photo taken from the Highland Senior Class Twitter
The last day for senior’s was on Friday, June 3rd, and that was also the day of the senior send-off. The send-off is for the whole school to recognize the graduating class and say our goodbye’s. The senior-send off assembly included, teachers and students giving their final words of advice for after high school, younger siblings saying goodbye to their senior siblings, a senior slideshow with pictures of the seniors throughout their time here at Highland, and finally the seniors leaving – walking down the middle of the gym hugging their teachers and tearing up saying their goodbyes.
The rest of the students watch the assembly for the seniors. Some get sad saying goodbye to their senior friends. I asked some juniors what they thought of the senior goodbye, considering that the juniors here at Highland are the ones who’ve been in high school the longest with the class of 2016.
Did you get sad at this year’s senior goodbye?
“Yes, I cried, not specifically for any seniors, just because of the scene and the music playing. It’s just sad,” answered Keshya Bailey-Phelps (11).
“It was sad, I didn’t cry though. I wasn’t too close to any of the seniors this year,” answered Gabriela Masiello (11).
“It was very sad, I cried because all of my best friends graduated and it’s sad to think that they’re not going to be here in school with me next year,” answered DJ Kahassai (11).
Did you think the senior send-off is a relevant assembly?
“Yes, of course! It’s very important because not all of us will see some of the seniors again so its important for us to say goodbye at the senior send-off,” answered Keshya Bailey-Phelps (11).
“Yeah, it is. It’s my favorite, yet least favorite assembly of the year. It’s the saddest one, but it’s the one that I actually care about and would be sad if I didn’t attend it,” answered Gabriela Masiello (11).
“Yeah, it’s important for the seniors to get their own separate assembly just for them so they know we all hope the best for them,” answered DJ Kahassai (11).
Congratulations to the graduating Highland Park class of 2016! Class of 2017, we’re next!
The day June 8, 2016 will now be remembered for the graduation of Highland’s 2016 Senior Class. On that night, friends and family of the graduating class gathered together to celebrate this monumental night in all of our lives. The ceremony was held at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in downtown Saint Paul, and started at 5:30 p.m.
The night was kicked off by the Highland Park Symphonic Band, directed by Joel Matuzak. The Symphonic Band was followed up by a welcome speech from the Senior Class Advisor Charlotte Landreau.
Once finished, the Highland Park Concert Choir, conducted by Kate Mendenhall sang the National Anthem. The National Anthem was followed by greetings from Michelle Walker, as well as Zuki Ellis. After their greetings, the Concert Choir sang their final peace “Seasons of Love”.
After the Concert Choir sang, members of the Senior Class Council stood on the stage and gave their greeting speech. The Class Council speech was followed by a soloist performance from Claudia Stensrud of “Unwritten”.
The Student Valedictory Speech came next, presented by Leah Kanihan.
Then the Symphonic Band played another piece, before Richard Jensen (who had been chosen by the graduating Senior Class) gave his Commencement Address.
This was followed by Dr. Winston H. Tucker’s presentation of the graduating class, and Mary Vanderwert Conferring of Diplomas.
Then came the Presentation of Graduates, who were welcomed up on stage by members of the Senior Class Council.
Lastly was the farewell, arranged by Joel Matuzak and the Symphonic Band. Friends and family were then invited to meet the graduates in Tower Hall, where they received their diplomas after the ceremony.
Newspaper will be a class run by Ms. Lingofelt during the next school year. Newspaper is a class where students get to write articles to put on the Highland Park Senior High ThePlaid Line website. For those students who love to write, this class would be a good class to take.
Students are responsible for writing an original article every other week. The first week is pitch week: pitch week is when students come up with article ideas to write about. The second week is article week: final articles need to be submitted by the end of article week. Newspaper is a pretty chill class where students just write. Articles can be about school, world issues or just anything.
Students here are nice and open, they are very funny people. If students choose to write an article where they can interview someone in the school, they will be given a pass to go interview the person only if that person is free during the hour.
Newspaper would love to have more students, hopefully, in the next school year there will be more students. Hopefully, in the next school year, there will be many different articles published.
What does being a Link Leader mean? To answer this question I interviewed one of my Link Leaders, Lucia Calatayud this year, since I’m a freshman. Being a link leader at Highland means an upperclassmen – juniors or seniors – mentor freshmen on their first year of high school, and getting around.
I asked Lucia what does being a Link Leader mean to her? She answered with, “I really like the people in it and and the really positive environment and everyone seeks a common goal. We are encouraging, happy, silly and most groups aren’t like that. Being a junior or senior means you don’t get a lot of classes with freshman or interact or be one on one with them or know them.”
Next, I asked her what made her what to become a Link Leader? She answered with, “Other Link Leaders encourage me. The tryouts were good. You could tell it was going to be a good year and a good group.”
Then, I asked her how has being a Link Leader impacted her in her life? She answered with, “It made me more outgoing in a way willing to put myself out there. Normally I’m shy, now I’m more outgoing and know more people now.”
Last, I asked what’s her favorite thing about being in Link Crew? She answered with, “The people. The activities because they’re childish and fun and relate to real life situations in a way. It opens up your eyes more. The environment and you always have a good time there.”
My opinion is Link Leaders are such a big help during freshman year. Because you’re new and you’re still trying to find a way to get around and see new faces everywhere you go. My Link Leaders were such a big help. They have encouraged me to be a Link Leader in my junior year, which I’m truly looking forward to. I think everyone should try it at least once during their high school experience. It’s a great way to know new people and help incoming freshmen to show them around just like your Link Leaders helped you.
Walking out into the hallway from my classroom, someone always has to spray a ton of perfume into the air. I get that people want to smell good but they should be more considerate of other people around them.
People can get headaches, asthma or even allergic reactions to the smell of perfume. For the safety of students, the school should do something to control the use of perfumes. If not banning them, then limit the amount that a student can use.
On November 19, 2010, an article was posted about a mother wanting a school to ban perfume because her son had had several severe allergic reactions. Her son even needed an ambulance to get to the nearest hospital.
To avoid situations like these, people should not spray perfume into the air in the middle of the hallway. Do it in the bathroom, or where people aren’t, so no one gets affected by the smell. People don’t even need that much perfume that is sprayed in the air.
For people who don’t know where you’re supposed to spray your perfume, spray where your pulse points are. Most people spray perfume on their wrists, behind their ears, and behind their knees. Hopefully, people become more considerate and stop spraying perfume into mid air.
Rent a senior day is when any underclass student such as juniors, sophomores, or freshman rent a senior for the whole day.
What happens during this day is the senior may do anything you ask, but it has to be reasonable and they have to be okay with it. Like, for example, carrying your backpack, or bringing you food before school, or even dressing up with a silly costume.
The reason we do this is because we get to spend a whole day with a friend or a sister or brother who’s a senior and is almost leaving school and heading to college.
I think it’s a great thing because you get to talk to someone maybe you haven’t talked to in a long time, or you’re going to miss them, and they get to see what you do during the day. Also, it’s a great way to get to know people, like maybe your link leaders and all.
Highland had its spring pop concert on May 12, 2016. Ms. Mendenhall had three of her groups performed. It started with her Treble Choir. They performed “Safe and Sound”, “Bella’s Final”, and “Landslide”. The last choir performed “Stitches”, “Let it Be”, and “Viva la Vida”. At the end of the choir concert they recognized all the seniors that are graduating.
A lot of the solos had good songs and made good choice with their picks. Of course, honors choir had the best set, also the best soloist. In the end, the choir concert was good and had good songs and choices.
The choir will take a big hit with most of the seniors leaving. Overall, I would say that it was a good choir concert.
All eyes fixed onto the four-page answer books, hands viciously scribbling essays, racing against the ticking clock, as students attempted to cram all of their thoughts and information between those lines. Pens slammed down onto the table, backs rested against chairs, and students heaved a sigh of relief as they managed to finish the exam with a generous amount of time remaining. This would be the scene taking place in the dance room, and the library, as upperclassmen completed their IB testing.
For the past three weeks, both juniors and seniors have been completing a significant portion of their IB honors or diploma program. All that was learned throughout the course of high school was put to use in these annual exams. Highland is one of only three schools in the Saint Paul Public School District to provide the rigorous college preparatory IB curriculum to their students. The program has been available to Scots students since 1994, providing a more inquiry-based, international, open mindedness, and holistic approach to learning.
The vast majority of students enrolled in honors, or IB, courses have chosen to take on this demanding responsibility which comes with the cost of $40 per exam. Students seeking a less stressful path will chose the honors route and only test in 4 subjects, complete only 5 CAS activities, and give an honors speech based on a topic of their choice. On the other hand, there are also students who chose to challenge themselves by taking the IB diploma path, requiring the completion of at least 6 exams, an extended essay, and 10 CAS activities. For more information about the requirements for honors and diploma, please visit the IB Highland Webpage.
IB exams are shortly coming to a conclusion by the end of this week, May 20th, and now it is time to reflect about our experience. Would one consider this learning experience to be worth it?
Pros of taking the IB honors or diploma exams:
On the Common Application, colleges and universities will be able to recognize that you have tested, or that you plan on testing through the IB program, hence they will be more likely to consider trusting that your academic abilities are sufficient enough to handle the rigorous coursework in college.
Completing passing or fulfilling high scores on the exams can potentially earn you college credits. Some of these credits will pass as introductory courses or elective credits, which gives you a chance to save money and it also provides students with the liberty to take more classes of their choice. This is particularly true at a liberal arts college, where they would require students to earn courses outside of their major including the arts, social science, reasoning, oral speaking, etc.
Some students take the IB exam simply for experience. Past students who have completed the IB diploma have pointed out that the IB exams taken in history were fairly similar to the ones they are currently taking in college. The extended essay itself prepares future college students for the overwhelming research papers formulated in the area of their major. Along with that, each course will be accompanied with some form of internal assessment paper that is also considered as an individual research paper based on the area of their subject.
IB exams are similar to finals in college. Throughout the course of the IB program, students will explore various studying methods and find the one that is best for them.
The IB program is already known for its rigorous work, therefore devoted students can challenge themselves on another level and bring pride to their school. Teachers are constantly advising their students to test in their enrolled IB courses.
The number of students, from minority or low income backgrounds, who decide to test in IB, is beginning to increase thanks to the fee waiver offered to students with free-and-reduced lunch.
Passing the exam is not as impossible as it may seem. For exams such as mathematics, you would typically only need to receive a little bit over half of the total points to receive score of 4. Base on the distribution of the scores, IB will scale accordingly.
After every exam, Highland students are offered light refreshments including juice boxes, granola bars, fruit snacks, etc. Some students also enjoy the fact that they are excused from class for an extra 30 minutes after the exam is finished.
Cons of taking the IB honors or diploma exams:
Not all colleges recognize the International Baccalaureate program so not every college/university will grant college credits for completing IB exams, therefore some people would rather rely on PSEO courses to guarantee transfer credits. It is advised to complete college research before choosing to take the IB exams. Determine whether the college of your dreams will accept IB credits for which subjects and the specified score to achieve.
There are students who feel urged to become IB Diploma students just because it is considered to be the highest recognition available to students. Those who complete the program simply to just “look good” are not as likely to take the initiative to apply themselves fully.
The exams are certainly extensive and lengthy, requiring over a months worth of studying. Some exams such as the English (Literature) and the History exams consist of about 2 hours of testing for a single day. Students will already grow restless and exhausted after the first hour of testing, and will fail to concentrate with the remaining hour they have left. This year, the IB exam scheduling caused several seniors to end up testing everyday in a single week, thus missing the same classes for consecutive days.
Some students are unfamiliar with the formatting of the exams, therefore they come to the examination room unprepared.
Failing the exams will not only be considered as a massive waste of time and effort, but it will also be a waste of money.
It takes a great amount of responsibility and commitment to participate in the program. Days before the examination period, students will already submerge themselves in an abounding amount of stress. Not only that, students have to balance their studying with regular school work in classes they are not testing in. Those who are not responsible will end up waiting until the days before the exam to start studying, and will sacrifice their sleep to cram study, which is rather not healthy.
Overall, it is this writer’s opinion that taking the IB exams was worth it. The entire process of practicing for the exams, along with taking the exams, may seem like a whole waste of time and effort (especially if you end up not receiving the score you hoped for), but nothing can replace the sense of ambition and anticipation I have experienced as an IB diploma student.
I remember myself as a junior sitting in the examination room for the Chinese Paper 2. My legs swung back and front, fist clamped to the side of the chair as I nervously opened the examination booklet. All of the fear and anxiety drained from my mind as I was delighted when I was able to fill up three pages with character writing and a decent essay in Chinese. Each character that I was able to recall out of the top of my head made each of the three years I had been Ms. Miao’s student so meaningful. I felt proud that I was able to apply the years of knowledge onto this piece of paper, and I valued this exam as one of my greatest accomplishments.
The IB program not only provided me with a little taste of what college work will be like, but the self reflection that came with it will guide me to avoid the same mistakes I made in high school.
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.
photo taken by Audrey Dahl
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.
image taken from the Highland Park Senior High website
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.”
image taken from the Highland Park Senior High website
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.
The Boat Dance is a dance that is put on by our student council. This dance takes place on a big luxury boat on Harriet Island. The dance is like a regular dance but it’s on the Padelford Packet Boat. It has been the most popular dance among all of the students here. This dance is where students go to socialize and have fun as a way to celebrate the end of the school year.
The students attending the Boat Dance will meet at Harriet Island located Downtown Saint Paul for boarding. After all the hard work we students have been through, this is a time where we can be stress free, have a good time, and meet new people.
We took the time to talk to Ms. Hedwall, one of the leaders of student council, and here are a few of her comments:
What is the reasoning behind Boat Dance?
It’s a way to celebrate the end of the school year.
Who exactly is in charge of putting Boat Dance together?
All of student council.
Why should someone go to Boat Dance?
The weather is going to be amazing this week. There is going to be a DJ and karaoke. It’s on a big paddle boat and by the time we get back downtown, the view is amazing.
What makes Boat Dance, Boat Dance?
Its on a boat! The whole thing is fun on itself. The more people there are, the more fun. People have a good time hanging out. There are many different options to do on the boat.
Ticket prices has been set at $20 dollars, and the last day to retrieve your ticket is Thursday, May 18th. There will be food provided, music, and smiles. My fellow writers and I recommend to attend the dance having an open mind, and a positive attitude.
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