Volume 81: Issue 9 by The Student Prints

S t u de n t P r i n t s Sylvania Northview High School

The

Issue #9

May 29, 2007

NEWS Pages 1 & 2

EDITORIALS Pages 3 & 4 Cedar Point’s newest Thrill Page 2

Volume 81

FEATURES Pages 5 & 6

SPORTS Pages 7 & 8

Physics Stays Afloat page 5

Spring Sports Wrap Up page 7

Reckless Op Page 3

Business excels at Nationals

Three students represent NV at World Community Workshop

Jamie H amilton

Meg an Fire stone

Sta f f Wri te r

Sta ff Wri te r

Four Business technology students recently attended Nationals for Business Professionals of America. Juniors Monica Betz, Caitlin Berman, Jamie Hamilton and senior Jessica Wirick, all attended the national convention in New York City. Betz, Berman, and Hamilton competed in the Administrative Support Team category placing first at Regionals, second at States, and tenth in the nation. The administrative support event tests participants on their “knowledge of creating business documents, using database, spreadsheet, and presentation software.” Another component of the event is “demonstrating teamwork skills needed to function in a business setting,” according to BPA guidelines. Wirick participated in the Legal Office Procedures competition, coming in first at Regionals, fourth at States, and first place at Nationals, beating out 67 competitors for the top spot. The legal office procedures event determines a contestant’s knowledge of “legal terminology and skills needed to prepare legal documents needed to function effectively in a law office,” also according to BPA guidelines. “I was shocked when I found out I won first place,” said Wirick, “but I’m really proud.” Next year’s convention is being held in Reno, Nevada.

French club charity helps children’s charity

Tay lor He lbe rg Sta f f Wri te r French Club put on its first charity drive from May 7 to 18 to help children with measles in Africa. “I would like to thank the generous people who helped out the children with measles in Africa. It is nice to see that they care,” said French Club Advisor Ms. Kim Gogel. French Club asked for a minimum of $1 to cover the cost of the immunizations, training, and transportation of Red Cross employees. In return, donators got a pin that represents the cure for measles. Northview raised over $500. “For it being our first charity drive I was happy with the results, but hopefully next year we will raise more,” said Ms. Gogel. A representative from Bowling Green State University came and spoke to French Club officers to explain the charity drive. The charity relates to French Club because there are many French-speaking countries in Africa. The officers were shown a video revealing the thousands of victims of measles, many of whom are young children. “It was a heart breaking reality to see all the innocent children sick with a preventable disease,” said French Club Historian Susan Sedique. “It is amazing to know how far $1 can go.”

Three Northview students went to Deﬁance College to attend the 16th annual World Community Workshop (WCW) May 15 through 17. WCW is a three day program of study for high school students focusing on the history, geography, customs, economic and political issues of a selected region of the world. This year the featured country was Pakistan and juniors Abby Liebenthal, Ben Pietrykowiski, and Megan Bringe were the three lucky students that were selected to attend. Each year the workshop is sponsored by Rotary Clubs from across the country, an organization started in 1905 that has grown to include 1,208,362 members throughout 89 countries. The purpose of the Rotary club is to expand community service, raise awareness of other cultures, and create an advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace. The workshop began with a series of short lectures from Rotarians about what Rotary is, and about being open minded towards cultures and countries other than the U.S. After a full day of educating speakers, the students attended a Grand Banquet. Rotarians from around the state came and chatted with the students about future plans, and the continuation of being involved with foreign countries. Pakistani food was served to those who attended, and towards the end of the evening a surprise guest, Mir Aurangzeb, spoke with the workshop about his life in Pakistan and the hardships that come with the country’s misrepresented reputation. “Mir spoke to us about issues that were incredibly eye opening, and allowed me to get a better understanding of the true culture of Pakistan,” said Liebenthal. The second day of the workshop was organized in a similar way, with speakers discussing the Pakistani culture, and the thoughts of other cultures towards the U.S. Small group activities and discussions were prepared after each speaker that allowed for the students to get a better grasp on each topic. Topics such as love, marriage, education, social life style and politics were discussed. That evening, before the workshop came to an end, the Rotarians spoke to the students about student exchange programs in other countries. Several former exchange students came in and spoke with the WCW kids about their weeks, or months spent in

Juniors jazz up for Gatsby Day

Megan Bringe Abby Liebenthal, Mir Aurangzeb, Megan Bringe, and Ben Pietrykowiski enjoy their time together at the 16th annual World Community Workshop

other countries. All three NV students returned home with open minds and a better understanding of different cultures, according to Pietrykowski.

‘Adventure’ captured by orchestra Ta r a Pate l Sta f f Wri te r

The Northview Symphony Orchestras struck daring chords on May 22 as they delved into an exciting and familiar repertoire of music at their annual POPs concert, this year titled “The Spirit of Adventure.” All symphony musicians shed their normal performance attire for Turnabout, Homecoming or Prom styled outfits in order to set this modern music concert apart from traditional classical concerts. Concert orchestra set the spirit with Born to be Wild and Wipeout, directed by BGSU student teacher conductor, Caitlin Bartholic. The exciting Millennium and The Magnificent Seven wrapped up the first half of the performance. Symphony Orchestra continued the adventure with Honor, Laud and Rejoice, a band oriented piece and Quest for the Grail, an arousing and moving melody. The fast paced music slowed down for Somewhere by Leonard Bernstein. Each year the orchestra votes for a senior to conduct a piece and this year senior violinist Laura Seslar earned the honor. The music gained momentum again with the recognizable and catchy Halo Theme. “Playing Halo makes me feel like I’m in a video fame shooting aliens,” said junior violinist Momo Ngur. Audience members could conjure up memories while watching the Megan Bringe senior slide show, accompanied by Lloyd Webber’s Memory from the CHATTING IT UP AT GATSBY DAY are juniors BrittanyGazdowski and Alanna Hatcher. musical Cats. Gatsby Day celebrates everything Great Gatsby while the juniors are reading the book. The journey ended with the haunting and exciting Gladiator The day consists of various 1920’s based games such as golf, musical chairs, goldfish Medley, a piece held together by its battle - like rhythm. (crackers) swallowing, puzzles, and jacks. Other events included a fashion show, since “Gladiator was a great song to end my orchestra career with all juniors are required to dress in 1920’s style clothing. Snacks are also provided and because it was bold and fast - paced,” said senior violinist Olivia Lui. there’s live jazz music provided by the Jazz Cats with a Charleston dance competition. Easily the most popular orchestra concert, the last performance of The day is designed by the American Literature teachers and a committee of juniors the year attracted a large audience and equally large applause. who help set up, tear down, decorate and get food. “The outside of the gym is supposed to be the Plaza Hotel which is why we used the bricks from the FAME production. We had 15 student volunteers come andhelp decorate for the outisde of the gym along with Mr. Wachowiak,” said junior Mallory Apel, member of the decorating committee.

Stranahan celebrates 50th birthday Je ssica Be sset te Sta f f Wri te r

Open since 1956, Stranahan Elementary School reached their 50 th anniversary on April 20. Stranahan alumni had the chance to revisit the school building, walk through old classrooms, play on the playground, and reminisce with each other. Afterwards, they all attended a reception at the Wildwood Manor House for refreshments and to listened to music provided by the ﬁfth grade students. Also at the Manor House was a silent auction to bid on themed baskets. The earnings from the silent auction were contributed to the Angel Network, which is an organization that serves the unprivileged communities and helps children and parents. To show appreciation The Angel Network pledged 100% of the donations to services instead of administration.

N EWS

M ay 29, 2007

Music department reaches grand ﬁnal with Spring concerts Je ssica Be sset te Sta ff Wri te r As the school year comes to end the musical part of Northview wraps up the year with the traditional band and choir spring concerts. The band concert consisting of symphonic and concert band was held on May 14 and took place in the NV Little Theatre. The Symphonic Band played a piece called “Shannon Lake” which they have only been practicing for about two weeks and on which they have made very good progress, according to junior Austin Zaborowski. “I thought we did a great job for an ending performance to the school year,” said Zaborowski. The spring choir concert was held May 17 at the Westgate Chapel.

All choirs from NV performed songs that they have sung through out the year. The concert ended with Choir director Mr. Gary Lewis singing a solo with all the choirs singing in the background and around the church to the American Patriotic song “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” This was Mr. Lewis’ last concert at NV, he is leaving for a another job position at Solon High School in Cleveland, Ohio. The choir responded with gifts and praise. “The end of the concert was emotional because of the seniors and Mr. Lewis leaving but I think we had a great year and many things to remember,” said junior choir member Anna Snapp.

Photo Courtesy of Lauren Owens THE SENIOR MEN’S QUARTET consisting of Gordie Howe, Isaac Cohen, Kyle Brieschke and Nick Gordon harmonize at their spring performance at Westgate Chapel as the choir looks on.

Art plans trip to Italy Business tech goes Maverick most E li z abeth Strick Sta f f Wri te r The Northview Art Department is planning a trip to Italy in June 2008. Before going to Italy, students must be approved by the art teachers, Mr. Ryan Creech and Mrs. Terri Seal-Roth. “I want to take art students on this trip because it is a great learning experience. They will learn about Italian culture, history, and art. Also, the students will mature a lot while on this trip,” said Mrs. Seal-Roth. To be approved students needed two recommendation forms ﬁlled out by a teacher. Also, the students had to ﬁll out an information sheet about themselves and sign a code of conduct contract. Mr. Creech and Mrs. Seal-Roth will be taking a group of students and chaperones on a nine to 11 day trip. The trip is through EF Tours which provides a tour guide 24 hours a day to take the group around Italy. The art tour will visit Milan, Venice, Florence, Assisi, Rome, Vatican City and Pompeii.

Fitness challenges healthy eats M a x Filby Sta f f Wri te r

entrepreneurship Ryan Stansley Sports E di tor

This year in Business Tech I the students have been selected to participate in a Entrepreneurship Venture Program. This program was originated in Arizona where it was very successful and now business students at Northview are the second school to participate in it. The overall outlook of this program is to show young men and women the importance and difﬁculty of starting up their own business. It gives the students an opportunity to create their very own businesses that they will run on their own. Local business owner and entrepreneur Michael Temple brought this program to Sylvania. Temple is the coordinator of the program and every month the students involved have a meeting with Temple, Business Tech teacher Mrs. Sue Briddel, and their advisors.

Li z z y Breier Sta f f Wri te r

“ My partner and I are excited to see how our business will perform in the business world and we have great feelings about it.” - junior Chris Markho.

Strickland to remove college grant money Jackie Zureich

Can you eat ﬁve fruits and veggies a day? That’s what Health Careers classes challenged the Northview student body to do for the Fitness Challenge Part Two. Students were given survey forms to keep track of how many fruits and veggies they could eat in one day, according to Health Careers Foundations and med tech teacher Mrs. Dawn Soldner. Health careers students helped to give out around 500 free smoothies on April 20 during lunch periods in the commons. “Students enjoyed a free smoothie and walk around to look at educational displays on nutrition,” said Mrs. Soldner. No prizes were awarded due to a lack of actual participation in the Fitness Challenge Part Two, according to Mrs. Soldners. “I had a good time drinking smoothies in the commons,” said sophomore Sam Pierson. Sponsors for the Fitness Challenge Part Two included: Sofo’s, The Anderson’s and Flower Hospital.

The students that are involved have businesses like Ebay, a custom bumper stickers business, personal shopping, and many more. “Having this opportunity to be in charge of our own business is a great experience,” said junior Chris Markho. “My partner and I are excited to see how our business will perform in the business world and we have great feelings about it.” Along with having a business they must do all the other activities it takes to get the business to work. The most important thing was the Business Plan. The plan was presented to the venture capitalists that were in charge of awarding the students the money to get their business running. Depending on how their presentations go, the students can be rewarded up to $1500. “Having the money to get the business going will really help us. I’m excited to get it started and it will be a tremendous experience,” said junior Greg Holshoe.

expensive addition to Cedar Point

C o-E di tor On March 14, newly elected Governor Ted Strickland gave his State of the State address and announced his reform plans and new ideas for Ohio. His plans included several new proposals and budget cuts, including a plan to take away school vouchers and the Ohio Student Choice Grant, which has caused much controversy across the state. According to the Associated Press, with the money taken from the private school vouchers and the Ohio Student Choice Grant, Strickland plans to put it toward universal health care for children of lower income families, property tax cuts for the elderly so that they can stay at home instead of in nursing homes, and expanding Medicare to poorer families. “Universal healthcare is good because then everyone has an equal opportunity to receive medical attention, especially for children who deserve healthcare,” said sophomore Nick Ansara. Strickland hopes to eliminate “wastefulness”

by removing the Ohio Student Choice Grant and the vouchers and instead using the money to fund public schools directly and to give more need-based aid to college students, according to the Associated Press. He also has proposed that some of the money go toward public colleges and universities, if the schools agree to not increase tuition for the next year and only three percent for the year after. Republicans in the state legislature are curious as to how Strickland intends to raise funds for his ambitious ideas. He faced more criticism from House Speaker Jon Husted of Kettering, who is a strong advocate of the school voucher program. According to the Associated Press, Husted and other representatives in the state legislature will ﬁght Strickland on many of his proposals, but realize that the Democrats have the majority in both chambers. All in all, Strickland stated that his budget will be the tightest in 42 years and he warns Ohioans that they “should be prepared to sacriﬁce in order to restore the state’s lagging economy,” according to the Associated Press.

Cedar Point has made a new addition to their long list of awesome and stomach turning rides. Facing some last minute repairs and tests, the new thrill coaster is set to be unveiled to the public in June. The $21 million “Maverick” opens at a heart stopping 95-degree angle at speeds of up to 57 miles per hour, all while suspending riders ﬁve feet above the ground at times, according to Cedar Point’s website. “I’m so pumped for the new ride, but a little nervous for the intense drop,” said senior Zach Strauss. The ride is approximately 2:30 long and is located on the edge of Frontier Town. “It is sure to be a new favorite for ride enthusiasts,” added Strauss.

OPINIONS

M ay 29, 2007

Teen driving laws milder than they seem; keep roads safe

Driving, a privilege that all teenagers look forward to for as long as they can remember, so will the new restrictions prohibit our fun, absolutely not! Recently many people have been complaining about these new laws when in reality they are going to beneficial. The laws state that those under the age of 17 can drive with only one non family member unless accompanied by an adult, and that we are also prohibited from driving between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m, according to the Ohio DMV. Statistic’s show that vehicle crashes are the number one killer of people ages 16-20 in America, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. These provisions will provide a safer driving environment for all. From personal experience I’ve driven in cars packed with people with the music blaring and people screaming. While it can be fun driving around with all your friends with everyone enjoying themselves those situations are most definitely not the safest. We all love to hang out with friends but what’s the point of driving home at 2 a.m. In these situations I’m sure that it would just be easier to spend the night at your friend’s home instead of driving. Most likely we don’t need to be out at these hours of the night, so I don’t feel that these new restrictions are going to be harmful, instead they could actually cut down on accidents and prevent people from making poor decisions. The new laws also have exceptions for special cases such as emergencies and they also provide a pass if students are required to work those early mornings or late nights, according to the DMV. These laws are also flexible when it comes to instances such as special nights like Prom and other school activities. These restrictions are also only relevant, for the most part, to new and inexperienced drivers that are more likely to get into an accident. Although most of us get our licenses around our birthdays, increasing amounts of people are waiting. We procrastinate until we need it for a job or something important because we have the luxury of parents that drive us around, where as others just mooch off of their friends.

Megan Bringe

HAVING FUN IN sophomore Max Filby’s Honda in the parking lot are seniors Stephanie Sallah, Katie Litzer and Katie Reagan and sophomore Elizabeth Strick. New laws prohibit Filby from driving with a full car load. This just shows that these laws will have little or no impact on teen driving privileges. If people were so unhappy about these new laws then they would make better choices and drive safely resulting in fewer accidents and proving that these laws were unneeded. People need to just stop complaining about how these laws are “restricting there rights”. Driving is meant to be a privilege they you must earn. It was poor driving that caused such devastating accidents that prematurely

Radio DJ fired for racial slurs Don Imus recently got fired from CBS for making racist comments about the Rutgers Women’s Basketball Team. This firing is ridiculous because Imus has said many other controversial things on his show without ever getting hardly any media attention. “I think Imus being fired was the correct thing to do. When you have a radio station that millions of people listen to each day, you have to understand what you can and cannot say. Although I think the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team should thank him for all the publicity they got,” said senior Jon Sizemore. This situation could be compared to a student cheating on a test. When the student gets caught they are penalized immediately. Imus on the other hand has repeatedly said negative things on his radio show and obviously never got fired or in trouble publicly in the past. It does not make sense that he would get fired for this when everything else he said has not caused him to get into trouble. Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves said the words that Imus used affected not only the basketball team, but also all the colored women trying to take their stand in society, according to WTOL. Imus’ ratings have increased after this event. If he is given the opportunity to have a new show, which is very possible, it would become very popular and people would be interested in it because of his prior incident. Therefore, him being fired has done nothing to stop him from being a public figure and it really was not necessary to fire him. Imposing a fine would have been more realistic because it could have shown the public that he was being punished for what he said and it would have kept him on the radio, thus boosting his ratings. He will probably just switch to satellite radio and nothing will have been accomplished. Hopefully in the future, people will think about what happened to Don Imus and change their course action.

Sylvania Northview High School 5403 Silica Drive Sylvania, Ohio 43560 2006-2007 C o-Edi tor s-In- Chie f:

Wang Pan & Jackie Zureich Advisor: Sa r ah Flynn News Edi tor: Greg Adkins Fe ature s Edi tor: K ame l Ansa r a & K ristin Win ter s Photo Edi tor: Meredi th L odge Sports Edi tor: Ryan Stansley Edi tori a l Edi tor: K atie Li tzer Busine ss Edi tor: Neno Aou thm an y Sta ff Wri te r s: Me lissa Ben ton, Je ssica Be sset te, Li z z y Breier, Wil l C ousino, M a x Filby, Jamie H amilton, Tay lor He lberg, A shley McNair, Emily Nava rre, Ta r a Pate l, Ty ler Puhl, E amonn R eynolds, Ste ph anie Sa l l ah, E li z abeth Strick, M at t Wade, K atie Wambold, Kimm y Ya r k, Ye lena Zhernovski y, Meg an Bringe & gue st Me lissa C ohen Th e St u de n t P rin ts i s th e ofﬁci a l st uden t-produced n ewspa pe r of Sy lvani a North view High S chool. It is distribu ted mon thly at no ch a rge to serve the pur pose of in forming studen ts, facult y, sta ff, administr ation and the Sy lvani a communi t y of curren t issue s. The m ain goa l of The Prin ts is to pre sen t cover age of even ts in an unbi a sed and accur ate m anner. The pa pe r a l so re spects the opinions and ide a s of the en tire N V communi t y. Signed let ter s to the edi tor s a re encour aged and should be no longer th an 300 words. A l l let ter s can be turned in to the publications room, E-6. The Prin ts re serve s the righ t to edi t let ter s th at con tain gr amm atica l error s, accur ac y and profane or libe lous commen ts. The newspa pe r sta ff is en tire ly re sponsible for the con ten t of the pa per and supports the Fir st Amendmen t to the C onsti tu tion. Unsigned edi tori a ls published in The Prin ts a re wri t ten by sta ff membe r s, and agreed u pon by a m ajori t y vote of the edi tori a l boa rd. The Prin ts is ca re ful ly e x amined by i ts sta ff and advise r prior to publication to preven t incorrect or libe lous in form ation. The newspa pe r sta ff doe s not endor se advertisemen ts published in The Prin ts. Advertising speciﬁcations m ay be obtained by ca l ling (419) 824 -8708. The newspaper follows the Associ ated Press (A P) St ylebook guidelines for punctuation and gr amm a r. The Prin ts is a membe r of the Nationa l S chol a stic Pre ss A sso ci ation, the C olumbi a S chol a stic Pre ss A sso ci ation, Quil l and S crol l and the Gre at L a k e s In ter schol a stic Pre ss A sso ci ation.

take the lives of fellow students and caused the formation of these laws. If students could learn to drive responsibly, maybe some of the terribly high statistics claiming that teen drivers take the most lives could be eliminated. These laws are going to help students be safer drivers. It is not necessary to have 10 people squeezed into a car, nor is it necessary for teenagers to be out driving around past midnight. Maybe these laws will make the roads safer. ~Elizabeth Strick~

Strickland’s new policies unfair Recently Governor Ted Strickland announced his plans for reﬁning Ohio and this includes removing the Ohio Student Choice Grant. This grant is $900 given to any Ohio resident who chooses to stay in Ohio and attend a private university. It is very important because it is non-need based, thus it is given to the most deserving candidate. Strickland, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer, wants to “increase the number of Ohioans who graduate from college by 230,000 over the next 10 years.” This goal is great, but if Strickland really wants to increase Ohio graduates then getting rid of a grant that helps everyone, no matter what, is not going to assist him in meeting this goal. Since the program started in 1983, the percentage of Ohio residents attending independent colleges increased from 47% to 72%. Enrollment has increased for 21 years - currently more than 132,000 students attend an independent college or university, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. His plan seems counterproductive. He then wants to use the money to assist Ohio students who are needbased but that’s what the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is for. This grant, which is minimal compared to the actual cost of college, helps all students lessen the cost and therefore is an initiate for all Ohio students to stay in Ohio and attend school here. This point then leads into another reason why Strickland should keep the Ohio Student Choice Grant. If more students have a reason to stay in Ohio they would be more likely to stay and work in Ohio. This would help the economy in the state by providing new companies and ideas thus increasing jobs. If more people stay in Ohio we can increase the chances of improving the economy. Students need to band together to ﬁght this unjust policy. If he is taking away opportunities for everyone, voting or protesting needs to occur. Something needs to happen so Ohio does fall deeper into economic despair.

some column here

by Megan Firestone

Column mini headline here

This past weekend I was f lipping through the channels when I came across the movie Erin Brockovich. I began to watch and even though I’d seen parts of it before, this time it captured my interest more than ever. For those of you who are unaware of the movies’ plot, I suggest renting it, but if you don’t have the time then I’ll let you in on it. In 1993 a large corporation in California was sued (by Erin Brockovich) for using Chromium six in their productions. Not only was this harmful to the workers, but it later came to harm the local residents. This company was disposing of the chromium in illegal ways by tossing it into nearby wells or on the ground near the waterlines. This dangerous type of chromium began to seep through the ground into the waterlines and into the drinking water, pool water, and the bodies of people within that area causing death and illness. When the movie ended I was pumped up about our environment and how something so dangerous could be allowed to be used in production, or near people in general. So I took a deeper look into how often this stuff happens and if there were any local situations. Turns out there are. After talking to my grandfather, a farmer from the local area, I learned that within the past 20 years he has attended over 10 conferences, in Ohio, to discuss the use of dangerous chemicals being used or exposed to the outside society. He explained that often powerful companies get the “go ahead” to use the chemicals because they propose strategies that will keep the chemicals away from the surroundings. Yet I have to ask . . . where does it end up? Or if they do put it somewhere “safe” how do they check years later to make sure it’s still safe? It seems outrageous to think that people who are in control of our water, our health and other important things might be taking advantage of their power, or not taking it seriously enough to look into what is TRULY best for the community. The public needs to be aware of what companies are using what chemicals and how they are being disposed of. The public as a whole needs to realize how important this is and how much of an effect this could have on our community if something like chromium-six was not properly disposed of. The only way to know that we are not at risk is to make sure that information is made public. So by now I’m sure you’re thinking “okay Meg, this information is boring,” and I know it is a little bit, but I want everyone to be aware of the crazy things that can occur in this world - even in our “safe” American country.

Letter to the Editor In a recent letter to the editor a NV reader wrote, “. . . to have mimicked guns in a story about the VT shootings is unprofessional and inexcusable.” This reference is to Issue #8’s page 3 Pro/Con entitled “Restrictions not the solution” and had a photo of the author, Greg Adkins, posing with his ﬁngers pointed like guns. We would like to apologize to our readership, the author of this letter is correct, our photo was inappropriate. At the time we took the photo we had forgotten that the column mentioned and was prompted by the Virginia Tech shootings and we were centering in on the Gun Control policies that it discussed instead. We did not intend to take gun violence lightly and we apologize. - The Editors and Staff of the Student Prints

“Reckle s s Op” by Elizabet h Strick

OPINIONS

M ay 29, 2007

Rhyme &Reason by Will Cousino

Afternoon Escapades

As the advancing summer heat bakes the interiors of our cars on these sunny days, we restlessly march from class to class anticipating the beckoning of these spring afternoons. The boundless promise of a beautiful day beneath the clear blue skies is overcoming students’ concentration on the lingering demands of school. Since the Advance Placement Exams have come and gone and with them our desire to study, I recommend getting outdoors as much as possible. In my quest to find relief from the monotony of stressful college entrance exam preparation I investigated some great outdoor escapes. Start by locating your inner entrepreneur and set up a vending stand. Slam that study book shut and roller blade over to your local grocery store to pick up some Kool-Aid mix. It’s imperative to buy the grape flavor in large quantities since the kids that tricycle in your neighborhood only want the good stuff. Besides the young ones, other prospective customers include joggers. It takes a true salesperson to make a sale over the deafening blare of the runners’ iPods. Once you have their attention tell them it’s Propel fitness water. Should this become your main strategy I would recommend putting your product on wheels and relocating often to avoid dissatisfied patrons demanding refunds due to unhappiness with their “Propel.” When thirst and curiosity bring the kids to your pitcher of cold grape Kool-Aid give them a free sample and once they’re hooked charge them a buck for a Dixie cup of the refreshing drink. I will warn you that frustration may set in quickly if sales go poorly. One may experience the urge to throw coins at the obnoxious drivers that smile and wave without stopping or are too ashamed to make any eye contact whatsoever. If you do make the mistake of letting rage overtake your emotions and hit a car with a quarter, drop everything and run, but make sure to gulp down the last of the grape Kool-Aid first. The next activity on the list is the ultimate challenge. Everyone has aspirations to leave their mark on Northview’s spirit rock. A large part of the fun and excitement of spray-painting the rock is the anonymity that accompanies the act. Therefore, those that wish to remain unknown typically steal down Silica Drive in the dead of night to tag their message on the rock. Such people are undeniably clever and cool, however, really cool people would write an anonymous message in broad daylight. This task is impossible without a veteran team of lookouts posted on every avenue of approach. To avoid suspicion give your lookouts a false pretense of cleaning up trash on Silica. Allot a considerable amount of time for this afternoon activity; traffic could interrupt the process and lower your speed to a half a word per minute. Eventually, parents begin to wonder why your backpack sits untouched in your room as you frolic in the warm temperatures outside. It’s time to play the educational card. It’s undoubtedly fun to make short films with your friends, so dazzle your parents with the phrase, “We’re making a documentary.” With gas prices light-years beyond our wallets’ reach, I recommend unicycling to downtown Sylvania. This thoroughfare has limitless opportunities for young documentary filmmakers. To encounter the least number of questions from those you intend to film, assume an identity change into international exchange students creating a film in your native language. Visit Burnham, the library, the courthouse and the fire department with your rolling camera. Feign ignorance and all the dumbfounded locals will be able to do is smile and nod as you ramble on in an unintelligible pseudo-language. For the extreme sport and adventurous rafters I would strongly recommend planning a trip down the Ten Mile Creek. Several enterprising seniors have experienced the phenomenal rush of high water rafting down the creek’s roaring waters. In the final weeks at school, a crew team or white water rafting club could be organized. Little or no experience is necessary. A raft and life vests are the only essential pieces of equipment necessary for this daring afternoon jaunt. It would be wise to have extra clothes and a dry towel ready at the end of the rapids in case the torrential stream mastered your tiny $20 raft from WalMart and pitched you overboard. Be sure to take advantage of the thrilling rafting opportunity while the rains are still prevalent or you may find yourself bogged down in shallow mud. My final novel suggestion is best saved for last, as it can only be effectively accomplished by those that tackled the four- three tasks and are bold enough for the last. Part of the afternoon must be set aside for thorough reconnaissance to locate a friendly neighbor with a large pool. If you’ve found a home meeting such a requirement you have the perfect place to play a lightning fast pick-up game of co-ed inner tube water polo. Hop into the pool with a cry of fury, play the first to score wins and beat it out of Dodge before the homeowners know what hit them. It is noteworthy that co-ed inner tube water polo is a recognized intramural sport at the University of Virginia as well as Ohio University.

Activities Day

Better than alternatives Everywhere I turn, people are groaning about the “activities day” that has been tacked on to the end of our school year. I, however, realize that we are lucky to have a game day instead of three exams or a typical school day. I would hate to spend the previous weekend studying for more exams or having to attend normal classes after the seniors have already graduated. Plus, if people need to miss activities day for a pre-planned family vacation or camps, they won’t have to worry about making up work or exams. Since we have to follow the law, why not make the most of it? I think it is clever to turn this extra required day into a laid back seven hours of food and games. Additionally, the homework-free snow/cold/fog days were definitely worth it. Many snow ball fights, movie outings, shopping sprees, sushi snacks and sledding escapades would be lost without them. And who didn’t enjoy the last 70 degree “fog” day? After a stressful week it was really nice to take a break from school and go rollerblading in the beautiful weather. And don’t forget there are no grades riding on the activity day. That means we can relax!!!! Remember elementary school when we had Field Day? Those were great and I remember looking forward to them for months. This is not a field day, but it is as close as it gets in high school. School is not so horrible if you take out the work, tests and stress but keep the friends, laughs and food and mix in some games. It will also be better if there aren’t so many complaints. After looking at the benefits, it would be pretty crazy to complain about activities day. - Tara Patel

- my cents -

“I would rather be ac!” tive somewhere else Harsha Patel, junior

What a waste of time!

So what exactly is Activities Day? It’s a pointless school day likely to achieve a new record low attendance for Northview. Students are more likely to call in sick or get a fake medical excuse than waste a whole day on unexciting activities. There is no value or use to having a full school day after all the grades and exams are finished. The extra day of school should be implemented before exams in order to make up for lost time in the classroom. Who cares if exams are broken up by the weekend? Students could benefit from having an extra day to study. Why not at least schedule a two hour delay? It still counts as a full day of school and students can sleep in. Activities day will also be a burden to NV staff members. The extra day will force the cafeteria to reopen after exams, serving leftover food likely to be less than desirable. What activities could be so great that a whole day of school needs to be wasted? Students will feel unmotivated and uninterested in pointless activities. High school students are too old to fully enjoy a field day like we did in elementary school. I know I speak for the entire student body when I say I would much rather be at home sleeping in or swimming. - Max Filby

What do you think about “Activities Day?” “It’s pointless for us to show up. Grades don’t even count.” -Amanda Krohn, sophomore

A BIG thank you to the following merchants for helping out with the NV campus cleanup held by the women’s soccer team on May 15 and 16. Sylvania Hardware (Sylvania Ave.) Donated: Preen Weed Preventer Jimmy Johns Sandwiches (Monroe St.) Provided half price subs! Thank you so much for your support!

I think it’s stupid. We’re too old for fun days and we could be out enjoying the day.”” -Abby Reeb, freshman

Correction

for ‘Change in NHS policy biased’ editorial appearing in issue #8 May 11 • the editorial made it sound like the point system was a new policy, it has been in place for many years helping the NHS board determine if students have “character” and “leadership”. • the editorial stated that participating in the musical or a play is worth half a point, however it is worth a full point just like sports. • outside of school sports such as water polo and lacrosse are not worth points because they are not school afﬁliated.

F E AT U R E S

M ay 29, 2007

Physics classes test their cardboard boats Wil l C ousino Sta ff Wri te r Upperclassmen competed in the annual physics boat race May 18 in the Northview natatorium. Mr. Jonathan “Doc” Engel’s physics classes were put into groups of three and assigned to build a boat constructed of refrigerator cardboard boxes, duct tape, visqueen wrap and hot glue, according to senior AP Physics student Patrick McEwen. The boats constructed were above and beyond a model yacht— students designed their vessels to hold (and balance) three students making them at least six feet from bow to stern. As a new rule, the boats could not be rafts. Students were graded on several criteria. Mr. Engel assessed each craft’s ability to remain buoyant without being touched, to ﬂoat with three crew members aboard and the success of the ship’s maiden voyage across the 25 meter pool. “Students really look forward to the races every year. Some kids really work their tails off and learn about buoyancy and problem solving while having fun,” said Mr. Engel. Boats’ designs varied. Every group went to the drawing board with different goals in mind. Many boats bore a resemblance to a canoe, many were long, thin and tapered while others were box shaped. “We were under heavy pressure to ﬁnish our boats,” said McEwen, “Rachel, Brad and I spent 30 man-hours on ours after Prom and the AP test.”

As many groups discovered through the course of the day, the speed for which they designed their boat often compromised the stability and integrity of the boat. “No fewer than four ships capsized throughout the day. Exactly one in each of Doc’s class periods sank. Ryan Connolly and Mike Pelechaty went overboard in my class,” said McEwen. Fortunately for the ill-fated crews, lifeguards were standing by on duty to rescue distressed swimmers. The speed-oriented ship that sank in McEwen’s AP Physics class was designed for easy paddling which made the buoyancy of the boat precarious. The ship ﬂoated for 15 seconds before it became waterlogged and started to list. The problem compounded as more water breached the boat and sent it to the bottom of the drink. Mr. Engel’s fastest students proved to be juniors Austin Armstrong, Chris Easton and Joe Boettner as they completed the length in 16.85 seconds. In second place for the day was the senior team of Kevin Okapal, Wes Jones, Jason Earp and Chase Yacko with a competitive time of 19.50 seconds. In the six years of the annual race the record time was set by the class of 2005 with a time of 15.11 seconds, according to Mr. Engel. The party barge capacity record is a stunning 15 students, considering the boats are meant for three. Students that were unfortunate enough to capsize lost points on the overall project, according to McEwen. However, for the sake of simple clean up, Mr. Engel offered ﬁve points of extra credit if the boats were taken to the dumpsters in the parking lot.

Photos by Katie Litzer SUCCESSFULLY PADDLING THEIR BOAT are juniors Nathan Fager and Jordan Kuyoth. PLACING THEIR BOAT in the water are seniors Adam Goldberg and Jeff Sharp and junior Lauren Owens with some help from Physics teacher Mr. Engel. PADDLING THEIR BOAT are senior Eric Roebke, and juniors Andy Newman and Jon Mutchler.

Summer Concert Preview DTE Energy Music Theatre Detroit, MI 5/27 6:00 pm- Honda Civic Tour featuring Fall Out Boy 6/16 7:30 pm- The Fray 8/23 7:00 pm- Dave Matthews

Toledo Toledo Zoo Toledo, OH

7/30 7:30pm- Sheryl Crow

Nationwide Arena Columbus, OH

The Palace Detroit, MI

6/1 8:00 pm- Gwen Stefani

7/18 7:30 pm- Tim McGraw & Faith Hill “Soul 2 Soul”

Lucas County Fairgrounds Maumee, OH 8/11 7:00 pm- Travis Tritt

Germain Amphitheater Columbus, OH 6/2 7:00 pm- Kenny Chesney

Here’s To T he Night

PROM 2007

4 here’s to the night

PROM 2007 Seniors Kevin Li, Jack Piazza, and Jeff Sharp gamble and play cards for fake money.

PROM 2007

4 here’s to the night

Seniors Jeffery Hensien, Alli Weber, and Alex Box smile for the camera during the dance.

PROM 2007

Seniors Sam Coyle, Danton Crosser, Jarad Connor, Kristin Winters, Brad Domby, and Kamel Ansara get ready to play laser tag.

4 here’s to the night

PROM 2007

PROM 2007 here’s to the night

Junior Tara Peta and seniors Hassan Tausif and Matt Verdin converse about Matt’s boutinear.

PAPPOULIS PIZZA 5127 S MAIN ST. SYLVANIA 419.882.6979 OPEN 6 DAYS A WEEK 4 PM - 12 AM CLOSED ON MONDAYS PIZZA GYRO PASTA CHICKEN WINGS BEER WINE

4 here’s to the night

Senior Chase Banachoski, junior Carleigh Pase, senior Harry Schoettley, and his date from Southview embrace for a quick picture.

4 here’s to the night

the nigh

4 here’s to

PROM 2 007

PROM 2007

Senior Matt Cook enjoys the air obstacles during after prom.

4 here’s to the nig

Senior Scott Lewis and his date junior Megan Ozarzak pose for a picture during a slow dance.

PROM 2007

4 here’s to the night

Senior Mason Nistel, freshman Laura Guiness, freshman Jacqueline Barne s. and senior Wang Pang have a blast during prom.

4 here’s to the night

PROM 2007

Senior Morgan Owens dances and has a good time at prom with all her friends.

During A fter Prom senior Katie Reagan gets her cartoon drawn by an artist.

PROM 2007

4 here’s to the night

May 12 , 2007

Senior Aman Goyal smiles brilliantly with junior Alana Hatcher.

Senior Issac Cohen and his date sophomore Jessica Bennett slow dance to the theme song.

F E AT U R E S

M ay 29, 2007

SP ORTS

Baseball slides through NLL M at t Wade Sta f f Wri te r

Nicole Munch

SPRINTING DOWN THE BASELINE leaving a cloud of dust in his wake is junior Mike “Ginger” Schaffer in the Wildcats’ game against Southview.

Girl’s LAX out after ﬁrst round

Spitting sunf lower seeds, the joy of watching America’s pastime, listening to Backstreet Boys as junior Mike Schaffer takes the plate. Yes that’s right sports fans Northview baseball is back and they have done some damage this spring. For the first time in school’s history the team traveled to Florida to compete in a nationwide tournament at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex. Going one and three at the tournament competing against the nation’s top tier teams is a great accomplishment. After their tournament in Florida the Cats caught fire winning nine out of their next 12 games. Big wins included Start, Southview, and Perrysburg while the only loses during this streak were to Clay and Anthony Wayne twice. “The second Anthony Wayne game was a killer, we had it and let it slip away,” said senior Zach Strauss. The Wildcats now were ready to enter the state playoffs. Their first round match up was against city league opponent Waite Indians. The Cats routed the Indians winning 18-0 but now had to face the state ranked St. John’s Titans. Senior Brian Koehl pitched a gem but was unable to get enough offense to back him up as they lost 8-2. Senior Matt Colville provided offense going two for three with an RBI. With their play off dreams over they lost a heartbreaker to Perrysburg 16-6 in a game that should not have been as bad as the outcome. “Our heads weren’t in the Perrysburg game, we should not have lost to them, let alone by ten runs,” said junior Eddie Bellanca. The Cats got back on track beating the Bowling Green Bobcats twice in two days. Sophomore Mike Epstein led the Wildcats over the two game stretch going 4-6 with three RBI’s. The next opponent for the Cats was a double header against the Central Catholic Fighting Irish. NV split with the Irish losing 6-1 in the first game but winning 7-6 in the second. Senior Derek Andrzejczak had a good day going 3-6 knocking in three RBI’s.

Ryan Stansley Sports E di tor Northview High School is one of two schools in the area that allow students to play lacrosse for the club Sylvania lacrosse team. Along with Northview, the Sylvania team is joined with girls from Southview as well. Girl’s lacrosse is very different from boy’s lacrosse. The biggest difference between the two sports is that the girls wear no protective equipment at all. The only protecting pads they wear are eye guards, while gloves are optional. Another big difference is that body checking is not allowed and if a check does occur there will be a one-minute penalty for the player who committed the foul. The nature of the game encourages all players to play both offense and defense. The game is played with 11 field players and a goalie. Field players are usually labeled as line attack, line defense, and midfielders. Girl’s lacrosse is played in two halves, with the clock running continuously, stopping only after goals and for each whistle during the last two minutes of a half. This year the Sylvania girl’s lacrosse team did well enough to make an appearance in the state tournament with the first playoff game occurring on May 17. The Girl’s met Ottawa Hills in the first game of the tournament who was seeded fourth in the northern region. The Golden Bears were too much for Sylvania though as they won 8-6. “We really came together as a team and played harder than we had all season,” said junior Aleaha Violanti. The year was lead by senior veteran Jessica Wirick who was responsible for organizing her team from conditioning, to practices at Pacesetter and games. The Lady Leafs put up valiant fights agains rivals Notre Dame and St. Ursula, however, these programs proved too consistent to beat this season.

M ay 29, 2007

Spring sports wrap it up Ty ler Puhl Sta f f Wri te r

Girls Track The Northview Girls Track Team started the season with high hopes, even though it was a young team. The team was balanced with sprinters and distance runners. The sprinters were led by senior Nikki Klahn, who had a good showing in States by ﬁnishing ﬁfth in the 400-meter dash. Joining Klahn on the 4x100 meter relay were sophomores Alison Judge, Martha Fitzgerald, and Noël Luther. The mid-distance runners also had a successful season running the 400-meter dash. The 4x400 meter relay was comprised of senior Alison Malik, sophomores Judge and Fitzgerald, and freshman Stephanie Yarnell. The long distance team was a very young one, but one of the more successful teams in the past couple of years. Freshmen Morgan Hojnacki, Alex Klein, Merideth Wagner, and Nicole Mangas all had a great season individually and running the 4x800 relay. The pole vaulters for the girls were led by junior Sarah Mignin and sophomore Libby Kalanquin. “We are really young, but we improved a lot and ended having a good season. I hope we can continue this on to next year,” said Luther.

Boys LAX The Sylvania Lacrosse team was expected to have a successful year, even though the team lost a very talented senior class from the year before. The team overcame these odds and this has been one of the biggest years in Sylvania Lacrosse history. The captains of the team are seniors Sean Welsh, Chase Banochowski and junior Ryan Stansley who are also three key players on the team. Stansley leads the team in goals with 41 and 19 assists, while Welsh and Banochowski have been solid all year long as starters at midﬁeld and attack, respectively. The defense has been led juniors Dan Bryan and Tom Barber and sophomore Charlie Rollins. They have tightened up the back to help Leafs to their 13-6 record. The highlight of the season has been beating rivals St. Johns Titans 8-7. This would be the second win for the Leafs over St. Johns since 1996. With the successful season that they’ve had, Sylvania is now ranked number one in the north part of the state. “We have had a great season and hope to go deep into the playoffs,” said Barber.

Boys Tennis

Grace Ramsdell

RETURNING A SERVE is senior Chase Yacko as teammate senior Michael Judge postitions for a return. Yacko and his doubles partner senior Matt Garone went to NLLs and Sectionals, ﬁnishing third in each match. Yacko also represented NV at Districts.

Boys tennis hoped to have a successful year by returning six seniors to help lead the team. Mike Judge, Chase Yacko, Matt Garone, Kevin Li, Cam Smith, and Jack Piazza all returned to try to finish their senior year on a high note. A highlight of the season was the play of the doubles team consisting of Garone and first year player Yacko. The duo finished third in the NLL and third in the sectional tournament as well. They suffered a tough loss to Clay in the District tournament in the first round to end their season. “It was a great year. Meeting new people and playing a new sport made it really fun,” said Yacko.

SP ORTS

M ay 29, 2007

Boys track races to ﬁnish strong in NLLs

PUSHING AHEAD OF HIS opponents is freshman Tyler James. Freshman and other underclassmen played a big part for both boys and girls track.

Wil l C ousino Sta f f Wri te r On May 1 ominous clouds slowly dominated the sky as the afternoon wore on and the boys track and field athletes anxiously awaited the news whether or not their meet with rival Southview was to be cancelled. The Wildcats were 3-3 in the N.L.L. that afternoon, eagerly waiting for the opportunity to improve that record to 4-3, according to junior Nick Esbin. Victories over Bowling Green, Springfield and Rossford have bolstered the team’s prospects for success at NLL Championships on May 9 and 11. “This track season has been my best yet with fantastic upperclassmen leadership and so many underclassmen stepping up to fill gaps,” said senior hurdler Mason Nistel. As the Wildcats and Cougars converged and prepared to square off on May 1 they were able to complete one event before the tumultuous weather blew in. NV’s two 4 x 8 relay teams (four men running a total 800 meters) beat the competition in their heat in a display of dominance in this distance event, according to junior Oliver Cooper. “Soon after our relay, the tornado sirens wailed over the track and heavy rain cascaded from the clouds; we even saw a funnel cloud,” said Esbin. The meet was cancelled and athletes and spectators scattered. However, the distance track runners remained behind. “Coach Deye was determined to get in a workout since our meet was cancelled,” said Esbin. “Only after several lightning flashes did he agree we ought to get indoors.” Since mid-March track, like all spring sports, has been at the mercy of the inclement weather. In the field senior Scott Lewis and junior Will Hinton have proven to be the team’s strongest shot put and discus athletes. Senior Ryan Connolly and junior Marcalis Quinones have become the team’s most consistent sprinters, according to Esbin. The team also boasts exciting freshman talent with runner Jacob Barnes who is the fastest freshman in the state with his 4:35 mile and sub ten-minute two-mile event. The 4x8 relay took first at NLLs to the thrill of the entire team, according to Esbin. Districts were hosted by St. Francis de Sales on Bancroft street on May 10 and 12. The Wildcats’ talented 4 x 8 relay team of freshman Jacob Barnes, sophomore Kyle Babcock, junior Nick Esbin and senior Austin Hendrix took the victorious advance to Regionals, in addition to junior Will Hinton qualifying in the disc and shotput events.

photo by Mason Nistel

Softball teams up to close out the year

NBA Playoffs get groove back

Meg an Fire stone

M at t Wade

Sta f f Wri te r The softball season is slowly coming to a close, but weather problems continue to delay it’s ending. This year the NV Wildcat Softball team started out strong, but the rest of the season seemed to be a struggle with continuous batting and ﬁelding errors. Coach Schneider worked on brushing up these skills and pushed the team hard all the way up to the

State tournament, where the Wildcats played Start and won 5-0. In the district semi-ﬁnals they came face to face with Whitmer and lost 2-0. “We still played pretty well, they we’re just a tough team and we couldn’t seem to make contact with the ball that day, and Whitmer did go on to win the tournament,” said senior, Mimi Sayre. The team is still in good spirits for their upcoming games with Southview and Maumee, and plan on ending the season strong.

Melissa Cohen

TEAMING UP BEFORE A GAME are senior Annie Durkin and the ladykat softball team. They huddled with team spirit to get psyched before every game.

Sta f f Wri te r In the most anticipated NBA playoffs since Magic vs. Bird the Western conference looked to dominate the playoffs as they did most of the season. With arguably four out of the top five teams coming from the West it would be a grueling task to say the least. The top three MVP candidates (Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki) also reside in the West. The Pistons of the Eastern Conference have really been the only team given the shot to beat any Western team. As expected in the first round of the playoffs the Western conference did not disappoint. Everyone’s nu mb er one seed Dallas Mavericks were upended by the eight seeded Golden St ate Wa rriors in what some are saying as the biggest upset in NBA playoff history. The Phoenix Suns took care of the LA Lakers beating them four games to one handedly. Despite losing the first game the San Antonio Spurs rallied to win the next four to down the Denver Nuggets. In the closest series in the West the Houston Rockets were defeated by the Utah Jazz four games the three. On the Eastern side of the bracket the brooms were out in full effect. The Cleveland Cavaliers swept the injury stricken Washington Wizards. The Chicago Bulls swept last years champion Miami Heat. Finally, the Detroit Pistons did the deed sweeping the Orlando Magic. In the only series not to be a 4-0 sweeping was the New Jersey Nets outlasting the Toronto Raptors in a four game to two series. After the Golden State Warriors’ huge first round upset of the Dallas Mavericks, the Utah

Jazz made quick work of the Warriors beating them four games to one and advancing to the Western Conference Finals. In the other western conference series it was more of a boxing match then a basketball game. In the waning moments of game one Phoenix’s Mr. Everything, Steve Nash, slammed heads with Spurs’ guard Tony Parker. Nash’s nose gushed blood and set the tone for an aggressive series. In game four when the game was all but won by the Suns Spurs’ forward Robert Horry hip checked Nash into the scores table creating a huge eruption by the Suns’ bench. A new rule in the NBA, due to too many fights, restricts players from leavi ng the bench. Suns’ players Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw broke this rule and were suspended one game. Horry was suspended two games for his hard foul. Losing Stoudemire and Diaw on a questionable ruling was too much for the Suns to handle as they fell to the Spurs four games to two. In the Eastern Conference it looked like much of the same in the first round as the Pistons and the Cavs were up three games to zero in their series. The Bulls were able to stay alive and win two games in a row but the play-off proven Pistons ended the series in game six, advancing to their fifth straight Eastern Conference finals. Like the Bulls the Nets avoided getting swept by the Cavs winning two games making the series competitive at three games to two but the Cavs put away the Nets making it to their first conference final in 15 years. In what looks to be a rematch of the 2005 championship game the Spurs and Pistons have jumped out to early leads in their conference finals. Although the way these playoffs have been going anything can happen.

“ The Detroi t Pistons of the E a stern C on ference h ave re a l ly been the on ly te am gi ven the shot to be at an y We ste rn te am.”