When I originally joined North Star News, I exclusively wrote claim-evidence-warrant essays. Through two long years of exploring journalism, I have learned how to efficiently deliver a set amount of information in a brief manner. I have also learned how to delve deeper into a story, and after personally experiencing a bit of bias myself, I have learned the importance of getting both sides of a situation.

I have learned that timeliness is a crucial component to successful journalism, as a story that comes out too late is akin to not publishing one at all. I have learned that there are several forms of media to distribute information, and each has its own merit: video and audio are by far the most interactive and aesthetic, while written word allows the consumer to quietly receive information at their own pace.

Additionally, I have learned that through the use of images, a text-based story can become momentously more interesting. Finally, I have learned how essential it is for a publication to be organized, as without organization it is extremely difficult to maintain a constant flow of new stories. This year, as the Editor in Chief and news editor of the publication, I had to be a leader and ensure that a steady flow of quality content was being published to the site. All of these skills will likely be useful in my future pursuits.

Finally, I learned the responsibilities that accompanied overseeing a printed issue, and the work that an editor in chief must do to ensure a successful issue is created. This as one of the most difficult experiences in my life, but also one of the most worthwhile.

I am not majoring in communications or journalism, but the talents I have developed in North Star will still serve as a very strong foundation as I have built in North Star (how to write, how to clearly deliver information, etc.) will undoubtedly be useful in practically all fields. Those skills are almost always applicable. Additionally, I join the newspaper at the University of Illinois.

Here is a collection of what I feel are some of my best pieces over my two years in North Star News.

NSN Audio Story: Building a better future

Inspired by NPR’s StoryCorps and to capture the spirit of Thanksgiving, the North Star News staff created several audio stories framed around this question: “What was a moment or event in your life that at the time seemed small, but ended up having a large impact or effect on you later in your life?” The staff sought people of different generations and crafted these pieces.

Lionel Gilbert had a secure job as Vice President at an architectural firm, but as the company took a turn for the worse he stepped down and opened a new architectural business. This change would profoundly impact the rest of his life in ways he could never imagine.

A Trump Administration and Niles North

The election of Donald J. Trump as the future President of the United States has the entire country at odds, and Niles North High School is no different. Confusion and conflict is rampant, however as always, things are beginning to slip into normality. Going forward, an important question regardless of political views is how exactly a Trump Presidency will affect the Niles North community.

The Trump campaign’s overall vagueness on the vast majority of their policies has left much uncertainty in terms of what exactly will be happening once January comes and Trump is inaugurated. Still, Trump has made comments and plans for his first one hundred days, and much of his policies can be seen here.

Furthermore, there are several policies that could potentially have both positive and negative effects on the environment, the economy, and the stability of America. For the purpose of this article, however, there will be a focus on policies that will specifically impact Niles North’s community.

To begin, Trump plans to “immediately add an additional federal investment of $20 billion towards school choice.” The goal of this initiative would be to provide lower income students with better schools to attend instead of government chartered schools, so this probably will not have much of an impact on Niles North. Attached to this proposition, however, is an emphasis on impoverished children, and what is not mentioned is any plan for providing free or reduced lunches. According to Niles North’s Illinois State Report Card, about one third (34%) of students attending Niles North are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Funding for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) may be put under review, however even though Trump has not mentioned the program, it has existed since Harry Truman’s presidency in the 1940s so the NSLP’s existence should not currently be a point of contention.

Another of Trump’s stances focuses on affordable college: Trump plans to “ensure that the opportunity to attend a two or four-year college, or to pursue a trade or a skill set through vocational and technical education, will be easier to access, pay for, and finish.” As the college debt currently rises faster than the rate of inflation, this legislation will hopefully provide much needed relief to lower and middle class people struggling to pay for college. Niles North students would heavily benefit from something like this.

Teachers with children will benefit from Trump’s proposed tax deductions for child care expenses. Trump also proposed six potential weeks of paid leave to mothers after they give birth and to incentivize businesses to create child care services. Niles North already offers maternity leave, but it is taken out of the their sick days. Niles North also already has child care services. Overall, these changes would likely have a positive effect on Niles North.

A common misconception is that Planned Parenthood only is for abortions, but the organization provides a number of general services involving women’s health. Trump currently plans to defund Planned Parenthood in its entirety, something that would negatively affect many women, including at Niles North.

A number of students at Niles North are undocumented or live in the United States on a visa. Trump has made many blanket statements regarding immigrants and currently, there is no clear indication of what his immigration policy will encompass.

Those are currently some of the biggest positives and negatives of a Trump Presidency’s immediate effect on Niles North. Trump’s policy ambiguities will become more clear as the next few months unfold, and we will see the extent in which our lives will change over the next four years.

Table of Contents, Letter from the Editor, and Staff page

Dysfunctional whiteboard causes knowledge recession

With all of the hustle and bustle of Niles North, it is easy for a story to fall through the cracks and be forgotten. One urgent tale from room 3015 has managed to be overlooked for several years. The whiteboards in Sarah Stucky’s ninth period economics class fail to erase on a daily basis, which has had a grave effect on the students’ learning.

When I heard about this, I paid the class a visit to see the whiteboard for my own eyes. I had never experienced an issue like this in my three years of high school, so I was interested to see if the rumors were in fact true. When I walked in the door, the students immediately became excited that their dilemma would finally get some well deserved coverage. After a few minutes, I saw first hand that the whiteboards barely erased at all. 

The economics course, a college level class, is complex enough without students having to worry about reading what the board says. The class utilizes a plethora of graphs detailing economic concepts. Several graphs are drawn every day, and each one takes up a sizable portion of the board.

Stucky has been dealing with the faulty board for quite some time. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VjeVPMNpmA&feature=youtu.be

“I started teaching in this classroom a couple years ago, and by the end of my first year I noticed that the boards weren’t erasing. I recently did a search in my email to figure out when the earliest I asked [for a replacement] was, and it turns out it was Spring of 2010,” Stucky Said.

Stucky’s frustration with the lack of new boards in the room is clear, but the students are also aggravated. At this point, the malfunctioning of the boards is something the students are accustomed to, and joke about regularly. Still, it continuously disrupts the classroom environment that both teacher and student strive to create.

“I’d say we waste about five to seven minutes a day on the whiteboard not erasing,” Alem Jukic, a senior in Stucky’s class, said.

The absurdity of this is evident, and the students feel their learning is actually being affected by the broken boards. As several individuals in the school have already been notified about the boards over the past few years, students also feel the solution is long overdue. Jay Patel, a junior in the economics class, voiced his opinions on the whiteboards.

“Learning has become harder with the inability of the whiteboard to erase. It inhibits learning. And at this point, it’s ridiculous,” Patel said.

The issue with the boards also echoes several concerns throughout the school regarding improper use of the budget. Additions are being made to the school while an issue like the whiteboards, which are necessary for class to function on a daily basis, is left unattended. Not to downplay the high-end facilities and opportunities Niles North High School is fortunate to have, students feel budget allocation could be improved.

“I’m seeing countless televisions added throughout the building, but small problems like a leaky locker room don’t get fixed for a really long time,” Sammy Schein, junior, said.

Hopefully, the economics class will receive a new whiteboard in the near future. At the moment, they will have to make do with the current one.

Niles North joins 800 schools in solidarity march

On Thursday, Oct. 6, students and faculty will join together at 7:30 a.m. outside of the school and march in solidarity of poor funding to public schools across the nation.
In the United States, public schools receive their funding largely based on property taxes and state distribution of other taxes. Illinois is consistently one of the biggest perpetrators in unequal funding throughout the state, and minority neighborhoods face the worst of this lack of funding. Tensions are bubbling in the fight for fair funding, and as a result, Chicago Public School teachers will be striking starting next week.
“All around America, schools are being shut down for lack of funding. Our school gets a lot of funding for really amazing things, but that isn’t always the case,” Spencer Schwartz said.
At the march, there will be speeches, coffee, and donuts as the community comes together to stand against the atrocious funding habits of the state and country, resulting in the closing of schools. 800 schools around the nation are also participating in the march.
Come to Niles North at 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 6 to march for underfunded public schools around the country!

News page one

Nando’s means peri serious business

The elusive Nando’s Peri Peri chicken, a staple restaurant in the United Kingdom, was introduced to America in 2008 and has been spreading since. Nando’s currently has about 1000 locations in 30 different countries, and over the past eight years the company has slowly introduced over 30 locations to the United States. Nando’s most recent location opened on Sunday, Nov. 13, in Old Orchard Mall across the street from Niles North High School.

I work at a summer camp which employs several hundred people from various countries, a majority coming from the United Kingdom and Australia. Something that seems to transcend differing countries, genders, political views, and lifestyle is an immense love for Nando’s Peri Peri chicken. After countless interactions where Nando’s has been praised, my interest was peaked and on Monday, Nov. 14, the day after the location opened, I went to test the assertions of brilliance I had heard so many times.

At first glance, Nando’s is a sleekly designed, trendy, and casual take on fast food that is seen in other high end fast food restaurants such as Chipotle and Noodles and Company. However, right away it is clear that Nando’s is culturally varied from its competitors in fancy fast food, drawing influence from South African and Portuguese themes in not only its aesthetics, but its food as well.

I ordered a medium-spiciness chicken breast with their signature fries (or chips outside of the United States). The food is a bit pricey for the portions you are getting when compared to its fast food chicken competitors, such as KFC or Popeyes, but Nando’s manages to distinguish themselves as superior quality than the latter two, making the prices seem less drastic.

While I waited for my food, I tried the impressive roster of sauces. The lowest spiciness level sauces were a lemon and herb and a garlic sauce, both of which were tasty, however I preferred the acidity of the lemon sauce; neither were spicy, however. Then there is medium, which was spicy but not overwhelming. People who do not like a lot of spice would enjoy this on their food. Next there was hot, which I found extremely spicy and would not enjoy eating an entire meal with. Finally, I tried the extra hot sauce for experimentation and actually found it less hot than some of the other sauces. Overall, the sauces are a large pull factor to the chain, and each offers a unique take on South African and Portuguese cuisine.

My food arrived, and I noticed that the employees have a facade of cheeriness, in a similar way that Chick Fil A workers do. I began eating, and the medium spice was very satisfying, and did not get too spicy even as I was close to finishing the chicken. The fries were a high point of the meal; the spices used on them added another level of flavor to the experience. The food was a bit small for what I payed, but I left full and contented.

The Niles North community also welcomed Nando’s with a fundraiser event on opening day for Dance Marathon. “It was a bit much price-wise. The chicken was good, and it tasted a bit like Greek chicken. The fries were great,” Sammy Schein, senior, said.

“I thought it was delicious. It was very different from anything I have had before. It had similar flavors to the Ethiopian food I’ve had, with something that felt like a Mediterranean twist,” Juliana Tichota, another senior, added.

Nando’s collection of sauces and overall uniqueness would definitely cause me to return. They also have a number of spins on chicken, salads, and kids meals. View their entire menu here. Nando’s is located in Old Orchard Mall, near the parking facing Niles North.

A house divided: The meaning of “American”

With the constant turmoil fueled by this strenuous election season, the fibers of the American public are always frayed and under tension. Bigotry and hate parades the media, and a question that defines much of the struggle between two divided halves of the nation revolves around the notion of what being an American entails.

There are countless ways to define what being a member of the forefront of the free world means. To some, it is simply a status of citizenship. For others, it is an unwavering patriotism and faith in the country.

Almost everyone has varying opinions on what it means to be an American. In Niles North alone, a plethora of opinions can be found.

“Being an American means to strive to promote a country that accepts multiple countries as one, and alongside that, promote freedom, equality, and love,” Clint Moon, senior, said.

However, Niles North is home to other opinions as well. “Being an American, to me, means being part of the greatest country on Earth. I also do not think the government should control who is an American, but to be an American, you must pay taxes,” Jared Stine, senior, said.

Even those who believe the process of becoming an American should be more selective have strong feelings on the meaning of being American. “An American is anyone who believes that life’s goal is to pursue happiness. That being said, government places many limitations on people coming to America and attaining citizenship. This is for good reason, because outsiders understand that America is a hopeful microcosm of what life should be. As long as America can ensure freedom to all its citizens, then government shouldn’t control who is an American,” Eric Herwitz, a Niles North alumni, said.

I believe the question of what it means to be an American is quintessential to the time we are living in, especially as a large majority of the country clamors to the concept of building walls to keep people out. The obvious conclusion from the need for a wall is that those on the other side of the wall are simply not American.

And citizenship or nationalization are definitely characteristics of what it means to be an American. I may harbor dreams of a nation that is not riddled with borders, but the reality is that those who do not or have never lived in America are incorrect to call themselves Americans.

However, there is a different concept of what it means to be an American, and that is an individual that pursues the American ideals of Democracy. Still, there is a clear difference between blind patriotism, unrelentingly supporting America no matter the decisions the government makes, and questioning the decisions that our country acts upon.

Millions of Americans interpret the Second Amendment as the right for Americans to own guns. Yet, this deeply contested “right to bear arms,” to me, refers to the civic duty of Americans to rise to the occasion and actively protest their country when a decision is made that goes against the principles of Democracy. Nonetheless, the principles of Democracy are equally as loose as what it means to be an American.

In a time where hatred and division is infesting America, it is important to be accepting of everyone regardless of their background. What makes America so great is its melting pot of an origin story, and a nation started by disenfranchised immigrants, a vast number of which being slaves at the time, should continue to pursue representation and fairness for all in need.

Featured image by Alpha Coders