ith the district’s approval of the Safe and Supportive Minnesota School Act in August, the law will be fully implemented in Park schools by fall according to Superintendent Rob Metz. Although Park already had its own set of policies related to bullying set in the student handbook, certain provisions needed to be modified in order to comply with state law. According to Metz, the school board approved school safety council amendments to its current policy to comply with the Minnesota School Board Association’s new model policy.
hen senior Sagal Abdirahman had a paper to write, she would walk into the writing center and get one-on-one help. With the i3 grant changes, that support is no longer an option for her. “Anytime I had a paper due I would visit the writing center,” Abdirahman said. “It’s pretty frustrating now, there’s not enough room for anyone to look over your work.”
Changes in Park’s i3 programs are finalized and will include renewals and cuts in programs that affect students. Programs that were self sustaining like the academy courses are staying because after initial development, they require no further allocation of funds. Other programs aren’t so lucky. The writing center is no longer at Park and the math resource room is only going to be open part time. Trauma-informed mental health specialist Jesselyn Bolt, who was involved in helping students during tragedies in recent years, is no longer at Park. Building Assets Reducing Risks
As for the major changes, Metz said among other actions, the district needed to clearly define the policy and ensure its distribution. “I sent [the policy] to every employee in the district and it should be posted in every office in the district,” Metz said. “At the high school it will be passed out in advisory.” Additionally, the law requires that not only that the staff be trained in the policy, but that someone at each school is charged with dealing and recording bullying issues. In the high school, that will be interim assistant principal Kari Schwietering. According to Schwietering, in addition to distributing the policy during advisory, the administration will place posters around the school. Schwietering also said this law will help strengthen the high school’s already existing policy. “The district will make eight posters that will be placed around
coordinator Kelly Brown said the learning lab feels more empty now that students can’t use it as a resource as much. “It looks very different this year. There are things that aren’t in place, like the writing lab,” Brown said. “It’s really too bad when you have to take away something that’s been helping kids,” she said. The validation grant only supports three part-time positions: a chemical health specialist, an embedded health coordinator, and a college and career coordinator.
the school in places like the student office,” she said. “At St. Louis Park we already had an appropriate bullying policy, so hopefully this will help the district deal with the issue in a more uniform way.” In regard to the specifics of the law, some students like freshman Annabella Strathman said there should be more of a focus on cyberbullying. “I think it’s a good plan but focusing more on cyberbullying would be a good change,” Strathman said. Metz also said overall the new policy will bring a consistent and efficient way of handling the issue of student bullying. “I like the idea of a contact person because we’ll know it will be handled consistently by Mrs. Schwietering,” Metz said. “Training of the staff will also help as they will report issues to her so that students will be reassured they will be taken seriously.”
ay goodbye to the days of slow, spotty Wi-Fi. After winter break, a new Wi-Fi system will be installed according to Tom Marble, director of information services. In each classroom access points will be installed to ensure Wi-Fi connection stays strong as students move around the school. “The wireless network will be able to have a capacity to handle all traffic and be more usable to you as a user [as of] Dec. 1,” Marble said. Junior India Rounds said she has a positive outlook for the wireless system because of its efficiency. “It’s really smart, it makes things so much easier, and it shows our high school is modern and up-to-date,” Rounds said. Marble said the bring your own device system allows students to register one device. “ T h e bring your own device policy was really more of a pilot program to really see what the interest was,” Marble said. Ellen George, library media specialist, said the Wi-Fi will be a helpful learning tool. “We will have to expect that students are responsible about using the resources we have,” George said. Devices are useful as learning tools, Marble said. “We put technology tools out there for you and the staff to use as part of their curriculum,” Marble said. Connection issues arose in classrooms, the wireless system cannot handle too many devices at once, George said. “From experience in classes, [Wi-Fi] hasn’t been as good as it needs to be,” George said. “There should be wireless access points in each classroom so that up to 40 devices at a time can connect seamlessly.” The $450,000 project arose during the annual levy vote on which technology issues must be addressed. “We will hopefully be getting the technology out of the way so that you don’t even think about it anymore,” Marble said. “You come in and its just there for you to use.”
unior Selina Hampton went to the vending machines to buy a pack of two Pop-Tarts. But to her surprise, the only option was one whole grain Pop-Tart for $1 instead of two for $1.25. The district is making an attempt at encouraging students to eat healthier because of new 2014 guidelines. One step was to take out the old vending machine food and bring in healthier options. Supervisor of school nutrition Kathy Milbrath said certain guidelines the district needs to follow have been implemented, created by the USDA, Smart Snack nutrition and Hungry-Free Kids. “We review all of our food items to match up with the 2010 food registration,” Milbrath said. “Our intent is that all items will be nutritionally dense and to get rid of sugar by 35 percent.”
Milbrath said students are positive toward the new vending machines, and they are popular because of their accessibility. “The vending machines are not a money maker,” Milbrath said. “They are there for the students’ convenience.” Milbrath said, according to the 35-10-35 nutrition guidelines, 35 percent of total calories students have during their meal should be from fat, 10 percent from saturated fat and 35 percent from sugar. These guidelines must have been implemented by the summer. Milbrath said the guidelines the school follows also cuts salt and sugar out of many food items and recipes and she hopes students will not notice. Junior Garrett Wells said the vending machines no longer offer some of his favorite junk food options. “Not to say healthy food is bad, but I don’t go to the vending machines for snacks, I go there to get junk food,” Wells said. Freshman Charlie Schuebel said the vending machines are a bad idea for the school because they take away the unhealthy option for those who want it. “I don’t agree with the new vending
machines, because if students want to eat healthy they should do it on their own. They shouldn’t be forced to,” Schuebel said. Schuebel said the new healthy food in the vending machine is overpriced, which may bring down sales. “Since this is a school, the vending machines should not be overpriced,” Schuebel said. Hampton said compared to last year’s prices, the healthier products inside the vending machines are more expensive. “When you go to the vending machine, you are expecting junk food, they are selling whole grain Pop-Tarts,” Hampton said. Hampton said the school is depriving the students of their freedom to buy what they want with their personal money. “The school can do what they want with the food they sell, but we should be able to buy what we want with our own money,” Hampton said. Many are discouraged about there no longer being junk food available. Wells believes the vending machines are effective but only because healthy snacks are the only option the school now offers.
hen junior Jack Reddan logged onto his Schoology account, he expected a complicated site that would be hard to navigate. Instead, he said he found the site offered many new features that were simple and accessible. “I like it a lot better than Moodle because I could never navigate [it],” Reddan said. Schoology is a learning management system that creates an enclosed environment for the student. Teachers can create an online curriculum allowing students to see their calendars. Director of teaching and learning Kari Ross has been working on the new site since January. “Schoology offers learning in global communities and engaging and dynamic interactions,” Ross said. Junior Ridwan Said said she prefers the layout of Schoology to the layout of Moodle.
“It’s a copycat version of Facebook, and it’s much better than Moodle,” Said said. Library media specialist Ellen George has been educating students about this new change during the first few days of school. “Schoology eventually will integrate with PowerSchool,” George said. “They surveyed schools around the area and this seemed to be a better choice, one of the reasons is that there is tech support offered.” According to English teacher Mary Norris, teachers were irritated with the change, because many of them spent hours working on their Moodle sites. “Switching to Schoology, you’re leaving all that work behind, but you can import your stuff from Moodle,” Norris said. “That is part of the game, and all this stuff is going to be changing. I have to accept the fact that upgrading is part of digital learning.” An official “Welcome to Schoology” communication, that describes specific instructions on how to access Schoology, will be available later this fall.
t’s not everyday the city closes a stretch of road for outdoor enjoyment, but Sept. 28, it’s happening. The entire length of Dakota Avenue and Lake Street extension, stretching a little more than a mile, will be reserved this week to bring the St. Louis Park community together to engage citizens of all ages in activities that promote a healthier lifestyle. Along the mile long route, Health in the Park, a grassroots organization based in St. Louis Park, will partner with other organizations such as Health Partners and Children First to bring their first-ever pop-up event, allowing people and businesses to promote themselves on the street. According to Health in the Park community outreach coordinator Jeanne Olson, popup events originally started in Minneapolis, drawing the attention of locals to explore local businesses and organizations in an outdoor setting. Olson said Park the Street will do more than connect the St. Louis Park community. “Of course this pop up event will bring the community together, but it will also give people the opportunity to reimagine the street without cars and just their feet,” Olson said. Many activities hosted by local organizations will be featured at the event. Karate, soccer, water balloon toss, human Jenga and pickleball are some of the activities that will
be featured at the event. A wide variety of music and food will be available throughout the day as well. With a variety of events, Olson said Health in the Park is still looking to get as many activities as possible. “We are trying to stretch this as much as we can. We would love to have different activities for people of all ages and new fun activities that people can try out,” Olson said. Olson said this event will also promote a safer bike lane on Dakota Avenue, one of the most popular streets for biking in the city. “One of the problems for St. Louis Park is that it’s hard to go north and south on bike,” she said. “And by opening up Dakota it gives people a better idea of how easy the transit system could be.” Olson said throughout the event, Health in the Park will have many opportunities for people to participate in surveys and talk to officials about creating a safer bike lane. Sophomore Vince Callahan said opening up the Dakota Avenue bike lane will make it safer for bikers who travel to the high school, such as himself. “By making the bike lane larger, it will be more efficient and faster because when you use the sidewalk you have to avoid a lot of walkers,” Callahan said. Callahan, who bikes 10-15 miles every week in the summer, also said biking can be a fun way to get exercise. “Not only is it better for the environment, but it’s great exercise that is really enjoyable,” he said. Junior Madison Vignes will be in attendance and said she is excited for the event, because she believes it will play a role in how people carry out their lives. “As a whole I think it will have a positive impact on the community and our ability to lead a healthy lifestyle,” she said. Vignes said she will also be volunteering for organizations that will be at the event throughout the day. “I think that I will either be working the human Jenga game with Children First, or be helping promote physical activity with the Park Valley United Soccer Club,” she said.
have never stood out more in my life than I did when I arrived for my one-week stay in Chame, Panamá. The stay was part of a two week trip I took with the Spanish department. When it came time for me to spend a week in the small town of Chame, one hour outside of Panama City, I came to realize just how many differences there were between our two cultures. When stepping into my new home, my first cultural shock was the large number of cockroaches scurrying across the ground and tiny lizards crawling up the walls. It was the one time I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Nonetheless, I soon grew accustomed to this, as I also adjusted to other differences between my homes in Chame and St. Louis Park. One of the most apparent differences was in the bathroom. My house did not have a shower, instead we had a bucket of water to bathe with. Since the house had no air conditioning it made for some very heated moments. Luckily my family had one fan, which they always put in front of me, to keep me from having a heat stroke in their living room. The outdoor kitchen also took some getting used to, along with the lesser concern about germs. My mother lovingly prepared all our meals by hand, never using so much as a cutting board. We also ate using the same dishes every night, occasionally with food from the previous meal still lingering. This came as a shock coming from a family and culture where keeping things clean is one of the top priorities. But despite the obvious differences our two cultures have, many similarities did not escape me. In Panama, family is of the utmost importance. While driving down the highway we would always pull over to stop at roadside stands to meet a cousin, an uncle, a sister or family friend, even if it was out of our way. My experience in Panama changed my life for the better. I started out feeling like a complete outsider and ended up feeling like part of the family. Instead of looking at each other and counting our differences, I looked at the country of Panama with my family and we appreciated the same things.
n its first year, the Park Bird Feeder received nearly 5,000 food items and sent home more than 280 food packages disguised as regular backpacks, according to senior Amra Mucic, co-manager of the Bird Feeder. The weekend food pack program began last year after business education teacher Sophia Ross noticed a fundraiser for a food shelf at her children’s school in Spring Lake Park. With the help of the communi-
ty service class, Ross said she was able to do some research about implementing an in-school food shelf at Park. According to Ross, a daunting statistic proved many students were in need. “We found out that there were about 35 percent of our students on free or reduced lunch at the beginning of the school year last year,” Ross said. Ross said Jenna Behnken, who graduated last year, did a great job starting up the Bird Feeder as its first manager. Mucic said she hopes to keep up the good work started last year, but wants more students to know about the program. “We just want to continue that [good work] and make the Bird Feeder a concrete program at St. Louis Park,” Mucic said. “The
thing that we’d like to change is to get the word out more since not many people know about the Bird Feeder or what it does.” Senior and co-manager Fiona Gabay also said she hopes to inform more students about the Bird Feeder. “I hope to see that more people will know what it is, and that we will get more help from everyone, and that more parents will get involved, and that kids will be more excited about it,” Gabay said. The Bird Feeder recently appeared at the back to school open house Sept. 8 and the Homecoming parade on Sept. 12. Students will soon be able to purchase discounted tickets to the Sadie Hawkins dance by donating food items, according to Gabay.
which is helpful for higher education. For example, homework is a lot easier now with debate. When I have to write an essay it goes far quicker and is not as hard.
people’s styles. So I now have my private coach who I met at camp. She is working with me now as well as my coach from Park.
Dotan Appelbaum was invited to participate in a national debate tournament Sept. 26-28 in Iowa.
I started at the beginning of last year. I knew I wanted to join debate, but I don’t really know why. Once I joined, I was motivated by Leah Shapiro and my coach. It’s just something that I got into. It’s not always the most fun, but it’s definitely rewarding.
You really get a lot out of it. Writing becomes easier and so does speaking in public. It also really helps with critical thinking,
This summer I went to debate camp for two weeks and one of the people teaching there was Leah Shapiro who graduated from Park last year and got third place in the country last year. I also knew I needed a private coach because the thing about debate is that everyone has their own style but if you want to do well you need to learn other
The first day only I will be going from my team. It’s called the Sophomore Throwdown Round Robin in Iowa and only 18 high school sophomores around the country get invited to. I was nominated by a team member last year and the tournament director chooses from all those and nominates 18 to compete. The day after that is an open division varsity level tournament that me
and another team are attending.
What I decided to do is to skip junior varsity and go straight to varsity so that I can do really well by my senior year. By then I really hope to go to this tournament called the Tournament of Champions, which you need to do very well during the regular season to get into. No one really stays with debate the rest of their lives because the truth is that it ends after high school. I do hope after high school to eventually be able to coach someone privately.
n order to provide a nutritious, filling meal to all students. St. Louis Park schools rely on the School Nutritional Advisory Committee to mediate lunches. The goal of the School Nutritional Advisory Committee (SNAC) is to provide lunches and snacks to students that meet all nutritional requirements set by the government and USDA. When SNAC was created two years ago, its goal was to provide a healthy lunch to students at all St. Louis Park schools. According to freshman Carly Livingston SNAC is an important tool for the school to have. “Yes, I think (SNAC) is important,” Livingston said. “School might be the only time students get a full nutritious meal.” During the last two years the committee has worked to implement some changes to the system. According to committee chair Mark Eilers, during the first year of conception SNAC worked to reduce the amount of unhealthy chemicals found in the different foods offered. “Two years ago we eliminated foods with unhealthy dye,” Eilers said. “The school changed food supplies so that canned foods don't have dyes.” The committee’s goal, according
to Eilers is to implement a change every year. “Last year we really focused on changing the vending machines and getting high sugar snacks and corn sweetened products removed,” Eilers said. This school year SNAC hopes to provide an economically feasible salad bar as well as offer fewer frozen foods to students. “We would like to explore the feasibility of having a salad/sandwich bar as well as providing ‘scratch cooking’ versus what we currently have, which is prepared and frozen foods,” Eilers said. Eilers also said with all the changes proposed they would need to be affordable to students and comply with U.S. government regulations.
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t a walking distance from the high school, Central Clinic is a free, walkin clinic for children from birth to 18. According to clinic manager Mitch Callahan, Central Clinic provides immunizations, well-child checkups, sports physicals, acute care for sore throats, coughs, fever and sexual healthcare. Freshman Alex Peterson said he believes the clinic is beneficial to those who can’t afford a traditional hospital. “It’s good that they have the clinic, because if people can’t afford to go to a hospital, then they have a place to go that’s relatively cheaper and closer,” Peterson said. The clinic’s goal is to offer care and help the community during health crises. “We want to provide care to members of the community, the school, and we want to be available during any health care crisis. For example when the freshman Carly passed away from the influenza, we provided an influenza vaccine clinic at the high
school,” Callahan said. Callahan said the clinic meets with the high school regularly as part of a board to address any uprising issues and gather helpful information on how to let people know they are around. The board consists of Central Clinic medical director and clinic manager, school nurses, director of Children First and high school students. “We’re part of the Central Clinic Advisory Board that meets at the high school quarterly. We have students that sit on the board,” Callahan said. “They attend, and we get their input on anything that might be at issue with them, but also with marketing, and all of those services and a way to get the message out that we’re here.” According to Callahan, anyone is welcome to take advantage of Central Clinic’s various services. “It shouldn’t be an issue for anybody to come in here and get help for no matter what the issue is. We’re welcoming, that’s what we do and that’s what we’re here for,” Callahan said. Central clinic is open from 1-4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons during the school year. The clinic typically opens again the last week of July to start providing sport physicals.
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ichael* likes Sarah*. Sarah’s friend Emma* likes Michael and becomes jealous. Emma tells Michael a rumor about Sarah’s sexual past. Even though Michael was interested in Sarah, he calls her a slut and refuses to talk to her anymore. This is an anonymous Park student’s experience with slut shaming, and she’s not the only one. Nina Jonson is the Community Education Manager and External Relations Coordinator at myHealth for Teens & Young Adults, a non-profit clinic and educational organization in Hopkins. She defined slut shaming as anything intended to make a woman feel ashamed or guilty about her sexual life. “I feel like the definition [of slut shaming], the one that is universally understood, is making a young woman feel bad about her [sexual choices],” Jonson said. Jonson also said slut shaming has to do with what people wear and how they carry themselves. Author and feminist advocate Jaclyn Friedman said she thinks slut shaming is
less about someone’s perceived sex life and more about punishing the woman. “It’s a tool to keep women in line on the assumption that if you were being sexual it would be bad,” Friedman said. Jonson said she thinks teenagers perceive being slutty as the worst possible accusation and because of that, it’s leveled at girls in order to assert power over them by the shamer. “If they’re trying to keep a person down for whatever reason, that’s the word they’ll use,” Jonson said. “If she’s too outspoken, if she doesn’t agree, if she doesn’t go with the status quo, if she’s an independent individual.” Junior Aerianna Thomas said she sees slut shaming as a problem at Park. She said people use slut shaming as an attack against people they don’t like. “A lot of people … dress a certain way even though there’s a lot of people that dress the same way,” Thomas said. “They’ll pick out certain people and call them a slut.” Thomas also said she has been offhandedly slut shamed in the past and thinks it’s a general perception of all women. Freshman Benjamin Castellanos said he believes there aren’t obvious instances of slut shaming at Park but it’s not a myth. “I don’t think it’s not a problem [just] because I don’t see it happening,” Castellanos said.
n an anonymous intervie scribed her experiences w and bullying. “One of the most comm is that people just call me [a “But I’ve definitely had w really mean.” She also said she gets comments on things she’s real or presumed sexual act “People have actually and told me that having se said. “Even my parents h whore for clothing I’m we has straight up said that I l titute.” She said some of the w she’s had are when people t respect her and no one w marry her. “I had a guy say that I w to date someone, because I’ [no one] wants a used up “They tell me how I need so much sex, because it’s g reputation and I will never
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dirty looks and wearing and her tivity. come up to me ex is wrong,” she have called me a earing. My mom look like a pros-
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will never be able ’m too slutty and p slut,” she said. d to stop having going to ruin my get respect.”
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dressed too sexually.” Luskey said this double standard is unfair, especially since it’s based on flash judgments, appearance and perceived sexual history. Luskey also said slut shaming often has more to do with reputation than the person’s actual sexual activities.
ccording to Jonson, slut shaming can be responsible for many problems. From a teen health perspective, it causes hesitancy in teenage girls to seek out the medical care they may need. “People are worried about even going to a clinic and being seen at a clinic, [like] ‘what will somebody say about me if I was there’,” Jonson said. “That can cause young women to take more risks with their sexual health.” According to Jonson, girls who are pressured into believing that having sex will damage their reputation, won’t take precautionary actions such as obtaining birth control and or sexually transmitted infection testing. This makes slut shaming not only demeaning, but dangerous as well. Because of the vulnerability of teenagers and the environment created in high schools, it makes slut shaming very effective, Friedman said. “When you’re older and you’re more centered about what you want from sex it’s easier to reject it,” Friedman said. “But when you’re in high school and everything feels really new ... it’s hard to not feel the sting of it.”
do not have the build of a runner. At 6’2” and 170 pounds, I am heavier than any runner I know. When I was tasked with running 22 miles of the Birkie Trail in Hayward, Wisconsin in the pouring rain I knew it would be a challenge. I stepped out of the 12-passenger van with my teammates and, to my dismay, realized it was both rainy and cold. I took a few steps forward and started running. Although at first I felt as though the end of my life was near, throughout the run I learned to overcome the feeling of death and to keep on running. According to almost anyone in the world, running sucks. Especially when it’s 22 miles. But that’s not the point of running. The point is you shouldn’t be afraid of daunting tasks if you know that you can complete them. When people are faced with daunting feats there is one thing stopping them — their lack of determination. I’ll admit, while running, I was constantly telling myself I would much rather be doing a million other things than running that far in the cold, pouring rain. But I set my goal to run that far and I was going to make it. You can set your goals high if you have the determination and ability to complete them. Setting goals is one of the most important aspects in sports and in life it will help you significantly. One of the elements that helped me run so far in an environment that was trying to kill me was the people I was running with. One of the few good aspects about the run was that I was running it with some of my best friends. Running with your friends will beat running alone anyday. It’s a lot easier to push yourself when other people are with you are experiencing the same emotions. Whenever you feel like you’re in mortal peril just try to look on the bright side of things as I did. When you look at something difficult don’t break down and start crying. Look at it and say “I can do this even if I think I can’t.” Because if you are determined and look at the bright side of the situation you can achieve your goals.
s the final buzzer went off, fans rushed out of the stands in support of the football team’s Homecoming victory for the first time in six years. The varsity football team won its Homecoming game against Richfield Sept. 12 with a final score of 52-13. This not only secured the team its first win of the season, but also pulled off the first win for Park at a Homecom-
ing game in since 2008. Varsity head coach Ben Wolfe said he thinks the team succeeded as a result of all of the different areas and positions working well together. “I think overall the game went well. Obviously we got the result we wanted to, going 1-0 for the week, but it was nice to see contributions from all different phases,” Wolfe said. “We had some different players running and throwing the ball, good offensive plays, good special teams plays and our defense stepped up as well so overall it was a good game put together.” Senior Asha Jeite attended the game and said the experience brought on a sense of pride.
“It was awesome. It was like a feeling of power, you know, because everybody every other year has lost, and it’s like ‘Yes, our year finally won!’,” Jeite said. “It was a really good feeling.” Jeite also said she enjoyed seeing the school come together to show their support for the team, even if this support was slightly overwhelming at times. “It was loud and it was kind of tiring because nobody would sit down, but it was fun to be apart of because you see the whole entire 2015 class come together. It was a cool experience.” Wolfe said he thinks Richfield proved to be an appropriate challenge for the team, but in the end Park won because of
multiple distinct factors. “Richfield has been a classic rivalry for us and they gave us a good game,” he said. “They played well the first half. I think we just pulled away for different reasons of athleticism and depth, so they were really good competition.”
pool and two indoor rinks may no longer be the Rec Center’s only attractions. According to Jason Eisold the rink manager, a new rink may be placed on the West side of the Rec Center. “Right now it’s an NHL-sized ice rink, adjacent to the current rink, where the current skate park is,” Eisold said Senior Cole Maurer said he is excited to have more options for outdoor winter activities. “I like any outdoor rink that is built,” Maurer said. “There’s not a lot to do in the winter and often people are cooped up inside.” Although most outdoor rinks lack protection from weather, Ei-
sold said the current design for the new rink includes a roof. “The design is to have a fabric roof, and have it open on all four sides,” Eisold said. While the building plan has yet to be approved, Eisold said the project is funded by the St. Louis Park Hockey Association. “The hockey association ap-
proached us with the initiative and some extra funds available,” Eisold said. “One thing that jumped out at us was adding this extra sheet.” Sophomore hockey player Makayla Jones-Klausing said she prefers playing outdoor hockey to indoor hockey. “Playing on outdoor rinks is
a lot more fun, because you’re playing whether it’s snowing or cold,” Jones-Klausing said. Eisold said the skate park will be rebuilt in a new location. “It will be relocated,” Eisold said. “We’ve got a couple of areas identified as to where we could rebuild it,” he said.
I started when I was like 5, so I’ve been playing for nine years. Outside midfield.
It’s exciting for me. It’s fun to play with the older kids, and it’s good competition.
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he athletic department is folding up the old tables previously used for the concession stand. In the table’s place, a permanent concession stand is being constructed in the main gym. Athletic director Andy Ewald said the athletic department fundraised for the project during the past year and now are beginning construction. “Boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball and volleyball teams each came forward with funds to help toward the project and then the district picked up the rest of it,” Ewald said. According to Ewald, running the concession stands is a lot of work for parent volunteers and maintenance staff. “Our basketball and volley-
ball teams, when they’ve done concessions in the past, have always had to set tables up in the gym and carry things to sell back and forth,” Ewald said. Junior Jonathan Pope said it will help make games more enjoyable. “I think it will make a better environment for fans,” Pope said. However, some students, such as sophomore Ryan Domres, said it’s unnecessary. “I don’t feel like it’s needed because they had a system that already worked,” Domres said. However, Ewald said the goal is making the facilities around the school as nice and as aesthetically pleasing as possible, Ewald said. “We are not going to be tearing down or building new schools, so we need to try to take the space that we have and make it be as nice as possible,” Ewald said. “It’s just one of those amenities that we felt would be important to have at some point.” Construction on the concession stand began Sept. 15 and will last about two weeks.
St. Louis Park Senior High School 6425 West 33rd Street St. Louis Park, MN 55426 Peter Johnson Ivy Kaplan David Hope John Kinney Daniel Vlodaver Ladan Abdi, Ori Etzion, Gila Grad & Sara Tifft Maddy Bremner & Carolyn Guddal Zoe Kedrowski, Madisen Lynch & Natalie Sanford Amira Warren-Yearby Natalie Vig Noa Grossman Noa Raasch Josh Mesick Emily Melbye Erin Wells Malik Grays Adna Aideed, Mara Bacig, Harrison Barden, Hannah Bernstein, Joe Brandel, Kaylee Chamberlain, Sean Cork, Allison Cramer, Eddie Diaz, Brigid Duffy, Jackson Eilers, Zoë Eilers, Shayan Gilbert Burke, Hannah Goldenberg, Jamie Halper, Sari Hattis, Abby Hickstein, Kate Huber, Brita Hunegs, Maxwell Kent, Celene Koller, Jonah Kupritz, Shoshana Leviton, Julia Nathan, Polina Pekurovsky, Conrad Phelan, Loni Rutherford, Neda Salamzadeh, Albie Sher, Olivia Sieff, Amina Mohamud, Amran Nur, Harry Steffenhagen, Emily Tifft, Cedar Thomas, Zach Tronson, Miranda VanPilsumJohnson & Heather Westwood
nly two grams of sugar separate a Trix cereal bar from a Snickers candy bar. Yet, the first falls under the category of “healthful food” and the second falls under “junk food.” White flour and refined sugars still line the vending machines in the cafeteria. Just in different forms. New packaging and wrappers, boasting a low fat and low calorie content, mask a deeper issue, our increasingly obese country. While the obesity epidemic is complex, recent studies conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health indicate much of our understanding of what contributes to weight gain is flawed. During the past 50 years, our consumption of refined flours has skyrocketed alongside our rate of obesity. This begs the question, why continue this pointless dietary trend by implementing unfilling, low fat, high carbohydrate options at school?
Regardless of the nature of the obesity epidemic, stocking the school shelves with supposedly healthier options is not the solution. Instead of teaching the student body to interpret nutrition labels and to make educated and healthful choices, new health policies make the decision for the students. As young adults transitioning to more independent lifestyles, students need to learn to evaluate their nutritional options, which they can do by joining the School Nutritional Advisory Committee (SNAC). Students should receive the option to choose a truly healthful snack, rather than being forced to chose a snack, which is neither satisfyingly sweet nor exceptionally nutritious. If we chose to commit to improving the health of our student body, we need to offer nutritious foods. Although eating well is extremely important, balanced diets
do not exclude any food group, fats and sugars included. Students need to learn to enjoy the occasional treat while still recognizing donuts do not make a meal. The responsibility of raising a
veryone must take simple precautions to keep themselves safe in America. This means looking both ways before crossing the street and making sure they lock their house before they leave. What is not considered a simple responsibility is for a women to apply nail polish that detects date rape drugs in drinks to keep herself safe before leaving her house. However, that is what Undercover Colors suggests all women should do. The company, founded by four male students at North Carolina State University, invented a type of nail polish that changes colors when it comes into contact with common date rape drugs. These include Rohypnol, Xanax and Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid. The polish switches to darker colors to indicate the percentage of the drugs present in beverages. Undercover Colors suggests on its Facebook bio that it has invented a way to grant women more authority. “Our goal is to invent technologies that empower women to protect themselves from this heinous and quietly pervasive crime,” claims the bio. But isn’t the problem that rape should not be seen as a quietly pervasive crime? Instead, people should know that one in every six women in the United States will report they have been raped at some point in their lifetime, according to
the Race Crisis Center’s website. It is obvious having a product only a small percentage of women will use is not the solution to such a widespread problem. By having a product that puts added pressure on the responsibility of women to keep themselves safe from sexual assault, the blame is lifted from the perpetrator and placed on the victim. This seems like a backward notion because really, isn’t it the rapist who we should be spending our time, energy and money to stop? The invention of nail polish is not the first attempt to detect rape drugs in drinks. Drink Safe Technologies, a company based in Tallahassee Florida, created an innovative drink coaster that allows women to test their drink on the coaster to see if it contains Gamma Hydroxybutyrate or Ketamine, the two drugs most commonly used to spike drinks for rape purposes. Likewise, this invention expects women to be responsible for their well-being instead of placing the blame on the perpetrator. By doing this, a culture is created where women are seen as solely responsible for being sexually assaulted instead of victims of a horrible crime. This new nail polish and other safe drinking technologies are tools women can use to protect themselves. There should be fewer people thinking about ways women can prevent themselves from being raped and more thought put into how we can stop rape from happening. In this day and age, why is it easier to invent a nail polish that detects anti-rape drugs than it is to stop sexual assault?
Noah Robiner Scott Meyers Quad Graphics Lori Keekley The Echo is the official studentproduced newspaper of St. Louis Park Senior High School. It is published triweekly for the school’s students, staff and community. The Echo will not be reviewed by school administrators prior to distribution, and the adviser will not act as a censor. Content represents views of the student staff and not school officials. The Echo will work to avoid bias and/ or favoritism. We will strive to make our coverage and content meaningful and interesting to all our readers. We will make every effort to avoid printing libel, obscenities, innuendo and material that threatens to disrupt the learning process or is an invasion of privacy. We will avoid electronic manipulation that alters the truth of a photograph. Staff editorials represent the opinion of the editorial board arrived at by discussion and will not be bylined. Bylined articles are the opinion of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Echo staff or administration as a whole. The Echo welcomes reader input. Letters to the editor and suggestions may be emailed to slpecho@gmail.com or submitted in room C275. Letters must be signed and should be no longer than 250 words. Emailed letters must be verified prior to publication. We will not necessarily publish all letters received and reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. Anonymous letters wherein the Echo does not know the identity of the writer will not be printed. Advertisements will be sought from local businesses. We maintain the right to reject any ads we believe to be false, misleading, inappropriate or harmful. The Echo does not necessarily endorse the products or services offered in these advertisements. NSPA All-American and Hall of Fame member; NSPA 2007, 2011, 2014 Print Pacemaker Finalist, 2013 National Print Pacemaker Award Recipient; 2014 Web Pacemaker Finalist, JEM All-State; CSPA Gold Medalist; 2012, 2014 CSPA Silver Crown, 2013 CSPA Gold Crown.
healthy generation does not rest solely on the high school’s shoulders. Students can begin by reading nutrition labels and familiarizing themselves with the cafeteria’s guidelines.
To the library remodel. Now I have a place to charge my Kindle.
To apple orchards. Now I don’t have to see the doctor for a while.
To new vending machines. Thanks, Obama. (Not you, Barack.)
J.K., B.H., D.H.
On the Sept. 2 front page new administration story, Kari Schwietering’s last name was misspelled. The Echo regrets this error.
ith recent challenges taking over the internet, including the polar plunge and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, social media sites have taken on a new role as a basis for charity. The idea behind these challenges is simple. A friend who has already been challenged completes their task while being filmed and then nominates whomever they want to continue on the trend. The official rules of each challenge slightly differ, but the goal is the same. If the nominee successfully completes the challenge within a 24 hour time frame, the original nominator must make a donation to the appropriate charity. Yet behind the simplicity and almost childlike nature of these challenges, the rewards and
donations are overwhelmingly successful. Over time, a chain reaction begins to form, made possible through promotion and positive pressure of social media sites. For those who question the true intent of hyping up these challenges or believe they are more of a popularity stunt, the statistics beg to differ. As of Sept. 22, donations to ALS inspired by the Ice Bucket Challenge surpassed $114 million according to the association’s website, money that would not have been possible without social media promotion. Another benefit of social media sites on these challenges is the participation of famous people. If someone sees a celebrity crush or a political leader participating, they can be inspired to follow in the footsteps of that participant. Additionally with their fame, comes increased publicity that can raise more awareness. There are no disadvantages to using social media sites to raise charity, especially if it’s as easy as tagging a friend in a post.
f Twitter could save the world, why hasn’t it yet? The ALS ice bucket challenge, while a valiant cause, fails to create the right kind of change. The problem with this campaign isn’t that it fails to do anything, it’s that it makes people feel like they’ve done more than they really have. It promotes a culture of only helping those in need when prompted publicly and expecting public affirmation for the so-called charity. There are no set rules and it is often unclear who has to donate and when. A study by the Center for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy states donor “concerns may be more about maximizing their personal satisfaction rather than seeking optimum outcomes from a broader societal perspective.” This campaign perpetuates the trend of
giving only for personal reasons. If we become a society where whichever cause is sexier gets the most funding, far more deserving charities will be pushed out. According to ALSA.org, ALS is a disease with a two-to-five year life expectancy from the time of diagnosis. The disease starts with a stiffness in the fingers and eventually progresses to paralysis, weakness and an inability to breathe or swallow in just a few short years. When we dump ice cold water on their heads in solidarity to those who are suffering, we are mocking the tragedy that has befallen thousands; and we feel good doing it. So how can we contribute sustainably and altruistically to charity? We can start by pledging to donate a percent of our annual income to charitable giving instead of making publicly prompted onetime donations. We can put in the time to research different organizations and find ones that line up with our personal beliefs. We can help people for the sake of helping people and not make other’s suffering our opportunity for self-aggrandizement.
he financial inability to take a college readiness exam should never prevent any student from accessing postsecondary education. The new ACT requirement for juniors, passed during Minnesota’s 2013 legislative session, prevents this issue by providing free exams. According to a press release from Sen. Kevin Dahle, one of the authors of the bill, the new requirement is an attempt to prepare all high school graduates for the transition to college. Minnesota proved itself as one of the most college-ready states, achieving the highest average ACT score for the ninth consecutive year, according to the ACT. However, success on the ACT is not distributed evenly by race, something the new requirement will change. Minnesota continues to suffer from a large achievement gap between ACT performances of black students and white students. According to the ACT, in 2014 only 17 percent of black students met the college readiness benchmarks in Minnesota. This compares to 62 percent of white students. The ACT requirement for juniors, which takes effect this school year, works to close the achievement gap by putting more focus on college and career readiness in school curriculum. In addition to the mandatory testing for juniors, the law implements pre-tests for eighth graders and sophomores to prepare students and schools for the ACT their junior year. Being such a diverse school, racially and socioeconomically, Park will greatly benefit from having all juniors take the ACT, jumpstarting every student’s college application. Not only will this new graduation requirement break down the access barriers to postsecondary education for students. It will be a great indicator for teachers and schools to assess how career-ready their student body is, according to a statement issued by Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. Although a four-year college is not the best option for every student, exposure to this readiness test will help guide students to the postsecondary option that best suits them.
reshman Dabreana Byrd expected she would just be picking apples when she visited an apple orchard with her family. Instead, she tried new foods and shot apples from a cannon. “When I first went to an apple orchard, it was nowhere near what I expected it to be. I thought that I would just be picking apples but instead there were fun activities to do,” Byrd said. “I enjoy going to apple orchards, because it is a great way to celebrate the fall spirit. I love making recipes with the apples I pick,” she said. There are five apple orchards around the Twin Cities Metro area, such as Apple Jack Orchards, which offers apple picking and other related activities. These activities include
The Minnesota History Center presents “Toys of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.including Barbies, E-Z Bake Ovens, LEGOs and Hot Wheels. The exhibit is free with general admission of $11.
Flying Foot Forum presents “Alice in Wonderland,” a take on the classic by Lewis Caroll, which uses audience participation. Tickets cost $29 and are available through the Ordway.
wagon rides through the fields, corn mazes, apple cannons that shoot at targets and homemade goods to purchase. Apple Jack Orchards, located in Delano, Minnesota, offers activities for students. Emma Heinonen works at Apple Jack Orchards and said the activities provided make it the perfect day trip. “Apple Jack Orchards have fall fun activities every day. We have a cake and bakery open, an apple market, animal park and a corn maze,” Heinonen said. “We also have live events that both parents and children will enjoy. It is a great way to celebrate the fall season with both friends and family,” she said. Heinonen said other activities, like pony rides and petting zoos, which kids a chance to interact with animals is unique to Apple Jack Orchard.
The Science Museum of Minnesota presents “Flight of the Butterflies,” at the Omni Theater alongside their butterfly house exhibit. General museum admission with movie is $20.
Senior Keenan Kneisel visited Minnetonka Orchards and said his favorite activity was getting lost in the corn maze. “My favorite activity was the corn maze. I go almost every year, and it is always fun to go with friends,” Kneisel said. “It’s funny getting lost and trying to find your way out. It really gets you in the fall spirit,” he said. Minnetonka Orchards and Apple Jack Orchard offer live music consisting of acoustic covers on weekends. “Our live music appeals to both adults and children. Everyone can just relax and enjoy the day,” Heinonen said. Sophomore Kamia Guy said the variety of activities appeal to all age groups and she is excited to visit an apple orchard with her family. “I think that the different activities help people have fun, no matter what age you are,” Guy said. “I’m personally excited to spend time with my family and go on the hay rides.”
The soap factory presents “haunted basement,” where each guest wears a mask and joins a group before plunging into a nightmarish, subterranean world. Tickets cost $15-27.