Issue 4 - 11.2.12

NORTH GROSSE POINTE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

POINTE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2012

decision time SINCE 1968

obama vs. romney 2012 PAGE 5

By Lauren Semack editor

SPORTS

Varsity volleyball players team up with boys for the annual Halloween volleyball quad.

Page 4

END OF FIRST QUARTER

Today, Nov. 2

SAT

Tomorrow at 8 a.m.

POPS AND PASTRIES CONCERT

Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in the gym

NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, Nov. 6.

OPEN HOUSE

Community open house on Sunday, Nov. 11 from 1 to 3 p.m.

FALL SPORTS AWARDS

FINANCIAL AID NIGHT

Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. in the PAC

IDEAS

We don’t have to be the ones our children are ashamed of as we tentatively sip our coffee out of their view in back alleys and behind garages.

“

page 7

the medium used to make corrections. It would be that both teacher and student are using that as a teachable moment.”

Kuhl said that in today’s fastpaced society, she often has to remind students that an easy way to prevent red pen anxiety is simply living in the now. If a student looks for potential improvements in those red marks, they can plan for success next time.

“If you stop trying to assert control in the environment, but focus that anxious energy on stuff you can control and achieve, it can really relieve anxiety,” Kuhl said.

Kuhl also said that different levels of anxiety correspond with age.

“All of those stresses increase with age. Especially with middle school. It’s a very stressful time,” Kuhl said. “There are so many hormonal changes going on, and too many social changes going on, that I think those issues tend to be most evident by late elementary and middle school.”

Kuhl suggests middle school teachers consider whom they are grading.

“There’s a lot of kids, and you have to be careful. It is a fine line

The pressure’s on, girls

© 2012 North Pointe Volume 45, Issue 4

to walk,” Brownell Middle School English teacher Susan Dempsey said. “If you put too much criticism or red marks, they shut down. You have to be careful about balancing about how many comments you’re going to make.”

Dempsey says she takes into account how her students will react and is always trying to find new ways of grading papers. She even used highlighters instead of red pen at one point, but found it less effective. She hesitantly returned to the red pen.

“I had someone say years ago when they were talking about grading papers that you shouldn’t mark a paper so it looks like you were hemorrhaging on the paper,” Dempsey said. “I always think of that. When all your red marks look like more than what they put into it, it’s too much, you need to stop.”

While Schaefer doesn’t enjoy the markings all over her paper, she said it makes her look for the comments detailing how to improve.

But in teaching middle-schoolers, Dempsey sees her students only looking for the grade. continued on page 2

Freshmen campaign for student council spots

By Jordan Radke editor

emily huguenin

Tuesday, Nov. 13 and Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. in the PAC

“

Junior Natalie Schaefer fidgets with her pencil in her AP Language and Composition class, waiting for her impromptu to be passed back, hoping that English teacher Jonathan Byrne didn’t bleed red pen across her most recent argumentative essay.

“I get sad because it feels like I’ve done a lot of stuff wrong. It seems like I didn’t do anything right, and if I see all the red pen, I feel like I missed the tasks,” Schaefer said.

In a 2010 study done by the European Journal of Social Psychology, results showed that teachers who use red pen to grade assignments tend to find more errors and mark up a student’s assignment more than a pen of another hue.

“My concern with the stories and research would be why more comments and criticism on a paper is necessarily a bad thing,” Byrne said. “The article’s comments didn’t say the people grading were being overly critical, they just said that they were more critical.”

While attending Oakland University for his Master’s in English

Illustration by maria liddane

Education, Byrne said his professors discussed how red pen raises anxiety, but increased mistakefinding was not mentioned. Coincidentally, he has converted into a full-time red pen fiend this year.

“Mr. Young just ordered supplies for the English department, so I just pulled a box of pens that happened to be red, but once I started writing with the red, I liked how it looked when I wrote,” Byrne said.

“I thought it might just pop off the page, instead of kind of being mellow. There is no chance that a kid’s going to be reading an impromptu and miss one of my comments because it’s just like, ‘Pow!’” According to the color psychology research done by Faber Birren in the 60s, red tends to raise pulses and cause over-agitation. It can mean passion, negative or positive.

“To me, as a psychologist, what I would want students to know is that mistakes are very good opportunities to learn, and that there is actually a whole other bredth of research that ... we tend to learn things better and retain them longer if we make mistakes,” North’s psychologist Christine Kuhl said.

“So my concern wouldn’t really be

Teen magazines may mount pressure on young girls, but some ladies fight against the feat of being told who to be, what to wear and what to weigh

By Emma Ockerman managing editor

Senior Kyndall Echols knows intimately the gaze of heavily-edited female models staring back at her from a magazine’s glossy pages. Fashion is her calling; it’s only natural.

But from her work as an intern for Nordstrom’s, she has learned that there’s nothing natural about the painstakingly photoshopped women staring back at her.

“They portray women as the kind of women guys want to be with and girls want to be: the skinny waist, the big chest, big bottoms. But realistically, that’s not possible,” Echols said.

But not every female sees the reality of photoshop. National statistics show staggering rises in the number of teens with eating disorders, as 90% of those are adolescent females.

“My advice for anyone going into the fashion industry, especially as a model, is that you have to learn to accept who you are,” Echols said.

In July, Seventeen magazine was prompted by Julia Bluhm, an eighth grader from Maine, to show more than skin-and-bones models. By August, Editor-in-Chief Ann Shoket promised to “celebrate every kind of beauty” and “never change a girl’s body.”

Showing a girl’s true being is coming into vogue this year – literally. Vogue agreed this past May to use “real-looking” models, but protesters still await a response from its adolescent counterpart, Teen Vogue.

Former North student and fashion model Brittany Burke doesn’t see a reason to always blame the fashion industry for the woes of teenage girls, especially since she practices healthy habits.

“These photos that young girls see in magazines are sometimes edited, correcting ‘imperfections,’” Burke said. “Making the model look bigger, smaller, have bigger eyes or lips – basically this is a model’s job. We are there to be a piece of someone else’s artwork and, when we are finished with our job, they can do whatever they want to do with their piece of art.”

But Burke says sometimes the pressure is still on to fit a particular mold.

“I do see the pressure in not just models, but in many girls to look a certain way. People are worrying about what they are consuming on a daily basis, their skin, hair, weight – this is just too much, why not enjoy life a little bit? Sweets or chocolate cake won’t harm anyone!”

Still, a survey conducted by Glamour magazine reported that 61% of its readers were unhappy with their hips, 64% felt ashamed of their stomachs and 72% detested their thighs, all while running photos of stick-thin models and dieting tips.

“It’s more about the stories the media chooses to concentrate on. I think young people need stronger women role models who know the difference between a shallow life about looks and a much deeper, more meaningful life with a purpose,” Suzy Berschback, Spirit of Women manager for Grosse Pointe Beaumont Hospital, said.

In a society where a plus-sized model is a size six, low self-confidence is hard to combat.

“I wish that our contemporary media would both show and truly value the full range of beauty in society,” English teacher Geoffery Young said.

But progress is being made. Marie Claire magazine runs spreads entitled “What I love about me,” and some magazines have even begun to work in reverse, photoshopping models to make them look a healthier size..

Still, according to South Carolina Department of Mental Health, 50% of 13-year-old girls have attempted to lose weight or view themselves as overweight. Echols, though, is content.

“I’m not a stick, and honestly, I’m kind of glad I’m not. I mean, what would I look like without a butt?

Seriously,” Echols said.

In the din of the cafeteria, posters were taped, candy was pounced upon and freshman Connor Sickmiller, campaigning for a “classy presidency,” stood out in his navy suit, blue tie and khakis.

There were several more formally-dressed figures making their way throughout the room on Monday, shaking hands and vying for freshman class student council positions, which were determined in primary elections Tuesday and subsequent elections Thursday.

Freshman class adviser Marilyn Withers orchestrated Monday’s event at both lunches so freshmen could “put a name to a face” for each of the six presidential, four vice-presidential and three secretarial candidates.

“It’s making them step out of their box a little, step out of their comfort zone,” she said. “They step out of that box. They don’t just sit there and quietly observe anymore. I step back and push them forward.”

Certainly, Sickmiller and freshmen Mason Liagre and Jay Garlapati, campaigning for president, vice president and secretary, respectively, were not reticent, but outspoken, willing to talk hall sweep enforcement and the contentious issue of distributing candy to campaign.

“I’d like it so if you’re a 3.5 GPA or above, and you get your first hall sweep, it’s just a warning,” Sickmiller said.

Garlapati and Sickmiller’s selfproclaimed “bodyguard” and cabinet member, Vincent Provenzano, broke out laughing. Garlapati likened Sickmiller’s policy to “discrimination.” The group exchanged perspectives on hall sweeps.

Then conversation turned to candy.

“We’re not buying votes,” Sickmiller said, just after Garlapati, dressed in a suit and white, untied sneakers, interjected he would be passing out candy.

“I will be giving out candy, but it’s not continued on page 2

news FIVE MINUTES WITH Red pen usage Business student teacher Chris Smith

2 – Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 – North Pointe

Continued from Page 1

By Izzy Ellery & Sydney Thompson STAFF REPORTERs

The path to teaching has not always been well-lit for student teacher Chris Smith.

“I started off as an accounting major, and I got a job my sophomore year at American Express, and I didn’t like it at all. I decided that wasn’t the job for me. I wanted to be a teacher. That was always what I kind of wanted to do, but for some reason, I didn’t go into it right away,” Smith said.

Smith has always had an interest in teaching and an idea of how he would do it.

“It was kind of like an accumulative throughout school. I had teachers who I really didn’t like and teachers who I really did like. And the ones that I liked, I was always thinking to myself in class, ‘I want to do this just like they do.’ And then the teachers I had that weren’t good, I would think, ‘Oh I want to do it way differently.’ I would like critique their teaching in my mind.”

Smith is a senior in the student teaching program at Western Michigan University. The program consists of six students.

“We have a pre-internship and an internship. Then we have three teachers for all of our classes, and it’s a very small setting.

It’s not exclusive, but it’s just a very small program,” he said.

Once he graduates, Smith plans to go back to school to fulfill the requirements to be a social studies teacher.

“I like business teaching because it’s all projects and working together, but I’m really interested in social studies, too.”

Due to the small class size, students in the program have developed lifelong friendships.

“I know there’s probably like four or five students who I went through my program with ... and we’ll keep in touch for sure.”

Emily huguenin

Student teacher Chris Smith helps in the school store with the business class students.

What year did you graduate?

I graduated from here (North) in ‘08.

Did you intern anywhere else before this?

I did it at Paw Paw High School, which is on the west side of the state, and it’s about half an hour from Western. I did that two days a week last year while I was in classes. It’s called your pre-internship.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Everything. Recently, I’ve gotten the Mumford & Sons CD ... and the new Killers CD. I was kind of upset because I wanted to go see the Silversun Pickups ... but I couldn’t make it.

What are your hobbies?

I like to go to music festivals. I like to do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which I used to do on Mack Avenue. Me and some of my friends from high school are going to play roller hockey in the winter at Joe Dumars.

What music festivals have you been to?

I went to Hangout Music Festival this summer, which was in Alabama. It had the Red Hot Chili Peppers and all these big names. And the year before that, I went to Lollapalooza.

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“They look at the grade at the top of the paper, and they’re done. You say to them ...

‘This is what you did well, but this is what you need to work on.’ I try to make it a balanced effect, you can’t always do that,” Dempsey said.

Though college isn’t on the mind of an average middle-schooler, Dempsey said giving students criticism and compliments will equip their young minds for that time on the distant horizon. “(In) college, (professors are) not going to be sitting there thinking, ‘Did I hurt her feelings when I told her what she did wrong?’” Dempsey said. “You’re just gonna get a grade, and you might get some comments on the side of it, but you have to get ready to take criticism, take the good with the bad. So in middle school, I try to give them some of both.”

Dempsey recounts an instance where grading had a lasting impression on her.

“I had a teacher who I highly respected. I had done this whole project and left something out – I don’t know why I left it out. To this day, I can see her handwriting on that page, and I remember the words that she wrote. She told me that it was a ‘serious omission,’ and I’ve never gotten over that because I was so disappointed in myself,” she said.

Byrne believes that criticism must eventually be constructively accepted.

Freshman elections Continued from Page 1

to buy votes,” Liagre said. “(It’s) to make people know that I’m running.”

Sickmiller conceded not passing out anything did put him at a disadvantage, but said “it’s more honorable. I think some will (appreciate it) but the majority won’t.”

Freshman Thomas Essak, presidential candidate, didn’t distribute candy either.

“Some people just rely on their candy.

What they have to offer is something that they’re giving away, not something that they can give away and still have in their possession, which is ideas,” he said. “It’s just a symbol for weakness and, you know, you have a lack of confidence in yourself.

If you stand firm and deliver your ideas people will choose that over any sugar.”

Freshman Lucy Dodge held a different perspective, offering that passing out candy “emphasizes that they want it more.”

“I’m just getting my name out there.

These are handmade, so I made them with love,” freshman Nicole Stein, vice presidential candidate, said, referencing the box of small, dark cookies in her hand.

Freshman Ingrid Carabulea, presidential candidate, approached a table, prefacing with the disclaimer she had no candy

“We need to get used to the idea that people are going to be critical of us, and we have to take in that criticism, adjust, adapt and learn to deal with that anxiety because that anxiety is coming when you get to the real world, whether you like it or not,” Byrne said. “I don’t think Mr. Tobe, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Beach or Mr. Bandfield really care if my level of anxiety is raised if I’m not getting the job done.”

So what should be the reaction to ‘hemorrhaging’ on an assignment?

“I don’t necessarily think it’s bad if a kid gets an essay back and feels a little bit anxious about what I wrote on there,” he said.

“I don’t only write negative comments, and I don’t think most teachers do. I don’t think it’s bad to feel anxious or nervous about something that you care about,” Byrne said. “I get that red means danger, but I don’t know, I mean, if a teacher is wearing a red sweater, do you just not approach them?”

So would a red pen be in the better interests of students?

“As long as I am not being overly harsh with my criticism, and as long (as) what I’m finding ... is useful to the student ... I guess I would argue that all teachers should use red pens,” Byrne said. “If it’s going to force us to, even if it’s subconscious, make more comments, be more critical and point out more things that students could do to make their writing better, then ultimately, that’s my job. So why wouldn’t I use a red pen?”

Contributing: Libby Sumnik with her. The consensus was most candidates were passing it out. Many students, freshman Ryan Reveley among them, had piles of candy amassed in front of them.

“I like it, but I feel like it’s cheap, and they’re trying to buy their vote,” he said.

“That’s why i’m voting for the people who did not give me candy.”

As he spoke, a student asked, “Can I trade you?” and a sucker changed hands.

The candidates shared their visions for the Class of 2016.

“Our main strategy is to listen to the students, get their ideas, and try to implement the best of them,” Liagre said.

“I want to have fun. I want to create a good atmosphere for the freshmen and build off that. Mainly just create a bunch of funds and make our senior year the best it could possibly be,” Essak said, who was class president at Parcells Middle School.

Freshman Nassif Daher had a different motivation for running for class president.

“To get my name out there,” he said. “I just moved to the district, so when I said I was running, I said, ‘If I win, good job. If I don’t, everyone knows my name.’”

Garlapati spoke of goals for the class.

“We will try to get more pep assemblies, get people active, get them, like, into the programs and everything,” he said. “This school has a lot to offer.”

on campus

Grosse Pointe Public Schools hold open house Grosse Pointe Public Schools will host a district-wide open house on Nov. 11. This event invites Grosse Pointe and surrounding communities to experience the environment of schools in the district.

“We want to make connections and show people how much our students and their families love and support our public schools,” Community Relations Specialist Rebecca Fannon said.

Some of the guests will be families who do not belong to the district but are looking to relocate. The Grosse Pointe Board of Realtors is working with the Chamber of Commerce to help welcome all those who plan to move into the district. Students who attend private schools are also welcomed to explore and compare.

The largest expected crowd will be families with kids who are making the transition either from elementary to middle school or middle to high school. Student tour guides will lead the families through the schools.

“We want to show them the tradition of excellence is alive and well in the Grosse Pointe Public School System, and we invite them to join us in our process of continuous improvement,” Fannon said.

North Pointe – Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 – 3

WILLOW hosts costume party in Student Union

Faces in the crowd Kaytlyn Gunn

In an effort to bond, members of WILLOW, a girls club to empower and unify the female student body, donned their best festive attire at the party. The group played an “eyeball” egg race and toilet paper costume contest, bringing a competitive edge to the events.

Senior Kaytlyn Gunn’s dream is to have a career in the fashion industry, and is already working on building a foundation to support her goal.

She recently applied to her first-choice college, the Art Institute of Michigan in Novi, where the course schedule is perfect for her academic desires.

“It’s better going to a school that focuses on just what I want to do, rather than taking extra courses that I don’t need,” Gunn said.

After her grandmother’s passing, Gunn received her sewing machine and materials. At age 10, she was already messing around with different pieces of clothing and creating new styles. She sometimes likes to make her own shirts, bags and dresses to wear to school and out with friends.

“The late 50’s inspire my designs, because it’s different from any other decade and there’s a lot of creative things you can do with that specific trend,” Gunn said. “My style is mysterious and unique; one of a kind. That’s what really describes me.”

With confidence in her style choices, Gunn aspires to bring variety to her own Macy’sesque store, which she plans to name Katie C., after her grandmother.

By Sean O’Melia & Sarah Schade staff reporter & intern

Financial Aid night to be held in PAC The annual Financial Aid Night will be held Nov. 15 in the PAC. A financial aid officer from Oakland University will be in attendance, speaking about how to apply and receive financial aid.

At this meeting, which is highly recommended by counselors, the speaker will explain the purpose of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), a form which is the only means for a student to receive federal aid from any universities.

“I can’t imagine students trying to go to college without the financial aid, because college is so expensive right now,” counselor Barbara Skelly said. “I think everyone has to apply, and students should always pursue what they’re entitled to: grants, scholarships, work studies.

“Applying through FAFSA is the only way to get loans as well. The loans of the interests rates are cheaper than going to a bank and trying to get a loan. It’s overall just the best way to get the money.”

Mary Lynn Hrycuik

ABOVE: Freshman Emily McPharlin stands in the middle of a toilet paper skirt while sophomore Margo Martinez and senior CEO Courtney Carroll add to her garb.

“My favorite part was the games and being able to talk with everyone,” Martinez, who dressed as Rosie the Riveter, said. “It was fun just to be able to be goofy and let loose. It brought the members together and let us dress up.”

“I hope to foster a spirit of togetherness in WILLOW and creating bonding time in high school while celebrating Halloween,” Carroll, who dressed up as a cat, said.

“Especially in high school there aren’t any Halloween parties, so we hope to keep the spirit alive.”

Junior Mary Lynn Hryciuk is a self-taught master at nail art. She loves creating the intricate designs on her fingernails and practicing on her friends. Her tools include a toothpick, dotting tool, sponge, and 67 varieties of nail polish.

Last year, Hryciuk began to search for another approach to painting her fingernails.

“I liked doing my nails in the first place, and I wanted to do more than just a plain coat,” Hryciuk said.

She found the Cute Polish channel on YouTube, which has dozens of videos showcasing creative patterns and ideas. Hryciuk says they were imperative to her success, because they show you a step by step of what to do.

She can now create such elaborate designs as a nighttime cityscape, bunches of cherries, and an African savannah at sunset. Hryciuk is always trying out new patterns.

“I do my nails every Sunday even if they are not chipped. There are so many designs out there,” Hryciuk said. “It usually takes about an hour.”

To hone her talent, she practices on her friends nails. They seem to appreciate her expertise, since many of them asked her to do their Homecoming nails.

Journalism students experience MIPA On Oct. 23, North’s journalism and yearbook students traveled to Lansing to participate in the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association convention.

The day consisted of multiple seminars that covered many facets of journalism— from writing to photo editing and everything in between.

Yearbook editor Danielle Mays says she enjoyed her third MIPA trip.

“I took a lot more out of it, especially since I became a yearbook editor,” she said. “I can take the tips and use them.”

This year also featured Scott Winter, a professor at University of Nebraska-Lincoln as the keynote speaker. He held four eccentrically named sessions, most notably “Duct Tape and High Funkadelity.”

Winter previously participated in a MIPA summer session, and was thrilled he was invited for the fall conference.

Winter says Michigan’s MIPA is different than any other conference.

“You guys have more students and louder students, and that shows that journalism is healthy here in Michigan,” Winter said. “It’s exciting.”

ABOVE LEFT: Freshman Eliana Emig balances an egg on a spoon as she races to the finishline.

ABOVE RIGHT: Freshmen Victoria Blaine smooths the toilet paper as she is mummified.

BELOW: WILLOW advisor, Pat Gast, poses in a witch costume with 29 members in attendance. “This is another way for WILLOW girls to get together and interact,” Gast said. “The girls (wrote) down what they’re afraid of on the tables and (talked) about it with each other to lose their fears of that thing.”

News Briefs: Kristen Kaled, Natalie Skorupski & Courtney Veneri Faces in the Crowd: Christine Elliot, Erica Lizza & Wendy Ishmaku

Alex Owens

Hype, bass, and dapper.

Those are the three words freshman Alex Owens chose to describe dubstep.

Owens has been listening to dubstep since 6th grade after browsing through YouTube videos, and since then he’s been anticipating seeing the artists perform live at concerts.

“My brother AJ has been to a lot of concerts with his friends, and I definitely want to go to one. If I could go to one concert it’d be Nosia’s, but they’re based off the Netherlands so it’d be a little hard to get tickets,” Owens said.

Since he discovered dubstep, he’s made his own music, describing it as difficult and strenuous, requiring a lot of detailed attention. Although in the end, he says, it’s worth it.

“Music is constantly evolving and if you don’t enjoy whatever’s current now, you’re just going to have a bad time,” he said.

Inside the eye of Sandy Follow these people on Twitter for updates Governor Dan Malloy of Connecticut: @GovMalloyOffice NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg: @MikeBloomberg New York Times Live: @NYTLive Weather Underground: @Wunderground

By Lauren Semack

By the Numbers

1.1 million students out of school 994 miles wide 175 mph winds 455,000 people evacuated 60 million people affected 700,000 at minimum without power

SPORTS

4 – Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 – North Pointe

QUICK HITS

cross country: freshman Sarah Cherry

Volleyball team spikes and spooks

By Andrea Scapini & Sean O’Melia assitant editor & Staff Reporter

The volleyball team hosted an annual Halloween volleyball tournament in the gynasium Friday, Oct. 26. Eight different costumed quads competed for the chance to win iTunes gift cards and bragging rights. The girls and accompanying boys dressed up as superheros, hobos, nerds, Detroit Tigers, zombies, team USA, Toddlers and Tiaras and the coach’s as “volleyball coaches.”

Kaylee Dall

Freshman Sarah Cherry’s cross country season is cut short due to illness.

A normal cross country season is comprised of a gradual increase in speed for runners. Freshman Sarah Cherry fit this stigma at first, at least for her first four races.

“I was knocking a minute off each time, every race.”

She was finally on varsity, when her pace changed for the worst. Cherry became sick.

“It got worse every race.”

Cherry would cough during her races, finding herself unable to breath.

At this point she would run in season races, although it caused her pain. But her attempts at running, while struggling to breathe, proved to be too much. She had to drop out of her most recent race at Metro Beach.

“I just couldn’t breathe,” Cherry said.

Cherry, who had high expectations for her season, was now unable to compete. She pulled a muscle in her side and although hasn’t seen a doctor for it, she says she assumes that it was probably from coughing.

TOP LEFT: Superhero Mike Messina channels his inner Superman as he jumps to hit the ball back to the opposing side. “(Our strength was) probably our hitting, we have really good hitters on our team,” senior superhero Jojo Beeby said.

With cross country regionals approaching, Cherry is unable to participate at the upcoming Metro Beach competition.

TOP RIGHT: North Alumni John Michael Guest and junior Julian Makowski both go up for a block. “The hardest part is definitely passing because I don’t know if I should hit it with my hand or my forearm,” Makowski said.

MIDDLE LEFT: Team USA consisiting of John Michael Guest, senior Kim Cusmano, North Alumni Jimmy Guest and senior Julia Guest, got first place in the tournament. “I for sure knew I wanted my brothers to be on my team because they’re athletic and they’re older. So, they are stronger,” Julia Guest said.

“It’s horrible, I really wanted to run in regionals, because it’s a pretty flat course,” Cherry said.

After facing a more-than-rough season, Cherry can only hope next year will allow her to pick up the pace, right where she left off.

What’s hot & what’s not hot After a shaky start, the Detroit Tigers proved to fans they had the power and passion to make it to the postseason.

The American League Champions triumphed against the Oakland A’s in the first round of the playoffs, followed by a four-game sweep against the New York Yankees.

Miguel Cabrera instilled Detroit with excitement after becoming the fifteenth player to ever win the Triple Crown and the first athlete to win it since 1967 with a batting average of .330 and 44 home runs so far this season.

The Tigers suffered a World Series sweep to the San Francisco Giants and caused an upset for the fans.

“I could have accepted the loss in the World Series if it wasn’t a sweep,” Ann Starinsky, Health and P.E. teacher, said.

“They should’ve won. I was rooting for them!” freshman Anthony Bellomo said.

not

Coming off of last year’s surprise 10-6 record and spot in the playoffs, the Detroit Lions were expected to stay on the uphill path. However, the 2012 season didn’t open with the intensity fans had hoped for, seeing the team’s so-far 16 penalties. With a current total of 3 wins and 4 loses, the Lions still have a chance at the playoffs.

Fans hope that Jim Schwartz, the Lion’s head coach, can focus on getting the team’s act together so they can win.

By Kimberly Cusmano & Hayley Reid

MIDDLE RIGHT: Sophomore Olivia Ritchie, dressed as a hobo, gets ready to serve the ball. “(My favorite part was) the costumes. I just love seeing everybody all dressed up and like not really caring what anybody thinks. It’s a lot of fun,” Ritchie said.

LEFT: Sophmore Kelsey Parafin, dressed as a zombie, serves the ball. “(Next year) I am going to pick different guys. I’m going to start practicing with them before the quad a couple days before,” Parafin said.

Girls varsity swimming off to states

By Amanda Berry & Danae DiCicco assistant editor & staff reporter

Waking up at the crack of dawn to practice, constantly struggling with chlorinesoaked hair and ‘big swimmer shoulders’ is not every girl’s dream. But for seniors Emma Matthews and Julia Ellis, juniors Katelyn Kohler and Carrie Rakowicz and freshman Olivia Asimakis, it’s a lifestyle they’ve gotten used to. These five girls will head to the MHSAA Division 2 Swimming and Diving Finals Friday, Nov. 16 at Oakland University.

“We start training specifically for states after the (Macomb Area) Conference meet.

After that, practice is only for the states swimmers and it focuses on making sure we’re doing the most we can to get our time down, whether it’s practicing relay starts or flip turns,” Rakowicz said.

The varsity swimming team qualified for two relays and one individual. The team of Matthews, Ellis, Kohler and Asimakis will be competing in the 200 individual medley, Kohler, Asimakis, Matthews, and Rakowicz will be in the 200-yard freestyle relay, and Asimakis will be competing individually in the 100-yard butterfly.

“In swimming, I know that winning doesn’t come without hard work. I know that I need to work towards my goals and I’m not going to drop time if I’m not going to put the effort in,” Asimakis said.

Head coach Mike O’Connor and assistant coach Allison Scarfone have led the girls through 5:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. practices.

“Mike has been my coach for a long time now because he also coaches my club team and he’s really interesting,” Rakowicz said.

“He can be kind of intimidating especially if you don’t know him, but he’s secretly really funny and a good coach. He isn’t the type to be too much of a cheerleader but the way he does coach inspires you to want to do better.”

Captains Ellis and Matthews have stepped up to encourage all the girls to swim their best and to help guide fresh-

caroline shulte

Senior Emma Matthews, juniors Katelyn Kohler and Carrie Rakowicz, freshman Olivia Asimakis, and senior Julia Ellis will go to states on Friday, Nov. 16. man, like Asimakis.

“My team leaders, like Emma and Julia, have been more than helpful. They are always so nice to everyone. They have showed me the ropes and helped me become comfortable with the team and the way it works,” Asimakis said.

After four years of swimming for North and countless hours of time in the pool, this will be Matthews and Ellis’ final competition.

“I’ll be really excited to swim and go fast because it’ll be my last state meet. Every year we have a great time at states so I think it’ll be a lot of fun for everyone,” Matthews said.

“I’m very confident in the other girls going with me. They’re all really talented and dedicated swimmers.”

“I’m glad I qualified for states both my junior and senior years because the experience will be so different. Last year, I quali-

fied for freestyle and this year for butterfly.

I just started swimming butterfly this year, so it’s exciting I get to take it to states. I’m excited I’ll get extra time with some of my teammates for my last year,” Ellis said.

The end of the seniors’ North swimming careers will be bittersweet for O’Connor.

“I’m always sad but it’s good to see them go off and pursue whatever they’re going to do,” he said. “We always have kids come back and tell us how it’s been at college.”

Doing well at states will be recognition for the work they’ve put in.

“Being a swimmer has taken up so much of my time, but honestly I wouldn’t not swim if I had the chance to redo it,” Rakowicz said. “I have made so many good friends through swimming whether GPN or PA (club team) and some of them I would never have talked to without it. You bond with people when they suffer with you.”

Elections

5 – Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 – North Pointe

ELECTIONS 2012

By Sydney Thompson & Taylor White staff reporters

Contributing: Maria Liddane

illu

According to president barack obama ... economy

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o ati

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dan jor s by

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on

According to Governor Mitt Romney ... economy

He plans to bring jobs back to the U.S. by eliminating tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and creating incentives for businesses to bring jobs back to America.

He plans to reduce taxes, spending, regulation and government programs. It seeks to increase trade, energy production, human capital and labor flexability.

Health care

He will pursue policies that give each state the power to craft a health care reform plan that is best for its own citizens. The federal government’s role will be to help markets work by creating a level playing field for competition.

education

He will also ensure that students have diverse and affordable options for higher education to give them the skills they need to succeed after graduation; consequently, they can find jobs that provide a rewarding return on their educational investment.

immigration

He will implement a national immigration strategy that bolsters the U.S. economy, ensures our security, keeps nuclear families together and addresses the problem of illegal immigration in a civil and sesolute manner.

Social security

He will not raise taxes and will not affect today’s seniors or those nearing retirement. He proposes that Social Security should be adjusted in a couple of commonsense ways that will put it on the path of solvency and ensure that it is preserved for future generations.

Obamacare is making healthcare work better, even if you already have insurance. It puts the health of your family first – ensuring access to free preventive care and protecting consumers from insurance company abuse.

He understands that education is not a top-down, one-size-fits-all issue – that’s why he has given states the flexibility to create their own ambitious plans for reform, relieving them of restrictive No Child Left Behind mandates.

The Obama Administration plans to focus on immigration enforcement efforts on those who endanger our communities and is de-emphasizing low-priority cases like students, veterans, seniors, and military families.

He plans to protect and strengthen Social Security for future generations, without putting current retirees at risk. He won’t accept reform that slashes benefits for future generations or turns Social Security over to Wall Street.

Health care

education

immigration

Social security

information from www.barackobama.com

Barack’s my guy You can’t throw a rock in Grosse Pointe without hitting a Republican. Not that you should hit a Republican, of course, but a majority of Grosse Pointe identifies with this party, democrat which is espe- rachel cullen cially evident in our youth as election day nears.

While the bulk of teenagers here aren’t eligible to vote, many still declare their “allegiance” for Romney/Ryan over social networks.

But here’s my question: How many teens know that Romney will ensure their success?

Romney, unfortunately, wouldn’t do me, or anyone else in my age group, any good.

While Obama has more than a few strikes on his record - strikes that many like to cling to - I still believe that he’s the best candidate.

Every high schooler in the country is facing a future of uncertainty. We all eventually graduate. When we do, and in the years that follow, we’ll have certain life-changing choices to make. Will we go to college? If so, where? At what cost? What if we get into an outstanding outof-state college, but our parents can only pay for an in-state institution? These questions have many answers, unique to the social and financial situation of the graduate.

While marriage and family are important, pursuing an edu-

cation is my top priority. It determines many of the opportunities I’ll have later on in life - the jobs I’ll get, the places I’ll go.

President Obama understands how crucial higher education is to America’s youth. As he said, “Higher education cannot be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every American should be able to afford.”

Obama has made valiant strides toward making that a reality. He doubled funding for Pell Grants, greatly expanding the number of students able to receive one. He reformed student loans and administered a 10 Year Debt Forgiveness policy, both efforts to ease the strain of educational debts.

While we’ve already seen success from many of his policies, we need to give Obama more time. More time to implement policies that are critical for affording college - more time to see the growth and continued success of his current policies.

Our futures depend on it.

While I’m a matter of weeks from 18, and thus unable to cast a vote, I would vote for Obama. I would be proud to put my faith in a man who stands on a foundation of hope for America’s future and who stands with me on every issue I hold dear. I want my future to be one with the freedom to make my own decisions and the ease of an education that will ensure happiness for both my career and family. I’m willing to bet on Obama to deliver that future, and I think you should be, too.

information from www.Mittromney.com

Who’s your

POTUS? PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

In light of the upcoming election, North Pointe randomly polled 229 students: If you could vote for President, who would you pick?

115

94

20

OBAMA

OTHER

ROMNEY

Mitt’s the answer It seems that in the last four years, generation ‘Y’, has become generation ‘why us.’ Youth unemployment is 16.4% and a startling 1 out of 3 young black males is unemployed.

For those at- republican tending col- grant strobl lege, tuition has increased by 20% and tragically, 53% of recent graduates are unemployed or underemployed. Many new graduates are living with their parents because they can’t afford to live on their own: no job, no income, then no place to live other than with Mom and Dad. Even the Affordable Care Act leaves much to be desired; health care premiums rising 45% for the youth. Want to live with Mom and Dad, be unable to find a job, afford college, or afford your own health care?

That will be a sad reality with four more years of the disastrous, disappointing and discouraging results of President Obama’s policies.

Real hope and change lies in the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, who not only was a successful Governor of Massachusetts, but also a businessman who created thousands upon thousands of jobs.

Jobs are the hope of the future for young Americans. We need a president who knows how jobs are created, who knows how to work in a bi-partisan manner

and who will ensure that our future is bright. The youth of this country needs Mitt Romney.

I, like most teens, want to be able to have a job, afford to go to college, afford to drive to school and be able to live on my own. If we have four more years like the last, it would be dismal for young people like myself. In Romney’s five point plan he promises energy independence so we can afford to drive to school and to work; he vows to fight for affordable and effective higher education and job training programs; he is determined to cut the federal deficit thereby decreasing the debt burden on America’s youth and he pledges to reduce taxes on job creators to ensure the availability of jobs.

Mitt Romney’s plan is a way out. It is a way out of the war on young people that the Obama administration has been waging in the past four years.

Romney’s five-point plan will bring America out of recession and ensure that our youth can afford college and eventually acquire a job. Mitt Romney says it best: “I think this is a time when young people are questioning the support they gave to President Obama three and a half years ago. He promised bringing the country together; that sure hasn’t happened. He promised a future with good jobs and good opportunity; that hasn’t happened.”

Mitt is the answer for the future of our country and that is… us.

LIFE

6 – Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 – North Pointe

A Swift journey from country to pop

By Sean O’Melia Staff reporter

Tay lo r

Sw

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While it’s not even close to Valentine’s Day, everyone is talking about red – and Taylor Swift is seeing it. She has named her fourth album after the color she uses to describe her past two years, Red. The album is described by Swift as a memoir illustrating the ups and downs she has experienced emotionally. This shows in the 16 songs she’s produced. Her range of melodies does the job – expressing a variety of emotions that she has felt throughout the last two years.

The release of Red has upset many die-hard Swift fans, as she’s gravitating towards a mainstream radio style of music. Swift is running from her country roots and shifting towards the sounds

of pop. Some of her songs seem like an effort to keep her voice on the radio and make a quick buck, but they don’t get any meaningful point across. Her song “22” is a perfect example. While it’s catchy, it’s like any generic tune played on popular radio stations (like Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.”) “22” maintains a fastpaced rhythm with an annoyingly catchy chorus. It’s essentially about partying while you’re 22 years old, yet she doesn’t exactly explain the significance of that age.

Singles like “We Are Never Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble” are clear examples of Swift attempts to branch out to a new genre. Those songs are good for an occasional listen on the radio, when you’re looking for a song that you know – a fun listen every now and then.

She still includes her usual sensitive and calming ballads such as “Treacherous” and “All Too Well”

were good songs, as they seemed to mean a lot more to Swift, and they were a nice change of pace.

These provided a connection between the album and Swift.

In this fourth installment, there are plenty of potential hits.

“Begin Again” is quality. It had a good slow pace to it and an emotional tone . But unlike more than half of the album, “Begin Again” left a happy and hopeful note.

Other songs are very poor like the title track “Red.” The background beats of “Red” create an irritating ringing in my ears. I’m forced to click next on my iTouch.

But that is the most noticeably bad song on the whole album.

However, there are a bunch of hidden gems on this album that will likely be overlooked. “Stay Stay Stay” is a pleasantly uplifting song. It’s hard to listen to it without a smile. And with all the songs about love failing included on this album, it’s a nice change of pace – success with love. “Holy

Ground” and “Sad Beautiful Tragic” were both emotional and good listens, too.

“Everything Has Changed” is one of the best songs on the album. It isn’t catchy like “I Knew You Were Trouble” and it doesn’t have that rebellious attitude that “We Are Never Getting Back Together” brings. But if you’re looking for a great Taylor Swift song that won’t be ruined by the radio, this is it.

Though some die hard Swift fans may be critical, and some Swift haters may be even more critical, as a whole, the album met expectations. While it might not have been Swift’s best album, it gives a variety I can appreciate.

It didn’t pass with flying colors, but I would listen to it again, and I would have fun doing so.

Grade: B-

REVIEWS 8tracks

the mindy project

argo

Paranormal Activity 4

Studying?

There’s a playlist for that. Deeply in love? There’s a playlist for that, too.

8tracks is an app that is an Internet radio, twitter.com/8tracks accessible by iPhone, Android and computer. The app is similar to Pandora – with the ability to search genres, artist and songs, except with 8tracks, you can search for tags such as ‘party,’ ‘summer’ or ‘sad.’

Users can simply enjoy the pre –made playlists or share their music by creating their own soundtracks with a minimum of eight tracks.

The best part of 8tracks is listeners don’t have to be annoyed by the ads that disrupt music like on Pandora. If you’re really feeling the playlist you’re listening to, you can like it so you can find it easily later, and there is an option to share it through Facebook, Twitter and email; also, users can comment on a playlist so the creator, or “DJ,” can read it.

This ample app also has a social networking side to it where you can follow other users and browse through their playlists.

However, a down side to the app is it has the occasional freeze and crash, but this is not uncommon for apps. This drawback does not take much away from 8tracks’ prime search feature and large variety of music.

Dr. Kaling (Mindy Lahiri) is a single, aging doctor looking for love. She is enthralled with the idea of finding her soul mate. fox.com Obsessed with any and all chick-flicks, she looks to design her fantasy life based off of these unrealistic displays of affection.

She finds this a daunting task to handle as she tries to deviate from her old self: the one–night–stand, meaningless–relationship, 20 –year– old her.

The Mindy Project is the story of her struggle to act how she believes a 30-year-old doctor should, solid relationship and all.

The writing isn’t anything special; it’s nothing past the trite search for true love, something which most modern shows encompass, but the acting and the cast keep the audience entertained.

Mindy Lahiri, more famously known as Kelly Kapoor from The Office, brings a light-hearted personality to Mindy. But what really gives the show its enticing quality are the guest stars. They’ve featured Ed Helms, known as Andy Bernard on The Office, and Bill Hader and Seth Meyers from Saturday Night Live.

The Mindy Project stands out in the world of sitcoms. Though the writing is obviously aimed at a female audience, the acting really brings a great strength to it.

In 1979, 52 Americans were taken hostage

by Iranian mobs who were followers of Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian revolution. argothemovie.warnerbros.com Six evaded the mobs and found shelter in the Canadian Ambassador’s getaway house in Iran.

Back in the States, CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), is trying to figure out a way to return these six people home peacefully. He creates a fake movie, Argo, and flies to Iran. In order to get them out, he says these six people are part of his film crew, and they were just looking for a place to film.

The true story is intriguing and arouses sympathy for the characters. Everything the characters felt, the audience feels.

This movie is fast-paced, with nonstop action. A realistic aspect allows viewers to submerge completely in the storyline. Affleck’s performance is strong, but he doesn’t hog the spotlight. Throughout the movie, everyone is serious, but once they stop doubting Mendez’s plan their excitement shines through. The entire cast carries the movie, and with a few funny lines poking fun at today’s Hollywood, the film is suspenseful with a hint of humor.

All in all, Argo was a suspense–filled, true story with fictional addvins that maintained interest throughout.

As somebody who was petrified for months after watching the first Paranormal Activity, I was a bit uneasy walking into the theparanormalmovie.com ater on opening night of the fourth movie, Paranormal Activity 4. After staying away from the franchise for fear of undaunting demonic monsters, my defenses were up, but overall I was disappointed.

The movie follows the traditional Paranormal Activity formula. Somebody, in this case a teenage girl, is filming events happening in her daily life, but after noticing out of the ordinary occurrences, she begins to film for the purpose of catching spooky stuff. As this is usually the case for any Paranormal Activity, this movie did a poor job of drawing in the viewer to connect with the girl and her family before the fun began.

In the first movie it started with a happy, young couple filming for giggles, and their affection for one another was endearing. They were relatable, so connection among actors and viewers, made the scenes seem more realistic and personal. The fourth movie failed to capture that same feeling. The audience was ultimately left with no emotional connection by the time the family met their untimely demise.

The scariest part startled, more than frightened me, and the director’s intended suspense didn’t phase me. The movie had some startling scares but all and all was underwhelming.

By Libby Sumnik

By Patricia Bajis

By Melissa Healy

By Jacob Barry

B

B+

A

D+

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IDEAS

North Pointe – Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 – 7

My Free Time vs. Giant Octopus: “Grosse Pointe Public School administrators and teachers are responsible for encouraging and ensuring freedom of expression and freedom of the press for all students, regardless of whether the ideas expressed may be considered unpopular, critical, controversial, tasteless or offensive.”

Board of Education Policy

Maria Liddane Editor-in-Chief

Dayle Maas NEws editor

Jordan Radke Editor

Emma Ockerman Managing EDITOR

Our editorial represents the opinion of the North Pointe Editorial Board consisting of the editors above and staff members Melina Glusac, Audrey Kam and Jacob Barry.

OUR EDITORIAL

Beauty is more

than skin-andbones deep Glance at the covers of magazines Seventeen and Teen Vogue from the past six months and trends become apparent: protruding collar bones, tiny waistlines and flat stomachs.

Even if not explicitly endorsed by the fashion industry, these ideals are, de facto, heavily ingrained in our teenage culture. Raderprograms.com offers that the average U.S. model weighs 117 pounds and is 5’11”, while the average U.S. woman weighs 140 pounds and is 5’4”.

While it’s regrettable that such unrealistic norms have been established, these narrow-minded depictions of beauty become unsupportable when looking at their effects on young women’s mindsets. According to a National Institute on Media and the Family survey, 78% of girls are unhappy with their bodies by age 17 – 53% by age 13. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute found 40% of 9- and 10-year-old girls they surveyed had tried to lose weight. Even more urgent, of the 8 million Americans with eating disorders, 90% are young women.

These images are outwardly pervasive. In magazines targeted to adolescent girls, half of the advertisements deal with beauty; 56% of television commercials do as well, Nancy Signorelli of the University of Delaware found.

For a standard that has changed so much throughout history, (Ancient Mayans found skull deformation and crossed eyes deeply attractive) and even throughout the last half-century, beauty’s meaning – as determined by the fashion industry– has been narrowly and absurdly defined. The media aimed at the demographic most vulnerable to these messages can’t continue to defy appearance.

Seventeen editor Ann Shoket’s August proclamation that they will “celebrate every kind of beauty” with “real girls and models who are healthy” is the transparency deserved by readership – a demographic overwhelmingly vulnerable to negative feelings about their own growing bodies after viewing media ideals of beauty, a Kenyon College study found. Dove is another brand making strides in this department. Their Campaign for Real Beauty launched in 2004 aims to “encourage, inspire and motivate girls around the world.”

Promoting healthy, happy lifestyles is a high-minded goal – but exalting an exclusive and unrealistic body type is dangerous, and completely counter to it. A study

by Renée Botta found magazines aimed at promoting health might do the most harm to adolescent girls’ mindsets, and consequently, their bodies. Because girls don’t have a real, attainable standard to compare themselves to, they will strive for the impossible and hurt themselves doing so.

Campaigns like Dove’s do well to educate and expand the definition of beauty so narrowly defined in the fashion realm. Really, any way that positive message can get to young girls’ ears is good. If the grassroots work and support to make these magazines’ paradigms obsolete, they’ll become obsolete – and maybe learn something about their messages of “health” and “beauty” in the process.

Correction In our Oct. 20 issue, we printed that Charles Stahl was a freshman, when he is a sophomore. We also printed that Al Fox is a janitor when he is a day supervisor, as well as that his program runs Tuesday and Thursday when it runs Tuesday through Thurday.

A film fiend’s fetish for so-bad-it’s-good film The day is Friday, and the night is young.

A dull, red glow fills my abode rather eerily.

If it wasn’t for my presence, the house would be entirely empty. But then someone cues the ‘Dun, dun, dun!’ that allows the viewer to know something sinister is being realized. White text on a red background appears.

It reads ‘Netflix.’ My turn This situation jacob barry sounds oddly similar to the mediocre horror film I’m more than likely watching. Only in this case, the victim is what I’m doing with my life, and the killer can range anywhere from a murderous turkey from Thankskilling to the extra–terrestrial killer klowns from the movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

The average movie–goer gets fired up over things like Clint Eastwood asking about the luck of a young punk lying on the ground in Dirty Harry.

But what really gets me going is when Samuel L. Jackson yells out the warning, “Hold on to your butts!” in Jurassic Park (or better yet, when he exclaims in another film his disdain with the presence of snakes on a plane).

Which is what brings us back to my Friday night situation. Netflix is filled with that kind of movie – the kind that are so bad they’re good. Not to say Jurassic Park falls into that category, but Snakes on a Plane definitely does.

The Samuel L. Jackson quotes exist within this column because, with the same spine –tingling energy of his delivery of lines of biblical proportion in Pulp Fiction, Steven Spielberg has Jackson exclaim the words “Hold on to your butts!”

That’s what I love.

More than once I’ve had this conversa-

tion.

They ask, “Have you ever seen...blah blah blah?”

I respond, “No, was it good?”

“Yes.” “Then it’s not on Netflix, and I don’t have the energy to dig it up.”

Just because I don’t think Netflix has good movies doesn’t mean I think Netflix doesn’t have enjoyable movies. I once saw a Jaws-esque scene in Shark Attack 3: Megalodon where the main character was fighting an oversized shark in a sinking ship, and, after she won the fight with a shotgun, there was about one minute of celebration by the crew before a massive shark came and swallowed their boat whole. And that wasn’t even the best part.

I’ve spent so much time watching these films that I have sentimental connections with them. When I heard IMDB (International Movie Data Base) marked Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter as one of the worst movies of all time (shocker, I know), I was pretty disappointed.

That movie marks an occasion in my life that I will remember forever. Even when I recalled the kung–fu action scenes and how poorly orchestrated they were, I still thought they were missing the point. It is not the number three worst movie of all time, IMDB. There’s always a degree to which I wonder, “Why am I doing this? Can Mega Shark or Giant Octopus really tell me anything useful of the troubles that are to come in my life?”

As relatable as I find them, they aren’t very articulate, but that kind of thinking misses the purpose of a movie: to entertain. Just because destroying Tokyo isn’t a metaphor for the toils of mortal men doesn’t make it any less entertaining for me.

In fact, it opens up a whole branch of movies to watch.

“For history, my teacher wants us to tweet what the candidates are talking about.

I don’t really know what’s going on, but I have to.”

“I don’t have one, but if I could I would ... mostly about political goofs, if you did something wrong somebody should point it out.”

“I feel like I don’t know enough about it to share my opinion.”

Michael Duquet

Jamie Lackner

Mariah Herfi

Freshman

Junior

Sophomore

YOUR TURN: Do you tweet about politics? By Sean O’Melia & Andrea Scapini

“I say, ‘stop tweeting about politics, it’s annoying. Keep your thoughts to yourself.’”

“I don’t tweet about politics.

If I ever have a tweet about politics, it relates to something else.”

“I just never tweet about politics, especially not to a group of people who can see it.”

Christian Carlson

Gary Abud

Toni Lee

senior

Science teacher

EDITOR-IN-CHiEF: Maria Liddane SECTION EDITORS: Dayle Maas, Kim Cusmano, Lauren Semack, Gabby Burchett ASSISTANT EDITORS: Kristen Kaled, Andrea Scapini, Amanda Berry, Marie Bourke, Izzy Ellery STAFF REPORTERS: Patricia Bajis, Colleen Reveley, , Melissa Healy, Natalie Skorupski, Sara Villani, Libby Sumnik, Rachel Cullen, Jacob Barry, Danae DiCicco PHOTOGRAPHERS: Caroline Schulte (Photo Editor) Emily Huguenin (Assistant Photo Editor) Sean O’Melia, Kaylee Dall INTERNS: Ashley Brown, Haley Reid, Sarah Schade, Audrey Kam, Anna Hopkins, Jenna Belote EDITOR: Jordan Radke MANAGING EDITOR: Emma Ockerman ILLUSTRATOR: Jordan Jackson

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

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

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

CONTACT US 707 Vernier Road Grosse Pointe Woods MI, 48236 Phone: 313.432.3248 Email: northpointe@gpschools.org Website: myGPN.org Twitter: myGPN FACULTY ADVISER: Shari Adwers, CJE

editor’s desk emma ockerman

Rage against the Starbucks

Welcome to Starbuck Addicts Anonymous.

I’ll be your host this evening; please, be respectful in my time of recovery, as I am seven hours sober of a latte.

It was a crisp September morning when I sacrificed $3.98 to a tall, salted caramel mocha, after years of resisting the urge to be trendy. At that point, I was a newcomer, an innocent to the baristas and the customers I would later learn practically lived in Starbucks, their shape indented in the seemingly welcoming armchairs.

I would soon become one of their kind.

At roughly 7:30 a.m. on any given morning, you may see me driving my silver Ford Fusion at a fairly illegal speed to my neighborhood Starbucks, my hand clenched in the semi-circle a frothy pumpkin spice latte will later inhabit.

Since my introduction to Starbucks a mere two months ago, I have given over $100 to the acclaimed coffee messiahs in exchange for near-scalding fashionable beverages.

I would be ashamed, I would bow my head in resignation as you laughed at the ignorance of throwing sweet benjamins away to a corporate, overpriced marketing fad – but we unite ourselves as hypocrites; it’s what gives us strength.

We have all sacrificed $3.98 for a pumpkin spice latte. We are all its children now.

According to businessinsider.com, the average Starbucks customer visits six times per month, while Starbucks’s most loyal 20% will visit at least 16 times per month.

I’m there roughly every day. On my bad days, maybe I’ll make a second hurried stop in as I replenish my most corporate thirst.

They have a name for people like me – clinically insane.

But I digress. I am not here to glorify my most horrendous addiction. No, my friends, I come to inform.

Think before you spend $3.55 on that tall caramel macchiato. Think before your lips touch its plastic lid, and you find yourself on a downward spiral that will leave you explaining to your children why you refer to a ten-dollar bill as “twoand-a-half pumpkin spice lattes.”

We don’t have to be the ones our children are ashamed of as we tentatively sip our coffee out of their view in back alleys and behind garages. We don’t have to face our son’s first girlfriend stifling a horrified glance as she realizes she can smell the ‘bucks from you at a ten-foot radius. We could lead slightly normal lives – tarnished with the memory of overpriced coffee, but still manageable.

During these dark times, my friends will be there to hold me as I convulse with irrevocable desire for my most craved roast. As I cry in agony, they will be the ones to clutch my hands in theirs, and say “we can do this, Emma.”

We need to believe that we can overcome this enormous feat.

I tell as a friend and as an accomplice: resist that trendy coffee. Resist. For your children.

Life

North Pointe - Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 - 8

Fall into the season

By Caroline Schulte, Emily Huguenin & Kristen Kaled Photo Editors

“I love how pretty it looks outside with all the leaves falling.”

Meghan Veltri Sophomore

“I like the fall for several reasons; the cool weather, the changing colors, apple cider and apple pie.”

Wissam Jawad Junior

“My favorite thing about fall is the NFL season. My favorite activity is playing footbal for North.”

Daniel Sosnowski Sophomore

“I love a chai tea latte from Starbucks especially when it’s super cold and windy out.”

Anna Sinh Junior

“The changing leaves make the drive down Lakeshore really pretty.”

Marne Gallant Senior

“My favorite thing about fall is getting to wear chunky sweaters and boots.”

Lucy Dodge Freshman