February 2015 Blake Spectrum Newspaper

the

SPECTRUM

“Your Voice in Print”

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015

blakespectrum.org Maxine Whitely ooj-e-air-oh. Joe Rooj-eair-oh, Mr. Ruggiero, or Dr. Ruggiero. Although saying his name might be dif-

R

likely won’t be.

Joe Ruggiero will be join-

Issue II

C.C. Lucas new ideas to the table. At Beyond maintaining opbarely have any APs at all.

The thing that I love about that is that it frees students to take and that they’re interested in instead of thinking that they have to take

and get involved with the ments, “My favorite part of what I do is working with the students. I was very adamant that I wanted to

HELLO

Blake four years

that when he visited the

the grade dean position, mediately was that there were students in dean of-

spread in ages all around all the time.”

In the next two years, the -

never seen that before and it just spoke volumes about

-

Favorite pet: “ a dog person and my favorite is my old beagle– her name is Tess.”

Favorite color: Blue.

What you do in your free time: “I like to travel, explore but am looking forward to Minneapolis!), and hang out with friends and family. I’m also a big “foodie” and love to restaurants.”

Favorite movie/tv show: “Ok, this one is REALLY hard movies, maybe... Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Pan’s Labrinth? TV... The One quirky thing about you: things about me, many of have an irrational fear of

“This is true at any age Ben Temple says this is one of the things he wants to bring from his Blake ex-

in them and is invested in

in its title.”

Even with his abun-

Side of New York, Temple

knowing the history and

boys, and unlike Blake’s

to New York. “It reminds ing thing that families drop their kids off here [at

-

as a parent, I know what that means; I know how

very well yet. I want to spend a lot of time really listening and learning, and not assuming anything.” mary interest in Blake benent of it, but it was broader than that. It’s really about of student development.”

The keystone of Rugministrative leader will be

primary goal is to get to ly… as possible. I want them to know that I am their ad-

News Page 3

-

Pia Phillips

the three divisions, as well

are similar in terms of the kids.”

Temple will work to get

photo submitted by: Joe Ruggiero

make sure that if I took tinue that work on a daily basis. So what I plan on doing immediately is meeting with student representatives and other leaders in out what students want in -

goodbye Temple

ing together.”

-

door open, his room full of and his ambitions high.

but, it shares a building with fourth-graders and

WHAT’S INSIDE Follow Us

Features Page 7 giero is prepared to bring

the relationship [between Temple explains that serve as a skeleton for rein the building. They will

students to know that “my

Blake, endorses diversity,

year at the Blake lower esting similarities between learning environments of different grade levels. “It’s great to see the parallels between what that looks

have a say in planning the

Ruggiero

Ruggiero Fun Facts:

The Blake School

@BlakeSpectrum

@BlakeSpectrum The Spectrum

I was there visiting, it felt remarkably similar to feels like.”

Temple also draws from to build upon his role as

InDepth Page 8-9 The Lost Art of Learning

Sci-Tech Page 14 Brain

photo credit: C.C. Lucas

to know individuals as wants to know “the stories of the kids who are in the division; that’s a priority

2 news Spectrum staff

march 5, 2015 • the spectrum newspaper

A MONTH TO SHARE THE LOVE

CSB collects donations for worthy organizations

C The Blake School 511 Kenwood Pkwy Issue II March 5, 2015 Editor-In-Chief: Maxine Whitely Managing Editor: Anneliese Moore Creative Director: C.C. Lucas Front Page Editor: Anneliese Moore News Editors: Deniz Ercan-Fang, Bennett Mattson Student Life Editors: Stuart Patterson, Ikbal Ahluwalia Arts and Culture Editors: Lucy Nelson, Katya Tobak In-Depth Editor: C.C. Lucas Opinions Editors: Sam Gittleman, Fatiya Kadir, Chapel Puckett Features Editor: Isabel Hall SciTech Editor: John Miller Sports Editors: Maxine Whitely, Will Kaback Business Manager: John Miller Online Editor: Julia Shepard Editors Emeriti: Zahara Kathawalla, Adelaide Winton, Kira Leadholm Adviser: Anna Reid

ommunity Service Board is changing the way they fundraise as they try to maintain a balance between giving groups opportunities to fundraise and not overdoing the number of drives.

In order to create the most successful fundraiser, CSB decided to combine many of events into one: Share the Love in the month of February.

Different advisories and clubs will recieve the money from the drives for organizations chosen by CSB leaders and members who picked causes that bencation of kids and teens.

Ilyssa Gainsley ‘16, a CSB grade leader, said, “I think the Share the Love month is important be-

BECOME A STAFF WRITER: Contribute to the paper three times consecutively to be promoted to a staff writer!

JOIN SPECTRUM: Spectrum meets every Thursday in room 351 during both lunches. Please come if you are interested in writing, drawing, designing or taking pictures for our newspaper.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: in the paper? Have an opinion you want to share? Like to draw editorial cartoons? Take a stand and speak out. E-mail letters or editorial cartoons to spectrum@blakeschool.org or deliver them anonymously in room 351. Please limit letters to 400 words.

MISSION STATEMENT: The primary purpose of the Blake School Spectrum is to report news and to explain its readers and the community. We hope to inform, entertain and provide a school forum for the unrestricted exchange of ideas and opinions.

photo credit: Isabel Hall

SHARE THE LOVE collections and penny were recently extended

All the resources compiled during Share the tian Initiative, Free the Children’s Adopt a Village

Two of the organizations include...

SPECTRUM STAFF: Charlie Ankeny, Emma Burke, Melina Donnelly, Hudson Dougan, Fiona Duffy, Rachel Hertzberg, Emily Hykes, Janet Kang, Will Leadholm, Michael Malecha, Conor McDonough, Campbell Morrison, John Mullan, Abbie Nelson, Katerina Papanikolopoulos, Penelope Winton, and Zoe Zellmer

Emma Smith • Contributing Writer cause it raises awareness Program, gloves and profor different organizations tective wear to prevent that need more funding the spread of Ebola with and it’s a good way to get the Rural Health Care the whole school involved Initiative, tutoring proin community service.” grams at Simpson Hous-

SOLES 4 SOULS SIMPSON HOUSING

S

Melina Donnelly• Staff Writer oles4Souls, a non-

the impact of poverty, collects gently used and new shoes and almost always gives them directly to the people in need both inside and outside of the United States. The shoes that are collected are either given to those who need them, or are given to very small businesses, where they can These shoes provide many people with jobs that can help them selfsustain, which may have been otherwise impossible. The slightly worn, or “old” shoes as we may call them, provide many kids and adults with a chance to avoid injury and disease, and then directly increase their quality of life.

Katya Tobak • Arts and Culture Editor or tutoring organizations, essentials cover all items that fall into the category of school supplies. Notebooks, writing utensils, used textbooks, regular books (i.e. chapter books), rulers/protractors, and folders are all materials that students from previous years have left stashed in boxes without any utility.

Organizations including IOCP (Homework Club), Simpson Housing, and Project for Pride in Living are just a some of the places that Blake is supporting with school supplies during Share the Love. CSB is hoping for a big success in raising these school supplies for people eager to learn.

F

ing, Interfaith Outreach, and Community Partners.

Callahan Vertin ‘15, a CSB grade leader shares, “I chose to pair with Rural

Health Partners for the Share the Love collection because the Ebola epidemic is as rampant as ever, though it isn’t receiving its due publicity. Rural Health Partners sends rubber gloves to West Africa for doctors to use in their clinics. It’s imperative that doctors use such gloves to protect themselves against highly contagious diseases – not just Ebola.

Many times patients will be turned away if there are not enough gloves for the doctors to use.”

CSB hopes that widespread awareness of these issues and causes were raised throughout the school during Share the Love, and hopes to continue the tradition of service each February.

High schoolers turned diplomats MUNers experience Harvard conference

resolution.

Blake delegation smiles for a photo. photo credit: David Graham

news

the spectrum newspaper • march 5, 2015

Stocks rock Bearibou pushed aside with lack of student help

3

Club thrives

Melina Donnelly • Staff Writer

Chapel Puckett, Michael Feldkamp, and Neo Bhavsar • Opinions Editor and Contributing Writers

T

A

he investment club has recently captured the attention of some of the student body. Its simulated stock market gam, in particular, has been wellreceived, and subsequently taught students a thing or two about investment.

Tom Bauer ‘16, cocaptain of the club, notes that it lets students learn about something that is typically part of our daily lives through sources like “an entire [newspaper] section dedicated to business, much of which holds information about the ongoings of the stock market.”

Things as important as the stock market and wise investment should be understood, which is one of the reasons why Tom contributed to reinstating this popular club.

t the end of last school year, faculty member Frank Sachs proposed the Bearibou coffee shop.

For months on end, Forum debated over whether or not to make the proposal a reality. Now, after bringing it to a vote, Forum has shut the proposal down.

While many have expressed support for Bearibou, many others have been strongly opposed.

Sophie Smith ‘17 comments on the existence of a money-consuming shop like Bearibou, saying, “I’d be broke.”

Opposition hasn’t been cerns, though. Junior class president John Mullan ’16 explains, “There’s not a lot of student interest.

No individuals have indicated that they’d be interested in working at [Bearibou either.]”

Early plans of Bearibou...

WHERE: The kitchenette, also known as the nurse’s office.

Located in the hallway attached to the Cherne.

WHAT: Caribou coffee shop or a mobile espresso cart.

WHO: Forum and Caribou personnel. graphic credit: Zoe Zellmer The support isn’t gone, though. Kim Puckett, Blake parent and founder of Caribou Coffee, states,

“[Bearibou] would be a reason and a place for diverse members of the community to get togeth-

er in a coffee shop atmosphere and share not only beverages but conversation.” However, because of the lack of student participation or willingness to work in the coffee shop, the idea has been shelved for now.

As for its future, Mullan states, “Come this summer, perhaps, or even next fall, we’ll delve back into it.”

For now, Jamba Juice has replaced the Bearibou idea in school. Forum representative Charlie Ankeny ‘18 talks about this alternative: “Through our Jamba Juice Project, we are able to satisfy [students’] desires [and] provide money for clubs.” It’s uncertain whether or not solution. At the moment, though, Forum has shifted its focus to issues other than Bearibou.

Upcoming

EVENTS End of Quarter 3 Thursday, March 6 US Musical March 6-8 MPAC Quarter 3 Grades Friday, March 13 3:00pm Spring Break Friday, March 20 to Sunday, April 6 Corrections: -Madison Ethen’s name was misspelled on page 1.

-Sam Gittleman also wrote Social media utilized as an expresive outlet.

-Lucy Nelson reported on Student voices in Opinions.

-Neo Bhavsar is in the Class of 2018.

Community responds to crisis Will Kaback • Sports Editor

photo credit: John Mullan

O

n November 24, 2014, Sony experienced a crisis that began when employees in Culver City, California had their computer screens overtaken with the words, “This is only the beginning.”

The next week, Sony’s entire database was leaked to the public. The company quickly froze all forms of communication, but failed to protect the

sensitive information of its employees.

It was later revealed that the motive behind the hack was to prevent Sony from releasing “The Interview” a comedy about of Kim Jong Un. Sony did released it digitally in the midst of controversy.

The digital release has attracted many viewers,

Blake students included.

Ryan Brazner ‘16 outlines this, saying, “If the movie had not gotten so much publicity [because of the hack,] I wouldn’t have watched it honestly.”

Other students watched the movie to take a stand against censorship. Comments Reece Sanders ‘17, “I think the hack was a blatant shot at the great American ideal of freedom of speech.”

Additionally, the threats made have barely phased the community. David Myers ‘16 states, “[I] wasn’t afraid of being attacked for seeing the movie because I doubt the hackers have the ability to carry out any of the threats they made.”

In any event, the current state of digital security leaves much to be desired.

The threats may be ineffective, but that doesn’t mean students shouldn’t be aware of the increasing lack of cyber privacy.

Tutoring

Andrea Kay: Blake, Yale, and U of M (Master’s in Education) graduate.

Kay tutoring offers: • specialized tutors for each class • standardized test prep • college essay writing help Call: 612-807-2525 Email: andrea@kaytutoring.com Visit: www.kaytutoring.com

4 student life

march 5, 2015 • the spectrum newspaper

Yoga instructors turn up the heat Students by day, teachers by night

Lucy Nelson and Abbie Nelson • Arts & Culture Editor and Staff Writer

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lake students Maxine Whitely ’16 and Olivia Priedeman ’15 have gone through rigorous training in order to obtain jobs at CorePower Yoga. Whitely teaches on Fridays at 4:30 and Saturdays at 4:00 PM, and Priedeman teaches on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. Although working as an instructor does pay, they say that yoga is more of a hobby that they love to do.

Spectrum: Any words to people to inspire them to start yoga?

Priedeman: Don’t let it scare you! It’s not intimidating, you just have to keep going and get into it.

Also, try different kinds because if you try a certain one and you don’t like it there could be a couple of different variations out there that you might really like.

Whitely nitely something to try if

Spectrum: How did you get involved with yoga?

Whitely: I have been practicing forever. My mom would like drag me to yoga when I was little and then I decided I actually really liked it so then I just kept going and that’s how I got into it.

Priedeman: I’d been practicing for around two years and a friend Power.

hobby that I really enjoy and could potentially keep for the rest of my life.

Whitely: I do it more for the experience rather than money[...] it is still nice to have an income as a high school student. I just love teaching and doing yoga.

photo credit: submitted by Maxine Whitely

Whitely and Priedeman doing yoga at CorePower in Minnetonka.

Spectrum: What do you love about teaching?

Whitely: I absolutely love the connection I have made with my students. It can be a super

Cedar House students embrace cold winter

Anika Mirza and Sneha Sinha • Contributing Writers rom January 5 to 15, visiting the Minnesota eleven students from Zoo during her stay. The the Cedar House School numerous stores, resin Cape Town, South Af- taurants, and the ability rica visited Blake as it to shop online without aligned best with their having to worry about break. Natasha Reyes ’15 customs surprised the and seven other Blake exchange students. students visited the Cape Reyes says, “They were Town school over the sum- also in shock from the mer. Reyes hosted Isabel weather since only two Karpierz, who is a current students had seen snow.” senior.

Dion Crushshon adds,

F

photo credit: submitted by Anika Mirza

Reyes and Karpierz at the Eden Prairie Ice Castles during the visit.

According to Reyes, Karpierz absolutely loved her visit, and was amazed by the cultural and the climatic differences. For example, Karpierz enjoyed

Spectrum: Do you work as an instructor for the experience or the money? Do you consider it work?

Priedeman a hobby. I make minimum wage basically, but I don’t do it that often. I have a standing class once a week and then I sub occasion-

you are looking for new exercise or if you’re looking for something more spiritual because I think there is a different facet of yoga for every person to do it. CorePower offers

“Even though it’s not ideal to host visitors in January...[the Cedar House students] seemed to really appreciate the unique experience.”

personal experience.

Priedeman: I have always loved practicing yoga… I get to work with people that are way older than me and get to see

them transform from beginners. And they keep coming back, so it is nice to make a connection with them.

Spectrum: What types of classes do you teach?

Priedeman: I teach a C1 beginner class.

Whitely: I teach three types of classes. I teach C1, which is a like a basic beginner class; it’s a vinyasa

you link your breath and movement. I will soon teach C2, which is a more also teach sculpt, which is like a yoga workout.

Spectrum: What type of people are in the “yoga community”?

Whitely: I get a huge mix. I have a woman who comes plus and she comes to my sculpt classes. I also have really young people, like teenagers... It also depends on the teacher you go to.

Priedeman: I would say CorePower is a super energetic place. It is super vibrant and young, but there is also mix of different people. Everyone I meet is super nice, I get hugs when I leave classes…It is just overall super fun and welcoming.

basic form of yoga where

Infographics invade World Cultures studies Fresh visual medium is the future of media Jessie Kang • Staff Writer

I

photo credit: Ikbal Ahluwalia

t’s not artwork, so what has come to cover the hallway besides Jarrett Young’s into the social studies wing? Recently, the students from 9th grade World Cultures classes underwent a demanding project about the Industrial Revolution.

Beth Calderone, ninth grade World Cultures teacher, explains that after talking about some newly industrialized countries, students point did they become industrialized.”

The way this project was lead was to explain the industrialization of a country through an infographic, which the students were given a few weeks to create without

any concrete instructions on the actual design.

Calderone adds, “Infographics are kind of the new trending way that people on [social media] are showing a lot of data in a really user friendly way.

It gave a creative element to a project that is otherwise very academic.”

In addition, the reason for the lack of instruction was to “get a sense of just how varied the arguments could be,” in the sense that “students would be thinking about the various ways dustrialization].”

Proving that the goal of the project was absorbed, Sarah Weinshel ’18, a student covering South Africa, says, “I learned a lot about how different people look at the industrialization, since my answer was so different from many other groups.” She continues, “I liked having a lot of freedom in being able to research on our own and having a less structured

photo credit: Katya Tobak

9th grade World Cultures infographics, like the Brazil and India infographics, depict when, why, and how a country became industrialized.

schedule of things.”

“The goal was historical research, but more with an eye to teaching that historical research is not just a report,” Calderone explains.

The next time you are walking by this project,

don’t just hurry onto your next class. Stop and read about student perspective regarding industrialization. Perhaps your opinion on what it truly means to be industrialized will change from just a picture.

the spectrum newspaper • march 5, 2015

Keeping up with curves

student life

5

A look into the highs and lows of test score curbing

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ne of the common buzzwords around the school is “curve.”

Mentioning it when speaking about a test will garner attention from many students. It carries connotations of hope, salvation and rescue.

The student experience involves many tests, some easy, but some hard. In cases of the latter being true, a curve can be the difference between a letter grade.

For this reason, some teachers institute curves, which help redistribute grades in terms of a how well the whole class did. Therefore, the actual point percentage of the represent a student’s or a class’s usual performance.

Consequently, average scores are increased on tests where the average is low. Curves are meant to and do not negatively impact a student’s score.

Sarah Roe ’15 states

John Miller • Sci-Tech editor

that she has personally a test and also comments: “They can be helpful if you do badly on a test.

Also, students have more room to fail on hard tests.”

Another example of raw score manipulation can be seen in Dr. Deborah Weiss’s AP Science classes, where she uses a different scale.

She describes it: “A

curve is administered when you have a distribution of scores on an assessment that’s not in line with what you think it’s going to be so you’re adjusting based on how

students did. What I have is an altered scale that is 5% lower than the ‘normal scale’ and here’s my thinking: I want to ask really hard, stretchy questions.

I want to ask questions

Changes for underclass humanities courses More options early on create a more prepared student

A

Maxine Whitely and Katya Tobak • Editor-in-Chief and Arts & Culture editor

change in curriculum options is set to launch for tenth graders in the fall of the 2015-2016 school year and has already been instituted for ninth graders this year.

Social Studies Department Chair and a World Cultures teacher, Jennifer Marien comments, “Whether it was discussing the apartheid in South Africa, the communism era of China with Mao Zedong, or covering the Israel and Palestine issue, World Cultures perspective to the freshman class and has supported our learning and understanding of history overall.

“In addition, we even took the time to cover current events of that year[...]

We were able to have student-lead discussions with the numerous issues that we believed were not being covered (enough).”

This class encompassed so much material that teachers decided to break it up into smaller courses so that students could dive deeper into each topic.

This school year, it was split into World Cultures: Modern World History anBig History. Next year, the same two courses will be offered based on positive feedback from students.

different U.S. History classes will be offered in 2015 instead of just one.

These options include U.S. History: The American West, Environmentalism and Conservation, Innovation and Technology, Movement and Peoples, and AP U.S. History.

“It’s been in the works for three or four years to give freshmen and sophomores a little bit more choice just like the juniors and seniors have,” says Beth Calderone. “We had two very regimented classes and then it opened up into a world of options. We were thinking that it would

kids to be able to pick and choose a little bit earlier.”

A few years ago, we did a pretty massive national search at what ninth and tenth grade history programs look like, and many of the things that we liked the most sion were places that did offer choice at the ninth and tenth grade level.”

Calderone also mentioned that many top-level independent schools were increasing choice at a younger age, and it was important for Blake to stay on par with that caliber of education.

that maybe everybody will get wrong, but on the other hand if I’m expecting to get them wrong, I just want to have the conversation. I want them to think about it, so do I really want to dock them grade-wise?

So there aren’t that many hard questions, but maybe they constitute 5% of the test. It’s not that you can’t get them, it’s that you might not and that would still be OK. So, I use an altered scale that allows me to push really hard and yet keep the grades in line.”

Ravi Chepuri ’18 has mixed feelings on curves: “On one hand I think [a curve] gives students more opportunities to succeed in their grades, but on the other hand I think it encourages both slacking and teachers making tests unfairly hard. There’s also the question on how [teachers] should grade their tests if there are outliers.”

6 arts and culture

march 5, 2015 • the spectrum newspaper

“Anything Goes” springs onto the musical scene

S

et on a cruise ship sailing from New York to England, this year’s spring musical “Anything Goes” is anything but ordinary. It will keep you on your feet from beginning to end as Billy Crocker (Joe Owens ‘15) for the love of a young heiress, Hope Harcourt (Katerina Papanikolopoulos ‘17), despite her engagement to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Calvin Rusley ‘16).

Chapel Puckett • Opinions Editor The show explores numerous relationships with characters such as Reno Sweeney (Annelise Ellingboe ‘16) and Moonface Martin (Sebastian Moller ‘15) and appearances from two gambling cowgirls named Annabelle and Mirabelle (Chapel Puckett ‘17 and Whitney Cun- cludes a series of large ningham ‘18). tap dance numbers.

Featuring music by With the help of chorefamous composer Cole ographer Linda Talcott Porter, this show in- Lee, members of the cast were able to learn these tap dances from the basics. Whitney Cunningham ‘18 mentioned, “The show is like one big soap opera, but a lot funnier and less dramatic because of all the love triangles.”

The show was recently revitalized in 2011, starring Sutton Foster as Reno Sweeney. Foster won numerous awards for her performance as the main

photo credit: Chapel Puckett

character, including a Tony Award.

The production will start March 6th at the MPAC at 7:30, followed by the second show on March 7th at 7:30 and a matinee at 2:00 on the 8th. The cast hopes that everyone will come out and support all of the hard work that has gone into this performance.

Katerina Papanikolopoulos ‘17 summed it up, saying, “it will be a spectacle!”

photo credit: Chapel Puckett

Movie reviews

Maximum

Minimum

Birdman saves the day Wild is wildly cathartic Fifty Shades creates lasting implications C.C. Lucas • Creative Director

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iggan Thomson is a washed-up actor who has lost his wings.

Determined to get back the former glory of his film persona, superhero Birdman, Thomson uses the Broadway stage to make a second debut.

The film follows a group of struggling artists in their pursuit to put on a successful show.

While the show suffers to take off, the movie finds glory in its poetic portrayal of crisis. The camera work in particular pulls the story off the screen. The camera always hovers close to each actor’s face, making the scenes feel excitingly close.

Though no character’s story is shown thoroughly, what viewers discover

Anneliese Moore • Managing Editor

about each character ties back to Thomson and his internal problem.

To further blur the line of reality, viewers experience Thomson’s dayto-day delusion, where he spars with Birdman and jumps from buildings only to soar over New York City.

At the end, the movie bombs viewers with a pressing and probably unanswerable question. Left to interpret a crucial conclusion, the viewers apply their own pessimism or optimism to the story.

Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu gives each viewer wings and the air to explore whether Thomson failed or flew.

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fter her failed marriage and the loss of her mother, Cheryl Strayed is in a dark place. Her years of destructive and precipitous behavior cause her to make the decision to hike more than one thousand miles herself. Wild illustrates the horrors and determination of one young woman’s dangerous yet strengthening journey that ultimately heals her. Cheryl, played

by Reese Witherspoon, attempts to rid herself of the dark spots in her life, preto Cheryl’s drug addiction, sexual promiscuity, and abuse by her father. This and alienation that comes with travel, but the experiences that can change one’s life for the better.

F

ifty Shades of Grey is a book series turned movie that has taken the romantic drama genre with force. In fact, everything about Fifty Shades seemed a little too forceful: the cheesy lines, the Bella-Edward love story, and most of all, the overtly abusive relationship between the two main characters, Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey.

This movie does deserve credit for being unapologetically sex positive. It has offered a platform for people to talk about sex and sexuality in a whole new realm. However, these conversations could have, and should have, been urged on by something that doesn’t glorify violence, abuse, and subordination.

Maxine Whitely • Editor-in-Chief

Fifty Shades of Grey Anastasia’s role is outlined as being a “submissive,” or “sub.” Worse than this blatant subordination is the emotional and sexual abuse demonstrated in both the book and movie: “’No,” I protest, trying to kick him off. He stops. ‘If you struggle, I’ll tie your feet too.’”

The popularization, and even promotion, of rape culture by this movie is ample reason not to support the 50 Shades trilogy.

The violent messages are so powerful that they have made an unfortunate transition off the screen and

have been seen in a recent sexual assault case at the University of Illinois-Chicago. A student sexually assaulted a classmate, but claimed that he was reenacting a scene from the movie.

By not demonstrating clear-headed consent from both parties and glorifying sexual violence, the movie plows past being a romantic drama and right into being a facilitator of rape culture.

If you see this movie, think about the messages that it is—whether consciously or subconsciously—sending to its audience. Nothing that promotes non consensual activity or assault will ever make my list of recommendations.

arts & culture

march 5, 2015 • the spectrum newspaper

Blake’s palette of art classes

Students’ failed fantasies

Many options yield high creativity

Social holidays end in disappointment

Brianna Pomonis • Staff Writer

Julia Shepard • Online Editor

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rt classes offer a more relaxed, creative break from the formulas, study guides, and lectures students are subject to during hours of core curriculum classes. Whether the class takes place in a studio, music suite or stage, Caitlin Kearney ‘16 says, “They’re a nice break from all the academics. It’s fun to not necessarily have to follow instructions.” Carrie Enstad says they help “students to be flexible, to see multiple perspectives, to take risks, and to make decisions.”

Despite Blake offering a total of 28 classes in the

music, visual art, and theatre departments, both students and teachers alike would like to see new classes added.

By adding new classes, Enstad says, “[Blake] expand[s] opportunities for our students to grow and develop as learners and human beings.”

In the past, Blake has expanded students’ opportunities by adding new classes such as Advanced Filmmaking, Photography 3, Music Composition and Technology, and summer classes including woodshop and generative art.

While these classes have appealed to certain stu-

dents, others still would like to see new classes added.

Kearney states, “It’d be fun to have something where it’d be more class/group oriented projects. Maybe murals, or something like that.” Michael Smith ‘17 says, “It’d be cool to have woodshop during the day. I think a lot of people would like that.”

The addition of more art classes may serve as a positive advancement in the Blake community.

Ceramics Photography

Printmaking

Filmmaking

Drawing & Painting

Theatre

Music

Speech & Debate

I

n the first High School Musical movie, Gabriella and Troy meet at a party in a ski lodge on New Years Eve. Gabriella and Troy, both high school Juniors, are randomly selected to sing a karaoke song, “Start of Something New,” together. They exchange flirty glances throughout the song and trade cell phone numbers before leaving the party. The two meet again when Gabriella coincidently moves into Troy’s town and transfers to his high school. If only it were that simple!

Many teenagers approach non-family holidays, such as Valentine’s Day and New Years Eve, with unrealistic expectations. Some teenagers fantasize about meeting their Gabriella or Troy on New Years Eve; Others expect to attend the biggest and best party ever on New Years Eve. Some dream about meeting their perfect match or going on an exceptional date on Valentine’s Day. These unreasonable and high hoped expectations may

seem enjoyable at first, but surely take a turn towards unpleasant and disappointing when they don’t come true.

Holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, [etc] don’t usually have super high fetched expectations because the majority of people spend these holidays with their family. A new layer of expectations is added to nonfamily holidays due to the fact that most teenagers spend these holidays with their friends who are influenced by similar messages through the media. The media perpetuates teens to have exceedingly high expectations through movies or articles that present “17 Things My Perfect Boyfriend Would Get Me For Valentine’s Day” or “4 Simple Steps to a Magical, Perfect Valentine’s Day”. The media creates these unrealistic expectations that rarely ever occur.

These unrealistic and intangible expectations are unneeded.

Maceo Dunn ‘16 says, “If you think about it,

7

[Valentine’s Day and New Years Eve] are just the same as any other day.” Patrick Clark ‘16 insists that instead of holding exceedingly high expectations for non-family holidays, we must “approach [nonfamily holidays] with low expectations. If you expect to have a mediocre time, you won’t be as disappointed when you do have a mediocre time.

You will also be more satisfied if your event turns out to be fun.” Riele Short ‘15 mirrors this same laid back and level headed attitude toward Valentines Day and New Years Eve. She encourages others to “treat yo self, hang out with your friends [and] watch comedy films.”

If one does approach non-family holidays in this manner, disappointment will most likely be scarce and the night may turn out to exceed one’s expectations in a delightful surprise.

Do it yourself: fancy February flavors

Freshen up the air with love (even after Valentine’s Day) with heart-shaped mints Penelope Winton • Staff Writer

1

Combine 2 tablespoons of softened butter, 1 tablespoon of Crisco, 1-2 tablespoons of peppermint extract and 3 ¾ cups of powdered sugar (food coloring optional). Add 1 tablespoon of hot water at a time until the mixture can be rolled into a ball without being sticky.

2

Roll out the dough until it reaches a width of around ¼ of an inch. Experiment with what type of cookie cutter you’d like to use, which will later determine both the size and shape of your mints. Let your dough set for about 15 minutes before you move on to step 3.

3

Use your designated cookie cutter to strategically punch shapes into the dough, being mindful of spacing. The best way to use the cookie cutter is to push it into the dough with some force and take it out quickly, so that you won’t drag the dough out with it.

4

After leaving the mints to set for another 15 minutes, remove them from the dough with either a small spatula or knife, and get ready to snack!

march 5, 2015 • the spectrum newspaper

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It's AP? Sign me up Sam Gittleman • Opinions Editor

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Darrell Hong ‘16 ex-

“First and foremost a diploma and college acceptance. But more importantly, a better understanding of who I am as a person, what my interests are, and how I learn best.” –

“High school sets the stage for college and graduate school, and many of the life skills we learn in high school will automatically set us up on the road to success.”

–Asad Rahmatullah ‘15

“What is the one thing you want to get out of high school?”

in-depth

Aside from it being interesting, what is your main reason for choosing a course?

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Doing it for joy Michael Malecha •

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–

I want to be a doctor, [so] my favorite classes are biology and math. graphic credit: C.C. Lucas

opinions

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the spectrum newspaper • march 5, 2015

The truth about cheating

A report on the rampant problem Ikbal Ahluwalia and Campbell Morrison• Student Life Editor and Contributing Writer

A

ccording to Betty Brown’s daily emails, Blake’s four core values are respect, love of learning, integrity and courage. Cheating, a rampant problem at Blake, disregards these values.

At Blake, students are trusted to follow these guidelines and maintain academic integrity, resulting in teachers not monitoring or “policing” students’ acaccounts and results from Challenge Success’ May 2012 Survey, and the Independent School Health Check in October 2012 show that many students take advantage of this trust-based system.

According to the ISHC, nearly half of the Blake student population feels a high level of academic pressure from parents, which may contribute to students engaging in unethical activity.

Erin Adams reports that the most common forms of cheating on Blake’s survey were “working on an assignment with others when the instructor asked for individual work, copying someone else’s homework [and] copying a few sentences of material from a written source without appropriate references.”

The majority of students still uphold Blake’s core values and choose to separate themselves from cheaters.

Logan Sudeith ’18 comments, “If someone wanted to cheat off of me I would not let them because knowingly letting someone cheat [off of me] would get me into a lot of trouble, as well as the cheater. [Cheating] is morally wrong.”

Some students, including Sudeith, are not tempted to cheat even though cheating grants a short-term academ-

ic advantage. Other students see cheaters not getting caught and consequently getting higher grades, which tempts them to partake in cheating. Though this short-term advantage may seem appealing, many times cheaters are caught, and the accompanying consequences may end in suspension.

At Blake, the statistics show that male students are more likely to cheat, students in advanced courses are less likely to cheat, a n d white students cheat m o r e than students

of color. Also, 22.2% of students cheat on tests or quizzes, 22.6% do unauthorized copying, 39.6% use resources like SparkNotes, and 42.6% look up ideas on the internet without crediting the source. The studies also showed that “students who report cheating more also report putting less effort ing less value in their schoolwork, and enjoying their schoolwork less.”

In English classes, students will often use SparkNotes as a replacement for reading.

According to the SparkNotes website,

Students at Blake churn out Sparknotes information as their own

SparkNotes provides “brief analyses of characters, themes and plots.” This allows students to skim the assigned reading, make some brief marks for annotations, and then read the key details using this website.

When students cheat they are not improving their own score; they are preventing other students’ honest work from succeeding. An anonymous student shares, “In Chinese class, I noticed next to me a friend of mine was using his homework to cheat on a quiz, which is worth a lot of points. A fail on a quiz can bring your grade down. [This student] was cheating because he didn’t study.” Many times cheaters get away with their actions because students do not want to report their peers.

Adams says that some students may not even know they are “cheating” and that

using a false excuse to get an extension is considered academic dishonesty. When the cheating student from the Chinese class was questioned about his dishonest behavior, he icily replied, “[The answers] were face down. I don’t cheat.”

Some students believe that cheating is the best option to succeed because they are not getting caught and it is helping their grades.

However, this is not always the case, as many teachers can tell when students have not read closely or when they have copy and pasted sections of text into essays.

To all cheaters: Currently, you are swindling your way through school. Sooner or later you will be caught.

Then, will cheating really have been worth it? Will trashing your integrity have been worth it?

graphic credit: C.C. Lucas

Media spotlights Charlie Hebdo

Disproportionate coverage of European terrorism discounts other countries’ experiences Rachel Hertzberg • Staff Writer

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n January 7, twelve people were killed at the Charlie Hebdo magazine headquarters. This attack made headlines globally.

World leaders marched in Paris to show solidarity. ‘JeSuisCharlie’ became one of the most popular hashtags in Twitter history, with a total of more than 5 million tweets. Americans were outraged and scared by what most saw as a display of intolerance and religious extremism. It seemed the whole world mourned the victims of the massacre.

Why, though, has this particular event received so much response, when violence of equal or greater proportion, with similar radical antiWestern motives, receives silence from most of the world?

Five days after the Charlie Hebdo attack, Nigerianbased terrorist organizaweeklong raid, ravaging several villages, most severly in Baga, Nigeria, murdering an estimated 2,000 civilians.

At around the same time, a young girl was sent into the city of Maiduguri as a suicide

bomber. She and sixteen others were killed when the explosives strapped to her body detonated. Neither social media nor traditional media gave these outrages anywhere near the attention Charlie Hebdo received.

Why is this?

The New York Times, typically seen as a paragon of journalistic excellence, devoted days after days of front pages to the events in Paris, and barely covered the actions of Boko Haram. The Times ran an editorial on January 25 explaining the Nigeria due to the rural and technologically limited terrain. However, their Public Editor ultimately admitted, “I have no objection to the extent of the Paris coverage.

But...these lost Nigerian lives surely were worthy of The Times’s immediate, as well as its continuing, attention.”

One reason for this inequality is that the victims of Boko Haram, as well as the Syrian and Saudi regencies, are not perceived as famous, or even important.

They are just nameless, unknown citizens in the wrong

place at the wrong time. The fourty-nine civilians killed by the Syrian regime in the town or Retian are not perceived as heroic martyrs as writers for Charlie Hebdo are seen as dying for the ideal of free speech. This is an erroneous perspective.

The struggle for religious and political freedom is not

Representative Karen Bass of California as saying, “We [Americans] identify more with Europe...We have a much lower expectation on parts of the world that are not as economically developed.” This statement reveals a common (but unspoken) sentiment. We Americans and Westerners are desensitized to killing and chaos in Africa and the Middle East, and many

France, which hit much closer to home and makes us feel personally targeted.

It may be human nature to feel more sympathy for people we feel are more like ourselves, but it is still a bias that we should strive to diminish. Our disproportionate interest in Europeans above all other global citizens represents a disturbing in-group favoritism, which

#JeSuisCharlie Baga

predominant racial and cultural chauvinism that posits Western values and cultures as superior to all others.

The use of the hashtag ‘#JeSuisCharlie’ highlighted this phenomenon of feeling greater empathy with those who are culturally similar to ourselves. Not only did we pay more attention to the shootings in France, but we went so far as to equate ourselves with the victims.

The discourse surrounding human rights has become so distorted that we think we need to identify with people in order to support their right to live in peace. In the wake of all the discussion about civil discourse here at Blake, it’s ironic that much

satirists or politicians. It is fought everyday by ordinary

people trying to live freely in the face of repression. The writers at Charlie Hebdo were no more heroic than the 5,000 people killed by Boko Haram in the name of imposing and maintaining Islamic control. Let’s mourn this violence, but not lionize the victims.

Another reason that the Western world has prioritized the Charlie Hebdo attacks is that we perceive these victims as more similar to ourselves: culturally, religiously, and historically.

Copenhagen

Retian have even come to see it as normal. We’ve become accustomed to sensationalized images of faceless and dehumanized brown bodies piled up in far-off countries. Meanwhile, we are disturbed and saddened by violence in places like

of the material in Charlie fectly the absence of respect.

While nothing excuses terrorism or violence, I wish that those of us who consider ourselves tolerant Americans would be less quick to identify with the victims.

Even if I am not Charlie, I can senseless loss of human life.

Even if the victims of brutality are not like us, if they are from another part of the world, if they are another race, if they lead lives we can hardly comprehend, we can still mourn their deaths and call on our world leaders to take action against the perpetrators.

There is no reason to prioritize the attack on Charlie Hebdo headquarters over all other issues of free speech and democracy. It’s possible to acknowledge this atrocity and the fear, empathy, and anger that we might feel about it, while not pretending that this attack is somehow isolated or more important than all others.

opinions

the spectrum newspaper • march 5, 2015

11

Name change loosens asking expectations SIAC ditches the name “Sadie’s” Emma Burke • Staff Writer

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he poster says Snow Days, but students are still calling it Sadie’s. The inconsistency between the two names has created confusion and frustration in the Blake community as the school continues to avoid the name Sadie’s.

Sadie’s is one of three recurring dances held at Blake. Homecoming and Prom are traditionally represented as “guys ask girls” dances; however, the Sadie Hawkins, or Sadie’s, dance maintains a ritual of a “girls ask guys” dance. However, many schools are changing the name to the Sweetheart’s or Snow Days dance.

The Sadie’s dance is named after a girl named Sadie Hawkins. She was not particularly popular and guys would not ask her to dances. Sadie rebelled against the social

norm and decided to ask the guy she wanted to go to the dance with, resulting in the name “Sadie’s”.

Sadie’s is often less casual than other dances and the asking process isn’t as important or stressful as Homecoming because the girls ask boys less ofren. Is that the reason for the name change of the dance?

More and more questions have been raised about the topic of the Snow Days dance. Should girls be obligated to ask?

Is the dance only pressuring girls to ask, when the main goal was only to open the door for them?

Should Snow Days be the only dance where asking is limited to “girls asking guys”, and has the limiting factor of one gender asking another resulted in the name change of Sadie’s to

Snow Days?

Being a freshman, these are questions that I have been pondering experience of high school dances.

Eve ly n Hinke ‘ 1 6 comments “ t h e tradition of girls asking guys h a s transferred over Sadie’s to Snow Days dance.”

During Homecoming, guys asked

girls far in advance for the dance, but for Sadie’s, from what I have seen, girls are holding back and waiting until what seems like the “last minute.” Perhaps the setback of asking is a result of girls being more timid and nervous to ask because it is such a foreign territory as the “guys ask girls” tradition is so deeply ingrained in the school’s community.

From what I have seen, girls have been asking guys to Snow Days, which seems to be cargraphic credit: Penelope Winton

rying on the tradition of “girls ask guys” from Sadie’s. Hinke agrees that “girls asking guys will be a tradition always carried on for Snow Days.”

Does the tradition of girls asking for the Sadie’s dance allow for girls to have the ability to ask boys and not be questioned? However, does separating this dance as a “girls ask boys” dance, rather than prom and homecoming, make it feel strange for girls to ask at any other dance?

However, Sam Shapiro ‘18 believes, regardless of the name of the dance, “girls should be able to ask guys even if it isn’t Snow Days or Sadie’s.” Elaborating on the no gender spefor any dance, Jen Vance, the faculty coordinator for SIAC,

believes that the name change of the dance creates “an environment where any dance, anytime, students could ask someone to go to a dance, regardless of who they were and what their relationship was.” However, is the name change actually removing the importance girls to ask?

At Blake, the community is diverse in many ways and Blake strives to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable.

Vance considers the name more of the morals here at Blake, and not have people feel uncomfortable.”

Changing the name from Sadie’s to Snow Days is one of the ways to make Blake a more accepting and welcoming school.

Kim reigns in reality TV

A slippery slide in Saudi Arabia

Emily Hykes • Staff Writer f you have ever found Audrey Lothenbach ’18, entertaining and someyourself watching a who is a dancer herself, thing is always happening.” show on Bravo, TLC, or when asked if watching Another subject to reMTV, chances are you’ve these shows made her de- ality TV, Callie Abraham caught a glimpse of shows velop stereotypes about ’17, feels that both shows such as Dance Moms, The the people on the show, shine negative lights on Real Housewives, or Keep- she replied: “No, because women, especially celebing Up with the Kardashi- I can relate to [the issues] rities. “Keeping up with the ans. If this is so, you have and the moms at our stu- Kardashians gives a very been affected by reality dio are pretty crazy like negative role to women as television, the ever-grow- that.” Adding to this she they all act petty and ridicing form of entertainment also thought that women ulous.” In addition, when that continues to draw in were negatively portrayed asked why she spend time more and more viewers, in the show and it pushed watching these shows, despite its lack of struc- her to form stereotypes Abraham replied: “it’s like ture. Why can’t we get about women. Lothen- a guilty pleasure!” enough of these shows? bach also adds, “it’s very Even though reality TV Though we isn’t the best perceive these programs does prove as harmless to be a timetime-killers, killer and the candid even a stressstories that reliever. The unfold before next time our eyes may you switch have more of the channel an impact on to Toddlers us than we and Tiaras think. though, be A dedicated mindful of viewer of rethe messages graphic credit: Katerina ality shows, Reality TV shows dominate channels. portrayed.

Fatiya Kedir and Sammy Wagner • Opinions Editor and Contributing Writer equiring women to b e have male escorts, cause prohibiting women from ‘17 most driving, censoring mail, ig- r e of the noring sexual slavery, and spondIndustrial forbidding public worship ed, “Yes, it absoworld runs of non-Muslim religions lutely has to on oil, and the are just a few human rights do with natural gasses that Saudi Arabia’s Monar- oil. While from that area, chy violates on a daily ba- we curit’s hard to take sis. rently get it off the table Now the question is a little under as a motivanot whether Saudi Arabia a third of our tor for foreign meets standards for hu- imports from policy.” U.S. man rights for all of its OPEC, and foreign polcitizens, but it is why a about a third icy in Saudi country such as the United of that from Arabia is States would ally itself so Saudi Arabia, the result of closely with a nation that our reliance a complicated continues to systemati- has been dropping graphic credit: C.C. Lucas web of factors all cally oppress such a large in recent years.” O’Neil is forcing the U.S. portion of its population. right; the US is expected to maintain an alliance.

The most obvious answer to become nearly self sufIn order to begin to unis oil. According to U.S. Enderstand the U.S.’s foreign ergy Information Adminis- by 2035. policy in Saudi Arabia we tration, in 2014 Saudi AraHowever, the problem need to seek out informabia exported on average stems beyond that. A stu- tion on our alliance with 1,191 barrels of crude oil dent that requested ano- them and start conversaper day to the U.S. nymity explained, “I don’t tions about it so we can When asked if oil was a think that any decision all act as better global citimotivating factor for U.S. [regarding foreign policy] zens and engage in fruitful foreign policy in Saudi made by the U.S. is based discussion about the pros Arabia, Kincaid O’Neil upon just one thing. But and cons of the alliance.

Shows promote unhealthy stereotypes

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Papanikolopous

U.S. ignores allegedly extreme sexism

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12 opinions It’s not a compliment

the spectrum newspaper • march 5, 2015

A look into “Cat Calling”

Chapel Puckett • Opinions Editor who appeared on CNN, ecently, a video high- said “the bottom line is lighting the effects of this, ladies. You would not street harassment, or care if all these guys were catcalling, on one wom- hot”. This man, whose an in New York City was opinion is not alone, did viewed around the world. not take into acThis video, titled, “10 count the way hours walking in NYC as a that women woman”, was made by an all over the organization named “Hal- c o u n t r y laback!” which promotes feel about - catcalling. rassment.

It is almost The video gave outsid- u n a n - i ers on the issue of catcalling a view into one woman’s daily struggle with it. It demonstrated that catcalling is not only tremendously prevalent, but it is also a representation of how our society mousviews women. This video l y is not without opposition, agreed however, and many people on to be hurttook into question who ful and obmade the video, their in- jectifying to tentions and even argued women. that catcalling doesn’t exThe woman ist in reality. who appeared However, we, as a com- on CNN with the same munity, should not be man, Amanda Seales, arguing these irrelevant argued: “what your - problem is, as a man, is tual problem, catcalling, that you really should just needs attention. One man, be embracing and welcomnamed Steve Santagati, ing to the fact that women

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Rants and Raves

are saying, ‘hey, we don’t like this’, not arguing why we shouldn’t. If we say we don’t like [catcalling]

cuss this and make you all feel more comfortable.’”

Seales is exactly right.

I f one popu l a tion of peop l e d i s likes

bodies are not solely their own, and

and w e a r e demonstrating that, then y o u should actually, as a man... be saying, ‘well let’s dis-

what another does to them, shouldn’t we welcome those opinions rather than say they’re il-

that anyone can comment on them freely.

Catcalling comes from the idea that women are sexual objects. Catcalling comes from generations of this treatment. Personally, I will not stand it any

longer.

However, catcalling will not end with women standing up for themselves individually, because standing up to harassers has often been faced with violence and sexual assault. This detrimental cycle of women’s silence when being harassed on the street is what sustains catcalling. It must be broken to relieve women of this harassment, and allow them to walk freely down the street.

graphic credit: Fatiya Kedir

Go to blakespectrum.org to read an article about the ACT test.

Staff editorial: A call for rebellion

Gum gone in a blink, new bathIs obedience the new cool thing?

Bennett Mattson • News Editor rooms a permanent improvement

Suzie Kixmoeller and Emily Chase • Contributing Writers Rave: The gender neuRant: Gum, especially tral bathrooms that were after lunch, is a valuable recently put in the Upper commodity. When a pack School are a great addiof gum is taken out, betion to make the comfore the blink of an eye, munity more accepting. the previously full packThese bathrooms are a age has been emptied step towards helping all by classmates always on members of our comthe lookout for an owner munity to feel comfortwho won’t guard their able in our school. Some property. Furthermore, people in our school after the gum has been had previously felt as chewed, it can be found though parts of their all around the school; identities were not welit is stuck under desks, come or allowed at our chairs, and tables. It’s an school, however, now, unpleasant surprise to our school is attempting reach under your chair to make all feel accepted. to get your backpack or water bottle and to end solution to inclusivity, all up with someone else’s gender welcomed bathsticky gum on your hand. rooms are a great move towards a better Blake community.

legitimate?

Although catcalling is a largely entwined issue in a patriarchal society, there are steps that we can take to make our streets more welcoming to women. Catcalling comes from t h e belief that women’s

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Merriam-Webster as “a refusal to obey rules or accept normal standards.”

Rebellion. A thing that is almost nonexistent in today’s teen generation.

With parents and grandparents talking about college at Thanksgiving, and h o u r s u p o n hours of ACT prep, many of today’s teens feel utterly surrounded by pressure. Developing independence in high school is apparently out of the question. Rather, much of the

the social hour to work towards college, a menacing entity that looms in the distance.

It’s not just t h e pressure, though.

It’s also the risk t h a t comes with r i s ktak-

ing.

In an article t h a t asks “Where

is America’s Real Youth Rebellion,” Esquire writer Stephen Marche describes how “the deviators are punished more savagely” in today’s world. The “thin blue line” that exists between rebellion and obedience has become a “thick blue chasm.”

So, the question remains, is teen rebellion goi n g t o

one d a y vanish entirely?

Certainly image source: Tumblr

there are students from the Twin Cities who participated in the protests on 35W, and there are those across the nation who participated in Occupy Wall Street, but it appears that most students aren’t willing to branch out on their own if means a p o te n t i a l mark on their track record. What will become of society if teens don’t

features

march 5, 2015 • the spectrum newspaper

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WALKING THE HALLS WITH CANCER Pia Phillips’ ‘18 personal experiences

Eva Berezovsky • Contributing Writer

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photo credit: Daniela Phillips

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Pia Phillips’18,

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cancer.

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“THE FACT THAT I HAD CANCER HIT ME A MONTH AFTER I OVERCAME IT ALL” -

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photo credit: Daniela Phillips

Phillips seeks support from her family.

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photo credit: Daniela Phillips

“headstache.”

14sci-tech

the spectrum newspaper • march 5, 2015

Science Spotlight

Alcohol, Drugs and the brain

Deniz Ercan-Fang • News Editor

A

male from the class of 2016 who wishes not to be named says, “I know my father had friends who in their teenage years would drink and eventually would drink and drive, and he lost several friends to that. Not only drinking and driving but also drugged driving.”

Alcohol reduces the brain’s response to external stimulus. This is achieved by lowering the neurotransmission levels in the brain, which are responsible for sending and receiving signals in the central

nervous system. The result of lowering these levels is a decreased response to stimulus, which leads to many of the side effects that alcohol has on the body. a range of side-effects ranging from slurred speech, to cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, cancer or alcohol poisoning.

Cannabis, or marijuana, is a psychoactive drug, which means that it changes the chemical composition of the brain. The principal

psychoactive component is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is known for altering neural receptors in the spinal cord and periaqueductal gray, the area of the brain responsible for receiving pain signals.

Consequently, THC can relieve pain and decrease the body’s response to external stimulus, thus contributing to marijuana’s popular effects.

However, the use of cannabis has numerous side effects, such as sensory distortion, increase in reaction

time, growth disorders, immune system suppression and personality changes.

People who are underaged do not have a fully developed brain. The brain does most of its develtwenty years of life, so the consumption of alcohol or drugs during this time period could have disastrous effects on the growth of the brain.

Susan Tapert, a professor at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, conducted a study comparing non-drinking teenagers to teenagers who binge drink a couple of times a month.

She found that alcohol can affect the memory of teenagers and impair the growth of certain brain structures.

Similarly, alcohol can alter measures of brain functioning in teenage brains, such brain regions and electrical brain activities.

Tapert found that girls who have been engaged in heavy drinking during adolescence perform more poorly on tests of spatial functioning such as math, and boys perform poorly on tests of attention.

She claims that the mag-

nitude of the difference in test performance between drinkers and non-drinkers is roughly 10%, or the difference between an A and a B. controlled substance by the US government, and is only legal for recreational use in a few states, but the marijuana debate has recently been impacted by studies that indicate the positive effects of marijuana that have medical uses.

Recent studies have shown that medical usage of marijuana can treat symptoms of epilepsy, candepression, glaucoma, asthma, appetite-loss, sleeping disorders, anxiety and countless other disorders. na is commonly referred to as a gateway drug–meaning that smoking marijuana often leads to the use of other, more disastrous drugs.

According to Blake’s Independent School Health Check from October 2012, roughly 19.86% of Blake students had at least one drink of alcohol without parental consent in a period 30 days, and 11.4% of Blake students had more

during those 30 days.

14.1% of Blake students had consumed marijuana in that same 30 day period.

An anonymous male from the class of 2018 thought that these statistics were very high, and that it may be due to peer pressure, that “if the majority of the people in that social group, or the idea gets into one of the kids head that most people drink or do drugs, then they should partake too.”

While this may be true, an anonymous female from the class of 2016 stated that “I try really hard not to be judgemental of people who do drugs and drink alcohol because it’s a natural thing to be curious about.”

She continues by stating that she “think[s] at Blake, a lot of people put a lot of thought behind their decisions … they’re making a conscious choice to [drink or smoke].”

However, it is well known that the most important aspect of teenage drug and alcohol consumption is awareness. If teenagers are more aware of the drugs and alcohol, they are more likely to make smart decisions.

in the span of three hours

A report on an annual AP Biology experiment

Stuart Patterson • Student Life Editor ach year, the AP Biology goal, according to Deborah class at Blake embarks Weiss, is to “Figure out if on a population experiment the trait is dominant or recessive, if it is autosomal or In this process, students sex linked, and then to do a are responsible for watch- statistical analysis on to see - how valid data is.” tion’s growth from larvae To do this, the class pairs stages to full grown stages.

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experiment is known as the Drosophila is usually used in labs due to its short generation time, which is the amount of time for a new generation to be born (only two weeks), and common mutation among For the experiment, the

have distinct alterations like large eyes or white legs.

Then, the offspring, or the F1 generation are counted and observed for mutations or traits and paired with other offspring to create the F2 generation, and the observation process is repeated.

“The idea is taking the genetics and doing it hands on,” adds Weiss.

However, this is no easy task. “[Students] can’t count tell if they’re male or female very well...Which is kind of nice though because they encounter some of the real issues that you would have.”

This experiment, despite its challenges, has been received positively from the students. “Its pretty cool, now, and have become kind of weird for some groups.” says Asad Rahmatullah ’15.

sports

spectrum newspaper • march 5, 2015

Heat Index Boiling: The dojo

Martial arts have never been hotter.

Visit blakespectrum. org for an in-depth look

Bearstangs To finish season strong

End-of-season expectations exceed prior team achievements Lucy Nelson • Arts and Culture Editor he Bearstangs swim tic about their chances. team is starting to “I think this is probably resemble a juggernaut.

The swim team has only said co-captain Tiernan lost to Minnetonka and Foster-Smith ‘15. “[Es-

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team’s positive dynamic is a key factor in propelling

Grassle ‘17 is one who the seniors say to keep an eye on.

end goal is to win state this year and I think our

Blake and Breck’s cohesive

15

State Stats

13

Goals scored in three State Tournament games by the girls hockey team

47 Simmering: BGH

A second place state title keeps these girls on the charts

warm

spring sports Both the players and the ground are beginning to thaw in anticipation of the coming season

St. Thomas Academy thus far and are preparing to State meet. “It’ll be really close between us and St. tain Humphrey Pruett ‘15 states.

First place at the State meet has long been a goal earned third place last year. They are optimis-

pecially] in terms of our depth and the amount of points we’ve scored in our mentioned how the boys through impressive wins over rivals like Edina.

This group serves as a great example of how teamwork leads to victory.

Foster-Smith commented on how he thinks the

chemistry is good enough where it’s actually a tan-

group of speedy swimmers and talented divers will compete in the State meet.

Their success emanates from not just a couple of multitude of contributors throughout the team.

Much of their strength comes from the seniors— who have earned most of the points—but there are plenty of up and coming young members. Will

fan attendance is crucial.

Pruett put out the call for Blake students to come ing that “it would be great if we could have people

by the Nordic skiing’s smashing success young team breaks through numbers The Maxine Whitely • Editor-In-Chief

191

points scored this season by boys’ basketball captain charlie levitt ‘15

10 margin of victory for the girls basketball team in their section win over minneapolis roosevelt

0.8 Average points per game for Forward Johnny Hartfiel ‘17 Of the boys hockey team

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ractice was comprised of cold dryland and roller blading while the skiers waited for good weather.

While this got the athletes stronger and more preing better than getting feet in skis and skis on the snow.

Fast-forward to the end of a strong rebuilding season. Captain Carolyn Nye ‘15 commented that once the

Craycraft’s ability to push the team and involve the younger kids was also really helpful in forming a strong group. “Having a

only way to keep the team motivated was to “bring the energy to a level almost ridiculously high so that [the rest of team] brought their

that pushed my skiing The process of making it to State changed a ing a unique opportu-

individual slot.

almost always able to ski. Theodore Wirth has the natural snow did help a lie Craycraft

Char-

felt the pressure to step into a strong leadership role.

“We lost a lot of seniors last year. [The captains] have really worked to pass along

but having two was almost unfathomable.

new coach has been really good for the team. He has really worked to involve the younger kids because we have a lot of seventh and the team was only able to compete in three meets before their conference meets began. Captain Eli Makovetsky ‘15 notes that the

qualifying

energy level to an appropri-

with tough sub-zero weather conditions and an

Even with a lack of seasoned skiers and tough

ens placed 76th overall.

something that has not ever been done by a Blake Max Owens ’18 both made it to State. Just to have one skier heading to the State meet was a cause of great excite-

all ninth graders competing. dic skiing season was anything but predictable.

saves made by goalie Anna Kruesel ‘18 throughout the Tournament

8

number of blake fencers who placed in the top 35 of the state epee competition

2

years in a row Solomon Polansky ‘15 has won the men’s foil fencing state championship after repeating this February

0.5 seconds separating the boys’ alpine team from first place at the state meet. they finished in third place

5

th

place out of all minnesota freshmen for alpine skier max owens ‘18 at the state competition

16 sports

march 5, 2015 • the spectrum newspaper

New spring sports entice students: How synchronized Blake Girls Hockey swimming and clay target came into existence and what to expect from these up and coming teams

Anneliese Moore • Managing Editor lthough synchronized that’s shot in the air. There swimming and clay target are both part of MSHSL, for a total of 25 points. In they have never been offered competition, we go through at Blake.

Josie Lagerstrom ‘18 de- in practice you go through cided to establish a synchronized swim team at Blake Both Lagerstrom and because she had been a part Winkey assure that neither of the Edina team for two will be too demanding. years. After moving to Blake, For synchronized swimshe wanted to create a team ming, Lagerstrom predicts here. “Unfortunately when I that the team will meet moved to Blake, Edina didn’t three days a week for about let me be on [their] team an hour and a half at the anymore. Since I still wanted Middle School pool. to do the sport, I thought to For clay target, Wednesstart it here,” comments La- day is the only required gerstrom. practice day, although Michael Winkey ‘15 is Winkey will hold practices

A

est. Nick Rathmann states, “We want to support everyone, no matter their interest. Clay target and synchronized swimming are both interesting sports because you don’t need very many participants [for a team]. We don’t want to detract from the other sports either.”

Although it’s great that Blake is open to creating new sports teams, Rathmann also cautions to having too many teams. “I think it’s good that we give kids a lot of options here, but I want to be careful about how many total we give. If synchronized swimming

and around 11% was in the school play. If you look at those numbers, that’s 97% of students doing something every day after school. That’s all we want, to be active and engaging.”

One of Blake athletic department’s goals is to create other sport offerings like yoga for students who need don’t want to sign up for a super high-commitment sport.

Students can be active in a group and get their credit, but not have to be a star athlete.

Rathmann also had to take into consideration the safety

scores all the way through State Crey Bankes • Contributing Writer

Quarterfinals: The girls hockey team got off to a strong start this year in their third consecutive state tournament with a 9-0 win over Hutchinson. The scoring streak started with a rebound shot by Lucy Burton ‘17, and they pilled on after with a hat trick by Karlie Lund ‘15, two goals by Carly Bullock ‘16, another by Burton, and two more by middle schoolers Madeline Wethington ‘19 and Grace Vojta ‘19.

photo credit: Josh Miller

Semifinals: photo credit: submitted by Michael Winkey

starting a clay target team at Blake for similar reasons.

He states, “I’ve been shooting at Orono since eighth grade because I moved to Blake last year. I was captain of the team at Orono. I’m also using this as a senior program to [start] something at Blake that I enjoy.”

Winkey knows that many people aren’t familiar with plains, “There’s a trap house in front of the shooters. Five people line up and each person shoots at the orange disk

throughout the week. needed to join either team.

Winkey states, “Most of the fun is working through [the sport] and learning how to do it.” He adds, “Each practice is like a regular season shoot, so your scores are recorded and sent to MSHSL. In the end there’s a state tournament and you compete for the best school in the conference.”

The athletic department wants to put its support where there’s a lot of inter-

needed a team of 30 that would hurt another sport. had low numbers the past couple of years, but this year there’s a new coach and great players and the numbers are up this year.”

“We’re a very small school and we have 34 sports, [which is] more than Eden Prairie, and look at how small we are,” notes Rathmann.

“Last year, about 86% of the upper school participated in a spring sport

requirements of the new get. He states, “In Minnesota, there have been zero injuries with clay target. Zero, all together. We really looked into the safety of this sport, especially where students would store their guns. No guns will be allowed in school at any time; they will be stored at the gun club.”

“If it works, we’ll continue with it, and if it doesn’t, we’ll try something else…” concludes Rathmann.

Trouble for travelling athletes: Students navigate top-level sports competition and semi-independent learning

Charlie Ankeny • Staff Writer any competitive ath- accomodating with helpletes travel for top- ing traveling athletes make notch facilities and compe- up work, doubtlessly make out-of-school athletic titions.

Travelling athletes miss events easier to attend.

Nonetheless, athletes a considerable portion of school as a result of their contend that missing class away-from-home athletic is tough because learning new things independently schedule.

Annabella Walser ‘18, Maddie Dekko ‘16, ana member of the Girls Alpine Team and a travelling other alpine skier, says that skier, states, “The hardest “staying on top of school challenge is not making up while traveling requires homework, but making up homework in unideal envithe things you do in class.”

Teachers are especially

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majority of my homework is done in airports, cars, and vans.”

Derek Hitchner ‘18, a competitive golfer, adds, “As much as it hurts to miss school, I love golf, and I’ll do anything I can to play as

much as possible.”

As daunting as it may seem to miss school, it is worth it for some students to arrange their schedules to partake in levels of competition that high school teams cannot match.

photo credit: submitted by Roscoe Ide

son, Blake Girls Hockey came out with another strong win in a game against the Red Wing nail biting score of 0-0. The tides turned middle of the way through the second period as Sarah Chute ‘18 goals of the game were scored by Jordan Chancellor ‘15

photo credit: Josh Miller

Finals: Carly Bullock ‘16. As Thief River came out for the second period, they looked to avenge the goal by Bullock. The opponent scored late in the od of the championship, Thief River scored with three and a half minutes left in the game. They capitalized on another scoring opportunity with a goal into an empty net to end the game 3-1, Thief River.

Overall, the Blake Girls Hockey team ended with a remarkable season with a record of 26 wins, 5 losses and 0 ties.