And with that, we have come to the end of the 2025/2026 school year.
Hopefully, you have enjoyed all the great content students produced this year!
We look forward to coming back in the fall, for the 2026/2027 school year, providing more student produced content.
In the meantime, as always, please check out past content that students have created!
Thanks – HPSH Plaid Line/PRIZM/Scottie News
By: Miliana Ingram
By: Miliana Ingram
By: Janessa Castro Cruz
In San Diego, at a retail store called “Buy 4 Less”, in June of 2026, the homeland security task force investigation discovered a cross-border tunnel that was used to traffic thousands of pounds of drugs across the border that led to Tijuana, Mexico. Authorities say that some of those drugs were likely headed to the Midwest and the Chicago area. The tunnel stretched 1,933 feet away from the retail store to Mexico, and it had walls, rails, lighting, ventilation systems, and electricity.
The investigation started December 2025 when the retail store was reported for having suspicious activity. When the homeland security task force began surveilling they discovered individuals transporting empty suitcases across the border and between the store and vehicles.
In May 2026, they watched a lot of suspicious activity coming from the retail store, like a man loading heavy items into a van and dropping it off to a nearby mechanic shop. They also watched a few suspects place three deep freezers onto a truck, filling them with packages.
San Diego county sheriff’s deputies stopped the trucks and they discovered evidence of controlled substances. They discovered more than 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms) of cocaine from the vehicles, with a street value of $45 million worth of cocaine, according to authorities.
Officers started search warrants at the retail store “Buy 4 Less” and the mechanic shop that a man dropped off items to. Hidden under the store’s floor, they found the tunnel that extended about 1,064 feet (and as deep as 21 feet), from the retail store to the U.S.-Mexico border, and another 800 feet into Mexico.
4 people were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one of them faces additional charges for conspiracy to use a cross-border tunnel and to import controlled substances.
By: Weston Halgunseth
Quick Verdict
For me ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ is a wonderfully written game that rewrites the modern id Software formula. By removing the fast and flying like feeling of the game ‘DOOM Eternal’, ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ gives us a tankier combat style. It gives a prequel that feels both new and familiar to the older games. For people like me that love action packed games, this game is a must play. If I had to rate it I’d give it a 9/10.
Introduction
When id Software gave us the ‘Doom’ story back in 2016 they taught us how to fight. In ‘DOOM Eternal’, they taught us how to fly. But in ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ they take us back to the very start of the story. Throwing us into a dark sci-fi fantasy prequel that tells us the story of the DOOM Slayer and his unfortunate line of fallen pets.
Stepping away from futuristic UAC facilities and neon-lit cities, ‘The Dark Ages’ drops players into a gritty metal infused medieval world that I was taken aback by a lot of the time. The Slayer is no longer just a fast-moving space marine, he is the embodiment of the ultimate weapon of the Sentinels. He battles through ruined castles, ancient forests, and eerie cosmic realms. The result is a crazy style change that fits the story into the franchise’s atmosphere but the visual differences from the previous games was very noticeable.
Combat & Gameplay
I think the biggest risk the developers at id Software had was the purposely slowing down of the game play and the Slayer. The double jumps and constant air dashes of previous games have been replaced with an intense sense of weight and power. You don’t just run around demons instead you ram right through them and tank their shots. In my opinion, this is a great shift they made that was the perfect amount of change they could have done.
The Shield Saw Revolution
One of the fan favorites, and my favorite weapon, was the new Shield Saw. It is worn on the Slayer’s left arm. It completely changes the rhythm of DOOMs combat. Instead of being close range you can be far and just throw your shield. For me, I loved this new weapon. It really helped with crowds of demons.
A Medieval Arsenal
The new list of weapons I get to pick from perfectly matches the dark fantasy settings. While the iconic Loadout of the Slayer is good, this new one fits the theme perfectly. But they kept the super shotgun because what’s a Slayer game without a super shotgun. Some of my favorite new guns are the nail gun, and the steel ball launcher capable of breaking enemies armor easily which helped show that the DOOM Slayer’s presence is still there.
When the size of the war in ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ reaches the most chaotic part, the game almost becomes cinematic. We pilot an Atlan mech which can take out skyscraper sized demons, and as a fire breathing drake with cybernetic wings that can take down ships 20x its size. Playing as these things made it super fun to play and become the most memorable spots to game for me.
World Building and Visuals
‘The Dark Ages’ does a fantastic job filling in the gaps of DOOM’s mythology. Seeing the early days of the Slayer’s rage and diving deeper into Sentinel lore gives the campaign a weight that previous games only hinted at through codex entries and text logs giving me more of a complete understanding of the lore behind the Slayer and why he is so rage filled.
Visually, the game is stunning. Powered by the id Tech 8 engine ‘The Dark Ages’ is a beast in scale. Massive battlefields often feature hundreds of active combatants fighting in the distance while you tear through enemies in the foreground. On PS5 the performance remained smooth and consistent, maintaining a strong frame rate even during the most chaotic encounters.
Honoring a Legendary Trilogy
To truly appreciate ‘The Dark Ages’ you have to look at the giants whose shoulders it stands upon.
‘DOOM’ (2016) was a insane return to form that reminded players why first-person shooters are so exciting. It perfectly balanced straight push forward combat with relentless action and atmosphere which is what made me love this trilogy and was the first time I saw what Doom was.
Then came ‘DOOM Eternal’, a lightning fast game of combat chess that pushed my skill and reflexes to their limits through demanding movement, resource management, and precision which was a struggle at times for me.
Both games are widely regarded as masterpieces of the modern FPS genre.
Rather than trying to copy either game ‘The Dark Ages’ serves as the perfect third pillar. It blends the raw atmosphere of ‘DOOM’ (2016) with the mechanical depth of ‘DOOM Eternal’ while removing much of the divisive platforming. The result is a game that stands proudly beside its predecessors and completes a modern trilogy where each game offers its own way to play.
The Pros and Cons
Pros
Final Thoughts
‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ proves that id Software isn’t afraid to take risks with its most iconic franchise. By taking away the Slayer’s speed and replacing it with armor, a shield and the unstoppable momentum of a juggernaut, the developers have created a prequel that stands firmly on its own.
It’s heavy, brutal and cinematic and most importantly, it’s a great addition to the DOOM series and a worthy chapter in one of gaming’s greatest modern trilogies; with me at least.
By: Brayden Marsh
Dan Gable was a wrestler at Iowa State University and the head coach at the University of Iowa. His college record was 117-1, which easily makes him one of the best wrestlers in college wrestling history. His 1 loss was coincidentally his last match, which he lost 13-11 to Larry Owings from the University of Washington in the 142 pound finals. Although this had broken his 0 loss streak, he had nearly broken the 0 loss record that at the time hadn’t been broken yet. That record would be broken by Cael Sanderson from Iowa State University 32 years later.
After college, Dan Gable would go on to compete at the Olympics, continuing to show his dominance in the sport. He would have 6 matches in the Olympics, and would go on to be the first person to not give up a single point in all of his matches, winning the gold medal.
He had also coached at the University of Iowa from 1972-1997. During his coaching career at Iowa, he had won 9 consecutive team titles, which hadn’t been done in any college sport at the time. He also achieved 21 consecutive Big Ten team titles. One of his biggest accomplishments was his record breaking 170.5 scored points at the NCAA wrestling tournament in 1997. This would go on to be broken in 2025 by Penn State, 28 years later. Gable’s reaction to this record being broken was “What took so long? Where have people been? It took 27 years to break a record!”
Gable’s concepts are also very notable. He was extremely determined to make sure his wrestlers were constantly aggressive, always making the opponent catch up. He understood that defense doesn’t score points, and that there always needs to be an urgency to score.
Dan Gable has had a large impact on wrestlers all around the world. To this day, he continues to show up to camps and clinics all around America. The records he had set had been revolutionary at the time, taking about 30 years to break some of them. He will continue inspiring wrestlers around the world, making a great foundation for people to learn from.
By: Merob Geleto, Dahlia Man and Calvin Westin
By: Arturo Benitez-Osorio
In the middle of the picture is my cousin on her 15th birthday. In our culture, we do something called a quinceañera.
It’s a tradition in Latin American culture when a girl celebrates her 15th birthday. Many celebrations begin with a Catholic mass to honor the occasion; then the party starts. Many quinces use a doll to represent the birthday girl, symbolizing the end of her childhood and the father swaps her flat shoes to high heels to represent that she’s ready for womanhood. Then everyone dances and eats a variety of Latino food.
How did quinceañeras?
Long before European arrival, the Mayans and Aztecs celebrated the age of 15 as the end of puberty. It marked a young woman’s readiness for marriage or community service.
Fun facts
The honor of damas and chambelanes: This represents the young woman’s closest peers supporting her transition. The girl is usually accompanied by 14 damas and chambelanes representing the 14 years of her childhood, plus herself to make it 15.
The mass before her birthday party: Its a Spanish/Catholic religious tradition/ceremony of a quinceañera of a way of giving thanks and renewing baptismal vows, with a special blessing as she transitions from childhood to womanhood.
The last doll: The birthday girl will give away her favorite doll to a younger sibling or relative signifying the end of her childhood
By: Maizie Hughes and Avi Zmira
By: Simon Pluger
When summer finally arrives in Minnesota, everyone will know what to do: pack a bag and head to the beach in Minneapolis. We have several urban beaches such as Lake Bde Maka Ska, Lake Nokomis, and also Cedar Lake. All of these lakes offer a place to cool down when it is unbearably hot out with temperatures always fluctuating and sometimes breaking records across the state. One thing is for sure, beaches will be crowded, but will we actually see record swimmers this year or will it be another average summer?
If you think about it, hot weather means more crowded beaches of people wanting to escape the heat when the forecast is constantly in the high 80s and 90s. Staying inside with the air-conditioning feels nice but is sometimes very boring for people on summer break or for families looking for free activities to do, or anyone trying to cool off that wouldn’t have AC. The cities urban beaches are go to destinations.
However, predicting or even thinking about a record-breaking swimming season isn’t as easy as just looking at the forecast for the next week or two. For records to break, a lot of environmental science is also at play and the extreme heat just adds to it .
Even though hot weather draws people to the sandy beach, it also creates one of the most known problems in all of these urban lakes: toxic algae and bacteria. Minneapolis lakes are pretty, but they are also delicate ecosystems. When temperatures rise in the cities, there are often heavy summer rain storms which wash city pollution and other chemicals into the lakes. Nutrients like phosphorus overflow into the water and this mix of extreme heat and runoff can cause quick blooms of toxic algae.
We’ve already seen this happen with a lot of lakes in Minneapolis. The parks and recreation board has had to give out a ton of safety warnings and temporary closures to popular swimming areas, including around Lake Nokomis, due to water safety issues. If you swallow the water or even touch the water with the algae it can cause serious skin irritation, rashes, eye irritation, and severe stomach issues. So even if it’s hot out, and there’s one of these warnings, the beach’s swimmers will drop to zero.
Another key factor is that how many people work at these beaches? The city works really hard to keep everyone safe but hiring staff to be lifeguards has been a really big problem in the last couple of years because there’s been a big shortage of people wanting to work as lifeguards. This is because the beaches usually have to limit how many lifeguards they have, and sometimes they won’t have any making the beach closed, or swim at your own risk. This leads to large crowds gathering at just a few specific beaches because there are no lifeguards.
My final verdict is that we will most likely see higher than average crowds relaxing on urban beaches this summer. People are eager to escape the heat, but this won’t mean that there will be more than average people swimming. If we get enough cool breaks throughout the summer, we will likely see more people swimming because there will be less algae in the water, but if the heat remains being up and staying up, this will cause more algae. This will mean that people will be stuck on the sand and not in the water.
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