Monthly Archives: October 2022

Advice/How To

Fountain pens: Pros and cons

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By: Jocelyn Knorr

Fountain pens—here defined as pens holding a reservoir that can apply ink to paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action—are thought to have been invented for the caliph Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah of Arab Egypt. Reportedly, he requested a pen that would not leak or stain, and was presented with a rudimentary fountain pen made of pure gold.

They continued to be used, but only on a small scale, by modernists or the technologically inclined. Until the 1850s, that is, when popularity skyrocketed. Technological advancements enabled the fountain pen to gain dominance, and it continued to be dominant until the sixties.

Today, they’re seen mostly as status symbols, or fancy collectible antiques, made to look at but not touch. But, they’re still being manufactured today, and sales are actually rising!

So, let’s have a look at the pros and cons of fountain pens.

Pro: Ergonomics

Because fountain pens are designed to collaborate with gravity, inkflow is autonomous, while with gel pens pressure must be applied. This can lead to hand cramps and, in extreme cases, arthritis later in life.

Con: Cost

Unfortunately, fountain pens can be a bit of an investment with a good pen sometimes costing upwards of $30. Ink of higher quality, like Sailor or Noodler’s, can sometimes reach up to $24 for 50ml.

Pro: Smooth writing

Fountain pens are widely purported to offer one of the smoothest writing experiences, especially with a higher-quality gold nib. I, for one, find this to be the case, even drafting this article with a comparatively cheap, steel-nibbed, fountain pen.

Con: Ease of use

Fountain pens can be difficult to get used to, especially for beginners. While converters—especially squeeze converters, notoriously finicky for even experienced users—open up your choices of ink, they can definitely take some getting used to. Cartridges, meanwhile, are incredibly convenient, but limit your options for ink; especially if they’re proprietary.

Pro: Environmental benefits

Fountain pens do not come in a disposable variety, but can rather be filled and refilled for decades on end. This greatly reduces the amount of waste one produces. Disposable pens are one of the biggest contributors to ocean plastic, with just the United States throwing away 1.6 billion pens annually.

Con: Availability

The average store is simply not stocking its shelves with LAMY Safaris or bottles of Iroshizuku ink. I had to go to a specialty store to pick up what is now my go-to bottle, but as an upside, that bottle is liable to last me for the rest of the school year.

I’m not expecting everyone who reads this to go out and buy a shiny new $100 pen, (my journalistic powers aren’t that strong—yet) but here are my recommendations for anyone who’d like to dip their toes in the water.

  1. Buy a Pilot Metropolitan. Retailing for $18.99 on Amazon, these pens are incredibly good quality, especially for the price, and come in plenty of fun colors.
  2. Get a good black ink. My recommendation is Noodler’s X-Feather, ($15 for 100 ml on Amazon, designed to behave well on notebook paper) but you’re free to experiment. Goulet Pens (www.gouletpens.com) even offers little sets of mystery ink colors.

At the end of the day, fountain pens can be pricey, but with that investment comes quality. Hopefully, I’ve helped a few of you shift your opinion—and enabled one or two of you to take the plunge.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Reservation Dogs’ TV show

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By: Leticia Bugg-Sam

*Warning, spoilers and talk about suicide*

The TV show ‘Reservation Dogs’ took place in Oklahoma and is about four indigenous kids talking about how they want to go to California for better lives, but things take a wrong turn.

The four kids, Willie Jack, Bear, Cheese, and Alora, were on the reservation for a long time; there were five in the group before they called themselves the “Reservation Bandits”.

Let’s talk about the characters in the show and their lives.

They’re a family as the four grew up and called themselves family. Alora didn’t really have that much regular family. She only had an Auntie and an Uncle and her Grandma. We don’t know what happened to her father, but her mom, well, she passed away when Alora was little.

Her Grandma, in season two, passed away, and her Auntie wasn’t around much. Her Uncle also wasn’t around much.

Willie Jack, she had her mom and her dad but her brother passed away.

Bear had his mom, but his dad left to be a native rap artist and so he just had his mom.

Cheese, it doesn’t say if he had any family in season 1, but later on in the season, he meets a old woman in the hospital and so now he calls her Grandma.

Why they called themselves that.

They called themselves the Reservation Bandits because they steal things, but they do it for a good reason. On the reservation, they’re poor; they don’t have money. There are not that many jobs around there so the four decided to steal things and go to a person who gives them money to see if that stuff is viable.

One thing that was viable was copper; copper and street lights. Another thing that they stole was a chip truck and plenty of other things.

You may think to yourself “Why don’t they just get a job?” Well, where they live which is Oklahoma, on the reservation, they didn’t have plenty of jobs, or jobs that pay good money, and some of those jobs you have to have experience to get the position, and none of them had that experience. So that’s why they decided to start stealing things, and that’s the way they got money.

Now, let’s talk about how there were five in the group.

Well, before the TV show started, they started off as five, but as you get into the show there is an episode called “Hunting” where they start to talk about Daniel, which is Willie Jack’s brother. The reason they didn’t start off with Daniel in the show, was because Daniel, well, he had a rough life and his parents were fighting. He was going through a lot of things, like bipolar depression, and his parents fighting, that all affected him until one day he decided to give up life and attempt suicide. It was very sad, that’s why now, during season 1 and 2 there is only four.

They all decided they wanted to leave Oklahoma and go to California. Well, first it was Daniel’s idea to go but when the word got out, they all decided to go to California. But when Daniel died, they still decided to all still go for Daniel, and for better lives.

But that all took a wrong turn in the last episode of season 1.

Overall, I would rate this show a 10/10. You can watch it on Hulu.

Books/Art

‘The False Prince’ – Review

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By: Abisola Dosunmu

In a kingdom named Carthya, war is coming. To bring the divided people together, a nobleman named Conner devises a plan to find an orphan boy who looks enough like the king’s son, (who was thought to be lost at sea) and may be the last link to the royal family, as the entire royal family—king, queen, and heir— all recently died under mysterious circumstances. His plan includes three orphans, one of which is a cunning thief named Sage. Sage knows Conner’s plan is far from honorable—yet he’s forced to play the part of his puppet as his life hangs in the balance. Yet as more lies unfold, and more blood is shed, one lie becomes more important than the rest and all of it comes down to a single question.

Who’s really the puppet?

‘The False Prince’ is the first book in a five book series written by Jennifer A. Nielsen, and the name of the series is called the Ascendance Series. I read the books for the first time in 8th grade, and now they are one of my favorite books to read. From the fleshed out characters, to the humor, to the cliffhangers and the various twists and turns, once you start this book, you can’t put it down.

The book immediately introduces us to Sage, a clever and wily orphan, trying to steal some meat from the market to share with the other boys at the orphanage. He is quickly apprehended by Conner and loaded into Conner’s wagon along with the other orphans he’s found, Roden, the athletic one, Tobias, the smart one, and Latamer, the sick one.

When they finally stop the wagon, Conner reveals his plan to the boys. He’s trying to find the orphan boy who looks and acts enough like King Eckbert’s youngest son, Prince Jaron, who had been missing for the past four years. His plan is that whoever is named to be Prince Jaron can stop the country from going to war. The boys have two weeks to learn everything there is to know about being a prince, and then to be able to fool the king’s court into thinking they’re Jaron.

After that, Conner tells them that any boy who wishes to abstain from his plan can do so, and Latamer, being as sickly as he is, decides that he can’t be the fake prince because of his condition. Conner tells him it’s fine and he can return to the wagon, and Sage immediately senses something is wrong and tries to warn Latamer. Before he can, Cregan swiftly shoots Latamer with an arrow, killing him before he even reaches the wagon. The boys now understand that it’s too late to back out of Conner’s competition.

Sage is soon trapped in Conner’s deadly win or lose all game with the two other boys, just to have a chance to be Prince Jaron. The downside? The price of losing the game may be his life. As Sage moves from being a rundown orphan, to having the chance to be a king, and have everything at his fingertips, he’s racing against enemies, trying to save his life, his past, and most importantly, his country.

I definitely think this series is worth reading if you’re into medieval fantasy. I loved the humor, the fleshed out characters, the plot twists, the main character, and the way the book kinda threw you off and made you work to get to the conclusion.

I would rate the book a 4/5. The only reason I won’t give it a full review is that it’s not really a book that’s short and ties itself up quickly, which I understand kinda turns off some people from certain books (and I definitely had trouble putting all of my attention on the book, but it was worth it).

Artículos en Español & Xov Xwm Hmoob, Getting To Know/History

Mexico’s day of independence

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By: Stephanie Caballero Benitez

*Note: For an English translation, please scroll down*

El día de la independencia de México se celebra entre los días 15 y 16 de septiembre. El 15 de Septiembre es el día en que el ‘grito de independencia’ es gritado. El grito es realizado por el presidente actual de México y transmitido por todo México, a veces también en las noticias de Estados Unidos. No solamente es un grito, este grito tiene importancia ya que los nombres de los héroes son ornados. Los ‘héroes’ son los que pelearon por la independencia de México. 

En la noche Septiembre 16, 1810 en Dolores, Hidalgo. Miguel Hidalgo, un sacerdote y Costilla fueron al pueblo y declararon que ya era suficiente. En ese pequeño pueblo de Guanajuato, Hidalgo dio el grito de Dolores, el grito de guerra de México. “¡Viva Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, muerte al mal gobierno, muerte a los gachupines !”. Esto empezó la guerra para la independencia de México. Miguel Hidalgo tuvo mucho apoyo de diferentes pueblos que el lidió al capital de México, desafortunadamente esto terminó con muchas muertes. Miguel fue capturado junto con José María Morelos y Pavón, Mariano Matamoros y Vicente Guerrero ya que el y Jose, Pavón, Mariano, y Vicente todos estaban contra los crueles realistas españoles. En Julio 30, 1811 Hidalgo fue ejecutado. 

Hoy hay ocasiones en que el 5 de Mayo se confunde con el día de la independencia. Aunque son similares, el 5 de mayo es celebrado por una guerra ganada contra el Segundo Imperio Francés. El día de la independencia es celebrado con una fiesta grande, fuegos artificiales, desfiles, bailes, músicos, también se venden comidas típicas. En México es muy común ver a personas vestidas con ropa tradicional y los colores de México durante estas fechas. Aunque típicamente el grito es dado en México también se da en Minnesota, en El Consulado de México a las 12 de la noche.

Para mas informacion, por favor visite: 

For those of you unable to read Spanish, here is the English translation:

Mexico’s Independence Day is celebrated between September 15 and 16. September 15 is the day that the “Cry for independence” is given. The cry is made by the current president of Mexico and broadcast throughout Mexico, and sometimes on the US news as well. It is not only a war cry, this cry has importance since the names of the heroes are honored. The ‘heroes’ are those who fought for the independence of Mexico.

On the night of September 16, 1810, in Dolores, Hidalgo Miguel Hidalgo, a priest, and Costilla went to town and declared enough was enough. In that small town of Guanajuato, Hidalgo gave the cry of Dolores, the Mexican war cry. “Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe, death to the bad government, death to the gachupines!”

This started the war for the independence of Mexico. Miguel Hidalgo had a lot of support from different towns that he brought to the capital of Mexico, unfortunately this ended with many deaths.

Miguel was captured along with José María Morelos y Pavón, Mariano Matamoros, and Vicente Guerrero since he and Jose, Pavón, Mariano, and Vicente were all against the cruel Spanish royalists. On July 30, 1811 Hidalgo was executed.

Today, there are times when May 5 is confused with Independence Day. Although similar, May 5 is celebrated for a war won against the Second French Empire.

Independence Day is celebrated with a big party, fireworks, parades, dances, musicians, and typical foods are also sold. In Mexico, it is very common to see people dressed in traditional clothing and the colors of Mexico during these dates.

Although the cry is typically given in Mexico, it is also given in Minnesota, at the Mexican Consulate, at 12 midnight.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Pros and cons of the grading system

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By: Addison Strack

Grades are looked at in many different ways. Some people consider them a good thing, while others feel the opposite way. This article will be sharing information about how grades, and the grading system, are both positive and negative, and how they impact students.

Pros

There are many benefits to the grading system that can help students in their academic careers. One of the main purposes that the grading system serves is to give students feedback on their assignments and tests. This feedback can help students to improve their work, and learn more about themselves, and their learning style.

Grades also help teachers understand where their students are at in their learning levels. This can give teachers an idea of who might need some extra help, and who understands the assignments.

Another benefit that grades have is giving students a goal, and something to work for. This teaches them important skills they’ll need for their future, such as setting a goal, and making a plan to achieve this goal.

Another way that grades prepare students for the future is by teaching them how to use the feedback they receive.

One final positive about grades is that they are almost universally used, and this makes them fairly easy to understand.

Cons

Although the grading system does have many positive aspects to it, there are some negative parts to it as well.

One of the main downsides to the grading system is that it can cause students a lot of stress and anxiety. Students have a lot of pressure to have good grades from not only parents and teachers, but themselves as well. If students receive a bad grade, this can lower their self esteem and confidence.

According to UOpeople.edu, in a survey, 80% of college freshmen said that their self-worth was connected to their grades. This means that they felt that whatever grade they got determined if they were good enough or not.

Earlier, it was mentioned that students can have pressure from their parents to get good grades. This is because many parents consider grades a reflection of how much their child is paying attention, and/or trying in school. They may punish their children if they receive a bad grade, and this can lead to a strained relationship between a parent and child.

One final downside to the grading system is that it doesn’t necessarily represent a student’s understanding of a topic accurately. Everyone is different, and has different ways of learning and understanding information.

Many students will attempt to memorize information that will be on their next assessment, but don’t actually understand or learn what they are memorizing, and forget a lot of the information after the assessment.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that the grading system has many different positive and negative impacts, and there are many differing opinions of whether it is a good or bad thing. There is solid evidence and strong arguments for both sides of this question, but the answer may never be decided.

If you would like to read more about the pros and cons of the grading system, feel free to check out these website:

Volleyball

Spotlight on HPSH volleyball player Alyssa Ramos

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By: Ayamei Her

Alyssa Ramos is on Highland’s varsity volleyball team. The position she plays is libero which she says “I honestly love playing libero I didn’t think I would but it feels right and I feel like I have more control over both the game and the ball.” Alyssa says it fits her because she’s good at defense, running the back court, and she isn’t the tallest or the most aggressive on the team. Being on the volleyball team is about being committed, being open to own up to your mistakes, and wanting to fix them. 

Getting on the team isn’t always an easy process. Alyssa was on the varsity team last year but that doesn’t mean her spot this year was guaranteed; she still fought to keep her spot and to show that she deserved to keep it and stay on varsity. Everyone tries out for the team all together.

There’s 5 days of tryouts and boot camp was everyday from 9-2 with a lunch break. During the boot camp, they broke down the skills, did conditioning to see who could keep up, and practiced passing and serving. The boot camp also included seeing how you could play defense and offense. It was about who deserved a spot on the teams, but it’s not just about how you play it’s also about your attitude and mindset. 

Image taken from: The official volleyball instagram of the HPSH team: hpvb_2022

Most of the team has been playing together for a long time. Some players have more experience than others because they play club volleyball which is also the reason why not everyone on the team is going at the same pace or playing on the same level.

Playing volleyball is mostly about having fun, but it’s also “A game of mistakes,” which is how Alyssa Ramos described it. To prepare for games they study the other team’s and their players to see their weakest and strongest players and play accordingly. 

Last year, the Highland varsity volleyball team was state bound. Alyssa says it was scary and didn’t realize it was the real deal until they placed 1st in the conference. She also adds that it was an amazing experience that was incredibly fun. 

Image taken from: The official volleyball instagram of the HPSH team: hpvb_2022

I asked Alyssa what her words of inspiration were to help young girls stay motivated and continue on with volleyball, and she said, “If you really want a spot on the team you have to go out and show them what you’re capable of and if you get the spot, show them that you earned it. Everyone makes mistakes, volleyball is a game of mistakes. You have to have the right mindset for the game and practices. Give it your all even in practice.” 

Image taken from: The official volleyball instagram of the HPSH team: hpvb_2022
Cross Country, Football, Scoreboard/Schedule, Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball

Sports schedule for: Oct 3-8

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 ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: OCTOBER 3 – OCTOBER 8
MONDAYOCTOBER 3 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
3:30pm Tennis Sections vs. HardingHOME
4:00pm / 4:00pm 6:00pm Boys Soccer vs. SimleyHOME
5:30pm / 5:30pm 7:00pm4:45pm / 8:15pmVolleyball vs. Como ParkComo Park High School
6:00pm4:30pm / 8:00pmJV Football vs. Como ParkComo Park High School
TUESDAYOCTOBER 4
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pm / 7:00pm3:30pm / 6:30pm 5:30pm / 8:30pmGirls Soccer vs. CentralCentral High School
WEDNESDAYOCTOBER 5
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
THURSDAYOCTOBER 6
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:30pm / 4:30pm  4:30pm3:15pm / 6:00pmBoys Soccer vs. KennedyBloomington Kennedy High School
5:00pm / 7:00pm Girls Soccer vs. South St. PaulHOME
5:30pm / 5:30pm 7:00pm Volleyball vs. CentralHOME
FRIDAYOCTOBER 7
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:30pm / 5:30pm 7:00pm Volleyball vs. HardingHOME
7:00pm4:00pm / 9:30pmFootball vs. Mound WestonkaMound Westonka High School
SATURDAYOCTOBER 8
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
10:30am6:45am / 2:00pmCross Country MeetArrowwood Resort – Alexandria
1:00pm Boys Varsity Soccer vs. SouthwestMPLS Southwest  High School