Category Archives: School Life

Winter pepfest and spirit week

February 14, 2017 victoria1213 Leave a comment

This year Highland is going to have its winter pep fest on February 24th. Every school year Highland has a pep fest to celebrate the school, and to get everyone into the school spirit heading into the second half of the school year.

Typically, the school has spirit week, which is the week leading up to the pep fest. Spirit week is a themed week, where each day you dress differently. This year, the students got to give input and vote on which themes they wanted for spirit week. Spirit week starts on Tuesday, Feb. 21st, with the following themes:

Tuesday is Pajama Day
Wednesday is Decades Day
Thursday is Flannel Day
Friday is Class Color Day.

( Freshmen class is Yellow, Sophomore class is Green, Junior class is Blue, Senior class is Red)

The pep fest will be held during 7th hour, and the whole school will be there. This pep fest is going to focus on the things that students at Highland are involved with during and after school. The HPSH band will play some songs. Several teams will have presentations. School clubs and activities leaders will make announcements as will sports team captains.

“It will be similar to other pep assemblies, but there are a few surprises to come,” said Ms. Hedwall, when asked about the upcoming pep fest.

Highland has a spirit week and pep fest twice a year, where students and staff are able to show school spirit and enjoy the week that celebrates all of us as a school.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Blocked schedules

February 13, 2017 sunthany_v1 Leave a comment

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?

b212262 — 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, School Life, Tech/Games

The issue of technology in the classroom

February 13, 2017 elliotwallarticles Leave a comment

school_1874367b — 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.

School Life, Tech/Games

Programming at HPSH

February 10, 2017 ianclevername Leave a comment

Highland offers a wide range of electives. Electives can be used to explore studies outside the core curriculum. Electives offered are anything from sports and journalism, to photography and programming. I am here today to talk about one particular elective: computer science with Mr. Peterson.

Back in my Junior year, I took computer programming as an elective. I liked my experience, as I thought the class was fun but simple, and Mr. Peterson was a great guy. The class taught me how to use Scratch and Google Sketchup, and unlike a lot of other classes, he gave us a lot of creative freedom. Most assignments had an end goal requirement, like “have it multiplayer” or “draw a house,” but anything else was up to us. We could decide what kind of multiplayer game it was, and what the details of the houses were.

Perhaps the reason why I did so well in the class, was because I had experience in programming and model design. As a kid I had always been very creative and loved Legos. Eventually, I turned to video games, but my creativity stayed the same. In games like Minecraft and Garry’s Mod I could explore and interact with my own creations; which is a wonderful, godlike experience.

Then I found LittleBigPlanet, a game that gave a limited range of tools that, if you knew your stuff, could create almost anything. The game is primarily a platformer, but I have seen people create shooters, RPGs, mini games, full length movies, anything and everything you can set your mind to, if you know how to make it.

How the programming in LittleBigPlanet works is a lot like Scratch; how you place and hook up modules to activate things. It is as complex as you make it. If I want to make it so that when the player grabs a button it turns on a light, I place an object called a “grab sensor,” and wire it up to a light.

I can make the same concept more complex too. Like if I want it to be that only certain characters can grab the button, and make the light turn on permanently, I can add a tag sensor and hook that and the grab sensor up to an AND gate, and hook that up to a counter set to 1, so when a certain player with a tag grabs the button, both conditions are met so the AND gate sends out a signal, activating the counter so it is at 1/1 and permanently sends out a signal to the light.

I have used this system to create some pretty complex stuff, like a character stealth system, movement speed of characters, etc.

So, if any of this sounds interesting to you, or if you would like to learn more about programming, you should check out Mr. Peterson’s elective class.

Editorials/Student Voice, Events, School Life

CU Day at the capitol

February 10, 2017 murphynick12 Leave a comment

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

untitled — http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/50866802.jpg

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.

The 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.

Another 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.

Entertainment, School Life

Dance performance

January 31, 2017 MiaDoa Leave a comment

On January 19th, 2017, during 3rd hour, Ms. Landreau and Ms. Berger’s dance classes, hosted a dance show. The dance show had all types of dances including: tap, rhythmic, group, and solo dances. The dancers used songs that related to their emotional being; from the way someone looks at their body to their sexual orientation. The dances were full of emotion and spirit each one having its own meaning.

The dance performance used a wide variety of songs. There was a dance for a song in Spanish and a dance with no song at all (to focus more on the expression and body language rather than the rhythm).

Most of the solo dances were based on oneself. The feeling of being lonely or lost, not liking how you are physically, and having feelings others may say are “unnatural” or “not normal” were a few of the topics the dance class decided to focus on.

At the end of the show there was one last dance performed by the IB class. They performed the dance using the song “Where is the love?” by the Black Eyed Peas. Everyone dancing had on a tie, but each tie consisted of a different color representing differences in society as they danced as a whole. The dance had amazing choreography that forced the dancers to rely on each other, emphasizing the importance of teamwork.

The dance performance is different from last year’s with new meaning and choreography. As the diverse choreography and music came together so did the performance. It was an amazing experience to watch, and everyone did a great job as individuals and as a whole.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Making Highland a safe space

January 31, 2017 ayeesite Leave a comment

Donald Trump’s inauguration was on January 20th, 2017. Many students in our community don’t feel as though he will make America a safe place for them to live. A few peer leaders in our high school community wanted to do something to show that we want Highland to be a safe space for everyone. They went about showing support to other students by having a gathering during lunch, in which people could share their concerns, fears, hopes, and any feeling they may have during this time. Everyone wants our community here at Highland to be a safe space for all, and we are doing everything we can to make our students feel welcome.

We asked the leaders of the gathering what their overall goal was and what their plans were for the next meeting; here was their response, “We wanted something that would draw positive attention and help broadcast a sense of community. Basically we wanted to create a platform to continue more events that would be similar and encourage people to be more politically active.”

Based off of the turnout, it’s easy to say that the leaders were successful. Many of the students were able to discuss their worries free of judgment in a very respectful and inclusive environment.

Overall, the rally went on successfully, serving its original purpose of bringing a community together. The students of Highland hurt by President Trump’s election came together to voice their opinions and stories. Leaders of the rally, both staff and students, brought a positive outlook in a dark time for many. They are looking forward to having more gatherings for social injustices in the future.

Artículos en Español & Xov Xwm Hmoob, School Life

Retiro De Amabilidad

January 26, 2017 dankmeme404 Leave a comment

El viernes, 6 de enero, algunos estudiantes de Highland Park High School, incluyendome a mi, fuimos a un retiro de amabilidad, en la escuela elementaria de “Four Seasons”. Nosotros llegamos allí para ayudar en el retiro de amabilidad.

Cuando llegamos allí, hicimos algunos juegos para romper el hielo, para que nosotros como líderes, sintiéramos más cómodos en guiar a los estudiantes del cuarto grado. Obviamente nosotros jugamos antes de que los estudiantes del cuarto grado entraron al gimnasio. El punto de nosotros estando allí es ayudar a los 3 dirigentes, en calmar los estudiantes del cuarto grado. También tenemos que ayudar a los niños sentirse mejor en jugar y su estima.

La primera cosa que nosotros hicimos fue saludarlos en una manera muy festiva. Cuando estaban entrando del pasillo al gimnasio, les estábamos dando arriba cincos y diciéndoles “Hola”.

Nos pusieron en grupos asignados para que podamos hablar con los estudiantes y tengamos un tiempo en conocerlos bien y saber un poco más de ellos. Para que todos nosotros estuviéramos más cómodos en hablando con nuestros grupos, hicimos algunos juegos con ellos para que los estudiantes del cuarto grado se sintieran más cómodos con nosotros.
En los grupos pequeños, nosotros tuvimos unas hojas para llenar. En las hojas teníamos algunas preguntas para contestar nosotros como líderes de los grupos y los niños del cuarto año. Una de las preguntas que yo me acuerdo es “Que podemos hacer para mejorar la escuel para que no haga nada más de sufrimiento?”

Nosotros como los más grandes explicamos un poco sobre lo que nosotros pensábamos de como para el acoso, y luego los niños tuvieron la oportunidad de contestar sobre lo que ellos pensaban del tema, y como ellos pudieran parar el acoso y hasta prevenir la situación.

Todo el día nosotros estábamos haciendo amables para poner el ejemplo, para que ellos los estudiantes nos siguieran como los líderes del mini grupo. Al final del dia, me gusto mucho y lo haría otra vez.

For the non Spanish speakers:

On Friday, January 6th, some students at Highland Park High School, including me, went to a kindergarten retreat at Four Seasons Elementary. We arrived there to help in the Kindness Retreat.

When we got there, we did some icebreaker games, so that we as leaders would feel more comfortable guiding fourth graders. Obviously we played before the fourth grade students entered the gym. The point of us being there was to help the three leaders to calm the fourth grade students. We also needed to help the children feel better about playing and their esteem.

The first thing we did was greet them in a very festive way. When they were entering the hallway to the gym, we were giving them high fives and saying “Hi.”

They put us in assigned groups so we could talk to the students, and have some time to get to know them, and know a little more about them. In order for all of us to be more comfortable in talking to our groups, we played some games with them so that the fourth graders felt more comfortable with us.

In small groups, we had some sheets to fill out. On the sheets we had some questions to answer as group leaders and fourth grade children. One of the questions that I remember was “What can we do to improve the school so that it does nothing more than suffering?”

We, like the elders, explained a little about what we thought of as for harassment, and then the children had the opportunity to answer what they thought of the issue, and how they could stop the harassment and even prevent the situation.

All day we were doing nice things to set the example, so that the students would follow us as the leaders of the mini group. At the end of the day, I really liked it and would do it again.

Advice/How To, School Life

Different ways to deal with stress

January 23, 2017 sunthany_v1 Leave a comment

For Highland Park Senior High, finals are coming up fast, and we all know what comes with finals: stress. Finals are something almost everyone dreads, all the late night study sessions, all of the homework that you have to do, and of course, all the stress that comes with it. Some people may not know how to release that stress, or to calm their nerves. I’m here to try and help those people.

There are multiple ways to try and reduce stress and not all people can use the same method to help. So here are some ideas/methods that you can use to try and help reduce your stress.

Of course, one of the most popular ways to relive stress, is to meditate. Some people don’t have the time to meditate though, especially if they’re piled with homework.

If you don’t have spare time, something you could do while studying, is blast some soothing music. According to Psychcentral. com, music has been proven to calm anxiety, heart rate, and even lower blood pressure, so create a calm playlist and listen to it while you study away.

Laughing out loud is another way to reduce stress. Not only does it lighten the mood mentally, but it also boosts a brain chemical called endorphins which helps your mood.

Some people say that going online and texting isn’t the way to lessen stress, but it is proven to not only make us happier, but to also reduce our stress by a lot. The Mayo Clinic says that it is better that you Facetime a friend, or call one another to maybe study together, or share what’s going on in your life.

The final idea that I’m going to share today is to be active. Go for a jog around your neighborhood, or even do some jumping jacks and sit-ups on your living room floor. Getting your body to move can ease your stress and even depression.

If you’re feeling stressed about anything at all, all of these methods could help you try and reduce it. Good luck on your finals everybody; you’ll all do great!

Clubs and Activities, School Life

Highland Park Showcase: 2017

January 23, 2017 victoria1213 Leave a comment

Showcase is an open house for students from other schools to come see Highland. If any students were interested in Highland, this open house gives them an opportunity to come and learn more about Highland, its staff, classes, offerings, and The IB program in a more in depth way.

This year’s showcase was on Thursday, January 11th, 2017 from 6:00- 8:00 pm. Anybody was welcome to come, and the turn out wasn’t bad. The first level of the auditorium was almost full with around 200 -300 people there to get to know about Highland.

A variety of after school clubs and activities had boards at the showcase to advertise themselves. Some of the activities and clubs represented included: Robotics, ULA, Newspaper, Yearbook, FFA, Link Crew, Math Team, Chess Club and Anime Club.

During the showcase, the Highland Park Jazz Band preformed. They played 3 different songs during the showcase drawing in a crowd. The Jazz Band has been practicing since late September or early October and they sounded really good.

A lot of people interested in Highland went to the Showcase on Thursday. Hopefully they left with a lot more information about Highland, and a better feel overall of the schools atmosphere.