A drawing of a shoe

October 3, 2024 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Pwe Doh Gay

This is a picture of a Nike shoe also called a Jordan. I drew the shoe because we wear shoes every day and thought of drawing it. Nike is also the most popular shoe in the world.

For this drawing, I used pencil then went over it with Sharpie. I then used regular markers to color it in.

Something I like about it is the green on the shoe; the green is a nice bright color. I also like how basic the shoe looks with the color.

Also, something that I think I could fix is the shoelaces. They don’t really look good; there is a gap in the laces, and some are thicker than others.

But I really like how it turned out at the end.

For my next drawing, I might draw another shoe or something else.

Books/Art

A review of ‘Wonder’ finding courage and kindness

October 2, 2024 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Kimberly Mascote Rangel

‘Wonder’ by R.J. Palacio is a touching and inspiring book. It’s about a boy named August Pullman, who is starting school for the first time. Auggi, as he is called, has a facial difference that makes him look different from the other kids. The story follows his experiences as he begins fifth grade at Beecher Prep a private school and his experiences with bullying and getting called names.

One of the best parts of ‘Wonder’ is how the story is told from different points of view. We get to hear not just from Auggie but also from his sister Via and some of his friends and classmates. This helps us understand how Auggie’s condition affects everyone around him and it makes it interesting and a good book to read that keeps you intrigued to finish reading it.

Auggie is a wonderful character. Even though he faces many challenges he stays positive and brave. His kindness and strength make him a role model for everyone. The book’s main messages are about being kind and accepting others and also seeing the good in people. These lessons are important and make the book very meaningful.

In ‘Wonder’ the conversations between characters feel real and the emotions are genuine. The book talks about topics like bullying but it also shows the power of friendship and support. It also shows the power of having kind people around you that make you feel better and are nice to you.

Overall, ‘Wonder’ is a beautiful book that teaches us to look beyond appearances and value everyone for who they are. It reminds us that kindness and understanding can make a big difference in people’s lives. This book is a must read for anyone who wants a story that is both heartwarming and thought provoking. I would give it a 9/10.

Clubs and Activities

Why you should join robotics

October 2, 2024 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Nathaniel de Sam Lazaro

On September 24, 2024 the robotics team had our first meeting. We had many new members join and check out the team, and overall it was a huge success. However, we are always welcoming new members and would love for more people to join (especially new freshmen). In this article I will explain some important details about the robotics team and why you should want to be a part of it.

Our robotics team is part of a larger organization called First Robotics Competition, or FRC. FRC is a worldwide competition with thousands of teams. Every year, these teams compete by designing robots to compete and win a game. The game is revealed at the start of each calendar year, and this begins “build season,” which lasts about two months before competitions start. Highland normally competes in two competitions, one is in Duluth and the other in Minneapolis. If the team does well enough in these competitions, we get to go to the world championships in Houston, TX.

In the fall, we prepare for the competition season and welcome new members to the team. This year, we are competing in the MiniTrials, which is a smaller early competition that takes place in the fall. New members design a robot to compete in a smaller game, with older students serving as mentors. This allows new members to gain important skills ahead of the competition season this winter.

The robotics team allows students to gain useful skills in engineering, programming, business, and many other things. It helps you gain important skills of working on a team, being a leader, and solving problems. It is also loads of fun, and you get to go on the trip to Duluth for the competition and see your work pay off.

The robotics team meets every Tuesday, and often Thursdays and Saturdays in the woodshop, room 0154 after school. We hope to see you there, as we are always welcoming new members.

Tech/Games

‘Lethal Company’: Probably the best co-op game to date

October 1, 2024 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Julia Yang

Warning: this game includes spiders, jumpscares, creepy sounds, and many other horror elements.

Fun fact: ‘Lethal Company’ is one of the most positively rated games on Steam. It’s currently in the top 24 of most positively rated, and was the top rated new release game of 2023.

‘Lethal Company’ is a game where you and your chosen buddies are hired by a pretty hazardous company— some might even say lethal— where you’re tasked to land on a variety of moons in outer space to collect scrap for money to meet the assigned quota. Upon entering the main building containing said scraps, little did they tell you that the moons are infested with monsters, creatures, and creepy crawlers that will almost never hesitate to kill you on sight. You’ll encounter a variety of beings like large spiders, a nutcracker with a shotgun, a totally innocent butler, and even deadly blue goo!

Fail to collect the money needed to meet the given quota, and you’ll be blasted off into space. Do whatever it takes to get the scraps you need. Or don’t. I’m not here to tell you how to play the game.

This game truly is the best horror game to play with your friends and family — if you’re not too scared of course. Despite how the game graphics look, ‘Lethal Company’ delivers some of the most terrifying scares of all time.

This game includes voice proximity, meaning if two players are close then you’ll hear each other, but the further away, the quieter you are. Proximity chat makes any game immediately 10x funnier and scarier with the right moments. You’ll be collecting scraps for the quota and then you’ll hear your friend screaming for their lives in the background, it’s hilarious.

What makes ‘Lethal Company’ so good I believe is the overall multiplayer horror factor and the hilarious moments that come out of it. You see, ‘Lethal Company’ is so terrifying that your friends can’t help but laugh at your demise. I will say, this game may not be the best of games to help bond, but man does it get your adrenaline going.

Yet again, another factor that makes this game so awesome really doesn’t come from the game itself, but its fans. Mods. The mods made for ‘Lethal Company’ are so fun, one of my personal favorites is the “Skinwalker” mod.

This mod basically takes voice snippets of you and every other active player and makes it so the monsters can use you or other players’ voices to lure players to their doom. You don’t understand true fear until you hear a dead player’s voice call out to you.

There are an unbelievable amount of mods to make ‘Lethal Company’ even better than it already is which immediately bumps up the rating once again.

The title may look to be biased, but I haven’t actually played the game myself and many across the globe can agree with it. Honestly, if you want to find out what the hype about this game is because I can’t explain what makes it so good that well, then be my guest; the game is $9.99, only found on Steam.

One last fact: This game is completely made up, developed, coded, modeled, and sound designed by one person.

Advice/How To

Why are dogs a good pet to have?

October 1, 2024 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Isabel Strack

There are many benefits to owning a dog. Here are some of the health benefits that a person may get from having a dog as a pet.

Dogs are good pets to have because they can help you feel less alone. Dogs can help a lot with your mental and physical health and they can help you even when other people can’t. Owning a dog can lower your chance of feeling socially isolated, which can reduce the risks of heart attacks. When someone is socially isolated it can affect your mental health.

Dogs encourage you to move and get out of the house. Owners spend almost 300 minutes every week walking their dog. That is 200 more minutes of walking than for people who aren’t pet owners. When walking your dog, it can make you look more approachable and give someone a good conversation starter. Researchers found that about 40% of dog owners have a easier time meeting new people and making new friends. Dog owners can interact with more people like other dog owners they encounter on their daily walks.

Dogs can help lower your stress level. Many studies have shown that dogs can help relieve stress and anxiety. Just petting a dog that you may know can help lower your blood pressure, slow your breathing, and help relax tense muscles. Research has shown that a bond between humans and dogs can lower your stress levels, which is a big cause of cardiovascular problems.

Dogs help you increase your activities. They give you reasons to go outside and get physical activity everyday. Dogs force you to get up and move. A research study has found that people who own dogs are more likely to do regular physical activities, then for people that don’t own any dogs. They require daily exercise. Over time this exercise can help strengthen your muscles, bones and joints. You might notice that your usual walk or run with your dog will start to feel easier.

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