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Clubs and Activities

Recapping the robotics MinneTrials competition

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By: Nathaniel de Sam Lazaro

Credit: Team 2823 Automatons

On Saturday, December 7th, Highland Park’s robotics team, the Automatons, competed in the MinneTrials robotics competition.

MinneTrials is a competition hosted by team 2239, Technocrats, in Hopkins. The robots are built for a game separate from the one used in the main competition season, which occurs from January to April each year. These robots are constructed by first and second year members of the team, while third and fourth year students serve as mentors. This is designed to teach newer students the skills necessary to work on a robot once the older students have graduated.

The competition was hosted in the gym of L.H. Tanglen Elementary, which is located next to Hopkins High School. Ten teams competed, though two teams had multiple robots, so the total number of robots competing was twelve.

The game consisted of 21 qualification matches, with alliances of two robots competing against each other. This meant that each robot competed in approximately every third match. Prior to the qualification matches, there were also two rounds of practice matches.

Our team won one of our two practice matches, but there was some confusion over the rules of the game.

Unfortunately, the rest of the competition was met with technical issues that had to do with our robot. In one match, the robot emergency stopped for thirty seconds.  In another, we realized that the laptop we had planned to use to control the robot had not been charged.

In the end, we ended up losing all but one of our qualification matches, and were ranked tenth out of twelve.

After the qualification matches, the top four teams were able to pick another team to form playoff alliances. Unfortunately, we were not picked to compete in the playoffs.

While the competition did not go as we had hoped, we are glad to have learned from the experience. After the competition, our team had a meeting to discuss what happened and the general consensus seemed to be that the first and second year students were glad to have had this experience. This was our first year competing in the competition, and we are planning to return next year and hope for a better result.

Travel/Food

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies review

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By: Norah Hoglund and Max Cahoon

While chocolate chip cookies are very delicious, what is even better is peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. We tried this recipe out because right now is the perfect time to make cookies and share them with your friends and family. Just make sure no one is allergic to peanut butter!

Review

Taste

These cookies had such a good taste; we would say they were probably some of the best cookies we have ever made. The peanut butter makes them really really good because the saltiness of the peanut butter contrasts the sweetness of the cookie and it is a really great flavor, especially if you love peanut butter. A lot of people know that chocolate and peanut butter go really well together, and that fact does not change in this instance.

All of the ingredients in this cookie just go very well together and make for a great cookie. It is also not too sweet, due to the peanut butter. When they came warm fresh out of the oven, they were the best. We had them with milk and we agreed that they were some of the best cookies ever.

The only downside is that once you taste them when they are warm it’s a little underwhelming when you eat them at room temperature, but you can always warm them up.

Our rating: 9.9/10

Ease of making

These cookies were a bit of a challenge to make. We decided to brown the butter (see how in the recipe notes), even though the recipe doesn’t call for it, because it makes for a richer cookie. The recipe said to melt the butter anyway, so we browned it in a pot and added the peanut butter to the butter.

Once we had mixed together all the wet ingredients and dry ingredients, we mixed the two together. The dough then was very thick and we had to mix it with our hands because a whisk or spatula couldn’t mix it.

We filled up two trays with all of our dough and decided to put both trays in the oven at the same time, to save time baking them. The only thing we had to change was to bake them for 2-3 extra minutes.

The rest of the instructions were fairly easy and these cookies were definitely worth the effort we put into them. It was also a really fun experience making these, especially if you love baking. Our rating: 8/10

Overall

Overall, these cookies were so delicious and fairly easy to make for a high-quality cookie recipe. These cookies were very good and absolutely worth all of the effort we put into them. It was a fun experience. We rate this recipe a 9/10 and you should absolutely try it.

Here is the link to the recipe: https://handletheheat.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Recipe

Ingredients

  • ▢ 2 1/2 cups (318 grams) bleached all-purpose flour, measured correctly
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ▢ 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
  • ▢ 3/4 cup (202 grams) creamy peanut butter
  • ▢ 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • ▢ 1 cup (200 grams) packed dark brown sugar
  • ▢ 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ▢ 2 cups (340 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  1. In a large heat-safe bowl, microwave the butter until melted. Vigorously stir the peanut butter into the hot butter until well combined. Stir in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and yolk, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add in the vanilla. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  1. Dough may be loose and slightly crumbly. It will not appear like normal chocolate chip cookie dough. If it’s unbearably crumbly, that’s likely due to discrepancies among brands of peanut butter and if you used unbleached flour. Add 2 tablespoons milk if that’s the case.
  1. OPTIONAL: If time permits, cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours. Let the dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop.
  1. Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls using a large spring-loaded cookie scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten dough slightly into disc shapes with your palms. Dot each disc with a few extra chocolate chips for picture-perfect cookies.
  1. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
  1. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

NOTE: to brown butter, cook it in a pan on medium heat until it turns golden brown. This should be 5-7 minutes after it melts.

Tech/Games

‘Sky: Children of the Light’

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By: Cleo Newton

Screenshot

For about the last year, ‘Sky: Children of the Light’ has been my favorite mobile game.

It’s a game where you have to find and gather winged light (which take the form of glowing children). After acquiring your first winged light, you form a cape and your first wedge. This wedge is the amount of times you can flap in a row before having to recharge when flying. The amount of times you can flap is displayed on your cape to other players. The cape in this game is key when flying, without one, you can’t fly. Flying is crucial in many parts of this game; you may not be able to get to certain places if you can’t fly. The animation for the capes in this game mimics the way wings flap.

You can gather more winged light as you explore the world and discover new places. In each place, there’s a shrine where you can log down the new area and add it to your map.

There’s a reason why this game is called ‘Children of the Light’, in the game, there are supposedly no adults (they have all passed). All the adults are spirits. Spirits are another important aspect in this game. As you find more spirits, you get to relive a short but important part of their life. After finding out their story, you gain an emote, or in some cases, a new voice (The voice changes every time you “honk”).

Honking can be used to find other players in the game or to summon nearby butterflies. These butterflies can be used to recharge your cape. Another use for honking is to flip over crabs. The crabs in the game are hostile and will attack you, “yelling” to flip them over keeps them from hurting you.

Throughout the game, you’ll find red candles with bits of light/wax floating above the flame. You can collect these and use the wax to forge candles; these candles are your main form of currency in Sky. You can use it to buy cosmetics from the spirits or from temple elders. Cosmetics include pants, masks, hair, capes, and props.

In this game, you can light up other players with your candle to see what they look like; it’s kind of like saying hi. After this, you can spend a candle to either talk to them on a nearby bench (if available) or friend them. If you don’t want to spend a candle to friend someone, you can send them a code which then can be typed into a bar (in settings).

Sky has annual events that last a few weeks. During this time, you can buy limited time cosmetics and props. You can also do this with the seasons Sky hosts. The seasons are like events but last longer and have more things you can buy.

Lastly, there are different realms you can explore. The last one being “The Eye of Eden”. Here, you climb a mountain before giving your winged light away to statues. I think these statues represent fallen skykids. After giving away all your winged light, you die and then get reborn. Part of getting reborn means you get ascended candles, a more difficult form of currency to acquire.

After getting reborn, you will lose all your winged light but you will also gain a new winged light which will be added onto the total count after you regather all your winged light again.

After reading this, I hope you’ll consider playing ‘Sky: Children of the Light’. I would give it a 4.5/5.

You can play ‘Sky: Children of the Light’ on multiple platforms including, the Switch, Steam, and mobile devices (Android & Apple IOS).

Music/Concerts

Song meanings of the EP ‘Superclean, Vol.II’ by The Marías

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By: Christine Yang

The Marías is a psychedelic-soul lovechild of Puerto Rican-bred band with María Zardoya, Josh Conway, Jesse Perlman, and Edward James. The EP ‘Superclean, Vol II’ was released on September 28, 2018, with six songs on it. The EP is a blend between alternative and indie (Latin indie).

“Ruthless”:

“Ruthless” can be about someone who’s in love with somebody that they haven’t seen in awhile, but still have affections towards them and want to have a relationship with them. 

“Cariño”:

“Cariño” can be interpreted as a song to appreciate a romantic lover, and how you find peace just being with them. Or it can be about someone you love and how you’re telling them they’re special in many different ways.

“ABQ”:

The song “ABQ” can be interpreted as about anxiety, how you feel this constant feeling that you’re never alone and crave that loneliness or time with yourself.

On a personal level, it’s about María Zardoya’s struggle with anxiety of not wanting to let anyone down, and having so much pressure to get things done (songs related) to please the audience, but also be on track with her band members too.     

“Loverboy”:

“Loverboy” is about a partner being unfaithful towards you, and how you can’t really process or accept that fact, but also can’t bear to hear a word from their mouth.

“Over the Moon”:

“Over the Moon” is an idiomatic expression that means a state of extreme happiness. It’s also viewed as a bittersweet love song about the struggles of an uncertain but passionate relationship.

“Clueless”:

“Clueless” is about a relationship that failed due to not being able to handle it anymore (due to lack of emotional awareness, miscommunication, and growing apart). Also, being confused about their words/actions, and having moments of being able to feel free, but being reminded of them.   

Overall, I would give ‘Superclean, Vol II’ a 10/10.

Student Creative Art

Zentangle 3

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By: Pwe Doh Gay

This is a drawing of another zentangle but in a deck of cards style. I really thought that the second zentangle looked really good, so I wanted to make an even better one for the last zentangle drawing.

For this picture, I used a pencil to make the cards and patterns. Then first went over that with an ultra-fine point Sharpie, then with a fine-point Sharpie, to fill in some of the white spots.

I really like how this one turned out. I think this is my favorite one out of all three zentangles I made. I really like how different this one looks from the others. The patterns just look cool inside of the cards. My favorite pattern is the ten of diamond card. The one that I don’t like is the X shape pattern with the dots in it, on the ace card.

For my next drawing, I will make something else, but I don’t know what I will make yet, but I think it will probably be something that will include color.

Volleyball

Volleyball Day in Nebraska

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By: Siri David

Volleyball Day in Nebraska took place August 30, 2023. This was a historic day for Nebraska volleyball and female sports overall. Nebraska volleyball broke a world record this night. They broke the record of the most people to watch a female sport in person. There were a total of 92,003 people in the Memorial Stadium which is their football stadium.

The idea for this was created by the head coach of the Nebraska volleyball team John Cook. The goal was to beat the record Wisconsin had just created a few weeks before. The issue was there was no indoor stadium that could hold that many people, so they decided to do it outdoors in the Nebraska football stadium. The stadium can technically only hold 85,458 but has exceeded that number many times before. A lot of the administrators at University of Nebraska thought that this might not be successful but they were definitely proved wrong. The night tickets went on sale; they sold out in the first hour. Everyone was shocked by how fast they sold out.

The day of the game, the Nebraska volleyball team did a meet and greet with a ton of Husker fans. The goal of this meet and greet was to show the love the Nebraska volleyball team has for their community and the love the community has for them. The meet and greet was truly so special, so many young fans got to meet their idols in volleyball and it was amazing to see.

The game was against Omaha, and the University of Nebraska won in three sets. It was a beautiful night, not a cloud in the sky. Once the second set ended they found out the attendance number, and how they broke the record. All the players were trying to stay locked in for the game but could not contain their excitement. A lot of tears were shed by coaches, players, and fans. It was truly an amazing thing to hear and learn about as a younger volleyball player. Nebraska is the volleyball capital of the world and it truly is such an amazing atmosphere.

Travel/Food

Holiday things to do in New York City

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By: Sophia Elmstrom & Lily Sheldon

The month of December is such a magical time to be in New York City. There are endless activities to do or see in the Big Apple. Coming to the city can be a great way to celebrate the holiday season. Here are 7 things you can do this Christmas in NYC.

1. Book tickets to see The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. The Rockettes are a classic wintertime spectacular to see when visiting New York City; many families make it a tradition to see them every year. It is such a cool experience and it can ignite your holiday cheer!

2. Visit the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The Rockefeller tree is a classic destination for holiday lovers in NYC during December. The amazing 74 foot tall tree is decorated in over 50,000 lights for the holiday season and is a perfect place to go for photos with the family or by yourself.

3. Going to F.A.O. Schwartz. F.A.O. Schwarz is a toy store that is filled with holiday spirit this time of year. This store is well known in the movie ‘Home Alone’ 2, and inside it is decorated beautifully for Christmas. It has 2 floors but it was crowded making it seem smaller than in the movies. It is a great place to visit, but you have to be willing to wait in the long line to get inside. This long line can be worth it because when you turn the corner the Rockefeller tree is there and it is the closest you can get to it, so it is a perfect place to take a few pictures without crowds!

4. Visiting the Plaza Hotel. The Plaza Hotel is a beautiful hotel decorated elegantly for Christmas. Although the hotel itself is not open for visitors, and only guests, you can go around the corner to the shops at the plaza and look at the beautiful Christmas decorations while shopping.

5. Going to see the lights in Dyker Heights. Seeing a Christmas light display is not what you would expect to see when going to NYC but if you take the subway to Dyker Heights, just 39 minutes away from Manhattan, there is a neighborhood with many houses decked out for Christmas with many food trucks and lots of hot chocolate!

6. If you are walking near Rockefeller Plaza to see the tree, stop by Bryant Park to visit their annual Christmas market. You can do lots of holiday shopping and there are local crafts and other gifts at the shops as well. The Winter Village is also a big hit with its food and drink. It is more on the pricey side, but there are lots of fun holiday snacks and drinks available at different vendors and cafés. The Bryant Park Winter Village is a great place to grab a bite to eat, visit some shops, and experience the winter wonderland!

7. Another fun activity you can do downtown is ice skating at the Rockefeller Plaza. This seasonal rink is iconic in New York as you are skating right under the Rockefeller Christmas tree. This is definitely something that you want to check off on your list if you are traveling to the city. The rink is open all day and is a super fun way to experience the city’s holiday spirit with family and friends.

Overall, visiting New York City during the Christmas season is a great way to make the most of the holidays. There are so many attractions to see, shows to watch, and activities to do. There is really no other place that has this charm like New York City does during Christmas time. With all of the twinkling lights and decorations, the city is bursting with holiday cheer that is sure to be an unforgettable experience.

Tech/Games

‘Marvel Rivals’: Squirrel Girl

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By: Munira Ahmadad

‘Marvel Rivals’ is a 3rd person shooter game developed by NetEase Games. On December 6th, it was released on Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows. On release, ‘Marvel Rivals’ has 33 Marvel comic characters to play as, including the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.

Doreen Green, better known as Squirrel Girl, is a Canadian Marvel heroine in New York who debuted back in 1991. In her first appearance, she is a girl who has various squirrel-like abilities caused by a genetic mutation. Some of her powers are super strength, a strong bite force, retractable claws, and she’s good at tracking things. Similar to other characters like Wolverine, she has regenerative healing.

Squirrel Girl is a character readers find funny, as on her first appearance in the comics, she’s a 14-year-old who teams up with Iron Man, saves him, and defeats Doctor Doom. She didn’t defeat a Doombot, she defeated the actual Doctor Doom. Victor von Doom is one of the most threatening villains in the comics, so people found it a bit odd how a teenager with no training managed to beat him.

Unfortunately for Doreen, Iron Man did not take her as a sidekick and he tells her she’s too young to be a superhero.

Being a character who’s powers surround talking to squirrels and being a squirrel, she’s considered a silly and lighthearted hero. Her beating numerous characters who are definitely stronger than her is a recurring joke. They often work around the strength difference by making the fights off-page/only showing the aftermath. One of her most iconic victories would be her against Thanos, though later it’s revealed by Thanos she actually defeated a perfect clone of him (even though the Thanos who said that is a clone himself with altered memory). Another popular victory would be her convincing Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds, not to eat earth.

Squirrel Girl’s strength level has been a topic of discussion and personally, even though I’m not into her in the comics, she’s been one of my favorite characters since I played her in Lego Marvel Superheroes (2013) as a little kid. I haven’t played ‘Marvel Rivals’ yet but when I do, I’m planning on main-ing Doreen.

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

Sports schedule for: Dec 16-21

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ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: DECEMBER 16 – DECEMBER 21  
MONDAYDECEMBER 16 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
TUESDAYDECEMBER 17
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
B: 4:30pm JV: 5:30pm V: 7:00pm Boys Basketball vs. SimleyHOME
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. SimleyVet’s Memorial Arena
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. South St. PaulCharles M. Schulz Highland Arena
WEDNESDAYDECEMBER 18
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
3:45pm2:20pm | 5:15pmNordic Ski Race – SkateBattle Creek
4:30pm Boys Swimming and Diving vs. HardingHumboldt High School
5:00pm Wrestling vs. WashingtonWashington Tech
THURSDAYDECEMBER 19
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
B: 4:30pm JV: 5:30pm V: 7:00pm Boys Basketball vs. Holy AngelsAcademy of Holy Angels
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pmJV: 3:30pm V: 5:15pm | 9:00pmBoys Hockey vs. SimleyVet’s Memorial Arena
6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. WaconiaHOME
FRIDAYDECEMBER 20
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pm Girls Basketball vs. Heritage Christian AcademyHOME
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. South St. PaulWSP Ice Arena
SATURDAYDECEMBER 21
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
9:00am6:50am | 4:00pmWrestling InviteTrinity School at River Ridge
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. IrondaleCharles M. Schulz Highland Arena
Science/Nature

NASA’s Artemis program

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By: Karl Salkowski

(Image credit: freerangestock)

NASA is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA was created on October 1st, 1958 after president Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act. NASA is a government agency of the United States, and it is responsible for U.S. space exploration, space technology, Earth and space science, and aeronautics research.

In total, 24 astronauts have made the journey from earth to the moon. Half of those astronauts only orbited the moon while the other half landed on it. Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin were the first two people to walk on the moon. It’s been over 50 years since anyone has walked on the moon, but why is that?

The main reason is money. Building these rockets was incredibly expensive and NASA relied heavily on funding from the government. Once the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 was a success and the U.S. had won the space race, NASA faced major funding cuts. Originally, there were 20 Apollo missions, but due to a lack of funds the last 3 were canceled.

Since then NASA has focused on other projects. One notable example being the International Space Station. However, one of NASA’s new projects aims to land humans back on the moon.

NASA’s Artemis program consists of 4 main parts: an uncrewed flight test around the moon, a crewed flight test around the moon, sending humans to explore the region near the lunar south pole, and finally establishing a scientific base on the moon. These missions will aptly be named Artemis I, II, III, and IV respectively. With these missions, NASA’s goal is both to “explore the moon for scientific discovery and to inspire a new generation of explorers” according to Nasa.gov.

Artemis I launched 2 years ago and was a huge success for NASA and its partners. However, the crewed mission (Artemis II) which was slated to launch in late 2025 has now been delayed to April 2026. Artemis III also suffered delays and is currently being projected to launch no-earlier than mid 2027.

If you want to learn more about the Artemis missions, please go to: