By Makayla Braaten Have you ever been driving and notice a painting on the side of a building? Would you consider that art or vandalism? Graffiti is writing or drawings on a wall or other surface, usually as a form of an artistic expression, without permission and within public view. Furthermore, where is the line between art and vandalism? Ironically, if you look up … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: School hours
By Alison Freese School in today’s society just takes up too much of a student’s day, let alone their childhood. From eight in the morning to three in the afternoon, we are forced to sit in our desks and learn things that are supposed to help us in life. By shortening a very long, tiring school day by two hours, this would give students more time for sleep, and other … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: Political pressure
Ah, it’s that time of the year again where the air turns cold, snow is just starting to fall, and the sweet smell of politics linger in the air. We all love the time of the year where the bickering and slander between politicians are just ringing in our ears. I remember sitting on my deck in the middle of the summer thinking to myself, “Man, I can’t wait for election season to … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: What is killing our monarch butterflies?
By Bethany Schneekloth It was the middle of summer and the milkweed plants outside of the house were covered with monarch caterpillars, but upon closer inspection with my dad and younger siblings, we began to notice that there weren’t many chrysalises around the area and the ones that we did see were odd. We decided to start bringing them inside like we do most years. We … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: My day of art
By Zara Wilkemeyer The air had been crisp and cool on the ninth of October. Neither too warm, nor too cold. It had been quite a day to be outside in the warming sun. I had gone on a field trip that day, to the Walker Art Center and the Minnesota Institute of Art in Minneapolis, with my art teacher as our guide. We had left the school at 8 a.m. and didn’t arrive in … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: The first Americans
By Leah Himlie It’s a bit early for Thanksgiving, isn’t it? Why am I writing about the first Americans? The answer is that in our Eurocentric culture, we often forget about those who were living on this continent long before Europeans showed up: Native Americans. October 14 was Columbus Day, but more and more people are rechristening it Indigenous People’s Day in honor of … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: When you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see?
By Pailey Gordon I am going to ask you to do something that may seem a little crazy, but hear me out. I want you to get up from wherever you are reading this and go to the closest mirror you have. I want you to look in the mirror for at least a minute, tell yourself out loud all the things you love about yourself. If you catch yourself thinking about something negative just … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: Paintings of the sky
By Katrina Bergey Auroras are natural, vibrant lights that appear in the sky. Recently, you were able to view the northern lights in Minnesota; therefore, I found it fitting to give a little background of the lights. There are northern lights known as Aurora Borealis and southern lights known as Aurora Australis that many people find captivating. These lights have an … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: One single smile
By Maddie Smith “Life is short; smile while you still have teeth.” This is something we have heard, but do we really follow this wise advice? The first facial pattern humans exhibit as infants, smiling, is the universal expression of happiness. Not only does showcasing your grin make you feel good, but it brings light to others’ days. Even though we don’t typically … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: Class trip reflection
By Anna Erickson If you’re lucky enough to attend a school that offers a class trip, it is definitely something you should go on. I recently returned from my own senior class tour of Washington, DC. Spanning 10 days, Mabel-Canton has one of the longest tours in the area. This is an amazing opportunity and you’ll create memories that will last a lifetime. We kicked off the … [Read more...]