MV Viewer 2023-24 Issue 3

The Viewer

Volume 71

Issue 3

November 17, 2023

Website: mvviewer.org

Instagram: @mvviewer

THE CAFFEINE CRAZE

News 02 Trump remains on the ‘24 Minnesota ballot

Features 04

Paul the hall monitor

Good Question 09 How does Mounds View go about credit recovery?

Reviews 10

Sports 11

New Rolling Stones album review

New esports program

2 Minnesota joins Meta lawsuit NEWS

THE VIEWER • MOUNDS VIEW HIGH SCHOOL

The lawsuit accuses Meta of promoting social media addiction among minors. Here’s what Mounds View thinks.

| Lale Akkin STAFF REPORTER innesota has recently joined over 40 states in suing Meta for targeting children. In the federal complaint, the states claim that Meta designed “psychologically manipulative product features to induce young users’ compulsive and extended use” of Instagram and Facebook.

The group of 42 bipartisan attornies also accused Meta of collecting personal data on users under the age of 13, which is a violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. According to a press release from Attorney General Letitia James, Meta’s own internal research shows the company is aware of the link between young people’s use of their platform and psychological and physical harm. This includes depression, anxiety, interference with education and daily life and many other negative outcomes. The attorneys accuse Meta of hiding this research by denying and downplaying it and deceptively claiming their platform to be safe from manipulative features.

Meta responded by saying

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that over 30 tools are being developed to help teenagers and families, with the goal of creating a safer environment for younger users on their platforms. These include adding parental controls and reminding users on Instagram to get off of

“It’s very hard for [kids] to get off [...]

I’m constantly still scrolling and scrolling and scrolling.”

Gao Zhong Thao, ‘24

the app to prevent extended and nighttime use.

Both Facebook and Instagram require users to be at least 13, which causes anyone younger than that to lie in order to access the platform. Some argue that Meta is not responsible for these kids lying to access their platform and that parents should be responsible for moderating their kids’ usage of these apps. “A lot of students are younger than that [13] when they first sign up for the apps, and they’re saying that they’re older than that. And sometimes parents need to be paying a little

bit more attention,” said Tracy Gorzek, Chippewa Middle School math teacher.

Social media in general is suspected to be addicting or toxic to youth. Gallup’s Familial and Adolescent Health Survey of 2023 surveyed more than 1,500 adolescents and found that 51% of U.S. teenagers report using social media for at least four hours a day. “When [my sister] gets on the electronic, she’s constantly on there. It’s like she’ll never stop until the parents tell her to stop,” said freshman Jeremiah Badger, who is concerned about his younger sister’s use of social media.

One feature used to hook users is infinite scroll, which has recently been added to many social media platforms. “The swiping is very addicting for [users] because you just stay in one spot. And then you keep swiping and swiping and swiping, and it’s like a never-ending loop. And it’s very hard for them to get off of, and I know especially even myself, like when I go to the bathroom or brush my teeth, I’m constantly still scrolling and scrolling and scrolling,” said senior Gao Zhong Thao.

Many are concerned about how this will affect future gen-

PHOTO | Michael Wang

INSTAGRAM, which is owned by Meta, has over two billion INSTAGRAM, monthly active users, according to their latest earnings call.

erations. Older siblings and parents of kids using social media notice kids’ vulnerability to the content they are exposed to.

“They’re so young and they’re already seeing a lot of broad topics on social media that they should not be looking at. I know it’s our responsibility to watch over what they watch, but sometimes I can’t control what happens when they swipe next or [figure out] how to program their “For You” page to be just child friendly,” said Thao.

A large reason that youth gravitate towards this media is that they want to avoid feeling excluded. Humans want connection, and a common way to keep in touch with the world is

through social media. Preteens and teenagers are the age groups most inclined to do this. “I think a lot of them think that they’re building connections with other people. You can see what’s going on in other people’s lives, but we’re not always recognizing that. Again, it’s not a real connection that you have — it’s kind of a fake connection,” said Gorzek.

Some may argue that Meta does not have much control over who downloads their app, while others think the company has added these features to psychologically hook youth. Either way, this lawsuit shows that there is an issue to fix.

Trump to stay on Minnesota ballots On Nov. 8, the Minnesota Supreme Court struck down the notion that Trump violated the 14th amendment, keeping him on ballots.

| William Overbo STAFF REPORTER Minnesota lawsuit regarding former President Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election was presented in court on Nov. 2. The lawsuit is among dozens pending across the country that rely on a Civil War-era clause within t h e

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PHOTO | National Archives and Records Administration

14th Amendment that bars anyone who has “engaged in insurrection” after taking an oath from holding public office again. The Minnesota Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit on Nov. 8.

The lawsuit was filed by a nonpartisan legal advocacy organization called “Free Speech For The People” against the Minnesota Secretary of State, Steve Simon. The group argued that Trump did not meet the constitutional requirements for a second presidential office bid due to the aforementioned clause in the Constitution.

Youth in Government members junior Emily Ren and senior Ethan Zhao shared their perspectives on the matter and discussed potential impacts on Trump’s campaign in Minnesota and the Midwest. When asked about the likelihood of Trump’s exclusion from the state ballot before the decision, the students provided a range of responses.

“I find it extremely unlikely that he will be left off the Minnesota ballot. Even if [Simon] takes Trump’s name off the ballot, Trump’s group can appeal [the decision] and it shouldn’t get passed up to the Supreme Court since there is a six-tothree ratio of conservatives to liberals. So it’s likely to be overturned,” said Ren. Zhao believes that the widespread attention from other states will have an impact on Trump’s bid for reelection. “[The lawsuit] isn’t just happening in Minnesota,” said Zhao. “This is happening in a lot of other states like Michigan and Colorado. So I think at some point, some court is probably going to look at this and probably think that Trump really did cross a line. I think it’s very likely. And at that point, it will probably get kicked up to the Supreme Court. And I think it’s an important question for the Supreme Court to answer.”

Zhao also emphasizes the possibility that the lawsuits will benefit Trump’s influence on his voters. “In terms of his voter base in the Midwest, I think that this could get people really riled up and really willing to get out

there and vote for him,” he said.

Social Studies Teacher Kristin Heinz agrees that, if anything, the lawsuit will benefit Trump as a candidate. “I don’t think [the lawsuits] will impact [Trump’s campaign]. I think it might actually embolden him, because it seems like whenever he has charges against him, he uses it to his advantage and his base really seems to use that as fuel for their fire,” she said.

During the Nov. 2 hearing, Minnesota Supreme Court justices reportedly disagreed that the lawsuit was a state issue to begin with. Chief Justice Natalie E. Hudson even suggested that Congress would be the ideal place to determine whether Trump’s role on Jan. 6, 2022, should prevent him from running. This became the primary reason behind the lawsuit’s rejection.

These questions surrounding the 14th Amendment clause have the potential to significantly change the political process in the U.S. Trump’s status on the Minnesota ballot remains intact, but many pending lawsuits across the country have yet to be determined.

LOCAL NEWS The Mounds View school board election was on Nov. 7, and the winning candidates were all endorsed by the Mounds View Education Association:

• Alissa Daire Nelson • Heidi Danielson • Jim DeMay

• Jonathan Weinhagen The submissions for a new Minnesota state flag and state seal were made public on Nov. 8.

• Over 2,600 designs were submitted

• See them all at mnhs.org/serc

The Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is planning to renovate Terminal 1.

• Estimated to cost around $242 million

Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips is running for President.

• Phillips plans to challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination.

OPINION

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2023 • WWW.MVVIEWER.ORG

School vouchers don’t give universal opportunity

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Private school vouchers aim to aid all students, but in reality, they help only some.

| Vincent Meyer STAFF REPORTER n recent years, universal private school vouchers have become increasingly popular in the United States.

Vouchers work by providing students who choose to attend a private school with state money to help pay for the costs of attendance. Previously, private school vouchers limited their benefits to low-income families or poorly performing school districts, but some states are now expanding these programs to all students. Similarly, Republican lawmakers in Minnesota have nually for every student who advocated for the creation of chose to attend a private school. education savings accounts that However, states like Arizona allow public school money to fail to recognize that the follow students switchaverage private school ing to private schools. tuition is higher than A 2023 Gallup the amount of money poll reveals that 63% of given in vouchers. The Americans show some Education Data Initialevel of dissatisfaction tive found that K-12 with the quality of pubprivate schools in the lic education. In theory, U.S. cost $12,350 per giving all students the year on average. In this opportunity to attend case, the difference in private schools would Vincent Meyer money offered in vouchlet families provide their ers like those in Arizona and the children with a better education, cost of private schools is vast. leading to better education outSuch amounts of money comes, according to proponents remain unfathomable for many of vouchers. However, univerfamilies with lower incomes, sal private school vouchers do preventing their children from not benefit all students. attending most private schools.

In 2022, Arizona became In fact, according to the Arithe first state to implement zona Department of Education, universal, state-funded private 75% of students using vouchers school vouchers — $7,200 an-

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er voucher programs, such as Washington D.C. and Ohio, saw test scores drop by -0.15 to -0.50 standard deviations for students who have participated in the programs since their implementation two decades ago.

Part of the pattern can be attributed to the fact that private schools do not have to meet the same requirements for administering state tests or reporting on student outcomes as pubILLUSTRATION | Charlotte Krum

had already been enrolled in a private school. Thus, vouchers simply put more money into the hands of students who could already afford private school.

“This growth in popularity can be attributed to the division over public school curriculum.”

Moreover, according to Joshua Cowen, a professor of Education Policy at Michigan State University, prestigious private schools often decline to participate in voucher programs, meaning vouchers do not bring any advantages to lower-income students. Plus,

selective private schools often evaluate applicants on rigorous admissions criteria that are inadvertently influenced by income.

To demonstrate, the Blake School in Minneapolis requires students from grades 6-12 to take the Secondary School Admissions Test, provide school transcripts and recommendation letters from previous teachers and write essays for online applications. Such elaborate applications give advantages to students from higher income families because they typically attend better funded schools that have more resources to ensure academic success.

Even if a student can afford and receives an acceptance to a private school, voucher programs still have drawbacks.

For instance, states with small-

“Although giving students the opportunity to choose to attend private schools may have benefits, giving every student money to attend one does not make sense.” lic schools, giving them more room for unaccountability.

Lawmakers claim to have many reasons for implementing universal private school vouchers, but they need to recognize that universal vouchers will further engrain inequality into our education system.

My experience moving to MV as a person of color

| Zariyah Howell STAFF REPORTER

View district was a big culture shock for me. Mounds View’s community, being predominants a Black student at ly white, inadvertently ignores Mounds View, I have outside perspectives and undercome to terms with handed comments towards me the reality of attending made me feel as though a predominantly white black students are isoschool. While Mounds lated from the rest of View promotes divertheir peers. sity and inclusion, I feel For example, as there is a need for more one of the Majorettes’ empathy for those who captains, which is one feel excluded from this of the dance teams that narrative. perform at pep fest, I Prior to May often hear side comof 2021, I attended Zariyah Howell ments after our perforAchieve Language mance sexualizing our Academy in St. Paul, dance and culture. When I hear which is a relatively diverse the comments, I feel disappointschool. Moving to the Mounds

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ed and hurt because I am passionate about what I contribute

“As this is not anyone’s fault, I feel that the lack of diversity has enabled normalizing these acts.” to the performances, and certain comments make me wonder if working towards our goal of representing our cultural identity is really making a difference.

These comments demonstrate how our community suppresses

mission statement 1. To publish news, information and opinion articles for and about students, 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 opinion page 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.

cultural expression at Mounds View.

Mounds View’s initiative of inclusion is shown through the inclusivity surveys they send to students; however, in my experience, they haven’t prevented such disrespect. I think administrators realize the importance of inclusion, but not enough action is being taken to ensure these experiences are limited, and it doesn’t seem like students are followed up with after the surveys as they certainly should be.

Through conversations with other students of color through my involvement with the Black Student Union and

staff list

PRINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF - Maya

Gjelhaug, Tyler Quattrin COVER DESIGN - Tyler Quattrin ILLUSTRATORS - Lale Baylar, Charlotte Krum ADVISOR - David Ostrom

section editors

NEWS - Michael Wang OPINION - Lale Baylar FEATURES - Alex Bi, Isabella Kunc SPREAD - Isabella Kunc, Isabel Li

DEBATES - Gloria Liu GOOD QUESTION - Charlotte Krum REVIEWS - David Anton Golridge SPORTS - Gloria Liu

online editors

ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Michael Wang

ONLINE MANAGING COPY EDITOR - Nikhil Kulangaroth ONLINE EDITORS - David Anton Golridge, Isabel Li

Soror, I know I’m not the only minority who feels this way.

While my transition here did not demonstrate their goal of inclusivity, I hope other new students feel more accepted than I did.

Interested in writing a letter to the editor or student submission?

Reach out to mvhsviewer@gmail.com

staff reporters Lale Akkin, Matthew Betti, Sinim Dhuguma, Elijah Easton, Graham Hanson, Barret Homme, Anna Honebrink, Zariyah Howell, Brayden Kopf, Lillian Landberg, Christina Lang-Deetz, Ezra Leonard, Elijah Mattfield, Vincent Meyer, Will Overbo, Mara Peacock, Liliana Peleska, Justin Shao, Suha Sharif, Sidharth Sharma, Cali Sidler, Scarlett Singerhouse, Tonie Torboh, Lauren Vail, Via Yang

4 FEATURES Who is ‘Paul the Hall Monitor?”

THE VIEWER • MOUNDS VIEW HIGH SCHOOL

| Mara Peacock STAFF REPORTER any students know “Paul the hall monitor,” whether they talk with him every day or overhear other students mention him.

While many know him from supervising the hallways or delivering passes to classrooms, most are unaware of who Paul Cicmil is outside of his job at Mounds View.

Cicmil’s official position at Mounds View is supervisory paraeducator, and some of his job duties include monitoring the halls in addition to supporting students, administration and Student Services staff members.

He describes his job as part parent, part older brother, part Walmart greeter and part decision police. “I guess my main responsibility is to make sure that everybody’s getting to class on time, and then if they’re not, they’re not making an effort, it’s kind of the decision police — trying to influence them to go to class,” said Cicmil.

Cicmil started working at Mounds View High School in

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PHOTO VIA Paul Cicmil

PHOTO | Isabella Kunc

PAUL CICMIL helping students cross the road safely after school.

April 2023 as a paraeducator.

Prior to this position, he gained experience as a paraeducator in both elementary and high schools in the Anoka school district. Cicmil has also had many other jobs before, including being a shuttle driver, FedEx employee, sports radio producer, corporate sales representative, executive assistant and a low voltage electrician apprentice.

Working at an auto dealership, Cicmil got injured, and one of the reasons he wanted to go back to education was the low risk of getting hurt on the job.

Now at Mounds View, Cicmil enjoys working in public education and feels connected to the school and student body.

“I just feel responsibility for [...] your guys’ lives and your education. I’m part of that. I’m just a small cog in that system, but it’s a big responsibility to be involved in education, and I take it really seriously,” he said.

Outside of his work, Cicmil enjoys boating, fishing and swimming. He also likes both playing and listening to music and watching sports, especially the Minnesota Vikings.

“Because I don’t have children of my own, […] the student population has kind of [...] become my family.”

Paul Cicmil, supervisory Paraeducator

Cicmil also has two dogs and has been married for 10 years, but he does not have any children. “If the student population doesn’t know it yet, you guys are my adoptive kids. Because I don’t have children of my own, […] the student population has kind of [...] become my family,” said Cicmil.

Students at Mounds View look forward to talking with Cicmil, and he recalls many good memories with students since he began working here.

This year, Cicmil was a part of the Mounds View football team as an ancillary coach, primarily assisting with videos and the technology department for the team. Cicmil also attended graduation last June, where he saw many seniors he had gotten to know graduate.

Since last April, Cicmil has continued to try and get to know more Mounds View students. “It makes me feel bad that I haven’t memorized 1,900 names. I’m working on it,” said Cicmil. “I’ve always been a names and faces guy, so it drives me nuts when I [don’t] remember somebody I’ve talked to before.”

Connection with students is very important to Cicmil and is a big part of his job as a para-

MV’s new Breakfast Club | Tonie Torboh STAFF REPORTER athering before the first school bell rings, the new Mounds View Breakfast Club becomes more than just a morning meal for students, providing a space to build community, share faith and inspire connections in the early hours.

The club meets every other Friday from 7–8 am at Hope Church. After students pick up food from a buffet-style breakfast, they have time to eat and socialize together. “The purpose is to build community through feeding kids amazing meals and sharing the hope they have in Jesus,” said Physical Education teacher Aaron Moberg, one of the leaders of the breakfast club.

By starting the rest of the meeting with activities, including “getting to know you” icebreakers, Breakfast Club encourages social interactions, allowing Christian students to connect with peers who share

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their beliefs. “[The club helps] people know they’re not alone in their faith because sometimes [in] the faith community, especially at schools, [...] you don’t really know who’s part of the Christian community, and so when you like all come together, [...] you can kind of relate to other people,” said junior Allison Arnold.

“The purpose is to build community through feeding kids amazing meals and sharing the hope they have in Jesus.”

Aaron Moberg, physical education teacher

Afterward, the bulk of the meeting is made up of a guest speaker who leads students in prayer and helps them understand stories from the Bible or shares their own life. These speakers are often parents in community and provide students with an adult who shares

educator. Cicmil describes himself as a gregarious and social person. “I like meeting strangers, so that makes it easier for me to introduce myself or ask people their names and tell them who I am. I’ve always had an ease of doing that,” he said. As far as his job, Cicmil elaborates on the importance of getting to know students as a paraeducator. “If you don’t have relationships, [...] the system doesn’t work,” said Cicmil.

“The students have to be able to trust [the staff].”

“Paul the hall monitor” does more than just monitor the halls. He spends every day with staff and students that he cares about, and he hopes that students are able to succeed here at Mounds View. “Helping young people find their way in life, it just gives you a sense of pride,” said Cicmil.

student opinions “I love Paul, he is so sweet and he cares about his students so much. He takes the time to actually get to know them. [...] He knows every student’s name, and he makes an effort. [...] He’s just really caring. [...] I love him. He’s a great hall monitor.”

- junior Kiera Schimke “He’s really good with kids.

He has — at least when I first started — he had a little notebook that he wrote everybody’s name in. I was the second name in the notebook.

I’m very proud about that.”

- senior Graydon Brandt

their faith and can be a role and teachers, everybody from and Jenny Ochs to start one in model. “I think it’s always great the community volunteering,” Mounds View. While still a fairto hear [from] people who [...] said club leader Kaaren Tyvoll. ly new club, the leaders have are from your community and The idea of a Christian plans to expand the club in the went to the same school [...] breakfast club originally started future. “We would love to just and have now gone on to be at St. Michael-Albertville and get as many kids as possible,” a husband and a dad and are has since spread across the met- said Tyvoll. “We would love working in the community,” ro, encouraging leaders Tyvoll to fill [the high school auditosaid Moberg. The meeting rium] up. We’d also love ends with a prayer and a to eventually have kids carpooling system to get broken up into smaller students to Mounds View. groups where we’re While similar to the meeting with them as a Fellowship of Christian small group, outside of Athletes (FCA) and Young this time, and just menLife, Breakfast Club weltoring them and just makcomes everybody with ing sure everybody’s dofood and adult speakers ing okay.” leading a more structured For students looking meeting. The club ento dive deeper in their courages students to join faith, or just find others through social media prowho share their beliefs, motions on platforms like Breakfast Club can be a Instagram and Snapchat. fun way to start their day.

Providing food for “It’s brought [me] more so many students can be hope, and it’s brought daunting, but people dome closer to God and nate to Breakfast Club by [pushed me to] read the giving money through their Bible more,” said junior website or just bringing in Jacob Sampson.

PHOTO | Isabella Kunc food. “A lot of it’s just parents and staff and coaches PARENT VOLUNTEERS serving breakfast.

FEATURES

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2023 • WWW.MVVIEWER.ORG

5

Payton Grimm and her su-paw-stars

| Elijah Easton STAFF REPORTER hether you have seen them at the park, on social media or in the halls of Mounds View, senior Payton Grimm and her three remarkable companions are hard to miss.

Grimm’s trio of young dogs includes her service dog; Parker, an English Shepherd; her sports dog, Stark, also an English Shepherd; and her family dog, Nesha, a border collie mix.

Grimm discovered her passion for dogs five years ago, training her family’s dog, Trinity. After Trinity, came Stark a year later in 2019. Very early on, Grimm discovered Stark’s athletic talent and began to train

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GRIMM’S three dogs, (middle), Parker (right).

Stark

him. She trained him in different sports, with the duo’s main focus being disc. Disc involves the trainer throwing frisbees to their dogs to compete in a variety of games, including freestyle, an event where dog and trainer perform tricks to showcase their showmanship, and far out, where duos are judged by how far away and how accurately the dog can catch a disc thrown by the trainer.

As Grimm and Stark’s bond grew, another vital figure emerged later that year — Nesha, a loyal companion who serves as the family dog. Parker, Grimm’s service dog, completed the trio two years later in 2021.

Grimm’s days typically consist of a mix between school

(left),

Nesha

PHOTO | Payton Grimm

and training. “So I’m like, ok, I’m going to do my homework, and then I’m going to take the dogs to the park,” said Grimm.

“I kind of just build my life around it because it’s what I like. It’s my favorite thing to do.”

Payton Grimm, ‘24

Parker accompanies her to school every day, then Grimm will often go to Wilson Park to play frisbee with Parker and Stark.

Grimm trains her dogs entirely by herself, teaching them various tricks, service work and modeling. “[Training] just kind of happens. I see a lot of other dog trainers do certain things.

And I’m like, I want to try that.

But I want to put a twist on it.

So a lot of just kind of messing around, and then they kind of figure it out as we go,” said Grimm.

Stark and Parker participate in many competitions. For sport competitions, Grimm and her dogs started competing in their main sport disc three years ago in events like the ones held by the Minnesota Disc Dog Club.

They also compete in the Minnesota 4-H State Dog Show, as well as county dog shows.

Through their consistent practice, these competitions have won Grimm and her dogs numerous awards. In the 2022

PARKER goes for the disc in Grimm’s arms

Minnesota Disc Dog Championship, Stark won first place in freestyle, and Parker won first place in far out.

Aside from sports, Grimm uses social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to model and showcase the tricks the dogs have learned. “We started because I saw other dog accounts doing it, like posting pictures of their dogs, and I was like, I want to post pictures of my dogs. And then eventually, like I said, I got Stark [...] and I started just posting videos of us doing tricks and stuff,” she said.

As the dog trio’s following continues to grow, online platforms allow Grimm and her dogs to get free dog-related products by promoting them through videos and photography.

New SRO gets into the groove | Graham Hanson STAFF REPORTER here’s a new face at the end of the lunch line here at Mounds View.

At the end of October, a new school resource officer (SRO) joined Mounds View, replacing former SRO Abi Sachdev. This SRO, Andrea Giles, transferred here from Quora Education Center in Little Canada.

Transferring from a smaller school like Quora to a larger school like Mounds View can be a stressful experience, but Giles sees it as an opportunity to get to know new people.

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“I really like it. [It’s] so fun to get to know staff and students.”

Andrea Giles, SRO

With any transition, there are upsides and downsides. For Giles, “My favorite part about being at Mounds View, I would say [is] seeing all the students, trying to get to know students.”

Her least favorite? The traffic

getting in and out of school — something many students and staff can relate to.

Part of the reason she became an SRO was because she enjoyed working with kids. Before she decided to become a police officer, she worked at a children’s clinic, so she has experience working with younger people.

Giles wants to change the stigma surrounding law enforcement.

In fact, Giles ultimately decided to become an SRO because she believes in the importance of building relationships between law enforcement and students.“The big thing is building the relationship, building the trust and just being a support for everyone here,” she said. Giles wants to be there for the students, and she wants students to feel comfortable around her. She hopes that being comfortable talking to her can translate to students building connections with law enforcement outside the school.

She wants students to know that she’s not just an officer — she’s also a resource. “I also have a degree in counsel-

ing. So if someone needs to just come and talk to me, [...] I am a really good listener.”

“I definitely can see how, for some students or some people, law enforcement interaction can be traumatizing.”

school in my current role,” she said.

Giles is actively working to dispel negative stereotypes surrounding law enforcement.

Through her commitment to

PHOTO | Alex Bi

Throughout her journey with her dogs, Grimm has learned many valuable lessons.

“Be patient. That’s my biggest thing because people too often get annoyed with their dog or mad at their dog. Their dog doesn’t know that they’re doing something wrong. They just want to please you. So just be patient and play with them.

Make it a bonding game,” said Grimm.

As the group continues to bond and work together every day, Grimm anticipates further achievements in dog sports, continued growth in their online presence and steady commitment to the daily training routines that have led to their success.

building trust, providing resources and fostering open communication, Giles aims to create a positive and supportive atmosphere for students.

Andrea Giles, SRO

Giles also plans to keep extra essential items in her office.

“Once I get my office together, I usually keep extra clothes in my office [and] snacks, candy, things like that. [...] I try to keep a lot of different resources — tampons, pads, things like that — in my office, so if someone needs it, I want to make sure I am able to provide it for them.” she said.

Looking ahead, Giles plans to go back to school to pursue a mental health license, which would complement her drug and alcohol counseling license. “Something I’m thinking about, actually, is [pursuing] something I can use in the

GILES poses in front of her squad car

PHOTO | Alex Bi

6 SPREAD Teens are tired of being tired THE VIEWER • MOUNDS VIEW HIGH SCHOOL

| Lauren Vail & Isabel Li STAFF REPORTER & EDITOR n a typical morning, many students walk into Mounds View with their favorite iced coffee. Others line up at Mustang Mocha for their daily fix, and all throughout the day, students carry the colorful can of an energy drink through the hallways. The popularity of caffeinated drinks at Mounds View ties into a growing, national trend. In fact, caffeine is the most commonly used drug in the world, with over 83% of adolescents drinking it on a regular basis, according to a study by the Mayo Clinic. With so many

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21+drinks 6

11-20drinks 8 9-10d rinks -4 ks 7-8drin

None - 16 1-2drinks - 13

-6

s 5-6drink

- 13

3-4drinks - 17

teens consuming caffeine, one might wonder why it has become so popular among high school students.

When looking at trends of caffeine consumption in teens, overall caffeine intake has not risen. However, a 2014 study by the CDC found that, from 1999 to 2010, while soda consumption decreased, teenagers’ intake of caffeine from coffee and energy drinks increased.

The rise in coffee and energy drink consumption stands true in Mounds View. A poll of 82 Mounds View students found that 74% started drinking caffeine regularly before the age of 15. In contrast, among the

Number of caffeinated drinks students drink per week None 3 40+drinks 8

20-40drinks - 3 15-20drinks - 3

Number of caffeinated drinks teachers drink per week

1-7drinks - 12

8-14drinks - 11

31 teachers surveyed, only 65% reported regular caffeine intake before 15.

Some students hopped on the caffeine trend because of peer pressure or social media.

Influencers who show off their homemade morning coffee or Starbucks drink on Youtube or Instagram inspire fans to consume these drinks as well. “I used to watch Emma Chamberlain videos and she would drink a bunch of coffee, and then I was like, that looks kind of good. So I would make them myself,” said junior Maddie Thyren.

More often, however, students start drinking caffeine because they want to experience an energy boost. Many students do not get the recommended amount of eight to ten hours of sleep per night. For some, it becomes easier to down an energy drink than to have a healthy sleep schedule. “I stay up really late and then I wake up in the morning, [and] I’m like, ‘[I need] coffee.’ It’s kind of my savior,” said senior Ben Hagel.

Because of the demands of high school, students believe they need caffeine to feel motivated enough to get out of bed and do their schoolwork later on. “If I didn’t have coffee in the morning, then I [would drink] some in the afternoon to wake me up to [do] my homework,” said senior Natalie Gimm. “I don’t know

how much that worked, but it’s kind of like a placebo effect.”

Interestingly, some students say that they drink less coffee on the weekends or during the summer. “I wouldn’t drink it on

“There are definitely a lot more students drinking coffee than I remember [in] my high school.”

Jessica Espy, science teacher

the weekend, so it was like my ‘gotta get up for school’ kind of thing,” said Gimm. In fact, some students use summer break to take a break from their caffeine addiction. “During finals [...]

I definitely want it a lot more [...] so especially after the school is over and [I’m] done with AP tests, [... I want to] be done with [caf-

Caffe Cra

INFORMATION | Liliana Peleska

Charged controversy

| Sinim Dhuguma STAFF REPORTER ecently, there has been considerable controversy surrounding caffeinated beverage companies. One of the primary concerns contributing to the controversy is the use of misleading and poorly-targeted marketing techniques.

Prime, jointly created by internet celebrities and former boxing rivals KSI and Logan Paul, has been under fire for its contentious advertising strategies since it was established in January 2022. A 12-ounce can of Prime Energy — an energy drink containing caffeine, water, coconut water and electrolytes — has a caffeine content of 200 mg, which is six times the amount of caffeine in a can of Coca-Cola and almost three times that in an eight ounce can of RedBull.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, pediatricians recommend limiting caffeine intake to 100 mg a day for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 and zero mg for anyone under 12. Large amounts of caffeine are proven to hinder development and growth in young adolescents and children. As a result, Prime Energy’s high caffeine content and widespread advertising have faced criticism.

R

Because 60% of people who consume Logan Paul and KSI’s content on social media are under 24, young people are more likely to be exposed to Prime Energy. The colorful packaging of Prime’s drinks, with bright green, blue, red and pink cans, as well as the sweet flavors, further entice minors to consume these energy drinks. The FDA has criticized how this drink has targeted young teens, a group younger than the target audience of any other energy drink company. However, the founders argue that they have always marketed their product strictly towards consumers over the age of 18, as evidenced by the product information on their website.

Misleading advertising is one significant issue. Panera Bread recently faced backlash and a lawsuit after Sarah Katz, a 21-yearold woman, drank their “Charged Lemonade” and went into cardiac arrest, eventually dying in the hospital. Katz had long QT syndrome — a disorder that causes sudden fast heartbeats — and had always managed her symptoms by limiting caffeine intake and taking medication, according to CNN. Her family later argued that Panera should have been clearer with disclosing certain ingredients, such as the guarana extract, a stimulant. They also stated that the product should have been

more clearly labeled as an energy drink, especially with its caffeine content of around 390 mg for a large size.

As caffeine has become more mainstream and accessible, some parents and pediatricians have suggested banning or regulating the sale of energy drinks to minors. Earlier this year, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer issued a request to the FDA to review the caffeine content in Prime Energy drinks in hopes of making its dangerous effects more clear.

While some counties, such as Suffolk County, NY, require customers to be over the age of 18 to purchase caffeinated powder, there is currently no federal law placing an age limit on caffeinated bever-

feine] for a while,” said Hagel.

Despite a reliance on caffeine as an energy boost, some people also like the taste and see no reason to quit. “[If I don’t drink caffeine,] I just don’t get to enjoy the flavor,” said Thyren.

“I really just drink caffeine or things like for the flavor — because I think it tastes good.”

Others, like Science Teacher Jessica Espy, enjoy the emotional benefits of caffeine. “[Coffee] kind of brings [me] joy and happiness and warm feelings,” she said.

These happy feelings also come from caffeine’s social aspect. Coffee shops are very com-

age sales.

Ultimately, the controversy surrounding caffeinated drink companies shows the need for clearer marketing and labeling, and the incidents from Prime Energy and Panera Bread call for increased regulation in the sale of such products to minors.

by the numbers

95mg 8oz

80m 8.4

of regularly brewed coffee

of Red Bull

per

per

SPREAD

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2023 • WWW.MVVIEWER.ORG

mon places for students to study together, socialize with friends and share their favorite drinks. In the case of Gimm, coffee allowed her to better connect with her sister. “[She was] like, we should have a cup of coffee sometime,” said Gimm. “So it was [...] a way to interact with people.”

In the end, whether caffeine is used to socialize or boost teens’ energy, it seems as though its popularity is only growing.

“There are definitely a lot more students drinking coffee than I remember [in] my high school,” said Espy. The benefits of caffeine continue to motivate students to consume these beverages.

ILLUSTRATION | Charlotte Krum

PHOTO | Isabel Li

Effects on body and brain

| Elijah Mattfield & Isabella Kunc STAFF REPORTER & EDITOR illions of people alertness, mood, and focus, and drink caffeine ev- even decrease the risk of cerery day, but most tain chronic diseases. However, are not aware of excessive caffeine causes negathe lesser-known im- tive side effects, especially for pacts caffeine can adolescents. “According to the have on your body. FDA, healthy adults may be able to tolerate up to 400 mg of caffeine a day [4-5 cups of coffee]. [... Likewise,] the FDA states that 1,200 mg of caffeine can cause toxicity, which can result in heart arrhythmias and seizures. Some energy drinks/shots have close to 300 mg of caffeine,” said Heidi Shah, health teacher.

However, because caffeine directly affects the brain, students should be wary about Caffeine overconsumption.

“Teens is a stimulant should avoid all substances and a psycho- that change the brain’s natural active drug, chemistry. Any time you intromeaning that it duce a stimulant to the central affects the brain nervous system, it temporarily directly.

When alters homeostasis, [the body’s caffeine enters the tendency to return to stable, inbody, it prevents ad- ternal conditions]” said Shah. enosine — a hormone “[The] general advice for teens that promotes sleepiness is to minimize or exclude cafand interferes with dopa- feine from their diet.” The FDA mine release — from binding recommends teens consume no to its receptor and instead takes more than 100 mg of caffeine over. This explains why some per day. people feel more alert or have The negative effects of cafa better mood after consuming feine tend to appear when daily caffeine. consumption exceeds 400mg of When consumed in mod- caffeine. Immediate effects ineration, caffeine can improve clude rapid heartbeat and anxi-

M

eine aze

mg 4oz

STUDENTS wait in line to get a drink at Mustang Mocha during ReFLECT

7

ety. “A big part of why I don’t have any caffeine before a test, no matter how tired, is because it’ll make me so anxious that I won’t be able to do my best,” said junior Amaris Tu. In addition, researchers have found that too much caffeine intake for teens can cause temporary health problems like nausea, irritability, nervousness and sleep problems, accord-

“I don’t have any caffeine before a test [...] because it’ll make me so anxious that I won’t be able to do my best.”

Amaris Tu, ‘25

ing to the National Library of Medicine.

Because of the dopamine release that results from caffeine intake, caffeine can be highly addictive, according to the National Institute of Health.

For regular caffeine users, going without caffeine can cause painful withdrawal symptoms. “[By] one o’clock, two o’clock, I have the worst migraine of my life,” said Jessica Espy, science teacher, who usually drinks at least one cup of coffee every day. “I get a big headache.” Besides headaches, caffeine withdrawal symptoms can include agitation, anxiety, lowered awareness and a general sense of discomfort.

390mg 30oz per

200mg 12oz

of Panera’s Charged Lemonade

of Prime Energy

per

However, teenagers’ young brains are more easily manipulated, which not only results in students becoming addicted faster but also allows them to tolerate withdrawal with fewer long-term effects. “The teen brain is still growing, which means it’s more vulnerable to change when exposed to new substances like caffeine. However, the teen brain is also very resilient, which means it can bounce back quickly to homeostasis when the chemical is removed,” said Shah.

Caffeine is everywhere, from coffee shops to sports energy drinks, and completely cutting it from one’s diet can be difficult. Nonetheless, students should consider reducing their intake because caffeine can have many negative consequences when overconsumed.

did you know?

Although reducing your caffeine intake is hard, there are many possible ways to do so without experiencing withdrawal.

• Try decaf: A decaf cup of coffee has around 2 mg of caffeine, compared to 95 mg for a regular cup. Using water to dilute the caffeine content is another solution. This will allow you to cut back your caffeine consumption gradually.

• Take power naps: Instead of using caffeine to boost your energy, try taking a power nap for 20 minutes.

Naps can improve focus and mood which could eliminate the need for energy boosting caffeine.

• Look for alternatives: Low-caffeine drinks, such as matcha or green tea, have around 30 mg of caffeine.

• Drink Water: Drinking water can help you curb the withdrawal symptoms of nausea or headaches.

ILLUSTRATION | Charlotte Krum INFORMATION VIA WebMD

8

DEBATES

THE VIEWER • MOUNDS VIEW HIGH SCHOOL

Should legacy admissions still exist?

ILLUSTRATIONS | Charlotte Krum

Yes, benefits education

No, promotes inequality

| Maya Gjelhaug PRINT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A

fter our oh-so benevolent Supreme Court justices outlawed affirmative action, discontent Americans gather at the gates of the Marble Palace with their pitchforks and torches, licking their lips at the prospect of their next kill. But these righteous, equality-seeking activists are only hungry for one thing: legacy admissions.

But these protestors are misguided. It’s false that legacy admissions decrease equality in higher education. In fact, legacy admissions may be one of the best promoters of it.

When addressing the debate over legacy admissions, it’s first important to understand how the often misunderstood system works.

Let’s get this straight: legacy applicants are not taking spots away from poor rural students or applicants from lowincome families. In most cases, legacy students are competing against equally privileged applicants of similar socioeconomic standing.

If legacy student A’s family makes $200,000 per year, they will be compared to applicants from families that also make around $200,000 per year.

While legacy students may have an admissions advantage over these equally privileged applicants, these applicants have the resources to succeed at whatever school they end up attending. The rhetoric that legacy admissions

promote class inequality is false, and misinformation about the system leads to continued misunderstanding.

Legacy admissions are also essential to the invaluable community found at prestigious universities. Even after graduation, when these legacies become alumni, they stay involved in the community. Alumni are far more likely to stay engaged with their old college if their whole family is a part of that community too.

This community creates a strong pool of donors and educators who continuously give back to the university. But this sense of community doesn’t only benefit legacy students — the extensive network created by legacy alumni also benefits less privileged students with few connections.

An important thing, if not the most important thing to consider when debating the necessity of legacy admissions, is the economic advantage the system offers to universities. A report published in the American Sociological Review found that one unnamed top-25 university had many financial incentives to continue legacy admissions, including a higher matriculation rate for accepted legacy applicants. While 74 percent of accepted legacy students enrolled, only 47 percent of nonlegacy students decided to attend. Higher matriculation rates, or higher yield rates, benefit colleges for two reasons:

Sidharth Sharma | STAFF REPORTER They increase colleges’ U.S. News ranking, and they allow schools to more accurately predict their tuition revenue and student expenses.

Additionally, legacy students are more likely to donate to their old universities. Over a 16-year period at the unnamed university, 42 percent of legacy graduates became top donors, while only six percent of non-legacy graduates became top donors.

Big donors mean larger endowments, and larger endowments mean that universities are able to provide higher quality education, utilize the latest technology and perform cutting-edge research — all things that don’t just benefit current students. Often, colleges with many donors are also able to provide far more financial aid to less privileged students, increasing the diversity on campus.

The outcry against legacy admissions is understandable, but it comes from a place of hate for the privileged rather than out of concern for the less fortunate. Removing legacy admissions would likely only perpetuate the inequalities found in higher education and would inevitably dismantle many of the essential resources that prestigious universities offer to less privileged students.

A

ccording to The New York Times, applicants with family members who attended a particular institution often experience significantly higher acceptance rates. This preference tends to favor wealthier candidates, creating an imbalance in admissions and compromising overall fairness.

Legacy admissions in the United States are a troubling and unfair practice.

It’s time to get rid of this unethical system that creates inequality and hinders equal opportunity in higher education.

Removing legacy admissions will increase access to prestigious universities. For example, Johns Hopkins discontinued legacy admissions at the school in 2020. Since then, they have had a decline in the number of admissions from family connections, from 8.5% to 1.7%, and the admission of first-generation and limited-income students rose from 16.7% to 30.8%. The equality that can occur is quite clear.

By removing legacy admissions, colleges can provide a more equitable opportunity for all applicants.

Legacy applicants are two to three times more likely to be accepted, yet both legacy and non-legacy applicants’ merit achievements are indistinguishable. A report published in the American Sociological Review on one unnamed top-25 university found that legacy students’ involvement in campus activities, merit awards, academic recognition and

on-time graduation rates were virtually the same as those of non-legacy students.

According to the BBC, 70% of legacy applicants are white, revealing a clear racial difference in legacy admissions. The recent rollback of affirmative action only worsens the situation, risking a decline in diversity in higher education. Colleges would benefit from increasing the diversity of their student population as diversity enriches the educational experience. Students of diverse institutions can learn from students with

“According to the BBC, 70% of legacy applicants are white, revealing a clear racial difference in legacy admissions.” perspectives, beliefs and backgrounds dissimilar to their own. Learning from other perspectives is important to promoting creativity, and it helps students learn to work with people they may not necessarily relate to.

Additionally, legacy admissions were initially adopted by prestigious universities, in the words of Abbott Lowell, president of Harvard University from 1909–1933, “to prevent a dangerous increase in the proportion of Jews.” Both holistic admissions and legacy admissions were adopted

by Harvard and other

schools to reduce access to non-white and Jewish applicants. Legacy admissions worked to prevent the acceptance of Jewish applicants as legacy applicants generally came from white, AngloSaxon Protestant families. Legacy admissions continue to perpetuate the discrimination that it accomplished a century ago, even more so in the absence of affirmative action.

One of the leading arguments for retaining legacy admissions is the increase in alumni donations, yet colleges that have discontinued legacy admissions have observed a boost in their endowments. According to the New Yorker, these colleges haven’t seen a decrease in alumni donations; in fact, some have witnessed an expansion of their endowments. This illustrates how eliminating legacy admissions won’t necessarily financially hurt colleges, and colleges should still be able to allocate enough resources to student aid, academics and athletics.

Legacy admissions are a clear case of discrimination, where equal opportunity is denied to many applicants. Colleges must understand this injustice and work towards a more equal application process, which in turn could potentially help the college.

GOOD QUESTION

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2023 • WWW.MVVIEWER.COM

9

Is the phone policy effective?

Students and teachers react to the new phone policy.

| Christina Lang-Deetz STAFF REPORTER

T

he new phone policy has been one of the most controversial changes implemented at Mounds View this year. It was put in place with the hopes of increasing students paying attention in class and interacting with one another, but has it actually achieved what it set out to accomplish?

One of the most noticeable improvements from the policy has been an increase in student attention and effort.

According to various teachers, many students have higher grades.

“[There are] so much less I’s and D’s than I had last year.”

Jenna Claflin, social studies teacher

Despite what some students may think, just listening to lessons can help improve test scores, she explained.

Because they have limited access to their phones, students complete more of their work. “It seems like there is

less missing work [and] that students get more assignments done in class,” said Erik Hall, science teacher.

Some teachers also believe that the phone policy has reduced student stress. “I feel like mental health is actually better this year than I’ve seen in the past because it is not the stress of how much they’ve piled on themselves to get done at home [adding pressure],” said Claflin. By having more time to finish assignments at school with no distractions, students have less homework, which can help make them feel less overwhelmed.

Teachers have also noticed that students interact with each other more when they can’t access their phones.

Kristin Heinz, social studies teacher, has brought in different games for students to play during their free time to incentivize students to stay off their phones. “Students, they play those little games together or they talk to each other, and I used to see students, if they had a couple minutes on their phones, not engaging with each other,” said Heinz.

However, some students feel differently towards

the policy. Most students have been compliant with following the rules of the policy, but some see downsides to it. A major issue for students has been the inability to communicate with people outside of their classes and the school.

“At one point, I got my phone taken away because I was trying to communicate with my father on how I would get home, even after telling my teacher.”

Kaden Brace, ‘26

This issue seems to be the main reason why students don’t see the phone policy to be as effective as teachers believe it to be.

Students have also been running into trouble when they need their phones for class work but cannot use them. In classes where assignments require phone use, like Digital Photography and yearbook, it has made it more difficult for students to do their

PHOTO | Charlotte Krum

TEACHER collects phone from student; this will be kept by the teacher till the end of the class period before being returned.

work. “I did really bad on a couple of my assignments on yearbook because I could not get people to use their phones to send me pictures,” said junior Ruth Carrigan. Students have also complained about the inability to take pictures of notes or to use their phones to write down what assignments they need to do.

Overall, the phone policy has received mixed feedback.

Many students and staff have seen both improvements and

issues that have come from it. Though the phone policy works to keep students from using their personal devices during class time, there are some things students feel they need them for. The belief in whether it has proved to be effective or not varies amongst teachers and students.

What does credit recovery look like at MV?

| Alivia Vang STAFF REPORTER n order to graduate from Mounds View High School, students must earn 22 or more credits. Failing classes freshman year can lead to credit deficiency which can accumulate throughout a student’s in high school. “What we’re working hard on doing this year is trying to help kids not fail classes in the first place, especially in ninth grade,” said Benjamin Chiri, associate principal.

I

ILLUSTRATION | Charlotte Krum

Core content classes and challenging courses are the leading culprits of credit loss.

“We tend to have a lot of I’s in classes that tend to be more challenging,” said Chiri. Students often become credit deficient when they struggle in one or more classes, which can lead them to drop or fail the class.

However, there are many options available to students who want to get back on track to graduate, such as enrolling in the Alternative Learning Center (ALC), taking in-person or online credit recovery classes

or attending summer school classes held at Mounds View or Irondale.

The ALC is a program that assists older credit-deficient students. The ALC provides smaller class sizes and more specific courses in order for students to regain credits at a quicker pace compared to the regular speed of getting credits each semester. It also gives the students a space to make a proper credit plan with the advisors at the ALC and their deans. These plans are made individually and depend on what credits the students lack. The classes still run on six-period schedules at the same time as the high school, but they allow for more flexibility, including optional “work-at-home” days.

This helps students to still meet the same graduation requirements as their peers. In order for students to attend the ALC, they need to talk to their deans to receive a referral.

Mounds View also offers a few in-person credit-recovery courses. A class that’s currently available for credit recovery is taught by Beth Baxley, English teacher. The class uses the online resource APEX and encourages students to work at their own pace. There are classes both during the school

day and after. “Many students will stay after school and work on recovering credit from the previous school year,” said Sarah Hatalla, dean of student services. Teachers are there to help students through the individualized program and further develop their understanding of challenging concepts and units.

The summer school programs are held either at Mounds View High School or Irondale High School. The classes run for four weeks and are similar to the ones taught during the school year. In these classes, there are specialized teachers for each subject who provide individual assistance and further encourage students by creating a safe space for them and their peers to recover their missing credits.

If struggling students really want to get out of their classes, they have the option to drop them after talking with their deans and making an arrangement. While this option isn’t favorable, it creates an oppor-

tunity for students to take more time to focus on a single class they struggle in rather than struggling in multiple classes.

While there are many options to recover credits, the easiest way to combat credit deficiency is to avoid becoming deficient in the first place.

Though it can be difficult for students to get back on track

“Make sure you pass your classes, study hard [and] ask for help whenever you need it.”

Benjamin Chiri, associate principle

for graduation, staff are always there to help students recover their credits on time. These options are available for all students; it just takes reaching out for them to be put in place.

DO YOU HAVE A “GOOD QUESTION?” Email it to mvhsviewer@gmail.com to have it answered in the next issue of The Viewer.

10

REVIEWS

THE VIEWER • MOUNDS VIEW HIGH SCHOOL

Diving into the journey of Diana ‘Nyad’ | Suha Sharif STAFF REPORTER

Verdict: 3.5/5

“N

yad” is a narrative film that chronicles the journey of 64-year-old Diana Nyad as she endeavors with her coach, Bonnie Stroll, to accomplish a historic swim from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida. This film is based on Nyad’s auto-

“The scenery in this film is often striking, and the bold colors contrast the harsh environment.” biography “Find A Way.” Seasoned actresses Annette Bening (Nyad) and Jodie Foster (Stroll) play the main characters, and their relationship in the film is fundamental to the film’s structure. When Diana falls, Bonnie is there to pick her up.

There wasn’t much I knew

about the film before watching it, excluding a bit of background research on the film’s general idea and those who worked on it. It is a directorial debut by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, who were lauded in the industry for their 2018 Academy Award-winning film “Free Solo,” a similar biographical film documenting the journey of a rock climber attempting an impossible feat.

Bening plays a pared-down role in this film. She conveys Nyad’s unmistakable charisma and self-importance throughout. Nyad’s focus is admirable but can often lead to her selfobsession, which Stroll Foster reminds her of often. In her role as Stroll, Foster shines with her seasoned years of acting paying off and reminding us why she’s a beloved actress, known for holding her own with actors like Robert De Niro in the 1976 film “Taxi Driver.”

The scenery in this film is often striking, and the bold colors contrast the harsh environment. The music isn’t upbeat but instead serves to immerse the viewer with the music accompanying the many moods of the scenes. Immediately, the cinematography stands out by the use of small cameras, which allows more close-ups of Bening, giving the viewer more in-

where this was a missed opportunity to give us a more thorough analysis of Nyad.

Another criticism is that Nyad’s trauma is mentioned within the film between the

“Overall, the rating for this film would be 3.5/5. I enjoyed many aspects of this film, but there were criticisms held.”

POSTER VIA Netflix

timate access to the actress.

Overall, my rating for this film is 3.5/5. I enjoyed many aspects of this film, but I have a few criticisms. First, “Nyad” fails to give a more in-depth view of Nyad’s thoughts and feelings during her swim. One

would expect that with a portion of the film dedicated solely to the two-day swim, there would be more of an emphasis on the workings of Nyad’s mind during this time. Instead, there is more focus on the exterior,

the following songs. However, the second song, “Get Close,” has a “garage band” feel that doesn’t fit the Rolling Stones as well as other genres do.

“Depending On You,” the third song, sounds much more depressing. Mick Jagger’s vocals hold a lot of great emotion,

what sounds like filler. “Mess It Up,” the seventh song, almost sounds like a cover of “Angry.”

My hope for a decent album returned when I heard “Driving Me Too Hard.” It has an almost country sound, something that’s great to see from The Rolling Stones.

One song I didn’t expect to hear on a Rolling Stones album is “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” — an iconic, original gospelsounding song featuring Lady Gaga on backup vocals. Yes, it’s not The Rolling Stones’ style, but they aced it with a beautiful melody and great harmonies from Lady Gaga and Mick Jagger.

“The Rolling Stones Blues” concludes the album. This song has good changes, and it does a good job of diverging from past themes, and it stands out as its own song. The sound of the blues feels authentic and nostalgic for the band’s earlier work.

This album is a masterpiece in some areas but falls short in others. The passing of Watts greatly impacted the band, and while Jordan will never be able to live up to Watts’s legacy, I hope Jordan will get more opportunities to showcase his skills in the future.

swimming scenes but is not expanded upon. The importance of these scenes is glossed over and inconsistent throughout the movie.

Nevertheless, this film manages to accomplish most of what it set out to do and engages and leaves viewers satisfied with the ending. The dramatization extends the viewer’s attention while stating the facts and accurately portrays the main characters. Something heartwarming in this film is the strong bond between Nyad and Stroll, the fundamental contributions it makes to the film, and the overarching plot.

A new era in the Rolling Stones: ‘Hackney Diamonds’ | Brayden Kopf STAFF REPORTER

Verdict: 3/5

A

fter the Rolling Stones lost their beloved drummer, Charlie Watts, in 2021, the future didn’t seem promising for the band. Before Watts’ passing, he decided to sit out on a tour, and was replaced by his protege, Steve Jordan.

After Watts’ death, the band

picked up Jordan as their permanent drummer.

As evident in Hackney Diamonds, released on Oct. 20, Jordan has poorly influenced the sound of the Rolling Stones, and it feels like drums no longer play an important and impressive role in their sound.

Surprisingly, the album reached number three on the Billboard Charts, even with Jordan’s weak performance throughout.

The album has a strong lead with the first song, “Angry,” which has a modern poprock feel. It’s a great song, stirring up strong expectations for

COVER VIA Rolling Stones 2023

“This album is a masterpiece in some areas but falls short in others. The passing of Watts greatly impacted the band.” but the mood from the last two songs do not properly transition into this one.

Next, “Bite My Head Off” has an unexpected sound to it. This song consists of very heavy chords with lots of short riffs. It’s also the only song where Jordan showcases his talent with fast, complicated drumming.

Following several unimpressive tracks, “Dreamy Skies” is an enjoyable blues song. This song shows some variety in Jordan’s skills on his drums; however, the album as a whole still doesn’t show how the band adapts to Jordan.

The tracklist continues with

SONG RANKING

1: “Angry” - 5/5 2: “Get close” - 4/5 3: “Depending on you” - 4/5 5: “Bite my head off” - 3/5 6: “Whole wide world” - 2/5 7: “Dreamy skies” 2/5 8: “Mess it up” - 5/5 9: “Live by the sword” - 3/5 10: “Tell me straight” - 2/5 11: “Sweet sounds of heaven” - 4/5 12: “Rolling stones blues” - 4/5

SPORTS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2023 • WWW.MVVIEWER.ORG

11

Mounds View’s new esports program

| Matthew Betti & Anna Honebrink STAFF REPORTERS lectronic sports, commonly known as esports, are a form of video gaming competitions. With four different games played competitively at Mounds View, esports offer a variety of ways to compete in video gaming. The organization that runs all high school esports in Minnesota is the Minnesota

E

“The school is basically there just to aid in any questions. They don’t give you lessons or coaching, so it’s up to you.”

Galvin Wilson, ‘27

Varsity League, which consists of over 80 schools and 2000 plus members. It’s relatively easy to join; the only requirements are a 50-dollar entrance fee and a personal device to play on.

The fall season for all esports teams currently has two weeks of preseason, eight weeks of regular season and one week of playoffs. If a player manages to make it through the playoffs, they get to play in the State Tournament. The State Tournament will be held in person at the Mall of America in January.

The esports program does not re-

ceive any funding from the school. The district oversees their activity, and input is limited to providing a coach. This means that all competitions are set up by Savannah Vang-Santiago, their lead coordinator and coach. “The school is basically there just to aid in any questions.

They don’t give you lessons or coaching, so it’s up to you,” said sophomore Rocket League captain Galvin Wilson.

For most players, esports are not a full-time commitment, but rather a hobby. Some members are also involved in different activities and even schoolsanctioned sports.

Valorant

Although relatively new, the Mounds View Valorant program has attracted many players who share a passion for gaming. Due to the high level of interest, Mounds View has three Valorant teams: Varsity, JV1 and JV2. So far, the varsity preseason record sits at 2-0, and their regular season record is 2-1.

The players have expressed that the large interest comes from the skills required to play Valorant at a high level.

“Valorant is a team-based first-person shooter game, but at the highest level, the game is very strategy-based,” said junior Michael Kivinen, a varsity team member.

Another reason many players joined the Valorant teams is because they want to compete against others passionate

about the game; some even have thought about competing professionally. “Esports/gaming is a big part of my life. I have dedicated so much time to it, and it’s a passion I want to pursue later in life as well. [...] I want to continue to play the games I enjoy and dedicate even more time to climb the ranks and hopefully eventually even compete professionally,” said senior Evan Zumbolo, JV1 captain.

The Valorant team may not be well known compared to other activities, but it has certainly gained a lot of attention during its first year at Mounds View.

Moving forward, they have high hopes of making it to the state championships.

“We are gonna win state champs,” said senior John Lim, a Valorant team member.

Rocket League

One of the four Mounds View esports teams, Rocket League, consists of three players: freshman Elliot Fuglsby, senior Birgen Endberg and sophomore

“I loved how there was so much to the game, and it combined my favorite sport with my favorite hobby, which is working on cars.”

Gavin Wilson, ‘26

Captain Gavin Wilson. “Rocket League is a competitive game where you play soccer with customizable cars. It can get pretty advanced on technique, but it’s fun no matter if you’re a beginner or a

pro,” said Wilson.

The Rocket League team competes in 2v2 matches, meaning that only two of the members can play at a time. They take it upon themselves to choose which players play which rounds, and with a smaller team, they seem to have no trouble organizing themselves. “We work well together, and switch off who plays what game,” said Wilson.

Wilson personally enjoys the game because it combines two of his interests.

“I had been playing soccer for a while and I looked up video games related to it. I loved how there was so much to the game, and it combined my favorite sport with my favorite hobby, which is working on cars,” he said.

PHOTO | Ronald Xu

Are esports real sports?

It is clear that there is no definite answer as to whether or not esports are truly considered a sport. While some say the competitiveness and strategic knowledge needed to excel in esports qualifies them as a sport, others argue that the lack of physical ability simply does not match the traditional meaning of what a sport is.

According to the New York Post, over half of all Americans believe video games should be an option in the Olympics. From competitions to teams, esports have many components similar

to what a traditional sport would have, not to mention the extensive hours of practice required to excel. On the other hand, gaming simply does not include full-body coordination or physical athleticism, as would something like basketball, which would not fit the standard definition of sport.

Opinions vary among the Mounds View esports players. “It is definitely a competition, but it does not require any physical activity or stress like a real sport would,” says junior Michael Kivinen, Valorant player. Kivinen emphasizes that esports really do not require fullbody capabilities, and, thus, should not be considered a sport.

Kivinen is not the only esports player who agrees they are not a real sport. “[Esports do not] require rigorous physical activity like sports, so I consider them as just competitions,” said senior Elias Hagfors, Super Smash Bros player.

However, some players see esports as a legitimate sport. “I think the fact that there are competitions, teams that play against each other for prizes and the fact that it’s extremely hard to be one of the best in the world at it could mean that esports could be considered a sport,” said senior Evan Zumbolo, JV Valorant Captain. Zumbolo argues that because many factors of esports assimilate with traditional sports, they could definitely be considered real sports.

With opinions on both sides, whether esports is truly a real sport comes down to personal interpretation of the “sport” definition.

Are esports a sport?

Yes

No 51 students polled

League of Legends

League of Legends is a multiplayer battle arena video game where players work together with their team to defeat other teams.

The captain of the League of Legends team, senior Ronald Xu, joined the team with some of his friends after Mounds View announced the start of the esports program. “League of Legends is a very complicated game, with advanced mechanics and strategies. Because of the difficulty of the game, it’s all the more satisfying to watch and contest at a competitive level,” said Xu. He added that he enjoys the bonding experience when his

team coordinates together to complete an objective.

The team plays every Tuesday at 5 pm against other high school teams.

The eight teams that perform the best go on to play in the State Tournament.

While the season may have started off rough for the team, with a current record of 2-3, they continue to work hard, and they believe they can be one of the eight teams to make it to state. “We had a rough start, but I firmly believe that we can make a comeback,” said Xu.

Super Smash Bros features a unique gaming format, exclusively focusing on one-on-one matches. Each match is composed of three distinct “teams,” with only one player on each team. “The team-based games like Valorant have group practices, but for Super Smash Bros, we don’t really practice together,” said Elias Hagfors, senior Super Smash Bros player. Hagfors highlights that since it’s a solo game there’s really no need for group practices.

Like many of the players, Hagfors joined the esports program through Mounds View’s promotions and doesn’t take playing too seriously. “I got into Esports through a link from a school announcement,” he said. “It’s just a side hobby, I don’t feel too competitive about this.”

Despite the absence of team practices, the competitive structure and season follow a similar format as other esports games.

Super Smash Bros

12

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