N rsestar Parkway North High School

Volume 50, Issue 2, November 5, 201212860 Fee Fee Rd. St. Louis, MO 63146

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Features November 5, 2012Parkway North High School2

Every fall, North High School students who are involved in choir and orchestra are given the opportunity to try out for what has come to be known as “All-Suburban” groups.

These organizations are essentially honors music groups including some of the best high school musicians in the Saint Louis metro area.

“We have fifteen students that are try-ing out and North should have a great show-ing,” said North High Orchestra teacher Ken Rapini.

Being a part of the All-Suburban or-chestra or choir allows another avenue for the most musically-inclined students to im-prove their skills and gain experience in a larger-scale setting.

“Audition orchestra is made up of all the best players from the [Saint Louis] subur-ban area,” Rapini said. “This is a good oppor-tunity because potentially on an application this can be helpful.”

To become a member of the All-Subur-ban orchestra, musicians must first try out in an individual audition setting and get chosen by the panel of trained judges.

“Any student who wants to get in it has to [also] do an outside orchestra program,” said sophomore Oliver Johnson.

To get the chance to choice the All-Sub-urban choir, North students must audition

for choir teachers Brian Reeves and Emily Matthews before going into the official audi-tion.

“[The students] prepare a solo and sight read for Mrs. Matthews and I,” Reeves ex-plained. “They practice with us and do it for an independent judge.”

The experience gained by being in a group consisting of all musically-driven stu-dents is very similar to groups these students will have the opportunity to join at their re-spective college or university in the future.

“It gives them the opportunity to make music on an even higher level than they’re used to around other superior musicians,” Reeves said.

The auditions for the orchestra group took place on the first Monday of Novem-ber and soon the students who tried out will learn of their results.

The students who auditioned for the choir have already learned of their results and the thirty-two students chosen from North have started preparations for their up-coming concerts.

“Anyone can try out and audition,” Rap-ini said, although in most cases only the top musicians in the school are sent.

On top of being in All-Suburban or-chestra and choir, students can also have the opportunity of being chosen for the respec-tive All-State group.

“We should have five or six All-State players [this year], and that is great for any school,” Rapini said.

For students not interested in audition-ing for either of their advanced groups, the practices and concerts that come with being a part of orchestra or choir at Parkway North allow lots of room for musical growth in stu-dents. The groups perform at several differ-ent events each school year besides hosting concerts showcasing the music they have been working on.

“[Every year], there are always new people and new pieces in orchestra,” said sophomore Ellen Wang.

Kevin Graeler, Gianna Sparks, Ian Brown, Emily Ladig

The school orchestra hosted their annu-al fall concert on Oct. 17 in the upper gym at Parkway North, featuring all three orchestra group at the school: Symphonic orchestra, Orchestra One, and Orchestra Two. The next event that will be put on is the winter concert which will take place in the same location on Dec. 4th at 7:00 p.m.

The choir had their fall concert on the evening of Oct. 3 at Parkway North. The win-ter concert will take place on Dec. 11 in the main gym at 7:00 p.m.

Students Audition For All-Suburban Groups

Students from the 40 large suburban high schools gather to rehearse music for their upcom-ing concerts. Some of the schools include Parkway North, Pattonville, Mehlville, and Park-way Central. These students were selected individually based on a solo audition.

Photo by Emily Lad

ig

3first lookNovember 5, 2012Parkway North High School

Norsestar StaffKevin Graeler ...Editor in ChiefEmily McCarter ...Editor in ChiefJocelyn Treadway ...Design EditorMary-Kate Mudd ...Business ManagerBrandon Fredman ...Online EditorIan Brown ...News EditorSteven Chaffin ...Opinions & Entertainment Editor

Molly Thal ...Centerspread EditorAurora Wrancher ...Features EditorRichard Reynolds ...Sports EditorStaff Writers and Photographers ...Katryn Dobkin ...Jamie Powell ...Jonathan Herzog ...Taylor Weiss ...Emily Ladig ...Gianna Sparks

Tracy Silvagnoli...Sponsor

Norsestar Policy Norsestar encourages students, teachers, parents, administratorsand other readers to publish their opinion in the form of a letter to the editor. However, due to space limitations,not all letters can be published. Any student or faculty member may submit an article or photo to the Norsestar by placing the item in the mailbox in the library or by giving to a staff member. Letters must be signed; no anonymous articles will appear in the newspaper. Norsestar will accept any letter submitted regardless of whether or not the staff agrees with its opinion, unless the mate-rial presented is libelous, promotes illegal activities, or is deemed in poor taste by the editorial board. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for length or clarification.

National Honor Society Inducts Thirty-six New Members into North Chapter

Jonathan Herzog

Staff Writer

The Parkway North chapter of the National Honor Society inducted its new members in North’s theater on Oct. 9. The National Honor Society, or NHS, has a mission statement of academic and social excellence.

“The purpose of the organization is service, so that takes the form of tutoring in school and service in the community. [We also have] projects like the car wash, the blood drive, and fund raising,” said social studies teacher Scott Nilsen, who sponsors the organization.

The National Honor Society inducts new members every Fall, with juniors and seniors being eligible. In order to become a member, students are required to maintain at least a 3.75 GPA, fill out an application with their accomplishments, and write an essay about why they desire to be in the organization. They then have to be chosen by the sponsors.

“In the Spring, we send out an e-mail to all people who could potentially get in. Then, applications are due in August of the next year. The [application review] committee takes about a month or so to review applications, and successful applicants are notified by letter,” Nilsen explained.

Junior Sorena Krojanker was a new inductee this year and compiled a portfolio of accomplishments for the application including being part of the A+ Program, playing on the varsity girls’ volleyball team, and volunteering at the St. Charles Humane Society.

“The NHS application process is very comprehensive because it really reflects on everything you’ve done up to this point. [You should] really be proud of everything you’ve done and everyone you’ve helped, and other people who have helped you,” said junior Sorena Krojanker.

On Oct. 9, Krojanker and her fellow inductees were treated to music by North High’s Symphonic Chamber Ensemble, and

English teacher Debbie Banashek-Twist reads aloud a list of inductees at the National Honors Society banquet on Oct.9. Junior Leigh-Ann Calotes signs the ledger to officially register her as a member.

speeches by Dr. Marquart and the NHS board members.

Then, the inductees were called up individually as a list of their accomplishments were read. Each student signed a ledger and was presented with a pin denoting their membership. Finally, all the new members made the pledge to uphold NHS’ mission of excellence.

“It’s a relief I got accepted since this is my last year to be accepted, and I think it’s an accomplishment because I do represent those outstanding attributes that they look for,” said senior Richard Ngo-Lam. “[I joined NHS] because I wanted to add something to my resume…and I wanted to become more

involved in the school community, and NHS is a great opportunity to do so.”

After the induction, new members, old members, and their families were treated to refreshments. New members and old members mingled and discussed what they had experienced as part of NHS in the past and what to expect for this year.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to meet a lot of other kids who are part of NHS…who are really similar to me,” Krojanker said.

National Honor Society prides themself in choosing top-notch students at Parkway North to represent the program well.

“I like how NHS is full of such responsible students who are able to represent , not only

North, but also the greater community and shed such a positive light on North,” said Krojanker.

These events not only help the school and community but also set an example for the students as well as the rest of the community to follow.

“I think it is cool that there is a society dedicated to setting an example for the school and being a good student,” said junior Alyssa LaFever.

The National Honor Society is already planning several events for the coming year. New members can look forward to the blood drive and volunteering at several other school-sponsored events.

Photo by Jonathan Herzog

4 News November 5, 2012Parkway North High School

North Students Compete in Poetry Out Loud; Winner to Move on to Regional Competition

Gianna Sparks

Staff Writer

On Oct. 23, 2012, ten students competed in the first of five rounds of the national Poetry Out Loud competition, a competition involves high schools across the country that encourages students to learn about classic literature and poetry through recitation.

“[Poetry performance] fosters an appreciation for poetic verse. Poetry is about rhythm and ideas,” said English teacher Megan McCorkle.

In the spring of 2006, after a successful trial run of the program, Poetry Out Loud was launched in high schools nationwide. The number of students who participate has grown every year from about 10,000 students in 2006 to approximately 365,000 students participating last school year in schools from around the United States.

“[As you go on in Poetry Out Loud], you [compete with] really good competitors and really good performers,” said McCorkle.

The Poetry Out Loud contest consists of several rounds. At Parkway North,

the competition started with a classroom recitation of one poem that determined the five finalists at the school. This year, freshman Melanie Brucker, junior Milo Brucker, sophomore Sara Gloyd, senior Andrew Stock, and junior Toryn Walton all made it past the first round and will be competing in the school-wide competition in January where they will need to memorize and perform two poems.

“The next round of competition is in the evening, and you have to memorize two poems: one of which is pre-twentieth century and one that is less than twenty-five lines,” said Melanie Brucker.

One student from North will then go on to the Regional competition in February of 2013, which is followed by a State recitation in Jefferson City on March 13 and 14. The winner will go on to the National Competition in Washington D.C. on April 29 and 30, where he or she might receive a $20,000 scholarship.

“[The purpose of Poetry Out Loud] is to help students find poems that they enjoy. Sometimes, kids read poems just because they’re forced to,” said English teacher Melissa Pomerantz.

The competition was founded with the mission to get students interested in poetry and to foster an appreciation for it. Through the competition, the program helps students become more comfortable with public speaking and become more confident with performing in front of a crowd.

“I think that one should have as many windows into the world as possible, and poetry is a great way to get that window,” said Stock, who is participating in the contest this year.

The competition is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, an independent agency which has awarded over $4 million to support artistic excellence, creativity and innovation. In addition, The Poetry Foundation, a program that is committed to celebrating poetry, raising it to a more influential position and presenting poetry to others, is also a partner of the competition.

Contestants are allowed to choose a

poem from either the online or hard copy of the anthology, which contains over 650 poems.

“[I chose] ‘Hope’ is the Thing with Feathers because I think the poem is really pretty and a good poem to start out with,” said Melanie Brucker.

In addition to this, certain poems are retired each year to encourage students to try different poems and not stick with the same ones. Following the school-wide round of competition, contestants must pick three poems, one with less than 25 lines and one written before the 20th century, to recite.

“[I recommend] that students have a strong understanding for theme, diction, appreciation, and rhythm [along with] a strong connection to the poem. Pick poems that mean something to you,” said McCorkle.

Contestants are graded on their physical presence, eye contact, body language, and poise; voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness and level of difficulty. In addition, students are also graded on their accuracy, evidence of understanding, and overall effectiveness of the performance.

Besides the $20,000 scholarship awarded to the national winner, several smaller monetary prizes are awarded as well. These include a $200 prize along with an

all-expense paid trip for the student and one chaperone at the State level. Runner-ups at the State level also win a $100 cash prize with $200 offered for their school.

“[Poetry] is a great way to express yourself and your feelings,” said Brucker, “[Performing poetry] takes a lot of confidence. You have just got to put yourself out there.”

Senior Andrew Stock competes on Oct. 23 in the preliminary round at Parkway North. He, along with 4 other students, will be competing in the school wide competition on Jan. 15.

Photo by Ian Brown

Senior Amy Dion showed emotion when she competed in the preliminary Poetry Out Loud competition at North.

Photo by Ian Brown

Photo by Ian Brown

5OpinionsNovember 5, 2012Parkway North High School

In the 2011-2012 school year, Parkway North Principal Dr. Jenny Marquart, along with her faculty, implemented a procedural change for academic lab in order to improve student success and productivity. At the beginning 2012-2013 school year, Marquart further fine-tuned last year’s changes. The biggest change most stu-dents notice is that all students must write S.M.A.R.T. goals in their planner every six weeks. Also, at the beginning of each lab, students must write short term goals before traveling. In addition, directed travel proce-dures for students struggling academically were also revised. This further ensures that students get the help they need. While these changes may pose an inconvenience to some students, these changes are necessary for student success. “We started [the changes] last year,” said Marquart. “We noticed there were lots of kids failing classes, and they were often the same kids failing classes. We needed to fig-ure out why those kids continued to fail, and we need to figure a way to prevent them from failing.” One major revision this year is directed travel. Last year, students earning a failing grade in any class were mandated to travel to the commons for an intervention. However, because far more students were struggling than the school expected, the procedures were revised to ensure all students had ac-cess to these intervention programs. “We still have kids come down to the commons if the administrator feels that is the best place to go during academic lab,” said

Marquart. “[This year], we also wanted kids to go see teachers if they needed extra help with teachers.” Last year’s intervention program was a one-size-fits-all approach. Now, that teach-ers have a say in what interventions are necessary for students, students can get the help they need to succeed. Students who are failing may be required to see a specific teacher during lab to receive help. “I direct students to come see me when I see that a student has trouble with a par-ticular area in Spanish or to make up work,” said Spanish teacher Maureen Ruiz Del Ar-bol, who says she generally does not direct students to the commons. However, many students who are doing well in classes will find they have more op-tions this year. For instance, the lower com-mons will be opened up as a collaborative work space instead of a work space only for students who are struggling while the upper commons will be reserved for students who are struggling. “[Students have an] option to go [to the theatre] if they need a quiet study place. We wanted [students to have the] option if they want to work with somebody else [in the lower commons], which we call collaborative study,” said Marquart. “We also offer classes about study skills, note taking skills, organi-zation skills.” The most noticeable change this year is the requirement of setting SMART goals. Every six weeks students must create a long term goal, and at the beginning of each lab, students must create short terms goals for that lab. “Goals are important so students, and people in general, know what they are work-ing towards,” said Ruiz Del Arbol . “It’s im-portant for people to know what they want,

so they can identify action steps needed to be taken to achieve that goal.” According to Norsestar’s October poll, which asked students’ opinion on the chang-es to academic lab this year, eighty-five per-cent of participants disagree with the chang-es, while only fifteen-percent would like to see them remain throughout the year. One of the biggest reasons for this is the students feel they are losing their freedom and the procedures are just busy work. While writing goals may seem like busy work, it really does work. When a person actually writes down a goal, they are much more likely to follow through with it, and if they get distracted, having a written remind-er makes it easier to refocus.

“The goal-setting is very helpful. I used to have trouble prioritizing my goals, but now I’m forced to decide what I want to get done,” said junior Alyssa Paul. Another complaint is that students are limited to go to three places. “I’m not too fond of only being able to travel to three places. It makes it hard for students who manage their time to get as [a lot done],“ said Paul. While these changes may pose a slight inconvenience, it does help students stay fo-cused. If students actually take goal setting seriously and follow the lab procedures, they will notice their lab times are more produc-tive and their academic performance will im-prove.

Brandon Fredman

Online Editor

Taylor WeissStaff Writer

After Michelle Obama announced her plan for healthier school lunch programs, school lunches are being viewed in a new light. The USDA is guiding schools on preparing healthier meals for the students. As more people are affected by this new program, there is a newfound awareness for the health of, not only the students, but people everywhere in the United States. “I think the new program is really good because it is helping students eat healthier at school,” said cafeteria manager Peggy Mitchell. “I think the basic idea of them [the new guidelines] will help students.” As a result of the new health program, North is now serving smaller portions, along with more fruits and vegetables and whole grain. While this is a step in the right direction, the school still needs better options because many vegetarian students struggle to feel full after a lunch from school. “I never buy lunch from school because I don’t think there are any options for me,” said senior Nick Piazza, who has been a vegetarian for about four and half years. “I would love to see better salads, falafel, or even a juice bar.” While there are students who never eat lunch at school, there are some who do but

would like to see better options. “I usually try to eat lunches at school, but I feel like there could be more choices added to the menu. I’d like to see quinoa, legumes, and maybe rice,” said senior Kailey LaClare. “I occasionally eat school lunches, but only when the food looks good. I don’t eat it otherwise because it doesn’t look healthy or

fresh,” said junior Kara Jacobson. “I think they need to serve foods with substantial protein available. Veggie burgers are easy, cheap, and super yummy!” A couple of teachers at North are also vegetarians and vegans who do not eat school lunches because of the lack of options. “I’ve been a vegetarian for about twenty-five years, and I choose not to eat lunch from

Lab Changes Provide Productive Solutions

Vegetarian Students Ask for Healthier Alternativesschool because it seems to me that they don’t have options. It also feels healthier for me to bring a lunch from home on a daily basis,” said English teacher Wendy Surinsky. Numerous students agree that there are choices that could be added to the lunch lines to feed students who don’t eat meat. It is easier for students who eat meat to find options at lunch than students that do not. “It is hard for me to say if there are enough choices or not because I don’t know what is considered vegetarian; but I feel like there aren’t enough options,” said Dr. Marquart. “I would like to see the students meet with the cafeteria managers to figure out what could be done.” Peggy Mitchell, Parkway North’s cafeteria manager, is more than willing to meet with students to come up with some better options to be served at lunch. “North’s food options have changed a lot but because of the guidelines, we have a lot of restrictions,” said Mitchell. “But we are more than willing to listen to ideas and see what we can do.” North tries to be open to all kinds of diversity, but food diversity is harder to cover. By talking to students to find out what they like, it should not be hard to find food choices that everyone will enjoy. Whether it be an upgraded salad bar or a Qdoba-type burrito bar, the lunch lines will hopefully at some point be pleasing to all the students at North.

The sandwich bar provides many healthy options for students and staff. Many vegan and vegetarian students and teachers also take full advantage of North’s salad bar, which offers a variety of fruits and vegetables to students looking for a healthy lunch. The salad bar area also features a soup du jour, which is usually a vegetarian soup such as Tomato Bisque.

Photo by Taylor Weiss

15%

85%

Students Weigh In:

Yes

No

Do you approve of the academic lab changes implemented this year?

yes (50 students)no (276 students)

November 5, 2012Parkway North High School6 Entertainment

British Pop Culture Re-Emerges at North High

Top Picks: New, Sequel Films Invade This Fall

Over the past few years, British bands, such as The Wanted and One Direction, have become more popular in the United States. British artists are a welcomed change from familiar American artists, bringing different styles to the U.S. in both fashion and music.

“I think it’s good to hear new, refreshing, and classy music, as opposed to people like Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry,” said junior Chancey Bloodworth.

Students like British music because it’s different from what they would usually hear from American artists. Most people are tired of hearing the same things from the same artists all the time. With the British artists, it’s different music from different artists.

“I like British music because the music in America is so overrated and mainstream,” said junior Ashley Mayuga. “I like listening to it because it’s not overplayed.”

Two British boy bands that have recently become popular are The Wanted and One Direction. The bands are extremely different from each other in many ways, including the way they dress and their style of music. One thing that the two have in common are the fact that they’re very popular, especially in among American teenagers.

“My favorite British band is One Direction because they have great voices and they’re very good looking,” said Bloodworth.

Not everything about the British invasion is positive, though. The fans of these groups can often be brutal and very exclusive. With musical groups such as One Direction, their fans separate themselves into groups called fandoms. They call themselves “Directioners”, and if a fan doesn’t live up to their standards of what a Directioner should be, the other fans exclude that fan from being part of the fandom.

These fandoms can be a major turn-off for fans simply looking to enjoy the band’s music and aren’t interested in meeting the standards of a fandom.

“I think it’s annoying when people say that you’re not a real fan because you became a fan later,” said Mayuga.

People also like British artists because there are qualities about them that are seen as more attractive than American artists. Their accent is one thing that draws people in. The way they dress is another thing that people find appealing about them.

“I think it’s cool because people are

discovering new things. But I don’t like how people claim to have known them first and that they like them more than everyone else,” said junior Taryn King.

British music from artists like Elvis, Chuck Berry, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, and Billy Joel is becoming increasingly preferred by students over today’s mainstream American artists. In the past, British artists like the Beatles, Sex Pistols, David Bowie, and the Rolling Stones were widely popular, and much of their music is still enjoyed by teens and adults today.

“I like Ed Sheeran’s music because he gives me hope that all guys are not the same. He has lyrics about the simplicity of falling in love and it’s refreshing ,” said Bloodworth.

The re-emergence of British pop culture in the sphere of American music is part of a larger, long-term emergence of British culture in the country. The hit television show The Office, for example, is an variation of a British show of the same name, bringing the British sense of humor to mainstream media. Moreover, the widely popular Harry Potter films were inspired by British novelist J.K. Rowling. With British culture already so prominent in American life beginning in the 1960s until now, it’ll be interesting to see how it makes its way into American culture in the years to come.

Aurora Wrancher

Features Editor

The month of November will be a month to remember for many moviegoers. With new releases such as Lincoln, To Kill a Mockingbird, Skyfall and Breaking Dawn: Part 2, November will prove to be a month of movie madness.

With the amount of movies coming out, some will prove to be better than others. To Kill a Mockingbird, Lincoln, Skyfall and Breaking Dawn Part 2 are some movies that are thought to fare better than the others this year.

“I want to see Lincoln because I love history and love Daniel Day-Lewis,” said senior Math teacher Kyle Escontrias.

People will be able to decide from a wide variety of movies, choosing the ones that fit their favorite genre of movies.

To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel written by Harper Lee, will make its way back from the book shelves in the libraries to the big screens in theaters on Nov. 15, 2012. To Kill a Mockingbird has already been in theaters, but will make another appearance in theaters to celebrate its 50 year anniversary since its initial release in 1962.

The film takes place in the 1930’s following Atticus Finch, a lawyer going against the norm of society, through a biased court case of an African American man, named Tom Robinson and the conflicts it causes for Atticus.

Some students are skeptical to whether the movie is similar to the book, as many movies based off of books tend to make subtle changes that upset fans of the book.

“It will downplay the book and leave most details out,” said senior Mackenzie Johnson.

The cast of To Kill a Mockingbird have won three awards for best actor and an award for best female actor in a supporting role. With these credentials many people are waiting to see the movie.

“I’m looking forward to see who the cast is,” said Mackenzie.

The movie Lincoln, with a plot that takes place during the Civil War, will make its debut in theaters after this election season on Nov. 16, 2012.

The movie follows former President Lincoln during his presidency and examines the struggles he faced while in office during the Civil War. This isn’t the average historical biography though; this movie takes the viewer into the action behind the scenes of President Lincoln’s Presidency.

“I’m looking forward to the action,” said freshman Alec Morozorich.

This movie holds action and suspense and, depending on if someone likes this genre of movies, will have people on the edge of their seats.

“To me, it will be thrilling and entertaining,” said Morozorich.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, this movie will probably be compared to some of his other famous works like Jaws, Close Encounter of a Third Kind, E. T., and Jurassic Park.

Breaking Dawn: Part 2, the next installment of The Twilight Saga, will fly its way into theaters on Nov. 16, 2012 to complete the critically acclaimed series.

The final movie in the Twilight series, the film will follow Bella and Edward as they face a new challenge of protecting their newborn child, Renesmee.

The biggest thing, for those following the series is seeing how they continue the plot and to see if anything has changed.

“I’m looking forward to see how they depict what happened in the books into the movie,” said senior Erica Roux.

Breaking Dawn: Part 2 is estimated to bring in seven million dollars in revenue during its premiere. The other four movies in the series, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn: Part 1, have proven to be successful in the box office having brought in over one billion dollars of revenue in just the United States alone, with even more coming from Europe. Soon they’ll find out whether or not Breaking Dawn: Part 2 will do well in theaters.

“I think it will do well because the first movies got a lot of viewers,” said Roux.

Skfall, the 23rd James Bond movie, will be in North America theaters on Nov. 9 but has already grossed $77.7 million in its international debut, and has a massive, loyal fan base that will surely be found at

the theaters on opening night. Students looking for an evening of action-packed entertainment should attend this film.

“James Bond is pretty good series. I haven’t seen all the movies but the ones I have seen are pretty cool. The trailers for Skyfall are interesting; I might go see it,” said senior Alex Imm.

Daniel Craig will once again be playing James Bond who investigates an attack on MI6 in this film.

This film coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Bond film franchise. Dr. No, the first film, was released in 1962

The month of November certainly seems to be promising for the whole range of movie-goers, with a variety of quality movies coming, or returning, to the big screen.

The British pop band One Direction (from Left to Right): Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik)is one of the latest bands to make it big in American.

The Wanted band (from left to right: Nathan Sykes, Tom Parker, Siva Kaneswaran, Max George, Jay McGuiness) has become popu-lar during the past few years.

Richard Reynolds

Sports Editor

7November 5, 2012Parkway North High School Entertainment

2012’s Top Three Smartphones Battle for SalesSteven Chaffin

Entertainment & Opinion Editor

Released on Sept. 21, 2012, Apple’s latest device, the iPhone 5, is arguably the most highly anticipated smartphones to date, selling over two million units within twenty-four hours.

Despite its widespread success, many undecided consumers are having trouble determining whether or not the iPhone 5 is worth the price tag (16GB, $199; 32GB $299; 64GB, $399). With the iPhone 4S celebrating its first birthday, it’s hard to imagine that any substantial changes have been made that make it worth the additional cost. That said, the iPhone 5 does offer a wide variety of new features that are worth looking into for anyone searching for a new phone.

“I’d consider buying the new iPhone 5 because of the larger screen and the faster 4G internet,” said senior David Vogan.

The biggest hardware change offered by the iPhone 5 is the taller, but not wider, screen, which is intended to make for a more pleasurable movie-watching experience and to provide additional room for browsing a web page. Other hardware changes include the new A6 chip, making the iPhone faster than its predecessor; and a new 8-megapixel camera all packed into a lighter, thinner device. Hardware aside, the iPhone 5 also features a new operating system.

“I see iOS 6 as an improvement because it makes Siri much more useful and the Facebook integration is convenient, although the new Maps application is a step backward from Google Maps,” said Vogan.

iOS 6, which was released on Sept. 19, 2012 for the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S, offers a lot to consumers for no additional cost: the new Passbook app that strives to turn the smartphone into a virtual wallet; the new “Panorama photo” mode; Facebook integration; a more functional Siri;

and a variety of improvements to existing applications like the App Store and Music.

“I like [the iPhone 5] because it’s a solid improvement over the previous iPhones and offers new features that make it a solid purchase,” said Vogan.

The iPhone 5 is undoubtedly an improvement over its predecessors. With a new operating system and an array of hardware improvements, it is more functional than the iPhone 4S across the board. But the iPhone 5 is still an iPhone, meaning the inevitable restriction of customization and less third-party applications. Students who have owned and enjoyed previous models of the iPhone will certainly love Apple’s iPhone 5, and those who have disliked it will find greater promise in its biggest competitors: the Samsung Galaxy SIII and Windows Phone 8.

Samsung’s Galaxy SIII, released to 145 countries on May 29, 2012, featuring Android’s newest Jelly Bean operating system, still outdoes much of its competition in terms of hardware specifications.

Following Samsung’s trend of larger but manageably sized screens, the Galaxy SIII yields a 4.8-inch screen. The SIII breaks away from its predecessors with a slimmer, smoother design than its more rigid than Samsung’s earlier smartphones.

“The Galaxy SIII is much better for watching movies and videos than other phones,” said freshman Lucas Paul.

The SIII’s HD AMOLED screen makes for a much-improved viewing experience, making Samsung’s latest smartphone the best on the market for students who spend much of their time on YouTube or Netflix. Moreover, the smartphone offers a quick, high-quality 8-megapixel camera, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of memory with a price tag of $199 that’s on par with its competition.

“The Galaxy SIII hardware and software are…the only pieces of technology in the market right now that have the capabilities of competing with Apple and their products,” said senior Shrey Patel.

On the software front, Jelly Bean brings several new features to the table while making the entire Android experience more seamless. Smart widgets, which automatically organize themselves to allow room for more apps; improved NFC (near-field communication); more expansive Google Voice; smart app updates which make updating applications more efficient and less timely; and rich push notifications which allow users to interact with notifications directly are just some of said improvements and changes.

“I find the Jelly Bean 4.1 to be a better software system when compared to the Apple OS because [it] enables the user to perform much more in terms of productivity. All in all, there is a sense of openness with the Jelly Bean software that is not found in Apple,” said Patel.

In its entirety, the Samsung Galaxy SIII is an excellent substitute for students who prefer the larger screen and the customization of Android to Apple’s iPhone.

Lumia 92O Nokia’s newest smartphone, the Nokia

Lumia 920, was announced Sept. 5, 2012, and will be released later this year, featuring Microsoft’s newest smartphone operating system, Windows Phone 8. The Lumia 920 is a surprisingly viable alternative to the hyped Samsung Galaxy SIII and iPhone 5, with a price tag of $199.99-249.99 for the 32 GB model.

“[Microsoft] is on the right path. Everyone is moving toward mobile computing. [In late September, Microsoft] announced that they’re changing their company philosophy. They’re starting to [refocus] their efforts and become more like Apple,” said Robotics teacher Brad Ziegler.

The Lumia 920 does not have the same amount of publicity as its competition, but

that does not mean it is not on par with it. Because the smartphone is now used for playing games, watching movies, surfing the web, reading books, and much more, consumers have been opting towards larger screens. The Lumia outdoes its competition with a 4.5” screen, outsizing both the smaller iPhone 5 and considerably larger Galaxy SIII. Additionally, the phone has 1 GB of RAM (the same as the iPhone 5 and half that of the SIII) and a 8.7 megapixel camera that outperforms its rivals. The most publicized portion of the 920, however, is its operating system, Windows Phone 8, which hopes to tie all Microsoft together.

“By releasing Windows Phone 8, Microsoft is trying to put itself back in ‘the big shoes’. At this stage in the technology game, connectivity is crucial for the survival of technology corporations. People today expect greater connectivity than what is offered in the current market, and this expectancy has put much pressure on companies to produce devices with more connectivity related options,” said senior Shrey Patel.

Connectivity between devices has become increasingly important in the tech industry. Apple responded with iCloud, making it easy to switch between devices without losing any data. Android has become more integrated with Google, meaning almost everything users have saved to the web is readily available to them on their smartphone. Microsoft is looking to take Apple’s efforts one step further by making everything available to Windows 8 users on computers available to Windows Phone 8 users on their smartphones.

“For Microsoft specifically, the Windows 8 move is a gaming changing move. For the past 15 years, Microsoft has dominated in the PC market but they lagged behind on the mobile and entertainment OS,” said Patel.

The Nokia Lumia 920, with surprisingly good specifications and Microsoft’s most promising operating system yet, it is a great choice for students looking to break away from Apple and Android, and who are planning to upgrade their computers to Microsof’t’s new Windows 8.

Specifications:Operating System: iOS 6 Screen Size: 4-inchesMemory: 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GBMemory Upgrade: NoCamera (back):8-megapixelCamera (front):1.2-megapixelInternet:4G LTE

Specifications:Operating System: Jelly Bean 4.1Screen Size: 4.8-inchesMemory:16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GBMemory Upgrade:Yes. Up to 64 GBCamera (back):8-megapixelCamera (front):1.9-megapixelInternet:4G LTE

Specifications:Operating System: Windows Phone 8Screen Size:4.5-inchesMemory: 32 GBMemory Upgrade:NoCamera (back):8.7-megeapixelCamera (front):1.3-megapixelInternet:4G LTE

CenterspreadNorsestar8 Parkway North High School

November 5, 2012November 5, 2012Parkway North High School 9

“I like fishing a lot.”-Freshman Brent Theby

“I listen to heavy metal.”-Junior Becky Brow

“The way that I talk to people.”-Sophomore James Balaban

“My personality makes me unique.”-Senior Canesha Roy

“The fact that I think I’m so unique.”-Greg Wagener, Freshman Principal

What makes you unique?

Football, baseball, cheerleading, march-ing band, choir. Clubs and activities are a huge part of the high school experience. But with a diverse community, hobbies that North stu-dents have committed to vary more than the popular mainstream school-sponsored clubs and sports.

Most people would run away at the sight of a wild wolf, but senior Lydia Nichols spends most of her free time with several endangered species of wolves and other wild canines, vol-unteering at the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri.

The Endangered Wolf Center (EWC) was founded to help fight against extinction of sev-eral wolf species in North America. The EWC is designed to be a safe haven for wolves to live and breed as well as to educate the community about wolves. For Nichols, working at the EWC is more than just volunteer work, but also a family commitment and unique opportunity.

“[We first got involved with EWC] two years ago when someone came to talk to my mom about it and afterwards, she became in-terested and went to their website to adopt Anna, a Mexican Gray Wolf,” Nichols said. “When you adopt a wolf, you get a free tour

of the sanctuary. Upon going to the tour, my mom fell in love with it and began volunteer-ing there. She would bring me along and I came to love it too. We’ve both been working there since.”

Volunteers do not work with the wolves directly as they are still wild animals, and they can’t become too acclimated to human inter-action in order to return them to the wild. However, there are still many important tasks that volunteers help with.

“Depending on the day, we can be do-ing anything from folding flyers to bleaching crates or raking leaves. We basically ask what needs to be done and help out with that,” Nichols said.

Along with volunteer work, Nichols en-joys spending time with the staff and attend-ing and helping at events at the EWC. With so much time spent at the EWC, Nichols says that the volunteers all become very close-knit.

“[Working at EWC] is a lot of fun and the staff is hilarious,” Nichols said. “We are like one big family.”

While Nichols enjoys helping the wolves, other students and teachers at Parkway North have come to love playing sports. Many stu-dents play popular sports, but some have com-mitted to other lesser-known sports. In high school, senior principal Dr. Karen Calcaterra was not only a figure skater, but competed for the Blade Brigade Syncrhonized Figure Skat-ing Team.

“I was three when I started skating,” Dr. Calcaterra said. “My grandma took me skating and I must have liked it and have been pretty good at it so my parents signed me up for les-sons.”

Synchronized Figure Skating, abbreviat-ed as synchro, is one of the newest disciplines of figure skating. It began when Dr. Richard Porter helped his daughter and her friends find a way to be more involved in skating. The first team, the Hockettes, started as an exhi-bition team performing at half-time shows at hockey games and at ice shows. Over time, other teams formed and the sport grew and became more competitive.

“[I got involved in synchro] when I was in fifth grade and [skated for the Blade Bri-gade] until ninth grade. I had a lot of friends on the team and we traveled the country, go-ing to competitions in different states, and I had a lot of fun,” Dr. Calcaterra said.

As a primarily individual sport, figure skating doesn’t always provide opportunities for skaters to interact with one another in a

Statistics Reveal North Shows Abundance of Ethnic Diversity

Brandon Fredman

Online Editor

One of the primary goals of the Parkway School district is, according to the mission statement, to “recruit, employ, develop and retain an exceptional staff dedicated to and representative of Parkway’s diverse commu-nity.” In no other school within the district is the diversity of students more evident than at Parkway North. Despite already being the most ethni-cally diverse school community in the Park-way district, “in some sense our diversity is increasing, which I think is good for the

school,” said Progress Monitoring Coach Cart-er Snow. Of the 1,480 students currently enrolled at North for the 2012-2013 school year, 41 differ-ent languages were selected as a student’s lan-guage spoken at home when registering prior to their first classes in high school. “When students enroll and speak to the registration, they can select which language they speak most often within their homes,” Snow said. While this does not mean that the students who choose a foreign dialect as their primary language do not also speak English, it creates an atmosphere at North that showcases the dif-

Parkway North is full of many people with many different views and stances on is-sues and religions. Because the backgrounds of students are so diverse, students have grown up in different households with different ideas of what is “morally right.” Sophomore Myra Ekram, who is Islamic, said, “We have a lot of different cultures at PNH, so I find people very accepting and I feel like I don’t stand out as much.” In the Islamic religion, wearing a head-dress, or a Hijab, on a regular basis is a very common thing. For students like Ekram who choose to wear a Hijab on a regular basis, PNH has a very accepting environment. Students at North understand that the wearing of the Hi-jab represents modesty, privacy, and morality, even if they don’t wear one. “Other religions don’t affect me because PNH is tolerant of different beliefs,” said junior McKenna Tucker, who is Christian. Having a Christian background, Tucker has grown up with different morals than those of other students. For example, her back-ground emphasizes the idea of modesty in ev-ery day dress, including sports uniforms. “As a whole PNH is very welcoming, but it depends on who you surround yourself with,” Tucker said, “Teachers and coaches are very re-spectful of my needs religiously; I asked to add an extra inch to my cheer skirt. It was no prob-lem.” North is such an accepting school because

Parkway North Students, Teachers Participate in Unique Extracurriculars

A World of Religion: Parkway North Community Welcomes Varied Beliefs

non-competitive atmosphere. Synchro, on the other hand, combines both the individual skill levels of each skater as well as their ability to cooperate as a unit and skate as a team, which is one reason why synchro has become popular.

“Synchro allowed me to work both indi-vidually on freestyle as well as enjoy skating with a team,” Dr. Calcaterra said.

Synchro teams typically consist of eight to sixteen skaters and they perform several ma-neuvers and formations, making this discipline a mixture of several other branches of skating.

Dr. Calcaterra said, “For synchro, it’s dif-ferent because you have to do a lot of listen-ing and paying attention. It requires a lot of patience and you have to keep up with others so you don’t let anybody from the team down.”

Synchro builds on the team aspect of competitive sports, along with other stream-line athletics. But there are many other diverse hobbies that do not involve athletics. For ex-ample, freshman Clark Vetor has learned how to play a very unique instrument: the ukulele.

“Everyone was learning guitar, piano. I decided to be different and learn something new,” said Vetor.

The ukulele looks like a very small guitar, but it produces a much different sound. The ukulele also only has four strings, as opposed to the standard six strings of an acoustic guitar. Because of the size of this instrument, it is very portable.

“I can just carry it around wherever I go,” said Vetor.

Vetor received the instrument from his father about four years ago. He learned how to play it from tutorials on Youtube and teaching himself the skills.

Parkway North students have some unique ways for them to spend their time, such as volunteering with wolves, learning an inter-esting musical instrument, and dancing on ice.

in the Jewish faith. Most Jewish students miss two days for the High Holidays: Rosh Hasha-na, the Jewish celebration of the new year, and Yom Kippur, the day of repentance. “The teachers are really good about make up work if I miss school for a holiday,” said Leise. “Coming from a private Jewish school, I thought the change would be much harder than it has been moving to a public school. North has been so accepting of holidays and differences we have as a religion.” The school Leise attended for elemen-tary school was a private Jewish school in the St. Louis area called Solomon Schechter Day School. Just like many private schools, all the students are of the same faith, in this case Jew-ish. This means that everyone understands everything about why their peers do what they do pertaining to religion. It can be very hard to transition to a school where not everyone understands you, but Parkway North students and staff make an effort to be welcoming. Be-cause North has so many different religions and affirmations, students of all religions feel welcome. “I feel North is so accepting because there are a lot of other Jewish students and we have many other religions as well. I feel that people accept the diversity,” Leise said. Many students at North aren’t afraid to branch out to other students with faiths differ-ent than their own. Ekram said, “Going to PNH, I feel I am more accepting of other religions because I have met so many people different than me. Most of my friends are from different reli-gions.” With some religions, fasting becomes part of a regular tradition for some holidays. “If I stay after school, I have to pray,” Ekram said. “On some religious holidays, I have to fast at school. I find it easier because we are at a public school.” There are many holidays in the Islamic faith. “My favorite holiday is Eid because your family comes in town,” Ekram said. “We have a lot of fun.” Eid literally translates to “festival.” Eid is designated to remember the trials and tri-umphs of the prophet Abraham. Also during the celebration of Eid, Islamic people sacrifice

an animal, like a sheep, goat, or camel, which is commonly misunderstood by people of outside faiths. This is done as a reminder that life is sacred. In middle school, students in the Parkway district were exposed to all religions in history class. “I find it interesting to learn about other religions,” Ekram said, “but it doesn’t affect what I believe.” In the Jewish religion, it is common for students to wear a Kippah, which is a circular shaped cloth worn on top of the head. Kippahs are usually worn by Orthodox Jewish men, but in the synagogue, the Jewish place of worship, it is common for all men to wear them. “For me it is easy to understand why someone is wearing a Kippah, but for people of other religions this can be hard to understand. North is so much less judgmental than other places I have gone to,” Leise said. PNH continues trying to create this ac-cepting environment by implementing the Freshmen Project, monthly visits by different clubs into labs, and enforcing a strict no bully-ing policy.

Senior Ethan Lang participates in a social media themed program in Peoria, Illinois on Sept. 28 at a Reform Jewish youth group convention.

Photo courtesy of Benjamin Pom

erantz

The Christian band Gungor performs their song “Beautiful Things” at the annual Weekend of Worship in January, 2012. Hundreds of United Methodist Youth Groups travel to Springfield, Missouri to come together each year to both share and grow in their faith.

Jo Treadway

Design Editor Mary-Kate Mudd

Business Manager

Kevin Graeler

Co-Editor in Chiefferences between every student and their back-grounds and helps students learn to appreciate the differences in other students. “It’s awesome because I get to interact with people who are a lot different than me,” said senior Joseph Hiebert, “and it makes school more interesting.” While Caucasian students remain the ma-jority at North, making up approximately 53 percent of the school, the amount of minority ethnicities represented in the hallways is con-tinually increasing. “[This year], we have more African-Amer-ican students than we have had historically,” Snow said.

Photo by Jocelyn Treadw

ay

According to recently updated statistics, the North High student population consists of 789 people who consider themselves Cauca-sians, 434 who consider themselves to be Afri-can-Americans, 129 who are of Asian descent, and 128 others who come from various other nationality backgrounds. “The important difference [to keep in mind] is that some students might report themselves to be multi-racial, whereas other people who are multi-racial might identify with another race,” Snow said. Nevertheless, the ethnic backgrounds of students and staff alike are exceptionally var-ied, allowing for many benefits other schools in

the area cannot experience. “Diversity in our school allows people to learn about the different world cultures and helps us understand why a certain culture does something,” said senior Nick Goodwin. The diversity evident in the hallways and in classes can add to the overall learning experience for students through their four years at North High as a result of simply interacting with people from different back-grounds than themselves. “In one class, you could be sitting next to someone from Asia, and in the next class, you can be sitting next to someone from a completely different place,” Hiebert said.

it has grown to be this way. From elementary school, teachers start to stress the importance of acceptance. Teachers go out of their way to try not to offend other religions when they teach. “I feel great in this environment and as a biology teacher. I teach The Evolution Theory. Before teaching evolution, I talk about the dif-ference of evolution and faith. I try to be tol-erant of other religions by asking my students to learn evolution, but stressing that they don’t have to believe it. I have been thanked because of this,” said Dr. Bill Bowman. Dr. Bowman is not the only teacher at North who is accepting of all religions and faiths. Students like junior Elissa Leise some-times miss school for very important holidays

St. Mary and St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church, which is located right down the street from Parkway North, shows beautiful architec-ture and is related to the religious beliefs of some in the Middle East and Egypt.

Freshman Clark Vetor practices the ukulele, the instrument he taught himself, after school

Photo by Mary-Kate M

udd

Photo courtesy of EWC

Phot

o by

Mol

ly T

hal

10 Features November 5, 2012Parkway North High School

Science of Fall Brings Colorful Leaves, Less SunMolly ThalCenterspread Editor

High school is usually a student’s first preview of the real world. Many students must learn to balance multiple aspects of their lives such as school, family, friends, and work. In the state of Missouri, once a person turns 16 years old, or 15 years old with a work permit, they are allowed to apply for a part -time job. As students take on these tasks in order to make a little extra spending money, they should consider the best places to work.

Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy StoreOberweis is an ice cream shop, but that

is not all that they sell. Oberweis provides various dairy products such as ice cream, milk, or milk shakes. They also provide delivery of milk to homes. Oberweis becomes a great choice for student jobs because it’s not a difficult job and there are a lot of younger people who come in, making it quite a social job.

“[I love working at Oberweis] because it is a very friendly atmosphere. I get free ice cream all the time, and [I think] we have the best ice cream,” said senior Isabella Hanewinkel.

The closest store to Parkway North is located on Olive Boulevard next to the AMC 12 movie theatre.

“My older sister Taylor graduated from North last year, and when she left for college this past summer I took her place at Oberweis,” said Hanewinkel.

Dierbergs and Schnucks Grocery stores like Schnucks and

Dierbergs are located in multiple places throughout Maryland Heights and Creve

Coeur. Students can apply to be baggers, shopping cart collectors, or even cashiers, depending on their age.

“I’ve raised four kids and I’ve seen them, as well as their friends, do well with jobs at grocery stores during high school years. I’ve noticed kids stay working there for a long time. They are also very flexible with hours,” said Linda Gatti.

With grocery stores being a regular visiting place and close to many students’ homes, having a job there makes it extremely convenient for students to work there.

Six FlagsSix Flags St. Louis is the largest

amusement park in Missouri. It’s located in Eureka, Missouri which is about 30 miles away from Parkway North. From roller coasters to water parks to food stands, Six Flags has it all. Even though this is a far drive to go to work, students enjoy working there because there is a variety of opportunities and people.

“I’m a manager at Six Flags so I get a lot of freedom. Also, [working there] gives you good social skills and responsibility. I like getting to meet a lot of new people [as well,]”

senior Camille Neal said. Six Flags St. Louis employs about 3,000

people and sees about 4 million visitors every year.

“I love working at Six Flags because it’s interactive and I can meet new people. It’s a seasonal job and it isn’t hard or boring,” said senior Darion McCuller.

The amusement park opens in April and is open through the end of October. During part of the school year, the park is only open on weekends, making it convenient for student workers who have other obligations.

Sports Teams Many students don’t realize that they

can apply for jobs working for sports teams throughout St. Louis. Whether it’s for a professional sports team, a club in the minor leagues, or a little league team, there are positions open for teens to help out. Jobs range from training, coaching, collecting equipment, or even just cleaning up.

“I work and help out on an 8th grade team named the Tigers,” said freshman Azeyah Boyd. “I used to play on the team last year and now that I am too old, I work on the team. I enjoy it because I get to work with the team and help them practice.”

Even Parkway North offers some jobs to students to help with sports teams.

“I work the chains for freshmen and J.V. football games and the clock for soccer at our school. I’m a sports guy and I like to watch it and be a part of the team,” said senior Devin Sharpe.

No matter what job Parkway North students have, the experience gained will help prepare students for their future in the work force. Students should keep in mind to pick jobs that they enjoy to give them a good experience and be flexible with other

Why do leaves change color and fall?Every fall, the trees change from green

to bright yellows, oranges, and reds. In the summer, trees turn water and sunlight into oxygen in a process called photosynthesis. Energy from the sun goes to a part of the plant called the chloroplasts. The chloroplasts use the sun’s energy and water to produce oxygen and glucose (sugar). Those chloroplasts are green, which give the leaves a green color in the spring and summer.

In the fall, it gets colder and darker, so the chloroplasts can’t function, and they die. When the green chloroplasts are gone, the reds and yellows are revealed. Those colors were in the leaf the whole time, but there were too many chloroplasts covering them up. With such little sun, the chloroplasts cannot survive.

“In deciduous trees, leaves have broad surface area,” said science teacher Dr. William Bowman. “If they stayed on the trees, they would freeze.”

The leaves fall off of the tree because they would freeze and die in the winter anyway. They can’t grow and hang on to the branches. This allows new leaves to grow back in the spring.

“The dropping of the leaves is kind of like a preemptive strike,” said Bowman.

Why is it colder and darker?Based on most maps, it’s easy to think

that the Earth stands up straight with the North Pole being at the top and the South Pole at the bottom. However, the Earth is actually at an angle of about 24 degrees, making the axis on which it spins diagonal.

Katryn Dobkin

Staff Writer

When the Earth orbits the sun, the tilt stays the same, causing the two hemispheres to have different weather.

If the northern hemisphere is closer to the sun, it gets more of the sun’s heat, which is summer. When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is winter in the southern.

When the Earth continues around the sun, the northern hemisphere gets further from the sun. That means less of the sun’s rays get to Earth, making it colder.

Another reason it gets colder in winter and fall is the arctic winds. In the past, the freezing arctic winds of the North blew from east to west. However, according to Discovery Channel, the winds are now starting to blow North to South, towards America. This is bringing much more cold air down from the North, decreasing the temperature in our area this winter.

Why are some coats warmer than others?

When deciding what kind of coat to buy for this winter/fall, there are a couple things to keep in mind: dark material, tight weave, and resistance to water.

Black material, for example, looks black because all the light that hits it is absorbed, not reflected. A red coat would reflect red light and absorb the rest of the spectrum, including the heat energy. If more heat energy is absorbed, the coat will be warmer.

The most important thing about the coat’s material is the tightness of stitching. Coats keep you warm by trapping body heat. A coat with a tighter weave will trap more heat. It’s like a screen with water passing through it. More water will escape through looser mesh, and less water will escape with smaller holes.

Students Gain Experience by Working at Favorite Places

Photo by Katryn Dobkin

Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy Store is a popular place to have a job among students be-cause its easy to do and there are many opportunities to be social.

Once the weather gets colder, the chloroplasts in the leaves stop functioning and allow the reds and yellows in the leaves to be seen.

Photo by Katryn Dobkin

11November 5, 2012Parkway North High School

College Checklist For Students

Ian Brown

News Editor

The Class of 2013 is taking full advantage of their senior privileges especially The Viking Pass. The Viking Pass gives seniors the ability to leave campus during academic lab and is for those who meet the requirements by getting signatures from each of their teachers, as well as the bookstore and library, parents and principal. Signatures are checked to prove that requirements such as no unexcused absences or failing grades are met. The pass is used by seniors in a variety of ways.

One way is to use the time for academics.“I always go home to either print

something out or to just take a break from being at school,” said senior Brooke Voeller.

A trip home for personal time is the best way for some to spend their time during academic lab.

“I go home because I like to take naps,” said senior Courtland Ward.

For others, the Viking Pass has become part of their daily plan.

“I go home to eat breakfast so that I can sleep in. It really helps to be able to have better night’s sleep,” said James Irwin.

Seniors also enjoy having beverages and food items that keep them awake and alert during the day.

“If I cannot get to Starbucks in the morning, I like to go during lab for a coffee because I need energy for the rest of the day,” said senior Haleigh Balentine.

Many seniors also use their pass to go to restaurants for food. St. Louis Bread Company seems to be the number one place for people to go.

“I love going to Bread Co. because they have good food and it is better for me than the school food,” said senior Justin Johnson.

St. Louis Bread Company is also a great place to go to be with friends or just relax and study.

“I usually go to Bread Co. because it

is a place with good food and it is a good environment for me to relax,” said senior Stephanie Haug.

Healthy food options that help students focus during their day seems to be a primary concern when planning their trips during academic lab.

Photo by Gianna Sparks

Seniors Use Viking Passes In Variety of Ways For Educational, Recreational Purposes

Students Gain Experience by Working at Favorite Places Brandon Fredman

Online Editor

Juniors-Junior year is a very important time

for one’s high school career. It may be too early to start applying for college, but now is an excellent time to prepare for the ACT/SAT.

“Juniors should be preparing for the ACT coming in April,” said testing coordinator Judy Babitz. “The ACT is cumulative information. Just by going to class, doing ‘Prep Me’ on Naviance, and attending free ACT classes at North are great ways to prepare for the ACT.”

On April 23, 2013, the Parkway School District will give all juniors a free ACT. Parkway North offers several free ACT Prep Classes throughout the year. Also, Naviance offers a program call “Prep Me,” which contains several practice ACT questions.

“[Juniors] should be preparing and studying for the ACT test,” said guidance counselor Randy Ford. “We’re hoping students take one ACT prior to the [District choice] ACT in April.”

Testing and academics are not the only thing juniors should be focusing on. Juniors should be using this time to look for schools they are interested in.

“We would like students to be using Naviance’s super match feature to find a

school,” said Ford.Once a junior has a list of schools

they are interested in, they should go visit campuses. Also, several admissions representatives from colleges come to Parkway North to meet with interested students.

“I strongly suggest if there are colleges you are juggling, and you don’t know exactly where you want to go, that you go a visit,” said college secretary Linda Gatti. “Seeing the campus and being there is a huge part of getting the feel for what you want and what you need.

It may be too early to apply, but it is not too early to prepare for college. Juniors should be looking at what schools they want and work on improving their grades and test scores.

“I go to Smoothie King and Subway because they are quick and healthy and provide me with enough energy to focus throughout the rest of my day,” said senior Maisam Naqvi.

Although some students like the Viking pass, others feel that the time it takes to acquire a pass is too much work for the little time a student can use the Viking Pass.

“I think that three weeks is not a good way; it takes too much time [to get the pass] only to have it for three weeks. The pass would be much more worthwhile if you could leave during lunch as well,” said senior Sara Brodsky.

One issue that arises for teachers is trusting students on where they go and whether they will return on time for their next class.

“I expect that the students who use the Viking Pass will not abuse their pass because those who have them are generally good students,” said senior lab teacher Frances Leverenz.

Teachers expect compliance to the rules and try not to think too much when their students leave.

“I assume they are going out to get food or home,” said senior lab teacher Carla Hertlein.

Some students even stay at school instead of using their Viking pass so they can meet with teachers or get work done at school.

“I have a job after school so I don’t always have time to do homework at home, and I can always go to a teacher during ac lab because it makes it easier,” said Holly Hinrichs who uses her lab pass only when she doesn’t have other things she needs to do at school.

Many seniors use their Viking Passes to go out for breakfast or lunch at local restau-rants like Saint Louis Bread Company during academic lab.

November is a critical time for both juniors and seniors when it comes to preparing for college. Juniors should be taking the ACT or SAT/ACT, and seniors should be in the process of applying for college. Some students may be way ahead of the game, but some students are behind. However, right now, not only is it is still not too late to begin preparing for college, it is an excellent time to begin.

Seniors-When the senior year arrives, the focus

shifts from test scores and academics to finding the right school. Grades are locked in and dramatic jumps on the cumulative GPA are unlikely. The senior year is about maintaining the grades earned and applying to the schools one is considering. The first thing a senior should do is to see their guidance counselor.

“My job consists of making students aware of all the options they have. I can help students find the best fit between university, two-year College, or career. [I help make that decisions] based on desire, accomplishments in high school, and [interests],” said Ford.

By this time, seniors should have a list of schools they want to attend. Also, they should have applied to those schools. If a senior has not applied to a school, now is the time.

“Seniors should be completing applications,” said Ford. “Also, students applying have Dec. 1 and Jan. 1 deadlines to prepare for.”

If a senior has an ACT or SAT score they are not happy with, they can retake the exam throughout their senior year, and colleges always look at the best exam.

“If [your] ACT score is not as high as [you] want it, [you] should be signed up for the Dec. 8, 2012 exam,” said Ford.

While students should be striving for their dream school, it is very important to have a backup plan. As a rule of thumb, a student should apply for a school in at least one of the following categories: dream school, state public school, private school, and a safety school if all else fails.

“Last year, a student applied to just Ivy Leagues, and she didn’t get into a single school,” said Gatti.

In order to truly be prepared, people need to consider all of their options. In life, not everything works out and sometimes people need to resort to plan B.

“Be realistic with yourself,” said Gatti. “Know if you want to apply to the [Ivy Leagues] that very few people get into those schools.”

Many schools have Dec. 1 deadlines, which is rapidly approaching. Now is a great time to submit applications.Take ACT

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Features

12 COMMUNITY November 5, 2012Parkway North High School

Parkway North History Department Hosts Fourth Annual Student Exhibition Night

Emily McCarter

Editor in Chief

Emily Ladig

Staff Writer

National Honor Society Sponsors Blood Drive

Photo by Emily M

cCarter

On Thursday, Nov. 1, the Parkway North history department hosted its fourth annual Exhibition Night in the big gym and commons from 7-8 p.m., where students pre-sented research projects of choice to parents, teachers, and other students.

“I give my students the assignment early in the semester, and I give them library time during class. I constantly remind them of the project and when it is due,” said history teacher Joni Patton.

Many history classes including World History, Modern American History, Govern-ment, and other elective history classes are participating in the Exhibition Night.

“It was a celebration of history,” said Patton.

Since this project is worth many points for some classes such as Honors Colonial America, students did a lot to prepare for the night.

“We got a few months to come up with a topic question on what we are most interest-ed in. We then had to write a 7-10 page paper over our topic in the form of a case study,” said senior Allison Heininger, who is in the Honors Colonial America class.

A case study is an essay written as if the author is solving a mystery, where the stu-

dents give the reader the information they need to answer their topic question.

“We also had to make a visual aspect in any form we wanted. This helped a lot with our presentations because then the listener had something to look at while we were talk-ing,” said Heininger.

Something students enjoy about this project is that they get to pick their topic. This way, students will actually be interested in their subject since they are the ones who

chose it.“I chose to make a fake newspaper ar-

ticle about the pros and cons of buying the Alaska territory. I thought it would be a good topic...and I thought it was somewhat inter-esting,” said freshman Clayton Fry, who is in Honors Modern United States History.

Joni Patton started the Exhibition Night four years ago, and with a lot of work, it has been successful every year.

“I wanted kids to have experience in

manipulating history for themselves. I want-ed them to have experience in formal pre-sentations, formal writing, and to become engaged in history,” said Patton.

Not only do teachers enjoy this night, but the students put a lot of effort into show-ing off what they have learned.

“I think Exhibition Night is a good thing to do because it gives people a chance to see what kids at this school are learning and what they are capable of doing,” said Fry.

In the past, Exhibition Night has been during second semester. Although this might not be a problem for some students, many students had a hard time getting it done.

“I think it was a better turn out this year because it was earlier in the semester so stu-dents aren’t as busy with school,” said Pat-ton.

Even though Exhibition Night was dur-ing first semester this year, it was still a dif-ficult project to get done for many students.

“It was hard to get started with it be-cause it was such a big project that I didn’t know where to start. But I know for other classes, it was not as big of a deal, and was only assigned a few weeks before the [Exhibi-tion] Night,” said Heininger.

Regardless of the point value for the project in each class, the Exhibition Night was a success with over one hundred par-ticipants, as well as many family and friends who came to watch.

Photos by Emily M

cCarter

Prior to the Exhibition Night, students rehearsed their brief presentations concerning their topics in front of their classmates. Students were allowed to choose any topic related to Social Studies that they wished so everyone was genuinely interested in their project and the process of preparing for this event.

On Nov. 9, 2012, the National Honor Society will be hosting their annual Fall blood drive at Parkway North High School. The blood drive will take place in the upper gym from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will accept donors from students and teachers at North, as well as other people who wish to donate.

“During lunch the week of the blood drive, students can go to the tables by the snack bar and sign up to give blood with the NHS members,” said senior Emily McCarter, the NHS officer in charge of the blood drive. “Or they can do a ‘walk in’ the day of the blood drive.”

Emily McCarter, who is the NHS Parliamentarian, is responsible for making sure the event runs smoothly.

“I have to put up the posters, set up all the lunch sign-up sheets, make sure people come to give blood, and also work the blood drive on the day of,” said McCarter.

Tara Frazier, a representative from the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, will also be involved with the drive. She emphasizes to students the importance of giving blood.

“There is a constant need for regular blood supply because blood can be stored for only a limited time before use. Regular blood

donations by a sufficient number of healthy people are needed to ensure that safe blood will be available whenever and wherever it is needed,” Frazier said.

Although giving blood is a generous thing to do, there are also strict requirements involved in being eligible to donate.

“All volunteer blood donors must be evaluated to determine their eligibility to give blood. General eligibility requirements include a donor who is in general good health, is at least 17 years old or 16 with parental consent, and weighs at least 110 pounds,” explains Frazier.

Before they give blood, each donor receives a brief examination during which temperature, pulse, blood pressure and hemoglobin (iron) are measured.

They are also required to answer a series of questions during a confidential computerized interview about his or her health history and places he or she has traveled within the past year.

“During the pre-screening process before the actual blood donation, some donors are deferred,” said Frazier.

Donors can be deferred for a variety of reasons, but the main one is low iron.

Year after year, North students continue to donate blood and save lives.

“I give blood because I want to help someone. And I almost feel like it’s necessary

if I have the capabilities of giving blood. I’m helping save someone’s life. And that’s a good enough reason for me to let a nurse prick my arm,” said senior Brooke Voeller.

Along with Voeller, other students decide to donate their blood to those in need.

“I’m planning on giving blood this year because it’s for a good cause. I think it’s important to give whenever you are capable of giving,” said senior Sara Brodsky.

This year, the goal for the blood drive is 109 donations. To collect 109 units of blood, 150 potential donors are needed to register.

“Many of our committed donors began donating blood while they were in high school. As our donor base continues to age, it is important to educate a new group of young donors about the importance of a safe and stable blood supply. High school blood drives account for 25% of our annual blood collections,” Frazier said.

North students who are considering giving blood should know that if they decide to donate, doing so can save up to three lives. “Blood is separated into 3 components: red cells, platelets, and plasma, which can be used individually for patients with specific conditions,” said Frazier.

Last year, North High collected 127 units of blood at the Fall drive, and they hope to top that amount this year in order to help patients in the St. Louis area.

Posters displaying information about the blood drive were posted around school two weeks prior to the event.

13COMMUNITYNovember 5, 2012Parkway North High School

Parkway North Strives to Go Green With Solar Panels, Compost Bins

Steven Chaffin

Opinions and Entertainment Editor

Compost bins are set up throughout the school, most of them in the commons, where students and faculty eat lunch. Many students, administration, and custodial staff help to make sure items are placed in the right bins.

Compost bins have been placed throughout the commons alongside recycling bins and trash cans. Students are now tasked with placing their waste in the correct places.

The day the new compost bins were introduced, students in AP Biology classes have been ensuring students are familiar with the new bins, their purpose, their impor-tance, and what can and cannot be placed into them. Here, Chancey Blood-worth places a used compostable napkin into the compost bin.

Photo by Aurora W

rancher

Over the past several years, Parkway North, with the help of Russell Barton and science classes, has become increasingly conscious about the environment, pushing for the installation of solar panels to help create a more energy efficient building including compost bins to prevent food from going to waste.

“It’s fair to say that [North’s increased focus on the environment] comes from a couple of things: Parkway has a very forward thinking, long-term view and innovative individuals who are dedicated to making these changes,” said Environmental Science teacher Russell Barton. “The energy [for these projects] comes from the students.”

Starting in 2008, Parkway North pushed to have solar panels installed that would help provide more electricity to the school in a environmentally friendly, more efficient manner. The amount of recognition Parkway got for its efforts was thanks to the immense student energy in 2010 during the Pepsi Refresh Project. Parkway plans to have solar panels installed on all of its buildings by the end of this year.

“I was part of the Pepsi Refresh Challenge. It helped bring out North’s intention to be a self-sufficient, environmentally-friendly school,” said senior J.J. Kim.

More recently, on Sept. 25, 2012, North has placed compost bins throughout the school. The purpose of these bins is to

prevent uneaten food from going to waste. Instead, the food can be broken down into organic waste that can later be used by plants as food. According to Reuters, the average American trashes approximately 400 pounds of food per year – composting can change this from an astounding waste to almost no waste at all.

“The food put into compost bins is put into machines which break them down into very small pieces that are used for fertilizer. This is a way of making our waste into something more useful, or giving back what we take to the earth,” said senior Adam Laytham. “One downside is that if students put the wrong things in the compost bin, like plastics or wrappers, the composting company will no longer offer us their services. This reflects poorly on us and makes Parkway lose out on a great opportunity to protect the environment. This is a loss for everyone involved; they lose a customer, we lose an opportunity to make our school a better place.”

Parkway North has always been an environmentally ambitious school, and over the past several years, these ambitions and efforts have had a much greater impact than ever before.

“There’s always been a strong [environment] club. But now the central office, principals, teachers and students are all lining up and working together. A lot of this started with things like Envirothon and the recycling club,” said Barton.

Students, especially those directly involved with the recent changes aimed and making Parkway North a more

environmentally friendly community, are optimistic that these changes will take hold in the months to come, not subscribing to the idea of many that these new programs will lose traction over time due to student apathy and a lack of information. While some students are sure that students will continue placing non-compostable materials into the new yellow bins, senior J.J. Kim rejects the idea, noting the initial beliefs of students when recycling was implemented years ago.

“When our school implemented the idea of recycling, it was thought to not succeed, but now our school is one of the schools that recycles the most in the state. I feel like the same history will apply here. By next year, I think the idea of composting will be universal in North,” said J.J. Kim.

Barton, and the students who have been helping him reach these environmental milestones, are looking past the compost bins, and at the big-picture: an entirely energy efficient building where lighting, air-conditioning and other such accommodations are provided, environmentally friendly, efficient, and most of all, inexpensive. If this goal were achieved, Parkway would have to spend considerably less money towards repairing faulty equipment, like air-conditioners and heaters, and more towards what is fundamentally important: education.

“The end goal would be when [Parkway] gets around [to making] an actually new building; entirely energy efficient, natural lighting, and comfortable classrooms where students don’t have to wear layers. [Then we can] focus on education and not on building maintenance,” said Barton.

What North will do on the environmental front is unclear, but it is clear that North will

continue its stride towards a more efficient campus, where the current accommodations exist, but through less costly means that will allow a greater focus on education. This could mean better computers for students, better software, newer textbooks, and a wide variety of other possibilities that could be realized. Overall, North’s goal to become more environmentally responsible is beneficial for everyone involved.

Photo by Aurora W

rancher

Photo by Aurora W

rancher

Sports14 November 5, 2012Parkway North High School

Cardinals Fall Short of World Series in 2012 The St. Louis Cardinals finished off their season with a loss in game seven of the National League Championship Series to the San Francisco Giants after qualifying for the playoffs with an 88-74 record during the reg-ular season. “It was really disappointing [to lose]. I felt like they were not concentrating and not making plays they usually make. I was sur-prised that they lost [Game 7 of the Cham-pionship Series] because Lohse normally pitches very well,” said Psychology teacher Bob McKitrick. Even though many people around Saint Louis expected the Cardinals to win the se-ries, they now have made the playoffs nine out of last thirteen seasons. That’s the most out of any National League club. “It’s hard to repeat anything in sports. Not one team has repeated winning a World Series since the Cincinnati Reds in the 70’s,” said McKitrick. “I was pleasantly surprised they got this far; it spoke a lot about their tal-ent.” Many doubted the Cardinals even reaching the playoffs this season after the de-parture of iconic first baseman Albert Pujols and manager Tony LaRussa last winter, es-pecially after not having the most impressive regular season. “I never thought we would get this far because we have a new manager who is inex-perienced, and I didn’t think he would take the team this far,” said senior Lily Butter-brodt. There were also many problems within the team during the post season. “Furcal and Berkman were hurt for a while so the younger guys were stepping up

to do their job,” said sophomore Ross Bun-ton. Others were optimistic about the Cardi-nals abilities this season. “I thought we would get this far because we got Wainwright back this season, and even though we lost Pujols, I felt like we still had the tools to have a good postseason,” said senior Daniel Brodsky. Although the Cardinals have many con-tributing players who are vital to the team’s success, it took all of the players to put in their best effort to win the Division Series and advance it to the National League Cham-pionships. “I think a lot of the [players] are heroes in different situations. There isn’t one spe-cific player who is the best,” said Brodsky. Despite not having a defined “Most Valuable Player” on the team, Cardinal fans have come to choose one or two to have as their favorites. “My favorite player is Lance Berkman because he is a cool customer. He rallies his teammates, councils the younger guys; he’s more like a player-coach. He acts how I like to act in school,” said McKitrick. “He uses humor to get his point across and council’s people in order to maximize their talents.” Although the Cardinals did not make it to the World Series and win it all like they did one year ago, there are many similarities between this season and last year’s campaign including that both team’s reached the play-offs through the Wild Card. Had Commis-sioner Bud Selig not implemented the pos-sibility of two Wild Card teams per league before the start of this regular season, Saint Louis would not have been eligible for the postseason. “There were a lot of comparisons [be-tween seasons], especially between game six

of the World Series last year and game five of the Division Series against the Nationals,” said McKitrick. “[The Cardinals] are a very resilient team.” No matter how good or bad the Cardi-nals may be, many fans always support them

North Tennis Team Wins District Competition

for the effort put forth every season. All of the Series games were sold out. “They’re my hometown team and I’ve been a fan my whole life. They play hard and are fun to watch,” said sophomore Ross Bun-ton.

History teacher Bob McKitrick sits with his daughter at Busch Stadium prior to Game One of the National League Division Series against the Nationals. McKitrick attends 15-20 regular season games of the Cardinals’ season.

Emily McCarter

Co-Editor in Chief

Mary-Kate MuddBusiness Manager

Freshman Bianca Gavaller reaches to hit a serve in a doubles match against Parkway West. Although the team lost to West (2-7), the McCarter-Gavaller doubles team won their match in only two sets. This victory, along with many others, helped them prepare for their matches at the State Tournament in Springfield, Missouri.

For the first time since 2002, The Park-way North Varsity Tennis Team won first place as a team in Districts on Wednesday, Oct. 3, on North’s home court against Park-way Central.

Freshman Bianca Gavaller said, “I walked into Districts and people were feel-ing really competitive and everyone wanted to win.”

The PNH tennis team was very com-petitive going into Districts. They put many hours into practice and perfecting their plays so they could have the best performance possible in the tournament.

“My partner and I practiced a lot to prepare for Districts,” Gavaller said, “We also had team practices to prepare for Dis-tricts.”

Despite having played Central and beating them in regular season, Districts still proved to be mentally difficult for the team.

“Districts were tiring and mentally straining. Even though we beat Central be-fore, we had to go into the match like we had never played them. We went into our match-es strong and everyone finished strong, giv-ing us the execution we need to win. We all put the same effort into beating Central,” said junior Leigh-Ann Calotes.

The PNH tennis team is very diverse;

they have players ranging from 9th-12th grade; all players are key components in the District win.

Gavaller said, “It’s exciting [to hold a spot on the varsity team], but there’s also some pressure because I’m expected to per-form well.”

Having a diverse team hasn’t stopped

them from connecting. The team spends lots of time together, whether it is on busses go-ing to their matches or on the weekends.

“I think bus rides have made our team so close. We sing and talk and it brings us together,” Gavaller said, “Because we are so close, it improves our communication on the court when we play doubles.”

Having the pressure of experiencing matches together has also brought the team together on multiple occasions.

“The season has really proven to pro-vide a sense of persistent team bonding, but particularly the District Team. During Dis-tricts, we became really close because of the necessary encouragement,” Calotes said.

Having 12 wins and 5 losses in regular season, the team’s practice, communication, and persistence has really paid off.

Preparing for Districts is much differ-ent than preparing for a regular match be-cause Districts determine if the team goes on to Sectionals, which eventually leads to State Competition.

“Usually I try not to think too much about my match because I don’t want to get nervous about it. We run laps and stretch out as a team before a match,” Gavaller said.

After winning Districts, the PNH ten-nis team played Sectionals on Oct. 27. Like Districts, the PNH tennis team was relying on team dynamic and skills to win and bring them to the state Championship.

Senior Emily McCarter and freshman Bianca Gavaller qualified and competed at the State Competition on Friday, Oct. 19 where they were beat by Notre Dame de Sion.

Winning Districts was a huge feat for the PNH tennis team.

Photo By Gina Berg

Photos courtesy of Bob McKitrick

November 5, 2012Parkway North High School Sports 15Parkway North Cross Country Teams See Changes, Resulting in Successful Season After school each day throughout the cross country season, a similar sight can be seen as student-athletes of both genders increase their endurance by running long distances around the North High campus and the surrounding neighborhoods. The only notable differences this season: both the men’s and women’s team is under the direction of new head coaches. “I like to think I coach a way of life more than a sport,” said English teacher Scott Kreher, who took over as head coach of the women’s cross country team before the start of the 2012 season. After several years as head coach, Science teacher Paul Reinisch stepped down from his position as primary coach. This season, Kreher has led the team with help of Art teacher and assistant coach Christa Ollinger. “This is one sport or lifestyle and they can run together or run alone,” Kreher said. The women’s cross country team this season received a great push from two freshman runners. Both Morgan Faust and Carli Manczuk tied on their top 5K (approximately 3.1 miles) race time of the season at twenty-one minutes and forty seconds. “This year, we’ve made amazing ground and we’ve had returning athletes having startling improvements,” Kreher said. Senior Sierra McKie was one of the many team leaders for the Vikings. “[Sierra] was one of our captains this year and she did a great job keeping track of everyone and making sure all of the freshmen felt at ease,” Kreher explained. Whether the athletes achieved success in races or not, being a part of this team teaches the concept of resilience and staying determined to attain goals. “Cross country is the one sport where the more you struggle, the more you get to play,” Kreher said. “No other sport gets to say that.” In his first year as head coach of the men’s cross country team, Progress Monitoring Coach and lifetime runner Carter

Snow led the Vikings through a season of great growth on both individual levels and as a whole. “It’s easy to say we’ve had a group of wonderful seniors who demonstrated incredible leadership, huge improvements but perhaps a disappointing end to the season not making the state meet,” reflected Snow. Former head coach Scott Moeller, now with ten years of coaching experience at North, has remained an assistant to Snow. “Coach Moeller and I have always worked well together, and it was all about balancing our personal life and professional life and our priorities,” Snow said. “It was a thrill that the position was offered to me.” Despite the change in coaches, the transition was smooth as the roles of the two coaches were reversed from previous years. “Both coaches have different strengths and weaknesses, so there was no real change and [Coach Snow] did well in his first year,” said senior Sam Gallup, who has been a member of the team all four years of high

Kevin Graeler

Co-Editor in Chief

school. The team was made up of eighteen students athletes this year, and each day of the season they grow closer as a group while motivating each other on. “Over the past five years, the cross country team really has become a close-knit family,” said Snow. “If you’re willing to come and try out for the team, you will be supported by a group of committed young men. It’s not nearly as intimidating as it looks.” The future of the cross country team at North is promising, as many underclassmen are following the successful examples of the seniors graduating next May. “From the coaching standpoint, it’s thrilling and exciting to see the potential of what the upperclassmen can do the next few years,” Snow said. Despite cross country being competitive as athletes attempt to beat out their opposition and improve their personal race times, it also teaches them values that are applicable to all aspects of life. “My primary goals as coach are two-fold: I want to prepare the boys to achieve at their greatest potential at the end of the season, but it’s also for them to learn lifelong confidence and commitment to self-improvement.” One Viking, in particular, who stood out this season was senior Sam Gallup. Gallup advanced through districts before falling short of advancing in the sectional meet on Oct. 27 at Parkway Central with a time of seventeen minutes and nineteen seconds, fourteen seconds off of qualifying for the state competition. Having a runner advance this deep into the season was a source of pride for both Gallup and his teammates: “This was a year of tremendous growth for the entire team,” said Snow. The sectional competition proved tougher than any meet throughout the year because “after districts, everyone is a good runner and one mistake can cost you,” Gallup explained.

Starting the district meet, the Men’s Varsity cross country team lines up against other schools in the St. Louis area to determine who would qualify for the sectional meet. Senior Sam Gallup placed 17th and advanced to sectionals, which took place at Parkway Central on Sat. Oct. 27.

Despite not qualifying for state, Gallup’s performance capped off yet another successful year for the men’s cross country team. “Sam is a guy who, once he puts his mind to something, he will go out and do everything he can to reach that goal,” said Snow. “Even though not making it to state was having what he would call a disappointing last race, that race was only one race in a lifetime of races.”

Junior Kristina Minard finishes the conference meet in Forest Park, her second meet this season.

Nick Manczuk and Joel Colich stick together during the All-Suburban conference meet in For-est Park. Manczuk finished sixth and Colich finished seventh despite battling an illness.

Photos By Sarah McLaughlin

November 5, 2012Parkway North High School 16Backpage

The tech crew begins putting together the scenery for the play Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, which includes creating a spinning door.

Junior Nicole Hunt works on painting the wood for part of a door on the set. “For this year’s Fall play, we’re making fake books which are really cool, doors, and swords,” said Hunt.

Seniors Miranda Siler and Stephan Griffin, cast members of Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, re-hearses scenes for the play, one of which is a scene where their characters create a map to illustrate where the killings of several theatre stars took place. Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 will be per-formed in the Parkway North theater on Nov. 8, 9, and 10 at 7 p.m.

Freshman cast member Clark Vetor, who plays Patrick O’Reilly, the villain in the play, discreetly abducts senior Stephan Griffin making him become one of his victims.

Junior Toryn Walton, who plays Helsa Wenzel, shocks all the characters of the play when she enters the room unharmed when the rest of the characters thought she had died.

Freshman Clark Vetor, senior Stephan Griffin, and sopho-more Emma Mitchell begin rehearsal with vocal warm ups .

Parkway North Theatre Prepares for Annual Fall Play Jamie Powell

Staff Writer