Vol. 14, Issue 4 by The Messenger

the messenger

VOL 14/ ISS 4

, r e t a e ch r e t a e h c G E AT I N H C O W K INT THVIE 16 A L O O E AT N O R . P UR C U LT

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EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

STAFF WRITERS

(770) 497-3828 nhsmessenger@gmail.com 10625 Parsons Rd Johns Creek, GA 30097 nhsmessenger.com

Jessica Ma Tarun Ramesh

PUBLICATION

NEWS EDITOR

Amanda Beard Brooke Casal Sophia Choi Will Claussen Rameen Forghani Sarah Jang Jack Lowrance Nithya Mahakala Austin Meng Akshay Nair Joseph Ni Dennis Ottlik Caroline Pennington Mahima Pirani Niharika Sinha Sarika Temme-Bapat Morgan White

Sneha Gubbala

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.

Sally Pan

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

Connie Xu

The Messenger staff welcomes letters to the editors but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, libel, obscenity, and invasion of privacy.

ONLINE EDITOR

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IN THIS ISSUE Cover design: Jessica Ma Cover photo: Andrew Myers

MANAGING EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR Maggie Brenan

FEATURES EDITOR Connie Xiao

OPINIONS EDITOR Andrew Teodorescu

PHOTO EDITOR Tiffany Xu

PHOTOGRAPHERS

DESIGN EDITOR

Adriana Boice Tommy Bui Jill Jacobs Alex Jeon Annie Kong Amber Min Ben Minder Evan Moody Andrew Myers Eddie Xie

Jooeun Lee

COPY EDITOR Shelby Bradley Tanisa Mahalingam

ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER Nabila Khan

ADVISER

Chris Yarbrough

DESIGNERS Bryan Liang Jane Paek Elly Sim

contents 05

JESSICA MA

WILL CLAUSSEN

SOPHIA CHOI

STAFF

AKSHAY NAIR

STAFF

EDITOR’S LETTER

MONTHLY OVERVIEW

HALL OF FAME GALA

WINTER SPORTS UPDATE

COLLEGE READY?

STAFF EDITORIAL

BROOKE CASAL

RAMEEN FORGHANI

ANDREW TEODORESCU

16*

NITHYA MAHAKALA

AMANDA BEARD

CAROLINE PENNINGTON

SCHEDULING CHANGES

CURRICULUM CHANGES

THE MOVE TO REGION 7

CHEATING CHALLENGES

COMMENTS

MUSIC COLUMN

MAHIMA PIRANI

TIFFANY XU

CONNIE XU

DRUGS AT NORTHVIEW

FOOD REVIEW

FASHION COLUMN

THE MESSENGER | 3

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

The College Board conundrum

could do a lot with $1,000. I could rampage through the mall on a shopping spree, or deposit the money in a savings account, or take a luxurious cruise to the Bahamas. I could make a donation to charity, redecorate my bedroom, or sign up for every premium entertainment plan I have ever wanted. Or, I could give it all to the College Board. By the time I graduate this May, the College Board will have received roughly $1,311 for my education. This includes standardized testing fees, score report fees, and the cost of submitting—ironically enough—a financial aid profile that allows colleges to determine aid eligibility. Thankfully, Northview has the resources to cover Advanced Placement Exam and PSAT fees for all of its students, so only a portion of that sum has actually come out of my parents’ pockets, but it is nevertheless a daunting price to pay, especially considering the College Board’s status as a private, not-for-profit organization. It is unrealistic, of course, to demand that all standardized testing and financial aid applications be completely free. The purpose behind the fees is understandable: the College Board would not be able to carry out its duties of test administration, scoring, and processing without funds to pay for the necessary materials and human capital. The problem, however, lies not in the costs of these services themselves, but rather in the underhanded methods that the College Board employs to maximize this revenue. The organization, for example, markets its Official SAT Study Guide review books on its website, encouraging students to purchase their own copies even as they are registering for the exam itself. It also urges students to retake the SAT, emphasizing the possibility of obtaining a significantly higher score despite data that shows, on average, only modest improvements that may not be worth the money and effort invested. The Board also markets paid services such as their Student Answer Service, which charges students an additional $13.50 for mostly useless feedback on standardized test performance. Even worse is the Student Search Service: the College Board presents

this option to test-takers as a free opportunity to connect with colleges across the country by sending their personal information to participating schools. On the back end, however, the association profits considerably from this service, collecting 33 cents for sending each student’s name to each college. According to a 2011 Bloomberg Business article, the company acquired $63 million from these sales alone. Clearly, the College Board’s substantial revenue (which amassed to $660 million in previous years, according to the same article) depends in part on its exploitation of rising academic pressure across the nation, as students and parents of the 21st century face steadily dropping college acceptance rates. This supposedly not-for-profit member association capitalizes on the fear-charged competition among high school students to take as many rigorous courses as possible, and to score the highest marks possible on all standardized tests. The College Board website states that “for each AP Exam taken by students from low-income families, the College Board will provide a $30 fee reduction per exam,” reducing the cost of each test from $92 to $62. The latter amount, however, is still a steep price to pay for some families, especially if the student in question wants to take multiple AP Exams and does not attend a school that covers such costs. For an organization that claims to be “dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education,” this hefty price throws a wrench in the works. In fact, for all of the lofty ambitions described in its mission statement, the College Board only widens the education gap between low- and high-income families, both directly and indirectly. The success of private tutoring businesses and review book companies, for example, puts more affluent students in a position to succeed while placing those who cannot afford these services at a disadvantage. Because the results of these tests play a major role in the college admissions process, the implications of such a disparity reach far beyond a student’s four years in high school. Can I get a refund, please?

Jessica Ma, Editor-in-Chief

THE MESSENGER | 5

NEWS

IN BRIEF 12/12

12/16

On Dec. 12, Northview students ran for charity at Kiawah Island in Charleston, South Carolina. The trip and marathon were organized by Tony Cianciola, a Northview Physical Education teacher, and Richard Goodwin, a substitute teacher. Goodwin, a veteran, used his connections in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program to donate the raised money to the Wounded Warriors Foundation, a military and veterans charity service organization that helps empower injured veterans and their families. The 13-mile half-marathon took place at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. It began at the Resort’s convention center, guiding runners through the scenic grounds before finally returning them to the convention center.

After beating out other schools in a competitive selection process, members of Northview High School’s Chamber Orchestra, joined by Principal Brian Downey, left school on Dec. 16 to perform at the McCormick Place Convention Center in downtown Chicago. On their trip, they also had a chance to experience original Monets and Van Goghs at the Art Institute of Chicago and attend one of Blue Man Group’s performances in person, where they sat near the front in the splash zone and were showered in paint. Members also chanced upon a performance from fellow Fulton County students from Roswell High School. The group returned home on Saturday, Dec. 19 and made up their first semester final exams in the days before second semester began.

01/12

1/12

Obama delivers final State of the Union speech, addressing gun control, climate change, and other items

CDC confirms six cases of Zika virus in Texas

01/17 NBC and YouTube host fourth Democratic debate in Charleston, SC

1/19

Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska, announces official endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump

The Messenger’s monthly digest of events at Northview and around the world Winter Storm Jonas hits the East Coast with a barrage of snow and ice, producing up to three feet of snow in some areas

01/20 Disney Channel hosts 10-year reunion of High School Musical cast

01/20 01/24 X-Files miniseries premieres as a continuation of the 19932002 Fox show

01/28 Curvy, tall, and petite Barbies make a debut

01/30

02/03

The annual Will to Live 5K began at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30. Proceeds went to the Will to Live Foundation and will contribute to spreading the organization’s message of support, love and friendship in the community and schools in the area. The run took place on the roads surrounding River Trail Middle School and Shakerag Park, which were cleared of vehicle traffic for the event. Walkers, joggers, dogs, and baby carriages, and a variety of local vendors attended . Participants received a surprise T-shirt design and supported the cause with family, friends and community.

Northview High School’s Kaleidoscope Club hosted International Night on Wednesday, Feb. 3, featuring more than 20 culturally diverse acts. The theme this year was “Unite in One Night.” Crowd favorites including Quake Crew, Jasmine Flower, and Kruti returned this year, coupled with some new acts featuring traditional cultural instruments and an Elvis impersonator. The Taste of Cultures portion began at 5 p.m. in the cafeteria, presenting food prepared by parents and teachers from various cultures. The first International Night show started at 6 p.m., with the second set following at 8 p.m.

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NEWS

A peek into the future Possible scheduling changes could affect 2016-17 school year B RO O K E C A S A L , S TA F F W R I T E R

his semester, a group of 16 teacher leaders are working together to find ways to make Northview better for the student learning experience. They are looking at factors such as more electives, personalized learning, and technology integrated in classrooms. Northview principal, Brian Downey, shared the ideas these teachers have come up with so far. “We are looking at different ways to improve or enhance that student experience. As we are looking to enhance that student experience, we need to find a schedule to support what we want to do,” Downey said. The student body is the first priority for the group of teacher leaders. They aim to make the atmosphere of learning at Northview less stressful and enjoyable for everyone at Northview. “There are kids who take lots and lots of AP classes and they don’t have the time or room to take something else because they feel they need to take that AP class,” Downey said. Students who take so many AP and Honors classes are so locked into their studies that they cannot take many electives and explore other talents through those classes. Also, the stress that comes with some Honors and AP classes can affect a student as well; as a result, personalized learning become a topic of increasing importance.

“We really want our kids to be well rounded. We have to make sure our kids have a good balance in all parts of their lives, including their academic life,” Downey said. Balance is a key term that the committee has kept in mind while coming up with ideas. The committee hope to create a well balanced schedule and reduce the academic pressure on student. Being locked into the same classes for an entire year can place a great deal of unwanted and unneeded pressure on a student’s academic life. “I wish we had more periods or a block schedule so we could take more classes,” sophomore Amanda Waller said. The process behind the ideas that the committee is thinking about takes a lot of thought and weighing the pros and cons of each idea, as well as coming up with the schedule. “We may still have to have a homeroom at some point during the year, but really what we are exploring are whether it will be a rotating schedule. So today we have first period that is the first block of the day, tomorrow it follows under the second block. And you start your day with 6th period, as rotating your classes through the day,” Downey said. “Maybe a seven period day. Maybe having a time in the day where students can get some remediation during the day, get help from teachers, meet with their clubs. Maybe a

Wednesday half day, so maybe fifth and sixth time blocks are not necessarily class time. Its an early release day, so that’s when all the clubs would meet.” One of the ideas from the committee allows every student to have his or her own personal device and be able to use different platforms, and for teachers to be able to grade assessments more quickly. “One tool to enhance that student experience and make it more personalized is technology. Fulton county has funded an initiative where every student in this building will be handed a device. What the device is, we don’t know yet.” Downey said, “By this time next year we will be putting into every kid’s hands an iPad, a surface, or something that would then allow us to do a lot more with our kids.” Northview has gotten technology in the past to help with learning. “We got new laptops so more students can work on stuff in the library. Also being able to use our phones during class for assignments really helped us learn,” junior, Ryan Mumpower said. All of these new changes and ideas that are being thought of might take a while until they can be enacted. The committee hopes for things to be done and planned out by the 2017-2018 school year, but there are no solid plans as to when any of this will occur.

NEWS

Recoding the curriculum

Computer science may become Northview’s next foreign language N I T H YA M A H A K A L A , S TA F F W R I T E R

igh school students around Georgia might start learning to code in Java rather than learning to speak in Spanish or French. This past summer, the Georgia Department of Education passed that certain computer science courses can count as a fourth math, science, or even world language credit if they are taken consecutively. Furthermore, Governor Nathan Deal has been attempting to push the curriculum a step further by attempting to fully classify computer science under world language courses, a decision that has been echoed by other states around the country. The aim of this curriculum change is to push more students to take computer science courses in schools because skilled programmers, software developers, and engineers are in high demand in Georgia. Without a stream of skilled workers filling these jobs, businesses will look outside of Georgia to find the employees they need. However, many are worried about what setbacks such a change could cause. The main concern is whether computer science should be enough to substitute an entire foreign language for high school students and if

students would learn the same skills from a technology course that they would in a linguistic class. “I don’t see how [computer science] can replace [a linguistic class]. What about the social skills? What about the comparison of cultures?” World Languages Department Chair Catherine Francisse said. “Where do you get that with computer science? Behind a computer screen.” Another issue is the limited value placed on world languages in schools around US. Once computer science is considered a foreign language, students will no longer be required to take classes in Spanish, French, Chinese, etc. “It’s again, often in the States, to not care about foreign languages. It’s a fight, a constant fight,” Francisse said.“Computer coding is a type of language and it’s important, but it doesn’t compare to speaking in another language which requires person-to-person interactions and an understanding of another culture.” Others, instead, fear that changing the curriculum will diminish computer science’s importance. “I wouldn’t want it changed to a foreign language because of how important it

is [...] as a career elective,” freshman Amaan Supariwala, a student taking computer science, said. “Computer science has already been regarded as one of the most overlooked career options, and changing it to a foreign language won’t help that cause.” But some people are able to draw clear similarities between computer science and other world languages, regarding the mental skills from both subjects as parallels. “We learn Java, and Java is a language. We learn to analyze and to be very analytical,” Denise Peek, Northview’s computer science teacher, said. “We also learn to put things together. So there are mental skills that are common.” Changing computer science’s classification to a language might not have that enormous of an impact on students at Northview. “I don’t really see that it would make a lot of difference to be honest. I don’t think it would change the way that I would teach the course,” Peek said. “ I don’t really see how it would change anything.” Only time will tell if such a change will take place, and how Northview’s students and staff will respond.

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NEWS

Weeding out drugs Northview administration increases efforts to tackle drug use among students M A H I M A P I R A N I , S TA F F W R I T E R

orthview High School is a Gold Medal school—regionally, nationally, and in STEM rankings. Its students pride themselves on their academic, artistic, and athletic success, surpassing students from several other high schools in the state and nation in all three areas. But much like the rest of these high schools, Northview High School has a drug problem that administrators and teachers are working hard to address. Several students at Northview engage in risky behaviors such as drinking and smoking. Recently, administrators have noticed a recent rise in activity, particularly at school events such as football games and the homecoming dance. “Last two years we seem to have an increase in the number of kids that were getting caught with drugs and alcohol. It felt like it was getting more prevalent,” Principal Brian Downey said. “It culminated this year at the homecoming dance, with the number of kids getting caught under the influence of alcohol.” This peculiar rise in student drug and alcohol use at school events is not isolated; this trend may be linked to larger cultural patterns across the nation. “As marijuana laws are becoming more lenient, teenagers are taking it as a green light. The cultural shift on marijuana makes it a lot more okay than when I was in high school,” Downey said. “Opiate-based drugs have become a bit of an epidemic, and heroin is making a comeback.” This cultural rise is evident and has manifested in the Johns Creek community, as demonstrated by the several recent drug busts, including a meth bust approximately five miles away from Northview’s campus. Teachers believe the increased presence of drugs in Johns Creek affects student behavior. “In the Johns Creek community, kids can get their hands on different, harder drugs,” teacher Ms. Darling said. “Prescription pills can be a really big problem in suburban areas. You hear of it a lot more here than in other areas.” Accessibility is a major factor in influencing student drug use, augmented by social influences in the high school community,

such as peer pressure. The administration strives to recognize and target these issues, preparing students to deal with them. A message of realistic policies to combat the pervading problem has been at the forefront of the new Northview initiatives. Downey began the year by implementing Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), following up with a speech to the senior class, and then finally, bringing in the drug dogs. “Downey’s speech was really impactful because he was really looking out for us,” Student Body President Ashianna Jetha said. “After high school, we won’t have anyone to look out for us, so we will have to have our own personal responsibility and positive attitude.” Looking out for student safety is Principal Downey’s priority, as he conveyed to the seniors at the assembly. “I was getting nervous that if I didn’t take these steps, something bad could happen,” Downey said. “At the prom, we are probably going to have the Breathalyzers out, which will hopefully cause students to make better decisions.” In addition to targeting drug use at school events such as prom, the administration has attempted to eliminate their presence on campus by bringing in the drug dogs. While typically the drug dogs come in once a year, the administration is considering bringing them back to reinforce their message. “If students know that [bringing in the drug dogs] is becoming more frequent, then they really need to keep it out of school,” Darling said. The administration brings in the drug dogs in hopes of identifying drug-using students first, rather than wait for the students to be caught so they can dole out punishments. With proactive policies such as PBIS and the drug dogs in place to mitigate student drug use within the Northview community, the outlook is optimistic for years to come. “While we love our kids, we have to take steps to make sure they are making the right decisions,” Downey said.

S P O RT S

The victory lap Northview welcomes the inaugural class into its Hall of Fame W I L L C L A U S S E N , S TA F F W R I T E R

orthview has seen powerhouse athletes come through its doors ever since its opening in 2002. But with little recognition, most students here at Northview today do not even know of their existence. The Northview Hall of Fame has been commissioned to bring attention to the talented athletes of Northview’s past. “The gala is a great way to show that we appreciate and honor what these people before us have started, and to carry it on”, Principal Brian Downey said. “It will be a great way to appreciate the culture that they have brought to our school.” The Gala was held at the Standard Club on Saturday Jan. 23rd, and was as spectacular event as it could have been. The event was meant to be formal to really represent that athletes that were being honored. With 12 spectacular athletes being honored, the athletic department succeeded in holding a beautiful event with nine of the 12 inductees present to accept their award and with family members to accept for the other three. “Northview was a great step that helped me really get to the next level and even the level after that. And this gala is a great way to remember that,” Matt Campbell, star Baseball player who went on to play for Clemson and was later drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers said. Not only was the Gala an event which was about honoring our athletes, but it also about helping change the perception of the school’s athletics. Northview has always been held in high regard for its academics, but the athletic department has never been seen in the same esteem. But with 18 state championships and countless other achievements, that should not be the case. With major sports such as football and basketball unable to pull in top tier results in the until recent past, Northview’s athletics as a whole has been seen as unimpressive. But with the major teams getting better and achieving more than ever in Northview history as well as steps taken such as the gala, the perception is ready for a change. “I definitely believe that we are not only a strong academic school, our athletics are definitely a strong part of our school which makes us special,” Sung-Joon An, an inductee who is currently a golfer on the PGA tour, said.

Northview Athletic Association/SPECIAL BACK: (L to R) Justin Tuggle, Jeff Scannella, Sung-Joon An, Denzel McCoy, Matt Campbell. FRONT: (L to R) Sydney Wallace, Richard Doverspike, Courtney Fletcher, Brittany Bauschka

The Hall of Fame and future steps to honor Northview athletics are all in the essence of improving the communication of all that Northview students have done. These steps taken are to help convey that Northview does have something special in its athletics and that much has been accomplished here. “Once people see that Northview really has accomplished something and that Northview really does have a history, so much that they have a hall of fame, that will really help improve our perception,” Downey said. The Hall of fame will be in essence a wall of fame. From the gym side of the building, there will be plaques honoring each of the inducted athletes for what they did not only while they were students at Northview but also their accomplishments after hanging on the right wall. “The Hall of Fame will have a plaque of the inductee including a picture and their accomplishments. That’s where it’s all gonna start. And it’s just going to go on from there,” Athletic Director McDaniel said. Being chosen to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is no small process. First, nominations were taken from all staffers especially those who have been at Northview since the beginning.

With over 50 nominations by teachers, the next step was to narrow down the selections to about 10 athletes. A small committee made up of long standing teachers, coaches, and some community members came together and decided on the final list of 2015 inductees. Every year, more students will be added to the list of nominees and the process will start again. However, only students who have graduated at least 4 years ago can be inducted. This is so that when they are entered, they can be honored also for their accomplishments after graduation from Northview. “I thought 12 inductees was a good round number to start with this year, and in years to come we are looking to add four to six per year. But even the others who were nominated but didn’t make it the first time, they will stay on the list and get re-looked at next year,” McDaniel said. The next project to come in continuing the effort to honor and recognize Northview athletics is to be called the Northview Hall of Champions. It will be a way of really showcasing and honoring the state championships that have been won and to make the viewing of Northview accomplishments and more accessible to all students and parents who come to the school.

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sports in brief

Northview’s winter sports teams fight through the end of the regular season in anticipation of playoffs A K S H AY N A I R , S TA F F W R I T E R

WRESTLING

he inexperienced wrestling team is so far proving to be able to hold its own against more experienced competition. 12 of the players graduated from the team following last season which left them with many open slots. Because of the lack of experience in the team, the new wrestlers have had to put in time and hard effort to catch up to the standard. One of these first year wrestlers is sophomore Justin Tran who is surprising many people in the 220 pound weight class. Tran and other new wrestlers have been putting in the work in order to compete at a skilled level. “The season started off on a high note despite losing over 12 seniors. We won a lot of individual weight class matches at the various meets.” Coach John Macdonald said. “ As we head into region and area duals, it becomes an individual competition, and we may have a couple of surprise victories in these duals.” After starting the season starting off on a positive level, the keys to success will be to work hard at practice, to stay focused for the rest of the season, and for

2 the experienced wrestlers to continue to teach the new ones. These factors will be vital in competing at a high level at the state competition. “We have to continue to keep our focus by training harder than our opponent for the remainder of the season. Most of us are determined and are trying our best to get to states, which is just a few weeks away,” junior Dhruv Atri said.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

he girl’s basketball team is off to a successful start with an impressive 10-8 record and is looking to live to see the post-season for the first time since 2011. Two of the key contributors this year are freshman Ashlee Austin, who has scored a team leading 221 points and has 140 rebounds and fellow freshman Maya Richards who has scored 81 points and has 66 rebounds. The young players have had lit-

3 tle trouble getting along and working with the other team members, making for a very smooth transition. These new freshman combined with junior Shannon Titus, who is continuing to be a threat, have surged the team to an above .500 record. “I’d say Ashlee definitely got adjusted to the whole ‘being a freshmen on varsity’ situation [better than I did], but I think I’m coming along and getting it together,” Richards said. Even with the winning record, one of the team’s minor flaws is their defense, which is allowing about 43 points a game. The offense has been reliable to counteract this problem by scoring over 47 points a game . “We are off to a pretty decent start. We have already won more games this year than we did all of last year. We were 8-19 last year, and we are 10-8 this year, so we are making steps to build the program,” head coach Chris Yarbrough said. With the team’s major focus being the playoffs and their continuance to grind out the wins, they will have to fix the minor things in order to have a shot at winning the championship.

S P O RT S

1: Freshman Gabriel GarciaMendez pins his opponent at a recent wrestling meet. 2: Junior Shannon Titus dribbles around a defender at a game against Cambridge. 3: Junior Arnold Wang practices his backstroke in practice. 4: Senior Garrett Stewart drives toward the hoop in a game against Cambridge.

All photos by Andrew Myers/STAFF

SWIM/DIVE

fter taking the reigns of the Northview’s Swim and Dive team, coach Anthony Cianciola is proving to be the right choice and is racking up multiple wins at meets. Cianciola took over for long time coach Colin Maloney after he retired following a 12 year stint as head coach. In addition to Maloney, the team will be missing star swimmer Knox Auerbach who served as a leader to the team throughout his illustrious high school career. Even with these holes, the team is welcoming many returning members including juniors Cade Auerbach and Drew Whitmoyer, who are taking on leadership roles. Their experience and positive attitude is creating a positive experience for the newcomers to try and replicate. “We have a very strong team [...] everyone [has been] working for a common goal and being good teammates [by] cheering each other on,” Whitmoyer said. These members have been influential in the development of young swimmers like Cam Auerbach and Collin McLaughlin who appear to be incredibly promising. These swimmers will be vital in order for the

team to perform well at the state competition. Even with the promising swimmers and experienced members, some of the athletes think the season has been subpar compared to previous years and could be improved. “I think the season has been decent, [but] communication is a little shaky,” junior Joe Whalley said. The team has been solid in past years at the state competition, so in order to repeat this success the team will have to continue communicating and practicing hard for the fast approaching state meet.

BOYS BASKETBALL

he Northview boys basketball team is looking to bounce back in the final stretch of the regular season after losing five out of their first 10 games within a 10 point margin. The squad started the season off with a woeful 1-6 record. Since the rough start to the season, the team seems to have found a little

bit of a stride going 5-4 since. This 5-4 stretch has given the Titans a better than expected 6-11 record. The improved form has brought optimism from several of the players on the team, including junior Zane Patel. “We have started playing better as a team, and we have figured out the strengths of each player, [however] we need to work on finishing games strong, as we have blown many leads in the third quarter,” Patel said. Even though the finishing has been subpar, the team’s record is a major improvement from their 3-23 season a year ago as they already have a three win improvement with nine games remaining. One of the key changes came from the seniors stepping up to lead the team; Garrett Milan Stewart and Jeremiah Shields have scored over 150 points each. Junior Mason McBee has also helped the team with a surprising 79 points. “[We have] won twice as many games as we did last year, and we are hoping to continue building on that,” Coach Steven Bombard said. With the chance of a playoff berth a distant hope, the improved play provides hope for the future and morale for the team.

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S P O RT S

Classification changes GHSA classifies Northview Titans in Region 7 R A M E E N F O RG H A N I , S TA F F W R I T E R

fter the GHSA finished its realignment meetings in Valdosta and finalized the new regions for the 2016-2018 athletic years, the Northview Titans have been placed in Region 7 of AAAAAA classification. Class AAAAAA holds 58 schools, all of whom play football. The second largest of the new seven classification system the GHSA transitioned to this cycle, all of the schools in 6A have a student body population less than 2100. Westlake is the smallest school in “the big 44” (AAAAAAA) reporting an enrollment of 2092 students. In the nine team Region 7-AAAAAA, Northview is joined by fellow high schools: Alpharetta, Cambridge, Chattahoochee, Centennial, Johns Creek, Dunwoody, North Atlanta, and Pope. The new districts provide the Titans a sense of familiarity, having been in the same region as the Alpharetta, Chattahoochee, Centennial, and Johns Creek for the past two years. Three years prior, when the 2011-2013 alignment plan was in effect, Northview was grouped with Pope and Cambridge in what was previously called AAAAA, comparable to the new AAAAAA class that Northview is assigned to. “I think a good part of the region that we got placed in is that we already know a lot of the teams and have played them for a few years now. We have some rivalries brewing and are able to maintain that sense of community since we don’t have to start from

scratch,” athletic director Scotty McDaniel said. The eight other schools set to be in Region 7 are all located in close geographic proximity to each other, keeping travel distances short. This not only allows teams to spend less time on the buses traveling to and from games, but it also prevents student-athletes from being forced to leave early from school, and allows a greater contingent of students and parents alike to travel to road games cheer on the Titans.

“I think a good part of the region that we got placed in is that we already know a lot of the teams and have played them for a few years now.” S C O T T Y M C DA N I E L “Well, I think the fact that we are all so close is definitely a great thing,” McDaniel said. “I was just really happy that we didn’t get pulled into the Apalachee/Habersham Central/Winder-Barrow region. They only have six teams, so they are short, and we’re the closest school to that group out of the nine so I was a bit worried that we would get pulled into that region.” The average travel distance from Northview to each of the eight school is 12.9 miles,

with Johns Creek being the closest (2.4 miles) and North Atlanta the farthest (29.0 miles). Most athletic department staffers didn’t want to see Northview pulled into a remote region, having enjoyed the shortest travel distance across all of GHSA this year. “Travel distance is really important to me. Two years ago, we were in a region with some of the Cobb County schools and the commute is just tough, especially when you’re trying to get there where it will take an hour just fighting to get through traffic during rush hour,” boys varsity basketball coach Steven Bombard said. Since the new classification levels the playing field for the Titans, expectations for sports teams will change. Instead of just qualifying for the state playoffs, teams will now be striving to be region champions, or to stay in contention deep in the state playoffs. While in theory, not having to face a 4000 student school should ease the competition level for the Titans, every school will now have the same mentality that the playing field has been evened and that it is their opportunity to seize the moment. “I think that it will still be tough to win, but it should be easier since we’re not playing all the big teams,” varsity tennis player Joseph Zhang said. “The teams are going to be similar to [those of ] my freshman year [when Northview was in AAAAA], so it should be easier to get deeper into the playoffs and finals, but every match is still going to be tough.”

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THE MESSENGER | 15

COVER STORY

beneath the brilliance The academic excellence of its students distinguishes Northview on both local and national levels, but the school has also seen a rise in cheating over the years. Does Northviewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation come at a price? AMANDA BEARD, STAFF WRITER

James walked into Assistant Principal Amy Boomsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; office one year ago, unafraid. He had already planned his escape route THE MESSENGER | 17

“I try to make my decisions based on data; if I don’t have the data, it’s hard “ - Brian Downey

James and Rachel are aliases for two Northview students who have chosen to remain anonymous. The Messenger staff has chosen these names for them in order to protect their identities. Any similarities to real student names are purely coincidental.

ne evening in December 2014, AP English Language and Composition students at Northview began preparing for a multiple-choice test based on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. While their classmates turned to review books and study guides, several juniors took a more unconventional route. James*, now a senior, found a sample Huckleberry Finn test online and shared it with his friends, unaware that it was the very test he would take the next day. After taking the test and coming to this realization, however, James continued to circulate the web link among his peers, explicitly telling them that it was identical to the teachers’ version. Northview administrators soon caught wind of James’ activity, and he found himself in Booms’ office awaiting questioning only days after the test. The honor code policy at Northview High School consists of a series of steps, beginning with the teacher confronting a student and his parents. From there, the case passes to the jurisdiction of an administrator, who decides whether the student should be honor coded. According to Principal Brian Downey, teachers often avoid reporting students for honor code violations. James believes that this underreporting stems from a general attitude of indifference, rather than from any sense of compassion. “I do what I think is best for the student and sometimes it doesn’t include honor coding them,” Raymond Brown, who has taught social studies at Northview for five years, said. “In the end, it would just hurt them more than help them.” Downey acknowledges the likelihood that many more students are violating the honor code than those who have been re-

ported. This underreporting of honor code infractions poses a challenge for Northview administrators, who are attempting to address the issue at large. “I try to make my decisions based on data; if I don’t have the data, it’s hard,” Downey said. “As an administrator, I’m not going to know that you didn’t turn in the other [student], and I’m going to crush this kid, and the other kid got away with it [...] it’s an unfair and unjust situation.” Depending on the severity of a student’s honor code infraction, the consequence can vary from receiving a score of 0 on the assignment in question to an In-School Suspension. According to Booms, Northview administrators also advise parents to implement their own punishments outside of school. Northview’s history shows that a majority of honor code violations here come from higher-level students in Advanced Placement and Honors classes. James, whose parents are aware of his cheating habits but have not reported him, believes that external pressure from parents plays a large role in this pattern. “If they [James’ parents] were to turn me in for all of my cheating, [...] that’s 18 years wasted. Ultimately, they still prioritize my success over cheating,” James said. The parents of a student caught for violating the honor code do not have a great deal of influence in the official school disciplinary process, according to Downey. Some parents, like James’, know that their children cheat but remain silent, since reporting the infraction would tarnish the student’s academic record. As a result, the honor code policy does not allow parents to interfere, avoiding their potentially biased involvement. Although they do not contribute to the official protocol, parents may be at the

Consequence determined based on severity of infraction

Honor code violation issued Honor code violation not issued

Teacher files electronic report Teacher speaks with student

Teacher does not report

Teacher decides to report

Teacher notifies parents

Teacher notices

BREAK DOWN

Final decision

Administrators investigate

Student interviewed

Teacher interviewed

Teacher does not notice

Student cheats

Student does not cheat THE MESSENGER | 19

student actions copying a graded homework assignment

discussing assessment difficulty

discussing topics covered on an assessment

discussing explicit questions

using the Internet without permission

The Messenger conducted an anonymous survey of 20 Northview faculty members who teach across various subjects to determine their perception of the following actions. The sliders display the average teacher response in ranking these actions from zero to five, zero being the least punishable and five being the most punishable.

teacher actions

taking pictures of assessments

altering individual grades in order to boost a student’s overall average

storing information on calculators

favoritism with an effect on grades

looking at other students’ work during an assessment

reusing test questions

using cognitive-enhancing medication

using online test questions available to students

disclosing information about ‘pop’ assessments

failure to report student honor code violations

HONOR CODES FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS:

2014-2015

(21 in fall, 26 in spring)

34 17 last semester (fall 2015)

2013-2014

(5 in fall, 12 in spring)

heart of the cheating epidemic due to their high expectations for their children. Many students at Northview who take AP and/or Honors classes feel pressure to succeed, and cheating often appeals to them as the quickest and easiest way to achieve that goal. Literature teacher Jordan Kohanim, however, disagrees, arguing that the root cause of Northview’s cheating culture is not the parents, but the students themselves. “The pressure cooker atmosphere at Northview is more self-inflicted,” Kohanim said. “I don’t think it is right for students to say, ‘Well, it’s Northview, so I have to cheat.’” Rachel*, another senior involved in last year’s Huckleberry Finn incident, maintains a firmly negative stance on cheating. The night before the test, she received the link to the online file from James, not suspecting that it would be identical to the actual copy. The two worked through the questions together for practice, creating an answer key for themselves as they went along. “I was accidentally involved,” Rachel said. “The day of the test, it ended being the exact same thing. We had a substitute that day, and I wasn’t sure what to say [...] so I just stayed silent, which was a bad job on my part.” While she kept the secret to herself, James did not. He distributed the answer key from the previous night to several other students during the course of the day, many of whom scored high marks on the test as a result. “Everyone who used that answer key got a 90 and above,” Rachel said. “There was lots of talking. When I was doing it, it was really

HONOR CODES BY SCHOOL: south forsyth: A South Forsyth High School student will not lie nor tolerate those who lie. A South Forsyth High School student will not steal nor tolerate those who steal. A South Forsyth High School student will not cheat or tolerate those who cheat. A South Forsyth High School student will not plagiarize or tolerate those who plagiarize.

just for preparatory reasons and I had no idea what was really going on.” Although she does not condone cheating, Rachel has come close to buckling under the pressure of her AP and Honors coursework. “I have been in the situation where I have considered it, even though I have never done it,” Rachel said. “You think, ‘What could I do to relieve the stress?’” Downey often ponders the same question. Last year, his first year as principal, he introduced his focus on balance, beginning the tradition of monthly, homework-free Community Nights that has carried over to the current school year. Beta Club has also conducted Stress Awareness Week for the past two years to address the same issue. Downey hopes to see an improvement in student mental health and a reduction in cheating as a result of these recent implementations. Neighboring schools such as Johns Creek High School and Chattahoochee High School face similar challenges concerning academic integrity, according to Downey. This year, the Northview administration introduced the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support program to encourage students and staff to display personal responsibility, positive attitude, compassion, and integrity, the four pillars that define an exemplary character. Although the Northview community has seen improvement in the first three areas, integrity continues to be a concern, according to Downey. Overall, PBIS has not faced a very warm reception from the student body.

north forsyth: This we believe: Personal honor, personal integrity, honesty, and respect in thought, word, and deed toward individuals and institutions are the essential qualities of a student at North Forsyth High School. 1. A student’s word is his binding pledge. 2. A student respects personal and school property. 3. A student respects intellectual and academic honesty. 4. A student’s conduct represents responsibility, loyalty, and consideration.

“A lot of people treat PBIS as a joke, and I think that really hinders it from doing much. I feel like we should take some more steps to stop cheating,” Rachel said. In fact, cheating at Northview appears to have increased in recent years, despite the administration’s attempts to correct it. In the 2014-2015 school year, administrators recorded a total of 47 honor code violations, compared to a total of 17 from the 20132014 school year. The 2015-16 school year has already seen a total of 34 honor code infractions from the first semester alone. “It is not effective at all. No one actually cares and it has turned into a joke at Northview. I do not know why Downey would ever try something like this because it is never going to work,” James said. PBIS is only in its first year of implementation, however. Despite the mixed response from students and staff, the Northview administration still hopes to see a gradual improvement in student integrity as time progresses. “I think that our four pillars are established and that people finally know what they are, but I don’t think the students are necessarily embodying them yet. It’s getting there, but it takes time, and integrity is something we really have to keep working on,” Booms said. Some students, however, disagree. James believes that even Community Nights and Stress Awareness Week will not be enough to fix Northview’s cheating culture, which he argues is deeply rooted in the students’ desires to succeed. “[Cheating] is the easy way out; it reduces the stress,” James said. “It just saves me time, not doing any of that work.”

forsyth central: The Forsyth Central community believes that a spirit of trust among all stakeholders is essential. Personal integrity, honesty, and respect are critical in everything we do. Students are expected to conduct themselves in an ethical manner in all thoughts, words, and deeds related to their academic work, interaction with faculty, staff, and other students, and uphold the ideals of Forsyth Central’s Honor Code. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of any kind will not be tolerated and are subject to disciplinary action.

“[PBIS] is not effective at all. No one actually cares and it has turned into a joke at Northview “ -James

west forsyth: West Forsyth High School students honor academic and personal integrity in all that we do. Our honor code establishes standards for all students. At West, we aspire to achieve our personal best; we hold ourselves and each other accountable to an honor code emphasizing honor and integrity in all school activities including academics, sports, and extracurricular activities. Students will not engage in the following unacceptable behaviors: Cheating, Stealing, Plagiarism, Aiding and Abetting Dishonesty, Lying, Acts of Harassment, Falsification of Records.

THE MESSENGER | 21

a code of honor A N D R E W T E O D O R E S C U, O P I N I ON S E D I T O R

he Northview High School Student Handbook defines cheating as “giving or receiving… information relating to a gradable experience… either during or outside of class.” That seems rather broad, so the Handbook goes on to give a list of examples, like “cheat sheets, copying, open books or notes, writing on hands, shoes, or desks, calculators, etc.” Overall, the Student Handbook provides a concrete idea of what cheating is and covers the most popular forms of the act. It even describes the process of discipline following each offense of an Honor Code violation, which can lead to punishments such as Saturday Opportunity School, In-School Suspension, and Out-of-School Suspension. But the Honor Code makes no suggestion that disciplinary consequences are up to interpretation at the discretion of teachers. The Student Handbook deems all forms of cheating equal. Writing a single formula on one’s hand is, in theory, as equally punishable as distributing the answers of a test to the entire school, so long as they are both first offenses. However, the Honor Code is not applied as evenly and clearly as it is written. Depending on an array of factors—if a student is well-liked by a teacher, if a student is doing well in a class, if a student seems innocent or apologetic—two students who committed the same exact Honor Code offense may receive completely different disciplinary consequences. According to Principal Brian Downey, cheating is more present among higher-level students than among on-level students at Northview. Unfortunately, higher-level students often guilt-trip their teachers and administrators to escape the strict disciplinary consequences that are supposed to follow every Honor Code violation. Higher-level students who are caught cheating can claim that they have a lot at stake in terms of college prospects, they can promise to not cheat again, or they can beg their teachers for mercy. On-level students can, of course, do the same, but teachers are more likely to trust students who excel in their classes. Northview has a significant number of high-achieving, high-level students who have a lot to lose when caught cheating. Teachers have the natural instinct to want their students to succeed, and many feel that recording Honor Code offenses will limit the future success of their students. But by ignoring Honor Code violations or by dampening the disciplinary consequences of offenses, teachers are just further encouraging a cheating environment in which students believe that cheating is ordinary and that punishments are lax. To foster a fair academic playing field, Northview’s administration must both encourage students to report cheating to teachers and encourage teachers to report Honor Code violations to the administration.

As technology advances and students gain access to a constantly expanding trove of resources, administrators struggle to catch up with the many methods of cheating that are on display at Northview. Many students, for example, use unapproved online sources to complete assignments, and others prepare for assessments using test copies found on the Internet. Sometimes, these resources turn out to be identical to the versions used by teachers--a coincidence that transpired in the case of James and Rachel. “I think students want to believe that it is not as bad to borrow answers for homework from a friend as it is to cheat on an exam,” Kelly Butcher, a Northview parent and PTSA board member, said. “I disagree. It is not relative, it is absolute.” The use of online resources is not the only method by which students cheat, however. Northview’s official definition of cheating includes the discussion of graded assessments, which occurs rampantly among the student body, and which many students do not consider to be cheating. This definition introduces a degree of ambiguity, as some students only ask general questions about difficulty, while others explicitly disclose specific questions and topics covered. Many teachers disapprove of this behavior. “When you help your friend cheat, you are helping them get a higher GPA and

get into your college instead of you,” math teacher Steven Bombard said. Ultimately, both James and Rachel managed to avoid punishment for their involvement in last year’s Huckleberry Finn cheating scandal. Rachel, who second-guessed herself during the test and changed many of her answers from the original key she and James had created, received a C, making her an unlikely suspect. Rachel eventually clarified the extent of her participation with her teacher, explaining that she was not responsible for distributing the answer key among her peers. James, however, found himself in Booms’ office. He had instr ucted his friends to place the blame entirely on him if the situation arose, so he was not surprised. In fact, he was well prepared: before he walked into the assistant principal’s office for questioning, he had already cleared all of the incriminating evidence from his phone and ensured that his classmates had done the same. Without any proof of an honor code violation, Booms had no choice but to let James go. The Huckleberry Finn case may have blown over more than a year ago, but the broader pattern remains very much at large. Only time will tell whether the school’s latest changes will alleviate the competition, pressure, and stress that lie at the heart of Northview’s cheating culture.

“[Cheating] is not relative. It is absolute “

- Kelly Butcher

FEATURES

Writers’ Digest

Rustic Couch

The Messenger’s monthly food review

T I F FA N Y X U, P H O T O E D I T O R

ustic Couch is the perfect destination for a first date. The gem of this cafe is its cozy, inviting ambiance: the aged, wooden sliding door, the well-worn couches and rugs that make customers feel right at home, and the handwritten menu are only a few of its defining features. In fact, Rustic Couch is date-appropriate to the point that the owners acknowledge it themselves—a small wooden sign reads “Priority seating: first date” above a picturesque table for two. A shelf full of games such as Connect Four, tic-tac-toe, and various board games sits nearby, perfect for breaking the ice and conquering awkward beginnings. The food served at Rustic Couch is a sort of Asian-American-Mexican fusion, including unique dishes like bulgogi hot

dogs, shrimp tacos, loaded tater tots, and banh mi burgers. Bubble tea, of course, is also on the menu, along with fresh smoothies and coffees, and a display near the front of the cafe features beautiful slices of cake. The trendy, inviting style of the cafe even extends beyond interior design: food arrives at the table not on plain white plates, but instead on cute mini-skillets, wire baskets, and wooden platters. The flavors of the bulgogi hot dog are vibrant and distinct, but the calamari coating is disproportionately thick. The Rustic Java is a unique blend of coffee and milk tea that works surprisingly well together. Eating at Rustic Couch is much more than a meal. Its lovely atmosphere and unique food make every meal here an experience of its own.

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Ready to go When it comes to preparing students for college, Northview is among the best S O P H I A C H O I , S TA F F W R I T E R

ver recent years there has been an escalation of concern about whether Northview, one of Georgia’s highest achieving high schools, prepares its students for college and work after high school. No public high school can ever fully prepare its students for the journey that is higher education; the two are entirely different experiences. The best evidence for this comes from college students themselves. A national survey conducted by Achieve—Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates Prepared for College and Work?—shows that almost half of high school graduates felt underprepared upon entering college. That is not to say that Northview High School does not do well with preparing its students for college. It is among the country’s best high schools for future college students. 96 percent of Northview graduates go on to college, far greater than the national average of 65.9 percent. Evidently, the school motivates its students to attend secondary school better than the

average high school does, and likely gets its students ready to succeed in college better than the average high school. Northview as a whole—its students, parents, teachers, administrators—encourages students to broaden the scope of their education and get an understanding of how college classes operate by taking AP courses. A research paper by Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, reviewed more than 20 studies on AP courses and their effects on students’ performance in college. Pope says that there is a correlation between students who take AP classes and success in college, but it is difficult to establish causation between the two. Northview High School offers almost all of the AP courses available, providing students with numerous opportunities to get ahead for college in not just the sciences, but also in the arts and humanities. Another trend found in successful college students is their high schools’ usage of technology and the Internet. Many of Northview’s teachers use many of the

same websites that college professors use, meaning that Northview students go to college having already been exposed to a learning experience that encourages thinking both in real life and online. Among the websites used by both Northview teachers and professors are Turnitin, Edmodo, Webassign, and Blackboard. It is not just Northview’s academic qualities that helps its students get ready to take on college. Northview High school’s teachers, like college instructors, expect students to take responsibility for their education; that means that if a student is failing, it is his responsibility to consult with the teacher about raising his grade and performing better, and not the teacher’s to seek that student out. High schools can only do so much given the resources and challenges of teaching multiple students at once to fully prepare students to thrive while in college, but that is part of the college experience—learning to make the best of the situation with the little that was given.

THE MESSENGER | 25

Is Northviewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s honor code policy E T

Eddie Xie/STAFF

F I

F V

E E

C ?

O P I N I ON S

SHELBY BRADLEY, COPY EDITOR

he honor code at Northview is unique compared to that of other schools and counties in its deep coverage of what a violation is and how it will be dealt with. Not only are the rules clearly laid out for all the students and staff, but they are also written in detail. Because of this there is no question as to what would be considered cheating and the what the consequences would be for those offenses. The honor code is strict. And because of its strictness, the honor code is effective at keeping Northview’s academic integrity. Unlike some other schools in our area, Northview’s honor code avoids vague language by giving specific details of how it expects the student body to behave when

doing assignments. The honor code also explaining the consequences in a way that there is no room for argument that the code was broken or what the consequences would be for it. Because of this clear language of the honor code, the school holds the students accountable to know exactly what behavior is expected of them and how to behave appropriately. Northview’s student body is thus held up to a certain standard of honesty. When a student at Northview cheats the incident is immediately recorded on their permanent academic record; they receive a zero on the assignment, and they are not eligible for any recovery that they may need. As the number of offenses increases,so does the severity of the punishments.

Since the honor code is so strict that it encourages students to do their own work, they can then see an accurate picture of where they are in a class and what they need to work on. Most students come to school to learn and in order to be successful with that, they need do the work themselves. The honor code just reinforces that point. It is meant to keep students honest so that they can get the most out of their education. The honor code is effective because its intent is not to punish the students but help them be honest learners. The purpose of the honor code, whether occasionally broken or not, is to drive students to actually learning the information instead of learning how to cheat the system.

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 zero-tolerance policy and strict consequences, Northview’s outdated honor code has failed to curtail academic dishonesty. Honor code violations have continued to grow in recent years, even under strict policies, and the administration has not yet solved the issue of student integrity at Northview. The most prominent flaw with the current honor code is the perception of its harsh, unforgiving consequences. Even when they catch cheating, teachers often decide against reporting an official honor code, because they believe that they are, in one swift move, devastating a student’s chance to get into the college of their dreams. Even if this result is improbable, the perception that an honor code violation on a student’s academic record immediately crushes their potential to enter a top tier college and hurts their general credibility stops many teachers from reporting violations. Real-

istically, a college most likely will not consider a single honor code violation as a deal breaker, but nevertheless the number of unreported incidents of cheating is increasingly high. The honor code is simply a Band-Aid solution, a desperate but inadequate attempt to fix larger problems. Without a thorough investigation of the root causes of cheating, policies like the honor code cannot combat the frequent violations of academic integrity that pervade Northview’s environment. Strict administrator enforcement of honor code violations does not take student backgrounds and other information into account. Factors like parental, peer, and self-induced pressure often affect a student’s decision to cheat. Without understanding how factors like this might drive students to cheat, administrators cannot effectively alleviate student integrity issues in the long run.

Repeat offenders also attest to the ineffectiveness of the honor code. Ideally, the honor code would eradicate this issue, but many students continue to cheat even after being reported. Repeat offenders show that the severity of the honor code does not change students’ opinions on cheating, nor their motivations to do so. If the honor code were truly effective in maintaining student integrity, repeat offenders would be far and few between. The recent rise in Northview honor code violations highlights the ineffectiveness of the current honor code, exposing the failure of current policies to reduce cheating. Because it does not address the factors that may lead to cheating, and because of the severity of its consequences, the honor code is only a temporary solution to a greater, ongoing problem. If the Northview administration truly wishes to fix this, they must consider preventative measures rather than focusing on the punitive ones.

THE MESSENGER | 27

O P I N I ON S

S TA F F E D I TO R I A L

Second time’s the charm

hile the planet steadily deteriorates, countries around the world still rely on the carbon spewing plants and factories to keep their economies chugging along, as they have for decades. The scientific community largely recognizes, however, that this pattern of economic growth is both unsustainable and unhealthy. In America, President Obama has acknowledged for years that global warming is a real and imminent threat. However, businesses continue to pollute violently, while the government, seeking the support of corporations, is reluctant to set effective regulations to prevent pollution. In December, countries from around the world assembled in Paris to decide the future of our planet. For many, the conference was a symbol of progress and unity between the nations, especially in the wake of the recent Paris attacks. The Conference’s goal centered on reducing unclean, high carbon emission energy consumption and rewarding countries that pioneered greater usage of clean and renewable energy. Many countries, including the U.S., made efforts to compromise for the sake of good publicity and to avoid blame for the conference’s potential failure. However, the deal is far from ensuring the planet’s safety. Already the agreed upon emissions will still cause what many experts would call irreversible damage, by raising global temperatures more than 2.0 degrees Celsius. The United States even insisted on the substitution of the word “should” in place of “shall.” This change of terms allowed the agreement to be passed without being voted on by the Republican dominated Congress, but also kept the agreement from being legally binding. With a Republican Congress

and some popular presidential candidates seemingly oblivious to the Climate agreement, whether or not the deal will take effect in America seems uncertain. Without the full cooperation of China and the United States, the largest carbon emitting countries today, the deal is certain to fail. It would not be the the first time a major climate deal fell through the cracks. In 2009 the aggressive Copenhagen summit was foiled due to the inherent animosity between developed and developing nations, which wanted allowances made because of their disadvantaged economies. Before that, the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 failed as the United States withdrew due to a longstanding feud with China, each waiting for the other to act before taking any real measures to reduce pollution. Despite having overcome previous challenges that have historically contributed to climate protection letdowns and having developed the Paris agreement, a new set of problems arises in the implementation of the deal. The United Nations deal reserves no way to actively enforce the agreed upon emissions levels. The United Nations must trust that each country’s government will report their emissions accurately, and will rely on publicly shaming countries that do not follow through with the agreement as a means of prosecution. The countries of the Paris conference may have unified in the desire for environmental action, but until a system of enforcement is developed and the countries involved see environmental protection as in their best immediate interests, the Paris agreement may well be added to the long list of climate protection failures.

COMMENTS

Meeting in the middle Many high school students yawn at history and science, but what if the two subjects combined to form one?

A N D R E W T E O D O R E S C U, O P I N I ON S E D I T O R

ublic education curriculum in America is currently being developed and taught on a need-to-know basis. While students may moan about how useless matrix multiplication is or how The Scarlet Letter is an absolute drag to read, the curriculum taught in “core” classes is more or less the exact amount of information needed to function in introductory college courses. Even high school students are still able to rigidly define their “core” classes into the subjects they have learned since elementary school: Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, and Language Arts. And while an English teacher may brief students on the historical norms of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s day before beginning The Scarlet Letter, there is not a whole lot of meaningful overlap between subjects. In higher education, that “meaningful overlap” is found in interdisciplinary studies, or, as Julie Thompson Klein defines it in her book, Interdisciplinarity, “the idea of a unified science, general knowledge, synthesis, and the integration of knowledge.” The definition seems so general and widespread that it could be argued that interdisciplinar-

ity can be used in public schools in Georgia through a simple change in the state’s education standards. Such a condition, one that requires teachers to make interdisciplinary connections, already exists. The state approaches interdisciplinarity as an additive to supplement a student’s education in a particular class. When connections are drawn between subjects in this setting, they are often touched upon poorly and only for a few moments. These occasional encounters between literature and history or math and science in the classroom leave students with only a briefing of the connections. Instead of forcing teachers to tack on interdisciplinary focuses in “core” classes, the state should instead allow and encourage the advent of entirely new courses to be offered as electives. Scroll down the list of electives for any major at any liberal arts college and signs of interdisciplinary courses are ever-clear. Professor David Christian teaches a course called “Big History” at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia that tackles history from the Big Bang to current day within the contexts of biology, astronomy, geology, and

anthropology. A bit closer to us, Northview teacher Raymond Brown teaches a course called “United States History in Film” that provides insight into the background of our nation through the lens of Hollywood. These courses may not seem entirely applicable to the disciplines that high school students will study in college, but they are perhaps just as important to students as the disciplines that construct them are. Interdisciplinary courses like those that Christian and Brown teach encourage students to think about big ideas in refreshing in creative ways that would seem moot within the typical constraints of a single discipline. With approval from the state, the county, and the administration, such courses can easily be introduced into Northview’s catalog as electives. Teachers with a passion for a convergence point between their studied discipline and another could, at their own will, construct and propose intriguing courses for students that may share the same interest. With such academically strong students, Northview must make an equally strong effort to foster great thinkers and intellectuals.

THE MESSENGER | 29

music

C O LU M N S

C A RO L I N E P E N N I N G T O N , S TA F F W R I T E R

Where Have You Been All My Life?

Villagers

Villagers/SPECIAL

First Impressions

Villagers latest release is a collection of five years’ worth of songwriting and recording. The band hails from Ireland and has a soft indie folk sound. Although the beats of the songs grow intense, their calming nature is somehow sustained throughout and listening to this band conjures up mental images of a calm rainy day in the forest. The 12 track album was released in full on January 8, although some songs had been released as singles before the full album release. They have been notably popular on the European music festival scene in the seven years that they have been active. The band is slightly similar to Mumford and Sons, but their sound is much more similar to that of Simon and Garfunkel. This band has likely not gotten much, if any, radio airtime in the United States so be sure to check them out on YouTube or Spotify.

Cage t he Elephant

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Festivals

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Two major music festival lineups were released within 10 days of each other, Coachella and Shaky Knees. Coachella is a famed music and arts festival held over two weekends each April, this year the fifteenth to the twenty-fourth, in Indio, California. With actresses, music buffs, models, and everyone in between camping out in the desert, the festival draws significant media attention each year. Headlining Coachella this year are LCD Soundsystem, Guns N Roses, and Calvin Harris. The lineup appears to be catering to a breadth of genres, featuring bands such as folk group Of Monsters and Men, pop-electric singer Ellie Goulding, and rapper A$AP Rocky. The three-day Atlanta festival Shaky Knees’ lineup is consistent in its alternative rock lineup, although more mainstream bands are in attendance this year than years past. The headliners are Florence + the Machine, Jane’s Addiction, and My Morning Jacket. Other bands in attendance include Young the Giant, Explosions in the Sky, and Walk the Moon. Official day-by-day lineups are not yet available, but the festival will take place May thirteenth to fifteenth.

Tell Me I’m Pretty Cage the Elephant released its fourth studio album, “Tell Me I’m Pretty”, on December 18. The 10 songs take it to just under 40 minutes in length and the energy of the album is sustained throughout. This album is a bit more “hard” sounding than their previous albums, like “Melophobia”. Aside from that, they have maintained their sound and the album would easily be able to be identified as Cage the Elephant’s work without announcement. The star track on the album seems to be “Mess Around”, the second track. It keeps with the band’s original sound and is full of energy. The European leg of their tour commences in February and they return to the United States in mid-March. Although no Atlanta tour date was announced, the closest performance will be on March 20 in Johnson City, Tennessee.

fashion C ON N I E X U, D E S I G N E D I T O R

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David Bowie was one of my biggest inspirations, a gateway to many things that I love and that inspire me. I will always admire his courage: he possessed the almost superhuman ability to invent and try things that were utterly bizarre to others, and at the same time, the amazingly human ability to display his vulnerability and his flaws. He also had an unbelievable dedication to his art from start to finish. I cannot find enough words to express my love and appreciation for him, but many of his qualities reveal themselves through his incredible, eclectic wardrobe. Rest in peace, Starman.

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01. in his mod days 02. the man who sold the world 03. hunky dor y 04. pin ups outtake 05. the thin white duke 06. the man who fell to ear th/low 07. heroes 08. last photoshoot before his passing

THE MESSENGER | 31

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