The CrossFit Craze

As the fitness bug slowly consumes more individuals across Columbus, some fitness addicts are looking for ways to change up their daily routine. If by chance you are one of those people looking for a new way to get fit, then CrossFit may be the solution to your problem.

CrossFit is an intense, military training-based program that involves weightlifting, jumping rope, climbing rope, rowing, and sprinting. As grueling as the workout sounds, however, chemistry teacher Mrs. Garner and senior Austin Strellner are self-diagnosed CrossFit addicts.

“I do CrossFit five times a week,” says Austin. “I lift weights, do burpees, pull-ups, box jumps, and run…a lot.”

His hard work has not gone to waste, either – Austin says he has noticed a significant gain in muscle mass. Mrs. Garner has also seen great results.

“A month ago, I couldn’t do a handstand at all, but now I can,” she

Mrs. Garner, (second from the right) a chemistry teacher at Northside, braves the challenges that CrossFit  provides its participants – and still wears a smile.

says. “I couldn’t lift very well when I started, either, but I have gotten so much better at that.”

The workouts are short – some last about twenty minutes – but they do require that you give every ounce of your energy. But once you start, you are hooked.

“My husband showed interest in doing CrossFit, so I decided to go work out with him. I’m addicted! I love it!” Mrs. Garner says. “I would definitely encourage other people to try it if they are interested,” says Austin Strellner. “You will see results!” So…are you up for the challenge?

You’re a Patriot! Embrace it!

As an underclassman, you are still a young pup here at Northside High School. There are still a couple years until you graduate, but while you are here, enjoy it! Throughout the school year, there will always be some Northside event that you can attend. Be a true Patriot, and come out to support some of our sports teams! I am apart of three Varsity sports teams here at Northside, but it is not rare to catch me at a softball, baseball, volleyball, or track event during the span of the year.

My time here is almost done. Your experience is just getting started. You have a lot of work ahead of you, but you have even more opportunities to have fun and be a Northside Patriot! Take advantage of every chance you have to show your school spirit. Your support means more than you think, and every team here could use a little extra school spirit!

Time to Pick Up the Pace

The first official measure of how you are doing in your first year in high school has
come and gone. This progress report is a predecessor to what is likely to be a
very similar-looking report card. You do not have that much time left to make your report card look pretty. After progress reports, you have four and a half more weeks. This can be the difference between your parents giving you $20 for good grades and being grounded until the next report card. Believe me; I have been on both ends of the spectrum! You have had time to get settled in, so now you need to go ahead and get those grades where they need to be for the benefit of
your weekends and your distant future. Every report card counts. Be sure not to
be one of those people who regret not taking their grades seriously their
freshman year! You get 16 report cards in high school. It is going to be a long
road, but just take it one progress report at a time and there will be plenty of report card money in your future.

Staying Ahead of the Game

The pressures of high school may still be lingering when you are a sophomore. However, once you settle in, the pressure starts to ease off and you begin to wonder why people made such a big deal about this whole “high school” thing. That is where many young students are mistaken. The pressure that everyone was telling you about was not necessarily the difficulty of high school, but the responsibility that comes with being here. Senior Elizabeth Evans said, “I don’t know how I survived my sophomore year. I just didn’t care back then.”

Luck for me, I caught onto this trend early. Lucky for you, I am here to help you catch on as well! High school is going to fly by, and, before you know it, you are going to be panicking while trying to take your SAT’s, apply for colleges, and receive scholarships.

You cannot let that pressure get to you, BUT you cannot let it slip your mind either. Let us take a look at how a few of your fellow upperclassmen from the fourth block classes of Mr. Harper, Mrs. Styers, and Mrs. Powell have handled the sneaky pressures of high school as they prepare to head into the real world.

ACT/SAT

8 out of 10 upperclassmen that were asked if they had taken the ACT or SAT said that they had done so. This is a good thing! From what we can see, the majority of our upperclassmen are right where they need to be.

As a sophomore, you should begin taking your SAT and ACT’s or the beginning of junior year at the latest. These two tests are essential to your journey to getting accepted into a good college.

Many students, such as myself, decide to be lazy and blow off studying for the test the first time. I blew it off and I did not do nearly as well as I wanted to. For that reason, you must take the test early, so you can analyze the mistakes you made and improve upon them. There is not really a limit on how many times you can take each test, so if you feel like you can do better, then keep working at it. Most importantly, you need to get started early.

College Applications

Shockingly, only 4 out of 10 upperclassmen asked had applied for college. This may have happened because some juniors were asked. However, this is something that you must begin doing as soon as you can. Preferably, you will do so at the beginning of your senior year. Hopefully, you will have taken the SAT or ACT more than once and be well prepared to apply.

It is essential for you to start applying at the beginning of your senior year so that you can submit your application before the early admission deadline. The early admission deadline is there for you to get your information in as soon as possible while doing as little as possible. When you apply early, colleges usually do not ask for essays or recommendations. Take advantage of this opportunity. As the old American idiom states: The early bird gets the worm… and accepted into college first as well.

SCHOLARSHIPS!

Scholarships are one of the great things about working hard in high school. Who would not enjoy a free college education? Unfortunately, not everyone knows the availability of scholarships, or they just do not care to look for them. This is probably why only 4 out of 10 questioned upperclassmen had applied, or made themselves available to colleges, for scholarships. As an underclassman, you get to learn from us upperclassmen’s successes and failures.

Basically, just take of all your opportunities. You will make yours and your parents’ lives much easier of you do. Besides, free money is the best money!

The Essentials

As you finally begin to settle in, there are a few things you need to know to have smooth sailing through high school:

Respect your Teachers
Let’s begin with your student-teacher relationship. Your relationships with your teachers are going to be an essential asset to your success here at Northside. Because of this, you should be serious about your classes. The urge to be a class clown or act disrespectful to your teachers to look cool is something you need to shy away from. When it comes down to it, your fate in school is just as much in your teachers’ hands as it is in yours. You earn your grade, but your teacher decides how easy it will be for you to earn it.

Distractions
Everyone speaks of the drama that will surround you in school, and, well, it is true. It is important that you do not get distracted by these things. There will be people fighting and arguing, trying too hard to be cool, skipping class, and every other thing they probably should not be doing. Find reliable friends, stay focused on schoolwork, and avoid the drama.

Be Yourself
This is something that we all struggle with, and that struggle usually reaches its peak here in high school. I know this is the topic that troubled me the most, and I wish I had someone to talk me through it when I was a freshman. There will come a point when you are exactly where you need to be academically, but you are having problems with your self-image. It is important to, as the title says, be yourself. If not, you are going to be so overcome with the pressure to impress others that you will lose focus on school. Being a student is a full time job, but you are also a teenager. Sometimes things will look like they will never get better, but that is how life is going to be. It is essential to be confident in who you are before you can be successful in any other area of life, including school.

Blake The Great’s Essentials
A fellow member of the staff, Blake Lowry, had a few words of wisdom he wanted to share with you as well:
a) There’s no pool on the roof
b) The pizza isn’t worth running for
c) Stay away from the left side of the football field after school on Fridays… just trust me
d) Don’t hesitate before accepting challenges or trying new extracurricular activities
e) Become best friends with at least one teacher
f) Keep your friends close and your enemies closer
g) Join the French Club
h) Just… relax. It’ll all be okay at the end of the day