Award Winners

新的学校,新的世界

中国留学生在去美过学校时,在经历很多难处和学习很多知识 [This story is also available in English.] “(在美国)基本上,老师递给你考试成绩的时候,是反过来的。” 邓悢婷,一位在 Minnehaha 的九年级的中国留学生说, “在中国,老师有时候会念你的成绩。 如果你的成绩不好,可能会打击到你的自尊心。” 住在一个不同的国家,去一个新学校,交新的朋友很难。 但如果你不能用你的母语的话,这会更难。 “我觉得对这里的新的国际留学生来说,最难的事,第一就是语言。” 中文老师董明说,“因为如果语言不通,或者不能听懂别的人在说什么,就不能沟通,什么事都做不了,会很难过。常常觉得自己没有朋友,很孤独。” 对留学生来说,有些课也特别难。历史课和圣经课是两个对有的留学生是特别难的,因为很多的词都是他们没有学过的词。在读历史课的内容时,很多的中国留学生要把很多的英文生词翻译成中文。翻译课文有时候很麻烦,也可能会影响他们的学习。 “(最难的科目是)世界历史,有很多要读的课文。” 邓悢婷说,“(我们要读的课文)很难读因为时历史,也有很多我们没有学过的词。有的词不是一个我们每天会用的词。像一个海的名字,一个文化的名字,或者一个王国的名字。我回家时要记这些词。” 另一个难点是交朋友。很多的留学生觉得交朋友特别难,因为很多的 Minnehaha 学生已经有他们从小有的朋友。 “在 Minnehaha 这个学校,有一些学生从幼儿园开始认识。” 九年级学生梁起硕说, “然后还是因为我们要用英文跟他们交流。” 但是有的留学生不觉得交朋友那么难。 “交朋友并不难因为我是朋友的数不清的那种。” 九年级的中国留学王思成说,“就是美国的名字比较难记。” 虽然他们去美国的学校有很多难点,但是很多的留学生觉得住在别的国家是一个很好的机会来了解不同国家的文化。 “最不同的就是美国学生对我都很友好。但是中国,学生比较忙,基本都不会打招呼,” 王思成说。 虽然美国和中国的文化很不同, 但是很多的中国留学生在发现他们喜欢美国的文化。 “我喜欢这里的人。” 邓悢婷说,“我喜欢他们交流的方式,因为他们经常鼓励你。 比如:在打篮球时,如果你没有拿到分,他们还会说 ‘打得很好’。他们鼓励你。这在中国不是太常见。不是中国不喜欢鼓励你,只是他们平常不做这个事。(鼓励人)不是他们的文化。” 很多的留学生也很喜欢 Minnehaha的课外活动。在中国,很多的中国留学生没有机会参加这种活动。 “美国的学校很重视体育,音乐和美术。”董老师说, “中国因为考试的压力很大,大家都没有太多的时间来学习音乐,美术和体育” 大家都有他们要经历的难处。去新的学校有时候很难,可能是一个老师教的方法不太一样,或者很难交朋友。这些难点对有的中国留学生来说可能更难。跟中国留学生交朋友不只是一个很好的交朋友机会,也是一个学习不同国家的文化机会。 “我觉得大家可以多和中国的学生接触和他们做朋友。” 董老师说,“ 这样他们就会觉得自己是学校的一部分,不会觉得融入学校和美国很困难。”

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New school, new world

Chinese students overcome challenges and gain valuable experiences during their time at an American school [This story is also available in Chinese] “[In America], when a teacher gives you back an exam, they give it to you flipped over,’’ said LangTing Deng, who goes by Longine, a freshman Chinese exchange …

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The Falcon

Minnehaha’s most recent play, which followed a young, soon-to-be-married girl who encountered a storyteller, showcased student director Matthew Humason during Labor Day weekend For centuries, storytelling has been a way for humans to express themselves and pass down traditions from generation to generation. Minnehaha students and actors experimented with this art …

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One text too far

Phone addiction is becoming more prominent in teens’ lives than they are willing to believe “Recently, school has been really stressful for me,” said senior Luke Frazier. “So, one night, in order for me to actually get homework done, I turned my phone off, locked it in my car and …

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What it means to be African American at Minnehaha

Nearly every morning before the bell rings, the balcony above the empty gym echoes with shrieks and laughter. A group of friends is huddled in the corner sharing jokes, hugs and reruns of “last night’s game.” Most of them share one other thing: the color of their skin. While Minnehaha …

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For the love of aviation

Eddie DiBlasi creates model planes, attends flight school and strives for his pilot’s license “Fly the plane,” he thinks to himself, “ just fly the plane. If anything goes wrong or I get lost, just remember to fly the plane.” The plug door shuts tightly, sealing the pilot in his …

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The Miracle Worker: “Imitate now, understand later”

“Imitate now, understand later” Actors learn lessons from their roles in theater A door opens and desperate hands grope for something, anything to guide them. Their owner, a young girl, shuffles forward with a doll clutched to her chest. Another woman follows behind her, carrying a heavy suitcase, which slams …

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Hungry for Healing

Art revealing the life behind eating disorders Photos and commentary by Maddie Binning   Up to 30 million people in the United States struggle with an eating disorder according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD). Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental …

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Quietly quite exceptional

A talented Minnehaha freshman handles success in mathematics with humility and a smile.

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The language of equality

A recent survey conducted by The Talon asked freshmen, sophomore and junior boys and girls what they thought about what feminism meant to them and about gender-related inequality issues seen today. The results show that as a whole, the school agrees that equality is key for men and women, but …

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