The Continuing of the Baccalaureate Tradition

Feature 

By Trevor Lumpkins

Husky Herald Reporter

   This spring Port Huron Northern and Port Huron High are coming together to create a special ceremony to acknowledge seniors who are Christians. The Port Huron City class of 2014 has a lot of potential to help this area grow and prosper.

   This ceremony is called Baccalaureate. This is a ceremony to recognize the accomplishments that these soon to be graduates have completed.

   These students believe that without God in their lives they would not have been able to complete this journey. These four years would have been a lot harder without the good Lord helping them along the way.

   Ted Harvey is one of the leaders helping to set up this special night. Ted has been a part of Baccalaureate for over 20 years.

   “Every year we do this event it gets better and better. Each year is different and amazing in their own way,” said Harvey.

   Also helping out with Baccalaureate is Gordy Farnsworth. Gordy has been helping out with this night for many years.

   “This night is all about the students and we want to keep it that way. Whatever the students have to show, whether it be a skit, a song, dance, or even digital design, they will have a chance to show how the Lord has worked or blessed them in their lives,” said Farnsworth.

   Already there has been a lot of interest in students being involved in Baccalaureate. Emily Torres has already said she would like to sing in ceremony.

   In past years Baccalaureate has been a great success. The building is packed and there has always been a great turnout.

   Even though each year is different “we like to keep at least a little tradition” says Harvey. One thing that Ted likes to keep the same is having a pastor come and be the key note speaker.

   This speaker is not picked by being the “best speaker” or the “best pastor”. This person is picked by the students.

   If there is a senior that is involved with the event that has a parent who is a pastor, that is the person who is picked to be the speaker.

   Baccalaureate has been a great success in the past and “we hope to keep it going strong for future generations. We don’t want this to HAVE BEEN a great event; we want it to continue to BE a great event,” said Farnsworth. 

The End of the Console Wars

Feature

By Jon May

Husky Herald Reporter

   
  There was a recent race happening around the world that has just about come to a close, with one thing pulling out in front. The recent console war has supposedly come to an end with one system “winning”, the PS4.

   I say supposedly because how do we really determine how a system “wins” a console war?

While interviewing a few students, they gave me a couple insights on what it takes to truly be on the top of the console wars.

   TJ Ruedisueli (’14) said, “I can see why people would want to buy the PS4 it’s cheaper than the Xbox One.” This is the common belief on why the PS4 is a better choice which may have ultimately led to it being the most sold console of the new generation of games.

   To back up what TJ said, overall the PS4 has sold around 2 million more units than the Xbox One. That’s roughly $840,000,000 more profit that Sony (the developers of the system) has over Microsoft. They are sold for a mere $400 whereas the Xbox one is sold for $500.

   However price and units sold are not the only things that determine whom exactly is the winner of a console race. Another Key factor is the amount of games sold.

   An insane 13.7 Million games have recently been sold by the PS4 with those numbers rising. A single game can impact the amount or kind of console that is being sold.

   Brian Tomiuk (’14) a PS4 owner has a say on this, “I bought a PS4 so I could play the new ghosts. I’m also looking forward to the new Watchdogs game. It’s one of the main reasons I bought the PS4.”

   Tomiuk is an exact proof that one game can lead to the sudden rise of a console being sold. The same can be said for the Xbox One.

   Titanfall a FPS that came out on March 11^th 2014 has drastically increased Microsoft’s sales. It increased the sales of the Xbox one by 96%.

   Tom Coop (’14) says, “Titanfall is my favorite game for the Xbox One. I have been waiting for the release of Titanfall ever since the One came out.”

   So what console has truly won the console wars? Well both consoles are still brand new with hundreds more game franchises still waiting to release. For Xbox it’s the new Halo Game, for PS4 it’s the new 1984. 

   There is no true way to determine a winner for these console wars. As long as video games exist there will be a continuing controversy on which one is better, but for that question to be answered you will have to see for yourself.

Snow Forces Students Inside for Snowcoming

Feature

By Marie Mullally  

Husky Herald Reporter

Every year students at Port Huron Northern High School look forward to Snowcoming weekend. They are excited for the assembly, the games, and the dance.

  All of the members of each class come together for the weekend to compete against the other grades. “I like how competitive everyone gets,” said Sarah VanderHeuvel (’15).

   Other students agree with VanderHeuvel. “It is really nice to see the class spirit in all of the students,” said Amy Tseng (’14).

   Overall, the pep assembly is one of the students’ favorite events. “The schools enthusiasm makes the assembly really fun,” explained Anu Nandi (’15).

   The Snowcoming games this year were quite different from ones in the past. Due to winter weather, the games were moved inside.

   Students had mixed feelings about the games being moved indoors this year. Some think that having the games indoors takes away from the whole meaning of the games.

   “I didn’t like it,” replied VanderHeuvel when asked how she felt about the games being moved inside. “It was not as fun or the same,” she explained.

   Tseng felt the same way. “I didn’t like it because it cut volleyball short,” she said.

   On the other hand, some students liked having the games indoors. “I liked that it was inside because no one froze!” explained Nandi.

The teachers appreciated it too. The adults who volunteered to help did not have to stand out in the freezing cold all morning.

   Another exciting part of Snowcoming weekend is the dance. Although not as popular as the Homecoming dance, it is still a fun event for students to participate in.

   When asked about the dance, students’ answers varied.

   “I attended the dance this year because it’s super fun every year,” said VanderHeuvel. “I think that because it’s a lot smaller than Homecoming, it is more fun,” she finished.

   The majority of students did not attend the dance this year.

   “I didn’t go because I did not feel like going this year,” replied Nandi.

   “I didn’t go because I didn’t feel like dressing up for the dance,” said Tseng.

   Overall, Snowcoming was still pretty successful this year. Even though the games ended up being indoors, students still had as much fun as they usually do on Snowcoming weekend.

Bowling For a Cause

Feature

By Dallas Chicone

Husky Herald Reporter

   Looking for something fun and great to do on Sunday, March 23? Sunday’s are boring so flex your muscles and train your aim by getting out of the house and helping out a great cause by attending a PHN’s bowling fundraiser.

   Kathryn Brooks (’15) and Olivia Bell (’15) are hosting PHN’s Relay for Life Bowling Fundraiser on Sunday, March 23 at 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at Blue Water Bowl, 2419 Lapeer Road in Port Huron Township.

   Tickets are $15 which includes two friendly and competitive games of bowling, bowling shoes, and a chance to win great door prizes. Buy tickets ahead of time because there will be no tickets sold at the door. There will only be sixty Tickets sold, so get yours today!

   Some of the great door prizes that you will have the chance to win are: a Buffalo Wild Wings gift certificate, Carmike Cinema movie passes, signature manicure from Spa 223, and hair coloring and cut from a Salon.

   “It’s going to be really fun and it’s for a great cause,” says Brooks (’15). “Our goal is to raise $1000 for Relay for Life”.

   “I’m going, it’s going to be a great experience,” says Jack Trimble (’14). “It’s for a great cause that will help out cancer victims and it’s something fun to do on a Sunday.”

   “All proceeds go to Relay for Life which is an organization that raises money for research and helps better the lives of those affected by cancer,” Brooks says. Brooks is one of 4 Million people in 20 different countries to raise much-needed funds and awareness to save the lives of cancer victims.

    Help a cause by coming to the PHN Relay for Life Bowling Fundraiser on March 23. If you want to purchase a ticket contact Kathryn Brooks, Olivia Bell, or stop by Mrs.Houle’s room. 

   If you have any questions or concerns with anything feel free to contact Kathryn Brooks by emailing her at kbrooks2015@gmail.com or visit the Relay for Life’s website for more information on this great event.

   Don’t miss out! Get your tickets today!

Taking the Stage at PHN Idol

Feature

By Alex Budd

Husky Herald Reporter

    Hearts pounded as contestants for PHN idol took the stage in Port Huron Northern’s PAC. “I was respectfully nervous, I wanted to do well.” Said Emily Torres (’14).

   PHN Idol was a chance for students to compete against other student’s singing to win a prize. “There were some great musicians and I didn't think I would win but I won the year before and it was a great memory for my senior year.” Said Torres (’14.)

   The contestants worked very hard coming up to their performances, “I practiced a couple days before” said Ally Evenson (’15). “I worked so hard, but once again not to win” said Torionna Samar (’16).

   Although everyone was competing against each other for the win they were still encouraging to their fellow contestants. “I just did it for the experience; I didn't really want to win. I love every single person who competed and was probably more happy for them than they were themselves!” said Samar (’16).

   Everyone’s song choices ranged from a variety of songs, some written by the singer and some old legendary songs. “I sang the song Galaxy; it’s a positive song that reflects on me. It speaks of positivity and it’s an inspirational song.” Said Torres (’14). “I sang The First Time Ever, I Saw Your Face, I picked it because it’s one of my favorite songs of all time and I thought I’d take a shot at it.” Said Evenson (’15).

   Not only were the contestant’s nervous to sing in front of a crowd but they also has the pressure of being judged by the PHN Idol judges ( Mr. Arena, Mr. Labelle and Mrs. Labelle). “I feel like everyone worked hard and gave it their all because it was brave of them to get up there and do that.” Said Evenson (’15).

   All in all PHN Idol went really great, with Emily Torres taking the win and Ally Evenson taking second place.

“I love to sing for people, my favorite part of the whole thing was to see my friend’s band play at the end.”

( Moriya Dejuses taking the stage as one of the contestants of PHN Idol)
   

Enjoying the Winter Olympics

Feature

By Jon May

Husky Herald Reporter

   Both the summer and winter Olympics are a time of year when it brings all nations of the world together. These series of Olympic sports do this by allowing the nations to compete for the bronze, silver and gold medals.

    Every 4 years there are a Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics, but they alternate every 2 years. In the year 2014 the Winter Olympics also known as XXII Winter Olympic games were held in Sochi, Russia. In total there are 15 sports that are in the Winter Olympic Games.

   I was pondered with one question. “What is Port Huron Northern’s most watched Winter Olympic sport?”

I interviewed several people to answer this question.

   Joe Zappa (’15) said “I pretty much watch anything that’s on.” This is a general statement that  people responded with. However Joe (’15) also said “If I had to pick a favorite though, I would say Hockey because I love hockey”.

   I also interviewed some woman to find out their opinion on the Winter Olympic Games. Haley Siem (’14) said “I watch Hockey the most. I also really like to watch Freestyle Skiing; it’s cool to see all the jumps.”

   Megan Lynch (’14) answered my question by saying “I really only watch Hockey. Otherwise just what is on then Olympics”.  Some people enjoy watching everything but a few sports.

    Emily Gates (’14) watches almost everything except one sport. “The only thing I don’t really see people watching is curling.” “I really don’t like Figure Skating” said Siem (’14) “It doesn't entertain me; I usually change the channel when it’s on.”

   So what does the general opinion of Northern say about the Winter Olympics? That basically they all enjoy the Olympics.

   The Olympics has an astounding 15 sports, including  biathlon mixed relay, women's ski jumping, mixed-team figure skating, mixed-team luge, pipe skiing, ski and snowboard slope style, and snowboard parallel slalom.

   Now there is still one un-answered question “What is Port Huron Northern’s most watched Winter Olympic sport?” Based on the opinions given, the most watched Winter Olympic sport is Ice Hockey.

   Does this mean that the other Olympic sports aren’t just as equally watched?  No, it just means that amongst these people, Hockey happened to be the favorite

Preparing for the ACT's

Feature

By Eric Land 

Husky Herald Reporter

    In any high school the ACTs are taken very seriously, and if the students are serious about going to college it is very important that they study a lot for the ACTs.  If students do not study, they will not be prepared and everything will be a mess when they sit down to take arguably the most important test of your life.

   A very enthusiastic student, Aislinn Hughes (‘15) says, “I need to listen in class every day that I am at school just so I can be prepared to do the reviews because I keep my reviews in class to study from.”

   When asking Hughes if she had any study tips she said, “I go through all of my reviews and when I see a question that I don’t know I put a star next to it. This easy little study tip allows me to review information I don’t know.”

   Hughes said, “One of the most important strategy tips I have learned to do when taking tests is taking notes on the test because those notes I take are usually questions that are asked in the test.”

   Most people when taking the ACTs have certain things they do to help them be more efficient and also more prepared.

   Danielle Tucker (‘15) said, “when studying for the ACTs I usually study more for the class that I am not well at so I do everything I can to help me prepare for my math portions.”

   I asked Tucker if she has done anything yet to help for the ACTs she said, “I have taken some prep classes before at the college before so I have a better idea on what to expect.”

   Most students have a different approach when taking the ACTs than when they take a normal test. Tucker said, “Well, whenever I am taking the reading section I try skimming through each reading section to get a basic summary on what was said.  I do this so I can conserve time and doing this allows me to when answering questions I can just remember where it was at.”

  
Check out Port Huron Northern teachers' motivational ACT/MME mash up song: 

    

Sex, Money, Drugs (Or, what Valentine's Day is not about)

Feature

By Thomas Steinhauer 

Husky Herald Reporter

   SEX, MONEY, DRUGS!!!!! That’s not what Valentine’s Day is all about.

   This article will tell you about an average Valentine’s Day at PHN.

   So many different students do different things on Valentine’s Day at Port Huron Northern.

   When asked what she did on Valentine’s Day, Tori Fenner (‘15) said, “I usually go to a romantic dinner and movie with my friend who’s a girl. Then we watch sad movies and cry about not having boyfriends.”

   Zachary Ellis (’15) said, “I chill with my mom and do jigsaw puzzles.”

   There’s a variety of activities that students perform at PHN on Valentine’s Day, from hanging out with your boyfriend/girlfriend, to hanging out by yourself, to hanging out with your mom. The possibilities are endless.

   Port Huron Northern has an interesting variety of students who perform an interesting variety of activities. However, some students don’t even know when Valentine’s Day is.

   “I don’t really care for Valentine’s Day; it’s not that big of deal to me,” said Danielle Tucker (‘15).  By being ignorant, Tucker adds an interesting perspective to Port Huron Northern St. Valentine’s Day.

   There’s so many different ways that students at PHN celebrate Valentine’s Day. Another way the school itself helps out with the holiday is by selling candy grams.

   For one dollar, students can send a candy gram to their crush on Valentine’s Day and make his or her dreams come true.

   That can be very helpful, especially for kids who don’t want to spend a bunch of money on some girl such as Clinton Massey (‘15), who said, “I’m only ‘bout to spend like one dollar one my girl. She ain’t even that good.”

   Others aren’t as rude as Massey.

   “I’ll get my girl whatever she wants. I’d buy her one hundred candy grams if she want,” said Jordon Callahan (’15).

 No matter the methods, there are so many ways students at Port Huron Northern celebrate Valentine’s Day.  

Husky Heroes Lending a Helping Hand

Feature

By Lacey Harris

Husky Herald Reporter   

  Heroes in the Hallway, now also known as Heroes, is a new program at Port Huron Northern. Heroes, is a program that deals with bullying and doing different things to help out the community.

   Heroes recently decided to change the name because of a few reasons. “We are starting to do more stuff in the community and doing more fundraisers around the school because we wanted to expand into the community rather than just around the school,” said Kaylee Kerrigan (’15).

   “I feel like changing the name will give off a different vibe. Everyone is pro for ‘anti-bullying’ club. I feel like changing it gives off more positive than negative,” said Nicole Tucker (’15).

   “I think Heroes is opening up the discussion of bullying and acknowledging it exists still. It is great that kids are helping out other kids.” said Gail Markopoulos.

   Recently Heroes went into the ninth grade ELA classes and spoke with them about bullying and the effects it can have on people. They talked to them about the bully, the victim and the bystander.

   “Talking to the ninth graders went really good and they were really interested and respectful.” said Kerrigan.

   “Most of the kids participated in the activity we had for them and when we were all up in the front talking the ninth graders were all very respectful and listening to us. And they were actually interested in what we were saying, we had their attention pretty well.” said Tucker.

   After talking to the ninth graders Heroes had a couple of students go to their councilors and ask to sign up because they wanted to be a part of the program.  

   For now, Heroes are doing some work around the school and helping out with different things around the community.

   Heroes is coming together really well. We have got a lot accomplished and we have a lot of plans for the next couple of months.

   The meetings are once a week usually on Fridays. The members are always welcoming new people and encourage students to get involved with helping out in the school and community.

Xbox One vs. PS4

Feature

By Jon May

Husky Herald Reporter 

   Every decade, brings new inventions to the world before us. Two inventions this year would include the Xbox One and the PS4, the new generation of gaming consoles; the 8^th generation to be exact. Although there is a third console in this race, it will not be included in this article.

   The PlayStation 4, or PS4 for short, was released on November 15^th 2013 by a foreign company under the name of Sony. Microsoft, an American company, released the other console of the 8^th gen, the Xbox One.

   The PS4 has 3 predecessors’ the PS3 released in 2006, the PlayStation 2 released in 2000 and the PlayStation released in 1994. Its competitor also belongs to its own family of pre-2013 consoles including the Xbox 360 released in 2005 and the Xbox released in 2001.

   Both companies have competed back and forth to determine which company truly runs the console wars of 2013. As of Jan 8^th 2014 the PS4 has sold approximately 1.4 million more units than the Xbox One.

   Both consoles have many differences but one thing that remains the same is how they are put together. The technical properties between both are closely related.

    The PS4 costs $399.99 and the Xbox One is $499.99 and includes a Kinect camera. Each has their own brand of games, including major franchises like Halo (Xbox exclusive) and a new independent game Watchdogs (PS4 exclusive).

    What does the general public think about these two consoles? Brian Tomiuk (’14) recently got a PS4 for Christmas. “My favorite thing about the PS4 is how amazing it looks”.  “It looks like real life” said Tomiuk.

“My mom actually thought it was a TV show when she saw it”

    Tom Coop (’14) chose the other console, the Xbox One.  His decision towards getting one was very unique.

“My Xbox broke right before the new consoles were released, so I got extra money towards a new Xbox One.” I asked him what he treasured most about his new console and he said “I enjoy the Xbox exclusive games and the multitasking function.”

    So what does this mean? Should one get the Xbox One or the PS4, well that would depend on what a person enjoys the most, if they enjoy to be social and American-made projects then they are leaning towards the Xbox One. However, the PS4 also has its own brand of very unique game and is less expensive.

   To see an exact specification comparison of both consoles look at the chart below. 

Feature	PlayStation 4	Xbox One
Price	$399.99 [1]	$499.99 [2]
Release Date	US: 11.15.2013 EU: 11.29.2013 [3]	11.22.2013 [4]
Optical Drive	Blu-ray/DVD [5]	Blu-ray/DVD [6]
Game DVR	Yes, PS+ subscription not required [7]	Yes, with subscription to Xbox Live Gold [8]
RAM	8GB GDDR5 [9]	8GB DDR3 [10]
CPU	Single-chip x86 AMD "Jaguar" processor, 8 cores[12]	8 Core Microsoft custom CPU[13]
GPU	AMD Radeon Graphics Core Next engine w/ 1152 shaders [15]	853 MHz AMD Radeon GPU w/ 768 shaders[16]

Live Streaming	Yes	Yes
Reputation Preservation	Trophies will be ported	Achievements will be ported[54]
Web Connection	Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi [55]	Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 & 5Ghz)[56]
BlueTooth	Bluetooth 2.1 (EDR)[57]	No*
Wi-Fi Direct (for Device Connection)	No	Yes
A/V Hookups	HDMI output (4K Support [59]) Optical output [60]	HDMI input and output (4K support), Optical output[61]
IR	No	IR out, IR Blaster (Kinect)
Power Supply (PSU)	Internal	External (power brick)
Near Field Communication (NFC)	No	No
Region Locked	No	No [62]

GPU	AMD Radeon Graphics Core Next engine w/ 1152 shaders [15]	853 MHz AMD Radeon GPU w/ 768 shaders[16]
Peak GPU Shader Throughput	1.84 TeraFLOPS/s[18]	1.31 TeraFLOPS/s (estimate)[19]
Storage	500 GB 5400 RPM SATA II hard drive [21]	500 GB Hard Drive [22]
External Storage	No [23]	Yes, USB [24]
Removable Hard Drive	Yes, must be at least 160 GB, thinner than 9.5mm [25]	No [26]
Cloud Storage	Yes [27]	Yes [28]
Play As You Download	Yes [29]	Yes [30]
Remote Download	Yes	Yes
Account Access from Multiple Consoles	Yes	Yes
Mandatory Game Installs	No	Yes
Required Internet Connection	No	No, but required for mandatory day one update.
Used Game Fee	No	No
Digital game sharing or gifting	No	No
Feature	PlayStation 4	Xbox One
Backwards Compatibility	None	None
Cross Game Chat	Yes	Yes
Controllers	DualShock 4 (included)	Xbox One Wireless Controller(included)
Controller Batteries	Rechargable (built-in)	AA (2). Rechargable battery packs (sold separately)
Motion Control	DualShock 4, PlayStation 4 Eye (not included), PlayStation Move (not included)	Kinect 2
Second Screen	Vita (not included) [45] Playstation App[46]	SmartGlass (devices not included) [47]
Voice Commands	Yes (scope, TBA)[48]	Yes [49]
Subscription Service	PlayStation Plus[50]	Xbox Live [51]
USB	USB 3.0 (2 ports)[52]	USB 3.0 (3 ports)[53]