By Jensen Krosch Standardized tests are widespread in the United States, nearly every day students are required to take an exam to measure their intelligence. Although, what is the point of standardized tests? Most tests focus on the more logical end of people’s minds, completely ruling out critical thinking, creative solutions, and other knowledge. In the real world, most … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project Why it’s time to drop the hat rule
By Ellie Halverson The hat rule. It’s a rule in the dress code implemented in almost all public schools in America. The rule explains that a student cannot wear a hat on school grounds during school hours, but why? What could be so bad about a student wearing a hat? A few teachers from Spring Grove Public Schools participated in an interview, giving their answers to this … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project How the arts help student achievement
By Grace Torgerson When a school has budget cuts, often it is the arts that are the first activities to be cut. But why? The arts activities are often the ones that are most beneficial to high school students. Arts teach teamwork and cooperation, as well as many more specific skills, like playing an instrument or painting. When a student is involved in the arts there is a … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project Theater superstitions
By Claire Solberg For many centuries people have enjoyed the art of the theater. In fact, the history of theater can be traced back to the 6th century B.C. where ancient Greeks were the first to enjoy a good show. Nowadays people can see theater almost anywhere they go, ranging from a small community theater production of “Annie” to a huge Broadway production of “Wicked.” … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project Don’t sleep on recycling
By Maggie Lile As many of us know, climate change and environmental protection are both headlining issues of today. Landfills, a tool originally put in place to combat pollution put into our environment, have actually resulted in some pretty negative side effects; harmful gas is released into our atmosphere, as well as natural habitats are often destroyed in order to put … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project The true cost of inflation
By Nicholas Weist Inflation is a complex problem the leaders of the United States are ignoring. This is primarily caused by the United States Congress not needing to balance its books, while the rest of the United States must balance its books. Now, Inflation is not an easy problem to solve, as the United States has been struggling with it since its founding, but the … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project The advancement of AI
By Ezra Griffin The field of artificial intelligence (AI) began with the idea that machines could be designed to mimic human intelligence and perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation. The history of AI can be traced back to the 1950s, when researchers first began to … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project A guide to better conversation
By Kyra Arndt Talking to people – mankind has long been infected by this plague. A more recent plague has disrupted this pattern, and in our days of recovery, many find it hard to fall back into comfortable exchanges. However, instead of being discouraged and anxious in regards to this situation, I suggest we use these circumstances to reinvent what conversation can be. Gone … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project Benefits of birding
By Haley Ellingson When you’re looking to improve your emotional well-being, you might see a lot of sources telling you that being outside, staying active, and being mindful can all be beneficial. But what activities could help you do all of these simultaneously? One easy and inexpensive way is bird watching. Bird watching, also known as birding, is the act of observing birds … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project It doesn’t make any “cents”
By Ben Udstuen Whenever you walk down the street and you find a penny on the ground, you wonder if picking it up or not is worth it. In 2021 when a penny was manufactured, it cost $2.10 to create. That means every penny that is created and sent into circulation loses the U.S. Mint money. When a paper bill is produced the price ranges from 7.5 – 17 cents per print. It is … [Read more...]










