Jeff Garcia
December 18, 2017
Before North Star, I was a broadcast executive, producing broadcasts and content for the broadcasts. The broadcast side of North Star is really fun, and the I found myself on the news production side of things. I actually don’t exactly know how I ended up in news production. Originally, I had a study hall 9th period, then I walked into the room and just kinda ended up in the class. It’s been really fun, and I’m happy that I joined the crew. Made some good friends and stressed. A lot. I think I may have stressed a little more than necessary but regardless of that, I present to thee, reader, what I consider my best works.
Students take a walk in honor of Parkland shooting victims
March 14, 2018, 10 am, students will walk out of their classrooms and schools, walking for the lives lost in a Florida high school.
March 14, that is the set date for a student-organized national walkout honoring the lives of the 17 students and faculty that died during the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High school in Parkland, Florida. The walkout originated as a trending tag on Twitter. #walkout became a reality when students at high schools across the nation began planning a walkout that would take place on the same day everywhere, and this became what is now known by the public as National Walkout Day.
Many schools in the Chicago-land area and its suburbs have chosen to observe the walkout, although there has been a backlash from the administration in some cases, thousands of students plan to participate in the national walkout, including students at our very own Niles North High School (NNHS). Students at NNHS are very supportive of the walkout, and they have good reason to, as they have received two bomb threats since the Parkland shooting, and were evacuated from the school because of one of these bomb threats on Feb. 21.
Students at NNHS have been very involved in events like these before, and have been active in planning the events of the walkout at the school, hosting a sign-making event on March 13, the day before the walkout, inviting all students to make signs honoring the victims of the Parkland shooting, and calling for reform in gun laws nationwide. “The walkout signifies something greater than Niles North, something bigger than our community, it signifies something for America as a whole,” said Leo Jalloh, senior, and his words hold true, as the political climate over the issue has been extremely heated, with Republican officials pushing back against protests and reforms. “The student body feels strongly about the walkout, mainly because we feel the need to protest for a more secure and comfortable learning environment where you don’t have to be scared that someone might walk in and start shooting,” said Madison Precht, sophomore. The sentiments expressed by the student reflect that of much of the student body, and those sentiments are the strongest moving force behind the organization of the walkout.
The Niles North student body has worked extremely hard to put together the school’s participation in the national walkout day, and hope that the schools in America can become a welcome, friendly place once again.
Video coverage of walkout:
A spectacular year for movies: Most anticipated releases of 2018
Last year, Hollywood gave us many astonishing films such as Dunkirk, Wonder Woman, and Coco. With the new year coming in, the public is expecting even more movies from several of the best directors. Here is a list of some of the most anticipated movies set to be released in 2018.
1) Black Panther
Release Date: February 16
Black Panther is the newest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it is also the first Marvel movie to star a person of color in the leading role. The character himself, Black Panther, is also the first ever black superhero to ever appear in mainstream American comics. This movie follows T’Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman, as he returns to the African nation Wakanda after his father’s death in order to take his rightful place as king. When he returns, however, his position as king is challenged by long time enemies of his nation and he is drawn into a conflict which endangers the entirety of the world.
Watch the trailer here: Black Panther (2018)
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Florence Kasumba, Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown, Letitia Wright, John Kani, Atandwa Kani, Isaach de Bankolé, Sydelle Noel
Director: Ryan Coogler
Producers: Kevin Feige, David J. Grant
Screenplay: Ryan Coogler, Jack Kirby, Joe Robert Cole
2) The Incredibles 2
Release Date: June 15
The much anticipated sequel to the original The Incredibles movie that was released in 2004 by Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios. Not much is known about what the plot of this movie will be, but according to rumors, it is set to take place only a few minutes after the events of the first film, in which Mr. Incredible takes down the villain Syndrome. For the public, this has been a highly anticipated movie as it has been just over fourteen years since the release of the first movie, and Baby Jack Jack has everyone talking. In the teaser trailer, he is revealed to have developed not just one, but just about every super power one could think of. With the huge hype for the film, and a good super suit, The Incredibles 2 is bound to make waves in the cinematic world.
Teaser Trailer: The Incredibles 2
Cast: Brad Bird, Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Craig T. Nelson, John Ratzenberger
Director: Brad Bird
Producers: John Lasseter, John Walker, Nicole Paradis Grindle
3) Mama Mia! Here We Go Again
Release Date: July 20
Universal Pictures, Legendary Entertainment, and Playtone bring the cinematic world a sequel to the hit movie Mamma Mia! which brought about a legendary soundtrack by ABBA. With Mama Mia! Here We Go Again hitting theaters in the first half of the year, people are most likely going to be singing hits like Dancing Queen, Money, Money, Money, and of course, Mamma Mia at the top of their lungs for a while. The movie follows Sophie as she delves into her mother’s past while dealing with her own pregnancy. This is a movie many people are looking forward to in delight as it has been almost ten years since the first movie was released.
Trailer: Mama Mia! Here We Go Again
Cast: Meryl Streep, Lily James, Cher, Jeremy Irvine, Dominic Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Hugh Skinner, Colin Firth, Alexa Davies, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgård, Andy García
Director: Ol Parker
Producers: Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman
4) Solo: A Star Wars Story
Release Date: May 25
Last, but definitely not least on this list is Solo: A Star Wars Story. When this movie was announced not too long ago, it got Star Wars fans going crazy. This movie follows the story of one of the most famous Star Wars characters in the entire franchise, Han Solo, and his trusted friend and co-pilot, Chewbacca as they adventure through space as traders and eventually find their place in The Rebellion, an organization of empires and people who wish to overthrow the evil empires that continue to arise in control of people on the dark side of the force. There currently is no trailer, but the director Ron Howard has been releasing small teases through social media, what lies on store for Han Solo, we’ll have to wait and see.
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Phoebe Walter-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany, Clint Howard, Warwick Davis, Ian Kenny, Richard Dixon
Director: Ron Howard
Screenplay: Lawrence Kasdan, Jon Kasdan
Football team reinstated after hazing allegations
The Niles North varsity football team has been reinstated after a week-long suspension for hazing allegations from students.Last week on Monday, Sept. 25, it was announced by the principal that the NN varsity football team would be suspended for an undetermined amount of time following hazing allegations. It was unclear whether the football team would be suspended the remainder of the season or not. This Monday, Oct. 2, the football team proudly announced that the team had been reinstated and would be able to play the rest of their 2017 season.The boys on the team are more than excited to be playing again. ‘I feel great, a bit angry still, but I feel great’ Michael Pimentel, varsity lineman, said when asked about his emotions toward the reinstatement. The team has trained harder than ever this week to make up for the week lost in order to be at the top of their game today against New Trier High School.
Variety Show 2017, a super success
The 2017 Variety Show was held on Friday, Oct. 27 and boy did we have some outstanding performances.
First, Taylor Gray called up Beyonce to the stage as our host, but as you would think, she didn’t show up, so our Viking Voice swooped in to save the day. After a brief commentary, the performances began. Taylor Gray started us off with an amazing singing performance and then we had multiple other great dancing and singing performance, and to close the show, our Why Not Dance? club put on an amazing dance.
After the show, all the performers congratulated each other and then met with their fans in the crowd. When asked how it felt performing, sophomore Emily Rubin said, “It was really fun because the crowd is cheering for you, and it’s just a really great experience.”
Variety Show 2017 was just as impressive as last year, and we hope for more super performances in the years to come.
NSN Audio Story: Breaking strings
With the Thanksgiving holiday just passing by, NSN has put out a series of incredible audio stories. I set out to get an answer from my mother to the question, “What is one small moment in your life that has impacted your life in a big way?”
To hear my mother’s response, simply listen to the audio story posted via Soundcloud that is linked in this article.
“Well, in life it’s gonna be like that. You’re gonna do wrong, you’re gonna get a broken guitar on your head…”
https://soundcloud.com/jeffrey-garcia-951067580/jeffrey-garcia-audio-story
NN boys swimming making a splash, dives headfirst into season
It’s time for the winter sports of Niles North to take the scene in the 2017-18 school year, and the boys swim team has already been working very hard in their season, which started on Nov. 20. With last year’s seniors gone, the team has a tough season to follow up, but they seem to be working extremely hard in order to put forth their best performances.
“This year’s squad is a lot smaller than last year’s, so every swimmer counts,” Seth Orlove, varsity coach, said to the team before the first practice. This year’s swim team consists of a junior varsity (JV), and varsity squad, compared to last year in which there were three squads, novice, junior varsity, and varsity. The smaller team gives the swimmers an opportunity to build a stronger team bond, and definitely frees up space in the pool. “We lost a lot of people but we’re still gonna try to keep up North’s image in the CSL (Central Suburban League),” Steven Nguyen, JV swimmer said. The varsity team’s size has reduced from twelve swimmers, to ten swimmers, which is very small compared to teams from schools such as New Trier and Glenbrook South, and last year’s novice team swimmers have all been promoted to JV, with a majority of last year’s JV team having either graduated, or simply left the swim team.
“They’re not the fastest, but they’re pretty speedy,” Jared Brown, varsity team captain, replied when asked about how he feels about this year’s team. Both the coaches, and swimmers, have high expectations for this season, the swimmers especially have been setting personal goals over the past weeks in order to gauge where they are, and how hard they have to work during the season. Much is expected from the team this year, not only by the team and it’s coaches, but by the school too. Students look forward to the team’s winter pep assembly performance, and sectional meet, but the team also hopes more people will show up to other meets in the season.
The team is hoping for raised attendance at home meets since attendance in previous years has been very minimal, apart from the North v. West and sectional meets. “More people at the meets would definitely be a plus, kind of because the pressure from the crowd would make me want to swim faster,” Robert Callen, varsity swimmer, said about his feelings toward bigger crowds.
Come out and support the boys for their first home meet on Dec. 15 against New Trier!
