Senior/ Cub Issue May 29, 2020 by nhsthoeditor

A Northwood High School Publication Follow us on Instagram @nhs.howler www.TheHowlerOnline.org

Volume XXI, Issue IX: May 29, 2020

4515 Portola Pkwy. Irvine, CA 92620

Photos provided by Avery Liu and HSYAT

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS: Local students take the time to contr ibute to COVID-19 relief effor ts by making care packages and masks.

Don’t stop me now: students respond to COVID-19 By Pranav Gaddam and Rachel Gima Staff Writers

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Northwood community has organized various relief efforts to aid fellow citizens through programs such as the High School Youth Action Team (HSYAT) and Miracle for Youth as well as individual students reaching out to the community. One such individual is sophomore Avery Liu, who decided to give back to the workers at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC)

after recovering from a major surgery there, which prevented her from competing on Northwood’s Varsity Swim Team this year. However, Liu utilized the team’s spirit by leading her teammates in creating gift bags for workers on the surgical floor. “Through this drive, our team managed to come together and do something that would greatly help those fighting on the front lines,” Liu said. “I wanted us to give back to the hospital staff because they are sacrificing their time, effort and lives to help us. Our team can no longer see each other during practice or cheer

for one another at meets, but what we can do is come together as a team and support healthcare workers.” Similar efforts have come from HSYAT, which has been supporting essential workers through various service projects, creating tokens of gratitude such as thank-you cards and homemade masks for essential workers. “HSYAT wants to continue contributing to the community, and even a pandemic can’t diminish the passion we have towards bettering the world,” HSYAT class representative junior Ayushi Bhardwaj said. “There

are workers out there who need our direct help as well as emotional support and encouragement, and we try to appreciate all of their sacrifices in our own simple ways.” Along with supporting essential workers, students have rallied to help children achieve academic success despite the challenges that come with Emergency Distance Learning. One example is Miracle for Youth, which provides free tutoring services for elementary school students through Zoom. They have also partnered with Interlude Musical Outreach to provide free music les-

sons to elementary school students. “We were able to work together and create a change in our community through our passion to help students receive educational opportunities,” Miracle For Youth Executive Director sophomore Justin Kim said. These initiatives are simply a few of the numerous efforts that have been established within the student body that aim to support, thank and give back to the community. “Together, we know that whatever obstacle that comes will be overcome,” Kim said. “Because in our organization, miracles happen.”

2020-2021 student leadership Senior Bethany Huang at “Graduate Together” By Rachel Gima Staff Writer

ASB elections were held virtually from April 16-24 due to the implementation of Emergency Distance Learning and social distancing guidelines. While the election speech videos had already been recorded in March, school was already operating remotely once campaigning was set to begin. “Due to shelter in place, elections were dramatically different this year,” incoming ASB President junior Kara Chu said. “We were all at home

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when campaigning was supposed to start. Instead of posters at school, all campaigning was done through social media.” After campaigning, the candidates’ election videos were made available on Northwood ASB’s website. Students voted electronically to select the officials, who are eager to step up to their new roles in the fall. “I’m looking forward to working with people that I love so much to make the rest of the school have a great time,” incoming ASB Vice President junior Lily Freeman said. “Whether it’s VAPA, sports or all of our amazing clubs and other programs, there’s such a diverse range of things that NHS has, and I love how supportive our student body is of the unique and cool things that we do.” Despite the challenges presented by the uncertain future, the newly elected ASB members are looking forward to doing whatever they can to best serve the school in the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. “Since we don’t really know what school events will look like due to COVID-19, I’m ready to adapt to whatever challenges or restrictions we might face,” Chu said. “It’s important to me to still have hype events which show our school spirit and our sense of community!”

Photo provided by Bethany Huang

I N H E R F ORT E : S e ni or B ethany Hu ang f i lm s he r accompanying per formance to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” By Ryan Wu Staff Writer

Senior Bethany Huang was chosen from a group of gifted young musicians across the country to showcase her musical talent at “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020.” Huang accompanied a select

group of student singers who formed a virtual choir for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” “It was so crazy seeing myself on national television for the first time,” Huang said. “This is definitely an awesome experience I’ll never forget.” “Graduate Together” was an American television special that

aired on major American television networks on May 16. It included a large lineup of moving celebrity performances, commencement speeches and inspiring vignettes commemorating high school seniors around the nation who lost their in-person graduation ceremonies due to stay-athome orders amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Guest appearances included LeBron James as the host, as well as former President Barack Obama, Zendaya, Kevin Hart and Dua Lipa. “I really liked that all of these celebrities came together to congratulate the senior class,” Huang said. “It was also great that organizers were able to incorporate so many seniors into the program.” The event’s casting company reached out to Huang upon an online review of her recitals, competitions and other accomplishments as a pianist. Upon receiving sheet music for the national anthem, Huang practiced and memorized the piece within two days. She then went on to record her performance in a Burbanks Studio. “I still can’t believe that President Obama watched me perform,” Huang said. “Being a part of an event of this caliber is encouraging me to work even harder on the piano, and I hope I inspired other students to do the same with their passions.”

ACCENT

May 29, 2020

The Northwood Howler

Senior spotlight: post high school plans By Ryan Wu Staff Writer

When it comes to academically driven high school students, there often exists an underlying expectation that attending a four-year college after graduation is a must. Conversely, students should be open to all options by thinking about how they can map their future to create their own individual success. Here are a couple of seniors who demonstrate that as long as you have a plan for your future, a four-year college is not the only viable option. Senior Grant Walker plans to take a unique route: He is joining the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), a labor union that offers a wide range of degree programs in partnership with Eastern Gateway Community College of the University System of Ohio. “Through IBEW, I get the opportunity to be an apprentice electrician, where I can get work experience while also having class hours,” Walker said. Through the Free College program provided through IBEW, members can obtain associate degrees in subjects ranging from cybersecurity to criminal justice. This allows people of all ages to get a head start in the workforce and transfer class credits to universities and other institutions across the country. Walker believes that Northwood has helped guide him in his journey to make the right decision. “What I like about Northwood is its wide variety of classes for students to try out,” Walker said. “You can really find your passion through one of them, so my advice is to take

advantage of the opportunities you’re given.” Senior Lexi Cole took this same advice to heart through her years at Northwood, finding a passion in the STEM field like many other Northwood students. Similar to Walker, Cole will be receiving her higher education with an alternative method: attending community college. “Next year, I will be attending Golden West College to pursue a major in nursing and a minor in psychology,” Cole said. “I hope to become a pediatric nurse as well as a labor and delivery nurse in the future since I love working with children.” Attending a community college before transferring to a four-year has its own advantages. Students can save tens of thousands of dollars by finishing their general education at a community college. Additionally,

academic flexibility and an important school-life balance are both benefits of going to a community college. “I got so caught up in making other people happy that I lost sight of my own dreams for a while, but being able to openly communicate with my family and friends really helped,” Cole said. “Because I was most worried about the money aspect of college, I am thankful that the College and Career Center gave me other options to pursue my interests.” Through these encouraging anecdotes of seniors exploring their passions through alternative means, current high-school juniors and underclassmen are advised to use the resources provided through Northwood to formulate a post-graduation plan that suits their individual needs and aspiration, not one that is only in accordance to societal expectations.

Photo provided by Malak Hassouna

COLLEGE PRIDE: Senior Malak Hassouna shows off her American University gear and plans to pursue Women Studies and Pre-Law.

Day in the Life: Student vs. Teacher

Photos provided by Adam Bauer

LIVING WITH A SMILE: Sophomore Adam Bauer completes his daily routine. By Tyler Wong

Staff Writer

Sophomore Adam Bauer 9:30 a.m.: Wake up. I spend some time in bed checking Snapchat and scrolling through Instagram on my phone. 10 a.m.: I finally got out of bed. It’s time to eat breakfast! I’m going to pour myself a bowl of Miniwheats. 10:30 a.m.: Take a break, relax, and watch Youtube. I like watching videos by Premier Guitar, Hepyrian and Rob Scallon. 11 a.m.: Work time. Time to start on some homework and school work. I’ll finish any remaining work later in the day. 12 p.m.: Grab some lunch. I’m gonna go eat a bagel. 12:30 p.m.: Time to relax. Grab a snack and watch some Youtube. 1 p.m.: Finish any remaining homework and schoolwork so I can end my day doing things I like. 3 p.m.: Watch Youtube, play Minecraft and practice guitar. I also take a shower. 6:30 p.m.: Eat a quick dinner. It typically consists of just a salad. 7 p.m.: I end my day off by watching Youtube or movies, playing Minecraft and practicing guitar. 2 a.m.: Time to sleep!

English teacher Sara Katlen 6 a.m.: Wake up. I check personal and work emails from the night before and double-check postings on Canvas. I make sure that all lessons and links work. 6:45 a.m.: I try to do 15 minutes of Italian practice on Duolingo every day, so I don’t completely lose the language. 7 a.m.: Make breakfast (Greek yogurt, oatmeal and green tea). While I am eating, I watch “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central. It’s good to start the day with some humor. 7:45 a.m.: Wash breakfast dishes, make the bed, jump in the shower and get dressed. 8:30 a.m.: Organize my schedule for the day, grade work for multiple classes, and have team zoom meetings, and respond to emails. 11:30 a.m.: Quick lunch. I’m going to have a salad 12:30 p.m.: Respond to more emails and do more grading. I’m also doing junior conferences. 4 p.m.: Do household chores, read a little, call parents to check in with them. 5 p.m.: Cook dinner. Tonight is risotto with roasted tomatoes, garlic, fresh oregano, asparagus and snap pea salad with fresh mint, dill, shallot and lemon vinaigrette.

Board games for boredom By Erin Tsai Staff Writer

Just because you can’t see your friends in person does not mean you can’t still hang out with them. Playing games online with your friends is a great way to let loose and have fun together. Here are some of the best games available online to help you maintain your friendships while having to physically distance from your friends. skribbl.io Skribbl.io is an online doodling game where you guess what your friends are drawing. To guess, all you have to do is type into the builtin chat. You’ll gain points based on how fast you can guess the prompt, and the person with the most points at the end of the rounds wins. It may be a simple doodling game, but it is bound to keep you and your friends entertained with its simplicity. You can use the default prompts, or make your own silly prompts to play with your friends. Uno

Uno is often known as the card game that can make or break friendships. Not only is there the classic Uno you know and love, there are several other modes like “Go Wild,” which features more exciting action cards, or you can enter the in-app tournament that pits you against all Uno players worldwide. Whether you want to play competitively or casually, you are sure to enjoy this card game classic. Taboo This classic party game requires one player to help their team guess keywords without using the listed taboo words. There are many online versions of this game, and only one

person needs to see the list of words at a time. Hop into a voice chat to listen to your friends struggle to succeed at this task. Game Pigeon Game Pigeon lets you play a variety of games with your friends through iMessage, from Word Search to the classic Cup Pong. Unfortunately, this app is only available on iOS, but it’s a fun way to stoke that competitive nature within your friend group.

quarantine graphic

Sky: Children of the Light Although not as lively as the previous games, it deserves a spot on this list as a beautiful multiplayer mobile game. With its gorgeous graphics and beautiful music, you are sure to be charmed by the enchanting story. You can complete the storyline by helping ancestral spirits move on, or you can just explore the world and meet new friends online. Sky values exploration and teamwork, so don’t be afraid to gather your friends to adventure together as you discover its new worlds unbounded. Codenames Codenames is a game where two different teams try to guess different “codenames,” or words. First, separate into red and blue teams, and assign one person from each team to be the “spymaster” to give out clues to the “field operatives” who pick the codenames. 25 Codename cards are laid out, representing red agents, blue agents, innocent bystanders, and one assassin, and the spymaster receives a map of what each card is. A team wins when they discover all of their team’s agents, so the spymaster must be strategic when giving out clues. But, be careful: The team that picks the assassin card will lose the game, so pick your cards wisely.

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A&E

The Northwood Howler

May 29, 2020

Turning point of entertainment A By Ryan Wu Staff Writer

With the effects of the novel COVID-19 sparking new headlines every day, Hollywood and the often fast-paced world of the film industry have been put on a hold, silently waiting for the outbreak to subside before resuming as before. Film events, from the Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan to the 40th Annual Razzie Awards in Los Angeles, were canceled with no intention of rescheduling. However, it may be the cancellation of one event in particular, the Cannes Film Festival, originally set to take place from May 12-23, which had the largest cultural impact on the film industry. A grand selection of future award-winning films that were initially presented at last year’s Cannes Film Festival included Parasite, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Cannes certainly has an important reputation for separating genius from mediocrity and for being the backbone of the art of filmmaking, an expectation they have honored for the last 74 years. Even with this expectation, however, festival director Thierry Frémaux was hesitant to host an online festival. “Its soul, its history, its efficiency, [going online is] a model that wouldn’t work,” Frémaux said in an interview with Variety. The reason for Frémaux’s reluctance to revamp the festival is clear: Cannes is also known for its extravagant display of affluence, with film actresses sporting embellished dresses and its iconic red carpet presenting Cannes as a prestigious gathering of film connoisseurs. An online option would simply make the general populace question the necessity of such an exclusive event, as even Cannes

Holding

stresses that what matters are the films themselves. However, a transition to online platforms may already be in the works. To be held on YouTube from May 29-June 7, film festivals worldwide are showing movies in a 10 day event named We are One: A Global Film Festival. This online festival also acts as a fundraiser, with viewer proceeds being donated to COVID-19 relief organizations. The pandemic has made movie streaming services a necessity rather than a convenience, as it is no longer safe to spend hours in a crowded movie theater. Some anticipated movie releases have been regretfully delayed, but others have taken advantage of this situation and consequently made history. The film Trolls World Tour had a very limited theater release on April 10 and was digitally released on the same day. After the weekend of its digital release, FandangoNow reported that Trolls World Tour had set the record for their most pre-ordered movie ever and was the top-selling

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onto

By Jonathan Kang Staff Writer

Since a large part of music involves the spirit of playing together and creating something collectively, music can be difficult to produce while we are isolated in quarantine. Nevertheless, students in Northwood’s Instrumental Music Program are still finding ways to create music at home. Although Instrumental Music Directors Ben Case and Whitney Tavlarides are assigning musical projects during Emergency Distance Learning, some students are taking their commitment further. Sophomore Kathleen Pan turned her assigned flute cover of “Love Like You” by Rebecca Sugar into a full-scale music video dedicated to healthcare workers fighting COVID-19. “My inspiration for the music

movie every day for its first three days. After ranking number one in orders on every major video streaming platform, the film made over $40 million over its first weekend. Three weeks of digital sales resulted in an approximate $95 million gross, accruing a profit greater than the domestic theater gross of the first Trolls movie. The success of Trolls World Tour throws the way people view movies into question. One thing known for sure is that immediate digital releases lose theater profits, so studios are theatrically releasing movies that are expected to attract a wider audience and gross much larger a profit, such as F9, by pushing back their release dates by nearly a year. On the other hand, people are starting to realize that it’s easier to sit at home and pay less money to stream a movie. What live events like theaters or festivals are going to have to figure out is how to deliver a safe experience while offering something more valuable than the convenience of watching movies at home.

euphonious future

By Tyler Wong Staff Writer

Playing an instrument requires a lot of commitment, dedication and passion, but Northwood senior Kate Jensen makes it look effortless. She can be seen on campus (when we aren’t in quarantine) playing trombone in Northwood’s Marching Band, Jazz 1, pit orchestra and Chamber Winds. After continuous participation in Northwood’s Instrumental Music Pro- gram, Jensen will study trombone performance at California State University, Long Beach and plans to pursue a career as a professional trombonist. T h e Howler: How did you choose your major? Kate Jensen: I decided to major in music when I started high school. It was always a part of my life and I wanted to continue with it. I originally wanted to major in euphonium performance, but I was exposed to playing more trombone through jazz, Chamber Winds, and Marching Band. It gave me more opportunities to play music and I hope it will lead me to more opportunities in the future. TH: What led you to play trombone? KJ: I started playing the trombone in 8th grade because I played euphonium for jazz and figured I needed to learn trombone to fit in better with the section. TH: What are some difficulties you have faced as a trombonist?

KJ: A big struggle I faced while playing trombone was the switch from euphonium to trombone. For some time, I would change my embouchure while playing trombone instead of going to the correct position because that is how you get a note in tune while playing the euphonium. It took some time to develop my ears and get used to altering the positions rather than my mouth. TH: What do you think is the best part about playing the trombone? KJ: The best thing about playing trombone was being able to find a strong community through Marching Band

and being able to be a section leader or role model to many colleagues--much of which I have learned from the leaders before me. TH: Where do you see yourself in the next several years? KJ: After college, I would like to find a professional orchestra or symphony to join. It would be a dream come true to play in the Long Beach Symphony with professional players around me to learn from. TH: How has music changed your life? KJ: Music has become a support mechanism for me. There have been some times in my life where I have felt lost, but knowing that I had music made me able to get back to my normal self. There is always a song that gives you a certain feeling. You can have happy songs, sad songs or anything in between, and having those songs in my life has built me to be more understanding of my emotions. I rely on music so much that without it, I think my life would be bland. Photo provided by Kate Jensen

music Top 3: must-see pandemic films

video was my mom, who is currently working in healthcare in Los Angeles, and all those who continue practicing kindness such as local nurses and doctors,” Pan said. ““Love Like you” fits the current time when we are giving back to those we love, especially those putting others before themselves.” Pan and many other students are creating music to conserve the spirit of a community that has become increasingly scarce in these unprecedented times. The music that they produce is a reminder of what can be done to help others in quarantine, even when there is no access to the resources that we have previously taken for granted. “I have been playing music that my parents and friends love in order to help them feel less lonely,” Pan said. “This is a stressful time, so do something that will help you.”

Graphic provided by Kathleen Pan

A D.I.Y. ATTEMPT: Sophomore Kathleen Pan includes self-made graphics as a background for her music video.

By Pranav Gaddam Staff Writer

As the coronavirus pandemic has forced us to stay within our homes, here are few movies that will send a shiver down your spine, but leave a meaningful message about humanity’s resilience. Train to Busan (2016) This thrilling zombie film follows a group fighting for survival as a zombie outbreak runs rampant in South Korea. Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) is a divorced father and workaholic which strains his relationship with his daughter, Su-an (Kim Su-an) to the extent where she wants to celebrate her birthday with her mother, rather than her father. As they board the train to head to Busan, a zombie manages to get on board, quickly infecting passengers. Luckily, a few passengers are able to isolate themselves from the zombie horde, but the danger has not passed. Now the question becomes if the passengers can quickly find a safe zone before the zombie outbreak spreads even more. Contagion (2011) Contagion is a movie that portrays the modern issues and consequences of a pandemic ranging from civil unrest to fake news. The film is formatted by the number of days that passed after the virus first spread. Two days after returning from Hong Kong, Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) is dead. She is the first victim of an unknown virus, which has now begun spreading rapidly through the community. These first cases catch the eyes of the Department of Home-

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ENDLESS WORK: Dr. Ally Hextall works in a lab to find the origins of the virus to develop a vaccine in “Contagion.” land Security and Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who respond with quarantines and medical camps. As the death toll continues to rise, World Health Organization (WHO) epidemiologist Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) investigates the origin of the virus with only unfruitful results. Other scientists, such as Dr. Ally Hextail, work to develop a cure. Despite the efforts of many individuals, major cities are in lockdown and violence spreads. Will humanity prevail or succumb to the deadly virus? Cloverfield (2008) What was once the bustling city of New York turns into a wasteland due to the arrival of the Cloverfield monster. During this wake of destruction, Hud (T.J. Miller) films a

group of New Yorkers struggling to reach safety during the monster’s attack. Prior to this at Robert Hawkins’ (Michael Stahl-David) farewell party, news of a capsized vessel in the harbor draws the attention of partygoers. This small incident escalates dramatically as a shadowy creature rises from the ocean and spreads its terror in Manhattan. At the same time, smaller parasites spread a dangerous virus through bites on the skin. The group now rushes to save Beth McIntyre (Odette Yustman) who is trapped underneath the rubble of her apartment. After rescuing her, they have a limited time to reach the evacuation point before the military will bomb the creature. Whether they survive or not, you will find out in the movie. Send us your favorite pandemic films! Visit https://thehowleronline. org/ for more information.

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The Northwood Howler

SENIOR ISSUE

May 29, 2020

SENIOR ISSUE

The Northwood Howler

The good side of goodbye Dancing in the rain

By Sarika Rau

The Babysitter

It’s deadline night and I’m lying draped dramatically across two or three tiny computer lab chairs, impatiently waiting to clear one last page and already looking forward to that rush I always get right after we send the paper to print. If you had told me three and a half years before, when I was still teetering on the edge of not taking Beginning Journalism at all, I would have scoffed at the thought of finding so much joy and validation in releasing an issue (then again, I probably wouldn’t have believed it if you had told me we would be in the midst of a global pandemic while writing my senior farewell article.) But the ability to take pride and find pleasure in my work is just one small sign of how much I’ve seen myself change for the better thanks

to The Howler. I used to measure my self-worth in how quickly I could get an article in, how few edits needed to be made, how many words of validation I received from my higher-ups, but The Howler has shaped me into a more confident leader and a better person, and those aren’t my measures of success anymore. I measure my success by the overly loud happy chatter in the Howler pod during class periods, by the relief and satisfaction on our editors’ faces as they say their goodbyes and wish those of us remaining luck after a particularly long and arduous deadline day and possibly most of all by a passing comment from a non-Howler friend: “You guys are like a cult. It’s honestly kind of creepy how in sync you all are.” I’ve been so incredibly privileged to have had the chance to lead such a dynamic group of individuals that works together in sync to pro-

duce a paper that serves as a vehicle to do good in the Northwood community through its quality writing, photography and graphics—although I prefer to use the word “family” instead of “cult.” While my Howler family has had its fair share of bickering and drama like any other family in the traditional sense, it has taught me so much more than I could ever teach any one of them about compassion, integrity and confidence—all of which are necessary in order to build a good leader, and I hope that by the end of my time with The Howler, I’ll be able to say that I helped sustain the exceedingly high standard that previous years have set for The Howler and perhaps even surpassed it in some ways. That being said, this goal would have been entirely unreachable without the best team I could ask for. To my fellow seniors, I’m so grateful to have met you and to have the privilege of calling you my friends— thanks for the laughs and the memories. To Ms. Alburger, thank you for dealing with the most disorganized of EIC duos with never-ending patience and compassion, willingly taking on a huge volume of behind-the-scenes work and generally being an exceptional mentor. And to my immensely talented underclassmen and the future of The Howler, I’m so proud of the work you’ve accomplished this year and I’m happy to be able to say confidently that the future of The Howler looks bright with you blazing the way. Thank you for everything from the bottom of my heart and a last word of advice: don’t forget to bring snacks to final deadline to tide yourselves over until the final clear adrenaline rush kicks in. Those pod chairs are awfully uncomfortable to lie on.

By Zaina Shaik Shaik(ing) It Up

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from every single book we’ve read in English class, it’s to not be too pessimistic or too optimistic. Okay, maybe that was just from The Great Gatsby, but that’s beside the point. I walked into high school being way too optimistic and positive. I handled difficult situations by avoiding them or deflecting them. But, reality check, life isn’t always full of sunshine and rainbows. There are some pretty messed-up things, and it’s important to acknowledge that there are things wrong in order to improve them. Using different perspectives such as optimistic, pessimistic and realistic ones based on the situation is super important. So here are some pieces of advice to myself and everyone else reading this: If there’s a personal goal you want to achieve, set realistic targets based on your lifestyle and how much time you can actually put into it. Stop carrying unrealistic physical and academic expectations. Stop comparing yourself to not only other people, but

also old versions of yourself. Don’t give up on anything until the very last moment because with a little bit of hope and effort, you might pull through. If it doesn’t work out, learn from it and grow from it. Don’t wait until tomorrow to start doing the things you love because you never know when something (like a global pandemic) could take away your opportunities to. Get excited over the little things! Whether it’s getting a question right after struggling for a while or sharing a laugh with your friends, celebrate it. Spend more time with your family and friends. Sometimes you do have to make sacrifices to stay in to study instead of going out, but most of the time you spend procrastinating or scrolling through TikTok or Instagram could be spent with the people you care about. Life will never constantly carry the same vibes of a TikTok of people dancing in the rain to “Ribs” by Lorde. However, you’ll experience moments like these: reaching a personal target, staying up late and talking to friends or walking down the (kitchen?) aisle at graduation. So when they happen, keep dancing.

Journey to be the best: from Pokémon GO to high school’s close By Michael Shi I’m Baby

“Hello there! Welcome to the world of Pokémon!” At the beginning of every Pokémon game, a Pokémon Professor greets you—the new, ambitious young trainer—as you prepare to embark on your journey into the complex world of Pokémon. You’re not alone on this adventure either, joined by your rival neighbor and countless trainers as you fight to become the best there ever was, the Pokémon Champion. Funnily enough, that’s where my high school journey began, sprinting out of the wrestling room after summer PE alongside several of my friends to catch a Growlithe on Pokémon GO. And that’s the thing. As much as high school may feel like a competition, no one’s path starts alone: there’s tons of friends, family, teachers and even rivals that guide our way. Nor is the path linear. There are weeks when all you’ll do is grind, leveling up your own capabilities as you slog through project after project. But, like making it past the next gym after hours of trashing Bug Catcher Timmys and dozens of Rattatas, the satisfaction of accomplishing one goal after the next is always worth it. Other times, you’ll find yourself faced with unfamiliarity: new people, new experiences, new hobbies, etc. For me, it was being given the impossible task of creating an impromptu dance to Mr. Horrigan casually riffing away on his guitar. I was just a shy, nervous sophomore who loved math and video games and just happened to find an interest in writing

enough to be selected to The Howler. Though the minute of lackluster armflailing was quite possibly the longest and worst minute of my life that made me question whether I ever wanted to step back into that classroom, here I am, writing my final article as CoEditor-in-Chief after two and a half years on staff. You really just never know where you’ll end up. When you choose a starter in Pokémon (#teamcharmander), you immediately become invested in them, growing alongside them as you train them up from evolution to evolution and taking down trainer after trainer. But along the way, you’ll also find other Pokémon each with their own unique traits that mesh to form your team. That’s how I feel about The Howler: I may have started off in love with math and science but writing articles and discussing ideas with our diverse staff have taught me how to express my interests and passion while understanding others’ perspectives (unless, of course, you pick the grass starter…). As embarrassing as my monkey imitation during initiation was, I couldn’t be happier to have been a part of the constantly evolving family that is The Howler and I’ll forever be grateful for the opportunity to have led such a talented group this year. I can’t wait to see how the paper will evolve in the future. At the same time, I never gave up on my main interests: two years of rejection from Science Olympiad didn’t deter me from finding my other family during high school. It wasn’t what I envisioned when I entered high school, but it made the last (almost) two years of Science Olympiad just that much sweeter. Every single

meeting was an opportunity to make up for lost time and challenge myself like never before. I’d like to thank all of you for embracing me as the “honorary freshman.” I’ll always cherish the friendships I made, as well as the opportunity to prove myself and compete, despite how brief it was. Thank you Catherine for being the best Prime Minister any of us could have asked for and for leading the way with gold medal after gold medal. Thank you to Daniel and Jonathan for dedicating yourselves to Code Busters this year; I’m disappointed we couldn’t bring home the gold but I’m so proud of how far we were able to grow and glad that we could cap off the year by completing every cipher for the first time. I couldn’t have asked for better eventmates. Jonathan, while I wasn’t able to use the

16-digit calculator in competition, I trust that you’ll carry on the legacy next year and dominate Code. It’s times like now when we’re all reminded of the things we take for granted on a daily basis. We’ve moved on from dashing outside with Pokémon GO to staying home playing Animal Crossing. Time passes by so fast that it’s hard to fathom that I’m no longer the new Pokémon trainer chasing Pokémon, chasing opportunities and chasing dreams. Perhaps it’s because high school often feels like a blisteringly fast race. But even at the end, there are still the friends, family, teachers and rivals who shaped you into the Champion that you are. So thank you to everyone who’s been a part of my journey for challenging me, encouraging me and supporting me these

past four years. And a special thank you to Sarika for being so remarkable to work alongside and for becoming one of my best friends along the way. I hope I’ve been able to make you all proud. When you become the Pokémon Champion, you’re heralded as the greatest trainer in the region. But that doesn’t mean the journey is over. There’s still more battles to be had and Pokémon to catch. There’s still so much more to explore. When all is said and done, there will still be so much to pass on to the next generation. And maybe one day, years from now, years after your Pokémon career has ended, years after you’ve graduated high school and accomplished countless amazing things, you’ll pick up a cartridge, reminisce and relive the experiences once again.

SENIOR ISSUE 7 We’ll meet again; don’t know where, don’t know when May 29, 2020

The Northwood Howler

By Andrew Do Costco Sampler

So are we all writing sappy and sentimental letters to Northwood? Well, to produce a quart of maple syrup you’re going to need ten gallons of sap, but syrup is exactly how I would like to remember my time at Northwood. Unsurprisingly, it all began in freshman year. Sporting my navy Jansport backpack and regrettable bowl cut, my first day of school wasn’t the best start a freshman could hope for. I remember ducking under intimidating upperclassmen as I frantically tried to piece together the building arrangements, but still ended up tardy to most of my classes. I ate lunch with my middle school friends in the 1200s stairwell and walked all the way over to the gym bathroom during class since it was the only one I could locate. Over time, however, as I developed the ability to memorize my schedule and use bathrooms that were in the same building I was in, I began to see just how open and welcoming Northwood was. Each time I walked into class I was greeted by supportive teachers and peers eager to share and learn, while not eating lunch in a staircase meant I could find new clubs, interests and people every day. My first three and a half years were filled with exploration and excitement, which I am forever indebted to Northwood for. Then came along the second semester of senior year, a bittersweet end to our final moments here. Our class had the coolest graduation year and held the promise of beginning a new life chapter in a new decade, which quickly devolved into anything but the celebratory time we

expected. While we know that no Krispy Kreme deal or Zoom prom could amend everything we anticipated, I suggest that we keep looking forward; instead of brooding over quarantine with pessimism and resentment, we should meet the future with brown sugar boba ice cream bars in hand, filled with excitement and relief while remaining considerate of how our global situation impacts those in more difficult situations. It’ll be a joyous occasion when we’re released from quarantine, but in the meantime, we’ll remain excited for that fateful day and beyond. But that’s enough with the anecdotes and unfinished food analogies; here are a few words that I, a high school senior, likely don’t have the wisdom to impart. To the incoming senior class and those to come, I strongly recommend that you cherish every little thing your senior year. In the process of preparing for our futures, we frequently lose sight of the things we love to do. No matter what your plans are, senior year is a period of introspection and clarity like none other; whether you’re writing applications, enlisting in the military or taking a gap year, I feel that it is important to identify and craft the story that describes you, and embrace that story in such a way that it’s inseparable from your person. You won’t necessarily leave Northwood with a clear vision of your future, but securing a foothold on who you are is a great first step. Now, it might not be a Pulitzeror Oscar-worthy story, but it’s unique and probably Dundie-worthy, at least. To our teachers, a big thank you for everything. You’ve put up with our late assignments, silly Gen Z trends and a specific Government

teacher had to deal with being called a Boomer by a very raucous, but enjoyable, 6th period class. You’ve also been extremely resilient and understanding in a time of confusion for your students, which has made things much easier for us. Though it may not seem like it by the way we groaned at pop quizzes, in-class essays or Spanish presentations, we hold a very

An inconclusive experience A

thank

By Ellen Wang

By Catherine Hu

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity... What a time to be graduating high school. I could go on about how Dickens’s infamous opening line is still excellent social commentary applicable to both high school and the 21st century, but this isn’t another one of my viewpoint articles. I’ve written and curated myriad pieces over my time on The Howler to inform and educate, to do more than represent the student body: to showcase what we care about as Northwood students but also what we should be caring about. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read from our pages over the past few years. Thank you, to this newspaper, for giving me this platform to write, to speak, to share. Independent journalism is needed now more than ever, and student newspapers are no exception. For some people who I have needed at various lengths and continue to inspire me, I have some more immensely abridged, cheesy thankyou’s. To my family: I am so privileged to have the family I do, and I would not trade our idiosyncrasies for anything else. Actions speak louder than words, so I hope you hear my voice unwavering when I love you all. To the Northwood staff: Thank you for caring for and supporting students. Instructors, custodians, counselors, administration alike— your jobs aren’t easy and high school students are a lot. So much of your

Dear Northwood, You’ve known me for four years, so you probably know better than anyone how proud I am of my Canadian-ness. In fact, anyone who’s ever spoken more than two words to me knows that I’m Canadian. I remember a lot from Burnaby. I often find myself revisiting old memories of Windsor Elementary School, of the friends I’d left behind, the playground with the staticy yellow slide, the snowball fights on the field, the smell of the books in Ms. Gladwin’s library on the second floor, the orange-red maple leaves in autumn, the bell tower no one had ever visited, the Grinch-themed winter concert, the mahogany paint, the pancake and pajama days, the talent shows, the squeaky linoleum hallways, everything. But the memory I’ve found myself reflecting on lately is of a Tuesday afternoon in my second grade classroom, with its cubbies and carefully placed backpacks and rain boots and umbrellas (because yes, there was real rain in Canada)— where Mrs. Tarves asked us, “What is gratitude?” Like so many of my classmates, I had barely begun to learn English, and was confused by that strange new word. When she realized we were struggling to understand the question, Mrs. Tarves explained: “Gratitude means thankfulness. For example, I am grateful for my family and for clean drinking water. What are you grateful for?” I hadn’t realized it then, but that day would become one of the most profound moments of my entire life. A decade later, I find myself

Supernatural Logarithm

deep appreciation for your efforts and care in everything you do. I know that in a few years we’ll all sit back and reminisce about Northwood. I certainly hope that the disheartening, sappy emotions that we may be feeling right now are converted to a sweet, syrupy nostalgia as we fondly remember our memories here. We’ll be different from when

you

letter

we left and very different from when we first came, but I guarantee that we’ll remember the memories we’ve made here, about half the words to the alma mater and most importantly, what it was like to be a Timberwolf. Thank you and keep reading The Howler, Northwood; I’ve got a feeling that next year’s staff will blow you away.

NHS

Hu’s this?

efforts go unnoticed or underappreciated. Thank you for keeping the torch lit anyway. To my friends: I can’t believe it but we’ve made it this far. You are all such multidimensional, capable beings and I’m ever grateful for the times we shared together. Thank you for keeping me in check and in your hearts. And To my peers who I probably won’t ever get to talk to personally, I know you all can make a positive difference. I hope you choose to do so every day and own up when you don’t. There are so many words to say, and no way of saying them all. I’ve grown and experienced so much in the past four years, and it has been one wild journey that has left me both drained and galvanized. The unknowns of the future are both bloodcurdling and invigorating, and there is a big storm coming. So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

struggling with this concept of gratitude. Even with a semester cut short, how do I fully express all of my gratitude for these past four years in a single article? Gratitude for the friends I’ve made here, the ones who put up with my dumb puns and talk about literally anything and let me rant about anything. Gratitude for the teachers and mentors who have always been there to listen to me and offer their support. Gratitude for the clubs and the experiences that made my time in high school truly worthwhile: Science Olympiad (where I gained a second family and discovered my love for hog-nosed snakes, proxigean

spring tides, listric faults and Halyomorpha halys), Odyssey of the Mind (where I met whale sharks in Atlanta and rode the Ferris wheel above the Potomac with my favorite Commutists and OMelettes), MUSE (where I found a place in the community and met some very aMUSEing people), and The Howler (where I spent three years of seventh periods in Room 1102 switching between writing articles and screaming at InDesign cutouts and/or people on Family Style). Gratitude for the little things, the big things and all things in between. Thank you, Northwood, for giving me four years of everything. Love, Catherine

CENTERS

May 29, 2020

CALIFORNIA Biola University Steele, Nicole Elise

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Cassity, Ellen C Hasan, Zain Ul O'Neill, Matthew James Paladichuk, Grace Anne Quaglierini, Mia Teresa Shimanuki, Keita Sean Sloate, Ethan Lewis Wang, Kyle Marcus Yuan, Timothy L Yudnikova, Diana

California Institute of Technology Pukszta, Christopher Peter

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Deo, Rutvik Sunil Lesser, Brandon Cole Lo, Jonathan Paul Olora, Toriola Marie Ring, Taft Campbell Smith, Evan Scott Terres, Isabella Marie Topacio, Shelby Salomon

Irvine Valley College

Ahmed, Aisha Al Keilani, Amr Ali, Sumana Zehra Alsadeq, Ahmad Imad Amador, Xavier Thomas Anderson, Jaxson Scott Arzoumanian, Alina Christina Azimihashemi, Melisa Babuta, Parisha Baker, Jackson Randall Barry, Dylan R Catiller, Alina Mary Cervantes, Emily Paola Chmiel, Daniel Michael Cowles, Daniel Christopher Cozma, Rachel Danielle Dangvu, Samuel Steven Dickerson, Grant Zachary Garcia, Isabella Rose Gosla, Samiya Asif Greenman, James Dean Grudem, Amber Elizabeth Gutierrez, Alexandra Sally Hasan, Yusif Heravi, Faryan Hersi, Najib Keyse

Laguna College of Art and Design Santa Monica College

Hossain, Ferdous Irwan, Nathaniel Lee Jowdat, Alishba Kao, Alexander Samuel Khan, Mohammad Aarij Khan, Sarah Kiai, Arman Lee, Jungmin McIlrath, Molly Therese Nguyen, Justin Vo Olague, Orlando Patil, Kedar Milind Pham, Rich Rafiee, Saghar Rawas, Tamer Rohani, Maryam Satermo, Leif Ericsson Schapiro, Brandon Michael Shankardass, Kanika Suleiman, Ramzy Samer Velazquez, Joshua Michael Walton, Camren Michael Weiss, Anthony Albert Williams, Brian M Willner, Madeline Adelle Zemariam, Abraham Kiflom

Chu, Christine

Foster, Abigail Joran

Long Beach City College

Santiago Canyon College

Cousar, Xavier Alexander

Loyola Marymount University

Mckewen, Zoe MaryAnn Raman, Nina Vasudha Parasuram Sperakos, Noah Anthony

Orange Coast College

Scripps College

Saddleback College

University of California-Berkeley

Seidler, Andrew J

Jacoby, Karen Margaret Wang, Ellen Anli

Hong, Justin Keasberry Vnuk, Mckenzie Jane Tan-Torres, Autumn Lynn Wardlaw, Quin Mei Rose

San Diego State University Grant, Miya Noelle Nguyen, Ty Duy

San Francisco State University Dhar, Anisha

San Jose State University Adachi, Matthew Kyle Powell, Daniel Mark Adam

Santa Ana College

Moorhouse, Bryson Mahlon Reid, Felisha Marie

Chawla, Ekas Chen, Angelina Das, Pratyush Fontao, Adrian Gao, Meilan Ding Kong, Leah Yu Ling Li, Xingyu Lin, Jessica Mehta, Jahnvi Hemen Pasricha, Shivani Qian, Yi Rajagopal, Nikhil Ruan, Xuesi Sachdeva, Ishika Shaik, Zaina

University of California-Davis Cheng, Grace Wen-Huei

California State University-Fullerton Endres, Amanda Mattea Farooqui, Hafsa Halim, Matthew Jacob Insuaste, Dioseline Ariana Kim, Emily Wing-Kei Larson, Justin Konrad Lee, Annabelle Soen Nguyen, Amelie Hudson Obillos, Johan Karlo Perez Haro, Mario Wilk, Skylar Janae Yae, Seungyeon

California State University-Monterey Bay Sharifi, Noah Shandon

California State University-Northridge Kalra, Mitul

California State University, Long Beach Jensen, Kate Elizabeth Reznikov, Katerina Visan, Christopher A

Chapman University Elbershawi, Jeneen Fujiwara, Adam Ken Lee, Kelly Hee Ae

Cypress College Kotin, Andrew Jason

Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising - Orange County Ruvalcaba, Fatima Valerie

Fullerton College Piazza, Jaden Louis

Golden West College

Cole, Alexis Jordan Mounce, Destiny Erica Michelle

WASHINGTON

University of Washington, Seattle Dimaandal, Gabriel Pajutan Ghosh, Shounok Miglani, Jasroop Kaur Ng, Camille Mae-Ling Xu, Jiayue

OREGON

Oregon State University Overbaugh, Alec John

University of Oregon Belsby, Connor Keith Kevin Garrett Chen, Alana Mell, Miranda Anne Novak, Caitlin S

IDAHO

Brigham Young University-Idaho Baker, Callia Ann

COL

Colo

ORA

do S sh Univ , Avery E tate Un lizab iver Butin ersity eth sityo g f , Fort Sa C Firth , Aa rah Je olora King ssica d ron o Bo W , Ma ulde rley esley Sha r nno n Mar

Coll

TEXAS

Baylor University

Bowers, Martha Lee Miller, Hannah Margaret Stankovich, Matthew Dusan

The University of Texas at Austin

NEVADA Lee, Ariel Jung

Arizona State University-Tempe Kiso, Claudia Shaw Torres Acevedo, Paula Valeria

G M

Asuri, Brinda

University of Nevada-Las Vegas

ARIZONA

ins

UTAH

Brigham

oung Un Izu, Griffin iversity-P Thomas rovo Mortense n, Paige Laurel Thorpe, La uren Kath ryn

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott Mancao Jr, Anthony Joshua N

Grand Canyon University-Traditional Campus Kenyon, Austin Trent

Northern Arizona University Swancoat, Cole Hansen

The University of Arizona Spellman, Ashleigh Asako

WHERE WILL LIFE TA

SPREAD

May 29, 2020

University of California-Los Angeles

Frey, Jennifer Yuria Honda, Niko Corrado Jiang, Arthur Wu Kim, Nolan Andrew Moeljadi, Marco Jose Hanks, Katerina Pascale

University of California-Irvine Arif, Umaima Chaudhri, Gautam Chen, Brian Harjanto, Audrey Leona Hsu, Steffi Huang, Bethany Linda Ibasitas, Alexander John Kim, Eric Hyun Kim, Jihye Kim, Kaitlyn Soojung Kim, Lauren Mee Jung Kiszonak, Jennah Yasin Kshipra, Akshay S Le, Emily Hoang Le, Thien My Tran Nakano, Jessica Aya Narukonda, Sindhu Tulasi Nguyen, Chloe Rene Tien Wu, Fanqing Yin, Ethan Jay

Ali, Maizah Anand, Sasha S Bhalla, Jaya Radhika Dai, Shanglin Hu, Catherine Huiwen Jou, Cynthia Renee Kumar, Raj Amit Kwon, Joshua Ohyun Leo, Shannon Sheng-Na Shi, Michael Boyu Yee, Dylan B Zhang, Joanna Zietz, Benjamin Lianquan

University of California-Riverside Jagadish, Ashwin Abhiram Rajagopalan, Neketh Pavan Vu, Andrew An Quoc Weyers, Alexander William

University of California-Santa Cruz Dong, Julia Aiko Gitlin, Jonathan Edward Paget, Jake Kerim Press, Paige Anna

Tram, Patrick Huy Wang, Xinyi Wong, Lauren Quynh Tran

University of San Francisco

University of California, Merced Jin, Zhicheng

University of California, San Diego Abravanel, Max Arthur Baick, Ian T Chen, Anthony Yiyang Chen, Justin Dong, Lauren Gwendolyn Hu, William S. Sampath, Varsha Karikalan

Cha, Sabrina Sarah

University of Southern California Fujimori, Yukako Lisa Omar, Annas Faysal Ren, Yuxin Srinivas, Amirta

University of the Pacific Nam, Julie

BRITISH COLUMBIA University of British Columbia Lewis, Logan R

BEIJING

University of California-Santa Barbara Dutta, Sourish Khan, Inzar M Li, Catherine Liu, Jack Ly, Michelle Yennhu Nguyen, Ethan Riley

Tsinghua University Chang, Lucy

NEW HAMPSHIRE Dartmouth College NEW YORK Kasturi, Sreekar Vijnana Cornell University

SOUTH DAKOTA

Duong, Ethan Quoc Nam Kang, Rachel Minjae Lim, Terrence Edson Tan Lin, Carina Liliana

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Stone, Cory Devon

MICHIGAN

Molloy College

Michigan State University

McMullen, Rachel Lauren

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Cheung, Matthew Luke Guo, Keer King, Mary Grace Lin, Eric Xin Mshiu, Lauren Margaret Shin, Christian Tae-Hwan Wang, Xingjian

New York University

Shankman, Sarah Mika Lim, Michael Mateti, Nainika Regina

School of Visual Arts Huang, Zi

The New School - All Divisions Liu, Zengyu

PENNSYLVANIA

Carnegie Mellon University Li, Thomas

Muhlenberg College Perera, Rehan

University of Pennsylvania Huang Ogata, Zachary

CONNECTICUT Rau, Sarika Uma Yale University

Huang, Allison Yuroh

University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Munoz, Isabel Victoria

WASHINGTON DC American University

Hassouna, Malak Walid

George Washington University

Purdue University-Main Campus Demas, Haley Nicole Elseifi, Youssef M

TENNESSEE

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Ren, Clark

Belmont University

GEORGIA

Prickett, Lauren Kyungae

OHIO

Miami University-Oxford Youngblade, Evan Gabriel

The Ohio State University Kim, Mark Hyunwoo Sepulveda, Luis Daniel

MISSOURI

Washington University in St Louis Chen, Wilson Jieming Olsen, Sarah Christina

Un nr ive en r sit y

Tia

VIRGINIA

Virginia Commonwealth University Sanders, Isabella Magnolia

Virginia Military Institute Chung, Julius In-Sung

Alvarado, Andrew Jordan

ILLINOIS

Boston College

Tokushiro, Isabella Abdul-Hak

Boston University

Old, Jackson David Zhu, Rongwei

DePaul University

Illinois Institute of Technology Fawaz, Nabil Mahmoud

University of Chicago Kim, Hae-Min Kumar, Zubin Lim, Anna Xiuwen Saito, Shane Masao Tiong, Jadyn Enming

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Giesemann, Samuel Lin Jampana, Anish Raju

AKE YOU NEXT? CLASS OF 2020

Do, Andrew Hsueh, Erica Huei-Ling

Berklee College of Music

Labus, Zoie Anne

hi, Lisa Lin

Princeton University

MASSACHUSETTS

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Georgia Institute of TechnologyMain Campus

RH O n

Neervannan, Amala Sadam, Shivani

Do ow

Indiana UniversityBloomington

INDIANA

ISL A

Friedman, Liana Joy

NEW JERSEY

MARYLAND

Johns Hopkins University Agrawal, Anshika Hamid, Zara Abdul Park, Angelina

Maryland Institute College of Art Pan, Elaine

Kang, Samuel Overbaugh, Kathleen Lillian Park, Jun-Sang Xue, David Hongwei

Brandeis University Hugalavalli, Shreya Kwon, SooMin

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Chung, Seo-Yeon Yang, Helen

Northeastern University Chao, Ally Si-Rei Dihingia, Astriti Kalyanmoy Green, Serena Marie Lin, Daniela Grace Magursky, Ethan Frank

University of Massachusetts- Lowell Zhang, Jiajun

YENNA KIM, THE NORTHWOOD HOWLER

May 29, 2020

SENIOR ISSUE

The Northwood Howler

What actually happens inside The Howler: insider scoop from Howler’s resident gossip girls By Catherine Li

Editor of Music and Movie Reviews

While we may have published an issue every month, here’s our chance to candidly tell you what four people actually did in The Howler this year. A&E Editor: As someone who’s been coming to Room 1102 for the past four years (and as a member of Howler for two), you’d think I’d have it together. Every seventh period consisted of me bringing my laptop to class, convinced that I’d make the most of those 90 minutes. But my laptop screen never saw

the light of day, and I’d somehow end up playing Mario Kart on my phone (no one plays that game anymore, but I can’t bring myself to delete it.) I can’t say that my year of being the A&E Editor has been easy. You wouldn’t believe how difficult it is to come up with eight to ten unique ideas not related to either school performances or music playlists. I’m hoping Nawal and Mitul will forgive me for pestering them with text messages the night before brainstorm for new ideas. But after countless times of breaking the class record for most layout mistakes and grilling Michael and Sarika with my endless InDesign questions, I’m proud to say that I’ve

finally mastered the art of dragging out those magic blue lines from the edge of the screen. Every odd day has consisted of me standing next to my car and debating if today was the day I’d head to class or maybe make that appearance another time. I wouldn’t even be able to tell you the amount of times I’ve walked into the parking lot and Nawal, Mitul and Jahnvi would ask me if I was coming to class that day. Thankfully though, at least for the most part, my answer was yes. And thank goodness for that, because timeless papers and unforgettable memories were made, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Photo Editor: While I may have been in Howler for 3 years, this is my first go at actually writing for the paper. For reference, Nawal just told me it’s actually “three” according to AP style (sorry Michael and Sarika, you have a lot to edit). Now I know I’ve been photo editor for two years, but believe it or not, I never even applied to join Howler in the first place. Yearbook had been keeping me busy, but one morning I got a text and by the end of the day, I had a seventh period. Little did I know that I would end up editing giant shadows on people’s faces and over-saturating every image on The Howler Online (sorry Andrew). Even though I had a learning experience as “co-photo editor” for Howler last year, this past year

has been a whirlwind of ignoring all my deadlines, giving every photographer extensions and relentlessly bothering Michael to find a Winter Formal date (it worked). Looking back at it now, I realize that all those extensions brought me closer to the photographers this year, and even though we would always upload on the last day and scramble to find all the photos, our work would somehow get more recognition than the articles that were being worked on for an entire month. Although I thought that losing colored printing would be the worst thing Howler would face this year, it seems Madam Corona had a different path in store for us. So I’ll just say, it’s been a huge honor to take photos and serve as Howler’s Photo Editor these past three years. I’m sorry you had to read my horrible writing. Next time, I’ll just stick to taking photos.

my time in Howler getting called out for being too loud during brainstorm or coming to the really important realization that mangoes is, in fact, spelled with an “e,” but I’ve also used that time to force Sreekar Kasturi into teaching me AP Stats (spoiler alert: he wasn’t successful, but that’s his fault, not mine) and to gossip with the three amazing people you just read about. In all seriousness, the time I spent in Howler was the most memorable, whether that was because I was meeting my best friends (and stealing their food), aimlessly walking around campus or actually (rarely) getting some work done. Over the past two years, I’ve learned a lot about myself, have had

the amazing opportunity to refine my writing and gotten to endlessly annoy Michael and Sarika. I’m incredibly sad we ended this year the way we did, so I’d like to say a quick (and enormous) thank you to everyone who was a part of the Howler staff, this year and last. You guys shaped the most important years of my high school experience in the best way possible. I just wish I could tell you in person. To Ms. Alburger, you have been a huge role model to me and I cannot thank you enough for the constant advice you always offered. And to those who always read The Howler, I hope you guys liked my articles as much as I loved writing them. Thank you, Howler. It’s been real.

By Mitul Kalra

Photographer-in-Training

By Jahnvi Mehta Choreographer

Publicist: From staff writer to Sports Editor to Publicist, I have had the privilege of serving in The Howler for three years from a variety of positions and perspectives. Fun fact: I was forced to quit sports to become the Sports Editor. This year, my job was to increase viewership, so we sold Krispy Kreme donuts and forced The Howler into our customers’ hands. On a more regular note, distribution days were full of guilt-tripping friends into thinking they were bad people for not reading the paper. I think it worked... There is a common understanding in this class that if you don’t have work related to The Howler, you can do work from another period. However, that was something the four of us never understood. Our seventh period consisted of uneaten lunches, front-page newsworthy gossip and

Bollywood dance choreography. Shoutout to Sreekar for being the best dance partner! If you ever walked into Howler, you may have seen me performing a fully choreographed dance in the front of the room for my dedicated judges—Mitul, Nawal and Catherine—or sitting on the floor taping and stringing ASB posters that were spread across the entire carpet. I might have been doing publicity for the wrong class. I would like to say a big thank you to my biggest inspiration and motivation: Tim Horrigan. Thank you for giving me the opportunity and encouraging me to be a part of this incredible family. Thank you Howler for understanding the ways in which we spent this invaluable hour and a half. Thank you for the free entry to every away game. Thank you for giving me unforgettable memories and lifelong friends. Follow: @nhs.howler!

By Nawal Abdul

Tallest Short Person You Know

Staff Writer: Having been a staff writer for two years now, I pretty much know all the ins and outs of Northwood’s most coveted newspaper. For instance, there has never been, in the entire history of The Howler, an article that wasn’t turned in at exactly 11:59 p.m. the night before it was due (like right now), but hey, that’s just quality journalists, getting stories out in a pinch. Or, like the fact that the only real diversity in the quote selection is how far down my contact list I scroll before hitting a random name. Now I may have spent most of

SENIOR ISSUE 11 The awfully awry adventures of a human disaster May 29, 2020

The Northwood Howler

By Anna Lim CEO of Trash

“Make us laugh,” they said. Now, when someone asks you that, what are you even supposed to say? So, I accidentally microwaved my phone instead of my Hot Pocket today...Oh, sorry, there’s no punchline; I hoped you would just laugh at me instead. Well, if my misfortunes aren’t laughable, how about a few jokes I’ll steal from the Reddit thread r/cursedcomments? Either way, even if I decided to just curl my chin in and strike a double-chin pose, or do a Minecraft zombie impression (I do a pretty good one if I do say so myself), there’s a whole lot of pressure for one person to provide adequate laughter for a drop-dead deadpan panel of people who choose to write for fun. Which is a lot of pressure for a selfproclaimed human disaster. But this chaotic entrance was my first introduction to the rabbit hole known as the Junk Page, and I (albeit unknowingly) had been thrust into the lifestyle of trying to find the funny lining to every dark cloud. For context though, my journey throughout the newspaper hasn’t been the smoothest. It actually seemed more like an awkward chain of dumb luck and coincidences. I joined the journalism class on an impulsive whim, after hearing that it would be Mr. Horrigan’s last semester teaching journalism, and shifted around my entire oversaturated schedule to fit

it in. Somehow, I stumbled my way into the Howler, and napped my way through the rest of it. In fact, in the first journalism write-off I went to, I showed up an hour late and missed all the information. I ended up writing an extremely fulminating, scathing critique on a whole load of nothing. And now in my senior year, I was unexpectedly (and surprisingly) given the responsibility of editing the Junk page. To somehow think of funny and interesting content. Impossible, I know. I was extremely underequipped. I often deferred to the wise words (and only words) of wisdom my Junk Editor mentor had imbued with me: “Cluck cluck, don’t pluck up.” (The words had to be altered for certain reasons.) But in my given position it was hard. I had no basic understanding of pop culture. At all. Was it TiK ToK, or TikTok, or Tik Tok, or TiKToK? I had no idea at all. To top it off, I was by far the most tumultuous person on the staff. When I got too lazy to ask the photographers to take more photos, I just photoshopped images from scratch. Did there ever exist a photo in the Junk page that I didn’t somehow alter? (Seriously, I never got any of my photo requests in on time. Sorry Mitul!) From Trump heads to queen bodies, a pool of tears, a flying house, a swinging spiderman, a world on fire, you name it, nothing was real at all. But after my countless hours poured into researching the dankest, most recent memes, or even master-

ing the art of horrible photoshopping, I had learned the ultimate news reporting skill: fabrication paired with exaggeration. My job was essentially to create memes. What more could a girl ask for? The time spent in the newsroom playing Family Style, or Codemaster, or having dance battles, meme battles, cursed images doodling ses-

sions, and stressing over aesthetic page layouts had become the apex of my highschool experience. If it weren’t for the Howler I wouldn’t have even bothered going to Prom last year (which thankfully I did, since senior prom is no longer a second option.) And I realized that this immaculate surprise fueled off of a chain of unlikely events, unfurling

into a lifestyle that fueled me with purpose and entertainment. So, maybe there are perks to being a human disaster. I had found an outlet for my hyperactive energy to be funneled into a creation, a home where my turbulence was not only embraced, but was cherished and used to entertain. And I’m really going to miss this chaotic newspaper.

To the future Howler What was, will be, what will be, was By Gabriel Dimaandal The Babe

By Anish Jampana Secret Rick Astley Fan

I can’t believe this day has finally come. This will be the last time I will be writing an article for The Howler. The last time I will be frantically checking the word count to get my article in on time. And possibly, my last memory as part of The Northwood Howler. With that being said, I wanted to dedicate this article to the future Howler staff. It would be difficult for anyone to step into a new and diverse environment without the advice from senior staff, and especiallylet alone during this global pandemic. So, here’s a list of advice I’ve gotten over the years that have really helped me become a better writer. Collect all your information beforehand and develop your angle I can’t stress how many times my article didn’t go as planned simply because it was too shallow on information or wasn’t the angle that my fellow editors wanted for their page. Even though you may think planning out beforehand is unnecessary, outlining for my first few articles in The Howler really helped me add depth to

my writing and took away a lot of the stress off my shoulders when I was under pressure with time. Become familiar with AP style and how to structure a good lead It goes without saying that in order to become good at anything, you must master its fundamentals. For journalism, what immediately comes to mind is AP style and the lead. These two things, quite honestly, will not only make your writing 200 times better from the very start, but also speed up the editing process by allowing editors to focus on your content instead of worrying about AP style mistakes. Good communication is a key to everything, whatever it might be I know this might seem obvious, but at least for me, communication in The Howler has almost always made the difference of whether I would be successful in writing a good article or not. I assure you that if you put in effort in communicating with others when embarking on new endeavors even outside journalism, you will go a long way and make your time at Northwood more memorable than ever.

Like most of my articles, it was two in the morning when I figured out what I wanted to write. It took longer than usual, that’s for sure. Having the freedom to write about anything I want can be paralyzing. There’s no doubt that the pandemic has come to define my senior year. I’ll always remember these past few months - not just because of what’s been taken from me, but what I have forgotten as a result. I need a reminder. A reminder of what I’ve learned throughout my time at Northwood. Because while this pandemic has taken away three months of my time here, I won’t allow it to take away the other 33. So here are a couple of reminders of what I learned. To my freshman self: - Take your “easy” classes seriously—it’s going to be real awkward trying to explain how you didn’t qualify for EM2 to your friends. - It took you until senior year to start wearing earplugs to rallies. Start using them now - you’ll thank me later. - Dancing during Ob-la-di isn’t embarrassing. Remember to have fun. - Practice your singing. It’s a handy skill to have. To my sophomore self: - Give clubs and organizations a second chance - they aren’t as pointless as you think. - Yes, you were right to not go to the casual dances. They aren’t your thing anyway. - Keep in touch with your teachers. Not just because of LoRs, but because you’ll feel guilty for not doing so. - It gets rough from here. Keep a schedule and maintain discipline.

months of the year will make everything worth it. Enjoy your time together, no matter how long it lasts. - Yes, the hints are obvious. - There are going to be some dark times ahead - don’t be afraid of looking for help from your teachers and friends. They will be the eye of your storm. - Don’t let your hand tremors make you doubt your abilities.

To my junior self: - It will look bleak, but the last three

To my senior self: - Make sure your keys are in your

pocket before you leave the truck. - Yes, the last minute ACT is well worth it. - Spend the time to say a proper goodbye to all of your teachers on your last day. You will not be back for a long time. To my current self: - Give each story you make its proper beginning and ending. You will have no idea how long the story will last but be happy you had the chance to write it at all.

SENIOR ISSUE

May 29, 2020

The Northwood Howler

On starting: a roadmap through it all

By Carina Lin

MUN Soup General

As I stare out the window beside my desk, I find my mind drifting off to the hundreds of different places I could start. Perhaps it should be a vivid account of a particularly nostalgic memory, reveling in the absolute chaos of Family Style in seventh period Howler or savoring those deep conversations that bled into the early hours of the morning on our MUN Boston trip. Sure, there were grueling long nights and lots of work, but they only made the good times like

these more precious. Or, maybe I should attempt to coherently express the countless thank yous that friends, family and Northwood staff deserve for being there, for inspiring and for everything in between. I am sincerely and eternally grateful for our time together. Then again, I could opt to plug in an inspiring quote and share a bit of humble advice that I’d like to pass along—something about how that “bad grade” on a test is definitely not going to be the end of the world, that you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take and that, you know, it’s good to

live a little and enjoy the little things. While I was never one to make inspirational quotes, there’s a first for everything: when things get tough, you can only have the last laugh if you let yourself breathe first. That’s my reminder to myself (and to you if you need it) to take a step back, put things into perspective and not let stress get overwhelming. So I’d like to think that I’ve opted for a sprinkle of everything in a happy compromise—a fitting conclusion to my four years of diplomacy in MUN, no? My journey through high school, much like the one I took to

get to this point in the article, has included a few detours, but it is also one that I have traveled with the hope of fondly looking back on it. It seems like just yesterday that I was nervously checking the back of my planner, my fingertips gliding over the laminated campus map as I traced my intended path to each class over and over the night before the first day of freshman year. Admittedly, it was a futile attempt to prepare myself for what was to come, but I think that’s part of the magic of all things new: you never quite know how it will turn out, but by the end you’ll know more. For instance, I learned that no solid and dotted line schematic was ever going to save me from the seemingly identical, endlessly perplexing parallel bridges connecting the 900s building to the 1400s and 1100s buildings respectively. Although in my feeble defense, most of the buildings are made of the same Irvine homeowner tan stucco. But if you have ever felt or currently feel as lost as freshman me (physically or otherwise), I can assure you that while you will struggle, you also will find your way. I certainly did and I’ve made it all the way to New York without a roadmap, which I think is quite the achievement for a directionally challenged person such as myself. Perhaps this is just my long winded way of saying that wherever you start and wherever you end up, I hope you enjoy your journey just as much as I did. Remember to enjoy the little window arts and flowers along the way. P.S. Join the Model United Nations (MUN) club!

A brief collection of unrandom recollections By Maizah Ali

Your Local Ear of Corn

Maizah Ali The Northwood Howler

Squeezing her eyes shut, she screamed. The world she’d come into was much too loud, confusing, complicated—and, not to mention, the lights in the hospital room were positively blinding. At the soft touch of skin against skin, the infant paused momentarily, struck by this new sensation. Her eyes fluttered open, drifting lazily before meeting the shining gaze of the person she would later come to love most. All apprehension was melted away by the warmth in those eyes—which were filled with tears, and something more—and was quickly replaced with buzzing curiosity. Maybe this world isn’t that bad after all. Several years later, she came to learn of school. Sure, Kumon was a thing (and the bane of her puny existence, darn those endless addition problems), but kindergarten promised new experiences, new friends and growth. By now, an endless ocean of thoughts, ideas and words roared through her mind, and a simple question always sat at the tip of her tongue: why? Maybe this world will become easier to understand. Then came a series of firsts that brought an explosion of richness and color to life. She buried herself in books, worn pages of brilliant words that reached out and pulled her down through the rabbit hole to worlds she could never have imagined, adventuring with wizards and demigods and concerningly aggressive cats, living and breathing vicariously through the stories of another fellow human. She trailed her fingers across the lacquered keys of a piano and tentatively pressed a note. That ringing

sound was a gateway to a world that she could only describe as real, live magic. And then she started learning—who knew reality could be rewritten as numbers and formulas and scientific principles that made her mind whirl? Isn’t it amazing that a world so complex and unpredictable can be simplified into arrangements of atoms and defined by laws that can never be broken? Maybe this world is beautiful. That bubbling childhood wonder didn’t last long enough. As school became busier and time suddenly started accelerating, she was

forced to leave behind some of what she cherished most. A frenzied cycle of exams, stress, pressure and heightening expectations consumed every waking moment—she saw it consume some of her peers entirely as they succumbed to an idealized version of “success” that only rich kids could afford to dream of in a society falsely written as a glorified meritocracy. She nearly yielded to these pressures as well, but remembered the beauty that she had once discovered through her molding chapter books and dusty piano, intangibles that go far beyond the paychecks, prestige

and power that are so sought after. And as she grew, she became painfully acquainted with the uglier aspect of it all, the racism, the injustices, the hypocrisy, all the things that are so fundamentally and morally wrong. The world that had been an idyllic scene painted with vibrant colors became marred with darker strokes of conflict and corruption, vivid shades that drew greater depth to the picture. Invigorated, she picked up her own paintbrush—and smiled. This contradictory world is beautiful and terrible and everything in between, but it is our world to live.

The Northwood Howler

May 29, 2020

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May 29, 2020

VIEWPOINT

The Northwood Howler

Unknown Dangers of the lockdown BY HARI SREERAMAGIRI Staff Writer

At the cornerstone of the new year, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has taken the world by storm, claiming millions of victims worldwide and unsettling even the most powerful global institutions. President Donald Trump has dubbed it “The Invisible Enemy,” rhetoric the media just couldn’t resist. A Washington Post headline made rapid rounds with “Trump: Coronavirus ‘is an invisible, horrible enemy.’” But while this invisible enemy runs rampant in our streets, something just as sinister lurks behind the closed doors of millions of American homes. Mounting data suggests that one unintended consequence of quarantine is a rise in domestic abuse and a surge in mental health crises, with no escape insight for victims. A New York Times article titled “A New Covid-19 Crisis: Domestic Abuse Rises Worldwide” cites Bristol University sociologist Dr. Marianne Hester, who conﬁrmed that “there was every reason to believe that the restrictions imposed to keep the virus from spreading would

have such an effect.” With families on lockdown and economic tensions rising, abuse hotlines are ringing at unparalleled rates, while the government scrambles to handle a problem they failed to anticipate. Hindering their response are significant alterations to the definition of domestic violence as prescribed in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office on Violence Against Women in January. The new definition brushes aside emotional and psychological abuse by casting the issue as a purely criminal concern, dismissing critical components that characterize domestic violence – behaviors that preempt verbal harassment, behavioral patterns of abusiveness and power dynamics – were carelessly dismissed. According to the new definition, only physical altercations that constitute a misdemeanor or a felony are classified as domestic violence. In other words, a woman who has suffered continuous berating, excessive monitoring, has been denied access to basic financial assistance and has nearly been driven to suicide does not have the right to claim she is domestically abused. Worse, she is not a candidate for legal protections

www.kfff.org

or funded support. That the DOJ Office of Violence Against Women, an office whose sole function is to provide sufficient funding and administer solutions to the problem of domestic violence, would redefine domestic abuse in this way reflects a reckless lack of empathy bythe government, bolstering aglobal rise in domestic violence. A contributing factor to the rise in domestic violence is a corresponding exacerbation of mental illnesses, which have claimed the lives of approximately 8 million Americans each year, caused by the stress of quarantine isolation. The Orange County Register reports increases in the number of Suicide Help calls made by those suffering from economic stress, isolation and COVID-19 anxiety. The county’s mental health helpline, has only 12 staff members in addition to eight additional clinicians and some workat-home staff members to handle the spike in call volumes. Depression and mental health concerns have disproportionately impacted teenagers, reeling from the cancellation of school events and lacking consistent support from friends and religious groups. Reports of verbal and emotional child abuse are increasing as family relationships undergo strain, particularly for LGBTQ teens. The Trevor Project reports the number of teens who have reached out to their crisis service programs have doubled since the pandemic began, naming the coronavirus as comprising 25% of conversations with LGBTQ youth. Missing the security of sheltered school groups and supportive social connections, many students are experiencing an increase in the risk of self-harm and suicide. It may be easy for those of us

ANNA MA The Northwood Howler

whose home is safe, peaceful and pleasant through even the most pressing times. However, for victims of domestic abuse, being locked inside with an abuser whose mounting frustrations may result in unpredictable attacks, persisting is not easy. For those without emotional support who are battling a lonely war against their mental health, persisting is not easy. During difﬁcult times, Northwood students must band together for the wellbeing of the community, nation and world. Checking in with friends consistently, starting community initiatives and increasing aware-

ness about mental health are all ways to lower the burden of contraction and create positive change. Educational discussions on the realities of mental health and domestic violence should spur an important ideological shift in students, prompting us to fulﬁll our vital role as community members to rally for those suffering behind closed doors. Rally against the “invisible enemy.” If you or a friend are in need, IUSD has implemented the Speak Up, We Care campaign prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resources available at IUSD.org.

New prison reforms pose major safety risk BY HARI SREERAMAGIRI

Staff Writer

“7 high-risk sex offenders released from Orange County jails; DA’s ofﬁce issues community warning,” an ABC News article read. “Arrested 4 times in 3 weeks: L.A. police blame zero bail for rise in repeat offenders,” the Los Angeles Times reported. “Man let out of jail on zero-bail rule leads Fresno Police on chase in stolen vehicle,” Fox29 headlined. All of this, because Los Angeles County implemented a zero-bail requirement for most misdemeanors and low-level felonies on Mar. 27 in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. The term “low-level felony” sounds dismissive to residents living at a Jewish assisted-living home who experienced a bomb threat. Nor is a misdemeanor assault crime an offense to be taken lightly when women who have been severely violated must watch powerlessly and in fear of retaliation as their abuser walks free. The existence of these headlines itself proves that the mechanism by which prisoners are being released to decrease prison overcrowding is entirely ineffective. Crime levels in Los Angeles were low when the COVID-19 quarantine began, until L.A. implemented its zero-bail policy. Hundreds of career criminals are exploiting the new laid-back reform by getting arrested repeatedly with few repercussions. In the ﬁrst 30 days since the implementation of the plan, the Los Angeles Police Department has arrested 213 individuals multiple times, with 23

being arrested three or more times, and the numbers are rising steadily. A memo released a few weeks ago by Attorney General William Barr ordered the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to identify “at-risk inmates who are non-violent and pose minimal likelihood of recidivism and who might be safer serving their sentences in home confinement.” There are several problems with this, including massive flaws in determining which inmates are optimal candidates for release. High ambiguity decreases the ability for officials to accurately foresee the consequences of releasing an inmate. The actions of newly freed inmates who are about to re-enter society where there are few repercussions for their crimes are nearly impossible to predict. This leaves the decision entirely up to blind trust in the skeptical judgement of the incarcerated, some of whom are charged with repeated crimes. Upon closer inspection, the Attorney General’s plan may create racial disparities among inmates considered for release from prison and further entrenches racist criminal justice practices. The plan instructs the prioritization of prisoners who receive a minimum score on a “risk assessment” algorithm called PATTERN, an unprecedented computerized rating system which deems white-collar offenders safer to release in comparison to the disproportionate number of black drug addicts who had succumbed to the biased policing practices of the War on Drugs. Last year’s internal investigation conducted by the Justice Department reveals that only 7% of black men would be

considered low-risk enough for release under PATTERN. The policy also prohibits non-citizens convicted of immigration-related offenses from release, deeming them more dangerous than the high-risk sex offenders who have been released. Meanwhile videos of a 25-year old black man Ahmaud Aubery being pursued and shot by armed white men in coastal Southern Georgia who were not arrested for weeks made rounds on social media. In a world where violent crimes against minority citizens like Aubery and many others are rendered permisisble, the job of the government is to impose increased restrictions on violent racist and homophobic assaults. Those who support the policies argue that prison overcrowding puts vulnerable populations of incarcerated senior citizens at risk, causing them to live in fear of doubt as prison populations increase. To clarify, this article is not meant to criticize the fact that prison overcrowding must be addressed. It is permissible to release senior populations who are not putting the public at immediate risk. However, it is not permissible to release those who are capable of committing the same crimes repeatedly and distracting attention from the larger issues at hand. The racist and ambiguous mechanism which overlooks important public safety measures must be scrutinized more closely and equitably. Overall, the newfound policy has proven to be counterproductive. The intent to decrease death rate by reducing risk of contraction among inmates has instead spiked in society-

at-large due to the repercussions of releasing violent repeat-criminals. The Justice Department must weigh the lives of innocent people against those already behind bars. Prison overcrowding certainly is a formidable problem that must be dealt with, However, reducing punishment for assault and other crimes is not the sustainable solution we need. It bolsters the criminal problem, leading to inevitable arrest after crime rates

reach a threshold, and creates a positive feedback loop which cycles people back to incarceration and threatens public safety. In the words of William Barr himself, “While we have an obligation to protect BOP personnel and the people in BOP custody, we also have an obligation to protect the public.” Attorney General Barr’s PATTERN algorithm and no bail policy have failed to do just that.

DANIEL DAI The Northwood Howler

SPORTS

The Northwood Howler

May 29, 2020

The loud and proud go virtual Students on the loss of sports By Erin Kim

Staff Writer

Heather Kim The Northwood Howler

By Tyler Wong Staff Writer

A global pandemic was not about to stop the Junior Varsity and Varsity Pep Squad from participating in tryouts for the 2020-2021 season. Through online videos, cheer was the first sport to digitize tryouts while still following social distancing guidelines. Upon the school’s shut-down, Pep Squad Head Coach Lauren Alexander enlisted seniors to monitor, help and demonstrate skills and routines to the other girls. Applicants submitted a video of themselves performing their routine and were judged for their dancing, tumbling, cheering and spirit. They submitted their videos on April 24th, and by April 27th, results were out. “I think they were successful considering this was the first time I have done something like this,” Al-

Jordan

exander said. “I think the only problem with the girls submitting a tryout video versus a live tryout is that you might not be in a suitable environment to show off certain skills.” Embracing the online change, JV and Varsity cheer teams have been participating in weekly Zoom meetings. For Alexander, it is a way to check up on how the students are doing while also assigning workouts and strengthening exercises so they are prepared for in-person practices once school resumes. Alexander’s communication with the team has set a precedent for the girls to interact with each other as well, forming bonds that otherwise would not have been there. “I think it’s really good that we are staying in touch with the team and checking in on each other,” sophomore Gigi Tanner said. “I’m glad that we are continuing all the normal things we would do during the begin-

comes

ning of the new season to make it feel more normal and fun!” Alexander will continue to provide weekly zoom meetings until social distancing guidelines are removed and students are able to return back to school in order to stay in contact with the team, especially since their season kicks off right as school resumes. “I am looking forward to coming up with new stunts for our varsity team to perform at football games and creating fun new rally routines for next year,” Alexander said. While the 2020-2021 JV and Varsity team members have already been chosen, cheer captains are expected to be chosen later in the summer. “Seeing my team feel pride in what they do because they put in the extra hours of blood, sweat and tears is what makes this experience so worthwile,” Alexander said.

With the sudden closing of schools and transition to Emergency Distance Learning came the cancellation of Spring sports for the season, leaving many seniors disheartened, as they would miss the final games and practices of their high school career. Although senior athletes were especially let down, many are finding ways to cope with COVID-19 and remain active in the safety of their own homes. “I’ve been trying to stay in shape since we aren’t in season, and I’m trying to do wall ball as much as I can,” Girls Lacrosse varsity captain senior Ashley Peters said. “I bought a net with my teammate, so we try to shoot at the tennis courts.” Peters also plans on starting a local women’s lacrosse club team in Irvine during her next two years of college, taking advantage of the time in quarantine to expand her sport in the community and perfect her game as well. The Girls Lacrosse team has also been having weekly team dinners through the video conferencing app Zoom, maintaining a sense of normalcy in otherwise hectic times and helping the team develop bonds with one another. Similarly, the Track and Field team has been holding regular check-ins through Zoom, allowing seniors to connect with their teammates despite being unable to practice together. The Track and Field coaches also planned a night car parade in celebration of the graduating seniors, giving them all personalized law signs. “I was devastated at first because we had been working so hard

Coco Tsaur The Northwood Howler

PLAYING WITH PASSION: Juniors Travis Arena and Ali Alasseel engage in a post-touchdown celebration, showing team spirit. and so many new personal records were expected,” Track and Field athlete senior Stacy Kim said. “But all of the coaches’ efforts have been helping us persevere through this hard time.” Although the heightened risks of the disease and prolonged stayat-home order has been discouraging, many seniors have optimistic outlooks for the future, despite having their seasons cut short due to the pandemic. “Make the most out of quarantine and use this time to discover what you love and who you really are,” Kim said.

clutch ESPN’s Quarantine Protocol

By Ryan Wu and Pranav Gaddam

By Erin Kim

After three retirements and a total of 30,000 points scored in his basketball career, Michael Jordan left the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2003 with a legacy that has arguably been unrivaled even today. Even his name itself is synonymous with being the greatest of all time. Over the decades, multiple documentaries have showcased Jordan’s inspirational attitude towards basketball, including the latest 10-part docuseries, ESPN’s The Last Dance. Combining recollections from players to politicians and never-before-seen video footage, The Last Dance dissects Jordan’s resilient soul and competitive career in the ‘90s Bulls era. The overall series is a great watch for avid sports fans and provides a glimpse into one the world’s most famous icons. In the opening episode, viewers follow the start of Jordan’s dynasty as they are introduced to the strained relationship between his general manager, Jerry Krause, and coach, Phil Jackson, which eventually led to Jackson’s departure from the Bulls. Prior to these events, Jordan played for the University of North Carolina, where his charismatic nature, natural talent and work ethic led to his overall third draft pick by the Bulls in 1984 where he earned his stripes as a rookie, assisting in huge wins for the team. This episode excellently establishes the foundation for the series, allowing the average viewer to understand the conflict and key players. In the following two episodes, the series delves into the personal lives of the Chicago Bulls’ most prolific players, notably Jordan’s underpaid and underrated right hand man, Scottie Pippen, and unpredictable

Even without sports due to the pandemic, ESPN, a leading sports broadcasting network, along with other sports media, has found content to air to millions of sports fans. In response to postponed sports seasons, ESPN has adopted a new 24-hour schedule and has been playing archival content for viewers to enjoy, in addition to working on obtaining legal rights to air full classic games. ESPN has also announced that it will begin introducing special event initiatives in order to keep viewers entertained. One of these initiatives was bringing back “the Ocho” for 24 hours on March 22, which featured the world’s lesser known sports, such as stone skipping, hamburger eating and cherry pit spitting. ESPN also looks to incorporate new ideas that people have been forwarding to them in light of the current situation. “While it’s great that ESPN is coming up with different content to compensate for the cancellation of sports, some of it is not interesting to watch, like the spelling bee marathon,” junior Arjun Panchagatti said. Sports broadcasters have also been hosting studio shows, interviewing players and executives to discuss the newest updates about the coronavirus pandemic from a sports perspective. Certain sports braodcasters from ESPN such as Mina Kaimes have decided to create their own podcasts to report on the sports world, reminscing on the times prior to lockdown. In addition, ESPN has begun to stream themed games on its online and television platforms. Examples of this include the best Memorial

Staff Writer

nba-views.com

LEAVING EVERYTHING ON THE COURT: Chicago Bulls’ star Michael Jordan hustles up the hardwood on a fastbreak play. defensive powerhouse Dennis Rodman. Afterwards, the series focuses on Michael Jordan’s transition into the global icon he is today, including life-altering events like the untimely death of his father that furthered his impact on not only basketball but entertainment culture as a whole. The Last Dance provides a deeper look into the lives of Jordan and his teammates without feeling repetitive, and succeeds in providing a distraction to sports fans during this time away from basketball. The docuseries combines old-school hip hop with montages of the Chicago Bulls to provide nostalgia for basketball fans, particularly those who grew up in the era.The Last Dance is rated as a 4.5 out of 5 stars for those interested in one of the most influential figures in American culture.

Day baseball games. In addition, in order to allow college basketball fans the esteemed March Madness tournament, ESPN is trying to gain the rights to college basketball from CBS, allowing fans across the globe to wait in anticipation. However, there continues to be some live sports taking centerstage on ESPN2, such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight, bringing more awareness to the smaller sports that are overshadowed by sports biggest and brightest names. In addition, ESPN’s famed “30 for 30” documentary series will be aired more often on the channel, exciting fans across the globe. Lastly, the sports news prior to the coronavirus pandemic will seem to suffice until lockdown is over. Tom Brady’s recent departure from New England to Tampa Bay has caused sports analysts across the country to analyze the situation, speculating Super Bowl chances and potential playoff seeding in the National Football League (NFL). With the English Premier League restarting on June 17, the hiatus on sports will not be for long. But until order are lifted, commentators are staying busy. Andrew Cotter from BBC Sports has taken his time during quarantine to commentate a video clip of his two dogs racing to finish their food; similarly others like Josh Lewin from WEEI are posting videos narrating their lives at home, whether it be about their pets . These adjustments to life in quarantine show the skills of sports broadcasting networks and announcas they continue to excite fans with their signature calls, helping viewers bear the lockdown and maintain a sense of normalcy.

Daniel Dai The Northwood Howler

Quarantine Quibbles The Northwood Howler “Give me liberty AND give me death!” Vogue: Quarantine Edition

May 29, 2020

By Erin Tsai

Staff Writer

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for people to go outside without wearing a mask, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the right to get our hair done and nails painted, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God entitle them (emphasis on the word ENTITLE), a decent respect to the right to sunbathe on the beach which impels them to protest quarantine. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are entitled to go wherever they want whenever they want regardless of impact to human health, that they are endowed by their Creator to do business at whichever stores they please, that among these are Costco, Trader Joe’s and that one boba store down the street— and that whenever any form of government becomes to destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to wear AK-47s and rocket launchers to terrorize local government officials who dare listen to science. Our online petitions (written by online users who definitely have proper qualifications to do so) have been objectively listened to and carefully weighed by our elected officials; our remonstrances have been met with additional mockery and insult; our sense of entitlement has been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, in all liberal

media… we must whine! I repeat it, sir, we must whine! An appeal to the wambulance and to the God of crybabies is all that is left for us! Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of our stock market and economy crashing? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty… AND give me death! In the name of regaining our righteous, honorable, God-given American freedom, I and many Americans across the country will be taking to the streets to #SayNoToQuarantine. I have taken great inspiration from the bravery of recent protestors speaking out against the government’s tyranny. Since the beginning of April, I have studiously observed Box News broadcasts and cheered in my living room as my fellow Americans fought for their freedom against the COVID-19 outbreak that led to the government-issued quarantine. I commend the protestors for personally fighting against the oppressive nature of the government by exposing the lies they have told us to try and keep us isolated in our homes. “The concept of quarantine is absolutely tyranny,” protestor Nokworan Tien said. “According to the 316th amendment of the Bill of Rights, the US of A is a free country, which means I deserve the right to contract the ‘deadly virus’ if I want to. This ‘pandemic’ thing isn’t real anyways.”

Many have also taken to the internet to voice their opinions on the matter, with a multitude of trends springing up in support of these anti-quarantine efforts. The latest TikTok trend, dubbed #BostonTeaParty2.0, has teenagers dumping soap and hand sanitizer into their toilets in an effort to denounce the use of sanitary products in their day-to-day lives. Who needs to stay clean when we could be cleaning up the government instead? It’s time for us as Americans to fight for our freedoms and refuse to conform to the government’s rules of quarantine. By exercising our First Amendment rights, we will end this pandemic together. Join us in the fight to end quarantine, for once and for all.

HEATHER KIM The Northwood Howler

By Jonathan Kang

Staff Writer

Although quarantine has disrupted many aspects of daily life, the extra time we’ve gotten back by skipping our zoom calls has taken the fashion industry to new heights. I have compiled a list of outfits to show you to become the trendsetter you were always meant to be. The Mullet (business on top, party on the bottom): An outfit made to impress, this bougie ensemble is only for the wealthiest individuals with the most refined of taste. Wear your finest white collared shirt, a pin-stripped tuxedo jacket and bow tie. For extra pizazz, add a monocle and top hat and really give the Monopoly man a run for his money. Don’t worry about pairing this with your tattered Sierra Vista Chargers P.E. gym shorts. No one will be able to see your lower body half on the Zoom conference call anyways! You are sure to get rave reviews with your Gatsby-esque flex. The Michelin Man (aka what to do with your extra TP): Even

the most destitute of individuals can call this outfit their own. Get the hundreds of toilet paper rolls you stocked up on before quarantine and start throwing it all on your body. Worry not: our limbs were designed from thousands of years of human evolution to fit toilet paper on them! But only a few rolls is certainly not enough. The whole point of this fit is to make yourself indistinguishable from the Michelin man! Wrap the toilet paper around your torso, legs and head again and again until you can barely hobble towards your phone and snap a pic for your followers. This is a perfect outfit for rainy weather too, because your mad drip is sure to land you some street cred. The Thrifter’s Dress: Although prom was cancelled due to COVID-19, prom related fashion is still crucial to staying relevant and surprisingly attainable. To impress everyone with your getup, you don’t have to splurge either; simply drape a curtain around your body in prom-dress fashion. Make sure your vision is clear with this one, because you want to aim for ball gown elegance. Your dress should be paired with the best makeup palettes to ensure your beauty. VICTORIA TA The Northwood Howler

What more could go wrong? MasterChef applicant pool rises by 200% By Hari Sreeramagiri

Staff Writer

As the clock struck 12 on New Years Eve of 2019, the world let out a collective sigh of relief at the prospect of fresh starts and new resolutions. Looking back now, as the infamous COVID-19 consumes the global population and shatters political institutions on the path to world domination (not to mention the wildfires that nearly destroyed Australia (oh yeah?), and mother-loving MURDER HORNETS!), it’s probably in our best interest to be prepared for all possible scenarios. That’s why we’ve created a list of brand new 2020 predictions just for you. Remember, you heard it here first. 1. Space Wars : Look, it’s about time. If not land, then space. China’s been perfecting its Death Star technology for years and let’s be real: This is the perfect time to unveil it and catch the U.S. Jedi Legion (i.e.: Space Force) off guard. First target? Trump Tower. 2. Boba stocks skyrocket : Quarantine has deprived us of many things, but food is where we draw the line. As soon as this horrible wait ends, millions of boba shops will crowd

owd with mobs of people trying to satisfy their craving for the delicious dessert. 3. Zoom stocks plummet : I don’t know about you, but isn’t everyone a little sick of pretending to be frozen or muted when a teacher calls on them? Bottom line: Post-quarantine, this company won’t be zooming for much longer. 4. Zombie apocalypse : I think we should be optimistic here. If the human race doesn’t survive this pandemic, we have the potential to come back as zombies and take revenge. It’s better than nothing. Unless the virus can infect zombies too. 5. Asteroid hit : Like we said -ALL POSSIBLE SCENARIOS. The probability it lands in your backyard might be 0.000000001%, but it still exists, and the consequences would be enormous to say the least. With what has happened this year already, an event that drastic really isn’t out of the question. 6. Spike in veganism : Those bats that caused multiple global pandemics are probably feeling really guilty right about now. Who knows? COVID-20 might even come from frogs. Delicacies are overrated anyways. Let’s just stick to apples.

By Jonathan Kang and Tyler Wong Staff Writers

MasterChef is experiencing a 200% rise in applicants after chefs across the country have found nothing better to do than bake banana bread due to quarantine. As the ability to procure takeout has become increasingly limited, culinary skills have become crucial to the average American. Some have taken advantage of the opportunity and refined their cooking skills to self-proclaimed professional levels. “This time in quarantine has been a blessing because I’ve been able to experiment with different recipes and plating methods, improving my cooking dramatically,” influencer Eye Cannes Cooke said. “Like, did you know that you can put noodles in hot water and they become soft? Or that you don’t even need a microwave to heat things up? I know, save your words of praise; I’m sure the MasterChef judges will be speechless.” Cooke is not alone in this new trend of preparing new dishes through experimentation. Some have tried to

put their own spin on staple dishes with mixed results, such as the mouth-watering peanut butter and avocado sandwiches. Countless other chefs are stepping up their fame by viewing playlists of Gordon Ramsay cooking in his home for hours on end. At the same time, many chefs are also criticizing Ramsay. “Although he is a respected chef, I’ve realized that Ramsay’s meals are way too unnecessarily sophisticated and expensive,” self-proclaimed chef Rim Sey said. “The judges at the Masterchef competition will be blown away with my original recipe

that I curated during quarantine--dalgona whipped coffee.” Sey is hoping to win Masterchef and become a judge himself. He claims that as a judge, he will relentlessly critique and insult other chefs as muchas physically possible and award himself the title of MasterChef every season. “I really don’t even need to be on Masterchef because everyone who follows me on Instagram already knows I am the best cook in the world,” Sey said. “I can’t wait to be condescending to other chefs to assert my superiority.”

RACHEL GUNAWAN The Northwood Howler

ANNA LIM The Northwood Howler