BA STAR September issue 1

September, 2016 Issue 1

In This issue:

Back!

• Welcome our new principal • Meet Dr. Briscoe our new teachers • Meet our first week • Recapping of school our vets at the • Honoring Vietnam Wall summer vacations • Fun our school • Supporting this summer who?

• Who’s and Football • Volleyball recap

Bethlehem Academy

As we trade in our daily lives of sunshine and afternoons by the pool to backpacks and dress codes, we welcome back our returning students and staff and say • Dr. Briscoe; President/ hello to the new ones. We hope you have enjoyed your summer break and Principle are ready to come back to learn and make new memories. For the returning • Mrs. Austin; Mathematics students and staff, our first week of school was a different experience • Mr. Busse; Science compared to past years. From our names on the front side walk to polka • Mrs. Jessie Donahue; Food Service music in the lunch room, this first week sheds light on the great weeks to • Mrs. Tammy Donahue; Food come. As for our new students, we hope you feel welcomed and have an Service easy transition into our Cardinal community.

• Ms. Burgess; Middle School Last year we said goodbye to a few of our staff members, Mr. Art and Technology Hanson, Mrs. Allen, Mr. Wagner, Mrs. McMillan, and Mr. Donlon. While this • Mrs. Opsal; 6th Grade may be a big transition, we are confident in our new principle and teachers Physical Education to lead us into this school year confident and ready to learn. On the right is a • Mr. Theis; Social Studies list of the new staff joining us this 2016-17 school year. We look forward to • Mr. Langeslag; Custodian the new experiences and knowledge they will bring us as we advance in our learning!

Overall, the first few weeks of school have been ones to remember. We are all very excited to see what is in store for the weeks to come. I know that I personally am excited to see how our school will change with Dr. Briscoe leading us into a new beginning and making memories that will last us a life time! Let’s make it a great 2016-17 school year!

We asked a few classmates what they were looking forward to most during this school year:

Our new principle, Dr. Briscoe, is starting a new trend for mass, Tuxedo Friday. He is trying to enforce the idea of dressing to impress as an important factor in our daily lives. It is a big thing for him for us to look nice and presentable for mass on Fridays. As Dr. Briscoe says, “You only get one first impression so make it a good one.”

Left to Right: Cole Caron, Gracie Donahue, Dr. Briscoe, Kallie Donahue, Collin Heselton

Along with our new staff and students, we also have a new principle. Dr. Chuck Briscoe is originally from Columbia Heights, MN. He attended high school there, where he played football and baseball and was then accepted into St. Cloud State. He was an education major and played football. Dr. Briscoe started his career in Jackson, MN and then moved to Apple Valley High School, where he was a special education teacher and coach. He earned a Masters Degree in special education and then began taking courses in administration at the University of St. Thomas and later at the University of South Dakota. Dr. Briscoe later served as a principal in Wells-Easton, Willmar, Stillwater and then helped open Century High School in Rochester, Minnesota. His previous job was serving as the principal of Hill-Murray School in Maplewood, MN. Dr. Briscoe's wife, Cindy, also worked at Hill-Murray School when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The staff and students at Hill-Murray overwhelmed them with support and kindness. "We have been married for nearly 40 years and these last three have been a journey. She is a miracle and a big reason why I am here." Dr. Briscoe said when we asked him about his wife. Along with being married to his wife, Dr. Briscoe has also been working in education for nearly 40 years and he hopes this year will be the best. When we asked him why he chose this career path, Dr. Briscoe responded, "I love bringing energy, passion, and hope to the students and the staff. I work hard to help both students and staff reach their dreams and I love to connect with everyone to form positive relationships. I practice using the yearbook to memorize the name of every student." Next, we asked Dr. Briscoe what he likes about our school so far. He said that BA has a warm, family feeling and he has been impressed with how welcoming the staff, students, and families have been. He said, "My hope is that we can work together to expand our enrollment and to work to connect all alumni to BA to share their time and talents. You will get my very best shot this year." Finally, we asked Dr. Briscoe what he likes to do in his free time. He said he likes to ride his bike, read novels, and attend sporting events at the high school and college levels. "I will work hard to support every sport and activity at this school through my attendance at games and concerts." says Dr. Briscoe. We are really excited to have Dr. Briscoe as our new principal and cannot wait to see the changes he makes in our Dr. Briscoe and his wife Cindy school.

By: Maggie Viland and Olivia Nass

This year B.A. was lucky enough to get an array of new teachers. We are extremely excited to have them at our school. While having new teachers is great, it can be hard to connect with them. We asked some new teachers some questions so we can get to know them better.

Gary Busse is B.A.’s new Science teacher. Before he came to B.A. he was long term subbing at other schools and taking classes.

He came to B.A. this year because it seemed like a good fit for him. Mr. Busse has two sons that he loves very much. Their names are Nicholas (who is 34 years old) Mr. Busse Posing With Lab Equipment and Austin (who is 20 years old). He chose to become a teacher while he was working at Regional Airlines. After a tragic event Mr. Busse chose to go back home and get his teaching license so he could be there for his young son. Mr. Busse worked in the Air Force and encountered science every day. He developed a passion for science and eventually chose it as his subject to teach. When asked what super power Mr. Busse would want he said, “I would like to have the power to read tomorrow's newspaper, easier to win the lottery that way.” Mr. Busse is a very talented teacher and we can’t wait to see what he does here.

Erin Burgess is the new middle school art teacher at B.A. Before coming here, she was an art teacher at Epic Enterprise. Epic is a day program for adults. She decided to come to B.A. because she ia a alum. She is very excited to be a part of the B.A. family again. Mrs. Burgess has two children, one is Lillian who is 12 years old and is in 7th grade here at B.A. The other is Sonny who is 9 years old and in 4th grade at DMCS. She chose to become a teacher because she loves to learn. When asked why Ms. Burgess became an art teacher she said, “I chose to teach art because I am most happy when I am in the process of creation.” Ms. Burgess has a very interesting talent. She has spontaneous psychic abilities! Ms. Burgess is going to do wonderful things here at B.A.

Erin Burgess

B.A. was lucky enough to acquire Connor Theis as a new teacher. He teaches many different classes including Psychology and Current Events. When asked why he chose to come to B.A. he said “I told people I was interviewing here, and everyone mentioned that they heard wonderful things about the school and that I am fortunate to get an interview from BA.” He is currently engaged and has plans to get married in October. When Mr. Theis was young he had to perform CPR on his father and he saved his life. He hopes to impact students the way his health teacher impacted his. Mr. Theis chose to teach math and social studies because he went to school Mr. Theis proposing to his fiancé for both and connected with them. When asked what super power he could have Mr. Theis said, “Green Lantern’s ring so I can do anything I can imagine!” Mr. Theis is a wonderful new addition to this school.

Cindy Austin is B.A.’s new Math and Technology teacher. She taught math at Loyola High School in Mankato before coming here. Mrs. Austin chose to come to B.A. because she wanted the technology integration specialist position we had open here. Mrs. Austin has three kids, Melissa, age 26; Charlie, age 22; and Sarah, age 18. She chose to teach math because she has always had a knack for it and loves to share her knowledge with others.

She chose to learn and teach technology because she loves learning about new apps and helping the classroom be more efficient. When asked what kind of superpower Mrs. Austin would want she said, “To have the power to do ‘mind melds’ like Spok did on Star Trek. That way I could learn and understand a lot and share it with others. Kind of an ‘Airdrop’ with our brains!” Mrs. Austin is sure to be a valuable addition to our school.

Cindy Austin is excited to teach Math this year

We are so excited for the 2016-17 school year. These new teachers are very excited to be a part of the Bethlehem Academy family. We can’t wait to see what new ideas they bring to the table. We hope that you got to know your new teachers a little better!

Article written by: Jessica Oathoudt and Grace Viland

BA Students head back to school for

orientation after an eventful summer.

As summer comes to a close, Bethlehem Academy Students return to school for orientation. At orientation, students return from an enjoyable summer break to meet their old teachers as well as some new ones. Students also got to see their classmates for the first time in three months. But with a new Principal and a strongly bound team of Faculty, this year’s orientation was certainly one to remember.

Mr. Hillesheim and Ms. Burgess Visual Arts Department.

Presentation of the Staff

When the students got to school, all their names were chalked on the sidewalk leading to the main entrance. Some staff members were also outside welcoming students. Once the Students got inside, orientation started with prayer led by our new Principal, Dr. Chuck Briscoe. After that, the staff presented the teachers and the subjects they teach. When the music department was called in, Mr. Gardner and Mr. Kopplin walked in. Mr. Hillesheim, Mr. Halverson, and Ms. Burgess walked in to represent Visual Arts. Mr. Hillesheim was wearing Hulk fists and holding a pinwheel and a paintbrush, and Mr. Halverson was carrying a level. After that, Mrs. Smisek, Mr. Lunch Ladies Mrs. Meschke and Zabel, and Mr. Busse walked in as the Science Department. Before Mrs. Trinka bring out a soup they sat down, Mr. Zabel, holding a selfie stick, took a selfie with sample.

Mrs. Smisek, who was holding a glass of dry ice and Mr. Busse holding a lighter with breath spray. Soon after Mrs. Kriechbaum walked in with a hat on to represent her Spanish class. After that, the English department walked in. This department includes Ms. Seidel, Mrs. Piehl, and Mrs. Cina, who walked in while reading books. After that Mr. Madden, Mr. Theis, and Ms. Coller walked in holding balloon letters put together to say “USA” to represent the Social Studies department. Next, Mrs. Opsal towed Mr. Knutson on two wheel boards with a hockey stick to represent the Phy. Ed Department. Mr. Knutson was dribbling a basketball with one hand and holding onto Mrs. Smisek, Mr. Zabel, and the hockey stick with the other. He also had a whistle and blew it Mr. Busse multiple times as Mrs. Opsal pulled him to the middle of the gym.

Science Department.

After that, Mr. Steve Zabel walked in with a “Caution! Wet Floor” sign with Mr. Leonard and Mr. Langslag. With them came in the Food Service Directors. Mrs. Meschke and Mrs. Trinka walked in with a large pot with a serving spoon. They held an imaginary sample in the spoon.

After the Presentation, students knew what to expect from their teachers and staff. It was an experience that would make the coming months fun and memorable! Thanks to all the thought put into orientation, students have fun memories to reflect on every time they walk through our school.

Article Written By: Joshua Bohner

Mrs. Coller, Mr. Theis, and Mr. Madden Social Studies Department.

Mrs. Kriechbaum Spanish Department.

Mr. Madden writing student’s names with chalk in the front of the school.

By Janelly Sandoval ‘18

Dress code has always been an issue of debate at Bethlehem Academy. This year the BA Staff decided to use student models to demonstrate proper clothing through an interactive fashion show, where students demonstrated what was proper and not proper dress attire for school. I asked a couple of students what they recalled from the fashion show and this is what they had to say.

I first asked Aubrey Beske what she thought was different this year as a high schooler, and she said “This year was very different. It felt weird because it is a different atmosphere than what I have been use to.” I then asked her what she thought of the dress code fashion show, she thought it was very different. “The fashion show gave everyone a better idea of what you can and can’t wear. Instead of only reading the handbook.”

I then asked two sophomores, Emily Dietz and exchange student Eric Piquet. Emily told me that student orientation was distinctive compared to last year. Eric on the other hand, did not have an orientation in his old school in Mexico so it was an entirely new environment and experience. Emily’s first impression of the new principal and teachers was that the school year would be exciting. Eric’s first impression was that everyone made him feel welcome and noticed that sports were a big thing in this school.

Students then were brought up to a do a “fashion show” of what was allowed in dress; Eric wasn’t used to a dress code and wishes he could wear sweat pants, but he thought it was amusing and a clever. Idea Junior, Skylyn Kucera, was interviewed next and she told me that orientation was a lot more interactive compared to years in the past . Her first impressions of orientation was that it seemed well organized, she thought it was super upbeat, and more entertaining. Her favorite part of orientation was the introduction of the teachers and the fashion show!

Finally, I interviewed Senior Caleb Justin. As a Senior, having been through 4 orientations, he felt there was more energy, entertainment, and wonderful music. He also had not seen a dress code fashion show in the past, he too thought it was new and exciting. He thought the dress code fashion show was a cool concept, but he does not like the idea of a dress code and being pushed Maggie Viland on what to wear- but things will never change. He is excited for senior getting caught year, senior privilege, and first to eat during lunch!

by Mr. Zabel wearing a hat in school

The Vietnam Memorial Wall What was the Vietnam war?

The Vietnam conflict initially started as a war between the pro-communist North Vietnamese, and the southern anti-communist South Vietnamese. Despite beginning in 1955 the US was initially reluctant to engage in all out conflict, with John F. Kennedy famously saying, “I don’t think that unless a greater effort is made by the Government to win popular support that the war can be won out there. In the final analysis, it is their war. They are the ones who have to win it or lose it. We can help them, we can give them equipment, we can send our men out there as advisers, but they have to win it, the people of Vietnam, against the Communists.” In spite of this, Kennedy’s successor Lyndon B. Johnson chose to go into all out conflict with the North Vietnamese. Many of the soldiers left America hoping to be war heroes like their elders who fought in WW2 and Korea. However, thanks to massive antiwar sentiment in America, when the Vietnam soldiers returned they found anything but acceptance. Upon returning the Vietnam veterans were labeled as “child murderers” and were spat upon.

Many veterans were told to never wear their uniforms in public due to the highly venomous sentiment.

A total of 58,315 Us soldiers died in Vietnam, not counting native Vietnamese soldiers.

Minnesota lost 1,072 men.

The Memorial wall

Over time, however, people have changed their opinions on the Vietnam conflict and many have regretted their poor treatment of the veterans. In 1982 the veterans finally got the respect they deserved as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was opened in Washington D.C. after being commissioned by the congress and passed by then president Ronald Reagan. The Memorial Wall is a massive wall standing nearby the Lincoln memorial, where veterans are honored for their sacrifices in Vietnam.

President Reagan making his speech during the unveiling of the Vietnam Memorial

The BA Field Trip

Article written by Caleb Justin, Hunter Dienst, and Nick Brown

As you probably know, during the first week of school, almost all of BA made a trip to the Traveling Vietnam Memorial wall. When we first arrived at the memorial most of the football players helped by gathering chairs, setting sections to sit in, and also helping some people off the bus and wheelchair them to a nice seat to watch the ceremony. Although it was hot day under the sun and it may not have been the best experience to those who stood, but this was a great overall experience for the school. It is very important for us to listen to veterans talk to us about Vietnam because the best way to wrap our minds around The Vietnam conflict is by hearing from the people that were actually there and took on the one of the biggest burdens you could take by risking their lives for this country. We can never fully repay the veterans for the sacrifices that they have made or give the respect they truly deserve, but showing up and listening to the ceremony meant a lot to the veterans and was a great experience.

A couple of our students and teachers gave their thoughts on the event.

“Well for starters it was really nice to get to go down there and meet with the people that have served our country so valiantly. In addition, it was a very nice privilege to have the wall here in Faribault. It was also nice to see people finally giving the respect to the valiant efforts of the Vietnam soldiers that they deserve.”-Ryan Klatt

“I believe the experience was very moving, and it was nice to hear from veterans There. I was really disappointed that soldiers did not get a warm welcome home by non-war protesters. I was surprised at the size of wall.

Experience could have been shorter but respect is important to the soldier’s families.”-Mr. Knutson However, Students weren’t the only ones who gave their thoughts on BA’s Field Trip to the wall. One of the major organizers of the event said, “BA Staff, Just a quick note to let you know that I was sitting next to your students today at the Vietnam Wall program.

I cannot tell you how impressed I was with your students.

Zero talking during the program. Zero joking around before or after the program. Not one cell phone pulled out. The boys all helped with chairs and with getting older folks in wheelchairs back in their buses. In a world where someone is always watching and making judgements, you should be very very proud of your students for how they represented your school.

Please let them know how impressed with them we were.

Have a great weekend!”

Overall this was a great experience for everyone at BA, and we hope to do something similar honoring our veterans next year!

Summer bonfire We interviewed senior Kallie Donahue about her summer vacation. We began by asking what the best memory she made this summer was. Kallie said her favorite memory this summer was spending the 4th of July with her family. She took a trip this summer with her family to explore the Apostle Islands in Bayfield Wisconsin. She played volleyball and basketball over the summer, and also had a new experience coaching tball. After this, we asked Kallie to describe her perfect summer day. It consists of sleeping in, going to her grandma’s pool, and hanging out with friends. Lastly, we had Kallie rate this summer 1-10, she rated it a 9.5

Josh’s cat

We decided to ask Josh, a freshman, about his summer and the first question we asked him was “What was the best memory you made this summer?” He told us that it would have been tubing with his older sister. “She is so much fun to hang out with.” He also took a trip to his cabin this summer with his family, where they played cards, went on the boat, and had a no cellphone weekend. Josh told us that this summer he got a cat! We asked him what his perfect summer day would be and he told us that he would sleep in, eat pancakes, bacon, and strawberry milk in bed, and then play with his dog and new cat. He would later go to taco bell with some friends and just hang out with them the rest of the day doing whatever. Josh told us that this summer he was involved in 2 sports. In the beginning of the summer he had swimming lessons and then he had football. The last thing we asked him was to rate his summer 1-10 and he said his summer was about an 8.

Mission Trip

Nicole Menard is a sophmore at BA and she sounded like she had an eventful summer. The best memory she made this summer was going to New York for a Mission trip. She told us, “The trip was suppose to only be 25 hours but our bus broke down for two hours which made it longer than it already was.” She made lots of new friends from different states and still keeps in touch with them today. She rated her summer a 9 out of 10. She described her perfect summer day as being on the softball field all day. A new experience she had was going to the quarries in St. Cloud and jumping off of the cliffs into the water.

We decided to interview Mr. Zabel to find out what his summer was like.

He took a trip with his wife this summer to the Apostle Island in Wisconsin and up the North shore. They toured Bayfield and went on a luxurious boat tour on an evening with a perfect sunset from island to island witnessing the sea caves that were carved from the waves. They also spent a lot of time hiking in the national and state parks in Wisconsin and along the North Shore. Next we asked him what are some of the best memories from this summer that he could recall.

Spending time with his son, Rowan, was definitely one of them. They spent time building forts, learning how to swim, going to search for Pokemon, and camping. We then asked Mr. Zabel to rate this summer and describe it in one word. He rated this summer a 10 and the word he picked was relaxing. We thought this was a perfect answer since us students had a very relaxing summer also!

Apostle Island Sea Caves

The next teacher we decided to interview was Mr. Madden. We started by asking him about the best memory he made this summer. He got to go explore all around New York, Boston, and Long Island. He got to see the Empire state building, walk around Madison Square Garden, toured a history museum and many more tourist activities.

This summer was unlike any others for Mr. Madden because he got to see his family a lot which doesn’t happen often because they live six hours away. If Mr. Madden had to describe this summer in one word he would describe it as “chill.” We then asked him what his idea of what teachers do during the summer was and he replied with “Absolutely nothing.” Lastly, we asked him to Biking in the state parks rate his summer 1-10 and he rated it a 9.

Eiffel Tower Mrs. Smisek also shared some of her best summer memories with us. She bought a camper, walked through the largest bog in the lower 48, and reached her 125 miles biking/hiking in state parks goal in one single summer. She went camping often, boated, fished, hiked, went geocaching, swimming and traveled all around Minnesota this summer. She rated this summer and 9 and would describe her summer as nature- filled, can you tell she's a Science teacher? One thing that made this summer unlike any other was making her family’s first college visit for her son, a junior, who also attends BA. Mrs. Smisek believes that most teachers recuperate in the summer, we wouldn’t doubt that!

Article created by: Olivia Morlean and Caitlin Lipinski

Every year, multiple parent and student volunteers help at the Cardinal Cafe-a food booth at the Rice County Fair in Faribault, MN. This year was like many other years because it was very hot and humid. We talked to some students that worked there and got their input about how it went this year. This year was Joshua Bohner’s third year working at the fair. “It was good to see that the people chose to come to our stand rather than one of the other stands so that they can support our school.” Josh worked multiple days taking orders and helping with the deep fryer.

This year the Cardinal Cafe made a net profit of $2,193.75. The money will go towards BA’s operating budget.

Each year BA hosts a golf tournament attended by over 120 golfers. The BA Golf Classic was held on Friday August 5, 2016 at the Legacy Golf Course in Faribault. The tournament this year included some fun activities that some of our sports teams hosted. The girl’s basketball team held a free throw contest, the volleyball team ran a serving contest, the football team held a “throw the football thru the tire” contest, and the boy’s golf team held a “beat Khrystjan Peterson” contest.

The money earned from these games was split between the teams. The Golf Classic brought in a net profit of $12,204.46. The money will go towards the school’s operating budget.

Kallie Donahue ’17 & Shelby Meyer ’17 working at the Cardinal Cafe

Girl’s Basketball Team taking a selfie at the Golf Classic

Written by Alissa Battles & Madeline Casper

This summer our janitors, students, and adult volunteers helped keep our school clean. The students are selected by Mikayla Bohner ’20, Nicole Menard application and recommendation. If students are seeking ’19, & Megan Liverseed’19 help clean financial aid, their application’s are prioritized. Students are the gym “paid” via tuition reduction, not cash or check. However, some parents chose to reimburse their child for all of their hard work.

The students get paid minimum wage and work from 8:00a.m.-2:00p.m. The workers were then treated with a big picnic party outside that included hamburgers, chips, and rootbeer floats on the last day of work.

A couple of adult volunteers were Tracy Meschke and Renee Thompson.

“After working this summer with Steve Zabel and the maintenance crew I have a greater appreciation for what they do. I didn’t realize how in depth Mikayla Bohner ’20 working they as a crew work and take the time to clean and maintain our school to keep it looking nice”, says Mrs. Meschke. Most of the jobs the students had to do over the summer included going from room to room wiping down walls and furniture, dusting, washing windows, and removing gum from the tables in each room. They also had to clean and wipe down lockers and the bleachers in the gym.

During the summer the maintenance staff completed many projects. These included sealing and coating cracks in the parking lot, repainting the lines in the parking lot, and putting in new carpet in Dr. Briscoes’s office. They also purchased cafeteria tables and chairs with funding made available through BABS Night contributions. Some Megan Liverseed ’19 upcoming projects will include shingling the little brown garden shed and the cleaning a locker garage in the back 40, and beginning to look at replacing the lights in the school with more energy efficient LED bulbs. We asked Mr. Zabel what his goal from having students and staff clean the school was. He said, “My goal and hope is for students and staff to help make our job easier as a maintenance crew, but to get students to appreciate their school and to take pride in it by making it look clean and presentable to visitors entering the school for the first time.

If everyone does their share and helps pick up their mess or help pick up someone else’s mess it makes our job a lot easier.”

Who’s Who?

Eric Piquet:

Darian Sammon:

1. What was your favorite lunch so far Pizza 2. Does your laptop have an automatic turn off time No 3. How do you feel about the dress code I like wearing sweat pants 4. What’s the most money you’ve ever splurged $1700 Camera 5. What’s your favorite clothing brand Adidas

1. What was your favorite lunch so far Turkey Subs 2. Does your laptop have an automatic turn off time No 3. How do you feel about the dress code Looks classy, but wish it was less restrictive 4. What’s the most money you’ve ever splurged $100 Lulu leggings 5. What’s your favorite clothing brand American Eagle

We interviewed a new student that came to us from Mexico! Unlike most other foreign exchange students, Eric is staying at a boarding school in Owatonna. This is a great opportunity for him to meet new people from all over and experience dorm life away from family. While he is at this boarding school, he still has rules that he needs to follow just like in a normal house environment, but he tells us that it is actually really helping him focus on his school work. He really enjoys BA because we are passionate about what we do here, and he feels really involved and has made a lot of friends in just 2 short weeks!

We also interviewed Darian Sammon, a former student. She was a student here in 8th grade, but then transferred back to Faribault High School for freshman and sophomore year. Darian decided to come back to BA for a better education and for the life long friendships. She told us how all of BA is basically a family, and she loves that.

She likes being apart of such a small community and to be able to go to a school full of students with such great respect for each other. Darian is a soccer player for Faribault and she enjoys still being apart of that while going to BA.

Who’s Who?

Santiago Pasquale:

Ben Ryder:

1. What was your favorite lunch so far Pizza 2. Does your laptop have an automatic turn off time No 3. How do you feel about the dress code Mad 4. What’s the most money you’ve ever splurged Not sure 5. What’s your favorite clothing brand American Eagle

1. What was your favorite lunch so far Chicken 2. Does your laptop have an automatic turn off time 6:30 3. How do you feel about the dress code It’s ok 4. What’s the most money you’ve ever splurged $2050 Yeezys 5. What’s your favorite clothing brand H&M

Santiago is very much like Eric. They both came from the same high school in Mexico, live at the same boarding school in Owatonna and spend most days together in classes and the halls. We asked him if he and Eric were related at all, but they are not! Santiago is enjoying his experience here, but is not a fan of our dress code. BA is a great opportunity to have to try new things, so hopefully he has a good year and makes lots of new friends in Minnesota!

Welcome to BA!

Lastly we interviewed the legendary and outgoing Ben Ryder. We asked Ben what his main reason for coming to BA was, and he told us that this was just the best option for a better education and we couldn't agree more.

Ben told us “I love BA and being able to be a part of so many different events and different activities!” Ben is on the football team, and as a freshman that really gives you the opportunity to be involved with upperclassmen and learn how to be respectful while having a good time. Ben has made a lot of friends in the short time he has been here, he is always upbeat and on the move and BA is lucky to have him!

By: Aubrey Beske

The girls are off to a hot start This past spring/summer the varsity girls have been working hard to get ready for the 2016-17 season. The preparation for the team really starts with their JO volleyball season, when starts in January and ends in May. There are between 5 and 7 teams each JO season, which include grades 4-11. Once they get to summer, volleyball camps start heading into action. This summer some of the girls go up and participate in the Star of the North summer games. This past summer, the varsity girls were practicing 2 days a week and incoming 9th and 10th graders practiced 1 night a week through June and July. The first 2 weeks in August it is a hands off period for coaches. The first Saturday in August, the varsity players play in the Breakdown Invitational.

This invite is a highly competitive, invite only tournament, which the players have to coach themselves. Then, a week after this invite, it’s time for the girls to start their season.

Delaney Donahue ‘20

Season practice has begun

The practices are in full swing for the varsity girls. Theses practices are very competitive, and if the girls aren't working hard enough or giving their best effort, then pushups come into play. Coach Boelter says “ We also stress the fact that we always want to be about “we” and never about “me.” He also says that he assures each player that they are equal to every other player on the team, and that their role is critical to the Team Rejoicing success on this team. In practice they address many match like situations, to prepare for them. Very challenging schedule with matches against A and AA schools to get them ready for the Class A tournament. One word Coach Boelter would use to describe this years team is “focused”, coach Boelter quotes “ We’re optimistic that we can again be very competitive this season.” This season will be a bit more challenging because of the likely season-ending injury that happened to Meagan Donahue, but there is hope that they will be able to to find someone that will step up and fill in that spot as well as possible.

The games are under way

The Games against Marshall and Stewartville went very well. The girls played as one team. Once things started not to go their way, they had the ability to come together and overcome it for both games. They worked very hard going against Marshall and getting the win that they deserved. As they played against Marshall, they all got to witness how they play as team and work together. They started the game off strong and end with a strong win on them. Before the game started against Stewartville, Meagan Donahue, a junior middle hitter, broke both her Tibia and Fibula during warm-ups on September 6th. She was transported to Abbot Hospital in the cities. She then had surgery on September 7th. Megan had a rod placed from her knee to her ankle. Now she is back home and doing well. Going against Stewartville they started off strong in the beginning. Soon they started to play at there their level for awhile.

Then they put pressure on them earlier on in the game, which help show the other opponents the tone of the game.

By: Brynn Whitten

Summer Camps

MR. ZABEL AND SPEED CAMP KIDS

Youth Football Camp

This summer, the boys have The youth football camp, coached done many camps. For example,

by Mr. Zabel and several varsity Speed Camp. They’ve had Speed football players, helped the kids Camp which ran Tuesday and learn the fundamentals in Thursday from the end of school football, focused on team work, until June 14th. The speed camp and position specific drills. Coach taught the kids the Dennis Glenzinski coached the fundamentals of strength and 7th-9th grade football camp which conditioning and how to was similar to the youth football improve their speed. With this camp just more advanced. camp, Mr. Zabel says most of the kids increased their timed Varsity Football 40 yard sprint by more than a MR.ZABEL AND YOUTH FOOTBALL CAMP KIDS couple seconds!

During the Blooming Prairie game the boys lost 32-0. Coach Glensinski mentioned that the boys just Previous Game show up and don’t play hard. Even with that said, Scores Jack Clark mustered 26 yards on 18 carries. BA didn’t have any rhythm during the third quarter, which let the Blossoms gain two points.

Wabasha-Kellog The week before, the team had a total of 295 yards (14-21) against Wabasha-Kellog. It was a tie game 14-14 in the last four minutes. But unfortunately the boys lost Blooming Prairie 14-21. Coach Glensinski mentions “It ok to have a (0-32) few mistakes. We lost but we have to correct things VARSITY FOOTBALL fast.”

PLAYERS

SMSU Camp

Hunter Deinst explained how the SMSU camp went. “The first day after we got settled into the dorms we worked on individual drills both offense and defense; that was a fun experience because we got to work with the college coaches from SMSU on our position and get tips on how to get better.

They worked us really hard and we didn’t get much rest.”

Hunter says that the camp really brought the team closer and helped them improve. Up at the camp they didn’t do many games where they kept score, but during scrimmage and drills they performed great. They also got to run plays against other Minnesota teams they’ll be playing in the future, which was good so they knew what they were going against. “Overall, I had fun and it was fun watching our team grow and come together.” says Hunter.

By Emma Caron and Amber Merritt

Starting school again or being at a new school for the first time can be scary no matter who you are. Here at Bethlehem Academy, our teachers and students do an amazing job getting to know each student. For the first week of school most teachers do ice breakers for the students to get to know each other and the new teachers. This year middle school has a “mini-classes” schedule which includes their five core subjects.

In addition to having their core subjects they did a few get-toknow-you and team-building activities. We asked Mrs. Smisek, the middle school Science teacher, about some of the teambuilding activities they did with the middle school. Her response was that, “6th grade built paper bridges, 7th built towers, and 8th built egg drop structures. They worked in teams and had certain constraints they needed to address in their designs.” We asked different students from each grade in middle school about the first week of school. Brianna Radatz, in 8th grade, said “The first days of school everyone went to different classrooms and we had different games and activities in each room. After lunch the middle school got to go outside and we played football.” The first few weeks of school get easier and easier every year once you get older. Coming to Bethlehem Academy as a 6th grader can be terrifying. We has asked Karlie DeGrood, a 6th grader new to Bethlehem Academy, about her first week at Bethlehem Academy she said that her first few days of school were full of fun and excitement. We asked her if she has learned something new about Bethlehem Academy and she said, “I learned that you will have a lot of responsibilities but you are able to become classer with your classmates.” Even if it is not your first year at Bethlehem Academy there is still some fun. We interviewed Bo Dienst, in 8th grade, about his first week of school. He said that “The most memorable thing that happened in the first week of school was getting to see all of my friends that he did not get to see over the short summer and getting to participate in the teambuilding activities with my friends.” The middle school kids had a few new teachers that they got to meet. Bo said that it was fun getting to know all the new teachers and the new principle.

He also added that he was excited for their middle school football team this year. We had a great time talking with the middle schoolers. They had a great kick-off to the first week of school, and we hope that the rest of the year is filled with memories and great experiences.

Top left picture Kade Robb, Isaac Caron, Lucas Linnemann, JJ Malecha, Carson Heselton working on ice breaker activities Middle picture Jaden Lang, Zack Donkers, Kyle Ernste, Charles Stenzel, Maria Fuentes, Jennifer Robert working on ice breakers activities Bottom Picture class starting marshmallow activity

BA Star Staff Alissa Battles Aubrey Beske Joshua Bohner

Caleb Justin Caitlin Lipinski Amber Merritt

Nick Brown

Shelby Meyer

Emma Caron

Olivia Morlean

Madeline Casper

Olivia Nass

Hunter Dienst

Jessica Oathoudt

Emily Dietz

Janelly Sandoval

Kallie Donahue

Grace Viland

Mary Hillesheim

Maggie Viland

Faith Johnson

Brynn Whitten