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Maggie Brenan Tarun Ramesh
PUBLICATION
NEWS EDITOR
Katie Armstrong Grace Chung Megan Cistulli Shashank Ganeshan Aniruddha Gupta Sarah Jang Suchita Kumar Lina Levitt Sherry Liang Austin Meng Ben Minder Akshay Nair Alex Perry Sruti Sajja Erin Shin Jennah Sooknanan Ramanuj Srinivasan Mira Sydow Sheetal Tadiparty Justine Ulrich Morgan White Sravika Yerneni
The Messenger is a student publication published for and distributed to the Northview community. The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the entire staff or those of Northview High School, its students, faculty, staff, or administration. Content is edited and controlled by staff editors. The staff will publish only legally protected speech, adhering to the legal definitions of libel, obscenity, and the invasion of privacy.
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IN THIS ISSUE Cover design: Tarun Ramesh
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MANAGING EDITOR Sally Pan Amanda Beard
SPORTS EDITOR Will Claussen
FEATURES EDITOR Nithya Mahakala
OPINIONS EDITOR Jack Lowrance
ONLINE EDITOR Sarika Temme-Bapat
BUSINESS MANAGERS Evan Moody Joseph Ni
ADVISER Chris Yarbrough
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MAGGIE BRENAN
WILL CLAUSSEN SHASHANK GANESHAN
SARIKA TEMME-BAPAT
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STAFF
SARIKA TEMME-BAPAT
JACK LOWRANCE TARUN RAMESH
EDITOR’S LETTER
MONTHLY BRIEFS
SUMMER SPORTS
FOOD REVIEW
RUSSIAN DOPING
FACEOFF
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SHERRY LIANG SALLY PAN
STAFF
STAFF
RENOVATION
RACE RELATIONS
STAFF EDITORIAL
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MEGAN CISTULLI
STAFF
JACK LOWRANCE
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AKSHAY NAIR KATIE ARMSTRONG
JACK LOWRANCE
STAFF
ATHLETE PROFILE
SPORTS BRIEFS
NEW TEACHERS
SHARKNADO 4
THE LOW DOWN
COLUMNS
THE MESSENGER | 3
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Sitting Down to Take a Stand
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an Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick failed to stand during the National Anthem before his preseason game against the Green Bay Packers on Aug 26. Some wondered if it may have been a fluke, others thought it could have been a mistake. However, in his post-game press conference, Kaepernick made it very clear that he had, in fact, intended to make a political statement, and that he refused “to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Kaepernick intends to remain seated for the anthem until “justice for all” can be achieved in our country. Since that day, he has been hailed as both a hero and a villain, and has sparked controversy amongst concerned citizens of all ages and races, sports fans and otherwise. While his cause is worthy and his dedication is admirable, what Kaepernick failed to realize is that disrespecting the National Anthem is a meager reactive measure which will only serve to further the divide in our country and muddle the problem he is trying to solve. Although Kaepernick’s shocking statement did accomplish his mission of starting a necessary dialogue regarding race relations in America, its most noticeable result was the widespread opposition to his mode of discourse. Kaepernick’s actions appeared oblivious to the fact that the National Anthem does not symbolize respect for those who are currently running our country, but for the men and women who have fought and died for our freedom and democracy. Although Kaepernick later stated that his actions were not meant to be disrespectful to the servicemen and women of our country and subsequently knelt rather than sat before his team
played a game to honor service-people and veterans, his initial actions were inherently disrespectful and unnecessary. His mode of discourse, although effective, was insulting and easily replaceable. By choosing a National Symbol that is hundreds of years old as his point of contention, Kaepernick displayed his inability to attempt to solve the problem at hand proactively, as an effective leader would. Instead of presenting a solution to the problem and making an effort to help foster a healthy discussion amongst all opposing and clashing sentiments within our country, he effectively fueled the fire and illegitimized his argument with the utter disrespect through his actions. Regardless of the history and the rhetoric of our National Anthem, it is a symbol that has always represented the freedom and democracy that make our country unique. The irony of the situation is blatant in Kaepernick’s decision to exercise his first amendment rights while disrespecting the flag which is symbolic of those same rights. Kaepernick’s actions indicate that he neither realizes nor respects the privilege he has to play the game he loves every Sunday and get paid a multi-million dollar salary for doing so. Kaepernick’s later gesture of offering a tiny fraction of his enormous salary would have been a much more effective statement initially, one that was not only within the boundaries of propriety, but also much more impactful. While a national discussion over race relations remains a necessity, Kaepernick’s medium fails to effectively or efficiently motivate change; instead, the controversy just becomes another cog in a scandal ridden political machine, focusing on theatrics and rhetoric rather than the issue itself.
Maggie Brenan, Editor-in-Chief
THE MESSENGER | 5
NEWS
IN BRIEF Northview’s annual Welcome Week officially commenced the beginning of a brand new school year. On the week of Aug. 8 students were welcomed every day with a treat; on Monday there were donuts being served, on Tuesday popsicles were served at lunch, on Thursday lollipops were handed out at lunch, and on Friday there were cupcakes in the cafeteria. The purpose of welcome week was to help students get used to being back in their school routines and encourage them to become more involved in school activities such as clubs and sports. On Wednesday, at the club fair, students were able to pay a visit during their lunch hour to the auxiliary gym and find out more about clubs they were interested in and sign up for ones they had already picked.
8/28 The Annual Video Music Awards were held August 28 at Madison Square Garden
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8/21
Olympics end and USA wins with the most gold medals
Evan Moody/STAFF
8/15-19
Over the summer, Beta, Future Business Leaders Of America (FBLA), Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), and Latin clubs all took part in conventions across the nation. The annual Beta convention took place from June 27-30 in New Orleans; nine members competed against other schools in events such as Art Expo., Quiz Bowl, and other academic competitions. The Latin club attended the Junior Classical League Convention in Indiana University on July 25-29; 14 club members participated in various ranged competitions. HOSA attended the International Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee; members stayed at the Gaylord Opryland hotel and participated in different healthcare related events.
The Messenger’s monthly digest of events at Northview and around the world Megan CIstulli/STAFF
On Sept 2, Northview held their annual pep rally to start off a new school year. As this is the first pep rally for the class of 2020, Principal Downey wished everyone to have a great first experience. “My hope is that freshmen will get to learn and see how passionate we are to be Northview students and how proud we are to be a team.” Principal Downey said. “We wanted to start the school year with something to set the tone, have fun. and welcome everyone back to a great new year.”
9/2
9/3 Earthquake hits Italy with a magnitude of 4.5 killing almost 300 people.
8/17
During lunch on Aug. 17, students were given the opportunity to visit the Club Fair held in the Auxiliary Gym. The gym filled up quickly during both lunches with students looking for charity organizations, academic clubs, and leisure clubs to join. In past years, Club Fair was hosted in the main hallways surrounding the courtyard. This year the Student Council decided to give it a new setting. “We thought there would be more space, but because the air conditioning ended up not working, it backfired on us,” junior and Student Council member Vivian Luu said. Even though the location could have been improved, the Club Fair was a good experience for people looking for clubs to join and places to fit.
Justine Ulrich/ STAFF
THE MESSENGER | 7
NEWS
Northview Gets a Makeover Northview High School undergoes renovations over the summer to indoor and outdoor facilities SHERRY LIANG, STAFF WRITER SALLY PAN, MANAGING EDITOR
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his past summer, Northview High School underwent major renovations in its media center, softball field, and gym to enhance students’ academic and athletic experiences. The improvements are geared toward integrating technology into the academic curriculum and bolstering school pride. The new layout of the media center encourages a flexible classroom setting for learning and teaching. Old-school classroom idea of a fixed chair, a fixed location, and rows of desks is slowly changing into more open, interactive work spaces. “If you notice in the media center, everything is on wheels. We can redesign that space into anything we want,” Principal Brian Downey said. Teachers can bring their classes into the corner of the media center where everything is on wheels. The flexibility of this space allows them to adjust the layout of the furniture to aid their lesson plans. “Because of the more open situation we’ve got, the circulation desk moved to the center to make it much more convenient for everybody. The five study rooms are a big hit and everybody loves them--they’re always fighting for them,” media specialist Darryl Paul said. The flexibility and mobility of the media center increases the opportunities for collaboration among the teachers and improves students’ access to research and work-based learning, with three or four classes using the facility at once. “When you go to college and you go to the work place, they want people who can think, and people can problem solve, and people who can work together on a team and collaborate and do all those things,” Downey, said. “When we work in isolation we’re not nearly as strong as when we work together.” Besides improving the quality of the academic environment, the softball field and gym were also upgraded in performance and quality to promote school pride.
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Justine UIrich/STAFF
The condition of the softball field was not up to standard to the baseball field and the quality of the Parsons Road practice field Everything inside the old fence was dug up and redone. The county leveled the field, laid new sod, put up a brand new fence, and redid the infield with new clay; the whole project exceeded the original expectation, essentially building an entirely new field. “The field is very important to me, especially that one, because it represents the school, if it looks good, then people think we take care of ourselves and we care about ourselves,” athletic director Scotty McDaniel said. “As you drive down 141, the major highway here, the only thing you see about Northview as you drive by is the softball field.” In addition to outdoor renovations, Downey and McDaniel have also focused on improving Northview’s indoor athletic facilities. They brought in several different painting and flooring crews to redo the gym over summer break. The floors were polished and rebranded to improve the gym’s appearance and to impress other schools and students alike.
“We have banners that have been ordered to be hung up,” McDaniel said. “We are hanging all the banners of the seniors who play sports in the gym--the basketball players, the cheerleaders, the volleyball players; their banners will be put up in the gym and they’ll be there the whole year.” The floor of the gym was also redesigned. It was entirely stripped of all the layers down to the wood and repainted with a new design that incorporates the Northview logo and lightning bolts. “For the school’s sports and athletics, inside the gym is the center of attention; I mean it’s where it all begins. It’s where we have interactions with all the other schools that come to play us and all the parents that come into our gym,” McDaniel said. “I want it to really look good because I want them to walk out of our gym like, ‘Wow that place was really cool; that was really nice.’” With these new improvements, Northview has not only provided its students with the environment and resources to foster their academic abilities and athletic potentials, but also pride in the new facilities that embody the quality of academics and athletics at Northview.
S P O RT S
profiles
highlights
Chi ke Otakula, 12
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have a bunch of benefits from the government. It’s a win-win,” Otaluka said. The Naval Academy is one of five United States military universities. Boasting a highly selective 7.9% admission rate, potential prospects must obtain congressional nomination before being able to apply to the school. The Naval Academy combines a strong education in the sciences (students graduate with a Bachelor of Sciences after four years) with active duty in the U.S. Navy to graduate professional officers directly into leadership roles within the Navy and Marine Corps. Athletically, the Navy Midshipmen play Division I football in the American Athletic Conference. “I’ll be ready for what they put on the plate. It will definitely be hard, but I’ll get through it,” Otaluka said. Otaluka, a three-year varsity starter, plays safety and defensive back on defense, works into some offensive formations as wide receiver, and plays on special teams, as both a returner and a kick/punt coverage player. “He’s been really really good because he’s been consistent throughout the whole time [he has been at Northview]. His consistency is what makes him good,” head coach Chad Davenport said. “ He’s really worked hard and gotten better every year. My expectations for him are at a certain level, because he is a college type player.” As a senior on a young and inexperienced Chike Otaluka/SPECIAL team this year, Otaluka has had to step into a
enior Chike Otaluka has committed to the Naval Academy to continue his football career. After years of dedication on and off the field, and a grueling spring participating in scouting camps and visiting campuses and programs, Otaluka has found that the Naval Academy provides the right balance between academics, career training, service, and football for him. “Once football is over you need to have a strong education. After I do my service, then I’ll
Commited to the United States Naval Academy
Position: Safety
4.41 seconds 40 yard dash leadership role and mentor younger players. “Chike Otaluka is a person who always gives 100% effort, whatever he’s doing. He has a great work ethic off and on the field. He is a teammate you can count on to get the job done,” junior running back Emeka Nwanze said. Otaluka was widely looked at by schools such as the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Duke, Indiana University, and the University of North Carolina. Before receiving the offer from Navy, Otaluka had received offers from schools such as Appalachian State, Georgia State, and Tulane University. After going through the process, Otaluka was so sure of his trajectory that he committed to the Naval Academy the same day he received the offer. “It has taught me that things will never just be handed to you in life,” Otaluka said. All those late nights and hours upon hours put into this sport have been worth it for Otaluka. He has finally made that little boys dream come true of playing in college, and his next major goal is to make it to the NFL where he can be seen nationally on Thanksgiving and hopefully inspire some other little boys to play football just like him.
THE MESSENGER | 9
sports in brief Northview’s fall sports begin their ring chasing with fall practices, workouts, and early games A K S H AY N A I R A N D K A T I E A R M S T RO N G , S TA F F W R I T E R S
Northview Cross Country/SPECIAL
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
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or the girls cross country team, 2016 ended on a bitter note after they missed out on a chance to three-peat as state champions. After finishing third in the state meet last season, they aim to make it back to compete for another state championship. However, to make it through the new region this year, the team will have to do it without a group of key seniors including Lindsay Billings and Tiffany Yue. Although their contributions are missed, the remaining athletes’ work ethic and offseason conditioning will help their chances of standing atop the podium. “All of the girls have been have been working together, and we’ve been making sure to run workouts together and train together so that we can all get better at the same pace,” junior Rebecca Francis said. Another concern is the health of the team, an issue which plagued their quest for a championship last year. This makes becoming competitive at the state level an uphill climb this season. “Our biggest goal is to keep everybody healthy and hopefully get out of the region with both teams as a top four and make it to the state meet,” head coach Tony Cianciola said.
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Akshay Nair/STAFF
VOLLEYBALL
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he Northview volleyball team started off their season with a winning record of 4-3. Although there are experienced leaders to carry the team on their playoff quest, there are still improvements that need to be made at this early point in the season. “We need to improve on our passing, specifically serving, receiving, and transitions. [We need to] to use the things we do in practice and apply them to the game,” junior Piper Chans said. According to Chans, the team struggles with not being able to finish a point, and with giving up on easy plays by getting scared to hit the ball. Also, the team has struggled with illness and subsequently practice attendance thus far. “We didn’t have a gym for a large portion of the summer so we are a little bit behind compared to the other teams. Also, the past couple days we have had people sick and missing practice and stuff like that,” Coach Christopher James said. After they address theminor details that are left to polish, the volleyball team hopes to improve their record and sneak into playoff contention.
Mira Sydow/STAFF
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
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he boys cross country team hopes to improve from a 19th place finish in the state meet last year. The team returns a group of key upperclassmen such as Ryan Larcinese and Joe Whalley, but also bolsters a strong group of young runners who will be essential in improving. “You have to make the runners below you push up to your level. You can have the fastest runner in the state, but it’s the team that has the most depth that will always have the most success,” senior Bryce Meyer said. The experienced runners offer more than just ability. They provide motivation and an example for the younger runners to look up to and live up to. “It’s the seniors that keep on pushing me to run at their pace and at their level, and to one day, be better than them,” sophomore Harman Soor said. The team’s finish from last year may have been an improvement from the 2015 season, but they have higher goals. “The team’s goal would be to win state, and we we want to do this by practicing hard and putting our mind to our goal,” sophomore Jameson Drake said.
S P O RT S Left: Senior Bryce Meyer finishes strong in an early season race. Middle left: Senior Aria Ragas spikes the ball in an early season match Far left: Sophomore Maleah Souza and junior Emily Birag finish the first race of the season, the Kosh Classic. Right: Junior Carson Pate jogs off the field in the game agasint Winder-Barrow Below: Freshman Camryn Garland warms up at the plate.
Jennah Sooknanan /STAFF
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Ramanuj Srinivasan/STAFF
SOFTBALL
he softball team is looking to improve from a 9-14 season last year, but this task will be made difficult due to the team’s inexperience. The team lost seniors such as Melissa Muench and Makenzie Flynt; their only current senior is transferred athlete Kyra Lockhart. Lockhart’s ability and skill has landed her an opportunity to play at the University of Alabama next season, and her work ethic serves as a model for the younger players to follow. “The younger girls will get to see what hard work, dedication, and the time she’s put in [gets you],” head coach Evan Baker said. “They will see the work ethic, the skill level, and the sheer love for the sport and the process she has.” The softball program got another new addition over the summer, a new field. The previous field was not up to par with the baseball field and over this summer the school filed a petition to get a new one. The field will hopefully change the atmosphere around the complex. “The condition of the field was not up to standard. The quality of the field did not match the quality of the baseball field... so we petitioned the county to have the work done, and they literally redid everything,” Principal Brian Downey said. ”It’s essentially a brand new field...
which is what our facility needs.” Although the new field will help with some mental aspects, the team’s play will need to improve if they want to make it to playoffs. They must overcome a rough 1-4 start to the season. “We plan to improve by being better teammates and always supporting each other... and always leaving all our effort out on the field,” junior Sophia Hamill said.
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FOOTBALL
he Northview Titans football team has started the season 0-2, losing two non-region games to Lanier and Winder-Barrow. After such a rocky start to the season, the team wants to better execute the gameplan and return to the fundamentals. “As a team we’re going to have to get more physical on both sides of the ball. The line needs to be able to hold their blocks and withstand them longer, so we have more time to run and pass the ball,” junior running back Emeka Nwanze said. The Titans have a young and inexperienced team; many of their starters are receiving meaningful playing time for the first time in their high school careers. The offensive line
features four new starters, and many players are playing both on offense and defense. “There [are] some positions we have on the field where we just are playing guys that have never played there before, and it’s just going to take time,” head coach Chad Davenport said. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take. Is it going to take us until the end of the season? Is it going to take us until the middle of the season, or is it going to be this Friday night? I don’t know.” The Titans are coming into this year with renewed expectations, having made the state playoffs the past few years in 6-AAAAAA football. Dropping class into what many would consider to be a weaker region, the pressure is on for the Titans to best last season’s outcome and make it past the first round of the playoffs. “My goals for the team this year are just as everyone else’s. I want the team to improve and keep building on all the good progress we have made in the past few years,” junior quarterback Colton McDaniel said. The Titans will enjoy their two bye weeks early in the season, allowing the coaching staff to iron out any wrinkles and get the team set for a string of eight region games.
THE MESSENGER | 11
Summer Sports Northview stars have strong performances at summer sports events S H A S H A N K G A N E S H A N , S TA F F W R I T E R W I L L C L A U S S E N , S P O RT S E D I T O R
Matthew Terry, Tennis
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atthew Terry, a current Senior, had an exceptional summer on the tennis courts across the country. With extremely strong performances at Georgia, Southern, and National events, he has established himself as a top prospect for college recruitment this season. “The success I had this Summer will definitely impact me in the college process because I will be able to get many more offers due to the exposure. This will hopefully give me many different programs to choose from” Terry said. He trained day in and day out all throughout the spring and early Summer to get fully prepared for the upcoming tournaments. Terry believes that the hard work and dedication that he
exhibited was a driving factor, but he also credits the success to the coaching staff and individuals who supported him every day. “The great coaching staff i have definitely impacted my success this Summer, and hopefully they will keep me on this good track” Terry said. This performance is also going to have a positive impact upon the high school season coming in the Spring. With both his physical and mental game becoming stronger than ever, he is looking to he a powerful player from the team on the court. “Its incredible that any teenager could have the mental toughness that Matthew has. You can have the talent, but if you get in a bind, you have to have the mental toughness. And that is what he’s got” Coach Tracy Rammage said.
Piper Chans, Beach Volleyball
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his past summer junior Piper Chans participated in beach volleyball. She traveled across the country to various places including Milwaukee and California competing for bids to Nationals as well as participating in the National Championship itself. Her experience playing beach volleyball was much different than playing indoor Northview volleyball in many ways. For instance, beach volleyball teams consist of only two players meaning that there needs to be a large trust between the teammates, because there are only two people to cover the area that normally six people cover in indoor volleyball. “You play with a partner for the whole year, and you work together to build a good bond and relationship to make sure you guys have that connection” Chans said. Playing beach volleyball also improved
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Chans’s volleyball fundamentals including defense and balancing the court because since there are only two players, each much be aware of their positioning and be fundamentally sound. Both Chans and Coach Christopher James pointed to the importance of eye-work in volleyball, and both agree that beach volleyball develops this important skill. James believes that these improvements will help make Piper a better PIPER CHANS/SPECIAL volleyball player. “I think any opportunity to touch a volleyball will help you become a better volleyball player” James said.
S P O RT S
Joe Whalley, Triathlon
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JOE WHALLEY/SPECIAL
ABOVE: Senior Joe Whalley competes at the national triathlon meet, pushing his body to the physical limits. Inset: Junior Piper Chans and Emma Todd (Cambridge) set up a winning point in their beach volleyball match.
ver the summer, senior Joe Whalley traveled to West Chester, Ohio to compete in a national triathlon amongst some of the nation’s best athletes. Whalley prepared and trained nonstop for two months. His day comprised of two to three practice sessions that each about two hours. Though not feeling well, Whalley managed to persevere through his physical struggles displaying an immense amount of mental toughness. He values his participation in this triathlon as a beneficial learning experience and looks forward to participating in more triathlons in the future. Since a triathlons require a great deal of time commitment, Whalley doubts he would be able to compete in another national triathlon of that caliber, but he still aims to maintain that momentum and training. “Certainly I have to make time in the day [to train]. I get up early to go swim. I have cross country after school, and then I can train in the evenings as well. It is certainly not easy to fit in the training, but it is still doable” Whalley said. Track and swimming coach, Coach Tony Cianciola, is excited about Whalley’s potential for this 2016-17 year of athletics. Last year, Whalley battled with some injuries, but after observing the Whalley’s dedicated work ethic and triathlon training, Cianciola has a great deal of confidence that Whalley can come back better than before. Particularly with the triathlon training, Whalley has improved his endurance, leg strength, and cardiovascular stamina which compliments all his sports especially cross country. Cianciola has no doubt that Whalley will be able to compete at a high level this season and for years to come. “His work ethic is above and beyond good. His attitude is great. He is very respectful. He’s very helpful . Kids look up to him. He’s got all the attributes that you want in a student athlete. “ Cianciola said.
THE MESSENGER | 13
FEATURES
Jack Lowrance/STAFF
Writers’ Digest
Napoli Pizza 1.
The Messenger’s Monthly Food Review JACK LOWRANCE, OPINIONS EDITOR SARIKA TEMME-BAPAT, ONLINE EDITOR
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apoli pizza, an upscale Italian eatery, recently opened its doors just a half a mile down the road from Northview. Featuring two massive brick ovens, a vast, open kitchen, and communal seating, the restaurant gives a decent first impression, but leaves much to be desired. The menu features numerous pizzas, salads, and gelato, but at 18-29 dollars a pie, Napoli’s makes it immediately apparent that it is hardly the most affordable option in the area. The primavera, one of the two vegetarian options at the restaurant, boasts three cheeses, zucchini, spinach, and garlic. It emerges from the oven warm and aromatic, with a soft, fluffy dough that makes the crust irresistible. But, the toppings lack the flavor needed to compensate for the absence of tomato sauce, leaving something to be desired in the way of taste. However, the Da Vinci, a minimalistic pizza, topped with bits of prosciutto, arugula, and a conservative helping of mozzarella provides a refreshing break
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from a typical low cost, low quality pie that one might find at Pizza Hut or the like. The subtle notes of garlic and the satisfying saltiness of the prosciutto leave you wishing for more, and savoring what remains. The unexpected sophistication and authenticity of the restaurant points to the gradual rise in demand for a local, upscale alternative to low-cost chains along the lines of Papa John’s and Domino’s. Napoli’s is not meant to be just another pizza place, if judged by those parameters, its price-point alone would immediately lead it to failure. It is trying to fill a void in town for quality, wood-fired pizza– culinary speaking, it knocks the ball out of the park, but on all other fronts, it is severely lacking. It’s unclear what direction the restaurant is trying to take ambiance wise, and it often feels as though the restaurant may be deviating from its authenticity in an attempt to appeal to the same pool of customers that large chains have monopolized. It fails miserably in this en-
deavor, with blaring music, a disengaged staff, and busy decor, attention is diverted from the delicious pizza, to a throbbing migraine. That said, however, these problems appear to simply be rookie mistakes, easily correctable with the turn of a volume knob and some price adjustments. The restaurant shows signs of great promise and has the opportunity to create a name for itself in Johns Creek.
Napoli1. Pizza 10305 Medlock Bridge Road, Suite B1 Johns Creek, Ga 30097 (678)-585-3239 http://1napoli.com This article is not sponsored by Napoli1. Pizza.
FF
E features
“We
these be that Men created
hold t r u t h s to self-evident
all
are
qual
Declaration of Independence, Ju l y 4,1776
split down the middle NITHYA MAHAKALA, FEATURES EDITOR AMANDA BEARD, NEWS EDITOR MIRA SYDOW, STAFF WRITER RAMANUJ SRINIVASAN, STAFF WRITER THE MESSENGER | 15
the police
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his summer, America erupted in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Since the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2013, the movement has been picking up speed. The hostility between African Americans and police officers is the highest it has been since the 1960s. Hundreds of protests take place every month all across the country. However, Black Lives Matter has not gone unopposed. The All Lives Matter movement has surfaced, a campaign arguing that not only black lives matter, but the lives of everyone. Recently, an African American called Philando Castile was killed by a police officer in front of his girlfriend and child at a stoplight. This, among other similar events, has caused more conflict than ever between the two movements. Officer Dimitri Caldwell has worked as a police officer for 13 years in Atlanta and suburbs like Johns Creek. As an African American and a police officer, Caldwell values all lives. “I would tell you that all lives do matter,” Caldwell said. “No person deserves to have their life taken from them through the act of violence or crime in this country.” Media plays a large role in spreading news on the shootings, and sometimes different groups can interpret media different ways. For example, the video Philando Castile’s girlfriend released of him being pulled over by a police officer.
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“People will make a snap judgment based on what they saw as an aftermath of what actually happened,” Caldwell said. Caldwell has been mistreated by other police officers by being stopped and harassed for no reason while off duty. Despite siding with All Lives Matter, Caldwell agreed that issues with ‘rogue’ police officers still needed to be dealt with claiming that, no matter how many helpful policemen, there will always be the ‘bad cops’. “Any police officer that unjustly shoots and kills someone needs to be held accountable,” Caldwell said.“It is a two way street.” Police officer Kenneth Kennebrew is an African American who has been on the police force for 27 years. He views himself as a father and a husband, not as a ‘brutal police officer’ or a ‘targeted African American’. “I don’t feel I’m treated differently because I’m black, but I feel I’m treated differently because I’m a police officer,” Kennebrew said. Even though Kennebrew knows police officers are held in high respect, things are changing as society becomes more hesitant of the police force. Being both a police officer and African American create a difficult choice between the two movements. Kennebrew along with Caldwell receive hate for being on both sides of the fence.
No matter the race or economic background. Having respect for one another as human beings is crucial.
Officer Kenneth Kennebrew
“I feel like human lives matter,” Kennebrew said. “No matter the race or economic background. Having respect for one another as human beings is crucial.” The All Lives Matter versus Black Lives Matter movements have not only affected the major city communities, but also the school systems. Many students are aware of the events occurring outside their everyday environments and have to ignore the extreme violence to carry out their days normally. Ripley Simone Johnson-Kennebrew, a freshman at Northview High School and the daughter of Officer Kennebrew, is especially familiar with this issue. While at school, Johnson-Kennebrew deals with the issue of never knowing what might happen while Kennebrew is on duty. As the feud between police officers and African Americans continue to intensify, the issue becomes more relevant. “My mom and I are really scared about what can happen to my dad when he is on duty,” Johnson-Kennebrew said. “I don’t know if he is going to come home.” Students at Northview are very accustomed to the inherent diversity in the school which allows for a variety of good and bad results. The students have no problem with getting along or discriminating because of the recent issues. However, the media has provided to be a corrupt source of information for students and youth in any community. “Saying #blacklivesmatter is not going to do anything,” senior Rohan Menon said. “Students need to understand what they are standing for.” As the battle between the two sides continues, more and more stereotypes are placed on each side. If a certain number of police officers do something wrong, all are targeted to be the same and vice versa for African Americans. Both Johnson and Kennebrew insist that there are plenty of good police officers, and they should not be overshadowed by the bad ones. “I just don’t want people to be afraid of us when we haven’t done anything wrong,” Johnson said.
recent events July 23, 2014 Hundreds erupt into protests in Brooklyn, NY after Eric Garner’s death
Nov. 2, 2013 Renisha McBride is shot dead in Detroit after a car accident
July 7, 2013
Aug. 9, 2014
July 14, 2013
Michael Brown is shot by officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri and massive protests erupt over next few weeks
Patrisse Cullors re-posts a message with the hashtag #blacklivesmatter in Los Angeles
Shootings Protests
25% 41
of African-Americans killed by police were unarmed
Million
Nov. 22, 2014 12-year-old Tamir Rice is killed in a playground by a police officer in Ohio
First major protest for Martin in Times Square
Oct. 11, 2014 Thousands march for police reform and an indictment on Darren Wilson in St. Louis
Feb. 26, 2012 George Zimmerman shoots Trayvon Martin in Sanford, FL
July 7, 2016 Anton Sterling is shot by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Protests start in Louisiana.
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number of times that African-Americans are more likely to die at the hands of police officers than any other American demographic
nu m b e r of # b la c kli ve sm at t e r twe e te d THE MESSENGER | 17
the protester
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s an organization, the worst nightmare any leader could possibly imagine is a misconstrued and convoluted interpretation of the mission statement. The most highlighted example of this taking place in society is the projection of Black Lives Matters’ mission statement. Black Lives Matter claim to be advocates of peace and an overall non-violent organization. Unfortunately, when the news emphasizes the flaws and extreme pockets of the group, it is hard to maintain a positive outlook. Recently, the president of Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta, Sir Maejor Page, was accused of impersonating a police officer on multiple occasions. The organization has taken a great hit in their popularity in Georgia ever since, resulting in the deterioration of public participation in events. Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed and Police Chief George Turner stood by Sir Maejor as he released his statement to the public regarding the inaccurate depiction of his actions. “We have collaborated with other organizations like Southerners On New Ground, The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, The Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, Solutions Not Punishment Coalition, and other grassroots organizations to engage in movement-building work,” Mary Hooks, senior member of the Greater Atlanta chapter, said. “ I personally do this work because I believe we as Black people have a mandate: ‘To avenge the suffering of our ancestors. To earn the respect of future generations, and to be transformed in the service of the work.’” Considering its recent history of violent activities, many believe that the intention for forming Black Lives Matter has gone awfully awry. Since the major claim is that Black Lives Matters’ original intention has been consistently misconstrued by the public, it is important to reintroduce the central idea and draw
attention back to the initial purpose. “There have been moments where there was violence, but that’s not the premise of what the Black Lives Matter movement is,” Tania Pope, a literature teacher at Northview, said. “It is a movement that is trying to highlight a very important cause and is highlighting prejudice and bias and difficulties in the black community.” To further clarify the true foundation of Black Lives Matter, active protesters refute false claims made against the organization’s efforts on social media and on the streets. “#BLM has been called terrorist, race baiters, leaderless, anti-white, and only
one in
here,’” Northview senior Mecca Malone said. There are many interpretations into the psychological insight into why such violent events take place. “When only one person is doing something like this, most people think ‘Oh, he’s just doing that for publicity,’ but once someone starts doing it, then others catch on... and then people start thinking ‘We gotta start taking action,’ ” Malone said. Even when it is clear that violence is being used as a last resort, the primary issue is regarding whether the actions are justified. On one hand, the physical endangerment of anyone as not permitted by the law is wrong, but on the other hand, the abuse of police authority should be punished. Unfortunately, as we have learned over the past few years, many fear for their safety when it comes to Police brutality. “It’s unfortunate I have to live in a world where I fear for my husband, or for my brother. I’ll literally be walking on the streets with my husband and people will purposefully move to the other side to distance themselves away,” Northview Assistant Principal Nikol Boyd said. “Little things like that are common, but I also have to consider whether or not I’m reading too much into something too little.” Even the police, who seem to be antagonized by a major populace on the online forums for Black Lives matter, acknowledge and recognize this injustice. Their claim supports the ideology of All Lives Matter, more than Black Lives Matter. This, however, does not mean that they refute the claims regarding racial prejudice around police brutality in the United States. Given that there are people around us that recognize this issue and want to take action, spreading awareness to participating in events held in Atlanta remain
sixty-five
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young African-American men will be killed by the police
about protesting police murders, all of which are false,” Hooks said. The general belief on this end of the spectrum is that there are pockets of extreme and radical minds within this organization that are destroying the very ideology that Black Lives Matter stands for. Keeping that in mind, there is a history of police brutality on minorities that has been passed on from generation to generation, which demonstrates why these radical notions are present. “We’ve tried our best to not resort to violence… but sometimes you need to do something radical for people to go ‘Oh, there’s something important happening
by the numbers *all statistics from PEW research center or Huffington Post
options for the politically active. As an educational institution, Northview has assured that individual participation in these causes will be respected and appreciated to the full extent of the authorities. “Yes, I want our students involved and yes I want our students to have a voice. You should. It’s going to impact you. And if not you, it’s going to impact the person next to you. And it’s certainly impacting your society,” Principal Brian Downey said. At the moment, high school participation is low and limited, especially for the Greater Atlanta chapter. “We know that in order for the legacy of resistance to continue that young people must be involved,” Hooks said. Out of the thousands of controversial incidents that have transpired in recent history, domestic and international, the dilemma regarding the participation in Black Lives Matter movements has shown itself as incomparably important.
demographic breakdown
40% of White-American support Black Lives Matter
43% of Americas support Black Lives Matter
65%
of African-American support Black Lives Matter
67% of Asian-American support Black Lives Matter
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FEATURES
The New Faces of Northview Keen Kamibayashi SARIKA TEMME-BAPAT, ONLINE EDITOR MORGAN WHITE, STAFF WRITER ANIRUDDHA GUPTPA, STAFF WRITER SUCHITA KUMAR, STAFF WRITER
EVAAN MOODY/STAFF
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ew literature teacher Matthew Kamibayashi plans to bring a fresh perspective to the Northview student body. Kamibayashi received his masters of arts and sciences degree from Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina and trained in various public schools before travelling to the United Kingdom to progress his teaching career. “This past year I was working in a school in London, actually just north of London in Essex, so I got the opportunity to teach some British school children for a year and that was a fantastic opportunity,” Kamibayashi said. He originally received the opportunity to
teach abroad through a teaching agency called Engage Education. “It’s very different. Teachers in the U.K. are a lot stricter in a lot of ways.” Kamibayashi said. “The students all wear their school uniforms,and like in Harry Potter, they have their house ties and their house badges and everything and that’s how the school works. And it’s very structured and rigid in a lot of ways.” Kamibayashi said. Despite the many differences between American and British schools in Essex County, Kamibayashi admired parts of both worlds. “There’s a lot of good things that I like about both, I really do. I like the flexibility of American schools in many ways, I like the way kids are more creative, because they’re not in such a rigid environment all the time.” Kamibayashi said. Going from various teaching jobs around America to an entirely different school in an entirely different country, Kamibayashi found it very abstract at first, but soon realized that the different teaching methods did have quite an impact on the students that the schools produced. Kamibayashi discovered similar ethics in the Northview student body along with new ones as well. “I think the student population is very unique and extremely focused, much more so than I have experienced at other schools. So I think that’s something I’ve noticed immediately on being here and it makes the climate of the school very different from others that I’ve been at, and it’s much more focused and much more on task and I think the caliber of students is much more high here.” Kamibayashi said. He found that Northview demonstrates a sort of focus and respect for the staff and peers that creates an originality that contrasts from any other schools worldwide. He hopes to use the individuality and focus of students to input his teachings and beliefs. “He is very intelligent and a very formal person by the way he shakes everyone’s hands when he walks in.” Morgan Spencer, a sophomore at Northview, said. Spencer is a student of Kamibayashi and feels a sense of freshness to his teaching methods as well as his personality. “I think the most important thing is that students learn to think. And they learn to answer the big questions, and the way that we learn to answer those big questions is through reading big books and big things that have been written. And learn to defend their beliefs through their writing and their reading.” Kamibayashi said. No matter if one plans on majoring in english, Kamibayashi believes in the importance of all students understanding and being able to communicate a message through writing.
“What we have to be doing as educators is more about teaching you the process than the actual content.” Brian Downey said. Overall, Kamibayashi plans to bring a fresh new output to the Northview way of teaching and education.
Merry Muck
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his year, the world language department experienced Northview’s most significant staffing changes. “A new German teacher, three new Spanish teachers and a French Teacher. So we’re very excited about that,” Principal Brian Downey said. The new German teacher is Iris Muck, native Austrian who has come to Northview after to working at schools everywhere from Austria, to England, to South Carolina, to Georgia. Although Muck is fluent in English and German and certified in ESOL and geography, the adjustment that came with hopping countries and continents was a challenge for her. “The first year was difficult, I’m not going to lie,” Muck said. Despite the initial difficulties, it is fitting Muck’s career would bring her around the world; Muck’s very inspiration to pursue a career in teaching came when she was overseas. “After highschool I came to the U.S. for the first time, and I was staying with a family and I was taking care of their kids and attending college classes and during that year I guess I
kind of realised that I like working with kids, so that’s when I decided I wanted to be a teacher,” Muck said. Muck studied in Austria and then at New York University. Since a teaching exchange program brought her to Georgia for the first time, she has taught in Norcross and Rockdale County. She applied to Northview, a school she knew had a good reputation, when the position opened last summer. As the only German teacher in the department, Dorothy Kemptner, Muck’s predecessor, had a close relationship with her students, many of whom would be in one of her classes all four years of their high school career. “She was one of my favorite teachers, she was as much a teacher as she was, like a friend to her students. A lot of kids still keep in touch with her and text her and stuff,” Emily Pfahl, a senior German student, said. “Over the summer, instead of just sending us an email telling us she was going to be leaving, she took us all out to IHOP, so that was really nice of her.” To step into Kemptner’s position, Muck must also take on the same role in her students’ lives. “[When hiring a teacher] What I mostly look for is are you smart and are you nice,” Downey said.“The nice part, we mostly focus on building the relationships in the kids and her colleagues and the school and the community.” Muck is already building those all important relationships with her students. “I’m starting to get used to Frau Muck,” Pfahl said. Muck, for whom German is a first language, speaks more naturally and fluently than many
SUCHITA KUMAR/STAFF
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non-native teachers are capable of . “I definitely think it’s helpful. Her pronunciation is, like, really good.... I’m slowly changing the way I speak it too,” Pfahl said. Muck, too, has gotten a favorable first impression of her students in her first few weeks of teaching at Northview. “The students are different here,” Muck said. “I would say the students are way more motivated.” Especially for her AP German students, this motivation will be the difference between merely memorizing lists of vocab and conjugations, and becoming more functional, fluent speakers, as Muck also places a huge emphasis on constantly practicing German. She uses the target language as much as possible in her instruction and expects her students in her classroom to attempt to communicate in German. Her students have to adjust to avoid slipping back into habitual English conversation, but this strategy results in improved conversational skills that translate into results on the AP German exam. “I think that’s where students learn the most. Just by listening to it, you might not understand every single word, but out of the context, you might understand what I’m talking about, and that’s also how you build vocabulary,” Muck said. “And also enforcing target language as much as possible from the students...That’s my big thing.”
Mighty Morgan
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ean Morgan, the newest edition to Northview staffing and husband to Katie Morgan, teaches health care classes. The healthcare course is designed to prepare students for the medical field, and teach crucial skills regarding anatomy of the human body. In order to instill the importance of healthcare, a Morgan is passionate about his work, intelligent in his field, and cooperative with his students. “From what I saw with working with him during the Heart Walk, the way he connects with people and his organizational skills make him an outstanding teacher,” Stephanie McCall, Introduction to Business teacher, said. “His tremendous knowledge on the heart and other body functions makes him a knowledgeable person, and this would enable him to make sizable contributions to HOSA,” Morgan’s medical background could make him an invaluable advisor to certain competitive events, such as Human Growth
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JUSTINE ULRICH/STAFF
and Development as well as CPR skills. “I have a strong background in healthcare – I worked at cardiac rehabilitation at Northside Hospital for 13 years, and that means working with patients that deal with heart disease and new exercise regimens for them,” Morgan said. Within his first few weeks of teaching and experience, he quickly discovered the competitive atmosphere encircling his students. “I find the competitive nature at Northview very omnipresent” Morgan said. “This is vastly different than working at Northside because there I worked with helping adults cope with their lifestyle changes. Here, I work with young students, and their minds are much more moldable, so I can shape their minds toward healthcare.” Because of the different working environment, Morgan tries to intrigue his students with different methods in class rather than making them traditionally take notes. “I really like that Mr. Morgan is very positive and encouraging; he would explain concepts clearly to avoid confusion. He really incorporates my best method of
learning into his teaching methods,” Tallapally said. “He is a great teacher.” The current environment at Northview is extremely convenient for Morgan. “Ms. Morgan is my wife, and she teaches Business Ed at Northview as well. Everything worked out since there was a teaching spot at Northview that correlated with my field, so I took it,” he said. Morgan feels as though fostering an educational and fun environment is extremely beneficial towards the students and his empathy makes him popular among students. Overall, Morgan is a passionate teacher who likes to get on the same frequency as his students and spread his knowledge and love for health care. He believes that his passion for healthcare should inspire his students to pursue a career in medicine. “A good teacher should have the desire to learn themselves so they can teach what they know. If a teacher does not enjoy seeing a student’s eyes light up in fascination and understanding, if that doesn’t make them excited to wake up every morning, then there is something wrong,” Morgan said.
Galliant Galliard ANIRUDDHA GUPTA/STAFF
Galliant Gaillard
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aige Gaillard has always called Georgia home. Graduating from Woodward Academy in Atlanta and then the University of Georgia, she grew up near the school where she would eventually teach Algebra 1 and 2. Previously, Gaillard taught in some student teaching programs in Athens in a few middle schools and high schools. Her passion for teaching even took her out of the country to Ireland where she took part in a teaching internship. “I enjoy coming to work. I think it is fun teaching people the way I learned how to do things and teaching people based on how they learn,” Gaillard said. “Seeing that one student that thinks he or she is going to do poorly and they actually do really well, is the best feeling in the world.” Ashley Farris, a math teacher at Northview, works with Gaillard on a daily basis. Farris was even involved in the interview process of finding a new teacher. She aided Gaillard in becoming accustomed to Northview and help set up
her grade book, and meets with Gaillard at least once a week to discuss lesson plans and tests. Farris along with other members of the math department found Gaillard to be really positive and a perfect teacher to fit into the atmosphere at Northview. “We want to look for someone who is obviously strong in math, you know, who knows their math, knows how to teach it well. And we also want to look for someone who we think will be a good fit in our department, like they will get along with other teachers, because our department works really closely together,” Farris said. “She seems like she would want to be a team player. She was smart, prepared, wanted to work hard, and positive. We have had a lot of fun with her so far.” Gaillard’s passion for teaching began at a very young age. Growing up, she would teach her dolls mathematical concepts she learned at school. Since the ninth grade, Gaillard has been exceptional at the subject and has had a strong urge to assist her friends do better in math class. This drove her desire to teach math as a profession. “I like to squash the stigma on math. Usual-
ly people come into math and are like oh God, there is one answer, there is one way to do it […] I really hate that people come into math thinking they are not good at it,” Gaillard said. Lincoln Monchilovich, a student in Gaillard’s third period class, really enjoys having Gaillard as his new teacher. He believes that she makes class exciting and more bearable than his previous math classes. She is a really enthusiastic teacher and tries to make every lesson engaging. “She is very attentive to the students. If you ask a question, she will try her best to explain it. She really like to teach,” Monchilovich said. Gaillard knows that when her subject is taught in a lively and positive way, it can be made tolerable for kids that genuinely do not enjoy the subject, and may even encourage kids to work towards getting better at math. She enjoys the competitive atmosphere at Northview, and has an outstanding attitude to Northview and her students. “They challenge each other. They challenge themselves. Since they are so competitive, they will ask me to elaborate,” Gaillard said. “Everybody really wants to learn.”
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FEATURES
SHARKNADO 4: The Fourth Awakens The fourth Installment in the Sharknado franchise satisfies the cliffhangers of the previous movie, but do es not pack the same kind of punch as the previous three movies. JACK LOWRANCE, OPINIONS EDITOR
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harknado 4: The 4th Awakens, the latest installment in SyFy’s Sharknado franchise, is a film of extremes. The 4th Awakens takes popular culture references to the extreme. It follows the idea that if it is so bad, it must be good, and this film indeed takes this notion as far as it can. The movie had absolutely no plot structure, horrible CGI effects, and hilariously cringe-worthy dialogue. But in spite of all of that– or possibly because of it, the viewer is left oddly satisfied. Though Sharknado 4 is hardly a cinematic masterpiece, nor quite honestly one of the better movies within the franchise, it satiates the wants of the core fan base and satisfies the cliffhangers of the previous installment. The movie opens with Fin Shepard portrayed by Ian Ziering and Masiela
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Lusha as Gemini traveling to a sharknado themed hotel in Las Vegas. It is soon explained that the Sharknados have been eradicated for five years, and that Aston Reynolds and his company Astro-X are responsible for the end of the Sharknados. Within minutes of the movie starting, Astro-X’s technology fails, and Fin is back to fighting the Sharknado, just like old times. Within 90 minutes, Fin and company go from Las Vegas, to Texas, to Kansas, to Chicago, and finally to Niagara Falls all while fighting off different variations of the Sharknado. Among these variations are phenomena like: the firenado, lightningnado, bouldernado, sandnado, cownado, and, yes, even the nuclearnado. The film feels like it is trying to satisfy the cliffhangers of the previous movie
(#AprilLives vs. #AprilDies), while also trying to send a message to naysayers along the lines of, “hey, you thought we weren’t going to make another movie, guess what? You were wrong!” Sharknado 4 loses a bit of the luster of the franchise and lacks a bit of its hallmark comicality, however; that’s not to say that it was awful. Well, it was awful, but that is the whole point. The Sharknado series has never been traditional since its inception: it embraces the meme so to speak. The film is not meant to be a serious cinematic masterpiece; instead it tries to be as absurd as possible, and if judging based on those parameters, Sharknado 4 lives up to the hype. It is not going to swing naysayers of the franchise, but it makes for a solid fourth installment in the series.
OPINIONS
On Your Mark, Get Set, Dope! The Russian doping scandal’s political undertones, and what Team U.S.A should do about it SARIKA TEMME-BAPAT, ONLINE EDITOR
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his year, Coca Cola ads shamelessly asking viewers to believe that they can purchase the “feeling” of gold in a 75 cent, 140 calorie, 12 ounce can, are not the only thing cheapening Olympic spirit. In addition, the games must contend with the dark cloud cast by the Russian doping scandal. In the news, the scandal is rarely mentioned without the preface “state sponsored”. While individual responsibility for the doping remains squarely on the shoulders of the athletes, the more that is discovered about the scandal, the more it seems that the very organizations meant to prevent doping and maintain the integrity of sports, orchestrated the crime. Many Russians have reacted to the allegations with disbelief, suspecting a scheme to ostracize Russia on the world stage. Given that Unites States-Russia relations are tense as ever and much criticism of Russia comes with Cold War and Mission Impossible-esque connotations, Russia being specifically targeted in the anti-doping investigation is plausible. Russia’s relationship with the United States, which has been far from amicable since the end of World War II, has further
deteriorated recently due to the Ukraine crisis, the annexation of Crimea, and the Syrian Civil War. Uncovering the Russian team’s widespread practice of cheating also serves as negative propaganda, further lowering public opinion of Russia, both in the U.S. and globally. While the evidence against Russia’s athletes has been clear enough to suspend them, politics more than a genuine zeal for clean sport probably prompted the plausibly partisan investigation. To be sure, every doping athlete revealed and removed from competition is a victory for honest, fair sports, whether or not politically motivated. But on the world stage where athletes like Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, and Simone Biles redefine the limits of their sport by wide margins, where athletes perform superhuman feats of speed, endurance, strength, precision, and flexibility, and where a massive state-sponsored doping scheme was concealed for years while the public believed that cheating had been purged from the games, it would be naive to see Russia’s crimes as an isolated incident. Instead, it should be a wake up call to the whole sporting world.
Sports are often seen as the purest form of competition; where sweat and blood and heart meet in one arena; where athletes driven by passion go head to head to win glory for themselves and their nation. However, as the Russian doping scandal has demonstrated, sports are, like any other industry, often fueled by far less lofty ideals than Nike advertisements would have us imagine. Athletes also compete to provide businesses with abundant material for inspirational sports metaphors, athletic-wear-inspired fashion, and marketing opportunities, and in this commercial atmosphere, the real bottom line is often victory by any means. Instead of feeling morally superior, Americans should take this opportunity to reevaluate the methodology sports leagues employ to test for cheating and ensure that athletes, from the high-school to the professional level, are not being pressured to dope by coaches or teammates in order to pursue their aspirations. This is the time for Team U.S.A. to stress, to aspiring athletes, that ideals of sportsmanship and integrity are to be prized above any medal or trophy. Then, and only then, can we honor the true spirit of the games.
THE MESSENGER | 25
Faceoff NHS Messenger @nhsmessenger
#BlackLivesMatter vs. #AllLivesMatter 09/2016, 1:45 PM 2,198 RETWEETS 26
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#BlackLivesMatter @TA R U N R A M E S H , E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F
ith its inception during the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s killer and its propulsion into the public eye during the protests in Ferguson, the Black Lives Matter group represents the progression of equality and the current pinnacle of the black freedom struggle. The multi-faceted group advocates a cessation of the systemic racial inequalities prevalent throughout the justice system and gives a voice to the disenfranchised. The heavily politicized rhetoric that accompanies the group seems to instigate racial violence and hallmarks a race war. The Black Lives Matter group emphasizes a criteria of universal equality and the breakdown of the prison-industrial complex, and yet for all these noble ideals, critics portray the group as black supremacists, ‘reverse racists,’ and ‘terrorists of white culture.’ The movement’s bastard child, All Lives Matter, seemed to resolve this ‘situation.’ However, the clear cooption and hijacking of the movement by the white body to ensure that marginalization remains a non-issue, because truly ‘All Lives
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OPINIONS
Matter,’ seems to miss media headlines. In its mission statement, the Black Lives Matter movement stands for the tenants of universal equality, which by assumption includes those of the All Lives Matter group. Black Lives Matter too, it is implied and that should end the discussion. When confronting privilege and ensuring equality, there has to be an understanding that there exists a problem in the first place. According to Huffington Post, 38% of white Americans believe that racial discrimination no longer exists. When these same white individuals push an agenda criticizing the grammar of a movement, clearly they are missing the fundamental question of what can they do to make the United States more equal. Individuals are averse to taking the blame and subconsciously seeks to justify their own position rather than confronting the problem. The strategy, in question, seeks to illelegitimize an entire advocacy group based strictly on grammar. Instead of actively changing the status quo, this technique just shifts the focus away from the problems and onto a social construct
thus avoiding the intrinsic guilt ready to engulf the white conscious. Now put this into perspective, supports of the All Lives Matter group say that signaling Black Lives as more important devalues other lives. If we attended the Atlanta Heart Walk is there an assumption that other illness like Celiac disease does not matter? Would protestors yell ‘Save the Brain,’ ‘No Appendicitis’? Clearly if race did not make the white conscious uncomfortable, there would be no argument. It is simply because of the coping mechanism to stave off the guilt that would invariably infiltrate the white body’s defenses. When unarmed civilians are fatally shot by police officers, when the school to prison pipeline redefines mass incarceration, when cyclic poverty forces the destitute into drug addictions based on urban zones drafted by politicians, there is a race problem, and the faster people can understand the fundamental issue, only then can there truly be change.“ Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain Georgia,” but Dr. King- Floridian Lives Matter too!
#AllLivesMatter @ JA C K LOW R A N C E , O P I N I O N S E D I T O R
far more appropriate name for the Black Lives Matter movement would have been: Black Lives Matter Too. The omission of this simple three-letter word has, in the eyes of some, transformed the movement into a proxy for some greater race war, the kind glorified by marginalized old white men and Trump supporters. The meaning of the Black Lives Matter movement is not some type of hostile affront to white people. It is about the mistreatment of black people by America’s militarized police forces and biased criminal justice system. Many have failed to grasp this. By focusing on its root, police brutality, there is no question that all human lives matter. If police forces continue down the path that they are headed, not only the black community, but all will be subjected to government overreaches and abuses that police militarization embodies. Nearly everybody, black and white, can agree on the necessity to end police brutality. It is obvious to most that all human lives matter, however; the movements of Black
Lives matter and All Lives Matter have been politicized and misconstrued by politicians in order to drum up votes and fabricate electoral constituencies of people who feel marginalized and threatened. This is one of the biggest disservices to the general population of modern times. The problem with the All Lives Matter movement is that it has been co-opted by racists, people who completely missed the point of the Black Lives Matter movement and immediately assumed it was an instance of ‘reverse racism’. All lives obviously matter, but it has suddenly become taboo to proclaim such a thing after a small faction of people jumped to conclusions and listened a bit too openly to the propaganda of politicians starving for votes. Despite falling crime rates, police forces across the country are becoming more hostile toward the public. What happened to the Andy Griffith-esque police forces of yesteryear? Those that operated unarmed, patrolling town and enforcing the law peacefully. It seems that most police work can be done
much more peacefully, but fears propagated by politicians, racists, and the misrepresented threat of terrorism stops any work in creating a rational police force possible. The entire debate between Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter is fueled by a misunderstanding of ridiculous proportions. Most Black Lives Matter supporters probably believe that all human lives matter, and most All Lives Matter supporters are probably disturbed by the instances of police brutality in this country, but that is not why the movement is called Black Lives Matter. The movement is all about highlighting the biases in the criminal justice system and calling for an end to police brutality. Hopefully, the nation can move away from the subject of police brutality as a racial issue, and pivot towards eradicating police brutality and biases in the criminal justice system at all levels. These issues represent a legitimate threat to the civil liberties and well being of the American people. Nothing will ever be solved if issues are immediately.
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OPINIONS
STAFF EDITORIAL
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Reclaiming reality
ver since Le Prince’s caricatures, the first tiny black and white figures dancing across a cotton screen, the lines between fantasy and reality have slowly dissolved, blurring together two once distinct worlds. Reality has transformed from the concrete to the abstract as mediums of communication like social networks and news stations propagated from that first dive into the endless vat of media. Events across the world can be transmitted in a series of blue and yellow lights in a matter of milliseconds, much faster than the eye can blink. Yet this speed brings separation and apathy, but more importantly it carries distortion. Baudrillard first critiqued media’s rampant perversion of interactions in his book Simulacra and Simulation; however, even the brilliant French philosopher could not predict the malignant growth of the internet upon perception. By controlling perception, the media warps reality by emphasizing scenes, editing out sounds, subtly broadcasting statements, and shifting opinions of the population. In a matter of seconds depending on the media’s portrayal, the public, immediately, takes a stance on an issue. Take the Second Persian Gulf War, for example: this failed act of hyper-aggression and the breakdown of multilateral peace building
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operations epitomizes the entrenched influence the media has on everyday life. Even after several UAV’s proved a lack of nuclear warheads and the upper echelons of the military testified against an invasion, the media portrayed Saddam Hussein as a hedonistic fascist who brutally oppressed his populace. Regardless of the validity of that description, the media used this depiction as a justification for an invasion force to breakdown autocracy in the Middle East all in the name of denuclearization. In a matter of days, the people were behind them, and the politicians soon fell in line. The Second Persian Gulf War remains the most favored war in American History based on legislative voting, with only one vote cast in opposition. However, the war is also the least popular war in recent history. The media’s unregulated power reaffirms systemic oppression on multiple levels. Decision makers cannot adjudicate solutions to problems if inherent bias runs rampant throughout a system. The media’s distortion of events hides a more sinister motive of persuasion, which twists reality into just another figment of fantasy. The truth is what appears to be in front of us, but appearances lie. The only Reality is not the world in front of us, but in fact, only the simulation is real.
COLUMNS
THE LOW DOWN
What’s the Cure to Modern Foolishness? Science. The widespread failure of the American public education system to effectively teach science is plaguing all sectors of society with citizens devoid of critical thinking skills.
JA C K LOW R A N C E , O P I N I O N S E D I T O R
I
n his 1938 commencement address to the California Institute of Technology, the astronomer Edwin Hubble told students: “The scientist explores the world of phenomena by successive approximations. He knows that his data are not precise and that his theories must always be tested. It is quite natural that he tends to develop healthy skepticism, suspended judgment, and a disciplined imagination.” Hubble’s words evoke the profound potential of science applied to everyone’s everyday life, not reserving it solely to scientists and the laboratory. Science involves a commitment to a certain brand of thinking– a method of systematically viewing the world, critically and analytically, even when the results of findings are antithetical to conventional wisdom. Contemporary science classes are failing not only students, but also the entire populace. No longer, it seems, can many members of the general population differentiate between obvious propaganda and facts, nor between pseudoscience and truth. The results are self-evident. With such a large portion of the population apparently devoid of the ability to differentiate fact from fiction, this failure must lie on the shoulders of the public education system, and especially on its science classes. Constantly, it seems, students brush off subpar science grades claiming that they are bad at science, or they do not want to go into a hard science field, so it does not really matter. People have realized that gaming
the system is the easiest path to an A, that rote memorization will yield the same grade as what could have been achieved through actual analytical thought. To make matters worse, it does not help that our science classes have been boiled down to virtual labs, busy work, and a curriculum solely geared towards meeting minimal state standards. The scientific method has been reduced to a pesky definition in a book, relevant only for its mention on tests. Evidence of the pseudoscience epidemic is ubiquitous. Between skepticism of climate change, vaccines, evolution, gun control, free-market economics, and fears of G.M.O.s and gluten the list of foolish nonsense could go on forever. People have become so ideologically driven, that when their views are challenged with scientifically based claims, they no longer try to rationally disprove them, they cover their ears and drown out all sound with their own voice, yelling, “I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you!” as if they were children. People have become so polarized, that the challengers of their beliefs are no longer viewed as simply different but wrong and even evil. The largest misconception about this epidemic is that simply further emphasizing education; and pushing the completion of a college education will solve the problem, but this is not the case. Due to its faults, a high level of education has proved to lead some modern people to a certain level of intellectual arro-
gance. It fosters a perception that the truth has already been happened upon, and promotes an unfounded confidence one’s own beliefs regardless of their validity. This is largely supported by the findings of the sociologist Gordon Gauchat, who studied trends regarding the trust of science in different segments of the U.S. population. He found that in 1974 the most educated people in our society were the most confident in scientific findings. However, by 2010, these people were now deemed the least confident in science. Trends like this are especially troubling, especially considering the rise of the internet on which anybody can post anything, making one’s ability to separate fact from fiction even more critical today. How will our nation’s future citizenry, differentiate between truth and propaganda, without these basic skills of critical thinking and a healthy sense of skepticism? The American public education system must act with diligence and urgency to reform its curriculum. As the gatekeepers to enlightenment, it is crucial that schools stop students from cheating themselves out of a true education. An education is not about memorization. It is not about just getting through the day in order to go home and play video games. It is not even about getting good grades. It is about learning how to make complex thoughts, to think critically, to challenge the conventional wisdom of the world, and it should teach students how to strive to find the absolute truth.
THE MESSENGER | 29
culture
C O LU M N S
S R AV I K A Y E R N E N I , S TA F F W R I T E R S H E E TA L TA D I PA RT Y , S TA F F W R I T E R
showcase on: Northview’s art
Zoeya Mahmood, 9t h grade
Aditi Vellore, 10th grade 01.
01 02 03 04
Jaqueline Chambers, 12th grade
Camilla Cho, 10t h Grade
“I used different shades of black pencils for this drawing.I wanted to create a kind of ‘somber’ effect, and I found this drawing on tumblr.” 02. “I wanted to make [...] something fun and airy to practice backgrounds with.” 03. ”I drew this elephant because I love animals and I thought it has aesthetic vibe. I love the colors blue and black,so I used it to design the elephant and background.” 04. “I based my drawing off of my teacher’s drawing. I used a variety of shades of pencils to create depth and make it more realistic looking.” 30
fashion
COLUMNS
LINA LEVITT, STAFF WRITER
style profile:
Caroline Zittrouer
‘90’s Punk Grandpa’
M
eet Caroline Zittrouer, one of Northview’s very own fashion icons. It is hard to miss Zittrouer’s oversized jackets, overalls, printed shirts and her general cool aura. Zittrouer’s interest in fashion was sparked at an early age by watching Project Runway with her mom. She has a very different perspective on the world around her., and is even able to find inspiration in a place that most people find disgusting: gas stations. “The grimy walls mixed with the colorful bags of chips is so inspiring,” Zittrouer said. Her unique outlook is what makes her style so captivating. This season you will catch Zittrouer rocking patterned socks; from donuts to license plates, cool socks can add interest to even the most boring of outfits. She is also loving the uber cool look of a denim jacket covered in patches. Zittrouer prefers to shop at thrift stores because they give her a diverse selection of options that helps give her the perfect ‘90’s punk grandpa’ look.
“Be your own person. Wear an outfit because you love it, not because everyone else is wearing it.” Caroline Zittrouer
THE MESSENGER | 31
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32 | OPINIONS
m o c . l o M O o .C L h O c O H S C S p P V isitVA o O t l l LT L ISIT A