Eagan IndependentVolume 7, Issue 4 Eagan High School | 4185 Braddock Trail | Eagan, MN 55123 January 10, 2012

by Olivia WeinbergerNews Writer

Registration for classes will begin shortly. To register for classes, everything is done online through the student portal. The registration win-dow will open on January 18 for students to choose classes. Also on January 18, registra-tion packets will be given to students during PAWS. The packet will include the steps for the registration process as well as all class requirements for each grade level. Registra-tion must be completed by February 1 when the registra-tion window closes. Certain classes such as honors, Advanced Placement (AP), College in the Schools (CIS), and others require spe-cial applications. “To get an application for a class, you go onto the Eagan main website and there’s a link under the ‘what’s new box,” says Ms. Krohse-Hermon, a counselor. “These applications can also be found in the counseling of-fice.” These applications were due yesterday. Ms. Krohse-Hermon provides helpful informa-tion for registration. “Always check for prerequisites before you sign up for a class.” For

example, taking Survey Art I is required before Photogra-phy can be taken. Class prerequi-sites can be seen under class de-scriptions on the website. She also advises students to do their research before applying for classes. “I would also encourage every-one to know what the gradua-tion requirements are so they can be finished up in time,” urged Ms. Krohse-Hermon. When beginning to apply for classes, it is helpful to con-sult upperclassmen for their opinions on certain classes. Alyssa Axelrod, a senior at EHS suggested some courses that she enjoyed. “I would definitely recommend AP Lang and AP Euro…Mythol-

ogy was a fun class as well.” Axelrod also is a proponent of the gym class, racquet sports. “Best gym class ever. It is so fun!” Hanna Engebretson, another senior at EHS recom-mended taking Mentor, a class that helps students look into future careers.The counselors will be avail-able during all lunches from January 19 until February 1 for any questions about regis-tration.

Speech Season Starts AgainBy Laura HarfordNews Writer

The speech season has be-gun once again. There was an interest meeting for anybody considering trying out for speech on Tuesday, December 6 in Lecture room C. The next week, auditions were held on December 13-15 after school in room 107. All students whose interest was peaked after the interest meeting attended a “How to Audition” work-shop, where current members of the speech team helped others prepare for their audi-tion and showed them “how to put forth their best,” as Ms. Anker, head speech coach, explained. This day was also an opportunity for interested students to sign up for an audition slot. Sophomore Paige Bosshardt said she chose to audition because “it looked like fun, and there were a lot of categories to choose from.” When asked about the audi-tion process, Paige said, “It was stressful. Everyone was practicing really hard before auditions, and when you got called in you had to present in front of all the speech coaches

which was really intimidat-ing.” Each day of auditions, a

panel of around eight judges watches the students’ audi-tions. The students are rated

Photo by Sanya PasrichaAdam Stromme and Jacob Guzior practice for speech season.

New Classes for 2012-2013By Anushka MankunathNews Writer

Most of the classes of-fered for the 2012-2013 school year are the same as the this year, but there are some new classes available to sign up for as well. These classes include the Fall Speed and Strength Conditioning class and Dance Technique 4. Additionally, there are two science op-tions that will be offered once again: AP Chemistry and AP Biology. AP Chemistry and AP Bi-ology are second-year classes that require the prerequisites of either Honors Chemistry or Honors Biology classes. These classes have been of-fered in past years, but lack of interest from students has decreased their availability. These AP science courses are college-level extensions of the sophomore-year biology and junior-year chemistry courses. They prepare students for the respective AP exams, which can help students test out of entry-level courses in those subjects. These classes can be taken “if you’ve taken regular chemistry/biology. You have to have gotten a ‘B’ or bet-ter in the class,” says science teacher and science depart-ment coordinator, Mr. Dirk-sen. Both AP Chemistry and AP Biology will review the topics covered in the first-year classes as well as introduce new topics. Both classes also have a large lab component. The AP board requires certain labs for each class, which is why they have to be a second year classes. Mr. Dirksen says that the goal of the classes is to not only prepare for the AP tests, but also to “provide that second-year experience so that when [the students]

Registration Begins Jan. 18

Photo by Michelle Metcalfe

go into college they’re a step ahead for going into a medi-cal field,” or other similar areas related to the sciences. Teachers have not been as-signed yet, but they will most likely be teachers who have taught the honors curriculum before. Dance Technique 4 is a completely new class that will be offered for the 2012-2013 school year. It is a continua-tion of the technique classes levels one through three but will go deeper into the tech-nique. The major new compo-nent is that dance education will be emphasized, instruct-ing students on how to teach dance classes. In addition, stu-dents will be choreographing longer, more technical pieces for the performances than the past levels. Fall Speed and Strength Conditioning is another new class being offered for next year. Many athletes are doing their conditioning after school at ES4, so the gym teachers wanted to offer a condition-ing option during the school day. This is done in hopes that the time taken during sports practices for conditioning can be shortened, causing prac-tices to be shortened as well, and allowing students to get home earlier and concentrate on their studies. Mr. Graham explains that they are trying for a collegiate-like program where academic work is bal-anced with strength training in the morning and practice in the afternoon. “There’s a reason why they do that and that’s what we’re looking at,” Graham said. The class will also focus on the nutrition side of training along with the speed, agility, and strength training.

by the judges, who go on to rank them, taking those with the top scores. After an extensive prepa-ration and audition process, 43 novices have been se-lected out of the more than one hundred students who auditioned to join the veteran speech members for the 2012 season. “The varsity kids don’t re-audition, so we only have as many spots as we lost the year before,” explains Ms. Anker. “We were going to take just twenty-five, but we ended up taking forty-three!” Senior captain Tom Dyke has a positive outlook for the new members. He stated, “We’ve got a good crop of new novices. I’m looking forward to having all the new kids there, to see how they grow, and the new dynamic they’ll bring to the team.”

Head speech coach, Ms. Anker is optimistic about this year’s season as well. “I’m thinking we’re going to have a good year,” says Anker. “We have some phenomenal novices that have come on. It’s always uncharted terri-tory because you don’t know before you get going how everything’s going to play out but right now I think most of coaching staff is pretty confi-dent.”They have already begun practicing for their first tour-nament, which will take place in Marshall, Minnesota on January 27 and 28.

EdITorIalEagan Independent | Tuesday, january 10, 2012

The Staff

Editors in Chief Molly MartinezCameron VanDyke

NewsAlanna Thelen - EditorJenna FischerLaura HarfordAnushka MankunathMandy NoetheOlivia WeinbergerKameron Wilson

FeaturesGrace Ablan - EditorAnnika GrasselAbby JohnsonNicole MaeserLaurel ScottShelley Sibley

SportsKenzie Markland - EditorSam Burill-BowenHenry DorganBailey HennenGrace HintonAnthony Metcalfe

Photography Michelle Metcalfe - EditorHannah BergomHaley DavisJohanna IversonRachel LarsonSanya Pasricha

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

By Kenzie MarklandSports Editor

The New Year has begun and many people have made their New Year’s resolutions. Some people have even turned to hypnosis to help themselves stay on track and keep up with these new resolutions. This trend is continually rising, but many skeptics do not believe that it is reliable. Many people do not know what hypnosis actu-ally is. According to Wendi Friesen, a clinical hypnothera-pist, hypnosis is a relaxed, focused state of concentration. Most people use hypnosis to relax or to become better at something that they are not able to do efficiently on their own. Common reasons to use hypnosis are for weight loss, to stop smoking, and to sleep more. Hypnosis can be used to achieve goals about just about everything. Resolutions are com-mon in the New Year though few follow through with them. According to Stephen Shapiro, author of Goal-free

Living, only eight percent of Americans are successful at maintaining their resolutions. One in four people who set resolutions fail every single year at succeeding in his or her goal. There are many different reasons why people fail, the main one being because they set unachiev-able goals. Secondly, many people lose confidence when they share their resolutions with other people, and those people make fun of their goals. Lastly, some are victims of focusing on how to accom-plish their goal rather than why they want to accomplish it. A solution is to turn to hypnosis in order to stay on track with their New Year’s resolutions. Hypnosis can break bad habits and give people confidence so they can be successful with their New Year’s resolution. During hyp-nosis, the resolution enters the subconscious mind and makes a permanent positive change in one’s life. However, the person must truly want to change his or her life, other-wise the hypnosis will never

work and the person will never break the habit. While a person is in hypnosis, he can-not feel anything; he simply feels like he is sleeping.Now with the dependence of the Internet people can be-come hypnotized over it. The Morpheus Clinic in Canada is offering a new program, Hypnotizer. This is a cheaper alternative than going and meeting with somebody once a week. Hypnotizer is a pro-gram of pre-recorded words where the computer puts together sentences to make the person hypnotized. This is most affective right after the New Year because people want to change the way they live their life. When I first heard of this technique, I was very skeptical of it. How could hypnosis work in a way to make New Year’s resolutions become reality? While I was researching, I found many success stories on Google. Apparently, if the people want to achieve their goals badly enough, then they will succumb to hypnotism much easier, and they will never do the bad habit again. However,

I did find some failure stories, because the people either did not want it badly enough or they did not believe in hypno-sis from the beginning. I still am on the fence regarding hypnosis and completing New Year’s resolutions. There is plenty of information out there, and if people really believe that hypnosis will help them stay on the right track for complet-ing their resolutions, then they are the right candidates

for hypnosis.

Hypnotic New Year?

Go ahead, set a goalBy Molly MartinezEditor-in-Chief Lose weight, work out, stop smoking, dye your hair, chop all of your hair off, get a job, save money. These are some of the most common New Year’s resolutions. But why do we subject ourselves to these changes each year, when each year’s resolutions always seem to fail. Instead of eating healthy, you spend the last days of December gorg-ing yourself on rich delicacies with the intention of turning your life around at the stroke of midnight January first. Having gone the whole year content with your wardrobe and appearance, you decide days before the New Year that all along you’ve been un-happy. The solution: dye your hair, or better yet, get it all

sheared off, or create another scheme to fix your unhappi-ness. None of these changes with make your life instantly better, so why bother? Resolve to better your life, even if you fail, you have tried. Because life is always changing, and demanding change, and New Year’s resolutions are one way of fulfilling that need. Anoth-er way to make your resolu-tions last longer is to classify them into goals that are New Year’s appropriate and goals that can be started on any day of the year. Because lets face it, New Year’s resolutions are made to fail. Wearing the mask of a new year’s resolution, the goals you set at the start of January are often times unachievable. Hit the gym five days a week while jug-gling school and a job all while spending quality time with your friends and fam-ily after you’ve put in some local volunteer hours may

not be achievable. Psychology professor Dr. Ray Williams recommends making one spe-cific goal and sticking to it. In-stead of trying to accomplish many goals to improve your life, find one area of your life and work on improving that until you’re satisfied and can move on. That way, you are more likely to join the 46 percent of those who succeed in their new year endeavors after six months, according to USAtoday. (See side bar for other tips on how to maintain your New Year’s resolutions.) Prioritize the list of things you would like to achieve in the New Year. Not to belittle the spirit of a good New Year’s resolution, even the worst goals can inspire hope from failure, but goals that are of utmost importance can (and perhaps should) be completed before the year has begun. Goals such as kicking a bad habit or improving your

health are best begun as soon as possible. Considering the success rate of New Year’s resolutions are meager at best, goals that are important to you, such as saving money or procrastinating less are better suited away from the begin-ning or end of the year and the stigma that accompanies New Year’s resolutions. Persistence is key in achieving any goal and in a society that craves instant gravitation, sometimes it is best to just try something new, and in the case of New Year’s resolutions, stick with it. If you fail, then try again, or try something new, or try anything until it works, but don’t stop trying.

1.Lose weight and Get Fit2.Quit smoking3.Learn something new4.Be healthier and diet 5.Get out of debt and save money6.Spend more time family7.Travel to new places8.Be less stressed9.Volunteer10.Drink less

1.Choose a specific, realist goal2.Stick to One goal3.Don’t just wait until New Year’s Eve4.Start with small steps5.Avoid Repeat Past Failures6.Remember that change is process7.Don’t let small stumbles set you back8.Seek support9.Stay motivation 10.Be persistent

Image courtesy of updaternews.com

Most commonly broken New Year’s resolutions

Tips for success

Taken from http://psychology.about.com/od/psychologytop-ics/tp/keep-your-new-years-resolutions.htm

Taken from http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/com-

Image courtesy of www.powerofconversationalhypnosis-

review.com

Eagan Independent | Tuesday, January 10, 2012 3

Rosemount pep fest goes viralBy Mandy NoetheNews Writer

Most people have seen the video of the last Rosemount High School pep fest that took place on December 16. It was covered by every major media outlet in the Twin Cities and reposted in many places on the Internet, but the real story is very different from how it was perceived on the Internet. The video makes it look like some seniors at a school pep fest were kissed by their par-ents…right on the lips. While this was intended to be a fun and amusing event for the school, it turned into media mayhem for Rosemount. There were about ten students who were kissed, all of whom are seniors and captains of the winter sports teams. Hanna Molback, a sophomore at Rosemount, was at the pep fest and thought the whole incident was pretty innocent. However, the video did leave out some of what really happened. “What the video did not make clear is that the parents were not actually kissing them on the lips”, Hanna continued. “They were just pretend-ing to do that. Most parents just kissed [their child] on the cheek or the side of their mouth. Some parents actually did kiss them, but those ones were just a simple kiss, not like [the video showed] where the parents went [all out] and ended up on top of their kids

on the gym floor,” she added. After the seniors were kissed, but before they took off their blindfolds, they were asked to guess who kissed them. “Most just said ‘I don’t know,’ but some did guess,” said Hanna. Shortly after, the stu-dents took off their blindfolds to find their parents standing across from them. Overall, the event has been described as funny, disgusting, and gross, but some say that it was “just a joke.” Yet nobody ever knew how the Rosemount students felt about this unique pep fest. “We all knew it was a joke and thought it was really funny because it was just a fun day,” Hanna explained. This wasn’t the first time this event has happened though. According to Hanna, it is a tradition that occurs at Rose-mount every six years. The story of the Rosemount pep fest was spread all over the media, and suddenly became a huge issue that people started to worry about throughout the country. The people at the school who wit-nessed the event might have felt differently about what happened. “There wasn’t much talk about it at school, except for the day right after it happened. We all thought it was really funny, but then somebody posted the video online.” Hanna continued to say that she doesn’t believe the video gives the full story. “It wasn’t a very good video because it starts in the middle

Jazz Band shines in performance Eagan High School’s seventeenth annual North Pyramid Holiday Jazz Con-cert took place Tuesday, December 20 at 7 p.m. Seventh and eighth grade students from Black-hawk Middle School played three songs directed by Barry Peterson. Dakota Hills Middle School had both an eighth grade and seventh grade jazz band that participated as well; Jeff Christiansen directed the eighth graders, and Douglas Hart directed the seventh graders. “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” arranged by Mike Story, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” arranged by Michael Sweeney, and “Joy To The World,” arranged by Jay Chattaway were just a few of the songs that the jazz bands performed. Eagan High School has three jazz bands: Jazz I, II, and III, with fifty-five stu-dents who participate alto-gether. All three of the bands played in the North Pyramid Holiday Jazz Concert. Con-

rad Miska directs Jazz I with twenty students, Brett Benson directs Jazz II with eighteen students, and Miska and Ben-son both direct Jazz III with seventeen students. Last year, due to staffing issues, there were only two jazz bands, but this year brings the reemer-gence of the Jazz III ensemble.“All three bands did really wonderful,” Mr. Benson said. Mr. Miska’s response was very similar. “They did ex-tremely well; they were very enthusiastic. This was one of the strongest December con-certs in years! It’s like assem-bling a sports team – figure out who’s best at what by moving people around to dif-ferent parts. This time it came together really, really well.” The students had been prac-ticing for this concert for the past six weeks. Jazz I and II practices twice a week, and Jazz III practices once a week. To put in some extra practice the day before the concert all three bands played at a local senior living facility called the Commons on Marice. The next time the EHS Jazz Bands will be playing a concert at

home is March 22. Howev-er, Jazz I and II will be traveling to the Univer-sity of Wiscon-sin La Crosse on Janu-ary 21 to partici-pate in a jazz festival. There are other concerts throughout the school year as well. For anyone interested in learning more about the dates of these concerts, they are available the Eagan web page, or Mr. Miska or Mr. Benson will have more information.

Weird weather rocks Minnesota

By Alanna ThelenNews Editor This December’s weather has been unusual to say the least. Those dreaming of a white Christmas did not get their wish – the long-awaited snow didn’t even arrive until late New Year’s Eve. This past December was ranked one of the warmest Decembers on record here in the Twin Cities. In fact, four out of the past six months have ranked in the top ten warmest months locally. Min-nesotans also experienced one of the only times since 1905 that temperatures have risen above 42 degrees in the month of December. The recent temperature surge to 52 degrees even beat the old record of 51 degrees, set in 1936. The unusually mild weather of December 2011 was a result of mild Pacific winds blow-ing from the west, bringing in generally warmer weather than usual. With increased tempera-tures, high winds, and no accumulating snow, the Min-nesota Department of Natu-ral Resources issued a low fire danger warning in late December, instructing citizens to proceed with more caution when using flames outside. On December 26, seven hun-dred and fifty acres burned near Polk County in northern Minnesota. Though it was contained, it demonstrated

the unusual circumstances oc-curring in the atmosphere this year. Overnight on New Year’s Eve, the south metro experi-enced around two inches of snowfall. These two inches that snuck in at the end of the month are dwarfed by last year’s December 10 snowfall that broke 17 inches. It does, however, pull just above the inch of snow that is the aver-age precipitation level for December in the Twin Cities. The lack of snow has had a positive effect on cities. Without roads to clear, Min-neapolis has ended the year with a balanced snow bud-get. This is following a year with eight snow emergencies, which is five more than aver-age. With snow, Minneapolis would have gone more than one million dollars over bud-get. Minnesotans will continue to be vigilant of whatever winter weather will blow in during the coming months.

By Jenna FischerNews Writer

Submitted Photos

of the event and there wasn’t any sound so it just looks like there’s some lady on top of some student making out on the floor, when it really wasn’t,” she explained. As soon as the video was released, the press snatched it up and made some false accusations. There were many stories that did not clarify that the students were not making out, as it ap-peared they were in the video. Some news channels, such as Fox, covered the story, and an online article was posted on their website. Accord-ing to the Fox news article, “Parents Kissing Students at Rosemount HS Pep Fest,” the principal of Rosemount High School, John Wollersheim, claimed that the event offend-ed people, and he apologized for it. “As principal, I’m re-sponsible for everything that happens in this school. This event offended people, and pep fests should have nothing that offends people,” Woller-sheim states in the article. The school may have gone too far with this extravagant event, or possibly the media did. “The video didn’t make it very clear of what happened, so then the press made it seem a lot worse than it actu-ally was,” Hanna points out.

Photo courtesy of “On Weather with Paul Douglas,

Minneapolis Star Tribune

FEaTurESEagan Independent | Tuesday January 10, 2012

WORD IN THE HALLS:WHAT IS YOUR New Year’s Resolution?

By Abby JohnsonFeature Writer

Emerald Egwim - 10(above)

“I don’t really have a resolution. But if I did

it would be to not drink pop for a whole year.”

Nick Goodsell - 12(below)

“My new year’s reso-lution is to get a girl-

friend.”

Taylr McNeil - 10(below)

“Mine is to not procrasti-nate with homework.”

TJ Appel - 9 (above)

“I will actually do my homework at home.”

Alyssa Oakman - 11(above)

“I am going to be more decisive. Especially for

senior year.”

Hip, Hip, Hipster?!

By Abby Johnson Features Writer

The hipster: a term used to define someone who wears oxfords, her hair in messy up-do’s, and owns at least five Bill Cosby sweaters. These people like listening to the Current (89.3 radio sta-tion), are never seen without a scarf, and practically live at Urban Outfitters. A few years ago if someone were to ask me what a hipster is, I would have absolutely no idea what they were talking about. Is it a band? Someone who likes hip-hop music? Nevertheless, it’s safe to assume that just about everyone is well aware of the Indie hipster move-ment. At school there are dozens, no, hundreds of people that have taken notice to this trend. But what dif-ferentiates them from ev-eryone else? Is it their thrift outfit from Goodwill, or their distressed leather cross-body bag? Maybe it’s both, but what I’ve come to realize is that while hipsters claim to

march to the beat of their own drum and be so different from everyone else—they are the exact opposite of that. It seems that the vast majority of hipsters are only dressing that way and listen-ing to that music for the sake of being classified as “indie.” Let’s face it, when people think of the word “indie” or “hipster,” they think of some chic twenty-year old who lives in a big city, walks around with his or her trav-eling coffee cup (which is actually filled with tea), wears oversized cardigans, has a million pairs of black tights, and has probably` succumbed to wearing fake glasses. In my mind, the real hipsters are the people that don’t own up to it. They like dozens of ob-scure bands that others have probably never even heard of before, go to First Ave on the weekends, and have a pletho-ra of friends in the art, theatre, or fashion business. But then I see people

carrying around their hippie messenger bags from one of the kiosks at the mall, and can’t help but think—do they really like that bag, or are they just using it to contribute to their image? More impor-tantly, why do they care if they look hipster or not? Are people really going to treat them differently because they’ve been classified under that category? The fact of the matter is, they won’t There is abso-lutely nothing that makes hip-sters different, or better than anyone else. Sure, they’ve expanded their horizons beyond Hollister, Abercrom-bie, and American Eagle—but they’re just like anyone else. So please, stop trying to be all hipster-like if you’re just look-ing for a popularity boost, or to look “cooler.” It’s not working. A real hipster has no motives, or incentives about their image.

Photo Courtesy of http://howtomakeitinamerica.com/

As Aristotle said, “Change in all things is sweet.” The New Year is the perfect time to make a change. Whether it’s implementing a new exercise schedule or picking up old hobbies, 2012 is an opportunity to make life better. Here are some proac-tive ways of making a health-ier and better self and some reasons to carry them out. In the morning, people have ability to start their day off any way they want. A person’s perspective is an influential aspect of his or her life. Lee Atwater said, “Per-ception is reality,” meaning what someone feels creates the world in which he or she lives. So, if a person wakes up feeling capable of seizing the day with positive energy and enthusiasm, life will seem eas-ier. Enjoying the day requires a perspective that doesn’t restrict how a person can feel. If a person has a nega-tive outlook on life, it will be harder for him or her to enjoy the warmth of sunshine or the warmth of being with family and friends. Since “perception is reality,” perceive the good in life and seize the day.

Getting the most out of the day entails keeping oneself healthy and content. Healthy routines include a nutritious diet, daily exercise and a good dose of love. The right foods have the potential of making someone feel energized and ready for the day. There are numerous books that offer simple advice on diet such as YOU: The Owner’s Manual for Teens, a book written by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Mike Roizen that not only offers tips for healthy diets but also gives information on exercise routines and techniques for stress-reduction. Exercise, like diet, also has an impact on a per-son’s day. By fitting in twenty minutes of exercise each day, which can be split into five-minute intervals, a person will feel better about himself. A good amount of cardio, weights and stretching will create strong self-esteem. During a person’s free time, when he is done with his obligations, it’s important to enjoy time with loving people. Leo Buscaglia, known as “Dr. Love,” said, “A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.” The love from one person can help another person feel good about himself. Making time for these special people is an important step towards hap-piness. The first steps toward change are the hardest, but it’s worth it. At the start of 2012, there is no better time to start making changes to make life sweet.

Photo Courtesy of http://itthing.com/

The Time for Change

By Nicole MaeserFeatures Writer

Image courtesy of smashingtube.com

Photos courtesy of Abby Johnson

Eagan Independent | Tuesday, January 10, 2012 5

2012: A Guide to Personalizing Your Apocalypse

By Laurel Scott Features Writer

Everything is becom-ing mainstream nowadays – even the end of the world. Most people have heard of the looming Apocalypse; accord-ing to many, the world will be over and done by the time Christmas rolls around this year. The Mayan Calendar theory is by far the most pop-ular explanation, although it has been proven to be untrue. But what if that’s too main-stream for you? Below is a list of some more possible causes of the end of the world, for those who think that the (im-probable) apocalypse theory needs a personal touch. Find your personality type, and you’ll find the apocalypse theory that will work best for you.

PERSONALITY: You are excitable and enjoy mysteries. New Year’s may be a time of great stress for you.

YOUR APOCALYPSE: The Mayan Calendar. Popular-ized by the movie 2012 and some misinterpreted Mayan texts, this is the belief that the ending of the ancient Mayan Calendar (December 21, 2012) is the date of the apocalypse. In fact, the calendar will sim-ply begin a new cycle the day after it ends, the same way our calendar begins again after ending every December 31st.

PERSONALITY: You flunked 9th grade science. You read your horoscope every day and pretend to laugh at it – when secretly, you believe every word.

YOUR APOCALYPSE: Galac-tic alignment. “Alignment,” a horoscope writer’s favorite word, means that on De-cember 21, 2012, the sun will appear to be in the very center of the Milky Way. The obvi-ous result: the cosmic forces of the universe will become annoyed and decide to kill us all. Actually, this align-ment happens every winter solstice… and so far, we’ve managed to survive.

PERSONALITY: You are a vampire.

YOUR APOCALYPSE: Solar storms. Based on the cycles of solar activity, this theory predicts that 2012 will bring solar flares big enough to fry the Earth to a crisp. NASA has confirmed that no such thing will happen, though. Maybe next year…

PERSONALITY: You are an evil genius, with secret dreams of taking over the world. Favorite movie: King Kong. Your interests include kicking down children’s sand castles and 1950’s rock n’ roll.

YOUR APOCALYPSE: Giant evil Elvis robot.

PERSONALITY: Your facial hair makes lumberjacks weep with envy. When you write an essay, you write upside down, backwards, and in po-etic verse. Everybody thinks you’re a misunderstood genius, when really…you’re probably just a loony.

YOUR APOCALYPSE: The prophecies of Nostradamus. Nozzie, a French astrologer, has driven people crazy for centuries with his cryptic, mysterious predictions, many of which concern the Apocalypse. However, most historians agree that Nozzie’s predictions are vague enough that his prophecies could be taken to mean pretty much anything. Either way, the man did have an epic beard.

PERSONALITY: You think apocalypse theories are ri-diculous.

YOUR APOCALYPSE: Good old-fashioned nuclear war. It’s so much more believable!Wildcat

ConnectionBy Annika Grassl

Features Writer Wildcat Connection is, according to its coordina-tor Mr. Moore, “A student led club whose purpose is to give social opportunities to our center based special education students.” A club such as Wild-cat Connection shows the care that Eagan High School has for all of its students, includ-ing those with special needs. Students involved in Wild-cat Connection feel that the program impacts their lives greatly. Senior Adam Kusie stated, “This program has ma-jorly helped me through high school. With Wildcat Connec-tion, I am able to make even more friends, and numerous times many of the students with special needs have brought a smile to my face on what would had been a bad day. Wildcat Connection helped me get through high school with less bad days.” This club is very beneficial to EHS, the special

education participants, and their leaders. Mr. Moore says, “Wildcat Connection ben-efits the school in a number of ways. First of all, it gives mainstream students a way to be in a club – we are the easiest club to be a part of. [Secondly], it benefits our more affected special educa-tion students. It gives them a chance to be involved in nor-mal activities like everyone else.” Katie Stock, another member of Wildcat Connec-tion, shared her opinion on how rewarding participating in the club is. She said, “I

think it has made me realize that there are other people at this school besides me and my group of friends at school.” Furthermore, Kusie added, “Wildcat Connection means more to me than a lot of things do. Being blessed with the opportunity to par-ticipate in such a great club has truly changed my life. Wildcat Connection has given me the chance to meet and become friends with these students that some kids in our school may never talk to or have a class with. Overall, I have gotten more friends and fun memories out of Wildcat

Connection.” Wildcat Connection is an inspirational group, which brings many benefits to both its student leaders and the special education participants.

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Eagan Independent | Tuesday, January 10, 20126

QdobaBy Laurel ScottFeatures Writer

What does “Qdoba” actually mean? Besides being the name of a new Mexican restaurant in Eagan, the word doesn’t appear in any lan-guage, Spanish included. Despite its unique name, Qdoba is nothing but traditional when it comes to serving the food we know and love. Located at the inter-section of Denmark Avenue and Promenade Place – next to Potbelly – Qdoba is a small, yet bright and cheery restau-rant with a friendly, casual atmosphere. Customers can choose from a wide selection of tacos, burritos, nachos, que-sadillas, toppings, and more. Qdoba offers delicious food with great prices – a full din-ner for four costs about thirty dollars. I recommend the guacamole and the pico de

gallo, both of which were mouth-wateringly fresh. The chips are fantastic as well – thin and crispy, with a slight lemony flavor. However, I advise steering clear of the lettuce, which – after several upset stomachs – I plan on avoiding. Consider yourself warned. After ordering food and watching as it is prepared right in front of a customer’s eyes (a wonderful thing –food can be drenched in as much

hot sauce as one could ever want), guests are welcome to sit down at a table and eat. However, takeout is perhaps a more popular option, and Qdoba provides catering ser-vices as well. Growing to become more and more popular in the short time since it opened, Qdoba is definitely one of the best places to get fast, well made, reasonably priced Mexican food in town.

Dinner & A Movie

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TWENTY QUESTIONSFEATURING: TOM DYKE

1. If you could be any Disney Princess, who would you be and why?Jasmine, because I like her baggy pants.

2. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?I would go to South America to ride a llama.

3. What is your favourite colour?Purple.

4. If someone made a movie of your life, who would you want to play you and why?David Newhall, because he is the greatest actor of our gen-eration.

5. Which Jonas brother best fits your personality?Nick, the sensitive one.

6. What is your favourite movie?Pulp Fiction.

7. If you could erase one word from the English language, which word would you choose?Moist.

8. If the United States had to sacrifice one state, which one would you get rid of and why?Upper Florida, but not the bottom part.

9. How is the world going to end?A frost dragon herd.

10. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop?More than I have time for.

11. If you could speak with any accent, which one would you choose and why?South African, so I could be cool like the Reynolds family.

12. If you could switch places with any EHS teacher, who would you choose and why?Dr. Copeland, because he would hate being me and it would be fun to mess with the APUSH kids.

13. Team Edward or Team Jacob?Team ‘Arry Pottah!

14. If you could be any television character, who would you be and why?Charlie, from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, because of his beard and his mischief making.

15. If you were elected president of the United States, what would be the first thing you would do?Invade Canada. They’ve had it too good for too long.

16. What is your biggest pet peeve?When people say, “I will borrow that to you.” No! You will loan that to me, and I will borrow it from you.

17. If you had to be handcuffed to someone for the rest of the trimester, who would you choose and why?Thomas Rahman, because we would be a TomTom and never get lost!

18. What is your favourite song?Probably Justin Beiber’s Baby. That or Built to Fall by Trivi-um.

19. If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?Buy two gulfstream jets and race them.

20. What are your plans for next year?I’m going to go to college and get a good education. I don’t want to end up living in a van down by the river.

By Grace AblanFeatures Editor

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

By Shelley SibleyFeatures Writer

Tom Cruise has still got it! Even though this Mission Im-possible movie is the fourth one in the series, it is surpris-

ingly one of the best, if not the best, mission yet. If you liked the other movies, then you will love this one. The movie opens with Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, being held in a Rus-sian prison. Agents Benji Dunn, played by Simon Pegg, and Jane Carter, played by Paula Patton, help Hunt escape because the CIA needs him back for another mission. After being placed together on a team, they set off to com-plete their mission. Halfway

through the mission, they realize that there is someone else who is trying to frame them. That is when the CIA calls for a ghost protocol, and Hunt and his team are left to stop the antagonist from launching missiles at the United States. Mission Impossible is one of those movies where every member of the audi-ence knows almost exactly what is going to happen, but there is still enough suspense to leave them wanting more. Tom Cruise does an excellent job of making everything seem very real. He man-ages to capture just the right amount of emotion, while still getting some laughs along the way. Cruise makes Hunt even more realis-tic when he attempts to jump out of a window and onto a car but misses just slightly. He occasion-ally makes little mistakes like this throughout the movie, making his char-acter seem more human and easy to relate to. The use of special effects and stunts in this movie was excellent as well. At one point Hunt was climbing up the side of an extremely tall skyscraper – the whole scene was actually shot with Cruise climbing up a building with a lot of ropes

and wires attached to him. I liked that this was real in-stead of green-screened. Once again, it made the movie that much more believable. The action-packed stunts by the actors make every viewer be-lieve that the characters may actually be secret agents. Overall, the fourth Mis-sion Impossible had a great back-story with excellent stunts and special effects. After leaving the theater from such a suspenseful and action-packed movie, I felt like I had just gone on a mis-sion for the CIA myself! I give Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol four out of five stars.

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Tom Cruise climbing the side of a building

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SporTSEagan Independent | Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Athlete of the Month

By Grace HintonSports Writer

Senior Eli May, captain and defenseman, has been skating hard during his third and final season on Eagan High School’s varsity hockey team. Currently he is receiv-ing attention from the Junior League to go play post-high school hockey next year. With one goal and three assists so far, May stated, “My season’s going pretty good; I can’t say anything bad.” May has been at home on the ice for the majority of his life. He explained, “I started when I was five, then I moved to Eagan when I was six or seven. There’s probably about eight of us that have been playing together since then. It’s kind of sad that it’s our last year.” The defensemen also claimed, “My coaches have been big influences on me as a player and have helped me be the player I am.” May plans on playing two years of juniors before entering college as a freshman in 2014.

Photo by Haley Davis

Making up some ground

They can turn it around

By Kenzie MarklandSports Editor

The girl’s basketball team has a current record of two wins and seven losses so far this year. Despite their disappointing record, senior captain Jess Hart is still lead-ing the time and averaging 16.2 points a game. Last year, this star player reached the marker of her 1,000th high school career point – and that was only as a junior. With the season only halfway, through the girls are preparing to improve their game for the remainder of the year. “I just want to beat East-view,” said senior Lindsey Gonsior. Currently, Eastview

has a record of seven wins and four losses. Unfortunate-ly, Eastiview won the rivalry game against Eagan on Tues-day, January 3. As they prepare to face teams that they have already played before, it is clear that the girls are greatly anticipat-ing the section tournament, which will take place the last week in February. The girls’ next game is tonight against the Burnsville Blaze.

By Kenzie MarklandSports Editor

The girl’s hockey team recently played in the New Year’s Tournament in Eden Prairie, coming out with a third place victory. An im-pressive overall season record of 5-1-1 currently places the girls third in the South Subur-ban Conference. As they prepare for the second half of the season, senior captain Megan Juricko said, “Our goal is to make it to sections and then to state.”Currently, junior Megan Wolfe is leading the team with thirty-seven points. The next highest scorer on the team is

Eyes on the prize

Young team, old dreams

eighth grader Brooke Madsen, with 19 points so far. Mean-while, goalie Emma May has an impressive save percentage average of .925. The girl’s next game is January 10 at home against Bloomington Jefferson.

Photo by Haley Davis

Photo by Rachel Larson

Photo by Rachel Larson

Photo by Johanna Iverson

By Anthony MetcalfeSports Writer

The boy’s basketball season is starting to intensify, and their record is continu-ally improving. Currently, they have a record of four wins and three losses, ranking them fourth in the South Sub-urban Conference. Although they were slow at the begin-ning and lost their first two games, they quickly got rid of the rust and won the next three in a row. Seniors Nick Sabatke and Shea Mandli have greatly contributed to the team, help-

ing the Wildcats come to an average of 62.2 points a game after their first six games. Unfortunately, the boy’s team came up short on their December 20 game against Moundsview, losing a close one 51-53. Captain Shea Man-dli remains optimistic, and says he looks forward to “Just playing our best basketball as a team.”

By Anthony MetcalfeSports Writer

This season, our boy’s hockey team looks to go far, and not many teams will be able to stop them. So far, they have a good record of 3-1, their only loss coming from an upsetting 1-2 loss to Eden Prairie. Currently, Michael Zajac is leading the team with 23 points, and Will Merchant is close behind with 20 points. The best of the season is still to come, as the Wildcats look to again go far into the state tournament. Junior forward Cullen Willox

confirmed, “We want to win our section and move on to state.” The boys’ next game is Thursday, January 12 against Bloomington Jefferson at home.

Photo by Rachel Larson

Eagan Independent | Tuesday, January 10, 20128

Let it Snow!

By Grace HintonSports Writer

The recent weather pat-terns, which are very unlike the usual Minnesota winter, have been the cause of some difficulty for the Nordic Ski team. Junior captain Sonja Hedblom, stated that, “The lack of snow has affected our skiing a lot. We mostly run for our practices. Varsity skiers roller blade, which is a lot like skiing, but it’s still not the same.” During ski meets, the teams have relied on man-made snow, but that is not available for practices. However unusual and challenging the weather has been, the skiers have been training as best they can, and things are looking promising for Nordic skiing. Hedblom

claimed, “We have a lot of new skiers that are really showing a lot of potential.” Junior Roxy Holt shared in the positive attitude, she be-lieves that “the team is going to do really well.” The skiers are focused on becoming individually faster, and helping their teammates become stronger skiers too. Holt stated, “We have to stay in good shape and work on the technique of skiing.” Hopefully the little snow we received during winter break will help out our skiers, both during practices and meets, so they will have more opportunity to participate in Nordic Skiing.

Racing to the finish

Older does not always mean better

By Kenzie MarklandSports Editor

The gymnastics team has been preparing for its upcoming season, and they have a current record of 1-3. This year the team is com-pletely without seniors, and it is up to four qualified juniors to lead the team, including Claire Gutknecht, Emily Sw-enson, Katharine Torres, and Nicole Krutchen. Currently the girls are ranked seventh in the South Suburban Con-ference, and they still have seven meets left. After last year’s suc-cess in individual state with two seniors, Julia Wolter and Katie Polluck, the team is now looking to send more girls to state this year. Sopho-more Zoe Lamb said, “I am looking forward to a better team throughout the season.” At first the team was off to a rough start after losing over half of last year’s team. Now the girls are getting better and hoping to continue their good fortune. Not only are they are

looking forward to the state tournament, but they are also looking ahead to many meets and invites that they could win. The most favorable com-petition for most of the team members is the Abby Szott Invite. Here the girls compete simply for the love of gym-nastics and in honor of Abby Szott, a former Eagan High School gymnast who lost her life to cancer. The gymnastics team includes seventh and eighth graders as well as high school athletes. Captain Claire Gutknecht said, “I have been on the team since seventh grade and each year I get bet-ter than the last.” Currently, there are seven middle school girls on the team. As the gymnastics sea-son continues to flourish into success, the intensity heats up too. The team’s next home meet is Tuesday, January 10th against Lakeville South.

By Bailey HennenSports Writer

The boys swim and dive team has been off to a good start this season with a record of 1-1 so far. They defeated Kennedy with a score of 133-55 and lost to Rosemount 77-96. Over half of the team, thirty-four members strong, consists of either freshmen or otherwise new additions to the team. Senior captain David Streed said that most of the new freshmen this year have really improved since the beginning of the year, and he is sure that they will continue to get better as the season continues. Connor Benson, another senior captain, commented about a few standout fresh-men. “Sam Zenner took only three weeks to break into the varsity team. [Also], Eli

Swimming to the top

Broman is one of the fastest swimmers in the conference and he is a freshman this year.” The team has one return-ing state qualifier, junior diver Keith Krawza. Coach Chris-topher Morgan stated, “He is pacing an all-state season this year.” The core of the varsity team never lost a meet last year and only very few meets in the preceding years. “This really helps to set the tone for the new athletes” Morgan said. “The one exception to this is the divers; it is safe to say that we have the best div-ing team in the conference.” Coach Christopher Morgan believes the team is planning on having another winning record in the conference this year. Coach Morgan said that one returning senior, Andy Knutson, was a member of

the record breaking 200-free-style relay last season. “He is a very vocal leader and really knows the competition well…His speed and mind for the sport will be missed.” Morgan also commented about another one of his se-nior captains. He said, “Con-nor Benson is a great racer with a big heart, and because he is so passionate about the team, [he] is a natural leader.”

Photo by Haley Davis

Photo by Rachel Larson

Photo by Hannah Bergom

By Sam Burill-BowenSports Writer

After a successful three meets, the Eagan-Eastview Alpine ski season has officially started. A successful 2011 campaign sent three skiers to state last year, setting expectations high to achieve even more success in the upcoming season. The next race will be held on Tues-day, January 10, and the Buck Hill invitational will take place the next day. Recently, the team made a trip out to Indian Head, Michigan for training. Based on this trip and other prac-tices, senior captain Andrew Cummings believes this year’s team shows a lot of promise. He said, “We look pretty good. We have strong underclassmen with some

good juniors and se-niors.” The

upperclass-men group features Cum-mings and his fellow senior captain, Gina Serantoni, both of whom participated in the state meet last year and fin-ished respectably. Serantoni placed 78th in the women’s division, and Cummings finished at 56th in the men’s division. Other captains this year include Eastview seniors Alex Hille and Cassie Torben-son and SES/Eagan senior Teghan McCarthy. As captains, Cummings and the rest of the group provide leadership to the rest of the team. “I try to get out early,” Cummings said, “and

help with (my teammates’) technique when I get a chance.” The captains also an-swer any questions that their teammates may have, and serve as positive role models for new skiers. Considering two of this year’s captains made a trip to state last year, there is a good chance for this group to attain success, and that’s what Cummings expects. “We’ll be better than past years for both girls and guys,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll send some individuals to state and do well at the Buck Hill invi-tational.” Barring injury, this team looks like it’s in a good position to contend for some individual awards and build upon last year’s strong finish.

Photo by Haley Davis