Editon 3 Winter 2014-15 - Norwin School District

Transcription

Editon 3
Winter 2014-15
2
Knight Krier Magazine
2014-15 Winter Edition
Table of Contents
3
About
current
interests:
Karen Stoecklein “A Picture is worth a Thousand Emotions” ........pgs. 4&5
The newspaper staff of Norwin High School publishes newspapers
annually that are distributed to the students and staff, covering
all school, community and sporting events.
This newly-created online magazine features multiple 2-page
investigative feature spreads on student-chosen topics.
Under the supervision of adviser Brian Fleckenstein,
news editors Chelsea Smith, Josie Manns, and Alyssa Luptak
have worked together to assemble this publication.
The subsequent online magazines will be available in the same
location on the Norwin School District website.
Lifestyle:
Emily Dahlstrom “Like Parent Like Child”..................................................pgs. 22&23
the Third online knight krier magazine
Kaya Andrew “Your own digital escape”..........................................................pgs. 6&7
MAria Josselyn “A New Drug’”.................................................................................pgs. 8&9
Cailin Calub “A Working Title”...........................................................................Pgs. 10-11
Alyssa Luptak “The epidemic of growing up too fast..........................pgs. 12&13
Josie Manns “Body image shaming”.................................................................pgs. 14&15
Izzy Petrush “The Dying Debate”.......................................................................pgs. 16&17
Paige Pristas “Parking Problems”......................................................................pgs. 18&19
Emily Yurchison “Fitting the mold”................................................................pgs. 20&21
Chelsea Smith “Big talk”.........................................................................................pgs. 24&25
Nathan Stonecipher “Teens Vs. Adults”.......................................................pgs. 26&27
Madison Wedge “The Price of Happiness”...................................................pgs. 28&29
School:
Rachael Bindas “Classic Vs. Contemporary”.............................................pgs. 30&31
Matthew Bushik “College Recruiting Process”......................................pgs. 32&33
Becca Rohac “Ivy Insider”.....................................................................................pgs. 34&35
athletics:
All archived copies of the Knight Krier and the Knight Krier Magazine
can be found on the Norwin High School website.
Knight Krier
Norwin Senior High School
251 McMahon Drive
North Huntingdon, PA 15642
The Norwin School District does not discriminate on
the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age,
or handicap in the administration of its educational programs, activities, or with respect to employment. Inquiries
should be directed to Mr. Thomas Wrobleski, Director of
Personnel,
281 McMahon Drive, North Huntingdon, Pa. 15642,
Telephone Number (724) 861-3000.
Andrew Chenot “Bandwagon Fans”...............................................................pgs. 36&37
NIck Lee “Superstitions in Sports”...................................................................pgs. 38&39
Ben Powell “Benchwarmers Vs. Stars”...........................................................pgs. 40&41
Anthony Riccelli “Music in Sports”...............................................................pgs. 42&43
Intro to Journalism
NOTICE:
Letters to the
Editor are welcome,
but they must be signed
and hand- delivered to
Mr. Fleckenstein, the
journalism advisor.
Thank you!
Lifestyle:
“The addiction is real”...........................................................................................pgs. 44&45
“Relationship wreck or relish”.........................................................................pgs. 46&47
“MInimum Wage”..........................................................................................................pgs. 48&49
“Fan Fiction”..................................................................................................................pgs. 50&51
“how far is too far”..................................................................................................pgs. 52&53
“social Media”...............................................................................................................pgs. 54&55
“Dress to Impress”.......................................................................................................pgs. 56&57
“Exploring epidemics”...............................................................................................pgs. 58&59
“Technology Troubles”...........................................................................................pgs. 60&61
School:
“The Lunch Talk”.........................................................................................................pgs. 62&63
“Technology In Education”................................................................................pgs. 64&65
“Sleep and School”.....................................................................................................pgs. 66&67
“Dressed up stressed out”.....................................................................................pgs. 68&69
“Standardized Tests”................................................................................................pgs. 70&71
Sports:
“Sports Vs. Smarts”.....................................................................................................pgs. 72&73
“losing passion and physicality”......................................................................pgs. 74&75
4
A Picture is worth a Thousand
Emotions
By Ka
re n S t
o e c kle
Anger, Fear, Worry, Grief, Guilt, Joy
1
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: to be afra id and wor
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Current Interests
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With the circle of the shutter, every
emotion that shapes the human
condition can be captured and
immortalized forever. Never to be
forgotten, these moments help makes
us who we are. Focusing on 6 main
emotions, I chose to highlight these
through my photography,
5
6
Is the digital world
really an escape?
Humans feel the need to use the
internet as our own digital escape.
Why do we do that?
78.6 percent of North America uses
the internet. That is more than Asia
and Middle East combined! Eight new
people join the internet every
second. Norwin has a current
enrollment of 1748 students. That
would mean in 216 seconds that the
whole population of Norwin would
have joined the internet. That is less
than three minutes.
Social media is the cause of this.
Facebook has 728 million users daily.
Do you go on Facebook every day?
Twitter has 232 million users and
Instagram has 100 million users.
Think about how many Norwin
students are on social media.
The average teenager spends 31
hours a week. When sophomore
Noelle Monier from Norwin was
asked how much time she spent on
social media she replied “I spend an
average of six to seven hours a day on
the internet.” While Autumn
Kisslinger a freshman at Norwin
replied, “I only spend about two
hours a day on the internet I spend
more time with my friends.”
“I think the internet has a major part
in how the world is run. I think
that social media plays a huge
part in how we as humans
communicate. It also has
downfalls though with all of the
cyber bulling,” Replied
sophomore Morgan McFeely
when asked what part does
internet play in today’s society.
Current Interests
last couple of years for social media
abuse. Boys and girls alike being
taken out in handcuffs just from
crimes online. In the end could
your own digital escape really be
an escape or more of a prision.
Click here
for the link
https://ww
w.youtube.c
om/watch?
v=1TWHsiM
YSxw
According to a 2014 poll 43
percent of teenagers have been
bullied online. One out of four
has had it happen on more than
one occasion. 70 percent have
seen it happen online. Girls are
about twice as likely as boys to
be victims and perpetrators of
cyber bullying. Where does this
leave us as a community? Victims
of cyber bulling are two to nine
times more likely to commit
suicide then the average teen.
“I have been bullied online more
than once and it is a hard thing
for me to deal with” a ninth
grade girl replied on the topic. “I
see it all the time but I never do
anything because I don’t want
the drama” says another ninth
grader.
As a whole Norwin has been in
the news several times over the
7
of teens have a smart phone
8
Current Interests
By: Maria Catone
Senior Maria Catone
keeps a journal of what
it was like to go a day
without her phone.
To begin with, I have an
iPhone 6. It’s pretty nice, big,
and has everything on it. I
use it a lot to go on Twitter,
Snapchat, Instagram, texting,
calling, Facebook, checking my
e-mails and the weather. I
usually snapchat people a lot,
only because I prefer Snapchat
over texting. Honestly, I am
not on my phone that much,
but I do use it quite a bit.
Now I usually can never
go a day without my phone.
Suprisingly I did! I paid a
little more attention in school
even though I was getting real
antsy. I talked more and my
eyes felt better. At physical
therapy I was a little bit lost
without my phone, especially
when I was sitting on the
table for 20 minutes with the
heat and stem machine. So,
instead I just kept talking to
my therapists and the air. I
got home, ate, got a shower
and watched “Home Alone 2”
which kept me occupied. I fell
asleep early but then again I
was very tired.
To go a day with no phone
was rough, but everyone is capable to of doing it. I noticed
I paid some more attention in
school, my eyes didn’t feel so
strained, and I talked and
laughed a lot while at physical
therapy. So even if you think
you “cant live without your
phone,” you really can. Without a phone, I focused on little
things better and I still was
capable of having fun and
enjoying myself.
Some might say that social media and messaging
has become a “new drug” to
those who use it. This addiction could affect its users in a
negative or positive way, but
ultimately each person is the
one who makes that decision.
By: Maria Josselyn
day sexting is a big problem.
Sexting is simply sending
inappropriate pictures through
text message to other people.
Now the reason people do these
things is that they think they
will not get in trouble or that a
Social media is another world picture someone sent will not
where people communicate to end up anywhere else on the
each other. This type of com- internet. The reality however,
munication has many negative
effects. Cyber
bullying
and
sexting are the
most common
side effects today that students
should
educate others on
so these things
do not happen.
The real reason kids and adults
do these things is because they
feel more open and confident on
social media rather than talking
to others face to face. “People
are cowards they talk face to
screen, rather than face to face,”
Kaya Andrew a sophomore
at Norwin High School said.
We can change our ways however to prevent us from doing
these illegal things. One of the
major ways of
prevention is
to limit your
cell phone use
in a day. If
you use your
phone when
you get home
from school
for five hours,
decrease that
So many kids
number
to
today
abuse
three hours.
their privilege
In
polls
to use social me(right
side
Sophomore Emily Dahlstrom is sitting on her
dia, text or even
of the page)
phone while in class.
have a cell phone to begin
based on about 50 stuwith! Not many people
dents from Norwin, most
is that the picture is everywhere
are lucky enough to have a cell and will continue to show up of them use their cell phones
phone, and then kids go around throughout the rest of your life, a good amount of hours.
using them against the world but that is the consequence you
and consequences follow. face if you do these things.
According to helpguide.org,
studies have shown that there
Cyber bullying is a form of
“People need to get a are a long list of symptoms
bullying through the internet. mature grasp of serious- for teens and adults that use
The difference between this ness,” Mr. Choby said. their cell phone for a long peform and bullying in general
riod of time. Some including
is that it is not physical. Cyber
One misconception students anxiety and depression. You
bullying is in a verbal form, us- have however is that only kids are also not connected to the
ing foul words or making rude and teenagers do these, nonethe- outside world, but rather concomments to others on their pro- less adults are a big culprit too. nected to your phone leading
files or through text message.
to problems in social skills.
Many adults have lost their These are not the only side
A few years ago cyber bul- jobs due to things they post effects of using a cell phone
lying was seen as a big prob- or say on social media, es- for a long amount of time.
lem and something that pecially if they are using
needed to be fixed; now to- it during their work hours.
“At an earlier age we should
spend more time educating
those on how technology is
used in a good way and in a
bad way,” Mr. Choby said.
Another solution to this “drug
problem” is to educate students
on the consequences that follow. Now sometimes this is
the best technique, especially
when schools use PowerPoints
and gather students in a small
room to lecture them. This is
the path most schools take,
and some may argue that it
doesn’t work because students don’t pay attention and
are on their phones anyway.
“People in general are
social creatures, [they]
crave friends and communication and social
media is that outlet,” Mr.
Choby said.
“Every chance we have
to share, it might impact one child and that is
worth it,” Mr. Choby said.
Poor grades and bad behavior are other consequences that
follow, but that affects you and
not the others around you. Being on your phone hours and
hours a day can take away
from one’s school work or
for an adult’s case their work.
“[Students] spend too much
time [on their phones] which
can take away from their school
work,” Mr. Radacsy said.
Studies have shown that
women are spending at least
two hours more on their cell
phones than men, according
to
medicaldaily.com.
“People in general are social creatures, [they] crave
friends
and
communication and social media is that
outlet,” Mr. Choby said.
Maybe this is the real reason to why everyone in the
world today uses social media.
This article is not to persuade
you to stop using your cell
phone but to merely persuade
you to use it in a kind way.
Cell phones have shaped
our world today and it will
continue to shape and build
up a place we call home.
Do you believe students use social media to mask
themselves from the real world, why or why not?
“Yes, because [students] will post certain pictures
or statuses but if their parents find out and you
are upset they did, then don’t post it in the first
place.”
Emily Dahlstrom,
10
How often do you use social media?
“At least four to five hours a day.”
Do you believe that students use social media to
mask themselves from the real world, why or why
not?
“Yes, because people are cowards they talk face to
screen, rather than face to face.”
Kaya Andrew, 10
How often do you use social media?
“All the hours I’m not sleeping.”
Click on the Youtube link below to
watch a short clip on what can happen
in a day in the world of “social media.”
9
According to, the
American Association of
Pediatrics, our generation today is more connected to social media
than previous generations and according to
mobilemediaguard.com
there are punishments
for sexting or cyber bullying. A teenager could
commit three felony
crimes and be charged
with child pornography.
10
Current Interests
Knight Krier
Knight Krier
Winter Feature Magazine
WORKING TITLE
Angela Griffo, 12, is
living her childhood
dream and attending
Point Park University as
a Musical Theatre
Major.
Ballerina
Juliana Rossi, 12,
aspired to be a
ballerina when she was
younger but now plans
to attend Point Park
University to become a
chiropractor.
Writer
Emily Yurchison, 12,
has always wanted to
be a writer and plans
to major in
journalism in the fall.
Actress
Sydney Sameri, 12, is jumpstarting her
acting career and
moving to Los
Angeles in the fall.
• 20 to 50 percent of college students
enter college as "undecided" about
their major
• 75 percent of college students change
their major before graduation
• deciding factors include family and
peer influence, potential job
characteristics and general student
interest
by Cailín Calub
Actress
Deciding A Major
"What do you want to be
when you grow up?"
Job Satisfaction
• 21 percent of Americans aren't
Remember this question from elementary school? The Þrst
round of answers were wild, back then it could have be anything;
doctor, lawyer, veterinarian, astronaut, tiger..
Fifth grade was more reasonable, the had answers developed to
things like ER nurse, bakery owner, novelist.
satisfied at all with their current
employment
• 33 percent of Americans are "very
satisfied" to "extremely satisfied" with
their employment
• only 7 percent of Americans have
Now staring down the barrel of the future, you're asked again.
But the phrasing is diﬀerent.
landed their childhood dream job
“What are you doing after you graduate?”
For some, the lucky few, the answers haven’t changed. They will
become doctors or teachers or ER nurses. As for the rest, you’ve
dreamed through so many jobs that the future could take you
absolutely any direction but it feels like we’re going nowhere.
Winter Feature Magazine
Donna Zaccagnini, Norwin graduate from 1988, is head ER
nurse at Forbes Hospital. "I still don't know what I want to be
when I grow
up," she said
with a laugh.
Zaccagnini has
chosen and lived
her career, but
knows that her
career isn't her
life. She's spent
20 years as a
mother first,
nurse second.
Now that her
children have
gone to college,
she has time to
expand her
career or pursue
hobbies.
Remember that
you will never be
trapped in your
career or lifestyle.
Things will be
changing every
day. You can
chose to change it
yourself if at any
time you feel
unhappy with the
path you've chose.
Fear may hold you
back from leaping
off the edge, but
it's better to live
with scars than
regrets.
Often times, students settle for a "safety school" or major,
because they feel rushed to chose one of the endless possibilities.
Something they're guaranteed to succeed in seems like the way to
go, even if it isn't their passion, or even something they enjoy.
Fear is the main factor that keeps people from their dream
jobs. The fear of failure or change, the fear they lack the ability
to achieve their dreams, keeps them from even trying.
Hate to burst your bubble, but even your "safety" job isn't safe.
Anything can happen. Instead of focusing on the bad
connotation of anything can go wrong, think of all the
possibilities that your potential holds.
So how do we Þx it?
Before choosing a major or a career path, Þnd out what's truly
involved in that career, and see if it's the lifestyle for you. Pursue
a career that will give you a happy life, don't base your future on a
paycheck.
Cailín Calub
11
1
Cailín Calub
1
Facebook was created in 2004,
Twitter in 2006 and Instagram in
2010. They are all relatively new inventions that were created around
the millennial generation and they
have the ability to allow people of
all ages to convey their views to the
world and have their voices heard.
In 2014, celebrities, politicians
and everyday people expressed
concern and expanded awareness about current social issues through media sources like
Twitter and Tumblr with striking hashtags, including #BlackLivesMatter,
#YesAllWomen
and
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown.
One of many Norwin students
that spends her time checking up
on social media is junior Becky Stefanyak. “I still feel that social media could be a great thing for our
generation, too, because it does
toss around a lot of ideas,” she said,
“but I feel it can be used in a lot of
bad ways, more than good ways.”
And social media is definitely
misused, especially by the teenagers in this generation. “If we
didn’t have social media, there
wouldn’t really be a place to put
such negative thoughts and comments,” junior Dani Gettemy said.
Without apps like Twitter and Instagram, there would be no place
to spread negativity, and cyberbullying would be nonexistent.
Social media also creates a sense
of dependence and can lessen a
person’s confidence online and
in a personal setting. “Now everything is logged for everyone
to see,” Mrs. Braid said, adding
that “a lot of the independence
of an individual is taken away.”
Stefanyak explained her take on
internet supervision with an enlightening statement that “social
media is never really supervised
by an adult.” There is no way
to prevent the things that teens
post on social media, but all users should recognize the impact
their words and pictures have.
“People forget that social media
has such power. When they say
something online, it can spread
very quickly and have very tragic
results,” explained Mrs. Braid.
Norwin students are very familiar
to the consequences of social media
misuse. There was a confiscation of
phones at the high school for sexting and distribution of pornography this school year. However, not
all of these problems are believed
to stem directly from social media.
“The culture in general of movies,
television shows and music all contributes, I think, to behavior that
isn’t the best,” Mrs. Sweeney said.
Jessica Wunderley summarized why she thought social
media has become such a big
problem for teenagers by stating
“ultimately, it is a lack of morals
instilled in our generation. They
would find a way to continue this
if social media wasn’t available.”
In the past 15 years, there
have been four instances where
a bomb threat was made within
the walls of Norwin High School,
and only one time has someone
been convicted of the crime.
The most recent bomb threat
occurred last October, and took
place around the same time that
other school districts in the area –
Gateway, Penn Trafford, Franklin
Regional and Yough – were going
through the same situation.
Because of coincidences like this,
many administrators believe that
the students are simply copying
each other in an effort to skip a
day of school, or to be popular for
a few weeks. This assumption is
not always true, and it leaves some
students feeling uneasy, while
others believe that it is nothing
more than the extreme media
coverage of panic-evoking events.
“I don’t feel as if teens are
more violent; it’s just more exploited now,” Becky Stefanyak explains when asked about
whether or not she thought
teenagers were more violent now than in the past.
Stefanyak also believes
that social media has a lot
to do with the violence
and fake threats that are
produced
throughout
schools. These malicious
terrorizations can be easily
blamed on advertising, too.
Many married couples were
high school sweethearts, and
those couples still exist today.
Like a blast from the past, there
are many couples still in high
school who have future plans
of marriage before graduation.
“With high school students
trying to get married, that definitely sounds too serious. I think
they should slow down a little
bit,” Dani Gettemy suggested.
40%
of all teenagers
have posted or
sent a
sexual message
from The National Campaign to
Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Let’s face it, dating is a part of
being a teenager, but not all students that are in relationships
are looking for a long-term thing.
“I’m in a relationship right now,
and I never could imagine getting married at this point in my
life,” Becky Stefanyak explained.
According to the Huffington
Post, those who fell in love in
high school take up only two percent of marriages. Many couples
in the earlier decades – and even
some of the later – of the 1900s
got married at young ages be-
“I do think that the more violence that kids see, they do become desensitized to it…it’s
more available to see just because of different mediums,”
Mrs. Sweeney adds, and she is
not the only one who agrees.
Brooke Lundy also has a similar
opinion concerning teenage violence. “Advertising almost glorifies [violence]. It brings greater
attention to it than it should.”
As stated by Mrs. Sweeney and
in the previous article (The Fault
in Social Media), there is no way
to stop companies, television
shows, or even the students themselves from spreading dangerous
images and ideas, which has created a sort of fog of ignorance to
what is truly a threatening act.
“I think that there are perhaps larger acts of violence
that, unfortunately, we’ve become
accustomed
to,”
Mrs.
Braid
agrees.
Norwin High School opened
its doors to students in
1969. The kids that went
to school in the 60s, 70s,
80s and so on rode buses
to school, they hung out in
cliques, and some even
walked down the same
halls that students do today.
There were kids who
dreaded gym class,
who feared the
cafeteria food;
there
were
jocks,
nerds,
and everyone inbetween. And they
were teenagers, with tie-dye shirts, and
Pac-man, and Dirty Dancing, and slap
on bracelets that were the cool, new accessory and a weapon against siblings.
There was the athlete, the brain,
the basket-case, the princess and
the
criminal.
And
shadows
of
these people walk by us every day.
Gossip and drama and overloads of
homework have been here forever, and
are more than likely sticking around
for a while. But the millennial generation has created a plethora of new
trends and technologies. Sure, there are
great things: the self-confidence boost
of a selfie, the easy connections with
friends and family through Facebook,
Instagram and Snapchat, and the techsavvy teens that have the knowledge to
fix grandma’s computer when she thinks
she has a virus. However, we have kept
and started some bad trends, too. We’ve
populated the schools with drug use,
started the sexting phenomenon, polluted the internet with vicious social media-based name-calling and made some
school entrances look more like an airport bag-check than a place of learning.
We’re called Millennials, and sometimes
Generation Y, but I consider our loss of
childhood innocence a thing I like to call
“The Epidemic of Growing Up Too Fast.“
Some schools have taken
the initiative to make students, parents and faculty
of their school districts
feel unworried by adding
metal detectors to aid the
effort of keeping weapons out, but, as pointed
out
by
schoolsecurity.
org, there is no equipment
that can guarantee safety.
cause it was convenient. Teenagers
today, though, have more freedom.
“I’ve been in a relationship for
nearly two years, and yes, I am
guilty of thinking about a future,
but you have to be real about this.
What about school, college, getting a job? You have to be ready to
stand on your own two feet. You
can’t survive only on love. Don’t
cut your childhood short. These are
the most memorable times of your
life,” junior Brooke Lundy replied.
When asked about her opinion on dating in high school junior Jessica Wunderley retorted
that “getting engaged or married
in high school is like leaving the
party at 7 for a party starts at 8.”
Whether you are looking for
a relationship or you think you
have already found the one,
Mrs. Sweeney advises that “you
should be a kid. You should be a
teenager.” She encourages students to question themselves:
“if you do too much now, then what
do you have to look forward to?”
By: Alyssa Luptak
The Endless Addiction
“We have a drug problem
here,” Mrs. Braid said, and
the problem is simply that.
“There are definitely drugs
in our school, obviously,” explained Dani Gettemy, adding
that “ in a lot of people’s home
lives, too with their parents not
really watching them or even being users themselves is an issue.”
Norwin high school is easily considered a drug-polluted
school, but many believe that is
because the school is a part of
Westmoreland County. “It’s not
just in the high school, our school.
I feel like it’s a community thing,
a community issue. And outside
the community, too, I’ve noticed
other school districts are having
issues with this,” Gettemy said.
Westmoreland County has
recorded over 100 deaths that
were due to a heroin overdose
in the last five years. Almost half
of these deaths were people who
were under the age of 30. Because
Westmoreland County is a drugtrafficking area, it is very easy for
adults, teenagers and even children to acquire drugs like heroin.
Becky Stefanyak shared her
feelings toward the drug epidemic that she came to realize
during her summer job. “It kind
of scares me because I know that
drugs are everywhere, especially
from working at Kennywood.”
The fear instilled in people when
they hear about deaths caused by
drug overdoses is a fear that is
not exclusive to teenagers. Fear
does not follow stereotypes,
and drug users are not always
bruised kids in tattered hoodies.
“There are really ‘good kids’ from
‘good families’ who become drug
addicts. It’s overwhelming and
it’s frightening,” Mrs. Braid said.
can become a problem, and you
can’t do it. You just can’t do it.”
Another issue that rises to the
surface when discussing the
problem of teenage drug abuse
is the fact that some parents
condone underage drinking and
drug use within the household.
Drug addicts are not always easy
to spot in a crowded hallway, but
there are definitely students in
the high school that have done
drugs or are currently addicted to
drugs. Mrs. Braid also gave an example of how easy it is for a teenager to begin a life of addiction.
“And it seems like there’s acceptance, almost, even by a
lot of adults, for teenagers to
drink alcohol,” Mrs. Braid said.
All it takes for a teen to become
a drug addict is one pill or one
prick of a needle. Mrs. Sweeney
explained it by saying “teenagers need to understand that
you do something one time and
it can become addictive and it
“Somebody gets drunk at a party, and [it’s] somebody that swore
they would never do drugs, but
then, all of the sudden, they’re
available to them, and they’re
not completely themselves at the
time; their mind is altered by the
alcohol…then they’re on a path
that they never intended to be
on, and can have a difficult time
getting off of it, if they ever do.”
14
How no one is ever good enough
Over the past decades the media has changed what is considered the ideal body image.
Marilyn Monroe, Lesley “Twiggy” Hornby, Ana Coralina Reston, Hila Elmalich. All
of these women were models, but two of
them died from anorexia-related deaths.
Both Reston and Elmalich died less
than 10 years ago from anorexia
while trying to maintain their supermodel figures. Today many supermodels are not anywhere closer to
moving away from this extreme thin.
When retired Victoria’s Secret model
Frederique van der Wal attended designers’ fashion show while in New York, she
was “shocked” to see the models’ sizes.
“This unnatural thinness is a terrible
message to send out. The people watching the fashion shows are young, impressionable women,” van der Wal said.
It was once rare to see women
so thin, but today there are countless women who are pushing themselves to achieve these standards.
Women are not the only ones at risk
harming themselves because of society’s
ideals. Men are faced with thousands of
images a day that, intentionally or not,
pressure them to have the perfect body.
“Fit male bodies are held up as an
ideal, and it’s easy to conclude that
falling short makes you undesired, unwanted, and unlikely to become otherwise,” said Christ Tognotti, who writes
for Huffington Post and has struggled
with his weight the majority of his life.
Girls, and even boys, are overwhelmed on a daily basis with images and messages of what they
need to look like to be attractive.
Many people blame the media.
In a survey of 20 females that go
to Norwin 17 said that they have
felt pressure from a form of media when it comes to their bodies.
Many listed that it was things like
social media, advertisements, and
television that makes them feel pressure about being the size that they are.
One girl even wrote that the main reason
she does not connect herself to any form
of social media was because of the pressure on her body she felt when on them.
“I don’t [feel pressure] anymore,
Current Interests
but I used to,” one anonymous source
said. “I just learned to separate myself
from others; everyone is different.”
However, according to NOW (National Organization for Women) Foundation, 53 percent of American 13
year olds and 78 percent of American
17 year olds have admitted to feeling “unhappy with their bodies.”
Even studies at Stanford University
and the University of Massachusetts
discovered an astounding 70 percent of
college women feel worse about their
bodies after reading women’s magazines.
There is a small amount of women
who are genetically able to achieve
this sort of body shape as there are
limits to how little body fat a woman
can have, which is one of the reasons
they are mostly only seen in the media.
Men are no different. As the ability to
reach the extremely defined muscular
look can almost be impossible to reach
without the use of illegal anabolic steroids.
Whether it is unnecessary long hours
at the gym or risky, unhealthy behavior, the price young men are paying
to achieve the perfect body is on the
rise, and pediatricians are concerned.
“There has been a striking change in attitudes toward male body image in the
last 30 years,” Dr. Harrison Pope, a psychiartry professor at Harvard who studies
bodybuilding culture said. “[Male body
image] is dramatically more prevalent
in society than it was a generation ago.”
Boys, and girls, counting every calorie and chasing imaginary ideals of
what is considered attractive in today’s culture could end up harming themselves more than helping.
In the short film “Plastic” written and
directed by Sandy Widyanata a woman
has a short lived experience of being able
to mold her own body. It shows how the
media is changing women to think that
their bodies may just not be good enough.
(The video can be found at https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=UpJFE8UcFcU.
There is a small amount of explicit
language and very slight nudity.)
One of the reasons for such a massive exposure to what is considered the ideal body is photo editing.
Many celebrities and models are
standing up to companies and people
who are altering their bodies in photos.
Meaghan Kausman, an Australian model, recently took public action against a swimwear company
that heavily altered her pictures.
Kausman took the edited and real images and posted them side-by-side followed by a caption slamming the swimwear company on her Instagram account.
“I recently did a photo shoot wearing
Fella Swim, with an extremely passionate and talented underwater photographer, Pip,” Kausman said. “Her photos
are magical; they capture women in
water and celebrated their beauty.”
Kausman did not stop there, she continued to voice her opinion bringing
attention to many concerning points
on body image in today’s culture.
“They had drastically altered my
body, thinning out my stomach and
thighs in an attempt to box me into
the cultural ideal of beauty,” Kausman
said. “All women are beautiful, and we
come in different shapes and sizes!”
Companies themselves have taken
a stand against the cultural craze on
Photoshopping, such as Dove and
Aerie, as seen in the videos below.
And although media may be one
of the biggest factors when it comes
to people feeling insecure about
their bodies, one factor that must
be revealed is the people around us.
No matter what gender someone is, it
is getting increasingly harder to escape
the constant amount of people claiming they are unhappy with their bodies.
Children are growing up with the impression that they must look a certain way.
In a short film by Dove (“Legacy“), it
points out how a mother could influence
her daughter’s opinion of her body. What
this revealed was that the insecurities the
mothers had, the young girls had as well.
Mothers with constant complaints about
their bodies cannot solely be blamed.
Millions of people everyday, whether in
person or online, are guilty of fat-shaming.
Fat-shaming, or making someone who
appears overweight feel insecure or
pointing that person out because of their
weight, is a growing problem that needs
to be stopped as it accomplishes nothing.
Besides its uselessness, it is morally wrong.
A study at the University College London suggest that when a person feels
discriminated against as a result of their
weight, that person does not lose the
weight, they are more likely to gain more.
While gaining weight is a possibility, that person may, instead, develop
an eating disorder such as anorexia.
As many people might be aware of
what fat-shaming is, it is skinny-shaming,
however, that raises more questions.
Recently to, what some may believe,
counteract fat-shaming, people have
taken to targeting thin people and making them feel insecure about their weight.
Skinny-shaming, to explain, is telling
an individual that they have no right
to feel insecure about themselves, or
telling them they cannot live up to certain standards because they are thin.
There is the phrase “real men like curves,
only dogs like bones.” When this question
was asked to a few male students at Norwin, some blatantly agreed and disagreed.
Despite these few individuals
there was a common response that
went along the lines of: real men
are attracted to whatever they like.
First of all, this phrase should be stopped
for the shear fact that men are not dogs
and women are not bones; they are human beings. Second of all, this phrase insinuates that only women with curves are
found attractive. This is skinny-shaming.
Every woman is attractive physically in her
own way, as men, and women, have the
right to be attracted to anything they want.
A common feeling people have is that
it is wrong for someone to call someone
fat but it is not wrong to tell someone
that they should feel lucky to be so thin.
This, just as fat-shaming may do, can lead
to eating disorders and only makes people
more self conscious about their bodies.
In response to a body campaign by Victoria Secret, people bashed the models calling them to be ‘nothing but bones’ and
questioning ‘how they could ever be considered attractive.’ This is skinny-shaming.
Although the models used in the advertisement most likely did not project the average body size of women,
these models should not be called
such degrading names and have their
bodies slandered over the internet.
No human being should be subjected
to any sort of treatment such as this.
In a survey of 22 students at Norwin
15 thought that skinny-shaming and
fat-shaming are equal in comparison,
when in reality they are. The other 7
all believed fat-shaming was worse.
It is time that society stops categorizing
peopleasfatorskinny,whilepeopleshould
be categorized by healthy or unhealthy.
As a result of skinny-shaming, people
who are healthy and enjoying eating well
and exercising are being criticized. Shaming people such as this is worse of all as it is
brings shame to those who lead a healthy
life just because they are not overweight.
Newsflash:
they
are
not
underweight
either.
Anindividualwhoisphysicallyhealthyand
fit, or simply someone whose doctor tells
them they are a healthy weight, is someone who treats their body with respect
and lives at a healthy weight based on
their own shape no matter what gender.
Today doctors are pressing people
with weight trouble (again over- or underweight individuals) as less of a moral
failing but as more of a health concern.
Another issue in need of addressing is the fact that some men and
women are shamed for simply feeling confident with their bodies.
Ann Kearney-Cooke, Ph.D., a Cincinnati
psychologist who specializes in body image was a part of a survey by Glamour noted how women are putting down other
women who feel good about their bodies.
“It’s become such an accepted norm
to put yourself down that if someone
says she likes her body, she’s the odd
woman out. I was in group discussion
recently, and when one woman said, ‘I
actually feel OK about the way I look,’
another woman scrunched up her face
and said, ‘I have never in my whole life
heard anyone say that-and I’m not sure
I even believe you.’ That’s how pervasive this negative body talk is. It’s actually more acceptable to insult your
body than to praise it,” Kearney said.
People often forget everyone is beautiful and our bodies should be cherished because of their pure uniqueness.
Media and people with their constant
slurs about your body and their body are
not going away anytime soon. But what
must be done to hopefully achieve body
respect is to unteach everything society
knows about body image and reconstruct the beliefs being broadcasted to
younger generations around the world.
“When our belief systems around
weight change-that is when we challenge the ‘meaning’ we give to weight or
body shape-our bodies naturally become
our allies in achievement, rather than
an obstacle to overcome,” Isabel Foxen
Duke, writer for Huffington Post, said.
The goal of today should not be to
achieve media’s idea of body image,
but achieving the life we want to live.
Dove’s “Beauty Sketches”
Dove’s “Legacy”
Aerie’s “#AerieREAL”
Dove’s Beauty Sketches short film shows how people see themselves, compared to how others see them. Dove is teaching women that they should not stress about the way we look to the point
of insecurity, because the people who see us and come close to us
see so much more.
Dove’s Legacy campaign displays how
a mother’s verbal opinion on her body
influences her daughter’s opinion of
her own body.
Aerie’s #AerieREAL goes beyond what many companies have ever done before when
it comes to making their product and customers more comfortable and relatable; they
have eliminated photoshop.
15
“I’m tired of media portraying
‘model size’ as ‘normal size.’
- Alexa Towner
“I’m tired of feeling pressure
to look a certain way.”
- Amanda Noll
“I’m sick of wanting to be
society’s unrealistic idea of a
perfect body.” - Kelly Tran
“I’m tired of the media telling
me I’m unattractive because I
don’t have curves.”
- Camree Nelson
“I’m sick of feeling like I should
look different because I’m a
dancer.”
- Chelsea Smith
“Being called a ‘twig’ is just as
insulting as being told you’re
overweight.”
- Kylie Smith
16
The dying
By Isabelle Petrush
The teacher asks today’s high school class
room who is for and who is against same-sex
marriage and rights. In a class with 27 kids, 25
hands go up when he says “for,” and 2 hands go
up when he says “against.”
As the numbers of same-sex couples rises and
the intensity of their struggle grows as do the
supporters outside the gay and lesbian
community. Ten or twenty years ago the results
would not have been nearly the same, in fact
most likely completely flipped. The majority of
the population would have been against
homosexual rights.
Things are not as they used to be. People are
accepting the gay and lesbian community with
open arms. Whereas there used to be laws which
targeted and hindered same-sex couples, now
their cries are being heard and their rights are
being recognized.
At Norwin High School (over 60 students
polled), 84 percent of students are for and 16
percent of students are against marriage and
general rights for same-sex couples. The
teachers of the Norwin community reflect
similar results just not of the same magnitude.
Adults polled that 75 percent are for their rights
and 25 percent are against.
Current Interests
debate
I believe in a love
That sends you to the store
At midnight
Twenty minutes
Down the road because
“Their strawberries taste better.”
When asked why they chose ‘against’ the
answers all shared a common thread. Religion. As
one of Norwin’s sophomores wrote, “It’s your
opinion based on what you believe in and your
religion.” Many people who are against
homosexual rights have the same thought process;
the one that ‘it’s not what I believe’ but ‘I can’t
Tommy Allen is the director of the Norwin Colorguard and he
was finally able to marry his partner of ten years this past July in
a Pennsylvania courthouse. He says that his relationship is
“Exactly the same as it was now that [he’s] married.” And that
the marriage part is just more of “a commitment.”
When asked why they chose ‘for’ the answers
had a wide range and varied from “Love is love,”
(Anon.) all the way to, “Acceptance.” (Anon.)
Many people referenced instances from the civil
rights movement and mentioned that society is
always evolving. As Mr.Agnew stated, “Times
are changing, society is always evolving, and we
need to keep up.”
Isabelle Petrush
I believe in a love that is so burning hot
You can feel it physically ache
In the deepest parts of your soul.
The striking resemblance in these numbers is
monumental. The generation gap on same-sex
marriage is slowly dying. There will always be
the outliers who go against the numbers; there
will always be interest groups who greatly oppose
the majority, but people are opening their minds
and thus the argument is coming to a close.
control someone else.’ And because of this even
those who are against a lifestyle unlike their own
they are willing to overlook it in light of equality.
As long as it doesn’t affect them personally then
even though same-sex marriage violates their
ideals, it does not violate their tolerance.
The Ripple Effect
In America’s court system the lower courts decide a verdict on
a case. That verdict becomes a precedent that all future court
decisions follow. If someone is unhappy with a case verdict then
they can appeal it and take it all the way to the Supreme Court.
Currently the Supreme Court has denied to take multiple samesex cases which have allowed same-sex marriage; this act of not
acting has indirectly allowed marriage and communities are
beginning to accept this.
Marriage has become more than just recognition to God,
morals are evolving and acceptance rates are changing along
with them. The same-sex marriage debate is disappearing for
now. However when the Supreme Court takes a case if they
decide to rule against the allowance of same-sex marriage then
the debate will be rekindled and the fight will start again. But for
now we live in a world where change is coming and people are
noticing.
The teacher brings his lesson on same-sex issues in his
government class to a close. He asks one more time and when he
says “for,” all the hands go up. He looks at the two students who
were against prior and asks what changed their mind. Their
responses were the same, “Well, I’m still against it but I won’t
tell someone else how to live their life.”
I believe freedom
Is for the sake of freedom.
We covet it only for ourselves,
And if others function separately
From the machine of Society
We
Believe that freedom does not belong to
Them.
I believe that marriage is no longer
Just a sanction of the church
But rather of love.
I believe that
Outdated words exist.
To live by a text written,
Unimaginably long ago,
By an unimaginable number of hands,
Is to live by borrowed and abused ideals.
I believe a
Sin
Is only a
Sin
Because we say it is.
I believe a man
Who loves another man
Can be, and has been,
A better father figure to me
Than my own.
I believe in gay rights.
17
18
PARKING PROBLEMS
Current Interests
AND STUDENT DRIVING
19
Editorial by:
Paige Pristas
Those guys wearing neon
vests and waving giant glow
sticks
are
something
everyone here at Norwin is
familiar with unless you are
the sleeping kid on the bus.
Those who are fortunate
enough to drive to school
may have a lot of strong
feelings towards those in
charge of driving and
parking.
Students
may
automatically think that they
are the one who make us
park in the back, nope they
may hate their lives just as
much as the kids walking a
mile from their cars to the
school in 15 degree weather.
Many
student
drivers
strongly dislike the driving
system and polices at
Valid reasons to drive:


Sports practice
directly after school
Event/club directly
after school
Not valid reasons to drive:



Work
Watching sporting
event as a
spectator directly
after school
For fun
Norwin. Many unanswered
questions get asked on a
daily basis. Why do students
have to park so far away?
Why do I have to pay?
Where does my money go?
Mr. Knipple (one of the
parking directors) was able
to answer a few of those
questions to try and please
those
inquiring
and
infuriated drivers. One must
need a valid reason to drive,
he/she must have to stay
directly after school for
three or more days a week
for a school related sport or
activity. Having to go to
work directly from school is
not a valid reason; students
cannot receive a driving
pass if that is their reason.
The biggest complaint has
been having to park so far
away from the school.
Students must park back by
the tennis courts. Naturally,
the teachers receive prime
parking but only take up
about the first three rows in
the lot. That leaves about
seven other rows empty.
Students are not allowed to
park in these spots however.
The reason for this is on
certain days there are events
at the stadium that parents
and opponents need to park
there. It is also easier to
check on and watch the
student drivers if they are all
parked in the same location.
All of the restrictions and
rules are for the drivers’
safety. “My biggest concern
with student driving is that
everyone gets here and
home safely and well every
day,” said Mr. Knipple.
Is the school actually
losing money? If everyone
who could, paid the $30 to
drive to school (having a
valid reason or not) then
more people would be
driving, hence more money
being brought in.
What are your thoughts about our driving system?
“I got in trouble because I
didn’t know I wasn’t
allowed to move my car
up closer to the door
before cheerleading
practice,” said senior
Jennie Worek.
“Paying $30 is
expensive for each
season because if a
student needs to drive
all three seasons, they
will have to pay $90
which is expensive,”
said junior Maria
Ferragonio.
If less people got
turned away then
there would be twice
as
many
student
drivers. The cost
could be lowered if
more people would be
allowed to drive to
school.
Another
possible
fix
or
addition to the driving
policy is that students
could be rewarded for
excellent grades by a
driving
pass.
Motivation to get
good grades may give
students that extra
push to do well.
Driving
incentives
should be used more
often. As long as the
parking lot still has
empty spaces in it, the
driving staff should
allow more students
to drive. If the
parking lot then is
full, then restrictions
can once again be
applied.
What about other schools?
Penn Trafford: $75 for the year
for top lot, $50 for bottom lot. Only
seniors can have top lot. Seniors can
only have passes now due to
construction.
Hempfield: $35 for an all year
pass. Must have a valid reason.
Cannot have a rider unless it is a
sibling.
Bethel Park: $50 all year, don’t
need a reason.
Plum: $25 for a season, $75
for the entire year. Only $100 year
long passes available, first come, first
serve.
Kiski: $50 for the entire year,
first come, first serve.
Greensburg Central Catholic:
$30 for the year.
“I don’t even know where
the money I pay is going
to. I paid for a whole
season but once my sport
was over they took my
pass,” said junior Micayla
Livingston.
I think that our driving policy is
outrageous. I have had more problems
with this system than necessary. I pay
$90 to drive all year, that price is too
high for what restrictions there are. I am
not that lazy of a person, I don’t mind
walking the distance from my car to the
school. However, in the winter, when it
is below freezing, and snowing, I do not
enjoy taking the risk of slipping on ice
(which I broke my arm 2 years ago on),
and walking from the very back of the
parking lot into the school. I pay enough
money so why can’t I park where I want
to park. My parents pay enough taxes
that I should get to park where I want.
The fact that students cannot drive even
if they have to work directly after school
drives me insane (no pun intended). I
have practice every day after school, I
did not like having to sit and wait for my
parents to come and pick me up after
practice, as soon as I got my license, and
I drove to school. I walk out of the field
house, along with my teammates and
other sports players and let me tell you,
walking back to the tennis courts to get
to my car after a hard practice with all of
my bags is a struggle to say the least. I
asked one of the driving directors where
my money goes that I pay to park, and I
am still a little indifferent about the
response I received; to a fund in the
administration office? Who is getting my
money and why do I need to pay them
$90 to drive myself home from practice.
20
Fitting the Mold:
By: Emily Yurchison
Since essentially the beginning of
time, women have been set up to
fit a certain “mold.” And while
that “mold” has changed over the
centuries, the pressure to fit that
mold has remained the same.
If a woman gets raped it's her
fault because of how she dressed
or what she drank. If she holds a
position of authority she's
“bossy.” If she wears too little
she's a “slut” if she wears too
much she's a “prude.” But society
㻯㼑㼘㼑㼎㼞㼕㼠㼥㻌㻿㼠㼍㼠㼑㼙㼑㼚㼠㼟㻌
“I don't want other people to
decide who I am. I want to decide that for
myself. I want to avoid becoming too
styled and too 'done' and too generic.
You see people as they go through their
career, and they just become more and
more like everyone else.” Emma Watson
1.
“We have to teach our boys the
rules of equality and respect, so that as
they grow up gender equality becomes a
natural way of life. And we have to teach
our girls that they can reach as high as
humanly possible.” Beyonce has said a
lot of awesome things
”Rape is one of the most
terrible crimes on earth and it happens
every few minutes. The problem with
groups who deal with rape is that they try
to educate women about how to defend
themselves. What really needs to be
done is teaching men not to rape. Go to
the source and start there.” Kurt Cobain
also wants women to be
themselves and not “fake.”
But how can women be
themselves when everything they
seem to do is wrong?
As you can probably guess, this
amount of pressure also takes a
psychological and physical toll on
women. According to information
found by Westminster College
states that “nearly half of females
ages 6-8... want to be slimmer.”
The unhealthy stigma that girls
aren't good enough is starting at a
young age and continues
through adulthood.
There is a constant war in the
media over body image, with
the rise of things like the song
“All About that Bass” by Megan
Trainor and the rise in
popularity of Victoria's Secret
models, girls are torn on how to
be. Is it better
to be thin, or to be curvy? That
in itself is an unhealthy idea.
So how do we, as a society, fight
these dangerous ideas? By
encouraging girls and women
everywhere to simply do and be
what makes them happy. By
refraining from idealizing one
type of woman over another. By
being positive and happy within
ourselves.
But the fight doesn't start and
end within women, this fight
needs to branch out into the
media, and the workplace, and
in the home.
The fight against the “mold”
won't end in a day or a year, it
will take time, lots of it. The fact
that these issues are being talked
about is an extremely hopeful
sign. This isn't a taboo, this isn't
something to be thrown
to the back burner, this
is an important issue
that demands attention.
Women, for the first
time in a long time, are
demanding to not be
dismissed.
Moreover, women are
demanding to not be
dismissed when they are
assaulted, which is a
very real issue in the
world we live in today.
Women are silenced and
discredited when they
share their assault story
because of their dress or
how many drinks they
had or even their
relationship to their
assailant.
This kind of dismissive
behavior is extremely
dangerous; it teaches
women that their lives
and their bodies don't
matter. And it teaches
men that it's okay to assault a
women, it teaches them that they
can get away, essentially with
murder. A rapist should be
punished for what they've done,
regardless of salary, gender, or
public renown.
Women are people too, and
deserve to be treated as such.
They aren't less because of how
they dress, or how much they
weigh, or how much makeup they
wear.
21
Current Interests
How to be the Perfect Woman
Have long, groomed hair.
Never cut it short, or men
won’t find you attractive.
Don’t be ditzy, but don’t be too smart
either or you’ll scare people away. Keep
your opinions (especially negative ones)
to yourself. There’s nothing worse than
a well-informed woman.
Keep the makeup light, but
not too light. Wouldn’t want
If you’re too strong,
the world to know you have
people will think
imperfections now would we?
you’re a man, but
don’t throw like a
Maintain a fit figure, but
girl either.
avoid being too fit or its
weird. But being curvy is bad,
but also good, but put some
meat on those skinny bones!
Keep yourself pure, but
don’t be a prude.
Have friends, but not guy
friends, you don’t want to
be “that girl”. But don’t
have too many girl friends
either.
Avoid showing too much skin;
don’t blame men for their
actions when you show a bit
too much! You were asking for
it. But wait, don’t dress like a
nun either, that’s no fun.
High heels make you look
like a “lady of the night”;
flats don’t flatter your
legs either.
Statistics
An average US woman is 5’4” tall weighing
140 pounds; the average US model is 5’11”
weighing 117 pounds – West Virginia
Dept of Education
69% of girls in 5th – 12th grades reported
that magazine pictures influenced their
idea of a perfect body shape - National
Association of Anorexia Nervosa and
Associated Disorders
In one study, 3
out of 4 women
stated that they were overweight although
only 1 out of 4 actually were – Rader
Programs
In a survey of 782 workers revealed that:
31% of the female workers claimed to have
been harassed at work 7% of the male
workers claimed to have been harassed at
work -- Louis Harris and Associates
Approximately 15,000 sexual harassment
cases are brought to the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) each year.
-- Louis Harris and Associates
22
Do you expect your kids to follow
the same views as you?
Like Parent Like Child ?
20 students were asked if they agree or
follow their parents in each catagory.
Are our beliefs our own ?
By: Emily Dahlstrom
As we grow older and become ourselves, we choose different preferences
and beliefs that we either believe in or
enjoy, but is our choices our own or our
“No, I have different views than my parents on some
issues but fundementally our values are the same.”
parents?
We are in high school, living in a time
Mr. Brozeski
of many things and one thing in particular... choices. We choose our friends,
relationships, and our classes but as we
“Yes, similar because the family carries out the same
develop on this emotional roller coaster
beliefs but I dont excpect them to follow.”
we call high school we find a sense of
ourselves along the way.
But how much of this “self opening”
Mrs. Greene
is actually our own? When we were
young, we were raised a certain way by
our parents and we trusted them and be“No, because I was probably rasied with
lieved what they said because they’re our
tradition, not how kids are today.”
parents after all.
Certain traditions get passed down that
Mrs. Bryan
we, ourselves start doing without actually knowing it. Research has shown that
parents have an effect on young adults’
choices and perspectives, and the most
“No, I am a bit of a conservative and
they (my kids) are not.”
major categories looked at that support
this research are religion, political party,
occupation and sport.
When each student was asked why
they agree being the same religion or
political party etc, a lot of the students
Do we become like our parents as we
kept repeating “because I was raised that
get older?
way.”
But on the other side, some students
agreed with their parents had reason like
“I believe in the same thing because….”
or “I like doing this activity because”
Mrs. Braid
This showed that teens are in
different places and perpectives
when it comes to knowing who
you are or what you believe in.
But there is nothing wrong with
agreeing with your parents if that
what you, enjoy or believe.
Ninth grader, Hannah Bergman,
said she was a lot like her parents
but one thing that stuck with me
was that she was both Jewish and
Christian.
Bergman practices’ both of her
parents religions, not just because
of her parents’ but the research
she did. This showed her openmindedness which shocked me
because a lot of teens today are
not open to other things they are
not use too .
I myself also have my own
little story, I went to a Catholic
school for six- seven years and all
those years I was taught to believe
in God and he created us.
As I got older and I started to
understand more about the world
and science, I realized that maybe
I do not believe in God. I am not
saying there is no God ,for all I
know there could be one ,but right
now
23
Current Interests
Are you the same religion as your
parents?
No
13%
Yes
87%
Are you the same political party as your
parents?
No
50%
I do not know.
I remember telling my mom
(who is super Catholic by the
way) that I am not sure that
I am a Catholic. Man, you
should've seen the look on her
face. I feel like she would of
rather had me fail a class then
say that, but I did. I was so
scared, not about her questioning me but that I let her down
in a sense.
A lot of teens are hiding what
they enjoy or believe from
their parents not because they
are bad in a sense but they feel
that they have let their parents
down.
As teens we have this sense
of independence but also a
sense of not failing. This is what makes
that emotional rollercoaster so emotional. Throughout those ups and downs we
find ourselves eventually.
Whether we agree with our parents or
not, if the things we practice or do that
we find enjoyable or believe in then we
grow as a person.
Yes
50%
Do you play a sport or do an activity
that your parents did your age?
Yes
31%
No
69%
Is your future occupation the same as
one of your parents?
Yes
12%
No
88%
Click on the picture to watch video.
“I do not have the same occupation as
my parents because it did not interest
me”~ Samantha Haag
“Yes, I am the same religion as my parents because I went to Cathoilc school
for eight years.”~ Ben Powell
“I was born into Christanity and I beleieve the same religion beliefs”~ Amanda
Deluise
“I do not want to go into the same
occupation as my parents because I
like English and not Medicine”~ Alyssa
Luptak
“I do not play the same sport [soccer
and basketball] as my parents because
Norwin is very political towards sports.”~
Maria Josselyn
“I am not necessarily the same politcal
party as my parents. I am open to the
best candidate.”~ Nick Lee
24
“What do you want to do
before you die?” “If you
had 30 seconds to talk to
the world, what would you
say?” “What is your definition of true happiness?”
Not questions that come
up in everyday conversation,
but questions whose answers
tell wonders about a person.
These questions are one of the
many grouped as “Big Talk”
questions: questions that require you to think, reflect, and
even learn more about yourself through your answer. It’s
all a part of a social experiment
where people are challenged
to skip the small talk and discover what actually matters
to the people they talk to.
Why is this such a challenge?
Because people are stuck. They
are stuck where they feel comfortable and do not feel the
need to try and get to know
people. This is exactly what
“Big Talk” is trying to change.
The original idea came from
Kalina Silverman’s “Big Talk”
video on YouTube.
Kalina
spent two months talking to
strangers asking questions that
encouraged people to share
more about their personality
and revealed their life story.
She wanted to get to know
#mythreenevers
@Kylie_Smith_9 “Never wear
Crocs, never
change myself
for others, never
stop laughing”
@Kirstie_Branthoover_12
“Never disrespect yourself,
never wear high heels in
school, never eat broccoli”
@Maria_Scuillilo_? “Never assume anything, never be stupid,
never wear white shorts”
@Julia_Szlis_11 “Never stop living,
never let people bring you down,
never give up”
@Lizzy_Kent_12 “Never cheat,
never give up, never be inconsiderate”
@Rachael_Lorince_10 “Never
assume anything, never give up,
never settle for anything other
than your best”
@Josie_
Manns_11 “Never stop reading,
never lose your
imagination,
never leave your
own path”
25
Current Interests
Watch Norwin’s Big Talk!
people on a deeper level and
received overwhelming success. Kalina now continues this
experiment and has recently
published a second video.
She wishes for it to become
“a social movement where
people want to have big talk
in their everyday life,” according to Huffington post, and I
have become a part of Kalina’s
movement as I introduced “Big
Talk” to Norwin High School.
As expected, some people did not take it seriously,
but I believed a few amazing
conversations
would
come out of it. And they did.
It was not a surprise to see all
of the stunned faces as people
heard the first question “what
do you want to do before you
die?” It is not a question most
people are prepared to answer.
Each person took a moment
to reflect and decide what it
is they actually want to do in
life. The classic “skydive” answer came up often, but none
of the answers were disappointing. Everyone had some
goal. They saw something in
their future that gave them
encouragement to get there.
@Makela_Crossley_10 “Never
steal, never go against your first
instinct, never judge a book by
its cover”
@Conner_Budd_12 “Never stop
practicing what you preach,
never treat others in a way you
wouldn’t want to be treated,
never take your mind off the
money”
@Alexa_Loy_10 “Never underestimate anybody or anything, never
do drugs, never judge a person
from the outside”
By Chelsea Smith
Even after this first question
caught everyone off guard, no
one expected the other “Big
Talk” questions either. Each
one no less thought-provoking
than the last. As I asked each
question, people took a moment to think and then revealed more about their true
self. Even when someone gave
a funny answer, I learned more
about them than I probably
ever would have in my life.
By the end of my filming, I
fully realized why Kalina started this experiment. Why do
we spend every day with the
same people, and yet never
take the time to find out who
they truly are? Behind every person there is a story, a
unique personality, and yet
we are stuck—we remain
stuck in our own little bubble
of friends. Why? Because
they are our comfort zone.
I have to admit it took a lot
to completely step out of my
comfort zone and talk to people I have never spoke to before, or people I have known
@Alicia_Lackey_12 “Never give up,
never cheat, never lie”
@Ethan_Cupples_10 “Never give
in, never give up hope, never stop
trying”
@Kayla_
Schehr_12
“Never stop
smiling:), never
give up, ‘never
say never’ -Justin
Bieber”
@Aaron_Iwinski_11 “Never harm
others in your actions, never refuse blame for your actions, never
change your code of chivalry”
of all of my life and never took
the time to actually have a conversation with. I also realize it
took a lot for all of the people
who were willing to talk to me
to share their answers. It’s not
every day an odd girl with a
camera walks up to you and
asks about your life, but maybe
it should happen more often.
Besides the camera, I was talking. I was skipping the small
talk and having that conversation that actually mattered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bALubF2N2l8
Kalina Silverman’s
original video
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=deScHJGoVc8
After my Big Talk experiment, I had learned more
about myself along with all the
people I talked to. Every story
changed my outlook on my life
in some way and made me reflect and ask myself all these
questions I was asking others.
I am rooting for Kalina’s
movement and hope for more
people to join in. It’s still hard
to jump out of that comfort
zone and talk to new people,
but it can change your life.
You never know what you
will find—all you have to
do is put yourself out there.
@
Justin_Hoffman_11
“Never wear yoga
pants, never eat
candy before
sleeping, never
eat soup with a
fork”
@Sarah_
Brooks_11 “Never take candy
from strangers,
never put colored
clothes in the
white laundry,
never wear blavy(black & navy)”
“I wish I would have known that my
parents were almost always right.” -Mrs.
Braid
“I wish I knew how much harder life
was going to be later in life in terms of
responsibility and work”
-Mrs. Sweeney
“I wish I had known that sometimes being kind is more important than being
right...and that it is possible to be both.”
-Mrs. Brentzel-Martina
“I wish I knew how important it is to
try in every class, not necessarily for
a better GPA, but for the gain of more
knowledge and experience. Also, I wish
I knew in early high school the joy of
reading genres and topics that interest
you.” -Mr. Salaney
26
TEENS
TEENS
Favorite Artists:
Eminem, Maroon 5, Justin
Timberlake, Blink 182,
Nirvana, Imagine Dragons,
Coldplay, Bon Jovi, U2,
Bruce Springsteen, Luke
Bryan, Eric Church, Wiz
Khalifa, Michael Jackson
Lifestyle
v
S
adults
27
By: Nathan Stonecipher
For many countless years, the generational gap between teenagers and
adults has impacted the types of music each generation listens to. In each new
generation, the generation before them usually does not like the music that their
children are listening to. This happened in the 1960s with artists such as the
famous English band The Beatles and the king of rock, Elvis Presley. This
continued through the 1970s and 1980s with harder rock music from the “hair”
bands and still continues today in the twenty-first century with rap and electronic
music.
Many people wonder why each generation is so different in their musical
preferences. The fact is that each generation is so used to listening to their
particular type of music that when they hear a type of music that is different or the
complete opposite of the kind that they listen to, it automatically turns them away.
That is why our parents do not like the type of music we listen to just as we might
not like the music that our children will eventually listen to.
ADULTS
Favorite Artists:
However, there is another side to this story. There are also many previous
generations that enjoy the music that younger generations listen to. For example, some
parents today really like the music we listen to on a regular basis. Something that is
more common, however, is our generation liking the music that our parents, or even
our grandparents, listen to. For instance, many teenagers are big fans of bands such as
The Beatles or AC/DC. I know that for me personally, I like music from the 1980s
much better than today’ music.
There have been questions for many years about this generational gap. What it
all comes down to is the preference of the person listening to the music. It all depends
on what speaks to you and what you are used to. There will be plenty of time to figure
out what you and different people like because we will see this generational gap for
years to come in music history.
CELEBRITY
Controversies
Miley cyrus
Elvis Presley
This is probably the most
popular controversy today,
with Cyrus providing very
inappropriate
performances
and music videos. Cyrus also
has caused controversy with
the things she does and says in
public after many knew her as
an idolized child star.
Elvis
caused
quite
a
controversy in the 1960s when
rock music was finally coming
to light. Cameras would not
even show Elvis performances
below the waist for a long time
because of all of the shaking
and “inappropriate” dances
moves.
Bruce Springsteen, Justin
Timberlake, Michael
Jackson, Maroon 5, Usher,
Journey, Bon Jovi, Def
Leppard, Luke Bryan, Tim
McGraw
28
Lifestyle
29
By: Madison Wedge
Spending 6-7 hours a day
socializing leads to the highest
level of happiness.
33,55,and 70 are the happiest
ages.
Healthier people are 20%
happier than average.
It’s the oldest joke in the book, I ask a customer at work if there is anything
else I can get them and they reply “the winning lottery numbers” they are joking,
but at the same time they aren’t.
Everyone would like the opportunity to be happier. And this opportunity might
be easier to achieve than you think, and it does not involve hitting the lottery,
having a brand new car, or being wealthy in general.
Too many people are stuck on the idea, ‘if only I had that kind of money, if
only I went to school longer, if only I didn’t have so many bills to pay” or “I’ll
be happy when I have these loans paid off, I’ll be happy when I hit the lottery”.
But would you really be happier? Only 26% of people ages 18-24 years old
claim to be happy according to psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky.
“I wish everyone could get rich and famous and have everything they ever
dreamed of so they would know that’s not the answer” said actor Jim Carrey.
So can money buy you happiness? Yes and no.
According to psychologist Daniel Kahneman and economist Angus Deaton,
also drawing on Gallup World poll* data, once you reach an income of $75,000 a year your
happiness is very unlikely to increase. In fact if you have can afford your basic necessities
such as a roof over your head and food to eat, nothing else you buy will increase your
satisfaction with your life in the long run.
If you do not believe that think about it this way, what was your favorite purchase last
year, is it still your favorite thing now? Probably not, but what was your favorite memory
from last year? That will always be your favorite memory of that year, memories never lose
their value like material things do.
Yet we keep buying tangible items thinking we’ll keep using them, you know like that
Nintendo DS and iPod touch you have in the back of your closet.
We get used to what we have, we get over the thrill of our new purchase, and it is old
news and we want something new. Last year’s new purchase probably has no impact on
your happiness today.
We also adapt to change.
Lyubomirsky said, “If you have a rise in income, it gives you a boost, but then your
aspirations rise too. Maybe you buy a bigger house in a new neighborhood, and so your
neighbors are richer, and you start wanting even more. You stepped on the hedonic
treadmill”.
Hedonic adaptation is defined as the tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively
stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes.
Still not convinced?
Let’s go back to winning the lottery, University of California measured people’s
happiness 6 months after winning the lottery, the study showed that the win had no effect on
happiness.
Sandra Hayes, a social worker who made $25,000 a year and hit the lottery for $10
million said, “Just because you win the lottery, it does not change you as a person”.
. “I wish everyone could
get rich and famous and
have everything they
ever dreamed of so they
would know that’s not
the answer” said actor
Jim Carrey.
Chances are if you are unhappy with your life, money may create a temporary happiness, however long term
happiness and overall satisfaction with your life and well-being cannot be improved by money.
So I did some of my own research and asked 50 people ages 16-50 what made them happy. Not one
person answered that money made them happy.
“Productivity and being around happy people” is what makes Norwin senior Alyssa Minko happy.
40% answered “friends and family” while 20% answered “making other people happy”. Which makes
sense because there are a few ways we can ‘buy’ happiness, one being spending money on others rather than
spending it on ourselves.
According to the Gallup World Poll people who donated money in both poor and rich countries were
happier.
“The fact that we were able to observe the same effect that we’d seen in Canada in places like South
Africa and Uganda was probably the biggest surprise of my career.” Psychology professor and author of
“Happy Money” Elizabeth Dunn said.
You can learn a little more about experiments done to prove this by watching the Ted Talks video below.
As was stated earlier, spending money on experiences will result in long term happiness and memories
that you can reflect on unlike spending money on material things.
It is also important to buy time. A study by the University of Zurich found that people with lower
commutes report lower overall satisfaction. They calculated that you would need a 40% raise to offset the
added misery of a one hour commute.
It is more beneficial to work closer to home and have more time to spend with family than it is to
work further away to make more money and have less time to spend with family. Or instead of
working overtime, go out with some friends.
In the end, everyone defines their happiness differently. To me, happiness means enjoying what you
are doing and getting the most out of this life. You can’t buy your friends and family, your health, or
your favorite memories, and that is what makes me the happiest. So to me, there is no such thing as
buying happiness.
We have limited time in this world and you can’t take money to the grave, so you might as well
spend your time doing what you love, and most importantly, being happy.
Click to view link
*Gallup's World Poll continually surveys the wellbeing, behaviors, and
attitudes of the world’s citizens in more than 150 countries and areas and
provides a new access point to the voices, hearts, and minds of samples
representing 95% of the Earth’s adult population. More information can
be found in the Ted Talks link to the right.
“It’s not about how much we have,
but how much we enjoy, that
makes happiness.” –Charles
Spurgeon
30
31
School
By Rachael Bindas
What do you wish to read?
Paige Perla, 12:
“John Green. All the John
Green. His books are deep,
symbolic, and super
entertaining.”
“Okay class, read five chapters for homework tonight of this extremely dense, extremely
hard to understand classic piece of literature that you don’t care about in the least, and
spend an hour answering twenty obscure questions in your packet about it.”
Unfortunately, this is what students hear time and time again when they are assigned
outside-of-the-classroom reading. Oftentimes, students are incapable of focusing on the
tough syntax or diction of classic literature, and end up faking it in class, reading
summaries online to simply scrape by. The result is extinguishing the passion of reading
in many young students before they get the chance to personally discover the joys the
written word can bring.
Looking for Alaska,
John Green
13 Reasons Why,
Jay Asher
Unwind,
Neil
Shusterman
The Perks of Being
a Wallflower.
Stephen Chobosky
Therefore, teaching classics and then reading modern books that follow a similar pattern can
help students to better understand and appreciate the classics, while engaging them with the
parallels contemporary literature draws to their own lives.
“I believe the classic lit
should be combined with
modern novels to be able to
compare and contrast.”
I would like to read books
more related to our age;
something we could learn
from for our lives more—
Tuesdays with Morrie.”
However, this is not at all to say that classic literature should not be taught to these
indifferent readers. Mrs. Boyd, teacher of AP English Literature, recognizes this. She believes
the story lines, characters, conflicts, themes, and symbols of classic literature are universal,
and help to “unite us in the cord of the human experience.”
A survey conducted at Norwin shows students being in favor of reading more contemporary
literature in the classroom. Elizabeth Hood, 12, wishes to read books “more related to our age;
something we could learn from for our lives” inside the classroom.
Dana Ricker, 12:
Elizabeth Hood, 12:
(Click the books to watch a short
trailer!)
A strong example of this would be teaching J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, and then
having students read Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower to compare. The
two works feature plenty of teen angst and the struggle of outsiders trying in vain to fit in and
belong, making for two very relatable high school reads. Because Perks was written in more
modern times, students may find it easier to comprehend, therefore enriching their
understanding and overall comprehension of Catcher.
“The books in the
nonfiction genre bring
about the emotional sense
in all.”
“I think classic literature
demonstrateds the
highest level of technical
skill and artistry that
people have put forth in
writing.”
Because Jones views the class as her “last chance” to instill a lifelong love of
reading into her students, she is willing to do whatever it takes to engage the
budding readers. As a result of reading relatable, contemporary literature, Jones
feels as if her students are much more able to form an appreciation and a true
“love of reading” in the class for when they leave the halls of Norwin High to
continue on with their own personal journeys.
Students still need to learn to appreciate the value of the classics, and this could possibly be
done by having students read a canonical work, and draw parallels to a similar, modernized
book, to enrich their understanding of the classics.
Nathan Maywood, 11:
Antonio Croes, 12:
Modern books
worth reading:
Schools should be doing anything and everything they possibly can to promote more reading
in their students’ daily lives, even if it means allowing their students to choose books typically
outside of the curriculum. The importance should not be placed on what students prefer to
read, but rather, focusing on encouraging the love of literature to result in a passion of reading
that will last a lifetime.
(Some of the classic literature featured in Norwin’s English classes)
Many times when students do not comprehend what they are reading, they are prone
to just giving, unable to appreciate the true beauty of the classics. For those who just
truly cannot grasp the splendor of classic literature, difficult books should not be all
that is read inside the classroom.
According to a study conducted by Michigan State University, reading results in
increased cognitive activity, contributing to longer attention spans and the ability to
concentrate despite surrounding distractions. So, it should not matter the content of the
books students read, as long as their minds are able to be held captive by engaging prose.
Ms. Jones, teacher of English 12, takes this exact standpoint while teaching her class to
seniors at Norwin High School. Rather than forcing challenging classic literature on
apathetic students that may find it painstakingly miserable to read, Jones focuses more on
contemporary literature that her at-first “reluctant readers” will find much easier to form
personal connections with, hoping to ignite a desire to read that will carry on throughout
their lives.
The Harry
Potter Series,
J.K. Rowling
The Fault in
Our Stars,
John Green
Timeless Classics:
(Click the books to
watch a short trailer!)
The Catcher in the
Rye, J.D. Salinger
The Great Gatsby,
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Wuthering Heights,
Emily Bronte
Night,
Elie
Wiesel
Jane Eyre,
Charlotte Bronte
To Kill a
Mockingbird,
Harper Lee
32
NCAA
Division I and II Initial
Eligibility Requirements
Division 1

4 years of English.

3 years of Mathematics
o
(Algebra I or higher).

2 years of natural/physical
science

1 year of additional math,
science, or english

2 years of social science.

4 years of additional courses
(from any area above, foreign
language or comparative
religion/philosophy).
Division II
Same requirements as above with
exceptions of

One less year of english

One less year of mathematics

Two more years of additional
english, mathematics, and
Science. ( More freedom of
choice)
GPA Requirements
On a four point scale: (beginning in 2016)

At least 2.00 to practice or train

At least 2.30 to participate in
competition
More Information can be found at the
following websites.
Student-athletes deal with many more
distractions than ever before, with the
world being more connected through
technology such as cell phones and social
media.
Because of this, they are also linked to
more and more colleges around the
country, and colleges are scouting younger
and
younger
players,
detrimentally
impacting the student’s education, and
possibly their future. The NCAA, the
governing body of college athletics has
strict rules and guidelines for when colleges
and universities are allowed to contact
recruits, but there are several well-known
loopholes that allow colleges to contact a
youth coach, who can then tell the athlete,
who would then talk to the coach. Because
there is no limit to how many times the
athlete is allowed to call the coach, once
the athlete talks to the coach, their interest
will be piqued and the coach will be
extremely likely to hear from them again.
The athlete doesn’t realize that he or she
could be harming his or her future, and the
college
gleefully
accepts
verbal
commitments from the student, as they
know the student will be too scared to
waver.
One example of how quickly the recruiting
process has changed can be found in
Michael Shanahan, a Norwin graduate who
starred in both football and basketball for
the school as recently as 2010. Shanahan is
amazed at how the recruiting field has
changed, and believes it should be taken
down a notch.
“When I got recruited, and it was actually
for basketball before football, it was pretty
early in my junior year. That was early
recruiting a few years ago. Now nobody
bats an eye if a freshman gets recruited.
The whole process is advancing far too
quickly.”
Obviously, this isn’t only happening
locally, but all across the nation as well.
According to the New York Times, while
watching 14 and 15 year olds at a national
tournament in Florida, Anson Torrance,
women’s soccer coach at North Carolina
and winner of 22 National Championships,
said “It’s killing all of us!” when asked about
recruiting younger players. He is unhappy
that the players who are offered
Recru
uutin
g
How the NCAA is ru
By Matt
iting
ining young lives
Bushik
Statements like these, not only from
Torrance but from many other highly
ranked Division I coaches, show the truth
behind early recruiting.
Interestingly, the NCAA does not keep
exact statistics for early recruiting.
“We do not track early recruiting because
it happens outside of official channels,”
said Steve Mallonee, managing director of
academic and membership affairs. “New
rules to limit this would be hard to enforce
because again, it is happening unofficially.”
The NCAA loves early recruiting and they
refuse and will continue to refuse to get rid
of it through these eligibility rules and lack
senior year. Plank then made his choice of
Ohio State.
Only 40 years ago, recruiting was not
existent for the majority of high school; it
showed up just before graduation. Kids now
enter high school fielding offers from several
schools; one of these students of note is
Haley Berg, a freshman in high school from
Celina, Tex.
“She had “the numbers of 16 college
coaches programmed into her phone” before
entering 8th grade, according to the New
York Times. By the start of her freshman
year, she verbally accepted an offer from the
University of Texas. Now in her sophomore
year, it appears she has her future locked
down, assuming Texas does not withdraw an
offer if her performance suffers or if they
become interested in someone else.
These instances are happening all around
the United States, and are exponentially
increasing year after year, especially in
sports such as women’s soccer, and men’s
and women’s lacrosse.
.
scholarships in 7th or 8th grade do not pan
out, and end up sitting on the bench
despite being such a highly touted
prospect. Torrance is dissatisfied with the
player’s performance, yet it is he who
recruited that young player instead of the
safer pick of a junior or senior.
School
of them.
The sad truth of the NCAA’s lust for money
and power is that it is damaging the people;
it is damaging the students that are the
future of this country.
Many studies, including one from
psychologist Robert Leahy, state that "The
average high school kid today has the same
level of anxiety as the average psychiatric
patient in the early 1950s,”. High school
istudents do not need more stresses added
into their already tumultuous lives, and
deciding where to spend a pivotal point in
their lives at an age of only 14 or 15 would
definitely qualify.
Yet another example of how quickly this
process is advancing can be shown through
Doug Plank, a 1971 graduate at Norwin, and
an all-pro linebacker for the Chicago Bears.
Plank had not talked to, or thought about a
college coach or the NCAA until two scouts,
one from Ohio State and one from Penn
State, showed up towards the end of his
Though all other sports are at an all-time
high for early recruiting, these ones lead the
way, as they are newer sports, with far less
tradition in terms of exactly how the
recruiting process works. However, more
and more football, basketball, and baseball
players are appearing in the news as having
committed extremely early, and it appears,
according to NCSA recruiting, that the major
sports will eventually catch up in early
recruiting numbers to
other sports, very
quickly if they continue to progress at
current rates.
The NCAA does not want to stop it,
many overzealous, pushy parents of studentathletes don’t want to stop it, and college
coaches absolutely don’t want to stop it, as it
keeps revenue streams flowing to their
schools.
Thus, it is apparent that this is how
recruiting will be for the foreseeable future,
as colleges and universities continue to rake
in the cash, while young, overdeveloped, and
overspecialized students make decisions that
will impact their futures as early as 7th or 8th
grade, without thinking about the long-term
ramifications of what would happen if they
do not make a professional league in their
sport.
33
In a Norwin poll.
of high school students believe that
early recruiting has a detrimental
impact on teenagers.
Opinions from student-athletes:
Nicole Novak, 10 – Volleyball: “Freshmen and
sophomores are not grown enough to make
these kinds of decisions yet.”
Ben Powell, 10 – Cross Country: “It puts
pressure on the students to succeed, even
though they are fairly young, and takes the
focus of off their schoolwork.”
Andy Halza, 10 – Cross Country: “Student
athletics with a goal can provide increased
incentive behind grades or athletic excellence,
but can also lead to shortcomings or isolation.”
Drew Phipps, 11 – Wrestling: “Being recruited
kind of early, I really have nothing bad to say
about it.”
Nolan Brough, 10 – Football: “If it secures
their future, great, but it doesn’t always do
that.”
Amanda Batey, 12 – Basketball: “I don’t think
enough people are impacted by it that it is a
real issue.
Opinion of highly-recognized
NCAA coaches:
Angela Kelly – Texas Soccer; “It’s detrimental
to the whole development of the sport, and
the girls… but we have to do it.”
Mark Emmert – NCAA President: “It may not
reflect very positively on the universities
themselves, but it is the reality of recruiting
now.”
Jimbo Fisher – Florida St. Football: “You have
to promise them big things, and sometimes it
doesn’t pan out, and the recruit is left with
nothing.”
Charlie Strong – Texas Football: “If you don’t
do it, you fall way behind. You have to do it to
some degree to stay competitive.”
NCAA Student Guide
NCAA Brochure Checklist
NCAA Interactive Eligibility Center
Click on the picture to see a case study of early
recruiting. Jaden Newman, a basketball player
of only nine years of age, is already being
recruited by the University of Miami.
34
IVY INSIDER
Poison Ivy
A look at the cut-throat Ivy
atmosphere
Who? Leslie Kovach, University of
Pennsylvania Class of 2013 Graduate and 2009
Norwin Graduate
The Good
“The most beneficial thing
about going to Penn was the exposure to so
many different people. With such a diverse
student body and faculty, all of whom are
incredibly active within and outside of the Penn
community, the opportunity to expand one's
social network is both beneficial and
enjoyable.”
The Bad
“The pressure from the other
students, no matter how hard I tried to focus
on myself, was impossible to ignore.”
The Ugly ”It wasn't uncommon for
students to brag about pulling all-nighters,
abusing Redbull or prescription adderall to
allow them to study longer and focus more. It
wasn't even about learning after a certain
point, as much as it was about who was in the
worst position: those who stayed up for 72
hours and did not leave the library for that 72
hours were held in higher regard than those
who managed their time effectively and got 7
hours of sleep each night, regardless of their
respective grades.”
Staying In
By: Becca Rohac
The Ivy League: a tangle of the nation’s most
prestigious schools all condensed into a cluster of
prestige and prep. While many may be able to
recognize Harvard’s crimson “H” or Columbia’s
“Columbia” blue, the extent of most of the public’ s
knowledge concerning these top universities stops at
the end of the color wheel. In an era when postsecondary education enrollment is at an all-time high,
more and more students are rising above the average
path of the state schools and taking the challenge to
“go Ivy.” The stereotype of old men reminiscing about
their glory days on the Harvard Lawn is long gone as
Ivy League schools consist of some of the most diverse
population of students from around the world.
The glory of these universities may be great, but the
gore in applying to these schools is just as eminent.
The path of an Ivy education can be divided into three
parts: getting in, staying in, and making it out. What is
it about this league of schools that packs the pressure,
delivers a punch, yet still tempts student to come
crawling back for more? And more importantly, one
has to ask, is it all worth it?
Despite the notoriety of the Ivy schools’ advanced
curriculum, the naming of these eight schools as the
Ivy League has nothing to do with academics and
everything to do with athletics. In 1954, the Ivy
League, the collective name for this group of
northeastern schools, was officially established by the
NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) as part
of the Division I sports conference. While the term ivy
seems random in of itself, the story goes that the
name is derived from the Roman numeral for the
number four, IV, which was used to refer to an even
older sports league between four of the first colleges
in the country- Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and a
debated fourth school depending on who you ask.
The colleges have now embraced the logo of the ivy
to symbolize not only the excellence of the schools,
but also their admired antiquity for the literal ivy that
can be found on many of the age-old campuses. Some
of the schools have even established traditions to
commemorate the name such as Penn which holds an
annual “Ivy Day” and Princeton which has an official
“Ivy Club.”
School
Map of the eight Ivy League schools.
Getting In
The first step in the journey of any college process
begins with one thing- the application. Five out of the
eight Ivy League schools use the Common App, a
universal college application designed to standardize
the college acceptance process for all students across
the globe. The Common App is not exclusive to the
Ivys, however. This is why supplemental essays and
materials are usually required by each individual
college to further complicate the selection process for
prospective students. Another aspect of the
application process that is utilized by all of the Ivys is
the dreaded early application deadline. Early
application allows students to apply ahead of the
normally scheduled due-date in January, however
there is a catch: If accepted at this time, students are
“bound” to the specific school meaning they cannot
apply anywhere else.
This process is great- if your daddy is on the alumni
association or if your family is loaded with cash.
However, for the rest of Ivy “wanna-bes” this process
is just another hoop to jump through. Binding, to put it
euphemistically, is the Ivy League’s way to assure that
kids who can pay, will pay. Another differentiating
aspect of an Ivy application is the well-known alumni
interview. Although other universities and colleges are
fond of using interviews, Ivys are unique in this
process in that all eight of the schools offer and
highly recommend an interview for applicants.
However, interviews aren’t everything. Not only are
the Ivy Leagues limited in the amount of alumni
available and willing to conduct interviews, but
receiving an interview in of itself is no guarantee.
Take, for instance, Sarah Kerr, a national merit scholar
and 2014 Norwin grad with an equally impressive
resume who was lucky enough to be scheduled for a
Columbia interview during the winter break of her
senior year. “It went so well,” Sarah recalls, ”the girl
who interviewed me told me that I would be getting
one of her few recommendations.” Unfortunately,
Sarah ended up not getting accepted despite this
perceived “leg-up” in admissions.
Even if you are one of the select few who do
get accepted into the ridiculously low-accepting
Ivy Leagues (see chart to the left) the pressure
does not stop there; in fact, it has just begun. As
stated by 2013 University of Pennsylvania
graduate and Norwin alumni Leslie Kovach, Ivy
leagues are a “pressure cooker” for student
competition. “The most difficult part was the
students themselves.” A real problem that no
one wants to address is the overwhelming
amount of suicides related to Ivy Leagues and
their competitively pressurized atmospheres.
Last year alone four University of Pennsylvania
students committed suicide. Colleges are not
required to keep track of the amount of suicides
annual making this an important yet hard to
come by statistic. However, prestigious schools
should not be held solely to blame for the
unfortunate deaths on their campuses.
According to the Mental Health Institute’s
website “The cause of suicide is not Ivy League
pressure or the social and academic
expectations that distinguish one school from
another. Suicide is the third-leading cause of
death among young people between 15 and 24
years of age: The college years simply fall within
this period.”
“It wasn't uncommon for
students to brag about
pulling all-nighters,
abusing Redbull or
prescription adderall to
allow them to study
longer and focus more. It
wasn't even about
learning after a certain
point…” –Leslie Kovach
And while this may be true, the increasing
amount of pressure for students still cannot be
ignored. Let’s face it: today’s generation of Ivy
prospective students are exposed to countless
of more stresses than alumni from even just a
few decades ago. Not only are kids applying
from all around the world but the increased
emphasis on standardized testing has further
increased the difficulty of getting an
acceptance letter.
So how does one who has
always been considered
number one compete with the
thousands of other “number
ones” and still not lose their
mind? It’s a recipe for disaster
and depression. The students
who attend these elite schools
are elites themselves- or at
least they have been told so for
the entirety of their life.
35
Through The Vine
Click here to watch Bloomberg Business’ Tips
for cracking the Ivy Admission Code.
Used to being the best, a
crushing reality must be met with
when one realizes that they are
surrounded by other
Valedictorians and class
presidents, essentially stripping
kids of not only pride in their
accomplishments but also their
basic identities. Former Yale
English professor, William
Deresiewicz, contends with this
serious problem among Ivy
League students in his
controversial article published in
the August 2014 issue of New
Republic titled, “Don’t Send Your
Kid to the Ivy League”:
This statement was made by CBS contributor and
nationally recognized college expert, Lynn O'Shaughnessy,
in response to research done by former Duke University
Professor Stuart Rojstaczer. Rojstaczer is the master-mind
behind GradeInflation.com, an extension of an article he
wrote for the Washington Post titled, “Where All Grades
Are Above Average.” The data collected by Rojstazer
indicates that grade inflation in general has been on the
rise in all froms of American education, but especially in
private schools (see graph from his website below).
“These are kids who have no
ability to measure their own
worth in any realistic way—
either you are on top of the
world, or you are worthless. And
that kind of all or nothing
mentality really pervades the
whole system.”
Getting Out
A major concern of any college student is to
simply pass their classes in order to graduate.
This issue should be heightened for Ivy
League students who are faced with a more
demanding curriculum, right? However,
according to recent research this preconceived notion is yet another Ivy League
myth. A report done by CBS News stated
“that the grading scales at Ivy Leagues can be
quite cushy.”
So while there are both myths and facts and pros and cons
to attending an Ivy League school, the ultimate decision is
up to the applying student. Like any school, college will be
what one makes of it- whether you’re attending a school
with a graduation class of 1,000 or 10,000. However, it
does help to know the facts, to be an informed consumer.
After all, college is a commodity and students (and their
parents) are paying customers. Are you going for designer
or department store when it comes to your education?
With the inside information, the choice is up to you.
Climbing the Ivy Tower
Top Norwin seniors give their opinions concerning applying to Ivy League schools.
Tyler Quintana
“I didn’t feel like paying the
higher application fee and I
already knew what I wanted
to go for and Carnegie Mellon
was the best for it.”
Rachel
Fasczika
“I didn’t apply
to an Ivy
League
because
kind of
I didn’t
apply
to an IIvy
thought
I would
feelof
League
because
I kind
inferior
to everone
or
thought
I would
feel inferior
make
it seemmake
like
to they’d
everyone
or they’d
I was.like
“ I was.”
it seem
Trent Walko
“I figured that since my
test scores are at least
good enogh and since
the schools offer really
good financial packages, I
should to ry to get
accepted to at least one.”
36
If you win they care, if
The infamous bandwagon fan or “bandwagoner” is easy to spot. He sports the top team’s
colors, twenty four-seven and he will not let you forget it. He will not shut up about how good
their team is doing until they get knocked out the playoffs or go on a bit of a losing streak.
Then silence and he quietly regroups, searching for the team that is currently experiencing a
breakout or is looking like they are going to win it all. All of the sudden his allegiances have
completely changed.
As dishonorable and unfaithful as this lifestyle seems, they might just be better off than the
true, loyal fans.
Think about the last time your team has just played a terrible game. More often than not, you
are in a bad mood for the rest of the day. The Steelers do it to their fans all the time. You sit
down at 1:00 on Sunday expecting the Steelers to do away with an inferior team like the Jets or
Buccaneers and what do you get? A terrible performance by the Steelers leading to a loss,
leaving you terribly frustrated.
The bandwagoner doesn’t have this problem. Either the team rarely loses, or when it does,
he does not care. He might care that they cannot wear their team’s hoodie to school on
Monday but that’s about it. He is in no way emotionally attached to his team. And he is
probably having a better Sunday than loyal fans because he is not stressed out about their
team. If his team displeases them, he can just move on to the next one. That is a luxury that
real fans don’t have.
Even though for true fans whose teams are struggling, there might be light at the end of the
tunnel. But sometimes that light is very far away. And sometimes that light is so far away, it
might as well be nonexistent. This might tempt many fans to become bandwagoners, they seek
to escape the pain of losing so they jump on a team that is very good and does not lose. Even
though they have no connections to the team whatsoever, they do not care as long as they
aren’t losing.
So have a little pity for the bandwagoner. His hometown team is probably a hopeless wreck
and he just wants to get in on the winning ways of other teams. And who doesn’t want to feel
like a winner?
Norwin student’s responses when asked “What do you think about bandwagon fans?
“Bandwagon fans…ain’t nobody got time for that” – Jake Farrah, 10
“I personally think they are people from cities that have never experienced true greatness in sports” – Jon Bollinger, 10
“I feel like bandwagon fans aren’t real fans because they just root for whoever is good” – Jordan Prines, 10
“You mean fans of the team LeBron is playing for? – Adam Donofrio, 10
Athletics
you don’t they’re gone.
37
The Biggest Bandwagon
Teams
Miami Heat
Due to their successes, and
possession of the league’s best
player, LeBron James, the Miami
Heat became a popular destination
for bandwagon fans. However the
fans were exposed in the 2013 Finals when with the Heat down five in Game Six with 28
seconds left, many fans began to clear out. Thanks to a missed free throw from Kawhi Leonard
and a clutch 3-pointer from Ray Allen, the Heat tied it up and forced overtime eventually
winning the game. Upon hearing the news of the comeback, the fans who left early attempted
to reenter the American Airlines Arena. Thankfully for those who faithfully stayed, security shut
the doors of the arena, and the fans could not get back in. After the departure of LeBron James
this summer, the Heat fell off the map. Probably because all their fans decided to move to
Cleveland.
Dallas Cowboys
When you look at the picture at the
left you probably would expect this to
be the home stadium of a team in red
like the 49ers or Chiefs.
Unfortunately, this is AT&T Stadium,
home of the Dallas Cowboys, a team
that sports blue. This was the first
game of the season for the Cowboys
and it looked like the fans had already written off the team before they played a down of
football. You know you have an unfaithful fanbase when a franchise legend decides to call it
out. Early in the 2012 season, Troy Aikman, one of the best quarterbacks in Cowboys history
said that, “I've always said Dallas isn't so much a sports town as it is a winner's town." Aikman
was proved right when, not surprisingly, AT&T Stadium was jammed pack and rocking during
the Cowboys first playoff game this season against the Lions. It just shows you Dallas could care
less about the Cowboys if they weren’t winning
38
Professional Athlete
Superstitions
Bjorn Borg
(Tennis player)
Superstition:
Grew a beard
and wore the
same Fila shirt
for Wimbledon
What makes Borg unique is that he had a different approach to one specific event- Wimbledon.
These quirks helped him win an incredible five
straight Wimbledon titles from 1976 to 1980.
Kevin Rhomberg
(Baseball player)
Superstition:
Had to touch
someone if someone touched him
When other players heard of his dilemma, they
would touch Rhomberg and run, sending him
into a panic. An umpire once had to halt a game
between New York and Cleveland, because Yankees players refused to stop touching him.
Jason Terry
(Basketball player)
Superstition:
Wears the shorts of
the next day’s opposing team to bed
In addition to wearing five pairs of socks during
games, Terry is the prime example of superstition. He has to wear the shorts every night before
a game, as teammates and equipment managers
makes sure he always has a supply.
Jason Giambi
(Baseball player)
Superstition:
Wears a golden
thong to break
out of hitting
slumps
Whenever the 6-foot-3 first baseman found
himself in a funk, he’d slip his 240-pound frame
in a lucky golden thong. In fact, his superstition
worked so well for him that teammates would
borrow it to break out of their slumps too.
Turk Wendell
(Baseball player)
Superstition:
Chewed black
licorice while
pitching and
brushed his teeth
between innings
The former New York Mets reliever was a fullblown maniac when it came to superstition. He
would also leap over the baselines while walking
to the mound and wore a necklace decorated with
sharp teeth of wild animals he killed.
By Nick Lee
Many people have said over the years that sports can be just as demanding mentally as it is physically. For some, they have just relied on
their physical ability, not overthinking themselves too much. However,
on the other hand, there are other examples of athletes who took their
stance on how to approach their sport to the extreme.
While many would view superstitions as possibly something just for
the athlete to get attention for their quirky qualities, it often worked
and at that point a fan of the sport wouldn’t doubt their daily routine as
long as it helped them perform at their best. In fact, some of the greatest athletes of all time had superstitions that help them to become one
of the best in their sport.
Baseball player Wade Boggs, who had over 3,000 career hits and
landed in the Hall of Fame, is a prime example of this. He had everyday customs that included eating chicken before each game (earning
him the nickname “Chicken Man”), always taking batting practice at
5:17, running sprints at 7:17, and drawing the word “Chai” (Hebrew for
“life”) in the dirt before coming up to bat.
Serena Williams, who is one of the best and most feared tennis players of all-time, even had her own superstitions. She believes much of
her winning ways are the result of closely followed routines. For her,
these quirks include bringing her shower sandals to the court, tying her
shoelaces a specific way and bouncing the ball five times before her first
serve and twice before her second. She will even wear the same pair of
socks during a tournament run. Williams is so set in her superstitions,
she has chalked up major losses to not following her own routine.
Unquestionably the greatest goaltender of in NHL history, Patrick
Roy, was known for being superstitious. Before every game, the former Montreal Canadien would skate backwards towards the net before
turning around at the last second—an act he believed made the goal
shrink. During the game, he would converse with the posts, thanking
them when a puck was deflected and often touching them. This almost
spiritual relationship with his goal earned him the nickname St. Patrick—and an unprecedented three Conn Smythe trophies.
When Michael Phelps, the greatest U.S. Olympic swimmer ever, gets
ready to race, he walks to the block, takes off his headphones, swings
his arms three times, steps on to the block and he is off. His routine
never changes.
Tiger Woods, who can someday be the greatest professional golfer the
world has ever seen, wears a red shirt in the final rounds of golf tournaments which he has said is because his mother told him red was his
power color.
Believe it or not, even Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player
and possibly the greatest athlete ever, would rely on superstition.
During his unprecedented career, the six-time NBA champ wore his
University of North Carolina shorts under his uniform in every game.
Jordan believed the shorts brought him luck, as he led UNC to a championship in 1982 with them. In order to cover the lucky pair, Jordan
started wearing longer shorts, inspiring a trend in the NBA.
Athletics
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Lyoto Machida’s superstition may
also be a form of self-torture, as he
drinks his own urine every single
morning. The Brazilian karate
master says he believes that urine
is a nautral medicine that cleanses
his body. Even though it is rather
disgusting, it worked for Machida
as he went on to have a successful
career.
Even after hearing all these stories of athletes having their superstitions play a role in their daily routines, people still may have their
doubts if these quirks actually help an athlete perform better. While
there isn’t a way for us to test or prove this, it can’t be denied that the
real value in superstition and ritual is the boost of confidence and the
sense of control that they provide an athlete. As a foundation of sports
psychology, if you believe that doing a specific action or behavior will
give you an advantage, then you probably will have an advantage. This
is just part of the typical positive belief of an athlete.
Other examples of superstition include using rituals such as visualization or guided imagery, to recreate a particularly successful event
and experience the feelings they had then as though they are happening now. This prepares them both mentally and physically for competition.
Psychologists say people often become superstitious when faced with
unknown and stressful situations, which explains why so many athletes are superstitious and frequently bound to rigid preparation routines. Despite all the science and massive budgets involved in sport,
many sportsmen and women at all levels of sport swear by superstitions or elaborate event rituals to enhance their game.
If you still have your doubts, then a study has proven that superstitions do in fact work. A study by psychologists at the University of
Cologne in Germany found in two experiments that superstition
triumphed in both cases. In one experiment, participants were given
either a lucky golf ball or an ordinary one before being asked to sink
a putt. Those with a so-called lucky ball were more successful. Participants were also asked to bring along a lucky charm but these were
confiscated from half of the participants before making them take a
memory test. Those who kept their lucky charm performed better, the
scientists reported in 2010 in Psychological Science.
Superstitions are just another aspect as to why everyone loves sports
and why some depend heavily on it, as it is a lifestyle. They help athletes get through their daily rituals and it gives them the confidence
that they’re going to do their best that given day. Superstition has been
around forever, and it will continue to be a vital part of how many
athletes become so successful.
39
Do you believe athlete
superstitions actually
work?
“Yes, without a doubt. They
sort of calm you down and
give you confidence.”- Andy
Chenot, 10 (Soccer and Volleyball)
“On a scale of ten, they
work 9.9 times, because ten
is too perfect to be a superstitious number. Anything
that works once will stick in
your mind and work again
and again.”- Matt Bushik, 10
(Golf and Tennis)
“Some can be real reliable. The simpler ones like
wearing a gameday shirt or
watching highlights tend to
be more reliable than complicated ones.”- Anthony
Riccelli, 11 (Soccer)
Norwin athlete
Superstitions
“I have to warm up my
arms in order before we
play- 5 throws each arm,
2 for both arms, 5 hits, 50
passes, 50 sets.”- Carli Polczynski, 11 (Volleyball)
“Before each game, if the
team I am playing on
doesn’t stretch, I dynamic
stretch by myself. Also, I
have to do fielding drills no
matter what. Before I hit, I
have to put my left batting
glove on, and do the same
routine in the box.”- Christina Skrabak, 11 (Softball)
“I retape my stick every
game and restring it.”Adam Ott, 11 (Lacrosse)
40
41
Athletics
By: Ben Powell
Are You A
Benchwarmer?
What does it take to be
a benchwarmer?
Robert Berger 12- “Parents yelling at the
coach”
Maria Josseltn 10- “Not having the
qualities of a good athlete”
Dylan Colcombe 11- “Just show up to
practice and drink all the water”
Josie Manns 11- “The acceptance that
you’re not the best on the team but still
being able to support the team and have
the happiness that you’re even on the
team”
Zane Varner 10- “Warm buttock”
Paul Sofaly 12- “A supportive attitude”
Vance Varner 9- “Constantly failing in your
sport”
Remington Lojas 10- “Being just good
enough to make the team”
Paige Pristas 11- “You aren’t good at your
sport”
Jordan Prines 10- “You aren’t good and
you don’t play”
Every team has them, in some ways they are just as
important as star players, they are benchwarmers. A
benchwarmer is a person who is on the team, but due to not
being as skilled as the big name players, don’t see much play
time. They tend to sit on the bench off to side of
court/field/rink and “warm the bench” so to speak. Just like
being a star being a benchwarmer is no easy job.
The benchwarmer has to deal with many hardships on a
sports team, most of which are psychological. The constant
thought that they aren’t as good as the star athletes on the
team can really hurt a player and is not easy to deal with.
Loss of playing time can be very depressing and hard to deal
with at times. Many players can’t deal with this lack of
attention.
Benchwarmers tend to doubt themselves and think badly of
their abilities. Constant thought and self-doubt keep them
down, this is not easy to overcome.
Some people do keep a positive attitude, they think, “At
least I made the team,” which can help. Making a team is
enough for a lot of people and they take pride in their
accomplishments. After being a benchwarmer may not be
permanent thing. With enough training it is very possible to
be an important player on the team. It takes a lot of training,
more training then the star players do but it is possible and
good way to help self-esteem.
“It takes someone who is willing to be a team player and put
the best interest of the team ahead of him/ herself’s playing
time,” said athlete Nick Lee.
Being part of a team is a good way to make friends and feel
important, be part of something bigger. Many players who
warm the bench are proud of themselves and happy, involved
members of the team. Though they might not get the same
amount of playtime as the big name players they are still hard
working members of the team.
Being a benchwarmer isn’t always a bad thing and certainly
doesn’t have to be a permanent thing. They are important,
give support, and always ready to play in a clutch. Though it
may seem sad and depressing, it’s very easy to make the best
of it, and stay cheerful, and always train to be the next big
star.
Some love the spotlights and the crowds, and have the
talent to see them on a regular basis, these are the star
athletes. These players are constantly put in the game,
play well, and are obviously important to the success of
the team. Without them the team could possibly be in
trouble in upcoming games.
It isn’t easy being a star; it takes constant practice to stay
at the top. They work hard on and off the court/field/rink
and are always pushing it to the limit. Some more than
others, but all have one thing in common, they’re good at
what they do.
Are You A
Star?
What does it take to
be a Star athlete?
Maria Josselyn 10- “Practice, hard
work, dedication, and focus”
They tend to be happy, and have little self-esteem issues
like benchwarmers often do. Some are always looking to
improve upon themselves. They have a constant ambition
driving them to next level. Great athletes are very
ambitious and look has very positive attitudes.
Matt Bushik 10- Charisma, athleticism,
and popularity”
A big part of the star mentally is enjoying what you do.
This helps them work at the game because they tend to
have fun doing it. “Do your best at all times, and like what
you do,” said Dylan Colcombe.
Andy Chenot 10- “The will of God, love
of the game, the eye of the tiger, God
given talent, good connection, hard
work, killer instinct, skills to pay the
bills, the ability to ball out, you have to
want to be great, and want to go down
in history”
Stars are usually confident in their abilities and try to
abolish all doubt. They can work well under pressure and
are more optimistic than other players. This helps them to
play with a confidence that carries the team forward.
Paul Sofaly 12- “A drive to compete
and talent”
Zane Varner 10- “Big Biceps”
The better players tend to lead the team and need to be
a good leader. The rest of the team counts on them and
expects them to lead them through the season which
could be a lot of potential stress for some people.
Anthony Riccelli 11- “Effort, care, skill,
and dedication”
“A star athlete has to be a team leader, as everyone looks
up to him/her,” Nick Lee.
Emily Yurchison 12- “Your mom always
brings snack and donated shirts”
Benchwarmers and stars are both important to the team.
Stars tend to lead the team and keep it going. They use
their athletic skill to create the team’s success and drive it
forward. Benchwarmers provide support and help the
other players. They also have the chance to become
better and can be played when needed, because one can
never have too much backup. They know they’re not the
best but also know that doesn’t make them pointless.
Stars and benchwarmers both offer a lot to the team and
help keep it going in the long run.
Jordan Prines 10- You’re the best
player on your team
Vance Varner 9- “A lot of success and
practice”
42
Athletics
43
By: Anthony Riccelli
There is just something about songs like “Renegade” or “Enter Sandman” that seem to have more of an effect on sporting
events than people believe. Not only that, but a unique relationship between music and the human brain is evident.
I am very surprised that they did not play that song,” said former Steelers quarterback and radio show host Charlie Batch.
Yes, the action of getting a crowd excited is special, but there are numerous ways that athletes benefit from listening to music.
Sports music fits into three stereotypes: Blaring (arena) rock music, rap, and upbeat pop. All three are used in arenas, and some of
these can be explained, especially in the case of the athlete.
Music can do more for an athlete besides motivate and focus. The athlete decides the music, but the body responds to it, making
music a key element in the world of sports. Music can not only affect performance, but also have a significant impact on the body
and the brain.
An athlete’s performance can be affected by music. Studies show that music has a psychological effect on the brain and that it
triggers responses in the muscles of the listener. The responses triggered in the brain by certain lyrics have been shown to
increase performances in athletes. Everyone’s music choice is different. Some people listen to country, rock, metal, rap, or
dubstep. Music has the power to decrease fatigue and change the mood of the athlete. The most productive music in terms of
performance is music with positive lyrics and an up-tempo beat.
All of this is true, but ultimately the kind of music is based on the athlete’s choice.
The adrenaline flow is the main reason that athletes choose a certain
type of music.
Among Norwin students and most other professional athletes, hip-hop and rap
are the most popular choices before games and during workouts. The reason
being is certainly not due to any kind of positive language in the lyrics,
but rather the beat. Most people do not look for anything special, just
something that will get them prepared to work and motivated to put in
their full amount of effort.



Ergogenic- Increased work
capacity, delayed muscle
fatigue, allows for more
endurance and productivity
Psychological- influences
mood, emotion, attitudes,
cognition and behavior.
Psychophysical- Deals with
brain responses, physical
effort
-All of these are also fields of
study in relation to the human
brain and the way that music has
an effect on it.
“It's the music I like and it makes me feel
like I can do anything.”- Nick Lee, 12
“Makes me feel that I can power through
workouts and be pumped up before a
game.” –JD Ball, 11
When an athlete finds their rhythm as a result of their music, they seem to
have an easier time with their exercise. The way the body responds to
music involves all of its elements.
Arena rock is popular because of the chants associated but also
because it is upbeat.
Not only is the choice of music becoming important to the athlete,
but the equipment as well. More and more athletes show up to
sporting events wearing the popular Beats headphones. They are
expensive, but they are popular because professional athletes like
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick (pictured below) wear
them. Professional athletes are often seen as the models for how high
school and collegiate athletes treat their respective sports in more ways than one.
Sometimes the music is everything to the sport, the athlete, the team, the fans, and
everyone else involved. At the beginning of the year, with the Steelers on the verge of
collapse in a game against Cleveland, the Steelers needed to come up with a defensive
stop. A Steeler tradition is to play the song “Renegade” by Styx and show a prepared
highlight video of the defense making big plays. That did not happen in that particular
game which left the fans and the radio show analysts baffled. It would have been a
bigger deal if the Steelers had lost the game, but people were still disappointed. “The
veterans always tend to look for that as a source of motivation late in the game and
-German soccer star Mario Gotze juggles a ball
while wearing Beats.
-San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick sports
pink Beats headphones during pregame warmups.
44
Student
Opinions
Shaelyn Gillham, 9
“I truly believe that kids in my
generation are addictedto their
cell phones. We’ve grown up
with it and its just what we’re
used to.”
Austin Evans, 10
"I don't think I am addicted to
my cell phone. I didn't have one
until 7th grade and I don't think
it makes a huge difference in my
life. Many high school students
on the other hand seem like
they wouldn't be able to survive
without their cell phones so, yes,
in a way I do believe many high
school students are addicted to
their cellphones. However I feel
I am not."
Ryan Anselmino. 11
“I would call myself addicted
because I always have my
phone on me and I freak out
when it's not with me. Other
teenagers are definitely addicted too because kids always
have to be texting, even when
they are with their friends
already.”
Maddy Wensel, 12
“I definetly think that teenagers
would call themselves addicted. I
feel like social media is taking over
our daily routines. Even personally, I dont th8ink I can go two
hours without checking my phone.
However, its very sad. Teenagers
are missing out on the joys of high
school because of it.
Lifestyle
The addiction
Have you ever believed that you were addicted to your
mobile device? Do you think that you could go 24 hours
without using it? Freshman, Shaelyn Gillham agreed to
challenge herself and try to go 24 hours without her cell
phone. Today, many teens would call themselves addicted.
“Going 24 hours without my cell phone was probably one of the hardest things I’ve probably gone
through in my life, and that’s pretty sad,” said Gillham.
Technology has taken over our lives. It is distracting us
from spending time with family and friends and actually
doing something with our lives. According to CBS News,
kids and teens ages 8 to 18 spend seven-and-a-half hours
a day, seven days a week, engaging with media more time
than they spend with any other activity besides sleeping.
“Yeah, I probably spend the most time on my cell phone
out of everyone in my family.” said freshman, Sydney
Stehley. “It’s only because this is the generation that
I’ve grown up in, I’ve grown up around this technology, I
can’t help it when this is basically what everyone does.”
With a survey done around Norwin High School, 49%
of high school students said that they use Instagram the
is
real!
most out of all
of the things
that they do
on their cell
phones. They
all
agreed
that the app
that they all
used the least
is
Twitter
with an average of 12%
saying
that
used it the
most. According to psychology today, more than 75% of today’s teens have a cell phone, that’s up 45%
from 2004. About 88% of all teens that have a
cell phone are texters. That’s a big jump from
2006 when only 51% reported being texters.
If we don’t correct our actions soon, we
45
QUESTION
What percentage
of high schoolers
are addicted to
their cell phones?
15.7% of
students
46
Lifestyle
47
BY: Kasey Auld,
Allison Caudill,
Taylor Baker
Most Norwin High School students feel that if both people in the relationship are willing to
Jessica Ackerman, 12
“I
look
put in the effort, anything is possible.
for
Sydney Samery,12
“it all depends on the
someone who is
Freshman Catie Oddo shares this belief, explaining “if you really connect with someone and
respectful to not
you work for it” a high school relationship could see success and harmony.
once in a while people
What do people look for?
spend a good chunk of
only
me,
but
everyone. Also, I
want
who
someone
I
can
be
level
find
who
a
a partner for students of NHS. 24 percent of students think loyally is the most important
If you can’t joke
to be a very dull
relationship.”
What do Norwin High school
students look for in a relationship? Pic
Nate Mehring, 10
really care about
committed to the
relationship and
are honest and
High school sweethearts are a nice thought but, is it really possible to find a
successful relationship in High school these days? According to a Harris Interactive
survey of 10,000 people only 14 percent of those people met their spouse in school—
which consists of secondary education and post-secondary education.
faithful, it can
work.”.
“It depends on the level of maturity,” said senior Sydney Samery, ”usually I
think people who date in high school aren’t ready to commit to one person for so
long.”
Shaelyn Gillham,9
“Honestly, I don’t
think high school
relationships
will last because
you will be busy
Similarly, 44 percent of Norwin High School students feel that on average
high school relationships last only two to three months. Many students recall their
grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles when they think about high school
sweethearts, but do they really think that is a feasible goal? Surprisingly, yes. 22 out
of 25 people feel that it is defiantly possible to have a successful relationship in high
to
school, though we don’t know exactly what their definition of successful is.
won’t
much.”
talk
you
“Most High school
as
a
good
chance of lasting
“Both people need to trust each other,” said senior Delaney Arbore. Relationships are
because they are
built on those things: honesty, loyalty, and trust.
superficial
and
based on wanting
“You need to understand each other and to feel
comfortable acting like an idiot around each other.”
to fit in or just
have
fun
aren’t
and
that
meaningful.”
-senior, Sydney Samery
How to make it work.
“I think that the two people need to be on the same page with their relationship,”
said senior Jessica Ackerman, “communication is key.” This is a theme throughout NHS
students. Many of us believe that communication is really important. We feel that the two
people should really know each other.
5%
“[You need] to understand each other and to feel comfortable acting like an idiot
24%
around each other,” said senior Sydney Samery.
and when you go
college
Delaney Arbore, 12
have
live happily ever after— and then you wake up.
each other, are
not
relationships don’t
You two meet freshman year, go on a few dates, fall in love, get married, and
“If two people
high
one person for so
thing.
around, it’s going
in
aren’t
long.”
The other big ones are honesty and loyalty. Loyalty is the most important quality in
sense of humor.
they
ready to commit to
“If you can’t joke around,” said sophomore Jake McTeir, “it’s not going to be a good
need
date
school
relationship.”
“They
someone
usually I think people
High School Students do.
Jake Mcteir,10
maturity…
their life with, but
People want to be with people who make them laugh, at least 53 percent of Norwin
myself with.”
of
53%
This closeness and feeling of comfort is something most couples develop over time,
unless they were friends prior to becoming an item, which is sometimes preferable.
A great deal of girls look for “someone who is like a really good friend but with all
the perks of a boyfriend,” like senior Haley Carnahan.
When it comes to high school relationships the opinions are mixed, but the message
“It all depends on the people,” said sophomore Jake McTeir, a response commonly
is clear: look for someone you have fun with, and go with the flow. Nine times out of ten,
seen when inquiring about successful relationships.
things will fall through, but we high schoolers need to learn to just enjoy the ride and make
memories. That’s what high school is all about.
10%
8%
Physically Attractive
Sense of Humor
Confidence
Intelligence
Loyalty
48
Lifestyle
Knight Krier
those underneath the poverty line make ends
meet and get out of poverty. Supporters also say
the increase will help people pay for fuel for
millions of Americans, and also the increase in
wage will encourage spending which also
translates into a better economy.
You may have heard relatives talk about this,
maybe skipping through the channels on the
television and landing on the news channel, or
even hearing older men at a coffee shop gripe
about this, but in way or another, you may have
heard someone talk about the minimum wage
increase and its
effects on America.
The current
federal minimum
wage is $7.25. The
new proposed
federal minimum
wage is $10.10.
While there is
plenty of support for
the wage increase,
there is also a large
amount of those who worry that the amount of
jobs will dwindle.
Those who argue against the wage increase
argue that there will be more layoffs. Also
argued is the price of products will increase and
small businesses will suffer. Those who disagree
with the wage increase say that the economy
will suffer from the layoffs or the unavailability
of jobs.
Those who are on the other side of the
argument say that the wage increase will help
CNN predicts that the wage increase will
900,000 will be able to get out of poverty while
5,000,000 others will lose their jobs. When tenth
grader at Norwin High School Margi Straub was
asked about if she thought that was a fair trade,
she replied with “No because those already
working shouldn’t have to lose their job.” On the
other side of the argument, ninth grader at
Norwin High School Ryan Belchick replied to
the same question with, “Yes. Poverty is going
all over America. The problem needs to
change.”
For those who attend college,
their situation on how they live
during the school year may
depend on minimum wage.
Sophomore at Syracuse
University, Matthew Thomas,
says his friends depend on their
jobs to pay for tuition and many
other things their families can’t
help with. Thomas believes that
the raising of minimum wage
would put students like his
friends in debt and make it very hard to still
attend college. “My roommate from the
Dominican Republic is unable to get direct
money from his family and has to spend his
breaks working two jobs to pay for the coming
semesters,” said Thomas.
For the supporters of the wage increase, a
large amount of voice is for those who have to
live and raise a family off of minimum wage.
When I asked a mother who would like to
remain anonymous about her support for the
wage increase, she said that most people who
49
Knight Krier
work in minimum wage jobs are stereotyped as
teenagers who work for extra spending money.
“Most of the people I work with aren’t young or
are working for extra spending money. I work
with people who have to send their children
through college, pay bills, and hope for a little
spending money when holidays roll around,”
said the mother.
Minimum wage varies by state. Most states
stick to $7.25 minimum wage. Others have
increased wages or decreased wages. There are
five who don’t even have a set minimum wage
law. The minimum wage increase would affect
every state if passed.
The minimum wage was intended to lift low
income families out of poverty. As time went
on, the initial $.25 federal standard was
increased and increased. The wage standard
covered every worker, and wage was increased
more and more. With the current federal
minimum at $7.25, the new proposed $10.10
wage seems to have people split on the subject.
The wage standard is to help the individuals
and families make ends meet. The wage increase
could do the opposite or do exactly that.
The federal minimum has had a history in the
US starting in 1938 at $.25 to 1978 with the first
time in the US when the wage was $2.65 that all
workers were covered by the federal minimum
wage.
Minimum Wage Amount
of 30 Students
Inbetween
14%
Greater
than
$10.10 $10.10
5%
23%
$7.25
58%
Matthew Thomas:
Wage Paid Mother:
“… I don’t think it
should increase. I know
too many people it
could severely hurt…”
“… Too many people
can’t live on the
current minimum
wage. They need
help…”
50
51
Lifestyle
Interview with a fan fiction writer:
Emily Ayres, age 15 Norwin freshman, has been writing fan fiction
for some years now. A fan of TV shows like “Supernatural”, “Doctor
Who” and “Sherlock”, Emily loves to write romance-comedies about
her favorite characters. When asked why she loves to write fan
fiction, she responded, “I like the creative aspect of it. You can
pretty much take the characters and do whatever you want with
them. You’re basically God.” Emily hopes to pursue a career in
Fanfiction is… a fictional
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- After seeing
Buckbeak the Hippogriff executed, the trio of friends
began to sulk up the hill where Draco and his goons
awaited. Upon noticing them, Hermione wiped away her
account written by a fan of a show,
tears and tried to look strong as everyone took a
movie, book, or video game to explore
her fist to connect it with Draco’s face when he started
themes and ideas that will not or
cannot be explored via the originating
medium; also written fan fiction , also
called fanfic
defensive stance at Draco’s appearance. Hermione readied
to laugh; and stopped. Instead, she leaned forward and
they-kissed?
For all Harry Potter geeks and even those who don’t
know much about it, it is common knowledge that Draco
is hated by all. And, it is also known that Ron and
Hermione are a couple in the series. So why exactly are
Draco and Hermione kissing?
Source:: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fanfiction?s=t
The answer is fan fiction. As you may have read in the
above definition, fan fiction is a story written by fans of
a TV show, book, movie, game etc. where they rewrite
Have You Ever Read
Fanfiction?
things how they want them to be. Popular amongst
many fans of Harry Potter is the idea of Hermione and
Draco being together.
When fans take two characters and want them to be
in a relationship, it’s called “shipping”. In these “ships”, the
13%
19%
68%
Yes
characters’ names are either combined or have a slash or
No
very popular with Harry Potter readers.
What is
Fanfiction?
*Results taken from 30 different
Norwin residents
“x” put between them. For example, Hermione x Draco is
writing in the future; she says it’s “better than math and science”.

29.8 million
She wishes to become an author, creating and being “God” of her

77%
average users

23%
regulars

<1%
addicts

855th
own characters. Click the Wattpad logo to sign up and start
reading authors like Emily.
However, shipping is not limited to just fictional levels. Famous YouTube
stars like Alfie Dayes and Zoe Sugg were shipped by their internet fans for
years and eventually, they became cannon. A “cannon” is when a “ship”
becomes real. In other words, the two are now a real couple.
Popular ships amongst other fictional works include “Jelsa” or the pairing
US users
most popular site in
the US

US users make up
24.81%
of the site’s online trafficking
of Jack Frost and Elsa from “Rise of the Guardians” and “Frozen”, and “Seddie”
or Sam and Freddie from the now ended show “iCarly”, which was cannon at
one point.
With this shipping in mind, fans take their ideas and rewrite their
obsessions in their own ways. This is where fan fiction comes from. Fans

books, TV shows, cartoons,
write their favorite stories to be better in their minds and publish it on
popular sites like “Wattpad” and “fanfiction.net”.
Upon interviewing a young fan fiction writer, she responded to why she
games, and comics

characters they don’t like, bring back deceased characters they do like, make
their ships cannon, and do whatever they want. Fan fiction empowers and

review others’ works

477th
inspires fans to use their obsessions and make something of them. For
many, it’s how they discovered their love of writing. This goes for the writer
we interviewed, who says she would like to pursue a career in writing
is really all about.
Click here to read a popular fanfic on
Wattpad, but remember to create an
account first!
most popular site in
the US

61.5%
of uses come from
the US
because of fan fiction.
In the end, playing “God” with one’s favorite characters is what fan fiction
people will edit your story for
free
writes fan fiction by telling us that you get to basically be “God” of your
favorite characters. One can rearrange things the way they want, kill off
post fan fiction on 1,000s of

Majority of users are
Female
*Info. gathered from
www.quantcast.com and
www.alexa.com
52
Lifestyle
How far is
Country music fans walk the line between having
too far?
fun and trashing a city.
Upcoming Concerts
March 30: Kenny Chesney
with Eric Church and
Brantley Gilbert
May 18: Tim McGraw with
Brantley Gilbert and Love
and Theft
June 1: Brad Paisley with
Chris Young and Lee Brice
June 15: Toby Keith
Rascal Flatts with The Band
Perry
73
Sept. 13: Keith Urban with
Little Big Town and Dustin
Lynch
Arrests
43
Sept. 28: Luke Bryan with
Thompson Square and Florida
Georgia Line
Underage
drinking citations
10
Fights
45
Taken to hospitals
105
Treated by medics
It was supposed to be
about the music, but that's the
last thing anyone was talking
about the day after the Kenny
Chesney concert.
Garbage.
Garbage
everywhere.
It was massive. It was
toxic. It was disgusting.
"It was bad," said Chad
Pampus, who was part of the
cleanup effort for Waste
Management.
"We
went
down at like five in the
morning, and it looked like a
landfill."
It took Pampus and his
crew over 12 hours to finish
cleaning the area.
"It goes all underneath
Federal Street," said Pampus.
"All underneath where the
Clark Bar is. All those
parking lots we have to
clean."
The trash was sprawled
throughout the city, but
tailgating in the parking lot of
the stadium left the biggest
mess.
"There were just piles
of red cups and cans and
bottles everywhere." said
Pampus.
And red solo cups and
bottles mean one thing.
Alcohol.
By Emily Arnold
and Sam Wexell
“We've worked too hard
to build the quality of life in
Pittsburgh to let others get
away with destroying it,” said
Peduto.
The mayor has also
created a set of new
guidelines to be enforced at
all future concerts.
The drinking led to 43
citations for underage drinking
and 73 arrests.
It also caused fight after
fight. A total of 10 large fights
were accounted for.
These outbreaks resulted in
the needed medical treatment of
105 people and 45 others being
taken to medical facilities.
This Chesney concert along
with his previous show and other
country music events has caused
the need for action from
Pittsburgh officials.
"Enough is enough," said
Mayor Peduto.
"The trashing of our city
has to stop."
The mayor said that there
is no reason for large events,
“It was about 38 tons
worth of garbage out
of there,” said Chad
Pampus.
such as the concert, to force
taxpayers into “bearing the
burden” for the cleanup and
need
of
public
safety
responders.
These
adjustments
include all vehicles in
designated lots being given
trash and recycling bags, no
tailgating allowed in parking
lots once the first act takes the
stage, and anyone without a
ticket being asked to leave the
parking lots.
Despite these changes,
hopes are high for Pittsburgh
country fans as Kenny
Chesney returns to Pittsburgh
on March 30, 2015.
53
Alexis Kendro
“I feel that they
don’t trash our city. It’s just
people having fun. Maybe
they should patrol the areas
more and make people clean
up when they are done. I
want country concerts here.”
Kellie Daniels
“The people get
too rowdy, but it isn’t the
artist’s fault.”
Magen
Polczynski
“I think that there
are ways to prevent the trash
but not by removing the
concert for the people that
are respectful to the area.”
Zach Zydel
“I feel that country
music concerts can happen if
they learn to respect our city
ways if not they need to not
come to Pittsburgh.”
Knight Krier
54
Lifestyle
55
Click below to watch interesting facts about social media!
By Lindy Melegari and Emily Brown
The dark side of social media
The brighter side
of social media
Sam Melegari, 10
“Facebook because it’s funny
going through the feed and
seeing videos, posts and links
unlike Twitter or Instagram.”
Carson Shipley, 9
“I probably use Instagram the
most because I like to show
other people what I like to do
and I like to see what people I
know are up to.”
Skylar Hayden, 9
“I use twitter to keep up with
all of my favorite celebrities
like Hunter Hayes and Dan
and Shay.”
Everywhere you look, people are
always on their phones, maneuvering
their thumbs across the screen to see what
is going on in the world of social media.
“Social media has had a positive effect on teens because it helps
us communicate with each other.” said freshman, Skylar Hayden.
Social media has become popular in our culture with apps like Twitter,
Instagram, Facebook and many more.
These apps have helped many people
communicate with others around the
world just at their fingertips. It has become very popular among teenagers.
“I like to be able to see
what some of my friends are up
to.” Said freshman Carson Shipley.
Social media has become one
of the world’s top grossing markets
with interesting ideas like photo sharing, video sharing and link sharing. Apps like Vine, Pinterest, Snapchat and many more have become extremely popular
around the world. Thousands of teenagers have access to this just
through there phones that they use for mainly social purpose.
Social media is even popular among some
adults. Many adults use sites like Facebook to connect with old friends and distant relatives to see what they are up to.
“Personally, I use
Facebook because my
children don’t all live at home. I like to get in
touch with them and my cousins.” said Norwin guidance counselor Mary Beth Marazza.
Although social media has had such a positive effect on our culture, not all people agree that it is such a good
Mark Twain once said, “A lie can
travel halfway around the world,
while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
Social media has had many positive effects on the world since it’s been out, but it
has led to bigger problems in our society.
“I think a negative thing about social media is that we don’t know
how to talk face-to-face with each
other quite so much. There are actually some laws in countries and cities now where people aren’t allowed
to text on sidewalks.” said Marazza.
Cyber bullying has become one of
the biggest problems around teens.
It has become easier for teenagers
to harass their peers and others indirectly over social media
apps like Facebook or Instagram. Some forms or cyber bullying include
impersonation, exclusion and many more. It has been heated debate in schools across the country on whether or not to punish students for what they
post on social media, even if it is off school property.
“Students are not allowed to post inappropriate things on social media,” said Marazza. “Usually what happens outside of school stays outside of school, but if it effects a bunch of people
here, then usually the police will take over.”
Cyber bullying can hurt many people and even end the
lives of some at an extreme measure. Many seminars all
over the U.S. take place everyday to teach teens the correct use of social media and to not bring harm to others.
Most used Social Media App
Number of students
26% 19%
31%
24%
56
Lifestyle
What Should Inappropriate
be Appropriate
By:Caitlin Oddo and Lexi Carson
Norwin Opinions
“Free the
shoulder
2015,” Jessica
Holloway.
“I mean what
is a shoulder
really going to
do?” said Michelina Rush.
“Students are
defiantly judged
on looks, but
not just in the
classroom,”
Mrs. Braid.
D r e s s
to
impress.
You’ve probably heard the phrase
before. Many people,
especially teenagers,
feel that if they dress
nicer and have designer things, more people
will like them.
Some students
find this very difficult to
do with Norwin’s Dress
Code. Many students
disagree with several Dress Code rules,
and it tends to cause
a lot of controversy.
For some
it’s a burden to express
themselves,
but for others it’s just a daily thing.
The way you dress can also affect how you are looked at, and
how you feel about yourself.
“I believe it can restrict
the way we can express ourselves,
and therefore I believe to an extent that the rules of the dress
code should be dialed down,”
said Jessica Holloway, freshman.
Often people are criticized
by the way they dress because they
are to “conservative”, or too “showy.”
Some say that students
are influenced by celebrities and
people higher than us, that’s why
people wear inappropriate clothing
to school. Some on the other hand
believe that students are
not influenced by others.
“Most
people
who base what they wear
off celebrities take a group
of similar celebrities and
what they wear, and determine what they wear
based of them,” said Michelina Rush, freshman.
Either way it all
still brings the topic of
the Dress Code. While the
polls showed that many
people believe there
should be changes in the
dress code, some do not.
A constant topic that was brought
to attention was tank
tops,
ripped
jeans,
bandanas,
and
shorts.
“We should be able to
wear tank tops, bandanas and be
allowed to have holes in jeans,”
said Skylar Hayden, freshman.
There were also complaints
about how some people who would
get in trouble for something while
someone else was wearing something worse but did not get in trouble.
“I was wearing a skirt and it
looked short because my legs are long
and I almost got a detention even
though it was fingertip length,” said
Savannah Summerville, freshman.
Most students who filled
out the polls agreed that changing your style based on the
dress code can be a struggle.
Even with all of this there were
a few polls that said that the Dress
Code was in fact, perfect.
This is most likely
surprising, but several students feel that these rules
are fair, and the way people dress can negatively affect how Norwin performs
academically in school.
“The school Dress
Code is fine; it gives the school a better reputation,” said Michelina Rush.
With all of this said, it is safe
to say that the school Dress
Code has many different views.
While some people thought
of the Dress Code as “restricting themselves,” others believed opposite.
The Dress Code controversy may change in the future, but
for now it still remains an issue.
Whether or not it does change we
still know that there are pros and
cons to the Dress Code.
“The students are
defiantly judged on their
looks, but not just in the
classroom. You are judged
everywhere. You need to
take into account what
others think, but you
shouldn’t let it change
who you are.” said Mrs. Braid
With all of this being said, you can tell there
were many mixed emotions
about this topic, and still are.
Contraversial Policies
25%
13%
No Bandanas
Length of Shorts/Skirts
26%
36%
No Tank Tops
No Holes in Clothing
Norwin Dress Code
57
5. APPROPRIATE ATTIRE
a. Students are expected to exercise good judgment
in the selection of appropriate attire for school. They
should dress in such a manner as not to cause actual
disruption of the educational process, create health or
safety hazards, call undue attention to themselves or
violate federal, state or local obscenity laws. District
dress rules include but are not limited to:
(1) Good health practices require all students to wear
shoes.
Slippers are not considered to
be shoes and are not permitted. All shoes with
wheels, such as
“Heelies” are not permitted on school property.
(2) Coats or jackets designed for outdoor wear, hats,
sweatbands,
bandannas, sunglasses, spiked jewelry and chains
shall not be
worn while in school.
(3) Halters; spaghetti straps; mesh or see-through
blouses or
shirts; deviant shirts; tank tops; tube tops; pajamas
(lounging
pants); undershirts; T-shirts which advertise illegal
products,
illegal/deviant behavior or contain profanity; or
any item of
clothing that exposes the shoulder or midriff, lowcut shirts,
shall not be worn. All intermediate, middle and
high school
students must wear clothing with sleeves.
(4) Cutoffs and clothing that is ripped, cut or has holes
shall not
be worn.
(5) Messages or wording across the seat of shorts,
pants,
sweatpants and skirts are not
permitted. Form-fitting athletic attire is not
permitted to be
worn.
(6) Pants, shorts, or skirts must be secured at the waist
and
cannot be worn “sag styles”.
(7) Jewelry or ornaments that may cause injury are
not permitted,
including wallet and/or key chains that are used
to secure
items to clothing.
(8) Undergarments are not to be exposed.
b. Students inappropriately attired will be required to
change to appropriate attire before they will be permitted
to return to class. At the secondary level, students who
cannot obtain appropriate clothing will be asked to
change into sweatshirts and sweatpants that are provided
by the school. Students will be required to launder and
return these items to the office. Elementary students
will be subject to disciplinary action under Section IV,
School Rules.
c. Shorts are permitted to be worn to class throughout
the school year. Cut-offs, spandex (biker), boxer-type,
or very short skirts are not considered appropriate attire
for class and are not permitted.
d. Students may carry book bags/backpacks to and from
school. They are not to be used throughout the school
day. Clear or mesh bags are permitted for the carrying
of gym clothes to and from physical education classes.
Rolling book bags are not permitted.
e. In all cases, the decision of the Principal as to the appropriateness of the attire is final.
58
Lifestyle
59
Anna May and Eliza Watson
The relentless and often shocking coverage by the news
networks of the handful of Ebola cases in the United States has
Donna Lafferty, led to near panic in some areas. People with several degrees
Norwin High of separation from Ebola patients are quarantining themselves.
Ebola is far different from influenza, or “flu,” virus,
School Certi- which spreads through airborne
fied Nurse
droplets. It is so infectious that
it once infected every passenger
on an airplane after one of them
was shedding virus by sneezing
and coughing. Flu is much worse
than Ebola, not only in its ability
to spread, but also in its potential
to kill large numbers of people.
The “Spanish flu” pandemic of
1918 to 1919 killed 583,135
Americans, according to public
health authorities at the time.
In Portland, Maine, a
teacher who had traveled to Texas
for a conference was placed
on a three-week paid leave of
absence when she returned because she had stayed in a
hotel ten miles away from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital
Dallas, where Thomas Eric Duncan died of an Ebola virus
infection after having traveled to the United States from Liberia.
Patrick Sawyer was the only American to die of Ebola.
Although Ebola kills a significant percentage of those who are
infected with the virus in Africa, to this point, all who have
contracted the Ebola virus in the United States have survived. At
significant expense, U.S. public health agencies have announced
that they are putting other projects on hold in order to accelerate
the development of an Ebola vaccine. Although we no longer
experience flu deaths on the scale of Spanish flu, during a non-
“Ebola scares me because of the symptoms and the manner
of how the person
dies,” said Lafferty.
100% of Norwin High School
Students said Ebola was
spread through bodily fluids.
pandemic season, on average, the virus still kills thousands each year in this country. According to estimates
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu takes anywhere from 3,000 to 48,000 lives
a year in the United States, depending on the severity of the disease in a given flu season. Worldwide,
flu kills about 250,000 to 500,000 annually. But as lethal as the flu can be, the CDC reports that nearly
60 percent of adults and 43 percent of children were not vaccinated in the most recent reporting year.
Vaccination
is
the
key
to
prevention.
“I highly support and recommend vaccination. We have prevented
a lot of people from contracting diseases and viruses with
vaccinations,” said Donna Lafferty, the Norwin High School Nurse.
Initial Ebola symptoms aren’t much different from flu symptoms. Ebola
mounts a rapid, full-scale attack on virtually every system of the body. Ebola
symptoms include: fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, fatigue,
diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising.
Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure
to Ebola, but the average is eight to ten days. Recovery from Ebola depends on
good supportive clinical care and the patient’s immune response. People who
recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least ten years.
Flu symptoms include: fever, cough, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, body
aches, chills, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. There are three types of flu
viruses: A, B, and C. Type A and B cause the annual influenza epidemics that have
up to 20 percent of the population sniffling, aching, coughing, and running high
fevers. Type C also causes flu; however, type C flu symptoms are much less severe.
Do
me
a
favor
and
do
not
panic.
Although epidemics may be scary, turn away from the ceaseless media
coverage of Ebola and answer this: Have you had your flu shot? Are you planning on one?
60
By: Julia Scamardi & Zoe Stratos
Q1: Do you use technology for educational purposes and why?
Q2: Do you think technology is beneficial to students’ education?
Andrew Skweres:
A1: Yes, I use my phone to check
my answers with other people and
discuss projects. I also get ideas
online for my projects.
A2: Yes, technology provides the
open gate of the internet to learn.
Also, it gives people a more modern way to learn.
Anastasia Vertes:
A1: Yes, I use it to check my
grades mostly, but sometimes I
have homework online.
A2: Yes, it provides really educational websites.
You have a big test today, and you’re cramming in all
of your studying during first period. Your friend tells
you he found the test online and you could memorize
all of the answers.
Do students these days have too much access to
information online that they shouldn’t? Technology
can have bad reputation in society that many people
don’t realize.
According to our
survey of kids in
the ninth grade, 35
out of 37 said that
they use technology when doing
school work, but
do they use it as a
reference or as a
cheat?
“I use technology
to look up questions and translate
languages,” said an
anonymous survey
taker. This could
be
considered
cheating in some
eyes or an educational aid in others.
“Students’ education could be furthered by technology but teachers don’t really use it,” said freshman
Bryce Hegedus. “You can use KahnAcademy online.”
Some teachers think technology furthers students’
education and aids their own work while others think
it’s a waste of time.
“Unfortunately, I do a lot of school work on my de-
Lifestyle
61
vices and check e-mail,” said Norwin High School “If you take technology out of schools, it wouldn’t
journalism teacher, Mr. Brian Fleckenstein. “But make a difference and people would still learn like before,” said
technology can be a time vampire. It takes away a lot
M
r
.
of time.”
Flecken Not only do students use technology for school, but
stein. “For
for personal uses. According to our research, 57% of
instance
students check their phone over 50 times per day.
I grew up
without
34 out of 370 students say they use either their comtechnology,
puter or cellphone the most everyday, but all for different reasons. there was only one lab in my school with an old Mac,
but if you take technology out of the work force, it
“I use technol- would shut down completely.”
ogy about four
to five hours This theory may be true, but could everyone survive
per day,” said without these addicting devices? What other things
Hegedus. “I could people do in place of using their phone or watchplay games and ing TV?
program
on “I couldn’t live without my computer,” said Hegemy computer, dus. “I use it everyday and I’d rather be on it then be
mostly.”
talking to other people.”
“I play games and
program on my computer, mostly,” -Bryce
Hegedus
So many sales
are made per
year, but why
do teenagers
find these products so intriguing?
“It may be old school but I still like the TV, I also like
the camera so I can take pictures of my kids.” said Mr.
Fleckenstein. So what is the trouble with technology?
The point here is, technology is a gift and a curse. Almost like a Pandora’s box waiting to be completely
opened with its horrible consequences.
“The reason is But is technology the hidden bully that know one
Click about?
the picture
to view
a video
in education!
The
answer
toon
ustechnology
is not really.
It’s not
marketing,” said Hegedus. “They are enticing be- knows
about whats been put out there by friends, companies,
cause companies make them look so amazing.” or even teachers themselves. It’s really about what
“Advertising for sure,” said Mr. Fleckenstein. “They you choose to do with the information and temptawant the latest gadgets to be “hip-hop.” Basically tions. You’re the Pandora’s box and it’s your choice
what their friends want.”
on whether or not technology is trouble.
Technology is used everywhere and people rely on it
now to communicate, get work done ,and many more
grueling tasks that are made simple with the crutch
named technology.
62
Taylore
Kwiecinski,
Sierra Lowe,
Hannah
Chrisman
Click here to watch a
video of school lunch
regulations.
The Norwin High School
lunches have decreased in
variety and increased in price.
The price for a school lunch is
$2.65. Students now disagree
with the serving portions of the
meal, and decide to get more
than one entrée. One thing some
students think is that teachers
get more options than the
students.
“Teachers
get
more
to
choose from and it’s not
fair. They get to have iced
tea and we get boring milk,”
said Madison Gregory.
The NHS lunches are very
nutritious. They include five
products. A meat/meat alternate,
a bread item, fruits, veggies,
and milk which is required.
Ever bread is whole grain while
every beef product is turkey.
“We can’t serve beef bologna, it
would have to be turkey
bologna,” said Rod Stewart,
Café Director. Some students
say the school lunches just don’t
taste good in general.
School
“They do not taste good.
Sometimes whole wheat and
whole grain products are used
excessively and ruin the taste.
All students are also naturally
opposed to this because of a
bad connotation,” said Aimee
McGillis, sophomore.
The lunch price for high
school students is $2.65 while
$2.58 is the reduced price.
Lots of students do not like
the new changes to the menu.
It was changed because of the
law and the Healthy Hunger
Free Kids Act which is
funding for federal school
meals and child nutrition
programs and increases access
to healthy food for lowincome children. The bill that
reauthorizes these programs is
often referred to by shorthand
as
the
child
nutrition
reauthorization bill. “Nothing
could make our school
lunches more nutritious,” said
Stewart. Our school lunches
are filled with whole grains
that are very low in fat and
sodium. Lots of students
wonder why they took away
French fries but not nachos.
This is because “Nachos are
whole grain and baked while
French fries are starch and
deep fried,” said Stewart.
NHS supports all original
brand food items. Students
think that they use cheap old
chicken or cheese to make
our lunches. While really the
school buys products like
Land O’ Lakes, Tyson, and
Schwann pizza products.
Stewart thinks that if the
schools did have more
varieties in the lunches, more
people would buy. “We do
have a lot of variety
compared to other school
districts,” said Stewart. Other
school districts at a secondary
level offer one or two items
and that’s it. We offer on any
given day, 20-25 choices of
entrees.
“I wish the school had more
fruit and liquid selections!”
said Katy Ericson, freshman
“I would add more entrees to
please more students and
their needs.” Said Gage
Luptak, freshman
“I think our school has many
varieties!” said Megan Dodd,
sophomore
63
64
65
School
Technology in Education
We’ve all heard ‘Back when I was your age’ at least
once before. For me, it’s always a signal from my dad that a
boring speech I could probably recite verbatim is on the
horizon.
Whether it comes from your grandparents at family
gatherings or daily from your parents, those six words are a
trigger that launches into a speech filled with tales of days long
gone.
Then VS. Now
Would you say that today's
technology makes it…
A common topic for these reports of being ‘fair’ start
with education. My dad is always telling me about how much
easier I have it then he did as a student.
When I need an answer, google has the answer for
me in seconds. If I need information, the internet provides
endless cites and sources.
We all know it wasn’t always that way. A research
paper meant going to the library and reading a few books just
to find the quotes you needed.
Calculators weren’t there to save the day in your
algebra class. Long division was the norm.
There is a huge change from how your parents
learned and were taught and how we are learning as students
today. The evolution of technology is constantly changing
education, in both good and bad ways.
This constant upgrading can sometimes be hard to
keep up with. Keeping yourself up to date with technology,
especially as an educator can be a hard job.
Mrs. Rodnicki said, “I believe you have to advance
with the age of technology or you will be left behind-and
student learning may drop.”
However, technology isn’t always a burden, as the
1840
•ball point
pens were
first used
1890
•firsst chalk
boards and
slate boards
1925
•first film
projector was
used in a
classroom
many tools a student uses daily is proof of.
Calculators, scantrons, iPads, phones with internet access,
projectors, even things as simple as writing utensils and paper. There
was a time when all of it wasn’t available to assist in education.
Now that it is, it makes the worlds’ people more
intelligent. As sophomore Danielle McMichael said, “Today’s
technology makes it easier for students to be educated because it
enhances our ability to learn by making learning simpler.”
more difficult
easier
In a survey of 30 high school students, 74
percent (22 people) said that today’s technology
makes education more difficult. The other 26
percent (8 people) chose that today’s technology
makes education easier.
Sophomore Olivia Bazanos said, “Education
has no limits with modern technology. From Cyber
School to earning your college degree, anything is
possible with the tools we have access to.”
On the other hand, there are many
students who think technology available today
makes education more difficult. For example, a
theme of reason for these students was that
modern technology is too much a distraction to
make learning easier.
1930
1970
1972
first overhead
projector was
used
first hand held
calculator was
invented
scantron
machine was
invented
Even with all the benefits of these tools, it is inevitable that
they can play a part in distraction from education.
The important thing is to find balance. As Mrs. Rodnicki
says, “Technology is a great tool when implemented in the classroom
with a direct purpose. There is a fine line between benefit and
distraction when using technology in education.”
So the next time you hear the “Back when I was your age”
story coming, remember that the technology you have wasn’t always
there.
82%*So the next time
VS.
18%*
82 percent said phones were
the most used, 18 percent
said calculators
*out of 30 students surveyed
55 percent said yes, the
distraction technology can
create is worth the
convenience. 45 percent
said no, it is not worth it.
1985
hand held
graphing
calculator was
invented
55%*
VS.
45%*
1999
2010
interactive
whiteboards
used in schools
ipads are a
common tool
used in schools
66
Chances are, you are
one of the many people who
are depriving themselves of
sleep.
If teens got more sleep
at night, then they would
have a much more positive
outlook towards school. “I
dread school because of the
early hours. Getting just a
“Teens should be getting at least
few more hours of sleep
10 hours of sleep a night. This
would improve my entire
amount of sleep will increase their day” said Aimee McGillis,
attitudes towards school. I would sophomore.
imagine this outlook would be
Many teens are staying
positive, look forward to
up later than necessary
challenges, and interact with
because of school work or
peers. “
other school related
activities. 25 percent of
people are kept up due to
homework, 22 percent are
kept up due to sports. 14
percent are kept up at night
due to stress from
everything on their plates.
School
Teens should come to school prepared and fully
focused with less stress for an improved attitude.
“I believe my sleeping pattern and daily/nightly routines
help keep my number of sleeping hours equal. The
consistent sleeping pattern and hours affect my school day
directly. Having a restful night of sleep will increase my
ability to complete my daily tasks such as energy to teach
and other daily tasks.” Said Mrs. Rodnicki tenth grade
health teacher.
Sleep has a big impact on our education with our
daily lives. Make sure you get enough sleep so you can
succeed in school and complete required assignments.
67
68
DANCES. One of the most
“You dance
love & you
dance joy & you
dance dreams.”
-Gene Kelly
By Emily Harrigan, Katy Ericson and
Megan Schmittinger
exciting events that high school
students look forward to every
year. Apparel purchases, finding
dates, and hair and nail
appointments are all incorporated
in getting ready for an
unforgettable night. Homecoming,
Prom and Snoball are the biggest
occurring events held by Norwin
high school each year. Although
these are fun to attend, there is
one word to describe these
dances... Stressful.
Preparation
"It's so stressful finding the
perfect dress, the perfect
hairstyle and the perfect date,"
said freshman Emily Arnold.
Stress, in the dictionary is defined
as "a state of mental or emotional
strain or tension resulting from
adverse or very demanding
circumstances." Dances definitely
bring out emotions while you’re
getting ready for the night. The
weeks spent counting down and
getting ready for those couple of
hours
School
feeling like a million bucks
essentially reveals an emotional
wreck. Why is preparation so
stressful? The answer is, every
one of the hundreds who attend
strive for perfection. The dress or
suit is purchased weeks or even
months before so they can pay to
get it altered to fit them perfectly.
Appointments are made for hair
and nails early so they can lift
some weight off their shoulders,
but are they really?
Money
For these dances students tend
to spend quite a bit of money,
especially for Prom. Everyone
tries to look the best they can be
and they feel the need to spend a
fortune on everything like the
dresses, suites, hair, and
everything else needed to look
glamorous for the picture perfect
night. The titles of "Prom Queen"
and "Prom King" add even more
stress and could in fact impact
the budget of a student. An
average student spends $300 on
these dances. All of these costs
constantly increasing leads to yet
another stress factor that these
teenagers go through.
are constantly increasing which
leads to yet another stress factor
that these teenagers go through.
Finding a Date
Finding a date is one of the most
stressful things about high school
dances. Teenagers always go
through the stress of questioning
if that one person will ask them or
if their dream girl will say yes to
going to the upcoming dance with
them. "It's was a lot of fun going
with my close friends" said
sophomore Haley Tinsley.
Finding a group of friends to go
with or waiting for that special
someone to ask you could be
agonizing when waiting.
Here are some simple tips on
finding a date:
1. Choose someone you know
you can have fun with and that
won't cause a lot of drama.
2. When you ask, be creative and
not boring
3. Be sure your date will not ditch
you when you arrive
Policies and Rules
Aside from the preparation and
money invested into this night,
the policies and rules also have
to be taken into consideration.
You have to make sure
you're ready in time to get
to the dance thirty minutes
early. For some this may
be simple, but for others it's
a race with time. A
questionable topic is dress
code because it isn’t strictly
enforced but the students
are expected to know their
limits. “I don’t think dress
code should apply only if
the dress is really short or
the slit is too high,” said
Freshman Hannah
Chrisman.
The weeks and
sometimes months leading
up to a dance are stressful
because of this idea of
“perfection” that students
think they have to achieve.
Although this problem
constantly occurs
throughout teen’s high
school years, dances are
ways that “bring us
together,” said Senior
Olivia Ott. High School
dances are the most
enjoyable events said to
give students memories
that last a lifetime.
69
Should these dresses be allowed?
Click here for Norwin’s dance policies pg 47
Student Homecoming Review:
Q: What did you think about
homecoming?
10- Tanner Carr- “It’s a great time
but a bigger deal is made of it than it
actually is”.
9- Zoe Stratos- “I had a really fun
time at the dance. It was a little hot
but definitely worth it.”
12- Olivia Ott- “It brings us all
together.”
Favorite School Dance
Homecoming
Prom
Snoball
4%
48%
48%
Click here for link to video on School Dance Guide
70
Do you feel that it is
necessary that in order
to graduate at Norwin
High School, you have
to successfully pass the
Keystone Exams? Why
or why not?
How important is
Standardized Testing to You?
Standardized tests have been a part of the
American education since the mid-1800s, but their use has went
way up after 2002’s No Child Left Behind Act mandated annual
testing for all 50 states. This act was put up in place partly
th
because U.S students went from 18 in the world in math in
2000 to 31st place in 2009, with a similar decline in science.
So what do students here at Norwin School District
think of the tests?
“I think that standardized tests are important are
important because they give you future opportunities such as
college options and a career,” said Mira Thomas, freshman.
Proponents like Mira agree that standardized tests
are a fair and objective measure of student achievement, and
that most students and parents approve of the testing.
But there is also another side to the controversy.
These people are hose that are ultimately against the
standardized tests.
“I really don’t feel that they are necessary. I feel
that your overall body of work and class grades are much more
important,” said Brett Harper, freshman.
People that are against the test are referred to as
opponents. They argue that these tests are neither important
nor essential.
Both students provide valid points and reasons, but
our entire Norwin High School’s opinion is ultimately what
counts.
When surveying students at our high school, we
found that 67%, practically two-thirds of the school said that
tests were very important, and meant a lot to them as a student.
We also found that only 8% of students surveyed
said that tests are of little importance or none at all. And that
25% of students, or a quarter of the school, said that tests are of
some importance, and are somewhat meaningful to them as a
student.
These results prove that Norwin students do in fact
care about the standardized tests they take every year. They
also give us a perspective upon the educational success of the
district as it progresses over the years.
Faculty and staff will continue to stress the
importance of these tests as each year passed by.
School
“No, it should not
be necessary
because your
class grades show
how well you do
in school, not
your exam
scores.”
- Kellie Brannan,
freshman
“I think having to
pass the test is a
good idea.
However, I think
the process
should be
altered to be
more practical.
Waiting a year to
retake a test you
failed won’t help
you do better
next time.”
- Aimee McGillis,
sophomore
71
tests.
Another controversy surrounding
students and standardized tests at
Norwin School District is the
preparation. This is an element that
has been stressed to teachers
throughout the district and has
changed their teaching to fit the
needs of the students.
So how do students and
teachers prepare for these tests, and
is it working?
These questions were
answered when we completed a
couple of our personal interviews
and surveys.
“I do feel that Norwin
students are prepared for
standardized testing. There is
definitely a strong focus preparing
for the tests. The curriculum at our
district is geared towards helping
kids succeed on standardized tests,”
said Ms. Jones, English teacher at
Norwin School District.
Ms. Jones responses
supported that students at our
district are in fact prepared for these
tests.
Preparation
To ensure that her
students are prepared for
success, she makes sure they
know question type, question set
up, testing strategies, key terms
or vocabulary, any material that
may show up on the test, and
how to apply what they learned
to given test questions.
“I teach all concepts
that are included in the course
and may appear on a
standardized test. For the AP
Language Test, I teach reading
and writing that is similar to what
is found on the tests. I feel they
are prepared very well,” said Mr.
Fleckenstein, AP Language
teacher at Norwin School District.
Both teachers
supported that students were
prepared very well for these tests,
but how do the students feel
View our graph
below to see their thoughts and
feeling about the tests.
Student
Interviewee:
“No, because
everyone has
different skills
they are good
at. Some people
are good at
taking
standardized
tests, while
others are not.”
- Kalei
Cularusso, junior
Tanner Mahofski
Grade: 9
Q: How do you feel about being required to pass the Keystone Exams in
order to graduate at Norwin High School?
A: “I think it is a good thing. It makes sure we meet our requirements as
a student.”
Numbered below is how students at Norwin
High School ranked the following tests in
order of importance from 1-4(1 being the
most important, 4 being the least important.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Keystone Exams
SAT’s
PSAT’s
PSSA Testing
A: “The Keystone Exams because they are much more difficult and
contain and consist of more in-depth questions.”
Q: How do you feel students at Norwin School District are prepared for
standardized testing?
A: “I think we are prepared well for standardized tests because we
practice and prepare for them throughout the entire school year.”
Q: What type of preparation, if any, do you think is necessary for
students to be successful while taking standardized tests?
A: “I think that good test taking skills and strategies are essential in
preparation for these tests. We should prepare for concepts such as
reading the question correctly and looking for important parts of the
question.”
Spring 2014-2015 Standardized Test Dates
Keystone Exams: May 13-27, 2015
SAT’s: May 2, 2015
PSSA Testing: April 13-27, 2015
Q: What standardized test stresses you out the most, or gives you the
most difficulty?
Q: What are some ways that you think teachers at Norwin School
District can help enhance your previous standardized test scores or
experiences?
(Click on image for video)
A: “I think they could do more worksheets that relate to questions we
see on the standardized tests. I think anything that we learn that is
related to the test will prove to be beneficial.”
Pennsylvania Public School SAT Scores 2001-2013
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.
pt/community/state_assessment_system/209
65/sat_and_act_scores/1339721
72
Eligibility (Academic and
Curriculum):
A student must pursue a
curriculum defined and
approved by the principal as a
full-time
curriculum and must maintain
acceptable grades as certified
by the principal. Eligibility is
cumulative from the beginning
of a grading period and is
reported on a weekly basis.
Students
must be passing four (4) full
credit subjects to be eligible for
the following week.
The student must have passed at
least four (4) full-credit
subjects, or the equivalent,
during the
previous grading period. Late
work may be made up,
providing it is in accordance
with the
regular policies of the school.
In cases where a student’s work
in any preceding grading period
does not meet the standards
described above, the student
shall be ineligible to participate
in interscholastic athletics for
the
first 15 school days of the next
grading period.
Newly enrolled students must
meet and comply with
curriculum eligibility
requirements. The
academic standing required for
the preceding grading period or
previous year shall be obtained
from the records of the last
school attended by the student.
Sports
73
Q and A with Athletic Director
(Brandon Rapp)
Dumb jock. Shines on the football
field, but grades on the other hand
are a totally different story. Smart
Nerd. Excels in the classroom, but
couldn’t catch a ball to save his life.
People
spend
their
lives
stereotyping students in school, but
is that really what it comes down to?
Recent studies from multiple college
level courses prove that these
stereotypes concerning grades no
longer exist. In fact, it is quite the
opposite. Studies from Northwest
Missouri State University have
shown that student athletes have
higher GPA’s than most nonathletes.
Even though sports
take up more than half their time,
education must come first. “It gets
really stressful sometimes,” said
Shaelyn Gillham, Norwin student
athlete. “I can’t even count how
many hours I play softball, but I
know in the back of my mind that
those assignments must get done.”
Q. Do you think education is
more important than sports?
“Academics
before
everything.” said athletic
director Brandon Rapp
According to recent polls,
students believe education is top
priority, then sports, then free
time. It’s common knowledge
that those who prioritize sports
and free time first, will get lower
overall grades.
There are still some athletes that
believe sports come first no matter
what. They would be expected to
worry about the Norwin Policy.
The policy for student athletes
states that the student must be
failing no more than four classes
in order to participate in sports. “I
don’t think it is right that some
athletes can still play although
they may be failing two or three
classes,” said Sophia Melocchi,
student athlete.
“It’s unfair to the rest of us who work so hard to balance
both.” However, sometimes this can be beneficial. While
everyone agrees that this is more stressful, the discipline
of being on an athlete transfers the commitment over to
education. It leads to student athletes actually receiving
higher GPAs.
“Not one student has been academically ineligible in
the last five years. Our students must put academics
before everything,” said athletic director Brandon Rapp.
Working hard for only one aspect just doesn’t happen
anymore. Student athletes today have time to complete
both, and excel at it. So in today’s world, is it really the
stereotypical “Sports vs. Smarts,” or is it “Sports +
Smarts?”
23
%
What's most important to
your everyday life?
46
%
31
%
A. Absolutely. I believe they go
hand in hand. I think there
are two types of education:
Academics and things you
can use in real life
situations.
Q. What do you think athletes put
first?
A. Academics before
anything. Not one student in at least
5 years has been academically
ineligible.
74
Sports
Poll Questions:
What do all great fights
have in common? They
Does fighting have a place
all change the momenin high school sports?
tum of the game and
Ryan Elder, 12: Fighting is
bring about much change
an integral part of most colleto the interest of the fan.
giate and professional athletic
In pro sports, we should
establishments, and should
not be getting away
remain as such in the high
from these emotionschool level.
ally intense moments.
Take a flashback to April
Aidan Gabauer, 12: Fightof 2009. The Penguins
ing shouldn’t be allowed in
were getting destroyed by
high school sports because it
the Philadelphia Flyers
makes it seem ok for students
in Game 6 of the Eastern
to fight, and they might get
Conference Semi-Finals.
accustomed to it being a way
Max Talbot and Danto solve differences.
iel Carcillo dropped the
Does fighting have a place
gloves. The ensuing fight
led to a storming back by
in pro sports?
Adam Donofrio, 10: If someone the Penguins ensuring a
trip to the Conference Fimakes you mad, you settle the
nals, and later a return
dispute like gentlemen; with
to the Stanley Cup Final.
your fists.
A fight like this proved
the huge turnaround of
Dylan Dushack, 10: If you’re
one franchise in just five
willing to get fined for it, then
short years. They went
why not?
from worst to first. Yet,
Why is fighting acceptable
in some sports but not in
others?
Brooke Lundy, 11: It is acceptable to fight in one sport and
not in the other based on the
rules and regulations of the
sport.
Former Penguin, Max Talbot shushes
mer Flyer, Daniel Carcillo. This
ing point in the Penguins’ Stanley
there has never been a fight
so drastic in the history of
the NHL as the one that
took place that afternoon.
That is the most important reason as to why fights
must stay a part of pro sports.
They mark achievements.
They swing things the other way when they are going
bad. They inspire the people
that watch them. They show
courageousness and compas-
the crowd after a fight with formoment is defined as a key turnCup run in 2009.
sion for the men that you
surround yourself with in
this exciting occupation.
The truth is fighting sells
seats in pro sports. Hockey
is attractive to the casual
fan for this reason. People
like violence and blood.
But yet there is still reason
to believe that fighting should
remain out of high school
sports. High school sports
are the true shows of athleti-
cism. With no rewards other
than a trophy, high school
sports show the world what
true passion and dedication
is; whether it is getting up at
4:30 a.m. for hockey practice or staying after school
until seven or eight at night.
Fighting in sports is not for
young kids. There should
be no circumstances in
high school sports or high
school in general where
kids should fight. Grown
men who very well know
the dangers of fighting,
still sometimes misuse it.
Should there be and is there
a double standard for fighting
in both pro and high school
sports? Undoubtedly there
is. Pro atheletes are expected to fight because it is there
job. High school athletes are
expected to play at a high
level becaucse that is what
high school sports call for.
By: Mark Downey
75
Penalties in Pro Sports:
5
4
25
1
minutes for fighting
in NHL
race probation
in NASCAR
thousand dollar
fine in NFL
game suspension
in MLB
Penalties in High School
Sports:
1
game misconduct
in high school hockey
1
season suspension in
high school baseball
1
game misconduct in
high school football
1
game misconduct in
high school basketball
76
Brought to you by...
The 2014-15 Norwin High School Newspaper
Production Class and Intro to Journalism Class

Editon 3 Winter 2014-15 - Norwin School District

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