Feature – The Northern Light

Life with a sick mother

May 7, 2018

Filed under All, Feature, Personal Narrative

Sweating, chills, shivering, and a thumping headache---the common signs that one is catching a fever or just contracting the common cold. However, these can also be the symptoms one can experience in times of distress or worry. Specifically, the worry for another individual such as one’s mother. ...

The Doodle Factor

Trinity Woodruff, Staff Writer

May 7, 2018

Filed under All, Editor's Choice, Feature, Informative Feature

“I have ADD, so drawing while the class is doing a listening activity helps keep me from completely zoning out,” says senior Vanessa Burris. Burris is a social, active girl who enjoys drawing, listening to music, spending time outside, skiing, and occasionally passing a soccer ball around with a gro...

Syrian airstrikes hit home for some PNHS students

Komalpreet Kaur, Staff Writer

April 26, 2018

Filed under All, Feature, Human Interest Feature

For teens in Syria, it is as clear and fresh as day in their minds. For teens in America, it was Friday, April 13th, 2018. Every news channel was reporting on it---the United States had intervened abroad on yet again another matter, a hot topic at hand: Syria. By that Friday afternoon, almost everyo...

Lena Lukowski, forensics double threat, prepares for state

Liam Fagan, Staff Writer

April 26, 2018

Filed under All, Feature, Human Interest Feature

Lena Lukowski saw her name on the finals postings and was shocked. However, that was nothing compared to a few hours later when she realized that she was in 4th place and was moving on to the state competition. In the words of Lukowski herself, “ I wasn't even expecting to make finals, everyone else was very ...

Keeping it real: Abdalla Dadiri’s journey through life

Meredith Ablao, News Editor

April 24, 2018

Filed under All, Feature, Human Interest Feature

On many occasions, students forget how much their journey through education has made them who they are today. Senior Abdalla Dadiri, however, will never forget. At age two, “Dalla,” as his friends call him, moved from Kenya to the United States to flee from the harsh realities of the war. Hi...

Apple moves to using more environmentally-friendly materials

Laura Koscinski, Staff Writer

April 24, 2018

Filed under All, Feature, Informative Feature

Along with many other companies, Apple has its own methods for using clean and environmentally safe products. The work that they have done shows that they value the earth and want to do as much as they can to make it a safe environment to live in. Apple claims that, “100 percent of the electricity we use to p...

Poetry is an expressive outlet for Kim White

Lexi Doll, Staff Writer

April 24, 2018

Filed under All, Feature, Human Interest Feature

Lots of people enjoy a good poem every now and then, but poetry has a whole other meaning to senior Kim White. She started writing poetry in the seventh grade and has been in love with it ever sense. “I was immediately taken with it, reading and memorizing poems by famous poets like Lewis Carroll, ...

Anime Club allows students to explore diverse interests

Liam Fagan, Staff Writer

April 16, 2018

Filed under Feature, Human Interest Feature, Showcase

Every Wednesday, the anime club of Portage Northern meets after school to play games, and of course, watch anime. They meet in Nott’s room in the art wing. Seniors Mandy Kellogg and Lily Griffioen are the leaders of the Anime Club and run the meetings. “In club, we tie Japanese culture in with...

Define: woke

Sheila Mwanda, Staff Writer

April 4, 2018

Filed under All, Feature, Informative Feature

In recent years, the use of the word “woke” has been on the rise. Urban DIctionary defines the word woke as “being aware of the social and political environments regarding all demographics and socio-economic standings.” While its first recorded usage dates back to 1962, it gained the momentum...

My journey to college, from the SAT to a teacher who believed in me

Meredith Ablao, News Editor

April 4, 2018

Filed under All, Feature, Personal Narrative

Working hard for grades, struggling in tears to complete homework, and ripping huge holes in my paper because of anger are all what I, Meredith Ablao, did quite often growing up. Some days it was math, other days it was science or English. All three subjects were on the SAT my junior year, and that wa...

Remembering Mr. Short, a WMS band icon

Malcolm Gaynor, Staff Writer

April 4, 2018

Filed under All, Feature, Human Interest Feature

Bill Short, a beloved staff member with the West Middle School band, died on March 10th at age 85. He died doing what he loved: volunteering and helping set up for the Middle School Band Festival. Short, a former member of the Air Force band, has volunteered with the West band since 1999, giving lessons...

Rawan Alsaedi contemplates going home to a war zone

Snigda Narisetty, Staff Writer

April 2, 2018

Filed under Feature, Human Interest Feature, Showcase

As sophomore Rawan Alsaedi stepped off of the plane at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport in July of 2013, she thought she would never feel at home here, but now she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. That year, Rawan and her family left war-torn Iraq for her father Abdulrahman’s studies. He came her...