Eagan IndependentVolume 8, Issue 3 Eagan High School | 4185 Braddock Trail | Eagan, MN 55123 December 14, 2012

New standards spell changes for English requirementsTwo new required classes ensure all students meet benchmarks, restrict offerings of popular classes

By Alanna ThelenNews editor

The English department has made changes to its curricu-lum that will go into effect starting in the 2013-14 school year. These changes include required 11th grade English courses for students not in AP and a rotating schedule of electives. In the past, 11th and 12th graders at EHS were given the option to pick from a list of electives for their junior and senior year English courses. Starting next year, juniors will be obligated to take two required English courses, English 11: Voices and English 11: Journeys. For their third trimester English course, students are then given the option to take an English elective course. Electives Film Study and Poetry, and Media Literacy and Brit Lit will only be offered every other year. This means that students next year will only be able to choose Film Study and Poetry along with multiple other electives. The next school year students will be able to choose from Media Literacy

or Brit Lit along with other elective choices. Juniors who are taking AP Language and Com-position followed by AP Literature or CIS will not be required to take these English courses. However, if a student drops from the honors track and chooses not to take AP Literature or CIS Writing/Literature their senior year, they will be required to take English 11: Voices and Eng-lish 11: Journeys in their 12th grade year. The reason for these changes is due to new re-quirements by the state. “…The state has more bench-marks,” explains Ms. An-derson, head of the English Department. “[Benchmarks] are things like ‘Students will read an American Author in their 11th grade year.’ They’ve come up with more of those that are more specific and while we had a lot of kids that were reading an American author their junior year, not all of them were. This requires all of them to read it.” In addition, the new classes will help make Eagan High School’s English curricu-

lum more similar to those of other high schools in the area. “Other high schools pretty much have junior year Eng-lish and we’ve always had electives,” says Ms. Anderson about another reason for the change. “It makes our curricu-lum more universal, unified district-wide.” These curriculum chang-es come during a curriculum review, which takes place every seven years for each de-partment. “This was our year so it was time to do some re-vision and change things and look at what the standards are,” shares Ms. Anderson. While few students are aware of these changes, teachers are already weighing the pros and cons of the new curricu-lum. “I think it’s going to be

really good for teachers just to balance their schedule out a little bit so there won’t be quite as many options for students to take classes every year, which means that some of us won’t have three preps in one trimester,” says English teacher Ms. Terhark. She ex-plains that the downside will be the “switch-over period” in which current juniors will not be able to take Media Lit and Brit Lit next year because they are on the alternating schedule for the 2013-14 year. “I think ultimately it will be good once we all get used to the change.” Students, especially incoming juniors, should keep these changes in mind when choosing classes for next year in January.

Major changes starting 2013-2014

Two required courses in Junior year: English 11: Voices and English 11: JourneysSome electives only offered every other year: British Literature and Media Literacy (13-14) Poetry and Film Study (14-15)Students who take AP Language but do not take AP Literature or CIS will need to take English 11 as seniors.

Debaters a month away from State

Photo by Haley DavisSearch and smile: Juniors Alexandra Rosati and Mollie Clark prepare for debate cases. Famous for their dedication and their co-opting of lab 156, the debaters are hoping for a good showing at state on January 18 & 19.

By Laura HarfordNews writer

The debate team is well into their season and in all levels, Novice, JV, and Varsity, are putting in hard work and achieving success. The weekend of Decem-ber 1, the Novice and JV teams participated in their state competition. They won the sweepstakes, which is the highest award for the tourna-ment. “We also had some indi-vidual teams that did very well,” says senior captain, Sophie Callahan. “In my form of debate, Public Forum, Andie Gallagher and Leah Dunleavy were octafinalists and the team of Sneha Shan-kar and Ridhima Mishra were quarterfinalists. We had teams in other categories that went far in elimination rounds as well.” The varsity members will continue practicing for the rest of their season, as they are still working toward their state competition. This past weekend the team competed

in the Dowling Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. Next weekend the team will be competing in the Blake Tournament, a national tour-nament held locally. Varsity

members will compete in National Qualifiers in January to see if they will be able to compete in Nationals in June. State is then held in Febuary, which is also the month of

the tournament at Harvard University in Boston. Mollie Clark, a varsity member who will be continu-ing the season noted that she is “excited for state.” She also explained that the team has done well in the past at that level. As a captain, Callahan has been able to see her team grow over the season. “I’ve seen a lot of dedication. Seri-ously, most teams have pulled multiple all-nighters prepar-ing for debate, researching, etc. Most of our debaters spend hours every day after school and every Saturday of the season either compet-ing in or prepping for debate, which is kind of crazy, but it pays off,” she says. The team’s hard work has paid off as multiple teams have won tournaments in state and out of state this season.

Coffeemachinesgive backBy Jemima JohnNews writer

EHS has introduced an-other addition to the various beverage choices from vend-ing machines: coffee. This beverage, which is considered a staple by many tired stu-dents and teachers, is now an option for students via machines set up throughout the school. For $1.25, these auto-mated machines brew cap-puccinos, lattes, hot chocolate, and other warm beverages. Students can use their own coffee tumbler or one of the plastic cups provided. This coffee is also certified Fair-Trade. In addition, the vendor who maintains these ma-chines gives 20% of the profits to various programs in the building. P rincipal Dr. Reikowski said that they are “hoping the machines supplement the efforts of our own coffee shop after hours when visitors are looking for a cup of coffee at an event or when students are craving some hot chocolate or coffee in the afternoon.” EHS does not want to compete with the Wildcat Cafe and the efforts of those who work there. This is also the reason why the machines are not in operation between the hours of 7 and 8 AM. The profits from the Cafe go to-ward maintaining the weight room and other athletics needs. Dr. Reikowski explained that they will “Keep moving [the coffee machines] to [dif-ferent] locations so that we can see where they are most used and keep trying out new offerings with the vendor.” New selections will depend on which beverages students enjoy the most. Many students have al-ready tried the new coffee. Se-nior Rianne Adler already has a favorite from the machine: White Chocolate Double Shot Mocha. She also added that she used the coffee machines most often when she had her study hall near the machines. So whether you are a coffee lover or not, the new coffee machines have options for everyone and also help give back to our school.

EDITorIalEagan Independent | Friday, December 14, 2012

The Staff

Editor in ChiefMolly Martinez

NewsAlanna Thelen, Editor Nadia Copeland Laura Harford Jemima John Aisha Tahir Olivia Weinberger Kameron Wilson

FeaturesLaurel Scott. Editor Annika Grassl Jenna Fischer Anna Januszewski Nicole Maeser Mandy Noethe Jenae Winter Jordyn Zaborowski

SportsGrace Hinton, Editor Irene Ahmed Ameer Eldomiatti Meredith McCrady Anthony Metcalfe Erika NaegeliOlivia Taylor

PhotographyHaley Davis, Editor Hannah Bergom Miranda Engel Stephanie Hobot Johanna Iversen Rachel Larson Shannon Wenck

AdviserSara Stensaas

The Eagan Independent is a monthly publication produced by Eagan High School students from all grade levels in a cocurricular setting.

We are committed to provid-ing a limited open forum within the community of Eagan High School - one in which opinions, discussion and input are always wel-comed and encouraged.

Comments, questions, thoughts and ideas may be addressed to:

Eagan Independent4185 Braddock TrailEagan, MN 55123

or e-mailed to:eaganindependent@gmail.com

Letters to the editor must be signed by the author and be 500 words or less. Letters to the editor submitted that are more than 500 words may be edited by the staff. Letters may also require editing if they contain false or libelous statements.

Editorial policies and content decisions are made by the editorial board. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writer and/or the Eagan In-dependent staff and are not necesssarily the opinons of the adviser, administration, students, faculty or Indepen-dent School District 196.

Editorial Policy

Love of snow...if it falls on a weekdayBy Grace HintonSports editor

Minnesota has a long history of ridiculous, un-predictable weather. From snow in June to forty-eight tornadoes in one day, Min-nesotans have seen it all. As we enter winter, a season that can either be brutally snowy or brown and muddy, snow is on everyone’s mind. Some wish for snow-flocked trees for the holidays, some yearn for cancelled school, and oth-ers simply hope to survive the winter without suffering from frostbite or hypothermia. Artists and poets may be inspired by the delicate white flakes, but cautious drivers are more likely to be less than smitten with the slick sludge that clogs the roads. The ten-sion between those who are “pro-snow” and “anti-snow” can be enough to cause one to think twice before mak-ing a friendly comment on the weather; perhaps politics would be a safer topic. When I was younger, snow was an excellent excuse to go outside and play games with my dad and brother, or build a huge tunnel beneath the piles of snow with my cousins in my grandparents’ backyard. Now that I under-

stand that other states remain balmy through the winter, I see snow as more of a cost than benefit of living so far north of the equator. Learning how to drive in snow is an-other challenge that hampers me from embracing winter. Driving at a normal speed is a sure way to wind up rear-ending the car in front of you, but driving slow is a test of patience. Since my parents have refused to buy me a beach home in Florida, I have at-tempted to make nice with the bitterly cold season of winter. If I could find an activity involving snow, it would certainly my northern existence more enjoyable. My attempts to ski have usually resulted with my legs being stuck under me at unusual angles and my friends staring at me from the bottom of the hill. Snowboarding is slightly less daunting simply because of the fact that my legs won’t be forced into doing splits, but the bunny hill is where my skill begins and ends. However, snowball fights are entertaining as long as a sup-ply of hand-warmers and hot chocolate remains available. My brother and I have tried several times to sled in our backyard. Having a big

enough hill is not the prob-lem, the trees are. By the time we pick up enough speed to feel some G’s, we are literally crashing into trees, retaining walls, or flying off of small drop-offs. It’s all fun and games until somebody gets knocked out. And, walking back up the hill has never been on my list of amusing activities. I may enjoy snowmobil-ing if I ever got the chance to use one. I find it pathetic that I have lived in Minnesota my entire life, and I have some-how managed to never sit on a snowmobile. Unlike driving cars in the snow, you could actually go at a decent pace on a snowmobile. My mom has told me numerous times about how much fun she and her siblings had when they were younger when they hooked up a toboggan to the back of their snowmobile and would whip around tight corners at break-neck speeds. At least that would be an activity that wouldn’t try my patience. Perhaps I would again view the flakes of frozen wa-ter as a benefit if Eagan High School ever enjoyed a day of cancelled school due to snow. How this city has managed to get copious amounts of snow

only on weekends is beyond my comprehension. It’s as if the pressure systems are con-spiring against us. While chil-dren in other parts of the state get to sleep in due to the large amount of snow, members of School District 196 trudge to the bus stop, grumbling at how effectively the snow was clear off of the roads. Maybe just once the snow plows could fail us? My relatives who are native to Duluth are frequently blessed with snow strategically falling on school days. A winter doesn’t go by when my cousins are not granted at least a handful of cancelled school days. Minnesota winters are not always enjoyable, espe-cially the driving that ensues, but there are a few benefits to living within walking dis-tance to the North Pole. First off, I doubt my appreciation for crackling fires and a thick pair of knit mittens would be as developed if I lived in the tropics. Second, build-ing snow forts and snowmen is only possible if you have snow handy. And lastly, even if you do wind up in the ditch, the view will likely be lovely as snow is truly beauti-ful, especially when it gives you a snow day.

Snacking in class: ‘please let me eat’By Molly MartinezEditor in chief

Granola bar crumbs col-lect in the bottom of back-packs, shark fruit snacks crowd pencil cases, and emer-gency trail mix cramp limited locker space. Smaller lunch portions and more expensive vending machine options are leading to stealthy snacking by students. Many teachers at Eagan do not allow food to be eaten in class but students are still lugging around heavy backpacks, hiking up and down stairs, and shivering off their remaining calories in the frigid hallways. If caloric intake is down during lunch but the physical toils of school remain, why are many teach-ers preventing students from eating in their class? Between the early morn-ing routines of last minute studying, carpooling to school, and arriving early enough to navigate the influx of students, breakfast at home has become a commodity. Students should be allowed to decide for themselves when it is acceptable to eat, students should be allowed to eat whenever they feel the need to. It should be the student’s responsibility to know that snacking during their Span-

ish oral is unacceptable and munching on Sunchips is frowned upon while oth-ers are finishing their tests instead of the teacher’s job to mandate when students are allowed to eat. High school is a time to take responsibil-ity, which includes eating when it is necessary. Unless the student consuming their breakfast during first hour is distracting others around him or her, no harm is being done. The students that sneak past the lunchroom sentries to hover and stare at students eating their diminishing lunches make it difficult to comfortably eat their lunch within the allot-ted thirty minutes. Rising vending machine prices discourage students from snacking as well. Many of the popular vending machine choices have increased over 25 percent during the last few weeks. District 196 has rec-ognized the stress and lack of energy that students and staff feel by installing four new coffee machines. Unfortu-nately, the nutritional benefits of coffee are often speculated,

experts believe coffee may decrease depression, it may ward off many strains of can-cer, it may increase memory. Food on the other hand, is ob-viously necessary for survival and restricting the consump-tion of food denies a basic right. Eagan has recognized a lack of energy in the students and staff by installing the cof-fee machines but the problem of inopportune hunger has

not been ad-dressed. Fridays are especially stressful when stomachs are in an uproar over forgot-ten PAWS

treats; ironically, Friday is also the only day out of the week where almost all EHS staff accept food into their classrooms. “Thou Shall Not snack during class” is nowhere to be found in the policy handbook, so why does it frequent so many class syllabi? The expectation to not bring food to class during choir is understandable, eat-ing while singing effects tone and vocal control. Having a mouth full of food during German may hinder under-standing and add a certain throaty, guttural accent to the

pronunciations. Accidentally spilling excess carbon on the carbon sample in chemistry alters the end result but un-less you are eating haphaz-ardly while next to a student with a food allergy, eating during class is relatively harmless and shouldn’t be subject to change depending on the teacher. However, if you are eating fervently, that is a problem no matter the location. Noisy and enthusiastic food aficionados are unavoid-able. Classmates accept loud snacking during class because they understand the annoying hunger that doesn’t discrimi-nate based on whether or not food is allowed during class. If food becomes a distraction during class, that distrac-tion should be momentarily eliminated but that should not prevent an entire class from snacking. Although the reper-cussions for eating during a class that doesn’t allow such rights are minimal, any con-sequence is unjust. Having a snack during French, or phys-ics, or pre-calculus shouldn’t be cause for a disapproving look from the instructor. Students at Eagan work hard all throughout the day and deserve to eat whenever they feel the need to.

“‘Thou shall not snack during class’ is nowhere to be found in the policy handbook.”

Eagan Independent | Friday, December 14, 2012 3

Harvey on this weekendBy Laurel ScottFeatures editor

As winter approaches, students, teachers, friends, and family are lining up to see Eagan’s new play produc-tion: Harvey, a classic comedy featuring some of the strang-est – and funniest – situations to ever appear in theater. The play centers around Elwood P. Dowd, a kind, gen-erous man with an imaginary friend named Harvey. Harvey is a six-foot-tall pooka (a crea-ture from Celtic mythology) that supposedly resembles an enormous rabbit. Elwood introduces Harvey to every-one he meets, which leads his family to have him committed to a sanitarium. However, due to a series of mistakes and miscommunications, Elwood is released from the sanitar-ium, ans the entire cast soon embarks on a panicked hunt to track him down again. Having been awarded the Pulitzer Prize when was first written in 1944, Harvey is a popular play that has been not only entertaining, but a challenging change of pace for the cast members. Senior Jacob Guzior, who plays the lead role of Elwood, says that the hardest thing about his character is that “I have to talk to Harvey while I’m moving around on the stage.” As the play’s title character is a silent, invisible, six-foot-tall rabbit that only Elwood can see, Harvey cre-ates the unusual challenge of interacting with a character who, as Guzior explains, “is not actually a real person”. “Harvey is different from anything I’ve ever done before,” says senior Aly John-son, who plays Veta Louise Simmons, Elwood’s long-suf-fering sister. “I’m not a funny person, so I had to learn how to be funny. It’s definitely a new style.” Many of the cast mem-bers agree that the comedy of Harvey is not only the play’s greatest challenge, but also its most memorable quality. Senior Justin Wirsbinski, who plays the eccentric sanitarium director Dr. William Chumley, explains that even though

Harvey was written a long time ago, the humor is as relevant now as it was in the past. “It’s a timeless style of comedy,” he states. “It’s an opportunity to address a funny situation that would never happen in real life.” Even though Elwood’s delusions are the main con-flict in the play, he isn’t the only character with some seri-ous personality problems. “I get to literally go insane,” says Aly Johnson, explaining her favorite part of the play. “I get committed to a sanitarium because I’m going so ballistic that the doctor thinks I’m crazy.” With an entertaining story, colorful characters, and a surprise twist ending, Har-vey has been a chance for the cast to display the full range of their acting and comedic talents. The cast is the best one I`ve ever worked with,” says Guzior. “Everybody is really funny, and I like the way we work together on stage.”“[Harvey] is the most enter-taining play I`ve ever been in,” he adds. Director Ms. Owzarek encourages everyone to come see a show. Harvey’s upcom-ing shows will be on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Kameron Wilson contributed to this story.

Photo by Stephanie HobotJust hold me: Junior Ben Heying and senior Justin Wirsbinski practice a scene in rehearsal.

Sandy affects students’ familiesBy Aisha TahirNews writer In late October, one of the largest and fiercest storms to menace the United States in years, Hurricane Sandy, made landfall on the East Coast. Residents out east are still recovering from the havoc caused by Sandy. Hurricane Sandy formed in the Atlantic Ocean in late October and made landfall just south of Atlantic City, New Jersey around 8:00 p.m. on October 29. At landfall it was classified as a post-tropical cyclone that had the same strength as a Category 1 hurricane. This devastating storm hit seven countries, including the United States, Haiti, Cuba, Bahamas, Canada, Domini-can Republic, and Jamaica. Of these seven countries, the United States was most af-fected. With winds reaching 90 mph, waves up to 32 feet high, a total destruction cost of $63 billion, and a final death toll of over 120 people, Hurricane Sandy has been named the deadliest storm to hit the United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Hurricane Sandy in some way

affected a total of twenty-four states, and of those, eighteen states experienced power out-ages. Many people here in Eagan have been affected by Hurri-cane Sandy as well as stu-dents experienced concern for loved ones living on the East Coast. Senior Laura Hanzal has family in New York who were there during the storm. “My sister and her three kids were up in their apartment in Manhattan when it struck, but everything on the ground was completely submerged,” she said. Hanzal also had cousins in Long Island at the time of the storm. “Their house was the only one in their neighbor-hood that wasn’t completely destroyed,” she explained. Hanzal was also in New York just one week before the storm struck. “Our family got really lucky,” she said. The Reynolds family was also affected because of a brother living in Maryland, one of the states that expe-rienced damage and power outages. “My brother Iaan goes to school in Bethesda, Maryland”, said Daniel Reyn-olds, a freshman. “His classes were cancelled for a two days and he was without power for a week.”

Sandy’s wrath has left people desperate for food, water, shelter, and medical care. An estimated 40,000 people are now homeless as a result of Hurricane Sandy in New York alone, and shelters and clinics are filling up with people who need immediate care. EHS is not currently do-ing anything for Hurricane Sandy relief, Student Govern-ment advisor Ms. Blundell plans to bring it up. “We haven’t done anything yet, especially because we just had the Armful of Love fund-raiser, but I will definitely mention it to Student Govern-ment,” Ms. Blundell says. The school has done things in the past to help storm victims though. “Back when Hurricane Katrina hap-pened, EHS adopted a school in New Orleans. We sent them school supplies, food, water, and blankets. In fact, we have still kept contact with them today,” Ms. Blundell ex-plained.If students want to get in-volved in helping the relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy, they can donate to organiza-tions like the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org.

Going backstage with Tech CrewBy Olivia TaylorNews writer

When students attend the-ater performances, they only see what happens onstage. However, a large amount of work on the show occurs behind the scenes, backstage. This work is done by the Tech Crew and Costume Crew, both of which work after school and into the evenings to build sets and design the costumes for the plays and musicals. The green room is home to the costume crew. This room is for the storage of all of the costumes, otherwise called the “costume shop”. Chloe Reynolds, a junior, has worked on the costume crew for numerous produc-tions. She describes what her role is in this room. “For this show I pulled outfits from the shop and organized stuff for Becky (the costume designer for Harvey) before she got here. I also designed outfits and made alterations. Before every show I help actors get into their wigs and outfits.” Harvey, the current play, is set in the period of the 1940s so most of the costumes for this show are vintage and original from this time period. “All of the clothes in the green room have just accumulated over the years,” explains Reynolds. “There is a huge amount of clothes in this room in rows and rows hanging.” The clothes came from either be-ing donated or bought and have been collected in the green room since the theater program started at EHS. “If there’s anything we don’t have for the show, we rent it from another school or the

Guth-rie.” de-scribes Reyn-olds. The costume crew also makes altera-tions to cos-tumes and when needed, assists with props and makeup. Another part of the be-hind the scenes work is the tech and build crew who set up the stage, build the props, move the sets, and control the lights and sound. “About a month before the shows premiere, the build crew works for two to three weeks straight every day after school building the set,” de-scribes junior Danny Debner, the assistant stage manager at EHS. Other than building the sets, in the current show Harvey, the crew of 10 moves the set for scene changes as well as maneuvering smaller details of the set such as open-ing the door for the invis-ible bunny to walk through. However, tech crew has a bigger purpose than build-ing and opening doors. “We

create the magic of theater,” explains Debner. “We have to have a team dedicated to making the set and making the magic happen.” There are ten “techies” who work be-hind the scenes during show and three people work in the booth for sound and lighting. Both Reynolds and Debner have favorite parts to working in this area of the-ater. “I like that my role is not defined. I can try everything and am encouraged by the tech director [John Ratzlaff] to branch out,” says Debner. Similarly, Reynolds also en-joys the creativity of her job. “My favorite part is when I

Road trippin’ to Spanish language campPhoto by Haley Davis

Ryan Walfoort, Casey Gersch, and Bailey Seidl in the control room for Harvey practice.

By Nadia CopelandNews writer

From November 30 to De-cember 2, a group of 14 Span-ish students embarked on a trip to El Lago de Bosque, a Spanish Language Village of the Concordia Language Vil-lage name four hours north of the Twin Cities in Bemiji. The trip featured a chance for stu-dents to immerse themselves into Spanish culture through an emphasis on speaking only Spanish for the three day trip. It also included cultural learn-ing through Spanish oriented food and activities, and a fun experience getting to know other students in Spanish classes from around EHS and around the state of Minne-

sota. When asked why she chose to go on the trip, Sopho-more Hannah Jaeb stated, “I’ve been thinking about going to the summer camp, so I did this to decide whether or not to go in the summer.” According to Spanish teacher Ms. Brink, El Lago de Bosque provides a fun and cheaper alternative to the Spanish trip and gives stu-dents the cultural experience. Brink also stated that El Lago de Bosque is an excellent way for students to further their understanding of the Spanish language and immerse them-selves into it firsthand. When asked how she felt the trip would benefit her Continued on Page 5

FEaTurESEagan Independent | Friday December 14, 2012

Shaving off November

Photo by Hannah BergomSeniors DJ Kraus and Jack Kosidowski show off their follicular prowess for a good cause.

By Annika GrasslFeatures writer

You may have seen the increase in girls wearing sweat pants or the abundance of beards in the hall. No need to fear - it is all for a goodcause. All of this dedication raises awareness for prostate cancer. First, there is to be some clarification between No Shave November and Mo-vember; No Shave November does not raise money and awareness for prostate cancer but allows participants to grow a variety of different kinds of facial hair, whereas Movember raises money and awareness for prostate cancer, much like how wearing pink raises money and awareness for breast cancer. Movember benefits prostate and testicu-lar cancer foundations includ-ing LIVESTRONG foundation (formally chaired by Lance Armstrong, who resigned due to a doping scandal, but that’s another story) and the Pros-tate Cancer Foundation. The tradition of No Shave November began in 1999 in Australia, with a group of men who made a pact to grown the most mascu-line moustaches they could (the month-long event was originally called “Movember,”

which was a combination of “mustache” and “Novem-ber”) without shaving for the entire month of November. However, a few years later, Movember began to change. In 2004 in Melbourne, Austra-lia, when a group of men de-cided to grown facial hair for 30 days to raise awareness for prostate cancer and depres-sion in men, they adopted the name Movember as well. This trend has transformed into what is now the Movember Foundation charity, which has raised nearly $300 million in global funds since 2004. A few years after the tradition began in Australia, it began to spread like wildfire to the rest of the world. Today you can find an abundance

of different styles of facial hair being grown all over the world during the month of November. In an attempt to get females involved in the movement, the rules of this tradition were expanded to include a month long abstain of shaving legs, underarms, and upper lip as well. There has been some backlash after few women’s organizations (andindividuals) have showed their support for participat-ing in the charity fundraising process for No Shave Novem-ber. As a result, fake mustache sales go up in the months before and of November every year.

Only seven days left?By Jordyn ZaborowskiFeatures writer

The apocalypse is sup-posed to occur this year on December 21st. Many people believe that the world will end that day, because that’s when the ancient Mayan calendar ends. However, there have been many attempts to predict the apocalypse in the past, and all of them – obvi-ously – have been wrong. Is it going to be right this time? Or wrong again? With the date drawing near, let’s take a look at some of the top failed attempts to predict the end of the world.THE JUPITER EFFECTWritten by two astrophysicists in 1974, this theory claimed that all of the nine planets would align on the day of March 10 in 1982. Suppos-edly, this would somehow have created solar flares, earthquakes, and sunspots that would destroy the earth. Many people believed it would happen at the time, but 1982 came and went with no apocalypse in sight.THE HALE BOPP COMETVisible to the naked eye for eighteen months from 1995 to 1997, this comet was reported by an amateur astronomer, leading many to claim that it was a sign of the end of the world. In March 1996, the Heaven’s Gate cult felt that it was a signal to commit mass

suicide. The thirty-nine mem-bers of the cult claimed that the comet would be followed by an alien spaceship that would pick up their souls and leave the world.THE YEAR 2000 PROBLEMFamous seer Nostradamus’s most famous doomsday prediction said that the year 1999 would “bring back the great Genghis Khan.” Many years later, people began to wonder if 1999 would be the last year we had left, but for different reasons. In the past, it was a common practice for both digital and non-digital devices to record the date with only two digits, instead of four, in order to save space (so the date “1999” would just become “99”). Because of this, many were afraid that when 2000 rolled around, all the computers would be reset to “00”, causing widespread technology failure – the tech-nology apocalypse. However, as systems all over the world upgraded and fixed their systems, very few failures actually ending up occurring in 2000. So should we trust the Mayan apocalypse theory? Some people will believe in it no matter what evidence there is, but it is just another failed attempt at a predic-tion. The day is coming near, and we will soon find out for ourselves.

The only truly American tradition

Black FridayBy Mandy NoetheFeatures writer

Black Friday, or “The Hunt”, as it has also been called, has been a tradition for thousands across the U.S. for many years. Black Fri-day actually began nearly a hundred years ago, but didn’t get its name until the 1960’s. The sales were intended to ignite the “Christmas Gift Giving Season” in everyone, and seeing how well they did the first few years, Black Fri-day became more and more popular. “Black” Friday got its name, because it indicated that sales in the stores were moving from the “red” zone to the “black” zone, back when accounting records were done fully by hand. Red ink meant that the sales were down, while black meant that sales were up and rising. Most other countries do not participate in Black Fri-day, seeing as it is right after Thanksgiving, and that is pri-marily a U.S. holiday. There are some parts of Canada that have participated before, but usually it is not on the same day as the U.S., and it has

been earlier around October or early November. Many people who shop online in the U.K. can also participate in the event even if the country doesn’t, by shopping online at U.S. stores. Most people that partici-pate in the event try to be civi-lized, and shop throughout many different stores. How-ever, there are always those that take things a little too far. The “Walmart Pepper Spray” is one case of crazy shoppers. In 2011, a woman was shop-ping for an X-Box in Los An-geles, and things got a little out of hand when she sprayed about 20 people in the eyes with her pepper spray to “get an advantage”. Another incident at a Long Island Wal-mart in 2008 occurred when 2,000 people bombarded the store while waiting in line 5 minutes before the store was scheduled to open. The store never actually opened due to all the insanity, but people broke through the doors and glass anyways, trampling an employee. On the same day, over in California, a shoot-ing spree occurred between 2 wives and their husbands, at

a Toys R Us. The women shot at each other even after their husbands pulled them away from each other, and both women ending up dying from their injuries. Black Friday shop-ping can definitely be risky for those who take it too seri-ously, but is still the one of the country’s most profitable days in the entire year.

Spanish TripContinued from page 3

Spanish education, junior Sarah Streed said, “It allows you to converse in Spanish. You are motivated to speak the language.” This year is the first year that Eagan High School students participated in the Concordia Language Village program. Many students believe the addition of the trip to the Spanish curriculum was a good idea and those who participated enjoyed it. Students new to the village found one aspect a little challenging: the use of only Spanish communication. Students are highly motivated to use the Spanish language as much as possible and only use English if absolutely nec-essary. When Jaeb was asked how she felt about this before the trip, she said, “[It may be] overwhelming at first. My lis-tening skills are not the best. I’m going to like it.” The students returned from the trip on Sunday, Decem-ber 2. Jaeb commented on the experience following the trip. “The trip was fun! There was a lot of good food,” she shared.Ms. Brink also had a positive experience on the trip. “We

got a chance to have authentic food, we got the chance to meet a bunch of native speak-ers which was really fun. We had leaders from Costa Rica and Spain and Argentina and Urugray, Bolivia, there were some from Brazil. The food was amazing. It was really fun.”She says that she plans to take students on the trip to the Concordia Language Village in the future, most likely in the off-years of the larger Spanish trip which will occur next year in the form of a trip to a Spanish-speaking coun-try.

Eagan Independent | Friday, December 14, 2012 5Word in the Halls: What is the best holiday gift you ever received?

Michael Siewart, senior“My dog that I got when I was six years old.”

Kelsey Doucette, senior“Last year, Santa Clause gave me a trunk and case (like Harry Potter’s) filled with the complete Harry Potter book series and every movie!”

Charlie Trombley, freshman“My cell phone that I got in sixth grade.”

Rosie Anderson, junior“My polka dot scarf.”

Molly Truszinski, sophomore“I love socks! One of my favor-ites was a pink and white tie-dye, fuzzy pair that I received two years ago.”

In the Clubs:Eat Club plans yummy meetingsBy Jenae WinterFeatures writer

Everybody saw the signs around school, and many peo-ple probably wondered what Eat Club – which originally came from SES - would turn out to be like. Juniors Zoe LeClair and Sarah Nguyen are the founders who brought Eat Club to the hallways. LeClair and Nguyen say they started the club here “because we love to eat”! Not only does the love of eating create the club, but there is also some qualifica-tions that the club looks for in the restaurants they visit. Eat Club looks for places that are not a part of a franchise, such as McDonald’s, and search for lesser known restaurants, like the Japanese restaurant Kyoto Sushi, which was where the club’s most recent outing occurred. Sophomore Charlie Wickham says that “I like the idea of going to the small res-taurants that people haven’t gone to yet.” Many members also enjoy the very social and lively atmosphere that the club gives off at its outings. So far, the club has had only one meeting and one restaurant visit this year. The club meets monthly, and they announce the date and time on their Facebook page. That’s also where the club votes on where the next visit will be. The ideas floating around for the second outing so far are Cosetta’s, or per-haps Buca di Beppo. The out-ings are always on Fridays, and never before any breaks in the school year. Up to now, Eat Club has sixty-three members. Dalia Macias, a senior, says that “If you appreciate food and enjoy company with friends, then join Eat Club.” Joining is also easy to do. You can simply join the group on Facebook, and attend the next meetings they announce.

By Nicole MaeserFeatures writer

History of old St. Nick

Christmas a holiday shared amongst many cultures

By Annika GrasslFeatures writer

Many a child have asked the question “who is Saint Nicho-las?” But who really knows the answer? There are many different theories as to who this mys-terious man was and what exactly he did; it seams like almost every religion andculture have their own ideas on the matter. Some of the facts about Saint Nicholas are clear: he is the patron saint of sailing, recognized as a powerful saint in eastern Europe, and he was around in the 4th cen-tury. He was a very charitable man who gave extensively to the needy, and has now transformed into the person who brings keeps presents on Christmas: Santa Claus. Due to his faith in Christianity he was imprisoned with many other Christian religious fig-ures, including other bishops and deacons. On the other hand, stories revolving this saint who we

more commonly know as Santa are few and far be-tween. The most popular sto-ries depict him as a man who was generous in helping the less fortunate, and believed in social justice, and equality for all. Another story of Saint Nicholas’ charity was that three bags of gold mysterious-ly appeared on the doorstep of a poor family with three daughters; this money was used for the daughter’s dow-ries (insuring that they would get a good husband). This gift was supposedly deposited by Saint Nicholas himself. One of the first know stories of Saint Nicholas protecting children appeared after his death, when he supposedlydescended from heaven to bless a boy who had ben taken from the city of Myra. The boy was then able to return to his hometown and escape slavery. The primary way of celebrating Saint Nicholas day (December 6 – supposedly the day he died in 345) as prac-ticed by the Dutch is for

kids to put their shoes outside their doors the night before and have them be filled with candy in the morning when they awaken. In America,

Sinter Klaas has become Santa Claus, and distributes gifts as a part of the Christmas holiday that we all know and love.

By Nicole MaeserFeatures writer

Christmas is a special holiday, celebrated by many countries around the world. Several countries in Europe, North and South America, and Asia partake in unique Christmas festivities. European countries like Greenland and France have very different ways of cel-ebrating Christmas. Christ-mas Eve in Greenland means enjoying a very unusual treat: “Mattak” or a piece of whale skin containing blub-ber. Strangely enough, it is said that this rather bizarre food tastes a lot like coconut- only chewier! Other holiday traditions include making red-orange stars to attach to

the windows of homes, and giving gifts like sealskin mit-tens and tusks. Perhaps more familiar to us is the culture of France. Christmas - which the French call “Noel” - begins on December 5 or “St. Nicho-las Eve.” A distinguishing characteristic of the French is their religious and family-centered Christmas celebra-tions. Madame Hubbard, a French teacher at Eagan High School, grew up immersed in the French culture as the daughter of a French native. Madame Hubbard explains that, on Christmas, the French place “the love of family...above anything else.” Often, French families come to-gether to talk, sing, and enjoy traditional dishes such as the

Bûche de Noël (a cake filled with butter cream, made to resemble a Yule fire log). Down by the Caribbean, the Bahamas’ tropical-themed Christmas celebrations show a different kind of holiday spirit. On December 26, Bahamians, wearing cos-tumes made of cardboard and crepe paper, sing and dance through the streets during Junkanoo (a festival similar to Mardis Gras). In South America, the country of Brazil begins celebrating Christmas on the day of December 24th. Early that morning, Brazilians begin making all the food for the party later. Since Brazil’s location is in the Southern hemisphere, they experience a December that feels lot like

summer. It’s not uncommon that they have temperatures as high as 100 F! Foods they enjoy include codfish and Christmas turkey with sides of walnuts in white rice. Their desserts include “Rabana-das” (a cinnamon and sugar topped French toast) and “Pave” (chocolate cake). In Asia, people in Goa, India use fireworks to cel-ebrate Christmas. During parties that span nine days in January, the Magi’s arrival is commemorated with shows of fireworks. The celebration reaches its peak on January 6th (“The Feast of the Three Kings”).

Photo courtesy of coca-colacompany.comCoke started using Santa in print ads in 1920s. The image was further refined in the 1950s.

Eagan Independent | Friday, December 14, 20126

20 Questions withSenior Andrew FriedmanBy Anna JanuszewskiFeatures writer

1. What is your favorite chick flick? Brokeback Mountain

2. What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made while driv-ing? Watching Brokeback Mountain while driving.

3. If you could have one facial hairstyle for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? Handlebar moustache, because it looks the best.

4. If you were the lead singer of a punk rock band, what would the bands name be? I am - A Matter of Time.

5. If you had to be handcuffed to any underclassman for a day who would it be and why? Nick Chapdelaine, so I could mess with him.

6. What is your favorite jam? Anything Spice Girls.

7. If Hollywood made a movie about your life, which celebrity would play you? Jake Gyllenhaal.

8. Name three things on your bucket list. 1. Jump off of a building. 2. Survive jumping off a building. 3. Tell people about how I jumped off a building.

9. Who is your favorite teacher at EHS? Ms. Gillen.

10. Have you ever cried during a movie? Which one? Yeah, Brokeback Mountain.

11. If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to and why? Heath-Ledger, so I could complete Jake Gyllen- haal’s interpretation of Brokeback Mountain.

12. What do you miss most being a kid? Smaller backpacks.

13. What are the last three books you’ve read? The Things They Carried, Peace Like a River, 50 Shades of Gray.

14. Do you have any irrational fears? What are they? Nurry Goren.

15. If you could break any law and not be prosecuted, which law would it be? Polygamy, so Nick Martin and I would have something to talk about. (Not engage in.) 16. Which Disney princess do you identify most with and why? The girl from Brave, because she’s the most mas- culine and I’m a guy.

17. Whats the strangest nickname someone has ever given you? Fried Woman.

18. What kind of car do you drive? A BMW Z-4.

19. Who is your favorite One Directioner? Simon Cowell.

20. If you were the 8th dwarf in Snow White, what would your name be? “The Other One.”

Dinner & A MovieI Dreamed a Dream: Les Miserables impresses

By Anna JanuszewskiFeatures writer

This Christmas, expect to see more than just excitement around the tree, but around the box office as well. This holiday season, a recreation of a famous French story Les Mi-sérables is hitting theatres, and it has already received a huge amount of positive feedback. First published in 1862 by French writer Victor Hugo, Les Misérables centers around ex-convict Jean Valjean, who assumes a false alias to escape his criminal past. With relocation and the pas-sage of time, Valjean rises in social status; he has landed a successful job working for the state, acquired a positive reputation, and has seemingly rebuilt his life entirely. Before long, Valjean crosses paths with a sickly, unfortunate woman named Fantine. With the loss of her low-wage job and lack of husband, Fantine was forced to send her young daughter, Cosette, to live with Les Thénardiers, a fam-ily who treat Cosette as less than their own. Valjean grows fond of Fantine, and cares for her as her condition steadily declines. As her mother’s dying wish, Cosette is taken under the wing of Valjean, who raises her as his own. All seems well, until a wily deputy, Inspecteur Javert, senses something is amiss in Valjean’s past. With Javert and the law at his heels, Valjean begins his escape from pros-ecution yet again, this time

with Cosette at his heels. Though the film is based off of the novel, it has been produced as film and play as well. In its theatrical debut, Les Misérables (or simply “Les Mis”) was performed as a musical. It’s most famous number, I Dreamed a Dream, has been passed between female roles and once made it to the Britain’s Got Talent stage, via Susan Boyle. Due to the story’s widespread popularity, Les Mis has been translated into more than twenty languages across the

globe. A story filled with ro-mance, action, and intense drama, the 2012 reproduction of Les Misérables is sure to connect with its audience on many levels. Its cast shines, featuring former Princess Dia-ries star Anne Hathaway as Fantine, Mean Girls’ ‘plastic’ Amanda Seyfried as Cosette, as well as Hugh Jackman as Valjean, and Russell Crowe as Inspecteur Javert. This group is sure to deliver a fantastic rendition of a classic, world-famous French story.

Lone Oak Grill brings good service, American fareBy Jenae WinterFeatures writer

In Eagandale Place, off of 35E and Lone Oak Road, lies what used to be Joe Senser’s Sports Bar and Grill. The whole restaurant has been revamped into the new and improved Lone Oak Grill. The former volleyball court has been replaced, and is now a large roped off area reserved for lawn bowling in front of the restaurant. Just behind that is the glorious new patio. Part of it has a roof hanging over it, while the other half consists of two large bonfire pits that cus-tomers can sit around while eating. Once inside, the place looks almost metallic with its silver theme. Being a sports bar, there are humongous, well-placed screens show-ing round-the-clock games that can be seen from just about every seat. Despite how loud the sports fans may get, the atmosphere is still very relaxed, allowing for both

casual and formal events to be able to fit well here. Comfort-able couches are offered for waiting, adding to the laid back air. The whole inside has been changed from when Joe Senser owned the place: the old ramp is gone, as the wall in front of the bar. There is even a room that can be rented out for special events. For those who are old enough to use it (which will be no-body at Eagan High School), the bar has giant windows that open up to the outside patio underneath the roof, so customers can sit on the patio or inside to have access to the bar. The windows don’t only benefit the patio dwellers, but the customers inside can get a source of fresh air. One thing to say for the Lone Oak Grill is that the service is excellent. The wait-ers and waitresses are very accommodating and friendly. At a previous visit, the service was still very good, but the food was mediocre. Food was too spicy, not done enough, or had to be sent back. On

my second visit, however, the food redeemed itself. It was greatly improved, tasty, and deserving of another visit back to the Lone Oak Grill. For a new restaurant, we have to cut them at least some slack. They’re trying out different foods. After this second visit, our server an-nounced that the there would be even more changes and additions to the menu. So far, their menu consists of the classic hamburgers, wraps, sandwiches, soups, flatbreads, and macaroni and cheese that one can customize for their own taste. The grill has its own smoker, and if anything is ordered from it, cornbread, beans, and fries come with the meal, providing a filling meal for a reasonable price. A kid’s menu is also offered, as well as a dessert menu including their self-acclaimed bread pudding. Overall, the Lone Oak Grill earns very good rat-ings.

Photo counrtesy of imdb.com

SporTSEagan Independent | Friday, December 14, 2012

Boys’ basketball starts off with perfect recordBy Anthony MetcalfeSports writer

The Eagan Boys’ Basket-ball team is kicking off their season with their new coach, Matthew Vollum. They will open the season at the North Saint Paul tournament, which runs December 7th -8th, with their first game against Fridley. Coach Vollum, who became head coach half-way through the offseason, expressed enthusiasm for the coming season. He stated, “I really like our team so far. I believe that we can really be a great defensive team with our length and athleticism and we should be able to get out and run. It will take a while for us to implement our principles and we are looking forward to

the season.” His expectations of the team include competi-tiveness every night and play-ing their best at the end of the season. Senior Captain Mark Woodcock shared his goals for the season, saying that he hopes “to end up with a winning record, and have a successful season with the new coach.” Woodcock also noted one strength the team has is that the players really understand how one another plays because they have been together for a while, which helps their performance. He felt that the team’s greatest weakness was outside shoot-ing and thinks that is one of the skills they will work to improve on. Woodcock re-

called his highlight from last season, describing an away game against Rosemount that Eagan came from behind to win. Hopefully, the team will have some more of those to talk about this season. Coach Vollum believes that Eagan’s biggest competi-tion is Eastview and Apple Valley, because they are our closest rivals and have also shown recent accomplish-ments. In order to contend with these teams, he says, “We need to be improving every day in our effort and toughness. We play in a very difficult conference and need to make sure that we give ourselves an opportunity to be successful every single night.”

Photo by Haley DavisThe squad scrimmages after school.

Nordic Skiing plowing throughBy Olivia TaylorSports writer

Heading into the 2012-2013 season, the Nordic Ski team has high expectations. Af-ter last year’s season, in which they sent the entire boys’ team to state, the team is expecting to come back stronger. Boys’ Captain Nick Acton hopes to improve on last year’s impressive run by more thoroughly getting to know his teammates, saying, “I didn’t know everyone as well as I would have liked to.” Another way to improve, girls captain Sonja Hedblom believes, is by getting more snow than they had last year,

stating: “If we had more snow, our results could have been slightly better.”Last year is behind them, however, and they are look-ing ahead to what they expect to be a big run into state. Led by seniors Nick Acton, Sonja Hedblom, Ryan Larson and Roxanne Holt, the team is setting big goals. Both Ac-ton and Hedblom have high hopes, with Sonja saying that she wants to “get even more people to go together to state this year, and possibly have the boys win conference and sections again.” Nick also stays optimistic, saying, “I expect the team to win every meet and go to state.” They

Ping pong preps for new seasonBy ?Sports writer

The table tennis team, the champions of the state tournament last year, hopes to win it once again this season. If they do so, this will be their fifth state title. This year’s team is made up of five new members, along with nine veterans. The large number of returning champions has led to optimism and heightened expectations for the team’s performance this season. They have been practicing since try-outs in mid-November and will have their first match at home on December 7th, against Benilde-Saint Marga-ret’s High School. According to Coach Scott Nichols, the regular season will consist of four scrimmages and one tournament. Then the season will wrap up with the state tournament, which will take place on February 10th at Eagan High School.Senior team members Zach Ekstein and Sylesh Volla discussed some of the team’s advantages. They remarked

that in addition to the fact that many of the members share a common interest in tennis, the team also benefits from bond-ing activities. Ekstein, who said he enjoys the sport be-cause he likes “playing all the different players and styles”, added that it is helpful to the team that “a lot of kids play year-round.”Regardless of the team’s success in the past, the two players admitted that this group of athletes has by no means achieved ping pong perfection. They agreed that the team as a whole needs to work on learning, develop-ing, and improving upon new types of serves. As for com-petition, there are a handful of other teams Eagan needs to watch out for who are eyeing this year’s champion-ship. “Mounds View is a good one,” Volla commented, “they just started their team last year, and got second place.” Coach Nichols listed some more competitors, including “Wayzata, Holy Angels and others [who] will bring expe-rienced and talented teams.”

Girls’ hoops on three game winning streakBy Irene AhmedSports writer

With the new season starting up, Eagan high schools girl’s basketball team is prepared to defeat anyone who gets in their way. Senior captain Justine Lange re-marked that her team is made up of mostly younger players, and that they are determined to make it further in sections then they did the previous year. Their first game took place on November 27 against Edina, and the girls were disappoint-ed with a loss of 49-40. Despite the loss, Madison Wilson played great defense and hopefully they’ll be back on track in their next game. To the team a loss now, means a win later. These girls are learning from past mistakes to improve for the future. Pat Riley (retired coach of the Miami heat) once stated “it’s what you get from games you lose that is extremely important.” These girls are gaining knowledge from the previous loss, to help them with future games. With that in mind, the Wildcats won their second game against Duluth East on November 30th and learned from the mis-takes from their prior game. Dani Bischoff scored 14 points and “was a huge contribu-

Photo by Haley DavisSophomore Abby Gaedke and senior captain Justine Lange discuss a drill with a coach.

tor to the game” says Lange. The team is working hard, and it’s paying off. To prepare for competition these girls do drills, conditioning, and scrimmages. Specifi-cally they do warm ups that involve running, shooting, and passing; along with rebounding drills and work-ing on specific plays. Com-mitment is a big part of doing well in the game, you have be focused and determined, as well as make it to every practice. From the looks of it

these girls are on their way to a great season. Come cheer on the girls at their next game against Eastview on Decem-ber 14th.

Eagan Independent | Friday, December 14, 20128

Boys’ hockey scores big over Irish

Photo by Hannah BergomStaying focused: Senior captain Cullen Willox, on a breakaway, concentrates on the puck while getting tripped by Rosemount’s Ted Schultz in last Saturday’s game. Eagan routed the Irish 8-0.

By Ameer EldomiattiSports writer

The boys’ hockey team is off to a mixed start to the season. The Wildcats won Saturday’s contest against Rosemount 8-0. They also won their first game against East Ridge 5-4, but then lost in their home opener to Hill-Murray in a disappointing loss in over-time 3-2 followed by an away loss at Minnetonka.

The 10th ranked team is get-ting generous contributions from a majority of the roster, with five different players scoring goals in the first two games, and ten different play-ers scoring a point.

One player who is consis-tently contributing to this team’s success is Nick Wolff. Wolff, through two games has season, has only one assist and no goals this season, but still provides a hard-nosed

mentality to the team, and plays to the end. Wolff said, ”I am happy with the win on Thursday, but I am more disappointed with the loss (to Hill-Murray), because I felt that if we would have done more, we would’ve won 3-2 instead of losing 3-2”.

So far, the team is showing great chemistry on the ice, and they seem to be distrib-uting the puck nicely. The offense seems to be clicking

from all cylinders, but the defense needs to be a little bit better.

Over the first four games combined, the Wildcats have scored 18 goals, and the Wildcats have given up 12 points to their opponents. The Wildcats are otherwise in excellent shape to beat their next opponents in Jefferson and Burnsville.

Athlete of the MonthKyle Stebbing

Boys’ Hockey

By Anthony MetcalfeSports writer

With the start of winter comes the start of hockey. The boys’ season if just a little over two weeks old, and one star is al-ready starting to shine. Junior Kyle Stebbing, a forward, has had a fast start to this season. Only two games in, Stebbing has already has scored two goals, leading the team and earning him the title of Ath-lete of the Month. In the first game of the season, Stebbing scored two of Eagan’s five goals and was the difference-maker as the Eagan Wildcats defeated the East Ridge Rap-tors 5-4.

Stebbing has played hockey since he was four, and focuses the majority of his attention on the sport, although he also hunts. He is also prov-ing to be a good teammate, as, when asked how the team has played so far this year, he replied: “Pretty good, but we have a lot better hockey still to play.” Although starting off the season strong, he is still looking forward to bigger and better things in the Wildcat’s future.

Girls’ hockey heats up the South SuburbanBy Olivia TaylorSports writer

The girls’ hockey team has had an impressive start to the season. With eight wins and four losses, the girls are at the top of the South Suburban Conference at press time. The team’s success has much to do with senior Megan Wolfe and her outstanding perfor-mances over the past few weeks. Wolfe has scored a total of 87 goals in her career and has accumulated 161 points. She recently signed her national letter of intent for the University of Minnesota’s Women’s Hockey team say-ing, “I picked the University of Minnesota because of its reputation in hockey and the great education. I wanted to play for an excellent team and I have found the best hockey in college at the U of M.”

This year the Eagan girls’ hockey team welcomed Tom Younghans as head coach. Younghans played for the Gophers and in the NHL for the North Stars and New York Rangers. Although he loved all the years he played hockey, his passion for the

sport inspired him to give back to the game through coaching. Younghan’s coach-ing career began in 1983 when he coached his own children’s hockey teams. He went on to coach high school boys’ teams but this is the first time he’s coached girls.

Coach Younghans has high expectations of his players and wants to see them play to the best of their abilities.

Photo by Rachel LarsonShowing the D: Junior defender Emily Goff goes after the puck in the Eagan-Cretin match up on De-cember 1. The game ended tied at 2.

When asked how he mo-tivates his athletes, Coach Younghans said, “I don’t think it takes as much as people think, you have to have people who love the game and love to compete and generally want to win.” He is depending on his se-niors, Megan Wolfe, Shelby Williams, Sarah Jackson, and Kendra Callister, to provide leadership, as the Wildcats are a young team this year.

The team has a talented group of underclassmen including Brooke Madsen, Sophia Lun-dquist and Alexia Winston as well as juniors Emily Goff and Alison Vecellio.

The girls’ hockey team has a full schedule of games in De-cember including match-ups against Lakeville South and Minnetonka. Coach Young-hans expects tough competi-tion from South Suburban

rivals Lakeville South and Lakeville North, but adds, “its too early to tell [how the team will do], there is some stiff competition in the conference and outside as well.” Hockey is a fast and exciting game to watch, this team is one to keep your eye on.