Highland Park vs Central volleyball

November 2, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Grace Blumer-LaMotte

Image taken from: HPSH Volleyball Instagram

Highland Park High School went against Central High School in volleyball on Thursday, October 6th, 2022. C-Squad and Junior Varsity played at 5:30 pm, while Varsity played at 7 pm.

All 3 teams of Highland won against Central that night.

Varsity formally goes to 5 sets, if needed. The first team to win 3 sets wins the match. Highland lost the first set but came back strong and won the next three sets, leading them to victory. Almost all of the sets were very close, only having a few point differences.

Varsity consists of these players: Grace Blumer-LaMotte (Senior), Grace Adrian (Senior), Sunshine Vang (Senior), Bella Kottke (Senior), Ayana Bougie (Senior), Leila Hagedorn (Senior), Kate Reubish (Junior), Alyssa Ramos (Junior), Molly Hanley (Junior), Ella Johnson (Junior), Mary Kock (Sophomore), Ella Sutherland (Sophomore).

Bella Kottke, the middle hitter of HPSH, had a huge thirteen kills. Mary Koch, another middle hitter of HPSH, had hit .500. Molly Hanley, an outside hitter, led the team with four aces, with three in a row in the third set. Ayana Bougie, the setter, had seventeen digs. Molly Hanley and Alyssa Ramos, the HPSH libero, both had fourteen digs each. Kate Reubish, a hitter of HPSH, and Ayana Bougie had zero service errors. Bella Kottke also led with five big blocks at the net.

The whole team served with amazing accuracy of 92.3%. The team also had a hitting percentage of .210.

The student section was growing as the game went on. There were a good hundred students in the bleachers. The theme for the game was “White Out” due to the school colors of Highland Park Senior High, red and white. The student section shouted and cheered for all of the small victories during the game such as kills, digs, blocks, etc. They would chant various different things like “We Are The Scotties, The Mighty Mighty Scotties”, “Scoreboard”, and just overall cheering for certain players. Once the Scots won against Central the student section swarmed the court and cheered on the whole team.

Image taken from: https://www.ablphoto.com/

On Thursday, October 13th, 2022, Highland Park Senior High took on Central High school at Central for a second time. C-Squad and Junior Varsity played at 5:30 pm, while Varsity played at 7 pm.

All 3 teams of Highland won against Central that night.

Varsity formally goes to 5 sets, if needed. The first team to win 3 sets wins the match. Highland lost the first set (21-25) but came back strong and won the second set (25-18). It went on for another 3 sets, Central winning the fourth set (21-25) and Highland winning the final set (15-12), leading them to victory. Almost all of the sets were very close, only having a few point differences.

Varsity consists of these players: Grace Blumer-LaMotte (Senior, #10), Grace Adrian (Senior #12), Sunshine Vang (Senior #3)), Bella Kottke (Senior #18), Ayana Bougie (Senior #13), Leila Hagedorn (Senior #27), Kate Reubish (Junior #11), Alyssa Ramos (Junior #2), Molly Hanley (Junior #9), Ella Johnson (Junior 1), Mary Koch (Sophomore #14), Ella Sutherland (Sophomore #6). Varsity is coached by Sonje Odegard (Head).

Kill Stats: Bella Kottke, the middle hitter, led the team with 22 kills. Kills are when the ball hits the ground without anyone touching it. She also had a hitting percentage of .326. Kate Reubish, a right-side hitter, had 15 kills. Mary Koch, another middle hitter, had 11 kills. Molly Hanley, a right-side hitter, had 7 kills. Ayana Bougie-Martinez, the setter, had 5 kills. Finally, Ella Sutherland, an outside, had 3 kills. Overall the team had 63 total kills.

Serve Stats: Alyssa Ramos, the libero, had 8 serve aces. Serve aces are when either none of the players touch the ball when it goes over the net, or if someone shanks the ball off of first contact. Ayana Bougie-Martinez had 4 serve aces. Molly Hanley had 3 serve aces. Sunshine Vang, a defensive specialist, had 2 serve aces. Overall the team had 18 serve-aces.

Defense Stats: Alyssa Ramos led the team with 22 digs. Bella Kottke had 18 digs. Molly Hanley had 12 digs. Ayana Bougie-Martinez had 8 digs. Sunshine Vang had 7 digs. Kate Reubish had 4 digs. Ella Sutherland and Mary Koch both had 2 digs. Overall the team had 75 digs total.

Overall, volleyball team dominated Central this year.

Editorials/Student Voice, Tech/Games

iPhone VS Android

November 1, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Semaj Carter & Jhari Boayla

Android:

So, we all know about the debate about whether iPhone or Android is better. This debate has been going on for almost a decade and I’m going to show the good qualities of Android.

Firstly, the phones have more storage and the battery life lasts a lot longer than iPhones. The newest iPhone is the iPhone 14, which has the same qualities as the iPhone 13. According to an Apple developer, “The iPhone 14 features the same A15 Bionic chip that powered the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.” This means that the iPhone 14 isn’t that different from the iPhone 13 and there was no point in making a new one except for exploiting money from people.

Android doesn’t have a lot of good features, but it does have reasonable upgrades and isn’t as expensive as an iPhone. The creators of Android did not shut off older models as soon as they released a new phone to get people to spend more money on a phone that’s practically the same as the older model, just like Apple has done, and is still allegedly doing.

The iPhone’s price is ridiculous, just like every other Apple product that they release; the price range is usually over six hundred dollars and that’s a lot for a small box.

The developers explained how there is no difference between the two phones and therefore there was no point in an upgrade. Most ‘Android’ products get an upgrade with different features, but the developers are having trouble with the camera quality.

Although there are a lot of statements that support both sides of the argument, this is my reasoning why I think ‘Android’ is better. I hope this helped you become more knowledgeable about Apple products.

iPhone:

I feel like most people feel like and think that iPhones are better phones than Android. Most people from this generation, I would say, have iPhones and only a few people have Android. I would say that some things about the iPhone are good, but some things don’t go to an extent like how Android can.

iPhones are popular, almost everyone has one. It’s something that most people in this generation have because Apple is a brand that I would say is ‘popular’ to most, I would say it is because it’s been out for years now and the company is very successful in what they are doing. There are a few things that I don’t like about iPhones. I would say you should upgrade to a new iPhone every two years because you can’t do certain things.

Some of the things I do like about the iPhone are: Facetime, iMessage games, and Face ID. Facetime because it’s a way to stay in contact with family. iMessage, is good because it’s really easy to use. Face ID is nice because if you forget your password, all you need to do is show your face.

So, even though the iPhone is missing some of the things the Android has, it still has some nice things going for it.

*NOTE: This article is kind of biased and does not completely rely on facts, but instead more on the authors’ opinions.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

ACT vs SAT: Why do we take them? Are they necessary?

November 1, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Maya Breininger

The infamous ACT/SAT exams date back to 1959, and have been used to summarize a student’s academic ability. The question is: Is this an accurate measurement of a student’s capabilities, or is it a grueling task that we just assign to high school students?

A study done in New York City addresses the high levels of chronic stress high school students face daily. It tells us how mentally damaging the repetitive cycle of school can be for young students, and about how the system is fit to teach students who all learn the same way. The cycle of learning a topic, memorizing it, and writing down the information on a test is the daily stressful learning system that students endure every day.

Although there are many studies done suggesting that this is the most efficient and effective way to reach large audiences of children, there are opposing studies that express how vital it is to have interactive assignments that immerse the kids in the material.

Now, what does this have to do with the ACT/SAT exams?

Well, first you have to ask yourself a few of questions – What are the contents of the exam? Are the pages of multiple choice questions of topics that were briefly discussed during class time the best way to assess a student’s academic value? Are the “core class” sections of the test – made to prepare you for very specific and non-diverse career paths – truly reaching into a student’s brain and obtaining its full potential?

Disregarding the repetitive nature of the test, along with the questionable measurement of educational properties, the way that these test scores are used can be very harmful for individuals.

Now, anyone can argue that the tests are used by many colleges and universities as tools to filter their applications, but is it accurate? Can it harm the individual?

SAT scores – according to the website Collegeboard.org – are used to make decisions about admissions, by comparing students based off of their scores. This indirectly states that a 3 hour exam can accurately capture the knowledge of an entire student. By using the same sections and decisions, colleges assess who can make it through applications.

Consider these components the next time that you have a conversation about the SAT scores, or form an opinion of a person for refusing to take them. Besides the fact that your score could deter your dream college from your application, it’s also a good idea to survey the contents of the SAT, and find out if it’s worth an entire year of stress to young high school students who might not even all learn the same way.

Now that you’ve read this article, can you confidently state that SAT and ACT exams are an accurate assessment of student knowledge? Should a decision made in 1959 about the rules of education affect how colleges view your application information?

The way I see it, it’s not an accurate assessment of the whole student, and there are lots of better ways for colleges to determine if a student is a good fit for their school.

For more information, please check out these websites:

Soccer

Systematic abuse in USA women’s soccer:

November 1, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Mia David

On Monday, October 3rd, 2022, a report was released by former Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates. It showed the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and U.S. Soccer Federation’s (USSF) inability to provide a safe environment for their players.

This report includes 200 interviews that investigators conducted. This investigation started long before this month. About a year ago, NWSL players Sinead Farralley and Mana Shim came forward about inappropriate behavior from former coach Paul Riley.

Paul Riley was let go by the Portland Thorns and was able to get a new coaching position five months later for the team Flash. Riley is not the only coach to be passed around the organization with little to no punishment for their actions.

According to CBS News, the report focuses on Riley, Christy Holly of Racing Louisville, and Rory Dames of the Chicago Red Stars. It goes into depth regarding the coaches’ actions and what their individual teams did in response.

This report talks in depth about how these coaches and other coaches are allowed to move from one team to another. They do this without any repercussions regarding their past behavior on other teams.

“Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women’s soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players,” the report reads.

The report goes on to highlight the steps that U.S. Soccer will take to address the recommendations in the report. These recommendations end up being a total of 172 pages.

According to ESPN, these recommendations include implementing an office of participant safety to oversee the USSF’s conduct policies, publishing soccer records from SafeSport, mandating a background check of all employees, and more.

The NWSL and USSF have had problems with systematic abuse since they were first formed. However, this report coming out is being seen as a turning point. These organizations and abusive coaches are being forced to face the consequences.

Travel/Food

Review of Haiku sushi restaurant

November 1, 2022 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Alexa Ramirez & Kaylen Fuentez

For our review, we’ll be going to the Japanese bistro, Haiku. They serve a number of things such as sushi and hibachi, which is what we decided to order. We ordered their Kappa Maki rolls, Onion soup, as well as their Chicken Hibachi.

The first thing we noticed when we arrived was the ambiance; it was very calm, it wasn’t too busy, and was fairly quiet. They had slow, quiet music playing in the background and yellow dim lights throughout the restaurant.

We were checked on 2 or 3 times before our food was served, our glasses of water were filled frequently, and we were checked on while we were eating to make sure we had everything we needed.

It also didn’t take long for our food to come and we were able to get our checks quickly.

We ordered 3 dishes: an order of Sushi, Hibachi chicken, and we each got an order of Onion Soup.

The Sushi Roll we ordered was the Kappa Maki (cucumber) roll. It was priced at $5 for 6 rolls, a very reasonable price, and came with a few additive elements such as soy sauce, wasabi and ginger. The sushi rolls consisted of cucumber, seaweed and white rice wrapped on the inside. These rolls were delicious, and tasted very fresh. This order, aside from being super delicious for non vegetarians, being a delicious vegetarian option was definitely a bonus. We rate the cucumber roll a 4.5/5 stars and would definitely get it again.

Another thing we ordered was the onion soup, which was priced at $3. Aside from the actual soup, inside there were mushrooms and scallions. The soup was very savory, tasted really good, and was a nice warm appetizer, especially on a cold day. We’d rate the onion soup 4⁄5 stars as well.

The next order we received was the Hibachi Chicken Junior, which was the smaller version of the regular Hibachi Chicken. It cost $12.95, and was served with chicken, fried rice and veggies. The chicken was cooked to perfection and perfectly balanced savory and sweet sauce flavors. The fried rice was warm, savory, and overall my favorite part of the dish. The cooked zucchini paired well with these two, and really tied the dish together. All of the dish’s components were spectacular and deserves a 5/5.

Overall, the excellent service, kind waitresses, the welcoming ambiance, and delicious food they serve really push Haiku over the top. This restaurant has so many delicious dishes to choose from and is friendly to all people hoping to enjoy this amazing place. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this restaurant and rate it a 5/5.