“Yes, I am excited. A couple friends and I have a camping trip planned out, and I get my driver’s license this summer!” said Sophomore, Jason Dinh.

A junior from the Calculus B/C class, Enrique Serrano said, “I am happy school is coming to an end, and I’m ready to forget about AP tests and all that…”        

Even though they have been in school for 10 months, a few students still affirm that they will miss school. When asked if she was happy to be done with this school year.

Alicia Doubleday said, “Not, not really because I’m going to miss all my friends.”

Another junior, Breanna Steele said, “I am going to miss my APUSH class because it was full of “AMAZING” people and was a great challenge.”

The AP statistics teacher, Ms. Braun said, “Yes, I think a break is good, but I always look forward to coming back.” And so, to you all who are ready and excited for summer, NHS wants to tell you to enjoy it to the fullest, and come back next year to make Northglenn High proud, GO NORSE!

Something that most people do not realize is that Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican celebration that originated in Mexico the truth is that Mexican-Americans, people in America, mostly only celebrate it and some parts of Mexico know that it is celebrated in the United States.

The lack of knowledge and conflict throughout history has taken away the true meaning of Cinco de Mayo. It is not the day of Mexico’s independence because that day is celebrated on September 16th. The true essence of the celebration is the celebration of the Mexican Culture and a day for Hispanics to be proud of their culture. For some students at Northglenn High School that believe that Hispanics should not be allowed to celebrate it because some students take it as unpatriotic and it should belong in Mexico.

Who is to say that there is a difference between Cinoc de Mayo, St. Patrick’s Day, and Black history month these are all periods of time that the United States can come together and learn about a new culture even if they personally don’t belong to it. I spoke to students and asked them questions about the day here is what was said.

Q: What do you think Cinco de Mayo is?

A: “I think it is a day to celebrate freedom for Mexicans after a war.” Jose Peraza 9th

A: “Celebration when Mexicans won the battle against France.” Israel Quinonez 11th

A: “I don’t really know, I think it has to do with a part of Mexican culture.” Tiffany Stephens 11th

For all students of all different backgrounds to feel like they belong in School and they do and Mexicans need to know that the reason that people have issues with the day is because the lack of knowledge and honestly racism but it goes the other way around to. There many statistics found from our school about the knowledge about the day here is what was found.

-27% of students feel they have been discriminated against on Cinco de Mayo

-67% of Hispanics believe we should celebrate Cinco de Mayo at school

-37% of whites think we should celebrate Cinco de Mayo but 41% disagree

-61% of all students think that wearing American flags in Cinco de Mayo is promoting racism. Even among white respondents, 36% believe that wearing American flags on Cinco de Mayo is offensive.  80% of Latino in our school believes this is so. Clearly, flag waving is a major cause of fights and ethnic-tension on Cinco de Mayo here at Northglenn.

These statistics are a result of a survey taken by 280 Northglenn High School students in April. The survey data shows that most students, regardless of ethnicity, have had a negative experience celebrating Cinco de Mayo in school. Turning Cinco de Mayo into a political forum is disheartening to many of our students who simply want to honor their Mexican heritage.

As a day of pride and love for the Mexican history I believe that our school should truly look at what we are doing on Cinco de Mayo and instead of discriminating each other and come together because the word United means people coming together and becoming one and learning and appreciating all cultures. So for next Cinco de Mayo don’t look at the day as something bad but something good and it is our generation that can show that we can come together and be proud of our Mexican peers.

Wednesday April 18, 2012: A bunch of seniors met in the west locker commons, mainly where the freshmen are, also in the main hallway and had a major silly string war. Obviously the seniors won because only they knew about it.

“I had fun and defiantly a memory for 2012,” says senior Alexandra Harris.

At the end Tyler Taylor led everyone to yell “seniors!”

Friday April 20, 2012: The night before a bunch of seniors came together and set up thousands of Styrofoam cups down the main hallway and stairs, filled with shredded paper, dirt, and other fun stuff. Right in the middle there was ‘2012’ written out with red plastic cups. It took the seniors over two hours to set everything up and it was unfortunately messed up in ten minutes, thanks to the underclassmen.

Even though a lot of the underclassmen were mad and there was a lot of silly string and cups to clean up the two pranks will be added to the history of senior pranks at Northglenn High School and the legacy of the class of 2012.

“A senior prank is supposed to be an opportunity for the seniors to come together and represent ourselves as a  whole,“ says senior, Kelli Gawel,” it was defiantly something I’ll look back on as a positive high school memory when I’m older.”

“Perfection is a disaster. Go with the flow and enjoy the time you do because you only get to do it once.” Vennee Meraz advised

Do the seniors have more pranks up their sleeves? It looks like we will have to wait and see.

                For many juniors who want to get ready for the ACT, the problem for most juniors is figuring out what to do. Councilor Mr. Clause said, “They need to prepare using the Method Test Prep on Naviance.”

                Method Test Prep is the best free resource for all juniors. It has hours of study material, and multiple practice tests in each category so you can even further improve your understanding of and strategies for the ACT. The only problem with the Method Test Prep is trying to figure out what you have time to study, and what to not do. Again, Mr. Clause had the answer

                “They have to review things they struggle with throughout the year. And work on practice tests as much as possible,” said Mr. Clause.

                For some juniors, doing all of this preparing may seem like a great idea, but they don’t think have the time to do it. Think again. In four AP classes, on the Varsity baseball team, and ranked first in the junior class, Zach Swanson said, “I usually use the Method Test Prep two or three times a week, for about an hour each time.” If Zach can find time to get on and study for the ACT, so can the rest of the junior class.

Q is the only letter that never appears in the name of a US State.

Japan Company offers dog poop insurance for sneakers

The longest one-syllable word in the English language is “screeched.”

There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

An average person will spend 1.5 years of their lifetime in the bathroom

These 2 sentences covers all English Alphabets “Quick brown fox jumps over the white lazy dog” and “Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs”

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear

It is against the law in Iowa for a man with a mustache to kiss a woman in public

One McDonald’s fruit smoothie contains as much sugar as 4 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Being in love for a year helps in growing nerves, improves memory and the entire nervous system.

An onion rubbed on your feet will be tasted within the next 30-60 minutes. This is because your bloodstream carries it to your tongue.

You are 2.5 times more likely to die of a heart attack or stroke if you are a regular complainer of being bored.

Almost 70,000 thoughts hit the mind of an average human everyday

Currently 54, if Bill Gates lives to be 89 yrs old, he would have to spend US $6.78 Million everyday to use up his entire wealth.

More Monopoly money is printed in a year, than real money printed throughout the world

More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call

An average person’s yearly fast food intake will contain 12-20 pubic hairs.

In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak

Every dollar bill in the US has the city it was made in printed inside the bottom of the left circle on the front of it.

The founder of McDonald’s has a Bachelor degree in Hamburgerology.

The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot repair itself

When a full moon is directly overhead of you, you weigh slightly less.

The average human eats 8 spiders, 5 roaches and 2 centipedes in their lifetime at night while sleeping.

India has a Bill of Rights for cows.

People kiss at weddings because kisses were used in ancient times to seal contracts.

Every year, about 2,500 people go to emergency rooms due to injuries caused by toothbrushes.

For every M&M you eat you have to run the length of a football field to burn it off.

    The Hunger Games hit theatres March 23rd. This film adaptation of Suzanne Collins popular novel was a box office success, making 150 million in its opening weekend.

    The movie is about 24 kids, forced to fight to the death.  There are 12 districts, and each has a boy and a girl selected to fight in an arena.

    The arena, and the games, are created by The Capitol. The story goes that in the past, the Districts rebelled against The Capitol. Now every year the Districts are forced to participate in a fight to the death, whether they are in it or watching it. This is to remind them never to rebel again. Only one can win and be the victor, who receives honor and is allowed to live.

    Without giving away too much, the movie stays true to the book for the most part. Fans of the book will follow Katniss into the arena after volunteering to take her sister Prim’s place, along with Peeta, the boy tribute from District 12. Their mentor, Haymitch, a drunken victor, leads them. His advice: “Stay alive.”

    People who have not read the book will find it easy to follow and entertaining. While reading the book would help, it is not one of those movies where it is necessary. They will still be able to tell what is going on.

    This movie has gotten a lot of positive feedback from audiences, with some people seeing it two to three times in the opening weekend. It is highly recommended if you are looking for a great movie.

     Mr. Croteau, history teacher, has his say on the concept, “I think shedding light on the monstrosities of the world outside of the US is a positive theory. Despite all the negative things about Kony, it’s the children that have been so neglected that need to be of concern.”

     Lyanne Kue, Junior, gave here positive advice on the video and campaign, “Like he says in the video, ‘To change the talk of our culture.’ The thing is, change starts with us.”

     Lorena Escamilla, senior, also has her thoughts, “I feel like it’s a way to get everyone to unite, no matter what your race is.”

     It is true that no child should have to live their childhood in fear like that. This is something that should change.

     However, in all reality this has been happening since 1986.

     Kony 2012 has been one of the biggest debates of the past month in the US. When people watch the Kony 2012, they let their emotions take over instead of considering the facts. People always criticize businesses and corporations but if they criticize a charity, they are thought of as a bad person. People need to take the time to research the facts about Kony 2012 before they support it.

     The video released began producing in 2003. That was 9 years ago. Since then the recruitment of children has decreased by 80%. This is not due to the Invisible Children charity; it is due to the Ugandan military. Joseph Kony has killed less than 1,000 people, this is bad but the Ugandan army and president itself has killed more than 5 million Ugandans.     

     “People should not support the campaign because all it is is a big propaganda. The video is very misleading, and this is not how it is in Uganda anymore. Kony has been missing for 6 years.” Hari, Junior

     The Invisible Children group enables the direct military intervention. The money supports the Ugandan government’s army and many other military forces. Meaning only 30% of the money really goes to helping the children. Both the Ugandan army and Sudan People’s Liberation Army are riddled with accusations of rape and looting, but Invisible Children defends them, arguing that the Ugandan army is “better equipped than that of any of the other affected countries”, although Kony is no longer active in Uganda and hasn’t been since 2006 by their own admission.

     “I think it’s a joke, the co director of the Kony video was arrested for public nudity and vandalism, like really? “ Aly Mosher, senior, said.

     “This paints a picture of Uganda six or seven years ago, that is totally not how it is today. It’s highly irresponsible.” Rosebell Kagumire

     Last year, the Invisible organization spent $8,676,614. Around 70% of the money went to staff salaries, travel and transport, and film production.

     The Invisible Children in general is a good cause, a charity that is worth looking into. Since the Kony, video did take so long to be produced, therefore it is reasonable to have the concept so confusing and misleading without knowing the facts.

It is now the time of year that the current Head Norse look for candidates to fulfill their roles as the 2012-2013 school year Head Norse. For those of you new to Northglenn who still don’t quite understand what the Head Norse do or who they are exactly, well here’s your answer:

Current Head Norse, senior Lorena Escamilla says, “My role as a Head Norse is to always make our school known all around and be a good example for the whole student body.”

And Head Norse, Senior April Eng, “My role as head norse is to display school spirit and leadership.”

Candidates for Head Norse are selected on certain criteria’s, such as grades and attendance as they undergo rounds of interviewing, delivering announcements, and MCing the Prom Fashion Show. These applicants must be juniors soon to be seniors and are judged on their interactive skills and performance, how they interact and how well fit they are for such a position. It’s important that the interviewees leave an impacting impression because they are role models for the students at Northglenn High School.

Despite the competition, the experience of being Head Norse as Lorena would say is, “Life changing, and definitely something I’ll be telling kids about someday.”

“My experience was a lot of fun, I love the feeling of being in front of people, showing off all that our school has to offer.”-April Eng

Congratulations to Karis Pruitt and Austin Kimbrough as they take on the challenge of next year’s new Head Norse!

Head Norse is a tradition that Northglenn High School has passed down for generations; it’s something that we as a school pride ourselves on and will continue to pass down for years to come.

Advice to the new Head Norse, “Don’t be scared to show that Norse spirit, and just have fun because you’re only a Norse once.” -Lorena

“Avoid negative comments and have as much fun with it as you can.”-April Eng

If you are reading this, could you be the next Head Norse for your class?

    In MLP season one a character was mistakenly put in the background. The character was grey with a blonde mane and had her eyes going opposite directions. This was caught by some of the shows older viewers (brony’s) and was soon given the name Derpy. For the majority of season one Derpy became a “where’s Waldo” character. She would be placed in scenes throughout the show hidden in plain sight. In season two the creators of the show brought this character into the actual cast. They gave Derpy her signature look as well as a speech impediment. The episode “The Last Round-Up” Derpy officially became a scripted character. Throughout the episode, one of the characters learns that everyone should be accepted even if they talk, act, and think a little bit differently.

    According to some, this was found as an offensive gesture towards those with mental issues. Even though the episode was a way of showing people that they should not feel uncomfortable around people with disabilities, it was still seen as a degrading episode. Thus, Hasbro temporarily took down the episode and “fixed” it. The creators changed Derpy’s title to Dittzy Doo, fixed her eye, and changed her voice over.

    These changes sparked an argument among the teenage demographic who watch the show. The reaction to this character was seen far more offensive than any idea portrayed by the actual character. By taking away, the characters quirks Hasbro has made it seem as though they are sending a message that people with any disability should be ignored in society instead of accepted. The teenage audience of the show has created several different popular forms of bringing this issue to attention though YouTube, Tumblr, and various other websites.

    Many other shows have characters with similar attributes that were not seen as offensive. The creator of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic had a previous show on cartoonnetwork called Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. On that show, a character named Cheese had the same attributes as Derpy but was not seen as offensive. The name is commonly thought as to be the part that put the FCC over the edge. Although the fictitious term of “derp” refers to clumsy. Every children’s show has a character who is seen as clumsy and/or incredibly stupid. Shows like Spongbob, Ed Edd &Eddy, and Regular Show have “derp” characters.

    While all these shows do in fact have characters with similar attributes as Derpy, My Little Pony was the only show that was forced to remove and “fix” a character. The idea of acceptance though a character with these mannerism is seen as disrespectful and wrong. However, the actions taken against this character have ignited annoyance among the audiences.