On May 20th, First Lady, and health advocate, Michelle Obama unveiled the new nutrition labels that will be used on every day food packaging. The new label does look a lot like the old one, as it keeps the same black and white two column structure and highlights many of the same categories. Designers have praised this look over the years for its simplicity and easy to understand nutritional information. While the label does not appear to be much different, some categories are now emphasized more than others, and the way some numbers are calculated has changed.
With increase in disease and illness caused by unhealthy diet choices in the U.S., the updated nutrition labels represent a loss for the food industry which has fought against updating the labels as they are partly responsible for over large amount of added sugar and calories that are in our foods.
Among the changes that are taking place, the most significant one to note is the bold and enlarging of the calories and serving sizes. This is the most controversial change made on the labels, as they now represent how much people currently should eat, rather than how much the food companies deems reasonable to eat. “The intention is not to tell consumers what to eat, but rather to make sure they have the tools and accurate information they need to choose foods that are right for themselves and their families,” Susan Mayne, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in a conference call with reporters.
Other important changes to note are the new added sugars tab, updated daily values, changes in nutrients and percentage amounts, and a new footnote added at the bottom of the label. These changes are expected to cost the food companies millions of dollars, as they will have to adjust the new criteria and reformulate portions of their recipes.
Walking out into the hallway from my classroom, someone always has to spray a ton of perfume into the air. I get that people want to smell good but they should be more considerate of other people around them.
People can get headaches, asthma or even allergic reactions to the smell of perfume. For the safety of students, the school should do something to control the use of perfumes. If not banning them, then limit the amount that a student can use.
On November 19, 2010, an article was posted about a mother wanting a school to ban perfume because her son had had several severe allergic reactions. Her son even needed an ambulance to get to the nearest hospital.
To avoid situations like these, people should not spray perfume into the air in the middle of the hallway. Do it in the bathroom, or where people aren’t, so no one gets affected by the smell. People don’t even need that much perfume that is sprayed in the air.
For people who don’t know where you’re supposed to spray your perfume, spray where your pulse points are. Most people spray perfume on their wrists, behind their ears, and behind their knees. Hopefully, people become more considerate and stop spraying perfume into mid air.
Rent a senior day is when any underclass student such as juniors, sophomores, or freshman rent a senior for the whole day.
What happens during this day is the senior may do anything you ask, but it has to be reasonable and they have to be okay with it. Like, for example, carrying your backpack, or bringing you food before school, or even dressing up with a silly costume.
The reason we do this is because we get to spend a whole day with a friend or a sister or brother who’s a senior and is almost leaving school and heading to college.
I think it’s a great thing because you get to talk to someone maybe you haven’t talked to in a long time, or you’re going to miss them, and they get to see what you do during the day. Also, it’s a great way to get to know people, like maybe your link leaders and all.
Beyonce came to Minneapolis on Monday, May 23rd, to perform for the Formation World Tour at TCF Bank Stadium. The concert was scheduled to start at 7:00pm, but doors opened at 5:30pm. There was a delay though because of lightning and rain. The stadium was filled! Everyone had to evacuate TCF Stadium and go under nearby shelter. The thunderstorm didn’t stop the show though! Because of the delay, the go-ahead wasn’t announced until 9:00 pm.
Beyonce put on a great concert. She sang a mixture of old songs that everyone could sing along to, and some of her newer songs from her album Lemonade. Wiz Khalifa and other popular artists opened up for her. She also did a Prince tribute, that had everyone there feeling a little emotional, she covered one of his songs and had the whole stage lit up with purple lights.
Her performance was said to be the most satisfying Twin Cities concert ever. This concert was said to be, fierce, personal, and satisfying. There were pictures of her daughter and husband, Jay Z, pictures of her as a child and a teenager throughout the show. The show gave everyone a look into her personal life and her personality. The concert lasted for about 2 hours, the show ended with fireworks, ended with her hit song “Halo” and she was dancing in water.
Keshya Bailey-Phelps (11) and many other Highland Park students attended the concert on Monday night.
“Was the concert worth the waiting?” I asked Keshya.
“Yes! It was a lot of fun and worth the price of her tickets too. It did suck having to leave my seats and having to wait during the evacuation when I was already waiting all day though,” she answered.
“Did you like the mixture of her old songs and her new songs?”
“Yes, because I know so many of her old songs and I still listen to them and enjoy them today,” she said.
“What was your favorite part of the concert?” was my next question.
“The finale. She sang her new song “Freedom” and she was dancing in a pool of water and it looked so cool,” was her answer.
Overall, the concert seemed like it was a lot of fun.
Fields of hair is a beauty/barbershop located in St. Paul, on Minnehaha and Hamlin. It’s a beauty shop and barbershop combined into one, and was started by a women named Marcie S. Fields. She runs the hairstyle department, and was joined by her loved one. Together, they made a simple building into a succesful shop that they can gladly call their own.
I asked Marcie some questions based on how things are going, and the methods she uses to keep the success going. The questions I asked her were to help me get a better understanding on how she created a fascinating business, and ways she kept it stable. Some of the questions I asked her were:
What is “Fields of hair?”
What are some business techniques you used to keep the business going?
What made you want to start your own hair company?
What are some advantages and disadvantages about your company.
“Being on time, that’s the biggest thing” says Marcie. She keeps things in order and keeps her appointments and calls in order. Another answer from Marci about what techniques she uses to keep the business going is: “You have to be able to be dependent on time. Customer service skills are important especially making your customers happy. Customer service skills, make your clients happy which falls under the category “customer service skills”. When the customer lets you know what they want, that’s when the listening comes in. You need to get a visualization on what they want and you can’t get that if you’re not listening.” Her response about the customers relates to the saying “The customer is always right”.
One thing she cherishes the most about her shop and how she started her company is the freedom, which to her means that anyone is welcome.
Some advantages and disadvantages I asked her about her shop and the way things are set are listed below:
Advantages
Being my own person makes the moments stronger.
Spending time with my family matters the most, so I can make my own schedule when I work and when I don’t.
Disadvantages
No paid vacation since I set my own schedules. If you don’t work, you don’t eat.
My experience at Field Of Hair was nothing but sensational, positive, and well-mannered. The service was great, and the job was finished in a matter of time. I feel as though she listens and focuses on what the customer wants. She keeps things flowing, and gets people in and out with no hassle. I am satisfied every time I walk in there, and I hope to continue visiting such a pleasant shop.
Highland had its spring pop concert on May 12, 2016. Ms. Mendenhall had three of her groups performed. It started with her Treble Choir. They performed “Safe and Sound”, “Bella’s Final”, and “Landslide”. The last choir performed “Stitches”, “Let it Be”, and “Viva la Vida”. At the end of the choir concert they recognized all the seniors that are graduating.
A lot of the solos had good songs and made good choice with their picks. Of course, honors choir had the best set, also the best soloist. In the end, the choir concert was good and had good songs and choices.
The choir will take a big hit with most of the seniors leaving. Overall, I would say that it was a good choir concert.
All eyes fixed onto the four-page answer books, hands viciously scribbling essays, racing against the ticking clock, as students attempted to cram all of their thoughts and information between those lines. Pens slammed down onto the table, backs rested against chairs, and students heaved a sigh of relief as they managed to finish the exam with a generous amount of time remaining. This would be the scene taking place in the dance room, and the library, as upperclassmen completed their IB testing.
For the past three weeks, both juniors and seniors have been completing a significant portion of their IB honors or diploma program. All that was learned throughout the course of high school was put to use in these annual exams. Highland is one of only three schools in the Saint Paul Public School District to provide the rigorous college preparatory IB curriculum to their students. The program has been available to Scots students since 1994, providing a more inquiry-based, international, open mindedness, and holistic approach to learning.
The vast majority of students enrolled in honors, or IB, courses have chosen to take on this demanding responsibility which comes with the cost of $40 per exam. Students seeking a less stressful path will chose the honors route and only test in 4 subjects, complete only 5 CAS activities, and give an honors speech based on a topic of their choice. On the other hand, there are also students who chose to challenge themselves by taking the IB diploma path, requiring the completion of at least 6 exams, an extended essay, and 10 CAS activities. For more information about the requirements for honors and diploma, please visit the IB Highland Webpage.
IB exams are shortly coming to a conclusion by the end of this week, May 20th, and now it is time to reflect about our experience. Would one consider this learning experience to be worth it?
Pros of taking the IB honors or diploma exams:
On the Common Application, colleges and universities will be able to recognize that you have tested, or that you plan on testing through the IB program, hence they will be more likely to consider trusting that your academic abilities are sufficient enough to handle the rigorous coursework in college.
Completing passing or fulfilling high scores on the exams can potentially earn you college credits. Some of these credits will pass as introductory courses or elective credits, which gives you a chance to save money and it also provides students with the liberty to take more classes of their choice. This is particularly true at a liberal arts college, where they would require students to earn courses outside of their major including the arts, social science, reasoning, oral speaking, etc.
Some students take the IB exam simply for experience. Past students who have completed the IB diploma have pointed out that the IB exams taken in history were fairly similar to the ones they are currently taking in college. The extended essay itself prepares future college students for the overwhelming research papers formulated in the area of their major. Along with that, each course will be accompanied with some form of internal assessment paper that is also considered as an individual research paper based on the area of their subject.
IB exams are similar to finals in college. Throughout the course of the IB program, students will explore various studying methods and find the one that is best for them.
The IB program is already known for its rigorous work, therefore devoted students can challenge themselves on another level and bring pride to their school. Teachers are constantly advising their students to test in their enrolled IB courses.
The number of students, from minority or low income backgrounds, who decide to test in IB, is beginning to increase thanks to the fee waiver offered to students with free-and-reduced lunch.
Passing the exam is not as impossible as it may seem. For exams such as mathematics, you would typically only need to receive a little bit over half of the total points to receive score of 4. Base on the distribution of the scores, IB will scale accordingly.
After every exam, Highland students are offered light refreshments including juice boxes, granola bars, fruit snacks, etc. Some students also enjoy the fact that they are excused from class for an extra 30 minutes after the exam is finished.
Cons of taking the IB honors or diploma exams:
Not all colleges recognize the International Baccalaureate program so not every college/university will grant college credits for completing IB exams, therefore some people would rather rely on PSEO courses to guarantee transfer credits. It is advised to complete college research before choosing to take the IB exams. Determine whether the college of your dreams will accept IB credits for which subjects and the specified score to achieve.
There are students who feel urged to become IB Diploma students just because it is considered to be the highest recognition available to students. Those who complete the program simply to just “look good” are not as likely to take the initiative to apply themselves fully.
The exams are certainly extensive and lengthy, requiring over a months worth of studying. Some exams such as the English (Literature) and the History exams consist of about 2 hours of testing for a single day. Students will already grow restless and exhausted after the first hour of testing, and will fail to concentrate with the remaining hour they have left. This year, the IB exam scheduling caused several seniors to end up testing everyday in a single week, thus missing the same classes for consecutive days.
Some students are unfamiliar with the formatting of the exams, therefore they come to the examination room unprepared.
Failing the exams will not only be considered as a massive waste of time and effort, but it will also be a waste of money.
It takes a great amount of responsibility and commitment to participate in the program. Days before the examination period, students will already submerge themselves in an abounding amount of stress. Not only that, students have to balance their studying with regular school work in classes they are not testing in. Those who are not responsible will end up waiting until the days before the exam to start studying, and will sacrifice their sleep to cram study, which is rather not healthy.
Overall, it is this writer’s opinion that taking the IB exams was worth it. The entire process of practicing for the exams, along with taking the exams, may seem like a whole waste of time and effort (especially if you end up not receiving the score you hoped for), but nothing can replace the sense of ambition and anticipation I have experienced as an IB diploma student.
I remember myself as a junior sitting in the examination room for the Chinese Paper 2. My legs swung back and front, fist clamped to the side of the chair as I nervously opened the examination booklet. All of the fear and anxiety drained from my mind as I was delighted when I was able to fill up three pages with character writing and a decent essay in Chinese. Each character that I was able to recall out of the top of my head made each of the three years I had been Ms. Miao’s student so meaningful. I felt proud that I was able to apply the years of knowledge onto this piece of paper, and I valued this exam as one of my greatest accomplishments.
The IB program not only provided me with a little taste of what college work will be like, but the self reflection that came with it will guide me to avoid the same mistakes I made in high school.
I recently saw the movie Captain America Civil War.
This movie is about how Captain America (Chris Evans) leads a newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to defend and protect humanity. But after another altercation involving the team, government pressure leads to install a system of accountability for the Avengers, when the actions of the team results in some collateral damage.
The new decision divides the members of the Avengers, resulting in two teams—one team led by Captain America (Chris Evans) and his goal for the Avengers to remain free to defend and protect humanity without any government interference, and the other team led by Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) who strongly disagrees and supports oversight.
As the debate escalates it leads to an all-out feud with the others members of the Avengers, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) must pick a side to be on, and the others follow Tony Stark’s shocking decision to support government.
Overall, the movie was great. On a scale from 1-10 I would give it a 8.5 because it was in 3D and it was filled with nonstop action, and fun. This is a must see movie.
I recommend this film to people who like action movies and super hero movies.
What is a sew in weave? A sew in, is a form of weave for the hair that you actually sew into your hair instead of glueing onto your scalp. They last for at least 3 months before it should be taken out. It is a protective style, meaning that while you have your sew in installed, your hair underneath should grow and get healthy as long as you take care of it.
Some tips on how to take care of your weave: 1. Wrapping your hair at night with a silk scarf/bonnet.
Silk scarves and silk pillow cases help keep moisture in.
Cotton pillow cases cause friction and can lead to hair loss.
2. Heat protectant. ALWAYS!
Weaves can only take so much stress before they start looking worn down.
Keeps hair from looking dried out and has your ends looking luscious.
3. A wide tooth comb is your new best friend.
Helps prevent breakage and damage to your weave.
4. CONDITION CONDITION!
Will leave your hair feeling and looking lustrous.
Try to deep condition every two weeks.
It’s best to use a suave conditioner because some other conditioners may leave a wax coat on your hair making it look worn down.
5. Invest in your hair!
I don’t mean break the bank but it’s quality over quantity when it comes to buying “bundles”.
The type of hair you buy is the most crucial step because how can you maintain a weave that was never great in the first place.
Also, what I mean by invest in your hair is to purchase hair that you can reuse time and time again, this means good quality human hair.
This school year marks the end of teaching for three familiar faces at Highland Park Senior High. Kathy Sabota, Beverly Lambert, and Nancy Galligan will be leaving Highland Park Senior High. Ms. Sabota is our wonderful librarian, Ms. Lambert is one of our wonderful math teachers, and Ms. Galligan is our wonderful athletic director.
photo taken by Audrey Dahl
Kathy Sabota has been working as a librarian for about 15 years, and this is her 5th year at Highland Park Senior High. Ms. Sabota started up the street at Highland Elementary where she worked part time in the library, while she also taught at Inver Hills Community College and McNally Smith Music College (she taught writing and literature, not music). We went to interview her on her retirement.
Ms. Sabota decided to go back to college to become a school librarian because it seemed like a perfect fit for her. Teaching English, she was very familiar with research, and absolutely loved to read anything she could get her hands on. Ms. Sabota’s very first library class in grad school was on iMovie. When she first started, technology was more of an “add on” to the school library program.
In the 15 years that Ms. Sabota has worked as a librarian, libraries have made a rapid transition from being largely book-centric to being digital, technological spaces. Ms. Sabota said that, “Many libraries today are called “Learning Commons,” and they have coffee shops and make spaces where people can “make” many different things (3D printing, etc.) and collaborate on projects, in addition to doing research and reading.”
Ms. Sabota’s reply to “What is your favorite memory at HPSH?” is, “I think, it isn’t any one thing. I boast about this school to anyone who will listen. And that doesn’t mean the physical ‘school’ – it means I boast about the wonderful students and competent teachers and staff who work here. That is what a ‘school’ is, not a building.”
We asked Ms. Sabota what she will miss about working at HPSH with which she replied, “I miss a lot about working at Highland! You guys are the nicest students I have ever worked with (and I’ve been around a long time!). I will miss the students and the adults more than anything. I will also miss our teen book club!”
Even though Ms. Sabota really loves her job, she wants to retire while she still is excited about doing some new and different things. She also spends a lot of time caring for her elderly mother.
We asked Ms. Sabota what her plans were after retiring and Ms. Sabota said there were many things she still wants to try. She would like to write, paint, and play piano. Ms. Sabota wants to bike and paddleboard and also camp in the summer, whereas in the winter, she wants to ski and snowshoe. Ms. Sabota wants to take classes in cooking, Spanish, and world religions. Not only does she want to learn new things, Ms. Sabota also wants to volunteer in areas that she’s passionate about. But, she said that at the top of her list would be traveling because, it’s such a big world.
“But, still, I am grateful that I got to give what I had to offer to students all the years of my career. It’s a good feeling.” This was the last thing Ms. Sabota said about working at HPSH.
Next, we went to interview some math teachers who have collaborated with our another staff member who is retiring, Beverly Lambert.
image taken from the Highland Park Senior High website
According to her website, Beverly Lambert has been working as a geometry teacher in the Saint Paul Public School district for 27 years now. Before working as a math teacher, Ms. Lambert spent a short time working for Home Stake Mining Company, and later the Internal Revenue Service.
Ms. Lambert began teaching at Ramsey Junior High in 1989, and she eventually moved to Cleveland Middle School. Ms. Lambert came to Highland Park Senior High in 1997, and has been a geometry teacher here ever since.
We asked some of Ms. Lambert’s colleagues to share some of their experiences of teaching with her.
Ms. Schleper, a math teacher who has worked in the same department as Ms. Lambert for about 4 years, recalls her first impression of Ms. Lambert as “being someone who is very knowledgeable”. Reflecting on her teaching time with Ms. Lambert, Ms. Schleper said, “I’ve really enjoyed being able to ask her questions and go to her for advice about everything from rubrics, to MYP grading. She is very good at teaching students the importance of self study habits, and also at collaborating with other teachers. Overall, she has been very helpful.”
Another math teacher who has worked with Ms. Lambert, is Mr. McKay. Mr. McKay has worked with her for over 11 years, and still remembers his first time meeting Ms. Lambert. “When I came to Highland Park, it was Ms. Lambert who interviewed me,” he said, “she was very professional with high expectations, yet she was very sincere.” When he was asked about how his overall teaching with her was, he replied, “I really enjoyed teaching with her, it has been very beneficial to me. I will miss her, and I hope she enjoys whatever comes her way.”
image taken from the Highland Park Senior High website
Nancy Galligan is Highland Park Senior High’s athletic director. Ms. Galligan has worked in Saint Paul Public Schools for 32 and a half years. She has worked as an athletic director, health teacher, and as a physical education teacher. She has worked at Highland Park Senior High for 8 nonconsecutive years, and also at Highland Middle School for 2 years.
Ms. Galligan started off her career by working at Arlington High School in January of 1984. She worked there for 14 years until the school closed. Ms. Galligan says that Arlington was a memorable experience in her career. “Opening Arlington was a very unique opportunity,” she stated, “because I was with the school before it opened, and I was with it when it closed.”
After switching schools every now and then, Ms. Galligan returned to Highland Park Senior High in 2012. Reflecting on her time at Highland, she told us “Highland has been nothing but wonderful. The parents, athletes, students, coaches, colleagues, and administration. They all have been amazing.”
We asked some of Ms. Galligan’s colleagues at Highland to share their overall experience working with her.
First we talked to Mr. Lang, a gym teacher and coach at Highland who has worked with Ms. Galligan for 19 years. “She’s friendly, she’s upbeat, and she’s all about the kids,” he reflected, “She is very devoted to the students… It really goes to show what kind of a person she is.”
We also talked to Mr. Ferraro, another gym teacher and coach at Highland. “She is positive.” He said, “And fun and energetic. She is also very welcoming and a friend to everyone.”
When we asked Ms. Galligan about what she was going to do after retiring, she told us, “I am going to spend time with family and friends. I am going to get involved in other interests of mine, such as horseback riding. I am going to partake in other endeavors.”
Hopefully, we can send these teachers away happily and that whatever they plan to do after retirement is done. They have been great people to have at Highland and we are proud to have them. Even so, people always retire, so we hope they will enjoy their retirement.
The Official Online Newspaper, Literary Magazine, and Video News of the Highland Park Scots
Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News 