the blakespectrum.org
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“Your Voice in Print”
Friday | April 30 | 2021
Issue VI
The Blake School
Chauvin Trial Causes, Heightens Tension Activists Organize Community members react to trial, verdict Evan Vezmar | Staff Writer
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leven months after George Floyd was killed in the custody of police, Derek Chauvin, the former officer who pushed his knee into Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, went on trial. Chauvin was charged with second degree murder, third degree murder, and second degree
manslaughter and will face a minimum of 10 years in prison. In the days leading up to the verdict, many expressed apprehension and fear about the trial. Social Studies teacher, David Graham ‘85, organized an Equity Lab earlier in the year for students to process their feelings about the trial. He says, “It’s probably nothing that unique, I feel anxious, hopeful, but will the system work? And if it doesn’t, it makes me nervous about the future.” Spencer Okoronkwo
‘22, an organizer of the walkout that took place in the wake of the murder of Daunte Wright, states, “It’s kind of hard for me to watch and I’ve been trying to watch as much as I can just to get as much information that I can, but I know that it’s a very emotional time, especially for Black people, because we’ve seen it happen over and over again with white officers not taking accountability for their actions.” Upper School Director, Joe Ruggiero shares about
Robert Grace IV
Annabella Rozin ‘24 shares, “There was a huge sense of relief that I felt when the verdict was announced, because Chauvin had to be held accountable for his actions but also because Minneapolis would have felt the repercussions of the verdict more than anywhere else in the US. It was the best decision the jury could have made in terms of equality but also for safety.”
how Blake is trying to help students during these uncertain times: “What [Blake] has been trying to do is offer a number of different opportunities for people to learn about what’s going on, to talk about what’s going on, and to have a space to be able to process their own emotions and feelings related to [the trial]. And so there have been Equity Labs, the deans have reached out to grade conferences to say, ‘here are some spaces that are available if you want to talk to somebody.’” However, even after hearing the news of Chauvin’s conviction, students still feel that there is still more to be done. Okoronkwo explains, “I think we still need to have these difficult conversations. I feel like a lot of people might not be satisfied about what happened… I would say that right now, I’m just trying to have these difficult conversations with people and just try to spread more awareness because I think it starts with acknowledging the issue first and then you have to do something about it.”
Submitted by: Spencer Okoronkwo
Solveig Bingham ‘21, Rabi Michael-Crushshon ‘22, Habon Samatar ‘22, Yolanda Pauly ‘21, Lorna Kruesel ‘21, Ellie Goddard ‘21, and Spencer Okoronkwo ‘22 organized a walkout on April 19 after the murder of Daunte Wright for students to show support for both the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight against AAPI hate. The walkout took place during block 7 and was in partnership with @mnteenactivists on Instagram. See full story on blakespectrum.org.
Full In-Person Learning Concerns Community Musical Meets Movie Students concerns workload
voice about
Lucy Wolfe | Staff Writer
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n March 8, Head of School, Anne Stavney, informed the community that the Middle School and Upper School campuses would be returning to fully in-person instruction starting April 19. When asked how she felt about the transition, Carly Shoemate ‘22 says, “I was surprised to hear we are going back to school because I don’t know that I really see the point. We’ve been hybrid for so long that I don’t know how much more coming back to school
Class of 2021: what’s your legacy? A look into the traditions this year’s seniors lost, the ones that look different, and the ones they hope younger generations carry on. Pages 8-9
full-time for the last part of the year is going to add.” When asked why the administration chose to transition to in-person learning, Upper School Director Joe Ruggiero says, “That actually was a decision made by Dr. Stavney. The division directors, so myself, as well as the director for the Siddle school and the Lower School were told by Dr. Stavney what the decision was based on information she gathered both from the health organizations and the Governor and input she was getting from the board.” Another student concern has been administration listening to student input when it comes to these decisions. Shoemate shares, “I also just think
Cast and crew members shift to new platform Will Rosenblum | Managing Editor
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Betsy Fries
Nina Bush ‘22 says, “I’m excited about seeing people again but a little worried about [COVID-19] and managing the workload since I’ve gotten so used to the off days where I have the time to sleep in and get all my work done.”
it’s interesting because almost every student that I’ve talked to isn’t in love with the idea of going back and every email we received said they disA case for abolishing the death penalty. Systemic racism manifests itself in the death penalty, and it has no positive effect on crime rates. Is it still a necessary punishment? Page 12
cussed it with faculty but it didn’t really feel like there was a big student voice involved and that seems unfair.” Continued on page 2
his year, an array of cameras, calls for quiet on set, and sculptures that come to life will replace the normal members of an audience in an “Alice In Wonderland” inspired movie musical. With initial planning starting in August 2020, this movie musical has been in the works for more than eight months. The movie will stream May 14-16. Tickets are currently available at https://blake.booktix.com/ Theater teacher and director, Taous Khazem, want-
The test optional dilemma. Colleges and universities adopting test optional policies attempts to repair a broken system, but huge fissures and inequalities remain. Page 14
ed to make a performance that could be put on safely outside while also maintaining an audience. Khazem originally decided to put on a walking play, where the audience moves with the actors in an interactive and unique experience, but this idea proved to be impossible as the cast, crew and audience would outnumber the limit set by Governor Walz. Khazem then pivoted her focus to a movie, adapting the screenplay originally meant for a performance to a movie musical. The story, a Blake original entitled “The Real Hero,” is written by Aamera Siddiqui with music and lyrics by Middle School theater teacher, Aaron Gabriel. Continued on page 4
STAFF
NEWS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 2
New Seating Charts Aid Tracing Close Contacts All in-person school begins, assigned seating allow for easier contact tracing
The Blake School 511 Kenwood Pkwy Issue 6 April 30, 2021 Co-Editors-In-Chief: Sage Marmet | Noor Naseer Managing Editors: Maggie Seidel | Will Rosenblum Creative Director: Betsy Fries Online Editor: Will Rosenblum Multimedia Editor: Dylan Gainsley Photo Editor: Betsy Fries Front Page Editor: Noor Naseer News Editor: Sofia Perlman Student Life Editor: Emily Rotenberg Arts & Culture Editor: Dylan Gainsley Science, Technology, and Health Editor: Noor Naseer Sports Editor: Will Rosenblum InDepth Editor: Maggie Seidel Food Editor: Emily Rotenberg Games Editor: James Prince Opinions Editor: Bernadette Whitely Perspectives Editor: Will Rosenblum Features Editor: Sage Marmet Student Spotlight: Sage Marmet Business Manager: Maggie Seidel
Amelia Bush | Staff Writer
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s in-person learning begins for the first time in over a year, administrators also made the decision to switch to assigned seating. Teachers are creating assigned seats by simply letting the students sit down and make their choice seat their permanent spot for the rest of the year, or creating seating charts for the students. These assigned seats are very important to help keep Blake in person. According to Jason Lonstein, a substitute reserve teacher, “You double
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Elena Gill, Karsten Farris, Oscar Walsh STAFF ARTISTS: Melody Lee, Zoe Florida, Mallika Malaviya, Sophia Vezmarw
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 and on Zoom during clubs & community time every Wednesday/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 anonymously in 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.
Oscar Walsh
Michelle Baroody teaches AP U.S. History using a seating chart to maintain distance and easy contact tracing. Pictured left to right: Darian Mehra ‘23, Alex Chiesa ‘23, Audrey Anderson ‘23, Allyson Jay ‘23, Mina Rossi ‘23, Rowan Wallin ‘23, Lilly Anderson ‘23, and Sophia Perepelitsyn ‘23.
the population, you double the chances someone is going to test positive; you start dealing with a situation with multiple classes out, so I think it’s definitely going to help.” The students seem to be understanding, Jackson
Gammack ‘24 says “It’s nice to sit next to your friends, but I also want to stay in school, and if that is what needs to be done, then that is what needs to be done.” While it may be hard to not be able to sit next
to your friends, there are some positives. Alana Foster-Smith ‘22 states “If you don’t have a lot of friends in the class and are stressed about who to sit with, then it’s nice.” Lonstein also noted that “What’s going to im-
pact the classroom dynamic is being in the classroom. For the first time in a year we are going to have a classroom at full capacity and I think that that is going to impact the classroom dynamic more than the assigned seats.”
Vaccines Increase All In-Person Raises Concerns More young people get vaccinated, attitudes towards COVID-19 change
Adviser: Anna Reid
STAFF WRITERS: Kate Rekas, Mackenzie Higgins, Molly Seidel, Mallika Malaviya, Zoey Ueland, Keaton Rannow, Nina Bush, Amelia Bush, Evan Vezmar, Lucy Wolfe, Cleo Kilpatrick, Allyson Jay, Ava Gilbert
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Zoey Ueland | Staff Writer
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nited States COVID-19 cases continue to fall from their peak as each day millions receive vaccines. Yet the race continues to reach herd immunity to prevent a fourth wave, before we can expect any version of normalcy again. Seemingly there’s a light at the end of a very long tunnel, but what does it mean for us? Aside from the obvious challenge of vaccinating everyone and reaching herd immunity, all while fighting off a fourth wave the results so far seem promising and maybe sometime soon we can expect normalcy again - whatever way that looks. While herd immunity must be reached before life can return to normal, recent CDC rules indicate that fully vaccinated people can visit with other fully vaccinated people inside without masks affecting activities and the social lives of adults and teens. Margaret Walker ‘22 states after getting the vaccine, “I’ve been able to see my grandparents again which is realy great. We’ve gone out to more restaurants, and we went out for ice cream last week which was fun. I’ve been able to see more friends.” Rules will continue to evolve as vaccines in-
crease, such as a possible inclusion of 12-15 year olds eligible to receive the vaccine. Unfortunately, case rates have begun to rise again, and schools remain zones of potential infection. Roughly 20% of the population are kids under 16, ineligible to receive the vaccine. Furthermore, NPR reports that 1 in 4 Americans still don’t want to get vaccinated threatening immunity, and variants continue to pop up throughout the world, leading to the possibility that these vaccines might one day simply not work. Science teacher Will Bohrnsen explains, “The problem with the current virus is that because viruses reproduce so quickly
Continued from page 1 ...According to Ruggiero, “There wasn’t direct student input in terms of creating the schedule, but... this year as we’ve transitioned from schedule to schedule we’ve had two student feedback groups to help us with how students were experiencing the schedule itself.” Ruggiero explains the thinking behind the new schedule saying, “We were really careful about trying to make sure that the number of classes per day helped regulate the rhythm of work for students. We were hoping that by building in a late start, an early release, some time during the day, reduced number of classes during the day, that we would be able to sort of naturally help that rhythm in ways that we probably couldn’t with a
time and have classes just run through the end of the year.” It’s important to note that when Ruggiero says “we” he’s addressing a group of faculty from each academic department
and now there’s an increased risk that they will be exposed and miss part of their season. Especially because we can’t opt into being remote anymore to protect our seasons.” Rug-
Betsy Fries
Krithik Dhavileswarapu ‘22 receives a temperature check upon entering the school.
and administrators who were selected and asked for their input regarding the schedule and the transition. Additionally, athletes have heightened concerns about the in person return. Shoemate, who runs track, says “Because I’m an ath-
giero explains the reasoning for this saying, “people were shifting in and out of remote and in person learning at a rate that was unsustainable for teachers in terms of knowing what they were preparing for. So faculty are always creating activities for students in class
Betsy Fries
Will Bohrnsen states that he “100% safer, absolutely without a doubt” after receiving his vaccine.
with the help of their cell hosts, their DNA mutates and changes, and if it changes enough it may be that the cell can no longer recognize it. So you have to give it new instructions to say alright ‘here is another possibility of something your body might run into.’ For the most part your body can still recognize [the virus], but it just increases the likelihood of recognition if you get a booster.”
Betsy Fries
Wyatt Dayhoff ‘22 and Ishan Khurana ‘22 during an AP Chemistry lab.
different schedule.” Ruggiero also adds that “we will not have a regular finals week like we have in the past so the stress and time that it takes to do larger cumulative exams is just not worth it right now. We would rather just expand instructional time because we have missed instructional
Betsy Fries
Shreya Mohan ‘22 works on an AP Chemistry lab as well.
lete I’m a little annoyed with going back full-time just because it feels unfair to students who are trying to participate in athletics
based on who they have in front of them and if they cannot predict what that is then instruction suffers.”
STUDENT LIFE | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 3
Most Beautiful, Scenic Locations to Walk, Hike in Twin Cities
James Prince
Pictured above is Wolsfeld Woods Scientific and Natural Area located on Long Lake, MN. In addition to spending time hiking or walking in the wilderness, there are tons of other activities you can do outside. For instance, Danny Andrade-Vera ‘23 states, “Nature is inspirational, so go do all your homework outside!”
Wide variety of walkable, accessible parks James Prince | Games & Ads Editor
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learing away the thick vegetation of an oldgrowth forest, a view of a creek running through a leafy valley into a lake appears. All that is around is the sound of birds chirping, the gurgling of the
creek, and the lapping of the lake’s waves. Although there are many parks scattered throughout the Twin Cities, this article will highlight the most pristine, walkable, and accessible. 1) Wolsfeld Woods is a pristine, rugged park, with a few man-made trails that stretch about 6 miles in total. Located on County Highway 6 just a bit northeast of Long Lake in Orono, is a perfect example of nature just how
the earth intended it to be. With 3 streams connected to the large body of water in the center, the hikes become adventurous due to the fact you have to use fallen trees, or other means, to cross these streams. With a total of 4 lakes, 3 streams, and 8 large hills, it is a small world to get lost in. Wolsfeld Woods is arguably the top park on this list due to its very lightly trafficked grounds and lack
of urban life leaking in. 2) Theodore Wirth Park is a wilderness wonderland within the granite timbers of the city of Minneapolis. Although heavily trafficked, this natural area hosts amenities like a mountain biking trail, a golf course, and more. Easily accessible from the highway and Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway nature within this confine can be accessed just 10 minutes away from
school. Theodore Wirth Park is a lovely place to hike and visit even when you are in the hustle and bustle of the city. 3) Ground Rounds National Scenic Byway is a great way from your car. This “park” is even shorter than a stone’s throw away from the Upper School, it consists of the two roads right in front of it. Wherever you see the red pavement around the inner suburbs
of the Twin Cities, you are driving on the preserved road designated for the natural beauty. Though it might be just a road for some, Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway connects Lake Nomikis, Lake Harriet, Lake Bde Maka Ska, and a stretch of the Mississippi River with beautiful views from the comfort of your car. This is perfect for those who do not like getting their shoes dirty.
Club Spotlight: Science Bowl Club Looking for New Members Everything you need to know about Science Bowl Mackenzie Higgins | Staff Writer
January, the club competes in the state tournament hosted at Macalester College. The finalists from that tournament qualify to compete in the national tournament in Washington D.C. When not competing,
members gather for weekly practices to work on their trivia skills. Club leader, Tommy Pan ‘21, has been a part of Science Bowl since his freshman year and encourages others to participate
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cience Bowl Club functions similarly to a knowledge or quiz bowl but with science-related questions. The topics range from biology, chemistry, physics, and even astronomy. Participants answer questions using a Jeopardy-like buzzer system and try to garner as many points for their team. Every year around
Submitted by: Tommy Pan
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 National Science Bowl was virtual. Both Blake teams did well and placed 19th & 34th overall.
as well. Pan describes the environment as fun and collaborative. He adds that you should, “come for the people and stay for the science.” Like any other activity or club this year, Science Bowl has faced some challenges due to COVID-19 safety protocols. However, Pan notes that, “with or without COVID, Science Bowl is a dying breed.” He believes that interest in the club has been declining in recent years. Nonetheless, there is still time to join, and Science Bowl welcomes any new members. Kjirsten Walt, science teacher and club advisor, expresses that anyone can try out Science
Submitted by: Tommy Pan
Oskar Alexander ‘23, Tommy Pan ‘21, Caroline Epstein ‘23, and Will Rosenblum ‘22 are checking their buzzers while waiting for the competition to start.
Bowl at any point in the school year. She explains that, “if [you] like trivia and you like science… Science Bowl is exactly where you should be.” Previously, Science Bowl meetings were be-
ing held over Zoom, but with the switch to full, in-person school, they are finally able to meet in person. Anyone that is interested in Science Bowl Club should reach out to Walt for more information.
Creative, Unique Ways to Safely Socialize During Global Pandemic Numerous outdoor activities to enjoy with friends Maggie Seidel | Managing Editor
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he omnipresent conversations about physical health, social distancing, and immunity have not muted students’ inherent desire for social engagement and connection with friends. Rather, the lack of human connection has amplified its importance in the daily lives of students and adults alike.
This reality, however, poses a challenge for those walking the ever-shrinking tightrope above a ravine with physical health on one side and social health on the other. Warmer weather widens this tightrope, providing new, safe outlets to recreate with friends while maintaining COVID-19 health precautions. These include an outdoor, socially distanced picnic. Invite friends to a park, lay down a seasonally appropriate blanket, and adorn it with local food, homemade treats, and quenching beverages. The Rose Garden
Maggie Seidel
Golf is a great way to safely socialize. Ella Deignan ‘22, Ivy Besikof ‘23, and Elena Gill ‘22 are a part of the girls golf team. They hold regular practices at Parkers Lake Driving Range in Plymouth, MN.
near Lake Harriet provides a scenic picnic setting. And, the upper level of the Pinstripes’ Edina parking lot (3849 Gallagher Dr, Edina, MN 55435) has a picturesque view of the sunset during the summer months. Athletically, since the rise of COVID-19, golf courses have seen record amounts of players participating in the sport. Near the Middle School, Meadowbrook Golf Course (201 Meadowbrook Rd, Hopkins, MN 55343) is a nice option, along with Braemar Golf Course (6364 John Harris Dr, Edina, MN
55439) which offers both a driving range and course. Additionally, artistic creativity can be fostered outdoors and can be equal parts socially distanced and social. Tie-dying shirts, sweatpants, and sweatshirts are a perfect way to spend time outside and create a new outfit. Another creative outlet is curating mood boards. Before recycling your read magazines, identify images, fonts, or quotes that resonate with you and cut them out. Paste these images onto a canvas and use modge podge to glue them in place.
ARTS & CULTURE | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 4
Spring Musical Takes New Format, Filming Takes Place Off Campus Continued from page 1... The tale is described by Khazem as: “Two best friends, Ali and Remy, [who] meet up at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden to get a much needed break from online school and the stress of the corona virus. Their afternoon outing turns into a whirlwind adventure as the sculptures come to life, luring them into a whimsical world of enchantment and magic. Through their perilous journey they discover what it means to be a hero.” Khazem likes the Sculpture Garden location because she has “always been interested in how visual art can inspire performance and story telling and it allows us to have a set that is very dynamic and interesting without having to build anything.” However, the process of creating a movie presents its own unique set of challenges and complications. Due to the short schedule, communication between playwright Siddiqui and composer Gabriel, who is also the interim middle school theater teacher, has been limited. Khazem notes “Normally Amira would write the story and they would collaborate together...but we sort of put it together really quickly. Aaron had to
write on his own track, and Amira had to write on her own track.” In order to keep on schedule and film in the most effective way, the musical has been filmed out of order. Khazem notes “When you make a play you are really thinking about how the
The elements are a new factor to deal with when filming outside, Khazem points out: “Because we are working outside we are at the mercy of the sun and the weather, if we are doing a shot in the same scene and the sun is behind the cloud and sud-
crew, using his experience as an actor and filmmaker mainly in Algeria. Despite these challenges, the movie provides positive aspects as well. John Erlandson ‘21 comments on the new ways in which he as an actor can express himself: “With
do things and I am a person who enjoys trying new things.” Amanda Ward ’21 reflects, “It’s super different and I’m glad I get to experience it.” While the pressure of the audience may be gone, there is still increased pressure with the camera and
Oscar Walsh
Left to right: Emma Brown ‘22, Anika Rodriguez ‘23, John Erlandson ‘21, Mohamed Yebdri, and Taous Khazem shoot a scene in the Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens.
energy sustains from beginning to end and when you make a movie you have to film it by location...for a performer it is a completely different experience then having the momentum of a play.”
denly the sun is out of the cloud you have to wait for the could to come back.” In order to help with this mostly new method of movie making, guest filmmaker Mohamed Yebdri has aided the cast and
the face you can do a lot more face twitches and grins that you cant to on stage because nobody can really see you that well, so you are acting with different parts of your body... its a cool new angle to
short schedule. Truman Morsman ’23 says “normally if you mess up on a line or something you have to keep going..in this you have to get it perfect.” Erlandson agrees, stating “[I don’t] want to let the direc-
tors and crew and actors down, messing up a line because you have to do another line, and there is still the pressure of this take could go into the movie.” One of the more radical shifts in production has been sound design. In March before spring break, students worked with a sound engineer to record all of the music. Now, the music is being mastered by a professional. Ward describes it as “what you would think celebrities would do, but on a lesser level.” During filming, actors sing quietly or sing it to themselves and lip sync. With theater being such a community centered space, actors and director alike have missed the communal aspects of putting on a play. Khazem adds “I miss having moments where you can have the whole cast together, and that whole ensemble building piece.” Erlandson agrees: “I’m really about the community when it comes to performances and shows... A movie doesn’t have as much cast and crew bonding and together time. Ward says “I miss the interaction… everything has been done individually, we did the singing individually, we did the choreography in groups of three or four... I miss the camaraderie.”
Varying Modes of Visual Art Provide Opportunities for Expression
In Printmaking, Payton Crosby ‘21, Sally Countryman ‘23, and Ava Pihlstrom ‘22 are working on stencil design. They begin by making a cutout to place over a piece of paper. Once the desired design is met, students have the option to use either spray paint or a water color airbrush, and can paste their designs directly on the wall of the printmaking classroom.
In Ceramics, students began to shape and mold cups and bowls on their first day of class in the new schedule. When asked about how he felt about ceramics class in the full inperson schedule, JT Sugalski ‘24 says, “I enjoy seeing more people but now we need to come to school every day.”
‘Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admission Scandal’ Surprises Netflix documentary raises questions about future of college admission process Emily Rotenberg | Student Life and Features Editor
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Food
s the year slowly is coming to an end and I start to think more
and more about senior year, college is definitely a big topic of conversation among my friends and family. Because of this, when the new documentary, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, was released on Netflix it really caught my attention. The documentary focuses on Rick Singer, an independent college counselor who used the “side
door” method to guarantee students admission to their dream university. This method could include, bribery, falsely identifying students as athletes for sports they didn’t participate in, or lying about standardized test scores. Additionally, the film uses a variety of interviews, witnesses, and reenactments from Singer’s phone calls recorded by the FBI. In
fact, every conversation in the documentary was real and used from the FBI transcripts. I really enjoyed the film but I was definitely shocked. I know for many students it can be extremely difficult to get a dream test score or recognized by coaches from universities so it’s a little frustrating seeing the way things played out for so long. Further-
more, a majority of Singer’s clients knew they were in the wrong but continued to break the rules. Most of the actual students applying to the universities had no clue what their parents were doing behind the scenes and saw Singer as just a normal college counselor. This documentary is really great, especially for high school students as we all have college in
the back of our minds. It really allowed me to gain a different perspective on the admissions process and understand how exactly Singer was able to get away with this for so long. Now with many schools being test-optional and the increase in applicants this past year, it makes me wonder what the future will be for the college admission process.
SCI-TECH & HEALTH | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 5
Skin Care Products Vary in Safety Vaccines Bring About Side Effects Many products have toxic ingredients, find safer alternatives Sage Marmet | Co-Editor-in-Chief
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e are constantly surrounded by and consuming toxic chemicals in our daily lives, and these chemicals have a toll on our minds, bodies, and environment. It only takes 26 seconds for any product that you put on your skin to absorb into your bloodstream-this includes dangerous, carcinogenic, and toxic chemicals that are in most mainstream personal care brands. Many companies include the words “all natural” into their marketing; however, this does not mean that they are actually clean brands. It is absolutely crucial to look at the ingredient list to know if a brand is truly clean and toxic free. I recommend using the app ThinkDirty and the website EWG (Environmental Working Group) as great starting points for finding out how clean or “dirty” a product or brand is. Additionally, companies use the word “fragrance,” “parfum,” “essence,” or “perfume” to indicate that the products are scented. The truth is that fragrances are com-
pletely unregulated, and it is legal to not list what is actually creating the scent. These can be made from anything, and typically the reason why they’re not listed is because the ingredients are not good for you, toxic, or even carcinogenic. While it seems that there’s no hope--do not despair, because there are some great clean and toxic-free brands out there. One of my personal favorite brands is BeautyCounter. I really like their Countercontrol regimen specifically made to target acne-prone or oily skin. I also re-
not perfect (they’re not the most clean brand out there) they are working very hard on making the industry much more regulated and finding ethically sourced ingredients (they are working very hard to regulate the mica industry, for example). I also love Pacifica. They have such a wide variety of products, and, for the most part, their products are pretty clean. They have great makeup and sunscreen that are both super clean and an entire hair care line for all different types of hair. Making the transition to toxic-free, clean personal
Sage Marmet
BeautyCounter has, what is called, “The Never List,” which is a list of over 1,800 ingredients that they never use. For context, the US bans only 30 ingredients, and the European Union bans 1,400. In addition to creating cleaner products, they are working to change laws regarding ingredients in beauty products, so that everyone can have access to cleaner products.
ally like their CleanDeo, which is clean deodorant in a refillable, recyclable bottle. While BeautyCounter’s products are
care products takes some research, perseverance, and quite frankly, some trial-and-error, but it’s worth it.
Different vaccines warrant varying reactions Allyson Jay | Staff Writer
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he COVID-19 vaccine has been available since early 2021 only for adults 65 years old or older, healthcare workers, anyone with underlying health conditions, and PK12 educators. On March 30, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine became available for those who are 16 years and older, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines became available for those who are 18 years and older. Following this expansion, many students signed up and received their vaccines. Va c cines have side effects because they activate the immune system and help the body to build immunity and protection against the viruses. Side effects are very common and a good sign that the vaccine is working because it means the body is responding to the vaccine and fighting against it by creating antibodies, causing different reactions such as muscle aches, low-grade fevers, and fatigue.
English teacher, Anil Chandiramani, received the Moderna vaccine and experienced numerous side effects, especially after the second dose. Chandiramani explains, “After the first one I had a slight fever for a day and basic body aches, but after the second one I got really sick for two and a half days, so I had a high fever, chills, bad body aches, tremendous arm soreness, and a debilitating headache t h a t was
proba b l y the worst headache in my life.” As many people have noticed, the second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are more likely to cause stronger side effects. After the second dose, the immune system recognizes the virus spike protein and launches a stronger response, which is why people have been experiencing more intense side effects from the second dose. Contrary to Chandiramani’s experience, Science teacher, Julia Asmus, received the
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and felt “perfectly fine” and only had “body soreness that went away after taking some Tylenol.” Like Asmus, Nora Cornell ‘21 also signed up for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and “didn’t experience any side effects at all.” Sonia Baig ‘21 received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and d i d n’ t experience a n y side effects the same day, but the day after she felt “really tired and down all day,” which caused her to “skip tennis and sleep a lot, which helped with [her] symptoms.” Although all three vaccines cause the same common side effects, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines seem to have been causing more intense side effects especially after the second dose. Despite these side effects, people have been grateful to receive their vaccinations and be able to step closer to a sense of normalcy after a year of COVID-19. Asmus concludes, “I was so thankful to get my vaccine and I was even able to go to a gathering with my friends the next day which was nice because I really wanted to be able to see people.”
Warmer Weather Calls for Outdoor Activities: A Guide to Mocking Best hammock brands, how to tie them, and what to bring to ensure a fun day Betsy Fries | Creative Director
be a couple inches above your head and will feel a little difficult to hang up) If the tree trunk is too big to wrap your arms around to grab the straps, place straps around the tree on ground and slowly shimmy it up the trunk. 4. Attach your hammock to the straps
Your hammock should come with carabiners on both ends and those will clip to your straps. Start in the middle of the loops on your straps and adjust accordingly. Test and adjust if needed. If you have trouble getting into your hammock, adjust the straps to lower loops so
your hammock will be closer to the ground Practice makes perfect! Some fun activities to do while mocking include, reading, listening to music, or just hanging out and talking with your friends.
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. Acquire a portable hammock I highly recommend Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO) brand or a knockoff from Amazon. The straps are sold separately (do not forget to buy those!) 2. Find two trees ideally 10-12 feet apart with a 12 inch diameter (closer is better for beginners, not too close though) Your backyard is a good place to look first! Parks and lakes are also great places with good hammocking trees. 3. Wrap straps around each tree (make sure you are not ripping off the bark of the tree) Wrap the straps around 5-6 feet above the ground (for reference if you’re on the shorter side it should
Tie blankets are the perfect blanket for mocking– just the right level of warmth, and they’re easy to throw into the washing machine if they get dirty.
Betsy Fries
Frederick Loew ‘22 hangs an ENO Hammock at Hidden Beach Park near Lake of the Isles. Even in colder weather, mocking can be fun if you bring blankets and warm clothes. It’s also possible to hang hammocks above one another to create a “stack” of sorts. Although slightly dangerous, it is helpful if you are in a location that isn’t densley forested.
If you’re mocking with a friend, hanging two hammocks from one tree allows you to be close enough to each other to talk, while still maintaining social distance.
SPORTS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 6
Lacrosse Uses Skills From Other Sports to Strengthen Play Multi-sport athletes comprise majority of team Cleo Kilpatrick | Staff Writer
“I
’ve been waiting for this for two years,” says one of the captains of the team, Ryan Ressemann ‘21. Last year COVID-19 shut down spring sports leaving a lot of athletes downhearted. So this year, the team is excited and ready to be out
on the field playing. The team has a significant amount of new players this season, and William Matzke ‘22 is one them. Matzke says, “[The team] is really nice to everyone and very welcoming.” He had never played lacrosse until this season. Another member of the team, Sam Hardy ‘24, says “All of the players that have played before have been very patient with the younger and older guys.” A reason Matzke joined the team was because a lot of the lacrosse
players also play hockey. Matzke says, “A lot of guys that do lacrosse are also on the hockey team and we are all very close so it’s good to hangout with them and continue the bond with them.” Lacrosse and hockey are similar Ressemann asserts, “Hockey is a hand eye coordinated sport and so is lacrosse.” Matzke agrees that there is similarity between hockey and lacrosse but notes there are some differences too. Matzke says, “[In lacrosse] you have to use both right
Betsy Fries
and left hands compared to hockey, you just use one.” Lacrosse is also similar to football. Hardy plays football and says, “We train going backwards keeping your man away from the quarterback that’s kinda like lacrosse, you’re keeping your guy away from the net to keep from scoring.”
The team is staying positive and everyone is there to have a good time and great season. Hardy says,“The atmosphere is high energy.” Ressemann adds, “It’s going to help a lot having bodies on the team who are athletic kids” Since many players on the team play sports other than lacrosse, they
will bring a new strength to the team. Matzke is predicting for the team to have a good season saying, “We have a good defense and goalie.” He also says that the team has “high end talent.” Hardy sums up the team’s energy saying, “Everyone is doing their best and working as hard as they can.”
Betsy Fries
The boys’ lacrosse team has started red hot this season, already 3-0 with a 17-1 win over Holy Family, a 12-3 win over Orono, and a 17-3 win over Breck. Bottom left: Ryan Ressemann ‘21, Oskar Holm ’22, Max Hubler ’22, Bottom right: Eli Daniel’22. Top right: Daniel and Jonah Spaeth’23.
Swingin’ Into the New Season
Oscar Walsh
After an unfortunate start that involved a team-wide quarantine and led to minimal practice time to begin the season, the baseball team has gotten back on their feet. Games so far this year have included a 13-3 win against Mounds Park Academy, a 2-4 Loss against Providence Academy, a 4-8 loss to Breck, a 6-8 loss against West Lutheran, and a tough 1-2 loss to Minnehaha Academy.
SPORTS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 7
April Mystery Athlete Kate Rekas | Staff Writer
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his month’s mystery athlete is a senior and a captain of the Blake girls’ varsity lacrosse team. She recently helped lead the team to victory, with two goals and one assist in the team’s game against Orono. The Blake girls crushed Orono with a final score of 17 - 3. Commenting on the long pause to playing with the team due to COVID-19, She says, “I love the Blake lacrosse team,” and “it was really fun to get back out there after basically two years of not playing as a team.” This month’s athlete b e g a n playing lacrosse in third grade and joined the
grade. She has been a captain for three years and has
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Blake team i n 9th
also played on the Minnesota Elite lacrosse club team for 7 years. As a captain, she tries to create a “positive, encouraging, and competitive environment for the entire team.” This month’s athlete not only excels in lacrosse but is also a member of the Blake girls’ varsity tennis team. Despite being talented in both sports, she prefers playing lacrosse over tennis because she feels lacrosse is more “team oriented,” and enjoys having “everyone involved for the common goal of scoring.” She also “love[s] how aggressive and gritty [lacrosse] i s .” This month’s athlete has multiple achievem e n t s i n both sports. F o r l a crosse, s h e has captured all conference, all state honorable mention, all metro second place, and 3rd place team in the state tournament. For tennis, she has equally impressive stats, with 3 state champion, and an allconference honorable mention. She looks forward to the rest of the season, stating, “My goal for this year is just for everyone to work their hardest, have fun and enjoy being back on the field together.” Submit your guesses for this month’s athlete by emailing kkrekas23@blakeschool. org or DM your guess to blakespectrum on Instagram.
Teacher Coaches Provide Valuable Insight Teachers double as coaches Amelia Bush | Staff Writer
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s the spring sports season starts up, students begin to devote hours after school for their teams. However, it’s not just the students that are cramming their time for sports, there are some very dedicated people that balance the life of a teacher and a coach for the athletics department. Maggie Bowman, social studies teacher and a coach for track and field, stated “some weeks are easier than others, some weeks there’s overlap,
some weeks there aren’t. It’s hard because the sports take place at the middle school campus.” Joe Xiong, who is a Middle School science teacher as well as track coach and volleyball coach added, “You’ve got to set the lineups, figure out rotations, and you’ve got to figure out the practices. As the middle school head volleyball coach I set up all of the practice schedules, what the kids need to work on and what skills they need to develop prior to games.” Bowman started off coaching and later became a teacher. She also added, “It would be hard if I didn’t love both teaching and coaching, but I love
both of them so I think it’s worth it.” There are some overlaps between the skill sets of teaching and coaching. Xiong said, “The other skill that is really important that overlaps is connecting with students and athletes. I think to me as a middle school coach, it is super important. That connection is why I coach and it is also why I hope to get the kids invested in a sport.” Charlie Cracraft who is a Gym Teacher and a Nordic Coach also talked about the similarities between the two and said, “Everything is about that relationship building... I say this for teaching and coaching as far as every kid is coming with different skill
sets and levels but you are always trying to help them improve as best as they can and have the best experience possible.” Cracraft shares more about this on the dynamics of coaching a team, “Later on in life, all of the fun events and stories and things that happened are what they are going to remember, not the wins. It’s hard sometimes for kids to understand that when they are younger...the funny stories and the experiences are what you are going to remember.” The teacher coaches at Blake are so dedicated to what they do and it is important to appreciate them and all of their hard work.
Betsy Fries
Maggie Bowman talks to Graham Bennett ’26 during their meet against Mounds Park Academy. The boys team lost by 52 and girls won by 51.
Softball Team Looks Forward to Season After Trouble Filling Roster New players join roster in high numbers
challenges and new goals. Captain Kenna Vavrichek ‘21 speaks to these challenges saying, “We’ve had a couple games...where I’m in-game trying to teach
people what to do in certain situations. Softball’s one of those that’s really hard because there’s a lot to learn, and it’s very specific… there are a lot of
very specific in-game situations that you just can’t cover until you get there.” Despite this, the players who are new to softball are eager to learn, and
this has proved itself invaluable. During the team’s first game this season, which was against Minnehaha Academy, Stabno shares that “We came out
Noor Naseer | Co-Editor-in-Chief
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fter struggling to put together a team early on this year, the girls’ softball team is well on their way to a successful season. In the 2019 season, there were enough players to field both a JV and varsity team, but their canceled season in 2020 caused numbers to drop. According to captain Nikki Stabno ‘21, it “was very much a scrap trying to get girls; we were really nervous that we [would have to] join with another school.” As a result of this, the team now has a number of girls who are new to the sport, some of whom are starters. This is unusual for the team and has posed new
Oscar Walsh
Despite a team made up of mostly new players, the team took down Providence Academy 8-7, winning off of a walk-off in the bottom of the 9th.
and we were right up with Minnehaha; we went into extra innings with them too. My expectations were already hit way out of the park there.” She adds that their game against Providence Academy was a similar experience: “We beat Providence… which was a huge win for us. I think they were conference champs either last year or the year before, so that was just absolutely amazing.” Amanda Ward ‘21, who is playing her sixth season this year speaks to the team culture present within the team saying “Right before we go into our sectional games, we each are assigned a person to write an anonymous, really nice letter to, and I think that’s just kind of the support that characterizes the team as a whole. People are just so readily able to give compliments and encouragement, and it’s really awesome.”
CLASS OF ‘21: W INDEPTH | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 8
Senior Class Mourns Loss of Traditions, Memories Class of 2021 wished for more significant commemoration Jack Prince | Editor Emertius
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he point of traditions is to bring people of different backgrounds together over a shared love of an activity. A focal point of being a senior at Blake is less about the title and more about the traditions that come along with it. These traditions are so special because they help strengthen the community within the senior class while simultaneously acting as capstones on one’s high school experience. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many traditions that were unable to happen. Even though it is hard to miss out on traditions I was looking forward to for the past three years, I think it is vital to
preserve the importance of these traditions for future senior classes. When protocols change, there are a few important ones that I encourage classes to participate in. The first tradition is establishing class identity. Despite the pandemic, this is something the class of 2021 was able to incorporate. Typical beginning of the year traditions include painting the rock, coming up with a slogan, and the senior retreat. Tommy Pan ‘21 says, “I really miss the senior retreat because I love my advisory and wish I had more opportunities to spend time with them.” These early-year traditions are significant for any other senior class because they help set a good tone both in and out of school for the year. Another tradition I personally hope future classes recognize are larger events like prom or sports games. Although seniors weren’t able to at-
tend prom, the event still holds its unique ability for the class to bond. Anika Hahn ‘21 shares, “I’m really sad we didn’t get to do prom since it would’ve lifted spirits, but I understand because of COVID.” Without dances, seniors
games” isn’t an established tradition, I for one would love for classes to continue doing it because it builds and preserves school spirit. Finally, traditions near the end of the year are some of the most special to graduating students.
at Blake, and I think [the Class of 2022] should look forward to it because it is a good capstone.” When I’m no longer at the Upper School, I hope traditions like being clapped out or running around the school are pre-
Betsy Fries
Zoe Feldshon ‘21, Jack Crow ‘21, and Amanda Ward ‘21 sit in the senior lounge during block 3.
were still able to act as leaders within the community through sports games. Although “seniors attending
Yolanda Pauly ‘21 explains, “I wish we did the senior clap-out because it’s just like a good end to our time
served because not only do they give closure to one’s time at Blake, but also the solidify the seniors’ legacy.
Capstone Senior Project Survives Pandemic School Students embrace two-week program, Senior Seminar to explore personal interests Brooke Lee & Thrasher | Contributing Writers
is appreciative of the preparatory nature of senior programs. Griffin shares, “During our last few weeks as [students at] The Blake School, [senior programs]
ture of the real world after high school.” Similarly, Amanda Ward ‘21 says, “I love how the program allows students to dabble in their interests in a safe
certain career or interest, students’ endeavors during their senior project can possibly grow into postcollege plans. Laila Elbakkal ‘21 is us-
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ach year, the senior project signals the end of the Upper School journey for all twelfth graders. The Project isn’t a code word for getting out two weeks earlier to bypass finals; rather, it is a time for seniors to create something meaningful. For students in the Class of 2021, programs range from construction projects, to testing the water quality of Minnesota’s many lakes, to internships. Grace Griffin ‘21, who will be researching the effect COVID-19 has had on the US’s justice system,
Betsy Fries
Jake Gearhart ‘21 watches senior speeches during advisory on the steps in the Carlson Commons near the science wing. Senior speeches and significant school events are often broadcast on this screen.
act as the perfect bridge setting before leaving our ing this time to test out a from a pretty set curricu- Blake bubble for college.” possible career choice. She lum to the independent naBy investigating a says, “For the past year, I
have been considering becoming a dentist and so I thought what better way to use this project than to actually shadow my dentist. I just thought it would be a really productive way to use this program.” And beyond the immense educational benefits senior programs give to seniors, the social and traditional aspects of these projects are valued by many students as well. Payton Crosby ‘21, who is going to be constructing a frame that can be mounted on a wall while supporting and maintaining plant life, attests, “This year I think senior programs are especially important because we have lost so many senior traditions and we didn’t have the normal milestones that past seniors have had. So being able to end with a traditional senior event is nice because it concludes our high school experience with some sense of normalcy.”
INDEPTH | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 9
WHAT’S YOUR LEGACY? Assassins Provides Semblance of Normalcy, Excitement Despite administrative apprehension about safety, Assassins continues Carly Shoemate | Contributing Writer
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ssassins is a springtime tradition at Blake and a number of other schools in Minnesota and across the country. The Nerf-war type game consists of a number of teams, generally ranging from three to five members, who play until the last person or team standing wins a cash prize. This year’s pot sits at a hefty $600, with an $80 cut given to the game masters. The prize is financed by each player’s $10 pay-in to play. This year’s game includes 15 teams made up of 68 seniors. Players can be “killed” via a Nerf gun shot or a “stabbing” with a spoon. Players can not be killed on
Blake property, inside of a running car, inside of their house (unless their assassin is invited inside), or in a COVID-19 vaccine center. Another new rule this year includes a mask requirement if the kill takes place within six feet. The standard Assassins time consists of kill assignments to each player of someone from another team. Each team must kill one of their targets within the week in order to continue playing. The “purge” is essentially a free-for-all where targets are irrelevant and anyone can kill whoever they want, and ranges from a few hours to a couple of days. Assassins is strongly discouraged by Blake’s administration, and a recent email sent to parents detailed the game and warned of the possible risks that ensue. The email asks for parents’ help in discouraging participation this year, and explains that “the game encourages behavior that is aggressive, risky, and dan-
gerous and can have damaging results.” Class of 2021 Dean, CJ Jones Eckhardt, says, “I don’t know much about the game at all. What I do know is it seems to be
in seriousness, but, as one anonymous player puts it, “everyone kinda wants that money.” While some teams have set strategies, others are convinced “the kills will come to [them] because a
proven to be unsafe most of the time and really difficult to make good decisions. So I just recommend not doing it and finding creative ways to have fun outside of that game.” Communication for the game has come from a public Twitter account in past years, but, this year, has been kept private on the Instagram @blakeseniorsassassins, only followed by people who are participating in the game. Teams range
lot of people are eager.” One senior states, “You know this game is really about throwing people off their rhythm. So that’s my strategy.” Most years, assassins is played with all willing participants from the junior and senior class, but this year it is only seniors. Questions about this choice were met with an awkward confession of a two-vote miss at a unanimous poll in the senior class group chat
“JUNIORS AND SENIORS… DON’T REALLY KNOW EACH OTHER THAT WELL BECAUSE OF GREEN AND BLUE GROUPS.”
voting against junior inclusion, and a reference to the “different class energies” of the seniors and juniors and that “this year juniors and seniors… don’t really know each other that well because of green and blue groups.” Also, an assassins players remarks, “It’s a little bit like a self-oriented interest way... that juniors will be here next year and they can participate and handle this if they want to but this is something that seniors won’t be able to do next year.” Another reason the smaller pool of players is proving to be beneficial this year is for complying with COVID-19 safety protocols. Ultimately, the assassins game offers a glimmer of hope and normalcy for the Class of 2021, “This senior year has been really lacking in the substance that it usually has, and assassins is one of the things that’s a senior tradition and this year we get to participate in it and so that’s the reason I chose to just to kind of get myself in that senior spirit.”
Class of 2021 Maintains Tradition of Annual Senior Gift Senior leaders sustain tradition of graduating gift James Prince | Games & Ads Editor
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bench, a window, and even a wooden bear are examples of the longstanding tradition of a graduating class gift. Some of these, like the gothic pew from the Class of 1924 that resides in the senior lounge, are still in everyday use. According to Blake School archivist, Alex Bentely, Blake’s tradition of a class gift dates all the way back to when the Blake School was called Graham Hall. Graham Hall existed until the early 1910s, before new headmaster William Blake changed its name. Bentley quotes a passage, in the June 1917 edition of The Blake Torch, Blake’s original school
newspaper, that summarizes the origin story of senior class gifts: “Throughout the country there has developed a very happy custom in our educational institutions whereby the graduating classes leave to their alma mater some memento of their gratitude, love and appreciation. This practice took root with the first graduation at Blake.” The Class of 2021’s gift will follow that tradition. Ian Acheson ‘21, a member of the Senior Class Giving Committee, shares, “In the past, classes have pitched physical objects such as new furniture in the senior lounge or an update to the math learning center. However, given the immensely stressful last year we’ve had, we wanted to put the money toward the broad theme of ‘access to education’. What we decided on this year was to support LearningWorks, which is an organization
funded by Blake that has a partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools to help seventh and eighth graders who opt into more rigorous summer and weekend programming on a path to college.”
Yolanda Pauly ‘21 adds, “We know that in past years, there have been classes that have made their senior gift for LearningWorks, and we took a little from that, but mainly from the passion and love
that the seniors on the committee have for LearningWorks. It has been a really fun time getting to make this gift possible, and seeing how all the working parts function together.
Betsy Fries
Kyra Reese ‘21 makes a donation to the senior class gift in the senior lounge.
Celebrating the 121st class of Blake and their memories.
Julia Everett
FOOD FEATURES | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 10
Hawaiian Poke Bowls Delight Mix of healthy, delicious, fresh ingredients Ava Gilbert | Staff Writer
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Poke House & Tea Bar is located in Waterford Park Plaza Plymouth, MN. They are open every day from 11am-8pm except for Sundays and Mondays
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oke Bowls have become a popular dish that is trending right now. The word poke is Hawaiian and it means to slice or to cut. Poke is usually referring to slices of raw marinated fish, similar to the kind you would find
in sushi. Tuna or salmon are commonly used as the protein in poke bowls but there are a variety of other options such as grilled chicken. Along with the protein, some other key components in poke bowls include rice, vegetables, and all sorts of sauces. My favorite place to get poke is Poke House & Tea Bar located in Plymouth. At this restaurant, there are signature bowls but you also have an option to build your own bowl which includes a wide variety of add-ins as well as toppings. I usually
get white rice as my base with grilled chicken as my protein. I then like edamame and avocado with the sweet soy sauce, or yum yum sauce. To finish it off, I add crunchy noodles on top. Overall my experience with this restaurant and poke bowls, in general, has been great. I love that you are able to add whatever you want to your bowl in order to get exactly what you want. I recommend poke bowls to anyone wanting to try something new and delicious.
Plant-Based Burger Chain Opens Soon New restaurant, Stalk & Spade makes vegan classics Mackenzie Higgins | Staff Writer
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he restaurant Crisp & Green has amassed immense popularity in the past five years since its inception by Steel Smiley. According to the Star Tribune, founder and entrepreneur Smiley has the same intentions for his new plant-based burger restaurant in Wayzata,
Stalk & Spade. The first location is set to open on April 29, just across the street from the flagship location of Crisp & Green. Smiley, who has been a vegan for seven years, conceptualized Stalk & Spade because he wanted people to feel good about what they eat. Plant-based and vegan lifestyles have been gaining popularity over the past few years, and Smiley hopes Stalk & Spade can become the new McDonald’s. Payton Smith ‘24, who isn’t vegetarian or vegan, is excited for
Stalk & Spade to open. She comments, “I definitely prefer meat, but I’m open to new possibilities, and this restaurant seems to have a lot of promise.” Emma Applegate ‘22, has been vegan on and off for the past year. She says, “I am really excited for Stalk & Spade to open because there aren’t very many vegan restaurants which makes it difficult to find vegan options.” Smiley is already planning to expand as early as this summer and it’s clear that Stalk & Spade is on the fast track to becoming a huge sensation.
Mackenzie Higgins
Stalk & Spade will be located in the former Starbucks spot, directly across the street from Crisp & Green in Wayzata, MN. Its menu includes meatless burgers and “chick’n” sandwiches, both regular and sweet potato fries, as well as a variety of dairy-free ice cream. It even has a kids menu.
Everything You Need to Know When Planning the Perfect Picnic Variety of different cuisines, activities, and materials needed to host a successful picnic
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Molly Seidel | Staff Writer
s the weather becomes increasingly warmer, picnic season draws closer. Picnics are a great way to spend quality time with friends and family in a safe and fun way. Whether the picnic is impromptu or heavily themed and planned it is a sure way to get some fresh air and great pictures. The first step to going on a picnic is to choose a beautiful, sunny day. Next, gather the materials. A blanket to sit on, some pillows, utensils, and a basket are musts for the best picnic experience. An important decision to make is what kind of cuisine is wanted. Takeout Italian food or homemade ham sandwiches? This part is fully up to the preference of the picnic-goers. Fun drinks are
also essential for a pretty picnic. Smoothies, coffee, or lemonade are all fun options that will compliment any picnic theme. The next important decision is the location for the picnic. A beautiful view adds a lot to the picnic experience. Parks, lakes, and backyards are all fun and accessible locations for a great picnic. Wherever the location, it is crucial to have a flat surface to rest the blanket on. Music adds a lot to the ambiance of a picnic. It is very useful to create a picnic playlist ahead of time to ensure the best music is playing for the picnic. Although there are many ways to create the ideal picnic, a picnic is really made whole by fresh air, great food, and pleasant company.
GAMES & ADS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | April 30, 2021 | 11
April Crossword Dylan Gainsley | Arts and Culture Editor 1 2 3 4
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Down 2. Tool used to protect yourself from rain 5. The final goodbye to seniors 8. A lot of rain with lightning and thunder 9. A opened toed shoe 11. A very common green plant that grows out of the ground 12. A sport where a ball is hit with a club 13. An activity where people eat outisde 14. An accesory to protect your eyes from the sun 16. A large colorful arc 20. A cold drink made from sour fruit grown on a tree 21. A red flower 22. A striped insect that stings
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WUZZLES PUZZLES Mallika Malaviya | Staff Artist
ANSWERS Four Square Merry Go Round Tri Cycle
Come see us at the Trolley beginning in May! Located in the Excelsior Commons.
Across 1. An item to put on your feet to protect them from getting wet 3. Large amounts of rain 4. When an animal sleeps for a very long time 6. A mix of water and dirt 7. A collection of water on the ground 10. Tool used to trim grass 15. A bunch of flowers and plants in an area 17. Insect that is born as a caterpillar 18. Cause of sneezing and a runny nose 19. A powder created by flowers that makes allergies worse
OPINIONS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 12
Abolishing Death Penalty Works Towards Racial Justice, Equality Rethinking capital punishment, justice system Sofia Perlman | News Editor
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he death penalty is used as a tool of discrimination and racial inequality. The fact remains that regardless of what they have done, criminals are still people. The death penalty places value on only certain people’s lives. Furthermore, race plays a major role in deciding between life and death in the U.S. According to the NAACP, a civil rights organization, 42% of people on death row are Black, yet they only make up 13% of the population. Additionally, many studies suggest that when the victim is white, the accused are many times more likely to get sentenced to the death penalty.
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ollowing the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin faced charges for manslaughter, second degree murder, and third degree murder in a trial that had the nation watching Minneapolis once again. Floyd’s death resulted in nationwide outrage and protests after numerous unsettling videos were released on social media of Chauvin pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes. Despite the trial and verdict, there has
In the case of Brandon Bernard, a Black man sentenced to death row and executed in December 2020, he was convicted of crimes committed when he was 18, an age when the brain is still developing crucial social, emotional, and cognitive control systems. At this adolescent age, the accused is exempt from the death penalty. Nonetheless, Bernard was executed. An execution for crimes committed while one’s brain was not yet fully developed is blatantly immoral. It’s time to ask ourselves, is the death penalty still a necessary punishment? The answer to this question lies in the root of crime in the U.S., something that the death penalty does not address, nor does it provide public safety. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there were 1,184 executions in the South
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and four in the Northeast over the past 40 years. Yet homicide rates still remain 70% higher in the South. If the death penalty has no positive effect on public safety, why is it still in use? Instead,
we should focus our time and resources on helping the victims’ families. Not all families are in support of the death penalty, but their opinions are often not considered; adding on to an already extremely
traumatic experience. All humans are capable of change, no matter their past actions, and all humans deserve the opportunity for a second chance. With the necessary resources and help,
we can rehabilitate convicted criminals, and we are capable of doing this while still keeping dangerous people separate from society. Our current criminal justice system needs change. It needs to do more than simply punish, it needs to provide the opportunity for rehabilitation. It is time to question whether the death penalty is doing more harm than good. Do we continue with an institution that is inflicting harm on our country? Do we continue to use a form of punishment that is so traumatizing to everyone involved? Do we continue to inflict the death penalty, knowing it is applied in a racist manner? If we continue to murder other humans for their murders, what does that make us? The death penalty is an outdated and immoral practice, and it needs to be abolished.
Blake lacks conversation, action around the trial of Derek Chauvin continued to be police brutality within our nation, including the Twin Cities. Throughout the school year, students have received numerous emails from the administration regarding their dedication and commitment to anti-racism within our community. Aside from these emails, the administration hasn’t taken action or readdressed any of these issues. While they have taken a good first step, there is more that needs to be done within our community. Additionally, multiple Equity Labs surrounding anti-racism invite students and faculty to discuss and collaborate. While both the
emails and Equity Labs had good intentions, neither made a huge impact on our community as a whole. Equity Labs are not required for everyone which has resulted in very poor attendance among the student body. Most likely, if these events don’t become required they won’t be as effective due to the lack of student engagement. Another important aspect to recognize is that the majority of required classes at Blake don’t have current events built into the curriculum, causing most students to never discuss the Derek Chauvin trial. By not talking about the trial or other current events
in classes, it shows what teachers prioritize, which tends to be class content rather than what is going on in our city as well as making us better world citizens. Both are important, and I’m sure most or even all teachers care about what’s going on in our world; it’s just a matter of making time to teach students both. For instance, there is an enormous amount of legal information that frankly students just may not understand, so it would be beneficial to have teachers pause the usual curriculum, to teach us about it. We shouldn’t be separating school from what’s going on in the
world outside of our community. Although in recent weeks we have seen improvement within our school, through guided discussions in advisory, the student lead walkout, and subsequent conversations about race, it is important to not stop there and continue to take action within the community. One solution is to integrate current events into the usual curriculum in order to help students understand why the class content matters. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand why specific topics and subjects help us to become better world citizens making it extremely ben-
eficial if students are given the opportunity to discuss current events more often and in-depth. For example, English teacher Anil Chandiramani, is currently doing a unit in his junior English elective, Memoirs, about race relations. This unit has allowed students to read stories from a variety of perspectives and discuss them with their peers as well as reflect. Ultimately, it is important for the faculty, administration, and student body, to continuously take action, make space to discuss, and educate ourselves about what is going on in the world and how we can make a difference.
Embracing Naturally Curly Hair, Gaining Confidence, Self-Acceptance Learning to love, understand curly hair patterns Sage Marmet | Co-Editor-in-Chief
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hen growing up, I was always told that the beauty standard was to have perfectly straight, shiny, and frizz-free hair. In my case, this standard is both unattainable and not sustainable. For years I struggled to manage my thick and increasingly curly hair, not understanding or wanting to understand how to properly care for it. For years I would brush my curls into a poofy mess and chop it super short. Eventually, I grew tired of managing it and began to straighten it every day, completely frying my hair into a crisp and destroying its natural curl
form. I was told countless times that it was a good thing that I straightened my hair every day because my natural hair was ugly and unmanageable. Over time, I began to accept it as being true: that my natural self was something that needed to be “tamed.” A few summers ago, I grew sick and tired of spending hours brushing, straightening, defrizzing, and flattening my hair, and I grew sick and tired of trying to be somebody that I am not. I decided that I would give my natural hair a try. I started by using DevaCurl products, only later learning how big of a mistake that was. At first, it worked well; however, after using those products for a little over six months, I no-
ticed that my hair was falling out and thinning. After looking into it deeper, I learned that DevaCurl, the brand that revolutionized and practically invented the “curly girl method,” was undergoing a class-action lawsuit for ruining hundreds, if not thousands of peoples’ hair with formal-
discovery, I was stuck and just wanted an easy fix, returning to daily straightening. When lockdown started, I decided to quit straightening my hair and learn how to embrace and love my natural hair. When I had previously researched the curly girl method I learned
dehyde when they used DevaCurl products. I learned that most products in the beauty market are not made for my hair type: most conventional products are made for straight, fine hair. Even worse, many products that are marketed as being for curls and curly hair contain many dangerous chemicals and ingredients that are bad for curly hair. After this
that the best way to resuscitate curls was to completely abandon any form of heat products (straighteners, blow dryers, curling irons) altogether. However, at that point in time, I was not ready for a step that big. Leaving my house only to take a walk in my neighborhood incentivized me to give my curls a try. I learned to test the porosity
of my hair (this tells you how much moisture your hair needs) to find products that will help restore and revitalize it, instead of completely drying it out or dowsing unneeded oils all over it. I found that the best brands for my hair are Shea Moisture and Innersense Organic Beauty. These two are my favorite brands because they are both clean, toxic-free brands and have the right ingredient balance for my hair. I learned many different curl styling tips and tricks from TikTok, which was super helpful in my journey of accepting and loving my natural hair. I have found that the two best and most consistent methods/tools are the Denman Brush D3 Seven Row
I LOVE MY NATURALLY CURLY HAIR... NO BEAUTY STANDARD CAN OR EVER WILL CHANGE THAT
Styler, which helps to get a very consistent, bouncy, and reliable curl pattern, and the “plopping” which involves using a 100% cotton t-shirt to scrunch my curls (helping them to form a tighter spiral and hold their shape) and then wrapping my hair in it for 15+ minutes (I usually just wear it overnight). These new techniques are so quick and easy, I cannot even imagine how or why I wasted hours every day or night straightening my hair. Learning to love and embrace my natural hair took a lot of time, research, and effort. While it was not easy, I do not regret a single minute of it. I learned that I do not need to “tame” or “manage” my natural hair because society expects me to look different than the way I am. I love my naturally curly hair, and no beauty standard can or ever will change that.
OPINIONS | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 13
Busy Work Consumes Time, Creates Stress School’s Slower Pace Busy work keeps students preoccupied, contains little value Mallika Malaviya | Staff Writer
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hen teachers assign busy work, it often creates a lot of added stress for students, and many wonder why they have to do work that doesn’t necessarily add to the curriculum. However, busy work also comes with many hidden benefits. By doing extra work, students learn valuable time management skills and are able to gain a deeper understanding of the material by reinforcing it. A majority of the assignments that teachers give students aren’t to learn new material independently, but rather they are a repetition of the work that was done in class. This work is often
categorized as busy work because many students find it redundant to do the same thing again. Yet, by requiring students to submit this work for a grade, the busy work forces them to study the material covered in class a n d gain a deepe r
understanding of it. The best way to learn new material is through repetition, and
busy work provides that. Ingrid Vorbrich ‘22 reinforces this idea by saying that “everyday practice is super helpful when you are learning things and busy work allows an opportunity to provide some everyday practice that doesn’t just include going over your notes.” Another thing that busy work provides students with is the skill of time management because, w i t h t h e adde d
load o f work, students have to figure out how to properly manage everything and get things done efficiently. Often, it is easier to do busy
work first to check off easier assignments from a to-do list, in order to gain a focused momentum, before tackling the harder assignments. Vorbrich says, “I think when it is a small quantity of busy work it actually provides a sense of productiveness.” This productiveness can then motivate students to get more done. Busy work is helpful, but it has to be assigned in moderation. Vorbrich states that “Some teachers take busy work and assign 40 minutes to an hour of work and I think that is when kids get really frustrated with it when they feel like they aren’t gaining anything.” Busy work can be beneficial when it is actually providing other skills to students besides just added stress, but an overload of busy work can actually be counterproductive because it will take away from the time that students need to complete other assignments.
COVID-19 allows us to slow down, take time Nina Bush | Staff Writer
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he past year has brought many schedules, quick changes in what used to be everyday life, and much uncertainty. Despite this, the one thing that has stayed constant in the past year is the slower pace of school. As a strong supporter of our academic rigor, I used to see this change as bad. However, there are many benefits to the slower pace that could be implemented into our schedule when or if we return to “normal” school. The first main benefit of hybrid or online learning is that we have significantly more free time built into the schedule. This has been a large part of why online school has worked for the past year because
it gives students time to learn the material in class and sit with it, allowing more learning to occur. After all, students need to review their notes or seek out their teachers to ask about things they are confused about in order to succeed. When moving at a fast pace, students learn large amounts of material in a short amount of time, resulting in studying for tests being more about memorizing or cramming instead of actually learning the material. So, relaxing the academic schedule has given students the opportunity to learn and wrestle with material instead of merely memorizing it. As a result, a slower pace allows students to take more classes that challenge them because they have more time to learn, giving students the skills to challenge and push themselves.
See more at: www.blakespectrum.org
Active Listening Remains Crucial, Displays Respect, Attention, Interest Active listening is pivotal to learning, fosters productivity Noor Naseer | Co-Editor-in-Chief
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ctive listening is often a forgotten practice in school. Broadly speaking, active listening means not only hearing the speaker
but also listening, understanding, and engaging with them. Literally, this looks like smiles, nods, and eye contact, instead of checking your phone, thinking of what you’re going to say next, or interrupting. For example, discussions in humanities classes often turn into streams of consciousness; people get so caught up in sharing their ideas, which are usu-
ally very insightful, that they stop listening to each other. Every other phrase starts with “To go off of what [student name] said,” and then immediately turns into a monologue full of motifs, metaphors, parallels, and symbolism that has very little to do with what the first student said. That’s not to say I don’t understand the pressure of a discussion--I do. But, I think part of what we’re
supposed to take away from discussions is how to respond to and engage with one another. Active listening is just as, if not more, important outside of the classroom than it is inside. We spend five days a week in this building surrounded by almost 600 people who have lived different lives and have a completely different set of memories, morals, beliefs, and ideologies than
our own. Everyone has a story, and I consider it a privilege whenever I hear someone’s. I’ve learned so much just by talking with people and going out of my way to make sure they know I care about what they’re saying. More than anything else, active listening is a nice thing to do. It can’t be fun for a teacher when they look out to a sea of students with their heads
down or their attention focused out the window. So, next time you’re in English class, I encourage you to make eye contact with your teacher, and while you’re waiting in the lunch line, say “hi” to the person behind you, ask how they are, and actually listen to their answers. In the end, active listening doesn’t end in the classroom; these practices should extend into our personal lives.
Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ Video Sparks Controversy, Breaks Expectations Lil Nas X showcases LGBTQ+ representation Bernadette Whitely | Opinions Editor
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espite the global pandemic and social unrest, parents, highly religious and conservative individuals, and even the Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, have taken the time to criticize 22-year-old rapper Lil Nas X over his music video for the song “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).” The song was released on March 26, and since then, it has sparked immense controversy. Most of the hate is in response to his clothing and behavior in the video that many angry Twitter users, especially those who align themselves with right-wing ideology and Christianity, have deemed as “inappropriate.” Those same social media users have even gone as far as to label it as an act of “devil worship,” as the rapper is seen in hell
interacting with Satan. Not only is this an overreaction, but the expectation that the rapper should cater his music to young children and work to please homophobes is wildly unfair. Although there has been outrage, the song debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart, his second single to do so after “Old Town Road” in 2019. The song is now at the top of Billboard’s Global 200 Chart, the global Spotify chart, and Rolling Stone’s Top 100. Yet, his success does not stop there; the music video has well over 100 million views on YouTube. Along with these achievements and accolades, the song is highly personal to the rapper. In June 2019, he publicly came out as gay, and he has continued to embrace his true self, as displayed in the song and music video. The video creates a utopia of acceptance, self-expression, and love as it opens with a voice-over from the rapper, “In life, we hide the parts of ourselves we don’t want the world to see. We lock them
away. We tell them ‘No.’ We banish them. But here, we don’t.” Lil Nas X, who names the song “MONTERO” after his legal name Montero Lamar Hill, revealed even more behind the importance of the song during an interview. In Genius’s “Verified” YouTube series, the rapper explained that the song, and its title, was influenced by the 2017 film “Call Me By Your Name,” one of the first movies that he watched featuring LGBTQ+ characters. In the interview, he stated, “I thought the theme was so dope, like calling somebody your own name is love, keeping the love between you two.” Though the song is named after the artist himself, the title references the man who inspired the song, similar to the way that the two main characters called each other by their own names in the 2017 film. On March 25, the rapper continued to explain intimate and personal details about the song, tweeting, “Dear 14-year-old Montero, I wrote a song with our
On March 26, Lil Nas X shared a series of photos to Instagram featuring his makeup, hair, and outfits from the “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” music video.
name in it. It’s about a guy I met last summer. I know we promised to never come out publicly, I know
we promised to never be ‘that’ type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will
open doors for many other queer people to simply exist. You see this is very scary for me, people will be angry, they will say I’m pushing an agenda. But this truth is, I am. The agenda is to make people stay the f--- out of other people’s lives and stop dictating who they should be. Sending you love from the future.” Although a music video may seem insignificant to many, the rapper is representing the LGBTQ+ community, a group of people that are often overlooked and dismissed, especially in rap. When LGBTQ+ youth see Lil Nas X, an openly gay and highly successful individual, being unapologetically himself, it provides hope. By releasing this song, he chose his audience with the knowledge that many people would be angry. Yet, he continues to reach new milestones and add needed representation in the music industry. At the end of the day, the world has more significant problems than a rapper embracing himself and finding tremendous success while doing it.
PERSPECTIVES | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 14
The Test Optional Dilemma
Reduces Problems with Flawed System Bernadette Whitely | Opinions Editor
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he list of changes due to COVID-19 is exhaustive; being forced to acclimate to a new way of attending school has seemed to define this past year. In addition to the high stress of a constantly changing school year, the college process and standardized tests have undergone significant shifts. The model that we once understood as the college application process now looks vastly different. This change in the ACT and SAT has revealed the inequities within the United States education system and given us a chance to rethink higher education. The ACT and SAT are far from accurate measures of intelligence as they fail to capture the full scope of education we receive in high school. Rather, standardized tests measure how good a test taker you are, which directly correlates to people’s race and socioeconomic status. Those who can afford tutors and preparation courses are at an advantage compared to those who cannot afford these services. In a 2013 paper titled “Race, Poverty, and SAT Scores,” researchers Ezekiel J. Dixon Roman from the University of Pennsylvania and John J. Mcardle from the University of Southern California found that wealthy students earn higher SAT scores compared to their low-income peers. Furthermore, that difference in SAT scores was twice as large among Black students compared to white students. According to the Washington Post, in 2014, students from families earning more than $200,000 a year had a composite SAT score of 1,714. Students from families earning under $20,000 a year had a combined score of 1,326. Wyatt Dayhoff ‘22 agrees and says, “When I studied for the SAT, instead of trying to learn a ton of content, it was just test taking strategies ... So it is not necessarily even a measure of your intelligence but rather did you approach it the right way ... it’s not a good enough measure of in-
Melody Lee
telligence that it should determine if you should get into college or not.” Dayhoff goes on to explain that the math section is “a pretty decent measure” of the content you learn in high school. However, he says that the reading and writing sections do not gauge how well you are able to write an essay. Furthermore, many people deal with test taking anxiety which makes the task of standardized tests much more difficult. According to the Anxiety and D e pression Associ-
ation o f Ameri c a (ADAA), 25% of 13 to 18 year olds struggle with anxiety. Balancing school work, college applications, and personal responsibilities is stressful enough, especially during a pandemic. Adding standardized testing to this list is only detrimental to the well being of students. There are many ways to show intelligence; taking an outdated test should not have to be one of them. For individuals who do not feel like strong test takers, they should be able to focus on their grades in school, which displays a better overall picture of learning style and intelligence. Cumulative grades from the wide range of classes that are taken in high school captures the varied skills and interests of students, allowing colleges to better understand the applicants. In the end, test optional colleges give students an opportunity to take classes they enjoy and focus on subjects they are interested in.
Long History to Explore Evan Vezmar | Staff Writer
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ince the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic last March, many ACT and SAT testing dates have been canceled, causing students applying to universities to have very few options to take one of the standardized tests. Because of the lack o f
Even so, many universities in the past have considered the ACT and SAT tests as a form of discrimination. Bates College has been test-optional since 1984 and Wake Forest University has been test-optional since 2009. The New York Times interviewed Martha Blevins Allman, the dean of admissions at Wake Forest, who says that “The SAT measured family income, n o t abil-
ee yL d o l Me
opportunities to take the tests, many universities across the country have changed their policies on applications to be test-optional, meaning that an ACT or an SAT score is not required for an application and that a student’s grades will be a larger factor for admission. Some have argued that by going test-optional, universities are benefiting from a higher pool of applicants, which doesn’t actually benefit the applicant. By accepting more applications, even without test scores, colleges can have a wider range of applicants, and can therefore earn a profit from tuition. In addition, if colleges receive more applications they can reject more, seeming more selective and thus increasing prestige.
ity.” However, the change in application policy for the next few years allows high school students who struggle with test-taking or who don’t have the resources to prepare for the
Does Not Fix Larger Issues
Catherine Zhang | Contributing Writer
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s a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, over 400 universities went test-optional in the 2020-2021 college application process. Next year, many of these are choosing to remain test-optional which has brought up the question of whether or not test-optional should be here to stay. Many critics of standardized testing argue that they give wealthier students an unfair advantage because they have the time and money to spend on prepping for the ACT or the SAT. Others argue that standardized test scores are not representative of the applicant as a whole and should not be considered. Although these are fair and justifiable arguments to make, getting rid of standardized testing neither makes the application process more fair to lower-income students nor more representative of college applicants. Research has found that students from wealthier families had scored up to 300 points higher than their peers from low-income families on the old SAT. The gap comes from the fact that rich students have more academic support, time to prepare, and more chances to take the test but going test-optional is only putting a Band-Aid on the problem of socioeconomic inequality in the K-12 educational sys-
by American University has shown that grade inflation-when students receive high grades in a class regardless of their performance--is more prominent in wealthy schools where parents have a larger influence over the system, therefore affecting their GPA. In addition, ECs are often unable to be pursued by those who are low-income because of the costs of sports or club fees or the fact that they have to spend time working to provide for their family instead of pursuing so-called “passion projects.” These trends are noticeable in all parts of the application and wouldn’t be fixed simply by going testoptional. Going test-optional does not mean that applicants will be represented more accurately, because it is simply impossible for any part of the college application to be wholly representative. At the University of California (UC) schools, admissions officers have admitted to only spending as little as a total of 4 minutes going over an applicant’s entire application. As the number of applicants increases from going test-optional, it is understandable that the time spent will only be going down. Top this off with word limits of essays and an extreme skew on GPAs and ECs and it gets to a point where it’s safe to say that trying to capture who a student is as a person in one college application is simply impossible, with or without a standardized test
Melody Lee
tests to not spend so much time and effort on preparing for the test. But for some lower-income families, the SAT and ACT might be vital to get into a university with financial aid. Inside Higher Ed explains, “[Calling the tests optional] is dangerous, particularly for students from low-income households, because it conflates ‘optional’ with ‘unhelpful’ or ‘not important.” The next couple of years may look different for students’ applications and college acceptances because of COVID-19, but it is clear that a major rethinking of the value that the SAT and ACT standardized tests have for applications is taking place as we speak.
tem. In fact, the phrasing of “test-optional” makes it seem like lower-income applicants will reap the same benefits, such as merit-based scholarships, when in reality many of these lower-income applicants will miss out on them if they don’t submit a test score. In addition, applicants who choose to not submit test scores have shown to have a fewer chance of being admitted compared to those who do submit. Furthermore, going test-optional means putting more emphasis on other parts of the application such as their grade point average (GPA) or their extracurriculars (ECs); however, these also are made to give an advantage to wealthier students. A study done
score. In short, one should not be going into the college application process assuming that their entire story can be communicated, even without a test score that might bog them down. It is an undeniable fact that the college application process is an unfair game from the start. Yet, these problems call for more complex solutions then simply offering a testoptional policy. They call for a reexamination of the educational system as a whole and recognizing how it was made to benefit wealthier students and still does to this day. In a time ridden with a pandemic, going test-optional is a must because of the inability to take said tests, but this does not mean it should be here to stay.
FEATURES | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 15
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blakestories_
Blake Stories Page Raises Awareness Suspected falsified stories desensitize, take away from initial intent of account Bernadette Whitely | Opinions Editor
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haring their first post on March 22, the anonymous Instagram account @blakestories_ was created as a safe space for members of the Blake community to share their stories of sexual harassment and violence, sexism, racism, LGBTQ+ discrimination, bullying, and much more. In their first post, they write, “The goal is to expose the full culture at Blake, rather than to call out specific people. It’s time that we stop pretending that these issues are all ‘out there’ and not here at Blake. Our experiences deserve to be seen and heard, and Blake needs to be held accountable for this culture.” The anonymous account owner explained that this account has shown that Blake is not immune to hate within the community, between its students, and from its faculty. Additionally, the post explains that the owner of the account remains anonymous, and at first, it was intended that stories would be submitted through an anonymous Google Form. Although well-intentioned,
the anonymous submission form quickly became problematic when students began submitting allegedly fake stories to make light of the experiences that were bravely submitted. On March 25, the account owner posted a statement to Instagram explaining that the Google Form would be closed and submissions would be limited to Instagram direct messages, stating, “This is due to the fact that we’ve received many submissions, some of which we have been informed are not true.” Despite submissions being limited to Direct Message, people’s identities and personal information will stay private. Continuing to explain the situation, they write, “It is completely unacceptable to be submitting untrue stories that you have not experienced... Using this page as a joke not only points to the need for change around these issues at Blake, but invalidates the experiences of those who have shared their personal stories.” When asked about the seemingly fake stories submitted, the owner of the account says, “Honestly, it is hard for me to understand. I think people want to take advantage of the fact that it was an anonymous form, and they knew that they could get away with doing and saying whatever they wanted
to. I don’t personally understand the mindset behind if someone shares their story and then sending in one just to make fun of it. I think that it was anonymity that enabled some of the people to do that.” They continue to explain that joke submissions were not productive to the account and invalidated the experiences of those who were brave enough to share their stories. When people can hide behind their screens, it creates a sense of invincibility that could add to the motivation to submit fake stories. Despite any reasoning behind the fake submissions, they dismiss people’s experiences and invalidate many survivors. Many students are hoping for needed change and action from faculty members and administration. Yet, students may find themselves feeling frustrated and discouraged by the seemingly performative emails that have been sent throughout this school year. While receiving messages that affirm Blake’s commitment to inclusion can be helpful, actions speak louder than words. The community has been promised actions on multiple occasions and yet, no long-term solutions have taken place. The account owner states, “I would hope that there is a response to this because a lot of this stuff
.. Liked by 174 others
is very alarming. People talking about stuff that their peers have done to them or stuff that teachers have done to students, and I think that is most certainly crossing a line that Blake definitely needs to be doing something about that. Either it’s training teachers about boundaries or some sort of clear outline that this kind of [negative and destructive] behavior is not ok. I think that that would be a good step for Blake to take.” There is no denying that an immense amount of traumatizing and upsetting things have occurred at Blake. Actions ranging from assault to discrimination continue to happen in our community, a school that prides itself on valuing diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect. Although Blake has taken some action steps, like emails and Equity Labs, it is often too late as damage to the student body has already been done. Rather than waiting to protect students after incidents have already taken place, it would be more beneficial to prevent these traumatizing instances from occurring in the first place. The power is in our hands; we must call on each other and the community as a whole to find long-term, sustainable solutions to these problems and create a truly safe environment for all people to thrive.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT | THE SPECTRUM NEWSPAPER | APRIL 30, 2021 | 16
Boys’ Basketball Seniors Lose Shot at Sections
Submitted By Robert Grace IV
Blake Boys’ Basketball 2020-2021 pictured above: [left to right top row] Tyler Middlestadt, Joshua Park ‘22, Grayson Okoronkwo ‘24, Theo Liu ‘22, Max Hubler ‘22, Dane Borene ‘24, Kunga Shidhe-Chokra ‘22, Tyler Biwan [left to right bottom row] Jasper Liu ‘21, Robert Grace IV ‘21, Gabe Ganz ‘21, Will Fazio ‘21, Elijah Short ‘21
COVID-19 cancelled two years’ Section Games, disappoints seniors Maggie Seidel | Managing Editor
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hen the ball dropped on the eve of 2020, the Blake Boys’ Basketball team did not expect two years of heartbreak to ensue. Will Fazio ‘21, Gabe Ganz ‘21, Jasper Liu ‘21, Robert Grace IV ‘21, and Elijah Short ‘21 prepared for the best of outcomes in the history of Blake Boys’ Basketball, but instead they were faced with adversity and COVID-19 complications. However, the team remains undeterred, a testament to the leadership of the graduating players and their inspiring attitudes toward the team and sport. Hours before the Section Final game on March 13, 2020, the players learned that it was cancelled. Fazio recalls, “I don’t think anybody was expecting [the pandemic and the basketball season getting cancelled] at all. [When we entered the court at
the Section Semi-Final game of 2020], COVID wasn’t really there before we went into the game, and after the game, [the] coach said to us, ‘COVID just went crazy. Everyone go sanitize your hands.’” Grace, one of the team captains, reflects, “I’m not really an emotional person, but a lot of tears were shed [when I heard the news].” During the 2020 basketball season, the team experienced the greatest success in Blake Boys’ Basketball history. Dreams of the Class of 2020 seniors and Class of 2021 juniors were nearing a reality, until notice that all Minnesota State High School League winter sports, section games, and the state tournaments were cancelled. It was that Friday their goal of going to the 2020 State Tournament was shattered. At the end of the 2020 season, the team was ranked fourth in Section 2A, the highest the program has ever been in Blake Basketball’s history. Unfortunately, the 2020 season was historic in not only its successes but also its end. Although, the tribulations of the 2020 season
did not deter the team in the off-season. In fact, it had the inverse effect. Liu, another team captain, says, “The following year [of 2021], the goal was always to get back to the Section Finals. That’s basically what we worked for all year. In practice, we knew that was our one goal, and we knew we were capable of it.” Ganz, a third captain, shares, “That offseason [between the 2020 season and the 2021 season], we were all super motivated going into our next season because Rob, Jasper, and I were upcoming seniors. And having the [previous] season end the way it did, we were all super motivated to prove that we belong in that spot, that we could get there again, and that we could win once we got there again.” Grace adds, “We promised our seniors that we’d get to the same spot next year. But, unfortunately, again this year, history kinda repeated itself.” Fazio concurs, “For the whole year, every practice we would talk about how we were going to make it to the Section Final and make it to State because we would actually have the opportunity.” Clearly, the basket-
ball team’s grit did not subside, even after the cancellation of the 2020 season. Liu remarks, “We all knew what we wanted to accomplish. And we all did whatever we could do to accomplish that...so those two weeks before the [Section Semi-Final game], we didn’t go to school [and participated in online school to avoid coronavirus exposure, close contacting, and quarantines].” Tragically, a team member tested positive-as a result of close contact with a family member that had coronavirus due to work--on the day of the Section Final game, requiring the team to yield the victory to the other team and end their season. Short remarks, “It wasn’t like we were out partying...we were all online for two weeks [in preparation] for the game...But then it was right there. Like boom.” The week of the game, Short began to feel symptoms from what he would later learn was COVID-19. Short says, “I had taken a test the previous day. It had come back negative. I was just hoping it was a cough.” He adds, “When I woke up on the day of
the [2021 Section SemiFinal game], I didn’t want to disappoint my teammates and tell them this season has to end. But I [couldn’t] be irresponsible. I [had] to get tested again.” The Boys’ team, minus Short, all practiced on the site of the Section Semi-Final game later that day, with the knowledge that their teammate was awaiting a COVID-19 test result. They hoped it would be negative. Grace says, “Before the game, we met with the coaches again and it was basically the same scene [as last year]. And he said with all that we know, the season is over.” Short says, “When I came back with a positive [test for COVID-19], I couldn’t neglect to tell them that and let them play knowing they might have it... It was hard to do that. At the end of the day, I know that [my team] all knows it was not intentional. We can’t control who we get it from. But that was definitely hard for me.” Liu acknowledges the uncontrollable nature of this circumstance, “Everything we could do in our control, [we did].” This team-orientated attitude between the
teammates and coaching staff endures. Liu says, “[Our coach] really checked in on us. I know he texted me and a few guys and said he was sorry about [the way] that things ended. He’s been a big help in us processing.” Ganz adds, “We’re having a team banquet where we’ll go over and unpack everything.” Grace adds that the team plans to have two banquets, one of which will be a formal banquet and the other will be more informal. He says, “We just wanted to really be with each other one more time.” The basketball team and players still have much to look forward to in the future. Whether it be the continuation of their individual basketball careers or the team’s chance to succeed next season, Grace shares, “I’ll be playing basketball at Macalester in St. Paul. I’ll luckily won’t end my basketball career, perse, with two cancelled seasons.” Ganz agrees, “I’ll definitely keep basketball involved in my life in some form...I am looking back on [the season] and being grateful for the times and memories that I did have with the team.”
Betsy Fries