It’s hard to believe that just a month ago, we freshmen tackled our first finals week and successfully began our second semester. Flashback to our first week of high school when we ninth-graders huddled in the halls with our schedules in hand, scrambled to find our friends during lunch, and ultimately, tried to understand how high school works. Just as we got used to our old schedules, they changed again. We now understand how things work at Minnetonka High School. This insight is largely thanks to the dedicated seniors and advisors in Minnetonka’s First Mates program.
I know the feeling. You spend all night studying and get as bad of a grade as you would've gotten without opening a book. Especially at Minnetonka, classes are only getting harder and having straight A’s may feel like a fleeting dream. However, for some people, getting the grades are becoming easier. The fact is that traditional studying isn't always the easiest way to score well on tests; many students are looking for shortcuts around academic legitimacy, and it’s adjusting our academic landscape.
Sometimes, said ‘slider’ gets carried away, and their grades drop just a bit too far. Often, seniors that receive Ds and Fs in either semester can have their acceptance rescinded from a university, according to the NACAC, National Association for College Admission Counseling. Other factors can also provoke admission revocation, such as illegal actions, cheating, or drug abuse. So try not to get involved in this (if you want to go to college).
February is the month to celebrate Black excellence, culture, and history. In Minnetonka, the minority of students and faculty are people of color. Both clubs, Women and Men of Color, inspire students to come together to spread a positive message of equality and tolerance for all students in Minnetonka High School, especially those affected by racism.
Believe it or dismiss it, there is no escape from the inevitability of our current predicament. Despite all of our improvements in technology and society, no matter how far we may advance our Virtual Reality devices, memes as we know them will always be confined to the second dimension. At least, that was what I thought before attending Writer’s Studio– a revelation-inducing experience that broke the third wall of dank memery.
While winter in Minnesota is usually pretty calm and frozen, in the Netherlands the debate has been heating up around a controversial holiday character. Saint Nicholas Day, celebrated on the 6th of December, is arguably more important than Christmas in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of France. But, in recent years, there has been a great deal of controversy around saint Nicholas’ helper: Black Pete (Zwarte Piet in Flemish).
