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The student news site of Portage Northern High School

The Northern Light

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The student news site of Portage Northern High School

The Northern Light

The student news site of Portage Northern High School

The Northern Light

Photo by NL Staff

A Pause That Pays Off: How Wednesdays off could boost student success

Sophie Amberg November 4, 2025

Each week, Wednesdays inevitably roll around, and yet each time, I complain more and more about the dreaded day. Even though I wake up the same time as I do for the days prior and after, my eyes hang heavier...

Photo by Layla Carpenter

The Illusion of Influence: when influencer culture negatively impacts students’ sense of value and purpose

Layla Carpenter November 4, 2025

Being easily influenced is something that this generation has suffered from tremendously. Whether it’s having the new Owala water bottle or the iPhone 17, people feel pressured to buy it just because...

Photo by the NL Staff.

Suspensions and detentions are subjective and unlikely to change the behavior at hand

Drew Collins November 3, 2025

Detention and suspensions simply don’t work. The idea of detentions and suspensions are to be impactful punishments, they are just the opposite: many students do not or cannot serve their detentions,...

Created by the NL Staff using Midjourney.

The White House should not – and can not – control how the news is reported

Riya Bhatt November 3, 2025

In 2007, Walter Cronkite, an American journalist and broadcaster, proclaimed, “Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy.” Despite him saying this nearly 2 decades ago,...

Our country feels like we are at a historic intersection where the choices that we make today - individually and governmentally - have the potential to change the trajectory of the country permanently. NL illustrator Maddy Duhn captures this reality in her illustration, "I wanted to show the two different directions our country could take," she shares, "one direction filled with love and hope for one another, and the other stormy with hate and prejudice against one another."

Staff Editorial: we are at a crossroads

Staff October 1, 2025

Violence of all kinds has become increasingly prevalent in the US, brutally demonstrated by recent events like the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarustka, the assassination of conservative political...

Illustration created by the NL staff using Microsoft Copilot.

TikTok Ban: weighing the pros and cons of a controversial decision

Staff February 13, 2025

Back in 2014 ByteDance released its dance and entertainment app Musical.ly, but after only two years, in 2016 it was revamped into what we all know today as TikTok. Flashforward to the current time, when...

Unfiltered is an opinion column authored by NL editor in chief Abby Hosler that runs both in print and online.

Unfiltered with Abby Hosler

Abby Hosler, Editor in Chief November 26, 2024

“Unfiltered” is a column three years in the making. Columns are reserved for our editors in chief, so while I (only somewhat patiently) waited my turn, I went through idea after idea about how I would...

One way that schools can increase the chances that students have a good time at dances is to let them make the playlist.

Students should make the DJ playlist for dances

Gabe Bautista, Staff Writer September 27, 2024

With homecoming approaching around the United States, some students are concerned about what music will be played to help the mood. As with most dances, the music directly impacts if everyone is having...

Signs like this one in Mrs. Poulsen's room indicate whether or not a teacher allows cell phones in their classrooms.

Banning cell phones will decrease distraction

Layla Carpenter, Staff Writer September 27, 2024

Portage Northern High School is one of very few schools left that has not committed to no-cell-bell-to-bell. Recently, Portage Central High School has implemented a no-cell-bell-to-bell phone policy, and...

Gun safes can be purchased at big box stores right alongside groceries. There is no excuse for a gunowner to not have one for the safe storage of their firearms.

There should be stricter regulations regarding gun storage and maintenance to protect children

Riya Bhatt, Staff Writer September 26, 2024

A 5-year-old in Santaquin, Utah. A 4-year-old in Houston, Texas. A 3-year-old in Flint, Michigan. While at a first glance it appears that these kids don’t have anything in common besides their young...

Grades - especially when students have 24/7 access to them - can have negative impacts on student mental health.

Grades have a negative impact on student mental health

Mitchell Barnard, Editor in Chief September 24, 2024

Grading has always been a monumental part of school. Stereotypically, grades have always separated students: good grades would mean you’re smart and are gliding through school while bad grades suggest...

Illustration by the NL Staff

Emma Watson shouldn’t have been in the 2019 movie “Little Women” if she can not perform an American accent

Caroline Knight February 23, 2024

As a fan of the novel, I was elated to hear the news that a new film adaption of the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was not only in the works, but loaded with all sorts of talent. Greta Gerwig...

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