Monthly Archives: May 2018

Events

Mother’s Day

Leave a comment

What is Mother’s Day and why is it important?

Mother’s Day is an important day to show appreciation to mothers around the globe. Mother’s Day is celebrated in 46 countries, and it is a special day for mothers who are mostly dealing with a male dominant society.

History

According to Quora, Mother’s Day began in 1908 by a woman named Anna Jarvis, who did a memorial for her mother, who was a peace activist that helped the wounded soldiers during the Civil War. She began by getting support for Mother’s Day after her mother died. She wanted to honor all of the mothers who supported her family and loved ones.

Most of the U.S. started to celebrate Mother’s Day, and West Virginia, where Jarvis is from, declared Mother’s Day as a holiday. It became an official holiday when President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation in 1914.

It became an international celebration, and countries like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Italy, Singapore, Belgium, and more countries recognize it.

Mother’s Day is important because it is a day to honor, respect, and show more love than usual to mothers. The day acknowledges the maternal bonds, and roles of a mother in society. It is celebrated on May 13 in the U.S., but is different in other countries. Even if your mother is dead, or not there, it is a day to remember their importance to you.

Study from Psychologists

According to study.com, in the 1950’s, psychologists studied mother and child relationships by looking at how the child is affected to form long lasting bonds throughout their lives.

Infants that deal with high stress environments grow up to be worried adults who have difficulty developing bonds. Children with close relations to their caregivers end up being developing adults.

Also, maternal figures (moms) play a key role to help us become the people we are because they care and comfort us and provide us in so many ways.

Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day

  • A Custom Handwriting Bracelet
  • Personalized Photo Stamps
  • Snapshot Mix Photo Art
  • Milk Chocolate Gift Basket
  • Flowers deliveries
  • Broadway Tickets
  • Personalized necklace
  • Plantable greeting card
  • Succulent Print Gardenia Candle
  • Mothers Day Box
  • Moms favorite perfumes
Adapted Bowling, Adapted Softball, Badminton, Baseball, Golf, Lacrosse, Scoreboard/Schedule, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field

Sports schedule for: May 21-26

Leave a comment

**GAMES AND MATCHES MAY CHANGE DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS**

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

Spring Sports: Baseball, Softball, Boys Golf, Girls  Golf, Adapted Bowling, Adapted Softball, Boys Tennis, Badminton, Track & Field

Activities the Week of  May 21-26

Monday May 21:

Varsity, JV & B-Squad Softball Twin Cities Game TBD (Bus 2:45/5:15pm)
Boys Varsity Golf 18-Hole Tournament @ Highland National GC 8:30am
Girls ‘Bobcats’ Lacrosse vs. Rochester Century @ HP 5pm
Baseball vs. Bloomington Kennedy JV & B-Squad @ HP 4:30pm Varsity @ Red Haddock 4:30pm (Bus 3/6pm)

Tuesday May 22:
Boys Varsity  Golf Conference Tournament @ Highland National GC TBD 8:30am

Girls Track Conference Prelims @ HP 4pm  Boys @ Harding 4pm (Bus 2:45/7:15pm)

Varsity Baseball Twin Cities Game TBD 4:30pm

Girls ‘Bobcats’ Lacrosse @ Mpls. Washburn 6pm

Boys ‘Bobcats’ Lacrosse @ Mankato East 5pm

Wednesday May 23:

Girls Varsity Golf 18-Hole Tournament @ Phalen GC 9am

Baseball @ Henry Sibley (all levels) 4:15pm

Thursday May 24:

Co-Ed Track @ Harding HS 3pm (Bus 1:45/6:30pm)

Boys ‘Bobcats’ Lacrosse @ Woodbury HS 7pm

Friday May 25:

Co-Ed Track @ Como Park HS 4:15pm (Bus 3/6:30pm)

Girls ‘Bobcats’ Lacrosse vs. Columbia Hgts. @ Central HS 5pm

Saturday May 26:

Girls ‘Bobcats’ Lacrosse vs. Duluth East @ Denfeld HS Stadium 12:30pm

Go Scots!

Travel/Food

Saji-Ya restaurant review

Leave a comment

By, Riley Lumpkin and Gabe Mattick

Japanese restaurant Saji-Ya was quite the experience. The traditional Japanese food was amazing. We were able to get the full experience by sitting at a table with the teppanyaki. Teppanyaki-style cooking requires a chef that is both a great cook and a performer. It is a steel grill that cooks the food right in front of you, our chef was extremely entertaining. He performed many tricks and told many jokes as he was making our food. His performance definitely made our time at Saji-Ya great. Our favorite part of his cooking was watching the onion volcano. Our chef made a volcano from onions, he poured oil into it then lit it on fire. This created the volcano.

Our food was amazing. The meal started off with a cup of white rice, chicken liver, miso soup, and a salad. This was our appetizer, I (Riley) was a little hesitant about trying the chicken liver, although I’m glad I tried it because it was very good. The miso soup and salad were also very good. For our entree, we both ordered the salmon and steak combination. We both like our steak medium rare, which is what we ordered.

The overall flavor of the steak was great, the seasonings he used worked well together; although our steak was cooked a little more than we would’ve liked it to be. The salmon was also very good, with seasoning similar to the steak. It was cooked perfectly and almost melted in our mouths.

As a side to the meat, we were served a side of vegetables. They were cooked with the onion volcano. Overall, there was a nice mixture, it included: squash, tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, and broccoli. The flavor was nice because the taste of the vegetables was not lost in all the seasoning.

Overall, our experience was very nice and special for prom. It was not expensive, and there were options for vegetarians. We recommend sitting by the grill and going with a group of friends.

Advice/How To

How to prepare for big changes

Leave a comment

It is finally May and the school year is almost over. Prom has come and past, and for IB students, tests are underway. The weather is getting warmer, the Earth is becoming less of a tundra and more of an inhabitable area, and you can actually sit outside when you are eating Nelson’s Ice Cream. The end of a school year also means a new beginning for many of us students. Whether you are moving into a dorm 2 states away, attending a college here in St. Paul, or getting a new job this summer, big changes are headed this way. As you move to this new frontier of your life, reminding yourself of certain things could make or break you.

    1. Even new roads have bumps. As St. Paulites coming out of a harsh winter, I think we can appreciate this saying. Regardless of what new path you choose, there will most likely be hardships along the way. They could be miniscule or incredibly large, but preparing yourself for scary, stressful situations will always be vital.
    2. Ask for help when you need it. Although “adulting” can feel really good, it can also be really hard. And asking for help from people who have been doing it longer is totally acceptable and okay. You can learn something from  everyone.
    3. Evaluate your needs, wants, and morals. As you move forward in your life, it is important to focus on who you are currently and who you want to be. By asking yourself what you want and what you value, you can not only better understand yourself right now, but also what you want your future self to look like. The period of time leading up to a big change in your life can be nerve wracking, but if you handle yourself correctly, it can also be extremely enlightening.
    4. Make a plan. Whether you are schedule oriented, or like to go with the flow, setting realistic deadlines for yourself can boost your drive to achieve goals. Without setting goals (and deadlines), it is hard to reach said goals.
    5. Have fun and stay motivated. No one said a new frontier couldn’t be fun. You can only have these new experiences once in your life, and life will move on before you know it. Grasp this life firmly by the horns and take control of your future. There are many things on this Earth that you cannot change. Your future is not one of them. Keep chugging along, and know that everything will all be worth it in the end.

The passage of life won’t slow down for anyone. Yesterday’s future is here, and tomorrow is less than a day away. There is a huge world out there for you to explore and appreciate. Go out and do it.

 

 

 

 

News

Melania Trump’s “Be Best”

Leave a comment

Last night, May 7th, Melania Trump released her First Lady Agenda. In this agenda she expressed that her agenda is aimed towards the children of America and their well being. Melania Trump named her campaign “Be Best” and she plans to improve the lives of children all across the country. Melania plans to do this by focusing on childrens’ mental and physical health, and educating them on the many real life issues that they are surrounded by, and face today. These problems range from social media use, drug abuse, and being raised in a healthy environment.

The “Be Best” campaign is not only about promoting raising kids in a healthy environment and supporting them, but it’s also about teaching and raising them with the values for “kindness and respect.” This campaign doesn’t come as a surprise based on events that have happened in the past – especially based off of some of the comments that Melania has made based on how people treat her husband. “Our culture has gotten too mean and too rough, especially to children and teenagers,” Melania Trump made said in 2016.

In the end, it is amazing to see that our First Lady stands for the children and youth of our country. She wants what is best for all of our youth in this country; wanting them to be the best that they can be and helping them reach their full potential. This can be reached by helping these children start a young age, and by actually helping them, and not by leaving the pressure for them to be great on their own. And, as Melania Trump stated in her agenda, “Children deserve every opportunity to enjoy their innocence.”

Clubs and Activities

Dare 2 Be Real

Leave a comment

Dare 2 Be Real (D2BR) is a student-led anti-racist leadership organization. Dare 2 Be Real focuses on preventing racism in Saint Paul Public Schools. According to the SPPS website, the purpose of D2BR is to:

  • Identify and affirm students who are especially effective at navigating culturally or racially diverse settings and foster the growth of interracial allies
  • Develop and support a team of intercultural/interracial student leaders who will seek to eliminate systemic, cultural, and individual racism in their school and community
  • Empower young people as racial equity leaders with opportunities to facilitate discussion and engage in collaborative inquiry and cross-cultural learning experiences
  • Help students develop and understand their individual and collective racial identity

The program includes a wide variety of students who have the same motives. These leaders work on the relationships between staff and the students.

Participants have the choice to figure out how they want to help. The group is open to any and all ideas to solve in-school problems. Dare 2 Be Real is led by Ms. McGraw. D2BR at Highland is planned to start next school year. They want to make sure everyone of any race is able to take part in this program. Highland wants to build a strong team of leaders who want to help better the school environment. Join Dare 2 Be Real to help develop Highland into a safe, positive environment.

Clubs and Activities

ThreeSixty Journalism

Leave a comment

ThreeSixty Journalism has a summer camp for grades 9-11, but there are some exceptions for seniors. ThreeSixty summer camp has a 2 week session and a 3 week session, depending on which session you would prefer to take. The summer camp is based on writing; the first week is focused on learning how to write college essays, and then they help you with writing in general, mostly focusing on non-fiction stories.

They have a website where, if you’re interested, you can apply online; it’s an easy and fast application process. You just need some information about how you’re doing in school at the moment. There will be helpful directions and guides that will help you with signing up. For students who get free or reduced lunch, you may qualify for a scholarship to help pay for the camp, but others will have to pay tuition. The application deadline is May 21st, and each session starts on a different date.

There are four different sessions you can take.

  • Option 1 is 1 week long, and it starts on July 9th through July 13th.
  • Option 2 is 2 weeks long, and it starts on June 18th through June 29th. The first week, they teach you to write college essays and second week, you go into journalism.
  • Option 3 is 3 weeks long, and it starts on June 18th through June 29th, but then adds an additional week: July 9th to July 13th.
  • Option 4 is 2 weeks long, and it starts on June 25th through June 29th, and continues on July 9th through the 13th.

You get to write every day of the camp, which will improve your writing, and they also give out scholarships if you’re looking for any. So, if you’re interested in writing, give it a shot!

Events

Get your wag on! Walk for animals

Leave a comment

Every year, the Animal Humane Society hosts a walk where people can not only walk but also donate money to help animals in need. They aimed to raise 1 million dollars for vulnerable animals and raised 900,000 dollars.

They walk through Theodore Wirth Park, turn around at the Golf Chalet, and head back to the Animal Humane Society. The walk starts at 10 am and they have fun activities and booths for before, during, and after the walk. The activities include: dog games (featuring games and training tips for your dog) hair and face painting, Chip n’ Nail Clinic: where you’ll find reduced fees for nail trims, microchipping, gland expressions, and photo booths. They also have a merchandise booth!

You are not committed to walking the full 2.5 mile walk, and can also participate in cute pet contests.

They have three competitions: best celebrity look alike, best dance moves, and best hairdo. (Sign up by 11:00 am to participate!)

There is also a complimentary shuttle service that starts picking people up at the satellite lots at 7:45 and loops through the lots until 2 in the afternoon.

They also have a team of dogs that perform some athletic tricks called The Purina Pro Plan Performance Team. This show is at 9 am and at 11 am. There is live music at 12:30 pm and then another Purina Team performance at 1 pm.

The Animal Humane Society is a shelter that gives any animal a chance to be adopted. While they could qualify as a no kill shelter, they choose not to and only euthanize pets with an incurable disease or untreatable behavior issues. Euthanization is only used when they’ve exhausted all other options.

Find out more about the Animal Humane Society here: https://www.animalhumanesociety.org

Basketball

Western Confrence Finals predictions

Leave a comment

The Golden State Warriors, and Houston Rockets, will play a seven game series for a trip to the NBA Finals, and a chance to play either the Celtics or Cavaliers.

The Rockets are coming off of two series that they won handily in five games a piece. These series were against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz.

The Warriors also played two five game series against the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orlean Pelicans. The Rockets will have home court advantage in this series after finishing the regular season with the best record in the entire NBA. This means that should the series go seven games, the Rockets will play the last game at home.

The Warriors were happy to get Stephen Curry back in game two, of the second round, against the Pelicans. Curry has had some very good games in this last round, including a 28 point performance in his return to the lineup.

The Rockets are still reveling in their acquisition of Chris Paul this offseason.

This last offseason was all about dethroning the Warriors. Teams like the Thunder acquired stars in order to compete with the Warriors super team, of course the Thunder’s “super team” was not very super as they were knocked out in round one by the Utah Jazz.

The Celtics acquired Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, who has been injured for the playoffs, and the whole year, respectively. The Celtics still managed to make the Eastern Conference finals, and may be the favorites if not for their injuries.

It is very likely that this Western Conference Finals champion will be the NBA Finals champion, as the Cavs do not have the talent to defeat either the Warriors or Rockets, and the Celtics would would need their players to magically heal right now.

The Warriors are looking to win their second straight championship, and their third championship in four years. And the Rockets are looking to win their first since the mid 90s, when Hakeem Olajuwon was the best player in the league (remember that Jordan was retired).

After everything that has happened to the city of Houston this year, the people there deserve a championship. Will the Rockets win? Will the Warriors go back-to-back? We will have to wait, but let’s hope it’s worth is.

Basketball

Review of NBA playoffs: Round 1

Leave a comment

With the beginning of the NBA Playoffs, there are teams just happy to make the playoffs, contenders for the Larry O’Brien trophy, and some unfamiliar dark horses.

Looking specifically at the Eastern Conference, starting with the matchup of the #1 seed Toronto Raptors vs. the #8 Washington Wizards. With hopes of winning the conference and moving on the Finals with a top five offense and a top five defense the Raptors are well coached and have a solid bench. The Wizards, although an 8 seed, have quite a lot of talent with John Wall running the show, and Bradley Beal topping the scoring table most nights at the shooting guard position. The Wizards were lacking offensive chemistry, and consistent communication on defense: Toronto won, 4-2.

Next, the #2 seeded Boston Celtics were matched up with the #7 Milwaukee Bucks boasting the “Greek Freak,” MVP candidate, Giannis Antetokounmpo. With the young stars of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, along with the veteran Al Horford, the Celtics were able to consistently score on the Bucks. Defending, however, was a far more difficult task. Antetokounmpo was finding ways to the hoop and kicking out to his shooters, Kris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon. Excellent coaching and hard-nosed defense enabled the Celtics to overcome a valiant effort from the Bucks for a 4-3 series victory.

Next, there was the matchup of the #3 seeded Philadelphia 76ers vs. the #6 seeded Miami Heat. With a top 5 defense, the Miami Heat gave the 76ers some toruble in games 2, 4, and 5, otherwise, Philadelphia cruised through and ended the Heat’s Cinderella story with the addition of experienced star Dwyane Wade late in the season.

Finally, the #4 seeded Cavaliers played the #5 seeded Indiana Pacers. This was the most interesting, gripping, intriguing series of them all. While the Cavs have the best player on the planet, and arguably the best player of all-time, Lebron James, the rest of the team was struggling quite mightily. The defense was out of sorts, and the marksmen of the team had not been hitting the net consistently after the All-Star break.

The Pacers, however, had been on a roll and everything was falling into place at the perfect time. Consequently, they were giving the Cavs lots of problems with the size of Myles Turner inside, the three point shooting of CJ Myles, Victor Oladipo, and the expert facilitation from the lightning quick Darren Collison.

Lebron had to put the Cavs on his back in order to beat the Pacers, and that he did: averaging 34.4 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. Lebron almost single-handedly, with the help of Kevin Love late in the series, advanced the Cavs in a grueling seven game series.