K EQ Issue 3 Volume 3
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Letter From the Editor Hey all,
For the third edition of the KEQ , I wanted to take a dierent approach than the previous two magazines. Traditionally, the Knight Errant has spent a lot of time focused on the power of words. Words have inďŹ nite capabilities, and they shape the way that we communicate with each other. However, with the end of the year at hand, I have been more and more aware of the power of numbers. From the senior countdown to graduation, to infographics, to jersey numbers, all the way to the number of hours Mary Youngblut has spent watching Marvel movies, numbers are everywhere in our lives. Not only did a number-themed magazine make for many creative design elements, but it also gave the writers the chance to create their own stories. Writers were given one rule: their stories must revolve around a number in some way. Other than that, they were given the freedom to choose their own topic and story. With so many talented writers, I thought it would be appropriate to let each individual person write about what interested them, as this often makes for the best stories.
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I have loved being the editor-in-chief of the KEQ this year, and I am so grateful for all of the writers, designers, photographers, and sta members that have helped the production of this magazine. Kailyn Pedersen, KEQ Editor-in-Chief
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15 Years The Gamache Sisters Siblings can be born any number of years apart, and at BSM, the interval between siblings range from 15 years to one minute.
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l i z abeth G a m a ch e and her sister Aubrey have a fifteen year age difference, which is the largest gap between siblings actually in the school. For some perspective, Elizabeth Gamache will graduate in 2020, and her little sister, along with the rest of the current Little Knights, will graduate in 2035. “Aubrey is two, and I am seventeen… She [is in] Little Knights, so I watch her in the mornings until 7:15,” junior Elizabeth Gamache said. Gamache doesn’t think that the age gap in their relationship prevents them from connecting with each other. “I mean, we can’t really play a bunch together, but I like it,” Gamache said. Gamache explains that she and her sister can’t share all of their interests together due to their age gap, but they still connect
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every the morning at BSM. “We say goodbye to our dad, and then walk around the school, and go to my locker. I put all my stuff away; then we walk around more and just say hi to everybody. Around 7:30-7:40, she and I walk to the Little Knights, and we take off her jacket and [I] say goodbye to her with a hug and a kiss; she closes the gate and says, ‘Bye sister,’ everyday,” Gamache said. There are lessons that Elizabeth wants her little sister to learn as she grows up. “Just be nice, and kind, and make good friends… I’ve learned that I’m actually a really great sibling to her, because I take care of her a lot,” Gamache said. Gamache was very surprised to learn that her sister was being born two years ago. “I was really happy, because I didn’t think it could happen,” Gamache said.
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The Shibley Brothers
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he closest age gaps in the school belong to the twins in school. Born just a minute apart, Harrison and Brad Shibley are seniors who have gone to BSM together since seventh grade. “I was born one minute before Brad,” Harrison said. Harrison is involved in sports like soccer and baseball, while Brad is involved in extracurricular activities like tech support in the theater. They acknowledge the strengths that they share and are complimentary of each other’s differences. “We have similar personalities I guess, and we find the same stuff funny. Other than that, we’re pretty different. Brad’s smarter than I am. I don’t like to say that, but it’s true. I’m more of a sports person because I play baseball and soccer,” Harrison sad. Brad and Harrison shared a lot growing up and spent a lot of time together both in school and out. “Yeah, I had to share a bedroom with Harrison for a while,” Brad said. The Shibley’s have two sisters, but the brothers consider themselves closer to each other than with their other siblings. “I feel like we’re closer because we just are that closely related in age.
Like Brad said, we shared a bedroom for maybe eight years. We had bunk beds,” Harrison said. Of course, despite their understanding of each other and closeness, the two are no strangers to arguments. “We’d always fight over the top bunk––classic,” Brad said.
Writer: Sol Doyscher Photographers: Connor Lawler and Jack Shields Designer: Sylvia Poellinger 05
20 Years Faculty and staff who have been at BSM for 20 years or more are members of what is known as the 20 Year Club. and they have seen it all.
“I love it. If people are going to go somewhere, they do it in their first seven or eight, once you’re after that, it’s just a great place to be.” Mr. Jerry Pettinger 06 KEQ Template 3.indd 2
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s a community, BSM is full of faculty and staff who have made an intense commitment by working in the school for 20 years or more. Some of these staff members also went to high school here and came back after realizing their passion remained within the community; others have come to BSM simply looking for a job. In the end, however, these faculty members have stayed ever since. Many teachers remain at BSM because of the environment. Spanish teacher Ms. Megan Hansen, who joined the 20 Year Club in 2018, started working at BSM right after college. “I enjoy mostly the students, the student body. I come to work, and they make me laugh every day. But also my wonderful colleagues––they’re very hardworking, and I think we have some of the best teachers here,” Hansen said. Registrar Ms. Patrice Carlson actually attended BSM when it first merged in 1974. Carlson came back in 1991 to work and has been here ever since, joining the 20 Year Club in 2012. “I have such good friends, and it’s across the board. It’s not just the staff I work with; it’s the faculty–– they are your family. They are there when icky things happen, and they’re there when wonderful things happen. You couldn’t ask for a better set of people to just hold you up when you need to be held up,” Carlson said.
Writer: Erin Long
Director of Athletics and Activities Mr. Jerry Pettinger came to BSM after moving to the Twin Cities. He joined the 20 Year Club in 2016, and even though 20 years have passed, not much has changed. “You know, kids are pretty much the same. The thing about school [is that] things will change...we didn’t have laptops when we started here and all that kind of stuff. But things don’t change all that much, kids are still kids, so I’m just happy that we can offer a lot of activities for a lot of kids to do, and hopefully they have a great experience and will take some of those lessons off to college when they go,” Pettinger said. In addition to the change in technology, there is a difference with the classes and the opportunities available for students. “When I started in ‘91, there were two people that signed up for choir. We got it up to ten that year. Then I was looking at this choir [this year] just going ‘holy moly,’ it’s just changed so much. That, the fact that no guy would have been in choir [before], that whole thing has changed. The classes, the opportunities you have. The core is still the same though,” Carlson said. Even though the school has changed with the increase of technology and the increase of opportunities, the BSM values have remained constant. “The BSM experience has also remained the same–– teachers and administration really believe in teaching to the body, mind, and soul. So,
Photographer: Alice Petty
not a lot has changed. Teachers have come and gone, but the student experience… has stayed the same,” Hansen said. BSM teachers have also changed over the years––in appearance and in perspective. But in addition to watching themselves change, they get to see the students at BSM evolve and grow up. “My hair color is definitely different for sure; I’m a grandma now. I have grown up… Even though every class changes, you can see patterns––Like ‘oh yeah, [this] class is like the class of 98,’’ you kind of have the same personalities. I’ve changed, and I hope I have changed for the better,” Carlson said. To celebrate the members of the 20 Year Club, there is a breakfast celebration the Wednesday of Catholic Schools Week. This year, however, it got postponed due to the weather conditions. “It’s really fun. Taher will usually cater for it and will do a build-your-own omelette kind of thing. Mrs. [Debbie] Martinson and I work together, and a couple of years ago we did this thing… where we made a placemat of everyone who… was on the 20 Year Club… We took the pictures from the first year they were here in the yearbook. Everyone comes in and the new inductees get a round of applause and stuff like that, but you end up just talking about how things have changed… You think 20 years isn’t going to come fast; it comes really fast,” Carlson said.
Designer: Carson Sando
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rchases 700 Cookies Taher feeds the students of BSM everyday, and they do it by paying attention to the numbers. Taher, the cafeteria at BSM, is a continuous cycle circulated by numbers: 14 vendors that distribute the ingredients, 5:30 am arrivals for the chefs there 6th hour lunches, prices of food, 6% of food annually wasted, and many more. The kitchen staff of Taher start their mornings bright and early, so that breakfast is readily available to students and faculty, as well as to begin meal prep can begin for the day. “The chefs and I arrive between 5:30-6:00 am everyday and stay until around 3:00-3:30 pm. We also do lots of catering for the school, so many nights we are here until 8:00 pm or 9:00 pm. I have an awesome team who really care about what their job is here at BSM,” cafeteria manager Lynn Lynch said. Although the details may seem trivial, BSM’s food and ingredients come from several places to make the iconic dishes that students enjoy. “I have 14 vendors I work with. Reinhart and Sysco are my biggest ones. We also use the garden here at BSM in the fall for our produce,” Lynch said. BSM’s lunches range from much more than just pizza and chicken balls. The chefs take pride in trying out new recipes and bringing in different types of cultural foods for entrées. “For us it is a collaborative effort: Chef Weezy, myself, and Chef Grady, and our boss Lynn. We pull a lot from our personal experience and our personal back-
ground. So for me, I had a long history in Mediterranean French and then also home, Filipino Asian, stuff. Wheezy loves Latino flavors; Chef Grady is amazing with sauces and soups, so we kind of pull from each other’s personal experiences and our backgrounds, and we love it. And we think…If we love it, the students will love it,” Chef Raul Templonuevo said. Many students gravitate to the classic or well-known dishes commonly served at Taher for lunch, but others venture out and try new dishes. “Our entrée sales will depend on what else is being offered that day. For instance, if we put on a new entrée up against chicken fried steak, it’s probably going to fail,” Lynch said. As with any restaurant or food industry, food is wasted. It is estimated that BSM wastes about 6% annually. “So this would mean [that for every] 100 lbs that is cooked, we would lose around 6 lbs,” Lynch said. Each meal requires special attention and effort, though the most demanding entrée is pasta. “I think labor intensively, any pasta day [is hard]––it’s not difficult in the sense of pulling it off; it’s just a lot of work, a lot of hands going to make it happen. And you got to remember, we have to produce enough entrées in 2.5 hours for two-thirds of this school, and so for us, those days, to cook enough pasta and to have enough
sauce, and just the physical labor of it all [can be very demanding],” Templonuevo said. As for meal plans, the Taher staff tries their best to cater to most dietary restrictions. “All our gluten free students that have told us or they have acknowledged it through their parents, come to us each morning, and we make it a proactive thing. They ask [about] the entrée options for [the day] because we can make everything––almost 99% of everything that we do here–– gluten free for them. And that [is] the same for the vegetarians and vegans; if they want something purely vegetarian, they can just come talk to us in the morning and we’ll remove the protein aspect of it, at least the animal protein part, and substitute it,” Templonuevo said.
Writer: Kayla Farrey Designer: Wes Kirchner Photographers: Alice Petty Connor Lawler
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When it comes to choosing a number to wear on t on their connections to famous athletes, family m Writer Zach Zeman Photographer Maddie Kurtovich Designer Emily Barron
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JACK JABLONSKI
“I chose 13 specifically because my favorite player was Pavel Datsyuk. Beyond that, it’s motivation to become better at the game because not everyone watching your games knows who everyone is on the ice, but your number is an easy way to stand out on the ice.” (Graduated in 2014)
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ANNABELLE Hilson “Growing up, I always wore the number 6 because that is my birthday. At BSM, I was number 3 because they didn‘t have a number 6 in my size. I picked 3 because the pitcher older than me was number 3 and so it was the pitcher‘s number... When I was on varsity, one of the older players wanted to switch to having the number 3, so I had to pick a new number. I picked number because it is a multiple of 3, and I had always had a multiple of 3 as my number.” (Graduating 2019)
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NUMBERS
on the ice, turf, or court, players choose based ly members, or even superstitions.
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hARRISON SHIBLEY “I picked number 11 because it has always been my favorite number, and it was the first number on my jersey back when I started playing soccer. I have tried to get number 11 in every sport I play because I feel like I play better with that number.” (Graduating 2019)
SALLY CALENGOR
“I chose the number 16 as my hockey number for two main reasons. First and foremost, it‘s the date of my mom‘s birthday. Hockey has always been something shared between my dad and me, so being able to incorporate my mom into my high school career was really important to me. Secondly, my brother, Jerry, graduated in 2016. When it comes to hockey, I‘ve always looked up to him so having a piece of him with me when I hit the ice was a good reminder of the type of player I wanted to be.” (Graduating 2019)
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Zach Carden
QUENTIN STRUWE “I‘ve been wearing the number 12 since freshman year. It has stuck with me mostly because I‘m shorter than most basketball players, and my number is always a smaller size. Because of how tall I am, I felt it was good luck to keep that number.” (Graduating 2019)
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“I wear 13 whenever I am able to, as it is the number both my brothers and dad wore. It is often considered an unlucky number, and we want to show that we do not care about this stigma, as we will still perform better than everyone else. Basically, we make our own luck.” (Graduating 2020)
dANI gONYEA
“My jersey number for soccer is 16. I picked this particular number because my birthday is November 16 and that has always been a lucky number for me.” (Graduating 2019)
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4
Taylor Damberg
Thomas Forby
“I chose my varsity jersey number because the initial number I had wanted, number 10, wasn‘t available. I was sad when I couldn‘t get it, so I chose number 5 because it was half of 10.” (Graduating 2019)
“I picked 4 because it is a part of my last name (and I liked Brett Favre [Pro NFL quarterback] when I picked it). I write my last name as “4B” sometimes, so for that reason, I have always chosen that number and have never changed it.” (Graduating 2019)
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Chasing
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BSM currently has 89 state championships between the MSHSL and Catholic State Tournament, and the Red Knights are always on the hunt for the next one
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Wrestling holds the school record for the most individual state champions.
In BSM’s history, Red Knights have accumulated 44 individual blue medals.
1 45
In 2016, Varsity Football won its first state title in school history by defeating Winona 31-28 in the
The Knightettes own the school record for most team hardware including 6 state titles in the last decade.
1961
Designer: Henry Witterschein information from BSM website
state tournament timeline
The first championship for Benilde HS is courtesy of John Poseley who won the 175 weight class in the 1961 Catholic State Wrestling Tournament.
BSM sport teams have raised 45 championship banners in the Haben.
2018
The most recent championship for BSM is courtesy of Taylor Williams who took home the latest 1st place medal in the 100 & 200 Free in the MSHSL meet.
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1,000P With a total of 1,264 points in her high school basketball career, Senior Aiana Whitfield is the newest member of BSM’s 1,000 point club.
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or many players, getting 1000 points in basketball is like winning a state medal, as it requires years of hard work and dedication. This year, senior Aiana Whitfield became the ninth member of the 1000 point club for basketball at BSM. Whitfield started playing basketball around eight or nine years old when she was in third grade. She didn’t begin playing competitively until she was in 5th grade and has loved basketball ever since. “My dad played basketball, so he had me in it when I was younger… once I was in it, I never wanted to stop,” Whitfield said. Whitfield made the BSM basketball team during her freshman year, and by making basketball one of her top priorities, she was able to surpass 1000 points this 2018-2019 season. “It kind of feels surreal because I’ve been playing basketball here for so long; it wasn’t expected, but it just feels good to see that I finished it out... It had been my goal since freshman year to get 1000 points, and at the beginning of the season, I didn’t realize how close I was, so it felt really good,” Whitfield said. Whitfield’s coach, Mr. Bob Lyons, has coached her for these past four years and has watched her grow into the basketball player she is today. “To see her grow [and to see] how good of a player she was when she
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first started in ninth grade vs. where she is now… she has improved in a lot of areas over the years. She is a joy to coach, and she has developed a lot of good leaderships skills over these four years,” Lyons said. Basketball has helped to cultivate leadership skills, but it also has created many lasting friendships. Whitfield’s love for basketball stems from these friendships, along with her love for competing. “I’m very competitive, so I love competing, and I love the girls and the friendships I’ve made here; I love representing [BSM]... All the teachers and staff ask how our games go, and it’s fun to have that support,” Whitfield said. With the support from her teammates, coaches, and the BSM community, Whitfield was able to reach 1,264 points by the end of her career. “My coach Bio Bob, I appreciate all he’s done: allowing me to play, allowing me to be free and giving me the green light. Also Coach Swann, he really helps me and has taught me a lot in the two years he has been here,” Whitfield said. With her career in basketball continuing at Carleton next year, Aiana hopes to reach this milestone again, but she is happy and feels good about being able to score 1000 points in her high school basketball career. “Aiana’s proud of it, our team’s proud of it, and as a coach, it was fun to watch her play in the last four years,” Lyons said.
0Points Writer: Libby Simpson Photographer: Maddie Kurtovich Designer: Wes Kirchner
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Mary Youngblut has spent over 15 days watching Marvel movies, but the reason why she thinks that Marvel films are so enticing might surprise you.
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ou could say I watch a lot of Marvel movies. That would be an accurate assumption about me. Maybe you could tell by my numerous graphic t-shirts, or maybe it was that you overheard me talking about my rigorous study/movie schedule that takes up much of my evenings. Perhaps this is the first time you’ve heard about my “obsession.” If that’s the case: hello. I appreciate a good superhero film; I appreciate a bad superhero film. I also happen to fall on the Marvel side of the classic DC/Marvel debate. Now, I’m not so self-aggrandizing that I would say I am the #1 Marvel fan. I recognize the fact that there are many other fans who have the same views as me, and I appreciate their dedication as well. The real question is why are we all so enticed by these large franchises and their action films? It is arguably not entirely the action, the comedy, or the intense plots, because, really, are any of those aspects good enough to support the film alone? I argue it’s a combination of their meticulously planned characters and a killer advertisement team. Let’s look at Marvel. Marvel has done better than DC at the box office because of the way they mindfully developed their characters over many years, and thus, many separate films. This allows the audience to fully embrace the characters, flaws and all. The time spent developing each character builds up hype for each film; each movie builds on its predecessor’s success. In recent years, Marvel has been able to keep up with that success by releasing three films a year because they already have a base. DC, on the other hand, has tried to release films too quickly without giving the audience time to adjust to the new characters and new actors. My main problem with DC is the fact that, to me, Batman will
always be Christian Bale. I love the Dark Knight trilogy. Ben Affleck, though? I can’t get used to seeing him as Batman. I wasn’t given any time for this actor change, and I was already used to seeing Bale as Batman. Instead of developing Affleck as the new Batman and giving audiences different reasons to appreciate this new take, DC rushed production on “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” They needs to give their heroes more time individually, so that fans can fall in love with them as individuals before they start fantasizing about them as a team. Batman, unfortunately, faces another one of the struggles I mentioned earlier. Every generation has a Batman that they fiercely defend. This constant struggle between the “best” Batman perfectly parallels the Spider-Man debate. (While Spider-Man is technically owned by Sony, Sony has allowed Marvel to use this character. Also Stan Lee, a Marvel comic legend, created the character. This puts Spider-Man directly in the Marvel camp, in case you were trying to find a flaw in my analysis.) The reason Marvel was, yet again, successful is because “Spider-Man: Homecoming” wasn’t an origin story. Viewers, like me, already knew how Spider-Man came to be and had seen him fight many of his classic villains from the comics. Separately, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” showed his transformation but was vastly different because it focused on Miles Morales instead of Peter Parker. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was also animated in a brand new, yet nostalgic way. Marvel knows its audience has seen the story and can poke fun at the many versions. Additionally, I’ll just put it out there, “Homecoming” brought in a new actor that was finally both a nerdy Peter Parker and a cool Spider-Man. Finally, action-packed franchises use
the help of stellar advertising to start conversations. I have had in-depth discussions with many people about a new trailer coming out for”End Game”. While every franchise distributes toys to be sold in every Target across America, Marvel has become systematic in its publicity. End-credit scenes leave the theaters packed until the screen turns off and the ushers kick people out; the trailers manipulate colors and easter eggs to get people to start thinking of possible conspiracies and plot lines. Their lockdown on all knowledge about upcoming films is really quite terrifying; all information is released meticulously to get people more intrigued. One example of this is how Marvel used used Robert Downey Jr.’s fame and Twitter to announce that “Avengers: Infinity War” was going to be released early, and Marvel notoriously gives their actors fake scripts so even the actors are in the dark about the entire film. Franchises like Marvel are able to attribute their unbelievable success to their patient release of films and their diligent marketing teams. Of course, these certain details are not the only things that make a successful film, but they have been consistent and the franchises have clearly reaped the benefits. These movies become blockbusters and instant classics that allow people to connect on, perhaps, the nerdiest level possible. To me, they make it possible to believe in superheroes.
Writer: Mary Youngblut Photographer: Carson Sando Designer: Carson Sando Marvel Photo: Alex Manriquez, Pexels, Creative Commons
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WINTER BY THE NUMBERS
2018/2019
5 2 Online School Days
Writer: Kaitlyn McTigue Designer: Flynn Skahan
TwoHour Late Starts
81.9% 10 in.
of Studnets prefer
Summer Over Winter
Most Snow Fall in
a Single Day
-56 F 53 F 43 F Coldest Temperature
Recorded
2,598 Cars Towed to
Impound Lots
Largest Temperature
Difference in
24 Hours
Hottest Temperature
Recorded
86.6%
of students surveyed claim they got in a crash this winter
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720 Degrees of Rotation BSM snowboarders senior Nate Ringham and sophmore Iris Pflum talk about their passion for both the sport and the snowboarding community.
Writer: Kailyn Pederson Photographer: Jack shields Designer: Olivia Viers
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climate consisting of nine-month winters, bitterly cold temperatures, and everlasting snow may not be ideal for many, but for a fairly large subculture of Minnesotans, it is prime weather for an assortment of winter sports and activities. The snowboarding community is especially active in Minnesota’s winter wonderland, with as many as 14 ski resorts including Hyland Hills Ski Area in Bloomington, Buck Hill in Burnsville, and Afton Alps in Hastings. For senior Nate Ringham and sophomore Iris Pflum, snowboarding has been a prevalent part of their lives. Ringham’s love for snowboarding originally stemmed from a love for skiing. He grew up on skis, as the winter sport was a common activity within his family. “I learned to ski when I was two from my dad… my whole family skis,” Ringham said. However, after a neighbor introduced him to the art of snowboarding, Ringham made the shift from two boards to one. Immediately, he fell in love with snowboarding, and he has been an avid member of Minnesota’s snowboarding community ever since. “My neighbor snowboarded, so when I was eight, he brought a snowboard to the sledding hill, and I used it… Ever since then, I’ve just been hooked,” Ringham said. In previous years, Ringham has competed in USASA (United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association). Ringham competed in slope style of snowboarding––this consists of different tricks and jumps on railing––but Ringham found that he was not passionate about the competitive aspect of the sport. “I used to do the USASA comps, which is the standard… and then it was just not really my thing because it’s so competitive, and it just wasn’t as fun, so I stopped doing that probably [around] 8th grade,” Ringham said. However, despite Ringham’s indifference to the competition, he still was successful when he did choose to compete. “I’ve gotten
a couple top threes [in the midwest]... I never went to Nationals because I just didn’t want to… I didn’t care enough to try to compete; I just had fun,” Ringham said. Instead of focusing on competitive snowboarding, Ringham snowboards recreationally with others who frequent Hyland Hills Ski Area, where he also happens to work. “There’s a really big community of locals here. Just in my group, there’s probably 25 guys who I consistently ride with at Hyland… It’s really welcoming, and they’ll just ride with you and have fun,” Ringham said. Snowboarding, while it is often seen as an individual activity, has a surprisingly prominent communal aspect. Local shops serve as meeting places for other avid skiers and snowboarders, and professional snowboarders. “There’s a local shop called Cal Surf… It’s in Uptown, and it’s the local shop for all the guys here who’ve grown up and become [professional snowboarders in] Minnesota… even up and comers. Cal Surf is the hub, [if] someone makes a video and films a bunch of snowboarding tricks, they’ll premiere it at Cal Surf,” Ringham said. When the snow melts, snowboarding season comes to an end. However, this doesn’t prevent Ringham and other snowboarders from getting together and enjoying other similar activities. “You can still skateboard and wakeboard and wakesurf, which is fun, so I know a couple people in my snowboard group who, one of them, has a boat out on Minnetonka, so we go wakesurf a lot,” Ringham said. Clearly, Ringham has been very active in the snowboarding community, finding camaraderie, along with a love of the sport. However, another BSM student, Pflum, has been extremely successful in the competitive aspect of the sport. Pflum fell in love with snowboarding because of her admiration for her older brother. “My brother… he got started with it, and I always just did whatever he did … I just fell in love with it, I guess,” Pflum said. Pflum is a part of a Minnesota skiing and snowboarding team called the G Team, where she specializes in competitive alpine ski-
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There’s a really big community of locals here. Just in my group, there’s probably 25 guys who I consistently ride with at Hyland… It’s really welcoming, and they’ll just ride with you and have fun.
- Nate Ringham
ing. “I’m a racer… I can do tricks, but it’s not my favorite thing to do,” Pflum said. The G Team has become a central part of Pflum’s life, as it requires much time and dedication. Practices are multiple times a week, and competitions require both national and international travel; this has caused the team to become very close. “They’ve just become a family to me, and we just travel in a group all over,” Pflum said. Within the G Team, Pflum is also a part of an informal trio called the ‘Flower Power.’ The ‘Flower Power’ consists of her and two other successful snowboarders: BSM sophomore Rose Bransford and Minnetonka High School sophomore Lily Janousek. All three were coined the ‘Flower Power’ because of their floral names and their consistent success. “Yea, I’ve gone to Nationals, I think four years… Last spring we went out to nationals, and, Rose, Lily, and I all made it 1, 2, or 3 on the podium at Nationals,” Pflum said. This national success is no small matter to Pflum; she is fulfilling a dream that she has held since childhood. “When I was younger, I always dreamed to be on the podium, and now we’re way past that, which is kind of crazy,” Pflum said. Pflum and the two other girls of ‘Flower Power’ recently competed in a competition larger than nationals–– Junior Worlds in Slovenia. They represented Minnesota, along with the rest of the United States, as they competed against other advanced snowboarders. “Now we’re past nationals, we are skipping it this year, actually, to go to
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Junior Worlds… We get all this USA gear because we’re representing USA now,” Pflum said, However, Pflum insists that her main focus is having fun and enjoying the sport with the team that she now calls her family. “This sounds cheesy, but my main goal is just to have fun because my, our, team is… it’s more of a family now,” Pflum said.
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In the age of internet culture, it seems that the interest of most high school-aged listeners has shifted towards hip-hop and rap music within the last five years.
P
op music is widely considered to be the most listened to music simply because that’s what pop is supposed to be: the most popular music. Although this has been predominantly true for the last 30-40 years, the question of whether or not pop music is dying has recently become a great topic of discussion. The genre of pop music that is known today began in the early 80’s. Powerhouse artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Prince showed what it takes to be a globally known pop star. Every pop star has generally followed the same pattern of these three artists since their peak in the 80’s. “Madonna is amazing and definitely paved the way for female pop artists today,” said. junior Lily Ziaja According to Tom Barnes, a writer for Mic, pop artists’ songs are usually catchy and simplistic, with sounds that are similar to other pop songs. Along with this, the pop star must give off an image that keeps the public intrigued. Each artist usually has their own glamorous style and stage design that feels untouchable to the general public. Using these elements together, pop artists have been able to dominate radio channels, the charts, music award ceremonies, and pop culture media, which has inevitably kept them, and pop music, at the top of the music industry. Although pop artists have been able to stay at the top with
pop music for generations using these strategies, it seems that this trend has begun to die out. For example, the certified pop legend Katy Perry released her highly anticipated album “Witness” back in 2017, and it flopped badly compared to her other albums. Although the album did score a position at number 4 on the Billboard Chart’s Hot 100 with the track “Chained to the Rhythm,” it came nowhere near being comparable to her previous albums. When Perry’s album “Teenage Dream” was released back in 2010, it earned five number 1 singles, and her 2013 album “Prism” earned two number 1 singles. Other self-proclaimed pop artists including Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, P!nk, and Alicia Keys have released albums within the last five years that flopped so badly that many aren’t even aware that they were released. “Wait, Justin Timberlake released an album last year? Oh, that’s embarrassing,” junior Jenna Schwartz said. This declining interest in pop music is largely due to the internet, and the streaming services that the public is now provided with. Streaming services have changed the way people listen to music. People rarely go to the radio to listen to music because streaming services give them the ability to listen to the music they want to hear, when they want to hear it. These services like Soundcloud, YouTube, and Spotify have also given aspiring artists the chance to release music to the public at a capacity that has
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Writer: Harry Madden Designer: Vincent Di Perno Photographer: Jack Shields never existed before. A large portion of the mass of music that is released on streaming devices is hip-hop and rap. As a result, the majority of music being listened to today is hip-hop and rap. “Almost all of my Spotify playlists are only rap,” freshman Teddy Madden said. In 2018, hip-hop and rap songs held the number 1 spot on the Billboard Chart’s Hot 100 throughout the majority of the year: 35 weeks, to be exact. The majority of these weeks were filled with rapper Drake’s singles “God’s Plan,” “Nice for What,” and “In My Feelings.” The other weeks were taken by fellow rappers Childish Gambino, Cardi B, XXXTentacion, Post Malone, and Travis Scott. “[I like rap] because it has a lot of swear words and a great rhythm,” freshman Max Benning said. Although many pop artists have recently been unable to make their mark on the charts, a few have changed their usual style of music to fit the recent hip-hop and rap trend. In 2016, pop artists Rihanna and Beyonce released their albums “Anti” and “Lemonade.” Both albums contained tracks featuring rappers and had a more distinct R&B sound compared to their previous albums, which have consistently been more generic pop. Both albums were very successful and are both certified double-platinum. Another artist who has successfully shifted the tone of her music is Ariana Grande. Her most recent album “thank u, next”
earned two number 1 hits. In one of those hits, “7 Rings,” the song effectively incorporates hip-hop and rap using Grande’s own vocals. “Ariana Grande’s new music is definitely some of the only pop music I’m still listening to,” junior Coco Wicka said Although it is far from vanishing, pop music is facing a halt that it hasn’t been faced with before, and hip-hop and rap could soon become what most consider to be the most prominent genre of music.
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- Sydney Johnson
“We are not the Weasleys”
Living with ten siblings may seem like a difficult feat, but for senior Sydney Johnson, it means a lifetime of friendship and family.
10. 10
Kids
Sydney’s Takes
On what it takes to raise ten children
“My dad works so hard. My mom says when she was giving birth, he was at work for like twelve hours a day. He worked really hard. And my mom–she’s a stay at home mom–and she cared for all of us. We never had nannies, never had babysitters, it was all my parents.”
On being like American royalty
On being from Edina
On the Irish Catholic rumor
“There’s stereotypes about being Irish Catholic. That’s not a thing. Well, at least it wasn’t for me. My family isn’t super religious, and it’s not like we came directly from Ireland.”
“We’re not from the country. Make that clear.”
On Red Hair
“The red hair is very misleading. Also, not all of us have red hair. It’s just me and three others. I get asked [is we’re Irish] all the time.”
“I guess we’re pretty comparable to the Kennedys.”
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C
oming in from a large family may sound like the best thing in the world to some people, but for senior Sydney Johnson, coming from a large family means constantly having to remind people of one simple truth. “We are not the Weasleys. Put that in there,” Johnson, who is the youngest of ten children, said. For Johnson, growing up in a large family meant having to grow up fast in order to keep up with the rest of the bustling clan. With a seventeen-year age gap between her and her eldest sibling, Johnson learned quickly that childish behavior would get her nowhere. “I kind of had to mature at a young age because my siblings were so much older. I was held to a higher standard when I was younger so I was...forced to adapt, so in that sense, I think I’m a lot more mature than I would [otherwise] be,” Johnson said. In addition to having to assume more responsibilities than most of the kids she grew up with, Johnson’s upbringing taught her the value of teamwork––a skill which will no doubt serve to benefit her later on. “I’m used to cooperating with a ton of people at once. Like, I’m used to compromise; I’m used to sharing...I’m [also] good with communicating in big groups,” Johnson said. Likewise, coming from a family that admittedly houses several personalities and opposing viewpoints, Johnson knows a thing or two about dealing with criticism. “I can deal with someone making fun of me or pointing out a flaw because I’ve had my siblings do that my whole life. So I would not say I’m sensitive or defensive,” Johnson said. While these advantages may be noteworthy, growing up as the youngest in a family of ten certainly comes with a few drawbacks. For instance, whoever said youngest children can get away with anything hasn’t met Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. “Because I’ve had so many siblings,
10 my parents have seen every single excuse possible, every single lie, so... I can’t get away with anything… I think there’s a stereotype that parents give up once they get to the youngest child, but that could not be farther from the truth. I’m held to a much higher standard than some of my other siblings, so they’re definitely way stricter with me,” Johnson said. Despite having to deal with the repercussions of her elder siblings’ actions, Johnson maintains a close relationship with just about all of her nine siblings–– specifically brothers Alec (‘17) and Kyle (‘15). “[My siblings and I are] really close. More so, as I’ve gotten older, which I feel like that’s weird… they’ve moved on with their lives and whatever. But if anything, that’s kind of brought us closer because when I see them, that time matters. We don’t live in the same house anymore,” Johnson said. When asked what she thinks the biggest difference is between children of large families and children who don’t have siblings, Johnson noted that she believes the most evident distinction is in how sociable the two types of children are. “Something I do notice about only children is that they’re pretty outgoing, in my opinion, and I feel like that’s because they haven’t had people around them their whole lives like I have… I know when to draw back and just be observant, and I feel like only children are much more involved all the time. They’re less observant than other people, and I think that’s because friendships are their main source of relationships, but mine is family and friendships,” Johnson said. In spite of this, Johnson was quick to defend only children against any unflattering stereotypes. “I think that it’s a stereotype that only children don’t know how to share or compromise. I wouldn’t say that’s true. Most of the only children I know aren’t like that. I feel like they’re pretty laid back,” Johnson said.
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With siblings nearly double her age, it’s no wonder that some of Johnson’s siblings take on more of a paternal or maternal role as opposed to an older brother or sister. While Johnson appreciates these loving relationships, she doesn’t deny that they can become annoying at times. “One of my older brothers and one of my older sisters definitely reflect that [parental role]. And it for sure depends on [the person’s] personality type, like if they’re more Type A versus Type B,” Johnson said. Despite the occasional bout of frustration, Johnson values the advice her older siblings have to offer, especially in regards to school. “Definitely school advice [has been helpful]. Like, prioritizing things. I feel like I’m pretty good at time management, and a lot of that stems from my siblings telling me in advance what classes will be the most work, what I probably should focus on, how to deal with sports and that stuff. So I feel like they’ve been really beneficial in helping me go through school,” Johnson said. Still, Johnson has found some siblings can offer better advice than others. “I wouldn’t say it’s really advice, but I’ve seen them interact with their friends, and I’ve noted things that I don’t like about… how they engage with others,” Johnson said. With many of her siblings’ ages ranging from their mid-twenties to their mid-thirties, Johnson does admit it can feel
Writer: Grace Christenson
dESIGNER: oLIVIA vIERS
Photos Courtesy of Sydney Johnson
weird to have so many teachers around that same age. At the same time, however, it makes her more understanding of her teachers as actual people. “Obviously, I still respect [my teachers] as my [teachers]. But sometimes I’m like, ‘I know you have a life; I know you’re probably doing this right now, or, like, you’re in that stage’, so I can understand some of [my teachers] more,” Johnson said. With all of her siblings having graduated from BSM, Johnson has known about the teachers at BSM well before the rest of her peers even knew what BSM was. “I know who teachers are before teachers know me… I know their stereotypes well in advance. So going into a class––I wouldn’t say it really hinders my view of a teacher, but I’m more… cautious,” Johnson said. Johnson also notes that many of her teachers have had her siblings in the past, and most do a pretty good job remaining impartial. “I can count on one hand how many teachers I’ve had at BSM who haven’t had one of my siblings before… I feel like most teachers are pretty good at appearing, at least, unbiased. I know some teachers have had my [other] siblings, and they’ve had my brother Alec, who’s crazy smart. So they’re just kind of like ‘Eh, we get what we get it,” Johnson said. With siblings at just about every stage in life, Johnson certainly has a better understanding of what adulthood––or at least young adulthood––looks like than most people her age. “One of my sisters has two young sons and two more on the way, so I get to see our whole family grow and that whole process. Some of my siblings are in college, so I get to see them
finding their careers. So, it’s kind of cool just to see [my sibling] experiences and then compare it to my own… I’m like ‘Oh, I wonder if motherhood will be [for me] like it is for [my sister]. I wonder if I will go through the same career process as my brother did’…I look at them, and I wonder if that’s how I will be or if that’s how that point in life will be for me,” Johnson said.
Although it can be hectic at times, Johnson enjoys coming from a family with many large personalities, even if it means her siblings might sometimes clash with one another. “It’s kind of cool because a lot of them have different personalities, different viewpoints, all that stuff… It’s kind of cool to see how you can be so different even though you grew up in the same household,” Johnson said. This said, the Johnsons are a package deal. You get one, and you get all of them. “If you’re friends with me, you… have to be friends with some of my siblings. Because they’re going to come one way or another. They know all my friends. My dad doesn’t––he’s so forgetful. He’s like, ‘Who?’” Johnson said. While they may not be perfect, Johnson loves coming from a big family and wouldn’t trade it for anything. “My family is definitely one of the most important things in my life. Not to sound… super cheesy or anything. But I’m really happy I have a large family,” Johnson said.
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Knight errant By The Numbers Data gathered from KE analytics - by em paquette - designed by emily barron
at least 27 hours spent at Press Nights each year
2,985 page views on 1/18/19. - the day with the most pageviews
Approximately 75 photos taken to get a single, staged photo
3 KEQ issues and 1 literary arts magazine per year
900 copies of each paper and magazine printed
51,499 page views of bsmknighterrant.org since 1/1/19
36 editors, writers, designers, photographers and videographers
3 teachers working with KE in the 2018-2019 school year
4 Editors-in-Chief in 2018-2019 27 Ke by the numbers .indd 2
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QEK 02 KEQ Cover Numbers.indd 2
5/2/19 12:33 PM