The Spectrum Newspaper April 2022

the

SPECTRUM

“Your Voice in Print”

blakespectrum.org

Issue VI

Friday | April 29 | 2022

The Blake School

Legacy Day 2022 Celebration, Service, Reunion, Fun

Allyson Jay

Cleo Kilpatrick

Allyson Jay

Left: Ribbons tied to the fence near the building site of the new Early Learning Center. Students wrote messages of what makes them happy and what it means to be a Blake student on these ribbons. Top right: Sabeen Siddiqui ‘31 (left), Yana Sharma ‘31 (center left), Irene Shaw ‘31 (center right), and Audrey Anderson ‘23 (right) hold a fabric collage that was later donated to a local Afghan refugee family. Bottom right: William Anderson ‘23 (left) and Andrew Richardson ‘23 (right) take a brief break from their basketball game during recess.

Students react to community, lack of service

“I like seeing all of the little kids and middle schoolers in the same building. I think it’s really cool to have a day where everyone can come together.”

-Petra Ekstrom ‘24

“I don’t think we did much service.

The wall collages were cute but they’re also not [meeting the refugees’] priorities.”

-Molly Liston ‘22

“My group packed food for a short time. Each person in my group packed one bag of food.”

-Davandre Campbell ‘25

“In terms of community service, this year’s Legacy Day was the least productive that I’ve ever been a part of.”

“We didn’t really do a lot of service.

It felt more of like a photo opportunity than anything.”

-Ruby Arlowe ‘23

-Price Glover ‘24

Global Programs West Virginia Trip Explores Appalachian Healthcare Students, teachers visit Williamson, WV, aid healthcare crisis Sam Tomczik | Contributing Writer

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s part of the Blake global immersion program 14 students, from grades 9 through 11, traveled to Williamson, West Virginia chaperoned by Scott Hollander, English teacher, and Dion Crushshon ‘88, Director of Global Programs.

As stated by Hollander, “In Williamson, there’s a great need.” Williamson lies in Mingo county, a county plagued by over 50% unemployment, as well as the

ongoing opioid epidemic.

“West Virginia is a place I wouldn’t choose to [vacation]... I wanted to help people, the clinical work was part of the choice [to go],” says junior Rishabh Balachandran ‘23.

During their time, students visited rehab centers and worked in health clinics as well as tended to in-home health care visits which remained, “consistent with the global program’s vision” according to Hollander. In addition, he recounts an in-home health care provider as “heroic.

She knew [her patients] and was able to give [patients] a kind of care that was purposeful and loving.”

Balachandran shared that the trip furthered his un-

Submitted by: Dion Crushshon

Sofia Perri ‘23 uses a stethoscope with a young boy from West Virginia. Perri reflects on her experience, “Not only did we learn so much about how to practice healthcare, but also about how to interact with patients and about the community we visited. We learned a lot from the people through talking with them about their life stories and their culture in Appalachia.”

derstanding of the opioid crisis in particular, recalling the time the students spent at a live-in-rehabilitation center saying, “It was really impactful because a lot of these people had really tough childhoods. To see how people are recovering and to see the damages that the opioid epidemic has done to this community was really impactful.”

Balachandran also summarizes that the rehab center demonstrated that opioid addiction can happen to anyone, “There was a guy who was 53 and got shoulder surgery and was put on opioids and got addicted.

That drove into our heads that this can happen to anyone of us… [Furthermore,] one man used to be a pro-

Milo the plant had a tough time with COVID-19 when he couldn’t be watered regularly due to his caretaker not being at school every day.

As a figure skater, alpine ski racer, and lacrosse player, Ava Pihlstrom has attained her fair share of sports accomplishments.

Although Romare Onishi ‘25 hates the price changes at the vendies, he continues to buy the Twizzler Nibs.

Science & Tech: Page 5

Sports: Page 6

Food: Page 15

MMA fighter, and another had a master’s degree. You may assume they’ve done nothing with their lives, but they’re good people who just got into bad situations.”

Like Balachandran, Hollander stressed the impact of being able to see these problems up-close: “The students on the trip heard a lot about the opioid crisis and more importantly, heard actual people telling actual stories of how it has horrendously affected their lives.”

Leyla Lyu ‘25 concurs that she felt a heightened sense of gratitude and encourages “people at Blake to be thankful for what they have because many people don’t have necessities that we take for granted.”

STUDENT NEWS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 2

Atreyus Bhavsar: Thinking Outside the Box

Rowan Wallin: Managing Editor, News Editor Allyson Jay: Managing Editor, Features Editor Zoey Ueland: Student Life Editor Amelia Bush: Arts and Culture Editor Cleo Kilpatrick: Sports Editor Sofia Perlman: Science and Technology Editor, Persepctives Editor James Prince: Online Editor Evan Vezmar: Opinions Editor Julia Zhang: Business Editor Editor Emerti: Noor Naseer, Maggie Seidel, Emily Rotenberg, Sage Marmet, Will Rosenblum Adviser: Anna Reid

STAFF WRITERS: Kaylee Chen, Ahan Devgun, Mackenzie Higgins, Gabi Marmet, Ainsley Pflaum, Kate Rekas, Andrew Richardson, Jason Rotenberg, Eva Stegic, Max Yousha, Yoni Zacks STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Elena Gill, Oscar Walsh STAFF ARTISTS: Julia Everett, Melody Lee, Zoe Florida BECOME A STAFF MEMBER: Contribute to the paper three times consecutively to be promoted to a staff writer!

JOIN SPECTRUM: Spectrum meets in room 351 during both lunches every Thursday. Please come if you are interested in writing, drawing, designing, or taking pictures for the newspaper.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Disagree with something that’s in the paper? Have an opinion you want to share? Like to draw editorial cartoons? Take a stand and speak out. E-mail letters or editorial cartoons to spectrum@blakeschool. org or deliver them to room 351. Please limit letters to 400 words.

MISSION STATEMENT: The primary purpose of the Blake School Spectrum is to report news and to explain its meaning and significance to our readers and the community. We hope to inform, entertain and provide a school forum for the unrestricted exchange of ideas and opinions.

STYLE STATEMENT: Spectrum uses Associated Press (AP) Styles as of the February 2020 issue.

Corrections: Page 4: Mackenzie Higgins’ last name spelled wrong on Jesse Wiliams’ photo credit Page 2: Noor Naseer’s last name spelled wrong, Emily Rotenberg’s last name spelled wrong Page 6: Jake Svenddal’s last name spelled wrong Page 7: Nam Truong’s last name spelled wrong, Elliot Kollar’s last name spelled wrong

treyus Bhavsar ‘22 took Regeneron Science Talent Research Fair (STS) by storm with his research study on the spread of macroscopic droplets through cough and respiration. It all began in March 2020 when Bhavsar decided to create a simulated cough and respiratory droplet spread in his basement as a response to COVID-19. The title of the project is The Spread of Macroscopic Droplets from a Simulated Cough With and Without the Use of Masks or Barriers, the study was later published in the peer review scientific publication, Public Library of Science (PLOS).

Bhavsar explains his research stating, “First, I built my own lab in my basement at home and then I recreated Blake’s cafeteria table dimensions and then I used a simulated cough model to simulate a cough so that I could see that droplet spread. So with the simulated cough

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Bernadette Whitely: Editor-In-Chief

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Bh avs

Issue 6 April 29 2022

support and I have to do a big thank you to

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The Blake School 511 Kenwood Pkwy

your peers and scientists and experts in the field but also lifelong friendships with amazing student scientists there. There are 40 other finalists there and you really get to bond with them and spend a lot of time with them and learn from one another.” He also commented that t h e

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Amelia Bush | Arts and Culture Editor

model, I would first fill a small balloon with a small volume of diluted fluorescent paint and then inflate that balloon with a small force until it bursts, through the mouth of the mannequin head that I built. Then I would turn off the lights and use a blacklight to observe any of the droplets on the surrounding surfaces.”

Not only did the research and trials take a lot of time and work, but getting his research published was equally as time consuming. Bhhavsar explains, “It was a long process but through that process, I learned a lot and some of the reviewers that I had were really supportive and encouraging while at the same time, critical of my research but you know it was just a really long process. It was my first time writing a research paper so there was a lot for me to learn and that was just a great experience for me to have.”

With his research, Bhavsar was able to make it to the finals of the Regeneron STS competition, he notes that the experience was, “an extremely special place to learn from

[Kjirste n ] W a l t Anderson and [Joe] Ruggiero and they have been extremely supportive. And really all my teachers because I couldn’t have been in STS finals without Blake’s education. I am just extremely grateful and privileged to be an STS finalist.”

Bhavsar currently doesn’t have any projects in the works but he explains, “[I] want to do more in the future about droplet spread whether that is for micro or macroscopic droplets… [I] really want to do another study.” bm itte

Science Compeition, community

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STAFF

comp e t i - Bhavsar with his felt i o n low science scholars was in- in DC. tense, with their days going from five in the morning to ten at night packed with scientific activities ranging from lectures and panels to presenting their own projects.

Bhavsar emphasizes, “[my] favorite part was the people. My fellow STS finalists. It’s hard to explain because they are just so amazing, like the community we built, everything

was Bhavsar explains his

amaz- project in detail. i n g .

I couldn’t ask for more.

But the best thing was the other finalists, amazing student scientists, really hard workers and dedicated people.” He also thanked the Blake community for his success adding “I have received so much

Zoe Goodwin Takes Team USA, Global Competition, Friendship Zoe Goodwin joins Team USA, talks friendship and teamwork Cleo Kilpatrick | Sports Editor

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his past year, Zoe Goodwin ‘24 joined Team USA’s Synchronized Figure Skating Team.

Goodwin explains her experience, “it’s been really fun but also very stressful because now we have all these eyes on us.”

Goodwin continues to say a stressful part is when, “people are like “oh my god how does it feel?”’ But Goodwin explains the fun part of being on the team is, “ I get to travel with my best friends…I get to do what I love…Overall it’s a good experience.”

Goodwin elaborates on the process of getting on the team, “I started with the Northernettes, that’s the organization I was in, I started on Novice in 2020 then, this year I cross skated on two different teams.”

The two teams she skat-

ed with this year were Novice again and Junior. Junior is a team that was able to qualify for Team USA. Goodwin says, “It was a very long process.” Her team traveled a lot for competitions and with COVID-19 it wasn’t easy. Goodwin explains, “we had to get so many COVID tests. We had to bring them with us, do video recordings of us taking the tests and send them in to officials.” She describes this whole process as being very intense.

Aside from the intensity, Goodwin’s favorite part of being on the team is being able to compete and travel with her friends.

Goodwin expresses, “When I am with all my friends I am not nervous.” The camraderie is partly why Goodwin chose synchronized skating over independent skating. She explains, “When you go out to compete you are by yourself, it’s nerve racking, and there’s a lot of things to do as an individual skater.” She continues to say as a synchronized skater there is, “one defined thing that you do and getting on the

ice for competitions you have all these amazing people and it’s just so much fun and you get to hype eachother up.”

Goodwin loves the support she receives from her teammates that she wouldn’t receive as an independent skater.

Although she misses a lot of school and doesn’t get to see her school friends as much, Goodwin doesn’t regret her decision of being a part of Team USA. She expresses, “it makes me so happy to do it, even though the consequences are missing school [and] missing time to hangout with school friends. It’s all worth it in the end.”

Submitted by: Zoe Goodwin

Goodwin and her team hold up the American flag. About making the team she notes, “We couldn’t believe it... It was unreal and it still doesn’t feel real.”

Submitted by: Zoe Goodwin

Team USA huddles pre competition. Goodwin notes that such camroderie is initially why she chose syncronized skating as opposed to individual. Flying on the ice and being with her friends makes it worth it.

STUDENT NEWS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29 2022 | 3

Students Take Polar Plunge, Raise Money for Cause Unified Programs merge communities Gabi Marmet | Staff Writer

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he Polar Plunge is the biggest fundraiser within Minnesota and supports the Special Olympics, with the mission of bringing awareness to inclusivity that the Special Olympics advocates for. The fundraiser supports people who have intellectual disabilities in finding opportunities on sports teams Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement Lisa Sackreiter, explains, “In addition to the team and competitions… that are available for athletes, [The organization] are also working within schools to create understanding and to make more unified communities where there’s no separation between those who have intellectual disabilities and those who may not.”

This year, Minnesota provided 22 events of the

Polar Plunge from early February and continues through March and April. Blake participated in the plunge on Mar. 12 at Lake Riley. In past years, Blake has had up to around 50 participants.

Donations are able to be made without participating in the plunge. With just 13 participants this year, Blake managed to raise over 6000 dollars. Blake is able to obtain half of the amount of money to use for unified programs that they want to offer; skiing, yoga, bowling, and bringing in speakers.

At the plunge, people are welcomed to a main area where people can grab their items, and they have 15-30 minutes to get changed and prepared before plunging. People are supposed to bring a dry pair of clothes, towel, bag for the wet clothes, and waterproof shoes, as it is necessary to wear shoes in the water. There are times when people plunge in fun costumes or coordinating outfits with their

Submitted by: Lisa Sackreiter

Director of Service Learning at Blake Lisa Sackreiter celebrates completeing the plunge at Lake Riley. This year the plunge was back in person, a cause for celebration.

teams to increase spirit.

After the plunge, there are heated tents where people warm up before changing into their dry pair of clothes.

Due to COVID-19 a virtual plunge was created for these past two years where people take a video of themselves plunging and post it to social media.

Last year, Blake participated in a virtual plunge at the middle school campus, in which people would line up and get a bucket of ice water dumped on their heads.

Sackreiter comments on what the true purpose of the Polar Plunge is explaining, “It is a money raising effort, but I think more than that, it’s about bringing awareness to ways to build inclusion and to be a more unified community.” In all, the Polar Plunge is a large fundraiser with the motive of building up people’s recognition and acknowledgement of the Special Olympics, and unifying communities.

A Break from Blake’s Bubble through Semester Abroad Programs Study away programs foster independence outside Minnesota Julia Zhang | Business Manager

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tudents at Blake have various opportunities to study away from home throughout their time in the Upper School. Dion Crushshon ‘88, Director of Global Programs, talks about the various benefits to study away programs: “There is the independence that is gained and the involvement or inclusion in a new community outside of Blake that for many can be validating to [students].”

For people who have been at Blake their whole lives and have never been exposed to other schools and students, study away programs can be a break from Blake.

Crushshon

continues, “it is a nice way of understanding the world outside of the Blake bubble and it also actually helps [students] understand Blake more because if you’re just in the bubble, you don’t have anything to compare it to.”

All of the programs that Blake offers cater to different students.

A popular study away program is School Year Abroad (SYA), where students study in either Spain, France, or Italy.

Students who attend SYA live with host families, which Crushshon says “provides a deeper understanding of the culture and how other people live in these countries.”

In Swiss Semester, another popular international program, students live in apartments and engage in outdoor activities with other students from the United States.

Vivien Pihlstrom ‘25, who will be attending Swiss Semester next year, explains, “they have a lot of skiing and

I ski race, which was definitely a big incentive for me. They also have hiking, rock climbing, and other athletics. The destinations too; you are in Switzerland for a majority of it and then Venice and other places around Europe.”

Philstrom also notes she’s “looking forward to the independent aspect of it. You don’t get to use your phone at all, so it will be interesting to go through mountains without any [outside] human contact.”

There are many study away programs in the United States to choose from if students don’t want to travel abroad.

One of these is the High Mountain Institute (HMI) in Colorado.

Liam Saldanha ‘23, who attended HMI last semester, remarks “[The program] didn’t fall into that high school cliquey type experience that Blake sometimes does. We did a lot of expeditions, which were trips out backpacking, and there you got to know everyone so well.

A big part of it was

the relationships with everyone there and knowing everyone truly, instead of just being friends.” Liam recounts a specific memory at HMI: “on the last day, we had been trekking through the Utah desert and dropped down into a canyon. There was a lot of shade and a bunch of shallow potholes for water and they had ice in them, which was very weird because we were in the middle of the desert. We just spent an hour throwing ice at each other.”

Students who are specifically interested in studying political science can attend the School of Ethics and Leadership in either Washington, D.C. or Johannesburg for a semester.

Crushshon comments that students are “surrounded by politicians and people trying to create change in the [United States].

It’s not for everyone; it is highly intellectual and highly rigorous, but if you are really into [government], that’s about the best place.”

Cleo Kilpatrick

Submitted by: Ava Pihlstrom

Submitted by: Liam Saldanha

Top left: Studennts sit in the Junior Lounge on phones, a lack of screens is an incentive for some students to leave home. Top right: Ava Pihlstrom ‘22 stands on top of a mountain during her time on Swiss Semester, her sister Vivien Pihlstrom will also attend. Bottom: Liam Saldanha (middle) with friends, away programs are found to help expand one’s experiences and relationships.

Upper School Takes On Prom Bernadette Whitely | Editor-in-Chief The Junior-Senior Prom was held on Saturday, April 23 from 8:30 to 10:30 at the Muse Event Center in the North Loop. Although a formal dinner was not served, beverages, snacks, and desserts were available throughout the night. For seniors, this was their first and last prom due to COVID-19 restrictions over the past few years. Therefore, prom served as an opportunity for the students to come together and celebrate, providing a sense of normalcy. For safety, students were not allowed to leave before 10:00. However, once the doors opened, many groups left as soon as they were able.

Bernadette Whitely

NEWS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 4

Debate Tournament During Prom Leaves Upperclassmen Salty Senior debaters never had opportunity to attend prom Cleo Kilpatrick | Sports Editor

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his year prom is the same weekend as the big national debate tournament and many members are peeved due to the overlap. Sofia Perri ‘23 expresses her thoughts about having to miss prom, saying, “I’m kinda bummed, I’m a junior so hopefully I’ll get it next year.” Although Perri will have another chance to attend prom her senior year, the class of 2022 isn’t as lucky.

Senior Keaton Rannow ‘22 explains his disappointment by stating, “I’m not too thrilled, considering we did not have prom junior year.” Last year prom was canceled for the entire school due to COVID-19. Seniors on the debate team will not get to experience a classic high school prom. Wyatt Dayhoff ‘22 agrees by disclosing, “I’m kind of conflicted if I would even want to go to prom and how fun it will be in comparison

Submitted by: Sofia Perri

From left to right is Davin Kahn ‘24, Sofia Perri ‘23, Graham Heathcote ‘22 and Nikko Kim ‘22. They are practicing their speeches before performing in the tournament.

to the tournament.” Dayhoff explains one of the many factors in his decision when saying, “It’ll be the last time I ever debate, probably pretty

sentimental, [and] to miss out on that would be a pretty big loss.” The debate team has been preparing for this tournament all year and a big part of

being in debate is that you have an obligation to your teammates.

Rannow goes on to clarify the reason the team is having to miss prom. He explains, “[We’re doing] like a staycation. [We’re going] to a hotel in Minneapolis so that we can all stay together to debate and prepare. I don’t think any of the rounds necessarily conflict with prom itself but just the prepping conflicts with it.” The students are still debating online over Zoom, but instead they are doing it together in the same place.

It is irritating for many debaters that they are missing prom due to prep time instead of actually debating.

Perri explains the thought process behind the choice stating, “They’re trying to keep it as real or as close to past years as possible.” Even though debate causes some students to miss out on key school events, Rannow believes it’s still worth it to be a debater, he says, “It’s affected my high school experience but if anything in a positive way.”

Amelia Bush | Arts & Culture Editor

Rowan Wallin | Managing Editor

On Friday, April 15, Anna Tao ‘25 lit up the language wing with her bright and charismatic performance of several Taylor Swift songs during La Fête de la Musique. A crowd of students came to support her and sang along while waving their flashlights in the air to the beat of the music.

Tao commented “It was a really safe environment, it was nice. This was my first time [singing] in front of people I don’t know so that was kind of nerve wracking.” With her dynamic energy, everyone left with a smile on their face and Taylor Swift songs lingering in their minds.

On Friday, April 22, Upper School thespians directed and performed their own short plays. The pieces range from comedies to dramas and everything in between. Kimora Collins ‘23 has directed her play called, “Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere” which, “Is about life in an office place. It is a drama that talks about passion in an office with interesting power dynamics and other problems that can be seen. It is really interesting and I chose it because it felt like something I wanted to talk about more. It’s about 10 minutes long and goes by pretty fast.”

Inflation Manifested in Students’ Lives Due to Global Events Gas, clothing prices affect young adults considerably Rowan Wallin | Managing Editor

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nflation has been increasingly prevalent and noticeable in America for the last two years. While the COVID-19 pandemic initially spurred inflation, the Ukrainian-Russian conflict only worsened it. In regards to the UkrainianRussian conflict, although it may seem distant and far from most Americans, it is directly impacting many, especially when it comes to filling up your car’s tank.

Gasoline prices have sky-rocketed all over America. According to GasBuddy, from 2015 to 2019, gas prices tended to stay between the two to three dollars per gallon range. From 2020 to now, it is extremely rare to find anything below three dollars per gallon.

Most gas stations are priced around four dollars per gallon, something the average American surely cannot afford.

Upperclassmen who drive, however, do notice inflation when they fill their gas tanks. Elle Sovell ‘23 says, “The gas prices are astronomical. Time to invest in electric cars.”

Some students, depending on their age, feel little to no consequences of inflation. When asked how inflation affects him, Frank Nutsford ‘24 says, “Not very much at all.” However, he does notice “the prices around me be-

ing higher than usual.” Nutsford goes on to say, “Environmentally, Biden was wise, but overall for Americans it probably was not the smartest decision.”

Jojo Arlowe ‘25 also notices the increased prices, she states, “Everything is more expensive, like clothes, which makes them harder to buy.”

Milton Friedman, renowned economist, describes inflation best in his 1963 book Inflation: Causes and Consequences when he says, “Inflation is caused by too much money chasing after too few goods.” With COVID-19, European war, and America’s dependence on foreign oil, oil is scarce in America. As a result, prices climb and students’ ages determine whether they feel it more or less.

Rowan Wallin

The Holiday station on the corner of Vernon and Interlachen in Edina is bustling with cars.

Rowan Wallin

Gas prices are rising higher than ever, especially at this Speedway gas station in Richfield.

This customer had to spend 87 dollars for just a little over 19 gallons!

SCI-TECH | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 5

Daylight Savings Proved Inconsistent P l a n t s Sunshine senate on March 15th Although Florida Pro- the 2022, meaning the the next Senator Marco Rubio A r o u n d tection Act will time we spring forward, believes that the bill’s never fall back, effects will prevent seasonal negatively affect we’ll erasing the clock confusion depression in children by School that tends to plague giving them more time to Minnesota American households.

Charlotte Opp | Food Editor

All pho to s

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by Ch ar l

te ot p Op

This plant is located in the back of the library on the windowsill by all the books. This long-limbed plant is named Simon and has survived through COVID-19 when he couldn’t be watered every day. Due to Simon’s location, he receives lots of beautiful sunlight throughout the day.

Simon is a type of snake plant which can be characterized by its long leaves with short spikes on the side.

This plant’s name is Milo and he also resides on the windowsill in the back of the library by the books. Milo has short and pale leaves with ridges on the side making him a snake plant. Milo had a tough time with COVID when he couldn’t be watered regularly due to his caretaker not being at school every day. This has led to Milo’s paler leaves, but he is hopefully on the way to recovery!

he general idea of daylight savings time is originally credited to Benjamin Franklin, in 1784. It was introduced primarily in the midst of World War I to conserve electricity, much to the protests of farmers, who argued that their world revolved around the sun, not an arbitrary clock system.

With the invention of sunrise standard time, a system with clocks that continually and gradually adjust their speed, running faster in the spring.

Although operating under the same rules as our current time system, the sunrise standard clocks seconds shift to being slightly longer or slower, depending on the time.

These clocks will be used in The Sunshine Protection Act, which was unanimously approved by

Quality sleep, better mental health, brought by reading

This plant lives on the windowsill in the library by the stairs. This plant doesn’t have a name, but looks like it’s a type of evergreen. It’s still young and growing up, so I’m excited to see how it will look in a month.

App Finch Benefits Mental Health

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here are plenty of apps out there all with intentions to help better the users’ life. Meditation apps like Headspace, advice apps like Co-Star, to name a few, but one app that stands out

penguin. Every time the app is opened, a question pops up that asks you how you are doing. The user can click an emoji that best represents their mood and then the full app opens up.

Each day you can set goals which consist of taking walks, giving compliments, cleaning up and much more.

Different sections of the app have more options to help with your mental health. The aid tab holds

Melody Lee

is Finch.

Finch is a mental health app that motivates the user to do positive things for their mental health through a cute customizable

However, in Minnesota, this creates a different problem. While we are already used to rising in the dark during the winter months, the sun will not rise until eight in the morning, for the winter months, eventually creating one hundred days without early morning sunlight.

And while The Sunshine Protection Act hurts us in the winter, we won’t get to reap any rewards in the summer, with similarly timed early sunrises and sunsets.

winters are frigid, and no one wants to be out there, unless it is necessary. Not only does the bill do little for Minnesotans, it could have negative side effects, with long dark mornings that have been attributed to worse mental health, as well as seasonal depression. Alongside the mental health risks the bill carries, doctors also fear potential health risks as human bodies struggle to adjust to the sudden changing daylight hours in the winter.

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he mindless scroll on TikTok, Instagram, or ESPN… moments merge into sleep-deprived minutes which ultimately result in tiresome mornings.

There is, however, a solution to the seemingly insurmountable feat of teenage exhaustion: reading before bed.

lead to a more restorative sleep.

A study conducted by Cognitive Neuropsychologist Dr. David Lewis at the University of Sussex found that reading before bed was the leading remedy for stressed adults.

The study quantified that reading before bed yielded a 68% reduction in the stress levels of the adults in question, compared to only 61% reduction for those that listened to music and 42% for those that took a walk. The adults in the study only needed to read for 10

reading [...] are 2.5 times less likely to develop the Alzheimer’s Disease.” As such, reading not only reaps immediate benefits of mitigating stress but also future protection against disease.

Moreover, the aforementioned article affirms that reading before bed creates the ideal mental environment for the most restful and restorative sleep. Reading before bed as a habit establishes healthy norms surrounding sleep-cycles and enables your body to relax prior to falling asleep.

As with any new habit, discipline is required, but oftentimes well worth the mental fortitude. In the case of reading prior to sleep, the physical, emotional, and social benefits present a direct argument in support of updating your evening routine. To begin, reading before bed has been scientifically proven to reduce stress, improve cognitive functionality, and

minutes to experience the anxiety-reduction benefits of this practice.

Furthermore, reading as an exercise improves cognitive functionality in people of all ages, and it provides long term health benefits. A 2001 study cited in a Medium article titled ‘The Science of Reading Before Bed’ attests that “people who engage their brains in activity such as

It is clear that reading before bed is the ideal preparatory activity before sleep. So, here are a few of my personal favorite novels to propel you in your new habitconstructing process: 1. “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson 2. “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover 3. “People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry

Maggie Seidel | Editor Emeritus

Amelia Bush | Arts & Culture Editor

Zoe Edinburgh

Student athletes practice while it is still light outside.

Reading Before Bed Improves Sleep

This plant is unnamed, but lives in a very unique pot in the library. The plant was recently planted and hasn’t grown very much yet.

Librarian Kali Olson states, “some students just bring in plants with various creative pots.”

This plant looks like it’s a Sansevieria, but there’s no way to know yet. Many of these plants have also been split to create another individual plant which was likely the case for this mystery plant.

App interface, design promotes wellbeing

play outside, Minnesota’s

Winnie Ulland | Staff Writer

a collection of activities to help the user when they are in a tough place mentally, an act of kindness tab, soundscapes, movements, breathing exercises, quizzes,

reflections, and journal prompts.

Everything is saved to the app so you can go back and read through your past journals, see your quiz results, and look at how your check-ins have been recently. As previously mentioned, there is also a penguin. After completing a couple of activities, the penguin will gain energy and go on an “adventure.”

The penguin will be gone for seven hours and in order to get it back faster, you have to do more activities.

This helps the user have motivation for doing good things for themselves. When the penguin gets back it will tell a story about its adventures and you can have a quick conversation with it.

The bright color scheme makes it pleasant to look at, and the concept of the penguin is a fun motivator.

Overall, anyone that wants to get into journaling, meditating, wants to help their mental health, will be able to find benefits in Finch.

Maggie Seidel

SPORTS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 6

Athena Award Winner

Awarded to female who exhibits great athleticism, academics

Pihlstrom describes the nomination and achievement of the award, “I think I’m very honored to be nominated and also win just because there’s so many great

part of the all-conference honorable mention hockey team twice, an all-state academic, and was awarded the Best Hockey Defensemen award. Blum mentions that being on Evan Vezmar | a sports team Opinions Editor has taught her that “it’s really instrumental to very year Blake be a team playawards the Athena er so you learn Award which is given to key things one female senior athlete like accountwho has shown great ability, respect achievement in athletics for your teamand academics. This year mates, respect the award was awarded for your coachto Ava Pihlstrom ‘22. As es. I think over a figure skater, an alpine the past couple ski racer, and a lacrosse of years I’ve player, Pihlstrom has had really grown her fair share of sports Winnie Ulland my leadership accomplishments. She is Pihlan all-conference and Pihlstrom performed in the 3rd annual skills.” all-state skier, was the Blake Figure Skating Show on March 12, strom adds, “I think I learned MVP of her ski team 2022. how to commuonce, and was the state champion in her junior senior female athletes nicate well with other year for alpine skiing. at Blake and it’s cool people and be a leadto be a part of er for the team. And that group.” even though most of the Julia Blum sports I play are individ‘22, one of ual sports, I think doing the nominees, it for my school brings agrees, explain- me closer to people on ing that “the my team and it’s a good people who environment to be in.” won it in the Multiple-sports athpast are who I letes who are very folooked up to… cused in both academics and [sports and sports, both Pihlare] some- strom and Blum explain thing I’m re- that getting work done ally passionate at school is the best way about so they to manage your time to are role mod- find a balance between els for me.” In school and sports. PiZoe Edinburgh her time parhlstrom plans to ski in or skate at Middlebury Pihlstrom going onto the field during ticipating the first half of the girls’ lacrosse game Blake athletics, College. against Holy Family.

Blum has been

March Mystery Athlete

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Remy Abraham | Contributing Writer

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his month’s mystery athlete is going to be competing in her second season with the Blake Girls Softball team. Her love for the sport started to develop at age seven when she played T-ball with her father who was a baseball coach and her brother who played baseball.

This athlete insists that the song “Funeral”

by Phoebe Bridgers is a big “motivation for her pregame rituals.” She also claims that the best pregame meal is a steak bowl from Chipotle and the best post game snack is tea from Tii Cup.

One of her team- ‘22 commented on their mates Julia Rasmussen leadership skills saying ‘23 acknowledged that that she is “really help“she’s really support- ful with the younger and ive” and since Rasmus- newer kids and keeping sen is completely new to everyone involved.” the team she also menThis mystery tioned that this athlete athlete says that the best “made the transition into thing about being a part the sport really smooth of the Blake Girls Softand easy” for her. Evie ball team is “the people, Doran ‘23 exclaimed fans, and good team dythat she has a “fun at- namic.” During the uptitude and the ability to coming season, this athbring up other people’s lete is going to learn spirits.” Since there are how to be a switch hitmany new additions to ter. Her typical positions Blake Girls Softball this on the field are 2nd base season, this athlete has and shortstop. stepped up to the plate becoming a very strong leader. Clare Wagner Bernadette Whitely & Rowan Wallin

Track and Field Team Continues to Grow in Different Ways Start of track season, team is looking strong Aanya Pandey | Contributing Writer

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he 2022 track and field season is off to a great start, with a huge turnout from both the middle and upper school students. After previous years with complications and challenges due to COVID-19, people are looking forward to a more normal season.

Captain Anisa Thompson ‘22, says, “It feels more normal this year, I know last year it was tough because of COVID, and we were split up differently i n t o groups.”

S h e also expresses, “ I ’ m really excited to be with everyone… and meeting new people.” The

upcoming season definitely comes with promising changes from previous years.

Last season, the program had changes in the

tionships and team culture.

Track and Field coach Maggie Bowman says, “We had a really new coaching staff last year. I feel like already this season, our

ended the season last year, so just to keep building on that, I’m really excited for that.” A strong team chemistry helps push teammates to meet their goals. Saleya

“We have a huge community of people that’s there to help push you in workouts, to cheer for you, to be a part of the experience.”

- Maggie Bowman coaching staff, and the team and coaches have established strong rela-

team, and our team culture, and our staff is already almost ahead of where we

Scott ‘25, says that her favorite part of the team is “everyone growing stron-

Cleo Kilpatrick

Senior and captain Luke Sugalski ‘22 throwing shot put during a rainy practice. Due to the weather Track and Field had their first meet cancelled on April 14, 2022.

ger together.”

With around 120 athletes enrolled, track and field has proven a popular choice for athletes both new and returning to the sport. Bowman states, “I think that having a large team comes with challenges, because athletes have to be a little bit more self motivated.” On the other hand however, she says, “we have a huge community of people that’s there to help push you in workouts, to cheer for you, to be a part of the experience.”

Cleo Kilpatrick

Betsy Fries

Jay Bowles ‘24, Matthew Sun ‘24, Hakuto Higuchi ‘24, Betsy Fries ‘22 and Sage Marmet ‘22 practice their block starts before meet day.

Carly Shoemate ‘22 does hurdle drills in preparation for meet at Minnehaha Academy on Apr. 23, 2022.

SPORTS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 7

Boys’ Tennis Team Express Goals, Hopes for 2022 Season A rebuilding year for the team after loss of many seniors last year fter a long, relaxing spring break, the boys’ tennis team quickly ramped up with tryouts and practices, soon after their official spring season started. Sam Leslie ‘24, one of four captains this year, describes his anticipation, noting,

“I definitely feel very excited about the upcoming season. I’m interested to see how the season will progress.”

In 2021, the team lost in the section finals to Edina, their longtime rival. Their last state title was won in 2018 (defeating Rochester Century in their first year in class AA). The year after that, they also fell to Edina in the section finals.

The team also suffered a major loss this year, losing seven seniors, including their

team fosters as there is camaraderie for grade gaps of 3 or more.” Will Mairs ‘23, a junior captain, adds, “I feel pretty good about the team dynamic this year, I already know some of the newer players just because they play in groups and stuff, so I feel good about the connections so far…It’s more just about figuring out the lineup and where the new players fit into it.”

Although both captains have high hopes for this season, they

acknowledge their impending challenges they will have to face. Mairs elaborates, “Edina is definitely going to be a challenge, every year they’re pretty unreal and we always play them in section finals.” Sai Buddi ‘25, who’s going into his second season, explains, “we lost a whole season because of COVID, so I think missing that was tough…but Orono is also good and is a really strong team, but they’re not in our section.”

Nevertheless, the

team remains optimistic and relies on their strong bond and connections in order to carry them far into the season. Leslie claims, “I definitely feel confident about this team, there seems to be good chemistry among kids within it…I think our first goal will be to go to state.” After three years of no state and a season of COVID cancellations in 2020, the boys team is ready to bounce back and begin their long-anticipated season.

Mairs and Will Rosenblum ‘22 playing first doubles vs.

Orono.

The team lost to Orono 1-6 at their match on Thursday Apr. 21, 2022. The match was at Blake on one of the first sunny days in April. Pictured: Varsity players cheering on their fellow teammates, while waiting for their matches to start.

Kai Chen ‘24 won his match playing first singles.

Mairs serves during doubles match with Rosenblum.

Allyson Jay | Managing Editor

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number one singles and doubles players, who “were definitely pillars for the culture of our team,” says Leslie. With the loss of numerous seniors, the team took in five fresh faces to fill their places, all of them being on the younger side. Leslie states, “with the loss of a large group of seniors the readjustment as a whole could seem polarizing. However, the team has been very adaptable and has fit well. I definitely love the cross-grade lines the

All photos by Allyson Jay

Figure Skating Team Performs Third Annual Show In one day the team put together their group routine for the show Yoni Zacks | Staff Writer

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n Saturday March 12, 2022, the Blake Figure Skating team had its third annual competition at the Blake Ice Arena. Twen-

ty three figure skaters performed both a group routine and their own routines.

The team, which is in its 3rd year of existence, was once again coached by Blake alumna Kelly Corcoran Smith ‘98.

Michelle Jiang ‘25, in her third year of skating at Blake, shared her favorite part of the experience: “Being able

to skate with people other than my club and my team, and instead getting to connect with the school community and the skating community.” Vivien Philstrom ‘25, also in her third year, added “My favorite part of the experience was probably just like the practice and the show we went through because a lot

of my friends who also skate at parade were there. You get to see other people’s programs which is cool.”

The show was also put together in one long day of practice.

Philstrom said that “We only had one day to choreograph and perform it, and I think we got there at 9 and had off-ice practice to cho-

reograph for an hour then we went on the ice to choreograph the rest of it and then we had time to warm up our routines. I think it took like 5 or 6 hours with breaks and then we had a 2 hour performance.”

Every skater has a different reason for skating. For Kate Austrian ‘25, it’s because

“I wanted to play hockey but my parents said no.” Philstrom started skating “because of my sister at Parade Ice Garden. My mom also skated there when she was younger”.

In the end, there was an amazing performance, and both Austrian and Pihlstrom plan on joining the skating team next year.

Winnie Ulland Left corner pictures Emi Goodwin ‘27, performing her individual routine. Top center pictured Kate Rekas ‘23 reciving applause from teammates and crowd after the show.

Winnie Ulland

Winnie Ulland

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!"#94%:(;/<(00%=;>%1.++/?(?(%3!4@A78 !"#9%:BC;%D()'B;;/%=;>%1BE+,%F/;2B+*(%3G78% Winnie Ulland Right corner pictures Sam Tomczik ‘25 peforming his independant routine for the show. Bottom center, the team is performing their group routine. Pihlstrom describes the challenge of figure skating, “Definitely the hardest sport that I’m doing now just because of the mix between the technical elements and the performance aspects.”

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INDEPTH | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 8

Editors Review Nosta Beloved Children’s Books Offer Learning Opportunities Allyson Jay | Managing Editor

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Allyson Jay

ike many of you, when I was a toddler, I was drawn mainly to picture books, specifically the ones authored by Eric Carle. I cherished the large but simple and colorful illustrations, easy-to-read writing, and most of all, the central theme of animals parading across the white pages of each of his books. When I first learned how to read, the book I gravitated to was “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” In this book, a single colorful animal fills each page, accompanied by the repeated narration of “What do you see?” along with the response from each animal foreshadowing the next. The animals range from, like the title suggests, a big brown bear and a playful yellow duck to a smiling green frog and a friendly blue horse. My parents would often read this book to me before I was able to, excitedly pointing to each animal, unable to spell out the black letters. Once I did learn to read, it was my go-to book that always put me in a cheery mood and of course, greatly expanded my vocabulary for colors and animals (although I could never pronounce “yellow” or “bird” correctly). And I don’t know why, but my personal favorite was always the blue horse.

Penn Tackles Separation, Maturity Rowan Wallin | Managing Editor

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f you are a true literature connoisseur, which I am, you likely have heard of “The Kissing Hand”

by Audrey Penn. This book tackles real-life contemporary issues regarding separation. When I was younger, my mother would read this book to me in my bed every night before the first day of school.

The protagonist, Chester Raccoon, was sad because he had to go to Rowan Wallin school; I identified with Chester in this way. To ease Chester’s pain, his mother kissed his hand so that Chester could look at his hand to remember her love.

I have vivid memories of my reliance on the comfort that this book brought me while I was away on the first day of school.

Although I cannot disclose the last time my mother had to read this book to me (due to reputational reasons), I can admit that if it hadn’t been for this book, I likely would not have acquired the education that I now hold.

Jeffers’ Fosters Love of Learning Evan Vezmar | Opinions Editor

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hen I learned to read at a young age, it quickly became the only thing I would do. Countless hours were spent reading picture books in our small family room as I raced through words at lightning speed. One book that really resonated with me, and still does today, is “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” Amelia Bush | Arts & Culture Editor he iconic childhood book series,

by Oliver Jeffers. Like me, Oliver, “Rainbow Magic,” follows two best the protagonist, loves books, but he friends as they meet different, colorful eats them instead of reading them. fairies and go on various fun-filled advenThe endearing and funny joke as tures. Each fairy they meet has a name I look back on it is that Oliver is that corresponds with their power. For literally consuming books, just as I example, there was Ruby the red fairy, Evan Vezmar was consuming them in a different Cherry the cake fairy, Katie the kitten sense. Then, the book was a lovable way to encourage me to read a lot fairy, and many more. Each fairy helped and to remind myself that reading was a past time that should be enjoyed, the girls solve their problems while the but now that I am older, I recognize the greater importance the book had girls helped with the fairies problems. on my life. “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” and his quest for knowlNot only did this book series add light edge as he ate books illustrates to me now that knowledge is power and and happiness into my life, but it was that it’s all right to want to be smart. Sometimes, curious children are also a great topic of discussion, leading labeled as nerds in school, but this book taught me otherwise and I hope to amazing friendships. now that my love for books and knowledge never fades.

Amelia Bush

Mystical Stories Inspire Connection

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INDEPTH | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 9

algic Childhood Books Hoban’s Book Inspires, Cultivates Discovery Zoey Ueland | Student Life Editor

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Zoey Ueland

s a young child, I adored books, the glossy covers, the thick pages, and the way my parents animated them as they read me a bedtime story. Like the creature of habit I am, I would make my parents re-read the same books to me, night after night. A favorite of mine was “Bread and Jam for Frances” by Russell Hoban. First published in 1964, the story chronicles Frances, a young badger who only likes what the title suggests, bread and jam. Despite her badger family as well as her best friend Albert enjoying a variety of foods for lunch and dinner including string beans, pickles, and soft-boiled eggs, Frances refused to consume anything besides bread and jam.

While Frances’ family’s love of veal cutlets and spaghetti and meatballs may not have rubbed off on me as I am a tried-and-true

vegetarian, the lesson of being open to trying new things influenced me at a young age. If nothing else, this book reminds me of home and undoubtedly toasted bread with jam.

Dr. Seuss Encourages Hope, Creativity Charlotte Opp | Food Editor

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Melody Lee

“Tilly Witch” Influences Sofia Perlman | Sci-tech & Perspectives Editor

Sofia Perlman

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s a child, having my parents read to me before bed was one of my favorite parts of the day. One book in particular I wanted to read over and over again was “Tilly Witch.” I read this book so many

rowing up I always gravitated towards Dr. Seuss books because I loved their imaginative stories, rhyming sentences, and colorful pages. One of my favorite Dr. Seuss books was “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” In this story, a little kid in a yellow outfit, portrayed as the reader, is venturing to many abstract places and meeting many different people. The book uncovers the vastness and mystery of the world around you. As a little kid the book made it fun to think of all the different possibilities in front of me. This book would (and still can) get me excited for any challenge I have in my life as it reminds me that no matter if I get scared or lost, there will be Charlotte Opp something worthwhile on the other side.

On top of the message behind the story, I love the colorful scenes and imaginative creatures Dr. Seuss comes up with to create an escape from the present through a more whimsical reality.

“Chester’s Back” Elevates Spirits Through Humor

times, that at some point I memorized the Cleo Kilpatrick | Sports Editor entire story line for line, yet I still insisted on reading it each night. Written by Don Freeman and published in 1969, “Tilly Witch” tells the story of a witch who forgot how to be mean, and can no longer frighten children on Halloween. She has to return to witch school to relearn how to be mean. Tilly’s story and the messages revolving non-conformity it carries have stuck with me from a very young age.

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Cleo Kilpatrick

hen I was little some books that always made me laugh were the Chester books by Mélanie Watt. These books were about a duel between Watt, the author, and a cat named Chester. The argument between them was always that Chester wanted the story to be about himself and would try to take over writing the book with his red marker. These books were filled with humor and joy. If I was ever in a bad mood, I would ask one of my parents to read me a book from the series. It always elevated my spirits, making me feel instantly better. These books would make both my parents and I laugh, even if we had read it many times. Even though these books didn’t really have a hidden message in them like most children’s books, they were still at the top of my list to read.

OPINIONS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 10

Educating Students on Current Events Dangers of the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill !"#$%&"'& ()%&*(+''

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ecently students have been flooded with news stories through social media, family and friend conversations, or perhaps even by reading the newspaper. It can be hard to know what sources to trust when discussing huge topics like the war in Ukraine and the latest findings about COVID-19. Big stories like these are important for everyone to understand, even younger kids.

So this leads us to the question: what role does school have with teaching young kids current events and which current events should be taught?

As busy young adults it can be easy to exist within our own daily routines, but it is crucial to understand the issues in the greater world around us if we want to develop into capable citizens of the world. It would be unreasonable to act like certain events aren’t happening even if they’re difficult to discuss because

at some point we have to face what is surrounding us. Due to this inevitability, teachers should at least mention current events but not spend so much time examining that it takes away from the curriculum of the course.

It also depends on the type of class and background of the teacher. For example, teaching current events in a history class makes a lot more sense than in a math class and a teacher directly affected would be more likely to talk about the event than one who isn’t.

Teachers hold a lot of power while giving the facts of dominant events because they can easily push an agenda if wantCed. High school students are still formulating their own opinions and the leaders in their lives such as family, coaches and teachers have a huge impact on the child’s outlook on the topic. Although bias is inevitable, teachers should be encouraged to present facts of the story rather than personal beliefs. It’s a tough task, but as teachers it is their job to inform their stu-

dents while still letting them create their own opinion.

It is also difficult to balance which news stories are and aren’t being taught in school because that indicates which stories are “the most important”, which might not be something everyone agrees about. For this reason, teachers should focus on overarching current events that are the most evidently important at the time. On top of being informed of the events taking place, it is also important for students to understand, listen and know how to respectfully respond to differing viewpoints. This skill can be practiced by reading a variety of argumentative perspectives or a respectful classroom discussion led by the students, but monitored by the teacher.

Ultimately, the goal of school is to prepare students for adulthood and knowing the events around you is vital to your success. Even more, it is crucial to be able to think for yourself and know how to listen to others at the same time.

Lack of AP English Options Frustrates No place to excel for humanities students

the institution itself. I’m not advocating for AP classes, rather that there should be a way to base rigor that is equal in terms of amount

taking subjects in which I feel confident.

There are steps to take that do indeed seem to both induce challenge while also

Zoey Ueland | Student Life Editor

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hile I’m not that far into highschool, I have heard one recurring theme, “choose classes that you will feel confident in while also challenging yourself.” For me this has always been humanities. Since the time I could listen I would make my parents reread bedtime stories, and I loved “quiet writing time”.

History and English were always my favorite subjects in the day during elementary school. It’s not that I haven’t loved math and science just as much - I have, but I’ve always loved learning about history and diving into a new novel. When coming to highschool I took my love of English into account and considered what classes I would take at an advanced level and what I would leave “regular,” it was always an assumption that I would just end up accelerating in English and History.

However when I looked into the coursebook I was disappointed and frankly annoyed as to the lack of AP-english class options.

Upon closer inspection I have come to realize that besides AP Lit, the College Board really doesn’t offer that many other options for students, yet that doesn’t dissuade my frustration with

Law used as opportunity for oppression, hatred Ahan Devgun | Staff Writer

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n March 8, 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis passed the Parental Rights in Education bill, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its opponents. However, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill is actively harming the queer community and is a dogwhistle that allows politicians to actively create hate and discrimination.

This law bans instruction around gender identity and sexual orientation, but also “classroom discussion” about these topics for those in K-3rd grade. But, all grades are affected by the provision that requires discussions to be “age and developmentally appropriate.”

However, the language used in the law is vague, and classroom instruction could easily be construed to mean that students with gay parents wouldn’t be able to talk about their family in front of the class or nonbinary teachers using they/them pronouns could be construed as education on gender identity. In addition, the terms “age and developmentally appropriate” are extremely subjective and could easily create restrictive spaces for older students. This could lead to different schools actively avoiding and not talking about queer issues, or even their presence, because it wouldn’t be “developmentally appropriate.”

This would suffocate conversations for children who need to work through their own questions and issues of sexual-identity and gender.

The bill also lets parents sue school districts over teachings that they don’t like, and the district would have to pay for it.

For many school districts with a lack of funding, they

as an “other.” While the bill itself doesn’t say the words “gay”, “transgender”, and “nonbinary”, they use the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.”

While “straight”, “man”, and “woman” are all either sexual orientations or gender identities, these laws are presented as neutral when in actuality, these laws are

wouldn’t be able to afford to be sued so this could, and already has, prompted schools to shut out teachings or conversations about LGBTQ issues. According to the Washington Post, some librarians across the country are accusing their schools of removing LGBTQ+ related books from their shelves before it starts a fight, and even some schools in the state have started to peel safe-space stickers from the windows. This is a horrible effect of this legislation, and creates an active space of homophobia. This isolates a population and cuts off a lifeline for many students.

According to the Trevor Project, 42% of LGBTQ+ students have seriously considered suicide in the past year, and this bill isolates a vulnerable population even further.

This bill depends on the bogeyman of school systems “infringing on parental rights” to disguise demonizing LGBTQ people

likely to only be applied to queer individuals. Despite the bill’s language, DeSantis even went as far as to call people who would support the bill “groomers” on Twitter, a term that has been historically used as a dogwhistle to paint queer people as pedophiles. This bill has been one of the starts of a widespread trend to attack gay rights: a proposed bill in Kansas would make the depiction of homosexuality in classrooms a misdemeanor and undertaking gender-affirming treatments in Texas is considered “child abuse.” Supporters of these bills often view these bills as supporting “parental rights” but these bills are simply restricting speech in schools while also actively beating down young queer people. By erasing a huge subsection of people, this bill suffocates children and creates a passageway for them to be oppressed by the homophobic actions of lawmakers.

This bill suffocates children and creates a passageway for them to be oppressed by the homophobic actions of lawmakers.

Zoom Retains Long-Term Benefits Zoom allows for continued connection, albeit difficulties Max Yousha | Staff Writer

O Melody Lee of classes. The problem is this: if I am told over and and over by people familiar with the college process that it is vital I fill my schedule with a certain amount of AP classes in order to best prepare myself for college applications and those APs should be classes that I do well in, it is frustrating that there is one AP English class Blake offers.

Even when looking at the College Board it seems that more options are given in STEM subjects and it then becomes hard to walk that tightrope of both taking a challenging course load and

setting the stage for a more “rigorous” course load. English teacher, Cory Tao, explains, “Students occasionally would double up, like they would take AP and then one of the other electives but you know that’s kind of tricky to do with scheduling here.” Tao also notes that in it of itself, taking this AP class is pushing and stretching oneself which should not be diminished, “You’ve taken this AP class and that’s not to diminish the other elective options but it is definitely a class as a teacher you go in know this is where I’m going to push.”

ver the pandemic, Zoom has changed the way events and meetings happen.

For almost two years, almost everything was over Zoom.

People had to adjust to the new norms of not being in person for everything; for some, it was beneficial, and for others, not as much.

In the Blake community, it’s the same situation: For some students and faculty, being on Zoom on and off for a whole school was really difficult, and for others, it was better than before.

What a lot of students realized was that although they could wake up later and still have pajamas on the bottom, being online wasn’t all that beneficial for learning. While on Zoom, the work was majority homework and not as much in-class learning. This led to students to either not really do their homework or having to do homework that

was totally new information to them, which forced them to learn a lot of new information independently.

Although learning independently might seem easier and go faster on the homework, when tests and quizzes came up, students constantly found themselves stuck because they didn’t fully understand the material with the help of a teacher. So over the 2020-21 school year, a lot of learning was lost without as many teacher lessons

Amelia Bush and times to go in to see a teacher in person. That being said, without Zoom, all of the work would have been asynchronous, meaning that there would be no interaction at all between teachers and students. Therefore, although online classes weren’t optimal for learning new material,

Zoom was still able to connect classes of students and teachers online to get even a little bit of learning in. Zoom also allowed teachers to have their Zoom meetings open for office hours multiple times over the course of a week, allowing students to get oneon-one help with homework and class material if needed.

This school year, Zoom hasn’t had nearly as big of an impact as it did last school year but has still been beneficial. For example, on collaborative group projects or small club and group meetings, Zoom has been a way to collaborate with other people so that the students can be more flexible and don’t have to meet in person. Also, when the Omicron variant hit Blake right before winter break, Zoom was used for the one or two students per class that got it.

Overall, Zoom has been an incredible way to stay connected with classes and clubs over the past two school years. Even though it isn’t the best learning situation, Zoom helped learning to be the best that it could be with COVID.

OPINIONS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 11

UPenn Swimmer Deserves Fairness, Respect To Say What The Law Is

Better understanding of transgender athlete required Mackenzie Higgins | Staff Writer

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n recent months, Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania, has quickly become a hot topic, pushing the question of what fair sports competition should look like to the forefront of conversation. The media, athletic institutions, and local governments have all debated whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete with athletes of the same gender identity.

The debate over eligibility has long been based in the claim that female transgender athletes have a biological advantage over their cisgender competitors because they were assigned male at birth.

While this certainly poses a concern, we should not exclude transgender athletes from competition simply for the sake of trying to be fair, but instead search for solutions that allows everyone to equally partake in and enjoy sports competition.

Through the use of informed and thoughtful policies regarding transgender athletes, we can ensure that sports competition can be both inclusive and fair.

Thomas swam on the University of Pennsylvania’s men’s team for the first two seasons of her college career before coming out to teammates and medically transitioning through hormone replacement

therapy in 2019. She continued to compete for the men’s team for the 2019-2020 season while she still exhibited high testosterone levels.

After taking the 20202021 season off due to the pandemic, Thomas returned to competition this past season, but as a member of the

cause of the hormones.

As a result, her 500 yard freestyle time is 15 seconds slower than her best time before transitioning.

I believe these policies are fair because if Thomas hadn’t medically transitioned, her previous best time of 4:18.72 would have eas-

justify their transphobia.

A lot of arguments against transgender athletes are rooted in the claim that individuals are changing their gender to cheat the system towards success, which I believe can be easily resolved with a better understanding and the acceptance of transgender

women’s team. At the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Championships, she won the women’s 500 yard freestyle, becoming the first known transgender athlete to win a D1 national championship in any sport.

Thomas’ success this season, however, has been followed with immense scrutiny that joins the many complaints surrounding transgender individuals participating in sports. In order to compete with women for the 2021-2022 season, Thomas had been on hormones for over two years and her testosterone levels were below the NCAA’s maximum.

She lost both strength and muscle mass be-

ily beat Katie Ledecky’s record time of 4:24.06, but now after transitioning, Thomas sits nine seconds behind Ledecky.

Despite the clear change to Thomas’ swimming, people argue that she continues to hold a biological advantage over her competitors.

I implore you to think about what these critics consider to be a biological advantage.

After transitioning to the extent that the NCAA deemed fair, how would an additional advantage Thomas held be any different than a tall swimmer, a swimmer with a large wingspan, or a swimmer with big feet?

I believe these critics’ continued complaints are simply attempts to

people as a whole. The most important thing to understand is that being transgender is not a choice that an individual makes. Transgender athletes do not chose to change their gender in order to receive an advantage, they are simply affirming their own identity and asking that their sport does the same. Transgender athletes are subject to countless hate and discrimination, making the mere act of participation difficult for many.

I urge you to treat the athletes who partake in sports despite this with more kindness and consideration. Lia Thomas is a woman and deserves to be treated as such.

Zoe Florida

Minnesota judge shares judicial process Kevin Bizily | Law Columnist

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ircuit Courts of Appeals are instrumental in shaping jurisprudence, having the final say on around 50,000 cases annually. Given the vital role these courts have, it is important to understand their function and process.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Judge James B. Loken of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Loken clerked for Judge Edward Lumbard of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals and later for Justice Byron White of the Supreme Court. After President George H.W. Bush nominated him to the 8th Circuit, he took office on January 1, 1991, joining an 11 judge court that hears cases in the midwest.

In this article, I will review the appeals process.

After losing in a lower court, a petitioner will start the appeals process by requesting a review of the ruling. Next, each side files briefs detailing their argument. According to Judge Loken, the petitioner must prove the trial judge erred, and, therefore, a quick and persuasive brief is essential.

The appeals court determines whether to assign the case to a panel for hearing or screening. In screened cases, a panel of three judges decides the case based on briefs. Staff attorneys prepare draft opinions, and judges edit and file the final opinions.

When cases are designated for hearing, three judges are assigned to hear the case and the most se-

nior judge presides. In particularly important cases, the entire appeals court hears the case, known as “en banc” hearing. Before argument, judges and their clerks study the briefs, do research, and draft bench memos summarizing the case. During oral argument, attorneys for each side give brief statements summarizing their position. Next, the panel interrogates the lawyers. Judge Loken and his colleagues probe details omitted from the briefs, attempt to identify the key legal questions and each side’s proposed answers, and often ask hard questions attorneys don’t want to hear. Although lawyers frequently dodge such questions—even “yes or no” questions—this is the worst possible response in Judge Loken’s opinion. This rigorous questioning means attorneys on both sides often leave thinking they’ve lost.

After oral argument, the panel meets privately to discuss the case. In this conference, the judges come to a decision. In the coming months, an assigned judge circulates a proposed opinion, and the other judges respond with voting memoranda and sometimes circulate separate opinions, which are reviewed by the three judges and their law clerks. During this process, votes may change as the final opinion takes shape.

In its final ruling, the court may never contradict a Supreme Court ruling, and must rule en banc to overturn prior opinions. Once a majority opinion is finished and agreed upon, it is released as the court’s decision. Only a fraction of appeals rulings are ever reviewed by the Supreme Court; most remain final and are binding precedent for courts in the circuit.

Diversity in Voices: How to Balance Sharing Voices, Avoiding Hate Finding a balance in opinions, ideologies Bernadette Whitely | Editor-in-Chief

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olitical and social power is often organized with a platform that describes a set of ideas and goals that are shared by a party or an interest group. My concern, however, is that politicians have used this power to suppress diverse voices and life experiences, ensuring that the bulk of individuals who have a platform is predominantly white, wealthy, heterosexual, and cisgender.

This is made worse as alarmingly restrictive laws rapidly spread

across the country. For instance, the effort from many conservative politicians to ban books that feature issues of race, sexuality, and gender identity display how platforms are utilized to limit diversity and representation. These book bans, driven by hate and discrimination, are branded as ways to “protect” children from content deemed as “inappropriate.” PEN America, a non-profit that works to protect freedom of expression, found that more than 1,500 book bans were implemented in 86 school districts across 26 states over the last nine months. PEN America describes these bans as part of a rightwing censorship effort

that is “unparalleled in its intensity.”

As a result of the abuse of platforms by politicians, there needs

as simply differences in opinions, or in the case of banned books, as an effort to protect kids.

This dangerous, falsified

sive and hateful ideologies are not given a platform? In other words, how do we take hate out of diversifying plat-

to be recognition that there is a key difference between opinion and hate. While beliefs differ, outward acts of homophobia, racism and other forms of bigotry should not be treated as an opinion. However, conservative politicians have excused hateful messages and laws

narrative allows conservative politicians to get away with gross abuses of power and it limits diversity.

Now, we are met with a question that I am continually considering: How do we balance hearing other people’s viewpoints while ensuring that outright offen-

forms? The reality makes answering these questions much more difficult as different opinions can result in hurt based on people’s backgrounds, beliefs, and life experiences. However, the key is acknowledging that hurt can happen while drawing the line at hate.

Although it may

There needs to be recognition that there is a key difference between opinion and hate... bigotry should not be treated as an opinion.

seem hypocritical that I am calling for greater diversity in opinions while simultaneously including caveats, it is entirely necessary to define that bigotry does not count as an opinion. Without considering the complexities and responsibilities that revolve around having a platform, dangerous and hateful messages are easily spread.

Moreover, this continues to limit the diversity of opinions that are presented to the public. In the end, we, as the audience that consumes messages from politicians, must understand and recognize when politicians are using their platforms to disguise hate, rather than working for greater equality and diversity.

PERSPECTIVES | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 12

How Should Current Events be Taught?

Social Studies Curriculums Prioritize Incorporating Current Events Current events belong in classrooms Zoey Ueland | Student Life Editor

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rom COVID-19, to the war in Ukraine and inflation, current events wholly engulf us whether it be in the news, social media or just in a regular conversation on a random Tuesday. In the classroom these current events form in a different way, Social Studies teacher Ben Cady says it best noting, “I think [teaching current events is] essential, it’s one of my favorite things about teaching social studies.”

While essential to a students’ life, current events can get lost in the urgence of a classroom, and the occasional rush to get through a curriculum pre-AP test. However in an ever-changing world it is important to gain various perspectives, not just from a news channel pushing an angle but from a teacher who is invested in students’ knowledge of world-altering events.

In beginning the process of teaching current events Cady remarks on the importance of sharing information and goals throughout the department to better inform students.

He notes, “So for [the war in Ukraine] we actually as a department…we just started compiling

information, what are we going to do? Then it’s “try this resource, try this resource, try this resource” and so everybody kind of emails back and forth, did you see this, did you see that? And then really kind of being like you know what to hell with the curriculum right now this is important, people need to know what’s going on.”

Eva Redmond ‘25 concurs that “We covered Ukraine, we did spend a day talking about Ukraine and you know [current events] will be thrown in.”

However she elaborates that “I think that a lot of times [conversations started in class] stop…I don’t know

if these are conversations that a lot of people have the knowledge to have because when we’re talking about something, like a war for example, there’s a lot of context, there’s a lot of history, there’s a lot of aspects you need to know to be able to have a discussion.

If we are only going in just having our history teacher show us one video about the war… it doesn’t really give all the context necessary to continue having those discussions in other places. I think that in order for that to happen, I don’t think people are adverse to it, I just think that not everyone knows how to do that because we don’t know enough

about current events to keep talking.”

Cady and other Social Studies faculty members see current events in various categories with different strategies to maximize understanding.

The first of said categories is weaving current events into preexistent curriculums. Specifically, Cady gives the example of guiding his 9th grade students through the “so-what” of history by working to connect current events to our historical past. The second of the two categories is events that abruptly come up throughout the year such as the war in Ukraine or January 6th. Such events require the interest of the

student body, department collaboration and a willingness to forgo preplanned curriculums to focus on the broader picture. Both of Cady’s detailed categories aid in teaching students the “big picture” and when it comes to schooling those are the lessons that are most vital in gathering.

Redmond agrees, noting, “When you have the historical context or something you can understand why current events are occurring or do things to stop those from happening.” She elaborates that it allows students and teachers alike to exhibit more empathy, a trait which is vital far beyond the halls of Blake.

News Maintains Important Position Math Approaches Events Differently Teachers acknowledge importance of current events Oscar Walsh | Staff Writer

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urrent events are constantly an important part of our daily lives. Today, there are so many events to try to keep up with. To list a few, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S political updates, COVID-19 news, and local news are constantly changing. Global history and social studies classes have had numerous events in the past year to include in lessons. Social Studies teacher Kevin Flynn says, “I always try to connect what we’re talking about in terms of theory in a class like the government to something that’s happening today so students have an anchor to remember the theory.” Events that are changing day by day can be a key part of tying history classes into modern issues. History and Government classes rely on tying relevant events into history. Flynn explains, “Certainly the big events you have to talk about, in part because part of teaching is you have to meet students where they’re at. If there is something that’s on all the student’s minds you would be doing a disservice to them if you didn’t talk about it.” Emphasizing the importance of current events in the classroom, and in students’ education.

In terms of what

he has covered recently when teaching, Flynn states that, “We’ve talked about the war in Ukraine, since it’s a government class we’ve talked about the U.S. government’s response, recently the Supreme Court confirmation hearings…There’s always things going on in the senate or the house in court cases and stuff.”

interest and relevancy of many topics.

COVID has been one of the most common events, but history, science, and language classes have made an effort to focus on many other events. Jim Arnold, an Anatomy and Physiology teacher often includes scientific and medical events into his classes.

Classes address current events uniquely Cleo Kilpatrick | Sports Editor

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ave you realized that more current events are talked about in your social studies or english classes versus your

collect a quality data set if you want to look at it.”

Molter continues and gives an example of, “Like the war in Ukraine that started six weeks ago, if I wanted to talk about that event in my math class I would want to have some kind of quality data set from a math perspective to look at. That’s probably going to take like several years to collect.”

Betsy Fries

Ben Cady teaches 9th grade World History, a class where current events are incorporated into the curriculum.

Modern events are important not only to history and government classes but across sciences as well. Marian Webster dictionary defines current events as, “important events that are happening in the world.” Important events are used across classes to continue the

Arnold recently has included a breakthrough heart transplant into his anatomy classes. A pig heart was transplanted into a person for the first time this year. The anatomy classes are learning about the recent transplant during their unit on the heart.

science and math classes?

Have you wondered why that is or said to yourself we should be talking more about current events in these classes? Math teacher Maggie Molter states, “I think one the things that’s tough about a current current event in math is that it takes some time to

When thinking about currents events and how we talk about them in our classes, we have to think about how each class has a different angle on a current event. A math perspective is different from an English or Social Studies perspective. The angle is just one important

factor that comes into play when talking about current events. Another factor is balance. Molter says, “Ultimately we as educational professionals get paid to think about all day is the balance.”

Molter often questions “When do we want to have a teamwork moment about practicing exponent properties because that procedural fluency is really important versus when do we want to have students share their own perspective that might clash against each other.”

Balance is not an easy thing to incorporate. So sometimes, current events in math and science classes don’t always fit in with that balance.

Dom Cornforth ‘24 believes, “news should be a choice,” meaning people should be able to decide whether they want to hear about a current event or not. When someone gets the choice they get to choose their own balance.

Overall current events are important, but in some classes there is more of a challenge to incorporate them. Motler says, “The closest thing to current events that I’ve done here in algebra II or AP calculus is describing the trend on a graph.” Molter continued to say that they, “try to take data sets that stretch beyond the math class.”

Unfortunately like Molter said earlier, collecting a good quality data set takes time. After a while when you have the quality data the event is no longer current. That being said, it is still important to keep yourself informed. Even if you’re not talking about a current event in class, it doesn’t hurt to ask your teachers questions.

GAMES & ADS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 13

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ARTS & CULTURE | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 14

Humble Watches Tell Same Time as Flashy Watches Function, wrist fashion collaborate for style Eva Stegic | Columnist

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atches have always been a staple piece in a wardrobe, but over the years they have changed with popularity. The invention of digital watches and watches with screens (i.e. an Apple Watch) have increased in popularity, making the watch world more diverse. Talking with students and teachers at Blake about their watches makes for interesting conversations, as I have found that many students own digital watches while most teachers prefer an analog watch.

Speaking with Dr. Canfield, who loves watches, I learned

have made a simpler watch more accessible, even while “large affluent brands” might be overpowering.

As I asked him about which watches to look into Eva Stegic Charlotte Opp that are less expensive, he expanded upon the brand Seiko, Eva Stegic saying, “Don’t get drawn in by the Rolex GMT Master II, but how about a Seiko Five,” an automatic, known for its quality as a beginner watch. Even with these more Eva Stegic simple brands, they still have Sofia Perlman much to offer, as a watch The collection of watches displays the fashionable accessory that many students use. The

by Seiko was worn in the watches range in size, color, technology and more. movie Apocalypse Now, and around what is deemed to be seen on many Formula has been since known as the that there is much more to be acceptable, as there are One drivers. These expensive Captain Willard Watch: a Seithe watch world than what often large companies that watches are what have been ko 6105. The Seiko Five is meets the eye. He notes that sponsor movies, actors, and seen in the media, influenc- a classic watch; additionally, he is “not an authority on brand deals. For instance, ing the way people might with many makes and modwatches,” but with his skill Omega watches are often think about the watch world. els, it’s an inexpensive watch and, he might just be. seen in James Bond mov- Canfield now notes that so- that’s a great starting point.

Going into watches, there ies, while Rolex watches can cial media and the internet If you are more like me, might be a lot of stigma

and want to choose a smaller and more subtle watch Canfield’s recommendation of Casio F-91W, a watch that has been around since 1989 is a great one. These watches are only around $20: the digital screen, black rubber strap, and built-in alarm and stopwatch system, make for an entertaining piece of technology. Similar to the Seiko Five, there are different versions of these Casio’s, making it easy to choose one you like.

Both watches are great places to start if you are interested in watches; regardless of what you might be interested in. Yes, a flashy watch from Rolex or Omega might seem more appealing and mysterious, but beginning with something small and then working your way will be rewarding.

Banned Books, Readers Health Language Doesn’t Determine Value Banned books, being important, harmful Uma Bhardwaj | Columnist

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chools and libraries have a long, complex history of challenging books. According to BannedBooksWeek.org, most books are challenged by schools because they contain LGBT content, sex, violence, or profanity, or other things deemed “inappropriate.” It can be fairly widely agreed upon that disallowing books because of LGBT content or similar topics is generally harmful; limiting kids from seeing characters like themselves in books makes them feel like they have to hide. Representation in books is incredibly important, especially when you’re still growing up. However, in other aspects, it gets more tricky: when do certain topics start to actually negatively affect the mental and emotional health of readers?

Rick Cawood, head of the English department, emphasizes the fact that “Blake believes in having a really open approach to literature, and giving students the broadest possible range

of reading lists.” While they do discuss which books may not be “developmentally appropriate”, the main focus is put on the “literary merit” of the text. Cawood says that “even when it’s fiction, there’s some basis in which it’s not just for the sake of drama, or passion, or stirring up the emotions, there’s actually a deeper literary purpose involved”.

However, sometimes, despite the good intentions, the books assigned do “stir up the emotions”. One AP English student who prefers to stay anonymous says that “obviously some of this content does need to be processed and does need to be learned, but I just don’t think it needs to be to the point where multiple students feel like they might have panic

attacks if they read the content assigned to them”.

I can’t tell you what’s too much or not enough for a teenage brain, I can only speak from my experience and say that the objective of reading critically should always be to make ourselves into more successful, understanding people. While it falls on the shoulders of the English department to determine which books might do that, students also need to remember that goal when doing our assigned reading. First and foremost, the way to become more successful and understanding is not only to be able to see yourself in what you read, but to take care of yourself and know your limits. If the books assigned to you aren’t effective in that regard, it’s

Melody Lee

English music isn’t the only good music Suzy Higuchi | Contributing Writer

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usic is a form of art that gives people the ability to enhance, shift, or distract emotions. It’s something that is all around us,

nese content, my music library is a place where American and Japanese songs mix together.

Wanting to share the completely new type of music it offers, I have successfully been able to get some of my friends into Japanese music. Ellie Morrison ‘23, a fellow BGH teammate, formed a curiosity of my mostly Japanese music pregame

ments while the beats in Japanese music has more of a flow with a lot of instruments” Connie even goes so far as to claim, “Japanese music is probably better”. Although I definitely agree with her, I’m sure that there are a lot of people who are reluctant to try songs that are speaking a language they can’t even understand.

My life has a generally clean divide between the “American” parts and “Japanese” parts. One of the things that has been able to mesh this divide together is music. and has been vital to any culture regardless of time or place. Being a Japanese born student in America, my life has a generally clean divide between the “American” parts and “Japanese” parts. One of the things that has been able to mesh this divide together is music. Although my favorite sources of media are flooded with Japa-

playlist that I refused to show her at first. After sharing the playlist with her, she remarks, “Now that I’ve gotten to listen to it I like it!”. Connie Jones ‘23, a frequent listener, and Ellie both agree that there is a very big difference between American and Japanese music, “English songs tend to have more prominent [singular] instru-

Regardless of the language barrier, stepping over that can allow people to access hundreds of songs that they otherwise would have never heard. Here is a list of recommendations to start with: 4:00 A.M.

by Ohnuki Taeko, Lipstick Message by Matsutoya Yumi, Tokyo Flash

by Vaundy, and Can Beer

by DISH//.

Small Businesses Teach Student Owners Life Skills Businesses range from cake to confetti Sonia Lerner | Contributing Writer

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side from the extra money for owners and great products for customers, small businesses have many benefits to the owners and others. Caroline Epstein ‘23 and Aani Uppal ‘24 each run their own shops and have gained a lot from the experience. After starting Figaro’s Fine Glass

two years ago and selling glass, Epstein’s business has adapted to sell many items, her most popular being confetti used to customize Starbucks tumblers. In addition to this, items such as resin trays, 3D printed coasters, and more. Uppal, owner of Aani’s Home Bakery, has been running their business since late 2021, selling custom cupcakes, cakes, and other sweets with elaborate floral piping. Epstein shares that “I’ve always really liked to watch Shark Tank as a child and I was like maybe I could do that, and then

when I started getting into different arts, they wound up being really expensive and I decided just to try to sell some excess to kind of make the money back and then it actually took off as an actual business.”

Both owners share the life skills they have gained from running a business.

Epstein says that, throughout her experience, she’s learned a lot about perseverance, admitting “there were a lot of times when I just wanted to quit and I had to keep going, and I did, and it’s worked out.”

Uppal adds that owning a small business helped them realize how much they like baking, saying “I kind of figured out what I might want to do when I get older and really grow up.”

Additionally, community is present for Epstein, marking another positive of small business. She adds, “I created a Facebook account to connect with other sellers for problems and for help, and I’ve definitely met so many other sellers on there which has been really cool.”

The importance of shopping small spans much

larger than owners gaining life skills, community, and supporting good causes. Epstein explains that “it helps

support little people instead of the big billionaires that already have a ton of money.” !"#$%&'()*+',"-+./0' 1#&2"3."*' 4' 5""#$&6 7)*+68"-+./9' +*"$:' 2)').;+.'4'""#$8+;$5 3*"$:6<)* =$3".)%&' =$#+' >:"&&0' ?2&/' 4' =$3".)&=$#+4 >:"&&

Amelia Bush

Promotional postcard for Aani’s Home Bakery displays images of their goods.

FOOD | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 15

Ama Sushi Exceeds Hopes as New Restaurant at 50th and France hhoh “Ama” in Tibetan means “mother,” representing family owned restaurant Evan Vezmar | Opinions Editor

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idday on a Friday, recently opened Ama Sushi. The quaint store located on 50th and France in Edina is owned by two Tibetan brothers who also own a sushi store called Momo Sushi in North Minneapolis. While the store’s name obviously suggests sushi, Ama Sushi boasts much more than that. The multitude of options include tempura, poke bowls, fried rice, udon noodles, as well as over thirty different varieties of sushi and sashimi.

When you enter the restaurant, you are greeted with exciting jazz music, various drawings and images of Japanese and Tibetan art, clothing, and culture. While the space is small, tables for groups of two all the way to groups of six are available. I went to Ama Sushi with my siblings and we got beef udon noodles, a vegetable poke bowl, eggplant tempura, a plate of sweet potato sushi, mixed vegetable rolls, and California rolls to share. The food took longer than expected to arrive but the wait was

Evan Vezmar

Pictured top left is an order of the Any 3 Lunch Special Roles: the vegetarian role, california role and the spicy role. Below the roles is the new sign located in 50th and France and to the right is the vegetarian bowl with a mix of delicious and nutritious ingredients.

clearly worth it once we got all the food. The portions were just right and each item tasted amazing. The sushi came with soy sauce that complemented the rolls perfectly and they melted in your mouth. The tempura was crunchy and flavorful and the

udon noodles had the perfect chewy texture.

Ama Sushi is less than a year old and has already received awards and multiple recommendations in newspapers like the Star Tribune. Its affordable, authentic food and aesthetic

environment was a unique experience, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in trying Japanese and Tibetan cuisine. I, for one, will definitely be going back with my family to try the extensive options that I wasn’t able to eat the first time.

Travel Food for Every Craving Expensive Snacks Cause Distress Different travel experiences call for different snacks Jason Rotenberg | Staff Writer

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ave you ever been a hungry traveler that doesn’t know what to eat? Depending on the situation, here are some foods you can get while on the go.

If you are on a road trip and want a quick snack, McDonalds is a great place to go. Many times, McDonalds is the only restaurant available and it appears the most on the side of the road. Price Glover ‘24 agrees that McDonalds is a good restaurant to go to because “everywhere you go, you can always get McDonalds……and it’s cheap.”

When asked what his favorite fast food restaurant was, Ethan Klaiman ‘25 also agreed with McDonalds explaining “because they just keep it the same….[and it’s] just good.” If you want just a quick snack, you can get their french fries or you can get a whole meal to satisfy yourself and continue road tripping.

If I am flying somewhere or don’t feel very hungry, a quick snack like gummies or chips is the way to go. My personal favorite snack is gummies because I enjoy the chewy consistency mashed with the fruity flavor.

Gummies aren’t the only option, however. You can also munch on some chips like Lays or a bag of popcorn like Skinny Pop, which both come in a wide variety of flavors to choose from.

When Klaiman was asked what his favorite travel food was he was quick to say “easy, beef jerky”.

Klaiman thinks that beef jerky is the best travel food because it is “easy, and filling….[and] it tastes good.”

If you want something more filling, many airports have sit-down restaurants where you can order a full meal, or there are other take out options. Also many stores sell a variety of sandwiches and salads to carry on the plane with you to eat in the air. No matter what you’re craving, there will always be a delicious solution!

Rowan Wallin

Rowan Wallin ‘23 agrees that McDonald’s is a great on-the-go snack for any mode of transportation. The Big Mac sauce is what makes these burgers so delicious and unique.

Portion of vendy profits used for prom funding Andrew Richardson | Staff Writer

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hether a light afternoon snack or a go to meal, many students find themselves at the vending machines multiple times a week, or even everyday. The favorite snacks include Sour Patch Kids, Mike & Ikes, and Skittles.

However, due to the recent changes in price, this trend may be changing. The candies, which were once priced at $1.25, have now risen to $1.75. Students, who used to get the candies, have now turned to other options. For example, Nick Emptage ‘23, once an avid buyer of Skittles, claims that with the price changes, “the one dollar chips [are] the only valuable item at the vending machines.” He argues that he would never spend $1.75 on a small packet of candy, when he could get a large bag for $5.

On the other hand, Romare Onishi ‘25, although he “hates” the price change, continues to buy the Twizzler Nibs. Students’ frustration with the prices does not only apply to the food. David Carlson ‘23, who claims he “cannot get through a block 7 without caffeine,” tends to buy Dr. Pepper almost every day. However, due to the $2.00 price tag, he “has resorted to bringing [his] own Dr. Pepper from out of school.”

Not only does the disappointment apply to the pricing, it also applies to the snack selection. Emptage, and many other students, believe that the “selec-

tion is lacking significantly.” Some snacks, like Friday’s Potato Skins and Luna Bars, tend to never be bought. However, some students are more optimistic; Onishi thinks the selection has been “pretty good”

Amelia Bush

The vending machine is full of snacks that likely haven’t been bought due to the skyrocketing prices.

and is “better than the first quarter.”

Almost all students have been wondering what the school’s role is in determining the prices and selection of the vending machines. Rumors have been circulating around the school that officials increased the price of the candies to pay for prom. According to Elizabeth Nguyen, who is in charge of our vending services, Blake has no say in the prices or the selection; the vending company decides. However, Blake’s proportion of the profits does go into the dance account, which helps fund prom and other school dances.

FEATURES | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 29, 2022 | 16

FROM COLLEGE ATHLETES TO TEACHERS Five teachers share, reflect on experiences of college sports Ainsley Pflaum | Staff Writer

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id you know that Steve Kaback played volleyball at Berkeley? Or that Beth Calderone was one of the top softball players at the University of Chicago? Or that Mike Bazzett and Lester Batiste played football in college?

These are only a few of many Blake teachers who were college athletes while pursuing their respective teaching degrees. While remembering their distinct athletic accomplishments, these teachers reflect on what being a student athlete has taught them from their college experience.

As Bazzett puts it, sports at a college level instills “habits, persistence, and discipline” and represents a constructive student experience: “The feedback is so immediate in athletics; there’s a scoreboard, the coach is there to help you achieve your goals, they’re not judging you the way I sometimes think students feel like teachers are.”

Bazzett was a receiver and tight end at Carleton College and also ran the 400m hurdles for one track season. He notes that the aspects of football he valued the most were the relationships, the humor, and the camaraderie. Bazzett also appreciated play-

and Division III allows you to do that,” he says.

Batiste played football at Colby College as a defensive linemen for all four years of his college career. Like Carleton, Colby is also a Division III school for football. Batiste particularly enjoyed the time he spent in training camp before school started his freshman year, where he first got to know the football team. He emphasizes that football helped him learn to move past failure, not just in the sport, but also in school.

“I definitely think the win/ loss column of sports is

gave me the flexibility to pivot in different situations,” he asserts. He even adds that “students solely focused on one area, regardless if it’s academics or sports, lack flexibility.”

Batiste also expresses that the management of being a student athlete in college is a leap from being a student athlete in high school, saying, “In college you don’t necessarily have the leeway that high school has. I definitely had to manage my time, manage my life a lot more strictly than I did in high school.” Despite any challenges of balancing academics and athletics in

the head coach for Blake Girls’ Volleyball from 2017-2019. He grew up in Southern California and began to play men’s volleyball in high school as it was starting to become a high school sport. He says, “I would say volleyball in Southern Cali-

skills used in academics, he notes that the two areas of his college experiences did not intersect: “I like how as an athlete you have this very nonacademic thing that you have to do, and that kind of clears your head for the academic stuff. They real-

Submitted by: Maggie Bowman

Bowman describes this photograph, saying, “This was from the NCAA Iowa Conference Cross Country Championships in the fall of 2012. The full race is 6,000m and this is the lead pack at about the halfway point in the race. I am center, and you can see a few of my teammates in blue and then a number of other runners from other schools.”

Submitted by: Beth Calderone

Calderone pitches for her team at the University of Chicago.

Calderone was also featured in the University of Chicago Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2017-2018.

Submitted by: Michael Bazzett

Bazzett catches a football in an excerpt from “The Carletonian” (Carleton’s student newspaper) published on November 6, 1987.

Submitted by: Steve Kaback

Kaback coaches BGV in 2018. He coached the girls team for two seasons. Kaback also coached the boys volleyball team for one season in 2019.

ing football at a Division III sports college because it still granted top liberal arts opportunities. “I didn’t want [football] to become my whole life. I wanted to be a student first

University of Chicago, she accumulated 47 career victories, such as 17 shutouts and striking out 535 batters – a third-of-all-time record in Chicago softball history.

Similar to Bazzett’s view, she enjoyed playing Division III sports because she was able to share not just

really helpful in terms of academics, especially learning to bounce back from either terrible defeat or potentially something that you didn’t necessarily plan for. Sports definitely

college, Batiste cherished the entire experience, concluding, “I would definitely do it all over again.”

Kaback was an outside hitter for Berkeley’s men’s volleyball and was

fornia is kind of like hockey in Minnesota.”

One part of playing volleyball that Kaback appreciated in college was the unique interdependence in volleyball: “Anytime you’re required to coordinate with other people, to compete, you build trust and reliance on others. I don’t quite get that in other experiences.” He adds that “it was like a blessing to be a college athlete because it gave me a lot of structure to how I organize my time.” Although being an athlete supplemented time-management

ly were independent things for me. When I was doing academic stuff, I was academically focused, and when I was doing volleyball, I was totally focused on volleyball.”

The Social Studies Department Chair Beth Calderone was both a pitcher and a hitter at The University of Chicago - a rare endeavor in high level softball. Calderone reflects that “softball is a thinking person’s game. I loved being a pitcher and I loved being a hitter because it’s like a one-on-one duel.”

From her time at The

the same athletic goals, but also the same academic interests with her teammates. “I kind of formed my identity around being a top student, so I really wanted to be a student athlete and not just an athlete in college,” she says.

Senior Grade Dean Maggie Bowman was a prolific cross country and track runner throughout high school and college. In track she ran the 1500m and occasionally the 800m.

“I loved competing and I just didn’t want to be done with that yet [after high school]. A combination of loving to run and wanting to be part of a team and be competitive was what drove me to continue to participate in college,” she says. She also cherished her experience as a NCAA Division III athlete at Luther College: “I was lucky enough to be on a team that was really competitive. We got to have that championship team athlete experience and I wouldn’t trade that.”

“I am a fiercely competitive person, sometimes to a fault,” she adds. Like Kaback, Bowman also recognizes that time-management from being an athlete supplemented her academically, even saying that “I was usually a better student in season than I was out of season. When I had a really rigid practice and competition schedule I was much better at staying on top of everything.”