What is Dark Matter?

By Sydney B.

Everyone has heard of the term dark matter at one point in their lives whether they knew what it meant or not. Although some people might just see it as a cool name for some stuff in space, it’s much more than that.

According to NASA, dark matter is a type of matter that makes up 27% of the universe, the rest being made of dark energy and normal matter. To actually define dark matter is a tough job because of what scientists know about it. They know more of what dark matter is not than what it is.

First of all, dark matter is not antimatter. Antimatter is a type of matter that does not exist in our universe. Scientists know this about dark matter because it does not have any of the distinct properties of dark matter, which includes gamma radiation being released when antimatter gets destroyed with normal matter. Scientists also know that dark matter isn’t anything that they can detect because of our lack of ability to detect it. One thing that they do know about dark matter, is that it’s dark.

Dark matter, however, should not be confused with dark energy. Dark energy makes up 68% of the universe and it is known as a property of space. The space that stretches outside of our galaxy and outside of all the galaxies surrounding it and even farther than this possesses dark energy. This theory was presented by Albert Einstein who said that as our universe expands and fills up space that contains the dark energy, that space will continue going out. Meaning our universe is never ending and will keep expanding.

Basically, dark matter and dark energy are mysterious and even scientists know hardly anything about it. Possibly getting closer to an explanation is exciting and worth the buzz of news.

More information- https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy

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What Norup Teacher are you? Quiz

By: Rebecca Feber
This quiz consists of a couple of the Norup teachers and a variety of questions to show which teacher you are most like.

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Beauty and the Beast Review

By Charlotte C.

On March 17, 2017, Disney released a live action version of Beauty and the Beast. The "tale as old as time" stars Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as The Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, and Josh Gad as Lefou. The movie centers around a young women named Belle who lives in a small French village. Her father, an artist (even though he is an inventor in the original), gets lost on his way to the market and ends up at a mysterious castle with magical objects. He tries to take a rose from the castle's garden, but he ends up as a prisoner to the terrifying beast that lives there. Belle finds her father and takes his place, staying in the castle with the beast. Overtime, they develop a friendship, and–eventually–they fall in love.

I love this new version. I love the old one as well, but the new version adds more background to the story. I also love the new songs they added, such as "Evermore" and "Days in the Sun" that give more insight into the characters' emotions. I also enjoy the character changes that they made. Overall, I loved this and I enjoyed it very much  4.5/5 stars.

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LGBT+ Rights in Finland

By Morgan C

The world has become more aware and accepting of the LGBT+ community. More and more countries have been confirming the legalization of same-sex marriage. For example, on March 1st, 2017, the country of Finland legalized it with 27 out of 47 council members' approval. The Finnish government legalized not only same-sex marriage, but also the ability to change one’s gender (even though it is still difficult for people because it requires a surgery). This proves that the world is getting closer and closer to being more equal.

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Twilight Saga Review

By Carly Spagnuolo

The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer is a very underrated book because of its plot line: a vampire falls for a human and she loves him back. However, there are variables to the story that do not just affect their love lives, but rather add complexity to other aspects of the story. In addition, the book is very well-written, so a person who doesn't like the plot can still enjoy the book's quality. One must not judge a book by its cover or by what others think of it since not all books are for everybody. Ultimately, how well-written the book is determines how much the reader will enjoy and appreciate it.

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Tips to Stay Calm During Standardized Tests

By Maggie K.

It's M-Step time here at Norup, which can be very stressful.  Here are 3 tips to stay calm and focused during the weeks of M-Step:

1.  Get lots of sleep.  A well-rested mind is a sharp and focused mind. Go to bed at a reasonable time to prepare for the test.

2. Eat a healthy breakfast. You can't expect to do well on a test if you don't fuel your body and mind with the right nutrients.

3. Breathe. If you get overwhelmed and don't know the answer, inhale through your nose, hold for a few seconds, and exhale through your mouth. Remember, you can always flag it and come back to it later.

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Fearless Girl

By Charlotte Capuano

On March 7, 2016, the day before International Women's Day, the famous "Charging Bull" on Wall Street met a fierce opponent: a statue of a little girl. The girl appears to be staring down the bull, her ponytail swinging. This statue was sculpted by Kristen Visbal, and The State Street Global Advisers funded the project. The fifty-inch-tall statue symbolizes women and their struggle in the work place. The plaque at her feet reads, "Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference." Many tourists and people who work along Wall Street have taken pictures with the now famous "Fearless Girl." The statue has helped thousands of women and girls feel empowered. One little girl, Sankaribriya, said she wanted to pose with the girl "because I wanted to look at her and feel like her."

Though the statue is loved by most, some have vandalized and done some questioning things to the statue. Some are also mad that the statue was put in place at all. The statue is supposed to be taken down on April 2nd, 2017, but some politicians are calling for the statue to remain on Wall Street.

The statue will be forever in our hearts and minds, and reminds us to stay strong because "SHE can make a difference."

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Norup's Hidden Heroes: The Custodial Staff

By Mia D.

There are many people who work in the background of our daily lives who are barely noticed but are extremely important. This is the case for many school employees including janitors, lunch-aids, and more.

For this issue, we’ve interviewed custodian Mr. James Patrick. Mr. Patrick was born in Detroit, and works very hard to keep Norup clean. On a daily basis, Mr. Patrick deals with cleaning up messes and “kids not listening.” He’s one of the reasons the school maintains working order.

During his job, Mr. Patrick listens to music on the radio to make the work go faster. At the end of the day, Mr. Patrick enjoys relaxing with a nice game of pool. Being a janitor is a busy job that–of course –requires snack breaks. He usually chooses chocolate-peanut-butter granola bars.

Everyone’s life is filled with hidden heroes like Mr. Patrick. We just have to take time to notice them.

Norup’s Hidden Heroes is a series of articles written by Mia D., based on the interviews of custodians, janitors, and other maintenance staff. It is is intended to explore the inner lives of people encountered daily but seldom noticed. Subscribe to the Hawk Headlines blog for more articles like this.

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Student Showcase: Elemental Healing by Coral B.

Elemental Healing is a comic series by Coral B., a seventh grade student. She has been drawing for five years and loves the anime style.

Want your work featured by Hawk Headlines? Email noruphawkheadlines@gmail.com!

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Norup Students Choose Kindness

By Abby C.

A few months ago, an anonymous person put up sticky notes around the top and side borders of the mirror in the upstairs girls’ bathroom. They said things like “beautiful,” “amazing,” and “wonderful.” A few hours later, there were five sticky notes added, filling in the rest of the border. These new ones said things like “don’t care what they say!” and “You’re incredible!” Between the five new sticky notes, there were two distinguishably different handwritings. Someone also had written the letters “ur” (meaning “you are” or “you’re”) before all of the original sticky notes which had featured adjectives without attaching them to a person. 

Then, on Friday, February 10th, they were all taken down. The most widely accepted explanation is that the janitor took them down to clean the mirror. Several girls responded by putting up more sticky notes on the wall surrounding the mirror, and by the end of the day on Monday, there were dozens of positive messages decorating the wall. However, several of these had also been taken down as of Tuesday, and they had all been removed by Wednesday. This raises the possibility that someone is purposely taking down the sticky notes.

Even though the movement of putting positive messages in the bathroom has faced a couple minor bumps in the road, Norup students continue to try to make others smile. This is a big difference from a neighboring school just ten minutes away where there was a noose put up in the bathroom and white students chanted “Build That Wall!” in the lunchroom in front of Latino students.

Norup students are reacting to the division in our country with love and support instead of hate, and that can make all the difference for our students.

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