Ba star issue 1 october 10th 2017 by Bethlehem Academy

The back to school issue

In this Issue

Issue #1

Welcome Back to School New on Staff Buck for Chuck Smart Ride Senior Spotlight BA Sports Volleyball BA Sports Football Student of the Month BA Star Staff Internet Safety

First day of school - 2017

Summer is a time no one can resist loving, full of nothing but joy, memories, and adventures. It is a time that needs to be completely cherished, because before we know it we are back in the classroom. The transition from summer to school means swapping out the nights around the fire for late nights studying, and eating out for our delicious school lunches. With a new year comes new opportunities that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all excited about. Our principle Dr. Briscoe believes that first impressions are extremely important. In an effort to make the best first impression on the students this academic school year we had the red-carpet event. All students were greeted by teachers and staff while walking down the red carpet and presented with our famous chocolate chip cookies. It was an event that the teachers had a lot of fun with and a day we will remember for a long time. Dr. Briscoe is also really excited about some of the new changes for this upcoming year, one of them being the new Agriculture Program run by Mr. Halvorson. Did you know that we are the only Catholic School in Minnesota with an Agriculture program? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something to be excited about and be a part of! This year we were also lucky enough to get brand new laptops, which everyone is thrilled about!

Written by: Darian Sammon

First day of school - 2017

Teachers are also excited about this new school year! When Barb was asked what she is looking forward to this year, she said, “I really enjoy homecoming week with all of the school spirit and excitement coming from everyone. I love being a part of it.” She also told us that she loves graduation week, besides the fact we all have to say our goodbyes to the seniors. Barb enjoys different ceremonies and watching the seniors make the final step of finding their own paths in life. Not only are the teachers excited but so are the students. Griffin Malecha told us that he will be looking forward to everything that this school year has to offer for him. Also, that his personal goal is to try new things and always give his best effort in the classroom. Similar to Barb, Chloe Kohl is most excited for homecoming week and all of the activities. Dr. Briscoe is always willing to share free advice. His advice for all of us this year is to not get caught up in drama or gossip, but to enjoy each day that we are all blessed to have. As students at BA we are all incredibly lucky to have so many opportunities that are presented to us, so we need to take advantage of them. As Dr. Briscoe says, like always make each day a good day!

Written by: Darian Sammon

Students Welcome New Teachers and Staff to Bethlehem Academy! Summer has come to an end and the school year has begun. Although many students know the routine and have been here for what seems and like an eternity, there are still several students that battle the first day of school anxiety. The teachers at Bethlehem Academy go above and beyond to make the students feel loved and important. As students, we are always greeted by the faculty and staff with big smiles, high fives, and delicious chocolate chunk cookies at the front door. But this year, we were greeted by several new members to our staff and faculty, including Mr. Wollin, Ms. Heselton, Mrs. Kohl, Mrs. Sauer, Ms. Ricker. This is Ms. Heselton’s first year of teaching. Before becoming a teacher at  Bethlehem Academy, she worked with NET ministry. She enjoys traveling, hiking, kayaking, painting, photography, cooking, and paying special attention to beautiful details everywhere in life. During the summer, she visited friends and family around the country including: Nashville, Kansas City, Denver, Aberdeen, and Duluth. She was influenced to become a teacher by her love of studying Theology and the joy to communicate what she has learned to others. When asked who play her in a movie about her life, she said the actress would be Amanda Seyfried, because they look alike. She thinks it would either be a documentary or an independent film.

Ms. Heselton Mrs. Kohl has been teaching for 22 years. She taught at McKinley Elementary, DMCS, and subbed for DMCS and BA. She enjoys making jewelry, crochet, paper crafts, and running. This summer she spent a lot of time helping her husband move his business into a new building, including packing, cleaning, hauling, and assembling furniture. She has three kids; Sophie, Kyle, and Chloe. She was inspired by her sophomore Spanish teacher, Ms. Buhl, who was creative, enthusiastic and kind to everyone. She feels as if she can pattern herself after Ms. Buhl. She decided to help middle school kids, continue to work together with them and have lots of laughs. When asked what her biggest pet peeve was she responded, “My greatest pet peeve is a messy house, specifically the kitchen!”

Written by: Janelly Sandoval

Mrs. Kohl

Before coming to Bethlehem Academy, Ms. Ricker did student teaching at Cotter Schools. This will be her first year of teaching her own class. She enjoys music, hanging out with her family and friends, and going to see movies. She has always been passionate about music and choir, and always planned to be a music teacher. Her past teachers positively influenced her to become a teacher, particularly her choir directors. She was taught to pay it forward and to be an influence to her students. When asked what song she jams out to in the car, her response was, “My go to jams are anything from a musical Ms. Ricker

or 80’s music!’

Mr. Wollin taught at Franklin, Pine City, Lyle, and WEM before coming to Bethlehem Academy. This will be 39th year of teaching. He loves sports, the outdoors, biking, hiking, photography, movies, working for the community, history and social sciences. He has three children, Chelsea, Kenny, and Daulton. His former teacher advised him to become a teacher, so he decided to take his recommendation. When asked what his favorite thing about high school was he responded, “ My favorite thing about high school was sports and history classes.”

Mr. Wollin

Mrs. Sauer taught as Middle School Religion teacher in the spring of 2015 before becoming the Director of Admissions. This will be her 5th year teaching. Prior to teaching she worked in public affairs for various federal, state, and local organizations. She enjoys traveling, running, and reading. Over the summer she traveled to Taiwan where she visited Taipei, Hainan Province, Beitou, and Tamsui. She has two kids, Lizzy and Caroline. When asked what her biggest pet peeve was she responded,“My biggest Mrs. Sauer

pet peeve is drivers on their cell phones!”

As the school year continues, we welcome the faculty and staff as they continue to brighten up our days and inspire us in the classroom. Whether it is your first or tenth year of teaching, we hope you continue to have a successful school year! We want you to feel welcome to the Bethlehem Academy family!

Written by: Janelly Sandoval

A Dress Down Day to Support Pancreatic Cancer Purple Out Day Dr. Chuck Briscoe and his wife Cindy have been battling her pancreatic cancer for four plus years. It has been a rollercoaster of events as she continues the fight for her life. As a student and staff family, we wanted to show our continued support with some events to raise money for Cindy and others like her. BA had a surprise Purple Out dollar dress down day on Thursday, September 14th. Students were allowed to dress down for a dollar, and the theme was to wear as much purple as possible! All money collected on Thursday was donated to Team Briscoe. “This was quite a surprise when they had me walk out to the back of the school to look at a problem this morning and I was greeted by this sea of purple which is the color for pancreatic cancer.” Our principal Dr. Briscoe was very surprised and thankful for the Purple Out! Saturday, September 16th was the PurpleRideStride 2017 event, where people walked and ran to raise money for the pancreatic cancer action network. Dr. Chuck Briscoe and his family participated in the event to support Cindy Briscoe and others like her. She continues to survive pancreatic cancer and win her battle. Currently the Briscoe family has set a goal to raise $2000. As BA students and staff we did a great job of showing our support for Dr. Briscoe and his wife! They are very grateful for our actions, and Dr. Briscoe had a lot to say to us! “A big thank you from both Cindy and I for honoring her four plus year cancer battle by wearing purple today. As I said to all, we nearly lost her one month ago and when I picked her up on Tuesday afternoon after that horrible shot she gets the day after chemo. All of the nurses were crying as they told me that when she was last there in early August that they thought they may never see her again. We continue to fight and being on the BA team allows me to help all of you to chase you educational dreams. We value your continued prayers. You made my day today!”

Written by: Molly Healy

2017

Riding to Raise This year’s SMART Challenge Bike Ride was the 6th annual for this event. SMART stands for Southern Minnesota Alternating Route Tour. The purpose of the ride is to raise additional dollars for student financial assistance, so that more students are able to experience what great school BA is. Over the last six years, the ride has raised over $325,000, and this year raised approximately $56,000. The ride is generally a triangular route that is somewhere between 200 and 250 miles, which can be traveled in three days. The route needs to provide a nice camping site for the two nights the participants are out.For the last three years we have had between 20 and 22 riders ranging in age from 20-72. It’s a tremendous group of people who share three things: a belief in the educational experience at BA, a willingness to put in the training and effort to do the ride, and a desire to enjoy a great group of people who truly care about their teammates. This year’s ride took us from BA to Lake Louise State Park near Leroy, MN (88 miles). From there they went to Myre-Big Island State Park near Albert Lea (71 miles), and then back to BA (70 Miles). Our route includes mainly county roads that aren’t real busy, as well as good paved bike trails.

We asked Mr. Boelter what his favorite part of the ride was this year and this was his response.“Every

year includes many comical moments, mainly because this is a really fun group of people. The coolest things that we experience are the relationships that develop over three days, the evening campfires, the camaraderie as we ride together, and, of course, the satisfaction of completing a challenging ride and doing it for a great cause.”

The ride may be extremely fun but there are also some challenges. One of the big

problems is the weather. Almost all of the participants can agree that their biggest ally and biggest challenge is the wind. Rain and hills are manageable because they generally end, but the wind can wear you out, as can a great deal of heat. The SMART ride is one of BA’s largest student aid fundraisers. We would like to give a huge thank you to the participants of not only this years SMART ride but to the participants of all of the rides BA has put on.

Written by:Olivia Morelan

ALEXANDER BONGERS For our next senior spotlight we interviewed Alexander Bongers. You may also know him as Alex or Fluffy. He enjoys spending time playing sports. He is involved with football, basketball, rugby, and being president of student council, just to name a few. His best memory from high school is winning the section finals in football to go to state as a sophomore. In honor of this week’s senior spotlight, we decided to ask Alex some questions to get to know him a little bit better.

Do you have any nicknames? Yes, I've been called Fluffy since 7th grade. I got the nickname from my 7th grade religion teacher, Mr. McGurran. He gave me that nickname because of his fluffy hair. My hair was like a little afro. What advice would you give to younger students? Don't look back and wish you tried harder as a freshman. You only need to turn in homework and participate to get a B in any class. What was your dream job when you were younger? My dream job was to play in the NFL, because I always wanted to play for the Vikings. What are your plans for after high school? I plan to go to college for sports medicine and/or coaching.

Written by: Avery Hunt

MARGARET BECKMAN For the first senior spot light we picked Margaret Beckman, she also gets called Maggie or Marge. She describes herself as crafty, Sensitive and athletic. Maggie loves scrapbooking and embroidery and plays 3 sports with two school record in throwing. There are many things she is involved in at BA like Volleyball, basketball, track and field, student council, NHS and SAAC. Her plan after high school is to go to college and eventually become an Orthodontist. Advice she gives is do as much stuff as you can but if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too much donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to drop something. Get involved.

Best memory from High school? Her favorite memory was from this summer when she traveled to Taiwan.

What was your dream job when you were younger? She always wanted to work with teeth and wanted to be a Dentist, then a Hygienist and now an Orthodontist.

What is your biggest fear? Failure and not making friends.

If you could have someone play you I a movie who would it be? Rebel Wilson Written by: Jade Bokman

Bethlehem STUDENT

ACADEMY

of the

MONTH

The student of the month is a program we have here at BA where every month each teacher chooses one student that they believe demonstrates â&#x20AC;&#x153;CARDSâ&#x20AC;?. The students that got picked show character, accountability, respect, decision-making and service. This is an opportunity that pushes students to work harder. They get rewarded for their excellence in the classroom. This achievement is something that is only obtained through hours of hard work and dedication to a subject and is something that is venerable.

Teacher

Student Nominated

Cindy Austin

HS Math - Ben Cohen

Gary Busse

HS Science - Kyle Schulz

Scot Gardner

HS Band - Megan Liverseed

Sara Heselton

HS Religion - Will McIntyre

Matt Knutson

HS PE - Anthony Langfeldt,

Eileen Kriechbaum

HS Spanish - Cole Kaderlik

Tom Madden

HS Social Studies - Jessica Oathoudt

Shari Piehl

HS English - Elizabeth Sauer

Cassie Ricker

HS Choir -Alex Bongers

Brent Zabel

HS Science - Verity Wray Raabolle

Jason Hillesheim

HS Art - Lauren Schoolmeesters

Bethlehem STUDENT

ACADEMY

of the

MONTH

Teacher

Student Nominated

Angela Cina

MS English - Amelia Pemrick

Caryn Coller

MS Social Studies - Kaitlyn Kotek

Scot Gardner

MS - Alaisha Garcia-Lopez

Jason Hillesheim

MS - Zacharius Hoisington

Julie Smisek

MS Science - Justin Delesha

Matt Knutson

MS PE- Zach Donkers

Ricker, Cassie

MS Choir - Cohen Martin

MS "Character"

Matthew Friesen

For the first home game of the season we played United South Central. The game started off with USC scoring the first and only touchdown of the night. BA had a rough first half but pulled it together for

• Avery Hunt- 37 Passing yards • Nate Bauernfeind- 35 Receiving yards/ 8.5 Tackles • Jack Clark- 126 Rushing yards

the second and didn’t let them score again resulting with the final score of 6-0. The BA football team is mainly built on the defense, and that game showed it. The defensive line really took charge that game, and didn’t let the opponents break our line.

Janesville Waldorf Pemberton or JWP was our second competitor, they were also our first win of the season. Coming into the game, there were a few changes to the lineup. Avery Hunt moved to our quarterback, and Nate Bauernfeind was our newest wide receiver. Both having amazing games, Hunt had 37 passing yards, and Bauernfeind had 35 receiving yards along with being the defensive tackle leader. Jack Clark also

• Damon Trump- 25 Passing yards • Avery Hunt- 25 Receiving yards • Jack Clark- 43 Rushing yards • Alex Bongers- 8 Tackles

Written by: Olivia Morelan

had a very good game with rushing 126 yards. Being able to finish the game strong and beating them 7-6 gave our team the momentum and confidence they needed to take on Medford and go into the Battle for the Paddle!

The Battle for the Paddle is always an important game. Being so close to Medford, they are one of our biggest rivals. BA has had the paddle for the past 7 years prior to the 2017 game. It’s always a hard-fought game on both

• Avery Hunt- 2 Passing yd. • Jack Clark- 76 rushing yards, 2 receiving yd. • Nate Bauernfeind, Alex Bongers- 7 Tackles

sides. Jack Clark said about the game, “We all went out there and at halftime we knew that we

Going into the Kenyon Wannamigo game,

weren’t playing to our full potential, Coach gave

we knew it would be tough. Last time we played

us a good speech and we came out in the second

Kenyon, we lost 35-0 which hit us hard, but this

half and just hit them harder then they hit us.”

year we were determined to not let that happen.

Coach Glensinski also talked about the game and

The game was tied 0-0 at half time, the boys were

said “Same thing as last week, we kept pushing

still going strong and the defense was once again

and pushing but couldn’t finish. We should have

proving to be the focal point of this cardinal team.

had a lot more points in the first half.” Winning

The cardinals took a big blow in the 3rd quarter,

the game 32-0 was a huge relief because not only

when senior Mikhail Campbell jumped up to

does the entire school want to bring home the

intercept Kenyon’s pass and got his leg caught with

paddle, the entire BA community does too!

the other player. We later found out that Mikhail was sent to District One Hospital and suffered from

• Avery Hunt- 35 Passing yd./ 1TD • Jack Clark- 259 Rushing yd./ 4 TD • Nate Bauernfiend- 27 receiving yd/ 1 TD • Graham Ellendson, Alex Bongers- 6 Tackles

a broken fibula and tibia. While at District One Hospital he developed swelling that did not go down, and resulted in him going to HCMC where he was scheduled for several surgeries. Despite Mikhail’s injury the team has come together stronger and you can believe that they will continue to fight even harder next week at Bethlehem Academy’s 2017 Homecoming game against Mayer Lutheran in honor of Mikhail. Written by: Olivia Morelan

Upcoming Volleyball Season! As the school year continues, fall sports

come into play. This year Bethlehem Academy’s volleyball team started off the season shaky, but they were quick to recover and now are once again a force to be reckoned with. Every year the team has a preseason party at the beginning of their season. This year there were four group themes: the princesses, superheroes, villains, and mystery inc. During the preseason party, they went on a scavenger hunt throughout Faribault which included getting honks in front of Little Caesars, dancing in the aisles of Hyvee, getting popcorn at Ace Hardware, and taking pictures at Shattuck. At night they went to teepee Mr. Boelter’s house. They also learned all of the cheers and serving calls along the way. With every new season the volleyball team faces new challenges and works to overcome them. This year the team has has faced multiple challenges including a tough schedule, playing 2AA and 3AA teams with some tough losses, and some minor injuries. However, the team has also gained multiple wins. Having a versatile team with servers and attackers, the ability to terminate the balls when they can stay in the system, having the power to block the opponent’s attacks, and the improvement in serve receives.

“Our ability to work hard and not let balls drop has been a trademark for BA Volleyball teams for generations, our team is no different!” -Mary Campbell ‘18 Written by: Janelly Sandoval

The loss of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seniors has added a challenge to the upcoming

Schedule

season. Among these were Payton Nutter, Shelby Meyer, Kallie Donahue, Keely Skluzacek, Breanna DeGrood, Kelsey Novak and Amber Merrit. However, there are quite a few new younger players new the team this year including, Ellie Cohen, Abby Jandro, Lexi Boyd and Haley Lang. They each bring a unique role to the team and are a great addition. This upcoming season brings new upcoming seniors including Mary Campbell, Jessica Oathoudt, Meagan Donahue, Nell Jasinski, Maggie Beckman, Beatrice Smith, and Tess Glenzinski. These seniors bring an important role to the team. Mary is one of the team captains, Jessica leads in assists and is a setter, and Nell is bench captain, who leads the cheers on the bench. Meagan, Maggie, Beatrice, and Tess hype up the younger players and keep the team focused and energetic. As the volleyball season continues, we hope they continue to work hard as a team and always improve. We are looking forward to seeing you to work with tough opponents, grow as a team, and enjoy your season!

8/29: Lakeville North L 8/31: Marshall L 9/5 : Stewartville L 9/7: WEM W 9/9: Rosemount L Mankato East W Shakopee L Wilimar W 9/12 : Kenyon W 9/14: Blooming Praire W 9/18: Kasson L 9/21: USC W 9/22: Lakeville South L 9/22 : Prior Lake L 9/23: Marshall L Apple Valley W 9/26: Southwest L 9/28: New Richland W 10/3: Mayer Luteran L 10/5: Maple River 10/12: Medford 10/16: Owatonna

Written by: Janelly Sandoval

Senior

If you could be an animal for 1 day what would it be and why? I would be a killer whale. I would be a killer whale because they are super strong, and they always are with their gang.

What’s your biggest pet peeve and why? My biggest pet peeve is when people are on their phones in the movies.

Would you rather be a dinosaur or a unicorn for one day? I would want to be a dinosaur. I could go into a big city like New York and be the true Godzilla.

Senior What’s your biggest pet peeve and why? When people drive too slow in the fast lane. What is your biggest fear? Breaking a bone or tearing my ACL. You have an unlimited supply of one food. What is it and why? Watermelon because it’s never a bad time to eat it.

Senior If you could be an animal for 1 day what would it be and why? A grizzly bear, because they get to lay around a lot but also can be super intimidating and usually get what they want. Also they’re very independent and find their own food What is your biggest fear? Being in a small dark room with snakes and clowns.

Senior

Whats your biggest pet peeve and why? When people think they’re right but they aren’t right and they wont admit your right but you are right.

If you could be an animal for 1 day what would it be and why? Seahorse because Mary says it is my spirit animal.

If you could be an animal for 1 day what would it be and why? Koala bear because I love them and they are sweet but also can wreck you at any time.

2017

You have an unlimited supply of one food. What is it and why? Chicken Wings. Preferably buffalo sauce. I want them because you can never have enough wings.

What’s your biggest pet peeve and why? Kyle clearing his throat because it is the most disgusting and irritating sound.

Junior What’s your biggest pet peeve and why? My biggest pet peeve would be unorganized people. I love being organized, and I wish everyone could be organized! If you could be an animal for 1 day what would it be and why? I would want to be a sea otter. I think they are super cute, and when they sleep they hold hands.

Junior If you could be an animal for 1 day what would it be and why? A bird, I would love to see the world from the sky without fear. What’s your biggest pet peeve and why? When people repeat what they just said. It is annoying me because I like things when they are repeated to me like: Have you done this, are you going here, how was your day, what did you do?

Junior Whats your biggest pet peeve and why? When people don’t pick up their shoes. Its annoying.

You have an unlimited supply of one food. What is it and why? Pizza because I love pizza.

Junior What’s your biggest pet peeve and why? When people repeatedly hit the elevator button, as if that’ll make the elevator arrive sooner

You have an unlimited supply of one food. What is it and why? 5 layer burrito from Taco Bell, they are super good and I can eat them any time of the day

Sophomore What is your biggest fear? Being the last person on earth. If you could be an animal for 1 day what would it be and why? A dog because all they do everyday is sleep and play and eat. Would you rather be a dinosaur or a unicorn for one day? A unicorn.

Senior Would you rather be a dinosaur or a unicorn for one day? I would be a unicorn because they have a horn and can fly. You have an unlimited supply of one food. What is it and why? If I had an unlimited supply of one food it would be potatoes, because I can make them into anything, french fries, hash browns, potato chips, potato salad etc.

2017

With Kent Mollberg

With the start of a new school year and new laptops for the teachers and students, it is very important for us to be safe while using them. Our students and staff were lucky enough to welcome a speaker to teach us how to be protected online. Internet safety speaker Kent Mollberg was able to provide the students and staff with valuable information about how to handle the always changing technology. He taught us ways to avoid getting scammed and to be safe online by providing personal stories and real life experiences. In an effort to continue this theme here are ten basic tips to stay safe this school year.

Create strong complex, unique passwords. Click smart! Don’t open spam emails, phony “free” offers, click bait, online quizzes and anything that looks suspicious. They all use these tactics to entice you to click on dangerous links or give up your personal information. Practice safe surfing & shopping! When shopping online, visiting websites for online banking or making other sensitive transactions, always make sure that the site’s address starts with “https”, instead of “http”, and has a padlock icon in the URL field. Lookout for the latest scams! Online threats are evolving all the time, so make sure you know what to look out for. Currently, “ransomware” is on the rise. Keep your guard up! Always be cautious about what you do online, which sites you visit, and what you share.

Don’t use free WiFi! These services might be convenient, but they’re also an open door to everything on your device. Unless you really need it, don’t use it. Don’t assume you know to whom you are talking to! Increasingly, hackers are learning how to mimic your friends and contacts. They can also create fake websites that look like a trusted site, but are actually just there to gather intelligence and data about the user. Don’t post any personal information online! Avoid things like your like your home address, email address or mobile number. Don’t meet up with people you’ve met online! Speak to your parent or guardian about asking to meet you. Always be cautious! If you see something online that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or worried, leave the website, turn off your computer, and tell a trusted adult!