Category Archives: School Life

School Life

Tailgating 2017

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Before most of our home football games, staff and students gather up for tailgating. Homecoming is no different. Clubs will gather outside the schoolhouse and sell food and/or other things for their clubs needs. This year’s tailgating is tomorrow, October 7th from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM followed by the football game against St. Croix Lutheran High School at 1:00 PM.  

There will be a variety of food there to purchase from clubs like Union Latina, Asian Culture Club, and many more clubs. In the past, ULA has sold tamales and aguas frescas (horchata, jamaica, etc) and ACC has sold egg rolls. Many other clubs will be selling other drinks, types of food and snacks like walking tacos and cookies. There is also clubs selling Highland gear and doing face paint.

This year we’ll be selling shirts, temporary tattoos, and a front page photo!

The Plaid Line shirts, $8 HOMECOMING SPECIAL!!

Temporary tattoos, 50 cents each!

Front page photo, $1

Tailgating is always a blast! Make sure to stop by at our table, get your picture, tattoo and shirt! If you take any pictures make sure to tweet it to us @hpshplaidline!

 

Advice/How To, School Life

Transition from summer to school

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The hardest part of Summer is when it comes to an end. That transition you have to make to get ready for a new school year must be hard for a lot of people. Having to start changing your sleep schedule is a struggle, because you know you got used to sleeping late at night, and waking up late in the afternoon. Having to be excited to see your friends you haven’t seen all summer but that slowly starts to fade into sadness when assignments get thrown at you left to right, and all you want do is zone out during the school day and come home only wanting to complain about how much you dislike school. But hey, who hasn’t? After awhile you get used to it, you may not like it, but after doing it for so many weeks you look at it like eh, whatever.

Students need to be assured that it’s acceptable to be nervous going into a new school year, not expecting your classes to be that hard is something most students expect the first weeks of school. Not having the same classes or lunch as your friends could be hard on some students. And they might end up thinking that the fun part of school is not possible anymore.

But we are here to give you some tips on how to make the beginning of a school year go nice and smoothly.

  • First get your sleeping schedule in check. Start by sleeping early the last week of summer. To get you used to it.
  • Second if your friends are not in the same class as you, make some new friends, we know it’ll be hard but hey, at least you tried and you might make a couple new friends.
  • Last, but not least, make sure you have fun with the new school year, don’t stress yourself too much; you don’t want to do that for the 10 months you’re in school (that would be no fun).

Hope these tips will help you feel more at “home” this school year!

Getting To Know/History, School Life

New Chinese teacher in 2017-18

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This year, Highland Park Senior High has a new Chinese teacher, Ju-Chang Wang. Mrs. Wang teaches Chinese levels 2, 3, and Chinese Immersion 9. She is also a teacher for Study Hall. Mrs. Wang has been teaching for 19 years – she taught for 9 years in Taiwan as an elementary school teacher, and she has been teaching for the past 10 years in the Twin Cities area.

Before coming to Highland, Mrs. Wang taught at Central High School, and Forest Lake Area High School. Mrs. Wang enjoys teaching Chinese very much because teaching Chinese allows her to be creative and innovative to make learning Chinese fun.

Mrs. Wang also said that she loves working with students. She believes that everyone needs someone to believe in them so they can also believe in themselves. She says it feels great when she can be that person for young people.

Mrs. Wang is excited about this year, and she has no doubt that this year is going to be great. “I have awesome students and the best team working towards our common goals – to serve our students and strengthen the Chinese language program at Highland Park Senior High School.”

Clubs and Activities, School Life

Highland Park clubs

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By Natalie Braga, Alivia Arredondo, and Piper Gallivan

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Highland Park Senior High offers a variety of super great clubs for ALL to join! We have interviewed the leaders of every club to find out what each club has to offer. Highland students have a wide range of interests, but there is a club out there for everyone. Here is what we found out about all the different clubs!

Anime Club
First on the list is Anime Club, lead by Ms. Lynn. Anime Club meets once a week in Room 159, and is open to everyone who has an interest in anime and wants to learn more about it (no drawing skills required). You will get to watch and draw anime, as well as learn (and taste test) things from different food celebrations. This club is an opportunity to get you in touch with another culture, and interact and bond with people with similar interests. Ms. Lynn, who has been at Highland for 15 years, highly encourages you to stop by!

Book Club
Do you miss the pressure free reading experience? Are you tired of teachers telling what to read and how to read? Then come join Book Club! They are a super fun, low key club, and they meet about once every 6 weeks to discuss a book and eat snacks. Ms. Rahman is the leader of the club and she invites everyone to come to the library to discuss books and have a good time. Most of the books read in Book Club are meant to really relate to teens and make for easy connections and understandings to the characters. Book Club also offers many exiting visits to see authors, and a chance to get your very own free book signed. Another great thing about Book Club is they are a part of Read Brave. Read Brave is a program where students and parents read the same book, so parents understand the the realities and challenges teenagers face. For more information on Read Brave go to: http://www.sppl.org/readbrave

Book Club is a really great place for students to unwind and get lost in their book without the added stress of taking notes, analyzing, reading to a certain point, etc. so come join Book Club!

Conspiracy Theory Club
Was the moon landing fake? Is Tupac still alive? What really happened to Princess Diana? If these questions intrigue you, you should check out the Conspiracy Theory Club! They meet every other Thursday in Ms. Shomion’s Room to explore alternative ideas and theories. Each meeting also includes great snacks, including the iconic mystery juice. It is a great way to meet others in a fun and respectful environment, while also expanding your knowledge on the world (and what may be beyond it). Meetings are low commitment and guaranteed to always be fun!

Debate
Ms. Becker invites anyone and everyone to join debate, held in her classroom, Room 2214. The debate team meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-5:30 to learn about each year’s new debate topic. This year’s topic is education, which will be the focus of many discussions in the club. With a partner, you are able to compete against other schools at tournaments held about every other week on Fridays and Saturdays. Debaters tend to do better in history and English, and are often offered college scholarships for their hard work. It is an opportunity to travel to other schools and universities, develop a deep understanding of the yearly topic, and make new friends.

FFA
Calling all Future Farmers of America, or just anyone interested in agriculture, Ms. Wedger would love to have you in FFA! Meetings start at the end of September, are monthly, and last a half hour to 45 minutes. This club offers many different career development events, and the opportunity for many different field trips to explore those careers. These events are connected to different contests you can do, in which you compete regionally against Central Minnesota, and possibly State after that! FFA is a great opportunity to get involved at Highland, not to mention the fact that it looks good on a college resume. You can choose to be as involved as you want, while building up your leadership skills, and connecting with people you might not usually connect with. Ms. Wedger encourages you to ask her about any questions you may have!

Film
Seniors, Kat Vento and Zoe Challenger are the co-presidents of Film Club, with Ms. Becker supervising. It is is held in her room (2214) every Monday. The Film Club works on making their own films, while also having the added benefit of popcorn each meeting. It is a great opportunity for students to express themselves through moving images, and also allows members to meet artistic individuals like themselves. There is no competing and it is purely for fun, while also being low commitment. The film club is open to everyone, is very open minded to all ideas that come in, and would love to have anyone interested to join!

Gender Equality Club
Anyone interested in making Highland Park an even more safe and inclusive place for all should check out the Gender Equality Club! Ms. Rise hosts the meetings once a week in her room: 2201. In the meetings there is not only usually food, but also a chance to be apart of discussions about how to make everyone feel included at school, and how to raise awareness about current events involving gender issues in society. Ms. Rise encourages you to join because gender equity is something that affects everyone and is also a pressing and interesting topic in the current times. The GEC also does fun leadership activities and crafts, such as bracelets for special needs kids. Stop by Ms. Rise’s room with questions!

Global Affairs Club
Global Affairs Club (formerly known as Model UN), is a great club to join for anyone who wants to learn about the real UN, discuss foreign policy and current events, and new this year participate a program called Great Discussions. It helps you grasp concepts, and enter the world of Global Citizenship. There are many opportunities for travel and attending conferences with other schools. It looks great on resumes, and colleges love it. There is a lot of flexibility in joining this club; you can meet once a month or join once a week. What people don’t always realize is that anyone can join, regardless of prior knowledge, and underclassmen are especially welcome!! Co-Presidents Archer Gallivan and Sarah Lind-MacMillan invite anyone to join in Ms.Rise’s (2201) room on Thursdays after school!!

Indian Culture Club
A brand new club this year that wants you to be a part of it is the Indian Culture Club! They meet twice a month in Mr. Berndt’s room (2306) and offer delicious Indian snacks! In this club you will be able to learn about and appreciate the Indian culture more, while also meeting new people who are also interested in the culture. They also plan on doing fun activities such as a tailgating booth at homecoming. ICC hopes to help you gain appreciation for a culture that is represented both at Highland and in St. Paul, and would love you come and check it out!

Math Team
Interested in improving your math skills and showing off your knowledge to others? Check out the Math Team, with meetings held twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 2:15 to 3:30, in Mr O’Connell’s room! Though the club only runs from October to March, it is a great opportunity to make friends, learn math you won’t in class, and gain more confidence in your skills! The math team competes in the St. Paul League and prepares for the meets during the meetings, as well as other fun activities. This is a calm and flexible club that is happy to have anyone join.

Mountain Biking
Are you ready to pump iron biking style?! Join Mountain Biking Club!
Mountain Biking Club is a super fun interactive sport for anyone (no riding experience necessary). They meet 2-3 times a week down in Hidden Falls and they compete against other schools in races. So if you’re looking for a low commitment, fun sport, where you get to explore new biking trails, make new friends, get in shape, and learn new skills, Mountain Biking Club is the place for you! For more information go to: http://wiki.hpmtb.org/Highland+Park+Composite+Mountain+Biking

Science Club
Does exploring deeper into fun science topics sound interesting to you? Join Henry Vasquez and the rest of the Science Club once a month every third Wednesday (excluding September, which will be on the 27th) in Ms. Connelly’s room! Each meeting will have a theme and experiment to go with it, as well as having snacks provided. While participation is not necessary, members are highly encouraged to get involved with Science Fair, where you could compete at regional, state, and even national levels! Science Fair has many scholarship opportunities and members of the Science Club get free admission to register. Science Club also goes on science related field trips such as to the Science Museum and a tour of the U of M’s biomedical department. This club is low commitment, looks great on resumes, and welcomes you to join!

Student Council
Want to make a difference in this school and use your leadership skills? If so, Student Council is the perfect place for you! If you make your way up to executive board, you will meet once a week, or if you are on full house, it is the first Monday of each month, all in room 3211. They work to provide a fun experience for the whole school, by planning dances, tailgating, homecoming week, the senior send off, and many service opportunities, among many other things. Anyone should join who wants good experience planning, working with others, dealing with other’s opinions, and getting involved in school. On top of all of that, it looks great on a resume! Mrs. Rohweller-Kocur, Mrs. Hedwall and the StuCo executive board would love to invite anyone to try out!

ULA
Union Latina invites everyone to join them in their festivities throughout the year! They learn about Latin culture, learn to dance, and plan events for the student body. Some events they put on are tailgating, Dia de los Muertos, culture day, and Cinco de Mayo. It is a great way to learn about culture, learn to dance, as well as build community and build culture. Anyone can join, regardless of race or if you speak Spanish!

Youth in Government
Youth in Government is an amazing opportunity for anyone who wants to get to meet new people, learn how a government works (specifically legislative), and have their voice be heard. Many of the meeting are to prepare for a conference held in February. YIG clubs from all over the state meet in downtown Minneapolis, or the State Capital for upperclassmen, to share their ideas and work with each other. It is a great way to gain knowledge, and work with new people, plus they have great snacks. They meet at 2:20 on Thursdays in room 2201.

Highland Park Senior high offers a variety of clubs for a variety of people. We hope this article helped you find a club you’re interested in! Although we did not get the chance to interview some of the clubs such as Archery, ACC, Black Student Union, Chinese, Chess, Genius Squad, Prism, Speech, Spanish Debate, and Youth Alive we highly encourage trying them out and learning more about them by going to: https://www.spps.org/site/Default.aspx?PageType=1&SiteID=38&ChannelID=182&DirectoryType=6 for more information on all the clubs.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Spirit Week 2017

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The first months of school are always the most fun. You get to see all of your friends, favorite teachers, the football games, and homecoming! Here at Highland, we have a Spirit Week every year, leading up to our pep fest. Homecoming pepfest consists of performances by the Dance Team, Cheerleaders, and others. The homecoming royalty will also be announced, and the captains of fall sports/clubs will introduce themselves and talk briefly.

This year, Spirit Week is from Monday, October 2nd, until Friday, October 6th. This year’s spirit days are as followed:


Monday – PJ Day

Tuesday – Superhero Day

Wednesday – Jersey Day

Thursday – Class Color Day

Friday – Red out

We asked some of the students about how they felt about the spirit days that are coming up, and here is what they had to say:

“I think that the spirit days this year are very overdone and that maybe next time they should think about doing something fun and something that hasn’t really been done before, something that makes us stand out.”

“I get that they are very limited on their choices for spirit days, but maybe if they could really try and get in one day that hasn’t been done before, things could change.”

“I actually really like the last two days, Class Color Day and Red Out. I believe that Red Out really unites us and makes everyone feel as if they really belong. As for the other days, they are very unoriginal and I hope that they try and come up with something fun and new.”

“I actually don’t really care for Spirit Week. I don’t think we should be so patriotic to a school we’re only spending 4 years of our lives in.”

“They should really do different themes; it’s so boring. The only thing that should stay the same is Class Color day and Red Out.”

“They could tailor it more to what the current students of Highland want. For example, no one wants to do Superhero Day.”

“I’m tired of always doing the same thing every year. HP is very unoriginal but yet again, coming up with good ideas that the student body might actually do is hard.”

With that being said, we also asked students what suggestions they had for future spirit days. Most of the common suggestions/themes we got back were, Tacky Tourist, Celeb Day and Opposite Day. Some of the other suggestions we got were:

  • Cartoon Day
  • Disney Day
  • Twin/Group Day
  • Opposite Day
  • Pride Day
  • Scottish Day
  • Tie Dye Day

We also asked students how they felt about having Class Color Day on Thursday. Many students agreed that we should do Class Color Day on Friday because we’re already split up by class, and we already have the separate class t-shirts. Though many people also agree with the idea of doing Class Color Day on Friday. There are others who absolutely love the idea of doing a Red Out instead, because they feel it is something that unifies all of us, and brings us together as a school so that nobody feels left out.

“I don’t think that it should take t-shirts to make us feel whole, or to unify us. I feel as if we should already feel that way, that everyone should know that no matter what color we are wearing, whether it be our class color or not. We are a school and we stick together and are a whole no matter what.”

Local, News, School Life

Minnesota ACT scores

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By: Pachia Lee, Eddie Lopez, Melissa Tapia

Minnesota ACT scores are considered one of the nation’s best and had beat the national average many times. Last year though, there was a dropped in the ACT Scores, but Minnesota’s average was still higher than the national average. This year, the ACT scores have increased again after last year’s decline.

According to CBS Minnesota, Minnesota’s class of 2017 ACT scores rebounded from their dip in 2016, and remain among America’s best. Minnesota students had an average score of 21.5 on the exam while the national average was 21. Minnesota was also one of the 17 states to have all 100% of the graduating class take the ACT. Supporters of this requirement said this would bring more opportunities for all students because all students had a chance to take the ACT.

More than 17,000 Minnesota students took the ACT, especially an increased number of minority students. The Hispanic subgroup had the greatest increase with 1,709 students taking the ACT and there was also an overall increase of minority group ACT Scores by 0.5 points.

According to MN Office of Higher Education, Minnesota’s average score was still higher than the national average even with the drop. Also, 31% of 2017 graduates met all four ACT college-ready areas compared to in 2016 where only 29% were proficient in all four areas.

Graduates who had taken three or more years of math had an average score of 22.2 compared to others who took math for less than two years. Those students had an average score of 17.1. About 45% of graduates indicated that they were interested in STEM majors or careers. In 2017, 79 Minnesota students achieved a perfect ACT score meaning they scored 36 overall in four subject areas.

School Life

How ’bout them Seniors?!

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As the class of 2018 enters their final year of high school, they have a lot on their minds. Not only do they have to balance out school, jobs, and sports, but they also have to worry about College. The beginning of the 2018 school year means the last time to enjoy their high school careers. Football games, Homecoming, Prom and Boat Dance are just a few of the amazing things to experience at Highland Park Senior High. These are events that we want seniors to look back on and smile.

During the first two weeks of senior year, we took the time to go around and ask our new seniors what they thought about their year so far, and what they are looking forward to in the future. Asking these questions gave them more of an idea of what to think about in their future, and what they might want do.

Here are the questions we talked and their responses:

What is one thing you’re looking forward to this year?

John B: Unaware of the school [John B is new to HPSH this year]. I’m excited about my late start and my early release.

Nina C: Going to the dances.

Rasjus J: Football.

Maddie R: Graduating.

Yohannes A: Graduating.

Nicole J: Graduating because you can restart everything. You’re not forced to go to school anymore.

One thing you’re going to miss about high school?

John B: I would say less relationships with people. Everyone knows each other.

Nina C: I’m gonna miss not having a lot of responsibility.

Rasjus: Just being able to see friends everyday.

Maddie R: Seeing my friends.

Yohannes A: I guess my friends and sports because I don’t think I’ll see them or play sports in college.

Nicole J: The relationships with the teachers and students.

What is one thing that has impacted you throughout your high school career?

John B: My sudden change in school had a very heavy impact on me.

Nina C: One thing that has impacted me is my mental health.

Rasjus J: definitely my grades and maintaining them. Procrastination and scheduling them.

Maddie R: Volleyball. It gave me motivation. It gave me a reason to be here.

Yohannes A: I don’t know, sports.

Nicole J: Probably the teachers. The motivation and the way you will be cooked if you miss a few days. 

What do you think the future holds for you?

John B: Own my own business. I don’t want to work for anybody.

Nina C: I think I’ll do something that will benefit myself; hopefully.

Rasjus: That’s a weird question. Hope to get a degree and be a journalist.

Maddie R: Hopefully studying some sort of science. Marine biology or Geology.

Yohannes A: College for two years.

Nicole J: Hopefully going to college and being somewhere on my own. I might stay here.

Even though this is going to be our last high school year, it has just begun. This is the time to develop friendships, make connections, apply to colleges, try new things, and experience many more things. One thing to keep in mind seniors, is to push through the year hard, and finish the year off good. There will be no better feeling than to walk across the stage, receive our diplomas, and say “We did it”.

School Life

2017 Senior Send Off

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Last Friday was the annual Senior Send Off. All the classes were called down by floor.

When everyone was seated, Dr. Tucker spoke about how everyone should follow their dreams.

Ms. Rohweller-Kocur spoke about the teachers and staff who were retiring. Ms. Ship, the vice principal for juniors and seniors, Marvel, from the health start clinic, Sr. Rios, a Spanish immersion teacher, Ms. Sherrod, the personal finance teacher, and Ms. Harrison, the school nurse, are all retiring after this school year.

photo courtesy of Rose Patzner Wahlberg via Facebook

After saying goodbye to them, Ms. Rohweller-Kocur invited the senior student council representatives to address their class.

Next, Ms. Ship gave some inspirational advice.

Ms. Ships’ speech was followed by messages to the seniors from their siblings. While some were funny and meant as a joke, others were very sweet and full of emotion.

The last part of the assembly, before the seniors got to leave, was the senior slide show. The slide show contained pictures of the seniors throughout their lives as students.

When the slide show ended, the seniors were allowed to leave through the passage in the middle of the gym. The passage was lined with teachers saying good-bye to their former students.

The Senior Send Off is a great way to congratulate the seniors and celebrate the fact that the next chapter of their life is beginning.

 

School Life, Tech/Games

New iPads

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For the next school year, teachers and students will be given new iPads to use for school. The new iPads will have a different case, along with a keyboard. The case and keyboard are navy blue. The keyboard can be attached and detached easily. The keyboard does not have touch pads, but has everything else on it.

The reasons why the school decided to get these new iPads is because they have a three year lease on them, and have been planning to get new iPads for a while now. Also, the new iPads have 128 gigabytes whereas the old ones had just 16. With more gigabytes, it will be easier for students to use the iPads, and make movies for school projects. Another reason for the change, is because the old iPads would eventually break down, so keeping the old iPads wouldn’t be worth it. Plus, the new iPads are more durable to use.

The school hopes to pass out the iPads sooner next year. The paper for getting an iPad will still be online, so students and parents can access it. The plan for passing out the new iPads is to maybe pass them out even before school starts, so students could possibly come pick up their iPad in late August or early September.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Freshmen year

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My freshman year was really fun and enjoyable. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be before I came to high school. Since I was new to Highland, there weren’t many people that I knew except for some freshman that came from my middle school, but I made friends throughout my freshman year.

High school isn’t really hard, unless you don’t do your work, study, etc. so, that’s some advice for the new upcoming freshmen. High school is fun, if you don’t make it boring and not fun. In my opinion, all of my classes were fun, both academic and non-academic. I was able to be in Beginning Drawing, Beginning Painting, and Newspaper, all of those elective classes were really fun, but I liked Beginning Drawing and Newspaper more. I was able to step out of my comfort zone and try something new, which was Newspaper and that was nice. I recommend students to join Newspaper, and try it because they might find it fun too.

Also, the club that I joined at Highland was ACC, which is known also as, Asian Culture Club. ACC was fun; I was able to participate in performances and the activities that they had planned.

I was also able to play on the Badminton team this year. Badminton was really fun, and the season went really well, there were many good players, everyone got along with each other, and we all worked really well with each other.

The best part of my freshman year was being able to try out the different elective classes that I had, and being part of ACC, and the Badminton team. Another best part of my freshman year was, being myself and being able to have fun in all the activities that I participated in.  

Overall, my freshman year was really fun. I have many fun and enjoyable moments in my freshman year. I hope to have an even better year, within the next year, and throughout my high school career.