror typically only seen in blockbuster movies. David was deported back to the states for rest and recuperation in a two-

week time span to visit family and inform them of his condition. David had gone into blackout mode and wasn’t able to contact his family. When he returned, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and underwent back surgery.

“I suffer from PTSD. I am a different man than I was before,” David said. “I am edgy. I suffer from nightmares and hy-pervigilance. My children and wife suffer because I get irritated quickly and fly off the handle.”

Ambushed emotionally by a block-ade, life would never be the same for the Millers. David retired from the military, which sent the Millers back to Grosse Pointe, but they are fighting a battle. Moving from one place to another is hard enough, but recuperating their family is a struggle they face every day.

“It’s changed because it’s like he’s not there for me anymore because he has his own problems,” Maci said. “A lot of things changed. He has mood swings, and it’s kind of sad because the dad me and my sister used to have is not the dad that was there before. It makes me want to cry.”

The views from the mountains of Lebanon are the most fascinating to Daher. “When you are in the mountains, you can see miles away, which is very cool,” Daher said.

BriigittE SmitH

PHoto courtESy oF DaHEr Family.

Freshman Nadya and Alanah Herfi try on their costumes between acts at their evening rehearsal.

By Emma Pugliaweb manager

All across Grosse Pointe, tweets like “New Biggby chillin’!” or “Obsessed with the new Biggby” bombard timelines and phone screens. The overload of #coffee began on Sept. 23, the day Biggby Coffee opened on the corner of Roslyn Rd. and Mack Ave.

After the close of the Grosse Pointe Farms Biggby, the company began searching for a new home in the area, finally landing in a former bank. Renovations lasted throughout the summer transforming the bland, empty building into a cozy shop.

Walking into the store, a cheery “Hi, how are you?” emanates from the barista behind the counter. The simple orange-red and faded green walls give way to a comfortable contempo-rary seating area, the only drawback of which is a limited number of armchairs up for grabs. In-door surroundings are mainly beneficial: the light-ing is bright enough to stay focused, and the colors are peaceful on a rapid, caffeinated mind. The average student would order their coffee, claim their seat and wait 4-5 minutes while di stractedly tapping their feet.

Sorry to all those coffee-shop studiers, but sadly, only two hours of free, flickering Wi-Fi is permitted at Biggby. Compared to Starbucks’ unlimited Internet use, Biggby has a disadvantage with laptop or tablet users.

Unlike the usual hipster coffeehouse music, obscure

swing tunes waver out of the speakers in the corner, occasionally switching to big-haired classic rock band songs that provide the image of a 1985 class reunion. The psychedelic love songs are whiny to the ears and can distract from the soothing atmo-sphere.

Two popular drinks with addictive flavors are the Butterbear (a latte with caramel and butterscotch) and the Raspberry Zinger (a raspberry and lemonade smoothie). A downside to the menu is that both beverages are just as overpriced as their coffeehouse counterparts.

While the Butterbear’s initial sip is filled with warm caramel sweetness, it leaves behind the slight tang of a pungent aftertaste. The bitter-ness of the latte is prominent

halfway through the cup, dropping its deliciousness level a few notches.

One would think that a Raspberry Zinger would have a sour “zing,” right? Wrong. The smoothie proved to be extremely sweet despite its name. Admittedly, the strawberry-like taste has potential to be credited as one of the best-tasting smoothies.

The two main differences between the menus of Biggby and Starbucks are the size of the food relative to price and the amount of flavors offered for self-serve coffee. Though drink prices are relatively the same, Biggby offers lower food prices for items similar to those of Starbucks. A turkey Havarti sandwich, although the same size as Starbucks, is half the price at Biggby. Starbucks has at most two self-serve containers, while Biggby’s has half a dozen self-serve coffees ranging from French Roast to Salted Caramel. The more options the better, as customers are more inclined to return and try something new each visit.

Most appealing and most unique to this rising café is the outdoor setting. At the moment, a festive décor of hay and pumpkins surrounds an array of tables and wood benches. The fireplace, unfortunately not in use during all fall hours, is the perfect addition to a shop designed for warming up custom-ers.

Through the homey outdoors and the costly drinks, the overall consensus is: Welcome to the neighborhood, Biggby. You’re sure to fare well in the caffeine competition across Grosse Pointe.

Grade: B Biggby Coffee:21110 Mack AveGrosse Pointe Woods(313) 640-5580

GRAVITY

A Through heart-

felt emotions and detailed filmog-raphy, Gravity takes you on an eventful space experience. Sur-viving a horrific accident while in space, astronaut

Matt Kowalski, played by George Cloo-ney, and medical examiner Ryan Stone, played by Sandra Bullock, have to find a way to safely get back to Mother Earth be-fore time and oxygen run out. As obstacles come into play, Stone has to single-hand-edly figure out how to stay positive and get herself home after free floating into space.

Sci-fi films usually have difficulty with the computer generated images, and they’re often poorly executed. Gravity, on the other hand, keeps the viewer captivat-ed from beginning to end. From the open-ing scene of the movie when an outerspace view of Earth is provided, watching the world orbit, the digital effects are so realistic it is hard to tell whether it’s actually shot in space or not.

Having to rely on one actress can make or break a movie. In this case, though, it works. Bullock’s performance becomes more intriguing as her character becomes more dynamic, learning her backstory of how she got into the NASA program. By the end, it’s hard not to stand and applaud for the amount of charisma that she presents.

Even if you’re not a sci-fi fan, this movie can easily change your mind. Traveling with Bullock through her obstacles in space will have you at the edge of your seat. Gravity will take you out of this world.

By Jenna Belote

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D

B Lately, Marvel has been trying to stake a claim in every sort of medium. They started with comic books – now they’re conquering the small screen. Joss Whedon, the director of

The Avengers film, has created an original television show to add to the lucrative brand. Unlike Marvel’s other endeavours, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t strictly based on superheroes. Instead, it focuses on a small team of agents who act as the fictional organization S.H.I.E.L.D., which deals with unnatural occurrences on Earth. Each episode begins with the team getting a case and working together to solve it. The characters themselves are based on some rather common archetypes, but it works – the show focuses more on how the characters interact. The characters’ developments are static, already having backstories and dynamic personalities Despite likability, sometimes their personalities feel overdone, seeming more like caricatures than real people. This takes away from the immersive experience that comes with watching skillful actors portray realistic characters. Overall, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a rather well put together show, it’s fun to watch, fairly humorous at times and sets up some interesting plot developments for episodes to come; it’s not going to change your life anytime soon, but it’s enjoyable all the same.

By Thomas Remenar

SMOSH

C+ Smosh hit its

peak this summer. The comedy duo on Youtube, com-prised of Anthony and Ian, make skits, how-to vid-eos, music videos, fake movie trailers and parodies; they

have reached more than 12 million sub-scribers and 2.6 billion video views.

This loveable comedy duo generates laughs many times this season with quality work such as “WE RULE HIGH SCHOOL” and “WORST PROPOSALS EVER.” Several other videos this season maintained the top-quality humor that is uniquely Smosh.

However, just as many videos were frankly stupid, such as “What Guys Are Re-ally Thinking” and “I HAVE KIRBY POW-ERS!” These skits and others had absolute-ly no humor in them, especially compared to the duo’s older work. The majority of this year’s videos were in between – not stellar but also not a total letdown.

It’s commonly said that as soon as a channel becomes as popular as Smosh, its quality is soon lost. It’s still too soon to determine whether that’s the case with Smosh. Smosh’s videos this year align with that belief somewhat, but the channel also produced enough good material to main-tain hope that they are only in a slump, and their future videos will be as success-ful as their older ones. Despite the valiant comedic efforts behind it, season 2013 has some great highlights but, for the most part, is disappointing.

By Malika Kanneganti

North Pointe – Friday, Nov. 1, 2013 – 6reviews

BIG ON BIGGBY

PURE HEROINE

BAn album for

the hipster teen-age girl in all of us. Sixteen-year-old Lorde took the radio by storm with her hit “Royals.” This debut song has been remixed by disc jockeys

everywhere, but none give it justice like the original.

Her album Pure Heroine, considered to belong in the genre of indie pop, is a collec-tion of 10 songs the 16-year-old wrote her-self. The poetic lyrics and catchy rhythms can be heard in headphones and busted out basses in teenagers’ cars everywhere. Of these ten songs, besides “Royals,” “A World Alone” and “Tennis Court” have been the most popular downloads off the album.

The catchy lyrics are not only good for solo sing-a-longs in your car, but are also relatable for high school students. Her song “A World Alone” is the epitome of a “blah” high school day experience; broken hearts, fake friendships and partying rule the lyrics. This hushed lullaby-like song expresses to her listeners the emptiness and loneliness that filled the high school halls for her.

Lorde’s anti-pop album goes against all of today’s mainstream hits. Unlike the songs repeatedly played on the radio, it’s not just meaningless lyrics to a catchy beat. Lorde sympathizes with the adolescent age group because she still is one. The music industry needs to keep an eye on the young artist. After sell-ing 2.3 million copies of her single and declining a chance to tour with Katy Perry, the unique voice of Lorde will be dominating iPods everywhere.

Lorde; Pure Heroine; Universal Music Group; 2013.

By Colleen Reveley

WWW.PoPCRUsh.CoM WWW.LiveFoRFiLM.CoM WWW.yoUTUBe.CoM

You can follow us on your phone without setting up an

acount.

Text “follow mygpn” to 40404

WWW.iMDB.CoM

PhoTo By KRisTeN KALeD

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; 2013; ABC. Gravity; 2013; Directed by Alfonso Cuaron; PG-13. Smosh; 2013; youTube.

Seniors Sarah and Julia Rustmann have envisioned seeing their names on the girls cross country record board since freshman year. At their last race, the Rustmann sisters accom-plished their goal of running a race in the 19-minute range.

“I’ve been running farther and doing everything my coach tells me to and trying to push the pace farther every time,” Sarah said.

Their running career will not end in high school. Both sisters’ dream is to run at Michigan State University, qualifying by their time to do so, but with nothing certain until an offer is made, they continually “put everything out on the course.”

“During a race, when I have a goal I want to beat, I usually have a strategy, and I just keep my eyes in front of me and just focus on the girls I want to catch, and I keep moving forward,” Sarah said.

The twins believe they set an example for the younger runners on their team through their en-couragement and hard work.

“I do everything my coach tells me to and running as far as I can and never limiting myself and push-ing myself hard in races,” Sarah said.

“Always be competitive and positive because that’s the biggest aspect of running,” Julia said.

What’s notFreshman Grace Sexton was unaware of her

asthma condition until it attacked during her practice with the girls cross country team.

She said she had chest pains and could barely breathe, to the point where she couldn’t stand. Another student called an ambulance.

“I didn’t know it was asthma when I felt chest pains and had a tingly arm, and I could barely breathe, and it was really scary ‘cause I thought my life was ending,” Sexton said.

Sexton has to take precautions on a daily basis to continue running.

“I have to take my inhaler before I run, and I have to ensure that there is a person with me when I’m going for a long or intense run. Or I have to let someone know the route I’m taking,” she said.

Her team members were by her side while she had her first attack and continually support her.

“They didn’t leave me when I was on the ground, and they were so supportive, and I feel like they really care.”

Sexton now knows how to handle her asthma as it has become a part of her life. Even though she couldn’t finish her season this year, she will continue conditioning through the winter to be back on track for next cross country season.

“It’s definitely inconvenient because asthma does slow you down, but it’s a struggle that a lot of athletes have to put up with,” Sexton said. “I will be way more aware of my body. If I ever feel like I’m having trouble breathing or have chest pains, I’ll definitely stop. I won’t keep going like I did this time.”

By Ritika Sanikommu & Marie Bourke

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By Izzy ElleryIdeas edItor

Decked out in “jorts” (jean shorts) and green and gold body paint, yelling at the top of their lungs, seniors Will Zinn and Julian Makowski are hard to miss at a sporting event.

At the beginning of the year, Zinn and Makowski vowed to make it to as many home sports games as possible to cheer on students and friends. The idea stemmed from their friends in the previous senior class.

“I was friends with some of them last year, and they told me just how fun it was. I would always watch from the back of the stands and see how much fun they’re having and stuff like that,” Makowski said. “If they weren’t at the games and they weren’t yelling and cheering and stuff like that, I proba-bly wouldn’t have done this this year because I wouldn’t have seen that much fun, and I wouldn’t have known to do that and have fun at the games.”

Zinn and Makowski wanted to be the ones to carry on the spirited legacy that the Class of 2013 left behind.

“It’s just tradition, to bring everything together. We wouldn’t know what the cheers were without anyone before us. We gotta thank them for that, so we wanna continue it on like they did,” Zinn said.

Starting as an idea to keep the North tradition going, their idea soon expanded into making the most out of their senior year.

“At the beginning of the year we’re like ‘lets go to all of them, we’re seniors,’ you know, just have fun at the games and support everyone,” Zinn said.

Zinn and Makowski try to build up a big student fan base, starting with their friends.

“We try to get our friends to do it with us, like we try to get them to wear jorts and we try to get them the paint, we try to get them to do everything, and they’re not really down for it, but they’ll still go to the games with us,” Makowski said. “They might not wear what we wear or do what we do, but they’re at least there to help us and support us.”

Although they may not get their friends to go all out, they still attract a following, composed partly of juniors, which will help them pass on the tradition.

“Me and Julian are streaming what we do, but we try to get as many other people to join us. It seems to work. It attracts some juniors, so they can continue on,” Zinn said.

Zinn and Makowski realize that their spirit is more than just making their senior year entertaining, but about sup-porting students and the school.

“At least from the volleyball team, they say that they love it. They say that it actually helps. We cheer them on, and they

say it gives them confidence,” Makowski said.Senior varsity volleyball player Cait Gaitley notices a corre-

lation between Zinn and Makowski’s cheering and the volleyball team’s performance.

“I think it helps our team perform better and when we hear people cheering us on it gives us more motivation,” Gaitley said.

From the sidelines on Friday nights, the football players can hear their personal cheerleaders loud and clear.

“The football team says stuff like ‘you guys are so hype,’ and it’s pretty good to get recognized,” Zinn said.

Senior football player Michael Bylski loves their spirit be-cause of the positive outlook it gives him.

“I feel really excited, and it makes me realize that we’re playing for the fans and the school,” Bylski said. “It motivates us all.”

Not only does their cheering help students, but it has changed the morale of the school.

“I feel like it brings our school together, so that they all can go to a football game on Friday and all hang out and yell and scream and all be together and not be yelling at each other,” Makowski said.

Zinn hopes that their spirit is continued in future years, not only for the enjoyment of students, but for the reputation of North.

“I hope more people just like doing it and they can continue it and just have Grosse Pointe North be known as a very sports and athletic-oriented school. They care about their students and all that stuff,” Zinn said.

But Zinn and Makowski do have their own sports schedules and commitments to worry about, so fitting in their cheering can be a challenge.

“We usually ask them what their schedules are so we know, and then we can accommodate so we know what days we have to get our homework done,” Makowski said.

To make it to so many sporting events, Zinn came up with a game plan.

“Usually, like right after school, I do my homework or I do my own sports, and then I just rush to the games, so I can usually make it in after hockey,” Zinn said. “We plan the games around our schedule.”

But the time it takes to watch games and wash off body paint afterwards is worth it for them.

“All of the athletes recognize you, and then being athletes as me and him are, we would want that for our games, so it’s pretty awesome to kind of be there and support and cheer for them,” Zinn said.“It’s just school pride, and it’s honestly fun. There’s no better feeling than winning games and being there and cheering. It’s just awesome.”

Seniors Julian Makowski and Will Zinn rallyiup the Class of 2014 at the Homecoming Pep Assembly alongside senior cheerleader Tiye Curry.

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