All posts by HPSH Plaid Line

Best Shops

January 20, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Grace Lopez

Target

Target is a really popular place to shop. Target always has really nice clothing, home decor and more. It’s also possibly a grocery store to buy food as some people think it could be really expensive or kind of cheap. But Target would be such a good recommendation to buy home decor or clothing items.

Walmart

Walmart is a really good grocery store, you can almost find anything in Walmart, but they also sell some really good clothing, home decor and way more. Walmart could be more on the cheaper side but their item qualities are really good and anyone can also shop here.

Cub Foods

Cub Foods is mostly an only Minnesota grocery store. It’s a good store because it offers really good products and very reasonable prices. They are pretty close to everywhere, and that is really convenient too.

Lunds and Byerlys

Lunds and Byerlys is a good store because you can have a really good shopping experience. They have a lot of fresh produce, special foods and a lot of bakery items. And what’s good about Lunds and Byerlys is that everything is well organized.

Hy-Vee

Hy-Vee is quite a lot like Cub Foods but Hy-Vee is also such a good store to shop at. It offers a lot of services like a pharmacy, groceries and some household items, but what is a little special about Hy-Vee is that there is a gas station and some popular food options.

Aldi

Aldi is a good store because they also really focus on their high quality products at very low prices, so that’s why it’s a really good place to shop at. A fun little thing at Aldi is that you will need a quarter to get a shopping cart so you should always be prepared with a quarter to shop.

Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s has very unique foods that you probably can’t find anywhere else. They also have very high quality products and service and their prices are very very affordable for anyone. They also have really nice produce and more.

Alpine Skiing, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Nordic Skiing, Scoreboard/Schedule, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Wrestling

Sports schedule for: Jan 20-25

January 20, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 25
MONDAY	JANUARY 20
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
4:30pm		Alpine Ski Meet	Afton Alps
TUESDAY	JANUARY 21
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm		Girls Hockey vs. Simley	WSP Ice Arena
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm	JV: 3:30pm V: 5:00pm \| 9:00pm	Boys Hockey vs. South St. Paul	Doug Woog Arena
6:00pm – 7:30pm		Softball Captains Practice	Fieldhouse
WEDNESDAY	JANUARY 22
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
3:45pm	2:20pm \| 5:15pm	Nordic Ski Race – Skate	Battle Creek
JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm		Boys Basketball vs. Washington	HOME
6:00pm		Girls Basketball vs. Washington	Washington Tech
6:30pm		Baseball Captains Practice	Fieldhouse
THURSDAY	JANUARY 23
THURSDAY	JANUARY 23
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
4:00pm		Girls Basketball vs. Metro Schools College Prep	HOME
5:00pm	3:15pm \| 7:15pm	Boys Swimming and Diving vs. Central and Como Park	Humboldt High School
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm		Boys Hockey vs. Southwest Christian	Charles M. Schulz Highland Arena
FRIDAY	JANUARY 17
FRIDAY	JANUARY 24
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
5:00pm		Girls Basketball vs. Higher Ground Academy	Higher Ground Academy
SATURDAY	JANUARY 25
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
9:30am	6:50am \| 3:00pm	Wrestling Tournament	Roseville High School
JV: 12:00pm V: 2:00pm	JV: 11:15am V: 1:00pm \| 5:00pm	Boys Hockey vs. Irondale	Super Rink – Blaine

Getting To Know/History, Movies/TV/Theaters

How ‘Sesame Street’ changed education

January 17, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Kara Fini

In 1969 ‘Sesame Street’ was aired on television. It was the first time that there was an educational show for all children and its impact showed.

Before ‘Sesame Street’ was created most children were exposed to cruel shows meant for adults. A study done by the University of Michigan showed that the average American child had seen 16,000 deaths on TV before they turned 18.

Although there were children shows on TV like ‘Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood’, they were meant for middle class children and gave an advantage to middle class children who knew more before they started school. The founder, Joan Ganz Cooney, observed that and wanted there to be a show where children of every class would be able to start school on a more even playing field.

When ‘Sesame Street’ first aired, it was an almost immediate success. Children who watched the show were seen to have higher knowledge in math, reading and writing before they started kindergarten. The impact was so big in some parts of the US that districts had to change their elementary school curriculums because too many kids had already learned what they were trying to teach them. It wasn’t only educational learning, but social and emotional skills too.

‘Sesame Street’ gained some backlash for its diverse cast and hard topics that it covered. It took a very long time for it to be aired on TV, but ‘Sesame Street’ never backed down from this backlash. They wanted to have a television show that all kids would be able to see someone like them in. They introduced more puppets that came from different backgrounds and continued to cover heavy topics like childhood poverty, natural disasters, death and racism.

‘Sesame Street’ paved the way for tons more educational shows and showed us how you can turn a harmful thing like television into something beneficial.

If you want to hear a more detailed explanation on how ‘Sesame Street’ changed education, a history day project made by Maeve Callahan-Schreiber is available on YouTube from the YouTube channel ‘The Better Angels Society’ with the title “Sunny Days: A Turning Point In Children’s Television”. Maeve is currently a 9th grader at Como Park Senior High School, and represented SPPS at the National History Day in June getting second for Junior Individual Documentary.

Tech/Games

All you need to know about ‘Hades 2’

January 17, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Persephone Pond

‘Hades 2’ is an upcoming roguelike action role playing video game developed and published by the studio Supergiant Games. As the name suggests, ‘Hades 2’ serves as a sequel to the hit indie game ‘Hades’, which was also developed and published by the same studio. This article will cover all you need to know about this upcoming masterpiece of a game.

‘Hades 2’ is currently available for purchase as an early access release on PlayStations 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and series S, and Microsoft Windows. Early access to this game means the game isn’t fully released. In addition to bug fixes and new mechanics, Supergiant Games has also been adding new characters and stories in big updates to the game as users continue to test the current mechanics.

With the early access of this game, initially released in May of 2024, many fans have begun to speculate the full release date of the game on a wider variety of platforms. These speculations have led to the conclusion that the full version of the game could be released anywhere between quarters 2 and 4 of 2025 due to the extensive build of the game so far. This timeline is earlier than expected, since Supergiant’s previous game, ‘Hades’, was in early access for over 2 years before its full console release.

So far, in its 8 months of availability, the game has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from returning fans and new players. Especially considering that ‘Hades 2’ is Supergiant’s first sequel, the game maintains a good balance of mechanics from the original ‘Hades’ and new unique aspects that make the game feel different and avoid the feeling of repetition between games.

From creative and unique interpretations of figures from Greek mythology to the fighting mechanics, ‘Hades 2’ is on track to be one of the biggest releases of 2025. In 2023, ‘Hades 2’ was nominated for the Most Anticipated Game at The Game Awards and Most Wanted Award at the Golden Joystick Awards.

So, whether you’re a returning ‘Hades’ fan or a newcomer to the games, keep an eye out for the full release of ‘Hades 2’.

Travel/Food

Jam thumbprint cookie review

January 16, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Norah Hoglund and Max Cahoon

Overview

Jam thumbprint cookies are a classic Christmas or holiday cookie for this time of year. They not only look cute but they also taste really good. We tried out a recipe for them and are going to share our thoughts on it.

Link to the recipe:

https://www.loveandlemons.com/thumbprint-cookies/#wprm-recipe-container-53346

Review

Taste

These cookies had two components: the cookie and the jam. The cookie was like a shortbread cookie, and it was sweet and crumbly. They were also very buttery and they were quite a good cookie. If they didn’t have the jam in the center they would have been a bit boring, so good thing there was jam in the middle. It added a different tart flavor to the cookies as well as a fruity flavor and a different texture. The cookies would have been a bit dry without the jam but it made their texture perfect. We rate the taste an 8/10.

Baking process

The process of making these cookies was fairly easy. The cookie part was pretty straightforward to make and wasn’t really any more difficult than any other cookie. The hardest part was putting the jam in the middle of them, because it was sort of hard to be precise with a spoon and to not spill over the edge of the indent that was made in the cookies for the jam.

Another thing about the recipe is that it says to wait until the bottoms are lightly browned, so we put it in for 12 minutes but the bottom edge didn’t look brown at all, so we put it in for a little bit longer which made the cookies a little more dry. Other than that, these cookies were pretty simple to make. We rate the baking process a 7/10.

Overall

Overall, this recipe is pretty simple and straightforward and yields good results. The taste and texture is good and the blend of flavors is pleasant. The one thing that we would change is the instruction about looking for brownness, because you can’t see if the bottoms would be brown.

Overall, we rate this recipe a 7.5/10. We would recommend this recipe to anyone who enjoys baking, cookies, and especially the sweet jam.

RECIPE

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 cup almond flour, spooned and leveled
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup raspberry and/or apricot jam (Some people may think the amount of jam is too much, so you could use a ¼ cup instead of half)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the two flours and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract until fluffy. Gradually add the flour and mix until completely combined.
Scoop rounded tablespoons of the dough and roll them into balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheets. Gently press down to form discs and use your thumb, or the back of a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon, to make an indentation in the middle of the cookies. Use a spoon to spoon ½ teaspoon of jam onto each cookie.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely
Then enjoy.

Music/Concerts

Songs meanings of ‘0.1 flaws and all.’ album by wave to earth

January 16, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Christine Yang

Wave to earth is a three-member band, Daniel Kim (singer-songwriter), Dong Kyu Shin (drummer), and John Cha (bassist) based in Seoul, South Korea. They want their band’s aspiration to “become the new wave” and expand their universe across the world. The band’s songs consist of indie pop with a lo-fi sound rooted in jazz drumming. The album ‘0.1 flaws and all.’ was released on April 20, 2023, with 14 songs (12 lyrical songs and 2 instrumental) on the album.

Lyrical Songs:

“bad”:

The song “bad” is about being with someone you love, and how the days will never be bad when you see/be with them. Which basically means their presence lightens your day or mood, and how in love you are towards them.

“sunny days”:

“sunny days” is an expression of appreciating the joy and warmth that love can bring into someone’s life.

“peach eyes”:

“peach eyes” is an expression of the sweet bond between two people, showing how love brings light, comfort, and motivation. The song also symbolizes the partner’s “peach-colored eyes”, which are also the representations of beauty and warmth of the person/love.

“evening glow”:

The song “evening glow” is about a person’s flaws and how they feel “broken” or “unloveable”, and trying to find healing and acceptance while struggling.

“pink”:

“pink” is a poetic way of exploring the short lasting nature of life and love. Also, seeing the person you love in nature sceneries.

“calla”:

“calla” is about spending time with someone you love no matter the conditions, and hoping it’s not just you daydreaming about it. It’s also about how strong love and hope are, and staying strong while facing difficulties/misfortune.

“love.”:

The song “love.” is about the human connection, emphasizing the individual desires that are wanted to be brought into relationships, friendship, community, etc.

But Daniel Kim’s definition of the song “love.” is about his band members, expressing the emotions that the whole band felt during times they spent together. But also memorializing the growth that each individual member went through, and how far they came in life.

“homesick”:

“homesick” is about the feeling of an unfamiliar place and wanting to be at home due to the familiar comfort.

“dried flower”:

The song “dried flower” is about the person you used to love that doesn’t hold a special place or meaning to you anymore, and how you don’t want to get back with them because it won’t be the same.

“sunburn”:

“sunburn” is about dealing with “pain” (struggles), no matter if you try to get “rid” of them the pain won’t go away, and trying to seek freedom from it.

“nouvelle vague”:

“nouvelle vague” talks about the struggle of growth, and wanting to stay/memorize the past instead of moving forward in life. This is due to the desire of not wanting to move forward in life is because of unfamiliarities or just fearing you’ll lose yourself as you go further.

“so real”:

“so real” is about emotional imprisonment and deep isolation, while yearning for freedom, understandment, and connections. Also, having to know the challenges that will be faced in achieving those goals.

Instrumentals:

“pink horizon”

“akira”

Tech/Games

‘Marvel Rivals’ review

January 15, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Munira Ahmadad

‘Marvel Rivals’ is a new multiplayer hero shooter by NetEase games. It was released on December 6th with 33 playable characters to start with (there have been 4 more added since). Outside of skins, the current roster consists of popular Marvel heroes and villains, designed after their comic looks. You play against other players in teams of 6 and each character fits into role categories that are based on what they’re meant to do. Some characters work well with others, and it’s encouraged for players to consider team-ups for more efficient matches. This also gives incentive for people to try out multiple heroes.

When I first started to play the game, I didn’t expect to enjoy it a lot, but so far it’s been really fun, which is a pleasant surprise. Initially, I was leaning towards the option of skipping it since it’s a third-person shooter game, and I usually get tired of them quicker than other games. I ended up getting it just because it’s Marvel. The game uses well-known characters who are superhero icons like Captain America, Spider-Man, and Iron Man, and heroes that aren’t in the spotlight as much such as Psylocke, Squirrel Girl, and Jeff the Land Shark.

So far, I’ve only played in quick-play as Mantis, a strategist/support character, and I think the movement in the game is clean. The locations chosen for battle maps are cool. I’d give the combat a 6/10 for my own personal experience, but that’s likely to change since I’m still not familiar with the gameplay style and how to play optimally. I’m sure someone who actually knows what they’re doing would have a different opinion on it. Also, these types of games with objective-based game modes become repetitive for me. ‘Marvel Rivals’ is still in its early days, so I do have hope it develops well over time.

I give the character design a 10/10. I absolutely love the look of every hero, especially Scarlet Witch, Squirrel Girl, Mantis, Iron Fist, Rocket Raccoon, and Namor. I have no complaints about the designs and each character looks incredibly cool. The designs take from the comics rather than the animated shows or the films. Even with how faithful the designs are to the comics, they still have their own unique feel to them. Players who are fans of the MCU characters can purchase various characters’ movie equivalent designs as costumes.

Due to its similarities with ‘Overwatch’, a popular game, I’ve seen people online refer to ‘Marvel Rivals’ as a knock-off version of it, while others say it has potential to be a hero shooter that won’t decline the same way ‘Overwatch’ does over time.

Overall, I give the game a 8/10 for its initial release. I don’t have time to really play it a lot, and as it is right now, I don’t know if I’ll continue playing but the experience of playing as some of my favorite characters has always been something I really like.

‘Marvel Rivals’ is available on the PS and Xbox systems along with PC.

Editorials/Student Voice

Judges retiring after Trump’s win

January 15, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Baarika Suresh

Photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels.com

Questions concerning the relationship between politics and the judiciary have been raised by the practice of judges “unretiring” after a political shift, especially after Donald Trump’s recent victory. In this context, “unretiring” refers to former judges who return to active duty, usually at the invitation or persuasion of the newly elected administration, after having reached the mandatory retirement age or leaving the bench for other reasons. Significant discussion over judicial independence and the wider ramifications for the legal system has been spurred by this practice.

In the US, judicial retirements are frequently viewed as a strategy to maintain impartiality and make sure that judges are not influenced by political pressures as they age. However, it can appear that the judiciary is becoming politicized when judges decide to return to the bench, especially following a presidential election that has significantly changed the political scene.

Four seats were included in a deal reached in November between Senate Republicans and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. In exchange for a Democratic commitment to fill the four circuit court vacancies for the Trump administration, Republicans agreed to confirm Mr. Biden’s district court nominees as soon as possible. However, Judge James Wynn has since changed his mind about accepting senior status, so the number has been lowered to three.

The return of retired judges raises questions about the possible decline in public trust in the judiciary’s impartiality and independence, particularly under a president with a strong ideological agenda. The rule of law’s foundational tenet of a neutral justice system may be compromised if such retirements and reappointments appear to be politically motivated.

It might also establish a worrying precedent for upcoming administrations, when political control over the judiciary might become even more pronounced. Instead of concentrating solely on legal knowledge and integrity, it might even promote a cycle in which judicial selections and reappointments become increasingly politically charged.

Finally, even though unretiring judges might be viewed as a practical reaction to political changes, the practice needs to be closely examined to preserve the harmony between judicial impartiality and political influence.

Travel/Food

Christmas cookies

January 14, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Sophie Elmstrom & Lily Sheldon

The holidays have come to an end, but that doesn’t mean that all of the recipes that come with it do!

During the holiday season there are so many treats to make, with Christmas cookies being a staple recipe. There are so many different cookie recipes for the holiday season. We wanted to share a few of our favorite cookie recipes to make.

Sugar Cookies:

Sugar cookies are a classic, and are a very common cookie, not just made for Christmas, although once you add the red and green sprinkles it will add Christmas cheer! This is a very simple recipe, so it’s easy and quick to make. It’s sure to be a staple cookie to add to your holiday baking. These cookies have cream cheese in them, and that adds a richer flavor to them.

You can find the directions here: https://www.nourish-and-fete.com/sprinkle-sugar-cookies/

Hershey’s Peanut Butter Blossoms:

These cookies have a delicious peanut butter cookie base topped with a Hershey’s Kiss that is perfectly melted on top. These are a fan favorite, and they don’t take long to make either. With a simple list of ingredients, and a short baking time of 8-10 minutes, these cookies have the perfect texture with a slightly crispy outside and warm chewy inside, and the kiss on top adds the perfect flavor and richness to the cookie base.

Here is a simple recipe: https://www.hersheyland.com/recipes/peanut-butter-blossoms.html

Christmas Bark:

Christmas bark or “ Christmas crack” is a saltine layered base with chocolate and toffee pieces on top. This is a very versatile cookie, with the option to add any combination of chocolate and toppings to the saltine layer base. Here we have a version with milk chocolate and toffee pieces, which is our personal favorite combination. Other ideas you could make are white chocolate with peppermint, or milk/dark chocolate with various toppings such as M&M’s, pretzels, etc. This is a crunchy treat that is so delicious and a fun bake for the holidays!

Here is a recipe: https://therecipecritic.com/christmas-crack-recipe/

Sandwich Cookies:

These sandwich cookies are flaky and buttery, they crumble in your mouth. This recipe is very complicated and takes a while to make because you have to refrigerate the dough for the cookies before you roll them out and cut them. Even though these take time to make, they are so worth it and don’t have to be made in just the holiday season, you can make the frosting different colors for different events and enjoy them all year long! Make sure to bring these to a cookie competition, it will be a sure win for you.

Here is the recipe: https://inspiredbycharm.com/cream-wafer-tree-cookies/#Ingredients

Wreath Cookies:

The wreath cookies are an easy to make recipe without using an oven. All you have to do is melt marshmallows and combine them with rice crispy cereal, shape them into a wreath and add some green food coloring and you’re done! These cookies are very good and chewy and once you show them to people they will be begging for more. We’re sure you could make these into different shapes for different holidays and events.

Here is a simple recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10070/christmas-cornflake-wreath-cookies/

Getting To Know/History

5 types of love languages

January 14, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Seng Yang

Love languages are the different ways people feel loved. There are 5 specific types of love languages and most people respond to more than one. Here are some explanations of the 5 types of love languages.

The first love language is quality time. This love language refers to expressing love primarily through dedicated, focused time spent with your partner, prioritizing their undivided attention and presence above other gestures. People with this love language usually value spending meaningful time with their partner, putting away distractions like phones but overall just engaging in shared activities, conversations, or simply just relaxing together can be more important than grand gestures. Some examples would be: active listening, focus on quality not quantity, importance of one-on-one time, regular date nights, engaging in meaningful conversations, craving undivided attention, and asking thoughtful questions that carries on the conversation.

The second love language is physical touch. This love language refers to someone who feels most loved and connected when they receive physical affection from their partner, like hugs, hand-holding, cuddling, kisses, or other forms of non-sexual touch. People with this love language deeply value physical closeness and feel most loved when their partner initiates affectionate touch. Some examples would be: kisses to show love and desire, resting head or face on shoulders, squeezing hugs, slow dancing, and playing with their hair.

The third love language is gift giving. This love language refers to someone who primarily expresses and feels love through the act of giving presents, where the thoughtfulness behind the gift is more important than its monetary value, signifying that they feel most loved and appreciated when they receive a thoughtful present, no matter how small or how much it costs. The focus is on the effort put into choosing a gift that shows you were thinking about them, not just the price tag, as even a little something thoughtful can be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, many people mistakenly believe that this love language means someone is only interested in expensive gifts, but it’s more about the thought behind the present. Some examples would be: giving flowers, a book by their favorite author, a personalized item, a handmade craft, and a thoughtful handwritten note/letter.

The fourth love language is words of affirmation which is by far the most common love language around the world. This love language refers to someone who feels most loved and appreciated when their partner expresses affection through spoken or written words of praise, encouragement, and compliments, making them feel valued through verbal affirmation. People who have this love language deeply value hearing kind words, compliments, and expressions of love directly from their partner. The positive affirmations help them feel secure and validated in the relationship. Some examples would be: “I appreciate that you…”, “I love you”, “I’m proud of you”, “Thank you for…”, and compliments about their outfit, hair, or appearance.

The fifth and last love language is acts of service. This love language refers to someone who wants to be shown love through intentional actions that make your partner’s life easier, like doing chores, running errands, or performing small tasks that demonstrate you are considering their needs and want to help them out. People with this love language feel most loved when their partner takes initiative to do helpful things, not just saying nice words. To express this love language, you would need to pay attention to your partner’s specific needs and preferences to perform acts of service that are truly meaningful to them. Some examples would be: cooking meals, planning a surprise activity, preparing breakfast in bed, making their favorite treat, holding the door open, tying their shoelaces, making their morning coffee, or doing things for them without them having to ask.