Volume 1 issue 2

Volume 1. Issue 2. March 2016

Spectrum High School

Arts and Entertainment

Ceramics is Spinning into SHS

I lower the sculpting tool down and admire my creation. What was a lump of clay at the beginning of class has now become a vessel more amazing than all of the concept sketches I have drawn for this idea. This exact feeling of euphoria has happened to each student in ceramics at least once during their journey through clay mastery in these past few months.

Ceramics is a brand new art class that started this semester during eighth hour for emerging art students. It has been a dream of Mrs. Kemnitz to offer this class for several years. Currently, there are twelve artists in the class, and several different students in the school are looking at taking ceramics in the future due to all of the great things they have heard about the class.

“I am excited to see where this class will go in the future, and I am hoping to offer it more than one hour next year,” explains Mrs. Kemnitz. “I feel this is an art class that is different from what has been previously offered at Spectrum.” With the excitement from the school faculty to back her, Mrs. Kemnitz has surged forward with the teaching of this exciting new art class.

The current students in the class are also excited about the Ceramics buzz around the school. Senior Laura Aldrich said “I feel really creative, and that I am making something I am proud of in this class.” Laura is not the only student that feels this way. After observing the class for a short time, it is obvious how supportive each artist-in-training is of everyone’s artwork and how each student gets excited when a completed project comes out of the kiln. The classroom becomes almost hectic as students crowd around the half wall to the kiln waiting for their project to emerge, hoping to get a glimpse of how it looks. As of before spring break, the students in the class had completed five different projects, some of which have been put on display in the trophy case by the event entrance.

As we move into the last few weeks of school, it will be interesting to see the next few projects completed by the ceramics students. Mrs. Kemnitz and the school’s administration has high hopes for the ceramics class in coming years with plans to expand the class as needed. If you are at all interested in taking ceramics next year, I challenge you to go talk to Mrs. Kemnitz and learn more about the class. Then talk with Guidance about getting this interesting and exciting new class on your schedule. This year’s class has already been having a blast making a plethora of amazing projects. With all of these great reasons to join, don’t you want to sign up for Ceramics next year?

Exploring the World of Into the

Woods

Spectrum High School presents “Into the Woods”, a story about a baker and his wife who are cursed by an evil witch. In order to reverse this curse, the baker and his wife venture into the woods. Throughout their adventure, they encounter Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Jack. The Spectrum students will be performing this musical on April 15th and 16th at 7:00pm, and April 17th at 1:00pm. The students have been practicing endlessly for their upcoming performances, so you should come out and support them and the entire drama department here at Spectrum. After many evenings spent rehearsing their lines, practicing their steps, and learning different singing techniques, the students are excited to share their hard work and excellency with the rest of the Spectrum community. Mrs. Kinney and Mrs. Stelten are very excited about their students’ progress and determination throughout this entire production. One example of the drama students hard work and perseverance is that the cast has created life-size trees that are movable. Overall, between the singing, the costumes, and the sets, “Into the Woods” is not a musical you will want to miss!

Radio

Designed by C. Mahanna, Photos by I. Riley, Story by M.McCarty

Music

Design ed Story b by C. Mah anna, y I. Rile Photos y

Award s

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Last year about 2.6 million people watched the Teen Choice Awards, but did you know that there is another awards show in which teens can decide who wins the awards?

On May 1, the Radio Disney Music Awards will be presented to artists based on voting by teenagers. Voting for the awards is open until April 10, and many artists are up for awards across seventeen different categories like Best Song to Dance to and Artist with the Best Style. Performing that night at the awards are Ariana Grande, Hailee Steinfeld, Flo Rida, Laura Marano, and the band DNCE, some of which are nominated for awards. Also sure to be www.tumblr.com there is Taylor Swift, who was nominated for five different awards, and Shawn Mendes, who was nominated for three different awards. No matter who wins, the show is definitely going to be an exciting with all the different performers and awards handed out. It is the ideal awards show for teens.

www.shineon-media.com

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Disney

Designed by C. Mahanna, Story by M. McCarty

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News

Unlocking Potential: Do the electives suit our students?

“Ignite, elevate, empower, aspire, and thrive,” these are all adjectives that describe students who are involved with the DECA program. DECA is a program that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and in colleges worldwide. It gives students the opportunity to learn new skills such as role play, promotion projects, advertising, and management. As Micah Pachl, an eleventh grader at Spectrum conveys, “Electives should be based around the jobs we plan on doing when we are older, this would prepare us for college more.” DECA also allows those involved to compete and travel around the globe. Students have the chance to win scholarships based on their accomplishments.

Mrs. Stelten says she thinks electives can prepare you for future opportunities, however, they can also just be something you take to foster and develop your interests.

Micah mentioned that “The electives offered at Spectrum provide only a limited amount of choices. The electives here don’t prepare us for college well enough.” This is why the DECA program would be a good addition to Spectrum’s electives.

Autism Awareness Month

“Small School. Big Results,” is something Spectrum High School has engraved into the work ethic of both the faculty and the students. They aim to prepare students for future opportunities that will come with graduating high school. However, are the electives offered at Spectrum a sufficient way of equipping their students for business promotions and for internship possibilities? Angie Schweke, a senior a Spectrum, shares that she feels “Our school only offers art electives,” and that she, “Wishes we had a more variety to choose from.” Electives such as a DECA chapter, auto mechanics, wood workshops, or fashion classes will better those students who are choosing to go into careers that do not involve the arts. Mr. Briggs, a faculty member shares with us that he is an art major himself and while he enjoys the electives offered, having more businesses classes would appeal to a broader audience. Mrs. Stelten agrees with Mr. Briggs. “I would love to see more electives offered at SHS. As a teacher, I always wonder about the kids that have two or three study halls. They could be taking advantage of an opportunity to study something new!” Marcus is a student at Spectrum that is involved in many different electives, but he wishes for more. He expresses his want for other electives.

“Another elective that I have been wanting to do is Forensic Science. I think it would be amazing for me to learn about an investigation and to apply that scientific evidence to criminal and civil laws.” Overall the electives that Spectrum offers are good, but limited.

The month of April is known as Autism Awareness month. 3.5 million Americans have Autism and the number is still increasing by 10-17% worldwide. ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is the fastest-growing developmental disability. People who suffer from Autism tend to have a hard time communicating and suffer from repetitive behaviors. Other symptoms include attention issues, becoming overly focused on objects, and having poor eye contact. Some even have limited to no speech. Autism is caused by risk genes and also can be from environmental elements. These environmental elements can influence early brain development causing Autism. One in sixty-eight children have Autism. However, it is more common in boys.

Autism has no cure, but family counseling and therapy are options for those affected by Autism.

One of the service learning groups at Spectrum, Understanding Others, has been working hard this year to teach students to truly understand the challenges of having a disability such as Autism and how they can make a difference in the lives of people that have disabilities. The service learning group visited a place called Options Inc. where adults with disabilities can go to get assistance with finding jobs and keeping jobs. The group has also watched several movies including Radio, August Rush, and Temple Grandin that covered the topics of disabilities such as Autism. Olivia Rice, a student in the service learning class, said that watching these movies and participating in the activities has helped her understand the difficulties that people with ASD might have and how the disability affects their lives.

During Autism Awareness Month, there are various local events as well as online events and activities that happen. These events assure that those affected with ASD are given opportunities to achieve the highest quality of life. You can support Autism awareness by recognizing someone who has it, or wear the Autism awareness puzzle ribbon. Other ways you can help is by downloading the NAAM poster and distributing it to the school, libraries, and community centers. It’s time to make a difference.

Writing by: MaKayla Morrell Layout People: Kayla Averbeck

Marcus Grund

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Article by: Holly M, Kassi R, & Josie S

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Centerspread

Spring Break Highlights

From tropical beach vacations, to historic monument tours, and visiting the Emerald City, these Spectrum students had anything but a boring spring break! Country’s borders were crossed, planes were flown, suitcases were stuffed full, and the weather was everything but consistent!

Keep reading to find out how these world-traveler students spent their days off school.

Over spring break 10th grader Makayla Morrell went to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. This was her second time in Mexico, but her first time in Playa del Carmen. Makayla was there for seven days, and she went with her immediate family. “We sat by the pool and the beach and went to an island called Xel Ha. What I enjoyed most was the beach party at night, that was really fun,” Makayla says about her trip. She also explained the weather, by saying it was sunny the first day, and really hot the second day, even though it rained. The rest of the days were warm, with a mix of cloudy and sunny. Makayla also talked about how interesting the food was in Playa del Carmen. It was more homemade and had more flavor, most of it was spicy and there was a lot of seafood. On a scale of 1-10, Makayla rated the trip a ten. “I would definitely go back and I would rate it an 8,” Makayla said about her spring break trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The photo, right, shows a photo of Makayla enjoying a day in Mexico.

Article by Taylor Johnson Photo courtesy of Makayla Morrell

Hannah Skistad, a junior here at Spectrum High School went on a memorable spring break trip this year. With her family, they took a road trip to Washington D.C., and along the way they stopped at Gettysburg. Hannah saw lots of historic sights and museums over the course of her trip. She said that with the exception of a cold and rainy first day, the weather was great over her trip- around 70 degrees! At their stop in Gettsyburg, they drove around, touring the memorials and saw where the fighting took place. Once her and her family got to D.C., they walked around the National Mall, and went into lots of museums. Hannah advises future visitors to the nation’s capital to be cautious to plan enough time, because there is so much to do and see there! She also suggests being prepared for all of the walking, especially along the mall, because museums and monuments are not all as close together as one would think, and parking can be tricky. On the right,, a photo shows Hannah and her brother Titus, 6th grade, in front of the White House.

Article and page design by Hayley Balmanno Photo courtesy of Hannah Skistad

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Isabel Riley, a senior at Spectrum High School, chose to visit Seattle over spring break. It was her first time traveling to the west coast. Isabel said that most of the weather was sunny, with the exception of the last couple days when it rained. One of her favorite parts of her trip was going to Pike Place Market. At the market, you could buy locally-made fresh foods and goods. Isabel branched out to try a food she wouldn’t normally. She ate a beef jerky stick from Pikes Place and said it was exceptional. Isabel enjoyed the simplicity of just walking around the city and getting Starbucks everyday, in the city where Starbucks started. Isabel rated her trip an 8 out of 10 because although it was super fun, every activity was expensive and she had to walk everywhere she went. She did get to use an Uber a couple of times though, and said it was really fun to meet new people! When asked if she would return again, Isabel replied with, “Yes because my best friend is moving there”. Overall Isabel had a fabulous vacation in Washington. She said it was a great time to relax and escape her responsibilities. The photo, right, shows Isabel in the city.

Article by Madeline Hays Photo courtesy of Isabel Riley ,

Photo Journalism

Nature in Photography

Entering the Rubik’s Realm The rubik’s cube first appeared in 1974. It was created by Ern Rubik, a Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture.

The Rubik’s cube was very popular in the 1980’s. You may not know it, but the Rubik’s cube is coming back in style.

At least it is for Spectrum’s middle school. Jonathan Gertz, an eighth grader at Spectrum, likes “the challenge that they have in trying to solve them and being able to figure out new ways to solve them.” Jonathan also likes getting faster times. He says he started solving Rubik’s cube when he was a fourth grader when he did a science project that used a Rubiks’ cube. Jonathan says that the first time he solved a rubik’s cube he was very happy with himself.

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The photo above was taken by Kyla Johnson. She is a student in Advanced Digital Photography that loves to take photos. She took this photo for a project called “Spring.” Kyla explained , “I took it at Botanical Garden in Arizona over spring break.” When asked what she would have changed about her photo, Kyla replied that she wished that she would have made the bee in the photo more clear and sharper. “I like that you can be creative, and with any given topic you can just make your own thing out of it and make it how you want,” Kyla explains what she liked about photography.

Credits: Layout Designer: M. Schelske Photographer: M. Johnson Interviewer: A. Starika Writer: M. Schelske & A. Starika

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Feature With the school year coming to end, the seniors of Spectrum High School are savoring their last moments with their peers.

Transitioning into college is a big step that many of them are both excited and are weary about. Two of the seniors we interviewed wanted to share their views with future graduates.

Support your Peers at Fine Arts Night Do you know someone in Spectrum’s Band or Choir?

Are you free on the 6th or the 20th of May? If so, come out and support your fellow peers and friends. The band concert will be held on May 6th from 7-9pm, in the gym. Then, on May 20th the choir concert will take place. The concerts will be the last of the year, so this is your final chance to come out and watch your peers!

Have a date for prom?

Holly Friend describes graduation as being “an exciting new beginning” and continues to say, “I have this great experience to visit with all my friends and to succeed while in high school, and it’s another step to do well in college.” Holly said the best moments of high school were “those nights when you were with your friends late at night. You were driving around in the car, or you were out at a bonfire. Just sitting around able to have great fellowship with your peers, and being able to talk about the same things that you were all going through.” According to Holly, the most valuable lesson she learned from high school was “to not be discouraged if you don’t succeed right away.

You need to always keep trying and if you don’t understand something, just keep at it, because sooner or later, you will understand it, and you will be able to succeed at whatever you’re trying to accomplish.” Over the summer, Holly says she plans to go on mission trips to Haiti and potentially to Thailand.

She also recently applied to Home Depot and got accepted for the job during the interview! She is going to commute between her new job in Monticello and Saint Cloud State University in the fall. In college, she is interested in entering a nursing program, Holly mentions “I’m most excited to take the labs for human anatomy and for physiology because they use cadavers and that’s really exciting.” Rather than participating in competitive sports, she states that she would instead like to join fun, after-school club sports.

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Writing and Design by H. Skistad and J. Cralley

Ladies and gentlemen, get the guts to go ask someone to prom! If you choose not to, then go with a group of friends! Buy your ticket(s) from the office with cash or pay online for $85 until April 25th, after that the price will be $100. After you buy your ticket(s), tell your friends to buy their tickets as well! Prom will be so much better if you gather as many people as you can! On May 7th, prom will be held at Windows on Minnesota. The location of Windows on Minnesota is found at 710 S Marquette Ave in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Are you going to Valley Fair?

Looking for a day to hang out with friends, eat food, go on rides, and play games? Then take a break from what you are doing and go to Valley Fair! Get your early bird tickets on May 31st, for a discount on your ticket! Do not wait till the last minute, or you will have to pay full price. Bring a bagged lunch or money for food.

On May 31st there will be a bus at Spectrum High School waiting for all Spectrum students to be shuttled to Valley Fair. If you are not planning on riding the bus, the location to Valley Fair is: 1 Valley Fair Dr, Shakopee, MN 55379. Hope to see you there!

Captions by: J. Jakubiec Pages designed by: H. Skistad

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Opinion

Batman or Supermman

M & M’s or Skittles

Stephen Curry or Lebron James

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In a recent survey students around the school were asked their opinions between these topics, and the responces varied from student to student..Overall students like Batman more because he wears a mask which makes him more mysterious. When it came to M&M’s and Skittles the results were very similar. But unfortunately M&M’s came out on top. As it came time for students to pick the top basketball players Lebron James is the favorite.

When asked about shoes their rather wear, students picked Mandals over Crocs.

Although the results were very close. We know that everyone loves sweets. But it turns out that students love Cosmic Brownies more than Zebra cakes. Student would rather watch TV shows on Netflix instead of watching movies. h t t p : / / w w w . moviequotesandmore.com http://www. foodsafetynews.com

Pictures: Kayla Muller Writing: Adrian Peterson Editor: Brittani Robbins