MV Viewer 2022-23 Issue 7

The Viewer Volume 70

Issue 7

March 31, 2023

Website: mvviewer.org

Instagram: @mvviewer

News 02

Features 04

Good Question 09

Arts & Entertainment 10

Sports 11

Orchestra’s eventful Italy trip

Darb

Why does MV not have a class ranking system?

‘A Man Called Otto’ review

The RAMS

02 News

Friday, March 31, 2023

Free school lunches for all

by Ahmed Sharara staff reporter

On March 17 Governor Tim Walz signed a bill that will provide all Minnesotan students with free lunches, regardless of their family’s financial status. The bill is scheduled to go into effect on July 1.

The bill will have the state government fronting the cost of student meals exclusively; student meals purchased at the a la carte will not be included. Regardless, the new bill is estimated to cost the state government just under $400 million.

Many have rejoiced that the bill was passed as it will affect all of Minnesota’s 821,000 public school students — 11,447 of whom are in the Mounds View district.

Aside from the support, the bill also saw much opposition, especially in state legislation, where it was only passed in a 70 to 58 decision. Much of the arguments against the bill’s passing had to do with the possible negative implications it could have down the road such as increased state taxes and the effect it could have on the local communities. Many Minnesota state senators, such as Republican senator Steve Drazkowski, have expressed how the possible cost is unnecessary as not everyone needs free lunch.

However, junior Ethan Zhao believes the benefits of the bill far outweigh the possible cons. “I think that [the cost is] obviously a valid concern that we need to have. However, if we take a look, Minnesota has a

$17.6 billion budget surplus, and I think this is a sacrifice that most of us should be okay with taking because kid education is one of the most important things for our youth today,” he said.

Others also were afraid the bill could lead to problems regarding school funding. State funding for schools is currently determined by the percentage of students enrolled in free and reduced lunch programs and standardized test scores. Now, because schools have all of their students enrolled in a free lunch program, more emphasis will be placed on test scores to determine funding. Many see this as a problem as standardized testing has a history of not representing underprivileged school districts, according to research done by the National Education Association.

ing method will have to change, and because this is a statewide bill all high schools will have this restructuring so that won’t necessarily lead to [a] negative impact on schools as all of them will be affected equally,” said Zhao.

Despite the possibility of raising state taxes and revamping the public school funding system, many still look optimistically at the bill’s promises, especially since food insecurity has been on the rise for the last few years. “I think it is completely valid and even if the people get taxed more, it is pretty worth it because some people struggle paying for lunches,” said junior Gabriel Vang.

“[Free school lunches] is pretty worth it because some people struggle paying for lunches.”

Gabriel Vang, ‘24 Although some believe the bill will have positive implications for school funding, the state government will likely have to restructure its plan for providing school funds. “If we change it so that schools are giving out free lunches, then absolutely that school fund-

Photo courtesy of Instagram/@mngovernor

Orchestra plays on

by Shivam Vashishtha online editor-in-chief

This spring break a group of about 120 students from the Mounds View orchestra performed in various churches around Italy. Although the trip was planned in a detailed manner and had an eventful itinerary, some unexpected changes took place. As a result, every traveler now has a varied opinion on their experience.

The first incident on the trip took place after their transfer flight to Paris. From the airport, students were supposed to visit Cremona, a renowned center of musical instrument-making in the 16th century. However, due to the French reform pension strikes, two of the three groups had their flight from Paris to Italy canceled, leading them to instead take a bus to Santa Margherita, Italy. “The bus ride was much longer than expected. Originally, we were expected to reach our destination within two hours if we took the flight, but somehow it got extended to 15 hours [because we took the bus],” said senior Theo Moller.

These detours prevented the orchestra from visiting and performing at many locations. “We basically skipped the entire first day, which included Milan and the opportunity to see some [Stradivarius] violins, because of the unexpected bus ride,” said senior Justin Wang.

However, travel delays weren’t the only thing awaiting the orchestra. Many students also fell ill.

“Some people got food poisoning from either the gross ravioli sauce or the moldy coffee machine,” said Wang.

Other students reported symptoms of pink eye and the flu.

Despite the setbacks, the group still covered a lot of locations in Italy, including Santa Margherita, Portofino, Porto Venere, Pisa, Florence, Rome and a few other small ports.

The impromptu cancellations and changes to the trip were made by looking into the best outcome for all,

according to orchestra teacher Lucas Shogren.

Despite that, everyone has their perspective on the school’s decisions. “I think that they could’ve not canceled as many things when people were sick because it was kind of a one-day illness. And there were a few things that were canceled unnecessarily; they could’ve been planned better,” said Moller.

Shogren explains that while he understands

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING COPY EDITOR MANAGING DESIGN EDITORS BUSINESS MANAGER NEWS EDITOR EDITORIALS EDITOR FEATURES EDITORS SPREAD EDITORS DEBATES EDITOR GOOD QUESTION EDITOR ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

“The best element was being able to perform with my orchestra peers that I have known for nearly the past eight years now.”

Joseph Shin, ‘23

photos courtesy of Chad Diao

Viewer Staff 2022-2023

why people were upset, he had the interests of the students in mind as he was unsure of how long the students would be sick and whether the sickness would pass down to others. “I would still take the same decision if I were in the same situation today. I think that taking a rest for one day allowed many students to recover faster than they would’ve,” he said.

Apart from the downsides, some students still enjoyed the tour and had lots of new and fun experiences.

Maya Betti Tyler Quattrin Maya Betti, Tyler Quattrin Sarafina Dillon Michael Wang Maya Gjelhaug Ariana Eschenbacher, Rachel Zou Maya Gjelhaug, Rachel Zou Maya Betti Maya Gjelhaug Morghan Larson

SPORTS EDITOR ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ONLINE MANAGING COPY EDITOR ONLINE EDITORS STAFF REPORTERS

“Italy is very beautiful and very fun to go with my friends,” said senior Claire O’Quinn.

Senior Joseph Shin agreed that the best part of the trip was hanging out with his friends. “The best element was being able to perform with my orchestra peers that I have known for nearly the past eight years now,” said Shin.

Overall, the trip was a bittersweet experience for most students. Some students got sick during or after the journey. A few cancellations had to be made along the tour, but the decisions were taken by giving utmost importance to students’ health. According to the opinions of most participants and interviewees, in future orchestra trips, more planning should be done beforehand to ensure that any unexpected events are taken care of in the best possible way.

Sarafina Dillon Shivam Vashishtha Michael Wang Sarafina Dillon, Ariana Eschenbacher, Morghan Larson Khadra Abdulahi, Alexander Bi, David Anton Golridge, Charlotte Krum, Nikhil Kulangaroth, Isabella Kunc, Isabel Li, Gloria Liu, Owen Schwalm, Ahmed Sharara, Gao Zhong Tha, Kia Yang

Mounds View High School ‌• 1900 Lake Valentine Rd. Arden Hills, MN 55112 • www.mvviewer.org‌ • @mvviewer

editorials 03

Friday, March 31, 2023

Police do not make students safe

by Khadra Abdulahi staff reporter So far in 2023 alone, there have been 12 school shootings in the U.S. that resulted in injuries or death according to EducationWeek’s School Shooting Tracker. Many students do not feel safe at school, which has led to calls for increased policing in schools across the U.S. in order to protect students. However, the issue of increased school police is not as simple as “increased police equals increased student safety.”

Beyond shootings, many schools have had issues with weapons, including high schools in Minnesota.

Recently, there was a fatal stabbing at Harding High School that led to the death of a 15-year-old. However, students were more worried that this incident would lead to an increased law enforcement presence at their school, and Saint Paul Public Schools students took immediate action by advocating for fewer police in their schools, arguing that increased policing only leads to more fear and anxiety in students.

According to the Center for Public Integrity, while school shootings often lead to increased police presence, there is no evidence that increased policing prevents school shootings. Students will not feel as safe as they used to, and problems like fights will occur whether police are in school or not.

While some may believe that having more police in schools is beneficial and prevents violence, there is no evidence to back that up. In fact, most research supports the opposite. For example, a study published in the Journal of School Violence found that there was a direct correlation between police presence in schools

and student arrests, especially for Black and male students.

There are several reasons why results like this are shown. A leading reason could be how officers wear excessive gear in schools, notably similar to the gear they wear in prisons, which often gives students the impression they are criminals to-be. While Tasers and pepper spray may be necessary to prevent future tragedies, additional weapons have no place in schools. In continuation, as students spend more time around these officers, unneeded anxiety and angst can occur, causing people to feel unwelcome in their own school.

Furthermore, excessive gear in schools can unintentionally pose a threat to student safety. In the last five years, there have been many mishandled guns in schools, including an incident at a Texas middle school where a school resource officer left a firearm in the bathroom, where it was found by a student, and another where a school security guard pulled a gun on a student after breaking up a fight on school grounds.

While most schools focus more on policing, they should be focusing on giving students a quality support system. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, about 14 million students attend a school with police but no counselor, nurse, psychologist or social worker. These workers are essential to schools because when students are put in a position where they feel the need to cause problems in school, it is usually because students do not have someone they can reach out to or ask for advice when it comes to resolving conflict with other students.

There are many reasons why a student might feel the need to fight or commit crimes in school, and ac-

knowledging that students may be going through a difficult time and giving them adequate resources would be a possible solution. Although some may argue that police are necessary to protect students, it is more important that students have more access to counselors and therapists, and current officers should work to gain students’ trust by reducing the number of weapons they carry and attempting to develop relationships with students.

together. In 2022, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute published a study that found students from low-income families were half as likely to be identified as “gifted” in comparison to their peers from higher-income families. Furthermore, the National Association for Gifted Children estimates that students from Latinx families are underrepresented by 30%, and students from African American families are underrepresented by 43%.

These undeniable disparities prove that “giftedness” is only a guise for exclusion.

In addition to creating an environment of exclusion, the “gifted” label can also harm students lucky enough to be bestowed with the title. From pre-school and elementary school age, exceptionally advanced students are separated from their peers into gifted and talented programs. In these programs, students are presented with a curriculum more rigorous than other students their age.

While some school districts opt to have these children attend separate schools or classrooms, others choose to provide additional studies on top of the student’s regular classwork. However, no matter the method, a “gifted” child is inherently ingrained

stantly being told about their excellence, it becomes hard to break out of such a mentality. Bias towards students perceived as more intelligent might seem ideal for outsiders, but the pressure to meet teachers’ expectations, in addition to the expectations set by their parents and peers, can cause many students undue stress.

Oftentimes, these children will begin to exhibit strong emotions when confronted with a learning boundary they cannot easily overcome. For many, this continued frustration and falsified hope eventually contributes to “gifted kid burnout.” While not an actual medical condition, many present and past “gifted” kids resonate with the title, as it reflects the feelings of hopelessness they feel after years of perfectionism. In fact, children who are labeled as “gifted” early on are more likely to develop mental disorders and struggle with substance abuse according to research published in Science Repository, an online journal publisher.

While some may tout gifted programs as a way to challenge advanced children, it is impossible to ignore the danger of the “gifted” label. Instead of labeling children as “gifted,” schools should focus on encouraging all children to explore their strengths and interests, while providing support and resources to help them reach their f u l l potential.

Editors weigh in: Do police make students safer?

Yes 4

No 5

The danger of the “gifted kid” label

by Kia Yang staff reporter Most people know of the concept of the “gifted” child. Typically a child considered more academically advanced than their peers, “gifted” children receive constant praise for their achievements from a young age. However, as these children mature and their classmates begin to catch up, it is common to see them stress over mundane schoolwork in fear of not living up to past expectations. The dangerous label of the “gifted kid,” perpetuated by gifted and talented programs and an increasing emphasis on advanced classes, is ultimately shattered when confronted with the consequences this label has on these students and their peers.

Because of the nature of gifted programs, some children will inevitably be excluded from the benefits of these programs. For one, those selected are often treated differently than their peers. According to Harvard Professor Robert Renthal, teachers give students who they expect to succeed in school more time to answer questions, give specific feedback and give the student more approval. Children who are excluded from gifted programs, however, are also excluded from the extra attention and approva l that “gifted” children receive.

Furthermore, children from low-income and minority families are often barred from the title of “gifted” al-

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The Viewer Mission Statement

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1. To publish news, information and opinion articles for and about student, faculty and administration activities, interests and policies.

2. To maintain high ethical standards with regard to fairness, personal and legal rights, responsibilities and accuracy.

3. To provide a forum for free and responsible expression of student opinion and present well-balanced, locally researched coverage of issues of broader student interest.

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5. To welcome diversity and increase the scope and depth of our coverage in order to heighten mutual understanding and awareness throughout our entire school community.

Articles and letters to the editor appearing on the editorials pages represent solely the opinions of the writers and do not represent in any way the viewpoint of The Viewer, our advertisers, Mounds View High School or its staff.

The editors of The Viewer welcome and encourage the publication of all viewpoints.

04 features

Friday, March 31, 2023

Keep calm and Darb on

by Maya Gjelhaug editorials, good question and spread editor Attendees of the winter pepfest will certainly recall the performance from up-and-coming band, Darb, which includes sophomores Liam Neiwert, Brayden Kopf and Jack Knutson, as well as senior Mitchell Lowder. While the band has had limited performances so far, Darb certainly left an impression on the student body during their pepfest appearance. As they launched into their set, which included renditions of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” the energy in the gym surged, and it was clear that these young musicians had something special to offer.

Darb was not always a quartet. In fact, it started as a duo with Kopf on bass and Neiwert on guitar and vocals. “I’ve known Brayden since seventh grade, and the band started last year, last February, when we wanted to play at the choir’s open mic night fundraiser,” said Neiwert.

“I’ve played at churches pretty much

I asked a few people. It was between Deborah and Barbara, so I named it Darbra… but we shortened it to Darb.”

Out of the band’s four gigs so far, all four members agreed that playing at the pepfest was their

“So Jack and I, we both write our own

original music and we put them out under different names, and we’ve learned some of the songs as a band,” said Neiwert. “But as a band, we are definitely planning to write original songs.”

The band hopes to recreate the sound of previous eras in their music while also incorporat-

original music and we put them out under different names, and we’ve learned some of the songs as a band.”

Liam Neiwert, ‘25 favorite. “Pepfest was most exciting, and it wasn’t a bunch of parents sitting in our audience just listening,” said Kopf.

While most would find it nerve-wracking to

my whole life, and then jazz bands, and occasionally I’ll fill in for different bands.”

Mitchell Lowder, ‘23 Knutson, who plays guitar, and Lowder, who plays drums, were later additions to the band. “Jack was in my English class last year, and they introduced themself to me,” said Neiwert. “[Later], we posted an ad to find a drummer, and that’s when Mitch came around.”

Besides their instrumental designations, members of Darb have other roles that they take on to help promote the band. Kopf manages the band’s social media accounts, and both Kopf and Neiwert have connections to student council, which is how they were able to secure a spot playing at the most recent pepfest.

As with most bands, there is an interesting story behind Darb’s unusual name. “Darb is the name of a Styrofoam head… that I found at Michael’s [arts and crafts store] a year ago,” said Neiwert. “I bought it, put a judge wig on it, and I needed a name for it so

photos couresty of Darb

perform in front of the whole school, and even Kopf admitted feeling anxious before showtime, Lowder claims to have overcome his own stage fright from playing in front of crowds in the past. “I’ve played at churches pretty much my whole life, and then jazz bands, and occasionally I’ll fill in for different bands,” he said.

Apart from performing covers, Darb members hope to write and eventually perform some original music. “So Jack and I, we both write our own

ing a modern twist. “[We want to] create something that sounds like the ‘90s but also take into account all the good music that’s come out since the ‘90s,” said Neiwert. “Make it genuine and make it our own.”

The music industry is notoriously difficult to break into, and success is far from guaranteed, but Darb members remain optimistic. “We’re just kind of laying our foundation now and really just preparing and trying to make ourselves the best that we can be,” said Knutson.

Mrs. Alexander to retire this year

by Gloria Liu staff reporter After 30 years as an English teacher, Christine Alexander will be retiring after this school year. From her first class to her last, she has shone as a dedicated, hard-working and insightful teacher and her impact on the district has not gone unnoticed.

Since then, much has changed about her school environment, causing her to constantly have to adapt and learn new skills. However, Alexander found this as an endearing quality to her career. “I truly love the learning environment. I like learning new things. I am teaching novels up to the day that I retire that I’ve never taught before,” she said.

Through her teaching journey at Mounds View, Alexander has collected many fond memories and experiences and is grateful for the opportunities her position has provided her. “Last year was an Advanced [English] 10 class; I left the room for just a few moments and I came back and the entire class had rearranged all of their desks so they were facing a different way,” she said. It was moments like this, moments where students showed their funny nature, that stuck with her.

“I think that we can make a difference in a student’s life by giving them good advice and being a stable and strong person that can help them make wise decisions.” photo couresty of Mounds Vew Schools

When Alexander first started teaching, school environments were very different. “Nobody had cell phones, so it was a very different time and way of teaching.” she said. Oftentimes, because of the lack of distractions due to technology, she found she had more discussion with her students.

Christine Alexander, English teacher As well, her colleagues have been a major factor to the excitement she holds with her job. “I will always remember what a tight-knit group [we are], and the fact that the English department, we’re all really crazy cat people,” she said.

While she has very much enjoyed teaching, she

thinks it comes with its own hardships. “We as teachers, we worry about our students,” said Alexander.

Being a teacher requires dedication, patience and commitment, but it is a very rewarding profession because of it, she explains.

“I think teaching is, you have to have a passion for it. You have to believe in it.

It is a very difficult career. We as teachers, we worry about our students. We take this job home with us.”

Christine Alexander, English teacher During her retirement, Alexander hopes to spend more time working with Indigenous tribes, something that she has greatly enjoyed in the past, having worked with tribes in Alaska and Northern Minnesota. She also plans on spending more time with her family and friends, traveling to her cabin and to continue reading.

As Alexander transitions into her new life in retirement and begins to create new memories outside of school, the ones made at Mounds View will always have an impact on her, much like the impact she has left on the Mounds View community.

features 05

Friday, March 31, 2023

Make way for Mock Trial

by Owen Schwalm staff reporter

The Mock Trial team participates in simulated courtrooms which allow aspiring law students to gain real experience.

Before competitions, the team meets every Tuesday to discuss certain cases, different tactics and learn how to cross-examine. “They talk about the legal jargon, how to do objections, what kind of defenses, [or] examples of dos and don’ts,” said Coach Theresa Anderson. Then, after the team reviews the case, they choose roles such as a defense attorney, prosecuting attorney or a witness.

Each year, the team works on a different, singular state-wide case. “All of the cases are made up, but they can be based on real cases as well,” explained junior Ben Refsell. “This [year’s] one was about medical malpractice about a college level swimmer who tore their ACL. And then they went to this guy who fixed it, and then they tore it again.”

In January, competitions begin. This year, they

“I think the dedication that goes into making the team and staying in the team is probably one of the biggest factors in how much work we get done and the quality of the work.”

Sreya Subramanian, ‘24

competed four times — two online and two in a courthouse.

In these competitions, the competing teams proceed to act out a full courthouse trial. Each trial takes around two to three hours and after the debates are over an attorney or off-season judge will decide who won the case.

A large component of the case revolves around the attorney, who must be prepared to take on a hefty role.

Attorneys are generally the more experienced people on the team, with strong written and argumentative skills.

“If you can’t structure an argument, your entire examination is going to fall flat,” said junior Laura Hansen, who played both a defense and prosecution attorney.

While certainly a difficult thing to break into, many participants have improved considerably during their time on the team, as explained by their coach.

“Some of the kids actually do better than new [practicing] attorneys,” said Anderson. She mentioned how the experience they gain doing mock trials gives them a huge advantage in law school in comparison to students who never had that experience.

The team’s biggest struggle was dealing with a limited number of participants. In total, they only had 12 people to fill all spaces and many people had to double up on roles. “We doubled up on some roles… we had some people who would be both an attorney and a witness, and then we had some people who both were witnesses both times. And then I myself was a witness and then timekeeper for the other trial,” said Refsell.

While Mock Trial didn’t make it to state this year, the team worked extremely well together. Junior captain Sreya Subramanian believes the team’s camaraderie made their performances even better. “I think the dedication that goes into making the team and staying in the team is probably one of the biggest factors in how

much work we get done and the quality of the work,” said Subramanian.

The majority of their team are underclassmen and so they look forward to possibly performing even better in the future as they continue to gain more experience, skills and hopefully more members.

photo courtesy of Theresa Anderson

Speech Team takes a stand

by Gao Thao staff reporter

Students involved in Speech Team work to improve their speaking skills, perfect their vocal quality and learn to speak under a time limit using a variety of topics against tough competition. Starting in November, the Mounds View Speech Team meets every Thursday after school with competitions every Saturday starting in January.

With 14 subcategories of speech, students are able to participate in anything from Poetry to Discussion to Extemporaneous Reading in competitions. “It depends, but each round typically lasts an hour or a little longer. Discussion category lasts around 45 minutes, and for some of the other limited prep categories you only stay for your own speech,” explains junior Ellen Guo. Because of the wide variety of choices, members of the club can choose something that fits their individual interests.

like doing tongue twisters and whatnot. We’ll stand in a big huddle [and] have speeches,” said junior Riley Maurer. As well, they also had a holiday party and volunteered for Feed My Starving Children together.

Many teammates are very close and would consider the team to feel like a family, according to Maurer. “You basically get 30 new friends without having to do anything,” she said. She explains that the accepting environment makes practices light-hearted and unstressful.

“After you spend your whole Saturday every week with everyone you really get to know people,” said Guo. As the Speech Team continues with their season, they look forward to getting closer with each other, as well as competing against some tough competition.

“Earlier this year, we got second in small school team point scoring at the Westonka tournament, and we have had a ton of finalists and even a few people who have gotten first.”

Sebastion Hartzell, ‘24 The team has seen many accomplishments this year, including many individual finalists and victories as a team. “Earlier this year, we got second in small school team at the Westonka tournament, and we have had a ton of finalists and even a few people who have gotten first,” said junior Sebastion Hartzell.

To increase team chemistry, the Speech Team does a number of activities outside meetings and competitions to improve their relationships with each other. “We do all those speaking things, where we’re

photos courtesy of Riley Maurer

Youth!Sports " # $" % & Youth sports have long been touted as a valuable experience for young people, promoting physical activity, socialization and teamwork. However, as the culture of youth sports has evolved, concerns have arisen about the unforeseen impacts on young athletes.

Injuries

by Isabella Kunc staff reporter According to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Science Board, 73% of parents believe that youth sports benefit their child’s mental health, and 88% of parents believe they benefit their child’s physical health. Most research supports these claims. There are numerous studies that prove that participating in organized sports can improve mental health, physical health and school performance. But, like any other activity, taking the training and competitive nature of youth sports to an extreme can have devastating consequences on children.

When parents, coaches and other adults push student athletes to train too intensely, play with injuries and to win at whatever cost, it can lead to increased mental health problems, such as overwhelming stress and long-term physical health problems.

With excessive playing, students can start to break down or over exert themselves. While the wrestling team at Mounds View puts a limit on practice, Dan Engebretson, the Mounds View wrestling coach, notes that this is not true for all teams.

“There’s teams that’ll lift two hours in the morning. They’ll have a three hour practice. And then over the holidays, they’ll have three or four hour practices. There are sports [at Mounds View] that do that,” he said. Long practices may increase fatigue in athletes, which increases the risk of injury, and may also cause athletes to get burned out mentally.

The worst thing an injured athlete can do is continue playing because that can lead to worse injuries and longerlasting consequences. “My first two concussions, I decided to keep playing and it made them worse, which made me have to stop playing for a longer period of time,” said senior soccer player Ashley Arnold.

Although injuries can be scary, there are many stretches and warmups student athletes do to keep their bodies elastic and ready to go. “We do a pretty good job of [keeping safe] because we’re always training our bodies, so we don’t get a whole lot of injuries,” said Engebretson. According to a study by the National Library of Medicine, warmup programs can decrease the risk of injury in child and adolescents sports by about 36%.

Sometimes injuries can occur from playing too much,

even if a player is taking all the necessary precautions.

Senior Jessica Eischens, who plays soccer and basketball, explains the fear that comes with being severely injured.

“Right when I fell, I knew that it was going to be something really bad. And I was crying on the ground. I couldn’t get up. It was very terrifying,” said Eischens, who tore her ACL last year on the basketball court.

The process of recovery after receiving such injuries can be long and tiring, and athletes often need lots of support from different people. Sometimes students will be working towards the goal of health, yet not seeing results, which can be discouraging. “The physical therapy and rehab process was horrible, it was long and hard,” said Eischens.

Having family, friends, teammates and coaches around while recovering can help encourage injured athletes. “My [basketball] teammates brought me a bunch of goodies and stuff right after my surgery and so did my soccer teammates and all my coaches were very supportive. I felt a lot of support,” said Eischens.

Yet, even with all its negative consequences and hardships, injuries can re-motivate athletes by providing a possibly much needed break. It can also help athletes take a step back and reevaluate their relationships with their sports. “Soccer isn’t the only part of my identity, and I just kind of had to figure out who I am without soccer,” said Arnold.

In the end, the way any athlete deals with an injury and

their journey to recovery is unique to their situation and cannot be compared to others. Sometimes, injuries can cause students to lose interest and give up, and other times, injuries can teach them important lessons. Still, injuries are best avoided, and, when they do occur, it is important to deal with them correctly.

Eating disorders & disordered eating

by Isabella Kunc staff reporter Eating disorders in athletes are most common in aesthetic, endurance and weight category sports. According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), athletes in longdistance running, boxing, wrestling and gymnastics are more likely to develop eating disorders due to weight-limiting categories and the promotion of “aesthetic” body compositions.

Even though the dangerous impacts of eating disorders have become more recognized in recent years, a significant portion of athletes continue to struggle with disordered eating habits. In 2018, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sports Psychology found that up to 45% of female athletes and 19% of male athletes struggle with eating disorders.

According to the NLM, athletes can also develop eating disorders due to pressures around food or body image, intense competitiveness, early specialization, increases in training or the revealing nature of sports clothing. A female student at Mounds View, who wished to remain anonymous, developed an eating disorder last year through dance, a sport that sometimes promotes slender body types. “There was definitely a certain body type people fit into and, of course I was like, ‘Okay, I have to conform with that,’” she said. “I knew [some-

thing was wrong] when I first started trying to throw up.”

Eating disorders can have devastating consequences on students. According to the NCAA, eating disorders can lead to depression and anxiety. “I definitely could feel myself zoning out more and more. I just went through the day and there are some times when I didn’t remember a day. It was just a stream of blankness,” said the student.

Although the stigma around eating disorders has improved recently, with more people trying to help and more resources, it can still be difficult to seek help. “[I thought], ‘What are they going to think about me?’” said the student, who never told their friends what she was going through.

Looking back, the student feels a mix of shame, but she is grateful she got help from her parents and others encouraging her to develop healthy eating habits. Although she has definitely gotten better, she sometimes still finds it hard to let go of old feelings. “I will still find myself watching myself. If my parents give me a doughnut or something, I’ll only eat half of it,” she said.

Lack of food can also destroy physical health for athletes and result in trouble standing for long periods of time, weaker bodies and more injuries. “You could lose focus if you haven’t eaten,” said Dan Engebretson, Mounds View’s head wrestling coach. “Your body gets you — in your match, you get tired

faster, then you could possibly get hurt if you’re tired.”

However, there are healthy ways to manage one’s weight.

Those familiar with wrestling may assume that wrestlers must starve themselves to maintain their spot in a weight class.

While it is true that some wrestlers use extreme methods to lose weight, such as severe calorie restriction, dehydration and excessive exercise, most wrestling coaches work to prevent disordered eating by promoting healthy methods of weight loss. If a Mounds View wrestler wants to lose weight, Engebretson stresses doing so in a healthy manner. [If someone says] ‘Coach, I want to go down,’ then we come up with a plan where you don’t skip any meals. He’ll text me like ‘I weighed this,’ and then I’ll say ‘Okay, you can do this, this and this.’ So our goal is that you stay hydrated all week and you eat all three meals every single day,” said Engebretson.

Eating disorders are a real issue that can affect all aspects of an athlete’s life and have devastating and life-changing consequences. However, there are many things that coaches and parents can do to prevent eating disorders in student athletes. According to advice from the National Eating Disorder Association, by encouraging healthy attitudes about different body sizes and promoting healthy eating habits, coaches can help athletes develop positive relationships with food and their bodies.

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playing field

by Maya Gjelhaug editorials, good question and spread editor The idea of meritocracy is familiar to most Americans, and this “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality transfers over into the realm of youth sports. Parents, coaches and young athletes continue to believe that the only thing that determines the success of an athlete is their talent and work ethic, yet this belief fails to acknowledge a multitude of factors that come into play when determining the athletic future of a child.

Politics, or biased team selection, are an oft-referenced form of inequality in youth athletics. When athletes already have a connection to the coach of a team,

whether that is because the coach knew them from a club team or knows their parents, they can gain an advantage over other athletes.

Senior Sam Gillis explains the harmful impact of politics in high school athletics, criticizing the evermore political nature of youth sports. “Someone with incredible talent or even someone who has worked hard each and every day [is] not seen for who they are because they don’t have the previous connections others have,” she said. “It doesn’t mean that the players with connections aren’t deserving of their spot, rather it’s just the idea that they might not be judged on the same level as others.”

Unnecessary politics in youth sports could partially explain why, according to the National Alliance for Youth Sports, 70% of young athletes quit sports by age 13. “A sport that I have always loved and found a lot of joy in suddenly turned into politics and working to achieve the connections that will propel you forward,” said Gillis. “I know that this idea has definitely decreased my passion for my sport, [especially] for high school sports.”

Coaches have a different perspective on favoritism in high school sports. “My job, as the coach, is to do what is best for the team and not for individual players,” said Scott Sundstrom, tennis coach. “There will always be a level of subjectivity when making decisions, but when coaches are transparent about their process I think it alleviates most accusations of favoritism.”

In addition to politics, wealth can play a significant impact on a child’s athletic development. Household income plays a huge role in determining the outcome of a young athlete, and a very apparent wealth gap has formed in youth sports

Professionalization

by Nikhil Kulangaroth staff reporter In recent years, youth sports have become increasingly competitive, with a focus on winning and a high level of intensity that was once reserved for professional athletics.

As college admissions become more competitive, and as the cost of higher education continues to rise, many families see sports as a way to secure a scholarship that will help cover the cost of tuition for their child’s education.

Parents want the best for their children, and many see athletics as a method of securing their child’s future.

Some parents decide to specialize their young athletes early in hopes of them receiving a college scholarship, and despite the fact that, according to NCAA, less than 2% percent of high school athletes go on to play for a D1 school, many parents believe that their child will be a part of the lucky few if they work hard enough. In fact, according to a survey

conducted by the Aspen Institute, 62% of parents believed that their child had the potential to become a professional athlete.

Students at Mounds View also share similar views on parent’s involvement. “Parents sometimes feel as though it is their job to step in right away when there is any inconvenience or problem that could threaten their child’s athletic career,” said senior Sam Gillis.

Many parents see their child’s involvement in sports as a reflection of their own success as a parent. As a result, they may push their child to succeed at all costs, often ignoring the child’s own wishes and needs.

Some parents believe that the only way to ensure that their child is athletically competitive is to have them specialize in a sport early on. However, this approach often has many unforeseen consequences. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, specialization has been associated with an increased risk of stress and burnout in athletes.

Additionally, athletes who specialize in one sport are at a greater risk of injury. For example, if a student continues to play baseball all year long, they are at risk of overexerting their shoulder and risk permanent damage. However, if that same student plays baseball for one season, and then tries another sport that does not involve as much throwing, they can give their shoulder a break while meeting new people and growing new skills.

Sports are supposed to introduce children to important values, such as discipline, hard work and sportsmanship, and some coaches and teams really work to focus on promoting teamwork and comradery. “I believe there are very healthy levels of competition here at MV,” said Tim Chang. “It’s just a group of people who really like to play the sport and like winning.”

However, some still believe that these values get overshadowed by the increasingly cut-throat nature of youth sports. Some argue that even if athletes perform well, the majority will get drowned out by the kids who specialized earlier. “I was kept lower in the roster even though I was putting out consistent times that showed my advancement,” said junior Will Kelley.

over the past few years. In 2017, only 34% of children from families earning less than $25,000 played a sport compared to 69% of children whose family income was greater than $100,000.

Just participating in sports can require a hefty investment. Parents of young athletes can expect to spend over $1,000 in club fees, especially at higher levels. For example, playing soccer for local North Oaks Blast soccer club can cost up to $2,500 per year.

In addition to club fees, equipment costs and uniforms expenses can add up, and some sports require a greater financial investment than others. “A decent set of race skis brand new would be $800 for classic and skate skis, $200 for poles and a couple hundred for clothes,” said junior Will Kelley. This financial burden can lead to inequality in access to sports, as families who cannot afford to pay for their child’s sports may have to forgo the opportunity entirely.

Furthermore, children from more affluent families will inevitably have access to more opportunities for advancement, such as cutting-edge equipment and private trainers. This can lead to a talent gap, where those who can afford to invest in their child’s sports careers are more likely to see success.

While there is certainly a level of inequality in youth sports, many youth sport organizations offer scholarships for disadvantaged children, and some coaches are truly passionate about preventing favoritism in sports. Still, coaches and parents can work on becoming aware of their own biases and work to ensure fairness and equality for all athletes.

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Schools are also feeding into the early specialization culture. Recently, Vadnais Heights charter school Gentry Academy won the Class 2A girl’s hockey state championship, knocking out Andover 4-1.

Upset parents and coaches have been refusing to schedule games against Gentry Academy due to the controversial training methods the school allows. Instead of requiring a traditional physical education course, Gentry Academy students are allowed to play hockey for one hour a day at a nearby facility. This arguably offers Gentry players a significant advantage over their opponents.

In addition to the Gentry controversy, there has been contention over a dramatic increase in high school basketball transfers, a trend never seen before. According to the Star Tribune, at least 50 boy basketball players played for new teams this season after scoring in double figures last season. Minneapolis South High School is just one school that has lost most of its top-scorers to private or suburban high schools. This seems to be imitating the temporary feel of commitments in professional and even collegiate sports.

Even though the MSHSL has extensive rules about transferring, and all transfers are technically ineligible to play until sitting out for a year, there are exceptions. For example, if a family claims residence in another area, athletes can bypass the year-long ineligibility requirement. While transferring can give promising athletes access to a better quality education, this transferring crisis is taking talented athletes away from disadvantaged communities and potentially displacing athletes at the suburban and private schools that basketball players are transferring to.

Ultimately, the professionalization of youth sports is a complex issue that requires careful consideration. While it may lead to the development of elite athletes and highquality coaching, it can also place undue pressure on young athletes and perpetuate existing inequalities. By fostering a culture that values sportsmanship, personal growth and inclusivity, youth sports can continue to provide a positive and enriching experience for children across the country.

photos by Laurin Isabel

08 Debates

Friday, March 31, 2023

Is TikTok the downfall of Gen Z? n illustratio

by Ir is Re

n

A benefical tool for kids

Damaging for young minds

TikTok has always faced backlash. Whether it be from people crying about false advertising to claims of teens “scrolling their lives away,” TikTok has been the center of numerous conflicts. However, many people fail to acknowledge the real reasons teens are first drawn to TikTok: the community, the free access to information and the possibility for change.

TikTok has emerged as a powerful tool for increasing charitable donations thanks to its massive user base and unique approach to content creation. Charitable challenges on TikTok have gained immense popularity, inspiring users to create and share their own videos in support of a cause. For example, TikTok launched the “TikTok for Good” initiative, which allows for nonprofits or charities to engage with its user base with “Hashtag Challenges,” whereby users create their own content to show support for campaigns. From this, millions of people, regardless of economic status or age, are able to support the causes they believe in and contribute to a better world.

As well, TikTok can be used to impact an individual’s life. Recently, a user posted a video of her father, Lloyd Devereux Richards, captioned: “I’d love for him to get some sales,” in reference to his novel that had received no sales for 11 years.

However, once posted, the video blew up and support came flooding in. Suddenly, Richard’s “Stone Maidens” became an Amazon bestseller, selling thousands of copies. The occurrence, while supposedly miraculous, is consistently demonstrated amongst hundreds of users in the app. Time and time again, TikTok allows people to share their story and garner support from millions of people.

Furthermore, TikTok’s unique interface allows people to connect with hundreds of thousands of niche communities. Within the app, people can post videos about their interests and, whether their interests include cooking, drawing, dancing or anything else, they can connect with millions who have the same interest. For this reason, TikTok has become a safe haven for youth who feel secluded in their own environments, as it allows for them to enter into a community that shares their interest, no matter how obscure.

While many people share their knowledge and intrigues within TikTok, the app can also be used as a way to develop or learn new abilities. Similar to platforms like YouTube, TikTok has become helpful for people wanting to learn new skills. From ACT prep to cooking videos, users can share short, informative videos that educate viewers on a wide variety of topics free of charge.

For many, TikTok provides a creative outlet, helps boost underrepresented communities and people and is an important tool for change. Of course, as with any social media platform, it’s important for teenagers to use TikTok responsibly and in moderation, but when used in a healthy way, TikTok can be a valuable and enjoyable part of a teenager’s life.

TikTok has become one of the fastest growing platforms on social media. Used by over two-thirds of Gen Z, TikTok fuels social media addictions, exposes teens to harmful content and promotes damaging trends.

TikTok is deliberately designed to be extremely addictive due to its accessibility and style of content. As soon as users open the app, a video will start playing from their “For You” page, distracting them immediately. Once they grow bored of a video, they can swipe to be spoon-fed another one in milliseconds. Since most videos only last 15 seconds or so, they are just short enough to keep users interested, which easily leads to a cycle of mindless scrolling. In fact, a report from Measure Protocol, a data solutions company, found that teens spend an average of 12.4 hours on TikTok per week.

Increased screen time is not a problem unique to TikTok, but TikTok makes it worse. The same study from Measure Protocol reported that young adults spend up to three times longer on TikTok compared to other social media platforms. Even though TikTok has recently released parental control features that help restrict screen time, such as the automatic 60-minute screen time limit for users under 18, most of these have little effect as users can easily turn them off or ignore them. TikTok’s strategies of increasing engagement are clearly working because Youtube and Instagram have copied the short-form content and algorithms with Youtube Shorts and Instagram Reels.

TikTok’s addictive nature is also due to its dangerous algorithm. The app tracks a user’s activity through duration spent on a video, likes, follows, replays and even the smallest movements, such as whether a user hesitates on a video. It then uses this information to personalize content for the user. In a Wall Street Journal study where researchers programmed 100 bots with pre-set interests to “scroll” through TikTok, they found that it only took two hours for TikTok to fully figure out the bot’s interests. Within those two hours, the videos shown to the bot became increasingly specific and unmoderated, with many videos violating TikTok’s terms of service.

While some may argue that TikTok as a whole offers a variety of content and allows users to diversify their perspectives, most users only view the content they show an interest in and that align with their pre-existing beliefs. In this way, TikTok acts as an echochamber. Unless a user feels curious enough to expand beyond their normal content, TikTok’s algorithm will likely feed them the same types of beliefs over and over, which can lead to misinformation and exacerbate political polarization.

Besides the addictive interface, TikTok’s ease of uploading and spreading content has also popularized thousands of trends. This is problematic because the need to constantly keep up with the latest trends promotes a consumerist mentality, as well as unrealistic expectations. On the surface, many trends that TikTok spreads are inspirational. Take the “That Girl” trend for example. “That Girl” gets up at 5 a.m. to go to the gym, makes green juices and avocado toast and always strives for the most ambitious goals. Under the surface, however, this trend is just one of many that encourages consumerism. These girls wear expensive matching sets to go to the gym, purchase elaborate skincare products and go on frequent grocery runs to keep up their pristine diets. In reality, most people cannot afford to live so expensively, especially young teens.

In brief, TikTok is not “just another social media platform.” Its purposeful algorithm and short-form content, as well as the extent to which it can spread misinformation and influence young adults, is a serious issue that can spiral out of hand.

by David Anton Golridge staff reporter

by Isabel Li staff reporter

Good Question 09

Friday, March 31, 2023

Why does MV not publish class rankings?

by Isabel Li staff reporter

Class rank is a system that a majority of American high schools use to rank students in a class by GPA. The student with the highest GPA gets the title of valedictorian, and they typically deliver a farewell speech at graduation, while the second-ranked student is known as the salutatorian. In addition to these titles, some schools also categorize students into percentiles based on GPA, such as top 10% or 25%.

“There were many students that had high GPAs that were expressing that they felt a tremendous amount of pressure to maintain the publicized class rank...”

Benjamin Chiri, associate principal Historically, class rank has been an important factor for college admissions, as it gives admission officers a sense of a student’s academic performance compared to their peers. Class rank also allows admission officers to account for grading discrepancies between schools because different schools have different grading systems and varying amounts of grade inflation. Many programs also use class rank to give students awards and scholarships.

In recent years, college admissions have been placing less and less value on class ranking systems, with some eliminating their need for it altogether. A survey from the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that only 9% of colleges considered class rank to be of “considerable importance” compared to 23% of colleges in 2007. Similarly, an increasing number of high schools have gotten rid of their

class ranking system.

In the Mounds View district, the class rank was removed in 2010 as a student-initiated change. “There were many students that had high GPAs that were expressing that they felt a tremendous amount of pressure to maintain the publicized class rank… and they brought that to the school administration,” said Benjamin Chiri, associate principal. From there, the school board made the decision to stop publishing class ranks and stop putting them on student transcripts.

Mounds View’s decision to discontinue class rank has had many benefits. For example, it allows students to focus more on their own academics. “I believe eliminating class rank has taken some pressure off of students,” said Kendra Eckman, dean. “It doesn’t matter how everyone else is doing. All that should matter is how you are doing in all of your classes.”

It also stops pressuring students to take more honors or advanced classes in hopes of getting the highest GPA. Since Mounds View only takes weighted GPA into account, whoever succeeds in the most APs — weighted on a 5.0 scale — will inevitably become valedictorian. Other college-level courses at Mounds View, like CIS and ARCC, are not weighted, so a student who

“It doesn’t matter how everyone else is doing. All that should matter is how you are doing in all of your classes.”

Kendra Eckman, dean

es, class rank also divides students who have similar academic performances, which can create more competition and toxicity among peers. Many Mounds View students have GPAs that are mere tenths of a point from each other.

In 2009, the year before class rank was discontinued, the valedictorian’s GPA was of a p only three-tenths of oint separ a point higher than ated t he 1s the 40th-ranked ranke td stude student. n t from In place the 4 0th in of the class 2009 ranking system, Mounds View uses an honors system at graduation, where students are awarded a n honors status based on weighted GPA from their semester one final grades. Students with a GPA of 3.333 get honors, 3.667 get high honors and 4.000 get highest honors. In contrast to class rank, this system does not directly compare students to each other; it becomes more of a competition against oneself to attain a specific GPA. In addition, the senior class officers now give Mounds View’s graduation speech rather than the valedictorian.

With Mounds View’s decision in 2010, they joined the growing number of high schools that eliminated the class rank system in an attempt to reduce stress for students and give them more opportunities to focus on their own academic performance.

3/10

takes more APs will have a higher GPA than a student who takes many CIS and ARCC classes. In this case, some would argue that ranking students is an unfair representation of their respective academic abilities.

Beyond pressuring students to take difficult class-

What are some wardrobe essentials?

bag

As fashion trends come and go, Gen Z has become the new trendsetter.

According to Who What Wear, Gen Z influencers are becoming m o r e a n d m o r e involved in following trends and setting them. From cargo skirts to baggy jeans, knitted sweaters to graphic tees, Gen Z has found a way to recycle old fashion trends and turn t h e m into new ones.

While following trends may be fun and exciting, some people prefer to limit the clothes they buy and instead buy wardrobe essentials.

Buying wardrobe essentials can reduce the amount of money you spend on clothes and by developing a collection of “basics,” you can create many different outfits with the same pieces of clothing. j gy

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e tees long-sleev

In a poll conducted by The Viewer, students at Mounds View described their wardrobe “must haves,” which include sweatshirts and sweatpants as the most popular choices. Not only do these wardrobe essentials provide comfort, but they are also stylish when you style them nicely. Many high school students may not have enough money to buy many pieces of clothing but also want to graphic tees look good, so wardrobe essentials offer the perfect solution for high schoolers.

Some examples of these essential pieces can include basic white tees, sweatshirts and neutral-toned jeans. This allows the pieces of clothing to be easily paired with various tops and bottoms. For example, you can pair a white t-shirt with jeans for a more casual look and leather pants for a more formal look.

Another wardrobe essential is a plain, long-sleeved shirt. “My favorite p i e c e of clothing would be just a basic long sleeve with a u-neck. It’s my favorite because it’s just so basic and simple. It’s easy to style and it just feels so good to wake up in, sleep in, eat in and just everything. [You can style it with] baggy jeans, tight jeans, anything,” said sophomore Abigail Xiong.

For students looking for something to wear during the warmer months, a cardigan can be a comfortable, as well as fashionable, option. “My favorite piece of clothing I have is a pink cardigan with strawberries on it. It’s so fun and amazing. I usually style it with my brown cardigan pants. It’s like the stem of a strawberry. Usually, [I] j u s t [wear] a white shirt under it,” said junior Sam Culhane.

Not only can you save monsweate r vests ey by investing in wardrobe essentials, but by purchasing a variety of “basics,” you can create many outfits with the same pieces of clothing. Teens looking for more outfit ideas can check out Pinterest and Instagram and discover new ways to style the clothes that they already have.

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by Gloria Liu staff reporter

photos by Maya Gjelhaug

10 Arts & Entertainment

Friday, march 31, 2023

‘A Man Called Otto’ review

by Charlotte Krum staff reporter

Released in January, “A Man Called Otto” is the second film remake of the 2012 bestselling novel “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman. The movie follows Otto Anderson, a 63-year-old man living with depression, played by Tom Hanks. Alongside Hanks, the film stars Truman Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Mack Bayda and Juanita Jennings.

Otto is a widower living in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With the passing of his wife Sonya, he falls into depression and attempts to end his life to join her but is stopped by the family who recently moved into his neighborhood. The movie tells the story of the unlikely friendship between Otto and the family.

Bothered by even the slightest mistakes of the people around him, Otto is short-tempered. His character is similar to that of The Grinch, Ebenezer Scrooge and other aggressive, leading characters. As it featured many things done in film before, I felt the story could have been more unique and original, which made watching the movie less exciting. His negative and close-minded attitude often failed to be endearing and prevented the story from feeling heartfelt.

Possibly the most lovable character in the film was Marisol, the mother of the new family. Mairsol asks favors of Otto and makes him home-cooked meals; she tries throughout the film to help Otto find the joys of life once again. Marisol is very outgoing and allows Otto to open up to her, despite his bitterness. Her character was engaging and well-rounded, which led to her being one of my favorite characters.

Besides the characters, the plot of the movie is often repetitive and quite boring. After seeing the same things happening again and again each with similar

people around him and stand up for the people he cares about. However, when the scene finally came for him to show how he changed, it did not seem as meaningful to me as they intended it to be. A huge factor for this is because the neighbors were being asked to leave because their son thought it was time to transition to a nursing home, which was understandable due to the husband’s failing health and the wife’s recent Parkinson’s diagnosis.

After watching the film, I thought it had a good message but was disappointing. My main complaint is how repetitive and uninteresting it was. While some lighthearted moments made the film more enjoyable, and seeing the relationships between Otto and the other characters develop as the film progressed was fascinating, I still wasn’t impressed by anything.

image courtesy of Sony Pictures

outcomes, I felt as if the lack of exciting plotlines left the movie empty and unfulfilled. After a continuous but predictable cycle, a new problem arises in Otto’s neighborhood when his long-time neighbors, who have lived next to him since he and his wife moved in, are told to leave. Otto realizes he needs to stick around to help the

Final Verdict: 3/5

Spare reading ‘Spare’

by Maya Betti print editor-in-chief

Since he was born, the life of Prince Harry has been dominated by words. From misleading headlines to defamatory articles, words have held a grasp on the Duke of Sussex’s life that few others can fathom. However, in his recent memoir, “Spare,” Harry shows the

image courtesy of Penguin Random House

world that he’s taking ownership of his story, in his own words, despite risking his relationship with certain family members. A unique, but possibly uncalled for perspective, “Spare” offers a viewpoint into privileged royal life that fans and paparazzi alike have speculated about for decades.

Harry divided his novel into three parts: his childhood after Princess Diana died, his military service and meeting Meghan Markle, his now wife. While no doubt the life and experiences of a British prince are difficult to summarize, the pacing of the novel is uneven and quite often slow. The first part trumps the latter two not only in entertainment quality, but also raw emotion.

Where the first part shows the jovial nature of Harry often not exposed to the public, the second and third are long and grueling in comparison, especially for those who aren’t previously interested in royal thematics.

In fact, oftentimes a key issue in the novel is that it is Britishly boring. Harry references press conferences and charity events flippantly and frequently fails to recognize the vast majority of people have no context to his life events. I was often compelled to skip a page when he droned on about family expectations, country palace weekend getaways or dinner etiquette. While those who enjoyed watching “The Crown” might find some sort of enjoyment to this inside peek, as a person who is largely uninvolved in the whereabouts of the British monarchy, there were far too many parts I found dull and uninteresting.

Yet, this is not to say the book is not surprisingly well-written. Ghostwritten by J. R. Moehringer, an experienced memorialist and Pulitzer Prize winner, Harry’s internal dialogue personifies a youthful, humorous voice, giving readers a fair judgment of how the prince dealt with life as “the spare.” There are several moments within the book that certainly shifted my perspective simply due to how well that moment was detailed.

By far the most fascinating part of this novel is the exploration of Harry and his mother’s relationship.

Conflicted and private, Harry shares intimate details about his grieving process after his mother’s death, finding solacein the routine of his everyday life. For some, such intimacy might come off as uncomfortably personal at times, but I found the bitter honesty of his grieving process humanized him more than any tabloid column. The disregard for rigid formality was not something that was supposed to make the novel forcibly relatable, but rather to demonstrate how truly different Harry is in comparison to his more reserved royal counterparts.

“Spare” stands as a written testament to Harry, for once in his life, controlling his narrative. But, as a person with little care for the monarchy, reading the novel made me question if such narration was necessary.

Final Verdict: 2/5

Sports 11

Friday, March 31, 2023

Athlete of the Issue

Track Q: How and when did your passion start?

RAMS reach for the stars

by Tyler Quattrin managing copy editor The RAMS, Mounds View’s adaptive athletics program, promotes an inclusive culture and provides a platform for all students, irrespective of their physical abilities, to hone their skills and develop a passion for sports.

The team consists of students from Mounds View, Irondale and Roseville High School and their respective middle schools.

Throughout the year, they engage in three different sports: indoor soccer during the fall season, floor hockey during winter and indoor softball in spring.

The fall soccer season finished for the RAMS with a record of 2-7, with victories against the Columbia Heights/ St.Anthony/Fridley Strikers and the Anoka/Hennepin Mustangs. They then transitioned to floor hockey where their season came to a close with a record of 2-8. After an exciting win against the Robbinsdale/

A: My passion started while watching the 2012 London Olympics. I have always liked running, but seeing it on an international stage was sick. From that moment on I always knew with certainty that I would like to run competitively.

Q: What is your favorite part about running?

A: My favorite thing about cross country and track are just how awesome the people are. I have met and made so many friends through running. I love this aspect of the running community.

Q: What is the most difficult thing about running?

A: Trying to run in the winter.

Oftentimes where you normally would look to run is covered in snow or ice. This makes it extremely hard to find consistently good running options.

Q: What do you do to get ready before a big race?

A: I like just talking with my teammates. Having people to chat with always relaxes me before a big meet.

Q: Do you plan to go further with your sport?

A: Yes, I will be running next fall for North Carolina State.

I am stoked to be able to continue running for such a successful program in a really cool area.

Hopkins/Mound West Robins on Feb. 28, the RAMS had the opportunity to continue their season with one final championship game the following week against the Robins.

On March 7, the RAMS final floor hockey game ended in a loss; however, the team was still in high spirits about their accomplishments throughout the season, whether that be the skills they developed together or the personal growth they each experienced.

Senior Will Skundberg explained how the social aspect is the most enjoyable part of the team and many of his teammates agree. Senior Charlie Krejchik, who has been playing since he was 15, has said how the friends he has made throughout his time in the program have been very special to him.

Despite not having the strongest record compared to some opponents this season, their relationships with each other is what they find the most valuable. “Winning and losing doesn’t affect a lot of them,” Head Coach Reed Thompson said. “They want to win, but if they don’t, it’s okay… We didn’t win a lot of games, but like most of the seasons, we had fun.”

Similarly, the coaches value the strong relationships developed with the players.

“It’s a big change from a seventh grader to a senior,” Thompson said. “You feel like you just watch them grow up.”

As the RAMS move on to the spring softball season, with their first game at home on April 20 against the Minnetonka/ Wayzata Lakers, the team is bound to continue working hard with high spirits and positive attitudes.

photos by Tyler Quattrin

Mustangs ready to bat

by Owen Schwalm staff reporter Spring brings the start of America’s pastime, and this season, the Mustangs hope for another successful year of baseball.

“Our biggest thing is to compete for each other.”

Andrew Simon, ‘23 As practices begin, and with their first game coming up on April 10, the team hopes to prove as tough competition. “We are looking really good as a team, and everyone is excited for the season,” said senior captain Parker Holmboe.

Last season, the team was able to make it to the section championship, but failed to advance to state. However, this loss compels many players to strive to go further this year. Senior Carter Kaplan believes the team has a good shot at making it to state this year. “I think we have a chance. We are ranked number one in our conference and number four in the state, so I think we’ll do pretty good,” he said.

However, they are aware of the improvements they need to make. The Mustangs lost multiple strong varsity pitchers from last season, leaving the team in a difficult situation. “Pitching is a need,” said Assistant Coach Scott Oberg. He believes the current pitchers have potential but will

need to put in a lot of time and effort in order to compare to last year.

One of the pitchers, senior Andrew Simon, agrees with Oberg. “My biggest goal is to improve my pitching. It was pretty good last year, but I can definitely improve,” he said.

With the team shooting for state, they certainly need to be able to play their best.

For Simon, the most important thing they need to achieve is working well with each other. “Our main thing is [to] compete for each other, building that brotherhood,” he said. He explained that if the team learns how to trust each other and each other’s ability, they have the chance to make it far.

tournament while also making friendships that’ll last a lifetime.

“We are ranked number one in our conference and number four in the state, so I think we’ll do pretty good.”

Carter Kaplan, ‘23 Holmboe agrees, as making sure that everyone on the team has a role, while a challenge, is an important part to mastering the game. “I want to create a lifelong friendship with my teammates,” he said.

The team is confident in their abilities to succeed this year and make it to the state

photo courtesy of Parker Holmboe

12 Puzzles

Friday, March 31, 2023

Comic contest winner

by Riley Maurer

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Down 1. Actor that plays Otto Anderson in “A Man Called Otto” 2. Type of “challenge” that nonprofits/charities use as a part of the “TikTok for Good” initiative 3. Sport that the RAMS play in the winter 5. The band that performed at the winter pepfest 8. Tournament that the speech team got second place in 12. Young adults spend up to _____ times longer on TikTok compared to other platforms 13. ______ programs can decrease the risk of injury by about 36% 14. Mock Trial invites an ______ to give them ideas 16. Country that Orchestra students traveled to over spring break Across 4. English teacher that is retiring after this school year 6. Elliott McArthur’s inspiration for running started while watching the 2012 Olympics in this city 7. System that replaced the class rank system at MV in 2010 9. The author of “Spare” is also known as the Duke of this location 10. MV Baseball’s current ranking in their section 11. Eating disorders can develop when pursuing this type of body composition 15. “Pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality 17. Month in which the universal school meals bill will go into effect puzzle courtesy of Opensky