NOCTILUCA November 2017

nor thnoct . com @Nor thNoct

Appleton, Wisconsin

November 2017

Vol. XXIII

Issue II

Teaming Up with a Teacher District-wide event

they talk to a classroom full of students who are immigrants or are from immigrant families, the connection is really strong and the tone that it sets is one of success, progress, and the ability to achieve what you hope to achieve in life,” said Haskell about past community members she has brought in to talk to her students. One community member that came in is Mr. Jody Andres, who visited one of Meck’s classes. He is an architect at Hoffman Construction Company now, but he didn’t want to go into architecture at first. “I knew in high school I wanted to go into either engineering or architecture. I chose architecture, but I did have my doubts. The school of architecture and I did not necessarily work well together and I even contemplated switching to engineering in my last year at UW-Milwaukee,” said Andres. However, he held out and eventually found out that there was more to the career than what his college degree taught him. He found that architecture was a diverse lives,” said Olivia Molter, a se- nior at Appleton North, about what she gained and will con- tinue to gain from the program. “I believe I will get more tools for myself and those around me for coping with the stresses of student life. I hope to learn more about modern, different approaches to the is- sues that plague my generation; in large, I hope to be able to un- derstand and effectively help my peers with their issues,” said Carter King, a sophomore at Appleton North, focusing on approaching those who need a Source of Strength, The Sources of Strength training may still be an ongoing progress for the group, with stu- dents learning the ins and outs to this new program throughout the year. However, the students are more than ready to begin to help build their peers up with their hope, help, and strength.

supports career based learning

By Maddie Clark By Maddie Clark W hat do you want to be when you grow up? You’ve probably been asked this question a thousand times before, whether it comes from a parent, a teacher, or even a distant relative. When you were first asked this question, you probably said something outrageously imaginative like Superman or a princess. Now, when asked that question, it probably brings you tons of stress because you’re not quite sure what you want to do when you head off to college. However, some kids will take career based courses in high school to help them form their decision; however, all of their classes are not career based. Most classes don’t significantly help someone make the decision of what they want to do in the future because they aren’t career based. This year, on Nov. 15th, members of the working class community came into the Appleton Area schools to On Tuesday, October 10th, a group of 78 students from Ap- pleton North went to the Boys and Girls Club for the whole day to train to become Sources of Strength for Appleton North. Considering there were over 135 referrals of students teach- ers felt were qualified for the position and only 60 students were supposed to come to the training, the group of 78 stu- dents brought to training was very large group. Along with the students, 17 adult advisors and administra- tors came along to the training. “We played all the games and did everything right along with the students. That was one of the things that some of the stu- dents admitted was fun; watch- ing the adults have fun and get Program helps members become positive leaders

Mr. Jody Andres, an architect at Hoffman Construction Company, is one of the community mem- bers that came in for the Teaming Up with a Teacher event. Andres has worked at multiple differ- ent firms in the Fox Valley since he graduated in 1992. Photo used with permission by Jody Andres.

global studies so it seemed like a good chance to connect global studies to real world positions,” said Ms. Molly Meck, a global studies teacher at North. Likewise, Mrs. Teri Berlowski decided to participate in this event with the same viewpoint. “I think it is very important for community members to see what is going on in our schools. Career Based Learning is a district initiative and teachers

need to make connections to business partners,” said Berlowski. While Meck and Berlowski used this event for students to make real world connections to their classes, Ms. Hilary Haskell, an ELL teacher, used it for something more. “All of the presenters who come into my room are either immigrants themselves or come from immigrant families. So, when the Appleton North staff to in- form them about the program and what they will be doing throughout the year to help the Appleton North community. The quality of the Sources of Strength program at North that makes it special isn’t solely the focus on hope, help, and strength. Rather, the special quality is the fact that it is a stu- dent run group. “Yes, we have peer advisors. But we want to know what the students want to do, what they feel will help their peers,” said Mr. Pynen- berg. Not only will the general Ap- pleton North community ben- efit from the training, so will the individuals participating in the organization. “It’s really easy to be self-centered and al- ways tune out the problems of the people around you. After the training and being involved in this, I think I’ll just be more aware of the people around me and what’s going on in their

discuss their career path and their job experiences. The Teaming Up with a Teacher event was apart of National EducationWeek with this year’s focus being on Career Based Learning. Some teachers here at Appleton North took advantage of this event for very similar reasons. “It seemed like a good opportunity to get someone from the community in. I teach

See Clark , page 2 Sources of Strength trains students to create strong group

Sources of Strength members engaging in an activity during training on Tuesday, October 10th. Photo used with permission by Mrs. Abby Vanderloop.

group will be involved in, and the different displays inform- ing people about the Sources of Strength program. Pynenberg plans on doing two to three events a year to get the word out about the Sources of Strength group and to help students find their Sources of Strength in the Appleton North community. On November 15th, some Sources of Strength members will be presenting to

involved. It was trying to break down some of those barriers and walls throughout the day,” said Mr. David Pynenberg, the principal at Appleton North. The large number of mem- bers caused students to form different groups in order to stay focused on certain tasks. These groups will focus on things such as presentations in the school, how the group is portrayed on social media, public events the

NEWS Appleton, Wisconsin November 2017 Volume XXIII Issue II Page 2 Clark , Upsides versus downsides of new parking lot

Teaming Up, from page 1

and exit paths gets very disorganized. Additionally, the three way stop and drop off area experiences congestion. This is also due to students crossing the crosswalks when they shouldn’t, and cars not pausing in areas they should.” Mr. Joel Hermansen, Staff Member at Appleton North High School: “The upside to the latest parking lot would be how much more organized and well structured the layout is. Individuals havemorecoherent paths and roads they should be taking to minimize confusion. In contrast, a major downside to this new construction is that is was not created effectively enough to solve the chaos and stressful aspects of exiting the compound; there should have been more exit paths established to minimize disorder.” Kaitlyn Pope, Sophomore at Appleton North High School: “I received my license a couple months ago, and have already experienced the positive and negative aspects of the new parking lot. One of the biggest downfalls of the parking lot is at the end of school when everyone is trying to leave the parking lot at once. Since there is no clear system to exit, it takes such a long time to leave, and people cut each other off. It is very frustrating. One positive element to the new layout is that there are parking lot connectors, so I can easily enter a different parking lot without too much hassle if the other is filled up.”

career that needed more than just the ability to design a building; he needed the ability to talk to clients about their vision for the project he was working on for them. “I think I can offer some perspective on how architecture – like many professions – has evolved as people and the world change. The economy, the environment, and changing society needs all have an influence on design and

Early morning traffic coming in to the recently reconstructed Appleton North parking lot. Photo by Olivia Molter.

By Adithi Reddy The Appleton North High School parking lot and student drop off area received construction changes over the summer of 2017. The new parking lot was devised in efforts to alleviate the stress and chaos of entering, parking in and exiting the complex. The implementation of construction plans began on April 24, andwas completed on July 25, the Friday before the 2017-2018 school year began. Below are the responses of five staff members and students fromAppleton North when the Noctiluca posed this question: What do you perceive are the upsides and downsides of the new parking lot layout? Mr. David Pynenberg, Principal of Appleton North High School: “During the 2017 summer months, the Appleton Area School District’s engineer, Mark Hansel, and I conducted multiple traffic studies, and investigations and observations downtown, in order to effectively construct a parking lot with a safer organization to benefit drivers and pedestrians, and reduce hazards. At the beginning of 2017-2018 school year, every student received a map of the new parking lot, as well as an informative packet designed to educate driver on the layout of the new complex. Despite this, many individuals incorrectly used the parking lot, entrances and exits during the initial weeks of the school year; as a result of this, authoritative staff members were regularly stationed before and after school at certain parts of the complex in order to observe the traffic flow, direct vehicles North community gives opinion on traffic change

and address any problems. Furthermore, volunteered vehicles were parked in locations where drivers were going against the flow of traffic, in order to correct those dangerous mistakes. As the year progressed on, individuals began to successfully navigate through the new layout with minimal errors. This was significant, as the major goal of the new parking lot was to create a safer environment for pedestrians and drivers. This was also accomplished by creating limited entryways into the parking areas, for example the Ashbury Road entrance immediately leads into a parking lot, in order to minimize chaos and disorganization. A major complication with the new parking lot are the sizes of the road signs (such as stop signs, crosswalks, and yield signs). The signs need to be further enlarged for people to better see, which is something our engineer, Mr. Hansel, is working to fix. Furthermore, students need to use the correct crosswalks to minimize any dangerous situations, and parents need to correctly navigate through the three way stop sign and drop off area to avoid blockages. Lastly, there

will be a few new additions to the parking lot by next year, one of them is raising the pavements of the crosswalks in efforts to direct students to the correct cross paths, and assist as a natural speed bump for oncoming traffic.” Junior at Appleton North High School: “There are definitely some mean people when it comes to entering and leaving school, which is really aggravating. However, I don’t see any huge downsides to the new layout. It works fine for me because I get to the parking lot at 7:25 in the morning, and still make it to class on time.” Mr. Rodney, Staff Member at Appleton North High School: “Being the morning supervisor of the complex, I have observed many upsides and downsides to the new parking lot. Students and staff members coming in from the JJ road entrance can get into the parking lot much quicker, and do not experience backup. On the other hand, the Ballard Road entrance Geena Coffey,

the building environment,” said Andres. The community member Haskell brought in is Mr. Daniel Salazar. Salazar is a project manager at Bemis. He has over 20 years of experience in his career as he has worked in several different managerial positions in theUnitedStatesand in Mexico. In those positions, he lead multiple multifunctional and multicultural teams from different countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, and he has deployed global and regional system solutions for different areas within the companies he has worked for. “I would like to share a little bit of the challenges and success stories I had through my life and my career, and to provide to the students some practical recommendations about what they can do now to be better prepared for the future,” Salazar said about why he got involved with the Teaming Up with a Teacher event. This event of teaming up a community member with a teacher will help make connections to real world situations in classes that normally do not focus on the careers the class could lead to. Hopefully, this event will help you formulate an answer to the question, What do you want to Mr. Daniel Salazar, who works as a project manager at Bemis Company, is coming in to talk to ELL classes about his work experience as an immigrant. Photo used with permission by David Salazar

The enlargement of the road signs in the current parking lot is in progress so people can easily see the signs. Photo by Olivia Molter.

OPINIONS Appleton, Wisconsin November 2017 Volume XXIII

Issue II Page 3

Trump: A year in review

Noctiluca Editorial Ending gun violence: the solution is cultural reform

By Avery Wageman

the ban, allowing for specific types of travel such as ex- change students coming to the U.S. from the barred countries. Many promises made dur- ing Trump’s campaign have not been honored, such as his pledge to lower taxes and create millions of jobs. There have been no changes made to the tax plan, though the proposal for the time being is in favor of the wealthy. Also, Trump’s assurance to repeal and replace Obamacare has not gotten very far, although steps have been taken towards repealing it. A definite plan for the replacement has not been released to the public, despite his statement, “We have so many unbelievable alterna- tives. Much less expensive, and great healthcare...much lower deductibles.” The build- ing of his infamous wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has also not made much progress either, despite its influence in his campaign. Budget nego- tiations for the wall have been made, but Democrats are not budging on their stance of pro- hibiting funding. In recent months, the trans- gender military ban has been an extremely heated topic. In July, Trump tweeted an an- nouncement that the U.S. mili- tary would no longer allow

transgender people to serve; his reasoning was that the military’s budget “cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs.” He backed his statement by saying this decision was supported by generals and military experts. Trump was quickly disproved by many leaders in the mili- tary stating that gender identi- ty did not matter when accept- ing willing service members into the military. Judge Col- leen Kollar-Kotelly, who has recently reviewed the ban, said that Trump’s abrupt announce- ment over Twitter had no real evidence. Kollar-Kotelly blocked the ban, but it is cur- rently pending an appeal. The judge believes transgender service members are “likely to succeed in their claim.” As a result of his unfulfilled campaign promises, disre- spectful statements and ac- tions, and too many days spent at the golf course (about 75, in case you were wondering), he has obtained an incredibly low approval rating, which de- clined from 45% in January to 36%, as of October. We will have to see how the next year goes, but so far, he has not left a positive impression on not just liberals, but a significant number of conservatives as well.

It has been an odd year for the presidency. I support Trump. I feel he will save this country. However, while I am pro-Trump, I am also pro- opinion. I feel this is some- thing I should say with today’s political landscape being so dangerous. I hope you will respect my opinion as we all should for others. Truthfully, Trump has not done much in this first year, but not for lack of trying. He has tried repeatedly to take out Obamacare and has also tried to pass a travel ban. While now the travel ban looks to be coming soon (and is in the pro- cess of being approved), the Affordable Health Care plan still destroys our country’s economy. People are more critical of the man and less of his de- cisions. For example, since Trump entered office, there has been a reported 53% drop in illegal immigration in the month of July. Illegal immi- gration is a big issue in this country, yet people will not talk about this success, as all Two months later, another uproar was provoked by the travel ban set on six countries with Muslim majority popula- tions. The executive order also suspended the nation’s refugee programs and was intended to last several months. The lat- est additions to the ban, made this fall, have added North Korea, Chad, and Venezuela to the list. The updated ban focuses on the citizens’ visas of the banned countries. The new ban is transient and will allow for the review of the re- strictions on these countries if they’re willing “to cooperate” with the U.S. The revisions have only slightly improved By Hunter Marquardt We are now nearing the final days of Donald Trump’s first year as president, and there is much to talk about. In fact, it would be quite the understate- ment to say Trump has had a rocky start to his presidency. Only 24 hours in, thousands of people–the majority being women–marched around the globe in protest. The continual disregard of Trump’s demean- ing comments and actions to- wards women and minorities sparked the outrage of almost 3 million people worldwide. The protests included the top- ics of reproductive, LGBTQ, human, and civil rights.

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, democracy… The problem is, such forms of rhetoric are only effective when those nouns have mutu- ally agreed upon definitions, a feat that has been difficult to achieve given the recent po- litical climate. Additionally, when using such formalized terms, people find it easy to emotionally 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 appalled. There comes a time when it is no longer appropriate to remain closed off from those emotions. There comes a time to stop compartmentalizing, and view the whole picture. And right now, it’s an ugly picture. Again and again, the citi- zens of the United States have watched a conservative legis- lature vote in favor of a con- stitutional amendment over their lives. At what point is enough, enough? How many people have to die before significant measures are taken to prevent this from happening again? Some are quick to point out that guns do not pull their own triggers, nor do they point themselves. But in mak- ing such an argument, they miss the target entirely. These weapons are readily accessi- ble, to the point where a per- son would be harder pressed to buy one on the black mar- ket than they would to buy one from Walmart.

The solution lies in stricter gun control laws – laws that have been found successful in preventing gun related vio- lence in several other coun- tries. But also, I acknowledge, part of the solution does not involve legislation at all. It requires cultural reform, start- ing with raising empathetic children and deconstructing toxic masculinity. 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- currence. We need to re-sen- sitize ourselves to horrors of gun violence. We need to edu- cate people about the value of human life and how to be kind. How to prevent bully- ing, and how to cope with being bullied. And we need to keep reminding them, lest they forget. Acceptance is crucial for prevention. Try to understand other people; a person’s right to live is not determined by their similarity to you or any- one else. As long as they are not hurting themselves or anyone else, they should be allowed to exist in peace. We are so tired of hear- ing people explain away this kind of domestic terrorism 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.

A year after Trump

Trump speaking at the 2013 Political Action Conference. Photo taken by Gage Skidmore via Creative Commons.

they care to talk about is his last tweet. Additionally, “the wall” is eminent, as Homeland Security recently reported that the design of the wall has been finalized. I do not sup- port Trump’s every decision–I don’t expect anyone to agree with everyone all the time–but why hate everything he does without knowing the facts? While bills and such have not been passed under Trump’s presidency, like some presi- dents have gotten out in their first year, he has still managed to raised the stock market. The average growth rate is around 2% a year and, in just a quar- ter under Trump, it has gone up 1.4% and has an estimated 3% for the year. So once again,

you can hate Trump as a per- son, but look at his policies before judging him as a presi- dent. In the end, I can’t say much for the President’s first year. It has not been a great year for him, but he has done a few things. I believe this first year would have gone even better if everything he tried to do was not blocked, sometimes even by his own party. So I feel while this year will not be put down in history for its success, the next three will hopefully go better, and the Republican party will have more success. I will leave you with this final point: you can hate him as a person, but find the facts be- fore hating him as a president.

OPINIONS Appleton, Wisconsin November 2017 Volume XXIII

Issue II Page 4

All schools should say the Pledge of Allegiance

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

line is not putting the two to- gether. Although the Supreme Court collectively decided that the line “One Nation Under God” is unconstitutional, as it violates separation of state and church, the line is not meant to combine church and state. It was added to make the people of the United States feel more patriotic in 1954 by President Eisenhower to help fight com- munism under one common thing almost all Americans agreed upon: that God was watching over them. That meant we as people would feel like a part of this country by saying the Pledge. This argument against the Pledge is almost redundant. America is a country based on Christianity. Even as we di- versify and change, our basic morals stay the same. To stop saying the Pledge because it is “unconstitutional” is wrong, because we as people are one and because we started under God. This is not to combine state and church, but to unify us under one banner. One Nation, Under God, Indivis-

ible, with Liberty and Justice for all. This was not made to divide us, but to unite us. If you truly feel this statement is wrong, consider the fact that only 3% to 6%, some even say as low as 0.4%, of all people in the United States do not believe in any higher power while 94% to 97% do. Wheth- er they be Christian, Muslim, Agnostic, or something else, they believe in a higher power. So think of it that way. Think of your “God,” you could even interpret God as science, but do not take away the Pledge from the greatest country on earth. Finally, to not say the Pledge is to forget the sacrifice of our people, to forget our fight against evil whether in the form of communism, fascism or genocide. America has al- ways been the sleeping giant, when our own are attacked we attack back. As a people we need to be unified under one flag so that we can be the giant. Yet, people are trying to take away something that every child in America does

or should learn, the Pledge. It unites us in such a simple manner, yet it is the broader picture of all people in a pub- lic classroom that shows them united under one thing, wheth- er Republican or Democratic, religious or not, all brought to- gether by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. So I believe we should all say the Pledge because we have been saying it for over a century; we fight it because it is “unconstitutional” yet it is not. Statistics are not rac- ist or misogynistic, it is a fact that the majority of Americans believe in a higher power. The Pledge unites us, so why get rid of one of the few things that unites us all as Americans. We always look for the differences and people say we should ig- nore them, yet here is some- thing that we all do and people say it is “bad.” They should be happy, since we all have this similarity. America needs to be united to be strong; so let us be united under the Pledge of Allegiance. stead of brainwashing kids into it by using a pledge they’re too young to understand the words to, try waiting until they’re old enough, then letting the actions of a country instill that sense of patriotism and pride. I prom- ise you that the feeling will be stronger than any feeling that comes from a pledge they’ll have to memorize. Does it really...do anything? Picture your morning Pledge during homeroom. It prob- ably looks like a bunch of high schoolers in a zombie- like state, droning words well- ingrained in their brain. But is anyone really thinking about what they’re saying? Or about what those words are imply- ing? Like the kindergarteners, I really don’t think most of us do. Obviously, as high schoolers, we all understand the words in the Pledge. But how many of us are actually saying them with meaning every morning? As far as I can tell, reciting the Pledge is really doing nothing for American students. So there are the reasons why I stopped. Maybe you agree with some of them, maybe you don’t. Whether more people stand up and say it with vigor every morning or more people choose to sit out after read- ing this, my hope is that more people think just a little bit more about what they’re say- ing when they recite the Pledge every morning.

By Hunter Marquardt I believe all schools in America should say the Pledge of Allegiance. One reason the Pledge should be said is the history behind it. It started in Oct. 12, 1892; when the Pledge of Allegiance was implemented into the public school systems. It had been written just two months prior in August 1892 by Francis Bellamy. This is an integral part of the school system; every person going to North including parents, and even grandparents, said it as long as they were in the public school system. This has been part of us for so long it was im- plemented before major things like the 19th Amendment. Another reason is that it is not “unconstitutional.” The line that comes under scrutiny is “One Nation Under God.” Some argue that because of the First Amendment giving us the freedom of religion, church and state must, and should al- ways be separated. However, this is wrong; yes state and church are separate, but this It’s the beginning of I.E. time at Appleton North. Students file into the classroom to find their seats. Some open up a Chrome- book or textbook and some chat with the people around them. Within a few minutes, everyone in the room stops what they’re doing. They all stand to turn toward the near- est flag to mindlessly drone the same 31 words that they’ve re- cited every morning since kin- dergarten. Well, almost everyone does. If you haven’t already guessed it, these 31 words are the Pledge of Allegiance. When I say almost everyone drones these words each day, I mean everyone with the exception of two types of people: those who pridefully stand toward our flag every morning and say each word with conviction and in- tention; and those who choose not to say the Pledge at all. The thought and meaning behind every word is applaudable, but this does not mean nonpartici- pants are any less respectable. I am one of those who chooses not to participate. Not reciting the Pledge isn’t out of laziness, disrespect, or even lack of patriotism. No, it is definitely not out of protest. I stopped saying it years ago, and I’d like to give you, the readers, insight on my reasons as to why. I don’t have to. It’s true, there is nothing re- quiring me or anyone to recite

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 Lila Metko 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 Investigative Editor Mariya Todorova Advisor Mr. Ramponi Contributors

By Olivia Molter The problems with saying the Pledge of Allegiance

North students saying the pledge during homeroom. Photo by Olivia Molter.

the Pledge of Allegiance. Be- fore 1943, the Pledge of Al- legiance was compulsory in public schools. That year, the Supreme Court determined it unconstitutional for public schools to force any student to recite the Pledge. It’s my constitutional right to remain silent. Even if I didn’t have any other problems with the pledge itself, I would still have no obligation to say it. “One nation, under God” Now I know that the con- troversy of this line is nothing new. In fact, you’ve probably heard this argument before, maybe even more than once. But let’s be honest: it’s a prob- lematic line. America has no official religion, yet the Pledge implies that America is, in fact, a Christian nation. The line “Under God” wasn’t even part of the Pledge of Allegiance until 62 years after the Pledge was written. It was changed by President Eisenhower, who was inspired by a Presbyterian sermon to add it in the pledge. Even if you wanted to argue

that “it could be referring to any god,” the line would still be discriminatory toward Athe- ists, Agnostics, and polytheis- tic religions. At the end of the day, not everyone in this nation is living under a god and the Pledge glosses over that. Why so young? Like many of you, I started reciting the Pledge of Alle- giance in kindergarten. Now ask any kindergartener what the word “allegiance” means and chances are, not one will be able to tell you. We have these young students memoriz- ing powerful words that they don’t even understand–pledg- ing your allegiance to anything is no small task, let alone an entire country. Why do we have them do- ing this? Some have said it’s to “instill a sense of patriotism,” which is ridiculous. It seems that many people consider pa- triotism a requisite for being American. It’s not. Indoctrinat- ing littlekids intobeingpatriotic without reason to be is absurd. Want people to be patriotic? In-

Ahmad Abdel-Azim Salma Abdel-Azim Kari Brekke Jack Cain Maddie Clark Cairan Cole Jaden Eisch Sarah Fleming Michaela Frichner Logan Gaertner Mickayla George Kyle Hoffenbecker Sydney Levy Hunter Marquardt Lila Metko Olivia Molter Amara Neitzke

Henry Ptacek Adithi Reddy Tashia Ulman

Madeline Waters Avery Wageman Carl Zuleger

FEATURES Appleton, Wisconsin November 2017 Vol. XXIII

Issue II

Page 5

Humans of North: Rodney Delfosse

Voices of Men 2017 Call to Action Breakfast Event The Radison Ballroom beggining to fill in preperation for the 2017 Call to Action Breakfast Event. Photo by Henry Ptacek

Rodney laughing in the halls of North. Photo by Henry Ptacek

how she found forgivingness and justice for herself. She shares her #settheexpectation pledge, the pledge against sexual assault and rape. Guante, an artist and poet, shared his message through a series of poems. He travels the country performing and speaking at high schools and community events. His “Ten Responses to The Phrase Man Up” fit right into to the Man Up skit performed dur- ing the breakfast. Brenda and Guante perfectly com- plemented each other. Their goal was the same, and see- ing their two mediums of get- ting there was a unique expe- rience. North High School brought more than 30 stu- dents to the breakfast this year, most of which were members of the sister club to Voices of Men, “Stand Up.” North’s community hopes to continue their involvement with Voices of Men this year and in the years to come.

By Shia Ulman

By Henry Ptacek

Everyone knows Rodney as the campus supervisor at Apple- ton North wearing a fanny pack around his waist and a coffee mug in hand, helping not only students but teachers with any predicament they may find themselves in, but what was his life before Appleton North? Rodney was born in 1957, shortly after, Rodney’s parents divorced, and he became a fos- ter child. He moved around to a total of five foster homes and two group homes. Rodney at- tended Neenah High School and graduated with a scholar- ship to become a chef. He at- tended the Fox Valley Techni- cal College, but a semester later Rodney changed his mind and joined the Marine corps. Rod- ney trudged through four years in the Marines and got out but only for a short period of time. After the Beirut bombings, on October 23, 1983, Rodney felt it was his duty to reenlist. That’s when he met Mrs. Delfosse. Af- ter touring in North Carolina, Rodney was deployed all over; Okinawa, Israel, the Mediterra- nean Sea, and Samaya. After all of Rodney’s de- ployments, he was chosen to become a drill instructor. “Yell- ing and screaming at the recruits and then also teaching them of- fensive and defensive package” was what Rodney did for the next two and a half years of his life. Shortly after, he was once again deployed back to Oki- nawa. During some free time in Japan, Rodney climbed Mt Fuji, and active volcano and the tall- est peak in the country. Rodney retired in June 2000 and came home to Wisconsin, where he served at the post of- fice for three months before see- ing an ad in the paper for secu- rity guards at Appleton North. Rodney has been Campus Su- pervisor for the past eighteen years.

By Henry Ptacek This past November 7th, the 8th annual Voices of Men Call to Action Breakfast took place. A full year of prepara- tion went into the Call to Ac- tion; hundreds of meetings and dedication from many. The result was a powerful and emotional hour of en- lightenment and inspiration. Voices of Men focuses on preventing sexual assault and domestic violence. The orga- nization works with the four sexual assault crisis centers in the area: Christine Ann, Reach Counseling, Harbor House, and Sexual Assault Crisis Center. Voices of Men is unique in the sense that it is purely a organization work- ing on prevention, not acting when it is too late. Voices of Men’s mission is: “ Fox Val- ley men helping end sexual assault and domestic violence by dismantling Man Box cul- ture and building a culture of Tony Krueger, a senior here at north, shares his mu- sical taste. He finds himself jamming to copious amounts of 90’s hip-hop, specifically artists like A Tribe Called Quest, Hieroglyphics, and Gang Starr. A Tribe Called Quest consisted of members Jarobi White, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, they released six al- bums between 1990 and 2016. Phife Dawg recently died last year, the impact of his death was felt around the hip-hop world. For Tony, listening to this style of music is a daily ritual, and it can be listened to and enjoyed anytime, any- where. In his free time, Tony enjoys not only listening to this genre of music, but creat- ing it as well. Tony possesses

Guante performing the poem “Handshakes” in front of 1000 people. Photo by Henry Ptacek

Healthy Manhood.” The Call to Action hopes to illuminate the problem in the Fox Cit- ies and to inspire the men of our community. This years breakfast debuted a “Take Action” zine, the contents were 10 pages of actions that anyone could take to prevent sexual assault, as these ac- tions eradicate a culture of

toxic masculinity.

Brenda Tracy and Guante were the featured speak- ers for the Call to Action. Brenda, an open rape survi- vor, shared the horrendous story of her attack. After the room has been silenced, Brenda comes back up to the stage, this time with a more positive outlook. She shares dad’s band, Ill Genesi. “I make beats very similar to the 90’s hip hop style I lis- ten to,“ Krueger commented, “Some of my beats are a bit more trap-like, and some of them are more like the style of dubstep.” Overall Tony loves the music he listens to, and is inspired to create, not only listen. Junior, Jenna Kopitske is a huge fan of rock. The term “rock” is an extremely broad umbrella term, however Jenna enjoys lots of 90’s-00’s artists. Some of her favorite bands to rock out to consist of: Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Pep- pers, Three Days Grace, and Silversun Pickups. She finds that listening to rock music motivates her as a musician and an artist. “Rock makes

What’s on your playlist: features edition

Jenna Kopitske. Photo by Henry Ptacek you want to jam out and learn the styles that these people play,” Jenna stated. Kopitske, as a drummer, loves to play along with the songs that she listens to, ultimately improv- ing her skills. Her passion for music is amplified drastically when listening to these artists. “I love to listen whenever I practice,” she added, “It makes me a much better musician.”

Tony Krueger. Photo by Henry Ptacek a musical creativity not com- mon found in students.. Tony frequently spends his free time not playing baseball by crafting beats with the soft- ware “Reason”. He has a com- puter, a couple speakers and a sampling keyboard. Coupled with his dad’s recording set up in his basement he has all the tools he needs. Some of his beats can be heard in his

Contributors: Ahmad Abdel-Azim, Sonia Tallroth, Salma Abdel-Azim

a diff same hopes the title, Special not a disability; they ar at North treat the see a disabil with.” f

“Be tolerant, that’s the most important thing we

How does your Background Impact your View on life?

can do. It doesn’t mean we have to accept things, we jus have to keep up with them.” the values of Riola Morina, a student from Kosovo. When a most important things in her lif ple surrounding her impacted h up my life, they indicate everyt there was a big difference in the in America versus the high schoo Kosovo] there are two groups of school; they go because it’s illegal is there to really learn and do their [in the US] are just going through i Kosovo is primarily a Muslim coun lim. When she was asked about wha be in a country where she is a religio she said that she liked the new experi “I don’t mind sharing other people’s viewpoints. I even enjoy it because at moved f US when vio too much. He say to speak about social i power in Venezuela as he a which traumatized him. “I like t they appreciate myself, something I my own country.” When asked abo Appleton North community, he s are great as they understand hi that he does not see much ra only thing he notices is tha

I can see how people are different from each other, so that helps me have another point of view.” Riola Morina

and Central Americans e racism, which he believ immigrants. However “It’s very hard for V have to cross the and very dense j to the US by l he does not racism hi says that he was be re eve n Luis Contreras Corte

Our culture, our race, our religion, our background, shape who we are and how we behave every day. The certain values and morals that we have are shaped by our experiences. At Appleton North, we have students from a multitude of backgrounds, provid- ing a diverse atmosphere. Here are the experiences from students all over Appleton North who have come from different walks of life. Students were asked about their view on the Appleton North community and the values they try to have.

David Yao

Rocky

David Yao’s parents are from China, but he was born in the United States. He lived in Milwaukee early in his life, but moved to Appleton around 3rd grade. He mentions that Milwaukee and Appleton differ drastically from each other in that competition between students was a significant

hese are exchange ked about the she emphasized was the fact that special education tudents are just like any other student; they just learn in rent ways. Rocky states that special ed students have the and dreams that every student has. Even though they have d, “we need to remember that they are people first. They are a person with a disability.” Rocky adds that most students special education students really well. “Some students do not ty; they see a friend, a person, someone they want to hang out Unfortunately, Rocky also mentioned that bullying does occur om time to time. “Some people bully, and that happens with students that are not in special education, so bullying is a factor across the board,” she says. When asked if the special education students enjoyed being at Apple- ton North, Rocky redirected the question to- wards all students, emphasizing her point that special education students do not differ from other students. Rocky is a devot- ed member of the special education program at Appleton North and was asked about the attitudes and experiences of the special ed students. One of the main things

part of the students in Milwaukee; he considers Appleton a more cooperative and friendly environment. “...My past has showed me that success does not need to be driven by the desire to be better than everyone else but can be worked towards through the cooperation of people around you.” As a child, David was taught to put a lot of time into

Sakar

academics and learning. “Social and communica- tion skills were not part of the big picture,” he adds. When asked about his view on the level of student equality at Appleton North, he

Gupta

moved from India to the US a few years ago. Obvi- ously, he was very

mentioned that stereotypes and racist remarks are made everyday, but this does not influence his view on the level of student equality at Appleton North. “The primary influence of student equali-

Sakar Gupta

reluctant to talk and get involved upon his arrival,

, she said that the peo- r the most. “...They fill ing I do.” She said that ttitude of high schoolers students in Kosovo. “[In eople- one group hates not to. The other group est. I feel like people because they have to.” ry, and Riola is Mus- it was like to s minority, nce. ppleton North who om Venezuela to the ence was increasing his past allows him sues and the abuse of tually experienced it, e American people; as not receiving in t his view on the id that the students situation. He says ism at North. The Luis Contreras Cortes is a senior

but as time went on, he began to gain more confidence, which he says was due to the welcoming Appleton North community. “I am very thankful for the amazing oppor- tunity to be a member of such prestigious and astounding community.” When asked about the values that were instilled in him as a child, Sakar mentioned that hard work was a ma- jor principle that his parents taught him from youth. Sakar mentioned, “To do anything right and make it stand out, you always have to work hard... I always try to work hard and do everything to the best of my ability.” Moreover, Sakar says that having good character is one of my main priorities in life. He emphasizes the importance of facing issues with a positive attitude and good character to succeed. “I believe that character is one of the biggest things that defines a person. My parents taught me what good character means, and I try to improve [my character] every day.”

ty is the way that people behave and respond to each other.”

Mrs. Haskell is an ELL teacher here at North, and she has a large amount of ex- perience with students coming from all walks of life. She says that the transition to North, although difficult and formidable, is usually quick, and the students are usually acclimated after the first month. Generally, North is a very welcom- ing community and aids the students to transition quickly. The biggest challeng- es are origin, language, and educational background. Depending on where the students come from, it may be more or less difficult to adjust to life here be- cause of the different culture and customs. Language can also be a barrier

Omar Zaidan is a fresh- man at Appleton

North whose parents are from the Middle East. As a child, he was al- ways taught to respect others, especially those older than him, stand up for the people he cares about, and stand up for what he thinks is right. “These values brought me very far and taught me many les- sons throughout my life.” When Omar was asked about the level of student equality at Appleton North, Omar mentioned how in-

some Mexicans perience some s is due to illegal he mentions, nezuelans who anama canal ngle to come nd.” Thus, otice much self. Luis also

because often, the students must learn an entirely new language with a new alphabet and pronunciations. Educational background also plays a large role. Some students come with a very limited amount of education from a place where the education

system was greatly hampered or scarce. While the majority is welcoming and helpful toward new- comers, there is a small minority who bully these students. “Every student has one or two negative experiences when they start, but it’s not ever something that is persistent.” Usually these issues are ad- dressed immediately and effectively.

as a child, taught to pectful to yone, to t be racist, and to be helpful.

equality is present everywhere. He says, “As long as you stay on the right path and hang out with the right people, hopefully, you won’t have to deal with any inequalities.” Omar also adds that having been to many schools in the US and outside the US has allowed him to be better at socializing with others. Moreover, hav- ing done many sports has allowed him to know many people before entering Appleton North. Omar Zaidan

Mrs. Haskell

FEATURES Appleton, Wisconsin November 2017 Vol. XXIII

Issue II

Page 8

Jazz weekend at Lawrence brings high schools from around state

outside point of view. He also entered the Minus One Combo to play at the festival, getting as many North Students involved as he could. Trombone player Kaden Buck shared why he thought the jazz festival was a cool experience: “We got to play our music for professionals in the ¿ eld of jazz; we

were able to see an outside opinion from college professors from around the country.” Tenor saxophonist Jack Cain said, “The insight from professionals gave me, and the band as a whole a much deeper feeling in the style of jazz known as ‘be- bop.’” As stated by Jack, it was a great weekend for North’s

more, not knowing he would be back to serve as their di- rector of Jazz and Improvi- sational studies for over 25 years. Sturm received a nu- merous amount of Downbeat Awards, an award respected as one of the highest jazz recognition honors. To have Sturm as such an intricate part of Lawrence’s musical education was a gift. He was instrumental in starting the Jazz Education Weekend at Lawrence. Clinician Reggie Thomas made a point to tell us about the legacy Sturm has left behind. He truly val- ued education and wanted to share it with everyone he could. North has participated in the festival for many years. This year, North’s jazz band was taught by clinician Regi- nald “Reggie” Thomas, The Director of Jazz Studies at Northern Illinois University. He worked with the group for an hour, offering as much in- sight as he could. Mr. Thaldorf says it’s important that we gain an

jazz band and many other jazz loving students. Students and members of the community were able to listen to many performances, Lawrence’s Jazz Combos played and the Storms/Nocturnes Trio head- lined the weekend with a per- formance in the Lawrence Chapel. The legacy left by Fred Sturm affects the teen- agers of this community in a positive way.

By Henry Ptacek Coach buses unload stu- dents from high schools across Wisconsin, musicians pull out their trumpets, and drummers unload their cym- bals. The scene was set early on a rainy morning; a day full of jazz and learning. The Fred Sturm Jazz Celebra- tion Weekend is a memory of Fred Sturm, a renowned jazz composer and musician who taught at Lawrence Uni- versity. The weekend brings in clinicians from respected colleges around the Midwest to teach young jazz musi- cians. This year, just like past years, Appleton North’s top jazz band took part in the clinic to learn and gain any and all they could. Fred Sturm, former stu- dent at Lawrence University, created Lawrence’s ¿ rst jazz band as a 19-year-old sopho- Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend

Reginald Thomas singing to teach the band about phrasing. Photo by Karen Cain.

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