March 2022

FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Readers,

For this edition, we chose the theme of grit and grind, emphasizing the negative aspects of this mentality that is so pervasive in our society. In the cover feature “The dark side of the grind,” we explore the positives, negatives, and how to find a good balance between wasted potential and burnout. On a similar note, the staff editorial implores students, parents and teachers alike to stop subscribing to the “grind” mindset. As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this edition of the Northern Light!

Sincerely, Astrid Code Editor in Chief

Behind the cover:

For the cover of this edition, we wanted to take the idea of a mo tivational poster and make it into something darker to represent the negative aspects of “the grind”. We wanted to show us taking control and putting that culture of toxic productivity behind us. It took a few tries to get the right setup, but our photographer Miles Slocum finally got the perfect shot. Special thank you to custodian Cameron Mellinger for his help.

NL POLICIES

The Northern Light in print and online is the student-produced newspaper for Portage Northern HS. It is an open, designated public forum for student expression, and the newspaper provides staff members with independent reporting opportunities and individual evaluation. Writing is based on a wide variety of research for a broad and diverse audience and topics of coverage are decided by the staff and editorial board with consideration to what is timely, relevant, compelling, educational, and important to the student body.

In accordance with best practice for student media, the Northern Light is not prior reviewed by administration. Building and district administration do, however, reserve the right to oversee the paper if necessary to ensure that the mission and vision of Portage Public Schools and the safety of students and staff are maintained.

As a MIPA, JEA, and NSPA publication, the Northern Light adheres to the highest standards of journalistic integrity. Photos, art, and other visual elements are created by Northern Light staff, formally designated for free use, or part of the public domain. In rare circumstances, we may use other media with the owner’s written permission.

It is our desire that our readers join the discussion on our published work. We welcome letters to the editor and guest contributions, and the Northern Light will publish online all pieces received provided that they include the author’s full name and are appropriate for publication in a school setting. Letters to the editor are limited to 150 words in length and guest contributions are limited to 350words in length. Pieces can be delivered to Amanda Thorpe’s room, 3.129, emailed to pnhsnorthernlight@gmail. com, or mailed ATTN: Portage Northern Light to Portage Northern High School, 1000 Idaho Avenue, Portage, MI 49024.

Portage

CONTENTS

6

Opinion: Not a luxury Annabelle Bartz writes about the repeal of Michigan’s “tampon tax”, which previously taxed menstrual hygiene products as luxury items.

9

Purposeful Passions: a sense of style

Freshman Elijah Parker shares his passion for expressing himself in Editor in Chief Astrid Code’s new column Purposeful Passions.

THIS EDITION

7

The dark side of the grind

Between homework, sports, clubs, work, and other extracurriculars, students today are overwhelmed with constant tasks. But is this mindset of never stopping really worth it?

11

Huskie basketball: behind the win loss record

Associate Editor Jackson Barnard provides an in-depth look into the basketball team’s coach change.

15

Marvel: Phase four Jaclyn Brubaker reviews some of her favorite MCU releases, as well as which upcoming projects she is most excited for.

17

Do you remember it All Too Well?

Kayla Malaski goes on a deep dive analysis of Taylor Swift’s new 10 minute version of the song “All Too Well”.

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Code

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Quick

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Miles Slocum

STAFF

Mitchell Barnard

Annabelle Bartz

Avery Bogemann

Brubaker

Chloe Clarke-Philipp Abigail Hosler

Kadlec

Knight

Macaulay

Malaski

Morofsky

Barnard

by

Huskie Headlines

Winterfest festivities bring joy to students, raise funds for WMCC

By Ella Morofsky

Northern celebrated Winterfest week during February 7th through February 11th. Winterfest is the basketball version of homecoming. With dress up days and challenges for the students and sta , the week was lled with fun and joy. At the end of the week, there was a winterfest pep assembly with a student versus sta basketball game. e students won with a score of 49 - 43. Two teachers, Mr.

Furlong and Mr. Cardona, sat in kiddie pools of ice water battling to see who could stay in the longest. Mr. Cardona won. Like homecoming, there is a court of students that is nominated by other students. Eight seniors were nominated for court, four girls and four boys. “We sent out a ballot that the senior class could put nominees in and the top four were put on court,” explained Isis Singleton. e court

winners, Kennedy Campbell, Sam Ko er, and Robert Becker, were announced during the women’s varsity basketball game on Friday February 11th. e basketball game theme was pink in tribute to cancer. Proceeds from the game went to the West Michigan Cancer Center. e total amount raised was $600.

Students attend Michigan Youth in Government conference

By Ella Morofsky

Pictured above, MYIG students stand in front of the capital. (L to R) Ann Mwanza, Simon Thompson, Elizabeth Rzepka, Alexandria Davis, Sam Ko er, Avery Kelly, and Natalia Carrino. Photo courtesy of Avery Kelly.

On February 18-20, economics teacher Amber Dixon led Michigan Youth in Government students to the spring early conference. Michigan Youth in Government allows students to gain government knowledge and use it in an actual government setting. Students get to act as lawyers, lobbyists, legislators, etc. e last two conferences were virtual but now they are back in person. MYIG was given a huge grant that allows them to go to the conferences. “So the students paid for the fall conference, $45, but this conference was FREE! WONDERFUL, giving them the opportunity to

Design by Ella Morofsky

experience what the REAL LEGISLATOR will go through,” explained Dixon, who has been doing this conference for eighteen years.

Students were able to have the experience of a lifetime. Not only were they able to act as government o cials, they were able to have fun while doing it. e MYIG conference allowed students to get out of their comfort zones and do what they love. “I would de nitely go again,” said sophomore Avery Kelly.

In the end, the PN delegation headed home with ve bills signed and one award.

Northern

Empowered Club hosts annual Black History Month assembly

By Mitchell Barnard

is year’s Black History Month assembly was held virtually on ursday, February 24. e theme, as chosen by Empowered Club members, was “We will Not Be Silent.” e schoolwide event featured students dancing and singing as well as a keynote speech from the district’s new Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Dr. Erike Driver, who is a Portage Northern Alumni herself. Some of the cast members have been involved since the beginning of their highschool years. “I’ve been involved since my freshman year and I’ve stayed so involved because I love the message the show

has and being able to freely be myself around others who look similar to me,” said senior Dra’Nosha Jett. e assembly talks about the importance of black history as “it’s o en something that is glanced over. In our history classes we learn about slavery and civil rights but that’s just a small portion of it,” said senior Kennedy Campbell.

At above right, cast members rehearse the spoken word and interpretive dance piece. Sitting on stage are choreographers Ashlyn Blanzy (L) and Kennedy Beck (R) and standing (L to R) are speakers Alanna Harris, Anaya

Fernando, Dra’Nosha Jett, and Ciasha Brown-Outlaw. In back are dancers (L to R): Mangala Ketterhagen, Arianna Milliner, A’Mya Newson and Gracie Feckovics. Photo by Amanda orpe.

Incoming freshmen families attend virtual Future Huskies Night

By Mitchell Barnard

As the year comes to an end, future Huskies start getting into their scheduling for their rst year of highschool. On Wednesday, February 16, parents of incoming freshmen attended Future Huskies Night, a virtual event where they watched presentations from each

department followed by Q and A sessions. “As a parent of ve PN grads, we found 8th Grade Parent Night (as it used to be called) to be crucial in the transition to high school as so much information is shared,” said Huskie Communications Director Brenda

Marsh, who plays a leading role in organizing the event today. Future Huskie Night isn’t just about scheduling, “but about introducing the culture here in our building,” said Marsh.

Design by Ella Morofsky

Illustration by Spencer Kadlec

As students, we are constantly working. We are encouraged to do so much and cram everything in, even if we don’t have the time. In reality, doing more is hurting our mental health. Our levels of stress are way beyond what it should be. Despite this, we are o en encouraged to put up with the “grit” and “grind.” is mentality focuses on pushing through no matter the mental consequences. Students have been encouraged to do and take on more than they really can, and this type of stress and overwork is normalized. With the combination of homework, sports, clubs, work, and other extracurriculars, many students in this school are stretched too thin and constantly on the edge of burnout. Telling us to simply work harder or tough it out is not a healthy solution.

ese ideas are intended to make us tougher and give us the strength to persevere in a variety of adverse situations, but they can be harmful to people’s mental and physical health. Humans are not meant to be constantly working. We need rest,

Saying goodbye to the grind

By The Sta

which is why our bodies will only let us remain awake for a certain number of hours. Too o en, sacri cing sleep is seen as a normal and even commendable thing to do in order to stay on top of “the grind” and be productive.

High school students have a never ending ow of work they have to get done. ere are constant due dates, requirements, and limits. When a student is trying to grind through their school work, it normally means that they are trying to get as much done as possible which o en means that the quality of work is worse. is mentality teaches students that getting it done is more important than getting it done right.

A continuous cycle of performative exhaustion in order to appease coworkers and educators only leads to burnout. A lot of the time, students will tough through things to get them done, however, it costs them time and mental e ort that they might need for other things.

e grit mentality is damaging because of how it teaches students to not put themselves rst and to do

things they may not like. is mentally sacri ces happiness and mental health all for the purpose of having things be done for others. We need to start treating ourselves as human beings and allow ourselves to take breaks and say no to things so we can have a balanced life.

Sometimes having to grind something out can be mentally frustrating and seem nearly impossible. Don’t be afraid to take a break for a while and then continue your work when ready. You are not supposed to be doing something every second of the day, people need rest. You need stamina and energy to be on the “grind”, but the only way to replenish that is sleep. Maintaining a good sleep schedule, eating healthy, and staying hydrated are all good ways to improve your stamina in order to get everything done without overworking yourself. Staying up to date on schoolwork and maintaining good sleep can help with this push away from the “grind”.

Not a luxury:

By Annabelle Bartz

Michigan recently put into e ect the repeal of the tax on menstrual products. First o , I think it is important to explain a little bit about our taxing system, as there is a lot to know and I can’t explain it all. I am really just gonna focus on sales tax. e basics of what you need to know is that there are two types of items, non taxable and taxable or luxury items. An example of a non taxable item are groceries and prescription drugs, a luxury item would be clothing, prepared food, and over the counter drugs. Until very recently in Michigan considered tampons, pads and other menstrual hygiene products a luxury item. As someone who bleeds once a month, there is nothing luxurious about that experience. According to a post made on michigan.gov, “ e typical cost for these products is $7 to $10 per month, which adds up to between $3,360 and $4,800 over the course of a lifetime. Re-

pealing the tax will drive down costs for millions of Michiganders.” We are looking at a lot of money that some people don’t have, and when people don’t have money they have to determine what can and can’t go in the cart. e lack of access to period products causes people who bleed to use methods that are unsafe for their health in order to clean up blood (for example trash).

We are putting a large percentage of the population at a disadvantage by refusing to provide them with their basic needs. Inmates, homeless, and people around the poverty line are not getting access to something that should be available. I am extremely happy that Michigan no longer taxes period products, but there is still a long way to go within this country and around the world. Let’s take the wins where we can get them, but we still have so much progress to make.

states still have

tax on menstrual products

to get period products monthly of women have not had access to period products at one point in their life of girls have missed all or part of school due to their period

Statistics by Penn State Nursing

Michigan finally does away with outdated tax on menstrual products

Annabelle Bartz

The dark side of the grind

Working hard nonstop in order to reach your goals and pushing yourself right up to your breaking point in order to be successful: this is the daily student reality that is “ e Grind.” Whether it’s staying up until 2 am studying for that test or giving up your free time for school, there’s a lot of negative connotation with having the “grind” mindset despite the fact that adults glorify it.

e Good

Any favorable view of the grind likely comes from the fact that it works. e grind is what gets a perfect GPA. An A on a test. College admissions. Job promotions. Class of 2021 Northern Light alumni Katie Knight is a perfect example of this: She had what you might call an extreme take on the grind mindset throughout her time in high school, staying up way too late into the night to nish some homework or study for random upcoming tests.

On the surface, it was productive: She worked extremely hard in high school and all of that work ended up paying o in the end. She earned a scholarship in excess of $300,000 to Wellesley College in Boston, which is a top 10 liberal arts college in the nation and also her dream school. Under the surface, however, the truth was darker: “ e way I worked basically destroyed my mental health,” she said. Despite the bene ts from the grind, Knight regrets working as hard as she did. “I feel like if I could go back I wouldn’t work myself as hard, and I would still be able to get to where I am now,” she said. What makes the grind so insidious is that its negative e ects aren’t always visible

to others: Knight never outwardly showed the negative e ects that working so hard for such a sustained amount of time had on her. Having the grind mindset can reap amazing bene ts, but at what cost?

e Bad

Although the grind can be seen as a quick and easy way to get your tasks done, it can take a large toll on a student’s mental health.

“I think that a er being on “the grind” for so long it’s easy to forget what you are working so hard on,” said sophomore Kennedy Edick.

“It starts to become you, and when that happens you tend to push mental health to the lowest priority.”

With the lack of personal time that the grind creates, students can feel as though they’ve

Portage Northern Light

“I feel like if I could go back I wouldn’t work myself as hard, and I would still be able to get to where I am now.”

- Katie Knight

“I think that after being on ‘the grind’ for so long it’s easy to forget what you are working so hard on. It starts to become you.”

- Kennedy Edick

lost not just their sleep, sanity, and motivation. ey can feel like they’ve lost themselves, too. e grind doesn’t just a ect students; it impacts teachers as well. “I think ‘the grind’ impacts teachers because of how hard it is for students,” said art teacher Sarah Nott. “We have to push push push to get grades done because the state expects students to make certain academic standards to graduate. If the credit requirements for graduation were more supportive of students with alternative learning styles or educational needs, students would have less homework and stress, and teachers would be less overwhelmed with work and prep.”

Balance

How can students bene t from the grind, taking a healthy, e ective approach to their academics? In a capitalist, COVID-ridden society which prioritizes the labor over the laborer, it can be di cult to balance the toxic habits of burnout

culture in our favor. “When your well-being is at stake, you want to make “rise and shine” a priority over “rise and grind,” says Dr. Ryan Robinson, writing for Psychology Today. “Every time you feel driven, choose more supportive, comforting words such as “I can,” “I want to,” or “I choose to.” Once you realize that you don’t have to live up to the hustle culture’s demands, you can take a breath, step back, and chill,and you become stronger, calmer, and more selfassured.”

Robinson also suggests that though making a consistent e ort is necessary for success, frequent breaks and a steady pace prove just as important. “ ere are 1,440 minutes in one day. Five daily minutes in which you still your busy mind and center on the quiet places inside sets the compass of your heart so you can be more calm, even in times of upheaval,” he says.

Junior Sophia Sypris nds joy in

breaking down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks, especially if you’re having a hard time nding the motivation to start something. “Piece by piece, look at the little things you’ve done instead of the big idea,” she suggests. “ en you start to realize, if I hadn’t wasted my time thinking [about it], this would be such a drag from start to nish.” History teacher Joey Wood o ers his own stressbusting solutions. “Relaxation can help increase blood ow, which improves focus and self-control,” he suggests. “It helps us calm the mind, which improves our ability to think.”

Wood also provides powerful insight for both students and teachers battling the grind: “An education professor in college once told me, ‘ ere is nothing you can teach that they can’t live without.’ at is not to say that education is worthless - there is a lot we can teach you that will make life better,” he says. “But it is important to realize that it is okay if you need a little more time to do something… e irony is that by constantly working, we are doing less quality

“The irony is that by constantly working, we are doing less quality work.”

-Joe Wood

You might have noticed freshman Elijah Parker in the hallways, wearing high heeled boots, a crop top, or even a corset. “I’ve dressed weird, well not weird, but I’ve dressed differently than others in the past few years. Style wise, eccentric is a good word to describe it,” explains Parker. “I dress how I feel. Like if I feel down one of these days I’ll wear sweatpants and a sweatshirt, but if I’m feeling more confident in myself, I will probably wear something more along the lines of a cute little crop top or something like that.”

Parker’s passion is self-expression, and he hopes to inspire others to be more confident. “If you see everybody online being themselves openly and not car ing about other people, you’re probably going to want to do the same, right?” said Parker. “So I kind of try to do that. If you see others being themselves, you will probably also want to be yourself.”

In wearing more traditionally femi nine clothing, Parker connects selfexpression to being part of the LGBTQ community. “For me, it means being myself no matter what. In a huge con nection to the LGBTQIA+, what I do, what I wear, who I am, who I love, will

Elijah Parker: A sense of style

By Astrid Code

only ever involve me. I mean quite gen uinely, I have had my fair share of peo ple that hate me, I am a feminine, gay identifying, male. I got a letter, quoting bible verses at me … as a Christian, I would never involve myself in some body else’s clothing taste. It’s just hor rible, I mean, I am a fourteen year old kid, just wearing what makes me feel comfortable in my own skin.”

“I think Elijah expresses himself defi nitely in the way he dresses but also in the way he interacts with other people, the way he treats others, and the way he truly cares about everyone he talks to,” said freshman Ava Grunder, Park er’s friend. “I think his most admirable quality is his ability to help build other people’s confidence and be genuine while doing it.” Grunder recounts an example of Parker’s passion for help ing others be more confident in them selves. “I remember one time we went to the beach and he told this woman that she looked good in her bathing suit. She replied, ‘Oh, do you think so? I mean I’ve had 3 kids and I don’t feel like I should be wearing a 2 piece bathing suit.’ Then Elijah continues to have a full conversation with her, tell

ing her that she looked amazing and I could tell it meant a lot to her. And as we walked away he continued to talk about how good she looked even when she couldn’t hear us anymore,” Grunder said.

“I absolutely love Elijah and his out fits, he is just such a fun energy to be around and his style really pushes that,” said freshman Natalie Edwards, who also likes to express herself in what she wears. “I like to replicate a lot of mod ern trends but add a little flare of my own touch in it. I hope everyone wears what makes them happy. I used to be so scared to wear the outfits that I wear now, but at the end of the day all you have to do is be confident, wear the out fit, and don’t let the outfit wear you.”

Overall, Parker hopes to keep setting an example to be yourself, whether that means being authentic in your cloth ing, talking about the issues you care about, or focusing on your goals. “More individual people in general would just make the world better,” said Parker. “You’d understand other people more if you could just be yourself.”

Portage Northern

Design by Abby Hosler

“I’ve kind of always been myself, I’ve had the same haircut since I was young, and I’d always embraced it,” said Parker. Photos courtesy of Elijah Parker.

Norrix to Northern

By Abby Hosler

10 years ago, Patrick Greeley started teaching math at Benton Harbor High School. He worked there for a year and even met his wife there before he moved to Loy Norrix, where he taught for 7 years before nding his way to Portage Northern this year.

Greeley nished up his tenure at Loy Norrix teaching virtually, and like many other teachers, he had never taught through a virtual platform before. “I mean it was a learning curve,” Greeley remembers. “I think I was lucky because I had just nished a masters in educational technology, so I felt pretty comfortable using a lot of di erent digital tools to teach.” Despite his prociency, he was eager to return to inperson learning at PN this fall. He soon discovered that even though the learning was in-person, it came with its own challenges.

“It was much harder because now I am teaching a new curriculum I haven’t taught in years, and I am learning at a new school, in a

new place I’m not used to,” Greeley explains. “ at was tough at rst, but I think it’s been a good transition so far, people seem nice.”

He already knew a few teachers working at Northern, including his wife Amy Greeley, who teaches art at North Middle. “He is one of the most patient people I have ever met,” she says. “He puts in so much e ort to help students understand, and I just think that’s awesome for teaching, and he is going to get creative in a way some teachers don’t.”

In addition, he worked with Assistant Principal Kelly Hinga at Loy Norrix for four years. “We had a math opening and I as well as another teacher Ms. McKenzie knew him from Norrix,” explains Hinga.

“We knew he was a really good teacher and he would work well here.”

“I was very excited to nd out he was coming here,” says math teacher Cheryl McKenzie, who collaborated with Greeley on district math curriculum while she worked at Kalamazoo Central. “I was kind of encouraging him to apply here and I was very happy he did. He is always willing to spend time

with students a er school, in class making sure they really understand it, he’s just really student centered in making sure they know what’s going on.”

Greeley’s colleagues emphasize how student-centered he is. “I really like working with students, it’s really rewarding to help a student, especially with math,” says Greeley. “It’s very rewarding for me when a student who initially doesn’t feel they can be successful nds a way to be successful.” Freshman Te’A Harden can see his passion for helping in action. “He always makes sure that the class understands what they’re learning. Sometimes I ask a bunch of questions because I don’t understand, but he is patient and helps me gure out what I am supposed to do,” she says.

Although right now Greeley is just trying to get used to working at a new school, he has plans for the future. “At Norrix we had a pretty successful Esports club. I would eventually like to start that here,” he says. I mentioned I was a wrestler at my school, I’d like to be a little more involved with the wrestling team.

Greeley, in the upper left hand corner, teaches his Algebra I students. Photo by Abby Hosler.

Huskie basketball: beyond the win loss column

By Jackson Barnard

e start of basketball season found the men’s basketball team looking to bounce back from their substandard performance during the previous season.

e Huskies currently possess a 2-9 record and sit 5th in their conference. eir roster possesses a plethora of talent, so what is the rest of the story?

A er the 2020-2021 season had come to an end, head coach Ben Neal had announced that he would be leaving his position in order to pursue a coaching spot at Kalamazoo College. “As a professional, this was the most di cult decision that I’ve ever made,” Neal shared. “ ere isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think of the players and coaches.”

A er coaching high school basketball for over 20 years, the decision to leave did not come easily. “To me, it was now or never,” he explained. “It was also a chance to work with athletes who are as dedicated to the sport as I am.” Neal went on to share about how in high school, students have many di erent priorities, but at the college level, athletes are there primarily to play their sport, so the level of focus can be very different.

Despite the upsetting news that Neal was departing, his players still showed signs of gratitude. “I was happy for him because I knew how much he wanted to coach at the college level,” voiced junior Cane Mack. Neal’s attitude made him much more than a coach to several of the players: “It de nitely surprised me, being that he was a great coach, and an even better friend,” said senior Chris French as he discussed his initial reaction.

Now that coach Neal was gone, Portage Northern was in search of an individual who could ll the massive hole that he had le behind. e process of recruiting a new coach was de nitely a burden. “Coach Neal made his decision to leave to coach at Kalamazoo College rather late and so we were under a bit of a time crunch to get a new coach,” explained athletic director Chris Riker. Fortunately for the Huskies, former Western Michigan basketball coach Steve Hawkins’ name was shared by someone who worked with him at the college.”We reached out and met with him to see if he would be interested and it turned out

he was,” Riker said. e acquisition of coach Hawkins was a huge addition to the team as he had worked with some of the most respected college coaches and had a successful coaching record.

Hawkins’ style of coaching is di erent to Neal’s in the way that he is used to having division 1 athletes on the court, not high schoolers. “Coach Hawkins is a very good coach,” said sophomore shooting guard Jadyn Walker. “He is well driven and doesn’t leave too much room for mistakes.”

e team is still adjusting to the change in leadership. “ e strength of our team is being scrappy and having the ability to ght back,” Walker continued, “Our weaknesses are just our lack of caring and not doing what we are being coached to do.” Mack agreed, sharing: “we need to improve on making sure everyone is bought into the program.”

Having a new coach and essentially an entire new team is something that requires time in order to improve. As the games progress, it is almost guaranteed that the players will begin to develop more chemistry and that they will adjust to Coach Hawkins’ strategies. e story of the Portage Northern basketball team is still evolving, but with a great coach and talented players, the future of the Huskies is incredibly bright.

Photo and Design by Miles Slocum

Sports Portage Northern

BRING ON THE MADNESS

By Jackson Barnard

As February has now begun, this means that there is only about a month until the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. is event, more commonly referred to as “March Madness,” is a single-elimination tournament consisting of 68 teams who meet the qualifying criteria throughout the regular season.

On average, about 10-12 million viewers tune in to at least one of the games. In fact, last year’s national championship involving Baylor and Gonzaga racked up nearly 17 million viewers! Furthermore, one of the most renowned traditions that comes with March Madness is the creation of a bracket. is bracket will list every team that is playing each other, and from there, individuals will ll out who they think will win. is process continues for every game leading up to the national championship. Challenges and bets regarding people’s brackets are ubiquitous throughout the United States. Billionaire, Warren Bu et, o ers a grand prize to anyone who can create a perfect bracket. Prices and rules of the challenge have varied by year, but Bu ett has shown complete condence in the notion that a perfect bracket is

impossible. As a matter of fact, Bu ett is so con dent that he’s even put $1 billion dollars on the line in previous years.

However, Bu ett’s con dence has not come from sheer arrogance. ere has actually never been a perfect bracket. Several studies have been conducted about the odds of a perfect bracket; and one of them has concluded that the chances of a awless bracket is 1 in 9.2 quintillion.

Despite the scal aspect of the tournament, it can also be a time to bond with your family and friends. I have watched March Madness for as long as I can remember; and every year it is always with my friends.

As an avid sports fan myself, I am ecstatic for this year’s tournament, and I will be taking our NL readership on a journey through the tournament, providing commentary on key games in each round as teams advance to the national championship. I will also supervise the very rst Northern Light Bracket Challenge. Every student whose bracket beats mine will receive a prize, and while we can’t match Bu et’s elaborate prizes, we will have some cool PN gear for the top 3 nishers overall.

is year’s favorite to win is Gonzaga. Gonzaga is typically a powerhouse and placed second last year a er they were defeated by Baylor in the championship. To nd out whether or not I take them all the way and to nd out more details about the NL tournament challenge, stay tuned to our website: www.portagenorthernlight.com.

Photo and Design by Miles Slocum

Portage Northern Light

Black Widow:

Released in July of 2021, Black Widow marked the first Phase 4 Marvel movie, and highlighted the life events of legendary Rus sian spy Natasha Romanov, better known as Black Widow. The movie takes place after she became an Avenger and follows her as she deals with her traumatic past and messy fam ily. I personally loved this movie, and found it to be funny, thrilling, and (spoiler) a real tear-jerker.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is prob ably tied with Wandavision for my favorite Marvel show. Taking place after the events of Endgame, the show revolved around Sam Wilson (Falcon) and Bucky Barnes (the Winter Soldier) as they each dealt with their own personal problems and past trauma. The show brought in whole new perspectives and layers to the MCU, talking about social issues such as racism, where the line falls between revolu tionary and terrorist, and PTSD. If you haven’t had the chance to watch the show yet, I highly recommend you do!

Moon Knight:

By Jaclyn Brubaker

Spiderman: No Way Home:

To no one’s surprise, Spiderman: No Way Home has quickly become a top box office marker, and could potentially even overtake Avatar, one of the highest grossing movies of all time. Fans flocked to see Spidey sling some webs at villains from the past. This movie was a sensation to see and definitely catered to the fans, while still maintaining a good plot and character development. It was super fun to see in theaters, and is definitely something fans will be talking about for years to come!

Wandavision:

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Set to come out in Novem ber of 2022, the next Black Panther movie will take to the screens. It is unknown what exactly will happen or who will take over the mantle of the Black Panther, (though theories state it could be his sister, Shuri) with the tragic loss of actor Chad wick Boseman, who played T’Challa.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: If you’ve been keeping up with the MCU over the past year or so, you will know that the multiverse has gone insane, bringing whole new possibilities with it. This is one of the upcoming movies that I am most excited for, as it will highlight Dr. Strange trying to fix and contain the holes in the mul tiverse. This means that we could potentially see characters from whole other universes, or characters that have died in the main MCU timeline. Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) is also set is also set to be in this movie!

Thor: Love and Thunder:

Loki:

Since Loki is my favorite Marvel character, it came as no shock that I en joyed watching this show. Loki has been a fan favorite character since the original Thor movie in 2011, finally, a decade later, receiving his own show.

I recently saw the trailer for Moon Knight in theaters, and it startled me. I didn’t think it was a Marvel show at first, as it seemed too dark and gritty. But it seems that Marvel is taking a new direction as they dive into the char acter of Marc Spec tor, a mercenary with dissociative identity disorder as he grapples with reality.

Phase 4 kicked off with a bang in January of 2021 with the popular tv show Wandavision. Starring beloved characters Wanda Maximoff and Vision in sitcoms through the ages, Wandavision was a hilarious, mind-spinning, tear-jerking leap into the multiverse. I was hooked, and left each episode with more questions than I came in with. The show was full of twists and turns, and added a whole new tone into the MCU.

Fans of Thor: Ragnarok should definitely pay attention to this upcoming movie, in which Thor returns along with Jane Foster and other characters recognizable from previous films. In this movie, Jane will take on the mantle of Thor, battling Gorr the God Butcher, played by Christian Bale. I can’t wait to see it next July!

Agatha: House of Harkness: Fans of Wandavision will remember the character of Agatha Harkness (and her iconic theme song) and will be excited to see that the char acter will be making a recurrence in her own show! The project is sur rounded with much mystery. The plot is yet to be released, but some fans have theorized that we will get to witness the origins of the witch, while others think it will take place after the events of Wandavision.

Design by Jaclyn Brubaker

As summer was coming to a close, I was under the impression that the feeling of freedom the season brought me was being lost. I didn’t want to let go of the warm weather and the lightness of no responsibility. I wanted to keep the summer feeling alive. As I opened Beach Read by Emily Henry, I felt as though the Michigan summer had never begun fading. e main character, January, has moved to North Bear Shores, a lake town in Michigan. Her life is in shambles and she wants a new start. is refreshingly quick read gives you a view into a perfect imperfect summer romance.

When I opened this book, I didn’t expect much. I wanted a lighthearted read full of love and summer feelings. What I got was a book that changed my view on the romance genre as a whole. I found the novel in a small bookstore at the end of summer. I’m a person that enjoys romance, so I decided to pick it up. I nd it hard to enjoy something if it doesn’t have a sprinkle of romance in the story somewhere. I like reading about love and how di erent love is to every author who writes about it, so when I saw this book lled with the promise of a love story, I just had to pick it up. I read it right away, diving into the story of January Andrews.

January shows just how relatable a romance story can be. Her life is lled with the disappointment of fading love: her parents blindsided her with the knowledge that her father had cheated on her mother, and then her father added salt to the wound with

his untimely death. January can’t seem to come to terms with the fact that her parents’ love wasn’t perfect, or that the love she has isn’t perfect. is leads her to move into her father’s old home, the one he shared with his mistress. She’s a writer and needs a new space to get some ideas, but she’s at a standstill and can’t seem to get her brain moving to write. As a writer myself, I feel this on a personal level. Sometimes writing is di cult when other things are going on; stress and lack of creativity can be detrimental to a writer.

January meets Gus, another writer who’s in the area. She makes a bet with him that she can write a book in his genre, and thus he has to write one in hers. She writes romance and he writes “bleak literary ction.” is leads to a blooming romance of two young writers on the beaches of Michigan.

Gus and January’s relationship feels so real. Everything they do or say has a reason, none of it feels like something just to move the plot along. eir dialogue isn’t pushed along because of plot, the plot is pushed along because of their dialogue. e book revolves around character growth; the plot is just an addition. e true story is how they interact with one another and how the characters a ect each other.

Sonya, the mistress of January’s father, is a character I hate, not because she’s unbearably evil, but because she’s the opposite. January hates Sonya for her relationship with her father, but as she gets to understand more of their story, her feelings become complicated. Not being able to fully justify

your feelings hurts, and it hurts more when the person who hurt you hangs around and is liked by other people. It’s a sel sh feeling, but it’s real, and it’s something that should be shown more in literature. Sonya is a real character who has aws and strengths, yet despite knowing that, even I can’t help but hate her. Seeing the story from January’s point of view, it’s hard to do anything other than side with her.

e big mystery in this book is if January can move on from things that have hurt her in the past. January, by the end of the novel, is able to pick herself up and learn to love. It’s a long, never-ending journey, but one that she’s willing to take. is book showed me that love is complicated and there is no right or wrong way to love someone. Love is never perfect, and it’s never imperfect, it just exists and we should learn to embrace it as it is. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars; it’s a summer read for the ages and a refreshing take on the romance genre.

Do you remember it

Almost everyone in today’s so ciety has heard the name Taylor Swift: she’s been making music for almost 18 years now and has made her rounds through both the country and pop music cultures. She has made music that appeals to almost every one; while she sings typically of

By Kayla Malaski

in legal issues surrounding own ership of her work, ultimately resulting in her having to re-re cord all of her original albums. Re-recorded in 2021, Red is the newest installment.

Swift’s re-recordings usually feature “from the vault” content, and Red is no exception. The

growth. “Maybe we got lost in translation / maybe I asked for too much / or maybe this thing was a masterpiece / till you tore it all up” is one of the lines in this song that resonates to many lis teners because it represents the overthinking that happens at the end of a relationship. The song

Portage Northern Light

Design by Kayla Malaski

Photo By Kayla Malaski

This song has captured the hearts of average people and Swifties (Taylor Swift’s fans) alike with its relatable lyrics re garding heartbreak, a theme so many people have experienced and felt similar pain to what Taylor Swift describes in her singing. “I think that All Too Well (10-minute version) is such a wonderful song,” says junior Sloan Markin. “It really tells the

full story of Taylor’s relationship and is great for screaming, cry ing, and all other emotions. It is musically, a wonderful piece, and lyrically a piece of art.”

“All Too Well” encompases all the needs to be a success ful song and being included on Red further proves how Taylor Swift can take an album and re make it as her own, and still be able to capture more and more

hearts with her music. “Through her new songwriting skills, and also thanks to new songwrit ing partners like Jack Antonoff, Taylor has been able to take her new sound and add it to her lyrics in a way that adds to her songs 10x more,” says freshman Alex Hance. “This added to the new vault tracks makes the al bum overall way better than the original.”

Design by Kayla Malaski

Pictured above, the vinyl record for the All Too Well ten-minute version has written out lyrics for the entire song - in Swift’s own hand. The included photo is her performing the shorter version of the song from when it first came out.

It’s time to take a step forward with animated villains and representation

By Annabelle Bartz

Picture a princess. For a more specific example, picture Ariel from The Little Mermaid. As pale as humanly possible, not a blemish on her skin, blue eyes, perfect hair, and a tiny waist. Now on the opposite end of that spectrum, picture Ursula from that same movie, the complete opposite of Ariel in every way possible.

Movies use societal norms to emphasize the difference between the hero and the villain. Ariel is the picture of the white cishet beauty standard while Ursula has a more realistic body shape and is queer coded like there is no tomorrow.

Queer coding is an act defined by Wikipedia as, “the subtextual coding of a character in media as queer. Though such a character’s sexual identity may not be explicitly confirmed within their respective work, a character might be coded as queer through use of stereotypes recognizable to the audience.” Although queer coding started as a way to include queer people in a space that wouldn’t allow it, it has turned into a less-than-positive practice within the movie industry.

Disney is one of the worst at upholding these concepts, oftentimes using them to add an extra layer of villainy to a character. From Ursula, a character based on the real life drag queen Divine, to Hades from the movie Hercules, Disney tends to put the cis straight character on a pedestal while villainizing characters that appear queer or gender nonconforming.

Animated movies in particular use the physical appearance and

The appearance of Disney’s characters and whether they are coded as a villain or hero makes a huge difference, particularly to younger viewers. llustration by Annabelle Bartz.

behavior of a character to show what is and isn’t acceptable within society. Creating protagonists that feature “socially-desirable” characteristics and antagonists who embody the opposite is a harmful practice that results in kids who are part of those minoritized groups only being able to see themselves in the villains.

One particularly insidious example of this is giving bodily or facial deformities to a villain. Whether it is Scar from The Lion King or Voldemort from Harry Potter, characters like this create a societal norm of punishing people for things that are beyond their control and giving them the idea that they are undeserving of love, support, and forgiveness. Body type can also be weaponized in depictions of movie villains, such as the Queen of Hearts from Alice in

Wonderland or Jafar from Aladdin. Anyone that isn’t average height and the generic body type generally falls within the villain category. The film industry, especially the giants creating content primarily for children, like Disney, needs to put more diverse groups of people on screen. Just having a diverse group of people in the background while centering a white cishet protagonist isn’t enough. Characters should reflect the people that exist in the real world, and spoiler alert: those people aren’t all the same. They have diverse body types, defining characteristics, are part of the LGBTQ community, and everything in between. All of that should be reflected in the main characters on screen, because no matter who a small child is, they should be able to find a character that positively represents them.

Disney’s “Encanto” hits the mark when depicting sibling relationships

By Avery Bogemann

Encanto is a new Disney movie that entered theaters November 24, 2021 about a special family blessed by a miracle hidden in the mountains of Columbia. They are the leaders of their community, and their town relies on the family and their gifts. Mirabel, the only member of the family without a gift, doesn’t feel special or needed. A lot of the times in life, we deem ourselves useless if we don’t have something another person has, when that’s furthest from the truth. Mirabel found her gift, her miracle, by not trying to be like

The biggest part of the story is the family and the relationship they have with each other. Abuela has an iron grip on the family, not wanting to lose the home she received when she had nothing, and it leads to her cruel treatment, especially to Mirabel. No matter how hard Mirabel tries, she’s never good enough for Abuela. No one in the family is, and that tears them apart. It causes drifts in the family, especially with Mirabel and Isabela. Isabela is perfect in every way, and she makes sure everyone knows it. This makes Mirabel resent her sister because everything Isabela is perfect in, Mirabel is unperfect in. This happens a lot with siblings, the feeling you’re less than, the

feeling you aren’t as good as your sibling. It’s an issue a lot of younger siblings face, just like Mirabel.

Encanto has a character for older siblings to relate to as well. Luisa, Mirabel’s older sister, feels the weight of the world on her shoulders. Everyone is convinced she can carry it, since she’s so strong, but she’s tired of that life. Because she’s older, and because she doesn’t show her true feelings, everyone assumes they can pass off responsibilities to her and it will all be okay. Older siblings get the brunt of the responsibilities in the family, and it can be hard for them to carry it alone. Luisa is an example of this scenario, and how it affects the child in question.

As the movie goes on, Mirabel finds herself and how to save her family, and ultimately, they all live happily ever after. It teaches you that you don’t have to be special to be special, you just have to be yourself, a lessons that is especially important in sibling relationships. The film also teaches that family is complicated, but it’s something worth fighting for. At the end of the day, this is a movie about a realistic family, just in not so realistic circumstances.

The film teaches you that you don’t have to be special, you just have to be yourself.

Photos by Jay Pike Photography

Portage Central brings “Anastasia” to the stage

By Jaclyn Brubaker

Take a journey to the past through Portage Central’s Anastasia! Fans of the 20th Century Fox movie will recall the plot, but to those unfamiliar, the story is set in post-Bolshevik Revolution Russia, following an amnesiac orphan named Anya, a dashing conman named Dimitry, and ex-aristocrat Vlad Popov. Anya desires to nd out who she is and if she has a family, while Dimitry and Vlad hatch a plot to convince the Dowager Empress that Anya is the missing Grand Duchess Anastasia in order to receive a he y reward. As they travel towards Paris together to reach their goals, they are pursued by a young Bolshevik o cer, Gleb Vaganov, whose orders are to kill Anastasia, but he struggles with the tough moral decision of following those orders or doing what he knows is right.

Although the show looks e ortless from an audience perspective, the people involved know it’s a bit of a di erent story. “ e most challenging part of being in the show has probably been maintaining a stress free environment,” said freshman Carly Koch, who plays Anya. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to do such a wonderful show, but it’s a lot, and it’s very time consuming.”

Although that work-life balance can be a bit of a challenge, Koch says that her favorite part about being in Anastasia has de nitely been all the amazing connections she’s made with people. Junior April Heskett, one of the dance captains, also feels the bonds that connect the cast and

crew. “I love meeting new people and sharing the experience of putting on an amazing show together!” she said. “It’s something that all of us can be proud of and that brings the cast and the crew together.”

From the perspective of an audience member, this show was incredible! e talent was jaw dropping, the costumes were stunning, and every scene was absolutely enthralling! I personally was blown away by the level of professionalism and talent from the members of the show. Every single person did a fantastic job, and the singing, acting, and dancing were all on point! I loved how well everyone seemed to know their own characters, as well as the characters around them. Each character had an intense arc and personal journey, which I found to be really interesting. Perhaps the most prominent of those for me was Gleb Vaganov. He was such a morally gray character, and his internal struggle between the two sides of himself was shown really well. Junior Carter Barnes, who played the role, said “I don’t think of myself as “evil”, and neither does Gleb, but there’s that contrast between nishing the job for his father and having feelings for Anya.” Like Barnes, all of the actors in the show seemed to understand their characters fully, as well as what drives them. e chemistry between actors was great, and everyone seemed to embody their roles to the fullest, making this an incredible show to see. It truly remined me of of what home, love, and family truly means!

“It’s something that all of us can be proud of and that brings the cast and the crew together.”

-April Heskett

WE’LL

OKAY

By Ella Morofsky

Illustration by Spencer Kadlec

“I’ll be okay” is a statement almost every teenager says at least once a week. It’s something we say when we don’t want to say how we really feel, or sometimes it can be the truth. As teenagers, we have so much pressure to be perfect. Everyone is constantly reminding us that we need to have the perfect grades, the perfect style, the perfect everything. We feel pressure to live up to our older siblings or higher-achieving friends. Sometimes, we have to take a step back and remind ourselves that we’re not perfect, no one is. We’re teenagers: we’re going to make mistakes and that is not just completely ne, it’s how we learn and grow. Not many people notice how much that pressure a ects us, and when they do, all we say is “I’ll be okay” because sometimes we feel like no one will understand. We feel like we can’t say how we feel because we think people might make fun of us, they might not really care how we respond, or there might be nothing we can do to change the situation. In reality, none of that is true. Other people do understand. We are never alone in how we are feeling, there are so many other people in the world - and right here in this school - that feel the same way. We do have people that care enough to listen. We can change the narrative. We don’t have to be “on the grind” all the time... we can take time and space to process, heal, and just be, and if we can do that, we really will be okay.