innesota is home to the largest population of Somali’s in the United States according to the 2010 Census. According to Superintendent Rob Metz, the administration felt it needed a new position to help the transition of Somali families. Metz hopes Tarabi Jama will have an influence over the atmosphere of the high school. “My overall goal is that every student feels like the high school is theirs. They feel valued, not like an outsider. The more we can communicate the more likely it is that this occurs and all students can contribute to the good things that happen in the school,” Metz said. Jama said he sees a need for his position. “If you look at the weight of the minority students, there is a need for someone to advocate for them,” Jama said. “I help parents understand their children’s education in their mother language.” Jama said parents have provided feedback. “The response is excellent. They feel they are being listened to, and there is someone in the district advocating for them,” Jama said. Sophomore Saamiya Amin hopes Jama helps students get more involved. “Minority students often don’t want to participate. They feel like they won’t fit in,” Amin said. “He might make them feel like they won’t feel out of place participating.” Jama’s goal is for all to feel a part of the community. “This is the land of opportunity. They are here, they should succeed. The sky is the limit,” Jama said.
ince the drowning of a middle school student, Abdullahi Charif, in February during a physical education class, pool use during the school day has been suspended until the Aquatic Task Force Committee has established an aquatics policy. “We began by talking and listing the pros and cons of whether we should even use the pools specifically for swimming
uring a school board meeting Sept. 27, the board unanimously decided to make boys’ lacrosse a school sport. The meeting addressed ways of making athletics more successful and centered around a discussion about boys’ lacrosse. Park’s athletic director, Andy Ewald, gave a presentation to
lessons and whether it is even schools’ jobs to do such,” Superintendent Rob Metz said. Metz said the issue of whether swimming instruction should be part of physical education needs to be addressed. “We need to first consider why we are using them, whether it be for swim instruction or games,” Metz said. Regarding athletics, swimming coach and member on the committee, Joe Yaeger said since the tragedy, little was changed for Park swimming teams. “The only difference is our assistant coach needed to get lifeguard certification,” he said. “After school programs need
the School Board to express his favor for the switch. “A big part of this transition is that the families are ready and want to become a high school sport,” Ewald said. Ensuring lacrosse becomes a sport this spring is important due to a bylaw passed last spring. This bylaw states club programs can no longer compete against high school teams. Because of this, scheduling will become harder if the team remains as a club, Ewald said. Because the decision was finalized, Ewald must start pre-
to be treated differently than physical education classes, and I think the committee is doing this well.” Metz said these meeting have a positive impact on the development of district pool policy. “[The aquatics task force meetings] help me think the issue through and consider lots of different views. But in the end, the school board will decide what goes,” Metz said. “Before the holiday season, I want to see a School Board policy on aquatics.” As of now district pools are only currently being used for community education and athletics.
paring for the new sport. Ewald’s responsibilities include hiring coaches, letting the high school league know lacrosse is being added as a sponsored sport and educating the club on what is going to be different with the transition. The idea of a high school lacrosse team was supported by all the board members and looked at as a way to create more involvement, according to School Board member Karen Waters. “I think our purpose as a School Board is about finding what a kid’s spark is and doing
Should schools use pools? How will new policies be implemented? Will pools be used for games or lessons?
all in our power to make it happen,” Waters said. Some involved in boys’ lacrosse are excited about the switch, according to senior captain Colin Monicotti. “The amount of teams playing club lacrosse has dwindled, so having new teams to play will be great,” he said. “The increase in competition will be huge for us,” Monicotti said.
he Minnesota state legislature enacted a new education mandate requiring all public schools to help students develop individualized postsecondary education or career plans, according to college and career readiness adviser Kara Mueller. Mueller said she is in charge of creating the new agenda for advisory. “I do all the curriculum for the career and college readiness advisory sessions,” she said. According to Mueller, advisory now includes grade-specific postsecondary planning. She said this will be implemented in eight advisories each year. This will result in a total of 32 advisory sessions throughout a student’s high school career. “ We ’ r e scoping and sequencing, which means in ninth grade, what should ninth graders learn about career and college readiness? And then scale it up for 10th grade, then 11th and then 12th,” Mueller said. Freshman George Hare said he sees the early start to personalized postsecondary planning as beneficial. He said he noticed an emphasis on college education in his first advisory session. “It seems really college oriented at a young age,” Hare said. Mueller said her new position, on top of her role as i3 academy coordinator, business innovations teacher and career center overseer, keeps her busy. Nonetheless, she said she enjoys her job greatly. “I love what I do,” Mueller said. “I love helping students find a pathway.” Mueller said she hopes the new curriculum will encourage students to try their best. She said all students should pursue education after they graduate high school. “Learn about yourself and push yourself to achieve your goals,” Mueller said. “Postsecondary is college, and that is for everyone. Every single student in this school needs to have a plan for postsecondary.”
ccording to a new Minnesota mandate, all students must now become CPR trained in order to graduate. CPR certification had been in the sophomore health curriculum previous to the mandate, but has been moved to students’ senior year. The training will be partially integrated into embedded health, but students will have to meet
with Richard Keith, a physical education teacher and the instructor of the course, before or after school to become certified. “I’m trying to mirror what embedded health is doing. I will do an introduction and explain to them what they need to do to catch up with me,” Keith said. “It’s a part of the health curriculum, but I’ll be teaching it.” Senior Charis Tshihamba said she thinks it was good to move the certification to senior year. “It is a good idea because seniors will be more mentally developed. They can comprehend and take in the material needed to become certified,” Tshihamba said.
According to Allison Luskey, one of the health teachers, students should retake the course even if they’re currently CPR certified. “Certifications, depending on where you get it through, generally only last two years,” Luskey said. “(Taking the course) would extend your certification.” Students will have access to instructional videos on Schoology to help facilitate the certification process. “Kids will have to go on (Schoology) prior to coming to test out with me,” Keith said. “This way, they can practice or at least know what the procedure is.”
t is human nature to want to help somebody, but the police department is encouraging people to donate to charities rather than panhandlers. Police Chief John Luse said he wants residents to see giving smart as a way to help those in need and encourage those in need to find better help than panhandling on street corners. “We want individual people to think about giving smart as ‘I can talk to this person, I can figure out whether or not I should just give to them or not,’” Luse said. “We want their needs to be met, that they ought not be hungry, and they ought not be without a place to sleep, but the street corners aren’t the place to facilitate that.” According to Luse, a panhandler is somebody who is in a public area, communicating to people who are going by on foot or in cars that they’re asking to be given money. Panhandlers typically display a message of needing help through a sign. Luse said he thinks there isn’t a specific homeless shelter or food shelf to donate for anybody in any community can do-
nate, but suggested places such as St. Stephens and STEP. “We put some ideas on our website of some homeless shelters for people who didn’t know where to give and wanted to give that they could give to, but it’s not exclusive, in your community you could give to a different place for the same reason,” Luse said. Freshman Britney Villanueva said she believes it’s good to raise awareness of how to donate to those in need. “When you give money to STEP or a charity, you’re helping something instead of someone that could be lying to you,” Villanueva said. “You’re actually doing it for a good cause.” According to Luse, giving smart in the park is a way to help those in need with compassion rather than banning them from the street corners. “The important thing about the program was we were trying to get people off of street corners and medians, but not convey to this community that there was not compassion about what we were doing because there is.” According to Luse, giving smart just means the city wants to target the money to help people in need. Then we wanted to get those who were panhandling for other reasons off the street corners. By standing on street corners, panhandlers distract drivers and create confusion, according to Luse.
hen walking into C159 1/2 on a Tuesday or Thursday morning, sophomore Bre Dickens greets customers. After having paid for coffee, tea or donuts sophomore José Velez-Otero hands customers change. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:20-8:40 a.m. special education students run a cafe selling beverages and food items to raise money. Special education teacher Christine Tvrdik said the cafe is an important job for the students. “Running the cafe is a big job, because it includes set up, clean up, counting the money, tracking how much we’ve made, where we’re going to donate the money and obviously working in the coffee shop,” Tvrdik said. Sophomore Bre Dickens, also in Tvrdik’s class, is the manager of the coffee shop. She checks in every Tuesday and Thursday with the other students
running the cafe and helps cover shifts for those who don’t show. “I like the customer service. I like how I get to greet the customers,” Dickens said. It is only students in Tvrdik’s class who participate in running the cafe. However, Tvrdik said there is a very wide range of students who qualify to be in the special education program. “Some kids spend really small portions of their day in special education and some students spend a significant amount of time in a special education classroom. Either way, the whole point behind it is that kids are getting the right support and accommodations in special education as well as in mainstream classes,” Tvrdik said. Tvrdik said about 150 students are in the department and each is placed in a different setting depending on how much support the individual needs. Students in setting one spend 1 to 20 percent of their time in special education classes, setting two from 21 to 59 percent and setting three from 60 percent or more. Tvrdik said she teaches a class with students who have cognitive disabilities. These students qualify as setting three students. “One of the things that is a big focus in their Individualized Education Program is independent skills with a focus on hands-on activities,” Tvrdik said. “We have a class called vocational skills and what it is, is it’s all hands-on activities. They’re either working on things in the classroom, or they’re out in the building,” Tvrdik said.
Tvrdik said other teachers provide these students with different tasks around the school. They also have several other consistent jobs. “Some of the regular things we do include the kids delivering the teacher’s mail and delivering copies from the At-Large Lab,” Tvrdik said. Sophomore Riley Hannon, a student in Tvrdik’s class, said he often distributes mail in the mailroom. “I like the mailroom. I like reading the names and seeing the names of teachers I know like Carol Johnson and Trevor Paulson,” Hannon said. Tvrdik said each year the students choose a project. This year the students decided to focus on recycling. The kids have created orange boxes for some of the classrooms and then we collect those,” Tvrdik said. “The cans can be recycled, and we can make money from them, which can be added to our donations or be used for the classroom.” Tvrdik said she thinks the cafe is the most important job the students have. “The cafe has been the most exciting and rewarding for the kids because there’s a direct benefit. They see how much money is made, they decide where the money’s donated, and they take a lot of pride in it,” Tvrdik said. “The social aspect has also been very rewarding. We see more kids popping in who know these students and the special education students know more kids in the mainstream classes.”
’m a rule-follower, plain and simple. I’m always home by curfew. I stop at every stop sign, and I never cheat on tests. But I’m also not afraid to stand up for what I believe in, and this summer that meant causing some trouble. As teenagers, we are often encouraged to adhere to social norms, but sometimes we have to be brave enough to go against the grain to make a difference. I’m Jewish and observe my religion by wearing a prayer shawl, called a tallit, when I pray. For thousands of years, only men were allowed to wear tallitot. Recently, some denominations of Judaism have begun to permit women to wear tallitot. The denomination of ultraorthodox Jews who maintain the Western Wall in Jerusalem, a holy site for Jews, don’t believe women should wear tallitot. The legality of women wearing tallitot at the Western Wall is unclear and often disputed among Israeli law-enforcement officials. Regardless of legislation, women who wear tallitot at the wall risk being spit on, stoned or even shot for their actions. Because it is my practice to wear a tallit when I pray, I chose to wear my tallit at the Western Wall despite the dangers. Two of my friends also chose to share in the experience with me and borrowed my tallit to say their prayers. As a group, we were making a statement about something we believed in, even though many people around us were judging us for our choices. We were lucky enough to be spared physical harassment, but we received harsh looks reminding us what we were doing was challenging the behavioral norms for women. It may be scary to speak out when you have an differing opinion, but everyone is capable of finding the courage to defend their beliefs. Regardless of the dangers of breaking from the traditionally accepted conduct of women at the Wall, it was important to me to stand up for what I believe in. Don’t be afraid to stand up for something you are passionate about. Trying to make a difference isn’t always easy and sometimes it takes some rule breaking, but when you see the change your actions can inspire, it makes it worth the risk.
y pledging to perform one local and one global act of service, students can earn a ticket to this year’s We Day in Minnesota. This celebrity-filled, stadiumsized event takes place from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Xcel Energy Center. It is a one-day empowerment event, designed to celebrate youth taking actions toward change. Zoe Stern, associate director of business development for Free the Children Minnesota, said she feels passionate about helping youth make a difference. “We support kids getting involved in the causes that they care
about and taking action,” Stern said. “As a result of taking those actions, they can earn tickets to We Day.” Stern said what makes this organization unique is that it is the largest network of children helping children. “Kids are often told that they are too young, too small or too anything to make a difference in the world,” Stern said. “That is not true. Kids can make a lot of change, and they can impact and inspire a lot of people.” We Day interconnects with We Act, the year-long program associated with this event. We Act is an educational program implemented in schools completely free to promote service and learning. Jeff Cohen supervises the We Act club at Park. He said he enjoys watching young kids doing something positive with their time and energy. “It teaches our younger gener-
ations what it is really about, giving and helping others, in such a selfish environment where everything is me, me, me,” Cohen said. “It really inspires kids to think about others.” Anyone who pledges to commit one local and global act of service can get involved in this club. Senior Ellie Stillman, who volunteers at the Free the Children Minnesota office, said the importance of this event is to validate students for their meaningful work and to encourage them to continue. “If you don’t leave feeling impacted or changed, then you missed the message, which is going to be pretty much impossible,” Stillman said. “The goal of We Day is to congratulate and to thank schools and the students for doing the amazing work that they are doing and to encourage them to do it more and really show how powerful the act of we is.”
at summer camp, so then I got in contact with someone who went there, and he talked about how he was part of this teen improv team. I thought that seemed cool, so I checked it out online. It sounded really great. I decided to try out, and I got in.
being silly, laughing a lot. Before you know it you’re able to do stuff better and you don’t even realize that you’re learning.
Elise Bargman participates in an improvisational theater team at Brave New Workshop.
Improv is theater but without a script and without any idea of what you’re going to do before you step on the stage. It’s like doing a class project when you have no idea what the class project is about. It’s not just you, though, it’s you and someone else, and you have to sync your brains to do a logical performance, a performance that makes sense.
Over the summer I heard about the school Perpich from someone
It’s really weird because it doesn’t feel like a practice. It’s just a lot of improv games, making stuff up,
Before high school, in elementary and middle school, I was in a lot of theater stuff, but then I got really busy because of high school, so I needed something that wasn’t every day after school. This is really good to be able to write the
story and collaborate with people who are also really creative and learn how to be funny.
When you go up on stage and you do something wrong, like you say something that doesn’t make sense or you’re suddenly unable to do the accent you’ve been maintaining the entire skit. You don’t have any ideas so you freeze on stage. That doesn’t look good.
his year’s DECA chapter is having weekly meetings, brainstorming ideas and advertising throughout the school in preparation for the Sadie Hawkins dance. Senior DECA officer Dave Herrera said the chapter members have been working on making the dance unforgettable by attracting a larger crowd. “We are planning on bringing in more people to the dance by sharing how much fun it is and by doing a ticket deal where if you bring in two cans of food, you will get $5 off your ticket,” Herrera said. Herrera said he wants a bigger turnout this year to bring more money in, but also for personal reasons. “We are hoping to have a really good dance because it is the officer’s senior year,” Herrera said. “We are trying to get our whole grade to go. If seniors go, then it will bring more people in.” Herrera said he is trying to keep it Halloween related but with a creative theme. “We will for sure have costumes since that is the Sadie’s tradition, but we wanted a more specific theme,” Herrera said.
DECA adviser Sophia Ross said her chapter has brainstormed theme ideas to draw in more people. “We are working with the tagline ‘Getting Spooky With It’ taken from Will Smith’s song ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’ and the whole ‘Men in Black’ spooky theme,” Ross said. “It’s a fun theme, fun costumes. It’s less formal and more casual.” Ross said, DECA’s goal for this dance is to make it a fun and memorable night while raising money for this year’s chapter. “We try to do our best job with having a good theme, a good space and food for the students,” Ross said. Ross said the dance will have costume prizes, a backdrop for pictures and the
DJ will try to incorporate activities with the audience. Ross said one aspect she hopes will attract more students to attend the dance is a Sadie’s week where students are encouraged to wear dress codes that incorporate the spooky theme of the dance. Senior DECA officer Akhila Murthy said she hopes students will enjoy the dance because DECA has been working hard on getting the word out around the school. “We are planning on bringing in more people to do the dance by marketing it, advertising it and making the dance fun by having activities.” The dance will be 7-10 p.m. Oct. 30, at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park.
ut of the one and a half million students who took the PSAT/NMSQT last year, 10 Park students have been nationally recognized for their success on the test. Seniors Emmi Zheng, Jack Delaney and Elliot Schwartz were named National Merit Semi-Finalists in the the National Merit Scholarship Competition along with only 16,000 other students nationwide.
Additionally, seniors Nathan Beneke, Nitsa Dereskos, Gila Grad, Franciska Hauer, Caleb Hill, Peter Johnson and Miranda Van Pilsum-Johnson were commended for their achievements on the test. Only 34,000 students who took the PSAT/NMSQT last year received this honor. Students who win the National Merit Scholarship Competition are eligible to win a $2,500 non-need based scholarship along with Corporate-sponsored and College-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards. National Merit semi-finalists for the coming year have yet to be announced.
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he Light Grey Art Lab was filled with up to 300 people at the opening exhibition of the “Dream Arcade” art gallery. This gallery was different than most because instead of just showing artwork, it gave visitors an opportunity to play the video game with tablets placed on the walls and set to a corresponding to a piece of artwork. Gallery manager Jenny Bookler said she was one of the main artists who helped make the video game possible. “For the first six months we were learning how to program and how to make the levels and after that we did a call for art,” Bookler said. “Artists had about two months to make their artwork.” The Light Grey Art Lab and artists working alongside them, teamed up with Microsoft in order to make the game. Although the gallery has closed, the artwork in the video game and the game itself is available to see and play online and on mobile devices. Senior Xavier Lawson has played the game online and thought it was a fun and creative way to incorporate the different artist’s work. “I thought the game was filled with art,” Lawson said. “As for the gameplay, the story was pretty simple for a platform game, but I liked it.” “Dream Arcade” is available for download on the App Store for Windows devices. To play “Dream Arcade” online and learn more about the Light Grey Art Lab, visit lightgreyartlab. squarespace.com.
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pon entering the Riddle Room, a dozen people have one hour to figure their way out of the bunker by solving numerous puzzles rising in difficulty as each one is solved. Art Allen, proprietor of the company Modern Antics, who created the Riddle Room, began forming the concept after hearing about similar models that previously existed in other parts of the country. “I thought there would be a big interest, with enough people that would try it out,” Allen said. “There was nothing like it in Minneapolis. I knew some game designers, so we went from there.” Opened in May 2014, the Riddle Room attracts a large group of people and has been popular, making it a worth while investment, Allen said. The Riddle Room hosts groups every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Groups with fewer than 12 people will join with other groups to fulfill the minimum requirement.
The large group size the Riddle Room requires encourages teamwork, according to Allen. “It is a really fun group game, working together to solve mysterious puzzles,” Allen said. “I think it is new and interesting.” Through teamwork, problem solving and lots of puzzles, the Riddle Room lives up to its interactive description. Junior Charlie Berg said he thinks it is a unique concept and the group effort required to solve the puzzles makes it a good team building exercise. “It would be a really fun and interactive way to spend your time with a bunch of friends,” Berg said. “The critical thinking and teamwork it requires is a cool part of the activity.” The Riddle Room is located at 720 Central Ave. NE., Minneapolis, Minnesota. Individual tickets can be purchased for $25. For more information visit riddleroom.com.
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tar Trek: The Exhibition,” a museum-sty Mall of America, showcases one of the “Star Trek” artifacts on public display. At the exhibit, there are props, set price captain’s chair, among other pieces of “Sta These props and objects have been d many of them were used in the shows and Other items on display include large m tumes, head masks of famous aliens, and spaceships that were used. Panels are also displayed with memorab Roddenberry, the original creator of the fir sion series.
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es and a replica of the ar Trek” history. donated by CBS, and movies. mannequins with cosd models of the many
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he Minnesota History Center’s new exhibit brings toys and games from decades ago back to life. The exhibit is separated into the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, with a living room set for each era. These settings show where children might have played with toys and also represent the outside influences on the toy industry during these years. There are interactive activities for visitors to participate in and open areas where toys are set up for everyone to try out. Period commercials also play in each living room. Senior exhibit developer Kate Roberts said she enjoys how many people share memories with the toys on display. “It’s either ‘I had that,’ or ‘I wanted that,’ or ‘I heard my parents or grandparents talk about that,’” Roberts said. “Everybody’s got a personal connection.” Freshman Eitan Grad said the exhibit is engaging because it’s something unique and interesting to see. “I haven’t really been to a lot of museums in a while,” Grad said. “[It was] something different and fun for the end of the summer.” Roberts said she thinks the exhibit is appealing because of the way the toys reflect what was going on in the world during these eras. “You think about Barbie when she premiered, what was happening with women and how [the doll] evolved over time related to the women’s movement,” Roberts said. “You see that over and over again, different historical trends are really mirrored in the toys.” The exhibit is free with general admission, which is $6 for under 18 and $11 for 18 and over. It will be open until Jan. 4. The address is 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota.
F Visitors are able to take a picture in front of the “Star Trek” logo or sitting on the bridge of the Enterprise. Megan Losure, the exhibit’s supervisor, said attendance was very high in the beginning but has slowed down. “Attendance has lowered now that school is back in session, but we do continue to have many individuals go through each day,” Losure said. Losure also said she has seen a favorable response to the exhibit throughout the summer among “Star Trek” fans. “I can tell that there are a lot of ‘super fans’ of ‘Star Trek’ out there,” Losure said. “I have several staff members who are big fans as well.” Junior Meg Harrington hasn’t been, but said she thinks the
exhibit sounds interesting, despite her lack of knowledge about “Star Trek.” “I know nothing about it, I’ve never seen the movies,” Harrington said. “It sounds good, maybe if I saw the movies and then [went].” Losure also said it has been a good experience for her to see people so clearly enjoying the exhibition. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Losure said. The exhibition opened May 10 and is expected to stay at least through November. Tickets are $17. The address is 60 E. Broadway, Bloomington, Minnesota. More information can be found at startrektheexhibition.com.
couldn’t feel my fingers; or my toes, for that matter. As I stood at the top of a terrifying downhill course with the frigid air whipping at me, I felt as if I would faint. When the timer went off I would be flying down the mountain at 55 miles per hour, occasionally flying through the air in blizzard-like conditions. This was Junior Championships for ski racing in Steamboat, Colorado. I was there with a few of my teammates who also qualified for the race. It took place over the course of a week. The first couple days were downhill, which is the fastest and most intimidating event. Right before my run I looked at the starter and saw he was counting down from 10. I took a deep breath, almost started crying, took another deep breath and pushed out of the start gate. I was shaking all over. I thought I was going to fall every time I made a turn. The course was very icy and slippery. I seemed to forget this is what I love and this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. When I am doing something I love and I’m terrified, I try to block out all my fear and just enjoy myself. In the middle of the course I felt like my ski was about to pop off and my legs were on fire, but I made it down OK. I realized that it wasn’t so bad. Through the course of my skiing development I figured out the biggest part of being an athlete was learning to block out the thoughts racing through my brain. This is going to help me achieve my dreams of becoming an Olympic ski racer, whether or not I get there. Even though we sometimes have to do things as an athlete that are not fun, like taking ice baths after a long training session, I just have to remember this is what I love. I could have done a million other things, but I chose this sport. The key for me is to embrace it fully, and remember to just let go and enjoy myself. That is how I succeed. I learned I have to block out my fears and love my sport in order to be a successful athlete.
espite the boys’ best efforts to continue on to the class AA State soccer tournament, the team lost to Wayzata Oct. 14 at Wayzata High School. Assistant coach Pat Hartman
said he is proud of the performance and leadership the boys put forth throughout the season. “I think it was a pretty successful season. The boys really gelled well, we had a lot of really talented players, and when they worked well together, they played well,” Hartman said. Senior varsity defender Graham Larson said he is proud of the team, but thinks they could have played better. “At some points we played really well, and at some points
hen junior Jack Hollinger stepped up to the bowling lane to make his shot last year, he looked back to find only six other bowlers cheering him on. This year, however, there are three more players to support the team, according to Anthony Rhines. Rhines, the youth coordinator at Texa Tonka Lanes, helps coach the bowling team. He said in the past few years, there has been a decrease in players. “We always want to have as many kids as possible,” Rhines said. “Last year the only reason why we did not have a junior varsity team is because we only had seven bowlers on the team. This year we have 10.” Rhines said he hopes the new players will gain valuable life lessons. “I hope that the new bowlers will learn something from their coach, learn good sportsmanship and being a leader,” Rhines said. Junior Luke Cichoski, captain of the bowl-
we didn’t play very well at all,” Larson said. “A weakness was that we didn’t create enough scoring opportunities for the strikers,” Larson said. Varsity sophomore defender Daniel Decker said he saw lack of composure and communication in the second half of the game as the breaking point. “After the other team scored two consecutive goals we started to break down. We pushed people up to get a goal, but couldn’t
ing team, said the increase of players will improve individual and team performance. “Having more people makes it more fun and makes us more competitive,” Cichoski said. “So far this year we’ve actually been a lot more competitive with other teams than previous years.” Cichoski said the team is currently in second place for conference. Junior Jack Hollinger said he wants to help out the new players because of his five years of experience. “My goal for this year is to teach the new
because we weren’t composed enough and weren’t connecting,” Decker said. According to Decker, although the team is disappointed with the loss, players are proud of the season as a whole. “We had a good season overall,” Decker said. “I am still disappointed by the fact that I know we could’ve won and gone to State, but we just didn’t get the result. Those of us left just have to put this behind us and get better for next season.”
bowlers what it’s going to take, the focus settings for being successful against other teams and letting them grow individually,” Hollinger said. Sophomore Lulu Cohen is new on the bowling team and hopes to get used to matches and learn from her teammates. “I think that we will all give each other tips and learn from each other and also be the best that we can be,” Cohen said. The bowling team will be paired up against another team at Texa Tonka Lanes at 4 p.m. Oct. 24.
or several years strength and conditioning has been a way for student athletes to improve their game during the offseason, and this year the number of participants is greater than ever before. Strength and conditioning coordinator, Jessica Gust said that the potential number of people in the program for this school year far outweighs last year’s. “At the end of last year there were 313 kids in the class, and already by the start of this year there are 301 people signed up,” Gust said. “It’s pretty obvious that we are going to have way more people this year.” Gust said because of the huge attendance rate, they have had to add classes before school in the fall. “We have had 1,200 more daily attendance than the year before,” Gust said. “We had to add a morning class for the fall and we have added lots of new equipment.” In early October, Gust confronted the School Board to address the issue that a larger weight
he Minnesota State High School League is considering a new proposal to create guidelines for transgender athletes, allowing them to play on the gender specific team with which they identify. For example, a student who has transitioned or is transitioning from a male to a female gender identity would be able to play
For seven years, and I started playing in the third grade, but I took off a year in the eighth grade. room is necessary for the number of people interested in the afterschool activity. “I went to the School Board earlier this month and explained to them that with the large number of students this year there has to be a change,” Gust said. However, Gust said the spread of false information has created a bad reputation for the program and its benefits for certain sports. “There is a lot of misinformation out there, like strength is only good for anaerobic sports like football, but depending on your sport you are going to do different routines than the other sports,” Gust said. Gust added those who participate in strength will see improvements, but still need to work on their sports specific skills. “It doesn’t matter what sport you play, all getting in the weight room is going to do is give you an advantage, but is not going to
on a girls’ sports team instead of a boys’ team. Minnesota is one of the few states remaining without these types of guidelines. Many states such as California and Colorado already have provisions that provide guidance when it comes to transgender athletes, according to John Millea, media specialist for the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). “We’re kind of behind the times (with this),” Millea said. “It’s basically to give schools guidelines if you have an athlete who is transgender, what are the steps you should take.” Millea said the policy gives schools a way to understand and
replace practicing your sport.” Junior Conor Klaers is one of several student athletes who participates in strength. Klaers said since joining the program he has received a lot of information and has seen improvements in his game that show on the ice. “I can tell how much stronger, faster, and well rounded I’ve become as an athlete, which is an advantage in any sport,” Klaers said. Klaers said aside from individual improvement that the program could also help all sports teams performances at Park. “I think it would really improve not only individuals, but team performances at SLP,” Klaers said. With the fall session coming to a close, Gust said a new session will begin in early November for athletes interested in joining the program.
approach the issue rather than forcing school districts to comply with specific guidelines. “(It’s) just guidelines, there’s no enforcement,” Millea said. “It just gives administrators some checkpoints to follow.” Millea also said while certain schools may have a procedure for these situations, there are other schools that could benefit from increased direction. “There’s probably some schools that are dealing with this that already have a plan, but I’m sure most schools haven’t dealt with this and would like some guidance,” Millea said. Sophomore Chloe O’Gara said she supports the idea and
I have watched football since I was really young, so I couldn’t wait for the day that I could put the pads on myself. My parents used to always take me to the Gopher games too and I loved that. Starting Quarterback.
It’s pretty special. There’s some pressure that comes with it obviously, but with each game I become more experienced and I learn from my mistakes. Hopefully I can take full advantage of the chance I’ve been given.
Since this past summer, so this is my first official year on varsity.
thinks the proposal should be enforced. “I definitely think that it’s a good thing,” O’Gara said. “You don’t want to feel isolated, so you should (be able to) go where you fit in.” Sophomore Richard Green said the guidelines make sense and a student’s skill should be the determining factor rather than their gender. “I guess they should if they’re good enough to make the team, gender shouldn’t matter,” Green said. After delaying the first scheduled vote on the guidelines Oct. 2, the MSHSL will be officially deciding on the proposal Dec. 4.
My quarterback coach Mike has expectations for me to play well every game. With my family coming out to watch me, I have an extra source of inspiration to play for. Being the only sophomore and playing quarterback, it makes me want to show everyone I deserve the spot.
Less experience of this level of play. The complexity of the defenses is obviously noticeable, and also being able to control my nerves before a game.
I usually listen to dubstep music, go through plays in my head, check my wristband and try to get in the zone.
Yes. College ball would be great, D1 or D2. Maybe a few years playing on a semi-pro team like my coach.
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 Mara Bacig, Abby Hickstein, Emily Tifft Malik Grays Adna Aideed, Mara Bacig, Harrison Barden, Hannah Bernstein, Joe Brandel, Kaylee Chamberlain, Sean Cork, Allison Cramer, 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, Andy Magill, Julia Nathan, Polina Pekurovsky, Conrad Phelan, Loni Rutherford, Neda Salamzadeh, Albie Sher, Olivia Sieff, Amina Mohamud, Harry Steffenhagen, Emily Tifft, Cedar Thomas, Zach Tronson, Miranda VanPilsum-Johnson & Heather Westwood
he tragic death of seventh grader Abdullahi Charif, which occurred at the Middle School swimming pool last February, leaves many questioning whether or not the swimming instruction should exist. However, closing the pool is not the solution. Creating a better organized and efficient swimming program is. Minnesota does not require students take a swim course because many schools lack pool access. Since St. Louis Park is lucky enough to have pool facilities, it should put the pool to use. Students should learn swimming because it is a life-saving skill. In order to do so, proper provisions need to be set into place to ensure safety. The course should no longer involve games and instead focus on teaching the basics of swimming. This will allow for more time for personalized instruction. By testing students on their swimming proficiency, appropriate classes can be formed. For example one could have students who swim well and one with students who need extra help. These separations allow for a smaller teacher-
student ratio in the pool. With a smaller teacher-student ratio in the pool, chaos can be avoided. This teacher-student ratio should be lower than the rule established of a ratio of one to 20.
A pool-related tragedy should be incentive for teaching students how to swim, instead of being a reason to keep them out of the water. Students should be aware of this as discussions continue over
tudents and faculty in Jefferson County Public Schools, Colorado’s largest school district, carried out protests and walkouts the week of Sept. 23. The protests were in response to a school board proposal to change aspects of the Advanced Placement U.S. History (APUSH) curriculum. Julie Williams, a conservative member of the school board, drafted the proposal, which includes establishment of a curriculum review board and specific amendments to the history curriculum. Under the guise of striving for objectivity, the proposal aims to “promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free enterprise system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights” while ensuring materials do not “encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.” The issue with this proposal is it attempts to ignore and undermine fundamental aspects of American
history, while supporting a nationalistic and inauthentic picture of how America came to be. Disobedience and social strife are an essential part of the history of America. Vietnam War protests, the Boston Tea Party, women’s suffrage and slavery are just some examples of important moments in our history where deviant thought and action were necessary for the advancement of our society. The proposal appeared in response to College Board changes in the APUSH curriculum framework. The new curriculum focuses more on “historical thinking skills” and less on rote memorization. A fine line exists between curriculum review and biased teaching. In an interview with a Colorado news station Sept. 18, Williams stated “I don’t think we should encourage kids to be little rebels.” Besides being a rather patronizing view of how 17-year olds absorb knowledge, the message Williams is sending goes against the very core American values of honesty and integrity that she is claiming to defend. American schools should be promoting nonconformist thinking and rebellion because these are the very qualities that make Amer-
ica great. And actually, Jefferson County schools do encourage kids to be “little rebels.” The Rebels are the mascots of one of the county’s schools: Columbine High School. In a press release posted on Facebook Sept. 23, Williams states, “I believe all children graduating from an American school should know three things: American Exceptionalism, an understanding of U.S. history, and know the Constitution.” The aspect of her argument that is the most flawed is the necessity for a belief in American Exceptionalism. A respect and appreciation for America demands an understanding of our faults and the humility that must accompany them. We’ve imprisoned our citizens because they had the same skin color as those we were fighting a war against. We’ve ordered drone strikes on innocent civilians and refused comment. We’ve traded in the commodity of human life. Our successes and our faults define us equally. If we don’t give equal time and weight to acknowledge and reflect on both in our educational system, we fail to honor our past and intentionally shape our future.
Noah Robiner Scott Meyers Quad Graphics Lori Keekley The Echo is the official student-produced newspaper of St. Louis Park Senior High School. It is published tri-weekly 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
the future use of the pool. Students should petition the administration to provide this opportunity to learn an important life skill for free that may not be available otherwise.
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
To gender neutral bathrooms. Maybe now I can get the AtLarge Lab code.
To haunted houses. When I get scared I just log into PowerSchool.
To bowling. Hopefully my baseball strikes will transfer over.
O.E.
N.R.
J.M.
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.
s schools continue to increase technology use in curricula, students may not be benefiting as intended. The use of technology in classrooms makes it much easier for students to cheat and share work with each other versus in a traditional classroom setting. According to an Ohio University study, 85 percent of students said they had cheated at least once by the end of high school partly because of ease of access to information. With the Internet, students can look up answers to questions they would benefit from answering on their own. A Pew Research Center study found 90 percent of teachers saw technology use leading to easily distracted students. Students also can fall behind in class if they are not technologi-
cally literate and must spend time learning the basic functions of devices. This also requires teachers to be trained in instructing students in technology use, which is expensive as well as time-consuming. Many class curricula now include computer or Internet based homework assignments. This is a problem for students without access to expensive devices and Internet access at home. The required use of technology puts students from low-income families at a disadvantage to other students through no fault of their own. Students who face issues with growing technology curriculum should talk to teachers about difficulties of web and tech-based homework. They can work together to find a more accessible way of learning. We need to reduce technology use in schools. Sticking to traditional teaching methods accessible to all students helps promote equal, productive learning environments, which will benefit the education of all students.
ith many schools around the nation moving toward a more device friendly classroom, students are being given access to much more information than can be found in any textbook. The integration of devices such as tablets and laptops in the everyday classroom gives students the option of extending the lesson learned in the classroom with the infinite information on the web. This allows students to quickly find out more about a topic discussed in class that interests them, which in turn makes learning more enjoyable for students. Technology also creates more efficient classrooms. Quizzes or tests can be taken through devices, allowing instant grading and feedback. Presentations and projects that require use of technology can be worked on right in the class-
room, which saves lab space and time. Technology offers a seamless transition between the classroom and the home. Students’ work they did in class is available to them online as soon as they boot up their device. The use of these educational devices also prepares students for the modern world, where technological prowess is becoming more and more valuable. Being able to quickly and effectively find information through the web is an important skill to have. Using technology in the classroom gives students the ability to gain this advantage. The use of technology in classrooms is beneficial to students, and should be incorporated even more into curriculum in order to prepare students better for their lives after high school. It allows students who don’t have a particular passion for learning to explore topics in a more relevant manner. Technology grows more and more prevalent everyday, and our learning methods should reflect this growth.
t’s extremely upsetting to think some citizens of Minneapolis were denied access to something as simple as a safe place to urinate. Minneapolis City Council members unanimously passed a bill Sept. 22 encouraging businesses to provide gender neutral bathrooms for transgender, transsexual, queer and other people who do not identify as simply a male or female. According to Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition, as of March 2013, Minneapolis only had 21 businesses that supplied gender neutral bathrooms in the city. Companies such as Refuge Bathrooms and Peeing in Peace compiled a list of these locations as a resource for those wanting the information. The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities led these efforts by creating a map of all the gender neutral bathrooms along the East and West Bank and the St. Paul campus during April 2012. This map can be found on Google Maps using the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Ally link on the U of M homepage and can be saved it to computers or smartphones. At Park, a gender neutral bathroom is accessible for all students in the At-Large Lab. This bathroom is available at any time during the school day for student use and is a positive start to opening up public restrooms to all. St. Louis Park businesses should follow suit by incorporating these types of facilities in their public buildings. Using restrooms comfortably without fear of embarrassment is a right, not a privilege and should be treated as such.
ost haunted houses are geared mainly toward children, but the Butcher Shop House of Gore aims to scare those of all ages. The Butcher Shop steers away from psychological horror, focusing mainly on the style of gruesome, bloody monsters from classic gore films. Michael Etoll, the creator of the haunted house, said he started the Butcher Shop to keep himself busy. “We put everything together in nine days,” Etoll said. “We were Dumpster diving for materials. We scrapped it together, and it was a lot of fun. Now we just keep improving it,” he said. According to Etoll, his first interest in haunted houses arose when his uncle tricked him into going through one as a child. “I was terrified, and this had a
Sever’s Corn Maze presents “Sever’s Corn maze and fall festival,” providing an attraction for those who seek something that’s not haunted this fall. Tickets cost $13.
The Trylon Microcinema presents “Quelle Horreur: Essential French Frights.” Deranged obsessions and paralyzing paranoia are throughout the chilling fourfilm series. Tickets cost $8.
profound effect on me,” he said. “All of this became trapped in my brain, waiting to leak out and inspire the imagery that I create for The Butcher Shop.” Now in its fourth year, the Butcher Shop continues to modify the haunted house by adding props and shifting construction and hopes to add on to the space for the 2015 season, according to Etoll. Etoll said the classic style and the use of original decorations set the Butcher Shop apart. “Because we are totally independent, we don’t have to hold back on the blood, guts and gore,” Etoll said. “We also incorporate many elements from the past. It’s not a nostalgia show but it’s reminiscent of haunted houses from the ’60s.” Sophomore Troy Richardson said he fears the gore style of haunted houses. “I think I’m more scared of ugly things jumping out of nowhere than psychological terror,” Richardson said. Etoll said people who attend the Butcher Shop come for an original experience. “The creatures who inhabit the Butcher Shop do not follow a script, and you will never feel like you are watching a show,” Etoll said. “I think that is important. If you want a fulfilling cultural experience, go elsewhere. We do this to scare the fecal matter out of you.”
Brave New Workshop presents “the Wolf of Walmart,” a comedy built around the question ‘what if Walmart was in charge of everything?’ Tickets cost $25-30.
The Trail of Terror in Shakopee provides an attraction for almost any type of fear including a maze filled with spooks, a haunted wooded area and a zombie 5k. Tickets cost $19.95.