The Royal Page Print Edition: Volume 36 Issue 6

HOPKINS HIGH SCHOOL 2400 LINDBERGH DRIVE MINNETONKA, MN 55305

MARCH 15, 2018 VOLUME 36, ISSUE 6 hopkinsrp.org

RP. the royal page

HHS Responds takes action for Black History Month Through posters, poetry, and parades, HHS Responds lead the way in a schoolwide celebration of Black History Month. page 4 It could've been us.

Following the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., The Royal Page takes a stand against the nationwide epidemic of gun violence in schools. page 8

INSIDE NEWS 2 FEATURE 4 IN-DEPTH 6 OPINION 8 SPORTS 10 BACKPAGE 12

As millions of women stand together against sexual harrassment and sexual assault, HHS students share their powerful stories and work towards change.

IN-DEPTH, PAGE 6-7

photo: Michael Korsh and Lily Smith

Girls United hosts "Not For Sale" panel on sex trafficking Sam Buttress Staff Reporter

I

t can be hard to talk about, and even harder to imagine it as problem in our community, but sex trafficking became the center of attention during a panel at HHS on Feb. 21.

“It’s something that can be prevented, and we’re definitely not doing a good job of doing that.” said Jessica Melnik, junior.

The Not For Sale panel was organized by Girls United MN, a group founded by Melnik in 2014 as a place for girls to connect and share their ideas and struggles that now has around 150 members. It has since grown and become a group with many accomplishments.

“This truly is an amazing community of strong, brilliant, human beings. This group makes me hopeful for girls like me in the future.” said Melnik.

Girls United has had many

different focuses over the years including encouraging young girls to learn more about STEM and building self-confidence in elementary schools.

The organization has been recognized by HHS administration for their work many times. During the “Not For Sale” event, Hopkins tweeted, “This is what bold student leadership looks like.”

Sex trafficking has become a large focus of Girls United after Melnik learned how much of a problem it is in Minnesota. In a Star Tribune story, Melnik said, “I never thought something like this was an issue in Minnesota, because I didn’t ever hear about it, but once you learn about it, it’s hard to not want to do something. I think there is a lack of education out there, especially in the suburban community.”

Minnesota has been ranked thirteenth in the nation for highest incidents of sex trafficking, according to the FBI.

“Not for Sale” was an informational panel to learn about how officials in Minnesota are working to combat sex trafficking. It was held on Feb. 15 at Eisenhower Community Center, and twice on Feb. 21 for students at HHS.

“

you, we’re here to inform you.” said Forliti.

Another member of Breaking Free mentioned how grateful they were to Girls United for organizing the panel and making a difference.

“We’ve been trying to get in

talked about their current work to pass legislation that would decriminalize those who are sexually exploited, and their increased work during the Super Bowl.

“Big events like the Super Bowl don’t actually increase

After having the event, we realized that students should hear about these topics too. The administration was really open to the idea and the fact that Hopkins is one of the first schools to hold an event like this is monumental.

Salma Said, junior and member of Girls United Minnesota

The panel featured speakers from Breaking Free, a nonprofit organization that helps women escape sexual exploitation. Terry Forliti, the executive director of Breaking Free, spoke about the organization, how women are forced into sex trafficking, and her experience with sexual exploitation.

“We’re not here to scare

schools for forever, and today we could thanks to this principal, faculty, and these awesome girls.” said the speaker.

Also present was The Link, a group founded by former Vikings players in 1991 to help youth who are victimized by crime.

Beth Holger-Ambrose, executive director at The Link,

trafficking much, but during those ten days our housing program increased from having 18 beds to having 51 and we were able to have 24/7 support for victims,” said Holger-Ambrose With an estimated 230 attendees on Feb. 15 and and 600800 between third and fourth block on Feb.21, both members of Girls United and attendees

said they considered the panel a success.

“I learned a lot, and the speakers said some powerful stuff that made me confront the reality of the world we live in.” said Dante Reminick, junior.

The panel was just one part of Girls United’s fight against sex trafficking. They are the driving force behind legislation that would allow for schools statewide to implement curriculum that includes education on sexual exploitation prevention.

Hearings for the Sex Trafficking Prevention Bill began recently in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Melnik is optimistic for the future.

“Our goal is for all schools in Minnesota to be able to implement this kind of education so that we can in twenty to thirty years end sex trafficking, but this is just the start,” Melnik said.

MARCH 15, 2018

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news

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the royal page If cryptocurrency is a bubble and it crashes on you, you’re screwed.

Dominic Novelli, senior

Cryptocurrency proves to be risky, profitable Neil Devries Smith and Andy Pelerine Staff Reporters

C

ryptocurrency has been called the end of the economy as we know it.

While almost everyone acknowledges the risks of an unprecedented form of investment, many students see the opportunity to make hundreds of dollars overnight. Some teachers, however, see a money trap that prays on the “get rich quick” mindset of the younger generation.

Cryptocurrency is decentralised, untraceable, and a completely digital currency. It can be used just as an investment or simply as a vehicle of trade.

Bitcoin and all other cryptos are a non-fiat currency. Non-fiat means the value is not backed or controlled by any one government. This means that bitcoin’s trading price is exactly what the next person is willing to buy it for.

According to coinmarketcap.com, the current market

capitalization (total value) of the top 100 cryptocurrencies is around 357 billion dollars as of Feb. 8 of this year. This can fluctuate nearly 50 billion dollars each day.

In the past few years the world has seen a rapid influx in the quantity and market value of cryptocurrencies. This widespread development has caught the attention of many people across the nation and within HHS. With this recent influx of millennials deciding to invest in cryptocurrencies rather than the “conventional” stock market and other classical investment vehicles, this has the potential to harm the current market due to a decrease in interest from younger investors.

A recent study conducted by Forbes found that 30 percent of millennials (ages 18-34) would rather invest $1,000 in cryptocurrency than $1,000 in government bonds or stocks.

Dominic Novelli, senior, has bought into the crypto market, but is somewhat wary of its current lack of stability.

“As long as you don’t invest too much money right now you’ll be fine,” Novelli said. “If cryptocurrency is a bubble and it crashes on you, you’re screwed.”

Novelli, however, is more into cryptocurrencies for the possibility of a quick profit rather than the long term possibility of a future currency.

On the other side of things, an HHS student, who the Royal Page has granted anonymity to protect his personal financial information, is in cryptocurrencies for the possibility of a future currency.

We’ve granted this student anonymity due to the volume of bitcoin this student possesses, along with the age of the student. With minimal state and federal regulations regarding the taxes around cryptocurrencies, it is safest we do not reveal his age.

This student owns 1.6 bitcoin which at its peak was worth more than $30,000.

“When I started mining bitcoin the money wasn’t there, so I got into it for the technology aspect of it. Obviously, now that bitcoin is worth an exponential

photo: Andy Pelerine

A student tracks the status of Bitcoin on Coinbase, a secure online platform for buying, selling, and transferring digital currency. The unpredictable nature of the currency has made it very attractive to studens looking for quick cash.

amount more, there is a temptation to sell. But I still believe bitcoin will succeed and that’s why I’m holding it,” said the anonymous student.

This type of crypto investor is someone who holds on for dear life (HODL’er). The idea behind this mindset is that bitcoin will become the future currency, and it would be a mistake to sell it now or even when it’s worth $20,000.

“Of course I’m a HODL’er.

The reason that I’ve held it is because I see the value in a de-

centralized currency, and I believe it’s a valuable asset.”

Although many kids see this as the future of currency, some teachers at HHS are still skeptical.

“Because this is a new unregulated currency, there are a lot of unknowns about it, so from an investment perspective it could be scary,” said David Braaten, business education.

Some fear the so-called “crypto craze” has blossomed from fear of missing out and pure hype. Others are just con-

fused with the idea and don’t trust putting their hard-earned money in something they don’t trust.

“A lot of people just don’t know how it works; once that changes, cryptocurrencies could have a future,” said Braaten.

With the future of cryptocurrencies uncertain, typically younger people seem to believe in the idea while older people remain skeptical of this unknown investment vehicle.

“Proceed with caution,” said Braaten.

American Sign Language program signs off after level three While U of M offers CIS for other languages, ASL students don’t have options Olivia Cohen Staff Reporter

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saac Richert, sophomore, used to take Spanish.

This year he decided to take American Sign Language (ASL) and has no regrets.

“ASL is such an interesting language, I was drawn to it,” said Richert. “I took Spanish for two years and comparing Spanish to ASL, it is a lot more fun and it is much easier. It’s really nice being able to rely on your muscle memory.”

ASL is a fast-growing language in the U.S. Many schools have adapted basic levels of the language into their curriculum, acting as an elective foreign language class.

ASL is a complete, complex language that is the main dialect for over 28 million Americans that are considered deaf or hard of hearing.

“What makes taking ASL a great class is that you’re learning more than one thing,” said Neel Varma, sophomore. “While learning to sign and the language, we’re learning about the culture and the deaf community

itself; it would be a good class for everyone.”

Varma, a hard-of-hearing student at HHS, is interested in ASL and wishes it could be a class that could be expanded.

“I originally wanted to learn ASL because I’m hard-ofhearing, and one day I might go deaf,” said Varma. “It’s important to know how to communicate with someone who might be deaf or hard-of-hearing; it’s really too bad that students can only take it for three levels.”

Despite fewer students enrolling in the upper levels of ASL, Jamey Guille, American Sign Language teacher at HHS, is one of the few teachers with an overage, or a full four block day at Hopkins during first semester of this school year. ASL courses during first semester were so popular that he was teaching all four blocks of the day, leaving him with no planning blocks, as the only ASL teacher in the language department.

ASL is a thriving language and a popular class at HHS. The class is not included in any Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) or College In

the Schools (CIS) courses, as all other language options are.

“When CIS and PSEO programs first came to HHS, all languages got them except ASL,” said Guille. “High school ASL courses in the Metro got silence from local colleges about offering any levels higher than three.”

“Every year, I am always hoping for high numbers of students enrolled in ASL courses, to give anyone the opportunity to learn,” said Guille. “Unfortunately every level gets smaller and smaller in numbers; Hopkins could have three level one classes and just one level three.”

Despite ASL being the main language for the deaf community, it is also on its way of being a popular language because of its interactive and innovative qualities. Typically, the language is for tactile and visual learners. According to research, the majority of the population falls into these categories, leaving 65 percent of people visual learners, making this language easier to learn.

ASL combines signing with hands, facial expressions, and body position to create a lan-

guage used to communicate within the deaf community.

“ASL would be great for the people who love using their hands and eyes instead of verbalizing,” said Guille. “By taking this course you learn more about the deaf community, as well as beneficial information for communicating with someone with hearing loss.”

Before becoming a full-time teacher at HHS, Guille taught ASL at both North and West Junior High. Ultimately, due to the International Baccalaureate (IB) systems implimented in the

junior highs and the alternating A/B schedule, the language was dropped from both of the junior high’s curriculums.

Besides teaching it, there are many careers that involve ASL, including sign language interpreters, speech language pathologists, social workers, audiologists, hearing & speech agencies, and hospitals.

In addition to those careers, there are some that aren’t considered the norm. For example, interpreters can translate at the concerts of celebrities in the deaf and hard-of-hearing sec-

tions.

Research from Alldeaf.com shows that the ability to learn languages comes easier to youth.

In result of it, starting to take ASL in college could interfere with someone’s ability to learn the language.

“ASL should be able to have more options in high schools, whether its starting the class in the junior high or providing a CIS option at the high school,” said Varma. “It is a great class that so many people could benefit from.”

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the royal page

MARCH 15, 2018

I think if admission for students was free, everyone would be more likely to go to games.

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news

Sean Hunwardsen, senior

Sparse crowds amidst successful season create need for incentives Dena Rosen and Abigail Yousha Staff Reporters

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hile the Royals’ varsity basketball program is one of the most successful basketball programs in the state and a pride of HHS, the almost empty stands at Lindbergh Center wouldn’t reflect it.

According to school-generated records, the average attendance at girls basketball games is 48 students, and the average attendance at boys basketball games is 161 students.

There are many factors involved in attendance at games including dates, the location of the game, and the opposing team. Each varsity basketball game costs five dollars for students—a price consistent to many other schools in Minnesota such as Wayzata and Minnetonka.

Sean Hunwardsen, senior, is a member of the Lindbergh Loonies, and attends basketball games often. However, Hunwardsen believes that eliminating costs would provide incentive for higher attendance.

“I think if admission for students was free, everyone would be more likely to go to games,” Hunwardsen said. “Most student have to decide if they want to go to the game or save the money for dinner or gas.”

In efforts to increase atten-

YOURE MOM BIG GAY LMAO

photo: Adam Segal

The Lindbergh Loonies cheer on the Boys’ Basketball team in its game against Armstrong Cooper on January 25. Small crowd sizes this season have resulted in the undertaking of various intitiatives to increase student attendance.

dance at sporting events, HHS offered free admission to the varsity games on Jan. 29 and 30.

“We have been talking about doing away with Hopkins students having to buy a ticket to come to high school games and events. We asked our district administration if we could pilot the idea at a couple of games this year and we landed on the two games in late January,” said Mr. Dan Johnson, Athletic Director.

On Jan. 29, a day with no school, the boys team played

Annandale; on Jan. 30 the girls team played DeLaSalle. Both were non-conference games against smaller schools, with only 517 and 760 students respectively, but Johnson maintained that the selection of these dates was intentional. “ We knew we would have good attendance at Lake Conference games and at other highly competitive rivalries but we wanted to see if and how [the incentive] would impact attendance at events that are usu-

ally less attended,” Johnson said.

At those two games, the attendance was 18 and 29 students respectively, excluding members of Captains Council and Lindbergh Loonies (who receive free admission at every game).

Despite significantly lower turnout than average, Johnson still views the efforts as a success.

“The games were nonconference games so we weren’t anticipating a huge turnout but we did want to see if that was enough incentive to get our stu-

dents to attend,” Johnson said.

Shayna Korsh, senior, says she doesn’t go to basketball games often, but time and money are both factors that influence whether or not she goes to games. If not for these obstacles, Korsh thinks that the Royals’ success in basketball is deserving of higher attendance.

“It’s super important to support the basketball teams because we’re one of the best teams in the state,” Korsh said.

As the basketball teams move forward with their season, John-

son says that implementing more free games in the 20182019 school year is being discussed, and that a proposal will be made to the school board in the near future. Hunwardsen believes that eliminating the cost of attendance altogether, as well as more publicity for games, could permanently boost Royals’ fan attendance.

“I think that making the games free for students as well as just promoting the games a lot better would increase attendance. When we played Minnetonka at home we had a great student section and that game was very well talked about,” Hunwardsen said.

While HHS advertises the basketball games on the activities monitor in front of the office and next to the Commons, via Twitter, and on the Hopkins Royals website, other students agreed that announcements over the speaker system would help to publicize dates and allow more students to be aware of upcoming games.

As a Lindbergh Loonie, Hunwardsen has attended games with both high and low attendance, and noted that a larger fan base can not only generate team support, but foster a sense of unity within the entire district.

“I think that having students at all the games is very important, because it develops a strong community and pride in Hopkins,” Hunwardsen said.

HHS considers increasing student safety in wake of Parkland shooting Neil Devries Smith Staff Reporter

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ccording to USA Today, since 2013 there have been five shootings at schools and universities that have caused two or more deaths. These shootings have claimed the lives of 27 faculty and students in total.

In the wake of repeated mass shootings, HHS is taking measures to better ensure the safety of students.

Recently, the school has tried to become more proactive than reactive. Alarms have been added on the majority of the doors throughout HHS, preventing students from leaving and potentially letting unauthorized people into the school.

Moreover, under the leadership of Mr. Doug Bullinger, principle, there has been a greater emphasis placed on the importance of students feeling a part of the HHS community.

“The biggest resource we have to keep our school safe

is ourselves, when we have a strong community we can help everyone be happier and safer,” Bullinger said.

Though many of the newest changes to HHS with regard to security have been implemented in the last two years since Bullinger has been at the helm, other measures to ensure student well being existed prior to his arrival. Namely, HHS has extra protection provided by Jim Giese, Minnesota Police School Resource Officer (SRO).

“A lot of people see police officers not like everyone else, but I have two kids that both go to high school,” Giese said.

“I understand what goes on in school with social media and trying to navigate those things, not only in my personal life but here as well.”

SROs are not required in schools, and many don’t have one. According to the National Association of School Resource Officers, there are between 14,000 and 20,000 officers in about 30 percent of the country’s schools. Those numbers began to grow after the shoot-

ing at Columbine High School in 1999 that resulted in 15 deaths.

Generally, views on police in schools vary. Currently, the Minneapolis School District School Board is contemplating continuing the district’s use of officers, scaling it back, or forgoing the use of officers in schools all together.

However, this debate has not yet reached the Hopkins School District. Presently, Bullinger believes the school is doing everything to ensure student safety, including having Giese in the photo: Adam Segal HHS, along with all Hopkins schools, are strict gun-free zones. Last year, HHS installed alarms on all doors building. except for the main entrance to further protect students.

“We are as well prepared as we can be at this point, but we if emergency responders need to pare for a more realistic, specific with mental health issues, and scenario. This is not required by have made resources available can always try and get better. We access a classroom.

According to the National the state but an extra precaution to them through the counselors are actually meeting as a district and social workers at our school. to access how we can better pro- Center for Education Statistics taken by the district.

“We have six counselors here Often in the wake of mass tect the students of this school,” during the 2015-2016 school year, 94.6 percent of schools shootings, such as the recent when we used to have three, Bullinger said.

HHS also conducts legally conduct some form of active shooting at Marjory Stone- and we have two social workmandated lockdown drills sev- shooter drills throughout the man High School in Parkland, ers whereas my old school had eral times throughout the year. school year, similar to the HHS Fl., the topic of mental health none. I think that our student to is introduced into the national teacher and student counselor Lockdowns serve dual purposes. lockdowns. ratio allows us to connect with In addition to the traditional conversation.

A lockdown may be called to As part of fostering the well- students and put us in a very keep students and faculty safe lockdown, HHS conducts an in the event that someone unex- additional “enhanced drill” being of students, HHS also good position to help a student pectedly enters the building, or where students and faculty pr- recognizes that student struggle in need,” Bullinger said.

MARCH 15, 2018

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the royal page I realized that not many people know about black history except for the main people or events and there is more to it.

Ilham Nur, senior feature HHS Responds takes action for Black History Month

Club educates the student body through parades, poetry, posters Willow Scherwinski Staff Reporter

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n elementary school and junior high, efforts to educate students about African American culture and related issues during Black History Month were on the shoulders of teachers. Here at HHS, this responsibility has been taken on by students, specifically the student group, HHS Responds.

Throughout the school, the HHS Responds club is taking initiative to make our building a more inclusive environment.

Members work to provide a safe and open place for students to be heard.

“It is a safe space for students. Especially minorities who feel their voices are not heard in the majority,” said HHS Responds leader Ilham Nur, senior.

The club’s main goal is to promote a positive social environment; one where everyone feels safe, included and respected. This is often enacted while simultaneously having the tougher conversations about gender, sexuality, colorism, race, etc., that hold relevance in our community.

“HHS Responds is not a club that wants to lecture anybody about culture, instead we want to appreciate and learn from each other’s differences and experiences,” Nur said.

Members work to highlight issues that they feel are important in our community as well as in their own lives. Debra Chepkemoi, junior, recently did so at the winter pep fest on Friday, Feb. 16.

Inspired by HHS alum Ladaysha Davis, she stood in front of the entire student body and recited Maya Angelou’s poem, Still I Rise in honor of Black History Month.

“It beautifully highlights African and African American culture,” Chepkemoi said.

Along with the reading from Chepkemoi, HHS Responds is actively working to celebrate Black History Month throughout the school. Over the course of February, students will be witnessing these efforts popping up.

One of the first things done was called Insta History. A display of made up “Instagram accounts” belonging to significant members of African American culture were put up in the windows of the main office.

“We wanted to recognize famous African American people who have helped break barriers in American and world history, and who may not be as well known,” said Miranda Shapiro, senior, HHS Responds member.

The club is also taking advantage of Music Monday as a platform to celebrate. During passing time between advisory and TASC each week, a song representing a period of African American history will play.

It will work as a progression and each week the music will reflect a time closer to today.

“We started off playing tribal music from Africa then moved to songs sung by slaves, then the civil rights movement, and lastly modern music by Black artists that hold a meaning to what is going on in the Black community today,” Nur said.

The club also worked to be involved in the popular lunch activity of trivia. Just as the regular spirit shop trivia goes, students were rewarded candy for answering questions. These questions though were about people and events prominent in Black History.

The goal of this was to have

students learn something new about the culture.

One final thing that HHS Responds had planned to celebrate Feb., being Black History Month, was a parade that took place before the first bell on Friday, Feb. 23. It was organized into four sections that would showcase significant eras in Black History: tribal African,

slavery, civil rights, and then modern movements, such as Black Lives Matter.

To many members of the HHS community, the emphasis put on the celebration of Black History month was important.

“I dont think a lot of people of color get celebrated that often so its a month to celebrate

and embrace black culture,” Chepkemoi said.

In the future, HHS Responds hopes to be just as proactive in all areas of activism in our community as they were with Black History Month. Nur expresses that the club hopes to get more involved with the Women’s March, organize a fishbowl conversation, and host a multicultural show.

photo: Willow Scherwinski

HHS Responds organizes a parade through the mall in honor of Black History Month. The parade culminated the group’s efforts to celebrate the month and promote diversity within HHS.

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the royal page

MARCH 15, 2018

The highlight of my snow carving experience is seeing my second family once a year.

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feature

Anna Von Duyke, senior

LOVE fills the air In honor of Valentine’s Day, HHS choir put on their annual Heart-O-Grams Fundraiser.

Willow Scherwinski Staff Reporter

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lassrooms throughout HHS were filled with heartfelt serenades and blushing students this Valentine’s Day with the beloved tradition of HeartO-Grams taking place.

13 different groups of students got together and began the process necessary to make the day special. It began by choosing three or four songs within the realm of romance and practicing to perfection.

Then, each group auditioned in front of Ms. Katie Irvin, choir director, in hopes of making the cut.

“I was nervous at first, but then I went in there and started singing, and I remembered that I sing in front of Ms.Irvin ev-

eryday,” said Sagit Nachmias, junior. “It was just like another day in choir.”

The groups of four to seven musically inclined students continued practice and prepared for the day.

New to HHS this year, Kyra Berggren, senior, decided she wanted to participate in the Valentine’s Day festivities after seeing videos from last year.

“I’m excited to see peoples reactions because this is my first year here and it’s something new. It will be fun to see peoples faces,” Berggren said.

Veteran Heart-O-Gram vocalist and Geoff member Isaac Daitzchman, senior, is eager to carry on the positivity that the performances bring.

“I think what makes HeartO-Grams so special is the fact that so many people dedicate

their entire day just to deliver heart warming messages all over the school. That is pretty awesome,” Daitzchman said.

Other students began participating the week before Valentine’s Day by purchasing Heart-O-Grams for friends and loved ones at lunch. When bought, a heartfelt message could be written for whomever it was being sent to.

The sophomore class will have this HHS staple experience for the first time this year.

Camille Brimmer, sophomore, was happy to purchase one for her teacher.

“A friend and I bought one for Mr. Harris because he was expecting no sophomores to buy them,” Brimmer said. “We wanted to surprise him.”

ABOVE: Molly Robblee, Nafi Soumare, Maddie Whittey, juniors, and Angie Raney, senior, sing a rendition of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” in Midori’s Heart-OGram group on Feb. 14.

RIGHT: Troy Schroers, Michelle Lopez, Kennedy Williams,Emily Beard, and Alisa Zudov, juniors, sing in their Heart-O-Gram group.

photos: Parker Stoddard

Gitler and Von Duyke sculpt community at Winter Festival Maya Kupritz Feature Editor & Mia Sparrow Staff Reporter

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riving approximately four hours up North, Anna Von Duyke and Sylvie Gitler, seniors, traded in their pencils for chisels for a weekend getaway at a winter festival in Ely, Minn.

This year marked the 25th annual Ely Winter Festival, with celebrations running from Feb. 1 to 11. Besides the snow sculpture gallery, other festivities included a craft fair, live music, ice fishing competition, and food.

“It’s fun and the city is really nice and amazing,” Von Duyke said. “It’s the same people that come up every year so it’s kind of like a big family reunion everytime we go.”

Ely, located up North near the Canadian border, is a small town with a population just under 4,000 people.

Von Duyke, who’s been going to the festival since birth, and carving since she was about 12 years old, is very familiar with this setting. This year, she decided to bring a close friend,

“

Gitler, along to experience snow carving for the first time.

“A lot of the people on the snow sculpting team are artists,” Von Duyke said. “My parents are both artists too so they just do a sculpture and sketch something out before we go up.”

Von Duyke, Gitler, and family friends created a fish diving into the water, which took around two blocks of snow and measured 8 feet tall, 16 feet wide in the end.

Von Duyke and Gitler were in Ely for four days, three of which were dedicated to the snow sculpture.

“Our team spent every day about 10 am-5 pm working, with lunch in between,” Von Duyke said.

The team, consisting of 13 people, started off with two, eight by eight foot blocks of snow. The first day of work was fully snow removal and cutting the blocks into a rough shape of the planned model.

“It’s probably the hardest and most physically challenging day,” Von Duyke said.

“

It was a super cool experience. At the end, everybody has a jam session and brings musical instruments and all of the carvers sing.

Sylvie Gitler, senior

photos provided by Anna Von Duyke and Sylvie Gitler

Sylvie Gitler, senior, stands in front of a fish snow sculpture she helped build with Anna Von Duyke, senior, and others down in Ely, Minnesota. Each day consisted of a different step in the process, making the total time spent on the sculpture three days.

The second day involved specific shaping and filling in any holes. The final day allowed for all touch ups, like clearing the ground around the sculpture in preparation for show.

“To be honest, the experienced people did most of the

hard stuff and then we helped smooth things out. They have giant shovels and chisels and stuff like that,” Gitler said.

At the end of their time at the festival, Von Duyke and Gitler participated in a party where people gathered to eat and make

music, a celebration for the town of Ely and the work done on all the snow sculptures.

Gitler shared she would definitely go back to the Winter Festival, but being in college next winter limits the chances.

“It was a super cool experi-

ence. At the end everybody has a jam session and brings musical instruments and all of the carvers sing,” Gitler said.

As for Von Duyke, she plans on attempting to continue this family tradition throughout her collegiate and adult years.

the royal page

MARCH 15, 2018

06 in-depth

ME TOO. Millions of women around the world are saying “me too” to sexual harassment and sexual assault.

It happens in the film industry.

It happens in the workplace.

It happens in places you’d least expect it.

It happens at HHS, too.

Lily Smith and Sam Eklund Opinion/Variety Editor and News Editor

OCT. 15

2006

ALYSSA MILANO

tweets, “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet,” sparking an online revolution of the #MeToo movement.

Actress

TARANA BURKE

creates “me too” as a way to provide support and unity to victims of sexual assault.

ME TOO: A TIMELINE

2017

OCT. 5 HARVEY WEINSTEIN

source: Chicago Tribune photos licensed via Creative Commons

is accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment by more than a dozen women. Weinstein later resigned from his production company.

DEC. 6 TIME MAGAZINE

announces the 2017 “Person of the Year” as “The Silence Breakers,” featuring stars such as Ashley Judd and Taylor Swift who contrbuted to the growth of the movement.

the royal page HHS, too Sources with an asterisk* have been granted anonymity so they could speak freely of their roles in the events discussed.

F

or Aerin O’Malley, senior, it was the boy who stood outside her AP Language and Composition class every day.

He’d solicit intimate contact, comment on the way she looked, and invited her to smoke in his truck.

O’Malley and her friend didn’t engage with the boy, and they never considered reporting his behavior. It simply became part of their daily routine, something that they found annoying, but not threatening.

Because each person’s experience with sexual harassment and sexual assault is different, defining and understanding these concepts can prove difficult, especially for teenagers.

When former Language Arts teacher Mr. Ryan Hogan witnessed the events, he encouraged O’Malley to report the boy. In the end, O’Malley didn’t. Had circumstances been more severe or disrupting, though, she said she may have.

O’Malley’s experience is best classified as sexual harassment— defined by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.”

When the behavior transcends language and becomes action, however, it is then classified as sexual assault.

Though the EEOC provides no precise definition for sexual assault, MerriamWebster defines it as “illegal

2018

sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent.”

The distinction is clear on paper, but in actual classification of an act as sexual harassment, sexual assault, or a general feeling of uncomfortable is difficult. This challenge is perpetuated by the culture surrounding unwanted sexual advances, often leading victims to question their valid experiences.

One HHS student* came forward to share her very personal story of sexual assault.

“Last year— I don’t like saying the r word [rape] because I don’t feel like it was that, even though police say it was— I was sexually assaulted,” said the student.

“It was at a party, which is why the police investigation is open. It’s hard to understand when it is at a party and things go on there.”

After the event, like many victims of sexual assault, she was unsure about who to tell, and if they even should tell anybody.

In a student survey on sexual harassment conducted last year, students were asked about what they would do if they were a target of sexual harassment.

167 of 208 respondents said they would report it to either a teacher or parent, while 66 students said they would confront the person.

In theory, getting help, and talking about what happened, may seem easy. The reality of the situation is that each of those are much more difficult than they may seem, though they are the right things to do.

“The night it happened, I didn’t want to tell my mom or anybody because she would be so upset,” the student said. “Eventually, I talked to my mom, but neither

of us were sure what to do.

We called a hotline for these situations, and the person on the line told us to go to the hospital, so I went.”

Once the first steps toward resolving the situation are taken, the next steps aren’t as clear. Many sexual harassment and assault victims face lifelong repercussions of what is often an isolated occurrence.

“The thing that’s hard is that it is always going to be with me no matter where I go. I have been diagnosed with PTSD from it too,” said the student. “That’s why I had to move here. I couldn’t go to school because the kid went to my there.”

Sagit Nachmias, junior, said she struggled deciding whether or not to report a situation where a teacher made her feel uncomfortable because she didn’t think that the actions fell under the definition harassment or assault.

“They were more physical than any other teacher I’ve had here and it made me really uncomfortable. It made the class harder because it wasn’t really something I could go talk to a counselor about because physically nothing had happened,” Nachmias said.

Finding closure and regaining a sense of normalcy can be more difficult than filing a report or speaking out.

For some, supporting others in similar situations has been instrumental in their recovery. It has also helped them remember that they’re not alone in their experience.

“There is this one organization, Joyful Hearts, that I donate to once a month for rape victims. For my birthday I made a fundraiser to donate to the foundation in place of a birthday gift,” the student said.

stopping time

F

rom Hollywood to Washington, D.C., the past few months have been a whirlwind of sexual harassment allegations, leading to movements such as #TimesUp and #MeToo. For students at HHS, the topic of sexual harassment has been front and center since even before the Me Too and Time’s Up movements.

Last spring, Ivy Johnson and Maeve O’Meara, alumni, worked with Guidance and the Health department to conduct the “Sexual Harassment Student Survey,” a questionnaire that asked students for input on what they would do if confronted with multiple situations involving sexual harassment.

Ms. Jane Kleinman, Health, is an advisor of the Student Wellness group at HHS, and helped Johnson and O’Meara conduct the survey.

Some of the data gathered from the survey were put on posters and hung around the school on bulletin boards and in the restrooms earlier this school year. Now, posters remain in the girls’ restrooms and on the boards, but aren’t up in any of the boys’ restrooms.

While it may appear that this shows a difference in expectations between genders, Kleinman places the blame elsewhere.

“In the girls’ bathroom, those things stay up and stay nice forever, but in the boys’ those things tend to get torn off the wall,” Kleinman said.“It doesn’t surprise me that they’re not still up in the boys’ bathroom, but I know when we printed those up we made enough for both

MARCH 15, 2018 bathrooms.”

The focus of the survey was mostly on the way in which students would react after being involved in an instance of sexual harassment, either as a victim or as a bystander. The hope was that it could make students feel more comfortable with coming to a trusted adult when confronted with a situation involving harassment.

While this could lead to situations being handled better after they take place, some students feel as though the focus should be on prevention of it happening in the first place.

“I think rather than cleaning up the mess after it happens, they have to do more to teach people that sexual assault isn’t okay,” said Nafi Soumare, junior. “Just to make students more aware of what their boundaries should be and how to act around people generally is a bigger deal than proving that they’ll talk.”

Cat Saari, junior, reported an incident that occurred between herself and another student in her ninth grade year. She, and others involved, have conducted interviews with administration in order to gather the necessary information for HHS to take appropriate action.

She feels that HHS is very dedicated to solving the issue of sexual harassment, and hopes that any victim of assault or harassment can be comfortable coming forward with their own incidents.

“If anything, I want to encourage people, if anything has happened to them that makes them uncomfortable, definitely go report it,” Saari said. “The school is very aware of that and they handle it well.”

07

in-depth

JAN. 20 The second annual

WOMEN’S MARCH

in Washington took a stand against sexual assault and reinvigorated women’s worldwide pursuit of resistance.

RESOURCES FOR SURVIVORS National Sexual Assault Hotline 800-656-HOPE

HHS Guidance Office Room W137

National Sexual Violence Resource Center nsvrc.org 1-877-739-3895 National Alliance to End Sexual Violence endsexualviolence.org/forsurvivors

MARCH 15, 2018

STAFF EDITORIAL

It could’ve been us.

We have alarms on our doors and police in our halls. We have emergency drills and classrooms that lock from the inside out.

Why don’t we feel secure?

Since the first widely publicized school shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, safety precautions have been taken to both prevent and plan for a similar occurrence. It’s the thing that schools throughout the nation fear, and an anxiety that is present in both students and teachers.

This fear is justified and reaffirmed by a continued epidemic of mass shootings in America.

Since the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Conn. in 2012, more than 400 people have been shot in over 200 school shootings across the nation.

Though much has changed since 2012, gun violence has been a constant.

It feels as though our government has abandoned us. Children are dying as legislators stand idly by, responding to Political Action Commit-

tee (PAC) dollars over the cries of children. We’re legally mandated to attend school, yet we go unprotected, unable to match the millions of dollars the PACs have to donate.

We too have a count, not in dollars but in bodies. Students, children, gunned down in schools.

14 students and 3 teachers died in the recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The “thoughts and prayers” never seem to translate into action, and neither do tweets. Both are insufficient in the face of repeated and anticipated tragedy. They are temporary fixes to an enduring problem.

We expect these shootings now. The news notification is no longer a surprise.

The pleas of mothers, and fathers, and friends that’ve lost loved ones become one echo that we’ve heard so often. We are sympathetic, but we are tired.

We do what we can, and we know what to look for. We know where

to hide so that someone peeking through the window in a classroom door can’t see us. We know to speak in hushed tones.

There is a line between precaution and assumption. During times such as these, times in the wake of a school shooting 1,700 miles away that still feels so close, that line can become blurred. It is the role of adults, of the administration, to know how to handle these situations.

They do it well, the best they can.

The alarms on the doors, which were originally cause for annoyance among students, now somehow seem more necessary. The efforts by the administrator to make us feel safe, and to ensure our safety whether we agree with their tactics or not, are commendable.

Lunches out, an open campus, are luxuries student’s have desperately wanted, but long been denied. In the weeks following a mass shooting, though, the building’s security concerns feels comforting rather than

suffocating.

Though these safety measures aren’t a solution, sweeping reform of federal gun laws and mental health funding are beyond the powers of our school. Instead, HHS mediates between the student body and the broader world.

On the day following the shooting, Mr. Doug Bullinger, principal, spoke to the school over the loudspeaker.

“Could something like what happened in Florida happen here? No question, but we’re doing everything we can to deter it, and will likely increase our safety measures in the coming weeks. In the meantime, take an extra moment to be kind to one another, and know that you are a valued member of the Hopkins community,” Bullinger said.

The announcement served as a reminder that even if politicians in Washington are unable to unite in the prevention of school shootings, we can find solace in each other.

Hear our voices.

“I was pretty depressed and the fact that the shooting happened on Valentine’s Day made the situation worse. It is supposed to be about love and the shooting obviously did not reflect compassion. It killed the happiness of the day.”

“I want to see the government open their eyes and realize that they can’t be selling assault rifles or automatic weapons or high powered weapons that are small enough and conceable enough for kids to put in their backpacks or lockers.“

“Honestly, I’ve never really heard of what we would do if something like that were to happen here...I feel like for the most part we are [safe], but a shooting like that could happen anywhere.”

Hugh Day, sophomore

Nyakim Tut, junior

Emily Beard, junior

“It feels like adults are letting us down.

We as youth are extremely powerful; in two weeks we’ve already made so much change, and we have no intention of stopping.”

Joe Ramlet, sophomore

Take action.

Colorado

MARCH 14

HHS students walked out for 17 minutes, one for each victim of the shooting in Parkland. photos licensed via Creative Commons

MARCH 24

Students from all around the country will march in Washington, D.C. in the March for Our Lives.

APRIL 20

A second walkout is planned to mark the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado 19 years ago.

“

MARCH 15, 2018

Although I do not think the update

09

to the Snapchat app is very easy to use, I do think it has some benefits.

Dena Rosen, senior

opinion

Snapchat’s attempts at innovation frustrate users Dena Rosen Staff Reporter

T

he newest Snapchat update has Snapchat users very upset and opinionated. Snapchat spontaneously changed the layout of the app on people’s phones.

The new update changed the format of the app and combined the screen for stories and personal snaps.

Snapchat is a social media platform that is utilized by many HHS students, and most share the belief that the app was better before. Like them, I use snapchat on a daily basis and agree that Snapchat before the update was easier to use.

Social media as a whole, not just Snapchat, is constantly changing and advancing with new updates. Many believe Snapchat fixed what was not broken, but with technology continually improving, networks need to change with it in order to not get left behind and forgotten.

Many social media platforms are becoming increasingly similar, and Snapchat is

trying to set itself apart. Snapchat should be changing along with the rest of technology and social media, but this most recent update was the wrong kind of change.

Snapchat could have found a way to be different from other social media platforms by maybe introducing something new to the app rather just changing the layout and making it confusing for all of their users.

Other social media platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram, are full of complaints on how users no longer know how to navigate Snapchat. Even if Snapchat had the intentions of making their app better with this new update, once they received all the negative feedback they should have done something as soon as possible to correct the mistake.

Facebook owns Instagram and the similarities between the two are very apparent. Facebook and Instagram dominate the social media world, so it is necessary for Snapchat to make significant changes in order to draw attention to their app.

Stories were something

that was originally unique to Snapchat. Stories are pictures posted on snapchat and stay for 24 hours. Instagram and Facebook both added stories to their social media platforms when they saw how well it was going for Snapchat. Now that all three platforms have stories, Snapchat

Top 10

Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Feature Editor Sports Editor Opinion/Variety Editor Multimedia Editor Photo Editor Business Editor

Jeff Kocur Adviser Staff Reporters Mason Arneson Sam Buttress Alex Bank Logan Barham David Campbell Eve Clarkson Olivia Cohen Alex Condon Neil DeVries Smith

Ben Herstig Jacob Lehman Riley Lennon Ayanna Maddox Andy Pelerine Dena Rosen Willow Scherwinski Adam Segal Sam Segelbaum Alex Shriver

for them. When they released their latest update the stocks shot back up.

Although I do not think the update to the Snapchat app is very easy to use, I do think it has some benefits. The new update at first made the app frustrating causing me to want to spend less time on the app, which I think

was ultimately healthy because I, along with many others, am too caught up in social media.

Now there has been an update attempting to fix the issues, but it has yet to reach everyone’s phones.

infographic: Dena Rosen source: Snapchat Support

staff Michael Korsh Andy Weisman Hannah Goldfarb Sam Eklund Maya Kupritz Luis Felemovicius Lily Smith James Gulden Adam Segal Jake Birnberg

needed something even newer to push themselves ahead of their competition.

Snapchat saw the need for change that many users did not see. What many Snapchat users do not understand is that Snapchat’s stocks had been consistently going down, so something was clearly not working

Mia Sparrow Gianni Tejada Alex Weisberg Ali Winter Abigail Yousha Paul Zeitz

Editorial Policy The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of the Editorial Board. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the administration, the student body, or the adviser. Viewpoints with a byline represent the view of the writer.

The Royal Page operates as an open forum student publication, and student editors make editorial decisions regarding content.

10

Ways to Get Through Term 3

Passive aggressively post on your finsta

9

“Recycle” your homework

8

Participate in post-Valentine’s Day cuffing season

7 6

Miss as much school as possible by going to the state basketball games

5 4

Make your senior year bucket list (only three months left) Dig an elaborate network of tunnels so you can sneak to Holiday Catch up on those last-minute graduation requirements you forgot

2

Receive, and ignore, your first truancy letter Drop out of school and into Tilted Towers

1

Just remember that Term 4 won’t get any better

3

MARCH 8, 2018

10

sports

“

the royal page It has been a great season for the team. Looking forward, we are trying to continue to improve for postseason.

Akeen Woods, senior

Boys basketball looks to ride win streak into postseason AJ Condon and Sam Segelbaum Sports Reporters

I

t has been 92 days since the Hopkins boys’ basketball team lost a game.

Riding a 21-game win streak, the Royals travelled to Minneapolis North to face the Polars on Feb. 13. The Royals' hard work and consistent play to keep the streak alive almost came to an end. The Royals were down 11 points in the second half and it looked like they would finally lose.

The Royals were down to their last straw. With no time remaining Anthony Davis, senior, got fouled and went to the line for two shots. He missed the first one, and the Polars called a timeout to make Davis think more about the game deciding shot. Davis sunk his last one which forced the game into overtime.

The Royals were able to grind out a win 74-72 to keep their streak alive.

“The whole overtime was a blur,” said Joe Hedstrom, senior. “All I remember is that we scored more points in the second overtime and we came out on top. The atmosphere was crazy in there."

The Royals have been the hottest team in Minnesota this year. Since losing their first game to the, then, top ranked Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders, they won the remaining 25 before heading into the postseason.

The Royals started off the season against the Raiders on Dec. 2, and lost 73-86. This still stands as the most points the Royals have let up in a game.

The Royals defense has been

photo: Jake Birnberg

Anthony Davis, senior, slams home an exclamation point in a home game against the Edina Hornets.

The Royals beat the Hornets 81-59.

very strong this season, only giving up an average of 67.53 points per game.

"I think that our defense has stepped up another notch and it is giving other teams a lot of troubles. Hopkins has always been esteemed for its non-stop, harassing defense, and we are trying to bring back that respect for our defense,” Hedstrom said. “We get up on people and try to force turnovers more than

most teams do, and always be ready to help and recover and everybody has to be on the same page for it to work.”

Along with their 25 game win streak, the Royals are currently one of the top scoring teams in the state of Minnesota with 2157 points in 26 games.

“We just have so many weapons and so much depth, we’re so dangerous in that aspect. Anthony [Davis], can go off, Blaise [Beauchamp],

sophomore, can shoot the lights out, Kerwin [Walton], sophomore, can shoot the lights out, Zeke [Nnaji], senior, can go off, Akeen [Woods], senior, makes shots, DJ [Davis], senior, comes off the bench and creates offensive energy, Dane [Zimmer], junior, gets great offensive boards, keeps possessions alive, and gets easy buckets,” Hedstrom said.

“Offensively we have so many ways to pick people apart, and I think you see that when we have

HRDT performs at Super Bowl halftime show Gianni Tejada and Jake Birnberg Staff Reporters

A

s the second quarter of the Super Bowl came to an end, members of the Hopkins Royals Dance Team (HRDT) were preparing for their own big moment.

The HRDT dancers were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for the Super Bowl 52 Halftime Show.

According to the team, the requirements for trying out for the Halftime Show were that dancers needed to be at least 16 years old and attend eight-hour rehearsals. Each team also had to send in a video in order to be considered to participate in the halftime show.

provided by: HRDT

Photo of HRDT before taking off for their performance at Super Bowl 52.

“Throughout the practices, we were able to rehearse with Justin Timberlake, which was a super exciting experience. The hard part about it was we had to stay professional and weren’t able to freak out like we wanted to because he was just feet from us,” said Azumi Johnson, junior.

Johnson and captain Josie Sandford, junior, were two of 16 HRDT dancers that participated in the halftime show along with about 280 other girls. While the dancers knew in advance that they were going to dance in the Halftime Show, they were not allowed to share

the news with anyone.

“The hardest part of this whole experience was not being able to tell my friends and family where I would be going after school...I just wanted to tell everyone that I would be hanging out with Justin Timberlake for the next upcoming weeks,” Sandford said.

During the Super Bowl game, the dancers waited in the depths of US Bank Stadium, nervous but excited for the performance to come.

“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to dance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Never in a million years would I have thought I would be able to say I have danced at the Super Bowl, representing my hometown and HRDT,” Johnson said.

games where all five starters are in double digits.”

Part of the Royals’ success is coming from their top scorer, Nnaji, with 19.9 points per game. Davis and Beauchamp have also provided help to the Royals, both averaging 15.4 points per game, respectively.

Walton is playing his first season with the Royals and has really made an impact averaging 11.2 points per game.

“We're getting a lot stron-

ger and smarter offensively and we've been playing much more solid defense. We try to get everyone involved,” Walton said.

The Royals have been especially strong in Lake Conference games. The Royals finished the regular season 8-0 in the Lake Conference and have earned the number one spot in the sections tournament.

“The Lake Conference games always seem to have more energy, and towards the end of the season we will spend a couple more days getting ready for them,” Zimmer said.

As the end of the season is just around the corner for the Royals, the team is losing seven seniors and Hedstrom is one who wants to leave an impact most athletes don't think to leave.

"The season is going by very fast and I can’t believe its almost over,” Hedstrom said. "I think I want for people to remember me as someone who wasn’t too cool for people, some athletes act tough or act as if they don’t know you when they see you in the halls. I want to be remembered as a fun-loving kid and someone who made everyone feel included because of my personality.”

Hedstrom also wants to have people remember a specific message that helped him through his high school career.

“I want people to remember the message that you can only control what you can control, work hard, and let the results fall where they may. I want to be a great teammate, listener, and worker. Even though basketball will end, those things are things you need throughout your life and are bigger than basketball,” Hedstrom said.

“

the royal page

MARCH 8, 2018

We left the season with a great game aganst Cretin-Durham Hall. It was an upsetting loss, but we definitely made improvements from last season.

Amanda Olson, senior

11

sports

Despite not going to HHS, homeschooled athletes show Royal pride David Cambell and Mason Arneson Sports Reporters

W

hen people think of star high school athletes, they probably believe they are also some of the most visible kids in the school. However, that is not always the case, as some star students don’t even go to the school they play for.

It is common to see one or two kids on each team not actually go to HHS. Homeschooled kids are seen in almost every high school, including big name basketball prospects, LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball.

Kyra Jackson, senior, and Kaelin Jackson, junior, are sisters on the HHS Nordic Ski team, and they have been phenomenal in a season where they are going to be participating in the State Tournament.

“I went to HHS for a year and it’s not much different than being homeschooled,” Kaelin said. “I have many of the same classes and usually get my work done quicker because I don’t have to wait for others to focus.”

Some might say because

they are homeschooled, the players might be treated or coached differently, but the sisters don’t feel that way. They say it doesn’t mean they get treated any differently from other members on the team.

“It took some getting used to at first, but after a couple meets, they were just like the rest of us,” said Caleb Dunnewind, sophomore. “They have been crazy good this year.”

The two girls have been dominant this season, racing faster than ever before.

“I’ve skied, trained and raced with my sister my whole life, so it feels pretty normal that we are going to state together,” Kyra said.

Sometimes, homeschooled students can find it difficult to represent their team when they don’t see their teammates every day, not Kyra and Kaelin though.

“I’ve always thought about it as representing the team more so than the school itself,” Kyra said.

Kaelin went to HHS for a year and she still feels like a part Hopkins family.

“I only recently started homeschooling so I still feel

pretty close to Hopkins,” Kaelin said.

However, the Jackson sisters are not the only students that have been homeschooled while still playing HHS sports. Joe Hedstrom, senior, was homeschooled until 11th grade. He committed to the basketball program at the University of

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. DenHartog has been playing on the varsity softball team since seventh grade. She also played basketball in ninth and tenth grade but had to discontinue because of a knee injury.

“My biggest accomplishment so far has been helping the Royals to back to back section championships and state tournament appearances,” DenHartog said. “Overall I think my stats show what I can do as a player and I’m just super excited to play as a gopher next year.”

Winning the Athena award is more than just a title to DenHartog.

“I have always looked up to the previous Athena winners as incredible female athletes and people,” DenHartog said. “I am

just super honored to be chosen to embody that for this year’s senior class.”

Jesper Hoffman, senior, is currently the captain of the boys hockey team, and in the fall, was the captain of the cross country team.

In the spring, he will be the captain of the track and field team. He also participated on the nordic skiing team.

“My biggest accomplishment is running a 16:23 in a 5k [race] for my last race of my senior cross country season,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman is also proud of the award he has earned.

“It shows how much work I’ve put in over the years and all the different activities I participate in,” Hoffman said.

Wisconsin and is the first of his five siblings to go to a public school.

While he was homeschooled, Hedstrom felt a little bit of disconnect from his fellow teammates.

“I was still pretty good friends with them, but sometimes they’d talk about school

stuff in the locker room and I’d be lost in what they were talking about,” Hedstrom said.

Despite being an athlete, the decision to end homeschooling was not based around his on-court talents.

“They thought I had gone above what homeschooling could offer. There are so many

more opportunities for classes and electives here,” said Hedstrom.

These three are just a sample size of the homeschooled presence within HHS sports, and it proves how much Hopkins pride can be generated by people who don’t walk within the walls of HHS.

photo: Adam Segal

Joe Hedstrom, senior, lines up for a free throw in a matchup against the Robbinsdale Cooper Hawks.

The Royals beat the Hawks 86-75.

2018 Athena and Apollo announced AJ Condon Sports Reporter

E

very year at HHS two seniors, one male and one female, are selected as the most accomplished athletes of the school.

Natalie DenHartog, senior, and Jesper Hoffman, senior, were the two athletes selected for this prestigious award.

“The coaches of the various varsity sports are able to nominate athletes for the award,” DenHartog said. “Then the nominees fill out paperwork laying out their athletic achievements so far. The coaches then get together and discuss and select the winners of the award.

DenHartog is currently the captain of the softball team and has committed to play at the

provided by: Maia Weiler

Kylie Hanley, senior, and Amanda Olson, senior, shield the net in a game against Wayzata.

The Royals lost to the Trojans 4-2.

Girls hockey comes to a close HHS girls hockey team drops last game to Cretin-Derham Hall Mason Arneson Sports Reporter

T

provided by: Jesper Hoffman

provided by: Natalie DenHartog

Jesper Hoffman, senior, and Natalie DenHartog, senior, were the recipients of the Apollo and Athena awards. Hoffman is a three-sport athlete while DenHartog specializes in softball.

he HHS girls hockey season came to a disappointing end this past Saturday.

The joint HHS/Saint Louis Park girls hockey team endured a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in their sectional quarterfinal game against Cretin-Derham Hall.

During the regular season, the squad posted a record of 12 wins and 13 losses, which was enough to secure the five seed in the Class 2A, Section six

playoffs.

The Royals started off strong enough with a pair of goals from forwards Kylie Hanley, senior, and Mary Gleason, junior, midway through the first period.

But in the ensuing two periods, the Raiders chipped away at the lead with two goals late in the second and early in the third to knot the game up at 2-2. Another Cretin goal in the third sealed the Royals’ fate.

For the seniors playing their last game in a Royals sweater, it was an emotional experience.

“It was definitely bittersweet.

I will miss the team and the girls I grew up playing with,” Hanley said.

While the underclassmen were equally as devastated, they looked into the next season with new expectations.

“I think the goal is definitely to be successful in conference play and make it past our first section game,” said Mary O’Neil, junior.

Despite the season not ending on the best of terms, this squad hopes to return next year and attempt to make more progress.

MARCH 15, 2018

12 talent for a cause backpage the royal page

On March 9, HHS Student Council hosted the first annual Talent Show as a fundraiser for the ICA Food Shelf. With admission fees along with generous donations, they were able to raise over $1,000 to help fight hunger throguhout the community.

Singing Duet Shannon Maroney (left) and Ben Herstig (right), seniors, perform Rivers and Roads by The Head and the Heart. The duet harmonized on a song that worries about the uncertainty of the future.

Teddie Bernard, junior, performs Come Hang Out by AJR, singing and playing the ukelele. Song selections at the talent show ranged from pop, such as Bernard’s act, to classical piano concertos, one of which was performed by Laura Hinck, junior.

Paul Zeitz

Staff Reporter

MC’s and Student Council members Erin Weiss (left) and Jaxon Parker (Right), juniors, pump up the crowd for the oncoming act. The night was comprised of nearly 20 acts including singing, juggling and even a stand-up comedy bit.

The entire ensemble of performers gathers on stage for one final applause and a curtain call. Student Council hopes to continue this successful and entertaining event in the coming years.