KEQ Spring 2020-2021

COVERRR.indd 2

5/27/21 11:52 AM

A

fter being part of the Benilde-St.Margaret’s community for 14 years, Senior High principal Dr. Susan Skinner will be departing BSM at the end of this school year. She has recently accepted the position of Vice President for Mission at Hill-Murray Catholic School Skinner is going to be starting a new experience at Hill-Murray. She started her career at Hill-Murray and her two daughters attended school there. “I’m excited about the work I will be doing which includes focusing on Catholic identity and bringing the faith based part of education to life,” Skinner said.

Skinner never planned on leaving BSM. She really enjoys the people here and the opportunities she has had. However, when she got this opportunity to work at Hill-Murray she knew it was something she should try.

“When the opportunity came along I prayed about it, really trying to discern if this is the direction God is calling me. In the end it became clear that Vice President for Mission at Hill-Murray will be my next adventure,” Skinner said.

Skinner has been at BSM for a long time and has connected with many students and faculty members. She has seen and experienced many things here at BSM. “I am going to miss the students, faculty and staff - the people. BSM has an innovative spirit that is energizing and life giving,” Skinner said.

Besides the people at BSM, Skinner says her favorite thing about BSM is the chapel. She likes the three icons in the chapel; they depict St. John Baptist de LaSalle, Mother St. Jeanne Fontbonne, and St. Benedict and they are placed at the feet of Jesus. “It’s such a prayerful way to help me focus on what it means to be a leader in a Catholic school,” Skinner said.

One of Skinner’s favorite memories here at BSM is how the community came together to support Jack Jablonski. “There was a palpable sense of support, care and compassion wrapped in faith. There will always be things that divide us, but at the end of the day we can find our unity in supporting each other, seeing each other, respecting each other, and loving each other,” Skinner said.

Another of Skinner’s favorite experiences here at BSM is ninth grade orientation. She loves welcoming the new students and seeing the older students cheering them on. “It’s loud and fun and the whole point is to welcome our new freshmen; I love that,” Skinner said.

Dr. Skinner (2.0).indd 2

Writer: Julia Schwartz Photographer: Photo courtesy of BSM Marketing Designer: Andrew Lyons

After fourteen years at BSM, Dr. Skinner is returning to where her career started: Hill Murray

5/27/21 12:03 PM

Dr. Skinner (2.0).indd 3

5/27/21 12:03 PM

GSA

Recently the Gender Sexuality Alliance has been created as a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and allies to engage in dialogue and show support for one another.

Writer: Jackie Bucaro Desginer: Andrew Lyons

4 GSA.indd 2

5/27/21 12:15 PM

Started in 2020, Benilde-St. Margaret’s Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) is operating quietly within BSM. The GSA is designed as a safe space for LGBTQ+ students at BSM, as well as a group for allies of the community to engage in dialogue about the queer community within our school.

The GSA was formed off a wave of media outcry. Over the summer, the @ QueerAtBSM Instagram account was formed alongside the @BlackAtBenilde account. Both accounts voiced the need for an LGBTQ+ affinity space within BSM. “There was clearly a need for [the GSA].

The @QueerAtBsm Instagram account brought a lot of issues to the surface that needed attention, and my goal as an educator is to make sure that my students are safe, that they feel seen and cared for, and have a place to find support,” English teacher and GSA advisor Katie Belanger said.

So far, the GSA operates as a student-led group. The group’s advisors, Mr. Paul Wichser and Mrs. Belanger, act as intermediaries between the students and BSM’s central administration. “As far as what we talk about, or setting rules for the

GSA.indd 3

GSA, no one has had anything to say about that from central administration. And I would like to keep it that way. It should be student-run and student-led,” Wichser said.

A typical GSA meeting is modeled off the BSM Affinity Group. Students prioritize socialization and interaction each week, discussing events that may have been positive or negative.

Each of the meetings are organized around dialogue and support. “We bring [issues] to the group and we share our stories and we offer support and advice. We have a no-name rule, so we do not call out teachers or other students, good or bad, both for the sake of privacy, but also because it’s not a bashing [group]… we want to acknowledge experiences that are happening in our classrooms and brainstorm ways to make it better. And sometimes, if there’s not a way to make it better, just talking about it serves as a way to make it better,” Belanger said.

Although a GSA has existed in the past at BSM, this year’s GSA is opting for more visibility. Based on alumni feedback, previous students were unable to find the GSA,

whether or not they needed to attend it.

Many did not know a GSA existed. “One of the key pieces of feedback that we got on the @QueerAtBsm Instagram page is that GSAs… have not been easy to find…

There are groups of people who are growing and experiencing being LGBTQIA in this space, and there are also allies who are supportive and trying to learn in this space. And how would you know? So far there have only been 2 ways to know about the GSA… and I don’t think that’s a wide enough reach,” Wichser said.

The purpose of the GSA is ultimately to support every student who joins it. Any student, LGBTQ+ or not, is welcome to join the GSA by contacting Belanger or Wichser.

Through this support, advisors hope their students will flourish emotionally as well as academically. “Students who feel supported in school do better in school.

The GSA is there to create a community of people who need it… We want better outcomes for all of our students, and this is one way to offer it to part of our community,” Wichser said.

5/27/21 12:15 PM

Learning thro

This year has been a roller coaster and a half when it comes to schools have been online all year, others have been online inter gone full back full in-person. Some students have easily ad

Written by: Josh Sullivan and Ceci Cronin

T

he way a student learns is not objective; whether it be because of learning differences or because of COVID circumstances and the hybrid schedule, each student’s ability to process information is unique to their individual learning style. Because of the transition to the new schedule implemented this year, students at BSM were forced to adapt to learning both at home and at school; for some students with learning differences, the transition went smoothly; however, for others, it was nothing short of a catastrophe.

For the first three quarters, BSM integrated a hybrid schedule into this school year––switching off every day, half of the students from 10th, 11th, and 12th grade attend in-person school while the other half attends live zoom meetings. However, if students felt that the hybrid system didn’t accomodate for their respective learning styles, the students could opt to do completely virtual learning; rather than attending school in-person every other day, these

students logged onto zoom calls for each period, every day. This variety of schedules allows for students to optimize learning in the difficult time of COVID. “We invited some students to come back to the building every day even before everyone was back because they were really really struggling so it has been kind of individualized to the student,” Learning Specialist Kristin Gilbertson said.

With limited days of in-person school, many students struggled to find time with teachers. “The hardest part of school during COVID for me was over quarantine because I couldn’t meet with teachers in person to further understand the material; it was significantly harder to learn what they were teaching when we were all online,” senior Casey Prindiville said.

With online learning, trying to meet with teachers to get extra help has also been a big challenge. That extra time that office hours provides can be a game changer in a student’s education. “I feel like it’s a little

harder to get extra help with not being in school all the time and everything and having to be over zoom,” junior Vince Ferris said.

Generally, students at BSM found that the lack of face-to-face interaction with teachers that came with online school to significantly hinder their education. “That time delay of even just being online and typing it into the chat or being afraid to speak up on the zoom is just really hard.

The time delay in communication in hybrid and online was hard for kids with diverse learning needs,” Gilbertson said.

Beyond academics, online learning impacted the mental needs of students as well. “Every student has their own issues and struggles. We don’t know what could be going on behind the scenes with the state of a student’s mental health given what’s going on in the world around us,” sophomore Margo Anderson said.

Many students rely on human interaction to help them learn, be it direct instruc-

6 onlinve differences.indd 2

5/27/21 12:18 PM

rough COVID

mes to the variety of schedules students have had to handle. Some e intermittently, some hybrid, and some, like BSM, have recently sily adapted to these changes while others have struggled.

Designed by: Mason McGonigle “Missing these experiences can take a serious toll on the mental health of young people who rely on social interactions.”

- Jake Solomon tions from teachers in person or a student tutoring them in the library. Without these social interactions, it can be much harder to transition to the online schedule and learn the material than it would be if it was all in person.

“Having the teacher and friend interaction at school is crucial to me because we were stuck at home for a few months and missed a lot of our high school experience.

Missing these experiences can take a serious toll on the mental health of young people who rely on social interactions,” senior Jake Solomon said.

These issues are not unique to BSM. “About 20% of our population at BSM has a learning difference. This is consistent with the population at large where approximately 20% of folks have a mental health or learning disability diagnosis,” Gilbertson said.

Returning to school full time for the final quarter of the year offered students a different way to connect with each oth-

er and their school work. “It’s easier to get homework done when you’re at home because you have a lot more time to work on it, and it’s easier to focus because you’re alone, but I also like coming to school and seeing everybody,” Solomon said.

While the number of students in the building increased this past quarter, some students percieve the amount of work as increasing as well. “The workload has changed a lot, teachers started assigning a lot more when we started meeting with them in person,” Prindiville said.

Generally, Gilbertson believes that students have done better since they got back in the building full time. “They can talk with their teachers and meet with their teachers and have those conversations in real time,” Gilbertson said.

The benefits of coming to school full time, however, go beyond school work.

“Coming into school is a lot better… with Covid and everything, it gives you something to do,” Ferris said.

Every student is wired differently, so every student has a way that they learn best. “BSM needs to make sure that every student has the accessibility to whatever they need; every student is at a different spot and has a different way of learning in such a difficult time, so there is one definitive thing they can do to positively change it for the whole student body,” Solomon said.

Though having fewer classes made the workload seem more manageable, this quarter schedule affected all students differently. “The most challenging thing is getting all my work in on time because I feel like there’s a lot of stuff coming in that’s just quicker[in the quarter system],” Solomon said.

This year has been a challenge for many students, whether with diverse learning needs or not, but many students have been able to discover what works best for them which will be more beneficial than they think. “I’ve learned the best style of learning that works for me!” Anderson said.

7 onlinve differences.indd 3

5/27/21 12:18 PM

8 cultural competency alt (1) (2).indd 2

5/27/21 12:21 PM

CULTURAL competency Writer Nick Marinaro

O

ver the past year, BSM has been making a concerted effort to become more receptive to their role in spreading a culture of acceptance. A new development on this front is the formation of the Cultural Competence Committee.

While it is still in its beginning stages, the Cultural Competence Committee is a group of faculty and staff members meet to discuss the future actions they will take to reach their goal of making future BSM graduates more culturally competent. “[The committee was formed] for the necessity and urgency of changing the culture and to prepare our graduates with 21st century skills,” Spanish teacher and committee member Sr. Eric Luna Martin said.

Cultural competence is defined by the American Psychological Association as “the ability to understand, appreciate and interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from one’s own.”

For committee members, cultural competence is no longer optional, but an urgent and necessary in a globalized society. To be an effective and productive member of today’s society, being able to understand and interact with people of other cultures is of the utmost importance. “[We hope to] change the culture and the mindset, making our school and graduates citizens of the 21st century (not only knowledge wise, but also in human aspects),” Luna Martin said.

Although many specifics as to how this

Designer Mason McGonigle

will be achieved have yet to be determined, the committee is certainly welcoming student input. “As with any educational institution, students have to go first. That is why we can’t build a better community without counting on the participation and thoughts of the members of the community,” Luna Martin said.

Although achieving cultural competence will be a challenge for the BSM community, the committee believes it to be worth it. “It is a necessary process, and all the members of the community (faculty, staff, students, families, administration, president, and board) should be active parts of it,” Luna Martin said.

Faculty and staff gather to discuss how they can make a difference in how our community interacts with different cultures.

9 cultural competency alt (1) (2).indd 3

5/27/21 12:21 PM

TeMo photos

Writer Charlie Damberg Designer Andrew Lyons Photographer TeMo Photos

10 TeMo.indd 2

5/27/21 12:25 PM

I

n the past several years, many BSM sports teams have had the privilege of being photographed by one of the most popular sports photographers in the state: TeMo Photo. Tom Morris, the man behind the camera, is not only a highly skilled photographer, but an amicable and extremely down to earth guy. He began doing professional photography in 2014 and shortly thereafter began shooting BSM Hockey in 2015. Since then, he’s covered Boys’ and Girls’ hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and baseball. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and talking to ‘TeMo’ several times through both BSM hockey and the SLP Flyers, and was ecstatic to be able to do a Q&A with him.

TeMo has been far and away the most popular local sports photographer in my time in high school. His ability to capture instantaneous moments in high quality is unrivaled, and his talents are also known by college and professional athletes who acknowledge and repost his pictures online; he is the official photographer for Da Beauty League and the Minnesota Whitecaps. “BSM is lucky to have TeMo as a photographer. He takes top tier photos that make memories last, and he is a super nice guy,” senior football and hockey player Charlie Frattalone said.

Having a photographer like TeMo to capture high school sports moments is an outstanding privilege that not many students have, and the vast majority of student-athletes will never reach a level where photographers are the norm. TeMo Photo is truly one of a kind.

Q1: Was there a time before then that you were just a casual photographer?

A1: I’d been photographing on a digital camera for ~ 5-7 years prior to doing it professionally. Before that it was too expensive to have my own gear. But, dating back to college & high school, when I wasn’t borrowing someone else’s gear, I was always a big consumer of photos. My biggest sources were weekly publications. Most folks had beer posters on their dorm walls.

I had images I’d cut out from magazines. I was particularly drawn to Sports Illustrated & Newsweek because they were reporting on the same subjects you could get in the daily paper & on TV. But being weekly, they had to find a better angle or a different story. Those images really appealed to me.

Q2: What was the BSM event you

did first?

A2: BSM Boys Hockey at St. Michael Albertville 11/24/2015. It was the season opener. BSM beat STMA 6-1 and went undefeated that entire season until the Section Semifinal Q6: How many hours after do you put in editing/uploading photos on a normal 1 game shoot?

A6: Every hour of shooting requires ~ 7-8 hours on my computer. That’s split between reviewing thousands of shots and then editing a final set. Bigger games take even longer.

Q3: Do you have a favorite sport you like to photograph? If so, why?

A3:

Baseball was the 1st sport I photographed so there’s some nostalgia for it. Being outdoors helps. And baseball & softball have a few elements that no other sport has - that camaraderie in the dugout.

I’m drawn to anything where I can get a clear view of athletes’ faces. That’s somewhat easier in sport without helmets. And in this pandemic winter, wrestling was the only sport that didn’t have facemasks. But I’ve never had a chance to shoot wrestling for BSM yet. That said, I shoot more hockey than anything else. Between the high school games and professional women’s hockey and the pro & elite college players of Da Beauty League, I shoot a lot of hockey and I’m pretty passionate about it. Despite the challenges presented by helmets, the plexiglass barriers and the rink lighting, I’m drawn to the sport in a big way. It’s very difficult to shoot. But there’s so much speed and so much action.

Q4: I’ve seen you’ve done some senior pictures too, would you like to comment on doing those vs sports?

A4: The candid photo work I do at games has really informed my portrait work & vice versa. There’s more smiling in portraits. But I’m really going for an authentic take in both. Super sharp with great detail in both. And even in my portrait work, I’m going for that shot when the person is done posing - it’s a couple seconds after they think I’m done shooting. Or when they start to tune out the camera. Folks relax a bit at that point, and they let some more personality out. That’s what I’m going for.

Q5: Is there one specific BSM event or photo that sticks out as one you’ll never forget?

A5: That magic 2015-16 season for Boys Hockey - they had an away game against my alma mater Hill-Murray. I got a sequence of shots of BSM forward Zach Risteau & HM forward David Quast chasing a puck as it flew towards the plexiglass in front of my camera. BSM won that night 5-1. I’ve definitely taken higher quality photos since then. And there certainly have been pinnacle moments with BSM including rivalry wins, Section Final wins and trips to State (including BSM’s State Baseball Championship game at Target Field in 2019). But the date of the Zach Risteau pic, so early in the season for the Red Knights and so early in my pro work, it augured something huge ahead. (A screenshot of that image is attached below. You can find a full-sized version of the picture “HM1_8805-4p.jpg” in a BSM Sports Highlights Gallery at https://photos.app. goo.gl/gzfKSqEkFAdVfrbE7) Q7: What is your favorite thing about shooting?

A7: The people. If it wasn’t about the people, I’d probably just shoot wildlife.

Or airshows. I get to know the programs and the coaches year after year. And I get hooked on their visions. The athletes themselves each have their own stories, their own journeys, too.

11 TeMo.indd 3

5/27/21 12:26 PM

P M JU O T T I S R A V

Underclassmen make the jump to varsity after missing the 2020 lacrosse season Written by Mason Wordleman

Designed by Mason McGonigle 12 Jump to varsity.indd 2

5/27/21 12:28 PM

Y T The boys’ lacrosse team is finally back on the field after missing their 2020 season due to Covid-19 cancellations. The new team looks a lot different than in past years as the Red Knights field a roster with over a third of the players being underclassmen. Many players on varsity have not been on the team in the past, making for a fresh squad outside of the core seniors. The sophomores are put into a precarious position this year, as they are expected to play a vital role on the team without having the freshman transition year.

At tryouts the class of 2023 brought new energy to the program. Most were confident in their abilities, but not certain they’d make the team due to this being their first time going through the process. “I had nerves going into tryouts as an underclassman and never playing for the program before. However, I knew that I was good enough and worked hard enough in the off-season to be on the varsity team,” sophomore transfer Brad Little said.

Sophomores trying out for varsity had to make the leap from youth lacrosse to varsity lacrosse, which encompasses a whole new set of expectations and workload. They realized this quickly after tryouts consisted of five hours in a single day. “The amount of time that is put in on the field in practice is a lot different. Going

“If you can’t catch and throw, you hurt the team.” - Carsen Brandt

from practicing two times a week for one hour to six days a week for two hours is a big jump,” Little said.

Immediately after tryouts ended, the sophomores were thrust into various roles in the offensive and defensive systems. All expected to compete at the level of the upperclassmen on the team, including tenth grade attackman Carsen Brandt. “I think I have an important role to fill with all of the seniors from last year graduating, especially Jack Vanoverbeke at attack. Coach Horn said I need to play like an upperclassman this year,” Brandt said.

Brandt also had to adapt to the varsity style of play, a sharp contrast to the individualistic style played by club teams. “Catching and throwing are very important on varsity. If you can’t catch and throw, you hurt the team. The physicality on varsity compared to youth lacrosse is also very different. I have to be ready to play against big and strong defensemen,”Brandt said.

Although their task may be daunting as underclassmen, the sophomores have faith in Coach Horn and his program. “I love Coach Horn. I feel like he knows more about me than I do which is kind of scary, but I think he’s a great coach that wants the best for his players. I’m hoping we win a state championship and go 20-0. I want to destroy teams,” Brandt said.

13 Jump to varsity.indd 3

5/27/21 12:28 PM

N

BSM alum Denis Beaird creates a company dedicated to helping the elderly understand and utilize technology, and he’s done it all while honoring his brother.

Writer: Nick Marinaro Photographer: Photo Courtesy of Denis Beaird Designer: Andrew Lyons

WONK UOY WONN Denis Beaird.indd 2

5/27/21 12:33 PM

NOW YOU KNOW D

enis Beaird is a BSM class of 2013 graduate with a story to tell and a vision to share. In 1998, when Denis’s brother Michael, a sophomore at BSM, passed away in a traffic accident, his parents were absolutely devastated. In order to honor Michael’s memory, they decided to adopt three boys, including Denis, who all attended BSM. Denis has always sought to give back to the community however he can. Now, he is making a career out of it. He founded I Know Nothing Tech, a company devoted to helping senior citizens with their technology. “We help seniors with technology whether that is teaching them how to use an iPhone, teaching them how to text, how to use a computer, TV, and also I am going to be offering classes in order to become the go-to tech support for senior citizens,” Beaird said.

He feels that there is a specific need for technology help among seniors. “I was a delivery driver for Amazon when I graduated from college and I would drive to senior living centers and homes and I could tell that they were unhappy, and in their own world, especially regarding technology. They didn’t have the tools they needed to feel the appreciation for technology and communicate with their loved ones,” Beaird said.

Beaird thinks that the COVID pandemic has exacerbated the lack of technological competence many seniors have. “If you look at COVID, seniors really suffered. They always struggled with technology, and COVID made it much worse because no one could come help them,” Beaird said.

Beaird has always always valued helping senior citizens. “I started at a very young age, my dad was a geriatric doctor, and I saw him work with seniors and I knew I wanted to do something with seniors as a little kid,” Beaird said.

In the future, Beaird has lofty aspirations for his business. “I recently applied for Shark Tank. My goal is to get this business to every state in America. Seniors need the help and one day my ultimate goal is to have I Know Nothing Tech help seniors around the entire world, and be the go-to place for technology help among seniors,” Beaird said.

Senior citizens are a growing demographic, which will only continue to increase the demand for such a service. “By 2030, every Baby Boomer will be age 65 or older, which means that 1 out of every 5 US citizens will be of retirement age. When we become seniors, technology will be so advanced that even we will be confused,” Beaird said.

Beaird’s charitable efforts do not end with his technology company. He has also started a nonprofit called the Michael Beaird Foundation, dedicated to giving back to BSM and helping kids in need. “I wanted to do something where I could honor Michael and honor my parents, so I created the Michael Beaird Foundation. I wanted to give back to Benilde, a place that I called home for 6 years,” Beaird said.

The Michael Beaird Foundation will be donating two dollars from every technology session or apparel purchase from I Know Nothing Tech to Benilde-St. Margaret’s in order to help students from diverse backgrounds with various costs of attending BSM. Not only does he have high hopes for I Know Nothing Tech, but also the Michael Beaird Foundation. “Eventually, the Michael Beaird foundation will do more than just help Benilde, it will also help parents who have lost children. My parents lost their son Michael, my brother Joe lost his son at 5 years old last summer, and I want to create a two-part nonprofit, helping tuition for Benilde and also [helping] parents who have lost children, either helping pay for therapy or [to] honor their child,” Beaird said.

Beaird envisions a world of possibilities with his tech company and nonprofit. “I want my company to be a place where people can come together,” Beaird said.

NOW YOU KNOW Denis Beaird.indd 3

5/27/21 12:33 PM

W

hen considering most years that we have lived, this strange period of early 2020 to early 2021 has been objectively bad. The arrival of COVID-19 heralded changes in conduct everywhere from airports to shopping malls to within BSM. Things like capacity limits, physical distancing, and masks slowly transformed from jarring new rules to small inconveniences of life.

With the approval of vaccines for COVID-19, a possibility arose to get rid of these new inconveniences. Three vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson&Johnson) are making up the majority of inoculations in the United States. Nationwide, about 38% of the population has received both doses of their vaccine.

In order to reach true immunization, we need to vaccinate 70-85% of the total population. Right now, only about 50% of the population is willing to get the vaccine.

That’s mainly because of a wave of vaccine hesitancy and anti-vax sentiments that are sweeping the country. In the US, the an-

ti-vax movement is unnervingly coordinated and organized, with multiple websites and social media pages.

It is not the place of the Knight Errant to pressure people into vaccination.

However, in light of the current situation, we will attempt to assuage some of the concerns that cause anti-vax sentiments.

A common fear amongst people hesitant to get the vaccine is a worry a b o u t side effects or long-term implicat i o n s.

However, most of these worries are based on stories about correlation rather than causation. Many stories circulate about deaths via heart attack shortly after getting vaccinated. These deaths were proven to be unrelated to the vaccine. Most commonly, these deaths are related to normal coronary artery problems that were already detected in the patients before they got the vaccine. That means that although the deaths correlate with vaccinations, they were not caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

Conspiracy theories about the vaccine are also rife. One common thread of misinformation is that the vaccines contain microchips. Unfortunately, that technology simply does not exist yet. Even if multiple private companies had wanted to collaborate and chip the vaccines, doing so would be impossible.

Similarly, the vaccine cannot alter DNA. Although the vaccines do contain mRNA, these messenger proteins do not have the capability to alter DNA structures. The mRNA is entirely disparate from actual genetic code; although it can direct production of antibodies, it cannot in any way amend pre-written DNA. The fears and conspiracies that prevent many from getting the vaccine are not founded in truth. Vaccines for COVID-19 do not cause death, they do not contain microchips, and they cannot rewrite your DNA. Instead, when administered to the right percentage of the population, they can provide protection from COVID-19 and usher us back into a world of normalcy.

Many anti-vaccine sentiments are based on misinformation.

STAFF ED

Publication Policy

Editor-in-Chief

The role and goal of the Knight Errant staff is to inform and entertain their readers through accurate and factual reports. The KEQ magazines are distributed throughout the school for free. Nine hundred magazines are printed per issue. The Knight Errant aims to be accurate, fair, and impartial in its coverage of all issues. The staff strives to report all issues in a legal, objective, accurate, and ethical manner, according to the NSPA Code of Ethics for High School Journalists. 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.

The Knight Errant welcomes letters to the editors and general commentaries and expressly reserves the right to edit those letters due to space limitations, copyright laws, or journalistic ethics. Letters should adhere to the same requirements as found in the online comment policy. To contact the staff, please email KnightErrant@bsmschool.org.

Connor Rahill Jackie Bucaro

Editorial Staff Grace Cochrane Ava Krueger Emily Barron Flint Frohman Claudia Scherer Mason McGonigle Andrew Lyons

Designers

Contributors Charlie Juckniess Charlie Damberg Ava Kreuger Claudia Scherer George Wolfe Mason Wordleman Josh Sullivan Ceci Cronan Jackie Bucaro Grace Cochrane Nick Marinaro Julia Schwartz Grace Hansen Sophie Melsness

Grace Cochrane Andrew Lyons Mason McGonigle Lauren Hawkinson

16 staff ed.indd 2

5/27/21 12:21 PM

YOUNG PEOPLE & THE OBSESSION WITH FILM Photos taken on film are a new trend that is both old school and cool.

I

f you’re young and ever been on social media, you’ve probably noticed a bit of a trend lately. It seems like almost everybody has an odd obsession with film cameras, disposable cameras, Polaroids, and normal photos edited to look like film.

I’ll admit it––I’m a sucker for high contrast, low saturation and a blue-ish green tinge on photos. I think it’s fine for everyone to appreciate the uniqueness of film, but it seems like people justify this desire for objectively low quality photos with “nostalgia.” Normally, I would find this to be a valid excuse, but with the case of film, the only people I ever hear saying they have nostalgia for it are people who grew up rarely, if ever, having their picture taken on film.

Although I find the obsession with film a little bit extreme, it does have some valid characteristics; the biggest being that you can’t fake film pictures. They’re genuine and authentic. You can’t ask to see the picture and retake it because you didn’t like how your hoodie strings weren’t exactly even.

There is something really captivating about film other than its authenticity. Perhaps it’s the sound on the mechanical shutter and film roll ratcheting back to place.

Maybe it’s the ability to actually hold your photos and not just look at them through a screen. Another captivating thing about film is that the people you’re taking pictures of don’t take it seriously. That’s a great thing if you’re the one taking the picture because nobody is going to put in a ton of effort for it and pose like their life depends

on it. Small things like a low-key pose can make a picture turn into a memory. Disposable cameras have a really unique ability to take pictures that accurately reflect a specific moment and mood. That is just another reason disposable cameras are so appealing.

Film is a bit of a waiting game, too: you’re not going to see your photos until they’re developed. If you’re using a disposable camera, usually they’ll come out a

Story & Photos by Mason McGonigle Design by Andrew Lyons

blurry mess, but that’s part of the appeal.

They’re fun photo copies of memories you’re making with friends. The pictures are chaotic, but also quite controlled as you only have a set number of exposures. You can finally begin to understand how your parents felt when they reminisce on the good ole’ days where they would be lucky if two out of 48 pictures came out good enough to keep.

It’s too soon to say if this is just a quick trend that will be gone next year or if this will continue to stay around just and become the ideal way to have physical copies of photos. With companies like Polaroid making a comeback and playing into the film aesthetic and making film pictures attainable again, it seems like it is a real possibility for printed pictures, and specifically film, to stay around for a while.

Bottom line: printed pictures are becoming a commodity and nothing can provide that like film can. You can print out your photos off your phone, but the disposable camera has a certain aesthetic to it that adds even more to the idea of having printed pictures.

As old and obsolete as film is, I think it’s going to stick around for a lot longer than expected.

17 staff ed.indd 3

5/27/21 12:21 PM

Dark Chocolate

A Disgraceful Excuse for Dessert

A

lmost 3000 years ago, way back in 1900 B.C., the Aztecs made what I consider to be the foulest culinary blunder of all time—the conception of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate’s initial use for the Aztecs wasn’t actually for satisfactory consumption; it was strictly used for medicinal purposes. To be quite frank, they really should’ve kept dark chocolate for medicinal purposes and medicinal purposes only! Its bitter taste, tough yet brittle texture, and unpleasant dark brown color point directly to an unsuccessful and completely disagreeable joke of a dessert.

It pains me to say this, but I have unwillingly digested this horrible excuse of a remedy for a sweet tooth on multiple occasions. Oftentimes, I stumble across dark chocolate when it hides in a beautifully designed box of chocolates. It really is a shame these boxes don’t have warning labels to alert unsuspecting consumers because biting into something I believe to be a delicious piece of milk chocolate, only to receive the harsh distant cousin dark chocolate, may be the worst betrayal I’ve ever encountered. In addition to dark chocolate’s unwanted appearances into my diet, I’ve also noticed that I have never once had an urge to eat dark chocolate and I don’t know if anyone in the entire world has either. For instance, I certainly have not entered a grocery store or candy shop with the sole intent to purchase and devour a bar of dark chocolate.

Aside from dark chocolate’s awful combination of taste, texture, and color, dark chocolate also has the ability to disguise itself as something desirable and pleasing to your appetite and to your stomach. Dark chocolate somehow finds a way to slither its way into prestigious commercials promoting the goodness within the chocolate.

The media worships dark chocolate saying it has positive health benefits. Well, news flash, I’d rather roll around and swim inside a pool of milk chocolate every day for fifteen years than take one singular bite of this dreadful con trast to delectable sweets.

With all of these negatives in mind, I have decided to start a petition to wipe dark chocolate off the face of the earth for the rest of time. No one considers dark chocolate their favorite sweet-treat, it serves no beneficial purpose to society, and it actually kicks dirt upon the sweets industry’s reputation and name as a whole—I rest my case.

_DCKEQ3 chocolate story design finalllll.indd 2

“Aside from dark chocolate’s awful combination of taste, texture, and color, dark chocolate also has the ability to disguise itself as something desirable and pleasing to your appetite and to your stomach.”

-Charlie Juckniess

Writer: Charlie Juckniess Designer: Lauren Hawkinson

5/27/21 11:52 AM

Written by Charlie Damberg Designed by Mason McGonigle

Paper Straws: The Downfall of Civilization Chipotle is my favorite fast food restaurant––they have truly mastered the art of quality (yet quick) food. If you can find a location close to your house, you will find that the employees will learn your order and have it ready upon seeing your car pull into the parking lot. Unfortunately, there is one thing at Chipotle I simply cannot get over: the paper straws.

The argument for the paper straw is about as strong as the straw itself after five minutes of use. It falls apart so fast that you literally cannot get to the bottom of the drink before the lifeless, floppy, papery mess unravels and you are left sucking a damp piece of recycled cardboard. There have to be better ways of practicing environmental responsibility. What about the trees? By the way, paper straws are rarely recyclable! How ironic is that?

At the very least, we should have the option to choose

between a plastic or paper straw. In the industry, that’s called good customer service. Otherwise, Chipotle should redesign their already plastic lids to include a mouthhole––like a Starbucks lid. That way, the problem of sustainability is solved and customers don’t have to deal with a mushy mouthful of paper.

Blind rage towards plastic will not change the fact that paper straws take months to decompose. Making everything paper is not a panacea, and to some degree is just pushing the problem into the domain of the logging industry. I understand the effort to cut back on plastics and reduce nearly non-compostable waste, but let’s not be quick to give up all our luxuries. The plastic straw is a perfected craft; it truly cannot be improved. I will continue to use plastic straws when I can.

Hopefully, my grandchildren will understand.

Another Rant & Some Raves

Rave: Sunlight

Rant: Weird Door Handles

Rave: Spring

No doubt, one of the best feelings in the world is that of sunlight on your face after a long, gray winter. Personally, I get the most out of this experience if I’m also hanging out a car window with music blasting. If you haven’t done this, stop what you’re doing, get yourself a car and a sunny spot, and enjoy. The joy I get from the warm sun on my face is unmatched; my body, haggard with lack of vitamin D, rejoices. The sunlight and its soul soothing capabilities are incredibly underrated.

So next time you’re out and about, take a second to appreciate the fact that it’s not mid-winter with gray, cloudy skies. Turn your face to the sun, and appreciate the bliss that ensues.

I think it’s finally time we all take a second to think about weird door handles.

I’m not talking about the wack Tesla handles that pop out when you unlock the car; I mean those kinds of handles that you can’t figure out, so you have a breakdown and almost cry in a random location. They should be illegal, and frankly, I think it’s just rude to have guests over and then try to trap them in your bathroom and consequently give them major anxiety because they not only are worried about open the door, but they also have to worry about you possibly thinking they are taking too long. I implore the handle-making industry to consider being a bit more humanitarian and create normal handles for normal hands.

Picture this: The end-of-the-schoolday bell rings at 2:30, and the stresses of school weigh on you (and every other student) as you step out of the classroom, making a slow shuffle to the school exits. Then.

Boom. You step outside for the first time all day: the sun hits you and the songbirds sing, overwhelming your senses and giving you a refreshing new start to your day… an untouchable feeling. Seasons come and go, and let’s be honest, winter feels like an eternity. But when the first day of spring hits, all winter blues melt away with the snow.

Minnesota spring brings joy to all those willing to embrace it.

Written by Ava Krueger

Downfall of civ.indd 2

Written by Claudia Scherer

Written by George Wolfe

19 5/27/21 12:06 PM

KE PODCASTS Writer & Designer: Grace Cochrane

Podcasts are a new and exciting way for journalists to tell their stories.

From sports to television, the Knight Errant SoundCloud has a podcast for every situation. Driving to school? Listen to a podcast. Doing homework?

Listen to a podcast. Going to sleep? Listen to a podcast. Scan the QR code below to get access to every KE podcast ever published and enjoy.

Some PODCASTS WORTH THE LISTEN: 1. Drew Clark, Riley Floresch and Tenekay Johnson talk the Champions’ League Final 2. Jonny Woodford discusses his senior season and his future 3. Three Red Knights chat about their playoff hopes for the Wild 4. Asher Connolly and Jonny Woodford chat about overcoming injuries in sports 5. Ethan Tureson talks all things Marvel and Wandavision

ke podcasts.indd 2

5/27/21 11:59 AM