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ROYAL

Friday, Oct. 4, 2013 Volume 32 Issue 1

Homecoming Coverage C-Spread, pg. 6-7 See full showcase of all events of Homecoming, September 27, including performances at pep fest, the football game, and the half-time show

www.hopkinsrp.org

Classrooms click with technology

By Joe Greene Front Page/News Editor

Jasmyn Martin, freshman, goes up for a block in her game against Orono. As of October 1, the Volleyball team was 7-3.

Photo By Roxanne Krietzman

Martin “jazzes” up the team

By Zach Condon Staff Reporter Four years after seventh grader Samantha Swenson, junior, took her first step on a varsity volleyball court, a new phenom emerged. Jasmyn Martin, freshman, is a two sport varsity athlete who transferred from Bloomington Kennedy earlier this year.

Martin has accepted the challenge of transferring head on, and has made the transition somewhat seamless.

“The transfer wasn’t that bad for me. I know a lot of people here from basketball and volleyball, so they kind of welcomed me in,” Martin said.

The volleyball team is off to a strong start so far this season, having defeated the number one ranked team in the state, Lakeville North. Martin has played a big role in the team’s success.

“I think her maturity level is well beyond her age and so I think immediately she fit in. We have really good kids on our varsity team. We have great senior leaders, a really strong junior class, and I think they all have a common goal and that is to be the best volleyball team they can be. I think we all recognized that Jasmyn will be a part of that,” said Vicki Swenson, volleyball coach.

Martin has already become a big part in the team’s offense.

-MARTIN continued on page 10

Two years ago, students at West and North Junior High were given iPads to use in the classroom and at home.

Last year, district grants were offered to teachers at HHS to experiment with technology in their classrooms. Language Arts and Social Studies teachers stepped forward and applied for grants to use Chromebooks in their classrooms.

Mr. John Unruh-Friesen, Social Studies and Technology Integration Specialist,was awarded a grant “The idea behind putting Chromebooks into classrooms is that seventh and eighth graders are given iPads of their own in junior high, and we wanted to be prepared for them,” Unruh-Friesen said. “In a couple of years there will be a wave of digital learners in high school. We are preparing for kids who will have been carrying digital devices for three years.”

The recent tech upgrades connect to Hopkins School District’s mission: to ensure that students are “well prepared for life in the 21st Century.” Equipping teachers, classrooms, and students with state of the art technology is a vital step of fulfilling the mission.

The Chromebook is a product of Google and according to its website, it is a “simple, scal-

Hatsuo Lauder and Abenezer Atlaw, seniors, analyze data on U.S political parties in Mr. Unruh-Friesen’s AP U.S Government class. Unruh-Friesen, along with a few other HHS teachers, started experimenting with chromebooks in their classrooms this year.

Photo by Lily Goldfarb

able and affordable way to put technology in the hands of more students and teachers.” The website states that Chromebook allows students to access the web’s “vast educational resources” and encourages students to “collabo-

rate, create and share their own content with the world.”

“I personally like the Chromebook because it’s a change from the everyday class material to using more visual programs,” said Isaac Teplinsky, junior. “It goes

really fast, and is easy to use. Everyone can figure it out, no questions asked,” Telpinsky said.

Mosey Kreitz, junior, likens the Chromebook to a cheap iPad. “Just one click away and you’re there on the program,” Kreitz

said.

While Jack Martin, junior, sees the Chromebook as helpful for students, he also sees limitations. “One critique I have of Chromebook is that they limit you to just using Google Chrome.

-TECH. continued on page 3

A message from the Desk of the Editors

Editors-in-Chief Borowsky and Gallop explain vision of Royal Page Dear HHS students, faculty, and families, This year, the energy in room S200 is contagious. In fact, there may even be a little too much energy. Our biggest problem is everyone sharing ideas at the same time!

As we start the year, our newspaper staff is determined to make the Royal Page the best it has ever been.

Let us be the first to welcome you to the Royal Page 2013-14. This year, we have made some changes to the paper and our overarching goals.

First, we have created a new website for the Royal Page (www.hopkinsrp.org). More than ever before, we will actively post on our website to give you immediate coverage of breaking news, along with videos and photos that present student opinions. This URL makes for a fantastic

Project Focus gardens for Club grew over community

100 pounds of produce for ICA foodshelf

Feature, pg. 8

homepage, so you are constantly up on the inside scoop.

Next, as you can see, we changed the size of our newspaper. The bigger size allows us to include more content and larger photos.

Most importantly, we want to emphasize that we are YOUR newspaper, and we are easily accessible. You can find us in room S200 during 4th block everyday or contact us on Facebook or Twitter. We WANT your feedback.

If there is an event or activity that you would like us to cover, please let us know. We also invite you to write “letters to the editors” and opinion pieces for publication in our paper.

Because we are YOUR newspaper, we would be doing you a disservice if we did not cover the entire student body; that means students of every race, ethnicity, gender,

Find video footage on www.hopkinsrp.org

Royal Page online features photos & videos of all of last week’s homecoming festivites

sexual orientation, etc. This year, we will focus on covering all groups of students to ensure that our paper reflects the diversity of our student body.

Thank you for being such a talented and active student body. It makes our job easy!

Sincerely, Naomi Borowsky and Josh Gallop 2013-2014 Editors-in-Chief

Local summer music from HHS Denim Matriarch expands to new venues and plays at Mpls fesitivals with new summer album Variety, pg. 5

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2 news

Green is the new royal blue in the cafeteria

By Josh Margolis Staff Reporter Beginning this school year, the HHS cafeteria has placed a higher emphasis on reducing the school’s environmental footprint by introducing organic compost bins for students to dispose of their food.

In June, the Hopkins School District was awarded a grant of $8,800 from Hennepin County. The grant, titled the School Recycling Assistance Program, allowed the district to temporarily hire new employees to help students dispose of waste properly.

“We had lost the recycling culture here at the high school,” said Jeff Goldy, Health and Safety Coordinator for the Hopkins School District.

Disposing waste in the lunchroom is no longer selfpatrolled. Instead, disposing of trash has been temporarily replaced with a new initiative, and a new system of waste patrol.

The new recycling program has three components: organics, recycling, and trash. This program has been created with the intent to lessen the school’s carbon footprint.

Taddeo Belma, Recycling Coordinator, is one of the new employees in the lunchroom responsible for policing the program. His job is to guide and teach proper recycling

Taylor Lewis and Nikolas Solberg, sophomores, use the organic compost and recycling bins. The recycling program was introduced this year to HHS. Photo by Josh Margolis

techniques to students. Belma graduated from HHS two years ago and is now working to better the school and it’s recycling program. “[The District] has gone to great lengths to make sure that everything is correctly labeled.

The stations are far more formal than they used to be. The inclusion of staff positioned at the stations to help sort waste and answer questions helps tremendously,” Belma said.

RP

BRIEFS

HHS Graduate on“The Voice.”

After an open call audition in Chicago, 2012 HHS graduate, Holly Henry, was given the opportunity to compete on the upcoming NBC’s “The Voice.”

Known as Holly Heinrich in the Hopkins community, the 19 year-old sang Coldplay’s“The Scientist,” for all four judges. Her rendition of the song reached No. 33 on iTunes.

After having the option to choose any team she wanted, Henry ultimately chose judge Blake Shelton.

Pioneer Press reported, “He turned in a second.

Obviously he heard something he liked, and I thought I owed him after he turned around so quickly. He put all his faith in me with just one note,” Henry said. In the upcoming weeks, Henry will continue to compete on the show.

Royal Page keeping up the Pace Last year’s Royal Page staff was recognized by the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) as one of the 18 finalists of the Newspaper Broadsheet division for the Pacemaker.

The Pacemaker is an award for excellence in student journalism around the country. Only three High School papers in Minnesota have been nominated as finalists for this award.

The editors of last year are Lydia Wilson and Ursula Arhart with adviser Mr. Jeff Kocur.

The winner will be announced at the NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Boston, Massachusetts on Nov. 16.

Borowsky Story of the Year Finalist Naomi Borowsky, senior, Co-Editor in Chief of the Royal Page, has been selected as a finalist for the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Story of the Year award for her article, “Bates reintroduces himself to HHS.” Borowsky is one of 10 finalists in the feature category and the only finalist from Minnesota.

Borowsky’s article was judged on value, importance, quality of reporting and quotes, quality of writing and editing, credibility, and leadership.

Briefs by Asia Snetter and Imann Holdleh

The new staff have been at HHS every day this school year, but the goal is to slowly decrease their presence in the lunchroom. By January, HHS hopes students will be able to recycle properly and independently.

Not only does the program help cut down on unnecessary waste, but it also gets students thinking about what they are throwing away.

“We really want it to be-

come a habit, at least with the sophomores. That way when it sticks with the sophomores, as they advance, they can become the head honchos soon, and they can help the newer generations come into it,” Belma said.

Now that the program has been put into place, Belma hopes the students will put in the necessary effort to make the program succeed.

“It’s really just an effort

level on the students part.

We’ve done everything we can.

It’s just down to the students,” Belma said.

Goldy insists that following the program isn’t difficult.

“None of this is rocket science,” Goldy said, “It’s very easy stuff. It’s just a matter of changing people’s behavior so [recycling properly] becomes automatic.”

One of the groups partially responsible for the new re-

cycling program is the HHS Earth Club. The Earth Club has been attempting to put in place a similar system of recycling for years.

“At the beginning of last year, we heard the rumors that the school doesn’t recycle.

[Earth Club] looked into it, and we found out the school really does recycle, they just won’t if is all mixed in or if they notice there is trash in the recycling,” said Tessa Ruff, senior.

The Earth Club campaign included videos and posters to help students understand where their waste goes.

“It was a mutual effort on my half and on the Earth Club.

About a year ago I approached the Earth Club about getting the recycling program rebooted and they said they would help out however they could,” Goldy said.

“We’re trying to get the organic waste down to five percent incorrect waste,” Belma said. “Some people call me the ‘Trash Police,’ and I kind of get a giggle out of that, but really I’m not here to force anyone to do it, I’m just here to help.”

The program, if successful, hopes to move beyond the cafeteria.

“The hope is that once we get the culture transformed inside the cafeteria, we can then begin to transform the culture outside the cafeteria,” Goldy said.

Marketing the school to future students

By Ellie Maag News Editor

On Thursday, Sept. 9, Harvest Preparatory School invited public high schools from around the Minneapolis area to come talk to their students about high school enrollment.

A program called the “Choice is Yours” lets eighth grade students choose the high school to enroll in next fall. The school asked Ms. Patty Johnson, principal, to appear.

According to Johnson, this wasn’t an unusual request. In fact, promoting the school is an important component of running a major metro high school.

“The fact is that we are marketing in this day and age.

Principals and educators go to different venues when asked to promote our school,” Johnson said. Some find this part of the job surprising, but there are employees in the district who primarily focus on promoting Hopkins School District.

Ms. Jolene Goldade, District Communications Coordinator, works to further inform prospective parents about educational opportunities for their children in Hopkins Public Schools.

“We send targeted mail to specific audiences. For example, we let preschool families know about our Spanish classes in the elementary schools. This

type of information affects their decision on where to send their child to school,” Goldade said.

The enrollment of kindergarteners in the Hopkins Public School District has risen by ten percent from 2012.

However, these results can be attributed to more than just advertising. “The real decision is made when a parent visits the school, walks in, and sees if their child could belong there,” Goldade said.

On paper, HHS seems relatively similar to other schools in the area. HHS ranks in the top five percent in the nation and offers 18 Advanced Placement and 7 CIS courses.

However, unlike other schools in our conference, HHS students come from a variety of different cultural, educational, economic, occupational, and religious backgrounds. A recent Huffington Post article stated that 75 percent of white high school students in Jefferson County, Ky. expressed that diverse classrooms better helped them understand different points of view.

“Diversity is something that we have that other schools don’t. We have a real world experience, and it’s such an opportunity to learn from each other,” Johnson said.

Sydney Fine, senior, chose to come to the school district.

Fine attended private schools from kindergarten to eighth grade. However, when it came time for her to enter high school, she realized she wanted a change.

“To be honest, I chose Hopkins because of its size and its significant Jewish population. When I visited, I felt like everyone was welcoming and wanted me to be there,” Fine said.

While Fine looked for a religious connection, HHS offers many different communities for students.

“Our school is amazing at advanced coursework no mat-

ter what your interest is. For example, if you love photography, we have an AP photography class.We really try hard to respect all of our students’ interests and niches in our building,” Johnson said.

To get the the message about HHS out, administration is working harder to keep up with marketing and communication.

“When I talk about Hopkins, I try to push that there is something for everyone here if they take advantage of the opportunities. I’m proud of our school and what we have to offer,” Johnson said.

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RPFriday, October 4, 2013

Administration, students try to unify school

By Haley DenHartog Staff Reporter HHS is taking strides to create a better environment that accommodates everyone.

Last April, over 150 students participated in a walkout to draw attention to how African-American students were being treated in the school.

“My first reaction was to listen,” said Trenton Lawson, Assistant Principal. “I wanted to be supportive, I wanted to listen, and I wanted to wel-

come the students back into our school after it happened.”

Although the walkout became a discussion topic inside and outside of the school, HHS students and staff tried to ignore the hype and begin their rebuilding process.

“Looking at Hopkins High School as an outsider and working in schools, I recognize that the information that came out to the general public, which I was part of last year, is not the whole story,” said Tyson Crockett, Academic Dean.

“In terms of the student walk out, I think that what I’ve seen tells me that there’s a perception problem happening at Hopkins, and there’s an issue with people not necessarily knowing what’s happening,” Crockett said.

In order to help the school gain a better perspective on cultural diversity, five Hopkins students created the Steering Committee, a student-run committee in direct contact with administration to offer insight on what they are seeing

New to HHS

among their peers.

“We started this committee because we are passionate and energized about making Hopkins a better place to be,” said committee member Josie Brott, junior.

The committee was formed over the summer and has already proposed many recommendations to the administration with hopes of getting them passed on to the school board. The students meet regularly with a goal to form support systems that can be help-

ful to any student.

HHS is also working with Dr. Sharroky Hollie, a cultural consultant who comes in to HHS and teaches about linguistic cultural responsiveness.

His purpose is to get staff to better understand cultural differences and learn how to respond to them.

“Another challenge is having everyone understand that this benefits everyone, and it’s not just for this population or that population,” Hollie said.

Though HHS students

and staff have high hopes of becoming more unified as a school, they know that results will not be immediate.

“It’s difficult to understand someone else’s culture if you have never met anyone of that culture or spent any time with them,” Crockett said. “It takes time for people to become comfortable with it, for people to understand other cultures, and for teachers to learn the best practices for teaching.

That’s just something that’s going to take time.”

Throughout the year, the Royal Page will be introducing the new staff to you. These are the first three.

Mr. Tyson Crockett, Academic Dean

Ms. Shekela Wanyama, Choir Teacher

Where were you born, and what high school did you attend?

I was born in St. Cloud, but I was raised in South Minneapolis, and I went to South High School.

How long have you been teaching, and where else have you taught?

Where were you born, and what high school did you attend?

I was born in Texas on a military base where my parents were located. At a young age, I moved to Minnesota where I attended St. Louis Park High School.

Where did you go to college?

Ms. Alison Swiggum, Orchestra Teacher

Where were you born, and what high school did you attend?

I was born in Minnesota, and I went to West Lutheran High School.

How long have you been teaching, and where else have you taught?

This is my third official year of teaching. Before this I taught in Columbia Heights. I also taught in Berlin and England.

I got my Teaching degree at University of Minnesota Duluth and Saint Cloud State University for my Graduate Degree.

I taught at St. Louis Park High School for seven years before I taught at Hopkins.

What interested you about HHS that caused you to apply for a job here?

What interested you about HHS that caused you to apply for a job here?

What interested you about HHS that caused you to apply for a job here?

This district has a reputation for excellent music ensembles, and I heard great things about the choral program. The work Mr. Brown has done is really fantastic. So I knew I would want to be a part of things if I could manage it.

Are you fitting in well with the staff and students so far this year?

It’s been great. The staff have been really supportive, so it has been a really positive experience. The students are just so much fun and I have been impressed at the level of engagement with the choir program. People genuinely care about choir, and they want it to be a positive experience. They’re willing to put in the work to make that happen, and I enjoy that.

How do you interact with your students in and out of the class?

They are both very similar. I think in smaller groups or one on one, I am a little more relaxed and a little more personable. But, I think that is also because when you’re working with such a large ensemble, you need to kind of be more focused and direct about what you’re doing in class.

It’s a challenging school. Also, I am originally from the area, and I like the area. I really like the people that work here.

What do you think needs to be changed at HHS?

I don’t think the school itself requires a huge change. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with Hopkins. I think there are things that we can continue to do better at. When we talk about achievement, not every kid is graduating and I think that is always the goal. To put all students in a place to be successful. So I think there are more things we need to do to make more of a connection with the student to identify them and helping them be successful.

I don’t think that Hopkins is doing a bad of that but I think now that with another person being me here thats one more person that can help do that.

“I can’t use Word of Powerpoint or iMovie,” Martin said.

Despite these drawbacks, Martin sees clear benefits. “I like taking tests on Chromebooks because I get to see my answers right away, rather than waiting for my teacher to grade. The Chromebook is a very sleek, light and nifty piece of technology. It’s definitely the technology of tomorrow,” Martin said.

Unruh-Friesen sees this

year as an “experimenting phase.” “We are observing and seeing how kids are reacting to Chromebooks and we are seeing ways to adapt the curriculum,” Unruh-Friesen said.

Like the Chromebook, the Fitbit is another piece of technology new to HHS, and it is proving a dynamic tool for students in Health Science. Fitbit is a small wristband that works day and night, tracking your steps, distance, calories burned, and the quality of your sleep.

“The idea is for students to become more conscious and

Is there anything you see that might need a change in the Orchestra program, and do you have a plan to fix it?

I think every new teacher has something they want to change. I knew Mr. Bast pretty well because we went to college together, and he is a great teacher. It mainly is going to be a lot of small changes because my teaching style is a little different from Mr. Bast. I have more of a string background, so we just have different strengths.

There will be some changes this year, but I’m trying to just keep [the program] going, and it is already very well established.

For the students who don’t understand what Are you fitting in well with the staff and stuyour is job as the Academic Dean, what exactly dents so far this year? do you do?

I think so. I was a long term substitute teacher last spring. At

For as far as students are concerned my job is to help all students be successful. That means that a student that is potentially struggling in a class I would certainly be someone that I would love for them to come in and talk to me first.

Classrooms click with technology TECH. Continued from page 1

Well, my husband is also a teacher here at Hopkins, and this is our community, so this was my first choice for a job anywhere in Minnesota.

aware of their habits. It’s a fun way to learn because they are using technology,” said Ms. Kirsten Slinde, Health Science teacher.

Students are graded on their ability to set goals, consistently track their activity and sleep, identify their challenges, and reflect on what they’ve learned and how they’ve changed.

For Madison Long, junior, Fitbit has clear benefits. “It’s been really cool tracking my sleep, which is my favorite part.

I realize that don’t get as much sleep as I should, and Fitbit has

motivated me to walk more.”

Besides the boost in exercise, Fitbit has had an added benefit for Long. “Whenever I see someone with a Fitbit, [we] compare steps, which makes me more social,” Long said.

Mamadou Ngom, junior, agrees. For him, the Fitbit process is social and at times, competitive.

“I like trying to get more steps than my friends. This encourages me to get more steps in,” Ngom said.

Through using Fitbit, Essence Williams, junior, has got-

the end of that I had the students fill out a teacher evaluation and, I told them to be completely honest. I was able to look at their thoughts and feedback, and it was overwhelmingly positive feedback from the students.

Interviews by Jacob Ungerman

ten a lesson in calorie burning.

“I was shocked to find out that I burned 1,000 calories a day just by walking. I might buy my own Fitbit because it could be really helpful for tracking my overall health everyday,” Williams said.

“Kids like it because they can own it,” Slinde said. “They are more invested in their learning.”

With this strong push to integrate cutting edge technology into the classroom, UnruhFriesen admits that he has no idea what the next five years

will look like, but believes that it is full of possibilities.

“The future could hold a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ program where kids choose which device they want to have: iPad, laptop, computer. This way the student can use the device with which they learn best,” UnruhFriesen said.

“I remember when it was a big deal to have one projector for one laptop in the classroom.

Now we’re talking about every student having a device. Everything is changing,” UnruhFriesen said.

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4 opinion

Thicke’s song “Blurred Lines” crosses the line

By Hannah Boggess Staff Reporter At the VMAs on August 25th, social media exploded with reactions to Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke’s controversial performance. On average, 306,000 tweets were sent per minute during their collaboration, more than any other time in the history of Twitter. Obviously, their performance made an impact, but why?

Miley Cyrus’s act was an entity in itself: she wore nothing but a spandex lingerie and twerked around the stage, surrounded by giant teddy bears.

However, that was nothing compared to what happened when

she joined Robin Thicke to sing his hit song, Blurred Lines.

The song was inarguably the summer’s biggest hit, having held the number one spot on Billboard’s Top 100 for 12 consecutive weeks. It has a catchy loop and a simple yet addictive beat that draws listeners in, so its position as number one seems to be justified.

However, Blurred Lines has a side that’s darker than the fun tempo would suggest: listening closely to the lyrics, one can see it is condoning rape.

With phrases like “I know you want it,” “I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two,” and “let me domesticate you,” the song’s meaning is clear.

Blurred Lines addressed what the singer perceives as an

indistinct gray area of sexual assault: if she doesn’t say no, then it’s okay to assume she means yes.

If the song’s lyrics and message weren’t bad enough, the music video is essentially porn.

A quick recap for the few people who haven’t watched it by this point: the explicit version shows Robin Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell singing while three almost completely naked women dance around them.

In an interview with Esquire, the models in the music video claimed that the song is supposed to be satirical and empowering, and Robin Thicke said it is a feminist movement in itself.

But our society has not progressed enough for sexism to be ironic, because it is still a

widespread belief. It isn’t ironic, satirical, or parodistic to have yet another example of men as the more powerful gender.

Yet that is the only image we are exposed to.

Almost every single advertisement uses photoshop to make the subjects seem more attractive; women like Hillary Clinton and Katie Couric are judged not on their competence but their hairstyle; most popular songs are about women being sex objects; words like “slut” and “whore” are consistently thrown around as casual insults.

Blurred Lines is simply another illustration of the sexist beliefs that are becoming more and more commonplace.

And the worst part is, nearly everyone buys into these ideas.

In his interview with the magazine GQ, Robin Thicke said, “People say, ‘Hey, do you think this is degrading to women?’ Of course it is. What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman.”

He admitted to everything people have been saying about his song: it’s sexist and misogynistic and inherently offensive.

But there have been no consequences for this, as his song is still in the top ten and making him millions of dollars.

The only person being blamed for any aspect of Blurred Lines is Miley Cyrus after her performance at the VMAs. Though she may have been inappropriate, the way she acted is not what needs reprimanding.

Robin Thicke is the person who needs to be blamed in all of this.

Instead, he is reaping the benefits—instant fame, a hit song—while Miley Cyrus is being called a slut and has been labeled as one more Disney star gone wrong.

People need to stop antagonizing Miley Cyrus and get to the root of the problem, which is Robin Thicke and his endless promotion of a sexist, pro-rape culture.

Countless studies have proven that you are a product of what you surround yourself with. The people you spend time with, the music you listen to, the images you are exposed to all impact your behavior.

So what effect will Blurred Lines have on us?

Teachers’ trust for students has gone down the toilet

By Ryland Dorshow Opinion Editor Every year, I have at least one teacher who hands out bathroom passes on the first day of class and says something like, “If you ignore your bladder, you will receive extra credit points at the end of the term.”

Maybe they don’t phrase it like that, but they might as well.

And I can see their point to a certain degree; it could get annoying if the same students are getting up three times a class every day to, “go to the bathroom.”

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However, these kids could be talked to individually if it became a problem.

But I do feel bad for some of the other kids. The kids sitting between a B+ and an A-, wondering if that A- is worth potentially ruining a pair of pants. The kids with the small bladders or weak stomachs. Or the kids who just happened to pass up pizza that day and go to the burrito bar instead.

Focusing on school work when you have to go to the bathroom really badly is both unpleasant and hard to do. And this is high school; even those

students who still find it funny to anonymously chuck milk cartons into the mall are probably mature enough to know when they have to go to the bathroom.

So please trust us with our own bodily functions, instead of giving us limited extra credit bathroom passes and launching a full-scale investigation on us every single time we try to use one.

In other words, do not ask that poor boy how badly he needs to go right in front of the whole class. What do you want him to do, describe his situation in excruciating detail?

Ways to talk yourself out of suspension at HHS

Mr. Lawson dared me to do it Bro, do you even lift?

My mom’s on the school board It’s my birthday though The stalls were full Everyone makes mistakes. Even Kocur.

I was aiming for the garbage I’m tight with Mr. Crockett It’s not what you think... I have dog treats in my car Principal Johnson’s in my mom’s book club

“Ms. Anderson, I’m prairie doggin’ it.”

And even if the boy just responds with, “pretty bad,” the whole class now knows what’s up, and the re-entrance into the classroom will be awkward for everyone.

Apart from being unpleasant, making it hard to do school work, and creating awkward situations, extra credit bathroom passes can also lead to negative health effects. According to a team of health specialists at Columbia University, waiting to go to the bathroom can cause constipation, a weakening of the

immune system, hemorrhoids, and even bladder infections. So in some cases, extra credit bathroom passes bribe students out of good health.

And in the end, my ability to do calculus (or whatever class it may be) has nothing to do with how often I go to the bathroom, so my grade shouldn’t either.

Someone could receive a better grade than me even though we performed equally in the class, which simply isn’t fair.

So teachers, we’re big boys and big girls, and we have been potty trained for quite some time. Please trust us with our

own bowel movements.

Focusing on school work when you have to go to the bathroom really badly is both unpleasant and hard to do.

Should Homecoming be formal?

Vogt votes to formalize the Homecoming dance

By Paul Vogt Staff Reporter Every year, HHS students have had an informal homecoming dance. It has been going on this way for decades.

But is this how the students like it? Maybe it’s time for a change at HHS: a formal homecoming dance.

HHS is the only Lake Conference (Wayzata, Edina, Minnetonka, Hopkins, Eden Prairie) high school that does not have a formal homecoming dance.

Most other schools have a Friday night football game followed by a Saturday night dance. HHS, on the other hand, has a Friday night football game immediately followed by a dance.

Some students don’t mind the informal dance at HHS. “We leave the dressing up for those cake eaters in Edina. We just like to dance,” said Calum Ferguson, senior.

Students like how convenient the informal dance is. “I like it this way. It’s easier and less expensive,” said Miranda Halvorson, senior.

However, many other students wish to have a formal dance. “Every other school does it and it would be a lot of fun,”

said Kyle Johnson, junior.

“You get to look fly and take pictures with your friends,” said Gabe Herstig, junior.

Alex Lehman, a senior at HHS, has had the opportunity to experience Wayzata’s formal homecoming. “I had a lot of fun, even though I wasn’t with all of my friends,” said Lehman.

Lehman is in favor of a formal homecoming at HHS. “I had the time of my life and if Hopkins had one I would definitely be there,” Lehman said.

Even some of the staff would like to see a formal homecoming. “Formals are fun because they put you into a different mindset,” said Mr. Kirk Shoger, Science.

Schools in our conference all have formal dances, and they have some of the best student sections in the state. HHS, on the other hand, is average at best.

Last year, Edina’s away student section was just as big as our homecoming student section.

Maybe if we did it the same way that Edina does it, we would have school spirit like they do.

I recall from last year a senior saying how excited she is for college because no one had any school spirit at HHS and her college did.I’m not saying school

spirit comes with a formal dance, but the numbers don’t lie; students would be happier with a formal dance. It seems like homecoming is just another game followed by a, “dance”. It shouldn’t even be called homecoming because it’s nothing like a real homecoming.

It’s ironic, however, how so many students want a formal dance, but it’s in the students’ power to get a formal dance.

“The more active the students are, the more we can accomplish and we can enjoy HHS,” said Mia Berman, senior Student Council President.

Student Council meets every Wednesday at 7:10am in the Career Center near the mall.

Student Council is the voice of the HHS students and has been working on getting a winter formal. “Personally, I have heard the outcry for more formal dances.

We are working on getting a Sadie Hawkins winter formal dance,” Berman said.

If you want any updates on student council you can follow them on twitter @HHSStudGov. With the help of the students at HHS, we can finally enjoy a formal homecoming dance.

variety 5

the

RPFriday, October 4, 2013

To the Depot and beyond for local musicians

By Austin Oakes Staff Reporter

From playing at The Depot to bars in Minneapolis, this summer has been busy for HHS musicians.

Musicians like Nathan Levin, Sam Ruff, and Jon Lindquist, seniors, are all members of Denim Matriarch, and event planner/ DJ Asher Weisberg, sophomore, have been playing at events including My Music Stores’ guitar toss in Golden Valley, the Depots’ 15-year- anniversary party in Hopkins, and Station Four in Minneapolis.

Denim Matriarch won $600 in a contest while playing at Station Four and used the money to record their first album Mom Blood. Since Denim Matriarch released their album, they’ve played at local venues including the Red Sea in Minneapolis.

“We’ve been having a lot of shows here in the area. We’ve got to meet and play with a lot of new and cool musicians,” Ruff said.

In addition to local shows, Denim Matriarch is scheduled to play at this year’s Minneapalooza, a day of music in Minneapolis filled with local

Nathan Levin and Sam Ruff, seniors, of Denim Matriarch perform at Station Four in Minneapolis during the summer. The band performed songs from their album “Mom Blood”, which was released during the summer, at many local venues.

Photo provided by Alex Tuthill-Preus

artists. They’re also booked for this years’ Infrasound Equinox, a two day music festival in Wisconsin.

Ticket prices range from $10 at Minneapalooza to $125 at Infrasound, but Denim Matriarch is playing the gigs for free.

“It’s honestly just really ex-

citing. Just having the chance to play at these kinds of shows with these kinds of crowds, and just being a high school band, is amazing,” Lindquist said.

Weisberg has been busy with his music this summer, too.

Weisberg is on the Depots’ board of directors. The board

Forever starts now

New yogurt establishment in West End

By Olivia Newman Staff Reporter The Chicago-based frozen yogurt shop, Forever Yogurt, has recently opened for business in the West End Shopping Outlet in St. Louis Park.

Forever Yogurt, which opened in 2010 in Chicago, gained popularity in and around the city. It is a self-serve frozen yogurt shop - the first one ever in Chicago - with over 90 flavors and over 50 toppings, including fresh fruit, candies, and a variety of sauces. This is its first Minnesota franchise.

“I approached the company, and asked them if they wanted to expand to Minnesota. They

were all for it! It was very exciting,” said Ms. Christine Frandsen, owner of the franchise.

The shop is located on the corner of the inner West End. Forever Yogurt features a mural of Minnesotan highlights on the back wall - like the Spoonbridge and Cherry, Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. “I’d describe the atmosphere as fun and youthful. We have these vibrant colors, and an awesome Minnesota painting on the wall. I really like it!” Frandsen said.

The shop attracts large groups of people of many different age groups, from children to teens to adults.

“We have a pretty wide age range. Families like to come in, and then with a movie theatre right across the street. We get a lot of 20-something couples.

And then sometimes the late night crowd comes in. It’s a very vast demographic,” Frandsen said.

Forever Yogurt is very focused on nutrition and health when it comes to their products. Most of the shop’s yogurt varieties are gluten-free, non-fat or low fat.

On September 21, Forever Yogurt held their grand opening event. The shop gave away

coupons for free frozen yogurt for a year to the first 50 customers in line, and Madeline Warshaw, senior, was one of them.

“We had the ACT in the morning and after, for a treat, we wanted to go get frozen yogurt. We got there, and we saw all these people lined up outside with sleeping bags and tents,” said Madeline Warshaw, senior.

The shop makes over 90 frozen yogurt flavors, and features 16 in a rotation every few months, depending on popularity or the season.

The flavors include Gingerbread Man, Cake Batter, Mango Tango, and the popular Dutch Chocolate.

Warshaw was not expecting to win the Froever Yogurt frozen yogurt for a year. “It feels really cool to win! I’m going to get a lot of frozen yogurt,” Warshaw said. “It’s just really random and fun, and we can always go and hang out there.”

Along with its new West End shop, the Forever Yogurt franchise plans to expand to Washington D.C., Maryland, and New York. Even with the company growing bigger, the business still manages to understand the best part of the job: making people happy.

“Come in, and try it once. We have over a trillion yogurt combinations. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!” Frandsen said.

The shop makes over 90 frozen yogurt flavors, and features 16 in a rotation every few months, depending on popularity or the season. The flavors include Gingerbread Man, Cake Batter, Mango Tango, and the popular Dutch Chocolate Photo provided by Creative Commons

plans and runs programs and networks with other groups.

Weisberg has been a member for two years.

“It’s definitely a starting point for a possible career in music, ” Weisberg said, “Through all of the planning, booking, and equipment use, it really gives a

een party.

“With all the cool music coming out of HHS this summer, and with the new class coming this year, it’ll be really cool to see what kind of exciting music happens this year,” Levin said.

taste of how the industry runs.”

Weisberg was one of the seven board members, including five other Hopkins students, in charge of planning and booking artists for the Depot’s 15-yea anniversary party this summer.

This fall, Weisberg is helping plan the Depot annual Hallow-

Something isn’t twerking

By Lily Goldfarb Variety Editor

Stanky Leg, Cat Daddy, and the John Wall have all had their time as dance move phenomenons of the decade.

Twerking is the most recent dancing craze.

“Twerking was pretty popular with the music that was going around: hip-hop. I thought it was pretty casual but then Miley Cyrus kind of changed my opinions of it. It was just overused,” said Lilly Shapiro, sophomore.

For the time period between July 1, 2012 and Sept.

11, 2013 there were 75,000 tweets in North America that mentioned the conflict in Syria. In that same time, 775,000 tweets mentioned twerking, according to data from the FloatingSheep.com.

The popularity of this dance move has been spread through social media.

“They say it’s a hip-hop culture. In my opinion, it’s not a hip-hop culture, it’s a sexual culture,” said Robert O’Hara, hall para.

HHS has not been immune to this trend. “Everybody talks about twerking.

Twerking turns HHS up,” said Gumati Musa, senior.

Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego, California in 2013 suspended over thirty caucasian females for creating a ‘twerking’ video on school grounds. The video was posted on the Internet and went viral.

Twerking has also been a topic of discussion within the HHS community. Jack Martin, sophomore, was first exposed to the dance move at the 2012 HHS pep fest.

“Twerking is inappropriate.

It’s suggestive movement of a sexual area and that’s not the Royal way,” Martin said.

After twerking was brought

to the attention of everyone present at the pep fest, faculty took notice.

“The twerking occurring at the pep fest was inappropriate.

I think they need to get a better hold of the behavior of the students at the pep-fest. It sets a bad example,” O’Hara said.

Other HHS students feel differently about the dance trend. “I don’t think people see it as a bad thing. It’s not frowned upon. At Hopkins, most of the students twerking are caucasian girls trying to imitate things they’ve seen in music videos,” said Faith Suckerman, senior.

Although some describe the twerking as not appropriate for school, others believe it enhances the HHS experience.

“The twerking was contributing to the school spirit at the pep fest last year. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. It’s getting jiggy,” Musa said.

HHS Students Working At...

T H E M I N N E S OTA STAT E FA I R

What are some advantages and disadvantages of working at the Fair?

Grant Girod, junior. Worked at Delicious Potato Skins.

“A disadvantage would probably be the hear, having the same conversation with the customers over and over again, and having to stand for eight hours straight.”

Jake Fieldseth, senior. Worked at French Crepes.

“Some advantages are that you get in for free, you get to know all the good spots, what to do and when to do them.”

Infographic by Anne Goodroad

Drumline

LMPM Students in LMPM spent their summer days drilling songs to perfection for the 2013 HHS Homecoming. They have prepared over 30 songs for the HHS student body. With several more sophomore participants than in the past, LMPM has been working to unify their group and further perfect their music.

LMPM stays put in the stands at both the PepFest and the Homecoming Game, hoping to spread school spirit to all.

Members of the Hopkins Dance Team dedicated much of their summer to learning, training, and perfecting dances for the 20122013 Fall Season. The Hopkins Dance Team regularly practices after school for two hours everyday. For this years PepFest, they are performing a Hip Hop dance and Boy/Girl dance with the HHS Football Team. These two performances required several additional hours after practice whether it was meeting after normal practice, or getting together over the weekend. Along with the performances at Pepfest, the Hopkins Dance Team performed a kick routine during halftime at the Homecoming football game.

Dance

Marching in single file, the HHS Drumline proudly looked up at their classmates as they performed on the field. Along with every other year, the HHS drumline played Cadences at the pepfest. At the game, they played a feature piece which included new music. The piece for the homecoming game was received about six weeks ago, and has been practiced and perfected since then. To prepare for homecoming day, Drumline members held an additional day of practice each week; one of which took place on the football field.

With a delayed start to the season practice time, the HHS Cheerleaders showcase their skills on homecoming da to a remix of “Roar� by Katy Perry for and the game. The HHS cheerleaders h prepare for their dance. In the past, the had more time to prepare for their ho mances and have had a JV squad and a homecoming and for the 2013-14 seas ers are performing as one varsity team.

Cheerleading

Royal Sound-off Favorite memory about homecoming “My favorite part of homecoming was the pep fest and hanging out with my friends at the game.”

Elle Anderson, junior

“My favorite part of homecoming was when the game was finally over because we were losing by a lot.”

Aaron Boone, sophomore

“My favorite part of homecoming was being with my class and cheering with my friends.”

Nicole Dewitz, sophomore

Royal Court

n and very limited s still managed to ay. They performed r both the pep fest had five practices to e cheerleaders have omecoming perfora varsity squad. For son, the Cheerlead-

The senior class voted Austin Oakes and Margaret Jenny as homecoming king and queen.

The other candidates for king were Jasper Johnson, Jae Bates, Justin Tran and Tim Bergeland.

The other candidates for queen were Ali Freie, Jessica Ewing, Madeline Malat, and Kaylee Grunseth. The official duke and dutchess went to Nathan Anderson and Josie Brott. Finally, the prince and princess went to Jacob Smith and Molly Block.

The Football Team lost their homecoming game to the Wayzata Trojans in a 40-14 defeat. The game started off with an interception returned for a touchdown by Andy Aune, sophomore, and after the extra-point was made Hopkins was up 7-0. Kevion McDonald, junior, scored the other touchdown with 6:17 left in the fourth quarter. This was Luke Hill’s, junior, first varsity game starting at quarterback. Hill broke his hand in the third quarter making him the third HHS quarterback to go down with an injury this season. Earlier in the season, Tyler Lee, junior , was injured with a broken collar bone and second-string quarterback, Oscar Johnson, sophomore, broke his ankle. Hill toughed it out and decided to play the rest of the game.

“My favorite part of homecoming was getting rowdy in the stands with my fellow seniors.”

Michael Lieberman, senior

Football

“The dance was awesome.”

Isaac Nagel, sophomore

“I enjoyed getting ready with my friends.”

Valeria Moreno, senior

By Alex Felemovicius C-Spread Editor

Photos by Roxanne Krietzman and Maddie Malat

RPFriday, October 4, 2013

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8 feature The Royal Page 2013-2014

Editors in Chief Naomi Borowsky Josh Gallop

Front Page Editor Joe Greene

C-Spread Editor Alex Felemovicius

News Editor

Peppers from the Project Focus Garden. The club donated over 100 pounds of vegetables throughout the summer to those in need.

Ellie Maag

Photo provided by Elayna Shapiro

Opinion Editor Ryland Dorshow

Feature Editors Phoebe Cohen Callan Showers

Project Focus members harvesting vegetables at their South Hopkins plot. This garden was planted for the summer of 2013 to grow food for those in need in the Minneapolis area.

Photo provided by Elayna Shapiro

Project Focus is continuing to grow

Variety Editor

The year-old club is making impacts in the local community

Sports Editors

By Isabel Hall Staff Reporter

Lily Goldfarb

Eli Badower Hillary Donovan

Back Page Editor Tobie Soumekh

Photo Editor

Roxanne Krietzman

Business Editors

Kyle Makey Brian Yu

Web Editor in Chief Sam Hromatka

Staff Reporters Hannah Boggess Will Cohen Zach Condon Haley DenHartog Anne Goodroad Isabel Hall Imann Hodleh Juilia Jallo Sam Kaminsky Bradley Kaplan Ruby Krietzman Josh Margolis Erik A. Nelson Olivia Newman Austin Oakes Lucy Pierro Dan Sheldon Asia Snetter Jacob Ungerman Paul Vogt Isabella Weisman

Club members, seeds, and some dirt. That’s all Project Focus needed to produce over 100 pounds of food for people in need this past summer.

Project Focus donated freshly grown vegetables to the Intercongregation Communities Association’s (ICA) Grow and Give program.

Project Focus is an HHS

club that centers projects around social and economic justice. Last summer, the club decided to take on the challenge of planting a garden.

“You always hear about people going to Feed My Starving Children, or donating cans to ICA, but nobody has really thought about growing their own food to donate,” said Meg Jenny, senior and club member.

Tonkadale Greenhouse, a

neighborhood garden center, donated all of the plants and seeds to the club as part of their partnership with ICA. “They gave us way more than we expected so we ended up having to pile all of the plants into the back of my car,”said Elayna Shapiro, senior and club member.

The club started planning for the garden last spring and planted everything by June of this

justice.

Palmer is a member ofMinds Matter, an ACT and SAT preparatory group that allows participants to attend college offered programs. Palmer chose Northwestern University because it interested her most.

“I have always been interested in history. It first started with African American history and then it went from there and has always been a subject I have been strong in,” Palmer said.

The seminar lectured on the reasons mass killings occur during civil wars, why other countries have doubts about genocides, and the prevention of future genocides.

Palmer stayed in a dorm for

her two week stay.

“At Northwestern, my roommate was from Jordan and she knew everything that was happening in France, in Africa, she knew because that’s their culture,” Palmer said.

By meeting new people, Palmer’s views on the United States were put into perspective.

“In America we are very isolated from the world. We know of things, but we really don’t know. In our culture, we know about our government and things that concern us,” Palmer said.

The IN FOCUS seminar included students from all around the world and and from different backgrounds.

year. The plants weren’t ready to harvest until the middle of the summer. The club members tried to help harvest every other day, sometimes every day when there was little rain.

“It’s a tremendous amount of work, but it is so much fun,” Jenny said.

The necessary jobs to keep the garden running include planting, weeding, and watering the plants. Nine Mile Creek ran along side the garden, which was their built-in water source for watering.

Group members took on the garden project to help people in need of food in an environmentally friendly way.

“We wanted to incorporate some Earth Club ideas so we

didn’t use any pesticides, and we used organic compost and fish fertilizer,” Shapiro said.

The club has two plots of vegetables, both located in south Hopkins, until the end of October. However, they’re already thinking about doing the project next summer as well.

“A bunch of 17-year-olds trying to run a garden was kind of difficult, but it worked out, and definitely exceeded our expectations,” Jenny said.

Project Focus started in the fall of 2012. The group meets in HHS every Friday at 7 a.m.

“Project Focus has attracted such a cool group of people because everybody is really motivated and eager to get stuff done,” said Shapiro.

“Most of the kids are very wealthy. Their parents went to Harvard and then went to Columbia for law. It was interesting because my background is not that at all,” Palmer said.

The social aspect of the seminar was a challenge at first.

The students did not know each other before the seminar, but by the end, left like family.

“We all meshed really well, surprisingly. It showed that we are all interested and passionate about one thing,” Palmer said.

In August, Palmer went to a conference at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, through a nonprofit organization called World Without Genocide. The focus of this

conference was human trafficking and genocide.

“Ms. [Kim] Campbell [Social Studies at WJH] referred me to World Without Genocide and that’s when I realized that this was something that I could actually pursue and that people are thinking about these things,” Palmer said.

Palmer describes herself as a very realistic person. In a perfect world, she would go into a career involving Global Justice and Humanitarianism. Palmer hopes to continue learning about this subject.

“I will have involvement. I will have influence. Hopefully, it will always be a discussion point for me,” Palmer said.

Palmer explores her passion at Northwestern University

By Ruby Krietzman Staff Reporter

While some students spent their summer at the beach, Jaelynne Palmer, junior, traveled to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, to attend a program focused on Global Justice and Humanitarianism.

“I have always been interested in understanding people’s suffering. As I got older, I noticed a trend and I wanted to understand the trend, so that’s probably where the interest sparked,” said Palmer.

The IN FOCUS Seminar is designed for high school students who are interested in humanitarian issues, comparative history, Africa, or trans-national

MEET THE 2013-2014 ROYAL PAGE EDITORS!

Adviser

Mr. Kocur The editorial represtents the opinion of the newspaper staff.

Views expressed are not necessarily those of the administration, the student body or the advisor.

Signed viewpoints represent the view of the writer. The Royal Page operates as an open forum student publication, and student editors make editorial decisions regarding content.

Co-News Editor: Joe Greene “Kocur-Puffs, Kocur-Cola, Kocur”

Co- News Editor: Ellie Maag “Keep on keeping on”

Co-Business Editor: Brian Yu “Just Yu It”

Co-Business Editor: Kyle Makey “Hakuna Matata”

Co-Editor In Co-Editor In Chief: Chief: Josh Naomi Borowsky Gallop “You can’t be young “Long live the forever but you can King” always be immature”

Opinion Editor: Ryland Dorshow “Why is there a hole in my eye?”

Advertising information available by mail, fax and phone Annual Subscriptions are available for $20.

The Royal Page encourages letters to the editor. Letters are not guaranteed publication, are subject to editing for content and length, must be signed and meet deadlines.

Compliments and

Co-Sports Editor: Hillary Donovan “Home is where you park it. #campvibes”

Co-Sports Editor: Eli Badower “Put in Hroms”

Photo Editor: Roxanne Krietzman “My sister is Beyoncé”

Variety Editor: Lily Goldfarb “Golf Wang”

Co-Feature Co-Feature Editor: Phoebe Editor: Callan Cohen Showers “In Omnia “Bears. Beats.

Paratus” Battlestar gallactica.”

C-spread Editor: Alex Felemovicius “Nobody does it like a Mexi-Jew”

Back page Editor: Tobie Soumekh “What you see is what you get”

Web Editor In Chief: Sam Hromatka “#PROJECTHROMS”

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RPFriday, October 4, 2013

Love prevails for students, staff, and families affected by marriage law

By Phoebe Cohen and Callan Showers Feature Editors For some HHS students, staff, and families, a narrow seven votes meant the right to marry whomever they love. On May 13th, 2013, a bill was passed to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota.

On Saturday, September 21, 2013, Ms. Melissa Brooks, ELL, married Shari Seifert, her partner of 20 years, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

“We decided to do it big.

It was a big church wedding,” Brooks said. “It was really really really cool. My family came, all of my siblings came. We had about 200 people, about 50 kids.

The whole shebang.”

Preceding the law, Brooks and Seifert were very active in LGBT activism, both for the “Vote No” amendment in 2012 and the “Vote Yes” law this summer. Their hard work gave them a sense of accomplishment at their wedding.

“We wanted to have a big recognition of our right to do it, but also everybody’s right, and to kind of celebrate the whole thing,” Brooks said.

Gabe Daitzman, senior, advocated for LGBT rights in his

own way.

“I advocated through personal interaction where it was more that I was willing to have a conversation with anyone if they ever wanted to have it, and I’d always be open to talking about it, expressing my views, telling people why I had those views, and having a real conversation,” Daitzman said.

The day after Brooks’ wedding, Pablo Alguindigue, senior, also attended a wedding. His two dads, who have been together for 22 years, seized the opportunity to get married.

“The best way I can put an analogy to it is like when you’re in a different country, and you have that one day to shop. You go and if you see something, you have to get it then because you’re never going to go back. You’re never going to find something like it again. So when it’s there, take your chance,” Alguindigue said.

Alguindigue’s community has always been supportive of his family. Six of his best friends attended the wedding.

“All my friends are very supportive of my family and it’s not because [my parents] are gay, it’s just because they’re very genuine people,” Alguindigue said.

Minneapolis has one of the largest LGBT populations in the country, which many, including Brooks, feel creates a culture of acceptance.

“Here at the high school I feel fine being out, and don’t have to hide a legal marriage.

I think it’s really important for kids who are questioning their own sexuality to see more and more that it’s okay, that they don’t need to be scared or afraid or sad or depressed because of that,” Brooks said.

Elliot Glaser-Leder, junior, has two dads who are not getting married because they were already married in Canada in 2003. However, to Glaser-Leder’s family, the new law was a source of pride and happiness.

“They were proud when the bill was passed because they’re seeing change,” Glaser-Leder said.

The same was true for Daitzman.

“I was really excited, personally. It’s kind of cool to think that it’s our generation that passed these laws and were alive to see this historic law being passed,” Daitzman said.

Glaser-Leder hopes more people will get married and embrace their sexuality.

Brooks and Seifert dance at their wedding. The couple was married on Saturday, September 21, 2013.

Photo provided by Melissa Brooks

“I think maybe more people will come out because they feel more comfortable now that the bill was passed,” Glaser-Leder said.

Brooks has used her marriage and the passing of the law as an opportunity to start conversations with her class.

“I work with kids from lots of different cultures and religions who’ve more recently come to

New student clubs spring up this fall New Club Profiles The Royal Page highlights four new student clubs.

Infographic by Isabella Weisman

SPOTLIGHT SCHOLAR

Clubs allow students to discover their passions

By Isabella Weisman Staff Reporter HHS students are forming new clubs to do what they love and help the community discover their passions.

All clubs have been approved by the administration through an application process which involves filling out the application form and figuring out the details of how the club will be run. The purpose of the club also has to be adequate and relevant to HHS for a stamp of approval.

Below are a few of the new clubs this year. However, as the year progresses, new clubs will continue to form and be approved so continue to check the HHS website for others Other clubs that have been running at HHS in the past are continuing to succeed with new plans for this year.

Earth Club is run by Tessa Ruff and Sophia Showalter, se-

niors.

Earth Club’s mission is to help people realize how polluting the environment affects lives, how pollution will affect our future, and what can be done to stop global warming.

This year, they will discuss new projects that could be done around the community to become green. They will go on cleanups around HHS as well as take field trips to power plants or water treatment centers.

AGAPE Christian Club is run by Kristina Myankova, junior, and Alex Loewen, senior.

AGAPE’s mission is to encourage other Christians at HHS during the year, build strong relationships with each other and foster their relationship with God. This year, they will have discussions about a topic or a Bible verse, have a prayer time, and worship together.

The Royal Page will be publishing the administration’s Royal List. Each month, Mr. Tyson Crockett, Academic Dean of students, will recognize an honors student who has achieved academic success through hard work, a positive mindset, and whose character and values merit excellence at Hopkins High School.

On being the first Spotlight Scholar: “I feel great! The year has just started and I feel like I’m off to a great start.”

Her favorite class class: “AP world with Ms. Temple last year.”

Nyjee Arradando, Senior

Ms. Temple on Nyjee Nyjee: “She is a hardworking, thorough student. I was proud to be her teacher. I see a successful future for her.”

the United States, and probably didn’t grow up thinking this was even existing in the world. So I talked to them about it,” Brooks said.

Brooks and Seifert had a commitment ceremony 16 years ago. However, because Brooks and her spouse had been together so long, and their families had already meshed, the wedding was that much more special.

To Brooks, the wedding did not symbolize a change in her relationship. It symbolized a change in the world.

“It feels more real in the eyes of the bigger world, not bigger in my own heart,” Brooks said.

At Brooks’ wedding, a toast was made, summing up the way same-sex couples and supporters felt all around Minnesota: “It’s the new normal.”

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @theroyalpage LIKE US ON FACEBOOK! ‘Hopkins Royal Page’

RPFriday, October 4, 2013

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10 sports

Boy-elles show their moves

By Eli Badower Sports Editor

The pepfest is as much a part of homecoming as the football game itself. One of the largest aspects of the pepfest is the dance with both the football and dance teams.

25 football players are paired up with the 25 members of the dance team that attend the high school to perform a dance choreographed by the seniors on the dance team.

While the dancers try to help the football players feel comfortable, the football players are still out of their element.

“When the guys do their solo section, it’s really funny just because they don’t have the dance experience so watching them learn the moves and try to pull them off is pretty great,” said Sedona Timm, senior.

While this may be entertaining for the dancers, it can be nerve wracking for the football players. Matt Parker, senior, performed last year at the pepfest and felt some predance jitters.

“It was scary. I thought people were going to laugh at me last year, but then I realized that the whole idea was for

people to laugh at me so I just went out there and had a good time,” Parker said.

The experience is not only fun for the football players, but also the dancers.

“It is definitely one of the more fun things we do. Competitions are fun, but it’s always a fun experience to do the boy girl dance,” said Sydney Rosenzweig, senior.

“I love it. The boy girl dance is under dancing at state for me, but it’s even above conference meets. It’s always a lot of fun,” Timm said.

While seeming simple and fun on the surface, a lot of work goes into planning the dance.

The teams meet up for four, two-hour practices leading up to the pepfest. In addition, the seniors on the dance team are responsible for choreographing the dance, while the captains make the pairings.

“It’s usually based off of age.

If you’re a sophomore you’re in the back line, and juniors and seniors are in the front two lines. Normally we try to put partners together based on age, and we try to take suggestions but sometimes it doesn’t work out,” Timm said.

The dance has also created

Top: (From left) Grant Bremer, senior, Luke Hill, junior, and Tommy Tomlinson, senior, make up a line during the dance on Friday. 25 football players participated in the dance.

Right: Matt Parker, senior, flexes at the beginning of the dance. Parker danced at the pepfest last year as well.

Photos By Roxy Krietzman a good-natured competition between the football players over who is the best dancer. The consensus among the football players is that they are each the best

dancer, but Zy Mosley, junior, is the second best.

“By far I’m the best dancer on the team. Zy’s good but he’s the second best dancer on the team,”

said Harry Momoh, junior.

Regardless of who is really the best dancer, the football players were excited to dance in front of the homecoming crowd.

“I’m looking forward to shaking my booty, showing off my moves, and showing to the entire school what I can do,” Momoh said.

Juniors show glimpse into the future for football team

Last season, the HHS football team was led by a large number of seniors. This year, the lack of seniors has forced underclassmen to step into large roles.

By Daniel Sheldon Staff Reporter With only one win this season against a struggling Apple Valley team, shifting from a senior heavy team last year to a junior heavy team this year has created some challenges for the HHS football team.

There are only 23 seniors rostered on Varsity/JV out of 107 players in all. Adjusting to varsity right away has brought challenges for the underclassmen.

“They don’t really know the

game speed of varsity because they aren’t use to that level,” said Terrance Bowers, senior.

Not only has the inexperience of the new plays affected results this year, but the lack of experience the underclassmen bring is also a challenge.

“A lot of them are not used to the varisty level, and don’t know what it takes to win, so that is a struggle,” Bowers said.

Inexperience on the team has also lead to a lot of penalties this year. It has hurt the team in crunch time situations multiple times this season.

“I just think they are a little too excited out there and don’t think through things sometimes,” John DenHartog, coach, said.

More underclassmen were forced to join the fold when starting quarterback Tyler Lee, junior, was injured in the second game of the season.

“We’ve had a couple injuries that have hurt us a little bit but our kids are resilient and continue to work hard and have a good attitude. I believe we are going to continue to improve,” DenHartog said.

Martin’s teammates are extremely supportive of her, despite the fact that she is across the street at NJH. “Whatever we do we always do it as a team, so she’s always included. We always wait for her because she comes from the Jr. High, and we give her rides places,” Samantha said.

Martin has not only emerged as an important player, but also as a leader.

“Leadership is shown in a couple different ways, one is the ability for a player to take over and dominate a match, and she certainly has done that. Our win

against Roseville was a really tough fought battle, and she carried us at very crucial moments,” Vicki said.

Although Martin is already a strong player, there is still room for improvement in certain areas. Her coach is looking for Martin to become a more vocal player on the court.

“She’s evolving and developing into a more vocal player but I think that will just come with her comfort level and age and just more game experience,” Vicki said.

Martin knows the challenges of participating in two varsity

However, relying on so many juniors is not all negative. Playing many underclassmen also provide advantages, both athletically and competitively, for the Royals.

“They are always excited and energetic and always wanting to give it their all. They’re just out there trying to get the job done so they can play,” said Andre Chisley, senior captain.

A key strength of the team as a whole is speed at skill positions. Shaheed Hickman, senior, DT Williams, junior, Bowers, and Harry Momoh, junior, bring

Martin “jazzes” up the team MARTIN Continued from page 1

“She’s really helped our team, she’s like the go to hitter.

She carries the offense,” said Samantha.

Martin instantly impressed the coaches.

“Jazz is a really good athlete and she has great physical size and stands out, but she’s also very skilled for such a young age and we immediately knew the first day in the gym she would help out our varsity team,” Vicki said.

sports, and has a routine so she can get everything done and still have a social life.

“I always try to do my homework as soon as I get it so I don’t have to rush and do it the night before it’s due, and whenever I can hang out with my friends like on the weekends, I do,” Martin said.

Despite the fact that Martin already plays a big role on the team, she still has room to grow in her next three years at HHS. “She’s already really good, so I can’t imagine how good she’s going to be in the future,” said Sierra Zellmer, senior captain.

quickness to key positions, creating mismatches for the Royals.

“I think we have some excellent runners and some incredible team speed and we need to try our best to utilize those guys.

Last year I don’t think we were as dynamic as far as team speed, we are trying to find ways to get those guys the ball and get them into open space so they can show their stuff,” DenHartog said.

As a junior captain, Momoh does everything he can to be a positive role model to his whole team, especially his own class.

“I just keep myself up. If you’re looking down and sad on

the field then it rubs off on the other players, so you don’t want that. You gotta keep going, even if you’re sad or make a bad play, just gotta keep going,” Momoh said.

Despite having a junior heavy team, the coaches and players are looking to have the best season possible and are not looking to the future just yet. “[The future] is something I’ll think about after the season is over. We are really concentrating on have the best year right now. Right now I’m proud of our guys and proud of our effort,” DenHartog said.

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RPFriday, October 4, 2013

Football team tries new offense

By William Cohen Staff Reporter As the HHS varsity football team prepared to play against conference rival Minnetonka, coaches and players studied the ways of the wildcat offense.

“For me, it’s not difficult at all, but for other players I think it’s hard for them to get the hang of the new offense,” said DT Williams, junior.

The wildcat offense is a recently created style first practiced by the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. The Dolphins wanted to come up with a way to take advantage of running

back Ronnie Brown’s unique skillset, as he played quarterback in high school.

The wildcat offense puts a skill position player, usually a wide receiver or running back, at quarterback. However, instead of running traditional passing plays, it shifts to more running plays. These include standard quarterback runs, reverses, and handoffs.

However, no professional or major college football team has ever attempted the wildcat as such a large part of the offense.

The Royals were running wildcat plays for the majority of their offense. This change

came after injuries to the Royals starting and backup quarterbacks, Tyler Lee, junior, and Oscar Johnson, sophomore.

Making such an extreme change two weeks before their first game has brought challenges.

“It was hard for the offensive line to a adapt to the changes in terms of blocking and pass protection. Now that we’ve had some practices, it’s starting to really come together up front,” said Harry Momoh, junior captain.

The Royals standard, drop back quarterback style of offense is a polar opposite to the

Seniors set tone for boys soccer

“As a running back, it’s hard for me to play without Tyler because I have been playing behind him since the eighth grade. I block for him, and he sets me up for positive runs,” Momoh said.

As the Hopkins coaching staff prepared their players for the switch, practices and film sessions were extended to practice and analyze the complex system. Also, all the activities that the team went through regularly were intensified by a large degree.

Although the wildcat is a tough concept to get a hold of, it can be exceptionally rewarding because of the big time plays

This month’s preview

that it creates within it’s plays.

The wildcat offense had instilled confidence within the team that they can improve despite the multiple injuries at quarterback.

“We have a tough schedule coming up but we are definitely getting better and we can put more points on the board,” Williams said.

However, the wildcat offense was an one week experiment for the Royals, who are switching back to their original offense after losing 35-0 to Minnetonka.

Lee is expected to return tonight in the game against Medford (Wisconsin).

Spotlight Athlete

@ Girls Volleyball 10/10/13

By Erik A. Nelson Staff Reporter For the first time in a few years, the boys varsity soccer team is mostly seniors.

Tim Bergeland, senior captain, is optimistic about the team.

“We have a great sophomore and junior class, and there are some really talented players that are playing with us this year,” Bergeland said.

Although there is a large amount of upperclassmen, the team gets along well.

“The sophomores and juniors, along with being great players, are very sociable.

They’re able to work into the team chemistry very well,” Bergeland said.

Having so many seniors on the team, the seniors set an example for the underclassmen.

“I mentor my teammates by keeping everyone positive, and I encourage people to work hard and do their best. If they make mistakes, I encourage them to keep trying,” Bergeland said.

One of the younger players seniors mentor is Brandon Speich, sophomore.

wildcat. It’s the type of translation that can make certain players feel uncomfortable and unhappy about the their new role on the team.

“The wideouts prefer the old standard drop back offense compared to the wildcat because they want to get the ball,” Momoh said.

The wildcat requires different players to take snaps under center. Players on the offensive side of the ball have to create chemistry with one another to form a smooth flowing offense.

In addition, the injuries at quarterback have affected the overall morale of the team.

In the final game of the regular season, the volleyball team will attempt to build momentum heading into sections.

Player to watch: Samantha Swenson, junior. The third year captain looks to set the Royals off to victory.

@ Girls Swim and Dive 10/12/13 Last conference meet of the season against Minnetonka. Last time they competed against Minnetonka, they lost.

Swimmer to watch: Kate Glover, freshman. Kate went to state last year, and is one of the strongest younger girls on the team.

Pablo Alguindigue, senior, dribbles the ball up the field.

Alguindigue is one of many seniors on the varsity soccer team this year.

Photo By Roxy Krietzman “The seniors are hard workers. Most of them are positive and are ready to help us out.

They’re teaching us how to beat tough teams,” Speich said.

Last year, the team finished with a record of four wins, 10 losses, and one tie. This year they team tied Edina three to three earlier this season, with

Edina being ranked number one in the state.

“I think it’s wonderful that we have 13 seniors on the team.

With that experience, we need to prove a few things on the field,” said Justin Hegre, head coach.

@

Name: Rae Bullinger Grade: 12 Sports: Girls Swim and Dive Athletic Idol: Katie Ledecky

Boys Soccer 10/4/13 Tonight the boys soccer team will take on Blake at home. This is the last game of the regular season before sections.

Player to watch: Paul Klappa, junior. He is starting midfielder, and is instrumental in executing the Royals’ gameplan.

Favorite Memory: “My favorite memory is when I competed in the U.S. Open.”

Pre Meet Snack: “Strawberry applesauce and ritz crackers, sometimes saltine crackers.”

Transferring athletes deal with regulations

By Hillary Donovan Sports Editor In the state of Minnesota, there are about 85,000 students that will participate in school sports. Every year about 5,000 of those students will transfer between schools and play for other teams.

According to Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) rules, if an athlete transfers schools, without moving they must sit-out an entire year of varsity sports, or play at a non-varsity level. Although these rules exist, it does not always stop students from changing schools and playing for different schools.

Rubysummer Lord-More-

land, junior, came to HHS this year from Minneapolis Southwest High School.

“I didn’t really move for sports. I moved more for academics, but it kind of all fell into place,” said Lord-Moreland.

Lord-Moreland plays for the girls varsity volleyball team at HHS. “Hopkins had great fans and everyone is really enthusiastic about every sport versus my old school. Volleyball wasn’t that great of a sport at Minneapolis Southwest,” Lord-Moreland said.

The rules about transferring athletes were put into place because MSHSL wanted

to restrict and prevent athletic transfers and ensure competitive equality amongst schools.

Dan Johnson, Athletic Director, worked on the committee to create these rules.

“There used to be rules where a student would get one free move from the time you started ninth grade. Before that it was you could change schools as long as you did it in the summertime,” said Johnson. “There were a bunch of quirky rules where you could be eligible as a freshman at one school, and the next summer you went to a different school but didn’t move and you could be eligible there too, and those rules weren’t working very well.”

There are exceptions to the rules. If a student changes schools because of an adoption, abandonment, death of a parent, or moving from a private school to a public school because of financial reasons, they are allowed to play on a varsity team. Other than those few exceptions, an athlete that changes schools is not allowed to play at the varsity level. “ I don’t think its ever a good idea to switch schools just for athletic purposes. Some families are just really into a particular school because of an IB program or an immersion program or something academic. No one will ever say, ‘oh we’re just moving to be on

the soccer at this school, or the baseball team on that school, but the reality is that athletic reasons is the only reason they left,” Johnson said.

Keyshawn Morgan, junior, also came to HHS this year. Unlike Lord-Moreland, Morgan didn’t move houses, preventing him from playing varsity football.

“The main influence of the switch was my dad. I guess I transferred because it just seemed right. It was a really hard decision to switch schools considering I used to go to Minnetonka,” Morgan said.

Once a student switches schools, they must sit out of varsity play for an entire cal-

endar year of enrollment. At HHS there is an average between 10-30 transfers each year, compared to other schools in the Lake Conference, some having 30-50 transfers each year.

“We are light this year on transfers. We have had around ten this years at Hopkins. I think the rules have curved some of the ridiculous movement, but if people really want to make a move happen, it’s a big commitment from their entire family, and sometimes they make it. If people have the ware and the finances to do what it takes to beat the rules, than they can do it, and they can beat the system,” Johnson said.

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RPFriday, October 4, 2013

Hoping to attend University of Pennsylvania, Alec Weissman, senior, participated in the Wharton Sports Business Academy this summer. While living on campus for a month, Weissman attended class everyday, explored the college, and met people from China, Japan, and Africa.

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Alec Weissman

Not only did Weissman learn about the sports and entertainment business, but he also learned about himself. “It made me want to become better because the people there were so smart, and I felt like I had a lot of competition,” Weissman said.

Although HHS is diverse, Weissman experienced a new type of diversity at UPenn.

“Insightful” After living in Ghana for five years, Celine Bartels-Mills, junior, moved to the United States. This summer she returned and reconnected with her home country after being away for nine years.

Footprints

of Summer 2013 The Royal Page asked HHS students to share their summer experiences.

The flipflops highlight how the featured students would describe their summer in one word.

“After participating in, ‘Gopher Business’ this summer, I can see my future in the business career, and I also discovered many new career paths.”

- Katherine Swenson, junior

In Ghana, Bartels-Mills spent time with her family, volunteered at a preschool, and visited the beach. While these experiences were fun for Bartels-Mills, visiting the Cape Coast Castle gave her an emotional connection to her culture.

Bartels-Mills witnessed the original dungeons and cannons at the Castle where slaves were exported from. “It was really awesome, but really creepy because you could feel the chills of the people who died there, and there’s something in your heart that gets really heavy,” Bartels-Mills said. “Experiencing that with my family brought us closer, and it also brought me closer to where I’m from by helping me understand what actually happened at that time.”

“I helped families in Mexico by bringing food to their houses.”

- Mia Atlas, sophomore

“I spent my summer in Poland and Israel exploring my Jewish Identity.”

- Zoe Mosow, junior

Bartels-Mills’ visit to Ghana allowed her to see the world in a new way. “Because of this experience, I am now going to try to embrace my culture and be more culturally aware of other people’s backgrounds. I’m going to try to not judge people based on stereotypes because I realized that everyone goes through hard things,” Bartels-Mills said.

When Anne Meisner, junior, attended Blue Lake music camp last summer in Michigan, she was oblivious to the opportunities it would present to her for this summer.

At Blue Lake, Meisner auditioned for the International Youth Symphony Orchestra. Meisner was accepted into the Orchestra as a violinist and traveled to Germany this summer with the group.

For a month, Meisner visited six different German cities with other talented musicians.

The Orchestra played in different concerts three times a week. “I really liked playing in the Golden Hall which is the place where they suspect Mozart was playing as a young child,” Meisner said.

In addition to becoming a better violinist, Meisner was also able to experience a different culture. “[Their culture] is so similar to ours, but at the same time there are a lot of differences,” Meisner said. “They all dress better, and their attitude towards life is much more informed.”

Celine Bartels-Mills visits the site of the construction of a house in Ghana. Bartels-Mills observed Ghana culture, including their house structures.

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By Tobie Soumekh Back Page Editor Photos courtesy of each respective student

Anne Meisner, junior, reads her music in the “little” Golden Hall in Augsburg, Germany. Meisner played two diffeerent sets of music at this concert.

Anne Meisner

Celine Bartels-Mills

“When I was in France this summer, people were really polite and not as in your face as American people, which was a really nice change.”

- Claire Benton, sophomore

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“This summer I helped out at a teen program, Treehouse.”

- Brittany Johnson, sophomore

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Alec Weissman, senior, gives a presentation for his team’s business plan. Weissman’s team presented their revolutionary shoe idea, “Solkix.”

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“[The program] made me realize the importance of diversity and how I will have to deal with it when I get a job,”Weissman said. “The difference between the diversity at Hopkins and the diversity at Penn is at Penn everyone has a different background instead of all being from Minnesota and growing up in the same area.

At Penn, I got to interact with kids from so many different places and backgrounds.”