History | Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News

By: Cleo Newton

Greyhounds have been around for a very long time. They have around 8000 years worth of history.

According to Gapsa.org.au, Greyhounds are the oldest purebred dog breed dating back to the time of Pharaohs. They have shown up in the ‘Bible’, and in Greek and Roman mythology. This breed was very much admired and respected, and only royalty and people of noble status were allowed to have them.

Many famous historical people have owned this breed of dog such as Queen Elizabeth I and Christopher Columbus. Even Shakespeare wrote about them in ‘Henry V’.

Greyhounds almost went extinct in the Middle Ages during times of famine. Luckily, they were protected and saved by clergymen who bred them for nobility. King Howel of Wales made killing a Greyhound punishable by death in the 10th century. If commoners were found owning a Greyhound, they would be severely punished and unfortunately for the dog, it would get its toes lawed, which would include removing the middle toes, to stop it from hunting.

Greyhounds have a high prey drive which is why people use them hunting (unfortunately even today). Greyhounds are the fastest domesticated dog and based on Dailypaws.com, they can run at speeds up to 40-45 mph. Those who hunt with Greyhounds prefer to own ones with brindle, fawn, red, or black fur.

It’s the complete opposite for nobles though. They favored the ones with white and spotted fur. This was so that if their dog was to ever escape, it would be easier to spot it in a forest.

It wasn’t until around the 1700s that Greyhounds became a dog that not only nobility were allowed to own. Did you know that every purebred greyhound can be traced back to just one dog back in the late 1930s, King Cob? King Cob was born in England in 1839. He was the first dog available for public stud service as stated by Racecourse.co.uk.

According to Ngap.org, Greyhounds started being used for racing in 1919. I think that Greyhound racing is not a sport that should be supported, many of them die in the process.

After reading this article, I hope you’ve learned a few things about my favorite breed of dog and maybe even considered adopting one yourself.

A few weeks ago, a mysterious box was anonymously dropped off at the office of Highland Park. Within it, a hodgepodge of peculiar papers. Some were carefully sorted in chronological order, others waiting to be unearthed and dusted off like fossils. Some yellowed and faded by time, others more boisterous and flashy in style. But mainly, there was words. All full of them, so many. Words. The box was lugged up to room 2205, where Ms. Hanson deposited it in the hands of Ms. Lingofelt, the newly-appointed school newspaper adviser.

Numerous, forgotten editions of The Plaid Line had come home.

I had walked into Ms. Lingofelt’s room last month for the second meeting of the school newspaper with a renewed sense of hope. Despite a limited number of people showing up for the last meeting, I could see the potential. The potential of The Plaid Line actually being something other than a complete and utter flop, like the previous year. The possibility of The Plaid Line actually mattering to the student body, of making a difference. I was excited by talk of finding a place in cyberspace; the establishment of a website that could and would reach further. “Starting from scratch!” I had dreamt.

I hadn’t known, I never knew of what had been, until I was introduced to the archives of The Plaid Line. With the first edition being printed in 1964, The Plaid Line strived to bring the Highland Park Senior High community closer. Of course, the newspaper staff members and advisers changed systematically. Inevitably, The Plaid Line evolved. I saw this evolution first hand, taking some time to page through the hundreds of articles.It was hard not to smile at an article from 1965 by Claudia Winters, “Senior’s Hives Buzz With Much Activity”, highlighting a student whose hobby was beekeeping. I was astonished by how that pyramid I pass every morning after getting off the bus meant so much to the students of 1994, who were upset at its almost abolishment. Their protest was documented in “No More Pyramid?” by Elizabeth Geery. I couldn’t help but laugh at an article from 2002, “Movement to DVD” by Garrett Tiedemann, which observed the transition happening in video stores from VHS tapes to DVDs. As I read more and more, I couldn’t help but wonder why this fascinating testament of Highland’s history fell apart. These articles transcend time, and define what should be: a school newspaper enrichment of the high school experience. I became determined to restore The Plaid Line to its original glory, because we as students deserve as much.

However, I cannot do it all on my own. We need you. If you don’t think you could help out, you’re wrong. At The Plaid Line, we are going to strive to provide a little bit of everything, so if you are interested in anything, that means you can help out. As much as it would be great to get more people on The Plaid Line, there is something we need from you even more: your support. Please check out our website often for new, exciting content, follow our Twitter, or receive notifications by email. The Plaid Line wants to serve all Highland Park Senior High students, staff, parents, and alumni. This is possible, but only with your endorsement of the new, online Plaid Line. Please tell your friends, and have those friends tell their friends, and so on and so forth. Spread the word: The Plaid Line is back. And just in time for its 49th volume.