January Issue

page theROYAL

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Not on the field...

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Wednesday, January 27, 2009 Volume 28 Issue 4

The Royal Page 2009-2010 Editors in Chief Nate Gotlieb Danny Mann

Managing Editor Rosie Mann

Content Editor Scott Gannis

Copy Editor Tom Guthrie

News Editor Rosie Mann

Opinion Editor Dylan Browdie

Feature Editors Zahra Bashir Amy Gallop

Centerspread Editor Tsana Allen

Varitey Editor Kent Wee

Sports Editors Bill Gregg Emma Peaslee

Back Cover Editor Naomi Litman-Zelle

Editors in Training Michael Frey Jasmine Geschwind

Webmaster Ben Jolson

Head Photographer Ben Jolson

Business Manager Danielle Fink

Staff Reporters

Meg Burnton Saxon Dorshow Eli Goldaris Andrew Herzog Ari Lederman Lindsey Kaufmann Aly Ketover Elana Kravitz Lissa Martinez Katia Tonge Alex Schneider Elissa Weis-Engelen

Adviser Jeff Kocur The editorial represents the opinion of the newspaper staff. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the administration, the student body or the adviser.

Signed viewpoints represent the view of the writer. The Royal Page is an open forum newspaper, where students decide editorial content.

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 suggestions are also welcome.

Contents cover story 8

Not On The Field But still in the game

news 3-5

The Challenges of Bus Scheduling Students left with no time to eat Overwhelmed With College Apps Counselors find it hard to keep up

opinion 6-7

2010 Census Vital For Minnesota Bachmann’s boycott is detrimental Students need to save responsibily Entitlement programs running out?

feature 10-11

Quiz Bowl vs Knowledge Masters Trivia clubs battle for supremacy Meet HHS’ Twins Double the trouble, but twice the fun

variety 12-13

The Quest for the Perfect Pizza A taste of the Twin Cities finest pizza Band Preparing for POPS Students excited for concert

sports 14-15

Pond Hockey Popular at HHS Students take advantage of winter Where Are They Now? Last year’s boys baskeball starters

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news

3 page the ROYAL

HHS students explore nation’s cultures

11

1 Marli Komarek, junior, is

educating Megan Boos, senior, all about North Korea.

2An Ethiopian meal con-

sists of injera, (bread) which also includes toppings of cherries, apples, and blueberries.

2

3Tess

L’Heureux, Mark Hartman, and Mari EarhartPrice, juniors, play a game from Zimbabwe.

3

4Michelle

Epps, senior, throws a ball at the target in the country of Greece.

5

4

5Evelyn

Maly, Rachael Gabriele, and Haley Ness, juniors, researched the country of India for Festival of Nations.

Photos by Paul Webber

School counselors overwhelmed by college bound students

Sophomore

]

]

Timeline of how to have an effective relationship with your counselor.

- Intoduce yourself to your counselor so they can put a face with a name.

- Look at ACT/SAT resources available in the guidance office - Mid-year talk to your counselor about what classes to take senior year - Spring: Meet with your counselor to discuss the college process

Each counselor also writes approximately 40 to 60 letters of recommendation for seniors on top of the numerous transcript requests that they must complete. These letters must be written with a great deal of thought and effort and often require contact with other teachers that the students have had along with at least one 20 to 30 minute meeting with each student.

Sarah Orbuch, senior, said that she went to a private college counselor to “get help with the essay writing process. It’s not that I wouldn’t go to my school counselor, but it’s that he physically doesn’t have the time to correct my essays and help guide me in one-on-one ways that I need because of all of the other people he deals with.”

The counselors are completely aware of these issues, and wish that they had “fewer students and a better opportunity to meet with them individually and more frequently throughout the year,” Davidson said. They are working very hard each year to improve their program.

Abel said, “we would really like to do more classroom visits with each grade level for guidance lessons on topics like the ACT/ SAT, college planning, financial aid, and more.” Recently the counselors have been doing this when met with the sophomores to talk about their PLAN test.

Senior

F

or high school seniors, completing just one college application or writing an essay for a school is a stressful endeavor.

Imagine, however, filling out hundreds of forms and writing countless letters of recommendation, all in a very short window of time. This is what the counselors at HHS go through on a daily basis.

After a full year and a half at HHS, most students still have not met face to face with their assigned counselors. Often it isn’t until the spring of junior year when students receive the half sheet of paper telling them to meet their counselor.

Maddy Bauer, junior, said that she has been to a counselor numerous times to talk about scheduling issues, but she has never met with her assigned counselor and has not had any discussions about college or the college process.

But even after meeting with her assigned counselor, Grace Washko, senior, still found a glitch in the system. Washko had completed all of her applications and gotten her transcript requests in early, but found herself receiving numerous emails from the colleges she was applying to after their deadlines had passed saying that they still had not received her transcript. “The one thing completely out of my control had gone horribly wrong; I was angry,” said Washko.

After being wrongly assured multiple times by the guidance office that all her transcripts had been sent, Washko called the schools she had applied to and found that five out of her nine ap-

plications were missing transcripts. “Fairly annoyed, I then brought my parents with me. After a long chat, they finally faxed my transcripts to the schools,” Washko said.

However, mistakes are inevitable, and even after that whole ordeal Washko couldn’t say whether the guidance office was at fault for not sending her transcripts or the colleges she had applied to were for possibly losing her information. Serving about 330 students each, the counselors at our school have quite the load to take on.

“Every day is different,” said Nick Abel, Counselor. Counselors deal with scheduling issues, college application help, college or post-secondary planning, ACT and SAT questions, and personal and social issues.

Some students or parents will make appointments, but there are also those students who just walk in to speak with a counselor, whether or not it is their assigned one.

The constant change in pace is “sometimes like a hospital emergency room,” said Jean Davidson, Counselor, “you deal with whatever walks in the door.”

While a lot of a counselors’ job is focused on interactions, not all of the work they do is face to face. They do a lot of behind the scenes planning, preparing, and arranging for things like the ACT testing at HHS, planning the scholarship night for seniors, meeting with college representatives here and around the country, working with the counselors at the other schools in our districts, and much more to make our program run as smoothly as possible.

Junior

Aly Ketover Staff Reporter

-fall-have meeting to get to know your counselor for recommendation -get all transcripts requests in with plenty of time -keep counselors up to date with applications

c l a u r f e s e s rs e c

c u s

by 20 1

Although it is fast approaching, entering the workforce is the furthest thing from teenagers’ minds. Nonetheless, every student will have to face the fact that they will be forced to find careers to support themselves. This could be a difficult task, seeing as the current recession has been the most punishing job destroyer in at least 60 years, slashing a net total of 6.7 million jobs, according to a study conducted by MSNBC. Despite this, there are still selective careers that have, will remain, or will become successful and in high demand. The Royal Page has compiled a list of careers to consider.

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Tasana Allen C-spread Editor

Sewage Plant Supervisor

Organic Food Industry

Although it is not the most glamorous of jobs, sewage plant supervisor is a perfect refuge in the present economic times. Sewage plant supervisors oversee the treatment of water as well as the waste treatment operations.

Not only is this a decent-paying job, but it is also an extremely reliable one, seeing as there is always going to be a need for sewage plants and waste services no matter how the state of the economy is.

Qualifications: Experience in engineering or operating in water filtration or sewage plant service, along with certification and licensing of eligibility.

Salary range: $60,000-$70,000

Robotics

In a way, robots have already taken over the world of technology and are only expected to get more popular in society.

Paul Saffo, a technology forecaster, states that components, processors, and sensors for robots are getting cheaper each quarter, with hundreds of new applications already being developed.

Qualifications: Experience in computer science, engineering, and electronics, along with a love of creation and innovation.

Salary range: $80,000-$90,000

Th

S Connecti H H e o

With a recent practice of nutrition and health sweeping the nation, by 2012, organic food and beverage will represent about 10 percent of the total market. This amount is doubled from 1998. As organic consumption becomes mainstream, Executive Director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation, Bob Scowcroft, said that the industry will soon need more employees.

Qualifications: Organic food expertise in farming, business or science.

Salary range: $50,000-$80,000

Skin Care Specialists

In the skin care sector, the already-crowded marketplace has meant different products have had to address consumer needs on a greater scale than ever before. Especially in the United States, products that will reduce aging or improve a person’s appearance are increasingly becoming accepted as the norm. Specialists would assist this booming field in providing the eager consumers with exactly what they are demanding.

Qualifications: Trained in skin care and experiences with special tools and medicines along with good client relations and results.

Salary range: $30,000-$45,000

n

A course offered at HHS is diving into issues such as those that surround the sewage industry. Recently, the HHS AP Environmental Science class took a trip to a sewage treatment center. Each students learned how a sewage treatment plant works, what it’s functions and goals are. They are also told about career opportunities at the plant, which is one topic John Sammler, science, says always brings up curiosity.

“Everybody asks why [the job is so demanding],”said Sammler,“Well, people who get this position only have to work 36 hours a week and can earn a salary of $35-$40/hour. “

Data Technology

By 2012, an overwhelming majority of technology will be able to generate an incredible amount of information. This is a field that is constantly changing and working to be on top of all aspects of technology with the latest and the greatest. Technologists would build structures, real and virtual, that turn a pile of data into something substantial.

Qualifications: Experience in virtual environments, good technical skills and imagination along with a willingness to learn.

Salary range: $90,000-$102,000

An occupation that gives back Q and A with Josh Rasmussen, senior Aly Ketover Staff reporter

The front door opens and the familiar footsteps of Naa fill the house. The plan today was to do some art and just relax, thought Katy Corbin, junior, whose afternoons are not spent like most teens.

Corbin works with Naa Bashi, a 21 year old girl, originally from Ghana, who has autism. Bashi is Corbin’s neighbor, so this makes it easy for them to get together.

Corbin said that they like to draw, go to the movies, or just hang out.

Corbin works with Bashi through an organization called Lifeworks. This is a nonprofit group that works with people with disabilities to help them live meaningful lives. Corbin gets paid 15 dollars an hour for her work with Bashi.

“I like my work a lot, and [Bashi] is a great person to work with. I was a little nervous when I started with her because I had a bad experience in the past and I thought she might be violent, but she is really sweet,” Corbin said.

As for her future, Corbin plans to go to college and to continue pursuing her interests in art. She also wants to continue her work with people with special needs, but thinks she might wait to continue her work in this area until after college.

“I think this will absolutely prepare me for the future, and I would love to be able to combine my passions and be a special needs art teacher one day,” Corbin said.

Josh Rasmussen, senior, has worked for the past two years at Walser Nissan and RS Motors. Growing up around a mechanically inclined family, cars were always a passion and a hobby for Rasmussen. The Royal Page administered a Q and A with Rasmussen to learn more about this interesting job.

Q: What do you need to know/ what are the qualifications for your job?

A: Being able to solve problems. Work with people, work in a timely matter.

Something called “ASE certified” is important.

You will need to know how cars work - motors, brakes, suspensions, ECU’s etc.

Degree in automotive technology is also needed.

Q: Describe an average day on the job:

Rasmussen works underneath vehicle

A: When I go into work I log onto my computer and pull up work orders. Work orders are what tell me what a car needs to have done (oil change, tire rotation, brake job, transmission problems, etc.) I then put the vehicle on a lift and get to work. An average day involves oil changes, something called PDI (pre-delivery inspection) for new cars, rebuilding engines, and inspecting the vehicle for any leaks, problems, strange noises, etc. After the work is done, I either park the car in the “complete work lot” or pull it up front for the customer waiting inside the dealership.

news

5 page the ROYAL

Hall S Naom

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f all the changes made at the start of the 2009-2010 school year, the hall sweep system is one of the most noticeable among the HHS student body. Like any new addition goings-on at HHS, hall sweeps have yielded satisfactory results but have also presented some issues that have proven to be problematic.

Laura Cooper, senior, is a student that can speak to the problematic side of hall sweeps. “I got a slip in first block saying I had to go to detention,” Cooper said. “ I’d been swept twice, but I knew I hadn’t gotten a third one.”

What happened with Cooper is definitely not an isolated incident. A handful of HHS students have received detention notices after only being swept once or twice. The reasons for these mishaps are still relatively unclear because though most were a result of a computer error, others are rumored to be the result of a much bigger problem: student dishonesty.

Though there is yet to be proof that it’s happened, there has been talk of students using the name of another student on their sweep passes.

Whether it’s to avoid detention or to play a practical joke on a friend, putting another student’s name on a sweep pass has become an issue talked about among the student body. To the administration, however, there have been no instances where a

to und

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student has served a detention on behalf of another student.

Anne Campbell, dean of students, could neither confirm nor deny that this has actually happened. “To me it’s never gotten to the point of someone serving a detention for someone else,” she said.

Luckily, if a student gets a detention slip when one isn’t in order, there is a very easy way to make sure no student is serving a detention that he or she doesn’t need to serve. When senior Aubrey McCarthy, who has never been swept, got a detention notice, she was pretty confused. “It was not a problem at all to clear it up though once I went down to the office,” McCarthy said.

Cooper also found it very easy to clear up the error. “My dad called Ms. Campbell, and she just told him to have me come and talk to her, which I did. After that, I was able to explain what happened and I didn’t have to serve the detention,” she said.

As Campbell finds ways to make hall sweeps work more effectively, she makes sure that students aren’t serving detentions they shouldn’t have received in the first place. “If a student came to

hange

s

m e [about a detention], I would look at his or her attendance and maybe call home to verify [that] he or she is telling the truth,” Campbell said.

Campbell is also working on solving the computer problems.

“There’s been some human error, but next semester we’re going to be using a more reliable tracking system,” she said.

Even with the new computer system, there is still always a chance that something will come up. Since students are sometimes allowed to write their own sweep passes, there is still the chance that a student may use the name of another student to avoid accumulating sweep passes. “I know most of the kids, but we don’t know everyone,” Campbell said.

Of course, Campbell is hoping that kids will be honest about whose name they write down.

“All we’re asking is that students are accountable, honest, and get to class on time,” she said.

Bus, school schedule make it hard to be on time to class Some students arriving too close to start of school day Rosie Mann News and Managing Editor

L

aurice Reed, sophomore, is used to being thirteen minutes late to class each morning. No, she isn’t sleeping in late or chatting with friends in the mall. What is making Reed late each day is, in fact, beyond her control.

Reed wakes up at and reaches her bus stop by 7:17am in order to stand in the cold and wait for her bus to pick her up. She usually arrives at HHS by 7:39am giving her 8 minutes to get to class.

Still the HHS administration will routinely hand Reed a blue pass allowing her to eat her breakfast and get to class by about 8:00, thirteen minutes after classes have begun.

The regularity of this situation is creating a problem at HHS. “We want students to have full access to the 88 minutes of class time, because we know that is the best learning environment,” said Mary Slinde, Associate Principal. However Reed and many other students are not given that opportunity first block because the buses arrive too close to the start of school.

According to Dave Tripp, Transportation Supervisor for Hopkins Public schools, 99 percent of the buses arrive on time to school everyday. However as Ann Campbell, Dean of students, explains, “the buses pull into the parking lot on time, but with not enough time for students to go to lockers, eat breakfast, go to the office, and do other things.”

Slinde added, “if a bus gets here at 7:39 and [the students] get

Late bus passes, as shown above, are given to students that do not have time to eat breakfast. Students who recieve don’t have to be in class untill eight, missing the first 13 minutes of first block off the bus and walk directly to class, technically [they] should be able to make it.” However, for students that eat breakfast at school, it is impossible to make it to class on time.

“It’s this perception that the buses are late when in actuality the buses are on time but kids can’t eat breakfast,” said Slinde, “It should be called a breakfast issue, not a bus issue.”

Regardless of what it’s being called, some teachers are noticing, and needing to adjust their classes. “It bothers me because one

half to one third of my students are missing almost an hour of instructional time a week,” said Maggie Temple, Social Studies and Equity Team member.

“A large portion of our bus riders are students of color, and if we look at test achievement scores, they are lower for Black, Latino, and Native American students. This problem is being exacerbated when they are missing [class] time,” said Temple.

Due to the clear concerns from students and teachers, the Hopkins District is focusing on ways to alleviate the problem. “It feels to me like if we could grab five minutes, maybe we could make it work,” said Slinde.

Others believe that joint scheduling with NJH would help HHS students make it to class with enough time for breakfast.

Because NJH starts later than the high school, if the buses come earlier, no one will be available to supervise the NJH students. “I’m hoping that the Junior High can either find supervision or change their start times,” said Temple.

Tripp also acknowledges the scheduling issues and believes joint scheduling with NJH and WJH may be beneficial. “Scheduling the three schools would help but there are challenges involved,” said Tripp. For instance, the buses, scheduled via a computer program, are not influenced by a particular individual.

However Tripp is hoping to rework the current system within the next year. “We want to do the best we can with the students,” he said, “we’ve been running on this schedule for ten years and every year it’s a challenge. I’ve been pushing to get everyone together because I think we can do a better job,” he said.

opinion

6 page the ROYAL

There’s a story my dad tells about his experience as a bench warmer on the ninth grade basketball team at Highland Park High School.

It was one of the last games of an uneventful basketball season, and his team was up big in the waning minutes of the second half. He, along with a few other benchwarmers, had played only a few minutes all season. My dad’s buddy just about had enough of warming the bench all season.

Unable to contain his frustration at the coach for keeping the starters in any longer, his buddy went up to the coach, and shouted, “Put me in mother F..........” Surprised by this concise confrontation, the coach promptly let him play the remainder of the game.

Many of us have been in the frustrating position of riding the bench.

In this issue of the Royal Page, we feature three athletes who not only stuck with their sport for the entirety of their high school careers but did so when they knew they weren’t going to gain any glory by sticking around.

After years of countless lay ups and free throws, years of dedication, riding the bench on any varsity sport would come as a blow to most teenagers.

But whatever hurt feeling these three had, they are all sticking it out.

They are leaders by example, giving their all to teams that haven’t given them all they may have wanted.

In sports, we hear so much about the stars of teams. It was Brett Favre making all the headlines for the Vikings. Joe Mauer gets a good chunk of what Twins coverage there is. Last year, it was all about the starting five of the HHS boys basketball team.

But the seldom used players, in my opinion, are much more interesting to talk about. These are the players who work just as hard in practice (often harder, as they are fighting for playing time) and who only watch their teammates win games. They feel the thrill of their team’s victory, or the pain of their defeat, but they can only watch.

I’m sure it is a tough thing for these athletes to do. But these types of athletes, athletes who play for a love of the game, to contribute in any way they can to the team, are what coaches, fans, and the media should recognize.

Nate Gotlieb is the Editor in Chief for the Royal Page

Just say ‘No’ to health class Health Science is not unlike other classes. An average day includes lectures, video clips, group activities, quizzes, and anything else you’d expect in a normal high school course. The teachers are knowledgeable, well organized, and for the most part, teach the material from an objective, nonjudgmental stance.

That said, having Health Science as an HHS graduation requirement is unnecessary because the main points of the class are mostly rooted in common sense.

In elementary school and through junior high, health class is a very important requirement. Young students legitimately need to learn about sex, drugs, and their physical, emotional, and social development somewhere along the line because they are not born with this information.

Providing this information multiple times before students actually begin to encounter these obstacles engrains these concepts into their minds, which is the best outside influences can accomplish in promoting good health and decision making.

Students ages 15 to 18 do not need to be reminded that drugs are bad, unprotected sex is bad, and unhealthy, and processed foods are bad. Though Health Science covers more than just those subjects and goes into greater detail than ever before, its overall message is already widely recognized.

Those who choose to participate in unhealthy behavior most likely do so out of choice or peer influence, not because they think said behavior is healthy. Additional charts, statistics, and detailed scientific explanations on unhealthy lifestyles may contribute to the continued abstinence of those who already choose to abstain from unhealthy behavior but rarely convince students who regularly make unhealthy decisions to stop altogether.

The class should exist as a science elective. Its information is detailed and well presented and should be readily available for those who want it. However, forcing the information on those who don’t is ineffective.

A large percentage of students still make un-

60 *2007 Minnesota State Survey

percent of seniors

HHS benchwarmers contribute in own way

**Percentages based on student use within 30 days of taking the survey

50

40 30 20 10

State 2004 State 2007 Hopkins 2004 Hopkins 2007

Tobacco 28 26 17 25.4

Alcohol 48 48.5 38.5 49

Marijuana 19 19.5 20.5 31

A large percentage of students still make unhealthy choices even with the Health Science requirement.

healthy choices even with the Health Science requirement. According to the 2007 Minnesota State Survey, 49 percent of HHS seniors said they had drunk alcohol within 30 days of the survey and 31 percent said they had smoked marijuana. Both of these were increases from the 2004 survey results and higher that state averages.

Health science is not required by the state for high school graduation. According to 2009 Minnesota statute 120B.024 Graduation Requirements; Course Credits, students are required to take four credits of language arts, three credits of mathematics, three credits of science, three and-a-half credits of social studies, one credit in the arts, and seven elective course credits.

The state also requires each district to establish local standards in health and physical education.

The ninth grade health class would cover this requirement, making Health Science unecessary.

Rather than spending a quarter in health class, students should take a required course on money managing and finance to help them learn how to deal with credit, loans, taxes, and other important life skills that they’ll be needing in the near future.

The Minnesota Office of Higher Education reported that 70.2% of the 2008 graduating class in the state of Minnesota enrolled in a postsecondary education institution. A class in this vein would be especially important for the 29.8% who did not and may be in over their heads in adult situations that public schools did not prepare them for.

Alex Schneider is a staff reporter for the Royal Page

Thumbs Up/ Thumbs Down A look at what the Royal Page likes and dislikes about HHS Parents picking up their kids in the student parking lot

Upcoming POPS concert

Intramural basketball

STD Slides

Freedom fries served only once per week

Amount of people in first lunch

New physics electives People hanging out on steps/ in areas with high traffic Block scheduling

opinion

7 page The census concensus: fill it out!

It is time again for the great American headcount. In a few months, we will all have the opportunity to participate in the 2010 Census and be counted as members of American democracy as mandated by our Constitution. But Minnesota’s most persistent conspiracy theorist, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, has voiced concerns about what the Federal Government intends to do with the census data that it collects.

Back in June, on a substantive political forum known as the “Glenn Beck Program,” Bachmann railed that Americans should not be required to divulge such deeply personal information as their phone numbers to the government.

“There is a point when you say ‘enough is enough’ to government intrusion,” Bachmann told Beck, waving the twenty-eightpage American Community Survey in the air. She mistakenly implied that this document was the census that all Americans would be required to complete. The actual census form is a two-sided pamphlet.

A week before her appearance on the program, Bachmann told the Washington Times that, “For my family the only question we will be answering is how many people are in our home. We won’t be answering any information beyond that because the Constitution doesn’t require any information beyond that.”

Bachmann is also boycotting the census out of fear that members of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) would be given access to her personal information. While it is true that ACORN was at one point one of the approximately 30,000 “partners” brought in by the Census Bureau to help with community outreach and promotion, these tenuous

the ROYAL

ties were severed in September following a slew of embarrassing ACORN scandals involving embezzlement, prostitution, and a well-placed hidden camera.

The census has been the government’s method for gathering vital information about the demographic makeup of the country

“

Anybody who is not counted in the census is, in effect, disenfranchised from the political process...

“

since 1790. Census data is used to apportion the 435 seats in the House of Representatives to each state and helps determine where in the country over 400 billion dollars of federal money is spent each year.

So besides the five thousand dollar fine, why might it be a bad idea for Minnesotans to refuse to fill out their census forms?

In a democracy, simply existing as a member of society trans-

lates into power. Anybody who is not counted in the census is, in effect, disenfranchised from the political process. And now, more than ever, our state needs to count as many people as possible.

According to the estimates of Minnesota State Demographer Tom Gillaspy, the State is on the verge of losing one of its eight House seats in time for the 2012 election, which would also cost us a vote for president in the Electoral College. This would also put Bachmann herself in real danger of losing her job, considering that the State Legislature, which must approve redistricting plans, is controlled by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. If Bachmann’s plans to undermine the Census succeed, she could see her district gerrymandered out of existence.

Bachmann’s census boycott is not only illegal, it is a dumb political strategy. On top of that, it could result in real consequences for every person in the state over the next ten years until a new census is taken.

If a thousand Minnesotans allow themselves to be distracted by these paranoid delusions of an overreaching government, we will not get the power and attention that we deserve. As a state, we need our voice in national debate to be as loud and strong as possible. Fill out your census form and be counted.

Ari Lederman is a staff reporter for the Royal Page

Students should keep retirement in mind High school students are somewhat notorious for having poor planning skills (or, more simply, for not bothering to plan anything at all).

This tendency, where present, acts as a drag on personal progress, and goal-oriented actions are sometimes displaced by random and often aimless efforts.

Poor planning can lead young people to miss out on important opportunities, many of which young people are in the best position to capitalize on. Specifically, monetary investments based on an assumed yearly percentage growth are most valuable to those individuals that can sit on an investment for a long, extended period of time.

A case in which this observation is very important is in that of a person planning on someday retiring. People in high school consistently overlook saving for retirement, which is not surprising, considering the long-off retirement date and the previously-touched-upon planning trend.

Savings put away into interest-yielding investments earlier in life are much more valuable to the individual down the road than investments made later in life. An investor receiving a percent return annually from an untouched investment pool would see a greater growth in the total sum of money between the forty-ninth and fiftieth years than between the forty-eighth and fortyninth years. Consequently, a high school student is actually in a much better position to invest and save for retirement than even a college student or a person first entering the workforce in his or her early twenties.

High school students may be more inclined to save money for college than for retirement.

This makes sense, obviously, since college is the more pressing issue early in life. However, it is unwise for young people to discard saving for retirement entirely.

Saving for retirement is likely to be extremely important for our generation. Considering trends showing a decrease in employer-guaranteed pensions, retirement plans assuring the retiree certain payouts, meaning that the employer assumes investment risk, individual saving for retirement is going to be a must for the vast majority of today’s high school students.

Further compounding the retirement issue for current high school students are the shortcomings of the U.S. Social Security system (mainly that it’s an extremely expensive program already under high stress from the baby-boomer generation’s retirement). According to socialsecurity. gov, the U.S. Social Security system paid out almost 500 billion dollars in benefits in 2004.

The importance of the U.S. Social Security system to retirees shouldn’t be overlooked, as it keeps roughly 40 percent of all Americans age 65 or older out of poverty, but, because of population changes, the program will become unsustainably large within the next fifty years and may even be abandoned in some form.

With the absence of employer-guaranteed pensions and the likely decrease in federal aid to retired seniors due to the extremely high costs, HHS students should consider saving for retirement in bulk and, most importantly, early.

That isn’t to say everyone at HHS should run out and invest whatever money they can get their hands on. Each student should consider his or her financial situation individually and then

by Amy Gallop Consider saving for retirement within the next 15 years or you could end up an 80 year-old with a McJob.

determine what path is best suited to his or her needs.

The necessary step for every student is, simply, to make that careful consideration. With solid foresight and common sense, HHS students can

successfully plan for their financial futures.

Dylan Browdie is the Opinion Editor for the Royal Page

The other side

A look inside the u Hutson quietly contributes

Lack of playing time has not held him down Amidst the humidity of the sweat-soaked Lindbergh Center, junior Marvin Singleton’s playing time has come to a close. But just as Singleton’s night is ending, senior Ross Hutson’s is about to begin.

Hutson has played on the HHS boys basketball team for the last two seasons, but if one were to ask him, he’d say the word “played” is very relative. Hutson has been a valued member of the varsity squad since his junior year, but he rarely appears in varsity games. However, where some players might detest similar playing time, Hutson relishes his role. . "I play basketball because I enjoy it.

Whether I'm playing or not has nothing to do with how I feel," Hutson said.

All too often, coaches must be wary of petulant players that struggle with selfawareness and their perceived role on the

team, but that’s not an issue with Hutson.

"Everybody is central to the team and what's going on. If all people are invested and all people are involved, we create a culture - a culture that generates success," Novak said.

Hutson may not be the only player who primarily plays JV, but he is the only senior.

Despite a lack of crucial minutes, his situation hasn't soured his love of the game or the program. . "I just come to practice everyday so the other players can get better. They appreciate [bench players] because I'm putting in just as much work as they are," Hutson said.

It is this kind of maturity and perspective that renders Hutson and others like him so important. "Ross is a great kid, a selfless kid.

His awareness of himself is well beyond the average high schooler. There's a big difference between being a star and being a starter

and being a bench player. If you're gonna become successful at anything, you have to persevere," Novak said.

Novak finds that basketball presents a unique challenge to all of his players.

“Basketball is a different sport because you can only play five at a time. It's very important for teams to be very effort-driven and process-driven versus result-oriented,” Novak said.

Over the years, the results have been great for HHS boys basketball. Much of this can be attributed to the program’s legendary players, but the program owes something to the players like Hutson that embody everything Novak preaches. He may not play many “meaningful” minutes, but every time Hutson appears during varsity games this season, it is certainly meaningful to his coaches, teammates, and the program as a whole.

Story by Scott Gannis, Copy Editor

Soccer

Tennis

Name: Hanna Hondzo Grade: Senior Position: Doubles How long: 7 years “Order doesn’t matter. I play for fun and I like the game itself.”

Name: Conor Nelson Grade: Senior Position: Forward, Left How long: 12 years “I still play because I want to work harder to prove people wrong.”

e of the bench

unknown superstars Seniors leading by example Riding the bench but still guiding the team Up and down the court she goes, practicing the same routine she’s done every winter her entire high school career. She plays every play like the state championship is on the line. She has never started in a varsity basketball game in her high school career; she probably never will.

But tell Meghan Westman, senior, that it’s not worth it.

Westman, the co-captain, is finishing full circle a career in Hopkins basketball that started with so much promise on the fifth grade travel team. In tenth grade, she played on the JV team.

But the athleticism of girls her own age was finally starting to catch up with her. In eleventh grade, she was back on the JV team again. After being made varsity captain last summer, she expected the varsity team to come knocking.

As Westman has learned in her eight years in the program, not everything goes as expected.

Westman found out she was going to be playing JV her senior year. “It was hard to be playing with ninth graders and sophomores when I’m a senior,” Westman said.

Yet, she refuses to stay down on herself.

In a program that’s highly competitive, Westman’s enjoying herself not through leading the varsity team to victory, but through the relationships she’s built over the years in the program.

She is fully devoted to her job as captain seeing the team as one big family. “When we’re on the bench, we don’t really think JV/ varsity,” Westman said.

On the bench at the girls varsity basketball games, there is another senior who plays all of her minutes for the JV team. Tracy

Volleyball Hockey

Name: Rob Weiner Grade: Senior Position: Goalie How long: 8 years “It’s fun just hanging out with a bunch of buddies.”

Name: Haley Ness Grade: Junior Position: Middle How long: 4 years “I sat out this year with an injury.

But just because you’re a ‘benchwarmer’ doesn’t mean you should stop.”

McGregor, senior, who has been playing basketball since she was seven, continues to play for one reason: her love of the game. “Basketball is my life,” she said.

McGregor sees her role as an “energy provider.” “When we’re on the bench (during varsity games), we yell ‘ball ball ball’ all game in order to distract the other team,” MacGregor said.

Despite their situations, McGregor hopes to continue playing basketball for Anoka Ramsey Community College NCJAA (National Collegiate Junior Athletic Assiciation) Division III school. Westman is not sure about her plans yet.

As for this year, both hope to continue contributing anyway they can. “I want to make sure everyone’s having fun, and, hopefully, we can go as far as we can this year,” Westman said.

Story by Nate Gotlieb, Editor in Chief

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Battle of the brains at HHS photo by Lissa Martinez

Students Eshaan Rao, senior and Mike Leach, junior partcipated in a mock competition during their Quiz Bowl practice.

This is one of the many activities they do to prepare for the real competitions. The many practices and hard work led to Quiz Bowl heading to nationals in Chicago on Memorial Day.

Lissa Martinez Staff Reporter uch like Jeopardy and Who Wants to be a Millionaire, HHS’ own posse of students test their common knowledge skills by competing in rounds of trivia, buzzers and all.

These are students on the HHS Quiz Bowl and Knowledge Masters teams.

Quiz Bowl is set up with buzzers and an equal number of players on each team.

Once the question is read, each player tries to answer a question to gain points for the team. Rounds are played using various categories with a wide range of topics such as history, literature, current events, politics, and pop culture.

“I think it’s interesting to know a wide variety of information. I end up learning a lot about what I don’t know and get to test my own knowledge,” said Lauren Sadowsky, senior.

Sammler, the team’s advisor, also participated in Quiz Bowl when he was in high school. However, both Quiz Bowl and similar club, Knowledge Masters, are

M

facilitated by him. “It is kind of fun to take information from classes that you don’t use regularly and find a use for it outside of class,” Sammler said.

So what makes Quiz Bowl different from Knowledge Masters? “I went [to Knowledge Masters] once and this atmosphere [at Quiz Bowl] is more fun and the people are great with better questions and interaction. In Knowledge Masters, you just stare at a computer,” said Asher Trangle, junior.

Similar to Quiz Bowl, without all of the flashy lights, Knowledge Masters covers a lot of the same material as Quiz Bowl, just in a different fashion.

“I’ve never liked being put on the spot.

Quiz Bowl puts more pressure on you than Knowledge Masters. You work as a group with everyone there to solve the question. You can be as quiet or as vocal as you want,” said Grace Doherty, senior.

Although the style may be different, the trivia is similar. Instead of competing against another team and your own team members, participants in Knowledge

Masters work together to come up with an answer.

What it comes down to is technique and style.

“There are advantages to both clubs. If you don’t want to be the center of attention, join Knowledge Masters. It lets you show your skill in whatever you’re good at. People who know a lot in just one or two subjects shine in Knowledge Masters,” Doherty said.

Knowledge Masters also has some perks.

With competitions throughout the year, Knowledge Masters’ participants need to study hard at their weekly hour long practices, but also get rewarded.

“The best part of Knowledge Masters is when we have the competition, and we take half the day off from school to compete. People bring in all sorts of food and after we are done, we hang out and make a party out of it,” said Travis Petersen, senior.

One thing is for sure, there are HHS students who have a lot of seemingly useless information stored in their brains. “Trivia is good because you never know when you might be in jeopardy,” said Sammler.

Five days a week with a young fashionista

Like many students at HHS, Shira Lavintman, junior, has her own unique style. Because Lavintman likes adding structure to her wardrobe, she has a different theme for every day of the school week. Now, a group of Lavintman’s friends are emulating her. photos and story

by Elana Kravitz, staff reporter

Moody Monday I wear what I'm feeling. Everyone is really crabby on Mondays so sometimes I wear sweatshirts to show that I'm lazy and don't want to be at school. I also wear bright colors when I'm happy.

Glasses Tuesday Sometimes I don't feel like touching my eyeballs in the morning and it gives me a different look. I can wear whatever clothes I want, as long as I wear my glasses. I will only ever wear glasses on Tuesday.

No Pants Wednesday I wear anything other than jeans because everyone wears jeans all the time. Wednesday is a hard day to get through because it’s the middle of the week. So, I try to change my outfit the most that day.

Camp Ramah Thursday Fun Friday I wear stuff from my camp to show my love and support for it.

It could also just be a necklace that someone gave to me when I was at camp. It can be changed with clothes from any extra curricular.

I whip out the crazy stuff. I wear something that I wouldn't wear usually. I don't think I can pull off hats so I try different kinds all the time. It can be anything. Shoes too.

Once I wore a Christmas sweater.

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Match the twins with their answers Question: What do you like to do together?

Meg Burnton Staff Reporter

1 2 3 4

“We hang out with the same people p eople and we take band together”

Danielle Fink Staff Reporter Students all around the Hopkins community are responding to the earthqauke that hit Haiti.

Lily Hauser, senior, reacted abruptly to this disaster by devoting her time to making a facebook group. Other students quickly updated their facebook statuses’ with numerous ways teenagers can help.

The earthquake, which killed hundreds of thousands of people and left many injured, happened Jan. 12 at 4:53 p.m. It had a magnitude of 7.0 and hit about 10 miles southwest of the capital, Portau-Prince. The survivors are struggling without food, water, and shelter.

But the nightmare wasn’t over yet. More than 30 aftershocks of a 4.5 on the Richter scale hit Haiti through the night of Jan. 12.

Another earthquake hit on the morning of Jan 20. The magnitude of this earthquake was a 6.5.

The United States along with many other countries have sent humanitarian aid to Haiti. The governments are not the only ones that are helping.

The students at HHS have united to help the cause. Through fundraising and support, HHS students hope to better the situation in Haiti.

The Earth Club at HHS has been doing their part to help the citizens of Haiti as well. They have started a fundraiser called Coins and Cash Drive. In about five days, time the club has raised 345 dollars. “Whatever profit we make from the Coins and Cash Drive, Earth Club will match,” said Alicia Vossen, senior.

Earth Club does not know what organization the money is going to because the government in Haiti is not stable. They are looking into a program called Doctors Without Borders, which is an international medical humanitarian organization. They offer aid in over 60 countries and are currently in Haiti helping the victims of the earthquake.

The members of Earth Club aren’t the only students that are raising money for Haiti. Fifth graders at Glen Lake Elementary school packed food for kids in Haiti. The same group of students put a donation box labeled, “Change for Haiti” in every classroom in the school.

National Honors Society is also doing Data Match for HHS students and all the proceeds will go to a Haiti relief fund. Each questionnaire is three dollars and will be sold during lunch.

HHS students can also help the Haitian people by texting “HAITI” to 90999. It will then charge 10 dollars to the phone bill.

The proceeds support the American Red Cross Haiti relief efforts.

For more information on how you can help the people of Haiti, please visit www.redcross.org.

“We play Super Mario Brothers together, g ether, along with driving to school”

Tracy and Stacy McGregor, seniors Tracy is soft spoken and sporty and Stacy is louder and girly. They they want to go to college together.

Amanda and Allison Seaburg, seniors Allison and Amanda are good friends. They both like monster truck rallies, and they have the same taste in clothing.

“We snowboard, play soccer, and just workout”

Lucy and Harry Orenstein, sophomores Although they don’t fight often, Harry and Lucy Orenstein bicker over emptying the cat litter.

“We have the same friend group and we sleep in the same room together.”

Ted and Jenny Pearson, seniors They occasionally get along but have very different interests.

Step count: student steps per school day Amy Gallop Feature Editor

A group of HHS students wore a pedometer for an entire school day (from bell to bell) and their steps were averaged together. In order to maintain a healthy weight, a person needs to take at least 10,000 steps each day. Students are satisfying almost one third of their daily step requirements at school. Students are walking about 1.27 miles at school.

This does not take gym into account. photos by Danielle Fink

ROYAL

Answers: 1: The Orensteins, 2: The Pearsons, 3: The Seaburgs, 4: The McGregors

Students raise money to help repair Haiti

the

Average walked:

2,737 steps

variety

concert to be a Royal celebration Lindsey Kaufmann Staff Reporter

W

ith names such as “POPSimus Prime,” “POPS it Like it’s Hot,” and “POPS Lock and Drop it” on the ballot, the name for 2010 POPS concert had to be just right. The competition was tight, but the title that prevailed is no other than a tribute to Michael Jackson himself: “King of POPS.” The POPS concert, a variety show composed solely of band students, includes full-ensemble performances as well as comical small group and individual routines. The rich history of the show dates back to the early 1970s.

“POPS is a fun way for the students to show off their unknown talents and entertain friends and family in more ways than playing their regular band instruments,” said Mr. Bill Bell, band director.

While the concert features only junior and senior band ensembles, sophomores have the chance to perform. “Last year, I was part of the stage crew, and it was fun being part of all the excitement and seeing the performances, but the best part was the bomb free t-shirt!” said Claire Poppie, junior. Sophomores are encouraged to audition for skits as well, and all participating students receive a t-shirt with the POPS logo designed by Jack Anderson, senior.

With little recognition this past year, The Lean Mean Performance Machine (LMPM) will get its chance to shine onstage during the POPS Concert. The group traditionally starts the concert in a memorable fashion, and with all of its hard work at weekly rehearsals, this is only to be expected. “It will be a ‘thrilling’ opener with the theme of Michael Jackson, and we have enjoyed preparing for our performance,” said Marli Komarek, junior,

percussionist, and member of drum line.

The senior women have been hard at work rehearsing and fine-tuning their routines for the concert. Not only have they been spending time before and after school selecting music for their performance, but the ladies have been busy perfecting their dance moves.

“There is a lot of choreography involved in the dances we selected, and I know many of the girls have been getting really excited for our costumes,” said Shelby Dore, senior and leader of the group.

While the senior women have their game together, the senior men have been taking a less systematic approach. Notoriously known for their performance of the “Snow Bunnies,” the boys would rather entertain with their unpredictability.

“The Snow Bunnies will be white-hot and will make everyone laugh,” said Evan Fischer, senior and percussionist. Traditionally, the senior men bundle up in as much winter gear as possible. This has included everything from moon boots to full-face ski masks in past years.

After successful performances at the Winter Gala in December, the infamous Jazz One and Too will be performing at POPS. Due to the increased number of band students this year, an additional band was created for “B” days causing the Jazz One to no longer be an alternatingday course. “I was really worried when Jazz One became an extracurricular because I assumed we wouldn’t have the tone-quality we had in past years, but I was wrong because we sound better than ever!” said Edward Jones, junior.

“King of POPS” will not only kick off 2010 in a memorable way but will leave the audience smiling.

Whether it’s laughing as the “Snow Bunnies” stomp away or discovering a band student’s secret talent such as tap-dancing or rapping, the POPS Concert offers something for everyone to enjoy.

Senior women form a line during the 2009 POPS Concert. The upcoming concert issure to be just as entertaining, with performers rigorously rehearsing.

Information on POPS Tickets: $5 for HHS students and seniors, $8 adults When? February 6 and 7 at 7:00 PM Where? In the big auditorium at HHS. For more information, go to: hopkinsbands.org

A look back at the 2000’s: the trends of our time Twilight Saga

Ugg Boots

“Do I dazzle you?” No Edward, you don’t.

You’re a filthy, unkempt vampire. Why would I be dazzled by you? The Twilight saga, first conceived in 2005, is just an overrated, overhyped craze that gained momentum during the latter years of the decade. Yet, it has managed to steal the hearts of teenyboppers as well as a more alternative, Avril Lavigne-listening crowd. The amazing feat could only be accomplished by casting hot actors in the movies and by mentioning Edward’s beauty only about a thousand times in the book. Clearly, people are too blinded by sparkling beauty to realize that this series is actually quite mediocre.

The name says it all; Uggs are just “ugg”ly— they do not match with anything. What is worse is when people wear these hideous boots during the summer with skirts or short shorts. However, when one first slips them on, wearing them is like walking on soft, fuzzy clouds; undoubtedly, Ugg boots are a very comfortable guilty pleasure. That said, unfortunately Minnesotans will still continue to wear them well into the future, throwing sensible fashion to the wind, because they are warm and comfortable.

Advent of iPods and YouTube

Written by Kent Wee and Amy Gallop

No one can remember what life was like without Paris Hilton on the cover of tabloids, or how people could ever survive without cell phones. Likewise, one can only dream about life without iPhone Apps or YouTube. With instant gratification and entertainment conveniently at our fingertips, these technological blessings have made life that much better. YouTube brought us a new phrase to the English language: viral video. Susan Boyle and Minneapolitan Tay Zonday found success through YouTube.

Lady Gaga Pop stars like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé had massive success during the Noughties, but, arguably, the decade belonged to Lady Gaga. From the high-spirited “Just Dance” to the sinister “Bad Romance,” the classically trained disco diva’s inner Mozart is channeled in all her songs. Yes, her bizarre fashion choices habitually make her the butt of jokes. But who cares, she’s Lady Gaga.

“Telephone,” a thumping electro track off of The Fame Monster, is sure to dominate the airwaves in 2010.

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Pizzalympics 2010: Minneapolis-St. Paul With the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver creating buzz, Royal Page Staff Reporter Alex Schneider decided to hold his own competition and judge three local, well-known pizzerias to see which one reigned supreme .

Black Sheep Pizza

Latuff’s Pizzeria

With toppings ranging from the standard pepperoni to capers and fine Mediterranean goat cheese, Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis allows its patrons to get creative. Though the restaurant itself looks very minimalist with exposed pipework and gray brick walls, the fine details it lacks in interior design seem to instead be dedicated to gourmet pizzas crafted from ingredients of the highest quality. My creation was a 16” pizza topped with hot salami and chopped garlic cloves, which resulted in total satisfaction on my behalf, and the most refreshingly different experience I’ve had eating pizza since I first tried Punch a couple of years ago.

Conveniently located on Highway 55 in Plymouth, Latuff ’s Pizzeria is a solid choice for the conventional pizza fan. While they don’t try to pass themselves off as “gourmet,” and their topping options are fairly standard, they still manage to make some of tastiest traditional thin crust pizza I’ve sampled in the metro area.

I split a 14” pepperoni pizza with a friend and was satisfied to the utmost. It had a great sauce to cheese ratio, and its toppings didn’t all fall off after the first bite. The interior of the restaurant is not trendy or upscale but still clean and lively. Simply put, they keep it simple.

1

Red’s Savoy Pizza

Although it’s a bit of a hike, Red’s Savoy Pizza in St. Paul (soon to be expanded to Uptown) is well worth a visit. It’s an especially cozy place to spend a winter evening with its warm family atmosphere and dim, tavern-like feel. The pizzas take a long time to cook, but the end product more than makes up for lost time.

Pizzas come standard with extra cheese and are loaded with toppings. It’s essentially the contents and density of a deep-dish pizza piled onto and practically spilling out of a regular pizza crust. My pizza had more pepperoni than I’ve ever encountered in any other restaurant including Gino’s East, Pizzeria Uno, and Lou Malnati’s, all of which are in Chicago. Although it can test your patience, the savory pizzas at Savoy will not disappoint.

A DJ will give you a phone call soon. This could m mean ean a serendipitous financial exchange is h headed eaded your way.

Lucky numbers: 25, 35, 14

o

Pisces (February 19 -March 20) The hottie you

r

saw on the street yesterday will come up to you soon. Remember that all that is gold does not glitter.

Lucky numbers: 5, 78,39

o

Although each restaurant was solid, Red’s

Savoy Pizza is my top pick because it gives

you the most pizza for your money. The atmosphere felt authentic and without being too hip or too drab. Although it took a long time for the food to come out, the pizzas served at Red’s Savoy are first rate and practically melt in your mouth.

Leo

Aquarius (January 20 -February 18)

h

The Winner

(July 23 -August 22) Lately, you have been plagued by bad romances. To end your bad luck, listen to Lady Gaga for three weeks straight.

Lucky numbers: 26, 11, 13

Virgo (August 23 -September 22) You are unusually curious these days. But, remember that curiosity may lead to unexpected, unwanted, discoveries.

Lucky numbers: 50, 84, 18

Libra

(September 23 -October 22) You should perhaps keep your romantic transactions between (March 21 -April 19) You’re a hard worker and you and your partner. In other words, quit making deserve a break. Have fun, but don’t play hooky out in the mall. It’s gross.

Lucky numbers: 43, 62, 3 today.

Lucky numbers: 22, 49, 3

Aries

s

c

Scorpio

(October 23 -November 21) Your dishonest ways ays will soon be discovered if changes in your (April 20 -May 20) It’s a good idea this year to w personality ersonality are not made. match neon colored socks with Birkenstocks on p Lucky numbers: 6, 36, 91 Thursdays.

Lucky numbers: 4, 17,42 Sagittarius (November 22 -December 21) A friend will Gemini find himself in an embarrassing situation. Stick by (May 21 -June 20) Your crush will catch you him, and your friendship will grow to a new level. doing something rather embarrassing.

Lucky numbers: 2, 15, 40 Lucky numbers: 10, 2, 27

Taurus

Cancer

(June 21 -July 22) You will encounter a nemesis at a popular place. Be prepared for a heated argument and spilled drinks.

Lucky numbers: 45, 21, 27

o

Capricorn

p

e

s

(December 22 -January 19) You haven’t been feeling appreciated by your peers. Your work will pay off in the near future.

Lucky numbers: 92, 8, 17

Red’s Savoy Pizza

Address: 2329 Hennepin Ave So. Minneapolis 421 7th St. E., St. Paul

Recommended Dish: Special pizza with Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, green pepper, onion, and green olives, $14. 50

2

Black Sheep Pizza

3

Latuff ’s Pizzeria

Address: 600 Washington Ave. N., Minneapolis Recommended Dish: Hot salami and dried chili pepper, $9

Address: 10820 Highway 55, Plymouth Recommended Dish: Standard pepperoni pizza, $9.45

Dubstep craze hits HHS Andy Herzog Staff Reporter

A

rapidly increasing number of students at HHS have been womping, and they will continue to do so until they get their fill of filth.

While this statement may seem like a warning to parents to keep their kids off of some new, illicit drug, womps and wobbles are not snorted or smoked. They are blasted from powerful subwoofers, mainlined into the ears.

A relatively new creation, dubstep is an electronic dance music genre borne out of twostep dancehall, drum-and-bass, and reggae influences,and has exploded in popularity recently. Originating in the UK, dub has made its way across the pond and taken root in our club scenes, drawing the attention of a few of our Billboard Top 100 artists, namely Snoop Dogg.

Marked by tempos generally set around either 140 or 70 beats per minute with an emphasis on bass and a single snare beat (usually on the third downbeat), dubstep is a fairly complex form of music. Add wobbles, womps and breakbeats, and you have yourself a dub track.

“I’m drawn to dubstep because it gives me an energy that lets me jump 20 feet in the air,” said Nate Wexler, junior and HHS dub fanatic.

Other fans describe their interest in dub as being anything from meditative and soothing to electrifying and energizing, dependent on the specific subgenre. Artists like Rusko and Mimosa have built careers around sounds that

pulse through their fans rather than play to their brains. That is to say, dubstep is rarely heard, but rather felt.

“Step is becoming really trendy at HHS, but I recommend that people who are interested actually go out and go to a show and see what it really is,” Wexler said.

Like nearly anything in the realm of music, dubstep also has its opponents. Plenty of students at HHS have sounded off against the entire culture surrounding it, describing it as undeveloped and abrasive. Still, others admit that this robotic cacophony is growing on them.

“I was pretty skeptical at first, and was thinking it was more of a fad,” said Daniel Raskin, junior.

“But once I took the time to sit down and listen to it, I realized it’s a lot more diverse and complicated than [what I thoughy. I have a newfound respect for dubstep,” Raskin said.

Most fans say they hope that dubstep will continue its creep toward the mainstream while maintaining its roots and resisting commercialization. Wexler hopes the next step for dub artists is the all-too-important crossover to hip hop.

“Hopefully, hip hop will look at dubstep and fuse to make the dirtiest, nastiest, grimiest music anyone has ever heard up ‘til now.”

Opinions may vary, but it seems dubstep will be around for a while. As long as there are diehard fans like Nate Wexler, there will plenty of womps for all.

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A reflection on the college football season Tom Guthrie Copy Editor

I

t seems like it was just the other day when the streets were caked with leaves, a cool breeze lingered in the air, and young men all across the country were strapping on their football pads, flaunting their school spirit.

However, that day is long gone. Yes, it’s true, another season has come and gone in college football. Fields were scuffed, jerseys were dirtied, and tears were shed.

Although the Alabama Crimson Tide was the last team standing, many other squads deserve recognition for their exploits during this fleeting season. Although college football is and will forever be my number one passion, I have to be honest: this season was pretty disappointing overall.

First of all, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) failed again this season. The system, which has been in use since the beginning of the 1998 season, has rarely worked; there seems to always be at least one team left out at the end of the season, frustrated that it didn’t get to play in the championship game.

This season was the same story: the Boise State Broncos won all of their games, capping off an impressive season with a win over the then-undefeated Texas Christian University Horned Frogs. Boise State could be the best team in the country, but we’ll never know. We need a playoff.

The plight of the Texas Longhorns, however, was the saddest story of this season. The Longhorns, who only lost one game

(and it was a last-second, heartbreaking loss) and were denied a chance to play for the national championship the season before because of a statistical technicality, were on a mission to make it to the big game this season.

Colt McCoy, their star quarterback who routinely dazzled fans with his electric ability, decided to come back for his senior season. McCoy, a fifth-year senior who has posted one of the most impressive careers in college football history, turned out to be integral once again to his team’s success this year.

Before the season, Mack Brown, the head coach, compared his team to his 2005 national champion team in terms of potential. McCoy, who was a Heisman finalist, led his team impressively, and the “Horns” ultimately made it to the BCS Title Game after a thrilling, gut-wrenching, 13-12 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big Twelve Championship.

On his team’s first offensive series of the championship game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, McCoy suffered a jarring hit from a defender and sustained a shoulder injury. He was forced to leave the game and ultimately never returned. I cannot think of a more crushing disappointment for McCoy, his family, or Texas Longhorn fans; in one quick play, the illustrious career of one of the best players in Longhorn history was cruelly terminated.

McCoy is one of the most classy, selfless players in the game, not to mention one of the most skilled and exciting to watch. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel, the coveted Coaches

Trophy given to the BCS Champion; for his career, and chance to make history as a national champion, to be abruptly ended is profoundly disappointing, not only for him, but for fans as well.

We will always ponder what would’ve happened had he stayed in the game.

On a different note, I am a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see a Texas-Florida matchup for the BCS title. It would’ve featured two superstar quarterbacks, McCoy for Texas and the legendary Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators. Tebow would have been going for his third national title and second straight. It would have been a blockbuster matchup.

Granted, the performance of my team, the Oklahoma Sooners (finished with an 8-5) record, contributed largely to my sentiment that this season was overall disappointing.

The team lost its star quarterback, Sam Bradford, in the first half of his team’s first game of the season against Brigham Young University.

Unfortunately, Oklahoma suffered an utterly inexplicable number of injuries besides Bradford’s throughout the course of the year, including a knee injury to their star tight end, and left its fans wondering what might have been.

Although this season had its moments, it was ultimately filled with calamities that made me scratch my head and wonder what might have been. I am already looking on the bright side, though.

Only seven-and-a-half months to go until next season.

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HHS Basketball alumni: Where are they now?

The confetti has long been mopped off the hardwood Lindbergh floors. The trophy that contains the faces of the 2009 Minnesota Basketball State Champions starts to gain its first specks of dust in the glass shelving. The memories of what was one of the most remarkable seasons in Hopkins basketball history are beginning to fade. However, for the five starting men who brought the HHS community such joy over the cold winter months, the time has come to take the next step in their athletic careers; Division I sports.

Notre Dame

For former HHS center Mike Broghammer, Notre Dame basketball was the right choice. The coach and him bonded right away, the campus was breathtaking, and the prestige of going to a school such as Notre Dame was overwhelming.

Broghammer headed off to Notre Dame in mid-June, to a mandatory training camp for all college freshmen on the squad.

“College ball is definitely a wake up call from high school basketball; it’s more fast paced, and everyone is much, much bigger.” Broghammer said. Broghammer currently ranks #1 overall among Notre Dame freshman, averaging 2.5 PPG and 2.3 RPG.

Santa Clara

In sunny California, Raymond Cowels, former starting Hopkins guard, plays for the University of Santa Clara Broncos. Expecting to ride the bench for the duration of his freshman year , Cowels impressed coach Kerry Keating, so much that by the eighth game of the season Raymond was starting.

After a better than expected 7-5 start, the Broncos have lost the last six out of seven games and are dead last in the WCC standings.

Raymond thinks the “[Broncos] still have lots to play for,” and that he has “enjoyed every minute of the college basketball life.”

NDSU

For former HHS point guard, Marcus Williams, it was a debate that would last his entire high school senior year. The question was whether to get a full college scholarship for basketball or football; after much tossing and turning he chose to follow his first true passion, football, at Division I school North Dakota State University.

However, William’s past football season was cut short because of a lingering shoulder injury that required surgery and sidelined him for the entirety of the season. In a statement issued by his father on maxpreps.com, “[Marcus] …will be ready to go sophomore year and will attempt to play both football and basketball.”

Minnesota

While at DeLaSalle High School Royce White, the former HHS forward, was set to play college basketball for North Carolina. However in his junior year, DeLaSalle dismissed him for academic issues, and his scholarship at North Carolina was taken away.

White then transferred to HHS, where he got a second chance to play D1 Basketball at the University of Minnesota.

In a brief interview with the HHS Coach Ken Novak, social studies, he stated that the rumors of White coming back as an assistant coach, were in fact “false.” White is currently still not playing for the Gophers but hopes he will rejoin the team soon.

Arizona State

In the southwest, Trent Lockett of the Arizona St. Sun Devils has taken the college hoops world by storm.

He dropped 17 points in his second college basketball game versus Texas St. Then 19 points four days later against the University of San Francisco. He is described by veteran college basketball analyst Dick Vitale as “one of the top freshman to watch this year.”

In the first week of December, Lockett leapt into the air to catch a half court pass from his teammate Derek Glasser, and dunked it. The play was name “Innovative Play of the Week” by ESPN.

Eli Goldaris, Staff Reporter

Pond hockey more than just a game for HHS students grew up playing pond hockey, and that has helped me become a better hockey player along the way,” said Michael Mazzitelli, t is negative eight degrees, wind blowing, and only one junior. Most high school players, like Hoffman and Mazzitelli, sound can be heard by former Royals hockey player, Will started skating on rough outdoor ice.

Hoffman who is shooting pucks outside at Wesley park ice Groomed considerably less than indoor ice, outdoor rinks are rink. Hoffman, junior, laces up his skates almost every day and very uneven. This makes for difficult puck handling and improves hits the uneven ice on one of the the player when he or she go back to many outdoor rinks in Minnesota. smooth, indoor ice. “I miss playing on “Since I stopped playing hockey for indoor ice all the time, but I still love the school, I need to keep playing, so playin’ pond hockey every day. Just skating I call my friends all the time to play -Hopkins Pavilion around, shooting pucks, and having fun -McKenzie Park -Harley Hopkins -Gatewood Elementary with friends is a great way to spend the some pond [hockey],” Hoffman said.

-Burns Park -Glen Lake Elementary Pond hockey doesn’t necessarily weekend,” Hoffman said.

-Hilltop -Meadow Park mean playing hockey on a frozen Hockey is hockey whether it’s played Hopkins Minnetonka pond, although people still do, with friends outside or competitively instead it just means that it is a pickinside, but the two are played with a -Highlands Park -Lions Park up game of hockey among friends.

-Garden Park completely different state of mind. When -Wesley Park -Braemar Park The skill level will always range from -Hampshire playing competitively, a player must work -Alden Park -Lakeview a star varsity hockey player looking hard to earn his or her spot whereas pond Golden Valley Edina to play a little extra hockey down hockey players just play for fun, and it to a first time player who doesn’t doesn’t always matter who wins. In comknow the difference between a blue petitive hockey, there are coaches always line and a clothesline. No matter the skill level, pond hockey is all pushing the players to be better, which is good to develop players about playing stress-free hockey in the brisk Minnesota winters. skills, but some players prefer fun to hard work and winning.

While Hoffman enjoys playing pond hockey for a stressless When playing pond hockey, there are no coaches, no set rules, environment, Michael Mazzitelli enjoys it to hone his skills. “I and no time limits. If the teams are unfair, switch them up and

Michael Frey Staff Reporter

I

Four popular rinks in :

throw the sticks in the middle while one player blindly scatters the sticks side-to-side. “It usually ends up being a one sided game with one team absolutely dominating the game, so we switch it up and start a new game,” Hoffman said.

In Minnesota, there are a plethora of hockey rinks to start up a game. A few rinks in particular will stand out from Jan 22-24, Lake Nokomis and Lake Minnetonka are both hosting pond hockey tournaments. Hermantown will also host a day of outdoor hockey for several high school hockey games, including the HHS boys’ hockey team.

Pond hockey has become so popular because of the little equipment needed. A stick and skates are all a person really needs.

Photo by Michael Frey

3D: a glimpse of the future

How

3D glasses work

Photos by Ben Jolson

Photo Illustration by Ben Jolson

At midnight on Dec. 17, throngs of moviegoers lined up at their neighborhood multiplexes for the release of the year, hailed as the most technologically advanced movie ever made, the film to change films forever.

What they saw was James Cameron’s sci-fi action epic, Avatar. Most who saw it walked away with their minds blown by the visual effects, most notably the crisp, groundbreaking 3D. What set the movie apart from other 3D releases in the recent past, such as Final Destination 3(2006) and My Bloody Valentine (2009), is that, rather than using technology for the sake of having objects and people fly off the screen, Avatar brought the scenery and atmosphere to life.

Instead of making people dodge flying spears and outstretched arms, the 3D was used to pop out extraordinarily minute details like pollen floating in the air and rays of sunlight.

The only question that lingers is whether or not the film truly lived up to its own hype. That is to say, has it changed the movie going experience forever?

While some may refute the shockwave Avatar’s supporters

claim has ripped through the cinema landscape, its undeniable that Cameron has raised the bar and that major motion picture conglomerates, television networks, and electronics companies have all taken notice.

Avatar has demonstrated what is possible in the realm of 3D moviemaking, and now other creative visual outlets are scrambling to ride the new wave in entertainment. Panasonic announced this month it’s working on a 3D plasma TV and its required goggles.

Another approach has been taken by sports home entertainment giant ESPN. The network has revealed that it will offer a fully-3D supplementary channel that will broadcast events and competitions using the same revolutionary technology as Avatar.

It will debut this summer with the FIFA International World Cup to be held in South Africa.

While details are still fuzzy regarding how the wide, aerial camera angles will be adapted, ESPN promises that the vivid, lifelike feel will come through crisply as expected with only a slight delay between real-time action and broadcast.

Other broadcast companies,

3D projectors use polarized light, which makes light bounce off the movie screen in either vertical or horizontal waves. Each lens of the glasses filters only one direction of wave. If the direction of the projector matches the lense, light passes through. If the directions don’t match, that lens appears black (as shown by the large filters above).

Each eye sees a different image, which gives the brain the illusion of 3D.

A word from HHS movie gurus “I don’t want to see ‘Ooh I’m going to grab your throat.’ I’m more interested in technology that lets me see into another world.” -Dani Abraham, 12 “I think in the next five years, the everyday person will be able to use the 3D seen in Avatar on any camera. ” -Adam Kroeger, 12 Photos by Naomi Litman-Zelle

television manufacturers, and high-speed cable providers have followed suit and begun designing and testing converter boxes for premium programming that will allow subscribers to watch their favorite live shows in the third dimension.

Ultimately, the future can only be predicted in a short sense, with advances made ten years from now left debatable. It is certain, however, that Avatar and its stunning realism have made their indelible mark on the entertainment industry. No matter what happens to movies, television, and any other visual spectacle lined up for the 21st century, it will all be traced back to this pivotal point in moviemaking.

Story by Andy Herzog

What’s

coming up This March, be sure to catch Tim Burton’s eerie spin on the classic story, Alice in Wonderland, starring Johnny Depp, in 3D. The visual effects in combination with Burton’s imaginitive take on the story make this flick a must-see.