Harry Styles Love on Tour: A review and overview

October 26, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By Erin M. Moore

On October 15, 2022, I had the privilege of attending Harry Styles’ Love on Tour. In my opinion, it was the best concert I’ve been to in my entire life. Thus, I decided to detail and review the experience for anyone who comes across this article.

Disclaimer for the following article: I am a huge fan of both Harry Styles and his music, so this article will definitely be affected by that.

I’ll begin with an overview of the concert.

His North America tour began in Toronto on August 15th and 16th, then went to New York from August 20th-September 21st. From there he went to Austin from September 25th-October 3rd, Chicago from October 6th-October 15th, and finally to Los Angeles from October 23rd-November 15th.

His Europe, Asia, and South America tour began on June 11th, in Glasgow, UK and will end on December 10th in Curitiba, Brazil, taking a break for the North America tour following July 31st in Lisbon, Portugal, and prior to his concert in Guadalajara, Mexico on November 20th.

Harry’s North America setlist has contained most every song from his most recent album, ‘Harry’s House,’ along with “Golden”, “Adore You”, “Treat People With Kindness”, and “Watermelon Sugar” from his second solo album, ‘Fine Line.’ It also included “Sign of the Times” and ‘Kiwi”, from his first solo album, “What Makes You Beautiful”, from his first album with One Direction, and an unreleased song, “Medicine”.

I attended the final night in Chicago, Illinois at the United Center on October 15, 2022. The United Center had several special features for the concert, including Late Night Talking Phone Booths to record a message for Harry Styles, Harry’s Garage Photo Wall to take pictures in front of, Commemorative Puzzle Pieces for the first 10,000 fans at each show, and Harry’s Hangout, a lounge for chaperones of those attending the concert.

On to the review section.

Two of my friends, fellow students at HPSH, also attended earlier dates in Chicago. “I’ve never been so happy and sad at the same time,” said Lucy Bradford, “it was the peak of my existence.”

Prior to the concert, my favorite songs off his album, ‘Harry’s House,’ were “Late Night Talking,” “As It Was,” and “Love of My Life.” I was also very excited to hear “Kiwi” as it was my favorite off his first solo album.

After the concert, this remained fairly similar. The best song, in my opinion, that I heard live, was “Medicine”, though most of the songs I listed in the above paragraph were high up in my list as well. While “Medicine” was frequently on his setlist three years ago, October 15 was the third time he’d played it since. The crowd was likely at its height volume-wise, his vocals and dancing were amazing, and the song in general was great.

While I adore all of his songs, my least favorite song of his that I heard live was probably “Adore You,” simply because it didn’t stick out to me as a performance anywhere close to as outstanding as some of his others, and it wasn’t as memorable as many of his setlist.

If you know anything about Harry Styles outside of his music career, you know he’s known for his fashion sense, which many would consider to be groundbreaking. For the concert I attended, he wore a white vest with yellow hearts and baby blue pants. Which, in my opinion, was one of his best outfits of the tour thus far (however, not the best, because he’s had some utterly stunning outfits in earlier concerts).

On the topic of fashion, the concert also sold lots of various types of merchandise, including crewnecks, hoodies, shirts, tote bags, socks, and posters (though posters were free at the concert I attended). Chicago had orange crewnecks, which weren’t as cute of a color as some others, but still looked very comfy and great on those who purchased them. I got the black concert t-shirt, because I thought it had the best design, it would be comfortable, and I would frequently wear it. Overall, the merch was very stylish and comfortable.

One of my favorite memories from the concert was when “Medicine” came on and the entire arena was filled with noise. I also enjoyed when he read peoples’ signs and responded to them.

Want to learn more? Check out unitedcenter.com/harryshouse, harrystyles.com, any social medias of Harry Styles’, YouTube (and other) videos of the concert, or playlists of the setlist.

Soccer

Minnesota United final regular season game plus preview of the playoffs

October 26, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Aeden Evenson-McDermott

On Decision Day in MLS, the Loons hosted the Vancouver Whitecaps at home at Allianz Field. Coming into this game, there were high expectations and a good amount of pressure on the Loons to finally win a game after not winning a game in the previous six fixtures. If the Loons won they would be into the playoffs! A loss would be the end of the season and a tie would get them over the line but only receiving the seventh spot. As for Vancouver, they would have to win the game outright.

The final game of the season at home would be crucial in order for the Loons to have the home team momentum. The record setting number of fans echoing voices boosted the Loons momentum and would help the team through the match.

Vancouver would be off to the start early with a few beautiful opportunities to score against the Loons, especially in the 6th minute when Vancouver was in front of the goal and almost scored. They would also have a few other chances but none could reach the back net. Loon’s goalkeeper, Dayne St. Clair had glorious saves and made sure the ball stayed out of the net.

After a nerving start, the Loons got composed and in the 17th minute, Argentine midfielder Franco Fragapane rolled the ball into the bottom right corner. 1-0 loons!

Throughout the remaining time of the first half and even into the second half, both the Loons and the Whitecaps showed their progressive attacking chances going forward.

An All Star performance by goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who also received the Man of the Match, helped the Loons keep a clean sheet (not since July 16) and not concede a goal vs Vancouver.

The end of Vancouver’s season would be when newly arrived midfielder Jonathan González slammed the ball into the back of the net in the 77th minute!

The Loons showed their character after some unfortunate matches in order to book their spot in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. They would receive the 6th spot and would make the playoffs for the 4th straight year!

Looking to Monday October 17th, the Loons will travel to Dallas to take on the 3rd spot team, FC Dallas, at 8:30 pm for the first round of the playoffs. Dallas is a strong team but results have not been the best for them as of late. T

he Loons will have to prove once again how they can play anybody day in day out in order for a victory. It should be a good game and a true test for both teams. The MLS Playoffs should be exciting and best of luck to all teams!

Cross Country

Highland Park sweeps the SPPS conference cross country meet

October 25, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Abby Altman

On Monday afternoon, teams from 7 Saint Paul high schools showed up to the Highland Golf Course to compete for the conference title.

Como Park, Harding, Humboldt, Central, Johnson, and Washington Tech all put their best runners forward to try and compete with the reigning champions, Highland Park. The Highland Park girls team has won 11 straight city conference titles, while the boys team has won 3 straight.

For the Boys race, there was a lot of pressure on many runners. Highland Park and Como Park were both section champions and state qualifiers in 2021, and the conference title would not be an easy one to win for either team. Como’s number 1 runner, Charlie Power Theisen, is ranked 11 overall in class AA for the state of Minnesota.

Power Theisen was expected to win the boys race, and he did just that. He finished with a time of 15:40, which was 22 seconds ahead of 2nd place, who happened to be Charlie’s teammate, Mason Aarness.

Highland Park’s first runner, Gavin Roberts, crossed the finish line right behind Aarness, and was soon followed by teammate Ben Martin. Highland Park had runners finish in places 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9, while Como had runners finish 1, 2, 5, 13, and 14.

“It feels great to represent Como in the conference,” said Power Theisen after winning his 3rd straight conference title.

Highland Park beat Como by 4 points. In comparison, there was a 28 point difference between Como Park and 3rd place, Central.

The results for the Varsity boys race were 1) Highland Park, 2) Como Park, 3) Central, 4) Humboldt, 5) Washington, 6) Johnson, and 7) Harding.

Highland Park is ranked number 5 overall in Class AA.

Highland’s Boys Varsity team consists of 5 seniors out of 7 runners. Graduation will likely take a toll on the future of the boys team.

For the girls, this meet was not as stressful as previous meets they’ve attended. “The pre-race atmosphere contributed to so many amazing races,” said senior Delia Johnson. “There was no nervous energy. We were all confident, calm, and energized with team spirit.”

The Highland Park girls team won the conference title by a wide margin. Junior Luna Scorzelli cruised to the finish line with a new school record of 17:25. Senior Delia Johnson followed in 2nd place with a time of 18:17. Highland finished just shy of a perfect score, with runners coming in at 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7, with Laura McClary from Central finishing in 4th.

Only 4 teams were able to fill a lineup for the girls varsity meet. Highland Park, Central, Humboldt, and Washington, (finishing in that order), filled out full rosters and competed for the conference title.

The Highland Park girls are ranked number 1 in Class AA state. The reigning state champions do not appear to have lost any of their fire or determination over the past year.

“There is mostly excitement in terms of results,” says senior Chloe Koch. “Everyone just wants to see how fast they can race and have fun at the same time.” Koch also said that “There is some pressure to perform well but that isn’t being pushed by the coaches or the team. We know everyone will run super well.”

Confidence is exuding from the Highland Park girls as they look ahead to sections next week.

Unlike the boys team, the girls team will likely not be as affected by graduating seniors. Only 2 seniors currently hold varsity roster spots, and the girls JV team is on fire this season and has many girls ready to fill those spots.

Highland Park also took home the JV trophies, as JV boys and girls took the number 1 spot in their races.

Junior Will Pinto won the JV boys race, and sophomore Sam Palm took home the JV girls victory.

The HP JV girls have been undefeated in races this season, and dominated the playing field at Conference. Highland put 35 girls into the JV race, and in the top 30 finishers out of 60, only 3 were not from Highland.

All teams will be looking ahead to their section meets next week.

Sports

The end of the F1 season and the Suzuka Grand Prix

October 25, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Jocelyn Knorr

The evening was a rainy one; the race had been red-flagged for so long that the sun was starting to go down. The grandstands were only sparsely populated, cold or hunger beating out excitement. And, unbeknownst to him, Max Verstappen had just won the Suzuka Grand Prix.

So, how did this happen, anyways?

Let’s back it up a bit. Suzuka is a racetrack in Japan, carrying the name of the city it was built in. It’s known for it’s figure-eight track and calm atmosphere—Japanese fans tend to be calm and polite. To illustrate my point, there were no orange flares with the usual Verstappen crowd in sight last week. Plenty of fun hats, though! Notable examples include rear wings, onboard cameras, and one miniature AlphaTauri—with working wheels! Thirteen World Driver’s Championships have now been decided there, including Sunday’s.

This track in particular is a very special place for Max Verstappen; the Dutchman made his F1 debut there, as a Practice 1 driver for what is now AlphaTauri. That made him the youngest driver ever in F1, at 17 years and 3 days. He will hold that record for the rest of F1’s history—the FiA, the international authority for most motorsport, no longer hands out Super Licenses to those under 18.

Verstappen has since experienced a meteoric rise; the 25-year-old is now under contract with Red Bull Racing until 2028. He won his first championship in 2021, after a long, brutal fight with Mercedes driver, and 7-time WDC, Lewis Hamilton, and now has 33 race wins under his belt. 13 of those are from this season alone; he’s won more races in 2022 than anyone else put together.

Sunday’s race had only gone two laps before being stopped due to heavy weather. This is fairly standard—a race was even called off entirely in 2020 due to inclement conditions that could have put the drivers at risk of death—even if Japan does have a tendency towards caution when it comes to suspensions and delays.

It took two hours to get the cars back out on track. As the FiA has imposed a three-hour event limit on racing events, the remaining 18 drivers—Albon’s radiator failed on lap 1 and Sainz spun into the barriers on lap 2—only had 42 minutes to the checkered flag. Verstappen qualified second, after Charles Leclerc, but managed to pull ahead before the red flag.

Because of the rain, race control implemented a rolling start behind the safety car so that the drivers could get used to the conditions. When the safety car left, Verstappen pulled ahead again, and remained there for the rest of the race.

So, how did Verstappen end up winning the Championship without his knowledge?

Well, let’s refocus. After the 2021 Belgium Grand Prix was canceled due to inclement weather, the FiA installed a points system for shortened Grands Prix, rather than awarding full points as was done on that occasion. If less than 25% of the race is completed, 6 points are awarded to the winner, 4 to the person in second place, and 3 to the person in third; if over 25%, but less that 50%, is completed, the points awarded are 13-10-8, and if 50%-75% is completed, the points awarded are 19-14-12. Anything over 75%, points are awarded as usual.

As the race progressed, it was looking more and more like we would end with slightly under 75% of the race completed—with 19 points earned, Verstappen would win the Grand Prix but not the championship. Then, Charles Leclerc, who had been fighting with Checo Perez, overtook the Red Bull driver off-track on the last lap. A five-second time penalty and demotion was handed out to Leclerc post race. This 5-second penalty pushed us over the 75% mark, allowing full points to be awarded.

Verstappen finished the race in first, but was under the impression that he still needed one more point to win the championship. He remained that way through post-race interviews, only to find out in the cool down room, via a door labeled “Reserved for World Champion.”

So, what does this mean for the season going forward? The next race is in Austin, on the 22nd, and though the Championship is decided, there’s more fun to be had. For example, what of the Constructors? Red Bull Racing hasn’t won the Constructors since 2013, narrowly missing out on it in 2021. There’s also the second place to be decided, Leclerc and Perez separated by only one point, not to mention Alpine and McLaren’s race for top of the midfield.

So, a very warm congratulations to Max Verstappen on his 2nd WDC, and don’t stop watching the season yet! The very best is still to come.

UPDATE: Since the writing of this article, the Austin race has been decided. Max won again, and Red Bull won the Constructors. Second place is still up in the air, making the next race, in Mexico City, important to those still in the hunt.

Books/Art, Tech/Games

How books have gained popularity from social media

October 24, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Kaylen Fuentes

During the pandemic, leading up to now, I’ve noticed an increase of people (whether it’s on social media or in real life) who have started reading or picked it back up again, and I believe this is because of social media or trends on social media.

To test this I interviewed several people to see the ways these students started reading because of social media or that can make a connection between reading and social media. As well as or how much (or little) they read because of social media.

I asked every student I interviewed the same question. “What impact do you think social media has had on books and reading for you personally?”

Chloe Rocha: I have seen suggestions for books on social media, and the internet has made me want to read those books more. I usually add them to a list of books I want to read and I’ve been trying to read more.

Trevor Kristjanson: I think social media has hurt the amount I read because, usually when I’m reading I decide to stop reading because of my phone. But I also get most of my book recommendations from social media so it also allows me to read more. I also think the popularity of books and how much they are talked about on social media makes me want to read them more because those popular books are popular for a reason.

Manny Ochoa-Reeve: I don’t think social media has made me want to read more, I don’t read much and I never read before I was active on social media or now.

Alexa Ramirez: I feel like reading has been glorified, especially on TikTok. Books have been incorporated into style and aesthetics as well. So, I think I’ve seen a lot of people with style and trends I want to follow and a lot of times books are incorporated into that lifestyle. So, those people with those styles make me want to read it because it made those people look cool.

3 out of the 4 people I interviewed believe that social media has had an impact on the reasons they read.

Part of why I believe social media has seen a rise in the popularity of books is because now there is such easy access to books on the internet, with online libraries, ebooks, audiobooks, etc. According to statista.com, there were over a billion ebook users worldwide in 2021 alone.

An example of a social media platform that has boosted reading is TikTok. When quarantine began there was a trend in a side of TikTok, called BookTok. Where a bunch of readers were able to give each other book recommendations, book hauls and talk about their favorite and current reads. As of September 2022 the hashtag #BookTok has 80.3 billion views on TikTok.

TikTok has helped to boost many book based platforms through BookTok as well, like Goodreads, that has gotten more popular throughout the pandemic and quarantine. Goodreads is an app where people can rate the books they are currently reading, mark books they want to read, review books, and see what friends recommend and review. According to statista.com, the number of people on Goodreads stands at 90 million.

Another reason why I think that books have gotten more popular off of social media is authors of certain books becoming more active on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube. An example that comes to mind is John Green. John Green is known for his books ‘Looking for Alaska’, ‘The Fault in Our Stars’, and ‘Paper Towns’. As of now, John Green has 1.8 million followers on Instagram, 2.1 million on TikTok, and his YouTube channel with his brother has 3.47 million subscribers.

Part of why I think authors have started posting on social media is about promotion. John Green, among other authors, have books that came out years ago, but they still get comments and questions about them daily on social media. This gives them a chance to promote his books while still answering questions. Many authors I’ve noticed who have social media, and post frequently, incorporate all types of things to post. From following trends, to talking about their personal life, which I think makes them more likeable and relatable to others.

I think social media has overall done a lot for growth in books and authors, but I do think that some toxicity lies behind it. Romanticizing reading has been something that’s increased and I’m happy to see an increase in readers but I think unrealistic expectations have been set about reading through social media. Social media shouldn’t dictate whether or not you do or don’t read a book, but certain books are popular for certain reasons. But overall, I think books gaining popularity through social media can be a good thing as long as you can stick to your own opinions and don’t let other dictate what you think of certain books.

Editorials/Student Voice

Does high school really prepare students for college?

October 24, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Abisola Dosunmu

High school is a time for learning, a time where you learn to develop your social skills, a time for new extracurricular activities, loads of homework, new responsibilities, and also new experiences. The last compulsory education in America. Students spend on average 30 hours each week in class, proceeding from one class to the next.

But does all that really prepare highschoolers for college?

After graduating, young adults are expected to know what to do next. The next step forward differs for everyone, but some decide to join the military, some decide to study abroad, some decide to take a gap year, some go to college, and some start working. The data shows that the students that graduated in 2019 report that 66.2 percent of graduates decided to continue their post secondary education.

For many of the students that continue on to college, college is usually a major transition. Students go from small classes, structured time periods, and little to no actual expenses to classes ranging around 100+ students, all of a sudden you can take classes in the evening, and this scary thing called student loans is looming up at you in the distance.

High school ideally will have prepared students for these new changes and challenges, but is that what’s really happening?

Are students really learning anything in high school? While In school, students are taught basic science, history, language arts and math, but are they teaching students the skills they need to succeed in real world situations? Students are taught how to memorize information, not really saying anything about absorbing it. At least, not absorbing it enough to be able to remember and apply to real world situations. Are most of us really going to remember, use and apply, the use of simultaneous equations we learned in 8th grade? No, I don’t think so. I’m not saying that what they’re teaching us isn’t important, because it is, but educators need to realize it’s not the only life skill students need.

Students should be taught how to manage their time, learn how to do taxes, develop conversation skills, and writing skills, which, yes, is taught in English, but teachers need to devote more time to teach students how to write resumes and college essays (whether or not they decide to pursue higher education), and how to handle money.

Classes like home ec. should be offered in more schools to teach basic skills like how to cook, how to fix things, how to be more responsible about safety, basically how to manage a household for people who don’t plan on living with their parents forever. Even if it’s just an apartment, students need to learn how to take care of their living space and the rent.

Students should be taught more life skills devoid of the usual math, science and English classes. We need to learn about life outside of school, because that’s basically what going to school is for. To prepare kids for adulthood.

All of this cycles back to my question. Are students really prepared for college or life? I honestly think educators could do a better job of preparing students for real life, not just hammering algebraic expressions into our heads or making us reread and re-examine “The Lottery” in English. Educators need to start thinking about things that would actually benefit students in the future besides the usual classes. Skills that will not only be beneficial in college, but in life as well.

For more information, please visit:

Soccer

UEFA Champion’s League group stage review (so far)

October 21, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Dylan Moore

Group A: Looking at the standings in this group, you would be initially surprised. But anyone who has watched this group knows Napoli’s undefeated record is no fluke. After a 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool, Napoli showed their true intent in this group stage. The Italian team has taken Europe by storm, along with their new star Georgian player, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

As for the rest of the group, things are going as expected. Aside from the previously mentioned loss to Napoli, Liverpool has dominated the ties as expected. Meanwhile, Ajax and Rangers have scrambled for the leftover points, Ajax obtaining the lone win in a 4-0 destruction on Rangers.

Group B: On the note of surprising group standings, here we have group B. Perennial bottom 3rd & 4th place CL group finishers Club Brugge have put in a great shift this UCL season, topping their group with 10 points.

To the surprise of many, it’s Porto and not Atletico Madrid that are in second place. Not surprising to anyone, is Leverkusen’s last place standing, given their poor form all season. New manager Xabi Alonso hopes to change the seemingly doomed fate of the German side. As things stand, second place is anyone’s game.

Group C: This year’s group of death has been fascinating yet unsurprising, as these groups always seem to be. The ever unfortunate Viktoria Plzen is yet to even get a point, as European juggernauts Bayern Munchen are yet to drop any.

The only surprising result thus far is Barcelona’s underperformance. They have been unable to get a win against Inter, regardless of their impressive additions in the recent transfer window. Inter looks to hang on to the 2nd spot as Barcelona faces the daunting task of playing Bayern yet again.

Group D: This group has been in utter chaos. With the amount of games left, any team could end up in any position. Aside from Tottenham coming out to lead the group after a rocky start, there are yet to be many storylines besides the even-matched teams thus far.

Group E: On the note of close groups, we have group E. The 2020 champions sit atop the group with 7 points, but RB Salzburg are very close behind. This is yet another group where any team could finish anywhere. This is surprising, considering the reputation of both Salzburg and Zagreb to finish in the lower 2 spots of the group regularly.

Group F: The last UCL group is seemingly set up for reigning champions Real Madrid to easily qualify for the round of 16. Whether or not you believe this, they are certainly taking advantage of their easier group. Although this group is rather bland, Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk had an electric game this last matchday, with a bloodied-up Antonio Rudiger scoring a last minute header.

Group G: The story from this group has been Erling Haaland playing his old team. His wonder goal against Borussia Dortmund has propelled City to a much-expected first place in the group. Rounding out this rather uneven group is Sevilla and Copenhagen, who have both underwhelmed as expected.

Group H: This group raises many eyebrows. Initially, you are attracted to fallen giant Juventus with a measly 3 points sitting in 3rd. But the team that really deserves credit is Maccabi Haifa. The Israeli team managed to win 2-0 against Juventus in the most recent match.

All this being said, all credit to Benefica, who have really made this group competitive, due to powerhouse PSG’s mediocre performance.

In the vast majority groups, plenty is still at stake in these last 2 match weeks. Lots to look forward to as a fan of the game, with many surprise teams popping up to take advantage of their group, and many teams looking to surprise us still. Expect an article reviewing the group stage in the weeks to come.

All images taken from:

https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/standings/

Getting To Know/History, School Life

Differences between college and high school

October 21, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Addison Strack

The transition from high school to college is a big one, and there are some major differences between the two that will be talked about in this article.

One of the first major differences between high school and college is that throughout high school, you rely on your counselors and teachers to organize your schedule.

Once you get to college though, you will have to create your own schedule. You will have to arrange your classes to fit your agenda, and organize your schedule according to other things going on in your life.

Another difference between high school and college is the amount of time you spend in classes. In high school you will have back to back classes for around six hours a day, Monday through Friday.

Once you get to college you’ll only spend around twelve to sixteen hours in class each week, and usually you’ll have breaks in between classes. Some days you may only have one class, depending on how you create your schedule.

The workload and testing in college is also a lot different than in high school. In high school, your teachers will assign you homework, and remind you of when the homework is due. There will usually be tests that cover smaller amounts of material, where you will have to recall and understand information that you have been taught. If you are absent during a test, there are usually make-up tests available as well.

In college, you may not be assigned homework, but you will have a substantial amount of notes and studying to do outside of class. You will have to use what you have learned in your lessons, and apply it to different situations on the tests, which will usually cover larger amounts of materials. Since these tests cover larger amounts of material, they will be more infrequent. There usually aren’t make-up tests either.

One final major difference between college and high school is the financial part of it. You can go to high school for free, and most of the textbooks you need will be provided for you by the school.

Once you get to college, if you live on campus, you will have to pay for housing and dining, and you will also have to buy your own textbooks. Some colleges require computers as well.

The bottom line is that once you get to college, you will have a lot more freedom, but with that freedom comes more responsibilities. You will have to learn how to manage your time and money, and how to stay organized, all while balancing your school and social life.

If you would like to read more about the differences between high school and college, please use the links below:

Football

Musket game review from the student section

October 20, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Ayamei Her

During the first quarter the Highland Scots weren’t doing too good, the Central Minutemen were up 7 and the Scots were at 0 points. A lot of the students had hoped that the Scots would soon catch up and win the musket this year, and the Highland student section never failed to cheer on the football team and keep things lively and exciting to keep up the hope that we would catch up to the Minutemen.

When the second quarter started, the Scots were still down points and some of the students were losing hope in our team and hoping that the Scots would be able to bounce back and keep our musket.

Halftime came along and students were talking about how they did not know if the football team will be able to keep up with the Minutemen, but the student section didn’t give up on cheering for our team to give them the extra motivation to keep going and win the game.

After halftime, and at the start of 3rd quarter, the Scots were bouncing back and starting to score points, and eventually they started to catch up to the Minutemen.

Halfway through the 3rd quarter, the Scots and the Minutemen were close putting 14-7 on the board.

As the student section was cheering the team on, the Scots were doing better and better as the clock was ticking during the fourth quarter. At this point, we were now 17-14 giving us a leg up and giving our students more excitement, and a heavy rush of thrill and adrenaline, hoping that we could keep our score and win this big game.

At the end of the game, when the winning point was scored, the student section was proud with joy and excitement for this is the 4th year in a row that the Highland Scots won the musket game!

Books/Art

Review/summary of ‘Living Dead Girl’

October 20, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Stephanie Caballero

Warning: Before reading please note that this book involves topics such as sexual assault, pedophelia, eating disorders, and abuse. Only eating disorders and abuse are discussed in this review.

This review/summary includes spoilers.

‘Living Dead Girl’ by Elizabeth Scott is a young adult novel. We follow the story of Kyla, known as Alice, through the book. Alice is 15 and currently living with her abductor. Alice was taken at the age of 10 by Ray. Ever since that day, she has had to forget her entire life before Ray.

During her time with Ray Alice has to endure many types of abuse. To keep the appearance that Ray likes she has to maintain a frail body and less than 90 pounds. Alice struggles to keep that weight as she is a growing 15-year-old. When she is able to go out she sneaks food that ends up being thrown up.

Alice’s appearance matters a lot as it’s what keeps her from being punished or killed by Ray. She is to maintain a child’s body, shave every hair that grows on her body, and stay feminine. The punishments she received for not being to his liking were things such as standing for days or being starved.

Alice (Kyla) is not the first Alice; Ray has abducted many other kids/teens before her who he also named Alice. Most Alice’s end up dead after the age of 15-16 then he gets a new Alice.

Although Alice is given much freedom and opportunity to escape, one thing keeps her from not doing so, is her family. From the moment when she was kidnapped to now, Ray has always had power over her by telling her that if she escapes he will kill her entire family.

Alice is given false hope by Ray by saying that he has never had a favorite Alice but her. He tells her that soon he will get a new Alice which makes Alice (Kyla) happy even if it means she will die. As the time approaches for a new Alice, Alice begins to grow excited, she is happy that he will capture a new girl and that she won’t have to play into Ray’s fantasy anymore. She says to Ray that she will find him a new Alice and will shape the future Alice to be as perfect as she is.

Alice finds a little girl who she thinks will be perfect to play into Ray’s fantasy. She begins to hang out with her at the park every day more and more to try to get closer to her. When Kyla and Ray are about to capture her, Kyla begins to remember everything she went through which causes her to not want to give the little girl up.

In the end, Kyla ends up stopping Ray, leading to both his and her death. Kyla is at peace with herself in her final moments, not regretting her decisions and finally going against Ray.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who enjoy reading graphic things and about crime. Once again, please note that this book does involve topics such as sexual assault, pedophelia, eating disorders, and abuse. This book is a tough one to read, but definitely worth it.

Overall, I would give it a 8/10 as I liked how at the end Alice accepted that what she went through was difficult and that she didn’t need to put someone else through it. I would have given it a 10/10 if we had gotten more background about Ray and his past victims.