Tackling the issue of
FIGHTS
“Fight culture� has become a phenomenon and a problem across schools nationwide, and student use of social media increasingly perpetuates stereotypes around student behavior.
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Thursday, January 28, 2016 Volume 34 Issue 3
2 contents
the
RPThursday, January 28, 2016
IB Program in Junior High Junior high students work on transitioning into the IB system. BY MIKE EWING, STAFF REPORTER
3 Forgotten Art
Some students choose to express themselves through poetry.
8 IN-DEPTH
TACKLING THE ISSUE OF FIGHTS
BY ADDIE LENNON AND MICHAEL KORSH, PRINT EDITOR IN CHIEF AND STAFF REPORTER
COVER PHOTO BY RUBY KRIETZMAN, PHOTO EDITOR
6
BY DAVID J. SHELDON, STAFF REPORTER
It’s Hot and It’s Cold
Athletes struggle to compete in lack of snow. BY ELLIE FROMSTEIN, STAFF REPORTER
15
NEWS
FEATURE
OP-ED
SPORTS
MILITARY EXAM Noah Baker, senior, prepares to enter the military, and has recently completed his fitness exam.
Andrew Vanderploeg, sophomore, and Johanna Frahm, senior, refuse to let their disabilities define their academic strength.
Andrew Zhou believes that immigrants deserve more.
Though wrestling puts physical and mental stress on young athletes, they believe competing is worth it.
4 BAKER COMPLETES
5 LEARNING DISABILITIES 10 IMMIGRATION
7 FOUR PLAYS, ONE ACT
The theater department prepares to perform their annual one acts.
11 AMBIVERTS
Morgan Downing argues that there are more than two personality types.
12 PROTESTING
Trianna Downing explains why she doesn’t protest.
13 WRESTLING WORLD
14 ADAPTED SPORTS
HHS’ adapted sports team boasts an impressive record.
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RP Thursday, January 28, 2016
AP program at HHS thrives, the junior IB program in the junior highs: AshightheIB program continues to grow by Mike Ewing Staff Reporter
For years, the secondary schools in the Hopkins district have worked together to create what the district refers to as “schools of excellence.” However, for the past two years, a change in the two junior high’s curriculum has contrasted them from HHS’ education: the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. In 2013, both West and North Junior High implemented the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade. The MYP ’s framework provides a creative, critical, and reflective learning environment. The international education model was created in Geneva, Switzerland in 1968 and allows all students to participate in a rigorous curriculum that promotes healthy relationships, ethical responsibility and personal challenge. The IB program has provided both North and West with a more rigorous and internationally based curriculum. It’s challenging curriculum comprises eight subject groups: language acquisition, language and literature, individuals and societies, sciences, mathemat-
ics, arts, physical and health education, and design. The IB program requires at least 50 hours of teaching time for each subject group in each year of the program. “The goal of IB is that students see the value of differing cultures and perspectives. They experience that someone that is different than you, can also be right. As a result, IB students are open-minded, ask lots of questions, and seek out experiences that challenge them,” said Mr. Todd Roudabush, IB Coordinator at West Junior High. The schools switched to the program to benefit the students at the junior highs, and community around the Hopkins district. The Hopkins district feels that the new program will focus on service and giving back to local and global communities. The implementation of the IB program at Hopkins was set in place so that students can work through problems they don’t know the answer to right away, and think outside the box to see things from different perspectives. Students will then begin to understand their strengths and weaknesses. This preparation will help students access honors level, advanced elective, and advanced placement (AP) classes at HHS. However, the IB program has yet to be implemented at HHS. As
of now, many classes at HHS are offered through the AP program. As a freshman at North Junior High, Cyrus Heimlich is part of the IB program at the junior high. Heimlich believes that, while the IB system is helpful, he doesn’t need it in high school. “I like having the IB program at North, but I don’t think I’d like having it at the high school,” Heimlich said. “It’s mainly because I’d rather just worry about taking AP classes and not having the other homework or projects the IB program makes us do.” The IB program requires students to complete formative assessments throughout the year, as well as a long-term project that reflects on their learning. The project generates deep new insights for students and develops deeper understandings through in-depth investigation. At Hopkins, this in-depth project is only assigned to ninth grade students.
Read the full story at hopkinsrp.org
RP Thursday, January 28, 2016 Check out hopkinsrp.org the
4 news Apply local:
Local scholarships available for HHS students
by Grace M. Dosdall Staff Reporter
nation. Your chances of being granted a scholarship is much higher.” Not only do students have a higher chance of obtaining scholarships, but all HHS seniors are Every penny counts when it comes to paying for college, and students can spend hours online eligible for the local scholarships. “Every senior that submits an application is searching for scholarships that they are eligible for, but HHS works hard to ensure that students eligible,” Schmidt said. “The application opens up are eligible for earning a college degree if it’s their many scholarship opportunities for everyone. You don’t have to goal after high be a ‘straight school. A’ or 4.0 stuEach year, sedent.” niors have the opN a t e portunity to fill out Schoch, Guidthe Local Scholarance Counselship Application, or, is in charge which helps them of sending out become eligible for emails to inapproximately 50 form seniors local scholarships about other awarded by com- -Serena Schmidt, Guidance Counselor scholarships to munity members apply for. and local organi“Last year we gave out 26 different scholarzations. Serena Schmidt, Guidance Counselor, hopes ships,” Schoch said. “The scholarships range anythat every senior takes advantage of the Local where between 250 to 2,000 dollars, so it definitely makes a difference.” Scholarship. For more information on the Local Scholar“Unlike a lot of scholarships, [the Local Scholarship] is just for HHS,” Schmidt said. “Your ship application, or other scholarships, visit the From top left clockwise: 5 Eyewitness News Reporter visits HHS during Boost TASC, freshman bets his teacher to avoid taking final, Honors Shakespeare attends private screening of Macbeth, registration for 2016-2017 school competition is your classmates, not the state or the Hopkins schools website or Naviance. year commences
“The application opens up many scholarship opportunities for everyone. You don’t have to be a ‘straight A’ or 4.0 student.”
Baker completes fitness exam for military service by Alex Kim Sports Blogger
Noah Baker, senior, does the shuttle run. Baker recently completed a military fitness exam.
photo by Alex Kim
On Jan. 8, Noah Baker, senior, entered HHS early in the morning with one thought on his mind: passing his Service Academy fitness exam. With the fitness exam, Baker will be eligible to submit applications to the West Point and Naval Academies. “I had been looking forward to [the exam] for a long time and had worked very hard,” Baker said. Baker has had his sights set on West Point since the beginning of his junior year and has worked tirelessly to fulfill his goal of attending a service academy. Baker has gone as far to reaching out to politicians and congressmen to represent him and improve his application. The fitness exam, the last of his criteria, is a grueling physical test of strength, speed, and willpower. The test includes a basketball throw, pull-ups, shuttle runs, sit-ups, push-ups, and a mile run. The test was held Friday at 9:30 am at the
Lindbergh Center. The exam was monitored by Mr. Vincent Paolucci, Physical Education. “I usually do this test once every year or two and the students who come in asking for my help,” Paolucci said. “They are so determined and have been working very hard.” Baker started his test on his knees, tasked with the basketball throw. Baker threw a 72’ 9” throw to beat his personal best by eight feet. Next, the hopeful recruit impressed in the pull-up section by doing 18 pull ups in only 29 seconds. The exam calls for a maximum of 18 reps with a maximum time of two minute. After running a qualifying, nine second shuttle run, Baker moved to the sit-up and pushup section. Military Academies’ fitness exam calls for a maximum of 95 sit-ups in two minutes and a maximum of 75 push-ups in also two minutes with a short break in-between. Baker max’d out on the sit-ups and push-ups in respective times of 1:49 and 1:22. The most gruesome challenge was saved for
last. The mile run. “We used the track around the basketball courts instead of the normal Lindbergh track which means I had to run eight laps instead of six,” Baker said. Baker chose to run the mile on the Lindbergh track to keep his focus on his test. The average time of completion for the mile is six minutes 43 seconds. Baker finished in 7:48 minutes. “I was just gassed. My personal best is 6:35 and I usually average a 6:53 mile time,” Baker said. “I’m disappointed with myself but I feel very confident in the other exercises.” Nevertheless, Baker was above average in most of the criteria, and max’d out in almost all the other categories. Baker beat the average candidate in the basketball throw by six feet, the pull ups by nine, sit-ups by 24, and push-ups by 21. “I know my acceptance into West Point is out of my control, but I feel like I will serve my country in the way I felt like I was led to in one way or the other,” Baker said.
RP Thursday, January 28, 2016
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Print Editor in Chief
Shedding light on learning disabilities
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by Mo Robblee Staff Reporter
Addie Lennon Claire Benton
Managing Editor Trianna Downing
News Editor
Morgan Downing
Opinion/Feature Editor Andrew Zhou
Sports Editors Noah Kaplan Jordan Zaroff
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Ruby Krietzman
Sports Bloggers Max Weesner Alex Kim
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Read the full story at hopkinsrp.org
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The editorial represents the opinion of the newspaper staff. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the administration, the student body or the advisor. Signed viewpoints represent the view of the writer. The Royal Page operates as an open forum student publication, and student editors make editorial decisions regarding content.
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proaches to take for students with learning disabilities, it is also essential to understand the root of the problem. “A kid who struggles with ADHD generally [doesn’t have] enough of a specific neurotransmitter. So, for example, dopamine is one of those chemicals that has to do with attention and focus, and a kid who has ADHD has less of that,” LeeDohse said. A person with ADHD may have trouble sitting still, constantly fidget, talk excessively, or get bored easily. When LeeDohse notices these behaviors during class, she talks with the student to figure out a plan. Lee-Dohse also tries to create time during each class to allow students to move around and stretch. Similar initiatives are taking place all over the school.
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Sydney Craven Grace M. Dosdall Seth Eliason Mike Ewing Joshua Freeman Ellie Fromstein Dylan Judge-Steuck Michael Korsh Luci Miller Matthew Molnar Kennedy Pierre-Toussaint Mo Robblee Fatima Sall Adam Segal David Sheldon Campbell Teigen Ross Womack
Johanna Frahm, senior, sometimes needs extra time while taking tests, sees words on paper backwards, and drives extra carefully. The truth is, Frahm has a learning disability. She is not alone. Students with learning disabilities make up a portion of the student body that often goes unnoticed. A learning disability is a condition which makes it harder to acquire knowledge and skills. Common learning disabilities include dyslexia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and short term/long term memory loss. “I have dyslexia, which means I see things backwards; I see the mirror image of things. I also have a hard time with opposites when I am speaking or writing. For example, I’ll say ‘I’m hungry’ when I am actually full,” Frahm said. “The hardest thing for me, especially in school, is analyzing and comprehending reading material.” According to the Dyslexic Center of Utah, 17 percent of American students have dyslexia, making it the most common language-based learning disability. While most elementary school
students focus on learning the tary school teacher saw some specialized instruction. The main difference bebasics of reading, writing, and [learning issues]. You have mathematics, students with dys- parents or the school recognize tween the 504 plan and the IEP lexia often advance at a slower that, and that kid can get in for is that a 504 plan does not recounseling or maybe medica- quire specialized instruction. At pace. “I realized my disorder in tion that’s helpful,” said Marit HHS, approximately 10 percent of students have IEPs. fourth grade geometry class. I Lee-Dohse, Health Science. Whether a student has an In addition to recognizing would fail every single test, and we had no idea why until the and reporting a learning dis- IEP or a 504 plan, HHS works teacher sat down with me and ability, schools offer what is to help them enrich their education. watched me work and noticed called a 504 plan. Deb Ludwig, social worker, According to the U.S Dethat I was drawing angles and shapes backwards,” Frahm said. partment of Education, the fed- helps students with emotional “I remember being very frustrat- eral civil rights law Section 504 and social problems they might ed with myself because I didn’t prohibits discrimination against be experiencing. “[School accommodations understand why I was having public school students with all include] extended deadlines. such a hard time with things kinds of disabilities. Reading tests out loud to Sometimes it’s working one-onwhen everyone else seemed to students, giving them electronic one with teachers, specifically a be understanding very quickly.” Once Frahm was diagnosed, books, and allotting them extra learning disability teacher. Othshe began receiving the help she time on tests are examples of er times, it’s just getting them needed. The accommodations how a school would set up a 504 organized,” Ludwig said. “[The help received] depends on the she receives includes having plan for students like Frahm. In along with the 504 plan, disability. We do an evaluation extra time to complete exams. Teachers play a pivotal role in the there is an Individualized Edu- for students to receive services. learning environment of students cational Plan (IEP), which is a Through that process, we idenprogram developed to ensure tify what area specifically they with learning disabilities. “By the time I have [students that disabled K-12 students need.” While it is important with learning disabilities] when receive zy d a l z e h a y l to learn about apthey’re juniors or seniors, they tvhetehr etththleaelzlaayldzalzaydzyzyydd r e e e o have probably already been dihh dd d pdoevodddvoevorvevevrerertr t pjuepm agnosed. Probably o o e e e m ju x mujm mppeppded um their elemenmm um fox foju jjjuuu
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RPThursday, January 28, 2016
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6 feature
A FORGOTTEN ART
photo by Ruby Krietzman
by David J. Sheldon Staff Reporter On stage, mic in hand, a single girl stands underneath a single beam of light. As she speaks, the crowd quietly pays attention, snapping at lines they deem beautiful. Samantha Olson, senior, writes and performs poetry. Struggling with depression throughout middle school, Olson found a sense of peace through the art of poetry, using her depression as inspiration to write. “I want people to feel how I was feeling when I wrote the poems or what I’m trying to convey through my poems,” Olson said. Poetry dates all the way back to around 2000 B.C, when poetry was mainly used as a storytelling medium. Today, poetry is represented in many aspects of life, ranging from traditional storytelling to more modern mediums, like advertising. “I actually submitted one of my poems to [an organization] called Compas, which is this minnesota poetry [organization], and they published my work in fifth grade,” Olson said. Compas has been teaching Minnesotans to harness their creativity for over 40 years through the arts of poetry, painting, and drawing. Professional artists work alongside teens, senior citizens, and just about any other community member to spark their imaginations and infuse their lives with creativity. “After [my poem was published], I wanted to keep writing poetry, and I tried to see more places that would publish, and I got myself published in two other books, and I won a gold medal,” Olson said. “It was a really cool experience. It was cool to know that someone else read my work and thought it was
good enough for that.” Other high school poets who are looking to be published or heard have discovered other ways to do so. One such medium is the Voyagers open mic nights. Voyagers is a club at HHS which is trying to make progress in many different subjects here at HHS. Sophia Peifer, senior, is a regular at open mic nights. Whether she’s reading her own work or snapping in the background, she is always participating. Slam poetry or spoken word is a common form of poetry today, but it didn’t exist until 1985 when a construction worker and poet Marc Smith started a poetry reading series at a Chicago jazz club. As opposed to other forms of poetry, slam poetry is written specifically to be spoken aloud. “I do [slam poetry], but I can’t rap and I can’t rhyme, so it’s pretty much a dramatic reading of my poems. I don’t really write anything thinking, ‘oh, this is going to be a slam poem’ or anything like that. I just read something that I think is cool or fun,” Peifer said. Some students perceive poetry as an art form that is only used during specific units in english class, and many students believe that one is either strictly good or bad at writing poetry, and there is no inbetween. “People think of poetry as this super cliché thing, like I sit in an underground coffee house and I write poetry, but it’s not like that. Anyone can write anything. There are no requirements,” Peifer said. However, many people may still feel intimidated by poetry. Ryan Hogan, Language Arts, sees this in many of his classes. “I don’t want students to be intimidated by poetry. At least with my experience, I’ve seen that students think poetry had one meaning, and if they don’t
get it, they are dumb,” Hogan said.”I believe that is totally wrong. You can interpret the poetry in any way you want. That’s the beautiful part.” Hogan stresses the importance for writers to be aware of the great writing and work around them. “The [most important] thing as a writer is to read. It’s important to look into others’ work, look for beauty in simplicity,” Hogan said. That sentiment is being echoed by Jordan Dunnewind and Grace O’neil, seniors, who run a magazine called Reflections. They are looking to expose the work of students from all across HHS. “Well, I think that a big part of [running Reflections] is making sure that everybody is aware of how much talent there is [at HHS],” Dunnewind said. Reflections has been a tradition at HHS for longer than much of the HHS staff can remember. It was first published in 1995, but before that, it was, as the 1999 magazine said, “a stack of stapled pages.” “We get most of our submissions from AP students, but we also take anyone’s work. We are looking for composition and really just quality art work of any form,” O’neil said. The magazine will be published mid-spring, but as of right now, there is no set date for publication. Andy Gamble, junior, is another student who is a proud poet and loves to express himself through the art form. “It’s a creative outlet, it’s something that’s expressive, and it’s something I do enjoy,” Gamble said. “It’s comforting in a way to put your thoughts down and organize them.”
RPThursday, January 28, 2016
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Meet the cast “[The One Acts] are really fun and a great form of artistic expression.” - Asher Weisberg, senior
“They’re all different, so you get a fun mix of stories.” - Abby Fine, junior
“One acts are great because they can talk about subjects you can’t talk about in a play.” - Andy Schoonover, senior
“One acts are a great intro to the [theater program], and they’re not as intense of a process.” Brennen Ohlemann and Asher Weisberg, seniors, speak with a costumer and Natalie Foster, HHS theater director, while rehearsing for the one act play “Wild Life.” Weisberg was also cast in the theater program’s competition piece, “Answers.” photo by Campbell Teigen
Four plays, one act: by Campbell Teigen Staff Reporter It’s 3:00 pm, and the little theater is slowly being filled. People are pacing back and forth memorizing their lines and getting ready to add the finishing touches to their plays. Natalie Foster, the One Acts director, organizes her script and prepares for the two hour practice to come. Once Foster is organized, she calls all of the actors to the stage and hands off warm-ups to Taylor Vanderploeg, senior. Warm-ups include the actors sitting in a circle on the stage and doing an activity which gets them focused and thinking. As all of the actors slowly file onto the stage, they’re ready to begin. One Acts are a series of short one-act plays with fairly small casts. The audition process for the One Acts began two weeks after the theatre program debuted the musical Grease this past fall. Each auditionee prepares a short monologue to audition with. Shortly afterwards, the callback list is posted. Once the callback list is out, the director will have those who made it read dialogues with each other. She makes the tough decision, and within a few days, the cast list is announced. A wide range of students from freshman to seniors auditioned for this year’s One Acts. However, only 30 students made it to callbacks. “It’s a pretty easy process and once you go through it a couple
- Olivia Gulden, junior
The HHS theater program puts together and performs their annual One Acts for the winter
times. It gets easier and easier.” said Maria Vargas, junior. Vargas joined the theatre program during the musical Oliver!. “I showed up to the second audition day just to watch, and I almost didn’t audition, but a friend convinced me to, and I got put in the show, which was super cool,” Vargas said. Now that Vargas is a part of the theatre program, she doesn’t know what she would do without it. “Before theatre, I could barely talk to anyone outside of my friend group, and now I have pretty much no problems with social situations. The community and friendships I’ve gained mean more to me than almost anything.” One Acts tend to be very different than a typical play or musical. Rehearsals are only held a couple times a week instead of each school day for a normal production. “The rehearsals are all focused on acting, as opposed to a musical where you have to work on singing and dancing,” said Max Harlan, senior. “I like how the One Acts are a smaller project, because it’s less pressure to put everything together.” When it comes to theatre, the group of students are very close. Everyone knows everyone, and everyone feels welcome. Many students involved believe theatre to be a place where each individual person can express who they are and be themselves. Preston Dull, senior, joined the One Acts this year. “It’s a different crowd than I’m used to. Everyone is close and tight-knit, but it’s exactly what I thought it was going to be like.” Since One Acts are shorter productions with smaller scripts, they
require less rehearsing. “I don’t practice my lines that much outside of school. I only do it when I’m bored. Rehearsal gives us a lot of time to do the memorizing, “Dull said. This year, the One Acts will be held on Feb. 4, 5 and 6. They will include four different plays that will be performed in the Little Theater. The first one is All The World’s a Stage. It is a medley of shakespeare plays that is narrated in a modern sense. The second is called Relocation, based on a family that has trouble with a squirrel and later gets relocated to another planet where they are no longer the superior race. The third one is called Wild Life. It is about two guys who bring comedy and nature together. The fourth one is called Express Lane, which expresses the troubles shoppers may face while going through the express lane of a grocery store. Aside from performing in front of their peers and community, the actors also compete against other schools. There is one play that the actors compete with that isn’t shown at HHS and is for competition only. This will be Hopkins’ first time at competition in over 10 years. Each year, the Minnesota State High School League holds section tournaments where schools compete with a script hand-picked by the director. If they place high enough at sections, they move forward to a state tournament, which will be held Feb. 11 and 12.
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RPThursday, January 28, 2016
fight. by Addie Lennon and Michael Korsh Print Editor-in-Chief and Staff Reporter
That word can lead to a flurry of tweets, clusters of students excitedly waiting in hallways, and an overall disruption of the learning environment. It evokes feelings of excitement, fear, and anger.
Fight.
It’s just a word, but when spread through social media, high school students have given it an entirely new meaning.
Powerful posts As soon as the first swing was taken on Dec. 11, cell phones shot into the air, hoping to record a glimpse of the fight taking place. Even after it was broken up, that fight, as well as the ones to follow, would be talked about for weeks statewide due to the powerful tool of social media. King Allah, sophomore, posted a video of the first fight on Twitter, which gained hundreds of both retweets and favorites by students all across Minnesota. Allah’s experience, as well as the experience of many other students, brings into question what students are and are not able to utilize social me-
dia for, especially in the promotion of “fight culture” at HHS. The HHS Student Handbook states that “anyone who uses a photo device or movie device to capture pictures of students or staff without the permission of the school is subject to discipline.” But according to Mr. Trenton Lawson, Assistant Principal, administrative policy towards social media only becomes severe in certain cases. “Misuse of social media itself is not a reason to suspend. Misuse of social media that causes a severe disruption to our learning environment is a reason to suspend,” Lawson said. “There needs to be a connection between the social media and the disruption to the learning environment for a
student to be suspended.” Even less severe posts caught the attention of the administration. Sydney Eckberg, senior, tweeted a complaint about the subsequent passing time change, and later chose to remove it after meeting with administration. “[Administration] just talked about why I tweeted it, and then they said that I was calling their rule a ‘bad rule,’ so then they got mad about that,” Eckberg said. “I told them, ‘I’ll [delete] it if you want me to,’ and they said, ‘you don’t have to, but it may be a good idea.’” Because social media’s involvement in “fight culture” is so new, school districts often struggle
with developing official procedures and guidelines to monitor it. Ms. Patty Awsumb, Principal, explains the complexity and efforts made to combat these struggles. “Social media’s a very difficult thing. You have protection under freedom of speech, which is absolutely your right, but there are certain lines, and there’s a very specific protocol we have to follow,” Awsumb said. “Students can’t just be completely disrespectful, bully others, or cause disruption of the school environment.” As the frequency of fights increased throughout the week, students continued to glamorize “fight culture” through social media. Administration decided something needed to be done.
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RPThursday, January 28, 2016 Facing the facts
As a result of social media’s expanding influence in fight promotion and glamorization, including the events before Winter Break, HHS has developed a reputation among neighboring schools as a place characterized solely by fighting itself: a “fight school.”
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fight at HHS since winter break Source: HHS Main Office
Jake Klaiman, Wayzata junior, understands HHS’ reputation as a fight school, and attributes this reputation to the students themselves. “[The reputation] has been influenced by two sources: social media and friends,” Klaiman said. “When your friends at HHS complain how there were, like, seven fights in five days, and there are videos everywhere of people fighting, I’m going to assume it’s a ‘fight school.’” HHS isn’t the only school facing the issue of fights. Recently at St. Paul Central High School, a science teacher and assistant principal were injured while trying to break up a cafeteria fight. After being choked until unconscious, one of these teachers had to be hospitalized for his injuries. Mary Mackbee, principal of St. Paul Central, made a statement in juvenile court concerning the negative images that fights place on not only Central, but oftentimes all public schools. “Every negative stereotype about public school teachers and students has landed on our school and has to be shouldered by our staff and by our students and their parents,” Mackbee said in a Pioneer Press interview. “We have been in the media for weeks for an incident that does not reflect our values in any way, and we have had to defend our school and our job to family, friends, and the media.” Klaiman notices the same use of social media to promote a different image of his own school. “I think that if people stopped making such a big deal out of the fights, then the image of a fight school will disappear. At Wayzata, everyone makes a big deal out of parties, so we have a reputation of a ‘party school,’” Klaiman said. “[Wayzata students] don’t make a big deal out of our fights, so we don’t have the reputation of a fight school, even with us having the second most amount of fights in the Lake Conference.”
Taking action The HHS student handbook lists fighting as a “form of misconduct,” and offers the following possible consequences: a conference with parents or guardians, consideration for suspension, restitu-
tion, expulsion, and police referral. However, Lawson says that drawing the line between these punishments is not easily defined on paper. “When students break school rules and district policies by doing things such as harassment, bullying, and filming things in school to promote violence, there may be consequences for these actions. Although consequences may be given, we want all students to learn from their mistakes,” Lawson said. The student handbook goes on to define a variety of other forms of misconduct such as violating closed campus policy, disruptive behavior, and assault. The consequences of these student safety issues fall under the same umbrella as fighting and are dealt with on a situational basis. Edina has only 1.3 fights per 1,000 students, the lowest in the Lake Conference. Their student handbook is similar to HHS’, leaving student safety issues up to interpretation of administration. The Eden Prairie District has the lowest per-
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suspensions at HHS due to fighting related incidents prior to winter break
Source: HHS Main Office
centage of fight-related incidents in the Lake Conference compared to other reported incidents. Neighboring school Eden Prairie High School‘s handbook is broken down into 41 subsections, each of which define consequences for a first, second, and third offense. Sub-section 19 addresses “fighting/assault,” and states first offense consequences as “three to five day suspension, mediation and anger management support, and police referral.” Awsumb says that she prefers not to restrict her students, and allows flexibility in the student handbook for her in 20and her staff to classify situations individually. “Each student has his or her own story,” Awsumb said. “Whether a student comes down here with an emotional concern, an academic concern, or a behavioral concern, each person has their own story, and we do want to validate and affirm that story. If we put ourselves in a box and say ‘this equals this, that equals that,’ we are completely limiting students; there’s some gray area.” Awsumb continues to explore ways to expand and improve upon HHS’ policies in order to maintain a safe environment. She believes that HHS generally is a safe place, but she prefers to be dynamic rather than reactive. One strategy HHS utilizes to avoid repeat incidents is community mediation services. “I will always be proactive, and my number one
priority is student and staff safety. I’ve taken some heat in the past couple years for really upping the safety in this building with doors and things like that, but safety is extremely important to your families, and my staff entrusts in me that I create a safe environment to the best of my ability,” Awsumb said. Awsumb’s decision to switch from an eight minute passing time to a five minute passing time for three days before Winter Break sparked some dissent among the student body. However, the consequence for inappropriate student behavior during passing times proved a success. After considering a permanent change over break, Awsumb changed passing time back to its original eight minutes. “The student body is absolutely responsible for creating a safe environment.” Awsumb said. “I know that very few students are engaged in inappropriate activities, but when I see hundreds and hundreds of students with their phones out and leaning over the balcony, they’re helping to amp up situations.”
Who fights?
Number of students per 1,000 in each district disciplined for fighting
29.01 Robbinsdale Area Schools
25.77 Minneapolis Public Schools
9.55
Ending suspending In the past five years, schools across Minnesota have seen a general decrease in the number of suspensions or expulsions per year. According to the MDE, there were 43,358 total disciplinary actions (suspensions or expulsions for one day or more) in the 2013-14 school year. That’s down from 50,611 in the 2009-10 school year. A possible reason for this decrease is school districts’ shifts to progressive alternatives to suspensions. Both Osseo and Minneapolis school districts have implemented alternative discipline programs. These programs focus on engaging students with staff members to both reach the root of the issues and develop a sense of trust between the student and staff.
65
9.50
5.07
5.02
HHS students cited for fighting in 2014-15 Source: MN Department of Education
At HHS, a reduction in suspensions may not be a stated goal, but Awsumb says that individual student growth is more important than immediate punishment. “We always want to do what’s in the best interest of the student,” Awsumb said. “It’s about the learning, not about the punishment. If students make a bad choice or get themselves in trouble in whatever way, that’s not the definition of that person.”
2.84 1.31 This data was gathered by dividing the number of students cited for fighting as reported by the Minnesota Department of Education in the 2014-15 school year by total district population.
RP Thursday, January 28, 2016
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10 op/ed
and refugees are not here to Inventing new American Dreams: Immigrants destroy our country; they are here to better it by Andrew Zhou Opinion/Feature Editor There is a six year old girl lying down in the dark. This is her new routine. She stays still and counts down the minutes, the hours. She understands that, at any second, the Red Guards are going to knock on her door, just like they do every night. From there, it’ll be another night of men spitting on her and insulting her, of her sobbing grandmother being dragged into the streets, of her screaming and screaming and screaming. The year is 1972, and my mother is trapped in the center of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, an oppressive movement led by Chairman Mao. Her uncle has already been executed, and his wife has taken her own life. My mother’s beautiful nation has been turned into a prison. Around 20 years later, my mother would move to Japan, and later the U.S., to complete her education and find a different life. However, if it were up to a number of people in our country, she may not have made it across the border. Now that the Syrian Refugee Crisis is well underway, those people are more active than ever. Immigrants and refugees are under attack, demonized for daring to dream the American Dream. This disgusting trend needs to end. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center survey, 41 percent of U.S. citizens believe immigrants to be a drain on U.S. resources, and over three-fifths of the nation’s governors oppose accepting Syrian refugees into their states. However, immigration has always been an integral part of our nation. Many of us, after all, are descendants of Europeans from across the sea. We are, and always have been, rebellious houseguests, forever an island of wandering misfits. And why should that change? In addition to keeping our nation diverse, according to the Economic Policy Institute, immigrants can be a large asset to the U.S. economy. Immigrants are strongly represented in both white
and blue collar jobs, and their economic output in terms of wage, salary, and business income is very large considering immigrants only represent 13 percent of the U.S. population. Additionally, incoming immigrants generally create as many jobs as they take. In fact, t h e
How tragic. Why won’t anybody help?” No, no. They think, “Thank God that’s not me.” And that attitude will be our downfall. We cannot afford to truly believe that we are above the world. Certain groups of people (including a certain presidential candidate
photo
s prov
group that is most negatively affected by these newcomers isn’t native-born citizens. It’s older immigrants, who are displaced by the younger ones. Immigrants entering our country provide a vital service for us. But that fact is not enough to sway those who look down upon those attempting to find hope within our boundaries. You see, those people seem to be under an extremely flawed impression: that the U.S. is heaven on Earth. But that image doesn’t seem to make sense with what we know. According to the Business Insider, when comparing our nation to the rest of the world, the U.S. ranks 10th in economic freedom, 50th in life expectancy, 12th in GDP per capita, 47th in press freedom, and 11th in happiness. It’s difficult to believe that we are a utopia of any kind. And yet, when some Americans look out at the rest of the world and recoil, that seems to be the implication: we are better than them. It’s difficult to comprehend. When some people sit down in front of their TVs, reach into the bowl of popcorn, and are exposed to visions of bloodshed and war and poverty from Syria, Mexico, and Sudan, they don’t think, “How terrible.
ided b y And
rew Z
hou
w i t h bad hair) would have us believe that the rest of humanity does not deserve our aid, that we must protect our greatness from corruption. But the truth is, those people don’t even understand what made America great in the first place.
They don’t understand that that greatness comes from a sense of freedom and bravery, a sense of constant discovery. Before my father came to the U.S., he had a poster of the World Trade Center hanging on his wall. He’d see it every day, and it became the future to him. It was his destiny. When he finally crossed half of the world for the the sake of his education, he was lost. He never imagined how loud and strange and fractured the U.S. would turn out to be. By the time he finally checked into a hotel room, everything had gone wrong. He was trapped in a foreign land full of gibberish. So he opened a curtain, hoping to find some sunshine and a view. And there it was. It was his poster; it was the Twin Towers, framed from the exact same point of view as his poster. So all memories of famine and grandmothers being dragged into the streets and mothers being evicted from their homes melted away into those silent skyscrapers, standing like a pair of silver rocketships, reaching higher and higher and higher.
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down HHS students share thoughts about the start of a new semester. “New people to be in class with.” - Andrew Shirley, senior “This term is a lot easier than my next term.” - Vinnie Shahid, senior “That much closer to graduation.” - Nasira Kulmiye, senior
“New lunch schedule and all my hard classes are next semester.” - Maria Davidson, junior infographic by Andrew Zhou
the
RPThursday, January 28, 2016
Letter to the editor: theater
What is censorship really? Censorship is more consequential than being told you can’t say “swear words,” and it’s not just a violation of our freedom of speech, thought, or expression. Steven Spielberg said, “there is a fine line between censorship and good taste and moral responsibility.” Authoritarians use censorship to obscure or distort reality, showcasing only what they deem acceptable in order to project an imposed morality. No one can deny we live in a vulgar world, saturated with negativity, and trying to stave off harsh reality in order to create the illusion of a better world is almost
an honorable charge. There is a place for censorship in a public high school; kids should not be racing around cursing each other and preaching hate; and there is a strong case against 8th graders having to read George Orwell’s 1984. Censorship may be a primal defense against human imperfection. Hopkins, however, is tactless in its censorship; “edgy” material is often tolerated for the sake of school curriculum or artistic expression, but the final word on what is acceptable and what is not lies with our administration, and the key factor in discerning acceptable material seems
to be personal bias. Forms or mediums of expression can be deemed distasteful and censored without due process. Because students and staff are expected to uphold vague and inflexible standards, the spark of our growing moral perspectives at Hopkins is extinguished. On Jan. 27, Hopkins competed in the State One Act Competition for the first time in twenty years. The competition piece was (a censored version of ) Answers by Tom Topor. The central theme of the play is emotional and psychological devastation caused by police corruption, and the activities department refused to
permit the play to be performed in an un-censored state on the grounds that it does not adhere to community standards. This begs the questions: What are our “community standards”? Who decides and interprets these standards? When something falls outside these standards, are we really expected to just pretend it doesn’t exist? Is there truly no motive that justifies the use of “disturbing” language? These questions remain unanswered as long as we allow a veil to be dropped over our eyes while the people in charge make up our minds for us. -Andy Schoonover, senior
The Royal Page welcomes all students to submit letters to the editor at royalpage@gmail.
Ambivert: Re-discovering the lost, buried personality type by Morgan Downing News Editor
My first year in swimming, my coach asked me if I had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which, according to Mayo Clinic, is a chronic condition. This was when I first recognized my ambiverted personality. After a long day at elementary school, where a majority of the day was spent completing individual work or listening to the teacher talk, all I could think about was jumping in the pool with my fellow Guppies (my swim team). Other days, when class time at school was more group based, I dreaded practice and would only want to go home and be alone instead of swim. I never made note of my behavior, but apparently my coach did. One day, after rambling about my excitement to start practice, my coach asked me if I had ADHD.
“No,” I told her, fully understanding what ADHD was. “Why?” “Well,” she said with amusement, “Maybe you forgot to take your medication today. Because yesterday I couldn’t get you to talk, and now you won’t shut up.” Her words affect me even now because I hate that she was right. However, maybe she wouldn’t have said this if she had understood my personality, which allows me to be an outgoing person just as much as a shy person. This is the very definition of a very underrepresented personality type in the world of psychology: the ambivert. For years, psychologists and psychiatrists have been using tests to determine personality types, but the only personalities determined by these tests are the introvert and the extrovert. According to Psychology Today, a blog run by psychologists, scientifically, an introvert’s energy is drained by social contact and gained by solitude while extroverts gain energy through social contact and lost when alone. These tests include the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, a multiple
Extrovert: gain energy through social contact and lose energy through solitude
Introvert: gain energy through solitude and lose energy through social contact
Source: Psychology Today
op/ed 11 classes Top10 : Rejected at HHS
10 Junior Release
9 Hall Para Assistant
8 Miming Essentials
7 The History of Fight Club and High School 6 Wilderness Parking Lot Survival 5 The History of Spoons 4 Honors Netflix
3 Vegan Culinary Arts 101 2 Recess
1 Sophomore Toleration 1 choice test that asks questions about your thoughts and feelings considering situations and beliefs and decodes your personality using four letters, the Color Code, a test that explains your personality by color, and the Big Five personality test, where you rank your answers from one, meaning “unlike me,” to five, meaning “like me.” All of these tests can categorize your personality. Imagine it as a sliding scale where introverts and extroverts lie on opposing ends, and ambiverts lie directly between them. However, this is not specified. Without scientists’ data and tests including ambiverts, the personality type seems clinically impossible. For years, I struggled to understand my ambiversion. I believed there was something wrong with me because I was so adamant on needing isolation just as much as I needed human contact. I found myself spending hours with people to feel normal and happy, but would end my day crying and begging to be left alone. I wondered if I was suffering from bipolar disorder. The National Institute of Mental Health defines it as a brain disorder that causes unnatural shifts in mood, energy and activity levels. This is a constant perception people have about ambiverts. With our moods constantly switching because we either want to be alone or have companions, it doesn’t seem like a healthy personality. I know people struggle to understand me because I can quickly “turn on” my introverted and extroverted self when I’m told to speak to people. For example, when I’m told to explain how I feel, I become an introvert because I’m not comfortable sharing my feelings. However, when it comes time to take charge, I don’t mind becoming extroverted because I enjoy expressing my opinions. So, the next time I tell you I’m an ambivert, I honestly didn’t stutter or make up a word. And when I explain what an ambivert is, don’t tell me that I’m basically an introverted extrovert or extroverted introvert. I am who I am, and who I am is an ambivert. And that seems pretty normal to me.
RPThursday, January 28, 2016
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12 op/ed
of civil rights, yet I have trouble being Behind the picket sign: I’mableatosupporter protest for them. by Trianna Downing Managing Editor I wasn’t one of the students at HHS who peacefully protested the verdict regarding Michael Brown in the mall on Nov. 24, 2014. I wasn’t a protester in the Fourth Precinct following the death of Jamar Clark on Nov. 15. Any opportunity I had to protest for gay rights, women’s rights, or racial equality, I didn’t. But I wanted to. I just can’t find it in myself to protest. I assure you, it isn’t because I don’t agree with the cause. I’ve been an avid supporter of Black Lives Matter, the LGBTQ community, and women’s rights. What holds me back from joining the The main thing holding me back from joining the protests is fear.
“Any opportunity I had
to protest for gay rights, women’s rights, or racial equality, I didn’t. But I wanted to. I can’t find it in myself to protest.” First and foremost, I care too much about what others think of me. I don’t want people to see me as an “angry black woman” if I hold up a Black Lives Matter sign. If I go to a LGBTQ event, will I be fired from youth ministry for being a “bad Christian?” When I say that I’m against defunding Planned Parenthood, am I a “raging feminist?” I’m afraid to see what it takes for people to start viewing me differently.
photo by Ruby Krietzman
There’s also the possibility that I lose friendships. The reasons behind my lack of protesting are weak. I know I was raised to ignore what others think of me. I know my faith should never be the concern or criticized by another. I know that if my friends can’t support me, they aren’t my true friends. Other times, I find myself questioning whether protests are justified. Should Black Lives Matter shut down a major highway or an entire precinct and halt Minnesotans from getting to and from work? I go back and forth on my opinions: maybe it is justified because the method attracts the attention of Minnesotans and forces others to acknowledge its existence, but maybe it isn’t, be-
cause people need to use these resources in their everyday lives. Rather than accomplishing my goal, I’ve tried to make a difference while remaining within a comfort zone. When Andrew Zhou, senior, and I noticed the racial disparities in HHS, we decided to create Zuma, a weekly focus group that talks about racial issues regarding the high school, the nation, and our daily lives. Every Tuesday morning, I feel comfortable speaking my own opinions to a group of students about issues that matter to me. Issues affecting high school, the nation, and our own lives. In the mornings, I take five minutes to write my thoughts about the nation’s issues down on
Black Lives Matter gather to protest police brutality. The movement gained momentum after the death of Trayvon Martin in 2013.
a Google document. Some I’ve shown to friends and family members, others I keep to myself. But this isn’t enough. I’m limiting myself to a small group of people I feel comfortable with. Protesting involves planning, debates, and coverage. It involves a diverse group of people rallying for a controversial change. If I’m going to protest, it has to be bigger and bolder. I’m hoping that I will eventually be confident enough to participate in an actual protest. It can be as simple as protesting an administrative decision by writing an email to the principal, or helping HHS’ Feminist Club with their next project. Whatever it is, I need to protest. The only way to fight for my beliefs is to make my voice heard.
Editorial: Students should go to bathroom without
The staff editorial represents the viewpoint of the Royal Page
Bladder infections, urinary tract infections, and bacterial build up are several of many severe consequences of holding in urine. Going to the bathroom is a natural thing that humans cannot control. It is similar to eating, breathing, and sneezing. Yet, how many times a day are teachers telling students “no” when they ask to use the bathroom? Teachers at HHS are more willing to give out extra credit than let their students to go to the bathroom if they ask for it. And, in some cases, students are given about two to three bathroom passes but are bribed for extra credit or additional points by trading them in for bathroom passes. Understandably, teachers want their classes to run smoothly without interruptions. They do
not want students constantly getting up and disrupting the lesson. However, these are not good enough reasons for not allowing students to eliminate waste from their bodies. Letting students use the bathroom more than once during class; valid. Not letting groups of students use the bathroom at the same time; valid. Not allowing any students to use the bathroom; unreasonable. Occasionally, when students ask to use the bathroom, teachers deny access to the facilities. Teachers argue that by letting students go to the bathroom during class, students will not come back. Yet, it’s imporssible to get further than 500 feet away from their class without being stopped by a hall para.
Teachers also say that students should have used the bathroom during passing time. But what teachers do not take into account, is that during passing time, bathrooms have lines that begin at the first stall and lead out to the doorway, which makes it difficult for all students to use them. Passing time is also an opportunity to talk to teachers, have a quick bite, or most importantly, get to class on time. Students are expected to act like mature adults and are expected to make important life decisions but are treated like children when it comes to bathroom privileges. If teachers want students to act like adults, they should trust us to use the bathroom responsibly. Also, we know when we have to go to the bathroom and should be trusted by our
teachers to use the bathroom when we need it. However, considering school rules that require teachers to be present in the classroom, this makes it hard for them to use the bathroom as well. Maybe it’s only fair that students have to respect the class time as well. Yet, as we enter adulthood and are learning to manage our time, we shouldn’t be questioned on how we decide to use it. If teachers keep denying us access to the bathroom, we will just have to pee our pants in class. So, they should decide which is worse: allowing students to use the bathroom or having to clean pee off the floor.
RPThursday, January 28 ,2016
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sports 13
Making weight in a wrestling world After the mats are rolled up and the headgear comes off , the competition isn’t over by Jordan Zaroff Staff Reporter Nate Johnson, junior, starts his day off at 5:30 a.m. with a 20 minute run. From there, he makes two egg whites, toasts a slice of whole wheat bread, and pours himself a glass of orange juice. For Johnson, this early morning routine is an everyday occurrence for the sport he has competed in every winter since seventh grade. Though most wrestlers begin their career early in life, Johnson began his in junior high. “I started wrestling my seventh grade year, and for the first two years, I was terrible because of the fact that it was winter. I sucked at basketball, so I chose to try something new. My ninth grade year I really started to pick up the sport; from there on my actual wrestling career started,” Johnson said. Wrestling is divided up into 14 different weight classes, ranging from the lightest wrestlers, weighing in at 108 pounds, to the heaviest wrestlers, who weigh in at 287. When Johnson steps on the scale, he tends to see the number 126, even though the weight class Johnson is in is 128. He constantly works on maintaining this weight, otherwise he will not be able to compete. “Some people think we starve ourselves and throw up, but I have never done that. I eat right and work out hard to try and maintain my weight. I tend to lose about six to nine pounds a week, but it is really not that bad because I eat healthy and stay hydrated,” Johnson said. The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) has recently allowed a new rule for every wrestler in the state. As of 2016, MSHSL allows for all wrestlers to gain two pounds, making each weight class two pounds heavier. “Even though I’m 126 pounds right now, I have the opportunity to gain two more pounds and be at 128
Nate Johnson, junior, pins his opponent at the 2015 sections match against Minneapolis South. Johnson won the match and advanced to the state competition. photo by Noah Kaplan
pounds with this new rule in effect. If I weigh in one day and it shows that I am 128.1 pounds, I will not be able to compete, that’s how strict they are,” Johnson said. Justin Grunseth, junior, also competes for the Royals wrestling team. “I chose wrestling because my uncle and dad both used to wrestle, and they both influence me to be the best I can be,” Grunseth said. Grunseth competes at a higher weight class, weighing in at 152 pounds. “Weight is a huge part of wrestling - this is why it makes this sport so difficult, because you need to be able to both physically and mentally keep your weight right. Doing this makes this sport more of a skill sport,” Grunseth said. There are five different ways a person can score points in a wrestling match: the takedown, es-
cape, reversal, near fall, and penalty points. Each wrestler receives various amounts of points by performing these moves. “There isn’t a hardest part of wrestling. Literally everything about it is to be able to grind out the weight, conditioning, and the technique part of the sport,” Johnson said. All of the wrestlers on the HHS team practice almost every day. Whether it be in the weight room, or just a team practice, being a part of the wrestling team is a full-time commitment. “There are times in the week where I don’t want to practice because wrestling is such a physical and mental battle, but that’s when you have to embrace the grind of this sport. I dedicate almost every day to wrestling,” said Johnson. Mr. Al Price, Physical Educa-
tion, is the head coach for the boys wrestling team. Price started wrestling when he was in seventh grade and has been a coach for the past 36 years. “I love to see the progress guys make from day to day and from season to season. I love the competitive side of the sport and knowing the wrestler is responsible for what happens in their match, not another teammate,” Price said. “I also love the physical side of the sport. Hard work is solely responsible for your success, accountability, responsibility, and self responsibility. Wrestling is one sport where you compete against another competitor who is your same general size, at least weight wise.” As a wrestling coach, Price teaches all of the athletes skills and strategies to be able to maintain their weight for upcoming matches. “All wrestlers must go through
body composition testing every year. That is used to determine their lowest possible body fat at seven percent body fat, which is healthy,” Price said. “I try to talk with them about good foods, low fat, high protein, and eating in moderation, not starving, or going without food for long periods of time. I try to impress on them the importance of water in their body and not dehydrating. We try to get them to burn the fat off their bodies to reach their weight in a healthy manner.” Gabe Herman, freshman, attends NJH. For Herman, this is his first year of competitive wrestling. He wrestles in the 170 pound weight class. “I was very interested in this sport and have always found it to be something that I wanted to try,” Herman said. “Trying not to eat too much a day or two before the match is key for me, because even though I may be super hungry, I try to mentally tell myself not to eat.” As for Herman, he has a daily workout that takes place during practice. “We start with warm-ups, which consist of a bunch of jogging and line drills. Then, we stretch for a while so we can loosen up and then get into our partners and work on various things to get us ready for the next tournament,” Herman said. Herman faced a minor setback when he sprained his ankle, which held him out for three weeks. As for Herman’s record, he is 0-6 on the season but says he still has a lot to show and to prove. “I still have a lot to learn and hope to keep getting better as my high school career continues,” Herman said.
RPThursday, January 28, 2016
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14 sports
Coach Onsum explains a drill to the team in preparation an upcoming game against Mounds View High School. photo by Sydney Craven
A bird’s-eye view: The Robins Athletic Program The Robins, an MSHSL adapted athletic team, prove their worth in the athletic program by Sydney Craven Staff Reporter The Robins are a team with 34 state championships and four varsity athletes from HHS. The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) sponsors The Robins, a program associated with the Minnesota Association for Adapted Athletics for students with disabilities to participate and experience varsity sports. Each team is made up of students from Hopkins, Mound WestTonka, and Robbinsdale schools. The team is open to students with physical or cognitive impairments in grades 7th through 12th. There are four Hopkins students that participate with in the program: Cory Tesch, junior, Andy Hanson, junior, Josh Aydil, sophomore, and Izear Joiner, freshman. Tesch participates on the softball, soccer, and floor hockey teams in the Robins program. He has participated in four of the state tournaments for adapted floor hockey, winning all four tournaments. Even after playing on multiple state championship teams, Hanson continues to participate on the team. “Last year during the floor hockey season [Tesch] got me to try it,” Hanson said. Marcus Onsum has been the Robins head coach since 2001. Prior to being named head coach, Marcus was the student manager of the team. He was named the 2001-2002 & 2008-2009 Adapted Athletics Coach of the Year. “I started coaching when I was nineteen years old, and I had no idea what I wanted my career path to be. My experiences coaching revealed my passion for working with kids with disabilities and led me to become an adapted physical education teacher. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Onsum said.
Along with Marcus, Steve Onsum, his brother, is an assistant coach. Throughout high school Steve played on the Robins team as an extraordinary player and team captain. In 2006 Marcus Onsum and Steve Onsum were named Most Caring Coaches by USA WEEKEND Magazine. They are widely known for their excellence in creating a fabulous team and experience. “I love being able to coach these kids and watch them work hard to overcome their disabilities and find success through sports,” Marcus Onsum said. Within the program there are two different leagues. There is a blue team for the physically impaired athletes and a gold team for the cognitivally impaired athletes. Each sport team has about ten to twelve regular season games between two different conferences. The MSHSL has set up a game schedule for the program and sponsors all tournaments and games. All sports teams apart of the Robins have been very successful. The floor hockey team has won twelve total state championships along with soccer and softball winning multiple titles for a total of 34 state championships won by the Robins Athletic program. The Robins floor hockey team won their last state championship title in 2001. Not every school gets the chance to have an adapted athletic program like the Robins. The Robins program is a special chance that not all states have for students with disabilities. Minnesota is one of the only states to offer high school varsity level sports for students with disabilities. The Robins got involved with the Minnesota Association for Adapted Athletics in 1984. Carl Yancy, Special Education, is also the parent of a child that plays on a adapted athletics team. His son plays for a competing adapted sports team outside of the district. “It’s a great opportunity. The kids are able to build social skills,
Coach Onsum makes the team do pushups after miscommunication in a drill.
photo by Sydney Craven
and learn team skills.” Yancy said. Being on an adapted sports team gives each one of the kids the opportunity to learn commitment and build social interactions. They learn the role of being a team player and dealing with winning and losing situations. Though the Robins program is available to students at HHS, adapted bowling is also offered at HHS. The bowling team is sponsored by MSHSL and competes regularly. Tesch is also on the Hopkins adapted bowling team, he is a standout player with an average score of 170. “We are very lucky to have these programs for the students,” Yancy said. Practice is like any other varsity sport practice. They prepare for future competitions and work on past mistakes to overcome their next opponent. The team works on various drills and conditions by running and doing push-ups. And just like any other varsity sport, each and every player puts in hard work and dedicates a large amount of time for the best results.
sports 15
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RPThursday, January 28,2016
‘Cause you’re hot then you’re cold’
The ways in which changing weather patterns have affected HHS winter sports by Ellie Fromstein Staff Reporter
Ryan Hunwardsen, senior and Nordic captain steps into the locker room for Nordic practice, puts on his running tights, puts on his warm headbands, lace up his running shoes, and makes his way to the Lindbergh classroom for further instruction from Mr. Rob Fuhr, Tech Ed. This is a common occurence for Hunwardsen and the Nordic ski team at the beginning of most Nordic seasons. But this season the team spent extra time in this position, thanks to El Niño: a commonly known but commonly misunderstood weather pattern that occurs in the pacific ocean. El Niño, or “The Little Boy” in English, is named after its history in Chile where much of their main source of food is fish. Since El Niño is a natural increase in density and heating of water in the ocean of South America. The water is normally cold, a large source of fish off the coast of Chile would die and there would be starving little boys running around. “El Niño is particularly a big deal this year because with climate change things are getting warmer all around the world, and 2015 was recorded the hottest year on record,” said Mr. John Sammler, Environmental Science. “This El Niño year is really big. One of the biggest cycles that they’ve ever seen.” But quickly this weather pattern has come to a sudden hault. Temperatures in the past two weeks have gone well below zero with a wind chill of negative 30; which means the ski teams won’t be lacing up any running shoes. They’re strapping on their boots and putting on their skis. The Hockey teams can spend some quality time outside working on their craft with their friends and teammates in a low pressure environment. While the rest of HHS can spend some time bundled up inside or out, watching the hockey team take on the highest level of state high school hockey at the Pavilion or the Minnetonka ice arena, or even see some of the most talented skiers in the country shoot across the finish lines. This weather pattern, though relatively harmless to the environment, hurt winter sports teams that practice and compete outside; mainly Nordic and Alpine skiing. “[The Nordic team] all got super anxious,” said Ryan Hunwardsen, senior Nordic ski captain. Starting skiing on the high school team in 7th grade, Hunwardsen has experienced many different types of Nordic seasons. “The best was seventh grade. Every year since then has either been really cold or we haven’t had
Ryan Hunwardsen, senior, skis at the Lake Conference skate ski meet on Jan. 9. Despite a lack of snow early in the season, meets were not affected.
photo by Ellie Fromstein
much snow,” Hunwardsen said. Though the team spends most of their practice time skiing around the Lindbergh fields, there are many instances where the team will take a bus to an area with manmade snow. “The parks like Theodore Wirth or Hyland make snow once it gets below freezing, so we have meets there. But our practice time is very limited, so we have to do a lot of practice on our own,” Hunwardsen said. With the sudden heavy snowfall and extreme cold the Nordic team has the full ability to move forward in their season. “It feels great [to have snow again]. It’s good to finally be able to actually do our sport. It is also nice because now the younger skiers, who don’t have access to roller skis or can’t get rides to local parks, can finally start to ski,” Hunwardsen said. “It was just frustrating to not be able to do the sport and have to run which I hated.” Before the snow hit, the team would occasionally make time and use fundraised money to ski together outside of the Twin Cities. The team took a bus to Dresser, Wisc. to ski at the Trollhaugen Ski Resort over Thanksgiving break. But the lack of snow, intense cold tempera-
tures, and need for travel hasn’t kept Royal athletes from participating in the ski season. “Our participation numbers in Nordic and Alpine ski programs are up and very healthy,” said Dan Johnson, Hopkins Athletic director. “The snow, or lack thereof, is frustrating but doesn’t really kill the spirit of the sport.” Though the ski teams have not been affected, El Niño has the ability to put any Minnesotan hockey lover into a depression; especially for someone who loves to be outside and skate in the winter like Cassidy Dinkins, senior. “It’s awful,” Dinkins said. “[Skating] is the only thing I want to do when it’s cold out, and I can’t because it’s too warm.” For people like Dinkins that love to skate in the winter, there are local rinks that can be used but are at hours students are in class. Monday through friday the Hopkins Pavilion is open from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm where pick-up games are welcomed, but only available for skaters over 18. “Open skate just isn’t as much fun, you skate in circles the whole time opposed to when you’re outside you can play pond. I like the exercise and even though I’m not good I get to be with friends and have a good time,” Dinkins said.
Besides the lack of ice for recreational use, the competition in the State of Hockey felt some strain from El Niño. “When we can’t play outside, it’s hard for us to develop some skills that we like to carry over into games and practice. So when you can’t skate outside and be free without any coaches or referees, it can really change your mindset,” said Riley Martin, senior captain. Having a no-pressure environment outside in the brisk air can do a lot for a team, according to Martin. “When a whole team or a group of guys go out and play together, then that’ll develop even more trust, and then we’ll start trusting each other to make plays and have more fun with them too,” Martin said. But Martin also believes that his team made the best of the major El Niño year and worked to get better with what they have. “For me, you could argue that El Niño has put a strain on the hockey season,” Martin said. “But, with the given circumstances, we’ve been playing pretty well.” After the cold temperatures hit, Martin has seen a big change in the play of his teammates. “I’ve seen some more creativity from guys in not only practices but also in games,” Martin said. “Some guys are trying stuff they once thought wasn’t normal but is not apart of their game. Outdoor ice is a confidence and creativity builder.”
RPThursday, January 28, 2016
the
16 backpage
Sadies:
Behind this fun event, there is a history that is still being celebrated today
History
by Abby Doeden Backpage Editor
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“It was cool to be able to plan it and think about it and having the roles switch.” - Libby Fern, sophomore
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Libby Fern, sophomore, asks Jason Siegel, Wayzata sophomore, to Sadies.
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The Sadie Hawkins Dance challenges traditional gender roles, giving girls the opportunity to plan the night and relieve guys of the stress of having to ask someone. “Normally the guy is the one who is supposed to make the first move and take the risk with the girl. But now girls are making the first move and [guys] are less stressed about what she will say,” said Ben Leervig, junior. For some girls, it can be scary to make the first move, however for others, it can be easy. “I think it is a fun change from the typical guy-asks-girl [tradition], and it’s fun to think of cool ways to [ask].” said Greta Werner, junior. Traditionally, our society has always been a guy-ask-girl type, and Sadie’s gives girls a great opportunity to take the lead in situations where they otherwise wouldn’t.
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As the third annual Sadie Hawkins Dance approached, the girls of HHS prepared poems, signs, and other creative methods to ask someone to the dance. This twist to the traditional “guy-ask-girl” promposal was first introduced in 1938, and originally came from a Lil’ Abner comic strip. Every year on Nov. 9th, the cartoon features single women marching around the town of Dogpatch, in search for eligible bachelors. As the story has it, Sadie Hawkins, a “homely daughter of Dogpatch’s earliest settler,” commends this as her favorite day. Throughout the years, the day has become known as Sadie Hawkins Day, after the forever-single Sadie Hawkins. In celebration, schools across the nation have held Sadie’s dances that take place anywhere from November to February. In the past, couples dressed in overalls and plaid shirts to fit Dogpatch’s country theme. However, over the years, Sadie’s has become a more formal dance, with girls in dresses, and guys wearing matching ties.
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“It was fun to ask him. Me and my friends went to the store to get stuff [for it] together.” -Alina Boyce, senior
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Alina Boyce, senior, asks Ben Leervig, junior, to Sadies.
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