December Issue

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theROYAL

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 Volume 30 Issue 3

inside the RP Cheating at HHS - C-Spread Boys, girls basketball preview - Sports Meuwissen dances through life - Feature Importance of college readiness - Opinion Superintendent Schultz addresses District issues - News A look at Deeply Royal - Variety

Rep. Ellison talks financial literacy

Photos by Mike Newcomer

Left: Rep. Ellison talks to students in the HHS auditorium about the economy and financial literacy. Top right: Seth Gellman, senior, and Chandler Luhowskyj, junior, introduce Rep. Ellison. Bottom right: School board members (left to right) Yvonne Selcer, Betsy Scheurer, and Wendy Donovan enjoy Ellison and Bridges’ presentation.

Rep. Keith Ellison was brought to HHS by the ‘Your Money Your Life’ project Ryan Levi Editor-in-Chief With American and global economies struggling and unemployment on the rise, financial literacy has become an important tool for students looking to succeed after high school.

Last week, many students at HHS received a crash course in the importance of financial literacy from an unlikely teacher.

Rep. Keith Ellison, who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, and Ms. Dorothy Bridges, Senior Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis, spoke in front of a packed auditorium on Monday, Nov. 21 about how high school students can become knowledgeable about the financial world.

The event was set up by Seth Gellman, senior, and Chandler Luhowskyj, junior, leaders of Hopkins’ DECA “Your Money Your Life” group, as a part of Hopkins Financial Literacy Month. “We thought it was important to have two people like Congressman Ellison and Ms. Bridges, two leaders in the community, come talk to kids about the importance of financial literacy,” Gellman said.

They first reached out to Ellison and Bridges in August and maintained in contact through the following months to secure and publicize the event. “[Ellison and Bridges] thought it was a great project and wanted to be a part of it,” Gellman said.

Ellison spoke to students about how to effectively manage their money, often using call and response to have the students repeat important words or phrases.

He spoke at length about the importance of students creating a budget for themselves and sticking to it. “The best thing you can do for yourself is to prepare yourself a budget,” he said. He urged students to avoid “impulse purchases” and not to buy things they don’t need to impress their friends.

He also warned students about the dangers of buying on credit and accumulating debt, encouraging students not to get a credit card until

they are 25. Ellison, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, touted legislation passed by Congress to raise the minimum age to apply for a credit card without parental backing from 18 to 21.

Ellison did make a distinction to the students between good debt and bad debt. “Bad debt is when you make an impulse buy, something you don’t really need...and you cannot pay for it at the end of the month,” ELLISON continued on page 4

Who is Keith Ellison?

-Born August 4, 1963 in Detroit, Michigan -Has lived in Minnesota since 1987 -Served in Minnesota state House of Representatives, 2003-2007 -Serves in U.S. House of Representatives, 2007-Present -First Muslim U.S. Representative -On the House Financial Services Committee and Democratic Steering and Policy Committee -Co-chair of Congressional Progressive Caucus

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RPThursday, December 1, 2011

Photos by Bridget Bennett

Schultz came to HHS on Fri., Nov. 11. He attended a mock press conference concerning current information about the District in order to answer recent questions posed by Royal Page students.

Superintendent discusses District issues Schultz responds to enrollment Parent survey results reveal parprojections and changes in District ents’ opinions about District

By Madeline Rauma News Editor

Increased class sizes and limited chocolate milk, although more noticeable to students, are not the only changes that the Hopkins School District is facing.

The face of the District, including who attends its schools, is changing as well. This year, the Hopkins School District open enrolls about 400 more students into the District than out for a net gain of students.

Hopkins has historically benefited from open enrollment, but the gap between open enrollment into and out of the District has steadily decreased.

In addition to open enrollment changes, overall District enrollment has decreased.

Since 2008, total enrollment has decreased more than 100 students throughout the District.

One possible reason for this decrease is the fact that the majority of families in the geographical area that Hopkins School District covers do not have children.

Over the past several years, the amount of students enrolling out of the Hopkins School District to the Minnetonka School District has increased from just over 100 during the 2006-2007 year to nearly 400 last school year.

Each time a student chooses

to open enroll out of the Hopkins School District, money from the District’s General Fund, where most day-to-day expenses are paid out of, is lost.

“On average, the District loses $6,000 of revenue each time a student leaves,” said Mr. John Toop, Director of Business Services.

Conversely, when new students are accepted into the district, that same amount of revenue, about $6,000, is added to the General Fund.

However, the increased revenue brought in by students must be balanced with the financial demand of catering to more students. “We accept open enrollment in, for most cases, if it does not increase costs to the District,” Toop said.

Bringing in more students requires hiring more teachers, and sometimes the cost of hiring a new teacher may exceed the amount of revenue brought in by new students.

Armed with these numbers, the District is actively working to increase enrollment through all grades.

“We are being proactive with our incoming kindergarten families as we know that families who start with us often stay with us,” said Ms. Jolene Goldade, District Communications/ PR Coordinator.

Increasing the publicity of Hopkins School District in a

marketing and communicative aspect is a way to attract possible families into the District.

“We are experimenting with video, social media, and electronic newsletters to reach a much broader audience,” Goldade said. The District is trying to communicate using different technological platforms including an electronic newsletter, Twitter, and Facebook.

“When marketing the Hopkins School District, we try to focus on two things: the quality and strength of our District,” Schultz said. “Those aspects are brought by great teachers.”

The factors outside of the schools have contributed to the District’s lower enrollment numbers.

“Because of the state’s economy, there are not a lot of people moving out of the District or into the District,” Schultz said. This means that families with former students aren’t moving out of the District and new families are not moving into the District, stagnating enrollment.

In fact, according to parent survey results, in categories such as broadness of curriculum, teacher quality, and academics, parents choosing to enroll out of the District rated those aspects higher than indistrict parents.

By Jack Werner Staff Reporter Parents know what they want out of their schools, and in Hopkins, they are getting a lot of what they want according to a summer survey.

840 households were involved in the survey. Parents of Hopkins students from both inside and outside the district were surveyed, as well as parents of preschoolers and parents open-enrolling their children outside of the District. According to Dr. John Schultz, Superintendent, the variety was to gain perspective from residents with varied points of view.

Among the District’s perceived positives are the teachers and faculty. 38 percent of surveyed parents of Hopkins students listed good teaching as the school system’s greatest strength. This came as no surprise to Dr. Diane Schimelpfenig, the Director of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at Hopkins.

“I really feel, in my experience, that our teachers do an exceptional job,” Schimelpfenig said. “[The reason for the District’s quality] first and foremost is the quality of our teachers and instructors.”

Behind teaching quality, Hopkins parents viewed the District’s greatest strengths as the quality of education, good academics, and broad curricu-

lum, in that order.

Survey participants were also asked to name the Hopkins District’s most serious issue. 44 percent of parents cited lack of funding, more than twice as many as any other response.

Schultz pointed out that other issues facing the District are brought about, or at least worsened, by lack of funding, citing class size as an example.

Lowering the class size by one student across the entire district would cost approximately $650,000, Schultz said.

“So when parents say [they want to lower class size], it’s a challenging thing because of the resource environment that we’re in, ” said Schultz.

The survey also questioned parents about specific curriculum changes they would like to see. The survey revealed parents’ overwhelming support for International Baccalaureate programming, world languages in the elementary schools, and a STEM magnet elementary school that would focus more directly on science, technology, engineering, and math. A majority of participants also supported year round elementary school, though responses for this were much more mixed than for any of the other programs.

Despite all of the support, implementation of these programs is still just hypothetical.

However, the District is taking steps to determine whether to incorporate these programs into the curriculum.

For example, the Hopkins administration conducted a junior high rigor study during the last school year. The study was conducted to examine the current junior high curriculum and to determine the viability of an International Baccalaureate program in the junior highs.

According to Schimelpfenig, world language programs in elementary schools are also always under consideration by the administration.

Though the creation of a STEM magnet elementary school doesn’t appear likely anytime soon, Schimelpfenig pointed out that STEM programs already exist within the elementary schools. These programs are for students in grades three through five. Schimelpfenig said she would eventually like to extend these programs to all elementary school grades.

Though the survey showed good and bad perceptions of the Hopkins district, Dr. Schultz remains proud of the school system.

“Hopkins High School to this day still gets rated as one of the top high schools in the nation,” Schultz said.

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New and returning on school board Zach Gunby Staff Reporter

On Nov. 8, five candidates ran for the four open spots on the board. Below are the four winners.

Steven Adams

Irma McIntosh Coleman

Kristine Newcomer

Time spent in Hopkins: 26 years

Time spent in Hopkins: 19 years

Issues of Interest: to maintain 21st century skills and long-range strategic planning

Issues of Interest: professional learning communities and the economy Total votes: 2,309, 17.0 percent

Time spent in Hopkins: 21 years Issues of Interest: school finance, educating all students

Time spent in Hopkins: 18 years Issues of Interest: “What’s best for the kids.”

Total votes: 3,012, 22.2 percent

Total votes: 2,884, 21.3 percent

Education: master’s in History, mini master’s in marketing and project management, bachelor’s in art

Education: associated degree in in general business

Total votes: 3,075, 22.7 percent Education: bachelor’s in English, Master’s of Business Administration

Education: master’s degree plus an education specialist certifiate in school administration

Wendy Donovan

Photo by Zach Gunby

A renaissance in AP European History Enrollment increases require additional teacher and sections as students choose more difficult AP courses Josh Gallop Staff Reporter In recent years, enrollment in AP classes are growing in numbers. Among these advanced placement classes, AP European History is gaining popularity.

Mr. Rick Rexroth, social studies, has been the only teacher of this course for the past several years. That changed this year with the addition of Ms. Anne Sateren-Burow, social studies. Sateren, spent the past nine years teaching seventh grade social studies at West Junior High.

When she was chosen for the job a the high school, Sateren knew that she was beginning a new experience. “It’s obviously a lot different than teaching seventh grade social studies,” Sateren said.

This year the number of AP European History sections offered increased from three to

five, and another teacher was needed. Rexroth and Sateren are splitting the course load with three sections going to Rexroth and two to Sateren.

Rexroth said he is happy to give up the task of being the sole AP European History teacher in the school. He still teaches the same number of sections as he did last year, but this year he has a companion to consult with. “I’m excited to have another teacher because she’s coming from the junior high level, and its fun to work with people,” Rexroth said.

In the AP European History class, students are not the only ones doing the learning.

“This being my first year, it’s been challenging, but it has also been fun to be learning along with my students,” Sateren said.

The number of students signing up for AP European History and AP World History has doubled over the past

eight years to 270 kids this year; enough students registered for the two courses to fill three and a half sections of AP World and four and a half sections of AP European History. The decision was made to move about 15 kids from World to Euro and, ended up with five sections of AP European History and three of AP World History.

Along with more students taking AP social studies, class sizes are rising. As class sizes continue to increase, scores on the AP exam for AP European History decrease.

“We have a good passing rate, somewhere between 65 percent and 85 percent, but as our class sizes grow, the number of fours and fives decrease and the number of threes increases,” Rexroth said.

The number of students who sign up for an AP social studies class increases greatly from sophomore to junior year.

The majority of students who take AP US History as a sophomore will go on to take AP European History or AP World History as a junior..

“If I don’t take AP classes I won’t get into a good college, if I don’t get into a good college I won’t get into a good law school, and if I don’t get into a good law school I won’t make my bubbie proud,” said Ethan Friedman, sophomore.

There are also students who realize their sophomore course load is not strenuous enough for them, so they decide to take an AP class the next year. “I’m taking Faces (of Conflict) this year, but my dad wants me to have a harder schedule, so I’m doing an AP social studies next year,” said Jillaine DeYoung, sophomore.

“You can’t write stories more interesting and more fascinating than what actually happened,” Sateren said.

Sateren & Rexroth If you could be anyone in history, who would you choose?

Sateren: Jane Goodall for a year, Elizabeth I for a year, Julia Child for a year, Abigail Adams for a year, Ann Bancroft for a year.

Rexroth: Either Winston Churchill during WWII or Teddy Roosevelt.

If you could go to one place in the world, where would you go?

Sateren: Thailand Rexroth: Highlands of Scotland,or Florence. Italy.

What is your favorite of all ancient civilizations?

Sateren: Chinese dynasties, especially the Qin. Rexroth: The Lost City of Petra or Old Sarum which is an ancient fort next to Stonehenge.

Rep. Ellison talks financial literacy ELLISON from page 1 Ellison said. “If you acquire debt for something that is going to pay you back later, that might be a debt you want to pay, like education.”

In response to a question about the best way to avoid accumulating lots of student loan debt, Ellison encouraged students to look for a “good educational bargain” and to avoid stretching out their schooling beyond four years.

Both Ellison and Bridges mentioned the importance of being aware of people out to separate students from their money. “We have a lot of deceivers in our community,” Bridges said.

“There are people that are willing to lie to you,” Ellison added. Both said that becoming financially literate is the

RPThursday, December 1, 2011

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best way to avoid falling into deceptions and losing money.

In addition to creating a budget and avoiding cumbersome debt, Ellison encouraged the students in the auditorium to begin saving early. He said that when students are making their budgets, they should set 10 percent aside each week and save it. “You need to be a saver from the very beginning,” Ellison said.

In addition to students, several school board members were in attendance to listen to Ellison and Bridges. Board chair Yvonne Selcer attended the event along with Betsy Scheurer, Wendy Donovan, Ellen Dustman, and Susan Wootten.

“I thought he [Ellison] gave very good advice about good debt and bad debt, and

his points about studying the situation, saving, and impulse versus reasonable buying were right on,” Selcer said.

After this event, Gellman and Luhowskyj plan to continue to eduacte the District about financial literacy.

They have prepared activities for Monday advisory and are planning a stock market game for the high school Their activities fit in well with the commitment the District has made towards creating financially literate graduates. Starting next year, students will be required to take two financial literacy courses, one as a freshman and the other as a senior, to graduate. Hopkins is the first district in the state to make financial literacy a graduation requirement.

Is Keith Ellison your representative?

Visit royalpage.org for video from the Ellison event and other content © 2011 Google - Map Data © Europa technologies, INEGI

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Royals basketball: The dynasty continues...

Nia Coffey, junior, dribbles up court as Gracia Hutson, senior, trails shortly behind.

Photo by Mike Newcomer

Girls: team is confident talent is there for a repeat state championship win Eli Badower Staff Reporter The HHS girls basketball team had a successful 20102011 season, culminating in a state championship victory.

They will try to continue that success this year.

The coaching staff will certainly do their part. “We will be the hardest working coaching staff in the state this year,” said Coach Brian Cosgriff.

The team will try to take an aggressive, up-tempo approach this season. This pace will force the team to be more prepared and keep up intensity levels.

“We will be committed on defense and push the ball up the court as fast as we can,” Cosgriff said. We are going to play a lot of players this year, so every single player, from number one to 18, will have to be ready to play at any given time.”

The team will be without seven seniors from last year’s squad, including standout guards Julia Wiemer and Brianna Williams. “Two players like that are irreplaceable but younger players like Taylor Anderson (junior point guard) and Erin O’Toole (junior center), are going to have to step up,” Cosgriff said.

On the positive side, they return three of their four leading scorers from last year.

Sydney Coffey, senior, will play a big role for the team. “As a captain for my second year, I will need to be more in charge and do anything that I can to help us repeat as state champions,” Sydney said.

“Sydney is like a second coach on the court,” said Nia Coffey, junior, and Sydney’s sister.

Gracia Hutson, senior, also

a captain, will not judge this season solely by the team’s winloss record. “I want my senior season to be memorable,” Hutson said. “I want to build good relationships with all the girls on and off the court.”

Sydney agreed with Hutson.

“My main goal this year will be to make sure all the girls have fun playing basketball. I want to be a mentor on and off the court,” she said.

Repeating as state champions will not be easy. “The teams in the Lake Conference are always competitive so it is a safe bet that the state champion will come out of our conference. Every team will be working hard to make it to the state championship,” Cosgriff said.

“We ultimately want to win the state title. Every player is going to have to step up so we can repeat,” Sydney said.

Photo by Mike Newcomer

Demetrius Martin, senior, goes up for the ball while Zach Stahl, left, and Andre McDonald, right, also seniors, look on.

Boys: big shoes to fill, but capable athletes put four-peat within reach Andrew Hall Staff Reporter In the 2010-2011 state championship basketball game, HHS defeated Eden Prairie 64-52, winning their third championship in a row. This upcoming season they expect nothing less. “Our goal is to win state,” said Zach Stahl, senior.

The team will be without two of their starting five from last year, losing Joe Coleman to the University of Minnesota, and Marvin Singleton to Northern Iowa.

“Replacing Joe and Marvin will be very hard because they were a huge part of our team last year. I think what we will have to do is reassess our whole game including rebounding, defense and who’s going to shoot the ball. We definitely have the talent to replace them;

we are just going to have to work hard to figure out our roles,” said Nick Jorgensen, senior.

Jorgensen was the seventh man to come off the bench last year and will most likely be stepping into a starting job. “It feels great to be moving up but at the same time it’s something I know I have worked my whole career for, so I feel like I am ready,” he said.

While Jorgensen admitted that big shoes are required to fill a starting role for the basketball team, he is confident his size 14’s can do the job.

After winning three straight state championships, some may think it would be difficult to keep up the intensity and will to win. Not at HHS, according to Stahl. “We all really want to win and we know what it takes to win,” he said.

With the significant holes

left in the roster by the departure of several players from last year, there will be new roles for players to fill. “Siyani and I are going to need to score a lot more,” Stahl said.“The younger guys like Jake, Melvin, Kamali, and Jamal will need to step up”.

Stahl refers to Jake Wright and Kamali Chambers, sophomores, along with Melvin Martin and Jamal Davis, juniors.

They make up a group of underclassmen who will contribute.

This year, the HHS boys varsity basketball team will give it their all to bring home a fourth consecutive state championship. The skill and talent is there, so now there is only to wait and see what they accomplish this year. Coach Novak’s expectations remain constant.

“We always try to be as close to our level of perfection as possible,” he said.

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Dance team has a family feel Jason Showers Sports Editor

The Rosenzweig sisters from left to right, Lauren, senior, Taylor, seventh-grade, and Sydney, sophomore, show off their sisterly love.

Sydney Rosenzweig, sophomore, in the middle of a routine.

Photos by Jason Showers

Taylor Rosenzweig, seventh-grade, stands in formation with perfect posture.

Lauren Rosenzweig, senior, performs her duty as a captain and observes a practice drill.

In the ‘old gym’ after school on Nov. 9, a group of exuberant girls congregated wearing athletic shoes, spandex shorts, and bright pink t-shirts.

No, this was not a breast cancer awareness event. It was a dance team practical joke targeted at the trio of pink-loving Rosenzweig sisters, all in good fun.

The Rosenzweigs, Lauren, senior, Sydney, sophomore, and Taylor, seventh grade, are all on the varsity kick team this year, while Lauren and Sydney are on varsity jazz as well.

“I have been coaching dance for 19 years, and for eight years here at Hopkins,” said Ms. Allison Bridges, coach of the Royelles; the varsity dance team. “This is the first time I have ever had three sisters on the same team, so I would say it is a unique occurrence. I’ve had plenty of sisters, but never three at once.”

The sisters have been dancing together since the days they were running around the house in tutus and ballet shoes. They have grown up since then, but all still have a youthful passion for dancing. “[Dance] is something we can all do together, and it’s really a common bond,” Lauren said.

Bri Stein, senior, has known the Rosenzweig sisters for several years through dance, and has come to understand them each more personally.

“Lauren is an amazing leader and is so focused,” said Stein. “Syd is the wacky one; she always makes us crack up during practice, and Taylor is the baby; quiet and focused but a super strong dancer.”

According to Stein, each sister brings a different dynamic to the squad. If the sisters all have their own personalities, there must be the occasional disagreement between them, right?

“We have problems sometimes, but we usually get along,” Lauren said.

“There is really nothing bad about dancing with my sisters; it’s always fun,” Sydney said in agreement. While they do get along surprisingly well for three people who are together every day at school, practice, and home, Coach Bridges acknowledged that there are minor conflicts.

“They do disagree, but it’s always with the little things, and they are better than other sisters I have had,” she said. “You know, it’s stuff like ‘You’re wearing my shirt, give it back’ or ‘you have to drive me home today’ when Lauren wants to do something else.”

Overall, Coach Bridges loves coaching the three girls. “I don’t know what I would do without them on this team,” she said. “They are all really fun kids with fantastic parents that support them, and that translates over to the team.”

Ketrin Vinokur, senior, lauds Lauren, her fellow captain, for her development as a leader. “She leads vocally and contributes a lot with positive feedback. We understand what the other one is trying to get across to the team and we work really well together; we always joke around and keep the energy light,” Vinokur said.

While it is apparent that Lauren has the most experience as a dancer and team member, the other two sisters are learning valuable lessons and making memories. “I loved homecoming this year; it was the biggest crowd I have danced in front of, and the fact that I was with my sisters made me even more pumped,” Sydney said.

Taylor made the varsity kick team as a seventh grader, an impressive feat, according to Coach Bridges. “I don’t think we have ever had a seventh grader make varsity before,” she said.

The pressure and daily grind of a varsity sport does not intimidate or bother her. “I like it, everyone treats me like the baby, and I’m okay with that.

With my sisters here, it helps, but I do feel like I deserve my spot,” Taylor said.

Her teammates agreed, including Sarah Evon, senior. “Everyone watches Taylor when she dances because she has so much sass and attitude,” Evon said.

Spending significant amounts of time together only has caused the sisters to grow closer. “I support my sisters and teammates and want everyone to do their best,” Lauren said. “With my sisters especially, though, dance is the thing we do together that we love the most, and it’s all we talk about.”

The difficulties of the Lake Conference Sarah Ungerman Sports Editor

The Lake Conference is one of the premier high school conferences in the sate of Minnesota.

Filled with rivalries, talent, and intense competition, Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Wayzata High Schools make up this exceptional group.

“I think it is where we belong”, said Dan Johnson, activities director. “It’s definitely not easy, it’s an ultra competitive group of schools; we have to go out play hard and there are no slouches allowed in any of our sports”.

The Lake Conference was created two years ago after the Classic Lake Conference dissolved.

The Classic Lake was created in 1932 and had a rich history including many State Champion-

ships. Past members of the Classic Lake included the current members of the Lake Conference (except Eden Prairie) as well as Richfield, St. Louis Park, Cooper, and Armstrong.

In 1997, Richfield left the conference because of declining enrollment, followed by St. Louis Park and Cooper for similar reasons in 2004.

Armstrong had a lower percentage of students in athletics and was taken out of the conference in 2008.

The Minnesota State High School League bylaws state that there can be no less than five schools in a conference, so, following Armstrong’s departure, the Classic Lake Conference disbanded in 2009.

“We [HHS] applied to both the Northwest Suburban and South Suburban conferences, but

were denied by both because competition would have been unbalanced when we would be competing against significantly smaller-sized schools that were located further away,” Johnson said.

Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Wayzata, and Eden Prairie eventually joined together in what became the Lake Conference. The relatively new conference has claimed more than 350 state championships, making it the winningest in Minnesota.

While HHS clearly has the strongest basketball program in the Lake, the hockey and football teams have experienced greater struggle. For example, the varsity hockey and football teams are highly competitive in non-conference games, yet, in their last respective seasons, they were both winless when competing against conference opponents.

It makes for tough competition when the reigning state champions for football (Wayzata) and hockey (Eden Prairie) both call the Lake Conference home.

According to Johnson, for HHS to remain competitive in this relatively new conference, we must take progressive steps bring programs to new levels.

“In order to improve and continue in our success, we must develop very comprehensive offseason training programs for all sports. We must maximize speed, strength, and agility,” Johnson said.

“In order to be the best, we must compete against the best.”

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Dirnberger finds success on skis

Harry Orenstein Staff Reporter

During the 2011 Junior Olympics, nordic skier Harris Dirnberger, junior, faced adversity feet first.

“As Harris was gliding forward up a hill, his ski came out of the binding. The ski’s momentum caused it to slide up the hill, which left Harris having to run up the hill on one ski. When he finally caught up to it, he popped it back on and finished third,” said Julia Lavanger, senior, and captain of the girls nordic ski team.

“This wasn’t just a regular race; this was a national competition. It was one of the best races I’ve ever seen, ” said Mr. Rob Fuhr, nordic coach.

An intense competitive desire enabled Dirnberger to get back in the race and finish strong. “I just kept pushing myself until I reached the finish line,” he said.

Dirnberger skied as an aggressive anchor for the Midwest team. His performance helped the team to six second place finishes. After four years of competing in nordic skiing, Harris won ‘Rookie of the Year’ for the Midwest team at the 2011 Junior Olympics.

His success in nordic comes from a multitude of influences. “My coaches basically taught me how to ski. They’ve helped so much throughout the years I’ve been in Nordic,” Dirnberger said.

Fuhr has been impressed by the passion and

skill the Junior Olympian possesses. “Harris has developed into a great athlete with incredible technique,” he said.

Along with natural attributes, Dirnberger’s success stems from his training regimen. “I do a lot of roller skiing, which is basically just skiing but with wheels. Also, I do a lot of running and hill bounding,” he said.

His prowess also reflects his summer training. “I did a lot of practicing with­­­­­a group of three other skiers and one trainer, but I also had a lot of personalized training too,” Dirnberger said.

In seventh grade, he started nordic as a fun activity to participate in with his friends. “When I first joined, I didn’t take it very seriously,” Dirnberger said.

However, after continuous top finishes in his events, he has begun to take the sport more seriously.

“I can’t mess around as much. I feel like it’s mandatory to go to every workout and give it my all,” he said.

Dirnberger has potential to excel this year and compete with an elite group of nordic skiers in state and in the Junior Olympics. “It will be different for Harris this year because he will be at the bottom of his age group at the Junior Olympics.

This happens to everyone, and I’m confident that Harris will adapt to the competition,” Fuhr said.

Spotlight Athletes

Name: Lara

Name: Jimmy

Rubinyi

Kortum

Grade: 12

Grade: 12

Sport: Alpine Skiing

Sport: Hockey

Athletic Idol:

Athletic Idol:

Lindsey Vonn

Alexander Ovechkin

Quote: “I love the intense

Quote: “I have been play-

adrenaline rush that I get every

ing since I was four; I live for it.

time I race a good course.”

Hockey is everything to me.”

Photo provided by Harris Dirnberger

Harris Dirnberger, junior, fights to stay in the race after losing a ski.

t e e h S t Chea

athematics. a thleen Nelson, M should be Ka s.

M id sa ],” do it you a calculator anyone else can eating. y feeling is that if ch “M as t en e or nm m sig y ade d the as th man ” able to do it too. cult task of stopping cheating is m ims, to counte ign languages, wi es ents taking fore an additional shoes, to hat br ffi ak ud di m ve to St dy y ha r, ea , og pe alr ol em pa e hn th to Th ec s, colrom arms, chnology. “T d s surrounding ends, to iPod te er an fri g pe by is to tin , d ed It ea es te . nc ttl ch on ica va n bo pl m ad r te nce betwee more com e and com cell phones, to wa nt and accessibl ssible to find an component to the differe for help on a word or two is on pa po ke m ta im ra t to so os nt g alm wa tin s u ea at yo ol. g a friend lem ch to notebooks, it’ g as a teacher th cheating in scho you are laboration. “Askin a Sebenaler, Spanish. “The prob almost paralyzin ones fly because en used towards tle be re an do lit ’t k nd e sn to A or th ha s. re -w let su M at re d es th rs id an pr sa ke es h ea .,” item nc . uc sp o.k id m e sta sa o in tiv r to g na ca bi m O e or th tly,” students g stems fro ating] so frequen is no longer the complete an as- arises when other W hether cheatin dealing with [che at point the work tion to actually th t iva A ot . m g ce tin tle en ea lit nt o se ch entire well or to e fact that ents to Cheat caught cheating. cheat- W hat Causes Stud ssible to ignore th d po an is ” er im ’s. s th nt it’ ge de t, to en stu g signm pe of student that grade between workin There isn’t one ty ink rms and subjects. re to get a good su “The difference es . pr id h sa uc m ler o na exists in many fo students who do not cheat but I th to e to be Se ng tim eli e,” ve fe lin ha nt e n’t de fin A stu nguage that does is a very “There are some s. Beth Ocar, La ong ing ng with a student signment.

M alo t id ea sa ch g ,” ht ity in ig or at m in am he t an as shoe, they are the m cially acceptable ed if Technolog y and C ork or forgot abou under time swers on an arm, come almost so the do homew s want to do well, but may be of writing test an e offend ar ies by e eg m ed at . so ac Arts. “It has be str at pl e th re , Th ng ed eir personal lives “Student tly outdat It ’s interesti nt pressures in th The emphasis re of paper are sligh only used with tests, techstudents to cheat. eating.” ffe e di ec d pi an or ts in ch grades. nology. Not ects, constra I call them out on Sere to get good ever-popular tech eating on papers, lab reports, proj g in There is pressu at of only the grade,” he ad C ste . ch r in vs fo g r in ed s, he rn us ou et lea is gu e og gy bi th T lo am on no ng es be ki im ld or e. ou W of cheating somet r minor assignments, and mor ting problem with people sh With the meaning g and working together blurs fo to get good grades benaler said. ge chea hu a d d an ha rt I tin po ar, g hers saw the need students. “I also re ea ye ac tin ch t lab te n ea as e S ee ch “L th H , tw H ite up l be bs d ra e ve pe we lin Se the HS kid ty among ccording to the H formation about as- copying lab reports. One a similar one,” uses of cheating t isn many students. A nts that handed in em and turn and laziness as ca t when they think an assignmen or in s de er stu sw 16 an to G e, up IN or re ea IV m th G ch we er s e pe R nt er rth ty O th de g Fu ne in .” stu yo ak rk er ve wo ev is “T belie said. “Now I have or any class related ken car said. glis signments or tests emic dishonesty as “any action ta is Sammler rnitin.com.” as important,” O or, was caught cheating on an En ch te of tu ad ds ac to h ni ho ich s in ju ac et , fie wh te m em rry l ssi ’s rk th he na cla rry wo C e tio r he ck sit di fo C Ja the edit served ad at ore. W hen n of obtaining cr havSebenaler has ob ld by students th test as a sophom e teacher gave him a ze to y en lar be bu ca ’ve with the intentio consequences of “the instructor vo “I g. eatin hers t, th th a conference nology used in ch cell phones to text answers to ot s saw him using a cheat shee cheat because they are to not one’s own” wi nt s e grade, schedule ration.” ed nt de th us de stu ce ve stu of du ha k re d s in ar nt to th he de ht “I o stu id. ing the rig on the test. exam. I’ve als fer to administ re e an a test,” Cherry sa or lin g ng d/ on ki rin an s ta r du ce rd c be fo ur ’ ua ni ll so er /g pa re wi th nt o or re ge ent m at als to pa th dy nm e e ed ar stu th sig rk e as to th er wi mework id- lazy e the excuse ‘we wo John Sammler, taking pictures of exams. Th cheating on a ho ts, there are other wa at would be cons th gh d ou r. se “I think people us M Th ha rc id sa pu ,” or in get po the that can be used and/ not an excuse e an easy way to erm effects cheating but it is together is talking about what e on- seem lik g the situation with better long-t Sebenaler said. ” lik g, gs ite tin in ng wr ea th ki ch le or ith op ed “W W er pe ork assig s. lin If ew . er nd m ed sw ha ho Science. ag an of ur all nt co sm copying a nts to expe, which is en that k iety wants insta , de be in oc ng stu th ht “S iti ig s nt wr m nt sh stude wa s is de wi I er e I tu r. e. sw els “S an ne ea is is possibl ing a teache word what someo line translators, th rd work. It might be easier to us d ment is easier than confront much greater conseque exactly word for ha woul that there are str is easily able rience the joy of e satisfaction you is cheating.” would recognize Cheating can de oblems, Sammler nment and translator, but you will not get th pr ed lat an losing credit. re th h g didn’t at u tin . sig ea yo id as sa ts ch On m in d’s to ler po en na es n fri be te a r Se s) to all fo d, if by doing it yourself,” dents copied ation (and answer n and tarnish you to tell which stu “W hen there is rounding involve also allows inform s. “Now with ever y- reputatio . gy id lo . to sa y rk no ler ch wa wo e m e Te m m th sa d Sa nt yways,” which di the exact ger amou materials to an the be spread faster and in lar ding ever y answer g students to send Sammler students are roun , I can tell that they are copying r fo r sie ea is it Foreign Cheatniinor, is a foreign exchange student aces thing online, ed quicker,” itt m ns three decimal pl tra is se er, ng u each other. Ever ythi Lea Staig be more che mler said. r way. “W hen yo lieves there to ila homework,” Sam be er sim se a aig in on St g y. ed tin an us ea Germ ed to be an what she has becomes said.

Ocar classifies ch lculators are allow quently. Often among students in Germany th cheat here thoug working together ca n, e er ow wh ur yo h, at on m In do no learning k no one would metimes more fre uations into id. ffer- tests, cheating appears so HHS. “I did thin ing],” Staiger said. ers or eq sw an m cheating,” Ocar sa , senior, the obscurity in the di ra at he og [c pr nts will harder some there is some For Olivia Chase and working together had adverse times, stude s before a test.

Europe are a bit in s ol b ho sc to k g in in th go or “I eating calculat you are rk for a y is a good place ence between ch , I split up the wo eated their an AP workshop, we were told, ‘If n and will put so students cheat more. German S SH e,” PU or A m e t ad ea gr ch h t s “A e that they ca akes student I was told I ch m effects. “In tent m d. su re en as su s, fri . es a or pr ics lat th at d wi lcu m se t en athe crea ough let kids use ca Ms. April Felt, M n’t before in vocabular y assignm e assignment,” Chase said. Alth me [about th her information on there,’” said said. ey do th nd (a y or at really surprised s when s em and got a zero on ed her half of the work, the teac th m g e in th th n ar e [o on cle nt he n’t “T plet acher wa “If you do hing they wa Chase fully com w shocked the te can bring in anyt ing] here was ho AP tests), anyone

F

Source: Education-Portal.com

1) When does cheating typically begin?

A. Elementary school B. Middle school C. High School

3) 2/3 of middle school students say they have cheated on exams A. True B. False

2) In what subjects does cheating most often occur?

A. English and social studies B. Art and physical education C. Science and mathematics

4) 75-98 percent of college students surveyed each year admit to cheating at some time in their academic careers A. True B. False Answers: 1) B 2) C 3) A 4) A

it so surprised that ted like she was . ac id e sa Sh er g. aig tin St ea a kid ch ermany,” isn’t like that in G had happened; it ing p at they can to sto Stopping CheHat S are doing wh r] he ac te “[A sy. ea Teachers at H ’t so at ’s etimes the task isn cheating, but som [test] forms for ever y hour but th nt re ffe di ve ha d ul co ,” Felt said. st forms not only a lot of extra work using different te p id Teachers cons er one class period, but also to sto in g th in wi ar g sh tin m ea to stop ch er block fro a test in an earli me sa ke e ta th at th ng s ki nt ta s de nt stu estions with stude test answers or qu k. detect cheattest in a later bloc resources made to g cheaters. rs, pe pa to s rd In rega rs in flaggin ve helped teache ha lly ca ifi ec find plagiarism sp g in bsite designed to website, after we e on is m co Turnitin.

Turnitin.com ccording to the stitutions . in schools. A e of regular turnitin.com use, in t comor m rc or e than 45 pe en s six years ovements of mor pr im ow e. sh us n te of ar - of st full academic ye r, with class sizes pared to their fir it easie e ad m s ha m or use siblings’ “Turnitin.co s s who plagiarise nt de stu d fin to o growing, depending car said. n’t papers,” O do when I catch cheating] varies is a first I t if , ha “[ W plagiarism it ” Ocar said. With n, tio ua sit e ely didn’t underth sh on e student genuin th k in th I d the student an I might talk to her offense plagiarism was, e assignat [th wh ite nd wr re sta ero let him/her d an ism iar ag oo about pl th with dealing wi ment].” ve set methods ha lk ta rs I he g, ac tin te ea er Oth tch a student ch may on the ro well. “W hen I ca ze as a g s tin ive ea ce ch re ays lly. The student to them individua s. his/her mistake gn- work. e student admits s (that cheatth if it e iat ec pr “I ap ents ble. I tell student e. This is honora a grudge and enc- with grac m that point on, I will not hold ll still care fro I at students that wi rience,” roy a ed) th move on. I tell pe ex to e is th tim s m it’ fro ’t get they need learn about them, but them a zero and Sebenaler said. nt cheating I give ast year in Alde stu a h tc ca I “If ” Nelson said. “L from report it to administration, answer keys was stolen. We st te th wi y teacher of eating gebra II, my folder ich affected ever wh st, te y er ev een at had to change widespread, gh but Algebra II.” g has become tin ea ch t no or at students stick W hether ke are hopeful th aters end up etimes teachers and students ali he orally correct. “C but the to what they know is m work brings true learning and ard rk hard at Staiger cheating themselves. H ings that they wo th in e id pr ke ta joy. Students id. t cheat- achieving,” Sebenaler sa w she sa Marlee Gotlieb is the Editor-in-Chief for the Royal Page

Test Questions

CHEATED in e Ve r i z o n C he ck er, O nl ag ia ri sm Re ad in g Plan vi ew er Pe d Tu r ni ti n: Le G ra di ng

.t u r n it in .c o m S o u rc e : w w w n ts e s d o s tu d e ?

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c lo p e ia .o rg (E n c y d e ip ik .w n e s & P o rt a l) 1. o .c o m (N e w o h a .y rs e w s Con 2. an o m (S o c ia l & .c rs e w s n ) .a 3. www te n t S h a ri n g ia l & C o n a re .n e t (S o c h s e d ) li .s w w 4. w te n t S h a ri n g & s h e a t S it e a p e rs .c o m (C p p .o w w w .

5 P a p e r M il ls ) C o n te n t o m (S o c ia l & .c d b ri c .s w 6. ww S h a ri n g ) o rk & o m (H o m e w .c ro e h e rs u 7 . w w w .c o A c a d e m ic ) o rk & .o rg (H o m e w ry ra b li d e .m 8. www A c a d e m ic )

10 feature

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RPThursday, December 1, 2011

The Royal Page 2011-2012

Editors in Chief Marlee Gotlieb Ryan Levi

Managing Editor Madeline Rauma

News Editor

Madeline Rauma

Opinion Editor Mona Omar

Feature Editor Lucy Orenstein

Variety Editor Katie Cera

Meuwissen dedicated to dancing

Sports Editors

Lucy Orenstein Feature Editor

Back Page Editor

For the past 15 years, Kendall Meuwissen, senior, has dedicated her life to dance.

“I didn’t realize how important dance would become in my life, and now I can’t imagine my life without it,” Meuwissen said.

Meuwissen has been on the HHS dance team for three years and has been taking dance classes at Summit Dance Shoppe for 15 years. “Because I am one of the most experienced dancers at Summit, the dance teachers ask me to help them teach dance classes,” Meuwissen said.

“Kendall is one my best students. I am proud to be a part of her training and growth as a dancer,” said Stephanie Wise, coach at Summit Dance Shoppe.

“She is at a point where she can take any kind of movement thrown at her and make it unreal,” Wise said. “I have never in my life worked with such an amazing talent at such a young age.”

Meuwissen accompanies her teachers to universities to assist them in teaching choreography to other dancers. “I have now had Kendall teaching with me for the past five years. Her abilities in her own dancing inspire her students in class and always pushes them to achieve more,” Wise said.

Jason Showers Sarah Ungerman Lydia Wilson

Photo Editor

Mike Newcomer

Business Manager Tarina Gartner

Web Czars Jack Deutsch Sonja Muus

Staff Reporters

Rachel Alter Ursie Arhart Eli Badower Charlie Bank Bridget Bennett Emily Buck Sam Bumsted Naomi Borowsky Eli Fhima Pat Gallagher Josh Gallop Zach Gunby Andrew Hall Meme Halpern Sam Jacobwith Taylor Lee Chanler Luhowskyj Mimi Mechache Harry Orenstein Casey Pasko Caroline Ravits Lauren Reuteler Jack Werner

Adviser

Mr. Kocur The editorial represtents 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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Although she is an award-winning choreographer (she won “Choreographer of the Year” at the Masquerade Nationals), choreographing dance performances is only a small part of Meuwissen’s involvement in dance.

She is primarily a performer and, throughout the course of this year, Meuwissen has earned numerous performance awards this year. “I was the third runner up in the Miss Dance Drill Team USA Competitionalist and the Summit Dance Shoppe Most Valuable Dancer,” Meuwissen said.

Meuwissen has proven that the only way to grow as a dancer is to put yourself out there. This past fall, Meuwissen auditioned to be a dancer in a music video for the artist named Herschel. “It was a really fun and interesting experience,” Meuwissen said. “Even though it was the longest day of my life.”

For the video, Meuwissen was spraypainted silver from head to toe. “It took three days to get the spray paint off but it was all worth it,” Meuwissen said. “I’m so happy I took this opportunity because I know it improved my dancing skills.”

Meuwissen also performed in the streets at the opening of the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts.

“The hardest part of this dance was we had to stay silent for the entire three hours

that we were performing in the streets,” Meuwissen said.

Remaining silent wasn’t the only challenging part of the dance. “The costumes were extremely outrageous and difficult to dance in, but as a dancer you learn to cope with the ridiculous costumes,” Meuwissen said.

It was the bold attire that originally drew Meuwissen into the world of dance.

“I first started dancing because I fell in love with the costumes, especially the tutus,” Meuwissen said.

Along with Meuwissen’s love of dance, she is also passionate about fashion. This led Meuwissen to develop her own shoe company called Party on a Shoe.

Meuwissen has been decorating Pointe shoes (shoes worn for ballet) for almost two years. “People email me their custom shoe orders and I buy all the products myself and make them at my house,” Meuwissen said. Meuwissen’s shoes are also sold at the store Crystal Couture in Wayzata.

Ellie Marschinke, sophomore, was very impressed with Meuwissen’s work.

“My parents gave me a shoe from Kendall’s company after one of my recitals,” Marschinke said.

Marschinke has the purple Pointe shoe hanging as a decoration in her room. “I can tell she put a lot of time and effort

Photo by Jeff Wheeler

Top: Six of Meuwissen’s decorated Pointe shoes. Right: Meuwissen dancing in the streets at the opening of the Cowles Center.

into it. I know I could never make that,” Marschinke said.

Each shoe can take eight hours. “It’s challenging trying to find time in my schedule, but I always feel so accomplished when I finally finish,” Meuwissen said.

Dickinson excels in Minnesota Sword Club Casey Pasko Staff Reporter When Hannah Dickinson, senior, was in eighth grade, she was taken to her first fencing class by her parents.

“They saw an ad in the paper for free lessons for two weeks at the Minnesota Sword Club and decided to sign me up,” Dickinson said.

Initially, Dickinson did not like the idea of joining fencing. She didn’t see it as a sport she could picture herself participating in, much less excelling at.

“I told my parents they were crazy to think I was going to do fencing,” Dickinson said.

Dickinson ended up loving fencing, and joined the Minnesota Sword Club in Minneapolis permanently. She treks all the way out to Minneapolis for lessons.

Dickinson took up sabre fencing, a sword with a cutting edge and a rounded tip.

A hit can only be made above the waist, the arms excluded, when fighting with this weapon.

“Her experience and strategy are her biggest abilities and she has become a successful competitor,” said Rich Jacobson, Dickinson’s coach of four and a half years.

Johanna Thill, a top-rated fencer at the club, was one of Dickinson’s first friends when she began fencing. The girls have

become friendly rivals.

“When I walk into a tournament, the first thing I do is check out my competition and if Johanna walks in, I’m just like, ‘crap,’ Dickinson said. She and Thill are both highly ranked, the only difference is that Thill travels more often to compete and sees a wider variety of opponents.

“Tournaments are expensive, and I don’t have the time to constantly be traveling,” Dickinson said.

Thill and Dickinson competed against each other at state last year, taking first and second place, respectively. After going through so many tournaments together, the girls have become very close.

“We beat each other up and are really

competitive but off the strip we are great friends,” Thill said.

“They like to practice together and improve by fencing each other,” Jacobson said. Jacobson, who coaches both of the girls, agrees that the fencers have a good relationship.

“He [ Jacobson] is such a great coach; he’s helped me improve so much since I first started, and I’ve come so far,” Dickinson said.

The fencing coach has a particular saying that keeps his fencers going strong and Dickinson inspired. “He’s always telling us ‘The more you come the better you get the faster you get better’ and it’s really encouraging,” Dickinson said.

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SWAG week encourages confidence at HHS Emily Buck Staff Reporter After the success of the Better Ways initiative, health-conscious students looked to expand their focus.

While Better Ways is still active, it is now just one of the Student Wellness Committee’s (SWC) projects. By creating the SWC, members can now address the overall health of HHS, not just drug and alcohol abuse.

The club’s first initiative hopes to address selfconfidence at HHS. SWAG (Self-Worth And Greatness) week comes from Laron Broadway, senior. He wants SWAG week to “acknowledge the simple fact that swag is not only about fashion, it’s about the inner self. Everyone’s got swag,” Broadway said.

During SWAG week students received Livestrong-style bracelets in return for sharing their swag. “It’s not just how you dress. It’s about what makes you unique,” said Ms. Marit Lee-Dohse, Health teacher and advisor to SWC. The committee also asked students to write down and trash their “Automatic Negative Thought” (ANT), or something “you automatically think of that kills your swag,” Lee-Dohse said.

To celebrate the finale of SWAG week, a slideshow of HHS students’ swag was presented

during lunchtime on Friday accompanied by the drumline.

After SWAG week, students felt that their self-confidence was boosted. “SWAG week made me really think about how I saw myself,” said Olivia Hvass, senior. “After I threw away my Automatic Negative Thought I started to think more positively.”

SWAG was more than just a confidence booster though. Students enjoyed getting bracelets and participating in the activities. “I had a lot of fun showing off my SWAG bracelets to my friends.

They were a really good idea,” Hvass said. “I can’t wait to see what else they come up with.”

The SWC’s goal is to carry out four of these initiatives throughout the year. To choose an initiative, members discuss “problems that students should be aware of or they [the Student Wellness Committee] should solve,” said Sara Hanson, senior. Once an initiative is decided, members, with the direction of advisors Lee-Dohse and Ms. Jane Kleinman, Heatlh Science, discuss how to promote their message to the school.

Members have begun to discuss plans for the coming year, such as focusing on alcohol awareness and safe driving during prom season.

Part of their plans to increase alcohol awareness include a project called “Sticker Shock”.

Members will distribute stickers for bottles that

Teachers designate rooms as safe environments Pat Gallagher Staff Reporter In consideration of recent incidents, teachers have been given the opportunity to post Safe Zone signs on their classroom doors, offering students a secure and accepting environment.

In a recent letter to the administration, Ms. Anne Cambell, Assistant Principal, addressed the challenges that LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) students often face. 73 percent of students hear derogatory remarks on a daily basis at schools and 60 percent of students have felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation.

Campbell does not believe that these statistics are representative of HHS. “We have had some incidents of intolerance at our school but as a whole we are really proud of our students making HHS an accepting environment,” Campbell said.

Signs can be found on almost any door in every hallway. “I think that it’s great that the signs have become so popular among the staff,” said Ms. April Felt, advisor of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA).

The Safe Zone movement has been a national effort with over 400 high schools and universities participating according to the Safe School Coalition. The first official Safe Zones were posted in 1988 by the King County school districts in Oregon according to the Safe School Coalition.

Safe Zones differ from school to school. Some require teachers to be versed in issues and terminology important to the LGBT community while

others, like HHS, only require that teachers volunteer.

Steps taken to post a Safe Zone sign are simple. “After all teachers who use a classroom mutually agree on their decision they then pick up a sign from the main office,” Campbell said.

Although the revival of Safe Zones was an administrative action to provide an accepting atmosphere for the LGBT community, Safe Zones are not selective and “are for any student regardless of religion, race, or sexual orientation to feel accepted,” Campbell said.

The true power of Safe Zones lie in their numbers. “When a student walks through the halls and sees a sign on every door they know they are in a safe place,” Felt said. “It is an effort for a more accepting school culture.”

Photo by Pat Gallagher

Teachers can voluntarily post Safe Zone signs on their doors.

Photo by Emily Buck

Jesse Ewaldt, junior, shows support for SWAG week by writing his name next to his thumbprint to symbolize his individuality. Many students participated in the various activities offered by the Student Wellness Committee.

say ‘don’t give me to an underage drinker’ to local liquor stores. Last year, 12 liquor stores participated.

These projects don’t just pay for themselves.

The committee has a grant from Park Nicollet for use in promoting student wellness and for “any-

thing we feel needs attention,” said Dinah Olson, senior. Money from the grant goes to anything from their initiatives to the posters hanging in the bathroom stalls.

The SWC meets on Friday mornings at 7:10 in room W247.

Lack of accountability in major college sports

At the athletic signing ceremony this November, activities director Dan Johnson talked about what made the signees great kids. Along with their obvious athletic talent, Johnson praised the students’ leadership and academic prowess.

Something that goes hand in hand with athletic ability, leadership, and academic success is accountability. All of these future collegial student-athletes have proven to be accountable for their actions whether on the field or in the classroom. Unfortunately, they are about to enter into a fraternity of institutions which have repeatedly failed when it comes to accountability.

Several high profile schools, including Oregon, Ohio State, Auburn, and many others, have been involved in various types of scandals in the past year. However, two schools have been rocked by scandals which exemplify the failure of major college athletic programs to be held accountable.

In August, Yahoo! Sports uncovered a massive scandal involving a University of Miami booster providing illicit benefits to dozens of student-athletes from 2002 to 2010. Sadly, in today’s college sports landscape, student-athletes receiving improper benefits do not elicit much of a reaction from a public which has come to expect and accept such scandals.

However, this particular scandal captured the national spotlight mainly because of the magnitude of improper activities that took place. The booster, Nevin Shapiro, spent millions of dollars on over 70 Hurricane athletes, providing them with meals, clothing, jewelry, travel, televisions, visits to strip clubs, yacht trips, prostitutes, and, in one case, an abortion for a stripper a player had impregnated.

Why did Shapiro spend all this money on these players?

“I did it because I could, and because nobody stepped in to stop me,” Shapiro said in an interview with Yahoo! Sports.

Eight years and millions of dollars worth of improper benefits and nobody at the University thought anything

was fishy, or if they did, they remained quiet. Shapiro even says that over a half-dozen Hurricane coaches had explicit knowledge of his actions and did nothing to deter him.

And now that everything has been brought to light, there have still been no consequences leveled against the university or its football program.

But far worse than their failures are the horrendous stories that have come out of Penn State University.

Earlier this month, former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged with 40 criminal charges stemming from his alleged sexual abuse of at least eight boys since 1994. The more distressing thing is the fact that people knew what was happening and did nothing.

On three separate occasions, between 1998 and 2002, Sandusky was caught in sexual situations with young boys and never faced any type of criminal prosecution. Those made aware of Sandusky’s actions included Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley and head coach Joe Paterno. The fact that these two powerful and respected men knew what was happening and said nothing is incredibly disheartening.

I agree with the Penn State Board of Trustees’ decision to hold Curley and Paterno accountable for what happened on their watch by firing them. But that doesn’t make up for the complete lack of action by the Penn State athletic department over the past dozen years.

Accountability is a necessity for any student-athlete that hopes to make the jump from high school to college sports.

Why is the same not expected of the schools and coaches they will play for?

Ryan Benjamin Levi is the Editor-in-Chief of the Royal Page

Great teachers make a great school

I have not had every teacher at HHS. Every teacher I have had though I have thought was a good teacher.

I don’t think I would be able to say that going to any other school district. That is why HHS may have the best faculty of any high school in the state. Our teachers are the most dedicated and well-disposed group of people I have met in a work setting.

There are a few teachers throughout the years that I have had that I would like to focus on. These people especially have helped shape me into the person I am today, a person that loves the faculty here.

Pat Peterson, English, was a teacher I had during my tenure at HHS that really taught me what a high school English class would look like, and how to succeed in one.

During our Advanced Perspectives in American Literature class she took complete control of the class.

First, she was able to get us to like her as a person, which made getting us to like the material that much easier. She also was still very strict, but she was just witty about it so you didn’t really mind. She was one of my first teachers here, and she set the bar high for what to expect.

Another teacher who really helped me at HHS was April Felt, Math. She is the nicest and most helpful person you might ever meet. Felt is the type of teacher that makes sure that any student that needs help gets it.

With out Felt’s tutelage I would have no understanding of what calculus is, how to do it, or what it is useful for. Felt took one of the hardest classes at our high school and made it understandable to everyone.

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Felt also greets me every time I see her in the halls. Just by taking her class and being involved and respectful I have gained another friend and ally in this school. She is the kind of person I could go to with anything and I know she would do what she could to help.

Felt is not the only teacher I have this relationship with.

There I many others, like Mr. Kirk Shoger, Science, I feel like would try to help me no matter the problem I came to them with.

Shoger is one of the most amazing teachers this school has to offer. He uses his classroom to teach over arching ideas and the concepts behind them. Then, because he has given you the tools to do it, you can hone your skills at home on the homework problems.

This style of learning works really well because it allows for more fun demos in class, a larger amount of the subject gets covered, and it eliminates busy work as homework.

These are just a few of the wonderful teachers I have had at my short time at HHS. It is truly remarkable how one institution can gather so many great teachers in one place.

I would just like to thank the hiring staff at the Hopkins School District for doing such an amazing job.

Samuel Jacob Bumsted is a staff reporter for the Royal Page

Developing college readiness in the youth With the emphasis society puts on attending college, requiring most young people entering the workforce to have a degree, schools are presented with a challenge: preparing their students of many different backgrounds for what they will face in college.

This is commonly known as “college readiness” defined as the idea that every student deserves the opportunity to be educated in a way that prepares them for college. Schools play an essential role in guiding early preparation for post secondary education, and frankly, the earlier schools begin to prepare their students for college, the more successful they will be.

Students, especially those from families who don’t place an emphasis on going to college, are often burdened by the perception that their best will never be good enough for societies standards, thus they will never be able to attend college. Instead, they begin to believe that they will never be successful and accept a lesser position in society.

Schools can easily turn this type of negative thinking into goals, objectives, and eventual success by supporting students through the various steps of post secondary planning starting in elementary school.

“If you start really young with some of the college language, kids get more comfortable with the idea,” said Ms. Shannon Bailey, AVID Director, “This is key in helping kids eventually attend college.”

Besides explaining the importance of college to students, another aspect of college readiness is helping kids to develop skills that will be beneficial to them in college. This needs to start at a young age as well. The younger children begin learning college skills, the more time they will have to practice them before actually attending college.

The Hopkins School District has launched a pilot program focusing on college readiness at the elementary level. This program utilizes grade level appropriate curriculum that teaches students skills such note taking and studying at a young age, giving the students ample time to practice before these skills actually become necessary to success. Both Alice Smith and Eisenhower will be preparing their students for success through this program.

AVID is a program that does a good job of emphasizing college readiness in the Hopkins School District.

Starting in seventh grade, AVID helps students that otherwise would not have adequate guidance prepare for post

secondary education.

The week of Oct. 26 was college week at L.H. Tanglen Elementary School. The week was filled with college related festivities for Tanglen students.

Following a kick off performance from HHS’ pep band, the week continued with students designing their own college pennant and reflecting their plans for college. Each day featured a different college themed event including various guest speakers.

Students, parents, staff, and community members alike loved this event according to Gail Lewis-Miller, Principal of Tanglen Elementary. “[College Week] was really to help [the students] understand the reason behind education. The earlier you can start explaining to kids the importance of going to school the better,” LewisMiller said.

Many would say that beginning to prepare elementary school students for college is repressing their childhood by invading their mind with stress that should not even be considered until many years later. This, however, is an old school method and does not show the same results with every student.

“The idea of College Week in an elementary school is exposure,” LewisMiller said, “We don’t go through the details that stress kids out. We just expose them to the idea of college.”

A study done by the ACT showed that 22 percent of students entering high school had yet to explore the types of education, training and work they might pursue after graduating. This places a great responsibility on elementary schools to help students consider their high school classes with college readiness in mind.

Schools should be aiding students as they develop a college readiness plan, serving as a road map through high school registration. This plan is needed to help students and their parents connect their classes to long-term academic and professional goals.

At a Glance

. Schools introduce

college at a young age in order to promote its importance Sonja Muus is the Web Czar for the Royal Page

RP Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011

the

opinion 13

Twitter soars as an essential media tool

Twitter is one of the greatest creations of the twenty first century. Some might call that a bold statement, but it is not all that far-fetched.

Twitter has not only connected people on a social level in an unprecedented way, but it has reinvented the news industry. Almost all major news corporations have Twitter accounts where they tweet out headlines, which give you most of the necessary information on a subject.

Also, the variety of news found on Twitter is incredible and extremely customizable. Tons of new news corporations are able to market to an incredibly small market, or a worldwide market.

For example, I first found out about Joe Paterno’s dismissal from Penn State through my Twitter feed (@charliebank6, if you would like to follow me). Also, I keep up with all the Metro sports scores through MSHSL John.

Twitter also lets every average Joe be the story breaker. For example, I found out about the whole Penn State scandal, not through the 5 o’clock news or CNN.com, but from my friends tweeting about it. In this time of decreased newspaper circulation and lack of current event knowledge, this could be the link to a more educated future.

Along with these news capabilities of Twitter, it also opens up some new entrepreneurial options.

One now popular way to garner large amounts of followers on Twitter is to create a fake celebrity account or create an account that plays to a specific demographic. One of those such accounts being the infamous @RoyalProblem.

@RoyalProblem is an account set up by an unknown HHS student who tweets comical observations tailored to an audience of HHS students.

That right there is the magic of Twitter.

That anyone can create an account and get unprecedented contact as well as popularity with people. This can not only be utilized by humorists, but by companies and politicians wishing to further connect to their consumers or constituents.

Nowadays, most politicians and companies have Twitter accounts and some politicians have even had scandals because of this social platform (see representative Eric Weiner).

Even with all the wealth of information and intuitive way of connecting with others, some people still refuse to join this growing site, because they claim they have nothing to tweet about or to stick it to the man, but I believe that not far off into the future, Twitter will be so integrated into our lives that people have them, if for nothing else, for the sake of convenience.

Charles Isaac Bank is a staff reporter for the Royal Page

On Twitter? Follow

@theroyalpage

for all your HHS news needs

Students taking a gap year show they will be learning too Next fall many seniors will be off into some of the best years of their lives, grinding all night on caffeine binges to keep up with their classes, extinguishing their identities through new friendships and experiences, and most ‘importantly’ taking their education to the next level. On the other side of the spectrum a handful of students, including myself, are taking a year off to reconcile.

“I firmly believe every student knows what is best for themselves. If you forced every student to attend college, when they are not ready, they would be wasting their precious time and money,” said college advisor Jay Benanev.

When I made my decision to take a year off it wasn’t due to me acting lethargic towards my education, but rather I have no idea what I want in life. So with that established, I made a decision many others have before me, travel.

Myself, along with senior Sam Wayne, are volunteering in South America, Africa, and Israel next fall. By traveling I will be able to take a step back from my day-to-day life and take an unfamiliar breathe of fresh air.

“Sometimes a break is what you need, to keep going,” said Sam Wayne, senior. “If my family is going to be paying for school, I want to make sure I have a fresh mind state going into college.”

I think many students who are attending college courses next fall have no idea what they want to do with their lives either, but to them a college experience will direct them to their destined “career”.

“I think college is a perfect way to grow

mentally. You no longer live under your parents roof, which makes every decision you make all your responsibility.” Said Senior Jason Finkelstien.

People come up to me all the time asking me, “What college are you going to next year?” “Are you excited for college?” I have no shame telling them my endeavors, because just like you, I will be learning too.

Learning first hand, about people, religion, languages, and most importantly myself. They often look at me with a facile judgement, which then sparks that voice in my head like “Just wait and see, one day you’ll understand where I’m coming from.”

It was a process convincing my parents. They were under the assumption that I was side stepping college and taking the easy way out. But after I explained my intentions to get a college education after I travel the tension eased slightly, but not completely.

What inspired my ambitions to travel before going further with school was my trip abroad to Israel last February. Certain experiences made me become very ambivalent and indecisive. So with that I decided to not get caught up in what’s ‘normal’ if it doesn’t feel normal to me.

Elijah Moses Fhima is a staff reporter for the Royal Page

T

Cartoon by Liena Hamza

:

op Ways to 10 cheat on a test

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Drop out of School Write the answers on the inside of your pants, and then wear your pants inside out Bring out the magic 8 ball What’s up with airplane food?

Ask your teacher to “check your work” before you hand it in Follow Charlie Bank on twitter (@CharlieBank6) I’m not sure, ask Tiger Woods

Bernie Madoff that test Hire Sreyas to take the test for you Know all the answers

14 variety

the

RPThursday, December 1, 2011

News store Primping out shops at West End Ursie Arhart Staff Reporter

Photos by Ursie Arhart

Primp’s fancy decor and fashionable clothing displayed at their second store’s grand opening on Nov. 10 located in the shops at the West End.

In a boutique with trendy music, décor and clothing, two friends are living out their dream. Wesley Uthus and Michele Henry, creators and owners, opened Primp in hopes of creating an affordable, fashionforward boutique. Originating on Selby in St. Paul, Primp has a new location in the Shops at West End. Uthus and Henry opened the store to their friends and family on Nov. 9 and the grand opening took place on Nov. 10. “[We’re] so excited to be on the west side,” Henry said. The two searched all of Edina and Excelsior & Grand shopping areas, but with West End’s existing stores and its style stood out.

“All of the pieces kind of fit,” Henry said.

West End is also a different area for Primp. There are a lot of other fashionable stores around the location, including Hot Mama, Lululemon and Love Culture. “[We’re excited to see] where this could take us,” Henry said.

According to the Primp website, Uthus and Henry

“pride [themselves] in providing the highest level of customer service despite [their] low price point, creating a shopping experience at Primp which resembles that of a high-end clothing boutique.” The two designed the store off of a clean and simple aesthetic. “It’s not so much who [inspires us] as the aesthetic,” Henry said.

In addition to offering great prices, Primp is unique because they set new clothing items out daily without any restocking any orders of clothing. “[Our] vendors are out of LA, we don’t design anymore,” Henry said.

Uthus and Henry spend a lot of time in LA shopping and getting new ideas for the store.

Primp’s style is very fashionforward and they focus on catering to women in a wide range of sizes and ages. “[Our style] is classic meets extremely trendy,” Henry said. The store provides a lot of variety in style because Uthus and Henry have fairly different styles, and as Uthus said, “I think the store would be very different if we had the same style.”

“We’re targeting women of ages 28-48,” Henry said. The two originally thought they

would be reaching out to younger women for the majority, but realized their style was more sophisticated. They also want to make sure their customers relate to the “trendy but cheap” aesthetic.

The new store itself is very trendy in its design and décor.

It has a lot of neutral, black and white tones and is intricately decorated, from personal photos to glass door knobs on the clothing racks. “We painted all the furniture ourselves, [it’s] very hands-on,” Uthus said.

The West End location is even unique to the St. Paul location because they have a bit more space. “[With more space, we’re] able to have a few lines exclusive to this location,” Uthus said. The West End location provides more formal dresses and nightwear than the St. Paul store.

As good friends, Uthus and Henry really work well together as a team, creating a ‘cheap-chic boutique’ made up of both of their styles. “[It’s] great because we work through things, there’s a nice ebb and flow,” Henry said.

“We balance each other and we challenge each other,” Uthus said.

Choosing the casual approach to HHS events Naomi Borowsky Staff Reporter While many neighboring high schools hold several school dances during the year, HHS has fallen into a different pattern. For many years, HHS has had three dances - homecoming, March madness (black light dance), and prom (for juniors and seniors). Homecoming and March madness are informal dances and prom is a formal dance.

Other high schools in the area choose to hold more dances during the year. Minnetonka High School has several all school informal dances including a tennis dance (sponsored by the tennis team), Halloween dance, toga dance, and sweethearts dance. In addition, they have two formal dances, homecoming and prom. St. Louis Park High School has formal homecoming and prom as well as informal dances, like Snodaze and Sadie Hawkins.

Homecoming is a formal dance at most high schools in the area, including Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Wayzata, Edina, and Eden Prairie. “I graduated from HHS in 1989, and homecoming was never considered a formal,” said Erik Swenson, Social Studies.

“Homecoming used to be semi-formal, but over time, it’s gotten less and less formal,” said Tim Amlie, Technology Education. Students go to homecoming straight after the football game rather than having the dance on a different night like many other high schools.

“Students would rather have the dance right after the game, and most years seniors have a costume theme,” Amlie said.

This year, there were about 800 students at the homecoming dance, more than previous years. Last year, there were about 800 students at prom and 450 students at the March madness dance.

Amlie points out that more students attend informal dances because they are not as expensive as formal dances.

In the past, people have tried to organize additional dances.

These dances ended up being canceled because of lack of participation. “It’s not worth it to pay for all the costs of a dance, like the DJ, venue, and police, if no one shows up,” Amlie said.

In addition to costs for the school, formal dances can be expensive for students. “Formal dances are fun once in a while, although they definitely add up - dress, ticket, dinner,” said Megan Gillen, senior.

Some students feel that the number of formal dances at school is already enough. “Formal dances are too much work, and I’m too lazy to dress up,” said Jake Fieldseth, sophomore.

Other students think HHS does not have as many formal dances as they should. “Most other schools have formal homecomings, so when you see their pictures on Facebook, you wish you had that experience,” said Carolyn Francis, junior. Francis also explained that it could be beneficial for sophomores to have a formal dance before prom.

Student Council involvement with dances includes selling tickets and helping with set up. “If there was a club or team that wanted to have another dance, we [Student Council] would be able to support them and help with fundraising, but it wouldn’t be put on only

by us,” said Ali Johnson, senior.

“We don’t want overkill. I like what we have; our 3 dances provide a variety that hopefully appeal to all of our students. I love providing a night out for our students to have fun, and to just be kids and dance,” said Anne Campbell, Assistant Principal. Ultimately, the number and nature of school dances at HHS are in the hands of the students.

Should Homecoming be No - 76% formal?

Yes - 24%

100 HHS Students were polled on Nov. 16.

variety15

the

RPThursday, December 1, 2011

Deeply Royal dancing with new beats, coach Meme Halpern Staff Reporter At the football homecoming pep fest, Deeply Royal did not perform like the team had in previous years. The team has been undergoing a change in direction.

Kirby Hagen, professional dancer and dance instructor, is the new coach of Deeply Royal. She is incorporating her training in African, ballet, lyrical, jazz, and salsa into the teams typical hip hop style.

“Right now we have about 15 members, and only one boy on the team, hopefully with more to come. We will always be open to adding new members,” Hagen said.

They practice twice a week and it starts with a student-led warm up followed by routine drills instructed by the coach. The team is currently working on a routine to T-Pain’s song Freeze, with several more songs and routines in the works.

Tryouts are not necessary to join the team as Coach Hagen wishes to keep the squad open to fresh talent and ex-

pressive ideas from all members. Unlike previous years, this season there are no captains. “We all decided as a team to work together to make decisions and prevent a hierarchy among the members,” Hagen said.

“There are a lot of people who don’t really know much about our squad... which I think needs to change,” said Isaiah Moore, senior.

Even though the team did not perform at the homecoming pep fest, the team plans on performing in the remaining ones throughout the year.

Additionally, they hope to perform at half time during basketball games, and at wrestling matches, throughout the school year.

“It would have been pretty impossible for the team to perform during homecoming week because school had only started a week or so before, and we put a lot of time and hard work into getting our crew together and getting our routines down,” Moore said.

Coach Hagen demands a positive attitude from the team, and saying ‘I can’t’ is not allowed.

“Our coach pushes us to do our best

Photo by Meme Halpern

Deeply Royal Dance Team showing off their moves during practice in the old gym on Nov. 11. They practice on Tues. and Thurs.

and we wanted to do our best,” Moore said.

“I expect all team members to respect, respect, respect each other, their peers, myself, and most importantly themselves,” Hagen said.

Hagen’s measures has made a noticeable difference in the team.

Throughout the season, after spending a significant amount of time together, the squad members formed something many other groups at HHS cannot claim they have. “We are a group, a squad, and pretty much a family. We’re all friends,” Moore said. “[The Deeply Royal Dance Team]

Sonja Muus Web Czar At Living Waters, customers can meditate before they eat or take a yoga class before enjoying a drink from the juice bar. Connected with the Center for Harmonious Living, Living Waters Market and Cafe is a restaurant that has taken a unique approach to dining by focusing on the entire well being of an individual rather than just a diet.

Located on Minnetonka Boulevard, Living Waters Market and Cafe features a juice bar, cafe, ionized water, and a coffee shop as well as wireless internet.

Additionally, the Center for Harmonious Living, an all encompassing wellness and learning center located in the same building, hosts many different events and classes including live music, yoga, meditation, and various seminars.

Living Waters appears to be laid out similar to any other restaurant, however it has some distinct differences. The atmosphere is one thing that sets it apart. Living Waters has a hom-

makes everyone a better dancer, more comfortable to express themselves, and overall a joint team when performing,” Hagen said.

“It is a safe place to have fun, work hard and feel good, be yourself, create strong relationships, and let go through dancing as a unit.” Hagen said.

ey feel, with two small, open kitchen areas. One is designated for squeezing fresh juices and the other for making food.

The decor is very similar to that of a modern home with stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, and a decorative tile back splash. Behind the kitchens is a seating area and behind that is a room designated solely for meditation.

The Center for Harmonious Living goes beyond meditation to offer customers the chance for holistic self improvement.

A hallway to the right of the main eating area leads to a yoga studio and various spaces for teaching and practicing healing techniques such as chiropractic care and acupuncture.

Many of the classes they offer only have a suggested donation, making them affordable for everyone. Unlike their classes, the food can be a little bit expensive, however, it is all freshly made with various unique flavors. All of the food at Living Waters is vegetarian, offering everything from black

bean burgers to Gorgonzola and pear salad to pesto and pineapple pizza.

The prices of their food includes appetizers ranging from $6.50 to $9, salads between $7 and $12, pizzas between $9 and $18, sandwiches from $6 to $10.25, and desserts priced at $4.25 and $4.85. Their juices and smoothies cost similar priced from $5.75 to $8. Living Waters Cafe also offers 1 and 2 oz. wheat grass shots priced at $2 and $3.75 respectively according to size.

Their juices are comprised of fruits and vegetables, and are squeezed in front of the consumer as they wait. One example of a juice from the menu is the G.A.L.P, made of ginger, apple, lemon, and pear.

If self improvement is what a consumer is looking for, Living Waters Market and Cafe partnered with the Center for Harmonious Living is the perfect place. Whether it’s enjoying a yoga class or a slice of pizza, Living Waters offers something for everyone.

16 back page

twitter

timeline 2006 Work on twitter began with Jack Dorsey publishing the first tweet: “Just setting up my twittr” (twitter’s original title).

2011 An average of 200 million tweets are published per day. techcrunch.com

the

RPThursday, Dec. 1, 2011

turn to page 13 for a story about twitter

[

@Christian_Dah1

“I use twitter to tell people information about my life that they probably don’t care about.” -Christian Dahl, junior tweets: 1,282 followers: 201

@ImGoinCray “I love using twitter to stay up to date with celebrities.” -Layla Ali, senior tweets: 2,322

followers: 509

@RoyalProblem The rapidly growing, anonymous source for HHS humor

going to school for a 2 day week. all i do is watch movies or sit there and stare at the wall #icouldbedoingthesamethingathome #royalproblem -Nov. 21 tweets: 45 followers: 410

photos by Bridget Bennett

twitter statistics as of 11/28/11

TRENDING TOPICS:

[

] ]

looking back at November The Holidays

Mr. Hogan Formal

Casual

Favorite Outfits

Gray suit White shirt Pink tie On his love of rap: “In the summer I really like playing rap with the windows down. I like the bass of rap. I like the poeticism of rap. I like people who are skillful with language. I like dark heavy beats.”

Jeans Black Chuck Taylors Black hoodie Red flannel

in the RP

[

Thanksgiving

Black Friday

About 248 million turkeys will be raised for slaughter in the U.S. during 2011.

Stores grossed over an estimated $50 billion this year on Black Friday.

National Geographic News

National Retail Federation

photo by Naomi Borowsky

in the media

][

Coldplay

Cheating 75-98 percent of college students admittted to cheating sometime in their academic careers. education-portal.com

turn to page 8 for a story about cheating

]

Breaking Dawn

Sales of their new album reached 447,000

by November 1.

CBS News

Premiering worldwide November 18, the 4th installment of the Twilight Saga pulled in $283.5 million its opening weekend.

Wall Street Journal

By Lydia Wilson Back Page Editor