The Royal Page Print Edition: Volume 39, Issue 1. Mar 24, 2021

R YAL

the

page

The student voice of Hopkins High School Volume 39, Issue 1 March 24, 2021 www.hopkinsrp.org

Illustration by Sam Thomas

The Future of Education Story by Riley Jouppi, Editor-at-Large

As the District starts to plan for the future, the best system of learning is future more uncertain than ever before.

In-Depth pages 6 & 7

2

News Online learning impacts mental health

Online learning has continued to have detrimental effects on students’ mental health, but while some students suffered, others learned new ways to manage their time outside the classroom. Now, as new changes come with hybrid learning, students are relearning the normal classroom environment amidst the transition.

4

Feature Ms. Ali paves way for Black Literature

Starting in the 2018-2019 school year two teachers, Ms. Fatuma Ali and Ms. Holiday Samabaly started working together to create a new course focused on Black history that has traditionally been left out of the American education system. With the help of other writers and teachers, students started taking the class this year.

5

Variety

The long-forgotten trio of Carly, Sam and Freddie are back after show brings a sense of nostalgia for students in Generation-Z, and the top 10 list for movies and shows.

8

Opinion

Top 10 things we won’t

With the vaccine rollout in full force, the light at the end of the tunnel is shining brighter than it has in a year.

Wearing masks, sanitizing after grocery runs and taking two steps back when somebody coughs are the new norm. After the pandemic, which happily give up?

10

Sports Athena and Apollo awards

George Jackson and Laci Provenzano were both selected as the 2020-2021 winners of the most highly regarded award in high school athletics.

Following in the footsteps of past winners like Paige Bueckers and Joey Hurth, the future looks bright for the two newest seniors selected.

MARCH 24, 2021

“

02 news

the royal page I’m looking forward to see my friends, but I’m scared of getting covid.

The concerns surrounding hybrid learning Elyse Ford

This year has brought some unexpected changes to the way everyone in the school system goes about their lives. One of the ways that change has been shown is the adjustments to the Hybrid learning model.

On March 3, 2021, HHS announced plans to transition from a 25 percent model, to a 50 percent model on March 8, then to a 100 percent model on March 22.

Caleb Carr, junior, expressed that he preferred in-person learning once a week.“How we began hybrid learning, like the one day a week, I feel like I get a lot done on those days,” said Carr.

“I think I definitely appreciate connecting with my teachers

in-person on those days, and I like the smaller class sizes as well. I feel like it’s being done, currently in a safe way,” He then later stated his opinions on the upcoming transitions to learning 2 days a week with 50 percent and learning 4 days a week with the 100 percent model.

“I think two days a week fits us the best, I think that’s doable. I think that 6 people in a classroom is probably as much as I’d want, or the most I’d feel comfortable with. But with 100 percent, I definitely think that’s not going to be the greatest,” said Carr.

When HHS announced further integration, they said that 6-feet spacing likely would not be possible to uphold, given lack of space. The Minnesota Department of Education

During in-person passing time, the mall looks different from the once bustling area packed full of different friend groups. Bumping into unfamiliar faces became following the same ones on arrows six feet away, as the groups who once congregated have now been split. Photo by Alexis Horowitz

said that when 6 feet social distancing is not able to be maintained, high schoolers and middle schoolers should keep at least 3 feet of distance between

each other.

One student, Will Duffy, junior, was most hesitant about attending hybrid when lunchtime occurs.

“Getting lunch now is very crammed and people are taking off their masks, with the 30 people in line, so they can nibble on their food or take

Teachers among first for vaccines Lena Skowronek

Across the U.S., one fifth of teachers have already received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while an additional 18 percent of teachers have scheduled their first appointment.

At HHS, many teachers plan to receive the vaccine, or already have been vaccinated.

As of, March 10, “About 60 percent of Hopkins teachers have begun the vaccination process, and 30 percent of those teachers have already completed the process,” said Jeff Goldy, Health Coordinator. “I think we’re making very good progress.”

As of this printing, that number is significantly higher. There are plenty of motives for teachers to want to take the coronavirus vaccine, especially at HHS. “I chose to get vaccinated because I want to protect myself as well as my family and all those people around me from coronavirus. Even after the first dose, I have felt less nervous about being in school and in stores. It gave me a real sense of hope,” said Ms. Amy Miller, French.

Not only did coronavirus cause people to worry about spending time with family and friends, it also created a lot of anxiety and stress that could be reduced by getting vaccinated.

“I’ve been stressed for a year

about contracting coronavirus or giving it to a family member. I don’t think it would kill me, but the long-term effects some people suffer from the disease are terrifying,” said Mr. Douglas Dart, English. “Just getting my first shot greatly reduced my anxiety level, and I imagine getting my second will do the same.”

Although the vaccine has many benefits, getting vaccinated can also cause coronavirus symptoms for some people throughout the process. Teachers and students may become hesitant to take the vaccine if they are worried about possible fever, chills, fatigue, and headache.

“I received the first shot three weeks ago and it wiped me out for a few days, but that was reassuring that my body was doing the work of building up my immunity to the disease. It was a small price to pay for the protection from a virus that could severely damage my health,” Dart said.

As the vaccine is being distributed and becoming easier for everyone to access, schools and public places will start to slowly open up and allow for students and teachers to come back full time.

“All that can be vaccinated, should be vaccinated in order to protect our most vulnerable people. This is not just about personal health, but caring for others in our community,” said Mrs. Alyson Purdy, Science.

Students were prepared for back-to-school shopping for regular items like notebooks and pencils, but there were few who were ready for the detrimental affects that online learning would have on their mental health.

Too little sleep and too much caffeinee have become staples in students lives in the midst of a pandemic.

Mental health in the age of online learning Lena Skowronek Over the past year, students have had to go through a completely new and unique experience: online learning.

American students who rated their mental health a three or lower tripled after the pandemic began, from 7.2 to 23 percent.

At HHS, students have spent almost a year completing their school work online. This has been a huge adjustment and has had many effects, both positive and negative, on students and their mental health.

As hybrid learning began for most students in mid February transition back to school one day a week, the school

slowly started to adapt to some new norms. Although all studdents who wanted to come back to in-person transitioned slowly, it was a big change from online learning.

“I have personally never been someone who struggles with my mental health, but the pandemic continues to challenge me emotionally. The

a sip from their water bottle.

[HHS] hasn’t really accounted for lunchtime,” Duffy said.

main thing I do to keep my emotions in check is to try and surround myself with people I care about and who make me happy,” said Nick Hartley, junior.

While most students struggled with not being able to learn in-person and see friends, many also were able to develop time management, organization, and adaptability skills.

“During online learning, I have improved drastically at managing my time and motivating myself. With a loose schedule, you have to find certain times to do your work, and with extracurriculars it can be difficult to find a schedule that works for you. The practice you get everyday really trains your brain to become good at managing time,” Hartley said.

Not only have students been able to improve their skills, but many also found ways that online learning could improve both their mental health and grades.

“I have improved as a student during online learning because I have more free time, which gives me more time to work on assignments.

I have also been able to get a healthy amount of sleep every day, which has been good for my mental health,” said Marlie Wisdom, junior.

Although there have been many challenges and difficulties for students during online learning, many found a way to learn some skills, as well as ways to help their mental health, along the way.

“

the royal page

MARCH 24, 2021

03 news

No president is perfect, but I think we will have better foreign relationships and reputation since Biden is more respected than Trump.

Julia Amato, senior

Biden’s first days in office prove fruitful Alexandra Stoesz News Editor Most presidents come into office with a list of actions they’d like to accomplish in their first days in power. With the national emergency that is COVID-19, recently inaugurated Joseph R. Biden’s list was a bit more lengthy than others.

In his first hours as president, Biden proposed a new immigration bill with a better path to citizenship, and reinforced Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Biden also signed an executive order to protect gay and transgender people from discrimination in schools, health care, places of employment, and on. Transgender athletes will now also be able to compete against cisgender people of the same gender.

Perhaps one of the most important decisions Biden made was for our environment. While former president Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord in 2017, Biden reversed this decision, emphasizing the emergency that is climate change.

Ava Bur, senior, is co-president of the HHS Earth Club, a group that focuses on sustainability and environmental consciousness.

“As a politically minded person, I was extremely disappointed but not surprised when President Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, given his history as an opposer to climate science and climate justice,” said Bur. “Being a young person and a student,

Graphic by Sophia Desanto I felt afraid and a bit hopeless.

This is an issue that is especially monumental to our generation, and it’s disheartening that world leaders have the option to ignore science and truth to carry on with their personal agendas,” During Trump’s four years in office, the administration saw major lapses in climate policy, with over 70 rollbacks of various regulations previously set by the Obama administration. For places like the BWCA, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Tongass, Bears Ears, and many other sites, these changes would prove especially harmful.

“I think that Trump’s attitude on the environment caused great setbacks for climate activists around the world. While thankfully the majority of the larger scale Trump era plans

for environmental destruction never came true, the past four years of neglect on addressing emissions and other regulations is undeniable,” said Bur. The Biden administration will be setting things straight this time around.

“This is the most pressing issue of our time, and should be treated as no less than such. I hope that politicians and civilians alike will be able to appreciate the urgency in which he rejoined the climate agreement, and notice how dire our situation has become,” said Bur. “I hope that the past few years of improper climate action have been a wake up call, and that the emerging administration will take lasting and urgent action.”

Rejoining the accord is a solid step forward, however, more will have to be done in

order to slow, and eventually, reverse, climate change.

“My hopes for the upcoming administration include continued work with plans such as the Paris agreement, repairs and justice for people and places that have already been affected by climate change, plans for more sustainable agriculture and transportation moving forward, investments in sustainable industries and divestments from unsustainable ones, Indigeous partnerships and reparations, and so many more,” said Bur. For the Biden administration, education will be the most important tool to combat climate change.

“Climate work won’t be done for a very long time because it includes the rewir-

ing of our world in many ways.

The USA isn’t a nation that has been sustainably developed in the best interests of our planet; I have great hopes that younger generations will learn the importance of these issues and that we can continue to educate ourselves on new ways. One of the most important things the Biden administration can do is to be vulnerable and reach out to different professionals in the field on how to best act,” said Bur. While climate control is one incredibly important aspect to Biden’s administrative action thus far, he also went into office with the intention to provide relief to the American people during a time when COVID runs rampant.

One such way was by placing a pause on student loan payments through September 1.

“Everyone’s situation is unique, but I think everyone should be granted leniency to some degree. To some, that money should be going to more urgent needs that they didn’t expect to be bent over because of the pandemic. Paying the bills for food, rent, basic necessities are more pressing purposes for money than student loans,” said Shannon Braniff, senior.

Braniff believes citizens repaying student loans should take this opportunity to rebound from the financial crisis that was brought on by COVID, and place a focus on saving up money for an emergency fund.

Biden’s campaign placed an enormous emphasis on control over COVID and return to normalcy. While a pause on mandatory student loan payments is a step in the right direction, there is still much more to be done to provide relief to the American people.

“Biden should be issuing more stimulus checks, that are more frequent and bigger in size. I know far too many who were comfortable before the pandemic and able to stay afloat during the beginning.

Now, though, many businesses are still struggling to keep their doors open,” said Braniff.

Biden’s presidency has already brought forth important progression, and we can only hope that he will fulfill the promises he made during his presidential campaign.

Applications increase with no testing requirements With colleges seeing a drastic increase in applications, some dropping tests, more schools rely on extracurriculars, other factors.

Alexandra Stoesz News Editor

Going into the school year, it was clear that the college application and decision process would be affected in some way due to Covid-19.

Private school application numbers are up across the board; while many schools have increased their incoming class numbers to accommodate these extra applicants, elite tier schools are even more selective than ever. Public schools are seeing less applicants than usual, but at a less alarming change from previous years.

One possible factor in the drastic decrease in admission

rate is the large amount of freshmen deferrals from the class of 2024. Many students who were accepted last year made the decision to defer their admission for a year due to COVID, instead opting to join the freshman class of 2025. In doing so, the admissions numbers could have already been cut down significantly.

Many other factors come into play, to accounts for these current application rates. With schools being test-optional, students who underperform on their ACT or SAT but excel in their courses and have a solid GPA, have better odds at being admitted to an elite school, and will decide to take their chanc-

es. While reporting a subpar ACT score in the past would almost certainly guarantee rejection at these schools, standardized testing will no longer make or break your admission prospects.

“Many of the schools I applied to saw an increase in applicants between 20 and 50 percent, and for that reason, I see acceptance rates facing an insane decline,” said Raines Lucas, senior. “Several schools, like UCLA or NYU, will probably see their acceptance rates dip below 10 percent, rates which are completely unprecedented. These changes look like they’ll make admission this year far more competitive

than ever before.”

Instead, applications will be more focused on extracurricular activities, course rigor, and essays. You may be asked to submit a short video introducing yourself, or a graded paper from English class. You’ll need strong letters of recommendation, and a college ‘resume’ of sorts, if you want to stand out to your admissions officer.

While we won’t know the exact percentage of accepted students until decisions are out, it’s likely that Ivy League schools will see a hefty, perhaps even a multiple percent decrease, in their already miniscule acceptance rates.

One way that college de-

cisions have changed for the better, is in their early decision acceptance rates. If a student has a reach school they favor, enough to forgo their chances at another university, they can apply early decision, and have better odds of acceptance.

Serena Schmidt, counselor, recommends in a year like ours, to make sure you are applying to schools that vary in acceptance rates. It is important to have safety schools, midtier, and reach options, as you never know how numbers will impact your odds.

An important distinction to make, though, is that these tiers of schools have changed this year. So, while you should

be applying to safety schools, mid tiers, and reach schools, it’s especially important to adjust your list according to your understanding of application numbers and acceptance rates in order to cover all your bases.

“There’s nothing I can do about admission numbers, so I’m not too stressed, but I wish I could have predicted them earlier. Since the applicants have increased and the acceptance rates will fall, schools that I expected to be safeties have now become match schools, and match schools have now become reach schools,” said Lucas.

MARCH 24, 2021

“

04 feature

the royal page I’ve been learning about Black activists and what they’ve done for us as a Black community today in 2021.

Lucia Rock, junior

Ali paves way for Global Black Literature

Berit Hansen Feature Editor As most classes offered at HHS give a hand to non-BIPOC students, Global Black Literature offers a bright future towards inclusion in the school system and curriculum.

Global Black Literature is an English Language Arts class that focuses on literature, photography, journalism, and movies by Black artists.

The idea originated from Ms. Fatuma Ali and former teacher Ms. Holiday Samabaly, Language Arts. In the 2018-2019 school year, the two teachers worked together to try and create a course that allowed them to have more expansive texts around Black people and the Black experience.

“I kept going back to what my AVID sophomores were saying about how they wanted to learn about people of color in general – and Black people especially – in a more comprehensive way. Not just in a limiting way like Black History Month or in social studies,” Ali said. “They were only being taught slavery and civil rights with the same ideas that were recycled through.”

After listening to students’ thoughts the class was created to fulfill both Ali’s wishes for

the class, as well as inspired students interested in Black history that has, until recently, been less visible at HHS. “The class gives a more versatile view of the world and how certain groups of people have emerged in America and other parts of the world. I have learned more history about the Black culture as well by reading from Black authors and artists,” said Greta Mielke, senior.

“This sort of learning hasn’t been covered in past English courses I’ve taken.”

Ali, with the help of her friends and writers also in the academic field, helped her decide what the three units would be.

Similar to Global Literature, Global Black Literature is based on three overarching themes: women’s rights and how Black people around the world view women’s rights issues, the global struggle for civil rights, and Afrofuturism.

Each unit includes one American author with one non-American author. In creating the course, Ali found it difficult to find content relating to these themes.

“I tried to keep it as contemporary as possible, as some of these texts we read are old (like Angela Davis’s essay that

we read, which was written in the 90s but was centered in the 1940s-50s) which is hard to apply to 2021,” Ali said. “My students did an excellent job making those current-day connections and how some of the longer implications of racism and sexism in the US are still bleeding into 2021.”

Encompassed in these, Ali believes that students find a better connection to their class content and themes if they feel directly related or connected to the authors or the texts that are talked about, as well as the issues.

“I always envisioned that I would create a course that I only ever got to see in college.

In my entire higher secondary education I read one assigned book by a Black author, and I didn’t want this to be an experience of my students,” Ali said.

The Ted Talk, The Danger of a Single Story, by Chimamanda Ngozi Aldicihe, illustrates this issue.

“When one only receives information from one text from that one part of the world, that is what you see. One part of the world as is, not giving a real overview or understanding of it,” Ngozi Aldicihe said.

Through the class, Ali

hopes to expand her student’s minds past ideas of a single story when it comes to literature and into the current day.

“With being a white student taking this course, it hasn’t necessarily connected to my personal life. I live a very diverse life so I am able to use this information and the author’s viewpoints to connect to how others are feeling about certain topics around me,” Mielke said. “I personally took the course because I wanted to learn more about the culture and artists and authors that emerged from it.”

With this, Ali likes to push her students’ thinking if she believes they’re leaning too far in one direction and into the other direction to give them a little bit of a bigger sense of what it’s like to look at an issue from multiple angles and not just what you already agree with.

Lydia Yisehak, senior, took the class this past school year.

Yisehak believes the class sets students up for the future and is one of the most influential classes she’s taken.

“Regular classes need to be just as focused on Black history as traditionally taught history because Black history is American history. Having a

Yvette Ntegeye and Demya Patton, juniors, working on their recent assignment during hybrid learning in Global Black Literature.

separate class wouldn’t be necessary if current classes at HHS were made to be more inclusive of color and our history,” Yisehak said.

Ali believes that we (educators) do a disservice when class is not taught from a wide perspective scope and stick to the same known texts. As it incorporates new texts it’s important to look at these and believe

we don’t just think we need the Black perspective on this because no one author or artist will give you the encompassing Black perspective on this.

As classes such as Global Black Literature become more common in the high school setting, Ali hopes to inspire her students to also go seek out information on their own.

Comito sees success with media opportunities Alexis Horowitz Editor-In-Chief For Marley Comito, senior, journalism runs through the bloodlines.

Her mother, Jordana Green, is a WCCO radio host and has her own show, The Paul & Jordana Show. With a large interest in the entertainment industry, Comito looks up to her mother and finds it helpful to have her inspiration living under the same roof.

“Whenever I’ve been asked ‘Who’s your biggest inspiration?’ I always felt like it was so cliche to say ‘my mom’ but it is the truth. My mom studied as a broadcast journalist and

has worked in the media industry all over the country, so she is the most media-experienced person I know,” Comito said.

“I always feel lucky to have her wisdom and advice because she has really seen it all.”

Although Comito’s journey in finding interest in journalism and entertainment started with her mom, it doesn’t end there.

After going a semester abroad through the Alexander Muss High School in Israel program [AMHSI], Comito started vlogging her daily experiences.

“Although I love to live in the moment, Muss was an experience that I never wanted to forget, but also share with

my friends and family back at home that had no idea what I was doing,” Comito said.

“With that in mind, I started posting weekly vlogs on YouTube to recap what our daily experiences were like, what I was going through, how I felt, etc. to give an honest insight into how my life abroad was.”

Her weekly vlogging paid off, as Comito was also asked if her content that was posted to YouTube could be used by AMHSI as promotional material.

Following her experience in Israel, Comito was also approached by the Minneapolis Jewish Federation to start writing blog posts for their

website.

“I initially wrote one blog post for them to share a memory I had from my trip, but it was so well-received that they ended up asking me if I’d like to be a featured Teen Writer on their online magazine by writing a blog post every month,” Comito said.

For Comito, writing the blog posts came with lots of excitement, but it also gave her a new challenge to face.

“The target audience is around 30 years old and up, so sometimes when I’m writing I have to pause and think to myself: Is this something that would interest me and my friends, or something that old-

er people would want to read?”

Luckily for Comito, her experience writing for an older audience will prove to be helpful to forward her career aspirations.

Comito recently announced her partnership with Twin Cities (TC) Jewfolk to create a podcast called “Spill the Soup” that highlights what it’s like to be a teenager in today’s times.

“The goal of my podcast is to serve as a teen podcast for parents, adults, or anyone else interested in listening,” Comito said. “It consists of me having conversations with other teenagers about common Gen-Z issues or predominant topics like social media, men-

tal health, the pandemic, college search, and anything else ‘teen’ you can think of.”

Getting started and settled in as a vlogger, writer, and podcaster is no easy task, as Comito faced a lot of nerves when it came to the thought of how her peers would perceive her. Comito hopes those interested in media and journalism approach their goals and ideas with confidence.

“It’s a universal idea for teenagers to be afraid or nervous to put themselves out there, so it’s important to know that your feelings are valid and you are not alone,” Comito said.

Bozicevich charts her own course, creates legacy Tess Brimmer Staff Reporter Although being the youngest sibling in the family comes with a whole set of privileges, the struggle and unspoken pressure experienced by many often goes unnoticed.

It is common for younger siblings to deal with standards set by older siblings which is

an obstacle Maya Bozicevich, sophomore, is navigating in her life.

Bozicevich’s two older sisters have instituted a self-proclaimed “legacy” that has set a high standard for her.

Having excelled in AP classes in high school, participated in numerous extracurricular activities, played varsity girls basketball, and they are

now attending Carleton College. These overachievers established a level of excellence that would set a tough bar for any younger sibling.

“My parents have never been the ones to pressure me into following the exact same path as my sisters. They have always given me space to explore my interests and passions. I often find that the

pressure comes from people outside of my close-knit group who somehow find a way to rope basketball, AP classes, or college into any conversation,” Bozicevich said.

With the help of the pandemic, Bozicevich has rediscovered her interests and realized she didn’t have a desire to continue basketball in her high school career.

“The pandemic opened my eyes and pushed me to realize I was holding back from pursuing my true passions simply because I feared straying away from the path and future that seemed so evidently set out for me,” Bozicevich said.

Now putting her efforts into running HHS For Choice, a club that advocates for reproductive rights and comprehen-

sive sex education, she is able to do what she loves and establish her own legacy.

“I’m creating my own legacy by breaking the stereotype that younger siblings must follow in the footsteps of the older and I hope to inspire other younger siblings to do the same,” Bozicevich said.

“

the royal page

MARCH 24, 2021

05 feature

I love thrifting because it promotes sustainability and is fun to do with friends.

Evie Feldman, sophomore

Guasmann leads the charge for sustainability, fashion with Vintage Klothing Berit Hansen Feature Editor As society moves past name brand stores and fast fashion, it opens a new world of upcycling and reselling.

HHS students have turned to Depop, Grailed, local thrift stores, and online sustainable brands to buy, sell, and even trade their new or used clothes.

Sam Gausmann, junior, and Mike Blum, senior at Edina High School, have taken this one step further with their own reselling business @vintageklothing on Instagram, raking in over 1,000 followers.

Its name — Vintage Klothing — derives quite literally from resurfacing styles and fashion, in which Gausmann believes (vintage) clothing can give you the ability to express yourself by giving you confidence because of something so simple: an outfit.

Vintage Klothing began back in February with its first initial drop of 50 items. It was clear from the start their business was going to be more successful than they thought, and all pieces sold out within

a couple hours.

“That weekend [of our first clothing drop] we promised our customers, most of whom are in the Minneapolis area, that we would deliver their purchases to them for a small fee. We had no clue how long that would take… I spent two nights in Blum’s basement, making it strictly business,” Gausmann said. “Since that weekend, we’ve been able to learn so much and grow as a business.”

Along with online selling, Gausmann and Blum have made appearances at local flea markets and pop up sales. At these events, they have been introduced to new people, culture, and exploration of uncharted territories.

“We’ve also been able to meet and learn from people in the vintage clothing community who do pretty much the same thing we do. I’ve been able to sell to friends and people in the area, and it’s cool to see that vintage clothing is a trend amongst people my age,” Gausmann said.

Vintage Klothing has reaped in success, but the pro-

cess behind it all is not always glamorous.

When he’s not consumed with school or running on HHS’s cross country team, you can always find Gausmann thrifting at local stores around town.

“It’s really a hit or miss — most of the time I’ll leave a thrift store empty handed.

But special days, I’ll get lucky and have a pretty good day finding clothes. This business has taught me to remain persistent,” Gausmann said.

Besides the connection to a new community and hustle, the morals behind Vintage Klothing are for the better. In this case: the environment.

According to Business Insider UK, “The fashion industry is the second largest in the world, coming second to the oil sector. 20 percent of industrial water pollution stems from textile development and this booming industry emits 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year.”

Gausmann recognized that the way we purchase and distribute clothing needed change.

“Shortly after I started this

business, I learned this statistic and that in the United States, it’s estimated that around 26 billion pounds of clothes, on average, are sent to landfills,” Gausmann said.

The draw of Gausmann and Blum’s business and others like it have started to make an impact.

Fast fashion tycoons like Zara and H&M are notorious for their “low wages, unrelenting hours, unsafe environments, and rampant verbal, physical, and sexual abuse,” according to Vox. But there is a trend away from fast fashion, as H&M’s quarterly profit was expected to fall 10 percent in the fourth-quarter of 2019, according to CNBC. Gausmann couldn’t believe the environmental impacts and lack of ethics behind the fast fashion industry.

“Running a business that sells essentially ‘recycled’ clothing makes me feel like I’m at least helping the environment out in a small way.”

With their can-do attitude and uniqueness, it has caused them to have a recent gain in popularity, hinting at a big

Sam Guasmann, junior, struts in his University of Minnesota apparel during this past summer. In the background, the clothing rack includes several items Sam sold for Vintage Klothing.

project and details of an upcoming website — their new platform for selling.

Yet their Instagram includes more than selling items; showcasing story highlights of behind the scenes and tips on what to look for in vintage clothes- tags on shirts, stitching styles, sizing, clothing care, and logos.

Many more posts and highlights are to come, but COVID-19 paused this due to several in-person thrift stores

closing during the past months.

However, Gausmann and Blum have noted that they’re currently stockpiling clothes for a website drop.

Although Gausmann and Blum are taking a short break from the company, they have hope for the future and will not stop pursuing what they love.

“The connections we’ve built are a big reason why I love doing what I do.” said Gausmann.

Collection of photos from Vintage Klothing’s pop-up shop on March 6-7.

Left: Sam Gausmann, junior, poses in mirror.

Middle: Teens sort through pile of clothes.

Right: Michael Blum, Edina senior, and Sam Guasmann, junior, strike a funky pose displaying their clothing.

Photos provided by Sam Guasmann.

Shaver teaches community education class Yarden Nachmias Staff Reporter Over the past few months, Tally Shaver, senior, has been creating a way for people of all ages to find a way to let their creativity free.

On Thursday Feb 25, Shaver held her first poetry class.

Finding an outlet to be creative can be very difficult; Shaver has created a way that anyone can write poetry in a safe and

fun environment. Even though only one class has been held she plans on holding more classes for all ages.

“I personally have found it pretty difficult to get inspiration for writing over the past year,” said Shaver. “Over the spring I discovered that some people that I knew offered some poetry workshops, just short hour-long ones, where I found it was really great to be around people of a similar age

in a super low-pressure environment to share our writing and passion for writing.”

The first workshop was held for those in grades 10-12.

Shaver doesn’t hope to stop there, though, as she will also be holding workshops for students in grades 7-9 as well as a class for adults.

Having these three classes opens up opportunities for the students to be more comfortable with people who are of a

similar age. Doing so allows a person to be much more open and willing to take risks.

“We focus on something that I like to call still life poetry,” said Shaver. “It is a cultivation of an image of an experience within a poem in a moment in time.”

In order to allow her students to get really in-depth with their poetry, she focuses on bringing descriptions to life. While each class may look

different, Shaver likes to start with a warm-up that allows a person to get out of their “word comfort zone”.

They read an example poem, the first of which was “The World in The Evening”

by Rachel Sherwood, then Shaver gives the class a prompt to write about, and they have time for free writing, finishing the class off by sharing with each other.

Shaver hopes to keep this

class going as time goes on and hopes to reach a broader audience. In the future she wishes to run more sessions, some even being in the morning in person.

“You can think poetry is really lame, but you can still come and you’ll probably have a good time,” said Shaver.

While it can be tough to get people engaged, Shaver hopes that this class will allow people to find their creative outlet.

the royal page

MARCH 24, 2021

06 in-depth Dashboard

jux-pril-xtt

Notes 4-2

jux-pril-xtt hopkinsrp.o

jux-pril-xtt Google Docs

Inbox (436)

TheFuture Riley Jouppi Editor At Large & Production Manager

The pandemic has instituted multiple new norms for us.

From wearing masks to going to school behind a computer screen.

With this new way of learning, it has begun to pave a new path. Becoming a new possibility for HHS and all schools to teach, even after this pandemic hopefully ends.

Online school has actually existed for a long time now.

“In 1989, the University of Phoenix became the

first institution to launch a fully online collegiate institution that offered both bachelor’s and master’s degrees” said onlineschools. org. “In 2003 the Blackboard Learning System staff announced that 40,000 instructors were teaching 150,000 online courses to more than 6 million students, across 55 countries.”

While most of us used to think online school was easy and just for child actors and homeschooled kids, we’ve learned it’s not. Due to the pandemic, in-person

schools have begun to see the appeal of a mix of both.

Starting next year, HHS is offering asynchronous and hybrid classes, even if the expectation is that we will be back in person like we used to be pre-covid.

“It’s us being responsive as a school,” said Ms.Tennison, Associate Principal.

“We’ve heard from lots of students who hate distance learning, but there are also other students and families who are like ‘this is awesome!’”

During the 202122 registration pro-

x

DON’T CLICK AWAY!!

34%

of sampled students prefer distanced learning over Hybrid learning

AND

66%

of sampled students prefer hybrid learning over distanced learning

cess, these options were available. While some students have signed up for these classes Tennison and her team lack information about these students.

“What makes it so difficult is that we don’t really know what these students are looking for,” said Tennison. “Are they signing up for 16 credits and looking for more of a balance? Or are these students looking for a full online experience?”

It’s hard to plan ahead when they aren’t even finished processing the 2021-

22 course registration yet.

“The number of students registering for these options is all over the board.

There are some with just 3 students

“

want to achieve.

“We don’t want to repeat a distanced/ hybrid situation that we’re currently experiencing. We want to separate them and have it be its own

We can’t view this as a black and white issue, because everyone wants or needs something different.”

Ms. Tennison, Associate Principal

signed up for them and others with maybe 26. It really depends on the subject.” said Tennison.

While a lot is up in the air still, they do know one key difference that they

meaningful, unique online experience, as well as a great inperson experience,” said Tennison.

This whole idea has been in the works for a while and was possibly going

x

WANT SOME $$$?!

$370 billion Is what the online learning industry is projeted to pass by

2026 educationdata.org

According to a poll conducted by the Royal Media

the royal page

MARCH 24, 2021

07 in-depth Classlink

Youtube.com

Google Slide

GroupMe (7)

pro-brnt-uwu

Unit 7 Lab

X

Of Education to be happening regardless of the pandemic. Mostly for one reason, to allow students more flexibility.

“The amount of flexibility students could have if they chose this online, asynchronous format could allow them to take more classes than they need or just want to take!” said Tennison.

Imagine being able to take required or even extra courses online and being able to reserve in-person learning for more of your elective classes.

This hybrid

learning model could also solve a recurring problem of not being able to take the classes you want to. Which lots of students complain about.

“School wasn’t working for students before the pandemic and schools aren’t working for students now either,” said Tennison. “If we don’t change something about school, we are not taking the silver linings and the lessons learned from the pandemic.”

Students have had to learn how to be adaptable, with some having more success

than others.

While we will never again have a day off of school due to snow because of distanced learning.

Some students have taken to this idea of

“

If we don’t change something about school, we are not taking the lessons we learned from the pandemic.”

Ms. Tennison, Associate Principal

learning from home.

“While 82 percent of sampled students don’t prefer distanced learning over normal school (preCovid), 18 percent do.” according to a poll conducted by

WAIT!!

HOLD ON!!!

18%

the Royal Media.

While still a small percentage, the fact that there are people doing better in this environment is amazing.

It just proves that

there is no one size fits all solution when it comes to education.

As someone who has had ADD and processing issues all of their life, I understand that normal

x

of sampled students prefer distanced learning over in-person(pre-covid)

AND

82%

of sampled students prefer in-person learning (pre-covid) over distanced.

According to a poll conducted by the Royal Media

school doesn’t always work for everyone.

“We can’t view this as a black and white issue, because everyone wants or needs something different,” said Tennison.

Everyone learns in different ways, and it sometimes feels like we have to learn these things on our own.

But schools are supposed to help us with that, and this shows that, at least at HHS, they are starting to listen to students. So that way they can help support the new generation.

Schools, no matter the format, are supposed to help students succeed academically and allow students to discover what they are truly passionate about.

Why shouldn’t we be building ways to accommodate students to help them succeed?

The future of education isn’t a one-way path. It’s multiple paths that all lead back to one destination, success.

READ THIS!!!

x

33%

of post-secondary school administrators indicate they will continue to offer

both remote and online course options even after their campuses have reopened and normal operations have resumed educationdata.org

MARCH 24, 2021

“

08 opinion

the royal page One thing I won’t miss about wearing masks is when I get a bloody nose and it all just goes into my mask.

Sam Levitt, junior

Being present in an unpresent world

Jackson Swartz Opinion Editor I like to listen to songs from the past, lost hits left to collect dust and find comfort knowing human emotion is not era dependent. Whether walking to malt shops or hitting the disco, someone was always falling in love, feeling alone or happy enough to dance.

Whatever I’m going through at the moment is lessened by the words of a sad

song, singing an all too familiar melody. Through song, book or painting art, emotion and struggle is depicted as a universal construct. Lifting itself above the hands of time and space.

If every time period had struggle, every era their sad songs, and every artist their muse, what makes the dawn of 2021 any different? What makes us look towards the past and peak eagerly towards the future? Never simply stopping to meet the gaze of the present

moment.

My peers are the same way, retreating into old habits in search of a time out of grasp, chasing the hour hand as it moves down the handle. The night always ends feeling like it had begun, in anticipation of something greater.

Those songs I mentioned seem unrelatable now, in the face of a world so rapidly changing. So much has changed since coronavirus that 2020 and beyond feel like a

Up-and-coming artist creates newest project, “Proxywave” Jackson Swartz Opinion Editor Ben Bowens has been quietly turning music for several years, putting out EPs to Soundcloud and Bandcamp since his early teens. His newest project, under his alias “Proxywave” is meant to serve as an introduction, putting audiences front and center.

The album opens shrouded beneath a curtain of foreboding synth chords. Soaked in melancholy and drenched with the mystery of what we have not yet experienced, the first few minutes of Ben Bowens’ “Proxywave” can feel like a warning, or a no trespass sign ignored out of curiosity.

As the introduction trots to a close, musical elements bounce amongst one another like a cluttered junk drawer, leaving our ears to make sense of their surroundings. Samples rub elbows with each other as chords run amidst an eternal progression, brought to a bowling point on the record’s second track “Clock Work.”

With “Clock Work,” Bowen does away with the Brian Eno-esque ambiance of the introduction, and shows his chops as a hip-hop producer.

As if Nirvana got in the studio with Dr. Dre, “Clock Work” serves a typical Boom Bap with grunge undertones.

As the track begins to wind down, a steady chord change makes its way up the line as accompanying piano whispers in the background. It’s a beautiful sound, yet whatever it is, feels like movement.

Whether placing a foot forward or drawing our next breath, each passing moment we wade our toes deeper into the future. The present, as Bowen’s swift versatility seems to point out, is never really ours, merely a gift we are forever grasping towards.

“Proxywave,” shares a similar dilemma, grasping towards what’s next instead of settling into a groove. Where some take comfort in familiarity, Bowen takes comfort in the swift, the unexpected, and within his music, it’s a blessing and a curse.

The album continues to bounce through different alleys of instrumental music, held together through a veil of 2010s indie, the likes of Animal Collective.

Yet, as the record comes to a close, Bowen begins to shed his music’s influential melting pot into something more con-

sistent. The most pop song on the record, “Helium,” pushes his hazy elecontrinca to a reluctant dance, shifting the chords towards a more open direction.

I first met Bowen on online forms circa seventh grade, since then I’ve kept up with his music, continuing to follow as he released various projects.

With “Proxywave,” I saw his music go from tracks I listened to out of support to something I truly enjoyed. Replayable and short enough to hold peoples interest, “Proxywave” is a work one could only conjure in the midst of youth, and it’s all the better for it.

The project continues down its pattern of mixed influences, yet Bowen doesn’t push a train of thought down an already crowded railroad.

The pieces fit – maybe not all the way – but if you push tight enough they do. And for now, that’s enough. While a little rough around the edges, “Proxywave” makes up what it lacks in consistency with youthful exuberance, making for a fun and highly replayable record.

lost island, broken off from the rest of time.

Turning towards the media for consolation, I receive none. There’s no documentary to put on when the history is in the process of being made. It’s a feeling TV, news and music can’t fix.

It’s the feeling of uncertainty.

Add the struggles of our time to the midst, the present is simply swept under the rug.

We wonder where it went, not

Top 10

Lexie Stoesz Berit Hansen Jackson Swartz Jake Goodman Josie Fieldman Jackson Destiche Sophia DeSanto Cole Segal

Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Editor-at-Large & News Editor Opinion Editor Sports Editor Sports Editor Variety Editor Editor Adviser

niche to look at our world and think about normalcy. Yet the good thing is, it’s out of our control. Living, breathing and taking the day in as is.

As I enter my last few months of high school I plan to not plan. To live each day under the simple pursuit of just doing something, anything.

The only wasted time is time spent thinking you’re wasting it, and I’ve already done quite a bit of that in this article.

Things we won’t miss about wearing masks

10

Getting your headphones caught on the straps of your mask, struggling to take them off, in the process creating an even worse entanglement of cheap plastic.

9

Fake laughing at a mediocre joke because you can no longer show your smile

8

Having to order food at coach Novak level tone just to be heard

7

Basking in your own sweat for a couple hours as a casual part of social interaction

6

The collective peer pressure of watching everyone you sit down with take off their masks

5

Removing your mask for 15 minutes in a closed plane, but it’s okay because snack time

4 3 2 1

coronavirus within indoor restaurants

Making eye contact with anyone That used mask smell

Seeing Louis Vuitton masks

Editorial Policy

Bennie Goldfarb Alexis Horowitz Riley Jouppi

knowing we’re the ones that kicked it under there.

So I’d be lying in saying spending a year at home, taking online classes and waiting to get into college has made me live in the present. In fact, it turned my senior year into one long waiting room, where the magazines are one and few, and even the fish look bored.

The future right now, for the world and personal lives is marked uncertain by our present. Circumstances are too

represents the opinion of the Editorial Board. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the administration, the

decisions regarding content.

Sabrina Ahmed Aric Anderson Ben Borenstein Jack Borkon Tess Brimmer Lily Dunnewind Elyse Ford Vivian Hadley Georgia Helfter Abhinav Kumar Annabel Lyons Jackson Malone Yarden Nachmias

Ayse Ozturk Ryan Papacek Eve Passman Arielle Patin Brooks Shragg Lena Skowronek Cale Sparrow Madelyn Starr Aidan Swartz Eva Teske Joshua Velner

the royal page

MARCH 24, 2021

“

09 variety

Growing up my favorite show was Spongebob because each episode had a good plot and I thought it was funny.

Sam Badzin, sophomore

Golden Globes Awards continue despite COVID Jackson Destiche Variety Editor

Despite many movie theaters closing their doors in 2020, Hollywood still held its 78th annual Golden Globes to recognize the best new movies of the past year.

The award show, hosted by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, had fewer viewers than usual. This year only 6.9 million watched while 18.3 million watched in 2020.

If you missed it, here are some of the more notable aspects of the Golden Globes that took place on Feb. 28.

Covid restrictions Normally, the Golden

Globes is one big party for celebrities to show off on the red carpet and mingle with other famous people. This year it was a big zoom call.

Like many other things this past year, the Golden Globes had to be done socially distanced. The co-hosts were on opposite coasts and the participants phoned in from the comfort of their own home.

There were often issues with the connection or audio throughout the night posing difficulty with the virtual format.

Some participants got dressed up like any other year, others kept it casual. Jason Sudeikis delivered his acceptance speech in a hoodie and

Jodie Foster wore her pajamas while petting her dog.

Big Winners Netflix was one of the big winners, several titles helped them rack up 42 nominations.

They took home 10 Globes.

“Mank”, a Netflix production, had six nominations but didn’t win anything.

Chloe Zhao became the first Asian woman to win best director with the movie “Nomadland”. The movie was nominated a total of four times and won two globes.

Another movie that was successful is the sequel to the 2006 film “Borat”. “Borat Subsequent MovieFilm” won the award for best comedy or musical. The actor, Sacha Baron

Due to coronavirus, the 78th annual Golden Globes took a virtual approach this year, but were nonetheless still memorable.

Cohen, also won a Globe for his role in the movie.

Inclusion One of the main topics of the night was the need to give a seat at the table to those who have never had one.

Prior to the show, it was made known that within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association [HFPA], 87 people voted on the awards, none of which were Black journalists.

Members of the HFPA

assured audiences that they would fix the issue by introducing more diversity, while as of now it is a misrepresentation of those involved in television and film.

Netflix brings iCarly, welcome nostalgia to its platform Arielle Patin Staff Reporter The last episode of “iCarly” aired on Nickelodeon in November of 2012, and now, almost 10 years later, it has been released on Netflix.

For teens like Camryn Campbell, sophomore, being able to watch an old Nickelodeon show on Netflix is a nostalgic experience.

“It takes you back to when

you were watching it and you remember what was going on at that time. If there was a Christmas episode, I can remember when I was seven, and it was Christmas. It just reminds you of something that was going on at the time the show came out.”

Campbell said. “iCarly” and similar shows like “VICTORiOUS” and “Wizards of Waverly Place” are a staple for Gen Z, rewatching these shows can trigger a strong

sense of nostalgia . Being able to rewatch “iCarly” on Netflix is like a walk down memory lane.

“It’s a lot of fun to rewatch shows ‘cause it kind of makes you think back.” Campbell said.

The older half of Gen Z seems to be so happy to be able to watch old shows again but the other, younger half doesn’t seem interested at all. To most of Gen Z “iCarly” seems like a fun memory that most of

the generation shares, but the younger half of Gen Z can actually barely remember the show at all.

10 year old Nia Roberts just made the cut off for Gen Z and she’s not at all interested in a tv show the rest of Gen Z seems to adore.

When Campbell was 10 she was watching “iCarly” and “Zoey 101”, while Roberts at the same age is currently watching “On My Block” and

New McDonald’s Chicken Sandwich spices up the fast food competition Brooks Shragg Staff Reporter On March 21, 1964, ChickFil-A released the first ever fast-food chicken sandwich.

While others have tried their own spin of poultry on bread, Chick-fil-A established a monopoly on the market and if one wanted a chicken sandwich, Chick-Fil-A was widely known as the place to go.

That all changed in 2019.

Popeye’s released their highly acclaimed chicken sandwich that allegedly dethroned Chick-Fil-A as the holder of the best chicken sandwich in the nation.

Since then, other restaurants such as Burger King, My Burger, and Wendy’s have tried to enter the chicken sandwich sweepstakes, but all have failed to attain the relevancy of Popeyes or Chick-Fil-A. Until this past month, when

The Deluxe Crispy Chicken sandwich is the newest competitor to the highly regarded Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich. Since it’s release, people have made claims comparing the deluxe to the Popeyes sandwich too.

McDonald’s released their crispy chicken sandwich, spicy crispy chicken sandwich, and deluxe crispy chicken sandwich which put the world on notice. This southern style fried chicken sandwich is crispy, juicy and tender perfection. It’s topped with crinkle-cut pickles and served on a new toasted, buttered potato roll.

The standard crispy chicken sandwich, as Mcdonalds describes it, is a “a southern style fried chicken sandwich is crispy, juicy and tender perfection. It’s topped with crinkle-cut pickles and served on a new toasted, buttered potato roll.”

The spicy sandwich is the exact same but is topped with

Photos by Brooks Shragg

their own spicy pepper sauce.

The deluxe sandwich is the same as the original, but is topped with shredded lettuce, Roma tomatoes and mayo with the option to add cheese for a roughly 50 cent upcharge.

Before getting into my opinion of the sandwich, I will first establish that I still think Popeyes remains in a league of

“Stranger Things”. “iCarly” was thought to be a nostalgic show for a whole generation. It was perceived as the kind of show that Gen Z could bond over and watch when they are older to remember parts of their childhoods, but it turns out that’s not the case.

Now with “iCarly” on a worldwide streaming platform and a reboot in the works the show may gain a new following made up of an even younger

generation.

But even if the younger half of Gen Z decides to watch “iCarly” on Netflix some of the 2010s magic and humor may not translate well to today’s 10 year olds. Younger generations may think it is cringy or boring or not worth the watch.

Still, “iCarly” is a fun show that many people can remember watching on television when they were younger.

their own in the chicken sandwich industry but Mcdonalds may be giving Chick-Fil-A a run for their money.

In terms of appearance, this new Mcdonald’s sandwich looks eerily similar to ChickFil-A’s with a similar-sized patty, bun and both are served with pickles. While they may look the same, the taste is a whole different story.

The Mcdonald’s sandwich dominates Chick-Fil-A in almost every category. Its potato roll bun is significantly better than Chick-Fil-A’s buttered bun. The pickles are much bigger and pack much more flavor at McDonalds, and the quality of Chicken is significantly better. McDonalds Chicken has a crunch you can instantly hear off of your first bite and that is something needed for an elite chicken sandwich.

While Mcdonalds does remain supreme in all of those categories, McDonalds doesn’t have Chick-Fil-A sauce or anything that closely compares.

Chick-Fil-A sauce single handedly continues to keep ChickFil-A in the top of the chicken

sandwich game because of how much of a positive addition it adds to the sandwich. While McDonalds is better in almost every category, they are still roughly on the same tier as Chick-Fil-A. If I had to choose between the two, I think I would choose McDonalds by a small margin.

The quality of the Mcdonalds chicken totally caught me by surprise and I never imagined that I would be saying it is anything close to Chick-Fil-A, but they showed up bigtime.

If you haven’t tried the sandwich yet, I would without a doubt recommend getting the deluxe sandwich. The tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo blend with the chicken and bun so well to pack a spectacular amount of flavor within each bite.

All in all, this new sandwich took me, and a lot of the world by surprise with its quality while also making me question the quality of the home of the original chicken sandwich, Chick-Fil-A.

MARCH 24, 2021

“

10 sports

the royal page I’m looking forward to the season and having a fun year with the new team.

George Jackson, senior

Track prepares for season amid COVID Josie Fieldman Sports Editor In a year unlike any other, the HHS track program remains one of the most exciting and anticipated sports of the year.

While the season will look different when it comes time for spring sports to start, the track captains are doing what they can to make the most of the limitations.

“Usually this time of year we would host optional track practice four days a week, but because of Covid, we were not able to do that,” said Amelia Carrizales, senior.

Instead of the optional practices leading up to the sea-

son, the track captains started hosting bi-weekly workout sessions, where students can work their abs and take part in high-intensity interval training (HITT).

“This is a great way to get in shape, especially for those who do not have access to a gym or are not competing in a winter sport,” Carrizales said.

On top of the preseason looking different, the makeup of the team has also changed.

“This year there are a lot of captains. We have ten girl captains and eight boy captains, so in total there are 18,” said Carrizales.

The reason behind having more captains than a normal year is because of the large

The track and field team began holding optional captains practices on Monday, Mar. 15. These are a great way to meet members of the team and get ready for the season. Photo provided by Amelia Carrizales

number of expected participants that will be joining track this year.

“We have two classes of new athletes since last year’s freshman (now sophomores)

never really got a season,” Carrizales said. “That being said, this year’s freshman and sophomore class are all new to the program.”

Having more captains is

a way to help guide and support the newer athletes, such as helping them decide what events to compete in, learn how to warm up, and lead them throughout the season.

Regardless of how the season may look, the captains are anxious to compete and lead a new team.

RJ Chakolis breaks record for most wins in history Jack Borkon Staff Reporter In the first wrestling meet of the season, RJ Chakolis, senior, reached one of his biggest milestones yet.

Defeating a Lakeville North freshman 9-3 gave RJ his 158th varsity win, setting a new HHS record.

RJ has been wrestling varsity ever since he was in sixth grade, and has had many mentors from then until now, one being head coach Derrick Agate. The record that RJ broke was previously held for nearly a decade by Alec Agate, the son of the head coach.

Agate was present when both his son and RJ broke the school record.

“I was hoping that my son’s record would be broken at some point. I’m ecstatic that I was the coach at the time when it happened, because I

RJ Chakolis, senior, poses for a photo Photo provided by RJ Chakolis

have been coaching RJ for so long, so I was very excited that he was the one who did it. That record is going to be around for a while,” said Agate.

RJ won the state championship last year wrestling in the 195 pound weight class. It had been almost 50 years since a wrestler from HHS had won an individual state championship.

Winning a state title was great, but breaking the HHS record was also exciting for the senior wrestler.

“Breaking the record for the most wins was something I had been looking forward to since my 7th grade year, because I was wrestling at such a young age, and I always knew it could happen. When it happened, it was like a big weight off my shoulders, and it made it a lot easier on myself not worrying about it anymore,” said Chakolis.

RJ gives credit to coach Agate for helping him reach the amount of success he has reached so far in his high school career.

“Coach Agate has been coaching me since I was in 6th grade, so he has taught me a lot of really good things about wrestling,” said Chakolis.

“Having him as a coach since I started wrestling at HHS has been great, especially since he knows a lot about wrestling, and he had a successful career himself, so he can just correct me and make sure I am doing everything right.”

RJ is looking forward to the rest of the season, and he aims to stay undefeated throughout the regular season.

His goal is to become state champion once again, and he is working hard everyday to ensure that his goal becomes a reality.

Laci Provenzano commits D1 for track and field Josie Fieldman Sports Editor Laci Provenzano, senior, has been a standout athlete for the Royals since junior high.

Competing in cross country, nordic, and track, Provenzano has proved her athletic talent in every season.

She has been a member of the cross country team for four years, and has been a part of the nordic and track and field programs for six.

“I think that competing in all three sports has definitely made me a better athlete overall,” Provenzano said, “Track and cross country are very similar except that track focuses

more on speed whereas cross country has a stronger focus on endurance.”

As a long distance runner, having speed and endurance are very important. Competing in nordic has also helped Provenzano by allowing her to strengthen different muscle groups.

“I can maintain endurance while skiing while also gaining more strength. The strength I build during nordic makes me less injury prone during track,” said Provenzano.

While she loves all of her sports, track and field is the favorite.

“In track, you get out of it what you put into it, and your

Laci Provenzano, senior, shows off her future college apparel.

Photo provided by Laci Provenzano

progress is easy to see. It’s fun to go fast and watch yourself

get stronger as the season progresses,” Provenzano said.

Track also has a very different environment than cross country or nordic because your teammates and fans can cheer you on every step of the way.

In her senior season, Provenzano earned all conference in both cross country and nordic. She was also named cross country team MVP in 2018 and 2019.

Provenzano will be joining the cross country and track and field program at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) next fall.

Once she toured the school and got a feel for campus, Provenzano felt confident in her decision to commit.

“After talking to the coach

at IUPUI and many girls on the cross country and track teams, I could tell everyone was excited to be there. The girls on the team were super welcoming and answered all of my questions,” said Provenzano.

As she comes to the end of her high school career, Provenzano reflects on what she has learned at HHS. “Never take a practice, meet or game for granted. Every season goes by so fast and the work you put in at the beginning really does matter,” said Provenzano. “Also know that there will be bad days but being able to persevere through those and listen to your body.”

“

the royal page

MARCH 24, 2021

11 sports

The new coach will bring a lot of energy and new feel to the football program.

JT Zell, senior

New football head coach hopes to build on legacy Jack Borkon Staff Reporter Starting the 2021 football season, HHS will have a new person in charge. Former coach John DenHartog has decided to step down after 17 seasons with the program.

Taking his place will be coach Trevor Tolly, an accomplished defensive coach who has been with the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, as well as highsch ools including Stillwater, North St. Paul, and White Bear Lake.

Coach Tolly has been coaching football for 12 years, and he is bringing a defensive mindset to the program.

“When the Head Football Coaching position became available at HHS, I wanted

to apply for several reasons.

When I moved to Minnesota back in 2012 and was just “entering the coaching scene, HHS was a school that I heard about and continued to hear about throughout my time in Minnesota. You heard about all the great athletes that came out of the school and when the opportunity became available, I was very excited to have the chance to coach at a great school,” said Tolly.

DenHartog did many amazing things for the HHS football team during his coaching era.

He was an offensive minded coach who was great at developing players so they could reach their full potential. He even coached two players at HHS that would turn out to be

players in the National Football League.

Although they are sad that DenHartog decided to resign, players are excited for change and look forward to showcasing their abilities in the upcoming 2021 season.

“I’m excited for a shift in culture in HHS football and to see what Coach Tolly can do for this program,” said Eli Kotlarz, sophomore linebacker.

Tolly is confident that he can bring continued success during his time at HHS. He praises former coach DenHartog for his commitment to the program, and he knows what the job entails.

“I was very impressed with the fact that Coach Denhartog was the Head Football Coach

for 17 years if I’m not mistaking. It shows that he enjoyed his job here, and it says a lot about the school, the community, the athletic staff, and administration, and most of all the players. I believe that I can do great things here. My mission for our football program is to field a team that excels on the field, achieves in the classroom, and positively impacts our school and community,” said Tolly.

Tolly believes in team building, and looks to progress the skills of his players on and off the field. Tolly says he will give the program 110 percent, and believes he can build a unique community that breeds success here at HHS.

Angelo Lockhart, sophomore, warms up before a game during the football season.

Eating disorders affect athletes, lead to mental, physical harm Josie Fieldman Sports Editor One of the forgotten and often overlooked aspects of the sports world is the mental toughness required to be an athlete.

It is easy to watch your favorite pro and marvel at their performance and the entertainment they provide, but one of the most challenging and dangerous mental illnesses could be lurking in their mind: Eating disorders (ED).

The Oxford Languages defines eating disorders as, “Any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits.”

According to Nationaleatingdisorders.org, it is estimated that 62 percent of females and 33 percent of males in aesthetic and weight-class

sports are affected by an eating disorder.

“Some sports are more prevalent to causing an increase in eating disorders such as dance, cheerleading, gymnastics, track, wrestling, and figure skating. The sports where looks and fitness level are a big deal is where the eating disorders come from most,” said Ms. Stephanie Reinisch, head athletic trainer.

ED’s are different for everyone, and every athlete is unique. Some disorders stem from an obsession over physical appearance, whereas others come from the pressure to perform.

“It’s always important to look at the root of why they may be going through an eating disorder. Every reason is different and many might not even know they have an eating disorder until, say, they get

hurt really bad or start to notice a decrease in their performance level,” Reinisch said.

Ani Palm, senior, developed an eating disorder after joining cross country in junior high. After struggling for years, Palm now hopes to spread awareness and shed a light on the dangers of an ED. “I joined cross country in 7th grade not quite knowing what I was getting myself into, but I quickly became a top runner in junior high and felt a lot of pressure (that I put on myself) to be good,” Palm said.

She looked up to the runners in high school and believed that in order to be fast and perform at a high level, you had to be skinny.

“This and the general pressure of needing to be thin to be ‘pretty,’ led to my eating disorder,” Palm said.

After a few years of silently

struggling, Palm noticed how the girls that she had looked up to were eating what she identified as “junk food,” and still performing at a high level. She realized that it was crucial to fuel her body as an athlete, and restricting was only hurting her body and mental health.

“From that moment on I decided to create a better relationship with food and be thankful for what my body does for me,” Palm said.

Athletes typically require more fuel than the average person, due to the intensity and frequency of their exercise. Because of this, it is very easy to lose weight and muscle, and notice a decrease in overall performance.

“Eating disorders are dangerous for anyone, but can be particularly tricky with competitive athletes because it can affect their performance,”

Palm said. “We put a lot of stress on our bodies in training and competing, and with an ED on top of that, our physical and mental health can suffer.”

Many athletes develop eating disorders because they are not aware of the factors that play a role in their performance when they are not on the field or court.

“It can be hard for some to know how to best balance time, not skip meals, and also get enough sleep while having practice, extra workouts, and even a social life,” Reinisch said.

Even in a world where the dialogue surrounding mental illnesses is becoming more open, eating disorders are often concealed and are not as highly discussed as other diseases.

“Over the years I have seen my coaches increase conversations surrounding mindfulness

and mental health, but talking about eating disorders seems to still be a taboo topic,” said Palm. “I think in a lot of cases athletes need to reach out to their coaches to receive help or have conversations.”

Reinisch and Palm both believe the discussion around eating disorders should be normalized, especially with athletes, as many may not even know that they have one.

“I think all athletes should know that eating disorders are unfortunately quite common, so if they are struggling, there is a chance someone else is going through a similar journey,” Palm said.

The National Eating Disorder Association has a hotline available to call or text at (800) 931-2237.

2021 Athena and apollo award winners announced Josie Fieldman Sports Editor On Mar. 16, Laci Provenzano, senior, and George Jackson, senior, were announced as this year’s Athena and Apollo award winners.

The Athena and Apollo awards are given to an outstanding female and male athlete in the senior class.

Provenzano is a three sport athlete at HHS. She is a member of the cross country, nordic, and track and field programs.

Jackson is a standout member of the track and field team.

George Jackson, senior, jumps over a hurdle during a race.

Photo provided by George Jackson

“I was really excited when I found out I had won,” Provenzano said.

“Ever since I learned about the award when I was younger I had wanted to win it.”

Five other students were nominated for the Athena Award. Molly Enzler, senior, Charlotte Rich, senior, Eliza Polyak, senior, Josie Fieldman, senior, and Tori Turgeon, senior.

The other nominees for the Apollo Award were RJ Chakolis, senior, Elliot Berman, senior, Will Nelson, senior, Jake Perry, senior, and Ben Haberman, senior.

Laci Provenzano, senior, runs in a cross country meet.

Photo provided by Laci Provenzano

the royal page

MARCH 24, 2021

Snapchat

Flashback from March 13, 2020

1 week ago

1 year ago, today...

Gabe Gauderman, alumnus It was March 11th and the beginning of the finals for the girls basketball state tournament. Unlike the previous year our grade was able to go to the tournament and miss school(which all of us were excited for). Covid had slowly been moving around however since it had not reached our state yet no one was really concerned. From our school yelling chants to throwing items and balloons everywhere it was definitely an eventful day. If I had known that that game was one of the last sane moments I would ever have with my fellow students and staff I would have taken in every moment, however sadly back then I didn’t.

“Half way through the bus ride to the meet we heard that Hopkins wouldn’t be having classes. It wasn’t until we were 15 minutes from the pool that the meet was canceled. My team was heartbroken. There was a pretty large amount of crying for the next hour or so. On our way back home, we decided to spend the entire weekend together as a team. That was the last time we were together as a large group since covid.

.. .

Jua Hixon, junior

Lee Hutton, junior “After Afterschool, school, going I went to the ASC to the before ASC meetsbefore or games meets and being or able games to getand work done with friends. was able It seems to get weird work to think done that with more than friends. one person It seems could sit weird at a table. to think It was really fun, seeing that more all of my than upperclassmen one person friends, could or friends sit at that a table.

I don’tItnormally was really see outfun, of school. In the ASC, seeing I would all of havemy rap battles upperclassmen and crack jokes, friends, it was quite or enjoyable. friends that Hopefully, I don’t we can get back to normally creating memories see outlike of that, school. all while I’dstaying have safe.” rap battles

and crack jokes, it was quite enjoyable. Hopefully, we can get back to creating memories like that, all while staying safe.

Mary Murphy, alumna “After we heard about the initial lockdown all the senior girls dressed up in white. We did this as a joke cause it was our “last day,” but nobody actually thought it was our last day. None of us understood the seriousness of the situation or that it was the last chance we’d have to all be together on a normal day of high school.”

Brynn Hirsch, senior

“I remember being excited about the game, and it being kind of business as usual while we were getting ready. There was talk that the next games might be cancelled, and I remember during the game they sanitized the ball every so often, but it felt pretty ‘normal.’ I shared my water bottle, stood right next to people and did all sorts of things that would feel very ‘wrong’ now.”

“I was walking with a friend around the U of M campus after a girl’s basketball game. We were trying to find a place to eat and ended up taking some dumb pics. Looking back at it now, I really took it all for granted. I was so carefree at the time, but then again who could’ve predicted things would end up like this. It was one of the last social events I went to and it was one of the last times I saw that friend, looking back at it I wish I would’ve appreciated it more.”

Fernando Serna, senior