All posts by HPSH Plaid Line

Highland Volleyball 2025 season

November 5, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Siri David

This season the Highland Park Volleyball varsity team ended with a record of 16 wins and 10 losses. It was a really good season with two big sweeps over Central and being conference champs.

This season we had five seniors including our manager Analiese. There is Scarlett who is a 6 rotation outside, James who is a 6 rotation setter, and then Linnea and Nica who are both defense specialists. The seniors were all captains who helped lead the team to having a successful season, and we would not have been as successful without them. Analiese is the last senior and she is the team manager. She played a key role in the team, and did a lot for the coaches and players.

For our coaching staff we had three coaches. Our head coach was Emily Aune who is a Highland Park alumni and coached B-squad for three years. This was her first year as head coach and she did an amazing job at helping her players on the court but even more off the court. Emily was a really good at helping players grow mentally.

The first assistant coach is Ameilia who is also a Highland Alumni and she has been an assistant coach for around three years. She is a core part of the team and holds a lot of volleyball knowledge. We would not be as successful without her. The last assistant coach is Mark Steinbach. Mark has been coaching volleyball for 30 years and is highly educated and respected in the world of volleyball. He would plan all of our practices and is the core reason for our success this year. Overall, each coach brings something different to the team but they are all very much respected and needed for the teams success.

Every player on the team put their all into this season and showed up everyday giving the best they could. We ended the season in section semi-finals against De La Salle. It was a five set game with the last set having a two point differential. We wanted to win that game so badly and it would have been a big win for us, but either way we are all grateful to have had such a good season.

This season we had such a special team bond and all cared for each other so much, on and off the court. The season didn’t necessarily end how we wanted it to but we are all still so proud of how this season went, and thankful for the many opportunities we got.

Movies/TV/Theaters, Uncategorized

Review for ‘Ginny and Georgia’

November 5, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Kendra Shanklin

*Warning this review contains spoilers

‘Ginny and Georgia’ is a show about a mom named Georgia who wanted her 2 children Ginny and Austin to have a fresh start so she moved them to Massachusetts. It was released on February 24th, 2021 and this show is rated TV-14 containing intense language, sexual situations and violence.

*Recap

In the first season Austin and Georgia are at his first day in school and he’s nervous but his mom reassures him that everything will be okay and that he’s strong. She then gives him a hug and sends him off to school. Later on, Ginny starts her first day at school and she’s in class and her teacher sees her and says that students in his class take AP English very seriously and she should move down to regular English. She takes that as a racial comment because she’s the only colored person in the classroom. She then throws a comment about how they’re reading 14 books but there’s not 1 black author that wrote a book amongst them.

She then starts talking back to the teacher saying how she thinks he’s a racist because he doesn’t talk about any black book writers. Her classmate Max then jumps in and starts siding with her and having her back.

Ginny’s class then ends and she’s in her locker when she closes it and a boy named Marcus is standing there looking at her. He then asks if she’s new and moved across the street from him and she says “It’s Monday,” because he’s wearing a shirt that says Wednesday.

They then have a tiny conversation and he mentions how he met her mom the night before. Ginny says, “She can be friendly,” and Marcus says how her mom asked for drugs so she can’t be that friendly.

Ginny’s classmate Max then tells Marcus to leave and Max starts talking to Ginny and they ditch lunch to get tacos off campus, but from afar Ginny sees her mom having lunch with the mayor.

‘My review’

I love this show every time a new season comes out I’m always so excited to see what’s next. Although this show can give you a few second hand embarrassments and get boring at times because of how much they talk, other than that, it’s a pretty good show to binge watch on your free time.

If you like drama movies or anything that has to do with a lot of controversy I recommend you check this out. I give this series an 8.5/10.

Thank you for reading me review I hope your willing to watch the show after reading this🤍. You can watch ‘Ginny and Georgia’ on Netflix.

Editorials/Student Voice

Do protests really make a difference?

November 4, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Charlotte Aver

Cardiff Solidarity for Palestine protest, 25 November 2023. OwenBlacker. Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication

People hold protests all the time, over all kinds of things, but do they actually cause change and raise awareness? Protests are held commonly throughout the United States over things like the women’s rights movement, the right-to-life movement, and the environmental movement, to name a few. All of these protests have raised awareness around these topics but has anything actually been done about them?

Boycotts and political rallies are becoming increasingly common due to disagreement between the government and the people. A few weekends ago there was a nationally held “No Kings Rally” in which nearly 7 million people participated in across 2,700 cities. Whether or not anything will come of this rally is yet to be known.

I have some personal experience with protests and rallies because I live close to the governor’s, Tim Walz’s, mansion in St. Paul and there are commonly protests and rallies that I can hear from my house. The topics of these protests are almost always asking the state of Minnesota to divest from Israel. Sometimes the protests are calmer, such as on most Mondays around 4:00 pm a group of people come to sit in front of the governor’s mansion where they have signs that say things like “divest from Israel” and “free Palestine” and play music about peace. Other protests are rowdier, occasionally I will see a protest where they have microphones and chants that are about freeing Palestine and divesting from Israel.

Something I often wonder is whether or not the governor can actually do anything, if it is in his power to divest from Israel or to free Palestine. Since it is possible that he can’t do anything to help even if he wanted to, are these people wasting their time? You could argue yes or you could argue no. Yes, they are wasting their time because the person they are protesting to get the attention of can’t do anything about it. No, they aren’t wasting their time because people, like me, are remembering and thinking about their protest.

You could say that their protest is successful purely because I am here writing in my school paper about it and spreading awareness. So, I do believe that these protests in St. Paul are working to some extent because people are remembering and talking about it, even if these aren’t the exact results the protesters were hoping for. These results are happening and possibly changing how people think about the topics they protest. However change does not come quickly so it is a matter of time to see if anything changes because of the protests and seeing if the work the protesters put in is worth it.

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Student Creative Writing

Where did summer go?

November 4, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Alayanna Bouwens

Photo by Jonathan Petersson on Pexels.com

Football

Caleb Williams vs Jayden Daniels

November 3, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Treshawn Ross

LANDOVER, MD – The Washington Commanders take on the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 6 of the 2025 NFL Season. (Joe Glorioso / All-Pro Reels)

A rivalry that could shape the future of the NFL

The Draft

In the 2024 NFL draft Caleb Williams was drafted first overall by the Chicago Bears. He was drafted this high because of his miraculous college career, which included a 2022 Heisman Trophy (the highest honor in college football). In this same draft, Jayden Daniels was taken second overall by the Washington Commanders. Jayden Daniels is also a Heisman Trophy winner, but critics often speculated if his play style and more slender size would translate to the NFL.

The start of the 2024 season

Caleb Williams started the season with 9 touchdowns and 1300 passing yards before week 8. Jayden Daniels had similar stats with 7 touchdowns and 1400 passing yards. Both had decent starts but Jayden Daniels was more consistent than Caleb Williams in terms of yards. The two stars were set to play each other in week 8 of the 2024 season. A game which would become an instant classic.

Context before the game

The Bears record going into this game was 4-2, they were coming off a bye week, which in theory, would give the team more time to prepare for the Commanders. The Commanders record going into the game was 5-2 and Jayden Daniels was coming off a rib injury to play in week 8 against the Bears.

Week 8-Bears vs Commanders 2024

This was a very low scoring and grueling game for both teams. The Bears couldn’t move the football well and as a result had to punt 2 times in the first quarter. The Commanders did slightly better, gaining the lead with three field goals in the first half.

The 3rd quarter continued in a similar fashion. At the end of the 3rd quarter the Bears finally scored the first touchdown of the game, a 59 yard touchdown run by D’Andre Swift.

The 4th quarter was extremely sloppy by both teams with a fumble and missed field goal by both teams. Caleb Williams then led a potential game winning drive and the Bears scored to make the score 15-12. There was still 25 seconds left in the game, and Jayden Daniels led his team to the 48 yard line with 6 seconds left. He threw a Hail Mary pass which was miraculously caught by Noah Brown, his wide receiver.

The second half of the 2024 season

After this game Caleb Williams and the Bears suffered 10 straight losses, tying the longest losing streak in Bears history. Even though Caleb led many potential game winning drives he couldn’t overcome the terrible coaching that put the team in desperate situations the entire season. Caleb ended the season with 3,500 yards passing, 20 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.

Alongside these stats was a detrimental one, 68 sacks taken over the course of the season, which led the league. In contrast Jayden Daniels led his team to the playoffs with 3,500 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

2025 season

The Bears have a 5-3 record now with a couple of devastating losses to division rivals, but Caleb Williams is improving with his new coach Ben Johnson. Jayden Daniels is having a rough season but it isn’t fair to call it a “sophomore slump” because he was injured for 3 or 4 of his games this season.

The Bears and Commanders played again this season which proved to be another thriller, ending in a game winning drive by Caleb Williams which led to a walk off field goal by Jake Moody. 24-25 was the score.

Future

If these two young quarterbacks continue playing well and stay healthy, this rivalry could become a new golden age for young QB play.

Update

Unfortunately, Jayden Daniels suffered a left arm injury this past weekend, which will sideline him for at least a few weeks.

Getting To Know/History, School Life, Scottie News

10th grade vice principal

November 3, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Jannely Gomez Pacheco & Yalecxy Hernandez Lopez

We interview the new 10th grade assistant principal

Scoreboard/Schedule, Swimming & Diving

Sports schedule for: Nov 3-8

November 3, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE NOVEMBER 3 – NOVEMBER 8
MONDAY	NOVEMBER 3
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION

TUESDAY	NOVEMBER 4
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION

WEDNESDAY	NOVEMBER 5
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION

THURSDAY	NOVEMBER 6
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
Diving: 12:00pm Prelims: 6:00pm	3:30pm \| 9:00pm	Girls Swimming and Diving Sections	Richfield Middle School
FRIDAY	NOVEMBER 7
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION

SATURDAY	NOVEMBER 8
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
12:00pm	9:30am \| 3:00pm	Girls Swimming Section Finals	Richfield Middle School

Student Creative Writing

Top 5 Genius Uses for a Jar of Sand (NOT CLICKBAIT)

October 31, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Daniel Kendle

Hey gang! My name’s Samuel Sand, and today I’m here to talk to you about sand. Say – have you ever had an interaction like this occur?

Fig. 1 – “An ugly ‘sediment.’ Heh.”

Truly dreadful. But wait a minute: “pound sand?” Why, what could that phrase even mean? Well, as someone who never finished college could tell you, they don’t actually know. I, meanwhile, graduated from Oxford with honors!

Sand has its origins billions of years ago amidst the creation of Earth’s crust, but no one really cares about that stuff. Instead, I’m here today to list the “Top 5 Genius Uses for a Jar of Sand (For Geniuses)™.” With this list, the next time a bullying brute slanders your title, any sand-related insults can be deflected with sophisticated sand facts from yours truly.

Projectile-based weaponry. Parried your assailant’s sedimentary slandering and still seeing red? Well, as any sand enthusiast can adhere to, physical violence is a readily-available option against natural predators, such as skeptics, gym bros, and pretty much anyone else on Earth. Simply unscrew the lid, thrust out your sand, and watch it fly!

Arts n’ Crafts. When I was young, I watched an episode of ‘Curious George’ where George, the titular species known as a Curious, painted sand with juice to create paintings. I always remembered that episode for a couple reasons, and since my lawyer says I shouldn’t encourage people to eat sand, painting with it is my second-best suggestion.

Therapy. Therapy is an instrumental tool for many people, so where’s the harm in introducing sand into it? Simply substitute the classic “breathing ball” or stuffed animal for a loving jar of sand. Hey – research from the League of International Administrative Remedying Sand-substances (L.I.A.R.S) declares that a jar of sand is an excellent substitute for mental health-supporting items.

Eating. My lawyer’s on his lunch break, so I’ll be quick about this. Ever tried a sand omelette? I went to England on a retreat from work a while back, and in a dark alley a guy with 3 pupils gave me one of these. I’ll tell ya: best. Dinner. EVER. Salty, savory, and with just a hint of nuttiness. I’d normally say I couldn’t recommend it enough, but *chuckles* My lawyer’s a bit of a stickler surrounding that sort of talk.

Creative idioms. Finally, what’s a newspaper article without talking about writing? A fun use for a jar of sand is as a creative muse for coming up with never-before-seen idioms. For example: “Jars before Mars” references the impracticality of space travel for future housing developments. Cute, simple, catchy – where’s the problem?

Well, I hope you’ve been, er, inspired by today’s lesson guys. Jars and sand combined form a wonderful tool for…um…

*Sighs* Screw it. What am I doing here? Talking about fricken sand like it’s some kind of…never mind.

My wife, my kids, all gone. I left behind a perfect life…for THIS?! I just…I can’t. I messed up.

I…

I need a sign to change. A new job too, at that. I need something, some-ONE, to hold…

I need a jar of sand.