Falls High Ink

Joe Sullivan & Lauren Snyder

Preston Benedix & Sadie Johnson

The year is winding down for Falls High Seniors. College classes are ending, graduation preparations are beginning, and many seniors are ready to be out of Falls High’s walls. The CIS Calc class, composed of Summer Hesseldahl, Emma Saxton, Jakob Clifford, Nora Sullivan, and Autumn Davenport, were determined to finish off their year on a strong note. They went all out for their final project - Calculating the Volume of a Three-Dimensional Solid On an Axis of Revolution - with a costumed skit and full audience.

The anticipated event was called the Calc Extravaganza: Featuring Harry Potter and His Math Problems. The seniors spent weeks, before they were even aware of the actual content of the project, preparing. This included creating an exclusive VIP guest list and designing extra-special invitations.

The Cast:

The Narrator played by Summer Hesseldahl

Harry Potter played by Emma Saxton

Hermione Granger played by Autumn Davenport

Ron Weasley played by Jakob Clifford

Voldemort played by Nora Sullivan

The Calc Extravaganza was sponsored by KAPE as an alcohol and drug-free event, as well as by their teacher, Mr. Jay Boyle. They were aided by Stage Manager Mitchell Erickson and Costume Manager Keira Hesseldahl, two juniors who are not members of the Calculus class.

Invitations were graciously given to the senior students favorite past teachers, including their first semester Pre Calc teacher, Mrs. Alex Mannausau, for whom they were especially excited to show their Calculus performance. The family and friends of students were also in attendance, with ten people eagerly seated in desks while Erickson gave the introduction and flickered off the lights.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione were huddled together on the left side of the “stage”, sporting a marker-drawn lightning bolt scar and a red beanie. The Narrator explained they were locked in a cell without their wands when Voldemort entered. He was wearing a long black cloak and a temporary piece of tape holding his nose back, removed after about five seconds of speaking. Voldemort explains the situation: he will kill Potter with a specific potion UNLESS Potter can find the volume of the chalice, and then he will only kill his friends and family because Voldemort is such “a benevolent lord”. After some spitting back and forth between Potter and Voldemort, Hermione manages to make an advantageous deal; if they can find the volume then Voldemort will let everyone live. Voldemort surprisingly agrees and lays out that the three can only use a calculator, graph paper, a cutout of the chalice, and a specific Khan Academy video.

The audience was enthralled by the story and performances and erupted into cheers. The lights came on, the costumes were removed, and the five seniors presented their actual project, including all of the less exciting calculus details.

The students work was impeccable and showed perseverance, commitment, and impressive effort, the perfect culmination of all they had learned at Falls High. The seniors aptly received 100% for the project and created a lasting highlight of their senior year.

The Bronco Baseball team held their Senior Night at their final home game of the season on Thursday 5/18. The Broncos ended their home season with a 9-2 win over the Littlefork Big Falls Vikings.

L to R: (Front) Grace Flesland, Emerald Estabrooks (Back): Ninamay Kingbird, Kimberly Wehrenberg, Alaina Gates, Sadie Johnson
Missing: Delayne Hollis

The above students will take part in a week long writing experience with award winning authors Mary Casanova and Margi Preus. The students will spend a week during June at Atsokan Island on Rainy Lake where they will write with and read books by both authors. Thanks to the Knudsen Foundation and the Ann Bancroft Foundation for making this opportunity possible!

Sometimes, students will choose to keep any conflict or bullying private and try to “resolve” them on their own. Often, they simply hope that the issue will eventually go away or fear the social consequences of speaking out. Yet, the problem may never be fixed and continue to harm the student’s mental and emotional health, as well as their experience in the school. This is why, says Dean Lisa West, “as a school staff, we try to get the message out to students to talk to a trusted adult about these situations”

A trusted adult can be a parent or family member. It could be a teacher or a part of the school administration. It could be a para, custodian, secretary, or lunchroom worker. A coach or coworker or close family friend.

The important thing is that, regardless of who the trusted adult is, the student feels comfortable speaking honestly about their struggles and seeking their help. A trusted adult’s actions and words should always make the student feel safe.

Included in a student survey is a question asking students if they have at least one trusted adult they can go to if they are dealing with conflict or bullying. For those students without an identifiable trusted adult, school staff focus on creating or improving upon current relations with that student, so they have someone in the school that they know is looking out for them and will be a resource whenever the student needs help.

1. Listen to your kids

• Build positive communication by talking about what interests them or their goals

2. Take time to connect with you kids

• Eat meals together or do simple things that show your child that your time with them is important

3. Consider a “coaching” approach to conflict

• Provide all options for a particular situation and let your child process through what they think would be the best course of action. This will help them learn to navigate through life’s challenges.

4. Acknowledge that it’s okay for kids to make mistakes and poor choices.

• Be supportive and help them take responsibility for their actions as part of the learning process.

5. Kids may open up to an adult about their struggles at odd times

• It may happen during a moment together that you least expect it, such as randomly in the car. They feel they are taking a risk by opening up to you about a very stressful situation.

6. Ask questions

7. Talk to teachers and get their perspective.

• They see your child daily, observe many of their students' interactions, and want to help!

8. Stay in tune with your child’s friends

• Friendships matter a great deal during the teen years.

9. Monitor phones, computers, technology usage, and sites.

• Be aware of how technology and social media are changing and how they can affect your child. Sites like “Common Sense Media” https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles are very helpful for learning about the apps and games your kids may be using.

10. Establish boundaries and rules regarding technology use.

Pictured from L to R Seniors: Michael Emanuel-Roche, Blair Werner, and Nicholas Bernath

The FHS MORP dance is coming up soon. MORP is prom spelt backwards. The theme this year is 80’s, but wear whatever you would like. This dance is for all 9-12 graders and will take place on Friday, May 19 from 9pm- 11pm. All proceeds will go to prom 2024. Come dance and have some fun!

As the bell rang to start 6th hour, the FHS band and choir began to warm up for their 2023 spring concert. The concert took place during 6th and 7th hour on Wednesday, May 10th at 1pm. Seniors were recognized at the end of the concert and Mrs. Boelk was also recognized for all of her years of dedication to the band program. The FHS staff and students gave Mrs. Boelk a bouquet of flowers and the audience gave her a standing ovation as a sign of appreciation for all of her years of dedication to the students, school, and music department.

If you haven’t heard yet, Mrs. Boelk is retiring at the end of this year and will be greatly missed. Falls High School was able to find a replacement and his name is Mr. True! He will be taking over and running the band program for the 2023-2024 school year.

Email: fallshighink@isd361.org
Website: isd361.k12.mn.us
Location: 1515 11th Street, International Falls, MN, USA
Phone: (218)-341-0266