Volume 85: Issue 8

SYLVANIANORTHVIEW VOLUME85 ISSUE8 03152011

THESTUDENTPRINTS Challenge Cats take on bullying for a day

SEUSSICAL

12

ICE 02

RESPECT 05

LOOK ALIKES 06

HOCKEY 12

UPCOMING AFFAIRS>> MARCH15 NHSsenior induction

MARCH16

wintersports banquet

MARCH17

st.patrick’sday

MARCH20

firstdayofspring

MARCH22

concert& symphonicband concert

MARCH24

windensemble concert

MARCH25 homeroom

MARCH26 turnabout

FORRESTER TALKING ABOUT BULLYING is a tough subject to bring up, but senior Addison Hirschfeld and other Challenge Cats members tried to show freshman that it is something that cannot be tolerated in high school.

Challenge Day was made up of many different games and activities including skits from Teen Pep.

M.PORTERFIELD STAFF

“Take Bullying by the Horns” was this year’s Challenge Day slogan.

On February 23, freshman were taken down to the gymnasium for half a day to learn how bullying can truly affect someone.

“This has been by far my favorite year for Challenge Day,” said Challenge Cats advisor and Math teacher Mrs. April McGough, “I think we helped the freshman make new friends and realize the effects of bullying and that it needs to be stopped.”

The freshman played games such as the “what to what” game. During this game, music was played and when the music stopped playing freshman had to pair up with someone else and say their favorite color or simply touch elbows. They were also treated to skits by Teen Pep that had to do with bullying.

To prove that any unkind word is always remembered, each freshman was given a piece of paper to crumble up and make smooth again. They found that making the paper completely smooth again was impossible. This proved to them that when an unkind word is said

it never goes away, according to Mrs. McGough.

“The sticks and stones activity really seemed to catch everyone’s attention and bring awareness about bullying,” said Mrs. McGough.

Challenge Day for next year has become questionable. This day for freshman has been cancelled due to budget cuts, according to Mrs. McGough.

“I really hope we can still have Challenge Day because I think it builds positive relationships in school and provides an opportunity to discuss tough stuff,” said Mrs. McGough.

NV discovers new cultures B.THOMAS

OP/ED

Food, film and fun were the center of this year’s annual World Language Week. The event was held February 24-28 and was hosted by the World Language Department.

The first day of WLW exposed French, German and Spanish students to foreign movie clips with English subtitles. The clips were selected based on common stereotypes of the French, German and Spanish cultures.

Students were required to fill out a paper that asked for their pre-viewing during-viewing and post-viewing personal stereotypes of each culture.

“I felt like instead of embracing the culture and having fun with it, I was more worried about completing the packet,” said junior Brooke Lorigan.

On the second day of WLW, students brought and shared popular French, German and Spanish food for a Café Day. While enjoying the culturally diverse food, the students read newspapers that contained information about foreign countries, celebrities, cultures and athletes, as well as fun crossword puzzles.

“It was a lot of work for me because the newspaper was hard to put together,” said Mrs. Monday. “I was wondering if it was really worthwhile, but when the students saw their work or could understand the material in the newspaper it ended up being gratifying,” she said.

In addition, students were asked to write a food review and share which food was the best from each culture and why. “My favorite was the French Tart,” said junior Sami Bhatti.

On the last day of WLW, students watched video presentations and recorded their thoughts about each clip and what they learned from it.

SB 5 heads to House

Senate Bill 5, which is set to go to the House of Representatives floor by the end of March, has caused much unrest among teachers and state workers across Ohio. If passed, the bill will restrict collective bargaining of unions in Ohio. Unions will not be able to negotiate health care, salaries, or other benefits and will not be allowed to strike when unsatisfied with working conditions, according to Sylvania Education Association President Mr. Perry Lefevre.

“I think that (the bill) is too all-encompassing,” said Mr. Lefevre. “Supporters of the bill do not have any argument that passing the bill will improve education.”

Proponents of SB5 argue that passing the bill will save money because faculty costs will decrease and state employees will start paying more of their health care costs, an increase of up to 10% to 15%, according to Social Studies teacher Mr. Mike Czerniakowski. Also, it will be easier to let inadequate employees go.

“There’s a thought out there that tenure means you can slack off at your job. That is absolutely untrue,” said Mr. Czerniakowski.

Unions argue that due process for its members is being restricted by the bill and that merit-based pay will target higher-paid teachers.

Twenty-five to 30 Sylvania teachers have traveled to Columbus to protest the bill, including Mr. Lefevre, Mr. Dan Dubiel, Mrs. Katherine Jensen, Mr. Sam Melendez, Mr. Andrew Roth, and Mrs. Jill Urbaniak, according to Mr. Lefevre.

After a committee reviews SB5, it will go to the floor of the House for a final vote. If the bill is amended, it will be referred back to the Senate and the process will repeat, according to Mr. Lefevre.

-Mamie Silver

Hype closes

STRICK

FORRESTER EATING SOUPS and other assorted foods is an annual event for every World Language Week. Junior Shelby Rieger and Christine Blaisdell enjoyed many times of food during World Language Week.

“The video was fun to make,” said senior Jared Summers. “I got to learn and teach about culture while entertaining others.”

“Overall, WLW was a good experience,” said sophomore Allie Hosinski. “I enjoyed exploring other cultures, their food and stereotypes.”

MELICK

Club Hype was a popular teen club in Maumee, but a recent incident caused the club to close its doors forever, according to FoxToledo.com.

Maumee police arrested Dontae Wynn and Jeshondre Naque Hollins, both 19, and a 17-year-old after they allegedly fired several shots outside of Club Hype on February 11, according to FoxToledo.com.

The teens were arguing outside the club about events that are unknown. No one was injured in the shooting but a police officer was injured while breaking up the riot.

“Clubs are for adults, not teenagers so it is a good thing that Hype is closing,” said senior Nicole Parker.

“The shooting was really immature,” said junior Justin Green, “that alone proves that kids should not be hanging out at a place like that.”

-Meghan Keene

NEWS

02 Seniors dominate Class Olympics M.JACOBS

BUSINESS

The gym was filled with cheering Wildcats anticipating the competition that was this year’s Class Olympics. The assembly was held February 18 which was the final day of Spirit Week.

The students and teachers that participated in the Olympics lined up on the back wall of the gym cheering on their teammates in various competitions.

In the first competition, the students were directed to spin around ten times with their foreheads applied to the top of a baseball bat and run around a cone at the opposite end of the gym. The first round of competitors pushed themselves across the gym floor with scooters, while the second group of students ran across the gym with a ball held between their chin and neck. The third group hopped across the floor in a potato sack and the last group of contestants crab walked their way across the gym.

“I had a valiant feeling while I was hopping across the gym floor in the potato sack,” said senior participant Nate Watkins.

The next race was the chariot race. Students were also instructed to spin around with their foreheads on top of a baseball bat in this competition. They were then blindfolded and instructed to push their partner across the gym floor in chairs with wheels while the person sitting in the chair gave direction to the student pushing.

The Just Dance competition was up next. In this competition, NV senior dance team captains Bailey Wittman, Madelyn Rossler and Amanda Metcalf instructed one student from each grade to follow their dance moves like the popular video game Just Dance. The captains stood in front of the players and performed a choreographed dance as the contestants attempted to imitate the dancers moves while teachers judged their performances.

MELICK CELEBRATING PERFECT SCORES was something that the senior class became accustomed to during this years Class Olympics. The seniors started off ahead because of their many wins in the Wacky Wildcat competitions that had been held throughout the week and maintained their position of first place throughout the entire assembly making them the winners of this year’s Class Olympics.

“I think it took a lot of guts to get out there and dance, but Colin Quinn was a close second,” said judge Miss Mattimoe.

In the next race, the teams were given large pieces of paper that were cut out and made into puzzle pieces. Each grade was grouped with

four students and were then assigned the task of piecing the puzzle together. This competition seemed to be the toughest because none of the grades correctly put their puzzle together.

Eventually, the faculty judges from the Just Dance competition determined the winning class

by what puzzle seemed to be most fitting.

The students then had a football toss, which involved throwing mini plastic footballs into large garbage cans. After tiring efforts to complete the task, the seniors once again dominated.

The seniors overall won the Class Olympics.

Proposed Ice storm shuts down final budget schools, power, city released K.MCCOY

STAFF

A.STRICK

COEDITOR

This school year has been filled with anxiety from teachers, students and Sylvania community members ever since the proposed budget cuts were released in January after the failure of the proposed levy. Last Wednesday everyone could breath a sigh of relief (or anguish) as the final Budget Reduction Plan was released

by Superintendent Dr. Brad Rieger.

Some of the cuts that were previously proposed were removed from the list because of salary concessions made by Sylvania teachers, support staff, administrators and Board of Education members along with a significant number of retirements, according to Dr. Rieger in a letter to the community. In total, 36.66 positions were saved from the previously proposed cuts.

“Right now it’s a positive thing for me,” said Social Studies teacher Mrs. Sarah Rhine who’s position was previously on the cut list. Now, Mrs. Rhine’s position has been proposed to be cut to part-time as opposed to being completely eliminated. “I am happy because I would much rather be teaching half-time than not be teaching at all,” she said. “At the same time, I wonder if I should bother getting excited right now because anything could change.

“ [

] ”

...I WOULD MUCH RATHER BE TEACHING HALF-TIME THAN NOT BE TEACHING AT ALL. -MRS. RHINE, SOCIAL STUDIES

It’s very dependent on a lot of different factors.”

On the other end of the spectrum 75.3 positions were reduced for next year for the district as a whole, of that 22.5 were eliminated through retirements and an additional 52.8 positions had to be reduced to cover the budget deficit. At Northview, 7.33 positions were saved. Those positions are: two Math, one and a half Science, one English, one-half Social Studies, one Guidance Counselor, onehalf Fine Arts, Careers In Education II, Harmony Road Show and AP Music Theory. “One and a half Social Studies positions needed to be cut from NV and Southview. Mr. Albright decided to retire, so that left half of a position that needed to still be cut here at NV,” said Mrs. Rhine. “That’s why, right now, I will get to stay on part-time instead of being completely eliminated.”

Twenty-four positions were proposed to be eliminated from NV and SV combined in the plan.

“The final plan is contingent with the levy passing, the governor’s final decision on his educational budget and the final decision of the board,” said Mrs. Rhine.

This plan was presented to the school board last night.

High expectations of cancellations were in the minds of most Sylvania kids on the morning of February 22.

“Closing school is rough on the educational part of school. We get behind on the learning and teaching. Such as the sophomores missing out on a few days of OGT preparing,” said Principal Mr. Stewart Jesse.

After the long three-day weekend filled with snow, ice and weather warnings, much of Sylvania was left powerless Tuesday morning. Homes throughout the area had been without power since Monday due to an ice storm knocking out a number of power lines. Some families were forced to leave until it was restored.

House temperatures reached 30 degrees or colder. Some families waited it out or stayed in hotels.

“We lost power on Tuesday and my family went to the Wingate hotel, which was about a mile from where I live. We tried to get a generator but it only worked for a little bit,” said senior AJ Mehling.

Other students stayed with relatives. “My family went to my grandma’s house. It was hard to adjust. I needed the Internet for my homework and I couldn’t use it because of the power outage,” said sophomore Racquel Sohasky.

Trees and branches fell through houses causing bad conditions for families. “I woke up after the storm and there was a huge hole over my bed. A branch had too much ice on it and fell through my roof. It was kind of scary,” said sophomore Hayley Ulmer.

“A tree fell into my brother’s room. There was a lot of damage and a big whole in the roof and side of the house,” said senior Nolan Culver. The Monday night storm resulted in 7.8 inches of snow, according to Toldeoblade.com. Following the snow, Sylvania schools closed for the day. Snow coated the iced roads and made driving conditions unbearable, especially for buses.

“Ice on the roads is always a concern. Snow fell on top of the ice that had coated roads, parking lots and walkways making it unsafe,” said Superintendent Dr. Brad Rieger.

The month of February accumulated 26.0 inches of snow. It was recorded as the worst snowstorm for February since 1900, which accumulated 25.1 inches, according to the Toledoblade. com.

As of right now, Sylvania schools have used six snow days.

Ohio districts are allowed three snow days and because Sylvania had gone over, they have to make them up. There is legislation working its way through the Ohio statehouse, the seat of government for the state of Ohio, which would increase the snow days from three to five causing schools to not go as many days in the summer. Also, the

MELICK

THE ICE STORM WAS A shocking surprise that affected many buildings within the community. This sign at NV, like much of the community, was completely iced over in a thick layer.

bill talks about districts allowing school days to be longer to use the hours/minutes beyond the state requirement in order to make up the days Sylvania had gone past, according to Dr. Reiger.

“We will not know how the end of the school year will be impacted until the legislation is passed in its final form,” said Dr. Reiger.

NEWS Senior citizens learn new skills S.MCCASKEY STAFF

It is never too late to learn something new.

That is the approach Northview’s chapter of the National Honor Society is taking as it sets out to teach senior citizens how to use various computer programs.

The senior citizens at Luther Crest Apartments, a retirement community off of Holland Sylvania Road, are met by NHS students to learn the basics of computer software.

On Mondays and Wednesdays after school at 3 p.m. and on Saturday afternoons, NHS students visit with seniors for two hours at the retirement community, according to NHS advisor Mrs. Frances Borchers. This is the fifth week that NHS members have visited the retirement community.

NHS students assist senior citizens in setting up e-mail accounts, working with Microsoft Excel, and the basics of using a computer and the Internet, according to senior Laura Denyer.

“It’s interesting teaching the senior citizens at that level, because these things are so easy for us and we take them for granted,” said Denyer.

Seniors wishing to learn more in-depth computer programs were introduced to such sites as Pandora and Facebook. “The kids have a lot of fun with it,” said Mrs. Borchers.

OP/ED

Mrs. Chris Shunk, Mr. Rick Schneider, Mr. Rick Bohn, Mr. Mark Kroll, Mrs. Kathy Benya, Mrs. Fran Borchers, Mr. Chris Albright, Mrs. Linda Cohen, Mr. Ed Schwerkolt and Mrs. Mary Goodwin. What does every one of these teachers have in common you ask? Each and every one of them is retiring after this school year.

A grand total of 32 teachers are retiring from the Sylvania School District, ten of which are from NV. “It’s time to move on to other things,” said math teacher Mrs. Shunk. “The reason I decided to retire after this year was both the state of the school system as well as the incentives offered by the Board of Education,” she said.

Many citizens are aware of the six million dollar debt that Sylvania Schools is currently dealing with. To help pay off the debt, academic courses, athletics and teachers are in jeopardy of

Music dept racks up “I”s at contest

NV musicians successful

MELICK USING A COMPUTER may seem like second nature to students, but NHS members like Laura Denyer volunteer their time to help senior citizens learn how to use their PC’s.

Teachers enticed to retire B.THOMAS

03

being cut, and qualifying teachers were offered incentives to retire. Some of the various motives enticing teachers to retire include an extra $24,000 paid over four payments during a three year period. Encouragement was also provided in that teachers would be paid for unused sick days.

Mrs. Shunk has taught for 30 years total, 11 of them at NV. In her retirement, she plans to travel, spend the winter in warmer climates and play golf with her husband. The rest is “to be discovered,” she said.

“The thing I will miss the most about teaching is seeing a student successfully understand a concept in mathematics that they didn’t think they could before,” said Mrs. Shunk.

Mrs. Benya has taught for 36 years, all of them at NV. Before being hired by Sylvania Schools, she subbed for Washington Local. “I am most excited about having time in the evening to do anything I want,” said Mrs. Benya. “I won’t have to grade another English essay ever again.”

Mrs. Benya plans to spend more time visiting her grandson in Japan and is excited about her daughter’s recent announcement that she is having a baby in September. “I will miss the smiling caused by my students on a daily basis,” said Mrs. Benya.

Mrs. Borchers has taught for 29 years, 21 of them at NV. She has served as the coach of NV’s Speech and Debate team and advisor of the National Honor Society. With her time, Mrs. Borchers plans to visit her children, travel and read any book she wants.

“I’ll miss my students, the fun, discovery and learning,” said Mrs. Borchers. “I love the classes that I teach.”

Each of the teachers interviewed said they would miss teaching for Sylvania Schools.

“I have loved teaching here. Sylvania Schools gives us a lot of freedom,” said Mrs. Borchers. “To my students, always be curious and do your best.

When we challenge ourselves, we bring out our personal best, as well as the best in our peers.”

ond were Smith and Fabiilli in Technical Problem Solving and Loss, senior Ted Garey and freshman Julia Nistel in Experimental Design.

“Solon was great. It was the best ever finish that we as a team have ever had at a tournament of such a high caliber,” said Smith.

On February 26, NV students traveled to Wright State University. Collectively, the team was able to place fifth.

“The competition was really good,” said senior Jackie Leizerman. “Centerville, the defending national champion team, was there. NV did well.”

Placing eighth were Newmyer and Smith in Chemistry Lab. Placing sixth were seniors Michael Schuster and Brynn Runion in Mousetrap Vehicle, Waxemberg and Runion in Remote Sensing, freshmen Sindhya Rajan and Veronica Czernik in Neuroscience and Fabiilli, Loss and senior Viktor Barricklow in Mission Possible.

“Our Mission Possible machine worked perfectly except for the fact that our balloon had a hole in it,” said Fabiilli. “Now we just have to tweak it to perfection.”

Placing fifth were Smith and Nistel in Fossils and Fabiilli and junior Sara Metcalf in Disease Detectives. Placing fourth were Newmyer, Metcalf and senior Serena Chang in Protein Modeling.

“Protein modeling was fun,” said Newmyer.

“The test seemed easier than normal; we were lucky there was no set build.”

Also placing fourth were Smith and Fabiilli in Technical Problem Solving and Metcalf and Barricklow in Forensics. Placing second were Waxemberg and Schuster in Wind Power and Tausif and Nistel in Neuroscience. “[Neuroscience] was chill,” said Tausif. “I enjoyed working with the real tongue and brains.”

District Regionals were held on March 5 at Lima. NV sent two teams to the tournament.

The Black team finished sixth and the Gold team

placed first, winning the tournament for the second year in a row.

“Not only am I excited about the Gold team winning the tournament, but I am equally excited that the future of Science Olympiad looks promising as the Black team finished sixth,” said clubadvisor Mr. Andy Roth.

Placing third were Smith and senior Tim Sundberg in Astronomy, Fabiilli, Loss, Hojnacki and Barricklow in Mission Possible and Tausif and Loss in Write It Do It. “It was a difficult test,” said Sundberg. “It was more a measure of who sucked the least than who was the best.”

Placing second were Sundberg and Hojnacki in Ornithology, Runion, Nistel and Rajan in Experimental Design, Schuster and Waxemberg in

More than 70 Orchestra, Band, and Choir students performed at the District I Solo and Ensemble Adjudicated Event hosted by the Ohio Music Education Association.

The event was held at Bowling Green High School and gave students from all over Northwest Ohio the opportunity to sing or play challenging music in front of experienced adjudicators, or judges. Soloists and Ensemble members received a rating along with constructive criticism intended to help improve their overall musicianship.

NV had students participate in more than 20 vocal events. Over 10 NV Choir events received the highest rating of “I” or “outstanding,” while six Choir events received a “II” or “excellent.”

“It’s a great feeling to receive a “I” after working on one song for weeks,” said sophomore Samantha Olrich.

NV had over 20 Orchestra students participating in Solo and Ensemble, including 16 string events that achieved the highest rating, “I”. Four events received “II” as their rating. “Our students did very well,” said Orchestra director Mrs. Pamela Thiel. “We were very proud of everyone who participated,” she said.

Over 30 NV band events were performed at Solo and Ensemble this year, 12 of them receiving “I” as their rating, and 10 of them receiving a “II”.

“It is fun to go and play a solo or ensemble and receive constructive criticism,” said junior Colin McCloskey. “The feedback helps you to play better in the future,” he said.

Orchestra, Band and Choir students also represented NV the OMEA District I Honors Orchestra event February 20.

Rehearsal for Honors Orchestra was approximately seven hours February 19 and the concert was held at 7pm at the Stranahan Theatre. The Orchestra performed four songs at the concert and freshmen cellist Henry Gray played an improvised solo.

“Honors Orchestra was wonderful and great fun,” said Mrs. Thiel. “It’s my favorite event OMEA hosts all year.”

- Bridget Thomas

Science Olympiad team victorious J.DENG

STAFF

Goggles on. Test tubes marked. Beakers at the ready. Science Olympiad has had a run of success at its competitions so far this year.

“Our team has experienced a global improvement this year,” said junior Andrew Newmyer.

“Every tournament that we go to, we just keep getting better.”

Northview participated at Northmont on January 8. Members of the club were able to not only enhance and flaunt their scientific knowledge, but they were able to enjoy interacting and meeting up with students from other teams.

“I enjoyed [Northmont] immensely,” said senior Taylor Hertz. “I saw some friends I made last year which was fun.”

In Chemistry Lab, the team of senior Nick Smith and Newmyer placed second. “It was exciting to place,” said Smith, who is president of the team. “It was disappointing though, that the team as a whole didn’t do better.”

After having a month to reorganize and prepare more, students traveled to Solon on February 5. The tournament consisted of 48 teams total; competitors traveled from Texas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Indiana to compete.

“The tournament was very difficult,” said junior Lindsey Loss. “It was tiring because we had to get up at four and it was over a two-hour drive.

It was a good day though.”

The team represented NV well at the prestigious and widely revered tournament; what it lacked at Northmont it definitely acquired at Solon. Placing sixth in Fossils were Smith and junior Adeel Tausif. Placing fifth in Optics were Smith and senior Diego Waxemberg. Placing third in Chemistry Lab were Smith and Newmyer. Placing second in Mission Possible were juniors Dominic Fabiilli, Loss and Eric Hojnacki. Also placing sec-

Wind Power and freshman Ben Pifer and junior Sami Leslie in Write It Do It. “I didn’t expect to do so well,” said Hojnacki.

“It was great though.”

Placing first were Smith and Barricklow in Chemistry Lab, Sundberg and junior James D’Onofrio in Dynamic Planet, Garey and Tausif in Ecology, Garey, Loss and Schuster in Experimental Design, Barricklow and Metcalf in Forensics, Smith and Metcalf in Microbe Mission, Schuster in Mousetrap Vehicle and Garey and Barricklow in Sounds of Music.

“Getting first in two events was amazing because I’ve never done this before,” said Metcalf.

“I felt like a success.”

The team is now preparing for States, to be held on April 30 at The Ohio State University.

COURTESY OF MR. ANDREW ROTH PARTICIPATING IN the Sumo Bot event is sophomore Thomas Needham. The Science Olympiad team had many successes this year.

OP/ED

04 Toledo not as bad as Forbes says Club Hype

When people ask me where I am from, my initial response is, “a small town near Toledo, Ohio,” or just simply, “Toledo.” Since I have grown up so close to the city, Toledo is just as much a part of my life as Sylvania is.

For many, just because they reside and attend school in Sylvania does not necessarily mean that they do not consider themselves a part of Toledo as well. So one can imagine the frustration when Toledo was rated 15th on Forbes Top 20 Miserable Cities.

First, one has to question the validity of the list itself, and question how places such as Miami, Florida, Sacramento, California and New York City were named alongside Toledo as some of the most miserable cities.

According to Forbes.com, the decisions were made based on factors including unemployment, taxes, crime, weather, commute times, success or lack there of by local sports teams and change in home prices and foreclosures.

While these factors are important to take into consideration when deciding where one wishes to live, they are merely signs of the time. Unemployment is up across the United States, and the crashing housing market is evident in any city.

What Forbes fails to mention is that Toledo is not just a city with a reputation formed by statistics – it is a busy town with much to offer beyond the numbers written on paper.

Whether or not Toledo is an ideal place to live is debatable and depends on the person, but there is no denying that there is much to do in Toledo. We have the Toledo Zoo, and the Toledo Museum of Art, not to mention our phenomenal performing arts programs, which includes the Toledo Symphony and the Toledo Ballet.

We have the Stranahan Theater, which brings

closes, no good to begin with

Broadway shows and concerts close to home. We have the Huntington Center, which hosts various acts year round, and is home to Toledo’s own Walleye hockey team. We also have Fifth-Third Field, home to Toledo’s Mud Hens baseball team.

Here in Toledo, we have all of the big city amenities just steps from our suburban Sylvania.

MELICK Of course, upon reading Forbes rating, there are going to be those that murmurMELICK a quiet, “amen” in agreement, but I’d like to think that for the most part, we as Toledoans, have a little bit more pride than to let someone else tell us what our city is about.

- Stephanie McCaskey

Grades are not everything Being involved, having a social life just as important Grades. The stress over this simple six letter word is unreal. Taking all honors courses with TWO AP classes can become too much. Many students notice their GPA slowly declining throughout high school.

Some people go without this issue and stay up countless hours studying for their third hour math quiz, ninth period chemistry test, and triple checking their fifth period math worksheet. After you take your tests, feeling pretty confident on the work displayed, you go home and repeat the same process over again and make sure every inch of your work is correct. You come back into school, get your worksheet back and tests back all with a beautiful “A+”.

That perfection is just what you worked for, and you go home for the mini vacation also known as the weekend, and get right down to business studying for the next test the next week. What happened to weekends being the break? Where did the relaxation time go? Time for friends, TV, Facebook, and all those social things we teenagers seem to distract ourselves with?

When it comes to applying to college, this could be the only time the 4.5 GPA is going to help you, but not always. If you take several honors and AP courses, colleges scale your GPA down to the regular scale. These courses are challenging, and colleges know that and take that into consideration. And further more, the field for getting a scholarship is almost impossible these days, especially academically.

For people with your average “B/C” grades, the only scholarships that seem to be available are for athletics. However, not everyone plays a sport, or is good enough to receive a scholarship.

“It is already hard to get a scholarship if you

are not a minority are a middle class, American,” said senior Lauren Howald, “Going to Bowling Green you get the automatic scholarship, but its impossible to get any extra money unless you have higher than a 4.0 GPA.” These teenagers are forgetting one important part of the high school experience, social skills.

There are always going to be the Albert Einsteins of the school with a 4.5 GPA, but what about those kids who spend countless hours studying at night just to maintain their GPA. How important are those grades and numbers?

“My parents always told me to get “B’s” and “C’s” and have a fun high school experience rather than get all “A’s” and not have as much fun,” said sophomore Lia O’Donnell.

If a student is so focused on grades, how can they learn the other important things in high school? Their social skills? Maybe it’s just me, but I assume most people like going out to the Friday and Saturday night games, cheering their school on to victory, or pulling an all nighter with your best friends eating all the junk you can find.

Now, I am not trying to tell you to slack off and not try your best. If all “A’s” is your best and you still have time for fun, then that’s awesome, get those great grades you deserve. But, when someone spends almost every waking minute studying, in the long run, things may not be as wonderful for that person.

With parents pressuring students left and right, checking up on PAM, which has been offered so parents can monitor grades more closely, the pressure from parents can become too much.

With this pressure for perfection, students can become depressed. When you finally leave college, after becoming a businessman or busi-

nesswoman, graduating as class valedictorian both in high school and college, you decide to head out and look for a job. You found a firm, hiring just what you specialize in, and know with your grades you can get the job.

Or can you? If you apply along with someone who had a “B” average in high school and a “C” average in college, but they have 15 to 20 school activities, clubs, sports, and more listed on their resume and you have one to two, you may be lucky to get an interview.

People want to hire people that are social, if you can do the work right, it is not just because you got an A, it is because you took the class, but so did your “B/C” average person. It is not that you are going to be unemployed your entire life, but it is just that grades are not always everything. It is just as important to have fun and become involved with your school.

“There is research that shows that people like Bill Gates did not get all “A’s” in high school, but he is still a very successful person in life,” said Senora Lindsey Jurski,” When I was in high school, I did not take all the honors classes and I think it helped me so I was not overwhelmed and when it came to college I was flexible to change because of it. I was a good student, but by developing good social skills I was able to use that later in college.”

“Good grades are useful, but you won’t get anywhere in the world if you can’t deal with people in a productive matter,” said senior Tim Sundberg.

Go to games, join clubs, watch TV, and Facebook creep. It is all what your typical teenager does, so why shouldn’t you?

- Libby Headman

Co-Editors-In-Chief: Abbey Strick and Yianni Papadimos Advisor:Sarah Huey News Editors:David Aldrich & Mamie Silver Features Editors:Ally Yocom & Amanda Metcalf Sports Editors:Addison Hirschfeld & Alexa Kalanquin Opinions Editors:Kelsey Pomeroy & Bridget Thomas Arts & Entertainment Editor:Estar Cohen Business Editor:Margot Jacobs Staff Photographer:Jack Melick Staff Cartoonist: Katie Simrell Staff Writers:Mary Grace Fitzgerald, Aurora Milliron, Savannah King, Molly Porterfield, Skylar Rose, Drew Crandall, Caitlin DeGross, Jennifer Deng, Morgan Hawley, Libby Headman, Meghan Keene, Katelynn McCoy, Stephanie McCaskey, and Blake Miller

The Student Prints is the official student-produced newspaper of Sylvania Northview High School. It is distributed monthly at no charge to serve the purpose of informing students, faculty, staff, administration and the Sylvania community of current issues. The main goal of The Prints is to present coverage of events in an unbiased and accurate manner. The paper also respects the opinions and ideas of the entire NV community. Signed letters to the editors are encouraged and should be no longer than 300 words. All letters can be turned into the publications room, E-6. The Prints reserves the right to edit letters that contain grammatical errors, accuracy and profane or libelous comments. The newspaper staff is entirely responsible for the content of the paper and supports the First Amendment to the Constitution. Unsigned editorials published in The Prints are written by staff members, and agreed upon by a majority vote of the editorial board. The Prints is carefully examined by its staff and adviser prior to publication to prevent incorrect or libelous information. The newspaper staff does not endorse advertisements published in The Prints. Advertising specifications may be obtained by calling (419) 824-8708.

The newspaper follows the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook guidelines for punctuation and grammar. The Prints is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and Quill and Scroll.

“Everyone go to Club Hype after the football game!” “Can’t wait to go clubbin’ tonight.”

These are two familiar facebook statuses that high school and junior high students often posted on their walls this past fall. At the beginning of the year, Club Hype was pretty much the cool place to be on the weekends.

Most students would not hesitate to admit that a high school dance could not come close to the Club Hype experience.

“The music is a lot better and you can get away with the way you dance much more easily than at a high school dance,” said junior Jessica Jessing.

Although the music may be better at Club Hype, there is one more thing that is different than a high school dance: the people that are there. At a high school event, the people that show up are mostly the students that go to the school, but that’s a whole different story for Hype. To go to Club Hype, you need your student ID to prove that you meet the required grade level to get in. This is supposed to prevent “creepy” people from going into the club, but that is not always the case.

“A big guy tapped me on the back while I was dancing and held up a condom while asking me to go into the bathroom with him,” said junior Taylor Weis.

Considering this behavior is completely disrespectful, the standards to get into Club Hype must not take classiness into consideration.

“Bad things can just happen when you go to Hype,” said junior Denzel Weaton.

My point being said, the nights that I went home after a football game instead of going to Club Hype was definitely worth it.

The opportunity to go to club can wait until I am old enough.

Club Hype did not shine as bright as a star during the late night hours on February 12. Gun shots, underage consumption and multiple arrests can sum up the atmosphere at Hype that weekend. A Maumee Police officer suffered minor injuries while breaking up a fight, according to The Toledo Blade All and all, I am not writing this to tell all of the Club Hype fans, “I told you so” but more importantly, this is a warning to be aware of sketchy situations like attending a public underage club that anybody from anywhere can attend. I will admit that it may seem fun, but it is important to be conscious of your surroundings.

“At Club Hype and places just like it, anything can happen to you no matter if there is security or not,” said Weis.

- Skylar Rose

Challenge Day - a frosh point of view Challenge Day happens every year for the incoming freshmen. Bullying was the theme of this year’s Challenge Day. When you first walked into the gym, you were greeted by an overwhelming amount of upperclassmen dancing and cheering. Everyone got a nametag with a number and that number determined what group you would be in. After being divided into groups, the fun started. Games were played to get to know everyone and we had a great time. They passed out pizza, cookies and animal crackers. Following the snack, things got serious.

Paper was passed out to each freshman so they could write a time they had been bullied.

The papers were crumpled to show that you can never fully bounce back after being bullied.

When people started to read what they wrote, tears began to fill my eyes. I was surprised by what people had been through and hoped the best for them.

Afterwards everyone tossed their papers in the middle of the gym and senior Addison Hirschfeld read off what some of them said.

Some people were laughing about these situations, but bullying is something serious.

Then people stood up if they were ever bullied, felt alone or experienced something along those lines. It was nice knowing that you were never the only person standing up.

Challenge Day was a great event for freshmen to participate in. You got to know your classmates better and learn the hurtful effects of words and what bullying can do.

-Marissa Milliron

OP/ED Spirit dance flops, more upperclassmen needed

After a very exciting Northview Southview game February 18, NV cheerleaders put on another not-so-exciting spirit dance. As usual the dance was held in the Auxiliary Gym, but this year SV students were allowed to attend.

“I was surprised to see how many SV kids actually showed up,” said sophomore Emily Fuller. The dance started as soon as the final buzzer buzzed. Students piled on the dance floor and began to get their groove on. However, the energy from the game was not carried over from into the dance. Much to my surprise, the majority of the people dancing and attending the dance were underclassmen.

“I feel like the spirit dances are directed toward the younger grades,” said senior Heather McPeek. NV provides two dances or three dances, depending on the year. Seizing opportunities such as the spirit dance allows more chances to have a few extra during the school year. The spirit dance is provided for fun and is supposed to be a cheaper dance. The cost is $5 unlike our Homecomings and Turnabouts which can get pricey. It does not require any formal wear or for a fancy dinner. Wouldn’t you rather pay for an almost priceless night of fun dancing than dresses, bids and expensive meals?

“The dances this year are not as successful as the ones we had last year,” said Fuller. Perhaps the name should be changed to just “Dance” so more upperclassmen attend. The spirit part, which seems to be missing, is supposed to make the dance amusing and less formal. It allows comfortable attire so people can dance because after being in the hot gym, you may be a little sweaty.

MELICK SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES such as the spirit dance allows more chances to have a few extra dances during the school year, and it should appeal more to the upperclassmen.

The spirit dance should appeal more to the upperclassmen. Paying a DJ and providing the safe environment to dance as well as allowing other students to come for a low price sounds like a good deal to me.

“I loved the spirit dances and I wish we could have more. I think the upperclassmen should come to them if we have them,” said sophomore Lauren Yurvejic.

-Katelynn McCoy

More student participation, enthusiasm needed

Wacky Wildcat competitions are supposed to be a fun way to get students involved and boost school spirit. The problem is every time we do Wacky Wildcats, the end result is a Student Government representative begging for people to volunteer themselves. These few steps could make Wacky Wildcat more enjoyable for all.

Everyone feels more comfortable with their friends. If possible try to involve two or three kids involved. This way kids will go up with their friends, instead of being too embarrassed to do the challenge by themselves.

Make it messy

People like to laugh at others expense. The messy challenges will get people standing up, cheering and laughing. The people who enjoy the messy challenges will be more likely to volunteer for a later Wacky Wildcat.

Don’t be embarrassed

Part of school spirit is embarrassing yourself and having fun while doing it. Don’t be afraid to break out of your shell and do something you don’t normally do. Who knows you might really enjoy it. You will never know unless you try.

Turn up the volume on the microphone

Get the staff and administration involved

Most people would love to beat their favorite teacher or administrator in who could make the best animal noise. It would be fun for the teachers too.

Tell people about the prize

The microphone is always so quiet during lunch. You can hardly understand what the speaker is saying, and no one is going to volunteer for something if they don’t know what they’re doing.

I’m sure a lot more people would volunteer if they knew that they could win a t-shirt.

Just by taking these simple steps we could transform Wacky Wildcat into what it should be, a fun way to boost spirit.

-Drew Crandall

same way that girls can and probably will never be able to. Also, to get upset about the boys’ outfits is just inconceivable. All of the boys were fully clothed, wearing either a bottom and top or a full one-piece dance costume. If a student can be allowed to run around a gymnasium during a pep assembly in nothing but a Speedo but cannot wear a girl’s dance costume, something is wrong.

As we reach the age of 18, we come to understand what is serious and what is a joke. The dance was pure comedy and it seemed that everyone but the administration understood that. Instead, the administration chose to yell at the dance team’s coach in front of countless students and parents and treated the dancers and student section like children who apparently should not even know that dancing like that exists (has ANYONE been to a high school dance in the past 10 years?).

Now, let’s look at a much more common occurrence for seniors at NV: being deemed “inappropriate” during a sporting event.

Whether it is for a verbal or physical reason, students are constantly yelled at during sporting events for “misbehaving.” Sorry, but when did having fun and being rowdy at a sporting event become unacceptable? Isn’t one of the defining characteristics of a successful sporting event a boisterous crowd? It is obvious for anyone to understand why cursing is intolerable, but what is the fun in being in a student section if students cannot even make fun of the other team? As bizarre as it may sound, students do not want to shower the opposing team with hugs and kisses. They want the Wildcats to absolutely crush the rival team and make them feel bad about themselves, at least while the game is going on. Was there a memo that every senior missed that stated they are still in kindergarten and need to remember that “if you can’t say anything nice then don’t say anything at all,” even during a sporting event? A group of students were scolded by the administration at a basketball game for claiming to see a player on the opposing team’s diaper.

If that is harsh, then it is incomprehensible how

some students are still stable after some of the cruel comments and rumors that are said around the halls of NV. Even worse, to yell at a group of boys for not wearing shirts and painting their bodies at a basketball game is just ludicrous.

Boys have been going shirtless at sporting events way before our time here at NV, and it is pointless to even attempt to change such a tradition. The administration tries to force school spirit down students’ throats, yet restricts them from almost everything that they do to show their Wildcat pride.

While TSP personally respects the administration at NV and understands that it is not easy to keep over 1300 students in-line, it is becoming more and more clear that they can be pretty hypocritical. There has been a vast amount of times that seniors have been told to ‘embrace their adulthood and make a difference’ by voting for the levy. Nobody needs to tell us at TSP to vote for the levy: there is no doubt that we support it 100%. However, to tell seniors to embrace their adulthood one second and then to treat them like children the next does not make sense. They can vote but cannot laugh along as their peers attempt to ‘shake what their momma’s gave them’ and tell a St. Johns hockey player to “sit on one?”

Some teachers have suggested that perhaps the administration gets upset about these things because they do not want the community to change their mind about voting for the levy, and that’s just straight-up crap. Robbing students of a real, fun high school experience just to protect your image? Talk about selfish. Letting your students enjoy high school is not going to cause the school to be negatively perceived: it is just going to be viewed as a normal high school and there is nothing wrong with that. Students at NV have never before expressed a desire to be above the norm and it is pointless to try to make them be something that they do not want to be.

Perhaps the administration should sit back and allow seniors to make their own choices more frequently. If they can make decisions for the community, why can’t they make decisions for themselves?

Administration overreacts, seniors deserve to be treated like adults 18. Adult. Mature. Legal. A person looks forward to their 18th birthday from the time they can comprehend the concept of a birthday and it is almost always a pivotal moment in one’s life. Many seniors at Northview are lucky enough to pass this milestone prior to graduating and it should not go unnoticed. However, to many administrators here, this coming-of-age seems to mean absolutely nothing. That is, of course, until it comes to voting for the levy.

Take, for example, the halftime show February 11 at the boys’ basketball game against Anthony Wayne where the administration got upset because a couple of boys acted ‘improperly.’

For weeks, it was broadcast on the morning announcements that boys were welcome to dance with the Dance Team for a “memorable performance.” Now, let’s be honest. While the guys had all of the spirit in the world and were beyond enjoyable to watch, their technique level when it came to dancing was nothing compared to the team’s. They knew that, the team knew that and the audience knew that. Everyone presumed that the routine was probably going to be more comical than serious and what is a better way to make a performance funny than making the boys dance and dress like girls? However, one simple (non-choreographed) dance move changed the administration’s view of the entire dance.

Adrenaline while performing is a thing that all dancers are used to, however, the boys obviously were not used to it and brought their dancing to a new level. While basically all of the audience welcomed the boys’ butt-shaking and shimmying, the administration took it as being way out of control. Let’s be serious: when it comes to the home section at sporting events, particularly at basketball games, the crowd is mainly seniors and parents. Needless to say, everyone in the audience knew that the performance was just a way for the students to actually have fun for once (which can be hard to do sometimes at NV), not a way to actually promote such kind of dancing. Honestly?

They’re boys: they cannot shimmy and shake the

told

by an

by David Aldrich

Wacky Wildcats lack spirit Get more people involved

05 a tale Things are not always what they at first appear to be. Sometimes things that you think would end up in one place end up somewhere totally different by the end of it. Plans can be made, but ideas may end up developing in an altogether strange ways.

I thought this one would be easy. I had a great idea for a theme and many examples with which to elaborate on the theme. It was going to be a list of sorts that would have told of things that high schoolers are too old to do. Things on the list would have included: sledding, high fives, video games, juice boxes, sleepovers, using markers/ crayons/colored pencils outside an art class, laughing at inappropriate things, dressing up for Halloween, being home sick, fighting, not liking to read and many other things that are not appropriate to print in a high school newspaper.

I feel like this may have become repetitive and I hate repeating myself, or being repetitious. I really don’t like it when things are said over and over and over again, with nothing new being said. Repetition is one of the most horrible things I can be subjected to or subject others to. It just really annoys me when a single thought is reiterated again and again. However, I do love dragging out a marginally funny joke way too long.

There is one topic on the list that I would like to elaborate on and it is the idea that high school students are too old to be out sick from school. This may sound harsh, but in actuality it is just a front for me to brag about how I am on my way to having perfect attendance. So in actuality I encourage others to miss class, because then the honor and the glory will only be mine and mine alone.

To go along with being the only one to do something, I now would like to talk about the television program The Cape, or should I say former television program. It is just the latest in a long line of supremely quality shows that have gotten cancelled because of lack of viewership, even though they have the most important viewer in the world, me. There were so many questions left unanswered. Will Vince ever get back to his family? What is Max planning on using Vince for? Will Orwell ever have a confrontation with her father, the super-villain Chess? Does anyone even understand any of these questions? Who are you? Where does the world come from? Why am I referencing the mystery novel/philosophy textbook Sophie’s World?

Speaking of philosophy, try this one on for size. People get frustrated when a computer runs slowly, but what if it is people that are actually moving faster? People as a collective may be perceiving time in a fluctuating manner, where time seems to be moving faster or slower but is really functioning at the same speed it always is. It may not be the computer acting differently but you instead. I realize that this idea is fractured and somewhat nonsensical but considering I thought it up in about 15 minutes I think it is at least somewhat interesting.

If your mind is not blown yet then listen to this. One reason many people argue that time travel can never happen is that no one has ever met a time traveller. However, if time travel exists in a place in the future, it would probably be regulated by some sort of “time travel police” and they could always keep going further and further back in time in order to stop anyone else from changing anything.

And if time travellers change anything, big or small, we in the present would not even be aware of it. Things could constantly be changed and everyone would just change with it. It could be the case that this very specific moment in time had not existed until just a moment ago, people, places and history may have been completely different, but then all of reality was changed. Or maybe it changed now, or now or now.

All this talk of time travel makes me think of the Terminator films and the one problem I have with them. It is the fact that the machines send a robot back in time in order to kill the resistance leader John Connor’s mother so he can never be born. But this causes the humans to send someone to protect her, and he ends up being John’s father. So if the machines had never sent a robot in the first place then John Connor would not have been born in the first place. This could be looked at as a plot hole or as a theme that fate directs everything.

Wow, this really took a turn from what I originally intended to write. I didn’t even get into talking about baseball, I guess it will have to wait until next time.

FEATURES

06

celebrity students

T

T

Anna FarisVictoria Northrup

is said that everyone has a twin TItsomewhere in the world and some students here at Northview are fortunate enough to have “twins� that are celebrities. Better yet, some celebrities are fortunate enough to have twins that go to NV. Here is a glance at our strikingly similar Wildcats and celebs.

T

Allie McDonald Lindsey Lohan Taylor Kotlarczyk Mila Kunis

Maddie Rutter Jeanette McCurdy SnookiEmily Halter

Justin BieberDerek Sass Nick Jonas Dylan Simmons

Tby morgan hawley T

FEATURES

07

TEEN DATING

SHATTERS LIVES S.KING

STAFF

Being in a relationship can feel amazing. It feels good to fall in love and to have someone that you are truly happy with. You can walk through the halls hand in hand. It seems as if nothing could go wrong. It could be two weeks, two months, or two years, and it is still easy to be really happy with someone.

Now girls, imagine this. You and your loved one are at a Northview hockey game and you see one of your guy friends and introduce him to your boyfriend. Your boyfriend seems really cool and is friendly with this friend.

However, as soon as the friend walks away, he is upset.

He acts jealous and accuses you of cheating.

Later that night, you go to his house.

You mention the friend you introduced tonight and he flips out once again.

Before you can even comprehend what you did, he hits you across the face.

Now guys, it’s your turn. Your girl might not slap you across the face, but she sees you with another girl. She gets jealous and starts setting ultimatums. You are no longer allowed to talk with other girls. She does not want you to even look at other girls. You are hers and hers alone. She wants all the control over you and what you do. This is not okay.

One in five teenagers have reported being hit, slapped or pushed by their partner, according to loveisrespect.org. Find five of your friends. Chances are, one of those five have been abused at least once. Remember that not all abuse is physical. Twentyfive percent of teenagers have said that their partner has made them feel guilty for spending time with anyone except himself or herself, according to loveisrespect.org.

Women experience ten times the amount of violence by their partner compared to men, according to aarvarc.org. Much of this has to do with society and how it sets up the relationship between men and women. Society makes it

so that men are the “stronger” sex. It is not “masculine” to be emotional: being emotional makes them “weak like a girl.” In statements such as this, men are automatically set up to be strong while women are set up to be weak.

Until the victim takes control and stands up to their abuser their abusive partner will continue. The teenagers that are physically abused in high school are three times more likely to experience dating abuse in college and adulthood, according to the New York Department of Health.

There are several signs that indicate someone you know might be in an abusive relationship. A student losing interest in school or their favorite activities is a strong sign as well as spending less time with their friends and more time with their partner. Teenagers might isolate themselves from everyone, according to acadv.com. They might also get scared if they cannot call or text back their partners right away or find themselves explaining themselves and apologizing for their actions frequently, according to abcnews. com. These signals do not always point out an abusive relationship directly, but they are warning signs that should be looked into.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there are actions that you can take to help yourself or the other person.

One action is to break up with the person.

If you are scared for your safety, do it over the phone. Even if it seems rude, it is better to be safe. If you find breaking up in person a better option, break up in a public place.

Let your friends and family know you are broken up so they can help you stay safe.

A local survey found that 57% of Lucas County teenagers age 12-19 years old report being victims themselves or knowing someone who has been a victim of teen dating violence, according to Danielle Cisterino, TeenPEP Coordinator for Toledo Children’s Hospital.

Ms. Cisterino set up to have the teen dating violence awareness facts and signs made at NV for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in February.

“I liked the announcements and things we had for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week,” said sophomore Meghan Leonard. “The sign and the announcements made people listen and know what signs to look for.”

Be aware while in a relationship. If you feel you are being abused physically, emotionally or sexually, talk to friends, family or a trusted adult about getting out of the relationship.

There are also resources to contact help anonymously such as loveisrespect.org or phone hotlines to call like 1-800-331-9474.

Help is available. Dating violence is growing, and the first step to prevention is awareness.

IT SEEMED AS IF NOTHING COULD GO WRONG.

FEATURES

08

SHOE

We have all heard the phrase don’t judge a book by its cover. These are wise words to live by when it comes to people, but there are certain things in one’s appearance that give away a person’s characteristics. For instance, shoes.

“I like the colors. They’re bright and reflective, but I love how comfy they are. I’ve got lots of shoes, but this is my newest pair. I like when people look at them.”

-Andrew Howerter, sophomore

“They aren’t mine. It was snowing and I needed boots. I had some, but you have to love a good pair of worn-in ones. Nothing beats worn-in boots.”

-Jordan Ridgway, junior

“They were $4. I bought three pairs, a key chain, and a nail file and I spent less than $19. I wear them all the time, so I’m sort of mad that summer’s coming.”

-Samantha Sarmento, junior

acceptance

ullying by the horns

morgan hawley, ally yocom, amanda metcalf

CHALLENGE DAY 2011

To begin the day, small groups got together to play “Two Truths and a Lie.” This game helped the group members get to know one another.

harmony

challenge

Acting out a cyber bullying skit are Teen Pep members Savannah King, Yianni Papadimos and Ilyse Golding. They performed the skit in order to inform the freshmen about the prominence of cyber bullying.

Freshmen and Challenge Cats listen as Challenge Cats president senior Addison Hirschfeld reads off their “stones.” These stones included instances of bullying that the freshmen anonymously wrote on pieces of paper.

freshmen

stones

connect

“They make me think about winter.

I bought them over break with my Christmas money. I like purple. It’s a calming color.”

-Megan Schweickert, junior

sticks and

bullying

Challenge Cats vice president senior Matt Babcock stands in front of the “Leaning Tower of Pizza” that fed all Challenge Day participants.

While in small groups, some bold freshman chose to share some of their own encounters with bullying.

STRICK

take

“I broke my foot at flag practice. Sometimes the boot sucks, but I pick my other shoe based on the outfit I’ll be wearing that day. My friends joke that my right shoes are getting lonely."

-Taylor Hertz, senior

“Just look at them. The zig and the zag. The up and the down. The green: it just blows your mind.”

-Ben McClurg, senior

A&E

2011

American Idol Something was going to be new to start off the first double-digit season of the hit TV show American Idol. Last season Simon Cowell, Ellen Degeneres and Kara DioGuardi resigned which caused the media to buzz with questions as to who the new judges would be.

Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler took their seats along the famous dog, Randy Jackson to judge the many hopefuls auditioning and send the select to Hollywood. People were concerned that without judge Cowell the only one who seemed to give exact criticism the show was going to be a joke. Could the show continue its excellence in giving many hopefuls the dream they have been waiting to achieve?

“After Simon Cowell left, I began to lose hope in the show,” said sophomore Jessica Rentner. “Turns out I was wrong. The show is not as bad as I expected.”

I was a little worried too. I did not want to see people on the show who did not deserve that once in a life time chance, but to my surprise I was wrong. American Idol season ten has been my favorite so far through the years, and I have had my personal favorites like Chris Daughtry, and Carrie Underwood, who I followed all season long.

I have never loved the auditions as much as I did this year. A majority of the country only watches the auditions to see the people that come and think they can sing and totally make fools out of themselves, or maybe to watch the ridiculous clothing they wear and the things they say. I, for one, watch them not only to make fun of the few people that truly can not sing or dance, but I like to watch all the stories of people’s dreams being fulfilled, and their struggle to get to where they are today.

When I tuned in to the first show of 2011 on January 19 I did not expect at all what I saw.

There was your typical two hour show, Throughout the auditions, there were several good contestants, and only a few bad ones. Wait, aren’t the

auditions only about the bad ones? Now, believe me, there were some people that just made you want to laugh, but I was shocked at the amount of time spent on the talented people.

This change has really sparked a new interest for me in the Idol TV series. I have faithfully been watching it weekly and have enjoyed seeing all the success people are achieving instead of the tears and outrages. This is not the only positive change I have seen on Idol for this season. I also saw a change in the judges.

Jackson has become our new Simon, laying down the law and telling people when enough is enough. It is refreshing knowing someone not living up to American standards is not going to keep blaring through my speakers.

Lopez had a rough time saying “No” at first, hating to crush someone’s dreams. It may seem dumb, I know, but put yourself in her position. Would you want to tell someone they can not sing when they thought they were becoming the next American Idol? Most people would not, but Lopez finally got over her fear and has been able to use the word like it was programmed into her head.

The third judge, Tyler, is my favorite judge.

Not because of a secret elementary school crush or my love for his music, but mainly for his comments and facial expressions. Tyler always makes me laugh. When someone, good or bad, comes on the comments he makes, and really his overall personality, is hilarious.

The judges have appealed more to the senses by the comments and the reactions this year.

There is less arguing on the panel, which occurred numerous times in previous years. There have been times when the vote was split; everyone has their own sense of music. Someone who likes

classical rock may not like a rapper. Some people have been given second chances and received the golden ticket to Hollywood.

This time around the judges seem to be friends. Not to say that before they were not friends, but there is more of a natural flow between the judges.

I personally love when they say no in agreement. They do a roll of the arms (you know the kind you do when you cha cha) and after three rolls, they all point to the door shouting no. It is a tad harsh and I would not want it done to me, but it does make me laugh.

“I like the new judges and I think they are trying to put good people through to show the dreams come true,” said sophomore Katie Giovannucci, “but they still have the occasional bad person who makes you laugh, and without them not as many people would watch the show.”

On February 10 the Hollywood rounds started and I enjoyed that as well. Hollywood week is claimed to be the hardest part of the journey. The contestants must prove once again that they can sing and the judges make several cuts within the first round.

The lucky ones who make it through round one then continue on for a group singing event.

This pushes a lot of people over the edge. They must put their fate in the hands of the other people who are going through the same thing.

If one person screws up, everyone in the group is in jeopardy.

Overall, Idol has impressed me with the new way it is presenting its show and the judges they placed behind the table. If you have tuned out of the show because of the judging change, I would suggest that you reconsider your decision and tune in for one episode. You may decide that you are hooked again. If you have never seen the show, or have not watched it in a few years, still take the time to tune into the show. You may surprise yourself and find a new way to procrastinate on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

- Libby Headman

TELEVISION “When I Was AKid.. ” We may not be adults yet, but nostalgia for the old days is something that we are already familiar with. When all the stress and pressure of teenage life begins to pile up, we can’t help but look back at our younger years with the sense that the best time of our lives is behind us.

This is (probably) not the truth, yet it’s easy to look back at those blissful, easy years and wish we were happy-go-lucky seven-year-olds once again.

We were not yet acquainted with the meaning of homework, we ate macaroni and cheese on a daily basis and the biggest decision we had to make was which television show to watch after school.

I am sure that most of us can remember our favorite TV shows and which programs defined our elementary and middle school years. I have yet to find anyone who has not admitted to watching Barney or Teletubbies at least once.

That purple dinosaur taught us all the lessons we may have missed in kindergarten; the importance of sharing, how to be a friend and best of all, the “I love you” song that we sang along to at the end of every episode.

As for Teletubbies, I am almost positive that we can all remember the theme song that started off the show. It didn’t always make the most sense (you know, I never did quite figure out why there was a baby in the sun) yet it was inexplicably mesmerizing.

Blue’s Clues and Winnie the Pooh were also popular at this time in our lives; my mind was

THE

blown a few years later when I realized that Piglet was a boy and Blue was a girl. Who would have guessed?

After we decided that we were too grown up to watch Barney, we moved on to shows like Clifford and Arthur. It’s funny looking back how we thought Arthur and his friends seemed so old, yet they were really only third graders. Now, I would take third grade over high school any day.

Zaboomafoo was also one of those shows that defined my elementary school years. At one point, my life dream was to meet the Kratt brothers. We can’t forget about the Berenstein Bears and Franklin, too, the kind of shows that made us the well-rounded, respectable people we are today. Dragon Tales was also a big part of my childhood; it was impossible to watch that show and not want to befriend a dragon or two.

Zoom was a great program on PBS that I’m sure many people have watched at some point or another. Who can forget about learning how to speak Ubbi Dubbi, one of the coolest languages ever created?

Next, we made the great leap from childhood to adolescence, which was reflected in the shows we chose to watch. Without a doubt, Lizzie McGuire is the TV show that I remember fifth and sixth grade by. If you were an adolescent girl, you watched that show; it was simply a fact of nature.

It was so easy to relate to Lizzie, seeing as she had embarrassing parents, an obnoxious younger

KELSEY brother and absolutely no clue how to transition into her teenage years. And who didn’t wish that they had best friends as awesome as Miranda and Gordo? Even Stevens was just as prevalent during those adolescent years; we watched Shia LaBeouf as nerdy, yet lovable Louis Stevens then, and now know him as the teenage heartthrob who starred in Disturbia and Transformers. I don’t know about you, but I totally did not see that one coming.

Remember the days when Saturday morning had not yet been taken over by the likes of Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez? That’s So Raven was one of those great Saturday morning shows that almost everyone watched. It was ridiculously cheesy, but funny nonetheless. Phil of the Future was another series that I watched every Saturday morning, without fail; and yes, I knew all lyrics to that theme song as well.

Looking back, I realize how much of an impact TV shows we watched had on our lives. We learned basic childhood lessons with Barney, how to manage elementary school with Arthur and how to navigate through high school with Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens. Although we will soon be venturing off into the world of adulthood and responsibility, it is somewhat comforting to know that the past is just a remote click away; just make sure that no one else is home when you decide to delve into your childhood by watching an episode of Dragon Tales.

09 music on the

SCENE with estar cohen A Tribute to Joan Russell

Murphy’s Place suffered a serious loss January 2 when jazz club owner Joan Russell passed away at age 77 due to complications of a stroke, according to toledoblade.com. But the band plays on.

“This is how Joan would have wanted it,” said Eric Hillenbrand, a vocalist and friend of Joan, the tears apparent in his voice as he fulfilled his position as master of ceremonies February 12 at “Love, Life, Music: A Tribute to Joan Russell.”

Murphy’s itself seemed to be applauding in agreement. The crowd was overwhelming in the most heart warming way. Listeners remained closely packed together in order to fit everyone who wanted to celebrate Joan’s life and her contributions to the jazz community. A $10 cover was paid, the proceeds going to Murphy’s to help it continue its legacy as Toledo’s place to be for hot, live jazz.

Nine vocalists were featured on the concert, backed by pianist Claude Black and bassist Clifford Murphy (Joan’s life partner), a duo of whose chemistry is undeniable. Renell Gonsalves completed the trio on drum kit, creating an unstoppable band.

The night began with the young and innovative Ellie Martin and continued with acts by Rachel Richardson, Nicole Heitger, Kim Buehler, Glenda Biddlestone, Joan Crawford, Ramona Collins, Lori Lefevre-Johnson and finally, the legendary Jean Holden. Each singer is currently or had at one point frequented the venue as both headlining act and listener. It was evident through their music that they had a special place in their hearts for Murphy’s and Joan.

“I’d never seen Murphy’s more alive,” said current University of Toledo jazz student and recent Northview graduate Travis Aukerman.

The evening did not conclude until the music had carried well over into the morning.

The nine vocalists joined together in an improvised blues, a vivacious ending to a deeply emotional night.

Murphy’s is located on 151 Water Street in Toledo. It hosts live jazz six nights a week, excluding Sunday. An open jam is held every Thursday.

Just 2 Dance

A. Metcalf Features

Sledding and movie marathons were not the only ways students enjoyed spending their winters this year. The new craze for Wii, Just Dance 2, has been a new favorite game for Wildcats since it came out in October, and ever since, many have not stopped busting moves.

“I love Just Dance 2,” said sophomore Lia O’Donnell. “I have Just Dance 2 parties in my basement. My friends and I are obsessed.”

Among students, O’Donnell is not alone.

Many others have hosted Just Dance 2 parties or at least featured the game for house guests.

“After a basketball game over winter break, a bunch of my friends and I played Just Dance 2 at [senior] Samantha Yurjevic’s house,” said senior Serena Chang. “It is not only fun to play, it is fun to watch.”

At senior Mary Grace’s New Year’s party, many of her friends could be found dancing to the game to bring in the New Year.

“I had fun playing Just Dance 2 at Mary’s,” said senior Ken Bodie. “It was a new and exciting game for me.”

Just Dance 2 has even been featured at public events around Sylvania, such as the YoungLife Lock-In February 26.

The game, released October 12, has already sold more than five million copies, according to USA Today. Its track contains more than 44 legendary and popular songs to dance to and includes dances choreographed by real dance experts, according to amazon.com. More songs are also available online to download.

Reviews show that the game is exceptionally user friendly: all that players have to do is hold a Wii remote in their right hand and mirror the dancer on their television screen.

“The game is easy for anyone, even if you aren’t a dancer,” said senior Martha McGee. “Over winter break, I played Just Dance 2 for basically five days straight.”

The creators of Just Dance 2, AiLive and Ubisoft Paris, are not going to let their buyers down anytime soon. Just Dance 3 is currently being developed and is to be released sometime this year.

“I did not think I’d like Just Dance 2, but it is actually really fun,” said senior Austin Pase. “I bet Just Dance 3 will be even better.”

10

BRACKETOLOGY DREWCRANDALL

March is a stressful time of the year for college basketball fans trying to fill out their brackets.

Fans often sit at home with several brackets highlighting and crossing out their picks. All of this stress in order to achieve the “Perfect Bracket.” These tips will hopefully help you achieve the coveted “Perfect Bracket.”

1. Take the better seed

They have to be seeded that way for a reason, right?

MARCHMADNESS

2. Take a 12 seed over a 5 seed

The upset happens every year and this year will be no different.

3. BYU

Jimmer, enough said.

4. Expect the unexpected

It’s one game anything can happen. With high stakes, expect the unexpected.

5. Take an Underdog

George Mason repeat?

6. Listen to the octopus

He got the World cup right, so what makes you think he can’t predict March Madness?

7. Go with your gut

Your first guess is usually right.

8. Fill out multiple brackets

One of them will eventually be right.

9. Don’t listen to the experts

Limit your dependence on the experts, they are not always right.

10.Flip a coin

You have a fifty percent chance.

Follow these tips and you will find yourself on the top of your bracket pool when the madness comes to an end.

EYESOPEN teams to look out for BLAKEMILLER

Every year in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament, there is that one team that nobody expects to make some noise in March. The four teams most likely to be this year’s Cinderella story are St. Johns University, Brigham Young University, San Diego State University and George Mason University.

George Mason is ready for another run at the Final Four just like they did in 2006 when they beat Michigan State, North Carolina and top seeded Connecticut.

Having put together a 26-6 record, George Mason is once again nationally prominent.

George Mason is led by senior guard Cam Long who is averaging 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds and junior forward Ryan Person who is averaging 14.4 points and 6.8 rebounds.

George Mason also has high quality wins against Northern Iowa, Old Dominion, Hofstra and Virginia Commonwealth.

The most battle-tested team in the nation is St. John’s. The Red Storm are ready to show everyone that they are the best team in the nation as they have had their best year since 2000, when they won the Big East Championship. The Red Storm has a solid 2010 record, but has an even more impressive 12-6 Big East record. The Red Storm is led by potential Big East Player of the Year, senior guard Dwight Hardy who is averaging 17.9 points. The Red Storm have had a run of wins against the best teams in the country including wins against Georgetown, Notre Dame, Uconn, Villanova, a 93-78 blowout against Duke and a 60-59 buzzer beater by Dwight Hardy to beat Pittsburgh.

The most underrated team in the nation is San Diego State University. They have lived in BYU’s shadow all year, but with a 29-2 record they look to grab a high seed in the tournament and try to make a deep run. The Aztecs are led by potential NBA Lottery Pick, sophomore forward Kawhi Leonard who is averaging 15.2 points and 10.8 rebounds.

Leading the Aztecs is former Michigan “Fab Five” Coach Steve Fisher. The Aztecs have also boasted some high quality wins this year against Gonzaga, New Mexico, California Berkley and Saint Mary’s.

First there was J.J. Redick, then there was Adam Morrison, but this year, there is jump shot machine senior guard Jimmer Fredette leading the BYU Cougars. The “Fighting Jimmers” a.k.a. Cougars have put together a strong resume that includes a 28-3 record and a share of the regular season Mountain West Conference title with San Diego State.

Jimmer has been shooting the lights by averaging 27.9 points, but it is questionable whether the Cougars can get over the loss of sophomore forward Brandon Davies. Davies was the Cougars leading rebounder averaging 6.2 rebounds, but he recently broke BYU’s Honor Code by having premarital sex with his girlfriend and has been suspended for the rest of the season.

BYU, however, has a good enough resume to get a high seed without him with a season sweep of San Diego State and a win against Arizona.

SPORTS LadyKats win league title MG.FITZGERALD STAFF

The Northview Girls’ Basketball team suffered its first league loss to the Perrysburg Yellow Jackets February 12. However, the LadyKats still succeeded in winning the Northern Lakes League title outright. 2011 will be hanging up the banner in the gym, rewarding the girls for their efforts.

For the second consecutive year, their hard work has paid off.

After the final buzzer of the game against the Jackets, the surprising loss gave NV and Perrysburg the same record. This meant that if each team were to win their last two games, the two teams would share the title.

The Kats continued to work hard in practice to ensure victories in the last two games, while the Jackets may have failed to do so.

When the Kats thumped the Rossford Bulldogs by 25-points February 15, they were shocked to find out that Perrysburg had fallen to the Anthony Wayne Generals. This meant that the Jackets had lost their shot at sharing the league title, and all the Kats had to do was defeat Bowling Green.

NV beat BG earlier in the season by 23 points and held up that standard by winning 7245 February 19. After NV thanked AW for the gift of the NLL title, it was time for the Kats to get to work in preparation for the state tournament.

“Cutting down the nets was awesome,” said Justinger. “Especially for the second year in a row.”

First on the schedule was Waite, scheduled to be played February 24. The Kats had a full week for preparation, and took this time to scout the Indians, and figure out the best way to succeed in the tournament.

The Kats came out strong and immediately gained a lead on the Indians. They kept a large point margin the whole game, led by juniors Jessica Jessing and Miriam Justinger with 18 points and 17 points respectively.

When the game was over, the scoreboard showed 68-40 in favor of the LadyKats. Winning this game was a great feat for the Kats, who have lost to the Indians in the district tournament five times in the last seven years.

The convincing win led the Kats to a hard week of practices to get ready for their toughest competition yet: the Notre Dame Eagles.

Understanding that the Eagles’ guard play is

MELICK AGGRESSIVELY BATTLING FOR THE BALL was a staple for the LadyKat Basketball team this year. Senior Valerie Sohasky and junior Skylar Rose double-team a Notre Dame player as they try to recover the ball. NV ended their season with a loss to Notre Dame.

The LadyKats ended the season with an 18-4 record and an NLL title. almost unmatched, the Kats had their work cut out for them. The day of the game, March 3, came and NV felt prepared for the battle.

Jessing succeeded in getting the tip-off against a shorter ND team. Right off the bat, Justinger hit a three pointer for the Kats first and only lead in the game.

The three points were immediately matched by one of the best shooters in Northwest Ohio and the Eagles continued to soar down the court

to gain a 14 point lead by half-time. ND went on to win the game 36-60.

“We definitely could have beaten Notre Dame, and Start after that,” said Jessing.

The last game for the seniors did not end the way they would have liked. Looking back, the Kats had a great season.

“I’m happy about the NLL title, but a little disappointed that we didn’t get further in the tournament,” said Justinger.

regular season in the semifinals, but bounced back and took third place. Newland also had a few struggles, as he finished fourth.

“It was a tough loss, but I learned from it,” said Elden.

The team then participated in their first ever Maumee Bay Invitational at Clay. The tournament is the toughest one around and was comprised of 28 teams. Unphased by this, of course, was Elden. He pinned his way to the quarterfinal by beating his opponents in 0:42 and 3:04. He had to step up his game to make it to the finals as he defeated Antoine Edwards of Lorain 3-2 and squeaked past Colin McDermitt of Lima Shawnee 6-4 in overtime.

Brian then fought Aaron Gessic of Perry in the finals and won a nail biting match 4-3 as he finished first. Newland also wrestled well as he finished fourth.

“It was the best competition I had all year besides Districts,” said Elden.

The team then went to Anthony Wayne to take part in the Anthony Wayne Duels for the second year in a row. Elden and Newland were Anthony Wayne Duel Champions last year and did not disappoint as they both went 5-0 and received, for the second consecutive year, all tournament honors.

“I knew I could get first place, I just had to win a few tough matches,” said Newland.

The team then traveled to Rossford in an attempt to reach their preseason goal with a top four finish in the Northern Lakes League Tournament. Elden, as at Northwood, was completely uncontested and demolished everyone he wrestled, including in his finals match, as he took first place at 119 pounds.

“I expected to win leagues, but it was still an honor,” said Elden.

Newland did not have it quite as easy as

Elden, as he had one of his toughest matches all year in the final against junior Luke Zastrow of Southview. Newland battled hard and decimated Zastrow’s dreams of being a league champion as he won 6-4.

“It shouldn’t have been that close, I got ripped off by the official,” said Newland.

The Wildcats also reached their team goals as they finished third in the NLL. “We accomplished our goal as a team by getting in the top four,” said Newland.

The team headed to Clay for the second time this year to fight their way out of Sectionals. Easily leading the team was the always dependable Elden, as he defeated everyone in blow out fashion. This included his finals match against Garin Nelson of Clay who he defeated 12-0, as he finished first and qualified for Districts for the third straight year.

“I took it one match at a time,” said Elden.

Newland injured his knee early at Sectionals after a few tough matches but continued to battle through the injury throughout the tournament.

Newland qualified for Districts for the first time as he defeated Carl Mazzurco of Whitmer by default to finish third.

“I had an unfortunate loss against a kid I beat earlier in the season,” said Newland.

The District Tournament in Lorain did not go as planned as both wrestler’s seasons sadly came to an end. Newland won his first match, but lost the next two and was eliminated. Elden won his first two matches, including a 14-5 win against State Qualifier Mark Matos of Amherst Steele.

Elden however, lost his next three matches and finished sixth, qualifying as a State Alternate for the second straight year.

“We had a few bumps in the road, but in the end we reached our goals as a team,” said Newland.

Mat Cats go large in District B.MILLER

STAFF

The Wrestling team worked hard all offseason and it paid off as they had their best season in recent memory.

Leading the Wildcats from the sidelines was one of the rising stars in Northwest Ohio, Wrestling head Coach Luke McKinley. It wasn’t all Coach McKinley however, that turned the culture around for the Wildcats. The team was led by stud senior Tanner Newland and tech fall machine junior Brian Elden.

“Tanner has the best abs in the league,” said senior Shane Modrzynski.

Newland wanted his senior year to be one to remember, so he put in the extra work on the mat during the offseason to get the job done. Newland went to two camps held by David Taylor at Evergreen and Clay during the summer, according to Newland.

“David Taylor is the greatest high school wrestler ever and it was an honor to be taught by him,” said Newland.

Newland started his season off with a bang by breezing through the competition at the Northwood Invitational and getting first place at 135 pounds. Newland also received the Sportsmanship Award as he and the Wildcats took first place as a team at the Northwood Invitational.

“I beat people up and then helped them up,” said Newland.

Also blowing through the competition was Elden at 125 pounds. He defeated everyone like it was his job as he finished first, to no one’s surprise. “I expected to win,” said Elden.

The Wildcats then took their talents to Perrysburg as they battled it out at the Pitt Invitational. Elden suffered his lone loss of the

SPORTS

11 Boys’ Bball nails Cougars in coffin A.HIRSCHFELD SPORTS

It has been said that even one game can make or break an entire season. This saying has never been truer for the Boys’ Basketball team, as the Cats defeated their cross-town rival Southview February 18.

NV led for the majority of the game, but turnovers and missed free throws plagued the Cats in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

SV converted on their opportunity to slither back into the mix and sent the game into overtime with a late three-point bucket. Momentum favored SV heading into the extra period and NV continued to self-destruct in the beginning minutes of overtime. However between a couple NV baskets and missed free throws by SV, the Cats only found themselves down two as the final seconds began to wane away.

Joey Dipofi found himself wide open in the corner, and the junior guard sunk a three pointer with just 6.5 seconds left in overtime to put the Cats up one point. In desperation, SV rushed down the court only to lose control of the ball and the madness ensued. The moment that the clock read double zeros, NV students rushed the court to embrace their victorious Cats as NV defeated SV 52-51.

Sophomore Conner Hartnett led NV in scoring with 14 points, while junior Denzel Wheaton poured in 10 points of his own.

“I really got to give props to my three boys Connor (Hartnett), Jeff (Czerniakowski), and especially Joey (Dipofi) for being clutch at the end of the game,” said senior Jacob Sturt.

One week after their biggest win of the year, NV took their momentum to Springfield High School to face off against the Blue Devils.

The Cats played like a team possessed out of the gates, and held a double-digit lead at one point in the game. However, turnovers sent the Cats spiraling as Springfield made their move.

NV could not hold their lead, and would lose the game 51-61. Senior Austin Schmidt led the way for the Cats by pouring in 13 points, while Sturt contributed nine points of his own.

“It was not our best game as a team,” said Sturt. “But, we had to get ready for a big playoff run.”

With the regular season now wrapped up, NV proceeded into postseason play with a matchup against the Start Spartans March 1 at Waite High School. On top of shooting just 34% from the field, the Cats could not find an answer to Start’s athleticism and their season would end with a 4160 loss.

NV finished with a final record of 4-17. The Cats graduate four seniors including Austin Schmidt, Sturt, Austin Vizina and the king, Jake Severson.

MELICK PENETRATING THE DEFENSE was key in the Cats’ overtime victory over Southview this season. Junior Denzel Wheaton dishes off the ball as senior Austin Vizina looks on. Wheaton had 10 points in the Cats’ 52-51 overtime win against rival SV. NV snatched the victory as junior Joey Dipofi hit a three point field goal in the waning seconds of overtime.

GymKats improve at District Meet A.KALANQUIN SPORTS

The Northview Gymnastics team competed at the Northern Lakes League competition after a season that was repeatedly disrupted by inclement weather. The meet was held February 12 at Sunrise Gymnastics Academy. The GymKats earned fourth place and were led by sophomore Megan Matrisciano who earned second team allleague.

“I did very well at NLL’s and it was a fun meet,” said Matrisciano. She placed second on each event and was the top competitor for NV. Next, the Kats competed in the District meet

held February 26 at Central Catholic. Overall, the team earned tenth place out of 18 teams, with Oregon Clay claiming first place and moving on to the State Meet held at Hilliard Bradley in Columbus along with Findlay who took second.

“Tenth place was really great for our team.

It was an improvement from last year,” said Matrisciano.

The top place winner for NV was Matrisciano, who placed sixth in vault and earned 24th overall.

“Districts was just a bad meet for me,” said Matrisciano. “It happens, but it makes me determined for next year.”

Although none of the GymKats qualified for States, Matrisciano was an alternate on every

event. Yet, she did not get the chance to compete.

Her goal for next season is to qualify for States in every event (beam, floor, bars and vault).

“The cool thing about gymnastics is that there is always something to work on,” said Matrisciano.

Overall, the GymKats improved from last year, earning a higher place in every meet with less members than the previous year. The team’s goal next year is to place even better than tenth place at Districts and to improve as a team in general.

“Our team tried our hardest considering the tight space we were in,” said senior Jenelle Nearhood. “I was really proud of everyone and I

feel that we were all connected more at Districts as a team than any other meet.”

“It was definitely hard to say goodbye to the seniors. It’ll be hard to not see them next year,” said Matrsiciano.

“It was the best year to finish off my high school career,” said Nearhood. “My favorite part of the year was how close all the girls on the team became, and I love [Coach] Tussing.

She is wonderful and she would never hesitate to demonstrate the skill. I’d like to say she’s the kind of coach that isn’t afraid to get dirty.”

The team is very excited for next year due to the talent of the incoming freshmen, according to Matrsiciano.

the team chose to compete two hip-hop routines.

“Hip-hop is definitely the team’s strong point,” said senior Bailey Wittman. “It is a crowd pleaser and our hip-hop choreography is much stronger than our jazz choreography.”

The girls placed third in kick and fourth in pom at the competition. In hip-hop, the team placed third in their dance choreographed by Assistant Coach Morgan Melchert and first in the dance choreographed by senior captains Amanda Metcalf, Madelyn Rossler, Kayla Keisser and Wittman. This is the first year that the team as been awarded first in the Varsity Hip-Hop category.

“I am so proud of the hard work, dedication, and commitment of my team this year,” said Coach Kelly Snyder. “They are an amazing group of athletes who have proven that nothing can stop them from reaching their goals.”

The team also performed at Bowling Green High School March

4 for a showcase. While no awards were given at the event, the girls found it to be a great way to end the season.

“Dancing at BG was just for fun,” said Wittman. “It was great to end the season on a non-stressful note.”

Graduating from the team this year are Keisser, Metcalf, Rossler and Wittman. All four girls have been on the team for four years and were captains together this year.

“I loved every single one of the senior captains so much this year,” said junior Mackenzie Bihn. “They all had different strengths that made for an

awesome season. It’s really sad this year is over, but I’m looking forward to next year. Every year I feel like the team gets better and better and I’m hoping next season is amazing.”

Dance team finishes at showcase A.METCALF

FEATURES

After a winter full of laughter, tears, sweat and new experiences, the Varsity Dance Team slowly spins out of season.

For the first time ever, the girls invited new faces to perform in a halftime show alongside them. After only two practices, seniors Austin Pase, Ryan Perry, Adam Simpson, Blake Warniment, Ken Bodie, David Sandy, AJ Klever, Nick Dorner and Jeff Cooperider, junior Austin Schwierking and sophomore Alex O’Donnell performed a crowd-pleasing performance with the girls at the boys’ basketball game February 11 against Anthony Wayne.

“Dancing with the dance team was the best experience of my life,” said Simpson. “It was great to see how hard the guys and girls worked together to have a good performance and I had a lot of fun. Plus, I looked really good in my outfit.”

The dance team competed at Findlay High School February 26 for an AmeriDance Competition. The team competed in three categories: Varsity Kick, Varsity Pom and Varsity Hip-Hop. For the first time this year, the team did not compete in the Varsity Jazz category. Instead,

SPORTS

12

WARRIORS ICE

of the

BY DREW CRANDALL

the

Northview Hockey team got off to a great postseason start by winning the inaugural Northwest Hockey Conference championship February 13.

NV faced off against St. Johns in the semi-finals. The Cats got off to a quick 2-0 start with goals coming from senior Nolan Culver and sophomore Drew Crandall. SJJ struck back and tied the score 2-2 and sent the game into overtime, where senior Tyler Harding was able to beat the SJJ goalie, giving the Cats the win.

“I took an early penalty in overtime. I’m lucky Tyler helped bail me out,” said junior Brady Storer.

The next morning NV played St. Francis in the NHC finals. Once again, the Cats got off to an early 2-0 lead with goals coming from Culver and senior Ryan LaPlante. SFS came back fast, tying the score 2-2 before the end of the first period.

After the intermission, NV controlled all aspects of the game giving them a 7-3 win. Goal scorers included seniors Aaron Booth, Graham Kelsey and Culver, junior Zach Felser and freshman Cody Estrel also added his first goal of the year.

“I wasn’t focused on scoring, I was focused on the game. It was cool to win the league playoffs, but I’d rather go to the Frozen Four,” said Estrel.

NV then started off their state tournament run with a 9-0 win over Perrysburg.

Junior goalie Phil Bowles tied the school shutout record with his shutout over Perrysburg, with seven shutouts on the year.

“It’s great to be on a list with guys I watched growing up like Trego, but I would much rather win a state title than get individual honors,” said Bowles.

In the District Quarterfinals the Wildcats faced off against Anthony Wayne. NV dominated on all ends of the ice moving on with a convincing 11-3 win. LaPlante had a career day adding five goals for the Wildcats.

The win set the Cats up for a District Semi-final matchup against SJJ. The team was able to strike first when Culver gave the team a 1-0 lead.

SJJ responded tying the game just before the end of the first period.

During one minute in the middle of the second period, SJJ scored three quick goals giving them a 4-1 lead.

“It was tough, but we never gave up. That should tell you a lot about our team,” said Storer.

The Cats showed some signs of life when Crandall scored to make the score 4-2, but were never able to fully come back. SJJ added a late goal to give them a 5-2 win and end NV’s season.

“This year went alright, but we could’ve done bigger things. I think if we come together next year we could do very well,” said sophomore Xavier Sudlow.

The Cats finished the season with a 20-8-3 record and ranked fourth in the state poll at the time of their loss. The Wildcats graduate nine seniors including Culver, Harding, LaPlante, Kelsey, Booth, Drew Korn, Ross Roberson, Joey Huss and Stephen Belt.

BATTLING FOR THE PUCK is junior Dalton Carter during the team’s semi-final duel against St. Johns.

PHOTOS BY YIANNI PAPADIMOS THE FIRST TO TALLY a goal AND ABBEY STRICK against SJJ was senior Nolan Culver, that put the Cats up 1-0 in the first period.

BRACING FOR THE PUCK is senior Aaron Booth who is amongst the nine seniors graduating.

TOSSING THE SAUCE is senior Tyler Harding who was a captain all year for the Cats.

DISTRICTSWIM&DIVERESULTS BOYS 100 FREE

Ben McClurg 50.73 Britain Fretz 54.84 Marc Schwab 56.20

GIRLS 200 MEDLEY RELAY 50 FREE

Fretz, Victor, Molly Wheeler 25.88 McClurg, Schwab 1:50.06 100 FREE Molly Wheeler 56.11 200 FREE 1 METER DIVING Kelly O’Connell 1:00.20 Ben McClurg 1:52.59 Jacob Mikolajczyk 352.05 Meredith Reynolds 1:03.99 Logan Newland 298.85 100 BACK Sam Federman 282. 35 200 FREE Britain Fretz 1:04.39 Jory Vanmeter 115.00 Kelly O’Connell 2:11.75 Yianni Papadimos 1:11.41 Katelyn Collins 2:24.95

100 BREAST

Trent Victor 1:06.06

200 FREE RELAY Victor, Papadimos, Fretz, McClurg 1:40.53

THUNDERING INTO THE WALL during practice was something that many swimmers pushed themselves hard to do. Sets in practice dealt with quick starts and fast strokes.

However, finishing strong into the wall was just as important as any piece, as junior Kelly O’Connell demonstrates.

500 FREE

Kaeli Peer 5:55.79 Melissa Hrovat 6:10.12 Lindsay Peyton 6:11.69

100 BREAST

200 IM

Melissa Hrovat 2:38.35

200 FREE RELAY O’Connell, Reynolds, Peer, Wheeler 1:50.23

400 FREE RELAY Hrovat, Collins, Grum, O’Connell 4:16.35

200 MEDLEY RELAY Hrovat, Peyton, Peer, Wheeler 2:06.67

1 METER DIVING Lindsay Peyton 1:17.13 Victoria Pietrykowski 1:18.55 Katie Musteric 180.40 Meagan Jamieson 248.40 Lydia Grum 1:19.90 Emily Due 256.80 100 FLY

Kaeli Peer 1:12.14

KOFFMAN