Category Archives: Editorials/Student Voice

Editor’s Note: The Plaid Line publishes editorials that contain opinions that are those of the student authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the the Plaid Line, HPSH, or its staff.

Editorials/Student Voice, Local, News, World

Prom dress: Censored

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The Osakis School Board, in Osakis, Minnesota, has suggested a new rule for their upcoming prom in April. The original “rule of thumb” prom dress code was described as “to wear what they would feel comfortable wearing to church.” This is a public High School. Despite that, not every single person goes to church, or might not have ever attended church. I would not save my money all year, for a night, to only wear something I could wear every week. 

Here are some ideal examples for church-wear, and apparently appropriate prom attire as well:

This new suggestion is requiring every girl who is planning to attend this year’s prom to submit a photo of them wearing their chosen dress to their school’s prom advisor. Photo submissions of boys are not required. This has recently been approved by the school board and will be required.

Another thing that is not required is entrance into the prom dance. After one has spent the $80 on a ticket, $100 on the dress of their dreams, around $100 on hair and makeup, and another $50 on their nails, these girls still can be turned away at the door if their dress does not meet the dress code. Board member Monica Klimek stated, “We have a right to not allow entrance to the prom.”

A statement about the dress code requirements was passed out to all 11th and 12th graders in the Osakis High School. The statement said:

“Appropriate attire is required since prom is an official, formal school event…Ladies, an acceptable prom dress is one that you would feel comfortable wearing to a formal event at school…Length of dresses must be lower than the fingertips when arms are held straight down at sides. Tennis shoes, sunglasses and baseball caps are not formal attire and are not acceptable.”

The letter does address dress code suggestions for the attending “gentlemen.” Suggestions include: dress pants, dress shirt, sports coat and tie, tuxedo, accompanied by dress socks and shoes. The letter concludes by saying, “Prom is a privilege and not a right.” Students must sign and return the letter.

The reason behind these requirements for the girls is due to an attempt to prevent “embarrassment” according to the Osakis School board.

However, who are they to declare if one is embarrassed by what they wear?

If another goal, in declaring this dress code, was to prevent any unwanted attention, or advancements, from the “gentlemen” attending, why not teach them how to be a gentleman?

Don’t restrict a girl’s freedom to express herself through what she wears. It’s 2017 and as far as I’m concerned, girls have been told what not to wear for years. Onlookers have been blaming their wardrobe for what happens to them, but I have never heard of clothes that say “please come and make me feel embarrassed and violated.”

Young women should have the freedom to wear what THEY feel comfortable in: sneakers, an elaborate dress, sweats, etc. No young women should feel a backlash for wanting to feel extra special for a night.

Editorials/Student Voice, News, World

Trump “Trumps” the press

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Since the start of Donald Trump’s presidency, or even the start of his campaign, there have been a slew of suppression strikes against the press, often claiming they are reporting “fake news.” This is funny as one of the president’s closest correspondents, Kellyanne Conway, reported a massacre in Bowling Green, claiming nobody knew about it because the press, as a whole, chose not to report on it. Now here’s the funny part: there was never a massacre in Bowling Green. Kellyanne reported fake news on national television.

Since her comment about Bowling Green was a false statement, according to Trump’s belief, she can be sued. Trump said, “I’m a big believer, tremendous believer, of the freedom of the press. Nobody believes it stronger than me, but if they make terrible, terrible mistakes and those mistakes are made on purpose to injure people — I’m not just talking about me; I’m talking anybody else then, yes, I think you should have the ability to sue them.” So according to this statement, the American people, are able to sue Kellyanne Conway on account of her fake news that “injured” the people affected by it; mainly the race in which the republicans in the White House believe to be terrorists.

Legally, the press is not allowed to report anything false, but they are protected by “actual malice.” According to the Legal Information Institute, at Cornell University Law School, “Actual malice means that a statement was made with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether or not it was false.” In short, as long as the content was published by the journalist in good faith, all the information was as accurate as possible, it is legally publishable. This is contrary to what the president believes, as he stated on a Miami TV station, that “Our press is allowed to say whatever they want and get away with it.”

Trump, as a tremendous believer in “freedom of the press,” has pledged to change the libel laws in a way that would undermine the First Amendment and the freedom of the press. While on his campaign run, Trump stated that we should “open up our libel laws so when [newspapers] write purposely negative stories…we can sue them and make lots of money.”

The First Amendment, a foundation of the country’s democracy, states that “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” 

To illustrate this attack on the press, on February 1st, 2017, a 45 second clip, of a press conference with the president, surfaced on Twitter. A journalist was trying to ask a question, and after being denied, the journalist calmly informed the president of his right to ask a question. The president quickly interrupted him, demanding he go back to his division.

The immigrant journalist, Jorge Ramos, told the president “You can not deport eleven million people and build a 1900 foot wall, and strip citizenship of the people in this country.” The president repeatedly told the journalist to “sit down” when a security agent approached the him, and placed his hands on Ramos in attempt to escort him out of the room.

Ramos did not fight back, but instead calmly told the man he could not touch him. As Mr. Ramos was exiting the room he told the president, “I have a right to ask a question.” Once the journalist exited the room, a Trump supporter can be heard telling Jorge Ramos, “It’s not about you, get out. Go back to your country.”

For context, Jorge Ramos is a U.S. citizen. Not only is he a Mexican-American citizen, but he is regarded as the best known Spanish-language news anchor in the U.S., as well as being listed as one of the top most influential people in the world in Time magazine. In addition to that, Ramos has been referred to as the “Walter Cronkite of Latin America.” Walter Cronkite was a CBS news anchor for almost twenty years, during which time he was cited as being “the most trusted man in America.”

After he was escorted out of the press conference, Mr. Ramos immediately made a statement following the incident. That statement can be found here: https://youtu.be/qPpxvf1niW8

This is just one example of the suppression, and disrespect, President Trump has enforced on the free press, the most influential press, the voice for the people. Just recently, Trump hosted his first independent press conference in which he blamed the “fake news media” for the poor  picture of the White House and his staff.

Despite the many times Trump has chosen to protect his ego before the American people, the people will not be silenced by the shake of a head and a closing door. Many protests and boycotts have taken place following the inauguration, speaking out against the president. 

Editorials/Student Voice, News, World

U.S. backing out: Rumor or another inconvenient truth?

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2016 was a disaster. I’ve seen the shirts to prove it. But in April 2016, something good actually happened: 194 countries unanimously signed the Paris Agreement, which sought to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” But April 2016 was 9 months ago. It is now January 2017.

A former Trump aide, Myron Ebell, says that it is only a matter of time before Trump pulls out of the Paris Agreement. Considering the bulk of Trump’s supporters, and his cabinet members, are climate change deniers, this is all too likely. But assuming this isn’t just a rumor (he is a climate change denier as well, so there’s that), then this is going to easily end up being the worst idea the U.S. has had in a long time.

Why will this be one of the worst ideas in a long time? For starters, green energy/tech companies are estimated to increase in value substantially in the coming years according to The Atlantic. If The U.S. does back out of the Paris Agreement we’ll be saying auf wiedersehen to a lot of worthwhile cash; something anybody will tell you is not considered good.

On top of that, if the Independent News is correct, it’s going to be a full year before the U.S. actually backs out of the agreement, and if we figure out by then that this was a bad idea, it’s going to take another three years to get back in on the agreement. And on top of all that, there’s the small matter of CO2 producing companies/manufacturers being able to crank up production since the agreement means the EPA must recognize CO2 as a pollutant. Keep in mind here that the Paris Agreement was made to cut down pollutants.

All in all, this could easily be a nightmare for everyone involved and possibly those who aren’t…assuming this actually happens. Remember, it’s still ambiguous. What do you think: rumor or another inconvient truth?

(Al Gore please don’t sue me)

Editorials/Student Voice, Sports, Tech/Games

How eSports and traditional sports compare

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image taken from: https://s3.amazonaws.com/tribeca_cms_production/uploads/article/header_marquee/55d4a46ac07f5d973a000002/large_large_lcs.jpg

Esports, maybe you’ve heard a lot about them, but most people have no idea what they are or why they’re popular. For people who aren’t familiar with video games, it might seem confusing why people would want to watch someone play a game that they could just play by themselves. If you think about the premise though, it’s very similar to “real” sports.

Let’s just start with the premise of the competition and tournaments. In traditional sports, teams compete through a long regular season where they play games weekly, and at the end of the season whoever is at the top of the standings will advance to the playoffs, and perhaps the championships. In most eSports, it works almost exactly the same. For example, in the extremely popular eSport, League of Legends, there is a six month long regular season, and a world tournament at the end of the year. So, just by the basic structure of the leagues and competition, the two entities are similar.

Another way that traditional sports and eSports are similar is the formalities of competition. You may think that video game tournaments are just messy, loud rooms filled with nerds staring at screens, but in reality it’s a highly organized event. Teams wear jerseys, shake hands, have equipment sponsors, coaches, substitutes, referees, announcers, and large live audiences. All these things exist in both sporting realms. It was through obtaining these things that eSports was able to get the attention of big investors, and become the nightmare of traditional TV producers.

One way that eSports have gained recognition is just the sheer number of people that love and watch them. Online viewership for eSports happens on video game streaming websites like Twitch and YouTube and has skyrocketed in the past few years with events like the Counter Strike Global Offensive championships garnering 2.2 million concurrent viewers (1.2 million off the internet and 1 million people on TV, according to dextro.com), smashing the record for concurrent viewers of any eSport. The way that professional video gaming is able to attract so much attention is through their platform. People who play their game will see notifications for an ongoing eSport event when they log in, allowing the companies to target an audience they know will be interested in watching the matches.

A final way to compare traditional sports and eSports is the players themselves, but obviously physical athletes are much more in shape than the average eSports competitor so let’s consider the training hours. Most sports teams will spend up to 5 hours a day training, working out, revising strategy and reviewing film. The average eSports team spends 9-12 hours a day training, and although playing video games may not be as strenuous physically it can a exhausting, draining effect, and the players have to pour just as much energy and focus into their work as other athletes do. A big concern for physical athletes is injuries, but those do happen in eSports as well. The most common sorts of injuries are wrist, finger, and elbow, but often mental injuries can occur as well. When you play a seemingly silly game in front of 12,000 people, for 10 million dollars (basically your only chance of getting a real salary that year), after training for 12 hours a day stress related problems often happen. Recently a big victory was scored for all of eSports when Riot Games lobbied the US Citizen and Immigration Services to make P-1 athletic visas available to professional gamers, to allow them to traverse from tournament to tournament easily.

Recently, eSports have been gaining more recognition throughout the world, and as time goes on the industry will only grow. The biggest question surrounding eSports today is whether they will ever be able to compete with the likes of the NFL and other major sports leagues. In my honest opinion, those sports will never be topped by video games, but maybe, someday, the two could be equal.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Blocked schedules

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This school year, like the last, our daily schedules changed for our final days of the semester. Each class was switched (with the exception of 4th period) to being about two hours long, to give each student a longer time to be able to finish their final tests. But is the two hours of class really needed for the students?

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image taken from: http://www.tv-spoty.info/image/h/high-school-classroom.html

I went around and asked some students about how they felt about the blocked schedules, and many students hated the fact that they had to sit in a class for what seemed like forever. Jennifer Perez, a Highland student said, “I had many classes that I didn’t have a final for and it just felt a bit long and boring, but I get that if you did have a final it would come of use to you.”

Many other students that I had asked had the same thing to say. There would be days where people had no finals at all, and even though they were glad that they didn’t have to stress out that day, the whole day just seemed to move a lot slower than usual.

After talking to students, I went around asking some teachers about how they felt about the blocked schedule. Many of them liked the blocked schedule; one of our math teachers said, “I liked it. I liked that it gave the students more time to work on the tests that were given and that they didn’t feel rushed.”

Many of the teachers that I asked felt the same way. They were more comfortable with giving a more advanced test to their students because they knew that their students had a long enough time to be able to work out the problem and solve it.

After talking to a number of students and staff, I got the sense that feelings about the schedule were somewhat divided. I personally like the schedule. I’m sure that we will continue with blocked schedules for finals for while. Not only does it give those who are testing more time, but for some students it gives them a break from having to take so many finals in one day.

Editorials/Student Voice, Events, News, World

Tuesday’s Cruz-Sanders Obamacare debate

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The Two Senators mid debate
image taken from: Masslive.com

Last Tuesday, February 7th, Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) faced off in a debate about the future of healthcare in America. More specifically, the pair sparred about the Affordable Care Act (often known as Obamacare) and whether or not it should be replaced by a new healthcare bill or not. Cruz took a pretty hardline stance against Obamacare, claiming that while healthcare was desirable, the ACA failed to provide it effectively. Meanwhile, Sanders took a more moderate stance, agreeing that the policy was flawed, but he wants to improve it rather than repeal it entirely.

The debate was a town hall style, meaning that instead of the moderators asking questions, they were delivered by the crowd. However, the questions were almost certainly pre-approved, so in practice there isn’t a very large difference.

In addition, a fair number of questions seemed like clear plants for one side or the other. For example, Sanders was told by a small business owner that Obamacare was limiting the expansion of her business, while Cruz faced questions from a woman who said her life was saved by the policy. Both handled the questions well, though Sanders often came off as somewhat patronizing towards the audience.

Because of Sander’s position on the issue, the two initially found themselves in some agreement. For example, they both thought that insurance companies were too powerful, but they had radically different solutions. Cruz wanted to increase competition by allowing insurance sales across state borders (in addition to other measures), while Sanders felt more government input was necessary. However, Sanders was less able to defend his position, and instead faltered under questions about the actual effectiveness of government input. Meanwhile, Cruz seemed to argue his case much better, and was able to come off as far more credible.

After the senator’s initial agreement, the debate went somewhat downhill. While the issues were definitely still discussed, the debate devolved a lot, to the point where the two debaters spent almost two minutes arguing about the relative merits of Vermont and Texas as states. To be fair, the moderators were able to keep the debate on track, (even connecting the state argument into the issues) and it was certainly more productive than any of the presidential debates. The last major point of the debate was Sanders talking about his own healthcare plan, something that Cruz demonstrated was financially unfeasible.

By the end of the debate, it seemed clear that Cruz had won pretty decisively. While no polling is currently available on who the voters think won the debate, Cruz was far more put together and well spoken, while Sanders was more discombobulated and often knocked off balance by Cruz. Both Senators still made reasonable and well thought out points, however, so it’s hard to say it was a complete route. Anyway, who won is more of a moot point, as neither candidate is up for election anytime soon. The more important thing is the discussion that was had.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life, Tech/Games

The issue of technology in the classroom

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image taken form: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/11676117/Training-for-teachers-in-war-against-pupils-who-use-mobile-phones-in-school.html

In the past few years, there has been a huge advancement in technology. This technology is being used for education (for example: school issued iPads). Even though the idea of technology is a good idea for helping children learn, it is also creating a distraction for their learning. In St. Paul Public Schools, there are many kids that are distracted by either their iPads or cell phones in the classroom (playing on them instead of doing their school work). This is causing them to not focus and learn, which can result in bad tests scores and low grades. 

One of the issues with school iPads is the App Store which allows kids to download and play games on the device. In the last year, there have been fixes that have taken the App Store off of school iPads. This helped for awhile, until kids figured out how to either get the App Store back or they found other ways to play games. The App Store battle is a constant issue which is continuing to cause kids to be distracted in the classroom.

Another issue is the use of cell phones. Each teacher has different rules about phones but kids still use them to “listen to music while doing work.” There have been studies proving that listening to music is more of a distraction than a help for doing work (for an example see: http://www.spinedu.com/listen-music-studying/).

One more issue with cell phones is that if a student doesn’t have an iPad with them, they say they will just use their phones to do the work. The problem with this is A) the screens of cell phones are small so it is difficult to produce quality work and B) without the school iPad app restriction, the student is able to do anything on their phone even if they say they are doing work.

Since school issued iPads, and personal cell phones, are both an issue in a learning environment, there should be someone who looks into enforcing more efficient rules for the use of these devices in the classroom.

Editorials/Student Voice, Events, School Life

CU Day at the capitol

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On January 31st, I attended an all-day event called: Credit Union Day at the Capitol.

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This event saw all of the credit unions, in Minnesota, coming together to meet with different legislators, of Saint Paul, to talk about how their credit union is making an impact on their community. They also talked about how they are most important when assisting their community members with financial troubles.

As a student from Highland Park, I was invited by HIWAY Federal Credit Union to participate in this event so that I could learn more about how a credit union can make an impact on society.  They also wanted me to better understand the work that is involved with promoting a credit union.

img_4251The Minnesota credit union network contains more than 20 credit unions, all consisting of one important rule, which is to help their members learn more about savings and assist them with any concerns about their financial position. I met with two legislators: Dave Pinto and Dan Schoen. I talked to them about my involvement with HIWAY, and about having a branch inside Highland Park, which influenced many students to become a student member with HIWAY. This school year, we have had at least 8 students become members, and we still have people joining today.

img_2401Another thing I found very exciting is the CEO of HIWAY – Dave Boden, took me on a tour of the capitol building, for my first time visiting the place. He told me that the legislators of Saint Paul look upon the credit union network of Minnesota, and see how they want to help their members and educate them about the benefits and qualities of savings.

Just before the event, I also got to sit in on a press conference for a program called: “WINcentive savings” where they talked about how learning to save and being knowledgeable of your finances can make a difference in the future.

Working for a credit union, inside a high school, is a grand opportunity to promote HIWAY amongst students and teachers who are interested in learning more about this type of business and its purpose. It also provides the chance to be part of an outreach, to be involved with a different crowd that wants to start being well-educated on the qualities of a credit union, and to actually become a member of the credit union.

Editorials/Student Voice, Local, News, World

Immigration ban

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On Friday, January 27th (Holocaust Memorial Day), President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning all entry into the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries. This ban included U.S. citizens who had left the country to visit family, as well as desperate refugees who had finally finished the arduous vetting process only to be turned away.

Demonstrators spell out "# No Muslim Ban" during the "Boston Protest Against Muslim Ban and Anti-Immigration Orders" to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. January 29, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Demonstrators spell out “# No Muslim Ban” during the “Boston Protest Against Muslim Ban and Anti-Immigration Orders” to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order travel ban in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. January 29, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

The countries affected are: Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Notably excluded are: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The countries in the second group were where the majority of the 9/11 terrorists originated from which is interesting due to the fact that the ban is supposedly meant to keep terrorism out. Also notable, the excluded countries happen to be where the president has profitable businesses.

Protests broke out at airports, starting at JFK in New York City, and where people had been detained across the country, shortly after the order was signed. A New York judge, however, signed what is called a habeas corpus petition, the day after the ban was announced, deeming the detainments unconstitutional.

Trump’s acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, also refused to enforce the ban. Part of the Attorney General’s job is to stand up to the president if he or she believes his decisions are unlawful. She was immediately fired and replaced.

Recently, many tech companies, including Apple, Facebook, Google, Uber, and others, have united to take legal action against Trump’s ban, as the executive order makes it more difficult for them to recruit, hire, and continue to employ “some of the world’s best employees.” In the brief they submitted it states: “The Order represents a significant departure from the principles of fairness and predictability that have governed the immigration system of the United States for more than fifty years.” 

The Statue of Liberty has a plague on its base. It reads, “Bring me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” America was founded by immigrants, on the principles of freedom and equality for all.

Many, many students here at Highland Park are immigrants, or the children or grandchildren of immigrants. In times like these that are scary and turbulent, when the future is uncertain, we need to stand together with our friends and show that they are safe and welcome in our school.

Editorials/Student Voice, Local, News, World

American education

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This year in America, and in the years to follow, the country will experience significant change, courtesy of President Donald J. Trump’s appointed committee and overall goals for the future. So far, President Trump has already fast tracked the act of repealing ObamaCare, and has provided a plan for “the wall” that will be placed on the border of Mexico and the United States. However, despite these many changes, one thing that can be guaranteed to have little to no change will be American education.

President Trump appointed Betsy DeVos,

an American businesswoman, philanthropist, and education activist, specifically education that is provided from Catholic private schools, to be his secretary of education. However, her lifetime of higher-class education did not prepare her for the questions she was asked by the senators during her confirmation hearing.

One of the first questions she was asked, by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, regarded guns in schools. He asked Ms. DeVos, “Do you think that guns have any place in, or around, schools?” DeVos responded that it should be left up to the locals, and individual states to decide on that.

Following a visibly distressed and confused look from Senator Murphy, DeVos continued by saying, “I think the underlying question is…” only to be cut off by Senator Murphy, “You can’t say definitively today that guns shouldn’t be in schools?”

Guns and gun-safety have been discussed for years, but it is widely known that Senator Murphy is strongly against weaponry in schools following the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

DeVos referred back to Wapiti, Wyoming to reinforce her position. “I think probably there, I would imagine that there is probably a gun in the school to protect from potential grizzlies.” The Daily Show contacted a school in Wapiti asking if they do hold guns within the school, and if they intend, or have ever used the weapon for grizzly bear attacks. They responded that they do not have a gun, and they have never encountered a grizzly bear. They did say that if such a situation were to arise, they have a fence around the perimeter of the school.

Senator Al Franken asked DeVos if students should be measured by grade-level proficiency or yearly progress, and DeVos responded, “If I’m understanding your question correctly, around proficiency, I would also correlate it to competency and mastery, so that you, each student, is measured according to the advancement that they’re making in each subject area.” Senator Franken, trying hard to follow her statement interrupted her, correcting her train of thought, stating that she is talking about growth. “That’s growth. That’s not proficiency. So in other words, the growth they’re making isn’t growth. The proficiency is an arbitrary standard.”

Senator Franken did his best to clarify his question stating, “I’m talking about the debate between proficiency and growth, what you’re thoughts are.” After Devos asked for further clarification, the senator informed DeVos that “this is a subject that has been debated in the education community for years, and it surprises me that you don’t know this issue.” That’s our proposed secretary of education.  

Ms. Devos was asked multiple questions, and in response to many, if not all, she fumbled on her words, stuttered, and shocked the senators with her responses. One of her responses was about aid for mentally disabled students and whether or not funding for the teachers should be repealed. DeVos insisted that decision be left up to the specific state’s budget.

Ms. DeVos is unsupportive, and arguably, unaware of longstanding policies and functions that are in relationship to the department of education, specifically in respect to special education and for-profit universities. Our possible new secretary of education has had absolutely no experience with student loans such as FAFSA, something that is relied on by millions of students. She basically has no experience with education, educational terms, how academic success should be assessed, or simple-minded safety measures.

“Rest In Peace” future generations of America.