Students enjoy freedom during school

Feature
By Megan Spencer
Husky Herald Reporter

  Students, more or less, spend most of their time at school, especially when students are in afterschool activities. The freedoms students have while they’re at school are just as important as their freedoms at home.

  Student freedoms have substantial factors included: students, location of school, faculty, school district, and everything in-between. Should students have a bigger say in their rights at school, or do students ignore the rights they’re given at school?

     Mrs. Zyrowski, who teaches ELA 11 as well as AP Lit, notices how student rights correspond with learning. “Student freedoms can be conductive to the learning process,” Zyrowski quotes, “people learn the best when they feel comfortable, motivated and challenged.”

On the other hand, Chane’l Fuller (‘18) thinks we have freedoms for a different reason. “So we don’t feel like we’re in jail; so we can be prepared for our freedoms outside school,” Fuller stated.

  Moreover, rules and guidelines can have consequences, too. While students as well as teachers may look at the freedoms instead of the effect, each rule has a reason.

  Students need rules, but the rules students think they need may not be what they actually have. Sophie Darmody, (‘17) states, “I like the rules with class, but I don’t like being limited at lunch. I should be able to walk where I need to, walking doesn’t disturb classes.”

  Although the freedom is going to the students, they don’t typically have a say; when they do, it doesn’t always have an influence on the end product. To solve this, Fuller quotes, “At the beginning of the year, or anytime in the year maybe, we could do student polls on what freedoms they would like and go from there.

  The chance to have a choice is always an important part in every person’s life, not just at school. “I want to be able to decide what I can do at school,” Darmody  states, “I’m at school a lot, and when I’m not, I’m probably working on homework.”

  Overall, many students appreciate the freedoms they have already, but are hopeful for more in the future. Students could earn many freedoms, if given the opportunity to gain them over time.

Reeling in this year's catch

Sports
By Corey Wilczynski
Husky Herald Reporter

  The wait is over and the weather is cracking. Fishing season is finally upon us folks. Grab a fishing pole and head down to the river.

  “This fishing season should be a great one! There wasn't as much ice this year as the past years so hopefully it didn't hurt the fish like the past years,” Zach Helton (‘16).

  The past few years the fishing population has went down and also hasn't been the greatest. Many think it is due to the thick ice we've had of the past couple years.

  “I’ve went out fishing a couple times this year and so far i've done really well. With this warm rain we've had it’s brought a lot of fish of the creeks,” Adam Cook (‘16).

  “I love going out spearing for suckers. The warm rain has made this spearing season extremely good,” Jacob Schroeder (‘16).

  “I’m so excited to  get back out fishing. That’s one of my favorite things to do is go out with friends and catch a couple fish,” Justin Baker (‘16).

  “I’ve been waiting for so long to go fishing because I didn't get to go out much last year. This year i'll be out fishing every week,” Rease Fulton (‘16).

  This fishing season should be good because of the early warm weather. It may not be though because of the hot and then cold weather but who knows until they get out.

  This spearing season was delayed a while though because of the heavy rains we’ve had. Too much water in the creeks and rivers makes it hard to see the fish.

  “I’ve had great luck spearing on the times i’ve went out with my dad. We got about 21 all together. Definitely better this year than the  past years i've went out,” Bo Devroy (‘16).

  The fishing season can’t really be determined by anyone because everyone fishes differently and has their own special spot. The only way to know if it’s good is to grab a fishing pole and head out to the river.

  Don’t wait too long though and miss the best time. Grab some worms and go catch some fish!

Teachers create a fun learning facility for students

Feature
By Kiana Votava
Husky Herald Reporter

  High School is not just about studying hard and receiving good grades. High school is where you create lifelong memories with friends and teachers.

  Anna VanderHuevel (‘19) has had some great memories with her high school teachers, but her favorite teacher is Mr. Davis, who teaches advanced placement U.S History. “Mr. Davis is a fun and sarcastic teacher, but he is also able to teach the material I need to learn.”

  VanderHuevel says, “He made my transition into my freshman year easier because he was easy to talk to and helped me with any material I was confused with in class. I don’t necessarily have a favorite memory with Mr. Davis, but I enjoyed all the stories he told me about my older siblings that he taught and my parents because he went to highschool with.”

  “Even though I only had him freshman year, he made it a great year because he encouraged me to do the best I can in class,” VanderHuevel says.

  Mike Mahaffy (‘20) has enjoyed his four years at Port Huron Northern with teachers and friends. Mike’s favorite teacher is Mr. Neal, who teaches broadcasting radio and web publishing. “Mr. Neal is my favorite because we have a lot in common and he is just a big goofball.”

  Mahaffy says, “Whenever I go into his classroom during lunch time, we spend all of our time talking about superheroes  because we both love superheroes. I have had him for two year for my radio class and I really enjoyed him as a teacher.”

  Katie Robbins (‘19) has enjoyed her two years at Port Huron Northern so far. Even though there are wonderful teachers at Port Huron Northern, her favorite is Mr. Davis, the advance placement U.S history teacher.

  “Mr. Davis makes the material fun to learn. Also, he forms a relationship with all of his students which makes class enjoyable,” Robbins says.

  Robbins says, “My favorite memory with Mr. Davis is when he lost a game of hangman against me at the end of the school year. Before I graduate, he is letting me paint his head before a rivalry football game.”

  

Lacrosse Team comes together with a common goal

Sports
By Colton Fockler
Husky Herald Reporter

  Northern’s lacrosse team isn't just Northern’s team. It is a unified team between Northern and Port Huron High, which is coached by Jon Holden, who played college lacrosse.

  When asked about the season Holden said “We’re all looking forward to another great season. Everyone has been working hard in the off-season and at practice. We want to win another playoff game this year, maybe two.”

  Last year the team won its first playoff game in its history and they plan to do it again, even possibly making it further than just one playoff win.

  This year's lacrosse season has started out rather well for the team, going 4-2 in their first two games. They have played one league game and loss in a thriller to L'anse Creuse North 6-5.

  The team had some rebuilding to do after losing some great players from last year like Will Krewall, Jake Schott, Brendan Conard, and many others.

  Grant Nesbitt (18’), a key attackman for the team had this to say “We are a good team, we just need to be consistent, play good defense, and score on most all of our opportunities to win games”

  Scoring goals is one thing the team hasn’t done a lot of this year. Most of the games for the team have been under eight goals a team, which is very little for a high school game.

  However, they just had a great game, April 26th, winning 12-0 against Sterling Mott Unified (Warren Mott/Sterling Heights combined.) Even a defenseman scored in the game which very rare.

  Clay Carter (17’), of  Port Huron High, the defenseman who scored, had this to say after the SMU game “We talked about the trick play to get me a goal during the timeout, but i never thought i would even get open enough let alone get the ball and score”

  Another thing affecting the team is players being ineligible for grades, losing them for a week until they get better. This ultimately led to the loss against University of Liggett, when the team lost important players for the game.

  However the team is still playing good, with a 4-2 record so far, there is not much to complain about. Hopefully they can fulfill their goal and make it further in the playoffs this year.

Golf season is in full swing

Sports
By Robert Bacheller
Husky Herald Reporter

  Springtime is finally here. This means a wide variety of things, but only one to golfers. It's time to head back outside and get on the links.

  If golfers were able to escape the stale Michigan weather and head down south for a week, they have a head start. Led by coaches Tom Wilson and Kyle Whymer, the Huskies Boys Golf team is looking to have a successful year and follow up the strong 2015 season.

  “We should compete in every match. There are some good golfers on this team,” said Nick Miller (‘16).

  The team plays their home matches at the Port Huron Golf Club (PHGC), located conveniently across the street. This is an advantage over some of the other MAC schools, who have to drive as many as 10 miles to reach their home course.

  Another advantage at upper here in PoHo is the north wind ripping off of the lake. Opponents show up here wearing shorts and a polo, not realizing that the temperature is 15 degrees cooler than it is back in metro Detroit.

   The team is composed of mostly seniors, but also contains juniors and freshmen. Regular Varsity starters include Nick Miller, Luc Bowman, Kyle Mcmath, Dane Wirtz, Kurtis Obermeyer, and Billy Fealko.

  After losing to Dakota in the first match of the season, the team has rebounded to win two out of the next three matches, bringing the record to 2-2. In addition to weekly matches, the golf schedule consists of 18 hole tournaments.

  On April 26th, the Huskies won the PHN invite on home turf at PHGC. The six-team tournament consisted of Northern, Dakota, Port Huron, L’Anse Creuse, and two other schools. Avenging the opening match loss, PHN sunk Dakota by 5 strokes.

  As the seasons rolls on, the golfers look to find consistency and lower their scores. “We know we can golf better. We want to be at our best going into Divisionals,” said Billy Fealko (‘17).

  With less than a month left in the season, hopefully the hours of practice by PHN golfers will lead to great rewards.

Business class Hosts PHN Oscars

Feature
By Stacy Vo
Husky Herald Reporter

 The Oscars to an average person outside of Port Huron Northern is an award ceremony recognizing major motion pictures as known as movies.

 But at Port Huron Northern, the Oscars is an event that is hosted by the Business class here at PHN.

 The Oscars is an event that praises students for their own individuality, that in everyday life isn’t possible.

 “When I used to teach in Mount Pleasant, we hosted this event for years and I decided to bring it here to the Blue Water Area.” said Mr. Jerrod Black, business and accounting teacher at Port Huron Northern.

 It is hosted every year in April, this year it is on April 16th.

 There is a myriad of different categories that anyone could fit into.

 Like for instance: The Wildest Whip, Queen Bee, Mr. Universe, and Most Likely to be Late to The Oscars.

 How does one get nominated for these awards?

 “We make this survey and send out the link to all the students and they go ahead and fill out the nominations from themselves, then we take the top 4 people (1 from each grade) to win the award.” said Sophie Jackson (‘16)

 After sending out that link, we give the student body a week to respond back to it.

 During that, we get prepped for all we have to do for the Oscars.

 Spreading the word is a huge component in this process, this is our third year doing the Oscars.

 The Oscars is now something everybody looks forward to after they come back from Spring Break.’

 “I feel as if the way we do this is very efficient due to the participation of the whole school and how involved everybody gets, it is very enjoying to see the whole student body come together to appreciate one another.” Said Hunter Guilds (‘16)

 The Oscars shows how an event can boosts the environment and the attitudes around it.

 “It truly brings the whole student body together, just using praisement for students for their originality and their unique talents” said Emalee Falk (‘16)

Online classes verses In class teaching

Opinion
By Allie Wight
Husky Herald Reporter

  Being a high school student who is involved in sports, clubs, and other extra curricular activities can leave you stressed and pressed for time. Many students do not have a very flexible schedule because of the things they participate in outside of the classroom.

  In order to make things easier on yourself, I would highly recommend trying out an online class. Whether you’re in middle college, dual enrolled, or just a regular high school student, you have the opportunity to enroll in an online class because there are courses offered online at both SC4 and Port Huron Northern.

  There are a few conditions, though, that need to be taken into consideration when deciding whether or not an online class is right for you. You need to have excellent time management skills, a decent understanding of how to utilize an online classroom, and you need to be organized and aware of due dates as you will not have a teacher present to constantly remind you of them.

  With that being said, online classes are definitely not for everyone, but if you think you meet the criteria then I would strongly recommend at least trying an online class.

  I have only taken one online class so far, and it’s considerably more difficult than I anticipated it to be. Not only is the material hard, but the class is very fast paced, which makes it a bit challenging to always stay on top of things.

  When you’re not going to a classroom with a teacher to direct you every day, it can be more than easy to let assignments and due dates slip your mind, which is why if you’re considering enrolling in an online class, I stress that it’s essential to be organized.

  However, it is very nice to not have to go to an entire class period every day, especially if you’re a fast paced learner and can learn quickly even on your own. You shouldn’t have to waste your time sitting in a class that’s too slow for your liking when you could be teaching yourself the material on your own much more efficiently.

    

The importance of Apps on cellphones

Feature
By Ashton Wimbury
Husky Herald Reporter

  Dictionary.com defines an app as, “a self-contained program or piece of software designed to fulfill a particular purpose”.  You could say apps are what makes up a phone altogether, especially phones such as  iPhones or Androids.

  Apps are very convenient and when it comes to them, there is a huge number of options to choose from.         Typically, you can just think of something, search it, and odds are there is an app for it.

  Different people have different apps.  Looking at the multiple apps obtained in one’s phone can actually tell a lot about a person.   

  “Soccer stars is a really convenient app for me,” said Meredith Stephens (‘16).

  Everyone loves an app that entertains.  Whenever people are bored they can easily just take out their phone and use an app to be entertained.  There is game apps, television apps, and even apps where you can share your own content.

  “I like Rapchat  because it allows me to spit my fire and share it with the world.  Beyonce even offered me to be her opener,” said Garrett Lance (‘16).

  Instead of having to go through the process of  going online for social media websites, they can be right there with one touch of an app.  With social media being put as apps, it allows phone users to quickly be able to stay updated on other people’s lives.

  “With having social media like Twitter as an app, it is so much quicker than having to go on a computer,” said Heidi Wilson (‘16).

  The many efficient apps can really help out a person.  There is weather, maps, google, and so much more.   The weather apps can help people see the current and future weather, the GPS just requires you to type in the address and it will guide you there, and google allows you to quickly search whatever you want.  All of them are so simple, yet very useful.

  “I like to use the map app in order to get around locations I am not use to being in,” said, Erica McClelland (‘16).

  There is so many apps, but there is still so many yet to be made.  People come up with creative ideas and turn them into a piece of software useful to countless people.  Apps might be a small program on our phones, but they have had a large impact on the modernization of our world.

        

The stress that comes with applying to college

Feature
By Sophie Reinhard
Husky Herald Reporter

 For every high school senior, or anybody, applying for college is stressful.

  The biggest decision to made is what you want to study and get a job in later in life. It is important to choose something that interests you.

  This is hard because most people have no clue what they are interested in. This is the important first step because then you have to choose a college that has the specific programs you are looking for.

  Some people know what college they want to go to but do not know what they want to study. This was the case for Dane Wirtz (‘16) he said, “I always knew I wanted to go Michigan State but I am still unsure of what I want to do. Hopefully i'll figure it out along the way.”   

  There are many factors that have to be considered when applying to the college of your dreams. The biggest factor that has to be considered is the price.

  Can you afford to go to this college, or will you end up taking loans and be in student debt for most of your adult life? According to Carmen Rankin (‘16), “The biggest challenge when applying for college is knowing yourself.”

  This means knowing your interests, going where you feel most comfortable, applying for a place where you will feel safe and secure.

  Next comes the actual application process. This is usually pretty straightforward. Just put in your grades and achievements (it's good to boast about yourself) and if a essay is required make sure to stay on topic, use good grammar, and correct spelling.

  It is important to remember that when all your applications are done you have to go to your school counselor and have them send all your high school transcripts to all the colleges.

  The most grueling part of this process is the waiting. It could take anywhere from two days to two months to hear back from any of the colleges.

  It is always a great moment when you get that email, phone call, or email and all your hard work is paid off!!

AP Seminar becomes a new class at Northern

Feature
By Bridget Dooley
Husky Herald Reporter

  The end of the school year is just around the corner, and that means that students are beginning to schedule classes for next year. At Port Huron Northern, students can choose from a wide range of classes that are of interest to them,  the core subjects of Science, Math, English, and History, as well as a variety of electives.

  AP Seminar is a new course being offered at Port Huron Northern for the 2016-17 school year.  Although this sounds interesting, this new class has resulted in an abundance of questions from confused students.

  What is AP Seminar?

  “AP Seminar is a new course being offered at Port Huron Northern for the 2016-17 class year. It is a course that really integrates technology and the social science to challenge our english students to improve their research skills as well as their writing skills. ” Ms. VanValkenburg says. Ms. VanValkenburg is taking a course in August to help her prepare for teaching AP Seminar next year.

      “AP Seminar really is unique” she explains. “It doesn’t necessarily require students to read literature; instead, it prompts students to evaluate articles, speeches, and more informative nonfiction pieces.”

   So if you’re a student that enjoys the research and evaluation of ELA over the creative aspects, this class could be for you.

    AP Seminar  is going to be primarily for 10th grade students as an alternative to ELA 10. Kids do not have to test out of ELA 10 to take AP Seminar.

    In terms of workload, AP Seminar is not much different from AP Lang or AP Lit, but it is a very different type of work. It’s a lot of group work and research outside of class with lots of projects and deadlines.. If you’re planning to go into journalism, communications, or the social sciences, this class could be a benefit to your futures.

Frozen Yogurt strives at Northern

Feature
By Megan Spencer
Husky Herald Reporter

   Snack options at Northern are expanding, and allowing for more options. Many students go to the school store and the vending machines, but the newest option has caused excitement and discontent among students.

  Frozen yogurt is now being sold for $1.25, located in the sub sandwich line.

  How are students reacting to this new snack? Are students happy with the new, healthy, ice cream-like yogurt, or are students repulsed by it?

  Sophie Darmody (‘17) loves the yogurt option. “Everybody loves it,” Darmody said, “I get it everyday.”

  Another student, Sarah Miller (‘17) agrees.

  “It seems to be pretty popular,” Miller said. “One day, there was not any, and people were grumpy about it in my yearbook class."

  In contrast, Austin Elliott (17’), has an interesting outlook on the frozen yogurt option.

  “People complain that it’s really expensive, especially because it’s such a little cup. That’s one of the reasons I haven’t tried it,” Elliot said.

  Instead, Elliot would prefer a different snack. “I would really enjoy homemade granola bars,” Elliot said. “They’re really good, and they’re healthy.”

  Students like Miller want to focus on the healthy side of lunch. “We need healthier snacks, and they need to be -- you know -- not bruised bananas.”

  Other students, such as Darmody, enjoy all of the snacks on our current menu, which cater to all of different types of taste buds. “There’s already popcorn, slushies, coffee, cookies, frozen yogurt, chips,” said Darmody.

  Students are have high hopes for the lunches due to this change.

  “I’m not familiar with the laws that are in place, the nutrition laws; I’m not sure where we can go. I like that they’re expanding,” said Elliot.

Coffee gives the students energy to tackle the day

Feature
By Corey Wilczynski
Husky Herald Reporter

  A morning coffee is one of the most important parts of a student's morning, or so they think. It’s what helps a student get through the day after staying up late doing homework or working.

  Does coffee really help a student in the morning or is it just in their head? A few students did a test to see if it  really helps.

  Four students did an experiment to see the difference between a morning with coffee and a morning without coffee.

  “I never go anywhere in the morning without some coffee, I always get my coffee from Tim Hortons.  I tried going one morning without coffee and I couldn’t concentrate at all. I was dozing off and was crabby all day,” Jacob Schroeder (‘16).

  Bo Devroy had a different experience. “I usually don’t drink coffee in the morning but I tried it one morning. My coffee from Tim Hortons didn’t help me concentrate, it really did nothing for me, that's why I normally don't drink it,” Bo Devroy (‘16).

  It has been back and forth between students. Some say it helps some say it does absolutely nothing.

  “I normally don’t drink coffee in the morning but when I do I feel it does help me concentrate, I feel like I am more focused and awake when I do drink it. I either get my coffee from Tim Hortons or Speedy Q,” Adam Cook (‘16)

  “I definitely drink coffee in the mornings after a long night at work. It really does help me concentrate. I tried not drinking it and all I could think about was going home so I could sleep, I make my own coffee at home I normally don’t go out to get one unless I’m running late,” Zach Helton (‘16).

   This experiment found that the students that normally drink it in the morning can’t go without it and that non coffee drinkers were not affected by it. Many drink coffee in the mornings and maybe they really don't need to, but it all depends on the student.

Flannel becomes the fashion trend on Fridays

Feature
By Paige Rodgers
Husky Herald Reporter

Flannel Friday has become a popular event at Port Huron Northern. Celebrated every single Friday, the event has attracted a group of loyal participants.

  Evan Kercher (‘16) became a trendsetter and admin for the group by proudly sporting a flannel to school on Fridays as a way to express his happiness and appreciation for flannels and Fridays simultaneously. “I think it’s the most iconic thing Evan Kercher has created.” Owen Louks (‘16) said.

  The movement began in the 2013-2014 school year at PHN. “I had a couple flannels and I had just bought a flannel vest from Goodwill and I wanted to show off the vest so I wore it on a Friday. Then I continued to wear a flannel every Friday and people noticed and joined.” Kercher said.

  Flannel Friday is out of pure fun and there’s no real reason to do it other than to celebrate the fact that it is Friday and to show off some flannels that otherwise go neglected any other day of the week. “Flannel Friday is fun, I usually participate.” Ben Steary (‘16)  said.

  Kercher has created a Remind 101 to remind those involved to wear their flannels. To join, one must send the text  `@flannel to the number 81010 and reminders and updates will automatically be sent to those who have joined. 50 loyal members have accumulated in the Remind 101 since its creation.

  Flannel Friday is a group activity and something anyone can become a part of. “Flannel Friday brings students together and it’s something to participate in.” Louks said.

  In the midst of the joys of Flannel Friday, a rivalrous few attempted to establish Flannel Tuesday in rebellion. “Imitators tried to start Flannel Tuesday but it never really caught on. I believe imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Kercher said.

  If there’s ever an occasion to bust out a flannel and show it off, it might as well be on a Friday. Chances are, if you look around PHN on a Friday, you’re bound to see the unmistakable print and fabric of flannel somewhere.

Northern Moves AP Testing to Baker College

Feature
By Sophia Ahmed
Husky Herald Reporter

 Port Huron Northern has recently changed its Advanced Placement (AP) class testing location from the Auxiliary Gym to Baker College in attempt to improve testing environment.  There has been a mixed reaction to this change, with most being a negative response.

  “I was confused when I first heard about the change and now I am just frustrated,” said Margaret Smith (‘17).

  There are arguments to support both sides.

  On one hand, testing at Baker College is a major inconvenience in terms of transportation, especially those with no drivers license.  While the school is providing busing, students still have to get up earlier than usual, which will cause them to lose the crucial sleep they need the night before the exam.

  In addition, most students seem to think that changing a testing location won’t change the test scores-- for PSAT testing, some students were testing in the Auxiliary Gym while others were testing in classrooms.  Selected scores indicated no correlation to testing locations, students received scores of above 90th percentile both in and out of the Auxiliary Gym.

  Administrators first changed the location of the test due to parent complaints regarding “lighting and ventilation,” according to Mr. Barden. Instead of focusing on environment, successful AP students say that their peers should focus on their studying habits.

  Despite student frustration over the location change, most do appreciate the effort that the school has made to accommodate the concerns expressed. “I do understand why they did it, I would just appreciate if they took our opinions into consideration before the change,” said Andrea Johnson (‘17).

  However, not all testing is going to be at Baker College.  

  AP 2D and 3D Art students compile a portfolio of their previous assignments to send to the College Board before the May deadline. AP classes that were self studied are also being administered at Northern and late exams are not going to take place at Baker College either.

  Most students are concerned over how they will have to get up earlier and how the will be in an unfamiliar environment. “I hope that the school will reconsider their stance on the Baker College testing location, I would really appreciate it and I’m sure a lot of other students will too,” said Johnson.

Following Phone Policy at Northern

Feature
By Allie Wight
Husky Herald Reporter

  All of the classrooms in Port Huron Northern are supposed to abide by the rules laid out by the  Port Huron Area School District in the student code handbook. This handbook includes a wide range of policies that are to be followed by both students and teachers at Northern.

  In the Electronic Communication Devices section of the handbook, it is stated that “Students may possess a cell phone in school, on school property, at after-school activities, on a school bus and at school-related functions, but students may not use cell phones or other personal technology during class time at school unless it is approved by the teacher for appropriate educational purposes.”

  I think that just about every student at Northern would agree that the amount of students who follow that rule is slim to none. There also are not many teachers who enforce this rule.

  In some ways, I think it is understandable that some teachers do not see it completely necessary to comply with the rules, because if a student is on his or her phone the whole class period and therefore does not learn anything, they will have to suffer the consequences. This will help to teach the student a sense of responsibility for him or herself

  I think the school district handbook is too strict in stating that students can’t use their phones for anything in class with the exception of using it for educational purposes.

  There are times in class when the teacher issues a “free day” or a day for make-up work, and some students are already all caught up. In this situation, I think that students who have all of their work done should be allowed to use their phones to text or play games at their own discretion.

  The handbook also states that “Cell phones must be turned off during class time unless approved by the teacher for educational purposes. Ringing, buzzing, and/or vibrating or any interruption of class due to cell phone use/misuse is prohibited.”

  I disagree with this only because I do not believe that phones have to be completely turned off. I think they should be on for emergency purposes.

  However, cell phones should be silent so that they don’t distract other students. The biggest concern involving technology use during class is distraction, but moderation is key in combating this problem.