Now in his freshman year of high school being in a wheelchair is nothing new. Unfortunately Gorton was paralyzed at a young age.

“I was in a car accident when I was three,” Said Gorton.

Gorton decided not to let that affect his ability to participate in school sports. He joined track and  is in many different events.

“For school, I’m in the 800 and the mile.” Said Gorton.

Gorton not only does school track but takes part in track and field as well as basketball at the Courage Center in Golden Valley.

“I’ve done the 100, 200, 400, 800, mile, shot put, javelin and discus there,” Said Gorton.

Gorton credits his interest in track to a friend who recommended it to him.

“My friend who is also disabled told me about this program, and I started going” Said Gorton.

When he’s not on the field, he plays basketball and travels around the country playing in tournaments.

“We are Wheelchair basketball national champions” said Gorton, “The farthest we went this year was Louisville, Kentucky.”

Picture By: Megan Metz

Track:

“I set up a workout for each day of the week to prepare,” said Senior Kailee Steen, “I tried increasing the intensity every week. To succeed and reach my goals, I have to rely on discipline more than natural talent.”

“I run a couple weeks before the sport starts,” said Junior Blaze Solberg, “so then I am sort of in shape for track and field.”

“I have been in two gym classes both coached by Karn,” said Senior Katie Glen, “I also workout after school with some underclassmen trying to help them get into the swing of how track will be. Not only is physically preparing for the sport important, but the mind frame of an athlete needs to always be improved upon as well. For me, I like to look at inspirational messages and people’s success stories to give me a boost when I need it.”

Softball and Baseball:

“I am in karate,” said Sophomore Colin Block, “it helps with footwork and agility.”

“I do dance in the winter,” said Sophomore Hailey Moser, “that is my way of staying in shape for softball, mentally and physically.”

“Personal lessons once a week,” said Senior baseball player Mitchell Annis, “also I practice 3 times a week, and weight lifting/cardio 5 days a week.”

“I am a pitcher,” said Junior Payton Speckel, “so i have been practicing different kinds of pitches in the off season but since i play a winter sport i sneak in pitching practice 2-3 times a week.”

“I hit and throw,” said Senior  Nolan Triden, “and stay in shape by playing intramural sports.”

Lacrosse:

“I run,” said Sophomore MacKinsey Witte, “and toss the ball around.”

 “I’m basically trying to understand the game and the rules,” said Senior Christina Aliu Carrascosa, “we don’t have lacrosse back in Europe and I’ve never played it before. It’s going to be an interesting season.”

Boys Tennis:

“During the winter there are a lot of USTA leagues so every other weekend I will go to the cities and play a couple matches,” said Junior Sean Harnois. “Every Tuesday and Wednesday we are able to reserve some of the BAC so we can set up the nets and play tennis. The Daytona Golf club by Elk River has indoor courts and they host drills and mixers and I have gone to a couple of those.”

“I do some running and body weight exercises,” said Sophomore Drew Borgerding, “but I usually let gym class and the tennis season get me into shape.”

Picture By Megan Metz

First comes finding the perfect dress. Ladies search far and wide, going all the way to stores like Glitz at the Mall of America or Mestads in St. Cloud. Some just check the local thrift stores in hope to find a good deal. For many, the hunt starts in early February until around the end of April at the latest.

“I probably won’t get my dress until like a week before,” said Senior Beth Weeks.

“Right now, I’m kind of just perusing [for dresses],” said Senior Rachel Koch, “Last year by this time I was freaking out, but this year I probably won’t get a dress till like a couple weeks before.”

Next comes the worry of finding a date or getting asked. 42% of 153 girls surveyed said their biggest worry is finding someone to go with while  44% of guys fear going solo to the big night.

“I’m still on the lookout [for a guy to go with], otherwise I’ll take Sully [Freshman, Sullivan McKinley] as a backup plan,” said Senior Katie Glen. 

 Prom has mixed reviews and opinions when it comes to the guys.

“Prom is hugely overrated,” said Senior Mitchell Annis

“I’ve been practicing my dance moves for the past 2 years and I’m ready to break them out,” said Junior Jacob Jungwirth.

Whether you end up finding the perfect dress or date, prom is a great experience for many.

“I’m excited, it’s going to be a blast,” said Junior Ryan Bunting.

Unfortunately this year there was no dance. For many years, the dance has been a success and a good time for students. However, last year had some complications when some students abused the privilege and acted inappropriately causing the dance to be cancelled this year.

“We had some issues last year with the Snow Daze dance,” said Track Coach Scott Palmer, “some people not having appropriate behavior, but also attendance kept diving throughout the years.”

“I like when students have something to do at school,” said Activities Director Tom Bauman, “and I can honestly say, I wish students were more responsible, a few kids can just ruin it for everyone just because we had to tighten things up a bit, and wish that never would have happened, but I would not be opposed to having a dance next year or any other year.”

Fortunately though the problems at the dance last year will not hinder the plans of other upcoming events.

“This will not affect future dances, like prom,” said Bauman. “Kids get that we are really tight at prom, almost like you are going through an airport.”

The Snow Daze dance was not just for fun but it was also a lucrative fundraiser and it will be difficult to make up for the lost money.

“It was a good fundraiser for the track team,” said Palmer, “we definitely relied on some of that money, so we will have to be creative and come up with some other ways to fund what we need for this season.”

Valentine’s Day has now been frequently referred to as “Single Awareness Day” because of the main focus being on couples.

“You think you are single now but just wait until Valentine’s Day, then you really know you are single,” Said Senior Megan Metz.

Although the holiday brings in mixed feelings, it also brings in a ton of money. According to CNN.com V-Day rakes in $18.6 billion in America alone. About $1.6 billion of that is spent on just candy.

“I would much rather receive chocolates than flowers. Flowers die so fast and you can never have too much chocolate,” Said Senior Brianna Hartke.

Not everyone has such harsh feelings when it comes to the day devoted to love.

“I think it’s a great day to show off how much you love your friends and family, not just your significant other,” Said Senior Garrett Grage.

Photo By: Daniel Moyle

As the snow crunches below students’ feet, the walk from the parking lot can seem like an eternity. Even when you are bundled up the cold air still seems to sting any sliver of uncovered skin. It’s even worse when you are wearing shorts and flip flops.

Senior Ryan Marrandino can be seen making the perilous journey through the parking lot with his bare legs and toes trekking their way through the unplowed paths. He doesn’t mind though. He sees it as a way to carry on a tradition set by his brother.

“My brother went through the full winter wearing it when he was a junior or senior so I thought why not carry it on,” said Marrandino.

Even though this year has been especially tough because of the many sub-zero days and snowfalls, Marrindino refuses to fully give up the chilly ensemble.

“Last year I did the full winter wearing flip flops to school and it was fine,” said Marrandino. “But that first snowfall this year at the end of November kind of sucked so I decided I’m not going to do it every single day.”

As one can imagine the outfit draws some stares in the halls among a sea of pants and snow boots.

“Teachers don’t say much but I hear kids in the hallway say, ‘oh that kid is wearing flip flops!’,” said Marrandino.

With such low temperatures, the risk of frostbite is prevalent. Even though the risks are higher with wearing flip flops and shorts, Marrandino toughs through it.

“ I usually run the defrost in my car and that blows cold air on my feet,” said Marrandino. “I only change into tennis shoes if I lift after school.”

They administration are currently talking about whether to keep sideline cheer leading or to put it on the chopping block. The discussion is being put to the side as of right now and will be revisited in mid summer.

“It’s up in the air right now. We will have a sit down talk about it around July 1st.” said Activities Director Tom Bauman. 

One factor that will determine whether sideline comes back or not is if the school can even find a coach to instruct the girls.

“Last year we had issues with coaching. It was difficult to find someone who was qualified or willing to get qualified to coach the team.” said Former Sideline Cheerleader Brianna Hartke. 

“Being a cheer leading coach has more requirements than even a football coach.” said Bauman.

Picking a coach for next year will prove to be a challenge. They would like to select a coach that can teach a variety of exciting, new stunts.

“I would like for us to be able to do more impressive stunts and tumbling. Stunting is eye catching and cool to watch!” said Hartke.

Coming back next year would mean a lot to the girls. It would give them a chance to show the crowd what they can do and prove to them that they are an important part of the high school football atmosphere.

“I loved being able to show the crowd and the student body that we do more than just shake pom poms and yell.” said Hartke.

School nurses need to know how to do a variety of things. From performing CPR to applying a band-aid, special training is required.

“Front desk school nurses have to complete CPR and first aid training. They also need to take para professional classes.” said District RN Stephanie Gleason.

A common complaint among students is the health offices inability to offer medications like Advil.

“Whenever I have a headache all I can do is lay down. I don’t understand the restrictions on giving out medications.” said Freshman Emily Vogt.

What many don’t understand is there are several factors that affect being able to provide meds to everyone.

“Some of it is funding, like who pays to provide them. Another reason is some students could be allergic and we can’t take that risk.” said Gleason.

The health office is a go to place to either take a quick nap or even get out of class. A surprising 50% of students surveyed  have gone to the nurse’s just to skip out on some classes.

“Sometimes I just want to take a nap.” said Junior Jacob Barry.

Whether it be for a serious health problem or just to take a break,  the ladies down at the office love to see kids come in.

“Each student comes in for a reason. Even if it’s just for a band-aid or to take a rest, we still like to see their smiling face. We just want people to feel comfortable with going to the health office. It’s not a scary place!” said Gleason.

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