NOCTILUCA September 2016

OPINIONS Appleton, Wisconsin September 2016 Volume XXII

Issue I Page 4

Society restricts self-discovery among youth

Noctiluca Mission Statement The Noctiluca and north noct.com are the student-run news sources of Appleton North High School. Noctiluca and northnoct.com are desig- nated 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 designated public forum for free and responsible expression of views. The newspaper and website welcome diversity of scope, depth and breadth of coverage in order to heighten mutual understanding and awareness through our entire community. Appleton North High School 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 Nora Ptacek Junior Editor-In-Chief Jake Zajkowski Managing Editor Kate Bennett News Editor Ally Price Opinions Editor Maeve Salm Features Editor Trinity Olson Centerspread Editor Salma Abdel-Azim Sports Editor Maddie Clark Photography Editor Olivia Molter Digital Photography/ Multimedia Editor Adison Cole Copy Editor Fatima Ali Advertising/Social Media Rachel Sina Graphics Editor Henry Ptacek Online Editor Kate Bennett Investigative Editor Erik Bakken Advisor Mr. Ramponi Contributors Salma Abdel-Azim Fatima Ali Yasmeen Ashour Culture Editor Maddy Schilling

By Maeve Salm

they intend to pursue. These unnecessary pressures placed on teenagers hinder exploration of alternative academic fields. It is imperative that we, as a society, stop demanding that the youth comprehend the world we live in before they obtain the opportunity to ex- plore it. Instead, we should encourage discussions that as- sist children in developing their personal interests. Questions posed around their favorite as- pects of each subject presented in school, their top ten occupa- tional interests and why they are appealing to them and how they hope to accomplish the greatest amount of exploration possible. All people are inher- ently curious; the latter means of discussion serves to stimu- late curiosity in adventurous youth. Ultimately, we need to be conscientious of childhood de- velopment. In order to foster generations with great creativ- ity and passion for their occu- pations, we need to ensure that we do not force careers upon our children. As an esteemed neurosurgeon once told me, do not restrict yourself on occupa- tional interests before you have to. junk food, it’s important that we really watch what we are eating as the year progresses. With all of the homework and after school activities, it can be easy for our sleep schedules to gradually di- gress. We stay up later and later to get everything done, and then we are tired the next day making us less productive and forcing us to stay up even later the next evening. Ac- cording to the National Sleep Foundation, students that do not get eight to ten hours of sleep a night are more prone to irritability, inability to focus, weight gain, and illness. It is key that we are setting a strict bedtime throughout the year to ensure we are getting enough sleep, and that we realize our health is more important than our homework. As we are getting back into our school year routine, it can be easy for us to forget about our healthy summer habits during this busy time. How- ever, it is absolutely essential that we all make time in our schedules for exercise, bal- anced eating, and eight to ten hours of sleep each night in or- der to stay happy and healthy all throughout the year.

What is one of the first questions an adult would ask you when you were little? You guessed it: what do you want to be when you grow up? Most children answer with exclama- tions of “a professional ath- lete!” or “an astronaut, they get to explore space!” But have we, as a society, taken the time to reflect upon how we restrict academic or interest-related exploration when we expect le- gitimate responses from kids? Many argue that asking children questions about their ideal future occupation encour- ages them to explore career op- tions. Instead of feeling bound by academic focuses related to career fields, children will feel inclined to find practical occu- pations that they would enjoy pursuing. But most schools provide personality tests that match kids with occupations that fit their interests and work habits, which do not require kids to perform extensive re- search about matched jobs. As convenient as this sounds, most students would not even consider occupations provided by these tests that did not align with their ideal career paths. They simply found jobs that When we think of summer, many of us automatically picture outdoor activities. Whether that be swimming on a beach, riding a bike down a sunny path, or hiking through a beautiful terrain, physical activities undoubtedly domi- nate our perception of sum- mer. With all of this time to do whatever we want, many de- cide to make healthier choices during summer vacation, in- cluding more frequent exer- cise routines, better thought- out meal plans, and regular By Kate Bennett

Children are often overwhelmed by high expectations of their futures. Illustration by Olivia Molter

reer paths prior to entering college, and those who know what they want to pursue are looked highly upon by adults and are presented with oppor- tunities in their desired field in high school. This allows them to present universities with ré- sumés that will improve their chances of acceptance. Ac- cording to research published by Chau-Kiu Cheung, Hoi Yan Cheung and Joseph Wu from the City University of Hong Kong and the University of Ma- cau, students are more success- ful and less stressed in college when they have better career preparation. This concept adds to the idea that undergraduates should have an idea of what tant for us to keep up on our daily health routines. Accord- ing to a study done by the Na- tional Association for Sport and Physical Education, only one in three people under the age of 18 are physically ac- tive everyday. This shockingly low statistic demonstrates how many students allow activity to fall by the wayside during the school year. As easy as it is to let our health get away from us dur- ing the school year, it is in- credibly important that we continue to take care of our- selves. For teenagers, daily exercise is a key component to managing weight, maintaining bone mass, increasing muscle definition, decreasing stress, and battling mood swings and depression. It is important that we make time in our schedule to keep up our exercise rou- tines all throughout the year. Along with daily exercise, a well balanced diet is key to staying healthy throughout the year. By eating a variety of things from all of the differ- ent food groups, students can see improvements in mood, weight, energy levels, and even grades. While it may be easy to slip into the routine of eating

fit with their preconceived careers. Instead of exploring newfound fields, childhood dreams of occupations, such as medicine and engineering, re- mained in the forefront of their minds. Students remained ada- mant in pursuing careers that they had previously established would be enjoyable, reflecting upon their responses to adults interrogating them about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Another societal restric- tion on self-discovery revolves around stigma placed upon teenagers applying to univer- sities. There is an enormous emphasis placed upon students deciding their majors and ca- sleep schedule. However, as soon as Sept. 1 hits, it all suddenly falls away. We all want to think that we will keep up with our health routine when the school year starts up again, but it always seems to slip away as we get busier and busier. Suddenly, that fresh salad becomes a burger you picked up on your way to practice, those bike rides are discarded for study sessions, and your eight hours of sleep is cut each night by homework. As our time is stretched thinner and thinner, it becomes even more impor-

Advice for maintaining a healthy lifestyle all year

Erik Bakken Kate Bennett Maddie Clark Silvia Knighten Olivia Molter Trinity Olson Sophie Plzak Ally Price Henry Ptacek Nora Ptacek Maeve Salm Maddy Schilling Jake Zajkowski

Only one in every three children are physically active every day. Illustration by Henry Ptacek