An interview of one of our newest faculty members to the Harbor City School Staff,  Ms. Schreiner, a social studies teacher who is located in room 309 through the library. 

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: Roughly 5 months, I graduated from UMD alongside Mx. H.

Q: What do you like most about being a teacher?

A: So far I would say it’s the fact that every day is different, and that even if things go way off plan it's still fun.

Q: What is your favorite aspect of HCIS?

A:  I love the small class sizes and the community here, it's really easy to get to know everyone here in some capacity.

Q: What is your favorite childhood, or all time favorite movie?

A:  I really like The Book Thief, the book was really great.

Q: Have you ever taught anything other than high school?

A:  I did some student teaching in middle school through UMD, I taught 6th graders and honestly it wasn't as bad as you would think. You can really tell them to do anything and they’ll do it. It was fun.

Q: What is your favorite pastime or activity to do outside of work?

A: I do trivia weekly, I have a group of friends that I do the trivia with, we have only won once but we meet and do it every Thursday. I also sometimes watch Jeopardy and because the questions can really be anything: music, art, history.

Q: What advice would you give to your high school self?

A:  I would tell myself to just embrace the unexpected and force myself to get out and try more things. I wish I would have done that earlier in highschool. As when I was freshman with Covid preventing me in college it was rough so I had to really push myself to do that, but I wish I did when it was easier in highschool.

Q: What is your favorite time period in history and why? 

A:  I would have to say anything from the 1500s to the 1800s before mass modernization and industrialization, and how old civilizations transformed into what they are now.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself?

A: Along with my teaching degree I have an environmental sustainability and geography, or ESG. I was very involved in student government during college, I have a gavel from it, I was the head speaker and I even got paid for it.  I come from a family of teachers, my dad, brother, and mom are all teachers. I coach the girls swim team in Two Harbors. I studied abroad too; 13 countries. We spent a lot of time in Sweden, Denmark, and Italy.  I would say Italy was my favorite cause of all the really interesting history the country has.  

ORIGINS OF EASTER

By Jade Larson

The concept of Easter has evolved a lot throughout history and has held many different meanings for many people. Long ago there was the German pagan tradition of holding feasts in April for the goddess of spring, dawn, and life/fertility, Ēostre. The events were held in April to align with the beginning of Spring. There is some evidence to support that she was associated with eggs which are a part of the Easter many people celebrate today, and it is possible her name is what evolved into Easter as well. It’s very interesting to see how certain aspects of ancient traditions have made their way into modern times. These celebrations and all pagan beliefs in general were later suppressed by Christianity and the resurrection began to be celebrated during the month of April instead by many people. There is a lot of information about these traditions and beliefs that have been lost or destroyed either through time or Christian conversion. Today, Easter means different things for a lot of people. Some celebrate it as the Christian holiday, some people practice other religious celebrations of the equinox, some do fun traditions with family, and some don’t celebrate at all. As there is little historical evidence about these traditions we may never know how truly connected they are to the modern Easter, but either way it is interesting to see all of the different traditions people have had around the coming of Spring across time and the similarities between them that have stood the test of time. Many other holidays that we celebrate today other than Easter have their roots in pagan religions as well and it’s worth it to look into as you don’t always learn about things like that otherwise, and as I said before it’s always cool to see how traditions from ancient peoples survive through time and religious conversion into the present. 

ATTACK ON ECONOMY

By Lucian Pianfetti

In this first month of office, we have seen the new presidential administration’s strides towards economic protectionism raise to new heights not seen in decades. As Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” brings down the sledgehammer on any and all government agencies and employees not seen as “necessary” by his arbitrary standards, the Presidency itself under President Trump has made a few of decisions as of late that seem dead set on bringing about economic ruin for the United States.

The first of these comes in the form of harsh 25% blanket import tariffs levied on Canada and Mexico and a less extreme 15% import tariff levied on China. While many conservative pundits played it off as merely a strategy to force these nations to the negotiating table for a “better trade deal”, it seems such a negotiation has yet to come to pass. With this, all goods coming in from these three nations have a substantial increase in price to make up for the tariff’s cut, stressing American consumers who already have to put up with increasingly high prices in other areas. Considering just how many “Made in China” goods are sold in America today, many without American-produced equivalents at similar prices, it’ll remain to be seen just how effective these tariffs will be at encouraging local production– But from me, I wouldn’t bet on it. Economists generally agree that tariffs are highly inefficient tools at solving the problems they’re implemented to deal with, failing to stimulate local production while harming the ability of consumers to purchase what they want or need. And yes, you, the consumer, pay for them. Overseas sellers will always increase the price of the product to make up for tariffs, and that increased price is paid by the consumer. To put it in simple terms, it evens out to be effectively a tax you pay on foreign goods.

More concerning (and downright absurd) is the President’s recent announcement on plans to instate an export tariff on American agricultural products- what this means is that to sell their products outside the American market, American farmers would need to pay up to the government in a similar vein to how Canada, Mexico, and China now have to pay to get in. Export tariffs are largely untested in economic circles, primarily because the idea is so frankly ridiculous to most economists– even more so than import tariffs– that hardly anyone has ever tried to implement them. Again, tariffs won’t stop producers from selling to consumers abroad, but they will cut into their profits and make production more difficult. In this case, we’re talking about farmers and not overseas corporations, so there’s far less leg room to work with. This is an especially baffling idea considering farmers previously overwhelmingly supported Trump (an average of 77% voted for him in farming-dependent counties in the 2024 election, according to a poll by Investigate Midwest) and such a decision will no doubt sour the goodwill between them and the President. And when farmers have a problem with government policy, as the past few years have shown, they have no fear showing it through mass protests (If you’re unaware, try looking up “farmer protests” followed by just about any western european nation). Whether their financial livelihoods or devotion to the President will take priority over the other remains to be seen.

The final decision may initially seem relatively unimportant, but has dangerous ramifications to the national economy if followed through on. One of the latest targets of Elon Musk’s hounds in the Department of Government Efficiency is a pair of buildings operated by the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the property leases of which have reportedly been deemed, as with countless other things, “unnecessary spending”, according to an anonymous whistleblower within the NOAA. These are more than just individual weather stations, however- they are analysis centers that are centrally important to the function of the entire agency, and are responsible for creating the computer models used in everyday weather reporting and forecasting. It cannot be understated how important these buildings are to not just the economy but society as a whole. Businesses operate on a close watch of the weather, as unanticipated rough weather can be highly damaging to anything from an outdoor construction project to the reliability of shipping services. Nearly every single  economic sector relies on being able to plan around future weather conditions, and if these buildings are shut down, it will throw this whole delicate and highly important system into chaos. Though no formal cancellation has occurred yet,  several other less centrally important buildings operated by NOAA have been cut already, in an effort described by the whistleblower as an effort to shut down the administration entirely. Yet another example of Musk’s efforts to streamline the government resembling moreso a bull in a china shop.

Need I remind you that this presidency has only been in power for a month and a half, and that we have almost four whole years ahead of us of this level of mismanagement and dysfunctional governance. Groan.

HOW TO MAKE A BUTTON NECKLACE!

By Calliope

This is a pretty easy project and doesn't take very long. It's up to you how long to make your necklace, it could be more like a choker or just a necklace that hangs. I feel like most people could figure out how to do this on their own, but I wanted to share an idea and get people thinking about how they can make their own jewelry. Who doesn't have a few buttons lying around? I also think it would be fun to seek out buttons to collect for this project. 

Materials needed:

• 15-20 buttons of any color or size, but smaller buttons often work better as they fit better next to each other on the necklace

• String of some kind, will only be used for connecting the clasp with the buttons

• Small silver metal jewelry rings, these can be bought at craft stores in little packs. You only need as many rings as there are buttons + a couple extra. Also, the rings do need to have a gap so you can open them

• A clasp for your necklace, this could be one that clips, is magnetic, or any other type you can find. For mine I used a barrel clasp because it is very easy to twist on and off.

• You will probably want some sort of tool such as pliers to help get the metal rings tight in between each button when closing, and getting the rings apart when opening. You can also just use your hand/fingers if possible.

Instructions:

1. First, you want to decide how you want your buttons to appear on your necklace. I suggest just lining them up. 

2. When you've picked out the order they will go in, take a ring and pull it apart with the pliers and loop it between one of the holes in two buttons. 

3. Then, close the ring tight so it won't fall apart, and continue this process with all of the buttons on your necklace until they are all successfully connected.

4. Next, attach an extra ring to the buttons on the necklace ends and tie a string on either side of that so you can connect your necklace. If you're using a barrel clasp, just tie the string to either side of that- it should have small rings. 

MY RAMBLINGS ON SALSA

By JJH 

I love excellent salsa. But what is the perfect salsa? Allow me to explain. When it comes to consistency, I like salsa to be very fine and liquidy, with a fair amount of spice and unique flavor. Most salsa has a tomato base, which is fine. To me, most tomato based salsas taste too similar. The most unique and delicious salsas have a brownish color, or any color that is not tomato red. Do I know why these salsa variants are different colors? No, no I don’t know why. But they sure are delicious. Nothing is more exciting than finding a new salsa that stands out from others. Salsa is very effective to keep people at a social gathering. If I saw it, I would be more likely to stay longer. Setting out a variety of salsas and dips is also a nice addition. Some weaker individuals may enjoy the mild salsa, and anyone else can have the hot salsa. Personally, I like to test my endurance with extremely hot salsa. Flavors that I find most excellent are smoky, sweet, and spicy. The worst salsas are overly chunky, and basic in flavor. All of the juice gets soaked up by the chips, leaving a nasty tomato and pepper sludge that nobody wants. That's why liquidy salsas are the best, because you can enjoy all of it, until it eventually runs out.  

THE STIMULATION GAME

By Soren Brown

A short game created by Neal Agarwal based on simply stimulating your brain with constant colors and movement along with upgrading to gain more stimulation. The game surrounds itself around a button, it starts with only a click, before long you’ve reached five clicks and you unlock your first stimulation, a bouncing DVD symbol, as you play you unlock a series of new stimulants such as subway surfers, stock markets, and even a hydraulic press.

THE 2025 F1 SEASON

By Soren Brown

As the F1 season kicks off in the new year of 2025 we can have much to anticipate, as a thrilling set of races in high-powered track-focused vehicles under the reins of extremely skilled drivers roar through the courses in places across the world. This season drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Carlos Sainz along with many more will be participating in the lineup, my personal favorite is Carlos even though he isn’t ever in the spotlight all too often. As they finished their practice laps this February the next time on the track officially will be on March 14-16, but by the time this is published it will be April so expect the next available race to be on April 4-6, of course, there will be many more races to anticipate for as the year continues, but I hope even if you aren’t a fan you’ll at least take a look. 

In this season a series of tracks from around the world will be used, such as the famous Monaco track and even the newer Las Vegas track, but I think the Japanese track is the most alluring looking to me due to its narrow and winding turns all compacted into a single marvelous looking track, of course all the other tracks are quite famous or popular in their own ways, but this year I’m particularly excited to see the competition that goes down in Japan. If you keep up with F1 you’ll know that Max Verstappen took the whole game as his own as he quickly conquered the track in 2023, but now in 2024 he lost his touch as his nerves failed him so we’ll see how he performs this season and hope that he can get back in his flow, not too much though because 2023 was rather boring because of him. 

On a disappointing note in my opinion, Carlos Sainz was removed from the Ferrari team and moved to the Williams racing team, although sad because Carlos was kicked off the team, we can hope he's taken care of on his new one. This season will certainly be exciting as always and we can hope that the drivers are ready, and hopefully, we won’t have another person walking out of a crash like in past seasons.

F1 SCHEDULE:

March 14-16 Australia    Melbourne

March 21-23 China Shanghai

April 4-6 Japan Suzuka

April 11-13 Bahrain Sakhir

April 18-20         Saudi Arabia Jeddah

May 2-4               USA     Miami

May 16-18 Italy Imola

May 23-25 Monaco Monaco

May 30 – June 1 Spain Barcelona

June 13-15 Canada Montreal

June 27-29 Austria Spielberg

July 4-6               UK     Silverstone

July 25-27 Belgium Spa

August 1-3 Hungary   Budapest

August 29-31 Netherlands Zandvoort

September 5-7      Italy         Monza

September 19-21  Azerbaijan     Baku

October 3-5 Singapore      Singapore

October 17-19 USA Austin

October 24-26 Mexico Mexico City

November 7-9 Brazil São Paulo

November 20-22 USA Las Vegas

November 28-30 Qatar Lusail

December 5-7 Abu Dhabi Yas Marina 

STREETLIGHTS

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Eerie dark nights, follow shadows in the lights,

The whisper of your friend, sounding loud as a fight.

Mellow memories flooding in, lighting up the night.

Looking up and down, left and right,

Side by side, by side,

Darker memories flow softly in, lit by the streetlights.

Colder air drifting past, 

Mementos of pain and plight,

You know not what is best,

Can’t adhere to the pest, 

The streetlights blinding the night. 

Weak find their blessed, dressed in sunday blue best, you follow the night streetlights home, dark and so dim, grab hold of the grim, the street lights will guide you there on.

THE EVOLUTION OF AIRPLANES

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

The history of airplanes is a story of determination and the desire to fly like birds. Airplanes are one of the greatest technological achievements in history. They have changed how we travel, do business, and see the world. The journey of flight began with the Wright brothers, who completed the first powered, controlled flight in 1903. This accomplishment inspired many inventors and engineers to explore human flight, leading to many new ideas and designs. Over the following decades, aircraft technology improved quickly. By the mid-20th century, jet engines came into use, marking the start of the jet age. The Concorde, which could fly at twice the speed of sound, was a famous airplane from this time, representing a leap in air travel. Today, airplanes come in many shapes and sizes. Smaller private planes and military jets are pushing the limits of speed and precision. Advances in materials and design have helped create more efficient and environmentally friendly planes.

THE FLU OF 1918

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Spanish Influenza was a very terrible version of the flu that raged throughout the world during the ending of World War 1. The “Spanish” flu was much worsened by the effects of the war. As the war raged on the flu raged on as well. 

The “Spanish” flu was a case of an influenza outbreak throughout the world. The outbreak started in 1918, claiming over 50 million lives by the end of its reign. The symptoms of this fever were extensive, ranging from a very high fever, to internal bleeding. As I previously mentioned, many lives were lost due to this illness. This was because of many different reasons. The world in 1918 lacked modern health technology, things such as ventilators and successful antibiotics and medications were not invented yet; and most definitely not available to the masses. 

The outbreak became much worse as months went by. People in the millions are becoming infected. At this point in time, everyone knew someone who had been infected with this deadly virus. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers stuffed into barracks, camps, and ships did not help end the viral outbreak either. The disease went hand in hand with the war. A handful of different countries were incredibly stressed about the morale hit their countries would take upon hearing of the pandemic coming for them. In light of this, many leaders and governments made the choice to censor information about the flu; this caused people without the adequate information not to survive the flu. People in their home countries did not have antibiotics or any other kind of treatment. Because of this many people passed away, while passing their sickness onto the people who were around them following their passing.

 Trench warfare was a relatively new concept during World War One. Soldiers would go out into battlefields, and dig trenches facing the opposition. They would continue to fight through these trenches; every now and then storming enemy trenches. In the middle rested “No Man's Land.” Trenches were a terrible place to be throughout the movement of this pandemic. There was absolutely no adequate medical care for the flu in these places. The soldiers that were fighting and surely infected in these trenches often passed away very soon after becoming infected due to the terrible conditions worsening the sickness. The close quarter of the trenches made the flu very easy to pass onto every soldier in the infected trench. Another way that the flu was worsened by the war was through the use of military transport ships. These ships were used to haul weapons, goods, soldiers, refugees, food, and as a result, the flu. As these marine transport vehicles made their way from coast to coast, they brought the deadly flu with them to wherever they chose to dock. This heavily added to the number of people infected by 1918. 

By the end of 1918 over 50 millions people's lives had been taken by this flu. Its spread was assisted by the conditions of war during the outbreak. Many people suffered illness on top of the sufferings of war. If the war had not been taking place upon the year of the flu outbreak, maybe so many people would not have passed away. Maybe military transports, trenches and all of these other places would not have been rampant with the flu. They would not have passed it on to millions of people, tons of other countries, if a war had not been taking place to transport it globally.

FURYFIRE

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Fire light washes over me,

Sun of my anger.

Dire consequences following,

Barred from my favor.

Tired flames flickering,

Until they burn out.

Little wind wisps howling,

At once, they all die down

Fury fills the silence,

Fuels the ever growing flame.

Follows me till the end,

Blocking every exit, sealing my fate.  

ICE AND SNOW

By Soren Brown

I’m sure you’ve all learned the weather cycle at least once, but I’ll tell you it over again. It starts with some moisture that collects into pools of water, it evaporates and collects in the atmosphere before forming clouds as ice crystals, when the rain falls it recollects into the pools of water, but sometimes, those ice crystals combine into each other. The temperature below is cold enough, and a truly magical feeling flurry of white. 

Although snow might be beautiful, it can be dangerous as deep snow that isn’t compacted can be easy to fall deep into. Ice is a completely different story though, as it melts naturally or by human influence, it hardens back into a solid sheet that is commonly quite slippery. As cars drive on the road, the movement of tires over snow will slowly heat and melt it slowly, as the snow compacts and solidifies into ice it becomes slippery and can cause dangerous road conditions, these conditions can lead to falling while walking, or losing grip while driving a car. 

While ice and snow can be quite dangerous, it can also create some beautiful things, when your house releases heat from the inside it slowly melts snow and ice before it reforms as icicles, which in my opinion they are quite pretty to look at and then pretend sword fight until they break on the first hit. Snow on the other hand simply piles up and blows around on surfaces, but it covers almost everything including trees and such which tends to create a soft looking landscape. 

As snow collects it allows for a variety of wintery activities such as: drinking cocoa, skiing, snowmobiling, and a variety of others. As temperatures drop sharply and the lake stays in a liquid state you can occasionally see an occurrence known as “sea smoke” although of course it's on the lake it creates a billowing cloud of vapor in the air covering the whole lake in a dense fog. Be sure to stay safe while wrapping up your winter activities this May and, as always, have fun!

ICE AND SNOW

By Soren Brown

I’m sure you’ve all learned the weather cycle at least once, but I’ll tell you it over again. It starts with some moisture that collects into pools of water, it evaporates and collects in the atmosphere before forming clouds as ice crystals, when the rain falls it recollects into the pools of water, but sometimes, those ice crystals combine into each other. The temperature below is cold enough, and a truly magical feeling flurry of white. 

Although snow might be beautiful, it can be dangerous as deep snow that isn’t compacted can be easy to fall deep into. Ice is a completely different story though, as it melts naturally or by human influence, it hardens back into a solid sheet that is commonly quite slippery. As cars drive on the road, the movement of tires over snow will slowly heat and melt it slowly, as the snow compacts and solidifies into ice it becomes slippery and can cause dangerous road conditions, these conditions can lead to falling while walking, or losing grip while driving a car. 

While ice and snow can be quite dangerous, it can also create some beautiful things, when your house releases heat from the inside it slowly melts snow and ice before it reforms as icicles, which in my opinion they are quite pretty to look at and then pretend sword fight until they break on the first hit. Snow on the other hand simply piles up and blows around on surfaces, but it covers almost everything including trees and such which tends to create a soft looking landscape. 

As snow collects it allows for a variety of wintery activities such as: drinking cocoa, skiing, snowmobiling, and a variety of others. As temperatures drop sharply and the lake stays in a liquid state you can occasionally see an occurrence known as “sea smoke” although of course it's on the lake it creates a billowing cloud of vapor in the air covering the whole lake in a dense fog. Be sure to stay safe while wrapping up your winter activities this May and, as always, have fun!

ON MATTERS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

By Lucian M. Pianfetti

I will speak on no uncertain terms here. In my opinion, the position the school has held regarding dealing with acts committed by students that are, for good reason, socially considered absolutely unacceptable (This applies to more than just instances of hate) has been ineffective and counterproductive towards making both the school and students responsible for said actions held accountable to the school community.

In my opinion, I believe that the school should take no effort in covering up these actions. People in this community deserve to know the details of what transpires, without vague and interpretive language, and as is often the case end up finding out the hard truth anyway. This still creates a smokescreen of rumor, and it should be the administration’s responsibility to clear it by being as transparent as possible. If the school, for no particularly relevant example, is aware that a student gave a Nazi salute in the lunchroom one day, the school should not keep it under wraps. Doing so fails to socially discourage the behavior, and allows the sentiments within that inspire these acts to fester and develop further. 

at lunchtime, or when you are going to enjoy class, or the best one for many people, the last bell of the day and you are free! You start thinking about the thing that you are going to do after school. And lastly for the bell, it can mess up our daily schedule, like on the short school days that every class will be shorter and lunch time will be after 5th hour or after 6th hour but after 3rd hour or 4th hour might still tell you it’s hungry and the bell makes it more confusing. So we can know now that the bell can bring us stress, relief, happiness, and sometimes a little bit confusing.

However, if the school makes it clear that this act was committed, and that such behavior is absolutely unacceptable, it allows the social sphere, the community, to take action. Even something as simple as an email briefing on such situations would suffice towards making sure students are aware that something has happened in the first place. If the administration continues to keep these matters private, keep these events under wraps, the behavior will never be effectively socially discouraged and others will feel emboldened to follow in their footsteps.

The administration and the students responsible that are effectively protected by the administration’s current policy need to be held accountable to the school community. 

As it stands, I find it disgusting and reprehensible that the administration continues to avoid making these bad actors feel publicly responsible for their actions and continues to avoid making them face any real consequences for what they have done.

I believe the recent dialogues on March 18 and 20 were a step in the right direction in terms of communicating sentiments such as these to the administration, and I sincerely hope that they do change. As it stands, though? A lot needs to be done, and a lot needs to change, if we are going to be able to move forward as a school, and as a community.

Or at least, I did, up until news broke that some of the students that had been the most adamant towards their grievances towards the administration’s indifference had been suspended or otherwise reprimanded or punished. This has severely shaken my faith in the administration’s willingness to accept and address the concerns of the student body, and now throws question on their very motivations. If these actions are considered just as unacceptable as the hate and grotesque indecency the school has tolerated up until this point, then how can we, as decent people, expect them to act justly?

MY OPINION ON COMMUNICATION AT HCIS

By RandomSlushy

I am truly disgusted with how the school has failed to communicate with the entirety of our community; how they don’t tell us at least a summary (if applicable) of a certain incident that happens so we can understand what is going on in the place where we receive an education. To be honest, I wasn’t aware of the lack of communication within this school until I got around and talked to more students during my Junior year, which makes it very upsetting because you are blinded by how “good” the school is that you don’t pay attention to the way you don’t know about what incidents happen within this building until you get either a normal or twisted rumor of what happened. From what I have heard from many students, they want transparency. This means that the students want to know what incidents happen in the school, so there is a lack of rumors around the school and between students. This would create other problems, as there are certain things that teachers cannot share like names, or when there is a legal action, there might be things that they must keep disclosed. Personally, I would like to use the word translucent, as we should be able to know what happens in the school but be able to keep certain things disclosed, specifically legalities and names to refrain from ostracizing students and causing conflict when those students – if they are willing to learn – can be educated to become better people.

With education, difficult gray areas can appear as they would not listen to teachers or people older than them due to the social hierarchy that schools typically have. But they would not listen to people younger than them as they, again, are inferior due to that hierarchy. Having students of all ages plus teachers to be there for assistance/mediators, I believe would help the most when it comes to educating difficult students. Again, this is only for the students who want the education and the ones who are willing to help educate (best if students of minorities who have dealt with educating in the past were to help, such as the author of this).

I believe that the teachers and staff could and totally should be able to communicate with the students in an adult-like manner, as we are high school students, some of us legal adults as well. (This isn’t against any teachers or any staff in particular, so please do not be too hurt in any way about my word choice.) If the people “in charge” of us keep trying to talk to us as if we are middle school students or try not to talk to us at all, how is that going to make us ready for the “outside world” they talk about all the time? How is that going to make us the leaders that they want us to be? This is going to teach us that communication isn’t important and we shouldn’t trust the people who are “above us”. These are just a few of my opinions from the meetings we had on March 17th and 18th.

A STUDENTS PERSPECTIVE

By Sydney Anderson

With recent events transpiring in the school, and the large amount of talk about students' opinions, I thought it would be a good idea to give some people who may not want to speak in person about what their thoughts on everything are. Meeting one on one with randomly selected students of any grade level in our school, I asked if there was anything they'd like to share anonymously. 

The following are the answers I received; 

The first student I talked to said, “I think that it's crazy that there are people that have even remotely azi related ideologies and beliefs at Harbor City. I don't know why they would feel welcome to share those beliefs in the first place, because this is such a safe space for so many people and that is like, totally not the kind of thing we do here. There's so many people from so many different backgrounds here, I don't know why someone with such hateful beliefs would feel welcome to share those hateful beliefs publicly and even like, be rude to people. Like it's just such a small community, I feel like everyone knows everyone else and it's hard to have opps, it's hard to have like, drama ‘cause everyone knows everyone and everything spreads so fast. I just am shocked that there are such hateful people that feel welcome to share their hateful beliefs here.” 

They also expressed wanting a better reporting system that is more widely advertised, and for staff to improve their relationships with students so people would be comfortable reporting things to them. 

The next shared, “I feel like there's been sort of like…a rise in hate speech in the last few years. I think the people who know about it (Harbor City) would not assume something like that would happen at Harbor City because it's seen as this liberal or progressive school for like the ‘weird kids’.” 

When I asked if there was anything students and/or staff could do to make the school better, they replied, “I think more education, because I know a lot of people come here because going to another school would be really uncomfortable for them, or like they wouldn't be accepted, and so when they come here they already have that idea of like, ‘I shouldn’t be mean to people because they're different, because I’m different and I know how that feels.’, but if you come here and you haven't had that experience of being different, or they’re not in a minority group, or like these are beliefs they’ve had for a long time, and you’re like…either not educated or woefully ignorant on them. I feel like maybe more conversation around what Harbor City’s standpoints are on these things, like teaching people ‘it's not okay to say that, this is what’s going to happen to you exactly, like these are the consequences for those actions this is how it affects people, this is what we’re doing against it.’, Like clear consequences, basically. Just being clear about why these sorts of things are wrong. 

They also expressed frustration with the lack of communication between students and staff.

SCHOOL BELL

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

DING DONG-DING DONG! The school bell, the sound that rules our school days, a sound that we hear multiple times a day. It's the sign that tells us the start and the end of the hours, the switch of the class, and also when we are late. But do you know that it is actually more than just keeping time? Sometimes it is a helpful guide to keep time, or sometimes it also makes us feel stressed or rushed. Now we are going to look at how the school bell is more than just a timer, how it affects our daily schedule and how we feel.

Have you noticed that sometimes the bell can make us feel rushed and stressed? For example, when you are working on schoolwork or homework, then DING DONG! the bell rings and we have to quickly pack everything up and run to your next class. Or when you are in the class you don’t really like, you might want time to go faster but it seems to be slower instead and when it finally rings you feel relief. On the other hand, the bell can also bring a good feeling too, like it rings at lunchtime, or when you are going to enjoy class, or the best one for many people, the last bell of the day and you are free! You start thinking about the thing that you are going to do after school. And lastly for the bell, it can mess up our daily schedule, like on the short school days that every class will be shorter and lunch time will be after 5th hour or after 6th hour but after 3rd hour or 4th hour might still tell you it’s hungry and the bell makes it more confusing. So we can know now that the bell can bring us stress, relief, happiness, and sometimes a little bit confusing.

The school bell is more than just a timer. Different people and at different times of the day can make us feel different. It can make us feel happy, release, rush and also can mess up our daily routine. Overall, the school bell plays a big role in shaping our school experience and helps us manage our times and emotions

BEST GAMING DEVICE

By Soren Brown

What is the best gaming device? Is it PlayStation with its massive list of exclusives? Or Xbox with its casual feel? Or maybe PC for its sheer diversity? Well I suppose I’ll be answering these questions through a survey and research! I conducted a survey and astonishingly there was quite a variety, but PC tended to reign supreme in this case. Although that might seem like a simple answer, it might not be so easy. Many devices are capable of gaming and each has pros and cons, so I’ll list those.

Xbox Pros: comfortable controller for long play time, quick resume, backward compatibility, subscription services for a large library of games  Cons: limited in exclusive games, harder to get used to controller layout, no modifications available.

PlayStation Pros: controller is easy to learn, has a vast game library, rechargeable batteries  Cons: controllers are not as good for long game sessions, batteries can be depleted rapidly in some settings, can cramp hands

PC Pros: easily interchangeable parts, access to steam, more powerful components available, can be used for work. Cons: Price is higher, accessories are more expensive, less user-friendly in some cases

Nintendo Pros: handheld systems, exclusive titles, small size  Cons: lower power, controllers are smaller, worse graphics options for large games

Mobile Pros: Free to play app store games, messaging and such  Cons: small, expensive with low gaming capabilities, overheats in your hands

Other Pros: Chess is a classic, steam deck is an improved switch, and the Wii was peak Cons: older and outdated, high price tag in some cases

With all these pros and cons, what one is the best? Well in my opinion it would be Xbox simply because that is the console I use exclusively, and although I have a higher-end gaming laptop which is quite fun, there is something so relaxing and casual for my Xbox gameplay. So I would say that the console is superior in this case and the library and controller preference is up to the user, but the PC is by all means superior in actual abilities. At the end of the day, the data doesn’t lie and my conclusion is that PC is favored by the public with a common trend of Nintendo being in second, along with most people having played for over 5 years now. Although I did say that and this would contradict it, the one person who answered the Wii is the truly correct one. Also thank you to the person who responded with chess, it gave me a good laugh to see something other than an electronic device answer.

WILLOW WINDS

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Willow trees  bend, like whispers on edge

And mechanical clangs crash around

Signs of the end, “sighs” of a friend.

Knowing and watching all change.

Follow no comfort, fall in low hope for,

40 long years and 4 days. 

The Willow like magic, cascading so tragic. 

Calling all our pain away.  

TAKE A BREAK, GET GOOD GRADES

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Good grades always come to people that try and study hard but everyone needs a break. Many people study so hard but they don’t give themself any break so that sometimes they can get feeling overwhelmed, feeling blank, burnout or some people that spend all night studying and get tired the next day. Taking a break doesn't mean you are lazy. It’s actually a smart way for you to help your brain to improve learning, remembering, and working longer, faster with better quality. When you are studying, do you ever work till you're tired?

When your brain studies very hard it’s like a muscle that you use too much, it will get tired and this is the reason it makes you feel stressed and exhausted. Break won’t make you feel better but it will help your brain to organize and store the information that you had studied already so then you will remember it better, you also can think more clearly and come up with more ideas. A good break while studying can be 5-10 minutes of chilling, reading a book(not related to the work), relaxing, stretching or even just a small walk can also help you to reset your mind, your brain and make you feel better but you must not go on the phone. Taking a break by playing on the phone isn’t a good idea, playing on the phone will make you even more tired because the blue light from your phone will damage your eyes and make it tired. Also true breaks need a change of stimulus which playing on your phone will interrupt

Taking a break while studying isn’t a waste of time, it makes you study better and more quality. Break will make you feel better and also help you to reset your mind and your brain, help organize the things that you just study and help you work better also will make you not to feel tired, overwhelming while studying too. However, everyone isn’t the same, some may have longer stamina or shorter but everyone still needs a break so that you have to see how long and how many times you want to break, take a deep breath and keep working. Work smarter not harder.

KARL MARX & THE LEGACY OF SHAKESPEARE

By Jocelyn Petrovffsky

Have you ever wondered where the father of communism got his ideas? The answer may very well lie with the legendary Shakespeare. As the world knows, Shakespeare influenced English literature and how we know it today so it’s no surprise that Karl Marx would hold him in high regard. According to Marx’s own son-in-law Paul Lafargue, “His whole family had a real cult for the great English dramatist; his three daughters knew many of his works by heart. When after 1848 he wanted to perfect his knowledge of English, which he could already read, he sought out and classified all Shakespeare’s original expressions.” This is solidified by the writing of one of Marx’s daughters, Eleanor Marx: “As to Shakespeare he was the Bible of our house, seldom out of our hands or mouths. By the time I was six I knew scene upon scene of Shakespeare by heart.”

It’s easy to say that Marx celebrated the work of Shakespeare but how do we know he took the words to heart, translating them into his own writings? Well, Marx actually directly references Shakespeare and the themes from his plays in his own work.

For example, when commentating on the greed of the capitalist class he sources Shakespeare's tragedy The Merchant of Venice. He would continue to pull from this tragedy in his book Capital, criticizing the English factory owners who would use, and actively exploit child, labour, “Workmen and factory inspectors protested on hygienic and moral grounds, but Capital answered: ‘My deeds upon my head! I crave the law, The penalty and forfeit of my bond’.” In this quote the last two sentences are from The Merchant of Venice while the first is Marx’s writing. 

These aren’t the only instances where Marx directly quotes/references Shakespeare’s literary works. Capital has many more references to The Merchant of Venice, the short excerpt provided barely scratches the surface. Marx, in journals, would even provide his own analysis of Shakespeare plays such as Timon of Athens. Now keep in mind Shakespeare was only introduced to Germany a mere 8 years before Marx’s birth so it's very unlikely he was familiar with the material at the age when he was first developing his political ideals but it's still interesting seeing how Shakespeare made his impact on Marx later in his philosophical journey. Because of this evident influence some have said that Shakespeare captured the early stages of Marxism in his work, over 200 years before Marx was even born.    

EVERGREEN

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Tall as the wind, high as a bird.

Follow the evergreen trail,

Green in its blossoms,

Brown in its bosoms,

Follow the urge stay aware,

Freeing nature only feels our sound.

You know not what's best, from the evergreen crest,

You follow the evergreen home. 

SENIOR OF THE MONTH: SIENNA ANDERSON

By Calliope

Q: If you could take any one HCIS artifact after graduation with no repercussions, what would it be? 

A: Probably the zen den heater.

Q: What color do you think most represents you?

A: A really light gray, it's just a calming color.

Q: What are some of your future plans/goals? 

A: I'm moving down to the cities after graduation, having a gap year, then I'm going to the U of M for nursing. I'm planning on going for a job as a nicu nurse or pediatric nurse. I also want to own a black cat and a white cat and name them something stupid like gaylord.

Q: What is an unpopular opinion you have? 

A: Ranch is trash salad dressing, I think it's  more for foods like pizza. 

Q: If you were recruited to be an undercover spy and you had to pick one teacher here at hcis to be your sidekick, who would you choose? 

A: Ms. Holte 100%, because I would get to hang out with her all day.

Q: If you could travel back in time, what is one thing you would tell your freshman self? 

A: Don't take everything so seriously and go to your classes, it's just high school.

Q: What is your favorite memory at HCIS? 

A: The film making symposium I recently did  and cooking for a cause during my freshman year. During the film one I got to hang out with so many amazing people, and made a whole documentary. In cooking for a cause we got to make pot stickers which were so good.

Q: Do you have any music recommendations/ favorite music artists? 

A: My two favorite music artists are Lorde and  Isaiah rashad. A music recommendation is Earl Sweatshirt.

Q: What are you most passionate about? 

A: Helping kids, making sure they feel safe, have education, and have the things they need. I see so many kids who come from rough backgrounds and they deserve to have things like clothes that fit them, a nice backpack and a healthy home. 

Q: How many DTC pigeons do you think you could hold in your arms? 

A: Probably 7: 3 in each arm, and one in my hand.

Q: What is your favorite bug? 

A: My favorite is a dragonfly. My least favorite are ladybugs. They are everywhere, crawl on everything and they just freak me out.

WINDOWPANE

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Tap, tap, tap, the rain all falls down

Cold, cold, cold, my fingers feel it now

Wither under fear, my faith feels shaken around

Wallow in the fear, follow desperate sounds

Rain sliding down, drops all around

Streaking softly, dampness fills the ground.

Follow the raindrops, off running they go,

Dancing, and prancing, like reindeers in the snow,

Follow them longer, follow you'll see,

Where they all come from, is what we all seek,

Tap, tap, tap, the rain all comes down,

Down on my window, raining all around.

CHICKENS

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Chickens are some of the most fascinating animals on the planet. They might seem like simple barnyard birds, but there's a lot more to them than meets the eye. First off, chickens are incredibly social creatures. They form complex hierarchies, commonly called a “pecking order”, where every bird knows its place. This system helps maintain order within the flock, reducing fights and ensuring that the strongest and most experienced hens get first access to food and resources. Chickens can also form strong bonds with each other. If you've ever spent time with them, you'll notice how they communicate through a variety of clucks, chirps, and even purrs. 

Chickens are surprisingly intelligent. Studies have shown they can recognize up to 100 different faces and solve simple problems. Some researchers believe chickens have a level of self-awareness that rivals small mammals. Their role in agriculture is very important, they provide egg, meat, and even a little pest control. Some chickens will eat ticks, mosquitoes, and other pests, making them good for insect control. Now let's go to the eggs, whether you see them as pets, or just part of the countryside, chickens are more interesting they people think, they help with keeping the soil healthy by scratching the ground.

Some interesting facts about chickens: the mother of the chickens can communicate with their chicks while they are still inside the egg. 

Chickens can recognize emotions, people who have been studying chickens suggest that chickens can read facial expressions and respond to other chickens, and surprising humans too.

A chicken in 1945 named Mike survived for 18 months after the chicken's head was chopped off.

DIFFERENT WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE 

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Get outside. Getting outside for at least 30 minutes a day is a very important part of maintaining good mental and physical health. Sunlight helps produce serotonin in the body which is known as the ḧappy chemical and also relieves symptoms of depressive disorders. 

Eat healthy, regular meals, and stay hydrated. Eating regular meals daily helps to keep your blood sugar from dropping which keeps you from getting agitated and tired. Staying hydrated helps keep your moods balanced and energy levels up for the day. 

Getting good sleep. Stick to a schedule, and make sure you’re getting enough sleep. While you are sleeping your brain processes the information you gained during the day and helps regulate your mood and emotions while recovering from physical activities. 

Try a relaxing activity. Different relaxing activities like taking a bath, listening to music, meditating, or pursuing a hobby of your choice help to relax you, calm your nervous system, and improve your mood. 

Focus on positivity. Focusing on the good things in your life helps provide you with gratitude and happiness in your day. Writing down positive thoughts and things you're grateful for at the beginning of your day can change your overall mood and feelings. 

Stay connected. Seeing and spending time with the people around you who bring you joy and happiness will reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. It helps provide a feeling of support and can help manage stress, anxiety, and depression. 

There are also more indirect ways you probably already practice self-care like having the ability to say no to plans just because you need alone time, or getting ready for your day, showering, reading a book, completing tasks you put out for yourself, or even just sitting on the couch and watching a movie. 

If you feel like you are alone and nothing is going to help you, there are many ways to cope, more than just practicing self-care. You can always seek professional help if you feel like your troubles are becoming too much to handle.

If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. This service is confidential, free, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In life-threatening situations, call 911. 

THE BALL IN RUSSIA’S COURT

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S ERRATIC UKRAINE POLICY

By Lucian M. Pianfetti

It should be established writing on current events can be a bit difficult, given how rapidly things can change on the ground. The first article I wrote on Syria last semester, for example, had to be constantly revised and edited as the rebels gained ground so quickly my writing could hardly keep up. I now feel a similar way regarding the current situation with the Russo-Ukrainian War, as Russia’s “Special Military Operation” now enters its fourth year. With the re-election of Donald Trump to his second, non consecutive term, there were fears that the boisterous “peace in 24 hours” he claimed would consist simply of cutting aid to Ukraine and leaving it to surrender to Russia or die. It’s now clear his plan is a bit more complicated than that, but that does not mean it is not without great concern for Ukraine’s outlook.

The common (and quite cynical) conception in Republican circles up until Trump took office was that Zelensky, and Ukraine as a whole, was more or less forced to keep fighting Russia by the Biden Administration and NATO, and/or were entirely reliant on NATO/American arms shipments and that when Trump came back into office he would simply give up, but this was quickly discounted when he took office and Ukraine kept fighting. With his original plan out of consideration, Trump began what I call the naïve pendulum, wherein he began switching between being fiercely in favor of Russia to convince Putin towards peace, before switching to be more amicable to Ukraine in an attempt to convince Zelensky. Neither side seems to take him too seriously, however- both Russia and Ukraine have remained largely firm in their irreconcilable terms, which I will lay out here:

 Russia wants Ukraine to cede all remaining control over the four oblasts (provinces) Russia laid claim to via sham referendums back in 2021, and Ukraine to have zero security guarantees while being barred from joining NATO or the EU (Essentially, a setup to be able to reinvade a weakened Ukraine later, with Ukraine lacking its defensible territory in the Donbass, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, which would be ceded).

Ukraine, meanwhile, wants Russia to withdraw from its claimed territories (restoring the borders Ukraine had up until 2014) and to gain security guarantees to dissuade Russia from invading again. It should be noted that of the two, Ukraine has shown a greater willingness to reduce its demands for the sake of peace, with Zelensky recently opening up to the idea of ceding some territory to Russia- though nothing past what Russia currently controls.

This led to the administration’s separate meetings with Russia and Ukraine, including the disastrous live summit between Trump, Vance, and Zelensky at the White House, where the Ukrainian president was endlessly berated by the American president and vice-president in a manner I’d be willing to call immature and childish. This was followed by a cutoff of aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine, which was followed by European offers to make up the difference. Soon, however, the pendulum swinged back, and Trump renewed his threats of sanctions on Russia and negotiated with Ukrainian ambassadors.

Remarkably, this new phase of talks managed to bear fruit: an agreement on setting up a month-long ceasefire, meant to be a prerequisite for negotiations on ending the war in earnest. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Russia’s actions regarding the ceasefire, should they refuse, would “make their intentions clear”. So far, however, Russia has been antsy regarding the ceasefire- attempting to leverage further negotiations while questioning the deal’s validity; From Russia’s stated point of view, it was said to be far less preferable to a negotiated peace settlement, insisting on Ukraine being barred from NATO. To this end, only acting as a glorified break for Ukrainian troops which would allow the nation to better defend against Russia’s advances. This, indeed, is quite telling regarding Russia’s intentions: ignoring the stated purpose of the ceasefire (to broker peace),

SONGS THAT BRING OUT MY JOY AND WHIMSY WHEN THE DAY FEELS UNBEARABLE

By Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Forever - The Little Dippers

4EVER - Clairo

Love Lost - Mac Miller

Hell N Back - Bakar

Evergreen - Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners

Watermelon - John + Jane Q. Public

P.U.N.K Girl - Heavenly

Steeeam - Shelly

Crack Rock - Frank Ocean

Clay Pigeons - Michael Cera

Roses - The Chainsmokers, ROZES

Missed Calls - Mac Miller

Juna - Clairo

Telephones - Vacations

N Side - Steve Lacy

All The Stars - Kendrick Lamar, SZA

Pink+White - Frank Ocean

All Falls Down - Kanye West, Syleena Johnson

Lost - Frank Ocean

Never Be Like You - Flume, Kai

It Was a Good Day - Ice Cube

After the Storm - Kali Uchis, Tyler The Creator, Bootsy Collins 

WHY LISTEN TO MUSIC FIRST THING IN THE MORNING?

Research shows that listening to music in the morning lowers anxiety, improves mood, and facilitates creative thinking throughout your day. Listening to positive upbeat music in the morning has been scientifically proven to boost creativity in general, but especially compared to other types of music. Listening to whatever your stress-free music is first thing in the morning is beneficial as what you experience first thing in the morning can be linked to your attitude for the rest of  the day. Listening to music has also shown to speed up healing after performing a high stress related task which in turn increases your cortisol levels, which upbeat music can help you decrease. Another way to positively start your day is to switch up your alarm to songs you love and will make you feel happy and refreshed when you wake up to them. Music can also release dopamine, a feel good chemical in your brain, which is what most search for when immediately checking their social media right after waking up. Music is a good replacement for doom scrolling as your brain wakes up and a great way to start your day.