NEWS PAGE 2 The Gearheads compete at a robotics competition. See how they did at the girls-only invitational at Bloomfield Hills High School on Saturday, Nov. 11. GEARHEADS
NORTH
GROSSE POINTE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
FALL SPORTS AWARDS
Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m in the Performing Arts Center
WINTER MEET THE COACHES Monday, Nov. 20 from 6-7 p.m. in cafeteria
THANKSGIVING BREAK
No school from Wednesday, Nov. 22 to Friday, Nov. 24
HALF DAY Students will have morning classes only on Wednesday, Dec. 6 HOLIDAY TEA
Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. in Performing Arts Center
INSIDE "
SPORTS HAVE
NEVER BEEN
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DIVIDED
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REMEMBER WHEN IT
BECAME
NORMAL FOR
SO MANY
BAD THINGS
TO HAPPEN IN SUCH
RAPID SUCCESSION
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WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15, 2017
New study shows connection between adolescent concussions, multiple sclerosis By Sofia Ketels & Amelia Nowicki PAGE EDITOR & INTERN It was a normal softball practice for junior Isabella Cusmano. As she ran onto the field, an unexpected toss from a teammate hit her in the temple. The next day, Cusmano’s mom grew concerned, and she was later diagnosed with a minor concussion. Like other student athletes, Cusmano has been unaware of some potential long-term consequences of a concussion. Though seemingly nonthreatening, the repercussions of this injury could potentially increase the risk of multiple sclerosis and other threatening disabilities or illnesses later on in life. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an autoimmune disorder that attacks the protective sheath around nerve fibers, causing permanent damage and deterioration in the nerves. The disease is incurable and is, for the most part, triggered by autoimmune and environmental factors in a person who has a slight genetic predisposition. New studies have shown that triggers such as trauma to the brain—specifically during adolescence—can spark development of the disease. Though the chances of head injury and a subsequent concussion are still slim, student athletes are warned to take precautions when it comes to head injury. However, students who have had teenage head injuries could develop the serious autoimmune condition in their adult lives with little warning. “It’s not like a leg or an arm or something,” Cusmano said. “It’s your head, and I feel like that’s the most important part of your body, so you’re gonna need to make sure your brain is 100 percent ok before
anything else.” According to an October study published in the Annals of Neurology by doctors at Orebro University and Karolinska
are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, leaving years for the disease to develop after an injury in adolescence. North’s athletic teams take precautions such as wearing protective gear and following extensive protocols to help student athletes avoid
that after a concussion, a student does not play or practice until he or she is back at full capacity. This helps to eliminate the risk of sustaining another traumatic head injury or to worsen the concussion. Sophomore Zach Doerr, who recently had a concussion, explained that the JV boys soccer team practices and discusses these techniques excessively. Before these most recent findings were announced, Doerr had only been aware of studies linking traumatic brain injuries sustained in football with disease later in life. He had not heard of these injuries applying to other sports. In certain situations however, they are seemingly unavoidable, as Doerr discovered when he got a concussion playing soccer just last year. “It took me out for like two weeks, and I couldn’t play, so that sucked. They hurt a lot. They just take all the energy out,” Doerr said. Like Doerr and other student athletes who have heard of these recent studies, Cusmano believes SYEDA RIZVI concusthat this will cause Institute sions. According to athletes and parents in Sweden, the chance of develboys soccer coach Eric Vanston, to take a step back and examine oping MS remains slim among the team discusses proper ways to the policies and protocols behind all demographics, but people who perform certain techniques in order concussion prevention in high sustained a concussion as adolesto avoid head injury that may affect school sports. cents had a student athletes In the Swedish study, one of the 22 percent both on and off lead doctors made clear that the increase the field. results of this study were not meant in their “Most to discourage teens from playing chances of concussions sports. It means that risks of head developing impact the injury need to be vastly decreased the disease. student’s life for high school student athletes, What’s outside of and Cusmano agrees. more, teens soccer because “I think that it’s kind of a lot to who sufthey have to be wrap your head around, even somefered more careful about thing as minor as mine, ” Cusmano than one light and using said. “It’s good to be aware now Isabella Cusmano concussion their phone,” that when I get older and I see JUNIOR saw their Vanston said. these symptoms I can go the doctor odds rise by “Some may and figure out what’s going on, it’s around 150 percent. have to miss school.” kinda scary to me.” Similar information from Mayo The protocols in place for the Clinic states that most cases of MS athletic department help to ensure
“
It's kind of a lot to wrap your head around, even something as minor as mine.
History exhibit educates students on segregation in Metro Detroit By Elizabeth Ballinger, JoAnna Alexander & Brittni Braswell PAGE EDITOR & INTERNS
"I DON’T
NORTHPOINTENOW.ORG
SINCE 1968
“
UPCOMING EVENTS INTERACT CLUB MEETING Thursday, Nov. 16 at 3:15 p.m. in the cafeteria
POINTE
Even though it didn’t surprise her, when social studies teacher Terri Steimer’s students learned about the segregational systems in place in Grosse Pointe during the 1960s at the Michigan Roundtable Exhibit, she said they were shocked. The exhibit, a traveling showcase depicting the inequality of housing in the Metro Detroit area from the early 19th to the mid-20th century, came to the Performing Arts Center Monday through Friday, Nov. 6-10. Principal Kate Murray, along with Grosse Pointe South administration as well as social studies teacher Bridget Cooley and English teacher Geoffery Young, worked with Steimer to bring the exhibit to Grosse Pointe. She said most communication was done between school administration and the exhibit coordinators. “I think the displays are an honest appraisal of the unabashed historical prejudice and bias in Detroit and the surrounding communities," Steimer said via email. “The exhibit has been well-attended this week. Students in all disciplines have been busy. We are truly fortunate to have the exhibit.” According to Steimer, the “point system”
@thenorthpointe www.northpointenow.org
VOLUME 50 | ISSUE 5
in place during the 1960s in Grosse Pointe most surprised her students. It required realtors to submit names of potential buyers to the Grosse Pointe Property Owners Association before the purchase was approved. The names were then screened, and a private investigator was hired to judge potential buyers on their suitability for the community. To do this, the system ranked buyers that were not white and Christian. According to William Thompson, a professor at the University of Nevada, points would be given for the extent to which the buyer was "Americanized," meaning how similar they were to the community. This included subcategories on their "general standing," such as: “swarthiness of appearance," "friends," "dress," "religion," "education," "use of grammar" and "accent." Minorities such as Greeks, Germans, and Northern Europeans had separate categories for home ownership. Blacks, Hispanics and Asians were automatically ineligible to be homeowners. Today, Steimer said the city is the most diverse it has ever been. She said this affects the makeup of the schools and shows the long-term failure of the policies displayed in the exhibit. “Grosse Pointe is much more racially diverse than ever before … when the community is more diverse, so are the News Briefs
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Editorial On Campus
schools,” Steimer said. “We are fortunate to have such a cultural mix, which was not always the case. When I started teaching at North 24 years ago, North was, I believe, 99.9 percent white. There have been some remarkable changes.” Students viewed the exhibit during select classes. Specifically, Steimer said students visited during English and social studies classes. Sophomore Malia Peck visited the exhibit during Steimer’s class. She said the exhibit made her appreciate the hardships of minority Detroiters. Peck believes that educating viewers on the past prevents history from repeating itself. “I shouldn’t have been shocked, but I was,” Peck said. “I think it’s good for the school, because they are educating us on what we shouldn’t be doing in the future.” Freshman Esha Kumar visited the exhibit the exhibit during her English class. She said it educated her on both the histories of Grosse Pointe and Detroit, which she had little knowledge of beforehand. Like Peck, she said the exhibit gives viewers knowledge of the history of segregation, which she said she hopes to never see again. “It was about how the civil rights movement had an effect on Grosse Pointe, and it talked a lot about the Motor City, which I thought was interesting because I 3 4
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See pictures from the showcase on page four. don’t know much about our city,” Kumar said. “I can go on and learn from the things that people did wrong, and I can make sure that I never do them.” Steimer said the exhibit was an allaround positive experience for the students. She hopes it ends up in an accessible location after it finishes going through schools around the county. It will be at University Liggett School next. Steimer’s goal was for students to learn about the history of Metro Detroit, the direction it is moving in and the role they play in the area’s future while the exhibit was here. “It's very important to know the history of the community in order to improve the future. Can we erase the past? Of course not—that is dangerous territory. Building on the past is the most important thing,” Steimer said. “There have been huge social and economic changes in the city in the past 10-15 years, and I think the direction for the future is a positive one.”
In-Depth Sports
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