KEQ - The Before BSM Issue - Winter 2019

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BSM Letter From thE Editor Hey all, As my own time at BSM nears the end, I have spent a lot of time in sentimental contemplation. The lessons that I have learned from my seven and a half semesters of high school are immeasurable. Countless teachers, staff, and students have impacted me in an immense way, and I have been astounded at the diverse and unique experiences of the people around me. This is one of the main reasons that I love being a part of the Knight Errant; it’s exciting to be able to share the stories of the people who make up the BSM community.

Because of this, I have always looked forward to the last issue of the Knight Er-

rant––the T-12 (or last year, the F-14).

The issue has become a tradition which highlights a dozen or more students’ lives before they leave BSM; it is intriguing to learn about the exceptional student leaders that comprise the senior class.

However, while we spend plenty of time learning about the students of BSM, our school would not be what it is without our faculty and staff. They dedicate their time, knowledge, and passion for the bet-terment of students, and they should be appreciated more.

The last Knight Er-rant Quarterly was centered around the neighborhood around BSM, but this time around I wanted to dedicate the KEQ to

the faculty inside of our school. My only regret is that we couldn’t highlight more of the amazing staff members; everyone has an important story to be told, and I’m glad that this issue can be an avenue to share the experiences of our faculty and staff and where they came from before BSM. I sincerely hope you enjoy the second edition of the Knight Errant Quarterly, and I implore you to continue to learn more about the people around you.

KEQ Editor-in-Chief

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Publication Policy

Staff

KEQ is written and produced by journalism students at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School. The views expressed in this magazine are the opinions of the writers and not necessarily these of the Knight Errant staff, advisers, or BSM administrators.

KEQ Editor-in-Chief: Kailyn Pedersen Photography Editors: Em Paquette, Madeline Kurtovich Design Editor: Flynn Skahan Writers: Kailyn Pedersen, Alexa Field, Zach Zeman, Solomon Doysher, Jackie Burcaro, Molly Segner, Quinn Elsenbast, Kaitlyn McTigue, Mary Youngblut, Grace Christenson, Henry Witterschein, Erin Long, Harry Madden, Mia Reinhack, Luke Mathwig, Kayla Farrey Photographers: Cece Golinvaux, Jack Shields, Alice Petty, Matt McGonigle Designers: Jack Williams, Blayne Puhl, Emily Barron, Wes Kirchner, Claire Larson, Rhys Duffy, Alice Petty, Jack Shields, Carson Sando, Sylvie Poellinger, Olivia Viers

It is distributed for free to all BSM high school students.

Benilde- St. Margaret School 2501 Highway 100 South St. Louis Park, Minnesota 55416 Contact knighterrant@bsmschool.org

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“Things Have Changed So Much” -Baker

Hailing from Honolulu, Hawaii, chemistry teacher Ms. Abbi Baker has traveled far from home to end up at BSM and has brought along with her a life of stories and experiences.

Baker attended high school at Sacred Hearts Academy: an all girls school in Honolulu, which was a bit different from BSM. “We had uniforms at Sacred Hearts. I had a uniform from K-12, and when I got to college, it was good to have freedom, but I liked having uniforms,” Baker said.

She attended college at the Uni-

versity of Hawaii. Baker didn’t start out majoring in chemistry. Through her love for math and experiments, she found that chemistry was the path she wanted to take. “I initially went into college wanting to be a math teacher, and I started taking the math course, but I was required to take some science course as a part of my core. I started looking into engineering, chemistry, and physics, and chem was just a good blend of the math stuff and the experiments,” Baker said.

As she began her college journey, she originally wanted to be on the industry

side of chemistry: “the branch of chemistry which applies physical and chemical processes towards the transformation of raw materials into products that are of benefi t to humanity” as stated by the University of Nairobi Department of Chemistry.

As she participated in classes throughout college, however, she found that industry was not her passion. “[I] always went back to being in the classroom where I could work with kids,” Baker said.

Growing up in Hawaii was very diff erent from her life now in Minnesota, but it wasn’t necessarily like the stereotypes everyone has about Hawaii. “It wasn’t like living at a resort or on the beach, but I lived in Honolulu, and a lot of things were outdoors like at my high-school when we walked from class to class we were outdoors,” Baker, said.

Baker’s husband grew up in Becker, Minnesota, which is why she ended up here. “He hated Hawaii and his family lived here, that’s why we came back,” she

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e

said.

Though the differences between Minnesota and Hawaii are drastic, Baker knew that it would be easier for them to find jobs in here. Her journey to BSM, however, relates back to her life at Sacred Hearts Academy. “Since I grew up in Catholic schools my heart was set on finding a Catholic community like the one I grew up with and hopefully that similarity would curb the fear of being in a new place,” Baker, said.

Though she definitely misses her life in Hawaii, Baker has found herself at home here in Minnesota. “Things have changed so much, so I still miss my family, but being here, I’ve done so much growing up, met a lot of new people, so when I came back home after visiting Hawaii, I considered Minnesota my home,” Baker said.

Writer: Al Photogr exa Field ap Designe her: Madeline Kurtovi r: Jack W ch illiams

Ms. Abbi Baker grew up in Hawaii, but she has found a second home here in Minnesota.

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“ I had my backpack and trunk and

that was ab

From BSM math teacher, to Nepali volunteer, and back to math teacher, Mr. Dan Bowler traveled and taught with the Peace Corps before returning to BSM.

M

ost BSM students know Mr. Dan Bowler as the math teaching wiz known for always saying, “Don’t be that kid.” What many students don’t know is shortly after beginning his career as a math teacher at BSM, he traveled all the way to Nepal with the Peace Corps.

It all started when Bowler was in high school. “I had a social studies teacher, and he was in the Peace Corps, and I thought, ‘Oh that sounds cool, I want to do something like that.’ I put that in the back of my head and went off to college planning on being an engineer,” Bowler said.

However, Bowler’s plan to become an engineer didn’t last long. “It didn’t work out because I hated physics. I thought about becoming a teacher and math was going well, so I thought maybe I could be a teacher in the Peace Corps. I decided I would teach for a few years to see if I liked it. So, I came here [to BSM],” Bowler said.

It seemed Bowler had it all figured out.

He loved teaching math and the spirit of BSM right from the start. However, he felt he had some unfinished business to complete before completely settling down at BSM. “Two years go by, and I decide I want to stick around to see my first class graduate. The idea of the [Peace Corps] didn’t go away. I knew if I didn’t apply now [in 1998] I would never do it, and I didn’t want to be that kid,” Bowler said.

After applying, Bowler’s hope of join-

ing the Peace Corps came to life. “I got an envelope from Peace Corps Nepal the following year. I accepted the invitation and told [BSM] that I was resigning my job,” Bowler said.

Before jumping into foreign service work, Bowler and his fellow Peace Corps members needed some training. “In August, I left for [San Francisco] for pre departure orientation and then went to Bangkok,” Bowler said.

So sure enough, Bowler packed up the few things he was able to bring (one big backpack and a Peace Corps sponsored tin trunk) and headed out to serve. “I had my backpack and trunk and that was about it for two years,” Bowler said.

Bowler’s math skills didn’t go to waste during his time with the Peace Corps.

“They offered me a position as math teacher trainer, and I also taught English. My second year I conducted four Nepal trainings and follow-up visits to their regions,” Bowler said.

However, Bowler wasn’t exactly the typical Nepali teacher that students were used to. “I lived five hours walk from the nearest Peace Corps volunteer, so I was pretty much a curiosity. A lot of kids at the school would come crowd in my window to see the white guy teaching,” Bowler said.

Of course, when flying off to a foreign country and learning a whole new language, speaking doesn’t exactly come easy.

“Nepal has four levels of honorifics, but I

didn’t get that, so I would use the talking-to-someone-superior-than-me form, and the kids were just cracking up because I would say things like, ‘Please dear sir’ to my students,” Bowler said.

The Nepali schools were different in many other aspects than just language. “The classrooms were all set up so the boys would sit on one side and the girls on another. Whenever a teacher would walk into the classroom, the kids would stand up and say, ‘Good morning, sir,’ and they won’t sit down until you tell them to sit down,” Bowler said.

Bowler’s journey included much more than teaching and traveling. In fact, within the first few months of living in Nepal, Bowler encountered quite a few more goats than expected. “My sister in the family I was with asked me one day if I wanted to go a festival. She said that they were going to kill 100 goats. Now, this was in the first few months...The language was still tough, and I figured I must’ve just misunderstood.

But we get to the festival, and there were these guys who had a beheaded goat dancing around this compound...They threw it over this wall, and I see a pile of goats. But

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about it for two years.”

-Bowler

it got worse, there was this one guy putting his mouth up against the aorta of the severed head of the goat. It was a really localized thing, and only one other guy from the Peace Corps saw it,” Bowler said.

Seeing a whole new country and learning its tradition was a cool experience for Bowler, however he did face many challenges. “My biggest challenge was isolation,” Bowler said.

With no phone, computer, or electricity, staying in touch with friends and family wasn’t really an option. “I could contact them maybe twice a year: we would go into Kathmandu for Christmas and the 4th of July every year. I would

arrange for my family to call me because it was a collect call. My dad said those phone calls cost over 100 dollars,” Bowler said.

Although today’s high schoolers might not believe it, there are ways to communicate without technology. “My mail would literally get there via porter where they carry big baskets on their back. If someone would send candy from home, oh my gosh, it was like Christmas,” Bowler said.

In his free time in Nepal, Bowler would write to family and friends, or he would journal about his experiences. “My dad saved every letter that I wrote back to him or my aunts or my siblings, so I’ve got

this whole box of letters, and I kept a diary the whole time I was there,” Bowler said.

Bowler’s experience was truly one of a kind. “I made lifelong friends. A lot of them made life decisions based on their Peace Corps experience––I did, too, but it was to be a teacher,” Bowler said.

Writer: Molly Segner Photographer: Carolyn Mason Designer: Blayne Puhl

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CRE M

r. Joe Creer (better known as Coach Creer) has worked and coached at BSM for the past ten years.

Often seen around the school coaching football, leading workouts, directing traffic, driving his golf cart, and various other activities, Creer has impacted the school in multiple ways. Creer grew up with his family in El Dorado, Arkansas, which is where he discovered his love for football. Creer also played baseball and ran track, but neither matched his passion for football. Creer started playing football in sixth grade for his local Boys and Girls Club, and ever since then, he has loved the sport. After six years of playing football, Creer found himself getting recruited his senior year by the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB).

One year into Creer’s UAPB career, he transferred to the University of Arkansas, where he continued his education and found himself playing defensive tackle for two years until he decided to hang up his cleats for good. “I loved playing, but it was time to stop,” Creer said.

Creer became “Coach” when his son Breion became interested in football. In third grade, Breion decided to join his local football team; at the time, Creer had no intentions of coaching. Yet, somewhere during his son’s season, Creer was offered a spot to coach for his son’s team because he knew so much about the sport. Ever since then, Creer has been coaching. BSM has been where Creer has stayed the majority of his coaching career, and he helped lead the team to a ring in 2016. Creer predicts the 2019 season to be just as successful. Before BSM and besides coaching his

Students and faculty may think of Creer as just a football coach, but it turns out he’s a lot more than that.

son, Creer coached at Jefferson and Holy Angels, all of which have accumulated to around 20 years of coaching. “From start to finish, I enjoy when they come in and watching them grow; watching them leave BSM and do everything that they learned here is great, and being a part of that makes it even better,” Creer said. Aside from coaching football, Creer has worked in the music industry. Growing up, Creer heard all different genres of music which greatly influenced his music taste. He enjoyed music so much that he decided to try to get into the music industry. Creer jumped into producing, but also started two management companies, one in Minnesota and one in Las Vegas. The companies were called Soixante Trois, which is French for his football number (63) and Soixante Trois West which was the Las Vegas company.

Creer shut down the Las Vegas branch in 2008 and decided to get out of the music industry completely in 2012 because he felt it wasn’t the path he wanted to take. “Over the years I managed, worked on artist development, road management, and security worldwide. I’ve done everything in the music entertainment industry,” Creer said.

As much as Creer loves music and football, he says his true passion is food.

Creer’s family has always been involved in restaurants, and many of his relatives have worked with food at some point in their lives. After football and after BSM, Creer plans on jumping into the food industry and living life working on his passion. “One of my biggest passions is food.

When I retire, I want to have restaurants, and I always have wanted to. I’ve just held it off because I know it’d be great for retirement,” Creer said.

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EER

“Being a part of that makes it even better.�

- Creer Writer: Luke maTHWIG photographer: alice petty Designer: Emily Barron 09

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For the love

Ms. Nancy Stockhaus and Mr. Adam Petroski bring

“My parents signed me up for piano lessons in first grade to get some peace and quiet in the house.”

- Stockhaus

A

t BSM, Ms. Nancy Stockhaus teaches choir in both the junior and senior high, and works with other various music groups within the school. Throughout her life, her passion for faith and music has led her to where she is today.

Born in Boston, her interest in music began when she was just a child. Around the age of four, Stockhaus would often play her parents’ piano and sing loudly. “I used to bang on my parents’ piano and sing, so my parents signed me up for piano lessons in first grade to get some peace and quiet in the house,” Stockhaus said.

Her family later moved to Georgia and then to Madison, Wisconsin. While in high school, Stockhaus devoted her time to music with every opportunity that was given to her; she was in choir, band, orchestra, and theatre. She also had her first experience with teaching while in high school. She formed and taught a small class of younger students who were interested in playing the piano. “I taught piano to younger kids, and I taught piano to all my friends’ brothers

and sisters,” Stockhaus said.

After high school, Stockhaus attended the University of Wisconsin Madison to pursue a degree in music. Because she no longer had as much time on her hands, she quit orchestra and band. As a way to make money while in college, Stockhaus played at other musicians’ recitals.

After receiving her degree in music education, Stockhaus found a job at St. Joan of Arc Church, where she was the director of multiple church choirs. Former BSM teacher Ms. Kate Cuddy was working at the church with Stockhaus while teaching at BSM, and BSM was in need of a teacher for the junior high. Cuddy offered Stockhaus the position, which she accepted happily. “Kate Cuddy worked at St. Joan of Arc Church and asked if I was interested in teaching younger kids, and [she] offered me a job at [BSM],” Stockhaus said.

Stockhaus solely taught junior high for about five years and then moved on to teaching senior high as well. She enjoys both what she teaches and the environment of BSM. At BSM, she has the freedom to

share her faith and love for God through the music she teaches. “I like not worrying about singing religious music or talking about God and being able to share my faith,” Stockhaus said.

Throughout her years of teaching at BSM, Stockhaus has co-taught her class with three different teachers: Cuddy, Mr. Jerry Lantz, and currently Mr. Adam Petroski. Because the way the class operates is determined by each pair of teachers, she has seen her class change over the years.

Teaching with Petroski, one main goal Stockhaus has is to engage the students in the music that they are learning. Petroski and Stockhaus do this by singing contemporary songs that young people love. Along with this, they are trying to teach music that covers multiple genres so that the students have knowledge in many different areas of music. Although the class has become more relaxed in this way, they are still making sure that certain classics are also a part of the curriculum. “I’ve learned to give them a little [of their own music], but also do classical pieces,” Stockhaus said.

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ve of music

their musical backgrounds into the classroom.

“When the ‘High School Musical’ movies came out, I felt like someone was watching my life.”

- Petroski

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r. Adam Petroski is a choir teacher for grades 7-12, the coach for multiple choir groups throughout the school, and one of the baseball coaches. Petroski has had a passion for music for nearly his entire life, which led to a journey of accepting his passion and finding his way to BSM. Petroski was born and raised in Park Falls, Wisconsin. He began playing the piano when he was five and then later started playing the trumpet in fifth grade. Both of Petroski’s parents were instrumentalists, and they took him to see multiple concerts as a child. “I was often taken to concerts with my parents, and I grew up in a house full of music,” Petroski said.

Petroski attended Park Falls High School. While in high school, he was in choir, band, jazz band, and multiple musicals that the school held. Along with this, Petroski also played football, basketball, and baseball.

He often found it hard to express his passions for music because of the bullying and stigmas that went against those inter-

ests. “When the ‘High School Musical’ movies came out, I felt like someone was watching my life because I felt so much like Troy who had to hide his music interests and cover it up with pretending to be a jock,” Petroski said.

Although high school made it hard for Petroski to enjoy music, it became much easier in college. He attended the University of Minnesota Duluth. During his first year, he was a biochemistry major because he wanted to become a forensic pathologist and help solve murders. However, after he joined a choir group, he realized how much he truly loved music; he decided to pursue music instead. “I joined a choir group, and I was like ‘oh wait I love this,’ so I switched majors and [ended up] spending five years at Duluth,” Petroski said.

Through the choir, he met other people who were pursuing music education majors, and he realized how much joy he would find in that field. Petroski almost chose to teach band, but ultimately found choir to be the most fulfilling.

The first job Petroski landed as a choir

teacher was at Arcadia High School in Wisconsin. He wanted to find a job in Twin Cities because he loved the area, and wanted to move to a bigger city. Along with this, he wanted to teach at a bigger school. He found an opening at BSM after the former choir teacher, Mr. Jerry Lance, left, and he took it immediately.

Petroski has found it special to teach at a Catholic school for many different reasons. He likes both the morals that BSM stands behind and how the morals of Catholic social teaching are taught to students throughout their classes. “[I like how BSM] teaches students not just the basics of education with math, science, English, and the arts, but also how to be a good human being,” Petroski said.

Writer: Harry Madden Photographer: Jack Shields Designer: Rhys Duffy

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Her love of nature brought Ms. Elaine Barber to advocate for the environment, and her desire to serve pushed her to become a leader in her faith.

I

n a life full of diverse experiences, nature and service are both important parts of Ms. Elaine Barber’s history. Through her pre-class reflections, thoughtful prayers, and participation in the interfaith prayer service, Barber has become a well-known substitute teacher at BSM. Although many students know her in-class anecdotes, few are familiar with the greater stories of Barber’s life.

It is rare to have a conversation with Barber without discussing her love for nature. This passion began when Barber was young and traveled to Oak Island with her grandparents. “I have gone back several times and want to go back this summer to visit [the Belangers, two BSM teachers,] as they run an environmental camp there,” Barber said.

Barber’s passion for the outdoors also heavily influenced the lives of her four sons. When her children were younger, Barber would take her family on canoe trips in the Boundary Waters. With time, the length and intensity of the trips expanded into six-weeklong road trips across the U.S. “We just went to one national park after another and another,” Barber said.

The Barbers continued this for ten years, visiting over 20 different national parks. Over time, it became an integral part of her sons’ lives. “Now they all want to do the same thing with their families,” Barber said.

Along with road trips, Barber celebrated nature through canoe trips to the Quetico. Barber made many trips into the area alongside her second husband, who also savored time in the outdoors. The pair enjoyed a camping trip there almost every summer for 20 years. “The longest one we ever did was 32 days [in the wilderness]...and then we spent another month in Ely doing shorter trips,” Barber said.

Barber’s generous heart and appreciation for nature has

spurred her into action, hoping to protect the area she loves so much. “I try to join every organization that deals with [environmental protection.] [I’m in] Sierra Club, Audubon Club and Wilderness Society,” Barber said.

Barber is also incredibly passionate about her faith. Her enthusiasm about religion is what led her to serve as a deacon in the Episcopal church for ten years. “That’s when I got involved... with being the bridge between the church community and the outside world,” Barber said.

With a desire to serve, Barber felt the calling to become a deacon. In order to obtain this position, she was obligated to spend a year in an Episcopal seminary in Chicago. This time allowed Barber to experience prayer multiple times a day as well as connect with others entering priesthood. After her time in the seminary, Barber was inspired to work with the Native American Mission in her town. “I went to see if they needed someone to work with their youth, but it turns out they needed a priest... so, I stayed with them for eight years as a priest,” Barber said.

After her eight years at the Mission, Barber became a reverend at the Church of the Advent in Farmington, where she currently serves. However, this did not stop Barber from continuing her service. “I’m also called to be with Messiah Episcopal Church on the Prairie Island Indian Reservation at least once or twice a month, so my Native American work still continues,” Barber said.

This position has allowed Barber to use her incredibly kind spirit to comfort parishioners in times of trouble. “[My favorite part of the job] is the interaction with people especially when they are going through transitions, change or some kind of upheaval,” Barber said.

-Barber

Writer: Quinn Elsenbast Photographer: Jack Shields Designer: Sylvie Poellinger

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I Actually Discerned

MY WAY

-Cramer

Mr. Jeremy Cramer studied to become a Jesuit priest for 11 years, but in the end, he chose a different path.

C

ramer, a religion teacher at BSM, has a unique experience with the Catholic faith. He was in the seminary for close to 11 years, and this past with theology contributed to his path to his current profession.

After many years studying in seminary school, he eventually decided that the priesthood was not his ultimate calling.

A combination

of prayer and experience doing ministerial work helped him eventually pursue a different path. “I was in Jesuit formation from 2003 till 2014 which is a fancy way of saying seminary, so I actually discerned my way that that was not the future for me doing ministerial work as a priest,” Cramer said.

In order to be released from his vows, Cramer had to go through a process of contacting the Vatican for approval. “I wrote a letter to...the office of the Pope… requesting dismalls from my vows. The Pope himself doesn’t personally approve it, but… basically someone with the authority of the Pope has to say, ‘Ok you’re released from your vows,’” Cramer said.

However, reevaluating his vocation c a m e with its ow n chal-

lenges. Cramer had to decide what else he wanted to pursue in his life; he had to find a profession that his past schooling and experience could support. “[I] made the decision to request release from my vows, and that meant I had to find a job… [my] background, while it is very interesting, doesn’t always translate to a lot of marketable skills, so working in the church, somewhere working in education [was] where I ended up looking,” Cramer said.

After earning his masters degree in California and working at a local Catholic school in Minneapolis, Cramer decided to look for openings in the Twin Cities area.

“I had been stationed in Minneapolis in the Twin Cities for part of my formation process, so I was aware of what was here and, so I just started looking, [and I found a position at BSM,]” Cramer said.

Teaching at BSM changed the course of Cramer’s life, as he previously may have been ordained a priest. “In August of 2014 in October of 2014, I would have been ordained a transitional deacon, and in June of 2015, I would have been ordained a priest, so it’s within the last year of formation that I left,” Cramer said.

Writer: Kailyn Pedersen Photographer: Cece Golinvaux Designer: Flynn Skahan

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“It was a Long Journey” -Luong

As an avid girls’ varsity volleyball coach, Phong Luong is known as a leader for the Red Knights. In addition to being a coach for BSM, he also has a rich backstory about what it took for him and his family to become successful in America after fleeing a war-torn country.

What most students might not know is that Luong was born in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. After living in Vietnam for a couple of years, Luong and his family were forced to flee because of the conflict that was occurring. “We were fleeing a war-torn country that was going to be taken over by the communist regime, so we escaped for political and religious freedom as well as violence,” Luong said.

Because of persecution and war, Luong and his family chose to come to the United States. “Part of it was because the United States was full of abundance and freedom and democracy, so everybody tries to get over here so they have those opportunities as well,” Luong said.

After fleeing Vietnam, the Luongs ultimately traveled via boat to a nearby refugee camp. “We went to a refugee camp in the island in Guam which was a series of tent cities where tens of thousands of refugees [were] trying to flee Vietnam. When you live on this camp, you’re waiting for your number to be called so you could be relocated into the U.S. You’re basically put into a system and are waiting for it to process you through. You’re kind of in purgatory because you don’t know if you are going to get through. You can’t work; you can’t do anything, but fortunately, it was an opportunity given by the U.S. government,” Luong said.

Eventually, their number was called, and they were given the chance to fly into America. Now in a new country, his family was determined to start a new beginning. “It was a long journey

Writer: Zach Zeman Photographer: Jack Shields Designer: Olivia Viers

Many volleyball players and students might know Mr. Phong Luong as a great coach, but most don’t know his backstory. that took….about five months or so. There was a lot of fear of the unknown; we didn’t really know what was going to happen to our fate and where we were going. When we landed here, we still didn’t know what we were going to do because we had to start all over again. It was full of optimism because once we came over here, we realized that now it was up to us––we weren’t going to be prohibited by persecution or violence, and we were going to take advantage of the opportunities,” Luong said.

Luong’s family came directly into the United States and immediately had to adapt to the American culture. “No one in my family spoke English when we came over here. It was financially, culturally and linguistically challenging and adapting to that while trying to preserve our culture was very difficult,” Luong said.

After starting a new life in America, Luong headed into a different type of school than those in Vietnam. “I had an advantage because I was young, so I was put into first grade. The kids in my grade at that time were also learning their letters and how to read.

It was an easier experience because I was young, but for my older siblings and parents, it was tougher. They were already expected to know how to write. It took about a year or so until I became somewhat functional linguistically to talk the language. It got better and better because I was talking to people and learning what they were talking about every day. I had to adapt quickly.” Luong said.

As a refugee living in a new country, there will be some difficulties of not only adapting but also being accepted. “For the most

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“

n a t

“

Immersing ourselves into a new culture and learning about the customs of the culture was challenging part, we were very welcomed because people secretly embraced us, and there was a church that also sponsored us. But, there were kids who didn’t understand our story and struggles, so they picked on us in a way because we looked different, and we also talked differently. But in the end, people were accepting and were very supportive and always wanted to help out. The most difficult parts of our transition over to America was the language and just trying to get financially free and stronger. Finding jobs for our parents that could help them sustain a living was very difficult. Immersing ourselves into a new culture and learning about the customs of

the culture was challenging… I stayed in East Moline Illinois for 15 to 17 years and eventually came up to Minnesota in 1991 for law school. We lived in the Twin Cities for a while and always heard great things about BSM. My wife’s sister had her kids [attend] this school, so we looked into it further into it. We wanted a good academically challenging school that was going to prepare our daughters for college so we selected [BSM].” Luong said.

”

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I seek more o

OPEN CO Madame Fredrique Toft has traveled around the world, finishing her journey here at BSM.

W

hen it comes to foreign cultures, Madame Fredrique Toft, one of BSM’s three French teachers, knows a thing or two about life as an immigrant in the United States.

Born in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France (situated roughly two and a half hours outside of Paris), Toft grew up in a small rural community and lived there before relocating to the city of Bordeaux in the south of France for college. From there, she attended graduate school in the city of Caan, located in Northern France, before finishing up her degree in International Business in the United States. “I had lived and worked for a few months in New York City and then on the west coast in Silicon Valley. And then for my [Masters Degree], I came here to Minnesota, and I ended up taking some classes at the University of St. Thomas,” Toft said.

Toft then worked as an intern in marketing and communication for 3M in Maplewood, Minnesota. While Toft may have enjoyed her time in the U.S., she did not expect it to become her permanent residence.

“I stayed here to finish my program. But then in the meantime, I met my husband and that kind of threw things off because I had to decide what I would do,” Toft said.

Toft ultimately decided to stay in the US with her now-husband–a decision which meant she would have to apply for a work Visa and undergo the daunting United States Immigration process. “It was hard to find an employer who would sponsor with me immigration services...at the time, it was really hard. It still is [difficult] for a

non-US citizen to find employment here.

The company has to demonstrate that they were unable to find someone with your qualifications both in the state and in the U.S.,” Toft said.

Toft’s first job in the U.S. after graduating was in international marketing and sales at a company called Federal Cartridge Company in Minnesota, which sells ammunition for law enforcement officers and the shooting sports industry. “What I was involved with was only the shooting sports–I didn’t work with law enforcement, police, or anything. I basically sold ammunition internationally through distributors for hunters,” Toft said.

Toft says growing up in a hunting family helped with her knowledge of the shooting sports industry. “I grew up in a subculture of hunters in France–not hunting myself, but knowing about it...France and Germany are the two big countries [hunting] in Europe,” Toft said.

Toft does, however, acknowledge that she was a minority in the shooting sports industry, she remained unphased. “It was a male-dominated industry but because of my background, it was fine. I didn’t mind at all,” Toft said.

Toft first came to Minnesota in 1995, before Minnesota became a hotspot for immigrants. “I think it has changed for the better, to be honest. Minnesota is more open to the world now,” Toft said.

Immigrating to the US in the mid-90s meant Toft came during an odd time in U.S. immigration,

shortly after the collapse of the former USSR and amid the Indochina refugee crisis. “When I first came, you had the exUSSR countries and also the Hmong. And then after that, you had new waves of immigration from Central America and also the Somali,” Toft said.

The greatest culture shock Toft experienced though was in terms of what ‘American’ actually is. “I was misinformed about what the American culture was.

I remember in school learning about the concept of a melting pot. And that concept when I came here proved to be wrong. I remember a friend described it to me as a salad bowl...For me, what was, impressive was how big this country was yet how delicate the exercise of describing it to someone else [is]...so, to capture w h a t being

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American means is almost like a vain exercise because there are so many aspects of what it could mean and even more so now,” Toft said.

Another culture shock Toft experienced is the difference between how the French and the Americans handle conflict.

“Maybe it’s more a Minnesota thing, but people really avoid conflict here, and they see conflict as something that prevents growth or prevents well-being...I think that everybody has to be able to participate and freely express their opinion. If you don’t have that culture, it’s a little hard...For me, I seek more of an open conversation. I’m trying to be very honest, and I don’t like the idea of not being able to tell someone ‘Hey, I felt offended by this or that’ but then telling other people about it. I think it’s much more healthy to face the issue and get into a discussion with someone, even if it means that discussion ends up being an argument,” Toft said.

Toft also notes that debate and discussion are more valued in French culture than they are in American culture. “A French person would find it very, very boring to go to a party where everyone agrees. What’s the point? We value the art of conversation and the art of conversation in a French setting means

that you can have different people arguing for different point of views, and that’s the point...It’s not that there’s a winner or a loser at the end of it, it’s that there’s been a conversation that’s been [complicated] and challenging...It’s an intellectual exercise,” Toft said.

Toft says this practice of debate and disagreement extends even into personal relationships in France. “In the U.S., a husband and wife would never show disagreement in public. There’s a tendency to really keep a front and not show disagreement. In France, it’s fine. You joke about your husband or your spouse in front of friends, and it’s just very different,” Toft said.

Despite Americans’ fear of controversy, Toft does note the U.S. is a better place for social mobility. “France [is] an older system...we tend to put a lot of value on things that might not be so important [in the U.S.]. We pay a lot of attention to what family people were born into, what degree people got, where they got their degree.

There’s that idea of status that is linked to who you are and what you’ve done, and unfortunately, sometimes people label each other based on that...I think you have a little bit more freedom to become [what] you want to become in the US,” Toft said.

Toft also touches on the differences in education between the US and France, notably when it comes to testing. “In France, in my entire education cycle, I have not once had a multiple choice question. It’s always short answer, deep analysis questions. Some-

times I feel like they evaluate people with multiple choice here, and it doesn’t tell the whole story of how your mind works and what you’re capable of. Because in life, you don’t have multiple choices in front of you.

You make up the answer, and it’s yours.

And you use everything you know, everything you are to make up that [option]... you just create one that you think is right,” Toft said.

However, Toft does note that the education system in France is more rigid than it is here. “We give way more weight to the creative side in the U.S....In France school is hard–not harder–but one thing we are not encouraged to display is our creative side...It’s very static. You are not given so many choices. The electives that you have [in the U.S.], you would not find in France...There’s no extracurricular life.

Almost none...School is school. Your life is out there, like, before and after, but not during,” Toft said.

Toft also mentions that the relationship between teachers and students in France is less affable than it is in the US. “I think what we have here at BSM is special. There really is the idea that we are here for the students, but I often hear that the relationship we have with our students is unheard of in France...There’s kind of the idea that the teachers are always right and to live with that assumption I think is wrong,” Toft said.

Writer: Grace Christenson Photographer: Cece Golinvaux Designer: Flynn Skahan

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“Every day is a fresh start!- “

BARRY

With a devotion and patience she credits to her being a mother, Ms. Sandy Barry focuses on being a support system for students.

M

s. Sandy Barry, ‘86 alum, sub coordinator, and learning support specialist, has been a familiar face around BSM for nine years. Apart from her work at BSM, she is a mother of three, wife, poet, and yoga enthusiast.

BSM is the first school Barry has worked at. “I graduated from BSM and have always loved the school. Nine years ago, Lisa Lenhart-Murphy mentioned to me that BSM was hiring an Alumni Coordinator. I got the job and worked in Development for five years. It was fun, but I had teacher envy. Four years ago, I switched to working with students in Quiet Study. It is a much better fit for me,” Barry said.

Previous to working at BSM, she was a full time mom, which included coaching all her sons’ teams, being a classroom mom, and volunteerting at her family’s local church. She helped the family become acclimated to 14 moves within 18 years. “Every year and a half to two years, we were moving. And that was fine. I mean, the kids were little, and I [told my husband, Brian, that] I wanted to stay home and if [he needed] to move for [his] job, I [would move with him]... Colorado was nice, definitely the prettiest. We were in Georgia for almost two and a half years. I could play tennis year round, so that was really fun. From Georgia we came here. This was the only move we did that we paid for ... everything else was for my work or Brian’s work,” Barry said.

Now, many students would recognize Barry as the face of the Quiet Study (QS). She welcomes the students with a grin and is full of encouragement. “QS started as the testing room with a few kids who needed some extra time to get their work done. When QS became part of the Learning Support team, I was able to do more to support my students [and to help] students figure out what they need to be successful academically. I love seeing how that translates into confidence,” Barry said.

One of Barry’s top roles at BSM is to support students struggling academically, whether that be working with them weekly, checking in on assignment progression, or providing extended time for testing. Barry also recognizes that many students in high school struggle with anxiety. “Anxiety is tricky; sometimes the hardest part is figuring out what it is that scares you. If you can pin down what is stressing you out, it loses some of its power. My advice for students is to break things down; I think having a plan helps. Either make a list of what you need to do, or use your calendar and plan out your time after school … Scheduling the time helps to hold you accountable. If something comes up and you don’t get done what Writer: Kayla Farrey

you hoped, adjust. Every day is a fresh start.”

Meditation has also played a vital role in Barry’s life the past 15 years. She initially practiced yoga, which prepares the body for mediation; then she gave meditation a try. “I think the biggest gift meditation has given me is the ability to pause. There is so much bad news out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged.

The ability to pause gives me the chance to see the grace in every situation. I even have a tab about yoga and meditation on the Quiet Study PSL page. I miss teaching meditation here at BSM. That was always the highlight of my week. Having a student say to me how much better they felt after they meditated was awesome,” Barry said.

The devotion and patience she has with her students can all be traced back to her commitment as a mother. Barry has devoted much of her time to her children, even writing a children’s book dedicated to one of her sons, Benji, a current senior at BSM. “I wrote a book. It was never published. It was just for fun. It all actually started with a dream Benji had when he was in kindergarten, I think. It was about a black bird… and so he hounded me to write a book because I took writing classes… I submitted it exactly three times, that’s all. You are supposed to submit 100’s of times, but it hurt my feelings when they didn’t want it,... Someday I’ll publish it, to give to Ben to have because he is the main character… this is the stuff I did for years,” Barry said.

Photographer: Cece Golinvaux

Designer: Rhys Duffy

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w o h s ’ t a h “T we met... e h t h g u o r th Weir ” . g o d -

Writer: Jackie Bucaro Photographer: Cece Golinvaux Designer: Claire Larson

After quite a journey, Mr. Eric Luna Martin and Ms. Monica Weir created a life together here in Minnesota.

M

s. Monica Weir, a math teacher, and Mr. Eric Luna Martin, a Spanish teacher, have a wild history––from their initial meeting in Nicaragua to Luna Martin’s immigration process.

The couple first met while they were working in Managua, Nicaragua as international teachers. As the story goes, Weir was attending a dinner hosted by a group of teachers––including Luna Martin. He was cooking for the dinner, with windows and doors wide open to fight the heat. Weir had conveniently brought her dog, Eleanor, along to the dinner. “He’s in his kitchen, and he turns around, and all of a sudden, there’s this boxer sitting in his kitchen, just watching him cook. So he comes out of his house, and he goes, ‘Uh, whose dog is this?…That’s how we met. Through the dog. And we still have her,” Weir said.

While Weir had arrived in Nicaragua in 2012, Luna Martin did not arrive until 2014. Since Weir was there on a contract for three years, they only had one year of overlap. “My contract ended… My plan was to move back to the US, and that was how I ended up here… I was applying for jobs, and BSM got ahold of me, and so I moved back to Minneapolis... And he decided that if I was leaving, that he was too,” Weir said.

Luna Martin left Nicaragua around the same time, hoping to be near Minneapolis but instead landed in North Carolina. Working for a company that hosted international teachers, he was able to get a basic J-1 work permit. As Workpermit.com explains, the J-1 permit is tied to the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, which allows a foreign citizen to live and work in the U.S. As he tried to apply near Minneapolis a second time, problems arose. “I… tried to apply to different schools near this area, but in the United States, if you want to teach in this country, you need to have a license from the state,” Luna Martin said.

The lack of a Minnesota teaching license was coupled with another issue: without working through the company he’d been with in North Carolina, Luna Martin did not have a visa. “If you’re coming from abroad, you need to be able to show that what [you] can do is better than what Americans can do,” Weir said.

The pair had a long-distance relationship for about a year, visiting each other every month or so. The long-distance relationship ended with marriage. Luna Martin proposed about a year after being in the U.S., in a very traditional way. “I asked her parents first,” Luna Martin said.

After getting married, they were able officially to start the immigration process

for Luna Martin. Both of them were interviewed in order to make sure their relationship was real. “We had to go and sit down and be interviewed to make sure that our relationship is real and … people are shuffling papers of information, and they’re testing me on his birthdate, and his full name … things like that. And then he’s getting quizzed on the same things,” Weir said.

Besides being difficult and stressful, the process was long––it took about a year and a half for Luna Martin to get his visa.

“That’s why when I started working here, instead of starting in August, I started in September,” Luna Martin said.

Their meeting abroad set the stage for their life as a couple: They frequently fly to Barcelona to visit Luna Martin’s family, and they try to see a new place each time they go. They’ve explored places in Europe like London and the south of France, and Weir would be interested in seeing Morocco next time they go. Luna Martin’s dream trip is New Zealand because it is home to two of his favorite things. “You know, [New Zealand is] where Peter Jackson recorded all the movies, ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’. Also the All-Blacks, the greatest national rugby team in the world, they are from there. So it’s kind of my dream,” Luna Martin said.

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Betsy Betsy Betsy W r i t e r: K a i t l y n M c T i g u e p H O T o g r a p h e r: E M P A Q U E T T E d E S I G N E R: e m I L Y b a R R O N

F

irst impressions are important. Lucky for BSM, the first impression that most prospective BSM families and students have when visiting the school is Ms. Betsy Van Cleve, a 2006 graduate turned Associate Director of Admissions.Van Cleve was born and raised in Mississippi where both of her parents were professors at Mississippi State University.

When she was eight years old, she moved to Minnesota, attending Our Lady of Grace. When it came time for high school, the three Van Cleve children were allowed to pick which school they wanted to attend. All of them chose different high schools with Van Cleve picking BSM. “My mom let us decide, and BSM checked all my boxes,” Van Cleve said.

BSM has many clubs and activities for all students to participate in. As a Red Knight, Van Cleve took advantage of those same opportunities. At BSM, she was a part of RKVC, Red Knight Journey, Reviving Daisy, soccer, track, and she pole vaulted. “It was an unmatched experience that was really memorable in a positive way,” Van Cleve said.

After graduating, Van Cleve went to the College of St. Benedict where she majored in communications. After she graduated college, she worked in the financial service industry for five years.

Ms. Betsy Van Clev Knight, always a R For those five years, she worked on the customer side and ended up being a business manager for an adviser. Eventually, Van Cleve lost her passion for the industry and hoped for something different. “I thought I always wanted to come back [to BSM in] some capacity,” Van Cleve said. Eventually, Van Cleve came back to her roots and returned to the halls of BSM. She first got hired as the Annual Fund Director where she worked for just under a year.

However, admissions always called to her, so when the position opened up, it was an easy decision to make; Van Cleve went through the hiring process and soon after, her title switched. Her new title became the Associate Director of Admissions.

“Admissions has always been my dream job, so when the opportunity

“BSM che

all my bo

- Van Cl

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sy Van Cleve sy Van Cleve sy Van Cleve

leve showcases what ‘Once a Red a Red Knight’ really means.

checked

y boxes.”

n Cleve

came, it was kind of a no-brainer,” Van Cleve said.

The Associate Director of Admissions is responsible for showing BSM in the most positive light.

Van Cleve helps facilitate the relationship with perspective families, whether that is answering phone calls, setting up day visits, or leading campus visits; she is the first point of contact for new families coming in. “I try to win over and show all these families what a great place BSM is,” Van Cleve said.

Van Cleve is much more than just the Associate Director of Admissions; she is also a soccer coach at BSM, a marathon runner, and a mountain biker. Van Cleve was a soccer player through high school, but when she got to college, soccer became too hard on her body. In-

stead, she fell in love with running. That love led her to run 5ks, 10ks, half marathons, and finally her first marathon in 2011. Van Cleve runs a marathon every other year, and this summer, she is signed up for her fifth marathon, Grandma’s marathon. “I love staying as fit as I can be, but it is a love hate relationship,” Van Cleve said. This February, Van Cleve and her husband, who runs marathons with her, will start the training process. She plots her training days for four months, running five times a week, and leaving one to two days to rest. Van Cleve doesn’t run these races to place, she runs them to run, so she doesn’t go on a strict diet.

However, she is still conscious of what she eats. “We like to have something to train and look forward to, so I am a little conscious of what I eat, but my husband and I eat pretty good anyways,” Van Cleve said.

Van Cleve has experienced BSM as both a student and more recently, a faculty member. BSM has evolved over the years, but something that has stayed the same to Van Cleve is the strong sense of community. “Whether it is the faculty and staff, the students, the parents, really the community at large, BSM has some of the best of people I have had the ability to [connect] with,” Van Cleve said.

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“I’ve

” . e c i v r e s athje

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Ms. Kaitlyn Gathje loves volleyball and economics– but service remains her true passion.

S

ince becoming a teacher of BSM’s Discipleship in Society class, Ms. Kaitlyn Gathje has brought her history of service to the BSM academic community. Gathje recently opened up about her past before BSM, and her current connections to the school.

Gathje is a Minnesota native and has always had a passion for fitness and activity. Born in St. Charles, Minnesota, Gathje grew up as a sports enthusiast in a small town. She has always enjoyed track and volleyball.“I haven’t thought about this in a long time. Oh, for my homecoming - I don’t know if this is my favorite memory, but this is a good one - my school would always do a dodgeball tournament for homecoming week, and it was like this huge deal; the whole town would come to the championship after the football game on Friday

night, and my team won the championship in junior year. It was really fun,” Gathje said.

Ms. Gathje then went to college, where her passion for service would begin to form her educational basis, as well as her career.

“I actually went to St. Thomas, and I majored in economics - so that was one of my degrees - and then I also majored in social justice, and then got a minor in Catholic studies, so I have a little bit of everything,” Gathje said.

After college, Gathje joined the AmeriCorps. The AmeriCorps are a voluntary civil service group supported by the federal government. The goal of the AmeriCorps is to provide protection for American citizens through health care, education, environmental protection, and many other services. Gathje’s time with the AmeriCorps is the primary reason for her strong passion

towards BSM’s Discipleship class. “I’ve always really valued service and found it to be an important and kind of a formational part of my life. So after college, when I couldn’t really decide what I wanted to do, I checked out some of the different programs that they offered and found the one where I ended up working with kids in the juvenile justice system; and where I would be mediating in adult conflict. It just seemed like a really awesome experience, so I applied and they accepted me. I decided that that was the route I wanted to go,” Gathje said of her AmeriCorps experience.

Writer: Sol Doyscher Photographer: Alice Petty Designer: Jack Shields

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SABOL

1997 BAGGER OF THE YEAR

The joy, pride, and confidence of winning the 1997 Bagger of the Year Award at Lunds are still palpable when talking to Mr. John Sabol.

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aving taught business classes for seven years, Mr. John Sabol is perhaps best known amongst his students for his weekly power claps, his ability to draw a perfect circle, and his 1997 Bagger of the Year Award, which he won back in high school when he was a bagger at the Lunds in Bloomington. “It was just… a thing at work. If you want to sign up for the Best Bagger Contest, you can. You needed to bag three bags, and they kept track of how much time it took. And then when you were done, you were ‘Done!’” Sabol said.

According to Sabol, the Best Bagger Competition can be rigorous. “They put each bag onto the scale to see how close they were bagged and if they were weighted well. And it just so happens that for mine, two of the bags were the exact same weight to the hundredth of a pound, which is pretty amazing. And then they took a razor, and they cut the bag open to see how it was structured because we were taught a certain way to keep everything safe. So they would check to see if you did all the stuff you were supposed to do,” Sabol said.

Sabol admits the competition for best bagger is competitive. In fact, some contestants even cheat. “What was kind of fun… was one of my good friends was also a bagger, and he has a photographic memory...

He was like, ‘Okay, if I just redo everything that John just did, it would come to the exact same weight.’ And so… he just did everything I did, so his weights were the exact same as mine,” Sabol said.

Despite his attempt to finesse the bagging process, Sabol’s friend was ultimately unable to snag the prestigious “Best Bagger” title, when he accidentally put a jar of spaghetti sauce through a loaf of bread when he was bagging. According to Sabol, this loss remains a difficult one to swallow.

Writer: Grace Christenson

sabol story design.indd 2

“I beat him, and to this day it’s a little controversial… as to what actually happened,” Sabol said.

However, this tension wasn’t enough to destroy his and Sabol’s friendship, as Sabol revealed the two are still close today and even served as groomsmen in each other’s weddings. They still visit each other when they have time. “[Clint] lives in Texas, and we still see each other every now and then,” Sabol said.

Sabol, who keeps his award on display in the help desk, says that being 1997’s Bagger of the Year isn’t his only accomplishment within the Lunds franchise. “In 1998, [Clint and I] were in the new employee video together… They interviewed me and two of my friends for this video, and we actually didn’t go to school that day. There was a viewing party for Lund’s employees, and they took us to a movie theater…[Clint and I] were kind of in with the top dogs at Lunds,” Sabol said.

As an adult, Sabol still enjoys running

Photographer: Alice Petty

into some of his former co-workers, a few of whom still work for the company. “Even today, I’ll go back to a Lunds and I’ll be like ‘Oh, I know that person’ and ‘Oh, I know that person.’ There’s like the ‘life-rs,’ you know? People who made their entire career working at Lunds, and they’ll move from store to store. So, I’ll go to a Lunds that I’ve never been to, and I’ll recognize like two people from when I worked there a long time ago,” Sabol said.

During his six years at Lunds, Sabol worked several different jobs including bagger, cashier, and even working in the produce section. Sabol says working at Lunds was a wonderful experience and a great first job that helped shaped him to the person he is today. “I really appreciated working there, and I felt like it really set me up to work hard… I think some of these high school jobs can be pretty formative and [help to] create a part of who you are throughout your life,” Sabol said.

Designer: Carson Sando

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“Ever since I could rememb Coach Ken Pauly has always loved the ice and the lessons it teaches.

Growing up in the State of Hockey instantly impacts kids at a young age, and it was no different for Wayzata native Mr. Ken Pauly. “Ever since I could remember, I’ve known how to skate. The numerous amount of hours I spent on the ice with my brothers and our friends were some of the biggest highlights of my childhood. Whether it was the weekend or break or whatever, playing hockey is what we loved to do,” Minnesota-raised Pauly said.

However, unlike most kids who dreamt of one day putting on their favorite team’s sweater, Pauly always knew that when he grew up he would lean towards the coaching aspect of the game. “I was interested in the playmaking and coaching part since I enjoyed telling my teammates on how and what to do. I was still a decent player, but I was more fascinated with the teaching facet,” Pauly said.

Today, Pauly coaches and teaches at one of his hometown Trojans’ rivals, Benilde-St. Margaret’s. In the last 26 years of his coaching, the Red Knights have had several unforgettable moments, but none stand out more than winning the 2012 title after Jack Jablonski’s injury earlier that season.

“That season, that team, and that game, was something else. It meant so much to me and the rest of the program, overcoming the adversity with Jack’s incident in December. It changed the team and took us to the next level. Then what Grant Besse did in that championship game [scoring all five goals] was unbelievable,” three-time state champion Pauly said.

The story of that 2011-12 title run was one for the history books, when Jablonski got hit in the annual Tradition of the Park Tournament on December 30th, 2011.

The instant that he went down, the game

of hockey changed, it was heard around the country. Minnesota changed its checking rule the very next season; checking would start at the Bantam level (8th & 9th grade) instead of PeeWees (6th & 7th grade). “It was a hard time for me and the rest of the team dealing with the incident, it was something that I’ll never forget. It changed me in way that I’ll never go back to the way I was.

Then going on two and a half months later and winning the tourney showed every one of those kids how to overcome the hardest of challenges,” Pauly said.

Four years later in the 2015-16 season, Pauly learned another hard lesson when he looked up at the scoreboard after overtime at Bloomington Ice Gardens and saw CDH-4, BSM-3. It ended the #1 ranked Red Knights’ season who were undefeated and favored to go all the way. “That game stung. And it still stings. Obviously, I was disappointed ending the season like that, losing in OT to a team that we were better then, especially since the two teams that went on to the championship game (Wayzata and Eden Prairie) were teams that we beat earlier in the season. Probably the worst part about that game was we were without our most dynamic player in Cade Gleekle, and with him, we would’ve won, no doubt in my mind. But to lose like that, that prepares you for what’s to come,” Pauly said.

Even though most of these lessons are learned from experience, Pauly teaches his own every day in Room 203. While being a history teacher and a coach might be important, no duty is more vital than being a husband and father. “I try my hardest to manage to do everything, but most of the time I simply don’t. There will be times that I’ll have a hockey game and have

to miss something, but whenever I can I’ll make it to my son's hockey games or my daughter’s dance competition. It’s tiring trying to do everything, but I do it because driving all the way to Apple Valley to watch dance while I still can is worth it since next year my daughter won’t have one.

You have to do that kind of stuff because before you know it, you won’t have the opportunity to,” Pauly said.

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mber, I’ve known how to

skate.”

Writer: Henry Witterschein Photographer: Em Paquette Editor: Alice Petty

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" Literature and music its just in you. '

"

-Brew

B

SM has a community that is built of people with all kinds of backgrounds. One background in particular is hard to miss. With her Irish accent, English teacher Ms. Maura Brew certainly makes a strong first impression. But how did this Irish native end up at BSM? Brew grew up in Northern Ireland, and she came to America with her husband when they moved to California in 1984. “The plan was to come for a year. My husband had just joined this company based in California. We were living in Ireland, in Dublin…

They said, ‘Why don’t you go to Santa Barbara to do research?’…

This was in the middle of a very dark, wet November in Dublin, and we said, ‘Sure.’ The implication being about nine months to a year… A year became a year and a half, and then it became two.

Then our first son was born, and we thought, ‘We need to make a decision here.’ We decided to stay,” Brew said.

For Brew, the transition wasn’t a big deal because it wasn’t supposed to be permanent. “It wasn’t really scary because it wasn’t this big conscious ‘We’re moving away for the rest of our lives’ at all; it just kind of happened gradually. The big thing was being so far from family and friends. It really was the pioneer spirit. We really did know nobody,” Brew said.

Because Brew originally moved with her husband’s work, she was afraid of what she would do in California. “I thought I was going to sit and twiddle my thumbs… [I’m] not good at that, so I decided to go back to school and did my master’s for a year,” Brew said.

Brew had to adjust to being away from her home and for her, the hardest thing was leaving her friends and family. “We’ve made a conscious decision that we would try to go back every summer, with the kids particularly. We’ve gone back virtually every summer… I used to bring the kids back when they were very small, and my family would have them speaking very broad northern Irish

when we [came] back. These small, blonde, blue-eyed Californian children would have these very broad northern Irish accents,” Brew said.

It was difficult for Brew to leave her home for many reasons, but on top of leaving her friends and family, she missed the art culture that exists in Ireland. “We lived in the west of Ireland… and when we came over first, there were a couple of pubs and restaurants that we used to go to and you would invariably… happen upon Irish music. Initially in California, I really did miss a culture of arts that’s just embedded in Ireland. I do think it’s here [in Minnesota]. It was not in California… The arts, the arts, the arts. All of the arts. It’s sort of in your DNA, it really is. Literature and music, it’s just in you,” Brew said.

It took a little adjusting to the new “American life.” Brew realized there were parts of Ireland she missed and was able to see the drastic differences between Ireland and America. “I think the best part of Ireland is the spontaneity of it all… One of the first things I learned when we moved to the States, which I never ever got used to, was if you were going to call on somebody, you phoned ahead. Not my style. We’re the drop-in people… You just roll with it,” Brew said.

One thing that helped with the transition was the weather in California. “You cannot underestimate the weather… The weather is everything. It’s like a good day in Ireland; everybody’s in a good mood, and that’s all the time in California. With that sunny disposition, it’s a very easy place to live,” Brew said.

One of the biggest positives that came out of Brew’s immigration to California was the acceptance of her and her husband. “For us, coming from Northern Ireland, we are a product of The Troubles. We grew up during The Troubles, and one of the reasons we moved to South of Ireland was largely for work. But secondly, we are a Northern Irish ‘mixed marriage.’ [My husband’s] Protestant; I’m Catholic. At the time we got married, it was not a happy situa-

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English teacher Ms. Maura Brew came to BSM by way of Ireland and California.

tion, [but in the States]... nobody really cared. And that was huge.

It’s so cliché, but you really can be whatever you want to be here.

For us, at that time, it was hugely important,” Brew said.

When work moved Brew’s husband to Minnesota in 1997, they made a decision to stay. “We moved because of my husband’s work… It wasn’t an immediate decision… this was going to be for the long haul because we knew we wanted our kids to go through school. The education system here is immeasurably better than in California,” Brew said.

This move seemed to be the correct decision because Minnesota filled in the gaps to what Brew missed from Ireland. “Minnesota is so much more like Ireland than California. All the cliché stuff. Roots: people are family-based [in] Minnesota. When we moved, my daughter was going into first grade here, and when the first Thanksgiving came around, she was both shocked and elated that all of her little friends were going to be in town for Thanksgiving. It was just a given in California that everybody left. Minnesota [has] much more… stability,” Brew said.

To keep the Irish tradition alive in Minnesota, Brew has some traditions and habits. “We do play a lot of Irish music in our house, eat a lot of potatoes… [My kids] will still use a lot of expressions that their compadres really don’t know that we just use around the house. Things we would just say… You know when you say, ‘I wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.’ Barge pole. ‘I wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot barge pole.’” Brew said.

From Ireland to California and Minnesota, Brew thinks she understands the connection between the Irish and the Americans.

“I always and I still maintain that when Americans go back to Ireland, Irish people welcome Americans particularly because they could be family that never came back,” Brew said.

Ms. Maura Brew grew up in Ireland during The Troubles, which were a period of time in Northern Ireland between the 1960s and the 1990s when political unrest led to violence in an effort to end British rule and join the Republic of Ireland to the south. Families fought against families and violence was common.

Information from National Public Radio

Writer: Mary Youngblut Photographer: Madeline Kurtovich Designer: Wes Kirchner

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“The

Support

Last year, Ms. Anne Marie Dominguez battled with cancer for the second time in her life.

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s an English teacher, Ms. Anne Marie Dominguez has taught about the greater meanings of stories. These lessons can be on very obvious details, while some are on much deeper topics. After her cancer diagnosis, she began to look deeper into the meaning of life.

Her cancer diagnosis came the day after Thanksgiving in 2017. She had gotten a PET scan done, which did not determine if she had cancer; rather, it was a biopsy that determined she had breast cancer. “The day after Thanksgiving is when we got the PET scan results. We have a family friend who is a physician and she’s not in oncology, but she checked my file before the actual doctor called. I kind of knew ahead of time. The PET scan didn’t determine it; it was the biopsy.

But the PET scan was to check to see if there was any other cancer in my body and that was good because there wasn’t,” Dominguez said.

Throughout the treatment process there were numerous tests being done.

She was mostly familiar with the process, since her experience of having cancer in high school had somewhat prepared her for having breast cancer. “When they

Writer: Mia Rheineck Photographer: Em Paquette Designer: Vincent Di Perno

were explaining the treatment that was going to come down the pipe… it wasn’t as bad because it was like ‘yeah I know what that’s about.’ Yes, it was less traumatic for me because I knew what all that stuff was going to be like. It still was a major bummer.

The support was fabulous; and particularly my Mom, who was right there in high school when I went through leukemia… went into super-mom mode again. She was my note taker––at every appointment, she was there taking notes, so I didn’t have to worry about that. That was a huge help,” Dominguez said.

Although Dominguez was mostly familiar with the process, waiting for test results to come back was still stressful. “Starting from the surgery on January 5th [of 2018]... My first chemo was in February and that went through April, and that was once every three weeks. Once the chemo was done, there was a few weeks, and then the final stage of reconstruction happened, which was a breeze. That had to heal and then I started radiation the last week of

June, that went to the end of July, and I was done… So now I’m on a regular type of hormone therapy, ” Dominguez said.

After her diagnosis, Dominguez had to prepare to leave work. During this time, the BSM community helped in different ways.

The faculty was supportive, and the school was able to help her schedule her sick days so she could take time off, they also helped her figure out a new health insurance plan in case the worst case scenario happened.

“Colleagues were fabulous. Dr. Skinner was fabulous and understanding and always saying ‘whatever you need, let us know.’

Ms. Ramier and Ms. Ryan were great in talking with me about using my days off and [helped] make changes in our insurance. We were preparing for the absolute worse scenario and making sure the insur-

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t

was

Fabulous”

ance was in the right place so we wouldn’t have to worry about it if there was a worse scenario, ” Dominguez said.

Aside from the BSM staff being supportive during and prior to her treatment, she received lots of support from the dance team community. There were moms on the team who had experienced breast cancer as well, so they were able to help. “The moms on that team were fabulous. There

-Dominguez

were two other moms; one other mom was going through breast cancer treatment and one who had gone through it already six or seven years ago. Both of them were tremendous sources of support and love…

That was, I think, the most moving part of this experience, the flow of love and support and well wishes and people organizing meals, offering to take care of rides for kids going home, ” Dominguez said.

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“I Was Called To Go”

- McMerty-Brummer

Spanish teacher Mr. Matthew McMerty-Brummer hopes to inspire and teach students about the wonders of Latin America through his experiences in Chile and Honduras.

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efore teaching at BSM, Spanish teacher Mr. Matthew McMerty-Brummer spent years living in Chile and Honduras, and there, he was able to improve his Spanish, immerse himself into the culture, and adopt three kids.

McMerty-Brummer currently teaches Hispanohablantes I, II, and III, and Honors Spanish II, but he didn’t really think about teaching until the summer after high school. “I went on a mission trip–– the same one that we have here, the God’s Child Project, and their mission statement or philosophy is: ‘Breaking the bitter chains of poverty through education.’

So seeing the good work that they were doing, the lives that they were impacting, that’s when I first thought about wanting to do something along those lines,” McMerty-Brummer said.

Even though he teaches Spanish now, McMerty-Brummer isn’t a native speaker.

“We started taking Spanish in 5th grade, a friend’s mom studied in Spain, and so she came in once a week and did colors and numbers and all that with us. I continued with it and in junior high, my uncle had retired to Costa Rica...he heard that my

brother and I were taking Spanish, and he told us if we stuck with it and got jobs and paid for it, he would arrange for us to be exchange students. So the summer between sophomore and junior year of high school, I was an exchange student in Costa Rica. I continued studying in college, I spent a year studying and living in Santiago, Chile, and then I spent many years living in Honduras,” McMerty-Brummer said.

With not being raised in a Spanish-speaking environment, McMerty-Brummer had to work to improve his pronunciation and accent––specifically through Shakira and her first two CDs. “So depending on traffic and which bus route I took, the commute one way was sometimes 60, maybe even 90 minutes to the college campus in Santiago from my host family. I would sit as far back on the bus as possible, ideally the last row, and I had my old school walkman with the CDs and the lyrics in a little case, and I would sing along, out loud, to Shakira. [I would] get all kinds of crazy looks for being that

weird guy on the public bus––not even a student bus, so a public city bus––that was belting out Shakira. Being from Columbia, I think her pronunciation and accent are very clear and easy to understand as a non-native speaker, plus her speed challenged me to try and improve my fluidity, and then her ‘r’ rolling––I really struggle with rolling my r’s,” McMerty-Brummer said.

After a year in Chile, McMerty-Brummer had hoped to go back to Santiago and live with other volunteers, but before making a final decision, decided to look at other volunteer options–– those in Honduras. “Both programs had education opportunities, but I just wasn’t sure which one was a better fit. [I] went back to college, so I had a fifth year, graduated and did a program called Alliance for Catholic Education and taught for two years as an Americorp volunteer teacher in Montgomery, Alabama… At that point, [I] had applied to go back to Santiago I really thought that was where I was called to go, but I got a

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Writer: Erin Long Photographer: Madeline Kurtovich Designer: Jack Williams

phone call saying that the children’s home in Honduras needed someone to live with the adolescent boys. They needed somebody to be the house father and there weren’t any current missionaries there able to step into that role.

They wanted to know if I would go back down to do that, so I said yes,” While in Honduras, McMerty-Brummer ended up adopting three kids from the children’s home: Franklin, Carlos, and Jimena. “I was walking across the grounds of the children’s house; we were walking across the soccer field on the way to the school.

I was walking with Carlos, and Carlos said, ‘So, you’re leaving in December’ because that was the schedule the missionaries always left, in that first week of the December. I said, ‘Yep, in December.’ So as a declarative statement, he announced that he was going with me. I talked to him about it a little bit––how’s that going to work?––we were situated on the deepest bay on the Western Hemisphere...but that planted the seed––is this

something that we’re called to do? So life took a big U-turn,” McMerty-Brummer said.

Even though he was supposed to leave after a year, McMerty-Brummer ended up staying in Honduras an additional five years to work on the adoption. “It took a long time.

Ours was the first adoption that anyone in the embassy had done during their ten years there... so there hadn’t been anyone there that had been involved in an adoption, and because Honduras has not signed the Hague Convention, the U.S. doesn’t recognize adoptions from Honduras. So we first had to adopt our kids through the local Honduran court system, and then we had to re-adopt them through the U.S. Court System and the embassy,” McMerty-Brummer said.

McMerty-Brummer wanted to move back to the United States after the adoption process in order to give the kids more of a family––a big family that could include cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. “Both sides of our families tried

to do the best they could to support us while we were there, and they would come down and visit, but it’s hard––so far apart, and technology wasn’t where it is now. So we wanted to move back to the States. My wife is originally from Pennsylvania, but her immediate family is scattered, so there wasn’t a central location. I am originally from Fargo, but I still have family in Fargo and right across the river in Moorhead, Minnesota, so this was as far west and north as my wife was willing to go. Plus, the opportunities for our kids were just better, we wanted them to maintain their Spanish, so having Spanish immersion programs here, and just a little bit more diversity than the Fargo-Moorhead area, We thought it was in their best interest,” McMerty-Brummer said.

McMerty-Brummer strives to share his enthusiasm for the language, culture, and people of Latin America with his Spanish classes. “I hope that the students take away from my classes the Catholic social teaching of solidarity, about accompanying people…I hope that through my classes the students are able to learn the stories about the peoples of Latin America,” McMerty-Brummer said.

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