Purple Haze
New beginnings
By Lauren Bagian

Sept. 3, 2009

It seems as if every school year starts the same: everyone’s sneakers blindingly white, new haircuts painfully obvious. Homeroom is chaos with students groaning about being up too early as stressed teachers pass out countless papers that need to be signed by parents and returned. This doesn’t really sound like a perfect situation for teenagers or their teachers, but underneath it all is a certain sparkling excitement.

Walking through the halls on the first day of school, it was easy to see how the younger students were anxious to begin their year. Student organizations like Key Club, The N and the student council are all starting to hold their first meetings. All the fall sports are in full-swing as well. The athletic potpourri of tennis, field hockey, soccer, golf, volleyball and, of course, football is just the beginning of a successful year in the athletic department.

The high school staff seems ready to go, too. Many clubs have new advisors this year that will bring original ideas to some of Northern’s most involved organizations. English teacher David Small is incredibly energized to start working on the school newspaper The N after taking over for fellow English teacher Charles Fry, the advisor for the paper for an admirable 15 years. Also, librarian Susan Reinaman, along with math teacher Shannon Trostle, will be advising the Key Club, a community service organization. With these great leaders, Nothern’s clubs are set-up to thrive this year.

It’s always hard to end a year and watch friends graduate, but after returning to school, it’s time to get back to the routine. However, we all have to try our best not to fall into a routine that’s unfulfilling; that’s why the high school provides a multitude of options to get involved. With everything that’s going on, it’s easy to see, even this early, that it’s going to be a great year at Northern.