Dance performance

January 31, 2017 MiaDoa Leave a comment

On January 19th, 2017, during 3rd hour, Ms. Landreau and Ms. Berger’s dance classes, hosted a dance show. The dance show had all types of dances including: tap, rhythmic, group, and solo dances. The dancers used songs that related to their emotional being; from the way someone looks at their body to their sexual orientation. The dances were full of emotion and spirit each one having its own meaning.

The dance performance used a wide variety of songs. There was a dance for a song in Spanish and a dance with no song at all (to focus more on the expression and body language rather than the rhythm).

Most of the solo dances were based on oneself. The feeling of being lonely or lost, not liking how you are physically, and having feelings others may say are “unnatural” or “not normal” were a few of the topics the dance class decided to focus on.

At the end of the show there was one last dance performed by the IB class. They performed the dance using the song “Where is the love?” by the Black Eyed Peas. Everyone dancing had on a tie, but each tie consisted of a different color representing differences in society as they danced as a whole. The dance had amazing choreography that forced the dancers to rely on each other, emphasizing the importance of teamwork.

The dance performance is different from last year’s with new meaning and choreography. As the diverse choreography and music came together so did the performance. It was an amazing experience to watch, and everyone did a great job as individuals and as a whole.

Advice/How To

Valentine’s Day gift ideas

January 31, 2017 j3nniferperez Leave a comment

Valentine’s Day is filled with love and happiness, but if you’re a last minute shopper, it’ll be a day of stress for you trying to find the perfect gift for anyone special in your life. Here’s a list of a couple of ideas for everyone.

If you and your partner struggle to decide what to do on date night, give them a mason jar full of date ideas so when date night rolls around you two are set! This link is a DIY on how to make this gift, http://www.bigdiyideas.com/diy-date-night-jar-for-100-great-dates/

You can never go wrong with giving chocolate and/or candy as a gift! Thankfully, many candy companies come out with heart shaped boxes full of their candy. You can get them at places like Walmart, Target, Walgreen’s and many other stores. Prices go from $1 and up.

Stuffed animals are also a super easy choice. Again, you can find them in almost any store. Since prices are $5.99 and up, you’ll be able to find something that fits your budget.

If you and your significant other have been together for a while, or you just want to get them something more sentimental you can get them a personalized keychain. Gift.com has this, and many more items, you can customize to give to your significant other.

Another easy option is to put all of the person’s favorite candies, snacks, and anything else they might like, or need, into a gift basket. You can buy Valentine’s Day themed candies and decorate the box with pink red and white decorations. You can also buy them from various websites. This gift basket is from fromyouflowers.com.

For anyone that enjoys food, chocolate covered strawberries are a must! You can DIY (do it yourself) it and make as many as you’d like, or you can buy them and have them delivered to whoever you’d like. Prices depends on where you buy them, but it will be cheaper if you do them on your own.

If you are really out of time, you can always get a cute, funny, cheesy card, and just write down your feelings for the person you will be gifting this to. Add in a gift card to their favorite store or restaurant and they’ll love it and you!

Sports

NBA All-Star Weekend 2017

January 31, 2017 Avedog&Co. Leave a comment

This year the NBA All-Star Weekend is set to take place in great city of New Orleans. A lot of drama, excitement, and effort has been put into this year’s All-Star Weekend. This year, the festivities will begin Friday night, February 17th, and promises to be a fun and exciting experience for both players and fans.

A lot of drama has surrounded the location of the All-Star festivities this year. The original location of the All-Star Weekend was Charlotte, North Carolina, which would have have been Charlotte’s 2nd time hosting. However, due to the implication of the HB2 bathroom bill, the NBA decided they wouldn’t have an All-Star Weekend there until the bill was repealed. The NBA decided to move the game to New Orleans, an All-Star favorite, this will be the city’s 3rd time hosting the game (the last time the city hosted was in 2014).

The NBA All-Star Weekend starts out on Friday with 2 events. The first one is the All-Star Celebrity game. This is a game played by retired NBA players, athletes from other sports, and various celebrities. The second event on Friday is the Rising Star game. This is a game played entirely by players new to the league. This year, the game features players like Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Kristaps Porzingis.

On Saturday, there are 4 events. The first event is the D-League All-Star Game. This is a game played by the best players chosen from the NBA Development League. The second event is the Slam Dunk contest. The contest features some of the league’s best dunkers, who show off their most creative and impressive slam-dunks. The third contest is a Three-Point contest. Three of the league’s best shooters are chosen to participate, and they each get 5 shots from different points around the 3-point line. The player who makes the most shots wins. The fourth event on Friday is the Skills Challenge. For this event, players have to navigate their way through an obstacle course full of dribbling, shooting, and passing.

On Sunday, there is the actual All-Star Game. All of the best players from the league are chosen and placed on two teams. The two teams play each other, and this always makes for a very exciting game

The formula used for this year’s All-Star game has been changed. This year, and most likely for years to come, the fans made up 50% of the vote and the players and media each made up 25% of the vote.

The 5 starters have been announced for the West and the East already. Headlining the front court for the West is James Harden, of the Houston Rockets. Having an amazing season so far, Harden leads the NBA in assists, averaging 11.6 per game. Then we have the two teammates Steph Curry and Kevin Durant representing the Warriors, arguably the best team in the league. In the backcourt, there are the defensive stars Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis.

In the East, making his 13th All-Star appearance is the King, Lebron James. Accompanying Lebron is his teammate Kyrie Irving at Point Guard, and the Raptors Demar Derozan, at Shooting Guard. Also on the East, making his first appearance, is Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Bulls super-star Jimmy Butler.

This All-Star Weekend is shaping up to be a great one, so mark your calendars and get ready to watch some great basketball.

Editorials/Student Voice, Local, News, World

American education

January 31, 2017 Abby Thompson Leave a comment

This year in America, and in the years to follow, the country will experience significant change, courtesy of President Donald J. Trump’s appointed committee and overall goals for the future. So far, President Trump has already fast tracked the act of repealing ObamaCare, and has provided a plan for “the wall” that will be placed on the border of Mexico and the United States. However, despite these many changes, one thing that can be guaranteed to have little to no change will be American education.

President Trump appointed Betsy DeVos,

an American businesswoman, philanthropist, and education activist, specifically education that is provided from Catholic private schools, to be his secretary of education. However, her lifetime of higher-class education did not prepare her for the questions she was asked by the senators during her confirmation hearing.

One of the first questions she was asked, by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, regarded guns in schools. He asked Ms. DeVos, “Do you think that guns have any place in, or around, schools?” DeVos responded that it should be left up to the locals, and individual states to decide on that.

Following a visibly distressed and confused look from Senator Murphy, DeVos continued by saying, “I think the underlying question is…” only to be cut off by Senator Murphy, “You can’t say definitively today that guns shouldn’t be in schools?”

Guns and gun-safety have been discussed for years, but it is widely known that Senator Murphy is strongly against weaponry in schools following the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

DeVos referred back to Wapiti, Wyoming to reinforce her position. “I think probably there, I would imagine that there is probably a gun in the school to protect from potential grizzlies.” The Daily Show contacted a school in Wapiti asking if they do hold guns within the school, and if they intend, or have ever used the weapon for grizzly bear attacks. They responded that they do not have a gun, and they have never encountered a grizzly bear. They did say that if such a situation were to arise, they have a fence around the perimeter of the school.

Senator Al Franken asked DeVos if students should be measured by grade-level proficiency or yearly progress, and DeVos responded, “If I’m understanding your question correctly, around proficiency, I would also correlate it to competency and mastery, so that you, each student, is measured according to the advancement that they’re making in each subject area.” Senator Franken, trying hard to follow her statement interrupted her, correcting her train of thought, stating that she is talking about growth. “That’s growth. That’s not proficiency. So in other words, the growth they’re making isn’t growth. The proficiency is an arbitrary standard.”

Senator Franken did his best to clarify his question stating, “I’m talking about the debate between proficiency and growth, what you’re thoughts are.” After Devos asked for further clarification, the senator informed DeVos that “this is a subject that has been debated in the education community for years, and it surprises me that you don’t know this issue.” That’s our proposed secretary of education.

Ms. Devos was asked multiple questions, and in response to many, if not all, she fumbled on her words, stuttered, and shocked the senators with her responses. One of her responses was about aid for mentally disabled students and whether or not funding for the teachers should be repealed. DeVos insisted that decision be left up to the specific state’s budget.

Ms. DeVos is unsupportive, and arguably, unaware of longstanding policies and functions that are in relationship to the department of education, specifically in respect to special education and for-profit universities. Our possible new secretary of education has had absolutely no experience with student loans such as FAFSA, something that is relied on by millions of students. She basically has no experience with education, educational terms, how academic success should be assessed, or simple-minded safety measures.

“Rest In Peace” future generations of America.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Making Highland a safe space

January 31, 2017 ayeesite Leave a comment

Donald Trump’s inauguration was on January 20th, 2017. Many students in our community don’t feel as though he will make America a safe place for them to live. A few peer leaders in our high school community wanted to do something to show that we want Highland to be a safe space for everyone. They went about showing support to other students by having a gathering during lunch, in which people could share their concerns, fears, hopes, and any feeling they may have during this time. Everyone wants our community here at Highland to be a safe space for all, and we are doing everything we can to make our students feel welcome.

We asked the leaders of the gathering what their overall goal was and what their plans were for the next meeting; here was their response, “We wanted something that would draw positive attention and help broadcast a sense of community. Basically we wanted to create a platform to continue more events that would be similar and encourage people to be more politically active.”

Based off of the turnout, it’s easy to say that the leaders were successful. Many of the students were able to discuss their worries free of judgment in a very respectful and inclusive environment.

Overall, the rally went on successfully, serving its original purpose of bringing a community together. The students of Highland hurt by President Trump’s election came together to voice their opinions and stories. Leaders of the rally, both staff and students, brought a positive outlook in a dark time for many. They are looking forward to having more gatherings for social injustices in the future.