Possible Bond Proposals to Help Advance Port Huron Schools

News
By Lizzy Berra
Husky Herald Reporter

  The second of two community engagement sessions was held Thursday, October 29th at Port Huron Northern. This session discussed possible bond proposals to fund future projects.

  Port Huron Schools are trying to find out how much of a tax increase voters would support if a bond election came before them.

  “If discussions lead to pursuing a tax increase, it could be on a ballot as soon as May 2016,” said Superintendent of Port Huron Schools, Jamie Cain.

   The 20-member steering committee will recommend to the school board in November whether the district should move forward with a tax increase. The amount and length of the bond has not been determined, but a possible $100 million to $150 million bond proposal was speculated.

  Depending on which bond proposal is decided, the cost will differ for taxpayers. Homeowners whose home is valued at $90,000 would see their monthly taxes increase between $8 and $12.

  “The session will cover the results of a conducted telephone survey, some general ideas for a bond proposal and conceptual drawings of improvements to each building,” said Jeff Wine, chairman of the Building Tomorrow, Today steering committee.

  On the telephone survey, those that attended the meeting voted on which improvements they thought were most important to advance the Port Huron Schools. Some of the options included air conditioning, advanced technology, an early childhood center, a welcome center in the middle schools and high schools, infrastructure improvements, and rebuilding Kimball Elementary.

  The polling showed that community members present felt strongly about creating spaces for science, technology, engineering, art and math opportunities for middle and high school students, while air conditioning was the least of the community's concerns.

  Roughly one-third of respondents in a phone survey showed they would support a tax increase of $108 or less per year, one-third were undecided or would support up to $100 a year, and another one-third said they would not support a tax increase.

  The steering committee will meet one more time, then in November, a recommendation will be brought to the board. The final decision won't be made until December, when the board will be asked to approve a process to put a bond proposal to voters in May of next year.

Offseason additions, improvements in defense key to the Pistons’ early success

Sports
By Robbie Bachellor
Husky Herald Reporter

  Going into the season, there wasn't much expected for Detroit Basketball. Maybe they could sneak into the playoffs as the 7th or 8th seed, however the Pistons are shocking everyone in the NBA with their 5-1 start.

  The timing couldn't have been better for Detroit sports fans; the Lions got off to a terrible start, losing 6 out of the first 7 games. This almost guarantees that they will not make the playoffs.

  Fans are looking for a team to cheer for and the Pistons are just that. “It is cool that the Pistons are doing well because the Tigers were a disappointment and the Lions are too,” said Nick Dewey (‘16).

  The Pistons center, Andre Drummond, is making history. He joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players with three 20-point, 20 rebound games in the first 6 games. Kareem and Wilt are both hall of farmers and two of the best players in NBA history.

  “Andre is a beast,” said Abhishek Tekumulla (‘17). The great start to the season can't be credited to one man, but Drummond’s presence under the rim certainly plays a large roll.

  Third year shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is off to a solid start as well; his defensive skills are improving like his offense. “KCP is dope,” said Matt Corsetti (‘16).

  Head coach Stan Van Gundy was able to swing a few offseason moves in hope of replacing power forward Greg Monroe, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. Small forward Marcus Morris was acquired in a  trade with Phoenix and power forward Ersan Ilyasova came to Detroit from a trade with the Bucks.

  Morris and Ilyasova have no doubt made an impact; both have started each game for the Pistons this year at their respective positions. “Morris looks pretty good. We needed another versatile scorer,” said Dewey.

  Rookie Stanley Johnson, who the Pistons took with the 8th pick of the 2015 NBA draft, has yet to have a breakout game, but offers a scoring threat from the bench. “Stanley definitely has potential to be a great player in the league,” said Corsetti.

  In the opening game of the season, Detroit defeated the Atlanta Hawks, one of the top teams from the Eastern Conference. This upset sparked the 5-1 start that got them ranked in the top 5 teams for the first time in around 10 years.

The Struggle of Navigating Northern’s Hallways

Opinion
By Lia Roberts
Husky Herald Reporter

   Navigating Northern’s hallways has been difficult for some but easy for others. There are a variety of factors that cause traveling from one side of the building to the other to be simple or difficult.  

   A common concern among students is that the 300’s hallway is always hard to get through and that most of the hallways are crowded.

  “It is so crowded and you can barely see where you are going,” Carra Eagen (‘19) said.

  Eagen also mentioned that freshman orientation helped somewhat, but not enough. She said that following her friends that had the same classes as her helped her figure out how to navigate the halls.

  “The front hallway is very crowded,” Summer Fraley (‘18) said.

  Opposite of Eagen, Fraley thought that the orientation her freshman year helped significantly.  In addition, she likes that the halls are easy to navigate due to the way that they are all connected.

  Another issue is the way students act when they are packed so closely.  “People get really aggressive when they get into the hallways,” Peyton Stewart (‘19) said.

  Stewart complained that the hallways are hard to navigate because people aggressive; they push, and shove throughout the crowded halls. . Her first week at Northern was difficult, but her older sister helped her get through the hallways and find her classes.

  On the other hand, some people don’t have as much trouble, because they became more familiar with the school and understood the layout.

   “Depending on which hallway you are in it can be easy or difficult to navigate,” Ryan London (‘17) said.“At first it was rough because I did not know where classes were or how the hallways worked.”

  “It is easy to navigate through the halls because there are two lanes,” Ella Green (‘17) said.

  In Green’s opinion, the hallways are also very crowded and can get annoying to walk through, but as a new student at Northern in 10th grade, she looked at the signs and eventually memorized her route.

  Selina Armstrong (‘16) suggested a possible plan to attack the issue of crowded school hallways.

  “Our hallways need stoplights,” Armstrong said.

  Despite some pushing and shoving in the hallways, Tavis Thorton (‘16) believes the conditions have improved. “I haven’t seen any fights yet so the hallways are better than last year. There is much less bullying in the freshman  hallway. So I would say it’s an improvement from last year.”

PHN Tennis Team Works Hard for Successful Season

Sports
By Connor Wright
Husky Herald Reporter

 Will the Port Huron Northern tennis team win states this year? They are a talented team led by senior captains Franklin Brozovich (‘16) and Dane Wirtz (‘16).

  Brozovich has been on Port Huron Northern's Tennis Team all four of his high school years as the first singles player. This is a great accomplishment for a fantastic athlete.

  Brozovich is pleased with the way the team has performed so far. “The team is doing well this year. We  won the MAC Red, staying undefeated, and we also won regionals” said Brozovich.

 While Brozovich is pleased with the season thus far, Wirtz is looking to continue the success. “I’m hoping for a top ten finish in states,” Wirtz said.

  The captains say they both pump the team up and keep everyone on track during practices and before matches. They want the team to improve.

  This season the tennis team had a new coaching staff. The captains believe these coaches make practices more structured and help the team improve.

  Both captains predict that the team will be good next year as well.    These captains believe that if the team keeps up the hard work that they put in this year they should keep improving and will be an incredible team once again. With the team only losing two seniors most of the team will have good experience and should improve for next year.

  Both of these captains were on the team last year and they both agree that the experience of last years states tournament will help them in the tournament this year.

  Brozovich and Wirtz hope they can be as good of leaders as the seniors from last year like Varun Nandamudi. Role models like this help motivate athletes to be the best they can be.

  Hopefully Port Huron Northern’s talented Tennis Team will continue their success at states. The team’s hard working and skilled captains will keep the team on track and motivated to do their best and hopefully bring home a win.

Students Earn College Credit Through Blue Water Middle College

Opinion
By Sophie Reinhard
Husky Herald Reporter

  Free college. Who would turn that down? When I first learned about the Blue Water Middle College program (BWMC) I was timid to commit to it. I needed all the facts first.

  Free class, free books, and a free ipad. That's what that the BWMC was offering me. So, of course, I accepted the invitation and started my first college semester in the fall of 2014.

  I started off with a history class and a required college success course. I wasn't prepared for it at all.

  I walked in on the first day of class thinking it would be like any other high school class that I cruised through with no problem. This was not the case.

  Since I only had my classes two days a week (Monday and Wednesday) we did not focus on homework and easy papers like I was used to in high school classes. We did quizzes and tests.

  I was not equipped to handle the workload at first, I'll admit. I had to adjust. I learned to balance my time between college, high school, work, friends, family, and still have some time for myself.

  The best thing that I learned to do for myself was get my homework or studying done the night it was assigned so I didn't forget about it.I also started to keep a planner so I am not surprised when an event or paper comes up.

  I got into a rhythm. Every night I would leave a certain amount of time for my homework and a certain amount of time to relax with my family, so I wasn't so stressed out.

  The only catch to BWMC was that once you graduated high school, you were to stay a year later and finish out classes for your associate's degree.  

  Personally I am choosing to take all the credits I have earned so far (26) and transfer to a university.

  The only thing that I regret about choosing to go down the path of BWMC is that I am already taking  all of my easiest classes right now at the junior college. Then when I go to a larger university where the classes and courses are more intense I feel that I might not be prepared because I will be forced to begin with harder classes.

  All-in-all I have really enjoyed my BWMC experience and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to advance their education beyond its limits.

Students Raise Money to Fund Our Floor

Feature
By Neve Mcnutt
Husky Herald Reporter

  Last year during February of 2015, Assistant Principal of Port Huron Northern High School, Jason Kasparian set out on a new mission. Determined to re-model the 50 year-old gym floor of Port Huron Northern High School, he began a campaign in order to raise money to put toward the fund of the estimated cost of $120,000.

  Kasparian began by asking only $5 a piece from community members to help “Fund Our Floor” but that was just the beginning.

  A junior at Port Huron Northern High School, Jenna Koppinger (‘17) decided to contribute to helping the remodeling of the new gym floor to beat the deadline of October 2nd for the campaign. “I wanted to work towards something for our school and the Fund Our Floor campaign is what really needed the student’s help.” Koppinger said.

  Koppinger coordinated a walk-a-thon fundraiser to raise money. The walk-a-thon took place on September 26th and the walk started from Port Huron Northern High School all the way to Holland Woods Middle School and back with 40 participating members.

  With help from Kiana Votava (‘16) and Kendyl Keyes (‘17), Koppinger and Kasparian together raised a total $10,000 from the funds donated just from the community.

  “The walk was long and chilly but it was definitely worth it.” Votava said.

  An additional 9 different sponsors donated $10,000 a piece. The sponsors consisting of Kelly Law Firm, Zimmer Roofing, Michigan Driving School, Lake Huron Medical Center, McLaren Hospital of Port Huron, SEMCO Energy, Talmer Bank, Coney Island, and PHN Athletic Boosters. In return for their generous donations, each sponsor will have their own spot on the new gym floor for their logo to be placed for a time period of 10 years.

  To help finally reach the magnificent goal of $120,000 the Port Huron Area School District also donated $10,000 to the Fund Our Floor campaign. “Without the help and generosity from all of our kind sponsors, the goal would have been impossible to reach.” said Koppinger.

  The new gym floor will be installed over the summer of 2016 to be prepared for the fresh new school year of 2016-2017.

National Honor Society Brings Tutoring to Northern

Feature
By Sophia Ahmed
Husky Herald Reporter

  Teachers are often busy after school; from staff meetings to coaching, after school help can be hard to get.  While they try their best at reaching a student, the schedules of the teacher and student often conflicts.

  This conflict can result in a student not getting help if they need it, which can lower academic performance.  NHS aims to stop this.

  When Murphy Vandervest (‘17) saw how many students needed tutoring according to their schedules, she decided to act.  Through National Honor Society, she helped organize an student-accommodating tutoring program, for students by students.

  “It’s important to help the students who need it,” said Vandervest.

 There is just one difference between National Honor Society tutoring and traditional tutoring: students are the tutors.  “I had a signup sheet and members seemed really enthusiastic to help out,” said Vandervest.

  While it may seem untrustworthy to have students teach their friends, Vandervest said that because the tutors are in National Honor Society, the students will be getting tutored by the best and brightest in the school.

  Other than being top students, National Honor Society students are also required to maintain principles of ethics, which plays a crucial role in tutoring. “They won’t just sit and do a homework assignment for someone,” said Vandervest.

  Because there are so many National Honor Society members tutoring, the times and locations of the help allows a flexible schedule.

   “If a student wants to be tutored in geometry at seven o’clock in the morning, it wouldn’t be a problem to get a tutor, there are so many of us,” said Aishah Ahmed (‘16).

   Ahmed, the president of National Honor Society really liked the idea of a tutoring program at the school, saying it not only benefited the students being tutored, but the whole school itself.  “It makes us a stronger and smarter community,” said Ahmed.

   Stacy Vo (‘16), the secretary of National Honor Society, praised the tutoring program and what it does for students, “It gives them an opportunity to excel, an opportunity that they may have never had before,” said Vo.

  The tutoring schedule is almost complete and possible locations are currently being considered, according to Vandervest.  

  “It shouldn’t be long until the wheels start moving,” said Ahmed.

Building Tomorrow, Today

News
By Lizzy Berra
Husky Herald Reporter

  Port Huron Schools will be holding Community Engagement Sessions to bring into focus the needs and goals of the district. All community members are invited to share their views and ideas at these meetings. The next session is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m on Thursday, October 29 at Port Huron Northern High School.

  “This group determines the needs and gets feedback from the community. Do they agree with the student committee and if they don't- we will look at getting a consensus on what the community will support and then putting that all together into a bond proposal that goes to the board,”  principal Charles Mossett of Port Huron Northern said.

  The community engagement sessions analyze the needs of the district from a building perspective and plan programs for the future. These sessions gives the community the opportunity to help make the school environment a place for students to get a quality education. They plan to advance the facilities to make that happen and decide what we need in order to make it happen. They put both the assessment and the programming needs together for a proposal, which eventually leads to a bond.

   “We keep track of what shape the buildings are in and if they are in need of repair. Are there any major improvements that need to be made just to function as a school at a level we expect? And we bring focus and detail to the needs of the students, staff and community,” Mossett said.

  Some goals this group has are: getting an early childhood center, create a 21st century learning environment, air conditioning in additional buildings and help fund extracurricular needs.

  “We want to know what people are thinking, the last thing the district wants is to do is put something on the ballot that the community does not support. Getting that feedback and even if you don't like it, we want people to come and tell us what it is you don't like and give us the opportunity to make it something we all support,” Mossett said.

  All documentation is on the website and people are welcome to review that and give their input. If people cannot make the meeting they can email their opinions to YourVoiceMatters@phasd.us.

Automotive Technology

Feature
By Corey Wilczynski
Husky Herald Reporter

  In Junior and Senior year at Port Huron Northern, there is a program students can be in where they receive on-the-job training in a program that they are interested in.

 There is a class that many students who love cars are in. This class is Automotive Technology; this class teaches students how to work on cars, trucks, etc.
 It teaches students the names and uses for different parts of the car. They show students how to fix or replace the parts as well if they are broke.

 Zach Helton, who is a student at Tech, is a state finalist for brakes. He explains a little bit of his time there. “I’ve learned a lot from tec, I went in thinking I knew everything about cars but they proved me wrong on several occasions. We get to work with other students and we learn from each others mistakes. This is a great program for students who like to work on cars,” Helton (‘16) said.

 Justin Baker is another student at Tech and he loves it. “I always look forward to going because the teachers make the class enjoyable. They joke around and always have something funny to talk about. They make everyone feel relaxed. There isn't anything those guys don’t know about a car,” Baker (‘16) Said.

  The students go to Tech for three hours while also going to high school for three hours. Riley Leffler explains what they do, “How it works is we go over material in a classroom first. Then we spend the next three or four days out in the shop performing everything we covered,” Leffler (‘16) said.

 Every so often they have an open shop day. For juniors, they have it two to three times throughout the year. For seniors they have it every other Friday. People can bring in their car to be worked on by the students. The students will work on the cars and fix everything there is wrong for free. Although people must buy the parts first.

 When students are finished with this class they will be state certified in: brakes, steering and suspension, engine rebuilding, engine performance, and electrical systems.

 This is a great program to get involved in especially for someone wanting to pursue a career in this field. If you are a car lover get involved!

AP Classes

Feature

By Allie Wight
Husky Herald Reporter

  There is a wide variety of advanced placement (AP) classes offered at Port Huron Northern High School. Students have the chance to participate in an AP class in just about every subject at Northern.

  There are a few major differences between a regular course and an advanced placement course, though, which is why there are certain steps to be taken to ensure success in these higher level classes.

  First of all, students should expect a significantly larger work load as well as much quicker paced learning. Advanced placement classes are to be treated as college classes. After all, at the end of the course there is an opportunity to take a test and possibly earn college credit depending on the score you earn on that test.

  Secondly, students who decide to enroll in advanced placement classes should be prepared to adjust their schedules a bit outside of school in order to ensure that there is time to complete homework assignments and adequately study for tests. Olivia Coleman (‘19) says “Even on the first day of my first advanced placement class, I noticed that the pace of the class and the workload were going to be much different and more challenging than that of a regular class,”

  Although advanced placement classes are set at a higher pace and consist of material that is more in depth than a regular class, that does not mean AP classes should only be for the top students in the class.

   “I think a lot of kids at Northern are afraid to be in an advanced placement class because they think they’ll lose their 4.0 grade point average,” says Coleman, “but I think in the long run, experiencing college level work before you even start college might prove to be more beneficial than keeping a perfect 4.0, as long as you keep your grades up in the AP classes,”

  Mr. Jamison, an AP mathematics teacher at Northern says, “AP classes give students a great opportunity to challenge themselves from an intellectual and time-management standpoint. Any kid can have success in an AP class as long as they are willing to challenge themselves. Success might not always be an A, but as long as high-level thinking and learning occurs, the class is a success.”

  Taking AP classes is also beneficial to students because colleges notice and better consider students if they see that they challenge themselves with advanced placement courses. Colleges like to see rigorous course work, even if it means having a 3.9 GPA rather than a 4.0.

  Next time you are scheduling your classes, keep in mind that advanced placement courses will help tremendously with your future endeavors.  

  

The Senior Picture Struggle

Feature

By Lukas Kellerman
Husky Herald Reporter

  Some love them, some dread them, and some don’t even get them; senior pictures. This tradition spans back decades and seems to be a sort of  “right of passage” before high school graduation. But how much money really goes into getting these done?

  Seniors usually chose from a few major competitors in throughout the area: O’Hare Photography, Twin Shutterbug Studios, and Birchfield studios. Each of these companies offers a unique style and price range according to number of outfits, locations, and poses.

  With O’Hare, a basic session with basic additional prints would come in at around $300, whereas a “supermodel senior session” with “the works collection” print option adds  up to $1,225. Mark Le (‘16) said “It was hard contacting O’Hare probably because it’s a busy season, but I think they did an amazing job.”

  Twin Shutterbug Studios offers three different session options as well, with prices ranging from $125 to $300 for a “designer session” and various additional print prices  ranging from less than $100 to over $500.

  Last but not least, Birchfield Studios offers the least expensive option. Their prices aren’t listed on their website, but, according to Mckenna Sweeney(‘16), the prices were fairly cheap, “We only paid $30 per session, with two outfits  and eight poses. Print prices range from $30 to about $530.”

  Another option is one many chose, especially in this day of age when every smartphone is equipped with a decent camera. Some seniors simply bring a friend to a scenic location and have a mini photo shoot for free. Of course this takes some extra time and effort, but it seems to be increasingly popular among thrifty seniors.

  Depending on the importance a family puts on memorializing their child, senior pictures can be as cheap as a nice dinner, or as costly as a used car.  

  Regardless, by having so many options it’s hard to understand why one wouldn’t want a snapshot of their child before entering adulthood.

Peer Resistance Education Program

Feature

By Ashton Wimbury
Husky Herald Reporter

  On Mondays after school, Peer Resistance Education Program (PREP) meets up in Mr. Farnsworth’s room.  It is a club made for the resistance of things teenagers are typically pressured into such as drugs, alcohol, etc.  

  The club takes a stand for what they believe is right  and encourages others to do the same.  The members are people that want to make a change and each year the amount of members greatly increases.

  “We want to make a difference,” Heidi Wilson (‘16) said.

Later in the year, the club goes around to middle schools and inspires 8th graders to help make that difference and continue it to high school. .

“It’s really cool because we get to interact with the 8th graders and educate them on how to avoid the pressure many teenagers experience,” Hailey Anglebrandt (‘16) said.

Together, they make a change that is needed in order to help students.

  Every year the club goes in with the mindset of helping others in our own school, as well as the schools around us.  They do skits, personal testimonies, and just simply talk to the other students.  

  Although they are just students, they make a large impact.  Teaching those other students, unites schools together to make a change.

  “It’s a fun club to be a part of,” Mike Mahaffy (‘16) said.

   The club enjoys performing skits because they get to make the students laugh, while still impacting the students in a positive way.

“The students always end up loving the skits we perform,” Anglebrandt said.

  The members work hard to be that change that schools need.  Many times, teenagers are put under that pressure that can deeply affect them. PREP does their best to help students resist that pressure they may receive.  

  By doing this, the club is truly making a difference. .

  They interact with the students by opening up and sharing their personal experiences and show them that if they are  struggling through something, they aren’t alone.  When the students hear what they’ve experienced, they learn that things happen, but it is possible to get through whatever it is.

  As the years go on, PREP will continue to be that change that schools truly needed in order to have a positive environment.

Wall Building

Feature

By Paige Rodgers
Husky Herald Reporter

  Opposed to float building like most schools participate in for their homecoming activities, Port Huron Northern students go against the grain and build class walls to compete for the barrell; a prize passed down to every winning class of the homecoming games.

  Wall building is an event that takes place over the week prior to homecoming. Student council, ran by Mrs. Tinsley, provides general themes such as decades, cities, movies etc..

  Each grade expands on the general theme provided and creates a wall into something that represents their class. For example, in 2014 the general theme for the walls was decades. The class of 2018  had the 50s, the class of 2017 had the 60s, the class of 2016 had the 20s, and the class of 2015 had the 80s.

  Students from every class paint murals on their respective walls, and create 3D objects that correlate to the theme. This year, for 2015, the general theme was “vacation destination”. The freshmen recreated the strip of  Las Vegas, the sophomores recreated Disney, the juniors recreated a jungle safari, and the seniors created a stroll through Europe.

  The wall has a maximum of a 10 foot depth, meaning the area surrounding the wall cannot expand over ten feet, a maximum width of 25 feet, and  a maximum height to the ceiling of Port Huron Northern’s cafeteria which is 15 feet. “There’s actually a lot of rules and restrictions,” Tinsley said.

  The walls are judged by volunteers. The walls are anonymous as to which grade they belong to. They are graded by the judges in a point system. You can earn points for authenticity, creativity, level of difficulty etc..

  At Port Huron Northern’s homecoming dance, the student council president reports the winners of wall building. For 2015, the seniors came in first, the juniors in second, the sophomores in third and the freshmen in fourth.

  The placement of the walls is directly correlated with how many points each grade earns towards the homecoming barrel.

  Many other factors go into winning the homecoming barrell such as class participation for spirit days, kart races, games assembly and penny jars. However, the class wall is the big turkey that reels in the most points and that defines each class.