KEQ - The Age Issue - Spring 2018

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KEQ: Age Letter From the Editor Hi Friends!

According to the dictionary, age is defined as, “The accumulation of changes in a human being over time, encompassing physical, psychological, and social changes.”

It is the natural process of life, one we can not slow down or speed up no matter how hard we try. The present is only temporary, but we look at the past to understand how we can improve the future.

On our cover, I chose to feature both ends of the age spectrum. Mr. J is featured because he is truly one of BSM’s gems. Not only is he one

of our eldest faculty/staff members, but he is also devoted to his work and the students. On the other hand, Mrs. Shea’s youngest daughter, a Little Knight, is smiling on the back cover.

One of my favorite stories in this issue is “No Regrets” written by Kailyn Pedersen.

Fashion has distinctly marked each decade with its own trends. Who knows, in fifty years, teenagers may look back at Ugg boots with regret. Faculty members, Sister Jeanne Marie and Mrs. Megan Kern shared their own experiences on fashion from the 80’s and 60’s in this story. Make sure to catch this one out.

I would like to first thank advisors Mrs. Koshiol, Mrs. Preus and Mrs. Joseph for their

Publication Policy KEQ is written and produced by journalism students at BenildeSt. Margaret’s School. The views expressed in this magazine are the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of the Knight Errant staff, advisers, or BSM administrators. It is distributed for free to all BSM high school students.

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

guidance on the Age issue. Secondly, I greatly appreciate each section editor, photography editor and design editor on their contribution. Lastly, thank you to sophomore Flynn Skahan, who beautifully designed this issue’s teaser and cover pages.

Until next time friends,

Ashley Ortizcazarin

Staff Editor-in-Chief: Abby Letscher KEQ Managing Editor: Ashley Ortizcazarin Photography Editor: Ginny Lyons, Lauren Beh Design Editor: Andrew Cadle Editors: Henry Bird, Mary Youngblut, Kailyn Pedersen, Henry Witterschein, Vivian Shinall, Andrew Plouff, Michael Hunter Writers: Tommy Anderson, Vivan Shinall, Lizzie McCracken, Ruby Strommen, Sarah Corneliuson, Ben Larson, Ronan Brew, Solomon Doyscher, Alicia Fripp, Mary Hoyt, Kailyn Pedersen, Mary Youngblut, Erin Long, Andrew Plouff, Laura Jennings Photographers: Maddie Kurtovich, Emma Paquette, Morgan Williams, Lauren Beh, Ashley Ortizcazarin, Zachary Zeman, Carolyn Mason Designers: Jack Williams, Jack Feld, Luke Tift, Michael Koch, Johnny Byrnes, Flynn Skahan, Claire Lorimor

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Contents

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22 Age 3

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Through the Ages 5 e

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Writer: Andrew Plouff Designer: Jack Williams Photographer: Carolyn Mason

Age 10

“

It all started with Meryl Streep.

Anyone who knows me at all is well aware I adore Meryl Streep. [Her movie “Julie & Julia” is about an author living in New York City who decides to take a year to cook her way through Julia Child’s cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” so I knew what I wanted to do for my 10th birthday], I talked to my mom about it, and we decided to cook 10 recipes from the book before I turned ten including raspberry Bavarian cream, ratatouille, boeuf bourguignon, steamed mussels, and poached fish. My mom even made special menus for each night we served one of the dishes for our friends and family. I’ll never forget the time my mom and I got a 20% discount at the grocery store because the worker was so impressed.”

- Junior Grace Bacon

“

At my elementary school, we had a school tradition of playing a school-wide kickball game before we were supposed to go to our first class of the school year. Sounds fun, right? Wrong. In my very first at bat (at kick?

I don’t know) I kicked a dribbler to the pitcher––an eighth grader––who did not account for my puny frame and belted me with the ball so I hard I fell over and scraped my knee. Another student was tasked with carrying me to the nurse, and as I was unceremoniously hoisted up, I dealt with the laughter of a bunch of kids.

Not only that, but later on in the day another student pantsed me when I was on the monkey bars, and several people got to see my super cool Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Underwear.”

- Senior Henry Bird

Age 13

“

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2013, [the year I turned 13], was when I began my movie addiction. I would watch at least five movies per week because that was when I was able to watch more movies online. Also, I went and saw my first R-rated movie in theaters. To this day, I still watch a ton of movies on Netflix or whatnot. I like watching movies because I find them entertaining, and you can watch them with friends.”

- Senior Blake Brown

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Age 16

“I remember when I was a sophomore I couldn’t stop driving my car. It was my escape from home.”

- Senior Johnny Brask

“Every now and then I rev her [my jeep] up, slam her into first gear, push in the clutch, and let her peel out of Benilde. I like the smell of the rubber burning. I like it, it’s a personal preference, not everyone likes it.”

- Senior Dylan Boyd

“I’ve hit a mailbox and ran out of gas on the side of the road. Both were not that fun.”

- Sophomore Matthew Nachbor

Age 15

“

Growing up in Minnesota in Catholic schools, I was the only kid in my class that was Hispanic until I got to BSM. At the same time, I’m half-white and half-Hispanic, so I feel like I had the interesting perspective of having multiple heritages. My quinceanera was a big milestone for me because it embraced my Hispanic heritage, though I put a modern twist on it. Instead of having a court of guys who were good friends or family members, I had a court of all girls. My quinceanera was very special because I don’t know anyone else who had one like mine.”

-Senior Ashley Ortizcazarin

“

Age 18

I think the best part of voting is knowing you have a voice in who represents you. You can look at your government and say, ‘I played a role in how I’m represented.’

I think it helps me to feel engaged with my community.

-Senior Sophie Herrmann

“

Retirement

Retiring is saying goodbye to one’s family in a sense, which is what drew me to BSM in the first place, “I was looking for a family and a place to be. This family has walked with me for the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. I would hope that my legacy would be that I contributed to being a place where people are treated with dignity and respect. [Retirement ’s also a time to do what you have not done yet:] I have never had chicken fried steak, but I will before the end of the year.”

- Assistant Principal and Dean Ms. Mary Andersen

Age 5

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he Little Knights represent the youngest generation at BSM, and the simple fact that their generation hasn’t been named yet serves as a reflection of the air of hope and new beginnings that they embody.

Students and faculty alike may catch glimpses of the Little Knights as they pass through the hallways or during Christmas mass, where they perform their annual concert. From these contributions to the school community, they’ve proven to be a source of light for BSM. Although we have yet to see what they will become, it’s clear that this young generation is already being influenced in a different way than its predecessors. The main cause of this is the presence of technology in their everyday lives. As technology has become a bigger part of our culture, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that it can be both a powerful tool for knowledge and an impediment to our development.

On one side, Little Knights teacher Ms. Heidi Wolf upholds technology’s benefit to kids, citing the accessibility to information as one of the best facets of its impact. “I think they have a bigger global view, they have more awareness of topics and things and just the world in general… The ability to look up and see instantly what a whale looks like swimming in the ocean versus like going to the library and trying to find a book or having to wait for the book to arrive is amazing,” Wolf said.

Conversely, Wolf also believes that technology comes with many as yet unknown drawbacks. “I think these kids are growing up with so many screens available to them, both TV and internet and even Youtube. I think that we don’t really know what the effects are on their brain, as far as the stimulation and input,” Wolf said. Although many results of technology are yet to be seen, there are some that have been proven; one of these is a loss of critical vision. “They need that far vision first, before they can develop that paper-to-face vision that they’ll need for school,” Wolf said.

While all of the excitement and progression of technology in the lives of this young generation may seem all-encompassing, in many ways these kids have the same outlook as past generations; their favorite things to do remind one of one’s own childhood. “Sometimes we go to a park and there are lots of slides that we can go down. Last time I was at a park I just fell off a slide! It was actually very fun,” Little Knight Arthur said.

Full of imagination and creativity, their hopes for the future are boundless. “When I grow up, I would like to be a cowgirl,” Mallory, another Little Knight, said.

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Writer: Vivian Shinall Photographer: Em Paquette Designer: Johnny Byrnes

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Writer: Alicia Fripp Photographer: Maddie Kurtovich Designer: Luke Tift

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he Little Knights are arguably the most adorable part of the community at BSM, but how do their teachers make sure that they’re growing up at the right pace?

Little Knights is the daycare program for young kids of the faculty and staff here at BSM. Little Knights provides not only a basic care service but also a great environment where kids can choose their own activities, learn important social skills and how to interact with peers. Additionally they also do a lot of outdoor activities, which all work towards their main goal. “[The main goal is] to help them develop in their natural way and keep them entertained and engaged and learning,” the BSM Little Knights lead teacher, Heidi Wolf, said.

Wolf looks for many things to make sure that the Little Knights are developing at the right pace. “There’s a document that Minnesota early childhood educators use called the Minnesota Indicators of Early Child Development and we have that in the back of our minds. A lot of research and reading on our part and our educational

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background helps us know what’s expected at certain ages,” Wolf said.

When a child isn’t hitting developmental markers the methods used to improve those skills aren’t always direct. For instance, if a child is struggling with using scissors the response isn’t always to just keep making them use scissors until they get better at it. Instead often times they would give the child some Play-Doh, or clay to play with to help build those muscle groups. “It’s not always a direct teaching of a skill but more offering things to build up what would come first,” Wolf said.

If there is a really persistent problem and a student is continually lagging, parents become an increasingly important piece of the puzzle. “If we see things that are persistently delayed or behind in those key developmental areas then we would seek outside help. All the school districts have screening for children at that age so that they could get more help if they needed; so that would be on our scope of helping them,” Wolf said.

Most children don’t have a problem moving through these markers, and it’s different for every child, so just because they don’t do one thing as quickly doesn’t mean that they are necessarily falling completely behind. “There’s a pretty big range. For walking, let’s say, kids can walk between the ages of 7 months and 18 months. You just help them learn that,” Wolf said.

The teachers take care to observe the children and offer them things to both enhance their interests and also to push them in areas where they may be falling behind. “As a leader and an observer and a co-learner here we offer materials to the kids and they sort of take-off and do what they want with it. I think the important part is observing to make sure that they are hitting those markers and then re-offering things so it’s sort of like a spiral; like you offer something like a game of catch, they throw it back and then we catch it and say okay what can we do to expand this interest or this skill and then sort of toss it back,” Wolf said.

Childhood development is not just about a child’s life at school however; their life at home also plays a big role. “It’s a real team and a partnership and obviously their first relationship with their parents is going to be the strongest and the most important, but they spend a lot of time with caregivers and so those caregivers also play a really big role. Mostly in just observing and communicating, so that communication and that dance with parents is really important too.

Saying hey this is what we noticed and then having the educational background in our back pocket helps parents; especially when it’s their first child and they don’t know what to expect or they don’t have a lot of experience with young children. It’s a really important partnership,” Wolf said.

How the child is taught can also greatly impact how well they develop. “Different methods of teaching can also hinder their getting to those points and that’s one of the big problems with education and early education I think too. There’s that pressure for some teachers to rush a child into doing

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things that they’re not ready to do. For example writing their name when they really don’t have interest, but they would really want to write the word dog because they are really interested in dogs,” Wolf said.

When teachers pressure kids to do things they aren’t interested in or them do it a different way, (like writing with a specific hand) it can be very dangerous because it can really hinder the student. “That makes you feel like a failure, like you can’t do it and then you’re going to hate it and then someone’s making you do it instead of wanting to because you love to do it. We want to make them problem solvers and people who love to learn and be curious about things and and that base will help them be successful in the academic world when they’re ready,” Wolf said.

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Of course, these markers do go on to affect students later in life. “If they haven’t met some of those markers and it’s been missed or has fallen through the cracks it just adds to areas of delay or frustration for the child--so if they can get support early in their development and things that they may be lagging on--then they will be better prepared to take on the next task. It’s sort of like building a house,” Wolf said.

When we think about learning and development, we often think about purely academic pieces, but this isn’t the only important piece for a child to learn.“Social and emotional pieces are really important for kids to be able to interact with their peers and another example of where if they don’t have language to say ‘I need some-

thing’ or ‘don’t hurt me’ or ‘don’t hit me’ to their peer and so then they’re screaming, and the next thing is hitting, or biting, or other ways of communicating that are not appropriate so then you’ve got a behavior problem instead of helping them with their language,” Wolf said.

In our own Little Knight program, teachers work hard to provide great care for their charges. Teachers like Heidi Wolf take a lot of problems head on to do what they can to make sure kids are developing at the right pace, but they also seek outside help when it is needed because their end goal is really just helping the kids. They foster a relationship with parents and provide great childcare, solving problems thoughtfully and together.

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“When I was in 5th grade, I went to Africa with my family. I spent five days in Massi Mara, Kenya where I saw all kinds of animals.

Then we went to an island off of Africa called Zanzibar where I relaxed by the beach.”

-Senior Vincent Fricton

M

C

hildhood

emories

“I have been going to the State Fair every summer with my family since I was 5 years old.”

-Senior Michelle Wyley Interviewer: Mary Hoyt Photographer: Maddie Kurtovich Designer: Luke Tift

“My family and I used to go to Interlachen Country Club every year for the Fourth of July festival and fireworks on the hill at night. My dad never wanted to leave, so we would stay until like midnight, and after everyone left, my sister and I would pick up the trash, and we would get free cookies the whole summer.”

-Sophomore Kylie Krumenauer

Age 11

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Writer: Tommy Anderson Designer: Jack Williams Photographer: Carolyn Mason

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veryone has their own childhood memory that they love to cherish. It often comes from vacations or school, but many times, it is from youth sports. Students from BSM have competed against one another from their respective home cities, but it is here where they learn to connect as new teammates.

Parents often put their children in soccer because it is easily accessible for young athletes to allow them to figure out what they like. It’s much less of a contact sport than football, so this is an easy alternative for parents looking for a fall sport for their child. For soccer players at BSM, playing with and against current classmates during their youth isn’t unusual.

“I’ve played with Amanda Cassidy and Stella Fortier since I was 8, and we’ve always played together,” sophomore Frida Fortier said.

Football is still a favorite element of fall for many. It is commonly known as a heavy contact sport, and many parents have held back their children from joining. Big cities like Eden Prairie, Edina, and Minnetonka have several teams per grade throughout grade school. BSM doesn’t play against these big schools, but many players continue the game from their respective youth programs.

“We’ve created a bond amongst this team, and I think it is a big reason behind our success the last couple of years,” future senior captain and current junior John Whitmore said.

One of the big youth sports that is most popular in the state is hockey. Many hockey fanatics move to Minnesota just to raise their kids in a competitive playing field. Senior Jake Leonard knows how fun hockey is in Minnesota.

“In Bantams, I ended Joe Collins’ season by scoring with five seconds left in double overtime to go to State,” Leonard said.

Another winter sport that is a little more nationally renowned is basketball.

Over time some basketball players drop the sport due to increased level of competition.

“I was such a dominant basketball player as a kid, but as I got older the competition increased and I lost my mojo,” senior Eric Weber said.

In the spring, two sports that are played throughout youth and up to high school competitively are lacrosse and baseball. Little league baseball is a very popular summer sport, and a lot of BSM students have participated on a youth baseball team.

“My best memories are from playing little league baseball because I made it on ESPN once,” sophomore Charlie Deterding said.

Lacrosse doesn’t have the same youth participation rates, but surely seems to be growing.

“Lacrosse has always been my strong suit. I played Hopkins lacrosse and loved every moment. The game is becoming more popular especially at Benilde,” junior Shay Kinney said.

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eenagers nowadays are the last generation to grow up without their baby pictures taken on smartphones and are also the last generation to grow up playing with board games and toys instead of with iPads or online games. Electronics and technology in general have been advancing as this generation has grown up, causing teenagers to be tech savvy as well as very involved in social media. Almost every teenager now has a smartphone, and the stereotypes associated with teens tend to sway towards their obsessions with social media and technology.

Today’s teens have been under their fair share of scrutiny when it comes to their technological habits. Whether it’s their inability to socialize offscreen, their lack of work ethic, or their forward-thinking views, they seem to be known only for their negative attributes. “I am really conflicted about how much time teens spend on different devices. On one side we are more connected than we have ever been, which provides more of an opportunity for social networking. Teens also have the world’s information at their fingertips, which allows for things like political ideals and general acquisition of knowledge to be so much better, because teens can see so many more perspectives. On the opposite side, I wonder if teens are still creating intimate relationships, and the lack of that could be making things like social anxiety and depression rates higher,” engineering teacher Ms. Kristen Hoogenakker said.

Social media is now a large part of many teenagers’ lives.

It’s how they get to know people, how they stay up to date on the world’s events, and how they connect with their friends. Some teens even see it as a chore to keep up with their social media.

They don’t want to feel like they’re missing anything, so they are constantly refreshing the page to make sure they know what’s happening with their friends, and others around the world. “It’s the first thing I check when I wake up in the morning. I always make sure that I see everything on my Instagram feed,” senior Mandy Nylander said.

Older generations have argued that teenagers are bad at face-to-face conversation. They say it could be because of all of the screen time in which teenagers engage, as well as the ease of communication via text or email. For teenagers, it’s more convenient to converse with others through technology.

Even though teens are savvy with technology, many of the older teens think they were lucky to grow up without the amount of tech they interact with today. “I think we’re lucky that we didn’t grow up with all of the technology. When we were little, we were forced to go outside and knock on a friend’s door to see if they’re free. I think that kind of stuff adds to who we are and is vital in growing up,” senior Warren Mostrom said.

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Writer: Lizzie McCracken Photographer: Em Paquette Designer: Johnny Byrnes

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veryone has their own interests and, more often than not, their friends share those interests.

These common grounds are what brought them together in the first place––whether it be in the form of clubs, extracurriculars, or hobbies.

Within students friend groups, students find a sense of familiarity and comfort, community and belonging––the feelings that everyone wants, whether they can admit it or not. For some, finding this feeling of community is easy. “I think it’s easy for me to make friends because I feel like I know how to break the ice, you know,” sophomore Hayden Ochs said.

For those who easily make friends, a community is always with them. However, for others who find it difficult to talk to new people, especially when in a new environment, finding a sense of community seems like trying to speak when no one understands what they’re saying. “I was super shy at the beginning of the year, and I because of that I didn’t really talk to anyone at first,” Maura Judd, a new sophomore this year, said.

These communities that one forms are essentially cliques, but because of the bad connotation the word carries, people don’t readily use this word to describe their friend groups. At BSM, cliques are definitely in abundance and can be identified just by saying the name of someone in it;

the borders between them are that visible.

While admitting BSM is cliquey can be seen as embarrassing or shameful, it can’t be helped. It’s human nature to be drawn to similar people. “When I first came here in junior high, I was really scared because no one really looked like me,” junior Myrka Zambrano said.

Even with its bad connotation, cliques,

I was super shy at the beginning of the year, and I because of that I didn’t really talk to anyone at first.

- Maura Judd or small communities of friends, are what help students find a sense of belonging.

The people who are in a student’s friend group are who know them best and are most likely their best friends. They’re who the student confides in and finds comfort in. “Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t change my friend group. We all know each other better than anyone else does, and they’re my like, go to people,” sophomore Wesley Kirchner said.

Finding this sense of belonging can be hard, especially in high school’s already

daunting presence. It’s a melting pot of people from different backgrounds, interests, personalities, and ages. However, the fact that freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors can all be in one class gives students opportunities to expand cliques to different ages. Although finding a sense of belonging may seem like trying to find a needle in a haystack, the amount of variety in high schools shrinks the stack and adds more needles.

However, most people like to stick to people their own age. But why? If students have so many opportunities to expand the age range of their clique, why don’t they?

It could be because the student relates more easily to people their own age.

Or because they went to grade school with them. Or because older people can be intimidating. Or because someone might think they’re too good to make friends with younger people. Or maybe it ties back to the fact that people are drawn to people similar to themselves. Whatever the reason, most people tend to stick to those their own age.

However, there’s always a student who hangs out with younger or older people.

This person finds his/her sense of belonging with freshmen or seniors instead of people their own age. They relate more to these friends and find it easier to find their sense of community with them.

For some, the idea that a student can be friends with older or younger people is crazy. Why would a senior want to talk to a freshman? How can a lower classman be friends with a senior? How can somebody talk to them so easily? Kirchner believes that making friends with older people is easier because they “know more and can understand what you’re trying to say, unlike younger kids.”

On the opposite side of the spectrum, sophomore, Kyla Cade explains how it’s easy to make friends with freshman “as long as you’re nice and approachable.”

Having a variety of ages in someone’s friend group isn't a bad thing, and neither is having no age variety. People find their sense of belonging in different ways, and it allows people to have different experiences through high school.

Writer: Sarah Corneliuson Photographers: Morgan Williams and Zachary Zeman Designer: Jack Feld

Age 17

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who

become we’ve

As their graduation day nears, we asked three seniors, Patrick van Hove, Eric Weber and Tia Sposito, to look back on their experiences from freshman year and reflect on how much they’ve grown since then.

Do you feel you are different now, as a senior, than when you were a freshman?

PATRICK: Yes, I feel that I am much more mature now. I was cocky.

ERIC: Yes. I am definitely more willing to step out of the spotlight and listen to other people’s suggestions.

What were you like as a freshman? What TIA: One-hundred percent. Clothing-wise, as a freshman, I definitely were your first impressions of Benilde-St. Martried a little harder. As a senior, I don’t care as much about clothing or what garet’s at the time? people think.

A quote I really like about high school is:“High school is the zit PATRICK: I was here in 7th and 8th grade, so cream commercial of life.”

I had the gist of it back then. But going into high school, it was much bigger than junior high.

ERIC: It was my third year at BSM and my brother was in high school, so I already had an “in” with the seniors. But, I wanted to make my own mark instead of knowing just J’s friends. I was thirsty for attention.

TIA: When I first came here as a freshman, I thought high school would be super exciting. I thought it would be like High School Musical. When I was a freshman, I thought I was all that and a bag of chips. When I got to BSM, it seemed very big and scary.

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How have your experiences in high school affected your worldview and outlook?

PATRICK: It’s helped me look more into the person than just how they are on the outside.

ERIC: Through high school I’ve learned that most people are good people. The vast majority of people want to do the right thing.

TIA: It’s nice to get to know different types of people. Talking to people helped me become more social. It’s good to get to know people in all grades.

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How have your positive school experiences contributed to who you are today? How have your negative school experiences contributed to who you are today?

PATRICK: Positive and negative go hand-in-hand for me. Late assignments taught me not to procrastinate, and just like my job it taught me to get things important done right away.

ERIC: A lesson learned would be junior year Honors Chemistry. It was a class that just didn’t come easy to me and I checked out. I realized that instead of mentally checking out, or giving up, that you should work harder.

TIA: BSM encourages students to do what they want to with their life. Their standards are high, but they want you to succeed.

Balancing a school and an outside-of-school life is really hard. But once you find out how to balance both it’s really nice.

BSM encourages students to do what they want to with their life. Their standards are high, but they want you to succeed. -Tia Sposito

Do you think that your experiences in college will continue to change you?

PATRICK: Yes, I’ll be away from my parents. It will be the first long period of time that I’ll have to be my own man and stand up for myself.

ERIC: Absolutely. When I move out of the state to continue my education, I will experience countless brand new social and academic opportunities, and I can’t wait to see what the future brings.

TIA: I think so. Because in college you figure out what you want to do. But, you can change what you want to do later. I think college changes you more than high school.

What advice would you have given to your freshman-self?

PATRICK: To work harder throughout my career.

ERIC: Work harder at the things you truly care about sooner rather than later.

TIA: Stop thinking about boys, think about school. Freshman year really does matter, it does help your GPA to get good grades. Also, don’t try too hard to be cool.

What do you think people should keep in mind as they enter senior year?

PATRICK: Have fun. Go to all the sporting events and all BSM has to offer. Looking back, I’m mad at myself for not going to more of them.

ERIC: As a second semester senior, I’d say that time does go fast. If you are fearing the end of high school you have to realize that humans are very adaptable.

TIA: I’d say get your college stuff down fairly quickly. Don’t make it too stressful, as it can be very stressful for different people. Everyone’s experiences are different.

Don’t be fooled into the “senior slide” because colleges check your first semester senior grades. The “senior slide” is a myth.

Is there anything else the KEQ and its readers should know?

PATRICK: I thought I had a great experience at BSM. ERIC: It’s always good to say hello to new people.

TIA: If there’s anything freshmen should know, they should get to know the Taher people. Because they feed you and Raul’s breakfast burrito is the bomb, but it sells out quickly. Also, get to know your teachers more.

Writer: Solomon Doyscher Photographer: Ginny Lyons Designer: Claire Lorimor

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freshman sophomore junior senior Age 19 4/5/18 11:31 AM

The

Tech Generation T

echnology has become a large part of students’ lives at BSM. Many depend on it for many reasons, from informational to social to emotional. It is such a broad advancement with so many different purposes, it’s hard for it to not have downsides. Teens depend on technology for so many reasons that it can become a serious distraction.

The information that could be gained from a library is accessed within seconds right at one’s fingertips. The amount of information makes education with technology even easier. BSM offers education through technology with the use of PowerSchool Learning (Haiku), Quizlet, Kahoot, Peardeck, and many other websites and tools.

Students at BSM depend on PowerSchool Learning to access daily homework, assignments, and grades. For most students, surviving a night of homework

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would be hard without a laptop.

“I think I use technology for education for about 1 to 2 hours per night, but I think having technology definitely makes homework easier and more accessible,” sophomore Megan Hegenbarth said.

One of the most popular form of technology among today’s teens is social media. The most popular apps for teens include Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, VSCO and Facebook. “It’s a way to [have] contact with old friends and see what your friends are up to… it’s a way to reach out to everybody, “ sophomore Joey Trella said. Even though she thinks social media has positives, Trella thinks she could manage without it, at least for a couple weeks. “I think I could go without for so long because it’s really not a necessity in my life, just something to fill up extra time,” Trella said.

But even social media has its downsides. Since 71% of teens use a social media site, issues like cyberbullying come into play. Cyberbullying is a very serious problem on social media, especially on

Snapchat. Snaps that delete within seconds allow teens to say comments they wouldn’t say face to face, or in the real world. Bragging is another problem on social media.

This might not always be intentional, but can make some people feel insecure or jealous. “I still have Instagram but I don’t go on it anymore because I don’t really like it that much. I feel like it’s all people bragging,” Hegenbarth said.

Having social media platforms accessible within seconds creates serious addiction issues. Things like follows, likes, and retweets entice teens into continuing their use of social media. Notifications from a follow or a like can create distractions for teens, especially during homework. “If I want a break [from homework] I’ll go on Instagram, but then 30 minutes later I’ll realize I’ve been on Instagram for 30 minutes instead of doing homework, “ Trella said.

Distractions from technology carry over from homework to the classroom.

Finding themselves distracted by games, checking social media, online shopping and

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more is something that happens to many students during class. But sometimes limiting distractions can be up to the students.

“The amount of freedom on laptops allows students to create their own limitations to eliminate distractions,” said Help Desk staff member Dina MacPhail. Eliminating possible distractions can be crucial to students finishing homework on time. “I limit my screen time, especially when it gets late and I realize I should be doing my homework,” Hegenbarth said.

If creating their own limitations is challenging for some students, BSM recently offered a new program on laptops that helps with this problem. The Help Desk introduced a program called Cold Turkey on laptops to help with the pressure to stray from homework. The program could be described as a “temporary block from things that are distracting, but better than blocking certain applications,” MacPhail said. This program can help students focus for longer periods of time and produce higher quality work to turn in.

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“Having technology definitely makes homework easier and more accessible.”

-Megan Hegenbarth

Technology is such a large part of the lives of teens. The amount of features it provides creates both positives and negatives. Easy access to information helps students with education, but things like social media and games create distractions as well. Even with its cons, technology is still a very important and helpful part of teens’ lives.

Writer: Laura Jennings Photographer: Ginny Lyons Designer: Claire Lorimor

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rom baby boomers to millennials, BSM houses adults of many generations––all of whom were shaped by the generation they grew up in.

Most of the experienced teachers are from the baby boomer generation, which is usually defined as those born between 1946–1964.

“I am the tail end of baby boomers, depending on what website you look at,” assistant principal and dean, Ms. Mary Anderson said.

Baby boomers grew up in a safer world than ours. “[I had] a lot of freedom as a kid. I have specific memories of leaving in the morning and not coming home until dinner, playing outside and in the woods all day long,” Anderson said.

With each generation come different ways of life, trends, and views. Many teachers here at BSM are proud members of Generation X, which is commonly defined as those born between 1961– 1981.

“I didn't pay attention to anything beyond my friends and my activities. Sadly, I’m not kidding. The Cold War was still going on, but I didn't pay attention to that either… I was super distracted by how bad the music was in the 80s,” social studies teacher Ms. Megan Kern said.

BSM’s youngest teachers are the millennials, which begins with those born in 1981, the new wave of adults.

“I grew up making forts outside, biking, snowmobiling, camping, and other activities that didn't involve a screen, and I am very thankful for that. I had a PS2 and a N64, but that wasn't how I spent my Friday and Saturday night. Some people my age did, but that wasn't my jam,“ math teacher Mr. Max Johnson said.

Something all of these past generations have in common is their urge for the younger generations to go out into the world, set down phone screens, have face-to-face conversations, and take roles of power.

“Honestly, try to find time to put phones and computers away.

You don't need to cut them out completely, but the difference makers in the world are the people who know how to interact with each other in person and that requires practice,” Johnson said.

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They are attached to their phones, and it drives me nuts. –Mr. Dan Bowler

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illennials and Gen Z’ers are misunderstood generations.

Often the subject of complaints and harsh generalizations, today’s high schoolers face a lot of society’s discontent. Three BSM teachers from generations-past weigh in on the validity of these negative portrayals from a place of wisdom and understanding.

For many from the elder generations, the most difficult part of dealing with high schoolers nowadays is their lack of a work ethic. “They’re so lazy. They never want to do anything and complain incessantly about everything. They’re like living caricatures––playing ping pong and sitting in bean bags at work, eating kale chips and saying they’re ‘Yummy!,’ wearing their aviators, taking selfies with red solo cups––I know they could do better work.

It’s frustrating because they’re really just shooting themselves in the foot,” social studies teacher Ms. Megan Kern said.

However, to others, their most bothersome trait is their incessant need to be connected to technology at all times.

“They are attached to their phones, and it drives me nuts,” math teacher Mr. Dan Bowler said.

This constant connection has also begun to hinder discussion and has encouraged a lack of patience in the classroom. The cellphones and laptops teenagers always have with them today have taken away the need to communicate faceto-face and removed the waiting period for information altogether. “Today’s teens have instant access to so much information that it is sometimes overwhelming. Just ‘Google it’ is a real thing. I can bring up some obscure fact, and within seconds, it can be

verified or refuted. With instant access to information sometimes comes the desire for instant gratification––meaning that students today sometimes want the right answer right now without having to work for it,” Bowler said.

Of course, the one area that all adults tend to agree on is that today’s youth spends far too much time playing video games or being otherwise unproductive. “They waste so much time gaming,” band teacher Mr. Paul Keefe said.

However, as much as past generations like to judge today’s high schoolers, they also realize that they weren’t perfect during their time of walking the halls. Every generation has their vices, and today’s adults were no exceptions.

For many, high school was just a transition period before college. It wasn’t taken extremely seriously, and in most cases, it didn’t have to be. “I kind of floated through high school and didn’t really get serious until college,” Bowler said.

In fact, the current young people are often seen as taking their lives more seriously and being more aware of the world than any generation before. “If anyone is going to solve our gun problem in schools I think it will be those most affected––the youth of today. Just get off your phones for a minute,

and do it,” Bowler said.

Kern also saw inspiration in the high schoolers working to fix problems they see in the world today. “For example, Emma Gonzalez. That young woman is incredible.

When something is important to this young generation, they act on it. That’s where well-spoken and compassionate young people, plus all their creativity, can look to accomplish great things for people,” Kern said.

Involvement and activism are two ideals that many generations hold dear, and the work teenagers have been doing recently to spur change is making an impact. “They are passionate. Whether it be about sports or music or politics, today’s youth seem to get very involved in whatever they choose to pursue. I like that,” Bowler said.

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f the dozens of faculty members currently at BSM, only two have reached the benchmark of forty years of experience within the school.

These two faculty members––Mr. Mike Jeremiah (known predominantly as ‘Mr. J’) and Ms. Mary Fran O’Keefe––have given their careers to the betterment of BSM, and can tell their stories looking back on these forty years.

Of course, BSM today contrasts greatly with the environment when both Jeremiah and O’Keefe came to the school.

That being said, there’s one element of BSM that’s always remained the same.

“There’s always been great kids,” O’Keefe said.

Physically speaking, the building of BSM has changed drastically throughout the tenure of Jeremiah and O’Keefe.

“Definitely, the school has physically changed. We have a whole new hallway. We didn’t have a chapel back then––that space used to be the library. The technology has also changed a ton in the past years,” Jeremiah said.

Throughout the years, Jeremiah and O’Keefe witnessed several historic moments in BSM’s history. “To be honest, my favorite memory has to be Kelly Pannek. In a few years I think that game will be my favorite memory. It’s a big deal,” O’Keefe said.

For Jeremiah, another athlete’s experience took the cake for his most resounding memory at BSM. “For me, having worked with sports teams, was the whole Jack Jablonski story. I know he affected my life, people at the school, and even people around the world. The event is still vivid for me,” Jeremiah said.

With forty years of experience, both faculty members have worked with many responsibilities and tasks as a part of the

It’s been a crazy, crazy journey.

school. Although O’Keefe and Jeremiah have taken up roles in different parts of the school, they are alike in the fact that their schedules have been packed throughout the years. The two, with Jeremiah having worked as a teacher, retreat director, and other responsibilities, and O’Keefe, having worked as ‘800’ positions, as she puts it, have accumulated a plethora of tasks throughout their tenure at BSM. With all of these responsibilities and tasks comes great achievements. Although both Jeremiah and O’Keefe humbly denied having a major impact on the school, their true achievements have been reflected in the lives of the students they influence.

“If I could take nothing away other than the fact that I showed people in [tough] positions that they were loved and that they mattered, that would make it all worth it,” Jeremiah said.

For Jeremiah, one of his most favorite responsibilities at the school was teaching.

Although Jeremiah enjoys his current roles at the school, he looks back on this occupation with a distinct warmth. “Any teacher will tell you that there’s nothing like the classroom. I miss that daily contact with students, but I definitely don’t miss the grading,” Jeremiah said.

O’Keefe enjoys her time at sporting events the best. The faculty member can often be seen at anything from soccer to swimming. “I really love coming to watch the games,” O’Keefe said.

While the two individuals certainly helped shape BSM throughout their tenure, the school has also influenced their own lives in a resounding way. “It’s been a crazy, crazy journey,” O’Keefe said.

Jeremiah too reflected on his experience as a whole. “Looking back over the past 43 years since I began here at BSM, the first thing that comes to mind is how very blessed I have been, and continue to be, to be a part of this amazing community.

I pray that I have done all in my power to help kids in any way I can on their individual faith journeys. I pray that I have been able to show them how much they are loved and valued and cared for. I pray that I have made a difference in helping them to become all that God is calling them to be,” Jeremiah said.

–Mary Fray O’Keefe

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Regrets A

s BSM is one of the few Catholic high schools in the Minneapolis area that does not enforce a uniform, clothing choices and personal style has a large part in the everyday life of students. Every year has a fluctuation of trends, popular brands, and new ways to style already existing classic clothing items. Skinny jeans, open shoulder “flushot” shirts, and various brands of trendy sneakers have all made their on the fashion world of BSM students, but in the midst of all of this, one part of the BSM community has been ignored: The teachers. Styles may have changed since teachers were in high school, but the fashion in a high school environment has stayed the same.

Social studies teacher Ms. Megan Kern, who graduated from BSM in the 80s, reminisced on the two different styles prominent during her high school experience. “There were two veins: one was the preppy, collar up, certain kind of jeans...the other was kind of the grunge look...and that would be have been like plain flannels, broken in jeans,” Kern said.

From Kern’s perspective, style during her time in high school differed from today’s trends, primarily because of the fit of clothing. While many girls, and some guys, today prefer to wear tight fitting clothing such as leggings, skinny jeans, and skin tight dresses, the 80’s elicited looser fitting outfits. “My high school years, it was loose clothing, not...very tight clothing, like no one wore that,” Kern said.

Kern, however, had her own personal style. Along with a t-shirt or v-neck sweater,

Writer: Kailyn Pedersen Designer: Michael Koch

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Girbaud jeans. “I was a big fan of when I got my Girbaud jeans; I would try to wear those as often as I could,” Kern said.

Sister Jeanne Marie Vanderlinde attended high school in the sixties, and her style in high school varied greatly from the trends of the eighties. Teens during this time had a more conservative view of what was appropriate for girls and boys to wear.

“When I got into high school, you know that was at a time when girls, we didn’t wear pants unless it was like a special dress up or for Phy. Ed,” Vanderlinde said.

Heavy eye makeup was also a popular trend during Vanderlinde’s time in high school. While makeup has stayed a prominent part of modern style, the makeup in the sixties focused mostly on dark eyes and minimal to invisible lip color.

“I remember that it was a lot of eye makeup, lot of eyeliner, and mascara, but we didn’t wear lipstick, we actually used makeup so we had white lips,” Vanderlinde said.

Vanderlinde also elaborated on the common styles that were popular. Her senior year, bell bottoms rose in popularity.

“It was my senior year of bell bottoms...my first pair—they were maroon, skin tight, until they got down to the bottom with the flare,” Vanderlinde said.

Similarly to Kern, Vanderlinde had a favorite outfit that she enjoyed wearing during her high school years. “I remember one of my favorite things––I had this jumper that was kind of green and I had these fishnet ...nylons,” Vanderlinde said.

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veryone has a different idea of what the future will hold. The future, as an idea introduced to children, changes and grows as the children do; it matures and develops as the young minds try to grasp what occurrences each day holds and how technology can impact and change not only their daily lives, but their overall future. With new inventions every day, this concept looks very different and individual depending on the person and their experiences.

When children think of the future, they find that there are unlimited possibilities.

This is true in the BSM community as well.

For some of the Little Knights, they dream of being a princess or a cowgirl when they grow up. For others, it is a little more realistic. “Most of the time [it is] something their parent does, so a lot of them want to be teachers. We see superheros as things they want to be, real superheros like firefighters and policemen, but also Superman and Wonder Woman. So some of those fantasy ideas are still in play,” Little Knight teacher Ms. Heidi Wolf said.

Some students or teachers find the future to be scary, uncertain and perhaps even dark, but for others, they can look to the future and believe that the next generation will be able to solve the current problems of today and hopefully, in time, strengthen the world together. “When I think future, I always think of hope. That there will always

be something good. Each generation brings their own thing to this nation, to this world.

I just have a whole lot of hope that life can be better, life will be better, not just for our nation, and the people here, but especially for the world. That students that I have now, as you develop into young people, will take on some of these issues and tasks and really stand up for them. So they can bring about some really positive change, hopeful change in our world,” religion and social studies teacher Sister Jeanne Vanderlinde said.

With new technology being presented, a variety of problems are easily fixed and many individuals are constantly searching for ways to make everyday life simpler; however, these changes and new advancements will most likely produce an array of problems for the next generation. “I think the types of problems that are going to need to be solved are going to be different than before… I think for society, I hope we will have solutions to problems that have seemed impossible before -- finding cures for things, finding solutions to problems like global warming, and things like that. I am a perennial optimist so I always think that technology will help us; I also think it will connect society even more and more,” math teacher Mr. John Groess said.

Not only will the lives of young people change in the future, but the jobs that are currently crucial may not be needed to-

morrow. This forces many to question how different and dissimilar the world could be.

“I think that when I was growing up, our parents could envision our futures. I don’t know that your parents can envision your futures because of how fast technology is changing. I don’t know how that makes a parent feel. I think my parents were comforted in knowing that my life wasn’t going to change, with little differences,” Assistant Principal and Junior and Senior Dean Ms. Mary Andersen said.

Not only does everyone have a different idea of the future for the world as a whole, but they also have an idea of what they personally would like to accomplish.

No matter if it is a Little Knight, student, teacher or administrator, many are hopeful, with big ideas and big dreams for the future. “I do always want to contribute to society for the rest of my life, somehow, someway. Actual events on my bucket list would include a fly-in-fishing trip to Canada and visiting every national park in this country.

Those are my two big dreams. Of course, I’ve always said my biggest goal after I retire is [that] I just want to go camping after Labor Day,” Andersen said.

Writers: Erin Long and Mary Youngblut Photographer: Lauren Beh Designer: Andrew Cadle Illustration by Amelia

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“When I grow up, I want to be a princess!”

- Amelia (age 5)

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