Sports schedule for: Oct 2-7

September 29, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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. Danceline, Cheerleading

Activities the Week of October 2-7

Monday Oct. 2:

Boys B-squad Soccer @ Washington Tech. Magnet 4:30pm (Bus 3/6pm)

Tuesday Oct 3: 

Girls Soccer @ Simley JV 4pm  (Bus 2:30/5:30pm)  Varsity @ 7pm (Bus 5:30/8:30pm)

Volleyball @ Harding  JV @ C-Squad  5:30pm  Varsity @ 7pm (Bus 4:30/8pm)

Wednesday Oct. 4:

Boys Varsity & JV Soccer @ Humboldt 3:15pm (Bus 2/5pm)

C-Squad Volleyball vs. SPA @ HP 3:30pm

Thursday Oct. 5:.

Co-Ed Cross Country Invitational  @ Fox Hollow Gun Club 4pm (Bus 1:15/5:30pm)

Girls Soccer vs. South St. Paul @ HP  JV @ 5pm  Varsity @ 7pm

Volleyball vs. Como Park @ HP  JV & C-Squad 5:30pm  Varsity @ 7pm

B-Squad Football @ St. Croix Lutheran 7pm

Friday Oct. 6:

Saturday Oct 7:

Varsity & JV Volleyball Tournament @ Park-Cottage Grove 9am

Varsity Football vs. St. Croix Lutheran @ HP 1pm  (Homecoming- Half Time Cross Country Exhibition)

Boys B-Squad Soccer Tournament TBD 11am start

Go Scots!

Filed Under: Adapted Soccer, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Dance Line, Football, Girls Swiming/Diving, Girls Tennis, Soccer, Volleyball

The girls swimming team

September 27, 2017 by Leave a Comment

The coaches of the girls swimming team is Shmranda and Derek. They have swim meets weekly, and the varsity swimmers are in lanes 1, 2, and 3. The junior varsity swimmers are in lanes 4, 5, and 6. There are about 30-35 swimmers and 7 divers. The goal of the swimmers at practice is to reach 4-5 thousand yards.

At the swim meets, the girls are always cheerful, and they cheer: when there is only one girl in the pool, if they are on the other team, and to wish each other good luck. Even if one of the teams lose, they will be cheerful and respectful to the other team.

The swim team works really hard, and the coaches work with them to get better with whatever they need help with. The meets are really competitive, and there are areas where parents can sit with their family and watch their family member or friend compete. There is a scoreboard to see what place each person is in, which lane, and how long they have been swimming.

The team cheers when they are on their way to the meet, and they also sing songs when they are done and are heading back to school after a meet. The team cares about each other; they are like a family. They have respect for each other and they take on actions to help another person out.

The coaches tell the swimmers what they need to improve on and how they can do it. The swimmers have workout day; that’s when the swimmers have to work outside of the pool. The workouts consists of push ups and other regular workout routines. The junior varsity team does smaller things than the varsity. The varsity group goes to the weight room and does exercises. They warm up before they get to competing.

Filed Under: Girls Swiming/Diving, Sports

Transition from summer to school

September 27, 2017 by Leave a Comment

The hardest part of Summer is when it comes to an end. That transition you have to make to get ready for a new school year must be hard for a lot of people. Having to start changing your sleep schedule is a struggle, because you know you got used to sleeping late at night, and waking up late in the afternoon. Having to be excited to see your friends you haven’t seen all summer but that slowly starts to fade into sadness when assignments get thrown at you left to right, and all you want do is zone out during the school day and come home only wanting to complain about how much you dislike school. But hey, who hasn’t? After awhile you get used to it, you may not like it, but after doing it for so many weeks you look at it like eh, whatever.

Students need to be assured that it’s acceptable to be nervous going into a new school year, not expecting your classes to be that hard is something most students expect the first weeks of school. Not having the same classes or lunch as your friends could be hard on some students. And they might end up thinking that the fun part of school is not possible anymore.

But we are here to give you some tips on how to make the beginning of a school year go nice and smoothly.

  • First get your sleeping schedule in check. Start by sleeping early the last week of summer. To get you used to it.
  • Second if your friends are not in the same class as you, make some new friends, we know it’ll be hard but hey, at least you tried and you might make a couple new friends.
  • Last, but not least, make sure you have fun with the new school year, don’t stress yourself too much; you don’t want to do that for the 10 months you’re in school (that would be no fun).

Hope these tips will help you feel more at “home” this school year!

Filed Under: Advice/How To, School Life

New Chinese teacher in 2017-18

September 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment

This year, Highland Park Senior High has a new Chinese teacher, Ju-Chang Wang. Mrs. Wang teaches Chinese levels 2, 3, and Chinese Immersion 9. She is also a teacher for Study Hall. Mrs. Wang has been teaching for 19 years – she taught for 9 years in Taiwan as an elementary school teacher, and she has been teaching for the past 10 years in the Twin Cities area.

Before coming to Highland, Mrs. Wang taught at Central High School, and Forest Lake Area High School. Mrs. Wang enjoys teaching Chinese very much because teaching Chinese allows her to be creative and innovative to make learning Chinese fun.

Mrs. Wang also said that she loves working with students. She believes that everyone needs someone to believe in them so they can also believe in themselves. She says it feels great when she can be that person for young people.

Mrs. Wang is excited about this year, and she has no doubt that this year is going to be great. “I have awesome students and the best team working towards our common goals – to serve our students and strengthen the Chinese language program at Highland Park Senior High School.”

Filed Under: Getting To Know/History, School Life

Hurricane Harvey

September 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment

By: Riley Lumpkin and Gabe Mattick

Hurricane Harvey made landfall near the Texas Gulf coast late on August 25. In just 56 hours, Harvey grew from a regenerated tropical depression over the Gulf of Mexico into a Category 4 hurricane. According to weather.com, wind gusts reached 132 mph in Port Aransas and 125 mph near Copano Village. With the wind, also came massive amounts of rain; an area near Highlands, Texas reported an astounding 51.88 inches of rain!

Various airports in Hurricane Harvey’s path had to cancel or delay more than 12,000 flights, and according to the express.co.uk, Harvey has left 30,000 people homeless. With the staggering amounts of rain, wind, and flooding that occurred, many have lost homes, and some have even lost their lives. As of September 22, 2017, as reported by the Houston Chronicle, 75 people have lost their lives due to the storm. And as they continue to clean up the areas affected by the hurricane, the death toll could rise.

Amidst the chaos, millions have donated to organizations like the Red Cross to help the victims of this terrible storm.

Many people are donating to help the people in Houston, and one significant person is J.J. Watt. His fundraiser raised more than $37 million. J.J. Watt is not the only one donating, the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army have each donated $300,000.

With the excessive damage to over 200,000 homes, there is a lot of debris. According to CBS News, there is an estimated 8 cubic yards of debris, consisting of furniture, clothes, toys, drywall and other items, inside of the damaged houses. Cleaning up the streets of Houston will take months, especially since resources will be divided to help with the damages from hurricane Irma. The debris will go into the landfills. San Antonio and Houston help each other after disasters, and so some of the debris will go there.

Everyone is volunteering and helping out, even though Federal Emergency Management will cover about 90 percent of the costs. Houston is slowly but surely recovering from the traumatic hurricane.

For more information, please visit: https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/tropical-storm-harvey-forecast-texas-louisiana-arkansas

 

Filed Under: News, World

Highland Park clubs

September 25, 2017 by 1 Comment

By Natalie Braga, Alivia Arredondo, and Piper Gallivan

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Highland Park Senior High offers a variety of super great clubs for ALL to join! We have interviewed the leaders of every club to find out what each club has to offer. Highland students have a wide range of interests, but there is a club out there for everyone. Here is what we found out about all the different clubs!

Anime Club
First on the list is Anime Club, lead by Ms. Lynn. Anime Club meets once a week in Room 159, and is open to everyone who has an interest in anime and wants to learn more about it (no drawing skills required). You will get to watch and draw anime, as well as learn (and taste test) things from different food celebrations. This club is an opportunity to get you in touch with another culture, and interact and bond with people with similar interests. Ms. Lynn, who has been at Highland for 15 years, highly encourages you to stop by!

Book Club
Do you miss the pressure free reading experience? Are you tired of teachers telling what to read and how to read? Then come join Book Club! They are a super fun, low key club, and they meet about once every 6 weeks to discuss a book and eat snacks. Ms. Rahman is the leader of the club and she invites everyone to come to the library to discuss books and have a good time. Most of the books read in Book Club are meant to really relate to teens and make for easy connections and understandings to the characters. Book Club also offers many exiting visits to see authors, and a chance to get your very own free book signed. Another great thing about Book Club is they are a part of Read Brave. Read Brave is a program where students and parents read the same book, so parents understand the the realities and challenges teenagers face. For more information on Read Brave go to: http://www.sppl.org/readbrave

Book Club is a really great place for students to unwind and get lost in their book without the added stress of taking notes, analyzing, reading to a certain point, etc. so come join Book Club!

Conspiracy Theory Club
Was the moon landing fake? Is Tupac still alive? What really happened to Princess Diana? If these questions intrigue you, you should check out the Conspiracy Theory Club! They meet every other Thursday in Ms. Shomion’s Room to explore alternative ideas and theories. Each meeting also includes great snacks, including the iconic mystery juice. It is a great way to meet others in a fun and respectful environment, while also expanding your knowledge on the world (and what may be beyond it). Meetings are low commitment and guaranteed to always be fun!

Debate
Ms. Becker invites anyone and everyone to join debate, held in her classroom, Room 2214. The debate team meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-5:30 to learn about each year’s new debate topic. This year’s topic is education, which will be the focus of many discussions in the club. With a partner, you are able to compete against other schools at tournaments held about every other week on Fridays and Saturdays. Debaters tend to do better in history and English, and are often offered college scholarships for their hard work. It is an opportunity to travel to other schools and universities, develop a deep understanding of the yearly topic, and make new friends.

FFA
Calling all Future Farmers of America, or just anyone interested in agriculture, Ms. Wedger would love to have you in FFA! Meetings start at the end of September, are monthly, and last a half hour to 45 minutes. This club offers many different career development events, and the opportunity for many different field trips to explore those careers. These events are connected to different contests you can do, in which you compete regionally against Central Minnesota, and possibly State after that! FFA is a great opportunity to get involved at Highland, not to mention the fact that it looks good on a college resume. You can choose to be as involved as you want, while building up your leadership skills, and connecting with people you might not usually connect with. Ms. Wedger encourages you to ask her about any questions you may have!

Film
Seniors, Kat Vento and Zoe Challenger are the co-presidents of Film Club, with Ms. Becker supervising. It is is held in her room (2214) every Monday. The Film Club works on making their own films, while also having the added benefit of popcorn each meeting. It is a great opportunity for students to express themselves through moving images, and also allows members to meet artistic individuals like themselves. There is no competing and it is purely for fun, while also being low commitment. The film club is open to everyone, is very open minded to all ideas that come in, and would love to have anyone interested to join!

Gender Equality Club
Anyone interested in making Highland Park an even more safe and inclusive place for all should check out the Gender Equality Club! Ms. Rise hosts the meetings once a week in her room: 2201. In the meetings there is not only usually food, but also a chance to be apart of discussions about how to make everyone feel included at school, and how to raise awareness about current events involving gender issues in society. Ms. Rise encourages you to join because gender equity is something that affects everyone and is also a pressing and interesting topic in the current times. The GEC also does fun leadership activities and crafts, such as bracelets for special needs kids. Stop by Ms. Rise’s room with questions!

Global Affairs Club
Global Affairs Club (formerly known as Model UN), is a great club to join for anyone who wants to learn about the real UN, discuss foreign policy and current events, and new this year participate a program called Great Discussions. It helps you grasp concepts, and enter the world of Global Citizenship. There are many opportunities for travel and attending conferences with other schools. It looks great on resumes, and colleges love it. There is a lot of flexibility in joining this club; you can meet once a month or join once a week. What people don’t always realize is that anyone can join, regardless of prior knowledge, and underclassmen are especially welcome!! Co-Presidents Archer Gallivan and Sarah Lind-MacMillan invite anyone to join in Ms.Rise’s (2201) room on Thursdays after school!!

Indian Culture Club
A brand new club this year that wants you to be a part of it is the Indian Culture Club! They meet twice a month in Mr. Berndt’s room (2306) and offer delicious Indian snacks! In this club you will be able to learn about and appreciate the Indian culture more, while also meeting new people who are also interested in the culture. They also plan on doing fun activities such as a tailgating booth at homecoming. ICC hopes to help you gain appreciation for a culture that is represented both at Highland and in St. Paul, and would love you come and check it out!

Math Team
Interested in improving your math skills and showing off your knowledge to others? Check out the Math Team, with meetings held twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 2:15 to 3:30, in Mr O’Connell’s room! Though the club only runs from October to March, it is a great opportunity to make friends, learn math you won’t in class, and gain more confidence in your skills! The math team competes in the St. Paul League and prepares for the meets during the meetings, as well as other fun activities. This is a calm and flexible club that is happy to have anyone join.

Mountain Biking
Are you ready to pump iron biking style?! Join Mountain Biking Club!
Mountain Biking Club is a super fun interactive sport for anyone (no riding experience necessary). They meet 2-3 times a week down in Hidden Falls and they compete against other schools in races. So if you’re looking for a low commitment, fun sport, where you get to explore new biking trails, make new friends, get in shape, and learn new skills, Mountain Biking Club is the place for you! For more information go to: http://wiki.hpmtb.org/Highland+Park+Composite+Mountain+Biking

Science Club
Does exploring deeper into fun science topics sound interesting to you? Join Henry Vasquez and the rest of the Science Club once a month every third Wednesday (excluding September, which will be on the 27th) in Ms. Connelly’s room! Each meeting will have a theme and experiment to go with it, as well as having snacks provided. While participation is not necessary, members are highly encouraged to get involved with Science Fair, where you could compete at regional, state, and even national levels! Science Fair has many scholarship opportunities and members of the Science Club get free admission to register. Science Club also goes on science related field trips such as to the Science Museum and a tour of the U of M’s biomedical department. This club is low commitment, looks great on resumes, and welcomes you to join!

Student Council
Want to make a difference in this school and use your leadership skills? If so, Student Council is the perfect place for you! If you make your way up to executive board, you will meet once a week, or if you are on full house, it is the first Monday of each month, all in room 3211. They work to provide a fun experience for the whole school, by planning dances, tailgating, homecoming week, the senior send off, and many service opportunities, among many other things. Anyone should join who wants good experience planning, working with others, dealing with other’s opinions, and getting involved in school. On top of all of that, it looks great on a resume! Mrs. Rohweller-Kocur, Mrs. Hedwall and the StuCo executive board would love to invite anyone to try out!

ULA
Union Latina invites everyone to join them in their festivities throughout the year! They learn about Latin culture, learn to dance, and plan events for the student body. Some events they put on are tailgating, Dia de los Muertos, culture day, and Cinco de Mayo. It is a great way to learn about culture, learn to dance, as well as build community and build culture. Anyone can join, regardless of race or if you speak Spanish!

Youth in Government
Youth in Government is an amazing opportunity for anyone who wants to get to meet new people, learn how a government works (specifically legislative), and have their voice be heard. Many of the meeting are to prepare for a conference held in February. YIG clubs from all over the state meet in downtown Minneapolis, or the State Capital for upperclassmen, to share their ideas and work with each other. It is a great way to gain knowledge, and work with new people, plus they have great snacks. They meet at 2:20 on Thursdays in room 2201.

Highland Park Senior high offers a variety of clubs for a variety of people. We hope this article helped you find a club you’re interested in! Although we did not get the chance to interview some of the clubs such as Archery, ACC, Black Student Union, Chinese, Chess, Genius Squad, Prism, Speech, Spanish Debate, and Youth Alive we highly encourage trying them out and learning more about them by going to: https://www.spps.org/site/Default.aspx?PageType=1&SiteID=38&ChannelID=182&DirectoryType=6 for more information on all the clubs.

Filed Under: Clubs and Activities, School Life

National Coming Out Day: General attitude and do’s/don’ts

September 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment

National Coming Out Day is fast approaching on Wednesday, October 11th. With this in mind,  I would like to talk about how people feel on this day, and things to do and not do.

First things first; some do’s and don’ts.

  • DO be respectful

Coming out can be a hard thing for some people and the last thing they need is disrespect for being themselves.

  • DO say kind things if someone comes out to you

If someone comes out to you, be kind. Say “I’m here to support you.” Or “I will care about you no matter what.” Saying things like this will enforce trust in your friendship or any other relationship type.

  • DON’T out other people

It’s disrespectful to someone if you out them. It doesn’t matter if you don’t think it’s not a big deal or that they should come out. It’s an invasion of their privacy. If they came out to you that means they felt safe enough and trusted you enough to tell you, and by outing them, you immeadiately demolish that trust system.

  • DON’T come out as straight

Considering everyone’s first assumption of people is that they’re straight, there is no need to say this. This is not your day. It is a day for a marginalized group to feel proud about who they are and not have to hide it anymore.

  • DON’T fake “out” someone

If your first reaction to this day is to out someone who’s not in the LGBT+ community as a joke, then don’t do it. Here’s why: It perpetuates a system of oppression that continually makes people in the LGBT+ community the butt of a joke.

  • DON’T force yourself to come out

It’s ok if you don’t come out. This day shouldn’t make you uncomfortable. Come out on your own terms.

  • DON’T pressure someone to come out

People may not be ready to come out or be in a safe position to come out. If you force someone to come out when it’s unsafe you may put your friend in a dangerous situation.

  • DON’T feel like you have to come out on National Coming Out Day

 Come out when you want to come out. Come out when you feel most safe, and ready to, and come out to someone you trust.

Next I’ll talk about the general attitude towards this day. For this I interviewed 9 people who are apart of the LGBT+ community and asked them 4 questions pertaining to National Coming Out Day. Here are some of their answers (if their name and sexuality appear, I obtained clear consent to use it):

Question 1: Why is National Coming Out Day important to you?

Laura Rutherford (trangender girl, bisexual): National Coming Out Day allows people to be their full selves.

Kaliyah Phelps (lesbian): It’s a day for LGBT+ people to use their voice and tell their stories.

Eva Semlak (lesbian): It’s a way to share experiences and talk about them openly.

Ally McGinnis (lesbian): It’s a day of awareness and visibility of LGBT+ people.

Mason Blumer-Lamotte (pansexual): Sheds light on the different types of people and it’s nice to have the option to come out.

Sār Chirhart (gay): A day centered around the courage to come out.

Anonymous: Normalizes being LGBT+ and makes it apparent that it’s hard to be yourself.

Generally most people mentioned that it’s important to highlight the courage, visibility, and vulnerability that it takes to come out.

Question 2: Do you think National Coming Out Day makes it easier to come out?

Mai Dao Thao (non-straight): I think it makes it easier to come out since everyone is doing it and it gives you more confidence.

Laura Rutherford: Yes because people aren’t doing it alone but there is also pressure to come out.

Kaliyah Phelps: Yes, sort of. It’s a lot of pressure for some but a perfect opportunity for others.

Eva Semlak: Yes, but also no. It shouldn’t be a specific day to come out but more of a recognition day.

Ally McGinnis: Yes, but also no. Yes, because it’s an invitation to come out and there’s a lot of support, but no because there a lot of pressure to come out.

Rocco Kyllo (gay): It’s always going to be hard, but it will make it easier eventually.

A lot of people had the same idea. It’s a lot of pressure to come out, but also if you feel none of that pressure it’s a great day.

Question 3: How do you feel about coming out on National Coming Out Day?

Mai Dao Thao: I came out before National Coming Out Day, and it won’t be a surprise or be special since everyone else is coming out.

Laura Rutherford: I didn’t come out on National Coming Out Day, but I felt a lot of pressure to.

Ally McGinnis: It’s cool and if you’re a celebrity it’s a good day to come out and be supportive of others coming out.

Mason Blumer-Lamotte: I personally wouldn’t because I wouldn’t want to put a timer on something so personal, but it’s up to the individual.

Rocco Kyllo: It’s a fun way to come out and it’s good for when you don’t know when to do it.

Anonymous: It’s great for people who need the support but could come to feel like an obligation.

The interview subjects generally felt that it’s good if you are ready to come out but that it could feel like an obligation or necessity if you’re not.

Question 4: What do you think are some “don’ts” of National Coming Out Day?

(I’ve included most of these don’ts in the previous section but I’ll add some of the ones I think need to be emphasized).

Mai Dao Thao: Don’t hate on people that come out because they built so much confidence to do it.

Kaliyah Phelps: Don’t tell them what to say or what not to say.

Ally McGinnis: Don’t out others

Rocco Kyllo: Don’t pressure people to come out

So what’s the take away? Don’t pressure someone to come out, don’t be rude to someone who comes out, and always be accepting of someone who is different than you, because our differences are what makes us human and interesting. The world would be a lot more boring if everyone was the exact same.

Filed Under: Editorials/Student Voice, World

Spirit Week 2017

September 22, 2017 by Leave a Comment

The first months of school are always the most fun. You get to see all of your friends, favorite teachers, the football games, and homecoming! Here at Highland, we have a Spirit Week every year, leading up to our pep fest. Homecoming pepfest consists of performances by the Dance Team, Cheerleaders, and others. The homecoming royalty will also be announced, and the captains of fall sports/clubs will introduce themselves and talk briefly.

This year, Spirit Week is from Monday, October 2nd, until Friday, October 6th. This year’s spirit days are as followed:


Monday – PJ Day

Tuesday – Superhero Day

Wednesday – Jersey Day

Thursday – Class Color Day

Friday – Red out

We asked some of the students about how they felt about the spirit days that are coming up, and here is what they had to say:

“I think that the spirit days this year are very overdone and that maybe next time they should think about doing something fun and something that hasn’t really been done before, something that makes us stand out.”

“I get that they are very limited on their choices for spirit days, but maybe if they could really try and get in one day that hasn’t been done before, things could change.”

“I actually really like the last two days, Class Color Day and Red Out. I believe that Red Out really unites us and makes everyone feel as if they really belong. As for the other days, they are very unoriginal and I hope that they try and come up with something fun and new.”

“I actually don’t really care for Spirit Week. I don’t think we should be so patriotic to a school we’re only spending 4 years of our lives in.”

“They should really do different themes; it’s so boring. The only thing that should stay the same is Class Color day and Red Out.”

“They could tailor it more to what the current students of Highland want. For example, no one wants to do Superhero Day.”

“I’m tired of always doing the same thing every year. HP is very unoriginal but yet again, coming up with good ideas that the student body might actually do is hard.”

With that being said, we also asked students what suggestions they had for future spirit days. Most of the common suggestions/themes we got back were, Tacky Tourist, Celeb Day and Opposite Day. Some of the other suggestions we got were:

  • Cartoon Day
  • Disney Day
  • Twin/Group Day
  • Opposite Day
  • Pride Day
  • Scottish Day
  • Tie Dye Day

We also asked students how they felt about having Class Color Day on Thursday. Many students agreed that we should do Class Color Day on Friday because we’re already split up by class, and we already have the separate class t-shirts. Though many people also agree with the idea of doing Class Color Day on Friday. There are others who absolutely love the idea of doing a Red Out instead, because they feel it is something that unifies all of us, and brings us together as a school so that nobody feels left out.

“I don’t think that it should take t-shirts to make us feel whole, or to unify us. I feel as if we should already feel that way, that everyone should know that no matter what color we are wearing, whether it be our class color or not. We are a school and we stick together and are a whole no matter what.”

Filed Under: Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Minnesota ACT scores

September 22, 2017 by Leave a Comment

By: Pachia Lee, Eddie Lopez, Melissa Tapia

Minnesota ACT scores are considered one of the nation’s best and had beat the national average many times. Last year though, there was a dropped in the ACT Scores, but Minnesota’s average was still higher than the national average. This year, the ACT scores have increased again after last year’s decline.

According to CBS Minnesota, Minnesota’s class of 2017 ACT scores rebounded from their dip in 2016, and remain among America’s best. Minnesota students had an average score of 21.5 on the exam while the national average was 21. Minnesota was also one of the 17 states to have all 100% of the graduating class take the ACT. Supporters of this requirement said this would bring more opportunities for all students because all students had a chance to take the ACT.

More than 17,000 Minnesota students took the ACT, especially an increased number of minority students. The Hispanic subgroup had the greatest increase with 1,709 students taking the ACT and there was also an overall increase of minority group ACT Scores by 0.5 points.

According to MN Office of Higher Education, Minnesota’s average score was still higher than the national average even with the drop. Also, 31% of 2017 graduates met all four ACT college-ready areas compared to in 2016 where only 29% were proficient in all four areas.

Graduates who had taken three or more years of math had an average score of 22.2 compared to others who took math for less than two years. Those students had an average score of 17.1. About 45% of graduates indicated that they were interested in STEM majors or careers. In 2017, 79 Minnesota students achieved a perfect ACT score meaning they scored 36 overall in four subject areas.

Filed Under: Local, News, School Life

Would you call the police if you witnessed a murder?

September 20, 2017 by Leave a Comment

In 1964, The New York Times published Martin Gansberg’s now famous article “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” about the killing of Catherine Genovese. It claimed that thirty-eight people witnessed a murder (of a woman some of them knew) and did not intervene, giving lazy excuses for their lack of action afterward.

Later, the title was proven partially false in another New York Times article, but the story still led to the formulation of the bystander effect theory; a theory in psychology which, according to Psychology Today, posits that observers in emergency situations are less likely to intervene the more other observers there are around them, even observers who would be likely to intervene if they were alone. The phenomenon is prevalent and well-documented. It has even been discovered in the behavior of five-year-olds in a study published by the Association for Psychological Science. According to Psychology Today, Psychologists explain the bystander effect for many reasons, but namely that in emergency situations humans’ sense of personal responsibility is diffused when surrounded by other bystanders, and that humans model their behavior off of those around them, so if no one is intervening they are unlikely to.

The popular ABC primetime show What Would You Do? features many examples of the phenomenon, staging offensive acts in public and seeing how bystanders react. Often on the show, large groups of bystanders react late, or do not react at all.

Last week, Ms. Ostendorf’s English 9 Accelerated class read “38 Who Saw Murder…” and learned about the bystander effect. They watched the following video demonstrating and discussing the effect:

From “Coolpsychologist” on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OSsPfbup0ac

Below are excerpts from interviews of three students in Ms. Ostendorf’s class. They gave their opinions on “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder…” and the bystander effect, commenting on where it manifests in their lives.

Jack Malek, 14

What was your initial reaction to reading “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder…”?

I was really surprised to read that thirty-eight people saw a woman get killed that they knew and they did nothing about it, they did nothing to save her.

Do you think the bystander effect is a real phenomenon?

I do. This is happening right here and this story is a perfect example. Because people think when they see something, and there are a lot of people around that someone else is going to do something about it. So, this is a perfect example.

Did reading “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder…” lead you to question yourself?

I questioned myself, “Have I ever been a part of the bystander effect? Have I ever done this? Have I ever been part of this phenomenon?”

Do you think you would have reacted in this situation surrounded by other bystanders? Would you now?

After reading this story, yes. But, I don’t know if I would have been part of the bystander effect before.

Otto Schmidt, 14

What was your initial reaction to reading “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder…”?

I was somewhat shocked and surprised that the people didn’t help when needed, but after thinking about the story and realizing the circumstances of it being the nighttime and people not really wanting to help and thinking somebody else would, I wasn’t super surprised by the outcome.

Did reading “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder…” lead you to question yourself?

It definitely made me think more about ignoring, not just when people are in need but ignoring a lot of things, or just doing things because everybody else is doing them even though maybe it’s not the right thing to do.

Before you learned about this, do you think you would have reacted the same way as the other 38 people if you were in that situation?

Probably.

How would you react now?

At the very least, it would lead me to think about what happened here. And then, to act.

Henry Aerts, 14

What was your initial reaction to reading “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder…”?

Honestly kind of shocked but in a way I was also kind of not surprised. Because, I’ve seen people doing that where someone is in need but no one helps, they just walk by because they think that someone else will help them or they just don’t want to get involved. So, I’ve seen that kind of thing before.

How do you see the bystander effect in your personal life?

For example, when the teacher asks a question in class, a lot of times no one says anything because they think that someone else is going to answer it, but then in the end it just goes awkward and silent because no one can answer it, thinking that someone else would.

Did reading “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder…” lead you to question yourself?

Yeah, it kind of did. Because, I wasn’t sure if I would have done anything different. Maybe I would have called the police, I don’t know.

How would you react now?

If it happened tonight, I would definitely call.

Hopefully, with more knowledge about the bystander effect, people will begin to intervene more in emergency situations, even when surrounded by others.

Filed Under: News, World
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