I’m Amelia, 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.
Here is this week's local and NNHS news:
Weekend Updates:
- Have a free day this St. Patrick’s Day weekend? It’s not too late to check out the Chicago river, which is dyed green through the weekend.
- Need some new shoes? Head by the Sneaker Stop Convention this Sunday in Wheaton to find hundreds of premium vendors showcasing their top sneaker selections. The event is located at 2015 Manchester Road Wheaton, IL 60187 and will last from 12:00 until 6:00 p.m.
Spotlight: Airband
Naperville North is home to a variety of unique clubs, classes, students, and teachers. Polaris will be featuring one of the activities, individuals or events that make up North’s unique community. This week: Airband
On Thursday, Mar. 16, Naperville North High School hosted its annual Airband competition in the Field House. Sponsored by student government, this is the second largest event at Naperville North aside from graduation.
Airband is a lip sync competition that is unique to the school. Senior Anna Sheridan, a member of SupAIRstars, explains why she thinks Airband is an important part of NNHS culture.
"It’s something we can be proud of and stand out from schools around us as a fun event that draws people’s attention," Sheridan said.
This year's event featured 9 groups in addition to a faculty performance and encore performances by the SenAIR Citizens, the audience's choice and Cotton Eye Bros, the winning team. The acts were composed of various short clips from popular music or sounds that lasted six minutes l and were choreographed and costumed by each group. The official judges decided 1st, 2nd and 3rd place which were awarded to Cotton Eye Bros, SquAIR Up, and Love YAIRself, respectively.
While the groups are composed of only seniors, all NNHS students have a chance to participate by choosing a band to support and signing up to get a spray-painted T-Shirt from their band of choice. Students had the chance to show support for their favorite band on Thursday by wearing their shirt during the school day and later at the show. Huskies, in addition to community members, were welcome to attend the event by purchasing a $5 ticket at the door, which helps fund next year's production. Sheridan explains why she likes the atmosphere of the show and the opportunity it presents for student involvement.
"[Airband] shows personality of students and is a show for everyone," Sheridan said. "It’s made to entertain and has a strong foundation of Huskie pride."
The process for Airband officially started in mid-January when student government director Brian Nierman hosted an informational meeting, though groups often start brainstorming well before that. An audition was held, groups were chosen and were then given feedback regarding their acts. In the past, the show has been in Mar. and Apr.. This year, the performance was during Spring Week. Nierman likes the community that Airband creates and loves to see different types of students come together to create something special.
"It's also a very clever event, where you see that the routines are really well put together and the kids worked hard to make an entertaining six minutes," Nierman explained. "It's really the best and brightest seniors of all walks of life being silly, being talented, and having fun."
Here's what's going on nationally:
Willow Project
The Biden administration has approved the Willow Project, a massive oil drilling project in Alaska.
Despite environmental activists’ efforts to counteract the Willow Project, a viral TikTok campaign and Biden’s promise to move away from fossil fuel use, the project has officially been approved.
Willow was proposed by ConocoPhillips, an Alaskan petroleum refinery company. It was first approved by the Trump administration in 2020. At the time, the plan was approved to construct five drill pads; the Biden administration has reduced it to three to calm environmental concerns regarding the project. These pads will allow the company to drill around 90% of the total oil they’re aiming towards.
The project is estimated to generate enough oil to release more than 9 million metric tons of carbon pollution every year.
The project acts as “a much-needed new source of revenue and jobs for the remote region” and will bring billions of dollars in new revenues, producing an estimated 180,000 barrels of oil per day according to ConocoPhillips.
This week's Polaris was written by Sarah, Campbell, and Zippy.
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Suggestions? Email: amhebel@stu.naperville203.org
Credits:
Created with an image by NotjungCG - "Night sky with stars sparkling on black background"