The Oracle - Every End is Just a New Beginning Issue 5

Volume_113_Issue_5_May_2018

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6-7 Po l tra ar Te vel chn com s t ic Jas pe o De s: Ro mi tio ne n troit botic Int for s hab nat team oun i on h al

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Gr ow Up a Ke nd S nzi e S how chn U ath p ors t

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Best times for Boys Track; Individuals: 100 meter dash: Julius Pyne -> 11.39 sec.

110 meter dash: Stanley Ross -> 20.48 sec.

200 meter dash: AJ Killion -> 23.12 sec.

400 meter dash: Nyabashi Vital -> 56.53 sec.

400 meter hurdles: Stanley Ross -> 1:06.45 800 meter run: Chawol Niphong -> 2:09.32 1600 meter run: Chawol Niphong -> 4:54.54 Long jump: AJ Killion -> 21-08.00 High jump: Mohamed Bass -> 5-06.00 Shot put: Brandon Gordon -> 37-02.00 Discus: Brandon Gordon -> 100-09.00 Best times for Boys Track; relays: 4x100: 45.15 sec.

4x110: 1:16.57 4x200: 1:36.00 4x400: 3:55.06 4x800: 8:57.98 800 medley: 1:44.57 1600 medley: 4:07.61

Best times for Girls Track; Individuals: 100 meter dash: Riawna Hunter -> 12.70 sec.

100 meter hurdles: Shakyra' Rutledge -> 17.36 sec.

200 meter dash: Riawna Hunter -> 27.91 sec.

400 meter dash: Riawna Hunter -> 59.71 sec.

800 meter run: Ikilas Hassan -> 2:41.32 1500 meter run: Ikilas Hassan -> 5:38.93 3000 meter run: Ikilas Hassan -> 12:17.18 Long jump: Delephine Niyigena -> 16-06.50 Shot put: Reem Maki -> 23-06.00 Discus: Reem Maki -> 51-10.00 Best times for Girls Track; relays: Dates to remember: 4x100: 51.40 sec.

• Seniors last day is on May 23 4x200: 1:54.10 4x400: 5:04.60 • Class Day is on May 25 4x800: 11:34.04 • Graduation Sunday, May 27 @ Knapp Center @ Drake 800 medley: 1:54.35 • Last day of school is June 1 1600 medley: 5:19.80

NOTICE

Home VS Hoover Away VS Ottumwa 11-0 2-9 Home VS Fort Dodge Away VS Valley 3-8 Home VS Lincoln 2-9 6-5

T E N N IS Away VS Hoover 0-6

Away VS Lincoln 0-6

Away VS Ottumwa 0-6 Away VS Collins-Maxwell/Baxter 1-2 Home

d?

Away VS Mason City 0-11 Home VS Ottumwa 1-10

Home VS Norwalk 0-11

Away VS Roosevelt 1-10

Away VS East 4-7

Home VS Mason City Away VS Ottumwa 0-11 0-11 Away VS Fort Dodge Away VS Roosevelt Away VS Newton 1-6 0-11 0-11

BOYS GAME

Away VS Perry 1-4 Away VS CAL Latimer VS 11-1 Grandview Christian 10-0

S O C C ER

Home VS North Polk 5-8

Away VS North Polk 0-3 Independence 0-3 Southeast Polk 0-2

Home VS East 0-11

GIRLS GAME Home VS Hoover 3-2

Home VS AHSTW 2-3

Home VS Lincoln 1-0

Home VS Grandview Christian 9-0

Home VS Des Moines Christian 0-4

Away VS East 2-3

Away VS Roosevelt 0-7

Away VS Ottumwa Away VS Urbandale Away VS Waukee Home VS Roosevelt Away VS Lincoln 1-6 0-7 Away VS Iowa Falls Alden 1-6 1-7 Home VS Southeast Polk 1-2 Home VS Winterset Home VS Marshalltown 3-1 Away VS Hoover 0-2 Away VS Clear Lake Home VS Ankeny Centenial 6-3 Home VS Gilbert 1-3 0-4 2-1 2-6 1-2

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Urban Dreams is a program that helps people with substance abuse problems, that is all free of cost Sabrina Lam, Emily Dykes, Reporters Urban Dreams is a human service program that is coming to North. This program helps low income areas and troubled students in Polk County.

Urban Dreams provides ex-offenders a second chance at life that is all free of cost. It also has a mental health and substance abuse treatment center.

Urban Dreams claims it is a place where anyone and everyone can come to be safe.

Trent Griggs, a counselor at North High and

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Isaiah Knox, the Executive Director of Urban Dreams explains why this program is coming to North and how it can benefit Norht High School.

Q: How do you think this program will benefit our school?

Griggs: Adding any service to a school or community can help. My hope is that the program can help a student obtain a healthier lifestyle for themselves so they can be successful in their present and in their future.

Knox: We want to help young people. Having young adults understand the harms that occurs from drug and alcohol use is important. Urban Dreams wants every young person in our community achieve all their goals in life.

Therefore, it is crucial that we help North High School students understand how drugs and alcohol hurt their opportunity for success in school and in jobs.

Q: How do you plan to encourage students to join this program and what is the backup plan if this program does not work?

Graphic Credit: Sabrina Lam

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Griggs: I don’t think that we should “make” students join any group. We can offer and encourage services and supports, but it is ultimately the choice of the individual student and their family.

This program will not be a magical cure all and may not even be the plan A for many students.

There are many resources out there. In school we have the Student Assistance Program (SAP) through Mosaic. There are outside school options in the Des Moines area as well.

Knox: Through this story and positive feedback from staff and students. We have to have students to have a class.

Q: Can friends and family “push” the student into this program?

Griggs: Everyone needs a supportive friend and reporting someone who needs help can be a great idea, but it still needs to be the decision of that student and their family to enter any sort of program.

Knox: Yes, however, if students are under 18, they will need parent consent to participate in the program.

Q: What is the treatment going to be like for the students?

Griggs: The current plan for a group utilizing Urban Dreams would not focus on treatment, but intervention and education.

More Treatment Centers 1- Center For Behavioral Health (515)244-9500

Knox: Right now we work with employers to get North High students jobs at Borst Detasseling, Broadlawns Medical Center, Orchestrate Hospitality, and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shields.

Please check us out on Facebook to apply for the detasseling job, we are hiring 100 students ages 14 and up.

We plan on coming twice a week, during the day on Mondays and Fridays. Everything that we do is confidential.

4- Bernie Lorenz Recovery (only for girls who already got their primary care) (515)-255-3373

Q: How is this option better than letting student find help outside of school?

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Griggs: Overall, I feel like there needs to be some understanding around the role Urban Dreams has.

This program is one option for students, not the only option. As mentioned in the questions, we have other resources like the Student Assistance Program (SAP) through Mosaic and other providers in the Des Moines area as well.

The biggest thing is we want parents and students to know that options for help are available if they choose to use it.

8- Call 800-319-5178 to find a drug rehab and alcohol treatment center for you.

Knox: All programs are held to the same standards by the State of Iowa. However, what makes us different in that we have served this community for over 30 years. Plus we intentionally instill culturally competent methods into our classes.

Urban Dreams is way for troubled students to go and get help. Urban Dreams programs are all free of cost and anyone can join. Urban Dreams wants to create a safe space where people can come and get a second chance at life.

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Mercy First Step (515)-271-6070

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Urban Dreams (515)-288-4742

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Orchard Place (515)-697-5700

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House of Mercy (515)-643-6500 Child Guidance Center (515)-244-

9- St. George Retreat Centers (515)-2449500 10- Powell Chemical Dependaancy (515)263-2424 11- Rock in Prevention (515)-255-0635 These are just a handful of other centers for you to choose to do out of school.

Remember, Urban Dreams is free and will be at North to help.

Every other place on this list needs some sort of payment.

Design: S. Lam, E. Dykes

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POLAR TECHNICS

Team 3609 Robotics team Travels to Detroit for National Competition Jasmine Inthabounh, Editor-in-Chief

The Robotics team drove nine hours up to Detroit, Michigan to compete in the final competition, The First Relic Recovery.

Traveling to Detroit, Michigan was the teams first time going out of state, let alone competing at worlds, the final competition.

Their trip consisted of five days, preparing for the games and checking out their opponents’ robots.

The process of getting to Detroit, consisted of a series of events. They participated in regular league events, competitions called Super Qualifiers, then onto state and regionals, which in the end, lead the team to Detroit.

“Every year the game is different. So, this year during autonomous, when our robot is being controlled by the video game, only not us touching controllers or anything. We just press a button and let it go,” said junior, Parker Swigert. He talks about his experience in Detroit and how their robot was put to the task of knocking down a specific colored jewel using a color sensor in order to gain 30 points. If they failed, their opponent would earn the points.

Each day the Robotics Team woke up early in the morning and headed to where the event was held, the Cobo Center. The first thing they do is go through judging.

“We talk to the judges and they talk to us about what we’ve done over the season be-

cause there is also awards that you can earn, just from the things your team had done and how well you document things,” said Swigert.

They then set up their pit for their robot to move onto competing for the Qualification matches.

“We had to set up our pit, which sound monstrous but it’s just a pit and everyone has one and is decorated,” said senior, Trent Rover.

Leading up to the event, the team focused a lot on gathering sponsors and less on the mechanics of their robot, which in turn caused some challenges for the team.

Swigert explains, “A lot of these other teams, they’re newer teams and newer teams get more sponsorships. It’s just kind of the way things happened. We did not have those sponsorships, so we didn’t have those connections with the businesses, we didn’t have engineers from these companies coming and mentoring us.” This was a big obstacle that didn’t allow the Robotics team to be on the same playing level as others.

At the end of it all, the Robotics team placed 48th in their division. Both Swigert and Rover agreed that they were just happy to be a part of the experience. “There is always someone better than you,” says Rover. Swigert continues to say, “As a team, we learned just what it takes to make it there and it kind of was a reality check for us of how focused we need to be.”

READY FOR ACTION. The Robotics team sets up their area for the competition also known as their pit. Photo Credit: Deborah Swigert

GROUPIE. The team takes a group picture in the Cobo Center. Photo Credit: Lysa Nguyen

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Detroit

BREAK TIME. The Robotics team goes out to dinner after a long days of work.

Photo Credit: Lysa Nguyen

FUN AND GAMES. Sitting in the stadium, the Robotics team completes the week with the closing ceremony. Photo Credit: Lysa Nguyen

Des Moines Des Moines

HUNDREDS. The Cobo Center is filled with teams from all over the country including our very own Robotics team representing North and Des Moines, Iowa. Photo Credit: Lysa Nguyen

Design: J.Inthabounh

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Abbie Primrose, A&E Editor Right now, newspaper, yearbook, and North’s website are all separate classes and publications, but all these systems can work together to make it easier for the media coverage to be put out into the community.

A goal made is to make the polar bear audience have a better understanding about

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what is going on around North High.

So, the publications and website will be coming together to form DM NORTH MEDIA. This new system will help cover more activities and be a more predominant voice around North and it’s community.

There will still be the Oracle, yearbook, and the website, and will still have separate classes, but will help these class-

es work together for better coverage.

This program will help the organizations grow.

Also, to all around just be more professional.

There will be some cool merchandise coming with our brand-new logo that will classify us as what the program is doing and growing to be.

Please join this journey and support along the way to help DM North Media become the best that it can be.

Design: A. Primrose

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Elizabeth Phan’s ribbon-winning poster that took the gold.

Photo Courtesy: Anthony Voss

Bright competion-winning smiles, Elizabeth Phan and her sponser Bill Miller pose for a pictue in the Polk County court house. Photo Courtesy: Anthony Voss.

Alizia Guzman & Delicia Oxenreider, Reporters What is Law Day? You may think it’s about enforcing the law, but it’s something completely different.

Gifted and talented consultant Anthony Voss states, “Law Day is recognized annually on May first as a national day of celebration aimed to strengthen the American heritage of liberty, justice and equality under the law.

Each year the American Bar Association choses a theme for Law Day to further education and deeper understanding of the legal system.”

Freshman, Elizabeth Phan chose to get in and participate in Law Day through her art work, which she took first place for. Phan has been drawing since she was little. Phan states, “I liked the thought of expressing myself with pictures instead of words because I was a really shy kid.

Her first canvases were the walls of her parents’ house, which they had to repaint. Ever since middle school she has been interested in entering art competitions and improving her art work.

Features

Elizabeth Phan Law Day Poster Entry winner

Voss introduced her into the Law Day competition. Her first competition she received 3rd place. Phan stated, “I could do better it just means I needed to improve.”

She showed that she certainly could do that.

When she learned that she won 1st place for her Law Day artwork she was ecstatic. The people who were involved in her participation were Voss and her sponsor for her award, Bill Miller. North is certainly waiting for her to show her amazing talents in more competitions.

Not only is she a competition-winning artist, she is also an amazing CFUM mentor, athlete and student. She has been a mentor at CFUM (Children and Family Urban Movement) for a year and a half now. She used to participate in the program from third to eighth grade.

This year she chose to participate in North High School’s tennis team. She takes advanced classes at Central Academy. From competition-winning to mentoring to earning good grades, Phan will keep impressing.

Design: A. Guzman & D. Oxenreider

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Laura Christensen, Managing Editor As students in high school, we all hear about colleges and know we have different options we can choose from after high school. But really, what can we do to prepare ourselves for college? The question, "Do you know what you want to do after you graduate?" comes up a lot in students' lives on a daily.

There is a program that is nationwide called GEAR UP, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. GEAR UP is a federal grant program that is intended to follow a cohort of students from 7th grade to 12th grade. The Class of 2020, current sophomores, are the GEAR UP cohort.

GEAR UP is in 12 school districts and 26 high schools across the state of Iowa. Districts were selected based on having a minimum of 50 percent of their students on free and reduced-price lunch. North is 82 percent free and reduced.

"How it's set up right now is, someone at the state level with GEAR UP will follow up

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with the class of 2020 through their post year of post-secondary to see who enrolls and what path students decide to do. Then after that first year of post-secondary with the class of 2020, the program will hopefully start over again in 7th grade. Then there's a process where DMPS will have to apply to get the grant again," Amalia Riordan, the GEAR UP coach at North, said.

If they started at North their freshmen year, once they become seniors, they are eligible for a scholarship of at least $600 per year, for up to four years towards a college education.

This program helps them prepare for college through campus t8ours, mentoring, tutoring, career shadowing and building leadership skills through workshops.

To ensure students get the college readiness they need, the program uses data-based tools such as a career interest inventory to help narrow down what college they want to go to and build experiences for the students.

This school year, the sophomore class has taken a trip to Simpson College and got to do some engaging activities with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). "Everyone can be a part of the opportunities, but we're targeting it down and prioritizing people first depending on their interests," Riordan said.

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The GEAR UP program isn't just helpful during the school year, they also continue going to colleges during the summer. There is a summer summit where they will attend five different colleges and universities in the summer of 2018, where everyone from across the state can apply and attend.

Overseeing the GEAR UP program nationally is the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP). Each summer, they host a national conference and youth leadership summit. This year, the summit is taking place in Washington D.C. in July.

"The Youth Leadership Summit (YLS), helps GEAR UP high school students identify and maximize their leadership skills, create a national network of peers, and receive the tools and training to make positive change happen in their communities and around the world.

Over 3.5 days, the YLS enhances participants’ ability to speak confidently, work effectively in teams, and builds their capacity to lead. In turn, our YLS students then use these skills to serve their schools and communities," according to the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships website.

Students participating in this opportunity will be representing GEAR UP programs from across the nation.

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Jasmine Inthabounh, Editor-in-Chief For 17 or 18 years of lives, it is planned for us to go to school. From Kindergarten to 1st grade and so on and so forth. When senior year hits, is that the time to figure life out? For sophomore, Chaundelle Goodman, it is never too early to look at her options, because of GEAR UP. “GEAR UP has helped me a lot because it showed me that I don’t just have to go to college in state. I can do so much more and get more opportunities if I apply myself more,” Goodman said.

Goodman moved to Iowa in August from Louisiana and came to North where she met GEAR UP advisor, Amalia Riordan. She quickly became a part of the ambassador program the meets every Wednesday after school.

The cohort includes the whole class of 2020 but the ambassadors lead the group.

Q: How has GEAR UP helped you prepare for college?

A: “Now I know how to do a resume, how to get prepared for an interview. It really matured me a lot. I was very childish and I didn’t really want to go to college. I had a goal, to go to college yeah, but it really put me in the mindset, I want to go to college for what I want to do.”

Chaundell Goodman Q: What is your favorite part about the program?

A: “The college trips, free stuff. But, actually being on campus and seeing the college and I want to be able to do that, I want to be able to go to college and actually have the real feeling.

We usually do a tour and we have a student panel. We ask them about their experience and their transition from high school to college and any tips they can give us. They give us insight on what’s real in college.”

Q: Why is GEAR UP important?

A: “GEAR UP is important to me because back home, I didn’t really have much motivation for going to college and actually trying to do something with my life. I just thought I was going to get a regular 9-5 job after high school.

I didn’t really have any set plans. It got me very involved in school and I enjoy school now. I like the fact that I have a really good opportunity to follow my dreams. I like the fact that they follow me after high school, they don’t just stop, they actually go through the journey with me through college.“

Design: L. Christensen/ J. Inthabounh

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Jenna Post, Reporter and Caleb Slater, Editor Dictionary.com, a reputable online dictionary, defines The American Dream as: “the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” Robert Nishimwe, senior, recently recieved his acceptance letter to Georgetown University, a prestegious school located in Washington D.C. In doing so, he has begun living his own “American Dream”.

Nishimwe spent the first eight years of his life at a Tanzanian refugee camp. Due to his age, he doesn’t remember the specifics of living in Tanzania, but he does remember what his childhood felt like. “To me, because I was a child, it seemed like I had a lot of fun, but I probably didn’t notice all the

negative stuff going on around me,” Nishimwe recalled.

Most of what Nishimwe knows about life in Tanzania comes from the stories of his parents. “It was difficult. We had some education, but it wasn’t permanent. We had a home, but there was a lack of economic mobility,” he said. When Robert was eight, his family received word that their sponsors were moving them to Iowa, where they could finally pursue their dream of a better life.

When Nishimwe came to America, he didn’t know any English, but he was determined to learn. “I surrounded myself in spaces where I had to interact with the English language,” Robert explained. “I went to an after-school program. I read books after school for thirty minutes ev-

Photo Credit: Robert Nishimwe

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ery single day.” By the time he finished fourth grade, he was taken out of Early Language Learning and began to take classes on par with his peers.

Upon entering the sixth grade, Nishimwe was tested by a Gifted and Talented consultant. At the time, he didn’t know what he was being tested for, but he later found out that he was considered gifted in mathematics. As a result of his impressive test scores, Nishimwe was added to the GT program.

Throughout high school, Nishimwe continued to stay closely involved with GT, taking advantage of many opportunities made available to him through the program. “One of the opportunities was going to a business camp my sophomore year,” he told The Oracle. “I also did an internship at the Greater Des Moines Partnership through GT.” “He’s chameleon-like,” said Tony Voss, director of GT at North and close adviser to Nishimwe. “He fits into social settings very easily, he’s always out with a handshake and introductions.”

Nishimwe also qualified for the National Honor Society, an organization that brings together students who “show excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.”

He promptly joined the group of excelling students before being elected President at the beginning of his senior year.

One experience Nishimwe takes pride in was his involvement in the Senate Youth Program. “They pick two students from each state,” he explained, “It’s a program to get more young people involved in public policy, and they give you a $10,000 scholarship.”

His involvement in the program gave him the opportunities

to meet many high-profile politicians and government officials, including the president of the United States himself. “I met Donald Trump, not that I’m proud of the moment,” he said jokingly.

Nishimwe is now gearing up for his college experience at Georgetown, beginning this fall.

“That was actually my number one choice,” he said. “I’m interested in politics and wanted to go to a school that was known for that.” He intends to major in Government and African-American studies, while clarifying, “I’m probably going to change it when I actually go there, a lot of the students change their minds.”

The soon-to-be North Grad was shocked at getting into what many see to be a prestigious university. “There was a time where I was like, ‘yeah, I’m not going to get into Georgetown,’” he recalled. “There’s like, a 14 percent acceptance rate, and I thought to myself, ‘Robert, that’s not going to happen.’”

Not only was he accepted into the University of his choice, but he also received $81,110 in scholarship money as well. “They gave me the financial aid and it’s like, ‘oh, well, now I actually have to deny some scholarships,’” he said.

“It’s a pretty sweet spot to be in.”

Nishimwe wants students to learn from his story. “Be proactive,” he said, as advice to younger students. “Chase your dreams, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.”

“Robert came to America, speaking no English, and now will be a student attending a very reputable university,” said Voss. “That is the American dream, and that’s why people still seek to come here, because they see those things are possible.”

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*Statistics Courtesy: prepscholar.com Robery Nishimwa holds hids acceptance letter to Georgetown University. Photo courtesy: Robert Nishimwe

-Robert Nishimwe

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Megan Bohall, Editor-in-Chief

As the temperature increases in the room, so does the anticipation with the soft mumble of the audience and the rush of nervousness and excitement coming from backstage. On Thursday, May 17, 2018, seniors enrolled in Advanced Theatre Arts had the opportunity to direct their own piece. Darrick Burrage, Hailey Curtis, Shana Carter, Yair Gomez, Triet Ly and Jenna Post all directed a 15-minute scene involving laughter, tears and music.

All six of these seniors used a variety of styles in their scenes, from poetry, to musical, to comedy, and real world issues. Seniors took their final days to showcase their hard work and dedication in the theatre arts program, and boy, did they do it well. A loud roar from the audience after every scene portrayed how well these students did in acting, directing and technical work.

The show started out with a scene directed and written by Hailey Curtis called “You’re Not Alone” about the ups and downs of an unfortunate high school. With deep, sad stories of young teens, this piece used poetry to describe to the audience real world problems some students suffer through.

The next scene, “21 Chump Street” directed

by Jenna Post is a musical story about a high school honor student who develops feelings for the new girl at the school, he tells her she would do anything for her and throughout the story she gets him to buy her illegal drugs. He then finds out the new girl has a secret, she is actually an undercover cop and busts the boy for buying drugs, although it alludes that she doesn’t feel entirely happy with her decision.

Arts & Entertainment

“Make Me a Vampire” directed by Triet Ly was next. His scene was a comedic story of earth being taken over by vampires, so a human spends the plot line of the play trying to convince vampires to turn him into one of their kind. He is unsuccessful though, because of his rare and seemingly “unappetizing” blood type B negative.

The next scene took a turn from comedic to a very serious topic in today’s society. “I Was there” Directed by Shana Carter was about the tragedy of a school shooting, something no one ever wants to experience, but sadly continues to occur today. The plot followed surviving students who discuss through monologues their experiences during the shooting.

“The Weirdest Honeymoon Ever” directed by Yair Gomez is exactly as the title says.

A young, recently married couple, rent a ‘secluded’ cabin in the woods, or so they thought.

With intruders, pregnancy and hippies this honeymoon is anything but romantic.

As the final scene, Darrick Burrage’s may seem familiar. His scene “Threat Level Midnight” was adapted from the TV show The Office. This piece follows agent Scarn who is tasked with finding and stopping Goldenface, a criminal who is planning to blow up a hockey stadium during a championship game. It included, hostages, singers, a Cherokee, and plenty of crime fighting action that even jumps into the crowd.

As the night came to a close awards were given out by head of the theatre arts program, Amy Rost. The first award of the night went to junior, Caleb Slater for Supporting Actor.

Followed by Supporting Actress, sophomore,

Aline Marino-Moreno.

Rising Star was then given out to the actor who hasn’t had many roles or who hasn’t had many big roles, but the theatre arts program expects big things from. This award went to sophomore, Wyatt Evans.

Most awards are given to actors, those who the audience sees every performance, but the next award went to someone who the shows wouldn’t the the same without, Best Techie.

This award went to junior, Eric Niday.

Best Actor and Best Actress Awards were next. For their strong roles, seniors, Jake Mentzer and Hailey Curtis won the awards.

Outstanding Theater Arts Sophomore and Junior were presented to Aline Marino-Moreno and Caleb Slater for their achievements in theatre arts.

The last and final award was an emotional one. The Chad Reber Memorial Award for Outstanding dedication, leadership and passion. This award is given every year to a member of the program who demonstrates the three skills described in the award’s name.

It came to be after a young man named Chad Reber was killed in a car accident before his last show on the North High stage. Every year since then an award goes out to a student who shows the characteristics that Reber once displayed on and off the stage. Yair Gomez was presented with this award. Gomez shared that this award was a honor because two years ago Gomez’s sister recived the same award.

The night finally came to a close with one final group hug with Rost and the graduating students as a final farewell to the class of 2018 and all the memories they have shared together.

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GOODBYE.

Seniors (from left to right) Jenna Post, Jake Mentzer, Yair Gomez, Darrick Burrage, Jonathan Praseutsack, Hailey Curtis, Oriah White, Shana Carter and Triet Ly pose with the medallions they will wear on graduation day.

Photo Credit: Alizia Guzman

LETTERS.

Junior, Corevil Shields reads aloud a letter in the play ‘You’re Not Alone’ directed by senior, Hailey Curtis. Photo Credit: Alizia Guzman

GROUP HUG.

2018 graduating class and adviser, Amy Rost gather into a group hug for a final goodbye after Senior Scenes.

Photo Credit: Alizia Guzman

Design: M. Bohall

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Discover the art of cosplay and the process of getting ready, from three freshmen at North who have found a new hobby.

Laura Christensen, Managining Editor Cosplay: An art, a hobby, stress reliever and fun. All these words describe what cosplay means to these three: Max Dressic, Kennedy Van de Boe and Kayden Schnathorst, all freshmen at North.

They’ve traveled as far as Omaha, Nebraska, and went to Kansas on March 16. They will also be traveling to Chicago a few times this year.

Cosplay is when you dress yourself up and put make-up on to look like characters on TV shows, from movies, games and comics.

Although cosplay is fun for them, the price is not easy for their wallets. Most of the good wigs are between $15-$25.

Along with all the face/body paint they have to buy and the make-up, it can get expensive.

Luckily, they find the rest of their costumes around the house, or go shopping at a thrift store to make it less expensive.

“Depending on what we need, the costumes can be anywhere from $3 at a thrift store and $100 online. We buy our own wigs, makeup, face paint, costumes, and a lot more. It’s hard to name a certain price,” Schnathorst said.

While getting ready for these Comic Cons, it can take them anywhere from 15 minutes to 2-3 hours. When they are painting their faces (greying up) with body paint, and painting their arms and legs, it can alone take up to two hours.

“Painting our faces takes a lot more time.

Also, along with little details to make it just right. But if we must make costumes, it’s more like a couple months,” Van de Boe said.

After all the hard work of getting ready, once they get to the cons, people ask them for photos about 20-30 times at each convention.

For people who are more interested you can google about cosplay, or search, “Comic Cons near me”.

“Although it’s an expensive hobby, it’s very easy to pursue,” Dressic said.

Max Dressic, Kayden Schnathorst, and Kennedy Van de Boe reveal their final characters from Homestuck after the process of getting ready.

Features

17

1 Freshman, Kayden Schnathorst, is in the process of painting her face to get into characater, Aradias Megido from Homestuck.

4 Schnathorst applies eye shadow to show the personality of her character she’s portraying.

7 Van de Boe uses a toothbrush to put on “freckles”. She puts the make up on the brush then, splatters it across her face to make the effect.

Q: What costumes have been your favorite to get dressed up in?

Dressic: My favorite costume to get dressed in is probably Meenah Peixies cosplay. Her color schemes go together well, and I love her wig.

Van de Boe: My favorite cosplay so far would be Page the Notebook. That cosplay is just a good chance to bring out as many colors as you want!

Schnathorst: John Egbert from Homestuck.

He is really comfortable and simple.

Q: How did you hear about the different Comic Con events in the first place?

Dressic: When I first started watching anime, I saw an ad for the biggest con in Iowa, “AnimeIowa”. We go to this con every year.

Van de Boe: Max or Kayden usually tell me, or some other friends nearby.

Schnathorst: Online and through friends.

2

Schnthorst and Kennedy Van De Boe start “greying up” as Kennedy is laughing at a joke Schnathorst made.

5 As Max Dressic starts to paint her face Van de Boe starts with the rest of her make up.

8 Dressic brings her character, -Karkat Vantas, from Homestuck- to life, by applying final detials before her wig.

Q: Do you have a favorite character to dress up as?

Dressic: My favorite character to dress up as is probably Dave Strider or Karkat Vantas. I have both cosplays fully finished and I feel I look the best in those cosplays.

Van de Boe: My favorite is Tavros Nitram.

He just allows me to be myself.

Schnathorst: John Egbert and Terezi Pyrope. Both from Homestuck.

Q: Why did you start doing cosplay in the first place?

Dressic: Kayden had asked me to start doing it with her, because she wanted me to take her to a con and I just “couldn’t go without being in cosplay”.

Van de Boe: I needed a new hobby to get into, and honestly, I would never go back.

Schnathorst: I always really wanted to the second I found out what it was. So, I found

3 Van de Boe puts make-up on her eyes to make her character come to life more as she was the disciple from Homestuck.

6 Dressic begins to add detail to her face while Schnathorst gets ready to put her wig on.

9 The last few steps are to put fangs on and put their wigs on, then they are completely in character and ready to go.

out about Anime Demoii, a con they held every year formally before it was shut down, and I really wanted to cosplay for it.

Q: How do you pick your character for each time?

Dressic: We usually pick our characters by if they work together (best friends, dating, related, etc). We also plan them around our other friends’ cosplays, people will meet us at con who live in like Oklahoma and Texas and stuff. We talk over Instagram and plan cosplay groups together.

Van de Boe: It’s usually about how I feel that day, or if I haven’t cosplayed that character for a long time.

Schnathorst: We usually focus on each other and what everyone else is doing. We cosplay most from “Homestuck” and Anime/ games.

Design/Photo Credit: L. Christensen

Opinion

An opinion on why you should go to school and keep up your attendance in school.

U w p o r and G

Show Up

18 Kenzie Schnathorst, Editor The first rule of school success: go to class.

Attendance rates are important because you as a student are more likely to succeed in academics when you attend school consistently. If you do end up missing a class, it should be a rare occurrence; something that happens only once or twice a semester.

If you miss class more than this, it will interfere with your learning and have a negative impact on your grades because you will end up behind and not learning the full criteria needed for assignments and tests. I am constantly hearing my peers talk about how they only come on test days and do the assignments at home. But if you do it that way you most likely don’t have the full knowledge needed to do the tasks.

If you’re not showing up to

class, you’re losing every opportunity provided to you in the classroom to learn the criteria.

For seniors and even juniors, being in school every day gives you a chance to learn more about college and scholarship opportunities, and to take the important exams they need to build a successful academic record.

Studies show that a student who is chronically absent any year between grades eight and twelve, is more than seven times more likely to drop out. Also, a student who is just 10 minutes late every day, will miss 30 hours of instruction during the year.

Lastly, missing just six days a term every year is the same as missing one whole school year, over your school life.

I personally agree with these facts because from my own experience attendance is very important and does take a part in how successful you will be in school.

Student hard at work to keep her opportunities from disappearing. Photo credit: Kenzie Schnathorst

From my experience of missing school, I have learned that if you miss class more than once a week, at least, you will fall behind in class and not be on track as everyone else. Me, for myself, if I miss multiple classes in a row I have to put a lot of my own free time to catch my work up and even use some of my lunches to work as well. I know I don’t like to work on an essay more than I like to eat, and I’m sure most of you wouldn’t either.

Just know that if you don’t keep up your attendance you will, in most situations, fall behind and struggle to catch back up in class.

I know this is just my own experience, but it is similar to a lot of situations students go through, but it may not be the case for you.

I am not saying you have to do what I have, but do what works best for you.

Remember, the first rule of school success: go to class.

Design: K. Schnathorst

19

Throughout the spring season, North High sports teams have had huge successes.

Sports

DM North Media @DMNorthMedia On April 24th, the North High girls soccer team beat their rival Hoover 3-2. They are now 4-3.

DM North Media @DMNorthMedia Congrats to Coach Skinner on his first season of coaching the boys tennis team and helping it grow.

DM North Media @DMNorthMedia Shout out to the girls track team for qualifying to participate in the Drake Relays. Great season girls!

DM North Media @DMNorthMedia The tennis girls started their season off with a shut-out against Hoover, winning 11-0.

DM North Media @DMNorthMedia Congrats to the boys track team for a phenomenal season. Also, a special shoutout to senior AJ Killion for qualifying for State with a jump of 21’8�

DM North Media @DMNorthMedia The varsity boys soccer team had a monumental win on April 30 at home against Winterset. The score was 6-3.

Design: M. Alexander

Design News Magazine Multiple Page Design 2nd Place

Design News Magazine Multiple Page Design Honorable Mention

Jasmine Inthabounh

Mya Alexander

Design News Magazine Infographic 2nd Place

Laura Christensen

Design News Magazine Infographic Honorable Mention

Online Photography Slideshow 2nd Place

Mya Alexander

Jasmine Inthabounh

Writing Personality Profile 1st place

Caleb Slater

Writing Personality Profile 3rd Place

Yer Lee (2017) Design: L. Christensen