Category: blogging away

Blog: Homecoming king Jared Burris

If you are like me you might have been too busy sweating like a shaved grease monkey in a sauna (on the dance floor), to hear the announcement of the victor of this years Homecoming king. I doubt you will be surprised to hear that the winner of this honor is the swag-surfing stud muffin Jared “chip” Burris. After already being crowned Prom king and being nominated Treasurer for the senior Class Council I find myself asking, why is this guy so qualified? I find myself answering this same question with one word…SWAG. SWAG has many definitions, all of which are shining qualities of this ripped Renaissance man.1. Involvement in what’s “in”.2. “STUFF WE ALL GET”.3. Persona accelerated by innovation.

I have spent years “hanging out” with this loveable fellow. Little does he know I have been taking notes on the qualities and actions that make him so swagable. A man who owns so many t-shirts that he vows to wear a different one every day of the year. A man that drives “La Tabrahan”(the name of his car) around the city blasting over 30,000 different songs and over 2,000 different artists. A man who has worked his way up since his first race freshman year to earn a spot as the third man on our state contending cross country team. This man is in a different league, and the persona that comes with this great honor is a humble one.

With all of the talk about school spirit recently, this has clearly become an important issue at North Central. Also known as hype man #1 you will find Jared at any event from the girl’s volleyball games to the men’s soccer games. He implements the attitude of supporting his fellow panthers like the push-up bra of the school.

Although all of these unique qualities are just ingredients that keep Chip so swagged out. What separates Jared from other swagged out Thugs in the school is the way he treats people. Jared has no trouble making friends with any student. He treats any and every human being with an equal and open mind. You students should be proud of nominating Jared “Chip” Burris as your Homecoming King. Recognizing the personality qualities that separate Chip from the stereotypical high school student, gives me hope that high school students still have perspective on the importance of quality morale values in society.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Sep 03, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Blog: Junior fight song is catchy

By Korey Wynne Lunch is notorious for hearing the dueling of juniors and seniors fight songs. No matter who wins these duels, it shows our pride in being apart of our class and school. The Junior fight song was once the seniors fight song, so the generations that the song has been passed down shows how much we support our class.

The Junior fight song is one that will hopefully be used for many years to come. It may not be a clever one, but the easy beat and the words make this song one that anyone can sing. Unlike the sophomore fight song which has changed, the junior one has stuck around for much longer.
J-J-J-U-N I-I-O-R-S J-U-N-I-O-R-S JUNIORS JUNIORS JUNIORS, I-N-T-H-E H-O-U-S-E IN THE HOUSE IN THE HOUSE JUNIORS IN THE HOUSE. These word have been shouted through out the games, hallways and lunch periods since the 2012 class has become juniors. School spirit has become a much more interactive thing since Vincent Holloway has become President.
The Junior fight song is the easiest fight song to remember which makes it catchy. It is an important part of becoming a junior, which is one of the best times of high school. When underclassmen become Juniors, they will understand why the spirit at NC is so important. Junior year is a fun year, so the chant will be yelled, which the class of 2012 class will represent well.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Sep 02, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Seniors take pride in their fight song

By Danny Miller

All classes enjoy yelling in honor of their graduating year. Freshman, Sophomores and Juniors alike all yell as much as they can. But the class of 2011, the current senior class, is proud to show off the best Class Fight song.

The senior fight song is a tough one to learn, and many seniors do struggle with getting a hold of it. It may be tough, but the complexity of the song makes it that much better.

“Senior, Senior Rah Rah Rah!” is one of the most recognizable parts of the cheer. It has been seen in the pantherquest skit, and also even seen in last years Junior Spec.

Seniors spirit really shines during 8^th period lunch on Fridays. He senior cafeteria will stand up and chant as loud as they can directly at the junior class. Seniors are always trying to get a chance to yell as loud they can.

The seniors are always very spirited, but this year the spirit is shining through even more. This promises to be a great year for the seniors and their exciting fight song.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Aug 31, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Why seniors give up

By Will Staal

As a junior I saw the seniors give up after spring break and vowed to myself that I wouldn’t follow the same path. I was so naïve. First I would like to admit to a few things. I do not bring home my backpack anymore and I don’t do my homework unless given time in class, and even with time given in class, there is still a possibility I won’t do it.

When doing my work I give less than my best and write papers or stories the day of or maybe the night before. I sleep in class and when I am not asleep I hardly pay attention. Do not chastise me four this because I am not the first nor the last to come down with senioritis.

A lot of teachers understand and lay off the workload for second semester seniors, but some teachers still do not understand why seniors give up. Why do seniors stop trying? I will explain.

I got into every school I applied to and I have already paid my deposit to the Michigan
State University. I know teachers will hate to hear this, but I can do hardly any work and put fourth little to no effort at the end of the year because I worked hard at the beginning of the semester.

My grades have not dropped too much and even if they do drop, I will still be going to college. None of my classes truly matter to me because none of them will follow me to college and a C+ or even a C- on my high school transcript will not affect me next year.

Sure I can understand having pride in your work and never giving up, but my goal in high school was to get into the colleges I want to. Goal accomplished, so there is nothing left to do.

People can keep getting mad at seniors for giving up, but I assure you that your complaints are falling on deaf ears. I do not care if you think of me as lazy or having no pride in my work because next year I will only see two other people from NC and they will not care at all. Thanks for a good four years, but now I am done with you.

Popularity: 15% [?]

May 10, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Senioritis

By Chris Swarbrick

One thing that I have increasingly come to hate in the waning days of the school year is seniors who have “senioritis.” These students take it upon themselves to use the fact that they are a second semester senior to unofficially quit high school.

They become lazy, a little stupid and rude. It is especially sad when the seniors have nowhere to go after high school. They aren’t going to a significant college anywhere or even a college at all.

Instead, they are so excited to end high school and get on to IU Kokomo. The rest of their lives apparently holds such a magnanimous amount of potential that high school doesn’t matter any more.

These students need to realize that they could still fail out of their high school classes, or run into an attendance or discipline problem. They need to get their respective heads in the game.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Apr 15, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Pacers fail again

By Thomas O’Farrell

The Indiana Pacers will once again end their season with disappointment. With another losing season comes a good possibility that coach Jim O’Brien’s stint as Pacers head coach could be coming to an end.

O’Brien has led the Pacers to four consecutive losing seasons, and hasn’t shown any promise during his time as coach.

There have been several issues with the Indiana Pacers this year: poor drafting, lack of teamwork, and injury has Indiana as the tenth worst team in the National Basketball Association.

The first step to a turn around for next year will have to start with a new head coach. O’Brien just doesn’t have what it takes.

Another key issue the Pacer’s organization must address is the drafting problems. The Pacers continue to make horrible decisions when selecting draft picks. I know Tyler Hansbrough is a hard working, determined athlete, but he doesn’t have enough size and talent to hang with the decent power forwards in the league.

A quality draft pick and new leadership at the head coaching position could allow the Pacers to have some success and hopefully make a playoff run in 2010-2011. Until this happens, professional basketball will continue to not exist in Indiana.

The Pacers now have the reputation as a joke, which is sad because of how Indiana is globally known as a basketball state. It’s time for change.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Apr 15, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Team success belongs to ‘genius’ Mitchell

By Beau Scott

What a difference four years can make. No one has experienced more change in the last four years than our beloved state championship winning seniors: Terone Johnson, Trip McFall, Jack Altice, and Aaron Bluitt.

McFall has evolved from a trigger happy three-point specialist into a spectacular all around force; his strength and speed immensely better than given credit for.

Altice has grown from a scrappy undersized guard, starting for a 9-11 freshman squad to a guard who has totally bought into Coach Mitchell’s system providing a spark off the bench.

Bluitt perhaps has been through the most diversity, being dismissed from the team his sophomore year, transferring schools, and re-joining the Panthers—all while improving and advancing his game.

Four years ago Johnson was recovering from knee surgery. Now he’s the face of the state championship team.

Seniors Jack Altice, Trip McFall, Aaron Bluitt hold state trophy (Photo Jack Peck)

Who deserves the credit for the latest banner on the gym’s south wall? Doug Mitchell. The man is a genius. Being one of the most competitive teams in the state year after year is no coincidence. Mitchell has devised an effective playing style and, more importantly, convinced each and every player to buy into that style.

Additionally, Mitchell knows the potential of every one of his players, and crafts gameplans that cater to their abilities. This is the key to Mitchell’s success. He knows that Micah Smith, an extremely hard working junior, will give him harassing defense, effectively taking away one of the opposition’s perimeter players.

He knows that the Panthers’ strength and speed will make up for their lack of size in the middle. And, most importantly, he has instilled a genuine “team-first” mentality that allows for the team to get the best shot possible on offense, regardless of who is taking them.

Mitchell’s philosophy, along with exceptional, intelligent athletes was the recipe for a state championship.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Apr 05, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Economic ignorance leads to championship

By Scott McAlister

At NC all students must take economics in order to graduate. It’s a fairly easy class. Much of the curriculum is common sense. Sometimes while taking it last semester I wondered why we are forced to take something that we already know most of.

However, at the state championship basketball game I found out the hard way why it is important to understand the value of a dollar.

Warsaw, apparently does understand economics though and they used this to their advantage.

Around the same time that NC took a commanding lead in the first quarter – keeping it for the rest of the game- what seemed like three fourths of Conseco Fieldhouse (roughly the size of the population of Warsaw) all collaborated in a full scale assault on NC fans’ intelligence.

It was a mean-spirited cheer. It was even worse than the cheers coming out of the NC student section. The Warsaw fans all sat down for the rest of the game as we continued to stand. It was as if they were laughing at our lack of caring of the price we paid for those seats.

I have not seen a cheer so mean spirited since the Muncie Central debacle of 1952 and we all know how that ended.

So there they were. The Warsaw fans all enjoyed their soft, padded seats that they paid $15 for as we continued to waste our money by standing the whole game. And to add insult to injury, they didn’t say much either. Now, not only were they making fun of our lack of economic know-how but they were making fun of our voices too.

All this went right over our heads as we just kept standing and cheering our boys on to victory. We may not get economics all the way, but this kind of a cheer should not be aloud in an IHSAA event. It’s just too harsh to make fun of one’s voice and economic knowledge all at once, let alone the entire game.

All jokes aside, the NC student section should be praised just as much as the team for their support throughout this tournament.

When the going got rough in the regional championship, NC fans continued to cheer and we rallied to win that game. When NC was up by over 20 points in the state championship we didn’t give up cheering either. It all paid off in the end. Our basketball team and our economic ignorance helped bring another state title home to NC.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Apr 05, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

How to get ready for prom

By Beth Hannon

Girls:

It’s 9 a.m. and you are awakened by the alarm. EHH EHH EHH. No, it’s not time for school; it’s time to get ready for PROM 2010! Let’s be real, you have probably been prepping for this night since sophomore year.

Don’t panic. It’s only 9 a.m. You have approximately 10 hours until you walk through the doors of The River Walk.

Take a shower BUT DO NOT WASH YOUR HAIR!! Up-dos stay in longer with dirty hair. Be sure to wash your face and your body with soap that smells delicious. Please shave your legs…no boy wants to see a girl in a dress with hairy legs.

Be sure to eat healthy all day long! And do a couple sets of crunches during your down time. You do not want to let this month’s workout go to waste.

Attend ALL hair and nail appointments. Or save some money and do them yourself! Just don’t smear the nail polish or let anyone touch your hair.

Build your purse kit! Be sure to have extra money, extra hose, a camera, a mini-makeup kit and other necessary girl supplies… you know the drill.

Go pick up your date’s boutonniere. And remind your date to pick up the corsage… he will probably forget and you do not want to be the only girl without one! You might also want to remind him to pick up his tux.

Don’t panic! Watch the latest episode of iCarly or The Office to calm your nerves.

Put your dress on and admire how magnificent you look! Don’t eat or touch ANYTHING that could result in a stain!

Smile big while your parents take pictures! Wait anxiously for your date to pick you up, the big night is finally here!

Boys:

You wake up around noon to texts from your date about how excited they are for tonight. “What’s tonight?” you think to yourself, “Nothing ever goes on during the weekends anymore.”

You are hungry! Eat breakfast…or lunch for that matter.

Decide whether to shower or not… you took one the day before right? And then suddenly you realize, tonight is prom. The night you have been dreading since sophomore year.

Hopefully you’ve already ordered the corsage and tuxedo…if you haven’t you need to stop reading this and get your act together, fast.

Be sure to make time for Call of Duty or Halo. After all, video games are the greatest things that have ever happened to mankind. Why waste all day getting ready when you could beat your high score?

Take a nap.

Eat more.

Now it’s time to put the tux on, pick up your date and smile for the pictures. Act like you’re excited, please!

Popularity: 3% [?]

Mar 22, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

G.T.L. is a must for spring break

By Michael Hardie

As April approaches, young people around the country prepare themselves for a defining moment in their lives. This moment is the ever-infamous spring break.

Spring break is a time for relaxation in exotic locales as well as meeting new people. It is also often associated with morally reprehensible activities. No matter what activities you decide to partake in over spring break, pre break preparation is essential.

The key to a good spring break is following the mantra of G.T.L. in the weeks leading up to the actual break. G or gym is probably the most important. If you’re going to show off your body you want it to look good. Working out those glutes and abs will ensure that your body is banging.

Next is T or tan. Tanning a few times in the weeks prior to Spring Break will ensure that you don’t fry like an egg in the Caribbean sun as well as making you look like a Bronze Grecian God/Goddess.

Lastly is L or laundry. Looking fresh is important for any social gathering and there is no exception for Spring Break. Keeping your clothes laundered and ironed will help the opposite sex to notice you and consider you for companionship. Just remember G.T.L. and your Spring Break will be a sure sell.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Mar 15, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post