MV Viewer 2017-2018 Issue 5

VOLUME 65 ISSUE 5 | January 22, 2018

THE VIEWER CELLED OFF

INSIDE THIS ISSUE QUIZBOWL 04/ NET NEUTRALITY 08/ SENIOR SLIDE 10

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News

Monday, January 22, 2018

Russia, Korea stir pre-Olympic talk

by Rachel Ganske and Alexis Larson staff reporter The 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will run from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25, with an estimated 90 countries participating in 102 events.

The athletes eye an Olympic gold while the countries around the world are also keeping a close watch — but instead focusing on the actions of the major players in the political game: Russia and North Korea.

On Dec. 5, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Russian athletes from competing based on illegal d r u g use allegations from t h e World AntiDopi n g Agency (WADA).

Following Russia’s relatively low 15 medals at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the Russian administration employees began reporting its athletes’ doping positives as negatives. These allegations have followed the nation for eight years and reached a breaking point after an investigation into the state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Games in Russia.

This punishment came at the completion of a 17-month-long investigation held by the IOC disciplinary commission. The committee concluded that during the 2014 Sochi Games, the director of the anti-doping laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov, gave Russian athletes substances to enhance their performance and switched urine samples to avoid detection.

With this ban, any athlete cleared

as clean can still participate under the title “Olympic athlete from Russia.” The Russian flag will not be flown, and the Olympic anthem will be played in place of the Russian national anthem.

The idea of compromise is unappealing to some Mounds View students.

Emma Patty, 11, holds an opin-

Zone. Although invited to participate in the Pyeongchang Olympics, the North Korean National Olympic Committee missed the Oct. 30 registration deadline for figure skaters Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik, who qualified for spots in the Olympics earlier in 2017. Nevertheless, South Korean President Moon Jae-in e n -

ion that closely mirrors the thoughts of the IOC to ban any athlete that tests positive for performance enhancing drugs. “[The IOC should] disqualify the athlete; it’s the Olympics, and it’s a huge deal. People worked so hard to get there — it’s their whole life,” said Patty. Patty also suggests a “one strike and you’re out” policy. With this idea, any athlete proved to have used prohibited drugs will not be able to compete in any other future Olympics.

Fewer than 50 miles from the Olympic village lies the Korean Demilitarized

couraged North Korea to take part in the Games, in hopes of easing military tensions and encouraging more unity and peaceful relations.

Representatives from the two Northeast Asian countries held a meeting for the first time in two years on Jan. 9 in Panmunjom, a village near the North and South Korean border. The conversation led to North Korea’s decision to send their athletes to participate in the Olympics.

At the meeting, North Korea did not discuss nuclear power or plans, but

the country informed that their weapons were aimed at the United States, not South Korea.

There is debate among Mounds View students over whether North Korea should be allowed to participate in the Olympics this year. Lukas Hessini, 11, believes that North Korea should not take part in the Games. “I’d feel bad for the [North Korean] athletes because they trained so hard,” said Hessini. “But they have a rogue leader that’s a threat to the world. North Korea not being invited to the games might send a message to Kim Jong-un about how the world views him.”

Others believe that North Korea’s participation could bring forth peace. “I don’t see an issue in it. If [North Korea’s] there, that probably lessens the threat of some sort of violence against other teams,” said Vicky Li, 11.

The amalgam of political disputes has plagued news headlines for the past several months. The Russian doping allegations have caused controversy for the Games by allowing their athletes to consume performance-enhancing substances, which led to the country’s ban from Pyeongchang. As for North Korea, although military tensions still exist between the dictatorship and the rest of the world, steps of progress have been made toward rebuilding their relationship with South Korea. With the build up of political games in the upcoming weeks, the Olympic Games are sure to be a competition of both political and athletic prowess. illustration by Christina Mehrkens

Teacher discipline at Mounds View

by Leon Wang staff reporter

When it comes to discipline in school, many of the rules seem to be quite straightforward. A student handbook depicts guidelines for school attendance to a teacher contract with information detailing similar rules dedicated towards school staff. However, the protocols of discipline may not be as simple as they appear: They hold more significance than they present.

At the same time, there are also regulations that determine disciplinary actions for teachers who have been accused of violating a school policy. In this instance, the Mounds View Education Association union for teachers acts as an advocate for teachers’ rights and provides a lawyer to represent him or her. In the case of a teacher accusation, the dismissal process can be lengthy due to the rules, which ensures that the rights of teachers are not infringed upon. Despite the seemingly

cumbersome process, it can be relatively straightforward to fire a teacher if the district has documented evidence of student mistreatment over time. Furthermore,

“There isn’t like a handbook or a booklet that says abc or xyz because every situation is handled differently.”

Stephanie Bruggers, Principal the seemingly abrupt event of a teacher discharge can cause unrest in the school. “What students and people

in the community need to remember is often times, you can’t abruptly fire somebody or discipline somebody,” said Justin Benolkin, social studies teacher. “There has to be many months or years of problems, and [other] teachers in the community don’t see those problems because they don’t have a right to see them.” Often times the consequences vary based on each specific case.

“There isn’t like a handbook or a booklet that says abc or xyz because every situation is handled differently,” said Principal Stephanie Bruggers.

Although students or community members may feel that some policies of discipline are obscure or need to be more transparent, ultimately, they enable the school to run smoothly. The system of discipline for teachers and students is a system that works hard to represent all members of the school district in an equitable manner and tries to balance the public’s right to know and the privacy of individuals.

editorials

Monday, January 22, 2018

Franken takes responsibility

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by Jeffrey He staff reporter Former U. S. Senator Al Franken was accused of sexual misconduct on eight accounts. Franken resigned from Senate on Jan. 2, following a resignation speech on Dec. 7. Former Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith will replace Franken until the next election this November. Regardless of the hypocrisy displayed by the Republicans, this resignation was a justified call in response to Franken’s actions.

Franken started off his career in 1975 as a comedian primarily on Saturday Night Live, moving to politics in 2008. He served as a Democratic senator since 2009 and made many legislative accomplishments during his time there. Franken added provisions to the 2010 Health reform law, saving more than $3 billion in rebates to consumers throughout the country. He also helped write the 2014 Farm Bill with terms that cut energy costs for farmers and rural small businesses, enabling them to grow and have secure jobs. In 2013, Franken created provisions helping to protect victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through the Violence Against Women Act. While any sort of sexual misconduct should not be allowed, Franken’s contributions to sexual conduct show that he is an advocate for women’s rights.

Despite Franken’s contributions towards the Violence Against Women Act, eight women have accused him of commiting sexual misconduct. One of the accusers, Leeann Tweeden, KABC radio news anchor, said she “felt disgust[ed] and violated.”

Another victim said she was “stunned and incredulous” following an unexpected kiss after a handshake. Although it is hard to know the authenticity of some of the sexual harassment allegations, committing any sort of sexual misconduct should not be tolerated within society today. Although Franken has written a formal apology letter, there is no excuse for the actions he has committed in the past. Stepping down from office was not only the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, but will also exemplify to the Republicans that sexual allegations will not be ignored by the public.

However, Franken’s supporters have argued against his resignation, calling it “sad” and “unfair.” Currently, 57 percent of women in Minnesota disapprove of his resignation. Major Democratic donor Susie Tompkins Buell has been reconsidering support for the party after Franken’s resignation. In addition, Buell mentioned that Franken’s accusations are lesser compared to both Republican Roy Moore and President Donald Trump. After all, Moore has been accused numerous times of sexual misconduct with females as young as 14 but was still allowed to run for Senate. Trump has kept the presidency, yet has been accused by at least 19 women of sexual harassment. There has been no action taken toward either of these Republicans. The inconsistent treatment between both political parties should be nonexistent. Franken’s decision to step down as Senator, whether forced or not, should set an example towards what the Republicans should do. Why should there be a double standard for Democrats but not Republicans?

photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Unimpressed with the iPhone X

by Derek Zhu staff reporter

The iPhone X has attracted a lot of its attention due to its hefty price tag of $1,000 and its interesting new design. Yet, despite the many great features, such as its face ID and quality cameras, the iPhone X is simply not worth a gaping hole in your wallet. A $1,000 phone should be perfect, but the iPhone X is far from it.

One major point of contention regarding the iPhone X is its display. The 5.8 inch display is beautiful. It’s bright, has great dynamic range, and is on par with Samsung’s Note and Galaxy 8 phones. It’s an otherwise gorgeous display except for that infamous black notch at the top of the screen, which sticks out like a sore thumb. This black bar is extremely visible on any application with a white background, but can be somewhat ignored while watching a video or on a dark background. For a $1,000 phone, this black bar is an intrusive, annoying element on an otherwise elegant display.

Due to an amazing screen that covers the entire phone, the iPhone X lacks a fingerprint sensor and touch ID. To solve this issue, Apple has introduced a new biometric password in the aforementioned face ID. Face ID is fairly accurate, but doesn’t always work, especially at night. “I find that it works most of the time, but sometimes it can be frustrating. I think it works like 80 percent of the time,” said Taylor Counihan, 10.

Granted, the face ID is a slick, convenient feature, but it isn’t any better than a fingerprint scanner. Therefore, it shouldn’t be considered as a reason to buy the phone.

Another feature that Apple heavily advertised was the rear-facing cameras. Although these cameras provide great image quality and a new portrait mode feature, the Google Pixel 2 is king of still photos with better dynamic range, more natural images and portrait mode, all with only one camera compared to Apple’s two. This is all thanks to only Google’s software instead of multiple cameras, and Android phones also have one

more trick up their sleeve. With a recent software development, this amazing camera software is able to be downloaded on any Android phone supporting the most recent platform. This means that almost every current generation Android flagship will be able to get the amazing dynamic range and noise reduction of the Pixel 2.

Behind the screen, the iPhone X also has some definite strengths. With Apple’s new A11 Bionic processor, the iPhone X beat its largest competitor, the Note 8, in both single core and multi-core processes. Apple has also put the same chip in both the iPhone 8 and 8 plus, and in some cases, the iPhone 8 plus beats the iPhone

X. If you are looking for raw power, the 8 plus is a smarter option because it is $300 cheaper than the X. In terms of battery life, the iPhone X is definitely better than average phones, but it’s only decent — not what people expect in the most expensive phone on the market. According to a benchmark done by Tom’s Guide, a popular technology and entertainment news site, the iPhone X lasted 10 hours 49 minutes when continuously surfing the web on 4G. While that time is good, it is still lower than other flagship phones such as the Galaxy S8 plus (11 hours 4 minutes), the Galaxy Note 8 (11 hours 11 minutes) and the Pixel 2 XL (12 hours 9 minutes). Even Apple’s other current generation phone, the iPhone 8 plus, with similar processing capabilities, has a larger battery life at 11 hours 16 minutes. “My phone is at about 66 percent after using it for about two hours,” said Michael Nguyen, 12, an iPhone X owner.

For the normal school or work day with about three to five hours of screen on time, the battery is fine, but for anything more, the iPhone X will require recharging.

Additionally, the already expensive iPhone X also has the most expensive repair and warranty plans. If you don’t have a warranty and crack the screen, it costs $279 to repair it. If you break any other part of the device, you might as well just get a new phone because repairing “other damages,” including a cracked back glass panel, will cost an insane $549. That’s only $50 less than a brand new iPhone 8. These insane repair fees makes a case almost mandatory for any new iPhone X. While the iPhone X is a very good all around phone, it’s simply not worth the cost. Its design has flaws and it’s not the best at any one thing. The Pixel 2 XL beats iPhone X’s camera quality, battery life and voice assistance, the iPhone 8 plus is a cheaper while retaining iOS and most of iPhone X’s performance benchmarks, and the Samsung Galaxy S8 plus has a superior screen.

The iPhone X should only be considered if you have money to burn and you are not worried about value.

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features

monday, january 22, 2018

Photo Club in a snapshot

by Shirley Xieli and Luka Pejic staff reporters Every picture has a story to tell, and behind those pictures, there’s an individual who captures them. Photography is a powerful form of expression, but it’s underrated, and many don’t notice the work and dedication that individuals put into their photos. “Photography is special because it can capture so much. You know the saying, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ It is that exactly,” said Bjorn Eggen, 10, photography club officer. “A photo can capture mood, conflict, emotions, a story and so much more.”

The Mounds View Photography Club was founded in 2015 by Jasmin Kemp, 12. It all started as an idea in her sophomore year, but today, the club consists of more than 100 members.

Kemp’s passion for photography has motivated her to create a space where people can share their photos, inspire and be inspired. “I started photography club to bring together the community through pictures to share with one another.

Members post monthly pictures for the theme for a chance to win a gift card. Themes often focus on current areas of public interest as well as holidays that are celebrated in the school community,” said Kemp. “Anyone can join the club if they have a Facebook or Instagram.” There’s a new theme every month, and this month’s theme

is winter wonderland. Members simply post their photos on the MVHS Photo Club Facebook page or direct message them through Instagram. A winner is picked at the end of each month and receives a gift card.

The beauty of photography is that it covers a wide range of subjects and reflects a different message every time.

“I can choose different content to emulate different messages based on my audience,” said Kemp.

Photography Club is made up of photographers of all styles, from landscapes to fashion. All of

them are very different and unique in their own way, but they all have one thing in common: They all love photography and want to convey a message to the viewer through their photos. “I want to transmit having fun and kind of show that you don’t have to be someone else to be beautiful,” said Halle Klum, 12, photo club member. “Just be yourself.”

Photography Club is a community that welcomes all sorts of photography styles and levels. It offers an excellent opportunity to improve photographic skills and knowledge, and it also provides a forum to share what you have learned with others. “[Photography] has definitely broadened my views on beauty and purpose in life,” said Jonathan Santiago, 11, photography club officer. “The ability to bring out the beauty and uniqueness of people and everyday objects through a camera not only helps me see their purpose world, but also makes me consider mine as well.”

Students interested in joining Mounds View Photography Club should contact Jasmin Kemp at 2018kempj21@moundsviewschools. org.

Quiz Bowlers strike again

by Jason Lou and Kaylin Ro staff reporters

“Ben Reilly was a clone of this—” The sound of the buzzer interjects with the correct answer. “Spider-Man.” Then the group continues on to the next question.

This is what a typical Wednesday afternoon looks like for the 16 members in Quiz Bowl.

Quiz Bowl is a trivia competition that tests the knowledge of teams in a variety of specialized fields, including science, history, literature, geography, fine arts and pop culture. New members can walk in, similar to other clubs around the school, and members can qualify for varsity by doing well at competitions. Every week, members meet for practice, preparing for certain topics and strategies in social studies teacher Justin Benolkin’s room. The captain, Justin Duffy, 12, typically reads the questions out loud while the others sit with buzzers, as if they were in a real tournament.

To sharpen their skills, members are also encouraged to practice outside of meetings by answering trivia questions on websites such as Protobowl and Quinterest, but students also believe that classes at school are helpful in learning material. “A lot of the information that you learn in different classes in school is actually found in Quiz Bowl,” said Alek Sundberg, 12. He found that taking a physics class was helpful, preparing him for the questions related to physics.

Strategies are key elements to a successful Quiz Bowl team. Players divide the subjects among each other and specialize in only a few of them, rather than studying every subject. “[If] you don’t know much about literature, and every Wednesday you go to practice and you start to get the questions easier, you get exposed to them more,” said Arumagam. One student might specialize in mathematics while another in geography. This method ensures that the team covers the most categories in depth.

Local “league” tournaments take place every week on Thursday nights at Roseville Area High School, giving Mounds View teams a good chance to practice in real situations. Despite the regularity, the tournaments still provide dynamic situations. “You go to different places, and you go against different teams. Sometimes, you don’t know who you’re going against, but that’s part of the fun,” said Kishanth Arumugam, 9. Out of the 33 teams in the East Division, Mounds View’s varsity team ranks first and currently holds 8-0. They have already qualified for the national tournament.

Tournaments also occur on Saturdays, where the records from the three “league” tournaments are combined to see whether the team qualifies to make the High

School National Championship Tournament (HSNCT). The Mounds View Varsity team has already qualified for this national tournament for the eighth consecutive year, but this is their first time attending the playoffs. The tournament will take place in Atlanta, Georgia this May. They are currently trying to earn a spot for a second team to attend.

The Mounds View Quiz Bowl team has also qualified for the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence (PACE), a tournament where the top 100 teams in the nation compete. The competition is due to take place on June 2 and 3. Furthermore, the results from a tournament on Dec. 9 at the University of Minnesota were some of the team’s best individual results. With these top finishes, the future of Quiz Bowl remains bright.

Arumagam encourages anyone interested in trivia to try out Quiz Bowl. “It’s a very fun experience, and you get to make a lot of new friends,” he says. If you’re interested in joining this club contact Justin Duffy at 2018duffj63@moundsviewschools.org.

photos by Jason Lou and Shirley Xieli

features

Monday, January 22, 2018

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Pictures from around the world

by Kallie Slotvig and Marley Jones features editors

Senior Grace Ryan focuses her lense onto the sparkling figure that stands before her: the Eiffel Tower. This is only one of many historical sights that Ryan has had the opportunity to photograph. She has traveled to over 12 countries including Belgium, Italy and Spain. These experiences have sparked her growing passion to photograph the wonders of this world.

Raised by artists and travelers, Ryan has been encouraged to explore the world around her and express her creativity. She has done this in a multitude of ways including drawing and, her favorite, taking photographs.

Ever since she was a child, Ryan has traveled to many foreign countries with her family. “I started traveling when I was a baby. My grandmother, mom and great grandmother used to travel all over together.

We called ourselves ‘the four girls,’” said Ryan. At a young age, Ryan was given a Kodak camera that she carried around everywhere to capture her growing collection of memories.

Through her pictures she has developed a yearning to continue experiencing and capturing the world around her. “I’ve had the ability to travel to all sorts of countries and

different places and I love capturing the individual qualities of each place I visit,” said Ryan. She enjoys taking pictures of countries and sharing them with her friends. “I think the heart of what I love to do with photography is showing people all of the beauty in this world. Everything has a speciality to it and a unique aspect to it. Everything has a story and memories that are linked to it and that’s what I really like to capture in photography and in life in general,” said Ryan.

Ryan uses photography not only to capture important memories, but as a distraction from school work. “Photography and art is a nice way to escape from high school and stress. You can go out with your camera or phone and have at it,” said Ryan. “It’s relaxing.”

As Ryan looks forward to the years after high school, she hopes to continue to pursue her passion of capturing photographs and use the passion to help those in need. “I’d love to travel with non-profit groups, photograph the issues in our world and be able to bring that to the forefront,” said Ryan. “[Being] able to make a change in the world for the better and help people who need it most is so rewarding. I believe that we can make a difference and, although it may not seem like that, you can.”

photos courtesy of @gracefxs

Shooting new photos with old film

by Kallie Slotvig and Marley Jones features editors

photos courtesy of @memorychamber

Purchasing the equipment necessary to take professional grade photos can often become very costly, from a camera to a tripod to lenses. Jonathan Santiago, 11, believes that photographs are something that should be available to everyone, and sets an example of just how inexpensive becoming a photographer can be. He takes all of his photos with a point-and-shoot camera which he snatched from a thrift store for five dollars.

Santiago strives to take timeless photos and he does so by strictly using film. This old fashioned technique limits the number of photos he can take making each one all the more valuable. Once the photos have been properly developed, Santiago does not edit the scans any further. “It would take away from the aesthetic and purpose of film photography,” said Santiago. Through this process, each photo is cherished and is sure to last a lifetime.

Just as important as what you take photos with, the setting of where each photo takes place can influence the quality and personality of each individual picture. Santiago often ventures to the Twin Cities where he takes many of his photos. “At any part of the day, the cities always offers plenty of subjects to take pictures of,” said Santiago, “whether it’s neon signs, people and everything in between.”

To Santiago photography allows him to further understand the world around him and gives him the ability to influence how others

see it as well. “The ability to bring out the beauty and uniqueness of people and everyday objects through a camera not only helps me see their purpose in the world, but it also makes me consider mine as well,” said Santiago.

Santiago understands that it can seem like there are many barriers to becoming a photographer but offers advice to those who are interested in the craft. “Not every picture has to be perfect at first. Like anything great it takes time,” said Santiago. “A good picture has to convey both emotion and a story. It has to intrigue the viewer to want to know the full story similar to how someone would analyze a painting.”

Photographs have the power to evoke change, and in the future, Santiago hopes to harness this power to make a positive difference in the world. “I really want to go back to my homeland of Puerto Rico. Personally it’d be an incredible way for me to discover more about my culture and identity. It would also be a good way to document how it’s been looking after hurricane Maria,” said Santiago.

Although he is only a junior, Santiago hopes to take the destruction that occurred in Puerto Rico and through his photos, remind people of the positive things in life. “I want people to notice that there is beauty in everything. Through my countless portraits, candids and sceneries, I want people to realize the blessing it is to be alive and how lucky we are to have one another.”

The digital habits o Phones in conversation

by Alexis Larson and Leroy Thor staff reporters From social media, communication to academics, phones are almost an inseparable part of people’s daily lives. The increasing versatility of phones has its pros and cons: While they make our lives more convenient, phones also are replacing both

It’s like a child,” said Jacob Gray, 12.

For some students, cell phone use depends on the situation.“If it’s my mom, my teachers or an adult in general, [I’m] probably not [on my phone], but if I’m with friends, it depends what we are talking about,” said Makenzie Eiynck, 11. “Sometimes we are just talking about non-exciting things and it doesn’t matter.” Others find that all

“I feel like sometimes I have to fight the phones for attention from my friends.”

-Bethany Kinney, 11

basic conversation and communication with texting and social media.

Studies have shown that smartphone usage has been damaging social interactions. Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Sherry Turkle shares how cell phones lead people to have less meaningful conversations.

“If you put a cell phone into a social interaction, it does two things: first, it decreases the quality of what you talk about, because you talk about things where you wouldn’t mind being interrupted, which makes sense, and secondly, it decreases the empathic connection that people feel toward each other,” said Turkle. In her studies, she discovered that simply setting a phone on the table during a conversation distracts from developing deep conversations.

Cell phones can not only become a distraction, but even a necessity.

“Personally, it basically consumes my whole life. You can’t go without your phone. You always need to know where it’s at. You need to know if you have notifications or if your phone is going off. You just have to take care of it.

instances of phone usage during interactions are disrespectful. “[I keep my phone] in my pocket because I’m engaging in conversation with them and not my phone. [I’m] trying to be respectful,” said Reuben King, 9.

In addition to being distracted,

used to not talking and just going on their phones. When they talk to people, sometimes they do not know what to talk about, and they just pull out their phones,” said Ramon Salguero, 11.

Although phone communication is a popular, genuine conversation is still preferred for those who find it more sincere than online conversation. “I [prefer] face-to-face, because then it’s easier to explain things and emotions better and understand sarcasm better,” said Hailey Bishman, 10. Others agree that communicating through text messages and social media can be misinterpreted and that conversations are more meaningful in person. “Through texting, I’m always afraid of how it might sound. You can’t get tones, for one, and I feel like [in-person conversation is] more personal. Some people text very personal things. I think it is always better face-to-face,” said Kinney.

Smartphone usage can negatively influence in-person social interactions.

The distraction of mobile devices and the comfort of communicating through text and social media undermines face-

“You just have to take care of [your phone]. It’s like a child.” -Jacob Gray, 12 many students notice that people who frequently use their phones struggle with face-to-face conversation. “I feel like sometimes I have to fight the phones for attention from my friends.

[Some] don’t know how to carry a conversation,” said Bethany Kinney, 11. “I don’t think that’s with everyone, but it definitely does happen.” Due to constant phone use, people engage in less conversation. “Some people get

to-face conversations. Ultimately, in order to build meaningful relationships, it is crucial to put the cell phone away and engage with each other.

of the iGeneration Distracted education

by Derek Zhu and Hannah Hoiland staff reporters

tion. Because their mobile device is an instant connection to their peers and media, it provides reprieve from their mundane classwork. “I’ll be like doing calc homework, and then I’ll be like, ‘Oh wait, I got a text,’ and then I’ll get distracted for the next half hour. It just like out of habit,” said Ayra Alam, 11. “Homework is boring, so [phones are] a way to relax every few minutes.”

Even though phones can be an academic disturbance, they can also be an effective educational tool. Phones, and technology in general, enhance the educational experience through interactive sites such as Socrative, Quizizz or Kahoot. Through their devices, students

Every day, students steadily buzz away on their mobile devices, sending messages, playing games and surfing the web. The smartphone is a staple in many students’ and faculty’s pockets and has become a necessity in our technologically-integrated lives. Despite the wide variety of uses for smartphones, not all of their influences are beneficial.

The enormous volume of information and media students have access to greatly impacts their lifestyle. According to a report by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit dedicated to informing children and families about media and technology, teenagers in the United States spend about nine hours per day on media, not Videos including use for school or schoolwork.

Continuous exposure to a media-flooded world accustoms teens to constant stimuli and distracts them from their studies.

Both Mounds View students and Social Media teachers notice a correlation between academic performance and phone usage.

“When students are using cellphones in class, they miss key information from lessons, and with 90 percent of students, this Reading reflects in their test scores,” said biology teacher Carolyn Hartmann. Other than the rare student who can constantly use their phone and succeed in class, “it’s the ones who are on their phones regularly and are Music being distracted that miss due dates, that are procrastinating and have to type their rough draft of their paper the night before because they weren’t using their class time wisely,” said English teacher Allyson Manns. “I always set my expecta- Communication tions as ‘I don’t want to see [phones],’ but I have better things to do with my time than to police cell phones. High schoolers are learning how to be adults and Other how to use technology appropriately.”

Students themselves even admit that phones negatively affect them aca0 demically by promoting procrastina-

can also review their teacher’s resources and calendar. “I check my grades, keep up with work through [Google] Classroom and Moodle and take notes,” said Simon Tran, 12. Both Hartmann and Manns incorporate technology into their classrooms. “I think there’s definitely a time and a place,” said Manns. “I think that we as teachers need to encourage our students to find that balance.”

Cell phones have become integrated into our daily lives. Students can use their phones to help them excel academically, but if they constantly abuse technology, they will have to face the consequences, such as lower grades, that come with it.

What do you use your phone for the most?

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information compiled by Sarah Tang

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151 students polled

8 DEBATES

Monday, January 22, 2018

Net Neutrality Was the removal of the Obama Era Regulation the right move?

The net needs neutrality

by Liam Curry staff reporter With the internet being a necessity at school, home and work, it is a vital part of everyone’s lives. Over the last few years, net neutrality regulations have “ushered in an unprecedented era of innovation, creativity & civic engagement,” according to Netflix. Without net neutrality and its bright-line rules, the internet’s integrity will be jeopardized, hurting both consumers and competitors alike.

Without net neutrality, companies won’t be competing on a level playing field. Internet service providers (ISPs), who provide access to the internet, could promote partner companies and provide them an advantage over their competitors. Specifically, these sponsored websites and companies would gain more traffic by being prioritized by their partner ISPs. Additionally, smaller startup companies could be at a disadvantage, since they may not have a partner ISP. Website prioritization will hurt the internet’s market competition by creating unnecessary bias.

In addition to companies being hurt by an anti-

competitive playing field, consumers will also be negatively impacted by the removal of net neutrality.

Without net neutrality’s content blocking regulations, providers will be able to block websites as they please.

Furthermore, they could change their payment plans to a content-bundle model, one similar to television channel packages. In this model, consumers would have to pay to reach certain entertainment websites such as Netflix or news websites such as The Washington Post. As a result, consumers may have to pay more money just to access certain parts of the internet.

With the removal of these important regulations, opponents to net neutrality will be fast to argue their positions. After the repeal, ISPs that prioritize their partners and block content will receive a strong backlash from their consumers, so they won’t immediately change their practices. Many opponents to an open internet will argue that this quiet period proves the internet is fine without regulations, when in fact issues will arise in the long run. By the time most people have forgotten about this issue, ISPs will be able to change their business practices with less objection from their customers.

While the Restoring Internet Freedom Act boasts to keep transparency, the damage will be done. The fact that ISPs will have to expose their business models does not change the negative effects that consumers and competitors will face. Instead, it verifies that these companies are not breaking the internet’s guidelines. In this case, however, these guidelines present a harm in and of themselves.

While the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) thinks the repeal of net neutrality will greatly benefit the internet, there are many who think otherwise.

Over the last couple of months, millions of consumers and many well known platforms such as Twitter, Imgur and Mozilla have spoken out against the FCC’s move.

In addition, some of the internet’s pioneers made a statement to the FCC, advising the commision to keep the laws. Even with all this feedback, the FCC still voted to pass its Restoring Internet Freedom Act order on Dec. 14, 2017. The commission’s decision to end net neutrality has ignored the internet’s users, competitors and creators and may hurt the integrity of the platform in the years to come.

Regulation stifles innovation

by Andrew Seong staff reporter Although net neutrality is mostly seen as an obvious asset to society, there are still several persuasive arguments against it that revolve around the largely libertarian view that the vast majority of regulations are unnecessary and that the free market would be a better option.

In most cases, more regulation means less investment. As compliance costs increased and the regulatory climate became unpredictable after the start of net neutrality, investment in internet infrastructure has been in a historic nosedive over the last three years. Many experts point to Europe, which has more regulations and less infrastructure investment than America, as an example of this inverse relationship.

It would be futile to invest in capacity upgrades if the government will essentially nationalize it anyway.

Managing the Internet using a Title II framework created in the 1930s to deal with a telephone monopoly has led to less investment and innovation.

It is also easy to understand that different pricing models stimulate competition. Novel business models and products invariably result in competition, causing prices to decrease and quality to increase. This works out in favor of the consumer. The process is far more superior at creating better and inexpensive services than arbitrary decisions by bureaucrats. Government regulation of business models is not a good idea, especially in developing technology fields such as

the Internet. Competing models must be allowed to survive or fail independently in order for the best to be created. An example of the government interfering in this process would be the first investigations under the net neutrality regulations, which were against free data offerings.

The solution for markets that don’t have a sufficient amount of competition is to not treat them as if they were monopolies, as net neutrality does. Small ISPs (Internet Service Providers) that could compete aren’t able to as they don’t have the resources to comply with these burdensome regulations. The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, which represents small, rural companies, discovered that more than 80 percent of its companies “incurred additional expense in complying with the Title II rules, had delayed or reduced network expansion, had delayed or reduced services and had allocated budget to comply with the rules.” Other similar ISPs have been forced to delay new features because they couldn’t determine whether or not their business models would be allowed.

In addition to showing how regulations favor incumbents, the previous example highlights the fact that net neutrality is a solution in search of an issue.

The problem with net neutrality is that, instead of letting different practices develop and interfering when an abuse occurs, it is prescriptive and therefore likely to favor incumbents in sustaining the existing state of affairs. The status quo is in stark contrast with the last two decades, in which lenient regulations encouraged

the type of innovation that had worked so effectively since the beginning of the internet. During this period, the average speed and quantity of internet connections increased as the percentage of people without “advanced telecommunications capability” halved from 20 percent to 10 percent. Services had been enhanced and options had been increasing while companies invested over $1.5 trillion to create networks. However, in 2015, despite the lack of systemic traffic throttling and site blocking that net neutrality proponents fear, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created net neutrality. Repealing these regulations would not generate throttling and blocking because ISPs are aware that it will benefit them to keep a level playing field. For example, Comcast, an owner of Hulu, won’t slow down Netflix because it doesn’t want to risk losing consumers. The FCC will still expect complete transparency from ISPs regarding information such as traffic and data caps while the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which can take action even in the absence of discovering harm, will still be able to punish deceptive practices.

These three reasons clearly show why the free market is superior to market micromanagement.

Increased investment will create jobs and competition which will inevitably allow for better internet access and price discrimination, expand innovation and increase investment incentives. It is easy to forget that new, indispensable services such as Skype are only possible because of deregulation.

Viewer Staff 2017-2018 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING COPY EDITOR MANAGING DESIGN EDITORS MANAGING ONLINE EDITOR BUSINESS MANAGER FRONT COVER NEWS EDITOR EDITORIALS EDITOR FEATURES EDITORS

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CENTERFOLD EDITORS DEBATES EDITOR ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR GOOD QUESTION EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHERS ARTIST ADVISOR PUBLISHER

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STAFF WRITERS Ingrid Anderson, Bridget Bohan, Derek Chen, Liam Curry, Justin Duffy, Rachel Ganske, Michael Gennaro, Sienna Griffith, Jeffrey He, Jessica Hegele, Hannah Hoiland, Julia Holtz, Emma Hoyhtya, Till Konczak, Alexis Larson, Elliot Lee, Jason Lou, Robert Nelson, Luka Pejic, Kaylin Ro, Clare Schooley, Andrew Seong, Benjamin Steil, Jenna Stellmack, Leroy Thor, Jordan Van Laningham, Leon Wang, Shelley Wang, Alec Weber, Shirley Xieli, Derek Zhu

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ARTS & Entertainment 9

Monday, January 22, 2018

The greatest musical ever

by Elliot Lee staff reporter

photo courtosey of 20th Century Fox

The Verdict Though it is a musical, which a lot of people are turned off by, The Greatest Showman is a phenomenal movie. For those who love to laugh and cry, love authenticity, and can appreciate amazing cinematic magic, this movie is sure to please.

5/5

The Greatest Showman, released to theaters on Dec. 20, 2017, is loosely based on true story of P.T. Barnum, an American showman remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes. This musical follows Barnum’s story in the mid- 1800s as he rises from a pauper to a rich circus performer. He’s played by Hugh Jackman, a famous Broadway actor whose voice lends a powerful tenor to support the musical’s soundtrack.

The Greatest Showman reflects a recent revival of musical movies. Originally started with the release of La La Land in 2016 — the first successful film since Les Miserables in 2012 — in which Hugh Jackman also played a main character. With its apparent success, The Greatest Showman is pioneering a new age in musicals.

The movie begins with an engaging dramatic song, revealing young Barnum’s dreams of becoming a showman, of making something out of himself. However, the song quickly cuts out to young Barnum looking at the outfit of a showman, revealing that he is just the son of a poor tailor on the way to meet a customer. There, he meets the daughter of the wealthy customer, a young girl named Charity Williams, played by Michelle Williams. Over the course of the movie, viewers follow P.T. and Charity’s lives while they live out their dreams of a life together, as expressed in the touching song “A Million Dreams.” With that song, the exposition wraps up, leaving high expectations for the rest of the movie.

For those who love authenticity in a film, The Greatest Showman does a wonderful job at it, despite straying far from historical accuracy. A majority of the aerial stunts performed by Zendaya and Zac Efron who play Phillip Carlyle and Anne Wheeler respectively, are done without a stunt double nor a net. The validity of it truly allows viewers to connect with the characters in a way unlike any other.

Throughout the film, characters overcome social prejudice through community which builds a feel-good mood that provides comfort to the watcher and invokes inspiration into the hearts of everyone. Matched with comedy and an incredible, tear-jerking soundtrack created by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, The Greatest Showman has the perfect balance between seriousness, suspense and lightheartedness.

All the melodies are of a slightly different genre, sure to appeal to various music tastes. The first in the very start of the movie has a bit of a rock and roll flavor to it, while others are more like pop or tunes found in traditional musicals. In each of the songs, there is an incredibly amount of symbolism, missed by all but the most perceptive. Some of those messages are masked with hauntingly beautiful voices and doubled with phenomenal cinematics which leave a heart-rending tremor in the audience. Listening to the songs has the power to invoke a tear from even the most callous.

Despite the powerful messages displayed through song, camera and characters, the plot can be slow moving and some scenes can leave the viewer with confusion, struggling to grasp the events that just occured because of the lack of explanation and dialogue by the characters. Others might argue it would have been better if it were more historically correct. For example, the character known as General Tom Thumb was exploited for his dwarfism, claiming to be twelve when he was five. By ages six and seven, he was drinking liquor and smoking cigars for entertainment. In the movie, none of this was brought to light.

The Greatest Showman may deter some viewers because it is a musical. Regardless, everyone should give it a chance because it is an experience not to be missed. The range of emotions affects people in such a dramatic way that it is a movie can be watched over and over again and never lose its passion.

Experience the wonders of the Omnitheater

by Jenna Stellmack staff reporter

first-person scenes of swooping and diving that films designed for the Omnitheater can’t seem to resist including. Something about being surrounded by what is, in effect, a giant flight simulator, seems to make the filmmakers ecstatic.

The world is an amazing place, filled with wonders. Unfortunately, the general Although the flying scenes are often interesting and lend a sense of excitement public never gets to see most of those wonders in real life. Instead, the closest people to the show, this movie includes multiple scenes of spinning in the sky, inducing a get to the wilder parts of the world is the internet. However, located in the heart of sense of vertigo that might make it hard to keep eyes glued to the screen. the Twin Cities, the Science Museum presents a innovative new way to view the More swooping scenes are, as expected, present throughout another captivating marvels of the planet. film: Journey into Amazing Caves. However, it is more toned-down than The Magic The Minnesota Science Museum’s Omnitheater, located in downtown St. Paul, of Flight, mostly featuring breathtaking footage is another way to experience the adventures of of massive caves and the people exploring them. the outdoors without actually going there. It’s Contrary to preconceptions, Journey into better than, say, YouTube in a few fundamental Amazing Caves is about biology, not geology. ways. One is the massive screen, which curves It chronicles the adventures of two spelunkers around the theater, providing a more immersive searching for bacteria, called extremophiles, view into the worlds on the screen. The other is that thrive in extreme conditions. that the documentaries at the Omnitheater are The movie follows them into caves in the high quality and original. cliffs near the Grand Canyon, caves tunneled Usually, only one or two films play at the hundreds of feet into the ice of Greenland, and museum at a time, but now, Omnifest is bringcaves entirely submerged in water. The natural ing many more options to viewers. This year’s scenery is breathtaking, though it’s unclear how science-themed documentary series features the explorers were videotaped on their “solo defive movies about wolves, caves, chimpanzees, scents.” trains and flight, all which play until March 1.

The Omnifest, running through March 1, One of the movies featured in the Omnifest is worth a visit. Tickets, which include genthis year is The Magic of Flight. It focuses on the eral admission to the museum, are $24.95 for Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy’s flying demonstranon-member adults, $18.95 for non-member tion team, covering everything from the daily children and seniors, and free for all members. routines of the pilots to footage of their shows.

Whether looking for action, adventure, science, In addition, it provides information about the or anything in between, taking the time to watch history and physics of flight that transforms it photo courtesy of the Science Museum of Minnesota a film in the Science Museum’s Omnitheater is into an entertaining learning experience. an experience that shouldn’t be missed.

Along with the Blue Angels, The Magic of Flight features a large number of the

10

good question

Monday, January 22, 2018

How can you senior slide?

by Michael Gennaro staff reporter

Second semester is quickly approaching and with seven semesters under their belt, many of the graduating class of 2018 look forward to beginning their senior slide. During second semester, senior sliding has become a trend over the years as a way to relax before starting college in the upcoming fall.

However, faculty and parents still wonder what exactly the concept entails.

Mounds View High School pushes their students to their full potential through a rigourous curriculum, but after three years of intense studying, lack of sleep and stress, many students find themselves “sliding” to graduation.

While senior sliding is fairly common among seniors, many students have different ideas of what this entails. “My definition would be caring a lot less, especially after you get into [college],” said James Hong, 12. Colleges tend to focus on the first three years of high school education, which gives students the idea that senior year is not as important on their transcripts. However, this isn’t entirely true. Although the second semester of senior year isn’t shown when applying to colleges, they still require the transcript in order to ensure the student still meets the colleges’ standards. If it does not meet the standards, the college that had previously accepted a student can withdraw the acceptance.

Another definition of senior slid-

ing is whether or not it pertains to only seniors. Senior Kexin Zhang believes all grade levels can begin to slack off towards the end of the school year. “For some reason, people believe that senior sliding only pertains to seniors. I don’t think that’s true, it varies by grade level, class level, and can really occur anytime. In my opinion, seniors can slack off a little more during their last semester at Mounds View because everything that we’ve done is done. There’s no going back, what you’ve worked for is what’s there,” said Zhang. Sliding can be done by all grade levels, however, the seniors are less affected by the action.

Attending college is on the horizon for most of the graduating class. Taking a break from a rigorous course load and not studying may not be a problem.

However, if the habits stick, students may find themselves trapped in a lethargic mindset. “Your mentality shifts and once procrastination sets in, it’s hard to get rid of. You start to have that ‘I don’t care’ attitude and that can be damaging to your self-control,” said Zhang. For some seniors, the ease of senior year can cause them to continue their bad habits.

Most importantly, faculty and parents often wonder why seniors stop putting forth effort. To teachers, sliding is not a good decision. “It’s stupid. Back in my day we worked hard to the very end. They’re only digging themselves a hole they have to climb out of when

they enter college next fall,” said Dan Butler, math teacher. In contrast, Zhang argues that senior sliding is nature’s response to the rigorous expectations that Mounds View imposees on students.

“Mounds View has high expectations and expects the best out of their students. Not to mention, the homework load can get really heavy before breaks or weekends. I can’t remember how many all-nighters I’ve pulled throughout my time here, but it has been extremely taxing,” said Zhang. “With the amount of pressure and no sleep, it’s kind of a recipe for self-destruction. After three plus years of that experience, I can’t help but senior slide.” The majority of seniors feel burned out after going to school for 13 years and want a break before they begin the same process in the fall.

Senior sliding may lead the students to a poor work ethic; however, it tends to reward the seniors. After spending countless days with some of the same peers since kindergarten, second semester might be the last time somes students see each forever. Taking a lighter course load and not stressing about grades gives the seniors time to connect with their peers before going separate ways. Although the practice can be frowned upon by parents and faculty, senior sliding gives the students a perfect opportunity to slide through the end of their high school journey.

illustration by Christina Mehrkens

How are activities funded?

by Justin Duffy staff reporter

Most Mounds View students participate in at least one extracurricular activity. However, not many kids know how the coaches and advisers of each activity obtain the money necessary to function. “Our booster club supports us with lots of equipment, but I don’t really know how the school itself funds us,” said Thomas Limborg, 12, captain of boys soccer. So how does Mounds View actually fund each of its numerous and diverse activities?

The total activity budget for each school in the district is determined by the school board. “The school board studies how much it costs to run an activities program, and they figure out how much money they want to actually spend from the district money that we collect from taxes on activities and athletics,” said Jim Galvin, activities director at Mounds View. “They want to supplement that with participation fees; they look at other school districts in the area and see how much they are charging and what they feel a budget should be.”

After the school board decides the total activities budget for the district, they distribute money to each school based on the number and type of activities the school features. The schools’ activity directors, like Galvin, then allocate the budget to each individual activity within the school.

What aspects of each activity are paid for by the school budget? Mounds View endeavors to cover the “essentials” of an activity. “We’ll pay for uniforms, officials, busses, and coaches,” said Galvin. “Also, some essential equipment.

You know, basketball needs basketballs, and football needs shoulder pads.”

If an activity requires money for purchases beyond the “essentials,” one option is to start a booster club. As Limborg mentioned, many popular sports at Mounds View including soccer, football and ultimate frisbee receive substantial support from these organizations. Booster clubs are groups of parents (usually either the captains’ parents or parents voted in by the team) who plan additional events and purchases far beyond what the school provides. Booster clubs generally organize fundraisers such as selling fertilizer, coupons and concessions to support extra trips, apparel or food.

An activity’s budget can also change from year to year, though this rarely happens. Generally, an activity will only receive more money if it sees a signifi-

Have any good questions? Email them

@

toni.baraga@mvviewer.org

cant increase in participation or equipment costs. Other factors such as ticket sales and team success do not result in extra funding. For a chance at a higher budget, a coach would need to talk to Galvin and explain why the activity needs more money.

It is important to remember that activity funding at Mounds View is a zerosum game. “Typically, if I’m going to allocate more money to one area, then I’m going to have to take [money] out of a different area,” said Galvin. All activities would appreciate more money, but to support the wide and diverse range of activities at Mounds View, fair distribution of funds is imperative. As Galvin said, “We want to do what is right for the kids.”

“

We’ll pay for uniforms, officials, busses, and coaches,” said Galvin. “Also, some essential equipment. You know, basketball needs basketballs, and football needs shoulder pads.”

-Jim Galvin, activities director

illustrations by Toni Baraga and Kallie Slotvig

MONDAy, january 22, 2018

Athlete of the issue

Amiina Ingah Alpine Q: How long have you been skiing?

A: I first learned how to ski when I was four, but I didn’t start competitive alpine racing until I was nine.

Q: What’s your favorite part about skiing?

A: There are a lot of things I love about skiing, but I think overall, my favorite part is probably the satisfaction after skiing a really good run.

Q: How do you prepare for races?

A: I usually first talk to my teammates and coach to calm my nerves and then I isolate myself somewhere to stretch and warm up so I can concentrate.

Q: What’s your goal for this season?

A: My goal for this season is to make it to state and hopefully do well in state.

Q: What is the best advice you received from your coach?

A: The best advice from a coach I’ve gotten is probably to not waste my turns.

Q: What is your favorite skiing experience?

A: My favorite experience that I’m very grateful for is being able to travel to a lot of places for skiing. I skied and raced in Europe which was overall a really good learning experience.

Q: What is your greatest accomplishment?

A: My greatest accomplishment was being able to make it to the top five at a race in Germany when I trained in Austria last season.

Bring it home

by Julia Holtz and Jessica Hegele staff reporters

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Minnesota is hosting Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018. This year’s Super Bowl is estimated to cost Minnesota $338 million, which is actually on the lower side of what other cities have been spending for this game. Although that cost might seem high, it’s important to remember how much money will be drawn in from the flood of people that the game brings. The Star Tribune has forecasted that visitors who come for this game will spend $284 million on everything from clothes to food or transportation. According to the official Minnesota Super Bowl website, every visitor is expected to spend $625 per day.

Another huge source of funding comes from taxes. According to The New York Post, “state taxpayers paid for more than 67 percent, or $308 million.”

In addition to renovating malls, airports and roads in Minnesota to make sure everything is the best it can be, there are also

some new attractions coming in just for the game, the biggest one being the Bold North zipline. This 800-foot-long zipline will take riders across the Mississippi River and into the skyline of Minneapolis. However, the tickets for this unique experience sold out less than 36 hours after tickets were on sale.

Along with the hype, a lot of inconveniences come from the Super Bowl for Minneapolis residences. As of Jan. 2, road closures began around U.S. Bank Stadium to prepare for this anticipated event. This will also affect roads around the Nicollet Mall and the Minneapolis Convention Center in late January. These roads will stay closed until Feb. 11, seven days after the Super Bowl is over. In an interview on KARE 11 TV, Hennepin County Medical Center Emergency Manager Mark

After great success last year and during the first half of this season, there is still much more left for the wrestling team to accomplish. Although it will not be easy, through practice and hard work, the team aims to place in the top ten at the state tournament.

At the core of most wrestling practices are the workouts. Wrestlers will do anything to prepare for their matches and duels, but sometimes, a little fun can help them prepare. “Sometimes we play dodgeball, and on Tuesdays, we do 40 minutes of live wrestling,” said Pheaktra Chim, 12. By finding a way to fuse fun with practice, the Mustangs are able to work harder and be more passionate.

Neither these fun practices, nor the team’s success at meets and tournaments would be possible without dedicated managers. “As a wrestling manager I take stats, enter stats online, film, fill water bottles and carry around equipment for wrestlers,” said team manager Rachel Deno, 12. “We are not required to attend practice, but we do

have meets every Thursday night and tournaments almost every Saturday.” Not only do the managers help with little tasks for the coach, they also help motivate the team.

The Mustang’s season began at the end of November, and they had their first tournament at Osseo in the beginning of December. Up until their first match, the wrestling team was focused on improving the physical aspect of the game. “I think we did pretty well as a team, but we could’ve done better on preparing before our matches and to not give up,” said Garrett Wilson, 10. After this match, the coach homed in developing each player’s mental game in order to stay focused. The Mustang’s finished second in the tournament with 172 points falling behind Shakopee with 232 points. Although the team as a whole did not perform as well as they wanted to, varsity captain, Nick Dunagan, 11, earned his 100th win.

In the middle of December, the team competed in the the Minnesota Christmas Tournament which was held in Rochester.

“That one had very tough competition, so making it to the second day was a big deal. We had more kids make it to the sec-

Nick Dunagan (11) prepares to make a move.

sports

Lappe said, “There will be loss of street parking and maybe some increased congestion. But starting Jan. 26, we’re really encouraging our staff to do carpooling and mass transit. For our patients and our clients, we’re communicating that to them so they understand what the delays might be.”

Minnesota’s goal is to host a troublefree 2018 Super Bowl, and in order to do so, they will have to address numerous financial, security and transportation issues that impact the residents of Minneapolis. Although these worries cannot be completely eliminated, with proper precautions, Minnesota can ensure a festive and fun event. Skol Vikings!

illustration by Christina Mherkens

Pin it to win

by Jordan Van Laningham and Hannah Thalhuber staff reporters

11

ond day than we thought,” said junior varsity head coach Christopher Hagel. “That one is actually a lot tougher than the state meet, because it has kids [from] all over the country.” After that tournament, the team felt better as to their progress and knew how their competition could perform at the upcoming state tournament.

To finish off 2017, the Mustangs participated in the Rumble on the Red Tournament which took place in Fargo, North Dakota, placing 26th out of 85 teams. “It was a very tough tournament for the entire team.

We had some really good wrestlers that didn’t go as far as they wanted to, but it was good for those wrestlers to have that competition,” said Grady Schierts, 10. Rowan Morgan finished in 5th place of the 182 weight class and Daniel Van Oort finished 7th place in the 195 weight class. As the end of the season approaches, the Mustangs eyes are on the state tournament, and they still have some big competitors to beat. “As a team we compete in a very tough conference so we will have to perform well,” said Deno. “I believe we have a good chance at bringing at least four individuals to state.”

Rowan Morgan (11) approaches his opponent for a wrestling match. photos by Donette Redmond

12

top 10 10 Ways to Justify sliding

9

You have dreams of being a professional hobo You worked really hard first semester

8 7

You barely worked at all first semester

It’s senior year

6

Colleges don’t look at your grades freshman year anyway, right?

Monday, January 22, 2018

4

5

Sleep

3

English isn’t your thing

Math isn’t your thing

2

School isn’t your thing

1

You need more balance

Viewer contest!

1. Follow us on Instagram @mvviewer 2. DM us or send us an email with the answers to the following questions that can be found in this issue: -What is one website that quizbowl members use to practice?

-According to Common Sense Media, how many hours a day do teens spend on media?

-What topic is the educational movie Journey into Amazing Caves about? a) physics b)geology c)chemistry d)biology 3. Be entered in a drawing to win a gift card!

Contest deadline: Jan. 26

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