The Royal Page Print Edition: Volume 37 Issue 5

HOPKINS HIGH SCHOOL 2400 LINDBERGH DRIVE MINNETONKA, MN 55305

FEBUARY 11, 2019 VOLUME 37, ISSUE 5 hopkinsrp.org

RP. the royal page

Students and teachers adjust to new reality on homework and grading policies

INSIDE

The amount of homework given per night and the grading technique for each class varies. This has sparked discussion surrounding what the best methods are.

In-Depth pages 6 & 7

NEWS 2 FEATURE 4 IN-DEPTH 6 OPINION 8 SPORTS 10 VARIETY 12

DECA officers, Noah Zaroff and Sam Segelbaum, hold mental health fundraiser to 'Break the Stigma' Zaroff and Segelbaum reached their goal of $3,000, which will be donated to the school's mental health resources.

Zoe Roemhildt Staff Reporter

Photo provided by Noah Zaroff

Asher Kahn, senior, talks with guest speaker, Gabrielle Fitzgerald, from myHealth, at the 'Break the Stigma' fundraiser. Fitzgerald was one of the many guests invited to talk about mental health.

Stress of rushed finals add up Josh Friedman Staff Reporter Finals are a staple part of the American education system. HHS has a system where the first semester does not officially end until two weeks after winter break ends.

This system is in place due to the high stress experienced across the student body, with teachers assigning work as well as students having to study over the break. Many students have problems with this and would like to see change in the winter break system, but that change is harder than just moving the end of the term to before break.

Many of these issues spawn from the timing of break and the holidays. In order to properly time winter break to surround Christmas and New Years, the break must happen after approximately 85 days of school, or half of the required 170 day classroom time limit for Minn. schools. This fact is

something that students, like Jacob Kampf, senior, are fine with.

“Even though I’d rather not have all of my difficult finals right after break, I’d much rather spend the holidays with my family,” Kampf said. “Besides, the break is just some extra time to study before the big tests.”

Since the school is required to begin classes before Labor Day, one suggestion to fix the problem is simply to start school earlier. Schools in the South have started beginning in August, such as some schools in Atlanta, Ga. which start as early as Aug. 5.

While this would solve the issue of winter break before finals, it would also bring its own problems to the table, such as students that attend a sleepaway camp over the summer returning after school starts.

continued on pg. 3

News

Mental illness is much more prevalent than one may expect.

In America, it is estimated that 1 in 5 people will develop a mental illness in their lifetime.

1 in 20 of those often severely impact at least one major aspect of their life.

A large amount of the population struggling with mental illness are teens in high school.

Many teens do not feel like they have a safe resource or outlet to confide in about mental health.

“During the school year, I feel stressed, tired, and overwhelmed. I know I can talk to teachers, but I don’t feel close enough to them. I feel like if

I talked to a teacher about my mental illness, they would either do nothing or get too involved,” said Jared Grossman, senior.

Evidence suggests that factors increasing the likelihood of treatment avoidance or delay before presenting for care include lack of knowledge to identify features of mental illnesses, ignorance about how to access treatment, prejudice against people who have mental illness, and expectation of discrimination against people with a medical diagnosis.

“I feel as if my teachers don’t care about mental illness or stability as much as they do if you’re getting your work done or not. I told my teachers about my struggles with sleep, which made it much harder to get my

work done, and they were unwilling to give me extensions,” said Amaya Pena, junior. “I feel that they think differently of me, like I’m just being lazy.”

In 2018, the school received a grant to create the Wellness Center; a place for students to go for support and resources surrounding mental illness, or just everyday issues. Unfortunately, it was averaged that only 15 of the over 1,500 students were reaching out for help.

When Noah Zaroff, senior, went to speak with the wellness center staff about the usage, he was told that there was only one person signed up for that day.

continued on pg. 4

Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed looks to set a vision with newly designed Gifted and Talented Program Sam Leervig Staff Reporter Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, superintendent, set a new vision for the school district when she was hired. Her vision is not for Hopkins Schools to just be great, but rather on a worldclass level of education.

In her quest to achieve world class, she has begun to redesign multiple aspects of education within the district.

One of her newest visions was to rebuild the Gifted and Talented program.

“The Gifted and Talented program helped me really propel my learning in elementary school,” said Penn Sagedahl, senior. “Back then, it was just called challenge math and reading, but it got me around students that were more at my level and worked me harder than my standard classes.”

The Gifted and Talented

programs at Hopkins Schools are designed to allow students who are further ahead in certain subjects to flourish. Students are placed in an environment that allows them to learn better at their own, quicker pace.

“Hopkins is moving from great to world class,” said Ms. Karen Terhaar, Director of Teaching and Learning. “Our current programming is great, and we know that it can be even better to provide rigor to our students all day, every day. We want all programming to align with our strategic visioning.”

Currently, the district offers accelerated and enriched math and reading for students in elementary school. At the junior high schools, Autonomous Learner Model (ALM), FLEX classes, as well as Honors course options in civics and English are offered to students to enhance their learning.

At HHS, Advance Placement (AP) classes, Honors

classes, College in the Schools (CIS), and ProPEL are all designed to reach out to the gifted and talented students. HHS is adding three new AP courses next year, including Psychology, Physics 2, and Computer Principles.

continued on pg. 3

Photo by Ati Hernke

Mr. Mike Harris, science, leads a lecture in CIS Anatomy and Physiology.

This is one of the many accelerated classes offered at HHS.

Opinion

Feature

“I take full advantage of all the AP classes I can,” Sagedahl said. “They help me get to the level I need, and even prepare me for what college will be like.”

Sports

School board approves 2019-2020 calendar with Election Day off

Student activist nurtures statewide climate change discussion

DECA has proven itself to be more than just a competition

Coach Novak inducted into MN Basketball Hall of Fame

Alice Smith, Meadowbrook and HHS are used as polling locations on Election Day. Parents and members noticed the safety hazards that arose from keeping students in school during elections and decided to make a change.

Lia Harel, senior, fears for Gen Z's future as it is threatened by climate change provoked by human activity and is working with other teenagers to encourage lawmakers to take action.

DECA is a valuable activity that can offer so much to a student by putting what you have learned into the real world.

Coach Novak and former player Kris Humphries are being recognized for their athletic accomplishments.

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I think it was a disgusting display of antisemitism and I am disappointed that this type of behavior still exists within my own community.

Dante Reminick, senior news District to give students Election Day off in near future Bennie Goldfarb Staff Reporter On national holidays such as Presidents’ Day, students have the day off. On Election Day, though, they have to wake up and, go to school.

At the monthly meeting on Dec. 18, the Hopkins School Board changed this scheduling. The board approved a new 2019-2020 calendar with an additional day off: Election Day. Dr. Nik Lightfoot, Assistant Superintendent, played a role in this process.

“The Election Day change was a response to the concerns we received from students and parents related to the impact of holding elections in school during the school day,” Dr. Lightfoot said over email.

Three schools in the district — elementary schools Alice Smith and Meadowbrook, and HHS — are polling locations on Election Day. As parents and school board members saw the safety hazards that arose from keeping students in school, they came to view this change as necessary.

“We wanted to address the

Photo provided by Ciboney Reglos

(left to right) Ciboney Reglos, Ellen White, Gabriella Rice and Max Wieland, juniors, worked as election judges during November’s midterm elections, missing a day of school. concern without losing instruc- said. can be closely monitored under that day to minimize learning tional time. So, we looked at Usually, only the front doors these circumstances, posing a disruptions, as many other dismoving a teacher professional to HHS are open during school safety threat. tricts do,” Dr. Lightfoot said. development day that was hours. On Election Day, how“Many identified that the The benefits of the addischeduled later in the year. We ever, the Lindbergh Center school protocols we have are tional day off extend beyond the moved the professional devel- doors remain open during poll- not able to be put into place on safety of students, however. For opment day to Election Day to ing hours. Neither those en- election day, and they asked that some, it poses a renewed opaccomplish this,” Dr. Lightfoot tering nor exiting the building we look to not having school on portunity to participate in the

democratic process.

On Election Day in 2018, over 50 students worked as election judges helping verify voter eligibility, assist with registration and distribute ballots. Maya Rice, junior, missed school on Nov. 6 to work as a judge at the Minnetonka Community Center.

“We had our first lecture day of AP Euro on Election Day, so we had to catch up,” Rice said.

While election judges were out at the polls, other students were stuck at HHS. With the school board approving the recommendation, not only will it will increase security for students, but this will allow more to go out to polls and exercise their rights to vote.

“I think it’s beneficial to have Election Day off because I feel like there will be a better voter turnout,” Rice said. “There were many younger people who voted. If we were given the day off more would’ve come, due to having more time.” continue reading at hopkinsrp.org

Monday advisory Anti-Semitic proposal at Tonka on leave for TASC sparks unrest throughout Minn.

Sarah Rothman Staff Reporter

Despite TASC taking over, advisory still remains sporadically for registration and standardized testing events Due to discussion regarding the importance Monday advisory and the effects of a shortened TASC time, advisory has been removed temporarly.

Some students are wondering why advisory has been temporarily removed. Although most students aren’t complaining about the removal, it’s still in question.

“It came about the efficacy of advisory, and Mondays especially, it felt like students were all over the place. Students would have first block then transition into advisory, and another into TASC,” said Mr. Doug Bullinger, principal.

He went on to discuss the purpose of advisory in the first place.

“The purpose of advisory is to pass information to students from administration and make announcements that we don’t make over the PA system,” Mr. Bullinger said. “I would like to think that students feel more informed about what is going on.”

The Building Operation team is a group of faculty who provide two-way communication between building administration and staff.

“Our team thought advisory doesn’t currently have much going on. So it might help TASC if we added the extra time on Mondays and take away advisory. If TASC was longer on Mondays, it would be a more meaningful experience for students and help them be more academically successful,” said Mr. Dale Clark, building operation representative.

For Mozi Punni, junior, extended TASC is a more successful experience where she can get more of her work done in school and ask specific teachers for clarification as it may be needed.

“I think it’s very useful because students like me, juniors and seniors, we are very stressed, so having full TASC twice a week, instead of limited time, is very beneficial,” Punni said. I think it’s very useless for a teacher to read me my own email.”

As for advisory in the future, HHS will need it for ACT and SAT testing that will lead to extended advisory.

“Advisory will come back somehow,” Mr. Bullinger said.

“Right now, we are using it on a as needed basis.”

A dance proposal containing anti-semitic remarks as well as racist captions from two Minnetonka students stirs up unrest amongst neighboring schools, communities and cultures.

Photo provided by student’s Instagram

Above is the post portraying anti-semitic and Holocaust references, as well as racism within the caption. Since then, the post and the account has been removed from Instagram.

Olivia Cohen News Editor A controversial post was uploaded to Instagram featuring Nazi references and a Minnetonka High School couple posing with a Nazi salute.

A senior at Minnetonka, posted a photo of herself asking a fellow student to their school’s annual “Sweethearts” dance featuring references such as “Sweethearts would be a Hit(ler) with you,” and “I could Nazi myself going with anyone else.”

“This deeply offensive message in no way aligns with our school core values: do the right thing and represent us well,” said Mr. Jeff Erickson, Principal at Minnetonka High School.

Since then, the internet has been vocal about the controversy the post has caused, bringing it to Twitter.

Tweets have been flooding in, some being in form of speaking about how wrong their actions are and how the students should be punished, Tweets on behalf of the Jewish community and embarrassed MHS students have been making headlines.

Since then, the Principal Erickson has made a public announcement regarding the

offensive post and how the school will be handling the case.

“The students involved have since removed the message; I will not go into the specific details of what it said. As with any student disciplinary matter, we are governed by data privacy laws and will not be sharing details about the students or the consequences they will face for their actions,” Mr. Erickson said, via letter to the Minnetonka district. “Please know that we take this matter seriously and are committed to ensuring a safe, positive environment for all students.”

24 hours after the photo was found by MHS administration and taken down, a public apology was sent out via Instagram, off of a new account, not belonging to either of the students in the photo. It has not been confirmed who posted the comment.

The anonymous apology reads as: “I apologize for my stupid mistake. There was no intent to offend anyone. Dm me if you would like to discuss anything.”

Despite the couple being identified, the schools district has not assoicated either student with any possible consequences due to data privacy.

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FEBRUARY 11, 2019

I feel the government shutdown was unnecessary and it was out of anger from our president over the wall situation.

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news Recent national government shutdown provokes controversy, becomes longest in American history Mats Hansen, senior

Lexie Stoesz Staff Reporter Before his election to public office in 2016, President Donald Trump campaigned to build a wall along the Mexico and United States border. Now, that promise has escalated into a federal emergency.

The government shutdown, which costs approximately 6.5 billion dollars for each week it is continuing, is already the longest in United States history. Without federal funding, the shutdown is already leaving

a huge impact on the country’s federal workers and their families.

Since public schools such as HHS are federally funded, some districts are concerned about how the government shutdown will impact them.

There has been a partial shutdown of operations in the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). However, due to an earlier decision, funding for school lunches has been guaranteed up through March, as reported by Barbara Mechura, Director of

Nutrition and Lifestyle Services.

Public schools receive funding in the form of a per-pupil allowance from the state, according to John Toop, director of Business Services. Aside from that allowance, they also receive funding from the voterapproved operating referendum. The state’s money is coming from all angles: local, state and federal.

The longer the government shutdown lasts, the more school funding could be put in jeopardy. A shutdown would impact

cash flow for the federal funding and school nutrition.

Washington D.C. is the area most affected by this shutdown, whereas the least affected state overall has been Minn. Having the least amount of federal workers, the shutdown has had relatively little impact on Minn. and its inhabitants.

Since federal jobs are no longer being funded, people in those jobs, such as TSA agents, are calling in ‘sick’ more often.

This change might compromise the United States’ security, even more than the lack of a Mexico

and United States wall would.

Another adverse effect of the shutdown is the disruption of the national food stamp program, which has the potential to leave millions hungry across the country.

Food stamps are being distributed early, meaning recipients must budget wisely and make them last through Feb. If students depend on food stamps for survival, this could have a much greater impact on health.

Some celebrities have gotten political in the govern-

ment shutdown debate, such as Cardi B, Cher, Snoop Dogg, John Legend and many more.

Through reaching out via their personal social media platforms, they are encouraging their viewers to oppose Trump and the government shutdown, as well as pushing to vote him out of office in the next election.

Government workers that have missed their paychecks are still protesting outside the White House, and show no sign of stopping.

Dr. Mhiripiri-Reed visualizes future Gifted and Talented program Sam Leervig Staff Reporter continued from pg. 1 The district will be hosting a series focus team set on reimagining the Gifted and Talented program. Dates are set to be Jan. 10, Jan. 17, Jan. 24 and Jan. 31. The focus team is open to all families, students, staff and community members.

“Our goal is to explore op-

tions for Talent Development in Hopkins, to evaluate current programming, the alignment of that programming across all grade levels, and the alignment to the strategic vision of our Hopkins 2031 graduate,” Ms. Terhaar said. “We look at our current state, imaging an ideal state and identify the potential gaps as we dream big.”

Dr. Mhiripiri-Reed’s push for world class level education hopes to reimagine what our students learning is like by 2031.

“We hope to have [Gifted and Talented] programming that provides Hopkins students a brilliant experience they deserve,” Ms. Terhaar said. “This will align with our Hopkins 2031 Student, one with their own voice, who is confident, a holistic and critical thinker, globally minded, world traveller, and empathetic. We want to address what major corporations are telling us they need: people who are collaborative, problem-solvers, curi-

ous, reflective, critical thinkers.”

Sagedahl is happy that more students will have the opportunity he had.

“From elementary school to now, having the ability to take that extra step up and learn at my comfortable rate has been monumental in my education,” Sagedahl said. “I hope these revisions that the district are doing take another step forward and help students prepare even better for their future.”

Stress of rushed finals add up Josh Friedman Staff Reporter continued from pg. 1

“I would like no tests after break,” said JJ Martin, senior.

“But, I would much rather have a nice, long summer vacation that I can spend relaxing..”

While a fix may not be immediately apparent or real, what is real is the stress that many students experience due to having to take tests and finals after break. While break is usually a extended period of time for students to relax after finals, some students find themselves stressing out and studying dur-

ing vacation. This is something that Kol Jansa, senior, can relate with.

“Break should be a time for relaxing and hanging around, but I constantly am having to study and do work to prepare for finals,” Jansa said. “I can’t wait for college so I can have a real break with no tests afterwards.”

Others feel that break is just two extra weeks to study, which can provide relief for stressed students. Ultimately, the decision is left to administration; with arguments for both sides, change may be difficult.

Photo by Olivia Cohen

Sam Reichel, junior, seen studying in one of the school’s flex spaces for an upcoming test.

Infographic by Eve Clarkson

IN BRIEF

‘Remind’ app redacts AP European History Midwestern teenager Minn. legislator message fees Renaissance Festival escapes her captivity speaks to HHS Recently, Verizon Wireless decided to begin charging its users for sending Remind messages. The new alert policy was redacted after reports of outrage among Verizon users, primarily being teachers, who

use the Remind feature to communicate with their students.

Teachers protested the change with tweeting out ‘#ReverseTheFee Verizon.’ As of Wednesday, Jan. 17, Verizon chose not to charge the service.

On Jan. 11, students in the AP European History course participated and created a Renaissance festival, showing what they have learned so far in the class. The students had to choose a topic relating to the

class and create a project to reflect it. Many of these projects contained costumes, props, and everything in between. After studying and creating their projects, the students finally got to show off their hard work.

Jayme Closs, the 13-year- old teenage girl who disappeared for roughly three months, following the murder of both her parents, was found on Jan. 12, after escaping from her abuductor’s home in the city of

Gordon, Wis. 21-yearold Jake Thomas, her captor, was arrested and is currently being held to one count of kidnapping, as well as two counts of firstdegree, intentional murder.

On Friday, Jan. 18, Minn. State Senator for district 48, Steve Cwodzinski visited HHS. He came to talk to students and hear their voices on important political and social issues, from all perspectives. He was

located at a table in the Commons during all three lunches, in order to talk and interact with students, giving them the oppurtunity to speak with a state congressperson.

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the royal page I want to push for an equitable transition to a sustainable future statewide and within HHS and the city of Minnetonka.

Lia Harel, senior

Students take a trendy twist on winter fashion Nikki Bank Staff Reporter

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variety of students at HHS are quite fashion forward, mixing uniqueness and originality with the current fashion trends to create a sort of hybrid style of their own.

“If I see something that I think is cute and follows a trends, I will still get it. Though, I do not necessarily seek out trends and also like thrift shopping in order to mix in some originality to my outfits,” said Bella Feitl, senior.

Angela Perez-Jauregui, senior, thinks that trends are the building blocks of style.

“I think of trends as the base of what I wear. I love to thrift for outfits and usually seek out

pieces that are on trend, I just like to bring a unique twist when I follow trends,” PerezJauregui said.

Philip Dirnberger, senior, has been known to wear outfits that are outside of the box, ranging from brands like Gucci to Off-White.

“I get my inspiration from a lot of places. A senior from last year, Andy Pelerine, is one of my main style inspirations,” Dirnberger said. “I think that it’s really cool that he doesn’t care what others think and just wears what he wants to.”

Right now, there is a surge of unique winter trends. Many people are opting for teddy coats, which were first popularized last year by the brand I Am Gia, and were seen on celebrities such as Madison Beer, Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski.

“I have been seeing a lot of people wearing puffy and furry coats around the school and I think it can be really cute depending on how you style it, I just have not gotten around to buying one because they can be kind of expensive,” Feitl said.

On the contrary, Perez-Jauregui, does not enjoy the trend of teddy coats because of how costly they can be and the way people style them.

“I think teddy coats are a little bit much and the people at school who wear them don’t

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I do not necessarily seek out trends and also like thrift shopping in order to mix in some originality to my outfits.

style them the way I like, they usually dress it down and pair them with leggings which is not my favorite,” Perez-Jauregui said.

Another trend that has been seen this season is patterned pants, specifically either gingham or plaid.

“I personally love the trend of patterned pants. I think that it adds a super unique aspect to an outfit and when my outfit is more bland I will add a pair of patterned pants to make it more interesting,” Feitl said.

In the end, style is subjective to the person wearing it, and not everyone will agree on what they consider cute or fashionable. Overall, no matter what new trends there are or what old ones resurface, it is up to the individual to ultimately deem it cute, or reject it.

Gucci Shoulder Bag: $1,200 Stone Island Polo: $150

Vintage Denim: $5 Off White Blazers: $1,000 Infographic by Ali Winter

Philip Dirnberger, senior, models his mix of vintage and trendy styles; pairing a Gucci crossbody with his dad’s old jeans. He is just one of many stylish students at HHS.

Activist Lia Harel helps initiate climate discussion Evan Natoli Staff Reporter

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Photo provided by Lia Harel

Lia Harel, senior, gives a speech regarding climate change, urging government officials to make changes. She has partnered with MN Can’t Wait to help in the fight against global warming.

ia Harel, senior and president of the Earth Club, is dedicated to raising awareness around the pressing issue of climate change.

She has been working with the organization MN Can’t Wait, collaborating with youth across the state. Harel was one of the big contributors to help bring these people together, and eventually to the office of recently elected governor, Mr. Tim Walz.

“In Minnesota, sometimes it’s hard to see the worst of it.

The east coast has their storms, and the west coast has their fires, but in Minnesota, we are seeing a lot of weather abnormalities. Our winters are a lot less snowy, our summers are having a lot more heat waves, and tick seasons are longer and more dangerous,” Harel said.

When Harel was a sophomore, she joined the school’s Earth Club figuring she would be learning about polar bears and picking up trash, but the club really opened her eyes to the threat of Earth’s dangerously changing climate. Realizing climate change impacts everything from human rights to economies, Harel understandably became scared for her generation. Unlike many cur-

rent politicians, however, she decided to take action.

“A lot of people put emphasis on the small things everyone can do to help the climate, but we really need to change our perception of aspects of society,” Harel said. “People really need to learn in depth about our relationship with nature and how we are affecting it right now.”

MN Can’t Wait’s platform being presented to Governor Walz consists of three requests.

To start, they would like to point the MN Pollution Control Agency in the direction of making new rules and regulations to help reduce state-wide greenhouse gas emissions. They would also like to completely

stop the development of any fossil fuel infrastructure, and finally, aim to create an equitable and rapid transition to a sustainable economy.

“The window of opportunity is closing, and it’s closing quickly,” Gov. Walz said. “I’m grateful for these students who are taking action by making their voices heard and holding their public officials accountable. Our administration is committed to reducing carbon emissions in all sectors to fight climate change, expanding the Renewable Energy Standard to end our dependence on fossil fuels, and continuing to expand our green economy to create jobs in Minnesota.”

DECA officers ‘Break the Stigma’ with mental health fundraiser Continued from Page 1

Sam Segelbaum and Noah Zaroff, seniors, decided to attempt to make a change in their school community and “break the stigma” surrounding mental illness and encourage teenagers to reach out for the help they need.

“We chose this event on purpose for the greater good of our community and leave a mark on Hopkins and help out the wellness center. We want to help students who do not feel comfortable in their skin, are having social troubles, or just

problems at school in general,” Zaroff said.

Zaroff ’s idea for the chapter event was to promote communication regarding mental illness. He proposed this idea to Segelbaum and the two decided to combine the idea and service project. The result of the product is their Break the Stigma event, which they began planning in October of 2018.

At the event, guest speakers including 2018’s Miss Min-

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nesota, Mandy Peterson and Kwame Anderson, a truck driver for Coors Light, who saved a St. Paul man’s life, convincing him out of taking his own life.

Zaroff and Segelbaum successfully reached their goal of $3,000, which will go to mental health resources at HHS. Segelbaum and Zaroff hope to expand outreach and promotion to NJH and WJH Wellness Centers as well.

The event exceeded my expectations in every aspect. Knowing that I was able to help even just one student was the biggest accomplishment of the night.

Noah Zaroff, senior

Photo provided by Noah Zaroff

Stella Wakefield, senior, plays with a therapy dog at the mental health fundraiser. Therapy dogs were one of the many guests at the event.

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My group Geoff participates every year and it’s a great time since I love singing to people, so Heart-O-Grams are perfect for me.

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Jack Gunderson, senior

Students sing their hearts out for fundraiser Riley Jouppi Staff Reporter

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olly Robblee, senior, has a special place in her heart for a long standing Valentine’s Day tradition here.

“I absolutely love HeartO-Grams. It’s probably one of my favorite events of the year,” Robblee said.

Heart-O-Grams has been going on here since the 1970s as a fundraiser for the choir program. To make this event go smoothly it requires a lot of work and an audition process for potential student performers to make the big day happen.

Auditions are Jan. 28, 29 and 30. Students had to prepare a minimum of three “love songs,” each about 30-45 seconds long, and divide up into groups. Not to mention the acts have to be entertaining, as well.

“They have to have a vari-

ety of songs that have harmony parts and people taking solos if the group is more than two,” said Ms. Katie Irvin, choir. “If they don’t have instruments, I try to add beatboxing or something like that. If they already do, I just want to make sure they are actually staying with the instrumentalist.”

Ms. Irvin is the director of this event, and the one who decides who gets to participate.

She loves helping make HeartO-Grams happen and wants a lot of student involvement, but sometimes not everyone is ready to take it on.

“If they get the green light, I just have them check in with me the week prior to the 14th, just to quick make sure everything is good and they haven’t changed anything too drastically,” Ms. Irvin said. “If they get a yellow light, then I tell them some things they need to work on, sign up for a new audition time next week and come back

and do it again.”

She hopes that more groups will audition, because it helps make the big day go a lot smoother.

“We want around 14 to 15 groups, total. Last year I think I had 11,” Ms. Irvin said. “The fewer groups that we have the more each group has to sing each hour, which can cause stress on their vocals.”

Robblee has sang in HeartO-Grams for the past two years now, and says that she has thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.

“When my older brother was in high school he loved being a part of Heart-O-Grams and that made me decide to do it,” Robblee said. “His group was made up of four students who were younger than him so when he graduated I filled his spot.”

She remembers being super nervous going into the audition, but she got over that fear

fairly quickly. She knew that she could do it and had trust in her singing abilities, which are something that she is extremely gifted with.

“It was terrifying initially, because not only were you ex-

posed as a singer, but you were performing in front of students and teachers that you didn’t even know. But once I got over that fear it was as wonderful as my brother made it out to be,” Robblee said. “I am so happy

that I decided to give it a try years ago, and I would highly encourage other students to participate as well.”

Photo by Adam Segal

Jack Gunderson, senior, and Atharv Kulkarni, HHS alumi, sing to Adthna Aidruss, junior, during last year’s Heart-O-Grams which has been a tradition for decades.

ProPEL students start journey on internships t HHS, the ProPEL (Professionals Providing Experience for Life) program serves to give seniors a look into the realities of the professions they aspire to pursue. The program itself is fairly competitive, with just half of the applicants being accepted.

ProPEL has helped many students hone in on the career path they are most interested in as well as simply realize hidden passions. Katie Blad, senior, was

accepted into the program and found her passion. She chose to intern at Amy Zaroff Events and Design to learn more about marketing, branding and the business world.

“Zaroff came to our class and gave a speech about her experience with the program which showed me that she is really engaged and makes work really fun,” Blad said.

At the start of 2019, Dante Reminick, senior, also began a business internship at ExpressionMed in Minneapolis.

“I chose to intern here because I thought that I could develop all aspects of my busi-

ness skills and give me a wellrounded perspective of what it takes to start a company,” Reminick said.

The skills he learned at this internship has helped him begin to pave his future career path as an entrepreneur.

Lauren Larsen, senior, learned about the scientific field. Her internship is downtown at WCCO with local meteorologist, Lisa Meadows.

Larsen learned how to navigate a very specific program that only news stations use.

She was surprised to learn that there is a strict dress code where meteorologists are not

allowed to wear black, green, teal or patterns due to the green screens. Larsen’s interest in this field was born from her love of Earth Science, a class she took in eighth grade.

“I plan on mastering in atmospheric sciences. I think that broadcasting is the most exciting and unique thing to do with meteorology, but I also think that working for NASA would be really cool,” Larsen said.

ProPEL will continue to be offered to rising seniors for the years to come. It will equip students with skills that will prepare them for their futures.

StudCo plans fun events for ‘snow week’

Reflections Literary Magazine seeks submissions

Presidents’ Day weekend, a time for college visits

AP European History hosts annual 18th century salon

DECA students prepared for competition

Polar vortex freezes school schedule

Snow Week is quickly approaching and StudCo has planned numerous new events and are excited to present them, one of them being a Minute to Win It game during passing time, apple cider in the morning and many more fun surprises throughout the week of February 11-15th.

The student-produced Reflections Literary Magazine is being assembled by a team of students for distribution this spring.

The editors are looking for submissions of drawings, paintings, poetry, short stories or music you have created.

Visit @reflectionshhs on Instagram for more info.

Presidents’ weekend is approaching and many seniors are taking this opportunity to visit schools they have been accepted to, where many juniors are excited to expand their knowledge on different colleges they are interested in.

History, AP Euro hosted a salon on Monday, Feb 4th where students are required to study famous philosophers from the 18th century. There was a cocktail hour where the student philosophers enjoyed drinks and snacks as well as each other’s company. Students received extra credit if they wore a sign saying who they are and dressed up as their character throughout the entire day.

The annual DECA competition was hosted at Wayzata High School on Sunday, Jan 27th. The competition lasted about eight hours and consisted of numerous different businesssurrounded events. The DECA students from HHS have been preparing for this competition since the beginning of the school year and many will be preparing for the state competition hosted on March 5.

HHS along with the majority of MN schools were closed for three days due to extreme weather conditions.

On Wednesday, Jan 30, the air temperature in Minneapolis reached an intolerable -28°F with a windchill hovering around -50°F. Students returned to school on Friday, Feb 1 bundled up and ready to catch up on work that was missed due to the cancellations.

Mollie Tankenoff Staff Reporter

A

IN BRIEF

February 11, 2019

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in-depth

Students and teachers adjust to new rea Story & Design by Maya Kupritz Editor-In-Chief

As students take on jobs and extracurricular activites, the time for homework becomes limited, causing stress over the amount of homework and benefits of having it. At the same time, students and staff debate how homework and tests should be categorized for points in the gradebook.

HOMEWORK All Assignments

>

Week of 02/4 - 02/11

Math Review Packet

22/25 (88%)

AP Statistics Homework

25/25 (100%)

> > >

Probability Worksheet

20/25 (80%)

>

Finance Five Year Plan

MISSING

Poetry Process

9/10 (90%)

French Food Vocabulary

6/12 (50%)

Writing Journals

10/10 (100%)

Choir Concert

15/15 (100%)

Nutrition Worksheet

17/20 (85%)

Coral Reef FRQ

Due: 02/6 AP Environmental Science Due: 02/8 Geometry

Due: 02/10 AP Statistics Due: 02/5 HAP Algebra 2

Due: 02/7 Personal Finance

Due: 02/9 Creative Writing Due: 02/11 French 3

Due: 02/6 Creative Writing

Due: 02/10 Choir Due: 02/5 Health

5/5 (100%)

> > > > > >

Homework. One of the most dreaded aspects of student life. The cycle of attending school for seven hours and then going home to fortify the knowledge learned in the day through several more hours of work.

With the education system being an ever-changing topic of discussion, the long-standing history of homework could be nearing its end.

The Stanford Graduate School of Education research revolving high-performing high schools found that 56 percent of students considered homework a primary source of stress.

Mr. Matthew Kappel, science and AVID, used to consider homework vitally important, but has now changed his views.

“I used to think there should be homework everyday, and I think I moved away from that and tried to lessen the amount I gave, providing more resources to kids that want more practice,” Mr. Kappel said. “When I was a newer teacher I would assign dozens and dozens of homework problems a night, but now I focus on giving problems that you need to know and types of skills you need to show.”

Homework has proven to produce small successes in education; a healthy middle ground seems to exist for both the purpose and amount of homework given. For example, a study published in the 2015 Journal

of Educational Psychology states that while the regular completion of homework has lead to improved test scores, too much—more than 100 minutes a night—can damage scores.

“Based on all of the reading and research I have done, the only really effective homework is stuff that is either just reading or stuff that builds for the next day, sort of the reversed design or the flipped classroom model,” said Mr. Eric Turner, HAP and social studies. “For the most part, most homework that is given doesn’t actually help; it’s not practice; it’s stuff we didn’t get to in class.”

One rule of thumb (which is accepted by the National Education Association) many teachers have adopted is the ten minute rule, which distributes homework on the basis of grade level. It starts with ten minutes a day for first graders and up to two hours a day for high school seniors.

“I think the idea of assigning x amount of homework a night can create a situation where kids who are working multiple jobs to support families, don’t have the time to do that, so they get put at a disadvantage,” Mr. Turner said.

Additional research has also revealed that students benefit the same amount academically from engaging in non-academic extracurricular activities, such as sports and community

involvement.

So what stands as “good” or valuable homework? Of course, this may vary from class to class. A history teacher can assign the homework of going out in the community and volunteering, while a science teacher may feel compelled to pull problems right out of a textbook.

Many students can tolerate finishing leftover classwork for the night, or reading for a quiz on the contents of a book, or even completing projects.

“I think homework is really dependent upon what it is for. I wouldn’t say studying for a test is mandatory, but I would classify it as homework,” said Sophie Goldenberg, senior. “It is only helpful when it cements what was learned in class.”

It is generally accepted that in the right circumstances, homework can be a helpful tool.

“A lot of parents actually help their kids with homework or do it and that’s not the point. If it’s extra practice just to help a kid with the skill that’s one thing, but you can’t expect the parents to teach the kids something and then if it’s something really tough and they can’t help them then you have got a completely inequitable education system,” Mr. Turner said.

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February 11, 2019

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in-depth

ality of homework and grading policies

“

“

I would prefer total points because it allows more leniency with tests.

If you do bad, you still have other assignments to help lift you up.

I believe that just because students don’t score well on tests they shouldn’t be penalized and labeled a ‘poor student’.

Angela Perez, senior

DeMeshe Baker, senior

GRADING POLICIES All Assignments Week of 02/4 - 02/11

Formative Study Guide Worksheet Bookwork Discussion Process

Summative Final Test Short Story Spanish Debate Festivals of Nations Book Report

Diane Tirado, an eighth grade history teacher from Florida, was fired after she refused to follow the school handbook on grading. The school has a “no zero” policy reflected in the student and parent handbook at West Gate, stating that the lowest possible grade a student could recieve was a fifty percent. Tirado stood by her belief that students who didn’t turn in an assignment shouldn’t receive any credit at all.

Here, there is an emerging grading policy, so most grading choices are up to individual teachers or departments.

“I have different grading policies for different classes.

For my AP Chemistry class, my grades are heavily weighted towards summative assessments. It’s 60 percent summative and 40 percent formative, which is then broken up among 30 percent labs and 10 percent homework,” Mr. Kappel said.

“In my regular level chemistry and honors chemistry, I don’t have weighting, I just add up the points, tests count as much as labs and homework.”

The summative section of the gradebook usually houses major projects and tests which can vary from a five point es-

say to a multiple choice exam depending on the class. Formative work is considered practice, any work done to prepare for the measure of collective knowledge a summative serves as. When the percentages are heavily skewed toward the summative category, students quickly learn that formative work doesn’t require full effort to end with an A. “I believe that just because students don’t score well on tests they shouldn’t be penalized and labeled a ‘poor student.’ If they slip up once or twice, all their hard work on class assignments go down the drain,” said DeMeshe Baker, senior.

Have any grading policies proven to be successful? According to research compiled in ASCD.org, the most effective grading provides timely and accurate feedback with the purpose of improving student performance. In the “best classrooms,” grades are just one of many types of feedback given. Failures along the way are considered learning lessons in visual arts, culinary and other courses where collective portfolios are made, if something doesn’t go as planned, a student can reason and explain it.

“I prefer unweighted be-

> cause I think it values more every day work, besides just tests.

You can study really hard for a test and do well, but other work shows the time you put into it,” said Abigail Bigelow, senior.

“If we were to change ratios, I think a 50 percent summative and 50 percent daily, would be nice because I know it’s important to remember things for a test, but the daily work you put in should be credited. It shows you tried.”

Mr. Turner believes that there are best practices and it doesn’t have to be absolutely the same in every class, but there should be guiding principles that every class adheres too.

“I don’t think we should be giving kids grades basically just for being nice kids or for showing up on time. The grade needs to mean something consistent across the school,” Mr. Turner said. “We need to have some shared principles and those principles should be built around the idea that summatives are most important than formative. What you do in practice is great but it’s actually what you can do in the end.

It shouldn’t be based around things that are culturally or racially biased.”

Ms. Karen Terhaar, director of teaching, learning and assessment, does not have any desire to switch to any particular policy. She thinks collaboration is key.

“There are many different ways to grade student learning. At this point in time, with our district-wide visioning, I feel it is most important to find grading practices that fit our students and our community. This is what our schools are working on now,” Ms. Terhaar said. “We hope to adopt a system that truly reflects student learning, as well as nurtures a desire to learn over a desire to obtain a grade. That is not an easy challenge!”

Mr. Kappel, on the other hand, has stronger opinions.

“I think we are moving towards a more unified policy, building wide,” Mr. Kappel said. “I think in a perfect world, in my view, it would be 100 percent summative and zero percent formative.

Along with that, I think there has to be some flexibility with summative assessments. The idea of retaking or reshowing your mastery, is a much more important way to go.”

FEBRUARY 11, 2019

08

opinion

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the royal page I think we should have school uniforms so that I don’t have to think about what to wear in the morning.

Leela Karlson, freshman

STAFF EDITORIAL After a long four months of stress and sleep deprivation, a two week break is much needed.

This year, winter break laid out the same as every other year, students had two weeks left of their first semester classes after the break before transitioning into second semester. However, this schedule presents conflict to both teacher planning and student learning.

When students leave for break, all the information learned is thrown to the back of their brain and forgotten until school resumes. When they come back from break, reality hits hard and students have to rush to relearn information for finals in a span of two weeks.

For teachers, they have to cram in the last of lessons before the two weeks expire, which can

cause stress and many assignments to grade.

Sleep schedules also change during break, and it is hard to transition from late morning to early morning wake-ups, especially going back on that dreaded Monday. But a different break schedule would allow students to start fresh with new classes and a new term, which reduces the need for relearning

and could make going back to school easier.

Minnesota’s state education law states that all schools start no earlier than Labor Day (although there are exceptions) and grades 7-12 need a minimum of 1,020 hours. However, many other states, especially those in the South, allow the district to decide the start and finish date.

Minnesota should change the start of school to the middle of August. This would allow us to have one full semester complete before winter break, so when we come back everybody would immediately start their new classes for second semester.

School would then end before Memorial weekend.

Although it might seem terrible to go school shopping in

The merits of being a DECAthlete Noah Kim Staff Reporter DECA provides a great program for high school or college students to compete in business related events, but to say that it’s just a competition would be an understatement.

DECA was founded in 1946, with different competitions including marketing, hospitality and finance. They have helped thousands of kids boost their college applications, gain vital experience and receive incredible scholarship opportunities.

There are over 200,000 members in DECA hailing from all 50 United States, the

District of Columbia, Canada, China, Germany, Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Spain.

At first I was reluctant to join DECA with an already hefty schedule of homework, sports and even more homework. I liked the marketing class and the teacher, but I was still on the fence.

A couple of years back my brother was in DECA and after a little coaxing he convinced me to join. The stories of him leaving Minnesota for competitions, bonding with his friends and having all the work pay off lured me in. I was convinced that the pros outweighed the cons, so I joined and haven’t

looked back since.

What made my decision easier was the fact that you can work in a group. I convinced my friends to join, which made the work easier.

You can choose events you want to compete in, and the events all vary in how much work you need in the presentation. For example you can have a ten page project or an entirely unprepared event.

What I didn’t expect from DECA was that you could help the community; it wasn’t all just a business competition. It gives a platform for anyone to help people and communities, beyond the marketing, finance

and hospitality aspects.

This year Sam Segelbaum and Noah Zaroff, seniors, have started a campaign called “Break the Stigma” to help bring awareness to mental health in the high school and the community.

The event was a major success and they are going to present this project on the state level for DECA and to the Hopkins Education Foundation.

All of these reasons show why DECA is a valuable activity that can offer so much to a student, and reasons why it is such an important and enjoyable part of my own life.

one has said more recently.

This is an incredible amount of power, but forces us to ask ourselves a crucial question. While we hold the rich and famous to be accountable for everything they’ve ever said, are we holding ourselves accountable for how we react?

In the past few years there have been many instances of public outrage over a celebrity’s comments. For example, director James Gunn lost his job for old tweets about pedophilia and comedian Roseanne Barr lost her own ABC show because of a racist comment.

Very recently, comedian

Kevin Hart stepped down from hosting the Academy Awards due to homophobic statements he had made earlier in his career. Each celebrity apologized, some more sincerely than others, but they also all made excuses to some extent, such as saying “it was a different time.”

While making excuses is never better than a heartfelt apology, some are not entirely without merit. Culture does change, and statements that would just be considered distasteful years ago can be something you wouldn’t even think about saying today.

Not to mention the hy-

pocrisy present in our callout culture. Some celebs get raked through the coals for offensive statements they make, while others come out unscathed from appalling scandals. I saw much more uproar on Twitter for James Gunn’s decade old jokes than I did when a video was released showing rapper Drake knowingly kissing a 17-year-old.

However, it’s still important that offensive statements are brought up, no matter how old.

When someone has a platform and influence, it is important that they represent good values and should be held accountable.

early August, this change would end first semester before winter break and allow summer to commence weeks earlier, a win for both students and teachers.

EDITORIAL BOARD VOTE AGREE

DISAGREE

4 6

Photo by Alexis Stephenson Juniors Ari Geller and Miles Halligan practice for a timed DECA event. DECA is a worldwide organization with state, regional and national competitions.

Critiquing current callout culture critically, capably Sam Buttress Opinion Editor Look through my old tweets, my old Instagram posts, old Kik messages I sent, all my social media history - it doesn’t take long to find something that I wish I hadn’t said.

We have a power today that we have never had before. We have the ability to instantaneously look back at everything a celebrity has said publicly, sometimes spanning back decades. It’s not difficult to find a statement that hasn’t aged well, or that contradicts what some-

staff Maya Kupritz Luis Felemovicius Ati Hernke Olivia Cohen Ali Winter David Campbell Sam Buttress Mason Arneson Mia Sparrow Isaac Richert Eve Clarkson

Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Feature Editor Sports Editor Opinion Editor Variety Editor Multimedia Editor Photo Editor Copy Editor

Jeff Kocur Adviser

Staff Reporters Nikki Bank Josh Friedman Julia Fromstein Jake Lehman Lauren Schaffler Nafi Soumare Gianni Tejada Max Lacey

Evan Natoli Zoe Roemhildt Aric Anderson Abbie Ansel Amelia Carrizales Sophia DeSanto Jackson Destiche Caleb Hemstad Alexis Horowitz Riley Jouppi

I doubt that the people digging through internet archives to find problematic comments are doing so for valiant reasons, it’s more likely that they get satisfaction from causing the downfall of prominent public figures, but what they are doing is vital to social progress all the same.

A big part of the process that is often missing, however, is forgiveness.

It is crucial that we examine the intention behind an offensive statement. Was the person trying to hurt any group of people, or legitimately stating their beliefs? Or were they honestly

Sarah Rothman Cole Segal Brooks Shragg Cale Sparrow Lexie Stoesz Etai Wert Cole Anderson Ben Borenstein Ashanti Boyd Paige Bueckers

trying to make a joke that just wasn’t very funny?

If it’s the latter, that doesn’t automatically make it okay.

Nobody can say whatever they want and use comedy as an excuse. But if a comedian made an offensive joke with the intention of bringing laughter, and sincerely apologized for it, sees the error of their ways, I see no reason why they shouldn’t be forgiven.

If the people we look up to aren’t given chances to atone for their mistakes, what incentive do any of us have to own up when we do something wrong, and try to change for the better?

Marley Comito Bennie Goldfarb Jacob Goodman Joseph Hurth Noah Levitt Mary Murphy Diego Sojos Lindsey Sperling Olivia Trudell Sam Leervig

Editorial Policy The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of the Editorial Board. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the administration, the student body, or the adviser. Viewpoints with a byline represent the view of the writer. The Royal Page operates as an open forum student publication, and student editors make editorial decisions regarding content.

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the royal page

FEBRUARY 11, 2019

09

Why are there people using the bathroom in the vape lounges?

opinion

Will Gitler, junior

Valentine’s Day lost heart Spencer Riley Staff Reporter Candies, roses, cupid and Heart-o-grams. These are all notorious symbols of the beloved holiday Valentine’s Day. A holiday celebrated around the world, including in the hallways of HHS. However, this holiday has somehow lost its meaning within the generation that walks the halls today.

According to the National Retail Federation, only 55 percent of the American population actually celebrates the holiday. A stark difference to Christmas, which 90 percent of Americans choose to recognize.

Keeley Murphy, junior, agrees with the statistics. “I believe Valentine’s Day is overrated, they just mark up the prices on everything and it doesn’t really make sense,” Murphy said.

I don’t think the celebration should be practiced here at all, considering it is a holiday with religious pagan roots observing the Saint Valentinus of Rome.

Hopkins should be a place of respect to everyone’s beliefs and not emphasize a holiday that could make students feel uncomfortable.

“I don’t practice the holiday personally, and more people are

saying they don’t. I think to be more respectful to this generation we should not do anything that celebrates a religious holiday at school,” said Lexi Riley, senior.

Valentine’s is celebrated in a superficial and unspecial way.

It has been commercialized, and it has lost the value of its meaning. Many people today don’t really know the origins or the significance of the holiday.

If one were to ask a random person off the street where the holiday came from, chances are the person would have no clue.

After all, Valentine’s Day is not a federal holiday. Government offices, stores, schools and other organizations are open as usual. As well as the fact that the holiday is full of cutsie symbols that have a shallowing effect on the realities of real love.

The fluffiness and the little chocolates and stuffed bears are not really images that speaks volumes. People who are firm believers in the holiday may argue the point that Valentine’s Day is a day to show love to your partner, but shouldn’t you do that every day?

Despite Valentine’s Day being exaggerated, the objective and goal is clear to many.

It’s not about the holiday, it’s about love. Love regardless of whether you’re in a relationship or not. Love that can be shown in alternative ways than to give sappy cards from Walmart and little stuffed bears.

“For me, just spending time with my family and friends and letting them know I care about them would be much more meaningful,” Riley said. “To me that’s true love.”

Photo by Sam Buttress

Seniors Erin Massmann, Maddie Bernt, Anna Arneson, Laura Hinck and Elena Middlekauff rehearse for Heart-o-grams. This year has seen a decrease in the number of groups, meaning each group will be much busier.

Hot Take Corner

by Sam Buttress

We should switch to a four-day week schedule. Take every Friday off. We might have to keep coming for a couple weeks in June to make up for it, or add an hour a day, but it’s worth it. They do it in the Netherlands and things seem pretty cool over there, don’t they? Three day weekends. Every weekend. Teachers can assign extra homework to help offset it, and I’d be fine with that.

I’m going to be doing the extra homework in the car while I’m road-tripping to the Grand Canyon, which I can do, because of the new three day weekends that everyone loves so much.

Follow hallway traffic laws Max Lacey Staff Reporter Imagine this. You’re driving down a two lane highway and there are two cars in front of you going the exact same speed next to each other (at least five below the limit) and you have a meeting you’re already late for.

After driving behind them for what seems like forever, they just stop in the middle of the road and start honking their horns at each other. This is

Top

exactly what the halls are like during passing time.

I get the kids that want to spend their passing time talking with friends and conversing. My problem is when those students decide to stand in the middle of the halls and block all access to my class. Students just don’t know how to walk in the halls anymore.

Use the flex spaces for what they were meant for and use the hallways for what they were meant for. Also, put away the

10

phone while you’re in the halls!

I cannot count the amount of times I’ve seen people walk into each other because they’re absorbed in their phones.

It’s no different than driving. You’re not supposed to text and drive because you can’t pay attention to the task at hand.

Let’s go at an average walking speed and maintain that speed until we get where we need to go. And most importantly, let’s not just stand in the middle of high traffic hallways.

Courses we’d like to see next year at Hopkins

Extra credit options missing 10 Intro to cuffin’ Olivia Cohen News Editor When first semester comes to a close, students are scrambling more than ever for one final attempt to boost their grades by any means. Our district prides itself on its ability to support academic success, but one element is missing: extra credit options.

Over the past few years at HHS, numerous strides have been taken to support students, their learning and their overall academic success. With the tremendous help of retaking past tests, implementations of in and after school study times such as TASC and ASC and simply making teachers more readily available for one-on-one support has assisted students in ways it had not in the past.

Although these are robust changes, students still take the hit of extra credit options ceasing to exist for the most part in our district. The district claims to take the academic success of its students very seriously and stands behind the act of aiding academics. As this is an obvious statement that would come from every school across the country, offering extra credit options to students would benefit academic success greatly

overall.

To contrast the point, some may mention that extra credit options are tossed out in few courses, but they are scarce. Often these options are seen as a “bonus question.”

If you are anything like me, when you see that bonus, “test your knowledge,” question at the bottom of the test, you see it as a shtick, a way of being cute and humoring the overachieving students of the class, while knowing that there is no way you could possibly get this question correct and God forbid you achieve an extra quarter-point on the test that made you break a sweat just from looking at the first question.

Along with purely boosting a percentage upward, extra credit can motivate students.

Extra credit can raise a student’s motivation, incentive and creativity to complete said project when they do it on their own terms.

This can be fought back by saying that having extra credit options festers laziness among students and their academic progress, but just as with everything else, students and teenagers are not one size fits all.

To further the point, one of the greatest developments in

the past decade is the push for mental health awareness. This movement has forced society as a whole to see into a generation and see that even though we all have the same stereotype, that does not mean we have the same story.

There can be two students who can be failing a class and would be in need of extra credit. Both students at a glance would be seen as lazy, but after even slightly reading into the situation, student A might have an F due to never opening their textbook, showing up with a hall sweep every day and religiously announcing to the class that they don’t have a pencil while responding to their never ending and constantly dinging Snapchat.

Whereas student B pays attention in class, focusing on what their priorities are and does the work, but is failing the class due to purely not understanding the material. Having these two extreme examples being on opposite sides of the continuum, one size does not fit all.

Should a group of hard working students be punished for the handful of students whose poor grades are a result of their pure laziness?

9

Advanced self-marketing for Tinder

8

Humanity’s greatest mistakes as seen through the lens of “Malcolm in the Middle”

7

AP: Advanced Pancakes; make breakfast for your teacher

6

Sicko Mode or Mo Bamba: A philosophical inquiry

5

How to disappoint millions: A course taught by Super Bowl producers

4

Evaluating the cultural significance of the Rayman game franchise

3

Understanding Morpheus, the Dream Lord

2

Basic human decency

1 Wizard 101

February 11, 2019

10

sports

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the royal page I like Lindbergh in general; it has good facilities and it meets all of the athletic needs. It could be improved to include a swimming pool or climbing wall.

Luke Polyak, senior

Spring teams fight for space in packed out Lindbergh Gianni Tejada Staff Reporter The Lindbergh Center (LC) has been a staple in Minnetonka for a very long time. For a while Hopkins High School was called Hopkins Lindbergh until HHS officially opened in 1980.

Lindbergh has served many different purposes over the years. From sporting events, to band or choir concerts and the graduation ceremony every year.

Many winter sports have been using the LC to train or practice for the last few months.

These teams include girls and boys basketball, nordic skiing, and wrestling.

Not only do HHS sports teams use Lindbergh, but it doubles as a community center, so many Minnetonka citizens use the track, weightroom or the gym equipment.

Mr. Dan Johnson, activities director, explained how the times are determined for who gets to use Lindbergh when.

“The facility is jointly owned

by Hopkins Schools and the

City of Minnetonka. The district is the priority user from 6:00am to 6:00pm and the city is priority user from 6:00 pm to midnight,” Mr. Johnson said.

Mr. Johnson went on to explain that there are exceptions to the guidelines such as sporting events.

“The district uses the facility after 6:00pm on the nights that are scheduled for home volleyball, basketball, dance competition, wrestling tournament, commencement, music festivals, etc.,” Mr. Johnson said. “There is a negotiated number of dates that the district can use each year to preempt city programs for evening use.”

Lindbergh Center’s use is not limited to winter sports during this time of year, the Royals baseball team has been using the LC for their captains practices before the season starts.

One of the captains of the varsity baseball team, Luke Polyak, has been organizing and reserving the time in the LC for them to have practice. The Royals baseball team has their

Photo By Isaac Richert

Students stretch out during a class of Royal Strong 24/7 led by Mr. Vincent Paolucci. PE is one of the many events that Lindbergh Center is responsible for.

captains practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 am, and Sundays at 6:00 pm.

“I contacted Melissa Gallagher in the activities office, she was super helpful and let me know all of the times that my request did and or didn’t work with the existing schedule,” Polyak said.

Polyak went on to go into further detail on how easy it was for him to schedule time for the baseball team to use Lindbergh.

“The process was super easy, I just sent her the dates and times and amount of space I wanted, and she crossreferenced it with the existing Lindbergh schedule,” Polyak said. “Then she sent me back a helpful diagram of which dates would and wouldn’t work for what I wanted and then I just confirmed the dates and it was done.”

According to Mr. Johnson, the LC is on a first-come-

first-serve basis as far as making court reservations. He went on to say that it may be a bit hard for some to find the right time due to the fact that there are so many different groups of people that would like to use the LC. “The difficulty is that there are so many groups and individuals that have to be indoors during the winter months and LC is the most attractive place for them,” Mr. Johnson said. “It is bright, open, lots of space and

options, etc. Those groups and individuals are often times on a ‘space available’ basis since they are either off-season, clubs, or non-district programs.”

He also explained that the five courts in the LC have a multi-activity function, whereas many other sites do not.

“A gym space can be used as a volleyball court, basketball court, softball field, soccer field, tennis court, etc. The reverse is not true - you can not use a softball field as a volleyball court,” Mr. Johnson said.

He then continued to say that the sports that require courts have limited space but other sports can use both the LC and their fields.

“So, while we can accommodate many programs in an indoor space like LC, we can not accommodate court sports on outdoor facilities. That means that we only have a few spaces where we can practice volleyball or basketball but we have many where we can practice soccer or baseball,” Mr. Johnson said.

Novak and Humphries inducted into Minnesota HoF Aric Andersen Staff Reporter The Minnesota High School Basketball Hall of Fame recognizes the best players and coaches that this state has seen.

This year two Hopkins legends will be inducted. Current coach Mr. Ken Novak Jr. and 2003 graduate Kris Humphries.

This is the second class of the Minnesota High School Basketball Hall of Fame and the first class that includes a Hopkins player or coach.

This is a great accomplishment for Mr. Novak Jr. and a lot of his players spoke on what sets him apart from other

coaches they’ve had.

Mr. Novak Jr. has been coaching for a long time. That experienced has helped him and it is recognized by a lot of his players.

“He has a lot of experience at a high level,” said Andre Gray II, sophomore.

Coach Novak has already been inducted into a local hall of fame. He was inducted to the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association in 2013.

“He’s experienced and cares for his players,” said Shane Geschwind, junior.

Coach Novak’s father Mr. Ken Novak Sr. has also been inducted into the MBCA Hall of Fame, as well as the St. Cloud

State athletic Hall of Fame where he played and coached.

Having coached for many years before his son, Mr. Novak Sr. has passed down a lot of his knowledge. Mr. Novak Jr. is credited in having a lot of knowledge of the game.

“He’s genuine and very knowledgeable,” said Andy Stafford, senior.

Mr. Novak Jr. has spent a lot of time around the game of basketball. Along with coaching basketball for such a long time, he also hosts camps and watches other high level basketball games.

“He’s old school and lives and breathes basketball”, said Zeke Nnaji, senior.

In practices and team talks Mr. Novak Jr. remains somewhat calm.

Knowledge and experience isn’t the only thing that makes a good basketball coach.

Knowing how to teach is also a big part of it.

In practices and team talks Mr. Novak Jr. remains somewhat calm. Even after suffering heartbreaking defeats like the most recent installment of the Hopkins vs Edina series, which the Royals lost by a single point on the road at Edina HS. “He doesn’t just tell you he shows you how to improve,” said Jalen Dearring, senior.

Photo by Julia Fromstein

Mr. Ken Novak Jr. kneeling down, watching a play develop.

IN BRIEF Girls B-Ball undefeated

Boys look to Girls puck aims Boys playing dominate lake for traction at high level

Royelles end the year

Football gets transfer

The HHS girls basketball team has been perfect, an undefeated 19-0 start to this season makes the Royals number one in the state.

Behind nationally first ranked female junior basketball player, Paige Buecker’s 25.7 points per game, the Royals are facing the possibility of an undefeated regular season.

The HHS boys basketball team has had an amazing season so far, with a current record of 18-2, with the leading scorer being senior and University of Arizona commit Zeke Nnaji, averaging 22.6 points per game.

The Royals have four Lake Conference games in the first half of February, all of which are at home.

The Hopkins Royelles Dance Team or HRDT, finished up their season with a strong showing at sections.

They showed off two talented dances at the meet.

The team says goodbye to an extremely talented senior class that includes captains Sally Reed, Azumi Johnson and Josie Sandford.

Will Simon, sophomore, is a former Wayzata Trojan and future Hopkins Royal.

Simon played defensive end for Wayzata’s sophomore football team and has chosen to transfer to Hopkins.

Since Simon is still living out of district, he will play as soon as he is eligible.

The Hopkins/Park girls hockey team is having a tough season as they are overall a very young team. They have already lost more games overall than they did last season.

Last year the team went 12-13. The team has graduated a lot of former key players, such as Kylie Hanley, Amanda Olson and several others.

The HHS boys hockey team has showed major improvement from last season winning seven games, the same total as all of last year.

The Royals still have two games to go, four of which are against Lake Conference foes Edina and Wayzata at home, as well as Eden Prairie and Minnetonka on the road.

“

the royal page

February 11 , 2019

As a team this year we have really turned it around. We are over .500 for the first time since 2011. I’m looking forward to sections.

11

sports

RJ Chakolis, sophomore

Chakolis taking down records with historic season

Sophomore stars on the field with football and on the mat with wrestling Gabriel Herman Staff Reporter

Photo by Cheryl Myers

RJ Chakolis, sophomore, preparing for a wrestling meet. Chakolis is currently ranked number four in the state for his class.

This has been an eventful year for RJ Chakolis, sophomore, as he lead the state in tackles for the school’s football team and is now having quite the wrestling season.

Chakolis is 25-1 through the Stewartville High School tournament and has really been helping a fast improving wrestling team and program.

According to one of the most popular MN amateur wrestling websites The Guillotine’s January 11 rankings, Chakolis is ranked number four in the state for his class at 195 pounds for class AAA. Chakolis is the first wrestler to be ranked since two seasons ago when the Royals had a stellar duo in Nate Johnson and Jesse Sattler.

Johnson was also the first wrestler at HHS to place in state during the 2016-17 season, since 1999 when he placed

Nordic counters lack of snow with dryland practices

sixth at the Xcel Energy Center. Chakolis is looking to do that again for the Royals this year, and potentially make more noise than the school is used to.

Apple Valley, St. Michael Albertville (joining Lake Conference next season) have traditionally been powerhouses, unlike HHS. “This season has been real fun, individually I have wrestled really well. I am 25-1 and have had some good matches and as a team we have a really young team and a lot of great talent,” Chakolis said.

With Chakolis being ranked for the first time in his varsity career, his mentality has not changed. The training has overall stayed the same as well, as Chakolis plays football and runs track. He stays after practice for awhile, works more in the room and lifts weights and runs extra.

Although the school’s program has been rapidly growing in talent and attendance the

past two seasons, before that there were not many options for practice partners in the wrestling room from the scheduled two hour (3-5 PM) practice time that they have everyday after school.

Then last season Demetrius Patton, junior, had transferred from Mankato. With years of experience, and a lot of talent, the two wrestle each other everyday at practice looking to learn from one another while increasing their skill in a competitive manner.

The two were part of a trio including Clifton Patterson, senior, that made a trip to the Xcel Energy Center last season for the state tournament, and were also on the Star Tribune’s Metro Honor Roll this week.

The trio has incredible records with a 19-9 record for Patterson, a 21-6 record for Patton, and a 25-1 record for Chakolis.

At the Stewartville invitational, they both took second place in their respective weight classes.

Despite Chakolis’s loss to former Iowa state champion from New Hampton, IA Evan Rosonke, senior, there is plenty to look forward to as what he has done to this point is incredible, as there are conference matchups and section tournaments are nearly a month away.

Chakolis is also a star on the football field for the Royals. He has led the state in tackles this year as a sophomore and last year as a freshmen.

“I have been put in a place where many people haven’t and I just wanna take advantage of it,” Chakolis said.

Chakolis and his sister Dlayla, who plays basketball, have made quite the duo in the sports realm of HHS. Chakolis with the rest of the HHS wrestling team is looking to be as ready as possible for team sections coming later this week on Friday, February 15.

Skiers train on land despite snow not showing up for consecutive seasons Jason Schumacher Staff Reporter Despite unfavorable snow and ice conditions for winter sports, the Nordic ski team continued to train and compete through the nonideal weather.

“Varsity will usually practice or have a meet around six days per week. We haven’t really had to do a lot of dryland training this year thanks to fake snow,” said Mr. Aaron Ditty, science teacher and Nordic coach.

Skiing trails Theodore Wirth, Hyland Park and the Como Park Ski Center are currently still open.

“There are a lot of schools that train on the three parks in the area with fake snow,” Ditty said.

The Hopkins Nordic team is in Section 6A, which consists of 12 different schools.

Additionally, the Nordic team, like all teams here, shares the Lake Conference with the likes of Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Edina and Wayzata.

“We do a pretty good job of getting on snow due to our proximity to fake snow trails.

We usually have our practices

at Theodore Wirth in Golden Valley,” Mr. Ditty said.

The school has been fortunate to get practice on fake snow when they can because many schools haven’t had the same chances.

“I’d say that the southern schools in the state are at a disadvantage due to the amount of snow they’ve gotten this year.

Schools up north like Ely definitely have an advantage with their snow,” Ditty said.

On the days that the team doesn’t get on the trails, they dryland train. This training includes running, hill workouts and roller skiing. These techniques are meant to simulate what normal on snow training is like.

Despite the many ways to train without snow and imitate what it is like, dryland training can only help so much.

“The best way to dryland train really depends. You’ll never get the real thing without actual snow, but you can get close with roller skis,” said Simon Struyk, junior.

Dryland may be the best substitute for a lack of available snow, but it is not the ideal way

to train and prepare for competition.

“I definitely prefer getting out on the snow. Being on actual snow is also much less dangerous than roller skiing for if you fall,” Struyk said.

With the Nordic season lasting until the state meet on Feb. 14, the team has much of the season still ahead of them.

There is no significant snow predicted to come their way, but that is not an impossible challenge for the Nordic team to overcome. They have made it all the way to mid-January with few practices where they had to resort to dryland training.

“Teams like us and Bloomington are lucky to be so close to artificial snow trails. It really helps us stay competitive on a regular basis,” Ditty said.

Nordic athletes also have the opportunity to improve their skills during the offseason through a variety of summer training programs the school offers.

The Nordic Ski team had their last meet on Monday Feburary 4.

Photo provided by Kaija Pratt

Junior gymnasts Kaija Pratt and Ciboney Reglos congratulate one another after a routine. Pratt and Reglos have starred this season and have led the Royals as top athletes.

Gymnastics prepares for end of season, section finals David Peterson Staff Reporter Recently juniors Kaija Pratt and Ciboney Reglos, alongside Kay Murphy, sophomore, helped lead the gymnastics team to defeat Jefferson.

“The team has been bonding and improving at every meet, so it’s no surprise that we beat the other team at our last meet,” Pratt said.

The Royals edged Princeton with a score of 139.45 to 135, and broke the team record for highest score in 10 years. They followed up that meet with a victories over Jefferson and Breck making the 6-1 on the season.

Reglos is new to the team this year. She competed on a club team last year, but never

tried out for the school team.

“They are a lot different from each other. At my club gym, I was surrounded by high level and elite gymnasts, but it was very difficult mentally and physically,” Reglos said. “For the high school team, I can have a lot more fun and the environment is a lot more relaxed, but I still am able to do the skills that I want to do.”

Reglos has already been making an impact for the team so far this season. She was the only gymnast from the team to be named to the Metro Honor Roll with an all around score of 36.0.

With the success they have been having lately, the team looks to continue what they’ve been doing as they get closer to sections and Murphy cred-

its some of the success to the team’s community.

“We were kinda cliquey last year, but this year we are like one big family. Hopefully we can see the team be successful at sections,” Murphy said.

“Everyone has been super supportive of one another and we are all super close so it makes everything worthwhile.”

With one month left in the season, the team has some important meets coming up against rivals Edina and Wayzata before the final push in sections.

“I hope to improve my all around score and I want to hit my routines at sections to hopefully make it to state,” Pratt said.

FEBRUARY 11, 2019

12

Variety

“

the royal page I’m so glad I got to participate in the One Acts. It was a great experience, and I think they turned out really well.

Erin Maroney, junior

Maddie Whittey, senior, and Cruz Vargas, junior, argue during “Paper Thin.” This piece was centered around their characters eavesdropping on an altercation between their next door neighbors and discussing if its morally right to do something about the fight.

One Acts

hit the stage at HHS Photos by Isaac Richert

Harper Malone, junior, and Bella Feitl, senior, stare each other down in “Speech!” Malone and Feitl played lifelong enemies who are always trying to one-up each other.

Abby Aune, sophomore, raises her hand to vote “not guilty” in “12 Angry Jurors.” Aune played Juror 8 and was the only juror to initially vote “not guilty.”

Sagit Nachmias, senior, and Anna Arneson, senior, get into a fight during “Jerry Springer is God.” This piece competed at sections for One Acts against other schools from around the area.

Alex Weisberg and Erin Maroney, juniors, creating a plot during “Between Two Friends.” This show was about two friends who are trying to dig a up a dead body and put it on somebody’s doorstep.