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Friday, February 8, 2008
INBRIEF
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O U N D S
Volume 54
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Issue 7
<mvviewer@yahoo.com>
More than a TA: New Peer Tutor program lets students mentor in the classroom By Alice Liu
managing editor
photo by David Derong
The student-run Shakespearience’s 2008 production, A Comedy of Errors, debuted last night in the Mounds View auditorium. The play will also be performed tonight and on Saturday at 7 p.m.
photo by Sean Delahunt
The SnoDaze pepfest, a traditional part of SnoDaze festivities, was held Friday, Feb. 1, in the gym. Above, Michael Chalmers, 11, and Laura Erding, 11, walk across the gym after being crowned SnoDaze king and queen.
Starting next fall, juniors and seniors will have the opportunity to earn high school credit for tutoring underclassmen in a class. “[Students would] not necessarily be teaching, but helping teachers who can’t give all the students in the class all the help at the same time,” said Principal Julie Wikelius. The idea of allowing students to help other students and teachers first arose during an Operations Committee meeting last spring. The Peer Tutor Program, the result of the idea, is an alternative to being a Teacher’s Assistant (TA). In order to qualify, students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA, may not be behind in credits towards graduation, and must obtain a recommendation from a teacher and dean. Instead of the half-slip sheet of paper TAs fill out, peer tutors must complete a comprehensive application form and be accepted. According to the course guide, they will be assigned based on classroom needs and tutor skills. “It can’t be just any student; they have to be able to help with kids and be familiar with the level of the course,” said math and statistics teacher Mike Huberty. “Teachers could use it well if they get the right students to help students who are struggling. It’s not just giving an answer, it’s guiding someone through problems.” A semester of peer tutoring accounts for a half-credit, the
same as a regular elective course. Students may peer tutor for a maximum of two semesters, earning one full credit toward graduation. Starting next fall, only juniors and seniors will be able to tutor, because they have generally taken more classes, and they will only tutor freshmen and sophomores. However, the program is still subject to refinement. Depending upon its success, eleventh and twelfth graders may soon be tutored by peers. “We’ll see how it goes and see if eleventh and twelfth graders need to be implemented with this [program] as well,” said Wikelius. While this new program serves as an additional resource for students, the administration believes it also offers upperclassmen, especially seniors, a meaningful way to contribute to the school. “The support and benefits are two-fold. It gives seniors something meaningful to do that they enjoy and it helps other students. Once you’re accepted into college, high school becomes less of a priority, but this way high school can still be meaningful,” said Wikelius. The Peer Tutor program also provides students a way of emphasizing their interests. Students interested in attending college may find this a way to show their strengths and gain experience from teaching their peers. “It’s a good opportunity for people interested in education. Say you’re interested in economics and you helped out with
an econ class. This would look good on transcripts,” said Trent Huhn, 12. Assigning students in a way that benefits teachers is fundamental to the program’s success. Accelerated Chemistry teacher Graham Wright believed that there aren’t necessarily “negatives” to this program, but had additional advice. “I embrace it strongly, the only thing is I’d like to see it at higher levels. I photo illustration by David Derong hope that if it’s successful, that The new Peer Tutor program, to be implemented fall of teachers can next year, allows juniors and seniors to mentor sophopetition. For mores and freshmen in their classes while earning high example, I school credit. Above, Brian Bradbury, 12 (left), gives Jeff would like Barans, 10 (right), some pointers on math in the library. someone to help out with just because there’s such a mass my Accelerated Chemistry class of students,” said Huberty. as well. The only negative I Though the program is could see is if students sign up young and may require further for socializing. They need to be modification, the benefits it may qualified and teachers need to bring are highly anticipated. have an input,” said Wright. Wikelius said, “I hope it will Other teachers are also provide opportunities for acaawaiting this new program. demic success for ninth and “The benefit is more to stutenth graders. And I hope it will dents; this in turn helps teachers provide peer tutors a sense of in that it benefits students. satisfaction and wholeness.” Student tutors can help identify some things that teachers can’t
MV sends first team to table tennis championships
By Kirstin Yanisch & Sam Toninato staff writer
Sweat gathered on the players’ brows as they slowly tightened their grips on their trusty paddles. Green ping-pong tables lined the gym of the Bloomington Lifetime Fitness as Mounds View’s first ever table tennis team competed in the Minnesota State High School Table Tennis Championships on Jan. 20. Mounds View’s first state competition was successful, with the team finishing in eighth place out of 11 teams. The competition included many teams that compete in tournaments throughout the year, including Eden Prairie, Eagan, and Eastview, the top three finishers at the state tournament. Mounds View’s team, which included nine seniors and one sophomore, was put together by Gina Lin, 12. It started when she asked many of her friends to attend a practice with the Shoreview Table Tennis League,
a league her father said. “They had offifounded a few years cial warm-ups and ago at Chippewa coaches and everyMiddle School. thing.” “Most of us The team played bugged Gina about for eight hours, using putting together a each member’s skills practice this fall, but to help propel them she didn’t think it forward. would happen until Flannigan said, early March,” “Gina was by far the explained team best on the team. It member Zubair was fun watching her Saiyed, 12. “I was beat all the ace playreally looking forers at the tournaward to it when she ment.” told us [there would Other members be a tournament].” had different skills, photo courtesy of Gina Lin which the team utiThe team was pulled together just Tom Flannigan, 12, Tony Marchio, 12, Joe Hodgson, 12, Junaid lized. The tournament days before the big Saiyed, 10, Kayiita Johnson, 12, Erik Anderson, 12, Zubair Saiyed, consisted of both sinevent, with students 12, Kevin Bradley, 12, David Krentz, 12, and Gina Lin, 12, were gles and doubles volunteering their matches, which added time the night before the first ten-person team Mounds View sent to the Minnesota a bit of strategy and State High School Table Tennis Championships. Mounds View to practice. excitement to the placed eighth out of a total of eleven participating teams. Though the games. Mounds View team However, the most to team member Tom Flannigan, important aspect for the MV was in its first year at the tour12. nament, the team wore their team was its stress on fun over “Some of the other teams “Mounds View clothes and our plain competition. were really into it, though,” he senior stable shirts,” according “The team is really informal,
especially since it’s our first year. I think the night before our tournament I found out that many were willing [to play] but worried that they weren’t good enough. We don’t care. Everybody who’s interested should come when Gina gets a chance to put the league together,” said Saiyed. Lin said that many of the players do have some experience with regular tennis, which helped the team develop their skills with the paddle. However, the most important part of the tournament, for her, was introducing a new sport to Mounds View. “I like that it’s a sport that everyone knows how to play. It’s always cool playing a lesserknown sport and I like that we could bring Mounds View something other than a big team victory,” said Lin.
2editorials
op T 10
February 8, 2008
Immortality now available for rats By Sam Toninato staff writer
Ways to celebrate President’s Day
10
Dress like a dead white man!
Follow in your idol’s footsteps- be assassinated
8 6
Cheer about how racism doesn’t exist anywhere anymore...
Hate the English Feast on delicious freedom fries
5
Lament the demise of the Chang ‘08 campaign Pretend to care
2
photo courtesy of whitehouse.gov
9 Middle East tour a 7 bushel of trouble
Colonize the weak!
4
Bush recently toured the Middle East.
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Celebrate your hard-won freedom by watching Spike’s Bond marathon
TAKE THE POWER BACK!
2007-2008 Viewer Editors Editor-in-Chief Anna Brockway Managing Editor Alice Liu News Belle Lin Editorials Andrew Larkin Commentary Sam Louwagie Features Abby House Kathleen Gormley Spread Lauren Peake Vicky Kelberer Variety Alicia Hilgers Reviews TT Phan Sports Chelsy Mateer Andy Madsen Gallery Ashley Aram Business Manager Elizabeth Steele Photographers/Artists Nate Grann David Derong Debbie Li Advisor Martha Rush Assistant Advisor David Weinberg Staff - Cassie Ahiers, Colin Anderson, Karly Bergmann, Anna Blaske, Sean Delahunt, Divya Gupta, Dan Heaney, Alex Hoffman, John Liu, Marysa Meyer, Sean Moore, Collin Nisler, Brandon Osero, Shaked Peleg, Ross Peterson, Brooke Roberts, Maddy Stephens, Emily Storms, Sam Toninato, Kristen Vanderburg, Sarah Wang, Christina Xia, Kirstin Yanisch, Sabrina Zappa
The Viewer is published by the student editors at: Mounds View High School 1900 Lake Valentine Road Arden Hills, Minnesota The Viewer is printed by: ECM Publishers, Inc.
By Sean Moore staff writer
For the past seven years, President Bush has been engaged in a war of rhetoric against the Middle East, thinly veiled as an attempt to root out and exterminate all threats of terrorism. He has called legitimate governing bodies of the area’s nations “terrorist groups,” the lands themselves “breeding grounds for terror cells” and “training camps.” The people of Asia Minor are no longer citizens, but insurgents and enemies. In the waning years of his presidency, it seems likely Bush would strike the coup-de-grace on the region, to finish off our nation’s “mortal enemy” once and for all. So it should come as no surprise that Bush decided to... extend the olive branch? Apparently our president has been stricken with a case of hysteria, and is attempting to mend relations in the region simply by visiting. Bush’s nine-day excursion concluded on Jan. 16 and included visits to six Middle Eastern countries: Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. He spoke of a wide variety of topics in an attempt to make a name for himself as his presidential term dwindles down. He touched on Iran, oil prices, and even a settlement for the Israeli-Palestine conflict. But in the end, he did nothing but offend native customs and mangle last names, stumbling through the barren lands of Mesopotamia. Bush first attempted to persuade oil-rich countries around the Persian Gulf to cut all ties with Iran. He is adamant in his attempts to ensure Iran won’t constitute a threat to democracy, something a National Intelligence Report, which revealed Iran’s utter lack of a nuclear weapons program, has already taken care of. Ahmadinejad has shot himself in the foot by revealing that his threats and provocations were nothing more than hot air, and now President Bush is aiding Ahmadinejad’s ruse by asking the Arab nations, and Saudi Arabia especially, to discontinue their Iranian connections. But if he really had hoped to persuade the Saudis to turn against Iran, or the Arab nations to accept Israel, perhaps he should’ve attempted to make amiable relations during his term.
The Saudis will be wise to ignore his pleas to cut private loans to Iran, especially since the reasons to undermine Iran financially have vanished. Bush decided to rattle the hornet’s nest with a giant stick, hoping the inhabitants will grant him honey. Bush is also arrogant to assume that he has the power to make Saudi Arabia lower the price of oil. The fact that America is the biggest consumer of this commodity does not mean that we get to set the price of the supply. Our endless addiction to the Saudis’ stockpiles of the prehistoric opiate will only encourage Saudi Arabia to raise prices until we can do something to curb our demand on the home-front. Bush also hopes to settle the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians, a conflict that has spanned thousands of years, before his term ends less than a year from now. He is following a precedent set by every president since Jimmy Carter and is doomed to fail. He met with both the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, yet he has made no formal plans or even attempted to get the two opposing parties in the same room together. It is fallacy to believe that an agreement can be reached without the two belligerents even meeting. Meanwhile, Hamas extremists continue to blow themselves up in Israeli markets, and the Israeli military continues to bomb and raid Hamas strongholds. Our president is oblivious to the cacophonies of the real world: the screams of the dying are droned out by his ill-founded focus on the buzzing hornet’s nest. President Bush’s trip to the Middle East was destined to fail as it was merely an attempt for him to better his name for the history books. Bush won’t solve our conflict with Iran, as he has angered many of the Arab nations he hoped to persuade into betraying Iran. He won’t succeed in lowering oil prices, because the Saudis have nothing to gain by doing so. And he won’t solve the discord between Israel and Palestine, because he has neither the time nor the diplomatic prowess to bring the two to terms. Yes, Bush may have been wise to try to deal with this hornet’s nest; yet unfortunately, he failed to realize he was already inside the hive. I hope he remembered to pack the bug spray.
It sounds like the stuff of horror films. A group of sweaty scientists standing hunched over an operating table as lightning cracks outside. The grimaces on their dimly-lit faces turn into deranged grins as a scientist lets out triumphant shriek, and screams to the heavens, “It’s Alive! It’s Alive!” A similar scene happened at the University of Minnesota recently. Using a revolutionary and slightly disgusting new technology, known as “de-cellularization,” scientists managed to re-grow and revive a previously dead rat heart. This is the first time that an experiment like this has been successful. According to scientists, this new technology could potentially lead to the growing of human organs to use in organ transplants. Scientists began by stripping all of the cells out of the dead rat heart, leaving behind a gelatin-like shell. They then injected heart cells back into this jelloheart, sat back and watched. Much like a sort of sick and twisted Chia-Pet, the heart slowly began to grow. Muscle cells and endothelial cells began covering the blood vessels and valves, and lining up like they would in a real heart. Cells slowly began creeping along the pathways of the vessels and arteries. After just two days, the heart began having microscopic contractions. Eight days later, the heart was able to pump blood at a fourth the rate of a regular rat heart. This bizarre experiment was not just a fluke. No fewer than eight hearts were brought back from the dead. The team is now trying to reseed pig hearts, rat kidneys, lungs, and livers. The scientists who helped on the experiment are confident that
It’s alive.
such a procedure could work with organs from large animals, such as pigs and humans. Despite being gross, these hearts open many new doors in the medical field. If such a procedure were to work on human organs doctors could theoretically take an organ from a cadaver, strip it of its cells, and rebuild it using cells from patients in need of organs. This is a great breakthrough. Approximately 50,000 people die from heart disease while waiting for an organ donor. If this procedure were made available to the public that number could decrease significantly. And this is only for heart transplants. Millions of lives could be saved if this technique works on other organs as well. Doctors could grow their patients new livers, kidneys, or lungs, depending on their need. This new “de-cellularization” could even theoretically be used to grow tissue instead of whole organs. We are a long way from such a great future, however. Human organs are much more complicated than rat organs, and it remains to be seen just how well these newly grown hearts will function. Scientists will continue to experiment with this bizarre new procedure, and attempt to make such an operation possible for humans. Such an operation will hopefully be able to save countless lives. If all goes well, we could see accessible organ growing in just a few decades. As weird—and vaguely disturbing— as a reanimated rat heart seems, these scientists have made a giant discovery for the medical world. Dr. Frankenstein’s dream lives on in the halls of the University of Minnesota.
art by Karly Bergmann
February 8, 2008
commentary3
Minus stars, award show truly golden photo illustration by David Derong
Dandi Zhu, 9, and Kalina Parsons, 9, worry about which classes they won’t be able to fit in their schedule.
Scheduling requirements cramp students’ schedules By Shaked Peleg staff writer
As I sit with my 2008-2009 Mounds View course registration guide, circling the classes I want to take, I realize I’ve circled two years worth of classes. This poses quite a problem as I only have one year of high school left. Mounds View’s overly excessive curriculum requirements leave me with awful decisions to make. How can I take any of the classes I’m interested in when the school is burdening me with classes I find redundant? I looked forward to this moment throughout my underclassmen years, dreaming of how I would savor my senior year. I would finally have the freedom to take the classes I wanted to take previously—fun ones like art and film—but couldn’t. It is now clear to me that this will always remain a dream. Restrictive requirements leave me just trying to figure out how to fit different social studies classes in my schedule. The school administration apparently thinks that they have not yet limited our options enough, so they recently expanded the requirements.
The class of 2009 was the first to take economics its freshman year instead of civics, and as a result is now required to take a government class later in high school. Some mandatory classes seem entirely unnecessary. For example, students who choose to take AP United States History their sophomore year waste a semester of their freshman year. The period of history they cover as freshmen, everything before the Civil War, is repeated the next year. The physical education requirement also seems completely ridiculous for some students. For me, the importance of being in shape comes through much clearer from swimming twice a day than it does from bowling or playing pickle ball for 45 minutes. If, however, we don’t want it taking up precious scheduled time in our school day, we have to devote half our summer—our only real reprieve—to school. The school is not even necessarily consistent in what it requires, such as the classes that fulfill the art requirement. Anna Dragich, 11, said, “I wanted to take Fashion Merchandising, but I can’t. I wish we didn’t need a full credit of arts.”
While the school accepts Advertising and Promotion for an art credit, it for some reason, does not accept this new class. The problem with these requirements is that they are not tailored to each student’s individual needs. For example, I am interested in economics, so taking the AP Macroeconomics class only made sense for me. If I had been able to take a government class instead of a freshman economics class, I would have more room in my schedule and not have to repeat a class I’ve already taken just because I want to take it in an advanced setting. And now I have no room for optional social studies courses, because there are three required ones. The learning environment of this school would be greatly enhanced if people were placed into classes they were more interested in taking. While some core curriculum is necessary, students should have more freedom to pursue specific classes that actually apply to their interests and hopes for the future.
By Sean Delahunt staff writer
The Golden Globes, the show that typically opens the entire Hollywood awards ceremonies, was what some people call disappointing this year. The 65th annual ceremony was short almost all of its celebrities this year due to the writers strike. The public relations firms that promote many big-name actors encouraged them not to cross the Writers Guild of America’s picket line outside of the Beverly Hills Hilton, where the show was being broadcast, to avoid the potentially careerharming wrath of the Writers Guild. Thus, instead of the normal glitz and glamour of any celebrity-studded award evening, the Globes were presented in a news report style hosted by Access Hollywood’s own Billy Bush and Nancy O’Dell. The stage was empty except for a large screen where the nominees were posted, and a host was reading off the winners. Many people were unsatisfied with this bare-bones edition of the Globes. “I believe that writers shouldn’t be able to interfere with actors and mess up a program like the golden globes,” said Charlie Marcotte, 11. Media members were also unsatisified with the news-style presentation. “I yearn for the days of Jack Nicholson mooning the Golden Globes, Christine Lahti getting locked in the bathroom. But we have that for next year,” said
Mary Hart of Entertainment Tonight. But what’s the problem with not having to see the celebrities and hearing their long, formulaic speeches? The show is much better when they just tell you that Atonement won best dramatic movie, or Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor for There Will Be Blood. It’s better to just know the outcome, seeing the people that won doesn’t seem necessary. The camera never cut to Bruce Willis sipping champagne or Natalie Portman laughing at a joke nobody else heard, but stayed fixated on either the presenter or the screen. As a result, it was easier to remember what awards different actors were up for. Kudos to the actors that listened to their public relations advisers. They’ve made what would have been a long two to three hours of a viewer’s life into a simple one hour that gets the same job done. If we truly cared about films and not just the people in those films, then nobody should really care that the stars weren’t there. People need to appreciate movies for movies, not movies for stars and take this opportunity to see what movies they may have overlooked in 2007. If the Golden Globes continue this style of presentation, sooner or later people will see how much the show has improved, and the ratings will return to what they were before.
Sunday mass... By Dan Heaney staff writer
In a Galaxy far, far away
Ever since I saw Star Wars as a little boy, I have looked up to the heroes and heroines of the galactic great as my idols. I have pursued the ‘Force,’ so present in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, just as Luke Skywalker did. While I didn't get the same results, my frustrations have recently been presented with a possible solution—something I hoped would happen for quite some time now. In England, two devoted Star Wars fans have laid out plans for a United Kingdom Church of the Jedi. Barney and Daniel Jones, perhaps better known among their peers as Masters Jonba and Morda Hehol, have been Star Wars fans longer than even myself. And when they learned that in a 2001 census of England and Wales 390,000 other Star Wars fanatics had professed the Jedi code as their religion, they had to act. The most exciting part of their plan is how elaborate and authentic the church
looks to be. In their services, there will be sermons on the ‘Force,’ training in the correct usage of light sabers, and techniques of proper meditation. Outfits have even been chosen. “My brother and I will wear the Jedi robes, the dark brown robes... the congregation would be in black. Really to bring a sense of unity to the meetings,” Barney recently told the BBC. Six followers already have plans to meet with the Masters Hehol to further discuss the idea. And for those who worry that the church’s future leaders won't have enough experience in the ways of the ‘Force,’ don't. They have watched the series “multiple dozens of times.” “We have a knowledge of the Force from that and the teachings of Yoda. We've read the teachings on the internet,” said Barney. The major theme that the two English brothers seem to stress is the idea of unity. For instance, while female participation among fans has been low, it is
photo by Nate Grann
Sam Toninato, 11, and Dan Heaney, 11, hone their lightsaber skills. encouraged. Barney points out that, after all, “Princess Leia did help them out a lot.” Not everyone is invited, however. Those who unwisely intend to use the ‘Force’ for bad are warned that they will be punished, possibly by expulsion. “Obviously, if someone starts
to try and use the good force for greed and power, they are going to bring negative interference into the meetings,” said Barney. While there are enough members for the Church of the Jedi to be recognized as an actual religion, many are challenging it. Critics say that it doesn't take
religion seriously, or that the church is too much of a joke. I don't understand this viewpoint. In many ways, and Barney points this out as well, the ‘Force’ is a lot like the Chinese having Chi. It is about an inner force that connects us all, relating us to everything else in our world. This idea is not uncommon in other religions. And meditation is a practice used in many present-day religions, as well. Without it, a crucial part of religion would be missing for some. To those who have problems with the Jedi Faith: just let me, and the near 400,000 other people who share my beliefs, live our dream. I don't look up to Mace Windu or Qui-Gon Jinn as gods. Rather, I admire the fact that they live life as nature intended, with everything living together for the betterment of Earth. So I say to my English comrades, may the force be with you.
4features
February 8, 2008
Introducing the new kids on the block M c D o n a l d By Cassie Ahiers staff writer
This year a new hero has made his appearance in the halls of Mounds View, a man so epic that the walls themselves part to make way for him, a dean like no other: Adam McDonald. This year students with the last names He-Le returned to school to find that not only was their former dean, Leah Reich, on an extended maternity leave, but that in her place was an outgoing and altogether charming new dean. McDonald, a former social studies teacher from Lakeville North High School, says he is similar to Rocky Road ice cream. “It has chocolate in it, which is the unconfirmed food of the gods, and it’s pretty nutty like me,” he said. McDonald was offered a job as dean just days before the start of the first semester. Due to his history as a coach and a teacher, he thought that being a dean would enable him to help students in a different way than he has in the past. “As dean you get a chance to know your students, watch them progress over the years, and help
them become successful,” said McDonald. Although he is only scheduled to work here for the remainder of the year, McDonald remains motivated to help make a difference for students at Mounds View. “Mounds View is a very close community and I’m very happy to be a part of it,” he said. Students are excited about his friendly attitude and accessible nature. “I really like how he is so approachable. Kids don’t seem to be scared of him, and as such he could be a great help to Mounds View,” said Jimmy Vogel, 11. Nonetheless there are unanswered questions concerning McDonald. Many students want to know, “Who is the man behind the charm?” McDonald attended Minnetonka High School, where he says the team mascot, the Fighting Skipper, “strikes fear into the hearts of many.” In high school he played football and wrestled, but he admits that he often “saw more ceiling than mat.” After graduating he attended Hamline University where he spent
By Kristen Vanderburg staff writer
photo by Debbie Li
Justin Benolkin doesn’t remember his high school days as fondly as, say, the football captain or the prom queen might. “I’m not sure if it’s the funniest or the scariest thing, but the individuals in this school, the cliques and groups, are exactly like my high school. It’s funny because I remember standing in the lunch room one day, during my daily self-abuse of lunchroom duty, I thought to myself ‘If I hated high school so much then what am I doing back here?’” he said. Nevertheless, Benolkin, social studies teacher, continues to spend the majority of his life locked inside a teenage fortress. But it is not without a purpose. “I mainly wanted to become a teacher to spare young people from some of the crappy teachers I had in school. Plus, believe it or not, some of the days teaching can be really fun.” Just based on the few-second glances most students get of Benolkin in the hallways, he comes across as obviously in-tune and youthful. His wardrobe—which
a J-term in Ireland. With a love for traveling, McDonald hopes to someday be able to teach abroad in Japan or China for a year or two, despite not speaking either language. Growing up in a very large family, which included over 31 first cousins, was always exciting for him. “My family is crazy, I’d consider my parents to be fairly stout, or more like larger versions of oompaloompas,” said McDonald. But he also grew up with a lot of respect for his parents’ hard work. “My dad is definitely my hero, he’s just a good man, who does right by his family, and who would bend over backwards for a friend. I hope to some day be like him,” he said. And so the people of Mounds View High School can fear no more, for its own hero is patrolling the halls and offices, and providing a welcoming and a somewhat-sarcastic safety to it once again. “In my free time I read history novels, enjoy long walks on the beach, and hate on icky things like spiders,” said McDonald.
photo by David Derong
consists mostly of black button-ups and skateboard-style shoes, and his language—his students usually receive a “hey” instead of the generic teacher “good afternoon,” make him relate well to his students. Though he is well liked now, he admits that as a child he was introverted and shy. “I would never say I was popular in school…as a child I spent most of my class time drawing and time at home watching television,” stated Benolkin. After going through middle school as “the weird kid that wore eyeliner” and college as “that one dude with dreads and his eyebrow pierced,” he changed his outer image and, thus, the way he was perceived by others. “In college a lot of my fellow students would ask me if I had any drugs or booze. Being rather straight edge, I didn’t have any, and after a while I got sick of them asking me, and I knew my look would have to go,” said Benolkin. Benolkin studied sociology at the University of Minnesota and has gone on to teach it at Mounds View. “The whole reason I went into sociology was because I honestly could not understand what were
considered ‘normal American activities,’” states Benolkin, Though he now understands ‘normalcy,’ he tries to teach his classes in an anything but an ordinary way. From making power points to leading creative activities, Benolkin never fails to bring his unique personality to his class. “We played interactive games and Mr. Benolkin told funny jokes. For example, students would walk into the class claiming ‘it’s hot,’ and his response was ‘probably me,’” said Nate Hopkins, 12. “He also tells us a lot about himself to get us talking as a class, like he told us he loves pro-wrestling and comic books.” Benolkin’s candid personality has made him popular amongst his students and colleagues. And even though his past memories of high school aren’t exactly pleasant, Mounds View is making a new impression on him. “I do wish, however, that there would be more vegan food in the lunchroom, escalators, and shades that actually block the gosh-darn sun!” he said.
B e n o l k i n
Social networking sites aim to amp up security for teens MySpace’s new policies don’t convince MV to choose it over Facebook By Divya Gupta staff writer
For large social networking websites, growing popularity has been accompanied by growing security and privacy concerns. MySpace, with over 300 million user accounts, and Facebook, with around 60 million accounts, have faced the most criticism. MySpace has suffered many highly publicized cases of fraudulent identities. Last year, under pressure from state and local governments, the website gave information on thousands of known sexual offenders with profiles. In response to a worried audience, MySpace has been working towards increased secu-
rity. Their protective measures include announcing a new program through which users who identify themselves as 16 years or younger are granted greater security and privacy and strengthening software to verify users’ ages. Additionally, they have begun creating a ‘high school only’ section for the website, where only users under 18 years of age are allowed. Worried parents can now also block their children’s email addresses, so they can’t create profiles at all. Like it or not, Mounds View has become a part of the Internet networking craze, and people seem to be taking the security and privacy concerns associated with MySpace more seriously.
However, many of the precautions taken have been met with skepticism. “It’s good that they’re adding security,” said Amy Walsh, 11, “but this isn’t actually going to be effective. It’s easy to fake your email address and age.” Walsh has both a Facebook and MySpace, but has stopped using her MySpace page due to safety concerns. Ellie Nyquist, 9, said, “I don’t think this would help the issue at all.” Because there is no system for authentication or identification, many Mounds View students have been switching to other networking sites. For example, Facebook has encouraged users’ real identities and
advertised better privacy settings, which has added to its growing popularity. “On Facebook, you can stay private except to your friends and people from your school,” said Lizzy Larson, 9. It is unclear whether Facebook is actually regulated better, or just appears that way. For example, in January the website was forced to shut down two phony profiles in the name of Bilawal Bhutto, son of the recently assassinated Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto. “Facebook just has a reputation for being safer, but in actuality it isn’t,” said Nate Chan, 11. In order to verify the ages and identities of users, network-
ing companies must know more about their users, which conflicts with their rights to privacy. Concerns have already been raised as to how far networking sites will go to ensure security. Just last week, Facebook was put in the spotlight again when a user in the UK complained of being unable to completely delete his/her account. This was the result of a carefully worded privacy policy, in which it is stated that even if one deactivates his or her account, “the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content.” “I think any actually effective safety measures will be an invasion of privacy and not worth it,” said Walsh.
February 8, 2008
5 features
So... I lost my phone number...can I have yours? Students share tips for snagging dates
Cassie Ahiers, 11, Cara Morphew, 12, George Sakkal, 12, and Sam Toninato, 11, demonstrate the complex art of acquiring a date.
Sam’s guide to getting chicks By Sam Toninato staff writer
Asking a girl to a Mounds View dance is one of the hardest things in the world to do. It is up there with dismantling an atomic bomb, running a marathon, and entering the library without a pass. Anyone who tells you that it is easy to ask a girl to a dance has either never been to a dance or is a girl. In a perfect world, a boy would simply walk up to the girl and say in a very polite voice, “Hello. Would you like to accompany me to the SnoDaze dance this Saturday? I will buy you dinner.” The girl would respond with an emphatic “yes,” and this brief exchange would be followed by a crisp handshake. But this is not a perfect world. This is the cold, dark real world, filled with closed lunches and complicated dance proposals. In the real world, asking a girl to a dance requires endurance, creativity, intelligence, and an ear for gossip. Before you even ask a girl to a dance, you must ask your best friend to talk to her best friend to talk to the girl, who tells a different friend to tell you if she would say yes. Before you have even started thinking of ideas of how to ask your potential date, she already knows you are going to ask her. After you have gone through this social gauntlet of gossip and rumors, you must actually ask the girl. For some reason, the male is required to come up with a preposterously large and complicated way of asking the girl to the dance. This is the absolute hardest part of asking a girl to a dance. You must think of the perfect way to ask your prospective date. Students have been known to spend hours brainstorming possible
proposal ideas. This proposal must be either expensive or embarrassing, preferably both. It should ideally involve a clever pun. No one knows exactly why this is, but if your idea is not creative enough, the girl will not be impressed, and she will most likely not agree to go to the dance with you. Or maybe she’ll agree. But, she’ll tell her friend to tell your friend to tell you that it was a lame idea. It is all an elaborate, overblown mating ritual. God forbid you bake the girl a cake for SnoDaze... you must bake her six cakes to put in her classes, and hand deliver the last cake while dressed as a baker! You must also be absolutely certain that your proposal idea has not been used within the last three years. It would be a very bad decision to ask your date to SnoDaze the way your friend asked his date to the previous Homecoming dance. If you recycle these ideas, the girl will see that you are not creative, and you will therefore not be a good date for the dance. If you happen to use an old proposal idea, the girl will probably say no. Sorry, that’s just the way it is. So you thought of an original (so you think!) idea. Congratulations. Now, try to properly execute your plan without the girl finding out how you are asking her. You must keep your new proposal Top Secret, which is hard, because every person you know will start asking you who you are asking to the dance and how you are asking her. It is important that you do not tell a soul, except for your best friends and her best friends and some other people who won’t stop asking you about it. Next, you must execute your plan. This is tricky. Do it without your date knowing. If everything goes well, your date will pretend to be surprised, and you will both get to go to the dance, just like you wanted. If your plan doesn’t work out, or the girl turns you down, don’t lose hope. Everything will be all right— don’t panic! There are always more fish in the dating pond.
photo by Sam Toninato
On Jan. 31, Andy Herke, 12, Ryan Meyer, 12, and Joe Boehlke, 12, gave a presentation on the skills they learned from the 916 program. The program offers students the ability to learn a technical skill at Century College. Some of the courses offered are: Animal Sciences, Auto Technology, and Cosmotology.
Girls claim all the credit By Cassie Ahiers staff writer
As the days draw nearer, so do the whispers and gossip which precede every dance at Mounds View High School. Students are beginning to prepare for the mad datedash in the two weeks directly leading up to SnoDaze. And although at first glance it may appear that it is up to guys to ask a date to the dance, little do they know that they have about as much responsibility in finding a girl as they do in choosing where they and their date will eat dinner. And so while all of us girls are forced to listen to the complaints of the guys, we ourselves are getting down to business and doing more work than our male counterparts know. I think most ladies will back me up when I say that the gents have it easy in comparison to us. All they have to do is find a single girl and think of a somewhat creative way to ask her. And the latter isn’t even a must. Although most of us want to be surprised in a fun way, we understand that most guys are lacking in the romance department. Any attempt, whether it be through Facebook or duct tape, is appreciated. I often overhear guys worrying about if a girl will say yes. If only it were that black and white! First off, most girls are so excited to get dolled up for the dance, that they
photos by Debbie Li aren’t going to shoot you down just because you’re not Prince Charming. And in the rare chance that a girl doesn’t actually want to go to the dance, she is stuck with the dilemma of either going to the dance and being miserable the whole night, or having to say “no” and knowing everyone’s thinking that she’s a terrible human being without a soul. While guys’ duties are straightforward and expected, girls have to try and find ourselves dates, all the while appearing like we are just sitting around waiting for someone to take us. (If that were the case, then no one would ever go to dances.) For behind every boy, there is a girl, prodding him in the right direction. Face it guys, you’re hopeless without us. Next, the matching game begins. Typically a group of girls will congregate and talk over the number of available bachelors, then systematically pair each one of the guys with each of their friends. Next they do second round draft picks, in case (god forbid) a boy decides to step in and ruin the plans. And who said girls weren’t good at sports? The girls disperse and begin subtly suggesting to guys to take their single friends. But since most guys couldn’t take a hint if their life depended on it, we are forced to set aside our charm and tell them straightforwardly. There must be a much simpler way to accomplish this, but no one has yet to step forward with a plan. And so as the girls of Mounds View slip on their stiletto heels, they can truly be proud of themselves. They have really earned their date, for they’ve survived another mating season.
senior runner-ups
A day of fun for the SnoDa Bobby Quickstad, 12
junior runner-ups
Mike Stee
The ballots have been counted, the candidates chosen. Ev the 2008 SnoDaze royalty are, but do you really know the attempt a glimpse into their private lives, asked the king Mounds View teacher they are most like, and what they deserted island.
Chris Mason, 11
Brett Johnson, 11
Michael Chalmers, 11
Sam Toninato, 11
“Mr. Moore” backpack, Wii, huge buffet
Laura Erding, 11 “Ms. Johnson” cell, Katie Wocken, Mad Gab Malik Al Khetib, 10 “Ms. Durand” food, water, portable TV
Sharon Kahat, 11
Theresa Sarafolean, 112
Lihn Trang, 11
freshman runner-ups James Law, 9
Maze Tompson, 9
Blake Anders
aze royalty in Italy
ele, 12
Will Sharpe, 12
Erin Gudul, 12
Kelsey Theisen, 12
veryone knows who em? The Viewer, in an gs and queens what would bring to a
Christine Mueller, 12
sophomore runner-ups
Allie Chinander, 10
Joe Carlson, 12 “Mr. Cartwright” Rubik’s cube, notebook, pencils
Damla Erten, 12 “Mrs. Moore” camera, hairbrush, unlimted sour candy
Kristen Emmons, 10
Connor Johnson, 10
Kelly Towle, 10 “Ms. Obrycki” cell, I-Pod, friend
son, 9
Jin Young Chang, 9 “Mr. Kauls” MP3 player, house, cell
Joo Lee, 9
Simon Zhang, 10
“Ms. Johnson” cell, computer, family album
Kelly Humphrey, 10
Ben Goggin, 10
Suzette Houle, 9
Natalie Dimke, 9
Danae Johnson, 9
background photo by Nate Grann photos by Nate Grann, David Derong, and Debbie Li
Yarn spins new interest
8variety
February 8, 2008
Local yarn store weaves into the lives of MV students By Shaked Peleg staff writer
photo by David Derong
Louisa Savereide, 11, enjoys knitting in the music hallways in between classes and after school.
Borealis Yarns may have the feel of a small, independent shop, yet it is anything but little when it comes to the amount of yarn it holds. As Abby Marolt, 9, walked into what had seemed like a rather small building, she was in awe of what it contained. “It has a ridiculous variety of yarn and the store just seems to keep expanding in front of you,” said Marolt. Later Marolt would realize that she had only seen half of the wonders this store had in stock. The front of the store has a welcoming atmosphere, but the real pleasure is found in wandering through the expansive collection of yarn. As you see an array of textures and colors, it is nearly impossible to resist reaching out and feeling the yarn. In addition, the various knitting projects displayed around the room would inspire anyone to pick up a pair of knitting needles (of which there is also a large collection). Just when you think you’ve seen all you possibly could, you reach a small hallway in the back leading to what could be an entirely second store. This part of the store was acquired by Borealis Yarns about three years ago, after the store originally opened in 2004. It’s similar to the first part in content, but there are usually fewer people here, so you feel more comfortable taking your time absorbing all the different yarn. The best part is the clearance yarn. While the prices of the non-sale yarn are pretty reasonable, ranging from $6-$10 on average, some varieties of yarn can be expensive. The most expensive yarn is $66, it’s hand-painted and a hundred
percent fine silk. “The yarn is kind of expensive, but it’s really good quality,” said Marolt. Store manager Katie Smith said, “The owner really tries to find good, quality yarns. She tries to find the least expensive of the quality brands.” Smith thinks people should shop at Borealis Yarns because it supports the local community and the employees offer extensive one-on-one help that might not be available at bigger stores. The store does indeed have a community feel, best illustrated by the whiteboard by the register listing classes one can take at the store. The store’s website expands on this list, describing a weekly social knitting time every Tuesday, a Sunday afternoon “Community Knitters” meeting for knitting work for charity, and a free clinic the first Wednesday of every month. Even if you don’t know anything about knitting, the store offers a beginners’ class every so often. Such classes appeal to students passionate about knitting, such as Louisa Savereide, 11. “Knitting is an activity that fills up the little blank spots in my life. It is piles of fun,” said Savereide. While the community aspect of the store is interesting, the yarn is the central attraction. My personal favorite was a striped mohair yarn, on clearance for about $11 a ball. Now, I have the softest scarf I’ve ever had, with the added bonus of having knit it myself with yarn from an independent store.
photo by Nate Grann
Borealis Yarns, a locally owned store in St. Paul, is located at 1340 Thomas Avenue.
Earthle provides an eco internet By Maddy Stephens staff writer
EcoIron, a blog created by Mark Onktush, has instigated many ideas for enhancing components of daily life in order to be more environmentally friendly. The goal at EcoIron is to identify strategies for change, not to tell people what to do. “I don't preach, I point," said Onktush. For example, he calculated that switching Google’s trademark white background to black would save approximately 8.3 megawatt hours a day, which translates to about 750 megawatts a year. His post on Jan. 20, 2007, inspired Google, which boasts 200 million searches daily, to create Earthle, the environmentally friendly constituent of the popular search engine. If Google switched all its screens, not just Earthle, to a black background, there would be astronomical energy saving potential. The 750 megawatt hours saved, per year, from a
switch of backgrounds is enough to power the state of Pennsylvania or “approximately 12,500,000 humans living in a first world country,” for an entire month, according to Earthle. EcoIron explains why the black screen makes a difference. According to Onktush, a cathode ray tube monitor is coated with pinhole-sized dots which illuminate when contacted by an electron stream. Individual colors, depending on the manufacturing brand and technology, require different amounts of energy to display on screen. Pixels come in trios and require a different number of pinhead-shaped dots to illuminate in order to display said color. White, one of the most commonly used pixel colorations on the internet, requires more energy to produce, and requires all three dots in order to activate the color. Other colors, such as black, do not require any additional energy to manufacture. To some students, using a black screen in lieu of a white one is a worthwhile alteration
for energy savings. "It doesn't matter to me what color the screen is. If something this small can make a difference, I think I can tolerate a black screen in place of a white one," said Julie Garretson, 12. Those who have become accustomed to the white screen, however, may have difficulty adjusting to a black screen. "I like the good old white screen," said Chris Kloeckner, 11. "I feel more comfortable using the white screen…it makes me feel awake and ready to search." "I've never heard of it, but that's stellar, because if something that simple can save so much energy, it makes me wonder what else I can do," said Kenna Nelson, 11. Appearing to be an energysaving haven, Earthle demonstrates that a simple lifestyle change is only the beginning of numerous benefits and savings. However, some Mounds View students think it is overzealous to assume that a switch from a white to black screen is powerful enough to save counties that are at a crum-
bling standard of living, such as Afghanistan. "In Burkina-Faso, everyone would be able to have as much energy as they want if Earthle really saves as much as it says it does. But the people in BurkinaFaso don't have light bulbs or houses to put light bulbs in. So Earthle doesn't really help them, does it?" said Steph Schwartz, 12. Many Earthle veterans agree that although Earthle may not
bequeath a solution to world hunger, poverty, or the AIDS crisis, it is still a useful tool for those seeking a possible way to make daily life greener. "I tried Earthle, and it was the same thing as Google, except it was black. Though it won't solve everything, anyone can do it, so it helps the average person be environmentally friendly," said Ben Goggin, 10
photo by David Derong
A black instead of white screen “saves energy, saves the Earth.”
February 8, 2008
Persepolis
By Karly Bergmann staff writer
“As a young girl I had two obsessions: to one day shave my legs, and to become the future last prophet of the galaxy.” This quote, spoken by the main character, Marjane Satrapi at the beginning of the film, perfectly encompasses the simplicity and profoundness of Persepolis and the bright humor that is sprinkled throughout the film to help soften out the sometimes-harsh plot line. Persepolis, originally an autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, is not your stereotypical animated film. It tells the tumultuous story of Iran’s history through the eyes of Marjane, a little girl growing up under the dictatorship of the Shah and idolizing Bruce Lee, which is one of the many examples of how Satrapi brilliantly juxtaposes humorous aspects of her life next to much darker ones. The artistic qualities and comedic timing used to place these bright spots in the movie weave an entertaining story that otherwise might have been a History Channel documentary. Much of the contrasting humor is found during Marjane’s teenage years. As her rights are slowly taken away from her by the Islamic Revolution, hope is slowly taken
from us. We are filled with fear for her safety and a desperate need for justice when Marjane is called a “little slut” by religious leaders because her mandatory headscarf shows too much hair. At the same time, we are not able to contain our laughter over the fact that she is being berated while wearing a handmade denim jacket with “Punk is not Ded!” boldly written in childish handwriting on the back. This lightens the harsh realities found in Iran and makes the story more real to us. Though often injected with bits of humor, the plot of the movie is the
becomes story of Iran itself and is therefore dark and chaotic; some aspects are impossible to dilute with a good laugh. As Marjane grows she is forced to suffer through the brutal Iran-Iraq war, the execution of her favorite uncle, immigrating to a foreign country and leaving her family behind, an attempted suicide, and a failed marriage. Because of the emotionally draining and complicated plot, the simplistic black-and-white style in which the film is animated becomes so important. Asking someone to sit through two hours of real people having to suffer the very real
There Will Be Blood
The rough and scarred hands of Daniel Plainview sift through the rocks in a small one-manned gold mine. Picking up a small find, he spits on it in order to rid it of the dust that is disguising the rock. Realizing what he’s found, he quickly begins to climb out of the mine. In his haste, a ladder rung splits, sending him crashing to the bottom of the shaft. In the scenes that follow, we witness Plainview dragging his crippled body out of the well and through desert to finally arrive at a town. It is there that we get a first glance at what it is that he has found: oil. There Will Be Blood opens with this shocking scene in which we meet the film’s main character, Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), an oil tycoon. The opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the film and the rest is just as captivating: revealing itself as an intense character study of Plainview. The aforementioned first 20 minutes of the film are without dialogue, providing an enthralling exposition that immediately draws you in with flawless camera techniques and voyeurism. This is also accomplished with beautiful music composed by Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood, who does the entire soundtrack. The music provides simplistic accompaniment to many important scenes in the film, adding to the emotion of pivotal moments. We are then re-introduced to Plainview, many years later, as an outgoing businessman who immediately gets a tip-off about earthquake oil in the middle of nowhere. With his son by his side and his manipulative yet comforting words, we witness his ability to convince the
that Satrapi was in charge of the screenplay and animation of the film, enabling the movie adaptation to be as close to the original book as possible. Her passion for her work and for sharing her story with others shows as clearly in the film and improves it all the more. Rarely are autobiographical or animated films so creative and novel, let alone one that is both an animated and autobiographical film. Persepolis manages to balance horror with humor and chaos with simplicity; themes that are as opposite as the black and white animation that makes this film so excellent.
Juno warms hearts, wins affections
Vampire Weekend, a quartet from Columbia University, has managed to take a few ideas from Afro-pop and streamline it with ska, post-punk, and chamber music. The result is a joyishly infectious debut album with innate pop sensibility.
staff writer
abuses found in Iran would be absurd. Public beatings, executions of the out-spoken, riots, bombings, and the mistreatment of women—all of these things would be too much too fast, and the humor that makes this film so entertaining would seem sickeningly out of place. The animation aids our ability to watch because, though we know deep down we are watching a true story, the fact that we are not watching real people makes it easier to digest and possible for the movie to be enjoyable and not numbing. The film and animation can be even more appreciated when one considers
courtesy of rottentomatoes.com
Self-Titled Vampire Weekend
By Cassie Ahiers
classic
9.5 /10
HEAR IT:
courtesy of amazon.com
a
9 reviews
people of this small town that his intentions are their best opportunity for growth. Almost all are convinced by his performance except the young town preacher, Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), who slowly begins to turn the town against Plainview and reveal his true intentions. Day-Lewis’s performance takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster through Plainview’s decay. The character’s striking transformation from a caring and likeable father to an evil, twisted man shows Day-Lewis’s versatility as an actor. In the beginning of the film we naturally are attracted to Plainview, for he takes in a co-worker’s infant son after he is killed in a mining accident. But slowly as the movie progresses we realize that Plainview is a contriving man, his every action premeditated. Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine) surprises audiences with his maturity and ability to play off and complement DayLewis’s acting. This gives the plot two very distinct, yet equally believable characters. Although at first glance their characters contrast (Plainview being a narcissistic miser, and Sunday, a caring preacher), we begin to conceive that they may be very similar at core. In the concluding scene, Sunday and Plainview revisit their past together and it is here that we finally see the same man before us. Although There Will Be Blood grows slightly strenuous at its two and a half hours, the characterization and stylized film techniques makes it all worthwhile. Daniel Day-Lewis deserves every praise given to him and is reason enough to see the film. Paul Anderson delivers again with a completely well-polished motion picture, which causes audiences to wonder what riches really bring.
9 /10
By Dan Heaney staff writer
Written by Diablo Cody, a former stripper and sex-phone operator, the movie Juno escapes the common clichés of pregnancy films. Averting the stereotypical lessons of responsibility and selfrespect, it instead focuses on the humor and strength of Juno (Ellen Page), a smart-mouthed heroine of 17. On every level, Juno detaches itself from common guidelines, making teen pregnancy a humorous position at times. Though most high school women, and most certainly all high school men, will never find themselves in the precarious position of Juno, it is easy to understand her emotions throughout the movie. Juno is not, however, the ordinary fight between an alone soon-to-be mother and society. Cody employs the sarcastic side of Juno's character to keep the movie unique and bearable. One of her awkward visits with the Lorings, a family seeking a baby found in a Penny Savers ad, showcases much of this humor. In an attempt to win over the Lorings, Mac MacGuff (J.K. Simmons), Juno’s father, tries to pass off her strange and hysterical comments as “one of her many great genetic traits.” His attempts prove to be pointless, however, and the Lorings think Juno is just weird. With a close-to-perfect script, Juno's cast completes the movie. Tremendous acting by Jennifer Garner as Vanessa Loring upstages the rest of her contributions to the filming community. Juno's parents, Mac and Bren MacGuff (Allison Janney) were perfect for their respective roles. And of course, Ellen Page, a relative newcomer to Hollywood, does an outstanding job as Juno. Juno also flaunts a soundtrack with music from all
ages. With contributions from The Kinks, Kimya Dawson, and Mott the Hoople, it displays a consistent range of emotion. “Anyone Else But You,” originally by The Moldy Peaches, is used perfectly as the song of Paulie Bleaker (Michael Cera), the father of Juno’s baby, and Juno. While Juno won’t empower you with life lessons surrounding pregnancies and responsibility, it does relate one of our most difficult transitions: from youth to adulthood. As Juno attempts to mature into the adult she is now forced to become, she feels that she must change all aspects of her life. She leaves town whenever a new problem arises, thinking that she has found a new person to help her through her problems in Loring. Overlooking the fact that she has a loving friend in Paulie Bleaker, and even more loving parents, she finally realizes that Loring can’t provide her with the comforts of home. Everyone comes to this exact crossroad in his or her life. The people we need most are also the people that we have been trying to avoid—a theme the movie touches on at times. What Cody has done deserves the utmost respect: Juno is one of the best movies of the year.
10 /10
courtesy of rottentomatoes.com
10sports
Mustang Cup 2008 February 8, 2008
The school that plays together, stays together By Christina Xia & Marysa Meyer staff writers
Signs are everywhere. From morning announcements to posters all over the halls of Mounds View, the Mustang Cup finally kicked off on Jan. 18 with its first event: dodgeball. The Mustang Cup is a schoolwide competition where teams of seven people participate in events ranging from snow kickball to Gamers’ Night. In all of Mounds View’s history, this is the first time that the school has ever had a competition like this. Mounds View Dean Adam McDonald, also known as, “Mac Truck” for this competition, was one of the main organizers of the cup. “Susan Clark at Lakeville High School was the founder of this competition,” he said. “When I worked there, I was lucky enough to be on the staff team, and I helped to bring it here. The basic premise of this cup was to get kids involved, especially those that aren’t necessarily involved in a sport. It’s to help them get connected to the school.” Ryan Wahlund, an administrative para who is also competing, helped organize the Mustang Cup as well. “I’m very excited. I was approached by Mr. McDonald, and he asked me if I was interested. It seemed like a good way to get kids involved with things that aren’t traditional activities or sports,” he said. The stakes are set high for the 31 teams participating. Prizes for top three runner-ups are various cash prizes, and the first place team gets to take home at least a hundred dollars as well as a personalized Mustang Cup trophy. The dodgeball tournament was the cup’s first event. The participating teams demonstrated their five D’s of Dodgeball, like Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller did in the movie Dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. This was displayed on a poster board on the main stage on the gym during matches. “I don’t think it could have gone any better. Everyone had a good time and out of the 33 teams in
the event, 31 showed up. Although some kids wanted more teams it had a bigger turnout that we thought,” said McDonald. In this event the “Snipe City Sleepers” team won the competition. “It felt good to win, but I’m just looking forward to the championship trophy,” said Snipe City Sleeper teammate Cam Dickinson, 12. “This is a first of many wins,” he asserted. Even after Joe Hultberg’s team, The Jacks and the Beanstalk, lost a close game, they were still cheerful about the tournament. “There is a ton of people in the competition. It was a lot of fun,” said Hultberg, 10. Dressed in colorful attire, the Shake ‘n’ Bake team is also full of confidence about the upcoming cup. “We’re the best team, because we are wearing bandanas,” said Ron Towne, 11. Not only are students competing, staff members have also formed a team of their own. Each of the ten participating staff members has already created an online profile of themselves on the MV website. Many are excited for the opportunity to compete with their students. “The staff team is more focused on other things [besides the competition], but we feel as though we could take the students. It’s also a great thing for our school,” said Mounds View DECA teacher, Kevin Hermann. While some students are not participating, many are interested in seeing how the competition progresses. “It sounds like a fun thing to do to get involved and to have school spirit,” said Sam Hart, 10. Others showed interest, but were not able to enter due to not enough time. “I realy wanted to do it, but my friends are all too busy,” said DJ Haffley, 11. “It sounds like a cool school unity event.” Whether you are a competitor or a spectator, the Mustang Cup is one way to provide entertainment for everyone.
Top three teams after the dodgeball tournament
1
Snipe City Sleepers
2
Shenanigans
Remember these dates: Feb. 13 at 3 p.m.
T.B.D.
Snow Kickball NCAA March Madness Picks
March 11 at 3 p.m. April 2 at 3 p.m.
May 14 at 2:40 p.m. Shenanigans photo by Nate Grann All other photos courtesy of Adam McDonald
Team Handball Gamers’ Night Photo Scavenger Hunt
3
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Mounds View students get ready to rumble February 8, 2008
By Nick Barkve staff writer
Steroids, spandex, and fake punches may be the first things that come to mind when thinking of professional wrestling, but much more creativity and athleticism go into the activity than one may consider. When the Royal Rumble comes to town, Joe Johnson, 12, and friends are never unaware. When Royal Rumble appeared on pay-per-view television last year, there was a party. They plan to be there in person if it ever comes to Minneapolis. “We like to set bets on who will win each match,” said Jason Bergman, 12. “Joe is always the best since he knows everything there is to know about prowrestling.” Joe Johnson is a professional wrestling expert. He spends late nights watching his grand collection of Ring of Honor (ROH) DVDs and reenacting the stunts. He has very strong opinions on the subject and is willing to attempt to convert any nonenthusiasts. “Pro-wrestling seems to run in my family. My dad took my mom on one of their first dates to a wrestling match. My brother collapsed my old bed by Frogsplashing me while I was laying on it. And last year I Frogsplashed my newer bed and completely demolished it.” A Frogsplash is a move in which one
wrestler will jump in the air, clutch his arms and legs together and apart, then land on his opponent, mimicking a frog splashing into the water. But a Frogsplash is only one of the countless moves in pro-wrestling. For years, fans have debated as to which move is indeed the greatest. Some love to watch wrestlers fly through the air, while others like to see them get rough on the floor. “My favorite move comes from Mike Quackenbush, also known as the ‘Master of 1000 Holds,’” said Johnson. “The Lightning Lock holds the
Clutch.” Justin Benolkin, social studies teacher, another pro-wrestling enthusiast, felt differently than Johnson. “The Anaconda Vise performed by CM Punk,” argues Benolkin. “Punk is a great role model outside of his career, and he’s straight-edge just like me.” Execution of professional wrestling moves and techniques is similar to a dance move: the more complicated the stunt, the more impressive it is to watch.
Wrestlers are constantly creating new moves and naming them. To jump into this excitement, Johnson and Brian Bradbury, 12, have both created their own gimmicks and trademark moves.
other guy’s back on your back, and then stretches their back the way it doesn’t stretch too well. I also like to put my friends in the Camel
sports
Johnson goes by the name of Gorgeous Joey J while Bradbury goes by The Evil Chef Pierre Monfrerre. They often compete for others’ amusement in basements and swimming pools. “In the Bergmans’ basement I performed the Alabama Slam on Bradbury,” said Johnson. “I slammed him on the back of a TV Rocker.” “But after that was when I put him in the Tahitian Monkey Hold,” refuted Bradbury. “I jumped on his back and started slapping him in the face as fast as I possibly could, inflicting crippling pain and disorientation.” In some minds, pro-wrestling is a fake and weak excuse for a sport. But for those willing to appreciate the dedication and enjoy the excitement, it is an incredible show. So in the future, when in need of a creative tactic to demolish your archnemesis, consider what Mike Quakenbush of CM Punk would do. Better yet, consider what the Gorgeous Joey J or the Evil Chef Pierre Monfrerre would do.
photo by David Derong
Joe Johnson, 12, performs one of his favorite moves on his “sparring partner” Jason Bergman, 12.
Super Bowl Breaking the ice XLII The victor of Super Bowl XLII seemed obvious coming into the game, but at the end, the team holding the trophy was a surprise. By Alex Hoffman staff writer
As the entire country watched the opening kickoff soar through the air at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona there was one question in the minds of football fans everywhere: Could the Giants pull off an upset? That question was answered four hours later as the clock ran from one second to zero. The MVP, Eli Manning, could look up at the scoreboard and see the score that he worked so hard to achieve, Giants 17, Patriots 14. “Manning definitely deserved MVP. He really came through under pressure, and pulled off an amazing upset,” said Matt Stoltman, 11. The Giants’ success story started with winning six straight games after opening the season with back-to-back losses. 6’5” Receiver Plaxico Burress of the Giants played an enormous role in getting the team to the Super Bowl. He was the team’s biggest downfield threat, and had a breakout game in the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers with 154 yards and 11 receptions. The road to the Super Bowl for the Patriots seemed almost effortless. Quarterback Tom Brady led his team into the big
game with a perfect 18-0 record, but couldn’t make things happen when the team needed it most. “With a record like that, it’s pretty hard to think that the Patriots were going to lose the Super Bowl. The Giants just made good plays at crucial times,” said Stoltman. One of those plays was with one minute left in the fourth quarter. As four Patriots jerseys crashed into Manning’s pocket, he barely evaded them with two players grabbing at his shirt. He quickly threw a dangerous pass to the middle of the field inside the New England 25-yard line. Running between four Patriots and pinning the ball against his helmet, wide receiver David Tyree came down with a 32-yard catch that was nothing short of miraculous. “That catch was unbelievable. It was maybe the best catch I have ever seen live,” said Brett Johnson, 11. That play allowed Burress to bring in the winning touchdown pass for the Giants with 35 seconds left in the game. The New York Giants stole the Lombardi Trophy from under the nose of the New England Patriots on Sunday with clutch plays and perseverance. Now they just have to decide if they want to wear their rings around Disney World.
8th grader Lindsay Wolter is breaking barriers and expectations for the girls’ hockey team By Anna Blaske staff writer
Even though Lindsey Wolter started playing hockey at five years old, she only figured out later that she could be playing Mounds View varsity girls’ hockey as an eighth grader. “I started playing when I was really little because both my older brothers played hockey, and I thought it would be fun,” said Wolter. The varsity girls’ hockey team has an unprecedented six eighth graders on the roster this year. Eighth graders are allowed to play for high school teams if no high school students are cut. Allowing younger girls on the team is a tough decision for a coach to make, since it takes playing time from older participants, but in Lindsey Wolter’s case, it has benefited the team. “It was clear at tryouts that she was good enough to play with us; she basically walked onto the team,” said Miki Yoshimura-Rank, 11. Wolter has helped the team with three assists and two goals thus far this season. “I decided to try out because I knew it would help me improve and practices would be more convenient since they’re always at the same time,” said Wolter. “She contributes to the depth of the team and has really good hands,” said Captain Lindsey Hjelm, 11. Wolter plays second line varsity. In general, second line gets a decent amount of time on the ice. However, there is some controversy among the older girls who are really dedicated to hockey over whether Wolter is taking their playing time. “She has really good skills but it seems unfair to the juniors and seniors, who have put a lot of time into hockey, that she could be taking our playing time away,” said Caitlin Berschneider, 11. Whether or not she goes to Mounds View, Wolter is still growing and developing her skills as a hockey player. “I’ve learned a lot more about the game and position by playing for a high school team,” said Wolter. The team is improving from last year, with a
photo by Debbie Li Lindsay Wolter is one of six eighth graders to play on the MV girls’ varsity team. record of eight wins, 13 losses, and two ties. This might not be as impressive as some other sports, but it does provide potential for the team in the years to come. “I’m really excited for next year to see what the returning freshmen can do,” said Hjelm. Wolter is genuinely exited about being on the team and it means a lot for the future of Mounds View hockey as these young girls grow and learn more about the game. This is also the first time the Mounds View girls’ hockey team has ever had eighth graders on the team. “This has been my favorite year [of hockey], and I’ve had a really great experience,” said Wolter.
12gallery
February 8, 2008
Mark aking her
on paper and the Mounds View student body By Maddy Stephens
Sunny. “Pencil gives me the most control, thus allowing me to depict my pieces as realistically as possible.” Describing her pieces as a halfway mark between impressionism and surrealism, Sunny strives for the realIt started with a pencil and a blank piece of paper. She ism found somewhere between the two varying styles. was young, maybe about two, just old enough to produce “Mostly, when I draw, I want it to look realistic. I an image slightly more coherent than a scribble. want it to be ‘fantasy-like,’ but also believable at the same “It made me happy, it was just habitual, something I time.” did. At that time, I didn’t think of it as setting me apart Though the fledgling artist says the last contest she from others, something that made me special. I just picked entered was three years ago, she did not cease to impress. up a pencil and drew,” said Sunny Thao, 12. The contest, sponsored by the Diversity Council, was But it wasn’t until elementary school that Sunny to create a work symbolizing diversity. Sunny made first became conscious of her budding talent. place and received a $100 reward. “It was third or fourth grade…I received a lot of comThough Sunny does not plan pliments on stuff I did for art, on centering her college educaand I got high grades on all of tion on art, nor pursuing a career my projects,” she said. in 2D, she will not surrender her Her parents embraced their talent for success either. daughter’s artistic talent. f I could focus on “My parents and I have Sunny’s mother, an English agreed that, once I have a stable teacher at Como Park High something simple and make it career and can support myself, School, works with pencil and then I can pursue my passion for charcoal as a hobby, while her look extraordinary, then I had art.” husband sketches intermittentPushing secularity away ly. succeeded. from her art, Sunny’s intentions “My mom was one of my and motives run deeper than art biggest supporters—she was - Sunny Thao school or money prizes. To her, really talented, so I’ve been it’s about simplicity, a strain of surrounded by art since birth, concentration melded with conthough I’ve never taken any formal training,” said Sunny. sciousness. Now a high school student, varsity tennis player, and “I want people to enjoy my art, yes, and I like people’s co-president of Diversity Council, Thao’s time for artistic praise, but I want to change the way people view things pursuits wanes. too, just like Van Gogh with his Starry Night. If I can do “I try to fit it in when I can… I make an effort to do that then I know that I’ve really succeeded.” something, even if it's just a quick sketch on a piece of notebook paper, when inspiration hits me,” she said. Art in any form, be it creative writing or acrylics, is a part of Sunny Thao’s identity that’s just as necessary as any vital organ. In effort to maintain symbiosis with high school stress, she resorts to her sketchpad as a source of relief. “Without art, I wouldn't be able to release pentup feelings. A lot of people go out with friends, but my escape is art,” said Sunny. “I can’t even imagine what life would be like without art, it’s basically been with me forever. Ever since third grade, I’ve pretty much been known as ‘the artist.’” Sunny has experimented with acrylics, chalk, charcoal, and pastels. But her favoritism towards pencil is rooted to her childhood. The first instrument she picked up quickly became her favorite, and, even today, pencil is a medium that continues to aid in her artistic development. But the skill employed in each of Sunny’s pieces and works has far exceeded her embryonic stages of simple pencil on paper. “Because pencil was my first medium, I’m the most skilled with it,” said
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