The Kindness Retreat began with a few icebreaking games to get the youth energized and excited for the intense day ahead of them. Volunteers as well as fifth graders competed to see who the best thumb wrestler was, who the most cheerful greeter was, and who could follow the directions the best. However, while cooling off, the students split into the first of three small group discussions of the day, where the students had the opportunity to talk about topics involving kindness. These groups, led by high school volunteers, allowed all fifth grade students to have a chance to speak about what they felt were significant unkind issues in their school. The first group session discussed what types of bullying happen at Armstrong Elementary. The most common answers between the twelve groups were gossip, physical bullying, and name-calling.

              After the first small group session, the youth regrouped into a large assemblage to sing some songs together about kindness, such as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and “Lean On Me”, which both emphasized the power of teamwork.

             “I liked when we all sat on the floor and sang songs like ‘Lean on Me’,” Park junior Paige Carter grins, “It was really cute.”

            Also, the fifth graders got the chance to hear the Youth Frontier Leaders, Seniz and Sam, talk about some of their experiences with bullies in elementary school. Both of the stories finished with an effective way to stop a bully, which led to the second small group discussion.

          During the second small group session, the fifth graders compiled a list of all the ways to stop a bully from causing harm to an innocent victim. The most prevalent answers were to tell a trusted adult, walk away, or tell the bully to stop. With the answers collected, Seniz and Sam led a game of “Survey Says”, in which students played a Family Feud style game to guess the ten most popular responses.

           The third and final group session asked the students to think about ways they each could spread kindness in their daily lives. By this time of the afternoon, the youth were well enlightened and were able to say their answers much quicker than before ultimately composing a list that consisted of; help classmates with homework, include someone left out, and give compliments to your peers or teachers.

         The final, and most solemn activity of the day was titled the Kindness Boomerang, and was a slip of paper in which each student would write areas in their lives in which they wish to be more kind. Students were allowed to share their answers in front of the entire group, which included apologies for past unkind actions.

           “The saddest apology was that boy who apologized for being so annoying to everyone,” stated one anonymous volunteer, “I just wanted to give the boy a hug.”

            Overall, it appeared as if the fifth graders benefited from the day dedicated to kindness and appeared eager to utilize their newfound knowledge in the classroom.

           “The kids definitely got stuff out of it and were really into the day,” Carter assures “I would totally come again next year!”

Photo by: Samantha Hartfiel

            After a brief synopsis of the rules and regulations for the tournament, the games began. The tournament ran quickly because there were two Wii consoles set up, one in Frau Tol’s room and the other in Ms. Barrett’s class. The relaxed environment allowed students to come and go based on their personal schedules and games were open to anyone interested. German club members cheered their teammates on as they swung, punched, and putted their way to overall victory. Other club spectators also encouraged their teammates, including French teacher Ms. Paleen, who screamed and coached her students in the spirit of friendly competition.

            After an hour and a half of intense video gaming, the results were in. German club won for the second year with a total of 14.5 points after winning Boxing, Tennis, and tying with the French in Golf. The French club came in a close second with 10.5 points, winning Bowling, and tying with the Germans in Golf. Spanish Club ended in third with 9 points, and American Sign Language finished last with 6 points.

            The ultimate goal of the day was definitely reached since about forty students came to the tournament to either play or watch the afternoon of fun, bringing the languages together.

            “It was awesome,” grinned freshman April Molohon, “It was nice to see some of my friends from other language classes able to play together for a meeting.”

Photo By:Samantha Hartfiel

Orders can be left in the front office: Attention Bob Bergan

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Checks can be made out to Park High School. Payment can be given to Mr. Bergan in room 167 or put in an envelope and placed in his mailbox.

Name _____________________________ Address ______________ Phone number _____________

______ Yes I would like item before Christmas vacation. Can get them to you only if ordered this week.

______ Anytime this term is fine.

Thank You

Manufacturing and Engineering Class

“No More T.V for you!” That used to be the worst punishment for us when we were younger. As we got older though,  it seems to have changed to different electronics getting taken away.

Taking away a cell phone from a teen is a tragedy now a days. It is one of the most unwanted punishments a teenager wants to receive. Parents seem to think it is an effective way to punish their kids.

“Taking away their cell phones cause them a lot more pain, “said Lori Kahn, a mother of two teens, “When I take away their cell phones, they seem to try to be on their best behavior to get it back quicker.”

“I would rather be grounded from the television, ’said Chelsey Posz, a sophomore. “It sucks big time when I get my cell phone taken away.”

Cell phones are not the only electronics that teens seem to be addicted to these days; computers are another big one. Whether teens use it for Myspace, Facebook, YouTube or any other website out there, they all would probably suffer if their Internet privileges were taken away.

“I love my computer,” stated Miranda Schmidt, a Freshman at North High school. “Getting it taken away from me would be terrible. I use it for everything!”

Hearing “No More T.V for you!” wouldn’t effect some teens out there, while hearing “Give me your Cell phone!” or “You’re not allowed on the computer!” would definently effect many teenagers who depend on their new and improved electronics to sustain their social lives, make connections and get through their day.

Ahh, the open road. Every window in the car is rolled down and the stereo is blasted to whatever radio station playing at the moment. It’s one of those freeing moments in life, with no parents nagging on your every move.

Have you ever wanted to go on a road trip with your friends? It’s a chance to get away from your home and live a little before school starts up again in the fall. All you need is you, a car, and a full tank of gas. There are other necessities but aren’t there always?

One necessity for a road trip is someone to enjoy it with. Sure, you could bring along only one friend but more than one would make it more interesting. Everyone has that one friend who is crazy and wild; maybe all of your friends are like that. It’s always nice to have someone to share the memories with, or just have them along as witnesses to all of the crazy stuff you might do.

Another necessity is money. With the gas prices constantly going up, you are going to need it. Also, it probably wouldn’t hurt to have enough to get a nice hotel room. True, there are some good roadside hotels but you won’t always have such luck. Besides, you’ll need to buy some sweet souvenirs to remember the trip by.

Cameras are the third necessity on a road trip. Thanks to digital cameras, you can just go out and by a big enough card to hold hundreds of pictures, instead of buying rolls of film. If you’re an old fashioned sort of person, be my guest and bring along a normal camera or buy a bunch of disposable cameras. Another entertaining item that goes well with the camera is a camcorder. Video tape your trip and show the film (not the embarrassing moments, of course) to those who didn’t come with you.

One last necessity that needs to be mentioned is a map. Maybe your theory is to just hit the road and see where it takes you, but a map is always helpful no matter what. Don’t always rely on you sense of direction and let the map help you out. Also, not everything is advertised with signs. Living in the Twin Cities area, you know where all the good spots are. The only way to find places like those are to let a map guide you.

That’s all of the advice I have for you. I should say to stay away from any substances that could be harmful to your body, but I think you’ve heard that enough times. Just remember, don’t do anything stupid.

By Frannie Sprouls