Vol. 14, Issue 8

the messenger

VOL 14/ ISS 8 SENIOR ISSUE

ANNUAL COLLEGE LIST P. 26

TEACHER SUPERLATIVES P. 36

LOOKING AHEAD THE CLASS OF 2016 PREPARES FOR THE FUTURE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL – P. 15

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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

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IN THIS ISSUE Cover design: Jessica Ma

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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

13

JESSICA MA

MEGAN CISTULLI

EDITOR’S LETTER

SENIOR ATHLETE PROFILE

06

15*

STAFF

STAFF

MONTHLY BRIEFS

INTO THE FUTURE

36

TEACHER SUPERLATIVES EVAN MOODY, MORGAN WHITE

38

SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT SNEHA GUBBALA

08

26

JOSEPH NI

STAFF

RECONSTRUCTION

09

CLASS OF 2016 LIST

41

TESTING FAILURES JACK LOWRANCE

32

42

SNEHA GUBBALA

JACK LOWRANCE, JESSICA MA

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33

44

AKSHAY NAIR

TARUN RAMESH

STAFF

ONE TO ONE LEARNING NIHARIKA SINHA

SEASON FINALES

PIDGEON SPREADS HIS WINGS

SENIOR ADVICE

FACE-OFF

COLUMNS

THE MESSENGER | 3

the messenger ONLINE

nhsmessenger@gmail.com

Like our Facebook page facebook.com/nhsmessenger

@nhsmessenger

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

I

To be continued

have no idea what I am doing with my life.

We have all arrived at this conclusion at some point. It comes to us in our darkest hours: on days when the entire universe seems to be working against us, in our darkest moments of disappointment and failure, and at 4:00 a.m. the night before a major due date, as we berate ourselves for procrastinating for so long. For me, and for many of us in the class of 2016, it is a realization that looms ever larger as we approach the threshold of graduation, and it is frightening. We do not know what lies beyond that door, and we do not like not knowing.

We train ourselves to avoid uncertainty as though it is the bane of our existence, jeopardizing our odds of success and stability. We tell ourselves that, in order to be happy, we must know precisely what we want to do with the rest of our lives, and that we must have a perfect plan in place to reach that goal as soon as possible. In the stories that are our lives, we leave no room for cliffhangers or question marks or ellipses, viewing them as weaknesses, each uncertain punctuation mark threatening to derail us from the tracks we have so carefully laid for ourselves.

But in this blind, frenzied pursuit of happiness, we forget to recognize uncertainty for what it truly is: a limitless realm of possibility.

Instead of shying away from uncertainty, we should learn to embrace it. Instead of

pigeonholing ourselves into what is familiar, into what others have told us to do, or into what we hope we will eventually come to tolerate, we should explore. We should remove our blinders and open our eyes to the multitude of opportunities that surround us like unopened treasure chests, and not let our fear of the unknown hold us back from unlocking those troves. We should take risks and dive headfirst into the uncertainty that frightens us so much, even if it means stumbling in the dark for a while before our eyes can adjust and we can reorient ourselves. (We should also take care not to pay too much attention to a single individual who condescends to tell us what we should or should not do.)

Maybe I am too optimistic. Maybe I wrote all of this simply to console myself and validate my own feelings of uncertainty. But, as this chapter of my story winds to a close, I realize that I have never truly succeeded by playing it safe. Everything that I have accomplished in the past four years, everything in which I can genuinely take pride, everything that has made me an individual, was the result of a risk that I took, a decision to face the unknown with open arms and an open mind.

In short, I still have no idea what I am doing with my life. The secret is, no one really does— but we can all try to make the most of it.

Jessica Ma, Editor-in-Chief

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NEWS

IN BRIEF 4/15

Disney releases “Jungle Book” remake

On Saturday, April 16, Northview Science Olympiad members competed at the annual state tournament at Emory University.

Northview’s Team A won third place overall, and also ranked top ten in several of the events. Every year, first and second place teams are invited to compete at the national tournament. For the second year in a row, Northview’s Team A has been the runner-up for nationals. Co-captains, seniors Alice Lin, Chris Yoon, and Sophia Choi, believe that there are a handful of promising underclassmen to take their spots once they graduate. By readjusting how members prepare for events and tournaments, Yoon hopes that Northview will be able to advance onto nationals in the upcoming years.

4/21 Target opens bathrooms to all genders

4/15-17 To celebrate Rome’s founding, the Georgia Junior Classical league hosts the annual state Latin Convention at Rock Eagle, Georgia. Northview students accompanied by Latin teacher Neal David performed both academic and athletic competitions. These categories included creative arts, such as oratory and dramatic interpretation, graphic arts, such as pottery and textiles, olympika, the 50 and 100 yard dash, and academics, such as mythology, grammar skills, and other classical examinations. This year, junior Jasmin Gao, in a statewide election, joined the Junior Classical League board as secretary for the 2016-2017 school year.

Jasmin Gao/SPECIAL

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4/16

The Messenger’s monthly digest of events at Northview and around the world Natint quasime expedit iuscim fuga. Nem. Nequi aut milliqu ibuscimus mint, oditia conet, con On poritat May emporesequi 6-7, the omnihil annual iliscil luptur aut maios Theater am dem accae ame Dessert tooknati place voluptibus sandige ntusanim quias ipieturio. at Northview’s cafeteria.

Ximi, sed dellant Thismagnient, year’ssuntiam, show,nis“In a quibus mintia pliquist laniae nihiligent, omnihit Pickle,” was written and diatusamet hitatisby reheni omnimus con re rected seniors Avanon Fenod molo voluptatur, ut Austin expelecab incti remeberger and Hunter. perf erecte et labthe imenimi ncipsam doloria ius During show, students moluptiberum quidita voluptiam were volupta servedea drinks and cakedes byearchilique waiters volention who acted volupidesti est, qui characters from pop quid cul- eos aut antas volupta tibusamet poriatem ture, as this year’s theme eum aut et maior recullab ilitatiurero dignis was Heroes everit et vitaepedi omni v. Villains.

5/6-7 4/21 Music icon Prince passes away at 57

Evan Moody/STAFF

4/21 4/15

Northview hosted its annual talent show, Northview’s Got Talent, on Friday April 15. Unlike shows such as International Night or Coffee House, the school talent show exhibits a more diverse array of acts for a wider audience. Hosted by seniors Jay Badlani and Ashianna Jetha, the program ranged from slam poetry to break dancing to American Sign Language. The winning act came from juniors Leilani Tian and Skyler Semien, who performed a combination of hip hop and traditional ballet.

Space X collaborates with NASA to go to Mars

5/3

Ted Cruz drops out of presidential race

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NEWS

New at Northview Northview High School undertakes major renovations J O S E P H N I , S TA F F W R I T E R

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ver summer break, Northview High School will be acquiring a new look and feel. Much of the inspiration for this renovation comes from nearby Centennial High School, which found wild success among students and teachers with its renovations to accommodate for Fulton County’s new focus on personalized learning. Northview will follow suit this year.

“The goal [of this project] is to support personalized learning.” Principal Downey said, “With traditional classrooms, you can’t really do anything other than Mr. Downey standing and preaching.”

Fulton County envisions a personalized learning environment as a flexible, adaptable classroom with furniture that can adjust on the fly to accommodate different class activities. The new media center will embody this vision. Next year, students will immediately notice five brand new, floor to ceiling glass group study rooms.

Each room will be able to adapt to various tasks ranging from discussions to presentations, in accordance with the personalized learning policy.

A 42 to 50 inch monitor will be the dominant feature of each room, and up to eight students students per room will be able to utilize the monitors’ various video inputs to share, present, or enjoy their content.

In addition to the study rooms, the media center’s old, rigid tables and seats will be replaced with new, wheeled desks and chairs that are easily

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rearrangeable. Furthermore, the computer lab in the rear of the media center will be redesigned.

New rollable standing workstation-esque tables will take the place of the current desks, and Northview staff are making efforts to replace some of the media center’s desktop computers, which are nearly a decade old.

“I’m looking for grants to buy or sponsorships to buy high-end iMacs and PCs,” Darryl Paul, media center specialist, said, “I’d like to do 15 each, along each wall.”

Other non personalized learning related improvements will also be made, including the replacement of old, worn carpeting and the relocation of the circulation desk to the center of the room for more convenient borrowing.

Unfortunately, the move towards modernizing the media center is not without sacrifice. The new features require space, and as a result the media center will be downsizing its book collection to around 8,000 books, from a current 18,000 books. However, fiction readers need not worry, because most of the 5,700 fiction book collection will be kept. The 10,000 book loss will mostly consist of non-fiction books, due to the accessibility of non-fiction information on the internet.

More changes will also occur elsewhere in the school. The gyms will acquire a fresh coat of blue, silver and green paint alongside new HVAC systems, which will finally address the auxiliary gym’s AC issues. The auditorium’s walkway carpeting and seating will be coming up

to make way for new replacements, and most of the carpeting elsewhere in the school will also be replaced.

Another large renovation is also currently in the works; Northview High School recently applied for seed funding from Fulton County to redesign three of its traditional computer labs.

Again, the goal is to enable personalized learning by abandoning the traditional “sit in front of the desktop,” computer lab model for a more flexible, customizable structure. Principal Downey envisions one of the computer labs being almost like a coffee-shop esque socializing lounge for seniors, but the plans have not been finalized yet.

One thing is sure however, students will return next year to a vastly different Northview High School.

“These new changes are pretty cool,” sophomore Yi Liu said, “I’m really looking forward to the new study rooms.”

Changes at a glance Renovated media center Carpet replacement New HVAC units in gyms

NEWS

One for all Northview plans to integrate tablets into the personalized learning program

N I H A R I K A S I N H A , S TA F F W R I T E R

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he personalized learning program at Northview High School aims to cater to the specific needs of each and every student, providing the opportunity for school-wide academic success. In the upcoming school year, Northview plans to enhance this ideal. Fulton county has decided to put the new one-to-one initiative that has spread across Fulton schools in recent years, into effect at Northview.

to better support each kid, how to better reach each kid, how to better assess each kid. The one-to-one initiative is, can we use technology to support that idea?”

Beginning with devices for everyone as well as a fully refurbished media center equipped with new versatile functionality, the one-to-one program is potential for major change in Northview’s culture. Students that find themselves in the middle of class: not in the percentage of top scores but not in the bottom half of “Tell them to have LoggerPro. Make sure classes either, will esthey are functional across all the different pecially be benefited.

Everyone will have disciplines,” freedom of learnChris Kemp the ing at their own pace and style. Teachers The one-to-one program stems from can exploit the fluidity that comes with a general need to respond to students in- technology to manipulate material and dividually and efficiently. Principal Brian present it in a way that supports their Downey has termed it as a way of adding students’ needs. to the already existing education system, “If the device is used as a tool to access more advanced learning, I think [the rather than entirely changing it.

“It is really about tweaking, not dras- one-to-one initiative] will be really suctically changing, just tweaking, the teach- cessful,” media specialist Darryl Paul said. ing and learning we have at Northview “[It is] your personality interacting with today, so that we as a school are more re- the content you are supposed to know.” sponsive to you as an individual,” Downey It is of note that these interactions said. “We need to do a better job of how may not necessarily be between students

and content, but rather between the student and the other capabilities of the device. In this case, the “devices for everyone” aspect could be potentially harmful.

“It depends on how we approach it,” said Paul. “Teachers shouldn’t make devices the focus of the lesson, which should rather be student-centered.”

Although mis-utilization of devices and technology is a threat, there are measures being taken to combat this.

Students will be allowed limited internet access and will only be able to explore material and websites relevant to the class, among other strategies.

Although it has been readily received by most faculty and students, the oneto-one idea does not necessarily sit well with some.

“It’s not going to really help. We don’t really use iPads for school related things.

If I had an iPad, I wouldn’t use it for school,” Thomas Moy, junior, said.

Because Northview has been included in the fourth wave of the initiative’s implementation across Fulton, it has had the opportunity to look at how the program worked at other schools and learn from their mistakes, which gives Northview the best chance of making the most of one-to-one.

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sports in brief Northview’s spring sports wrap up their seasons and prepare for playoff trips M E G A N C I S T U L L I A N D A K S H AY N A I R , S TA F F W R I T E R S

Below: Junior Jeremy Yuan hits a backhand in a recent match.

Right: Junior Sophie Kopec passes to her teammate in a tight match againt Chattahoochee.

All photos: Andrew Myers/STAFF

BOYS TENNIS

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fter making it to the state championship last year but losing to Walton high school, the Titans are fired up and ready to make sure they take the title this year. They have ripped through the state championship bracket and are preparing to face off with Johns Creek High School in the state finals. Even though they had some hiccups in the region tournament, they are still confident in their ability to win the finals.

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“We went into the region tournament in first place and ended up getting region runner up so then that put us on the more difficult side of the bracket for state playoffs, but we’ve done quite well,” head coach Hefner-Ramage said.

The team finished the season with a record of 11-2, and with this performance, the team achieved the top seed for the region tournament.

“We finished first in the regular season which was a good confidence boost. Since [we] were in the strongest region in the state, this [accomplishment] validated to us that we have a good shot to bring home some rings this year,”

junior captain Will Claussen said.

However, the regional tournament did not start as planned for the team. The Titans enountered a problem when Claussen got sick.

His unexpected absence from the lineup induced a negative shift which caused the team to miss out on obtaining the first seed for the state tournament. The failure to secure the top seed was not destructive, but it was not beneficial either.

“The region tournament actually hurt us, as we placed second despite a first place regular season finished, putting us in a harder draw in the state tournament,” one singles player, junior Jeremy Yuan said.

The strategy for this season was strong doubles, which means they needed a needed a new line-up. The new line-up was tested out when Northview played Walton high school in the quarterfinals. The Raiders beat the Titans last year in the state championships; however, with the implementation of the new strategy, Northview dismantled Walton 3-1.

“Beating Walton was huge for us because they were the ones who stopped us last year in the championships. Beating them how badly we did went to show us how strong our team is,” Claussen said.

And with one final team to play before the state championship, the Titans geared up for battle with Chattahoochee High School. After tight singles matches and a sweeping win for the Titans at two doubles, the match came down to the one doubles match with the score sitting at 2-2. After taking taking the first set, the doubles team lost the second set. But they took a break and came back strong to take the third set 6-3 to secure the win for the Titans.

With coach Hefner-Ramage’s strategies and the players’ talent and drive to win, the Northview Titans hope to go one step farther than they did last year. After knocking out their previous conquerors, the trophy is within their reach.

S P O RT S

GIRLS LACROSSE

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he Northview girls’ lacrosse team is continuing in playoffs again this year with a strong 13-4 record, while going 5-2 in region play, which got them a top 10 state ranking. They are prepared to continue to go up against fierce competition, but are poised to hold tough. The Titans are coming off of a three game winning streak in the regular season and a win against Harrison High School in their first playoff game, which surpasses their progress from last year when they lost to Walton High School in the first round of playoffs. Junior captain Sophie Kopec believes that the team will fare well in the upcoming playoff games “In the North Gwinnett and Lambert games we really showed what we were made of and that we were playoff worthy,” Kopec said.

Being a young team, the girls have been working towards a certain level of experience and maturity all season, and it will be important to wield in their upcoming playoff games. With a superb record this season, they

have proved themselves completely able to do well, even as a young team.

“We started out as a young team, so we had to keep working on our [game],” Kopec said.

With only three seniors graduating, the team will be able to use these playoff games to prepare mentally for next year. A team full of sophomores, juniors, and a few freshman not only leaves the Titans in a good position for next season, but also makes their playoff bid more exciting.

“I like to know that as a freshman I am capable of being on the team and going to playoffs,” freshman attacker Leigha Whitridge said.

The road to playoffs has been smoother than anticipated, considering the girls lost their head coach, Kristyn Wakely, midway through the season due to maternity leave, only to have her return in late March.

“We started off rocky losing to Johns Creek and Mill Creek. We really learned from then on the stuff that we had to work on. We got it done in practice and kept improving,” Wakely said.

The largest struggles for the team this season were conditioning and stick work, because the teams that the girls were competing against were very athletic and talented. The team was fortunate to have such great competition, but they had to bring it and work on the basics in order to win.

“Once we got our conditioning and stick work down, the plays and everything else came together,” Wakely said.

One main difference from last year’s team is the chemistry and dynamic, and it has helped the girls win a large majority of their games this year.

“We’re really close. The Chattanooga trip was one of our favorite things together. We all went rock climbing and spent the entire day together, and it was so fun, and we just became best friends after,” Kopec said.

Even when their head coach was not allowed to be with them, the girls managed to win a majority of their games, securing themselves a spot in playoffs where they will now face some of the best competition from all over Georgia. The team is already looking forward to the second round, where they will play Milton High School, which might be one of their hardest competitors.

This confident team believes that they can go farther than everyone predicted if they continue to play as well as they have been.

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RIGHT: Senior Sam Nadel collects a ground ball near second and sends it to first.

BASEBALL

T

he Northview boy’s baseball team reached the playoffs this year for the first time since the 2012 season. This 2016 team broke the record for the best regular season in Northview history, going 18-8 and 12-6 in regional play. The start to the season was less than perfect, and the team ended up 3-3 in the first six games. After those first few losses, the Titans went on a 9-0 tear, winning each game by an average of six runs. They did, however, finish the season on a sour note, going 6-5 through the last 11 games. And the team was hopeful for the first playoff game against Norcross High School after getting some good practice against good teams towards the end of the season.

“We played some really good teams at the end of the year, so it was kind of a warmup for the playoffs. We can learn from our mistakes in those games and use it to our advantage in the playoffs,” junior captain Matthew Pacifico said.

The team was not expected to make the playoffs this year based on their 12-13 performance from last season; however, they improved a great deal by retaining a majority of their players from last year including eight seniors and 10 juniors. These players’ experience

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and skill helped mold the team into a playoff contender.

“We have matured as a baseball team. Last season many underclassmen had the chance to contribute to the team, which has led to them being more competent varsity players this season. The leadership on this year’s team is better than any team I have ever coached,” head coach Aaron Wilkens said.

One of the key factors in the team’s improved play was senior Tommy Trautwein, whose .377 batting average led the team.

Trautwein also became a staple on the mound by going 6-2 with a 1.02 ERA in 45 innings.

Trautwein started on the mound in the Titans 10-5 victory over Norcross to extend the series to a third game.

Junior Matthew Pacifico, whose .462 on base percentage at the leadoff spot helped pace the Titans. And on the mound, junior righthander Thomas Hamil made big strides during the 2016 season. Hamil went 5-3 with a 1.87 ERA as a starter. He pitched a complete game in the playoffs, but ultimately fell short when the team lost game one 1-0, with the Norcross team being led by Duke signee Graeme Stinson.

Although these players have had great seasons individually, the combined performances by all members of the team is what led to such superb play this season.

“What makes our team competitive is that each player knows his role. If we don’t play with cohesiveness, we are ineffective. Everyone on the team is crucial to our success,” Wilkens said.

The first round of playoffs started for Northview with a doubleheader against Norcross. The first game was a close fought clash with the Blue Devils edging out the Titans 1-0. However, the Titans refused to back down from the challenge and bounced back in the second game winning 10-5. With the series tied at one game apiece, the deciding game was played at Norcross the following day. The game begun on a low note as Norcross jumped to an early six run lead. The Titans made a valiant comeback scoring three runs, but fell to the Blue Devils in the end.

Nonetheless, the teams play exceeded expectations and overall the season was successful and rewarding.

“At the beginning of the season we had our one goal to make state playoffs and we’ve achieved our goal,” sophomore Colton Mcdaniel said.before,” Mcdaniel said.

Profiles Andrew Grodhaus, 12

A

ndrew Grodhuas has not only led Northview’s soccer team during his high school career, but has also been representing some of the best soccer teams in the country.

As he tended to be a naturally gifted athlete as a child, he excelled at most sports he tried. But, after picking up soccer at four years old by playing recreationally with friends and at his church, it was obvious that he had a special talent for this sport.

After years of continuing to stand out as a phenomenal soccer player, he decided to dedicate himself to just this one sport.

“As I was young, I was naturally good at a lot of sports, but my talent in soccer stood out from a young age.

And since i enjoyed playing it, I decided to stick with it.”

Grodhaus said.

Over the last six years, Andrew has been dedicated to soccer on the competitive scene and has been giving the sport his all on many different teams. His teams have been consistently ranked in the top 20 in the country and some have even been ranked number one in the country on a few occasions. Now that his time with the Northview Soccer team is over, he is moving on to continue

highlights

Team UFA Norcross #40 Nationally

2017 Oglethorpe Soccer Team

his sports career at Oglethorpe University on their team.

The senior midfielder has also been a great leader for the Northview Soccer Team during his time at Northview. Along with the new Varsity Coach McCombe, Andrew has tried to help the team work together as a unit and stay positive throughout their games. His high expectations and desire for the team to do well helped drive some of the other players to compete harder. At the same time he is able to keep the team’s heads up at practice which overall helps their performance in game.

“He has high expectations for us which drives us to do better and keep trying to increase our performance. He really wants the best from us and his leadership skills really help inspire us to play better,” Junior Jun Cho said.

THE MESSENGER | 13

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features

looking into the future As Northview’s 2015-2016 school year draws to a close, seniors have begun selecting their careers for future. While each of the following six seniors have dedicated themselves to a certain path in the future, nevertheless, they will always remain Titans.

THE MESSENGER | 15

ASH I ANNA J ETHA

THE POLI T I C I A N 16 |

Ashianna Jetha, Georgetown University, Politics AMANDA BEARD, STAFF WRITER

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t Northview, there is intense competition for a spot on student council. Since the third grade, Ashianna Jetha has run for student council president, yet she was unable to land a spot until her freshman year.

“My freshman year, I won the election [for class president] and just being able to be on the council I think gave me the confidence I needed to be a leader,” Jetha said. “I think I have always been a leader but I was just never given the opportunity to actually be a leader.”

After several years of participating in class council and being a student ambassador in middle school, the chance for a larger role in school politics arose.

During her junior year, Jetha made the decision to run for student council president.

“When I was thinking about running for president, I wasn’t really sure if I actually wanted to do it because it was such a big step but my friends and family really supported me in the decision,” Jetha said.

Close to the end of Jetha’s junior year, elections were held for both class and student council.

During the same week, Jetha planned on visiting colleges and had practically no time to plan her campaign. Friends and family came together the week before she left and stayed all day, making posters and banners to support her.

“We had painted huge banners, made posters and were just playing music and dancing,” Jetha said. “Honestly, on

that day, I could have lost the election and not cared because it was just nice to know how much my friends my friends supported me.”

Senior Ava Simone is a friend of Jetha’s of close to 10 years. Simone has helped at every election and campaign week, supporting and promoting Jetha’s decision to run for council positions.

“She never ran for president because of the status of it, or the popularity,” Simone said. “She loves Northview and wants to see it be the best it can be, and she has.”

Friends and family were a large part of the campaign process. Jetha’s family has supported her decisions since she started in third grade by never her holding back or doubting her ability to complete a goal she has set for herself.

“We don’t want to pressure Ashianna to do anything other than what she wants,” Farah Jetha, Ashianna’s mom, said. “At home, we have given her the encouragement to run for offices and take on leadership roles.”

Jetha is thought to emulate the true spirit of Northview, and the student body and staff alike regard her dearly.

Language arts teacher Megan Hart has watched Jetha grow into the individual that she is today.

“She has matured and become more of a leader, she is so organized, she works hard to get to know people and understand them to get to know where they are at,” Hart said. “She always wants things to be better so she always thinks about what’s going on and makes changes to make things better.”

Northview has given Jetha the confidence and support that she needs to continue on a path to success. As her senior year comes to a close, Jetha plans on attending Georgetown University, primarily for the school’s potential to help further her love for politics.

“Georgetown was my dream school, just because I loved it and I had visited there a lot [...] I will most likely attend there in the fall so that will probably further my love for politics,” Jetha said.

As far as career plans go, the options are unlimited. Northview has shown Jetha what true care and support to a large body of people looks like, giving her a taste of what her future could hold. Whether it is being the president or working on Capitol Hill, Jetha has been shaped by her school and peers into a true politician.

“Just being able to influence policy making, even a little bit, is important,” Jetha said. “I think Congress is the most political in passing so to give some good input would be great.”

“Honestly, on that day, I could have lost the election and not cared because it was just nice to know how much my friends my friends supported me.”

Ashianna Jetha

THE MESSENGER | 17

SANIKA RANE

THE DOC TO R 18 |

Sanika Rane, Rice University, Rice/Baylor Medical Scholars Program, Doctor SARIKA TEMME-BAPAT, STAFF WRITER

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hile many of her peers are struggling to find a direction or vocation of choice, senior Sanika Rane is committed to a career in the medical field and actively pursuing her ambitions.

“I want to be a doctor. I don’t want to waver from that.” Rane said. “So my major is Cognitive Science with a focus in neuroscience.”

Eighth grade sparked Rane’s interest in the medical field.

“I read Dr. Ben Carson’s ‘A Gifted Hand’ and that really opened me up to this whole possibility of health care because he wrote about what his experience was with neurosurgery,” Rane said. “I loved everything about it, and the way he helped the world was something I always wanted, to go into a field where I could help people, I just didn’t know how. And so I think that all the mystery and allure and excitement around being a doctor was translated in that book.”

Rane’s high school career kindled her passion for the medical field and allowed her to pursue her goal through clubs and extracurriculars. Medical activities took center stage for Rane, who placed seventh and fifth in the state HOSA competition for two consecutive years, served as secretary her junior year, and became president of the club her senior year.

Her experience in HOSA not only set in stone her career ambition, but also gave her valuable experience in leadership, a vital part of the medical profession.

“She’s really a take charge kind of girl. If she comes up with an idea or if someone comes up with an idea, she really takes the bull by the horns and makes it happen. She has a good projecting voice.

She’s pretty good at motivating kids and getting kids together and listening to her.

S h e ’s really well organized, s h e ’s really respons i v e , s h e ’s good at making d e c i s i o n s ,” Laurie Rogers, the HOSA teacher sponsor, said.

“She’s really good at sharing her knowledge and her expertise. She really cares about the club and she wants everyone to enjoy and do well in it.”

Various camps, extensive volunteer work, and shadowing a doctor also played a part in exposing Rane to the medical world. Rane also runs the organization Atlanta Girls in STEM, and spends time outside of school teaching lessons in science and engineering to young girls in local schools.

“If she wants something she’s going to go after it,” senior Ashley Harriot, a close friend of Rane’s, said.

Rane’s strong direction, leadership, and initiative throughout high school helped her gain admission to Rice University.

“Eventually I think you need to look into which fits you the best. I did apply to a lot of colleges...I will be honest, I didn’t get into a lot of colleges and I got waitlisted to a lot of colleges as well.

That was ok. I think the universe is trying to tell you something when you get into a school and you don’t get into anything else,” Rane said.

Rice was an optimal fit for Rane

“I think the universe is trying to tell you something when you get into a school and you don’t get into anything else,” Sanika Rane because of its renown among medical schools, its location across from many big name hospitals, and its numerous research opportunities. Additionally, Rane gained admission into the Rice/Baylor Medical Scholars Program, which guarantees her a place in an extremely selective eight year medical education.

Despite her admission into the prestigious college and medical school, Rane’s path is far from over.

“I think that the journey is really really difficult and you have to stay strong,” Rane said.

Looking ahead, Rane faces up to 15 years before she can practice medicine independently.

“To think about the fact that some of my friends will be their own person, be functioning adults by the time they’re 22, or 23 and I can’t do that till I’m 32, 33, that is daunting,” Rane said.

Rane depends on her strong will and long term goals to fuel her throughout her career as a student.

“I would love to have my own practice,” Rane said. “I’d love to go into global health policy like UN health ambassador, trying to better the world of health globally.”

THE MESSENGER | 19

K ENNY ZHOU

THE B U S I N E SS MAN 20 |

Kenny Zhou, Cornell University, Economics and Management NITHYA MAHAKALA, STAFF WRITER

S

enior Kenny Zhou’s first step into the world of business was the selection of a computer applications course as a freshman.

Initially done to simply fill up an open slot in his schedule, Zhou did not expect to develop a serious passion for becoming a business executive.

The class not only introduced Zhou to finances and commerce, but also introduced him to his future mentor and close guide, FBLA club advisor Stephanie McCall. “[My advisor Ms. McCall] really pushed me to do business. She pushed me to do Executive Management at GHP. She’s the main reason why I am what I am today,” Zhou said.

Zhou’s personality is what initially stuck out to McCall, who showed him how to get more connected with business at Northview.

“He was a really hard worker and when he had an idea he was creative. I thought he had a good business sense about him,” McCall said. “He had a strong work ethic and desire to learn.”

Zhou started to become increasingly involved in two of N o r t h view’s largest clubs, F u t u r e Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Future Health Professionals (HOSA).

Come junior year, he was pressed with a difficult challenge of picking which organization to run for state office.

“All through my high school years, I’ve

been more focused on HOSA actually. I spent a lot of time on HOSA. But then in junior year, I started working more with FBLA and that became a primary part,” Zhou said. “That’s where I became more focused on the business side of health care and not really health care itself.”

Zhou’s choice to run for state office in FBLA increased his drive towards business. To pursue his interest, Zhou teamed up with several friends and helped with a startup program called Student Startup, which was used to do test runs for venture ideas. Although it did not turn out as well as the group planned it to be, the experience provided Zhou with a valued understanding of business and a great set of skills.

“It was a very interesting experience because we really got to learn what it was like to run a business,” Zhou said. “We didn’t have that much money running through the program, but we still tested it. And that was the most important thing. That helped me develop a lot.”

Despite a time-consuming and hard position as Georgia State President of FBLA, Zhou has balanced it with his role

“I think the big idea is just knowing how to work with people. That’s what business is about.”

Kenny Zhou as the school’s co-president of HOSA. “It’s certainly been a challenge because there’s just so many functions for FBLA as a state officer. There’s a lot of

things you have to plan, the events you have to attend, the school you have to miss,” Zhou said. “But, a lot of it has been really bolstered by my HOSA officer team. They’re some of the greatest people.”

He also served as the senior class president and played for the Northview boy’s varsity soccer team this year.

“He always wanted to be a captain in classes and sports’ teams in his early childhood,” Richard Zhou, his father, said.

“We encourage him and emphasize how important the skills of communication and leadership are in one’s life.”

Zhou’s leadership roles in and out of school have helped him learn how to connect with people. His lengthy experience with leading is useful in communicating his expectations, an essential strength in the business world.

“I think the big idea is just knowing how to work with people. That’s what business is about. That’s just what the world is about,” Zhou said. “It’s about meeting people and connecting with them. Not really seeing them as a means to a goal, but seeing people as the goal themselves.”

He now plans on moving on to study economics and management at Cornell, and is interested in researching about money movement. With a brother already working on Wall Street, Zhou is considering following in his footsteps and eventually ending up at the leading monetary center of the world. He hopes to push through the stress and rigor of the financial grind by maintaining his fervor for business.

“If you don’t have that passion, then you probably won’t succeed. Being passionate about something that gives you a drive is what being a business executive is about,” Zhou said.

THE MESSENGER | 21

BEN EVERETT

THE S E RV I C E MAN 22 |

Ben Everett, Naval Academy, Serviceman MAGGIE BRENAN, SPORTS EDITOR

F

rom a very young age, Senior Ben Everett knew that a life serving his country would be a natural part of his future. When he received an offer to play football at the United States Naval Academy and have a top-notch college education, he accepted emphatically.

Everett grew up with a lot of exposure to military lifestyles. His grandfathers and great grandfathers were all in the military, and he has spent six years living in Seoul, South Korea, in close proximity to the Yongsan army base, which is home to 21,000 American soldiers and their families.

“I volunteered on the base and was able to get base passes for the whole family, so we spent a lot of time on the base.

So, Ben got to experience a little of what life would be like in the military,” Everett’s mother Laura Everett said.

Ever since the days he spent on the base, Everett has planned on serving his country.

“I have always really liked the military and I have always wanted to travel, and the military is a good place to travel, so it was just the best option for me,” Everett said.

Everett’s desire to play football in college was only an afterthought to his desire to attend a military academy, but the two came together perfectly when he received his offer from Navy. Everett only started playing football his sophomore year of high school, but his dominant size and quick thinking to be one of Northview’s premier athletes.

When future Hall-of-Famer Willie Anderson joined Northview’s coaching staff and brought a whole new world of opportunities to Everett’s attention that Everett decided to work towards continuing his football career in college.

“I started my junior year but still

didn’t really expect much, but when senior year came, and Coach Willie, the best coach ever- he’s going to the hall of fame- came, he helped me. He said I could play college, so we started doing the recruiting process, and I got a recruiting coach,” Everett said.

As soon as Everett made his decision, things began to click for him. His hard work led to skill that matched his size, and eventually the offers ensued.

“Against Peachtree ridge in our preseason game, Ben dominated SEC and ACC recruits. We all knew then he would be a big recruit,” Coach Willie Anderson said. “My friend owns a recruiting service in which I got Ben involved and his recruiting Blew up to over 15 offers in 2 months.”

Although Everett had lots of offers from lots of different schools at the beginning of senior year, he remained vigilant for further offers.

“I talked to a lot of schools, but I didn’t really get any offers that I wanted to take, and then late in the year navy came, and they offered me to play,” Everett said. “My dad and I had discussed at the beginning of senior year that if a

service academy offered me, I would go there.”

According to Everett’s coaches, one of his most important assets in his journey from brand new football player to Division I recruit has been his mentality, both on the football field and off.

“He’s a tough guy, mentally and physically. He’s one of few kids you’ll meet that has a 10-15 year plan already at 18,” Anderson said.

This plan includes continued military service after his graduation from the Naval Academy. The service requirement for Navy entails four years while at school, and a minimum of five years after graduation. Everett plans to turn these required years of service into a military career.

As Everett and his family and coaches see it, there is no better place for him than a distinguished service academy like the Naval Academy.

“I think he will thrive by being focused and discovering which path he will take for his military career; it will be very exciting for him,” Laura Everett said. “I also think Ben will thrive physically and mentally by playing football for Navy and being part of the team.”

“I think he will thrive by being focused and discovering which path he will take for his military career” Laura Everett

THE MESSENGER | 23

M ARY KATE KO R BISC H

T H E AC T R E SS 24 |

Mary Kate Korbisch, Costal Carolina University, Physical Theatre TARUN RAMESH, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A

s she left the Coastal Carolina University audition room, Senior Mary Kate Korbisch’s transition from high school to collegiate actress became more than a just a distant dream. With her older brother, Conor Korbisch, a graduate from Northview a few years earlier, pursuing a career in the performing arts, Mary Kate realized that her passion for the stage would mandate a collegiate theater school rather than a simple bachelor’s degree in communication.

“Originally I was going to do media communications and see if a college has a good improv club and I would get in that way,” Korbisch said. “When I was looking at auditions for programs, however, I realized that I wanted to go straight into the performing world without any other stops.”

Korbisch initially entered the theater world as a tech and set designer in a middle school play. She fell in love with the community, eventually auditioning for roles in plays and musicals as well as joining the Northview Mock Trial team. With the aid of her parents, her brother and the support of mentors Elizabeth Lake and Paul McClain, Korbisch decided to send in her audition tapes to one university in February significantly after the majority of universities had already hand selected their entering freshman class.

“Usually the audition process occurs during November.” Korbisch said.

“Aspiring performers will memorize over 20 songs for different auditions.”

For her, on the other hand, since she decided to audition after the normal time frame, she worked with her vocal coach,

Diane Sleek late into the night to prepare her for the audition.

“We got on the road at 9p.m. and I was so persistent saying we are going to this,” Korbisch said. “We arrived at the hotel at 3:30 a.m., but the next morning I felt so calm.”

After a few stressful weeks, Costal Carolina University extended an acceptance letter to Korbisch for entrance into their unique physical theater program.

“We were so thrilled and so proud she went into this audition and nailed it. She put herself into a position to be successful at her passion and it was so fun to watch,” Patty Korbisch, Mary Kate Kobisch’s mother, said.

The first of its kind physical theater program at Costal Carolina not only builds on acting fundamentals with an

bisch’s passion within theater performance.

“The specific focus of this program will allow Mary Kate to nurture her talents and to work with others who share this distinctive skill set,” Lake said.

Korbisch’s leadership skills and talent as a Northview student makes her uniquely suited to succeed in the performance industry.

“Mary Kate has contributed a great deal as both a performer and a leader over her four years at Northview, “ Lake said.

“She is a great leader as President of the Improv Club and Vice President of the International Thespian Society, and she is always willing to guide younger members of the theatre program.”

Her ultimate goal, however, remains in acting on screen. With a foundation at performance f r o m Coastal Carolina Univ e r s i t y, Korbisch would be better prepared for a professional acting career. “ Fo r future performers, become who you want to be don’t fit into a given mold,” Korbisch said. “Just do it. Be open to exploring every aspect of theater; explore every art form, and finally keep it about the work.”

“When I was looking at auditions for programs, however, I realized that I wanted to go straight into the performing world without any other stops.”

Mary Kate Korbisch emphasis upon elements of performance such as clowning, improvisation, experimental theater, and Commedia dell’Arte, but also creates a community for future performers. These traits appealed to Kor-

THE MESSENGER | 25

features

CLASS OF 2016 Find out where Northview seniors are headed next year*

ALABAMA

Auburn University Adam Burkley Justin Clowe Meghna Dash Robby Hilton Emma Taht Maddie Wilson Stephen Wilson

University of Alabama

Georgetown University Ashianna Jetha Saisha Mediratta

Howard University Aly Fall

FLORIDA

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

John Allen Claire Finn Peter Fitzgibbons Jacque Jones, Jr. Shannon Marsh Sadie McGhee McKenzie Rivers William Webster Nicholas Whitridge Tommy Williams

Junehee Kim

CALIFORNIA

University of Central Florida

Pomona College Ali Kapadia

University of California–Berkeley Jennifer Zou

University of San Francisco Mutale Mulenga

Florida State University Lindsay Goldring Kameron House Amanda Mills Sam Nadel Lauren Palefsky

Nova Southeastern University Kiran Chamarti

Kenya Bridgeforth

University of Miami Alexandra Jeon

GEORGIA

Armstrong State University Garrett Miller

University of Southern California Augusta University Najah Boyd Iris Yao

COLORADO

Colorado College Prakhar Gautam

Isabel Adams Eli Humphries Arnav Jain Vani Malhan Rishi Nathan Rajat Sharma Isabel Wright

University of Colorado at Boulder Augusta University & Medical Bethany Morton College of Georgia

CONNECTICUT

University of Bridgeport Jundan Yang

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 26 |

Umasai Kandepu Aileen Li Eric Lian Saloni Sharma Arika Shaikh Adi Thiru Michael Zhou

Berry College Joseph Aucoin Amber Guynn Makenzie Flynt Andrew Myers

Clark Atlanta University Kevontae Hughes Domonique Lewis

Emory University Vidushi Gupta Andrew Teodorescu

Georgia College & State University Ryan Cato Lizzy Newman Lexa Muench Shelby Smith Amarah Shakur

Georgia Institute of Technology Saahil Agarwal Anna Barefield Sunny Chen Ankita Das Max Engle Katie Ferguson Joshua Gundugollu Jair Hawkins-Anderson Vishakha Holsambre Sabrina Huang Aaron Hui Shannon Hwu Sheetal Jena Joonas Koski Ritika Kumar Sanjit Kumar Hyunjae Lee Youngjoon Lim Catherine Liu Jasmine Liu Joseph Macrina Aksaya Manickandan Adya Modi Mukund Pandiri Shivali Pandya Junwoo Park Caroline Pennington Elizabeth Popenov Stuti Rao Raju Sajja Kiran Saravanan Chirag Sharma Ankita Shroff Minita Singh

Kok Seng Tan Amitej Venapally Eric Wang Connie Xu Tiffany Xu Kelly Zou

Georgia Perimeter College Liz Liggins Joseph Onorato

Georgia Southern University Tiffane Bell James Boice Chase Bradley Kelli Cercone Jordan Dietz Jessica Ginsburg Chase Hicks Marissa Maniscalco Bryan Meyer Cameron Roberts Alexa Scutt Jake Wilkens Nick Woods

Georgia State University Michelle Ahn Ope Aina Aveena Anand Nadya Beckrey Milandi Bezuidenhout Celinee Chen Christian Chen David Chen Ethan Collins Kent Counts Shivani Darji Milika Dhru Aaron Ding Michaela Eubanks Kristin Farahdel Jayne Feldman Nick Foster Giovanna Fussek Abbas Haider James Hanson Shireen Hashemi Angela Jetty Nestina Johar Anchal Kamat Melissa Kenny Nabila Khan Brian Killian Dong Kim Kwangjae Kim Shion Kitamura

Jenny Kong Sravya Koya Srinivas Kumar Bianca Lall Huimin Lee Max Lee Alex Lopez Edward Ma Sara Main Nikhil Manthena Kellen Massie Jiwoo Mo Maria Mussa Haddy Njai Joan Olajide Joshua Park Mukund Patel Aakanksha Patil Matthew Paulo Tombelina Pham Erin Rhodes Layth Rustom Adam Schulz Eric Schulz Jason Schulz Dev Shah Cheyenne Shokoohi Kai Stephenson Rebecca Sun Austin Tamblyn Eric Tan Terrenz Tarver Jordan Tioe Erin Tyler Sarah Uhn Elijah Vegas Avinash Vemuri Fatima Wehbe Emily Wilson Jean Yang Derrick Yu Ansley Zachocki

Gwinnett Technical College Dylon Burns Leslie de la Brousse

Kennesaw State University Jenna Anderson Jordan Anderson Zeynep Birgili Shelby Bradley William Chalmers Allen Cunningham Tierra Funches Jordan Hurst David In

THE MESSENGER | 27

features Lucas Indal Ian Hutcheson Samuel Julien Michael Kass Tanvi Khurana Ross Kruger Rachel Kruger Ethan Light Sean Long Colin Lucas Ariana Marrero Bailey Martin Morgan Mitchell Melissa Muench Nathaniel Owens Logan Panas Jacqueline Paoli James Perry Keren Reizis Jillian Rois Ethan Ryan Carson Sadler Colin Sather Wes Shaw Tyler Smith Carson Stone Ramzy Stripling Mikah Umana Jason Uredi Ricky VandeVall Christopher Wallace Patricia White Eric Yancey Jessie Zhen

LaGrange College Jeremiah Shields

Mercer University Jenna Bruck Savannah Cooper Kerri Graham Samuel Jacobs

Oglethorpe University Andrew Grodhaus

Oxford College at Emory Anu Thiru

Paul Mitchell Institute of Cosmetology Alex Hiten

Savannah College of Art and Design Lauren Bell 28 |

ACROSS THE NATION > 20 students 11-20 students 1-10 students 0 students

Esther Yi

University of Georgia Sanaa Abdelmageed Aws Al Tibi Jay Badlani Tommy Bui Justin Camp Dexter Carter Amanda Chan Emily Chang Eric Cho Billy Chow Vincent Chui Samhitha Cinthala Hayley Dahl Dipika Datta Ariel Diaz Michael Dries Radha Dube Kedar Godbole Emi Goh Sneha Gubbala Logan Hintz Hyeon Hwang

Eric Hyun Danielle Impara Cassandra Izzi Rishabh Jaryal Supritha Jegannathan Justin Jeon Kangan Kanjhlia Riya Kansara Nikhil Katti Jihoon Kim Joshua Kim Sarah Kim Yekaterina Ko Annie Kong Paul Lee Jungmin Lee Ting Li Bryan Liang Angela Liao Lydia Lim Rebecca Liu David Luo Bochen Ma Jessica Ma Viveka Mannam

David Gutierrez

Northwestern University Mahima Pirani Sally Shin Lingyi Xin

University of Chicago Alessandra Guerrero

University of Illinois at Chicago Kathryn Centorcelli

University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign Matthew Elketroussi Hyunmin Jeong Denis Park Akshay Raman

INDIANA

Grinnell College Paul Korte

Purdue University Sruthi Bayapureddy Mohak Chadha Shuo Liu Mariano Martinez Isabelle Messawer Emily Nadel Rachel Normand Jeff Paik Daniel Joohan Park Kyung Park Amogh Phadke Pooja Ramchandani Rishi Rao Hend Rasheed Aishu Reddy Tara Rifkin Madeline Ryan Navid Sarvghad Siddharth Satuluru Arushi Saxena Brooke Shappell Shriya Sharma Taechan Song Santhosh Subramanian Tommy Trautwein Anshuman Verma Shane Ward Andrew Wemyss

University of Notre Dame Jasmine Yap Tiffany Yue Alan Zhang

University of North Georgia Simon Assaf Justin Dowling Wynsome Jones Matthew Rhee Coleman Switzer

University of West Georgia Taylor Estrada Ruth Mendez

Carmen Alvarez

KENTUCKY

University of Kentucky Annalise Bernardino Maddie LoScalzo

LOUISIANA

Louisiana State University Keegan Begley

Valdosta State University

Tulane University

Young Harris College

MAINE

Blake Stephens Anna Erickson

ILLINOIS

Loyola University Chicago

Tristan Ziegler

Bowdoin College Jason Park

MARYLAND THE MESSENGER | 29

features

INTENDED MAJORS

12%

Undecided

52%

sciences, technology, engineering, & mathematics

15%

Business

11%

Arts and/or humanities

10%

Social sciences and/or education

Johns Hopkins University

Smith College

Loyola University Maryland

MICHIGAN

Woo Jae Kim Aditya Patibandla Connie Xiao Alexandria Agee

Jeny Kwon

Michigan State University Aditya Ronanki

Maryland Institute College of Art University of Michigan Samantha Healy Franklin Luo United States Naval Academy Jeesoo Chon Ben Everett

MASSACHUSETTS Boston University Sranee Bayapureddy Karen Zheng

Brandeis University Demi Ingraham Ahran Lee

Emmanuel College

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi State University Connie Taylor Andrew Zittrouer

MISSOURI

St. Louis University Thomas Lee

Washington University in St. Louis

Jordan Rivard

Elly Sim Emma Tsaur Eddie Xie

Ava Feneberger

NEW JERSEY

Emerson College Harvard University Raahul Acharya Ashley Harriott 30 |

75% 64% of Northview seniors plan to enroll in a public institution of higher education for the 2016-17 school year

of Northview seniors received merit-based financial aid from the educational institution that they plan to attend for the 2016-17 school year

Princeton University Keunho Kim Alice Lin

NEW YORK

Barnard College at Columbia Nicole Sim

Cornell University Sophia Choi Angel Li Kenny Zhou

Hofstra University Junwen Yang

New York University Brian Lee Eugene Lee Kevin Li Amber Min Jane Paek Niharika Sinha Tiffany Yong

Pace University Hannah Dahl

Parsons The New School of Design Jenny Bi

New Jersey Institute of Technology St. John’s University Andrew Coco Chandler Bishop

Stony Brook University Collin Armstrong

NORTH CAROLINA

Appalachian State University Ariana Perez

Duke University

SOUTH CAROLINA

Radford University

Nicole Cannon

Noor Faruqi

Clemson University

Coastal Carolina University MaryKathleen Korbisch Carson Matte Garrett Stewart

Lindsay Billings Joanne Zheng

North Greenville University

Alexander Ikoku

University of South Carolina

Gardner-Webb University

Hannah Wiedemann

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Cole Matthews

Youssef Badr Taylor Boezi Lizzy Ehmen Danny Kuykendall Caleigh McDaniel Paige O’Neal Haley Salvador Meredith Solheim Tucker Bolhous Leila Shearer Mitchell White

Gahee Park

TENNESSEE

Hayden Korb

Blakely Hahn

Serena Mahalingam Tanisa Mahalingam Gabriella Marchione

University of North Carolina at Greensboro Wake Forest University Western Carolina University

PENNSYLVANIA

Carnegie Mellon University Joseph Pang

Pennsylvania State University Niketa Raj

Point Park University Alexandra Alampi

RHODE ISLAND Brown University Samuel Cai Shivani Guturu Chris Yoon

Rhode Island School of Design Hannah Kim Mishelle Kim Sara Park

Lee University

University of Tennessee Kayla Norman Shae Spinda

Vanderbilt University Bianca Gardner Sweta Ghatti

TEXAS

Rice University Nicholas Manning Victoria Oliha Sanika Rane James Warner

Southern Methodist University

Colleen O’Connell

University of Richmond

WEST VIRGINIA

University of West Virginia Savanna Blake

INTERNATIONAL Japan

Kana Fujita

National Taiwan University Medical College Steven Chiou

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff, Wales Austin Hunter

Seoul, South Korea Sol An

University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia Patrick Liew

MILITARY Samuel Bray Brandon Cusick Greggory Leese Miriam Liu Ben Smith Matthew Zabat

OTHER

Jessica Josephine Simeon Mitchell Ashley Peterson Jalen White

Charles Ahn

VIRGINIA

Liberty University Kaylee Antwine

*All data is voluntarily self-reported

by Northview seniors. Students not included on the list either chose not to be included or failed to report their information to the Messenger staff.

THE MESSENGER | 31

FEATURES

Pidgeon flies the coop Brian Pidgeon leaves Northview in order to pursue graduate study SNEHA GUBBALA, MANAGING EDITOR

W

ith the senior class of 2016 forging new paths and futures beyond high school, mathematics teacher Brian Pidgeon also departs Northview with the goal of furthering his education, a plan that has lingered in his mind since finishing his undergraduate study at the University of Georgia.

“I actually was going to get my master’s when I graduated from UGA in 2012, but then I figured I could teach for a while and I got my job here,” Pidgeon said. “I’ve always wanted to go back. I love school. If I could be a full time student, I would.”

Pidgeon now heads to Georgia State University to study applied mathematics and statistics in a two-year program and further his passion in mathematics, one he had not realized until his third semester at UGA. As a student who changed his major frequently, from pre-med to biochemistry to political science to history to speech communications, Pidgeon did not settle down to math until after taking a multivariable calculus course.

GSU’s offer of a full scholarship, combined with an opportunity to teach in the mathematics and statistics lab at the university, solidified Pidgeon’s choice of graduate school over his alternatives of Georgetown University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. With both teaching opportunities at GSU and plans of tutoring privately during the summer, Pidgeon has made sure that his departure from Northview does not signify

32 |

a departure from teaching, his true passion.

“When I was in high school, as part of the National Honor Society, I had to do tutoring and I always found it so fun to teach someone who had no idea what they were doing and to see them at the end saying ‘Oh, that’s how you do it,’” Pidgeon said.

After completing his undergraduate studies, Pidgeon knew he wanted to work in an environment where he could tie in math to his enthusiasm for teaching. Attending South Forsyth High School as a student seven years ago, Pidgeon had heard about Northview High School and the successful nature of its students. Upon hearing of an open teaching position at the school from his supervisor, Pidgeon applied for and accepted the position at Northview in the fall of 2012, after fulfilling his student teaching requirement.

Notably winning the Teacher of the Year award for 2016 after only four years at Northview, Pidgeon quickly gained positive feedback for his passionate teaching style.

“I think Mr. Pidgeon is unique because he’s so excited about teaching math and he makes the lessons and every day very entertaining [...], telling us fun anecdotes about his life and his dog,” senior Rachel Normand said.

Pidgeon’s engaging and distinctive teaching manner stems from his drive for learning and his love for the subject, evidenced by his solving math problems as a method of relieving stress. His eagerness to learn and his

enthusiasm inspires his own students and enhances the impression he leaves on teenagers both in and out of the classroom. “[Pidgeon] integrates the passion he has for math into everything,” Tara Daas, fellow mathematics teacher, said. “He is really nerdy about math and [...] he really puts that together with his passion to teach and I think that’s what engages his students.”

Having accomplished his personal dream of teaching both AP Calculus and AP Statistics, Pidgeon felt that this academic year would be the right time to step away. Having started at Northview when the class of 2016 were freshmen, Pidgeon found a certain serendipity within his choice to leave as the same class graduates.

“I felt like it was a good progression, like a natural time to leave. It felt kind of nice to leave with the kids that I started out with,” Pidgeon said.

The aspect of Northview that Pidgeon will miss most is the student body and Northview’s culture of academic, athletic, and extracurricular prowess. As a lover of learning himself, Pidgeon will miss the overall work ethic and talent of Northview students as well as his work environment and colleagues.

“I’ll just miss being a Titan,” Pidgeon said. “It’s a place I’ve been for four years now and built up all these work relationships with so many people that I love, and I’ll really just miss it all.”

FEATURES

Senior advice 2016

From The Messenger’s Staff

Alex Jeon Don’t stress too much about getting a perfect test score or GPA. Everything works out in the end so just enjoy the time you have in high school because it goes by faster than you can ever imagine.

Andrew Myers

Do more, do a bit of everything and sooner or later you’ll find what you love. From then on bring what you love into your day to day life. The most dangerous thing in life is routine. Mix it up, try something new everyday. Do more!

Annie Kong

If you come across an opportunity that you want to take, even just a little bit, take it.

Don’t overlook it. Every opportunity you take to expand your horizons, or better yourself, or learn will add up to help you in the present and future.

Andrew Teodorescu Every failure can look like a success if you stand back, tilt your head, and squint hard enough.

Tiffany Xu Your life is in your hands. Stop complaining and start doing, and realize that your work ethic in high school will either wreck you or assist you in college, where it’ll be even more challenging.

Start the habits now and you’ll thank yourself later. WORK HARD, PLAY HARD.

Amber Min You are not as special as you think you are; don’t be prideful. Make friends with people you usually wouldn’t, let others speak their thoughts before you, and eat weird food.

THE MESSENGER | 33

Caroline Pennington Timing is one of the most important things to remember during your senior year. Don’t procrastinate because you’ll stress both before and after the assignment is due. Also, remember to make sure you make enough time for fun because the year will go by faster than you ever could have imagined.

Bryan Liang The most dangerous thing you can do in your career, the most dangerous thing you can do in life is play it safe.

Connie Xiao Be careful what you say to yourself, even if you think you’re joking. If you’re always saying “I can’t do this” or “I’m not smart enough,” you might actually believe it one day. And your abilities actually will tank. Maintain high expectations of yourself, because self-fulfilling prophecy is real.

Connie Xu

Eddie Xie You are loved. Just look around you.

Your family, friends, peers, and teachers are always there to support you. So even when you’re feeling a bit down, just look up–there are plenty of people who love you.

Elly Sim As important as studying and academics are, don’t forget to enjoy everything and everyone around you. The four years of high school goes by so quickly, so remember to play just as hard as you work. And start your college apps before your senior year starts, it will save your life!

Don’t be so hard on yourself; not everything matters as much as you think it does. Study hard, but also learn to enjoy yourself - indulge, relax, socialize...whatever makes you happy. Lastly, find something you’re passionate in.

Mahima Pirani Jane Paek Don’t be afraid of taking risks. And don’t focus so much on your academic success. Do what you love with the people you love.

It will all be okay. At times it’ll seem like it won’t be okay, but trust me, in the end, everything will be okay. So don’t let college get in the way of having a terrific senior year, because after graduation, you’ll cherish the stories and friendships and memories-- not just the college acceptance. But also college is important so do your apps.

Jooeun Lee Strive to put in the full effort in everything you do. Hard work will always pay off, but remember to also enjoy all the good bits throughout senior year. Be open to change, aim to grow, and most importantly, treat yo self.

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Jessica Ma You don’t have to have everything figured out by the time you graduate. Trust me—none of us know what we’re doing. Also, always remember that it’s not worth sacrificing your own health and happiness just to conform to someone else’s definition of success.

Niharika Sinha

Nabila Khan

Do what you want. If you want to sleep, sleep. Letting go of one webassign question won’t hurt. If you want to capitalize on your bathroom singing skills, do it. Just invest in a bathroom with good acoustics and sing as loud as you want.

If you learn how to cook then you can trick everyone into thinking you have your life together even though you’re really just falling apart.

Tanisa Mahalingam You’ll have doubts and failures, but you have to believe in yourself. Apply to all of your dream schools, find confidence within yourself, be happy, love yourself and other people, and never give up no matter how difficult life gets.

Always remember and trust that God has an incredible plan for all of us.

Percy Choi

Read--and I don’t mean just assigned Lit books. Read the daily news, read the ingredients in your favorite food, read a Wikipedia article about that endangered animal, read a daily comic blog, read the IMDb page for that movie your favorite actor starred in when he was seven. There’s a lot to learn in the world, and reading anything and everything will help you with that.

Sneha Gubbala

Shelby Bradley

Live your life and make your decisions for yourself; you’re not obligated to make anyone happy but yourself. Don’t worry so much about what others think about you as long as you’re content. Also, second semester senior year is nowhere near as chill as everyone makes it out to be.

Don’t be afraid that people won’t like who you are. Just be yourself.

Embrace your personality, don’t be afraid to show it. You will find people who love you for you.

THE MESSENGER | 35

Teacher superlatives Northview staff picks teachers who best exemplify certain characteristics M O RG A N W H I T E , S TA F F W R I T E R E VA N M O O DY , S TA F F P H O T O G R A P H E R

Steven Bombard Most likely to kick you out of class

Mark Anderson Most likely to skip school for an AC/DC concert

Brian Pidgeon Best all-around

Chris James Best hair

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FEATURES

Sarah Darling Best dressed

Raymond Brown Most fun to be stuck in detention with

Tania Pope Best personality

Brian Clements Most likely to have been in choir in college

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FEATURES

Movies, TV shows, concerts, and festivals to help wile away those hot summer days SNEHA GUBBALA, MANAGING EDITOR

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JUNE S

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INDIA FESTIVAL: 6.3-6.5 ELLIE GOULDING: 6.6 ATLANTA STREET FOOD FESTIVAL: 6.116.12 WEEZER + PANIC! AT THE DISCO: 6.16 ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK: 6.17 FINDING DORY: 6.17 PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: 6.21 THE WOMBATS: 6.21 DEMI LOVATO AND NICK JONAS: 6.29

J U LY THE BFG: 7.1 GOT7: 7.8 SELENA GOMEZ CONCERT: 7.9 BOYZ II MEN: 7.14 GHOSTBUSTERS: 7.15 STAR TREK BEYOND: 7.22 SNOOP DOGG, WIZ KHALIFA, KEVIN GATES & JHENE AIKO: 7.22 GUNS N’ ROSES: 7.27 SHARKNADO: THE 4TH AWAKENS: 7.31

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SUICIDE SQUAD: 8.5 2016 RIO OLYMPIC GAMES OPENING CEREMONY: 8.5 THE GET DOWN: 8.12 PETE’S DRAGON: 8.12 DRAKE AND FUTURE: 8.25-8.26 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS: 8.28

THE MESSENGER | 39

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O P I N I ON S

A lose-lose situation The increasing prevalence of standardized testing is discounting the importance of critical thinking among American students.

JA C K LOW R A N C E , S TA F F W R I T E R

E

veryone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to ride a bicycle, it will live its entire life believing that it is stupid.

This statement embodies one of the fundamental issues plaguing our nation’s education system. The prevalence of standardized testing has reached an all time high and increasingly apparent that it incentivizes malpractice among educators and limits the scope of what receiving an education should be about. Such a backwards system assumes that a student living in rural Mississippi needs to learn exactly the same material as a student in Manhattan, yet that seems to be what standardized testing presumes.

The multiple choice format of most American standardized tests encourages an overly-simplistic way of thinking in which only right and wrong answers exist. This is almost never the case the real world. As the importance of standardized

testing rises in our society, the incentive to teach and learn critical thinking skills is diminished. If rote memorization void of critical thinking yields favorable test scores, it becomes the path of least resistance for eager prospective college students. Unfortunately, this slack has become the focus of the country’s educational system and continues to be blindly accepted as the paragon of success in K-12 academics.

From 2001-2008, Finland topped the Program for International Student Assessment’s international education rankings; ironically, the Scandinavian nation employs no standardized testing for ranking students or schools. Finnish schools have instead created assessments that encourage their students to be active learners who can find, analyze, and apply information to solve problems in novel situations. A system such as this is exactly the opposite of that which our country

has devised. Standardized testing is not only encouraging, but also enforcing, a dangerous cookie-cutter approach to the way the nation’s youth are educated. Important skills like critical thinking and creativity are not just overlooked, but suppressed like a wet blanket over a campfire.

Granted, while we might envision a better system, the path to restoring the nation’s education system will not be easy.

The answer, however, is fairly straightforward: greatly scale back on standardized testing, and possibly even abolish it. It is crucial to alter the course of the nation’s educational system back to one that emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, and broadening horizons driven by genuine interest in a subject, not for some state-mandated test. Memorizing facts and reciting them like a parrot during a test will not mean anything when students take their places in society.

THE MESSENGER | 41

FAC E - O F F

Should eligible students in all grade levels be able to exempt theirfinal exams?

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OPINIONS

yes JA C K LOW R A N C E , S TA F F W R I T E R Incentives are everything. They allow those in charge to indirectly motivate hoards of people to perform even the most undesirable tasks. The employment of garbage men, bus drivers, and factory workers; although essential roles to the function of society; would be extremely difficult positions to fill without incentives like decent compensation and health insurance. Among the many incentives for students, the exemption from finals is quite eye-catching. However, at Northview, exemption from final exams is a privilege just reserved for seniors. This is an ageist policy that acts solely on an arbitrary scale, which completely disregards the hard work of younger students. Exemption from final exams should be a universal incentive, achievable by all those who apply the effort.

Minimizing absences and maintaining high grades should be rewarded across the board.

Although seemingly far-fetched, final exams could become largely obsolete if students learned and retained information from the outset. Final exams enforce an unsustainable culture of learning through “drill n’ kill” memorization, a counter-productive system that leaves students with nothing to show for mere weeks after an exam. If exemption from final exams were extended to all students, it would incentivize the initial retention of knowledge and shift the focus from solely getting a good grade, to the true broadening of intellect.

Moreover, it would spare teachers the trouble of grading final exams in an already hectic end-of-semester frenzy. Leaving no ill effects on teachers, but that of increased free time on break, it seems that this move would be in the best interests of both parties.

Granted, one could argue that final exams are a necessary step in preparing for college, however; if the material is learned and retained in the first place, late night cram sessions become more like short review sessions, and dreadful tests start to look a little more like those breezy quizzes we all remember doing so well on back in eighth grade.

The cultural emphasis placed on final exams at Northview is disproportional to the importance that they truly represent in the learning experience. Ideally, the emphasis should be shifted to the initial retention and understanding of the material. Shifting the entire culture of a student body is never easy, but extending the exemption incentive to all students would be a great step in the right direction. The exemption from finals is seemingly a win for every party involved, why not extend it to everybody?

testing, seniors deserve a final reprieve, especially considering that many of them have already committed to institutions of higher education by exam season. With their gazes focused on the future, seniors could care less about final exams at the close of their second semester, and those who have consistently met academic, disciplinary, and attendance requirements throughout the course of the year have earned their privilege to exempt.

For the rest of the student body, however, no such rationale exists. In fact, while many seniors have their eyes trained on college, underclassmen should take care to prepare themselves for college by familiarizing themselves with the experience of taking final exams. After all, midterms and finals typically carry even more weight in higher education than they do in high school, making up a larger fraction of a student’s final grade in a class. While the high school final exam experience may not be a perfect model of its college counterpart, the preemptive exposure of students to a similar atmosphere of academic pressure and stress is essential to their future success.

Final exams also provide teachers and students with a unique opportunity to connect and

apply concepts across curricular boundaries. In most high school classes, teachers divide the material into units and chapters, assessing students’ mastery of the curriculum within each subcategory but never in a broader, more interdisciplinary context. A summative evaluation at the end of the semester or school year meets that need, and that evaluation often comes in the form of a final exam. By forcing students to not only recall the information that they have learned, but also to apply it and connect it beyond the isolation of a single curricular unit, final exams and assessments hone abilities, such as critical thinking, that will be vastly useful to them in the future.

As tedious, stressful, and mind-numbing as they may be, final exams play a key role in high school education. While seniors have earned the ability to exempt these assessments as they look ahead and prepare to enter college or the workforce, others must reconcile themselves to the unpleasant but necessary responsibility of taking their final exams. At least they can console themselves with the knowledge that, eventually, they will be seniors and have the opportunity to exempt. But, to paraphrase Tom Haverford, they will have to earn it.

no JESSICA MA, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF In the legendary icon of modern American television, “Parks and Recreation,” Tom Haverford magnanimously dispenses several weighty words of wisdom to his audience: “Sometimes you gotta work a little, so you can ball a lot.” High school students should take his advice—final exam exemption is a reward for seniors who have labored through three cycles of end-of-year testing and have maintained the academic standing and attendance record necessary to avoid undergoing a fourth. Despite the whining, indignation, and sense of entitlement displayed by the rest of the student body, exemption should remain as it is now—a privilege, not an indulgence of underclassmen who would like to reap the benefits of seniority without earning their dues.

Granted, many displays of seniority are childish and unnecessary: hazing, junior-senior wars, and some senior pranks often do more harm than good. They are simply opportunities for seniors to show off their superiority in age without offering any true benefit, even for seniors themselves. Final exam exemption, however, is an exception.

After four long years of high school and seven exhausting cycles of end-of-semester

THE MESSENGER | 43

O P I N I ON S

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

T

Meme nation

he presidential candidates spend hundreds of millions of dollars on television and Internet ads, but netizens are reaching much wider audiences much more rapidly with less than half the effort.

Many of the United States presidential elections of the past few decades have had their share of slogans, songs, parodies, and caricatures, but none have been so rich as the past eight years alone. From the “The Real Mitt Romney” remix of Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” to “Bernie or Hillary,” in which people assign fictional opinions of topics irrelevant to politics to the two Democratic presidential candidates, the Internet now boasts a rich culture of the fusion of entertainment and politics.

Political memes have had far-reaching impacts on modern culture and appear ubiquitous, from the work of professionals to the posts and tweets of amateur bloggers. “Make Donald Drumpf Again” became the topic on Last Week Tonight, bringing the meme to the forefront of a wider general audience than those invested in politics. NPR’s Politics team began #MemeOfTheWeek, a weekly column recapping the most recent political memes to go viral, in September of 2015.

A search on YouTube for “Donald Trump” from the past year shows that more people watched the non-serious, comical, and parody videos involving or relating to Trump than any serious video.

Most Internet memes are short-lived, but political memes have the potential to stay relevant for longer periods of time. The Watergate scandal of the 1970s gave rise to the practice of naming scandalous events with the suffix “-gate,” and it remains relevant today. In 2014, the supporters of the Gamergate controversy began targeting those who they felt were contributing to the state of poor journalism in the video game industry with political correctness and corruption. Just last year, Twitter saw a sudden influx of tweets about “Babygate” after a tabloid published an article announcing that One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson was expecting a child with his girlfriend.

As silly and nonsensical as they seem, political memes are bringing young Americans into politics. By capturing quick, entertaining bits of politics in America and packaging them in a format that is easy to consume and spread, young Americans are encouraged to dip their toes into the nation’s politics. These memes are also interacting 44 |

with serious movements as a way of disseminating information in a humorous manner unique to this generation; for instance, the hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama made its rounds on Twitter in 2014 as public school students returning for a new school year bemoaned a sudden change in their lunch menus after the USDA, encouraged

by Michelle Obama, began imposing standards for more healthful school lunches. The outcry from students brought to light a very serious dilemma: schools can provide edible food or nutrient-dense food, but almost never can the two coexist. Later that school year, the USDA relaxed the policies governing school lunches.

As a more recent example, the previously mentioned “Make Donald Drumpf Again” meme has broadcasted information about current issues and Trump’s campaign platform that reached many more people than serious efforts have in the past. By presenting the essence of the platform in the enjoyable, digestible meme format, meme creators could summarize the arguments and counterarguments for an issue or candidate in a memorable and engaging manner.

Not only did this expand the general knowledge base due to how common the memes were, but this also inspired people- who otherwise might not be interested- to look further into and become invested in modern politics.

Although the political activists of previous generations worry about the political apathy of America’s youth, a quiet revolution has occurred.

Memes have made politics less of a serious affair, which in turn allows a broader audience to engage with on-going political situations. Previously, one was advised to never bring religion or politics to the table. But now, as bloggers share humorous .GIFs of Ted Cruz elbowing his wife in the face in-between posts about fiction or celebrities, America’s youth has begun to think of what our country’s should look like. Behind every “cringe” repost of Hillary Clinton’s hot sauce tweet lies a thoughtful conversation of the relationship between politician and constituent, an insightful question of whether our country’s leaders truly understand the people they are representing. Beneath the nonchalant exterior, there is a generation of Americans who care deeply about the workings of the government and its impact on our lives.

And that is something worth retweeting.

C O LU M N S

COMMENTS

Aiming for ambivalence In a fast-paced academic environment, we must find comfort in indecisiveness.

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

T

he general, overpowering reaction to uncertainty is anxiety.

When questions from older family members, teachers, or other adults regarding college choices or potential career paths are met with blank pauses, high school students are tricked into thinking that their lives are full of chaos.

Well-educated, employed adults seem so put-together, so stable, so harmonic that it’s nearly embarrassing to not have an answer to such questions. So we lie.

Some lie in confidence, declaring that they want to attend a certain selective university, complete a certain prestigious graduate program, and then pursue a certain high-paying career. Others lie modestly, claiming that they know the general field that they wish to go into or path which they wish to follow after graduating high school, but not much else. Still others, the most humble of the group, admit that they have not the slightest idea of where they will go or what they will do.

There is a particular point in which

we realize that the speedboat of life is advancing ever-quickly in our direction, and we believe that we will drown in its wake if we don’t have a plan of sorts.

Upon this realization, we formulate a plan that serves as an acceptwable answer when our aunts and uncles ask us what we want to do with our lives. Most issues arise here. An unspecific plan is ideal, and by the time we are 18 we typically know if we want to attend college, or serve our country, or give jetski tours on the coast of a Caribbean island. Meticulous planning, however, the tempting kind that urges us to narrow down every fine detail of our future—where we will work, where we will vacation, what breed of dog we will own—is dangerous.

Even if we know that these detailed answers, these impossibly specific outlines of life, are just little white lies to get us through high school, we tell ourselves that there will be a definite point, a eureka moment, when we will suddenly understand the world and our purpose in it. But by repeating our little

white lie over and over again, we begin to believe it, and we begin to believe that our eureka moment is nearing. We forget that the paths that we falsely carve for ourselves are just placeholders for paths that we truly want to travel. And inevitably, we end up unhappy with our lives when our dreams, our ambitions, our passions are just placeholders, filling in the blanks that we have yet to figure out with the answers that others want to hear.

Placeholder answers are forged out of fear. We shy away from saying “I don’t know,” because we are taught that ambivalence is synonymous with weakness.

On the contrary, it is just the opposite.

We must celebrate uncertainty and all its possibilities. We limit ourselves by parroting paths that sound impressive, or, at the very least, reliable. Every time we shut a door on ourselves, our eureka moment drives itself further away. By admitting uncertainty of the highest degree, we acknowledge that there are paths we have yet to travel.

THE MESSENGER | 45

C O LU M N S

music

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

Views

Drake

Drake, a rapper and recording artist, released his fourth studio album on April 29, 2016. Although the album had originally been announced with the title “Views from the 6,” referring to Drake’s hometown of Toronto, it was finally decided to be named simply “Views,” released by Drake’s recording company, OVO. The full album released had been prefaced by a January 30 release of the track “Summer Sixteen.” The total tracklist comes to 20 songs, including his hit 2015 single-turned-bonus-track “Hotline Bling” and other tracks featuring Rihanna, Future, and others The full album has a length of over an hour and 20 minutes. Drake’s sound in this album does not deviate far from his earlier songs and neither do the lyrics. Luckily, fans of Drake will continue to be fans of this new album and there is little indication that his now reliable sound will be changing significantly any time soon.

Beyonce

Lemondade In what may be the most controversial album release of 2016, Beyonce shocked listeners with the lyrics of her newest album, “Lemonade.” This album, her sixth studio album, was an immediate hit after its release during an HBO special, debuting in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts. Although the sound of this album did not stray too far from her usual fierce pop-hip-hop genre, with some exceptions of more blues and country influences, the content absolutely did. Rather than discussing the joys of loving

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and living, Beyonce tackles the difficult topics of infidelity and race issues, including the Black Lives Matter movement.

The lyrics referring to an experience with infidelity brought various conspiracy theories to the surface, mostly of Jay Z’s alleged cheating on Beyonce. The album features such an artful melange of different genres that it would be hard to not find a track to enjoy out of the total 12 which the album features over 45 minutes. Fans of Beyonce, hip-hop, pop, or probably any genre at all can find something to love about this new album.

fashion

C O LU M N S

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

03.

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may mood board:

Farewell

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04.

07.

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Seeing as this is my last Messenger fashion column, I thought I would compile a selection of images of some of my my biggest inspirations. I hope the mood, the colors, and the casual nature of these images will help transport you into a beautiful, slow, and memorable summer. I have had so much fun creating and writing this column for the past 3 years and am glad that I have a chronicle of my ever- changing style. Don’t forget that fashion is all around us and not just on the runway or in over-priced boutiques; draw inspiration from all around you! Lastly, I would like to thank Andrew and Shireen for all the hours that they spent to make my ideas into reality. Goodbye for now!

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08.

01. gram parsons in his nudie suit 02. salvation mountain by leonard knight 03. tina aumont in morroco 04. “the cloud by guy blakeslee 05. mick jagger, anita pallenberg, and michele breton on the set of preformance 06. edie sedgewick by andy warhol 07. hazy shades by thomas cohen 08. chateau lobby #4 (in C for two virgins) by father john misty

THE MESSENGER | 47

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English teachers: Honors and AP Language Arts teachers from local high-ranking high schools

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