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American Studies class formed to combine American history and literature

February 3, 2012

Nicole Sarquis, Staff Writer

History teachers tend to ramble off unrelatable facts about flappers, bootlegging, and the ease of life in the “Roaring 20s” during a typical U.S. History class, leaving their students with no real understanding of the subject. At the same time, English teachers’ enthusiasm over F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” can only be understood if students reading the literary classic have a solid knowledge base of the time period the novel is set in. In an attempts to bridge the gap between literature and history studies, two teachers––Ms. Megan Kern and Ms. Anne Marie Dominguez––have paired up to teach their newly developed class, American Studies, to juniors, combining the... Continue Reading

Lumpkin’s layup helps boys’ basketball avoid upset

February 3, 2012

Matt Muenzberg, Sports Editor

“Don’t miss.” That was the thought that ran through the head of senior forward Sanjay Lumpkin when he got the ball under the basket unguarded with three seconds left in the game. Lumpkin made the layup, giving the top ranked boys’ basketball team a 67-65 win over number two Spring Lake Park. “We were just trying to get a screen and roll on the top. The ball went into the corner and I just cut back door and no one was guarding me,” said Lumpkin. The Red Knights struggled to contain Spring Lake Park’s Sean Scott, who had a career night with 36 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks in a packed, pro-Panther gymnasium. Head coach Mr. John Moore admitted that guarding Scott isn’t an exact... Continue Reading

Rising actors partake in Les Miserables performance

Junior Shannon Galvin rehearses for the upcoming Les Miserables performance wither her fellow cast members. (Giulia Imholte)

Rising actors partake in Les Miserables performance

January 27, 2012

Emily Kline, Staff Writer

Blue Water Theatre Company, one of the Twin Cities’ top performing arts groups for youth, is taking on “Les Misérables,” one of musical theatre’s most famous works, for their winter production. Juniors Rachel Hogen and Shannon Galvin, along with sophomore Rachel Wallace, joined the cast in late November and are currently in rehearsals for the... Continue Reading

SOPA bill is ineffective, inefficient, and infringing

February 1, 2012

Nick Hillson, Staff Writer

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a bill running through Congress in an attempt to curb the illegal uploading and downloading of copyrighted information and programs. Unfortunately, due to extremely vague wording and unclear definitions, the censorship proposed could extend to websites such as Facebook, various e-mails, and any other free forum. Not only is SOPA ineffective for all but the technologically impaired, but it violates our rights and benefits only a small handful of elites. SOPA works by requiring websites and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to search through sent information and to censor any infringing material. Not only does this ignore the privacy guaranteed in the Constitution... Continue Reading

Mock Trial season testifies the team’s talent

The Mock Trial team had a succesful season at several competitions due to immense practice and help from professional lawyers. (Photo courtesy of Jim Vogl)

Mock Trial season testifies the team’s talent

February 3, 2012

Mallory Hoch, Staff Writer

Beginning in October, the Mock Trial team has practiced every night from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in room 121 in preparation for upcoming competitions. Coming to a close on January 31st, the season ended on a strong note, making it to subsections before loosing their last competition. The season commenced with general practices to help initiate new members.... Continue Reading

SportDateOpponentResultW/L
Boys BasketballFri, Feb 03 Spring Lake Park67-65 Read StoryW
Girls BasketballTue, Jan 31 Minneapolis Southwest70-38W
Girls HockeySat, Jan 28 Hill-Murray1-3 Read StoryL
Boys BasketballSat, Jan 28 North Branch82-21 Read StoryW
Girls BasketballSat, Jan 28 North Branch66-40 Read StoryW
Dance TeamSat, Jan 28 Catholic JamboreeJ: 2nd/K: 3rd
Girls HockeyFri, Jan 27 St. Francis/North Branch10-0 Read StoryW
Boys HockeyFri, Jan 27 Moorhead2-6 Read StoryL
WrestlingFri, Jan 27 Robbinsdale Cooper47-27W
WrestlingFri, Jan 27 Mahtomedi33-34L
Boys HockeyThu, Jan 26 Irondale6-1 Read StoryW
Girls BasketballThu, Jan 26 Chisago Lakes58 -45 Read StoryW
Click on any sport above to see a full schedule for that sport.
SportDateTimeOpponentLocation
Girls HockeySat, Feb 04 3:00Totino-GraceParade Ice Gardens
Boys HockeySat, Feb 04 7:30Spring Lake ParkBlaine
WrestlingSat, Feb 04 9:00TBAPine Island
Girls BasketballMon, Feb 06 6:00DeLaSalleDeLaSalle
Boys HockeyWed, Feb 08 7:30Shattuck-St. Mary'sShattuck-St. Mary's
Girls BasketballFri, Feb 10 7:15St. Louis ParkSt. Louis Park
WrestlingFri, Feb 10 6:00Chisago LakesHome
Boys HockeySat, Feb 11 2:30Totino-GraceSt. Louis Park
Dance TeamSat, Feb 11 1:00SectionsAustin
Boys HockeyTue, Feb 14 7:00Chisago LakesChisago Lakes
Girls BasketballTue, Feb 14 7:15Columbia HeightsHome
Girls BasketballThu, Feb 16 7:15WaconiaHome
Click on any sport above to see a full schedule for that sport.

Hello there Oscar. It’s me…”Precious”

Gabourey Sidibe plays Clareece "Precious" Jones, an emotionally damaged and physically abused girl in late '80s Harlem.

Chandy Clemens
December 10, 2009
Filed under a&e featured, Movie Reviews, Reviews

I love this time of the season. Great films are released in conjunction with the years end. Not only that, an aroma of Oscar gold is slowly wafting into every studio exec office and boy does it smell satisfying. So its only fitting that “Precious,” a film of staggering emotional magnitude with Oscar written all over it, would come out right around now with the Academy Awards drawing near.

Director Lee Daniels traverses tough terrain in “Precious,” based from the poet Sapphire’s novel, amidst the backdrop of late 80s Harlem during the crack epidemic. These are the circumstances Clareece “Precious” Jones (unknown Gabourey Sidibe) lives in. Her mother, Mary (Mo’Nique) is crack-addled, unemployed, and dependent on Precious for welfare checks.

Precious is severely overweight, illiterate, and abused verbally and physically by both parents. She’s already had a baby at the age of 16 and is expecting another.

Due to this untimely second impregnation by the person who did it the first time–a what the hell discovery–she is suspended from public school and sent to an alternative one. At her new school, Precious gains an unfamiliar sense of confidence with an encouraging student body and patient teacher named Miss Rain (a subtle, but brilliant Paula Patton.)

Unlike her home life where insults, such as “I should have had you aborted, Precious” are fired her way like shotgun pellets, Precious dreams of another life away from the tyrannical reign of her mother. In comical and lively flashbacks, the only sequences which distract from the incomparable sadness of Precious’s life, we see her play with thoughts of celebrity. These moments transform Precious into our story’s heroine where we not only want her to succeed, but get out of her situation alive.

Mariah Carey shows up as a social worker named Mrs. Weiss, the benefactor of Precious’s welfare checks, who is almost unrecognizable with the pounds of makeup removed from her face. She’s surprisingly good for someone who’s only previous film experience is primarily reserved to “Glitter” and the notoriously bad performance in it.

Precious divulges information about the abuse at home to Mrs. Weiss, which leads to a resonating confrontational scene where some of the most exceptional acting done on screen this year happens between Carey, Sidibe, and Mo’Nique.

After so many dejecting events happen to Precious throughout the course of this movie, Precious’s self-realization of living for herself and children uplifts “Precious” into an inspirational tale of a woman overcoming her tortured surroundings.

The performance by Gabourey Sidibe is one to talk about for years. She has had no previous acting experience and probably would have become a psychologist if it weren’t for this movie. I would say I couldn’t imagine anyone more perfect for a role, but alas, she’s never had any prior roles and yet conquers the role of Precious with such effective realism you would think she was a virtuoso of the acting craft.

As the Hitler of all she-devils, Mo’Nique is fearless under the vicious facade of Mary, projecting all the spite and disillusion of a truly unhinged character. Why Mary is so cruel to Precious surfaces at various points, but giving them away would spoil the power of Mo’Nique’s more than Oscar deserving performance.

Lee Daniels doesn’t make it so “Precious” gets lathered in sap nor become an overly sentimental corn-fest; however “Precious” does make sure you stay on the precipice of tears. Daniels is known for eclectic casting, and demonstrated in “Precious,” who would have ever thought Mariah Carey, Mo’Nique (the queen of horrible B comedies), and Lenny Kravitz–a friendly male nurse to Precious–had real acting chops? Daniels ensemble of players unexpectedly wowed me and made this film not only one of the best this year, but a showpiece of magnificent acting.

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