All posts by HPSH Plaid Line

Movies/TV/Theaters

My review of ‘On My Block’

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By: Kendra Shanklin

*Warning: This review contains spoilers

‘On My Block’ is a show about a group of teens named Caeser, Monse, Jamal, and Ruby who have complicated lives, and who are trying to juggle between school and friendships while trying to find rollerworld money. This show was released March 16, 2018 and is rated TV-14 because it contains gangs, violence, and strong language.

*Recap

In the first season of ‘On My Block’ the group of teens were watching a high school party from over a brick wall. They were talking about how freshman year will be awesome, and they were also mentioning that they wanted to get their friend Caesar out of the Santos gang, but it was hard for them to help him because they had no money. So, in order to help Caesar all the teens came together to try and find the rollerworld money, which was money that was supposedly hidden by the Santos gang.

Monse and Ruby think that there’s no rollerworld money so they start losing hope until Jamal starts putting the pieces together. After that, Jamal ends up finding the money but keeps it a secret because the group was having a complicated time and he didn’t want to stress anyone. They had no idea how much the money would change their lives, but they all felt the pressure building. In the end, the whole group had to decide whether finding the cash was worth all the secrets and drama it brought with it.

*My review

‘On My Block’ is a binge-watch worthy show and I love watching it in my free time. I like how it shows the complicated loving relationship of growing up in Los Angeles as a teenager. I also love how there’s drama in the show as it shows the reality of what goes on in Los Angeles.

If you like drama and comedy I recommend you watch this show. Overall, I give this a 9.5/10.

Thank you for reading my review and I hope you’re willing to watch this show🤍.

You can watch ‘On My Block’ on Netflix.

Science/Nature

Why are our winters getting warmer?

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By Hannan Mohammed

Image by Kenneth Allenvia Wikimedia Commons

In recent years, you may have noticed that our fall season has become much warmer, and so has our winter season as well—snow comes later in the year, and according to an article by NPR, the 2023-24 winter season saw the 48 lower states in the U.S. had their warmest winter in 130 recorded years. And in the U.S., winter is the season that’s warming faster than any other. However, why is this change occurring?

The main cause of these warmer seasons is climate change, and in particular, global warming. While Earth’s climate has changed across time, with ice ages and warmer periods, this current global warming is caused by human activity; specifically, how we add heat-trapping gasses to the atmosphere. When we do this, we produce gases such as carbon dioxide that come into the atmosphere and trap more of the Sun’s energy on Earth, which is warming up the planet. According to NASA, Earth’s average surface temperature has increased by 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century, caused mostly by carbon dioxide emissions.

As these average temperatures rise, the coldest season is being affected the most. According to the Climate Reality Project, average winter temperatures across the 48 contiguous states have increased by 3 degrees Fahrenheit since the pre-industrial era. Because of this, many areas are beginning to see warmer winters overall. But how else is climate change affecting winter weather?

One of the other effects of climate change on winter, besides warmer overall temperatures, is that there’s more precipitation during the season, which can either be rain or snow. This happens because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture within; this excess moisture is released from the atmosphere as precipitation.

Another effect of climate change on winter is that severe winter storms, such as ice storms and blizzards, are becoming both more frequent and more powerful. This happens because there’s increased energy in the atmosphere from the Earth’s general warming, which can make these events more volatile. Furthermore, a powerful air current called the jet stream is starting to change easier. Because it can influence weather patterns, its shifts may lead to sudden changes in both temperature and precipitation.

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Student Creative Photography

In Bloom

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By: Alayanna Bouwens

Red bulbs

Sheep Shorell flower or Red Shorell, common in Europe. Photo was taken on the North Shore.

Floral flames

Orange Hawkweed flower, found in Europe and North America. Photo was taken on a hiking trail in Wisconsin.

White buds

Service Berry Flowers, common in North America, flowers turn into sweet berries called service berries. Photo was taken on the east side of Saint Paul.

Fire lily

Orange Daylily Flower, common in Asia. Photo was taken on a hiking trail in Florida.

Bouquet of pink

Latana flower, common in South America and Africa. Photo was taken on a hiking trail in Florida.

Basketball, Gymnastics, Hockey, Scoreboard/Schedule, Sports, Swimming & Diving

Sports schedule for: Dec 8-13

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 ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE DECEMBER 8 – DECEMBER 13
MONDAYDECEMBER 8 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
TUESDAYDECEMBER 9  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
B: 4:30pm JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Boys Basketball vs. TartanHOME
JV: 5:30pm V: 7:00pm Girls Basketball vs. St. Paul AcademySt. Paul Academy
V: 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. Rochester CenturyRochester Rec Center
WEDNESDAYDECEMBER 10  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. MinneapolisCharles M. Schulz Highland Arena
6:00pmCentral: 3:15pm HP: ~ 3:30pm | 8:00pmGymnastics vs. HastingsHastings High School
THURSDAYDECEMBER 11  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
FRIDAYDECEMBER 12  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pmHP: 3:20pm SPA: 3:30pm | 7:15pmBoys Swimming and Diving vs. JohnsonHumboldt High School
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. Hill-MurrayWSP Ice Arena
SATURDAYDECEMBER 13  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. TartanTartan Ice Arena
B: 5:30pm JV: 6:45pm V: 8:00pm Boys Basketball vs. Hiawatha CollegiateHigh School for Recording Arts
Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Pros and cons of working as a student

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By: Demarcus Simmons

Senior year of high school is one of the most exciting yet challenging times in a student’s life. Senior year comes with opportunities to grow, and prep you for life after graduation. On the other hand, seniors can face difficult obstacles that can get in the way of graduating. This year I know I will face challenges, such as staying motivated while balancing a job, and managing stress that comes from preparing for life after high school. These obstacles may seem challenging at times, but I plan to overcome them with these steps: having better time management, staying focused on my long term goals, and reminding myself life is more than high school.

One of my biggest challenges I expect to face is maintaining good grades while working a job. Working at a Chipotle or any job teaches responsibility and gives independence, but it also takes away important time that could be used to catch up on school work. On days when I close late, and when I get home I sometimes push off assignments or rush through them. To overcome this, I can do a few things. Using the planner function in my calendar app on my phone can help me stay organized and make sure I leave time to catch up on other school work before I prioritize anything else. I can also use my study hall, lunch breaks, advisory, or classes I’m already passing to catch up on other classes. By planning my time carefully, I can succeed in both work and school without letting one take away from the other.

Another major challenge I constantly face is staying motivated throughout the whole school year, especially when senioritis begins to set in. It’s very easy for me to get distracted or lose my focus due to graduation being so far yet so close, and when stress from future decisions is on my mind, it makes it harder for me to stay motivated. However, I know staying motivated earlier in the year will have a direct impact on my future, and graduation. To counter this challenge, I will arrange one-on-one time with my teachers to have more insight on work I need help with. By doing this it’ll help me graduate on time, and help me be able to ask for help when needed. Even on days when I feel unmotivated, I can set small goals for myself, like finishing one assignment at a time to keep me motivated, and moving forward.

Senior year will come with both excitement and challenges that we sooner or later will face. Balancing your school life with a job and overcoming stress and senioritis will not be an easy obstacle, but I believe the plan I’ve set in place will help me handle it with good time management, self discipline, positive influences, and determination. If I stay focused on my goals, and stay dedicated to my plans I will not only graduate senior year, but also finish it with pride. These challenges are nothing other than a test for the real world; they prepare me for the responsibilities of adulthood and the next chapter of my life.

Editorials/Student Voice, Tech/Games

How social media can be negative & positive

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By: Seng Nhkum

Today many people use social media, and approximately 5.66 billion people globally use social media, representing about 68.7% of the world’s population. Some examples of social media are TikTok, Instagram, SnapChat, Facebook, and X. I think social media can be negative and positive and these are my reasons why.

First, a reason why I think social media can be negative is harassment and cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is when someone is repeatedly creating harmful behavior using technology to threaten, harass, embarrass, or target another person. This can be negative for social media because although it’s easy to just block them they can still continue making accounts to harass you. Also, cyberbullying and harassment can lead up to damaging the person’s mental health and well being.

Another reason why I think social media can be negative is stranger danger. There are tons of people on social media which means lots of people you don’t know. Strangers can try to take advantage of you and manipulate you especially if you are still young. Strangers can take advantage of you like if the stranger knows about what you’re struggling with they could try to take advantage of that and try to manipulate you into doing something. Like what happens a lot is when a minor runs away from home to secretly meet with the stranger, which leads to a negative outcome because they don’t even personally know the person but still chooses to meet up with a stranger.

Then a reason why I think social media can also be positive is communication and awareness. Social media can spread news quickly and this leads to faster communication making communication more efficient. Also, social media can spread a lot of awareness about many things, for example like any social issues that are happening in the world, and this is positive because it shows people what things are happening in the world changing their perspectives on anything.

Lastly, another reason why I think social media can be positive is you can make a career off it making lots of money. Like many people called influencers, who post videos on social media, have made a career out of social media and being really famous while making tons and tons of money.

Overall, social media is negative and positive because it can put you in dangerous situations, but could also provide for you, or help you. Always use social media safety and use it wisely.

Travel/Food

Shortbread cookie recipe and review

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By: Nils Hilleson

Ingredients:

  • Two sticks of butter
  • 207 grams sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 320 grams flour
  • 1 egg white
  • Decorative sugar

Steps:

– Add butter, sugar and salt Into a stand mixer

– Beat at low speed until the ingredients are incorporated and smooth, around 3 minutes

– Add egg yolk and mix until combined

– Add all the flour into the bowl and mix at low speed, after roughly 30 seconds the dough will be in large clumps

– Remove dough from bowl and form into two 9 inch logs (doesn’t need to be exact)

– Wrap the logs separately in parchment paper and twist the ends closed

– Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

– Heat oven to 350, line baking sheet with parchment paper

– Brush the surface of the logs with egg white and apply a lot of decorative sugar

– Slice the logs into 1/2 inch cookies

– Lay the cookies on the baking sheet and space them 1/2 inch apart

– Bake until the cookies are golden at the bottom edges, or 18 to 22 minutes, rotate the baking sheet halfway though baking

– Move cookies to a wire rack to cool completely

Cookies last for up to 3 days

Making these cookies was pretty simple since it’s mostly butter and flour but they taste really good, they’re very buttery and sweet just over all delicious.

I made one set with red decorative sugar and one with green decorative sugar. Getting the decorative sprinkles on the dough was a little tedious. Cutting the dough into cookies was also a little tedious but also didn’t take the longest. I think the red ones may have come out a little undercooked since they were a little chewy but still delicious.

I was able to make a lot of cookies with this recipe. Making these cookies was pretty simple so I’d be interested in making more cookie some time. Once the cookies cooled down they were pretty crunchy and had a good texture for a cookie.

Me and my family all really like the cookies. I took these cookies to Thanksgiving and the rest of my family liked them quite a bit.

I might have to make these again sometime.

This is a rewritten New York Times recipe

Student Creative Writing

🦃 Simple Thanks

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By: Canaan Nonnemacher

image from Gemini

The air is cold, but the sun is shining brightly. We all get together as the daylight starts to fade. The food smells warm and amazing, it feels like a cozy, happy, autumn day.

The window glass looks frosty and cold, like the season’s rain has finally been washed away. Everything feels calm and peaceful inside the room, getting rid of any bad feelings the winter might bring.

We take a moment to think about all the things we’re thankful for: like our home, our friends, and lots of other stuff. We share laughs and stories around the dinner table, just pausing to enjoy how happy we are together. We remember the strong, quiet love of our family, which you can see in everyone’s eyes. We’re thankful for people who helped us and cared, and for all the good times we’ve had.

We appreciate the food that came from the farm and everything the earth gives us to eat. We see the steaming dishes and the perfectly baked crusts it’s a moment made of simple love and trust.

It’s just a simple meal, and a simple moment of thanks, but love fills this comfortable spot. We eat and talk until we’re finished, knowing it was a wonderful day. We hang out for a long time, even when it gets late, with a bond of love that will last forever. And when we finally say our goodbyes, a sweet, thankful feeling stays with us.

Movies/TV/Theaters

Movie review: ‘The Black Phone’

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By: Marina Yang

*Warning: This review contains spoilers

The movie ‘The Black Phone’ was made on June 24, 2022. It was directed by Scott Derrickson and co-written with C. Robert Cargill, based on the short story of the same name by Joe Hill.

‘The Black Phone’ is a thriller and supernatural horror movie that revolves around our protagonist Finney Blake, Gwen Blake (sister of the main character), the antagonist/kidnapper being called the ‘Grabber’, the 5 other victims (Bruce Yamada, Billy Showalter, Robin Arellano, etc.), and others.

The movie starts off with missing posters of kids, indicating that the kidnappings have been going on for a while already. Our main characters’ family, as others are, are more wary and scared about this situation as the disappearances pile up with no lead. Then, one day, when Finney is walking back home after going separate paths from his sister (context: Finney’s sister sleeps over at her friend’s house every Friday night), he sees an odd black van with a man coming out of it. The man drops his groceries, and as most people who pass by in this kind of situation, Finney helps the man. Then the stranger pops up a question, “You wanna see a magic trick?” which Finney as a kid is easily fantasized by and answers, sure/yes. The strange man opens his door, revealing several black balloons, and then snatching him into his truck to his house. Finney then has to survive the next few days in an enclosed basement room as the mysterious, broken-like, black phone rings with advice from the past victims to help him escape. Meanwhile Gwen desperately is trying to find an answer from her dreams to draw a conclusion of where her brother may be located or a hint on the killer’s identity.

The story mentions the undetermined/unrevealed details of missing cases. Throughout the movie, we never really know what the killer’s true intentions were with these kids and why he hinted at creepy things. It greatly speaks about the terror and how scary it is being in the position of the kidnapped victims (children in this case), and the strategic thinking you need to plan an escape in a confinement-like area. This is heightened by switching the perspectives between the worried families trying to search for their lost family member(s) to the kidnapped person struggling to reach back home safely.

I’d rate it a 4/5 because I thought it was a pretty good storyline, even if it had been based off of something else, the plot is interesting. Though I’d by lying if I said that I wouldn’t feel some kind of emotion if the killer was never caught in the movie. Especially if Gwen never had this psychological dream-reading trait of hers because she was so helpful throughout the movie, helping the officers make leads and get a step closer to solving the case.

You can watch this movie through a subscription on Peacock or renting/buying it from other services (Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, etc.).