It’s that time of year again when we are on a brief hiatus for winter break. Please continue to look at articles in our archive, and know that we’ll be back January 8th, with new articles.
Thanks – Plaid Line
Monthly Archives: December 2023
Sports schedule for: Dec 25-30
| ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: DECEMBER 25 – DECEMBER 30 | |||
| MONDAY | DECEMBER 25 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| TUESDAY | DECEMBER 26 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| TBD | JV: 1:00pm | 4:30pm V: 3:15pm | 7:15pm | Boy Hockey Tournament | Doug Woog Arena |
| WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 27 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| TBD | JV: TBD V: TBD | Boy Hockey Tournament | Doug Woog Arena |
| THURSDAY | DECEMBER 28 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| TBD | JV: TBD V: TBD | Boy Hockey Tournament | Doug Woog Arena |
| JV: 1:15pm V: 7:30pm | Girls Hockey Tournament vs. Park | New Hope Arena | |
| B: 2:00pm JV: 3:45pm V: 7:00pm | JV/B: 1:00pm V: 5:45pm | 8:30pm | Boys Basketball Tournament vs. St. Anthony Village | St. Anthony Village High School |
| FRIDAY | DECEMBER 29 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| TBD | Girls Hockey Tournament | New Hope Arena | |
| B: 10:30am JV: 12:15pm V: 4:00pm | JV/B: 9:30am V: 3:15pm | 6:00pm | Boys Basketball Tournament vs. Patrick Henry | St. Anthony Village High School |
| SATURDAY | DECEMBER 30 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| TBD | Girls Hockey Tournament | New Hope Arena | |
Holiday traditions
By: Addison Strack & Sophie Johnson
Now that we are approaching the holidays, everyone is in the holiday spirit, and they are preparing themselves for the happiest time of the year. We celebrate Christmas, but there are other holidays that are also being celebrated at this time. It is important to recognize and learn about different holidays and their traditions, so that you can understand how and why people celebrate the holidays they do. In this article we will be covering some different winter holidays, and their traditions.
The first holiday we will be covering is Christmas. This is a holiday we celebrate, and it is our favorite holiday of the year. One of the most important aspects of Christmas is the Christmas tree. Every year in December, Christmas tree farms are filled with people who are in search of the perfect Christmas tree. Once the best tree is found and taken home, people will decorate it with string lights, ornaments, and a star.
Another huge tradition that is practiced on Christmas is gift giving. People buy gifts for loved ones to be opened on Christmas Day, to show how much they appreciate them. Gifts slowly fill underneath the Christmas tree creating more and more excitement for Christmas Day.
A third tradition that many young children participate in is leaving out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve. Young kids are filled with anticipation and excitement waiting for Santa to leave them gifts, and of course they need to return his favor, by giving him some fuel to finish his long journey around the world. These are only three traditions that many people participate in on Christmas, and there are so many more.
New Years is another holiday that brings a lot of excitement to the winter season. This holiday is celebrated worldwide and marks the start of a new calendar year. Traditionally, the celebration starts on December 31st and continues into the morning of January 1st.
Many people write New Year’s resolutions which are goals that they want to attain or achievements they want to make within the coming year. New years is the start of a new beginning for lots of people and it’s almost a reset or a refresh where people can start up new things or start over on things they need to try again.
One of the main New Year’s traditions in America is the countdown to midnight and then the New York Times Square ball drop. This period of counting down is also a way of saying goodbye to the past year and remembering the memories that happened. It is also a way of preparing for what is to come in the future.
Many different cultures celebrate this holiday differently while doing traditional things that will provide them with good luck and good fortune for the new year. Some of these include lucky grapes in Spain, smashing plates in Denmark and eating black eyed peas in the Southern US for good luck.
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated from December 7 to December 15 this year. Hanukkah is celebrated by lighting a menorah, which is a nine candle holder. On each day of Hanukkah a candle is lit.
Religious rituals are also a way that people celebrate Hanukkah, for example many people will do daily readings of Scripture.
A third tradition is gift giving. Many families will exchange a gift each night of Hanukkah, and these gifts are often smaller thoughtful gifts.
Throughout the winter season, there are many holidays and traditions that families and individuals can look forward to all over the world. These three holidays are only a few examples of what a lot of people celebrate during this time. These holidays all include fun, giving and thoughtful routines that have been developed for centuries and will continue to be practiced for many generations to come.
‘THE CREATOR’ movie review
By: Joey Briseno & Cade Sullivan
Rating: 3⁄5 stars
*Warning: This review contains some spoilers
An interesting perspective on the future, ‘The Creator’ is set in a world on the brink of total annihilation. Former soldier Joshua, determined to find his wife, embarks on an adventure that spans multiple visually impressive locations, with well-worked action sprinkled throughout the film. However, the film doesn’t take full advantage of its potential and ultimately left us wanting more.
Starring in this thought-provoking journey are, to name a few: John David Washington as Joshua, Gemma Chan as Joshua’s wife Maya, Madeline Yuna Voyles as Alphie, and Ken Watanabe as Harun. This roster proves itself as seasoned and well-cast, and the actors fill their roles very nicely.
The villain of this film is General Andrews, a ruthless man who commands the U.S. Military and wants to wipe out all AI. He recruits Joshua to destroy the AI Supermind Nirmatas new weapon, known simply as Alpha-O. Andrews is an emotionally cold character who feels embarrassment for AI’s nuclear attack on Los Angeles. This motivates him to want to rid the world of AI so that his country can feel safe again. Andrews, while being the main antagonist, doesn’t feature much in the film and isn’t given any development; his character remains the same until the end of the runtime. Andrews meets his end at the climax following the explosion of the space station NOMAD. While he is a serviceable antagonist, we feel like his character was a missed opportunity to have a more memorable villain, which would have helped elevate the film as a whole.
‘The Creator’ boasts strong special effects and quality cinematography, which helps to hide some of the film’s weaker aspects (plot, side characters). The film uses CGI where it is necessary, but it isn’t overbearing, as real-life locations and sets are utilized to help give the movie a better sense of realism. We especially liked the scenes shot in the made-up country of New Asia, as practical effects and green screen effects were used very well for the environment
As for music, ‘The Creator’ brought in an accomplished composer in Hans Zimmer to do the soundtrack, and it shows. Zimmer seems to always have the right tune for a situation, whether it be slower moments of character development and context or faster moments of action and spectacle. Traditional Asian music is incorporated into the score as well, making it seem all the more authentic.
‘The Creator’ is a thought provoking study on both the usefulness of AI and the negatives it can bring. As shown in the movie, one of the main characters, Alphie, is a powerful AI being who can wipe out humanity if she wishes but instead teams up with Joshua and uses her gift for good. The negative effects of AI shown here is most notably the nuclear attack on Los Angeles, which is the cause for most of the conflict that happens in the film.
However, there are a few aspects that negatively affect the viewing experience. One negative thing about this movie is while it’s an original story, it takes a lot of elements from more popular sci-fi works.
Another negative is the somewhat sluggish pacing; there are points in the film where the characters don’t do anything and are just waiting for something to happen. The plot is also underdeveloped and often unoriginal, as quite a few plot elements feel recycled from better movies like “Star Wars” and “Blade Runner”.
‘The Creator’ is a decent blockbuster movie, but frustratingly falls short of its potential, and it’ great cinematography and interesting ideas are undercut by the derivative plot and slow pacing. The antagonist and side characters here are underutilized, as most of the runtime is spent with Joshua and Alphie. The score impresses, as do the action sequences, but unfortunately the film isn’t able to establish itself as something worth a rewatch.
We would recommend the movie for “Star Wars” fans or science fiction fans in general, as it offers redeeming qualities for those interested in the genre. For those who aren’t as interested in the sci-fi genre, this movie may not be for you.
(‘The Creator’ is streaming now on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video)
Why it’s important to get sleep
By: Alex Martinez Martinez
Why is it so important to get sleep? Sleep plays a big role in how we manage to get through a day and it plays a big part in both our physical and mental health. Sleep helps our bodies and brain to function better.
Getting a good night’s sleep could improve your memory and brain performance. Sleep gives you the energy you need and it can help you to think more clearly and focus better through the day. Not getting the right amount or quality of sleep can affect your mood and how you interact with others; you could be more irritable and feel like not talking to others.
Not getting enough sleep over time can also put you at a bigger risk of developing depression. Sleep is very essential for your physical well being, as research shows that it can affect growth, immune system, appetite and blood pressure. Lack of sleep increases the risk of obesity, infections and heart diseases.
For an adult, on average, they should get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, while teenagers should be getting 8-9 hours of sleep, and younger children should get up to 10 hours of sleep, at least, per night.
It is not only about the amount of sleep but the quality too. Finding and sticking to a sleep schedule and practicing relaxation techniques can help to improve the quality of your sleep.
I have seen and experienced how sleep can really affect our body’s ability to function when getting the right amount and quality of sleep. I notice that when I don’t get the right amount of sleep I’m less focused and motivated in the mornings, but when I do get the proper amount of sleep I wake up refreshed and energized, ready to start the day.
Sleep is very important when it comes to the well-being of your physical and mental health. Make sure you prioritize your sleep over anything because sleep isn’t just about getting some shut eye but about taking care of our bodies, minds and overall health. This is why it is so important to get sleep.
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Book review on ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’
By: Aliana Romo
‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ was written in 2020 by Suzanne Collins and is a prequel to the Hunger Games series. This book revolved around 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, who was the president of Panem in the original books. It shows the backstory of his character and what the early days of the Hunger Games were like. During this book he gets offered to mentor the kids in the Hunger Games, which has never happened before. He mentors a woman named Lucy Gray Baird who has currently been selected to participate in the Hunger Games.
While reading this book I really enjoyed how it goes deep into the backstory of Coriolanus Snow. It showed a different side to him and how his character got twisted, which was not shown in the original books. His character had a lot more backstory and it showed everything he went through, and how he got the way he was.
In addition to this, I really enjoyed reading this book because of all the details it included about the Hunger Games. Originally there hadn’t been that much information about what the games were like in the beginning, so being able to read about it in such detail was very important. It showed what life was like before the war and what it was like soon after the war, which had not been portrayed before. The book overall included many details about things that were shown in the original books, which helped me understand things more clearly.
Another thing that I found interesting about this book was Suzanne Collins writing; it helped put the book in a new perspective. It had the perspective of Coriolanus who grew up in the capitol, not in the districts. It showed how he didn’t think much of the Hunger Games, and then ended up liking them more, after realizing how twisted they really were. Suzanne Collins did a great job of giving such vivid details of the capitol and the districts. She also wrote on many serious topics such as power, mortality, relationships and the lengths that people go to, to survive.
Overall, I found ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ to be an amazing book, it was very captivating and continued the Hunger Games series very well. It was well written and showed new in depth details about the story in general.
Top 10 most endangered animals
By: Cleo Newton
According to an article by UUF.UK, the top 10 most endangered animals include the following:
Number 1: The Javan Rhino.
This rhino used to be found throughout South-East Asia. There are only around 75 of these rhinos left. Because they are so low in numbers, they are one of the rarest rhino species. Reasons for their decline include: habitat loss, and hunting.
Number 2: The Amur Leopard
There are about 100 Amur Leopards left in the wild. Because they are only found in a small region in the far east of Russia and north-eastern China, they have been critically endangered since 1996. Some threats that Amur Leopards face include: habitat loss, prey scarcity, and fragmentation (meaning they are spread far apart geographically).
Number 3: the Sunda Island Tiger
Also known as the Sumatran Tiger, they are the smallest tiger species: they weigh up to 140kg. These tigers are only found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. There are only about 600 of these tigers left in the wild. Some things contributing to their population decline include: habitat loss, and the expansion of the human population.
Number 4: the Mountain Gorilla
These gorillas live in a landscape belonging to Virunga. The area they live in has a history of being politically unstable. Because there are already over 500,000 people living near the mountain the gorillas live on, it would be more harmful if more humans were to move there. They have a population of just over 1000 in the wild. The Mountain Gorillas have been doing better thanks to the conservation efforts and other help from through the International Gorilla Conservation Programme.
Number 5: the Tapanuli Orangutan
The Tapanuli Orangutan are the most endangered great ape species, with only 800 living in the wild. They live in a tropical environment. Unfortunately, the Tapanuli Orangutan have suffered from losing over 40% of their forests in the province of North Sumatra from: mining, agriculture, hydroelectric and geothermal development.
Number 6: the Yangtze Finless Porpoise
Back in 2018, there were still around 1000 of these porpoises in the wild. But because there haven’t been any sightings of these porpoises in a while, China moved them up to “first level protected” in 2021. Things that have impacted their population number include: water pollution and overfishing.
Number 7: the Black Rhino
Most Black Rhinos live in Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Their biggest threat is poaching; they are killed for their horn. Poachers kill them then take their horn for illegal horn trade. Over the last 10 years, almost 10,000 rhinos have been killed.
Number 8: the African Forest Elephant
Like the Black Rhinos, the biggest factor contributing the their population decline is poaching. Some other factors include: habitat loss and agriculture. Today, these elephants only take up about 25% of their original habitat space. People don’t actually know how many of these elephants are left, but they think that over the last 31 years, their population might have declined by about 86%.
Number 9: the Sumatran Orangutan
There are less than 14,000 Sumatran Orangutans left in the wild. They are critically endangered and deal with threats like: agriculture, logging and plantations. These apes have lost about 60% of their habitat between the years 1985 and 2007.
Number 10: the Hawksbill Turtle
Their population has decreased by at least 80% in the last 30 years due to: nesting habitat loss, illegal trade of their shells, accidental capture in fishing gear, plastic pollution, and climate change. People think there are about 20,000-23,000 of these turtles left in the wild
Animals play a very important role in the environment; they help keep a balance in the ecosystem. Remember, it is important to respect these animals because as they are important to the environment, they are also important to us. Hurting them may also negatively impact humans.
Winter holidays
By: Brennan McMahon
Hanukkah: Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that is usually celebrated in December. Hanukkah is the celebration of the redecoration of the second temple of Jerusalem by lighting candles on every day of the festival. Jewish people light one candle for each of the 8 days of Hanukkah. For more information about Hanukkah, please visit: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hanukkah
Christmas: Christmas is a Christian holiday that happens on December 25 every year. This holiday is in celebration of Jesus being born. Christians celebrate Christmas by setting up trees, giving presents, and going to church. Christmas music is super popular. In December you can go onto any radio station and find some sort of Christmas music. For more information about Christmas, please visit: https://www.rd.com/article/christmas-on-the-25th/
New Years: This is the celebration of the next year starting and the previous one ending. There is a huge party in New York City. A lot of people stay up until midnight to celebrate with family and friends. People write New Year’s resolutions which are things you want to do better the next year. For more information about New Years, please visit: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/new-years
Kwanzaa: Kwanzaa is an African American holiday founded by Dr. Maulana Karenga, that is a nonreligious holiday that focuses on history, family and culture. Each day people light a candle to symbolize the meaning of the day. For more information about Kwanzaa, please visit: https://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/
St. Nicholas Day: St. Nicholas Day is a day to celebrate St. Nicholas who was a bishop in present day Greece. He loved to help the poor by giving them money. He is the inspiration for what we now call Santa. People celebrate St. Nick’s Day by leaving their shoes out and then the next day wake up to find them filled with little presents. St. Nick’s Day is celebrated on the 6 of December. Another way to celebrate St Nick’s Day is little acts of kindness because he was always kind to everyone he met. For more information about St. Nicholas Day, please visit: https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/advent/about-st-nicholas.html
Las Posadas: This is a Christmas festival celebrated in Mexico and other Hispanic communities. It starts on December 16 and lasts 9 nights. The children celebrate by having piñatas filled with candy. The children go to every inn in town looking for a place to stay and when they find one with room for them they break the piñata and celebrate. For more information about Los Posadas, please visit: https://mexicratecandy.com/blogs/blog/las-posadas-and-other-mexican-holiday-traditions-you-should-know
Upcoming movies in 2023-2024
By: Natalia Gercheva
As many of you may know, there are some popular movies that are going to be released at the end of 2023, and in 2024. In this article I will be going over what I think are some of the most significant movies coming out soon, and their release dates so you can mark your calendars and see them in theaters! Also, a link to the trailers will be attached under every movie! (All the release dates in the article are for the United States)
‘Wonka’ (December 15, 2023)
I wanted to start off by mentioning the movie ‘Wonka’ starring Timothée Chalamet which was released very recently! It is playing in many theaters around Minnesota, but the Highland Mann Theater is also playing it if you live in St. Paul, and want to watch it locally. The cast for this movie is extensive, featuring many famous celebrities. The movie is a prequel to Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. It follows the young Willy Wonka and his dream to make it big in the chocolate industry.
‘Wonka’ trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otNh9bTjXWg
‘Mean Girls’ (January 12, 2024)
As some of you may know, there is yet another ‘Mean Girls’ movie that will be released in 2024. It features some actors from the original movie such as Tina Fey and Tim Meadows. A couple of the new actors are Jenna Fischer and Christopher Briney. The plot also stays similar to the original movie, but it has more modern twists and new jokes. I think it will be interesting to see how it compares to the original movie, because it has such a big name to live up to.
‘Mean Girls’ trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFtdbEgnUOk
Kung Fu Panda 4′ (March 8, 2024)
‘Kung Fu Panda’ is one of my favorite childhood collections of movies, so I am actually really looking forward to this coming out, and watching it. I have never disliked one of the movies, and based on the trailer it seems to have an interesting storyline. It is great to watch with your family, and with people of all ages.
‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_inKs4eeHiI
‘Inside Out 2’ (June 14, 2024)
It has recently been announced that there will be an ‘Inside Out’ sequel, which also seems to have a good plot. The last movie came out in 2015, so I remember being just a kid when first watching it. The sequel explores Riley’s mind as she grows up as a teenager. It will feature new emotions, including Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment. I am excited to see the movie since it has been many years since the first, and I hope it does well.
‘Inside Out 2’ trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWavstJydZU
‘Despicable Me 4’ (July 3, 2024)
Adding to the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise, the fourth movie will continue the story of Gru, his wife Lucy, and their adopted kids. It is still not super clear what the plot will be about, but based on the trailer it looks like there is a new villain to take down, and Gru’s twin brother is still there to help. I love ‘Despicable Me’ because it was also one of my main childhood movies, although it seems that the quality of the plot has been going down after each new movie they release. I really hope that’s not the case for this movie, and for now I am looking forward to seeing it.
‘Despicable Me 4’ trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74RIFFCiQDk
There are a couple more honorable mentions that haven’t all been completely confirmed, but may come out in 2024 that I just didn’t write about in this article. Some examples are ‘Paddington in Peru’, ‘Rush Hour 4’, ‘Deadpool 3’, and ‘Wicked’. I hope this article gave you some things to look forward to in the new year!
Highland basketball tryouts
By: Jafar Abdi
Basketball season is here! With the excitement of the sport also comes teams and tryouts. Here at Highland, we have 3 different teams for you to play on: B-Squad (also known as C-Squad), JV (Junior Varsity), and Varsity.
According to Stack.com, “Feeling nervous before basketball tryouts is completely normal. Some of those nerves typically stem from fear of the unknown. When you don’t know what’s going to happen at a basketball tryout, it can be difficult to feel confident and prepared.” But what’s important is that you play hard and work even harder. Now here is what to expect.
Tryouts were November 20th-22nd, with the C-Squad trying out at 3-5PM and the other teams trying out at 5-7PM. There were a lot of basic offensive drills like either handed layups but there was also some defense like sliding/shuffling.
There was also around 30 players trying out, and the coach would most likely choose around 12-15. Players who already played for the C-Squad last year wouldn’t be chosen by the coach to play again, so good luck to them on the higher squads!
On top of regular drills, there was lots of conditioning with the coach having players doing “suicides” which is running up and down the court multiple times at a sprint.
Besides the actual content of the tryouts the actual players would be mostly freshman, seeing as the upperclassmen were trying out for the higher squads. Not to say that a sophomore or junior couldn’t participate in C-Squad tryouts, but that there were not that many people that age.
The coach would be looking for players who could be a leader on the court, with good sportsmanship, and were hard working, so you needed to make sure to give it your all.
The 1st game of the season was on Tuesday, Dec 5th, with Varsity and JV losing and C-Squad winning. All-in-all, basketball is a great sport to play, and it’s an even better feeling when you can play for your school. I wish everyone good luck and hopefully they have a good season!
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