Zombie District

Ever wonder what your life would be like if there was a zombie outbreak?

I wish I would have. It may have been of some help to me.

Now, running with my newfound companion, we manage to break away from a few straggling zombies.

Well almost.

“Zombie on your left Thea”!

I turned to my left and blocked the zombies bite with a baseball bat. It took a big chomp into the wood and got its teeth stuck. While it was occupied I took the opportunity to kick at his stomach. My foot got stuck in the rotten flesh.

The zombie unhooked his now broken jaw from the bat (leaving the majority of its teeth), and looked at me with a confused expression lining its face and for one moment, we just stared at each other.

That moment passed way too soon.

I pulled my foot out of the rotten goo and stumbled backwards as it bit at my neck.

“Could use a little help over here”, I shouted as I turned and took off in a sprint.

Ryker rushed the zombie from behind and swung the butt of his shot gun into the back of the zombie’s leg.

I say the scariest thing about a zombie is that they have a natural instinct to get brains, and they will do anything to get just that.

Even with a newly broken leg.

You’d think that would be enough of an influence to stop anyone but like I said, zombies want what they want.

I stumbled and landed face first on the cement, which brought a few swear words out of me, but I managed to flip over and watch the action.

As the zombie looked at me and let out a low, lazy moan, I squealed.

What? Can you blame me?

Watching a zombie drag its way towards you, even after weeks of watching that same thing happen, will never be normal.

Not to me.

Not when they want to eat me.

But Ryker seemed less than fazed. He pointed his shotgun at the zombie’s forehead and as it let out an annoyed groan Ryker pulled the trigger.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the shot rang through the air.

Even though this is a zombie outbreak that doesn’t mean I’m no longer squeamish, although I’d rather see the goo than real blood.

Still, when I opened my eyes to the blackish sludge that colored the cement I couldn’t help but feel a little queasy.

Ryker must have seen my distressed state because he walked over to me and offered me his hand.

I took it gratefully and he helped me to my feet. As awkward as me needing help standing up was, it felt even more awkward when I lost my balance and fell into his solid chest with a slight thud.

I glanced up at him and I felt my face heat up as I quickly pushed away from him and muttered a quick thank you.

I looked up at the old chapel we stood just outside of and got an eerie feeling.

A breeze flitted through giving me goose bumps and making me rub my arms for warmth.

I glanced back at Ryker who has now cleaning the barrel of his shot gun on his tattered greyish t-shirt.

I quickly averted my eyes. This was not the time to begin feeling anything for anyone… No matter how bright his sea green eyes were. Or how I could see hints of red in his thick brown hair as the light hit it at the right angle.

Nope. I didn’t notice any of that what so ever.

Instead I decided to look down the hill that we stood on top of.

I wish I hadn’t, because not too far below us there were about 15 zombies that I could see. Maybe more.

And they were all headed our way.

Activities at North this Year

Some students at North (especially freshmen) are probably wondering what North has to offer this year for activities. Everyone knows there are sports available, but some people aren’t interested in athletics, so what then? There has to be at least one activity for everybody’s interest here at North. Some activities include Newspaper, Drama Club, the always-popular Robotics Club, Yearbook, and a LOT more! An activity they have here at North is Newspaper, where students write stories and/or make activities and then they decide what gets to go into the newspaper. Every Thursday, the Newspaper staff meets in Room 206 (computer lab) and then come up with stories, either by themselves or together with someone, and then when the paper gets printed, so does their work for everyone to see. “I think a good newspaper is a sign of a good school,” said Mr. Simms, who is the Polar Prints’ editor. Better yet, you can also just contribute stories instead of just joining the newspaper if you want to. So if you like journalism or you want to increase your writing skills, this may be the place for you to go! One of the most popular activities that they have here at North is the Robotics club. Every year, the Robotics club gets a task they have to complete, using a robot that they build. Last year, they had to basically create a robot that played basketball. They got a limited amount of resources, the robots had to be within a certain weight and size limit, and there are rules they had to follow during the challenges. To make it a little more interesting, they only have a month to build, program, and test the robot. “I love the club; I’ve been in it since freshman year,” said Captain Jamie Kavaloski. “It’s lots of fun and lots of learning combined. The competition is my favorite part.” If you want to try to test out your mechanical/engineering abilities, you should seriously consider joining Robotics. If you’re interested in acting, you should definitely check out the Drama Club. The Drama Club has rehearsals every day for a couple of months, and then they perform a show, which include plays like The Curious Savage, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Foreigner, Once Upon a Mattress, and Lucky Stiff. North and Tartan also combine sometimes to make plays, such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie, and Children of Eden. In the fall, they usually do a musical. Then in the winter, they do the One Act competition. The One Act competition is basically a play that is one act long that different schools do together, and then they perform their plays to compete against each other. In the spring, they do actual plays. “I personally enjoy acting because allows me to open up and express myself without worry of judgment or what others will think of me,” said Grace Cardinal. “Because when I am acting, I become the character that I am portraying and am no longer myself!” Currently, the Drama Club is in the middle of making Hello Dolly, which will be performed November 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Do you have a slight interest in newspaper, but want to be more colorful, creative, and want to put all of your hard work together in one big “issue” at the end of the year? Then maybe you should consider joining Yearbook. Like the Polar Prints, the Yearbook staff also writes stories about different clubs, activities, and features that go on at North. Some of the clubs that they cover includes sports, Knowledge Bowl, Newspaper, Drama Club, Robotics, Art Club, and a LOT more. Some of the activities that they cover in big spreads include Homecoming, the Masquerade Ball, Sadie Hawkins, Coffee House Acts, Sno Daze, the Masterworks Concert, and one of the biggest events of the year: Prom. The Yearbook staff design all of the pages that go into the yearbook, which means that they choose the colors for all of the pages, they mask and edit all of the photos that they take, they write quotes from people that are going to be included in the articles that they write, and they also eat some good food while they’re doing it. “Being in Yearbook is really fun,” said Kelsi Koren, who is part of the staff. “And it’s a great way to be organized, consistent, and precise.” So if you like the idea of Journalism, but don’t want to do stories for separate issues and want to put all of your work into one big “issue,” then maybe you should consider joining the Yearbook. If you want to expand your knowledge of history, geography, biology, pop culture, or almost any other subject out there, then maybe you should consider checking out the Knowledge Bowl. Knowledge Bowl and Quiz Bowl differ slightly. In Knowledge Bowl, each team of four has a strip that they hit to answer and the members are allowed to debate the answer for fifteen seconds. In Quiz Bowl, each player has a buzzer that they hit to answer, but if one player buzzes, the rest of the team can’t. Both Knowledge and Quiz Bowl practices are on Wednesdays and captain’s practices are on Tuesdays. The captain’s practices are led by Captain Donny Clinton, who is also a great cartographer. Every year, Clinton draws a map of a new world and each member claims a territory. There is usually some down time during meets, so they bring the map and wage war on each other. It’s kind of like a big game of Risk. There is usually a part of the captain’s practice that is devoted to either editing the map or drawing natural features on it. The meets for Knowledge/Quiz Bowl are usually on Thursday nights or Saturday mornings. “Getting up early on weekends isn’t so great at first, but it is always a lot of fun when you are surrounded by your friends.” said Oliver Sueper. “The environment is pretty lighthearted and we joke around a lot. It is a lot of fun and you learn something new every meet!” So if you want to take Oliver’s advice and have some fun learning some stuff, you should seriously check out either Knowledge or Quiz Bowl! Like singing and dancing, especially together? Then think about doing the Northern Lights Show Choir next year! They put a lot of dedication in their work every year, with their practices starting all the way in early August, practicing for 3 days, 6 hours a piece learning the choreography. After that, they have some after school and some weekend practices, plus every other choir day they work on show choir songs (Northern Lights Show Choir is also a class that you can choose when selecting your classes for next year). In addition to shows and practices, they also have competitions they participate in, where their criteria have to do with their performance, costumes, and theme. The competitions can be almost all over the state since they are one out of nine show choir groups in the state, meaning they would have to travel hours at a time to get to their competition. Sometimes the competitions are even out of the state. At the competitions, they perform their show, they watch other show choir groups do their performances, and then a judge goes over what went well and what could have gone better, like TV competitions such as Chopped, American Idol, or America’s Got Talent. These competitions pretty much last all day. “I wasn’t going to try out at first because it looked like a lot of work that I didn’t need in my life, but I tried out anyways because it seemed like it could be fun,” said Ritter Lincoln, who tried out as a freshmen. “Now don’t get me wrong, It take tremendous amounts of energy and brain power to be part of Show Choir, but it’s so much fun and I enjoy every minute that I’m part of it. There are so many friendly people with the common interest of signing and or dancing; I have absolutely no regrets about trying out.” Unfortunately, tryouts for Show Choir have been over for a while, but when you choose your classes for next year, you should seriously consider choosing Northern Lights Show Choir for a class, especially when each trimester of it counts as a credit and a half a piece. There’s a lot more clubs to check out around North, but these are some of the most popular activities that North offers here. If none of these activities sound interesting, then you should check out what else they offer here on the school’s website or in the Activities Office. Some other activities are the Art Club, Ski and Snowboard Club, Link Crew, National Honor Society, Relay for Life (which will be held later this year), and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). If you want to join an activity here at North, there’s more information online or in the Guidance Office.

Hurricane Sandy

Hailey Pagani
Staff Writer

On November 29, Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast. 16 states were affected by this storm leaving millions without power, a lot with damaged homes and some even had to leave their homes for safety reasons. Before the storm hit, millions of people were found stocking up on supplies such as, food, water, blankets and other necessary items. The storm started with wind and rain which caused a crane in New York City to break among other damage. Soon, the stormed turned from wind and rain to a very large storm.

It wasn’t until after the storm went through that they realized just how much damage there really was. Many roads and houses were flooded, a lot of trees and power lines were down. The storm left millions without power.

In those states that was affected, some people didn’t have power a week after the storm. The weather conditions were very cold and very cold weather conditions and no power equals very cold people! A week or so after the storm, another storm swept the East Coast leaving many families freezing and still without power.

A couple weeks after Hurricane Sandy hit, some people are still without power, some just don’t even have a home and some are still in search of somewhere for them and their families to move to.

Legalizing gay and lesbian marriages

           Legalizing the gay rights for marriage has been a big controversy for the last couple of months. People have very different opinions on the topic over all. Some people are all for letting gays and lesbians marry, but some think it should be limited to one man one woman. Holly was one of the voters this year that stood in line to vote and when it came to that section of the ballot, she voted yes to limit Marriage.

          She says, "I think the definition of marriage is one man one woman, that’s how our culture has been and our understandings have been for years!"I then asked her if she has gay or lesbian family, friends, neighbors, ect.. She responded with a yes, but still feels marriage should be limited.

Holly and others have found this to be a big controversial issue around the United States today. She however feels like the vote yes will pull through in the end but you never know because it could go either way. She has been at the voting area since six a.m. and will remain there all day working. These are her opinions and vote for this year, what is yours?

Anime club:wild card by Natalie Klasinski

Relay For Life Kick-off Week

The Election Watched around the World

            President Barack Obama led the Democrats to victory on Tuesday over challenger Mitt Romney and the Republican Party. The election results were announced at about 10:20 on Tuesday night with the president being declared the winner, and it was the call heard around the world as people from all over the world celebrated the news of four more years. The president officially won with an Electoral College count of 303 to Romney’s 206, and a popular vote of 60, 840,934 to 57,940,881.

Minnesota voted Democrat for the tenth consecutive election, along with neighboring states of Wisconsin and Iowa, while North and South Dakota voted Republican. In a more general breakdown most of the South and Midwest voted Republican while most of the Northeast and West coast voted Democrat, a common pattern these days.

            Here at North the majority of students (though most couldn’t vote) favored Obama to win the election while a smaller minority favored Romney. Mr. Hagel’s Political Science and AP U.S. Government classes voted on the issue and the polls came back with 91 votes for Obama and 35 for Mitt Romney, similarly the majority of votes were against the marriage amendment, against the voter ID amendment and for Senator Amy Klobuchar’s reelection.

            Mr. Hagel, the political science teacher here at North, said, “I was not surprised about the outcome of the presidential election because of Nate Silver, a respected statistician with the New York Times, but I was surprised by the outcome for the two amendments because I thought that rural Minnesota would have a greater influence.”

            North student Sheldon Saccoman, a Republican, said, “I was not happy about the outcome of the election, but I’m willing to support the president if the rest of the people believe he deserves a second term.” Another North student said, “I wasn’t too shocked, it kinda seemed that Obama was gonna win from the start. It didn’t seem like Romney was put together, except for the first presidential debate.”

            It would seem as though the American people and the people of Minnesota made a decision that closely mirrors that of the students here at North, perhaps the future is being set by the youth these days, four more years with president Obama before the election in 2016, and by then most students at North will be able to vote, and who will win then? Only time will tell.

Assassin's Creed Reignites the American Revolution

By Tom and Angela Indykiewicz, Staff Writers On October 30th, Ubisoft released the third (really the fifth) installment of the Assassin’s Creed series. This time, the game takes place in the 18th century, when it’s the dawn of the American Revolution and rebellion will soon happen. History now takes on a more fictional concept as it also works in the ongoing clash between the Assassins and the Templars. Throughout the series, you play in the present as Desmond Miles, a man reliving his ancestor’s lives through a machine called the Animus, which is how he lived through his ancestors. Desmond learns of allusions to the prophetic end of the world in 2012 from a former Animus test subject, Subject 16, as well as from holographic figures of a species pre-dating humanity. Many years ago a massive solar flare nearly wiped out all life and a second threatens to do the same. With the second solar flare fast approaching, it is up to Desmond to use the memories of his ancestors to acquire their knowledge, learn the truth and find the Pieces of Eden to save humanity. Throughout the series, you relive Desmond’s ancestors’ lives as the assassins Altair Ibn L’Ahad (Assassin’s Creed) in the Crusades, Ezio Auditore (Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations) in the Italian Renaissance, and now in Assassin’s Creed III, Connor Kenway (his Indian name is Ratohnhaké:ton), a Mohawk Indian ready to take revenge on the British Redcoats for slaughtering his tribe, more specifically his mother. As Connor, you will meet historical figures from the American Revolution, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Lee, and a lot more. In addition to adding in real events and people during the period, the game developers added in historically accurate environments to play in, such as Colonial Boston and New York, the Freemason’s Tunnels, and the American Frontier. Gameplay has been completely revamped as well; in ACIII, new battle combinations were created along with use of different weapons: muskets, a bow and arrow, dual flintlock pistols, rope darts, and a tomahawk that is shaped like the Assassin symbol along with the trademark hidden blades, which are Connor’s primary weapons. The game also allows you to hunt animals in addition to you hunting enemies so you can sell pelts. Like Assassin Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations, you can also keep upgrading an area for more revenue and citizens, which in this game is called the Homestead. Assassin’s Creed also added in a new feature specifically for this game, which is naval warfare, where you control a ship called the Aquila. Not only has the game been changed, but so has the multiplayer portion of it. In the game, now they added in sounds that determine how close you are to a target or how close a pursuer is to you. The closer you are to a target, you hear a faster heartbeat, but the closer a pursuer is to you, then you hear whispering that gets louder and louder based on proximity. There are also a new set of characters to choose from, new maps, new abilities and perks, a third slot for an ability, a new game mode called Domination, where you have to capture territories like in some first person shooter games (examples: Call of Duty, Halo), and they made it so killing and stunning are the same button instead of switching buttons. This game is available now on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Macintosh/Windows computers. Soon, it will be out for the new system coming out soon, the Wii U. Go buy a copy today (I would recommend playing through the series first to understand the full concept of the game).

Carter Wold is a Freshmen Student and North High school and a freshmen football player, and hockey player. He is enjoying this year very much and is better than middle school, it’s a hard transition from middle to high school but he as figured it out.

　

Carter plays for the North high freshmen team and is doing his best to contribute to the team.

Carter goals are to play college football and to the Nfl "I hope I can make it there someday", he says. It’s a hard road ahead for him but he knows he can do it and will try his hardest to achieve that dream

His team is not doing so good there record is 0-8! Wow what a bad, bad season "we are not doing well really poor", he says. Carter his going to play for the sophomores next year he thinks.

Carter’s plays cornerback in football but has no forced fumbles or interceptions? We will just wait and see.

Carter just doesn’t play Football he play hockey as well, Carter is talented but needs work and will improve the next few years.  ( Stephon Frimpong )

Hello Dolly, Review and Summary

College, hiding in a High School by Natalie Klasinski (School related Article)

Physics students Become Engineers

            North high’s physics students became engineers on Monday as they as they tested out their home made catapults. The point of the test was to apply the concept of projectile motion to the real world.

            The students met in groups of three or four and figured out how to build a catapult that could launch a projectile the farthest possible. They were allowed to use materials such as wood and super glue, but the rest was up to them.

            Mr. Morgan, one of the three physics teachers here at North, believes that physics is easier to learn when applied and said: “If you wanna learn about projectiles you gotta get out and fling some things around.”

            The project is widely enjoyed by students as well. Physics student Donny Clinton sarcastically said: “It was a good way to waste perfectly good marshmallows.” Another student, Thomas Indykiewicz, said: “Lots of fails but, we improvised and we got a better score.”

            The project was all-together considered a success by both the teachers and the students and this week physics students were assigned their newest project: the bridge project. Seeing as how this project is so beloved by North’s physics students one can be fairly confident in saying that it will surely be around for years to come.

Some Black Friday Survival Tactics

Thanksgiving: one of America’s best holidays. We always look forward to meeting up with family and friends for a big turkey dinner and to talk with each other. But the real “fun” begins late at night after Thanksgiving. It’s the one holiday that most stores dread: Black Friday. Black Friday is the time of the year where stores discount pretty much everything in the stores and the store is flooded with customers trying to get their hands on that discounted merchandise. However, it’s happened more than once where someone gets trampled, lost, or hurt in the midst of the crowd, and I’m going to tell you some ways to make sure you aren’t any of those people. Survival tactic #1: stay close to someone. It’s ridiculously easy to lose someone in the mass of people and before you know it, you’re at one end of the store and he/she is at the other end. Stay as close as you can to someone, which includes holding hands, grabbing someone’s arm, or even stay behind that person as much as you can. Survival tactic #2: cell phones. In the event that survival tactic #1 didn’t help you, make sure you and that other person are both carrying cell phones. Modern day technology made it easier to communicate with each other, so make sure you use it in order to not lose anyone. Survival tactic #3: DON’T EVER STOP!!! The masses of people will keep moving you guys and if you try to attempt to stop, you WILL get hurt. Shopping aisles on Black Friday are like highways: you have to keep moving at a certain speed or you may get rammed or you may ram other people. If you absolutely need to stop, hide out in one of the pharmacy aisles. No one’s going to try and flood those aisles (they want the entertainment items, not discounted toiletries), so you’re going to be safe there to make a call or talk to someone. Survival tactic #4: know where people are going to be headed. The traffic will be headed for specific items, usually electronics. This area is where you’re going to have to stay alert because I saw a girl get trampled last year by the video games and it wasn’t a pretty sight. I’m not saying you’re 100% safe anywhere else, it’s just that electronics are where most of the people are going to be headed to out of the whole store. These are just a few ways to keep you safe during this nightmare of a shopping trip. A lot of people have different experiences on Black Friday, but just keep in mind that you CAN get hurt if you’re not careful. Happy Thanksgiving/Black Friday everyone!

Polar Prints: On-line Issue, October 2012



4 x 4

4-By-4

Exchange students four by four by Natalie Klasinski

After high school plans!

Thong thao is a sophomore student at North high school. He is a great kid who believes that he can play basketball and make the team. He is going to try out for the basketball team, "I want to be a playmaker in basketball so I am going try out", he says. How good could he be? Thong doesn’t think he is very good "Hey it’s hard but it’s worth a shot", he says. Thong doesn’t really know if he will make the team, he just wants to try His best. This will be a first time he tries out for the team and hopes to make an impact.

(Photo: S. Frimpong)

Kayla with a camera

            Kayla is known as North’s photographer at her finest. She has been in every photography class here at north, but her love for photos has gone way beyound the classroom. She always has her camera on hand for the last three years that she’s realy been into photography. But she started her photo taking love back in first grade! Events, partys, or just a walk in the park, she always has her camera on hand. She’s very talented and shows it in every photograph she takes. She has recently been introduced to a little side job. People have been loving her photography so much, that she’s been asked by 25 sinors and counting to do there sinor photos. For everones she does, there is a seventy five dollar fall photoshoot fee; that includes forty to sixty photos at any location of you’r choice. It also includes edits of all the photos taken.

            She gives you the photos digitaly so you can make the prints yourself to have all of the sizes you and you’r family desire and because it’s quicker and cheaper. She a great, fun person to be around so not only do you get great photos, but you also have a fun time doing it. With this being Kayla’s sinor year was well, she’ll be going off to either CVA, arts institues, or MCAT to major in photography. As of now she’s leanig towards MCAT. Soon, you’ll be seeing her photos everywhere. You are infact going to be seeing alot from this photographer.

Picture Paragraph -- Jackie Morris

Jackie Morris

Journalism One

Hour 2

October 24th, 2012

Picture Paragraph -- School Spirit

            Nikki Block, sophomore here at North High goes all out when it comes to school spirit. On Wednesday, October 24th Nikki is seen wearing an all pink outfit, even her shoes were pink! You may ask why Ms. Block is dressed in such a "unique" outfit on a Wednesday afternoon; well she is supporting the schools breast cancer awareness, pink out that student council has created to spread the awareness this month. On this specific Wednesday in October when a North High student is wearing pink of any kind when purchasing an upcoming dance ticket they will receive $2 off their ticket, what a savings!

picture and paragraph by natalie k

it’s just another day in the North House office for Mary H. (right) and Mary S. (left). Behind the scenes they are "helping students, and putting out fires (not litterally)" said Mary S. They work to keep the school organized while helping frantic students with their futures. With so many students that need help with plans for school the Marys are there to help.

They Schedule passes, take care of photo I.Ds, keep constant on attendance, make notes of students behavior, and much more. Just a thanks to are everyday heros in the office.

photos taken by Natalie Klasinski at North House.

 

Picture Paragraph

SIDE PROJECT:

    Obama and Romney talk about Economy In 2^nd Debate

                 By, Stephon Frimpong

 

President Obama and runner up Romney talks about economy. They talked about unemployment and the economy, Romney thinks that Obama policies “haven’t put Americans back to work” he says.

 

Obama responds by saying that Romney’s plan for the economy is to “make sure that people at the top of play by separate set of rules”, he says.

 

When Obama was asked about the gas prices Obama talked about the efficient, clean energy is technology. “How are we going to reduce demands and lower cost”, he says.

 

Romney goes on about the president is keeping the nation from taking advantage of domestic oil, coal and gas.

 

Romney the former governor of Massachusetts looks to win the election will president Obama looks to win again this election. 

 

north fastpitch starts again

Just a couple weeks ago, North’s softball team had their first informational meeting of the year. GIrls from all grades attended, very excited for the new year. Softball starts every spring, with alot of girls lined up anxious to hit that fast ball. Jenna Law has played softball the last two years and is planning to again this year as well.        

She hasn’t started practicing for tryouts yet, which start March 8th, 2013. All together it cost over two hundred dollars to play, but north girls don’t let it hold them back. They show up for practice every day except weekends and play their hardest one game night. Game nights are usually twice a week and sometimes on weekends. Jenna has had a lot of fun in softball and is excited for the upcoming year. Good luck to her and all the other girls trying out for the team!

THE CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT OF JANNA FENNELL

                             By, Stephon Frimpong

On March 5, 1989 Janna Fennell was born. Yet, something was wrong with her when she was a baby, she would turn purple because she was not getting enough oxygen.

The doctors found out that Janna had a condition called a congenital heart defect. She was born with three heart chambers instead of four.

 

What is a congenital heart defect? Well, it is a problem with the structure of the heart.

It’s present at birth, congenital heart defects are the most common type of major birth defects. Congenital heart defects can disrupt the normal flow of blood through the heart.

 

Some causes of the defect can be from genetic or environment things, but is usually a combination of both.

“I don’t know why I was born with it, but I needed surgery right away when I was a baby”, she says.

Why, why did this happen to a person as kind as her, to be born with a heart defect like that?

She does not know if she will need future surgeries to help her conditions.

“I don’t know if I will need surgery but I might because I just had surgery a couple of months ago”, she says.

 

Some types of treatments that can help it can be taking medicine, surgery, and other medical procedures and a heart transplant.

Janna has to take 6 different types of medications.

“They all help my heart work better and faster”, she says.

 

She cannot play sports. If she does, her heart will go out of sync and will not work.

If she didn’t get surgery, when she was born she would have died!

I admire her strong will to keep going and not let it affect who she is as a person today.

Now, Janna is 23 yrs old. She is healthy and happy; she just recently graduated from Dartmouth College.

She is living a good life

“I’m glad that I am healthy and I’m looking towards the future”, she says.    

Italy and Switzerland, Spring Break 2013

Winter time

DeeAnna Lynn G. Journalism 1

Some people love the winter time, some people hate it. The fact that school is in session also has a big impact of everyone’s decision. Everyday tasks become a hassle and not a very good pleasure to accomplish. For example, travel. We have to get to and from school. Not to mention most of us have the        unfortunate fate to end up walking between builds every day; Cold and tired between classes. Everyone also has to wear extra extra layers just to get warm during the day. The school building we all sit in for 6 hours is not that properly warmed in my opinion.  The school shuts the heat off in the morning relying on the heat from that time period to keep us warm all day. She says,

 -“ The first floor is the coldest, I sit in all the first floor classes cold “

 We after all are the ones learning here, it would be nice if we had a warm     environment to for the learning to take place in. Kids come to school in winter jackets all day. Teachers refer to school as a job, but our parents don’t have to go to their job and freeze while doing work. Winter is pretty long and we don’t have a choice to be here. Maybe it’s time we get a little warmer classrooms, especially for the people who try their best every day.

DeeAnna Lynn G.  Journalism 1

Some people love the winter time, some people hate it. The fact that school is in session also has a big impact of everyone’s decision. Everyday tasks become a hassle and not a very good pleasure to accomplish. For example, travel. We have to get to and from school. Not to mention most of us have the        unfortunate fate to end up walking between builds every day; Cold and tired between classes. Everyone also has to wear extra extra layers just to get warm during the day. The school building we all sit in for 6 hours is not that properly warmed in my opinion.  The school shuts the heat off in the morning relying on the heat from that time period to keep us warm all day. She says,

 -“ The first floor is the coldest, I sit in all the first floor classes cold “

 We after all are the ones learning here, it would be nice if we had a warm     environment to for the learning to take place in. Kids come to school in winter jackets all day. Teachers refer to school as a job, but our parents don’t have to go to their job and freeze while doing work. Winter is pretty long and we don’t have a choice to be here. Maybe it’s time we get a little warmer classrooms, especially for the people who try their best every day.

Art in washinton d.c. by a north high student

DeeAnnaLynn G.

North student and her art work at Washington DC!

              Every year, North has a bunch of opportunities to enter into art compositions. Last late April early May, the congressional arts competition at CBA Gallery was held. One of a few a North students that entered the competition was Sirra B., with an amazing portrait of her friend Harris Peterson. She originally just sent out to be creative and fun with her drawing, but ended up winning first place in the district. The first place prize was a trip to Washington DC and to have you’re drawing displayed are the Washington monument along with the other first place district winners. Sirra and her mother were two of the people on the plane to DC to see her art work on display. She and her mom were there for five days to see the art work, see the sites. And just have fun! “We got to see a lot of interesting monuments there and it was surprisingly hot there” Sirra said. She is and always has been creative and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more out of this girl in the future. She might even influence other to take an art class and possibly enter an art competition!

High Interest Article: Mini Laptops

by: Natalie Klasinski

                You know that moment when your teacher told you that you would be using the school’s laptops in class. Some people got that excited idea of “hey, I get to play with a laptop” others may be like “YES! Now I don’t have to pay attention to the teacher”. Whatever you thought, your dreams were soon shattered when the teacher set the smaller than a ruler “laptop mini” on your desk.

 One class was thinking of attempting to log all their students into a computer website. The teacher wished to allow the students to learn the class’ topic by doing a program. The dilemma was that they didn’t know if they should take the class to the computer lab or just order to borrow some mini laptops. So the teacher decided to ask a fellow coworker. The coworker then asked the question if this program needed one student or the whole class to log in. The teacher stated that he would like to have each student on the website. The coworker then said “well, then you definitely do not want to use the mini laptops”! 

 The laptops are passed out one to each student. Each student then takes that laptop and then turns it on. The problem with this is that when 20 or so students all try at the exact same time to log onto an already slow server, you get the ability of sloth speed. Karlita D. said that in her class “6 out of about 21 students tried to log in” the outcome was that less than half the class made it in. Then to add worse to wear, she said the computers were “so slow to begin with, but these [mini laptops] are even slower”! With these computers so slow why are they used? They allow us to conserve the computer labs. Even if it is at the cost of only logging in 3% of the class if you need something done on computer but you don’t need everyone on it, then the school’s mini laptop is for you!

Vice Presidential Debate

Vice Presidential Debate

Ricky Nelson

            Last night’s debate revitalized the ever important conflict between conservatives and Liberals, more formally known as Republicans and Democrats and gave people, including high school students, a new subject to talk about.

            Among some of the more prominent topics that were discussed were abortion, foreign policy and economics, things that high school students also have a stake in, and naturally care about.

            The debate also told us more about the candidates, for vice president that is, and what they stand for. North student Brent Windham thought Joe Biden won, or should have won because “Paul Ryan is withholding the truth, and Joe Biden was pointing out all the facts that Ryan neglected to say.”

            Others say that it was a tie, or that Paul Ryan won because he was more stylish (Biden frequently interrupted Ryan) but the official decision given to us courtesy of CNN is that it was a tie.

            North students have passionate opinions regarding some of the issues discussed such as abortion. A couple weeks ago an informal survey was taken which revealed that a majority of those interviewed stood against abortion, which Ryan agreed with, Biden contrasted with.     

            Ryan Hess, another North student, said on the topic of removing troops from Afghanistan, “I don’t think we should be there now.” He is expressing an opinion common to many Americans young and old that the war(s) in the middle east should end or be ending and that American involvement is not necessary, a position advocated by both candidates, but more so by the Obama-Biden campaign.

            The Economy is another heated issue and the two sides sparred off on how to best handle the current crisis, with Ryan supporting a Reagan era “trickle down” economics approach, and Biden advocating a big government more spending approach. North student Tom Indykiewicz said “I think Obama has had his chance with the economy, he failed, it’s time to give Romney a chance.

            This debate has sparked many opposing political debates in many walks of life, including the high school world, and let us not forget that as the generation that will one day take over America, we have just as much a stake in politics as anyone else.

Activities spotlight: Freshmen Football

robotics club

DeeAnna Lynn G.

            Here at North High, there are indeed robots being built! How this is possible some would ask? Well its possible thanks to the robotics after school club. It’s held once a week right after school in North’s back tech room. The exact day they meet has not been announced yet because the activity hasn’t started yet but soon will. They always all have a lot of fun and build actual robots. Each year, they are given a challenge to complete by the end of the season.

            The challenge is a kind of robot to build, which ends up battling other robots in a weekend long competition at the end of the school year. The club has the parts and the help of Mr. Syber throughout the year to help them build the robot. A lot of knowledge also comes from the “team captain” Matt Cassin. Last year the team’s robot came in 25^th place out of 65 teams! If you are by any chance interested in building things and having a lot fun doing it, the robotics club might be something for you to check into and try.

Activities Spotlight: Fellowship of Christian Athletes

north high singers

michael.kebede

journalism 1

Choir is a school activity where people can sing and work on their vocals. A lot of people don’t go to the concerts beside family and closes friends but the people that go say they enjoy it and have a good time. Many people enjoy it also because it’s not a boys and girls thing every one sings together to cause a great harmony. Another thing that people in choir like is don’t have to be really good to join any one can if they have the motivation and drive to get better at singing. Sam Figueroa has said "I’m in choir to work on my vocals and just get better at singing."

       

A lot of people are in choir because of the same reason Sam is. There are to different types of choir at north on being show choir and the other one being regular choir bought which have a large number of students in it. Mrs. Sorensen the choir instructor has been working at north for many years and giving north plenty great performances by her students. There are more than just one proformens done at north by the choir and they all think more people showed show up watch them sit back and relax.

Choir is not only an after school activity but a fun way to work on your singing skills and a place to meet new people. Many students who have been in North’s choir who have graduated have moved on to work on singing and it’s all thanks to their high school choir.

 

Activties Spotlight: Polar Prints

North Takes a Stand in the Marriage Debate

North Takes a Stand in the Marriage Debate

By Ricky Nelson

            The vote on an amendment to ban gay marriage in November is putting immense pressure on the citizens of Minnesota, and it trickles down, even to the high school level.

            Here at North high we enjoy a great diversity in terms of race, wealth and even sexual orientation, but such diversities are not without conflicts.

 In an informal survey ten people were asked their opinion on the subject, 7 said they were pro-gay marriage, 2 said they were neutral and 1 said they were against. The results indicate that nearly 70 percent of the group was for gay marriage and against the amendment.

Hanna Thompson (sophomore) said “I don’t understand why people aren’t allowed to love who they love.” She also said on the topic of gay adoption rights, “I see so many kids neglected by straight parents, when gay couples adopt they are making the decision because they are prepared to raise a child.”

North high has a Gay and Lesbian alliance club which promotes the tolerance of different sexual orientations and the acceptance of all people. The club has operated for several years and has been met with general optimism by the student body.

The sentiment at North high is generally in favor of gay marriage with only a small opposition. This could be due to the fact that North is located in an urban area in a northern state, or it could be a reflection of the changing times and opinions of a new generation of Americans.

Future fashion reporter at North high!

 

Miss Sandra Lomotey is one of the hundreds of seniors this year, but one of the only future fashion publisher icon! In her last months of school, she’ll be in journalism and creative writing class; creating her foundation to accomplish her future goal. What is this goal of her? It is none the less, to write about high fashion in a spread of a magazine, on her own blog, or even on her very own website. This New York Bronx born girl is always at the right place at the right time!

One of the right places for her used to be the track field when she ran and competed for school. She is now focusing on the most important things to her; HER GOALS!!!To live her dream is what Sandra is driven to accomplish in life. She’s just a social laid back person that loves to be around the most important people to her; such as her best friend, older cousin, and cousin that just had a baby boy! All in all, Sandra is one excited person to look out for in future blogs, websites, and magazine spreads. Either way, you will soon be hearing from miss Sandra!

The 49ers were the favorites to win against the Vikings on Sunday but things didn’t go as planned for the 49ers on Sunday at the metrodome the started well in the game and never looked back.

The Vikings had a nice opening drive ending it with a nice touchdown Christian ponder on a play action bootleg to Kyle Rudolph 7 nothing Vikings.

On defense they played really good Chad Greenway had two

sacks In the game on Alex smith the 49ers QB, it was a frustrating game for the 49ers they thought this would be a easy game.

The Vikings got three turnovers on defense one on Frank Gore’s fumble second an intercepted pass by Josh Robinson third was a strip fumble sack by whom else? Jared Allen.

The Vikings offense was really good only four penalties gave up only one sack, the offensive line held up very good against that great 49er pass rush.

Christian Ponder was 27/35 198 yards passing and a 34 yard touchdown run he was near perfect no interceptions thrown but came close to throwing one to SS donate whiter but he couldn’t hang on.

The 49ers where wondering too themselves what happen out there why the break down? "We just weren’t playing good out there", says Dashon goldson.

The Vikings did good on offense and defense never say never they did something that no one say coming in beating the 49ers.

The Vikings next game is at Detroit so let’s see if they can carry that momentum from Sunday to next Sunday against the lions