u How to Navigate Your Way Through High School: Page 6-7 t the appleton north NOCTILUCA Appleton, Wisconsin October 2011 Vol. XVII Issue I Despite risk, drug use lingers By Catie Edmondson To get help If you or someone you In our rapidly changing know is looking for support society, the leisure activities for a substance addiction, students engage in shift from contact Options Treatment novelty to novelty. Yet one Program. They offer indi- constant continues to lurk in vidual, confidential assess- the sphere of teenage interest: ment, drug testing, treat- recreational drug usage. ment at a variety of levels Principal Mr. Huggins said and a support group: that North’s “population is, to (920) 735-9010. some degree, a reflection of society,” but believes that the tation in youth is normal, but level of drug usage at North the problem at North is out of is comparable to that of other hand.” high schools in the Fox Valley. Junior Blake Miller agrees. “We need to do whatever “There’s a problem, honestly. we can to keep North a drug- It impedes a lot of kids’ ability free school environment,” Mr. to learn,” he said. “It penetrates Huggins said. every level of the social circle; Drug sweeps, investiga- there are a lot more people tions, questionings, and tips than you would expect.” He from students, staff, and the Edmonds Abbey by Graphic noted that hard drugs are not as community allow the adminis- lightly.” help. North’s Student Assis- “I know people that come to present at North, “mostly just tration to discipline offenders. According to Assistant tance Program (SAP) provides school high on a regular basis weed,” he said. Drug sweeps are conducted Principal Mr. Mueller, during help to students struggling to and teachers do not do any- Sophomore Sydney Bol- about twice a year, but can the 2010-11 school year, seven deal with drug or alcohol is- thing.” lenbeck said she knew some occur more frequently if the students at North were referred sues. School social worker Mr. Mueller disagrees: “We people who use drugs, but administration feels it is nec- for possible expulsion for pos- Mrs. Strick also encourages don’t turn a blind eye. We try didn’t think the issue is out of essary. The sweeps cover both session of a controlled sub- students struggling with drug to be as proactive as possible. control. She said she thought inside and outside the building, stance, being under the influ- use to talk with her. Every- We (Student Services) do ev- administration does “a good and involve law enforcement ence of a controlled substance, thing discussed is confidential, erything in our power to deter job trying to prevent it.” as well as canine units. the intent to sell, or possession she said. students from bringing drugs Freshman Becca Bailey “If a student is caught in of drug paraphernalia. One North student who on school property.” said she had not “seen anything possession of an illegal sub- Mr. Huggins also stresses admitted to using marijuana, Student views on the issue drug-related” and thought ad- stance, it can lead up to expul- the importance of referring speaking on the condition of of drugs at North are varied. ministration is doing a good sion from school as well as students found under the in- anonymity, said North’s ad- “I know people that use job handling the problem. legal repercussions,” Mr. Hug- fluence or with possession to ministration “chooses to ig- drugs,” said senior Damon The reason drug usage is so gins said. “We do not take it a program where they can get nore the drug issue,” saying Dickenson. “Drug experimen- Continued on page 2 Link Crew adapts to better engage freshmen By Jessica Stohr dents in a team share are “to have the fresh- the same core teach- men put more mean- Team work takes on new ers. This idea was ing into what they’re meaning for this school year’s tested last year with doing while they’re in Link Crew. a group of freshmen high school.” The group, which helps fresh- called “the team.” Link Crew also will men transition successfully into Monthly meetings watch a video and high school, is working closely are another new as- work on team bond- Shweta Wahal with the new freshmen teaming pect to Link Crew’s ing in the gym with program that piloted last year involvement with the Gold team Oct. and plans to build on the num- freshmen. On one 21. The Blue and Sil- Link Crew welcomes freshmen to North during sum- ber of freshmen activities such Wednesday each ver teams will have mer orientation. Photo by Leroy Mrotek. as monthly meetings and team month during Read- the same opportunity bonding sessions. ing Time, Link Crew on Nov. 10. at least somewhat. However, a me get more comfortable,” one “In the past, Link Crew leaders will lead a One main connec- few indicated there is oppor- freshman said. sometimes has lost touch with freshmen class in a tion with students that tunity for improvement. Some Link Crew will also help freshmen throughout the year,” group activity. These Link Crew has not students thought that the tours with other activities, such as says Link Crew Commissioner activities will be based Mrs. Baker changed is the fresh- of the school could have been the “Cocoa and Cram” study Shweta Wahal. However, the on the book Seven Habits of men orientation. This August, more helpful and that some sessions, and tasks such as tu- plan for this freshmen class is Highly Effective Teens by Sean 75 percent of the freshmen class time could have been used toring and helping ninth-grade unique in several ways. Covey. The introductory meet- attended the event. Accord- more constructively. Getting to gym classes belay during the One development is how Link ing took place Sept. 14. The ing to a survey given to some know others in their grade and rock climbing unit. Wahal said Crew helps the newly formed other seven will each focus on freshman Communication Arts the pep rally were definite high- the focus of this year is for freshmen teams. Each fresh- a habit from the book. Accord- classes, 83 percent of these lights, many freshmen reported members of the organization man belongs to either the Blue, ing to Link Crew advisor Mrs. freshmen thought that the ori- on the surveys. “I had a lot of “to be active participants in Silver, or Gold team. All stu- Baker, the goals of these lessons entation assisted their transition fun and [the orientation] helped [freshmen’s] lives.” NEWS Appleton, Wisconsin October 2011 Vol. XVII Issue I Page 2 Highlights of Summer News Debt deal marks contentious summer of national politics By Christian Bakken complained of a plan with- out tax reform that makes the Perhaps the most impor- wealthy pay more, libertarians tant, though not necessarily and tea partiers claimed that monumental, national political the debt limit should never event of the past summer was have been raised at all, or that the debt-ceiling deal passed the spending cuts should have by Congress at the beginning been greater, and experts who of August. With the Tea Party want a large debt increase with gaining control of Congress on both raised taxes and spending a platform of drastically cutting cuts were disappointed by the government spending and debt, President Obama gives small steps. Libyan rebels demonstrate in Benghazi. Photo by guard- ian.co.uk. it was inevitable that when the a speech describing the Politically aware North U.S. debt limit would be reached deal on July 31. Photo by students echoed these griev- in August the first major debate cntv.cn. ances, with senior Killian Libya’s crisis at center on how to reduce America’s negotiations, though the spe- Kvalvik stating “The debt ceil- trillions in national debt would cifics of the deal lived up to no ing has been raised hundreds of be a contentious one. While one’s hopes. The deal cut ap- times...without any issue. The of international news previous debt deals had passed proximately $1 trillion by ini- conservatives in Congress are with bipartisan support and tiating spending caps for gov- using this to further their own By Marit Bakken kill protesters and defectors little argument, this time the ernment agencies, with another agenda.” Senior Bill Hackett against the regime in Tripoli. Republicans threatened to vote $1.5 trillion in savings slated presented the opposite posi- The uprisings in Libya in The United Nations con- no to any debt increase without to be dealt with by November tion when he said that “It was the spring led to around the demned the crackdown as enormous spending cuts, which by a bipartisan committee, with irresponsible...and it is the fault world in-depth news cover- violating international law. would have led to America’s large cuts to both defense and of Republicans and Democrats age and created a chaotic sit- The United States imposed first ever debt default, causing Medicare if a solution is not that the debt ceiling needed to uation in which many other economic sanctions against major losses in the global stock reached. However, it did not be raised and we need to re- countries, including the U.S., Libya, followed shortly by markets and potentially sending make any changes to the ma- evaluate the role of government intervened. The heroic tale the United Nations Security the struggling economy into an jor causes of the current defi- in the lives of Americans.” of poor-as-dirt rebels over- Council, which also voted to even worse depression.