A Chief Joseph Thanksgiving

Two dozen or so students going to a history classroom during lunch bearing food and reciting an oath may sound suspicious at any other school, but at NPA this was all part of Mr. Canning’s much-anticipated Chief Joseph Thanksgiving Feast.  Students brought thanksgiving-style foods, ranging from stuffing and chicken to cranberries and pumpkin pie.  There were non-Thanksgiving foods as well, such as cookies and cool whip. A poster of Chief Joseph portrayed the guest of honor for this feast, everybody’s favorite resident of Wallawa Valley, in psychedelic colors.

In 1864 the Nez Perce had been brutally forced to leave their beloved homeland, the Wallawa Valley in Ohio.  They led the U.S. Army on a wild goose chase through the northwestern U.S., foiling the army at every turn, before finally running out of steam and being captured a mere 30 miles from the Canadian border.  Chief Joseph then gave his heartbreaking “I will fight no more forever” speech in which he declared the utmost destitution of his people and promised never again to fight.  General Sherman later ordered the Wallawa Valley returned to Chief Joseph and his people, but that never happened.  The purpose of Mr. Canning’s Thanksgiving feast was to ceremonially give the Wallawa Valley back to the Nez Perce. After the food was served, all the students from Mr. Canning’s 12th grade APUSH classes gathered around and held a mock Congressional vote, deciding to return Wallawa Valley to the Nez Perce.

All the students then held up their right fists and recited Mr. Canning’s Thanksgiving Oath.  This included promising to honor treaties with indigenous peoples, promising to support the Arizona Cardinals, “no matter how difficult it may be,” promising to never leave a bit of pumpkin pie uneaten, and promising to always give thanks in fitting and suitable demonstrations.

All who participated considered the Thanksgiving feast a raging success and hope to see similar bouts of historical merrimaking in the future.  Maybe a William Jennings Bryan Christmas Fest, or a Boss Tweed New Year’s Eve Bash?  The possibilities are endless.

6 Things 7th and 8th Graders Should Know About Final Exams

Last December, I was drained. I was exhausted. I felt as if every single one of my brain cells had expired. I spent so much time studying for final exams and let stress ruin my days.

Now, as I look back, there are many helpful strategies that I could have used.

First of all, don't procrastinate. You will know test material better by preparing early and in smaller doses. Also, organize your notes, outlines and previous quizzes.

Second, don't let other people's stress spread to you. There is no need to get everybody involved in an individual test and it makes the situation seem worse than it actually is.

Third, take a reality check. Be realistic about how you've been doing in your classes all semester and realize that this test is only one part of your final grade.

Fourth, prioritize. Study for the subjects you find hardest and the ones you feel need the most attention.

Fifth, collaborate. You'd be surprised by how much you learn from your peers. Be each other's study buddy!

Sixth, take care of yourself. Now this might sound obvious, but during finals week it is very important to get enough sleep, eat well and drink plenty of water. Do not stay up late studying! But, don't forget to have some fun too!

Follow these strategies, so you don't have to learn the hard way like I did.

We Are Not Amused

We here at NPA Journalism Club are extremely entertained by the many different uses of the seemingly average word “we.”*  Here is a list of just a few of the forms this word can take.

The Regular We:

You probably already know what the word “we” normally means, so I won’t waste your time explaining it.

The Royal We:

The royal we is how a monarch refers to him/herself, as in “We are the queen, and you are our subjects.”  Instead of being just one person, like everyone else, a member of the royal family is always “we.”  It makes sense, because monarchs are generally more powerful than the average person, and referring to themselves in a plural sense shows that they have the influence of multiple people combined.  In fact, they are so powerful that they can “we” instead of “I” because they feel like it.  Personally, I just love the royal we because I find it hilarious.

The Editorial We:

The editorial we, on the other hand, I despise.  It is used by journalists for no apparent reason other than to annoy people half to death.  When I am reading a magazine or a newspaper, and I suddenly come across something like “Today we here at The Newspaper have a headache.  When we woke up this morning, we felt fine, but now we feel very sick and we think we might go home early,” I want to scream.  The royal we is easy to understand because it is obvious that only one person is being referred to, but the editorial we is awful because, though it is impossible for everyone working for a newspaper or magazine has one big collective headache, the writer still seems to think it is ok to present his/her own personal feelings or experiences as those of everyone.  I find this slightly pretentious and incredibly annoying.

The Representative We:

This is similar to the editorial we, except it is used correctly, when one person actually does represent the opinions of a larger group of people.

The Otherworldly We:

In science fiction or horror, when someone starts to refer to him/herself as “we,” you can usually tell that this person has been possessed by aliens or something similar.  When a seemingly harmless character says, “we are so hungry,” the other characters know that something is up.  Or, if they are not so smart, they remain clueless while the audience yells at the book or TV. screen, “It’s the aliens!  The aliens!  Run!”  Either way, it’s all very exciting.

The Game Wii:

Wii is a gaming system, similar to a Playstation or an X-box, but more interactive.  It is usually used to play fake sports because real sports are so last year.  It has to do with technology and not grammar.

*Please Note: this is the royal we, not the editorial we.

Middle School Events: VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONS YEAAAHHH!

Last Wednesday was the championship volleyball game for NPA's Middle School Navy volleyball team.  Friends and fans gathered in the bleachers of Sinagua's gym, watching in anticipation as the volleyball soared between the MEMS team and the Spartans.  The first game started shakily, but soon our lovely Spartans were catching up.  Pass, set, spike, and we were well on our way to winning.  The crowd cheered wildly, jumping up and down at every point, even doing the classic NPA "man-scream" and showing off navy and maroon painted faces.  After nearly an hour of rigorous playing, the first game was won.  The team excitedly munched on snacks, flashing their proud fans huge grins and thumbs-ups.  But it wasn't over yet.  Next came the championship game.  The fans held their breath as the ball flew back and forth over the net.  Would the Navy team win?  Would they become the Flagstaff champions and remain undefeated? The crowd went wild as an exceptional serve crowned the Navy team number one in the city.  What a game!


Did you get a chance to see the Navy team play? They were great, right?  Leave your thoughts and congratulations in the comments!  ☺

The Progressive Dinner

Cats rolling in olives!  Mrs. Keberline dressed as an elf!  Ghosts in the bathroom!  And a whole lot of Hogwarts!  All this and more could be found at this Saturday's third annual progressive dinner.  For anyone who doesn't know, a progressive dinner is a brilliantly fun event during which a group of people travel from one house to another for different courses of dinner.  Usually, there is some sort of theme and everyone wears costumes for added fun.  For the last three years, juniors on prom committee have organized the progressive dinner because it is a great fundraiser for prom, and because it has become one of the best school events of the year.

This year, the theme of the dinner was Harry Potter.  Each of the three houses that the group of eighty juniors and seniors who attended travelled to was decorated to look like one of the Hogwarts houses.  Appetizers at Hufflepuff, dinner at Gryffindor, dessert at Slytherin.  Though we all filled each house to its maximum capacity, the crowding only added to the humorous atmosphere, and the food was excellent.

There was also a fantastic variety of costumes to be seen.  Everyone from Sirius Black to Rita Skeeter to Harry Potter himself could be found.  Even the most minor of characters was brought to life by the creative students of NPA, and prizes (in the form of free dress passes!) were awarded to the Womping Willow, Hagrid, and Moaning Myrtle, among others.

This year's progressive dinner was a great night of quidditch playing, random singing, and spontaneous pumpkin carving.  Congratulations and thank you to everyone involved in the organizing of this event for making it so enjoyable and unique.

A Treatise on Stress

I know the feeling.  I know the feeling that supersedes any feelings of happiness or tranquility, the feeling that creeps in on Thursday evening when everyone else in the house has gone to sleep and rest of the world is black, when the gremlins in your head that have been suppressed the rest of the day begin to whine.  I know that feeling of “Oh no, there’s twenty pages of reading for history, an essay for English, a metric ton of math problems, and a vocab quiz to study for, and it’s all due tomorrow!  The world’s going to end!  My workload is reaching a critical mass, and it’s about to implode and form a black hole in my bedroom that I’ll never be able to escape.”  If it’s not homework then it’s college applications: “If I don’t write the best essay that the world has ever seen I’m not going to get into (insert your dream college here) and then I won’t get a good job and my parents will disown me and I’ll live in a dumpster the rest of my life!”  The feeling sidles in when other people in class mention the SAT, and suddenly you realize that oh no, that’s this weekend, and I haven’t studied at all!  Or you’re checking your e-mail and suddenly realize that the deadline for that scholarship you’ve been meaning to apply for is -- gulp -- tomorrow.  And it requires three essays and a letter of recommendation.

            I’m pretty sure that every single person at NPA has had this feeling that the world is about to end at some point or another.  Don’t get me wrong, working hard and pushing yourself to reach your potential is a good thing.  Aspiring for excellence never killed anybody.  But at NPA, we have proven that a regular diet of stress is a health risk.  NPA has this crazy ability to incubate and spread stress like a wildfire.  And even worse: studies have shown that stress lowers the immune system, making it easier for bacteria and viruses to work their way in.  That’s right: that cold that you got might have been brought on by stress.  It’s a positive feedback loop:  get stress, get a cold.  Stay home sick, get more stressed about missing school.  Get more stress, get another cold!  And so on and so forth.

            And so, I entreat my fellow NPA students with one word: Perspective.  Please stop stressing.  You’re GOING to score higher on the ACT than the great majority of the rest of the nation by the virtue that you’ve worn a polo and khakis for most of your life.  Colleges look at a lot more than just one number.  And please don’t freak out or have a nervous breakdown over one assignment.  It’s just one assignment.  You’ve written how many over the semester?  You’re smart; you can do the math.  How much will one less-than-stellar performance hurt your grade?  Before you go get your graphing calculator, I’ll tell you: not that much.   Not enough to lose sleep or cause a mental breakdown.  You’re going to be fine.

            Now, don’t just run off and forget your studies entirely.  Don’t tell your parents you’re moving to Baja California and will never work another day because I said stress is bad.  All I ask is that when those little stress-gremlins materialize at the periphery of your vision Thursday night, have a little perspective.  Whatever crisis it is, it’s not as life threatening as it may seem to be.  Do what you can, and then go to bed.  It will all look better in the morning.  You’re going to be fine.

Advice!

Dear ADVICE!,

My friend gets better scores than me on everything I turn in. It wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t ask me what I got, but she likes to compare grades on every single assignment and test.  It’s so annoying. I’m studying as hard as I can, but I just can’t compete. I’m afraid that if I don’t tell her my grades she’ll get mad at me. What should I do?

Dear Writer,

The best way to deal with this problem is simply to talk to your friend.  Find a good time to talk to her (i.e. in private, not in between classes in the middle of the staircase.  The best time to have this conversation would be the next time your friend asks to see your score.) and tell her how you feel.  A frank, firm "I don't like comparing our grades all the time.  Let's stop competing and keep our scores to ourselves, okay?" should do the trick.  If your friend "gets mad" or keeps asking about your grades, remind her that, as a good friend, she should respect your feelings.  Most importantly, stop worrying about your friend's grades and focus on your own.  Instead of trying to "beat" her, try to beat your own personal record.  Concentrate on your own goals and be proud of your own accomplishments.  Don't study as hard as you can just to compete with your friend, study to get a grade that you can be proud of.  Good luck!

SPARTANS!   ADVICE! needs you.  Send us your woes, and we'll reply with awesome, professional advice!   

How to Dress Up the Dress Code

Polos, college tees, khakis, skirts; when will it end?! At NPA, dress-code is a thing we all experience throughout the day. Most people would prefer to “free-dress” on a daily basis rather than wearing the school’s idea of clothing. Individuality is slightly restricted due to the dress-code, but really the rules on what to wear aren’t that strict! There are so many ways to make an outfit cute by using simple tricks that we all have up our sleeves.

Accessories are an amazing way to add a little bang to your daily outfit at NPA. Colorful, plain, or patterned scarves are a great way to add color and accent an outfit. Jewelry of any sort can complement your outfit especially if it’s in the same color palette. Layering is also a nice way to add life to your clothes. Sweaters, cardigans, pull-overs, jackets, and blazers can all add structure and spice to an outfit. With skirts in the dress-code, adding tights always enhances the “wow-factor” of the skirt itself. You can also layer a skirt under a skirt to make to skirt have more bounce and flow. Another way to dress up the dress code is to wear an oversized sweater with black tights. As long as the sweater is plain and is long enough, the overall result is very appealing. 

Look for loop-holes in the dress-code, but always make sure you follow it, and you will find that the dress-code itself isn’t that bad. We can all express ourselves and our personal style by just adding simple features to a classic polo. Overall, no matter the occasion, these simple tricks will always work on complementing your individual outfits. 

Welcome to the Blog!

Hello, and welcome to the brand new Northland Prep blog, This is Sparta!  This year is the Journalism club's second year at NPA, and our first year writing a blog, and we are ever so excited about it.  Here you will be able to find information on events happening in middle school, high school, and the Flagstaff community; horoscopes; interviews with the students and staff of NPA; how-to's on everything from college applications to cooking tasty food; contests with prizes such as FREE DRESS PASSES (no joke); and even an advice column.  It is also very likely that you will find some other, rather random posts, and those will be pretty awesome too.


We hope you enjoy our blog! Come back tomorrow, because there will be a brand new and splendiferous post EVERY DAY!  And if you are interested in contributing you are welcome to post a comment, contact a club member, or come to one of our meetings!