January/February 2023

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Hello SMCHS Student Body!

As we turn from the holiday months to the (still winter!) months of this year, I call to mind often the old saying: When the days begin to lengthen, the cold begins to strengthen. Despite the often inclement weather, we, as a school, do have several things to which we can look forward. We are nearing the end of the third quarter, calling to mind for any individual, regardless of grade level, the question of “What next?” Spring is (fingers crossed) just around the corner, carrying with it a surge in school activity. As we look forward, we should also continue to look back, reflecting on past experiences, positive and negative, and learning and growing from them, in order to end this school year well and start the next with a bang!

Fiona Kelly Editor-in-Chief

OUR EDITORS

FIONA KELLY Editor-in-Chief

EVA RYKOWSKY Social Media

MARGARET KATHOL Feature Editor

NATE LETTEER Opinion Editor

SAM HUNTINGTON Co-Opinion Editor

MAKENZIE MILLS Activities Editor

OUR WRITERS

Daniel Wojciehowski

Hannah Koch

Kylie Aus

Marie Wilson

Rory Milbradt

Libby Kadrmas

Liam Turman

JULIANNA LENGOWSKI Entertainment Editor

ELI DAVIS Co-Entertainment Editor

EVA STEIER Religion Editor

MAJA DOJS Layout Editor

BELLA SLETTELAND Co-Layout Editor

OUR MISSION

Here at Messenger, we love to see the groups of people huddled around our paper, the proud smile when students read articles about themselves, and the slight laughs as students make fun of our bad attempts at jokes. Our mission at the Messenger is to produce a quality newsletter that provides insight into SMCHS by featuring our own students and their accomplishments and goals.

ON THE COVER

The iconic pennants of the Saint Mary’s Carnival!

CONTACT US

Instagram: SMMessenger

Email: smmessenger@locstudents.org

READ IT ONLINE

https://issuu.com/smmessenger

LAYOUT

Kayla Hilzendeger

Kerstin Hilzendeger

The 8th Annual Talent Show

Thank you FBLA for sponsoring and organizing this year’s talent show!

THE RESULTS:

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

3

Why Do We Serve?

A look into the service St. Mary’s does for the community

5

The Future of Cryptocurrency

A student’s observations and predicitons for the future.

Performing: Evermore from The Beauty and the Beast

Katherine McLeod

Performing: Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys

Monica Gardner

Nate Letteer

Allison Bleth

Performing: Collide by Howie Day

Damien Hartze

Once again, thank you to all of the acts who helped make this talent show a success!

Nate Letteer, Libby Kadrmas, Daniel Wojciehowski, Natalie Kincaid

Monica Gardner, Nate Letteer, Allison Bleth

Warren Tobias

Damien Hartze

Lejb Dojs, Joey Churchill, Noah Voigt

Andrew Gardner

Allison Bleth

Noah Voigt

Katherine McLeod

6

Why Aren’t There More Films Made in North Dakota

The why and when to filming movies here in our home state.

7

Movie and Album Review

Review of Avatar: The Way of Water and Paramore’s This is Why

8

March for Life

An insight on both the Local and National March for Life.

Michelangelo’s Pieta

A student’s encounter with this amazing statue in Rome.

10

9 Senior Spotlight Highlighting the Girls’ Basketball Team

Why Do We Serve?

A look into the service St. Mary’s does for the community

| Margaret Kathol and Kayla Hilzendeger

For public schools in North Dakota, service hours are not required. But here at St. Mary’s, 12 hours are required a year. ‘Service’ is in our mission statement: “St. Mary’s Central High School seeks to form the whole person by assisting our students to encounter Christ, to pursue truth, and to have their hearts awakened in joyful and life-giving service to others.”

The reason for our school’s emphasis on service dates back hundreds of years. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40. I would like to point out that instead of saying brothers, Jesus said “least” brothers. He identifies himself with the most in need—the most sinful, sick, or weak people. Jesus intimately connects with these people, showing that each and every person has dignity. Our job is to see Jesus in those people in need and recognize their dignity. This is why service is so important. We want to imitate Jesus, the ultimate servant, in our life on Earth.

In Bismarck, there are multiple opportunities for using our time, gifts, and talents for service. One very prominent organization in our community is Ministry on the Margins, started in 2013. It was started by Sister Kathleen Atkinson, and is now run by her and the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation. These kind and caring sisters offer a food pantry, hospitality, prison-to-society support, Christian

Above: Ministry on the Margins is a local organization where SM Saints have been serving for years. This is such a fruitful way to give back to the Bsmarck-Mandan community!

worship, a night’s stay, and many other ministries every week. They run solely on volunteers and donations. In an interview with Sister Kathleen, I asked her why she thinks serving her community is important. She replied, “One, we are human beings and are meant to care for one another. We are plain created that way. Two, as Christians we are commanded to do that. It is even from grade school when we used to sing ‘They’ll know we are Christians by our love.’” Speaking on the best incentive is for volunteering, she reiterated the point that it truly is who we are created to be. “There’s the positive feeling; there’s the sense of purpose in seeing change being made. But I really do believe we are people that are meant to be in relationships with others not just for ourselves.”

The last thing I asked her was about volunteer opportunities for high school students at Ministry on the Margins. The food pantry is the main one, which is on Thursday evenings and Tuesday afternoons. Students also regularly assist with ice cream and bingo, activities that frequently need volunteers. These are not the only opportunities available, either. Sr. Kathleen went on to say, “We are very flexible in having people come and do things if students come up with a thing they like to do.” Yesterday, Ministry on the Margins hosted a Super Bowl party for the homeless.

Music at the Ministry

They also like to have small music groups come and perform, and the Ministry sets a posting about it online. “Music groups come in and can bring joy. We don’t think of that as something that people who are homeless miss—they enjoy the same things we do, we are just always cut off from them.” She said one music group from Legacy High School played at the Ministry instead of going to nursing homes. The people at the Ministry loved it, particularly as the students served cookies with the performance. I mentioned to Sr. Kathleen that, at St. Mary’s Central High School, there are a lot of musically gifted students and a few small bands, and she said the Ministry would love to have them. “People who are homeless and marginalized love it all.”

The Carnival

A common way that students get their service hours is through the Carnival. The St. Mary’s Carnival happens every year, and is popular among the entire city of Bismarck. Lisa Koch, the marketing manager for Light of Christ and one of the lovely people who makes the SMCHS Carnival happen, described the enormity of this task, saying, “It takes nearly 1,000 volunteers for the 3-day Carnival weekend. We are so grateful for the assistance of our students, parents, employees, teachers, parish members, and all of our community members who volunteer their time and talents to make each year a success—for 72 years now! We simply can’t have a Carnival without the entire team of volunteers, each year.” The Carnival itself fits in quite well with our school’s service values: “The Carnival began as a way to support building the SMCHS campus, so the Carnival—from the very beginning—has always been supporting the mission of our schools. 72 years later, it continues and now supports the mission of all 5 of our schools: Encountering Christ in our Catholic faith through living, learning, and serving!”

Opportunities

Abby Bohl, a student at SMCHS, interviewed by Kayla Hilzendeger, has volunteered in many places, such as the Buddy Walk, BEECEP, Ministry on the Margins, and her parish as a Eucharistic Minister. When asked what the most rewarding part of volunteering is, she said it is to help push herself to help those in need. “I think it is important to volunteer in the community to open your eyes and help appreciate what you have and to use what you have been given to help others who might not be as fortunate.” Abby recommends considering how your gifts and talents can help those in the community. She chooses volunteer opportunities like the kiddie carnival at the SM Carnival because she likes to interact with children. “This makes volunteering a lot more enjoyable and rewarding because you are using what you have been given to help others.”

Lastly, part of our service hour requirement at St. Mary’s is having one parish hour. While it may seem insignificant, churches also often run solely on volunteers and donations. By and large, every person who ushers, lectors, distributes communion, or cantors during mass is a volunteer. It is very easy to serve at your parish; it takes less than an hour to be trained to do any of the tasks at church. Simply call your parish and ask when you can be trained as an usher, Eucharistic Minister, lector, etc. Many churches are in need of more people to do these tasks, and would greatly appreciate more volunteers. Since everyone attends Sunday Mass anyway, you might as well be involved! This not only helps the parish, but also an individual’s feeling of belonging to the church community and their spiritual relationship with God. Connections are what make us human, and by starting works of service now, a life-long habit of helping others and showing the light of Christ can be created.

Every year, dozens of St. Mary’s students volunteer at the St. Mary’s carnival

The Future of Cryptocurrency

A student’s observations and predictions

| Nate Letteer

After the rise of cryptocurrency in the early 2010s, there has been much debate on how it will be utilized in the future. Some suggest that it will eventually crash, destroying the market and never gaining any real value. Others believe it to be the future of currency in the growing technological market. Although some crypto may fail, it is highly likely that a digital currency will be established as the standard legal tender in many first-world countries. Before continuing on it is important to understand that the value of cryptocurrencies is set, similar to anything purchased and sold on the free market. The predetermined supply of a certain coin gains value through demand. Since this value is not tied to anything physical, it needs to be backed by a tangible object if intended to replace physical currency. Another possible route that could be taken, which has already been implemented with some NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), is to tie crypto to a real physical object that you could obtain. The online reseller, StockX, launched a project in January called Vault NFT. They began selling these NFTs on their website but they were also attached to a high-value sneaker. This gave the buyer two options, they could either redeem the physical shoe by trading in the NFT, or they could hold it and sell it later all while StockX kept it in the vault. If something along these lines could be implemented with cryptocurrency then it could have the potential to become the standard currency.

AP Classes: A Review

| Julianna Lengowski

Knowing which classes to take can be difficult, especially when you are looking to boost your GPA with an AP class. I have taken 8/10 APs that Saint Mary’s offers, and I have decided to rank them based on overall enjoyment and workload. Not included: AP Computer Science Principles; AP Physics.

Psychology

Consistent schedule, manageable homework, very interesting, 10/10 teacher

U.S. History

Made me love history, helps a ton with writing skills, not hard, just pay attention in class

Environmental Science

(online)

Ecology but better, conceptually easy, a lot of work, need really good time management skills for the online APs

Literature and Composition

Learn why literature matters, more analysis, fiction

Fun projects, good feedback, nonfiction

(online) One of the most interesting APs; very conceptual; class is way harder than the national exam, a lot of work

Easier than Pre-Calc but you need to put in the effort to not fall behind; you get college credit for Calc I and II even if you don’t pass the national exam.

(online) Wouldn’t recommend unless chemistry is your passion… a lot of math

Why Aren’t There More Films Made in North Dakota?

| Bella Sletteland

Throughout the years, there have been very few movies made in North Dakota. Despite the beautiful landscapes of the Badlands and the idyllic small towns peppered throughout the state, there are only a handful of movies that are set in North Dakota. ND has several indie studios, but Hollywood never quite reaches all the way up here to the flyover states. Why is that? Doesn’t North Dakota deserve to have a little more representation in the blockbusters? Do we really need yet another movie set in New York City? I wondered about this and looked into the reasoning. Besides the complications of paying for travel, transporting equipment, and filming permits on locations, some states give tax breaks to film producers, drawing film crews to locations in states like New York, Illinois, and Georgia.

When thinking about movies set in ND, the first that comes to mind is Fargo. Fargo is a critically acclaimed dark comedy/crime drama starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, and Steve Buscemi. It was directed by Ethan Coen, was nominated for many awards, and won Best Leading Actress and Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards. Funnily enough, most of the film was not actually filmed in North Dakota. Most scenes were filmed on locations in Minneapolis. The only times the film crew ventured into the Peace Garden State was to shoot the winter scenes as the snow had melted in Minneapolis before they could shoot. They followed the snow line to the closest place, which was Grand Forks. Many North Dakotans were extras in the film for these scenes. Other films made in North Dakota are Wooly Boys, Boomtown, and A Different American Dream but they aren’t nearly as well known as Fargo. I had only heard of one of them, and never seen any of them.

It would be amazing to see more big films set in North Dakota but there is a significant reason why more aren’t. Many states have high numbers of films set in them because state governments will either fund film crews or provide

them with significant tax breaks. In California, filmmaking is a multibillion industry so programs like “Scene in San Francisco” provide refunds for up to $600,000 on filming fees paid to Californian cities. Illinois is also on the way to becoming a multibillion dollar film industry state as well, since the legislation of The Illinois Film Production Tax Credit program increased their breaks to a $500,000 cap. This legislation applies to Illinois residents and non-residents, attracting productions like The Batman to film scenes of Gotham on the streets of Chicago. Kentucky is the cheapest state in the US for filmmakers to film in, providing up to 35% tax breaks on spending. Many other states like Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Washington, and West Virginia also use legislation like this to attract the film industry to their locations.

It is understandable that North Dakota does not have a legislature to give tax breaks to filmmakers because the industry is not very present here, but that doesn’t mean that it's not a possibility in the future. Filmmakers could make use of North Dakota’s flat landscapes. Especially in independent and indie style films, open prairies and stretching landscapes are very popular locations for shoots. Medora is also a beautiful setting that has been used in several indie westerns, and could be so beautiful in a drama or dramedy. North Dakota is also a perfect setting for westerns and historical dramas, which is a dying genre that could be revived by a fresh setting.

I hope that more film companies move production into our beautiful state. It would be really inspiring to see more midwestern and North Dakota representation on the big screen. Although ND doesn’t have convenient tax exemptions and governmental funding for the film industry yet, that shouldn’t stop companies from diversifying the locations used in their movies.

Album Review “This is Why” from Paramore

This is Why by Paramore is the band’s first release in roughly six years, so the anticipation from fans was high. The band is always expanding and experimenting with their style, so fans weren’t sure what to expect. But when the first single “This Is Why” was released in September, the expectations for the new album grew. With its high energy and upbeat vibe, this album is the best we’ve heard from the band in a long time. The band is clearly trying something a little different (something they try to do with every new release) but it is still distinctly Paramore. Songs like the title track “This Is Why” and “The News” provide a fun upbeat vibe that makes you want to dance. Moments like “Big Man, Little Dignity” or “Liar” show a more mellow side of the band, proving their diversity. All of these elements mesh very well together and the album feels very coherent. My one critique is that the album lacks a certain amount of depth that we have seen in the band’s earlier work, something that would have pushed this album even further. Overall, This Is Why is a step in the right direction for the band and it lived up to the high expectations of the fans.

Avatar: The Way of Water

Avatar: The Way Of Water is the highly anticipated sequel to 2009’s Avatar. Being the highest grossing film of all time, Avatar left some big shoes to fill, but the second installment in the series did not disappoint. Arguably better than the first, Avatar: The Way of Water is visually stunning. Fans were skeptical of the three hour and twelve minute run time, but the film did not waste a second. The movie always keeps the watcher entertained, and the visuals make it hard to look away. While it was certainly beautiful and engaging, the plotline leaves a few unanswered questions, hopefully questions that will be answered in future installments (the creator has confirmed multiple sequels). Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana (Jake Sully and Neytiri) give wonderful performances and really sell the movie, and once again, the visuals and CGI are stunning. The movie has already become the 4th highest grossing film of all time, taking over the place of Spider-Man: No Way Home, making a total of $2.024 billion. Anyone who has not taken the time to see this film is missing out on one of the best releases of last year.

Eli Davis and Julianna Lengowski

March for Life

National March | Eva Steier

The annual March for Life pilgrimage has been a longstanding tradition here at SMCHS. Every year, students brave the January weather and cramped bus ride to go to our nation’s capital and march for the protection of the unborn. Even with decades of Saints having gone before us on the same pilgrimage, this year was a little bit different. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade last June, many states are beginning to institute laws that protect the unborn and aid mothers in difficult pregnancy situations. While this is a huge leap in the right direction, the culture of Americans remains divided in their recognition of the human rights of an unborn child. Amidst this division, it was inspiring to see so many young people at the March for Life. People from different states, different faiths, and different backgrounds coming together to fight the same battle. Their example is what can change culture for the better. While there are great movements happening, the future is yet to be decided. One thing for certain is that the SM Saints will continue to support the Pro-Life movement, whether holding our banner high at the National March for Life or supporting loudly in our own community.

Local March | Fiona Kelly

Hundreds of students and citizens of Bismarck alike gathered on the Capital grounds Friday, January 20 to show their local support for the pro-life movement. Echoing the annual March for Life in D.C., the local March is a more accessible alternative. Priests and clergy, as well as members of the Right to Life movement, spoke to the gathered crowd on a distinctly recurring theme: action behind words. Arguments and professions of belief in regards to the right to life are not inherently evil; if anything, they are generally good. However, when no action accompanies these words, they are rendered shallow. A common misconception, when the subject of action is brought up, is that it needs to be drastic, violent action. On the contrary, most action involves small choices, made on the daily, to respect the dignity of life. This was an ecumenical event, with officials from multiple denominations speaking and attending. It was a display of North Dakotan unity in support for the dignity that is inherent in every human person.

down its cupola, I finally was able to take in the beauty of inside the world largest church: Saint Peter’s Basilica. Walking with a newfound friend, I gazed up at the beautiful artwork on the ceiling and the many altars, reading their descriptions and trying to decipher their meanings together. There is an area to the right of the main entrance that is curtained off. We venture over, squeezing past some other visitors and there it is, Michelangelo’s Pieta. Carved out of creamy marble, this life-size statue is protected in a glass case, which has been there since the 1970s when a visitor attacked it. It is a depiction of Mary holding the body of Jesus, just taken down from the cross. The Pieta was familiar to me because there was a replica in my school, but it was completely different seeing the original and knowing its story. Sadly, I was not able to stay long at the time because there was so much to explore. Thankfully, later that day, I was able to discover more about this sculpture and learn about how the Pieta is a symbol of compassion and openness to God’s call.

I was able to take a tour a few hours later and my chaplain gave a further description of the statue. He described

carved his name on the sash of Mary and it was one of the mistakes he regretted for the rest of his life. He also mentioned artistic choices that Michelangelo made. For example, Mary seems to be barely holding on to the body of Jesus. It is as if, at any moment, Jesus’ body would fall and it would be up to the viewer to catch it. Her arms are open to whatever God has in store for her next. This depiction of Mary shows how the Faith is my duty to take up and be responsible for. No one else is in charge of my relationship with Jesus, and I must be open to whatever God calls me to do. This is what I gathered from this wonderful sculpture. Even though the message of being open to whatever God has in store has been told to me countless times before this, I finally was able to understand it in a new way. It was no longer a repetitive phrase from a boring homily or religion class, but an actual duty on my part. The sorrow that Mary shows in this piece gives it another level, as if she is begging me to take up this relationship, dive deeper into my faith, and be open to whatever God has in store for me. I am so thankful for the opportunity to visit and experience this statue.

20 23 20 23 SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

Lydia Spies Mykie Messer

MESSENGER: What was your fondest memory of playing on the basketball team?

LYDIA SPIES: My fondest memory of playing on the basketball team was beating BHS to go to state my freshman year. It felt so great to play in such an important game for the program.

M: What has made you stick with playing basketball for this long?

L: Basketball has been my favorite sport for as long as I can remember. It’s also the sport I’ve played the longest, so I’ve stuck with it because I love my teammates and the life lessons it teaches me.

M: Do you plan on continuing to play basketball beyond High School?

L: I’m blessed to have the opportunity to play beyond high school, but I am still 50/50 about continuing my basketball career because I want to end on a good note.

MESSENGER: What was your fondest memory of playing on the basketball team?

MYKENDRA MESSER: My fondest basketball memory would be playing in the state tournament my freshman year. Having overnight tournaments with the team is always a fun way to have team bonding and making it to state was such a fun experience to have.

M: What has made you stick with playing basketball for this long?

M: My friends are honestly the reason why I have played basketball for as long as I have. We have been playing basketball together from the very beginning, creating good team chemistry and a bond on the court that is unbreakable.

M: Do you plan on continuing to play basketball beyond High School?

M: I do not plan on continuing my basketball career in college. I want to focus on my academics, but basketball will still be a huge part of my life.

Girl’s Basketball Seniors

Gabi Mann

MESSENGER: What was your fondest memory of playing on the basketball team?

GABRIELLE MANN: The bus trips and team camps. Specifically, my favorite bus trip would definitely have to be on the way up to Watford City last year. Although we came back with a very unexpected loss, we came back with some even funnier memories...and some angry coaches.

M: What has made you stick with playing basketball for this long?

G: Definitely the second family this team has been. We experience discipline together, and it is not easy, but we all understand what it takes to make a team. Everyone has each other’s backs at all times and it is very evident.

M: Do you plan on continuing to play basketball beyond High School?

G: I do not plan on playing collegiate basketball in the future, but definitely plan on doing some intramurals. Although basketball has been very good to me, it has to come to an end sometime, and I am very excited to focus on a new chapter in college.

Interviews By: Makenzie Mills