@thenorthpointe www.northpointenow.org

NORTH POINTEWEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2016

S I N C E 1 9 6 8 GROSSE POINTE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

“This is no time to act tough or try to play cute: road rage can be a

matter of life and death.”

IDEAS - PAGE 7

VOLUME 48 | ISSUE 13 News | 2 Calendar | 3

On Campus | 4 PTB | 5

Life | 6 On Pointe | 7

Reviews | 8 Editorial | 9

Sports | 10-11In-Depth | 12

Find out more about season two of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on page 8.

REVIEWS - PAGE 8

“We are lucky enough to be at a place like North, where students are able to be their authentic selves free

of legal ridicule.”

IDEAS - PAGE 9

PT.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

District takes cautions measures after shootings

SPORTSPAGE 11

Left: To see students participating in Spring sport head to page 11.

By Emma Puglia, Montana Paton & Asia SimmonsSENIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR, ASSISTANT EDITOR & STAFF REPORTER

“One common goal.” That’s the mot-to of the Friends of the African Ameri-can Parent Alliance and can be seen printed across their embossed f liers in bold letters.

Gathered in the cafeteria, about 50 people attended the branch’s first meet-ing April 14 for an open discussion be-tween parents and teachers.

Founder Shalece Daniels created the group as a branch of the Parents Club with three goals in mind: to resolve chal-lenges, promote participation and assist support for those who may feel as though they are not supported.

“I suppose the main purpose is to bring together a group of people with common experiences,” Daniels said. “The group is completely open. The rea-son why it’s called Friends of the African American Parent Alliance is because it’s not just African American parents. It’s friends that support us and have the same goals that we have, such as (Prin-cipal Kate) Murray.”

With these main goals in mind, the FAAPA promotes a sense of community that welcomes any members to speak openly, ask questions and raise concerns during the meetings.

“I was inspired by the honest dialogue, and growth is the product of honest dia-logue,” Murray said. “Honest dialogue where people try to first understand

someone else, and then to be under-stood, and really doing some great lis-tening and ref lecting, connecting and understanding.”

Other schools, through organizations such as the Oakland County African American Parent Network, established their own branch in 2008. Though this may not be the reason North adopted this new group, it shows that groups with similar goals and interests are growing throughout the community.

Students are FAAPA’s main priority and although currently they don’t have a way for students to be directly involved, the organization is eager to introduce a student branch.

“The students can contact me, because we believe that coming up soon, maybe June or July. We will have a meeting and have the children get involved

as well,” Daniels said. “We don’t know what their role will be, and we may al-low them to define it for themselves, but we definitely want to provide support for them. That’s why we’re there. We are there for the children. We are parents, and we all have the same goal: to make sure our children feel supported and se-cure and getting a good education.”

Freshman Victoria Simmons learned about FAAPA from her mother, who plans on attending the next meeting.

“My mom went to the meeting and told me about it,” Simmons said. “I hope that it will serve as a support for African American students academically, social-ly and emotionally.”

Since the group is in the early stages of forming their vision, they plan to discuss future involvement in specific activi-ties, such as educational

seminars in certain topics (like cultural sensitivity and being an active parent) and support services, in upcoming meet-ings. For now, however, FAAPA hopes to increase membership and bolster parent involvement at North.

“In terms of my personal hope for it, the main thing I think I would like to see is that parents see themselves as being even more integral to the pro-cess of student learning here at North,” English teacher Geoffrey Young said. “I would love to see the parents who are a part of this network be working togeth-er as they come to the school, be part of activities in the school and bring their expertise to whatever our issues are here in the school, whether those are issues of success or issues of struggle.”

LAUREN SEXTONLAUREN SEXTONLAUREN SEXTON

WWW.PUBLICDOMAINPICTURES.NET

By Josie Bennett & Tommy TeftsisA SSIS TANT EDITOR S

In an effort to increase student safety, the dis-trict hired Compliance One, a security consultant company that implemented a school system safety and security audit last fall.

In light of the new contract with Compliance One, Superintendent Gary Niehaus has con-

sidered new security measures, such as a phone notification system

created by Virginia Tech and pos-

s i b l y

ending the open campus lunch customs. Every 10 years, Compliance One does a safety

and security audit on the school system. “The Board of Education will accept a recom-

mendation from Compliance One,” Niehaus said via email. “After the Board hears the recommenda-tions, then we will begin to make decisions about what we can and cannot do.”

After their investigation in the fall of last year, the company determined that one of the major safety breaches is the open campus lunch hour. Even though a closed campus lunch would ide-ally provide a safer environment for students, se-nior Nicole Valenzano said that the district is also aware of the complications of closing campus.

Although the possibility of not going home or for fast food during lunch hangs in the air,

Valenzano believes it’s too early to worry about it especial-

ly after speaking with Nie-

haus when he came to talk with Student Associa-tion members.

Niehaus explained to Student Association is that the possibility of having closed lunches would be strictly for the incoming class of 2020 and all classes following. Current students will not be affected by the change.

However, this situation stil l requires solutions for ways to keep just the freshmen on campus. One proposed solution is scannable ID cards to be used upon entry and exit of the building.

“In my opinion, there is still a lot to be figured out for our school to have closed lunch, like how to fit all the students, how to feed all the students and of course the loss of fundraising by organizations,” Valenzano said. “Therefore this is not that realistic of an idea as of now, but I can definitely see it be-coming reality 10 to ten years down the line.”

While the fate of open campus is undecided, the emergency notification system has been approved and will have its first test we today. Principal Kate Murray said that it’s supposed to give the school the opportunity to communicate with all the students

simultaneously during a security situation.“At North, we protect this house, and this

house includes 1,400 teenagers,” Murray said. “I’m excited that this new tool is going to al-

low us to do an even better job of protecting this house.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

New alliance forms in Grosse Pointe communityLINDSEY RAMSDELL

2 – Wednesday, April 27, 2016 – North Pointe NEWS

North’s students and faculty recieve awardsBy Billy Moin & Katelynn MulderMANAGING EDITOR & ASSISTANT EDITOR

In recent weeks, North students and teachers have exemplified “what we do here.”

April 16 through April 18, the Michigan Associa-tion of Student Councils and Honor Societies MASC/MAHS conference was held at Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City.

North students and seniors CJ Ramsdell and Ni-cole Stein both won awards in the ceremony along with adviser Pat Gast.

“The point of the conference is mostly the shar-ing of ideas so the students get to see the successful projects that other student councils did throughout the state, and they present them, and those f ilter back to the school,” Student Association adviser Jon-athan Byrne said. “I think a secondary purpose of

the conference is to create an energy in the student councils across the state and get kids, like-minded students, really pumped up to work at their schools, to make their schools better.”

TV Production teacher Brian Stackpoole has also recently won the teacher of the year award. The award ceremony will be held on May 13.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Text communications would include information about a situation and di-rections to students in terms of when and where they need to report.

Parents were notified through email of the new system development and Stu-dent Association had a meeting regarding the matter with Niehaus. That is how senior Stephanie Godoshian learned about the system.

Godoshian sees the system as beneficial, especially since students will be the f irst to know. She hopes, however, that it won’t be needed often.

“I think everyone should have a choice, but I think everyone should take part

because it could be a serious situation,” Godoshian said. “It’s quick information, so I think it’s a good idea.”

The only direct communication that the district has to inform its students in school is through a cell-phone-related emergency system.

The increase in the number of high schools and universities with a cell phone notification system pushed Niehaus to implement a similar arrangement.

“It is a quick communication system that might help keep our students and faculty/staff safe and secure,” Niehaus said. “After the school district tests the system, it will only be for emergencies and possibly snow days. If the system works, then we will look into middle school students and parents.”

New plans for safety

Adviser Pat Gast—Adviser of the Year recipient

After 22 years of service to North and 16 years of attending MASC/MAHS conferences, Student Associa-tion adviser Pat Gast received Michi-gan’s Adviser of the Year award.

Gast is the first from North to win the award, which is meant to recog-nize advisers who stand above the rest when it comes to assisting and guiding the students in their organizations.

With this being Gast’s f inal year before retiring, Byrne thought it was the right t ime to nominate her for the award.

“We don’t always nominate our ad-viser, in fact we rarely do,” Byrne said. “But this year because Mrs. Gast is retiring and ... she’s had such an im-pact on the students and staff here at North, we thought it was a good idea to nominate her, and then obviously she was chosen.”

For Gast, joining this elite group is a privilege. However, she is also proud of the other awards the Student Associa-tion was able to take home.

“When I look at the people that have always been rock stars in my eyes as advisers, and when I think that my name is now going to be now recognized along with their names, it is such an honor,” Gast said. “And not only that, but Grosse Pointe North, that I hold very near and dear to my heart, is recognized for so many honors that we had this year at the conference.”

Senior CJ Ramsdell—Student of the Year recipient

Student Association senator CJ Ramsdell won the Student of the Year award. This award recognizes the most outstanding stu-dent nominated to the convention.

“CJ winning was a really big surprise for me. Not that I didn’t think CJ deserved it, but I was I guess a litt le surprised that two people from the same school would win such prestigious awards, but he certainly is deserving,” Byrne said. “I was very proud, and in fact the other students who were sit-

ting at the table with me said that my reac-tion was better than CJ’s.”

When Ramsdell won the award, he said that the his fellow members were support-ive and erupted with enthusiasm. He won the award right after Gast did.

“To be honest I was pretty surprised. I didn’t think I was going to win but I was re-ally happy and I thought it was fulfil ling to get a award for the effort I had put into the class from the outside,” Ramsdell said.

TV production teacher Brian Stackpoole—Teacher of the Year recipient

Since 1999, TV production teacher Brian Stackpoole has given his time to teaching high school broadcast stu-dents at North. His dedication to the subject was recently recognized when he won the Digital Arts Film and Tele-vision, also known as DAFT, Teacher of the year award.

“I was honored to win the award,” Stackpoole said via email. “I looked at many of the past winners who have been instrumental in developing Film and Video programs across the state and appreciate the work they started that I am able to continue.”

The DAFT Teacher of the year award is given to teachers who have shown a great dedication in an art program over several years. The art program can be anything from film to music. The award is given to only one teacher in each state, and it is the very f irst time a teacher from North has been chosen for the award.

Stackpoole has been dedicated to TV pro-duction and broadcasting since his own time in high school.

“I had broadcasting with a radio station in high school. I was a big part of the radio station they had there, and we had a lot of the sporting events. The sports casting I did, and a lot of the radio show and stuff like that,” Stackpoole said. “So I liked do-

ing that, and then I continued to do that in college as well. And then after a few years of going to college, I really wanted to see about how you start TV and radio programs in high school, and that led me here.”

Sophomore Mike Mullens joined Stack-poole’s class this year and plans to take it again as a junior.

“Mr. Stackpoole is an interesting teach-er,” Mullens said. “He just has a great per-sonality, and the fact that we can go get out and record, and make intros and show them to everybody, I just like to do that.”

Senator Nicole Stein—Unsung Hero award recipient

Senator Nicole Stein began the MASC/ MAHS ceremony by winning the Unsung Hero award at the convention.

“We were all sitting at our table, and I asked Mr. (Jonathan) Byrne to pass the lemonade and right after that they announced my name, and I was shocked,” Stein said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all so it was a complete surprise.”

The Unsung Hero Award goes out to students that are willing to do any-thing for their school, yet do not seek out recognition or other rewards.

Every school is allowed to honor one such student with this award. Stein has spent the year as head of the Student Association’s staff appre-

ciation committee. She is in charge of putting together projects to demon-strate Student Association’s appreciation for the faculty.

Student Association secretary Stephanie Godoshian said Stein’s perfor-mance and hard work are what made her the choice for Unsung Hero.

“During finals week, her and some of the members of the commit-tee took carts of snacks, waters (and) different things around for all of the teachers, so as they’re grading papers, they kind of have some-thing to look forward to. Just small stuff like that,” Godoshian said. “Simple but thoughtful.”

Even though she did not ask for an award of any kind, Stein still enjoys being appreciated for her efforts.

“I was just really honored to be recommended by my peers for that award,” Stein said. “I’m just glad all of my hard work paid off in the end. It was a really special moment.”

MICHIGANYOUTHARTS.ORG

ABOVE: Senator Nicole Stein holding her award.

ABOVE: Adviser Pat Gast and senior CJ Ramsdell holding their awards.

ABOVE: Adviser Pat Gast recieves her award on stage.

MORA DOWNS

MORA DOWNS

MORA DOWNS

North Pointe – Wednesday, April 27, 2016 – 3NEWS

Kroger invests money to create jobs

Kroger recently announced that it would be investing $180 mil-lion into its Michigan stores to create 1,000 jobs through opening new locations and remodeling. For junior Britney Terrell, a Kroger employee, the grocery store chain’s investment in Michigan shows promise for both the state and the company.

“I feel like it’s a great idea. But also, I feel like the people who are being employed need to take their job seriously when they re-ceive it and during the process of receiving it,” Terrell said. “I feel it will open Kroger up to more opportunities throughout the com-pany as a whole and the employees as well.”

The investment will include six new fuel centers, extensive re-modeling at eleven existing stores and 22 new Clicklist sites, where customers can pick up online orders without get-ting out of their car.

Social Studies teacher Brian Degnore believes that Kroger’s investment will foster Michi-gan’s economy and employment rate.

“I think that Kroger’s investment of $180 million is a good thing,” Degnore said. “It’l l bring more jobs to Michigan and it’l l have a ripple effect through Michigan’s economy. It’l l bring more jobs, services and all of those things.”

Kroger hasn’t announced when these new facilities will be open-ing Terrell believes that this new project could also be used as an advertising tactic to boost Kroger’s sales.

“Having more experiences with different ways of advertising their goods and more effective relationships with the customers could lead to more buying of foods from Kroger,” Terrell said.

Terrell sees a bright future for Kroger through the increase in sales and stock prices that this investment could provide.

“I think that people should be appreciative,” Terrell said. “I think the future of Kroger looks pretty strong especially with ac-knowledging our customers, assisting them in what they need and appreciating them for choosing Kroger and the company itself to

shop at.”

By Gowri Yerramalli

SPORTS

GIRLS LACROSSE

Wednesday, April 27 at Rochester High School at 7 p.m.

BASEBALLWednesday, April 27 against Romeo High School at 4:30 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCERWednesday, April 27 at Fraser High School

at 7 p.m.

GIRLS TENNISWednesday, April 27 against Eisenhower

High School at 4 p.m.

SOFTBALLThursday, April

28 against L’Anse Creuse High

School at 4:30 p.m.

BOYS GOLFFriday, April 29

against Romeo High School at 4 p.m.

BOYS LACROSSETuesday, May 3

against Eisenhower High School at 4 p.m.

CALENDAR

NO SCHOOLThursday, April 28

AP TESTINGMonday, May 2 to

Friday, May 13

BAND & ORCHESTRA

BOOSTERTuesday, May 3 in

C101 from 7 - 8 p.m.

MEDICAL MOMENTS WITH THE

DMCWednesday, May 4

at 7 p.m. in Christ Church

PARENT CLUB MEETING

Wednesday, May 11 at 7 p.m. in the

Union

Anticipation grew moments before teachers faced off against students in the annual dodgeball tournament.

The event capped the f irst-ever charity week and was called a “huge success” by adviser Marylyn Withers.

“The dodgeball game was all about two schools, who are otherwise competitive, coming together for a common cause,” Withers said.

It took place on March 12 between rivals North and South and raised donations for the Jacob Michael Davis Foundation and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The schools surpassed their goal and raised approximately $2,000—nearly twice their original goal.

“It was a huge success on so many different levels,” Withers said. “South’s SA council and North’s senior student council, along with the freshman student council, worked together to plan an event for fun and charity.”

Unlike former sporting events, the game was organized by stu-dents and advisers rather than the athletic department.

“I joined the effort to organize the Grosse Pointe Dodgeball Tournament and North’s Charity week because I felt the desire to give back to the community,” senior Sydney Eger said, “The tour-nament functioned as a platform to bring together both North and South, exhibiting we can accomplish great things when we work together, while stil l maintaining a healthy amount of competition.

Students volunteered, and some teachers were invited to partic-ipate. Math teacher Lauren Nixon said she would’ve participated even if she hadn’t been asked.

“I think it was a really positive and fun environment for stu-dents and teachers. I think there’s a fun competitiveness when the teachers are playing the students. It was a good time,” Nixon said. “The dodgeball tournament was a really big success. They raised a lot of money over their goal.”

Volunteers sold items like water, pizza and pop throughout the event. They also sold raff le tickets to auction off tickets to an upcom-ing Detroit Tigers game. All the money that was raised went to charity.

Withers commented that if she was asked to coordinate the event again, she would.

“I do this because it is an amazing experience for students to plan and organize events that give back to the community,” With-ers said. “This is a win-win for everyone who gets involved.”

By Erin Kaled

Dodgeball tournament exceeds expectations

ABOVE: The class of 2016 and South Student Council members student asso-ciation and teachers gather after the dodgeball tourament on March 12. BELOW: Team Dirtbag gets ready to particaptate in their match.FAR BELOW: Sophmore team huddled after their match.

KENNEDY WILLIAMS

Follow North Pointe on Twitter: @thenorthpointe

KENNEDY WILLIAMS

RABBIT.COM

KENNEDY WILLIAMS

4 – North Pointe – Wednesday, April 27, 2016

FACES IN THE CROWD

ON CAMPUS

By Caitlin Bush &Allison LacknerSECTION EDITOR & ASSISTANT EDITOR

Science teacher Andrew Pola was only 10 when he traveled across the globe to learn about the French culture.

Pola was in fifth grade at Meesil Elementary school in Indiana when he participated in a study abroad program with his fellow classmates. They went to a small city south of Li-moges, France for three weeks.

“It was just to experience a differ-ent culture,” Pola said. “We also went to a French school when we were there, so we got to experience the schools. It was a good experience. It was nice at a young age to experi-ence people who live a little differ-ently than the way we are used to.”

Although Pola did take French lat-er in life, he didn’t speak it at the time of that fifth-grade trip, so the teacher and a translator had to accompany him and his 15 classmates.

“I did take a lot of French in high school, but I don’t keep up-to-date. I’m not that great any-more,” Pola said.

Pola enjoyed his time in France studying the language and culture, but when he returned, he pursued

interests in biking and tennis. He spent his summers in high school teaching youth tennis, which in-spired him to become a teacher.

“There was a local park that ran pretty big tennis programs to teach little kids the basics, and I thought it was a lot of fun,” Pola said.

His next summer job was work-ing at Performance Bicycle in Ann Arbor, where he still works on Satur-days and during summer.

“I work on selling bikes, and I work on them a little bit,” Pola said. “I do it for enjoyment because I like to ride my bike, and I enjoy the cul-ture and the people who ride bikes, so I get to spend time talking to them and working with them.”

Since his time in France, Pola has liked to discover and learn new things. Working at a bike shop and as a teacher both fulfill this desire to continue learning.

“My favorite part would be learn-ing more about bikes,” Pola said. “There is so much to learn. There are so many types of bikes and the way they are put together is different so I like growing my knowledge of bikes and working on them.”

FIVE MINUTES WITH

ABOVE: Andrew Pola started working at a bike shop while in high school and still enjoys learning about bikes. “I work at Performance Bicycle. It is in Ann Arbor. It is a national cor-poration, so there are over 140 stores around the country,” Pola said. “My favorite part would be learning more about bikes. There is so much to learn.”

Science teacher Andrew PolaDREAM VACATION

I like to camp. I like to be outdoors, so I think maybe hiking and camping, backpacking in the Appala-chian Mountains or somewhere out in nature.

FAVORITE MOVIEFavorite comedy—probably (would) be Caddyshack. Drama—I would probably say Forrest Gump or The Shawshank Redemption.

FAVORITE BOOKIt ’s a biology book. It’s called The Beak of the Finch, and it’s about chronicles, the best studies of evolution that we have even seen. So it pulls together a bunch of different studies and tells a story of the researchers behind the studies and their experiences and how their research went and how they have shown evolution in action.

Kiley WeitzmannBackstage passes and

YouTube meet-and-greets are what sophomore Kiley Weitzman lives for.

Meeting Internet super-stars allow Weitzman to form friendships with peo-ple across the country.

Payte Parker, a Texas social media star, became friends with Weitzman at a May event called Press Play. After reconnecting in August, Parker stayed with Weitzman’s family for two days before returning home after the concert.

“I kind of became friends with him, and I invited him to a One Direction concert, and we just chilled,” Weitzman said.

The friendships Weitzman made through concerts and other events are very special to her.

“You instantly become best friends with them, like you have known each other for so long,” Weitzman said. “And (it’s like) some-thing so simple can bring people together.”

Julia BeckerWhen freshman Julia

Becker isn’t on the ten-nis court, she’s spending time on her boat. Com-ing from a family of boat-ers, Becker’s life consists of the Nautical Mile and hours spent on Lake St. Clair.

“In the summer, all we do is boating every single day,” Becker said.

Becker hopes to take a class and even-tually earn her boating license in the summer.

To Becker, earning her boating license also is important because her father in-stilled the passion in her when she was a kid.

“My dad was in the Navy, so that’s why he’s so into boats and stuff,” she said.

While on the water, Becker’s family partakes in many water activities.

“We go to Gull Island a lot and down-town to the river,” Becker said. “We tube and swim, and we always bring friends with us.”

Raigan TownsEyeshadow palettes, false

eyelashes and contour are scattered across sophomore Raigan Town’s bedroom.

“I’m really good at doing makeup,” Towns said. “Not only just normal everyday makeup, but I like doing Halloween makeup on my friends and stuff.”

With her passion for makeup, the aspir-ing makeup artist enjoys trying out differ-ent looks on her friends.

“I don’t take classes,” Towns said. “I usu-ally just watch videos on YouTube and follow what they do.”

Inspired by the show Rupaul’s Drag Race, Towns has been into dramatic makeup since she was in sixth grade.

“I want to do it for other people, but not with people who just want Chapstick and mascara,” Towns said. “I want people who want the whole deal with fake eyelashes, highlight and contour.”

By Anna Post

By Sydney Benson & Trevor MieckowskiSENIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR & ASSISTANT EDITOR

GREATEST INSPIRATIONProbably my wife. She works in a nurs-ing home, so she works with people who have dementia and severe cognitive ability, and I think that would be very challenging, and she is very patient and passionate about that, so I look up to her in that respect.

ANDREW POLA

ABOVE: Fashion show coordinator Anne Rein-hard gets all the models ready to walk down the runway and prepares them for the big day. “I contacted the kids from the high school that wanted to be in it. I contacted Men’s Ware-hous, Village Palm and Avenue Boutique, and I made appointments for the kids so they could go and do their fittings and try on their outfits for the fashion show,” Reinhard said. “I’m ex-cited because I think everyone is excited, and I think it’s going to go really well, and every-thing’s coming together.”

Fashion show showcases spring styles

LINDA KUSCH

Senior Adam Hilu and his younger sister, sophmore Rachel Hilu, walk down the runway at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.

FAR ABOVE: Senior Kayla Gallant prepares for the fashion show by practicing how she will pose at the end of the runway. “I’m going to do hair and makeup, bring my shoes, bring my homework,” Gallant said. “I’m excited for the fashion show. It’ll be fun to wear all the clothes.”ABOVE: As the DJ for the fashion show, senior Jacob Rees plays electronic dance mu-sic (EDM) and today’s top hits. “It was (a) volunteering opportunity, and my mom got in contact with Ms. Constantino (fashion show manager) and asked if I could do all the music,” Rees said. “That’s basically how I got (the gig).”

Wednesday, April 27, 2016– North Pointe-5 IDEAS

This week we introduce some Michigan traits that are

unique to the mitten state

Popping the bubble

2. Vernors pop Along with Faygo, Vernors is an

infamous drink with Michiganders. This drink not only is used for

casual drinking, Vernors is also considered a home remedy that

many Michigan children have used to cure their upset stomachs. Like Faygo, it is sold in other states but Michigan accounts for 80 percent of Vernors sales, which makes this

drink a Michigan thing.

Euchre Now if you can pronounce

this, you know you live in Michigan. Euchre is a card game, one that is

exclusive to Michigan. The game is played usually with a group of four with a deck of 24 standard

playing cards consisting of aces, kings, queens, jacks, ten, and nine from each of

the four suits.

1. Going “up north”Not many states can say that their land covers two distinct biomes and ways of life. While the Lower

Peninsula is characterized by industry, universities and sports, the Upper Peninsula boasts a completely

different landscape. It’s densely wooded and sparsely populated by “yoopers,” the folk who call

the frigid Upper Peninsula their humble abode.

Built-in mapAnother advantage unique to Michiganders is being able to

identify places in the state with a built-in map. Being closely shaped to a mitten, any person’s right hand can be conveniently used as a map

of the state. No matter where any Michigander goes, they’re always

able to point out their home.

MI SlangThere are some

things Michiganders say that will leave

out-of-towners scratching their

heads. Trolls, the slang word for

residents who live in the Lower Peninsula

of the state, isn’t exactly known by people from

across the borders. Pop, a slang world for the delicious,

sugary, carbonated beverage is actually unique to this area of the country. Most

other states say “soda” or “coke.”

4. Hell, MichiganMichiganders may be the only ones who can boast that they have been

to Hell. Located about 15 miles northwest of Ann Arbor, Hell is a noted

tourist town. From kayaking on the lakes of Pinckney Recreation Area to zombie and Hell-themed weddings,

tourists flock to the area for the chance to recommend others to “go to

Hell.”

3. Blue Moon Ice Cream

One creamy dessert that almost everyone in Michigan has eaten

or heard of is Blue Moon ice cream. With a flavor that can only

be described as “blue,” it’s a dessert that ice cream lovers can’t

find anywhere else. 5. Rivalries

The University of Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is ranked as the second best college football rivalry by www.NFL.com. Their first face-off was in 1897, and the two Midwestern giants have

been enemies ever since. Another rivalry that hits close to home is that

of Michigan and Michigan State, which dates back to the 1950s. The clash of colleges splits communities and

families alike, with dedicated fans that go all-out on game day.

#1

#2#5 #5

#4#3

http://www-personal.umich.edu

Sydney Benson

LIFE6– Wednesday, April 27, 2016– North Pointe

INCOME TAXESIncome taxes are an annual tax levied by the

government onto a person’s yearly income. Every-one gets them and everyone needs to know how to f ile them. Income tax can get confusing, especially if your yearly income f luctuates often. H&R Block offers an income tax course taught by tax profes-sionals. The course is offered at most H&R Block locations. It includes both in-person and online in-struction, providing a full understanding of how in-come taxes work.

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY CREATE A RESUME

Resumes can seem like a daunting task. Even though it’s not directly taught, there are many websites that offer free templates to help students out with creating their f irst professional documents. Websites such as livecareer.com and myfuture.com give users a template and tips to create their own.

By Emma Puglia, Sarah Wietcha & contributing Montana Paton SENIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR & DIGITAL EDITOR & ASISTANT EDITOR

HOW TO SCHEDULE DOC-TORS APPOINTMENTS

Scheduling a yearly doctor’s appointment for the f irst time may be confusing, especially if a parent isn’t there to help. However, the process isn’t hard as it may seem. The first step is to f ind a physician near you that you can visit regularly. Next, make sure the clinic accepts the insurance plan you’re on. Finally,give the clinic a call and get all the details sorted out to make an appoint-ment. And remember, if you don’t like the f irst doctor you see, you can try again with a differ-ent doctor or clinic to f ind the right f it for you.

HOW TO SEWSewing saves you money and time, and is es-

sential to any young adult. Surprisingly enough, most students don’t know how to sew, or sew well enough for it to come in handy. Being able to patch a hole in a shirt or f ix a tear in some pants will help avoid a needless trip to the mall to buy some-thing new. Stores such as Jo-Anne Fabrics and the Knotted Needle offer basic training classes in sewing construction and even more advanced classes for those wanting to improve their craft.

SELF-DEFENSEThis is crucial for anyone going off to college or becoming more inde-

pendant. Knowing how to react in threatening situations and how to de-fend yourself can save your life and the lives of others. While it may not come in handy all the time, it’s good to keep in your back pocket in case the time ever arises. The War Memorial offers a self defense class for women taught by a professional instructor. All the moves taught are ba-sic and easy to pick up and remember. The class is $38 a person.

Students scatter across the com-puter lab, slowly logging into their desktops and awaiting instruc-tions for their next nutrition web-quest. This is one of the basic les-sons learned in Living On Your Own.

Since filing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is in the back of most seniors’ minds and the post-college reality is fast approaching, students require life and fiscal skills. However, only 13 states require high school students to take a personal-finance class to graduate, according to a 2012 sur-vey from the Council for Economic Education (CEE).

Things like balancing check-books and filing taxes often slip through the cracks of the curricu-lum, leaving students scrambling to acquire necessary life skills.

“There’s a lot of things my mom and pop had to teach me because I’m older now,” senior Mar’tel Mor-gan said. “In (Living On Your Own), we are learning about taxes, and we’re learning about health insur-ance, but we’re not learning about different things — ‘cause this is a big world.”

Various classes and jobs present opportunities to absorb informa-tion from individual lessons and experiences. Through her job as a lifeguard at the Lakefront Park, junior Natalie Shenkosky gained skills such as basic safety and CPR.

Shenkosky thinks taking an eco-nomics class helped her under-stand aspects of business in gen-eral terms.

Michigan schools earned a B on the 2015 Is Your State Making the Grade report from the Champlain College’s Center for Financial Lit-eracy. The grade is based on how many hours schools devote to teaching students about f inances. Governor Rick Synder signed leg-islation in November 2015 to allow required half-credit economics courses to be satisfied by complet-ing a personal economics class.

High schools frequently estab-lish life skills electives rather than embedding them into core curric-ulum. Living On Your Own, one of the life skills classes offered, pro-vides lessons on debt, career de-velopment, understanding credit, taxes and smart consumerism.

“Life is just like anything else. If you play a sport, you practice. If you play an instrument, you prac-tice. If you enjoy acting, you prac-tice. Why do people practice those things? To become better and learn from their mistakes,” life skills teacher Julie Cutler said via email. “Living on Your Own is a class where students can ask questions in a safe environment and prac-tice things like budgeting, taxes, investing, etc. The more students practice these skills and encounter

real life situations, the better they will be when they actually are out on their own.”

Freshman Isabella Hicks be-lieves that beyond financial skills, ba-sic survival skills are being overlooked.

“A lot of people know stuff in theory, but they haven’t practiced it. Like stuff that has to do with math or just people simply not tell-ing you ‘hey you can do this for when you go through this thing,’” Hicks said. “This is how you deal with Secretary of State, and this is how you deal with being called to jury. A lot of people don’t know how to do that.”

According to a 1984 study by Calvin Eleby, Jr., if a student be-haves aggressively or lacks social skills, it negatively affects his or her academic outcome. Although social skills are typically devel-oped through experience, Mor-gan suggests integrating common courtesy into classes.

“I’m not one of the people that a lot of people like to talk to, but what I observe instead of sitting there and talking, and I get to know peo-ple,” Morgan said. “There’s a lot of people here that don’t know how to talk to people. I understand money is a big part of life, but there’s more to life than just money. Money does make the world go round, but so do my words.”

HOW TO PACK A SUITCASE

Packing a suitcase last minute leads to a messy bag and added stress. Since packing is typically a painstaking activity, lifehack.org offers tips to get your packing done quickly and smoothly. One includes properly choos-ing luggage to make sure the bag is size ap-propriate to the length of your trip. Check-ing the weather for your destination ahead of time ensures that you’re well prepared for the trip. Finally, create an organized check-list ahead of time in order to know what to pack to ensure you have everything packed and ready to go.

Preparing for life after high school

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Percentage of Seniors Confident or Unconfident in their Ability to Handle Finances

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North Pointe – Wednesday, April 27, 2016 – 7

IDEAS

Getting behind the wheel of a two-ton metal-and-rubber machine can be a powerful thing. For most, it is the f irst true taste of freedom they receive.

It’s the kind of power that can also make hu-man beings turn rotten and ugly.

Human beings are impatient. In our fast-paced, break-neck society, even the most menial trip to the grocery store can turn into another sequel of The Fast and Furious—without the cool action movie music.

What struck me as peculiar when I sat down to complete my state-mandated driver’s train-ing classes is that “road rage” is casually talked about as if it’s just another accepted traffic-re-lated occurrence, like inadvertently speeding or forgetting to use your blinker.

Humans have come up with a specific name for angry humans driving cars.

The alleged road rage incident involving NFL star Will Smith is the most recent, highly pub-licized traffic situation that went from already bad to absolute worst.

Despite other perceived motives behind the shooting, the case just shows how a fender bender can easily escalate into something fatal.

As a teen driver, I am aware that many per-ceive me as among the dumbest on the road. I am pretty okay with that assumption, since driving is a skill that is obviously not mastered overnight.

I’d say I’m pretty cool-headed when it comes to driving. Not to toot my own horn. When driv-ing with an older relative or parent, they often commend me on being patient or giving people the right-of-way, as one should. I’ve had my share of minor mishaps, but never, ever have I been driven to the point of anger of wanting to hurt, or even kill, another driver.

Thanks to driver’s ed, I am trained in how to parallel park and how to recognize and avoid the potential of getting maimed or killed by an-gry drivers.

Is this really a driving problem or just another social ill that we, as a society, think we can man-age by giving it a catchy name with alliteration?

As awareness for topics such as mental health, how is road rage falling through the cracks? Out

of all the hashtags and awareness movements, why is something that, according to the Nation-al Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ac-counts for 66 percent of traffic fatalities, being practically swept under the rug?

Sure, we give it a funny name and put up with the angry Jeep driver that f lashes us the mid-dle finger when we’re driving slightly below the speed limit—but the reality is this phenomena is taking lives.

Road ragers are bullies on the road. We’re taught to let them pass, never brake suddenly to prove a point and drive directly to the nearest police station if we find ourselves in their pursuit.

Unlike what your parents and teachers tell you to do with bullies in other situations, on the road, the bully gets his way, and for your own safety, you have to bite your tongue. This is no time to act tough or try to play cute: road rage can be a matter of life and death.

So as relatively new drivers on the road, let’s all agree that we will not choose to blow off steam or take out our frustrations on the road. Let’s not speed out of the parking lot like fools on two wheels just because we can. We’re bet-ter than that. We’re smarter than that, even as the dumbest (okay, least experienced) drivers on the road.

5Movie

MOTHER’S DAY

2Album

VIEWS FROM THE SIX

1Movie

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

On Friday, May 6, the Detroit Tigers will be back home for a game against the Texas Rangers at Comerica Park. The game starts at 7:10 p.m., tickets are available at www.Tigers.com, and it will be televised, so check your local listings.

Garry Marshall’s movies, Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, have become household names and featured acclaimed actors. Marshall’s latest film, Mother’s Day, takes on an unexpected holiday and tells the journey of separate families. It stars Kate Hudson (Something Borrowed), Jason Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live), Jennifer Aniston (Just Go with It), Britt Robertson (Longest Ride) and Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman). Mother’s Day will be in theaters this Friday, just in time for, well, you guessed it.

Kardashian fans can stop their crying because Keeping Up with the Kardashian returns for its twelfth season Friday, May 6. This season will be jam-packed with parent and relationship drama, and of course, the infamous Kardashian clan. Fans can keep up with Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie on the E! network.

10Gaming

KEEPING UP WITH THE KAR-DASHIANS SEASON 12

3Television

CRIMINAL MINDS

Proceed with caution

4Event

GPN GIRLS SOCCER VERSUS SOUTH

6Restaurant

WATERMARK

The latest addition to the Nautical Mile is Watermark Bar and Grill. Located in the old Tin Fish, its grand opening is Sunday, May 1.

Owned by the same people as Mack Avenue Grill, Watermark will have the same good food as Mack Avenue, with the same family

friendly service and none of Tin Fish’s nautical nonsense.

In one of the most highly anticipated superhero movies of the year, Chris Evans (Captain America), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) and Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier) reprise their roles in Captain America: Civil War. The superhero battle hits theaters Friday, May 6.

Top 10 things we are talking about this weekBy Lauren Sexton

PHOTO EDITOR

ON POINTE

9Event

TIGERS VERSUS TEXAS RANGERS

The season finale of Criminal Minds airs Wednesday, May 4 at 9 p.m. CBS’s chart-topper stars Matthew Gray Gubler (Alvin and the Chipmunks) and Shemar Moore (Soul Train) as Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan respectively. The series follow Reid and Morgan’s elite squad of FBI agents equipped with special sets of skills. Catch up on the seasons before you view season 11. All episodes are streaming on CBS All Access.

In honor of good sportsmanship, breast cancer

awareness and good, old-fashion hometown rivalry, the

JV and varsity girls soccer teams will play South High

School on Friday, May 6. The games will be on the football field, JV at 4 p.m. and varsity at 5. Tickets can be purchased

at the gate.

Young-adult fiction novelist Kiera Cass released the fifth book in the Selection Series. The Crown will be available in paperback and e-book May 3. The series revolves around a rebellious teen, America Singer, who gets herself tangled into a contest she doesn’t want to lose.

8Book

THE CROWN

After being married for decades, Grace and Frankie find out that their husbands have been having an affair with each other for years. Their lives turn upside down as they deal with divorce, weddings, aging and family. Grace and Frankie stars Jane

Fonda and Lily Tomlin (Nine to Five). Season two

is available to stream Thursday,

May 5.

7Streaming

GRACE AND FRANKIE SEASON 2

Drake’s sixth album, Views from the 6, is intended to be the soundtrack of the summer. It’s rumored to feature hit singles “Summer Sixteen,” “One Dance” and “Pop Style.” Drake’s latest album will be released April 29.

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8 - Wednesday, April 27, 2016 – North Pointe REVIEWS

BOOK

THE AWAKENING OF SUNSHINE GIRL

With an inter-esting new take on the supernatural genre, The Awak-ening of Sunshine Girl by Paige McK-enzie takes place a few months after the first book The

Haunting of Sunshine Girl ends.Struggling to cope with being an untrained

Luiseach—a person who has unique roles as a protector of humanity—Sunshine refuses to seek her father’s help due to the role he played in the events of the previous book.

However, after a shocking accident, she is forced to face her own desperate need for training. Moving with her father to a hidden sanctuary, Sunshine discovers the secret of her birth and struggles to live up to her fa-ther’s expectations.

The idea of Luiseach’s is an entirely new concept for the supernatural genre that McKenzie pulled off flawlessly. McKenzie creates an interesting and powerful new supernatural character that doesn’t follow the overused guidelines of others. This is re-freshing and keeps readers invested in the story and characters.

While the plot is a unique and a refresh-ing change from the normal supernatural creatures, the characters lack development. Their actions seem sudden and forced. And while unpredictability can make a story even better, the choices characters make and the ways in which they act often seem over the top and unnatural.

However, one thing McKenzie pulls off perfectly, ironically, is character flaws. While the characters do lack proper development, they stand out from most of today’s characters because they are not all-powerful.

Instead, the characters can easily be in-jured. Their vulnerability makes them more human, thus they act accordingly.

Instead of thoughtlessly running into dan-ger, the characters hesitate and react similarly to how a person would in real life. This change is very refreshing from the unrealistic por-trayal of most characters in its genre.

Overall, this book is likely to draw in any reader with its new ideas and con-cepts if they can first get past the lack of character development.

The Awakening of Sunshine Girl; By Paige McKenzie; 304 pages; 2016; $9.41

By Katelynn Mulder

PANMACMILLAN.COM

APP

FINGER HERO

Finger Hero is a very limiting game. It’s only compatible with iPhones that have 3D touch capabil-ity. This constricts the number of people who get to

experience it to Ap-ple users. In addition, this game isn’t for kids and attracts a certain type of person.

The gamer chooses a “hero,” which are really objects, as the avatar. There isn’t anything heroic about the character or objects. They are rude to things and people. Each of the 38 “hero” options has its own personality and sound effects, mostly offensive. The gamer will use the hero to get through the moving obstacles, which are fairly hard.

Finger Hero would be fine without all the unpleasant extra effects. Using the game without the sounds makes it more enjoyable. Possibly having col-orful dots as the avatar and intense, fun music would have made the game more appealing to a wider audience and less offensive.

Including levels to the app would of-fer variety in the intensity for the player. Having a difficult game with levels to stop at would have been a nice to have so the player feels a sense of accomplishment.

The one impressive thing about this app is the 3D touch capability because in the game, it allows the gamer to change speeds. To go fast, the gamer presses down harder, and to slow down, the gamer lightly holds a finger on the screen. This technology is only avail-able on the iPhone 6s. It makes the game stand out, yet doesn’t let anyone enjoy it without a certain device.

This exclusive app is falsely named. It’s not a hero—it’s a villain. Finger Hero isn’t worth the free purchase because it doesn’t make sense and could be consid-ered offensive. Save the storage space for a better and more joyful app

Finger Hero; DRAFT MOBILE; 2016; Available for iPhone and iPad

By Allison Lackner

MOVIE

THE JUNGLE BOOK

In the remake of the 1967 Dis-ney animated classic, The Jun-gle Book follows the same basic storyline as be-fore, but this time in live action.

The movie focuses on Mowgli (Neel Sethi), a young boy who was found in the jungle as a baby and taken in by a pack of wolves. Mowgli enjoys life in the jungle but finds it hard to adapt to a life where he is the only human. While most of the animals tolerate him, Shere Khan (Idris Elba) doesn’t and threatens to take over the wolves village if Mowgli is not given to him.

Thinking of a way to keep the wolves and himself safe, Mowgli decides to leave the village. Despite wanting to stay in the jungle, Bagheera (Ben King-sley), the panther that found Mowgli as a baby, convinces him to go back to the human village where he is from.

While all the the animals are com-puter-generated, they are one of the movie’s strongest parts. Throughout the entire film, they are the ones that provide the comical and emotional moments. Without characters such as Bagheera, Shere Khan and Baloo (Bill Murray) the movie would have lacked the special moments that made the it so great, such as when Mowgli and Baloo sing “The Bare Necessities” together.

The movie follows the basic plot of the original but at times makes some small changes, which strengthen it. The focus of the characters helps make it a movie where you care about the characters but can also relate to them at times.

With a strong group of characters and scenery that actually feels like you’re in the jungle, The Jungle Book absolutely lives up to its predecessor.

The Jungle Book; 2016-,PG; 111 minutes; Director, Jon

Favreau

By Billy Steigelman

TV

UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT

Netf lix’s ac-claimed com-edy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has proven itself to be unbreak-able. Featuring a new slew of zany characters and a

killer music score, season two seeks to please. The show kept its notori-ous theme song and unique humor, but stil l felt fresh and funny for audi-ences every where.

Kimmy is back and better than ever as she thrives in New York City, joined by a group of her own quirky partners in crime.

The show skillfully develops oth-er characters’ plotlines and morals without detracting from the main storyline of the show. Characters like Jacqueline and Titus gain more screen time and biting one-liners, proving as a great addition to the al-ready well-rounded storyline.

Guest stars are also given a time to shine in season two. Fred Armisen makes an appearance as an old f lame in the beginning of the season, and sings Paula Abdul’s “Forever Your Girl” with Kimmy’s eclectic landlord Lillian.

This season uses music as its f in-est feature. Musicals are penned and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme songs are performed to an eager au-dience. The show’s creators know what the audience wants, and they have catered the show’s wacky plot-line and hodge podge of characters to f it their niche. The show’s writing is reminiscent of NBC’s 30 Rock, a show that many stars in Kimmy once called their home.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt seeks to please, and it does so at every turn. Easy laughs and accessible humor abound in the satirical sarcastic sit-com, and new fans and diehards alike will bask in the glory that is Kimmy’s lyrical prowess in rap and wild adven-tures with her numerous sidekicks.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; NETFLIX; ; Available on Netflix

By Jennifer Kusch

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORGSPIELEAPPS.TUMBLR.COM

COLLIDER.COM

ITUNES.APPLE.COM

We all love junk. We accumulate it, we f i l l our backpacks with it, we watch entire T V shows ded-icated to it (any other Hoarders fans out there?). However, M83’s new album Junk just feels dispos-able, not endearingly excessive.

The band that brought you the ubiquitous song “Midnight City” and the album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming has created a new record fol lowing mas-sive commercial success and a cult fol lowing. The new tracks, however, are not nearly as well con-structed as Hurry Up was.

M83’s notes of nostalgia become entirely over-whelming in this new album. Channeling our nat-ural tendency to throw it back to t imes of 80s pop, jazzercise and teased poufs of hair only works in tasteful doses. W hen an album is entirely saturated in oldies tones, then the album itself feels old, but not in the appreciated indie way. Most bands now put modern spins on old classics, whether it be the Arctic Monkeys or Cage the Elephant. But this a lbum felt l ike an imitation, and not an inspiration.

The album itself feels l ike a rummage sale. Junk forces you to sif t through the excess and t ired mate-rial to f ind any diamonds in the rough. “The Wiz-ard”, “Tension,” and “Ludivine” add clutter to the second half of the album. W hile we al l love the ca-sual #throwbackthursday post on Instagram, this a l-bum pushes past the brink of the audience’s collec-tive nostalgia.

The track order does not help with this matter, as the organization does nothing to add value to the hodgepodge of sounds and neon dreamscape that the band used to wield so well.

The band also shunned some of their def ining strengths, and instead dabbled in arts that they have no distinction in. Daring vocals and synthesizers found no niche in Junk , and instead mediocre piano and kick drum lines were given the spotlight, proceeding to choke under the pressure.

This is not to say that Junk has no appealing tracks. “Do It, Try It” and “Go!” open up the album well, and are the album’s best songs. Five years away from the limelight did give the album time to produce a few solid songs, but not

nearly as many as their army of fans had expected. Somehow, Junk feels more personal than any of the band’s

past records. W hile it feels t ired to its audience, frontman Anthony Gonzalez has subscribed to a new attitude re-

garding music consumerism. Gonzalez is making art for the sake of making art, and not with the sole purpose of reinventing his sound ever y album, or chasing rising

record sales. W hile their product may not be received by the masses as many had predicted, this is an ex-

pected side-effect of shunning the standards of the many and instead pursuing the artistic vision of the

individual. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that’s

exact ly what is required of Junk . It takes a dis-cerning and patient eye to f ind the redeem-

ing qualit ies in this a lbum, but the work as a whole is a decent launchpad for M83 to use

to reenter the music scene after their ex-tended hiatus. W hile this a lbum did not

fully satisfy, it is enough to whet our col-lective appetite as we wait for the M83 we all know and love.

By Jennifer KuschSENIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR

French electronic music band, M83, releases new album Junk

M83

Junk

Mute Records

2016

Talking trash

“No, the school shouldn’t have students’ numbers because I think they might try to go in-depth and look through their history.”

9– Wednesday, April 27, 2016 – North Pointe

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Lindsey Ramsdell

MANAGING EDITORS: Mora Downs, Billy Moin

EDITOR-AT-LARGE:Ritika Sanikommu

ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR:Alex Harring

DESIGN EDITOR:Emma Brock

SECTION EDITORS : Caitlin Bush, Abbey Cadieux, Anna Post, Gowri Yerramalli

DIGITAL EDITORS:Erin Kaled, Sonny Mulpuri, Sarah Wietecha

PHOTO EDITOR: Lauren Sexton

ASSISTANT EDITORS: Josie Bennett, Alison Lackner, Bella Lawson, Trevor Miecz-kowski, Katelynn Mulder, Montana Paton, Billy Steigelman, Tommy Teftsis

SENIOR ASSISTANT EDITORS:Olivia Asimakis, Yena Berhane, Katelyn Carney, Radiance Coo-per, Rey Kam, Jennifer Kusch, Emma Puglia, Olivia Robinson, Anu Subramaniam, Sydney Benson

STAFF REPORTERS: Darcy Graham, Nathan Lonczynski, Giuseppe Parison, Michal Ruprecht, Asia Simmons, Addison Toutant

INTERNS: Nicole Fazekas, Katie Link, Alyssa McLarty, Cate Troost

The North Pointe is edited and produced by Advanced Journalism students at Grosse Pointe North High School and is published ev-ery two weeks. It is in practice a designated public forum without prior review. Comments should be directed to the student editors, who make all final content decisions. The views expressed are solely those of the authors or the student editorial board and do not reflect the opinions of the Grosse Pointe Public School System.We are a member of the Michigan Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Student Press Law Center. We subscribe to McClatchy-Tribune Information Services and iStockphoto.com.One copy is available free to all community members. Additional copies may be purchased. Our editorial policy and advertising rates are available online at northpointenow.org. The North Pointe is printed on 100% recycled paper.

CONTACT US707 Vernier RoadGrosse Pointe Woods MI, 48236Phone: 313.432.3248Email: northpointe@gpschools.orgTwitter: @thenorthpointeWebsite: NorthPointeNow.org

FACULTY ADVISER: Shari Adwers, MJE

Our editorial represents the opinion of the North Pointe Editorial Board consisting of the editors above. Members who have a conflict of interest with an

editorial topic do not partake in that meeting or vote.

“Grosse Pointe Public School administrators and teachers are responsible for encouraging and ensuring freedom of expression and freedom of the press for all students, re-

gardless of whether the ideas expressed may be considered unpopular, critical, controversial, tasteless or offensive.”

BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY

Lindsey RamsdellEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Ritika SannikommuEDITOR-AT-LARGE

Gowri YerramalliLIFE EDITOR

Katelynn MulderASSISTANT EDITOR

Mora DownsMANAGING EDITOR

Alex HarringASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Abbey CadieuxIDEAS EDITOR

Billy MoinMANAGING EDITOR

Caitlin BushNEWS EDITOR

Anna PostSPORTS EDITOR

IDEAS

With warmer weather’s arrival, students are trading in their winter coats for T-shirts and short shorts.

Crop tops on an Urban Outfitters rack turn into dress code violations.

But instead of protesting the guidelines set in place to keep us covered, we should realize we are fortunate to have the privilege of not wearing uniforms. In cities such as Chicago and Cleveland, over 80 percent of public schools require their students to don match-ing skirts, khakis and polos. Recently, high schools have made headlines regarding dress codes when they have sent students home who came to school wearing seemingly appropri-ate attire.

By being able to wear our own clothes, we utilize an important form of self-expression. However, our clothes should be what speaks, not our lack of.

At school, students should have some sense of formality and maturity. Wearing clothes that violate the school code not only makes other students feel uncomfortable, but teachers as well. Students lose respect for their peers when they come to school with inappropriate wardrobe.

Part of the problem presented by dress code comes from the fashion industry. Fash-ion is an essential part of our culture. But when all of the shorts on the shelves are four inches long, there aren’t many options for students to choose from that fit the school code. The key is to find something that is both comfortable and school-appropriate. In this day and age, such a seemingly simple task may be difficult, but it is also necessary to maintain a culture of decency and sense

of professionalism.In addition to the challenges students face

simply trying to find clothing that fits the school’s parameters, obtaining attire that fits one’s body can also be a challenge. Height and weight can become a factor in violat-ing dress codes. Clothes will fit differently depending on the individual’s body type. Although an article of clothing is marketed towards a universal group, it is impossible for it to look the same on everybody. Bear this in mind when creating a school-appropriate ensemble. As students, we don’t need to dress professionally for school, but we do have to make sure our clothes are fitting for our work environment.

Similar to differences in size are those between boys and girls. However, these dif-ferences should not lead to differences in the dress code. Many facets of school dress codes are geared specifically towards girls. Howev-er, boys should be held to the same standards as girls.

However, despite the many obstacles that hinder our ability to follow the dress code, we still need to follow it. Just because it can be hard to follow the rules doesn’t mean we should not. The fight against the dress code will always be an uphill battle, but sometimes we’ll have to lose.

Think of school as a job. We are all here to learn in an accepting environment. While clothing requirements may seem like an an-noyance, they are implemented so that every student feels comfortable.

Stay classy, Grosse Pointe North.

“I think that they should because people need to be informed about emer-gencies that happen.”

“Yes because in case there is an emergency and kids get scared they will know what’s going on, where to go first hand.”

“I think it could lead to some complications and some misunderstandings if it’s not done properly, but if it’s for emergencies then, yeah.”

Cary McclintockSECURITY GUARD

Lisa SteinerADJUSTED STUDIES PROGRAM TEACHER

Charles CraigSENIOR

Instant Norsemen Updates

Follow us on Twitter@thenorthpointe “I think it’s more effective for

the school to have students’ numbers because it would be quicker and more efficient than (a) mass email or a robo call.”

By: Sydney BensonSENIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR

You know how the saying goes. One step forward, two steps back.

It’s been nearly a year since the supreme court’s ruling in favor of same-sex marriage and since then we’ve witnessed a wave of underhanded backlash. The say-ing unfortunately rings true and the new anti-LGBT laws passed by Mississippi and North Caro-lina are no exception.

The bill passed by Mississippi legislation is called the Religious Accommodations Act and grants businesses the right to refuse ser-vice to LGBT customers. In North Carolina, a bill was signed that bans cities from passing anti-dis-crimination ordinances and bars transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity.

And with that came enormous outrage on all fronts.

In the midst of all of the con-troversy, several stars and organi-zations have shown their distaste and disagreement with the bill. Bruce Springsteen canceled a performance as a way to protest the new law and several others have followed suit. Comedian Tracy Morgan canceled a show. The National Basketball Associa-tion even considered moving the 2017 All-Star game to a differ-ent state.

While the acts of celebrities and big figures help protest the new law, the issue itself is much bigger than flashy headlines and tweets of outrage.

Does this type of treatment sound familiar at all? States enact laws that make it okay to discrim-inate against citizens? Refusing service to customers? It should. It’s the same story we spent years learning about in our American history classes, just in a differ-ent form.

At times like this, we have to ask ourselves why the same bigot-ed methods of treatment are able to trickle down from generation to generation. Is it because a certain billionaire spewing hate-filled rhetoric, who wants to “Make America Great Again” tells them it’s okay?

States like North Carolina and Mississippi are also the same places that are synonymous with segregation and racial hatred so this should not be altogether sur-prising. Mississippi already has a long and ugly history of discrimi-nation and continuing the cycle is unacceptable.

The very unfortunate fact about this situation, is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Missis-sippi and North Carolina’s are just some of over 100 anti-LGBT laws that have been brought forth this year.

Right now there are 100 active bills just like these across 22 states. They all range in different catego-ries, from bathroom bills to judg-es refusing to marry same-sex couples, to allowing businesses to refuse service to LGBT customers. In the end, the result is the same: legalizing discrimination against the LGBT community.

Nine states currently have similar “bathroom bills” in ac-tion. A bill in Oklahoma prevents local governments from passing non-discrimination protections against LGBT people. Seven states have active Religious Freedom Restoration Acts in place, which allow people to claim religious lib-erty as a means of denying service to LGBT people. Fourteen states have passed Pastor Protection Acts that allow pastors to refuse to perform marriages that conflict with their religious beliefs. The list continues.

To the legislatures with anti-LGBT laws in action, I want to tell you this: Take the time to learn about what you dont know in-stead of lashing out in fear of what you don’t understand. Because a hate driven bill masquerading as religious freedom protection is not the answer to your ignorance.

EDITOR’S DESKRADIANCE COOPER

Legalizing Hate

Troy HerdFRESHMAN

Amber BreakerSOPHOMORE

Olivia RandazzoJUNIOR

YOUR TURN: Do you think the school should have students’ phone numbers in case of an emergency?

“I think they should have their numbers for emergencies because it’s beneficial, keeps us safe, and you give your phone number to your teacher for Remind 101, so it’s the same thing.”

Despite issues, dress code is still important

JENNIFER KUSCH

10 – North Pointe – Wednesday, April 27, 2016 SPORTSSpring sports teams begin season

By Lauren Sexton & Bella LawsonPHOTO EDITOR & ASSITANT EDITOR

Freshman, JV and varsity teams prepare for rivalry matches against South High School and other teams in their division

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:1. Junior Sam Cross throws a fastball against home town rivals South on Saturday, April 16. “We went to the quarterfinals last year, and this year we want to go to states,” Cross said. “That’s our goal.”2. Sophomore Austin Albrecht craddles a ball past his opponent.3. Senior Jay Garlapati pole vaulting at a track meet.4. Senior Lauren Frezza walks on the field after a play.5. Senior Henry Burghardt is up to bat. 6. Senior Lauren Lesha serves a ball at a tennis match.7. Senior James Shelton sprints with a baton. 8. Sophomore varsity softball player, Becca Alway pitching druring a game against Fraser Figh School on Tuesday, April 1. “Having a whole group of people that you know have your back, like especially as a pitcher,” Alway said. “You have to know that the people behind you have your back, if you do miss a spot or something, or don’t pitch it where you are supposed to, that they will make the pays behind you.”

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North Pointe – Wednesday, April 27, 2016 – 11

SPORTS

By Anna Post EDITOR

Every new season brings change. A new lineup, new tal-ent and new camaraderie. This season, however, brings new opportunities.

On May 14, the girls softball team will take on Lakeview High School at University of Michigan’s Alumni Field.

Lakeview arranged the event and immediately thought of playing their rivals North .

“We have always had a friendly rivalry, and a lot of girls on both teams know each other, so it works out pretty well,” captain Liz Grumeretz said.

The transition to playing on the esteemed field will be an easy for the team since the dimensions of North’s field are similar to that of U of M’s.

Even though the team is playing in front of a larger crowd than it is used to, but assistant coach Bob Zaranek believes this event will be something the players remember.

“It’s a good opportunity for the girls be able to play at a bigger venue,” Zaranek said. “A lot of them plan to go off and play in col-lege, so it’s a good opportunity for them to see the facilities and see something that is really well done because they put a lot of money in that program.”

With 10 returning varsity players and new additions to the team, captain Sarah Cherry is excited to see what her experi-enced team brings to the table.

“I’m very confident that we will win,” Cherry said. “Our team is the best it’s been in the time I’ve been here at North.

We have a solid lineup where everyone can hit, which makes for a strong team.”

For freshman Evelyn Zacharias, being able to play at the var-sity level and participate in this event is something to look for-ward to.

“I am very fortunate to be able to be apart of this team,” Zach-arias said. “Being a freshman is a little nerve racking, but it’s also very exciting. We get to play at this amazing stadium. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

For the seniors, this game is bittersweet. The game against Lakeview will be the most anticipated of the season, but some se-niors will not attend since prom is the same evening. The coach-es emphasize that it is the player’s decision to attend prom or the game, and that their presence isn’t mandatory.

Grumeretz won’t be attending the game and is disappointed that she won’t be able to play with her teammates.

“It really sucks that I, along with some other seniors, aren’t able to participate in this game because it is a really cool op-portunity,” Grumeretz said. “I hope everyone who is there re-ally cherishes it and takes a step back to really take in that they are playing on Alumni Field.”

In preparation for the game against Lakeview, play-ers have been focusing on improving their skills. The girls also hope to build upon their weaknesses so they play with more confidence.

Whether competing in weekend tournaments against Uni-versity-Liggett School or training during their off-days, each practice is meant to help them perfect their skills and rise to a higher caliber of play.

Head coach Ron Smith believes that with preparation, his group will be ready when it comes to game day.

The biggest challenge for us is probably just playing the confi-dence level we should be playing at,” Smith said. “We keep work-ing hard everyday and working in the areas that we think aren’t quite our strong spots yet. But, it will come.”

As team captains, Grumeretz and Cherry try to lead by ex-ample. Whenever the team has a poor morale or an error is made, the captains pick the team up and teach their teammates that one error doesn’t define the outcome of a game.

Although the team lost to Lakeview at a recent Liggett tournament, the game was close. To succeed on the field, mastering the fundamentals is important, and working on improving positive attitudes and confidence is crucial to the team’s success.

“I think our team will perform pretty well for this game,” Grumeretz said. “We played them this past weekend in a tour-ney and definitely came out strong and should’ve came away with the victory. Overall, it was a good fight, and I think we will execute and finish the game this time around.”

Cherry hopes that by the middle of the season, all of the team’s hard work will pay off.

“Each game makes us stronger as a team, because we learn to pick each other up and learn from our mistakes,” Cherry said. “By the time the U of M game comes, we should be at the peak of our season regarding talent, attitude and knowledge of the game.”

Contributing: Trevor Mieczkowski

Softball team prepares for battle at Alumni Field

By Ritika Sanikkommu & Trevor MieczkowskiEDIOTR-AT-LARGE & ASSISTANT EDITOR

When senior Tommy Essak is not playing on the boys varsity soccer team in the fall, he is assisting the girls in the spring. Essak and junior Max Murray began their positions as student team managers this year.

Essak was recruited by his soccer coaches, Eric Vanston and Olivia Stander. Since the begin-ning of the season, he has attended every practice and game.

“Max and I had really high soccer IQs,” Essak said. “We understood the game really well, and we got really really close with the coach. So when the girls season rolled around, they asked us if we’d like to help out and be managers.”

Student managers generally assist the coach. They are at every practice and every game, depending on what they seek to gain from their experience. Coaches approach students to see if they would like to aid them and the team.

Managers may have different rationales for their involvement in a sport. It could be that they didn’t make the cut and still want to practice with the team, or perhaps they simply enjoy the technicalities of a sport. Coaches enlist the help of those students.

Senior Jenna VanMarter was previously a runner on the girls cross country team, but be-cause of tendinitis, she decided to take the position as team manager so she could continue her involvement with the team. VanMarter’s job description consists of recording each runner’s times at meets and maintaining the team’s organization.

Managers’ responsibilities vary depending on the team they are assisting. Essak and Mur-ray work together to alleviate potential burdens for coach Olivia Stander.

“They kind of just tag-team their responsibilities,” Stander said. “There is always one of them at practice, which is a huge help because we have like 15 different soccer balls and all these dif-ferent nets and the pennies, so they make Eric and I’s job a lot easier.”

Although there aren’t any specific requirements to become a student team manager, ath-letic director Brian Shelson establishes that an overzealous attitude is not necessary to carry out their duties.

“I make sure that they’re not just somebody that’s just going to do everything for the team because the players don’t want to. They’re there to assist,” Shelson said. “They mostly assist the coach. What we don’t want them doing is helping the star player do everything. They’re not in the NBA-type of thing, but in the case of helping out the coach, it really does help them out.”

Although a devotion to the sport is not required, Essak’s love for soccer was what drew him to the position.

“It’s a soccer program, and you have the same coaches coaching the boys team as well, and even though it’s different people, the atmosphere is really similar, and it’s a lot of fun to be around,” Essak said. “I really, really enjoy it.”

ABOVE: Junior Max Murray dribbling a soccer ball at girls soccer practice.

Student athletes take on role as managers  

 

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LAUREN SEXTON TREVOR MIECZKOWSKI

FAR RIGHT: Freshman Evelyn Zacharias catch a ball and running experience and opportunity to be playing on the field,” Zacharias said.

LEFT: Freshmen Evelyn Zacharias, Kayla Kettler, senior Vickie Blaine, and sophomores Becca Alway and Rachel Malinowski up at the mound. Although Alway is proud of the way the team has played, she also said it has room to im-prove. “I think we did really well,” Alway said. “I mean we didn’t hit as well as we wanted to, but our defense was pretty solid. We got a couple of runs (on) er-rors but we always end up working well together and I think everyone is pretty strong on our team.”

TREVOR MIECZKOWSKI

LIFE North Pointe - Wednesday, April 27, 2016– 7

By Olivia AsimakisSENIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR

Worldwide, 30 million people are slaves. About 15 million are enslaved in India

alone, and junior Erinne Lubienski spent spring break working with organizations to rehabilitate human trafficking victims.

With her father and members of Grace Community Church, Lubienski traveled to New Dehli and Dehradun. There, she spent time learning about Indian culture and the realities of human trafficking.

It takes many different forms: sexual slavery, forced labor or marriage, surrogacy and organ extraction. Lubienski recalled one experience when she witnessed customers entering a brothel.

“We went down a road in the red light district, just to see it, which was a completely insane experience ‘cause obviously I’ve never seen trafficking in person,” Lubienski said. “It’s a completely industrial road and ridiculously dirty, and these two men that were probably around 20 in really nice clothes were walking towards (the brothels) ... (there were) businesses on the ground floor, then little shady staircases next to it that led up to the brothels. And these two men suddenly, after staring at us for a while, made a turn up one of the staircases ... and one of them just turned back and stared at me and then went back up, and we found out later that it was a brothel with really young kids in it.”

Lubienski’s older sister, Nicole, sparked her interest after she went on a similar trip.

“I’m studying addictions counseling, and I care a lot about helping people out, and especially being a voice for people who don’t necessarily have the ability to speak for themselves and to advocate for themselves,” Nicole said. “To see my sister follow in my footsteps is really rewarding, just to see the different stories I told them and the books I told Erinne to read and all that stuff is paying off. That’s influencing what she cares about and who she is as a person.”

Erinne’s father Mark Lubienski has been to India three times to learn and help victims.

“Most people focus on the sex trafficking, and that is horrific, there is no question about it,” Mark said. “But there’s also trafficking for example, brick making, where a whole family will get sucked into, essentially becoming slaves, and it’s just very hard to see a way out. In some ways, you feel like it’s an overwhelming problem.”

To assist the survivors of human trafficking, organizations and ministries provide education and safety to individuals. But they must remain unnamed for the protection of those victims.

“The problem is really out in the open in India, but no one is really doing much to stop it” Erinne said. “The politicians own a lot of the brothels and stuff like that so no one really wants to stop the problem.”

Over the course of his visits, Mark admitted that putting a dent into a number so large can seem impossible, but has witnessed how women rescued continue to work towards a better life.

“We didn’t see the younger (girls), but we saw the older ones, in the 18 to 22 range. One of them had just received her nursing degree because she had been sponsored by somebody at our church through nursing school. Another one was going for her degree in social work,” Mark said. “You could see that there could be life after human trafficking. Not that they didn’t still have things to deal with, but there could be life after human trafficking, and there could be a way to help them recover. You have to focus on what you can do instead of feeling that you can barely make an impact. Think of the impact you can make on one or two or a few lives.”

Accompanying Erinne and Mark was 81-year-old Dr. Joseph Beals. Beals superficially met Erinne and her family

through Grace, but got to know Erinne on the trip.

“I think she has a greater understanding of the seedier side of India now. This was an education that was invaluable and impossible to achieve by just reading about it in a text book,” Beals said via email. “Her father was very brave to have taken her although everyone was very protective of the girls.”

While the focus of the trip was to help human trafficking victims, Erinne and Mark also worked with those who have contracted Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Erinne spent a day working with young children who have the virus.

“I actually got to teach a little elementary school class for a couple of hours with a bunch of HIV kids, so that was a lot of fun,” Erinne said.

Another thing the Lubienskis worked on was sanitation.

“I went to Dehradun and worked with an organization that teaches about sanitary things, like you probably shouldn’t go to the bathroom in the same lake that you’re drinking out of, and ridiculous stuff that you would think everyone knew about, but they totally didn’t,” Erinne said.

Given all Mark has learned about human trafficking, he was especially cautious bringing his daughters to a foreign country.

“It gives you a radically different perspective when you’re there with your daughter for a couple of reasons. Number one, as a father, you are very concerned about your daughter’s safety,” Mark said. “India is a very densely populated. As you’re walking down the street, you’re very worried about a pickpocket, you’re worried about someone inappropriately touching her because there’s not always the respect for women that there should be. You’re very concerned about your daughter, and that changes your whole perspective of the trip.”

Along with anticipated cultural shocks, Nicole had expectations of what human trafficking would look like. She recalled one of her experiences meeting the girls.

“It was kind of hard going there because I was 17 when I went, and I assumed a lot of the girls were going to be around my age, but when I actually got there they weren’t my age. They were around 12. There was actually an 8-year-old girl who we met that had been rescued out when she was 6,” Nicole said. “It was really difficult being there and seeing how my perceptions of what this was like were so different than what was really going on and how the victims were so much younger than I thought they would be.”

Organizations and ministries work to help victims acclimate to lives outside prostitution. After they graduate, many go back to families, if they have families to go back to, and get a job. Beals said there is approximately a 50 percent recidivism rate and that every effort to protect these people truly makes an impact. “I now have a greater understanding and empathy for the people of India,” Beals said. “It would be very easy to look on the human situation in India as hopeless. However, one must admire those people who are doing their little part to make the situation better. Hopefully it is like throwing a pebble in a pond, the ripple effect will touch a lot of people eventually.”

Erinne has similar hopes. “When I was in sixth grade, my sister

started telling me about it. I just assumed everyone else around me knew about it,” Lubienski said. “So I started talking about it at school with my friends and when they didn’t know anything about it, it shocked me. I think ever since then I’ve wanted it to have more awareness. I think a lot of people kind of ignore the problem, like a lot of the things we use everyday are made by people who are trafficked. And it makes me angry that it happens, and no one is really doing much to stop it.”

ERINNE LUBIENSKI ERINNE LUBIENSKI

TOP: Junior Erinne Lubienski traveled to India and took over 2,000 photos. Photographed above is a young girl Lubienski met on the trip. FAR LEFT: A woman carries rice on her head. “I just really loved India, I don’t even know how to describe it. I think it was really cool to be in a completely different culture,” Lubienski said. “I’ve always had a passion about the human trafficking stuff and just learning more about it and seeing it happen was crazy.” MIDDLE LEFT: A young boy plays with doll legs while shading himself from the sun with an umbrella. LEFT: Many areas of India are poor and do not have wash-ing machines. A woman brings her dirtly laundry to wash outside in a bucket.ABOVE: A man carries boxes down a busy street.

ERINNE LUBIENSKI ERINNE LUBIENSKI

ERINNE LUBIENSKI

The problem is really out in

the open in India, but no one is

really doing much to stop it.Erinne Lubienski

JUNIOR

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