Monthly Archives: May 2016

Entertainment

5 upcoming concerts

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Minnesota is home to a lot of great music, and this summer you can experience music from both local and international artists. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see some noteworthy artists!

Soundset (May 29th):

Soundset is an annual national hip hop festival that has hosted some amazing artists. This year, Soundset features popular artists like A$AP Rocky, Future, and Machine Gun Kelly. Soundset changed its location in Minnesota this year from Shakopee to the State Fair Grounds in St. Paul

Beyonce, the Formation World Tour (May 23rd)

After Beyonce’s critically acclaimed performance at the Superbowl this February, and her recent album Lemonade, that was originally exclusively on Tidal and Itunes, Beyonce has proved that she’s not only an amazing singer and dancer, but also can convey more important themes in her music. Lemonade centers around themes like race and infidelity.

Rock the Garden (June 18th):

Rock the Garden is sponsored by the Walker Art Museum and the Current. Rock the Garden is featuring Hippo Campus, a band from St. Paul, and all of the members have attended SPCPA in downtown. Chance the Rapper is from Chicago, has received a lot of national acclaim, and is becoming more of a national artist.

Drake (July 24th):

This tour is following the release of Drake’s new album Views from the 6. Since the Excl Energy Center is a little more pricey, the tickets are around $50-130. Future will also be a special guest. Drake has had several successful albums, including If you’re reading this it’s too late, What a time to be alive, and Nothing was the same.

Warped Tour (July 24th):

Warped Tour is an annual tour with a host of different bands sponsored by Vans. This year, bands include Against the Current, Real Friends, Bullet for My Valentine, and Waka Flocka Flame. The genres that are popular on this tour are rock and screamo.

Clubs and Activities, School Life

Highland’s Hiway Federal Credit Union

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Here at Highland Park High School there are already a lot of basic things that are provided for the students here, but last week a bank was opened in the school for the students do basic transactions such as withdrawals and deposits. 

The bank will be open from 11:00 am after first lunch and will be open until 12:15 pm. The bank will be run by three Highland Park Senior High students, Eva Clelland, Salyne Vang, and Samuel Vazquez Ocampo. The students were contacted through their counselors about the job opening. The students will be paid, along with getting a school service credit.

The bank is run through Hiway Federal Credit Union. Along with being able to withdraw and deposit money, Hiway Federal Credit Union is also offering special Highland Park Senior High debit cards. The debit cards will display a special Highland logo on it.

Information was collected from the counselors and students involved in making/running the bank.

For more information, stop by the Hiway Federal Credit Union, or ask your counselor, and don’t forget to signup for your new bank account.

Advice/How To, School Life

How to get ready for PROM!!

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BEFORE PROM

1: Find a date and buy the tickets ahead of time because the closer prom gets the more the tickets will cost. Make plans with your date and/or friends before prom to take pictures or eat dinner, depending on your school’s plan for prom. You’ll want to take pictures together to remember this night forever!

2: Choose your outfit well in advance. Look in thrift stores or at sales before prom season to find an awesome dress that works for you without completely breaking your budget.

3: Before prom, try and break in your shoes by wearing them around the house a little to prevent blistering and hurting your feet.

4: Make an appointment for a hairdresser well in advance. This is especially important if your school is a big one, or many schools are having prom on the same weekend.

5: Practice your makeup beforehand. You can get a professional to do this, but it may be unnecessary and expensive if you can make yourself up by yourself.

6: Plan your day. Give yourself enough time on the night of prom to fix your hair, your makeup, and to put on your dress. Pack a small clutch to bring with you. Make sure you have your ticket, photo ID, some money, lip balm, and anything else you might need.

7: Lastly, go into prom with a good attitude and fun spirit and don’t forget JUST HAVE FUN!

Local, News

Students walk out for teacher at Open

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Around 60 St. Paul students walked out of class Monday, April 25 to support a teacher known to be an advocate for students of color, who is losing her job for “ineffective” instruction.

Open World Learning Community students carried signs and chanted “equality and justice for all” as they started  off on a two-mile march to Rice Park soon after 10 a.m. Monday, April 15.  Their aim was to reverse their principal’s decision to dismiss the social studies teacher Sarah Dickhausen, or at least to bring attention to the school’s poor way of treating minorities. “The entire time I’ve been here, there has not been a teacher who’s stood up for me like Sarah,” said eighth-grader Ed Diatta, who is African American.

Dickhausen told students Friday that her contract was being terminated for ineffective instruction. Dozens of students soon went to meet with Principal David Gundale, but were left unsatisfied with his explanation as of why her contract was terminated.

With the students preparing to protest, Gundale emailed families Saturday to say he couldn’t discuss the teacher’s employment because of privacy laws. Students would not be disciplined for protesting, he said, but they would receive an unexcused absence, and would not be allowed to return to school Monday or to ride school buses back home.

In the email Dickhausen wrote to families Sunday, in the letter, Dickhausen  brought up concerns about racial tensions at the school to Gundale in December but received no response. Then she found out she had received a inadequate rating on her performance evaluation. “It was clear to me that I had touched on a subject that was off-limits or that was not ready to be dealt with,” she said.

She was first hired in 2013, by SPPS, to teach adults at St. Paul Public Schools’ Hubbs Center. She also taught at Harding for a year but due to financial cuts she was cut from her position and she elected to transfer to OWL.

In the letter she wrote she said, “I blame myself for not being able to find the balance in teaching to my students and being supportive to my students. I am one person and I was taking on more than I could handle, and I see now that it has contributed to the loss of my career in SPPS and the loss of a beloved teacher to many of my students.”

Several students and parents complained Monday of low expectations for OWL’s students of color. Lanaya DeRungs, a mother who has a daughter at the school said, “Blacks feel alone in this school.”

Before the walkout Monday, a school district leader, and facilitators of OWL’s racial equity student group, also met with students to discuss Dickhausen’s dismissal and the environment at the school, a district representative said. Those conversations will continue in the coming weeks, she added.

Advice/How To

Do’s and don’ts of babysitting

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As an individual that has been a babysitter for multiple years, I have found that there are some things that every babysitter should know. Here is my advice for anyone thinking about babysitting in the future.

  • The main thing about babysitting is that you have to give them as much attention as possible, especially if there is more then one child that you are watching.
  • You also have to make sure every child is treated the same, and if there is any misbehaving you should let the parents know.
  • You should always answer the phone when the parents call at all times, and make sure you have a positive attitude at all times while on the phone.
  • If you’re going to be busy on a day you have to babysit let the parents know ahead of time. The same goes for being late. If you’re running a little late let the parents know.
  • If you plan on taking the kids anywhere make sure you let the parents know before you do so, and if you buy the kids anything make sure you get a receipt to show the parents what you bought for them, or just let the parents know that you brought the child something.

These is some basic advice for anyone who is looking to get into the babysitting world.

News, School Life

Teacher Appreciation Week

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Teachers across the country work hard everyday and often go unappreciated. This year, Barack Obama signed a proclamation making this week (May 1st-May 7th) officially teacher appreciation week. Some students might not know exactly how you can show your teacher how much you appreciate them but these are some things you can do or buy for your teacher to show them just that according to an article from Education World.

  • Write them a handwritten note – Teachers like to know what they do to engage you while teaching so write them a handwritten note talking about what you like most about their class. Making it handwritten shows that you put a lot of time and effort into it and shows that you care.
  • Bring them a treat – This can be anything from an apple to cookies. Before hand, you could ask them what their favorite snacks are so you have a general idea of what to get for them.
  • Give them a gift card – Gift cards to places like Target are helpful because teachers always need supplies!
  • Give them a bag of coffee or a box of tea – Teachers often stay up late grading work so giving them coffee or tea will help them out on those late nights.
  • Show them respect – Even though this is something students should always do, make sure to especially show them how much you respect what they do for you everyday of the school year!

Even if you don’t have the money or if you’re too busy to write a note, just tell your teachers how much they do for you sometime during the day, it only takes a few seconds but it makes a difference.

http://www.davenportschools.org/jefferson/2015/05/04/teacher-appreciation-week/

Getting To Know/History, School Life

New face, new ways, new games

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Have you seen a new face, a new teacher, and wonders who he is? Well the answer is here! His name is Mr. Lang and he’s the new gym teacher!

Mr . Lang is the school’s newest addition to the staff. He is the new gym teacher who teaches gym for the freshman here at HPHS. We asked him some questions about how much he likes working at Highland Park and his past experiences in the teaching field. From the information we collected from him, he has been a teacher for 25 years, and this is only the second high school he’s been in.

After taking a look at his third hour class, we observed that he is having quite some fun with his job. The class was playful, encouraging, and the students were cooperative with each other, as well as with their teacher.

We took a second to compare our freshman experience playing handball to their current experience. Handball is a soccer-like game but with your hands. You throw the ball to your teammates but there’s a catch, you can only take three steps with the ball then you have to pass it. The goal is to get as many points as you can by making a goal as you help your team until the teacher calls “End Game”. After that is called, students then rotate and go against their next opponents.

Last year, when my fellow writers and I were in 9th grade, we noticed our experience with handball consisted a lot of disagreement and separation. Boys were separated from the girls, and not everyone participated because we played it for about 1 week straight, and people were losing interest because the game wasn’t as fun since the boys and girls were separated.

The major difference between the time we played handball, and this year’s freshman classes are they did not sepeate the teams by gender, and nobody felt excluded when teams were formed. Everyone participated in the games each year, but last year it was more vague because some people did not want to go through meeting new people, and were just not into it.

We took the time to ask Mr. Lang a total of 6 questions related to him teaching at Highland Park, and some techniques he uses to keep his class motivated. 

Q: How are you enjoying teaching at Highland?   A: I love it. I’ve been a teacher for 25 years. Second high school I’ve been in. Kids here work hard, are fun to be around, and I have a great crew I work with Ferraro and Kramer.

Q: Are you proud with the environment with the class?   A: Yeah. when the kids work hard it makes it easier, I don’t think there is such a thing that you can’t work hard.

Q: What are some of your teaching techniques you use to have the class more involved?   A:Hmm that’s an interesting question. Well I like it when kids are sweating and smiling. If I could make the activities fun and if they are having fun and if they are being involved then I have done my job.

Q: As a new teacher, how has the staff welcomed you to the school? A: Everyone’s been real friendly being down at the gym. I haven’t been able to go out and meet as many as I would like and I’m just as happy to be here.

Q: What made you come to Highland to teach?   A: I was offered the position from Mr. Ferraro and sort of Ms. Kramer spoke on my behalf, she talked to Dr. Tucker, he interviewed me and I got it.

Q: Is there a certain unit you would like to include or exclude from the curriculum? A: Oh! Hmm… well I was looking for new units, and new ideas and I wouldn’t eliminate anything… I’m always looking for new stuff. We’re adding a basketball class and we’ve never had one and I’m teaching that next year and a new soccer class.

After discussing about his journey so far at Highland Park, it was very interesting to meet and get to know Mr. Lang. Mr. Lang is very into what he does, and he wouldn’t dare to teach anywhere else. We had a very fun time interviewing him for his article. If you read this and you have him for a gym teacher, I recommend you put in your all in the activities he brings to you.

We enjoy meeting new people/teachers it is very helpful and has its advantages.

School Life

Day of Silence

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On the 15th of April, HPSH had their Day of Silence. The Day of Silence is for supporting the LGBTQ+ community. To participate in the Day of Silence, you either need a button or a laminated card saying you’re participating in the Day of Silence. About 175 people at HPSH participated in the Day of Silence. I interviewed some of my friends and teachers about the Day of Silence.

Why did you participate in the Day of Silence?

Grace Sheehan: I wanted to bring awareness for LGBTQ+ and bullying, also wanted to support those who are struggling.

Lucy Minner: I have some friends in the LGBTQ+ community and also, it’s for a good cause and everybody deserves equal rights.

Beth Kallestad (World History Teacher): I think it’s powerful that as a teacher I didn’t speak because, it made awareness of LGBTQ+ people that were bullied, harassed, or have been called names.

Clare Barownlee: I’m an alli of the LGBTQ+ community. I have friends that are LGBTQ+. The way LGBTQ+ impacted and affected my friends became really apparent to me. I think it is important to recognize in the places that affect them most.

Berit Depies: I’m in the HPSH Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA). I know many who are in the LGBTQ+ community. I participated because the Day of Silence is important. It shows that other people care about those who are struggling. Hopefully, those who don’t know what people in the LGBTQ+ community are going through can learn.

How do you feel about the Day of Silence?

Grace Sheehan: I support the Day of Silence and the LBGTQ+ community but, maybe not in the exact way the community would support everyone.

Lucy Minner: I feel like it went well for everyone who did participate in it.

Beth Kallestad: It is important that our school participate in the Day of Silence to make student and staff aware. Also, it shows students and staffs of the LGBTQ+ community know that there are people who support them.

Clare Barownlee: I used to think “Why stay silent and not speak put about the issue?”. Over time, I realized that the Day of Silence was really powerful. It was really powerful to see my friends staying silent. Then, I realized that the Day of Silence was really important.

Berit Depies: I think the Day of Silence is great even though I did’t know about it until this year. The Day of Silence is really meaningful because the quietness shows and stands out.

Do you feel like the Day of Silence was good way to support everyone?

Grace Sheehan: Yes, it is an easy thing for everyone to do. It also brings awareness because those people who talk everyday are now being silent.

Lucy Minner: Yes, even though I slipped up four or five times but if I just kept my head down then it wasn’t that bad.

Beth Kallestad: For beginning steps, yes. For a group that has about 20 people, there were more that actually supported than just the 175 that participated.

Clare Brownlee: Yes, the Day of Silence is very inclusive. Like, it’s not just the Day of Silence for lesbians or just for gays, but for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community, it doesn’t specify. It’s for everyone who was discriminated against their gender or sexual orientation.

Berit Depies: Yes, a lot of people supporting for you is good.

What do you like about the Day of Silence?

Grace Sheehan: I like what the Day of Silence represents. It shows how many people actually care about the LGBTQ+ community. I just like what it stands for.

Lucy Minner: It’s for a good cause as I said earlier. People can realize that there are people out there who are struggling.

Beth Kallestad: It is a good opportunity to participate on a social justice and human rights issue. Even if they are not in the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), it allows students to participate and show support to the LGBTQ+ community.

Clare Barownlee: The Day of Silence to me is a way to physically see the silence. Real people are choosing to stay silent and that really stands out. The Day of Silence is a good way to represent that people out there are struggling. It is also a physical way of symbolizing against discrimination.

Berit Depies: It is powerful when a lot of people choose to stay silent. Everyone can participate and it also brings a lot of people together.

Personally for me, I think that the Day of Silence went well. If we had more people participating, it would stand out more. Back in middle school I was able to participate in the Day of Silence but as of this year, I couldn’t. Hopefully, next year I can also participate to show my support for those who are and aren’t struggling. As someone who identifies as bisexual, it was like those who I interviewed said before, it was very powerful to see. Hopefully, more people will become more aware and can show that they support LGBTQ+.

Baseball, Sports

Highland Park baseball

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The Highland Park Boys baseball team is off to a nice start to their 2016 season. The Scots currently sit at a solid 6-3 record, and 7 of those 9 games have been non conference. Historically, SPPS baseball teams struggle in non-conference games, and a 4-3 record to start off the season is very respectable, especially considering the fact that 6 of those games were on the road. The team had its most exciting game of the season in its first matchup of the year against St. Anthony, in which sophomore Jack Dombrock hit a walk off single to win the game 2-1.

The boys have stayed competitive throughout the entire season, and have lost a few games by only a few runs or less. A loss to River Falls stung the team a little, as they held a 2-0 lead going into the sixth, but would end up losing that lead, and the game 5-2. The following non-conference game against Henry Sibley didn’t help either, as the Scots wound up losing a tough one 1-0. However, the squad didn’t lose composure, and were able to beat non-conference rival DeLaSalle 6-3 in front of the home crowd. 

Over the weekend the Scots took Central at Toni Stone field under the lights. It took 11 innings but the team was able to prevail with yet another exciting victory with a score of 3-2. They boys also played Saint Paul Academy at CHS field in downtown St. Paul. This was another thrilling game as the Scots once again won on a walk off single from team captain Jared Deuitch giving them a 5-4 victory.

The captain gave me a brief statement after the game about the team thus far: “Respect is earned, never given”. It seems quite clear that the Scots are playing with a chip on their shoulder this season. Jared also announced this week that he will be attending Hamline University to further continue his education and to play baseball. Congrats Jared!

The Scots’ next game falls on May 2nd against Washington at 4:30 at home!

A full schedule can be found here: http://sports.spps.org/sport//HS/boys/varsity/baseball/2015-2016

School Life

Promposals

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Prom is right around the corner. People attending prom are posting their “promposals” all over social media. A promposal is a prom proposal, which typically includes a poster with a cheesy question asking one to prom, flowers, balloons, candy or a stuffed animal, and usually it’s a surprise. Promposals are a big thing for some highschoolers who are going to prom.

The majority of promposal’s are a boy asking their date. I’ve heard many boys complaining about why can’t their date just ask them to prom with a poster. As girls are usually the ones who make a big deal over the prom proposal, it would make sense that they could be the ones doing the asking. I’ve also heard many prom attendees saying they don’t need a prom proposal, a simple text saying “Will you go to prom with me?” is enough.

So, is it okay for girls to prompose to their date? Yes! Who cares if the girl asks her date! Boys like surprises too and girls are very creative and more than capable of surprising and asking their date to prom in a cute, cheesy way. That’s just my opinion, but I also asked a couple of my friends “Is it okay for girls to prompose to their date?” Here’s what they said:

“Yes, it’s okay. If my date wasn’t going to prompose to me, I was going to ask him myself,” said Gabriela Masiello (11).

“Yeah, it’s okay but I wouldn’t do it, I would be scared of rejection. If I got asked, it would be better,” answered Jocelyn Chavez (11).

“Yeah, it’s not weird or anything. But not for me because then it would make me look mean for not asking my girlfriend,” said Dreem Kelly (11).

So, they agree, it’s okay for the girl to ask a boy to prom. Some girls just prefer to get asked to prom by a boy. And some boys like surprising their date.

Next. Do you need to have a promposal? No. Having a date, is enough for most people. Most people can go without posting pictures of a promposal on all their social medias. I asked some of my friends if they agree or disagree with me, that promposals are not necessary for prom.

“Well, I mean, if I wouldn’t of got asked I still would be going. So no it’s not necessary, it’s just something fun that goes along with prom,” said Gabriela Masiello (11).

“No, prom is still prom even if you didn’t get asked in a cute way. I think girls and boys just like promposals so they can post it on Twitter and Instagram to get their likes. I don’t think promposals are bad though,” said Jocelyn Chavez (11).

“No I don’t need to ask a girl to prom, or they don’t have to ask me. But if that’s what your date really wants you should to make them happy,” answered Dreem Kelly (11).

So, they agree with me, it’s not necessary. Promposals are something that goes along with prom these days and it’s exciting. But if it doesn’t happen, it’s okay, you’re not doing prom wrong.

Prom here at Highland is on Friday, May 6th. If you want to prompose, you better hurry and surprise your date!

To see more pictures of promposals of Highland Park students check out Highland’s prom twitter page https://twitter.com/highlandprom_ (username @highlandprom_).