Thanksgiving was wonderful this year with an estimated 54 million people traveling 50 miles or more to visit family. There were many amazing celebrations including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and tree lightings around the country. 

Our own Grand Rapids had its 30th annual turkey trot. The event attracted 4,500 runners and happened in downtown Grand Rapids. The event was hosted by Grand Rapids Public schools to raise money and the course was a 5K (About 3.1 miles long). 

It raises money to help cover the costs so students don't have to pay for things like football helmets, and different supplies for different sports. Estimates about how much money was raised from this event are more than 100,000 dollars!

Mel Trotter ministries also held an important event called a turkey drop. They collected turkeys for families who might need a little bit more help preparing a Thanksgiving meal due to the costs or their ability to buy it. A large number of 79 turkeys were prepared, along with potatoes, gravy, corn, and more. This took place in DeVos Place where there was a free meal for families in need. 

Dozens of Mel Trotter workers and more than 700 volunteers assisted in the event and as many as 1000-2000 people were expected to come. This event brings the community together so they can share their stories, make friends, and have a fine meal while doing it. 

There were many amazing, community-bringing-together events that happened around the country, bringing people together with family and friends so that they can appreciate all that they have and how lucky they are. What are some ways you can be grateful and care for your community?

I interviewed Mrs. Grinwis on her thoughts about going to school 4 days a week. Here’s how it went!

We discussed how wearing masks is still very important, and it will remain important. Washing hands, maintaining social distance, it’s all very relevant. We also went over how serious it is that everyone does their part to keep the school safe. Not only are we keeping ourselves safe by doing the simple things, like wearing your mask, washing your hands, and avoiding touching, but we are also keeping our peers safe.

Mrs. Grinwis knows how people can feel nervous now that we are back four days a week. It can be overwhelming now that there are twice the people in the school. Both students and staff can be anxious now that people are crowded together. I learned from Mrs. Grinwis that this change is scary, almost any change at our age can be scary, but it is for the best.

I also learned that there is this flowchart. It recommends that at the number of cases we are at this time, it's best to be at school 4 days a week. But along with that, we also have our daily health screener. 

Some of our parents do it for us, but some of us don’t do it at all. It is so incredibly important to do the daily health screener. We can’t have people coming in to school sick, so we have the daily health screener. If you or your parents don’t do your health screener, you could be putting the school at risk.

Mrs. Grinwis said, “I’m really proud of how we have stepped up in such a goofy school year, for recognizing that the situation we are in isn’t ideal, and that we need to do what we can.”

So that’s Mrs. Grinwis’s thoughts on going back 4 days a week, and I think she has done a great job doing what she can during this crazy school year.

“I'm excited for kids to get up there and perform and show their talents” said Mrs. Hjelm. On the 13th of January, eleven acts will be showcased at 12:30. It should take about 2 hours.

Mrs.Hjelm, with the help of Mr. Otten, has been running the talent show for 26 years. The very first talent show took place in the Crossroads gym and now we have it in the auditorium of the High School. She believes that it’s a big change from how it used to be to the present day.

Next year Mr Otten will be taking over the talent show from now on. Mrs. Hjelm was asked how she feels about this and this was her response.” It makes me a little sad but I know it’s time to pass the torch". But she’s also confident in still being a part of the talent show in some way.

She also talked about a favorite talent show memory of hers from the last talent show with Mr. Ekins. Mr. Lego, a high school drummer, guitarist, and friend of his and herself. All together they performed Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey. Mrs. Hjelm mentioned that she might sing a solo for the upcoming talent show.

After all seeing kids who you would never expect to audition and perform is something Mrs. Hjelm loves to see. ”Enjoy it because you know last year not being able to do it makes you really appreciate these little things that we weren’t able to do last year” claimed Mrs. Hjelm.

After having very little time to practice our music for the new concert, the 8th-grade and 7th-grade bands performed the first concert of the new year. Even though they did not have much time, to practice, they still performed proudly.

The band directors, Mark Lago and Hillary Hunsberger, did a fantastic job conducting and teaching the students. "The concert was awesome!  I was so surprised by how great everyone sounded with what seemed like so little time to practice." Said Mrs. Moens. Some believe they were rushed and should have had more time.

“If I could change something, it would be more time to practice. We only had one month to practice with very few percussionists, so we weren't very prepared. Percussion worked the hardest because of the very few percussionists.” Said, Abby Amos

The bands worked hard playing and practicing their music. The 8th grade played Solstice dance, Forge of Vulcan, and Solstice dance, while the 7th grade played Captain America March, Ghost Ship, and Fly By.

With December nearing close, multiple holidays are also coming along with many snowy  months. Some fun events come with the holidays; for the band kids, the Christmas Concert.

The Christmas Concert is the first concert of the year, and often, along with the holiday it is near, the songs are Christmas-themed. Both the seventh and eighth graders play three compositions during the concert. The seventh graders play first, and the eighth graders will play next.

The seventh graders are playing three compositions; Project Mercury is a piece about a rocket that is blasting off into space, Ghostbusters is the famous piece from the movie soundtrack, and finally, Santa the Barbarian is a fun piece about a violent Santa.

Meanwhile, the eighth graders are starting off with a fanfare; Falcon Fanfare is a short, but glory-filled piece by Brian Balmages. On an Olde English Carol comes next; an eerie piece based on singing the souls of dead children to sleep(so happy, I know). The final piece is called Santa the Barbarian and the Pirates of the North Pole. It is a more violent piece, with loud low brass parts.

Over and out, this will be a great event for both bands.

Amazon is one of the biggest companies, but is it just a company? The controversy of if amazon’s a monopoly is a huge and important issue. The definition of monopoly is the exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service. This shows that amazon needs to control all or most online shopping sites by classifying a monopoly. Even though they are hard to compete with and are one of the biggest corporations, they still don’t classify as a monopoly.

According to an article by blogs.luc.edu Monopoly Defined: Amazon Can Pass Go.

“Although its size is large, when analyzing Amazon’s actions through the lens of the current definition of a monopoly from the Federal Trade Commission, Amazon is not a monopoly” This shows more that amazon cannot be classified a monopoly. It is a big corporation that dominates much of the online shopping corporation, but they do not own multiple corporations of the same type. So classifying them as a monopoly is not correct.

Some people may say that amazon relates to other companies because theirs so many using amazon. But amazon is a facilitator for many businesses. Which shows that they only relate to them by the fact that they use amazon to cell their products. Since amazon doesn’t own those companies they only own one company.

There are a lot of opinions surrounding the dress code. Some might say it’s necessary while others might say it harmful and useless. I firmly believe it is damaging to young girl's mental health, and taking away kids' rights to express themselves. 

Teens already go through a ton during their time in middle school, juggling homework, constantly worrying about what others think of them, managing a social life, and dealing with controversies with parents. Is it really necessary to put more pressure on them by taking away their right to express themselves?

Not to mention shaming young teen girls for their body when social media already tells them they're not good enough and has completely unrealistic standards. 

“Some days I will feel super confident about my body and walk into school, get dress coded and my thoughts about my body will become negative” said Mckayla Brown. 

A poll taken by four-hundred two Eaton High School students showed 76% believe restrictive dress codes leave a negative impact on girls’ mental health.

“For some girls, they feel singled out and objectified because they’re told their clothing is too provocative and distracting to the boys–instead of teaching the boys to be focused, respectful, and have enough self-control that they can take a test without being distracted by bare shoulders.” Claims ashevilleacademy.com.

There always has to be rules, so I’m not saying the dress code shouldn’t exist, but shaming teen girls for their bodies with ridiculous rules will only lead to low self esteem.

The dress code has impossible standards. Shorts have to be past your fingertips. You cant even find shorts long enough in womens clothing to pass the unrealistic rules.

“Its hard to find shorts that are quote on quote ‘school appropriate’ especially as a taller girl, I’m forced to wear longer pants because there are no shorts long enough for school, which makes it really hard to focus on hot days” Mckayla Brown says.

One day, Mckayla walked into school wearing reasonable shorts on a 93 degree day and was forced to put on sweat pants because her shorts were “too short.”

I think that being forced to wear sweats in extreme heat is going to be more distracting than skin. Start teaching boys how to respect women, instead of forcing girls to cover up.

On January 9, 2022, actor and stand-up comedian Bob Saget passed away. He had an unfortunate and untimely death at the age of 65. Bob had a performance just the night before his passing. Bob Saget was best known for playing Danny Tanner on Full House and the sequel Fuller House. The cause of his death is unannounced, but both drug use and foul play are unsuspected. The cast of Full House is torn apart about Bob's death. The entire cast has mentioned just how gutted they are about the fact they can't hug him anymore. They all talked about how kind and compassionate he was. They especially appreciated his warm hugs and his tellings of "I love you" after his messages. Bob will be remembered for being one of the kindest hearts in Hollywood. He taught many lessons about kindness, family, and love. Bob was never afraid to tell others how much he loved them, and how important it was to tell people you love them as well. Bob Saget's memory will live on through the memories of warm, caring Danny Tanner.

Betty White was weeks away from turning 100 when she passed. She was the oldest living Golden Girl and was an activist. Betty fought for civil and gay rights. She loved to help people the best she could. Betty won 27 awards and was nominated for 57 including the ones previously mentioned. Betty was born on January 17, 1922, and passed away on December 31, 2021 of natural causes. Betty White always gave her all and loved to help people in any way possible. Rest in peace Betty White . 

On November 22, 2022, a few members of the National Junior Honor Society(NJHS) put together a wonderful breakfast for the bus drivers that help us every day in different ways.

The Brunch had orange juice, apple juice, pancakes, doughnuts, and many more amazing foods that the members provided. 

It was just a tiny bit stressful considering the fact that there were so few people there. However, seeing the happiness spread across their faces after a cold long morning was astonishing to see.

Finally, the service overall was excellent, it was a really nice thing to be a part of, and a purposeful morning and event for the bus drivers of Crossroads Middle School. 

Also, a big thanks to Mrs. Vogel for setting it up and Mr. K for lending a hand, and Mrs. K for contributing to help and the members that contributed to making this happen for them. 

On December 9th, Crossroads had a 7th and 8th grade Winter Dance. There was pizza, Concessions with pop, candy, chips, and popcorn. There were loads of songs including some very popular ones such as, All I want for Christmas is you, Wobble, Cupid Shuffle, Watch me, and more. 

Kids were playing Basketball in the gym, volleyball, and dancing their hearts out to the beats of the songs. Many people however were found running around, eating, and catching up with friends. All the money that was collected went to the Northview District. There was also Mrs. Hjelm, Mrs. Buys, and many more teachers helping out with the Dance. A big thank you to all of them for helping create such a wonderful night! 

Lastly, thank you to all the people who showed up whether you were dancing, singing, eating, playing, or perhaps just sitting there, you make a difference in the community around you and much more. 

Coming soon at the Crossroads Middle School is our Valentine’s Dance! Here is what to expect this February 10th. The Valentine Dance is considered a formal wear, however not anything too big, just nicer than you would wear on a regular basis. They will still have concessions along with pizza,cookies,pop, etc. The lunch cafeteria and the gym will be open for people to use as well. However, some new things include a photo shoot that you can pre-purchase, however the cost is not determined yet. We hope you have lot’s of fun at our Valentine’s Day Dance. 

Mr. Retherford is known for teaching 8th-grade math at Crossroads Middle School. He has been one of Northview beloved teachers for a while, but what did he do in his past life? 

Mr. Retherford has been teaching for 18 years, but not all years have been at Northview. He plans to teach for 6 more years after, ending his career in June of 2028. 

“Most of the time I have been teaching science. At the alternative (at-risk students) Highschool, I taught science for 14 years,” Retherford stated. “This is my 2nd year here.” He taught in Muskegon and Grand Rapids for 2 years trying to find a permanent job.

In high school, Retherford was not planning to teach. He was mainly looking at marine biology. In his first year of high school, he decided not to go into marine biology. He found out they made little money for a lot of schooling. He then settled down on environmental engineering. Retherford found out that all of the environmental engineering programs were shutting down. Then, he hopped into mechanical engineering. He went to a mechanical engineering college for 9 years. He then did mechanical engineering for 20 years, then decided he wanted to teach the next generation.

“I liked working at the alternative high school. A few of the students are good friends.” He explained. “I do enjoy my time here, even when I become all orderly, I love it here.”

Retherford does not want to stop teaching this year. He has a board of all his calendars of when he will retire. All the calendars consist of years. 6 more years of teaching, then he will retire. That is what he plans at least.

All in all, Mr. Retherford loves his job and plans to continue teaching.

Willy Wonka Jr took 6 weeks to learn all the songs and choreography and the blocking to make this as perfect as it can be. There were so many good memories that were made. We worked really hard to get where we were when we performed. Mrs Ronda was the best and she was really fun to have work though the play with us. Mrs. Ronda works with us in our blocking. We also had a very amazing choreography teacher Mr. Lewis. We had a very amazing choir teacher are very own Mrs Heilm she help us through all the songs. Here are some amazing moments we had with the play. 

On December 8th, Selected members from NJHS got to spend time

 at the Kids Food Basket to help package food. We spent 

About an hour Bagging up meals, and another 30 minutes

Opening up packages. Most of us believed that this event 

Was an enjoyable way to help others and make a difference, 

We enjoyed it and thank Kids Food Basket for having us.

Before we begin, I need to explain how the points work. The overall score ranges from one to four. A one is the best score that you can get and a four is the least. Along with that score, there are four judges. Each judge will score your performance out of 30 points. With that being said, let’s begin!

8th grade went first, and as a person who was performing that day, I think I speak for everyone in saying we were nervous! We were first to perform and as Mrs. Hjelm put it we were first to “set the bar” and we all wanted to set it high! We ended up doing great! We got applause from the judges and from the people sitting in the stands. Then we went right to the sight-reading room where the judge complimented us on our ability to keep it sounding musical, though it was just reading notes. We ended up getting a full 30 out of 30 on the sight-reading portion which is a perfect score! From the other three judges, we got a 29 from one, and two 28’s from the other two judges, so our total score was 116 out of 120, which is a one! Not only that, but we ended up being Mrs. Hjelm’s best class, with her best class before us scoring 6 points away from a perfect score. It was an overall great experience and we all had loads of fun.

The 7th graders also did wonderfully! Preforming their songs She Sings and When I Hear Music. I personally loved both of these songs and they performed beautifully. They too got a one!! It was a great accomplishment. They ended up with a 106/120. They got a 30/30 on their sight-reading as well! Both grades were invited to State Festival and we get to go to Hope Collage and perform two new songs. No doubt in anyone's mind that 7th will go onto state next year as well!

On March 15, 2023, all choir members in Crossroads went to the District Choral Festival at Lowell High School. We showed up wearing our amazing choir shirts that we had ordered. Shortly after arriving, we began our warm-ups and practicing our songs, we fixed any imperfections and then were suddenly taken to the stage to begin our performance. Seventh-Grade sang Snow by Kenneth Riggs, and then shortly after we sang our second song, Bonse Aba by Viktor C. Johnson. After finishing our performances, we were taken to the sight reading room. We did a phenomenal job at sight reading, we worked very hard to get good scores and make Mrs.Hjelm so proud of us. Overall for seventh grade. Scores were 29/30 for sight reading and 106/115 overall. And eighth grade got 30/30 in sight reading and 109/115 overall score. We all did so amazing and achieved all of our goals.