DULUTH’S SISTER CITIES

By: Soren Brown

The idea of a sister city was presented shortly after World War II to promote peace through a mutual respect and understanding of other places by creating a formal agreement to support the other city through programs. Duluth has sister cities consisting of places across the globe, these sister cities are Vaxjo, Sweden; Petrozavodsk, Russia; Ohara-Isumi, Japan; Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada and the newest Sister City in Ranya, Iraqi-Kurdistan. These five cities all have a significant role in spreading cultural and economic ideas.

The first sister city is Vaxjo, Sweden. A small city located in southern Sweden’s Kronoberg county. With a population of 71,282 (2020), the city spans 11.31 square miles and boasts a variety of 1-2 story brightly colored buildings. At its center Vaxjo houses a beautiful church surrounded with flora. This city boasts a museum holding quite the variety with an ancient viking sword and a collection of glassworks, thus being named Sweden's national glass museum, although some claim it should be called the “Kingdom of Crystal” due to its collection.

Next is Petrozavodsk, Russia, a reasonably sized city located in Russia’s Republic of Karelia which borders Finland in its northwestern region. An interesting part of this territory is that it is actually now split between Finland and Russia politically, with North and south Karelia belonging to Finland and the Republic of Karelia belonging to Russia. Within the city of Petrozavodsk a variety of neoclassical architecture can be found, including a reconstructed Round Square and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a variety of bronze statues can also be found around the city including figures like Ippolit Monighetti who worked for the Romanov family as an architect. Along a stunning bay shore you can find a variety of extravagant sculptures crafted by its fellow sister cities.

Third is Ohara-Isumi, Japan. A smaller city with a population of around 32,000 inhabitants and occupies 60 square miles, although it isn’t densely populated and rather spread out. Nearing the end of WW2 U.S. soldiers were ordered to claim the city's bell and melt it down for metals, but when the war abruptly ended, it would end up on the USS Duluth, but since they had no use for it anymore they sent it to Duluth MN where it remained on display for many years before Isumi requested the bell back which Duluth quickly sent without complaint, later when Izumi was searching for a new sister city they figured that Duluth could be the perfect option, so they made a new bell as a gift and sent it to Duluth where it now resides at the Enger tower park. The small city resides within the Kanto region in the Chiba prefecture right along the eastern coast of Japan which makes it quite a popular spot for beach resorts filled with tourists in the summer.

Fourth is Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. A fairly sized city with 108,843 inhabitants, it covers 126.83 square miles in city jurisdiction of the bay with a few smaller cities being absorbed into it. The city provides a variety of unique treats and has been described as having a notable appreciation for ice skating. Around Thunder Bay you can find unique rock formations and rivers accessible by trails with some even being paved for more accessible usage, with all this it also resides right along Lake Superior connected by a highway running along the north shore with stunning beaches for you to stop and enjoy the water on your journey up the shore.

Fifth is Ranya, Iraqi-Kurdistan. The population is at around 95,000 inhabitants in the city and covers around 500 square miles. Ranya lies in the northern region of Iraq and dates its existence back to 7000 BCE with an ongoing rich culture in the area. Although the city was established as a sister city within the last 10 years, it still immediately sparked interest on both sides as programs such as one of Duluth's choirs singing there and attending the New Years festival held there on March 21st. Surrounding this city is the Kewa Rash mountain range. The city commonly hosts a variety of traditional Kurdish music and dances. You can find Duluth's Sister Cities Park above Lakewalk around 1st Avenue East.   

ABANDONED PLACES IN DULUTH

By: Jade Larson

Duluth has been around for a while and many, many people have called this place as their home, and many have left it as well, some leaving their architecture behind. Today I will be going into the fascinating abandoned buildings scattered throughout Duluth, and the speculation and mystery surrounding them. 

The Minnesota Point Abandoned Lighthouse -

If you follow the trail that goes through Minnesota Point, Duluth you will eventually encounter the ruins of a very old lighthouse. The lighthouse there has not been operated since the 1870’s and has been left empty and crumbling ever since. It gives an intriguing and eerie feeling, but it is also a symbol and reminder of Duluth's long history with boats and sailing.  

Nopeming Sanitorium -

Nopeming Sanitorium is an abandoned hospital in Duluth that was used to treat tuberculosis 

patients. It was opened in 1912, later turned into a nursing home, and finally closed down in 2002 as the building was not up to code and required too much money to get there. It has a new owner who used to lead tours, but that was also shut down due to fire code violations. It’s now fully abandoned and closed off to the public but some choose to enter the property anyways and explore. Some who have been there believe that the building is haunted. The most popular ghost people have claimed to see is a little girl that runs through the halls. It could be true that it's haunted, or maybe people are just having hallucinations from the mold and asbestos that is heavily present in the building, but either way it’s definitely a bit spooky.

The Duluth inside of Duluth -

In 1963 a small neighbourhood of just seven houses overlooking Chester Creek seceded from Duluth and became a township also known as Duluth. You can find an old interview with one resident from this neighbourhood, but there are no records of its destruction, abandonment, or really anything that happened to it at all. No one has been able to find it either in recent years, so whatever happened to the town is left a mystery. 

The Wired Whisker cat cafe is a small cafe based on Superior St. The cafe is unique to the city and to Minnesota with it being the first cat cafe in the northern part of the state. The cafe has a variety of drinks and baked goods mostly sourced from within the region, the main supplier for all baked goods found in their display case is 3rd Street Bakery, a nearby bakery which has some delightful croissants. The workers at Wired Whisker always treat each customer with respect and kindness that makes it hard not to want to hang around for as long as you can. Each “purrista” as they have been named instead of your usual barista, tend to always be ready to chat and suggest a new drink with each visit, but I tend to stick with a regular double shot of espresso, after all they make some excellent coffee using a local brand of coffee beans. In the back of the cafe you can find a small seating area in front of a large window that looks into the main attraction of the cat cafe, the cat room,at the register or online you can pay a small donation and enter the cat room and give them some love for an hour long at a time, and remember they’re all up for adoption which means if you fall in love with one of those adorable furballs you could take them home, the cat cafe works directly and indirectly with a collection of shelters in order to find these little kitties a new home, and it could be you that adopts one if you give in to those adorable balls of fluff. Based on my consistent visits and very biased opinion of cats, I’d rate this cat cafe a 5/5 in my book, so if you love cats I suggest you convince a family member to go with you or go study by yourself.

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

 By: Kateri Olson

Random acts of kindness day is February 17th. It is my personal opinion that random acts of kindness helps us to keep ourselves happy as a society. I think that we also need more of these. Whether your act of kindness is a hug, simple smile, offering constructed Round Square and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (consecrated in 1832), a variety of bronze statues can also be found around the city including figures like Ippolit Monighetti who worked for the Romanov family as an architect. Along a stunning bay shore you can find a variety of  a sweet treat to someone, or virtually any other kind thing, you are helping that person in such a heavy way that you might not even realize how deep it goes. Now the person that you were kind to is in a better place mentally and is possibly able to pass that kindness on to another person. And in this way kindness is spread like dominoes. As a country we have experienced a lot of division and heartbreak; among natural disasters, political races, and many other things. I think that doing random acts of kindness brings us out of our division, and reminds us that despite our differences we are all inherently the same, and can all be inherently kind if we chose to be. I think this is incredibly important, especially in a country where there is soo much beautiful diversity. We as a people need to support each other in our differences. We need to be kind to each other despite our differences. 

WHERE’S MY FORK?

By: John Poet

‘Where’s my fork?’ I shout at them

None of them spoke up

I check the drawer, no forks in sight

Someone took my fork

‘Where’s my fork?’ I shout again

Patience wearing thin

I search the kitchen, I scan the table

No forks to be found

Before I start to ask again, they all look at my hand

‘Oh’ I say, embarrassed

There’s my fork

It’s found

VALENTINE’S DAY

By: Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Most people love Valentine's day because they base it off of the celebration of a lover. However I would like to argue that Valentine's day should be focused on celebrating the love that transpires through all and every relationship; whether a parent, friend, or child, we should all use this day as a way to say thank you to the loved ones in our lives for being there. This is a way to get many of the people who do not participate in Valentines day to do so. I have personally noticed that many people choose not to participate as they are not in a relationship. Children get to participate as schools have often done school Valentines day celebrations. However single adults often find it a lonely and depressing holiday. I think that including friends would end up having more people in general celebrating it!

SPIRIT WEEK

 FEBRUARY 10TH - 14TH

Monday, February 10th is Pajama Day! Wear your comfy clothes and pajamas, a day you don’t have to pick out what you want to wear when you wake up. Be cozy!

Tuesday February 11th is Expressive Makeup Day!! Be creative and try new and expressing makeup styles and be yourself today with a bit of flair. Wear as much or as little as you're comfortable with but feel free to try anything!

Wednesday February 12th is Country Day.  Dress up as a cowboy or something themed in the wild wild west. Listen to some country music and wear a fun hat, but no fake weapons.

Thursday February 13th Meme/Vine Day. Embrace your inner favorite memes and wear an iconic piece to represent it. Meme Day Ahead, uh yeah I sure hope it does!

Friday February 14th  Cupid Day.  Wear Valentine's Day colors like pinks, whites and reds and whatever your “heart” desires. Show some extra love to the people who matter even if you don’t have a significant other to celebrate today with, it's still a day of showing your appreciation to all or some of your friends.

ADOPT DON’T SHOP!

Dogs for adoption at Animal Allies Humane Society:

Address: 4006 Airport Road. 

FROSTBITE

By: J.J.H

Frostbite is something we all need to be aware of, especially in the place we live. Frostbite is a skin condition where the skin and tissue just below the skin freeze, which can cause life altering injuries. Symptoms include paleness of skin, color change, numbness, pins and needles, or stinging sensations. Most of these things are pretty normal, and we’ve all likely experienced them. Frostbite is broken up into four degrees. “First-degree: Irritates the skin. Second-degree: Blisters but has no major damage. Third-degree: Involves all layers of the skin and causes permanent tissue damage. Fourth-degree: Occurs when the bone and tendon freeze” (Quoted from emedicinehealth.com).  During the wintertime, it is recommended to keep spare gloves and a jacket in your car at all times, even when it is barely 32 degrees fahrenheit. Cars can break down, and you can get cold real fast. So it’s important to have all the right equipment in case of an emergency. Frostbite is most common on the ears, fingertips, toes, and the nose. In mild cases, it is recommended to treat with gradual warming to the area affected to restore blood flow.

MIRROR LIFE!

A FOREBODING SCIENCE NOT-SO-FICTION

By: Lucian Pianfetti

I mean, just reading the title it sounds like some cheesy pulp sci-fi story. The description of the concept, however, is intriguingly plausible: The molecules that make up life are generally asymmetrical, and all possess isomers (molecular arrangement variations of an identical set of atoms) that are essentially mirror images of the original. To simplify that down, every biological building block that makes up an organism can be mirrored in a way that would hypothetically be entirely functional. This is the core concept behind mirror life, and the idea of synthesizing a living cell, no matter how simplistic, using entirely mirrored pieces has brought many researchers to work towards it and many others to oppose it. This fear is not unfounded, for it has been hypothesized that a successfully mirrored cell would be essentially unrecognizable by our immune systems, which operate under the assumption that all living things are made up of the same isomers of the same molecules. For that reason, the scientific community is split over the idea of synthesizing groundbreaking parallel life as opposed to stopping the creation of potentially the most dangerous bioweapons ever conceived. Regardless, it is estimated that actual synthesization of mirror life is at least well over a decade out- it will remain to be seen if even then efforts are fruitful. Additionally, the existence of mirror life also raises the question of whether or not such lifeforms have existed before, whether on Earth or perhaps even on distant planets. To be sure, a fascinating (if risky) idea indeed.

LESSONS FROM A LONG BIKE TRIP

By: Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Over this past summer break one of the things I did was take a 250 mile bike trip with my father and sister to Forest Lake and back over seven days. We stayed in hotels and campgrounds, traveling about forty miles per day. For this article, I’m going to share four lessons, four things that I learned from taking this trip.

1. Make sure your bike is in decent working order. Before starting any ride, make sure your bike is in good working order. On our ride, we ran into trouble when one of my sister’s tires went flat just five miles from the start. Since the bike was quite old, we decided it was best to switch to a different one. Unfortunately, this meant waiting for a replacement bike to be driven to our location, delaying the trip. To avoid situations like this, check the tires, brakes, and overall condition of your bike before heading out.

2. Expect the unexpected.  Although we had much of the trip planned out and knew certain things like how far we had to go each day and where some places we would stop were, there were things we could not plan for. For example, the third day we knew there would not be a trail and that we would ride on a rarely used highway, but we did not expect there to be road construction in Hinckley causing the traffic on the road to be much busier than we had expected. After the city of Harris, the trail returned.

3. Forty miles a day is a long way to ride.  Our first day we went from the Munger trailhead in West Duluth to a campground in Moose Lake. There were only a few stops between the locations and it took us about six hours to get there. I was sore from the long ride and my legs felt weak. We had to set up tents, walk to a restaurant and back, and settle in for the night.

 4. Plan ahead. As with preparing the bicycles, my father was in charge of how far we rode each day and where we stayed. He packed energy drinks and some water. The plan was that we would get additional water at stores along the way and at the hotels. But there’s a lot more to the planning than those basic things. We had to manage bathroom breaks, food breaks, and energy management. Much of this planning we did on the fly because we did not really know what to expect or how hot it would be which depletes energy faster than if it was cooler. We ended up stopping at a few parks along the way so we all could have a rest. 

Although hard, this bike trip was fun. It was challenging at times with the distance and weather, but overall it was a rewarding experience that I really enjoyed. I look forward to taking another trip like this one when I get the chance.

IN DEFENSE OF VULTURES

By: Lucian M. Pianfetti

Throughout cultures worldwide, most birds of prey are revered as majestic animals deserving of great respect. Be it eagle, falcon, hawk, or owl, these birds are often seen as symbols of desirable traits. Vultures, on the other hand, receive none of the glory.

In western pop culture, they are seen as conniving, perfidious bottom-feeders, laying in wait to take advantage of others’ misfortune. This unsavory reputation betrays not only the necessity and value vultures offer to their ecosystems, but also their importance and reverence in other cultures of the world.

It cannot be stressed enough that vultures are very important to ecosystems they participate in. With their hardy, disease-resistant digestive systems, they are equipped to feed on rotting carrion that would otherwise accumulate and cause widespread ecological issues. The global population of vultures, especially in Asia and Africa, has plummeted in the recent century, and in India, where roughly 99% of the vulture population has died off due to ingestion of harmful drugs given to livestock, dead animals have piled up and are left to be eaten by ground scavengers less equipped for digesting such heavily decomposed meat. This overabundance of carcasses has led the population of feral dogs and rats to explode in numbers, and this has contributed to India being one of the largest global hotspots for rabies: over a third of yearly deaths caused by the disease occur in India alone. 

The problems caused by this extend further than just the environment, but culture and religion as well. Adherents of Zoroastrianism, a long-lasting religion originating in Iran, traditionally dispose of the dead through placing them atop large towers to be consumed by vultures. With the decreasing vulture population, this tradition has come under threat, as fewer and fewer vultures are able to take them in a timely manner or at all.

In the Americas, too, vultures are under threat. The California Condor, a bird highly significant to southwestern Native American cultures and the largest terrestrial bird in North America, was reduced to just 22 total wild birds in 1987, primarily due to lead poisoning caused by consuming dead animals left untaken by hunters. That year, a conservation effort captured all remaining birds to captively restore their numbers. This was wildly successful, and by the end of 2023 their numbers had increased to 561 total between their two reintroduced populations in Arizona and southern California. Even still, lead remains a problem, as does environmental pollution. 

To conclude, these birds far surpass their unflattering features and are vital cornerstones to the Earth’s environment and human culture. Hopefully having read this you agree.

UPCOMING EVENTS

WUSSOW’S CONCERT CAFE CHESS EVENTS:

Wussows cafe has been offering free chess games in their cafe! Head over there to play chess and socialize with people of the same interest. This is entirely free. Every and all skill levels are welcome and very much encouraged to come and participate. The more the merrier. This event has been organized by the Twin Ports Chess Club. It is from 6:00 to 9:00pm on Mondays.

THE ONE ACT PLAY THAT GOES WRONG:

A hilarious blend of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes, this play runs January 31 - February 9 at the NorShor Theatre. Over 75 minutes of calamities that will have the audience roaring with laughter. Tickets are $54. 

DULUTH FOR MANDELA FILM SCREENING:

Dr. Robert Robert Cultural Center, Following the film screening, director and producer Gerri Williams and Fond du Lac elder Ricky DeFoe will be facilitating conversations on Indigenous resistance around the world and Mandela’s legacy through an Indigenous lens. February 8th, 2:00 pm at the Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center. Free to attend.

SEWING:

Have you ever wanted to learn how to sew? This event is located at the Spirit of the Lakes community building. The fee for this is $15. This event is hosted on Mondays in January and February from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. If you are going it is recommended that you bring a personal pair of sewing scissors. 

WARM WINTER WEDNESDAY:

Embrace the chilly weather with a cup of delicious, hot cocoa! Stop by the 4th floor cafe every Wednesday during lunch and grab a free cup to enjoy.

GITM:

Upcoming GITM meetings will be on January 28th, February 4th, 11th, March 11th and 18th. The event will be happening at HCIS on March 21st. GITM has a large array of activities. From karaoke to video games to card games. Come out and enjoy a fun - filled evening at HCIS!

Please consider attending any events that interest you, it's a great way to support our community and the school. I guarantee that you won’t regret it! We hope to see you at any of the aforementioned or any future events. (make sure to keep an eye out for them)

MY 2025 INS & OUTS

By: Someone Who’s Always Right

OUT’S:

1. Taking things too seriously.

2. Taking things not seriously enough.

3. AI in any form. (free thinking & art is dead)

4. Making rash judgements.

5. Lack of media literacy.

6. Getting information solely from instagram graphics and twitter users.

7. 99% of true crime “content.”

8. Ryan Murphy’s commercial exploitation of very real victims.

9. Ryan Murphy.

10. Panic! At The Disco’s “Pray For The Wicked.”

IN’S:

1. Critical thinking.

2. SNL.

3. Finally doing the weird things you’ve been meaning to

4. Passion

5. Not caring about what “Tik Tok” music taste is.

6. “Cringe.”

7. Drinking enough water daily.

8. Going to events alone.

9. Divorce.

10. Panic! At The Disco’s “Pretty Odd.”

VISIT FROM STATE REPRESENTATIVE PETE JOHNSON

By: Calliope Farkas

On January 24th, Minnesota House Representative Pete Johnson came to talk to Mr. Scott’s AP Environmental Science class. Those students were able to ask him questions about his job and issues within Minnesota they have concerns about. They were curious about his specific plans to address environmental issues, reproductive rights, healthcare systems, affordable and accessible housing, and more. One thing he mentioned a lot in response to these issues was backstopping and protecting the policies and regulations we already have in place to protect things like access to abortion or regulations on mining. He mentioned that he has hope for the healthcare system in Minnesota and realizes all of its inconvenience, that all of the aspects of healthcare are separate and often unattainable. Another hope he has for healthcare is to expand Minnesotacare and make it accessible to people early on when they need help, rather than as a last resort when their need becomes stronger. He plans to protect reproductive rights in the long term and anticipates that doing so will be difficult because of the votes needed at a federal level. Meeting the needs for energy efficient housing options in a variety of areas is also something he is attentive to and working towards. Rep. Johnson was asked about the best way to get your voice heard and what to do when you have an issue you want addressed by a representative, and his response was to form groups of people within your district that have similar feelings about the matter and write personal messages through email about them. He also shared his email address, rep.pete.johnson@house.mn.gov so that anyone can reach out if they have questions.

FUN FACT ABOUT BLOOD TYPE & BLOOD TYPE PERSONALITY THEORY

By: Moki Rajchakit

Fun Fact about blood: Mosquitoes prefer to drink blood from people who have blood type O. People who have blood type O are universal donors; that means they can donate blood to every blood type but can only get donations from blood type O, and type AB is a universal recipient; that means they can get donations from every blood type but can donate to just blood type AB. Our human blood contains gold silicon, vanadium, and tin. Blood type O is the most common blood type in the UK; almost half of the population in the UK has blood type O. Red blood cells don’t have nuclei. Exposing a person’s skin to the UV ray can reduce blood pressure but if the skin gets exposed to the sun rays too much, it can also cause skin cancer.

Blood type personality theory:Blood type A: The best thing about people that have blood type A may be that they are clever, delicate, highly creative, loyal, patient, calm, cooperative, good planners, and responsible. The people with this blood type are also very good listeners and can be good leaders too. But on the other hand, people with blood type A are sometimes very sensitive, self-conscious/anxious, perfectionist, stubborn, serious, not really expressing their feelings to other people, and also uptight.

Blood type B: The best thing about people who have blood type B is that they are people. They may be very friendly, outgoing, very creative, very energetic, flexible, and also can feel people. These people will always look after other people that are close to them; they trust their heart. But the people that have this blood type sometimes will have a problem in the relationship because they are friendly and sometimes flirty as well. 

And sometimes they just follow their own heart too much and don’t listen to other people's opinions; they also have a bad temperature control. This blood type B will get along with people that also have blood type B and blood type AB (but it still depends on each person).

Blood type O: This blood type can be described as being responsible, rule conscious, and practical. This blood type personality will be a very good leader, and they are very determined, success-oriented, and strategic to achieve their goal. They are also resilient, optimistic, and strong-willed. But not everyone is perfect; this type can be self-centered sometimes and sometimes not open to other people's opinions because they are confident in themselves. This type of person can get along with people who are type O like them or type AB.
Blood type AB: The things that people who have this blood type do are they are very caring, friendly, rational, intelligent, and problem solvers. If you want any advice, you should go to this type of person; you will get very good advice, be adaptable, be supportive, love their freedom, and be independent. Sometimes they can also be ignorant because they think that ‘Ignorance is Bliss,’ quiet and mysterious too. But people with this type can be discriminated against if they don’t feel good about someone. This blood type personality is a mixture of blood type A and B personality. And lastly, this type of person can get along with any person.

2025 OSCARS

By: Anonymous Harbor Citizen

Two AI-enhanced films were nominated for Oscars this year. Truly this is so disheartening to see. Actual people that worked incredibly hard on all aspects of real cinema can’t even dream of ever getting academy recognition but films with AI usage can. Why do they even get this level of praise? Using AI to “enhance” accents and “build” architecture is sad. It immediately kills all the morals of art. Shame on ‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emila Perez.’ 

GUNPLA, GUNPLA, GUNPLA:

An overview of a hobby of mine

By: Lucian Pianfetti

Do you like giant robots? Do you like scale model kits? Do you like collectible figures you can do more with than merely keeping them inside their boxes and staring at your wall of soulless cookie-cutter figurines? (Looking at you, Funko Pops) Do you like spending time building something you can be proud of and potentially paint or customize to your heart's content?  Then you, my friend, just might be interested in Gunpla. I know I am!

Since the eighties, the Japanese toy company Bandai has manufactured model kits of fictional combat mecha from the overwhelmingly successful Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, and if you do something long enough you’re bound to get good at it. For all of their faults, Bandai is no exception, and the models they release nowadays are generally top notch, high quality kits. Each model is fully articulated and supplied with a host of accessories to accompany it, which gives the builder a lot of leeway for posing it once they’re done with the build.

A significant advantage Gunpla kits have over other articulated figures is price. While pre-assembled figures generally cost dozens to hundreds of dollars, the most numerous category of Gunpla kit (1/144 scale High Grade) averages between 15-30 dollars, making the hobby very approachable and affordable, with the only caveat being you have to, of course, build it yourself. That being said, it’s hardly a complaint: Much of the hobby revolves around this build process, being an excellent way to pass time while having something to focus on. How much effort you choose to put into the kit is entirely up to you, whether you just want a straight build, or perhaps want to put some extra effort in to make it look nicer, such as panel lining (running a marker through recessed lines in the model to enhance detail), painting, or even kitbashing (combining the parts of multiple kits to create something entirely your own). As an old saying goes, Gunpla is freedom, meaning it’s entirely your choice as a hobbyist what you want to do with your kits.

Of the various varieties of Gunpla, the aforementioned High Grades are in general the best bang for your buck, as for their price point they offer all of the praises I mentioned previously, alongside being the most structurally simple kits around, meaning straight builds are relatively straightforward and typically don’t take longer than a few hours at most. No glue required either, as every piece fits or snaps together cleanly, primarily using clips or pegs. If you want higher-detail and/or larger kits, Real Grade and Master Grade offer more advanced, intricate builds that include the concept of an Inner Frame, which is a better modeled internal structure that gives the finished product increased stability and heft. Sharing their 1/144 scale with High Grades, Real Grades run between 30-50 dollars on average, though the increased-scale 1/100 Master Grades are more varied based on size and age, with older and smaller models being as cheap as lower-end Real Grades but larger and more complex models running up to a hundred. There are also Perfect Grades, which are even bigger and detailed, though these are even more expensive and limited in variety, so most who buy them only get one or two as a centerpiece for a collection.

Reeling things back in, Entry Grade exists as a simple introduction to the scene for those unfamiliar with how model kits work. They’re on similar par to high grades but require no tools (such as a hobby nipper or sanding stick) making them ideal for dipping one’s toe in the water without investing extra into tools. They’re cheaper too, with the standard Entry Grade Gundam going for just ten bucks!

You might be wondering to yourself “Okay, this sounds cool, but where do I actually go to buy one of these?” The stores with the best selection currently in Duluth and Hermantown are Hobbytown (by far the best selection-wise), Hobby Lobby (Which has a bi-weekly 40% sale on their model kits, including Gundam), and more limited selection at Target and Michaels. Online options exist as well, including my personal favorite webstore Newtype.us, USA Gundam Store, and the exclusive official Premium Bandai, which offers unique versions of kits (and some entirely unique ones) via limited time pre-orders.

What are you most passionate about and why?

Taking care of critters, because they don't do things maliciously, they are always genuine.   

How has your experience at Harbor City been overall?

Mixed feelings, I love the acceptance and how open it is to express myself, I love the community. I would not have been able to flourish anywhere else. However, I struggled immensely with getting the help I needed within the academic aspect of HCIS. The atmosphere of the school changed a lot after my sophomore year. I felt a lot less content with the implementation of certain rules and how some staff in the school used the power they had over students in a negative manner and to their advantage.  I would still choose HCIS over any of the highschools in the area just because of how wonderful the community aspect of this school is. 

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?

Mrs. Burke. 

What's the most exotic pet you've had?

Hairless rat (Herbert) and Pigeon (Rhubarb).

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

Don't be so scared of people and take your meds everyday. 

What's an unpopular opinion you have? 

Mashed potatoes are disgusting, putrid, oozy, gross, and stinky. 

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

The Zen Den heater.

STUDENT ARTIST OF THE MONTH

By: Jade Larson

For February’s Student of the Month I interviewed Aspen Herbert, a sophomore artist at Harbor City. Aspen has been drawing their whole life. They told me that when they were very young they would doodle and mess around with crayons often even if it wasn’t always good. Aspen draws inspiration for their art from their own experiences and the unique way they view them in their brain.“It may not be obvious what it means on the outside, but my art is for me.” They enjoy drawing original characters as well as animals the most. Aspen believes that art holds an importance in their life as a form of expressing emotions; “Art is an outlet for me, it helps me explain feelings without words, gives me a break from the world, and I enjoy gifting my art to the people I love” The final question I asked them was “What do you want people to take away from your art?” Aspen wanted people to know that “art is a form of self expression, and that even if you feel like your art is not as good as cliche “nice” art, it’s for you and it’s an important form of expression. Keep drawing even if you don't feel like it looks

good.”. 

Before student teaching at Harbor City, were there other schools you taught at as well?  

“I was placed in Lincoln park middle school and I got to teach a couple days there, so like one or two days of instruction rather than the months that I was here.” At that time they were mostly for observation and not hands-on teaching. “My second placement was at Marshall in their pre-calc and calc room.” After those experiences they came here to teach for the spring semester of 2023.

After graduating college last spring what did you do with your summer?

“During the summer I worked at Office Depot, I worked in their print center and it was fun-ish. I hung out with my best friend who got married on October 31 so I helped her plan her wedding all summer, which were a lot of skills I didn’t know I needed in life.” They also mentioned getting ready to work here.

Why did you choose Harbor City?

“In some ways Harbor City chose me and I didn’t choose you all, but I was applying for jobs this summer and I was like hmm I’d love to work at this school, it’s really cool and I had a great experience with you all while student teaching last year.” When you student teach as a college student you don’t get to choose the schools you get placed in, hence the comment about Harbor City choosing them.

Why did you choose math?

“ I chose math because of the current views on it right now, I know a lot of people have a really negative connotation about math.” Mx. Hammerlund talked about wanting to help change the current views a lot of people have towards the subject, “I wanted to create a space for us to improve on math and not have to be perfect at math.” 

Are you enjoying being a teacher here and do you have any big plans for the future?

“I love it here. I get a lot of freedom here that I wouldn’t necessarily get in a public school.” They have talked about using that freedom to make math lessons fun for example having scavenger hunts and adding prizes. They also appreciate how small the school is so they can get to know their students better and have more one-on-one time to help out. “ I plan to, probably in the next four or five years, go back to get a masters degree.” Partly because having a higher education in a major can be more respected. “I kinda miss my college lecture and there's a part of me that misses being a student instead of just teaching; there is always more to learn.”

THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE YEARS WAR

By: Soren Brown

It was an alleged state of war between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly that lasted 335 years and was extended that long due to a lack of a peace treaty from 30 March 1651 to 17 April 1986, the war began due to the Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp declaring war after receiving an unsatisfactory answer from Scilly when he requested reparation for lost goods and ships due to a previous war that had driven Scilly to return to its ports and soon after the new war had been declared the earlier war that started the conflict had ended after surrender by the Royalists which Scilly had been under. In 1986 Roy Duncan, historian and Chairman of the Isles of Scilly Council looked into the local legend that was rather well known about the supposed “war” After discovering no records of peace treaties, he wrote to the Dutch Embassy in London to look into the records and also found no records, this led to an invitation to the embassy to officially end the “war” thus being a bloodless war that lasted over three centuries lasting through major conflicts that had long since been resolved. 

THE GREAT EMU WAR OF 1932

By: Corey Lindsey

Australia once waged war against emus and lost. After World War I, Australian veterans were farming in western Australia. However, they quickly found themselves a new enemy, tens of thousands of emus. These large flightless birds were devouring crops and causing massive damage. The government decided to take action. Armed with guns, soldiers were sent to eliminate the birds. However emus are surprisingly fast and hard to hit. They ran in unpredictable patterns, dodging bullets and making the soldiers frustrated. Despite several attempts, the emu war was a complete disaster. The birds outran them and outmaneuvered the Australian military. Eventually, they gave up and built fences instead.

The emus had won.

But how did the emu win?  Emus can grow up to six feet tall and weigh over 100 pounds. The Emus can run up to 50 k/h (31 mph), making them hard to hit. The emus zigzagged unpredictably, making them hard to hit and capture. The birds had thick feathers that could absorb bullets without killing them instantly.

THE DEVASTATING HISTORY OF PIGEONS; A FORGOTTEN FRIEND

By: Jade Larson

When many people think of pigeons they often associate them with being dirty or with being pests to the city. However, they are so much more than that, and the reason they're even in cities today is at the fault of humanity. Long ago, possibly starting in ancient Mesopotamia, humans began domesticating the rock dove, the ancestor of pigeons we know today, they would lead them into the city with grains and then use them for things like messaging, religious ceremonies, or even keep them as pets or “prized possessions”. Over time these birds evolved into the pigeons we know today, and they developed a dependent relationship with humans as they were raised being fed and cared for by us. However, as society advanced and we got things like mail and phones; we left behind the poor pigeon. Ever since, pigeons have remained in cities as that has been their home for generations. However without the care of humans as they were originally designed to exist with, they are left to scavenge for themselves now. So the next time you complain about pigeons, think about their tragic tale. 

I THINK I AM MISSING SOMETHING

By: Anonymous Harbor Citizen

A couple of my pieces are missing. Or broken. People don’t seem to judge, as long as I don’t talk for too long. It’s just a personality trait, being empty-headed for a few days. I ask what I missed, but people don’t want to talk about it. That’s alright. I’ll just rely on context clues. The context doesn’t help either. That’s okay. I’ll figure it out eventually. I just need to wait. I forget what I was trying to discover. 

My head complains a bit too often. Like my brain was meant for something that doesn’t need to think as much. It was switched to fit with my body at the last minute, after years of preparing to be a tortoise. It wants to cower from everything and gets surprised when it's called the right name. It moves slowly, constantly switching between the thoughts of guilt and apathy. That’s alright. It’ll fix itself eventually. I just need to wait. 

The faces of my friends keep melting off. They usually reform if I ask nicely enough. The remakes are slightly less detailed. They eventually are nothing but a tired expression. I think they’re friends. They might just be acquaintances. They might just be strangers I know the names of. They might just be people I made up. I imagine more conversations with them than I actually speak. Jokes I'd make, gifts I'd give, the perfect responses to sarcastic insults. The conversations will happen eventually, though. I just need to wait. 

I have a graveyard of projects under my pillow. I give them hope, I support them, I shower them with praise. The projects love me. I abandon them. They occasionally come back to haunt me, whispering to bring them back, weeping for the pity they deserve. I give them the usual prayer, the reassurance needed to wait. They wait until I forget them. 

Their spirits dissipate. I find them in a few years. The ghosts are limp. What have I done? 

I give them the sympathy they waited for. Seconds later, I forget them again. Butterflies attack me. 

The colors blind the tortoise and make it hide in its shell. They silently scream to acknowledge them. Make eye contact. Start the conversation. Do anything. They lift me in the air, threatening to drop me. It's not a far fall but I'm scared of heights. I still ignore them. Something can happen without me beginning it. I just need to wait. My shell allows me to see what could be, even if it’s not actually happening. The shell is safe from any imperfections. I hide in it as the butterflies repeatedly drop me. They’ll stop eventually. I'm not sure if I want them to. 

I wonder how much longer it takes for the missing pieces to be found. When my picture will be complete. What the picture will be. Will it be complete? How much longer will it take? I lose more pieces as time goes on. Soon I’m the missing piece while the rest of the puzzle is hiding. I wait for them. Years pass. I forgot that pieces don’t like to reveal themselves. 

They’ll return to me eventually. They have to. 

Someone must have taken them. I hope they get broken apart too, screaming in agony until their vocal cords melt. 

I should’ve felt like searching for them. I should’ve kept an eye on them. I should’ve stopped waiting. 

I’ll never be complete. The pieces hate me. They want me to stay incomplete forever while they watch me suffer. 

I’ll never be complete. 

My last piece snaps in half. My tombstone has a bad joke on it. You give it a small chuckle, out of pity from the poor attempt at humor. Seconds later, you forget about it. That’s alright. Someone else will come along to enjoy it. I just need to wait. A broken smile ghosts over my empty shell. Seconds later, I forget myself.