The Eyrie: October Issue • 2014

SENIORS AND SPORTS Students finish their

last season as Eagles.

16

Cut loose, FootlooseBehind the scenes of the fall musical.

4

Pledge of allegiance

Point/counterpoint on the pledge in

schools.

26

Wrongly sought

confIdenceAddressing personal

image in schools.

23

Michael

Anderson Lighting up the stage.

30

Cover StoryA deeper look into your deeper sleep.

20

Vol. 54, No.1 // October 2014Eden Prairie High School

Staff

PoliciesMission StatementThe Eyrie strives to be an accurate, informative and entertaining publication for the students and faculty of EPHS.

LettersThe Eyrie encourages all students and faculty to share their views with the school. All letters must be signed; however, names may be withheld in certain situations. Once received, the Eyrie reserves the right to edit letters for length or content. To submit letters or comments, stop by room 208 during third hour or email comments to [email protected].

Editors-in-chiefHannah BrandserLuci Bessinger

Managing EditorLuci Bessinger

Chief of PhotographyTrevor Stansberry

Editor of DesignZoë Glenn

Advertising MangersLuci BessingerAnthony Rosa

Business ManagerAndrew Donohue

Website EditorAmie Stager

Opinion EditorJean-Pierre Tossa

Sports EditorAlly Thorsen

News EditorMax Chao

A & E EditorElizabeth Kenyon

Cover Story EditorsTrevor Stansberry Hannah Brandser

Feature EditorSheridan Swee

Profile EditorGillian Holte

Writers & PhotographersAbby MertzAbby WarrickAllie ThorsenAmie StagerAndrew DonohueAnthony RosaClaire HasslerDustin WolfEllie BarrettGrace KasbohmHannah BelongieKristina BriantMurphy Hullett-NelsonSara MichaelYasmin Chavez

AdviserJodie Flolid

Multi-mediaTo follow the Eyrie on Twitter, use the Twitter handle the_eyrie. To find us on facebook, search for the Eyrie. For daily content and school updates, visit theeyrie.com.

PrinterThe Eyrie is printed by the Eden Prairie Schools Printing Services,

17185 Valley View Road, Eden Prairie, MN, 55346

Hello, from the editors!

Hello Eagles! Long time, no Eyrie. Now that school is back in motion and summer tans are fading, we are ready to jump start the year with a new staff. We both are overly excited to see what this year brings! We now present you with the first issue. In addition, our newly renovated website is waiting to be visited (theeyrie.org). Here you will see mug shots of all Eyrie staff writers and photographers. Also, we have a wonderful Twitter page (@The_Eyrie) that will give you weekly updates about our school! Enough about us, now please enjoy your very own first copy of The Eyrie 2014.

Yours truly,

Luci Bessinger & Hannah Brandser

What is your favorite Halloween memory?

“ I’ve never gotten rid of all my candy from trick-or-treating. I’m pretty sure I still have candy in my closet from fifth grade.” “ In fifth grade I dressed up

as a girl. A lady asked me why I didn’t dress up that year.”

“When I was 7, I went trick-or-treating with Elijah Fourre and his mom ate all of our candy.”

Meet the Staff

A & E EditorElizabeth Kenyon

Cover Story EditorsTrevor Stansberry Hannah Brandser

Feature EditorSheridan Swee

Profile EditorGillian Holte

Writers & PhotographersAbby MertzAbby WarrickAllie ThorsenAmie StagerAndrew DonohueAnthony RosaClaire HasslerDustin WolfEllie BarrettGrace KasbohmHannah BelongieKristina BriantMurphy Hullett-NelsonSara MichaelYasmin Chavez

AdviserJodie Flolid

VOL. 54, NO.1 // OCTOBER 2014The eyrie

ValleyScare - pg. 34

Review - pg. 6

Adam Daggs Fund - pg. 12

New VotersWhat our first time voters think about their newest oppurtunity.

Fall sportsCatch up on this season’s sports.

Sleep habits Find out how healthy your sleep habits are.22

14

11

Coca-colaWhat Coke products are doing to your body.28

TV reviewsCheck out the latest television shows you need to see this season.

7

OpinionCheck out these hot button topics.24

A & E

October 2014 -- theeyrie.org4

CUT LOOSE, FOOTLOOSEabout the musical.

Anderson, the Lighting Head, is thankful for the new lights. “When you have a minimalist set, the lighting has to be used a lot more,” he said.

Stage Manager Annabelle Ludwig believes that there will be some challenges. “It’s really unlike anything we’ve ever done,” she said. “It’s really culturally relevant.”

Savannah Seaver, the Shift Head, has never done a modern musical before. “Everything I’ve ever done was set in a different time period,” she said. “This one is closer to our time.”

Construction Heads Trevor Stansberry and Alec McGlasson highlight the social aspect of the tech department.

“It’s about building relationships and learning how to work as a team even when it gets tough,” said Stansberry. The technicians remain after school for about three hours everyday, but some days they will stay until 11 p.m.

Personalities also develop, said McGlasson, who wasn’t very social at CMS. “This was a whole new world for me,” he said. “I wanted to benefit the shows as much as I could.”

ABY AMIE STAGER

small gathering of students seated in the Performing Arts Center muffle their voices as everyone’s attention is turned toward a group standing casually and confidently on the stage. There are a few announcements and questions from both sides before the energy suddenly bursts. Clusters of four to five students scatter towards the stage, strewn with unfinished projects. There is a seemingly perfect balance between under and upperclassmen in which they learn and teach one another. There is a sense of urgency, but it’s rather peaceful and systemic as the technicians for the musical adjourn their meeting and dive into their work.

There is no doubt that producing the musical “Footloose” will take a lot of effort, especially from the technicians who will work 250-300 hours prepping the sets, lights, sounds and stage so that the actors can perform safely and smoothly.

Seniors Terry Robison, Michael Anderson, Savannah Seaver and Trevor Stansberry and Juniors Annabelle Ludwig, Jarod John, Alec McGlasson and Madi Lang reveal their thoughts

PHOTOS BY AMIE STAGER

Senior Terry Robison and sophomore Cammie Stein glue wood together for a set piece with help from sophomore Shelby Evans.

Dedicated students prepare to create an impeccable production of this year’s highly-anticipated musical.

5A & E

McGlasson also informs about the difficulties of tech week, because it falls during finals. “You don’t get homework done,” he said. “Unless you can survive on caffeine.”

But when the Mountain Dew and Shasta don’t relieve the tension, they walk away. Terry Robison, the Assistant Technical Director, said, “We do have tears and spats and anger, but we learn to just blow stuff off.”

Beyond the battles of balancing school, tech, and other callings is the maintenance of mentally and emotionally sound attitudes.

Anderson struggles with the seriousness of his work. “It’s only high school,” he said. “At the end of the day, if someone makes a mistake, nobody loses their job.”

At first, Robison believed that she belonged on the stage instead of behind it. “I kept going with tech for a while and I think it was the One Act,” said Robison. “I was able to realize the importance of technicians and how much responsibility they carry.”

Working with the tech department and theatre in general enriches not only an individual’s work experience but also their passion.

Actor Madi Lang admires the maturity and professionalism of high school theatre. “I wanted to be a part of it,” Lang said. “I started reading and looking up playwrights and I decided this is what I want to do with my life.”

Ludwig emphasized the importance of the independence she is gaining from stage-managing. “A lot of high-schoolers, if you send them out to go get 500 T-shirts, I don’t think they’d be able to do it,” Ludwig said. “In the real world, they’re going to be handed a task and they’re supposed to complete it on their own.”

Some people find their niche. “Tech and drama department has given me a home—a place in this huge high school with 3000 students,” said Rigging Head Jarod John. Seaver summed up her experience in one statement that everyone can learn from: “Just have fun and try your hardest in everything you do because it might end up being the thing you love the most.”

Above: Freshman Lalyn Yu and junior Sarah Bowyer drill into a set piece.Below: Sophomore Karina Koracan, freshman Anna Bock, and seniors Lizzy Crosby and Savannah Seaver paint a cityscape.


BY ANDREW DONOHUE

Right next to Byerly’s and across the street from Home Depot, a new restaurant has popped up. Peoples Organic is a restaurant that focuses on organic, local and fair trade food. Organic food is a growing market as more people focus on eating healthy and avoiding unnatural ingredients. I was interested to see how their food compared to that of their other locations in Minnetonka and the Galleria.

Walking in, I was greeted by a friendly waiter who seated me right away. Looking over the menu, I was impressed by the wide variety of options. The

restaurant offers anything from burgers, to oatmeal and even tacos. After much deliberation, I chose the Peoples Best Veggie Burger. The food came after a short wait, and I dug right in.

The first bite was excellent as the spicy sun-dried tomato aioli on top of the burger provided a nice kick. The flavors of the burger mixed together excellently as the rice in the burger combined with the sprouts on top. My favorite part of the burger was the bun, however. It had a hearty, nutty flavor and provided the perfect complement to the graininess of the burger. The burger was well worth the $11 price. The salad that accompanied my burger was not as impressive, however. The greens were dry and had little taste or crunch. I ended up leaving most of them uneaten.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was also really nice. Bright colors and pictures of happy, organic farmers adorned the walls. The wait staff was very cheerful and responded to all my requests promptly.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at the Peoples Organic. They serve one of the best veggie burgers I have ever had. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a healthy and tasty alternative to the usual Eden Prairie fare.

PEOPLES ORGANICLast August, the empty lot at 990 Prairie Center Drive was finally filled. This new addition is unlike any other in the community, however, for one distinct reason: organic, local and fair trade cuisine.

PHOTO BY HANNAH BELONGIE

Restaurant review

7A & E

3 NEW TELEVISION SHOWS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS

1. ‘How to Get Away with Murder’

The title says it all. Annalise Keating is a criminal law professor at a Philadelphia university. She picks

certain students to work at her law firm. But things take an unexpected turn when her students find themselves involved in a murder themselves. Will they be able to get away with it? “How to Get Away with Murder” is on Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC. It is incredibly fast-paced for a pilot episode with an ending you wouldn’t suspect. The audience is not only dealing with one murder, but two murder cases. It is suspenseful and mysterious with not too many boring parts too. However, the law students seem to have boring personalities. There is not anything memorable about them (at least not yet). Also, it is difficult to follow some parts of the plot. But for just being the first episode, it has many twists and turns that make you want to keep watching the show. “How to Get Away with Murder” is certainly a show worth watching.

BY YASMIN CHAVEZ

2. ‘Red Band Society’

3. ‘The Flash’

It’s hard to find laughter in life when you face challenges that seem impossible to overcome, especially when you have no

control over what happens. The “Red Band Society” follows the life of a group of unlikely friends each battling a serious illness. The show is told through the perspective of Charlie, a 12-year-old who happens to be in a coma. He proceeds to tell the lives of a group of friends who do crazy things and the adults that are trying to keep them in line. The “Red Band Society” is an enjoyable and entertaining show to watch. It has its funny moments, but underneath the comedy layer hides the sad reality. It’s a show about a couple of kids fighting serious illnesses as they live in a hospital. It can only get to so funny before you are punched in the face by reality. The characters all have different personalities that make them unique as an individual. But if you do not have a sweet tooth, then you might find this show a little too sugary for your taste buds. It is one of those heartwarming shows that make you fuzzy inside. All in all, the “Red Band Society” is definitely worth giving a shot. It is on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on FOX.

The number one ingredient in order to become a superhero is a tragic past. This is how Barry Allen’s story begins

as the fastest man alive. This fall, the well-known superhero gets his own show, “The Flash.” The day Barry Allen witnessed his mother’s death was the day his life spiraled out of control. Fast forward a few years, he finds himself working as a forensic expert on the police force. As if he doesn’t have a hard life already, he then gets struck by lightning. Somehow he miraculously survives. After waking up from a nine-month coma, he finds that he has acquired an extraordinary power. With his new superpower, Barry Allen embarks on a quest to find the truth about his mother’s mysterious death all while protecting the innocent people of Central City. “The Flash” is packed with action and has a layer of mystery added to it. It is fast-paced and entertaining to watch as it felt more like a short film than a show. However, there were certain dull points when viewers are introduced to all the different characters. The characters are dynamic and show potential to grow. “The Flash” itself has the potential to become a brilliant show. It is definitely worth checking out, especially if you are into superheroes. “The Flash” is on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on CW.

FLICKR PHOTOS


Each time I go to the Walker Museum (which is a lot) I love it more and more. I am

continuously amazed by how artists can create a beautiful masterpiece out of almost

nothing. The newest exhibit is called the Radical Presence: of Black Performance in

Contemporary Art. This exhibit was created to emulate a development of black performance in

contemporary art from the 1960s to the present.

The exhibition brings together almost 36 artists from across all generations and backgrounds.

Sometimes when I go to the Walker, I try to pick out art that I figure I could probably make myself.

I feel like most of the time modern art can be pretentious

and almost obnoxious, but I did not catch that vibe for

this exhibit. A majority of the art were photographs taken

of random (or what seemed random) scenarios with

African Americans featured as the art.

I am particularly into photography so that is most

likely the reason I found this exhibit to be most amusing. Another art piece that I found to be

really cool is the staircase of books. An artist took a regular ladder and outlined it with hundreds of

African American oriented books to form a perfectly shaped bookcase. It was really cool, and I had

never seen anything like it before.

People who think they aren’t into art should still give the Walker a try. If you aren’t doing

something one weekend, get out of your daily routine and go do something different. Modern art is

fascinating and especially The Radical Presence. A warning to all, that some of the art pieces contain

explicit content that may be interpreted as offensive. This exhibit has only been open for about a

month and will continue to be open until January 4th.

art Review

Profound Exhibit Leaves lasting impressionPHOTOS BY HANNAH BELONGIE

1750 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403

Students: FreeAdults: $14

Feel the presence of black performance through the window of photography.

BY HANNAH BELONGIE

Peer at yourself and through yourself with another one of the museum’s unique exhibits involving reflection.

9A & E

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952.934.5299

Open 7 Days a Week 11 am – 10 pm

www.lionstap.com

Join our E-Club for exclusive

offers! Follow us on Facebook and

Twitter!

upcoming concertsBY ELLIE BARRETT

November 5-6 Bob Dylan: Orpheum Theater

Price: $100-120November 9

Capital Cities:First AvenuePrice: $47

November 10Vance Joy: Varsity Theater

Price: $85B.o.B: First Avenue

Price: $41November 13

New Politics: Varsity TheaterPrice: $33

November 15/16G-Eazy: First Avenue


Usher: Excel Energy CenterPrice: $65

November 21Eric Hutchinson: Myth


Daughtry: Mystic Lake Casino HotelPrice: $56

November 28Yelawolf: Skyway Theater

Price: $90December 5

Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra: DECC Symphony Hall

Price: $41

News


BY ANDREW DONOHUE

This November, Eden Prairie voters will have choices to make. A referendum on Eden Prairie schools funding is on the ballot and has significant impact on the school district. There are two questions that voters will decide on.

The first question asks whether to raise the operating levy by $700 per pupil for the next 10 years. This would stabilize district finances for the next five years. The second question asks for an additional raise in the operating levy of $150 per pupil for the next 10 years. This would allow the district to make additional investments in student programs.

A failure to pass the referendum has severe repercussions on the school district. Conn McCartan, the EPHS principal, described possible consequences, “We would need to, in the course of one year, cut $10 million from the operating budget. That is 11% of the total budget of the schools. This would most likely mean cutting the block schedule and switching to the six period day.”

McCartan has taken a leading role as the main spokesper-son for the referendum campaign, “I am one of the most senior principals in the district and as principal of the final school in the district, where everyone sends their kids eventually, the responsi-bility kind of just fell to me.”

There has also been strong community support for the referendum. Renee Rushdy and Ken Robinson are the co-chairs of the Vote Yes for Eden Prairie Schools committee. They are reaching out to community members to make sure they are

What to KnowDate

November 4 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

Senatorial ElectionAl Franken- Democrat

Mike McFadden- Republican

Gubernatorial election:Mark Dayton- DemocratJeff Johnson- Republican

Hannah Nicollet- Independent

EP Schools ReferendumYes- for referendum

No- Against referendum

District 3 Congressional Election

Erik Paulsen- Republican Sharon Sund- Democrat

How to vote absentee:You can request an absentee

ballot by mail and send it to your local election office. You also can sign up on the internet as well by searching

“absentee ballot MN”.

PHOTO BY AMIE STAGER

informed about the referendum. “We need to make sure that the community understands the impact of the referendum failing,” Robinson emphasized.

They also challenged the student body of the high school to get involved, “There are three things every student should do talk to their family and neighbors about voting yes twice, encourage their college-age siblings to vote via absentee ballot (which can be requested online), and vote yes twice themselves if they are voting age.” Robinson explained.

Rushdy is optimistic that the referendum will pass if people turn out to vote, “Only 29% of people with children in EP schools voted last time, that’s abysmal. We want every single parent with children in EP schools to turn out and vote either in person or absentee,” she said.

Ranee Jacobus, president of the Eden Prairie school board, is also focused on the referendum. She believes that the referendum gives EP voters an important role in determining the future of Eden Prairie schools, “The Board heard the message that we had asked for too much last year, so we spent three months going through different financial scenarios to land on a levy amount that was reasonable for taxpayers, yet responsive, and also sup-portive of our students’ needs.” Jacobus said.

Jacobus also outlined how the district plans to spend the additional money should both questions pass, the district will spend most of the money on reducing class sizes in younger ages. Money will also be spent to add specialist positions at all grades to offer more opportunities for differentiated learning in smaller groups.

REFERENDUM COMES TO EP

Seniors Sam Westerman and Brendon Lasinker discuss the referendum

11News

BY MAX CHAO

Teenagers are often stereotyped to be politically ignorant, but students here at EPHS are helping to change that. By taking active roles in government through helping political campaigns, these students are taking an active role in govern-ment. These students are especially common from extra-curricular clubs that focuses on the discussion of politics and volunteering for their respective parties.

“Campaigning is tough work, but it pays off,” said senior Sam Westerman. Westerman and senior Brendon Lasinker are co-presidents of Young Democrats club and have each been active with Minnesota’s Democratic Party.

The main jobs performed by campaigners are “phone banking” and “door knocking,” which involve either calling people or going to their houses to convince them to vote for their candidate. “Doing it alone can get boring, but doing it with friends makes it so much more enjoyable,” said Westerman.

These may seem like menial jobs, but only a few votes can make all of the dif-ference in an election. “In the 2012 election, my representative Yvonne Selcer won by only a few hundred votes,” said Westerman. “I think the win can possibly be attributed to the hard work and dedication of volunteers.”

For the 2014 elections and school referendum, these students and others have taken to advocating for state representatives, senators, and votes on issues like the upcoming referendum. Lasinker of Young Democrats has been advocating for voting “yes” in the referendum, and Courtney Sweeney, President of Young Repub-licans has helped with Kirk Stensrud’s campaign for the House of Representatives.

For these students, politics have played a large part in their lives from an early age. “I have been following following politics since I was in third grade and I tried to stay informed on issues,” said Sweeney. “I would watch the debates and listen to speeches of the candidates, both Republican and Democratic candidates, and I began to develop an interest because for basically the first time in my life I could understand the issues facing the country.”

Students getinvolved in

election campaignsTeenagers help shape their community

These particular students are active in politics and have been following them from an early age, but many teens aren’t very active in politics at all. “Young people don’t feel like they have a lot to lose or a lot to gain,” said Lasinker.

A reason for this apathy towards politics may be the notion that their opinion doesn’t matter because they aren’t able to vote. “Sometimes being one of the younger people in the political scene is a disadvantage,” says Sweeney. “Because I am younger than those who surround me, I am not always taken seriously.”

Although many teens don’t think of it, politics do affect their lives. Politics and elections change how the world around them operates, and the outcome of votes like the school district referendum in November will affect high school life drastically, depending on the outcome. “I don’t blame a lot of kids for not getting involved in politics,” said Westerman, “But getting involved is the only way to make change.”

STUDENT VOTERS share OPINIONS

On November 4, citizens of Eden Prairie will be heading to the polls to vote in the upcoming 2014 midterm elections. Some voters are students here at EPHS. Almost all students who are eligible to vote, are planning on voicing their opinions by taking the action to vote. Many students who are heading to the polls, are adamant to vote yes on the 2014-2015 EPHS referendum. Students voiced that they would “hate” to see the block schedule end because many of which, have planned their entire high school career on a four period day. In addition to the referendum, student voters showed much excitement about being able to vote on other issues pertaining to their interests.

Josh Lanasa“My opinion will finally be accounted for, and I will be able to stand up for what I

believe in.”

Austyn Murray“Now that I can vote, I won’t be influenced by my parents on what to think politically.”

William Koch“I probably won’t end up

voting because most of the stuff does not affect us.”

Maddie Palmer“I’m excited to vote yes on the school referendum because it

is very beneficial to our school system and to our students’

learning experience.”

Julia Jensen“It will be nice to be able to have my opinion be heard, because everyone’s opinion

matters.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AMIE STAGER

PHOTOS BY CLAIRE HASSLER

BY SARA MICHAEL


SCHOOL SUPPORTS DAGGS FAMILYBY MAX CHAO

Whenever a person or a family is in need, students rally to help them. That is the way it has been at EPHS, and that is the way the school and community have continued to be in light of the tragedy that struck the Daggs family earlier this year.

Last summer, sophomore Adam Daggs was hit by a car while he was riding his bike. From the accident he suffered a severe spinal injury which left him with no use of his arms and legs and only limited communication functions. He has since moved from the hospital to his home where he continues to be treated.

Families and organizations like DECA and the newly founded Adam Daggs Foundation have been supporting the family through fundraising and emotional support.

“When I heard what happened, I wanted to get involved.” said sophomore Emilee Jacobson. Jacobson and her mother Rikki have been supporting the Daggs family by selling “pray for Daggs” T-shirts and collecting donations.

All of their sales and donations go to the Adam Daggs Foundation which is currently raising money to do renovation on the Daggs’ home to make life more convenient for Adam to live in. “He was one of those kids that made your day when you saw him at school,” said Jacobson.

The Jacobsons have been in close contact with DECA, who have also been helping out the fundraising effort. They are responsible for organizing the “Flags for Daggs” event, an powder puff football game that took place on September 27. “We were really happy to see how many girls signed up and showed their support,”

said Yasmin Rajaeian, Vice President of DECA. Over 270 girls participated in the event, and it earned over $17,500 for the Daggs family.

“I think we all agree that we just don’t want him to be forgotten about,” said Rikki Jacobson. Although he is making progress, Adam’s injury

will likely affect him for the rest of his life. People wishing to help can purchase a Daggs T-shirt, which is available in the

school store in the Old Commons and donations can be made to the Adam Daggs Foundation at the Associated Bank at 566 Prairie Center Drive.

“I think we all agree that we just don’t want him to be forgotten about.”

-Rikki Jacobson

PHOTO BY TREVOR STANSBERRY

Grant Matzke purchases a T-shirt in support for the Daggs family

Students, charities rally around student in need

Flipped classrooms Gain PopularityBY ABBY WARRICK

Flipped classes are becoming a more prominent thing in our courses. More teachers, especially in the math department, are choosing to use flipped classes and students have different opinions regarding them.

According to Michelle Ament, district director of technology and learning, teachers use flipped classes to have a flexible learning environment. This way, learners can collaborate with other students during class and ask teachers directly for help on homework. Eden Prairie has done flipped classes for a couple years now and teachers at CMS are starting to use flipped classes as well. Flipped classes began to be implemented in schools because administrators believed that students would find it beneficial to have direct help from teachers on homework and it brings about a flexible environment, said Ament.

Junior Greta Hendrickson said that in her flipped 9th grade geometry class she didn’t have any major struggles, but noticed other students having problems. Students learn in different ways and some kids find it difficult to teach themselves

a lesson through a video. There are student who prefer to have a teacher teaching the lesson, and students who like learning the lesson through a video. “ I would rather be taught the information then being taught it through a video,” said Hendrickson.

Although there are students who oppose flipped classes there are also kids who find them helpful. Junior Tia Lang enjoyed having her 9th grade geometry class being flipped. “It gave students a chance to learn at home and if they have questions, they can ask the teacher directly in class,” said Lang.

Students like Lang appreciate flipped classes because having the teacher in the room while working on homework is helpful. “Flipped classes make it easier to get help and whatever I didn’t understand the night before, I could just ask my teacher in person the next day,” said Lang.

There are students who enjoy flipped classes because they find it helpful to have the teacher present, and there are students who perfer learning the lesson in class. There are obvious pros and cons of flipped classrooms and there are many different opinions regarding them.

13News

YOU SHOULD PROBABLY KNOW: ISIS

BY ELIZABETH KENYON

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is recruiting teenagers to carry out their sinister plots via social media. Turns out, mom and dad were right: the Internet is dangerous. The terrorist group everyone can’t stop talking about already has an estimated 5,000 teenagers with EU passports (some as young as thirteen years of age) fighting the war in Syria. Where are their parents in all of this? Don’t thirteen-year-olds need something called permission?

A video game trailer with the purpose of training children to fight their war in the west was released last month, laced with the ISIS logo. The trailer includes violent acts by the people against the government. For instance, one clip shows a group of people pulling a police officer out of his car and shooting him to death. Sounds bad, right?

How does ISIS go about this? These vulnerable teenagers may think they’re clicking on a site reporting news about the whole debacle in Syria, but are instead activating a jihad attack site that portrays violent bombings and onslaughts. Next comes the motivational site: all those bombers and onslaught-ers pictured in heaven, farewell speeches included. Then they’re downloading talking points that justify mass murder.

Caution is advised. Seriously, don’t be that guy (or girl, as you will see).

It’s not just happening in good ol’ ‘Murica either. Six people were arrested recently in France for attempting to recruit women to fight in the Syrian battle. Early this year, two Austrian girls, ages 15 and 16, traveled to Turkey after becoming radicals.

Of course, most of the European, American and Australian women are only being lured to Syria to become glorified baby-makers to populate the “independent state.” Yes, that is just as sick and twisted as it sounds. Some news sites are reporting that these women are being lured with cash-for-babies promises.

Those two Austrian girls mentioned earlier? They’re now believed to be married and pregnant. First of all, gross. Second of all… gross.

Oh, but it isn’t happening here, right? False. A man from Minnesota became the first American recruit confirmed to have died while fighting in Syria late last August. In the same month, a 19-year-old woman from St. Paul snuck away from her family after feeding them a lie about attending a bridal shower. Instead, she took a nice, leisurely trip to Syria to join a freaking war.

Doesn’t get any closer to home than that. Wait, yes it does. That’s kind of the point—worming its way onto the computers of innocent and vulnerable young people all

within their own homes. The moral of the story: Watch where you click.

BY ANTHONY ROSA

The new federal health standards for the 2014-2015 school year, with the Smart Snacks program at its head, have brought drastic, healthy changes to the EPHS commons. If a student were to wander down to the new commons to buy a scrumptious chocolate chip scone, students would notice that the juicy, moist cookie has been replaced by a small square. If a student were to buy a cookie from the cookie store, they would find that a whole-grain cookie has replaced the less nutritious cookie.

Roxann Roushar, Director of Child Nutrition, explained what has happened to the school favorites: “Smart Snacks…encompasses anything that we serve that might be an A La Carte item outside of our regular lunch program. It involves calorie limits, sodium limits, fat limits and sugar limits.” Both the scone and the cookies did not meet these new limits.

According to Roushar, the smart snack program also threatened to eradicate job positions due to the fact that the program restricts the items that the staff can serve. However, the school thought up a solution that would bring new eatery opportunities to EPHS students and preserve jobs.

Students can now purchase combo meals in the A La Carte line that satisfies the five essential food groups for a more complete meal. For example, if one buys breakfast at the high school,

a cup of fruit is now being offered along with the usual breakfast meal.

Along with the changes, some new healthy options are possibly on their way to the cafeteria. Roushar mentioned that discussion to bring in products such as whole grain croissants, breads and fruit gels that are reminiscent of Jell-O is currently in the works.

If students have any feedback regarding the new USDA regulations, breakfast options, or lunch options there is a suggestion box located in the new commons. The comments should be formally written, but if the statements are crass or offensive, they will most likely be disregarded.

News for teenagers, by teenagers: Breaking down current events in ways you’ll understand. Meet the new Eyrie Explains

SCHOOL IMPLEMENTS NEW LUNCH STANDARDS

PHOTO BY CLAIRE HASSLER

GRAPHIC BY TREVOR STANSBERRY

New and Improved Lunch Items:• Chocolate chip scones• Combo meal• Whole grain breads• Fruit gels• Cookies

Combo meal consisting of an entrée, vegetable, fruit, and drink

Sports


BY KRISTINA BRIANT

Over 12,000 miles away, Brescia, Italy is the home of one of Eden Prairie High School’s own foreign exchange students, Sara Bianchetti. While

trying to balance the heavy workload of Pre Calculus, World Civilization, and Chemistry, junior, Sara Bianchetti, manages to fit in the sport she loves every day after school. Wearing her beloved figure skating charm necklace from her grandparents around her neck, Bianchetti said, “Skating is my life, it is my passion and means everything to me.”

The foreign exchange student program has been bringing students from all over the world to come study here at EPHS for a number of years. Being one of the only foreign exchange students from Italy, Bianchetti has adjusted quickly to the typical American lifestyle.

Besides academics, Bianchetti had other pursuits set on her mind to achieve while she was here in the United States. While hoping to learn as much as possible in school about the American culture, and to improve upon her English, Bianchetti hoped to continue the sport she fell in love with at the age of twelve.

Not knowing whether it was a possibility or not to continue her training here in the United States, Bianchetti sought guidance from her gym teacher, Patty Werning. From there, she was introduced to other figure skaters within the school and the possibility of continuing to skate became a reality.

Within the words of her host student, Katie Pudas, she said “I think it is really fun and I am glad she is able to get involved [with figure skating] that quickly because I know it is something that she really loves so I am glad she has a chance to do that while she is here in the states.”

When entering the ice rink for the first time in five months, Bianchetti said, “My heart, how it belongs here.”

Figure Skating originated from central Europe in the late 19th century. People have been skating long before the 19th century, but one man, Jackson Haines, added a unique style that internationally changed the sport. The elements of ballet and dance, incorporated with the athletic jumps and spins made the sport of figure skating what it is today.

MakingA Leap

At the age of twelve, Bianchetti came across the sport of figure skating after watching the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. All it took was one step on the blank, clear, fresh sheet of ice and a new passion blossomed within the heart of a young twelve-year-old girl. After five years of training six days a week, two hours a day on the ice, one hour off the ice, and ballet two times a week, Bianchetti has become an experienced skater at one of the top levels in figure skating.

Being able to do jumps such as a double axel and triple toe loop, Bianchetti has had to sacrifice many things in order to maintain the skills she has been perfecting for years. Like every other high-leveled athlete, she often wishes she had a chance at a “normal” life; but she says with ease, “I love it, it is worth the hard work.”

Always having a smile on her face, Sara Bianchetti, brings joy to all of those around her. Her coach, Judy Ernhart says that with her light, and warm personality both on and off the ice, the pure joy she brings to the sport sets her apart from other skaters.

Her overall attitude, and outlook on life and the sport is an inspiration for all. When asked what advice she would give to a younger, admiring skater Bianchetti said, “Never give up, do not be afraid, just skate with love.”

Figure skater continues her passion in new country

15Sports

BY YASMIN CHAVEZ

We all have all seen the Eagle mascot work its magic in pep fests and football games, but do we know what it is like to be working the magic? With its incredible dance moves, the Eagle mascot gets the school pumped up with EP spirit. But what is it like being the mascot? The Eagle mascot themselves takes us on a VIP tour inside the life of being the EP’s mascot. In this story, the mascot wishes for their true identity to not be revealed.

Q: What made you try out to be the Eagle mascot?A: I didn’t really try out. I was just asked if I wanted to do try it.Q: What was your first time as the mascot like?A: It was really hot, and I was really nervous.Q: How do you make each performance unique and exciting?A: I just do a bunch of random stuff all the time. Whatever pops into my mind.Q: Do you plan on doing this next year?A: Yeah, every year until I graduate.Q: How does it feel being the Eagle mascot and what does it mean to be the school’s mascot?A: It’s awesome! I love it. I like that people don’t know who I am because they are always asking, “Who is it?” To be the Eagle mascot means to show a lot of school spirit and to be energetic.

PHOTOS BY CLAIRE HASSLER

The person behind

the maskPHOTO BY TREVOR STANSBERRY

Bianchetti performing a catch foot spin

Bianchetti executing a double toe loop

1234


BY LUCI BESSINGER

What’s this thing that guys in school won’t stop talking about? Two words: fantasy football. This seasonal competition is run online and has a good portion of school participating.

It all begins with a draft when competitors choose 15 players for their individual team. Following this, each individual must choose nine players to start. These players are often chosen by the consideration of their consistency and skill. Sophomore, JJ Drew said, “I chose Marshawn Lynch because he will be the number one running back.”

The whole point system is set up by how well one’s players do. Rushing yards receiving yards, touchdowns, field goals, fumbles, interceptions, blocks and more, are all examples of how points are scored.

This creative game creates a competitive nature in the participants: “It’s fun to build your own team and beat your friends,” senior (and avid fantasy football player) Nick Gambino said.

In addition, teams can often change throughout the season due to injuries, trades, and free-agent pickups. These are all reasons why it is important for players to constantly stay updated on NFL news. With the help of updates, players can effectively pick the best possible nine players for their team.

Some leagues choose to play for money and each individual must contribute a certain amount of money. Once the season is over, the competitor with the most points will win all of the money.

Overall, fantasy football has been a great tradition at Eden Prairie High School for many years. It brings about a healthy competitive nature and heated talks between guys.

BY ALLY THORSEN

Ending their high school sports career can be challenging for athletes; some are fortunate to have college to look forward to.

Senior Sophie Farmer, the number one singles player on the girls varsity tennis team, is one of the talented athletes who will continue on to play college tennis. While Farmer is “excited to see what the playing level difference is in college,” she is also “sad that she will never be playing with these girls again.” Luckily, Farmer has “made memories that will last a lifetime” during her high school career.

With losing such talented athletes who are going on to do better things, the high school teams are finding some difficulty. Sophie is part of the girls tennis team, which is losing seven out of 14 girls, including six of its top ten players. As a result of Sophie and six other seniors leaving, next year will be a rebuilding year for the team.

Susan Quinn, head tennis coach, said she and assistant coach Elise Ryan have been proud of this year’s team. “We’ve had a great season,” she said.

The volleyball team is also losing a substantial number of players, eight out of 12, but is not finding as much difficulty as the tennis team. The head volleyball coach, Chad Becker, mentioned that the varsity group is one of the “most talented they have seen”, but they also have a very important junior varsity program. Several seniors of the volleyball

Seniors say goodbye to high school sports but look forward to bigger and better things

Which players are the best of the best? Below are the top players for each position that every competitor wishes they had on their team.

Andrew Luck Position: Quarterback Total Points: 122 Demarco Murray Position: Running Back Total Points: 96

Antonio Brown Position: Wide Receiver Total Points: 81

Julius Thomas Position: Tight End Total Points: 62

Seniors and Sports

fantasy football sweeps ephs

PHOTO BY ELLIE BARRETT

PHOTO BY ANTHONY ROSA


team have already committed to play at D1 and D2 colleges.

Senior Abby Ihrke is committed to play volleyball at Bradley University, yet she is still emotional about her high school career coming to an end: Abby says she is “sad but it makes every day a little more meaningful”.

Seniors Elizabeth Mohr and Abby Ihrke watching the volleyball game

Senior Sophie Farmer serving.

17Sports

BY ALLY THORSEN

Captains: Claire Zurn, Ellie Miller, Micayla Batchlor, Rachel Nelson and Sam SchnirringQ: What is your pre-race ritual?A: The day before a race we run one quarter of the race we will be running at race pace. Most times we will also have a pasta dinner. Q: Did you have any big wins this season?A: We had a huge victory when we won the Rosemount Invitational. We were unranked at the time but beat two ranked teams at Rosemount.Q: Who is your biggest competition?A: Edina and Wayzata, but Edina is a more reachable competition.Q: What do you do to bond as a team?A: We do various activities planned by the captains but our most memorable one was apple picking.

BY DUSTIN WOLF

Captains: Thaysen Clay, Jake Halvarson and Andrew NemecekQ: What is your pre-game ritual?A: We don’t have a big pre-game ritual. We go on the field, stretch and Coach Grant pumps us up.Q: Did you have any big wins this season?A: All of them because it’s one step closer to being in the state championship.Q: Who’s your biggest competition?A: Rosemount and Maple Grove.Q: What do you do to bond as a team?A: In the summer we go to Eagle Power and captain’s practice.

Seniors and Sports

girls xc football

Sports report


PHOTO BE ESMEE VERSCHOOR

Junior J.D. Spielman breaking a tackle.

Ellie Miller sprinting towards the finish line.


BY KRISTINA BRYANT

Captains: Brandon Brink and Alex EnterQ: What is your pre-game/match ritual?A: We listen to Awal’s mixtape. People like to say its flamesQ: Did you have any big wins this season?A: We tied Minnetonka 2-2Q: Who is your biggest competition?A: Our biggest competition is Edina. They’ve always been our competition.Q: What do you do to bond as a team?A: “We have pasta dinners and we have a groupme.”Q: What separates the EPHS boys/girls variety team from other teams in the league?A: We never stop working hard and also both the boys and girls teams really support each other.

BY KRISTINA BRYANT

Captains: April Bockin and Meghan VerkinderenQ: What is your pre-game/match ritual?A: The only ritual we have is before we do our cheer, we get in a circle and spit.Q: Did you have any big wins this season?A: We beat Prior Lake 1-0. This was a big win for us because they are in our section and they are ranked 5th in the state.Q: Who is your biggest competition?A: Our biggest competition is Wayzata and Prior Lake, and we also really don’t like Edina, but that is just because they are Edina.Q: What do you do to bond as a team?A: We have pasta d’s, we go to EP pow, and we have team sleepovers.Q: What separates the EPHS boys/girls variety team from other teams in the league?A: Our team is very close. We love hanging out with each other and we all get along really well on and off the field. We also trust each other which shows on the soccer field.

GIRLS SOCCER BOYS SOCCER girls tennisBY DUSTIN WOLF

Captains: Sophie Farmer, Abby Martens and Eleanor Martin Q: What is your pre-game/ match ritual?A: We do a ten minute warm-up where we practice volleys, ground strokes and serves.Q: Did you have any big wins this season?A: Eleanor Martian and Sophie Farmer won their doubles match against Edina.Q: Who is your biggest competition? A: Our biggest competition is probably Minnetonka.Q:What do you do to bond as a team?A: Every week we do a pasta dinner and a sleep over.


PHOTO BY TREVOR STANSBERRY PHOTO BY ANTHONY ROSA

Junior Meghan Verkinderen heading the ball.

Junior Ryan Keenan heading the ball. Freshman Lily Fredricks hitting a volley.

19Sports

BY ALLY THORSEN

Captains: Nathan Derks, Sean Hames and Will ChristensenQ: What is your pre-race ritual?A: We have a pasta dinner in the old commons the night before. Then the day of the race we do a ten minute jog, drills, leg swings, and sprint work.Q: Did you have any big wins this season?A: We won the Eagle Invitational, which was our first win of the season.Q: Who is your biggest competition?A: Hopkins or Minneapolis WashburnQ: What do you do to bond as a team?A: We hang out outside of practice and sometimes get lunch together.

Boys XC volleyballBY ALLY THORSEN

Captains: Abby Ihrke, Elizabeth Mohr and Lauren MattisonQ: What is your pre-match ritual?A: 1. Blast music2. Visualize what we will do during the match3. Meet with people who play the same position as them and we discuss our goals for the match4. “Jump in jump out” cheer5. Meet with coach Becker to find out everything we need to know about our opponent6. Normal volleyball warm-upQ: Did you have any big wins this season?A: We were undefeated for the first part of our season and lost our first match in a tournament. We were also ranked first in our section for part of our season.Q: Who is your biggest competition?A: Hopkins, Eagan and ChaskaQ: What do you do to bond as a team?A: We go out to eat a lot and are pretty much always together. We also have Motivational Monday where two people from the team are responsible for finding motivation for the team throughout the week.

Dance teamBY ELLIE BARRETT

Captains: Calley Hagen, Kara Kroschell and Morgan StalochQ: What is your pre-game/performance ritual?A: We usually stretch, we have a pump-up playlist that someone usually plays and before we dance we say motivational things and the captains talk. We usually have a hands-in with “Eagles” or this year’s motto “Do it.” Swag jar with starbursts, pump up playlist, talks from captains and other seniorsQ: Who is your biggest competition?A: We have no competition for performance season, because it’s performance season. Wayzata and Maple Grove and Chaska are our competition for winter. Our whole conference is pretty good.Q: What do you do to bond as a team?A: We usually have sleepovers, after football games for fall season we sometimes go out to eat to Applebee’s. Q: What separates the EPHS boys/girls variety team from other teams in the league?A: We definitely have a unique style in how we dance. We’ve always been a big competitor for different schools so we’re trying to keep that up.


PHOTO BY ESMEE VERSCHOOR PHOTO BY ELLIE BARRETT

Dance Team performing their hip hop routine at a football game.

Sophomore William Claridge competing at a cross country meet. Senior Aulora Campbell and Junior Ashley Brueggeman.

September 2014 -- theeyrie.org20

Cover Story

Do you remember your dreams when you wake up?

56%44%NO

YES

SLEEPHow much

sleep do you get on a daily basis?

Less than 5 hours

6-7 hours

7-8 hours More than 8 hours

51%

16%

27% 7%

21Cover Story

10pm-12am

12am-2am

2am or later

36%

59%

5%Answers from an Eyrie survey conducted on Twitter

BY JEAN-PIERRE TOSSA, GILLIAN HOLTE, AND HANNAH BRANDSER

Sleep is essential to a person’s health and well being. From improving mental capabilities, to allowing your body to repair itself, sleep plays a vital role in keeping you alive. In fact, lack of sleep can be very dangerous. Sleep deficiency has both immediate and long-term effects, such as death in a car crash due to inability to pay attention to acquiring chronic health problems. It also can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others. Most teens need eight to nine hours of sleep each night. This amount of sleep is difficult to attain with the amount of work an adolescent acquires daily. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, modern teens spend about 6.8 hours on homework each night. In addition, the average student spends 5 hours a week in extracurricular activities needed to remain competitive for college. This work overload creates a big problem for teens. The workload often extends into the time that a student should be sleeping, which affects their performance in school, creating a vicious cycle of sleep deprivation and decreased performance. Problems with performance can include “just falling asleep in class, and not learning your lessons,” said nurse Renee Anderson. Continuing this cycle can lead to worse effects however. “A lot of people have been sick lately due to lack of sleep,” said Anderson. “Try to get to bed at the same time every night,” stated Anderson. In order to keep a sleep schedule in tack, it is important to get to sleep at the same time every night. That way you can train your body to get the same amount of sleep every night, and feel great every morning. Electronics can be a big cause in lack of sleep. Anderson said, “turn off your cellphone and lights.” Cellphones sometimes cause draw students into staying awake. Whether it is texting friends, checking Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or Snapchatting, students tend to stay awake to stay up to date. Cell phone lights are not healthy for a person’s eyes late at night, which is another reason why it is important to turn phones off at night. The lighting of the room is also significant to quality of sleep. In other words, a dark room with minimal lights is a great place to sleep and work on fixing a sleep schedule. According to The Better Sleep Council, sleeping positions can either make or break your sleep. It is crtical to be comfortable in your sleeping position. Find the perfect amount of pillows and blankets, and cuddle up. It can be that easy! Lack of sleep is a problem for high school students, but it is essential to a person’s health. It is critical to allow your body a long rest each night so that you are prepared to take on the next day with full energy.

When do yo

u g

o to

bed on the w

eeken

ds

?


How does sleep effect mental

health?Sleep affects all aspects of health including mental health. Sleep deprivation may result in a mental status that resembles depression or anxiety. In current research, people that are sleep deprived have reported poor mood, irritability, low energy, decreased libido and poor judgement. These symptoms often disappear when adequate sleep is restored.

What are effective ways to get

to sleep quickly?The best way to fall asleep quickly is to practice good sleep hygiene. This includes maintaining a regular sleep schedule, avoid caffeinated beverages after lunch, avoid smoking and alcohol before bed (and in general), decrease stimuli in the bedroom (light, tv, phones, computers), resolve concerns or worries before bedtime, avoid daytime naps and exercise regularly more than 4-5 hours prior to bedtime. I do not recommend the use of pharmaceutical agents to help fall asleep without recommendation from your health care provider.

Many Students are curious as to how sleep affects your everyday life. We interviewed family nurse practitioner Carmen Stansberry for more information.

Does quality of sleep have anything to do with activities

done that day?Cognitive impairment is the most prominent effect of sleep deprivation. Sleeping less than 7 hours a night results in measurable deficits in alertness and attention. Tasks requiring sustained attention such as studying, operating machinery and driving a car can all be impaired by inadequate sleep.

Is there any relation between good grades and amount of

sleep?School related tasks that rely on higher cognitive function are significantly affected even after only ONE night of sleep deprivation. This will inevitably have an impact on a student’s grades and academic performance.

How much sleep should the

average high school student get?Adolescents between the ages of 12-18 years require 8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night.

Z Z Z . . .

23Cover Story

Eyes: Not getting enough sleep can strain your eyes and lead to popped blood vessels and dry eye. Skin: When you don’t get enough sleep there is an increase in inflammatory cells, which can increase skin sensitivity, acne breakouts.Brain: Sleep deprivation can affect your judgment, reaction time and memory.Heart: Lack of sleep can cause someone to be at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

Opinion


• LuisMontero(12):“Asaresultofit,Iwouldliketoseemoreusesofthetechnologywehavehereatthehighschool.

• OmieSpeilman(11):“Ithinkthatwecameheretogetusedtoacollegeschedule,andifitpasses,itwillmessevery-thingup.”

• SteveMendyke(12):“Wedon’thavetocutprogramsandwedon’thavetopaymoreforactivities.”

• LoganHaverkamp(9):“Tokeepschedulesthewaytheyare.”

• TommyHartle(10):“Tokeeptheblockschedule.”

• EmilyKrote(10):“Idon’twanttoswitchtothesixperioddayandIwanttheactivitiestostay.”

• StefaniKlapperich(12):“Idon’twantthehousingpricestogoupandtheentirecommunitytohavebadeconomybyresultofitnotpassing.”

• ConorLong(12):“I’dlikeforthegradescomingintohaveyounger,moreeducatedteacherswithmastersdegrees.TheschoolshouldalsogetsomerenovationstobecomeanicerfacilityandweshouldaddmorehighlevelandAPclasses.”

If the referendum passes...

Yourvoteisyourvoice.Votingisthefoundationthatdemocracyisbuiltupon.Throughvotingyoucandeterminewhatisdonetoimprove

ournation.Throughvotingyoucandecidewhoisresponsibleformillionsoflives.Throughvotingyoucanaltertheverycourseofhistoryitself.

AsmembersofGenerationY,ormillennials,ourvotesareespeciallyimportant.Studentsneedtousevotingasanop-portunitytodeterminetheirownfutures.Manyvotingissuesmayseemtohavenothingtodowithteenagers,butmanydon’trealizethattheseissueswillhaveabigimpactontheminjustafewyears.

Studentsneedtorealizethatvotingisn’tjustaright,itisaresponsibility.Besidesthefactthatmanyaroundtheworldarenotallowedtheluxuryofdecidingtheirownfatesbyvoting,millennialshavethepowertoswingentireelections.Thereareover75millionmillennials,constituting21%oftheeligiblevoterpopulation.Withsuchasignificantamountofeligiblevoters,studentshavetheabilitytomakeaseriousimpactonthepoliticalscene.Unfortunately,onlyhalfofthispopulationactuallyshowsuptothevotingbooth,seriouslyreducingtheinfluenceofstudents.

Somemaybelievethattheirvotedoesn’tmakeadifference.However,asdisplayedbymanyrecentelections,thewinnercanbedeterminedbyahandfulofvotes.

Inaddition,politiciansdon’tcareaboutmillennialopinionsiftheydon’thavetogarnertheirvotes.Politicianscatertothosethatactuallydeterminetheirchanceofgettingintooffice.Ifteensdecidenottovote,theyaremakingaselfishdeci-siontomakeitharderforfellowstudentstomakeadifference.

TheupcomingreferendumonNovember4isanissuethatcanheavilyaffectstudentsoftheEdenPrairieSchoolDistrict.Thisballotwilldecidewhetherfuturestudentsofthisdistrictsufferfromlackofteachersandcourses,orprosperfromincreasedspendingoneachstudent.Don’tscrewoverourgeneration.Getoutthereandvote.

Staff Editorial: Decide Your Own Fate

Opinion 25

BY MURPHY HULLETT-NELSON

A lot of EPHS kids don’t understand what privilege is and why we as white Americans have it. Many young men believe women can get the same jobs as men, just as easy. Why do kids say things like this that make such a narrow point of view? What the student body needs to do is understand why it’s harder for female students to get a job rather than men. This article isn’t to hurt are white male coun-terparts, it’s to educate them on how we as white people need to learn of privilege and how it works. Race in America still plays a role in hiring. In a Buzzfeed article a man named Jose Zamora tries to get a job with his Hispanic name and fails, However, when he changes his name to Joe, he gets the job. In both resumes he has the same informa-tion except for the fact that in the second one he has a traditional white name. A lot Kids at EPHS probably have similar struggles to Jose. Some LGBTQA teenagers don’t even feel comfortable in their workplace. Always think before you speak to a woman about how easy it was to get your job. In 2012 women made about 12 thousand less in their salaries as opposed to men. A lot of men (and even some women) don’t believe we should have feminism in the 21st century. However, women still have struggles in the workplace today. Both white men and women

also don’t understand the privilege that has been ingrained in the American culture since the birth of the country itself. In a 2008 study by Soledad O’ Brian it shows that a white man with a felony charge is twice as likely to get a job than a black man with no prior criminal charges. What does this say about the world we live in? It says that we consider ourselves a post-racial society yet we continue to racially discriminate without even ever knowing we did in the first place. Have you ever heard someone say how people of color get into colleges easier than white kids? That is a myth created by white people to make us seem as if we are oppressed. Yes, America does have affirmative action, but this is in place for good reason. It ensures minorities a job that perhaps they couldn’t have gotten because of racism in the hiring system. The moral of these stories after all the things talked about in this section: re-member your privilege. Remember that you are privileged if you are white, a man,

cisgender, or straight. This doesn’t mean you don’t have life struggles. We all do. You, however, as a white person living in Eden Prairie are not oppressed by the racial injus-tices in America. Remember to be smart and always be a good ally to minorities. Privilege is something we take for granted especially as white people in America. We have to try harder to fight racism instead of claiming that rac-ism doesn’t exist. It sadly does, and we all can fight it every day at school and at home.

TAKE OFF THE PRIVILEGE BLINDFOLD

GRAPHIC BY MURPHY HULLET-NELSON

CONFIDENCE IS WRONGLY SOUGHTBY LUCI BESSINGER

Why is attention from others such a grand appeal? Why do we build our confidence solely off of what others think about us? Ever since I stepped foot in this high school, I have seen how many people care about their appearance. This type of confidence boost is by far the most emotionally unhealthy route to take. “I look so ugly.” This statement is so overused and the most cliché way to ask for attention. The only way to respond to a comment like this is by saying, “You’re right. You do look really ugly today.” I promise you then that she will never call herself ugly around you again.

Some people post themselves high on their thrones and seem to have no problems in their lives; however, most of the time, these are the same people whose confidences wouldn’t exist without the help of their surrounding peers. What is it that urges people to post all of their achievements on social media? We (even myself) must recognize the importance of being humble. It is okay to tell a few friends about something you are proud of, but there also is a line which we all can cross. Why not be confident in yourself just because you want to? Why not wear whatever you want to school even if it’s “out of style”? Be who you truly are. Don’t worry about others’ opinions. Instead, make your own.

This world has built up this idea that beauty only comes from the out-side. Although it may seem this way sometimes, beauty is not what builds the foundation for your future. We all have the chance to cre-ate our own confidences and walk through life in a positive manner. So why don’t we? Be proud of who you are and thankful for what you were given. Don’t build your self-esteem off of your looks or latest score. It’s okay to not have the newest trends. It’s okay to be yourself.

BY CLAIRE HASSLER

The assertion that NFL stars should be held to the same moral standards as people in other occupa-tions is outrageous. NFL stars, being who they are, should have much higher standards to uphold. Foot-ball players such as Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson are supposed to be respectable citizens and role models. People all around the country know about Ray Rice beating his fiancé and Adrian Peterson beating his son. This is a huge disappointment to the team and to the thousands of fans. In comparison, when a teacher makes a bad decision, some people throughout the community are affected such as his/her boss, co-workers, and the students, but that’s about it. The act might be the same but the effect on the general public is a lot worse when it is a famous person. If a person puts his name on a Wheaties box, he should be held accountable for living a respectable life Domestic violence occurs every day, but it is not national news until it involves a celebrity. Football players need to understand that from the beginning of their career, they are stepping into the national spotlight. They choose to bring their private lives into the eyes of the public and they need to be aware that their actions reflect on their team, their state, and the NFL itself.

MORAL STANDARDS CONNECTED TO JOBS



BY ABBEY MERTZ

Here at EPHS, the Pledge of Allegiance is put up on a screen in front of us only once a week during Connections. During this time, very few students stand up to honor their country. Along with that, the state of Minnesota requires all public schools to show the Pledge at least one time during the school week. This law is followed at EPHS, but students aren’t given an organized formal opportunity to come together and show respect to our country. It is understandable that teachers may not turn on the TV in time or students may come late to connections, but the Pledge isn’t getting as much recognition in our school as it deserves.

Some students choose not to say the Pledge in school. This is wrong. The government offers public education. Therefore, students should respect our country no matter where they are from or what religion they practice. In addition, traditions such as the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem are fundamental aspects of what it means to be an American. Because of this, the Pledge should still be said at EPHS.

An alternative to having the Pledge come on during connections would be to say it after Mr. McCartan talks to us through the speakers on Mondays. This would give more students who want to recite the Pledge an opportunity to stand up and do so. Those who choose not to should take this time to be silent. Honoring our country and peers is the respectful thing to do.

There are students at EPHS who would argue that the words “Under God” in the Pledge should be removed. I disagree because the Pledge should not be focused on religion, but should be strictly based on honoring your country.

Many polls have been conducted to see if citizens would want to keep this part in the Pledge. In a recent poll, 85% of American citizens voted that “Under God” should be kept in the Pledge, while only 8% said it shouldn’t and the other 6% said they didn’t know. These statistics show that the “Under God” wording in the Pledge will likely remain for years to come.

Yes, our country has its faults, but so does every other country. Regardless of where students come from and what things they may believe in, they should respect the privileges and rights we have today in America.

The Pledge of Allegiance says word for word that we are “pledging allegiance to our symbolic flag”. Our flag represents the freedoms we have today, which American citizens didn’t have before we gained independence.

We fought England to gain our independence; we fought a civil war to ensure everyone in our country has the same rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We also fought in several world wars on foreign soil to keep us safe here in America and to protect the democracy we still have today.

Our flag is also symbolic of the freedom of speech, beliefs, and religion. Students who oppose saying the Pledge due to religious views are basically going against what they want as a right living in America. If students travel to America, they should be devoted to our country by saying the Pledge. America has given them the rights that they may not have had before.

This past September, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that the Pledge is a fundamentally patriotic exercise, not a religious one. To base your decision about not saying the Pledge on unrelated factors such as religion and sexual preference would be showing dishonor to America.

If students decide not to say the Pledge because it includes “Under God”, then so be it. Honoring the country that gives us a stable and secure everyday life is clearly not being recognized and respected. We need to restore the Pledge’s initial purpose, which is admiring our country, not a unified confession to God.

The Pledge is an incredibly important part of our country and should be recited more often than it is now. Whether students decide to say it or not in school, the Pledge should be given the respect it deserves.

BY ANTHONY ROSA

By having the opportunity to recite the pledge once a week at EPHS through Eagle Vision News, the school is giving the Pledge enough respect, while paying its dues to the state. The pledge was originally used to help sell flags and instill nationalism into school children for Columbus Day. Nationalism, a separate entity from patriotism, is a dangerous ideology as it allows the government to control its citizens on the premise of national pride. Evidence of the blowbacks of nationalism can be observed in the United States’ decisions to go to war in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The pledge, which should be a symbol of freedom, was ironically designed to be a weapon of obedience to the government. In addition to the pledge implanting blind nationalism into its citizens, its reference to God is offensive to some students.

The original pledge, written by a Socialist Christian, did not include the reference to God. This religious piece was added as encouragement to oppose “godless communists” during the Cold War in 1954. The bill that introduced the phrase “under God” was heavily lobbied by Christian organizations. Additionally, President Eisenhower cited his new dedication to Presbyterianism as a main reason as to why he signed the bill. This indicates that the phrase “under God” was intended to be an allusion to Christianity.

Besides the innuendo of Christianity, most Atheists, Agnostics, Buddhists, and humanists find any reference to God undesirable. Why should a statist phrase be made prominent in classrooms when it asserts to over seven percent of the population that they are wrong and God exists? Also, the phrase “under God” could be considered unconstitutional as it violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the US Constitution. It has been ruled unconstitutional twice in just the past ten years by lower circuit courts. District Judge Lawrence Carlton expressed his discontent with the phrase “under God” by stating that it “violates the children’s’ right to be free from a coercive requirement to affirm God.”

Unfortunately, the US Supreme Court overturned both of these rulings. I ask the student body to stand up for liberty and sit down for the pledge. It amazes me that freethinking students at EPHS partake in a ritual so strongly rooted in conformity that it obstructs the ideals of individualism and independence that our country was founded on.

Students stand up to express their allegiance to a piece of nylon paper, the flag, instead of engaging in activities that could actually better the country. For these reasons, the Pledge of Allegiance is given enough attention in our school and should not be made more eminent.

Properly presentedShould be more respectedPoint/Counterpoint: The Pledge


Opinion 27Opinion

BY JEAN-PIERRE TOSSA

According to America, the Cold War never ended. Throughout history, the US has pretended to be a paragon of morality. Over the past years, this unfounded self-righteousness has become American foreign policy, from deposing of elected national leaders to using false claims to invade foreign countries.This hypocritical mentality that gives birth to America’s foreign policy is most evident in the US government’s reaction to Russia’s involvement to Ukraine. The American government claims that Russia is violating the sovereignty of Ukraine, being willingly blind to its own attacks on foreign soil. Craig Hollenbeck, who teaches AP Comparative Politics, said that “I can see why Russia sees a double standard, especially when you look at US intervention in Iraq over the past 11 years.”

Russia’s involvement in East Ukraine, as well as its annexation of Crimea, has been decried by the US as a power grab. What the US doesn’t take into account is that this Ukrainian region has significant pro-Russian support and that Russians constitute a majority in various eastern provinces.

Another thing that America doesn’t realize is that the Ukrainian revolution was perpetuated by Ukrainian nationalists who wanted to eradicate foreign influence in the country. This means kicking out all non-Ukrainians and effectively uprooting and exiling 23% of the country’s population. The significant Russian minority called for the major power in the region to help stabilize Ukraine. Russia answered their call.

In essence Russia is protecting its sphere of influence. “The Russians would certainly say that it is in their strategic interest to militarily intervene in Ukraine,” said Hollenbeck. It saw that a neighboring country was becoming unstable and moved security forces in to remedy the issue. But we don’t support this, of course.

The United States invaded Panama in 1983 to protect its canal, Grenada in 1989. This was done at the alleged requests of its prime minister and Iraq in 2003 over non-existent weapons of mass destruction. With the US consistently displaying its disregard for international law and other nations’ sovereignty, it is very hypocritical for it to accuse Russia of being greedy.

The United States has been an important part of world history, helping stop and avert many international crimes. However, this does not excuse the US from violating foreign countries’ sovereignty in the name of “national security.” This display of self-righteousness develops into pure hypocrisy when the US denounces another major power for crimes that it consistently commits.

If the United States truly wants peace in the world, it needs to stop its hypocritical actions and self-righteous foreign policies. It needs to stop perpetuating the Cold War. It needs to start being a true guardian of freedom, not just a guardian of oil.

Is America being Hypocritical?

BY MURPHY HULLETT-NELSON

Have you ever heard the phrase “that’s so gay” in the halls of EPHS? Chances are, you have. Sadly, I’ve heard this phrase uttered out of mostly male students since I was in the sixth grade. The reason this phrase is detrimental to my community is because it makes the word “gay” an adjective for stupid. I’m tired of hearing you complain about homework and labeling it as “super gay” that your teacher assigned you extra assignments. Do you realize you’re bringing down a whole group of people? Don’t give me the “I have gay friends who think it’s funny ploy”- because you don’t.

Plus, just because you have a token gay friend doesn’t mean you get a hall pass to be a jerk. Use a different word, learn how to read a dictionary, because if “gay” is your only insult, you have no rhetorical skills whatsoever. Stop using these poisonous words that hurt my community and other people around the world. Learn to preach linguistic diversity and fight against phrases that hurt other people. Take the vow this year to not use this phrase and heal all your homophobic mishaps.

this year to not use this phrase and heal all your homophobic mishaps.

That’s so Straight White Boy


BY DUSTIN WOLF

Diet Coke, a common drink among Americans, is more dangerous than we are led to believe. Caramel coloring, the second ingredient, is carcinogenic, in other words you’re drinking cancer in a can. The third ingredient, also carcinogenic, is aspartame. This low calorie sweetener will trigger your body to gain weight.

When our bodies experience sweetness, they prepare for caloric intake along with it. Because diet coke contains no calories, this will cause us to overeat and make us crave the energy rush our body wants.

Enjoying this drink in moderation will still damage your metabolic system. According to a 2008 study done at the University of Minnesota, people who drank at least one diet coke a day had an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and had increasing belly fat and cholesterol. So next time you are craving Diet Coke, try for a healthier option, such as La Croix or Izze.

BY GRACE KASBOHM

Gym, a required class all students need to take before they graduate. Like any other class, if you miss it, you’re going to have some makeup work. If you miss a day, you are required to do a certain amount of extra exercise and record it. So many students are athletes and heavily involved in sports. Since these after school sports are optional, shouldn’t they count as “extra exercise”?

Some students are putting in many hours everyday after school, but aren’t allowed to use them as make up work for gym. Each day the students involved in after schools sports are getting double or more than double the amount of exercise than the kids only exercising in gym. They are clearly making up for their missed time in gym class but still told to go out and exercise more. Don’t get me wrong, exercise is good, but athletes shouldn’t be required to go out and exercise on top of their sports to make up for a missed day in gym.

BY GILLIAN HOLTE

Many of the math department classes have turned to the popular, new way of teaching, flipped classrooms. In other words, the teachers don’t actually have to teach their classes for the entire class period! This process is when you watch lessons taught through videos at home and then work on the homework during the class period. Math classes are already hard enough, why do the teachers need to throw in the idea of a “flipped class” on top of the abundance of equations?

When students arrive to class everyday, the teachers find it necessary to reteach us all the information that we already learned in the videos we watched the night before. They take up over half the class period making sure we understood the new information. If we are supposed to learn from these videos, shouldn’t they do a good job teaching us? Shouldn’t they include everything thoroughly? After the teachers finish making sure we completely understand all the information we learned the night before, we have to finish the numerous amounts of book problems assigned.

Flipped classes may have some beneficial aspects. Some of these aspects include teachers being able to assist students on their homework during class, and students being able to ask their peers for help when the teacher is unavailable.

Students tend to have questions when they are watching the videos at home, but what happens when they don’t get to ask it until the next day? They forget what they wanted to ask. There might be multiple students who have the same questions, but only one student who tries to ask the teacher their question.

Another downside to flipped classrooms is keeping students focused on their work. During work time students can easily get distracted by their phones and computers and procrastinate finishing their work. Maybe one-day math teachers will perfect the idea of a flipped classroom and students won’t moan when they hear their classroom is flipped, but that day is definitely not today.

Opinionettes

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THink before you drink Give athletes gym credit

Classes take a turn for the worse


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Opinion 29


MICHAELANDERSON

BY SHERIDAN SWEE

Nearly 9,000 hours later and senior Michael Anderson is still working on a very important detail that goes unnoticed by many: lighting. As a leader in student tech, Anderson is responsible for the lighting of almost every production in the drama department as well as other school events, including Homecoming

coronation and Blues Rock concert. Watching him today, Anderson makes his job look easy.

MICHAEL ANDERSON continued on pg. 32 >>

Profile

Lights up the stage

Profile 31


<< MICHAEL ANDERSON from pg. 30

But it didn’t start that way. During Anderson’s freshman year, he was groomed by a then senior to learn and eventually take over as the drama department’s light technician. “He taught me maybe 8% of what he knew, and I retained none of it,” Anderson said. “I thought it was the most complex thing that I’ve heard in my life.”

As the only one trained to do lighting for Trajectories and the musical his sophomore year, Anderson felt the pressures of his job and initially felt uncertain of his skills. “There was no hope for me becoming a good technician,” Anderson said. “I picked up a book and I still didn’t get it. When I walked in my sophomore year it was the weirdest experience, because I looked at [the technician board] and all of a sudden, it made sense. It was this crazy revelation.”

This success has flowed into his personal life as well. “Its been really exciting because I’ve always looked for something in my life to be the best at,” Anderson said. “When I got into theatre, I found this new family and all these wonderful people who cared about, not only me as a person, but my advancement as a person.”

Anderson’s talent doesn’t go unrecognized by his peers either. According to junior Joe Keeley, “Michael Anderson is without a doubt one of the most important people in the drama department. He works so hard to make sure every production is amazing.”

Theatre director and English teacher Rolf Olson also added that Anderson is a “strong student technician, and probably one of the best we’ve had.” According to Olson, Anderson is also fun to watch because he “geeks out over equipment.”

In addition to his spending approximately 300 hours on this year’s musical, “Footloose,” alone, Anderson also uses his technician skills outside of school. He has worked at venues such as First Ave, Skyway and the Minneapolis Convention

PHOTOS BY TREVOR STANSBERRY

“When I got into theater, I found this

new family and all these wonderful people who

cared about, not only me as a person, but

my advancement as a person.”

Michael Anderson

Center, and has weekly jobs at Monkey Wrench Productions as well as the Wayzata Community Church.

Anderson received his job at the Wayzata Community Church through a past technician, Adam Voreis. “Of the people that he’s worked with professionally, he chose me, which is incredibly flattering,” Anderson explained. “It’s been such a fun experience.”

Although Anderson has been awarded Best Thespian, he does not plan to continue lighting as a career. “My actual aspiration in life is to create a nuclear reactor that solves the world’s energy problem,” he said, “but if I’m doing this, or writing, or teaching, then I’d be very satisfied.”

All in all, Anderson feels that he has made the most of his theatre experience. “They have given me so many learning possibilities,” he said, “and I’m very thankful.”■

Profile 33

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Feature


Feature 35

DDTBY GRACE KASBOHM

Students cheer in pure excitement as they await the performance of The Dudes Dance Team. Senior Alex Enter is the first to run into the gym. The rest of the team is anxiously waiting to run on once called by Principle Conn McCartan. Most of them have been waiting for this moment since they saw DDT perform at the homecoming pep fest their freshman year. Dudes Dance Team is a group of senior boys, coached by the fourteen

seniors of fall Dance Team. DDT has been around for a while and has recently become more serious. Each year the team dances at the homecoming pep fest, but this year they also performed at halftime of the Powder-puff football game.

PHOTOS BY TREVOR STANSBERRY

The boys wore festive lifeguard shirts; swim shorts and some even wore sunscreen on their noses to portray their “lets get soaking wet” theme. Their music was a mixture of different songs that also helped portray the theme.

DDT started practicing at the end of August, but before the boys started to practice, their coaches had already spent hours putting together the music and choreographing the dance. DDT practiced three times a week for up to two hours.

Mollie Hegel, one of the coaches, said, “It wasn’t too hard teaching the guys how to dance and they all caught on quickly because they were all so excited about it.”

The dance itself was around five and a half minutes long. That may seem like a lot to remember, but the boys’ say that with the help of their coaches it was much easier than they thought. The coaches definitely “whipped us into shape,” said a member of the team, Zach Pham.

DDT actually incorporated some skills The Dance Team puts into their dances. One of these being the “long line”, this is when all the

boys go into one horizontal line, that stretches across the whole gym, and kick. This looks really impressive because all of the boys are kicking at the same time.

One of their favorite parts of the dance is towards the end when they got to show off their individual skills. The boys came up in small groups to perform some amazing tricks such as front and back flips, toe touches, cartwheels, and this year we even saw the human bike.

This year, DDT had a surprise up their sleeve. Principal Conn McCartan came out from the bleachers at

the pep fest and started dancing with the boys. “It was great fun being able to dance with them, and I was happy to be asked to do this,” said McCartan.

“It was for sure one of the most exciting, yet nerve-racking things I’ve ever done. It was definitely the most fun I’ve had in high school,” said Pham.

If you are thinking about doing DDT, Pham said, “Definitely do it, you won’t regret it. It’s one of the greatest experiences you’ll have here at

DDT show off their skills at the Powederpuff game.

Members of DDT creating a human bicycle during a performance

The Story Behind Everyone’s Favorite Dance Team

Behind the scaring

Seniors Malenie Ven, Matt Martin, Cai Peterson, display their terrifying alter egos.

PHOTO BY AMIE STAGER

It is that time of year again, football games, scary movies, apple orchards, and most importantly Halloween. Halloween is a time where a typical teenager searches for that thrill of being scared. One of the most popular places that people go this time of year is ValleyScare.

With eleven haunted houses, horrifying mazes that will leave you trembling, and several of valley fair’s most popular rides, ValleyScare can be the ideal attraction for Halloween. Each haunted house is filled with some of your biggest fears, like clowns, vampires, zombies and the newest addition, dinosaurs and cavemen. But what goes behind the scaring? The employees of ValleyScare speak out on what it’s like to be person behind the mask.

Senior Maria Emerson who works in the “London Terror” as a half human half robot, said that it is “basic scaring.” The employees of ValleyScare attend a “Scare School”, where they learn how to perform their roles. The new employees of ValleyScare put on their most frightening faces and attempt what

ValleyScare employees share their storiesBY ABBY WARRICK

they learned to scare former employees. “A lot of people scream, just some normal screamers, but you

also get people who are just so terrified you can see it in their eyes,” Emerson said. Not everyone who walks into ValleyScare is going to be sent into utter panic. Emerson recalled times where she has had boys walk in thinking they are “so cool” and started grabbing for her. The reactions vary depending on the type of person, but the goal of being scary still remains.

“My leaders tell me to really try to personalize my monster and to come up with a backstory,” says Malenie Ven. The employees of ValleyScare who have bigger roles are required to have more acting experience and the people with smaller roles focus on perfecting facial expressions.

ValleyScare is one of the many places people like to go to this time of year to have fun and get into the Halloween spirit. The employees will put on their most terrifying faces and will give all their effort to make sure you leave trembling.

“I love working at Valleyfair because no one does it for the money,” said Maria Emerson. “Everyone genuinely loves their job.”

October 201436

Crisp autumn air, delicious apple pie, and falling leaves are upon us. Since Halloween is just around the corner and fall is in full swing, many high school students run out of ideas for ways they can enjoy fall with friends and family. If you don’t trick or treat, an inexpensive and fright-ening way to stay entertained on Halloween night is to have a scary movie or Halloween movie marathon with your friends or family. This will be sure to make your heart race even if you aren’t in a haunted house. Bring the popcorn! An awesome way to enjoy the brisk outdoors is to have a bonfire and make s’mores. If you and your friends get bored on the weekends, cozy up to a warm bonfire and enjoy what fall has to offer! Also, who doesn’t love sweet treats? Lastly, if you are a person who likes to exercise, a great way to stay in shape and have fun during the fall is to run a 5k such as the Monster Dash in Minneapolis. There are various distances competitors can run. If you don’t have a lot of running experience, it can be an enjoyable way to exercise. Running a race this fall would be a great way to get outside with your friends and look at the beautiful leaves changing color. Fall tends to pass by quickly for most people. The beautiful trees changing colors will start to fade and another Minnesota winter will be here before you know it. So, get out and do things you enjoy to best embrace the season.

Fall FestivitiesBY ABBEY MERTZ “My favorite thing to do during the fall is going to

football games because I can hang with friends and share school spirit.”-Paige Leuning

“I like to go for walks during the fall because it gives me exercise.” -Garrett Johnson

“I like to go to the apple orchard during the fall because it’s something different and specific to the season.” -Emma Griffith

“My favorite thing to do during the fall is reading outside in a hammock because it’s relaxing and not too hot

or too cold… just right.” -Olivia Freehill

“My favorite fall activity is to hang outside because it’s nice weather.” - Hannah Scherer

“I like to dive during the fall because it’s fun and you get to be active.” -Austin Meyer

If you are in the mood for a tasty fall treat, this is a great, simple recipe that anyone can try. Pumpkin and chocolate chips form the perfect combination to enjoy on a cold autumn day.

Ingredients½ cup sliced almonds1 ⅔ cups flour1 cup sugar1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice1 teaspoon baking soda¼ teaspoon baking powder¼ teaspoon salt2 eggs1 cup pumpkin (½ of can)½ cup melted butter1 cup chocolate chips

DirectionsHeat oven to 350 F. Toast almonds for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.In another bowl, break 2 eggs. Add pumpkin and melted butter. Whisk to blend. Stir in chocolate chips and toasted almonds. Pour over the dry ingre-dients, mix just until moistened.Scoop into greased or lined muffin tin. Bake 20-25 minutes or until puffed and spongy to the touch.

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINSBY CLAIRE HASSLER

Start to finish: 35 minutes. Servings: 12

PHOTO BY CLAIRE HASSLER

GRAPHICS BY TREVOR STANSBERRY

Feature 37

October 2014 -- theeyrie.org

Do you write love letters?

Do you prefer homemade gifts

Have you and your partner ever shared a special song?

Do you remember your

Are you a fan of Valentines

You are sort of the romantic type. You cherish some

sentimental things, but you are not too mushy

gushy.

Yes, you are a hopeless romantic!

You are passionate and determined to find true

love. You are sentimental and love to give.

yes

No

Do youbelievein fate?

Is true love possible?

Are you the mushy gushy

yes

No

No

yes

yes

No

yes

yes

No

No, you may cherish some sentimental and romantic gestures but you’re surely not the “mushy gushy” type.

yes

As high school students, the amount of stress that we endure throughout the four years is enormous. Luckily, there are a few things that can be done to lessen your amount of stress. This is a list of my top 10 stress preventers, some which I use for myself, and others that have been scientifically proven to help.

1.Art and music therapy 2.Bake and eat oatmeal 3.Exercise frequently 4.Spark some scents (light candles) 5.Drink tea 6.Keep a journal 7.Grow a bonsai tree8.Schedule your worry, keep a planner for everything 9.Step away from social media 10.Pet a furry friend

5 Tips and Tricks for Stress

BY HANNAH BELONGIEAs we all know, finding twenty dollars in

an old coat pocket is one of the most satisfying things that can happen. But what if you were told you had hundreds of dollars sitting in your pockets right now? Or at least you would if you refrained from buying coffee drinks and smooth-ies from your favorite café. With an average price of drinks at $3.26, a single drink may not seem like a lot--but they add up fast. If you were to buy two drinks from Caribou a week, you would be spending approximately $340 a year. So before indulging in a mocha, consider first what you could buy instead.

How much is your coffee worth?

BY TREVOR STANSBERRY

Make Your Own Destiny

38

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Features 39

The Eyrie: October Issue • 2014

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