October 2014

October 2014. Volume XLII. Issue II.

THE RUBICON S t . P a u l A c a d e m y & S u m m i t S c h o o l - 1712 Randolph Ave. St. Paul, MN

October 2014. Volume XLII. Issue II.

The Rubicon S t . P a u l A c a d e m y & S u m m i t S c h o o l - 1712 Randolph Ave. St. Paul, MN

Cum Laude early recognition honors top 10% of the Class of 2015

STUDENT ARTISTS sketch up teases for the cover. Clockwise, from left: juniors Danish Mahmood, Emilee Skadron, Alice Tibbets, Jane Jackson

COVER DESIGN: Boraan Abulkarim

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Cum Laude inductees, the top 20% of the senior class as ranked by grade point average, are usually announced in the spring, but this fall St. Paul Academy and Summit School has added an early recognition for academically high-achieving seniors. On Oct. 24, a breakfast for the honored students, parents, and advisors will serve as an early induction of nine seniors, comprising the top 10% of academic performers in the Class of 2015, into the Cum Laude Society. Congratulations to seniors Evan Miller, Evva Parsons, Sandhya Ramachandran, Sarah Romans, Afsar Sandozi, Neerja Thakkar, Thomas Toghramadjian, Eliot Tong and Valerie Umscheid.

Can’t get enough news? www.rubiconline.com

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St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Interactive Alternative Media invites gamers to plug in Rafa buettner-salido Staff Writer

Juniors Karsten Runquist and Sam Matenaer bring their love of gaming to Thursday X-Period. Interactive Alternative Media Club offers an opportunity for those passionate about video games to come together. It also gives those competitive gamers an outlet to showcase their skills.

Club co-president Matenaer said the idea to start the club came from “being sick of not having anything to do during Thursday groups.”

Junior Tommy Monserud loves that the group provides something to do that’s not action or achievement focused: “All the other student groups seem to have a purpose in mind; that’s why I don’t go to them. I don’t want another purpose,” he said.

The club members mostly play Wii, because its games “are really multi-player,” Matenaer said.

It’s all about the games: playing video games and talking about video games. The group started their meeting with Matenaer’s favorite game Super Smash Bros Brawl, because he can “usually beat everyone at it.”

Matenaer also said there really is no difference between Interactive Alternative Media and video games. “We just use the name Interactive Alternative media to make it sound more fancy.”

Freshman Ned Laird attends IAMC and said he goes because “It allows for a group of gamers who may just be in your grade to expand across all grades.”

Monserud said about the group that “[gaming] just unites people for a totally pointless cause which is the best.”

A lot of adults and teachers would argue that this is the worst part of video games, but Monserud argues that students play video games “...because they are fun, and fun is a legit reason. It is very important in the SPA school day to have a little fun.”

Matenaer hopes the group will continue to grow. “People should come because we always have really good snacks, and we always play lots of games… it’s a good time!” he said.

Students are invited to come unwind with an intense round of Super Smash Bros Brawl. IAMC meets Thursdays in room 422.

PHOTO CREDIT: Stephanie Li THE GERMAN STUDENTS not only get the chance to practice their English and teach the SPA students their national language while they’re here, but they also get to understand different views.

It’s a “unique opportunity for our students to not travel and be a tourist,” and instead “...practice language on a personal level,” US German teacher Jutta Crowder said. Two teachers and 16 students from the Heisenberg-Gymnasium Hamburg present in the Sept. 30 assembly.

German students gain more than fluency Hamburg exchange shares culture, explores Minnesota GERMAN 101:

LEARN SOME QUICK PHRASES

Do you speak English?

Sprechen Sie Englisch?

Yes! Doch I don’t understand Ich verstehe nicht Please speak more slowly Können Sie bitte langsamer sprechen Stephanie Li Staff Writer

Greetings and welcomes were exchanged as 17 students and two teachers stepped off the plane and onto Minnesota ground Sept. 28.

A crowd of unfamiliar faces was introduced to a place entirely new to them, a place where the guidance of St. Paul Academy and Summit School students made MN their home for two weeks.

“I believe it’s very important for people to get out and see other cultures...to see other places within the United States can help you widen your mindset and outtake on the world,” sophomore Peter Schleisman said.

The German students get the chance to practice their English and teach SPA students their native language while they’re here.

It’s a “unique opportunity for our students to not travel and be a tourist” and instead, “...practice

language on a personal level,” US German teacher Jutta Crowder said.

Every other year, Crowder plans and coordinates the trip by contacting the German American Partnership Program (GAPP).

The program is based on a network of connected schools that is funded by the German and American governments. Applications are provided and filled out by students from SPA and the visiting school.

For the past 9 years, SPA has partnered with the Heisenberg-Gymnasium Hamburg for this exchange. Crowder pairs students up based on interests and what they enjoy doing in their free time.

This is the first year junior Maren Findlay has hosted an exchange student. “I like learning languages, so I thought I’d host,” she said.

The German Exchange Program is a language immersion opportunity that allows students in a third level language course and above the chance to host an exchange student from Germany in the fall, and then travel to Germany in the spring.

“I think [the exchange is effective] because you’re basically forced to speak the language for two weeks,” Findlay said.

While in MN, German students are shown around and brought to classes where they can take a look at how American schools work. As the foreign students are familiarized with the SPA community, they begin to observe and participate in school

activities such as sports, student groups, and classes.

“I taught the German class two times; it was great. Designing Change was also a great class,” junior Leon Holtmann, a Hamburg Gymnasium student said.

In class, the students talk about their lives in school, family, and topics that concern the community like social themes and comparisons. The students learn from each other and this creates long lasting relationships that will be remembered forever.

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to the student provides a learning experience that is much more tangible than sitting in a classroom intaking information by reading and writing.

Students “can never learn a language as effectively as by simply going to that place,” Schleisman said.

Speaking is the key to learning a foreign language and its background. Schleisman added that“it is one of the most effective and worthwhile programs that this school offers.”

I believe it’s very important for people to get out and see other cultures... s o p h o m o re Pe t e r S c h l e i s m a n Learning to adapt to new surroundings in an entirely different setting allows the German students to get a feel for how things work from a contrasting perspective.

“I wanted to see America, the American culture, the American life,” Holtmann said about his desire to participate in the exchange.

Students experience parts of the world that have never really been as significant or obvious in their surroundings. By immersing themselves in something entirely foreign, students take on the responsibility of learning a new way of life.

Traveling to a country whose dominant language is not native

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SPA will continue to participate in the German exchange program because it helps “students gain confidence in speaking,” Crowder said. It provides a sensitivity and touch on leadership towards others views and helps language skills. The German exchange program offers an unfamiliar yet refreshing outlook on life and will continue to have this effect on students every year.

From the Mall of America to the Gophers Football game, the German exchange students get the opportunity to experience a taste of the American life and bring back pieces of what they have learned to Germany.

SSJ Global writes for safe college sexual assault policies

As college reps visit and talks of college prep stir, St. Paul Academy and Summit School students begin college conversations as well, but in an especially proactive way. Students for Social Justice Global, a student group lead by sophomore co-presidents Moira McCarthy and Kathryn Schmechel, aims to get involved in changing how college sexual assaults are handled by writing letters to colleges regarding these policies. In particular, 55 sexual assault policies have been under major scrutiny in recent years for Title IX violations, causing some alarm from prospective students. SSJ Global has already started the drafts of some letters and will continue to write them in the next several months.

Want to learn more? Visit www.rubiconline.com for the full story.

Emily Thissen Sports Editor

under the leadership of co-presidents Moira McCarthy and Kathryn Schmechel. “I don’t want there to be the chance that if [sexual assault] happens, that nothing would be done about it,” Schmechel said.

PHOTO CREDIT: MARI KNUDSON

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St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Students will kick up their (boot) heels at fall dance

SSJ GLOBAL members get organized and motivated for their letter writing campaign

Pull on cowboy boots and find a plaid flannel shirt - the next dance at St. Paul Academy and Summit School will have the community partying Western style. This year, the Student Activities Committee has made the decision to host a hoedown themed dance.

This will be the second year without a Halloween dance. “We didn’t want two dances [Homecoming and Halloween] that were close together, so that’s a big reason why we are not doing a Halloween [dance again],” SAC Co-President Maddie Flom-Staab said.

SAC wanted to take a fresh look at things and try to find a theme that had never been done before.

“We have always wanted to do a barn dance, and this year was a great opportunity,” Flom-Staab said.

This event offers an opportunity to get together with your posse and have a good time -- no date required.

“All of our dances are come as you are and have fun,” Flom-Staab said.

Within SAC there is a lot of excitement about planning and sharing the new idea with the

community. “So far it has been cool to come up with new ideas that most of the people at our school have not experienced in a dance before,” freshman SAC member Dina Moradian said.

Student momentum around the new theme continues to build with less than a month before the hoedown. Students look forward to the departure from predictable dance themes: “I’m excited for a new type of dance I haven’t had at SPA in any of my years here so far. It should be fun,” senior Delaney Carter said.

Another new feature will be a song list that students can contrib-

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ute to before the dance. A student DJ will use suggestions to build the evening’s playlist. Dancegoers are encouraged to dress in a Western themed outfit.

“Everyone owns a pair of jeans,” Flom-Staab said on participating in the dress up portion of the dance theme.

The opportunity to wear Western clothing has sophomore Jack Johnston excited: “I especially like this Western theme because I can rock my overalls.”

The dance will take place on Nov. 8 at 8:00 p.m. with final entry at 9:00 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Entry cost: $10.

Debaters argue their way to winning with early tournament success lexi hilton Staff Writer

Debate, a fast paced, engaging competition serves as a popular elective among students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. “It’s a fun thing to do and it really improves your public speaking skills,” junior Liza Bukingolts said.

Serving as more than an elective, debaters devote ample time and preparation for weekend competitions where research leads to strong argumentation and a hope to win.

And winning is something the SPA Debate team has done so far.

At the Blaine tournament Oct. 11, freshman team Robin Bartlett and Ben Konstan won the 1st year debater tournament, juniors Ryan Peacock and Maya Smith won the JV division, seniors Shaan Bijwadia and Jordan Hughes placed second in the Varsity division, while Riley Wheaton and Aliza Rahman were second and third in Student Congress.

The week before at the Eastview invitational, Shaan Bijwadia and Tommy Toghramadjian took first place, Mansuda Arora

Heckendorn consults to keep campus secure SHAYMUS O’BRIEN Staff Writer

Columbine, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech. These names are seared into history and school safety becomes a topic in need of planning and action.

However, the families of St. Paul Academy and Summit School can rest easy knowing their children are safe and protected under a security team headed by Miles Heckendorn, a Safe-

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Tom Fones THE SPA DEBATE TEAM

poses for a photo after the tournament at Blaine Oct. 11. “It’s a fun thing to do and it really improves your public speak-

ing skills, junior Liza Bukingolts said. The teams have ranked first or second in every competition so far this fall.

and Jordan Hughes ranked second, and Shefali Bijwadia and Raffi Toghramadjian were fourth in the varsity division. SPA dominated the first year debater division, winning five of the top seven places, thanks to Spencer Allen, Robin Bartlett, Kate Bond, Sami Brattland, Brean-

don Gibbons, Ben Konstan, Ned Laird-Raylor, Matti Solomon, Emilia Topp-Johnson, and Henry Zietlow.

“I actually think the team is stronger than it was last year, so I’m very hopeful of us doing quite well,” Director of Speech and Debate Tom Fones said.

ty and Security Consultant with more than 45 years of experience in Law Enforcement and Security Management.

“I have been part of the team who created a Safe School Plan for SPA...a document that provides assistance, education and direction in times of any emergency,” Heckendorn said.

He drafted a Best Practices document and a Policies and Procedures manual to support the continued development of SPA’s Safety and Security Department and provide direction in the performance of their duties and responsibilities.

The security policy is constantly under inspection from Heckendorn and his team, ensuring that it remains up to date.

Students have taken notice to more than just policy changes.

“I’ve seen the key codes put to use more and the doors locked more often,” junior Lucas Johnson said.

“I’ve noticed there’s now a sign in sheet to see who comes in the building,” sophomore Henry Ziemer said.

Though the security department’s work most often goes unnoticed, the security team is present and ready to help.

“I feel safe at school; nothing has ever happened that would make me think otherwise,” sophomore Nora Kempainen said. “[The security team] gives me peace of mind so I don’t have to think about my safety,” Ziemer said.

Even though school shootings have become more prevalent in today’s society, students needn’t worry. With years of experience

This year’s team consists of 104 debaters - the highest number seen in the history of the school.

“So far its really fun and interesting,” freshman beginning debater Numi Katz said.

SPA is trying Congressional debate in addition to Public Forum. In this style, the debaters

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give speeches about bills and vote on laws as if they were in legislature. Unlike Public Forum, students compete individually.

The opening topic for Public Forum requires teams to take a position on public funds for professional sports stadiums. In November, the topic switches to genetically modified foods.

“I like that people can talk about current events. A lot of people when they talk about politics in public are very rude about it, and I think its good to get it down to the facts,” Fones said.

Many students enjoy debate, but that is not to undermine the hard work it takes. To prepare for tournaments, debaters work hard both in class and at home.

“You need to put good arguments together that are hard to beat,” Bukingolts said.

“You could spend an almost endless amount of time,” Fones said.

Bukingolts loves the feeling when she knows she is doing well. “Its kind of like an adrenaline rush in a weird way… you’re just on top of your game, and you’re really prepared,” Bukingolts said.

I feel safe at school; nothing has ever happened that would make me think otherwise. s o p h o m o re Nora Kempainen

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and new technology, the security team is more than capable of keeping SPA safe. All in all, the only thing students need to fear at school is the homework.

PHOTO CREDIT: Boraan Abdulkarim SOPHOMORE ISABELLE Bukovsan signs in to the building in Davern Commons.

Students who arrive at school before 7:30 or who stay after hours and on weekends must utilize the sign-in sheet.

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October 2014. Vol XLII. Issue II.

TheRubicon

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2014-15 Editor-in-Chief Eva Perez-Greene Chief Visual Editor Boraan Abdulkarim Managing Editor Netta Kaplan Online Editor-in-Chief Director of Social Media Catherine Braman Online Chief Visual Editor Diane Huang News Editor Clare Tipler Opinions Editor Amodhya Samarakoon Sports Editor Emily Thissen Cover Story Editor Javier Whitaker-Castaneda Feature Editor Nina Zietlow Student Life Editor Noor Qureishy Arts & Entertainment Editor Meghan Joyce In Depth Editor Mari Knudson Science & Technology Editor Paul Watkins Columns Editor Thomas Toghramadjian Copy Editor Gita Raman Photographer/Arts Critic Patrick Commers Staff Writers Benjamin Konstan Ben Mellin Breandan Gibbons Dianne Caravela Jared Grossman Lauren Boettcher Lexi Hilton Lillian Pettigrew Marlee Baron Rafael Buettner-Salido Shaymus O’Brien Stephanie Li Tucker Waltenbaugh Adviser Kathryn Campbell

the rubicon The student newspaper of St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 AWARDS JEM All-State Gold (Print and Online) MHSPA Best in Show 1st Place - Print 5th Place - Online NSPA First Place w/marks of distinction CSPA Gold Medal w/All Columbian Honors

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

STAFF EDITORIAL

Honors courses should be offered in the humanities Think about a past assignment that you were so excited about, it didn’t feel like work. While students may not feel this way about every assignment, finding a subject for which they do, discovering a passion, is one of the most rewarding parts of any education.

Honors classes are one very way St. Paul Academy and Summit School attempts to encourage its students to find their passions or pursue them if they’ve already been realized.

Unfortunately though, only students strong in math and science get to make this very choice to pursue and cultivate their talents, as core honors courses are only offered within the fields of math and science, neglecting the whole of the humanities.

Honors courses are offered in the arts with Honors Sinfonia, Art, and Music Seminars, but for students with strong talent in the humanities, there are fewer options to deepen as thinkers.

SPA should offer honors courses in all subjects to give more of its students the opportunity to challenge themselves at a higher level.

An honors version of a course covers a subject more in depth than the standard course does, requiring a significant commitment as well as the ability to learn and apply concepts at a fast pace.

This set-up attracts students who are most passionate about a course’s curriculum, and the fact that so many students consistently take honors courses attests to their desire for depth as overpow-

EDITORIAL CARTOON: Diane Huang STUDENTS INTERESTED IN THE HUMANITIES ARE AT A DISADVANTAGE because math, science and music courses are the only subjects in which honors courses are offered for four years. This can cause students with a passion for English or history to feel as if their skills are not as valued as students who excel in math or science.

ering their desire for more grade security.

By only offering math and science courses at the honors level, SPA puts a large part of the community at a serious disadvantage.

They are at an academic disadvantage because they may not be able to study the humanities at a level deep enough to prepare them for an intensely verbal career path. They also miss as many as four years of honors study in a subject, which could greatly increase their understanding.

From an emotional standpoint, when students see honors

courses in science and math but not in the humanities, they get the sense that those subjects are not as highly valued. And what’s worse, students who excel in the humanities as opposed to math or science often end up feeling like their talents are less valuable, less complex, when in fact they form the basis of effective communication, essential to any fruitful life.

Honors courses are a great opportunity for students looking to go above and beyond in a course that they enjoy. They allow for students to dive deeper into their passions and work hard in an en-

vironment of like-minded people.

Every student should have the opportunity to take a course that they love to the next level, not just those whose favorite subject is science or math. Many students will pursue careers outside of these fields, making it even more important for SPA to nurture talent with letters in honors courses.

Students need to get vocal about their passions in subjects that don’t offered honors courses.

English, foreign language, and history departments need to assess their course offerings to meet students’ need for more depth.

Mini-Editorials School should provide covered bus stand

Bullying must stay on students’ radars

Impact of sexual assault letter campaign is tenuous

Students rush to the bus stand, the rain pounds on their backpacks. They sit, dripping, on the bus, arriving home only to find their laptops and homework soaked.

Due to the construction of the Huss Center, students do not have a space where they can shield either computers or school projects from the elements (such as rain, snow etc).

When students rush out to bus to ensure that they do not miss it and if it is storming outside students could be putting their technology at risk or break down. Before, they could seek cover by the gym doors until the bus showed up, but the lengthy construction makes this difficult.

A very easy fix that the school could manage would be to provide at least modest cover for the ten minutes until the bus comes.

Anything at least close to a public bus stand could save school projects and the discomfort of sitting in soggy clothing.

Bully. Thug. Oppressor. No one likes to think these terms would ever apply to them, but many of us may be playing a role in contributing to bullying in some form.

The 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) indicates that, nationwide, 20% of students in grades 9–12 experienced bullying. This is a decrease from even three years prior, but doesn’t take into account cyberbullying which is difficult to track.

The costs of bullying touch everyone: the victim, the witness, and the instigator. Bullying can also lead to depression, lower academic performance, and substance use.

It’s time not only to be informed but also to take action, and students should find some way to show their support on Oct. 22, National Anti-Bullying Day - to learn more and bullying and what you can do to stop it, check out the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services site: http://www.stopbullying.gov/.

SSJ Global has started a letter writing campaign to express its issues with various sexual assault policies at American institutions of higher education. The idea is to show colleges that as high school students, they will not apply to schools whose assault policies they object to.

They are writing to 55 schools that have violated Title IX legislation. The idea is a great one as it communicates to colleges that prospective students are aware of the policies which could affect them before they’ve even applied. But where are the tangible results?

Many would argue that the SSJ campaign is better than passivity, but will colleges actually go about changing their policies in response to high school letters of discomfort?

It’s very unlikely as enrolled students struggle to make their opposition heard and accounted for. SPA students shouldn’t expect anything from their letters save for the knowledge that their voices have been heard.

The Rubicon

Editorial Policy: The Rubicon editorials are representative of the opinions of the Staff Editorial Board, which is made up of all students in journalism/Editorial Leadership. All other opinion pieces are the opinions of the authors themselves.

Letters Policy: Longer opinions are welcomed as Letters to the Editor and may be published in the print or online edition. Letters to the Editor should not exceed 400 words and may be edited for style. Cases of fraud and impersonation are prohibited and will be reported to the Dean of Students and the Discipline Committee. Letters can be mailed to us or sent to rubicon.spa@ gmail.com.

Our Mission

We strive to capture the spirit of the community through its stories while inspiring deeper conversations. Above all we stand for integrity in our pursuit to inform and engage our readers.

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St. Paul Academy and Summit School

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Students remain unaware of nurse alternatives Meghan Joyce Arts & Entertainment

Face-plant in Fitness for Life?

Get sick in science class? Trip and twist an ankle? Ordinarily these problems would be fixed with a quick visit to the school nurse.

However, without one working full-time, students believe that they are simply out of luck if it’s not the right time on the right day.

The point of having a school nurse is to have someone that students can always rely on, a safety net to save the day with Tylenol or an ice pack. St. Paul Academy and Summit School doesn’t have that, but the backup options remain widely unknown. A safety net is crucial, but it can’t work if students don’t know it’s there.

The SPA nurse, Kelly Nelson, works at the Upper School on Tuesday, Thursday afternoons, and three times per month on Fridays. “...she’s actually doing more of the clerical work rather than the one-on-one, faceto-face...kind of work,’” Upper School Principal Chris Hughes said. This is because her primary job concerns filling out paper-

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Meghan Joyce STUDENTS ARE NOT AWARE OF ALTERNATIVES to going to see the school nurse: “If there’s a real health crisis, there are lots of people around who are able to step in,” Upper School Principal Chris Hughes said.

work which only licensed nurses are allowed to do.

Whether it’s because Nelson’s focus is clerical work or that sightings of her are rare, many aren’t aware that she even exists. “I’ve never seen her,” junior Maya Smith said. “I’ve tried to go [to her office] several times and she was never there.”

Students have been wondering what they should do if they’re caught feeling unwell during one of Nelson’s off days; “...people get sick on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays…and when there’s not a nurse, what do they do?” sophomore Neeti Kulkarni said.

That’s the telling question.

sponsibility to stay up to date with current events .

This could be achieved by doing something as basic as educating oneself, raising money for the cause, or even presenting the issue to the school to inspire discussion.

Efforts to do so were made by some members of the community such as the students involved in Intercultural club who handed out pamphlets during the international day of peace peace sign.

They read “In solidarity with the continued efforts of Ferguson” and featured the iconic image of a protester throwing a can of tear gas away from the crowd.

Other SPA students posted on the opinion board urging others to engage in conversation about Ferguson but these requests were met with little response.

These civil rights violations were touched on by our community during a discussion hosted by the Intercultural Club and Student Political Union, but when a second shooting of 18-year old Black Man Vonderrit Myers J occurred on October 8 2014, there was once again a lull in conversation.

These shootings of black people have become an epidemic throughout the United States and can no longer be regarded as isolated incidents.

According to FBI accounts from 2005-2012 police used deadly violence against an African-American two times every week, and 20% of those people who experienced the violence were under the age of 21. This is an issue of race before anything else and it is imperative that members of SPA take the first

However, the problem is more that students don’t know their other options.

“If there’s a real health crisis, there are lots of people around who are able to step in, including SPA Security officers and faculty members who have a range of training backgrounds,” Hughes said. According to Hughes, all

security officers have some emergency medical training, along with the athletic trainer. In addition, the faculty is trained annually in procedures including CPR, using a defibrillator, using an EpiPen, and responding to a seizure.

Since students may feel that they have no one at school to turn to for medical advice, going home is often the default choice when they feel sick. However Hughes stated that, “Most students are able to take care of themselves... as long as somebody is there as a backup who knows what to do if there is a problem,” Hughes said.

Students are able to go to go into the infirmary whenever they need to lay down, get a bandage, or almost anything else they need.

SPA doesn’t have a school nurse every day. But, instead of worrying about whether the school nurse will be available, students should take responsibility and either help themselves or find other people in the community who can help them, because they are there.

Community lacks awareness of current events despite available resources Nina Zietlow Feature Editor

Silence. That was the reaction that most St. Paul Academy and Summit School students had expressed to the police shooting of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown that occurred on August 9, 2014.

The shooting sparked protests in Ferguson, Missouri where the shooting occurred. In the aftermath, social media outlets exploded with images of Ferguson police officers spraying tear gas at protesters, journalists being arrested, and people of all ages staying up through the night in solidarity against Brown’s murder. All the while the SPA community remained silent.

At a place where students are given so much privilege and knowledge, it is their moral re-

s up hand oot t sh don’

ILLUSTRATION: Netta Kaplan

step and engage in conversation about it.

At SPA students have all the resources that they need to educate themselves on current events such as the Ebola outbreak and the conflict between Israel and

Palestine, but often times members of this community just don’t.

It might be laziness, or the complexity, or the deeply ingrained mentality that the things happening across oceans, or even state borders don’t affect our school.

This idea is deeply flawed: if students do not have the compassion or desire to be involved with the struggles of others there is no hope that this community will ever be able to act upon the issues that hinder it everyday.

Next time a student sees a newspaper with a daunting headline or overhears a conversation about an issue that they don’t quite understand, they should use it as an opportunity to educate themselves and inspire others to become more informed and make a change.

Activities and homework overwhelm students’ time outside of school Emily Thissen Sports Editor

STUDENTS SUBMIT ANSWERS TO A POLL

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Emily Thissen regarding how much of their times is spent doing homework. The results showed a large

number of students spending up to 4 hours doing homework and filling up their schedules with sports practices and play rehearsals, all of which affects their physical and mental health.

Between extracurriculars, homework, and the occasional time saved for relaxation, students have chalk full schedules that create a hectic day to day culture.

Through the polling of 60 students, most felt as though their days were rushed with almost no free time due to time taken up by homework and sports practices. Students said they spent 2-3 hours on homework on a typical day.

Along with homework, students spend a lot of time at rehearsals and sports practices, 2-3 hours per day. With homework and extracurriculars combined, this can result

in up to 6 hours of work to do after school.

This can affect multiple aspects of life such as sleep.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the optimal amount of sleep for teens is 9 ¾ hours.

The majority of students polled said the slept between 6-8 hours. Crammed lifestyles can be exciting, but it leads to no free time. Without relaxation, school and life can be overwhelming- almost too overwhelming.

Regardless of time management skills, overbooked schedules can lead to stress, so time to yourself is something that students should find time for to create relaxation and a less stressful lifestyle.

6 Fe at ur e What’s up with all these pronouns?

October 2014. Vol XLII. Issue II.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Inclusivity requires pronoun acceptance and flexibility by all

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Netta Kaplan Managing Editor

Gender. The word itself often brings confusion, questions of how it should be defined and how much it should matter. Western culture has taken an extremely simplistic approach: male or female, masculine or feminine.

But it’s becoming more and more widely recognized that gender exists far beyond and outside of these restrictions.

An important distinction to make is that between gender and sex. Sex refers to the biological differences: external or internal sex organs, two X chromosomes or an X and a Y. Of course, many people have characteristics not in-line with these definitions, and have sexual or reproductive anatomy not in-line with the typical definitions of male and female (generally referred to as intersex). Definitions of sex remain fairly consistent throughout the world.

Gender, however, refers to the socially constructed roles, attributes, and ideas that a society considers appropriate for men or women. Definitions of gender can vary depending on culture.

English strictly follows the gender binary, giving only two options for singular personal pronouns: he or she.

Many societies have genders that don’t fit into the Western male/ female dichotomy, such as Hijras in South Asia, who identify as feminine but were born with typically male sex characteristics, or Native American Two-Spirits.

With expansions of gender beyond male or female, expansions of language are also necessary. As a language, English strictly follows the gender binary, giving only two options for singular personal pronouns: he or she.

One easy solution to this is to adopt “them” as a gender-neutral singular personal pronoun, and many linguistic authorities have done that.That usage may not be what St. Paul Academy and Summit School English

Students use

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teachers tell students to do, but it’s necessary. “If you aren’t sure what a person’s preferred pronouns are, use they or them,” junior Sabrina Brown said. “You shouldn’t assume what someone’s gender is,” she added.

Some still refuse to use “them” for anything but plurals.

Additionally, not everyone identifies the same way, so “them” isn’t always the best option.

So while a trans man may use the typically male pronouns he/him/his, a non-binary person may use pronouns less commonly known: xe/xem/xyr or ey/em/eir.

While these may not be familiar to everyone, a growing number of people and organizations have taken to asking for people’s preferred pronouns.

The practice has become the norm on many college campuses, for health care providers such as Planned Parenthood, and in personal interactions.

Use of these pronouns has been met with plenty of outrage and refusal to use “made-up words.” But these words are hardly made up—many of them have legitimate etymological roots. Sweden has even officially added another pronoun to their language, the neutral hen to go with the masculine han and feminine hon. Additionally, gender-neutral singular pronouns are hardly a recent invention­.

Middle English had the gender non-specific pronouns a and ou, and there’s evidence that Shakespeare even used them.

On the note of making up words, Shakespeare is a good example. He made up thousands, and even though he was the first to use them, people today don’t complain about words like elbow or radiance being “made up.”

All words need to come from somewhere, and necessary words such as gender non-specific pronouns have as much a right to exist as any other word.

Chief Visual Editor

PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Commers

STUDENTS ENJOY PLAYING MINECRAFT DURING BITS OF SPARE TIME. Minecraft’s greatest appeal is the ability to build in a fantasy world. “You can build anything!” sophomore Ali Duval said. said. Immediately afterwards, he “became obsessed with it and played it all the time.”

Sophomore Ali Duval’s first exposure to Minecraft was similar: “my best friend was really into it, and I used to go over to his house everyday because I lived far away from school. He was building this massive castle, and he showed me it, and I was like ‘wow, that’s cool’, and a year later, I started to play it,”she said.

Minecraft, much like reading a book, can be experienced in a variety of ways depending on the player. Matenaer takes the multitasker route. “I [play] on my laptop and I would Skype with friends, and we talk while we [play],” Matenaer said. Duval prefers playing with a split screen, half devoted to a window with Minecraft, and half with a video

While the declension patterns of traditional pronouns like he/him/ his or she/her/hers seem to come naturally to native English speakers, less common pronouns take some practice and memorization to get used to. Here’s a quick and easy guide to help. subject : object : possessive

He walks : I called him : his eyes She walks : I called her : her eyes They walk : I called them : their eyes xe walks : I called xem : xyr eyes ey walks : I called em : eir eyes ze walks : I called zir : zir eyes ze walks : I called hir : hir eyes ze walks : I called zem : zes eyes ne walks : I called nem : nir eyes ve walks : I called ver : vis eyes Examples constructed by Netta Kaplan

as a form of self expression

Boraan Abdulkarim

Sophomore Ali Duval sits in the Summit Center, staring intently at her screen, focused on the task at hand. She could be finishing some homework.

She could be checking her email.

Walk behind her and take a peek at her laptop display. A palette of earthy browns and greens fills the screen. The block like figures resemble a pixelated photo, but upon further inspection, the recipient of her attention is obvious. She’s playing Minecraft.

And she’s not the only one.

Both in and out of school, Minecraft is one of the most popular PC games. A two billion dollar franchise recently purchased by Microsoft, Mojang, the company that produced Minecraft, describes the game as “A sandbox construction game where you can build anything you can imagine,” according to its website. Minecraft is centered around survival in a digital world, mining for materials to build structures and battling monsters as you go along, until you reach a place called the nether, in which the user can fight a giant dragon and “win” the game, but continue to survive and build their world afterwards. So what’s the appeal in it?

Junior Sam Matenaer was first introduced to the game in middle school. “In seventh grade, [junior] Justin Zanaska talked about it all the time, and he showed it to me, and then I bought it,” Matenaer

Non-Traditional Pronoun Guide

to watch. Similarly, freshman Erik Quillopa prefers to watch Netflix or listen to music while playing.

The biggest satisfaction Matenaer gets from playing is the sense of reward that comes from improvement: as he describes it, “the satisfaction of logging into the game and knowing that I’ve gotten so much better than everyone else at it.” His specific strengths in Minecraft include gameplay features and making servers.

Duval especially likes building in Minecraft. “You can build anything!” she said. “I have [built] a secret underground room, it’s pretty cool,” she said.

“It’s cool because you start out with nothing, and you have to find everything that you use, it’s like Sims, but without people.”

A game centered around building a world of your own, Minecraft can be pretty time consuming. Duval estimates an hour of Minecraft screen time daily. Quillopa, who doesn’t consider himself a particularly avid Minecraft user estimates that his average Minecraft session lasts about half an hours.

Yet, he notices that it gets very distracting. “Once you’re on [Minecraft], you can’t [leave] it until someone pulls you off,” Quillopa said.

Matenaer’s passion for minecraft went beyond that of your average player. He created a server on the game and made approximately $800 off of running it. “I played it all the time, and that’s all I did at school, try to manage the server,” Matenaer said. Such earnings didn’t come

easy. After playing for an average of three hours of Minecraft a day, the game lost some of its luster for him. “I played it way too much and it just got boring after a while,” Matenaer said.

The biggest appeal in Minecraft is in the aesthetic of its simplicity.

This includes the pixelated screen and trees or characters reminiscent of legos. The vast array of imaginary land that could be built upon however the player sees fit is, surprisingly, one of the most unique and appealing features of the game. A character could survive by staying in a cave or building an extravagant castle.

Best of all, there really is no point to Minecraft. The simplicity, versatility and inherent casualness of the game are what make the imaginary world something of a respite from a complicated world in reality. Duval sums it up in one sentence: “I have a house, I have a diamond pickaxe, I’m pretty much set for life.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS: Boraan Abdulkarim

Fe at ur e 7

October 2014. Vol XLII. Issue II.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Fall brings change, rekindles old traditions Students notice the shift at work Breandan Gibbons Staff Writer

The crispness in the air, the changing the leaves, and the transition into the school year, all signify change. For students who are employed this change is very apparent, as schedules change, and new products fly onto the racks. Twelve percent of SPA students are employed. Many work throughout the year and they have a myriad of different experiences, with the changes that take place in the fall.

Senior Mattie Daub, who works at Izzy’s Ice Cream yearround has to work extra hard to balance her fall shift with other school activities and extra curriculars, “It can be very hard to manage, with cross country, and theater, it is definitely tough to balance everything.” she said.

That being said, fall can be an exciting time to work as business incorporate warm colors and familiar flavors into their products. In the fall Izzy’s has some new menu items, “We make this pumpkin ice cream that is really, really, really good! It is just Izzy’s Ice Cream with pumpkin

and a lot of spices,” Daub said.

Junior Catherine Johnson, who works at Total Hockey, a store which carries gear for hockey players, has a different experience with her job. “During the fall, all of the new products come in and they’re the most popular.” This makes the store busier than it is during the summer, unlike Izzy’s where business slows as the hot summer days end.

Both Daub and Johnson have had a similar situation when it comes to balancing hours in the fall. Daub said, “I work thirty hours a week in the summer, but in the fall it goes down to like twelve, so I can do my school work.”

A similar sentiment is described by Johnson: “I work three times a week in the summer, now just once or twice on the weekends.”

Students have many different experiences when it comes to their employment. However, fall is universally a time for exciting change in their workplaces.

“

I work thirty hours a week in the summer, but in the fall it goes down to like twelve so I can do my school work.

”

senior Mattie Daub

JUNIOR CATHERINE Johnson helps fit a customer in hockey gear during her shift at Total Hockey where she works helping hockey players find

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Catherine Johnson

what they need for ice. “During the fall, all of the new products come in and they’re the most popular,” Johnson said.

Students share scary stories as fall tradition

“

Dianne Caravela Staff Writer

As she closed the door to the dark basement, a sudden impulse to bolt up the staircase as fast as she could seized her. Lying in bed about to fall asleep, a strange shadow caught his eye, jolting him awake. It could be strange sounds on a dark night or things moving with no explanation.

Whatever it is, everyone has had moments of terror. Why are these things so scary? It’s obvious there isn’t really a monster in the basement, an axe murderer hiding under the bed, a ghost haunting the house. But maybe, it brings to mind a scary story or a creepy movie. From doomed babysitters to haunted houses, ax murderers, and monsters, ghost stories are everywhere.

Freshman Mira Zelle “lives off of ghost stories.” She first started acting out scary stories with her neighbors and it has been her passion ever since. She said “the being scared part is fun because you know nothing will happen, but there’s still that adrenaline.”

The stories that scare her the most are the ones that happen to normal people or contain false realities.

Senior Jonathan Trevathan is not scared of giant spiders or crazy clowns like many people

...being scared part is fun because you know nothing will happen, but there’s still adrenaline. f re s h m a n M i r a Ze l l e PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: Dianne Caravela GHOST STORIES HIDE IN THE UPPER SCHOOL LIBRARY but most students equate movie scares with their childhood or present day nightmares.

might be. He says he doesn’t have any irrational fears, but that wasn’t always the case. When Trevathan was in sixth grade, he watched the horror film Mirrors, in which demons use people’s reflections to possess and kill them. For a while afterwards, he was scared of mirrors.

On the other hand, sophomore Weston Lombard is very scared of ghost stories: “They give me nightmares,” he said.

He also hates the strange noises he sometimes hears when going to sleep at night. When Lombard

watched the movie Insidious, he was terrified of things that would instantaneously pop up on the television screen. He also dreads the anticipation of waiting for something bad to happen.

“Ghost stories can have a major effect on people’s lives,” Lombard said.

Sophomore Sonia Sukumar enjoys the more lighthearted side of ghost stories. She likes telling them with friends and doesn’t find them too scary.

“The ones that are more frightening are the ones that are

realistic and told in a scary place,” Sukumar said.

Why do people love to be scared?

Maybe these stories are an escape from real life. Perhaps it’s human nature to be fascinated by gore and fear. Or maybe it’s that moment in every story that makes the monster under the bed more real, the shadows more menacing.

It makes bolting up the stairs from the basement and hiding under the covers with your eyes snapped shut sound like a pretty good idea.

Fall @ RubicOnline

Seniors carve out time to sculpt pumpkins with Kindergarteners There will be big orange pumpkins everywhere! On Oct. 28 members of the Class of 2014 will drive to the Lower School for K/12 Pumpkin Carving. Senior Catherine Riley recalls her first experience of pumpkin carving with a senior from the Class of 2001: “I don’t really remember much, but I do remember I had a guy as my partner. He did all the stuff I didn’t want to do, like taking the guts out and taking off the top.”

Read the full story when it goes live Oct. 28 @ www.rubiconline.com

8

C o v er St. Paul Academy and Summit School

what to draw. I have ADHD so it helps me to be doing something.”

Tiedemann appreciates the support she’s received from her teachers throughout her high school career.

“It’s cool that SPA is very open and understanding about the things students need,” she said.

Although Tiedemann has permission to doodle in class without getting in trouble for looking distracted, she cautions other students to be careful about paying attention. “It’s different if you talk to them beforehand. If you look like you’re not paying attention, that impacts the mood of the discussion,” she said. “You have to be mindful of looking up and engaging.”

Noor Qureishy Student Life Editor

Amid narrow writing and the occasional diagram, vividly colored doodles clutter the corners of tests, note sheets, and homework assignments. Graphic portrayals of an animal’s cell structure, Odysseus’s journey back to Ithaca, or even triangles interlocked in strange sequences are drawn as pleasant additions to everyday notes. Doodling, an art enjoyed by the vast majority of students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School provides a fun yet engaging way to experience the classroom for students who struggle to focus in class or who simply enjoy drawing casually.

Senior Dani Tiedemann is one of these students, someone who needs to doodle in class in order to better pay attention. “I doodle during discussion based classes like English or history because I need to be able to do things with my hands,” she said. “I have to talk with all of my teachers every year so that they know that I’m paying attention, that doodling is how I pay attention.”

Tiedemann has a passion for art and drawing in particular, noting that, “if I don’t [doodle] for a while, I get antsy. I get too many ideas of

“

Sometimes it’s just like breathing, it just sort of happens. senior Amber Skarjune

”

Tiedemann attributes her need to doodle in class with her more visually-oriented, yet organized brain. “In one corner I have somewhere where I’m just doodling random things and in another corner I write down important things the teacher is saying,” she described.

Senior Luke Bishop also doodles in class occasionally, although his reason for doing so is purely for enjoyment or as an expression of his ideas. “I’m in Art Seminar so I like art a lot. Sometimes what I’m thinking about in the class is what I end up doodling,” he said.

Bishop doesn’t think doodling helps him concentrate in class, although he views it as an important pastime as it, “gives people an escape if they’ve had a long day of classes. It helps shut their brains off,” he said.

Senior Amber Skarjune also enjoys doodling as an artistic hobby carrying a piece of paper and a pencil around with her wherever she goes. “It’s kind of an instinctual thing. Something to edge off being tired,” she said. Like Bishop, Skarjune doodles for pleasure, instead as a way to help her concentration. “If there’s a break, and we don’t have to be paying attention I’ll doodle,” she said. Otherwise, Skarjune doesn’t really doo-

dle in class, but makes an effort to keep herself focused on what she’s learning.

However, Skarjune does see herself as a visually-oriented person, saying that, “[I] like to do a lot of art. There’s a correlation between my love of art and [my need to] doodle.” Even if doodling isn’t beneficial to Skarjune within the classroom, she still feels its strong appeal. “For me, it’s an impulse. I kind of have to do it,” she said.

Junior Alice Tibbetts also does not find herself doodling in class as often as she does in her free time.

“Sometimes I might doodle after a test in a class,” Tibbetts said. For her, doodling in class does not help with her concentration and serves mostly as a distraction, her attention is going in to her art rather than the work she should be doing.

“I don’t pay attention in class if I am doodling,” she said.

Upper School English teacher Lucy Polk is an avid supporter of doodling for concentration purposes, although she dislikes the vandalism that sometimes arises from bored doodlers and manifests itself primarily on Harkness tables. “I used to be a big doodler myself...I think it’s a way to take the energy that wants to distract [students] and give it a use so they can stay focused,” she said. Polk

supports, even encourages productive doodling, as she believes “our hands are meant to be busy. We’re meant to be doing things.”

However, Polk cautions doodlers to recognize the difference between doodling and vandalism. “We replaced the ninth grade Harkness table because it was so full of doodles in room 325,” she said. Although it may be difficult for more antsy students to concentrate during long 75 minute blocks, Polk thinks the new schedule tips the scale at least a little in their favor. “The new schedule is more active, and I think that was a response to the restlessness we’ve seen lately,” she said.

Upper School History teacher Nan Dreher shares this viewpoint,

sa m st p is m in to th sh

P c m w

“Transformative Art” Boraan Abdulkarim

with Ben Bollinger Danielson

Chief Visual Editor

Apart from the canvas of a notorious blank, college ruled paper, where do we doodle? Where do our pens and pencils itch to write in curly cursive, etch a geometric pattern, or create wan elaborate sketch? One of the most common (granted, unpredictable) locations is none other than the large Harkness tables designed to facilitate class discussions. Upper School history teacher Ben Bollinger Danielson likes to transform these doodles from something inappropriate into something positive, by way of what he calls “transformative art”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Boraan Abdulkarim IN ADDITION TO BEING A HISTORY TEACHER, BOLLINGER DANIELSON is also the Girls Varsity Soccer coach. Maybe his interests were reflected in this piece of transformative art that now says, “I love socker.”

Q: What makes it your responsibility to transform these Harkness doodles?

A: To be honest, I am going to be around this table exponentially more times than a student this year. It’s my twelfth year at SPA, four classes a day, over the whole year. The students who carved into the tables have [graduated]. I’m going to have fun turning it into something a little more benign, because I don’t want to have to read some stupidly inappropriate thing on my table.

Q: What do you think of both doodles in general and Harkness doodling in particular?

A: You have to be aware of when is a good time to doodle, when is not a good time to doodle. I basically have no problem with it but I think there’s a time to be looking at someone and not just doodling. [On the other hand], I don’t think you should Harkness table doodle because it affects the experience of others. This is a public space. So one of my jobs is, that, when somebody decides to carve something into the table, I turn it into more positive thoughts because apparently, they like to carve inappropriate words on there. And I turn those into more positive words, like “tuck your pants”, when it was originally something else.

PHOTO CREDIT: Boraan Abdulkarim ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BOLLINGER DANIELSON’S TRANSFORMATIVE ART sits on a Harkness table in the history department. “I turn [inappropriate graffiti] into more positive words like, ‘Tuck your pants,’ when it was originally something else,” Bollinger Danielson said.

Q: Do you think Harkness doodling is more of a problem of vandalism, or something else?

A: Yeah, I think it is literally defacing public furniture, and these things are going to last a long time. There’s a time and place, like if it’s a mural project, to decorate walls or tables. It seems to me, for whatever reason, that the great majority of things carved onto tables are inappropriate and that tends to be pretty easy to say that it’s bad.

PHOTO CREDIT: Boraan Abdulkarim THE HARKNESS DOODLE “LET’S GO TO VAGAS” shows how much enjoyment Bollinger Danielson gets out of his transformative art. “I’m going to have fun turning [Harkness table vandalism] into something a little more benign,” Bollinger Danielson said.

9

S tory

October 2014. Vol XLII. Issue II.

aying “[doodling] doesn’t bother me. I think it is less distracting [for tudents] to doodle on paper than play on their laptops.” Dreher also s a doodler, especially during long meetings and “ if something is beng discussed that isn’t relevant o me,” she said. Dreher added hat she tends to draw geometric hapes in her doodling moments.

Though some teachers, like Polk, allow doodling within the classroom, according to sophomore Nina Perleberg this isn’t always the case. “Teachers generally

don’t like it. They take it as I sign that I’m not listening or paying attention,” she said. For Perleberg, doodling isn’t a path to focusing in class, though she says it does help her “get feelings out and organize [herself] mentally.”

Senior Sonja Mischke agrees with Perleberg, saying that “the general reaction to doodling is negative.” During school, she doodles “everywhere I’m not supposed to… sometimes it’s just like breathing, it just sort of happens.”

Mischke believes that along with

providing an entertaining hobby, doodling helps ground her in class.

“I do focus better... it gives my brain a break, without having to stop what I’m doing,” she said.

Although doodling, as an art form and a hobby, functions in a variety of ways for students, it still represents an important practice conducted by the majority of the student body. As Polk said, “the connection between our hands and our brains is primal... not everything is an intellectual pursuit.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: DIANE HUANG

g n i l ood

D w o H s t c e Aff

the

Catherine Braman Online Editor in Chief

Q: Do you consider your transformation of the doodles an art?

A: I don’t know if I’ve ever thought about it that way, but I’m going to agree with that.

I’m now going to call it that for sure.

Q: So when someone says “transformative art,” your mind just goes directly to Harkness tables?

A: Apparently, now. You know, what I call it is “taking something that somebody wants to be inappropriate and negative and turning it into something funny and positive. So on the other table where it used to say something really bleak, like “no one lives”, I changed it to “mom one loves”, and that’s a more fun, joy-inducing thing. I think it would be an interesting project to assign people the act, the art of carving into tables. But I think right now these tables need to last for a while, so you should doodle on your paper.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

PHOTO CREDIT: Boraan Abdulkarim BOLLINGER DANIELSON TRANSFORMS THE WORDS, ”No one lives,” into a more positive message of “Mom, one loves.” There is no denying the artistic talent or the fact that, transformative art, one must like.

A: Nope. I’m an artist. Thank you.

What do Bill Gates, Ronald Reagan, Thomas Edison, and Mark Twain have in common?

They were all extremely successful historical figures who also happened to be doodlers. These men, in addition to a bulk of recent research, attest to the increasingly accepted fact that doodling isn’t necessarily opposed to creative output, focus, or engagement with the task at hand.

According to British psychologist Jackie Andrade, the purpose of doodling is “to provide just enough cognitive stimulation during an otherwise boring task to prevent the mind from taking the more radical step of totally opting out of the situation and running off into a fantasy world.”

She added that doodling can help one’s concentration and diminish the need to daydream.

“Though many people assume that the brain is inactive when they’re bored, the reverse is actually true,” Andrade said. In actuality, “the brain is designed to constantly process information.”

So if a person becomes disinter-

ested or disengaged from a situation, doodling may help them stay focused in, say a class or an activity. So for all the doodlers, scribblers, and those in between, doodling can be constructive, productive, and even stimulating.

Sunni Brown, author of “The Doodle Revolution,” and self-proclaimed Chief InfoDoodler of her own company Sunni Brown Ink, has said that “doodling is beneficial,” after running a consulting firm that worked with companies like Zappos, Disney, and Dell.

“Our highly visual brains see words as images. Doodling opens us up to greater insights, better retention of information, and higher levels of concentration,” she said.

From landscapes to flowers, lines to swirls, notebooks to sketch books, doodling comes in all forms. However, it doesn’t matter what you doodle, because ultimately it’s not the images that doodling produces but the very act of doodling itself that can help the mind relax and keep you on track. So go ahead. Doodle your heart out.

Q: So what do you call it?

A: I call it transformative art.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS: DIANE HUANG & JAVIER WHITAKER-CASTAÑEDA

10 S c i enc e

& T e c h nolo g y

october 2014. Vol XLII. Issue II.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Smartphone ownership becomes near-universal Students connect on mobile devices at gigabyte rates

“

[Technology] is not good or bad; it’s just part of how things are. As technology is getting better, it’s more accessible. f re s h m a n E z r a Co h e n

Lillian Pettigrew

”

Staff Writer

hone own p L EL NO

hip ers

C

PHOTO CREDIT: Boraan Abdulkarim SOPHOMORES Ali Duval, Emily Schoonover, Phoebe Pannier, and Andrew Michel gather in the Summit Center around their devices. According to a 2012 poll, 43% of people are likely to own a smartphone.

YES

ship ner

tphone ow r a sm No

iPhone 5s 33.3% Bla

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Win

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ber

s Ph

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iPhone 4/s 23.8%

Other

Yes

iphone 5c 19%

Nokia Lumia 521 Samsung Galaxy s3 Samsung Galaxy Mini 4.7%

one

phone calls 93% 90% texting SOCIAL MEDIA 72% WATCH VIDEOS 55% play games 52% calendar 45% classwork 38% other 14%

usages

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Android

iOS

Operating System

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1-2

Years owning 5-8 years a phone

3-4

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likely to have a cellphone (86 percent had one) and more likely to own a smartphone (43 percent). The average income of a U.S. adult is about $53,000. The same study shows that children of those parents are 5% percent less likely to have a cell or smartphone. Could the income of SPA families be contributing to the increased phone ownership in students?

A poll of 30 SPA students grades 9-12 showed that about 96 percent of students own cellphones, and nearly 80 percent have smartphones.

These numbers are certainly believable to anyone in the SPA community, but are much larger than nationwide percentages.

Students reported that phones are used primarily for texting and making phone calls, but for those with smartphones, games and social media are equally as popular.

SPA’s cell phone policy is fairly casual -- although students are asked to have their devices off or silent during class, many admit that they check messages or social media, or occasionally play their favorite game during a lesson.

Whatever the reason, the vast majority of SPA students have and use smartphones. And one can be sure that the percentages will only keep growing as new technology surfaces, then is outstripped by a different device, then is updated and goes on sale again, to be taken home by millions of teens.

Les

It’s after school. Students sit in the Summit Center, stand on the sidewalk waiting for buses, or pile on the benches outside Briggs Gymnasium hanging out with friends. Take a brief glance at the people. Make a quick count of how many phones you see— those in hands or back pockets.

How many are there?

In most situations, the majority of students are engaged on their devices, or certainly have them close at hand. So what does this mean? How has this generation become so dependent on these little rectangles of metal and plastic? “[Technology] is not good or bad, it’s just part of how things are. As technology is getting better, it’s more accessible,” said freshman Ezra Cohen.

Many students, even if they have not had it happen to them, can understand why peer pressure influences others to buy the latest technology.

Junior Tommy Monserud said even in middle school he noticed that “all the popular kids [had] really expensive phones.”

Monserud himself said that he has no interest in owning a smartphone.

New technology is definitely more accessible and more widely used. In 1985, only .0015 percent of U.S. adults had a mobile device. By 2010, 94 percent of adults did. In 2013, a Family Online Safety Institute study showed that 64 percent of teens had access to a smartphone.

That was almost two years ago. Given the constant stream of new technology and customers -- for example, the record-breaking sales of the new iPhone 6, of which over 10 million were sold in the single weekend after its release—one can be sure that those numbers must have grown.

Income of families also has an effect on the percentage of teens with phones. A 2012 poll conducted by Statista shows that teens whose parents make more than $75,000 a year are more

iPhones and Samsung Galaxy S3 are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license courtesy of Zach Vega.

Samsung Galaxy mini & Nokia Lumia 521 courtesy of GSMArena. Licensed for noncommercial use.

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Paul Watkins POLL DESIGN: Lillian Pettigrew

In Dep t h 11

october 2014. Vol XLII. Issue II.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

...the risks they pose to your health, and how you can prevent them Ben Mellin Staff Writer

Pain is something many teenagers are experiencing due to the weight of their backpacks.

Unfortunately, the load seems to get heavier every year, with the onslaught of homework and textbooks piling up as grade level increases.

“I bring so much stuff to school that I actually need to bring two backpacks,” sophomore Sophie Jaro said. “It’s just crazy how much stuff I have to

PHOTO CREDIT: Meghan Joyce

SOPHOMORE SOPHIE JARO POSES with her backpacks . “I bring so much stuff to school that I actually need to bring two backpacks. It’s just crazy how much stuff I have to carry every day,” Jaro said.

carry every day.”

While not every student has as much to carry as Jaro, overall, students’ backpacks are heavier than is recommended. So how bad really is your heavy backpack for your back?

According to KidsHealth. org, kids should only be carrying 10-15% of their weight on their backpack. An average St. Paul Academy and Summit School high school student carries about 18 pounds in their backpack.

There is a large range of weights within this spectrum, with the lightest backpack weighing in at a comfortable 7 pounds, and the heaviest weighing in at a hefty 25.75 pounds.

There are 33 vertebrae in the spine, and between each of these vertebrae is a disc that acts as a natural shock absorber in the human body.

While carrying a heavy backpack, these discs can get compressed, causing the

pain many speak of.

“Your spine has natural curves, and when you are carrying a heavy backpack, you’re working against those natural curves which then causes compression,” physical therapist Laura Kaplan said.

According to Kaplan, when carrying a heavy backpack, you have to lean forward to counterbalance that weight, condensing those discs in between the vertebrae. This causes bad posture later in life as well as back pain. Heavy backpacks not only affect students’ backs, but often students’ necks too. In order to counterbalance the excessive weight on their necks, they must push their heads forward, forcing their necks into an unnatural and unhealthy position.

“Over time you develop poor postural alignment and poor postural habits, which carry over to times, even when you are not wearing your backpack. So you tend to develop a really forward head, rounded shoulders, caved in chest…and that becomes your normal way of standing,” Kaplan said on the

“

You tend to develop a really forward head, rounded shoulders, and caved in chest and that becomes your normal way of standing. p hy s i c a l t h e r a p i s t L a u r a K a p l a n

health drawbacks of carrying a heavy backpack.

“It kinda sticks with you,” Ellis said on the pain he feels when not carrying his backpack. Because of developing this habitual way of standing, your bones can change shape over many years which can lead to even more pain and trouble performing ordinary activities. So how can these consequences be prevented?

The best way to prevent back and neck pain, as well as physical dis-figuration is to simply not carry more on your back than you need.

As simple as this may sound, this can be a challenge for many high school students because of their great homework loads.

Most textbooks can now be found online. To curb the need for these cumbersome textbooks try to access your textbooks online. Kaplan also recommends a backpack with a strap over both shoulders, to increase the distribution of weight.

“There are some kinds of backpacks that [have a strap that] comes across the shoulders, that would be better ergonomically because it’s giving you more circumferential support.”

When standing with a heavy backpack on, the ideal position is to have your ears over your shoulders, your shoulders over your hips, and your hips over your ankles. According to Kaplan this position is important to maintain all the time, backpack or no.

Ultimately the best way to sustain a healthy back and retain the natural curve of your spine is to minimize the amount of weight on your back in all contexts.

” Major body

parts affected by backpacks When carrying a heavy backpack, you have to lean forward to counterbalance that weight, condensing those discs in between vertebrae. This causes bad posture later in life as well.”

“When standing with a heavy backpack on, the ideal position is to have your ears over your shoulders, your shoulders over your hips, and your hips, and your hips over your ankles.”

“Heavy backpacks not only affect students’ backs, but often students’ necks too. In order to counterbalance the excessive weight on their necks, they must push their heads forward, forcing their necks into an unnatural and unhealthy position.”

“Your spine has natural curves, and when you are carrying a heavy backpack, you’re working against those natural curves which then causes compression.”

Gilmore Girls begins streaming on Netflix

All seven seasons of Gilmore Girls began streaming on Netflix on Oct. 1, a fact which the show’s die hard fans have managed to weave into lunchroom conversations and even some classroom discussions.

Gilmore Girls, popular for its quirky yet relatable mother daughter duo and its charming small town setting, has an undeniable cult following. Its new accessibility on Netflix may just ruin any sense of productivity longstanding fans and newcomers have ever enjoyed.

Junior Blaire Bemel adores the show so much that she said she watches it in fast forward just so she and her sister can “get through more episodes in an hour,” she said.

Watch the Fall Play cast learn physical comedy at www.rubiconline.com

Photo courtesy of: netflix.com

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PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Commers

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Physical comedy coach works with Fall Play cast Noor Qureishy Student Life Editor

Although dramatic scenes with epic sword fights and star-crossed lovers invoke heart-throbbing emotions, the only type of theater capable of invoking both happiness and sadness, tears and bouts of endless laughter, is comedy.

This year, the Upper School fall play One Man, Two Guvnors focuses on the art of comedy, perfecting each cast member’s performance with the help of a physical comedy coach.

The story features a series of mistakes committed by Francis, the main character, and the sad but humorous effects they have on his life. Adapted from the Italian comedy Servant of Two Masters, this play will be much like the original, only in Commedia dell’arte style.

Commedia dell’arte, or “comedy of craft,” is a form of theater characterized by the actor’s ability to act without reliance on facial expressions, using their bodies instead.

Steve Epp, local actor and former director of Theatre de la Jeune Lune, taught the cast of One Man, Two Guvnors the language of comedy through physical movement. They learned how to execute stunts and express emotions through movement,

PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Commers PHYSICAL COMEDY COACH STEVE EPP demonstrates how to do a controlled, comedic fall. “[Epp is] doing a series of exercises with the cast, thinking about isolating different parts of their bodies…[teaching them] how to be completely in control of [their] bodies while making it look like they’re not in control,” US Theater Director Eric Severson said.

adding a new dimension to their performance in the process. “[Epp is] doing a series of exercises with the cast, thinking about isolating different parts of their bodies…[teaching them] how to be completely in control of [their] bodies while making it look like they’re not in control,” US Theater Director Eric Severson said.

This requires his cast to be like what he calls “living cartoons,” appearing to be improvising despite past rehearsals. “It has to feel like it’s happening for the first time: if it’s over-rehearsed it can feel flat, if it’s under-re-

hearsed people, can get hurt,” Severson said.

“Steve’s lots of fun… it’s definitely something I’ve been looking forward to,” senior Evan Leduc said. Leduc is excited for the challenge of physical comedy that Epp presents. “Tragedy is easy, comedy is hard,” he added.

“It’s going to be challenging, but I think we can pull it off… everyone has times when they make a joke and no one laughs, it’s all about finding what makes people laugh and being able to repeat it on command,” However, Leduc believes the play will amuse students. “We

were laughing so hard in the read-through that we couldn’t concentrate,” he said. “I want people talking about it the week after, to get them excited about it before the show… personally, I just want to be satisfied with my performance.”

Senior Sonja Mischke feels similarly; she said the cast has their work cut out for them, though in her opinion, the performance “is going to be really worthwhile [if we do it right].”

Mischke also loved working with Epp, saying “he’s so funny, and very honest: he’s not there to compliment us, he’s there to teach

us, which is really helpful.”

Mischke believes this play will be enjoyable, for both the cast and the audience. “[Usually] so much focus is put upon the words and the text [in theater]...learning from Epp is opening up a whole new way of looking at acting as a whole,” she said.

Freshman Freddy Keillor said he also likes the shift to this new area of theater, but his main goal for this play is just to have a pleasurable experience. “Stage performance is most beneficial for the people involved when they’re having fun,” he said.

Junior Maggie Vlietstra said she is also new to physical comedy. “The theater I’ve done in the past relied much more on getting into the character’s head and picking apart their thoughts…[now], I have to pay a lot more attention to the way I move and hold myself as my character.”

However, Vlietstra enjoys the learning process, she wants to create an unforgettable performance, aiming to “forget about what the audience thinks of me and just go for it…a big part of comedy is being willing to look foolish, and I think that’s an important thing for the whole cast to remember,” she said.

Faces act as canvases for Tibbetts’ artistic expression Gita Raman Copy Editor

With the swish of a brush, some touches of blush, and a stroke of eyeliner, a face is magically transformed into a stunning work of art. At St. Paul Academy and Summit School, junior Miriam Tibbetts explores art by using faces as her canvas for self expression and working as one of the key makeup artists for the Upper School drama program.

Favorite Cosmetic Tools

Tibbetts’ favorite cosmetic material is setting powder. “You can put it on people’s faces so that the makeup stays in place and it won’t melt off,” Tibbetts said. This is especially important given all the designs and layers that may be added after putting down the first layer.

Application Technique

Drama requires a lot of different techniques and materials to make facial features stand out.

One of Tibbetts’ favorite materials to use is spirit gum, an adhesive, because with it, actor’s face’s can be molded to make their skin to look different. “I just like making them [the actors] look really silly because I know on stage it is going to look really natural and nice. It is super fun,” Tibbetts said.

Tibbetts said she also likes to use contouring, a common technique among makeup artists and students alike. Contouring is paired with highlighting because it emphasizes the natural effect of the light. Tibbetts likes this method because it makes “cheekbones look very nice,” she said.

Tibbetts’s experience

The first play for which Tibbetts did makeup was Aladdin, in the winter of 2011, which featured junior Jack Romans as the genie.

“

I just like making them [the actors] look really silly because I know on stage it is going to look really natural and nice.

junior Miriam Ti b b e t t s

“That required making Jack Romans blue all over,” Tibbetts said. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Some of Tibbetts’ best experiences as a makeup artist for US productions include her work on A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Metamorphosis. “In A Midsummer Night’s Dream I was painting different designs on people, including August King’s [class of ‘13] feet,” Tibbetts said. “I really liked doing Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka because everyone had to have

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: Gita Raman JUNIOR MIRIAM TIBBETTS demonstrates her own makeup technique. “Try doing makeup for a show sometime because you get a lot of credit for what you do and [it] is completely necessary for the show. Just remember to have fun,” Tibbetts said.

such dramatic makeup. There wasn’t basic makeup at all it was all exaggerated and contoured. It was just crazy. It was the most fun I ever had,” she added.

Tips for Future Artists

Aside from practicing on your siblings, Tibbetts said, “try doing makeup for a show sometime because you get a lot of credit for what you do and [it] is completely necessary for the show. Just remember to have fun.”

Twitter roundup!

Students share their favorite movies and shows

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Hansel and Gretel offers candy for your ears and eyes

Photo submitted by: Claire Walsh JUNIOR CLAIRE WALSH (first butterfly on the left) performs in The Magic Flute last spring. “I started doing community theater when I was in third grade and I did some stuff with Stepping Stone... I started training with [them] when I was nine,” Walsh said.

Amodhya Samarakoon Opinions Editor

Many students sing, dance and perform on stage for school plays, but members of the community who wish to go even further pursue the performing arts outside of school as well. It takes a lot of time, commitment, and practice as well as passion and motivation.

Starting Nov. 1, Hansel and Gretel, based on the children’s tale, will be coming to the Ordway. Three members of the St. Paul Academy and Summit School community are involved;

juniors Anna Biggs, Emma Taussig, and Claire Walsh.

Biggs got involved in theater in middle school. “Once that developed as a passion, I started pursuing it [theater] outside of school as well,” she said. Biggs said that it is a huge honor to work with professionals in this Hansel and Gretel production.

“I got cast in it through Project Opera... none of us [Biggs, Taussig, or Walsh] had to audition just because we were in Project Opera and our director thought that we were good for it,” Biggs said. This is her second

year with Project Opera, an opera program which meets every Saturday throughout the school year for about three hours to practice vocal techniques and singing.

“There was no audition process, just a height requirement,” Taussig said.

Taussig began her involvement in theater years ago through Upper School Theater Director Eric Severson’s out-of-school program called Theater E3, which she went on to intern for.

Much like Taussig, Walsh began in programs outside of school plays and musicals. “I started

doing community theater when I was in third grade and I did some stuff with Stepping Stone... I started training with [them] when I was nine,” Walsh said.

Biggs, Taussig, and Walsh are members of the children’s chorus in the play, but haven’t practiced with the rest of the cast yet, and won’t until the performance date nears. They have not yet been informed of the exact setting of the play or how it will fit together as a whole. However, Walsh said that they are aware of some sort of a modern twist, based on the 1930’s.

Practicing and preparing for this opera involves rehearsal Tuesdays and Thursdays for 2 hours and then again all day on Saturdays. “It’s a much bigger time commitment so it advances your skills further,” Walsh said.

This time then increases as the performance dates near, and tech week can demand up to 3 hours every night. Biggs said that the time spent rehearsing is worth it as she is very passionate about performing: “I had never performed at the Ordway before, and it’s a big deal for me.” According to The Ordway’s website, it is “one of the U.S.’s leading, non-profit performing arts centers.”

The musical’s dates at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday and Saturday beginning Nov. 1 until Nov. 8 and then again 2:00 p.m. every Sunday from Nov. 2 until Nov. 9.

“It’s always nice for us to have people supporting us in the audience,” Taussig said.

Miranda July’s piece New Society debuts at The Walker Art Center

“

Radical self-exposure and classically manicured discretion can both be powerful.

Miranda July

Photo courtesy of: walkerart.org MIRANDA JULY displays her app, Somebody. “Privacy, the art of it, is evolving,” July wrote.

Eva Perez-Greene Editor in Chief

There’s a reason why the art world struggles with the concept of performance art and its right to be considered “art.” The essence of performance art is ephemeral, intangible. You cannot predict, label, or dissect it, as it’s there one moment and gone the next. Performance art closes the gap (lit-

erally and figuratively) between artist and viewer, something unsettling for many.

But it doesn’t have to be. Performance artist Miranda July uses her field’s spontaneous, up-close, anything-goes spirit to foster intensely positive experiences of human connection among strangers, often with technology.

Her newest piece New Society will debut at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis on Oct. 30. and 31. It’s a variation on one of her main artistic themes: the possibility of real human connection in the digital age. July’s no Luddite, so you’ll actually need a smartphone to be engaged fully in her newest performance piece.

But before you go see July in a world premiere performance at

the Walker, you should probably brush up on a few popular works in her artistic career. After all, it’s hard to give an artist’s contemporary work a fair assessment without knowing, even vaguely, what precedes it.

And since July’s a sculptor, screenwriter, author, actress, and director (whew, I’m winded!) I’ll lighten the research load and fill you in on what are, in my opinion, her hottest projects.

In 2013, July began her We Think Alone project, a themed compendium of nondescript emails sent by her fellow friends and artists at some point in their lives which she then sent again to the inboxes of participants around the world. The emails were about private, often mundane thoughts

on fear, love, and money that float in and out of ordinary individuals’ inboxes.

“Privacy, the art of it, is evolving. Radical self-exposure and classically manicured discretion can both be powerful, both be elegant. And email itself is changing, none of us use it exactly the same way we did ten years ago; in another ten years we might not use it at all,” July wrote on the project’s official website.

The We Think Alone project is one expressions among others of July’s unique obsession with pointing technology’s existential shortfalls and triumphs, with turning an illness on its head and transforming it into a cure.

In 2012 Miu Miu, Prada’s designer child, launched The Women’s Tales, a series of eight short films made in partnership with high profile female directors. July was one of those directors, and her short film Somebody packed an awkward yet sincere punch of honesty about the ways we struggle to communicate as well as some very Wes Anderson-esque cinematography, all in 10 minutes and 15 seconds.

The film inspired an iPhone app July developed and installed at the Walker last August, also named Somebody, that allows you to send messages to other app users who will, ostensibly, deliver them in person to your intended target. It’s a messenger pigeon app of sorts that may come across as silly, pointless even.

Then again, the Yo app exists.

But if you actually take a second to imagine the unlikely (and otherwise nearly impossible!) connections the Somebody app could instigate, it seems radical.

And that’s just what July’s is in her own, distinct way. She’s radical; radically compassionate and radically communicative in an oddly unassuming, sweet way.

July’s a rare bird. She’s wears both a critic’s and an optimist’s hat. If you’re cynical, you’re bound to hate her. If you’re an idealist, you’ll jive with her perspectives and process. That’s my prediction. Either way, July’s New Society is sure to be a unique, even striking experience with performance art that sets the tone for Halloween night.

Dance team looks forward to bonding

The Saint Paul Academy and Summit School Girls Varsity Dance Team, coached by Jessica Maxa, has been practicing with captain junior Calla Saunders before the start of the season. “I joined because I knew people had a lot of fun on the team and I really enjoy dancing,” sophomore Isabel Bukovsan said.

Volleyball wins Conference

See Dig Pink Volleyball pics Fan The Rubicon on Facebook

Spartan Volleyball won the IMAC Conference Championship on Oct. 14 with a 3-1 win over Providence. Varsity Volleyball finished with an 8-2 conference record.

Senior volleyball right side hitter Carrie Jaeger said “This is so exciting, because it’s never happened to us before.” As the team goes into sections, “I hope we can stay positive and remain united. We work together really well,” Jaeger said.

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Fall sailors enjoy the final stretch of their season Words for the waterside TILLER:

An appendage increasing leverage on the rudder to steer the boat; as in: You must push the tiller the opposite way you want the bow to move.

JIB: SUBMITTED PHOTO: Barbara Bathke SOPHOMORE JACK INDRITZ (in boat #2 on the left) sailed in a Regatta in Minnetonka in early September. “I have sailed with really cool people, like exchange students from Europe,” Indritz said.

Clare Tipler News Editor

As some students lace up their cleats or warm up their throwing arms, others are shouting “port,” “starboard,” “aft,” and “bow.”

Why? Because several St. Paul Academy and Summit School students spend autumn sailing.

A part of the Lake Calhoun High School Racing team, sophomore Barbara Bathke and freshman Tess Hick sail with other high school students in the fall.

Bathke and Hick each sail a 420, a boat accurately named for its 420 centimeter length. “[The 420 has] a mainsail and jib and two people sail on the boats. One person directs the boat using a tiller that controls the rudder and they are called the skipper,” Bathke said.

She added that “They also control the speed by letting the main sail in and out. The other person in the boat is called the crew and

they control the jib sail.”

“I am a crew. I basically hang upside down and sing Disney songs and occasionally yell, hey, we’re about to run into another boat,” Hick said.

With a rigorous schedule, sailing is a fun but challenging fall sport in Minnesota. “We practice everyday and have regattas every weekend,” Bathke said. A regatta is the sailing version of a meet or match in other sports where each team sails in several races, competing against other schools.

Another SPA sailor, sophomore Jack Indritz, also has a crammed schedule. “We practice three days a week, for three and a half hours per day, and our regattas usually go for eight hours on Saturdays, but sometimes we have bigger ones all weekend, and some during the week,” Indritz said.

Indritz competes with the White Bear Sailing School. “This is my fourth year on the High

“

I basically hang upside down and sing Disney songs and... yell ‘Hey, we’re about to run into another boat.’ f re s h m a n Te s s H i c k

”

School team. I have won conference regattas, two conference championships, and in 2013, my best friend and I were Co-Ed state

champs,” Indritz said.

For Bathke, the junior varsity teams sail in conference regattas at Lake Calhoun, Lake Minnetonka, and White Bear Lake while the varsity teams travel to other places like Illinois to race. “[At a regatta there are] normally courses around two or three buoys. The races requires the sailors to use many different points of sail, or using the wind at different angles,” Bathke said.

Indritz, sailing for eight years, doesn’t only enjoy the technical aspect of sailing, he also values the relationships he has made through sailing. “I have sailed with really cool people like exchange students from Europe,” Indritz said, “I used to sail with a friend on the British National Sailing Team,” he added.

Most people think that it is too cold to sail in Minnesota,” Bathke said, but “[my sailing team and I] push through the cold because it is so much fun.”

A foresail (headsail) that fits inside the foretriangle (not extending beyond the mast); as in: As we approach our anchorage we will furl the jib.

RUDDER:

An underwater appendage that controls the direction of the boat; as in: When the helmsperson turns the wheel to starboard the rudder turns to starboard followed by the boat’s bow turning to starboard.

MAINSAIL:

The main sail of a boat often the largest sail and raised on the mainmast;as in: Leaving the anchorage the first sail we set is the mainsail.

SKIPPER:

The one who is in charge; as in: The skipper may or may not be the one who steers the boat.

INFORMATION GATHERED FROM: School of Sailing

New Sports Forum Thursday group talks everything sports lauren boettcher Staff Writer

PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Bottecher SPORTS FORUM MEETS DURING X-PERIOD on Oct. 9. “We bring in a variety of different topics from that week in sports and vote on what we want to discuss as a group, and also do different polls and interactive activities,” senior Co-President Isaac Forsgren said.

Sports enthusiasts who are truly dedicated to the subject now have a space to discuss them with fellow devotees: Sports Forum.

“We bring in a variety of different topics from that week in sports and vote on what we want to discuss as a group, and also do different polls and interactive activities,” senior Isaac Forsgren said. “Basically we just discuss sports.”

They discuss different topics, including the injustice in the ranking systems for College Football, the predictions on how professional sports teams will do during their season, the Spartan

“

[We] felt like there were groups for nearly everyone’s interest, but there was not a group for which students could go and discuss the world of sports”

s e n i o r M yc h a l Morris

”

sports teams’ upcoming games, even the members’ favorite sports experiences.

The club was started by seniors Mychal Morris and Isaac Forsgren, with the help of Upper

School history teacher Ryan Oto and math teacher Carl Corcoran. “[We] felt like there were groups for nearly everyone’s interest, but there was not a group where students could go discuss the world of sports” Morris said.

The club is one of many new student groups and meets on Thursdays during X-period. Their meetings will be held in classroom 423 on the fourth floor.

This club may seem like it is exclusively for major sports fans, but it is open to any student remotely interested in the subject.

“We have a great group of people and anyone can come and have a good time no matter how much sports knowledge they have,” Morris said.

Skarjune and Hommeyer qualify for State Tennis tournament

In an exciting three set Section 4A doubles final Oct. 14, senior Amber Skarjune and junior Ella Hommeyer qualified for the state tennis tournament. The doubles duo defeated a team from Breck 6-1, 0-6, 6-2.

Before her section final match, Hommeyer said, “I know I’m lucky to still be playing because most tennis players are done at this point in the season so I’ll try to make the most of this opportunity.”

The State Doubles Tournament will be held at Reed-Sweat Family Tennis Center Oct. 23-24.

PHOTO CREDIT: Boraan Abdulkarim

JUNIOR TENNIS PLAYER ELLA HOMMEYER (pictured front, with Sheila Sullivan) will advance to the State Tennis Tournament Oct. 23-24.

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Do you know your row?

STERN:

The rear of the shell. While in the boat, rowers face the stern.

COXSWAIN:

Member of the crew who sits stationary in the boat facing the bow. While the coxswain’s main job is to sterr the shell with a tiny rudder he or she also calls the race strategy and helps motivate the crew.

RIGGER:

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Samantha Linn SENIOR SAMANTHA LINN PRACTICES WITH HER TEAM (in boat on left, orange jacket) on the Mississippi River this summer. “I encourage everyone to try it. You will be in the best shape of your life and you can meet new people that you would never meet otherwise, “ Linn said. Interested students can check out Minnesota Boat Club, Twin Cities Youth Rowing, or Minneapolis Rowing Club.

Rowing builds Linn’s competitive drive Nina Zietlow Feature Editor

With early morning practices, intense regattas, and the thrill of being on the water, rowing is an intense sport. It takes commitment, energy, and lots of time.

Senior Samantha Linn started rowing the summer before her junior year. “I remember sophomore year at volleyball tryouts, my friend showed up for one day and didn’t come back. I asked her why. I thought volleyball was the best sport ever, but she said ‘No no no you’re wrong; rowing is the best and you have to try it,’ so I tried it and I quit volleyball,” Linn said.

Linn rows year round at the Minneapolis Rowing Club located right on the Mississippi River.

She is part of the Junior Team.

“We practice at the boathouse during the spring, summer, and fall,” she said. “In the summer the practices are usually around seven in the morning but during the school year they’re after school. Over the winter we have cross training at a place called Paddlesculpt which mixes yoga with rowing.”

Like all sports, rowing requires a huge time commitment that can be hard to balance with homework and other school demands, but this does not affect Linn’s passion for the sport: “I’m usually sleep deprived, but it [rowing] is something I can’t

really imagine my life without. It helps me stay focused in school because I feel more awake once I’ve rowed,” she said.

Another aspect of the sport that is highly appealing is the opportunity it presents for meeting new people and developing friendships. “I like the community; most of my friends row and I met them through the club. The times that I see them are very focused and structured around practicing as hard as we can and preparing for whatever race is coming up,” Linn said.

A huge aspect of rowing are regattas. These competitions draw clubs from all over Minnesota. “I love going to regattas…they’re kind of based around food. There is lots of free food and meet-

ing people from other clubs and meeting people in different levels in the sport at [the same] club like the masters of MRC or the collegiate rowers, “Linn said.

Nonetheless, competing can be stressful and takes some getting used to.

“Competing is always nerve racking. I remember my first race ever: I went into it super confident that we were gonna beat everyone by at least a minute in a 2K race.”

But it didn’t turn out that way: “We got last place by over two minutes and I caught (I think) 12 crabs, which means the ore gets pulled under water and you can’t pull it out.” Linn added that “never happens to me anymore now that I’m well rehearsed in the sport,” Linn said.

An attachment to the gunwale to hold the oar in place as it rotates through the stroke. Modern shells use out riggers that hold the oar away from the gunwale (upper edge of the side of the boat) and provide greater leverage than one would have in a fishing boat.

INFORMATION GATHERED FROM: U.S. Rowing

Because rowing presents such a different environment than school, Linn said the friendships she forms with people from rowing are unique. “At school people seem so stressed about studying for tests or doing their college applications that it’s hard to find time away from that,” she said.

Even though rowing is a huge commitment, Linn emphasizes that it has a place for everyone.

And luckily, with lots of clubs that have strong youth rowing programs around the Twin Cities getting involved isn’t hard. “I encourage everyone to try it. You will be in the best shape of your life and you can meet new people that you would never meet otherwise, “ Linn said.

As concussion awareness rises, new practice assists students Marlee baron Staff Writer

She walks into school with a headache that hasn’t gone away since the hit at last night’s game.

He can’t concentrate during class because of the bright lights and loud noises. She couldn’t sleep last night and he can’t remember anything from his English reading. Could they have concussions?

Concussion testing helps athletes, coaches, and trainers establish a baseline for each player, and education may lower the possibility of injury, but once a student athlete has a concussion, how do they heal and learn?

“St. Paul Academy and Summit School has no official concussion policy, but a practice, meaning we are still developing and

crafting an official policy,” Dean of Students Max Delgado said.

Athletic trainer Holly Gaudreau goes to all varsity games and is certified to diagnose concussions through the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer. Gaudreau is registered with the MN Board of Medical Practice and is employed by Sports and Orthopedic specialists/ Allina Heath. If an athlete suffers a concussion on the field, she will diagnose them right away. She also helps student athletes after they have been diagnosed.

Senior Jacqueline Olson suffered a concussion while learning a new dive at diving practice. She met with Gaudreau regularly.

According to Dean Delgado, if a student were to get a concussion today, SPA would have a plan for that student. But because concus-

“

There are not more concussions today than before; we just happen to know more about ...how to diagnose and treat them.

athletic trainer H o l l y G a u d re a u

”

sions affect people in different ways the plan would be tailored to that student’s injury.

Gaudreau said that “We don’t

really like to label concussions because people are affected in different ways but most concussions are mild to moderate.” Fortunately, “We have had no life-altering concussions at SPA.” In addition to the school’s concussion practice, the athletes follow the return to play protocol issued by the Minnesota State High School League. An athlete must go through all six steps of the return to play policy before competing. If an athlete were to get to step three but then experience symptoms again, they would drop back down to step one. The steps can be read in detail on the MSHSL website.

At school, “Teachers will do whatever possible” to help a student after they have suffered a concussion Delgado said. Often they will come to school late or

leave school early so that they can get the appropriate amount of rest.

Gaudreau tells students to treat the day after they have suffered a concussion like a sick day: if they don’t feel well in the morning, don’t come to school.

“I missed no school due to my concussion, but it was hard to concentrate in class and it was hard to be subjected to loud noises or bright lights,” Olson said.

Because of these different disabilities in the classroom Olson said she was given extensions on work and was allowed to spread out missed tests.

“There are not more concussions today than before; we just happen to know more now about concussions and how to diagnose and treat them,” Gaudreau said.

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campuses offer high schoolers facilities Amodhya Samarakoon Opinions Editor

f re s h m a n H u n t e r vo n Te r s h Po h re r

Prozinski goes to Boynton student clinic for flu shots, physicals and other health appointments since her mother works there.

“I’d say [the campus] is a health resource for me,” she said.

Prozinski also takes advantage of the school’s Baseline Tennis Center for group classes throughout the year to keep up with tennis during the off-season.

She mentions that it’s nice to be close by so she can go the ten-

blocks away since their father works there. “I don’t go there very often, I will rarely have a music rehearsal over there,” Riley Wheaton said. Wheaton also participates in a summer program associated with the Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth, called Expand Your Mind, located in Macalester. EYM is a two week summer program where students can focus on the study of a course such as improv, international di-

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Amodhya Samarakoon

WILLIAM MITCHELL COLLEGE OF LAW

HAMLINE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA : TWIN CITIES

Above: Most students live over four miles away from a college.

Left: The top seven colleges students live near include Macalester and St. Catherine among the top two.

UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS

ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY

BETHEL UNIVERSITY

I think it gives me the extra step that other kids don’t have… it gives [me] experience I won’t need for a few years.

plomacy, or even crime scene investigation.

When Wheaton was younger, he and his sister would visit the university more often. “It was sort of like a really big jungle gym or playground. There were a lot of tables that I liked to jump around on,” he said. He notes that it was interesting to watch the tall college students lugging around their massive textbooks across campus. “It was a tantalizing glimpse of the future that I was trying so hard not the think about,” he said.

However, he states that living near Macalester hasn’t influenced his decisions on what colleges he wants to go to in the future. “My experience with [Macalester] has always been as a place to do things, it’s a place for adventures, not [only] for learning.”

Freshman Hunter von Tersch Pohrer also had a close relationship with a college campus, only his experience took place outside of MN at the University of Chicago. “I was there pretty much all day and then after school I was usually there as well,” he said.

Similar to Wheaton, von Tersch Pohrer states that he thought of it as more of a playground.

Not only did he spend a lot of time there, von Tersch Pohrer was very connected with the campus community. “I went to all the sporting events. For being seven, I was pretty involved,” he said.

Along with having fun, von Tersch Pohrer expresses that he enjoyed living near, and even occasionally on campus. His

MACALESTER COLLEGE

College campuses are not only places where young adults wander and sit clustered, nose deep in textbooks; they are places which provide resources such as athletic courts, health centers, and classrooms to people who live in close proximity. The main campuses which students live near include Macalester College, the University of Minnesota, and Hamline University.

Sophomore Oona Prozinski lives near the U of M, about two blocks away from the law school

nis program as well as the student clinic, but that the college students are somewhat of a nuisance.

“There’s always drunk [students] around at night, mostly during the weekends. I don’t know who’s deciding to get drunk on a Tuesday night, but according to the weird things people are yelling, someone is,” Prozinski said.

There are also a large number of students in the St. Paul Academy and Summit School community who live near Macalester, such as junior Riley Wheaton and his sister, sophomore Sarah Wheaton, who live about two

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Netta Kaplan

mother, a volleyball coach at the university, sometimes would have to stay at the campus overnight, bringing von Tersch Pohrer with her. “I know how to live in a dorm room…it gives [me] experience I won’t need for a few years,” he said.

Von Tersch Pohrer has considered the U of C as a possible future college, but he’d rather go somewhere he hasn’t been yet. “I

already know the campus. I’ve kind of already lost interest,” he said.

Overall, these students, especially von Tersch Pohrer and Wheaton, all see their campuses as exciting playgrounds; for adventures and diverse resources, ranging from roaming-space to investigative summer programs.

Parent professors provide access to new experiences for their children Javier Whitaker-Castaneda Cover Story Editor

Many high school students tend to be apprehensive of what will happen when they leave behind their familiar hallways and classrooms and head towards the vast and complicated college environment.

To the majority of students, college is an ominous presence sitting just a few years away but to some students, college is a very familiar location. A select few of St. Paul Academy and Summit School students have parents that work on college campuses, making college a less distant concept for them.

Sophomore Sarah Wheaton is especially immersed in the college world as both her parents work at separate colleges. Her mom works at the University of Minnesota as a career coach and has previously taught as an English Professor at Hamline University. Her dad is the Vice President of Finance and Administration at Macalester College.

Wheaton says that her daily life is unaffected by her parents profession but she is still connected to both colleges.

“I usually go to graduation at both schools if my schedule permits because it’s a big deal for

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Sarah Wheaton SOPHOMORE SARAH WHEATON enjoys a fall picnic for the Carlson School of Management with her mom, a career coach at the University of Minnesota. “[Having parents that are professors] is both a blessing and a curse,” she said.

my parents and I want to support them,” Wheaton said.

Junior Emma Taussig is also the child of two professors. Her dad is a Professor of Law at Hamline University and her mom is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota.

“I spend very little time on campus,” Taussig said. “I think I’ve only been with my dad to work once or twice. When I was younger, I would go to the U of M with my mom more often. When I was there I would usually hang

out in her office, her colleagues’ offices, or in the graduate student lounge.”

Though Taussig only occasionally spends time at her parent’s work places, she does travel with them more frequently to out of state conferences. “At conferences I sit in talks, babysit other professors children, and hang out with my friends who are professors or graduate students who I only see once in a while, and explore the campus the conference is at,” Taussig said.

Students’ involvement in their parents’ work lives is only half of the interaction. Their parents also play an active part in their academic life. “Since my mom taught English, she’s always willing to look over my papers or discuss literature with me,” Wheaton said.

Taussig also sees advantages with having parents who teach at a college. “My parents give me great feedback on all my school work, especially in history, English, and science, seeing as my mom is a cultural/medical anthropologist and my dad teaches constitutional law,” she said. “They also know about the college admissions process which takes a lot of pressure off.”

Wheaton often talks about her English papers with her mom but does not feel more attached to English than other subjects, despite her mother’s work as a professor. “Maybe I was exposed to more literature as a young child and that has helped my reading and writing, but it’s not like I favor English over other subjects,” Wheaton said.

Though Wheaton is not completely attached to her parents work, some students of professors have their parents’ subject as a central part of their life. Soph-

omore Matt Suzuki’s mom works at Macalester college with the title DeWitt Wallace Professor of Asian Language and Culture. “I am fluent and literate in Japanese because of my mom who teaches that language,” Suzuki said. Suzuki grew up speaking Japanese and often speaks the language at his house.

Though these students already have connections to their parents’ workplaces, they still have to make an informed decision about where they would like to go to college. “My parents have said I have to apply to Macalester because it would be free for me to go there, but it’s always been made very clear that I can go to any school I want,” Wheaton said.

When Taussig was asked if she felt obligated to attend one of her parents’ schools she said, “I kind of feel the opposite...but I’ll likely apply to them anyways.”

Although having a parent as a professor can have a variety of effects on the life of an average student, from providing greater exposure to college campuses to increasing knowledge on their parent’s subjects, like most students, Wheaton believes “[Having parents that are professors] is both a blessing and a curse.”