All posts by HPSH Plaid Line

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Memoir of a Snail’ movie review

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By: Marina Yang

‘Memoir of a Snail’ is a film created in 2024, written and directed by Adam Elliot. This movie centers around the two siblings Grace Pudel (voiced by Sarah Snook) and Gilbert Pudel (at first voiced by Mason Litsos, and later on Kodi Smit-McPhee), with other side characters that each meets throughout their stories. This is an adult-film (rated R), it will show and talk about more graphic things such as cussing.

The movie starts off with the birth of the two siblings, and their lives staying together until separated by the cruel death of their only guardian, their father. They unfortunately cannot stay together as they are taken in by two different families. Each have separate issues from each other as Gilbert is somewhere in a desert and Grace is somewhere more urban. The movie mainly revolves around Grace’s perspective with her major champion, Pinky (voiced by Jacki Weaver). There are occasional switches to Gilbert’s perspective through his letters/narrating. Grace’s life journey is about her biggest problems, which are overcoming her fears, love and loneliness; all represented by a snail. Snails retrieve back into their shells as a defense/fear mechanism as she backs into her comfort zone, restricting herself from her goals at times.

The movie has a realistic take on people going through mental issues, and overall just struggles throughout life (as this is inspired off the writer’s own life experience). This make the movie more likable and relatable than some other films may be. Plus, its unique claymation style gives the film character, and definitely shows how long and detailed they worked on this movie. This movie can resonate with people in different ways through the characters traits, common interests, etc., attracting certain crowds.

This movie was nice, I’d say with a realistic reality to the movie without some kind of nice cover-up. Also, claymation/stop-motion movies are one of my favorite styles to see in movies. I’d give this movie a 4/5 as I wouldn’t say I completely relate entirely, but I could to a certain point in the movie. I could say I could name some people who may have similarities to this film in a way though. I’d definitely recommend checking out this movie once you’re free, though.

This movie is available to watch via subscriptions or buying on streaming services.

Adapted Floor Hockey, Basketball, Gymnastics, Hockey, Nordic Skiing, Scoreboard/Schedule, Sports, Swimming & Diving, Wrestling

Sports schedule: Feb 2-7

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 ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 7
MONDAYFEBRUARY 2 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:00pm Varsity Girls Basketball vs. Community of Peace AcademyHOME
7:00pm5:30pm | 8:45pmBoys Swimming vs. Humboldt / WashingtonHumboldt High School
TUESDAYFEBRUARY 3  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
9:00am Nordic Ski Section ChampionshipBattle Creek
4:30pm Adapted Hockey vs. BrainerdHumboldt High School
WEDNESDAYFEBRUARY 4  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:30pm Adapted Hockey vs. OsseoMaple Grove Junior High
B: 5:00pm JV: 5:00pm V: 6:30pm3:30pm | 8:00pmBoys Basketball vs. HardingHarding High School
5:00pm3:30pm | 7:00pmBoys Conference DivingHumboldt High School
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pmJV: 3:20pm V: 5:00pm | 9:00pmBoys Hockey vs. HopkinsHopkins Pavilion
5:00pm and 6:15pm Wrestling Triangular vs. North Branch and North St. PaulHOME
6:00pm Gymnastics Twin Cities MeetHOME
THURSDAYFEBRUARY 5  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. New Life AcademyHOME
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. Mound WestonkaCharles M Schulz Highland Arena
FRIDAYFEBRUARY 6  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pm2:30pm | 8:00pmGirls Individual Wrestling SectionsSouth St. Paul High School
6:30pm Boys Swimming  Conference ChampionshipsSt. Catherine University
SATURDAYFEBRUARY 7  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
9:00am6:30am | 3:00pmGirls Individual Wrestling SectionsSouth St. Paul High School
B: 10:00am JV: 10:00am V: 11:30am Boys Basketball vs. CentralHOME
7:30pm Girls Hockey Sections vs. WoodburyM Health Fairview Sports Center
Student Creative Photography

Winter wonderland

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By: Alayanna Bouwens

Polluted Winter

This photo was taken in Duluth and is of a factory that is mining and processing copper/nickel

Snowy needles

This photo was taken in Duluth and is a close up of balsam fir needles.

Snowy stalk

This photo was taken on Thatcher Lake in Wisconsin and is of a frozen stalk of grain.

Frozen Alder

This photo is of an alder cone and was taken in Duluth, MN.

Frost bitten rose hip

This photo is of a rose hip and was taken at Thatcher Lake in Wisconsin.
Tech/Games

New York Times Games

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By: Charlotte Aver

Wordle has been around since COVID when Josh Wardle created it as a gift to his partner. He was inspired by the Spelling Bee and Crossword by the New York Times. The game grew in popularity throughout the pandemic leading Josh Wardle to sell the game to the New York Times where it could join its inspiration to be played everyday. Wordle is a five letter word guessing game where you have six chances to get the word right, and as you play the game gives you hints as to whether or not you are close. I would rate this game a solid 9/10 because I play it most days and it is a fun way to wake up my brain.

Connections is probably my favorite New York Times game. It was developed for about a year before being released to the public in June of 2023, as time went on it rapidly gained popularity, and in 2025 it had 3 million daily players. It is where you have 16 words and 4 groups of 4 that you have to find. It varies in difficulty level but typically is not too hard if you think through it thoroughly. I would rate this game 10/10.

Spelling Bee is a game where you are given 7 letters to arrange into words all using the center letter. This game takes a long time and a lot of critical thinking to complete. I often start this game and continue going back to it throughout the day. I would rate this game a 7/10.

Sudoku is a previously existing game and needs no introduction, it is just digitized. I personally don’t like sudoku and this game doesn’t show the same creativity as the others so I will give this game a 5/10.

Strands is a very fun game that can be incredibly difficult and is probably only possible to work in the digital form. Strands is a game where you have a bunch of letters laid out in a grid and a theme. You need to find all of the words but the twist is that the words are not in straight lines and they wind around the grid making it harder than a plain word search. I would give this one a 7/10.

Pips is the newest addition to the New York Times’ games and is very fun. Pips is a game where there are dominos and certain spots for the dominos to go, but they have numbers on them to indicate where each domino goes. It takes a bit to understand but once you do it’s incredibly fun. I would rate this game a 8/10.

There are a few more games but you have to subscribe to have access to them so I will not be rating them.

Getting To Know/History

Interview with Nurse Feven

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By: Treshawn Ross

Introduction- Nurse Feven is our new school nurse for this year after our previous nurse retired. I had an opportunity to interview her, so our students could get a proper introduction to her. She’s been doing a wonderful job this year. Below are a series of job related questions and more personal questions.

Job related questions-

Treshawn: How have you enjoyed working at Highland so far?

Nurse Feven: ”I’ve loved it so much, I can see myself retiring from here and I’m not even close to retiring. This is really cool because it’s my first time working with high school students directly.”

Treshawn: Was there anything specific to Highland and its community that made you more interested in working here?

Nurse Feven: “The initial thought was that I lived close by, and I have personal connections with the school through family members. Part of it is also that we have a big East African population here and I thought I’d be a good fit for that reason.”

Treshawn: What type of job did you see yourself doing when you were younger?

Nurse Feven: “I’ve always seen myself in healthcare, my father had cancer and he had a personal nurse around our home and I saw the effects she had on our family and I was inspired by that.”

Treshawn: Have any staff members or students helped you adjust to your new work environment?

Nurse Feven: “Yeah definitely, a few staff members have helped me out with stuff like certain dates. Ms. Bonk helped me out a lot, and Sarita helped me out too.”

Treshawn: What do you enjoy the most about being a nurse?

Nurse Feven: “I enjoy helping people and making them feel better, and teaching them new things about their health. Also, teaching them about careers in healthcare. Also the wide variety of job types is one thing I enjoy too!”

Treshawn: Do you have any advice for the students at Highland? Medical advice or otherwise.

Nurse Feven: “Yeah, these are very important years as high school students. The choices you make now matter a lot more. Take advantage of every opportunity you can and if you like them you can stay with it or if you don’t it doesn’t hurt to try. Also have fun!”

Treshawn: What would you say is usually the highlight of your day while working here?

Nurse Feven: “Anytime I get to see students honestly, you guys brighten up my day.”

Personal questions-

Treshawn: How was your winter break? Did you do anything fun?

Nurse Feven: “Yeah It was great, I went to Boston with my family for Christmas and it was very nice.”

Treshawn: How long have you been a nurse and what was the process of getting into this work field?

Nurse Feven: “I graduated in 2010 from nursing school and there was a shortage of jobs. I wanted to get into a hospital straight away but that didn’t work out. I did home care first and then worked my way up to being in a hospital. In home care you really get to know the clients and that’s really cool.”

Treshawn: What type of music do you listen to and do you have a favorite artist?

Nurse Feven: “I really like Afro beats but I’ll really listen to anything. I love early 2000’s/1990’s music too like rap and RnB, even pop! I also like praise/worship music too.”

Treshawn: What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?

Nurse Feven: “I like dancing, not a particular kind, just anything. I also enjoy yoga and taking walks. Discovering new hiking places too. I also like to cook.”

Treshawn: What would you say is the most important thing needed to be a good nurse?

Nurse Feven: “Compassion for others and empathy. Also flexibility, you need to learn how to switch gears and use those critical thinking skills a lot.”

Treshawn: Is there anything else you would like the students of Highland to know about you?

Nurse Feven: “I’m also a part of the mental health team as well, I don’t only deal with physical ailments. If the social workers or other support staff is tied up I’m always available to help.”

Getting To Know/History

The history of maps

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By: Hannan Mohammed

Image by Anonymous via Wikimedia Commons

Today, maps are used extensively in many forms: in paper maps and globes, and in satellite systems and in global positioning systems (GPS) as well, which we use as a tool to help us navigate. But, how did maps evolve into what they are today? And what were they originally?

Historians don’t know what the ‘earliest map’ is; while some believe that the earliest surviving map is a mammoth tusk with markings that depict the landscape of the area it was found in from 25,000 BCE and others have suggested that rock art paintings with constellations from 17,000 BCE found in France are the earliest known star maps, the earliest known maps were usually credited to the Babylonians around 2300 BCE. These ‘maps’ were clay tablets with details etched into them and usually used for land boundaries and planning agriculture.

Around 600 BCE, more world maps were created in Ancient Greece with major scientific advances, but with no measure of scale. One such example is the map that the Greek philosopher Anaximander created around 600 BCE, which represented the world as a circular disk surrounded by oceans. In 200 BCE, Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek-Egyptian scholar, created his work Geographia, outlining latitude and longitude for accurate navigation as well as mapping thousands of areas with coordinates. He was also the first to display the world on a two-dimensional surface, and thus he’s commonly credited as the creator of cartography, or the study of mapmaking.

During the Middle Ages, Muslim travelers and scholars developed cartography based on their own experiences and earlier Greek and Roman works. For example, the geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi created the most advanced map of its time in 1154, known as the Tabula Rogeriana (The Recreation of Him Who Wishes to Travel Through the Countries). It showed areas with great accuracy and included information about those areas, and this map was known as the standard of cartography for many years, used by travellers in the region.

European maps, meanwhile, were created and used for educational and religious purposes rather than to be used for navigation. They were called Mappae Mundi, depicting landmasses and differences in climate. They were also heavily drawn from religious texts, and therefore many of these maps showed Jerusalem as the center.

As the Age of Exploration led to the discovery of lands in the Americas, existing maps were challenged. In 1569, Gerardus Mercator used these discoveries to create the Mercator Projection, a map still used today. It preserved the shape of landmasses while distorting size closer to the poles, allowing travellers to plan their journeys accurately by drawing a straight line to any point on it and using the direction of the line.

In the industrial revolution, mass-printing led to the production of smaller, more practical maps for tourism use, while maps were constantly being updated as transportation advanced further. In the 20th century, another major advancement was made with aerial photography and satellite imagery, allowing for greater detail even in obscure locations; one such satellite is Landsat, which was launched in the 1970s and produced real-time data on the Earth’s surface, again revolutionizing cartography with its greater degree of accuracy.

As computers and other devices have become more prevalent, cartography has advanced considerably in its accuracy, leading to us using maps more frequently than you might think: for example, you might use digital maps to navigate while you’re driving, or you might even create and share your own map to online platforms.

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Editorials/Student Voice

ICE Effects in Minnesota

By: Siri David

ICE has been showing up in the Twin Cities more than ever, and there are a lot of things to know and keep in mind during these hard times.

Trump has sent at least 2000 ICE agents to Minnesota to detain undocumented immigrants, but that is not what they have been doing. These agents have been racially profiling people all over Minnesota. They target specific neighborhoods, restaurants, and schools just based off of the diversity in each area.

There have been two fatal shootings in the month of January. The first shooting was of a 37-year-old white woman named Renee Good. Renee was shot on January 7th as she was trying to drive away from officers and help protect her neighbors. An officer shot her through her window while she was driving and she accelerated on the gas and crashed and died almost immediately after being shot. The most recent shooting was of Alex Pretti. He was a 37-year-old white man who was shot by an ICE agent while he was protecting his neighbors from ICE.

These horrific killings have led to Minnesotans taking a stand. The largest strike in the last 70 years happened in Minnesota last Friday. Over 10,000 Minnesotans marched in downtown Minneapolis in -20 degree weather. Schools, restaurants, and many small businesses were closed.

There are so many steps you can take to help during these hard times- whether it’s protesting, collecting food and money, or just helping protect your neighborhood. A lot of organizations and non profits in the Twin Cities are finding ways to help families who are struggling because they can’t leave their houses, so donating money, food, or household needs can be really helpful. At Highland, some of the club leaders came together and made a plan to help raise money and get necessities out to students and their families that go to Highland. There are so many ways to help during these times and anything is better than staying quiet.

During these difficult times it can be hard to find the good, but take the time to look around you and see the strong community that has come together to fight back. Minnesota is a strong example of what resisting and fighting back looks like. It is so inspiring to see and don’tbe afraid to strive to make a difference. Everyone’s voice matters and can make a change.