Students at Mounds Viewhave always been pressured totake demanding classes.

Now, not only do studentsneed to participate in rigorouscourses, but they are alsoexpected to gain college creditsin the process.

Advanced Placement andCollege in the Schools are bothcollege-level courses that allowstudents to earn college creditduring high school.

However, in 2001, theCollege Board came up with yetanother way for students to earncollege credit. The CollegeLevel Examination Program,known as CLEP, is an examgiven to high school or collegestudents to test their knowledgeof college-level curriculum.

The concept of a CLEP testis fairly similar to that of anAdvanced Placement exam.

A student can test on a spe-cific subject, and depending ontheir score, earn credit for col-lege. The tests can be taken atcolleges like the University ofMinnesota and St. Paul College,

but are not offered directlythrough Mounds View.

As of 2006, the state ofMinnesota has been pushing par-ticipation by paying the $65 test-ing fee for interested students.

Yet few know what the testsare, and therefore only a selectfew have taken the exams. Itwas originally estimated that5,000 to 7,500 students would betaking these exams over the pastyear. However, since 2006, onlyabout 900 CLEP exams havebeen taken in Minnesota.

Similar to many othersthroughout the state, studentsand teachers at Mounds Viewhave heard little or no informa-tion about this testing opportuni-ty.

“What the heck is a CLEPtest?” said Jared Carlson-Stevermer, 11.

The goal of the CLEP examsis to provide students with anopportunity to gain college cred-it for non-AP classes. For exam-ple, “College Algebra” and“Principles of Marketing” aretopics on two of the exams.

However, the program stilloffers tests on calculus, UnitedStates history, and psychology,

which are also AP exams.Despite the similar concept

of the AP and CLEP tests, thereare important differences stu-dents may want to considerbefore taking a CLEP exam.

“Well, you don’t take a classto prepare for it,” said DeanScott Wiens. “And selective col-leges won’t even consider it forcredit.”

All schools in the MinnesotaState Colleges and Universitiessystem accept the CLEP test.

However some schools, likethe University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, only accept highscores on select tests. The Uusually doesn’t give out morethan two or possibly three cred-its. Many out-of-state privatecolleges do not accept the testsas credit at all.

Knowing that certain col-leges don’t accept the tests forfull or even any credit greatlyreduces many students’ interestin taking the exams at all.

“I wouldn’t be interested in itjust because it would feel like awaste of time. I’d be workingfor nothing if the college didn’taccept it,” said Taylor Martin,10.

While students are waryabout the sparse acceptance ofthe test, teachers are formingtheir own concerns about theprogram.

“You wouldn’t go throughthe beneficial process of taking aclass,” said science teacher MarkJohnson. “You don’t get theexperience of learning a subjectwith labs, question and answer,or with other people in a struc-tured setting.”

The lack of an accompanyingclass for the test not only causesstudents to miss out on fullylearning the subject, but canleave them unprepared for thiscollege level exam.

“If you haven’t already takena class to prepare you for it, [thetest] could be difficult to pass,”said Wiens.

However, some teachers atMounds View believe that theCLEP exam would be helpfulfor students.

According to social studiesteacher Scott Oberg, “If it’s freeand you could potentially earncollege credit, why not take it?”

John Van Buren can barelyhear himself think over thesound of the rushing cars.

“If this proposal goesthrough, we won’t be able tobarbecue in our backyard any-more,” said Van Buren, a home-owner living near the Highway10 and County Road 96 intersec-tion.

Van Buren was angry whenArden Hills Mayor StanHarpstead called an emergencycity council meeting on Feb. 13to discuss a proposal to changethe intersection. He and otherresidents were excluded from themeeting. To him, this was a slapin the face.

Sentiments were similar fordozens of families living aroundthe intersection. Arden Hills’proposed expansion of the tworoads will force many residentsout of the area.

Some city leaders say achange needs to occur as ArdenHills prepares to take control of,and ultimately develop, 585acres of the Twin Cities ArmyAmmunitions Plant (TCAAP). Ifnothing is done, an already dras-tic rate of accidents at the inter-section may increase further.

The current $29 million pro-posal, which includes a possiblesix- to eight-lane bridge carryingHighway 10 over County Road96, was discussed Jan. 28. Thecouncil voted 4-1 against theconstruction plan in its currentform. The only vote in favor ofthe plan was Harpstead’s.

Harpstead has been attempt-ing to push the referendumthrough city council, accordingto Van Buren and other councilmeeting participants.

The 585 acres of land thecity is reclaiming from the

TCAAP is the largest parcel ofdevelopable land within 30 milesof the metro area. According tothe city, the development planincludes 160 acres for homes,160 for business and retail, andthe rest for parks.

City council member FranHolmes said, “[There are] plansfor retail stores, a corporate cam-pus and a hotel. The commercialarea will provide jobs for indi-viduals living throughout theTwin Cities area as well as anarea for companies to grow andrelocate.”

And, according to Harpstead,“The development will bring inkey amenities that the city ofArden Hills has been lacking,”

If development continues asplanned, the already-congestedhighways could come to a com-

plete standstill.The city estimates that the

TCAAP property could create a100-200 percent increase in carspassing through the area; up toan additional 40,000-80,000 carsdaily. This massive influx ofvehicles could create havoc foran already accident-plaguedintersection.

“I always feel as if I’m goingto get t-boned in that intersec-tion,” said Kelsey Wise, 10.

Ryan Meyer, 12, knows thissituation all too well. In the sum-mer of 2005, Meyer and hismom were passing through theintersection when an accidentoccurred.

“A police officer ran a redlight responding to a call. Hecame through the intersectionand hit us head-on,” said Meyer.

Meyer, knocked unconsciousas a result of the crash, and hismother both came out with bro-ken bones.

“I still have a plate in my jawfrom the accident,” said Meyer.

He believes that if Hwy 10passed over the intersection, asis currently proposed by the citycouncil, “My accident probablywouldn’t have happened.”

Harpstead is of the same sen-timent: “It’s a dangerous inter-section already, and a lot ofMounds View students gothrough there every day.Sometimes sacrifices must bemade now to make the futuresafer.”

Could such “sacrifices” bene-fit the nearby community? VanBuren, who says the noise andtraffic of Highway 10 is alreadyintolerable, thinks not.

“If the stoplight is removedat the intersection,” he said, “thenoise will become unbearable.”

Worse are the possible evic-tion notices Arden Manor resi-dents could face. By Minnesotalaw, mobile home residentsforced to move are to be relocat-ed within 50 miles of their cur-rent dwellings, or be fairly com-pensated with a similarly valuedhome. Yet Arden Manor resi-dents claim this isn’t goodenough, citing rent at othermobile parks as too high.

Harpstead has maintainedthat he only has the best interestsof the city in mind. “In terms ofmyself benefiting from [theTCAAP property]? No—there’snone of that,” he said.

Still, his handling of the mat-ter has left some residents bitter.

“If I was a sheep, I sure ashell wouldn’t be following him,”said one anonymous resident inan email to Van Buren.

Friday, February 29, 2008 Volume 54 Issue 8 <mvviewer@yahoo.com>

Custodian Day, held on Friday, Feb.15, was a part of Student Council’straditional effort to show appreciationfor the school’s custodians. KristenAnderson, 12, above, helps out on oneof the custodians’ shifts. StudentCouncil members took turns cleaningthe lunchroom and working shifts.

IINNBBRRIIEEFF

Finishing third out of eight teams atthe Section AA tournament last Friday,Feb. 22, the MV Swim Team will sendfive swimmers to the state finals onMarch 1. Pictured from right to left arefinalists Zach Nachtsheim, 12, SamOlson-Anstett, 10, Joe S. Carlson, 12,Roman Becicka, 12, and Greg Stacy, 10.

photo courtesy of Cara Morphew

Arden Hills’ proposed expansion of Hwy 10 and County Rd 96 (above) will resultin the displacement of many homes in the Arden Manor mobile park. Residentsstrongly oppose the expansion; a result of developing the TCAAP property intocommercial and residential areas and a greater influx of traffic.

photo by Debbie Li

photo by David Derong

By Sean Moorestaff writer

iewerVTT HH EE MM OO UU NN DD SS VV II EE WW HH II GG HH SS CC HH OO OO LL

Local intersection in dispute:

CCLLEEPP tteessttiinngg ooffffeerrss aalltteerrnnaattiivvee ccoolllleeggee ccrreeddiittBy Marysa Meyerstaff writer

The College Level ExaminationProgram, CLEP, offers high schoolstudents the opportunity to earn col-lege credit by passing a test in oneof 35 subject areas. However, thecatch is that few out-of-stateschools accept the credit. Since2006, only about 900 CLEP examshave been taken in Minnesota.

photo by Nate Grann

Families face losing homes as result of proposed expansion

The job of a music snob is athankless one indeed. Day afterday, the “snob” struggles tosave the quality of the thingthey love most, only to beseen as pretentious, judgmen-tal, or conceited. And thoughthey often make one feel hor-ribly about one’s music tasteand feel the need to point outthe flaws in every popular song,it is important that we begin tolook past this and shine somelight on the services they do forsociety as well.

Music snobs are the garbagemen of the musical world. Theywork their hardest to make surethat the radio station streets arenot filled with mundane, mind-less, trashy songs. If not for thefear of these music snobs’ criti-cism, music artists and produc-ers would be allowed to put out

whatever’s easiest forthem: cheap, easy, andunoriginal crap.Music snobs act asfilters and provide uswith a higher standardof musical quality.

They also help usdiscover bands andartists we may neverhave heard otherwise.Because of their pho-bia of “mainstream”music and constantsearch for “the nextbest thing,” snobs pro-vide us with interest-ing, and sometimeseven good, discoveriesthat we never would

have been exposed to other-wise.

Take Nirvana, for instance.They were an obnoxiously loudand hardcore grungy garageband playing local gigs untiltheir loyal fan base of musicsnobs started distributing theirdemos to friends and strangersalike.

Next thing you know,Nirvana became one of themost well-known bands of thecentury and almost everyonecan mumble along to theanthemic lyrics of “Smells likeTeen Spirit.”

It has been said that thosewho do not know their history

aredoomed torepeat it. Aspainful as it isto listen to theaverage snobrattle off a ran-dom fact aboutevery song theyhear, considerwhere we wouldbe today if noone took thetime to learn orcare about thesethings.

If thesnob/music histo-ry buff didn’tremember to con-tinue to remind usthat Bob Dylan’sreal name wasRobertZimmerman andthat he came fromthe humble townof Hibbing,Minnesota, thenpeople may stillbe under theimpression thatonly those hail-ing from cultur-al hot-spotshave a chanceat making itbig.

Some mayargue thatmusic snobs“hate theBeatles.” Thisis another mis-understanding. Noself-respecting music snobhates the Beatles; they’re justable to appreciate their great-ness without obsessing overthem. They use a background ofclassic music knowledge to bet-ter understand contemporaryartists.

So the next time a musicsnob judges you while scrollingthrough your iPod, try not totake offense. Instead, think ofall the ways the music snobactually benefits you andimproves the overall quality ofmusic in the world today.

Each yearas more andmore peopleare introducedto new music,and better tech-nology makes iteasier to sharetunes, a terrible

beast is growing.A monster so terri-

ble and annoying,that it would putCarrot Top himselfto shame. This con-descending newbreed is worse thanany clique knownto man; they areMusic Snobs.

As UrbanDictionary definesit, a music snob is“A person whobelieves s/he hasa more refinedtaste in musicand has muchmore knowl-edge in thefield ofmusic ingeneral.Musicsnobs feelobligated toenlighteneveryonewith unwel-come cri-tiques andirrelevantmusical

trivia.”The music snob can often be

found in musty basements lis-tening to demo tapes of theirnewest find, or at concerts nothaving a good time.

Studies show that 90% ofmusic snobs are on anti-depres-sants; this is most likely due tothe fact that they can never findanything good in music.

Although the music snoboccasionally helps the “commonman” find new artists, momentslater he will condemn that manfor listening to them.

Music snobs hate anythingthat is famous even if it is good.Take the Beatles. The Beatleshave affected the music world

in many numerous waysand if you single out anymusic snob and take a tripback to his past, chances areat one point he was obsessedwith the band.

But because the Beatles areso well-known and loved,almost every music snob willcall them “overrated” and“hyped-up.” The music snobhas lost all sense of meaning inmusic, forgotten what he onceloved and decided to condemnsomething just because he’snot the only one to appreci-ate it.

The biggest mistakeyou can make is to let asnob ride shotgun in yourcar. You will have lessthan a second before theyhave whipped out theirown iPod and started play-ing some seizure-inducing“indie” track.

On the rarechance that theyhave forgotten tocharge their MP3and are forced touse yours, you arein for a far worseexperience. Theywill spend the restof the car ridebelittling youralbum list andsuggesting bandsthat you should“definitely checkout.”

Music snobsoften offer tomake you a CD.This apparently nice gesture isonly a trap. Soon they will hateyou for making their music pop-ular. And in the off chance thatthey can decide on an “OK”song to play, you won’t be ableto listen to any of it withoutbeing interrupted by uselessinformation about the musician.

So the next time a musicsnob approaches you in public,be sure to be equipped with thelatest Nickelback CD, which,like holy water on vampires,will send this animal back towhere he came from: his dankbedroom to listen to the latest,literally painful, “groundbreak-ing” indie release.

10

2Best parts of a

leap year

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Anna BrockwayMMaannaaggiinngg EEddiittoorr

Alice LiuNNeewwss

Belle LinEEddiittoorriiaallss

Andrew LarkinCCoommmmeennttaarryy

Sam LouwagieFFeeaattuurreess

Abby HouseKathleen Gormley

SSpprreeaadd Lauren Peake

Vicky Kelberer VVaarriieettyy

Alicia HilgersRReevviieewwss

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Chelsy MateerAndy Madsen

GGaalllleerryy Ashley Aram

BBuussiinneessss MMaannaaggeerr Elizabeth Steele

PPhhoottooggrraapphheerrss//AArrttiissttss Nate Grann

David DerongDebbie Li

AAddvviissoorr Martha Rush

AAssssiissttaanntt AAddvviissoorr David Weinberg

SSttaaffff -- Cassie Ahiers, Colin Anderson,Karly Bergmann, Anna Blaske, SeanDelahunt, Divya Gupta, Dan Heaney,Alex Hoffman, John Liu, Marysa Meyer,Sean Moore, Collin Nisler, BrandonOsero, Shaked Peleg, Ross Peterson,Brooke Roberts, Maddy Stephens, EmilyStorms, Sam Toninato, KristenVanderburg, Sarah Wang, Christina Xia,Kirstin Yanisch, Sabrina Zappa

The Viewer is published bythe student editors at:

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AArrddeenn HHiillllss,, MMiinnnneessoottaa

The Viewer is printed by:EECCMM PPuubblliisshheerrss,, IInncc..

opT

6

2

4

8 Children born on February 29thfinally get birthdays!

February wintersjust aren’t long

enough

One more dayalone...

There’s only one left . . .

Astronomicalmiscalculation rocks!

10

Wait, it’s a leap year?

Dude, remember thatsweet Leap Year’s Dayparty last time?

...seriously. The Mayan calendar ends in 2012.We’re all dead, man.

Another day with Jae

Since its an ‘extra’ daywe have no obliga-tions... right?

79

5

3

By Cassie Ahiersstaff writer

Changing in the locker roomafter swim practice one day, Iheard a voice exclaiming, “I amso fat!”

I turned around and, ratherthan a morbidly obese person, Isaw a girl I hadn’t even knowncontained an ounce of fat on herentire body.

Immediately, a chorus rangout, saying, “You’re not fat,what are you talking about?”

I was completely baffled asto why this person would saysuch a thing, until I realized Ioften do the same myself. I’llcome out of a test I probablyperformed well enough on,telling everyone that I musthave failed it.

It’s reassuring to hear every-one tell me how smart I am, orhow pretty, or nice. Whenever Ihear similar self-deprecatingcomments from other people,however, I realize how absolute-ly annoying it is.

Different media have recent-ly focused on this issue and itsconnection to self-esteem. TheMarch issue of Seventeen ran anarticle by body image expertJess Weiner, telling girls to“change their inner sound-tracks.”

Girls in particular will oftentell themselves that they’re notpretty enough or they’re unwor-thy of any success.

The New York Times recent-ly highlighted a psychologicalphenomenon called ImpostorSyndrome where one feels that

they are not as capable as othersthink. People susceptible toImpostor Syndrome are often“less confident, more moodyand rattled by performance anx-ieties.”

Perhaps I had no real reasonto be annoyed with the waypeople were constantly puttingthemselves down. It could, afterall, be a psychological disease.

As I continued reading,however, I learned that manysupposed impostors were actual-ly only pretending to be impos-tors. Thus, people’s expectationsof them were lowered, and theygot credit for being humble aswell. In effect, the act became aself-presentation strategy, ratherthan a personality trait.

I think it’s understandablethat I would be slightly bothered

by this negativity. People areusing it to better themselves inother people’s eyes, but oftenit’s just bringing down theirown self-esteem.

This self-deprecation is alltoo present at Mounds View.

Merit Stewart, 11, is oneMounds View student fed upwith people fishing for compli-ments.

“Whenever someone insultsthemselves, I agree. I amunfishable,” he said.

Stewart’s strategy may seema little harsh, but ultimately, it isbetter than giving in to others’negativity. So next time some-one is fishing for compliments,just say no to negativity, andrefuse to be fished.

FFii sshh iinngg oouutt tthhee ff rraauuddssBy Shaked Pelegstaff writer

1

art by Nate Grann

Painful to putup with

Quintessentialto quality

Music to whose ears?Music snobs split the student body

February 29, 2008editorialsBy Karly Bergmannstaff writer

33commentaryFebruary 29, 2008

Walking towards the library,my anticipation was difficult tohide. I found it hard to standstill and my Velcro shoes dart-ed from side to side, lighting upon every bounce.

Hands held restless by myside, I jumped up and down fora look. Peering over the top ofthe countless bookshelves, Iwas just able to make out thegrey bubble that symbolizedhistory’s greatest stories, cul-ture, and science.

Star Lab was, to put itquite simply, the peakof all my childhoodmemories. Mr.Briggs, my elementaryscience teacher, hadintroduced my peers and Ito our greatest frontier withhis seemingly infinite knowl-edge of stars.

“The star lab is a great wayfor students to see and learnabout the constellations. Wealso learn about light and shad-ows in there, too,” said GinaWills, the current scienceteacher at Turtle LakeElementary.

“All students benefitbecause they have the opportu-nity to visit the Star Lab everyyear,” she added.

But our district decided thatproviding students enteringmiddle school with such storieswas no longer necessary. And,unfortunately, high schoolwould be the same. Apparentlythere was nothing left to begained. But isn't there stillsomething to learn from navi-

gating our stars and ponderingthe tales of our most ancientancestors?

Graham Wright, MV’sAccelerated Chemistry teacher,has long held interest in teach-ing an astronomy class andlikes the idea of a MoundsView Star lab.

“It’s a basic planetarium.The benefits are that, ultimate-ly, you get to project the nightsky without having to go out-side or wait for the weather tobe just right,” he said.

And the interest isn’t onlyfrom the staff; students whofondly remember their Star Labdays like the idea of a Star Lab

at Mounds View.“I loved the Star Lab. I real-

ly liked all the stories that Mr.Briggs had about all the con-stellations and stars,” saidMichael Chalmers, 11.

Chalmers isn’t alone.“Some of my best memo-

ries of elementary school wereof the Star Lab. I wish wecould still have it,” said MikeTruso, 12.

Yet, even with evidentinterest in the subject, ourschool hasn’t found a way tointegrate astronomy and theStar Lab into its current cur-riculum. Star Lab’s exclusion

could be because it maynot provide enough real-

life information to serve asan alternative to the actual

sky.“The value of the Star Lab,

academically, isn’t going toreally help demonstrate con-cepts,” said Wright.“Astronomy is very mathemati-cally intense. It is very difficultto do the labs at any time otherthan night.”

The Star Lab is, and per-haps always will be, myfavorite memory of science.Taking off my shoes and crawl-ing into the tiny, chilled bubble,nothing matched the sense ofanticipation and enjoyment pro-vided by the Star Lab.

Losing the privilege of it inmy later years only really addsto its legacy. After all, it wasthe Star Lab that introduced meto the magnificent world of sto-rytelling, even more than myEnglish classes. So, in a way,Star Lab has already given meall it has to offer.

Wishing upon a star: Star Lab could still have value By Dan Heaneystaff writer

When social studies teacherScott Oberg walked into hisclassroom on the morning ofFeb. 6, the day after SuperTuesday, he found that the cau-cusing Democrats who had usedhis room the previous night hadleft a couple of souvenirs.

On the whiteboard, the talliesof the caucus remained: BarackObama had defeated HillaryClinton by about 30 votes.

Someone was also resource-ful enough to grab a piece ofpurple Post-It note and partiallycover the image of RonaldReagan, which is used to notifyhis tenth grade students to bringbooks.

The Democrats also left apersonal note to him:

Thank you, Mr. Oberg, forthe use of your room. Your fellowDemocrats.

However, Oberg had attend-ed the Republican caucuses theprevious night.

“I thought [what they did]was humorous, clever, didn’treally offend me. But it was a bitpresumptuous to assume thatbecause you are a public school-teacher, you automatically are aDemocrat,” he said.

The common assumption thathigh school faculty areDemocrats surprises no one. Thestatewide teachers’ union hasendorsed Hillary Clinton and isadamantly Democratic.

Democrats provide moresocial benefits, which mightattract teachers with modest pay,and Bush’s and the Congress’shorrendous approval ratings areswinging many undecided andconservative voters to theDemocrat side.

It might seem that there’s noreason for a teacher not to votefor either Hillary or Obama, yetthat would be the wrong assump-tion.

There is no question thatschools as well as teachers bene-fit from a Democratic federal

government. Once in power, ittends to increase federal spend-ing, including school funding,which directly ties into benefitsfor teachers.

However, this is in no wayindicative of the political viewsof the Mounds View staff andstudents. Not all teachers let asingle incentive determine theirvote. They may very well con-sider larger issues such as taxes,the economy, the war in Iraq, thehealthcare system, and alterna-tive energy, which may be onsome levels more important thanfunding the education system.And sometimes, these issues canswing voters over to theRepublican side.

“I would say that althougheducation is an important issueto me because it deals with mycareer, there are other issues thatare more important to me, and[they align] more closely withconservative, or Republicanthought,” Oberg explained. “I’ma strong proponent of small gov-ernment and lower taxes, [and]less government spending.”

The Viewer attempted to sur-vey 20 teachers to find outwhich caucus, if any, theyattended. Only half returned thesurvey, and half of those attend-ed no caucus. There was no clearpreference for Democrats.

It’s wrong to assume thatsince Democrats emphasizeschool district funding, theRepublicans must want to elimi-nate it. Despite the now-wide-spread notion that the No ChildLeft Behind Act was a disaster,Republicans drew it up. And no,its intentions were not destruc-tive. In fact, as senator, BarackObama supported the bill. Hestill admires the intentionsbehind it, but opposes it for itshorrible execution.

It’s just as wrong to assumethat because a person is associat-ed with Mounds View, they areDemocratic-leaning. While pub-lic education is important to pub-lic school teachers, there areother issues at work, too.

NNoott aallll tteeaacchheerrsslleeaann ttoo tthhee lleeffttBy John Liustaff writer

Social studies teacher Scott Oberg disagrees with the notion that all teach-ers have Democratic views: “It [is] a bit presumptuous to assume thatbecause you are a schoolteacher...you are a Democrat.”

photo by Sean Delahunt

A high schooler’s dreamrecently became a reality inIndia when Tata Motorsreleased a car that retails at$2500, a price affordable formillions of India’s 1.136 bil-lion people. The People’s Caris likely to help make India apost-industrial megalith.

But perhaps the more excit-ing development in the Indianauto industry is Tata Motors’development of a compressed-air-powered car, to be releasedwithin the year. These two newcars exemplify the greatlengths India has gone to inorder to become a greener andmore entrepreneurial nation.They also highlight America’sempty promises hidden behindour brazen chest-beating.

The People’s Car, affec-tionately called the Nano bysome due to its small price andstature, has signaled a new erafor India’s castes. No longerwill an automobile be a symbolof status for wealthy Indians,as millions of India’s dawningmiddle class take to the streets.

Tata Motors has attemptedto offset the enormous surge ofcars onto Indian streets byengineering the Nano to emit

as little as possible. The cargets 56 miles to the gallon,excellent both economicallyand environmentally. In addi-tion, the car is designed toburn fuel cleaner, releasing asmidgeon of the pollution theaverage American-sized mon-strosity would.

Tata has gone one step fur-ther though. Its compressed-airpowered car, created in a jointventure with MoteurDevelopment International(DMI), seeks to take Indiandrivers into the zero emissionsrealm. Though technically nota Zero Emissions Vehicle dueto the electricity required tocompress the air, the car isimpressive, filling up for $2 at“air” stations, or in about fourhours plugged into the wallsocket at home.

All this effort on the part ofIndian industry to mitigate andrelieve their enormous amountof polluters serves as a starkcontrast to America’s efforts.Or rather, lack thereof.

Our current ‘efforts’include inspiring speeches,expensive research, andimpractical ethanol use.

Yet at the same time,America is the first to criticizeIndia for their attempts at mak-ing the world a better place.

Yale Environmental LawProfessor Daniel Esty joinedthe chorus of people criticizingthe car when he recently toldNewsweek, “This car promisesto be an environmental disasterof substantial proportions.”

India has seen the massiveproblems we’ve createdbecause of our industrializa-tion, and now America wantsto limit India’s attempts at fol-lowing in our footsteps. Butwe don’t actually care aboutthe environment; if we did wewould be employing somepractical reform on our homesoil. Instead, we hideAmerica’s racist tendencies, aracism that has been imbeddedinto our culture with catch-phrases like “ManifestDestiny” and “White Man’sBurden,” under the thinlyveiled guise of concern for theenvironment.

India will continue to makeleaps and bounds towardsindustrialization. Americashould be proud that India istaking steps towards a cleanerworld. We should be taking apage out of India’s book,instead, we’re holding a book-burning party and inviting therest of the western world tojoin.

EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaallllyy ffrriieennddllyy IInnddiiaannccaarr llaappss AAmmeerriiccaaBy Sean Moorestaff writer

Mike Truso, 12, gazes up at the nightsky, wishing for the Star Lab’s return.

photo by David Derong

After school on Dec. 12, acurious group of 20 upperclass-men dashed through the hall-ways under the tutelage ofAccelerated Chemistry teacherGraham Wright. Wright wasn’ttrying to foster mischief; thestudents were only trying toraise their heart rate enough tobe able to see their veins underWright’s infrared camera.

Then, with the students fas-cinated and the doors locked,Wright started his first gatheringof something called, ‘A Bitewith Wright.’

After being awarded withthe “2007 Outstanding ScienceTeacher Award” by the Collegeof Biological Sciences at theUniversity of Minnesota, MVAccelerated Chemistry teacher,Graham Wright learned about anevent called ‘Caffeine with theDean’ at the U. After thinkingabout it, he decided to start thenew monthly event in his room.

This event takes place oncea month after school dependingon Wright’s schedule. The stu-dents attending eat Wright’shomemade snacks as they dis-cuss current science topics. Atthe last two meetings, topicshave ranged from bioengineer-ing to cloning.

“The reason I started thiswas to promote students to thinkmore about the current scienceissues. During the two hours, Icook for them, chat, and create arelaxing atmosphere to talkabout science,” said Wright.

The discussion at the meet-ings, though led by Wright, ismuch more relaxed than it isduring classroom lectures.

“At the last meeting, we gotoff my planned topic right away,and that was alright. Instead, wetalked about U.S. energy poli-cies and what alternative ener-gies we will use in the future.We also talked a lot about bio-

engineering,” said Wright.Although mostly upperclass-

men have attended past meet-ings, students don’t have to bejuniors or in AcceleratedChemistry to participate. Wrightdoes, however, limit each ses-sions to only 20 kids.

“There is a separate sign-upeach time so different kids cancome, but you have to sign upin advance. Just see me person-ally to sign up,” Wright said.

After only two meetings, thestudents that attended haveenjoyed it greatly.

“I think it’s a lot of fun! It’sreally great to talk to a teacheroutside of class that knows a lotabout science. It’s also interest-ing to keep up with the currentscience topics,” said IreneSaunders, 12. “At the last meet-ing, we discussed issues likeways to preserve energy and thedifferent types of energy we canuse to replace fossil fuels. Thatwas really cool.”

James Shablow, 11, hasattended both of the meetings sofar and has found it remarkable.

“I love it! It’s awesome!”said Shablow. “We usually startoff by chatting with each other,and Mr. Wright would cook ussome homemade food that isreally good. Then, we usuallydiscussed things like new andcurrent science issues orevents.”

With around 20 studentsattending the last session,Wright is enthusiastic about thegreat start and eagerly lookingforward to future meetings of ‘ABite with Wright.’

“I really enjoy it! It’s a greattime. I will definitely continue itin the future. I might even plansome field trips, like to go offcampus and go to the U,” saidWright. “At the next meeting onFebruary 27, I think we will talkabout space.”

Stepping into Room 226 on aTuesday or Wednesday after-noon is like walking into a stadi-um of jazzed sports fans… butinstead of the face-painted,screaming enthusiasts of a sportsgame, one is bombarded withenthusiastic fans of another sub-ject: Anime.

Anime Club, one of MoundsView’s newest groups, focuseson more than just the cartoons.

The goal is to “celebrateJapanese culture, animation, andart,” said club member RachaelSchumann, 10.

The club was started thisyear by Tatiana Davenport, 10.Her inspiration came from a clubat her former school.

“I went to Centennial lastyear. They had an Anime Cluband I kind of missed it and want-ed to bring it here,” she said.

While many clubs devoteonly one day a week to a partic-ular subject, anime is a full-timepassion for its members, andthey are always looking for newpeople who are interested. Theclub’s interest goes to all facets

of Japanese cul-ture includingJapanese clothes,food, writing andmusic.

Tena Rausch,9, said, “Anime isthe ultimate anti-drug because youput so much timeinto it.”

The club’sactivities varyfrom week toweek, but arealways centeredon the arts andentertainment ofanime.

“We do any-thing that fits intoanime. We talkabout comics, andwe have DVDs of the shows thatwe watch,” said Hannah Frey, 9.

The club members have alsolearned many Japanese wordsthat are associated with theJapanese art form. TessaAnderson, 9, described a fewterms that anyone interested inanime should know.

“‘Anime’ is a French word

that’s short for ‘animation.’” shesaid. “It [applies to] shows andfeature-length movies. ‘Manga’is what the books are called, and‘Otaku’ is like, a major fan ofanime or manga.”

Many of the members areartists with notebooks full ofanime drawings of people andanimals. Others write fan-fictionstories using their favorite anime

or manga charac-ters. They alsoread many tales ofanime characters.

Anime Club’sinterests alsoinclude uniqueaccessories thatrepresent theirdevotion to the art.One of the moreunusual pieces ofclothing that someAnime Club mem-bers wear is a tail.

Anderson saidthat the tails areactually anotherway the groupincorporatesJapanese cultureinto their lives.

“In anime,sometimes people

have animal traits. [Wearingtails] is called Cosplay. Cosplayis short for ‘Costume Play.’ It’sdressing up as an anime charac-ter. Kind of like Halloween,whenever you feel like it,” shesaid.

Dressing like this has causedsome members to have issueswith other students. There have

been multiple cases of otherspulling off their tails. The clubfeels that this is because of alack of understanding aboutanime in general.

Anderson said, “There arepeople who know what anime isbut are a little biased against itbecause they think of it asAmerican animation [for littlekids].”

While some of these miscon-ceptions have affected howAnime Club is viewed aroundthe school, the club continues todevote time to their passion. Thegroup already has plans for thefuture. In the spring they plan toattend the “Anime Detour” con-vention in Minneapolis runningfrom April 4 to 6.

Most of all, Mounds View’sAnime Club hopes to continue toincorporate what they’ve learnedtogether into their lives and fur-ther their understanding ofJapanese culture.

As Rausch said, “We’ve got-ten very into [Anime]. For mostof us, it’s our dream to go toJapan.”

By Christina Xiastaff writer

AAnniimmee CClluubb :: BBrriinnggiinngg aa bbiitt ooff JJaappaann ttoo MMVV

Members of Anime Club await their meeting. Tatiana Davenport, 10,created the club as an outlet for her passion for anime.

photo by Sean Delahunt

By Kirstin Yanischstaff writer

College student Karl HelgeHampus Svensson, 31, wasexpelled from the prestigiousKarolinska Institute ofMedicine in Sweden on Jan. 24after breaking no rules. He hadalso received top grades in allof his online high school cours-es. The problem was that he hadtaken those courses from aprison cell.

In 2000, Svensson shot acoworker seven times after theworker complained aboutSvensson’s sympathy for theNazis. Svensson was put into amaximum-security prison witha sentence of 11 years. No oneat the college knew aboutSvensson’s past, and, after tak-ing a life, he began learninghow to save one until the dayhe was expelled.

Though an extreme case ofexpulsion, this story does raisethe question of what can followa student from high school tocollege and what past discipli-nary actions could keep a col-lege from accepting a student. Few at Mounds View have acriminal record, though manyhave received some form ofpunishment.

“I got a detention because Iwas truant. I was so worriedthat colleges would see it, I wasfreaking out!” said KatieVolhaber, 10.

While many shareVolhaber’s fear of even theslightest blemish on theirrecord, be it from high schoolor middle school, some don’teven know what to be worried

about. “I have no idea [what col-

leges see on your records], Idon’t think anyone really does.”said Anthony Tallarico, 12. “Ithink people just assume [col-leges only see] grades or what-ever they want to pry into.”

Many students are left in thedark about what diciplinaryactions actually appear on col-leges’ records. Others could notcare less.

Laughing, a group of fresh-men boys recalled the story ofhow they stole plastic signsfrom outside classrooms, brokeceiling tiles, light bulbs, afloodlight, and stole threeclocks one day in eighth grade.Their reason? They “werebored” and it was “just for fun.”

The boys received severepunishments of three-day toweeklong suspensions and finesranging from $96 to $206.However, none of them seemtoo worried about what theirfuture colleges will think.

“[I’m not worried] becauseit’s eighth grade. Nothing goeson your record until, like, highschool,” said Vinay Pai, 9.

“Colleges only look at yourGPA. And I don’t want to go toa college that would care aboutthat little thing,” said AndyLapham, 9.

Contrary to students’ popu-lar view, there is more than agrain of truth to this opinion.

According to Dean DaveNotaro, “Only big-time col-leges…like MIT, Harvard, orCarleton…will ask if a studenthas ever been suspended orhave any other felonies.”

Since a detention is nowherenear as extreme a disciplinaryaction as a felony, collegeswon’t judge an applicant basedon how many they’ve received.Instead, colleges will be morefocused on trying to find outwhat kind of a person the appli-cant is.

“They [the colleges] willask us to rate a student’s moralcharacter… Generally it’s basedon a percent scale going fromthe top student I have ever metto the top 3 percent of studentsI have ever met, to the top 5percent and so on. They willask about moral character andactivities, but this is also theplace where I have to be veryhonest if they do have a shadypast,” said Notaro.

Dean Scott Wiens agreed,“Sometimes colleges ask [ifyou’ve had disciplinary prob-lems in the past]. Typically wesay ‘no’ unless there is some-thing severe… like long suspen-sions or multiple chemicalabuses.”

However, Notaro advises tobehave while in high school, as“Colleges are not only lookingfor academic potential, butsome character too.”

Do previous punish-ments harm students’futures? MV Deansexlplain how muchthose detentions reallyaffect college admis-sions

By Karly Bergmannstaff writer

HHuunnggrryy ffoorr sscciieennccee??Have a ‘Bite with Wright’

4February 29, 2008features

Drew Laughlin, 10, said detention isn’t that serious of a punishment.Fortunately for him, many colleges don’t see that way either.

photo illustration by Nate Grann

Disciplinary records

With the end of the quarterrapidly approaching, springsports just around the bend, andno break from stress in sight, itis no wonder families are hard-pressed to find time to spendtogether. Combine this withsleep deprivation, and you havea recipe for family feuds.Conflicting schedules and longhours can make it difficult formany families to connect.

“The only time I spend withmy family is in the car drivingplaces,” said Jenny Kaczynski,10.

Statements such as thesehave led worried parent volun-teers in the Burnsville SchoolDistrict to start a new program:the 21-Day Challenge. It urgesstudents to spend 21 minutes ofquality time with their familiesfor 21 days. The logic behind thenumber 21 is that it takes at leastthree weeks to form a habit, andin order for there to be any last-ing effect, a habit must beformed.

The initiative is just a part ofa larger effort by the city ofBurnsville to improve its citi-zens’ standards of living.

In response to students likeKaczynski, Barbara Carlson, co-founder of the program, said at arecent seminar, “Take back car

time. If you only have ten min-utes in the car, you have to finda way to make it count…you canhave some great conversations inthe car.”

The program has gainedmuch support, both in Burnsvilleand in surrounding areas.Mounds View students havefound that spending time togeth-er can be as simple as watchingtelevision, going for a walk, orplaying a board game.

Sophie Kem, 11, has turnedTV shows into a family affair.

“We always watch Deal orNo Deal together,” she said.

At recent auditions, her fami-ly even tried out for the show.

Others take a more classicapproach to the matter. AbbyMarolt, 9, and her family gobowling together regularly.

“It’s a chance to get awayfrom our house and it’s not awk-ward. There’s always somethingto talk about,” she said.

Matt Miles, 11, agreed withMarolt. His family also plansbowling trips, as well as playingboard games or watching moviestogether.

“I like spending time withmy family on weekends,” hesaid.

Some students say that theeasiest and most widely support-ed way to fit family time intobusy schedules is at dinner.

“We eat together almost

every night,” said NickiBudnicki, 12.

The Burnsville City Councilcited research showing that eat-ing dinner with a family regular-ly decreases the likelihood ofteen drug and alcohol use.Additionally, it can greatlyreduce stress levels and thechance of eating disorders, espe-cially among girls.

At MV, many students areapplauding the effort.

“I think it’s going to helppeople who don’t spend any timewith their families a lot, but itprobably won’t do anything forpeople who already do,” saidGreg Northrop, 10.

Others question the future ofprojects like these. Frank Li, 11,doesn’t think it would benefit

him to spend more of his alreadybusy time with his family.

“Families are just morestress, and we all already haveso much stress coming fromschoolwork and other responsi-bilities,” he said.

While opinions vary now, thefull scope of the Burnsville proj-ect will only be clear when it isfinished.

5February 29, 2008 features

‘Mustang Mocha delivery!’Special Education students prepare, deliver coffee to staff

“Mustang Mocha Delivery!”Adriana Roberts, 11, stood

outside the computer lab dressedin a green apron, a Styrofoamcup of Caribou Coffee in hand.Her voice broke the muffledsilence of Mounds View’s hallsduring second hour, as most stu-dents sat in class.

With a smile and a “thankyou,” health teacher GretchenZahn received her coffee.Roberts, accompanied by TonyBourgoin, 11, and SarahLevinski, the program advisor,continued down the hall to makemore deliveries.

They are part of a new roomservice program for MoundsView staff and faculty calledMustang Mocha. Students fromLevinski’s Vocational Skills

class, as well as other specialeducation students, make andserve coffee, tea, and breakfasttreats. These goodies are thendelivered right to the room of theteacher or staff member onTuesday and Thursday morningsduring second hour.

Their base of operations is inthe concessions area, which theytake over with their gourmet cof-fee machine and well-suppliedcarts. The scent of tea and coffeemix in the air and each cup iscarefully made and secured in awicker basket for delivery. Theshining black gourmet coffeemachine has multiple cups readyin minutes, and Tony Bourgoin,11, shoots the empty containersinto the garbage can with perfectform.

Based off a similar programat Irondale called “Knight’sDelight,” the start-up costs of

Mustang Mocha were coveredby a District 621 grant. With thisgrant, the Special Educationdepartment was able to buy thegourmet and easy-to-use coffeemaker, as well as other supplies.

Mustang Mocha is intendedto help special education stu-dents practice work skills in acomfortable and somewhat real-istic situation.

Levinski, who started theMounds View branch of the pro-gram, said, “We’re hoping thisprogram will enhance students’work readiness skills, especiallytheir food preparation and cus-tomer service skills.”

Not only are students prepar-ing for the future but MoundsView staff are benefiting fromthis program as well. The firstweek of Mustang Mocha allorders were complimentary andso many poured in that an extra

day had to be added to accom-modate all the orders. Now, evenwith the nominal $1 charge percoffee, or a special punch carddeal with 10 drinks for $9,orders have still been coming inregularly.

It looks like it won’t be verydifficult for teachers and staff tocontinue orders.

Zahn, a regular customer,said, “I love the coffee, and it’sgreat to see someone starting aprogram like this in our school.”

Some students are a bit jeal-ous of the teachers’ new privi-leges.

“Caribou Coffee at MoundsView?” Emily Duddleston, 11,exclaimed. “Where can I getsome?”

Unfortunately, MustangMocha doesn’t have the materi-als required to serve the stu-dents.

“We just don’t have the sup-plies necessary to handle the vol-ume of orders that would comefrom students,” Levinskiexplained.

Perhaps someday MustangMocha will expand to serve stu-dents, but for now the staff arecounting their blessings. So ifyou walk by the concessionsarea on a Tuesday or Thursdaymorning, and think you smellwafts of Caribou, know that it’snot just wishful thinking. Atleast for the staff, a new kind ofroom service has come toMounds View.

And staff are loving MustangMocha for more than just thecoffee. Dean Kendra Eckmansaid, “I enjoy seeing their smil-ing faces delivering my coffee.”

By Divya Guptastaff writer

photos by David DerongLeft: Anthony Bourgoin, 11, prepares a staff member’s order. Center: Bourgoin, Adriana Roberts, 11, and Chris Rowe, 11, make a deliveryto dean Scott Wiens. Right: FACS teacher Julie Coopet delights over her ‘Mocha’ delivery on Thursday, Feb. 21 during second hour.

Family matters: 21 minutes a day to a stronger bond

By Emily Stormsstaff writer

QA small group of school administra-

tors knocks on the door of your class-room. After a few moments of hushedconference with your teacher, the teacherannounces that the school is being evacu-ated. Suddenly, everyone realizes there’sbeen another bomb threat.

Some seniors at Mounds View stillremember hearing about the winter of the’03-‘04 school year, when Mounds Viewreceived a series of race-related bombthreats. School was evacuated once andthere was one early dismissal after threethreats were found around the school.

Since 2004, Mounds View has taken astance to promote diversity at school andcreate better understanding to preventthis from occurring again.

Principal Julie Wikelius, who becameprincipal in 1999, said the threats were avery real sign that Mounds View neededa change.

“Even more upsetting than thethreats [themselves] was the hate lan-guage. You can check for explosives andadd building safety procedures but as forthe values behind them… It became clearthat we needed to do some work. It wasour job to switch from a reactive to aproactive stance,” said Wikelius of thegoal to change community attitudes.

One of the first measures taken topromote cultural understanding was thecreation of the Community Liaison posi-tion filled by Wonkemi Gongar. His jobis to promote community ideals. Thoughhe was not on hand during the year of thethreats, he felt their effects on a diversestudent body.

“I talked with nearly 300-400 stu-dents one on one [about the bombthreats]. A lot of them felt that it was ahorrible situation, others called it stupidor extremely immature, and then therewere some who simply tried to ignore it,”Wonkemi said. “Then there were the stu-dents who thought that it would never goaway, in their minds the person or per-sons who committed this crime are still apart of them and will stay with them untilthe day they die,”

One theory about the reason thesethreats occurred was the lack of diversityat Mounds View. Over the last five years,however, the school has seen an upwardtrend in its racial diversity. In 2001, thepercentage of the majority (Caucasian)students was 89.7%, but this year thenumber has changed to 84.9%.Administrators believe the populationwill become more diverse over the nextfive years.

Wikelius said, “I think the trends indi-cate that metro-wide and at Mounds Viewthere will be increased numbers of peopleof color and those not born in the UnitedStates.”

This appears to be the case, as evi-denced by Chippewa’s current demo-graphics. The percentage of Caucasianstudents at the middle school is 81% thisschool year.

Even with this upward trend, theMounds View experience is still seen asless than diverse. Unlike many of theirpeers in the metro area, Mounds Viewstudents are unaccustomed to hearinglanguages other than English spoken atschool. Biology teacher Amy Alvarez,who in the past has taught in schools thathad a majority of Hispanic students, was

surprised to find the Mounds munity contained so few multi-lingualmembers.

“AMounds Spanish speakers in the class and nothearing Spanish in the hallways,” shesaid, “The problem is really a lack ofexposure.”

The issues that arise from this lack ofexposure vary from larthe threats Mounds to ofStudents at Mounds how unintentional remarks can afstudent body

Jeremy Scheinerdefinitely subtle stereotyping... the Asian-American stigma at MoundsVieware always more intelligent.’”

Mai Lubega, 10, has experienced misunderstandings about her religion at otherschools she has attended. She said, “Igrew up assuming people knew what aMuslim was, because I knew what aCatholic and a Jewish person were. Itdidn’n’t know why I was wearing a scarf onmy head.”

She thinks that at Mounds is a “…better understanding about multi-cultural societies because you learn moreabout it in school and in the general population here.”

Most of all, teachers and studentswant to recognize, as “Some of the diversity [at Mounds is invisible. People have to be aware ofthat too. It extends beyond the countryyou come from or the color of yourskin.”

A&

...with Wonkemi

By Kirstin Yanischstaff writer

Slicing up the pie......how MV measures up-past, present, and future

Native American

Hispanic

Black

Asian

Caucasian

Q: What was your motivation to become a community liaison?

A: During high school I was the vice president of my school’sdiversity club. There weren’t a lot of people of color, and I hon-estly felt there was a need for change. I talked to my principalabout this issue, [and] I brought up the possibility of shuttingdown the school and holding a panel. I thought it would neverhappen, but lo’ and behold my principal called me down andsaid it needed to be done. That is what really motivated me tofind a career involving human services and social work, particu-larly with youth.

Q: How has your job changed over the years?

A: I came to MV right after the bomb threats of the late ‘90s.Many people stereotyped me as being the “black people’s coun-selor,” and thus would not approach me if they needed any guid-ance. But times have definitely changed, and as the stereotypebegan to fade students began to realize that I can help them withadvice and direction—and not only just those students of differ-ent ethnicities or races.

Q: What is the biggest problem you see in the attitudes of stu-dents towards diversity?A: I think [the problem is] with the whole concept of the term“diversity.” Many people think that it only applies to those ofcolor, but it most certainly does not. We don’t want to leaveCaucasians out of the spectrum because they have a long andunique history, too. People need to get sparked about their fami-ly’s ancestry and where their families come from... minorityraces today and the Caucasian ancestors of many years ago havemore things in common than people would think.

Q: Do you feel MV students are pressured into forming cliquesbased on race?A: That is really an excellent question. This concept is reallyembedded into white students’ lives. In all reality, despite whatpeople may say, Caucasians are still the ones in power. With thisfact in mind, what is there to challenge you to change? But onthe other hand, many people think whites are never looked downupon, and that is hardly true. White students and other minoritystudents call certain groups “white trash”... I feel there needs tobe a change in viewpoints, and it may as well be the kids at MVwho make it. If there was ever a point I could get across itwould be this: race is just an excuse to continue to be arrogant.

By Sabrina Zappastaff writer

photo by Debbie Li

The world is hhuuggee. I always challenge my students to go

somewhere where they ddoonn’’tt ffiitt iinn, don’t speak the lan-

guage and ddoonn’’tt llooookk lliikkee the other people. Put yourself

in the situation where yyoouu aarree tthhee mminority.-Amy Alvarez, science teacher

“MV 2002-2003

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rprised to find the Mounds View com-unity contained so few multi-lingualembers.

“A huge adjustment [to teaching atounds View] was not having otheranish speakers in the class and notaring Spanish in the hallways,” shed, “The problem is really a lack ofposure.”The issues that arise from this lack of

posure vary from large issues such ase threats Mounds View has experiencedoff-hand remarks in the hallways.udents at Mounds View have noticedw unintentional remarks can affect the

udent body. Jeremy Scheiner, 11, said, “There is

finitely subtle stereotyping... There’se Asian-American stigma at Moundsew. The idea that ‘Asian-Americanse always more intelligent.’”

Mai Lubega, 10, has experienced mis-derstandings about her religion at otherhools she has attended. She said, “Iew up assuming people knew what auslim was, because I knew what atholic and a Jewish person were. It

dn’t even occur to me that people did- know why I was wearing a scarf on

y head.” She thinks that at Mounds View there

a “…better understanding about multi-ltural societies because you learn moreout it in school and in the general pop-ation here.”

Most of all, teachers and studentsant to recognize, as Wikelius said,ome of the diversity [at Mounds View]invisible. People have to be aware ofat too. It extends beyond the countryu come from or the color of yourin.”

, present, and future

Students at Mounds View see tracesof the school's cultural clubs on a dailybasis. There are often announcements inthe morning bulletin about upcomingmeetings, many students participate inthe events hosted by the groups, andwho could forget Unity's grand openingfor the '07 Homecoming PepFest? Yetmany people at Mounds View are stillconfused about why two different cul-tural groups exist in the first place andwhat makes them unique.

Members of the clubs feel that thedifference between the groups lies in theway the meetings are held.

“Diversity Council is more organ-ized and goal-oriented. You go to ameeting and it’s very well planned,”said Unity member and PR GeorgeSakkal, 12. “I feel that when you go to aUnity meeting, you go there not know-ing what to expect. We never have a setschedule and we just do what feel willbe the most fun.”

After the bomb threats of the ‘03-‘04 school year, Unity formed as sup-port group for those who felt attackedby these threats. Diversity Council wasa pre-existing group whose mission wasto enlighten Mounds View studentsabout different cultures around theworld.

"I understand why they [were sepa-rate] at first, but now I think it goesagainst what we both stand for,” saidUnity President Reyna Sawtell, 12.“We’re not a unified front, and I thinkwe should come together in the nearfuture as one diverse group."

Some students feel that having sepa-rate clubs with similar missions has hadnegative consequences, such as theapparent division of clubs along racial

lines. They point to the fact that 60 per-cent of Diversity Council is Asian and80 percent of Unity is black.

Nate Chan, 11, said, “The demo-graphics of the two clubs are different.Most in Diversity Council, particularlythe leaders, are Asian, while most of thepeople that I know that are stronglyaffiliated with Unity are AfricanAmerican.”

Others felt this racial gap could bebridged if the two groups became one.

“I'm not sure what the point of hav-ing groups promoting diversity is if thegroups themselves are not diverse,” saidPaige Lindley, 12. “If they came togeth-er, I think it would show people thatthey are willing to cooperate to makeMounds View a more accepting place.”

Students who don't belong to thegroups sometimes perceive them asonly being for members of the minority,perhaps explaining why the groups lackmany Caucasian participants.

"I was pretty sure that white kidsweren't supposed to join, just go to theevents they put on," said Alex Jacobs,12.

Sakkal said, “Unity is not just forAfrican Americans. I’m a part of theclub, and my sister and her friendsenjoy it as well. It’s about your individ-ual personality and having that as thedecision factor.”

Many members, including Sawtell,speak of a future combination of thegroups. But for now, the idea remainsjust that: an idea.

Diversity Council President DebbieLi, 12, said, “We did do an eventtogether The Funk art gala... [We mayboth work at the] the World Fairtowards the end of the year. There ispotential for us coming together onthat.”

Former members of the club also

hope to see a bridge between the twogroups in the future. Mounds View ’07alumnus and last year's DiversityCouncil President Himadhari Sharmahoped the two would be able to unite inthe future.

“I really wished that they were one,I see no reason that they should bedivided. With how globalized the worldis becoming, we all need to be under-standing [of] and educated [about] thedifferent people who live in it,” shesaid.

Sawtell said, “There will always beDiversity Council along with Unity. Butnow it’s more focused around beingmore accepting of other people’s differ-ences and trying to expose students tothe world around them.”

Sakkal also said, “I have no problemwith them being connected. In fact Ithink in the near future it will happen.With Mr. Wonkemi holding the twogroups together it would be a perfect fit.It could be called ‘University!’”

While Unity and Diversity Councilmay not exist as one group, both holdfundraisers and events that aid the com-munity. Unity annually holds an eventcalled African American Perspectives, acelebration of Black History Month thatspotlights African American membersof the community, and in the past hashighlighted talents of its members withmusical performances.

Diversity Council also holds manyevents, including an Iron Chef multi-cultural cook-off at Chippewa MiddleSchool, an upcoming Salsa dance withthe Spanish Club, and a diversity festi-val at the Shoreview CommunityCenter. This festival is hosted withIrondale High School’s DiversityCouncil, and is an intricate night of cul-tural dancing, singing, food tasting, andmuch more.

information compiled by Kirstin Yanisch

By Sabrina Zappastaff writer

Separate but equal?Cultural clubs consider unification

ge my students to go

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Chippewa 2007-2008

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at MV

e r s i t y ?e r s i t y ?photos by Sean Delahunt

Marcus Charles, ‘06In response to the bomb threats: “[The

threats] bothered me really bad. I didn’t think itwould happen here [at Mounds View]. I washurt and I was hoping the school would do moreabout it. I wanted to get out of the schoolbecause I didn’t feel safe.”

Advice to current students: “I want [MoundsView students] to treat all diverse people equal-ly. The point I’m trying to get across is to beyourself. If people belittle you, you have to bethe bigger person. You can’t make someone likeyou, but you have to try and gain respect andshow them all that you’re equal.”

In response to the bomb threats: “[Thethreats] didn’t make me want to run becauseI knew that was what they wanted me to do.People took it lightly at first, as somethingsome kid did to get out of school. But to me,it doesn’t make sense to go out of your wayto [make it racially motivated] unless there’ssomething else going on there. I decided tokeep my focus on what I had to do.”

The administration’s handling of thethreats: “As soon as we had all these threats,we hired Mr. Wonkemi. Before that, I don’tremember seeing any minority faculty mem-bers. Club Unity was also formed. Theyhanded out letters to meet at a certain timeto talk about some of the threats. I neverwent to one of these meetings because does-n’t this add to the problem? When you [sin-gle out one group] it’s more segregated.”

In response to the admin-istration’s handing of thethreats: “I disagree [withMichael]. I think the [Unitymeeting] was more to say‘We’re not ignoring you.’But, [other than that] all thatwas done was sending a let-ter home. They should havehad an assembly to say thatwe are not this community ofhate, and tried to change atti-tudes.”

photos by Nate Grann

Michael Duncombe, ‘07

Kealy Randle, ‘07

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is another’s thrift score

“A little worn/ a little torn/check the rack/ what went out iscoming back/ what wear is whatwe are/ and what we wear is vin-tage clothes!” Paul McCartney,“Vintage Clothes.”

One may wonder how any-one could ever have enough pas-sion about vintage clothes towrite a song about them. But asit turns out, vintage clothes, andthe shopping of thrift stores ittakes to find them, haven’t justinspired music in recent years.They have also inspired count-less students at Mounds View tostart practicing their own art of“thrifting.”

Thrift stores have beenaround since the 1940s whenthey were used to aid familiesduring the shortages of WWII.Later, they became popular againamongst flower-children of the’60s, during the punk movementin the ’70s and ’80s, and, itseems that in recent years stu-dents at Mounds View who havebraved the disorganized racks ofclothes have brought back thetrend once again.

Fortunately, thrift stores inthe area are easier to find thanthe merchandise in them. Forthose constantly on the lookoutfor vintage finds ranging fromclothes to records, Unique Thriftis the place to go. Most of thevast floor space is filled withracks and racks of children’s,men’s and women’s clothingwith a specific section for vin-tage wear. The rest of the store isdedicated to furniture, books,electronics, and a plethora ofother trinkets and jewelry.Unique is also a haven for musicenthusiasts and has a wide rangeof records, cassette tapes, andCDs.

“Unique’s selection hassomething for everyone, whetheryou want crazy or casual,” said

avid thrifter, Sigourney Couture,10. “I like their plaidshirts...[but] I never go to therandom knick-knack sectionbecause it scares me.”

“I once found a DARE shirtthere,” said Laurel Carlson, 10,“and they always have reallycool jewelry; I’ve found a lot ofcool rings.”

Goodwill is another popularthrift store among the students atMounds View. Goodwill is aChristian organized charity storethat not only takes clothingdonations and sells them at rea-sonable prices, but offers jobs todisadvantaged people in the area.

Not necessarily known for itsvintage finds, Goodwill special-izes in carrying gently used orsurplus clothing from brand-name stores such as Old Navy,Hollister, Abercrombie, Expressand more. With its better-than-average cleanliness and color-organized racks, Goodwill is lessabout the adventure of findingthe clothes and more about thetreasure at the end.

“[I like it] because it’s supercheap for the high-qualityclothes you can buy there. I gota pair of shoes for $2 that havekept me going for the past year,”said Mahyar Sorour, 11.

But students aren’t the onlyones “thrifting” at Mounds View,teachers have also joined in onthe fun and economically-benefi-cial trend. Ross Fleming, gymand health teacher, has been adedicated thrifter since his col-lege days.

“When I was in college, myfavorite place would have beenRagstock. It was the place,” hesaid.

Ragstock stores, the closestbeing located in the Rosedalemall, no longer necessarily qual-ifies as “thrift stores.” Most ofthe clothing now carried isbrand-new and brand name. Thesmall selection of clothes thatare not brand-new are either

“recycled” clothes with stylesranging from the ’80s to today oroutlandish costume pieces, suchas a 1920s flapper dress or afull-body chicken suit, that areperfect for themed parties orHalloween.

While thrift stores are themost commonly searched placeswhen looking for vintage wearor costumes, there are stores inthe Twin Cities area that provideshoppers specifically withauthentic vintage wear.

Via’s Vintage in Uptown andLula’s Vintage Wear and Up Six,both off Snelling, offer a widerange of 1800s-1980s dresses,men’s wear, hats, purses, shoes,jewelry, and furniture. Thoughmany unique and bona fide retroitems can be found, they do notcome with the benefit of a thriftstore price tag. Because of this,many only browse these types ofstores for special occasions suchas Prom or a wedding.

“When my wife and I weregetting married, we decided tohave the ceremony in a littlewooden church from the 1850s,”said Flemming. “We also tin-kered with the idea of dressing

in 1850s attire, but it was toomuch of a challenge trying tofind anything.”

But if one is up to the chal-lenge of searching through racksupon racks of previously ownedclothes, there are many treasuresto be found.

“This Christmas I did findauthentic Star Wars action fig-ures and other collectors’ itemsSTILL IN THE BOX for mygrandchildren… it has to be oneof my greatest finds,” saidFleming.

“I found a lime-green jump-suit [at a thrift store] once andbought it for my friend for herbirthday,” said Mara Rogers, 11.

Whether you’re searching fora gift, costume, authentic vintagewear and goods, gently-usedbrand name clothing, or even acompletely unique dress or suitfor Prom this year, stay withinyour budget and your local areaby hitting up the thrift storenearest you.

8 February 29, 2008

By Karly Bergmannstaff writer

photo by Nate GrannUnique Thrift Store makes ‘thrifting’ easy with a convenient location and tidy store.

variety

UUnniiqquuee TThhrriifftt SSttoorree1657 Rice Street, St. PaulHours: Mon-Sun 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

GGooooddwwiillll1627 W County Rd. B, RosevilleHours: Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-9 p.m.Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m.Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

MMyy SSiisstteerr’’ss CClloosseett1136 Grand Ave, St. PaulHours: Mon, Tues, Fri 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Wed, Thurs 10 a.m.-8 p.m., closed Sunday

RRaaggssttoocckkRosedale MallHours: Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-6 a.m.

VViiaa’’ss 2408 Hennepin Ave S, St. Paul Hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m.

LLuullaa1587 Selby Ave, St. PaulHours: Mon, Fri 12 p.m.-6 p.m., Tues-Thurs 12 p.m.-7 p.m., Saturday11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m.

UUpp SSiixx++157 Snelling Ave. N., St. PaulHours: Tues-Sat 12-6, Sunday 12-4,closed Monday

photos by Nate Grann

One person’s junk...

$$1155

$$11//eeaacchh

$$44..9955

$$1100

$$1155

$$2255

Items found at Unique Thrift.

classy men’s waistcoat

old-style men’s shoes

trendy knock-offcoach purse

indie rocker shirt

quality telescope

vintage records

Ah, the Oscars. A time for Hollywoodto congratulate one and destroy the hopesof four others, a time for stars to meetand sit for three tedious hours. Thisyear’s 80th Academy Awards was noexception; it continued the tradition oflong, drawn-out presentations that wentnowhere.

For the past 30 years, every Oscarshow has had a red carpet segment. Thisyear’s was hosted by Regis Philbin, whopretended to care. Of course, there wereplenty of Regisims.

“…Everyone wanted to be CaryGrant, but now they want to be GeorgeClooney,” and, “I just saw Jon Stewart,he looks as cool as a cucumber,” werejust a few of the inane things that he spatout.

With the arbitrary red carpet bore-fest out of the way, the show beganwith host Jon Stewart’s line,“You’re here—I can’t believe it,you’re actually here.”

Similar writers’ strike jokes fol-lowed. To Stewart’s credit, hismonologue this year was betterthan the last time he hosted.

Living up to his name,Stewart fit in some politics aswell. For the most part the

jokes were well timed andactually funny.

“Oscar is 80 this year,which makes him auto-matically the front runnerfor the Republican nomi-nation,” said Stewart.

The Democrats weren’tspared either when he men-

tioned Away from Her: “Awoman who forgets her hus-band: Hillary Clinton called

it the feel-good movieof the year.”

Thefirst Oscarwas for

costumedesign and

was awarded toElizabeth: The

Golden Age.Following the firstaward, the show

introduced the first ofits many montages:a recap of theOscar’s first 79years.

If the writers’strike hadn’tended, the Oscars would have most

likely been a 30-minute press conferencewith montages.

Instead, the audience had to down aprolonged three-hour version of the samething—one montage was shown beforeeach award.

To be fair, the show was at least will-ing to poke fun at this with two fakemontages: one to binoculars and anotherto bad dreams. Nonetheless, the mon-tages were boring and ran like an entryfrom Wikipedia.

Another big part of the show was fivemusical numbers from the best originalsong category. Enchanted received threenominations in the category, and all threesongs induced sleep. It wasn’t surprisingthe film didn’t win.

While the “entertaining” parts of theshow were important, it really was aboutthe awards. Javier Bardem surprised noone when he won Best Supporting Actorfor his dark and disturbing portrayal asAnton Chigurh in No Country for OldMen. Best Actor went to Daniel-DayLewis for his work in There Will BeBlood—a brilliant film where his use ofmethod acting helped him win.

The Best Actress and SupportingActress awards were more surprising.Marion Cotillard from La Vie en Rose, afilm most Americans probably haven’tseen, and Tilda Swanton, from MichaelClayton, won respectively. Truthfully, the

award should have gone to Ellen Pagefor Juno, but she’ll probably win anOscar eventually.

It was difficult to pay attention duringCotillard’s speech because of her dress;apparently dressing in fish scales is pop-ular now. Swanton’s win was surprising,but then again the category wasn’t filledwith strong performances. At leastMichael Clayton won one award.

With the actor and actress awards fin-ished, the last two awards wereannounced. Best Director and BestPicture went to Ethan and Joel Cohen forNo Country for Old Men. By the end ofthe night, the film had won four awards.

The academy chose wisely. NoCountry for Old Men was beautifullydirected by the Cohen brothers, and theacting of Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones,and Javier Bardem pushed it to OscarGlory.

It is good to award the hard work ofpeople in the film industry. However,there has got to be some other way topresent it so the show isn’t depressing forthe audience. If it weren’t for the shoddymontages and lax musical numbers, theAcademy Awards this year could havebeen great... provided a little more effortwould be put in. Hopefully it will be bet-ter next year, because this year’s showwas a boring mess.

courtesy of solarnavigator.net

By Brandon Oserostaff writer

Throughout the film Atonement,you hear the clanking of an age-oldtypewriter. It serves as not only amusical piece for the picture but alsorepresents the main characters’desires for control and lust.

Atonement stars Keira Knightleyand James McAvoy as two passionatelovers whose affair gets out of handwhen Knightley’s younger sisterBriony (played by Academy Awardnominee Saoirse Ronan) accusesMcAvoy’s character Robbie of acrime he did not commit. He is sentto prison for four years and mustserve in the army during WWII.

With the combination of the warat hand and Briony growing up andrealizing what she has done, the fam-ily is ruined.

A very interesting aspect aboutAtonement is the film’s use of music.The typewriter serves as Briony’ssafe haven and also as a doomsdaydevice when McAvoy’s characterRobbie writes a fatal note that landsinto Briony’s tiny hands.

What does the letter mean? Howcan she explain this to her familyand, most importantly, her sister?While her mind races with thesethoughts, the clunking of the type-writer musters its eerie cries, keepingin time with Briony’s heartbeat. Itrepresents a certain nervousness forthe characters, as well as a calmingdevice in uncomfortable situations.

The movie also uses strikingsilence as a contrast to its music —effective particularly with the lovescene between Robbie and Cecilia.All you could hear throughout thetheatre was the heavy breathing ofthe passionate lovers and quiet tiptoe-

ing of Briony’s feet into the lovers’library room.

Atonement had one of the bestcasts for this year’s Oscar race.Audiences were pleasantly surprisedby Keira Knightley’s strong perform-ance. Many of her other feature filmstend to dwell more on her bonyphysique and perfect features ratherthan her acting abilities, but this filmshowed her truly gifted range.

Her eyes show the sorrow andheartache she must face, which boilsdown to if she’ll ever get to be withher lover again. She doesn’t simplytry to act heartbroken or weak, sheknows how to get to that inner psy-che and lets it free. She has the mak-ings of a truly remarkable actress,and with this film she gets one stepcloser to this achievement.

The Last King of Scotland’sJames McAvoy was fantastic as thevictimized Robbie. Robbie’s charac-ter is very quiet and naïve; he didn’trealize that a simple slip of thetongue—or in his case a very vulgarword—could change the course of hisentire existence.

All of this sorrow and regret isput upon his handsome shoulders,and he is the one who truly carriesthe film. Robbie makes you believein true love and pulls in his audienceon how much tragedy he has seen,displaying that one little girl’sskewed understanding can foreverruin lives.

Atonement is a truly magnificentfilm that will be talked about for gen-erations to come. Whether it is aresult of the music, the actors, or thestory in general, this tragic tale hits adeep chord.

Atonement induces swoonsBy Sabrina Zappastaff writer

Halfway through the new Hot Chip song“Shake a Fist” the music stops, and a myste-rious voice begins.

“Before we go any further, I’d like toshow you all a game I made up. This game iscalled ‘Sounds of the Studio’… You may besurprised… Now, if you have a pair of head-phones, you better get ’em out, and get ’emcranked up, cause they’re really gonna help.”

An explosion of sound follows this briefinterlude, with electronic buzzes pulsatingover pounding drumbeats.

Hot Chip’s new record, Made in theDark, is filled with these bizarre and joltingmoments. The band attempts a lot of differ-ent techniques, with upbeat rock songs nextto slow, techno-tinged ballads, and, for themost part, it works. Most of the strangesounds are endearing and fun to listen to,while others are annoying and do not work atall. Overall, the album is nice, but a littlemore focus would have served it well.

The album opens with a light pop song,“Out at the Pictures.” The bright, poppy toneyields partly a dance song, yet partly a rocksong. Guitars mix over funky electronicbeats, creating a sound that is immenselycatchy and very unique.

Hot Chip keeps up the energy for the firsthalf of the album, writing songs that rangefrom straight up techno to light rock. “Readyfor the Floor” is one of the highlights of thealbum, a sweet, semi-love song that calls thelistener to join the dance floor.

“Bendable Poseable” mixes crunchy gui-tars with bizarre filtered vocals. It starts as asomewhat traditional rock song, before trans-forming into a mysterious techno dance

song. It is a strange mix that attempts to defygenres but ultimately ends up soundingmashed together.

From here, Hot Chip completely changes.After four straight songs of energetic techno-rock mayhem, they throw in a slow, soul-infused ballad. Unfortunately, this throws theflow of the whole album. The song is by nomeans bad; it’s just poorly placed.

After that, the group transforms again;this time delivering an upbeat, pulsing mas-terpiece with the song “Touch Too Much.”The booming chorus and pounding percus-sion make this a song a must-hear.

Hot Chip continues this shape-shifting actfor the rest of the album; alternating betweenslow, smoky ballads, and fast-paced technorock songs. Some of the tracks, such as thedelightfully slowed-down and stripped-backtitle track, work. Other songs, such as theridiculous “Wrestlers,” crash and burn withan over-reaching mix of musical styles andare, simply put, a little boring and repetitive.

Hot Chip is known for being eclectic, andon Made in the Dark, they reach from allkinds of genres and styles. While some songshit the mark, others fail miserably. Somesongs deserve to be listened to again andagain, while others should never have evenmade it on the album in the first place. Therelease is spotty, but it pulls through theseweak spots, and ends up being a somewhatenjoyable album, if not a very strange one.

Hot Chip works with no lightBy Sam Toninatostaff writer

courtesy of rottentomatoes.com

courtesy of last.fm

TT hh ee OO ss cc aa rr ss :: B a s i c a l l y a l o t o f m o n t a g e s

9February 29, 2008 reviews

66..55 / 10

SSoouunnddss lliikkee:: Short-circuited pop with a mini-malist techno influence. Has LCD System andCut Copy’s feel... a little !!! (Chk Chk Chk) butmuch less grimy and a lot more color.

88..55 / 10

February 29, 200810sportsAs the spring season approaches, fans will wait anxiously on the sidelines, straining their necks to seethe players’…uniforms? With a new season of sports comes a new season of fashion, and since our ath-letes will be training too hard to model these under-appreciated fashion statements on the catwalk,the season’s highlights are featured here.

Those uniforms are so hot right now

As most have noticed, skinny jeanshave almost replaced yogurt parfaits as

the next big thing at Mounds View.And just like the new treats,

they’ve managed to makethemselves enjoyed by girlsand boys alike. This season,girls softball and boys base-ball will utilize this fashion

trend to draw fans to theirfashion-forward games.

“The tight pants are hot,they’re the reason people come to

the games!” said Bekah Roth, 10,softball player.

And what self-respecting fashion-ista wouldn’t want to see these sporty,skinny-jeans in action? The tight fit atthe bottom fashionably paired with thevoluminous, mesh jerseys on top is outof this world, or, at least out of the ball-park.

Whoever said men can’t appreciate fashion wasas mistaken as the person who thought leg warmerswould never come back. Mounds View’s rugbyteam proves this with its fashionable uniformthat is anything but girly.

By simply wearing a rugby uniform, youlook manlier, even if you’re clad in short-shorts. Despite their lack of fabric, theshorts do their job and show the world thebod these rugby players have been work-ing for in pre-season training.

“I like the short-shorts, they show offmy nice legs,” said Nate Gelbmann, 10.

However, the shorts may be too much, orrather, too little, which is why the players havethe courtesy and fashion sense to pair themwith trendy spandex leggings.

If you’re still not convinced that rugby uni-forms are fierce, consider how “rugby stripes”have managed to infiltrate popular fashion in theform of scarves, sweaters and polos that can befound at your local Gap, American Eagle, andHollister.

Rugby

Not since Sporty Spice told us whatshe wants—what she really, reallywants—has anyone made wind pantsbabely. That is, until this season, whenMounds View track will be strutting theirstuff on the catwalk... I mean, track. Butthe warm-up sweats are just that, warm-ups, when compared to the hot sleevelesstop and shorts underneath.

“They [the uniforms] are nice andbreezy. And the colors are pretty cute,”said Athena Apikelis, 10.

But the best part for the spectatorsand teammates alike is that the short-

shorts allow for as much shameless oglingas a real runway show.

“I don’t like watching girls run around inshort-shorts for 20 hours, but guys I don’tmind so much,” said Alyssa Leyendecker,10.

Softball

Though other sports have managed to coverall of the trendiest and mainstream fashions, theViewettes have established themselves as themost avant-garde activity at MoundsView by far.

With glitzy outfits ranging fromclassic black to neon green and blue,designed everywhere from a ’60s tospace-age style, the outfits are higherfashion than the Viewettes’ highkicks.

Notice how I said “outfits.”These girls have more costumechanges than a Cher concert, butmanage to make each one betterthan the last and often accessorizewith matching headbands; a hot hairtrend this year.

And if the rhinestone-embellishedcostumes don’t blow your mind, thiswill: Viewette moms hand-appliedeach of those rhinestones for that per-fect sparkle accent. How couture isthat?!

Viewettes

Track

The snow that now coversKohler Meadows Park in WhiteBear Lake will soon give way tothe unyielding advance ofspring, and the Mounds Viewbaseball team will once againmake the trek to their practicediamond.

For about 10 years, thesedistant fields have been the onlyplace that the team could prac-

tice or play home games.On Feb. 5, the school board

changed that, when the boarddecided to put a field in onMounds View High Schoolgrounds in time for the ’09baseball season.

“It’ll be sweet,” said NateIliff, 10. “Closer fields meanwe’ll get more time toimprove.”

As revealed by last year’slevy controversy, there is con-cern in the community abouthow district money is being

spent. Even now, some maywonder why the school is put-ting in a new baseball fieldinstead of spending that moneyto help shrink class sizes or payteachers more.

Bob Madison, MV athleticdirector, responded to thesequalms: “When we redid theschools the leftover money wasput into a building bond. Thismoney can’t be used for thingslike hiring teachers, just for var-ious construction costs.”

Now, instead of about

$140,000 staying in a bankaccount, it is going towards animprovement on MoundsView’s grounds.

The exodus from the oldKohler fields will hopefullybreathe new life into theMounds View baseball program,as the distance to the old fieldsin Vadnais Heights proved to betoo much for some fans.

Dave Bothwell, 12, baseballcaptain, said, “The problemswith the old field at Kohler wasthat it wasn’t on school grounds,

not a lot of fans knew how toget there. The city owned thefield, so we couldn’t decorate orchange it in any permanent way.We really didn’t have anythingthat had a home field appeal toit.”

Principal Julie Wikeliusagreed, “I think it’s great thatbaseball is finally back on cam-pus. The closeness of the fieldwill definitely benefit the stu-dent body.”

Natalie Evanson, 12, sports her styl-ish warm-up. At the time of thisphoto, costumes had to be turned in.

photos by Nate Grann and softball picture by Debbie Li

New baseball fields just a hit awayBy Colin Andersonstaff writer

Kevin Bradley, 12 sports his short-shorts onthe runway track.

Skinny jeans have traveled from fashion runwayinto softball must-haves. Softball playersMichelle Brunn, 12, and Katie Kruse, 12, displaytheir outfits.

story by Karly Bergmann, staff writer

Spandex isn’t only for volleyball players anymore. Rugbyplayer, George Tremann, 10, shows off his spandex.

Excitement resonates in cheerlead-ing captain Sarah Imhoff’s voice whenshe talks about the upcoming competi-tion; a first for Mounds View cheer-leaders.

“Spending time with the girls willbe a great end to my senior season,”said Imhoff, 12.

The team will be traveling toWisconsin Dells for a two-day contestMarch 8-9. Stillwater and White BearLake, perennial competitors, will alsobe participating, but the competition isnot only local.

This is the first time MV cheerlead-ers will participate in a competition.

In the past, Head Coach JackieBest wanted the team’s main focus tobe on cheering, not competing.

“Mr. Madison okayed the competi-tion this year, but we mainly focus oncheering at games,” said Best.

In an effort to prepare, cheerlead-ers’ practices have become a lot moreintense and focused on more difficultthings like stunting; tricks wherecheerleaders are thrown into the air.

“In practice we work a lot more onstunting, before we would spend mostof our time practicing cheers,” saidKerri Haider, 12.

“We have always been morefocused on cheering, and it’s really funnow that we actually get to compete,”said Imhoff.

At the actual competition thecheerleaders will perform a mixture ofdancing, cheering, and stunting. Thecheerleaders have a 40-feet by 40-feetarea in which to compete and receiveapproximately three minutes to com-plete their routine.

According to the NationalCheerleading Rules, the competingteams are judged based on the overallappeal of the routine, perfection of theroutine, difficulty, dance ability, spirit,technique, stunts/pyramids, tumbling,jumps, projections, and formations.

“There’s a lot more pressure withcompetition since we’re all used tocheering in front of Mounds View peo-ple,” said Chandler Vandersteen, 9.

Mounds View does not sponsor thecompetition since cheering is not rec-ognized as a high school sport.

“Although it is not sponsored byMounds View, we still hope they dowell. When they make themselves bet-ter, it has a positive effect on all oursports teams,” said Bob Madison,activities director.

The cheerleaders have come upwith their own money to pay for theirparticipation, not having the privilegeof school-sponsored sports whose feesare paid by the school.

“The money [forthe competition]came from funds ourcoach had and we’reall paying a fee tocontribute to the costof the competition,”said Imhoff.

Currently, theteam is still unsure ifthey will competenext year. Thisdepends on a coupleof factors whichinclude how the teamperforms this yearand what the coach-ing staff decides isbest for the team.

Cheering has yet

to receive much recognition at MoundsView as a sport. If the squad does well,they could change the attitudes of stu-dents towards cheering and receivemore recognition for what they do.

“I think students will think aboutthe cheerleaders differently,” saidKristin Thompson, 11. “I also think it’sgood for them to compete becausemaybe they’ll gain more respect.”

“It’s a lot of work, but I’m superexcited for [the competition], even if itmeans more working out,” saidVandersteen.

The cheerleaders have respondedwell to the changes. Competingrequires a stronger team connectionbecause teammates rely on each otherfor their success, and it consequentlybrings a team together.

“We have already bonded a lot overthe competition, and a reason we didthe competition was to bring us clos-er,” said Imhoff.

MMoouunnddss VViieeww cchheeeerrss ttoo tthhee nneexxtt lleevveell

February 29, 2008

Andrew Dinndorf, 12, has beenswimming since the second grade. Whenswim season comes around, he immedi-ately drops everything else in his life,including Jazz Band and Boy Scouts, tofocus on the sport.

Yet, he hasn’t broken any records,

and he’s never appeared in sports newsas the star of the team.

Dinndorf contributes to his team in adifferent, but equally important, way. Heleads by example, encourages youngerathletes to stick with a sport, and enjoysthe friendship and cohesiveness thatbeing on a team provides.

“He has a positive attitude all thetime… which creates an entire team posi-tive atmosphere,” said swim coachStephen Bauer.

“There are a lot more importantthings than just performing well,”Dinndorf said.

Many people at Mounds View partici-pate in some kind of sport, but few stu-dents are recognized for their commit-ment: after all, a team can have only somany stars. Just sticking with a sport forfour years merits recognition.

Jesse Cronquist, 12, is another athletewho has devoted his entire high schoolcareer to one sport: basketball. He playsmostly on the junior varsity team, butdoes get varsity playing time.

Mike Kauls, social studies teacherand assistant basketball coach, commend-ed Cronquist for his “effort on a dailybasis, even without getting all the glory.”

Few people stay on the basketballteam all through high school. This year,the team only has six seniors.

“Anyone who finishes all the waythrough is an example,” said Kauls.

The loyalty Cronquist shows to the

team encourages younger players to stickwith it, he said.

Cronquist listed “learning how towork together with other people” and“meeting new people I might not haveotherwise” as some of the greatest bene-fits of playing basketball.

These athletes continue putting in thiseffort because of the benefits they getfrom being on the team. Other than theobvious benefits of staying in shape andlearning about a sport, the teams becomevery close.

Dinndorf describes the swim team asa family.

“We’ve always prided ourselves onbeing one of the closest teams,” he said.

It is almost difficult not to formstrong bonds with teammates who spendso much time together. The friendshipsand leadership qualities the athletes gainfrom being a part of the team are verymeaningful to them.

As much as the athletes gain frombeing on the team, they also contributetheir years of experience and leadership.

Bauer said that Dinndorf leads by hisexample of a strong work ethic and gainsrespect with his presence. He has gainedso much respect, in fact, that last year theteam voted him captain.

As seniors, this season marks the endof their high school careers on thesesports teams. Dinndorf does not plan onbeing on a college team, but he doeswant to continue swimming recreational-

ly, participating in triathlons. Cronquist is undecided about his col-

lege plans, so he is unsure if he will con-tinue playing, but he hopes to join thebasketball team as a walk-on whereverhe goes. Whether they continue pursuingtheir sport or not, these athletes havegained something immeasurable fromparticipating on their high school team.

“[Joining the swim team] was thebest decision of my life,” Dinndorf said.

Athletes out of the spotlight

By Shaked Pelegstaff writer

These student-athletes are f inding ways to shine on their respectiveteams even without the publicity some of their teammates enjoy

11sports

photo by Debbie Li

By Anna Blaskestaff writer

photo by Shaked PelegAndrew Dinndorf, 12, brings a positive atti-tude and leadership to his team.

photo by Debbie LiCaptains Michelle Brunn, 12, and Stacy Grosinger, 12,are ready to lead the cheerleading squad in their firstcheerleading competition.

Jesse Cronquist, 12, may not get the samehype as some teammates, but he is stillviewed as a key player to the team.

February 29, 200812

Jack Humphrey

Everyone can admit to belting out the lyricsto their favorite pop songs in the shower at leastonce in their life. But how many of those peoplecan say that they’ve crooned to their own music?Jack Humphrey, 12, has been composing musicsince 8th grade and has always found it morerewarding to sing to his own tunes.

“It always seemed more gratifying to me toplay my own stuff, rather than play somebodyelse’s,” said Humphrey.

Humphrey, who writes music both for him-self and for his band, Deus Ex Machina, uses acomputer program called Guitar Pro to composethe different parts of his pieces.

“It works well for Deus, because I can writethe music out in either tabs or sheet music andthe program can easily switch between the twofor different instruments,” he said.

He started writing music with some of hisband members, but over time he began to per-sonally take more interest in its theory and com-position. Although Deus is a progressive deathmetal band, Humphrey’s own music has a muchdifferent sound.

“It really depends on my mood, but mymusic features a slower feel with acoustic guitarand piano,” said Humphrey.

Humphrey often uses poetry that he has writ-ten and formats it into lyrics in order to get amore personal gain from his music.

“The best thing about writing music is it’s away to express myself, and to change negativeemotions into a positive product,” saidHumphrey.

The next time you begin to belt out thewords to Bohemian Rhapsody in the shower,you can take a hint from Jack and sing to thebeat of your own drum. You might just gainmore from it than you expect.

“My music provides a way to better under-stand myself, and allows me to see clearer howeveryday events affect my emotions,” saidHumphrey.

Spencer Mann, 11, quietly concentrates on themusic stand in front of him. Without a word,Mann slowly scratches a few notes onto a sheet ofpaper, picks up his worn viola bow, and beginsplaying a lush, mysterious melody. But this is noordinary song. This is a viola concerto that Mannis in the middle of composing.

While some may be intimidated by the compo-sition of classical music, Mann has discovered anuncanny talent for composing music, starting lastwinter. Several months later, he finished his firststring trio. Since then, Mann has created animmense amount of music; including severalsonatas, a string quartet, a French horn and bas-soon duet, and an entire movement of a sympho-ny.

“Last year, I just started writing music,” hesaid. “I was just listening to a lot of classicalmusic, and I decided to try and write some of myown.”

Mann got together with several other studentsand performed his string trio at a piano recital.

Ross Hoppe, 11, was one of the students whoperformed Mann’s piece. According to Hoppe, hewas blown away by its depth.

“It was very complex, with a lot of minorkeys. It was sort of dark and mysterious, but alsomelodious and nice to listen to,” said Hoppe.

According to Mann, his main influence isRussian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

“Shostakovich is great. I find his works to beemotionally intense. It is really harmonically inter-esting, and there is so much going on in themusic,” said Mann.

Spencer was a casual fan of classical music hisentire life, but when he began to play the viola infifth grade, he began to really take an interest inthis type of music. His love of classical music hasonly grown since then.

Spencer said that he plans on pursuing a futurein music. He would like to take compositioncourses in college, and continue to play the violathroughout his life.

“I have ideas that I want to share with people,”he said. “I love music, and will keep playing andwriting for as long as I can.”

By Sam Toninatostaff writer

By Cassie Ahiersstaff writer

musical minds

It’s Friday night and Merit Stewart, 11, isnot planning on sleeping. He’s not going to bepartying or interacting with his friends at all.Stewart will spend the next ten or so hoursalone, his headphones carefully wrappedaround his ears.

He will listen to every style of music hecan get his hands on. Come morning, he’llhead to his kitchen to make a much-neededpot of coffee. As the machine whirrs, themish-mash of music from the night before willbegin to organize itself into Stewart’s new pre-occupation: techno.

“Usually, I’ll go down to my computer,and I’ll take the music – Latin, funk, blues, allkinds of things – and put it all together,” hesaid. “I’ll write without editing myself, andthen after 16 bars or so I’ll go back and pickout the good parts.”

Stewart has been composing music thisway since middle school. He began with folkand rock, influenced by musicians such as theRolling Stones and Jessie Cook. Later hemoved on to techno duo Daft Punk andGeorge Clinton, a member of the famous funkgroup Parliament.

“Out of everything blues music in generalhas inspired me the most,” he said.

Although he is not part of any groups cur-rently, he plans on starting a band with RonTowne, 11, this summer. Towne, who hasplayed informally with Stewart since middleschool, has recently begun dabbling in com-posing himself.

“I’m kind of am amateur compared toMerit. His music just makes me want todance,” he said. “You can’t not bop your headto it.”

Stewart intends to release a CD of histechno music in late February.

However, when asked about a futurebeyond that, he said, “I don’t really have anyplans, but I would love to keep doing this, itwould be awesome.”

Jack Humphrey photo by Nate GrannSpencer Mann photo by David DerongMerit Stewart photo by Sean Delahunt

By Divya Guptastaff writer

Spencer Mann Merit Stewart

the composition of

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