Issue 8

www.mvviewer.org | Friday, February 27, 2014 | Volume 62, Issue 8

Muslim students find their place at Mounds View

by Furqan Syed staff reporter In a sea of heads in the Mounds View hallway, a black headscarf stands out from the glossy heads of hair. Mandhara Madow, 11, comes to school every day with a Muslim identity.

“Being different where the majority fail to understand our differences is hard. Unfortunately, people tend to follow everything the media says about Islam,” said Madow.

It’s not always easy for Muslim students, as a small minority group whose religion often gets negative media attention. But the school is taking steps to make them feel part of the community. For example, students are allowed to leave their sixth hour classes every Friday to partake in Jummah, a Muslim prayer.

Sarah Hammad, 2013 graduate, remembers feeling like she was the only Muslim attending Mounds View. About 15 students now attend the Friday prayers each week.

“The Friday prayers are a great time to reconnect with other Mounds View Muslims and pray as a unified group,” said Salmaan Saiyed, 11.

Although this weekly opportunity is welcomed, some Muslim students struggle with dressing differently during the school day because of their religion. Madow realizes that wearing a hijab, a headscarf, sometimes makes her negatively stand out.

“I had friends that wanted me to take [the hijab] off,” said Madow.

A few of these friends even told Madow that she would have to stop wearing the hijab if they wanted to stay friends. “Sometimes I’d lie and tell them one day [I would take it off],” Madow said.

Part of the reason for this behavior may be

that an ABC survey reveals that there’s been a 20 percent drop in the number of Americans who have a favorable view of Muslims.

“It’s annoying to get asked so many questions about 9/11,” said Nedal Zaro, 10. “Sometimes I’m asked every week about it.” Zaro feels that Muslims are portrayed inaccurately by the media, and dislikes when people bring up his religious identity.

Along with students’ concerns about fitting into the school community, another issue is the approach to teaching Islam in Atlantic Mediterranean World History and Pacific Indian Ocean History. These classes study the five pillars and spread of Islam from a historical standpoint.

Some Muslims feel that the classes fail to foster tolerance by portraying Islam as an exotic religion, rather than one followed by a growing number of students.

“They make [Islam] seem like some completely foreign religion that isn’t that easy to relate to,” said Saiyed.

On the other hand, creating tolerance is not the primary aim of social studies classes. Simply put, the classes are intended to educate students.

“The hope would be that students taking the class become more tolerant, but I think the actual link between learning about Islam and toleration requires a larger willingness,” said social studies teacher Lisa Colbert. However, she added, “I think knowledge can lead to more toleration.”

Hassan Lubega, 11, added that while classes cover the diversity of Christianity, they often portray Islam as overly homogeneous. “I’m a Muslim from Uganda, and while you hear about all the different branches of Christianity like Catholicism, Protestantism, and Baptist, you don’t hear about how Islam is different in

photo by Eva Hoffman

Hassan Lubega, 11, reads the Quran on the floor of the mosque his family attends weekly.

Africa,” he said.

Lubega is taking AP European History this year.

According to Colbert, AP teachers have little control over the curriculum, since they follow a standardized curriculum set by the College Board.

There have been a few bumps in the road in the process to assimilate Muslim students into the Mounds View community, but the school has taken efforts to alleviate these troubles.

“At Mounds View, we are continually trying to increase tolerance for the diverse groups,” said Colbert.

Dance championship marred by controversy

by Nina Bertelsen business manager As teams like the Mounds View Viewettes were preparing to dance at the state tournament, the Faribault Emeralds dance team was under scrutiny, being investigated for possible plagiarism. Although the team was officially cleared, the accusations followed them into the tournament and ultimately caused a protest at the awards ceremony Feb. 14.

“It is embarrassing for all Minnesota dance teams, because this is what people are going to think of when they think of dance: petty drama,” said Viewettes captain Priya Tandon, 12.

After receiving an anonymous complaint that the Emeralds had plagiarized choreography from the Copper Hill Azurettes, an award-winning Utah team, the MSHSL and the Faribault activities director carried out investigations.

They judged that, while the routines were similar or the same on 32 counts, that could not be considered a violation of the rules. The Emeralds were cleared to compete.

IN THIS ISSUE

photo courtesy of Melissa Knoll

The Viewettes perform at the dance finals. They competed in the jazz division of the competition.

However, that didn’t soothe the frustrations of other dancers and coaches. After the Faribault Emeralds’ first place win in the kick competition, the Eden Prairie, Wayzata, Lakeville South, Chaska, and Eastview teams held hands and stood off to the side

at the awards ceremony, refusing to acknowledge the Emeralds.

The judges asked them three times to move to back to their original spots, but the teams refused and were disqualified for poor sportsmanship.

The Faribault team rushed from the floor after receiving the first place trophy, and the opposing five teams then congratulated each other.

Tandon said that she felt the other teams should have used the time prior to the competition to voice their concerns instead of taking away from the team’s win in such a public forum.

“The way they chose to protest, publicly, at State finals… took the celebration away from the girls on Faribault’s team [and] brought petty drama into a high school sport that has fought so long to gain legitimate recognition,” said Tandon.

The disqualified teams have received consequences at their own schools as well. The Lakeville district is conducting an investigation into its dance team’s actions. The dance community waits anxiously to see what the outcome will be for these teams’ actions and the sport as a whole.

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2014-2015 Viewer Editors

February 27, 2015

Let us have some privacy

Parents should give students more freedom online

The places that parents monitor

26 percent of teen social media users are on Twitter

94 percent of teen social media users are on Facebook

11 percent of teen social media users are on Instagram

At least 60 percent of parents believe they should have control over exactly what their kids do on their phones and other technology.

71 percent of all Snapchat users are under the age of 25.

logos fair use by Flickr.com and Wikimedia.org information compiled from Digital Market Ramblings, Teensafe.com, and pewinternet.org

Editor-in-Chief

James Birr Managing Editor - Copy

Maddy Rosenow Managing Editor - Design

Kyoka Millard Managing Editor - Online

Alistair Tang Business Manager Nina Bertelsen News Emily Ruan Editorials Clara Wang Josh Yuan Features Monica Kemp Katrina Renacia Spread

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Variety Reviews Sports Gallery

Aaron Adams Emma Blume

Nolan Carlson-Stevermer Persis Ke

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Sarah Dhols-Graf

Ryan Yoch Photographers/Artists Eva Hoffman Lily Sacay Hana Gulli Michaela Morse Adviser

Martha Rush

Staff

Claire Carroll, Sarah Conrad, Matthew Cooper, Taylor Graw, Jackson Hoemann, Alex Jiang, Katie Karjalahti, Samuel Kwong, Emily Moses, Kofo Mustafa, Kevin Sabeti-Oseid, Olivia Schultz, Furquan Syed, Aaron Voiovich, Daniel Yong, Amber Zhao

The Viewer is published by the student editors at: Mounds View High School 1900 Lake Valentine Rd Arden Hills, Minnesota Sauk Centre Publishing

She’s always watching. She knows where you are; she knows where you’re going; she knows who you talk to. Her name is Big Mother, and, yes, she is your mom.

In a society dominated by social media and technology, many teenagers believe that they are able to forge for themselves a life unseen by their parents. In reality, though, this is far from the truth.

Apps such as Find My iPhone and Teen Safe are proof that parents are more than ever a part of their children’s social lives. From controlling internet browsing, to location tracking, to monitoring every text sent, parents have it all at their disposal.

Although easily accessible, tracking teenagers with such apps is morally unjust. Communication and trust between parent and child, which should be a two-way street, is becoming dominated by the parent.

Teen Safe, an online tracking service for parents, allows parents to track text messages, phone calls, location, and even internet searches. This can be done all remotely, and all without their child’s knowledge. The company’s goal, according to their website, is to “protect your most valuable treasure.” But when does protection turn into spying?

According to the New York Post, an estimated 60 percent of parents believe they should have complete control over their child’s phone and internet usage. Services such as Teen Safe have grown to become a billion dollar industry.

Commonly, parents argue, “I own the phone, I make the rules.” However, this is just a weak excuse parents use to overzealously monitor their children.

Protecting your child from the dangers of the real world does nothing but shelter them; although a parent wouldn’t wish trouble upon their child, the best way to learn is from natural human experiences.

The best tactic to foster a loving, open relationship between parent and child is to put trust in their child to make their own decisions. When their child makes mistakes, they should use it as a learning tool.

Legally, there is nothing preventing a parent from tracking their child, and there are some instances where it can be seen as good. If a parent suspects a child is involved in a risky behavior, such as smoking or drinking, or is being bullied, looking at their phone could be a way to find out the truth.

Still, overprotectiveness on the cyber front – especially when the child has does nothing to trigger it – is an indicator of deeper issues in a parent-child relationship. These problems should be addressed in conversation rather than tracking the child’s every online move.

With all these opportunities to be involved in your child’s cellular life, the questions should become “Why would I want to track my child?” versus “Can I track my child?”

Kids deserve privacy too, and in this era where it has become possible to virtually track your child’s every move, a line of respect must be drawn.

Viewer Mission Statement 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.

4. To strive for a high level of competency in the technical aspect of writing, including grammar, spelling, clarity, and precision.

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 Viewer, our advertisers, Mounds View High School or its staff.

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

Correction: An Infographic on p. 5 (Issue 7) should have said that over 300 ambassador crews are selling “Love Your Melon” caps.

February 27, 2015

Dress code hurts girls’ self image

by Kevin Sabeti-Oseid staff reporter Most children are told from a young age that it’s important to be themselves.

That they deserve respect and should not change who they are for other people. Yet dress codes are still enforced at most public schools that restrict what one can wear and limit self expression.

Often times, girls can be confined into whatever is deemed appropriate by their schools. All the dress code does is teach girls that they are distractions while promoting the over-sexualization of the female body and rape culture.

Sexual objectification is present within the dress code as girls are made to feel guilty about their bodies. But if a girl wears what she wants and is harassed over it, their harasser (if male) is often not blamed because “boys will be boys,” making her feel as though she was responsible.

Most of the regulations placed over student’s attire are unreasonable. It is understandable if the school wouldn’t want students

showing up in their underwear, but how is an exposed clavicle so provocative?

Strapless tops, tank tops, spaghetti straps, short skirts and shorts are all examples of “inappropriate clothing” as stated by Mounds View. Skin is skin. One extra inch of it has yet to burn down the school or provoke an extensive decline of student GPAs! Students across the nation have been suspended by their schools for wearing clothes appropriate for the warmer climate just because exposed chests or shoulders are apparently too diverting, even among children.

Tottenville High School in Staten Island had given detentions to 200 of their students late last year for violating their dress code.

Similar to Mounds View’s policy, it was to create an educational environment without “distractions.” 90 percent of the 200 student were girls.

Cecilia D’Anastasio from The Nation wrote in her article on students speaking out against the dress code that “focusing so much attention on

a young woman’s sexuality— the visibility of her legs, her bra straps or midriff—teaches her that these things are of major importance to others; therefore, they should be of major importance to her.”

As stated in the Mounds View Student Handbook, the dress code supposedly “creates an environment conducive to learning and reflects attire appropriate for an educational setting.” Although the handbook was written with good intention, it unfairly puts the burden on girls.

Boys who dress in a

editorials 3

traditionally masculine manner are only restricted against wearing muscle tops and pants below the waistline, although often unchecked, while girls are restrained with numerous limits over what they can and can’t wear.

It focuses less on our school’s mission of respect and more on placing young girls into the position where they are marginalized, harassed, and held responsible for our culture’s concurrent disapproval and obsession with the female body.

photo by Lily Sacay

Vaccination + Politics = Disaster

by Furqan Syed staff reporter There are things that should never be mixed. Mustard and jelly; ice cream and ketchup; children and fire; and above all, vaccines and politics. They don’t mix.

Politicians are now trying to walk the thin line of pandering to voters who are against mandatory vaccinations. Unfortunately, some politicians have chosen to take the immoral choice of sacrificing common sense regarding public health in an attempt to gather more votes.

This is due to the current political environment that incentivizes politicians to promote an in-between stance to get more votes. If this political trend continues, disaster can occur as it promotes the trend of fewer Americans taking necessary vaccinations.

According to a Time magazine article, Rand Paul, a potential GOP candidate, stated, “I’m not antivaccine at all, but particularly, most of them ought to be voluntary.”

Editor opinions What your Viewer editors think of various issues.

One would think that Rand Paul, a graduate of Duke medical school and former ophthalmologist, would proudly stand up for the medical advances of vaccines that are vital for public safety. It’s the quotes like these from Paul that allow some to justify their belief in not letting their family get vaccinated.

In just the past four years, there’s been a 37 percent increase in exemptions filed for vaccinations for school children.

It’s sad to see politicians refute their intuition in order to garner more votes from the reported 18 percent of Americans who believe vaccines cause autism. More politicians are now stating their “opinions” on vaccinations for more votes, causing vaccinations to become a political issue. To make the usage of vaccinations fall on political party lines could be detrimental if people stop using vaccines as an allegiance to a party.

Flirting with the idea of making vaccines a political issue between

“It’s my body, it’s my choice.”

-Nina Bertelsen business manager

-Rebecca Nara spread editor

“They’re training us to be adults, we should be able to dress however we want and whatever we want. But there should still be some limitations.”

-Mitchell Wetzel, 10

“I agree with the dress code.

We’re still in that transition period of being kids and adults.

And they’re just giving us the social context and enforcing the rule that in certain situations, you dress in certain ways.”

-Isabel Miller, 12 photos by Josh Yuan

Do you agree with mandatory vaccines for public schools?

the two parties could be extremely detrimental for society as a whole.

Making vaccinations fall on party lines could cause epidemic outbreaks like measles in areas with a conservative demographic.

No Measles are definitely not 28.8% something to take lightly. The CDC website stated that non-immune people close to an infected person have a 90 percent chance of becoming infected, and that measles have led to 145,700 deaths in 2013.

Measles is not the only deadly disease prevented by vaccines.

Diseases such as the whooping cough and varicella are also eradicated by vaccinating communities. It’s clear that involving diseases such as these in a political agenda can be disastrous.

Politics needs to stay out of public health or else the American society as a whole risks an outbreak of a deadly disease. Politicians like Paul should be advocating for making vaccinations more prevalent. Unfortunately there is no vaccination against American political immorality.

“[stressed goat noises]”

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Yes 71.2% 66 students polled

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4 features

February 27, 2015

Where are they now?

Mounds View alum is new governor of Oregon Kate Brown

by Nina Bertelsen business manager

On Feb. 18, Kate Brown, a 1978 Mounds View graduate, became governor of Oregon, after former Governor John Kitzhaber was forced to resign due to numerous scandals regarding his fiancé. She became the first ever openly bisexual governor and one of only 37 female governors in the history of the United States.

Over the past months, Governor Kitzhaber had come under scrutiny due to the actions of his fiancé Cylivia Haynes, who is 20 years his junior. Haynes has been accused of using her connections to the governor for influence-peddling and tax evasion.

Brown addressed this in her first press conference as Governor by saying that she planned to restore the “... trust in state government,” Brown said. “Oregon has been in the national news for all the wrong reasons. That changes starting today.”

Former classmates of “Katie” Brown remember her as “a student government/cheerleader type, petite, immensely popular and wore a ‘Nixon Now’ button in 1972,” according to Jack Ohman, quoted in the Star Tribune.

Another classmate, Larry Sawyer, said, “I would think she would have nothing but the best intentions

stayed in the state and married Dan Little before being elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1991 and the state Senate in 1996.

In 2004, she became the first female majority leader for the Democratic party in the state Senate and was elected to the Oregon Secretary of State office in the 2008 elections. During her term as secretary of state she performed rigorous audits to help balance the state’s budget and implemented online voter registration.

The state of Oregon does not have a lieutenant governor, so the secretary of state was next in line for the governor post.

As the highest ranking LGBTQ state official in the country, Brown has had her share of controversy.

“I was pretty much outed in the Oregonian as bisexual.

I didn’t know anyone else who was like me. I had no photo fair use from Willamette Week Publication role models,” Brown said.

She said it was difficult to be upfront with people, Kate Brown is the first openly bisexual governor in but her honesty and forthrightness paid off. “It wasn’t any state. She graduated from MV in 1978. on my terms or my timing, but it was for the best in for the people of Oregon, I’m sure she’ll do everything the end,” she said.

The move to the governor’s office wasn’t a she can to do a great job. That’s who she is.” large leap for Brown, who was widely rumored to After graduating from Mounds View High be planning on running in the next possible election.

School, Brown completed her undergraduate degree She’ll get her chance to run in the 2016 election as she at The University of Colorado Boulder and got her law degree in Oregon at Lewis and Clark College. She will not serve out Kitzhaber’s full term.

Recent grads make their mark Kevin Gam

Alan Zhao and Drew Ovshak

by Jordan Counihan staff reporter

by Jordan Counihan staff reporter

After graduating in 2011, Kevin Gam began attending the University of Minnesota. He became a part of the Pi Delta Psi Fraternity Incorporated, which is a social and cultural fraternity.

After joining, he worked his way up to external Vice President.

“I am one of the very few undergraduates who has ever served on the national board,” said Gam. In this role, he has worked to create a scholarship for student leaders across the Midwest. “I made the scholarship on behalf of my chapter to provide the opportunity for student leaders to attend [The VIA-1] conference by submitting an essay on what they seeked to gain to use as leaders in their own cultural organizations and communities.” said Gam. Gam, a Vietnamese American was always interested in his heritage. The VIA-1, or Vietnamese Interacting as One, Conference is an annual meeting of Vietnamese people from all over America.

“I had gotten involved as a volunteer after learning about it and eventually joined the organization and planning committees,” Gam said. Now he has been running the conference for four years.

But that’s not all. This past summer, Gam attended the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) in Washington, D.C. This program was designed to establish a forum for engaging and training the next generation of Asian Pacific American policymakers and public leaders. Completing this has

Mounds View preps its students to be the very best. By offering many AP and Honors courses, along with a variety of hybrid and online classes, the aim is to make sure students leave ready to succeed in college.

One remarkable example is the story of Alan Zhao and Drew Ovshak.

Ovshak and Zhao, both 2012 graduates now attending Washington University, were approached by a doctor at the medical school and asked to help create a new device to make an old procedure easier. “[We were asked] to develop a device to help doctors perform double balloon enteroscopy, when they stick a camera down your throat into your small intestine,” said Ovshak. “We invented a device to do that.”

Their website describes the device as a way to track how far the device is in the patient. The location of the device is critical to the doctor and the patient.

If the issue is not solved or reoccurs, the doctor needs to know the exact location to fix it.

Ovshak and Zhao’s product, the EnteroGauge, fixes these problems and makes exploring the small intestine easier for all involved.

Individually, both alumni have had countless other achievements since leaving Mounds View.

Ovshak has made Deans list almost every semester and has gotten a 4.0 for three consecutive semesters. He credits teachers Dan Butler, Graham Wright, and Mark Johnson for giving him the necessary tools to succeed in college.

Zhao has had his fair share of accomplishments too. “I think I’m [most] proud of being president of the Chinese Students Association on

photo courtesy of Kevin Gam

made Gam more prepared to go into a career in government.

Gam’s biggest inspiration at Mounds View came from now-retired orchestra teacher John Madura. “He was my favorite teacher. He was the perfect embodiment of everything a teacher should be,” said Gam. “Incredibly thorough, patient, and especially pushing us as hard as we could, even if we didn’t think we were capable.”

Gam isn’t sure what he wants for the future. “Going into college, I was really certain of the career path that I wanted...

But through student group involvement, volunteering, and interning, I really got to find new things I’m passionate and could see myself finding a rewarding career in. It’s really important to keep an open mind.”

Currently, he is working on finishing up his degree at the University of Minnesota and working in operations and supply chain at Zurich Medical.

photo courtesy of Drew Ovshak

campus. They’ve done some really great things and we’re bringing Michelle Kwan to campus on Monday.” said Zhao.

In addition, he is an RA for a dorm on campus. “I live with 75 sophomore students and serve as an academic and peer resource,” he said. “It’s been a really rewarding experience.”

Currently the pair are trying to get Covidien, a medical device company recently bought by Medtronic, to invest in their company, with hopes that their company will continue to grow over the next few years.

February 27, 2015

features 5

Top: Speech team warms up before the meet. Right: Speech team finalists pose with their awards.

A Speech for State The secret behind the team’s success

by Alex Jiang staff reporter

This year, the Mounds View Speech Team has achieved great improvements in their overall performance. They placed 1st in their first and second meets, and 2nd at their third. Last year, the Speech Team generally hovered around 6th place for the season.

Captains and members alike are proud of the positive change of pace.

“In previous years, I never really cared that much about how the team did, but now I find myself beaming with pride as I hear our name called for the team trophy,” said Speech captain Maggie Peck, 12.

Of the approximately 80 members of Speech, 52 will be going to Sections, with the most successful continuing to State this spring.

The surge in strength of the team has many possible sources. “I think a lot of kids showed up that put

in the time and hours before each tournament,” said Sarah Yoon, 11. “The newcomers have been taken under the wings of upperclassmen.”

Other factors also include the improved coaching staff. After a few years of upheaval, Rebecca Korich was appointed as head coach last season, and she remains in charge, along with other committed coaches.

“Stability is something that definitely had been lacking in prior seasons,” said captain Pushkar Chaubal, 12. “We are seeing the benefits of having returning coaches who are experienced.”

Being able to bask in the glory of victory has also shed some light onto what makes Speech appealing to its members. Many appreciate the lessons that can be learned along with the thrill of competition.

“Speech taught me a confidence that I don’t think you can get anywhere else,” said Peck. “Speech taught me that I have a passion for making my voice heard.

photos by Lily Sacay

The way I present myself [is] all due to Speech and how it has molded me.”

As with any other activity, bonds are formed over time. However, some speech members consider these relationships more central to the experience than in other involvements.

“One of the greatest parts of speech for me is that I get to meet a ton of people from different schools, even though I will probably never talk to them again,” said David Czaia, 11.

Overall, the MV Speech Team is considered to be in a great place. Despite the potentially constricting atmosphere, bounds of success and improved stability have provided a basis for a stronger team legacy.

‘Hey Mitchell, what’s the capital of...’

by Emily Moses staff reporter The capital of Burkina Faso - Ouagadougou.

The capital of Mauritius - Port Louis.

The capital of Cote d’Ivoire - Yamoussoukro.

While this may seem like a nightmare test from AP Human Geography, memorizing countries and capitals is a passion for Mitchell Aplikowski, 9.

“All my life I have enjoyed studying geography, history, and social studies,” he said.

For the past year, Aplikowski has made it a goal to not be a cliché American. Numerous Youtube videos reveal that Americans are unable to answer simple questions about the world when asked.

“I wanted to study the world countries and their capitals so I would have knowledge. I didn’t want to be fit with the stereotype of the typical stupid American. I wanted to seem articulate and knowledgeable,” he said.

In an effort to become informed, Aplikowski has learned every country and its capital in the world.

The act of memorizing 196 countries along with their capitals may seem like a tedious and hopeless task for some, but for Aplikowski, it’s fun.

“Since this is something I enjoy, [memorizing]

photo by Eva Hoffman

Mitchell Aplikowski, 9, reciting all the capitals in the recent Mounds View Talent Show. comes very easy. Even if it wasn’t, it’s still very fun to learn them because it gives me something new to try,” he said.

Lacking a photographic memory, Aplikowski has found other ways to memorize the world. Over the past year, he has used a website called Sporcle to quiz himself on the names. “[Here] users can generate quizzes. There’s a ‘Countries and Capitals of the World’ quiz. I like to study off of that,” he said.

School wise, Aplikowski’s extensive recollection proves to be beneficial in his history classes. “It helps me a lot in social studies class because while everyone has to look around to see where the capitals are, I already know. It gives me a better context of where things are,” he said.

Aplikowski hopes that his memorization capability will help him in other areas of his life as well.

“Memorization in general is really good practice for your mind. Since I’m going into AP Biology, I think that’s definitely going to help me there,” he said.

The talent show this year was Aplikowski’s first performance in front of a crowd. According to him, however, he wasn’t very nervous. “I’ve already known them for a while, so I just went up there and recited them,” he said. In order to cover all of the countries, Aplikowski has a technique. “I generally like to do them by continent. I start with North America, I go to South America, then Africa, then I go north to Europe, then to Asia, and then to the Oceania countries,” said Aplikowski.

Reciting of world countries and capitals isn’t the end for Aplikowski. He has his eyes set on currencies and national languages of the world for next year’s talent show.

BIG MOT

WATCHIN

The next level of helicopter parent

by Samuel Kwong and Clare Carroll staff reporters The number of parents relying on teen tracking apps has been steadily on the rise as teen social media use has skyrocketed in the past few years. According to phonesheriff.com, 78 percent of all teens own cell phones, and over 60 percent of all parents believe that they should have access to their children’s texts and the right to monitor them at all times.

While parents think of monitoring as a form

photos by Eva Hoffman

of protection, 87 percent of Mounds View it because I don’t wan students consider it an invasion of privacy. “My every single word I po mom tracks where my phone is,” said Dashauna Bihi, 10.

Davis, 10. “I feel like I can’t go anywhere A study done by without her asking why I was there.”

Internet & American Parents can employ a wide variety of mobile says that 94 percent o apps to monitor their children’s activities. The have a Facebook, whi most widely recognized is TeenSafe, which is have a Twitter. Other used by over 500,000 families. Other popular Instagram, Ask.fm, V choices are the Find My iPhone app and the View’s social media i Sprint Family Locator. parents on Feb. 12 ad The Find My iPhone app was previously these sites and apps a used by those with a habit of misplacing electronics. Many of Over 500,000 families Mounds View’s Find My iPhone to view their teen’s... users aren’t concerned about the evolution of the app’s use.

-history and current loca “It’s helpful if I lose my -call logs (name, date a iPhone, and if you’re not doing -sent, received and dele something bad, how can it hurt -Facebook activity (mess you? It increases your parents’ and friends) trust for you,” said Ben Ebert, -Instagram posts and fo 10.

David Severson, 9, has the -web search and brows Sprint Family Locator app on his ...v phone and accepts his parents’ monitoring activities. “They have the right to know where I on how to monitor tee am because they pay for my phone, and it would Bihi’s parents bo be unfair if they didn’t know where I was,” he and can see the benefi said. media. “What’s dange While many teens support their parents’ to communicate with decisions and believe tracking is in their best Ayub’s father. “Howe interest, others believe it hinders their freedom education that can be and restricts them socially. “My mom follows student to student is v me on Twitter, but I don’t necessarily agree with Ay how pa children Sprint Family Locator can track both pay atte smartphones and regular phones if doing i they are connected to a Sprint famhow the their so ily plan. Parents receive a text if their No child leaves a designated area. conflict

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Find My iPhone allows outside users to see a phone’s location history using Lost Mode feature and erase all the phone’s data using a remote wipe.

the Pew Life Project of teenagers ile 26 percent common websites are Vine, and Snapchat. Mounds information session for ddressed the growing use of as well as several techniques use TeenSafe

ation and duration) eted texts sages, posts

ollowers sing history via their phone.

ens via the web. oth attended the meeting, fits and dangers of social erous about it is being able strangers,” says Saeed Bihi, ever, anything that relates to communicated online from very beneficial.” yub has his own opinions on arents should monitor their n. “I think parents should ention to what their kid is if they’re concerned with ey’re handling school and ocial life,” he said. ow, with so many different ting views, what really is

the best way for parents to keep their kids safe?

Is constant monitoring the answer, or just another form of stalking?

According to family clinical psychologist and teen expert Barbara Greenberg, tracking apps make teens have the feeling that their parents are giving them an “I don’t trust you” attitude, leading to anxiety and confidence issues in teens.

Greenberg believes if parents want their kids to be safer, they should ask where they are going and occasionally monitor their activity, but constantly tracking activity will cause unhealthy family relationships.

However, Jayne Hitchcock, a cyberbullying expert and president of Working to Halt Online Abuse, believes that parents should have the right to monitor their children’s activity. “Monitoring smartphones and online activity could possibly prevent bullying, stop predators and death,” she said.

While there are some dangers that teenagers need to be cautious about, there is a point where they need to learn for themselves how to be responsible.

“I really don’t think [parents] should have those apps. We deserve to have a good time and have a right to be responsible about it,” said Brooke Olson, 12.

illustration by Rebecca Nara

61 %

of students value safety over privacy

10%

of parents track their kids through apps

87%

of students think parents tracking them is a violation of privacy

100 students polled information compiled by Katie Karjalahti

8 variety

February 27, 2015

Indulge your craving for cake

photo by Lily Sacay

Café Cravings

Café Latte

by Namrata Gadela spread editor Café Latte is a well-known restaurant located on St. Paul’s Grand Ave., which boasts a unique cafeteria-style dining experience in a modern setting. From upstairs, diners can see a beautiful view of the shops and restaurants below since the wide windows allow natural lighting to come through for casual and cozy dining.

photo by Lily Sacay

Desserts are what Café Latte is known for most. Their famous Turtle Cake is a decadent three-layer cake with rich chocolate cake, fudge layers, and a topping of a sticky sweet caramel sauce and crunchy pecans. The cake is heavy and is perfect with a glass of milk on the side.

The bakery also sells over 30 varieties of cheesecakes. The Chocolate Kahlua cheesecake is creamy and light, and is topped with fluffy whipped cream and coffee beans. A slice of their specialty cake is $5.75.

Another cake sold there is the Tres Leche cake, which has flavors ranging from salted caramel to chocolate. The milk makes for a moist, airy cake. Along with cake, the bakery sells fresh-baked bread and a variety of tarts and scones.

If one is ever looking for something to do, Café Latte’s afternoon tea is a sophisticated dining option that comes with tea, cucumber sandwiches, and scones.

The tea is affordable at $14 for a wide array of food.

A trip to Café Latte is one that will not disappoint, with a wonderful selection of flavorful food and a casual atmosphere.

by Taylor Graw staff reporter Café Cravings, located across the street from the Vadnais Heights Sports Complex, is a sister bakery to the successful Cravings Wine Bar located in Woodbury.

The decor is classic, with cafestyle seating and wooden tables and chairs. Despite the classic style, the desserts have modern twists.

The items on their dessert menu include lemon bars, almond cookies, caramel orange cake, salted dark chocolate cake, chocolate mousse cake, carrot cake, red velvet cake, and a variety of other pastries.

They specialize in gluten-free and dairy-free items, so almost any dessert can be made gluten free if asked for in advance. If you pre-order, they’ll even make cakes according to your specific preferences. Prices for full cakes range from $3.50-$7 per slice and $25-$70 for a full cake.

The red velvet cake is a personal cake shaped in small heart, topped with frosting and red velvet crumbs. The cake part is average, but what really sets it apart is the frosting. It is the perfect amount of

photo by Taylor Graw

buttercream and sweetness. Overall, the cake is delicious and the novelty of the heart shape is fun.

The carrot cake is three layers of cake filled with buttercream frosting. What makes it unique is the filling of pieces of raisin, slices of dried carrot, and shreds of coconut. It was definitely the best carrot cake I have ever had.

If you’re looking for a delicious dessert, stop in at Café Cravings. They also serve breakfast and lunch until 4 p.m. and dinner from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Taste of Scandinavia

by Jackson Hoemann staff reporter If you’re tired of the same everyday desserts that leave you wanting more, then the Twin Cities metro area is the place to look. If you’re interested in cakes with unique flavors and toppings, then Taste of Scandinavia may interest you.

Located in North Oaks, the Taste of Scandinavia bakery offers cakes and other desserts with a cleverly executed European style. With a large selection of cakes in a multitude of flavors, the bakery brings plenty of delicious options and opportunities.

The bakery’s best-selling cake is the Scandinavian Strawberry Torte, a light sponge cake with

strawberries, chocolate, raspberry jam, and bananas.

It’s most popular in the summer, when customers prefer lighter cakes with fruit toppings. It is not especially heavy, and presentation-wise, it looks very appetizing.

During the winter, many customers prefer the heavier chocolate cakes. The best-seller in that category is the Bailey’s Irish Cream Torte, where three layers of chocolate mousse are sandwiched between layers of cake and topped off with chocolate shavings.

This cake and other heavy cakes are extremely filling after a few bites.

Overall, Taste of Scandinavia is a good bakery with a wide variety of cakes with unique flavors and toppings. It offers cakes for almost anyone, from light

photo by Lily Sacay

sponge cakes to heavy chocolate cakes. The cakes are delightful and definitely worth a taste.

reviews 9

February 27, 2015

Hilarious, violent, and wickedly entertaining photo courtesy of screenrant.com

by Matthew Cooper staff reporter Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.

There’s finally a great movie in a season that is notorious for mediocrity. Kingsman: The Secret Service is a love letter to the spy movies of last century, but with added comedy and style. It’s a hilarious, violent, and entertaining time at the movies that shouldn’t be missed.

The story follows Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton) who is recruited by agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) to join the titular spy agency, Kingsman. Along the way, the agency must deal with Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), who plans on “cleansing” the Earth by having most of its population fight themselves to the death.

It takes about 20 minutes to get moving, but once it does, it’s a full throttle, action packed comedy that isn’t afraid to throw punches.

Matthew Vaughn directs the film with great energy and excitement. Everything looks slick and stylish, perfectly fitting the movie’s tone.

Newcomer Egerton does a fantastic job in the leading role. He gives Unwin a charming quality while handling the action scenes and comedic lines wonderfully. Firth fits right in as a middle-aged action star. Mark Strong and Michael Caine are also nice additions.

However, the stand out has to be Jackson as the foul mouthed billionaire with a lisp. He’s clearly having a blast with the part and is a joy to watch.

Kingsman’s stylistic action sequences are another highlight. They’re all expertly

choreographed, shot, and edited. Some might be turned off by the brutality of it but it’s all done for comedic effect.

One particular scene set in a Kentucky hate church sees the entire congregation lose their minds and begin trying to kill each other while Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” plays in the background. The fight plays out for almost five minutes and has already received controversy and removal in certain countries.

It’s unrelenting but undeniably over the top.

And that’s really all Kingsman is: an over the top, fun movie. It knows its strengths and despite pushing the envelope, it never enters the realm of tastelessness. If you’re just looking for an enjoyable spy movie, Kingsman is perfect.

A childhood favorite redone A cinematic achievement Watching the movie almost feels like you’re channel surfing due to the movie’s lack of consistency.

Spongebob and the gang are However, the film’s directors, back for a new adventure in The Mike Mitchell and Paul Tibbitt, Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of do an excellent job at keeping all Water. the characters true to the original After the nefarious Plankton Spongebob episodes. They even loses the Krabby Patty secret bring in classic one-liners, like the formula, he and his Bikini Bottom fan favorite background shouts of friends must put aside their “My leg!” differences to retrieve the lost This movie brings back the formula. Hungry customers start to Spongebob everyone knows and get angry and Bikini Bottom falls loves. Most would argue shows like into havoc.

Spongebob are Spongebob just for kids, and friends must but I strongly journey to the disagree. surface to save This movie is their town. Like a well done the last movie, blast from the its final scenes past I believe mix animated everyone will characters in enjoy. Sponge a live action Out of Water world. photo courtesy of article.wn.com is still worth Sponge Out of seeing if you’re Water features a lot more laughs and in the mood for a movie jam-packed jokes than an actual story line. That with jokes. is to be expected with Spongebob, a character that has been keeping kids laughing for the past 15 years.

by Kofo Mustapha staff reporter

eyes. The dialogue is remarkably realistic and touching. Linklater, who also wrote the screenplay, made a big Director Richard Linklater is commitment with this film, and it payed known for creating some of the most off beautifully. realistic characters and situations ever For the most part, performances are put to film. His Before Sunrise series strong. Coltrane and his onscreen sister, and now Boyhood feature fleshed out Lorelei Linklater, definitely improve as and engaging characters. they grow older, but some of the line But while the Before trilogy was delivery early in the film can be mildly about one couple’s relationship over cringeworthy. That can’t be said about the course of three films, Boyhood is Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke’s about one man’s coming of age over portrayal as divorced parents. Both the course of one film, actors are on and it is a fantastic point, Arquette cinematic achievement. being particularly Boyhood is simply deserving of all a series of events in the the supporting life of Mason (Ellar actress awards Coltrane) from the age she has received of six to 18. There’s no for the role. overarching plot other Boyhood than the struggle to won’t satisfy make it through each everyone’s tastes. photo courtesy of uk.westfield.com Those looking day. What makes the movie special is the fact for a high octane thriller are better that it was filmed with the same cast off somewhere else. What Boyhood over the course of 12 years. It’s a very succeeds at is remind the audience of small, very effective, and very special the intimacy of the moments - both accomplishment. large and small - that we experience The best part about Boyhood everyday. As the movie states, “It’s is simply watching the seemingly always right now.” meaningless interactions between a boy, his sister, and their parents, as they grow and mature before the viewer’s

by Matthew Cooper staff reporter

10 sports

February 27, 2015

TITLE boxing weaves its way into MV

by Persis Ke sports editor The sound of chains rattling fills the air as boxing gloves meet punching bags. Sweat drips down the brows of multiple members as an instructor runs a class at TITLE Boxing Club.

According to its website, TITLE Boxing Club combines “hit-free boxing, kick-boxing, and mixed martial arts training with intense cardio workouts and toning exercise” and offers classes for people of “any fitness level.”

This year, two Mounds View seniors joined the club to increase their fitness.

Aaron Zerfas, 12, first started classes at TITLE Boxing club over winter break.

“I first went on Christmas Eve as part of an introductory package that my mom found online,” he said. “I officially joined on Feb 1.”

Since then, Zerfas has regularly trained at the club, usually two to three days per week.

Anna Conrad, 12, is another member at TITLE Boxing Club. She joined in July after a family friend introduced her to the club.

“I had just quit soccer after 13 years, so I was looking for a way to stay fit and be active,” she said.

Classes at TITLE Boxing include high-intensity punching and ab workouts. The club provides punching bags, but members are required to bring their own hand wraps and boxing gloves.

“Each class is different, so you work out different parts of your body each time,” said Conrad.

Both Zerfas and Conrad view boxing as a fun, unique way to work out.

“It’s a lot more aerobic than lifting weights,” Zerfas said. “You build up your speed more than your strength during boxing.”

Conrad believes the community feel at TITLE Boxing Club is another drawing point.

“It is a really inclusive atmosphere,” she said.

“All the people are willing to teach you and help you improve your skills.”

The club is looking to become more involved photos by Hana Gulli with students, and the owner of the Arden Hills Aaron Zerfas goes through his workout routine at branch has talked to the school about training opportunities.

TITLE Boxing (above and right).

“TITLE has always been looking for how to get more involved at MV, whether this means helping out a specific team or just helping kids get exercise

and stay in shape,” said Conrad. “I think TITLE could really help MV mostly in the fitness and sports section.”

Overall, Conrad and Zerfas believe joining TITLE Boxing Club has helped them improve as athletes, and both would highly recommend it.

“It is a fun way to get a good workout in,” said Zerfas. “It’s nice that you can decide how intense you go for the hour, because you decide how many punches you throw.”

TITLE Boxing Club is located at 3529 Lexington Ave, Arden Hills in the Arden Plaza.

Ultimate gets limited school support

by Aaron Voiovich staff reporter

Ultimate Frisbee has become something of a phenomenon at Mounds View with a large number of people joining this alternative spring sport.

Though the sport used to be completely separate from Mounds View, it was recently adopted by the district as a Community Education program. This means that while the sport will still be somewhat removed from the high school, it will be able to reap some of the benefits of being a school-sanctioned sport.

“It’s a quasi-Community Ed/Mounds View activity,” said Activities Director, Bob Madison. “It’s technically not a high school sport, partially because it’s not a state high school league sport.”

By becoming a Community Ed sport, students in Ultimate can now letter, and the team can be promoted using the announcements.

This new system also makes it easier for coaches to interact with students directly through the high school, adding more structure to the casual sport and strengthening communication between coaches and players.

In addition, the change provides new facilities for indoor practices at district schools, including Chippewa Middle School and Island Lake Elementary School. Previously, the players often practiced at local parks.

Peterson, 11.

Another concern for players is that the atmosphere might change with Mounds View’s involvement. In the past, Ultimate Frisbee was described as having a very relaxed atmosphere, but with Mounds View’s intervention that is likely to change.

“You could bring a friend to practice and not have to sign them up or pay for them,” said Michael Masters, 11. Under Mounds View’s guidelines, this will not be allowed, and anyone who wishes to participate in the sport will have to register and pay prior to attending.

“You have to operate under our guidelines, you have to pay a fee through Community Ed, you have to register online, you have to play by our rules,” said Madison. “There has to be a little bit more photo by Hana Gulli accountability.”

“The relaxation and acceptance of being a club Ultimate captain Jared Klein guards his teammate in sport was great,” said team captain Jared Klein, 11. practice.

“But now that it is a Mounds View sport it will be more serious.”

However, the change hasn’t been entirely wellAll in all, the merger between ultimate and received. Some players have expressed concern with Mounds View can bring in new players and strengthen some of the team’s new aspects, one of which being the team as a whole. Even with the changes to the the name change. The ultimate frisbee team was called sport’s status, the future looks bright for Mounds View “Spinferno”, but the team has been renamed to the Ultimate. simple “Mounds View Ultimate.”

Klein said, “There are upsides and downsides, but “We had a really cool shirt design and name overall it’s a good change that needed to be made at before, but then we had to adopt the Mounds View some point.” one and we lost a lot of our originality,” said Sam

sports 11

February 27, 2015

Never too late to join

For many students at Mounds View, sports offer an opportunity to stay fit and make new friends. While tryouts may seem intimidating, Mounds View has several “no cut” sports that are open to all, giving students a chance to participate in new activities.

Serving up new opportunities

by Daniel Yong staff reporter

photo courtesy of Andrew Tang

Boys tennis members Petro Alexakis, 8, (left) and Andrew Tang, 12, (right) celebrate during a match. Tennis is open to students from multiple skillsets and grade levels.

Thwack. The ball soars through the air before it is struck by the racquet. The ball comes flying back, just as fast as it was delivered, as the opposing player returns the serve. On the other end of the courts, a new player is taught the correct form for swinging the racquet. Though they are at very different skill levels, these players still participate in the same activity – boys tennis.

Boys tennis has three teams: varsity, junior varsity (JV), and B-Squad. All students who try out are able to play, making it the perfect activity for those who are new to sports.

Compared to other sports, the cost of starting tennis is fairly low. To play tennis, all you need is a racquet and the required clothing.

Tennis also requires skills such as coordination and running.

“Tennis players have to be very wellcoordinated, quick on their feet, and in good shape,” said captain Carter Jones, 12.

Jones believes that tennis is a great sport for beginners.

“It’s easy to pick up, and you can have a ton of fun playing at a casual level,” he said.

In addition, the “no cut policy” allows students who wouldn’t normally try out for a sport the opportunity to participate.

Do-Yun Park, 9, is one student who is planning on playing tennis this spring. As a tennis novice, he finds the concept of the “no cut policy” reassuring.

“This is my first year doing tennis,” he said.

“But I’m not worried about not making it onto the team.”

Players aren’t the only ones who appreciate the policy. Coach Michael Cartwright also sees the benefits of having a “no cut policy” for tennis.

“I think it gives students a chance to try something new,” said Cartwright. “There’s not a fear of ‘not being good enough.’”

Taking a swing at a new sport

by Sarah Conrad staff reporter Golf may seem intimidating due to its use of 12-14 different golf clubs, but Mounds View girls golf is an easy way to gain knowledge about the sport, and the team is consistently looking for girls to join.

Although the golf season is still a month away, captain’s practices began on Jan. 3.

“These practices are a good way for girls with little experience to get a few swings in and just get comfortable,” said captain Kendall Monson, 12.

In addition to captains’ practices, Coach Paul Bailey teaches lessons from June to January. These lessons are a good way for newcomers to practice and refine their skills.

Prior to the season’s start, players are required to take a test that covers the rules, regulations, and etiquette of golf. Each girl must receive an 80 percent or higher before they can start practicing on

Athlete of the Issue

the golf course. This allows for the players to get a good knowledge of golf before competing in an actual match.

“The more time you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it,” said captain Kristen Cash, 11.

Due to golf’s emphasis on technical ability, extensive practice is necessary. However, the team’s no-cut policy helps make this sport more inclusive to girls who have never played before.

“Golf creates an inclusive team atmosphere that promotes growth, which has been beneficial to me as it has helped me to create lasting bonds with the girls on the team as well as learning life skills I can use on and off the course,” says Monson.

With the season lasting two months, and matches lasting four to five hours, it is a helpful to keep a loose schedule and work on time management. Golf is a tricky sport but, according to Cash, it can be conquered easily with ”good hand-eye coordination and just a lot of patience.”

Q: When did you start playing hockey?

A: I started playing when I was seven.

Q: How did you get into hockey?

A: My father got me into hockey.

Q: Do you plan on playing hockey in college?

A: I have a few DIII opportunities, but I’ll see what else opens up.

Austin Ramirez Senior Hockey

Q: What was your most memorable moment this season?

A: The Josh Lavalle game [which was] the first game of the season.

photo courtesy of Kendall Monson

Kylie Monson, 2014 grad, follows through on her swing.

Q: What’s the worst injury you’ve experienced while playing hockey?

A: Worst injury I’ve experienced is probably just a concussion.

Q: What advice would you give other hockey players?

A: Live the dream when you can because you cannot do it twice.

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

A: Nothing is promised, so earn it.

Q: What’s the team’s greatest accomplishment this season?

A: Having 10 overtime games. I don’t know if you consider that an accomplishment, but that’s still pretty impressive.

Q: Do you have any game day rituals? If so, what are they?

A: Too many. One is a handshake me and Al Plasencia do before going on the ice.

Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

A: Flying ’cause who wouldn’t want to be able to fly? information compiled by Persis Ke

12 gallery

February 27, 2015

Out of the woods

MV student returns from four month stay at environmental school for most colleges, so everyone at Conserve was there

by Ryan Yoch because they genuinely wanted to learn. staff reporter “I wasn’t necessarily expecting the amount of Picture a high school science class. intellectual curiosity that the students had,” said Henry.

Students sit, indoors, listening to their teacher “Whether it was something simple or some big philolecture about the impact of global warming. Some are sophical question, they always wanted to learn more.” interested, most are not. A student sighs as they look at Though Henry bonded strongly with his classmates, the clock, simply waiting for the bell to ring. his newfound friendships came with expiration dates.

Now picture that class in the middle of the forest.

When the semester ended on December 20, he was Students stand, outside, watching as their professor forced to say goodbye to the people he had been with for shows them the impact of global warming on a tree, on practically every moment since August 22. “I learned that a butterfly, on the world around them. Some are bored, most are not. Henry Alexander, 11, takes a deep breath as friendships aren’t to be taken for granted,” said Henry.

Readjusting to everyday sights, like strip malls and he looks around, perfectly content. artificial lights, was also “really weird,” and getting used This type of learning was to his old life was the norm for Henry during even harder. his four months at Conserve “It took me at School, an alternative high least a week to get school dedicated to environmenused to what home tal stewardship and interaction Being away was looks like,” said with nature. On Conserve’s Henry. “I’ve had to really great sprawling campus in Land O’ focus a lot of trying Lakes, Wisconsin, Henry lived because it allowed to fall back into my and studied alongside 61 other me to grow and old routines without sophomores and juniors from all throwing away the around the world. learn more about things that I’ve Conserve School was myself.” learned.” created in the ‘90s by the late After high James Lowenstine, a successful -Henry Alexander school, Henry businessman with a love for the hopes to take outdoors. Lowenstine’s company, a year off and enroll in Central Steel & Wire, funds the school in order to carry out Lowenstine’s vision and make sure Conserve remains United World College, a program that promotes affordable for anyone interested in attending. Henry’s family, for example, paid only $200 for the entire experi- peace and environmental sustainability in 14 difference. ent locations around the The school itself is laid out much like a college world. Though his parents campus, with different buildings for different classes, as were initially opposed to well as a mess hall for eating and dorms for sleeping. Its the plan, they have education, however, is thoroughly unique. recently warmed up to “Classes involved a lot engagement with the land, the idea, after seeing and a lot of activities that involved hands-on stuff,” said Henry. “Art, english, history, science and field instruction how much Henry benefitted from his time at were all taught outside.” Field instruction is similar to Conserve. gym, but with an emphasis on outdoor skills.

“Conserve was “There was a lot of carry-over from class to life bea super great expericause they were kind of all mixed together,” said Henry. ence in my life,” said “You definitely grow closer and learn a lot more about Henry. “But now I’m [your teachers’] personal lives. You get interactions that moving forward to the aren’t purely academic.” next adventure.”

What amazed Henry the most, however, was the vitality of his peers. Each student had to make it through an application process more rigorous than what is required

“

Nature by the numbers: Henry’s class was composed of

62

select SOPHOMORES and JUNIORS from around the world

AUGUST 22

DECEMBER 20

THANKSGIVING

The program runs August 22 through December 20 with a break for Thanksgiving

photos courtesy of Henry Alexander

Art, english,

science, and history

classes involved a lot of hands-on, outdoor experience

36 girls

Henry had a total of 62 people in his class, 36 of whom were girls, and 26 of whom were boys

26 boys

information compiled by Kevin Sabeti-Oseid