the
SPECTRUM
The Blake School v 511 Kenwood Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55403 v Issue IV v January 24, 2012 v blakespectrum.org v your voice in print
Debate team thrives, both at Sectionals and NFL qualifying tournament
STUDENT LIFE The new vending machine , offering both healthier and more expensive alternatives, is met with both praise and criticism
Hirsh Shekhar Contributing Writer
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ver the first weekend in January, the Blake debate squad competed at Sectionals for an opportunity to debate at the annual Minnesota State tournament. Blake brought two teams in policy, an ultra-fast form of partner debate with this year’s topic focusing on US space policy, and one team in LincolnDouglas, a one-on-one debate style, generally centering on more philosophical topics. For the second year in a row, Blake qualified all three teams to State, with Michael McGrath ‘12 and Kentucky Morrow ‘13 taking first place and Adele Watkins ‘13 and Hannah Stafford ‘13 in second for policy debate (with each team 4-0). In Lincoln-Douglas debate, Juliet Nelson ‘12 won her section with a 6-0 record for a commendable combined record of fourteen wins and zero losses for the Blake squad. At the state tournament itself, Blake enjoyed similar success. In policy, Watkins and Staf-
graphic credits: Bailey Dunning
ford finished with a 2-3 record in preliminary debate. McGrath and Morrow finished with a preliminary 4-1 record as the third seed, and went on to win a pair of elimination rounds before falling to Edina in the State championship round, earning them second place. In Lincoln Douglas, Nelson finished with a 4-2 preliminary record as the eighth seed and was recognized as a Quarterfinalist. Public Forum, another form of partner debate with monthly topics, offered only a State tournament and no Sectional tournaments. At State, the sophomore duo of David Steffen ‘14 and Fawaz Mohiuddin ‘14 finished with a 3-3 record, one win short of advancing to elimination rounds. But Blake’s debate success didn’t stop there; over this past weekend, the National Forensics League (NFL) held its annual qualifying tournament for the NFL Nationals Tournament. Blake again competed
in all three divisions; in policy, Watkins and Stafford were joined by Tim Juang ‘12 and Hirsh Shekhar ‘14, as well as the team of Maddy Norgard ‘15 and Madeleine Ethen ‘15. Nelson represented Blake in Lincoln Douglas, while Steffen and Mohiuddin were joined by Christopher Hofstadter ‘14 and Ben Storch ‘14 in Public Forum. Because the tournament is only a qualifier, teams are eliminated after two losses, but need five wins to qualify. After the first day of competition (three rounds), Juang/Shekhar, Nelson, and Steffen/Mohiuddin remained for Blake. Juang and Shekhar reached the sixth and final round, where they lost to Rosemount and were thus named the First Alternate team to Nationals. Nelson won her NFLs District and qualified to Nationals after five undefeated rounds. Steffen and Mohiuddin reached the sixth round, where they won their fifth round and received second place, qualifying them
Students talk democracy at the Iowa caucuses Noah Abramovitz Staff Writer
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arlier this month, a group of twentyfive Blake students and four teachers traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to experience the Iowa Caucus firsthand. Caucuses are the first in a long string of such events intended to choose presidential candidates for both parties. A caucus is different from a normal primary vote in that it provides more of a forum of discussion between precinct members. This year’s Republican Party caucus in Iowa finished in one of the closest votes ever, with Mitt Romney prevail-
ing over Rick Santorum by a mere eight votes. In addition, while considered a longshot by many, countless hours of campaigning in Iowa earned the Libertarian candidate Ron Paul a third place finish. Blake students traveled to two different caucusing locations each designated for specific precincts, one Des Moines’ neighboring suburb of Ankeny, and one in Urbandale, Iowa. One of the many advantages of going on this trip was the level of autonomy given to the students. During moments of free time, students could elect to attend events and to volunteer for many different groups and campaigns. Some
graphic
ily Moore
credit: Em
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OPINIONS RESISTING
TEMPTATION: Why our expectation of instant gratification increases procrastination, decreases selfcontrol
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IN-DEPTH
What to know about
FONTS Oo Aa Bb
for Nationals. The NFL Districts tournament marked the final in-state competition for the Blake debate squad this season, but the competitors from State now set their sights on the Harvard and Emory tournaments.
students chose to volunteer for a candidate who fit their political leanings, while others attended events simply to take in the experience. . .
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Ee RrGgMPAGE
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FEATURES
Dicus at the Mendocup mountain bike races in Mendoza, Argentina
Teachers, Jon Dicus, Mike Bazzett and David Graham travel the world on sabbatical
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SPORTS
Jack Jablonski, a sophomore hockey player from Benilde, recieves unanimous advocation from several communities after an ingame injury left him paralyzed. photo credit: David Graham
(from left) Erin Morris ‘12, Christine Ricard ‘12, Rose Byrne ‘14, Jess Horick ‘14 and Carolyn Patterson ‘14 at a rally for Romney
PAGE 16 graphic credit: sports.yahoo.com
2 Student Life Upcoming
EVENTS ACT Testing Saturday, February 11 Upper School Dance Saturday, February 11 No Classes - Faculty Day Friday, February 17 No Classes - Presidents Day Monday, February 20 Middle School Musical Friday, February 24 at 7:30 in the MPAC Upper School Musical Friday - Saturday, March 9 & 10 at 7:30pm. Sunday, March 11 at 2 pm. Performances in the MPAC.
The Spectrum Newspaper January 24, 2012
Before the World Ends... Anthony Hu Contributing Writer
According to the Mayan calendar, the world is estimated to end in the year 2012. Students and faculty members share what they want to accomplish before the apocalypse.
“I’d like to be able to go to Africa and do Houses for Humanity and I’d also like to be the fastest shoe tier...or maybe even bungee jump off of the Grand Canyon.” ~Nefertiti Johnson ’15
“I would like to climb the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland.” ~Davis Zosel ’14
“I want to play professional soccer in Germany.” ~Juan Andrade-Vera ’15
“I want to watch Wimbledon live.” ~Jackson Kelner ’14
“I want to travel the world.” ~Kalpit Modi ’13
Ninth graders spend Grade Activity Day in the kitchen, making their own lunch Zahara Kathawalla Staff Writer
Freshman girls prepare dessert
photo credits: Cathy McLane
Ninth graders learn to make yummy treats and hardy burgers
Many people might They had to rely on each ask, how did you end up in the other to make sure everything kitchen? The original plan was turned out right. The day was to go snow tubing, but for the lack of snow, we needed another option. Ninth grade dean, Ben Temple’s inspiration came from a similar activity several years back. He said it showed (from left) Sebastion Moller, Joe Owens and Hannah that even a sim- Magarian ple task could be challenging. successful as it allowed peers to Hannah Fine ’15 says, work cooperatively, produced “This experience was so great a greater appreciation for the because I got to bond with my kitchen staff, and turned out to grade while learning the capa- be lots of fun! bilities about cooking.” [sic]
“I want to make the world a better place.” ~ Jeff Trinh
Justice League presented with award at PFLAG conference Alisha Zelle Contributing Writer
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rom soft creamy cupcakes, to the juicy burgers, 9th grade managed to have a great time in the kitchen. For grade activity day, the freshman spent the morning in the cafeteria making cupcakes, burgers, spring rolls, and salads. They learned how the chefs prepare our food everyday and how much work it takes. Taher chefs from all three Blake campuses demonstrated how to prepare food from all over the world. Charlie Levitt ‘15 says, “It was really cool learning about how to chop different things, cause I’m not a very good cook.”
“I want to watch my grandchildren grow up, go to college, and transition to adulthood.” ~Jim Arnold
n January 20, at the PFLAG (Parents and Friday of Lesbians and Gays) conference in Saint Paul, the Justice League presented a workshop, called “Beyond the GSA: Meet the Justice League.” The workshop detailed Blake events such as Stand Up Speak Out, and how other schools can start similar groups. Along with that a member of Justice League was on a youth panel about GLBT teens in the morning, and another member was on a panel in a workshop about supporting GLBT rights in relation to religion in the afternoon. At night the Justice League received the Outstand StudentLed Organization award. This group of Justice (right) Tim Llop ‘12 bowling at Brunswick XL in Brooklyn Park for senior grade activity day. The sophomores spent the day at the Respect retreat at New Frontiers, whereas the juniors interacted in college simulations and listened to college representatives. photo credit: Bailey Dunning
photo courtesy of: kare11
Members of the Justice League discuss new initiatives
Leaguers will head to Baltimore, Maryland January 25-29 for the Creating Change Conference where they will be presenting the same workshop. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the Justice League regarding topics to discuss or issues to tackle they would love to hear them. So as you all continue on with your lives so the Justice League continues on with theirs, fighting injustice one day at a time.
The Spectrum Newspaper
Student Life
January 24, 2012
Working Without Web
Students struggle to complete assignments without internet access at home or while traveling Hannah Rice Staff Writer
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o the typical Blake student, internet access is a central part of life. From first class messages and Moodle updates, to YouTube videos and social networking sites, students are constantly online. But what happens when Internet is no longer an option? Allen Hill explains that, “Many Blake families choose not to pay for Internet at home. Whether it be for financial, moral or religious reasons, not everybody has Internet.” Under most circumstances, this restriction would mean navigating ridiculous public library hours and calling friends at night for assignments. However, because of Blake’s commitment to egalitarian educational practices, the frustration of limited internet access is not an issue. Hill explains, “At Blake, we believe that every student
should have the resources to be a functional member of this community. If a tennis player needs a racket, we will provide one... If a student needs Internet access at home to get his or her homework done, we will provide that too.” Technology was the last piece of the puzzle for Blake’s equity program. For years, Blake With all the web-based assignments of this modern age, students without internet access at home provided sports equip- could find it hard to do all their required work ment or scholarships to its students; technology be- For this reason, Blake came the last gap to fill. One ex- provides students without inample is the One-to-One laptop ternet at home with a device program. similar to wi-fi. “Its fairly slow,” “Every student has the says Hill. “But it gets the job same, computer, the same soft- done.” ware, the same case,” says Hill. Through the Department for “Every student has the same ac- Equity and Community Engagecess to technological education.” ment, Blake has worked hard to A MacBook is not of much make its community a more invalue to the student, if she or clusive place to learn. he cannot access the web for re- As John Gulla remarks, search, check their assignments “We want Blake to be a school on Moodle, or use turnitin.com. for the worthy.”
New vending machine is met with both praise and criticism Kalpit Modi Staff Writer
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ne of the most discussed additions to the Upper School has been the new vending machine located near the lunchroom. The vending machine was added to the community after forum approved the healthier alternative that the vending machine company provided to students. While raising concerns about the possible high prices, forum decided to keep both the new and the old vending machines in the school, providing students with the option of buying the products of either machines. With the addition of the new machine, opinions for and against it are at an all-time high. When the machine first arrived at school, excitement was feverish. It was new, it provided consumers with a variety
of options, it was both credit card and cash friendly, and it gave gold dollars as change! Summarizing these general opinions, Asad Rahmatullah ‘14 stated, “[it] offers a great selection and is healthy for you.” Available products include, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Izze’s Sparkling Juice, and Pop Chips. According to Lars King ‘12 the machine, “reflects the
photo credit: Marisa Bernstein
Jonah Sandy ‘14 browses the options in the new vending machine, located right outside the lunchroom
cultural shift towards healthier foods in America.” Though the vending machine has many pros, it was initially met with a lot of criticism. Joe Gould ‘13 explained, “While its stock may be good and healthier than the old vending machine, it is overpriced and affirms almost every negative stereotype about Blake.” Noah Abramovitz ‘14 stated, “It is absurdly expensive…it is outrageous that something is $3.50.” Many of the individuals demonstrated dislike for credit card feature of the vending machine. Alex Crane ’13 said, “The idea that a bunch of 15 year olds can use their credit card to buy things at school is crazy.” Having been accepted with mixed feelings, the vending machine is now part of the Blake community to be used by both students and faculty.
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Ask US the advice column by students for students
Q:
I’m having trouble ignoring the distractions at home while trying to get my homework done. It seems like I constantly end up on Facebook, iChat, YouTube and texting someone all at the same time. All these distractions keep me up at night, but I don’t want to delete my Facebook or give up my phone! How could I get my work done faster?
A:
As astonishing as it may seem, your relationships with people are NOT dependent on social networking and emotions do not exist in the virtual world; although people’s Facebook relationship status’ contradict that point. I do understand, however, that reducing the amount of social networking and web usage in your life is a long process; Facebook separation anxiety does exist! So, don’t delete your Facebook. Instead make rules and guidelines like only logging onto Facebook for two minutes in between assignments or no Facebook until all homework is finished. Then, you can progressively decrease your limits and your dependency on Facebook. As for the phone thing, just leave it downstairs and don’t get it until dinner!
Q: A:
All my friends are super into sports and I am not. I don’t know how to join the conversations!
Q: A:
All my friends mock my driving, but I think I’m a good driver! How can I let my friends know that they make it hard for me to drive when they are complaining and blasting music?
First off, different interest are what make friendships interesting! Even though you may not be super interested in sports you can still add to the conversation. One tip is that you can join the conversation and learn about the sports. Learning something new is always interesting and who knows maybe you’ll be able to connect with you’re friends on another level. And when the tables turn and your friends want to learn more about a passion of yours, don’t miss the opportunity to teach them!
Blasting music is just filling the lack of noise in the car. So, to stop the music, tell your friend that riding in the car together is quality-bonding time. Strike up a conversation, maybe even a heart-to-heart. Then, the music will go down, unless you have an adequate voice prepared to yell for long periods of time. Riding in the car really can be quality, alone time with your friends; there are no siblings, parents, teachers, or piers interrupting the conversation and you don’t need to worry about someone else hearing.
*Submit questions anonymously to room 351 (Ms. Reid’s room)
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News 2012: A year to live
Mayans say the world may end December 21 Abby Smith
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Parent provides solution to holiday giving Economist, Blake parent Joel Waldfogel discusses gift giving
gift giving, “a bad way to allocate resources because you are in fact choosing what I want.” He explains that if you were to go and spend $50 on yourself, you know what you want and will not get something you don’t want. However, if you were to go out and spend the same $50 to buy a gift for someone you do
not know well, you run the risk buying a gift they do not want. The easiest way to deal with gift giving awkwardness would be to abolish the tradition of giving gifts to people you don’t know that well, but unfortunately, that is here to stay. The second best option is give cash, but Waldfogel argues that in today’s society it is frowned upon as being thoughtless present. Gift cards, however, allow for the recipient of the present to choose what they want without the social stigma of cash. Taking that same problem of the NFL fans, a gift card would allow them to choose whatever jersey they want and would pretty much guarantee a happy holiday. Giving and receiving presents during the holidays is a timeless tradition that almost everyone can enjoy. The practice can only become more practical as everyone receives gift cards and comes out of the holidays happier.
paign while talking to a BBC correspondent. Most importantly, students learned that the American political system isn’t only about the campaigns. Hirsh Shekhar ’14 eloquently expressed one of the main purposes of this trip
when describing the presence of Occupy Wall Street at the Romney rally. “Their presence at one of Gov. Romney’s rallies not only incited the crowd, but provided Blake’s political tourists a rare opportunity to watch democracy in action.”
Staff Writer
photo credit: pricetravelmx.files.wordpress.com
The Mayan Calendar with the 13th b’ak’tun.
Mike Bazzett, who is translating the Mayan holy book this semester, said “The Mayans say it’s like a new beginning. This period of time is ending, and a new one is beginning.” No actual Mayans he spoke to thought the world would end. The Mayans are not the only ones who predicted our last days to be in 2012. A super massive black hole, one in the center of our galaxy, will align with the sun this year. It is rumored that this will cause massive gravitational havoc. Are these theories bona fide or phony? You are entitled to your own opinion, but only time will tell.
Students attend Iowa Caucus
... Carolyn Patterson ’14 stated that “it was really fun to meet all the candidates and attend the rallies as well as to volunteer for the party of our choice… I learned a ton about politics and how campaigning works.” On the first day upon the group’s arrival in Des Moines, three main groups split apart to volunteer with either the Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, or Obama campaigns. Each group participated in either door to door campaigning or phone banking. The following day, students attended campaign rallies for various Republican candidates including Paul, Bachmann, Santorum, and Romney. These events allowed students to meet and ask questions of the candidates. Each candidate’s choice of venue for each event expressed the ideals that his or her campaign wanted to encourage. Mitt Romney’s rally took place in a warehouse, while Michele Bachmann held a meet and greet at several family owned restaurants in uptown Des Moines. At these rallies, students learned about the importance of image in campaigning and how it can affect a politician’s perception by voters.
January 24, 2012
Christopher Hofstadter
Staff Writer un for your life! It’s the end of the world! Just kidding. For years now, people have been expecting events of apocalyptic proportions to occur in 2012. Why exactly are we expecting the world to end in 2012? Chances are, you have heard some of the apocalyptic theories that are storming around the Internet as our “impending doom” approaches. The most common prophecy concerns the Mayans, whose calendar supposedly ends on December 21, 2012. What most people are referring to when they talk about the end of the Mayan calendar is the 13th b’ak’tun. A b’ak’tun is a period of 394.26 years. In traditional Mayan mythology, there were three worlds created before this one. They ended after their 13 b’ak’tun, so it is assumed by many that the world will also end after we reach the 13th b’ak’tun. English teacher
The Spectrum Newspaper
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et’s be honest, one of the worst feelings is opening a gift on Christmas morning that is something that you don’t want. Opening that package from your aunt or uncle and then pretending to be happy afterwards is awkward to say the least. Luckily, a Blake parent has proposed a possible solution to the conundrum. Dr. Joel Waldfogel is the Fredrick R. Kappel Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management and the former chair of business and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. In 2009, he published a book titled Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents for the Holidays. Waldfogel contends that buying presents for others, unless you know them particularly well, is a waste of money. He calls today’s tradition of holiday
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photo credit: amazon.com
Waldfogel published his book before coming to Minnesota with Hannah ‘12 and Sarah ‘14.
TechnoPop integrates with Science Department Connor Slocum Contributing Writer
photo credit: Kenny Stesin
From Right: Kenny Stesin ‘13 Austin Rae ‘14, Hubbard Velie ‘13, Fox News Anchor Bret Baier, James Ring ‘14.
One other major factor in this trip was the wide variety of distinguished people and organizations in attendance. This included many well-known journalists, such as David Brooks of the New York Times. “You don’t realize how much the media is involved in the process until you see it for yourself,” says Preston Wallin ‘14. Furthermore, while visiting the Iowa state capitol, Blake students observed the filming of a news segment for anchor Megyn Kelly’s show on Fox News, as she conducted live
interviews with Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. While attending a Ron Paul rally, Nicole Kozlak ’13 had the chance to be interviewed by CNN’s Soledad O’Brien. O’Brien described her interviewee as a “Ron Paul supporter who is starting young… even though she is not old enough to participate in the caucuses.” Other Blake students also participated in interviews. Tim Juang ’12, Matt McFarland ’12, and Tyler Dougan ’14 stated their reasons for their endorsement of the Ron Paul cam-
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echnoPop for the ninth grade class will return for the second semester, but the curriculum and schedule of the class will shift. The class, resuming January 23rd, will have seven meetings and will meet during Monday Study Hall instead of Friday. In addition to pluralism topics, the class will discuss technology concepts based on the applications Twitter, Evernote and Photoshop. The pluralism aspect of the course will feature issues with gender, race, featur-
ing a new coordination with the Science department to study the biological side of race. Scott Flemming, Director of the Office of Equity and Community Engagement at Blake, has responses to student comments in the last issue of Spectrum. Flemming says that it is important to stay on the same page in terms of technological knowledge, and that pluralism is focused on community building. “While there is inherit discomfort talking about issues around pluralism” Flemming says, “the space and environment need to be open for everybody’s story.”
The Spectrum Newspaper January 24, 2012
Caffeine, source of change Single substance, wide effect Alex Lovaas Staff Writer “Honey, you can’t have that. You know caffeine stunts your growth.” This line is commonly used line by parents. After being told this fictitious fact, children disappointingly order an ordinary Kid’s Cocoa due to their fear of never reaching a whopping five feet. It’s a clever line by the parents, who taking advantage their children’ hopes of be a towering six feet someday. Unfortunately for parents with energetic children, the kids can have a Mocha or Coffee Cooler at Caribou, because in no way has caffeine been proven to stunt growth. Caffeine is actually profitable to humans; they benefit from it physically, socially, athletically, and intellectually. For the health-freaks out there, the consumption of caffeine can result in many short term and long term affects. For a short time it raises metabolic rates. This is a product of the body mistakenly reacting with caffeine instead of adenosine, a chemical that makes people
sleepy. The reaction with the mistaken identity gives people a boost of awareness, a splurge of hormones, and an upswing of dopamine. Caffeine provokes the body into an “emergency state”, but this “emergency state” not as scary or bad as it sounds. It is just the body becoming hyper-conscious and alert of its surroundings and is not harmful to the body emotionally or physically Long-term affects of drinking coffee regularly our a reduced risk of depression, development of endometrial cancer in women by 25%, type two diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease. According to Dr. Tarnopolsky, caffeine can increase athletic performance up to 25%. For endurance athletes, caffeine encourages fats in the muscle to be burned instead of carbohydrates. This increases the body’s ability to perform longer. For the quick, high-energy sports, caffeine increases the body’s ability to think quickly and react to its surroundings. People can maximize the affects of coffee by drinking one to
three cups two to three hours before activity, because it is only after it has set in the body that the coffee can have it’s ultimate affects on performance. Not everyone is obsessed with keeping healthy or sports, but caffeine can even augment the lives of scholars. It certainly helps high school and college students “pull off” an all-nighter to get a paper done. Proving that coffee, with the help of the light bulb, has transformed society from operating around the sun to a 24-hour society. Early in the 18th Century, coffee houses emerged in Europe; they became a social hot spot. Suddenly, people stopping drinking at hostile bars and started meeting at coffee houses. At these coffee houses people held sober, intellectual conversations exchanging ideas and talking about current events. The grounds for cross-pollinating ideas were the 18th century coffee houses. Coffee houses totally changed European society; maybe they can change The Blake School.
CAPTION CONTEST:
Submit your best caption to the envelope outside Ms. Reid’s room (351) for a chance to win a coupon for the new vending machine.
Opinions
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Internet of streamlined consciousness
Herd mentality a product of faster internet Critics have a oodles to say about the internet, so
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What does the internet bring to mind? • Perceived advantag- • False consensus due es of working in other to shallow analysis of issue and implications people’s wake • Fear of hate or isola- • “Crowd wisdom” and tion when challenging mimicry kill real creativity the group dynamic • Feel safe if “everyone • Wise together or blind together? is doing it” Greg Lim Staff Writer
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n Thomas L. Friedman’s January 2012 article in the New York Times entitled, “So Much Fun. So irrelevant,” he puts forth the need to create a broad ultrafast bandwidth to help spark innovation and therefore job creation. He couldn’t help but poke fun at the recent GOP presidential candidate debates. He brands them as being out of touch with the 21st century and that they are arguing ideas more fitting for the 19th and 20th century. His underlying idea is he believes that a high speed, high capacity bandwidth will create collaboration, innovation, and creativity between people. Furthermore interconnectivity tends to homogenize ideas and reduce creativity. One example would be social mogul media sites such as YouTube® and Facebook®. While sharing ideas is quite simple on these sites, they often lead a large majority into herd mentality. Once a trend takes hold and becomes popular, innovation and new ideas are shut down, which makes it even harder to further innovate. This is quite contrary to Mr. Friedman’s idea. Looking back in history, many of today’s bestknown innovators and inventors have been lone wolves out to accomplish something. Names like: Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg are all examples
of people who dreamed up ideas that many people in their time would consider crazy. Computer tycoon, Steve Jobs, created an empire out of his parent’s home in the 70’s. Furthermore, in 1985, Jobs was fired from Apple and left to fend for his own. Being the innovator he was, Jobs then set off to create his own company, NeXT Computers, which led to some of the most renowned e-mail innovations that still effect us today. Capabilities like sending: pictures, videos, files, and music. Need I say more? Lone wolves have contributed to create a world that 30 years ago would have been a dream. Another point that Mr. Friedman makes it that quantity of information is connected with quality of information. What he forgets is that humans can only process so much information. Referring to his point about eight doctors being able to work on the same MRI scan at one time. While you can have eight people working on a single project, you could simply have a single thoughtful person to translate it. Just because you have more people working on something doesn’t mean you’re going to get a better outcome than a single person working on it. While Mr. Friedman makes good points he leaves out many good points in his article. He forgets that the GOP candidates don’t choose the topics that they debate and that he forgets to look back into history.
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The Spectrum Newspaper
Opinions
January 20, 2011
I HATE MY TEACHER Anna Ehrlich Staff Writer
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hen walking in the halls, I hear a number of conversations taking place. However, there is one conversation which I hear more frequently than any other. It always goes something like this: “Student A: Oh my gosh, I hate that teacher! He stinks! Student B: I know! I haven’t learned anything in that class all year!� I know that we all have our rough times in classes, but lately, these conversations have gotten extreme. What has started as innocent rants about our frustrations in our class has turned into frequent hateful conversations. The biggest problem I see is that students are starting to take on a negative mindset. It is absolutely preposterous to say that no one has learned anything in a class. Our teach-
ers are experts in their subjects of instruction, and it is incredibly ridiculous to suggest that it is impossible to learn from them. A common argument I hear from many of my peers is that some teachers refuse to answer questions. In other words, some teachers refuse to hand out answers to an assignment which they probably spent a lot of time creating in order to make it a worthwhile endeavor. In all reality, those teachers are actually encouraging us to think for ourselves rather than be lazy about our work. This is called the Socratic Method, a technique developed by the Greek philosopher Socrates to encourage critical thinking. According to many psychologists, it can be used to clarify complex ideas and bring deeper insight to the thought process. This is extremely beneficial to students as it allows them to explore compli-
cated topics and gain a better understanding of the subject at hand. After hearing my fellow students complain so much, I sometimes wonder: How can we even expect to learn when we have such a permanent mind block? If we continue to tell ourselves that we cannot learn in a class, eventually we will be unable to. In short, learning is a twoway street. It takes an open-minded student to receive the information from a knowledgeable teacher. A positive mindset is necessary for the student to even begin the process of learning. If we remain to be so closeminded to our teachers, it will be impossible to learn from them. As we enter this new semester, I encourage everyone to keep it positive. It would be beneficial for everyone to self-evaluate and ask ourselves what we could be doing better, instead of the constant criticizing those who strive to educate us.
The Spectrum Newspaper
Opinions
January 24, 2012
Resisting Temptation
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Willpower in the Age of Instant Gratification
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Clare Flanagan Editorial Associate
oday, we are facing a new and particularly heinous plague. It’s an omnipresent specter in contemporary society, especially among students and working professionals. It seizes our brains and bodies, keeps us up at night, and eats away at our job performance and grades. What is this pestilence, one might ask? What could possibly be so horrible? Procrastination, of course. Indeed, it has affected many a member of the Blake community, if not all. Distraction. Lolly-gagging. Willful diversion from the task at hand. Whatever you call it, it’s nothing
stop wasting time. Not at all coincidentally, it’s called www. iwastesomuchtime.com. Admittedly, it is a fantastic website. I may or may not have spent half an hour there this very afternoon, before beginning to write this very article. An article that was, in all honesty, due two weekends ago. But I digress. Procrastination is quite a serious problem – there’s hardly anyone out there who can’t testify to its negative effects. Few know, however, that this miniplague is indicative of a broader issue– a viral lack of self-control that is quickly becoming a tenet of western society. Many of the
short of an epidemic. And since we live in an age of information, a constant stream of stimulus beckons – a temptation that’s extremely difficult to resist. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or various other timewasting venues, succumbing to the siren song of distraction can easily take precedence over the items on our to-do lists. In fact, there exists a website for those hopeless procrastinators that simply can’t
serious problems we face today are the result of a distinct lack of self-discipline. For instance, countless cases of obesity result from an inability to check the impulse to overeat. And many of today’s financial problems were arguably set in motion by a few power-hungry souls who couldn’t control their greed. In addition, new “addictions” seem to be cropping up everywhere, whether it’s to sex, video games, or the Internet.
“A lack of self-control is going unpunished in today’s society, even so far as to become accepted. We have come to expect instant gratification, and consequently, our abilities to resist temptation have weakened.”
Many of these might be legitimate dependencies, but in some cases, the word “addiction” is becoming a label designed to release the addict from accountability. This phenomenon is an example of the prevalent impulsivity that has infiltrated our world. A lack of self-control is going unpunished in today’s society, even so far as to become accepted. We have come to expect instant gratification, and consequently, our abilities to resist temptation have weakened. The question is: what can we do about it? And why, some may ask, is it that big of a problem at all? In fact, today’s prevailing lack of self-control is a bigger issue than many of us may realize. Its gravity is exemplified by psychologist Walter Mischel’s infamous “Marshmallow Experiment”, conducted forty years ago. In his scenario, children were allowed to eat a marshmallow if they liked, but were
offered two if they were able to wait awhile and resist the temptation to eat the first. Extensive surveying done afterwards revealed astonishing implications for this simple test of willpower. The children who had waited for the second marshmallow went on to earn higher SAT scores and better adult outcomes. On the other hand, the children with less self-control were more likely to become bullies or even develop drug problems. The implied conclusion? Willpower and restraint is key to a life welllived. If these characteristics are eroded, unhappiness and even immoral behavior may result. Indeed, there’s a reason why the prefrontal cortex – the area of the brain that orchestrates impulse control – is smaller in murderers than in the normal population. Now, these are some grim realizations. But don’t despair. This article is not meant to heap guilt on those who waste
The Dilemma of The Squeaky Adolescent
A rant/critique on critiques. That’s right. Brace yourselves. Inder Majumdar Editorial Associate
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irst, I will start this article by trying to make a grand, sweeping statement. I want to show my true opinion, but due to the lack of trust placed on me to not be a racist homophobic xenophobe, I will proceed to cover my statement with an unnecessary amount of political correctness and ar-
bitrary clarifications. And from here, ladies and gentlemen, the s*** hits the fan. Stuff goes down hill. Insert one more swearword for added effect. Passively mention statistics from [bureaucratic organization], or polls conducted without an explanation of results or background. Don’t rhetorical questions always get the job done? Insert grammatical error,;,;&%#*@ here. God knows how I even reached that side of the keyboard, but whatever…. It’s 3:00 AM. “Most critiques offer quotes, but either don’t
explain them properly, offer undue scandal without support, or frankly understate a problem,“ states Mrs. Robinson, a luminous Puritan missionary. Clearly, Mrs. Robinson offers an unbiased opinion regarding evolution, the nature of evil, and other intellectual topics. On a completely different note, the atheist who works at your nearest intellectual think tank state: “Dude. It’s the voice of the people. Who cares, anyways?” Clearly, our atheist is a brilliant man, as his quote is an ironic reference to the nihilistic
doctrine that plagues younger generations. I now overanalyze what think tank man means, using the thesaurus and thick tome of strange websites to be found on the Internet. Will I analyze the quote itself, and derive a distinct opinion of this blazed man’s opinion? Ha! What do you think I’m writing for, the newspaper of an academic institution? Well, that just got awkward. The author of this critique will likely be dead by the time you’ve finished reading this article, a result of the anger of mul-
time on Facebook or overindulge on candy once in awhile. It is important, though, to examine our habits, to truly consider what we do and why we do it. In all truth, the poor choices we make can nearly always be prevented by utilizing a little self-control. And though it may seem counterintuitive, a life lived with restraint is nearly always more rewarding than one dictated by instant gratification. Doesn’t it feel so much better to go on Twitter after you’ve gotten all of your homework done? And aren’t there so many beautiful things to be explored in the world that could never be fully enjoyed in front of a computer screen? So take time to examine your choices. It’s okay to succumb to impulse once in awhile, but there’s another level of fulfillment waiting beyond the realm of instant gratification. In other words, two marshmallows are almost always better than one.
tiple squeaky adolescents who struggle to find the right way to go about writing an opinions article every day. The number of squeaky adolescents has risen to a considerable 30% (with respect to some generic body of people. Don’t ask for details… This isn’t a sociology journal.), marking a 50% increase of general squeakiness (And clearly, this isn’t a math journal, either.). Critique ends abruptly. I need to procrastinate. Facebook. With love, The enraged adolecsent
8 The Spectrum Newspaper January 23, 2012
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hen we write a paper, we most always turn to the computer as a tool to help in research and composition. In word processing programs, we always have to make the choice of what font we want to use, and the choices are extensive and the options are very diverse. This comes from thousands of years of evolution typefaces have undergone from the illustration to the screen. The origins of the typeface can be traced back to ancient ideographs. Ideographs consisted of symbols that would represent a certain message. The ancient Egyptians developed their extensive written language of hieroglyphics from the ideograph. The modern alphabet is based upon the written language of
the Phoenicians, which was developed from 1500-300 BCE. It later evolved with the Greeks and the Romans into what is the basis of written language.
tation fell out of style and type designers like Claude Garamond and John Baskerville introduced plain, geometrically oriented typefaces in the Roman style, which became common and are favored to this day in certain books and the papers we write. As the 19th century progressed and the demand for
Before the printing press, materials were copied by hand, often very elaborately, which inspired the Blackletter series of type. Blackletter can be commonly seen in ancient British and German manuscripts. Even as technology progressed, the archaic style remained in favor. As printed materials became more popular, heavy ornamen-
printed materials surged, practicality had to be considered. Commonly, typefaces with small details in the strokes (or serif typefaces) were used, but the metal type used in the printing process could damage the paper. Slab serif and type with smaller serifs became the standard in printed material, especially newspapers and magazines.
Throughout the twentieth century, serif typefaces were widely used, which was a huge contrast to before, where in 1816, the first ever type to not include small detailed strokes, known as sans serif, was ridiculed. In 1954, Swiss artist Max Miedinger designed one of the most iconic typefaces, Helvetica. Helvetica’s versatility made it a typeface that could be used for almost any purpose. Over the last half of a century, many companies including Crate & Barrel, The North Face, and 3M have used Helvetica in their logos. In recent years, with the dawn of digital word processing and publication, a new set of type has gained popularity. Typefaces like Arial have been designed with the screen in mind. When we write in fonts such as Cambria, Times New Roman, Garamond, and Minion Pro today, we use not only type, but history as well.
In Depth
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rying to read an email from a friend with crazy font and neon green letters but failing to do so? Are you the person who writes emails like this? I have five words for you: legibility, readability, intent, aesthetics, and mood. When writing, think of your paper or email as a product you’re trying to sell. Would you try to sell a product with a sign with curly unreadable letters that are so bright the reader might become legally blind? No. It might seem like legibility and readability are the same thing, but this is not true. Legibility refers to the design of the font. It is easy to tell one letter from another in a legible typeface. Decorative fonts may look pretty, but have poor legibility because they are meant to be seen from a glance rather
H
ave you ever wondered how to make your English essay look longer than it actually is? Have you ever wondered how to fool your biology teacher into thinking you did more research than you actually had? A few simple tricks can solve all of your problems. Many students believe that teachers like to see longer papers, so here are some tricks to do so. The most obvious, and most common, way to make your essay look longer is to change the spacing. By simply changing the spacing from 1.0 to 2.0, it can double the amount of space that your writing takes up, which would make it look longer. Also, if you change the size of the margins, it will affect how much writing can fit on the page. If the margin size is changed, your writing could look longer than it actually is just because of the fact that it takes up more pages than it actually should. When an anonymous student was asked about the length of their papers, they said, “teacher’s claim that they want to see quality over
than read as a whole as in essays or newspapers. According to Smashing Magazine, for good legibility choose typefaces with conventional letterform, spacing, and a tall height. In terms of readability, always remember that communication comes before style when choosing a font. If your intent is for your teacher to keep reading your essay in order to get a good grade, choosing a font with poor aesthetics is not a good choice. English teacher Anna Reid says, “I’m a fan of Times New Roman and Cambria, but I hate Comic Sans. In fact, I want a bumper sticker that says ‘Ban Comic Sans’ I hate it so much.” A study shown by the “The Secret Lives of Fonts” discovered papers in the font Georgia tend to get A grades, papers in Times New Roman get A- grades, and papers using Trebuchet get B grades. This is based off the concept that a serif font (like the
font used for this article) is easier to read, therefore making the reader feel more at ease. When the graders feel good, the paper gets a good grade. The more you match the significance of the typeface to the significance of your topic, the easier success will come, says Douglas Bonneville from Smashing Magazine. If you’re emailing someone about a serious problem a curly font doesn’t match the significance of your topic. Though, generally even in a formal essay about puppies, a serious typeface should still be applied to make the reader at ease reading. For headings in an article or a flyer’s headline, your font should have character that grabs the reader’s attention and is different than the information font below. Fonts that give off a specific emotion are best for this and push the envelope. Using fonts to grab people’s attention gives you another opportunity to express yourself through the words on the paper, beyond just content you’ve written.
quantity, but we all know that both are of equal importance.” When scrolling down the endless options for fonts, you may not even notice the fact that some are larger than others. For example, the font ‘Courier’, is the same height as the common font, ‘Times New Roman’, but is much wider. Because of this, it makes it so fewer words will fit on a line, which would make your writing appear longer. One of the simplest ways to make your essay look longer is to exaggerate the amount of information you use in your headline. You can take up more than 6 lines of your paper just to include your name, date, class, block, teacher, and the title of your paper. To go even further, you can change the font and size of your title, as well as bolding it, to make the headlines even larger. One of the sneakiest, and most undetectable, tricks is to change the size of the period, most often referred to as the ‘Period Trick’. Just by changing the size of all of the periods in the paper can drastically change the
length of the paper. You’d be surprised on how much more space a size 14 period takes up than a size 12 period takes up, but because it is such a small change, it is nearly undetectable. Some students hope, and believe, that teachers don’t catch on to tricks like these, but they’re wrong. When asked about the tricks students use to make their papers look longer, English teacher Mike Bazzet said, “yes, I do see student’s using trick to make their papers longer. Because of this, I make length limits on papers to make the students write what is important, which is the quality of the writing rather than it’s length.” The are many tricks that students use to try to fool the teachers into believing that their papers are longer than they actually are, but according to the teachers, they see right through them. According to grade dean Ben Temple, “length is not a concern, and generally, the length is the least of my concerns. I’m more concerned with the quality of the paper.”
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The Spectrum Newspaper
A&E
January 23, 2012
Students seek more professional art experience outside Blake’s halls Sanjana Srivastava Staff Writer
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Local artist’s downtown art program is “not for everyone”
tudio 7 Fine Arts Studio, located in the basement of the Itasca building in Minneapolis, is run by exhibiting artist Nancy Kahlow. Studio 7 began in 1992. “In 1991, I had just moved into that studio and… there was a school that was raising money, like a silent auction, and I donated a threehour session to come to the artists’ studio to come paint with me,” Kahlow says. “A mother named Jane Lacono came up and asked me if I would take in her kids, if I would consider taking them once a week and teaching them. At the time I said no, I didn’t think I wanted to do that, and I thought about it, and three months later, I literally just woke up one night and decided, why not?” Throughout the histoPhotos courtesy of Kelkar and Kosieradzki ry of Studio 7, there have been Two pieces by Studio 7 Blake students: a drawing by Janhawi Kelkar ‘13 about 80 Blake students. Cur- (left) and a colligraph, a type of raised print, by Zoe Kosieradzki ‘12 (right) rently, Penelope Winton ’18, dents (of all ages and skill lev- Studio 7 is meant to be a you might take at Blake. There Joe Kyle ’14, Janhawi Kelkar els) and experimenting with dif- place for students who really care is much more freedom, a more ’13, Zoe Kosieradzki ’12, and ferent materials and techniques. about art, who want more than diverse group of people, and you Laura DeMane ’15 are part of I love walking into the studio they can get at other places, and have to be prepared for that.” the studio, and Bennett Win- and sitting down at my easel who want to be creative instead “I didn’t want a place ton ’12 is a former member. and mixing up a pallet of paint. of being given specific projects. that was just about arts and Janhawi Kelkar says “There’s a sense of in- Joe Kyle likes how “it’s a crafts,” says Kahlow. “I wanted about the studio, “Studio 7 is dependence, especially for the great class with the best teachers serious students who wanted to unlike any art class I’ve been to older students. Everyone who possible. If you are serious about learn interrelated curriculum. before. There is no instructional goes there shares a passion for art, and are willing to spend time Clay teaches you about three element to the class. We learn art, but everyone’s art style is outside of school, it is an amazing dimensional space, which you how to draw, paint, sculpt, and different. It’s inspiring to see place to go. However, it is very use in painting. In printmakprint by watching fellow stu- what others are working on.” different compared to any class ing, you take one drawing and
use it in many different colors, and carving gives you an idea of positive and negative space.” Instead of one-day workshops or scattered classes, Kahlow wanted a place for people who love art, who draw even when they aren’t supposed to. The studio has successfully become a community built around art. “Anybody that wants extra studio time and learn more techniques, and wants to have more time to express themselves, should look it up. Blake has an excellent art program, but some art students want more time,” says Kahlow. The studio is an excellent facility, but only students who are truly invested should join. It isn’t a huge time commitment, but the intensity and independence at the studio itself aren’t for everyone. The studio runs throughout the school year with four different weekly classes, offering painting, drawing, maskmaking, printmaking, and clay sculpture classes. There is also a summer program with painting and drawing. Studio 7 is a unique, excellent way to get experience and spend time doing art, for those who are truly committed.
Book review: Discover your aura, uncover the Secrets to immortality Iman Pakzad Staff Writer
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n the series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott, , everyone has an aura, the source of one’s magic ability. Unlike other series with wizards, anyone can use magic. The colors can be any color of the rainbow, white, black, silver or gold. They can be several different colors, or one pure color. One’s aura is his or her fingerprint. Pure colors and rare colors are the most powerful. However, two ordinary teenagers, twins, will have to awaken their magical powers in order to save the world. These teens must endure the biggest shock of their lives, everything they know is a lie. Throughout the adventure, the teens will uncover
shocking secrets, which makes it hard to put the books down. In this series, humans were not the first intelligent beings. This book covers lots of mythology, lore, and history from many places, but rewrites it in terms of magic. Freshmen Abigail Smith ‘15 who has read 5 of 6 books (the last is to be released this May) would recommend this series to “people who like fiction, science fiction. This series blurs the definitions of genre.“ According to the series, Nicholas Flamel (see sidebar!) really did find the secret to immortality, but he wasn’t the first. In an alternative history, everyone could use their aura for magic, but as humanity progressed, humans lost touch with their “magical senses.” Throughout their travels, from Paris, to England, to Al-
catraz and several magic realms, they encounter all sorts of magical allies and enemies, including vampires, a giant spider, Gods of mythology and historical figures. These allies need to protect a special book of prophecies, legends and spells to save the world from total destruction. One main issue that the twins will face is a matter of trust. When one’s entire sense truth has been shattered, who can be trusted? Throughout the story, characters reference a prophecy made long ago: ”twins with auras of silver and gold, a brother and sister with the power to either save the world… or destroy it.” This great series is riddled with adventure, magic and mystery. Discover the secrets of the codex in the final book of the series: The Enchantress.
THE REAL LIFE NICHOLAS FLAMEL
By the books, Nicolas Flamel (above, center) discovered the secret to immortality by creating the Sorcerer’s Stone, as referenced in Michael Scott’s series (above left) and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The real Nicholas Flamel was an alchemist who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. His life’s work was decoding a mysterious book that some believed he used to create the Sorcerer’s Stone and achieve immortality, even after his death in 1417. Photo courtesy of curiosity.discovery.com, dillonscott.com, geekalerts.com
The Spectrum Newspaper
A&E
January 24, 2012
While not Incredibly Close to perfection, strong and moving supporting performances carry 9/11-based drama with all the necessary information, and then some. Our primary presenter, Oskar, is played by Thomas Horn in his first film. Some of he novel Extremely Loud & Horn’s scenes Incredibly Close, are remarkable written by Jonathon and he fully inSafran Foer, runs for habits the role. In 340-some pages, much other scenes, he of it pictures. The movie feels more like an version runs over two empty vessel than hours and lacks several a character, perof the novel’s primary haps ascribable subplots, coming out all to Oskar’s varithe stronger for it. ous quirks and Both book and deficiencies. But movie tell the story while Horn may of one Oskar Schell, a be the movie’s 9-year-old with some protagonist, its form of Asperger’s, who heart beats with deals with the grief he Tom Hanks as Osfaces after his father kar’s father, Max dies on 9/11. When, von Snydow as a about a year later, he mysterious, silent finds a key in his farenter and Viola ther’s closet in an enDavis as one of velope with the word the many Blacks “Black” written on it, he Oskar meets. decides that Black must Extremely Loud be a name and heads and Incredibly into the streets of New Close exists beYork City to find the lock cause of a novel. the key goes with. Though by no The novel has means a perfect an additional subplot movie, suffering dealing with the 1945 Photo courtesy of IMDB.com from some inefbombing of Dresden. Extremely Loud captures the essence of humanity fective scenes and Mercifully, this is cut through various characters’ backstories an occasionally from the movie version, there are several false endings. emotionally empty main characleaving the audience a more Though not flawless in terms of ter, Extremely Loud and Incredstreamlined story. pacing and running time, at the ibly Close is worth seeing for a A more streamlined very least the movie doesn’t cut host of fully human supporting story does not mean an overly any scenes that clearly should performances. shortened story. Oskar’s world have been cut. We are presented
Natcher Pruett Staff Writer
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and quest and likes and dislikes and fears and trivia knowledge are not skimped upon, mostly fed to us through voice over. Near the closing credits
SONG
ARTIST
RECOMMENDED BY
SEE THEM BEFORE OSCAR NIGHT! If you see at least one of these possible contenders for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and participate in our survey, which will be posted on www.spectrum.org next month, you may be featured in the February issue of The Spectrum! (Theaters determined by proximity to the Blake Upper School)
The Artist
Currently playing at Landmark Edina 4 Theatre (3911 West 50th St, Edina) Rated PG-13
The Descendants
Currently playing at Kerasotes Showplace ICON Theatre at West End (W 16th St and Park Pl Blvd, St. Louis Park) Rated R
War Horse
Currently playing at AMC Block E 15 (600 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis) Rated PG-13
Hugo
Currently playing in 3D at Kerasotes Showplace ICON Theatre at West End (St. Louis Park) Rated PG
The Iron Lady
Currently playing at Kerasotes Showplace ICON Theatre at West End (St. Louis Park) Rated PG-13
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Currently playing at Kerasotes Showplace ICON Theatre at West End (St. Louis Park) Rated R
--Reporting and lettering by Staff Writer Molly Apple Photos courtesy of davidairey.com, hiphop.hypeeater.com, hotnewsonglyrics.com, ulike.net, urbancountrynews.com
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The Spectrum Newspaper
Science/Technology
Spectrum
January 24, 2012
Spectrum now online @ www.blakespectrum.org
The Blake School 511 Kenwood Pkwy. Minneapolis. MN January 24, 2012 Issue IV Editors-in-Chief
BAILEY DUNNING BENNETT WINTON Student Life
EMILY MOORE News
PATRICK DUNPHY Opinions
KARL LOVAAS In-Depth
LUCIA SANDBERG Business Managers
ALEX FELDMAN CHARLES VOJTA CHRISTOPHER HOFSTADTER Features
EVE LIU Sci/Tech
NOLAN LINDQUIST Sports
LAINE HIGGINS A&E / Web Designer
JONAH SANDY Web Designers
KEVIN HAYES IMAN PAKZAD Photographers
NICKY CHRISTENSON MARISA BERNSTEIN
Adiviser
ANNA REID
STAFF WRITERS Noah Abramowitz, Molly Apple, Claire Carpenter, Janice Chung, Anna Ehrlich, Clare Flanagan, Chris Hall, Haley Holsather, Christopher Hofstadter, Zahara Kathawalla, Greg Lim, Alex Lovaas, Inder Majumdar, Kalpit Modi, Iman Pakzad, Natcher Pruett, Hannah Rice, Brooke Sabes, Jason Shu, Connor Slocum, Abby Smith, Sanjana Srivastava, Charles Vojta, Sully Whitely, Adelaide Winton
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.
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. Email letters or editorial cartoons to spectrum@ blakeschool.org or deliver them anonymously in room 351. Please limit letters to 400 words. JOIN SPECTRUM: Spectrum meets every
Tuesday in room 351 during both lunches. Come if you are interested in writing, drawing, designing or taking pictures for our newspaper.
graphic credit: Nolan Lindquist
graphic credit: Nolan Lindquist
Left: The new website’s “virtual front page” has top stories and exclusive online content. Right: each section features an article bank from the past year.
Charles Vojta Staff Writer
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n the upcoming weeks, Spectrum will be adding more content to their interactive website. Though the site has “been there for a year,” according to Spectrum adviser Anna Reid, the newspaper is only publicizing it now, since until recently it was under construction. When a reader opens the virtual front page in their
web browser, they are greeted with colorful pictures complemented by catchy headlines. Under the titles of various sections readers can now find articles already published in the paper edition of Spectrum, as well as articles that didn’t have a chance to be printed due to space concerns. Readers will find longer versions of articles previously published in the newspaper, too. Furthermore, the new site is
“composed of widgets” which lets the newspaper’s staff make quick changes and useful edits easily. According to website manager Kevin Hayes ‘14, the website will “allow people to comment on opinions articles, and share their own opinion[s].” Kevin, along with Iman Pakzad ‘14 and Laine Higgins ‘13, worked to build and improve the website with the staff of Student Newspapers Online.
Scan this code on your smartphone to check out the mobile version of the new website.
SOPA threatens internet freedom
Legislation would allow unchecked censorship Tim Juang Contributing Writer
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n Wednesday, January 18, 2012, many of us had a profound realization: we are utterly dependent on Wikipedia. With over 10,000 websites that joined Wikipedia in the blackout to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), the day will be remembered as the largest Internet protest in history. Websites participating in the online boycott claimed that SOPA and PIPA would effectively censor the Internet. Meanwhile, Chris Dodd, senator-turned-CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), criticized the online boycotts, calling the coordinated protest a “dangerous gimmick.” But does the danger come from the sites, or the legislation? SOPA and PIPA work by censoring links to entire domains – neither contains provisions to actually remove copyrighted content. This places a huge burden on websites to scrub through every comment, link, and search on their site to remove all links to the infring-
ing domain. Opponents of the bill say that monitoring every link undermines the openness and free speech of the Internet. Constitutional experts like Harvard Law School p ro fe s s o r Laurence Tribe and Stanford Law School professor Mark Lemley agree. Supporters of the bills claim that only foreign sites would be targeted; however the language of the bill does not make such a clear distinction. Sites with servers based in the United States still have foreign registers, e.g., google.co.uk, yet PIPA and SOPA label sites as ‘foreign’ or ‘domestic’ based on domain name alone. Moreover, the language of the bills allows the government to prosecute any site “facilitating” the activities and commissions of copyright infringement. Tech companies have pounced on the word “facilitate” due to
the massive potential for abuse. “Under this definition,” writes Jason Harvey on Reddit blog, “a site could be targeted for something as simple as describing how to rip a Blu-Ray.” H o w graphic credit: Kevin Hayes effective at stopping piracy would SOPA and PIPA be? Would copyright infringement be stopped if hundreds of domain names were blocked? According to The Pirate Bay, “Not really.” Countries like China and Saudi Arabia have implemented similar strategies to SOPA and PIPA, but pirates always find a way. In fact, the US State Department helps develop software to explicitly undercut these forms of censorship. Then there is the problem of innovation. SOPA/PIPA dramatically change the infrastructure of the Internet, and the added regulation would “hamper the pace of innovation as users, websites, and investors cope
with the uncertainty of running afoul of one or more vague sections of copyright law,” according to an e-mail petition by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The MPAA claims that SOPA is “fundamentally…about jobs.” However, the legislation does not add jobs to the economy. Rather, just like in the 1984 case Sony v. Universal when Jack Valenti claimed that the VCR would kill the movie industry, the battle over SOPA and PIPA is fought against new technology and innovation. Ironically, it was the VCR (deemed ‘pirate technology’) that led to the eruption of the movie industry. No longer were films just seen in movies, as the VCR ushered in a new age of home movie viewing and renting. The truth is, pirating is an old problem—one that exists because of convenience. Only by creating new, reliable methods of distribution that benefit consumers can the motion picture industry solve piracy. Competition, not legislation, ought to be their strategy. Until that day comes, let’s hope Wikipedia doesn’t black out again.
The Spectrum Newspaper January 24, 2012
Technology not embraced at Iowa caucuses
Science/Technology
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Voting continues “the old-fashioned way” James Ring Contributing Writer
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t could be said that technology has really had an impact on the events of the Iowa Caucus. Every time a candidate has a rally or goes into a local store or restaurant, members of the media with every camera, tape recorder, and microphone imaginable follow him around, tracking every move he makes and every word he says. News stations from all over the world set up all of their little gadgets at every event a candidate is present. It might seem easy come to the conclusion that technology has shaped the Iowa Caucus. But in reality, it really doesn’t have as much of an impact as one might think. I had the same thought—that technology and the media shape the 21st Century Iowa Caucus—until caucus night came. On the big night, our group of 22 Blake School students actually went to see a caucus take place, so we could learn what the media hype is really about. I originally thought that observing the caucus would be equivalent to visiting a polling station for the general election; voters enter a little cubicle, punch a hole in the paper next to their favored candidate’s name, and then put the sheet into a electronic reader that will do the
rest of the work. In fact, the caucus system in Iowa is very different. Instead of going into a little cubicle, all the voters sat in a small gym. They had different roles for helping out that were chosen by raising hands. After the people heard speeches for the different candidates and wrote their choices on slips of paper, the results were counted by hand. You would have thought you were in the year 1812, not 2012. Then, the results were driven to an office somewhere in Iowa where all the results from all the other counties were being brought as well. Unlike everything else we had seen during the trip, the actual Caucus did not use a single bit of advanced technology whatsoever. Now, the caucus was not the only place where technology did not play a big factor. Campaigning in Iowa was not affected all that much by technology and the media. That may seem crazy, considering that the events our group went to were all shown on the major news stations. But still, even in an era where you can find every event in Iowa broadcast on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and etc., the people still want to hear and meet the candidates in person. If you were glued to your TV on that Tuesday night, you would have seen the results
Erin Morris ‘12 and Hirsh Shekhar ‘14 phone voters for the Obama campaign.
of the Iowa Caucus coming in. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who many project to be the Republican candidate challenging President Obama this November, was in a neck-to-neck battle with Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum throughout the entire night. Before the caucus, Santorum was a little-known candidate whom
Tim Juang ‘12 and Tyler Dougan ‘14 talk to Iowans for the Ron Paul campaign.
graphic credit: David Graham
many people believed would be a non-starter. According to many polls, he was the least popular candidate, or somewhere near the bottom, throughout much of the race, and he was often asked fewer questions at the debates. But many people believe that his success on that night came from his in-person campaigning. Not only did Santorum visit all 99 counties of Iowa, he made an appearance at every one of the thirty-nine “Pizza Ranch” restaurants in Iowa. A popular sit-down restaurant chain in the Midwest known for its pizza and fried chicken buffet, Pizza Ranch has been a big stop for
graphic credit: David Graham
candidates in recent election cycles. Rick Santorum campaigned there so much that many people believed it actually helped his performance in the Caucus. If you were to watch the big news stations, you would think that they had a huge impact on the Iowa Caucus. But despite the gadgets and gizmos available in this era of technological innovation, the Iowa Caucus system remains very traditional. From no electronic contribution in the Caucus itself to the face-to-face “Pizza Ranch” campaigning, it is plainly true that Iowa Caucus continues to remain “old-fashioned.”
graphic credit: David Graham
Kenny Stesin ‘13, Hubbard Velie ‘13, and the author, James Ring ‘14, wait for Michele Bachmann to make a campaign stop.
January 24, 2012
David Graham to spend the semester embracing the culture of India
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Sully Whitely Staff Writer
s the first semester comes to a close, changes come with the new spring semester. One of those changes will be saying good-bye to David Graham for a while as he takes India. But the biggest question? What exactly is Graham doing there? Q: What exactly are you doing in India? A: I will be visiting schools in different parts of the country and Bangladesh to learn about how they address controversial issues, such as independence, partition and religious and ethnic conflicts. I’ll meet with teachers and observe classes in Mumbai, Chennai and Dhaka (Bangladesh). I’ll also work with teachers in Dehradun to discuss how some teachers in the US raise controversial issues in a constructive way for our students.
SABBATICALS
RADICAL
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The Spectrum Newspaper
Features
Q: How did you decide to do this for your sabbatical? A: Having studied the region off
and on for many years and visiting western India for 10 days in 1999, I have developed an interest in Southern Asia. As I studied more and more, I realized that I had a monolithic narrative of its history. I wanted a better sense of the regional diversity and to move myself beyond the more simplistic Gandhi-centered narrative of the independence experience. Many Blake families, including the Persauds, Somasundaram-Nagarathnams, Modis and Thakrars have been incredibly generous with their time, providing advice, making contacts and offering accommodations for my studies.
Q: Have you ever done something like this in the past, going abroad for a long period of time? A: I studied in England for 10 months during my junior year of college, but this opportunity requires more independent planning and coordination than that experience. I will spend time researching and learning some Hindi before I go in late February.
Q: What will you miss most about Blake and Minnesota while you’re away? A: I’ll miss my family - at least those who won’t be with me. I’ll will definitely miss seeing students and colleagues in my classes and in the hallways. It’s a terrific thing to be able to walk into our community knowing that I’ll be interacting with engaged,
interesting and caring people. Even this year, I don’t think I’ll miss a March snow storm. I will miss baked goods, but I’m sure that I’ll come find some things to expand my horizons.
Jon Dicus explores Argentina on his yearlong sabbatical Claire Carpenter Staff Writer
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on Dicus, one of our Upper School Spanish teachers, is currently midway through his year-long sabbatical in Argentina with his family. He has primarily been spending his time biking, camping, and hiking with his wife and his two young daughters. While Dicus is very busy and does not always have access to the Internet, he was able to give a brief update on what he has been up to this year. A: There is so much. Geography, language and accents, the concept of time, social greetings and habits, comparisons of schools and city life, and being able to watch my children learn Spanish through immersion, among others.
Dicus at “mil Tambores,” an annual celebration in Valpo, Argentina
Q: Is there anything you have experienced in Argentina that you would like to integrate into the classroom at Blake?
Q: What is the most entertaining thing you have done so far? What has been the most interesting experience you’ve had? A: The most enjoyable experience is going to the mountains and hiking and biking with friends and family. The most interesting place we have visited is El Bolson, a fruit-growing region that is
home to many, many hippies. Currently, we are volunteering on a strawberry farm, picking berries with other volunteers while our daughters play with local children. Q: Are there any notable similarities between the U.S. and Argentina? A: Obesity is a problem and there is lots of fast food and sodas in both countries. People love their families and are friendly and kind. The weather and landscapes resemble places I have been in the US.
Q: Are there any interesting differences between the U.S. and Argentina? A: Time, the siesta, greetings (men kiss on the cheek), and many people use domestic help. Cars use natural gas and the infrastructure is not as developed as in the United States. The schools use a lot of rote learning and memorization and copying from the board, and Internet access is very slow.
Check out Dicus’ blog
Mike Bazzett to translate the Mayan Holy Book
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photo submitted by: Margaret Graham
Graham with his son, Jasper, at a Twins game
opol Vuh is the creation story and the epic quest tale of the Mayan people. English teacher Mike Bazzett, will be first in the world to translate Popol Vuh into verse, taking the project under his wing during the second semester. Scholars have translated twice before, but only into prose. Bazzett says that the Mayan creation story to be similar to The Lord of the Rings telling an epic tale of two hero twins. Alongside this quest, the creation of humans out of corn and blood are the most prominent
features of The Book of the People (a literal translation of Popol Vuh). The Popol Vuh was originally a collection of stories told orally from person to person, until they were written down. When the Spanish conquistadors came, they burned as many copies of it as they could, for Christianity was the only “acceptable” religion. Luckily for us, some of these copies of the Popol Vuh survived. “Last summer, I had a Hersey sabbatical [a trip awarded to three faculty members who display excellent teaching effec-
photo credit: Marisa Bernstein
Bazzett will be the first in history to translate the Popol Vuh into verse
tiveness]. I went down to one of the most remote areas of Mexico, Chiapas.” The traditional language, K’iche, is spoken by 7% of the population. It is also the original language in which the Popol Vuh was written in. In order to translate this ancient book, Bazzett “listened for the rhythms of the language.” In June, he spent a couple of weeks in the countryside. “I also wanted to see the land scape”, he said when recounting the trip. The landscape of Mexico is described in the Popol Vuh, with particular emphasis on the
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Abby Smith Staff Writer thickness of the forest and the lushness of the natural landscape. Once school started again, the translation work was put to the side for lesson plans and poems. For Bazzett, this next semester will be spent at home in mornings of careful translation and afternoons of research. He predicts that the finished translation will be around 100 pages long. The first five pages are going to be published in a literary Journal, Southern Humanity View.
The Spectrum Newspaper January 24, 2012
Nordic “Thinks Skiing” despite gloomy snow fall
third of our season before we even actually got on snow.” The Nordic team had to practice on dry grass for weeks: often running in awkward strides with poles. McFarland comments with a chuckle, “The coach likes us to think skiing, so we’ve got our poles… which is kinda funky.” According to Van Slooten, “Our skiing definitely won’t be as strong [as last year] because we have a lot of new kids. They’re not going to be as well prepared for the bigger meets because they haven’t had much time on the snow to actually get used to being on their skis and understanding how that works.
But for the returning skiers, it looks like it’s going okay.” McFarland believes “we will struggle with team morale and retention. We usually do a ski trip during the weekend right after finals at a resort, but that got canceled this year.” According to McFarland, kids were expecting a fun season filled with snow. But this year, with so little snow, some are questioning, “Well, is Nordic even a sport now?” All schools participate in the same class for Nordic skiing. In the past the boys team has struggled to field six scoring skiers. This takes a toll on the team when it goes up against larger schools such as Eden Prairie, Edina and Hopkins. McFarland said, “Sections are always a slaughter house, but conference, we are going to struggle this year, compared to past years.” Last year, the girls won conference, but a repeat will be hard given the lack of snow and veteran skiers. Although the current situation is grim, the team may have a chance at conquering its conference once again once the new skiers mature.
just can’t go unnoticed. Fencing is an incredibly interesting sport not only to watch, but also to participate in. It takes just as much mental effort as physical effort, which is a reason why Head Coach Harold Buck calls it “physical chess. You
have to constantly analyze your opponent’s actions.” As Captain Catherine Hua ‘13 says, “The best thing about fencing is that you get to meet a lot of people who have the same interests, and even better, you get to smack them.”
photo credit: Laine Higgins
During a race at Elm Creek Park, Hudson Van Slooten ‘12 scans the horizon for passable skiers. Races at Elm Creek are held on a 2.5 K man-made loop.
Janice Chung Staff Writer
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espite the faded grass, declining temperatures, and lack of snow, the skiers of Blake’s Nordic Team are working hard, poles in hand; but the future of this year’s season appears uncertain. In an effort to understand what the season is like for our Nordic skiers, I interviewed captains Matt McFarland’12 and Hudson Van Slooten ’12. The team practices at Theodore Wirth Park, one of two courses with man-made snow. McFarland recalls, “They didn’t start making the snow until the week of finals. It took a terrible
Sports
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Minute Morsels
Sports Updates in 100 Words or Less
photo credit: Nicky Christensen
Forward Hannah Randolph ‘13 has scored six goals and three assists in the 2011-2012 season. Dani Cameranesi ‘13 leads the team with 43 goals. Karlie Lund ‘15 and Alex Lovaas ‘14 have each scored 23 goals for the bears, ranking them as the number two goal scorers on the team. The girls team is 10-8-1, and is currently seeded first in the tri-metro conference according to mngirlshockeyhub.com.
EN GARDE Get the 411 on Fencing
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Jason Shu Contributing Writer
encing is one of the most mysterious of the athletics offered at Blake. I’m sure that many people would first think of a picket fence before the sport. However, such a unique sport
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en garde
the stance fencers hold while prefencing related deaths since paring for bouts. Fencers can at1937. A common misconception test to the leg strength required of fencing is that fencers could to hold the “en garde” stance, and weapons are much heaviget seriously injured during a er than they look to hold at a horizontal angle. bout. After all, the weapons are just different types of swords, right? Not quite.
place 40 milliseconds 14 x 2 meters target area the on the body Dimensions of the playing field
photo credit: parent submitted
As a Breck teammate finishes, Will Erickson ‘12 rockets from the block in the 200 Free Relay. The Bearstangs placed second at True Team Sections and hope to keep their momentum going for the sections and state meets. In their last dual meet of the season, the Bearstangs will take on Monticello at 6:00 PM, January 24th at the Breck pool.
Time between a “double where points can be scored. In epee, this touch” in epee. However, of fencing called the “strip.” includes the entire body. This area is rethe attack must be a thrust divisions in modern day stricted to the torso in foil, and all body in order to trigger the fencing: foil, sabre & epee parts above the torso during sabre play. mechanism of the blade.
5-8
millimeters
width of nonlethal blades used by fencers.
WWI
Fencing used to be extremely popular prior to World War I. Instead of using pistols to duel, Europeans commonly fenced to settle disputes.
sabre
foil
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the odd one out; touches are scored by slashing the opponent with the side of the weapon.
the most common weapon of fencing. Touches are awarded to the fencer who hits first with priority. A fencer has priority if he/she is a threat to the opponent’s target area. This practice of establishing priority is called “right-of-way.”
bouts
are typically made up of 5 touches in preliminary pool play. After pool play, Direct Eliminations start, which are 15-touch single-elimination bouts.
photo credit: Bailey Dunning
Hannah Waldfogel ‘12 dribbles down court during a recent loss against Visitation. The girls varsity squad started the season 1-7 and is looking to keep improving their skills.
The Spectrum Newspaper
Sports
January 24, 2012
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Hit from behind: Unseen consequences of Jablonski’s injury on the hockey community John Flanagan Contributing Writer
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ince December 30th, the state of Minnesota and the nation have been awash with some of the most passionate and heartfelt support for a single cause in recent memory. Twitter, Facebook, newspapers, and the Web are plastered with the red and white logo that has been created in honor of Jack Jablonski, the BSM student affectionately known as Jabby. In a fateful game on the afternoon of the 30th, Jablonski fractured two vertebrae and severed his spinal cord. The prognosis is grim - he’ll never walk again. Schools across the nation have participated in the white-outs organized to show their support, and the hockey community as well as millions of concerned onlookers have been shaken to their core. We all ask ourselves: how could such a terrible injury occur in a routine game? How could the game that has punctuated and enriched lives all over the world so horrifically damage one? In the outpouring of support that’s come in the wake
graphic credit: Laine Higgins
of this tragedy, coaches, parents, and players everywhere have to find a way to improve the game they all love, making it safer without compromising the primal joy that so many find in playing hockey. After visiting Jablonski, Lou Nanne, a former professional hockey player considered
by many to be the grandfather of Minnesota hockey, was quoted by the Star Tribune as saying, “This is one of the reasons why USA Hockey legislated checking out of peewee hockey.” Said legislation was put into writing on June 11, 2011, but this new development is causing many to revisit the point.
According to a document issued by Michael J. Stuart, Chief Medical Officer of the USA Hockey Organization, spinal cord injuries and injuries in general increase in players as they age, showing that increasing checking restrictions does not always counteract the steady rise in intensity of play as players mature
physically. This has caused many coaches to think about outlawing checking in high school, but many still disagree. Ken Pauly, head coach of BSM’s varsity boy’s hockey, maintains, “we have the rules against checking from behind. We just have to apply them better.” Jablonski’s parents and coaches have said that hockey in general is too permissive, but the rules are already in writing. As the debate rages on, however, we must all look to our own hockey culture. It is imperative that Blake players be the best sportsmen and sportswomen around, so that even though the rules may change, our program still exemplifies fair play. Even as the hockey community struggles to make the game safer and more enjoyable, the most important action for Blake is to remain unyielding in our support of our competitors and of Jack Jablonski.
Smooth, Fast and Natural: Blake skiers impress on national slopes Chris Hall Staff Writer
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ome Blake skiers go beyond the Blake ski team, compete at a national level and do extraordinarily well. I recently got a chance to sit down with Jack McNeill ’13, who has been racing competitively with USSA/FIS on the national level races since he was seven years old. Currently, McNeill is ranked 5th in the nation in slalom for his age group and in the past has been ranked as high as 1st nationally. Last year he qualified for J2 Nationals, which consists of 50 of the best 15 and 16 year olds from around the nation. To qualify, a person has to be one of the top five skiers in their region, so this was quite an accomplishment. As if his national feats aren’t enough, McNeill is also the top skier on the Blake boys ski team. During his first two years on the team, McNeill earned all conference and all state hon-
photo credit: Jack McNeill
McNeill edges a turn during the Atmore memorial race at Lutsen Mountain. McNeill placed 14th out of 95 skiers.
ors, including two top fifteen appearances at the State Meet. Although high school racing is not as competitive, he enjoys the Blake team because it fosters a sense of community. McNeill hopes to, “ski
my personal best at every race for the team and to win state as an individual.” He also wants to contribute to the Blake team as much as possible. Because he competes in both high school and USSA/FIS
races, McNeill is very busy and misses about 50 school days a year. In response my asking how he handles missing so much class, he replied, “I miss school just like any other kid would; I don’t have any tutors etc. I just
do my work when I get done skiing, whenever that may be.” He also mentioned that his parents only allow him to ski if his grades are satisfactory. McNeill hopes to ski for a Division I program in college, although he realizes that this is an ambitious goal. However, daunting competition hasn’t seemed to faze him in the past. Teddy Ankeny ‘14 and Tessa Ide ’13 also ski competitively for USSA/FIS. Ankeny has qualified for Junior Olympics for three consecutive years, and he is currently ranked 11th in the nation for his age group in slalom. Ide has skied in the Junior Olympics for four consecutive years. This past summer, she traveled to Switzerland to train for two weeks with world class skiers from around the globe. The Blake team maintains a strong presence nationally due to frequent appearances by McNeill, Ankeny and Ide in USSA/FIS competitions. Expect great performances from this trio at the 2012 State Meet.