Opinion

The new school year is upon us and it is a very exciting time! It is so great to see students starting to come in the building for activities and to meet with school staff. Our 9th graders were at school this week for Freshman Connections, where they toured the school, participated in team-building, and met their homeroom teachers. On Aug. 31, students will have the opportunity to pick up schedules, find classes, and meet teachers at Back-to-School Night, which runs from 6-8 p.m. School starts on Sept. 6.

Submitted Question 1: Does a person need a hood on a vehicle to drive it down the highway legally? Answer 1: No. Question 2: What is the law regarding vehicle fenders and tires sticking out beyond the sides of a vehicle? Answer 2: According to Minnesota State Statute 169.734.

Due to the overwhelming response (glad you liked it, Mom) to a recent column about nautical terminology, this is a kind of follow-up. Thus, I give you boat names. [Warning. This column contains more than your recommended daily allowance of puns. This is not my preference. This is how it must be.] Let’s start with the question: Why name your boat? Most people don’t name their bikes? I guess a few folks name their cars. (Speed Racer: Mach Five; Goofy: Bessie; Etc.) But a boat? Well, for one, there’s more space on the back/side of your boat for a name. But in olden days, boats were named after goddesses and saints because it was thought ensure safe voyage. After a while, the close observer noticed there was no correlation, let alone causation between a good name, a bad name, and the outcome. Thus, names of goddesses and saints were set aside and mariners started getting “creative”.

The phrase “back to school” means different things to different people. To some, Back To School is a 1986 comedy starring Rodney Dangerfield where he goes well, back to school. Robert Downey Jr. is in the film. And Sam Kinison is a professor who, if you remember the comedian, is always SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS!! The gutsiest thing the film tries to pull off is to make diving a spectator sport.

Wrapping up my first six months at the Redwood Gazette, the transition from reporter to editor is quickly approaching as I have been putting the news together these past few weeks without assistance from my mentor, DebMoldaschel. With months of preparation, I know I am ready. But I have to admit... Maybe it's a combination of being young and being a woman that makes it easy to fall into a rut of feeling undeserving or even under-qualified for the position. Through talking with friends my age and other women, I have found this feeling tonot be original. Even with loving my job and believing the quality of my work reflects who I am, the feelings of being a fraud is still an issue amongst so many like myself. Is it the patriarchal effect? Ageism? And why do we unknowingly project these feelings ontoourselves? On the flip side, this has been a very pivotal year for me infinally coming into my own. A discovery that I had made is even with turning 18, the transition from girlhood to womanhood does not happen overnight. I would say 23 has been a very transformative year for me both professionally and personally.

Everything is summer. Summer time. Summer nights. Summer fun. Summer camp. Summer love. But what’s more summer than a summer movie? The classics abound. Dirty Dancing. Jaws. Stand By Me. Do the Right Thing. Dazed and Confused. Grease. The Endless Summer.

Question: If involved in a minor auto accident with another driver what steps should be taken at the scene by both parties? Answer: Crashes happen every day in Minnesota. Crashes are one of the State Patrol’s primary duties and do it on a daily basis.