The Ahlahasa - December 2022

The Ahlahasa

Traditions

By: Ahlahasa Staff

Our opinions on tradition vary, because we all have our own different traditions and our own life experiences. Whether your traditions include long standing history, or they are something new you have just started, people tend to gravitate towards some sort of familiarity. Why is that? Why do humans love familiarity? We think it is because humans experience a lot of change. Experiencing change is hard for a lot of people, some love it, but it is common to struggle when experiencing change. Especially growing up, there is a lot of change you need to go through. Traditions are supposed to be something that always stays the same. However, traditions are going to change and that’s a fact. At some point we will leave our childhood homes, and we will no longer have the same holiday experience we have always had. People go to college, get married, get divorced, have kids, or die and these holidays are forever changed.

The holiday season is not going to be the same forever. Sometimes that might not affect people as much as it would for others, but it really depends on the person. Tradition is all about memories, you could have had a terrible childhood and hate traditions, or an amazing one that you love remembering. Sometimes there is a person in your life that makes a tradition for you, and they may not be in your life forever. In some ways traditions are the thing that stabilizes your life. When everything else is changing, one thing stays the same. We do not always have control of those traditions, so it is important to know how to differentiate whether it is the tradition itself we are missing or the people, memories or familiarity of it. What we can do when we can’t control these things is; acknowledge that the sadness of the tradition not happening is usually because of something deeper and is usually not about the tradition itself, simplify your traditions (doesn’t need to be all or nothing) or make new traditions and try to fill the hole of the other.

If you do not appreciate traditions and are around people that do, you should respect their traditions and hope that they appreciate what you can put into the holiday. Whether you do not like going to church like most of your family, or dislike to participate in games, or any other tradition, people should care that you are there for the parts you can participate in and focus less on the things that are too much for you to handle.

Whether you participate in traditions or not, people should appreciate the way you are. If the holiday season is looking a bit different this year we hope you can make the most of it and adapt to the changes the best you can instead of focusing on the things you can’t do.

Mental Health Minute

The Mental Health Minute is a segement that appears on our student news, The Five Minute Paws. That segement was started by Whitney Mullenbach and we as a staff saw it and thought it was imparative that we feature something like that on here as well.

Submitted by Whitney Mullenbach

As the New Year begins to approach us so soon, many people start to come up with ideas on their new year’s resolutions. A great resolution for many students is to start prioritizing mental health. There are many different self-care strategies that students can use to make sure that they put their mental health first. A great strategy is practicing self-acceptance; most people want to change how they look, but instead, try being more accepting and loving of yourself. Another strategy we can use to prioritize our mental health this New Year is to put yourself first! Self-care isn’t being selfish; it’s putting your needs first and making sure that you take time for yourself each day. As we continue into the New Year, I challenge everyone reading this to find ways to take care of yourself, whether it’s doing something you love, trying something new, or spending time with people who make you happy. Whatever it is, I want you to create that new mindset because taking care of yourself is taking care of your mental health whether you realize it or not! Thank you for reading; I hope you have an amazing New Year.

Seasonal Depression

By: Staff Writer, Ava Cunningham

As winter approaches quicker than we expect so does the decline of many people’s mental health. With the lack of sun, many people tend to feel more moody and deprived of energy. This lack of energy can lead to less productivity and more negative feelings. Seasonal Affective Disorder (otherwise known as seasonal depression) is an extremely common form of depression that is affected by the changing of seasons. Not only does this occur in the winter and fall seasons but it can happen in the spring and summer as well. Although spring and summer SAD is less common, the symptoms remain relatively the same. These changes in emotions and energy can be caused by your biological clock and levels of serotonin and melatonin in your body. The change of seasons disrupt your body’s balance of these specific things and the amount of sunlight (vitamin D) your body is used to.

Although there is no way to prevent SAD from happening to you there are some ways to manage the symptoms. There are ways that you can predict the start of SAD in your life.

Seasonal depression tends to start at the same time every year, so you can track the time around when it starts and ends. For the winter seasons- light therapy can also be used to replenish the lack of sunlight your body intakes. Therapy is also a good idea for those who need another person to talk to about how they’re feeling.

SAD can have a negative effect on a lot of lives. If you are feeling down and hopeless during this winter season remember that you’re not alone and there are resources that can help you around the school and in our community including: the counseling staff here at ALHS and helplines available online and you can text or call 988 for crisis support.

Information was provided by Mayo Clinic Health System’s website.

The Ahlahasa Staff

Editor:

Marissa Hanson

Artist:

Ava Cunningham

Staff Writers:

Ali Hafstad

Rosa Corey-Gruenes

Maddee Anderson

Piper Aanes

Meet The Wings Upper F-House

Mike Leiste

What subject/classes do you teach?

-Career and Technical Education/ Basic Woods, Advanced Woods, Construction, Woods 8, Machining and Manufacturing. Grades 8-12

How many years have you been teaching?

-10

What room(s) do you teach in?

-F202, F205 sometimes F204

Casey Maintyre

What room(s) do you teach in?

-F203

Ahlahasa is an open forum news magazine published monthly by and for the students of ALHS. Opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of the administration, staff or student body. Letters to the editor are encouraged and must be signed by the author. They should be submitted to E110. We reserve the right to publish any material we see fit.

Jeff Jenson

What subject/classes do you teach?

-9-12 Residential Electricity, Small Engines, Welding, Wildlife/Natural Resources

How many years have you been teaching?

-25

What room(s) do you teach in?

-F204, F205, F207, F208

Sophie Newton

What subject/classes do you teach?

-English Language Learners Level 3 and Media and Film Studies (grades 8-12)

How many years have you been teaching?

-First year

What room(s) do you teach in?

-F206a

Allie Halverson

What subject/classes do you teach?

-English as a second language 9-12

How many years have you been teaching?

-10

What room(s) do you teach in?

-F206b

Tina Pannkuk

What room(s) do you teach in?

-F200

Hoan Tran

What subject/classes do you teach?

-8th Physical Science, 10,11,12th Zoology

How many years have you been teaching?

-8

Rebekah Koller

What subject/classes do you teach?

-Special Education

How many years have you been teaching?

-2

Lynda Kiesler

What subject/classes do you teach?

-Biology 10-12

How many years have you been teaching? -25

What room(s) do you teach in? -F210

Ruina-Bade

What subject/classes do you teach?

-10th grade Biology

How many years have you been teaching? -5

What room(s) do you teach in? -F211

Rebekah Orfei

What subject/classes do you teach?

-8th grade science, 9th grade Physical Science

How many years have you been teaching? -25

What room(s) do you teach in? -F212, D200, F110

Hillary Stockwell

What subject/classes do you teach? -8th grade Science

How many years have you been teaching? -18

What room(s) do you teach in? -F212

Renee Lee

What subject/classes do you teach? -8-12 Functional Skills

How many years have you been teaching? -15

What room(s) do you teach in? -F213

Stephanie Schneider

What subject/classes do you teach?

-Special Education

How many years have you been teaching? -6 1/2 years

What room(s) do you teach in?

-F201

What room(s) do you teach in?

-F207

Christina Ebeling

What subject/classes do you teach?

-Youth Apprenticeship (11th &12th) Intro to Ag (9-12)

Small Animal Care (9-12) Landscape/Horticulture (11-12)

Animal Science (10-12) Wildlife Management (10-12)

How many years have you been teaching?

-16

What room(s) do you teach in?

-F208

What room(s) do you teach in? -F214

Leslie Gutierrez

What room(s) do you teach in? -F215

Boys’ Hockey

Submitted by Gavin Quam

If you’ve ever been to an Albert Lea Tigers Hockey game, you’re sure to hear the announcer welcome you to the “historic Roy Nystrom Arena” over the booming speakers. After 46 years of operation, that title has no doubt been earned.

Although the rink may be historic because of the teams that played there before, I find our arena remarkable because of what’s currently unfolding: our boys’ hockey team practicing near-daily, all in preparation for the state tournament. Our do-or-die mentality has already driven us to success, including our win against the Rock Ridge Wolverines, hosted in the oldest rink in the State of Hockey. The Hippodrome, as it’s called, also warrants sentimental value; however, I no longer gaze at it as a place where so many legends once played, but rather as the building where the Tigers made history by showing northern hockey what we’re made of.

In our first player meeting we outlined our goals for the season, and like years prior, placing in the state tournament was predominant. This year, forty percent of our varsity team are seniors, so for many of us it’s “The X” or bust. This year, we’ll have to carve our own history.

Activities Preview

Mock Trial

Submitted by Erika Saindon

Mock trial is one of the many activities that I have had the pleasure of trying out here at ALHS. As a senior in mock trial I joined the activity fairly late; last year I was trying to find an activity in our school that involved public speaking, that is when I came across mock trial. Mock trial is an activity where you act out a court case, this year our case is a civil case that consists of a swimmer suing their doctor for performing what may have been a faulty surgery on their ACL. I will be portraying a witness. When acting out a witness you have the opportunity to jump into the trial and figure things out from their point of view. Throughout these two years I have learned how to present myself professionally and to think diligently. I will forever remember that feeling of going to practice and feeling a sense of belonging to a team, a group of people who have an understanding of what needs to be done to have a successful trial. As I go off to college I will look back on mock trial as a positive part of my life.

Boys’ Swim

Submitted by Luke Wangsness

As the boys swim team goes into our 2022-23 season, we have several goals and hopes that we are looking forward to. With five out of our eleven members being seniors who have been with the team since 2017, we have a large core of experienced swimmers itching to compete. More exciting news for the team are our new additions. Firstly, we have completely changed our coaching staff. Our two new coaches: Angelina Welch and Amy Stiehl, are bringing new leadership to the team. Both are coaches on the girls swim team, with swimming experience of their own, and are teachers here in Albert Lea. With the instability of our previous coaches over the past six years, these new coaches have already proven their wisdom and coaching skills, and we are looking forward to a great season with them. Secondly, we now have our first diving team since 2015. Captain Lucas Everett said: “We’ve been able to stay pretty neck and neck with some of the larger teams, it’s the diving rounds that always seem to get us. These new guys are really going to help the team.” Diving is a very important part of the sport, and with our two new divers we have a good chance of winning a couple meets.

Activities Preview Pt.2

Caroliers

Submitted by Joey

Maiden

Caroliers is a singing group that performs around town singing Christmas carols. This small group is typically made up of upperclassmen who practice twice a week after school in November, to prepare for their December Performances. The Caroliers dress up in traditional carolers outfits. The women wear fur lined hats, plaid skirts, capes, and fur muffs as well. The men wear long black coats, festive scarves, and hats. The Caroliers are typically booked for outdoor Holiday celebrations, and nursing homes. Annually they perform at Holiday Lights at the Historical Society, and Downtown Lights in downtown Albert Lea. This group will also be performing not only at the Choir Concert this year but also the Band Concert. Susan Mauer, our Band director was involved not only in the Band but also Caroliers, Chorale, and Show Choir during her highschool years. Carolers is a talented small singing group that is dedicated to spreading joy during the Holiday season.

Humanities Club

Submitted by Josephine Peterson

Do you enjoy watching movies? Do you like talking about movies with other people? If so, then the ALHS Humanities Club might be for you. The Humanities Club is where students get together once a week to watch movies of their choice. That already sounds fun, but it gets even better! When we are done watching the movies we talk about what we liked best about the movie, or what we did not like as much. But we do more than watching movies and talking about them, we focus on how the movies portray humanity. By analyzing the characters, actions, and relationships from movies, we get to talk about how these movies we love show the way humans act. Some of the movies we have watched this year are Jurassic Park, Dune, Ever After, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Planet of the Apes (2011). In the last meeting we started watching classical movies like the Sound of Music, a film we all know and love, and seeing if the way they portray humans is the same as modern movies. While the Humanities Club only meets until the end of first semester, everyone is welcome to join us next year!

Chorale

Submitted by Joey Maiden

Chorale is one of the other popular singing groups during the holiday season. Unlike Caroliers, Chorale sings throughout the year but is most popular during the Holiday season. Chorale is a slightly larger group with about twenty five people, around five to six singers in each voice part. A surprising thing about the Chorale this year is the amount of underclassmen, with 10 out of 25 of them being Freshman or Sophomores. Chorale is the most popular among nursing homes and churches. They are singing seven times in nursing homes, or assisted living homes this year over the course of two weeks. “I love watching how sharing our music fulfills the lives of those living in senior living communities.” - Lara Westrum. This group will also be performing at the Choir Concert on December 12th at 7pm. The Chorale is a well known music group around town and brings joy to everyone during the whole year.

Book Club

By: Staff Writer, Rosa Corey-Gruenes

ALHS book club was started about a year ago by seniors of the class of 2022. It costs no money to join and we receive a free book to read about every two weeks. We meet every week on Tuesdays to talk about our progress.You don’t have to be a big reader to join and can read at your own pace. Although we are a small club with six members, it is extremely rewarding to be a part of the book club and interact with the wonderful people involved. Contact Ms.Netzer if you want to join at any time of the school year!

Girls’ Hockey

Submitted by Mika Cichosz

On a typical week, we usually have 2-3 games and 2-3 practices. We have our own locker room where we get to keep all of the equipment throughout the season. We do many fun things off the ice too, like team bonding and team dinners. We also have secret buddies within our own team! You give your buddy a gift or note every game. Another thing we are doing this season is going to the Women’s Gopher Ice hockey game as a team. Hockey is a great sport that has many fun aspects.

Robotics

Submitted by Easton Hillman

The robotics club is all about working together as a team in order to complete a given task. I can say first hand as a senior programmer that the club is definitely more stimulating than other clubs due to how many different options there are. You could be constructing the robot, programming the robot, documenting about the robot, and more than I can probably fit in here! I can definitely see this continuing for years to come, ever since we made it to worlds in Texas last year (the first year we started up!). If you seem interested in joining, or just want more information, don’t be afraid to check out our website at https://sites.google.com/alschools.org/alrobotics/home

Stress of Sports

By: Staff Writer, Maddee Anderson

Many students are involved in some sort of sport during the school year. Some may do this out of love for the sport, wanting to be with friends or simply just wanting to stay in shape. No matter your reason for playing, it is stressful. School rules make it very difficult on student athletes.

To be a student athlete you have to have passing grades, never skip practice and you are always expected to have a good attitude about things. Sometimes fulfilling all these tasks takes a toll on your mental and/or physical health. For example, there is practice every day for about two hours after already completing a seven hour school day. This means you have around nine hours taken out of your day, not including the homework you may have been assigned that you are expected to get done.

Coaches claim that health and school come first but never give you a break. If you cannot attend practice for any reason they will interrogate you, making you feel guilty about missing. They will even bench you for however long they feel necessary in the next game you play. However, coaches can leave or not show up whenever their schedules don’t line up correctly.

Coaches do not realize that not everyone’s life revolves around the sport they play. There are other things going on in people’s lives that are more important than a high school sport.

Many programs are slowly dying because no one has the motivation to play anymore. I am a part of the group that is losing motivation. For me, it’s because of the team and coaches. Teams don’t even feel like ‘teams’ anymore. It feels as though everyone is competing against each other and just wants to be the best one out there. They would rather look like the best single player than be a good player on the best team.

To get younger kids to look forward to high school and be excited about playing a sport instead of dreading it, I think we should change some things. Coaches should bond with their team, as well as the younger kids that will someday be playing for them. Allow players to have at least a couple days for their mental and physical health, to get school work done and to just relax.

In sports, we are often reminded that we are “student athletes” and that “student” comes first. I argue that even though that is important, everyone needs to remember that we are “people” first and sometimes those other titles need to come second.

Holiday Stress

By: Staff Writer, Piper Aanes

Growing up is realizing how stressful the holidays are. Although gift giving, food making and partying is fun, it can come with a lot of pressure. Do your shoulders instantly tense up at the thought of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? Does the thought of holiday overspending keep you up at night? If yes, then you may be experiencing holiday stress.

According to thriveworks.com, “Holiday stress is stress -- a common feeling when we’re under pressure or overwhelmed -- that occurs during the holiday season.” Everyone experiences this kind of stress although it is most common within women and teens. There’s a lot of pressure and expectations around the holidays. There’s the expectation that it’s warm, cozy and you’re seeing family and having magical moments. But not everyone’s family dynamics are warm and cozy.

The problem with the holiday season is that we often experience too much of a good thing. While stress itself is necessary for our survival and zest for life, too much stress has a negative impact on our general health. From copious amounts of parties and gift-giving as well as the temptation to overindulge in spending, these things can burden us with a lasting stress of dealing with consequences, ie: debt, weight gain, family drama, etc.

What’s more, in these difficult financial times, finding affordable gifts can be stressful in itself, especially when you’re expected to find gifts for friends and a never-ending list of family members. And although spending money on loved ones is important, it’s also important that you don’t fall into debt. But holiday spending isn’t just limited to gifts. There’s also decorations, professional photos, holiday cards, outfits for said photos and cards and travel expenses. Although not every family purchases all of these items, many have several of them on their annual lists.

Let’s not forget the stress of finals, either. School has always impacted the mental health of students in both good and bad ways, but it’s not unusual to find a stack of undone homework when the holidays approach. The excitement of winter break and the assumption of snow days can easily lead to pushing work to the side to focus on more interesting and fun activities. But being sidetracked from doing homework and studying can add additional stress on top of an already stressful test day.

To ease this stress, I recommend prioritizing your responsibilities. By having an agenda, building a schedule and creating goals for yourself, you can easily get ahead of the holiday stress.

ALDT

Submitted by Sophia Hareid

Dance has been a big part of my life ever since I was little. I joined the Albert Lea Dance Team when I was in eighth grade and it’s been the best years of my life. The friendships I’ve made and the memories I’ll cherish forever make all the hard work worth it. This season so far has been very exciting. We got a new coach, Jennifer Sims, and she has worked us so hard this year. All of our hard work is paying off and really showing when we hit the floor.

The thing I love most about dance are the competitions. The thrill of being on that floor and performing your heart out through your dance is so amazing. Hearing the buzz you created in that gym while the crowd screams your name is exhilarating. Our first competition this year was fantastic, our scores were great for the start of the season and I’m so excited to keep working hard and improving. We usually come into these competitions as underdogs but this year we are proving how far we’ve already come. We’ve heard many compliments about our hard work already, even from our rival teams. We will continue to work hard and I’m very excited to see my team reach our full potential this year.

Activities Preview Pt. 3

Girls’ Basketball

Submitted by Nevaeh Wacholz

Ever since I was young, basketball has been my passion. It’s been something that brings me joy and excites me. Some of my best friendships have come from the sport. Within the past year, our team has been through a roller coaster of events and emotions. But even though the chaos, we’ve always had each other. As the new 22-23 season has begun, the gym looks a lot different then it did last year. With only 3 returning varsity players and a brand new coach, a lot of change is taking place. But the biggest life lesson that this sport has taught me is that change can be a beautiful thing. Under our new leader, Coach Schulz, we have seen evidence of this positive change. We are beyond excited to continue to work with her throughout this season and get better alongside her. Being an athlete is far from easy, but I believe that if we start to look at the little picture and seek out the little wins, we will look back and be proud of our season. My team and I are very excited to put in the work to reach those big and little victories!

Boys’ Basketball

Submitted by Drew Teeter

The 2022-23 boys basketball team is looking forward to a great year with a solid team. Our captains were recently named Tanner Conn, Jack Skinness, myself, and first year Albert Lea Tiger TJ Collins who will bring some fresh leadership to the team. Adding TJ, as well as our returning starting lineup from last year will give us many advantages. The two leading scorers from last year, Pal Wal and myself are looking to continue with our success, and a few members of the team are looking for their breakout seasons. Also, this will be the first year in 5 years that the boys basketball team will have the same head coach for two years in a row. For the seniors, this is the first year where they will be able to stick with the same offenses for multiple years which will greatly benefit them. The team is starting to come together and we are looking to win double digit games this year.

Speech

Submitted by Courtney Oakland

Speech consists of 13 categories that range from making your own piece and presenting it to sitting down and researching and discussing issues for an hour. There are also categories to do with a partner and categories where you present an already written speech. Speech is very flexible, it only takes 20 minutes 1-2 times a week for practice and going to competitions on Saturdays. There are competitions nearly every Saturday but people do not need to go to every one of them, we recommended to go to at least 3-4. This year the team will have a overnight trip to Saint Cloud. It is not mandatory but will be fun. What I personally like about speech is not only making several amazing memories but also listening to other people’s speeches and seeing how differently someone can interpret a speech than I do.

Hasa Tries: Holiday Recipes

Christmas Crack Recipe

Author: Jamielyn Nye

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 7 minutes Freeze Time: 15 minutes Total Time:

27 minutes

Servings: 30

Ingredients

50 saltine crackers

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, cubed

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 cups chocolate chips

1/2 - 1 cup M&M’s, or chopped nuts or sliced almonds

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Line the bottom of the pan evenly with saltine crackers.

In a medium pot, combine the butter and sugar over medium-low heat. Stirring constantly, bring to a rolling boil and cook 3 minutes, or until bubbling and amber in color. Remove pan from heat and pour evenly over saltine crackers. Spread mixture with a knife--it doesn’t have to be perfect because it will spread as it bakes. Bake 7 to 9 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Once melted, spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle M&M’s (or nuts) over the top and place in the freezer 15 minutes, or until hardened. Let sit 15 minutes on the counter. Flip over onto a cutting board and remove the foil. Break into pieces.

Veggie Pizza Recipe

Ingredients

2 package Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (large)

Two 8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)

1 cup mayo

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch original salad dressing

Instructions

Lay crescent rolls flat on pan. Crimp edges together, bake as directed on pkg (until golden brown). Cool. Mix cream cheese, mayo and salad dressing. Spread on cool crust. Sprinkle veggies and cheese. Chill.

Holiday Cut out Cookie

Thanks Grandma Virginia!

Beat:

1 ½ C. Sugar

3 Eggs

1 Stick of Butter

½ C. Crisco (I just use 2 sticks of butter, to avoid the transfat)

1 t. Vanilla

Then add:

5 C. Flour

Pinch of Salt

5 t. Baking Powder

Then Add:

½ C. Carnation Milk (Oat Milk works too)

½ C. Water

Mix in a bowl, watch fizz, then add:

2 T. Carnation Milk

1 t. Soda

1 T. Vinegar

Then add:

1 C. Flour (or more so that when you pat the dough, it doesn’t stick too much)

Roll out the cookie with floured surface and rolling pin. Cookie does rise. Bake at 400 degrees for 9-10 minutes (closer to 6 minutes for smaller cut outs).

Virginia’s Butter Cream

Frosting

1 Stick Butter (room temp.)

1 T. Shortening (Virginia uses Crisco)

Powdered Sugar

1 t. Vanilla

A little of the extra Carnation Milk