Monthly Archives: May 2023

School Life

University of Minnesota competitively for 2022-2023

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By: Joseph Nelson

The University of Minnesota has always been a very competitive school with it being part of the Big Ten colleges in the U.S. but how competitive was last year for the freshman class of 2022-2023 and how has it changed for the class of 2023-2024?

The U of M is one of the biggest colleges in Minnesota with over 6,700 freshman joining the Gophers every year. But how many applications did the applicant’s office have to go through in order to select these students? Well, for the class of 2022-2023, over 37,000 applications were submitted to the University. That’s about 1 in 5.5 applicants to be accepted into the University. These students weren’t just randomly picked though as the University looks to grab students with a heavy extracurricular activity background and academic achievement (along with many more minor details). So what were the exact stats of the applicants?

As of the 2023 year, the University of Minnesota looks for students that average 3.59-3.96 GPA and have gotten either 27-32 on their ACT or 1330-1500 on their SAT tests. Granted, depending on what major you go in for, the requirements might vary, but this is the general admission rates to get into the 2022 year. This was one of the University’s most competitive years and it seems to continue growing as in only 9 years, the acceptance rate has gone up from 53.29% all the way up to 73%. That’s almost a 20% difference right there.

So how can you increase your odds of getting accepted into the University of Minnesota? Well the 2024-2025 year has no predictions yet on whether or not it will be as competitive as its previous year but if we look back on the past few years then I wouldn’t doubt we’d see around the same results as we did last year. Like stated before, the University loves picking up students who have a large background in extracurricular activities and large academic success in their schools so joining a team or club at your school would help your portfolio immensely for your application. Along with your extracurriculars, averaging around a 3.8-3.9 GPA is highly recommended as this is the golden area of all acceptances of the 2022 year (All A’s and a B here and there).

The U of M is a part of the Big 10 schools so of course it’s going to be attractive to many looking towards going to college. It’s going to be challenging to get in, and sometimes you might feel like quitting, but if you’re considering a future there I cannot recommend going to a Gopher game enough. It always reminds me of the goal to become a Gopher like my parents before me.

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Fashion/Make-Up

Why the 2023 Met Gala theme is controversial

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By: Mya Olson – Williams

On Monday, May 1st, was the annual Met Gala in New York City. This is one of the most popular events, especially for those involved in the fashion industry.

This year, the theme was “In honor of Karl”. Karl Lagerfeld was a well known designer who has worked with brands such as Chloé, and Fendi before joining Chanel alongside his own high-fashion brand name.

Most don’t know about the controversies of Lagerfeld. To many, specifically models and the ones who worked close to him, he was an amazing man with a huge impact. In other’s eyes, he’s not all that.

According to The New York Times, in 1994, Lagerfeld dressed a model in an outfit which was embroidered with a cherished Muslim text and sent her down the runway. He said, at the time he had no idea what it meant, and apologized.

There is no question when considering if Lagerfeld is fatphobic.

In 2009, he defended himself when using strictly size 0 models, saying “[N]o one wants to see curvy women”. During an interview with New York magazine, he was quite honest when talking about Andy Warhol, saying “I shouldn’t say this, but physically, he was quite repulsive”.

As said in Time magazine, fatphobia wasn’t all that was wrong with Lagerfeld. Lagerfeld was strongly against the #MeToo movement. In 2018, he defended Karl Templer, a man with allegations of attacking multiple models in which he denied. In Templer’s defense, Lagerfeld stated that he was “[F]ed up with it”.

Some boycotted the event due to its theme, by simply not showing up. Others are believed to have worn outfits the opposite of the theme as another silent protest.

Though Karl Lagerfeld will always be remembered for the creative and unique designer that he was, there’s more to him.

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Badminton, Baseball, Golf, Softball

Popular spring sports

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By: Thea Berg and Rose Ramadan

As students in High School, there are many different sports that our classmates and friends play during spring. Many schools offer a variety of spring sports such as softball, baseball, track and field, golf, boys tennis, badminton, lacrosse, and club sports such as disc or frisbee golf. But apart from the sports our school provides some other popular spring sports include rowing, or fencing. All of these sports reach out to different audiences, so each sport has a large variety of people playing.

Springtime sports participation is both enjoyable and important. Spending more time outside is a crucial aspect that starts to influence our lives as the weather starts to become warmer. People’s ability to spend as much time outside depends on a variety of factors, including work, school, and other responsibilities. You may gain fitness while enjoying time outside in the warm weather by signing up for a spring sport.

One popular spring sport is golf! Golf is one of the sports that Highland provides for students to join. We have both a boys team and a girls team.

Golf is a very popular sport all around the world with many different audiences. It is a sport that people of all ages play and enjoy. Golf is a very good spring sport to be a part of. Golf is a very personal sport, and you can easily set goals for yourself.

Around the Saint Paul and Como area there are a couple of great golf courses that you can easily play. Highland National Golf course, The Highland 9-Hole, Cedarholm, Como Park Golf Course, Phalen Golf course, Mendota Heights Par-3 Golf Course, and the Town and Country Club golf course. All of these courses except for T&C are easily accessible without a membership, as long as you set up a tee time. At public golf courses such as the ones we mentioned above, the going rate for the price of a tee time is usually around $30. Some 18 hole courses include the price of the golf cart in the tee time price, and other courses have that as an option to pay separately.

We think that golf is a great option for those who are looking for a spring sport that is fun and not a lot of pressure.

Baseball and softball are two more popular spring sports. In our school, softball is a very popular sport practiced by female players. Male athletes enjoy playing baseball, which is also highly well-liked. They are both similar sports. The pitching regulations and the size of the ball are two differences. Despite not knowing the rules, we occasionally enjoy watching a good baseball game.

Badminton is also a sport played at Highland Park Senior High. Though not as popular as other spring sports, it is still very exciting to watch. It is a lot like tennis but played indoors. It includes hitting a birdie across the net to the other side. It may sound like an easy sport but it includes a high amount of commitment and athletic ability.

The team here at Highland consists of only women athletes. They split into teams of singles and doubles, either playing on the court with one teammate or alone. Games are played up to 21 points. Each match is best out of three. If you are unfamiliar with badminton, we would recommend trying it out. Watching it is very satisfying and playing it is very fun.

In the end, we highly encourage you to commit to a sport here at Highland. We also highly recommend coming to any sports events including lacrosse games, golf matches, and ball games.

Football

2023 NFL Draft reaction

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By: Toby Martin-Kohls

The NFL draft concluded last weekend in Kansas City, with 259 players selected over 7 rounds (compensatory picks are included in this number). Here is a sum-up of the quarterback storyline at this year’s NFL Draft.

Quarterback Drama

As the QB is the most crucial position in football, eyes are usually on the top signal callers when the draft comes around. This year there was no shortage of first-round talent, as 4 QBs were projected to go in the first round by almost every draft analyst.

It was a way stronger QB class than last year when Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett was the only first-round QB selection going to the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick 20. After that, the next QB wasn’t taken until Desmond Ridder in the 3rd round at pick 74 to the Atlanta Falcons.

This year, there was an early run on QB talent, as there were 3 selected in the first four picks. Bryce Young, who won the Heisman Trophy for best college QB in 2021, was selected first to the Carolina Panthers. He was widely expected to be the first pick in the draft, along with fellow QB C.J. Stroud. Young is a natural passer with an instinctive feel for throw location and play extension. He has the high-end intangibles and talent required to become an impact starter in the NFL. The one knock on Young is his size and durability, as he is vastly undersized standing at 5’10” and 204lbs.

The second QB taken was C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State with pick 2 to the Houston Texans. He was also considered to be a possible choice for the number 1 selection. As a redshirt freshman at Ohio State, Stroud was a Freshman All-American and First Team All-Big 10. He followed that up with his redshirt sophomore season getting named Second Team All-American, Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-Big 10. Stroud is considered an outstanding rhythm passer with great touch, pacing, and ball speed control to carve up a defense. His weaknesses are his need to develop his athleticism and escapability to the modern NFL.

The third QB taken was Anthony Richardson out of Florida with pick 4 to the Indianapolis Colts. Richardson is considered to have the highest ceiling of anybody in the draft, with his freakish, one-of-a-kind, athletic ability. He displayed this superhuman athleticism at the NFL Combine, running the 40-yard dash in a time of 4.43sec, which was the 4th fastest by a QB at the Combine since 2000. But his size really made this unprecedented, as he stands at a towering 6’4” and 244lbs. He set a new QB Combine record with a 40.5in vertical jump and another QB record in the broad jump, jumping 10’9”.

Unlike the other two QBs picked before him, Richardson had an up-and-down college career, starting only a total of 13 games over two years. He was essentially a one-year starter at Florida, and his 53.8% completion percentage is awfully low for someone picked so high. That being said, the quality of his pass catchers did him no favors. He is also a year younger than Young and Stroud.

Overall, Richardson’s volatile accuracy and decision-making cloud his evaluation, but he is a freakshow talent with special size, speed, and arm strength, and he put enough promising plays on film to be optimistic about his potential ceiling. He fits an RPO or NFL vertical-passing offense that will also utilize his athleticism, but he needs on-field reps and a patient coaching staff willing to weather the early storm. The Colts are running a massive gamble, and we’ll see if it pays off.

The last QB thought to be selected in the first round was Will Levis out of Kentucky. Levis was thought to be one of the most prototypical NFL QBs in the draft, with good size and exceptional arm talent. He struggled with turnovers during his college career and needs to work on his read efficiency and ball placement to succeed at the next level. He has an NFL starter’s skill set with his impressive physical tools (size, arm, athleticism) and exceptional competitive toughness.

This is where the surprise of the first round was. Levis was projected by very nearly all draft experts to go in the first round. A solid amount even had him going top 10. In fact, Levis was the oddsmakers’ favorite to go No. 2 overall in the days leading up to the draft. This obviously did not end up being the case as he slid down all the way to the second round and was picked at pick 33 by the Tennessee Titans. ESPN had given him just a 0.1% chance to still be available at pick 23 of the first round. It will be interesting to see how he can develop behind starter Ryan Tannehill and fight for the backup job with 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis.

Personally, I think the best part of the draft is looking back at the selections in 3-4 years and seeing the inevitable busts and hits of the draft. Especially with this QB class, this year should be no different in the excitement level when looking back at these picks in the future.

Travel/Food

Chocoflan

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By: Jessica Garcia Saligan

This pastry called chocoflan is a traditional Mexican pastry that has a rich taste. Chocoflan is a two layer cake: chocolate cake on the bottom and flan (the custard on the top layer) that has caramel sauce all over it.

Ingredients

Cake

  • Any type of Chocolate cake
  • Cooking spray
  • Carmel sauce

Flan

  • Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • Evaporated Milk
  • Softened Cream Cheese
  • 1 Large Egg
  • Vanilla Extract

First, you’re going to want to preheat the oven to 350 for it to heat up when it’s time to put the chocoflan in.

Then in a spray a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray.

You’re going to want to spread an even layer of any kind of Carmel sauce.

In a large bowl you are going to be mixing the cake batter. It could either be homemade chocolate cake or out of a box cake; either one works.

Once you’re done, you’re going to pour the chocolate batter into the pan carefully.

In a blender, you’re going to place all the ingredients to make the flan part of the cake.

Blend on a high speed for 20 seconds or until the mixture becomes smooth.

Very carefully pour the flan mixture into the cake batter, both batters are going to mix but they will separate while baking forming a two layer cake.

Place a sheet of foil and spray cooking spray on it, then place it on the bottom of a large roasting pan.

Place the cake pan in the large roasting pan; add 1 inch of hot water to the roasting pan.

Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Once the timer goes off, to make sure your cake and flan mixture is baked completely, get a tooth pick and stick in the middle. If it comes out clean it means it’s ready but if you notice some batter on the stick leave it in for a few more minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the cake pan from the water and set it on a cooling rack; remove the foil.

Let it cool to room temperature for 1 hour then refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours.

Once it’s done cooling, run a metal spatula around the outer and inside of the pan to loosen the cake.

Place a plate on the bottom of the pan, turning it over and slowly removing the pan.

Remove the extra Carmel, that was left on the, pan onto the cake.

All done. Enjoy!

Track & Field

Track events

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By: Ellie Moore

While deciding the hardest track event is opinion based, many people believe the 400m is the hardest event, but each event requires a unique set of skills and presents its own set of challenges.

One event that is often considered to be the hardest track event is the 400m hurdles. This event combines the speed and endurance of a 400m race with the technical skills required to clear ten hurdles. It requires a lot of coordination, balance, and timing to maintain a consistent pace while jumping over the hurdles without losing speed or rhythm.

Another hard event is the 800m dash, which needs a balance of speed and endurance. It is considered middle-distance, and athletes must maintain a fast pace while conserving enough energy to finish strong. The 800m race is a tactical race, because athletes have to carefully plan their strategy to conserve energy for the final stretch while still staying in the lead.

The 1600m dash is another super hard event that requires both speed and endurance. It is considered a long-distance race, but it’s not long enough to just pace the entire thing. Athletes must maintain a fast pace while conserving enough energy to finish strong and avoid being outpaced by competitors in the final stretch.

Finally, the 100m dash is considered by many to be the most challenging event because of the extreme explosiveness and power required to cover the distance in mere seconds. Athletes need to have a perfect start from the blocks and continue to have good form throughout the race.

Every track event has many challenges, but the 400m hurdles, 800m dash, 1600m dash, and 100m dash are often considered to be the hardest track events.

Science/Nature

Artemis 2 space exploration

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By: Mushtaq Yonis

A new mission to the moon is coming up next year, the Artmetis 2 exploration. This exciting journey is going to happen in the Orion MPCV spaceship.

This mission will include a lunar flyby, which is when a spaceship orbits the moon without landing. The first flyby was the Soviet Union’s in 1959.

The Artemis 2 will have 4 crew members whose names are Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch. Reid Wiseman as the commander, Victor Glover as the pilot, and Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen as the mission specialists.

If you don’t know, there are 3 Artemis missions:

  • Artemis 1 – was an uncrewed test of the Orion spaceship on November of 2022
  • Artemis 2 – crewed flight that will take place in November of 2024
  • Artemis 3 – crewed flight that will land on the moon and will take place no earlier than 2025

The Artemis missions are a series of lunar exploration missions that have been designed to send humans farther into space than they have ever been before.

The crew will fly the Orion, which is an exploratory vehicle designed for longer flights beyond the moon. It will fly 8889 km beyond the moon and then return to Earth. The mission will take a minimum of 10 days.

This mission will be the first time with astronauts who are women and POC. For a reminder the crew will not be landing on the moon but instead will be doing a flyby.

NASA will also collect information about the moon’s environment and potential challenges astronauts might encounter. This will be used for NASA’s goals in establishing a permanent human presence on the moon.

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Basketball

Biography of Steph Curry

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By: Nagad Omar

4x NBA champion, Wardell Stephen Curry plays for the Golden State Warriors. But let’s look at before Curry became the man he is today.

Curry was born on March 14th, 1998 to parents Dell Curry and Sonya Curry in Akron, Ohio. Curry has 2 siblings, Seth Curry who currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets and his sister Sydel Curry who used to play volleyball for Elon Phoenix.

Curry played basketball in High School at Charlotte Christian, in North Carolina. Curry was then recruited by coach Bob Mckillop to play at Davidson college where he attended from 2006-2009, where he averaged 21.5 PPG, 4.6 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists in his very first season.

Curry also led tiny Davidson college to the 2008 NCAA tournament where they played util the Elite 8.

In 2009 Curry was the 6th pick in the NBA draft; drafted by the Golden State Warriors. Curry made an almost immediate impact on the Warriors. He was named the team’s starting point guard and averaged 17.5 PPG in his first season.

Curry made the most threes in the league in the 2012-2013 season when he made 272 threes, and 261 in the 2013-2014 season where he also got his first All Star selection.

He was named MVP for the next 2 years and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014-2015 season to give the Warriors their first title in 40 years. The Warriors then won the championship in the 2016-2017 season and won in the 2018-2019 season where he also played into his First-Team All NBA honors.

After breaking his hand in the 2019-2020 season the Warriors bounced back the following year to have a winning season.

The Warriors then won their most recent championship last season where they beat the Boston Celtics in a six game series.

Now, Curry is widely known as the best three pointer shooter in the history of the NBA and has set numerous records including shooting the most threes in NBA history at 7,929.

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Music/Concerts

Who I think gave the best Coachella performances

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By: Mya Olson – Williams

Many are aware that 2 weekends ago was the first weekend of the popular music festival in California, Coachella. There are two weekends of this three day festival. The headliners are Bad Bunny, BlackPink, and Frank Ocean. Smaller artists that are also performing are Kali Uchis, Labrinth, TV Girl, and so many more.

Labrinth

Labrinth’s music is usually recognized from the show Euphoria. In his weekend one performance, he brought out the special guest, Billie Eilish to perform their newest collaboration.

On weekend two, he sang another two singles with special guest, Zendaya. During Labrinth’s shows, the crowds were loud and interactive. His stage setups were cool and unique. He sounded great live, overall giving an amazing performance.

Calvin Harris

Calvin Harris is popular for collaborating with other artists like Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, and Dua Lipa. During his shows, he played lots of well known songs, had cool stage lighting, and a massive crowd with high energy. On weekend two, Calvin sang with Ellie Goulding. At one point, he made a tribute to the rapper Takeoff, who died in late 2022.

boygenius

boygenius is a smaller band, featuring Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. They recently released an album called ‘the record’. They sounded great together live, and you can tell everyone loved their music. boygenius had a really cool stage set up as well.

Overall, there were multiple amazing shows and performances this year, and these were my personal favorites. Coachella 2023 seemed like a great time, and I hope next year is the same.

Travel/Food

Best places to eat in St. Paul

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By: Lauren Kottke & Ella Sutherland

St. Paul has some great restaurants and places to eat. Here are some of our favorites!

One of our favorite places is The Nook. The Nook is a family owned business located on Hamline Ave. We love this place because it has great food, atmosphere and fun activities. The burger is great, and we would definitely recommend getting it from here. They are best known for their Juicy Lucy Burger.

It’s also a great place to bring your kids and family. Downstairs they have a bowling alley connected to another part of the restaurant. You can go bowling for a very cheap price and then grab some great food all right there.

Another great thing about this place is the wall they have downstairs in the bowling alley. The Nook is known for their great burgers, but also their money wall. In the bowling alley restaurant, they have the walls and ceilings filled with $1 bills decorated. You can decorate a $1 bill and then put it anywhere on the wall!

Another great place we recommend is French Meadow. French Meadow is another amazing restaurant close by, it’s located on Grand Ave. We have been there many times and we have always had a good experience. They have great food and service. Our favorites are the soups, salads and fries. They also have a very good chicken wrap during lunch.

If you go there, you must check out the deserts! They have different types of brownies, pastries and cakes. Our go-to is the caramel brownie. Although this place is very different from The Nook, it is still a great place to visit!

The family restaurant DeGidio’s has been around since 1933. They are known for their amazing Italian food, but they also do have some great American food, like burgers. Our favorites are the Chicken Parmesan and the Lasagna. They also are known for their bread that they give out. It’s fluffy bread with seasoned butter. Definitely one of our favorites!

Every experience we have had there, has been a great one. Another thing that makes this place so special is the service. Anytime we have been there it has been busy, but never a long wait. The workers make sure you don’t wait too long for a table. And they always make sure you have a good time!

Sakana is one of our favorite places to go out to eat. It has such a wide range of sushi. There are so many different kinds of sushi you can get, whether that be having raw fish, cooked fish, or no fish. The atmosphere is great with trendy music playing as well as excellent service. The prices are very reasonable and affordable.

You may also sit at the bar where they have TVs and they serve drinks. There is also a place where you can sit and watch the chef make the sushi right in front of you. They have great appetizers as well as great soups. This place is overall just great!

The last restaurant we recommend is Punch Pizza. This restaurant has a few locations that are scattered around Minnesota, but there is one located right on Grand Ave. They have so many different kinds of authentic Neapolitan pizza that are cooked with a 900 degree wood-burning oven.

The restaurant itself has such a lively atmosphere and it is always overflowing with customers. They have amazing side salads as well, that are quite filling. This is a great place to go with friends and family!

These are just a few of the places that Saint Paul has to offer, and our favorites!