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What is one of the first
questions an adult would ask
you when you were little? You
guessed it: what do you want
to be when you grow up? Most
children answer with exclama-
tions of “a professional ath-
lete!” or “an astronaut, they
get to explore space!” But have
we, as a society, taken the time
to reflect upon how we restrict
academic or interest-related
exploration when we expect le-
gitimate responses from kids?
Many argue that asking
children questions about their
ideal future occupation encour-
ages them to explore career op-
tions. Instead of feeling bound
by academic focuses related to
career fields, children will feel
inclined to find practical occu-
pations that they would enjoy
pursuing. But most schools
provide personality tests that
match kids with occupations
that fit their interests and work
habits, which do not require
kids to perform extensive re-
search about matched jobs.
As convenient as this sounds,
most students would not even
consider occupations provided
by these tests that did not align
with their ideal career paths.
They simply found jobs that
fit with their preconceived
careers. Instead of exploring
newfound fields, childhood
dreams of occupations, such as
medicine and engineering, re-
mained in the forefront of their
minds. Students remained ada-
mant in pursuing careers that
they had previously established
would be enjoyable, reflecting
upon their responses to adults
interrogating them about what
they wanted to be when they
grew up.
Another societal restric-
tion on self-discovery revolves
around stigma placed upon
teenagers applying to univer-
sities. There is an enormous
emphasis placed upon students
deciding their majors and ca-
reer paths prior to entering
college, and those who know
what they want to pursue are
looked highly upon by adults
and are presented with oppor-
tunities in their desired field in
high school. This allows them
to present universities with ré-
sumés that will improve their
chances of acceptance. Ac-
cording to research published
by Chau-Kiu Cheung, Hoi Yan
Cheung and Joseph Wu from
the City University of Hong
Kong and the University of Ma-
cau, students are more success-
ful and less stressed in college
when they have better career
preparation. This concept adds
to the idea that undergraduates
should have an idea of what
they intend to pursue. These
unnecessary pressures placed
on teenagers hinder exploration
of alternative academic fields.
It is imperative that we,
as a society, stop demanding
that the youth comprehend the
world we live in before they
obtain the opportunity to ex-
plore it. Instead, we should
encourage discussions that as-
sist children in developing their
personal interests. Questions
posed around their favorite as-
pects of each subject presented
in school, their top ten occupa-
tional interests and why they
are appealing to them and how
they hope to accomplish the
greatest amount of exploration
possible. All people are inher-
ently curious; the latter means
of discussion serves to stimu-
late curiosity in adventurous
youth.
Ultimately, we need to be
conscientious of childhood de-
velopment. In order to foster
generations with great creativ-
ity and passion for their occu-
pations, we need to ensure that
we do not force careers upon
our children. As an esteemed
neurosurgeon once told me, do
not restrict yourself on occupa-
tional interests before you have
to.
OPINIONS
Appleton, Wisconsin September 2016 Volume XXII
Issue I Page 4
When we think of summer,
many of us automatically
picture outdoor activities.
Whether that be swimming on
a beach, riding a bike down a
sunny path, or hiking through
a beautiful terrain, physical
activities undoubtedly domi-
nate our perception of sum-
mer. With all of this time to do
whatever we want, many de-
cide to make healthier choices
during summer vacation, in-
cluding more frequent exer-
cise routines, better thought-
out meal plans, and regular
sleep schedule.
However, as soon as Sept. 1
hits, it all suddenly falls away.
We all want to think that we
will keep up with our health
routine when the school year
starts up again, but it always
seems to slip away as we get
busier and busier. Suddenly,
that fresh salad becomes a
burger you picked up on your
way to practice, those bike
rides are discarded for study
sessions, and your eight hours
of sleep is cut each night by
homework. As our time is
stretched thinner and thinner,
it becomes even more impor-
tant for us to keep up on our
daily health routines. Accord-
ing to a study done by the Na-
tional Association for Sport
and Physical Education, only
one in three people under the
age of 18 are physically ac-
tive everyday. This shockingly
low statistic demonstrates how
many students allow activity
to fall by the wayside during
the school year.
As easy as it is to let our
health get away from us dur-
ing the school year, it is in-
credibly important that we
continue to take care of our-
selves. For teenagers, daily
exercise is a key component to
managing weight, maintaining
bone mass, increasing muscle
definition, decreasing stress,
and battling mood swings and
depression. It is important that
we make time in our schedule
to keep up our exercise rou-
tines all throughout the year.
Along with daily exercise,
a well balanced diet is key to
staying healthy throughout the
year. By eating a variety of
things from all of the differ-
ent food groups, students can
see improvements in mood,
weight, energy levels, and even
grades. While it may be easy to
slip into the routine of eating
junk food, it’s important that
we really watch what we are
eating as the year progresses.
With all of the homework
and after school activities,
it can be easy for our sleep
schedules to gradually di-
gress. We stay up later and
later to get everything done,
and then we are tired the next
day making us less productive
and forcing us to stay up even
later the next evening. Ac-
cording to the National Sleep
Foundation, students that do
not get eight to ten hours of
sleep a night are more prone to
irritability, inability to focus,
weight gain, and illness. It is
key that we are setting a strict
bedtime throughout the year to
ensure we are getting enough
sleep, and that we realize our
health is more important than
our homework.
As we are getting back into
our school year routine, it can
be easy for us to forget about
our healthy summer habits
during this busy time. How-
ever, it is absolutely essential
that we all make time in our
schedules for exercise, bal-
anced eating, and eight to ten
hours of sleep each night in or-
der to stay happy and healthy
all throughout the year.
Advice for maintaining a healthy lifestyle all year
Noctiluca
Mission
Statement
The Noctiluca and north
noct.com are the student-run
news sources of Appleton
North High School. Noctiluca
and northnoct.com are desig-
nated public forums for student
expression. Student editors
make all content decisions.
Noctiluca’s mission is to
publish information relevant to
its readers and its community.
Its goal is to maintain high
ethical standards and provide
a designated public forum for
free and responsible expression
of views.
The newspaper and website
welcome diversity of scope,
depth and breadth of coverage
in order to heighten mutual
understanding and awareness
through our entire community.
Appleton North High School
5000 N. Ballard Road
Appleton, WI 54913
Phone: (920) 832-4300
Mr. Ramponi, staff advisor,
at: ramponiaaron@aasd
.k12.wi.us.
Editorial Staff
Senior Editor-In-Chief
Nora Ptacek
Junior Editor-In-Chief
Jake Zajkowski
Managing Editor
Kate Bennett
News Editor
Ally Price
Opinions Editor
Maeve Salm
Features Editor
Trinity Olson
Centerspread Editor
Salma Abdel-Azim
Culture Editor
Maddy Schilling
Sports Editor
Maddie Clark
Photography Editor
Olivia Molter
Digital Photography/
Multimedia Editor
Adison Cole
Copy Editor
Fatima Ali
Advertising/Social Media
Rachel Sina
Graphics Editor
Henry Ptacek
Online Editor
Kate Bennett
Investigative Editor
Erik Bakken
Advisor
Mr. Ramponi
Contributors
Salma Abdel-Azim
Fatima Ali
Yasmeen Ashour
Erik Bakken
Kate Bennett
Maddie Clark
Silvia Knighten
Olivia Molter
Trinity Olson
Sophie Plzak
Ally Price
Henry Ptacek
Nora Ptacek
Maeve Salm
Maddy Schilling
Jake Zajkowski
By Maeve Salm
By Kate Bennett
Children are often overwhelmed by high expectations of their
futures.
Illustration by Olivia Molter
Only one in every three children are physically active every day.
Illustration by Henry Ptacek
Society restricts self-discovery among youth