Virtual learners experience school at home and in-building
Natalie Grinder, Digital Media Editor
September 25, 2020
The 2020-2021 school year has had quite a unique start. With the pandemic still underway, PPS students found themselves learning virtually either from their own homes or from designated learning spaces in school (with masks and social distancing protocols in place). There are many differences between the two c...
The physical and mental effects of online learning
Astrid Code and Dra'Noscha Jett
September 14, 2020
Online school has forced students, parents, and teachers alike to make a tremendous change in their daily routine. Although logistically, video calls work well to replace each period of classes, they have a large effect on students’ mental and physical health. Nationwide, 29% of parents that were studied...
Students adjust to online learning
Melissah Morris-Adkins, Staff Writer
September 14, 2020
With the new school year starting, students are figuring out ways to adjust to online learning. PNHS students have the option to do online learning in the building or at home. Whether the students are in the building getting help or just doing it in the comfort of their own home, they’ve had to do s...
The history of the five main instrument groups
Kai Pennington, Staff Writer
June 12, 2020
Music has a huge place in society. From wind, brass, string, keyboard and percussion, instruments have made music what it is today. Many tend to overlook the progression of instruments through history. Wind Instruments can be found in early prehistoric times with cave drawings reflecting a variety o...
Types of masks and the safest way to wear them
Natalie Grinder, Associate Digital Media Manager
June 9, 2020
During the pandemic most stores are requiring or recommending masks to be worn to protect themselves and others from the virus. The three main types of mask are medical masks, single layered masks, and a double layered mask. According to the CDC, medical masks are to be used by hospitals only. Masks f...
Learning together: district commits to cultural responsiveness after controversial online learning assignment
Kylie Clifton, Feature Editor
May 11, 2020
It was 9:15 on the morning of April 23rd, and eighth grade Portage North Middle School student Pablo Fraga was ready to return to a new kind of normal with his online history assignment. The content that awaited him, however, was anything but. “I read the questions through and they disgusted me,...
The effects of being self deprecating
Lucy Madelung, Staff Writer
March 31, 2020
Humor. It’s used to make people laugh, make people feel better about their day, and most importantly, it attracts people. In a world where big personalities thrive, however, the wit that goes along with it may be at the person's expense. Teenagers in today's society are plagued with the thought th...
PN marching ensembles take their talents indoor
Melissah Morris-Adkins, Staff Writer
March 30, 2020
While most people associate the marching band with Fall, many of its members are hard at work in the winter, too. PNHS has three winter ensembles: the Portage Northern Winter Guard, Cyclone Winds and Portage Northern Indoor Percussion Ensemble. The groups have been hard at work to make the shows thus ...
Divided by time: generations reflect on the defining qualities between age groups
Kylie Clifton, Arushi Mithal, and Lucy Madelung
March 27, 2020
Laughter pours in at the dinner table at a family reunion. Surrounded by familiar faces, a breathtaking aroma of food drizzles in. In the midst of all this warmth, iPhones buzz and chime from people’s pockets. Some people choose to ignore it, others cannot resist the temptation of checking thenotif...
Not “Coronacation”: students struggle to fill the void left by school in the wake of cancellation
Brianna Neuhouser, Digital Media Manager
March 26, 2020
What Happened? On Thursday, March 12th, Governor Gretchen Whitmer made the monumental decision to close all K-12 schools in Michigan until April 6th as a way to combat the spread of Covid-19. That would be the first day of Spring Break for Portage students, which made their return date April 13th: a fu...
