SotaRol: Where Sushi and Burrito Meet

SotaRol is the place where sushi, burrito and an “Up North” feel come together. Their tagline is “affordable, and fast- and sure to please any taste preference”. Not only is it close, just on 50th and France in Edina- but it’s well priced too! You can get your own SotaRito, Sushi bowl or roll for just $10. When you arrive, the set up is modern while still portraying the “Up North” feel by decorating their walls in black and red plaid. You can even watch them prepare and tweak your burrito as it is made. They pride themselves on the fact that their food does not contain gluten, GMOs, MSG, dyes or peanuts. Something to watch out for is the limited seating and the quality may not be top notch. Many people have claimed it is mediocre tasting but still worth the experience. Whatever your views may be- who wouldn’t want to try a SotaRito just once?!

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By Sophia Primozich

VANTAGE DJ Projects Update

Over the past semester, our class has been working on semester projects with our groups. Groups are made of 3-5 Digital Journalism students and almost all groups are partnered with a Global Business or Business Analytics group. Each group is assigned a company to make a video or digital product for.

Take a look at what each project was asked to do:

Fairview: [Annie, Suzie, Tanner] We are working with Fairview Clinic in their journey to create the product, the Bridge. As the video team, we have been asked to create a promotional/informational video about the product showing people using it and the benefits to it. The video will be used to show potential patients.

Park Nicollet: [Sarah, Aly, Nikki] We are working on updating five videos for total hip and knee replacement. These videos are informational videos on how to deal with your surgery and the exercises you will be performing post-surgery. These videos will be used in their total hip and knee replacement class.

Children's Workshop: [Paige, Madison. F, Caelyn, Ari] Children's Workshop is a Montessori school. We were asked to create a promotional/marketing video for them advertising what Montessori is and how their Montessori school differs from others.

Stillman: [Kari, Christian, Lydia] David Stillman is a generational expert. We were asked to create a video showing a VANTAGE project from start to finish and what VANTAGE students are responsible for during a project. We are following the Business Analytics VANTAGE strand on their project with David Stillman. 

Car Workshop: [Harry, Roy, Zeke, Chris] We are working to create a promotional slideshow to broaden the audience of the 10,000 Lakes Concours, a celebration of antique cars. We hope to expand to the younger audience and get them interested in this event with our slideshow.

Habitat for Humanity: [Max, Sophie, Madison. G, Mia] We were asked to prepare two videos. One video will be used to target people that are dropping off donations and another for volunteers that are volunteering for the first time. These videos will take the viewer through each step, making it easier for them to help Habitat for Humanity. 

Pique Travel: [Brady, Mimi, Elle, Cece] We are working on filming and editing two videos for Pique Travel Design. One will focus on a marketing video to capture the nature of Pique. The other will be focusing on a potential program where Pique will donate a certain percentage of profits back to Pique.

As we begin the end of the year, we are continuing to film and edit our projects with the final presentation deadlines approach. Stay tuned for the final products coming soon!

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By Annie Tomsche

Brazil’s Rousseff Impeached… But Why?

Dilma Rousseff was voted to be Brazil’s first female president in 20011. Serving as the 36th president, Dilma was re-elected in 2014 by a historically narrow margin. Halfway into her second term, Congress voted 367 to 137 on a yes or no debate for impeachment. Congress only needed 342 and well surpassed that mark for support to impeach Rousseff. 

In the past few years Brazil’s economy had been booming which led to them getting the opportunity to host a summer Olympics and the World Cup. Unfortunately, dropping global commodity prices have only attributed to Brazil’s already stagnant economy. Rousseff’s mismanagement of money in her first term and Brazil’s already poor economic conditions only makes her an easier target for the public’s anger.

A corruption investigation known as Operation Car Wash was implemented to reprimand government officials and top businessmen. Government officials were in for a wake up call. Eduardo Cunha, the head of Brazil’s lower house, has been leading the impeachment charge. Just as he was on the hot seat being investigated for charges including money laundering and bribery, Rousseff became the scapegoat and target. 

On Sunday there was a televised session where members of Congress explained the reasoning behind their decision when voting on Rousseff’s impeachment. According to The New York Times “They voted ‘for peace in Jerusalem,’ ‘for the truckers,’ ‘for the Free Masons of Brazil’ and ‘because of the Communism that threatens this country.’”

While these reasons all have some extent of validity, it’s clear that most of Congress wasn't basing their vote on the actual reason the impeachment vote was being held: Dilma Rousseff is accused of violating regulations regarding public finance. The government is supposed to meet a set budget surplus. Dilma is accused of stretching the numbers to prevent anymore backlash around the suffering budget. 

Vice president Michel Temer is now stepping up as president while Rousseff awaits her impeachment trail.

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By Madison Gagnon

Minnetonka High School opens their spring musical Pippin

Minnetonka High School proudly opened their spring musical Pippin this weekend. The story follows a young prince named Pippin who is fresh out of school and looking for his purpose in life. The musical involves war, meticulous plots, love, and magic. Pippin has captivating music composed by the same man who composed the famous production, Wicked.

While the newest rendition of Pippin was set in a circus, Minnetonka High School took a unique spin on it. Leading Player, who acts as a narrator of the story, is originally played by one person and is the ring leader of the circus. They divided the part up into two separate parts and instead they act as the directors of the show. They constantly stop the show and break the fourth wall, meaning they talk directly to the audience. This creates a very interactive experience and constantly keeps the audience engaged with the story.

Along with being captivated by the story, Pippin is the kind of show that affects every audience member. Whether you’re a high school student who doesn’t know their purpose or a parent that is reminded of the simple joys, everyone is bound to feel something. 

There are still two more weekends of shows left of Pippin with a show every Friday and Saturday night. Don’t miss you chance and buy your tickets to see Pippin! 

Call the Minnetonka box office at 952-401-5898 or visit www.minnetonkatheatre.com to purchase tickets.

Catch a sneak preview of the show below!

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By Elle Keseley

Skippers trounce Eagles 7-2 in first matchup of the year

As the Minnetonka Skippers got ready to take on their Lake Conference rival Eden Prairie Eagles last Friday night, Fox Leum took the mound at 4:30pm the first pitch. The bats got going early for the Skippers, as Jimmy Ramsey crushed a solo shot in his first at-bat to give Tonka an early 1-0 lead. Ben Livorsi drove in another run in the 2nd inning to make it 2-0. Later, in the 4th, the Skippers gave Leum some insurance by adding five runs to make it a blowout of 7-0. The Eagles battled back in the bottom of the 4th scoring two runs off of Leum before head coach Paul Twenge gave the ball over to Mitchell Oehme. Oehme was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam with the help of his shortstop Jack Kuzma making a fantastic double play ending the threat. Oehme pitched a scoreless 6th with a couple of strikeouts. Luke Wade came on to close the door in the 7th, giving Tonka its fifth straight win and a 6-1 start to the year. The Skippers have impressed early this season stumbling only once to Champlin Park on a sub 40-degree day. Jake Raether will start on the hill Monday against Blaine 7:00pm first pitch at Veterans field.

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By Brady Halbmaier

What's happening at MHS?

Pippin

Girls Lacrosse

The 2016 Tour de Tonka is Here!

Enjoy a day full of biking, live music, great food, great volunteers, all while exploring seven scenic routes- 15, 28, 40, 48, 57, 67, or 100 miles - that navigate through the Lake Minnetonka area and surrounding communities

Register now at www.tourdetonka.org

The Early Bird Registration is available March 1st - April 30th for the lowest fees.

67 and 100-mile riders will start at 7 a.m. at Clear Springs Elementary. The 15 through 57- mile riders will start at 7:30 a.m. at Minnetonka High School. All rides will end at The Minnetonka High School. More details for riders and volunteers can be found on the Tour de Tonka website.

On the district website, Tour de Tonka Director, Tim Litfin said “Tour de Tonka is unlike other bike rides in the state and in the Upper Midwest. One major reason is our excellent volunteers that engage and assist the riders. Every year our riders tell us through a post-event survey that the level of commitment, the volunteers, the routes, the music, the rest stops, the mass start, the door prizes, the energy, the vendor fair, the food, the free wicking shirt and more make Tour de Tonka a one-of-a-kind event.”

“Bicycle riders participate because Tour de Tonka is pure fun,” Litfin said, “All ages and all abilities – from families and recreational bicyclists to cycling teams and serious athletes –enjoy what Tour de Tonka offers them.”

Tour de Tonka has had a large impact on the community for 11 years now. A portion of each rider’s registration fee is donated to the local ICA Food Shelf, allowing people the opportunity to make an impact with their ride. Riders may also donate money or non-perishable food items on or before the day of the ride.

Don’t miss out. Come and see for yourself what has made Tour de Tonka Minnesota’s best ride in just a decade’s time! Register today for the best price for a great cause.

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By Paige Bieker

Introduction to the New and Improved Blog

Hello and welcome to the Minnetonka VANTAGE Digital Journalism blog. We are a group of 25 high school students studying media, news broadcasting, and journalism in a professionally-based environment off-campus. If you haven't been following us already, this blog is used to update viewers on what the DJ class does. The top stories will be divided into the following categories: Sports, Variety, News, VANTAGE and Spotlight. There are also tags that you can filter to see certain blog posts (ex. Videos, News, Guest Instructors). For each category, we have a small team that works together weekly to write their story.

Here's what you can expect from each category:

Sports: Local updates about Minnetonka team games, interviews with players and coaches, and fundraisers/events

Variety: Minnetonka events, theatre, academics, reviews on local shops/restaurants/activities

News: Coverage from a student's perspective on local/national/international events

VANTAGE: Updates on any big events happening in any of the VANTAGE courses

Spotlight: Showcases anything of interest that's happening in and around Minnetonka


We invite everyone to explore the blog and experience what the DJ team has worked on thus far, enjoy!

DJ Commercials April 15

April 15 

For more filming and storytelling practice, the DJ crew was assigned with creating commercials of their choice. Whether it was a real product, or a new invention, each group created a video that targeted a certain audience and persuaded them to buy it. Here are the final videos.