unior Mellissa Clarke said she was relieved when she finished her driving requirements before a new law took effect. The law changes the application process for a road test, making it more time consuming. Minnesota now requires 50 hours of supervised driving, in addition to the six hours of behind-the-wheel training, before taking the road test. Teenage drivers must show this completion through a log sheet signed by a parent or guardian to turn in on the day of their provisional license road test, according to Allison Luskey, a driver’s education teacher. “In the past it has been recommended to complete these hours, but this law is a way to back up the recommendation and make sure kids are getting enough practice time with the supervised driver,” Luskey said. Driving time is reduced to 40 hours if a parent or guardian of the applicant attends a 90-minute parent learning class set up by the applicant’s driver’s education teacher. This is the only method of reducing the required hours of driving with their permit, according to Luskey. “I think what the state is asking for is for the kids to have more practice time and show and take responsibility for the amount of hours
sing student surveys, the kitchen staff is hoping to change up lunches and please more students. According to Tami Borgen, the kitchen production manager, the surveys help the nutrition office to make more effective changes. Borgen also said it has been hard to get students involved. “I don’t know how many people notice (us). There’s a lot of kids that walk past that don’t
even want to take it,” Borgen said. “A lot of kids say ‘I don’t eat the lunch.’” Sophomore Rachael Leadholm hasn’t taken a survey and said she wasn’t aware they were happening. She said taking a survey would allow her to share her opinion about the food. “I like how they’re cooked right, and I like their pizzas, (but) the food here is so expensive,” Leadholm said. “I would have more of a voice (about that) when I take a survey.” Sarah Antell, head cook, said one of the major changes the kitchen has made based on the survey results was bringing dis-
continued items back. “We’ve brought some items back that they wanted, such as the fettuccine,” Antell said. Borgen said the kitchen staff have made other additions such as the salad bar and the new pizza. “The salad bar has been in motion since the beginning of the school year,” Borgen said. “We had to wait for the first of the year to get that going, but that seems to be going very well.” According to Antell and Borgen, around 40-50 students have taken the surveys each time. They said they hope to increase those numbers in the future through more awareness.
they are in the car practicing,” Luskey said. Luskey said she believes this law will make drivers more prepared in the future. “The more hours of practice with a supervised driver in the car the better,” Luskey said. “It’s not like there are perfect drivers out there, but the more time a student has behind the wheel and practicing in different situations, the better drivers they will be.” Clarke said she plans on taking the road test to receive her provisional license within the next month. She said she believes the law will lower the risk associated with teen driving. “There are so many accidents with people under 18 so more rules are being enforced to help younger people be better drivers,” Clarke said. Although the law benefits teenage drivers, it may be excessive, according to Clarke. “It’s a little annoying to complete all these hours, it means more time on your hands to prepare for the test,” Clarke said. Sophomore Nate Stone said he believes this new requirement will hurt some teenagers’ abilities to take the road test but the change is a positive addition. “While the abrupt change may have been difficult for some to make up, the overall effect should be a good thing,” Stone said. Stone said he believes the new law will aid in the safety of teenage drivers. “If a driver is more prepared on day one of having their license, they will be better and safer drivers,” Stone said.