Monthly Archives: October 2018

School Life

Spirit Week

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September 24th to 28th was Highland’s Spirit Week, each day consisting of a different theme for students and teachers.

  • Monday was “Dress up Day”
  • Tuesday was “Pajama Day”
  • Wednesday was “Minnesota Wear Day”
  • Thursday was “Class Color Day”
  • Friday was “Red Out.”

Many students and staff enjoyed Pajama Day as there were many unique and cute pajamas worn. Most of the pajamas worn by students were onesies, and others were just pajama pants. Pajama day is seen as one of the most popular days of Spirit Week as students tend to talk about it more. They also get more excited about it as they chat with friends about what they’ll wear.

Friday was Red Out for students to show their school spirit by wearing the school colors which are red and white. Red out is usually the last day of spirit week, and that is because Pep Fest takes place on that Friday. Many students and staff would wear red on that Friday to show school spirit during the pep fest.

This year’s Spirit Week went well, as many students and teachers had fun dressing up for each day.  I interviewed three students about Spirit Week, here is what they had to say.

Jennie Vang(Junior): Spirit Week wasn’t that creative this year; the Minnesota wear day was just random. Also, for dress up Monday, everyone was planning to dress up already because it’s also Picture Day. Overall, I really enjoyed Pep Fest just because we had some new performances; the boys and girls soccer team had their own dance which was new and really cool. Other performances like the Dance team, Football team, and Cheer team did a really good job; it felt really different this year.

Aicha Minoui(Senior): Spirit Week was really fun, but I would try to do something more interesting, and new since it seems like the themes are the same every year. Something I really enjoyed though, was wearing something new or weird and having others join me. Also, I enjoyed showing off my class shirt because I can show people that I’m an upperclassman and not a Freshman.

Emily St. Clair (Senior): I didn’t really enjoy most of Spirit Week, but I’m glad we have it just so we can show ourselves a bit more. I really enjoyed Pep Fest, it looked like we had a lot more students this year because half of the Freshman and Sophmores were sitting on the floor. I really just want pajama day everyday.

School Life

Scot’s Band performance at the Homecoming game

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By: Daniela Fernandez

This year at the Homecoming game against MSB the Scot’s Band played. The Scot’s Band played in the stands with everyone from Highland cheering for our team, while playing  through the cold weather. They were directed by Joel Matuzak the band director here at Highland.

While the Scot’s Band only played throughout the first half of the game, they still played a wide variety of songs. Before going into the stands they played for the people who were tailgating before the game started. They played “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire on the stairs. Then they left for the stands.

During the game Saturday afternoon the Scot’s Band suffered through the cold as they played for the people who attended the Homecoming game. They played “7 Nation Army” by The White Stripes, “Highland Rouser” by W. Rayford Johnson and Joel Matuzak, and “Paint it Black” by The Rolling Stones. They also played many songs from Stadium Jams Vol. 2, and from this they played “Back in Black” by AC/DC. Then they played songs from Stadium Jams Vol. 3, and from this they played “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas, and “Final Countdown” by Europe. Then the Scot’s Band played “Tequila” by Chuck Rio. Next they played “Uma Thurman” by Fall Out Boy and they played some popular songs including “Handclap” by Fitz and the Tantrums, “My House” by Flo Rida, and lastly “Feel it Still” by Portugal. The Man.

After the Scot’s Band finished playing it was time for the Halftime show. This year, for the halftime show, the Highland Park Senior High marching band played. They played “Feel it Still” by Portugal. The Man. While they were playing this song they were moving around the field to create different shapes and letters. At the end of their performance they finished in the formation of HPSH. This performance wrapped up all the bands’ performances at the game while people stayed, and they watched the rest of the game.

Adapted Soccer, Football, Scoreboard/Schedule, Soccer, Volleyball

Sports schedule for: Oct 8-14

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Here are next week’s scheduled events. Those hosted at Highland Park H.S. are in bold.  We hope you will attend the events of your choice and support our student athletes.  Bus times are noted for away games.
MONDAY DATE: October 8, 2018
TIME BUS LEAVES EVENT DETAILS BUS RETURNS
4:30 pm Adapted Soccer – PI: Varsity Game St. Paul Hawks vs. Mpls. Adapted @ Minneapolis South HS.
4:30pm 3:00pm Football: JV Game vs. St. Croix Lutheran @ St. Croix Lutheran 8:00pm
TUESDAY DATE: October 9, 2018
TIME BUS LEAVES EVENT DETAILS BUS RETURNS
4:30 pm Adapted Soccer – CI: Varsity Game Burn/Farm/Lake vs. St. Paul Humboldt Hawks @ St Paul Humboldt High School
5:30 pm 4:00pm Volleyball: Girls C Squad Match vs. Washington Technology Magnet @ Washington Technology Magnet 8:00pm
5:30 pm 4:00pm Volleyball: Girls JV Match vs. Washington Technology Magnet @ Washington Technology Magnet 8:00pm
7:00 pm 4:00pm Volleyball: Girls Varsity Match vs. Washington Technology Magnet @ Washington Technology Magnet 8:00pm
TBA Boys and Girls Soccer Section Tournament TBA
WEDNESDAY DATE: October 10, 2018
TIME BUS LEAVES EVENT DETAILS BUS RETURNS
4:30 pm Adapted Soccer – PI: Varsity Game Rochester Raiders vs. St. Paul Hawks @ St. Paul Humboldt High School
THURSDAY DATE: October 11, 2018
TIME BUS LEAVES EVENT DETAILS BUS RETURNS
4:00 pm 2:20pm Swimming: Girls Varsity Meet

NON-CONFERENCE

 Highland Park/SPA vs. Como/Johnson @ St. Paul Humboldt High School 6:30pm
4:30 pm Adapted Soccer – CI: Varsity Game North Tartan Adapted vs. St. Paul Humboldt Hawks @ St. Paul Humboldt High School
5:30 pm   Volleyball: Girls C Squad Match Vs. Humboldt @ St. Paul Highland Park H.S.
5:30 pm   Volleyball: Girls JV Match vs. Humboldt @ St. Paul Highland Park H.S.
7:00 pm   Volleyball: Girls Varsity Match vs. Humboldt @ St. Paul Highland Park H.S.

 

FRIDAY DATE: October 12, 2018
TIME BUS LEAVES EVENT DETAILS BUS RETURNS
7:00 pm 5:00pm Football:  Varsity Game Vs. Providence Academy @ Providence Academy 9:00pm
SATURDAY DATE: October 13, 2018
TIME BUS LEAVES EVENT DETAILS BUS RETURNS
8:00 am 7:00am Volleyball: Girls C Squad Conference Tournament (Date changed from 10-06-18) vs. Central, Como Park, Harding, Humboldt, Johnson, Washington Technology Magnet @ St. Paul Harding H.S. 4:00pm
8:00 am 7:00am Volleyball: Girls JV Conference Tournament (Date changed from 10-06-18) vs. Central, Como Park, Harding, Humboldt, Johnson, Washington Technology Magnet @ St. Paul Harding H.S. 4:00pm
9:00 am 7:00am Volleyball: Girls Varsity Tournament Vs. Academy of Holy Angels, Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Centennial, DeLaSalle, Holy Family Catholic, Mahtomedi, Simley, Wayzata @ Benilde-St. Margaret. 4:00pm

 

SUNDAY DATE: October 14, 2018

 

News, World

Marijuana and legalization

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No matter who you are, you probably have an opinion on the debate about whether or not marijuana should be legalized. According to The Pew Research Center, support for recreational marijuana use, and for legalization, has nearly doubled to 61% of Americans since 2000, when support was at 31%. As more and more states start to legalize marijuana, we need to get informed and start deciding what would be best for our state of Minnesota.

What is Marijuana?

Marijuana is defined as the dried flowers and leaves of a cannabis plant. It puts you in a state of “high” by mimicking a brain chemical and latching on to your neuro transmitters, which alters the way your brain sends messages to your body.

Arguments against marijuana

  • People with pre-existing marijuana problems will have easier access to the drug
  • The industry will market too heavily to younger targets
  • It has been proven to contribute to long, and short, term memory loss
  • There isn’t a productive way to enforce driving limits like there is with alcohol
  • Indoor marijuana farms could use up a lot of resources, and outdoor farms could have a harmful impact on wildlife

Arguments for marijuana

  • The majority of the public favors legalization
  • Legalization could create new jobs and revenue
  • Marijuana has medical benefits such as reducing the size of cancerous tumors, lowering anxiety and depression, and it can reduce the chance of seizures
  • Studies have shown it is less toxic then alcohol, which is a legal substance
  • Legalization could reduce legal costs, including police enforcement and jail expenses

At HPSH, I asked 10 adults and 10 students if they were in favor of legalizing marijuana or against it. 5 out of the 10 adults were in favor of legalization, while 7 out of the 10 teens felt marijuana should be legalized for medical and recreational use.

There are good arguments for both sides, for and against, but before any decisions should be made, there needs to  be more research done. If marijuana is to be legalized, the pros should outweigh the cons.

Music/Concerts

BTS ‘Love Yourself’ tour

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The time has come again for BTS to gear up for another successful world tour. BigHit, BTS’s label, announced their upcoming world tour on April 26, 2018. The initial number of shows were 7 in Asia, 15 in North America, 7 in Europe and 29 in total, but BigHit revealed on July 30, 2018 that they’ve added 4 more shows to the Japanese leg of the tour, making it 33 total shows.

So far, they’ve had 12 shows in Seoul, Los Angeles, Oakland, Fort Worth, and Hamilton. All of their shows have been sold out. They performed at the Seoul Olympic Stadium, with 90,000 people in attendance. In their North America locations, they’ve performed at the Staples Center, Oracle Arena, Fort Worth Convention Center, and the First Ontario Centre, and had 164,000 attended in total.

BigHit has announced that BTS will be performing at Citi Field Stadium in New York. Tickets sold out in 20 minutes making them the first Korean artists to have a concert in a U.S. stadium.

For the European Leg of the tour, BTS will be visiting London, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Paris. The London dates sold out in two minutes, and the Berlin shows sold out in nine minutes. BigHit has revealed that all 100,000 tickets for their European leg have been sold out.

With almost every show sold out, new locations and concerts are in high demand. BTS will most likely be adding more events to their tour, so the ARMY (BTS’s fan base) should be on the lookout for additional tickets and concerts.

 

 

Clubs and Activities

What’s Girl Unity at Highland?

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Recap of last school years Girl Unity

Back for another year at Highland Park is the official group, Girl Unity started by Natalie Mendoza and Selah Jacoway. Last year was the first year of Girl Unity and coming in as a brand new club the support was heart warming and inspirational. Girl Unity created a positive image for themselves which is what we strived for. We were very happy with the sucesss of creating a new club. The impact on the community was not as significant as we hoped for it to be, but we have to realize success comes in time and patience.

How was Girl Unity started?

Girl Unity was started by Natalie Mendoza and Selah Jacoway towards the middle of our 10th and 11th grade year. We were both facing many girl to girl issues in our after school sports and daily school activities; from drama, fights, cyber bullying, bad communication, and no sense of respect for one another as females. This was a negative affect on our mood, achievement of games, practices, and school work; something had to be done immediately. After expressing our thoughts and concerns we set out to start a club that would combat many of these issues.

Highland is not a bad school, and neither are the students but whenever too many girls share a small space conflicts are at times destined to arise. We made a proposal that was presented to Mr. Sager, our vice principal, he was impressed with our ideas. We where sent to Mrs. Hanson, a secretary for the principal, we agreed on a time and place to host Girl Unity, all we needed was to advertise; the movement was in motion.

We had almost 6 sessions of Girl Unity, in our first year, and in those meetings we had good discussions. We addressed the topic of the exploitation of women, color and skin division, women’s roles in society, and how to handle situations and conflicts in a healthy way. Overall, the club was a positive experience and I am excited to do it again.

Girl Unity today

Girl Unity’s first session was on Thursday, September 20, at 2:15-3:15. Natalie could not take on the club with me so I have the opportunity to lead the club this year independently. We had a turn out of 10 girls, of all grades, from 9th-12th grade. The Girls are focused and interested in the club. I am excited for the success and the impact it brings to Highland this year and in the future.

Entertainment, Movies/TV/Theaters

‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ review

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It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia has just hit it’s 13th season, bringing it closer and closer to being the longest running live-action sitcom. The premiere for this season, titled “The Gang Makes Paddy’s Great Again,” has recently aired, and it was…just okay.

The first notable difference in this season is the absence of Dennis (Glenn Howerton). In the season 12 finale, Dennis left to North Dakota, so he could be a father to his son. This was because Howerton was doing another show, and didn’t know if he could do Sunny along with it. He had been there since the first season, offering angry outbursts and a chin chiseled by the gods themselves, it was sad to see him go.

His replacement was Cindy, played by Mindy Kaling (her most notable role being Kelly Kapoor from The Office). In Sunny, Kaling plays a manipulative women, who knows how to get Paddy’s more customers through lies and, well, manipulation. We first see her speaking to a crowd in Paddy’s, explaining how welcoming the gang had been, and that it is a great bar for people of all religions, sexuality, and gender.

As soon as her speech is over we cut to the back office, where Cindy explains that they finally got the “liberal crowd” for Paddy’s. It was a fake speech meant to entice the left to Paddy’s, so they could have more customers. The gang thanks her, and we learn that next they’ll be going for the conservatives by “Making Paddy’s Great Again.”

We cut to Mac’s apartment. This is where Mac decides to unveil his new abs, so it looks like we’ve come a long way from season seven’s “Fat Mac.” We then learn that Mac also bought a Dennis look-alike doll, that really creeps out the rest of the gang. This doll is what turns the episode from a political satire to a whole new plot.

Cindy eventually shows up, and explains her whole plan, and tells Mac to get rid of the doll. But he doesn’t. When the gang gets ready to do the plan, it seems to be perfectly fine. Dee is beautiful, Frank can play the tuba, Mac and Charlie have wonderfully decorated “Liberal Tears” signs for the right-wingers.

But the plan falls apart when the Dennis doll gets in their heads. The gang swears they can the hear the doll talking to them, saying everything that Dennis would say. This confuses Cindy, and of course makes her angry as it is making her plan fall apart. Dee ruins her make-up, Charlie and Mac ruin the signs, and Frank can no longer play the tuba. Everything is destroyed due to this doll, and therefore, because of Dennis.

Which is why, when Dennis comes back, Cindy gets so upset. It’s understandable, he ruined her plans and constantly bashes the gang, but he’s a part of them. That’s why it’s also so understandable that the gang lets him back in.

Dennis returns in a creepy fashion, which is very true to his character. The gang is talking about the doll, when all of a sudden we hear it talk. Well, we think we do. The camera actually pans right, revealing real life Dennis standing there accompanied with a jumpscare sound effect.

Dennis makes his remarks, Cindy argues that they shouldn’t let him in the gang, but they do. She leaves in a huff, and the episode ends with the original gang all back together. Dennis asks Mac if he’s gained weight, and we cut to the credits.

So, overall the episode felt very…forced. Of course, this could have been on purpose because Mindy Kaling was forced into the group as a replacement for Dennis, and the creators made the show feel like how the gang felt. But it doesn’t help that there were few laughs, and the sound quality didn’t seem to be the best.

It’s a good episode, it did it’s job, but I also don’t think it was at it’s best. Hopefully, the rest of the season does go above and beyond as Sunny is shown it is be able to do.

Travel/Food

Travel tips!

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10 Helpful Travel Tips

Have you ever left something really important at home while leaving for vacation, or not have enough room in your suitcase for clothes? Here are some useful travel tips to help you out.

1. Pack Light

Take half the clothes you think you will need…you won’t need as much as you think. Write down a list of essentials, cut it in half, and then only pack that!

2. Don’t fold your clothes flat, roll them in your suitcase

Do you ever run out of space while packing clothes? Instead of folding your clothes so they are flat, roll them, and you will see this method gives you so much more space.

3. Always have a backup plan.

It’s important to have a backup plan as we all tend to mess up sometimes. You could forget renting a rental car, but you thought you did. You could get lost while exploring, or not have any WiFi to call anyone. Traveling is a lot of work, don’t think to yourself that nothing will go wrong, because that’s just not true.

4. Plan ahead

Book flights and hotels 2-3 months in advance in case they end up getting booked. Also, it’s a lot cheaper if you don’t wait until the last minute.

5. Be prepared for the worst

Like I said, you never know what’s going to happen. Pack a flashlight and a basic first aid kit just in case. You or someone else could get hurt or the power could go out.

6. Be patient

Traveling takes a lot of time, especially in the airport. Those security lines are the longest, but just stay cool you’ll get there. There’s no need to rush, it won’t make you go any faster.

7. On travel days get everywhere early

As I said, the airport security lines are so long so you’ll need to plan out how long you think it will take to get through them, and when your flight is. It’s better to be there a little early and sit, then miss your flight because of a long line.

8. Don’t fall for the scam!!

Travel scams are very common in famous places, that’s how some people get their money. Be cautious of people coming up to you and offering you something for money. Since you’re not familiar to the area you could think it’s not a scam and makes sense, but don’t fall for it because it most likely is!

9. Check the weather ahead

Wherever you are going it’s most likely the weather is different, so check the weather ahead of time. This will help you to know what clothes you’ll need, like if you need a jacket and boots or tank top and shorts. Then you won’t freeze or be to hot.

10. Finally, wear sunscreen

This only applies to those traveling in the tropic areas and places where the sun can hurt you. It’s so important to wear sunscreen, most of us think it’s no big deal. The sun does so much damage to your skin if not protected from it, so do your skin a favor and wear sunscreen you don’t want melanoma.