Available to all students, the Dreamline Tutors are here to help you. Be it math, science, history, or English. I sat down with them to ask them some questions, and here are their responses.

Who are you?

Ms. Tegan Thompson, Mr. Chris Young (Highland Alumni, had Ms. Lingofelt as a teacher), and Mr. Matt Johnson

What do you do as a tutor?

We give support in the classrooms, core stuff, and after school stuff.

Do you get many students looking for tutoring?

Just 9th grade and 10th grade students.

What is the most common and least common subject for tutoring?

Math (most common) and Science (least common).

Does your tutoring typically improve the grades of your students?

Yes.

What days are you available?

Monday through Thursday, 2-4 P.M.

What made you want to be a tutor?

“Been working in schools for the past 3 years, but liked working in small groups as opposed to classrooms,” said Ms. Thompson. 

A new school year includes: new supplies, new opportunities, new students, and new teachers! This year we’ve welcomed 10 new staff members to our school. We had the chance to go around and ask some of them a little about themselves and their thoughts on Highland so far. All of the new staff members were very open and kind about answering the questions that we had for them. They all had very interesting things to say about the school and about themselves.

All of the new staff members have been loving the vibe of Highland. The new librarian Ms. Rahman said, “I love the friendly, warm, and caring vibe I get from the staff members and the students.” Each staff member that we interviewed said that they can’t help but love just how lovely and kind everyone here at Highland is. Their favorite thing about Highland so far is the students! They all love just how friendly and smart the students are.

Mr. Auran, our new athletic director, said he was excited to come back to the high school side, this time in a new position. 

All of the new staff members are all very friendly and they all are very dedicated to their jobs here at Highland. We asked each staff member why they had chosen to come here and work at Highland. They all said that they loved what Highland had to offer for them, and that they’d heard so many wonderful things about this school. They all were very excited to start working here. and once they did, they couldn’t help but love the atmosphere.

Mr. Auran, the athletic director, who grew up near Highland, and also graduated from here, said that, “He always loved just how open-minded and fun the staff and students were.”  

During these interviews we got to know something fun and interesting about each of the staff members, and learned that all of them were pretty cool. All the fun facts went from playing the guitar for themselves and only themselves to doing scuba diving.

We also found out that Mr. Rios loves to sing and write poetry and that Ms. Rahman had studied classical piano while growing up, but she hasn’t played since.

Hopefully, all of these new staff members create new and awesome memories here with us and have a great year at Highland.

This school year marks the end of teaching for three familiar faces at Highland Park Senior High. Kathy Sabota, Beverly Lambert, and Nancy Galligan will be leaving Highland Park Senior High. Ms. Sabota is our wonderful librarian, Ms. Lambert is one of our wonderful math teachers, and Ms. Galligan is our wonderful athletic director.

Kathy Sabota has been working as a librarian for about 15 years, and this is her 5th year at Highland Park Senior High. Ms. Sabota started up the street at Highland Elementary where she worked part time in the library, while she also taught at Inver Hills Community College and McNally Smith Music College (she taught writing and literature, not music). We went to interview her on her retirement.

Ms. Sabota decided to go back to college to become a school librarian because it seemed like a perfect fit for her. Teaching English, she was very familiar with research, and absolutely loved to read anything she could get her hands on. Ms. Sabota’s very first library class in grad school was on iMovie. When she first started, technology was more of an “add on” to the school library program.

In the 15 years that Ms. Sabota has worked as a librarian, libraries have made a rapid transition from being largely book-centric to being digital, technological spaces. Ms. Sabota said that, “Many libraries today are called “Learning Commons,” and they have coffee shops and make spaces where people can “make” many different things (3D printing, etc.) and collaborate on projects, in addition to doing research and reading.”

Ms. Sabota’s reply to “What is your favorite memory at HPSH?” is, “I think, it isn’t any one thing. I boast about this school to anyone who will listen. And that doesn’t mean the physical ‘school’ – it means I boast about the wonderful students and competent teachers and staff who work here. That is what a ‘school’ is, not a building.”

We asked Ms. Sabota what she will miss about working at HPSH with which she replied, “I miss a lot about working at Highland! You guys are the nicest students I have ever worked with (and I’ve been around a long time!). I will miss the students and the adults more than anything. I will also miss our teen book club!”

Even though Ms. Sabota really loves her job, she wants to retire while she still is excited about doing some new and different things. She also spends a lot of time caring for her elderly mother.

We asked Ms. Sabota what her plans were after retiring and Ms. Sabota said there were many things she still wants to try. She would like to write, paint, and play piano. Ms. Sabota wants to bike and paddleboard and also camp in the summer, whereas in the winter, she wants to ski and snowshoe. Ms. Sabota wants to take classes in cooking, Spanish, and world religions. Not only does she want to learn new things, Ms. Sabota also wants to volunteer in areas that she’s passionate about. But, she said that at the top of her list would be traveling because, it’s such a big world.

“But, still, I am grateful that I got to give what I had to offer to students all the years of my career. It’s a good feeling.” This was the last thing Ms. Sabota said about working at HPSH.

Next, we went to interview some math teachers who have collaborated with our another staff member who is retiring, Beverly Lambert.

According to her website, Beverly Lambert has been working as a geometry teacher in the Saint Paul Public School district for 27 years now. Before working as a math teacher, Ms. Lambert spent a short time working for Home Stake Mining Company, and later the Internal Revenue Service.

Ms. Lambert began teaching at Ramsey Junior High in 1989, and she eventually moved to Cleveland Middle School. Ms. Lambert came to Highland Park Senior High in 1997, and has been a geometry teacher here ever since.

We asked some of Ms. Lambert’s colleagues to share some of their experiences of teaching with her.

Ms. Schleper, a math teacher who has worked in the same department as Ms. Lambert for about 4 years, recalls her first impression of Ms. Lambert as “being someone who is very knowledgeable”. Reflecting on her teaching time with Ms. Lambert, Ms. Schleper said, “I’ve really enjoyed being able to ask her questions and go to her for advice about everything from rubrics, to MYP grading. She is very good at teaching students the importance of self study habits, and also at collaborating with other teachers. Overall, she has been very helpful.”

Another math teacher who has worked with Ms. Lambert, is Mr. McKay. Mr. McKay has worked with her for over 11 years, and still remembers his first time meeting Ms. Lambert. “When I came to Highland Park, it was Ms. Lambert who interviewed me,” he said, “she was very professional with high expectations, yet she was very sincere.” When he was asked about how his overall teaching with her was, he replied, “I really enjoyed teaching with her, it has been very beneficial to me. I will miss her, and I hope she enjoys whatever comes her way.”

Nancy Galligan is Highland Park Senior High’s athletic director. Ms. Galligan has worked in Saint Paul Public Schools for 32 and a half years. She has worked as an athletic director, health teacher, and as a physical education teacher. She has worked at Highland Park Senior High for 8 nonconsecutive years, and also at Highland Middle School for 2 years.

Ms. Galligan started off her career by working at Arlington High School in January of 1984. She worked there for 14 years until the school closed. Ms. Galligan says that Arlington was a memorable experience in her career. “Opening Arlington was a very unique opportunity,” she stated, “because I was with the school before it opened, and I was with it when it closed.”

After switching schools every now and then, Ms. Galligan returned to Highland Park Senior High in 2012. Reflecting on her time at Highland, she told us “Highland has been nothing but wonderful. The parents, athletes, students, coaches, colleagues, and administration. They all have been amazing.”

We asked some of Ms. Galligan’s colleagues at Highland to share their overall experience working with her.

First we talked to Mr. Lang, a gym teacher and coach at Highland who has worked with Ms. Galligan for 19 years. “She’s friendly, she’s upbeat, and she’s all about the kids,” he reflected, “She is very devoted to the students… It really goes to show what kind of a person she is.”

We also talked to Mr. Ferraro, another gym teacher and coach at Highland. “She is positive.” He said, “And fun and energetic. She is also very welcoming and a friend to everyone.”

When we asked Ms. Galligan about what she was going to do after retiring, she told us, “I am going to spend time with family and friends. I am going to get involved in other interests of mine, such as horseback riding. I am going to partake in other endeavors.”

Hopefully, we can send these teachers away happily and that whatever they plan to do after retirement is done. They have been great people to have at Highland and we are proud to have them. Even so, people always retire, so we hope they will enjoy their retirement.

Have you seen a new face, a new teacher, and wonders who he is? Well the answer is here! His name is Mr. Lang and he’s the new gym teacher!

Mr . Lang is the school’s newest addition to the staff. He is the new gym teacher who teaches gym for the freshman here at HPHS. We asked him some questions about how much he likes working at Highland Park and his past experiences in the teaching field. From the information we collected from him, he has been a teacher for 25 years, and this is only the second high school he’s been in.

After taking a look at his third hour class, we observed that he is having quite some fun with his job. The class was playful, encouraging, and the students were cooperative with each other, as well as with their teacher.

We took a second to compare our freshman experience playing handball to their current experience. Handball is a soccer-like game but with your hands. You throw the ball to your teammates but there’s a catch, you can only take three steps with the ball then you have to pass it. The goal is to get as many points as you can by making a goal as you help your team until the teacher calls “End Game”. After that is called, students then rotate and go against their next opponents.

Last year, when my fellow writers and I were in 9th grade, we noticed our experience with handball consisted a lot of disagreement and separation. Boys were separated from the girls, and not everyone participated because we played it for about 1 week straight, and people were losing interest because the game wasn’t as fun since the boys and girls were separated.

The major difference between the time we played handball, and this year’s freshman classes are they did not sepeate the teams by gender, and nobody felt excluded when teams were formed. Everyone participated in the games each year, but last year it was more vague because some people did not want to go through meeting new people, and were just not into it.

We took the time to ask Mr. Lang a total of 6 questions related to him teaching at Highland Park, and some techniques he uses to keep his class motivated. 

Q: How are you enjoying teaching at Highland?   A: I love it. I’ve been a teacher for 25 years. Second high school I’ve been in. Kids here work hard, are fun to be around, and I have a great crew I work with Ferraro and Kramer.

Q: Are you proud with the environment with the class?   A: Yeah. when the kids work hard it makes it easier, I don’t think there is such a thing that you can’t work hard.

Q: What are some of your teaching techniques you use to have the class more involved?   A:Hmm that’s an interesting question. Well I like it when kids are sweating and smiling. If I could make the activities fun and if they are having fun and if they are being involved then I have done my job.

Q: As a new teacher, how has the staff welcomed you to the school? A: Everyone’s been real friendly being down at the gym. I haven’t been able to go out and meet as many as I would like and I’m just as happy to be here.

Q: What made you come to Highland to teach?   A: I was offered the position from Mr. Ferraro and sort of Ms. Kramer spoke on my behalf, she talked to Dr. Tucker, he interviewed me and I got it.

Q: Is there a certain unit you would like to include or exclude from the curriculum? A: Oh! Hmm… well I was looking for new units, and new ideas and I wouldn’t eliminate anything… I’m always looking for new stuff. We’re adding a basketball class and we’ve never had one and I’m teaching that next year and a new soccer class.

After discussing about his journey so far at Highland Park, it was very interesting to meet and get to know Mr. Lang. Mr. Lang is very into what he does, and he wouldn’t dare to teach anywhere else. We had a very fun time interviewing him for his article. If you read this and you have him for a gym teacher, I recommend you put in your all in the activities he brings to you.

We enjoy meeting new people/teachers it is very helpful and has its advantages.

Congratulations to the 195 Highland seniors who have completed their college applications so far this year! Good luck to you all!

Now that a majority of our college applications have been completed and reviewed for admission, it’s time for seniors (and possibly juniors) to start formulating a plan to afford the college of their dreams. One of he most obvious ways to ease the load of our financial aid packet is to apply for outside scholarships. Even though some institutions will already offer students scholarships and grants in their financial aid package, there is still much more of the gap that needs to be covered. Why wouldn’t you want to exchange your writing for free money?

College Possible is among the one of the college prep programs offered for Highland students of disadvantaged backgrounds. While the juniors are diligently practicing for the upcoming ACTs in April, seniors have just been finishing up their FAFSAs and several scholarship applications. Just last month, it was official that everyone in the cohort received admission to at least one college. Among College Possible students, 2 have already received full ride scholarships to their ideal college of interest. It was an honor for me to sit down and listen to their inspiring stories about the process towards achieving the scholarships and their outlooks of their future.

Our very own Highland, and College Possible student, Daniel Degollado, is one of the

46 students named as a 2016 Act Six scholar in the Midwest! The Act Six Scholarship is a program that selects students who displays leadership, academic potential, and community commitment through a three month competition among over 300 students. The full-ride scholarship is annually awarded to students who hope to attend one of the following colleges in the Midwest: Augsburg College, Bethel University, North Central University, University of Northwestern-St.Paul, and Taylor University.

Daniel first found out about Act Six from his senior College Possible coach, Keeley Norton. “I was interested in Augsburg College because first I visited there as a sophomore for the Spanish debate,” said Degollado. “It was very exciting to think that I could go to college for free so I decided to not just give it a try, but my best try.”

The first phase of the scholarship required the submission of four essays, letters of recommendation, a transcript, and financial information. With the help of his College Possible coach, he spent two and a half months diligently working on the application, and eventually found himself qualified to advance onto the next round.

For the second phase of Act Six, Degollado went to Cristo Rey High School to engage in discussions with the other 120 participants. “The only thing they asked of us was to be ourselves,” he said, “and to be honest, it was very easy to be myself.” With his spirited and entertaining personality Degollado finally found himself facing the final round of Act Six. He admitted that this was the most challenging phase in the process. Participants had to compete with each other in games, take part in more discussions about college, and have personal interviews with Augsburg’s staff.

“It was very tiring and we had to stay motivated and excited all the time. There was a part where they presented to us a video that we were going to discuss, and everybody was taking notes except for me. I felt very bad because of this. I thought I was going to lose points because we were being graded for everything we were doing. What I would do differently is to take notes. Other than that, I think I did pretty good.”

On February 24, after waiting for two weeks, he received his decision packet from Act Six, congratulating him as one of the new 2016 Act Six Scholar! “The first person I told was Keeley. She started screaming! I also called my mom and my brother and they were freaking out. My mom started crying of happiness.”

Click here to experience his life changing (and funny) moment.

Receiving this full ride scholarship had actually changed his initial plans after high school. “I was in a position where by the end of the year, if I wasn’t able to pay for college, I was going to go back to Mexico where college is sort of cheaper. But now, I’m for sure going to college.” The scholarship gave him a chance to pursue higher education in the US, and an amazing opportunity to be more productive in college, receiving recognition for his potential as an excellent student.

Degollado plans to attend Augsburg, his first choice college, to major in International Relations and dig deeper into his Latino heritage. “I want to study International Relations to understand more about my Latino culture in order to make changes and have more voice within our community. I want to be an example for those that think they are not capable of doing great things just because of the fact that they are Latino.”

Amaris Holguin, is another College Possible student who was admitted to the University of St.Thomas. Earlier this year, she had completed her application to the competitive UST Dease Scholarship, offered to underrepresented, first generation students, in urban high schools. More than 200 UST students have been awarded over the course of 10 years, each year with about 12-15 well-qualified students.

Holguin first met with UST undergraduate admission counselor, Teron L. Buford, after attending the REACH Summit Conference (Realizing Equity and Cultivating Hope) held on the UST campus over the past summer. From there, she was able to build a better connection with Teron, and got to know him personally as she continue to meet him at college fairs. Having told her about the Dease scholarship, Holguin immediately took advantage of the opportunity and set herself to complete the application. “I wanted to apply to all of the scholarships I can,” said Holguin,

“and hearing that it was for students I color, I definitely wanted to take that risk.”

Only those who were admitted to UST earlier this year were given the opportunity to submit an online application which required two essay prompts. In 400 words or less, applicants had to tell what receiving this scholarship would mean to the student and their family, as well as another 500 words describing the value of having diversity in a learning community and how they would promote and celebrate different cultures while a student at St. Thomas.

“In my essays, I explained about myself for who I am, where I grew up, and also having parents who grew up in poverty. At the time, there was nothing for me and my brother to feel ashamed of because my parents always tried to protect us from noticing our social barriers.” Holguin mentioned her concerns about how her family’s social class was going to be a major impact towards her financial ability to attend college, and having goods prospects for the future. Being a woman of color, and her decision to maintain both of her cultures was a major theme in her second essay.

During the morning of March 1st, Holguin was called down to the CCRC from Mr. McKinney’s third-hour anatomy class. Although she was simply sent down to talk with Ms. Esso, she couldn’t help but worry about whether she had done something wrong or was getting into trouble. As she walked through the door of the CCRC, she surprisingly found everyone including her College Possible coach (Keeley Norton), Ms. Esso, and Teron waiting for her in the room.

“I came here to bring scholarship opportunities for Keeley,” said Teron, “and this is for you.” He handed her an envelop. As soon as her had it in her hands, she slowly opened, quickly scanned through the first line of the letter and immediately burst into tears. Dear Amaris, On behalf of the Dease Scholarship committee, I am pleased to announce that you have been selected to receive a Dease Scholarship…..

“I just became so oblivious at the moment, and I remember crying the whole day. I cried as I walked along the halls to the principal’s office, and cried again there as Dr. Tucker congratulated me.” She even went to surprise her mom at work who also shed some tears. “Mom worked since she was 11, working for me and my brother to support the family. I was always so worried that she was going to continue struggling for us forever.”

Receiving acknowledgement for her hard work and effort invested towards this scholarship is something she appreciates about receiving the Dease scholarship. “But definitely seeing the look on my parents faces when they heard the news, it’s grateful to know that they no longer have to worry about supporting me and my brother for the rest of their life.”

Similarly to Degollado, she would like to acknowledge Keeley for the vast amount of help and support during the application process. Both admit that their success stories wouldn’t have been possible without her presence.

Her advice for juniors and seniors? “Take all of the chances you can get your hands on. Even with the slim chances, you would never know what would happen.”

College Possible is still recruiting sophomores for next year, so if you are a sophomore, or know one, please feel free to talk to the College Possible coaches in the CCRC! College Possible has made a life changing difference for these two winners, and I have no doubt in my mind that they will make a huge difference in our community in the future.

There are a number of foreign exchange students here at Highland hailing from countries as diverse as France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. I interviewed a couple of these students wanting to know about their experiences here so far.

What is your name ?
Julien.

What school did you go to back in France?/Grade?
Jeanne d’Arc./Junior.

How are your schools different from Highland?
Highland is bigger. Culture difference. Finishes earlier here. Better teachers. Cool. Different grades depending on your age.
The school start in December.

What things do they teach, or do, differently?
Subjects are different. You can choose more classes here. You get the same schedule every week but it’s a different classes each day. Took classes in French but took an English class.

What are some experiences that you enjoyed most/ least?
Food. Culture. It’s like another world. Early wake up for school. Everything is far away from each other.

What made you want to study abroad?
Learn English. Discover the culture and have new experiences of another country.

What fun and exciting things you’ve done so far?
Valley fair. The sports. Food is totally different.

What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking of studying abroad?
To come it’s a superb experience. Meet cool people.

What your name?
Alessandro

What school did you go to back in France/ Italy?
Virglio High school

How are your schools different from Highland?
You can’t choose your subject, you don’t change class every hour

What things do they teach or do differently?
They teach philosophy and Italian literature

What are some experiences that you enjoyed most/ least?
I have enjoyed the school and the cities

What made you want to study abroad?
Learn a new language and discover the culture of a different country

What fun and exciting things you’ve done so far?
I’ve been to Chicago

What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking of studying abroad?
Be ready for big changes in your life. It’s such an amazing experience.

There are two Highland Park juniors that are studying abroad this school year. One student is studying in Finland, and the other is in Japan. I’m sure they both have different thoughts and experiences on being in a different country. In order to better understand their thoughts, I decided to interview them. The questions I asked them are:

1. How are your schools different from highland?
2. What things do they teach or do differently?
3. What are some experiences that you enjoyed most/ least?
4. What made you want to study abroad?
5. What fun and exciting things you’ve done so far?
6. What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking of studying abroad?

Emma Mulhern

1. My school in Finland is much smaller than Highland. We only have three grades (10th, 11th, and 12th) and in all of that there are about 130 students and 15 teachers who teach them.

2. At my school we have six grading periods (there are four at Highland) and we take six classes per grading period. After each grading period we take new classes and we only take six classes per grading period. At the end of each grading period, we have exam week where we take tests for each subject (in other words we only have one test per class after six weeks of study). Also, at my school, classes are not always at the same time. I may have history in the morning on Mondays but have it be in the afternoon on Thursdays.

They teach a lot of similar things like literature, math, social studies, and science classes. However, in Finland, they are required to take English and Swedish foreign language classes and they deem English to be very important for them to learn and they must learn Swedish because it is Finland’s second national language as a minority of the population speaks it as a first language. They can take German, French, Spanish, and Russian for foreign languages.

3. I have really enjoyed just being a normal student here in Finlan and making Finnish friends. I have done many fun and interesting things here (look at #5) but I have also had hardships. My main hardship was learning Finnish. Of course at the beginning of my exchange I spoke English with my friends as I did not speak Finnish. I am still learning but now I speak it with everyone, but I of course still have a lot to learn. I never really got homesick, but I do know of many exchange students who got really homesick while on exchange during the first few months.

4. I’ve wanted to study abroad ever since my brother was an exchange student in Turkey and loved it. My family has also told me many stories from when they were exchange students. In my family, my mother was an exchange student in Sweden, my dad was an exchange student in Argentina, my brother was an exchange student in Turkey, one of my aunts was an exchange student in Japan and another one of my aunts was an exchange student in Brazil. This year, my cousin is also an exchange student in Spain. Anyways, hearing all of these stories from them made me want to have a great experience like that just like they did. They always told me that nothing will ever compare to being an exchange student. I completely agree.

5. I have done so many fun things in Finland. I have visited Tampere, one of Finland’s biggest cities, as well as gone to Lapland (Nothern Finland) where I got to go on reindeer and huskie pulled sleigh rides as well as meet Santa Claus. I have been taking a Finnish course here and I have also been playing hockey on the local hockey team. I have played hockey in America for quite a few years now and it is fun to play with the boys in Finland (as my town does not have enough people for an only girls team). At the start of the year all Rotary exchange students that come to Finland participate in a camp where we meet all the other exchange students and get Finnish (or Swedish lessons) for a week before we are sent to our new host families. Also, living with three different host families in Finland has been great as I have been able to learn about the Finnish way of life through different perspectives.

6. I would say to anyone who wants to study abroad that they should go for it. Look at different organizations that run exchange programs (such as Rotary, the program I am on exchange with) and see which one would be best for them and their needs. Then, they need to talk to their parents and convince them. This may be the hardest for most people as their parents might not want them to go because they don’t know much about it or aren’t sure if they can afford it. If they can convince their parents, then they need to find the money for the exchange. Some may be discouraged by this, but I know of an student from St. Paul who went on exchange student last year whose family had no money to pay for it. He managed to raise money to go on exchange and he had the year of his life. If he can do it, then anyone can.

In short: to anyone who is considering being an exchange student, just know that know it is one of the best experiences of your life. You make so many friends from other sides of the world and you learn about another culture and possibly another language. You get to try so many things you never would have tried in America. All of these experiences and new friends make you really appreciate the diverse world around you.

Caylin Weiland

Questions 1 and 2: Schools here in Japan are very different from the schools in America. First off, all of the high schools in Japan require you to wear a school uniform. Many uniform rules are that your skirt must cover your knees, you have to wear you hair up if it touches your collar, your eyebrows must be showing, and you cannot have any piercings not even your earlobes. I’m currently enrolled at Kwassui high school, which is an all girls Protestant school. At my school in Japan, we attend a morning mass everyday in our schools chapel, and have a closing ceremony in our classrooms. At the end of the day the students from each classroom clean their own room, and clean another area in the school. For example my class we clean our own room and we clean one of the stairways. While the classroom next to mine cleans their classroom and the bathroom.  In Japan, you don’t get to choose which classes you want to take. For example you wouldn’t get to choose if you wanted to take volleyball class or choir. But, you can decide which high school course you want to take. Meaning, at most schools in Japan you can choose to join a general course, english course, or often a math/science course. These courses focus mainly on the courses subject(s), although you are still taught general required classes like math, science, Japanese, and history. Many students here, after school are in a club of their interest. I am currently in the dance club. I also used to be in the Japanese tea ceremony club called “sadou” and the Japanese archery club “kyudo”. Some students go to after school study classes, where they study and often prepare for their college entrance exam. The college entrance exam in Japan is what basically determines peoples futures, because if you don’t get a good score on the test you cannot go to a good university and, in turn you won’t be hired by a good company. So many students focus on studying for this entrance exam that basically, determines their future.

Question 3: Some of my most memorable experiences I’ve had so far were when I went to an Onsen, a Japanese hot spring, with about 20 other exchange students. There we all got buried in hot sand and then we went into the public bath house together. Although I was with just girls it was really interesting to bath with strangers whom you’ve never met, but we all got to bond and became very close after that experience. Another one of my most memorable experiences was when all of the other Rotary exchange students and myself went to a festival in October. There were big floats in the shape of dragons and fish, that men pulled in the streets. They rang bells and often lit fireworks. During that trip we went and ate at 5 different peoples houses. At one of the houses we ate “Name basashi” which means raw horse meat, which indeed it was. It was actually very good! I’ve also been able to eat shark fin soup, and many other things I had never ate before. Another one of my favorite experiences was during New years celebrations, where I got to wear a traditional Japanese Kimono, got my hair done, and ate a traditional Japanese style multi-course meal with Geisha at a Shrine.
One experience I didn’t like so much was when I first arrived and I got a heat rash, because it was so hot and humid. I also wasn’t so fond of having to use a squat toilet for the first time, in a port-o-potty. Squat toilets are gross enough indoors, but having to use one when it was 90% humidity and super hot during the summer for the first time, was not fun.

Question 4: What made me want to study abroad was my interests in other cultures. I’ve always loved to learn about other cultures, and I love to learn new languages. At Highland I took Chinese for 4 years, and really loved learning it. It was my favorite class, partially because I loved Mrs. Miao, and partially because it was just fun and exciting to get to learn the new language! I also wanted to study abroad because I knew it would benefit my future, when applying to colleges, getting jobs, and overall just growing and maturing into being my own and independent person. Being abroad you learn to adapt to the new environment, culture and language. I’ve learned so much about the people around me, the new culture, language, and mostly about myself. I’ve realized that I neglected and should be more grateful for every opportunity that comes my way, because when you’re an exchange student sometimes you’re not given a choice you just have to do everything your host family tells you to do or what your counselor or others plan for you to do. So, you really learn to love and just live with the outcome of every situation and enjoy every opportunity you’re given.

5. So far I have tried many new exotic foods! I’ve had shark fin, raw horse meat, salmon eggs, jelly fish, and a whole lot more! I’ve been able to experience many different festivals held in my city such as Obon- a day where they honor the dead by lighting fireworks and having floats that are pulled by friends and family in the streets, and Nagasaki Kunchi and Karatsu Kunchi are both festivals for different cities. I’ve also been to a “love festival”, Lantern festival, and I will have many more to go to! I’ve been to the Onsen, done Japanese Tea Ceremony, Japanese traditional dancing, played Japanese/Chinese Niko- a 2 stringed instrument, and I’ve done Japanese Archery. Some of my favorite things to do with my friends is to go sing Karaoke, or to do Purikura (a Japanese picture booth that makes your eyes big and you can design the pictures it takes). I’ve been to Hiroshima, where I went to the Atomic bomb peace park and museum. I live in Nagasaki, where the second atomic bomb was dropped. I’ve been to Saga where they had a big castle, and Fukuoka where I went to a concert and I went shopping. This is just to name a general few things I’ve done and that I really enjoyed. Soon, I’ll be going to Hokkaido (the top island of Japan) to go skiing. With my current host family they may take me to the famous island of Okinawa which is south of Japan, to go snorkeling and swimming!  I will have 2 more trips with my Family when they come in March, and with Rotary- my exchange program. Both of which I will get to go to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and with my family Hiroshima again.

6. The Advice I would give someone who is wanting to go abroad now, in high school, or in college. I would say, do it! It’s honestly life changing! You meet so many people, you’re immersed in a new language and culture. It just completely opens your eyes to the world, and for me it has made me realize all of the thing I took for granted back in America. You learn to appreciate the littler things in life and to take life 1 day at a time because time goes by so fast. I have 4 more months left here, and I swear it was just New Years.

Get to know your counsellors at Highland Park Senior High School. I interviewed the counsellors about their job, and about themselves.

First, I interviewed Andrea Dickinson, she is the counsellor for students with last names from A to He.

Andrea Dickinson was born on December 1st, the year is unknown as she doesn’t want that information to be let out. Before counseling, she was a teacher. Her parents were educators like she is now. Her father was a principal, and her mother was a teacher. She decided to take a different role in education so she chose counseling. Andrea first started counseling for North St. Paul at John Glenn. Then she started counseling for St. Paul in 1997.

Andrea likes how everyday is different when she’s counseling. Another thing she likes about counseling is that she can actually help students with what they need. Andrea really dislikes the amount of paperwork she has to do. An easy thing for her when counseling is she’s available to help people. But as that can be easy for her, it is really hard for her also because, she isn’t able to help everybody as much as she likes.

People go to Andrea for all kinds of things they need help on. The most common thing people (most likely students) go to her for is to get their schedules changed. People also go to her when they have personal concerns about anything. Andrea Dickinson is really easy to talk to. People also go to her when they want to complain. Though most complaints are about their schedules.

Here are some things about Andrea Dickinson apart from her job. She has one child, a daughter, and she has one puppy. On her free time, she likes to watch The Real House Wives. Her favorite color is black (she thinks her soul is black). “Black, like my soul” is what she replied during the interview.

Then, I interviewed Jason Schlukebier; he is the counselor for students last names starting with the letters R to Z. Jason decided to be a counselor because he wanted to connect with students at a different level than teachers do. Before counseling, Jason was a teacher at Humboldt Senior High School. Jason not only taught there but he also first started counseling there. For 11 years he has been counseling; it’s his 5th year counseling at Highland Park Senior High.

Jason likes how counseling everyday is different. During the interview, he said counseling is more flexible than teaching. He could have lunch whenever, he can have snacks when he wants, and he can go to the restroom anytime he wants to. Whereas teachers have to wait for passing time to be able to go to the restroom. He likes the freedom of counseling. Though he wants to connect with students on a different level than teachers do, he doesn’t like how he isn’t able to connect with as many students as a teacher. Teaching, he gets to see around 150 students and connect with them, but counseling is a bit harder because, he has to wait for a student to come to him.

Teaching: he was a math teacher for nine years. Jason misses the daily interactions with students when he was teaching. An easy thing for him when counseling is connecting with kids and building relationships with them. Jason finds it frustrating when there isn’t enough staff to help a student for free. An example he used was if a student needs tutoring, they don’t have enough staff to help that kid. Meaning the student will have to pay for a tutor. Jason finds that part about school frustrating.

People mostly go to Jason when they have schedule issues. Students whose last names are from R to Z goes to Jason to talk about wanting to change their schedule. Jason also gets people to come and talk to him about their academic issues. Students (mostly seniors) goes to Jason and talk about college. They ask him for college information. These are the things people usually go to Jason for.

Here are a few things about Jason outside of school. Jason likes the color blue. In the interview, he says that blue brings out his eyes. He has a 10 year old son in fourth grade. During his free time he likes to spend time with his family. He likes to travel, ski, and cook. Jason also enjoys watching and playing soccer.

The next counselor I interviewed was Michael Biermaier. Michael was born on September 23rd. He is the counselor who works with juniors through the Mentoring Excellence Program (MEP), helping them in post-secondary eduacation planning.

Michael went into counseling because he’s very passionate about helping people with the first step out of high school. The first step out of high school is very important to him, he doesn’t want people to make the wrong choices. Michael has been counseling for 22 years. It’s the 11th year he’s been counseling at Highland Park Senior High. He first started counseling at Como Park Senior High School.

What Michael likes about counseling is meeting different kinds of people. Michael really dislikes the amount of paperwork he is given. An easy thing when counseling for him is relating to people and undertstanding them. A hard thing is balancing the demand of paperwork (counsellors get a lot of paperwork).

The most common thing students go to Michael for is about college. Students who are looking for a college, or need any help with college information, usually goes to Michael. Michael helps them decide where they want to go. Michael also helps them with how and where to apply for college. The thing about college is you have to pay, so Michael helps students with how to pay for college.

Here are a few things about Michael outside of school. His favorite color is purple. He likes purple because of the Vikings. Not only because of Vikings but also because of jelly beans and Jolly Ranchers. Michael has an Italian Greyhound. Her name is Belle and she is really old. During his free time Michael likes to fish. He has a cabin for fishing. Michael also likes to watch movies and sports.

The next person I interviewed was Johanna Skaar. Johanna was born on February 9th. Johanna is a counselor mostly for freshman. Johanna has only been counseling for 2 years. She works part time at Capital Hill. She also helps with shadow hosting. The first school she taught at was Best Academy.

Johanna started as a teacher. She really likes building relationships with students, and working one on one with them. At first Johanna considered working for special education. but after looking at the roles, she seemed more suited for counseling. Johanna likes seeing students improve. Especially when a student is going through a hard time and struggling but then they get better and they become more successful.

Johanna, like the other counsellors, dislikes the paperwork she has to do. She also dislikes office work and duties non related to students. Something she finds easy is connecting with students. Though connecting with students can be easy for her, she finds it difficult to help students with problems she can’t control.

The most common thing people go to Johanna for is if they’re having any stress, or if they’re struggling with academics. Students also go to her when they have problems with their social life. She likes helping and connecting with many different students; people usually go to her for those kind of things.

Here are some things about Johanna outside of school. Johanna’s favorite color is pink. She likes pink because of pink tulips, and Valentine’s. Right when she got out of college, she got a Bulldog that is now 10 years old. Johanna has one kid on the way and is due in April. During her free time she likes to relax with her dog. Johanna also enjoys watching TV with her husband watching The Sopranos. Other than relaxing, Johanna likes to walk by river.

The last counselor I interviewed is Kimberly Esso, she is the counselor for students with the last names Hi to Q.

Kimberly was born on September 28. The reason she decided to go into counseling was because she has always wanted to work in a school and also to work with students. What Kimberly likes about counseling is working with students. Kimberly said in the interview that her job changes every day making each day different.

What Kimberly dislikes about counseling is there’s a lot of busy work to do. Most her time is answering emails, phone calls, and doing paperwork. Kimberly finds it easy working with teachers and students. What she finds hard is learning a new school because every school is different. 

This year is her sixth year counseling. She first started counseling at Open World Learning, also known as OWL. The most common thing people go to her for is college applications. People also go to her when they have class difficulties.

Here are somethings about Kimberly outside of school. Kimberly’s favorite color is blue. She doesn’t know why her favorite color is blue but, she included that blue makes her happy. Kimberly has a daughter who’s 3 1/2 years old. Outside, Kimberly likes biking and walks. She likes to be outside.

These are all the counselors at Highland Park Senior High that I interviewed. It was difficult to try and interview them all at one time due to their busy schedules. But luckily, I was able to interview them all.

Strength and fitness is a class where endurance and strength is a MUST in order to pass the class. The teacher who teaches strength and fitness is Mr. Brandon Ferraro, also known as Mr. Ferraro. He is a gym teacher that teaches gym and strength and fitness. There are 38 kids in his strength and fitness class, and when combined with his regular gym class, there’s about 80+ in the class. The classes he teaches are vaguely similar, but they’re different due to the curriculum that he has set up. For example, the subject in gym that they are focusing on now is volleyball.

We asked four people that are enrolled in both strength and fitness and gym what they thought about the more specialized class and here are some of the things they said:

Francois (who referred to strength and fitness as “weight training”): “I like it. I took weight training sophmore year. It’s a good class and a good workout, only if you’re constantly working. If you’re not willing to participate and try hard then you should leave.”

Yeab: (who referred to strength and fitness as “weight lifting”): “Horrible, because you have to work hard and be strong and all that. It’s very tiring every day.”

Leul: “It’s fun. I like it because it’s not like class and I can gets away from the stress and the homework.”

Raina: “I’m a freshman. I like it because it’s exhilarating, and hard sometimes, but they’re easy ways to do the workouts when the teacher explains.”

After, we asked the students about the gym class and how they felt about it, we asked Mr. Ferraro what strength and fitness really means. His response: “My class is to build confidence and self esteem. Most important, understanding importance of what hard working does.”

We recommend taking this class if you want to improve skills, gain muscle, and build confidence.