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OPINIONS
Appleton, Wisconsin September 2016 Volume XXII
Issue I Page 3
Over the course of the sum-
mer, perhaps while you were
downtown with your friends
catching Pokémon in Houdini
Plaza, did you ever stop and just
take a minute to look around?
If so, you would have seen a
city in its most vibrant peak of
the year. Art on the Town, the
Mile of Music, farmers mar-
kets, and summer sales all con-
tributed to giving the Appleton
community a breath of fresh
air and a good time. Now, can
you imagine what the summer
would have been like without
these little gems? Or to probe
you further, what would the
rest of the year be like? What
wouldAppleton be like without
the support of local businesses?
For one, you could say good-
bye to festivals, art walks, and
especially farmers markets.
A majority of these events are
subsidized by local businesses
like the Stone Cellar or Blue
Moon Emporium. In the case
of farmers markets, small busi-
ness owners completely run
events for the benefit of other
small businesses. But this dis-
appearance of local festivals
would never happen, right? Not
in A-town.
Except it could. Of course,
local business could never dis-
appear entirely, but places just
like the city of Appleton have
experienced something close,
leaving shuttered up holes in
the wall beside stores in de-
cline. In fact, the Small Busi-
ness Administration, a gov-
ernment-supported advocacy
group, found that only about
half of small businesses survive
for more than five years.
So what’s the big deal, right?
Why not just shop at Costco or
Walmart or Target for every-
thing? It’s incredibly cheaper
that way. Well, you certainly
could, and many people do, as
a lot of the time, it is cheaper
giving into big businesses. Un-
fortunately, that is also what
makes your general stores, your
Free Market’s, and your Green
Gecko’s crumble, along with
the vitality of the local econ-
omy. According to the SBA,
63% of new private sector jobs
are provided by small busi-
nesses, so local employment
would go down the drain. Then
down tumbles the character of
your local community and the
diversity of goods and services
that these places provide, along
with their individualized cus-
tomer service. Go ahead, try
buying delicious homemade
sandwiches and salads from
Walmart and then asking a staff
member if they could get you
some locally sourced hummus.
Maybe now you’re picturing
some sort of post-apocalyptic
world fueled by suited fat cats
and their mega corporations,
stepping on the little guy all
because you bought your toi-
let paper at one of their chain
stores. Stop that. Big business is
still good for the economy, pro-
viding a huge portion of the na-
tion’s jobs and the summer jobs
of many Appleton North stu-
dents. They often even provide
local business with the oppor-
tunity to outsource their goods
to a wider margin of consum-
ers, so they certainly should not
be completely neglected. How-
ever, neither should Mary Sue’s
granary down the street.
It’s all about finding balance.
The next time you go out for a
Saturday morning grocery run,
think about getting your olive
oil at the Olive Cellar, your
produce at the farmers’ market
and a quick danish from the
Amish bakery. Then, maybe
stop by Target for chips and
dip and napkins. It’ll surely do
you, and your fellow members
of the community, some good.
Supporting local business matters for the community
Noctiluca
Editorial
When the school year rolls
around, most parents and peer
mentors encourage involve-
ment in a variety of differ-
ent extracurricular activities.
Many believe that you do not
participate in extracurricu-
lars, you may miss out on an
activity that you find enjoy-
able. No one wants to inten-
tionally bypass a potentially
career-stimulating or hobby-
inducing extracurricular. But
is involvement detrimental
to scholarly work, or does an
active student body reap ben-
efits from time-consuming
extracurriculars?
Many people will agree that
participation in school-relat-
ed activities offers extensive
benefits. Not only can an in-
dividual explore new avenues
of interest in an act of self-
discovery, she can also gain
a significant sense of com-
munity inside and outside of
the school environment, ob-
tain greater time management
skills, develop an understand-
ing of true commitment, and
form connections with others
to construct well-developed
social circles.
There are few other periods
in an individual’s life where
interest and career exploration
can occur to the extent that is
offered within high school.
Therefore, all students should
take advantage of the oppor-
tunities North provides to be
involved in extracurriculars.
Doing so allows for the con-
sideration of alternative ideas
and the investigation into dif-
ferent fields of work. DECA
and HOSA are fabulous out-
lets to discover if a business or
health career, or both if one is
so inclined, would be the most
fulfilling and enjoyable.
Other organizations, such as
Fashion Club or HOPE Club,
provide similar opportunities
for occupational exploration
by fostering passions for top-
ics not typically discussed on
an in-depth level in academ-
ics.
Often times, students de-
velop a sense of community
when they get involved in
specific organizations. NHS
and Peer/KEY Club are prime
examples of contributing to
the local community by vol-
unteering at nursing homes or
bell ringing for the Salvation
Army.
Simultaneously, these clubs
also provide students with the
opportunity to give back to
the school as well. Peer tutor-
ing and informative activities
regarding substance abuse al-
low for these individuals to
gain greater awareness about
prevalent issues among peers
and to offer solutions to diffi-
culties in return. Universally,
individuals enjoy partaking
in school-facilitated activi-
ties because they can meet a
multitude of new faces who
have similar interests as them-
selves.
Developing a more diverse
social circle provides stu-
dents with the opportunity to
explore alternative ideas pro-
posed by those whom they
have never previously en-
countered. Being presented
with a new perspective to a
topic of unanimous interest
can expand a student’s com-
prehension of political, eco-
nomic, academic, or societal
tensions. Bringing awareness
also fosters empathy for issues
that are often misunderstood.
One cannot forget the aca-
demic tremendous benefits
that are associated with in-
volvement. Educational and
academic-focused clubs ex-
pand a student’s insight in spe-
cific subject matter, improving
their comprehension of topics
discussed in scholarly classes.
Game-oriented activities im-
prove upon students’ creativ-
ity and logic in problem solv-
ing. And of course, physical
activity through sports im-
proves upon mental health as
well as physical health.
Because extracurriculars do
require students to sacrifice
homeroom periods and after-
school hours, students must
develop effective methods of
time management to accom-
plish the requests of clubs and
the homework loads of class-
es. Investing time into activi-
ties outside of academics also
encourages students to remain
committed to work they agree
to complete. Of course, indi-
viduals must also remember
that trying to partake in every
club is unnecessary and can be
unhealthy mentally and aca-
demically. The ultimate goal
of experimentation is to enjoy
oneself.
Ultimately, involvement in
extracurriculars is imperative
to the well being of all stu-
dents by assisting in interest
exploration and mental devel-
opment, but everyone should
be conscientious of their time
commitments and potential
health repercussions of over-
involvement. Without these
opportunities, though, many
individuals would not be able
to effectively expand their
comprehension of alternative
ideas and potential occupa-
tions.
By Maddy Schilling
Local businesses advertise and show support for public festivals such as the Mile of Music.
Photo by Olivia Molter.
The Performance
Team practices
often in the North
commons. Involve-
ment in extracurric-
ulars is imperative
for interest explora-
tion.
Photo by Olivia Molter.