In an effort to expand the astronomy program,  Niles West will be preparing to add a new observatory in the south parking lot this month.

The building  is currently being prepared in Maryland and will arrive in June. According to science teacher Elizabeth Ramseyer, the room will have a telescope  which will be placed on a pier that is currently being used in the astronomy class.

“This building will enable all of our students and the community at large to experience the evening skies in Skokie.  The observatory will also allow the astronomy students to more easily use our classroom imaging equipment to record and study the light from the stars in our skies,”  Ramseyer said. 

Ever since 2006, the Niles West astronomy class has been helping host the Morton Grove Historical Society Star party. A gentleman who was fond of the astronomy class,  John Slater, attended many of the parties and was impressed by the astronomy students from Niles West. He decided he wanted to donate the new observatory to Niles West High School.

Sophomore Walter Lindwall said it was a good addition to the Niles West curriculum.

“That’s cool,  I think it’ll be a good educational experience,” he said.

Niles West and Niles North fashion students are scheduled to host the annual fashion show at Holiday Inn hotel tonight at 7:00 p.m.

Fashion classes at both schools have been working on their projects this whole year. The students have created outfits inspired by 2013 fashion with a twist of their own taste.

“I’ve been working on my outfits for a very long time,” senior Selina Montero said. “It was very hard work, and hopefully people will like the outcome.”

Some students that will participate in today’s show have focused on two pieces while others have created multiple of outfits.

“I decided to focus on my two outfits,” Montero said. “I’ve had previous experience, and I know I do a better job when I focus most of my effort on just a couple of outfits.”

There are more than 100 outfits in the show this year, and more than 200 students participating in the show.

“I’ve been in every fashion show, and there are always so many pieces,” senior Mary Mando said. “They’re amazing, and I can’t wait to see them this year.”

The show will include the “Trashy Fashion” theme, which are outfits completely made out of recycled and biodegradability products.

“I used pop cans for my Trashy Fashion outfit,” Montero said. “It was one of the funnest outfits to create.”

Designers said they are hoping for a big crowd and are confident that they’ll impress the audience.

“We’ve all been working really hard, and we’re hoping that it’ll show in the show,” Montero said. “All of us have done a great job. Everyone should come watch.”

In an effort to recognize students for their excellence and their accomplishments, students will be given awards at Niles West’s annual Accolades ceremony  Wednesday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

Winners of National Honor Awards, Memorial Awards and scholarships, Principal’s Medallion,  Gold, Silver, and Bronze Keys, and other miscellaneous will also be recognized at the ceremony.

The following department award winners will be acknowledged at the event:

Eric Nordin – Applied Science and Technology

Man Ying Vivian Wong – ELL

Jeanette Habash – Fine Arts- Art

Kaylin Moy – Fine Arts- Orchestra

Max Greene – Fine Arts- Band

Vanja Selak – Family and Consumer Science

Robert Urosev – Business Education

Sheryl Cherian – English and Science

Michael Kim – Fine Arts- Choir

Aria Caldwell – Fine Arts- Theatre

Cedrick Calalay – Physical Education (Males)

Jennifer Magdaleno – Phyiscal Education (Females)

Patrick Liscio – Math

Rachel Bender – Social Studies

Alison Stangel – World Languages

Considering the fact that the school year is finally coming to a close, yearbooks will be available for pick-up in the Student Commons on Friday, May 17 after eighth period till the end of the school day.

Students must bring their IDs in order to pick-up their yearbooks. It is advised that students cannot skip their study hall to pick up the books.

“The yearbook is a memoir of all of the [important pictures] of the year. This is the best yearbook so far,” English teacher and yearbook sponsor  Sharon Swanson said.

If there are extras, the leftover yearbooks will be available for purchase for $60 in cash only by the ticket window next to the Student Commons starting Monday, May 20.

Students said they were excited for the yearbooks.

“I’m psyched to receive mine because it will be refreshing looking back at the memories in a couple of years, ” freshman Faith Geraghty said.

Junior Miranda Kang was relieved that there were alternative yearbook pick-up days because the AP testing this week made it difficult for her to find time on Friday to pick it up.

“I am more comfortable with the alternative pick-up days because it makes it easier for me to find time within my week to pick-up my yearbook,” Kang said.

If for some reason students aren’t able to pick-up yearbooks on Friday (field trip, etc), they can still pick it up on the following Monday or Tuesday.

The cutest pet contest is back! Do you think your pet has what it takes? Vote now! The owner of the pet with the most votes will win a $10 Chipotle gift card and the honor of being the NWN’s cutest pet of 2013. If you do not see your pet in the gallery, it is probably because you did not submit your name and grade or the name and breed of your pet. Voting ends Wednesday, May 22, at midnight.

Tina Skukan's yorkies, Miki and Mala

Tulona Zaman's bobtail cat, Oscar

Tristin Minx's chicken, Bruce

Alex Studer's beagle mix, Nala

Czarina Landicho's turtle, Squirt

Eman Shirazi's Maltest poodle

Isha Khalil's mixed kitty, Oscar

Jackie Schmitz's bunny, Mocha

Jon Kruk's golden retriever, Buddy

Meshyl Bonjoc's toy poodle, Fluffy

Michael Chimel's huskies, Aspen and Rocky

Natalie Groshon's morkie, Charlie

Nemo Boonchoolertrat's sugar glider, Chanel

Olivia John's guinea pig, Cookie

Samantha Jahjah's Australian shepard poodle, Oscar

Ana Gherman's dog, Ollie

The American Cancer Society will be hosting their fifth annual Battle of the Bands Fundraiser on Sunday, May 19 at Cubby Bear North in Lincolnshire at noon. The event is open to any high school pop and rock bands with more than 30 bands competing in previous years.

The event gives bands the chance to perform for a live audience, including professional judges who will provide each band with feedback on their performances. All proceeds of the event go to The American Cancer Society.

Senior Merrill Miller will be competing in the event with his two bands, Mirage (Rock & Roll Club) and Unpaved.

“We’re playing [in the event] because we’ve never done Battle of the Bands before, so it’s a new experience,” Miller said. “We’re practicing a lot and getting ready for a hopefully successful performance.”

Mirage will be playing “China Grove” by The Doobie Brothers, “I Saw Her Standing There” by The Beatles, and “Plush” by Stone Temple Pilots. Unpaved will be playing “In Bloom” by Nirvana, and “Surrender” by Cheap Trick and “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple.

Activities Director Jessica Pritzker, who sent the email on Battle of the Bands to students,said this event will give students the opportunity to showcase their and that students should attend the event.

“Watching live music is a great way to enjoy oneself,” she said. “I think there are a lot of bands that just play without showing off their talents and they should realize [from the event] how they should get better and show their talents.”

To learn more about the Battle of the Bands competition, you can visit www.bandsbattlingcancer.org for more information.

Theater will be putting on their annual Portraits Advanced Theater Showcase, this year’s title called “30 in 60″ Tuesday, May 21 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theater.

30 original plays will be put on in 60 seconds, one right after the other. The format is modeled after popular theater troupe  ”The Neo-Futurists.” Audience members will be the ones in charge of picking the order of the plays. Each member receives a “menu” of the performances. The plays are numbered and have their respective numbered clothespins hanging in the back of the theater.

“It’s not passive theater  It uses humor or political tone to activate emotion or change in the audience,” theater director Andrew Sinclair said.

The plays must be original and must be from the perspective of the writer. The plays’ genres are either comedy, political, or they discuss serious issues.

Sinclair said that the Portraits show is always trying to do something different.

“Every year we try to do something experimental[with this show[. Last year we did "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." We've done a show where there were no words, only music. We try to be non-traditional, experimental, and do something that is not part of the regular theater season," Sinclair said.

The 21 students involved in "30 in 60" are  sophomores Janessa Arango, Katie Doherty, Samantha Larkins, Cynthia Ruberry,  Scott Albaum, Andre Eramia, Marie Pamatmat, Brian Sands,  and Marian Ismayl; juniors Daniel Bedoya, Caleigh Havansek, Lila Gilbert, and Susy Montoya-Quinchia; and seniors Aria Caldwell, Sam Elkin, Isaiah Gardner, Becca Gratch, Mary Mando, Merrick McWherter, Sarah Meehan, and Rudy Newman.

Junior Lila Gilbert believes that the variety of plays will attract audiences.

"It is literally written by students for students. There's sure to be something you can relate to and laugh at," Gilbert said.

The price is $4, unless students want to roll a die to either pay less than the $4 or end up paying a few dollars over the set price. The die  is the way the "Neo-Futurists" set up their price of admission.

"Experimental theater is always exciting.[The plays] are taken from text to performance to response. Everything is organically grown,” Sinclair said. “The variety that the audience can see is pretty cool.”

District 219′s Dance Marathon will be held Saturday, May 25 at Niles North from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday, May 26.

Students who did not raise the required amount of money, or students who are not officially a part of Dance Marathon, can pay hourly at the dance. The price is $7 an hour leading up to 11 p.m. when the power hour price becomes $11 for 11 p.m. until 12 a.m.

Dance Marathon sponsor Jessica Pritzker feels that students should attend even if they are not officially a part of Dance Marathon because of the impact the dance has on the charity.

“Everyone who wants to help families in need, or make a difference in the world should attend! It’s a great event full of fun, that makes a huge difference to others each year by donating to charities.  DM literally changes the lives of people that benefit from these charities, and to see the looks on the charities faces when we announce totals at the end of the night is something that imprints upon you as a person and inspires you to do more for others,” Pritzker said.

This year’s charity is Rustic Falls Nature Camp, a facility that offers nature programs for at risk youth, or children with illness or disabilities. West executives had to raise $350 each, morale captains  had to raise $150 each, and dancers had to raise $100 each in order to get into the dance for free, eat and drink for free,  and receive a free T-shirt.

Senior executive Lyba Zia agrees with Pritzker that students should come and support Rustic Falls at the dance.

“Rustic Falls Nature Camp is local and dear to many students at West and North. The Lentz family has created an amazing camp to give children in need the chance to recuperate through nature. We have had numerous volunteer days at the camp, and the response from Dancers and Morale Captains was amazing. This charity truly deserves all the funds and awareness that District 219 has been raising, and I can’t wait for all of our efforts to come together on May 25,” Zia said.

Senior executive Basia Gawin is proud of her dedication to Dance Marathon this year.

“May 25 is our reward for a whole year of hard work. I am sad that this is my last year being a part of Niles West DM. I have greatly enjoyed working with all the amazing people in this organization. DM will be the first club I join in college and will absolutely come back to Niles West’s DM [in the future],” Gawin said.

Zia agrees with Gawin.

“I love Dance Marathon! I love the entire structure of the organization. As an exec, I have so much say in what happens and am part of the entire process from selecting the charity to helping plan the night of DM event. As an organization, Dance Marathon has done so much for its beneficiaries, but as a community, it has left me empowered. I can’t wait to participate in Dance Marathon at the college level,” Zia said.

Pritzker believes that this year’s Dance Marathon volunteers have made a large impact.

“I feel as though the groups really have made an effort to volunteer more this year and we have brought many individuals that aren’t even in DM up to Rustic Falls to help them build their camp,” Prtizker said.  ” Watching the Rustic Falls camp really transform over the course of a year in small part due to our help has been really wonderful.”

Theatre will be hosting two completely different improv shows Thursday, May 23 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre.

15 actors will be performing. They are freshmen Elissa Hoffman,Nicole Miller, Josephine O’ Shaughnessy, and  Elisabeth Schapmann; sophomores Mira Berkson,Sharon Pasia, and Andre Eramia; juniors Daniel Bedoya, Cameron Broderick, Surdeep Chauhan, Lila Gilbert,  and Jessie Rosell; and seniors Peter Garbis, Ari Hoffman, and Emma Zivkovic.

Theatre director Andrew Sinclair feels that the troupe this year will make the shows successful.

“We have a really good troupe. We have creative and funny people,” Sinclair said.

The shows are 100% student run. They will have a mixture of improv acts and games with the audiences.

Senior Emma Zivkovic feels that the audience will enjoy the participation aspect of the shows.

“Improv is different and exciting. The audience is involved 95 percent of the time and they control a lot of what the actors do. It is hilarious and interesting because we switch from one improv “game” to another frequently and it is impossible for it to get boring,” Zivkovic said.

Junior Surdeep Chauhan agrees with Zivkovic.

“Students need to see the improv show because it is cheap, funny, and an audience participates as much as our members do. If they come they might even be able to participate in some of our games!” Chauhan said.

Tickets will cost $3.

“At the end of a very stressful week, especially for seniors, isn’t it great to go to a room and laugh for a while?” Sinclair said.

The Lincolnwood Memorial Day Parade is scheduled to be held on Monday, May 27 at 10:20 a.m. According to first-year Marching Band instructor, Justin Johnson, all band students will be participating in the parade.

Johnson said he has high expectations for his students’ performance.

“The hope is to play and do our best!” he said.

Sophomore and drum-line player Zach Hiyama said he feels ready to perform.

“I am not nervous about it because I have done it once before,” he said. “It is more just excitement.”

Clarinet player, sophomore Gabriella Guerra, shares Hiyama’s excitement.

“I am excited about participating in the parade; it feels great to give back to our community,” she said. “Playing patriotic music is a nice way to show respect to those who have fought and are fighting for America.” 

The parade will start along Pratt Avenue and end in Proesel Park in Lincolnwood.

After a comparably subpar rest of the season, the Niles West Boys’ Track team has enjoyed recent success in their conference meet, juniors Matthew Henry and Denis Gargovic made it to finals after competing in the state competition last Saturday.

The team originally qualified for six events downstate, two relays and four individuals.

Gargovic competed in the Shotput and Discus, seniors Yandiel Cardenas and George Webb in the 800 meter run, Henry in the 300 hurdles, the 800 meter relay team of senior James Williams, junior Jimmy Holbrook, and sophomores Brandon Constantino and Jackson Denly, and the 1600 meter relay team of Cardenas, Webb, Denly, and senior Justin Atwal.

Senior Jeremiah Jordan was favored to make state in 100 and 200 meter relays, in addition to being apart of the 800 meter relay, but he severely rolled his ankle while running the 400 meter relay.  Despite Jordan’s absence, the 800 meter relay still made state.

Williams was enthusiastic about going to state as a senior captain, saying “Over the past four years, it has been a journey, and now that I’m at this moment, going to state feels great.  I’m happy to be representing my teammates.  We’ve prepared, and I have confidence in these guys, and I look forward to doing well.”

Niles West’s Dance Marathon completed another successful year with an amount of 83, 184 dollars and 75 cents for the charity Rustic Falls Nature Camp.

While the amount raised did not match up with the amount last year, which was 84, 909 dollars and 82 cents, it was still higher than its expectations due to the fact that they lost a day at the Backlot Bash in August. The money was raised by the individual dancers, execs, and morale captains that fundraised throughout the year, as well as students who paid by the hour during the dance itself. Individual dancers are asked to raise at least 100 dollars, execs are required to raise at least 330 dollars, and morale captains are asked to raise over 150 dollars. There were also donations from T-Bay, Pizza Wars, and the Variety Show, all hosted by DM. Students are also allowed to go canning at restaurants, as well as ask for online donations through the website Firstgiving.

“Another name for DM is School Chest, which is representative of how we would like the entire school to really take ownership of this charity for the year and help out,” DM sponsor Jessica Pritzker said.

According to Pritzker, the school greatly contributed to the amount raised. The theater department donated an entire show’s profits to DM. Other schools and clubs also donated money, and members from many organizations, such as WHO Club along with the girl’s softball team went with DM to Rustic Falls to volunteer and help build and clean the camp’s facilities.

“I think each year’s DM is an incredible and unique event due to the fact that kids that run it!  Ms. Lichterman and I work closely with the North sponsors, but they and we work closely with the student leaders who put together the night of.  Each year’s event is planned by them, so the ‘what’s greater and bigger next year’ question will have to be deferred to the students,” Pritzker said.

The new charity that DM will be fundraising for in the upcoming school year is Croso, a non-profit  international organization that provides education to Ugandan communities.

Hundreds of students from first grade to senior year in high school had an experience they’ll never forget on Jun. 29 & 30: they got to pal around with Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson as they learned from some of the Chicagoland area’s best basketball coaches.

The fan-favorite big-man hosted his “Citi Taj Gibson Basketball ProCamp” at Niles West high school, though it was open to far more than just West students. Those who signed up for the camp flocked in from various locations, some traveling as much as 1200 miles to hone their skills with one of the game’s best defensive players.

Loved in Chicago for his hard work, hustle, and relentless effort on the boards, Gibson gave the secret formula for campers that have the same kind of success he has had in the NBA.

Gibson, the Team USA Olympic Mini-Camp invitee said, “I have energy when I play on the court. I go up for a lot of dunks and stuff like that. So, playing with [the campers], they just do the same thing involved with having fun.”

Camp participants started off their day at various drill stations that incorporated ball-handling, defensive footwork, shooting, and rebounding in order to acquire the most well-rounded basketball instruction they could. Gibson himself was on hand, and willingly gave campers pointers to improve their game while laughing with and playfully teasing them. After they warmed up with these drills, the competitive campers took part in basketball tournaments, in hopes of coming in first place and having the opportunity to face Taj in a game of “knockout”.

Winning team member of his division’s tournament championship and incoming junior Alize Mercado was on hand for the event, and he said he had a blast.

“The camp was fun and I feel like it really helped a lot with the fundamentals. What I liked about it [was] well, everything, but I especially liked how the coaches were all positive and how Taj was being active throughout all the groups all the time,” he said.

Though campers worked hard on their basketball skills, Gibson felt that there were more important benefits than just raw skills to walk away from his camp with.

“Believe in themselves and have fun.  It’s all about having fun,” Gibson said to the campers.

After being in dance camp at the Best Western Timber Creek Inn and Suites in Sandwhich, Illinois for four days, the Niles West JV and varsity pommers won first place and qualified for the national dance competition for their home routines today.

By winning first place, varsity locked their spots in making it to the national dance competition in Disney World for the third time in a row.

Team captain and senior Emily Topp said everything went as planned.

“We worked really hard on the home routine and performed a classic pom routine. It ended up really well for us.” she said.

Varsity pommer and senior Joerlyn Manalang concurs.

“After all the hard work, I’m super happy we placed first,” she said.

“We’re really excited to go to Disney,” she said. ” I know we will work hard and the trophy will motivate us to do our best,”  she said.

In addition to winning first place, the team won a leadership award and varsity coach Christine Selander won an award for coaching them.

“It’s very nice to be acknowledged by my peers, however, I am most proud of our JV and varsity teams for all that they accomplished at camp this week. To see their hard work pay off is the most rewarding,” Selander said.

According to the Universal Dance Association, the 2014 national dance competition will take place on February 1 and 2.

Ashley Pak and Gretchen Sterba contributed to this story. 

Do you think your sense of style can top everyone else’s in the school? Here’s your chance to prove it. Throughout the day tomorrow, use #nwnootd to submit them on Twitter and Instagram, and get the chance to win a $15 giftcard to Forever Yogurt.

In an effort to secure a safe environment, Niles West has initiated a new ID Card Policy in which students and staff will have to display their ID cards around their necks at all times.

Students were given lanyards with their ID cards hanging from them during textbook pickup. Students and staff must wear their lanyards at all times. Failure to do so can result in consequences such as a verbal warning, detention, etc.

This new rule has been made in order to prevent tragedies similar to the ones at Columbine and Sandy Hook, according to assistant principal of operations Kendall Griffin.

“The new ID policy allows everyone within the school community to properly and safely identify who is or is not a current D219 student, faculty or staff member, or person related to the school,” Griffin said. “The proper identification of everyone in our building is top priority and goes hand in hand with goal of providing a safe educational environment for all our students and staff.”

Some students said they are not phased by the new ID rule.

“They’re not hurting me or anybody around me, so it doesn’t bother me,” senior Lila Gilbert said.

Some staff and students members, however,said they  fail to understand why this new policy was put into effect such as English teacher Sharon Swanson.

“I don’t really understand why this policy was put into effect—and why now?  I would feel a lot better about it if I could understand the rationale behind it,” Swanson said. ”In the kind of school community I envision, there’s no need for everyone to wear an ID around his neck; and really, if someone is intent on creating any kind of negative situation, wearing an ID isn’t going to make much of a difference.”

Junior Maria Nagani isn’t too happy with the lanyards either, but she can understand what the school administration is trying to do.

“Well I don’t like them [the lanyards] but I see where they are trying to go with this, but it’s too Jr. High,” Nagani said. ”To tell you the truth I don’t even think it’s going to stop people from loosing their IDs. I feel like most students aren’t even going to wear them.”

Dr. David Ko, a Niles North graduate, will be appointed as the new member of the Niles Township High School District 219 Board of Education. He was given the position after former Board member Lynda Smith, died in July.

The 33 year old is an active community member who has spent more than 5,000 hours volunteering at the St. Francis Hospital and NorthShore University HealthSystem. For all the services he has done, he was named Niles North Alumna of the Year 2013.

Ko has a Master’s degree in Oriental Medicine and a Doctorate of Chiropractic. He is also a licensed chiropractic physician and acupuncturist. He owns and practices medicine in Ko Be Care Chiropractic and Acupuncture in Skokie.

The Homecoming Dance is scheduled to be held on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 pm in the contest gym.

According to Homecoming Committee sponsor Kathie Kajmowicz, this year’s dance theme is “Under the Big Top.”

“Students will get the exotic feeling of being at a circus while they are enjoying the dance,” says sophomore and Homecoming Committee member Emily Schmidt.

Sophomore Magali Arellano agrees with Schmidt.

“I think students will feel like they are at a circus,” she said. “I’m sure they will get a feel of the whole theme,” she said.

Members said that the decisions about decorations are still not yet finalized and with the short amount of time, they feel some pressure.

Junior Linda Ahams says planning the event this early in the year is a little difficult.

“I think it’s better to have the dance early this year because it’s going to be warm and girls will be able to wear any dress they want,” she said. “But on the other hand, it’s very hectic to plan.”

Activities director Jessica Pritzker said that students must register before they are allowed to buy a ticket.

“[Tickets] will go on sale on Friday, Sept. 13 until we sell out,” she said, “or through lunch periods on the 20th,” she said.

Tickets will be $21 person or $38 per couple.

Guest forms are due on Friday, Sept. 6, and Homecoming king and queen applications are due on Monday, Sept. 9. 

This year’s freshman class of 2017 received Chrome Books instead of past year’s Netbooks, and there has been nothing but good feedback about advance in technology.

The silver Chrome Books operate off of Google Chrome and are said by Tim Furman to be the next step up.

“Every year, the freshmen laptops have improved a little,” Furman said, “This is just the next step, and along with it came a more cost friendly number.”

Freshmen like Greg Leftakes talk highly of their new laptops, and are eager to use them in their classes.

“I like them because they are very fast, and small,” Leftakes said. “I would be embarrassed to be seen with a Net book the older students have, Chrome Books are so much better looking.”

Upperclassmen also have their opinions on the new laptops.

“I’m very jealous, the new laptops are so nice looking and seem to work really well,” senior Kristina Tabar said. “Maybe if I had one, I would actually use it in school. Our old Net Books just don’t compare.”

Junior Susan Enwia is also unhappy with the Netbooks.

“Our Netbooks always seem to not function, or run out of battery, the Chrome Books look like they don’t have any of those problems.” Enwia said.

Many classes are now only using online books, and encourage their students to create folders in their Google accounts to take notes in.

“It’s great not having to carry around any books,” freshman Alex Rowe said. “Everything I need is on my laptop, as long as I have Internet connection, I have pretty much have access to  all of my school work in one place.”

In order to allow students and staff an easy access to the Niles West News website, math teacher Matthew Fahrenbacher and his Video Game and Programming students designed an Niles West News app.

While working on the unit of mobile app development, Fahrenbacher decided it would be a good idea to design an app for the Niles West News website. It would allow everyone to be able to easily access articles on the website. His students wrote both the Android and the iOS apps themselves.

“I think the app makes keeping up to date on the most recent news easy and pain free. I use it all the time to see the bell schedule,” Fahrenbacher said.

Junior Andy Uyeda helped design this app when he was a sophomore last year. He says designing it was a fun task.

“It was fun developing the app. It gave me a chance to learn a new language. It was tough because the project was assigned at the end of the year, and my whole group was made up of seniors. Because of AP testing, it was hard for us to coordinate the tasks. I am really grateful for Mr. Fahrenbacher who supplied ideas, support, and lots of help,” Uyeda said.

Senior Mahnoor Bhatti also agree with Fahrenbacher that the app makes accessing the news easier.

“It [the app] is an easy way to learn about what’s going on in school by the touch of an app instead of going on the website,” Bhatti said. “If you go on the NWN’s website everyday, then this is a must.

Uyeda also encourages students to use the app.

“ Students should use this app to read, favorite, and tweet Niles West News articles. Although it is the news app, I do think that the bell schedule will get used a lot. There are 13 different schedules if I’m not mistaken, and this is much easier than printing out the day’s bell schedule each time. Lastly, people should download this app because it will give them insight into what they can be learning in Mr. Fahrenbacher’s VGPD class,” Uyeda said.

Some students like senior Asma Hussain, however, are disappointed that it does not function in a few specific phones.

“I really wanted to try the Niles West News, but due to some iOS6 software, I can’t,” Hussain said.