By Charlotte Lane
There is no denying the current data reflects that girls are out-performing boys at all levels in school. According to the New York Times, boys score equal to girls on standardized tests, however they are receiving lower grades and fewer boys are completing college than girls.
Each year, millions of high school students across the country will be in intense pressure to get a good score and do good on the ACT exam. The ACT exam is usually always mandatory to get into any college.
This new change could allow students to avoid doing worse on sections they had taken earlier.
As of right now, scores on the four required sections are averaged into a composite score. Also starting in September, students will get a new superscore that combines their highest scores on the subsections from each time they took the test.
What is the Personal Project? The 10th-grade Personal Project is something you do, as an individual, on a topic that interests you. It’s to show the skills you have developed over the years through the MYP Approaches to Learning, and applying them to one of the MYP Global Contexts.
To do your project, you need to complete a process journal. The journal helps to record your information while you’re working on your project. You should use the journal regularly for recording your quotes, pictures, and ideas. This journal will help you to write your final Personal Project paper.
The paper is a report in which you demonstrate your involvement with the project by summarizing the skills and experiences recorded in the process journal. Your paper should have between 1,500-3,500 words.
During the journaling and paper processes, you will be assigned an advisor to guide you on the timelines and requirements. You will meet with your advisor three times: when you start your project, halfway through your project, and at the conclusion of your project.
It is also helpful to find a mentor to guide your process, this person could be a teacher, a parent, or a community expert.
When you finish your project, there will be a Showcase, it is where you share your projects with your schoolmates along with your paper and journals.
Upon completing the project you will be honored at a recognition celebration.
For any questions or help, you can ask Ms. Bonk the MYP Coordinator.
By: Vivian S.
Beginning the morning on Saturday, October 5th, I had no idea what tailgating was. Little did I know what I was in for as I got dressed and was driven over to the school. I was bombarded by a host a booths and clubs, and people were milling about everywhere.
There was a photo booth there where you could dress up and take photos.
Girl Unity was there selling beef jerky and promoting their awesome club.
The Lacrosse team was there selling donuts and encouraging people to join the team.
The Good Club was there, hosting a giveaway of Highland merchandise and selling some amazing buttons.
GSA was there selling some awesome shirts and handing out buttons, which I would encourage you to get at your next opportunity.
The African Student Association was there selling some great food. I especially enjoyed the beef sambusa.
Dance Team was there selling some amazing hot cocoa and doing face painting.
HP Environmental was there selling green lemonade.
The Senior Class of 2020 was there selling school spirit tattoos and encouraging seniors to take the pledge to graduate this year, offering bracelets to those who signed.
Asian Culture Club was there, selling its always amazing egg rolls, and boba tea.
Youth in Government was there selling donuts and coffee.
Woodworking class was there selling keychains, amazing magnets, and earrings.
The National Honor Society was there selling t-shirts for it and the Scots Stroll.
Also present, but not pictured, were:
Lauren Ross, Senam Akyea, Latrese Johnson, Enyonam Donkor, Tarea Taylor, & Momo Gebreyesus were there with Black Student Union, selling hot and honey wings, chips, and soda.
Selena Vivaldo Perez, Giancarla Maceda, Jose Mendoza Martinez, Lessa Hernandez, Gerardo Rodriguez, Olga Morales, Daniela Salas, Maetzin Gutierrez, Carlos Gutierrez, & Belen Lopez were there with Union Latina, and a giant host of its members, selling tamales, donuts, and more.
Tailgating was an amazingly fun event with delicious food and showing off many different clubs and activities. I will surely be going again.
School may not be the most comfortable place on Earth in many ways, but does one contributing factor really have to be the back-aching chairs? Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the bus seats are more comfortable than what we are expected to sit in all day long.
Rarely do people know the actual effects of these chairs, but I am about to inform you of a few of the real consequences they produce.
It may be quite blunt to say that focus is interrupted by school chairs, so let me explain. School should be about learning, usually that requires you to pay attention to what your teacher is trying to communicate, but by the end of the day, I am usually more busy trying to get even the slightest bit comfortable.
Secondly, the chairs provide no support whatsoever. All the chair backs cut-off way too short to fit an average-sized teenager’s back. Eventually, throughout a class, this can cause your neck to bend forward, putting a strain on your lower back.
Unfortunately, budgets are fairly small to allow schools to be able to change the chair situation easily. That’s one of the two main reasons for these undersized, plastic chairs. The other being that they are pretty durable. They don’t need to replace them often and they fit the low budget.
As schools try and adjust to become a more appealing place, by serving healthier lunches and adjusting to different techniques in the classroom for learning purposes, the school chairs should be a priority just as important to the school board.
So, as we all know, the St. Paul Public School’s start and end times have changed for all elementary, middle, and high schoolers. Some people believe it’s for the better and some do not. Let us see…
The reason St. Paul Public Schools are changing times is because they have to maintain their three different bus systems and since they lost some buses, they have to have the buses leave all at different times.
Some parents are concerned for after school, and their children getting home later, and not having time for homework, and after school activities. I spoke with a few students about how they feel and many students agree it’s for the better.
I met with one student in 10th grade, and they said that it’s nice to have an extra hour of sleep and getting home one hour later was not an issue. The sleep cycle is very important for us and really makes the difference but others don’t agree.
Another student says that waking up earlier is more refreshing and helps with the rest of the day. They also say the time change interferes with outside of school activities.
Now, we all know that Highland Park Senior High still has its fun clubs and activities, so at least it doesn’t change that, but we still have to deal with what seems to be an extra hour of our day, and that can make us very slow paced and tired if we don’t get enough sleep.
The district had been talking about changing the times, so they could eliminate busing costs, so they could move the money to something more practical.
Instead of being upset about the change we should embrace it. So, remember to get some good rest every night and manage your time well. Best of luck!
I attended Central High School the year of 2017-2018. Like all incoming high school freshman, I was confused and nervous. I attended Highland Park Middle School and really enjoyed it. There, I made a lot of friends and we were all planning on going to Highland Park High School together.
My first memorable experience as a new student was the Central vs. Highland football game. Being a Central student I sat at the Central student section at the game.
So what’s the difference?
Central is a French immersion school compared to Highland, which is a Spanish immersion school.
Families pain-stakingly choose their child’s high school for lots of different reasons. Some parents are looking for a challenging curriculum, others are interested in extracurricular activities.
On August 29th, 2019 people flooded into the Highland High School building where freshman orientation occurred. It was fabulous! Kudos to all the upperclassmen and teachers who were welcoming and super helpful for us awkward freshmen. If you weren’t there you missed out. But don’t worry, I’ll fill you in.
As freshmen arrived we were cheered on and welcomed (loudly). Even though we won’t admit it, it was nice. Everyone got a name tag and sat on the bleachers to be introduced to certain teachers and staff. There were fun and empowering games to get to know other people in our grade and make new friends.
After our time in the gym we went to meet our Link Crew. We got to know everyone in our group and we got to play even more games. We found out information about clubs and our teachers. Our locker numbers and combos were given to us along with our schedules. Afterwards there was a grand tour! We got to find all of our classes and say “hi” to other Link Crews!
In the first week of school, the freshmen had a meeting with a few counselors, the principal, vice principal, and our school officer. They spoke to us about grades and being responsible with devices and such.
On September 6th, all the freshmen reported to the cafeteria during 7th hour to get our Link Crew together! After everyone was outside sitting in our individual sections Snack Attack! began. There were loads of games and activities that we played and at the end we won one pack of cookies! Each team had one of the Link Crew leaders run up and pick a pack of cookies for each team to share. They were delicious!!
Now you’re all caught up with the beginning of the year for freshmen! So far so good, right?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to spend my entire summer at my house. There is an easy solution to that though. Metro Transit is offering summer bus passes to high school students for $29.
June 1st through September 3rd, students will be able to ride on buses and trains under a $3.25 fare with this pass unlimitedly. One of the services this pass will not pay for are the Northstar trips, so please, do not try to use these passes for it. The passes can only be used between 5am and 10pm. Students that get the passes must agree to Metro Transit’s code of conduct. Each student can only get one pass.
Highland is one of the high schools participating, and seniors can also get this pass.
Connected to this program, Metro Transit is partnering with Second Harvest Heartland. They are offering nutritious, free meals to kids and teens over the summer at specific sites, which you can use the pass to get to. If you want to learn more about them, visit: https://www.2harvest.org/who–how-we-help/services-and-programs/programs/sfsp/participant-page.html?utm_source=metrotransit#.XPe3TslOk0M.
If you wish to buy the pass using cash, you can buy it at Metro Transit Service Center.
If you plan on using the bus this summer, I would suggest getting this pass to save money.
If you are wondering what other schools are participating, or where to buy the pass, go to: https://www.metrotransit.org/summer-student-pass.
Metro Transit suggests that you register your pass when you have received it. That allows them to replace your pass easily if it has been lost or stolen for a $5 processing fee.
Sales this year began on May 15th, so if you enjoyed the pass this year, be on a lookout around then next year for it.
Union Latina’s Fiesta Latina was held on Wednesday, May 1st, this year. With Ms. Nelson’s three classes, and the addition of Ms. Boe’s Spanish ⅚ class, there were a lot more student performers than ever. This year they tried to include more diverse dances, that represented more Hispanic cultures. This year’s dances included: Cumbia, Bachata, Folklorico, Flamenco, Salsa, Baile de Los Chinelos, and Merengue.
The name change of the performance, from Cinco de Mayo to Fiesta Latina, wasn’t the only change to the show this year. The decorations around the auditorium and stage were changed to be more inclusive to other cultures. The red, white and green theme used in past years no longer fits the purpose of the show. This year, the stage was decorated with the annual murals made in past years, with the newest addition sitting front and center on stage. The paintings were surrounded by colorful balloons and paper crafts such as flowers and papel picado. The hope was to show how the Hispanic culture encompasses more than just dancing and singing; art is also an important and valued aspect.
The performance started off with the Jazz Band playing. The music filled the auditorium as all the students and teachers took their seats. After everyone was seated the show began. Cesar Degollado, the Vice President of ULA, sang an amazing rendition of “Probablamente” by Cristian Nodal. Dance after dance, the students continued to surprise everyone with their well rehearsed choreography.
At 6:00PM, the performers and their guests were invited back to enjoy a meal, donated by El Pariente, a Mexican restaurant. Even though the food was thirty minutes late, everyone seemed to enjoy the food and company. Around seven thirty, the second show began. Parents, teachers and even students returned to watch the show. The night show had 3 extra performances then the one during 7th hour; a group of Aztec dancers, a traditional Peruvian dance, and more Chinelo performers joined the students.
At the end of the night, all the student performers seemed happy to participate. Some of the club members had participated all four years of their time in high school and were sad that it would be their last. Overall, it was a great show to kick off new name.
Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News 