NOCTILUCA June 2016

OPINIONS Appleton, Wisconsin June 2016 Volume XXI

Issue III

Page 3

Noctiluca Editorial

All students need to step up as seniors say farewell As the end of the school year nears, Appleton North tends to become a very sentimental place. Graduating seniors be- gin to count down their lasts. Last early Monday morning, last final exam, and finally last moment as a student of North. The school becomes a place of reminiscence, more a se- ries of memories than a physi- cal building to those who will soon leave it behind. However, for those who will return in the fall, Appleton North has never been more real. Throughout their four years at North, graduating seniors have demonstrated growing leadership responsibility and ability. As they rose through their classes, they showed us what it really meant to have school pride and to lead by ex- ample. Now, on the eve of their graduation, it is time for us to pay forward the commitment they made to our community. By following their example, we can strive to maintain their standards and to build upon the foundation they’ve laid through their hard work and dedication. The soon-to-be senior section cheering on their school at a pep rally. Photo by Alex Neumann

As the seniors graduate and move on towards bigger and better things, it is our jobs as future school leaders and up- perclassmen to fill the gap created by their departure, continuing the long-standing tradition of excellence within our school’s walls. Having attended both the Bernie Sanders rally at the PAC and the Donald Trump rally at the Radisson, there’s a major difference between the way that the candidates handled their campaigns. At the Sanders rally, there was an incredible line going around the PAC and down the streets nearby. Despite it being freezing outside, people were walking up and down near the lines selling T-shirts, buttons, and other accessories. Everyone was in a good mood and the atmosphere seemed really welcoming, even though everyone had to wait outside for hours beforehand. At the Trump rally, people were able to wait inside the Radisson, which was really nice for my freezing hands. However, the lines outside of the Radisson were in- timidating and almost fearful. Protesters waited on both sides of the Radisson; some shouted anti-Trump phrases and discouraged supporters from entering the building, but the real fear came from the supporters, who shouted racial and homophobic slurs and tried to individually gang up on protesters while I drove by watching. Most of the support- ers were very harmless and sat patiently in line waiting to enter the Radisson, but the few that were loud and aggressive made the scene very intimidat- ing. Inside the PAC, people had to be scanned by the TSA By Rachel Flom

world into an image we can all appreciate. Out of respect to those graduating and out of respect for ourselves, we have an obligation to only improve upon Appleton North High School in the coming year.

This is our time to lead, and we shouldn’t let it pass us by. By making the most of our se- nior year, we can continue to grow our school as a whole and ourselves as students. We have been given the chance to step up and shape our

By demonstrating the same amount of determination and drive as our predecessors, we can work to keep Appleton North the tight-knit commu- nity it is today, while building our own character and sense of leadership. wins the presidency. On oc- casion, he would slam Hillary Clinton or Trump for their big- business policies, but not to a point where you questioned his credibility or integrity. This is really where Trump’s rally began to differ from Bernie’s. The Trump rally officially began with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Although some crowd members were happy to oblige, others seemed confused. I personally have never seen a prayer done at a rally, and it seemed very excluding towards those who weren’t Christian, especially with the Pledge of Allegiance recited immediately following it. Interestingly enough, the person who lead the pledge incorrectly spoke, forgetting part of the words. After singing the National Anthem, a person from “The Apprentice” spoke on his behalf, and then Trump came out and spoke. He began by telling supporters what to do if they see a protester; they would be encouraged to sur- round the individual and shout “Trump” over and over until the police arrived to that spot. That was easily one of the least encouraging (and one of the most terrifying) things Trump had said that day, that he en- couraged mobbing someone. Both rallies included plans for the future; Sanders promoted free (or reduced) college tuition, the legalization of marijuana, and the reduction of taxes for the working class

As the new leaders of the school, the rising seniors have tremendous shoes to fill. We have a responsibility, to both our classmates and ourselves, to step up in our final year of high school. for weapons and had their bags checked and then were escorted to their seats. While we waited for everyone to find seats, pop music started play- ing from the speakers. People in line were chosen to sit on stage and represent Sanders’ voters and they began to get the crowd pumped; at one point, the entire PAC had done the wave eight consecutive times, and everyone was in high spirits. At the Radisson, although there wasn’t any waves, the crowd seemed just as excited. People who were chosen to sit on stage were mainly veterans, but the selection process was basically the same as with Ber- nie’s. To enter the Trump rally, I had to undergo extensive screening, which was incred- ibly intimidating. Members of the Secret Ser- vice had followed me through all of the screening gates and into each separate room in the Radisson (even when I was in line). After agreeing to not “slander” Trump, I was allowed inside the conference room, and they gave me a seat with all of the other press reporters in the back of the room. The Sanders rally began with a speaker, a woman who was part of Bernie’s manage- ment team. After she spoke for about three minutes, they brought Bernie up onto the stage. Sanders spoke about his policies and what he plans to do with the country once he

The differences between the Trump and Sanders rallies

Presidential candidate Donald Trump at his Appleton Rally in March. Photo by Rachel Flom

whereas Trump emphasized building foreign relations, combatting terrorism, and building jobs by decreasing illegal immigration. However, while both made strong arguments as to why their campaign would mean the best for our country, it was Trump’s constant mockery of other candidates and even fu- ture voters that made his elec- tion campaign seem discourag- ing and the country seem more divided than ever before. At one point, Trump had re- cited a poem that was derived fromAl Wilson’s song The Snake. The song was about an old woman who had saved a snake and brought it back to health, only to have the poisonous snake bite the woman in the end; that relationship was compared to the United States’

(the old woman) relations with Syrian (and other) refugees, comparing refugees to poison- ous snakes. It was at that point that I had completely lost my interest in the rally; to see so many people hooting and cheering at the comparison of people to poisonous creatures was appalling. Though the Bernie rally had its moments, when his ideas became too complex and grandiose to be plausible, he didn’t have to rely on insults and mockeries to gain votes. Although both rallies defi- nitely had important issues to discuss and genuinely seemed to want what is best for the country and its citizens, only one of them seemed elitist and discriminatory, and it certainly wasn’t the rally for the elderly Jewish man.