the
SPECTRUM
“Your Voice in Print”
blakespectrum.org
ISSUE II
Friday | September 27 | 2024
The Blake School
Community Judiciary Board Reconvenes Elected reps. work to ensure fair hearings Eva Gleason | Staff Writer
T Yoni Zacks
Republican Senate Candidate and ex-NBA Player Royce White (left) spoke with The Minnesota Star Tribune agriculture reporter Christopher Vondracek (right) in an interview at the Minnesota State Fair on Aug. 22.
MN Senate Race Heats Up GOP Candidate Royce White discusses his goals for the future Yoni Zacks | Co-Editor-in-Chief Editors’ note: Spectrum is currently working to schedule an interview with Senator Klobuchar.
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midst a crowded opening day of the State Fair filled with torrential rain and the usual crowds, Royce White stayed for his interview with The Minnesota Star Tribune and campaigned at his booth throughout the remainder of the day. White, a former NBA player and Minnesota Mr. Basketball, is the GOP-endorsed candidate in the race against Sen. Amy Klobuchar. White’s endorsements include Rep. Matt Gaetz, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, and Moms for America Minnesota. However, the Republican Jewish Coalition endorsed his primary opponent, Joe Fraser, in response to White being “an eager promoter of antisemitic conspiracy theories and an avid defender of egregious antisemites.” Klobuchar, running to become the firstever four-term senator from
Minnesota, has received endorsements from the DFL, Women Winning, EMILY’s List, and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. White has some big plans for high schoolers: “You gotta do an audit of the media you’re consuming. You gotta do an audit of the things that you’re learning. You gotta put that stuff on trial. You gotta ask yourself, what you know, what the motivation is behind what you’re being taught? What, what interest does it serve?” White remarked in an exclusive interview with The Spectrum, “I’m going to try and penetrate the…mainstream divide of narrative, and the mainstream media… has tried to divide Americans into these cultural entities, which I’m not saying are unimportant or insignificant.” Instead, White wants high schoolers to focus on “the way the money works, and the time of the money to these revenues, the foreign policy of the military industrial complex.” One of White’s goals is to change the culture around “forever wars,” which he
defined during his interview with the Star Tribune as the wars abroad since 2003. To “not take the special interest money of the people who pay for forever wars,” White, as confirmed by campaign finance filings, has received no campaign money from Political Action Committees (PACs), with all of his money coming from small dollar donations. The vast majority of candidates for nationwide elections accept donations from PACs. White has spent $157,000 of his 2022 House campaign money on personal expenses, according to a complaint filed by the Campaign Legal Center. The complaint specified that $100,000 of the funds have been withdrawn without public knowledge of where the money goes. The money has, according to the complaint, gone to strip clubs, resorts, jewelry, and many other non-campaign expenses. White’s other strategy for spreading awareness is to “speak the truth” about the Forever Wars and the border crisis. “[The next generation] needs to under-
stand… your teachers, even at your high school, not all of them, but a lot of these teachers, were educated at universities where there is a status quo of academic political thought that has covered for the military industrial complex, or, let’s say it’s warped the narrative about the military industrial complex to a degree where most kids [in high school] aren’t even really interested in the math.” White isn’t just speaking theoretically. He saw this in action when he led Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. “As soon as I marched young people to the Federal Reserve, everybody’s looking at me like, What is this? What am I looking at? What is this building? This is the most important building in the state of Minnesota. The most exclusive building in the state of Minnesota is the Minneapolis Federal Reserve. This is where monetary policy is set. This is where inflation is created. This is where the decision is made to print money to support Forever Wars,” he recalled.
he Community Judiciary Board (CJB) election represents a peaceful and intentional transition of power. CJB is widely recognized by students as their community representative in disciplinary hearings and plays a critical role in maintaining academic integrity and upholding Blake’s community values. CJB is responsible for hearing cases involving student misconduct— typically significant cases where a pattern of behavior has been identified— and collaborates with administrators to identify a fair and ethical solution. CJB advisor Sarah Warren explains that “[the] response [is a] really important experience for students who have made a choice that is not in line with our community values to be held accountable not just by adults but by their peers.” Like most judiciary committees, the CJB strongly values consistency between cases. Prior to hearing cases, new CJB members attend several training sessions, where students are encouraged to ask concise, standardized questions to
establish a clear foundation for each case. Documentation provided to students before their hearing helps them set expectations for their trial and prepare their defense. Many students are asked questions about their impact on the community or what they have learned as a reflective opportunity beforehand. CJB’s extensive knowledge of the Blake Family Handbook also promotes equitable and uniform decision-making. Despite the students presumed lack of authority, their opinions are highly revered by administrators. When asked about student voting, Warren shares, “I would say, by and large, the administration accepts the recommendation given to them. I think there’s a lot of respect for the process.” The Blake disciplinary committee consists of three faculty members, Warren, and eight students. “The student voice weighs pretty heavily,” Warren claims. David Zalk, Mackenzie Mcllmail, and Kirstin Holm are the faculty for the CJB, while the students elected are Camila Pardo ‘27 and Drew Cheng ‘27, Charlee Jones ‘26, Chizo Nwokocha ‘25 and Romare Onishi ‘25. “I hope I don’t see too many people,” Nwokocha said. Regardless of their authoritative role, CJB always strongly considers the students’ interests.
Ben Aviles and Tarun Gopalakrishnan
Recently elected representatives from left to right: Drew Cheng ‘27, Camila Pardo ‘27, Charlee Jones ‘26.
School Community Reacts to Latest Phone Policies New rules: useful or unnecessary? Dillon Kaiser | Staff Writer
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new phone policy was introduced to the students shortly before returning for the new school year. The email that every student received read: “Use of electronic devices of any kind in classrooms or study halls
is not allowed. Students will be required to store their cell phone in a provided location for the duration of each class unless the use is explicitly permitted by the teacher during that class meeting.” Many students dislike the new phone policy, while others think phone cubbies are a good idea. Samson Skibell ‘26 says “phone cubbies help students focus
on their studies and limit the overall problem with cheating.” Limiting the ability to use phones during class could benefit productivity and prevent academic dishonesty. However, some students believe they are being punished for the actions of others. Charlie Moore ‘25, argues that phone cubbies “are unnecessary and punish every student for actions
only some students make. Not everyone is always on their phone, and instead only some.” Laura Rodríguez-Duran added her opinion, commenting that “[phone cubbies are] a wonderful addition to our class routine.” Although the school’s new policy is relatively new, students and teachers already have mixed opinions on the phone cubbies.
Tarun Gopalakrishnan
Jack Mark ‘26 places his phone in the cubbies before the start of Spanish class in Ms. Mateo’s classroom.