The Royal Page Print Edition: Volume 37 Issue 6

HOPKINS HIGH SCHOOL 2400 LINDBERGH DRIVE MINNETONKA, MN 55305

MARCH 21, 2019 VOLUME 37, ISSUE 6 hopkinsrp.org

RP. the royal page

All forms of peer pressure impact students in negative and positive ways Technology adds a new layer to the age old issue of peer pressure.

In-Depth pages 6 & 7

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

Girls basketball dominates state

Photo by Isaac Richert

Photo by Tim Kolehmainen / Breakdown Sports Media

Photo by Isaac Richert

AP Euro drops term for upcoming school year Maya Kupritz Editor-in-Chief After an administrative decision, starting next school year, AP European History (AP Euro) will switch from a three term course to just two terms.

There are two sole reasons for this change, according to Mr. Doug Bullinger, principal.

First off, term three classes ‘clunk up’ student schedules, not only in their subject area, but across the entire system.

Second, the number of min-

utes allocated to a three term course is roughly the same as a 1.5 year course in other schools, so students and teachers are receiving more time to teach and learn the curriculum than is called for.

“It's a change, and that always brings growing pains.

But I think it's the right change to make. That said, it brings us much more in line with the experience of students taking the course at other schools across the nation,” Mr. Bullinger said.

Administration also

News

looked at quite a few other schools in the West Metro when making this decision.

Two other schools on the full block schedule, Wayzata and Eden Prairie, offer two different lengths of the class.

Wayzata will continue to offer AP Euro as a three term class, as stated in the course catalog and Eden Prairie will continue to offer AP Euro as a two term class.

Ms. Anne Sateren and Mr. Rick Rexroth, social studies, are the two teachers for AP Euro who will have to go

along with this new adjustment.

“Honestly, I’m disappointed about only having two terms with the Euro classes.

The third term is a luxury for any teacher and has allowed us more time to build relationships with our students as well as build on the complex number of skills students are expected to develop in AP Euro,” Ms. Sateren said.

With the new layout, comes modification to the curriculum.

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Three DECA students continue onto Nationals Ari Geller Staff Reporter It may take a lot of work and preparation to be a member of DECA, but it may pay off in a big way for those competing.

DECA is a competitive business and entrepreneurship club that focuses on developing business skills and training business leaders.

On March 3-5, the DECA State competition took place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.

The competition included 47 HHS students with 39 students competing in two or

Opinion

Feature

more separate events.

Many members of HHS DECA progressed to become finalists in the State competition which required them to stay an extra day downtown.

Depending on how many people were in the event, the top ten to 20 people would move on to become finalists.

The results of the State competition this year were very positive for HHS with Dante Reminick, Kol Jansa and Brian Duval, seniors, all making it to the National competition.

“I ended up getting first place in the Food Marketing event which was an unprepared event,” Reminick said.

Sports

Junior workload takes toll on students

Students choose alternate paths after high school

English elective options lacking compared to other Lake schools

Professional athletes recieve big contracts

Challenging classes, the ACT, extracurriculars and the start of college discussion, all add up, making junior year busy.

While many students continue to a two or four year college after high school, some students choose a road less traveled like the army or a gap year.

With students registering for next year's classes and new courses being announced, students notice how few compelling choices there are for language arts.

While some jobs are protecting communities, saving lives and furthering education, over-glorified athletes are being paid significantly more.

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the royal page The workload that juniors have to endure is incredibily challenging. With all of my classes, ACT prep, sports and working, it leaves very little extra time for anything else.

Noah Stillman, junior

Junior workload takes toll on students Ryan Baker Staff Reporter

Challenging classes, the ACT, extracurriculars and the looming question of possible college choices are some of the many reasons junior year is notoriously difficult.

These pressures and commitments students make for the betterment of their futures can put stress on the 16 and 17-year-old student, the ages that make up the junior class.

This is not only evident locally, but across America. PrepScholar reported that junior year is the most important year of high school and should be used as an opportunity to “show off your academic chops, crush upcoming key tests, make up for past mistakes and plan for your future.”

Learning how to deal with stress is crucial, but there is no specific solution to the extensive conditions the year brings.

Kyle Feduccia, junior, had a

Photo by Olivia Cohen A student pictured above is cramming for an upcoming class. With extracirriculars and studying for the ACT, this could make preparing for classes difficult for students. challenging first semester with AP Calculus, French 5, a col-

Ilhan Omar controversy Olivia Cohen News Editor Ilhan Omar, the state’s fifth district representative, has come under fire recently for her comments about Israel.

Omar, the first SomaliAmerican politician elected into Congress, has received criticisms of what some perceive as anti-semitic remarks, due to the statements engaging with common stereotypes regarding Jewish culture and Israeli politics.

“This [Omar’s] comment is just benign criticism of the Israel lobby, which I happen to agree with,” said Jared Grossman, senior. “As a Jew, I’m pretty stumped on why people are calling her anti-semitic, there’s literally nothing here to be offended by.”

American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AlPAC), is a pro-Israel advocate lobbyist group known for financially supporting Israel, as well as aiding the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Israel’s military.

In turn to Grossman’s stance, Camille Brimmer, junior, has different views on Omar’s controversial tweets and actions.

“I think it is extremely important to have diversity in Congress but Ilhan Omar is someone that should not have been elected,” Brimmer said.

“She claimed that AIPAC was paying politicians to be proIsrael when in reality AlPAC is an organization that has never donated any money to candidates.”

Read the rest at hopkinsrp.org

lege in school course (CIS), AP Physics and Honors English

on his schedule everyday for the first half of the school year.

Feduccia believes that students have control over their stress level during junior year.

“These stress levels are on the students,” Feduccia said.

“Students choose their own classes.”

When asked about the homework load that students receive during the course of the year, Feduccia said, “Simply just do the work, and manage your time better.”

The other perspective in this problem are teachers. Mr. Dale Clark, English, had views on the junior year workload. He thinks that he is doing everything in his power to combat stress levels of his students.

“I try to teach students how to be proactive about asking for extensions on assignments, as well as breaking down large assignments into smaller parts,” Mr. Clark said. “I encourage students to lay out a calendar, so they anticipate deadlines and plan accordingly.”

Read the rest at hopkinsrp.org

This was still not considered the hardest schedule for juniors.

AP Euro drops term for upcoming school year Maya Kupritz Editor-in-Chief continued from pg. 1 “Mr. Rexroth and I will be spending time this spring and summer laying out the curriculum. The curriculum won’t be new as we will continue to follow the guidelines of the College Board,” Ms. Sateren said.

“However, we will be streamlining what we teach to directly align with the Key Concepts of the course so that we continue to prepare students for the exam.”

Despite the class is shortened, the AP Exam will not be changing. It will continue to be a combination of Multiple Choice and three types of writing - Short Answer Questions, a Long Essay Question, and a Document Based Question.

Ms. Sateren and Mr. Rexroth will continue to develop and strengthen those skills.

Although as of right now AP Euro is by itself in this change, AP World and AP U.S. History (APUSH) will be reexamined later on.

“Both AP World and APUSH will continue to be on the table for future changes, as they also allocate far more teacher and student time to the curriculum than is called for,” Mr. Bullinger said. “We decided to start with AP Euro, learn from the change, and then re-examine APUSH and AP World. Right now, those two courses have far more students who are taking AP for the first time than does AP Euro, so I decided to keep those two classes as they are for now.”

Ms. Jennifer Heimlich, social studies, teaches AP World

and wishes that AP Euro could stay as three terms.

“I wish that both classes would stay at three terms, since both need time to teach the skills necessary to be successful in these classes. However, I also feel that it is inequitable for one to change and not the other, so I am conflicted over this situation at this point,” Ms. Heimlich said.

Rafi Leviton, junior, thinks AP Euro should remain three terms.

“I think three terms is good because it helps prepare students better for the AP exam,” Leviton said. “Despite two terms sounding nice, I would feel more stressed having to learn all of the information in a shorter time.”

For Shayna Kaplan, sophomore, knowing that AP Euro will only be two terms next year

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has helped influence her decision in taking the class.

“I don’t enjoy history, although I want to take an AP history class,” Kaplan said. “AP World is staying three terms, so knowing Euro will be shorter makes me happy.”

Overall, Ms. Sateren believes the two term option may allow students more flexibility in their schedules and it will continue to be a strong class, despite the loss of a term.

“Students should know that we are looking at a different textbook and also meeting with college professors so that we can continue to provide students with the best possible college level experience,” Ms. Sateren said. “We also make sure that students have the support and assistance they will need to find success in the class.”

Wolf joined orchestra

Late starts take hiatus

Band’s annual concert

Local presidential run

Feb. 22, HHS Philharmonic and Symphony orchestras performed a set of music the they had been rehearsing for the past several months, to prepare for their annual Spotlight Concert.

This year, the HHS

In late Feb., an email was sent out informing students and families that the district will no longer have its monthly late starts on the school calendar.

This change in scheduling was prompted by the multiple loss of

This March, the school’s band program had their annual Pops concert on the 1st and 2nd. Student soloists, both concert bands and the senior dance routine were some of the many acts that performed.

Lucy Speers, junior, was there when state senator Amy Klobuchar announced her campaign at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis.

“My parents and I wanted to go because we knew it would be a

music program had the opportunity to perform with musician Aby Wolf. In addition to their collaborations, Wolf performed with the two orchestras, as well as performing a variety of her own pieces, with her band.

school days, that was brought upon by the Polar Vortex. Despite student’s varying reaction to the change, it will remain until the end of the 2018-19 school year.

Thanks to this year’s Pixar theme, there was no shortage of references from cinematic favorites such as Up, Toy Story and Monsters, Inc.

big moment in history,” Speers said.

Klobuchar is joining a historic number of female candidates that have announced a presidential bid this year.

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When I was at NJH, the IB system was very important to the school and its teachers. It helped students become more advanced and grow in places they needed help in, despite some negative effects it had on students.

news 2031 initiative seeks to maximize district’s potential Jackson Schwartz Staff Reporter In order to thrive, change is crucial. A new initiative called Hopkins Vision 2031, the brainchild of Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, superintendent, seeks to do just that.

The district website for 2031 states that this initiative is fueled by the “six pillars of innovation.” These include fearless teams, strategic partnerships, crowdsourcing, reimagining schools, digital tools and refined mindsets.

“Whenever you change your process, you need to switch resources,’’ said Mr. Doug Bullinger, prinicipal. “I think the challenge will be change in general, getting people comfortable with the status quo.”

Among other factors, the

Skye Blaylark, junior

website lists that putting students first is a priority making student input crucial in making the best version of the district possible.

“Change is hard, confusing, exciting, disruptive. It’s hard to let go of what we know, if you are feeling the weight of change, that is the process,” Dr. Mhiripiri-Reed said.

Similarly to the 2031 initiative, at both of the junior highs, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, seeks to expand student’s confidence, among other traits for success.

“I think the school could make students feel more confident is smaller classrooms,” said Isaac Fogel, sophomore.

“Having more one on one time with teachers really allows you to express yourself.”

Photo by Olivia Cohen Zene Boney, senior, and Katie Meade, sophomore, study in the school’s library to prep for an upcoming class. Similarly to IB, the 2031 initiative encourages student collaboration.

Photo by Olivia Cohen A student in Mr. Babine-Dinnen’s AP World history class asks a question during a lecture. The school believes that student and teacher communication is valuable for both parties.

Senior registration still encouraged for PSEO students Olivia Cohen News Editor Course registration is no stranger to students, but with alternative options such as PSEO and senior release, some seek to see a decrease in their time spent within the walls of the high school.

Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) allows students to go off-campus and take classes at local Minn. colleges. These potential college options include Normandale, the University of Minn.

(UMN) and various technical colleges around the Metro.

Ivy Greenberg, junior, is taking advantage of the program.

“I want to do PSEO because I’m interested in obtaining college credits earlier, while also completing my high school credits,” Greenberg said. “I think my high school career would be more efficient this way.”

With the implementation of PSEO programs, completing both college and high school credits has emerged into many school curriculums. In result of its education system, as of the 2016-17 school year, PSEO enrolled roughly 9,939 students into its program. The way their education system is

Above is a sample student schedule, displaying a variation of classes a student may take. This would be considered a staple schedule for a typical non-PSEO student. designed allows students to commute between the college they’re attending and their high school during the day, given their respective schedule.

“I wanted to do PSEO because of the course choices,” Greenberg said. “I felt [PSEO] had better elective options for me to explore my personal interests and more options for general study electives that seemed more interesting for me to take.”

However, the school does require students planning to do these alternative options to register like they would tradi-

tionally. Greenberg does not think that this system is ideal.

“I will admit that it is frustrating having to sign up for classes that I am not even planning on taking and may be taking away a potential spot from someone else in a class,” Greenberg said.

“I do understand why they had me sign up, it’s just irritating.”

From an administrative standpoint, the logic behind having students sign up for classes is taken as a precaution measure.

“We always want students to have a plan B in place,” said Ms. Shanna Jadwin, guidance

counselor. “Sometimes students have very good intentions to get registered for PSEO, but sometimes things change.”

PSEO, being an intriguing option for students, runs their system in terms of requesting a particular course, resulting in students only obtaining the class, if the course has seat availability.

“It’s no problem at all for us to drop their classes once they have that plan in place for PSEO, but sometimes it can be a problem to get seats in classes, because the number of requests,” Ms. Jadwin said.

“We build our sections based off the number of students that request them. We always want a plan B in place for our students, we always want them to have a place here if they need it.”

In addition to Greenberg’s PSEO endeavors, Harper Malone, junior, looks to tie together her last year of high school with a senior release.

“Having a block where you can either sleep or catch up on work for harder classes is a no brainer, if you have the option,” Malone said. “It is especially useful for students who are taking AP classes or have activities after school, making it hard to do a lot of their homework.”

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going to run in,” Ms. Jadwin said.

“We first need to see where things are scheduled, because senior release can only be in first and fourth blocks.

Despite his alternatives of having a block to himself or venturing out into the world of PSEO, Zach Greenwald, junior, would rather stay within the walls of HHS. “I have Geoff before school, concert choir during the school day and dance team after school, so leaving in middle doesn’t make much sense for my schedule,” Greenwald said, regarding having potential offcampus courses.

When he was asked about his thoughts surrounding hav-

We always want a plan B in place for our students, we always want them to have a place here if they need it.

Ms. Shanna Jadwin, guidance

Due to course schedule reasoning, junior students are unable to sign up or obtain a senior release, until the year of.

“The master schedule isn’t built for next year yet, we don’t have any idea at this time what blocks different electives are

ing a senior release alone, his response was made clear.

“I really don’t see the point of it [a senior release],” Greenwald said. “Why would you choose not to get potential credit?”

Domestic violence victims in Minn. recieve overdue justice via legislature Eve Clarkson Copy Editor Minn.’s House of Representatives recently passed a bill that will finally stop limiting the punishments of rapists in the case that the victim of their assault was a partner or spouse.

According to the Star Tribune, this bill, which passed unanimously in the House, is expected to be heard in the state’s Senate in the near future.

“I am disgusted, but I cannot say I am surprised because America is and has always been so patriarchal. I am glad that

this is finally being discussed,” said Zochitl Contreras, senior.

When the bill was being presented to the House, a survivor shared her heartbreaking testimony. The woman, Ms. Jenny Teeson, explained how her exhusband and assailant broke into her home and filmed the assault. Ms. Teeson’s toddler was in the home at the time.

Despite this horrific situation, her assailant was not charged with rape because of their marriage. Enraged by this, Ms. Teeson decided to use this anger and channel it into seeking justice for victims such

as herself.

“For so long, marriage has been idealized in America and I feel like this is why this topic has been glossed over so much,” Contreras said.

The seemingly outdated practice that gives certain assailants leniency may stem from the common misconception that rape is usually perpetrated by strangers in a dark alleyway. However, according to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), assaults committed by strangers comprise around 19.5 percent of all assaults.

It is much more common for individuals to be assaulted by an acquaintance (39 percent), or by someone they have been in a romantic relationship with (33 percent). Ms. Teeson is working to address the dangerous reality of sexual assault.

“Any survivor or victim has a voice...to fight and to stand up when you know something isn’t right,” Ms. Teeson said. “If you don’t get justice in the system, per se, you can do something about it for others.”

Infographic by Eve Clarkson

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the royal page I am excited for a new chapter in my life and cannot wait for the adventure ahead.

Mimi Gewirtz, senior

Students choose roads less travelled after HHS Alternatives to universities after high school become more commonplace in the Metro and beyond Ali Winter Feature Editor

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n modern America, tuition costs have increased in the last few decades by nearly 260 percent resulting in fewer millennials and Gen Zers opting to follow traditional paths to success. YouTube stars, Instagrammers and comedians are proof of young individuals choosing unique career paths.

Furthering one’s education after high school has become a normality in American society.

For many young people, the emphasis on making a “commitment” to a school and holding an expensive graduation party at the end of their senior year is to be expected.

However some students feel that this path is not quite right for them. One of them is DeMeshe Baker, senior. She is not planning on going to college quite yet.

“I knew that I wanted to take a break from school, but still wanted to be productive and keep my life on track,” Baker said. “So when my brother

suggested joining the military, I looked into all of the different branches, and the Air Force really stuck out to me as a good option.”

Joining the military has always been a very honorable thing to do, and at such a young age it is even more impressive. Baker knows the sacrifice of joining such a dangerous path, but she also is aware of the amazing opportunities that come along with it.

“I believe that me choosing the Air Force will benefit my future in so many ways,” Baker said. “I will be able to travel the world, as well as get a good education when I decide to come back to my civil life.”

Another student who does not feel that the traditional college-after-high school path is right for them is Ayanna Maddox, senior.

“I always knew that college wasn’t for me, but I had planned on going anyway because I thought that it was the only option to have a good career with a stable income,” Maddox said.

“But I read a book earlier this year that really opened my eyes

to alternate career paths and it made me think about what I want my life to look like down the road; I don’t want to go to college and rack up loads of debt only to spend the rest of my life working a job and chasing a paycheck.”

Maddox’s attitude towards college is echoed by many other students; the price is too high, and the outcome of imagined ‘stability’ may be just a fantasy.

Studies show that some college degrees have a very limited job market, so a stable income may be unrealistic.

“I do not believe that [college] is the best option for me, considering that the outcome doesn’t coincide with my dreams for the future,” Maddox said. “I instead would prefer to build an asset that will grant me financial freedom at a young age.”

As more students are attending college than ever before, many markets are becoming oversaturated, and there simply just aren’t enough jobs that need to be filled by graduating students. This makes abandoning the idea of college

altogether seem like a likely choice, but not everyone agrees with this decision; especially parents.

“I think that we as a society have been brainwashed to believe that college is both the only option and the best option, so not many people are supportive of my choice,” Maddox said. “Only a few of my friends understand why I am choosing to forgo college, but many of them, as well as my family, believe that it is a stupid, ludacris decision.”

Many are still hesitant to follow the road less travelled indefinitely. Mimi Gewirtz, senior, believes that learning can take place both inside, and outside of the classroom.

“The world has so much to teach that I will not learn sitting through a college lecture,” Gewirtz said. “So I’ve decided to take part in a program called Kivunim where we will travel to 17 different countries, and get to learn about different cultures and religions.”

The experience of travelling the world is one that intrigues many young people who often

feel lost and unsure of where they want to take their life.

Gewirtz believes that in seeing the world, she will be able to realize her full potential.

“I do not know what I want to study in college yet and I believe that this program will prepare me for college, better my overall college experience, and help me to decide what I want to study,” Gewirtz said. “I feel like I need to experience the world before I go back to school for another four years.”

Overall, all of these different paths are quite unique in their

own ways, but the fact of the matter is that they each have direction; they have realized what they want, and arguably just as important don’t want, from life.

And that really is the most important part, and one essential element of success that many young people fail to realize.

No matter where they choose to go on their respective paths, students at HHS are finding many different options.

What percentage of students go to:

College - 69.8% Other routes - 30.2% Statistic provided by: National Center for Education Statistics

Infographic by Nikki Bank

Saturn Sports company takes off around town

Stoesz, Sam Haberman and Seth Schricker, seniors. Now it has emerged as a successful business corporation.

For their DECA project, the original idea was to create a

sports gambling site.

After realizing this was too expensive and time consuming, the boys thought about selling sweatshirts with a logo of the planet Saturn to represent their up and coming brand, Saturn Sports.

Students immediately fell in love with the brand. Walking through the hallways, it is not uncommon to see a student sporting their bright blue sweatshirt.

The company currently makes three different products: stickers, hoodies and crewnecks, but the sweatshirts are their

most popular product.

As of March 2019, they have sold just above 100 sweatshirts reaching multiple schools.

“Honestly the title of Saturn Sports was just a placement name until we could think of something better, but after some time it just stuck,” Schricker said.

Ruby Gruidl, junior, is a proud owner and supporter of Saturn Sports. She was most excited to support her friend’s business when she bought her favorite hoodie from the boys.

“I bought the most com-

fortable thing I currently own from Saturn Sports and I love it. It is the really good quality and reasonably priced,” Gruidl said.

The majority of their advertising circulates around their instagram account, @saturnsports. Since so many students are buying and wearing the Saturn Sports products, the company is constantly getting attention.

The boys made it to the state finals for their DECA project, just coming short of making it to the national competition.

“We’ve been thinking about

expanding Saturn Sports and designing new products like tshirts, long sleeves, and maybe even swimsuits,” Haberman said.

HHS is not going to be the end for Saturn Sports. The boys are planning on bringing their company and new ideas to college. They currently do not have the funds to start up the gambling site they originally had in mind, but they have drawn up concept ideas.

Who knows, maybe in a few years, Saturn Sports sweatshirts will be sold in PacSun.

NHS hosts bingo pizza night, raises $675 for The Link

Junior Unity Day sparks deep conversations within the student body

Depot fashion show highlights local fashion, best dressed wins prize

Mr. Doug Bullinger, principal, changes it up; leaves students speechless

NYFW gives fresh new perspectives on style, sure to influence HHS

Talent show provides platform for gifted individuals, raises money

National Honor Society (NHS) hosted pizza bingo night on Friday, March 8 to raise money for a nonprofit, The Link. The Link works with youth and families to overcome the detriments of poverty. The club ended up raising $675 for their cause. The buffet featured breadsticks from Olive Garden and pizza from Dominos.

There were various prizes for bingo winners including free meals at Noodles & Company.

Junior Unity Day took place on March 12 and 13. Juniors participated in various bonding activities led by Keith Hawkins, international speaker. Students were placed in groups with peers they did not know very well and were prompted to talk about difficult topics. There were lots of deep conversations and tears shed throughout the day, creating a very meaningful experience for the juniors who attended.

On April 12, ‘The Freight Room’ will be hosting a fashion show at The Depot. Urban Jungle, a thrift store located in Minneapolis, will send representatives to buy clothes off of attendees for cash or in store credit. Local fashion companies such as Melancholy will present their items as well. Students are encouraged to attend for a chance to win the fashion show, and obtain store credit from Urban Jungle.

Walking through the halls, students may see Mr. Doug Bullinger, principal, sporting a new, very different hairstyle. Mr. Bullinger strutted into school recently and, magically, his originally bald head had grown hair. Students were shocked to see this drastic change and there were mixed reviews about it. Some were concerned for our beloved principal, Mr. Bullinger, yet others immediately fell in love with his new ‘do.

Fashion week is full of many different designers trying to wow the crowd with new and unique pieces, styles and designs. This year many trends emerged from the shows. The huge trend of cheetah print was replaced by zebra print which was seen in a range of shows from Proenza Schouler to Coach. A vibrant twist of orange was seen in the Oscar de la Renta show.

Student Council is hosting their annual talent show on Friday, April 5. Tickets cost $4 in the hopes that guests will donate an extra $1. All proceeds will be given to Resource West, a non-profit which has a mission to support individuals and families in the West Metro community. Both staff and students will be featured, showcasing singing and dancing abilities as well as monologues and stand up comedy.

Photo by Mollie Tankenoff

Margo Mandel, junior, models a Saturn Sports hoodie in its signature powder blue color. The business has become a popular brand for students.

Mollie Tankenoff Staff Reporter

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aturn Sports Co. began as just a DECA project for Tyler

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‘Kid Cudi’ is not afraid to try different things and is one of the biggest risk takers in music today.

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AJ Bozeman, senior

From the hip to the Hop, students get down

Mr. Mark Czech, creates and teaches class focused on history and fundamentals of hip hop culture

Czech created this course to meet his students comfortably, but also make it academically suitable for a class curriculum.

“I did not know much myself about hip hop so creating this class required a lot of research on my part,” Mr. Czech said. “I watched the Netflix series ‘Hip-Hop Evolution,’ and on my part I also learned a lot.

I created this class to help students validate the true culture of hip hop, since a lot of my students come from a hip hop background or they are developing a hip hop based future for themselves.”

Hip hop music provides students the opportunity to learn about the main four pillars of hip hop. DJ, MC (mat-

ter of ceremony, now known as rapper), graffiti and dance, and incorporates the teachings of nonviolent battle between hip hop groups.

Mr. Czech mentions that the media draws attention to all the negatives of the hip hop community, giving it a name brand for being a dangerous industry and one that not many

rappers can easily walk away from.

“As I have been teaching, I have realized that all students are different and all have pasts that influence their life today. I was nervous to teach this class because I am a 56-year-old white guy teaching students about the history of hip hop culture; students could get the wrong impression or find it to be a joke,” Mr. Czech said. “But all of my students have been engaging and have also taught me more than what I had already learned.”

Students Capri Bryant, senior, A.J. Bozeman, senior, and Freeman Hickman, junior, are currently in the term long class and all three have commented that they find the class to be valuable. They also believe Mr. Czech is an amazing teacher who tries really hard to get to know his students but also teach at a high level.

Her parents immigrated here before she was born to unveil more opportunities for their children.

During the meetings, students pick a topic to discuss.

Often times the discussions are in terms of Islam, later relating to other religions or cultures.

Dem attends religious school and believes this has given her ideas for topics to transfer to MSA discussions.

“We talk about values in Islam, then connecting the perspective of Islamic views in Christianity, Judaism or whatever religion the students attending practice are,” Dem said.

Ms. Jennifer Heimlich, Social Studies, is the committed

adviser for MSA. She describes Dem as amazing, funny, curious and dedicated to everything she does.

“She keeps me on my toes and demands follow through, which I love,” Ms. Heimlich said.

Ms. Heimlich is unable to partake in the meetings because they take place during ASC, but after each meeting members of MSA frequently visit her and share what they have learned.

“I am always learning from the students. They have taught me about different holidays, Islamic schools and various cultural practices,” Ms. Heimlich said.

In eighth grade, the district

requires students to take a global studies course, where they learn about different religious traditions. There is also a world religions elective at HHS, but

“I attend this club because I think it is important to learn about other cultures and religions. I have learned in Islam they believe in things like life

other than that, access to opportunities to learn about different religions is scarce.

Sam Ahlquist, junior, is a member of MSA and attends the club every week. He has learned a lot from both Dem and the meetings in general.

after death, although there are many similarities to Judaism and Christianity,” Ahlquist said.

Dem is planning on attending college but is not yet committed, although she has her eye on the University of Minnesota.

Many colleges have their own

These YouTubers are proof it is possible to make millions of YouTube through ads, sponsors and brand deals.

Since Leora Derechin, junior, has a huge passion for being creative, from photography to film, she loves to make YouTube videos.

“I am really into film and YouTube is a place where I can control my videos and make what I want to create. I enjoy making youtube videos because of how fun it is to think of a video idea, film and edit it and then putting it up for the world. I really love to hear all the feedback I get because, for the most part, it is very posi-

tive,” Derechin said.

YouTube is home to any type of video one could think of, from gaming videos to beauty and lifestyle videos. The possibilities are endless.

“My favorite YouTuber right now is Shane Dawson and he has a huge influence on my videos. Sometimes I make videos with my friends reacting to other videos, other times I make more serious videos about problems in the world, though, in my opinion, the best video I have made is a live-action fruit ninja,” Derechin said.

Though there are many positives to being on YouTube, there have also been a few issues

arising.

“I get annoyed with YouTube because of the whole demonetizing conflict that is going on right now, I do not think it is fair for youtube to demonetize videos. As some people rely on YouTube for their money and full-time job,” Derechin said.

Faith Agboola, junior, also loves being on YouTube and producing content for it.

“I made a YouTube channel because everyone would always tell me I have such a YouTube personality and I also wanted to be able to make a platform for African American girls like me, so I decided I would make a

channel,” Agboola said.

Agboola is a little newer to the YouTube community, as she has only uploaded a few videos to her channel.

“In the past year I have only just started to upload videos, I have started to make fashion videos, a few get to know me’s and vlogs. I am in still in the process of getting my channel to where I want it to be at,” Agboola said.

An aspect of YouTube Agboola really enjoys watching are fashion videos.

“I am really passionate about fashion and love to make and watch fashion videos. Some YouTubers who post fashion

Laruen Schaffler Staff Reporter

B

ecoming a teacher is one of the most gratifying, yet intense jobs to have. Teachers find gratification in being able to teach a student a certain subject and create a bond through their learning.

Mr. Mark Czech, music, is the teacher for the Hip Hop Music class. However, Mr. Czech has been working at HHS for the past 36 years.

This year, Mr. Czech introduced the hip hop class as an elective for students, but prior to that he had been teaching Classical Orchestra for the majority of his time teaching at the school.

“I have never cared too much about what I teach, I see opportunities for student learning and take advantage of it,” Mr. Czech said.

Photo by Isaac Richert

Ashton Brown (left) and Tori Brocks (right), both sophomores, listen to beats that they have created in Mr. Czech’s Hip Hop Music class. Students also learn about the history of hip hop and the culture behind it.

“The reason I decided to take the class was because I like hip hop and I do make it in my spare time, also hip hop has always been a piece of my family’s background,” Bozeman said. “It is an interesting course to take to refresh my memory and learn things that I did not necessarily know about, plus it is really nice to get someone’s personal opinion on the beats and pieces that I make for my own music.”

In class students go into the lab and create their very own beats. With the beats that they create they can incorporate (language appropriate) music or rap lyrics. They can also upload these to various platforms.

“I only knew how to make beats and music before I took this class. I didn’t know much about the history of hip hop, but after hearing and learning about what/ who really brought up hip hop I feel so informed of my own culture,” Bryant said.

MSA’s, so Dem is planning on being active in their club once she graduates.

Dem is split between law and medicine for her major, but whichever she chooses she knows she will incorporate what she has learned by starting and participating in MSA into her occupation.

“I love helping people and plan on continuing to help people throughout my job. Today, I feel like MSA is a way for me to help people learn about something I am passionate about,” Dem said. The MSA club meets every Wed. in room W112 after school.

Spotlight: Aisha Dem starts Muslim Students’ Association (MSA), provides student voice

Mollie Tankenoff Staff Reporter

A

isha Dem, senior, started the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) as a junior at HHS to create a place where Muslim students can have their voices heard and non-Muslim students can learn about Islam.

“Islam is a mystery and is represented in a bad way in the media, so I want to show students that not all Muslims are like that,” Dem said.

Dem has been attending the district since second grade. She grew up in the United States, but her family is from Gambia.

“

Islam is a mystery and is represnted badly in the media, so I want to show students that not all Muslims are like that.

Aisha Dem, senior

On top of school, students take on YouTube Nikki Bank Staff Reporter

I

n the past few years, YouTube has taken the world by storm. It has even become its own job sector where many people are making it their full-time job.

A few popular YouTubers at the moment are James Charles, Shane Dawson and Tana Mongeau all of whom specialize in making different types of videos. Charles makes beauty videos, Dawson makes documentary and conspiracy videos and Mongeau makes storytime videos.

videos that I love to watch are Jackie Aina, Patricia Bright, and Grace Ajilore,” Agboola said.

YouTube requires individuals to put themselves out there and be vulnerable, as sometimes the feedback can be negative and hurtful.

“At first I was really apprehensive to make a channel because of what others would say, I have seen so many hateful comments on videos I watch and I didn’t want the same to happen to me. Once I started my channel, I realized I don’t really care what others think and I just want to create and do what I want,” Agboola said.

the royal page

MARCH 21, 2019

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in-depth

All forms of peer pressure push down o Story by David Campbell & Mason Arneson Sports Editor and Variety Editor

As teens mature into adults, they experience enormous pressures. Peer pressure is one of the biggest and most influential forces that can cause a teen’s behavior to change for better or for worse. With the use of new technology, peer pressure has started to take on a whole new life online.

Intro Pressure.

Pushing down on me, pressing down on you.

These are lyrics from Queen’s hit song “Under Pressure,” but in reality it is something that teens deal with everyday.

Peer pressure has consistently been a plague affecting almost every child in America.

It is just as synonymous with a student’s K-12 education as report cards and homework.

“Peer pressure to me is feeling the need to do something because your peers are displaying that this is the right or cool option,” said Tyler Elliott, junior. “When thinking of high school, one of the first things that comes to mind is peer pressure, that is why it is so high among teens.”

Elliott isn’t wrong. From minor things such as fashion and music choices to major or potentially dangerous things such as drugs and sex, peer pressure infiltrates almost every aspect of a teenager’s life.

The viewpoint of peer pressure alters a little bit between

student and staff, but the overarching theme of using power to influence one’s decisions is consistent with both students and staff.

“From the standpoint of a high school student, peer pressure is a student, in one shape or another, putting pressure on another student to make a decision that they might not want to make or do something they might not want to do,” said Mr. Jeff Matchette, guidance counselor.

With all of this information about peer pressure and the knowledge of the consequences associated with harmful behavior, it seems like the obvious answer to peer pressure is a nobrainer-say yes to positive peer pressure and no to negative peer pressure.

But why do students follow the examples of their peers, whether it be positive or negative?

“I think people want to belong and if you can pressure somebody into doing something that you’d like them to do,

28% of teens said that agreeing to peer pressure helped with their social standing survey done by Parent Further

it’ll create a sense of belonging, so I think that factors into it,” Mr. Matchette said.

Many students believe that fitting in is a very essential part to surviving high school. Having friends or other people to lean on for support is a crucial part of managing the everyday stress with schoolwork, athletics and a multitude of other things to eventually get to graduation day.

“Everyone is vulnerable at this age in some shape or form, in one way or another, all anyone wants to do at this age is fit in. Teens are going to do whatever they can to feel like they do fit in,” Elliott said.

Negative Peer Pressure When the words “peer pressure” and “high school” are put together, a negative image or experience is usually conjured up in one’s mind.

“Somebody can externally and overtly to try pressure you into doing something, but more commonly is you see somebody doing something and be a part of that group, and so it influences you to do it and it’s more of an internal pressure versus an external pressure,” said Ms. Jane Kleinman, health.

A Parent Further on Peer Pressure survey showed only 10 percent of teenagers who faced peer pressure said no. 28 percent of teens said that agreeing to peer pressure helped with their social status. Half of the surveyed teens said that they would pick on someone only after a friend picked on that person.

Elliott suggests negative peer pressure is a small piece of an even bigger puzzle, mental health.

“It all comes down to the student feeling comfortable about who they are. Peer pressure, while very serious, is just a sup-topic in the whole issue of mental health,” Elliott said.

“To fix peer pressure, we need

to tackle the monster that is mental health.”

Positive Peer Pressure Peer pressure generally has been given a bad rep at the high school level. But there can be some upsides to how people use peer pressure The Red Cross uses peer educators to teach other teens about the benefits of safe sex because teens are more likely to listen to people in the same age group as them.

Also, the National Association of Independent Schools suggested that having older, non-drug using teens speak to middle school students about drug usage would influence the kids to make good choices.

“Positive peer pressure happens when you are afraid to do something but when your friends know it’s good for you and you end up having a good

time doing it,” said Lili Hoschka, senior..

“The term ‘peer pressure’ has a negative connotation that has been carried along, but I like the idea of somebody to do something that will benefit them or be positive for them, I think that’d be great,” Mr. Matchette said. “I’d love to hear more of those stories.”

Social Media & Peer Pressure Over three billion people worldwide are on all different types of social media. This can lead to the fluctuation of peer pressure that you see with your real eyes, not on a screen.

“There is definitely a correlation between technology and peer pressure, when people post on their stories or post something on instagram of them do-

40% of teens said that they only post content that makes them look good to others 70% of teens said that they only started smoking because of peer pressure survey done by Parent Further

statista.com

75% said that all or almost all of their friends were planning on attending college umich.edu

the royal page

MARCH 21, 2019

07

in-depth

on students in negative and postive ways

“

“

It is really easy to get pulled in and sucked into things that you would not normally do because you do not want to be the odd man out.

Peer pressure could cause one bad decision that could have a long negative effect on your life.

Gareth Clark, junior

Katie Meade, sophomore

ing stuff, or acting a certain way, dressing a certain way,” Hoschka said. “People think, ‘Oh they posted something, it must be cool, I should do it too.’”

The most common way students are affected by peer pressure through social media is cyberbullying.

As defined by the Cyberbul-

lying Research Center, cyberbullying is willful and repeated harm through the the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.

A bullied teen might experience loneliness, sadness, changes in sleep patterns, changes in eating patterns, health issues, and decreased academic perfor-

mance.

“Social media can have a huge impact on peer pressure because people are more likely to say stuff on social media than

in real life,”said Nora Elbarbary, sophomore. “Sometimes people aren’t careful with their words and they can hurt somebody.”

Photo by Isaac Richert

MARCH 21, 2019

08

opinion

“

the royal page Junior Unity Day really should have been moved to a different day because of the basketball game. I didn’t think it was the greatest experience.

Kyle Feduccia, junior

Distraught lot fraught with blind spots

STAFF EDITORIAL Open versus closed campus is a hotly debated issue at our school. Students railing for the right to get Chick-fil-A lunches, administrators citing safety concerns, it’s a point of contention that affects everybody - but for a significant proportion of students, it’s more or less a moot point.

With the confluence of senior release, community involvement and PSEO, seniors

have any number of reasons to be in and out of the building all day, and this is utilized as much as possible by many seniors to maximize time out of class.

Even if you don’t have a legit excuse to leave the building, it’s not too difficult to get out anyways. I’m not suggesting that we tighten up security, but we should just lean into it and make the school an open campus for seniors.

Senioritis, the senior slide, no matter what you call it, the lack of motivation that is felt once you’ve decided what you’ll be doing after high school is very real. It can feel like there’s not much point in doing anything more than the bare minimum needed to not get an acceptance rescinded. What might help this is if seniors felt like they were more valued, if they had some real perks. Open

campus would be a great one, since it already practically is for many.

Having an open campus would not exempt any students from being late or skipping class, but for a senior who is already questioning why they even have to be at school, it would go a long ways if they weren’t being told that they had to be at school during non-class times like lunch.

EDITORIAL BOARD VOTE AGREE

consider any of their students who have actually ever experienced one. When we had to measure ourselves to find out our BMI, I stopped and asked my teacher, “What if I don’t want to do this? What if finding out these numbers is just going to make me uncomfortable and anxious?” She dismissed me with, “I’ll explain them, you’ll be fine.” I was left staring at my sheet of numbers that made me want to run to the bathroom and gag.

Activities like this one can be severely detrimental to a student’s health. As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder, when we were tracking what we ate, I found myself

Hot Take Corner

eating less and less everyday just so I didn’t have to look at too many words on my page. I quickly realized how much this supposedly educational experience was messing with my head and my eating habits. A class that was supposed to be teaching me how to eat healthy was now sending me spiraling back into the torment that was my eating disorder.

Another touchy subject covered was sexual assault. The health teachers would do well to keep in mind the impact that an event like that can have on a person. When students in my class were asked if they knew someone who was in an abusive relationship, there was un-

derstandably not a single hand raised.

Why should a student want to share about something this sensitive with their classmates?

Instead of rooting the class in an idealistic world where “no always means no” and the secret to preventing assault can be found inside a catchy acronym, the class should focus on the reality that sexual assault does happen and there could be people affected by it in every classroom. I would have liked to see more emphasis on support for victims and the importance of believing survivors.

Sexual assault and violence are things that need to be talked about, but with more warmth

The way students exit and

DISAGREE enter the parking lot is a big

9 1

Letter to the editors: The harm of health class There’s a bit of irony in a mandatory class called Health Science that can make students feel worse and worse about themselves. The class focuses on heavy subjects such as food and eating disorders, sexuality, consent, and drug use. These subjects can be uncomfortable and emotionally difficult for students to talk about, especially around peers that may already cause discomfort.

Although these subjects are important to cover in a high school education, I believe the way they are being approached could be more sensitive.

Part of the curriculum is covering eating disorders, but more care could’ve taken to

Lauren Schaffler Staff Reporter

and sensitivity than is currently coming from this school board approved lesson plan. Even if we are given the option to leave class during an uncomfortable topic, standing up in the midst of silent stares is the same as an admission to the whole class.

Maybe if health class was more understanding and gentle with such intense and important subjects, students would value and appreciate the class rather than dread it. But for now, health class is lacking in some very important aspects and may be putting students mental and physical health on the line.

-Ruby Gruidl, Junior

problem. We have one entrance and one exit, but with students rushing to get to school by the bell certain students are entering through the exit, ignoring the large and obvious sign. This creates a huge threat to parents and students who are exiting the parking lot.

At the end of the school day there is a para outside blocking students from leaving through the entrance, but we still seesome students drive right past them and swerve around the family members coming in to pick up their children. The school has made it clear that all students must be picked up and dropped off at the Lindbergh center but clearly not everyone follows these rules.

On the first day of school there was a crash in the parking lot. I personally myself have been rear ended by another student in the parking lot due to them driving too fast exiting the parking lot. This issue needs to be looked into because HHS does not need an increase is students getting hurt by students in other vehicles.

by Sam Buttress

Water. You can drink it, you can splash around in it, what’s not to love?

It’s so great that cactuses grew spikes to poke me just so I couldn’t get to their cool, cool supply. Water makes everything better, and that applies to school as well, which is why our whole school should be filled with water. In their hit environmental anthem “Year 3000”, the Jonas Brothers predicted that by the year 3000 everyone will live underwater, so why not get ahead of the trend? Without the laws of gravity restraining us, hallway traffic would no longer be a problem. To all those clamoring for our school to adopt a uniform I say look no further than the stylish and functional wetsuit. And I’m sorry Brad, but that poison death stick you call a “vape pen” won’t work down here, because there’s no oxygen. We may have to switch from paper books and assignments to a type of varnished aluminum alloy, but in the long run that’s better for the environment. And the Fishbowl? Do I even have to explain the joke there? So please, stop with the petty land squabbles. Make our school like the second level of world two in the original Super Mario Bros, and remember this simple rhyme. Fully we submerge, victorious we emerge.

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

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

Staff Reporters Nikki Bank Julia Fromstein Jake Lehman Lauren Schaffler Gianni Tejada

Photo by Sam Buttress

A digital rendering of what the school might look like underwater. These students are rushing to get to their first block class before the bell rings. If they’re late, they receive one seashell.

Kaden Murphy Ari Geller Jackson Swartz Ryan Baker Mollie Tankenoff

If you have an opinion or issue that you want to share with your fellow classmates, send an email to royalpage@gmail.com with your name, grade, and what you’d like to communicate to the school community.

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

“

the royal page

MARCH 21, 2019

It’s really cool that student council is putting on a talent show and giving students a chance to share what they’re really good at. I can’t wait to perform and show my passion for music. Friday, April 5th! Come see it!

09

opinion

Sam Werner, junior

Yondr today for a better tomorrow Sam Buttress Opinion Editor Phone usage during school is an epidemic prevalent in every classroom. There are teachers who ignore students on phones, teachers who are constantly exhorting students to put them away, and teachers who confiscate phones on sight.

Ms. Kirsten Slinde, health, is looking to avoid the problem entirely.

“I’ve always struggled with phone usage. Once, I was at an event for Justin Timberlake

and had to put my phone in a locked pouch,” Ms. Slinde said.

“I thought it was absolutely amazing. We were there for four hours and not one adult had a phone out. It was a super cool atmosphere.”

Health science classes recently started using Yondr cases, patented personal phone pouches that utilize magnets to lock when closed and only open when touched to a unique unlocking base.

As someone whose greatest hits of opinion articles include such classics as, “Social media cultivation was terrible

gestation for our generation,” and “Social media sycophancy is growing out of infancy”, the stringency with which I decry constant usage of our phones is unyielding. And hypocritical, as I use my phone as much as anyone. I’m currently on level 1004 of the mobile game Homescapes, and that’s not a joke.

“Even the most engaging teachers can’t compete with phones. A lot of students don’t have the self control they think they have,” Ms. Slinde said.

I use my phone during class a lot, and I truly believe it is terrible for me. My atten-

tion span is so low that I find it too boring even to just sit and watch a movie. I have to be doing something else at the same time, forcing myself to split my attention between Twitter and Leo DiCaprio.

The way technology is incorporated into school nowadays makes it even harder to lessen the addiction. If I forced myself to leave my phone at home for even one school day, I would most likely miss important messages from the group chats of clubs I’m in, reminders from teachers about homework, and that warm radiation feeling I get right in my pocket.

“Some schools Yondr from when school starts until the end of the day. I don’t know if we need to go that far, but putting them in additional classrooms would be awesome,” Ms. Slinde said. “Having your phone out decreases learning and test scores and it is super important that students be present and forming relationships.”

Top Editorial cartoon by Mary Schutte

English department lacks interesting electives Julia Fromstein Staff Reporter

A few months ago, the school revealed the new courses that will be offered next year.

Among these classes are Diversity Seminar, Anatomy and Kinesiology, AP Physics 2, History and Culture Through Film, AP Psychology, Intro to Manufacturing, AP Computer Science Principles and Unified Physical Education. These classes seem really interesting and will make a great addition to the school. Basically, classes I would be interested in taking if I wasn’t graduating this year.

Something I noticed while looking through the catalog is that there are no new English courses. This is a major oversight, especially considering that none of the current ones are exactly showstoppers.

Sure, Creative Writing sounds like a blast, but I know that in my class very few students were vulnerable enough to get up in front of their judgmental peers and recite poetry that’s supposed to be raw and personal, which is totally understandable.

In the course book the English electives include “if you’re interested” in the description.

I’m going to let you in on a secret: I have absolutely no interest in taking any of those classes and I am pretty confident in saying I’m not the only one.

Here are some classes that myself and other Royal Page staff think would be good additions to our course catalog.

Poetry. Spoken word poetry.

English through a digital lens.

These classes can provide a different culture and go more in depth than creative writing ever could.

Women in literature. Minorities in literature. Acting and improv. These classes can target specific groups of people in a positive manner.

Radio. Cinema. Lyric analysis. Classes that appeal to students interested in media in an English perspective.

Public speaking. Movie and book comparisons. Autobiography and biography focus.

Classes that give a whole new meaning to modern English.

Saint Louis Park High School offers cinema and theater classes within the English department. Edina offers a public speaking class. This is the first and last time I will say HHS should be more like Edina, but in this case we should follow their lead.

I’m not saying that the entire English department is awful, but I know that there is so much more potential.

I support the use of Yondr cases in any class possible, maybe with five minutes at the beginning of class to get caught up on any important texts. This is obviously an unpopular opinion, at least among students.

Who would willingly give up a device that can be used to talk to friends, play games, listen to music, and waste time in a thousand other ways?

“I don’t believe teachers should be policing students in high school at all,” said James Gulden, senior. “Students can police themselves and they don’t deserve the education they have been given if they are taking their phone out.”

Education is absolutely a privilege, but it is not a very fun one. Nobody who goes to school actually wants to go to school. Education is like eating your veggies. It’s good for you, but not very tasty. Then here comes smartphones, a yummy alternative that will leave you with a severe vitamin deficiency.

10

Yondr cases are sure to breed resentment among student population and would most likely widen the gap between student and teacher. But administration has to make the tough choices sometimes. In the past they’ve shortened passing time to counter fighting, locked doors to combat students leaving campus, but they have done nothing to address what is probably the biggest problem our generation has.

I’m sure you’re thoroughly disgusted by me at this point, after I’ve admitted that I want to take away everyone’s phones and that I like math. That metaphor I just used isn’t even applicable to me because I like vegetables as well. But I bet nobody liked the guy who first tried to warn people about the dangers of smoking, or drinking, or any other addictive habits. The only thing different about this addiction is that the effects of it are invisible. That, and you can put a cute popsocket on it.

Things frequently heard in the hallways

10

“Bet you I can fit that whole drinking fountain faucet in my mouth!”

9

“This final is going to kill me! Siri, how to fake West Nile virus?”

8

“What do you think of my Riverdale cosplay?”

7

“I could grow hair if I wanted to! Just watch me!”

6 5

“I am confident that those ceiling tiles can hold my weight.”

“Are you going to the Sha Na Na concert this weekend?”

4

“I’m falling through the ceiling tiles!”

3

The sound of newspapers being not read and then thrown away

2

“I just started my own clothing company, but it’s not like the other ones!”

1

“It’s midnight and you can’t be here, Sam. Get out of the trash can.”

the royal page

MARCH 21, 2019

10 sports

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Athena Award Winner It’s such and honor to receive the Athena considering how many talented girls were up nominated for the award.

Molly Meland, senior

Big contracts come to big superstars Recent MLB signings of Harper, Machado spark talks of payment for everyday workers Ryan Baker Staff Reporter 13 years for 330 million dollars. This contract is not only the largest Major League Baseball (MLB) contract, but the largest in North American sports history.

Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies, left the Washington Nationals to sign with the Phillies this offseason. Other MLB contracts that happened over the offseason consisted of 300 million dollars for 10 years, Manny Machado, San Diego Padres, and 260 million dollars for 8 years, Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies.

13 years for 620,630 thousand dollars. That is the amount that firefighters make in the same amount of time as Bryce Harper does every four games. Harper gets paid to play a sport that entertains millions, meanwhile firefighters get paid 500 times less for risking their lives for others.

With these three recent signings in the MLB, it brings up the question of who makes the most in the other big name sports.

In the NFL the top three current contracts (per year) are $33.5 million, $30 million, and rounding out the top three is for $28 million.

In the NHL the top three current contracts (per year) are $15.9 million, $15 million, and the third biggest contract

in the NHL is also for $15 million.

In the NBA the three most expensive contracts (per year) are $34.7 million, then following that is $33.3 million, and finishing the top three is for $30.8 million.

To put how much these players in perspective, a average teacher’s salary is $40,000, a firefighter’s average salary is $46,000, and a police officer’s is $54,000.

3.6 million teachers are employed in the U.S. 3.6 million people are asked to further the education and set up the future of the world. These 3.6 million employees are paid an average of $40,000, $40,000 to teach the kids who will eventually run the country.

494 players are paid to shoot a ball in a net, and their average salary is a barbaric amount of $6.2 million a year.

This insane difference of money making, doesn’t compare the work they are paid to do.

Granted there is a huge contrast in supply and demand in those two jobs, the work they do isn’t comparable. Pro athletes play a sport they have most likely loved since youth, not mentioning the millions of kids who look up to them, for millions. On the flip side, teachers are bashed by students and aren’t the stereotypical role models in their lives, even though they see these teachers for a sixth of their waking

hours in a year.

Mr. Jesse Theirl, Business, has been teaching for 12 years at HHS, and he believes that comparing the two jobs and their salaries are difficult because there aren’t as many pro players as teachers, so their pay goes up due to the scarcity level.

Not only do athletes make what their contract states, but also their sponsorships and endorsements award them for showing off their product.

“So many funny things come to mind like computer companies looking to sign teachers to endorsement deals. ‘Did you hear Theirl just signed a 3 year deal with Chromebook with $258 million?’” Mr. Theirl said.

In addition, Theirl doesn’t think that there will be a change in the wages in the future, but he says that he can’t complain because Hopkins compensates well.

If Mr. Theirl had “Lebron James” money, then he would have homes all over the world, and try to visit every place he could on his yacht.

“I’d also do some impact investing to leave a legacy that lifts up communities and people,” Mr. Theirl said.

Parents of students that work these “middle-class” jobs, aren’t living as comfortably as professional sports players.

The father of Jack Hernandez, sophomore, was a detective

Photo by Ryan Baker

Mr. Jesse Theirl instructing a student in his third block class. Theirl teaches various business classes and has a promnent role in the ProPEL department.

for 30 years and would risk his well being to protect others.

“I don’t think it’s fair that his income is greatly overshadowed by pro athletes. I never understood why sports was such a high paying occupation.

It’s basically supporting your

life and beyond to have fun,” Hernandez said.

Having his dad put on that uniform everyday put a sense of discomfort in Hernandez.

“Some days I was really worried for him. And because of this big risk I think that he

should be paid according to that. You hear people memorizing names of players who saved a ball, but never for those who save a life,” Hernandez said.

HURT expects big season, looking for repeat

Mix of veteran leadership and young stars should prove to be fruitful for Royals Jackson Destiche Staff Reporter

Photo by Adam Segal

Sam Jonas, senior, stares down a Hornet in a crucial match against Edina.

Jonas is one of the many seniors who will look to lead HURT.

HURT practices three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at both of the junior highs for two hours from 8-10 pm. On top of that, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the team can be seen grinding in Lindbergh Center at their after-school workouts.

For most of the team, the season is still going strong long before and after the state championship. Whether it’s practicing year round or playing in a fall league.

Charlie Nirenstein, sophomore, describes the relentless workload of ultimate frisbee the way he sees it, an opportunity to improve.

“I like how demanding the schedule is,” Nirenstein said. “I love playing ultimate and with this schedule, I can get better every day.”

Thanks to an intense work ethic, the school possesses one of the best ultimate boys high school teams in the nation.

They rank 12th among high school teams nationally.

HURT is led by Benji Mosow who became the head

“

feed off my energy,” Kahn said.

“I believe there is a direct correlation between energy off the field and success on the field.”

Hopkins ultimate competes with teams from schools like Eden Prairie High School, Great River Falls High School,

We want to leave the team as prepared as our seniors left us

coach recently after longtime head coach Lou Abramowski left the program. The captains are Sam Jonas and Dante Reminick, seniors.

Another leader on the team is Asher Kahn, senior, is known as the “swag captain”. His job on the team is to keep high energy on and off the field, what he believes is the most important job.

“I’m pretty much the heart and soul of the team, people

Asher Kahn, senior

Minnetonka High School and Edina who’s team ranks seventh nationally.

The team won the state tournament last year when they defeated Edina 12-11. That is their ninth state championship out of 17 possible seasons. They have appeared in 13 of the 17 state championship games.

Along with a successful past, the HURT program has a culture of winning championships.

This mindset starts with the

captains holding the team to high standards.

“We have lots of inexperienced guys on the team, we need to set the standard high for future years,” Kahn said.

“We want to leave the team as prepared as our seniors left us.

We don’t want our tendency of winning championships to leave with the class of 2019.”

Players can continue their ultimate career through college.

The University of Minnesota’s ultimate team, the Grey Ducks, ranks eighth in the nation.

This past MLK weekend, Jan. 20 and 21, HURT played in a tournament at UMD where they played against college teams and came away with the championship. They have won this tournament the past three years.

“People can laugh all they want because they don’t think ultimate is a sport, but we get results,” Kahn said.

the royal page

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MARCH 21, 2019

Apollo Award Winner

11 sports

It’s great to win because it felt like people finally recognized who I am and all my hard work.

Joe Fahnbulleh, senior

Success in basketball comes easy to Hopkins Boys look to follow in girls’ footsteps, take home state crown

Luis Felemovicius and Gianni Tejada Editor in-Chief and Staff Reporter One word that comes to mind when discussing HHS basketball. Greatness.

HHS has been winning state championships since the early 1950s, and in the past 18 seasons, the Royals have won seven state championships.

The school won state in 2003, which was Minn. Hall of Famer, Kris Humphries’ senior season after going 28-2. One of the most memorable moments in HHS basketball history was the “threepeat” between 2008 and 2011.

The Royals dominated the ‘08-’09 regular season, going undefeated with double digit victories in 21 of 23 games.

That season, Hopkins was headlined by alumni, Royce White and Raymond Cowels.

Both players would eventually go on to play professional basketball.

The Royals carried out the momentum of winning the state championship into their next season, where they had an overall record of 30-2. In the first two games of the state tournament, they outscored Blaine and St. Cloud Tech by a combined 61 points.

The last leg of the “threepeat” saw Joe Coleman, alumnus, headline the second ranked team in the nation. Coleman received the Mr. Basketball award in 2011. Four out of the five starters on this year’s hopkins team went on to play divi-

sion one basketball.

Every year, a selection committee gives out an award recognizing excellence in Minn. boys basketball, known as the Mr. Basketball award. Since 2000, Hopkins has had six winners, which is the most in Minn. state high school boys basketball history.

In 2011 and 2012, the Royals saw two back to back winners, Coleman in 2011, and current Gießen 46ers (European professional basketball) player, Siyani Chambers in 2012.

Between 2012 and 2015, the Royals made state three times, 2014 saw HHS make it to the state final and lose by two points to Lakeville North.

In 2016, Mr. Basketball recipient and current Minnesota Gopher, Amir Coffey, led the Royals to their fourth state championship in seven years. Coffey averaged almost 20 points per game (PPG) and went on to lead the state championship final in scoring with a 19 point performance.

Mr. Dale Stahl, economics and assistant coach, has been apart of the coaching staff since 1996. Stahl has praised the players for their camaraderie.

“We have had a lot of athletes who have been dedicated to trying to be the best players and teammates they could be.

Coach Novak has established a culture of striving to improve individually and to put team success during the season ahead of individual success,” Mr. Stahl said. “Our players also take pursuing excellence very seriously.

They play because it is fun and

fun to us means trying to compete harder at what we do than anyone else.”

With such a historic past, the Royals have set a standard for themselves, which can lead to disappointing seasons.

The Royals haven’t competed for the state championship since their victory in 2016, and to many players, fans and staff members, that can be very upsetting.

“As a coaching staff and a team our goal is to compete for a state championship each season. If we don’t advance to the final tournament of the season, we haven’t reached our goal.

We didn’t have the chance to compete for the title. That isn’t a good feeling. It is disappointing,” Mr. Stahl said.

Recently, the Royals have been led by Arizona Commit Zeke Nnaji, senior. Nnaji transferred from Lakeville North after his freshman year and is turning his senior year into a run for the Mr. Basketball award.

Nnaji is averaging over 17 PPG in his three years at Hopkins. The Royals and Nnaji look to cap off this year with their eighth state championship since 2001.

With the 11 point victory over the Trojans, the Royals are headed to the Target Center to play in the Class 4A boys basketball state tournament.

Behind Kerwin Walton, junior, and Zeke Nnaji, senior, the Royals defeated Wayzata 82-71. Walton and Nnaji combined for 54 points.

Photo by Isaac Richert

Kerwin Walton, junior, goes up for a layup while being heavily contested by Trojan defenders. The Royals defeated Wayzata in large part to Walton and Nnaji’s big game

Photo by Isaac Richert

Taylor Woodson, eigth grader, drives to the rack looking to score. Woodson has provided valauble minutes on the state champion Royals.

Girls perfect undefeated season, bring state title back to Hopkins Mason Arneson and Jake Lehman Variety Editor and Staff Reporter The Royals girls basketball team may just be the greatest female organization in the history of Minn. state high school basketball.

Since the start of the millenia, Hopkins has won six state championships in 2004, 2006, 2011-2013, and most recently 2015.

Just four times ever in Minn. high school basketball history has both the girls and boys team with the state championship in the same season.

Hopkins owns two of those feats, in 2006 and 2011.

In 2013, the Royals completed their “threepeat” and when on to graduate four Division 1 starters. Nia Coffey (Northwestern), Mikaala Shackelford (Illinois), Erin O’Toole (UND), and Taylor Anderson (UCONN - Track).

A large part of the Royals success is the consistency at the Head Coach position.

Coach Brian Cosgriff has been the Hopkins head coach for the past 20 years.

Cosgriff ’s career record is 540-67 which posts a whopping win percentage of 89 percent.

Hopkins had a regular season for the ages, with number one ranked junior in the nation, Paige Bueckers, leading the team to an undefeated season.

Along with Bueckers, this season saw senior, Dlayla Chakolis lead the team in rebounds

with 7.3 rebounds per game (RPG). The Royals scoring attack is coming from everywhere as four of the five starters are averaging over 10 points per game (PPG), with Bueckers leading the way with 24.5 PPG. Gatorade has been honoring each state’s best high school athlete for the past 34 years.

For the second year in a row, Bueckers was named the Minn.

Girls Basketball Player of the Year and was also named a finalist for the national player of the year award.

Over her varsity career at HHS, she is averaging 19.1 PPG, shooting 58 percent from the field and an astounding 45 percent from deep.

The Royals didn’t just go undefeated, but during the regular season, they beat their opponent by an average of 37 PPG. These girls were on a mission this year.

The Hopkins High School girls basketball team started off sections strong with a big victory over Washburn High School 96-26. They then fought off the Saint Louis Park Orioles 81-51.

The Royals have yet to lose a game in their 2019 campaign, and will look to carry that momentum into the section championship against their rival and a team the Hopkins is very familiar with, the Wayzata Trojans.

“This season has been so fun with all of my girls so far, but all of our damage is still yet to be done,” Chakolis said The Royals would go on to take down #2 Wayzata, 77-60 in a great overall game. Chako-

lis led the way with 25 points, while Bueckers added 23.

Although a state tournament bid feels great, it comes to no surprise that the HHS Girls basketball were headed back to the tournament. This time though, they were expected to come back to HHS with the title.

Perfection. Achieved.

After a trio of runner-up finishes, the Hopkins Royals finally break through the glass ceiling and capture the Class 4A state title with a dominant 74-45 victory over the twoseeded Stillwater Ponies.

For the first time this season, Hopkins trailed entering the halftime break, as Stillwater took a two-point advantage into the locker room with the score at 27-29.

The run featured spectacular many moments that whipped the Royal faithful into a frenzy, from junior Kayhla Adams splashing home three consecutive three-pointers to Bueckers finding eighth grader Taylor Woodson with a beautiful behind the back assist in transition.

Due to her illness, this game was far from the Paige Bueckers Show that she had put on against Lakeville North and Centennial in the last two tournament games.

The Royals capped off their first undefeated season in the team’s history and won their first state title since 2015. And with four starters returning next, the future looks bright for the new state champions.

MARCH 21, 2019

12 Variety

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the royal page Not gonna lie, I don’t think I opened up my blinds for a week cause Bird Box was so creepy.

Anna Erickson, senior

The Editor’s Playlist Curated By: Mason Arneson

Mac DeMarco- Chamber of Reflection JAY-Z- Marcy Me Sade- The Moon and the Sky Capone-N-Noreaga- Live on Live Long Three 6 Mafia- Stay Fly 21 Savage feat. J. Cole- a lot Blood Orange- Saint Judas Priest- Lightning Strike Mother’s Finest- Love Changes The Carpenters- Superstar Post Malone- Sugar Wraith Radiohead- Exit Music (For a Film) Anderson .Paak feat. Q-Tip- Cheers Black Star- Brown Skin Lady Earl Sweatshirt- December 24 J.I.D.- Off da Zoinkys A$AP Rocky- Buck Shots

Kendrick Lamar feat. GLC- Poe Mans Dreams Photo provided by insideplaya

Wonder Mike, Master Gee and Hen Dogg posing for a photo. These three are part of the Sugarhill Gang and were the first group to have a top 40 hip hop song.

It’s official: Rap is the new meta Mason Arneson Variety Editor 2019 is the 40th anniversary of a huge moment in music history that is often overlooked due to the small impact it had at the time.

That moment was the birth of hip hop and rap music.

It wasn’t a raucous live performance or some grand publicity stunt that brought hip hop to a mainstream audience.

The birth of this movement had extremely innocuous roots and started with the release of one song, “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang.

The rap group released their debut single in September 1979 and it became the first hip hop song to break into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. In the four decades since “Rapper’s Delight,” rap music has evolved drastically numerous times.

Nowadays, hip hop has exposure on the airwaves and dominates streaming platforms.

Top 40 hits are commonplace and number one hits are plentiful and many artists have claimed that rap is taking over the music industry.

“All of the innovation and incredible things that are happening in music are in hip hop,”

Ghostface Killah feat. Danny Brown- Six Degrees Freddie Gibbs & Madlib feat. BJ the Chicago Kid- Shame Kanye West feat. Kendrick Lamar- No More Parties in LA Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs, & The Alchemist- New Thangs

needed. Even just comparing 2017 versus 2018 on the charts will show a shift away from the more traditional pop direction of the charts.

In 2018, there were eight hip hop/rap songs that reached the pole position of the Billboard Hot 100 for a collective total of 35 weeks. That amount of time more than doubled the 17 weeks at number one from the year before. Album sales also improved in the genre, with 18 rap albums hitting number one in 2018 compared to only 10 in 2017.

Aside from music, rappers continuously dominate both

fashion and memes, which are both crucial to unlocking the teenage demographic.

Collaborations with brands such as Supreme and Nike or starting your own fashion company ala Yeezy or 4Hunnid are surefire ways to promote an artist while also bringing in a lot of revenue. Memes have become more and more necessary to either build an artist into a viral sensation like 6ix9ine and Bhad Bhabie or push songs to the top of the charts like “SICKO MODE” by Travis Scott and “Mo Bamba.”

With many teenagers relying on streaming to get their

music and social media to receive their news, it is very likely that these trends will continue to grow through 2019 and beyond. Billboard announcing modifications to their chart calculations in May 2018 that will give more weight to streaming. Billboard’s support of the streaming market is a positive sign that rap will dominate the charts.

While 2018 might just be an outlier in the grander scheme of music and a reversion to the norms of pop hits may come about in 2019, I think that hip hop is here to stay. Not just for a few years, but for decades.

women named Malorie Hayes played by Academy Award winner, Sandra Bullock, who is well known from her hilarious comedy movies. This left viewers surprised when it was announced Bullock would take on the role of Malorie in Netflix’s new thriller movie.

Bird Box introduces viewers to an unusual post-apocalyptic

scenario where humanity is coming to end. When people walk outside, their biggest fears await them, causing them to lose control of their body and immediately commit suicide.

It becomes apparent quite early in the movie that Malorie must do whatever it takes to save her and her newly born kids after seeing sudden effects

it has on others but in Malorie’s case, her sister.

Survivors must take extreme precaution in making sure they avoid face to face contact with the entity that draws you into taking your life. Blindfolds seemed to be the solution in making sure that didn’t happen.

Five years go by and now Malorie and her kids that go by Boy and Girl have to go on a two day journey to reach a safety compound where they can take shelter. They must travel down a river blindfolded but once they reach the rapids one of them must risk their lives and take off their blindfold to navigate through the treacherous waters.

The film never ends up revealing much about the supernatural force leaving view-

ers curious what the creature actually is. A ghost? An animal?

A monster? The audience will never know.

Dakalin Campbell, sophomore, recently saw the film and said it may be one of the best movies he has seen in 2018.

“I loved the movie and how it pulls you in and makes you want to keep on watching to find out what happens next,” Campbell said.

Bird Box is just one of the numerous original films created for Netflix that has gained popularity and many are excited to see what movies Netflix has in store for 2019.

Brooks Shragg Staff Reporter

James Gulden Video Editor

David Campbell Sports Editor

Gianni Tejada Sports Reporter

1. Kids See Ghosts-Kids See Ghosts 2. Denzel Cury-TA13OO 3. $uicideBoy$-I Want to Die In New Orleans 4. Travis Scott-Astroworld 5. Earl Sweatshirt- Some Rap Songs

1. Juice Wrld-Goodbye & Good Riddance 2. Post Malone-beerbongs & bentleys 3. twenty one pilots-Trench 4. Ariana Grande-Sweetener 5. Travis Scott-Astroworld

1. J. Cole- KOD 2. Post Malone- beerbongs & bentleys 3. Travis Scott-Astroworld 4. Juice Wrld-Goodbye & Good Riddance 5. XXXTentacion-?

said Adam Levine, frontman of Maroon 5.

With that being said, I think it is safe to say that hip hop has officially taken over as the cultural top dog amongst the youth in the urban and suburban United States.

There are many aspects to cover when it comes to “culture,” but let’s start out with the most simple part of the culture to gauge, which is music. Is the music side of hip hop outdoing genres such as pop and rock?

Billboard charts give the quantitative answer of yes, which for the purpose of a sales argument, is the only answer

Bird Box flies high, gains attention on Netflix and Internet

Amelia Carrizales Staff Reporter Many woke up on December 13 with the hashtag #BirdBoxChallenge trending all over social media after Netflix released the new hit movie, Bird Box. “Can’t believe I have to say this, but: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE. We don’t know how this started, and we appreciate the love, but Boy and Girl have just one wish for 2019 and it is that you not end up in the hospital due to memes,” Netflix tweeted.

The new challenge consists of people doing everyday tasks while being blindfolded which has gotten out of hand. Videos

on YouTube have been released of people completing the challenge while driving a car blindfolded.

These crazy stunts have all started from the movie Bird Box, which has became outstandingly popular hit for Netflix, reaching 45 million views in the first week.

The film revolves around a

The Royal Page’s Top Five Albums of 2018

1. Travis Scott-Astroworld 2. Tory Lanez-LoVE me NOw? 3. Drake-Scorpion 4. Trippie Redd-A Love Letter to You 3 5. Kanye West-ye