Volume 81: Issue 4

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

The

Issue #4

December 19, 2006

NEWS Pages 1 & 2

EDITORIALS Pages 3 & 4 Are you sick of Holiday music? page 4

Med Tech hosts Fitness Challenge page 2

NV offers help for drug abuse

Ye lena Zhe rnovski y Sta ff Wri te r

While disciplinary referrals are down for the school year, there are currently 1268 referrals compared with 1307 at this time last year, tobacco violations, out-of-school suspensions and Saturday Schools are up.

With the increased number of drug violations and violent offenses at Northview, many are wondering what is being done to help and reprimand students.

At NV, if a student is caught taking drugs they are suspended for 10 days and are required to get an assessment by Mr. Bill Geha, the Drug Prevention and Intervention Coordinator, or any other certified drug counselor before they return to school. Further actions or classes are not required beyond the assessment.

The school cannot force students to seek treatment. If students do decide to seek treatment, classes run by the Sylvania Satellite Program at Burnham can run up to $198 per week, according to a packet given to administrators about the program.

Students caught doing drugs at school are recommended for immediate expulsion.

Assistant Principal of Discipline, Ms. Teri Schwartz, said, “Students are blatantly breaking the rules and they will be reprimanded for their actions. We are effectively catching students and working to reduce the drug usage at NV.” Violent offenses, such as a fight, result in a suspension and recommendation for conflict resolution, upon the student’s return to school.

“Personally, I hate drugs, I don’t think anyone should have then at school or anywhere else,” said sophomore Sweta Rao.

Jazz Band annual Christmas concert E li z abeth Strick Sta f f Wri te r The Jazz Band and Jazz Cats held their annual Christmas concert on December 5 at 7:30pm in the Little Theatre to the theme Swingin’ In The Season.

The Jazz Band performed mostly Christmas songs with a jazz twist. These included Blues In The Closet, Jingle Bells, Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, Deck The Halls-And All That Jazz and Dance To The Music.

The Jazz Cats played A String of Pearls, Winter Wonderland, Feliz Navidad, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, What’d I Say, The Incredibles main theme and the Sesame Street theme.

“Although the Sesame Street theme is a children’s song it is a very neat jazz piece,” said Director Mr. Eugene Bohland.

Jazz Band and Jazz Cats are two different bands. “The Jazz Band is like the varsity team and the Jazz Cats is like the junior varsity,” said Mr. Bohland.

Both bands meet to practice after school on Mondays and Wednesdays. It is considered a class and the participants receive a fourth of a credit for the year.

“We call it tenth period. We play after school until 3:30,” said sophomore Jazz Cats member Alex Miller.

The Jazz Band expects to have two more concerts this year, according to Miller. They will both be during the spring.

Volume 81

FEATURES Pages 5 & 6 Check out holiday movie reviews page 5

SPORTS Pages 7 & 8 Girls Basketball off to a good start page 8

NHS drive collects 164 units Tay lor He lberg Sta ff Wri te r The National Honor Society blood drive sponsored by the American Red Cross on December 1 donated a total of 164 units, with 145 new donors, and 181 presenters, the best turn out Northview has ever seen.

According to an American Red Cross nurse, NV is always one of the busiest schools, but has some of the kindest and most thoughtful students.

“The blood drive was such a great success. It made me so proud, especially hearing those words from the nurse,” said NHS advisor Mrs. Fran Borchers.

There were even more people who wanted to donate, but the American Red Cross nurses got so behind, people had to be turned away. Donors at the cut off had to stay after school for up to an hour.

It took months of planning by the NHS Blood Drive Committee, made up of the NHS officers and six elected NHS members.

They started planning by attending an informational course at Bowling Green State University in September. There, they were given helpful tips on how to sponsor a blood drive and different ideas for themes. This is where the committee came up with the theme of LIFE. The theme of the blood drive was published on everything. There were pink post cards sent to every student’s home to inform parents and family members about donating. NV also welcomed adult donors, including teachers. The committee put up posters they created and were supplied with from the American Red Cross around school and in downtown Sylvania.

“It really wasn’t as horrible as everyone made it out to be. I really liked the hand holding buddies; it was a good support system. Patrick McEwen was my savior,” said senior Morgan Owens.

The blood drive committee met every Tuesday from October until the day of the blood drive. The committee members were split into chairmen of specific jobs. Seniors Eric Graber and Mimi Sayre were food coordinators in charge of food donations. Seniors Justin Kruger and Mary Dickerson were in charge of the publicity. Dickerson also came up with the NHS blood drive t-shirt design. Senior Taylor Helberg was

Meredith Lodge SQUEEZING A STRESS BALL to relax his veins is senior Justin Bailey. The gymnasium was packed with dozens of students donating blood or anxiously waiting. in charge of NHS volunteers and their specific jobs on the day of the blood drive. Senior Jamie Schaffer was in charge of scheduling the donors. Senior Kevin Okapal was in charge of getting volunteers to help him unload and load the American Red Cross equipment before and after school. Seniors Cara Singer, Adam Wilson, and Hassan Taussif helped everyone along the way. Singer took charge of the very popular blood drops on donors’ lockers.

Food was donated from a variety of places around town including Schlotsky’s Deli, Max & Erma’s, Papa Johns, Marco’s Pizza, Giant Eagle, Bassette’s, Sofo’s, Café Donuts, Barry Bagels, Jimmy Johns, Frickers, Ping On, and Brieschke’s Bakery.

“The theme was well picked and the food was

excellent. My favorite was the pizza,” said senior Adam Cappelletty.

The process was the same as it had been all the previous years.

“I thought the process took a long time. There was a lot of waiting. The NHS workers helped out thought and made everyone feel less nervous,” said senior Lauren Kotlarczyk.

New this year, participants who qualified could donate two units. These donors were connected to a machine.

“After donating, I felt really dizzy and weak, but I felt good because I knew it was for a good cause. I like the fact that I got out of the class to save three people’s lives,” said senior Eric Lee.

SG charity drive helps 131 kids A shley McNair

Sta ff Wri te r Northview’s Student Government chose 136 kids from the Sylvania Area Family Services, SAFA, better known as Huntington Community Center, as their charity for the season.

This year they chose SAFA over past year’s Mom’s house because they thought it would affect the Sylvania community. They have been successful in helping 131 children in Sylvania. “I believe helping children in the Sylvania area is great because most organizations forget that in our own city we have trouble,” said junior Susan Sedique.

Student Government has always had homeroom classes take part in the event, but this year they had first hour classes taking part. “We felt it would be under better control and it would be easier to meet and talk if it was held during first period,” said sophomore Grant Evans.

Everybody was thrilled that all teachers but three with a first hour class had decided to help in this great cause.

The administration, cafeteria staff, secretaries, and guidance counselors have participated as well, each group having five children, according to Mrs. Paula Werner.

Each class took at least five children, though some took more, Mrs. Heather Tussing’s t hour class took ten children.

Since every class had such high participation, the children for SAFA were able to receive three or more gifts for this upcoming Christmas. Student Government was required to only give one gift “I think it is great that NV was able to go above and beyond the minimum,” said senior Olivia Culver.

Not only were gifts collected for the children, but toiletry items such as soap, toilet paper, and deodorant was brought in for the SAFA to use.

“This is a great way for these families to receive find toiletry items since food stamps do not allow people to buy these items,” said Mrs. Jennifer Owens.

The 41 members in Student Government were each assigned a first our teacher.

Members were first given their own first hour teacher, extra teachers were then divided up. During the week before the gathering, members had to check on each teacher and the involvement of their class.

All students either had one or two teachers to follow up on during the charity weeks. The classes helped by collecting the gifts for their chosen children as well as wrapping the gifts, according to Mrs. Jennifer Owens All members wrapped the extra gifts, loaded the gifts into trucks, and then delivered the gifts to SAFA, on December 14 after school. Student Government has spent many hour taking part in this and the advisors are pleased not only with the members of student government but all the volunteers that have taken part.

Meredith Lodge PACKING UP A BAG full of presents is senior Kevin Li, a Student Government cabinet member.

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N EWS

Decembe r 19, 2006

Orchestras It was a Madrigal evening for choir combine for winter concert Je ssica Be sset te Sta ff Wri te r

Ta r a Pate l

Sta f f Wri te r Orchestra let the holidays ring with music at 7 p.m on December 12 in the Little Theater.

Top members of the Wind Ensemble combined with Chamber Orchestra and top members of Concert Band combined with Concert Orchestra to create full symphonies.

The Concert Symphony performed first and started the concert with Allegro in D for Strings by Vivaldi.

The well known piece Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera and Soaring through the Ionian Skies by Robert W. Smith followed.

Freshman trumpeter Nathan Miklovic was featured in a variation of Let it Snow!, which was the Concert Symphony’s last piece.

The Chamber Symphony performed for the second half of the concert.

In the Bleak Midwinter, a band oriented piece, starred members of the wind ensemble on solos. Soloists include sophomore oboist Aileen Sayre and junior clarinetist Emily Hage.

“I was super nervous at first, but I ended up playing my part really well,” said Hage.

Fantasia on Greensleeves by Saint-Saens featured sophomore harpist Andrea Darmakahsih who blended chords with sophomore flute soloist Sierra Roby and senior violin soloist Katherine Kim. The intense and fast paced Bachanalle was next and was largely dominated by string and brass instruments and Percussion.

The concert ended on a festive note with the popular Sleigh Ride, which is played every year. Both symphonies played this piece, causing musicians to cover the stage and the floor below it.

Members of the audience were impressed by the performances.

“I thought the concert was absolutely amazing.

I loved the combination of band and orchestra, they should definitely do that more often,” said audience member junior Monica Betz.

Because the Fall Play was one week later than usual, space to practice was limited and the band and orchestra were only able to rehearse for one week, half the time they usually receive.

“For not rehearsing that much, we pulled off a great concert,” said junior Michelle Reardon.

After the concert, members of the symphonies headed to Major Magic’s for pizza, games and student chosen awards.

Challenge Cats help charity with Rock Paper Scissors Me lissa Ben ton

A Capella and Harmony Road Show students from Northview traveled back in time to the medieval era on October 10 at 3:30 PM and 7 PM at the Clarion Hotel.

They put on a performance called the Madrigal Dinner concert directed by NV choir teacher Mr. Gary Lewis.

As families and students watched the show they were served dinner in five courses including bread, salad, teas and coffee, prime rib, and desert.

The Madrigal Dinner was very entertaining with ensembles, soloists, toasts, fan fares and violin players, along with the choirs speaking with an old English accent as they mingled around the dinner tables.

“It was fun talking in an accent to families and friends at the concert. A lot of people told me that the costumes were very realistic and the acting was great. I thought the turn out was very good and I enjoyed being there,” said junior Alex Lutton who is a member of the A Capella choir.

Musical ensembles were directed by Mrs. Kaylyn Kopp, a student teacher from Bowling Green University.

She played the princess while the ensembles went around to different tables singing songs such as “While By My Sheep” and “Dulci Jubilo”.

“NV’s A Capella choir proved to be a class act at the dinner. Dressed in renaissance consumes, they delivered a very believable performance,” said Mr. Lewis.

There were other important roles like the Salter Peter who was played by senior Aman Goyal. Salt was absent from all the tables and people had to summon Salt Peter to obtain salt for their food. Then a lady was picked from the audience and was arrested by knights played by seniors James Ruane and Jeff Sundheimer for stealing Salt Peters salt bowl. She was put into the stocks and had to be kissed by men from the concert, the audience, and students in order to be freed.

There were a lot of comical skits played by the jesters including junior Amy Macmillan, senior Justin Kruger, and senior Michael Judge. They even reenacted the song “Twelve Days of Christmas” while the A Capella and

Julianne Judge EVERYONE YELLS WASSAIL including junior Rob Hadley and senior Gordie Howe of A Capella choir and freshman Hannah Dickerson and her dad who enjoy their dinner. Everyone would join in the Wassail throughout the night, a sort of toast.

Harmony Road Show sang.

The jesters were performing for the guests under orders from the King who was played by Mr. Lewis and the Queen played by Mrs. Theresa Blowers the choirs pianist.

The King and Queen were royalty and the richest people of the country in the medieval era and Harmony Road Show was considered royalty at the dinner as well.

They sat at the front of the manor at a long rectangular

table headed by the King and Queen.

The A Capella choir played the nobles, which are lower than the Royals and peasants, the lowest class.

“The concert went very well. I had a lot of fun performing. It was sort of crazy when we first arrived at the Clarion Hotel, but the whole choir, director, and everyone involved did a great job pulling through and making a wonderful performance after a lot of hard work we put into rehearsal,” said junior Anna Snapp.

Carolers brave cold weather conditions Wil l C ousino Sta ff Wri te r Cheery World Language Clubs have been rehearsing Christmas songs in preparation for caroling at the Toledo Zoo on December 14 and Kingston on December 18.

A group of 15 French Club members will be singing carols for the elderly residents of Kingston located on King’s Road. Students unable to participate in the singing have an opportunity to make baked goods to be delivered to the members of the home.

In past years, the French Club caroled for guests at the Toledo Zoo. Club members have learned to sing French carols including, Il est ne le divin enfant, Un Flambeau, and Vive le vent, during their practices after school. The decision to change venues was made in order to bring the music of the season to those that are confined to their rooms.

“We’ve decided that singing to the residents at Kingston would be more meaningful than singing at the Zoo,” said French Club Advisor Mrs. Paula Yaniglos.

Meanwhile, German Club members have joined forces with their Spanish Club amigos for a visit to the Toledo Zoo in order to learn Christmas carols in their second

languages. Caroling at the Zoo has become an annual activity conducted by both clubs.

Mrs. Chris Monday, the Spanish Club advisor, began hosting rehearsals during the last week in November.

During practices after school in room F-8, students have been singing carols including an array of traditional Mexican, Spanish and American favorites. Songs originally composed in English do not always rhyme when literally translated into Spanish, German and French. Therefore, the Americanized carols written in another language don’t always match the original lyrics.

In order to participate in the caroling with the Spanish Club, students were required to submit permission forms in advance to be put on file and forwarded to the Zoo, according to club President and senior, Ashley McNair. Two attendances at rehearsals prior to the December 14 event were made mandatory. The rule was implemented in an effort to ensure the group would be capable of singing some difficult but exciting songs while caroling, according to Mrs. Monday.

Between six and ten students have shown up for the daily practices following school. Sheet music as well as CDs with the background to several holiday carols have been used to teach carols such as Feliz Navidad, Los Peces en El Rio and Los Doce Dias de Navidad.

American classics like Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer, are favorites of the carolers. “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer doesn’t translate easily into Spanish, the words are so different it’s almost a completely new song,” said freshman Jacob Justinger.

On the night German and Spanish Clubs are scheduled to carol, the temperature is expected to fall to a bone-chilling 29 degrees Fahrenheit. A ten mile-per-hour wind has been forecasted to accompany a 60% chance of snow showers, according to Weather.com’s forecast. Only the bravest will be weathering the cold to view the lights.

“I’m anxious to go because the lights are usually fantastic to see with friends, plus we get free admission,” said junior Andrea McConnell.

Following caroling as a group, the club members will have free time to walk around and enjoy the lights with friends until the park closes.

The nightly Lights at the Zoo began on November 17 and will continue through New Year’s Eve. The exhibit boasts over 32,000 lights—more than the famous Rockefeller Center’s display in New York City. Towering an astonishing 80 feet above the ground below is the Zoo’s tallest tree, located near the greenhouse. When covered with Christmas lights it draws attention from a great distance.

Fitness challenge winners get bikes

Sta f f Wri te r

M a x Filby

Challenge Cats organized the first ever Rock Paper Scissors Tournament, which took place yesterday during lunch periods in the Northview Auxiliary Gym. Tickets for the event were sold December 13 through the 15 for $1 per person. There were only 25 spots available for competition per lunch period.

All of the proceeds from the Rock Paper Scissors Tournament will go to charity; the Challenge Cats plan to use their profits to buy food for the Good Samaritan Food Bank.

Yesterday, students used their tickets as hall passes for their lunch period and faced their peers in some intense matches of Rock Paper Scissors. The students were set up in groups of three and the best of each match moved on to the next level.

“Rock Paper Scissors was the brain child of Chase Banachowski and Cam Brown. We are excited about this because it is an innovative and amazing event for Challenge Cats and all of NV,” said Challenge Cats advisor Mrs. Katie Mattimoe said.

The final match between the winner of each lunch period will be today during seventh period lunch in the Auxiliary Gym. “Rock Paper Scissors is the universal game of problem-solving. Everybody loves it,” said senior and President of Challenge Cats, Banachowski.

Sta ff Wri te r Members of the student body and faculty participated in the Northview Fitness Challenge held in the auxiliary gym on November 28 and 29.

“Around 300 students participated,” said health careers and Med Tech teacher Mrs. Dawn Soldner.

Students were challenged to complete a series of fitness related stations including mountain climbers, crunches, jump rope, push-ups, basketball, football passes, and trivia.

The freshmen were against sophomores while juniors competed against seniors for the grand prize bikes, given to the school from an anonymous donor. sophomores Jacob Sharer and Amanda Sargent defeated the freshmen in the challenge while juniors Tara Zuber and Alex Lyle defeat the seniors.

Mr. Ryan Reed was the top ranked teacher in the Fitness Challenge. Students from Mrs. Soldner’s Health Careers and Med Tech classes were part of the Fitness Challenge staff.

“I was trying to teach them about health promotion,” said Mrs. Soldner, “ I let the students come up with their own way to promote health.”

Health Careers and Med Tech students worked in the auxiliary gym during their class period with Mrs. Soldner. “I enjoyed the fitness challenge,” said freshman Nicole Mangas, “it was fun to work at.

Sponsors for the NV Fitness challenge included Dick’s Sporting Goods, Contours Fitness center, Synergy Fitness, Hill/Rom Equipment, Sunrise Windows, Mike Green’s Nationwide Insurance, United Collection Bureau Inc., Ross and Abbott Labs, Great Lakes Risk Management Co., and Kroger’s, which all gave donations. “Students wrote letters asking for donations from businesses,” said Mrs. Soldner.

According to Mrs. Soldner, its possible that there may be another Fitness Challenge.

Meredith Lodge PREPARING FOR THE football toss is sophomore Amanda Sargent, winner of one of the bikes.

OPINIONS

December 19, 2006

Number of charities out of hand

While listening to the announcements, sitting in first period, or even just eating lunch, students are being bombarded with charities that are requesting their money. At Northview right now there more than five different charities asking for donations and it is becoming a bit excessive.

The fact that students are being asked to donate a little money is a good thing. It is important that students learn the concept of how rewarding giving can be for a person. However, constantly soliciting money and asking for donations in a high school is a bit over the top, especially when some of the charities require more time and money than simply giving a dollar and putting your name on a mitten or a snowflake.

Something that seems to have been forgotten is the fact that we are high school students and that means that we do not have a lot of money to give all the time. Maybe once or twice a NV student can give a dollar or two, but it cannot be expected that every time an organization at school begins collecting money for something that tons of students donate, many of us simply do not have the funds.

It is unrealistic to think that school organizations should stop their charity fund-raising simply because another organization is doing the same thing. However, students in charge of collecting the donations and getting people to donate should never make a person feel guilty about not giving or hassle them to give something. Many people give to other organizations outside of school and if they chose to not give money to that particular one it does not mean they are a bad person. It just means they have already given as much as they could and can not afford to give more. The students running the charities should understand this.

Another thing that is extremely irritating about giving to charities at school is the fact that many student organizations are not specific about where exactly the donations are going. For example, the student government charity that allowed kids to wear a hat for a dollar did not really say where exactly the money was going.

When a person gives their money to a charity drive, most students want to know where it is going and how it is going to be used. Therefore, if there are going to be

Sta f f Photogr a phe r You walk into Wal-Mart, Kroger, Macy’s, Starbucks, and even Taco Bell and you can see the decorations for the holidays and enjoy the spirited music playing overhead, but then you walk into Northview and you cannot find a single decoration to lift your spirits and bring out that holiday cheer. Why is this?

Firstly, many think it to be unconstitutional to have any decoration that connects directly to one religion in a public school. And in many ways, I can understand the offensiveness of walking into school and seeing a nativity scene set up, or a menorah, but it’s only unconstitutional if we focus on decorating for ONE religious holiday, but they never said we had to get rid of the holiday spirit altogether.

The holiday season is about bringing a community together and connecting with the people around you. NV is always pushing for a community atmosphere, so why can’t we decorate a tree with several different religious symbols to show our diversity.

Not only should we be doing this during the Christ-

Ad kins

EFFECT Exam policy should be rethought

Meredith Lodge Freshman Daniel Rhollans, a class of 2010 government member, places a signed mitten onto the tree. The freshmen class sold mittens for $1 during the lunch periods. opportunities to donate at NV, the organization should be more specific instead of just demanding a donation without a reason.

Again, giving to charities is very important and students should try to give something to at least one. However,

it is annoying how many charities overwhelm NV. Maybe students should think about how many times they have donated this year and where their money is actually going before they just give it away.

Holiday decorations banned Meg an Bringe

the

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mas and Hanukkah season but we should put up some decorations during Ramadan, Ram Navami, Eid ul-adha and several other religious holidays. People need to look at it as becoming more diverse and educated about their fellow students, not pushing one religious view.

If we were allowed to decorate for the holidays not

N V is a lways pushing for a communi t y atmosphe re, so wh y can’t we decor ate a tree wi th seve r a l diffe ren t re ligious symbol s to show our di ve r si t y? only would it make the school brighter, but it would become more welcoming and multicultural.

Many people also focus on the little things in society that could be offensive to different religious views, but we need to change this scrooge attitude that’s going around.

People are getting upset by another person simply wishing them a “Merry Christmas” and that is ridiculous. Decem-

Summer wear during winter must be stopped Winter has arrived and yet some students seem to be stuck in the summer. It is typical to see students in the halls wearing flip-flops, shorts, and t-shirts, both male and female.

“When I see people wearing flip-flops during the winter months, I think they are crazy because my feet are naturally cold,” said senior Amy Fleming.

Students need to take more time in the morning and put socks and shoes on. Boots and other snowshoes do look fashionable at this time of the year.

Many complaints have been said about the school being too cold in some classes and yet students still continue to wear t-shirts and shorts to school. It cannot be healthy to have more skin exposed than covered at this time of year.

“When it’s 20 degrees outside why would you wear shorts or t-shirts? It’s freezing,” said senior Katelyn Straube.

Wearing layers for classes that may be too hot and understanding that Northview is usually 65 degrees and cold may be a solution for students who wear out of season clothing. Under those sweaters you can have your tanks tops and if your class is too hot then you can reveal the summer wear, not in the freezing halls.

ber is a season that is all about spreading joy and kindness and by discriminating against all holiday seasons it shows how unhappy some people can be.

They are only trying to be nice and spread some good cheer and if a person is offended by that then they are a negative nancy and need to stop and realize how their actions make an innocent person spreading good cheer feel. It is almost like they are discriminating against another person’s right to celebrate a holiday.

People need to realize that the world will never be politically correct. Therefore, they need to relax and sing a Christmas carol or spin a dreidel. Accept that sometimes people are going to say Merry Christmas to you even if you’re not a Christian. They aren’t insulting your religion, telling you you cannot celebrate your own holidays, or trying to make you celebrate theirs. They are simply trying to be kind and spread joy.

With that being said, this is the season of giving and good cheer, so instead of getting upset over petty things, we should all remember to be nice to one another and enjoy the holiday season. There are so many other important things to worry about and wasting valuable time on being upset about some holiday decorations is pointless.

Exams are an extremely stressful time for many students. It takes a great deal of work, time, and effort in order to do well on them and no matter what stress levels are increased. Students often feel trapped by exams because they have no choice but to take them and some classes are extremely challenging.

Exams should be used as an incentive to do well in classes. As it is, the only time an incentive is offered for doing well in class is the second semester of senior year, which is less important than normal anyway because grades and class ranks are frozen. The second semester of senior year it is possible to not take the exams if you miss less than five days and earn a “C” or better for the class’ third and fourth quarters or if you earn an “A” in the course for both quarters. However, every other year of high school, exams are formidable obstacles that weigh down the spirits of students.

Extending this policy throughout high school would encourage students to keep their grades up throughout the years. Some students need a little extrinsic motivation to push them and an exam exemption policy would be just the ticket. Knowing they could relieve themselves of the stress of exam time, many students would push themselves harder to get the grades required for the policy to be effective.

Additionally, letting students out of exams would not harm them. Obviously, a student earning an “A” in a class is putting a proper amount of work in and is learning the material well. The test scores throughout the quarters would reflect the progress of the student and consistent “A’s” would reflect a solid grasp and understanding of the concepts at hand. The exams are just stressful and annoying and allowing students a way out would be highly beneficial.

Eliminating exams for students that work hard would improve the overall moral of the student body.

Every year when exam time comes, there is a noticeable change in the overall disposition of students. Students are visibly more tired, less motivated, and less enthusiastic than the rest of the year. Allowing students to work hard and earn the privilege to get out of exams would make them feel much better about themselves and the attitude of the school would improve.

Toledo Public schools allows students to be exempt from exams all through high school, provided they meet their criteria. Students there can select two exams to opt out of their freshman, four their sophomore year, six their junior year, and all of them for their senior year.

These standards apply to both semesters each year. In order to earn this opportunity, students must miss no more than two days per semester. The Toledo Public schools implement block scheduling meaning there weeks are split up into red and blue days so they do not have the same classes each day and classes are longer.

To be exempt from exams, students are allowed to miss only one red and one blue day, totaling two days. This policy is strictly attendance-based and does not include provisions for grade achievements because it reflects the needs of the specific schools it serves. Those schools have had problems with attendance and students skipping school in the past so they added some motivation to attend school.

Sylvania could try the same idea but include stipulations concerning academic achievement. Students that are not highly motivated when it comes to grades would have a better reason to keep their grades up. It could make the difference between a student slipping by with a “C” or going the extra mile to achieve an “A.” It is time for Sylvania to jump on board with the new concepts and try a new exam policy.

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 te r s Photo Edi tor: Me redi th L odge Sports Edi tor: Ryan Stansley Edi tori a l Edi tor: K atie Li tze r 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 Breie r, Meg an Bringe, Wil l C ousino, M a x Filby, Jamie H amilton, Tay lor He lbe rg , A sh ley McNair, Emily Nava r re, Ta r a Pate l, Ty le r Puh l, 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 Zhe rnovski y

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OPINIONS

Decembe r 19, 2006

A

UT SHOout

by Kat ie Litzer

Cotton-headed ninnymuggin Winter break is drawing closer and closer, the anticipation is driving all the students into madness.

Seniors have most of their college applications done and the semester is almost over. Although this means exams are drawing closer, fear not, for I have some tips for you to make this the best winter break ever.

Tip #1: Sleep. As students we are all sleep deprived, so for break this year you are instructed to sleep. Go to bed really late and then sleep in till at least noon.

This will allow your body to heal from all the stress of school. By getting at least 15 hours of sleep a night, you are resting up for exams.

Tip #2: Take advantage of the fresh snow. I know that it seems like it will never snow, but I’m promising you that before we come back to school there will be a blanket of snow on the ground. So go outside and play.

Make a snowman, snow angel, or an igloo. Snowball fights are a great way to play. Eating snow can also provide lots of entertainment, just make sure you eat it as it is falling and watch out for yellow snow.

Tip #3: Go to Starbucks everyday. When there is a chill in the air there is nothing better than a nice, hot, steamy cup of coffee. I would recommend going to the Starbucks in Kroger, or the Beaner’s on McCord. I would stay away from the mall. Although Caribou coffee is delicious, it is a dangerous area to be in, especially during the holidays.

Tip #4: Take your friends out for a delicious meal at Panera Bread. They will appreciate your generosity and maybe get you a sweet Christmas present. After you take them out, constantly remind them about “that one time that I bought lunch at Panera.” This will make them feel guilty and they will buy you lunch for the next three weeks.

Tip #5: Watch Elf. This is a necessary part of every holiday break. Not only does it have Will Ferrell in it, but he is dressed in a giant elf costume, walking around New York City. It really can’t get any better than that. I would recommend that you watch it at least 50 times, to really appreciate it. Also feel free to use the phrase, “cotton-headed ninnymuggin” as much as possible.

Tip #6: Make your own eggnog. This is not only a delicious festive drink, but it is also a great way to make new friends. Have an eggnog making party. First of course you need some eggs and then you get some nog. Voila! You mix them together and you have got some hot, delicious, festive, decadent eggnog. This is always a fun experience for everyone and you learn a new holiday recipe.

Tip #7: Make sure that everyone in your family gets into the holiday spirit. Dress everyone up as an elf, santa, snowman, or whatever you wish and go get a family photo with Santa. Don’t forget to get your pets involved. Cute little holiday costumes can be picked up anywhere and are always a way to bring everyone together. Though I would recommend purchasing pet costumes that are easy to assemble. It is really no fun when you get clawed in the face by Fluffy, because you wanted her to wear the entire Santa outfit, beard and all.

Tip #8: Don’t even bother studying for exams. They don’t even need to enter your mind until the week before.

Forget busting out your math books, it’s time for fun!

Besides, I have always gone with the “study in between exams” technique. It seems to have worked for me.

Remember, winter break is something that needs to be cherished. You are not always going to have a week to do whatever you want to. Someday you are going to be out in the working world. So take advantage of this opportunity to have the best time of your life.

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- my cents -

“I’m going skiing at my cottage up north.”

-Junior Bailey Hunter

Holiday music, too much? or not enough?

Can’t get enough!

Why? Please stop!

“Sleigh bells ring. Are you listening?” You should be because Christmas music is one of those things that no matter what kind of mood you are in it makes you feel better. It brings back memories of past holiday festivities and just gives a person the spirit of the season.

The great thing about Christmas music is the fact that a person does not even have to celebrate Christmas to listen to it. I know lots of people who celebrate many different holidays who love to listen to Christmas music. It is just a really good way for anyone to feel better, catch the joy of the holidays, or simply just relax.

The classic holiday songs, in my opinion, are the best to listen to because they really bring back memories from childhood. These are more common because everyone knows them and they are good to sing along to. Contemporary Christmas songs are difficult for me to listen to because they never really remind me of true holiday songs.

My absolute favorite song is “Sleigh Ride” and some other classics that are good include, “Winter Wonderland”, “The Christmas Song,” and “White Christmas.” These are the songs that truly encompass the season and they are the best for someone to listen to in order to really get into the holiday spirit.

Christmas songs are also something that I can listen to even before the true holiday season starts. I like to start listening right after Halloween because, in my view, it is time. It is cold outside and that makes me think Christmas.

I really do not see the difference between starting to listen then and after Thanksgiving.

There really is not any specific activity I like to turn on the holiday tunes during. There are however some essential activities that require Christmas music. Decorating the tree and the house, shopping for presents, baking cookies, and Christmas morning are just a few times when the music is needed to make the holiday complete.

Therefore, no matter how a person celebrates the holidays, Christmas music is the best way to add a little something to the holiday cheer. If you are feeling like scrooge this season, put on some happy holiday tunes and your mood will change. Do not be afraid to embrace this wonderful winter season.

“I start listening to Christmas Music the day after Halloween as I start putting the lights outside. And I have been listening to it everyday since on the “Sounds of the Season” channel on our cable TV service.” Said a blogger on ajc.com. I know what you are thinking, and I am thinking the same thing, “These people must be some sort of holiday freaks, who make ridiculous amounts of cookies, and spread way too much holiday cheer.”

Christmas music is the number one seasonal festivity that irritates me the most. The simple fact that the radio stations play it before Thanksgiving, can make anyone annoyed. The Christmas season does not begin until after Thanksgiving, and being bombarded by this awful music is ludicrous.

XM radio has four commercial free Christmas stations playing 24-7, 101.5 The River plays holiday music constantly, and there are countless of others that dominate our radio stations throughout the holidays.

Another thing that drives me crazy is the “remix” Christmas songs. If I am going to be forced to listen to it, they could at least play the version I know. Or how about those singers who bust out their crazy riffs and renditions of holiday music? I know that Michael Bolton is a Christmas classic, but why does he feel the need to sing “Joy To The World” as though he’s on the rejects show from American Idol? Stick to the melody Michael, it will make everyone a lot happier.

Can you even imagine how store employees feel this season? I bet they are so sick of hearing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” that if they were forced to listen to it again they would throw up. On top of that, they play the same 15-20 songs over and over again.

It’s not like I do not like a little holiday cheer, but not two months before Christmas. I just think there needs to be a happy medium, where stations are only allowed to play short amounts of the music if it’s before Thanksgiving. Once December hits go ahead, play all the Christmas music you want. At least its only 25 days until Christmas, as opposed to 41 days. I’m no scrooge, but please stop playing this music.

Teachers need to treat students like adults instead of little kids School. What does this word mean? School is a place where we gain an education in order to grow as a person, or has it evolved into something more?

Education is the concept of students being exposed to facts, beliefs and ways of doing things. Although many students readily adopt the facts, beliefs and ways of doing things that are taught to them, the ultimate goal is to create independent students who can express their own ideas and access their full potential. Education is only supposed to give students a foundation of knowledge—a plank, if you will, to develop their own ideas. Schooling then is the concept to gather students together in one place to expose them to education—the orthodoxy of the past.

If school is meant to develop students into independent, free-thinking adults, then shouldn’t administrators and teachers treat students as adults? The treatment of students by teachers, the presence of an extensive list of rules and the patronizing attitude of administrators creates an atmosphere that is incompatible with the goal of school.

Throughout my educational career, I have experienced the superiority that teachers exhibit toward students due entirely to the fact that he/she is there to instruct them.

Though this does not happen all the time, it happens enough to hinder the educational process. I am sure that I am not the only one to have heard “this classroom is not a democracy; it is a dictatorship and I am the dictator” from teachers. Though I see the justification for this, to

take control of discussions and go through the material, it undermines the purpose of school. When teachers take away the opinions and thoughts of students by claiming that teachers are these infallible giants, they send the message that students are not ready to form their own opinions. And because school is meant to foster students into developing their own beliefs, this treatment of students by teachers has no room in education or school.

A student handbook is given to every student on the first day and it contains many pages regarding rules and regulations. The fact that our Assistant Principal reads to us pages from the handbook regarding discipline shows the importance of discipline in our school system. Although I realize that discipline is necessary in all institutions, the focus of school has become more about discipline than the true purpose of education.

To allow students to become independent, schools have to realize that freedoms have to be afforded to students. If one were to get demerits and Saturday Schools every time he was a few minutes late to class or decided to leave school for food, these restrictions and consequent disciplinary actions would force students to become mindless drones. Some of the trivial rules should be re-evaluated in terms of their usefulness to students’ futures. The question then is will I be arrested in 10 years for going to Subway for lunch?

Some members of the administration treat students in

What are you doing over winter break?

“I plan to go snowmobiling and skiing over break.”

-Freshman Zach Deaton

“Sleeping, then maybe I’ll go sledding if there is enough snow.”

-Sophomore Matt Gozdowski

a paternal fashion. Nobody likes to be treated as a child, but the greater significance lies in how this relationship functions in the overall purpose of school and education.

By treating us as though we know less, are less intelligent and need to be constantly watched, the administration acts contrary to our growth into adults. Only by interacting with us with respect and as adults can the administration facilitate our growth into adulthood.

Although I understand that the perfect school is impossible to achieve, I hope that administers, teachers, and students alike keep the purpose of school in the back of their minds. The next time a student receives a demerit, that student should think about and understand how that disciplinary action will help him grow. Likewise, the administrator giving the demerit should also be open to explaining the legitimacy of the demerit and not just claim that it is against the rules. If this were the case, then maybe the rules should be revamped with the goal of school and the effect of the rule on students in mind.

Giving freedoms to students based on certain qualifications, like GPA or teacher recommendations gives students an incentive to do well in school as well as giving students more responsibility and the opportunity to mature into an adult. Therefore, the ideal school is one where adults treat students as adults, thereby creating a microcosm of the real world. ~ Wang Pan

“I’m going to sleep a lot over break this year.”

-Senior Brad Domby

F E AT U R E S

December 19, 2006

Holiday Mus t-se e Movie s

Happy Fe et

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Santa C lause 3

Want to see a movie that is entertaining, with a lot of laughs and good lessons that anyone can learn from? Happy Feet is the movie to see. This is a film that can teach someone to dance to his or her own beat and not worry about fitting in with the crowd. Directed by George Miller, Happy Feet includes the voices of Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams, and Nicole Kidman.

It stars a penguin named Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) who is treated very differently by his family and other penguins. The penguins’ first and most important priority is to be able to sing. This is how they determine their soul mates and decide if they want to have a family with that certain penguin.

Mumble was not a singer, but a dancer instead. He didn’t know he was different until other penguins were making fun of him for wanting to dance. He is sent away from the clan because he does not fit in. The leader of the penguins makes everyone believe that Mumble is the reason for the fish supply diminishing. Mumble knew that he was not the cause of this and he sets out on an adventure to find the real reason for the lack of fish, and on the way, he meets some new penguin friends. Together, they venture out on an expedition to find the “aliens” who are stealing the fish. While providing the audience with a very entertaining storyline, Happy Feet also displays valuable life lessons; just like Mumble, people should learn to accept their own differences. Also, there is an environmental lesson in the movie. It is important to understand the ecosystem and when we take a majority of the penguin’s food, we are disrupting the food chain.

As a computer generated film, Happy Feet helps remind everyone in the upcoming season to be thankful for what you are given, and to use what you have for the greater good. ~ Stephanie Sallah

“Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause” opened November 3 in movie theatres everywhere. The last part of this cheery trilogy received mixed reviews from film critics despite earning $16.9 million one week after its initial debut, according to CNNmoney.com.

The film starts off with Christmas just days away and Mrs. Clause about to give birth at any second. Santa, played by Tim Allen, is under a lot of stress and decides to bring Mrs. Clause’s parents up to the North Pole so everyone can be together.

After picking up the in-laws, Santa has to attend an emergency meeting of legendary figures that includes the ever-popular Mother Nature, Father Time, the Easter Bunny, and the mischievous Jack Frost.

Frost attempts to overthrow Santa resulting in his punishment of becoming Santa’s assistant during the holiday season. Once discovering the rules of “The Escape Clause,” Frost soon begins to wreak havoc on Santa’s workshop and eventually tricks Santa into wishing himself back to the past.

After being returned to the future, the former Santa realizes that Frost must be stopped from turning the North Pole into a cheap amusement park.

In order to do this, he and his young niece Lucy, capture Frost’s snow globe and once again reverse time.

The scenery throughout the movie was cute and charming. All of the little details really made it feel like you were at the North Pole.

The actors performed well, especially since they had to play childish characters and work with an impractical plot. As the third movie in this series, it was better than the second, although the first has been the best.

All in all, Santa Claus 3 was a heartwarming movie that despite its tacky humor, it makes us all realize how important family is, especially during the holiday season. ~ Jaime Hamilton

Holiday Movie Snowf lake Rating System

De ck the Halls

Totally worth spending holiday time and money to see, twice!

If you’re looking for a movie to watch this holiday with your family, Deck The Halls is a perfect choice. Although it is rated PG for some crude and suggestive humor, and for language, it is a movie people of all ages can enjoy.

Steve, Matthew Broderick, is considered the town’s Christmas enthusiast. He runs his family’s life by an organized and planned daily schedule, leaving little room for changes. Moving in across the street, Buddy (Danny De Vito), is a car salesman and Steve’s complete opposite. Buddy has big dreams that have not yet been fulfilled.

Buddy’s latest dream is to have his house be seen from outer space. He first puts Christmas lights all over his house and eventually it leads to his whole yard.

People from all over the town drove to see Buddy’s light display that was turning Steve’s life into a chaotic nightmare. Jealous about Buddy’s new popularity, Steve tries to top Buddy every chance he gets.

Deck The Halls is a very visually interesting movie. The light decorations not only get you in the Christmas mood, but they keep you interested throughout the whole movie to see what Buddy is going to do next. Just when you think Buddy has pushed the limits he tops his latest decoration idea.

Deck The Halls’ only down fall is that you can only take a movie so far before it becomes corny. The Christmas spirit can touch your heart but when Steve slides across town on a sleigh, and manages to fall through the lake it becomes very unrealistic. The ending of the movie redeems its quality as a must see this holiday season. ~ Kimmy Yark

Good enough to take family and friends to see A good holiday movie if you’re in the mood

Rent it next season I would rather get coal in my stocking

Fun Things to do Ove r Holiday Bre a k Holiday Shopping

Lights Before Christmas at the Zoo

Start shopping for yo ur love d one s e arly so yo u do not get caught in the las t min ute holiday chaos.

This is the pe rfe ct date to go with yo ur spe cial some one . It cos ts $9 pe r pe rson and is ope n 5-9 pm on the we e ke nds.

Sleep

Visit with Family and Friends

Yo u can catch up on all the sle e p yo u have misse d since school s tarte d. It wi ll get yo u re s te d for upcoming exa ms

Playing in the Snow

This holiday se ason is a gre at way to catch up with fa mi ly yo u do not se e ofte n . Yo u can visit frie nds who live far away .

I f it happe ns to snow ove r bre a k yo u can arrange a snow ball f ight with all of yo ur frie nds or b ui ld a snow man .

Outdoor Ice Skating Rink

Sledding

I f the snow do e s come the n yo u can go sle dd ing on NV’s hi ll or s ucide hi ll.

Laurie Gross

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F E AT U R E S

Decembe r 19, 2006

a closer look at The Diviners

The endless hours of rehearsing after school, memorizing script lines and setting up scenery finally paid off when the fall play was set into action November 30 through December 3. Cast and crew would rehearse Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday until typically 6PM. The Diviners is a story that the audience can relate to because it is a story about friendship, family and the daily search for something better in life. The interaction of the characters creates a moving story that results in a heartbreaking and dramatic ending scene, according to Director Don Wachowiak.

“Just before Buddy Layman passed beyond us,” are the beginning lines that senior Griffin Browning, who plays Basil Bennett, opens the play with. These lines signify and foreshadow the scene that comes at the end of the play.

“Three fourths of the nights students laughed at the last scene and it was very disappointing because it was a serious moment, however, I was proud of the cast members because it didn’t distract them,” said Mr. Wachowiak. “I was also pleased that the acting and the technology elements worked together to create an emotional experience for the audience.”

“The cast got together so well, like when we all got together at Coldstone one day, it really helped the cast bonding in general,” said junior cast member Lauren Owens. Justin Kruger agreed with Owens, “Getting to know the cast members who I didn’t know before, like Andrew, was one of my favorite parts of the experience. We got along right away.”

One week after the performance, the Diviners was asked to perform a full-length show at the State Thespian Conference. Mr. Wachowiak requested that the show be screened and the invitation to perform full length is the highest honor a show can receive.

“I’m so proud of this show and getting the invitation to perform is just amazing because all of our hard work paid off,” said senior cast member Jackie Zureich.

The Diviners will begin rehearsing again after winter break and will perform a community performance in the Little Theater shortly before the cast takes the show to states for the weekend of March 30.

Life with Buddy

(Andrew)

Is this your first time acting?

Andrew: No, I’ve been acting since I was ten, so about four years.

What was your last play that you were in?

The Christmas Carol at Stranahan Theatre.

What was it like working with the cast?

I’m glad that I got to work with all of them. The cast and crew were amazing people.

What did you think of the storyline?

It was a downer, but overall I think that it was a good play.

What was your favorite part?

From the play, my favorite part was the fight scene with Justin.

What about your favorite part of the whole experience?

Knowing that I finished the whole show and just the feeling and the rush I got when the audience clapped for me, it was a very memorable experience.

Were you nervous at all?

I was very nervous for about the first two shows, but for the third one I was fine. I kept thinking that it was like any other show, and it helped calm me down.

Looking for the perfect gift to get your loved ones for the holidays?

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Photo Albums

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SP ORTS College basketball tips off Ty ler Puh l Sta f f Wri te r When football season winds down and the leaves are off the trees, you can hear a loud, annoying voice by the name of Dick Vitale and everyone knows that college basketball is here.

The season starts with a lot of expectations for teams that are very young. Teams like UCLA, Florida, Pitt, North Carolina, and Ohio State were the favorites to have big seasons and win their respective conferences.

The UCLA Bruins are now the best team in the country. They have also played a very strong schedule with teams like Kentucky, Georgia Tech, and Texas A&M. They are lead by guard play from Arron Afflalo (17.1 points per game) and Darren Collison (6.3 assists).

With a strong start they could be there at the end with this tandem of talented guards.

The defending champion Florida Gators hope to repeat in 2007-2008. All five starters return, including last year’s tournament star Joakim Noah. So far Florida is having a disappointing year with losses to Kansas and Florida State.

Next is the Pitt Panthers from the Big East conference. They are lead by their 7 footer, Aaron Gray (16.6 ppg, 10.8 reb). Some think Pitt’s bark is worse then their bite. “I personally think Pitt is overrated, they haven’t played anyone and very inconsistent,” said Brendan (Squilly) Squillante, resident college basketball guru.

The North Carolina Tar Heels hope to grab their second championship in three years. Former “diaper-dandy” Tyler Hansbrough is averaging 19 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Hansbrough is joined by a group of talented freshman such as, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Brandan Wright. Senior Nic Saenz said, “North Carolina is the best team in the country.

Hansbrough and Lawson will take them all they way this year.”

The Ohio State Buckeyes return from a disappointing finish, but hope to win their second straight Big-Ten championship. Senior Ron Lewis and junior Jamar Butler are the top returning players. All the headlines have gone to the freshman class coming in. Greg Oden, Daequan Cook, and Mike Conley Jr. head what is arguably the best freshman class in the nation.

Even before Oden played a game in the Scarlet and Gray he was touted as the best big man in the country.

Oden broke his wrist in the summer, so he was forced to sit out against North Carolina and wasn’t able to match up against Hansbrough. The UNC vs. OSU game was a showdown. Both teams were sporting a number of freshmen, which played surprisingly well.

The Buckeyes were shooting well from the outside, but the Tar Heels got great inside play from Wright and Hansbrough. North Carolina ended up winning 98-89.

This game showed that Ohio State would be a force to be reckoned with once Oden was back in the line up.

7 Wrestling pounds their competition December 19, 2006

E amonn Reynolds Sta ff Wri te r The Northview Wrestling team is ready to go for another season. The boys have trained well and are in great condition to start the year off.

Last year the team had a successful season by finishing fourth in the NLL and sending numerous wrestlers to Districts. Many people do not fully understand wrestling because, unlike most other sports, Wrestling involves individual matches based on the wrestlers’ weight class.

This year’s team hopes to improve on their fourth place finish from last year. With the teacher-coaching duo of Mr. Josh “Superman” Tyburski and coach Mr. Ryan Reed, the team is in top shape. This is Mr. Reed’s first year on the coaching staff.

“We have high hopes for this season,” said Coach Tyburski. “Although we have many new guys, our upperclassmen have strong leadership and it will help us improve as we move along in our season.”

The team is led by five seniors including Scott Boileau at 125lbs, Alex Box at 145lbs, Justin Bailey at 152lbs, Travis Zipfel at 171lbs, and Matt Urban as the Heavy Weight.

Juniors Joe Goellnitz and Joe Boettner have also contributed to the team’s success, filling in at the 160lb and 140lb positions. Each of these wrestlers are a key part to this year’s team and they hope to make a run in the state tournament.

“I am very excited about the upcoming season,” said Boettner. “Every wrestler’s goal is to have a winning record and make it into the state tournament. It is going to be pretty tough this year because we have a young team.”

The boys began their NLL play with a home match against Rossford. The team’s hard work paid off and they came away with a 48 - 27 victory. This weekend the team will travel to a tournament in Northwood.

Erin Zeiler Junior Joe Goellnitz works to pin his oppnenent in a home match against Springfield.

The Cats were victorious in this match and improved their record to 2-0 in the N.L.L

Boys Basketball brings back 6 seniors M at t Wade Sta ff Wri te r It would be hard to find a boy’s basketball team more experienced than the Northview Wildcats this year. With six seniors, five in the starting line-up, experience is the name of the game for the Cats. With other juniors coming off the bench, they will have a well-rounded team.

“With all the experience and senior leadership we have we should be a contender for the league title,” said senior Derek Andrzejczak.

During the summer the boys played in many shootouts, a summer league, and attended a summer camp where they

had great success winning two shootouts and were crowned camp champions winning the camp tournament on the last day. Adding five tough scrimmages this fall against Scott, Libbey, Wauseon, and Eastwood the Cats were very successful and ready to start the season.

In their season opener NV was up against a tough Central Catholic team. Starting the game the Cats were on fire, up 21-13 at the end of the first quarter. Central made a run and cut the lead to two at half time.

Turnovers and not being able to stop the Irish fast break hurt the Cats in the second half as they fell to Central Catholic 83-71.

Senior Brian Koehl scored 25 and Andrejczak scored 16 to lead NV in scoring.

LadyKats start season strong Ryan Stansley Sports E di tor

This year the Northview LadyKats Basketball Team is off to a terrific start with a record of 2-0 in the Northern Lakes League and 4-0 overall.

The team, made up of nine returning varsity players consisting of three seniors, three juniors, and three sophomores.

“I’m excited about this season, we have a young team but we have a lot of talent and speed to bring to the court,” said junior Brooke Taylor.

The LadyKats opener was on November 24, hosted by the Whitmer Panthers. The Panthers were no match for the LadyKats and it showed in the final score 58 - 37 as senior Ashley Morris scored 21 points to lead NV to their first win of the season.

The girls next game was at home against Woodard, which was also an easy win for the LadyKats.

Junior Karly Kasper and Morris both scored 10 points to help bring the LadyKats to victory.

After NV’s solid victories the LadyKats played their first league game of the season against rival Southview.

The scoring went back and forth and NV was losing 46-43 until Morris sank a three - pointer with 5.8 seconds left in the game to tie it up at 46-46.

After stopping the Cougars from scoring again, freshman Olivia Fouty was fouled with 0.1 seconds left and was sent to the free - throw line where she sank both shots giving NV a huge come back win, the final score 48-46.

“It was good to get back on our winning streak against Southview after this year,” said Taylor.

Coming off the three exciting wins, the girls were ready for more as their next game was against the Springfield Blue Devils. The girls played hard and came out victorious as sophomore Paige Maroney scored 12 points to lead the team to a 49- 35 win.

The undefeated LadyKats next big home match is on Saturday against the Findlay Trojans. NV’s next NLL game is against the Anthony Wayne Generals with hopes of yet another big win for the LadyKats.

Divers hope to repeat states Ste ph anie Sa l l ah Sta f f Wri te r

The Northview diving team returned this year with five divers; three of whom were previously on the team and two of whom are new this year.

The team is made up of two seniors, Bill Pinnow and Stephanie Sallah, one junior, Naomi Federman and two freshmen, Jessica Collins and Juliana Gramza.

Coaching the team for the past four years is Phil Koester, former Bowling Green State University coach.

“I came to NV because I wanted a change. I knew that if I started coaching kids a couple of years younger, I could maybe persuade them to go on to collegiate diving,” said Coach Koester.

The team has been practicing since the end of October to prepare for the upcoming meets. The newcomers to the team started with no knowledge of diving and the rules, but they managed to stay committed. “I wasn’t sure at first how I was going do, but Phil helped me with everything I needed to know,” said Collins.

Coach Koester is training the team for the Sectional meet, which takes place in February.

“All of the meets that the team goes to are equally important, but when the time comes for the tournaments the kids have to start taking the sport and their commitments seriously,” said Coach Koester.

After Sectionals, the team will move on to the District meet that is held at BGSU. The top three qualifiers for both the boys and girls will advance to the State meet in Canton, Ohio.

Seniors Pinnow and Sallah have already experienced diving at the state level. “I was surprised that I made it to states last year. I worked a great deal last year and all of my hard work paid off,” said Pinnow.

The Cats next opponent was an NLL competitor, the Maumee Panthers. Again the boys started out hot but this time they did not let the Panthers back in the game. Up 29-10 at the end of the first quarter, the game was never really close as the Cats won in a romp 98-49.

Andrejczak again paced the Wildcats scoring 37 points, three shy of the single game scoring record. Seniors Matt Wade, Danny Jaques, and junior Mike Shaffer helped the Cats each scoring double-digits.

In the highly anticipated NV vs. Southview match up both teams played with a lot of energy in a very physical battle. Turnovers and not capitalizing on offense proved to be the downfall for the Cats as they fell to the cross-town Cougars 73-67.

Noel Luther SINKING A SHOT is senior Ashley Morris. Ashley was a key player on the team this year and helped the LadyKats beat the Springfield 49 - 35. The LadyKats started the season off with an undefeated record of 4-0, including a win over Southview.

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Decembe r 19, 2006

SP ORTS

Swimmers break school records Wang Pan

College Football ready for Bowls

C o-E di tor-In- Chie f

M at t Wade

Northview Swimming is looking forward to an amazing season with two swimmers having already broken school records.

Senior captains Derek Balogh and Michael Pelechaty made history on December 8 when they broke the 200-meter freestyle record and 100-meter freestyle record, respectively, at the NV pool in their meet against Sandusky.

Balogh had a time of 1:56.89 in the 200-meter freestyle, which is eight lengths of the pool. He broke the previous record by two seconds. Pelechaty broke the 100-meter freestyle (four lengths of the pool) record going 53.74 seconds, which is one second faster than the previous record.

Breaking a NV record is very remarkable because of the number of swimmers who go through the program and go on to swim in college and compete nationally, according to Coach Pete Cole “From growing up watching my siblings swim, competing through Tsunami Swim Club and seeing the great swimmers of the past, I have wanted to leave my own mark at NV,” said Balogh.

“It’s an honor to have my name on the board with all the other great swimmers,” Pelechaty said.

The strength of the team lies in the depth and hard work every individual swimmer puts in. “Although there are stand out swimmers like Balogh and Pelechaty, it’s the swimmers that get second, third, and fourth that allows us to get the points necessary to win meets,” said Coach Melissa Burke.

The swim team’s dedication runs deep. Many dedicated swimmers roll out of bed before five in the morning to come and lift weights and swim to get an extra mile or two in before school starts.

The team has done very well in their first two dual meets. In the meet against Fremont Ross at their new pool, the boys tied 90-90 while the girls beat Fremont handily.

In the meet against Sandusky, the girls routed Sandusky

Sta f f Wri te r

Melissa Cohen STANDING SIDE BY SIDE are seniors Derek Balogh and Michael Pelechaty. Balogh went to States last year for his event and broke the 200-meter freestyle record this year. Pelechaty broke the 100-meter freestyle record this year as well.

172-44 while the boys soundly defeated Sandusky after losing to them last year.

“We’re going to be unstoppable due to the amount of effort everyone is putting in. The team is like my second family from all the time we spend together,” said junior

Carrie Foster.

This past weekend, NV competed in the Knight Invite at St. Francis De Sales High School where many teams competed. This was a great place for NV to see the competition this year.

Hockey hopes to skate back to states Ty ler Puh l Sta f f Wri te r Northview Hockey opened up season play by hosting a tournament at Tam-O-Shanter.

The first game was against traditional southern Ohio power, the Centerville Elks. The Cats out-muscled the Elks by a score of 8-2. Senior Jon Hymore and junior Tyler Cook both popped in single goals. The line of juniors Brent Bain, Carter Bourland, and Brandon Snead led the attack by chipping in numerous goals.

The Cats second game was against Mentor, a team from Cleveland. In this game, Mentor could just not keep up with NV. Rookies to the team, sophomore Bob Napierala and freshman Mark Hall, both picked up their first goals of their careers. Meanwhile, the scoring machine that is senior Ian Kelsey picked up his second goal of the year. Junior Craig Trego captured his first of hopefully many shutouts with a final score of 9-0.

That same night NV took on another Cleveland team, the Trinity Trojans. Having played the Trojans several times last year, the Cats knew what to expect. The story that night was all about Bain, who scored four goals.

Snead and Tyler Cook both added on single goals to give the Cats a 6-2 victory.

NV would play Trinity again in the finals the next day. In this game, NV spread the wealth with five different players scoring. Senior Matt Cook and Bain both had a pair of goals, while single goals from Bourland, Hall, and Napierala helped the Cats to a 7-4 win.

Many wondered if NV could still have the same fire power on offense as they did last year, but they won the tournament with 30 goals in four games.

Bain ended up the weekend with ten goals. “Our offense has been playing great lately. We haven’t had any trouble scoring,” he said.

The Wildcats won the tournament with strong defense as well as an explosive offense. Freshmen Mychal Monteith, Brian Wadsworth, and Jordan Jones all stepped up in their first games to help keep the opponent’s offense in check.

Once the first tournament was over, league play began.

The Cats first test would be against perennial power Bowling Green. BG has dominated Northwest Ohio for the past

Noel Luther HOLDING THEIR STICKS UP PROUDLY is the Northview Varsity Hockey Team during their scrimmage against University School. The final score of the game was 4-1 with a victory for the Wildcats.

15 years, but in the last two NV is 5-1 against BG. The score was zeros until Matt Cook took it down the ice, for a beautiful goal against talented BG goalie Jeremy Cross.

After that, Matt Cook fed Bourland for a slap shot in the lower corner. The Wildcats sealed the victory when Tyler Cook made a selfless play by taking a huge hit to make a pass to a very talented freshman, George Wilkinson, to give him his first goal as a Wildcat.

The real star of the night was Trego who is now 5-0.

He put on a performance with 31 saves and a huge save on a breakaway with five minuets left to get his second shutout of the year.

Next up for the Cats would be their biggest rivals in the St. Johns Titans. The Wildcats gave an uninspired performance, losing to the Titans 4-1. This was the first

regular season loss in almost two years. Things just weren’t falling for NV, they missed open nets and hit posts numerous times. Snead scored late in the third period, but it was too little too late.

“We controlled most of the game, but we couldn’t finish when we had our chances and they [St. Johns] could,” said Freshman George Wilkinson.

The next morning, the Wildcats got back on track beating Upper Arlington 5-2. Goals by Matt Cook, Kelsey, Snead, Bain, and sophomore Kyle Hymore were responsible for the scoring. They improved their record to 6-1.

This weekend the Cats travel to Cleveland to play the top teams in the state, such as ten time state champion St. Edwards, state semifinalist University School, defending state champion Parma Padua, and Lake Catholic.

Dance Team perfecting their performance K ristin Win te r s Fe ature s E di tor Northview’s Dance Team is receiving a lot of the attention at the boys basketball games this year.

The first performance was at the girl’s basketball game against Southview on December 1. The dance was a hip hop to the song, Hold Me Down by Danity Kane.

Senior captains Cortney Smith and Kathy Sipes choreographed the dance.

The next night the dance team was rocking again with their performance at the boy’s basketball game vs.

Central. The dance was to the song Man-eater by Nelly Furtado. This dance was the one learned at tryouts, which was choreographed by Coach Alison Benya.

At the NV vs. SV game on December 12, the dance team performed a routine with the NV cheerleaders to a mix of the hottest songs, according to sophomore Noelle Romberger.

“Doing a routine with the cheerleaders was really fun because it was something that we have never done before,” said Romberger.

This year, like last, NV will be teaming up with SV’s dance team to perform together at the second rival NV vs. SV game. This year they will also be bringing back their infamous kicklines, according to Sipes.

The dance team is looking to attend two to three competitions this season and is hoping to do well, as they have in the past, according to Sipes.

“I think that we will do well at competition because the girls are all amazing dancers and the team performs

really well together,” said Sipes.

The Dance Team’s next performance is tonight at the boys basketball game against Springfield.

Dance Team performs during half time at all home boys basketball games and at a couple home girls basketball games.

This year’s team is made up of two seniors, six juniors, fives sophomores, and six freshmen.

Tryouts were at the end of October, with two days of clinic to learn a dance and one day for tryouts. Requirements included a double pirouette, right leap, right axle, and right splits, according to Sipes.

Dance team practices two to three times a week for two hours. At practice, the girls first stretch then they learn and practice dances until perfection, according to Sipes.

The only way to describe this college football season is by using a big tent, a trapeze artist, and a human cannonball because it has been a circus.

It seemed that every week a different team would blow their shot at the chance at a national title appearance. In the November 18 match up of Ohio State and Michigan the winner was a lock to be in the National Championship game. As everyone knows, OSU prevailed and Michigan fans were calling for a rematch. Despite many teams’ best efforts to NOT make the title game, the Florida Gators were given the chance to take on OSU in the championship.

First, people thought a Big East team could run the table and get a shot to play for the title but the top three teams; Rutgers, Louisville, and West Virginia ended up beating each other and lost their opportunity to take on the Buckeyes.

Next was the USC Trojans, who was a one - loss team with a tough end of the season. After dominating both Cal and Notre Dame, they jumped Michigan into the number two spot in the BCS. All they had to do was beat the unranked UCLA Bruins and the National Championship game was theirs, but a stingy UCLA team rallied at home to knock off the Trojans and sent the College football world into a frenzy.

It came down to the SEC championship game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Florida Gators. With USC losing, an Arkansas win would almost guarantee a rematch between the Buckeyes and Wolverines, but a Florida win would put them into the mix for a chance at the title game. Florida prevailed in a close game and now all the pressure was on the BCS system and its voters.

On selection Sunday the results came out. The BCS computer rankings had the Gators and Wolverines tied, so it all came down to the voters. The voters, composed of present coaches, former coaches and former players, had to rank the teams in order of how they finished the season. To the disappointment of many the voters picked Florida.

“The voters did not pick the order of how the teams finished. They just picked not to have a rematch,” said local college football enthusiast Brendan “Squilly” Squillante.

“This just proves that the BCS system is an imperfect system and has to change,” said Squillante.

“Florida deserves to be in the title game, they won the hardest conference in college football and Michigan has had their chance at OSU and lost,” said senior Andrew Fuller, a Gators fan.

Michigan will now play in the Rose Bowl against USC. This game will showcase two teams that do not want to be playing each other because both teams were one win away from the National Title game. This game does however have potential to be more entertaining than the Championship. As USC and Michigan both posses solid defenses and game breakers on offense.

The LSU Tigers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be matched up in the Sugar Bowl. This game will be a shootout because of the Irish’s potent offense and the Tigers overall team speed. LSU’s defense has been solid all season and the Irish defense has been weak, so LSU will have the edge on that side of the ball. Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn will have to control the game and put up a lot of points for the Irish to have a chance in this game.

The next BCS bowl game is the Fiesta Bowl, a match up between the Oklahoma Sooners and the mid major Cinderella team Boise State Broncos. Boise St. is the only other team in the NCAA besides OSU to finish the regular season with a 12-0 record. Their offense has put up big numbers but Boise St. plays in the WAC, a conference that does not get very much respect from voters. The Broncos will get all they can handle against an Oklahoma team that was an onsides kick away from being in the National title picture.

The main story of this game is the return of Adrian Peterson. Peterson, who many thought was the best running back in college football was injured halfway through the season and the Fiesta bowl will be his first game back and possibly his last college football game ever as many think the junior will skip his senior year and enter the NFL draft.

In the worst match up of the BCS games, the Louisville Cardinals take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. In a down year for the ACC conference Wake Forest was able to make a run and beat Georgia Tech in the ACC championship game to lock up a bid in a BCS game. Louisville was able to win the Big East conference with help from rival West Virginia as they took down Rutgers in a crucial game in the last week of the season. Louisville has had a high-powered offense ranking third in the country with 39 points per game. Wake Forest is living the miracle season, being picked last by most experts in their division at the start of the season.

Finally, the grand daddy of them all, the National Title game. Featuring two teams that were highly touted at the beginning of the season and lived up to the hype. OSU has the most balanced team in the country with Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith controlling an offense with speedy receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzales and a consistent two man running game. The Buckeye defense has answered any questions that have been asked with the heavy graduation it suffered last season. James Laurinaitis anchors a fast defense that creates turnovers and is solid at tackling.

Florida Coach Urban Meyer operates a run and gun offense that is capable of putting up big points with big play wide outs Percy Harvin and Andre Caldwell. Gator’s QB Chris Leak will have to be consistent because Florida’s weakness has been their rushing game. The Gator defense has been effective stopping the run, averaging under 75 rushing yards per game and big play defensive backs Reggie Nelson and Ryan Smith will create a fun match up to watch on the biggest stage in college football.