SLAM POETRY
HOPE FOR CORAL REEFS
Junior Anna Snider found her passion in poems about mental health, feminism, and oppression.
Microfragmenting allows coral to grow at 25-50 times the normal rate.
A&E p. 13
SCI-TECH p. 10
FEATURE p. 6
@therubiconspa @TheRubiconSPA TheRubicon.SPA The Rubicon
ASMR
ASMR videos continue to gain thousands of views, and have even prompted another trend of “satisfying videos.”
the
the student newspaper of St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Ave, St. Paul, MN 55105 Volume 46. Issue 6. March 5, 2019.
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Échange Français crée des liens PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY: 1. Olivia Lagos, 2, 3, 5. Eloise Duncan, 4. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION Saint-Exupéry Blog
Feb. 15: Arrival from Amsterdam at 6:50 p.m.
Feb. 17: Tubing at Buck Hill
Feb. 18: Vertical Endeavors climbing
Feb. 19: Classroom visits
Feb. 26: Exchange students depart
CLAIRE HALLAWAY THE RUBICON EDITOR Pour plusieurs des élèves qui participent dans l’échange français cette année, leur intérêt a commencé par vouloir de diversifier leurs expériences et apprendre plus de la culture directement. Après d’apprendre le français pour plusieurs années, ils ont hâte de voir comment ils peuvent réaliser leurs études dehors de l’école. Pour Pia Schultz, première, le voyage dans le printemps sera le première fois qu’elle a quitté l’Amerique du Nord, une expérience totalement nouvelle dans toutes les regards. “Je ne suis jamais allé en France, l’Europe, ou même à l’extérieur de l’Amerique du Nord, alors j’ai pensé qu’il serait très cool de voyager en France, et j’ai pensé que je pourrais apprendre plus de choses si je participais à l’échange. Je me sens aussi comme j’ai appris le français pour million années et je veux l’utiliser pour quelque chose ou j’arrêterai à l’utiliser.” Schultz a dit. Libby Cohen, première, voyagera aussi en France pour la première fois ce printemps, et a hâte spécifiquement d’apprécier la culture directement. Cohen et Schultz ont accueilli les élèves français chez eux pour cette partie de l’échange. “J’ai voulu d’être sûr qu’ils peuvent voir les régions différentes du Minnesota, et je pense que nous le faisons très bien. Aussi, c’est bien qu’ils puissent voir un hiver au Minnesota et des autres choses comme ça.” Cohen a dit. Avoir les élèves français signifie les jours très occupés. Cohen a essayé de faire beaucoup d’activités et nouveaux choses pour sa correspondante de voir et faire. “J’ai aimé beaucoup le premier jour qu’ils étaient ici, parce que nous avons fait beaucoup de choses. On a mangé le petit-déjeuner au restaurant et nous sommes allés au Minnehaha Falls, qui était très intéressant, mais il faisait très froid. Puis nous sommes allés au match de hockey des garçons. Alors, c’était beaucoup de faire pour un jour, mais c’était super bon.”Cohen a dit. Jusqu’à maintenant nous avons aussi fait du tubing et du patin à glace, qui sont très populaire en hiver. Nous avons aussi visité Can Can Wonderland, et nous regarderons un film au cinéma. Nous sommes aussi allé au restaurant avec la nourriture américaine; nous faisons des choses comme ça,” Cohen a ajouté. À part d’essayer la nouvelle nourriture ou voir une large quantité de neige, Schultz souhaite que les correspondants apprennent plus de comment la culture américaine fonctionne, et que quelques choses qu’ils ont attendu de la culture américaine sont différentes.
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J’ai voulu d’être sûr qu’ils peuvent voir les régions différentes du Minnesota. - Pia Schultz
ISSUE INDEX
1-3 ... News 10 ... Sci-Tech
4 ... Editorial 11 ... Health
PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY: Olivia Lagos Above: Feb. 20: Hosts bring their exchange students to the United hockey game. Left: Feb. 16: Can-Can Wonderland minigolfing.
“Je souhaite qu’ils voient si les stéréotypes des américains ou idées préconçus sont vrai ou pas, et je souhaite que quelques idées préconçu changent. Je souhaite aussi qu’ils apprécient leur voyage aux États-Unis,” Schultz a dit. L’échange est un temps pour beaucoup de connaissance, pour les deux groupes. Les élèves français sont ici pour parler anglais, mais leurs correspondants américains peuvent apprendre et pratiquer leur français. “Nous avons appris beaucoup de nouveaux mots français aussi. Nous avons appris comment on dit ‘Gaufre.’ Je me sens même que mon compréhension était amélioré, comme conjuguer des verbes, parce que c’est pas facile pour moi.” Schultz a dit. Accueillir un.e correspondant.e et avoir beaucoup d’activités pose des difficultés avec la gestion du temps, par exemple avec les devoirs. Le plus grand difficulté est de faire mes devoirs. Je me sens toujours mauvaise parce que c’est très ennuyeux de faire les devoirs avec moi, alors j’ai dit à ma correspondante ‘Tu peux régarder un film si tu veux,” mais ce n’est pas très amusant. Alors je me sens très mauvaise, mais il faut que je fasse mes devoirs. C’est très difficile,” Schultz a dit. La partie la plus difficile d’accueillir un correspondant et de faire nos devoirs. Pour nous en première, nous avons aussi un grand projet pour l’histoire, et nous n’avons pas le temps pour le terminer. Pour les correspondants français, leur préparation dépendent sur la météo. Il fait pas très chaud en France pendant l’hiver, mais il fait vraiment pas froid comme le Minnesota.
5 ... Opinions 12-13 ... A&E
Translated to French by Max Moen and students of French 5. Read the story in English at
RUBICON
6-7 ... Feature 14-15 ... Sports
online
8-9 ... In-Depth 16 ... Photo Story
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NEWS THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
International Women’s Day celebrates progress TIMELINE: IWD milestones
1909
First National Women’s Day in the US, organized by the Socialist Party of America to honor the 1908 workers strike.
1910
Socialist International met in Copenhagen and agreed to have an International day to celebrate women.
1911
First International Women’s Day took place on March 19, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.
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International Women’s Day used to protest World War I.
United Nations decided to start celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8.
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INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN: Maren Ostrem
EVELYN LILLEMOE THE RUBICON EDITOR Celebrated across the globe, International Women’s Day represents many things. It is a day for celebrating women and their incredible history, for reminding the world that the fight for women’s rights and gender equality is far from over. For many, this celebration is a time to reflect on how much progress women have made in their fight for equality, and how much more needs to be done. Senior Gemma Yoo sees International Women’s day as a time for unity. “It’s a day where women all over the world can kind of come together in some ways because all over the world women kind of struggle for equality, so I think it’s a day to kind of celebrate coming together to fight for equality,” Yoo said. Some look to the past to see all the progress made in equality, and all the incredible work women have done to get society where it is today. 9th grader Nan Besse sees this day as a chance to celebrate the achievements of women. “For me, it’s a day to really reflect and appreciate who I am and all of the accomplishments that all the other women around me have done... and to really learn more about the historical back-
ground of the day,” Besse said. For others, this day means looking into the future. This is true for senior Izzy Dieperink. “It’s a day to celebrate the intent to strive for gender equality. We’re not there yet,” Dieperink said. Feminism has been critiqued over the years for being overwhelmingly white, and excluding women of color, trans women, disabled women, and many other’s from its progress. “For me, if you’re not an intersectional feminist, you’re not a feminist,” Dieperink said, “Feminism is about equality for everyone and I think that if you’re not considering all the different intersections like race, class, ethnicity, you’re not including everyone, so how can you really strive towards equality if you are not including everyone.” Besse felt similarly. “I think [intersectionality] is important because it can help represent more people and different groups with backgrounds that don’t get represented as much,” Besse said. Yoo sees an opportunity in International Women’s day for people to understand others’ struggles. “As much as it’s a day of unity it’s also important to recognize that women don’t face the same kind of problems everywhere. It’s important to recognize the
unity on that day but also differences in experiences,” she said, “...I think sometimes it’s easy to forget or not know as much about people whose lives are different than ours but it’s important to learn about those things because they’re also problems in our world. You can’t change things if you don’t really know what’s going on.” Dieperink hopes International Women’s Day will be talked about more formally and more widespread. “[Intersectionality can happen through] reaching out to women, or just people in general, at schools. I think that a lot of times we hear about things through Instagram or social media... but also having it as a day that’s more recognized by schools, or maybe having more programs about it I think it will reach out to a wider variety of people,” Dieperink explained. Yoo has a simple but important way to achieve more intersectionality. “I think just listening is probably the most important thing,” Yoo said, “Knowing that other people will have experiences that are different from yours and you can’t always generalize from what you’ve experienced or felt.” As Dieperink put it, “International Women’s Day means celebrating all women for themselves.”
Kimmel and Liepins advance to state Poetry Out Loud KAT ST. MARTINNORBURG THE RUBICON EDITOR Two competitors prepare in advance of the state competition Mar. 7: sophomores Niko Liepins and Gavin Kimmel. Liepins has been performing in plays since he was nine years old, but it wasn’t until this year that he ventured into performing poetry. “I decided to give it a shot because I really enjoy performing, and I don’t have as much time to do it anymore, so I thought this was a good outlet to express that performing side of me,” he said. Kimmel also has an affinity for performing, and this year’s competition allowed him to combine his interests. “I like it a lot; I’ve always liked performing and I’ve also always liked poetry. There are a lot of interesting poems out there. Discussing poetry and what it all means is also fun too,” Kimmel said. Both Liepins and Kimmel are required to have three poems prepared. One poem had to be 25 lines or fewer, one must have been written pre-twentieth century, and the last poem is of the competitors’ choosing. Kimmel said that he’s “using ‘Megan Married Herself ’ by Caroline Bird for semifinals
THE RUBICON PHOTOS: Lucy Benson JUDGE. Adviser Philip de Sa e Silva looks on as Tom Fones, Jim McVeety and Kate Brooks score a performance at the school contest on Dec. 3 along with ‘When You Are Old’ by William Butler Yeats. Then, if I move onto finals, I’m going to use those two along with ‘The Animals in the Country’ by Margaret Atwood.” Liepens shared his poem lineup as well: “I have one called ‘Undivided Attention’ by Taylor Mali, and that’s about a teacher who is having trouble getting the attention of his students because a piano is getting pushed out of a window across the street. I’m doing one called ‘Very Large Moth’ [by Craig Arnold] that’s essentially about a large moth that someone is mistaking for a bat, and also touches on how there are multiple things in the world that we want to see but stay dis-
tant and not touch. The final one that I’m doing is called ‘The Windhover’ [by Gerard Manley Hopkins] because of it’s more of a real world situation, more people can relate to it, and it’s very good to help engage with the audience.” Since this is Liepins’ very first time performing at a state level, he’s committed to keeping an open mind about whatever is to come, and is excited to perform poetry in a new setting. “Because of my background in performing, I’m not so much nervous as excited for this opportunity to try a new medium of performance,” he said. “Because my background has really been in plays, musicals, and stage
productions, whereas poetry is a much more intimate kind of thing, I’m really looking forward to having that setting in the Loft, and since it’ll be a lot more intimate, that’s something I’m not used to yet.” Regardless of the outcome of the competition, Liepins said he definitely sees himself continuing to perform poetry in the years to come. “The results really don’t matter to me; it’s moreso just that opportunity to perform, and that’s the part that I really love about it,” Liepins said. Kimmel agrees that the most important part of the state competition is not who wins. “I think I’m definitely going to want to do Poetry Out Loud the next year just because it was just fun discussing poetry with de Sa [e Silva] and Wahmanholm, and it was a good experience and I enjoyed it,” Kimmel said. Poetry Out Loud meets as a club in the fall with US English teachers Philip de Sa e Silva and Claire Wahmanholm. SPA hosted the school contest on Dec. 3 to determine who advanced to state, with a panel of judges ranking all competitors. This was the first year sophomores performed as part of their poetry unit. The state contest takes place at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.
SPA state competitors
PERFORM. Gavin Kimmel performs in front of his peers in Driscoll Commons.
RECITE. Niko Liepens recites a piece at the school level of Poetry Out Loud.
Where: The Loft Literary Center, The Target Performance Hall When: March 7 @ 5 p.m.
NEWS THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
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India trip preparation focuses How are students on multicultural experience preparing for the JULIA BARON THE RUBICON EDITOR
India Trip? Dec. 1 trip to the Weisman Art Museum to see Many Visions, Many Versions. Weekly in school meetings dedicated to learning about cultural differences. Multiple meetings with parents and students about logistics. Weekly presentations given by students about the locations that will be visited.
When will they be gone? The students will depart on March 16th and return on the 29th.
This year’s spring break India trip differs from most other SPA spring break trips in the sense that its focus is not centered around a language, but rather on history and culture. Because the trip is not a part of a language class, the participants don’t have a structured time during the school day to meet and prepare for the trip. The students and teachers have had to find time during x-periods, tutorial, after school, or on weekends. Even without this structured time for research, and preparations, they have made the most of the time they do have to make sure students are prepared for the trip. “We did a fundraiser (we’re donating to some charities there), and we went to an art museum,” sophomore Will Schavee said. “The preparation we’ve been doing is mostly just going over Google Slide presentations of each city we’re going to,” sophomore Senai Assefa said. “[The preparations] make me more excited every time, because I kind of forget about [the trip], and then I come back to it and remember it. They’ll be talking about something we’re gonna do, and it makes me excited,” Schavee said. He also likes the fact that he knows what is happening for the trip, and has some control over what they do. “It’s more hands on. When I went to China, they kind of did everything for me, so
THE RUBICON PHOTO: Maren Ostrem INDIAN ART. Saffy Rindelaub looks at two pieces in the Mia art exhibit featuring Indian artists. I kind of never really had to talk about it. Now they want me to do stuff too, and that makes me more interested in it,” Schavee said. Some on the trip think that the preparations get to be too much and take up too much school time. The pre-trip meetings serve as a time for students and teachers to get to know each other before the trip. “It’s been fun to see how everyone is getting ready,” senior Gabby Harmoning said. Because the trip isn’t focused a language that students take at
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[THE PREPARATIONS] MAKE ME MORE EXCITED EVERY TIME...
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- Will Schavee school, they focus on other things like the country’s language and culture. “It’s not for a language, it’s just for history and culture so that’s cool,” Schavee said. “This trip isn’t focused on a language you’d take in high
Blood drive draws teachers, students Late start prompts flexibility
pointments that had been missed. Countless students and teachers participated in giving blood, netting 26 units.
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RUBICONLINE PHOTO: Tana Ososki DONATE FOR LIFE. Students gave a total of 26 units of blood.
TANA OSOSKI RUBICONLINE This year, the annual blood drive did not go as smoothly as planned on Feb. 12. Adverse weather conditions caused by excess snowfall prompted a late
start and most of the appointments were thrown off schedule, making the process for the Red Cross staff more difficult and made donating no longer possible for some. To help keep things on track, USC worked throughout the day in order to reschedule those ap-
THE BLOOD DRIVE IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT EVENT: EVERY STUDENTS THAT COMES IS SAVING COUNTLESS LIVES. - Maya Choi
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“The blood drive is such an important event: every student that comes is saving countless lives. USC has spent most of the year planning and preparing for today and I am so happy with everyone that has shown up so far,” Maya Choi said.
Student after student walked into the small gym ready to give blood. The process to donate is not a short one, even though the actual donation part of the appointment is brief. First, participants had to read multiple contracts, informational signs and packets. After, they were questioned by some of the Red Cross staff about their medical history. Then students proceeded to lay on big blue mats, next to which were multitudes of equipment. The process of taking the blood is actually quite short and sweet. After the procedure, students and faculty sit in a separate room and eat sweets to make sure their glucose levels are within normal range. Once they can stand without feeling dizzy, they are allowed to leave. Even though there was a setback because of the weather, the blood drive nearly met USC’s goal of donation,, and as a thank you, the Red Cross delivered t-shirts to our donors.
school unless you chose to on your own. So there’s the extra barrier of not knowing the language, so it’s mostly relying on the tour guides and teachers to help you,” Assefa said. Overall the students are excited to be immersed in a different culture than their own. “I have just been trying to get excited to spend every two weeks with my friends and go to the most amazing country in the world,” Harmoning said.
MN joins lawsuit against Trump TRISTAN HITCHENSBROOKINS RUBICONLINE EDITOR Minnesota joined a multistate (15 state) lawsuit February 18th against President Trump’s plan to fund the wall he intends to build between Mexico and the US. Trump declared a national emergency, which allowed him to bypass Congress and acquire funds that had been budgeted to other parts of the government. The lawsuit Minnesota joins claims that it is unlawful to divert federal funds to build a wall because it violates the separation of powers between the branches of government.
Read the full story at
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EDITORIAL THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
Health department expansions provide much needed resource reinforcements THE RUBICON STAFF EDITORIAL The new adjustments to the health department are providing a much needed resource, both in the lives of students and Upper School Counseler Susanna Short. New nurse and location expands health access Starting with the opening party for the health office Feb. 19, two nurses are now available to students. One of them, Kristy Finn, is a trained nurse on campus Monday-Wednesday each week, helping and diagnosing students who come in with fevers, strep, and other types of sickness. The other, Julia Karschney, is still training to be a nurse and serves as the health assistant, on Wednesday-Friday. She will not be able to diagnose students, but she can provide medicine and access to the infirmary. Before this point, Finn had been working in the upper school just one day each week, and there were no other nurses who students could reach out to during the day. Students were accustomed to either staying in classes while suffering from sickness, or leaving for the day if they couldn’t find help, harming their ability to function well while sick. While there was an infirmary, students generally didn’t know where it was and how they could use it if needed. The role of the new health office is a necessary shift. Now, students can go speak to either Finn or Karschney, who will help them make the decision about whether to go home or stay at school. As school nurses, Finn and Karschney put students’ symptoms in Veracross for their parents to see, helping facilitate informed communication with parents in the event that a student needs to go home. If a student doesn’t need to go home, Finn and Karschney can give them access to the infirmary or medicine, helping them to eventually return to class and miss as little school as possible.
EDITORIAL CARTOON: Lucy Benson HELPING HANDS. Susanna Short gets assistance in the health department from new nurse, counselor. and more. Additional counselor will provide needed support Short is also going to see her department go through a much needed expansion with the hiring of a second counselor next year. For students, an additional counselor will provide flexibility to see a counselor when needed. Right now, it is difficult to schedule meetings with Short because her schedule is so full. Short, between running all Wellness classes, having frequent meetings with students and administrators, leading Peer Helpers, and pursuing connection with practitioners outside of school, has little to no free time during the school day. For her, a second counselor will mean more free time during her day, allowing her to eat lunch regularly and take care of her own mental health. Short, Finn and Karschney can develop health programs In addition, more free time for Short will allow her to develop other programs in the health department. Specifically, with the new physical health program, she
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FOR STUDENTS, AN ADDITIONAL COUNSELOR WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY WHEN THEY NEED IT.
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will be able to work more closely with Finn and Karschney to strengthen mental, reproductive, and adolescent health resources. The health office is hoping to expand its jurisdiction to those areas, focusing less on the mental side of it and more on the physical aspect, but they need to be able to work with Short or another counselor to do so. Physical health resources for these areas have been overlooked, but with fewer demands on Short, they will hopefully be able to grow as well. As students prepare for these changes in the community, how-
Students: welcome changes in the commnity ever, it is incredibly important that they have an open mind. Students have been used to taking care of themselves in the case that they are sick because they are used to not having health resources at school. Now that Finn and Karschney are working here, however, they should make sure to take advantage of the assistance and resources they can provide, and increase their ability to stay healthy throughout the school year. Students also need to make an effort to include the new counselor in the community, allowing them to define their role as a counselor even if it’s different from Short’s role. The first step for students to do so is by offering to volunteer on interview panels for the candidate or tour candidates around the school. This way, more students will be able to have a voice in who is eventually hired, and will help find a candidate who will work well in the community. Another thing for students to do is reach out to the new counselor and
Short equally, rather than favoring Short, and recognize that different people will have different styles of counseling. This year and next will hostmany beneficial changes, and the expansion of health resources is just one of many. But like any other change, students need to embrace it and take advantage of its potential.
Recognize this cartoon?
Published in the March 2016 issue, The Rubicon called for more student resources and support for US Counselor Susanna Short. Read the past editorial and see the cartoon at
RUBICON online
THE RUBICON St. Paul Academy and Summit School • 1712 Randolph Ave St. Paul, MN 55105 • rubicon.spa@gmail.com • www.RubicOnline.com • @TheRubiconSPA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CHIEF VISUAL EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR STORY EDITOR NEWS EDITORS OPINIONS EDITORS FEATURE EDITORS IN DEPTH EDITOR ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS SPORTS EDITORS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR HEALTH EDITOR PHOTO STORY EDITOR
Jack Benson Quinn Christensen Chloe Morse Andrew Johnson Maren Ostrem, Lucy Sandeen Lizzie Kristal, Kat St. MartinNorburg Lucy Benson, Meagan Massie Jasper Green Eloise Duncan, Evelyn Lillemoe Julia Baron, Tommy Stolpestad Sharee Roman Jenny Ries Claire Hallaway
DIRECTOR OF RUBICONLINE CREATIVE DESIGN MANAGER PRODUCTION MANAGER SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER NEWS EDITORS OPINIONS EDITORS COLUMNIST FEATURE EDITORS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS ARTS CRITIC SPORTS EDITORS RUBICON T V PRODUCER INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING TEAM
Mimi Geller Noah Raaum Isabel Gisser Annie Bottern Martha Sanchez, Kelby Wittenberg Will Rinkoff, Isabel Saavedra-Weis Kieran Singh Sam Hanson, Melissa Nie Koji Gutzmann, Lynn Reynolds Michael Forsgren Emma Sampson, Bobby Verhey Ellie Nowakowski Tristan Hitchens-Brookins (Lead), Rylan Hefner, Liv Larsen, Tana Ososki
STAFF WRITERS
Salah Abdulkarim, Mason Brooks, Lara Cayci, Clara Garner, Adrienne Gaylord, Lucia Granja, Tessah Green, Charlie Johnson, Zekiah Juliusson, Charlie Keillor, Harper Lux, Anna Perleberg, Mukeil Rizvi, Annika Rock, Katya Sjaastad, Elizabeth Trevathan ADVISER
Kathryn Campbell
PUBLICATIONS ASSISTANT
Kate Glassman
OPINIONS THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
Lockdowns falsely terrify students
Number of Deaths from School Shootings Per Year Since 1998
MAREN OSTREM THE RUBICON EDITOR
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“I love you, Mom.” According to Minnesota Public Radio, that was the text that an eighth grader sent to her mother, April Sullivan during a lockdown last May in Virginia. Sullivan explained that her daughter did not understand that “code blue” was a drill. As the girl hid in the corner with her classmate, she believed that she was hiding from a dangerous intruder, and this message could be her last words to her mother. School shootings have begun to feel more and more common, as the news fills with coverage of tragic events across the country. The issue has gained even more traction since the Parkland shooting in February of 2018. Despite how it may appear, according to the Washington Post, school shootings have actually decreased since the 1990s. This
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INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN: Kat St. Martin-Norburg FATALITY. While the number of school shootings has gone down, the fatalities have increased, with 2018 being the deadliest on record with 55 deaths
information calls into question the need for lockdowns that are so common in schools. According to NBC, there have been 38 school shootings in the US since 2013. However, while the frequency of school shootings is decreasing, the fatalities are increasing, with 55 people dying in gun related incidents within schools in 2018, according to the Post Naval Graduate School. According to The Conversation, the problem with the system is that 91% of shooters are current or former students of the school in question, who are familiar with the school’s lockdown practices. So really, all that these drills are doing is helping potential perpetrators find the holes in the system. The attitude of students towards lockdown drills tends to be dismissive and mocking. When the lockdown drill alarm sounds, students seem annoyed at being
disrupted from their studies, and when seated, many end up taking out their phones to pass the time, whispering with their classmates rather than staying quiet. Is this reaction because students don’t take the drills seriously enough, or is it rather a reaction to the scary and uncomfortable idea of having a true emergency during school? Often times, the message that plays over the phones at SPA takes a while to announce whether a drill is being conducted or if it is a true emergency. Lockdown drills do not provide the service intended. Instead of leaving students prepared for an emergency situation, they leave students terrified for their safety in schools.
Split contributes to harmful portrayal of mental disorders SHAREE ROMAN THE RUBICON EDITOR With M Night Shyamalan’s second film in a series Glass in theaters now, it’s not uncommon for fans to go back and revisit the film that came before, but 2016’s Split may be one to leave in the past. Centered around the anti hero’s internal struggle with an attempted portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder, the film operates on the stereotypes that DID is supernatural and inhuman, honing in on the audience’s fear of the unknown. The thriller Split was successful in regards to the revenue it generated (approximately 276.9 million US dollars in sales immediately after its release) because its framework is built upon the mental illness stigmatization pertinent in society today. It left an impact on the lives of millions of American viewers because of Kevin, the film’s violent and impulsive main character. He fluctuates between 23 identified personalities for most of the film. One personality that
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THE FILM OPERATES ON THE STEREOTYPES THAT DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER IS SUPERNATURAL AND INHUMAN.
he takes on, “Dennis,” kidnaps three girls and imprisons them in a basement. When a 24th personality emerges and is responsible for the murder of two kidnapped girls and a therapist, Kevin’s character is further villainized, along with Dissociative Identity Disorder as a whole. While watching this series, it is important to recognize how the film creates a false image of Dissociative Identity Disorder that takes away from the legitimate severity of it. Kevin’s character in Split only contributes to
this stigma. Kevin’s final personality is recognized as “The Beast.” Even though Kevin is human, “The Beast” obtains supernatural powers, becoming a force to be feared. This image in itself perpetuates the false belief that people with DID are less than human. In reality, most people with DID developed the disorder on account of severe childhood trauma or abuse. Functioning as a coping mechanism, these additional personalities are subconsciously created to combat and escape the horrors of reality. In stark contrast to what Split portrays, people with DID pose little to no threat to the public but rather to themselves. Dissociative Identity Disorder impairs people’s realities by projecting several separate identities into one physical body. Despite what Split portrays, these identities are completely unaware of the others, believing they are the sole identity occupying the mind of this body one hundred percent of the time. New situations warrant different coping mechanisms and in turn, different per-
sonalties, the identities of the individual experiencing DID are dissociated, making the life of the affected individual separated, incoherent, and incomprehensible to themselves or others. Even though the majority of society cannot relate to the disorder or even fathom its complex impacts on the mind, it is essential that society learns to acknowledge its presence and avoid perpetuating the stigma surrounding it by living in fear of what is difficult understand. When it comes down to it, many individuals experiencing Dissociative Identity Disorder are people who have suffered from severe abuse and trauma, and by succumbing to the false image of DID portrayed in film, are destined to misunderstand it.
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FEATURE THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
Snider slams her poetic truth CLAIRE HALLAWAY THE RUBICON EDITOR In front of hundreds of people, one speaker reads the words they have written and watches as the audience takes it all in. This is a glimpse into the slam poetry experience. For junior Anna Snider, writing had always been something that drew her in quickly, but poetry, in particular, is where she found her passion. “I fell in love with poetry in elementary school. However, as soon as we learned about poetry in school, I began to despise it. To me, writing poems had always been about finding the best way to explain what was happening in my brain. I found refuge in poetry because it was a space where I was allowed to fully show up in a space and talk about my experiences without being asked to leave out parts of my experiences in order to make the conversation school appropriate.” Snider had initially found slam poetry online and immediately became interested. But the performing was where Snider truly felt a connection. Snider describes the feeling of sharing her own writing in front of an audience as an experience unlike any other. “I found slam poetry hidden in a corner of the internet I didn’t know existed and it soon became my life. Listening to slam poetry is an incredible experience in and of itself, but performing? That is a completely different experience. It is so healing to stand on stage in front of a crowd of people, spill the ugliest parts of
yourself and feel the audience hold you,” Snider said. Snider stays in tune with herself, listening to what is most important to her in the moment when she wants to write. Specifically writing about the things she experiences shame around gives her an opportunity to get rid of it. “I write about any aspect of my life that is demanding my attention at that particular moment. When I write slam poetry, however, I write about the things that I have shame around. For me, writing about shame releases it,” Snider said. Besides performing her own work, Snider has also learned a lot from the community that participating in slam poetry has brought her.
“
I FOUND REFUGE IN POETRY. - Anna Snider
”
“I have learned so much about both systematic oppression as well as the importance of listening to and amplifying marginalized voices through the slam community,” Snider said. Snider finds that poetry is a powerful tool to voice the things that are affecting certain people. “Poetry -- specifically spoken word poetry -- has been used throughout history as a form of resistance to oppressive systems. Marginalized communities (especially people of color and
How do (most) poetry slams operate
?
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY: ANNA SNIDER ON STAGE. Snider performs a poem she wrote at a slam. LGBTQ+ folks) have used spoken word as a way to take their voices back and talk about the things that are actually affecting them,” Snider said. Snider believes that many students could benefit from slam poetry, and that it is a lot different than the expectation that many students may have of what a poetry slam is. It can benefit those who listen to the poetry in many ways as it builds bravery and empathy. “I think that most people would never consider going to a poetry slam because they think it’s a bunch of angsty teenagers reading dramatic monologues that also rhyme and are written in Shakespearean sonnets (no shade to those who do read dramatic Shakespearean sonnets though -- you do you!) While
I’m sure the stereotypical angsty rhyming teen is out there, I have never seen them at a poetry slam I have attended. Most poets are writing about their experiences with mental illness, oppression, hardships, and pain. Attending a slam and holding the weight of another person’s words and experiences requires a certain level of bravery because it requires empathy. I think we all need more empathy in our lives; slam is a good way to start,” Snider said. This year will be Snider’s third time participating in the BeHeard Youth Poetry Slam. She plans on preparing more with open mics and writing conferences in order to prepare. I am participating in the BeHeard Youth Poetry Slam with TruArtSpeaks. I am connecting with other writers to get feed-
At a national slam, judges are chosen prior to the event. However, at smaller slams, three to five audience members who are not affiliated with anyone performing are chosen to be judges. Usually, judges will give each poem a score between 0-10. While the next poet is performing, these scores are tallied by the slam’s organizers. After all the poets have performed, the lowest scorers are eliminated, and the next round begins. At the end of the final round, winners are announced.
back on my work. This is my third year doing this specific slam series. When I was preparing for finals two years ago, I found that attending open mics and writing conferences were the best ways to prepare. As semi-finals come up I plan to dedicate much more time to poetry,” Snider said. “Conferences [have been] the best way to prepare. As semi-finals come up I plan to dedicate much more time to poetry,” Snider said. “The biggest challenge for me is reminding myself that my voice matters, that I have something important to say, and that I am allowed to take up space -even if my peers don’t take it seriously... but also the part where I have to speak in front of hundreds of people,” Snider said.
School comedians amuse classmates COMEDY IS ESSSENTIAL TO THE SPA COMMUNITY.
THE RUBICON PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: LUCY BENSON CLASS CLOWN. Bartlett hopes that students will laugh more. “SPA students, I think at least, take themselves way too seriously,” Bartlett said.
TOMMY STOLPESTAD THE RUBICON EDITOR “Laughter is the best medicine.” This well known line encompasses the importance of laughter and humor in today’s
society. While the line is not literal, laughter can bring joy and relief to anyone, anywhere; and in that sense it is its own form of medicine. Humor lightens the mood, makes people feel good, and brings happiness into life. At
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, humor is important to the student body whether it is a comedical senior speech or jokes being cracked around the campus. Like every school, SPA has its class clowns. One of whom is Junior Duncan Fleming, a proclaimed “Meme Connoisseur” who has an assortment of memes for any scenario. “I think I have a witty sense of humor, one that takes an effort to understand. I like using new cultural references to make jokes about,” Fleming said. While using cultural references for jokes, Duncan’s favorite platform for humor is through memes. “I use memes to create humor out of a specific situation, sometimes just to make fun of a certain topic, but also with more serious meaning,” Fleming said. “Sometimes the intent of a meme is to express deeper thoughts and feelings best displayed in an oversimplified format made
confidential from many simply through the translation into a meme.” Fleming uses memes to express his own, unique sense of humor and bring light to other people through the memes that he finds and makes. While comedy is helpful for lightening the mood and staying happy, it also offers a way for the SPA community to stay together. “Comedy is essential to the SPA community,” said Junior, Helen Bartlett. “SPA students, I think at least, take themselves way too seriously.” For Bartlett, comedy is a way for the community to relax and come together outside of SPA’s rigorous academics. “I think students should cut themselves down a bit and take pride in being teenagers, and being stupid, and making mistakes, and laughing at those mistakes.” Students at SPA get
too caught up in the stress of school and without comic relief, students wouldn’t be able to always stay in a positive mindset, which would make the community more uptight. For Senior Will Christakos, he used Senior Speeches as a platform to share with the school his sense of humor. After presenting one of the more memorable speeches this year, Christakos left the podium with the community in laughter. “I felt that it would be more fun and memorable to me to make my speech comedic. I wanted to make fun of myself in the speech as an example of the message I was trying to convey.” Christakos said. “I thought this was the best way to give my speech and I think that making it humorous would allow the audience to loosen up a little and have a good laugh during speeches.”
FEATURE THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
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Be entertained at The Parkway EMMA SAMPSON RUBICONLINE EDITOR
FLICKR CC: Sharon Mollerus SUNBURST. Dale Chihuly’s “Sunburst” hangs in the entry of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Admiring art, Medrano etches memories of Mia
FLICKR CC: Janelle SCREEN TIME. The Parkway offers classic film screenings and live performances for audiences of all ages.
With yellow coils reaching out from an orange center, “Sunburst” catches the attention of everyone who enters. The glass sculpture created by Dale Chihuly hangs in the entrance to the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia). This piece draws visitors in, giving them a taste for the wondrous pieces of art inside the museum. Sophomore Izzy Medrano has always had a special place in her heart for “Sunburst.” “Right when you walk in there’s the sun thing hanging from the ceiling of the building. That’s always been one of my family’s favorite pieces because my dad says it looks like my hair when I was little,” Medrano said. Though “Sunburst” is a sight on its own, there is so much more to see in the Mia. The Mia is one of the largest art museums in the country and has pieces that range from a terracotta head made by the Yoruba people from Nigeria centuries ago to an abstract expressionist painting from 1957 based off of American advertising. “We’ve been going there since I was very little and I really like looking at all the pieces; it’s really interesting,” Medrano said. When Medrano and her family like to spend low key days at the Mia, they “...usually just walk around and look around and then we eat lunch,” she said. Even though the routine is simple, their visit is different every time because of the vast number of pieces of art that exist in the Mia. It’s hard to not see something new during every visit. Because of the time she has spent with her family and all of the good memories she has made at the Mia, it has become an important place for her. And as her family has grown this importance has become even more evident. “It is kind of a special place for my family. We started going when I was little and now that I have siblings we go with them and it’s just become a tradition for us,” she said. Minneapolis Institute of Art 2400 3rd Ave S new.artsmia.org
The Parkway Theater 4818 Chicago Ave. theparkwaytheater.com
AROUND
Minneapolis
EVELYN LILLEMOE THE RUBICON EDITOR
The Parkway Theater located in south Minneapolis features not only old movies but concerts and live shows. Built in 1931, the Parkway has been running for almost 87 years in the Minneapolis area, but recently changed ownership and, along with that, the theater was renovated and the event calendar updated.
The Parkway's upcoming showings include Back to the Future (1985) on Mar. 7 @ 7:30 p.m. and the Little Shop of Horrors sing-along on Mar. 10 at 1 p.m. For customers looking to really step back in time, The Parkway is the perfect place for diehard “throwback” lovers since it features not only old theater looks but also old theater movies.
TOWN Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea wows with aesthetic
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY: EMILY SCHLINGER THE SWINGS. Schlinger lounges in her favorite coffee shop, awaiting her food.
JASPER GREEN THE RUBICON EDITOR
Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea in the North Loop is senior Emily Schlinger’s favorite place to go. “I love it because it’s really cute and because the menu is great. They have very tasty drinks like this mango jungle drink...and, also, they have swings for chairs. Their avocado toast is really really good avocado toast,” she said. Schlinger commends the beauty of both the food and location of Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea. “The interior is stunning. When they bring the food out, you can take photos of it all because of how well they put it together and how much care they take with it,” Schlinger said.
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I LOVE IT BECAUSE IT’S REALLY CUTE. - Emily Schlinger
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It is her favorite place to go with friends for a day out for brunch and she also enjoys taking pictures on the swings. “I love going there with my friends and in the morning for coffee and going there makes me feel happy and ready for the day. It’s both rustic chic and also the swings look very elegant. I think people love going there because it’s beautiful. People are always posing to take photos and it’s just a fun place,” Schlinger said.
Schlinger says that it is too loud for her to do homework their but that many use this spot to be productive in study. “Some people like to go there to do homework, but I think it’s kind of loud so I don’t do homework there. It works for some people though,” Schlinger said. Schlinger says that the workers have always been very nice to her friends and herself and that she has always felt at home there “Whenever I go, I feel like they have options for everyone like vegetarian, and they also do delivery and take out so that’s an option too,” Schlinger said. Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea 120 3rd Ave N fairgrounds.cafe
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IN DE
LIFE CO THE RUBICON
Local resources support homeless youth ANDREW JOHNSON THE RUBICON EDITOR As temperatures plummet in the Twin Cities during the winter, most residents of Minneapolis and Saint Paul stay indoors to keep away from the harsh conditions outside. For most, staying warm means staying home, but for the homeless youth population of Minneapolis and St. Paul, it usually means riding the light rail day and night. Too often, the state and federal governments place “homelessness” into a box and, subsequently, on the edges of society. Homeless people, youth specifically, are reduced to “drifters” on the side of roads and around corners, and as a result, their are minimal government sponsored outlets for direct aid that affect each homeless person in a meaningful way. Fortunately, local organizations such as Wilder Research, Avenues for Youth, and Lutheran Social Services are doing their best to pick up the slack and are the backbone of relief efforts across the cities. While different in their official missions, their initiatives follow the same thread of tangible, real-life progress that homeless youth are so desperately in need of. At Wilder Research, research scientist Stephanie Nelson-Dusek is leading an effort driven by carefully compiled statistics to best go about providing relief outlets to homeless youth. Instead of blindly throwing money at the problem, Nelson-Dusek and Wilder pinpoint the most at-risk of the population and cater their efforts towards those groups. In 2015, Wilder concluded that at least 2,500 minors are homeless every night. Of those youths, 73 percent of them are children of color, with 26 percent of Minnesota youth identify as such. Moreover, 90 percent of homeless youth in the Twin Cities have experienced some form of serious trauma as children, while leading cause of childhood homelessness, mental illness, is part of 57 percent of homeless children’s lives. Using this data, researchers like Nel-
son-Dusek conduct interviews at homeless shelters, gleaning first-person perspective, and with the help of service providers, homeless advocates, and volunteers, are able to amplify the voices of homeless youth themselves in statistical-driven ways that are not currently matched from the federal government. Not only does Wilder’s research make it easier for other organizations to provide current handson work, but it also goes a long way in reducing and preventing the problem from growing the future by pinpointing the causes and struggles homeless children go through on a daily basis.
“ 2,500 MINORS ARE
HOMELESS EVERY NIGHT. OF THOSE YOUTHS, 75 PERCENT ARE CHILDREN OF COLOR.
”
Using the work of Nelson-Dusek and Wilder, organizations such as Avenues for Youth are able to help homeless youth find a path away from the streets. Led by President Chuck Tombarge, Avenues’ mission includes “empowering” youth to fight to find a way out of homelessness by providing stable housing and developing trusting relationships that cannot be replicated by the detached hand of federal funding. Avenues, fueled by research, connects directly with homeless
Youth age 12-17 are more at risk for homelessness than adults
38 percent report being emotionally abused at home.
youth and immediately establish themselves as constant and stable figures in homeless children’s lives, something that most of them haven’t experienced without a place to call home. Members of the Avenues team make efforts to find out the goals homeless teens have for their lives, and maintain that “homelessness does not define a person.” As reinforced by Wilder’s research, Avenues believes that racism, oppression, and poverty are core causes of homelessness in general, and work to combat those institutions through providing host housing for extended period of times to those in need. Avenues responds to homelessness through an emphasis on community, as their host houses are provided by volunteers who follow a rehabilitation program for homeless youth that can last for “a year or more.” Avenues prioritizes the problem instead of simply acknowledging it, leading to permanent change in the lives of many youths in the greater Twin Cities area. Finally, and similarly to Avenues, Lutheran Social Services uses Wilder’s research to provide a communal approach to prioritizing the struggle against teen homelessness. Accompanied by 2,300 staff members, Lutheran Social Services has a noted presence in 87 Minnesota counties, and with an annual budget of nearly 150 million, as funded
by public, private, and charitable sources, LSS is able to place homeless children into well-provided for communities that place and emphasis on building trust in their lives through in the presence of God. LSS guarantees safe and stable homes, access to social services, and outlets for rehabilitation, whether it be for mental or physical illness. With the continued work of each of these grassroots organizations, the need for empty federal funding will become less of a priority in the Twin Cities. Each organization uses a mission statement that establishes a focus on relief and recovery together, leading to greater prevention efforts and a love-based outreach that has been missing in homeless teens’ lives for too long.
17 percent report being sexually abused at home
20-40 percent of homeless youth are LGBTQ+
75 percent of runaways are female 75 percent of runaways have dropped out or will drop out
Greater risk for depression, suicide, poor nutrition, and low self esteem
46 percent report being physically abused at home.
According to info from the National Conference of State Legislature
One in seven between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away
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EPTH
E IN THE OLD - MARCH 2019
GSA raises funds and awareness
Physical / sexual abuse Family mental health problems & substance abuse
”
- Zoe Hermer-Cisek spreading awareness for teen homelessness in the Twin Cities. The GSA wanted to raise money for this issue because it is a problem that relates to the club. According to True Colors Fund, an organization pushing to end homelessness among teens in the LGBTQ community, states on their website that up to 40 percent of the homeless youth population is part of the LGBTQ community. Along with this, the organization says that LGBTQ teens are 120 percent more likely to experience homelessness in their lifetime. For these reasons and more, the club wanted to find a way to take part in helping address the issue. To do this, the club hosted a bake sale to raise money for the organization, Avenues for Youth; an organization with the goal of empowering youth in Hennepin
Parental neglect / kicked out
Economic Problems Lack of affordable housing and jobs Lack of medical insurance and benefits
Transitioning from Foster Care / Public System Lack of financial support and housing options Undeveloped skills for society
90 80 70 60
County who face homelessness and giving them opportunities to build a stable foundation in their lives. According to the Avenue for Youth website, the organization provides youth with a stable home, trusting relationships, and helps with education for homeless teens. While this was not the first year the GSA had hosted the bake sale, it simply started with the club looking for a charity to raise money for. “Last year the president, Aaron Datta, did research on what charities there were in the Twin Cities that we could possibly do something to donate to,” said Zoe Hermer-Cisek, senior and current president of the GSA. “We reached out to [Avenues for Youth] and we had someone from the organization come in and give a talk, which was really cool. Then we did the bake sale and donated the money to them,” Hermer-Cisek said. For Hermer-Cisek and the rest of the GSA, being able to help teen homelessness is an important part of the activism that the club takes part in. When asked if LGBTQ teens are more likely to be homeless, Hermer-Cisek replied, “Oh absolutely.” They continued by saying, “[Being part of the LGBTQ community] can just be an added stressor [for teens] in already shaky situations. Nowadays their isn’t as much of people getting kicked out [of their houses] because they come out, which is great, it still happens occasionally.” Avenues for Youth was the perfect organization to donate to for the GSA because of what it offered for homeless and at risk youth. “They basically are just trying to get kids back on there feet and they try to find them another housing option. Along with this, they run another smaller organization that pairs queer kids with families that are either allies or queer themselves, and often times they end up either fostering or getting adopted by those families.” With the bake sale being a success, the GSA was able to raise money for an organization that makes a meaningful impact on helping end teen homelessness.
30 20 10
Aged out of foster care
40
Family issues
50
LGBTQ Youth
Family poverty
Family Problems
“
Abuse at home
According to info from True Colors
At Saint Paul Academy and Summit School, community service is a core value embedded in the community. Students have required service hours Sophomore year and taking action in helping the broader Twin Cities community is encouraged. At SPA, one of the most significant platforms for student activism and volunteering are the clubs. These are student-run and each has there own set of goals. For the GSA, the GayStraight Alliance, activism came in the form of fundraising and
[BEING A PART OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY] CAN JUST BE AN ADDED STRESSOR FOR TEENS IN ALREADY TRICKY SITUATIONS.
Forced out / ran away
Reasons for leaving home
TOMMY STOLPESTAD THE RUBICON EDITOR
INFOGRAPHIC DESIGNS: Jasper Green
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SCI-TECH THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
“Microfragmenting”
Total Emissions By Category Transportation Energy Industry
saves coral reefs JASPER GREEN RUBICON EDITOR While taking up one percent of the sea floor, coral reefs make up 25 percent of all marine life and are the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet. According to the Coral Reef Restroation program, coral reefs support industries such as food, medicine, cosmetics, and tourism and add around five billion in economic value to the Florida economy alone. Furthermore, when ocean storms come rolling in, coral reefs exist as a barrier to shelter the coasts. However, according to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, in the last 30 years the coverage of coral reefs has declined by as much as 50-80 percent in some areas of Florida and the Caribbean due to climate change, pollution, and overfishing. David Vaughan, who discovered microfragmenting, is a Senior Scientist and manager of the Coral Restoration program at the Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration. He grew up watching certain species of coral disappear like elkhorn, which marine biologists have tried to grow in the lab for decades to put back into the wild. The problem with the old system was how slow coral grows, and while elkhorn grows quicker than most, the truly slow-growing “living rocks” such as brain coral grow less than two inches a year. One day, Vaughan was transporting a piece of coral and it broke into two pieces which he believed were unsalvageable, but he reattached them each to pucks to see if they would keep growing just in case. He looked back a week later and saw that the abandoned polyps had doubled in number very quickly. Dr. Vaughan believes that this period of rapid growth is because the
coral is fighting for survival so other coral will not grow to take over its space. This technique of rapid coral growth called microfragmenting allows coral to grow at 25-50 times the normal rate according to The New York Times. The process involves a large pump that takes sea water that is trapped inside of limestone 80 feet below and sends it to be treated to remove the ammonia, carbon dioxide, and ammonia sulfide that is damaging to coral. It flows through a maze-like structure of four-inch pvc pipes to disperse among thirty 180 gallon fiberglass tanks which are called raceways where a fine mesh canopy shades them from the hot sun. The sea water runs across small chunks of coral about the size of a pencil eraser that are set up in neat rows on top of tiles or ceramic pucks. These are cut up with a special saw that is precise enough to get down to chunks of 1-5 polyps.
“
WHAT WOULD NORMALLY TAKE 100 YEARS TAKES JUST UNDER TWO YEARS.
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Senior Betsy Romans former Advance Science Research student shares her point of view. “I think that microfragmenting is a great development but that more needs to be done environmentally to slow down the problem. If we don’t change the warming of the oceans that causes the bleaching, it won’t matter how many new coral that we transplant back into the wild,” Romans said. According to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, the small pieces of coral do not fight each other for resources but
instead fuse over time because they recognize each other. This fusing also counteracts genetic blight because hundreds of the same coral are not being transplanted back into the wild. After 4-12 months, they are good to go. “It’s really cool that the smaller pieces of coral that are grown in the lab are able to fuse back together because they originally did come from the same genetics. I don’t love the idea that we need to...cutting up the coral in order to make it grow more quickly in size, but at least after triggering it to grow faster, it is able to fuse back together again when it gets transplanted back into the wild,” Romans said. What would normally take 100 years takes just under 2 years. Although the coral usually takes 65 years to become sexually mature, the microfragmenting process causes it to mature much more quickly. Over 20,000 corals have been successfully planted onto depleted reefs in the Florida Keys to help restore ecosystems and to combat decades of damage. “It’s important for our ecosystems to have places where fish and all the other marine organisms to live. And with microfragmenting, they can almost build a new reef from scratch. Microgfragmenting sounds promising and I am more optimistic now ... because I was thinking that coral bleaching was a one-way street. Anything that we can do to not have it that way is good,” senior Joey Bluhm said. “I think that microfragmenting, if it saves coral, that’s great. I know that my dad and sister are really big into aquatics and scuba diving, and also my sister is going into marine biology in college so she will be happy about this,” Bluhm said.
Other Fuel Comb. Manufacting Fugitive Emission Industrial Processes Ariguclture Waste SOURCE: Carbon Footprint Factsheet | Unniveristy of Michigan INFOGRAPHIC CREDIT: Sharee Roman
threats to coral reefs and their environment
TOP 3
1. WARMING WATERS As the Earth warms, heat makes its way into the ocean. While most corals live in the warmth of the tropics, the water can become too warm for them. When waters heat up, corals get stressed and go through a process called bleaching which makes them look as white as their skeletons. According to the Center for Science and Education, water that warms just one degree celsius can cause corals to bleach.
2. CARBON DIOXIDE The increase concentration of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere, largely from burning fossil fuels, gets dissolved into ocean water causing a decrease in calcification rates. When runoff from land pools on the surface of the ocean, it blocks the sunlight that coral needs in order to grow, and when seas are overfished, the reefs lose their ally in symbiotic survival.
3. OTHER THREATS The list of problems can seem endless: overfishing, fishing using cyanide and dynamite, pollution from sewage and agriculture, massive outbreaks of predatory starfish, invasive species, and sedimentation from poor land use practices. Reefs and their wildlife across the world are also affected by destructive fishing and exploitation to supply the coral reef wildlife trade. Fish, corals, and various invertebrates are all taken from reef habitats to serve as aquarium pets or decorative items. Although this trade can be conducted sustainably, wildlife populations are often overexploited to feed the demand for these animals. Sometimes poisons like cyanide are dumped into the water to stun fish and make them easier to capture. Sadly, fishing with cyanide often kills fish, corals, and other forms of wildlife, while degrading the reef habitat itself.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Maragos/ United States Fish and Wildlife Service
HEALTH
Gut bacteria linked to mental health
THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
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THE RUBICON ILLUSTRATION: Quinn Christensen and Jenny Ries
STOMACH
LARGE INTESTINE
LUCY BENSON THE RUBICON EDITOR While anticipating an upcoming event, nervousness can make for an upset stomach. Though the feeling of fear is located in the brain, there are still bodily feelings and repercussions. Recently, researchers found that the opposite is true as well. Gut bacteria can be directly related to mental health. In the intestines there are different types of bacteria - some that are healthy and others that are not - that make up what’s called a microbiome. This bacteria can be related to depression and anxiety. This too works both ways: researchers in Belgium found that in some cases people with depression had fewer types of a certain bacteria than those without. It was also found that people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) had higher percentages of depression and anxiety than those without. This is in part because nerve cells in the gastrointestinal tract can communicate with the brain and create mood changes. There is also a link between celiacs, an autoimmune disease that makes it hard to digest gluten, and mental health, as untreated celiacs can often show symptoms similar to mental health issues. The health of microbiomes can be related as well to diet, and from there to mental health. Allergies, too, are linked to microbiome health. In some cases probiotics and nutrition may be the answer for helping to boost mental health. Though this may not be the cure in anxiety and depression, in other microbiome issues, a healthy diet and eating foods with probiotics can have positive effects on the mental health impacts from the gut, such as positive mood changes. Though gut health concerns are often associated with older people, young adults, too, are at risk for unhealthy guts. One study found that stress in college students can have harmful effects on gut health and decrease the amount of helpful bacteria in the gut. The same was true for sleep deprivation. Both are common in teenagers and could be harmful to their guts.
SMALL INTESTINE
Getting more sleep, reducing stress, and eating probiotic heavy foods, like chocolate, yogurt, and pickles, can be beneficial to gut health. Avoiding eating too much sugar or fried foods can as well.
INTESTINAL MICROFLORA
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THOUGH GUT HEALTH CONCERNS ARE OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH OLDER PEOPLE, YOUNG ADULTS, TOO, ARE AT RISK FOR UNHEALTHY GUTS.
”
For sophomore Mia Schubert, her discovery of her lactose intolerance had changed both the way she eats and feels. For Schubert, this means “avoiding cheese, and things that I like a lot honestly.” Schubert only made this discovery recently during the fall cross country season. “I was running and I started not feeling [well]... and my coach was like ‘oh what did you eat today?’” Schubert said. “Then he said ‘did you have any milk today?’ and I was like ‘yeah, I had a lot of milk today’
and he was like ‘well you should probably stop drinking milk before you run because that makes you nauseous.’” After talking with her coach Schubert made the changes to her diet. “I just quit lactose for the entire season and then I tried to start having it again and I couldn’t have it without getting sick or feeling sick.” Schubert said. The mental impacts on Schubert haven’t been drastic, as she still integrates dairy into her diet, but she does mention one change. “I feel lighter,” Schubert said. She also notes that changes in her general diet can make her feel better. “I tried drinking a lot more water and I found that it really helped with cramps and just made me feel better and gave me less headaches,” Schubert said. “I find that if I eat really unhealthy then I don’t necessarily feel bad about myself but like I should have eaten healthier be-
-Includes anaerobes and facultative anaerobes -400+ species of bacteria Source: Medical Microbiology, 4th Edition
cause I know that taking care of your body is something that’s important and that I wish that I would have eaten healthier.” However, this does not stop Schubert from giving up the foods she enjoys entirely. “Whipped cream, I really like that, and ice cream, and if I want to eat those things then I usually take a pill to make it so that I don’t get a stomach ache. I do [eat lactose] sometimes, but I don’t feel well, but sometimes the reward is greater than the risk,” Schubert said. Overall, Schubert has noticed some positive changes since removing lactose from her diet. “I find that stuff without lactose just tends to be a lot more
healthy like I’ll be like ‘oh, I could have ice cream or I could have a popsicle’ and popsicles are mainly just water and ice cream is mainly milk,’” Schubert said. “I just find that the alternatives to stuff that has lactose in it are usually a lot better for you and they make me feel better just in general.” Whether it’s removing or adding something, small changes can be beneficial to gut health and may be beneficial to mental health as well.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
ARTIST PROFILE:
Morrisette prepares for art camp in Ireland SHAREE ROMAN THE RUBICON EDITOR
PENCIL SKETCH. Addie Morrisette works at home on her pieces. “I think what I need is time to... boil down what I want to do and call my own,” she said.
PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY: Addie Morrisette HOME GALLERY. Addie Morrisette displays her artwork on her bedroom wall. Although she works in a variety of mediums, she is currently focusing on watercolor outside of school.
Fresh with new ideas and project, sophomore Addie Morrisette spends lots of time creating art — each paint stroke streaks down the page, heavy with water and light in color. This upcoming summer, Morrisette will be attending a three week long camp called Art on a Farm in Ireland. It is an immersive experience and will provide Morrisette time to explore her art skills. “It is just something that I really need right now. My goal in painting this year and last year is to find a style that I can call my own. That is what I really have been looking to find. I think what I need is time to work on my art for three weeks in the studio all day. I think that will really help me boil down what I want to do and call my own,” Morrisette said. In order to provide the best environment for their students, Cow House Studios caps the maximum number of students per a session at 24 students. They believe that engagement with the visual arts provides Want to be an artist? intellectual and creative enrichment and simultaneousTake this advice from ly builds confidence and trust in one’s ideas. Their classes during Art on the Farm are projAddie Morrisette: ect-based and require one to combine technical knowledge with innovative problem-solving. Careful Find your passion and consideration of practiced craft is encouraged while promoting an awareness of art in a contemporary stick with it. context. The student will gain valuable experience working in a studio setting with like-minded peers, Don’t be afraid to dedicating extended periods of time to intensive creexperiment with ative exploration, and forging lasting friendships. Morrisette is currently focusing on watercolor different mediums in outside of school because she is applying for a scholorder to find your style. arship program which is judged based on the merit of her artwork. The scholarship will be equivalent to half of the tuition. Make time for your art. At school Morrisette is taking Advanced PhotogDon’t rush creativity raphy and working on a project that blends art and music: “I am working on recreating album covers and kind of emulating music in to my art which is something that I find really interesting because I always listen to music when I am working… I love music that has a clear story and a clear message. You can hear the artist coming through. I think what draws me to certain songs is if I can relate to them and that changes all the time depending on how I am feeling. I think my relationship to [the songs] is really important and transcends the genre,” Morrisette said. Improving Morrisette’s art skills is one of her main goals for the year — finding and perfecting a style in which she can call her own. Whether this be with painting or photography, Morrisette’s time and attention to her work will allow her to find the healthy medium she is seeking.
TV REVIEW:
You portrays toxic relationships in the digital age
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LIZZIE KRISTAL THE RUBICON EDITOR You is the kind of series that preys on fear of unlocked doors and open shades. It’s a spine-tingling Netflix original that’s worth all of the buzz. This new Netflix original, ten-episode series drew a lot of attention after first being released. The main character, Joe (Penn Badgley), falls so deeply for a girl, Beck (Elizabeth Lail). He wishes to supply her with everything she could possibly need in her life, and to make her feel happy and perfect. This goes so far that he’ll do anything for what he thinks is right for her, no matter how extreme it is. This clash between love and alarming actions, both deeply intertwined, is the main hook to the show. At first glance, the plot is polished and consistently engrossing. Many complex characters appear throughout the
Fair use image: Netflix NEGATIVE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA. The main character of You uses digital media to learn more about his obsession. whole storyline, such as Beck’s manipulative best friend, Peach (Shay Mitchell). The characters’ pasts and personalities are well thought-out, and have more than just one conflict in there lives, making the plot more interesting. Moments such as extreme snooping were bone-chilling, and there were a few of these
instances in each episode. It was even scarier to know that the plot could happen to anyone. Television doesn’t usually show the thoughts and motives behind a character who’s creepy or in the wrong, but instead instantly villainizes them without giving the character a chance to explain themselves. In You, Joe’s
MOMENTS SUCH AS EXTREME SNOOPING WERE BONECHILLING, AND THERE WERE A FEW OF THESE INSTANCES IN EACH EPISODE.
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thoughts are the narration of the story, giving the audience a window into his brain. The viewers get to know what he’s thinking and why he acts the way he does at every step along the way. This allows the audience to decide whether they sympathize, support, or despise Joe for his thoughts and actions. You also shows how open and vulnerable social media can leave a person. Joe uses social media
and other online resources to stalk, not just track down, but learn and draw conclusions from every detail possible of Beck’s social media presence. It’s a great insight into how much our generation lives within social media and how dangerous it can be when someone misuses it. You illustrates toxic relationships with both friendships and romantic relationships. Obsessive and manipulative only begin to describe it. While not necessarily realistic to all relationships, relationships like this do exist and are important to keep an eye out for. You is able to accurately capture examples of toxic relationships and pass the message onto the viewer.
Rating: 5 of 5 STARS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
Some ASMR triggers include:
slime Screenshot from Gillian Bower Slime on youtube.com
eating sounds Screenshot from SASASMR on youtube.com
soap cutting Screenshot from 10 Minutes Amazing Life on youtube.com
tapping sounds Screenshot from Chynaunique ASMR on youtube.com
Tapping and tingling:
KAT ST. MARTINNORBURG THE RUBICON EDITOR The term ASMR was coined back in 2010, but it wasn’t until recently that ASMR videos have exploded in popularity. It’s not uncommon to find ASMR channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers or videos with millions of views. ASMR stands for Audio Sensory Meridian Response, and generally refers to a wide variety of noises that are supposed to have a calming effect on people. Tapping, whispering, and crackling noises are some of the most common stimuli. Recently, however, the ASMR label has been ascribed to videos that don’t necessarily have an audio sensory response, but still evoke feelings of satisfaction, like slime or tire crushing videos. The first scientific study of ASMR, done by Swansea University in 2015, found that ASMR videos had the potential to help treat people with depression and anxiety. Students, however, mainly watch ASMR videos for entertainment, not for relaxation or to treat insomnia. 9th grader Nafisa Aden started watching ASMR videos within the past few years. “Everyone was talking about them last year, but in kind of a joking way cause everyone thought they were weird, so that’s when I first started watching them,” Aden said.
ASMR evokes sensory responses
9th grader Spencer Burris-Brown first heard about ASMR videos from a Dr. Mike video. “He was talking about his thoughts on ASMR, in conjunction with talking about marijuana, so I thought ASMR was some, like, drug,” Burris-Brown said.
A BIG “ I’M FAN OF SOAP
CUTTING BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THE EATING STUFF.
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-Max Moen Senior Jenny Sogin has been watching a variety of satisfying and ASMR videos for a while. “I was really into Dr. Pimple Popper, but I’ve recently gotten into more normal stuff like the soap cutting, the slime, and the tire crushing.” Senior Max Moen prefers watching videos that feature inanimate objects rather than the traditional whispering or tapping videos. “I’m a big fan of the soap cutting, but I don’t know how I feel about the eating stuff, and the whispering stuff I don’t like. I like the inanimate objects, like the soap, and that’s it. They’re
THE RUBICON PHOTO: Lucy Sandeen SOAP CUTTING. Senior Max Moen watches ASMR at school. “They’re mesmerizing,” he said, “but there are other times when I’m like ‘that’s nasty.’” mesmerizing, but there are other times where I’m like ‘that’s nasty’ like when there’s slime and there are little balls in it,” Moen said. Sogin agrees that the some of the traditional ASMR videos are not for her. “No eating, no whispering, no tapping. That’s just dumb; I don’t want to hear people eat,” she said. Aden does watch some of the more traditional ASMR videos featuring humans. “There is this one red headed YouTuber that shows up on my recommended list, and she just talks into the mic and makes those crackling noises. It feels so weird, but it’s cool at the same time. I mostly just watch the videos with celebrities doing it, not for the actual ASMR part,” Aden said. Burris-Brown does not feel relaxed like many who watch
What better way to fight teen homelessness than with learning crucial employment skills? Gutter Punk Coffee provides a safe and open community for homeless teens in Minneapolis to learn the necessary skills of the workforce for the rest of their lives. Their mission statement is to “... serve quality coffee to our customers, while simultaneously providing employment training and practical skills to our employees” which reflects exactly what they’re doing. Owners Carley Kammerer and Ben Griswold inspire many homeless teens to see their hard work pay off as they are getting back on their feet. According to the features on there website, many can feel a sense of community without judgment. “We specifically work to pay our youth a livable wage and enough hours that would allow them to actually leave home-
lessness. A huge goal of ours is to get youth into a space where they can think beyond survival and envision what they’d like for their future. We have intentionally built-in extra support and programming in order to assist youth with really practical things that will help them leave homelessness,” co-founder Carley Kammerer said. Gutter Punk Coffee is unique in their approach to teen homelessness. They nurture their employees through hard work, grit, and perseverance. They ensure that they have all the necessities they need in order to focus on the task at hand. “We offer a 9-month employment and independent living skills program. So, we do hands-on training while youth are working with us to teach tangible employment skills. We also do Independent Living Skills groups as part of our curriculum. Community members help teach skills such as money management, cooking, safe rela-
ASMR videos: “I’ve tried to watch a couple to go to sleep, but it doesn’t really do much for me. I think it’s mildly satisfying but I don’t get the tingles you’re supposed to get.” Sogin, on the other hand, does watch the videos to relax. “They’re a great way to waste time. I normally watch them before I go to bed. It makes me feel at ease, and it makes me feel tired,” Sogin said. ASMR videos continue to gain thousands of views, and have even prompted another trend of “satisfying videos” that feature sounds, visuals, and situations. For anyone interested in exploring more of the ASMR world, simply type ASMR into the YouTube search bar, or find the “Satisfying videos” post on the Snapchat explore page.
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Coffee stand hires homeless teens to combat homelessness MEAGAN MASSIE THE RUBICON EDITOR
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WE HAVE INTENTIONALLY BUILT-IN EXTRA SUPPORT AND PROGRAMMING.
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- Carley Kammerer
@gutterpunkcoffee on Instagram OUTREACH. “We specifically work to pay our youth a livable wage and [offer] enough hours that would allow them to actually leave homelessness,” co-funder Carley Kammerer said. tionships and goal planning. Our goal is for youth to leave our program with the employment and life skills they need to maintain stable and independent housing,” Kammerer said. The mobile coffee cart, which travels to a multitude of farmers markets in the Twin Cities, including Northeast Winter Farmers Market until March 2019, was founded in 2017. The farm-
ers markets are usually the third Sunday of every month. The next location you can find the coffee cart is in the Linden Hills Farmers Market starting in May. If you cannot make it to the farmer’s market, you can order their coffee online along with a variety of other merchandise such as apparel, mugs, and subscriptions to weekly, biweekly, or monthly coffee. A 12 ounce bag
of coffee starts at 13 dollars. Kammerer discovered her passion for the coffee industry once she realized coffee’s ability to bring people together and at the same time, she saw firsthand the hardships that homeless teens go through, according to the website. After interning at a similar business in Denver, Colorado, Kammerer knew she wanted to make a difference closer to home. Griswold has always had a keen interest in social entrepreneurship and making the community closely knit. He majored in finance and hopes to continue working in sustainability in business. The business partners felt strongly about their mission to fight homelessness using their skills and passions. Kammerer and Griswold hope to inspire their employees to follow their own dreams.
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SPORTS THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
Superstition provides comfort for athletes “I always put my right skate on before my left skate. I don’t know why, but it feels right, and if I don’t, I’m off balance,” Bagnoli said. This charm is specific to his skates. “[For my elbow pads] it doesn’t matter - I can’t put my left elbow pad on before my right elbow pad, or my right elbow pad on first, and it won’t matter. But I feel like it’s because my skates are the most important part of my equipment, because it’s how I move on the ice, and if that’s screwed up, then I’m done for,” Bagnoli said.
THE RUBICON PHOTO: Quinn Christensen KEEP ONE EYE ON THE BALL. Junior Sydney Therien winks every time she serves in volleyball as a special good luck charm.
QUINN CHRISTENSEN CHIEF VISUAL EDITOR Four leaf clovers. A penny found heads up. A rabbit’s root. All these are known to bring the owner good luck. But for SPA athletes, good luck charms can be a little more unorthodox. For senior Kenzie Kasprowicz-Giese, a hockey game can’t start unless she and her team have completed their pre-game routines. “As a goalie, I have a lot of little superstitions and things I have to do on game day, so especially on section games,” Kasprowicz-Giese said. These superstitions start as soon as she wakes up on game day, with her lucky breakfast. She
wears her lucky headband and listens to her lucky song while she stretches. Then, it’s time for the team’s traditions. “As a team we have a warmup routine, we have to listen to a certain song before we get on the ice, so after warmups when we come in and they resurface the ice we listen to Bleed it Out by Lincoln Park and that’s been a tradition the last four years I’ve played on United and it goes back, I don’t know how many years. It’s an old tradition,” Kasprowicz-Giese said. While Kasprowicz-Giese has a special headband, other athletes have less tangible charms. For sophomore Michael Bagnoli, the superstition comes in while putting on his skates.
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I HAVE A LOT OF LITTLE SUPERSTITIONS... I HAVE TO DO ON GAME DAY. - Kenzie Kasprowicz-Giese
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It’s so important that even if he’s in a rush, he makes time for it. “Sometimes I’ll do it unconsciously and I’ll put my left skate on first because I’m not paying attention, but if I notice it, I’ll be like I have to figure this out, I have to get this off. And even if I have to go out on the ice right away, I’ll still take my skate off, because it just - mentally, it’ll screw with my head,” Bagnoli said.
Junior Sydney Therien has a similar tradition of starting the game with a specific foot, confirming the superstition with a play on words. “When I step onto the court for the first time, I always step with my right foot, because you have to start off the game on the right foot,” Therien said. The next moment comes when it’s time for her to serve. “Whenever I go back to serve in volleyball I always take a deep breath to center myself, and then on my drawback, I wink. It’s always my left eye. I always wink. And then I serve it, and it usually goes over,” Therien said. However, the charm doesn’t always work. Once, at a big game in Providence, the magic wink failed her. “[Providence’s] fan section was a nightmare, they were yelling at everybody by their names because they had the roster of our teams. They were like “Sophia, you’re wearing the wrong color,” and just being really nightmarish. So it was game point, and I winked at their fan section - and this was their senior night, it was a big game - and then I missed my serve,” Therien said. Usually, though, the wink is a kind of communication between team members. “I don’t usually wink at [the other team’s fans,] though. I wink at the players that I’m going to pass to,” Therien said. Whether it’s a song, first foot, or wink, SPA athletes keep to their traditions, and stay lucky.
Famous Superstitions
Michael Jordan’s Shorts Michael Jordan’s good luck charm was the tradition he made of wearing his college basketball shorts underneath his game shorts. Wayne Gretzky’s Stick One of the best hockey players had the superstition of putting baby powder on his stick before every game. John Henderson pregame ritual Former NFL defensive tackle got mentally locked in every game by getting his trainer to slap him in the face Justin Morneau’s special drink Former Minnesota Twins first baseman had the tradition of making a homemade red or orange slurpee mixed with Mountain Dew before games.
Aerial yoga provides a fun and relaxing workout Where to do aerial yoga: Tula Yoga & Wellness offers a class that switches in between the traditional yoga mat and the aerial yoga hammock. The Aviary is the first aerial yoga studio in Minnesota, they offer many different aerial yoga classes with varying levels of experience-level required. Vertical Endeavors offers an intro to aerial yoga, explaining the similarities between yoga, and rock climbing. Yoga 4 You offers many aerial yoga classes, but provides an hour long class specifically for teenagers and tweens.
LIZZIE KRISTAL THE RUBICON EDITOR Aerial yoga appears as a circus or gymnastics class might. Normal yoga positions are performed, but within a loop of silk, suspended from the ceiling. Its poses involve hanging from it, laying in it, standing in it, and more. The best part is that little experience is needed to attend one of these gravity-defying classes. In general, all yoga presents health benefits, such as flexibility, strength, balance, and relaxation, according to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Rachel Rohde. “I felt restored after leaving a yoga class. It can be a therapeutic process,” said sophomore Jack Biggs. Aerial yoga presents all of these perks, but a few additional as well. The most prominent benefit would be the enjoyment that it brings. It isn’t common to feel what flying would be like or to hang upside down like a bat. The unusual sensation the different movements and elements aerial yoga brings is unlike any other yoga. One of the most relaxing poses, the floating savasana, is like being inside of a cocoon. A
normal savasana is performed by simply laying down, face up, on a mat for relaxation purposes. In aerial yoga, the silk is spread out so that it’s like a hammock. Then, one lays in it for about 10-15 minutes, for the most part still. “I’ve done savasana on the floor and it’s so relaxing. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to do it in an aerial yoga silk. It looks very fun,” said sophomore Ruby Hoeschen.
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I FELT RESTORED AFTER LEAVING A YOGA CLASS. IT CAN BE A THERAPEUTIC PROCESS. - Jack Biggs
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Aerial yoga is unique because it provides a simple entry point into harder yoga poses that are much easier to be done with the assistance of the silk’s support against falling and getting injured. “I love yoga, but I want to try
THE RUBICON PHOTO: Lizzie Kristal DANGLE. Sophomore Ruby Hoeshen hangs from an aerial yoga band for the first time. coller and more advanced poses. They could be more fun and beneficial, but they take a lot of practice that I don’t have time for,” said Hoeschen. According to Dr. Mercola, it also has benefits such as easing back pain and joint pain that pressure from gravity adds. Aerial yoga has a decompressing pro-
cess on the body, and its poses are fun to perform. Overall, aerial yoga is a cool way to have some fun with circus-like poses while de stressing and relaxing.
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SPORTS THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
Girls alpine team shreds down to state
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY: Bailey Donovan SHRED THE SLOPE. Senior Bailey Donavan focuses on navigating the hill during her race on the team’s run to state. “This year, there was a lot more focus on our goals rather than having fun. We wanted to make it to state,” Donovan said.
ELOISE DUNCAN THE RUBICON EDITOR This year at the highschool girls alpine state competition there were new faces from a team that had not raced in state for fourteen years. The St. Paul
Academy girls alpine team made it to state for the first time since 2005, and placed fifth overall out of 8 teams. Going into this season, they were determined to do well and break the fourteen year streak of not going to state. This year,
a team that had not competed at the highschool girls alpine state competition in fourteen years raced. Making it to state was an accomplishment in itself for the girls alpine team. ”Just being able to achieve that was amazing, and it was a
good way to send off our seniors, especially because a bunch are graduating,” sophomore Isabelle Wolpert said. They wanted to do well throughout the season so that they could make it to state, but once at state, they mainly wanted to have fun. “Our goal was to just have fun because being there was a big deal for us,” Wolpert said. They performed well at state even though their goal was to just to have fun. “As a team, we outperformed what I thought we were going to. We got 5th and were only 10 points away from third, and most of the team was just happy to have made it there and weren’t looking for anything more,” senior Bailey Donovan said The goal at state was to have fun, but during the season they wanted to work hard so that they would have the opportunity to race at state. “This, year there was a lot more focus on our goals rather
than just having fun. We wanted to make it to state, so all the girls put their minds to it, whereas last year we were all thinking that we could make it to state, but we didn’t put in the effort that we had this year,” Donovan said. The team placed fifth in the state overall. Individually, Wolpert placed ninth, and Donovan placed fifth. “Personally, state this year was okay. I could have done better, but 5th place was my best result, so I can’t complain too much,” Donovan said. Even though they did not win state, the girls alpine team counted the year as a win for the team personally, as it was their first at state in 14 years. They pushed themselves harder than they had in past years, and made sure to put in the effort they needed to in order to make it to state, and once at state, then they knew they could have more fun. Overall, it was a great season for the team, and a good send off to the seniors.
Q&A: Club leaders talk Spartan of the Month nominations
Juniors Henrik Schleisman and Pia Shultz, members of Spartan Boosters
LUCY SANDEEN THE RUBICON EDITOR Spartan Boosters, a student-led club, supports student-athletes and generates publicity for sports events. Perhaps their most popular and public initiative is Spartan of the Month. Almost every month, Spartan Boosters representatives announce the community’s and the club’s nomination for that student which they believe best represents the Spartan essence. Continue reading for an exclusive look at the selection process in an interview with Spartan Boosters co-president Pia Schultz and member Henrik Schleisman. How long has Spartan of the Month been around? Schleisman: “Well… when was SPA founded?” Schultz: “Nope, we’re not doing that. I know my soccer coach, who graduated in 2008, participated and was a Spartan of the Month.” HS: “That’s like a hundred years.” How does the process work? PS: “So Spartan Boosters has a
box right outside the athletic hallway, where we meet, and there’s a tissue where people can put names in.” Theo Moen: “Can I nominate a faculty member?” HS: “Theo, theo—” PS: “So that’s half of it, that’s what the public chooses. And then we choose…” HS: “The council.” PS: “The council…” HS: “4 anonymous voters.” So there’s a public nomination, and then the club chooses another Spartan? PS and HS: “Yes.” HS: “You should include that I am the resident Spartan of the Month of the month of December, along with Tom Krusicak.” PS: “Sure, sure you can say that.” Is there a list of past Spartans of the Month? HS: “We have an internal memory.” PS: “We kind of cooled off during the first couple of months because we didn’t have the box yet.” Have there been any surprises for public nominations? PS: “[Gracie Tilney-Kaemmer] was a surprise. So we got her [nomination] and we were afraid it was a mean joke, because we know she likes theater, so we were very surprised to see her name. So we wanted to double-check that it wasn’t a mean-spirited joke, so we checked with a lot of her friends and apparently it was an
inside joke. So it definitely was a surprise.” HS: “I was aware that… I don’t even know what I’m saying.” PS: “Scratch that.” HS: “No, write that down.” PS: “Okay, write that down.” Have there been any other surprises? PS: “I was surprised that Henrik and Tom were Spartans of the Month. I did not know that until I heard them announce it at the assembly, so that was a surprise for sure.” HS: “Okay, well, I wasn’t surprised. I think I deserved it. Me and Tom deserved it, we worked hard.”
HS: “As a Spartan of the Month? You’re prodding.” PS: “Hang on, I have to consult with Henrik.… Spartan of the Month is about more than physical capabilities…” HS: “But it also includes physical capabilities.” PS: “Those are also very important. If you don’t have those, you can also have support. And Gracie is a very…”
HS: “Good.” PS: “Good and supportive and encouraging…” HS: “Person. Spartan.” PS: “So we thought, “Why not?” She’s a great Spartan.” HS: “And she got voted for four times. And there were no other nominations.”
What does Spartan of the Month represent in this school? HS: “Everything. Everything. It’s kind of founded on the morals that we live by. We aim to shape the hearts and minds of the people who will change the world, and that’s what we aim for as a school, and by realizing that there’s more to a person than their mind, and that their physical performance… Sports and athletics offer a great place for people to educate each other physically. And I think we should recognize that. We should recognize that in our society. Because at our school, we value our ACT scores, and our grades, and our GPAs, but we don’t value our hardwork and effort that we put in physically.” PS: “They need some respect!” What about some of the surprise nominations, like Tilney-Kraemmer?
THE RUBICON PHOTO: Lucy Sandeen NOMINATE. Student places a nomination for Spartan of the Month in the box located in the athletic hallway.
16 DUCK DUCK PHOTO STORY THE RUBICON - MARCH 2019
Gray Duck Chai Is about more than just the taste 1
ABOUT THE NAME “The name Gray Duck is a riff on the old children’s game, Duck, Duck, Gray Duck. In every other state across the country it is known as Duck, Duck, Goose, but MN decided to be unique and go its own way. Apparently it has Scandinavian roots, Swedish in particular, and these Nordic ancestors brought it with them to MN. We loved it because it was so uniquely MN and helped us identify as a local company. Now that we have expanded outside of MN it has become quite the conversation starter with non MN residents.”
- Jon Alden
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Boxes with shipments of ingredients sit on one of the main 1 CLUTTER. counters. A few of the supplies used for cleaning and brewing the Chai 2 SUPPLIES. sit under another of the counters.
THE RUBICON PHOTOS: Jenny Ries BREWED WITH CARE. The chai is carefully brewed to get the very best quality, “We have a very hands on approach to brewing chai. Everything is brewed in very small batches to help with quality control, and each batch is brewed and bottled by hand by either me or Katey, every single time,” Jon Alden said.
JENNY RIES THE RUBICON EDITOR Gray Duck Chai, founded by Jon and Katey Alden, is a chai manufacturing company based in St. Paul. Named ‘Gray Duck’ as a reference to the children’s game ‘Duck, Duck, Gray Duck,’ the company has been operational for just over 6 years. According to Jon Alden, the inspiration behind Gray Duck Chai came from co-owner Katey Alden. “She has worked as a chef her whole life in New York, Seattle, and, of course, MN. In her time across the country she found a love of chai and drank it all the time,” Jon Alden said. “It was when she moved back to MN when she realized that
every coffee shop only served big brand, boxed chai that wasn’t the same caliber as the craft chai she had been drinking for the last decade. She started making her own at home, all the while thinking that there is a market here,” Jon Alden said. And the rest is history. They started off by selling their chai to Twin Cities coffee shops, before transitioning to bottling and selling to grocery stores. Their chai is now sold throughout the Midwest, and in Seattle, WA, to both coffee shops and grocery stores. Today they sell 3 different blends of chai: Nine Spice Blend, Burnt Sugar and Ginger, and Rooibos and MN Honey. Although Gray Duck Chai
has grown to sell their products to around 400 locations, they are very particular about the quality of their chai, and brew each batch by hand. “There is a lot of science working behind the scenes to help us ensure that the chai is always safe, but for the most part we are just doing what people have been doing in India for thousands of years, just on a larger scale,” said Jon Alden. “We are currently in about 400 locations and we would love to see that number climb. We would also love to add new products to our line. Perhaps a 4th blend of chai with a new flavor profile, or something new entirely,” Jon Alden said.
INGREDIENT IMPORTS. A worker at Gray Duck Chai moves shipment boxes, “We also import whole spices, never any powders or extracts, and this really helps create a spicy cup of chai,” Jon Alden said.
ARE “WE CURRENTLY
IN ABOUT 400 LOCATIONS AND WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT NUMBER CLIMB.
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- Jon Alden
FINAL PRODUCT. After the bottles are filled and boxed, they get shipped out of the warehouse. The company was concious about choosing to operate as a wholesaler rather than opening their own store.