By John Pucci - Humboldt High School Athletic Department

Wrestling

The Wrestling team will have the opportunity to lock up their second consecutive conference championship this week after a massive victory over St. Paul Central last week. The Hawks defeated the Minutemen by a whopping 69-10! They also pounded their West Side rivals from St. Croix Lutheran 66-18. The Hawks will face off with the Governors from Johnson High School This Wednesday (1/19/22) in a triangular meet which also features the Teddies of Minneapolis Roosevelt. If the Hawks are able to beat the Governors on their home turf, they will move to 5-0 in conference play. 2nd place Washington will face off with Como at the same time, and if they lose, your Hawks will be the outright conference champions of St. Paul for the second straight season. The Hawks are being led by the perennial powerhouse duo of Po Si Si and Kyaw Htway, but there have been some new faces helping the Hawks' recent rise to success as well. Junior Dah Soe has begun to look strong at the 170 weight class and has secured multiple victories to help his team at that heavier weight classes; something Humboldt has traditionally struggled with in past seasons. Additionally, Sophomore Tah Hsoh Gay has been on a steady upward trajectory all season long at the 142 weight class. He is studying under the tutelage of last year's 142 pound stud, Crown Htoo, who is helping open a voluntary basis with Coach Brad this season. If you would like to cheer the Hawks on to victory this Wednesday, 1/19/22, their match will begin at 5:00 PM at Johnson High School.

Additionally:

Coach Brad met back up with his Football athletes last week for a virtual meet and greet with the Vikings' tight end, Adam Thielen. Thielen is a Minnesota native who has made several generous donations to our football program and school community here at Humboldt. Brad and the players were able to thank Thielen directly, and participate in a Q&A with him as well. This is a very rare and cool experience for the Hawks, and Coach Brad Novacheck, Matt Osborne and Otto Kraus (Harding Football coach and athletic director) deserve a lot of credit for helping our students have this cool opportunity.

Girls Basketball

The iron 5 was back in action at St. Paul Central last Friday, and held their own until the lack of subs proved to be a factor for the Hawks, and Central was able to pull away. The Hawks lost the game 56-43, however for much of the match it was hard-fought and even despite the difference in roster size. OWL senior Lili Hobday recently spoke out about the small numbers on the team, providing a positive outlook on what might otherwise be seen as a negative thing. "The numbers are unusually small this season, but that has also allowed us to become a much more tight-knit group this season. I've developed much closer friendships than in past years simply through spending time with the girls, and this close bond has helped us play hard for each other while on the court". The Girls Basketball team will return to the court this Wednesday, 1/19/22 at home against Harding. The game will begin at 6:00 PM.

Boys Basketball

The Boys Basketball team played two games last week, both against tough conference opponents. While the Hawks were not able to come away with any victories, they showed adversity against tough opponents and held composure in the face of some poor sportsmanship. While the Hawks' record might not be as glowing as last season, they are earning respect from their opponents in other ways. Multiple teams have complimented the Hawks on their toughness and about how they battle to the end of each game. They stay locked in for the full 36 minutes and don't show disrespect to their opponents or officials. The Hawks are representing Humboldt well through their actions, which is a great compliment to the culture of the program. The Hawks will be back in action this Wednesday 1/19/22 on the road at Harding High School. The game will begin at 7:00 PM.

From the Birmingham jail, where he was imprisoned as a participant in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote in longhand the letter which follows. It was his response to a public statement of concern and caution issued by eight white religious leaders of the South. Dr. King, who was born in 1929, did his undergraduate work at Morehouse College; attended the integrated Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, one of six black pupils among a hundred students, and the president of his class; and won a fellowship to Boston University for his Ph.D. READ THE FULL TEXT HERE.

Update (1/13/2022): On Wednesday, January 13, more bathrooms were unlocked. This morning, we are here...

The Humboldt Feminist Movement 2022 – “We Deserve the Right to Pee, put on makeup, and fix our attire without the glaring eyeballs of boys in their formative years mentally undressing us in some far-fetched fantasy. Like a well-rounded education, Peeing has become a second-tier concern, I guess being treated as a second-class citizen is not limited to Civil Rights issues.”

By Chenoa S. and Maliyah S. - Editorial Columnists

We are all females. From time to time, we need to use the bathrooms in the school. This year has been unusual. Nobody really communicates with us about things that matter to us. Decisions are made without student input, and if you’re a student of color – forget about it, you are viewed in a lens of academic distress and victimized in ways that should be illegal in a school building. My God, we had a well-liked student-athlete who died and we got nothing; no grief team from the district; no discussions with our teachers in class (this should have been talked about), and of course, why do we want HHS social workers that most of us do not know to come out of the comfort of their lush palatial offices (and clean bathrooms) to talk to us about a challenge not even they fully understand?

Unfortunately, something we have taken for granted – or just being there when we need it has turned out to a privilege for the boys in the school. Granted, we are not perfect – and we certainly do not want to start a war - there’s already enough of that craziness going on now (have you seen the rouge Humboldt Snap Chat or Instagram pages lately?). We just want to know: Where can we Pee?

By no means are we perfect, and some of us understand that our brains are still developing in 6 through 12 grades - growing exponentially each day, we hope. We make mistakes; we try to self-correct, sometimes it works - sometimes it does not – still: Where can I Pee? In a world led by the term’s ‘family’ and “Hawks being the greatest,” and the preverbal “GO HAWKS” (what’s that about anyway? Where is Snow Days? What’s happening with Prom 2022?), are we wrong as Lady Hawks to ask: Where can we Pee?

Yes, we had a pass – we walked to each floor, every bathroom area and counted the number of usable stalls; the numbers are staggering: On the 3^rd floor alone, there are times that no bathrooms in a state of cleanliness (usable for high school females) are available.

True story: I had to use the bathroom one afternoon. It was a good day, my friends and I all made it to all of our classes, and little to no time was spent wandering the hallways on this day. My class was on the third floor, I walked to the bathrooms on the southwest side of the building and they were all locked; I went to the northeast side of the building – locked. Then I went to the second floor where there was a line of females waiting to use the bathroom. I was out of my class for more than 10-minutes searching for a place to pee. (Why does the staff have their own bathrooms on each floor? This is unfair, narcissistic, and a crappy way to treat female students that do not want to sit on piss, flush someone else’s dung or be in a bathroom where a disgruntled student has pissed all over the toilet seat, walls, and wet up all the toilet paper. Oh, yeah – what’s the deal with the wet toilet paper and overflowing sanitary napkin dispenser?

This has become a s&%t show for many of Humboldt’s female students, and with that said again we ask, “Where can we Pee?”

By Cherish Frelix - Advice Columnist 2021 and edited by LaVon W. - Copy Editor

(Photo: HHS Student "Merch" News staffers LaVon W. and Cherish F. in the library - not reading - on their cellphones. )

Coming into Humboldt as a junior seems a little intimidating and overwhelming just knowing you have one year left is crazy. It can apply a little pressure to any 11th-grade scholar. That pressure can make you feel as if you need to push yourself harder or feel as if you're not doing good enough as everyone else. But honestly, when you have a good team and support system like the staff here at Humboldt it’s not that bad, for me personally the teachers are super kind and understanding, when you talk and communicate with them they try their best to meet your standards for what you need which is very helpful. My advice for you is to go to 11th grade or any grade at all just stick to yourself!

I promise you will have no distractions, when you prioritize certain things you’ll realize what’s more important and you’ll become more successful. Also, try new things, put yourself first and always have fun!. Join sports teams, the newspaper team, etc, High school kind of grows you into the person you are so no matter what happens or how you feel Get up, Get dressed and show out. Take AP classes, take risks, learn to be vulnerable, have a strategic plan for summer, always learn good vocabulary skills, take college classes for early college credit, do what you can to make your future easy, have goals and plans.

By Nick P. (Digitial Journalism and Storytelling - North Central University, with permission).

A common question that high school students are asked towards the end of their secondary school career is, “where are you going to college?” Some students have been dreaming of going to a specific University, whether it is because they admire the majors offered or perhaps it is their parent’s Alma Mater. On the other hand, there are those that have no intentions to go to a traditional four-year college and may opt for a technical school or no schooling at all.

According to an Economic News Release reported by the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 62.7 percent of 2020 high school graduates under the age of 24 were enrolled in colleges or universities. This number was down 3.5 percent from the previous year. According to a survey done by McGraw-Hill Education states that only four in ten U.S. college students feel well-prepared for their future careers. This begs the question, is college beneficial for the long-term success of someone’s career.

Drew Doland, the Associate Pastor at Faith Assembly of God in Iowa, believes that college taught him a lot of good things but also taught him things he had to unlearn. Doland stated, “It’s hard to put my finger on the latter, but I have felt many times like the things I was taught didn’t line up with how I actually needed to handle things.” He continued this thought by stating that he feels the street smarts he has acquired through life circumstances better prepared him for day-to-day interactions with people in ministry than what he learned in his studies.

The Pew Research Center reported that 49 percent of people believe that they established skills and knowledge they could use in the workplace from their schooling. The interviews and statistics have shown mixed reviews on how continuing education after high school has aided them in the workplace.

While there are those who may share the same view as Doland, I have found that there are people who enjoyed their college tenure and felt their studies helped them a lot. A staff member from River Valley Church in Minnesota, Katelyn Penticoff, expressed that the information she obtained from her college education has only aided her in her current ministry.

As one would assume, a pastor should be knowledgeable about God and the Bible. Penticoff stated, “one way that it has equipped me is how to properly study the Bible for what it says and not what I want it to say.” The study of the Bible is something that every pastor should be proficient in because it is the most important resource they use, whether it is preaching or pulling information from it to counsel someone.

While there is a downfall that some students feel they aren’t properly being equipped for their future career from their schooling, having a degree is beneficial from a financial perspective. In the Monthly Labor Review of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics it was reported that a benefit of receiving higher education is that you earn 56 percent more than someone that has only a High School Diploma. Even though a college degree might not set you up for success to excel in your role right away, you will become better off financially because of it.

According to a Pew Research Center survey, adults with less than a high school education are more than twice as likely as those with a bachelor’s degree or more education to say they are not too happy with their lives. A college education is worth it for students for several different reasons. You can meet lifelong friends in school, acquire skillsets to help aid you in your profession, and it can allow you to have a higher income compared to those that do not have a college degree.

By Alayleana Elizebeth Almaguer- Grade 10

(This story, 1 0f 2 - comes to us as part of Ms. Jenna Mensen's Grade 10 Journalism Writing Project (JWP). Every issue will feature stories directly from the HHS grade 10 collective!)

Alayleana Elizebeth Almaguer. My whole name may sound like it has the most interesting backstory…but it doesn’t. My first name was supposed to at least sound a little bit Hispanic, so my mom chose the ending of my name while my father chose the beginning.

Me and all my sisters have the middle names of my mom’s sisters, so I have my aunt’s middle name, Elizebeth. She can rest easy knowing I’m taking care of it.

I actually feel relieved that I can show my heritage through my name. When my grandma says my name, “Lilliana,” with her accent, I’m reminding of where my name comes from. AH-LAY-LE-ANNA.

Though my name may sound so complicated, it really isn’t. You just have to take your time to pronounce it. I don’t necessarily think my name teaches anything special, but how to use a Spanish accent when pronouncing it. The way it’s actually pronounced is connected to my Cuban-American background. I’ve learned once again how it’s really pronounced and spelled.

If I could change my name, I might change the spelling so that it’s easier to pronounce in public and easier to spell out. So, I’d change the spelling to something like “Layleanna” or “Lilliana.”

By Eh Rose

(This story, 2 0f 2 - comes to us as part of Ms. Jenna Mensen's Grade 10 Journalism Writing Project (JWP). Every issue will feature stories directly from the HHS grade 10 collective!)

My name came from the Poe Karen language. There is no family history of my name. It doesn’t make sense in English but my name means: Love, moon and shade, like the shade you get when you’re sitting under a tree.

I’m glad my name came from my language so I never forget about it. For example, the language I speak is very important to me and having my name as my own language always reminds me to never forget it. I’m sure no one has used my name in a way that makes me feel seen, it’s sad but true.

People always mispronounce my name but I’m okay with it because I know how hard it is to say a confusing name like mine in English. It came from my dad. I learned that my dad named me “Eh Lar Shu” because all my siblings first names are “Eh” and he chose my middle name “Lar” because when my mom was pregnant with me, he would always look at the moon and my mom always sat on this big tree that gives a lot of shade, waiting for my dad.''

I would and I wouldn’t change my name. I would want to change my name to “Eh Rose” because it’s so much easier to say. It’s simple and I wouldn’t have to hear people pronounce my name incorrectly. But, I wouldn’t want to change my name because my dad chose that name for me and he is no longer here with us. Now that I think about it, I would not change my name so I can remember and appreciate the person who gave it to me (my dad).