Category Archives: School Life

Clubs and Activities, School Life

Highland Park Robotics team

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The Highland Park Robotics team made it to the championships, held in St. Louis, this year, which they didn’t expect to do. After their victory I interviewed some of the team members, and here is what they had to say.

What is your name/grade?
Alexis Lipstein 9th grade
Owen Krumm 10th
Morris 9th
Kate austin 9th

How did you feel about making it to championships?
Alexis I was pretty excited to hear that we got in to championships. I also think we did very well.
Owen Pretty exciting, did better than we thought.
Morris Felt great, our team haven’t been this far since 2010.
Kate I feel like it’s an accomplishment.

What made you want to be part of the Robotics team?
Alexis At an open house they were demoing one of there robots and I thought it was really fun and interesting.
Owen I find building things to be interesting, competitive atmosphere around building things.
Morris Really into technology, a friend convinced me to join
Kate I’m very interested in skills like engineering. It’s important to add women to it because it’s male dominated

What advice do you have for students who want to join the Robotics team?
Alexis Come to a demo and talk to the team. If you’re interested you can come to the wood shop and join the team.
Owen It’s a worth full experience, be dedicated.
Morris There’s some thing called gracious professionalism it’s where you get to know them and make friends.
Kate Don’t be afraid to try new things because it’s seems scary at first but you will make a lot of friends

What are some challenges you faced along the way?
Owen As a team we had a few challenges to get money for the championships
Morris Not much, but more students to help out would be great. Get all the help we can get.
Kate Not being taken seriously in the environment because I’m a girl but I stand up for my self.

Anything else you would like us to know?
Owen It’s a fun experience .
Morris We’re the most creative team in MN .
Kate That really anybody could do it. Whatever you can do is needed by the team

Music/Concerts, School Life

Selling raffle tickets for Vans concert

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At Highland Park Senior High, for the following 2 weeks, students from the school newspaper class are going to be selling raffle tickets for a chance to win 2 Vans Warped Tour concert tickets. The festival will take place in Shakopee, MN, on July 24th. Tickets will be available during both A and B lunch, for $2 each. They can also be purchased in Ms. Lingofelt’s room, 2205.

This is a great way for the newspaper students to build team work while also being a fun activity. This will help raise money for the newspaper  so they can possibly print copies in the future. This is also a rare opportunity because the class doesn’t always get access to tickets, so this is a great thing.

Please help with the newspaper’s fundraising effort! Buy a raffle ticket today!

Movies/TV/Theaters, School Life

Prom 2016

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Prom was on Friday, May 6th, at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul. Not everyone went, so here’s pretty much how Prom 2016 turned out for those who were wondering about how everything went.

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photo taken from the Highland Prom Dropbox

The doors opened at 7 o’clock, but a lot of prom attendees were all outside around Rice Park taking pictures before going into the Landmark Center. Around 8 o’clock the room was packed and the doors were closed. It wasn’t crowded, there was more than enough room. Against one wall there were beverages and snacks, towards the back of the room there were many tables for people to sit and stand around, there was also a photo booth – with funny accessories that were Gatsby themed, and in the middle of the room was the dance floor with a DJ on stage. Prom didn’t start to die down until around 10 o’clock.

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photo taken from the Highland Prom Dropbox

I personally think that it was very fun and was worth the money my parents and I put into it. The overall night made it all well worth it. The venue was beautiful and really made me feel like I was somewhere fancy and important, and there was more than enough space. The music was good because there was a little bit of everything, so everyone at one point was dancing or singing along. The photo booth was a lot of fun, when people were just sitting around, instead of being bored they got up and went in line for the photo booth with their friends. I had a lot of fun, because my group and I didn’t leave until around 10:30, we weren’t ready to leave.

Aside from my own thoughts, I asked some people what they thought of Prom:

Did you think prom night was worth the money?
“I didn’t spend that much money, and I am glad I didn’t because I had a lot of fun and spending more money wouldn’t of made it any more fun.” Jocelyn Chavez (11)

“Yeah. It was a lot of fun and wasn’t too expensive for me.” Larissa Lopez (10)

“No, but it was a lot of fun and I personally didn’t spend a lot of money but for the people who did, I don’t think so.” Victor Minefee (11)

Did you have fun?
“Yes, so much fun. Dancing was a lot of fun.” Jocelyn Chavez (11)

“Yeah, it was fun.” Larissa Lopez (10)

“Yeah.” Victor Minefee (11)

What was your favorite part of the night?
“The music and dancing.” Jocelyn Chavez (11)

“Being with my friends and dancing.” Larissa Lopez (10)

“Being with my friends.” Victor Minefee (11)

For more pictures from prom night check out Highland’s twitter https://twitter.com/highlandprom_ (@highlandprom_) and https://www.dropbox.com/sc/dg5f92j3b34vw1d/AABdSdqhCo35iPP-8vXcHgo1a

Clubs and Activities, School Life

Highland’s Hiway Federal Credit Union

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Here at Highland Park High School there are already a lot of basic things that are provided for the students here, but last week a bank was opened in the school for the students do basic transactions such as withdrawals and deposits. 

The bank will be open from 11:00 am after first lunch and will be open until 12:15 pm. The bank will be run by three Highland Park Senior High students, Eva Clelland, Salyne Vang, and Samuel Vazquez Ocampo. The students were contacted through their counselors about the job opening. The students will be paid, along with getting a school service credit.

The bank is run through Hiway Federal Credit Union. Along with being able to withdraw and deposit money, Hiway Federal Credit Union is also offering special Highland Park Senior High debit cards. The debit cards will display a special Highland logo on it.

Information was collected from the counselors and students involved in making/running the bank.

For more information, stop by the Hiway Federal Credit Union, or ask your counselor, and don’t forget to signup for your new bank account.

Advice/How To, School Life

How to get ready for PROM!!

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BEFORE PROM

1: Find a date and buy the tickets ahead of time because the closer prom gets the more the tickets will cost. Make plans with your date and/or friends before prom to take pictures or eat dinner, depending on your school’s plan for prom. You’ll want to take pictures together to remember this night forever!

2: Choose your outfit well in advance. Look in thrift stores or at sales before prom season to find an awesome dress that works for you without completely breaking your budget.

3: Before prom, try and break in your shoes by wearing them around the house a little to prevent blistering and hurting your feet.

4: Make an appointment for a hairdresser well in advance. This is especially important if your school is a big one, or many schools are having prom on the same weekend.

5: Practice your makeup beforehand. You can get a professional to do this, but it may be unnecessary and expensive if you can make yourself up by yourself.

6: Plan your day. Give yourself enough time on the night of prom to fix your hair, your makeup, and to put on your dress. Pack a small clutch to bring with you. Make sure you have your ticket, photo ID, some money, lip balm, and anything else you might need.

7: Lastly, go into prom with a good attitude and fun spirit and don’t forget JUST HAVE FUN!

News, School Life

Teacher Appreciation Week

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Teachers across the country work hard everyday and often go unappreciated. This year, Barack Obama signed a proclamation making this week (May 1st-May 7th) officially teacher appreciation week. Some students might not know exactly how you can show your teacher how much you appreciate them but these are some things you can do or buy for your teacher to show them just that according to an article from Education World.

  • Write them a handwritten note – Teachers like to know what they do to engage you while teaching so write them a handwritten note talking about what you like most about their class. Making it handwritten shows that you put a lot of time and effort into it and shows that you care.
  • Bring them a treat – This can be anything from an apple to cookies. Before hand, you could ask them what their favorite snacks are so you have a general idea of what to get for them.
  • Give them a gift card – Gift cards to places like Target are helpful because teachers always need supplies!
  • Give them a bag of coffee or a box of tea – Teachers often stay up late grading work so giving them coffee or tea will help them out on those late nights.
  • Show them respect – Even though this is something students should always do, make sure to especially show them how much you respect what they do for you everyday of the school year!

Even if you don’t have the money or if you’re too busy to write a note, just tell your teachers how much they do for you sometime during the day, it only takes a few seconds but it makes a difference.

http://www.davenportschools.org/jefferson/2015/05/04/teacher-appreciation-week/

Getting To Know/History, School Life

New face, new ways, new games

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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.

School Life

Day of Silence

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On the 15th of April, HPSH had their Day of Silence. The Day of Silence is for supporting the LGBTQ+ community. To participate in the Day of Silence, you either need a button or a laminated card saying you’re participating in the Day of Silence. About 175 people at HPSH participated in the Day of Silence. I interviewed some of my friends and teachers about the Day of Silence.

Why did you participate in the Day of Silence?

Grace Sheehan: I wanted to bring awareness for LGBTQ+ and bullying, also wanted to support those who are struggling.

Lucy Minner: I have some friends in the LGBTQ+ community and also, it’s for a good cause and everybody deserves equal rights.

Beth Kallestad (World History Teacher): I think it’s powerful that as a teacher I didn’t speak because, it made awareness of LGBTQ+ people that were bullied, harassed, or have been called names.

Clare Barownlee: I’m an alli of the LGBTQ+ community. I have friends that are LGBTQ+. The way LGBTQ+ impacted and affected my friends became really apparent to me. I think it is important to recognize in the places that affect them most.

Berit Depies: I’m in the HPSH Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA). I know many who are in the LGBTQ+ community. I participated because the Day of Silence is important. It shows that other people care about those who are struggling. Hopefully, those who don’t know what people in the LGBTQ+ community are going through can learn.

How do you feel about the Day of Silence?

Grace Sheehan: I support the Day of Silence and the LBGTQ+ community but, maybe not in the exact way the community would support everyone.

Lucy Minner: I feel like it went well for everyone who did participate in it.

Beth Kallestad: It is important that our school participate in the Day of Silence to make student and staff aware. Also, it shows students and staffs of the LGBTQ+ community know that there are people who support them.

Clare Barownlee: I used to think “Why stay silent and not speak put about the issue?”. Over time, I realized that the Day of Silence was really powerful. It was really powerful to see my friends staying silent. Then, I realized that the Day of Silence was really important.

Berit Depies: I think the Day of Silence is great even though I did’t know about it until this year. The Day of Silence is really meaningful because the quietness shows and stands out.

Do you feel like the Day of Silence was good way to support everyone?

Grace Sheehan: Yes, it is an easy thing for everyone to do. It also brings awareness because those people who talk everyday are now being silent.

Lucy Minner: Yes, even though I slipped up four or five times but if I just kept my head down then it wasn’t that bad.

Beth Kallestad: For beginning steps, yes. For a group that has about 20 people, there were more that actually supported than just the 175 that participated.

Clare Brownlee: Yes, the Day of Silence is very inclusive. Like, it’s not just the Day of Silence for lesbians or just for gays, but for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community, it doesn’t specify. It’s for everyone who was discriminated against their gender or sexual orientation.

Berit Depies: Yes, a lot of people supporting for you is good.

What do you like about the Day of Silence?

Grace Sheehan: I like what the Day of Silence represents. It shows how many people actually care about the LGBTQ+ community. I just like what it stands for.

Lucy Minner: It’s for a good cause as I said earlier. People can realize that there are people out there who are struggling.

Beth Kallestad: It is a good opportunity to participate on a social justice and human rights issue. Even if they are not in the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), it allows students to participate and show support to the LGBTQ+ community.

Clare Barownlee: The Day of Silence to me is a way to physically see the silence. Real people are choosing to stay silent and that really stands out. The Day of Silence is a good way to represent that people out there are struggling. It is also a physical way of symbolizing against discrimination.

Berit Depies: It is powerful when a lot of people choose to stay silent. Everyone can participate and it also brings a lot of people together.

Personally for me, I think that the Day of Silence went well. If we had more people participating, it would stand out more. Back in middle school I was able to participate in the Day of Silence but as of this year, I couldn’t. Hopefully, next year I can also participate to show my support for those who are and aren’t struggling. As someone who identifies as bisexual, it was like those who I interviewed said before, it was very powerful to see. Hopefully, more people will become more aware and can show that they support LGBTQ+.

School Life

Promposals

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Prom is right around the corner. People attending prom are posting their “promposals” all over social media. A promposal is a prom proposal, which typically includes a poster with a cheesy question asking one to prom, flowers, balloons, candy or a stuffed animal, and usually it’s a surprise. Promposals are a big thing for some highschoolers who are going to prom.

The majority of promposal’s are a boy asking their date. I’ve heard many boys complaining about why can’t their date just ask them to prom with a poster. As girls are usually the ones who make a big deal over the prom proposal, it would make sense that they could be the ones doing the asking. I’ve also heard many prom attendees saying they don’t need a prom proposal, a simple text saying “Will you go to prom with me?” is enough.

So, is it okay for girls to prompose to their date? Yes! Who cares if the girl asks her date! Boys like surprises too and girls are very creative and more than capable of surprising and asking their date to prom in a cute, cheesy way. That’s just my opinion, but I also asked a couple of my friends “Is it okay for girls to prompose to their date?” Here’s what they said:

“Yes, it’s okay. If my date wasn’t going to prompose to me, I was going to ask him myself,” said Gabriela Masiello (11).

“Yeah, it’s okay but I wouldn’t do it, I would be scared of rejection. If I got asked, it would be better,” answered Jocelyn Chavez (11).

“Yeah, it’s not weird or anything. But not for me because then it would make me look mean for not asking my girlfriend,” said Dreem Kelly (11).

So, they agree, it’s okay for the girl to ask a boy to prom. Some girls just prefer to get asked to prom by a boy. And some boys like surprising their date.

Next. Do you need to have a promposal? No. Having a date, is enough for most people. Most people can go without posting pictures of a promposal on all their social medias. I asked some of my friends if they agree or disagree with me, that promposals are not necessary for prom.

“Well, I mean, if I wouldn’t of got asked I still would be going. So no it’s not necessary, it’s just something fun that goes along with prom,” said Gabriela Masiello (11).

“No, prom is still prom even if you didn’t get asked in a cute way. I think girls and boys just like promposals so they can post it on Twitter and Instagram to get their likes. I don’t think promposals are bad though,” said Jocelyn Chavez (11).

“No I don’t need to ask a girl to prom, or they don’t have to ask me. But if that’s what your date really wants you should to make them happy,” answered Dreem Kelly (11).

So, they agree with me, it’s not necessary. Promposals are something that goes along with prom these days and it’s exciting. But if it doesn’t happen, it’s okay, you’re not doing prom wrong.

Prom here at Highland is on Friday, May 6th. If you want to prompose, you better hurry and surprise your date!

To see more pictures of promposals of Highland Park students check out Highland’s prom twitter page https://twitter.com/highlandprom_ (username @highlandprom_).

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Would an extended spring break benefit students?

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Upon returning to school after the end of spring break, I was one of the many angry and exhausted students who wished spring break had been even just a day longer.

The next day, upon waking up, I realized that yes, I was not excited to return to school, but I would have to return eventually. This got me thinking about whether this feeling of agony was normal, or, would I feel even the slightest bit better if spring break were extended. Thus came the question: Would an extended spring break benefit students?

Spring break is a week off of school that tends to follow the end of the third quarter. This week off of school is very beneficial to students for several reasons. 

Not only do students travel, and spend time with family and friends during spring break, but this week off of school gives students time to destress, which in turn benefits students’ health. The de-stressing that occurs over spring break is especially helpful because it allows students to come back to school during fourth quarter, which can be seen by students as the hardest quarter, more energized and alert. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, the stress that most students feel during school has many negative effects on their bodies including mentally, emotionally and physically.

Some of the common physical effects include low energy, stomach aches, shaking, muscle aches and pains, and frequent colds or infection.

Mental and emotional effects that are often experienced due to stress consist of anxiety, depression, feeling constantly overwhelmed, the inability to relax, low self esteem, and becoming easily aggravated.

These effects can be very harmful to students. Physical effects can become much larger problems, and mental and emotional effects can cause students to withdraw from those they are closest to, affecting more then just their school life. 

Although the week off of school gives students sometime to destress, one week doesn’t seem to be enough time to fully benefit students throughout the last quarter.

Another week of spring break, or even a few more days could give students several more advantages.

For the teachers that assign homework over the break, this would allow students to both complete the assignment and have free time, instead of choosing to do either or.

This extra time could also be used to help students form a plan for the fourth quarter and going back to school. These days could also be used as an opportunity for students to regulate their sleep schedule so they aren’t exhausted their first day back.

While these days could be beneficial to some students, it’s very likely that students would use these days for non school related things, which may benefit their health, or social and home life, but not their academics.

Also, extending spring break means that students would either extend the school year further into June, or take away the three day weekends that students wish for every week.

So, would an extended spring break really benefit students?

After pondering all these things, I conclude that an extended spring break would not benefit students all that much. Yes, some students may take advantage of theses days and actually do something productive, but a majority of students, including myself, would most likely sleep in and do a brainless activity, such as binge watching a Netflix series.

However, there is another solution to revive students upon there return to school after spring break: take it easy on students. Please teachers, no pop quizzes to see what information we retained over spring break, because it will most likely be nothing but disappointing. This solution also includes students being nice to each other.

As students, we just have to suck it up and show up to school and at least try to learn something. After all, we are lucky to have a free education.

Happy fourth quarter!