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Volume 2, Issue 24 February 12, 2010
Favorite Son Joe Mauer By Brady Berry Most people would probably argue that Minnesota Twins all-star catcher Joe Mauer is as big of a sports icon as they get in Minnesota. But did you know that he wasn’t always just a baseball player. I did a little research, and this is what I discovered about our state’s favorite son. Joe Mauer was born on April 19, 1983, in St Paul, Minnesota. Mauer played football, basketball, and baseball for the Saint Paul's Cretin Derham Hall Raiders during his high school years. But in Joe Mauer’s senior year he became the only athlete to ever be selected as the USA Today “High School Player of the Year” in two of the sports that he played. Football in the year 2000 as a quarterback and baseball in the year 2001 as a catcher. In basketball Mauer played point guard and averaged more than 20 points a game. Then he also got named to the All-State team during his final two years on Cretin-Derham’s basketball team. Joe Mauer had a very good high school football career. During his senior year as a Raider he completed 178 out of his 288 passes which gave him a 62% completion rating. He also threw for 3,022 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. When he finished his 2 years as a starting quarterback for the Raiders he had thrown for an amazing 5,528 yards and 73 touchdowns, leading his team to two consecutive Class 5A State Championship Game appearances (and then winning the title in 1999). So there you have—the Joe Mauer that not everyone knows about. The next time you see him throwing out a base runner or cracking a triple down the line, just think, this guy could be playing for the Vikings or the Timberwolves.	“Joe Mauer” Kami Vogt Catcher for the Twins He always wins He is super hot I like him a lot He hits the home runs Watching him is fun He hits like Babe Ruth His stats are the proof Like an eagle he flies Because he is six foot five A star on T.V. That’s why he’s MVP If you hear the crack of the bat You know he’s increasing his stats The ball flies into the stands When it leaves the pitcher’s hand Like little lambs learning to walk All the girls “AWW” when he talks Whether he’s hitting or catching He’s always worth watching Number seven is his number— That’s my favorite number

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A Fictional Narrative by Eric Van Der Linden “I think I will take the purple one.” This was my response to the question that my parents had feared to ask; which car I would make my own as I began my career as a driver? It was the summer that I turned sixteen and I had just received my driver’s license. The “purple one” was a 1992 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight. Being the odd young man that I have always been, I affectionately called my new car Sexy P, P for purple, although the color was actually maroon. Sexy P was as old as I was and this was properly shown as the aged car would react less efficiently as it once had. The 150 thousand miles were appropriately shown on the worn body as dents and a broken fender marked themselves along the left side. Although aged, Sexy P ran perfectly; its V6 3.8 engine never failed me. The next six months would be the most satisfying and freedom filled months of my life. Driving around the lake and taking loads of friends to school was a normal routine. I would not have traded my license for anything. When winter approached, I treated it like any other new driver. Frequently visiting snow covered parking lots and doing 360 and even 540 spins along the slick ground. Although the spinning was fun, everyday driving was difficult for Sexy P; the worn tires and heavy body made accelerating and stopping very difficult. In early January these difficulties would create the most memorable and scarring day of my life. On January 8, 2002, I spent the day like any other. Driving to school and returning home afterwards. Around four that afternoon, I left my home to hang out at a friend’s house. As I boarded the highway to make the 4 mile drive out of town, I noticed the roads were a little slicker than usual, but I thought nothing of it. After about a mile and a half, I came towards an intersection while a large truck was approaching. Since I had the right away I kept on proceeding. While coming upon the crossing, a grove of trees blocked my view of the truck for a few seconds. Sadly, these trees would become my demise. The driver of the truck decided to ignore his stop sign and he failed to see me. I nailed the non-anti-lock brakes and pumped them to increase their effectiveness on the slick roads. But it was inevitable.

I careened into the truck going forty mph. I heard the front end of my car smash loudly and violently into the side of the large vehicle. I then lost consciousness as Sexy P. violently flipped into the snow filled ditch. Oil and other fluids stained the bright beautiful powder as Sexy P. lay upside-down in the cold fluffy coffin. The front end was obliterated to half its size and roof and windows were crushed by the impact of the ferocious roll over. The driver of the truck was the first to sink his shoes into the stained snow as he waded to my aid. He held his wrist in a grimace while he rapidly scooped snow away from my door with his other hand. I miraculously awoke at this moment with a scream of panic. My scream was answered by. “Sorry dude, that was totally my bad.” The worried and sorry tone of the truck driver imprinted itself in my mind as I passed out again from the overwhelming pain from my legs, chest and head. After twenty minutes, emergency and rescue vehicles arrived to retrieve me from the dead, twisted wreckage that was once my beloved Sexy P. Drifting in and out of consciousness at this time only gives me vague memories of the over-weight paramedic, burly firefighter with the jaws of life, and the ambulance full of panic and hustle as I was examined and connected to tubes. My broken body was in surgery for hours before I was to be placed in the hospital room where I would reside for the next 2 weeks. I finally awoke to complete consciousness at 4 P.M. on January 9. My head and chest throbbed from the pain of a severe concussion and six broken and bruised ribs. My legs were propped up in slings, both donning twin casts. A cast also marked an injury on my left wrist. Bandages covered my face and arms to heal the several cuts that the broken glass had sickly engraved into my skin. For the next days and weeks to come I was graced with many visitors, they expressed their apologies and regret that such tragic event was to happen to me. My friends teased and shared laughs as we joked about the serious accident, displaying ignorance to the fact that I was broken helped them cope, it helped me as well. I never saw Sexy P again. A few days after the accident, my parents brought in my CD's and other odd miscellaneous items of mine that had been in the destroyed wreckage. They said that by the looks of the twisted and warped metal it was a miracle that I was alive. I was never to see Sexy P. again, but I will never forget the love and fun I had in my first car. As the next several months transgressed I found that the physical therapy and rehabilitation had made my once broken body into the fortress it once was. I have a new car now; A 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix now delivers me to my destinations. In honor of the once great Sexy P, I have affectionately called my new car Sexy Prix. As I drive around the lake with my friends now, I find myself thinking of my first car and the accident that took it away from me and scared my body. These scars will never leave me.

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Can you locate me? Here are 10 pictures taken from around the school in various rooms and hallways. Decide where these pictures were taken and check your answers at the bottom of the page. Answers!! 1.Car in the safe driving glass case. 2. Liberary 3. Bleachers in the gym 4. Trojan man’s foot. 5. Band sign by the North door.

Top 10 Ways To Know The Softball Season Is Just Around The Corner 10. You’ve been counting down to practice since December. 9. You dig out your glove, cleats, and bat 3 weeks before practice has started. 8. Your dying to smell fresh cut grass. 7. You know you won’t be able to play your first two games because of snow. 6. You ask your team mates if it’s Softball yet?? 5. You know everyone on the team before the seasons even started. 4. You don’t care if you have late or early practice. You just want to practice. 3. You’ve been thinking about what cheer you want to use at your first game. 2. You get excited when its 36º. 1. Softball is the only thing you talk about the week before the season starts.

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By: Jack Martin On February 27, 2010, at 3:34 local time Chilean lives changed; an earthquake hit Chile. Lasting three minutes, and reaching a magnitude of eight point eight on the Moment Magnitude scale, it demolished Chile. The epicenter of the quake was off the coast of the Maule region of Chile. Hitting hardest in Talcahuano, Arauca, Lota, Chiquayante, Canete and San Antonio it was classified as destructive on the Mercalli intensity scale. The quake was also felt in the nation’s capitol Santiago, and was classified as very strong. Following the quake an after shock of six point two was recorded 20 minutes after, and two more of five point four and five point six followed. By March first, more than 100 aftershocks were registered including eight above six point zero on the Moment Magnitude scale. A tsunami warning was also issued and a tsunami of two point six meters was recorded due to the earthquake which hit Chilean shores; causing more damage. Because of the earthquake 723 people have been confirmed dead, and the number grows as they are able to search through the ruins. Seismologists estimate that the 2010 Chile earthquake was so powerful it has shortened the length of the day by one point twenty-six microseconds, and moved he earth’s axis of rotation by tree inches. This is not the first powerful earthquake to hit Chile. In 1960, the Great Chilean Earthquake occurred; the most powerful earthquake in the planet’s history. Hitting nine point five on the moment magnitude scale, it affected the entire southern pacific. It caused landslides, a tsunami of 82, a flood of Lake Rinihuazo, forced the volcano Cordon Caulle to erupt, and took 5700 lives. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why Chile is prone to earthquakes. The previous earthquakes mentioned were a result of a release of mechanical stress between the subducting Nazca Plate and the South American Plate. Subduction zones are known to produce the strongest earthquakes, because they allow the most stress, and pressure to build up; before energy is released.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Chile_earthquake http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Valdivia_earthquake

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They are under pressure to cover material: They think that it is insane how many things you need to cover within a whole year. It’s getting worse due to the new subjects, new standards- the amount of materials keeps increasing, and the school days stay the same so in that case we have to send homework home so they can understand it for when we have a quiz or even a test, and we hope that the students somehow learn and get it done. They must raise test scores: Politicians and administrators want the test scores to be higher. They believe the higher the test scores are the smarter the students will be, and happier voters and parents. We have 2 more problems one more material and information equals more homework, for 2 if students scores do improve, the test made more difficult and then the whole vicious cycle start again. What teachers at the Worthington High School Mrs. Martin: She generally doesn’t give homework; she likes to do hands on things. She thinks it’s good so the students can learn the material. She had also commented she thinks students need to learn how to prioritize there time so they can get their homework done. Mrs. Rowe: If it is useful to teach them it’s ok. But if it’s a just because assignments it’s not worth it cause then the teachers has to worry about if the students got it done, then correcting it and everything else. She gives very little to her German class, and essay type of assignments in English/Writing more than the German class but not every night. Mrs.Brunk: She thinks it gives the students time to practice what they were taught in class. She gives homework but also she gives them time to work on it during class so if they have any questions on the homework she can help them. She has commented kids need to take their work more seriously because that what prepares them for test, graduation, and life after high school. Sra Rolfes: Prepares to enforce what students are learning in the class room. Advanced classes she does not give that much homework, in the younger classes she gives more because they are just now learning the material.

It has been very cold this winter. Coons have been hiding out in groves river bottoms or in old hog barns up in the rafters, or old barns, or even old corn cribs. I went out last Friday and we only got one, and then I went out last Saturday with our dogs Rosie and Diesel, Diesel is the newest dog he is a Blue Tick. There was a full moon and the coons were moving, we got seven that night. We were using a 22 magnum and a 22 semiautomatic. There were a few little boars and we ended up getting two twenty five pound coons, one was the sow and the other was the boar. A boar is a male coon, and a sow is a female coon. We turn our hides into a guy down in Elkton Minnesota, and he buys our coon hides from us and we went down there and we got 76 dollars for our hides, the guys takes all sorts of hides, coon, bear, cow, fox, coyote. Elkton is a little ways to drive but I think that if you have enough hides then you will get your money’s worth. But last Sunday was the last day of coon season. So next year we will have to get a new dog trained in for this upcoming season.

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To whoever may read this, Do not be troubled reader; there was not yet another death. A few days after the incident the police confirmed the blood to be that of Ralph. Nevertheless, the school shook again with fear of the killer. Rumors spouted everywhere; the killer was a vampire, the killer was a werewolf, the killer was a teacher, the killer was an ex-student looking for revenge. Everything from psychopaths to ghosts was debated openly in the halls and quietly in the classrooms. After the Library was vandalized Alexandria began to slack in her studies. Some in the school saw this as her being lazy and not wanting to find the information on her own. Others, like Tyler, knew of her past and put it together with the recent events. You see, even though she was wealthy, she did not have and easy childhood. Her father was a cold and harsh man that never understood the love that a child needed. The only one who would actually take care of her was her mother, however short a time that she did. It happened on Alexandria’s sixth birthday, her family was visiting their villa near Rome and her mother promised a big surprise for her when she got there. The chauffer had let her out of the Roll Royce and she bounded up the steps, eager to see what her mother had for her. As she reached the front door, she found it strange that no one was there to greet her, nevertheless, she continued into the house. “Mother?” Alexandria called out into the quiet of the home. “Mother, I’m home now,” The six-year-old looked through various rooms on the Main Floor: Kitchen, Dining Room, Study, Office, Laundry Room. She found no one. Slowly now she walked up the stairs and turned her head back as she smelled the tangy scent of copper. Following the smell she found that it led to the library. The door was heavy and took much effort to open. The sight that met her young eyes was just as similar to that of when she would find her best friend. She ran to her mother’s fallen body and grabbed her mother’s shirt. “Mom?” She whispered hopefully, but her mother didn’t answer. The only reply that she received was that of a dark red liquid staining her hands… Be Careful

To whoever may read this, The chauffer found her holding her mother, Sandra’s, body, screaming for her mother to open her eyes. He pulled her away, picked her off the ground and into his arms before making his way downstairs to a phone. The first call was to her father, the second to the police. Alexandria’s father, John, did not wish to be bothered with what had happened and said that he would be there in a few days, at the end of the conversation he asked to talk to Alexandria and when her small voice entered the phone he said. “What are you doing? Grow up. Death is a part of life,” The chauffer brought Alexandria to the hospital so they could check to see if anything had happened to her. At the hospital the nurses washed the blood off of her body and gave her a clean dress to wear, they had heard what happened and their maternal instincts kicked in. The doctors deemed her healthy and let the chauffer take her to a nearby hotel, seeing as ‘home’ was no longer an option. Throughout her years growing up, and especially now with the killings, she reminisced on every detail that she saw, hoping that perhaps this time she will see something that would lead to the killer. Nothing ever stood out though. The school officials noticed Alexandria’s lack of focus, or rather, her new focus on Tyler; always by his side, and always hanging from it. Her skirt was pulled high so that it showed eight inches of her thigh, and her blouse unbuttoned almost to the bottom of her bra. Said officials decided that it was time to bring someone in to talk to her. Her father. Be Careful

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