Michael Jordan meant more to basketball than six rings.

Had someone like Shaquille O'Neal won those titles, it wouldn't have had the same impact. MJ was a global phenomenon because he won them with confidence and style. 

Basketball had long been a big man's game. This was even true in Jordan's era. During the 1994-95 season that MJ missed, the top five players in the league were all frontcourt players (David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone). 

Jordan and Scottie Pippen were different to a league that was focused on pounding down low, and the fans loved them for it. 

Jordan accomplished this with superior athleticism, but also superior technique. He would often toy with his opponents, using his pivot foot like a confident swordsman. His planted foot was attached to the floor, making it easier for him to explode away from his defender at just the right moment.

 Jordan will be remembered as the man who could fly, but dunking was not his signature. No, MJ was a layup artist of the highest, someone who could turn hang time into dazzling 360-degree floaters through traffic. 

 His style extended beyond the court as he became an international icon. He was so influential that his mark remained as strong today as it ever did. According to Forbes, Michael Jordan is still earning $60 million annually off his shoe sales.

Back in the '80s and early '90s, Nike "Air Jordan" shoe line jumped into an unknown level for a sports brand. Spike Lee directed Jordan's Nike commercials using the "It's gotta be the shoes" slogan, and the spots became era-defining.

 Jordan played before Internet over analysis, but retiring in 1993 to play baseball shocked the nation. Not only was the move bold, but it was illustrative of how much Jordan had dominated the game prior to retirement. 

After three consecutive MVPs and titles (and an Olympic gold medal), Jordan could plausibly have been bored with the sport he'd conquered. There was simply nobody better, and there was no realistic challenger to Chicago's throne. 

His time away from the game created something that had long been lacking in regard to MJ since Chicago's first championship in 1991: doubt. When Jordan returned in 1995, there was widespread doubt over whether he could ever be what he once was.

That doubt was initially proved when Chicago lost in the 1995 playoffs to the Orlando Magic. It was just the perfect setup for the Bulls, aided by the addition of Dennis Rodman, to next reel off a historic 72-win season and three more titles. 

In his second act, Michael Jordan gave us the Madison Garden "double nickel" 55-point explosion. He also gave us "the flu game" and his championship-sealing shot over Byron Russell and the Jazz. That shot was supposed to be the punctuation mark.

It wasn't, because Jordan later returned to play with the Washington Wizards in 2001. Some bemoan this move, but he still averaged over 20 points per game in his final two seasons.

At age 50, Michael Jordan is remembered as basketball's greatest player ever. He's the man who represented a cultural shift from the '80s to the '90s.

 While being over there i’ve seen my own cousins playing in the dirt and rocks and here my cousins having tablets and Ipods. To be honest my cousins in Mexico seem a lot more happy and content. It’s crazy to see how happy a human being can be with so little or what i grew up thinking is so little but to them it’s normal and just a way of life. 

 They can eat the same thing for three days and still be happy they ate something and everyone  is home for dinner that night. We Americans really take advantage of that, it’s so selfish and greedy of us that we use the same amount of resources has 6 Mexicans and they still are some of the happiest people i know. I learned how much of my amazing and and expensive life i take for granted, and I have it pretty damn good compared to a lot of others. 

Before this hate crime was committed on King, people did not believe that our own police would brutally beat an African American for no reason other than the color of his skin. There were no proof and in court, if the victim would take the officers to court, the officers could simply just say “the suspect was resisting arrest”. When the video of King getting beat by four officers got out to the public, there was a massive outrage. People did not feel safe anymore. Finally, there was proof that Police brutality against African American was in fact truly happening out there. The media loved this, the same headline in every newspaper, “Policemen Beat African American”. Because of this, in court, two policemen were convicted and King got a $3.8 Million Dollar Settlement.

How did the Rodney King Article/Video change society?  Because of this, organizations started to form. Black Lives Matter was, of course, influenced because of King’s story. Also because this man recorded, people will now start recording when they see something that does not seem right, and not just for African Americans, but for everything that seems off. Because of this hate crime and much more that were going to happen over the years, some cities have their policemen wear a camera on their chests that records at all times. If this video was not broadcasted live around the world on news channels, police brutality would have never become and issue until it was too late and many lives would have already been lost. Now reporters will always be looking for videos, police brutality stories, to get the word out that we as the world can not let this happen to hardworking Americans who have done nothing wrong, and with all these stories now in the present about police brutality, there are riots and organizations working hard to not let this happen anymore.

In the experiment, 399 of the poorest African American men with syphilis in Alabama were chosen as test subjects for this clinical study. The catch was that these men were not told that they were being treated for syphilis, but rather, for a non-existent illness called “bad blood”. Even when penicillin was developed as a treatment for syphilis, none of the men in the experiment were treated with it. 

The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment did not begin experiencing dissent until 1965, when a young doctor wrote a letter complaining about the ethics and morality of the experiment. The letter was promptly ignored. After further concerns about the experiment were voiced, a story was eventually leaked on to newspapers in 1972. This lead the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to discontinue the experiment. 

By the time the experiment was over, most of the men in the experiment originally had died while some of the wives and children had contracted syphilis. Due to journalists and other citizens voicing their dissent on the matter, the ethics and morality of this study pushed the United States government to implement regulations in biomedical experiments. For instance, any person who desires to be included in an experiment must consent and be fully aware of the what the experiment entails. 

Although journalists and doctors played an important role in bringing to light the injustice of the experiment, racism and the racist implications associated with this study were also revealed. Not only did the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment bring about reform in the medicinal world, but it also made many realize that a post-racial society is far from the truth.

Should athletes be exempt from taking a gym class? Many already students have to wait a year just to be put in the class so, “If you’re an athlete and the class doesn’t even fit in your schedule, I don’t see why it should be required.” said Kate Rockwell(9). If you can’t be put in the class you  should atleast be getting the gym credit. Phy Ed itself can be tiring, so when you have practice right after school you won’t have as much energy as you could’ve had. As Melissa Hosch(10) says, “Having to take a Gym class is a major waste of my time because instead of having the gym class I could be taking another core class,”  is also another reason why varsity athletes should be exempt from taking a gym class. 

Looking at this from another view can seem unfair, but that’s why only students that play varsity for a sport every season should be exempt. The whole idea of students being exempt from Phy Ed can still work, because instead of taking the actual class they could take an online gym class to learn the same things as the other students. Taking the class and then being graded on how well you can play is unfair, because as Sam Alexon(10) says, “ Learning how to play floor hockey won’t help me in gymnastics, so why should I be forced to learn it and why should I be graded on how well I can play,” Taking the online class you’d still be able to learn about the functions of muscles, and etc. 

“Athletes during season should definitely be exempt from taking a gym class, because it puts too much pressure on their young bodies,” Coach Brasil(basketball coach)  said. “Some student would like to have a physical ed class during the day, because if you had four classes that were all core classes it can be a pretty long day. So I think most people would like being able to break up the day by having a gym class.” Mr. Sagdalen, the activities director, said. If students were to have the choice of opting out of gym or taking it that would be perfect. 

“When you sign up for a sport you’re taking on an extra activity that shouldn’t affect your school work,” Mr. Sands, a tennis coach says. Even though being in a sport is an extra curriculum, you do exert a lot of physical energy.  “Athletes work hard, but there are always people who slack off,” said Jessenia Yupangui(10). Athletes all work very hard, but there are always people that want more, or don’t want to do any work, so that’s why taking a gym class should be optional for athletes. 

Should athletes be exempt from taking a gym class? Many already students have to wait a year just to be put in the class so, “If you’re an athlete and the class doesn’t even fit in your schedule, I don’t see why it should be required.” said Kate Rockwell(9). If you can’t be put in the class you  should atleast be getting the gym credit. Phy Ed itself can be tiring, so when you have practice right after school you won’t have as much energy as you could’ve had. As Melissa Hosch(10) says, “Having to take a Gym class is a major waste of my time because instead of having the gym class I could be taking another core class,”  is also another reason why varsity athletes should be exempt from taking a gym class. 

Looking at this from another view can seem unfair, but that’s why only students that play varsity for a sport every season should be exempt. The whole idea of students being exempt from Phy Ed can still work, because instead of taking the actual class they could take an online gym class to learn the same things as the other students. Taking the class and then being graded on how well you can play is unfair, because as Sam Alexon(10) says, “ Learning how to play floor hockey won’t help me in gymnastics, so why should I be forced to learn it and why should I be graded on how well I can play,” Taking the online class you’d still be able to learn about the functions of muscles, and etc. 

“Athletes during season should definitely be exempt from taking a gym class, because it puts too much pressure on their young bodies,” Coach Brasil(basketball coach)  said. “Some student would like to have a physical ed class during the day, because if you had four classes that were all core classes it can be a pretty long day. So I think most people would like being able to break up the day by having a gym class.” Mr. Sagdalen, the activities director, said. If students were to have the choice of opting out of gym or taking it that would be perfect. 

“When you sign up for a sport you’re taking on an extra activity that shouldn’t affect your school work,” Mr. Sands, a tennis coach says. Even though being in a sport is an extra curriculum, you do exert a lot of physical energy.  “Athletes work hard, but there are always people who slack off,” said Jessenia Yupangui(10). Athletes all work very hard, but there are always people that want more, or don’t want to do any work, so that’s why taking a gym class should be optional for athletes. 

Trayvon martin, who was shot and killed by George zimmerman a neighborhood watch volunteer. Michael Brown was shot to death by a white ferguson police officer, which sparked back up the “Black lives Matter Movement’’.

The United states police killed at least 258 african american people in 2016. Four of them were killed by the police stun guns, nine died in police custody, thirty nine of these people were unarmed and still some how ended up dead in the hands of white police.

This problem hit home this summer in our very own community. Philando Castile, a St.Paul resident, was gunned down in Falcon Heights by a St. Anthony police officer. During a traffic stop, Castile told the police officer he legally had a handgun on his person. The police officer became nervous and shot Castile. This outraged many people in the general public. There were demonstrations throughout the country after this incident.    

Black History Month, also known as African-American history month is an annual observance in the United states,United Kingdom and Canada for the remembrance of important people and events in the history of African diaspora.

     February 2017, Black History Month. Although it's almost over this should have been a month for the African American community to come together as we have have lots tons of family, friends and loved ones. Instead The teachers don't talk about it in school now and days. Students need to know about what has gone on with African-Americans in the past and in the present.

Martin luther King was trying to get people to see that white and black people were truly equal. Malcolm X fought for black power. Together these two African-American Men were sending a message,they changed the world with their speeches,their strength to never give up in what they believed in. They were both assassinated because of what they believed in. They died for their beliefs, they fought and they fought hard. 

In 1969 Seymour Hersh exposed the cover up of the My Lai massacre. Where U.S. Army 1st  Lt. William L. Calley deliberately murdered at least 200-500 vietnamese civilians while they ran from their huts. The original investigation conducted in April, 1968 concluded that no massacre had happened and that no further action was needed. After getting a tip Seymour Hersh just couldn't let this drop. 

Hersh talks to William Calley’s and then later finds his lawyer and talks to him also. Talking to them both was all he needed to finish his story. He then wrote the story on his way back to Washington. After many magazines shut down Hersh’s story he had no choice but to sell to a dispatch news service. After the story got very popular and got a lot of attention, 14 army soldiers were charged with crimes but they were all later dismissed because of lack of evidence. But Calley got charged with Murdering 22 civilians. Unfortunately, his sentence was later reduced and he walked free in 1974. 

Lastly, the My Lai massacre did have a big affect on people because this showed how much they couldn't trust the government, If they would cover up something as horrible as this what else are they covering up? This also Influenced people's opinion on whether the U.S should leave Vietnam or not, and many said no after finding out about this horrific incident. 

   

The terrorist attack in Paris took place at a rock concert where four gunman, armed with bombs, shot and killed 87 people, ultimately killing themselves as well. About 40 others were killed in surrounding areas also from suicide bombings. Throughout the following months more publicity was brought to other attacks like these such as in Breitscheidplatz in Germany, and in a train station in Great Britain. 

This story has been written by many different journalists, published by many different newspapers, in many different countries. The reason that this article has affected the world so drastically is not because it was only reported by a few people, but because everyone knows about it. It is something everyone can talk about, whether someone is from Spain, France, or the United States of America. These terrorist attacks have been a reality check that has showed the people of the world that terrorist groups like ISIS (ISIL) can do a lot more than we realized. And it forces us to ask, who could be next?

    In Ecuador injustice is never justified, Authority takes advantage of power, and everyone fights for themselves. Until one man lead and changed the life of the country. Rafael Correa has an amazing story from childhood to president. His leadership and heart changed the way Ecuadorians live, creating a safer country and brighter future. 

    Most families in Ecuador are poor which means many children work, selling goods. Adults ask for money in the streets or will find jobs that are willing to pay them. Rafael Correa was raised by her mother and had 2 siblings. The father was arrested for bringing in illegal narcotics into the U.S. but Rafael understands why he did it, to desperately feed their family. A family friend was able to pay for his education sending him to an elite school, with Rafael excelling in his academics it brought him an opportunity to go to Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil. He then was able to attend the University of Illinois and earned his PhD in economics.

    Rafael Correa is very educated man, He became a finance minister and got to meet other presidents from other countries. Quickly learning how politics work, he started to gain more experience and became president in 2007. He was able to help during the banking crisis of Ecuador but was against the change from sucre currency to U.S. dollars. He created more opportunities and programs for poor children to attend school and create their own future. Also, started up new laws for a safer country and rewrote Ecuador's constitution in 2008. President Correa was re-elected for second and third term. Currently running for the fourth term.

    My recent trip to Ecuador, president Correa gave a speech in Cuenca where my family and I stayed. I attended his speech and it became clear how hard he worked to keep this country running and why he took an important role. Many talk about the flaws he had and the mistakes he created but he still made great movements for Ecuador, pushing them further to a greater country. Rafael Correa is one of the best presidents the country has ever had, making good changes not only for Ecuador but all over the world.  

BY:Patrick Baumgardner 

Note: The Bowling Green                 Massacre is not a
real event,  this article is fabricated.

A massacre that shook the nation, untold until Kellyanne Conway, US counselor to the President, exposed it to the public. In her latest interview with Chris Matthews on MSNBC's “Hardball,” she explained that in 2011, two Iraqis were “masterminds behind the Bowling Green Massacre.” The FBI has verified and confirmed that the two men “admitted using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against U.S. soldiers in Iraq and … attempted to send weapons and money to al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) for the purpose of killing U.S. soldiers.” Conway follows up on this information by stating these terroristic attacks were one of the reasons for Trump’s executive order that temporarily suspended immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.

 She also talks about former President Barack Obama’s role in this order. “I bet it’s brand new information to people that the had a six-month ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized and were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre,” she said. “Most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered.” Kellyanne goes on to add that President Obama was the first to establish the countries the executive order would take place in.

The real question is, why did the media not report on this incident? It was a large attack on our country and yet, even those in Bowling Green acted as if the massacre never took place. The effects the media have on the public are shown to be large enough to cover up a mass murder and make the people of America believe that such an event could never happen. The media instead focused on being extremely critical of President Trump and it was Kellyanne Conway that had to be the one to set the record straight. It was she that was needed to uncover the truth to America. Those in the media who report fake news are the largest enemy to the American people. And this must come to an end so we do not have another Bowling Green Massacre.  

By Yula Tsering

Warmer weather is making its appearance and spring athletes anxiously wait to begin their final sport of the year. 

Baseball

Coach: Dan Shuck

1st Home Game: April 13

The boys are looking forward to hitting the field.

“Last season was really fun, because we all got along. We’re all friends, so we click,” Bobby Hosch (12) said,

Dontae Hayley decided to give baseball a try his senior year. He has been taking advantage of off-season practices.

“I’ve been going to captain’s practices, so I think I will be prepared for the season,” he said. Baseball officially started on March 20.

Tennis

Coach: Ya Yang, Luke Sands

Capains: Eli Yilma, Peter Heryela

1st Home Meet: April 18

After making it the state competition last year, the tennis team is ready for more challenging competition.

“We gained more credibility by playing at state,” captain Eli Yilma (11) said. Heights used to only play schools like Breck, Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Totino Grace in the playoffs, but now they are part of the regular season. After losing a large number of seniors last year, the team faces a rebuilding phase.

“Losing seniors is hard, but most of us play club tennis in the winter. I feel like we’ll be prepared to start the season,” Yilma said. The boys are hoping to return to state this year, but mostly they want to enjoy the game. 

“I’m looking forward to having fun with my teammates,” captain Peter Heryela (9) said.

Tennis began on March 13.

Lacrosse

Coach: Brian Born

Captains:

1st Home Game: April 12

After winning their first game last year, the lacrosse team hopes to surpass that number of victories this spring. Even though the girls lost 11 seniors to graduation, they remain optimistic about this new start.

“I’m excited to see all of the new people learn to do things like leading passes and positions,” Melissa Hosch (10) said. The team has made it their goal to beat the school record for the number of goals shot in the season. Lacrosse players face challenges when they attempt to practice in the off-season. Without access to an indoor field, the girls must be creative. 

“I do other sports during the off-season to keep active so practice isn’t as hard,” Hosch said. Winter sports and gym memberships are the most common ways female athletes stay in shape. Lacrosse begin on April 3.

Softball

Coach: Terry Olson, Becca Miller

Captains: Jade Luttrell, Sarah Salchow, Adrienne Samuels

1st Home Game: April 3

A goal of the softball team in 2017 is to come together as a community.

“Last year, we struggled to bond as a team, we all just wanted to improve individually,” Kira Greenfield (11) said. “This year, we figured out that we need to work together as a cohesive unit to improve,”

They also know they need leadership.

“I have faith that our captains this year will be able to draw the team together,” Kamryn Green (11) said. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know my teammates,”

The team had a successful season last year with highlights including beating Fridley and regaining ownership and bragging rights to Highway 65.

Softball resumed to action on March 13.

Track and Field

Coaches: Zach Johnson, Stephanie Alvarez, Michael Howe, Russell Gary

Captains: Manyi Ayuk, Sami Krause, Keon Lewis

1st Home Meet: April 11

Track and Field had to start the season by saying farewell to a well-loved coach. Casey Baustian lead the team  for three years before leaving due to complications with the job and her daytime occupation.

“It’s tough to be starting without Coach Casey. She’s been my coach my entire career,” captain Keon Lewis (11) said. Fortunately, all of last year’s coaches will be returning to serve the track stars this season. As the school district’s largest athletic team, averaging 106 members every year, prepares for the change, the captains are setting their goals for the upcoming season. 

“I hope even more people join and develop interest in the sport,” Lewis said. “I’d also like to get All-Conference again and go to state.” Track and Field jumped back into play on March 13.

Synchronized Swimming

Coach: Lindsey Kamp

Captain: Sam Alexon

1st Home Meet: March 30

The Synchronized Swimming team has always been on the smaller side, but this does not deter these determined athletes. Many are underclassmen and middle schoolers, so the team’s future looks promising.

“I’m looking forward to not having to walk up the hill this year,” Hannah Thalbuer (9) said. “I anticipate the whole team improving as a whole.” Alumna Shakila Hoke (2016) made it to the solo state competition last year, and the synchro swimmers hope to qualify in numerous events this May. Synchro began on March 20.