France and Spain trip: 2017

This past spring break, a group of 30 Highland Park students (myself included) participated in the France and Spain trip, of 2017, led by Mr. Currie and Ms. Boe. It was a very exciting opportunity for world travel, and for students to practice their knowledge of another language like French or Spanish.

We visited four locations in total: Paris and Provence in France, then Barcelona and Costa Dorada in Spain. The students had free time at some points to walk around, visit some shops, and try some of the local food.

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Photo courtesy of Mr. Currie

Our first major city was Paris; we visited the Louvre Museum and saw the “Mona Lisa” painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. We also got to tour the city by bus, and see all its famous landmarks like: the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysées, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and Montmartre.

We then traveled to Provence where we visited the Palais de papes, Nimes Amphitheater, and the Pont du Gard.

Once we finished with France, it was on to Spain. Our first city was Barcelona, and there we saw Gaudi’s Sagrada Família, Montjuïc Hill, and the Columbus Monument. We then visited Park Güell, which is also land founded and made by Gaudi.

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Photo courtesy of Ms. Boe

Our final destination was Costa Dorada. On the way, we visited a town called Sitges, and got our first glimpse of the coast of Spain. The next day, in Costa Dorada, we spent the whole day on the beach just relaxing after a lot of walking and sightseeing. This was my favorite day because it was nice to just sit on the beach, under the sun, and reflect on all that I had seen in the past week.

Stanley Cup playoffs round 3 preview

The second round of the NHL playoffs wrapped up last Wednesday. Two game 7s occurred, while the other two series ended in six games.

The Nashville Predators took down the St. Louis Blues in 6 games. The Predators look to be the real deal this year as they swept the Blackhawks in the first round then went on to defeat the Blues in the second round. Their goaltender, Pekka Rinne, has been outstanding.

The other Western Conference team to advance were the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks defeated the Oilers in 7 games. Their captain, Ryan Getzlaf, has been very dominate for the Ducks, and is playing like a true leader. He’s 3rd in the league with 15 playoff points.

The Ducks and Predators will start their series on Friday, May 12th at 8pm CT. My prediction is that the Predators will win this series in 6 games.

Now on to the East, where the surprising Ottawa Senators are heading to the Eastern Conference final. They haven’t made the conference final since 2007. The Senators defeated the New York Rangers in 6 games; they have been led by captain Erik Karlsson. He’s playing through many injuries, but continues to play excellent.

They will get ready to face the defending champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins defeated the Washington Capitals for a second straight year, in the second round. This is a recurring thing for the Capitals as they haven’t passed the second round since 1998. Even with the addition of Kevin Shattenkirk this season, they couldn’t break their streak. Many Penguins players played great including Evgeni Malkin who leads the league with 18 playoff points, and 13 assists, and Jake Guentzel who leads with 9 goals.

The Penguins and Senators will begin their series Saturday, May 13th at 6pm CT. My prediction is that the Penguins will win this series in 7 games.

Sports schedule for: May 15-20

For  a full calendar of events please refer to: http://www.sports.spps.org

Fall Sports: Co-ed Cross-country,Adapted Soccer, Football,Girls Soccer, Boys Soccer, Volleyball, Girls Tennis, Girls Swimming

Activities the Week of May 15-20

Monday May 15:

Co-Ed JV Track & Field Conference Meet @ HP 4:15pm

Girls Varsity Golf @ HP Nine- Hole 2:45pm

Boys JV Golf @ Thompson Oaks 2:45pm

Boys Lacrosse @ Central HS 6pm

Varsity Baseball @ Legacy Christian Academy  4:30pm (Bus 2:45/6:45pm)

Badminton Individual State Meet  vs. Burnsville @ HP 4pm

Tuesday May 16:

Varsity Badminton Individual State Meet  @ Burnsville 4pm

Varsity Baseball @ St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex 4pm  ( Bus 2/6pm)

Varsity Boys Tennis @ Mpls. Southwest 3:15pm  (Bus 2:30/5:15pm)  JV @ HP 3:15pm

Girls JV Golf @ Cedarholm 2:45pm

Boys Varsity Golf @ Thompson Oaks GC 2:45pm

Co-Ed Track & Field @ Irondale HS 3:45  (Bus 2:10/7pm)

Wednesday May 17:

Girls Varsity Golf @ Mendota Par 3 GC  2:45pm

Boys JV Golf @ Thompson Oaks GC 2:45pm

Varsity Baseball vs. Johnson @ HP 4:30pm   JV vs. Coon Rapids @ HP 4:30pm

Boys Lacrosse @ McMurray Fields 5pm

Girls Lacrosse @ Columbia Hgts. 5:30pm

Badminton Team State Meet @ Burnsville 4-8pm

Thursday May 18:

Girls Varsity Golf  Nine-Hole Tournament @ Cedarholm GC 1pm  JV Girls Golf @ Cedarholm 2:45pm

Badminton Team State Tournament @ Eden Prairie 8-3pm

Friday May 19:

Girls Lacrosse @ Academy of  Holy Angels 5pm

Saturday May 20:

Varsity & JV Baseball @ Henry Sibley 11am ( Bus 9:30/1pm)

Girls Lacrosse @ Duluth East HS 11am