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Polaris Week of 10/23

I’m Grace, your newsletter editor, here to provide you with a weekly line to all things The North Star and news. We’ll keep you updated about what’s going on in Naperville North, the local area and break down the big stories of the week.

In NNHS news

Girls tennis doubles team places second at state

Naperville North High School sophomores Brooke Coffman and Gabby Lee placed second in IHSA girls doubles tennis 2A state finals. They made history for the Naperville North girls tennis program as the first doubles team to advance to the state championship match.

Coffman and Lee advanced to the state finals after winning DVC and Sectionals. The pair won their first five matches of the tournament, ultimately losing to a doubles team from Lake Forest High School with scores of 6-1 and 6-2.

In the 2021-22 season, Lee and Coffman advanced to the quarter finals and built on last year’s momentum for their state finals appearance this year.

Coffman and Lee’s season record was 34-2.

  • Multiple NNHS students spoke during a women’s march this past week. Read the story here.
  • The Naperville North girl’s volleyball team won their semi-final regional matchup. Read the story here.
  • Are you interested in being more involved in the school, but don’t feel like there is a club right for you? Read this writer’s advice for starting your own club here.

Spotlight: DECA

Naperville North is home to a variety of clubs, classes, students and teachers. Polaris will be featuring one of these activities, individuals or events that make North unique. This week: DECA

Business classes are popular electives for many students at North. It gives students real-life business experience before stepping into college and beyond. The program Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) takes pride in helping teenagers prepare for their futures in whichever career path they choose to take.

DECA was founded in 1946 in Virginia, but wasn’t implemented at NNHS until 1998. The club includes gaining experience in scenarios related to the key elements of business: finance, marketing, business management/administration and hospitality. Club sponsor and NNHS business teacher Jennifer Betthauser explains why she thinks students should take a business class at North or participate in DECA.

“And if for some reason they don't have room in their schedule to take business classes, that's why we have business extracurriculars as well that they can participate in and get a little taste in the business world,” Betthauser said.

The team competes at the state series in February, making the club a fun, laid back environment for all students to learn more about business. Students enjoy collaborating and bonding as a team while learning valuable business skills. Junior Lauren Fang explains what she loves about the DECA community.

“It's a really cool bonding experience with other people that share the same passion as you,” Fang said.

The close-knit bonds and passion for business is what makes DECA a great environment for many North students. If you’re interested in joining, DECA meets every Friday morning in room 184.

“Business is an important life skill that all students need to know,” Betthauser said.

Here's what's going on nationally:

First, the NAEP released their 2022 test data

On Monday, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) termed “The Nation’s Report Card” released its 2022 testing data. This is the first round of testing released since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tests showed that math and reading scores have both declined significantly since 2019.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is a congressionally-mandated assessment that is administered across the country to measure academic achievement in a variety of subjects. Students typically take the test in 4th and 8th grade.

Math scores dropped significantly more than reading scores - 4th grade math scores decreased by five points, the lowest level since 2005, while 8th grade math scores dropped eight points, the lowest since 2003.

Among 4th grade students, only 33% were proficient in reading and 36% in math. Proficiency measures whether students are on a track for future success in a given subject area and assesses their ability to perform certain essential skills.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said that the scores were “appalling and unacceptable” and described the situation as a “moment of truth for education.”

Next, Adidas dropped Kanye West after anti-semetic comments

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, Adidas, Footlocker and Gap cut branding ties with Kanye “Ye” West after West’s anti-semetic tweets. Notable athletes also cut ties with Ye’s marketing agency including Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.

Early Sunday morning West directed numerous tweets at the Jewish community, writing remarks such as “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” West also wore a shirt at Paris Fashion Week with the phrase“White Lives Matter.”

Before West was dropped on Tuesday, momentum for a petition calling for the termination of his Adidas partnership had begun. As of Tuesday morning the petition had 169,100 signatures.

Adidas published a statement saying that the company does not tolerate antisemitism and that “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”

Despite West’s attempts to continue releasing comments, both Twitter and Instagram have locked him out of his accounts.

Weekend Update: Your one-stop guide to a great weekend

  • Looking for a fall lights show? Try the one hour TukTuk tours during the Halloween season! They are running now through Sunday, Oct. 30. The cost is $25 per person.
  • Want to stock up on candy before Halloween? Check out Trick -or -Treating at Naper Settlement on Sunday, Oct. 30 from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Admission is $5 per person.
  • Want to have some Halloween-themed fun? Do you enjoy local art? Check out Chicago’s Arts in the Dark parade on Oct. 29. The parade runs through the downtown area State St. and Lake St. and features spooky costumes, floats and art from organizations like the Art Institute, Looking Glass Theatre Company and After School Matters. The parade starts at 6 p.m. and tickets are free.

This week's Polaris was written by Grace, Will, Bella, and Ian.

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Created with an image by NotjungCG - "Night sky with stars sparkling on black background"