NOCTILUCA March 2018

OPINIONS Appleton, Wisconsin March 2018 Volume XXIII

Issue IV Page 4

Ending gun violence: a call for reform Editors note: This editorial originally

Noctiluca MissionStatement The Noctiluca and north noct.com are the student-run news sources of Appleton North High School. Noctiluca and northnoct. com are designated public forums for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions. Noctiluca’s mission is to publish information relevant to its readers and its community. Its goal is to maintain high ethical standards and provide a desig- nated public forum for free and responsible expression of views. Appleton North High School

entirely. These weapons are readily accessible, to the point where a person would be harder pressed to buy one on the black mar- ket than they would to buy one from Walmart. The solution lies in strict- er gun control laws—laws that have been found suc- cessful in preventing gun related violence in several other countries. But also, I acknowledge, part of the solution does not involve legislation at all. It requires cultural re- form, starting with raising empathetic children and deconstructing toxic mas- culinity. Teach men not to be ashamed to voice their emotions. Teach them that they are allowed to feel more than just anger. That they are a part of a greater whole, rather than apart from it. Stop normalizing mass shootings. Just because they happen frequently does NOT mean they should be viewed as a regular, desensitized oc-

one category dedicated to grading the “language” of the essay. Obviously, orga- nization and evidence are imperative to a good essay but so are flow and word choice. A student could have relevant and infor- mative points, but strong transitional sentences and compelling word choice are what transform a good essay into a persuasive and interesting piece of writing. With little emphasis on stylistic skills or individ- ual expression, the ACT does not give creative stu- dents the opportunity to showcase their unique and original talent to colleges. Throughout history, the only people that have been able to change the world are those who think outside of the box, so why are we punishing our students for doing just that? As Albert Einstein once said, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagi- nation.” currence. We need to re- sensitize ourselves to the horrors of gun violence. We need to educate people about the value of human life and how to be kind. How to prevent bullying, and how to cope with be- ing bullied. And we need to keep reminding them, lest they forget. Acceptance is a crucial part of prevention. Try to understand other people; a person’s right to live is not determined by their similarity to you or anyone else. As long as they are not hurting themselves or any- one else, they should be al- lowed to exist in peace. We are so tired of hear- ing people explain away this kind of domestic ter- rorism as “unpreventable.” Our student body is tired of practicing ALICE drills, wondering if our school is next... if we are safe to go to church, or out to the movies. The time for change has come, and we are tired of waiting.

By Annessa Ihde As soon as sophomore year begins, the conversa- tion about college and fu- ture careers gains a new level of seriousness. With the ACT recently passed and the pressing knowl- edge that college is only a couple years away, it is no surprise that most students experience an increase in stress. To an extent, we should be stressed; the ACT has a significant impact on determining where and how we are going to spend the next four years of our life. However, the power to judge a student’s qualifica- tions should not depend on one narrow-minded assess- ment. The concept of standard- ized tests in general makes a lot of sense, and they deserve a place in the col- lege application process. In its most basic form, a standardized test is meant to measure and compare the intelligence and skills of individuals by asking When facing ideological controversy, people have a tendency to rely heavily on the use of abstract concepts to support their arguments. They speak of unalienable rights, liberty, democra- cy… The problem is, such forms of rhetoric are only effective when those nouns have mutually agreed upon definitions, a feat that has been difficult to achieve given the recent political climate. Additionally, when using such formalized terms, peo- ple find it easy to emotion- ally distance themselves from the problem. There is something to be said about not letting emotion cloud judgement, yes, but there is a proper time and place for it to come into play. When innocent children’s lives are being stolen from them, it is right to be angry. It is right to be devastated, and full of grief, and ap- palled. There comes a time when it is no longer appropri- ate to remain closed off

from those emotions. There comes a time to stop com- partmentalizing and view the whole picture. And right now, it’s an ugly pic- ture. Again and again, the citi- zens of the United States have watched a conserva- tive legislature vote in favor of a constitutional amend- ment over their lives. At what point is enough, enough? How many people have to die before signifi- cant measures are taken to prevent this from happen- ing again? Some are quick to point out that guns do not pull their own triggers, nor do they point themselves. But in making such an argu- ment, they miss the target appeared in the No- vember edition of the Noctiluca. The edito- rial board has selected it to be reprinted due to its relevance to certain current events.

5000 N. Ballard Road Appleton, WI 54913 Phone: (920) 832-4300

Mr. Ramponi, staff advisor, at: ramponiaaron@aasd.k12.wi.us.

Editorial Staff Senior Editor-In-Chief Jake Zajkowski Junior Editor-In-Chief Salma Abdel-Azim News Editor Maddie Clark Opinions Editor Carl Zuleger Features Editor Henry Ptacek Center Spread Editor Ahmad Abdel-Azim Culture Editor Mariya Todorova Sports Editor Kyle Hoffenbecker Photography Editor Olivia Molter Copy Editor Silvia Knighten Adithi Reddy Social Media Editor Amara Neitzke Graphics Editor Sonia Tallroth Online Editor Sarah Fleming Advisor Mr. Ramponi Contributors Nolan Arnold Ahmad Abdel-Azim Forrest Bomann Maddie Clark Ciaran Cole Alex Gowing Kyle Hoffenbecker Annessa Ihde Sophia Krupka Olivia Molter Amara Neitzke Aili Olson

ACT: The anti-creativity test

Students across the United States take the ACT as a way of demonstrating their ability to colleges and universities. Photo taken by Olivia Molter.

the same questions of ev- ery student. But there’s one flaw in this widely accepted ideology: not every student can be measured by a strict and exact scale. The ACT offers no room for creativity and original- ity. It values rigid rubrics over individual interpreta- tion. Those who do express ideas in an abstract and unique way are downgrad- ed. Yes, certain subjects like math and science re- quire hard facts and non-ne-

gotiable answers; however, English, reading compre- hension, and writing abili- ties should be judged with an individualistic mindset. Multiple choice questions do not adequately account for a student’s capabilities nor are they a fair measure- ment of a student’s com- prehension of the piece. The essay segment is the only section of the ACT that allows a small amount of creative expression, but even that rubric has a mere,

Henry Ptacek Adithi Reddy Sonia Tallroth Mariya Todorova Tashia Ulman Avery Wageman Carl Zuleger Jake Zajkowski