september 2021
news 02
Camera crew captures school spirit
ShannonMonahan he hallways looked like a movie set with thousands of dollars of video equipment and girls getting ready for their closeup on Aug. 18-19. The production crew, Eleven Twenty-Three, came to film and produce a recruitment video. In the past, journalism students or Mrs. Molly Woodman, director of admissions, would create these videos to show to prospective students when the recruitment team visited their grade schools. Never has the production been this large. Thanks to the larger recruitment budget for this year, the production could finally be something extravagant. When President Ms. Mary Higgins finalized the increase in this year’s budget, Woodman quickly realized that, “We can not spend this money on more pencils.” This prompted Woodman to do what she had been dreaming of for years — create a video that would be hilarious and help Marian stand out from other schools. Woodman said that the build-up and planning were the hardest part of making the video. The production crew came several times during the summer and went back and forth with the marketing team to finalize the details. Eleven Twenty-Three built an elaborate background for part of the video involving a prom scene. Senior Abigail Bluvas starred in the prom scene wearing a long maroon prom dress. “I had so much fun filming the video and I cannot wait for future Crusaders to see the video and experience how amazing Marian is firsthand,” Bluvas said. The crew caused chaos throughout the school day. “The video making part was really fun but also uncomfortable disrupting the classes and girls,” Woodman said. The crew filmed videos of students silently cheering and doing the M-Beat in the quad, and worked hard to capture the Marian spirit.
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Scan to watch the recruitment video!
Hispanic Heritage Month uplifts traditions ElleianaGreen
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mpathy is the ability to walk in someone else’s form at different events in South Omaha. We wear shoes and attempt to see the world through a long bright skirts with the cross or Mary on them, different lens. No two people look the same, share and celebrate our history,” Perez said. Maintaining the same story, or live the same life, but this doesn’t their culture in everything they do, Hispanic-Ameristop human beings from forming connections. cans work to make their families proud. Sept. 15 marked the beginning of National “My immediate family is the only family I have Hispanic Heritage month, but for the Hispanic in the United States,” Ramirez said. “To see the community, their culture is rest of my family, I would have to put a lot at risk, not confined to a matter Illustration by including my own safety.” Ramirez, like many of days. other Hispanic-Americans, longs to see her Elleiana “My Hispanic family on a regular basis. “The last time I saw Green heritage is everything my family in Venezuela and in person was to me,” sophomore when I was 5 years Diversity Board old,” Ramirez said. member Mia “With technology Ramirez said. it has been easier to “My mom communicate, but immigrated with the situation, from Venezuela you never and my dad know when the immigrated electricity will from Colombia. go out. I hope to Spanish was my reunite with my first language and family someday, Ja growing up it meant but I know I’m rab e T everything to me. I wish making them proud.” ap itio everyone around me understood Ramirez-Henriquez, ,M exi how my culture impacts my life.” fortunately, has been able to ca nt r ad Family, community, music and food bring several of her family itio na serve as the pillars of Hispanic cultures throughmembers to the United ld an out the world. Currently, there are 21 official SpanStates. “This year we’ve ce ish speaking countries, but no two countries are the been able to bring most of our family from same. “Music connects my family to my culture El Salvador here because of poor living conditions. back home,” Ramirez said. “Chino and Nacho, a My house used to be quiet, but now, it’s always full popular Venezuelan duo, make Venezuela not seem of energy, and I finally am around the people I’ve so far away.” been missing my entire life.” For others, traditional foods also bring them back As Ramirez and Ramirez-Henriquez lead diverto their roots. sity efforts in the school community, they hope to “I come from a full Salvadorian background. give students a look into their lives. “It’s hard to fit I’m a first generation immigrant,” junior Diversity everything into a month,” Ramirez-Enriquez said. Board member Erika Ramirez-Henriquez said. “My “But as a Diversity Board, we’re working to make family is huge—and loud, but the food and culture fliers to post throughout the school...my hope is that brings us together, especially traditional Salvadoran people will relate our stories with their own and pupusas.” educate themselves.” Sophomore Ximena Perez Silva celebrates her Hispanic Heritage Month highlights the imporMexican heritage with traditional dance. “Tradition- tance of being able to put oneself in the place of al Aztec and Mayan dance is very important to my another. For many, Hispanic Heritage Month will family,” Perez said. come and go, but for members of Hispanic commu“My family gathers in traditional attire to pernities, their celebration never ends.
Field Day documentary ‘Benson To Baxter’ hits the big screen MaddieAdam
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ield Day is Marian’s most cherished tradition — every graduate, student, and teacher has a story to tell. Class of 2021 graduate Naomi Delkamiller brings these stories to life in her documentary, “Benson to Baxter.” On Aug. 13, faculty and a few students previewed “Benson to Baxter,” a documentary that tells the history of Field Day, from the tradition’s first years to today. Delkamiller has been working on this project since May of 2020 for her Intro to Humanities Capstone Project. This project allows students to get a deeper look into the humanities while exploring their own interests, including art and history. The inspiration for this NaomiDelkamiller ‘21 documentary came from her NPR Student Podcast submission regarding the absence of Field Day in 2020. “The opportunity was there, and once I realized how much information there was to tell, I didn’t want to stop. This is so much bigger than me, and I was constantly wondering why this story hadn’t been told before. I’m grateful I got the opportunity to tell it. It fell into my hands, and I felt a lot of responsibility to
make sure I told it right,” Delkamiller said. The documentary is a compilation of more than 60 years of Field Day, from its first days at Benson Park to its more recent at Baxter Arena, encapsulating the rich history, changes and continuities of the beloved tradition. The role that students play as the driving force of the tradition is emphasized throughout the interviews and footage in the documentary — Field Day continues because the students care. Delkamiller went through hours of CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, and her own Field Day footage to capture the true essence of the annual event. She searched through footage during the free time the pandemic gave her, and also worked with a professional videographer to help with interviews, audio and video. Many teachers, especially Mrs. Jillian Roger, coordinator of the Humanities Scholar Program, played a large role in supporting Delkamiller and her process. “This would not have been possible without Mrs. Roger. She is incredible and always found time to meet with me, support me, and guide me. She was an incredible source of inspiration and strength for me throughout this process. I think it’s also important to recognize the support I got from the administration, teachers and my peers because they knew I was working hard on it. They knew it was a labor of love,” Delkamiller said.
Roger helped her in a number of different ways, such as conducting interviews with her and helping her shoot footage during Field Week. “She did an excellent job balancing a lot of different ideas and perspectives in a delicate way. My favorite part was being able to accompany Naomi on this creative process. It was so neat to see this start as an idea and end up a finished, professional documentary,” Roger said. The documentary also contains many interviews with important figures within the tradition, including principals, presidents, and the Servants of Mary. Principal Susie Sullivan said she believes “Benson to Baxter” tells an important story to the Marian community. “Field Day is such a strong tradition at Marian, so it is important we know the history of the event and how it has evolved over the years. It is also tied to the memories of Marian students as well. Every reunion I have gone to we have discussed Field Day — I may not remember everything about high school, but I can tell you what our Field Day theme was each year and how we placed!” Sullivan said. This was a large and daunting project, and Delkamiller only has a few more edits to make until the final product is completed. The school plans to release the movie as soon as possible. “Marian gave me so much, so this is my gift back to the Marian community,” Delkamiller said.
