December 2014 issue

December 2014. Volume XLII. Issue IV.

The Rubicon S t . P a u l A c a d e m y & S u m m i t S c h o o l - 1 7 1 2 R a n d o l p h Av e n u e - S t . P a u l , M N 5 5 1 0 5

Interac t

ing

w

ith

Co ve r r Sto y

9

p. 8 Junior Karsten Runquist tells stories through film Student Life p.16

Protesters take to streets and Social Media to dispute Brown, Gardner decisions News p. 2

Winter break: plug in or unplug? opinons p. 5

COVER DESIGN: Boraan Abdulkarim

What look like ABCs on this month’s cover are actually letters in a variety of alphabets. To learn more, read Cover Story p. 8-9.

2

Ne w s

Protesters block I-35W, challenge decision not to indict NYPD police officer for death of Eric Garner

Following the Dec. 3 grand jury decision not to indict the white New York City Police Department officer who killed Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, over 100 protesters marched to the Minneapolis City Hall blocking northbound traffic on I-35W which was closed at Exit 14 for about an hour. The group staged sit-ins, chanting the phrase, “I can’t breathe,” reportedly Garner’s last words on July 3. The case is especially controversial given the video of Garner’s death and the illegality of the use of choke-holds by the NYPD. Protests are taking place around the country, demanding an end to racial profiling and police brutality.

#throwback on RubicOnline

December 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Hands up, don’t shoot: Brown’s death sparks controversy Taussig participates in protest of grand jury decision

The fight for equality between races is far from over.

Emma Taussig Guest Writer

I bounce up and down, toes jamming into the pavement, trying to get a better glimpse of the current speaker and trying to warm my feet, now numb from cold. Signs with red handprints wave above my head and cheers and screams echo from my fellow protesters.

With directions from one of the main organizers, we turn and begin to march up towards the highway. Footsteps thunder down the concrete and the beating of helicopter propellers can be heard high above us. Adding to the din are shouts carried by the rallyers of “Black Lives Matter!” and “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” Our throng of protesters climbs the entrance ramp to an empty freeway with traffic jammed to a complete stop heading the opposite direction. Protesters flood the sectioned off, empty lanes, but also jump over the highway divider and into the standstill of cars on the other side of the road.

Signs are held high and some cars honk their horns along to the rhythm of the chants: “Hands up!

Don’t shoot!”

I hop up onto the freeway barrier with my friends and look back at the sheer mass of humanity spanning across the freeway lanes. There is no visible end to the crowd, and when you think you might see it, more protesters spill over the entrance ramp.

Hundreds, thousands of people are here tonight because of the injustice served in Ferguson, Missouri. One thing we all know is this: The fight for equality between races is far from over.

Social Media becomes outlet for responses to grand jury decision

Hashtag activism keeps the converstions and awareness efforts going. Search #Ferguson, # handsup d ont sho ot , # i c ant breathe, and #blacklivesmatter.

Check out Common Grounds’ video, In Solidarity with Ferguson, on The Rubicon’s

j u n i o r E m m a Ta u s s i g Flickr Creative Commons Image

Protesters gather at the Minneapolis Police Third Precinct to speak out against the grand jury decision not to indict Michael Brown’s killer in the Ferguson, MO shooting. “Signs are held high and some cars honk their horns along to the rhythm of the chants,” junior Emma Taussig said. “The fight for equality between races is far from over.”

Self defense or racial profiling? The story behind the Michael Brown case Meghan Joyce Arts & Entertainment Editor

An unarmed 18-year-old black boy named Michael Brown walks down the street. He encounters a white policeman, Officer Darren Wilson.

Fast Fact

Young black males are 21 times more likely to be shot dead by police.

The details are disputed, but a heated argument ensued between them and Wilson drew his gun.

Wilson went home that night with a faint bruise, and Brown was left dead in the street for four and a half hours with seven bullets in his head and chest. Wilson was not indicted by the grand jury.

Brown’s death Aug. 9 is an individual tragedy and injustice, but in a broader scope it represents just one manifestation of racial inequality in the American justice system which has claimed thousands of other victims. According to a ProPublica analysis of federally collected data on fatal police shootings, young black males are 21 times more likely to be shot dead by police.

So, were Wilson’s shots truly an act of self defense? Or was Brown a victim of deadly racial profiling?

The Grand Jury

Former Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Sol Wachtler said that district attor-

neys have enough influence on grand juries that they could easily convince them to “indict a ham sandwich,” as the jury only sees what the district attorney wants them to about the case.

This power makes it incredibly rare for federal grand juries not to indict, as they chose to do in Ferguson, though grand juries indict much less frequently in police shootings. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, only 11 of 162,000 prosecuted cases were not indicted in 2010.

A grand jury met in secret for three months to decide whether the evidence warrants indictment, the formal accusation which precedes a trial by jury. Usually, it consists of 23 average citizens. In this case, it consisted of 12: nine white, three black - and agreement between nine or more jurors makes the criminal decision. The tally has not been made public.

Physical evidence did support Wilson’s claim of self defense, and some witnesses even testified that Brown charged at him. This would give Wilson a reasonable cause to defend himself, however, hospital records described Darren Wilson as “well-appearing, well-nourished, in no apparent distress” the night of Brown’s death. While witness reports were conflicting, there was near consensus that Brown put his hands up in apparent surrender before Wilson killed him. Whether Brown’s hands were up or he was charging, were that many shots needed?

In Wilson’s testimony, he dehumanized Brown throughout the description of their altercation, but also explained the fear that drove him to pull the trigger: “I felt like a five-year-old holding onto Hulk Hogan…he looked up at me and had the most intense aggressive face. The only way I

can describe it, it looks like a demon, that’s how angry he looked.”

Regardless of whether or not the shots were fired in self defense, Brown’s family said that they “are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions,” and they hope that through peaceful protest, injustice within the justice system will be fought.

public to take a stand: “...Michael Brown’s tragic death is part of an alarming national trend of officers using excessive force against people of color, often during routine encounters... The officers and police departments are not held accountable.”

The general public has demonstrated a similar reaction to these public authorities, as protests broke out nationwide following

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Aliza Rahman standing in solidarity with Ferguson, seniors Aliza Rahman, Mansuda Arora, Asad Masood, and Alexis Irish raise their hands to sybolize the common rally cry “ Hands up, don’t shoot.”

The Bigger Picture

Within an hour of the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert McCulloch announcing the grand jury decision not to indict Wilson on Nov. 24, President Barack Obama delivered a statement in which he laid out his thoughts on the greater significance of Michael Brown’s death from police brutality.

“We need to recognize that this is not just an issue for Ferguson, this is an issue for America,” Obama said. “Separating that from this particular decision, there are issues in which the law too often feels as if it is being applied in a discriminatory fashion.”

The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, Jeffrey Mittman, issued a statement expressing his concerns and campaigning for the

the announcement of the grand jury’s decision.

The Results

Wilson had been on paid leave since killing Brown (and garnered donations of almost half a million dollars), but resigned on Nov. 29 because the police department received threats of violence if he remained on the force.

Protesters have mixed feelings about Wilson’s resignation. Many feel that he should have been fired long ago, and others feel that it is just a single, tiny step in the right direction that he isn’t on the force.

Brown’s murder gave a cause a martyr and sparked a revolution. It’s a revolution which won’t stop until everyone is able to trust those who are meant to serve and protect them, regardless of the color of their skin.

Facebook.

November Corrections:

Cover Story: Katie Brunell’s name was misreported as Kate. A&E: Web Lehmann’s name was misspelled. Sports: Katie Ademite’s first name was not included. The song “Bleed It Out” by Linkin Park was misattributed to Bastille; Karsten Runquist’s name was misspelled. The photo for the Alpine Ski team is a photo of the Nordic Ski team.

Two Quiz Bowl teams place ninth, qualify for national tournament

In the 2014-15 season, both Quiz Bowl teams tied for ninth out of 72 teams to make nationals. By earning this ninth place finish in the Rosemount Annual Thumb-Racing Academic Competition Event, two teams now have a chance to go to nationals. Though both teams qualified, they are still raising the funds needed to attend the national tournament.

“The team pulled it together with good competitive drive and a strong knowledge base. Quiz Bowl could have a good future ahead of it,” sophomore Cole Staples said. Staples also won the Rising Sophomore award.

Dean of Students Max Delgado elaborates on reasons for revisions to tardiness, detention policies Emily Thissen Sports Editor

What is the new policy?

In many ways, it’s still the same policy, just over a shorter period of time. The biggest adjustment to the policy was when we would reset the clock on tardies. Instead of a semester long, it will go in terms of quarters.

Can you describe the policy in a word or two?

More effective. It will allow for more focused attention on attendance for those students during the quarter. A semester can seem like forever.

What were the factors that went into the decision for a new policy?

The biggest thinking behind it is that it is easier for students to focus on a quarter at a time than semester at a time. A quarter felt a little more balanced. The clock can be reset after a quarter. We also wanted to make sure students had all detentions served.

They need to serve all detentions before the clock can be reset.

How will the policy benefit our community?

Ultimately, the impact will be that students will have less detention over the course of the year. It gives them more freebies for the year - two per quarter, rather than 4 for the entire year.

Do you think students should react well to the changes?

If the assembly response was any indication that [students] are grateful for the opportunity to have tardies reset at the quarter, it seems to be a positive response.

Read the policies at RubicOnline

Rosemount Annual Thumb-Racing Academic Competition Event after qualifying for nationals.

Left to right: freshman Peter Blanchfield, sophomore Jack Indritz, freshman Jack Hermann, sophomores Ewan Lang, Cole Thompson, and Phoebe Pannier, junior Netta Kaplan, and sophomore Cole Staples (on ground).

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Andrea Bailey

Ne w s

December 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Q & A

MEMBER OF THE QUIZ BOWL TEAM pose with their trophies at the

3

Adopt-a-Family promotes giving during holidays Stephanie Li Staff Writer

Students gather together for the annual wrapping party on Dec. 10. Festive paper rustles as gifts, including an assortment of toys and necessities, are enveloped in pretty decorative wrap.

The Adopt-a-Family program provides an opportunity for students to help families have a better holiday by providing gifts.

Adopt-a-Family is run by Project for Pride in Living (PPL)—a non-profit organization founded in the Twin Cities that strives to improve the situations and circumstances of families who aren’t able to sustain affordable housing and education. PPL has served more than 13,000 low-income families annually with the help of over 2,300 volunteers who have contributed more than 61,000 hours of service in 2013 according to their website.

PPL sends SPA advisories who choose to be involved a list of the family members and their gift requests so that the advisory can buy items the family needs. This year, 34 advisories participated in Adopt-a-Family. Most groups made plans and assigned each other jobs and responsibilities for buying gifts.

Before the event, sophomore Hana Martinez said, “A couple of us are going shopping togeth-

PHOTO CREDIT: Gita Raman

FRESHMEN NED LAIRD-RAYLOR AND TURAB NAQVI wrap presents for Adopt-a-Family with their advisory in the cafeteria on Dec. 10. The event is hosted by Community Action and Service. “We want to put a large emphasis on local action and local volunteer work and we know that these gifts are going to families that are in the Twin Cities,” CAS president Samantha Linn said.

er. We all know what we’re contributing; we all know what we’re supposed to be doing.” Martinez is a member of the Beatrice White advisory.

The Adopt-a-Family program does not just benefit families in need but also advisories. Advisories have fun and bond together when they go and shop for gifts.

“It will be like a bonding experience, something we can do together,” sophomore Cole Thompson said. Thompson is a member of the Andrea Bailey advisory.

Seniors Maddie Flom-Staab, Samantha Linn, and Sheila Sullivan are the presidents of Com-

munity Action and Service, the group that organizes the event and formed a liaison with the Adopt-a-Family program.

“It’s been a tradition since we were freshmen,” Sullivan said.

Community Action and Service has worked with the Adopt-a-Family program for many years, except last year when the event was replaced with Service Day, because it’s an enjoyable and positive experience where people can offer up their services to help families in need.

“We want to put a large emphasis on local action and local volunteer work and we know that

these gifts are going to families that are in the Twin Cities,” Linn said.

“I think there is something exciting about it because just the idea of helping out someone you don’t even know [to] probably have a better holiday [is] it’s just sort of like a good feeling,” Martinez said. “It’s pretty cool that our school’s doing it.”

The Community Action and Service student group is looking forward to the results of their efforts. “It’s probably our most popular event of the year and with that comes a lot of work and preparation but it’s totally worth it,” Linn said. A wrapping party was hosted in the cafeteria on Dec. 10. The co-presidents also provided baked goods that spiced up the event and added a sprinkle of delight and enthusiasm to the festivities.

The Adopt-a-Family program is a way for SPA to give back to the community in a meaningful way. “I think all advisories in the future should contribute to that [Adopt-a-Family program] because it’s fun and it’s beneficial,” Martinez said. Community Action and Service have plans continue the program into the future and keep it as a tradition because it brings the SPA community together and is an excellent way for students to have fun while contributing to public service.

Debate teams compete at state, prep for nationals Noor Qureishy Student Life Editor

A swirl of suits, ties, and business dress dominate the crowds as nervous chatter fills the room and high school students wait for ballots to be counted. Armed with only their powers of speech and improvisation, prior research, and a debate partner, students from St. Paul Academy and Summit School who participated in the Novice and Junior Varsity Public Forum debate tournaments, as well as the upcoming National Qualifiers immerse themselves in a highly competitive environment that requires skill, hard work and perseverance.

“The competition [this year] is as strong as it’s ever been … it’s going to take luck and our best debating [to make it into Nationals],” Debate Coach Tom Fones said.

A total of four teams from SPA competed in the National Qualifiers tournament on Dec. 13 at SPA. Seniors Shaan Bijwadia with Thomas Toghramadjian, senior Jordan Hughes with junior George Stiffman, senior Afsar Sandozi with sophomore Sarah Wheaton, and sophomores Shefali Bijwadia with Raffi Toghra-

madjian were selected based on competition style and skill.

The National Qualifiers tournament has a particularly aggressive format: the double elimination structure dictates that teams who lose twice are pulled immediately from competition, so only a select few can make it through.

Fones believes all four teams from SPA have a fighting chance, although competitors such as Eastview and Chanhassen aren’t far behind.

Hughes agrees: “it’s one thing to be selected for a team [to go to the National Qualifiers]; it’s another thing to succeed [when you’re] put into that kind of competitive environment,” he said.

Having gone to the National Qualifiers tournament last year as well, Hughes recommends the experience and has advice for those who want to participate in the future: “Work hard. Start preparing early, and start showing interest early … this is as far as the season goes, it’s worth striving for.”

As practice for the upcoming National Qualifiers, Varsity debate students attended a tournament on Dec. 6 at SPA to, as Fones put it, “audition their arguments and spend time preparing for what the other schools are

SUBMITTED PHOTO : Adnan Askari

NOVICE DEBATERS PREP for the State Tournament, in the Upper Library just before leaving for the competition on Dec. 5. “It was a lot of fun, there were a lot of people there and there was a larger range of competition … there were definitely higher stakes,” freshman Henry Zietlow said.

doing.” All four teams placed in this tournament, taking the top three places, as well as sixth place among competing area schools.

The Novice and Junior Varsity State tournaments are also important hallmarks for debate students. It has been almost a decade since anyone from the debate program has gone to either one of these tournaments, which occurred on Dec. 5-6.

“It was all about logistics; we’ve always had kids who could do it,” Fones said. “I think there’s been a lot of interest … [the tournament] is just the capping off on what has been a really good

season for [both] JV and Novice debaters.”

Freshman Numi Katz also loved attending the tournament, although she advises future debaters to “be prepared. Ben [Konstan, Katz’s partner] and I prepared a lot, and it helped so much,” she said.

In the end, Novice, JV, and Varsity debaters alike drew one conclusion from their experiences in a highly competitive environment: as Hughes said “everyone’s in a good place … [but] putting yourself in the most competitive environment and seeing how you fare always helps.”

4

Op i n ion s

December 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

S taff

2014-15 Editor-in-Chief Eva Perez-Greene Chief Visual Editor Boraan Abdulkarim Managing Editor Netta Kaplan Online Editor-in-Chief Catherine Braman Online Chief Visual Editor Diane Huang News Editor Clare Tipler Opinions Editor Amodhya Samarakoon Sports Editor Emily Thissen Cover Story Editor Javier Whitaker-Castaneda Feature Editor Nina Zietlow Student Life Editor Noor Qureishy Arts & Entertainment Editor Meghan Joyce In Depth Editor Mari Knudson Science & Technology Editor Paul Watkins Columns Editor Thomas Toghramadjian Copy Editor Gita Raman Photographer/Arts Critic Patrick Commers Staff Writers Marlee Baron Lauren Boettcher Rafael Buettner-Salido Dianne Caravela Breandan Gibbons Jared Grossman Lexi Hilton Ben Konstan Stephanie Li Ben Mellin Shaymus O’Brien Lillian Pettigrew Tucker Waltenbaugh Adviser Kathryn Campbell

the rubicon The student newspaper of St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 AWARDS JEM All-State Gold (Print and Online) MHSPA Best in Show 1st Place - Print 5th Place - Online NSPA First Place w/marks of distinction CSPA Gold Medal w/All Columbian Honors

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

STAFF EDITORIAL

Asking the messy question is essential In the pursuit of awareness and acceptance, students have lost sight of the people who are right in front of them: their peers. By accepting those who are different, students have only scratched the surface regarding differences in their own community. Differences are not asked about or discussed on a personal level.

This is because a rigorously accepting cultures condemns ignorance to the point that students are too afraid to ask people about their identities in the case they offend them. However, it is better to admit to not knowing something and ask than never understand a vital part of someone’s identity.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School fosters a culture of awareness: students are taught about many cultures, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, gender pronouns, and more to create a better understanding of the world and avoid offending peers.

In general, students expect to be told or pick up what is or isn’t politically or factually correct.

But, unless they’ve experienced being a part of a community apart from their own, there is no doubt that there are things they simply can’t find out except by asking someone in that community.

Every culture in this world is so multifaceted that there is no way everything can be taught in a book or a single news article.

According to the Pew Research Center, there are nearly 41,000 distinct Christian denominations worldwide, yet, within two years of World History, only around ten are mentioned. Similarly, un-

der the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there are currently 566 federally recognized Native American tribes in the United States, yet the average student knows very little about Native American cultures.

Though there is no way to learn all aspects of every culture, or other societal variation students must still make an effort to learn about the people in their own community.

Students try so hard to be politically correct by not saying anything at all and that hinders them from discovering important aspects of their peers and the community. Due to the infeasibility of teaching every student everything there is to know about cultures and differences, misconceptions and broad generalizations still exist. Ideally, everyone is infinitely worldly and knowledgeable, but that is simply not the case. In order to get to know peers personally, one must ask the messy questions.

It may seem difficult to avoid sounding ignorant or prejudiced, but students should try asking open ended questions. Meanwhile, students who are asked these questions should give peers the benefit of the doubt and assume these questions are asked with complete sincerity. Seemingly ignorant and assumptive questions that are answered are better than misguided assumptions that are never addressed.

In some cases, there is no good way to ask certain question that may seem just a bit too messy. However, in a community that strives to be a place that cel-

EDITORIAL CARTOON: Diane Huang

IT MAY SEEM DIFFICULT TO AVOID sounding ignorant or prejudiced, but try asking open-ended questions. Ask someone what their ethnicity is. Then ask them about their culture or sexuality. Ask someone what their religion is. Ask about their family. Ask them about their experiences.

But most of all, ask them about what has made them the person they are today.

ebrates and welcomes diversity, those types of difficult questions should be the ones that are embraced and tackled collectively and wholeheartedly. And through this process of asking and answering hard questions, students can get to better know their peers, especially their identities and experiences.

Ask someone what their ethnicity is. Then ask them about their culture. Ask someone about their sexuality. Ask someone what their religion is. Ask about their family. Ask them about their experiences. But, most of all, ask them about what has made them the person they are today.

Mini-Editorials Grade spaces: love them, police them, and keep them clean

Student highway Increase in affinity protesters demonstrate groups shows greater courage tolerance and support

Students should not be afraid to call each other out on leaving a mess because of potentially feeling like a buzz kill.

Although eating in the hallways is not permitted, students often choose to continue snacking near their grade level spaces.

Snacking in these areas is an issue because this leaves a mess of wrappers and crumbs behind for a teacher or peer to throw away.

But, even though eliminating out of dining hall and gym foyer snacking will be difficult, eliminating excess litter in grade spaces should not be. And, when littering happens, friends notice but often don’t say anything.

Seeming like an annoying or bossy friend is a much smaller consequence than having a messy grade space that reflects badly on the entire class.

Students need to respect their grade spaces by picking up after themselves. They need to be willing to call each other out when it’s not happening, as well as accept when they are asked to clean up.

Protesters marched down Interstate 35 West in peaceful protest Dec. 7. This was due largely in part of the Grand Jury decisions in Ferguson, Missouri and Staten Island, New York which found that there was not enough evidence to indict either of the police officers involved in each of the deaths (See NEWS, P.3).

The protesters showed their support for the two slain victims.

It takes a lot of guts to walk on to a highway, even when in a group or large crowd.

Speaking up, especially in public, is difficult and anyone involved in this protest should be proud of their efforts.

Although their actions blocked traffic for approximately an hour and disrupted the commute home for many drivers, the short-term annoyance of rerouting traffic is a small price to pay for the awareness that the coverage of the protest generated.

It’s important to continue talking, to be informed about race bias and police use of force, and to take action.

This year there has been an increase in student affinity groups, adding Her Space, a female-identified affinity group and Alphabet Soup, for LGBTQIA teens.

This is fabulous and shows how students can collaborate with faculty to create groups where they can honestly talk about challenges and consider action.

With the introduction of groups like this, people can see the school community as a place where students accept others for who they truly are and whatever groups they may identify with.

While there is still room to grow by adding more affinity groups in the future, students should recognize that this inclusion model is gaining momentum.

It takes quite a bit of effort and even some courage to start new groups like these, and the students involved in creating them, planning meetings, and reaching out to others should be celebrated for their efforts.

Whether affinity-oriented or not, it’s time for the community to listen and support.

The Rubicon

Editorial Policy:

The Rubicon editorials are representative of the opinions of the Staff Editorial Board, which is made up of all students in journalism/Editorial Leadership. All other opinion pieces are the opinions of the authors themselves.

Letters Policy:

Longer opinions are welcomed as Letters to the Editor and may be published in the print or online edition.

Letters to the Editor should not exceed 400 words and may be edited for style. Cases of fraud and impersonation are prohibited and will be reported to the Dean of Students and the Discipline Committee. Letters can be mailed to us or sent to rubicon.spa@gmail.com.

Our Mission

We strive to capture the spirit of the community through its stories while inspiring deeper conversations. Above all we stand for integrity in our pursuit to inform and engage our readers.

Op i n ion s

December 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

5

To plug in or unplug: which break plan is best?

Plugging in during Winter Break should be replaced by other activities Mari Knudson

Instead of staring at screens, spend time with friends and family in person, explore new hobbies, or simply enjoy the relaxation.

In Depth Editor

Between cell phones, television, and laptops, teenagers spend an alarming portion of the day staring at screens. Although the amount of screen time varies widely from teen to teen, the hold technology has on students’ lives is overwhelming.

While students may not be able to remove themselves as well from technology during the hectic school days because of how close school work and technology are tied, Winter Break is the ideal time to unplug.

According to a study conducted in 2010 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, teenagers spend more than 7.5 hours a day exposed to media of various sorts.

Technology can be beneficial to students in many ways: ease of communication, increased efficiency, and a much needed outlet for relaxation from studies.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School incorporates laptops into its curriculum because it can help students work more productively.

However, too much of anything can have a negative impact.

A large amount of television, social media, and music usage causes students to procrastinate instead of getting their work done, and excessive use can also keep them up at night instead of getting the valuable sleep they need.

High schoolers already get less sleep than near the recommended

Photo Illustration: Amodhya Samarakoon

Although students may desire to REMAIN connected

to the

virtual world, by doing so, they are disconnecting themselves from the physical world around them.

By cutting down on screen usage, students may be surprised by how much time it frees up in their schedules. Sophomore Elena Macomber illustrates this by sledding in her yard.

9 hours, so finishing homework without distractions and getting sleep is a must, especially with sports and other extracurricular commitments.

Over break, many of these commitments go away - there

is less schoolwork which often eliminates the stress that technology use usually remedies.

This is another reason why stepping away from technology over Winter Break is a good idea - students can experience

life without the constant buzzing of a phone in their back pocket or the thought of that assignment on Google Drive that needs to be submitted.

A big factor in excess screen usage for SPA students is smartphones. A poll performed in Nov. 2014 of 30 SPA students, grades 9-12, showed that about 96 percent of students own cellphones, and almost 80 percent of the 96 percent of students with phones have smartphones. Smartphones are especially dangerous for students’ well being because the technological advancement of smartphones provides an endless amount of distractions.

The more time students spend on their phones, the more ingrained the habit becomes, and with time students develop a sort of emotional attachment to their phones.

Phones can be used as a sort of social crutch on which students rely on during uncomfortable sit-

uations to avoid making conversation.

Although students may desire to be constantly connected to the virtual world, by doing so they disconnect themselves from the physical world around them.

When a student’s eyes are glued to a screen, they’re overlooking the real, breathing people in front of them.

The school year is hectic, and often students are too busy to spend as much time with their families as they would like.

However, Winter Break is a time where many students can catch up on this much needed family time away from their smartphones and computers that usually detract from free time. As distractions from screens can cut into time with family, students should try to cut down on their technology use.

Although it may be tempting to fill the free hours of the day with screen usage, by cutting down on this activity students may be surprised by how much time is freed up to do other things such as spending time with friends in person.

Instead of staring at screens, spend time with friends and family in person, explore new hobbies, play in the plentiful snow, or simply enjoy the relaxation that comes from doing nothing instead of being constantly distracted by technology.

Students should plug-in during Winter break to release stress and relax Nina Zietlow Feature Editor

As the stress of exams passes, students finally feel like they can breathe a sigh of relief at the coming of Winter Break. The long, two week break is a perfect time to plug in whether it be to a computer, phone or iPod. Students can be easily discouraged from plugging in after a long stretch of school work because so much it is on the computer or another device anyways; students write essays, lab reports and turn in homework via Google Drive or Gmail.

It is understandable why staring at a screen for hours on end during the school year can keep a someone from relaxing by adding on more screen time.

Time spent online can be a hard thing to manage in terms of time; according to the National Institute of Health most American children have about 5-7 hours of screen time per day.

News articles about the dangers that lurk in staring at a computer for hours on end are sure to make one paranoid. And nearly every part of life, especially at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, takes place on the computer which can add to the fear of computer overuse.

At SPA, teachers use tools online to connect with their students who often take notes, conduct research, and contact teachers through the computer. It can be hard to then come home and find that ones’ favorite mindless pastimes that they crave after exams (i.e. Netflix) also take place on a laptop.

However, there is a huge difference between working on a long paper or doing research for an important project and doing something enjoyable for oneself.

It is mentally much easier and calming to binge watch a favorite TV show or finally get in some quality time with social media versus sitting at a desk and doing an assignment. Electronics can also help students unwind, such as listening to one’s favorite songs on an iPod or YouTube.

To remedy students’ attachments to technology during school one should try to explore other options during the school day. This could involve taking time to experiment with writing notes on paper rather than typing, or using more book sources while conducting research rather than articles online.

This is a better option than cutting out activities over Winter Break that, in moderation, are a perfectly good way to relieve

Winter Break is a perfect time to watch Netflix or lay around listening to music...

Photo Illustration: Amodhya Samarakoon

It is mentally much easier and MORE calming

to binge watch a favorite

tv show or finally get in some quality time with social media versus sitting at a desk and doing an assignment for school. Sophomore Elena Macomber shows this by chatting on the phone while also streaming media on her personal laptop.

stress like watching a show or online chatting with an old friend, especially when there is no homework assigned to take up students’ time to chill.

are occupied with staying up late to finish math, Spanish, history, biology and English homework or staying after school for sports.

Students must realize that allowing oneself to guiltlessly enjoy binge watching Gossip Girl over Winter Break is not a crime just because so much schoolwork invovles computer usage.

Little changes during school will lessen reliance on technology and screen time. This can make it easier for students who feel uneasy about using technology over break to relax through phone, computer or iPod usage.

Winter Break is a perfect time to watch Netflix or lay around listening to music because students are, for the most part, free of their schoolwork whereas usually they

Want to read more opinions?

Columns are posted weekly by students groups and editors.

Read online exclusive content on your computer, smartphone, or PC at RubicOnline.

6 Fe at ur e Seven holiday gifts to DIY in under an hour December 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Love giving holiday gifts but not the hectic holiday shopping? Short on cash? Want to give more unique presents? Try some homemade gifts this year. Take cups, jars, fabric, bottles, and food lying around your house and transform them into gifts.

n ilto H i Lex riter fW f a t S

Materials: 5 3/4 cups flour 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 4 sticks butter or margarine 3 eggs 1 tsp baking soda 3 tbsp boiling water 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp cinnamon 1 cup chopped walnuts

How to: Cream butter and sugars, stir in eggs. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water, add to butter mixture. Mix flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Gradually add to butter mixture and stir in walnuts. Form dough into logs. wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight. Slice logs into 1/8 inch cookies with a sharp knife.

Cinnamon Cookies Junior Thomas Monserud’s family recipe

Materials: empty bottle and candle How to: Freshman Greta Sirek recommends sticking a candle in a bottle, then filling with colored water and decorating the bottle.

Festive Candle

Materials: mar shmallows, choc olate chips/min chocolate mix, 3 t, hot small jars, and pa per or fabric scra How to: Fill each ps of the 3 jars with either marshmal chocolate chips/ lows, mint or hot choc olate mix. Stack jars, and attach w th e three ith glue, then ad d buttons, paper ric for the face, bu or fabttons, hat and sc arf of the snowm an.

Materials: clay and wheel How To: For those in ceramics class, th row together a mug, cup, or bow l to give as gifts.

“Last year I gave st uff I made in pottery class to my parents and grandm a,” sophomore Mat t Suzuki said.

Personalized Pottery

Hot Chocola Snowmante

Fe at ur e 7

December 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Materials: jar and baking ingredients (see instructions below) How to: In a jar, layer 2 ¼ cups of white sugar, 1 ¼ cups of flour, ⅔ cups of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder Add a card with the following directions: Add ¾ cups of butter Add 4 slightly beaten eggs Mix until completely blended Spread batter on a greased 9 x 13 inch pan

Brownies-in-a-Jar

Materials : cup/mug, permanent How to: F markers or a practic al yet pers mugs with o nali oil-based p ermanent m zed gift, decorate cu oven to dry ps or arkers and . bake them in an

Doodle Mu g

nd

els, a

ing

r sew

rs o scisso

tore her s er t i e ( ric ith of fab ls), and e by bric, a e f c i d o l e rt h o our c ts, or tow wing. Sta ird rials: y e f t o a th se M ee ces h the g, sh ies or by o pie suppl o: Get tw ld clothin blanket, f it throug together. f o t de ie How or from like the t er, and stu the 4th si eel better ht put ut ll f eth her boug toget sides tog thes, then t, you wi he store, b m e tie th 3 of the or old clo made gif ng from t g i e puttin th stuffing your hom up someth i k side w you give ’t just pic n n d i e Wh ou d ing y know w s or to t e e h s

e d a em m o H ws Pillo

PHOTO CREDITS: Lexi Hilton and Nina Zietlow

8

C o v er St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Amodhya Samarakoon Opinions Editor Eva Perez-Greene Editor-in-Chief

Phrases such as “hola” and “au revoir” can be heard in the language hallway, but along with German, Spanish, French and Chinese, many students also speak languages that aren’t taught at school or speak these languages fluently without attending the class. Some students learn these languages outside of school on their own. However, due to the diverse student body at St. Paul Academy and Summit School (which includes people with backgrounds from many different cultures across the globe), many have grown up learning to speak this other language with family.

One of these students is sophomore Tabeer Naqvi, who speaks Urdu fluently at home and occasionally at school with her Pakistani friends and family. She states that this is an integral part of her life because of how it connects her closely to her Pakistani culture.

Naqvi grew up speaking both Urdu and English together, so both were her first languages. “I learned it just like you learn English - by listening to my parents speak,” Naqvi said. Her parents were born in Pakistan and have spoken Urdu all their lives. “Inside my home, it keeps me connected to my culture...outside of my home it’s a way for me to communicate [with family and friends] without other people [who don’t speak Urdu] under-

standing,” Naqvi said. Along with speaking Urdu with her family, she has conversations with other students at SPA who speak Urdu or Hindi at home (which is very similar to Urdu), further connecting her to Pakistani and her friends Indian cultures.

She mostly speaks it with her parents and two younger siblings.

However, out of her sisters, she is the one who chooses to speak Urdu the most. “I’m constantly pestering [my siblings] to speak in Urdu,” she said. Many of her Pakistani friends have lost the ability to speak it and speak English instead. “[I have] a sense of pride because I’m known as that one Desi girl who speaks Urdu fluently - I’m known for it in my Desi community,” Naqvi said.

One of the reasons Naqvi be-

gan to actively speak Urdu at home was because she moved to Minnesota from Pakistan when she was four. “In order to communicate without my cousins making fun of me I needed to practice,” Naqvi said. But now, she speaks it as a way to remain closely tied to her Pakistani culture. “Even though I moved away from Pakistan, I owe it enough to speak the language fluently.”

Another student who speaks a different language at home is junior Liza Bukingolts, who speaks Russian at home with her family. “It was the first language I learned, I grew up learning how to speak it,” she said. Bukingolts’ parents were born in Russia and their first language was also Russian. Although Bukingolts was born in the United States, she

Being bilingual [is good] because you can [better] understand how languages work and the differences between them senior Amber Skarjune

speaks to her parents in their native language.

Bukingolts states that her parents always talked to her in Russian so it wasn’t something

s h E s y i o f “ m a

J e c s m f i S

c h

PHOTO CREDIT: Amodhya Samarakoon

JUNIOR LIZA BUKINGOLTS grew up speaking Russian and still speaks it at home with her parents. “It’s part of my culture, part of my identity.

It’s part of who I am,” Bukingolts said.

Meghan Joyce Arts & Entertainment Editor

Language. It is strange that a series of sounds strung together can have such meaning prescribed to it, but still language is an unparalleled tool for communication which is so intrinsic to human society, and so unique to it. According to the Global Language Monitor, there are 1,025,109.8 words in the English

language, which can be combined in infinite ways to express anything. New words appear and disappear daily as whole languages do themselves over the years, evolving to match its only users--humankind.

With some notable exceptions, animals can only express things in a limited, primitive capacity, and they are born with their modes of communication pre-programmed.

So what is it in the brain that al-

lows human infants to acquire a language, to identify and commit to memory words from streams of unfamiliar sound, usually all before the age of 5? Well, no one can say for sure.

Language processing in early infancy happens in many parts of the brain. Over the years it focuses into Wernicke’s area, located in the left temporal cortex and is involved in language comprehension, and Broca’s area, found

in the left frontal cortex and involved in detecting patterns in language. Then, all of that information is committed to long-term memory when the dendrites in the brain are activated.

While the specifics of how the brain learns a language remain shrouded in mystery, the positive effect of learning a language has on the brain is undeniable.

A study by Lund University in Sweden examining MRI

scans before and after learning a language for three months found that the brain actually grew. Specifically three areas in the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus, which is involved in spatial navigation and learning. The amount that the study participants had learned as well as how hard they worked factored into the degree of brain growth.

“Even if we cannot compare three months of intensive lan-

Fas

The gro the lear lang

S tory December 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

she was taught, she learned it how many students have learned English - simply by hearing and speaking. She also wants her four year old brother to continue trying to learn the language because of the connection it has with her family’s background in Russia.

“It’s part of my culture, part of my identity. It’s part of who I am,” Bukingolts said.

Senior Sam Suzuki speaks Japanese at home with his mother, who is from Japan, and occasionally his younger brother, sophomore Matt Suzuki. “It was my first language...I learned it from my mom and have sustained it by going to Japanese school on Sundays,” Sam Suzuki said.

Matt Suzuki states that he chooses to speak Japanese at home because “It helps me not

st Fact

e brain visibly ows during e process of rning a guage.

[to] forget Japanese, plus it’s easier to speak my mom’s native language with her.”

Similar to other students who speak another language, “The best part is [that] there’s more of a cultural element [than not being bilingual] in terms of food and even conversation,” Sam Suzuki said. Similarly, his brother, Matt Suzuki, states that “Speaking Japanese distinguishes me [from other non bilingual students].”

Along with languages not included in SPA’s language curriculum, there are some students who speak fluently in one of the four languages offered. Freshman Eva Garcia speaks Spanish as her first language with her parents, younger sister and extended family. “I speak Spanish because my Dad is from Mexico...I grew

up speaking [it], was born into a family that only spoke [it], [and] was taken care of by friends that only spoke Spanish,” she said.

Garcia is fluent in this language, but chooses to take the Spanish level four class anyway because she still struggles with spelling.

Garcia states that her dad didn’t know English very well, so she spoke Spanish just as another element of her life rather than a language she had to actively learn.

While being able to communicate with her dad was another reason for learning Spanish, Garcia also states she finds herself many situations which call for her ability to speak Spanish well, such as in church, friends’ or cousins’ houses and when she goes to Mexico to visit her family.

“Spanish is important to me

since it is a part of my culture and my family,” she said.

Senior Amber Skarjune speaks another language taught at SPA; Chinese with her mother. Skarjune grew up learning Chinese through her grandparents: “[They] lived with me when I was just a baby so I learned Chinese before I learned English because they would take care of me when my parents were at work,” Skarjune said. Along with speaking Chinese, Skarjune used to participate in Chinese dance, went to Chinese school on the weekends and currently goes to a Chinese art studio.

Skarjune states that, one thing difficult about being bilingual is that “There are words for each language which you can’t cross-translate...but being bilingual [is good] because you can

9

[better] understand how languages work and the differences between them.”

Speaking another language connects these students with their parent’s backgrounds and gives them insight into their own cultural identities which are closely tied to the language they speak at home. “I think I’m really fortunate, I really appreciate the fact that I can speak two languages fluently. I think it gives me a lot of opportunities and I’d like to harness and also maintain my Chinese as best I can,” Skarjune said.

PHOTO CREDIT: Amodhya Samarakoon

SOPHOMORE TABEER NAQVI learned Urdu at a young age and feels pride for continuing to speak the language. “I feel like even though I moved away from Pakistan, I owe it enough to speak the language fluently,” Naqvi said.

guage study with a lifetime… there is a lot to suggest that learning languages is a good way to keep the brain in shape,” lead researcher Johan Mårtensson said.

Other studies show that Mårtensson is on to something.

People who know more than one language need to use the executive control system of their brain constantly in order to monitor which language they are speaking in, which actually gives them

an edge in terms of brain health.

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are generally diagnosed four years later and symptoms begin five years later in multilingual people.

Learning a language also benefits other aspects of academics.

According to data from the College Board Admissions Testing Program, monolingual students receive a mean SAT score of 366 verbal and 409 math, while stu-

dents who had spent at least five years studying a foreign language receive much higher scores, a mean 504 verbal and 535 math.

A big part of what makes language so fascinating is how little is known about it, but its many known health and academic benefits are definitely worth taking into consideration next time you’re filling out course requests.

Keep exercising those dendrites.

“Ask someone from Cleveland what they think they talk like, and they might tell you, “I don’t thenk I hee-av an ee-accent.”

Ask someone from Syracuse, Chicago, or Madison the same question and you might get the same response. Obviously, they do have an accent, but it goes past just being a simple regionalism. It’s part of another well-established linguistic phenomenon, called the Northern Cities Vowel Shift.”

Interested? Read this story about the Northern Cities Vowel shift and another story on using technology to learn a new language at RubicOnline.com

10 S c i enc e & T e c h nolo g y December 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

Coffee filter courtesy of Wikimedia user Evan-Amos. Image in public domain and used within the bounds of copyright.

“What’s the point of having YouTube not technically blocked if all the videos I actually watch are blocked?” asked freshman Ellie Findell. She “[runs] into one of the blocked websites almost every day,” and said, “I don’t want Netflix, Pandora or Instagram to be blocked. I often want to get a break from studying, and then I can’t.”

WEBS ITE D KE

S

BL OC

TE

ITE

SI

WEBSITE

Diagram credit: Paul Watkins.

f re s h m a n E l l i e Fi n d e l l

EB

S

Globe and Wi-Fi credit: Netta Kaplan.

What’s the point of having YouTube not technically blocked if all the videos I actually watch are blocked?

Freshman Jonah Harrison agreed. “It’s kind of annoying when [the access denied message] shows up, even when it’s not something that’s bad for school. I want the YouTube restrictions to be gone, and Netflix unblocked.”

YouTube has recently faced complaints about Safety Mode blocking “completely innocent and desperately needed videos,” according to David Gardner, writing for The Waking Times.

YouTube relies on users to flag inappropriate content, meaning that many censored videos are completely subjective. YouTube itself says that “while it’s not 100 percent accurate, we use community flagging, age-restrictions, and other signals to identify and filter out inappropriate content.”

Google, YouTube’s parent company, also filters search results they deem to be inappropriate using a system called SafeSearch, enabled on SPA Google accounts. Although Google can’t blockthe websites themselves, blocking the search results leading to those sites is good enough in most cases.

A recent change in SPA’s filtration system means that most categories have lightened their restrictions on sites. This means that students are able to access sites previously blocked, like Pandora or Instagram. The change also lets SPA block sites encrypted with TLS or SSL, which makes the ‘trick’ of prefixing ‘https’ to a URL obsolete, and making it harder to circumvent the filter.

Even though SPA’s filter ultimately helps with students avoid disctractions, t h e frustration wrought thanks to the webfilter censoring clean sites can be prevented easily b y both students and staff.

ITE

Photo illustration credit: Gita Raman

“

W

WEBS

By now, it’s something St. Paul Academy and Summit School students have gotten used to. Some websites are accessible on the school’s internet connection, some aren’t. But do students ever stop to question “how?” or, more importantly- “why?”

According to Upper School Technology Coordinator Chris White, “We don’t decide on particular websites [to filter], we pick categories of things we allow or don’t allow.” White is the primary voice in such decisions, but sometimes administrators are involved as well.

“Sometimes things get mislabeled, so I look into it,” White said. White is the liaison between the student body and the faculty that actually manages SPA’s technology. Students come to him when they would like access to a certain site, and he is very willing to make adjustments whenever needed. White says he gets about three requests a month from students wanting to access certain websites.

“One of the reasons I came here is because it’s open. In many schools everything is blocked permanently — Facebook, YouTube, Twitter,” said White. At SPA, all of those websites have in the past been off-limits, but now are available, providing students with freedom, but also responsibility. White said that Facebook is no longer filtered because “we’re trying to teach students to manage their time and not go on during the day.” This method doesn’t always work– in the past students escaped some restrictions by adding an ‘https’ in front of the url of whatever site they wanted access to, encrypting the traffic and making sure SPA’s servers don’t see what website is accessed.

for and blocks websites in specific categories.

TE WEBSI

Staff Writer

While students are readily able to access once-filtered websites, only needing to have a brief conversation with Mr. White or Mr. Hughes, YouTube videos (filtered with Safety Mode, an optional YouTube constraint most often used as parental control) are a source of frustration for students.

“When I am on my school email account I run into a bunch of blocked [videos] which is really frustrating especially if I know that the video is not inappropriate,” said sophomore Lea Moore.

“When this happens I usually just switch into my personal email account because it doesn’t have as strict blocks as the school accounts have, however that takes extra time and is really frustrating.”

tion must pass through their filter first, which scans

ITE

Lillian Pettigrew

Websites accessed through SPA’s internet connec-

WEBS

Access to certain content online, including clean content, blocked by school filter

How does your computer get online at school?

WE BS

Filtered websites frustrate students

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

i n Dep t h 11

December 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Eco-consciousness: what does it mean here?

People for Environmental Protection spreads “green” awareness, practices Clare Tipler News Editor

Climate change, climate change, climate change. Everyone has heard about the negative impact of humans on the earth, so the United States, Minnesota, and especially St. Paul Academy and Summit School take those warnings to heart. “Its harder to do things to help the environment when you're in places where people aren't very informed,” senior Ellen McCarthy said, “but there are really easy things people can do that make a big difference.”

In the U.S. Under President Obama’s recent Climate Action Plan to reduce Carbon emission by 30% (compared to amounts in 2005) by 2030, every state in the U.S. has been ordered to cut carbon emissions according to how dependent the state is on coal and other resources according to the Pioneer Press. Though Obama’s plan focuses on carbon emissions, there are other ways that the U.S. contributes to climate change that Minnesota can assist with. “[It is vital to help now because] time is running out: glacial ice is melting, ecosystems are being ruined and the air is being polluted by carbon,” McCarthy said.

Obama has led the world in attempts to combat the negative environmental impacts of recent years.

At the Sept. 23 United Nations Climate Summit, President Obama gave a speech to highlight the

proactive actions of the U.S. in the fight against climate change: “We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence.

Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science—and act before it’s too late.”

President Obama’s plan focuses mainly on reducing carbon emissions, but not only big companies can help: “I bike or walk everywhere I can because it is easy, good

PHOTO CREDIT: Gita Raman

people for environmental protection works hard to combat forces contributing to the pollution of the Earth and takes steps towards cleaning it up. “The biggest problem is that people don’t realize how important it is to change our actions while we can,’” PEP co-president Ellen McCarthy said.

exercise, and limits carbon emissions,” sophomore David Santos said.

In Minnesota According to the United States Energy Information Administration, Minnesota contributes to approximately 1.3% of the national greenhouse gas emissions, but for the earth to truly be healthy, Minnesota’s emissions must decrease by a whopping 41%.

Xcel Energy may be a familiar name as it also appears on the Minnesota facility where concerts are held and sports teams play, but this company does more than pay for a building– they encourage clean energy and environmental improvement.

According to their website, Xcel Energy does this by encouraging “excellent environmental compliance,” and by having “ a strong environmental management system to ensure we follow existing regulations and a history of proactive initiatives that go beyond what’s required today to meet tomorrow’s

regulations.”

“There are so many organizations such as Climate Reality Project whose goals focus on action towards a cleaner and informed planet,” McCarthy said.

Another organization that helps the environment in other ways in the Twin Cities includes the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency that publishes fliers and informational fact sheets about climate change, composting, reducing waste at work, and much more. “[My family and I] compost food and organic waste, recycle, use natural or organic fertilizers and cleaning supplies, use an electric lawn mower as opposed to one powered by gas, and try to buy more locally and sustainably produced food,” sophomore Justine Miller said.

Big companies need to make a change to reach President Obama’s goal, but groups like these target things that people can easily do everyday.

In the SPA Community Getting involved in the efforts to reduce negative environmental impacts is easy, especially in the SPA community where there are myriad opportunities to help in the school and in the larger Twin Cities area.

Student groups at SPA like PEP, People for Environmental Protection, bring our community one step closer to a clean earth.

“The biggest problem is that people don't realize how important it is to change our actions while we can. There is a certain point at which immediate action is necessary and in the opinion of millions of environmentalists including myself, we have reached that point... The relationship between the human race and the planet should be symbiotic: we depend of on the planet, but instead of treating the planet with respect for all the resources it provides us with, humans pollute, litter, deforest and drain valuable and irreplaceable resources,” McCarthy said.

ib u r

QUIZ: How green are you?

Your environmental impact is much more than just how much electricity you use and whether or not you recycle. Little everyday things such as the food we eat, the ways we get around, and what kind of activities we participate impact the environment.

1. You’re holding a plastic bottle, the recycling bin is across the room but the trash can is right next to you. What do you do?

a) Throw it away! Who

has time to recycle?

b) In a hurry I might

disregard recycling for

time’s sake.

c) Recycle it, of course.

Photo Illustration: Mari Knudson Fair use images: keywordpictures.com

This image depicts various forms of conservation: recycling, wind power, and efficient electricity and water use.

2. Do you compost your food/ paper and other compostable items?

a) Never

b) Sometimes, only

when it’s convenient.

c) Yes! I compost every

thing possible.

3. How do you get around?

a) Car

b) Public transportation

c) Bike/ Walking 4. Do you carpool?

a) Never

b) Sometimes

c) Almost always 5. You look down at your plate at lunch, what do you expect to see? a)Meat on meat on

meat, a glass of milk.

b) Some meat, lots of

veggies, a variety.

c)Everything is vegan.

Results: If you got mostly A’s...

You can improve on your environmental habits. Habits like recycling and composting are easier to pick up than you might think.

If you got mostly B’s...

You have some good environmental habits, but you can still improve. Keep on reminding yourself to consider how your actions impact the environment.

If you got mostly C’s...

You are an eco-friendly role model. Keep those green habits up and try and help your friends be more eco-conscious as well.

Winter Student Art Show at the opening Dec. 5.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gita Raman

12

See more pictures and read the photo story at RubicOnline

review of movies to watch over Winter Break.

tait on display in the

Read Patrick Commers twice a

beside her self-por-

Art students, grades 6-12, display their work from first semester and trimester in the Winter Student Art Show in the Harry M. Drake Gallery. The show opened Dec. 5 with snacks, smiles, and celebration. The show will run for the rest of the month.

month at RubicOnline. Catch his most recent

Junior Tessa rauch stands

In the mood for movies?

Semester, trimester art diplayed in Drake Gallery Winter Student Art Show

Interstellar I m i tat i on Game W h i p l a sh Th e Th e or y of E verything I n to t h e W o od s

Patrick Commers

A rt s & En t erta i n m en t

December 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

When ph

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

tography means business

“

Emily Thissen Sports Editor

The flash goes off and the camera clicks, capturing the vision of the photographer. The twinkle of an eye is preserved, a laugh frozen in time, a moment saved to revisit. For many students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, taking pictures is more than just a casual activity— it is something they take seriously, and for some it is even a business.

Passion meets business for sophomore Maya Edstrom, as she takes her love for photography to another level. Edstrom started her photography business a little less than a year ago, focusing on family photos, senior portraits, and event photos, among others.

She has had a good amount of business and is optimistic that it will pick up even more. “I think people like me to do their pictures because I charge way way less than professionals, but they still like my pictures, so it’s a good deal for everyone,” Edstrom said.

Edstrom has a website where potential customers can look at

I charge way less than professionals, but they still like my pictures. s o p h o m o re M a y a E d s t ro m SUBMITTED PHOTO: Nora Kempainen SOPHOMORE HANA Martinez sits on the stairs at Minnehaha falls during a photoshoot

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Maya Edstrom

by Nora Kempainen. “I have been asked by a few people to do senior photos and a lot of people

FORMER STUDENT sophia McCoy poses for a picture by Maya Edstrom.

have asked me to take photos of them, so I’ve done a lot of photo shoots these past few months,”

“I love doing more experimental photography,”

Kempainen said.

Edstrom said.

her work and contact her. “As of right now, people usually contact me through word of mouth, but I have a website where people can contact me as well,” she said.

More casual photography is something Edstrom enjoys as well. “I love doing more experimental photography, like in the dark room, but it’s definitely different than the stuff I am paid to do... I don’t think I prefer one over the other,” Edstrom said.

Sophomore Nora Kempainen had her interest in photography jump started by the photography classes offered as an elective at SPA. “I took beginning photography and just started taking pictures of random stuff and I became more and more interested,” sophomore Nora Kempainen said.

Practice makes perfect, as they say. The more pictures taken, the better they get, and more interest

in photography is generated. As Kempainen realized her passion was portrait photography, it got more serious.

“I have been asked by a few people to do senior photos and a lot of people have asked me to take photos of them, so I’ve done a lot of photo shoots these past few months,” Kempainen said.

As for making money, she is beginning to charge for her photos, as more families have asked her

“I have to do stuff with my hands and build things,” senior Daniela Tiedemann said.

Senior Luke Bishop makes realistic drawings.

“I draw pictures of objects such as shoes, chairs, and hallways,” he said.

“A few weeks ago I was working with a theme involving triangles, but since then I’ve been working on architectural drawings and I’ve never looked back,” Bishop said. His current architectural drawing is his favorite piece. It resembles Greek architecture, using straight and curved lines. “It takes what I like from my other drawings and puts it together. It’s working out really well,” Bishop said.

Art has grown side by side with mankind since the time of the cavemen, and often displays the memories or events in the life of the artist. “It kind of keeps a record of my ideas and my thoughts at the time. I think of something that is really cool or I see something really cool, and I want to remake it and remember it. If I create it then I know that I don’t really have to remember for the rest of my life because I can always look at it again,” Tiedemann said.

”

to take pictures for things like holiday cards. “I am planning on charging, but not a ton because making money is not the main point of my photography right now,” Kempainen said.

Mixing business and pleasure can be a hard task, but these student photographers have done it well. If you ever need photos taken, look in the SPA community for a photographer- there are many who are capable.

Artists take their work beyond the art hallway Gita Raman Copy Editor

Taking a trip down the art hallway, it is clear to see that artistic minds are at work. A glance towards the left, paintings are showing, and displayed on the right are black and white photographs.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gita Raman THIS ABSTRACT PORTRAIT by Tiedemann was made using only markers.

“I do a lot of drawing and painting with ink and a lot of messing around with whatever materials I have,” she said.

The materials to write, draw, and create with in the art wing are abundant. Students who work in this creative space express emotions, imagination, and dreams using their hands.

Tiedemann’s art is usually created spontaneously. “I do a lot of drawing and painting with ink and a lot of messing around with whatever materials I have,” she said.

Working with the materials around her has produced some unique results. “I make really really tiny stuff, I carve crayons into sculptures,” Tiedemann said. She has made crayon sculptures of chess pieces, bears, and everything in between.

Now, she is focused on cutting patterns in leaves.

Bishop likes the fact that an idea can transform into a physical object. “It makes my ideas tangible, so I actually have something to look at and hold, instead of it just being an idea,” Bishop said.

As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Students at SPA have shown that they try to live up to that, using art as an outlet for the expression of feelings, emotions and ideas and trying to capture the world around them.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gita Raman CREATING THESE CRayon sculptures and countless others like them has been one of Tiedemann’s latest obsessions. “I make really really tiny stuff, I carve crayons into sculptures,” she said.

Instagram roundup!

Students share pictures from backstage at the POPS Winter Concert

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

A rt s & En t erta i n m en t

December 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

Image courtesy of Walker Teens Facebook page Members of the Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council looks at one of the paintings for their teen-curated event last April at the Walker Art Center, Teen Takeover: Double Take.

“I wanted to be more involved in the arts community. It sounded flawlessly awesome, getting to work with artists and being at the Walker regularly,” Jackson said.

Mari Knudson In Depth Editor

Museums offer a unique view of a subject — be it art, history, science — and a chance for greater immersion and interactivity.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School students have most likely visited more than a few museums by the time they have reached high school, and are familiar with the experience. However, with the abundance of opportunities to volunteer or work in a museum available to teenagers, some SPA students have taken the experience of a museum a step further.

Modern art fans are likely familiar with the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis— its striking architectural design, bold exhibits, and iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture. Especially relevant to SPA students are its

many opportunities and events for local teenagers to get involved in. Some of these opportunities include free admission for those under the age of 18 to galleries, Teen Art Lounge on every third Thursday of the month, and a Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council (WACTAC), which juniors Ingrid Topp-Johnson and Jane Jackson are a part of.

“It’s my first year…I applied for the program last summer,” Jackson said. “A classmate of mine, Ingrid Topp-Johnson, started on WACTAC last year. I wanted to be more involved in the arts community. It sounded flawlessly awesome, getting to work with artists and being at the Walker regularly,” Jackson said.

The WACTAC is a selected group of around 12-13 teenagers who collaborate with the Walker to provide opportunities for teen-

agers to connect with contemporary art and artists. It is a paid job, not a volunteer program.

“I have been on the council since the beginning of my sophomore year,” Topp-Johnson said.

“I became interested in getting involved with WACTAC after going to the free teen-centered art making events they host at the Walker. I was encouraged to apply to be on the council at the end of my freshman year by former WACTAC member and SPA student Will Brower [class of ‘13].”

Examples of past projects for the council include hosting artists speakers, teen art exhibitions, and workshops. The WACTAC also co-hosts the Teen Art Lounge every month alongside a visiting artist.

“We meet to plan teen-centered arts events, talk about the world and how it pertains to art,

and to attend performances and see art at the Walker and beyond,” Topp-Johnson said.

The council has a blog in which members write entries detailing their personal art experiences, in which Jackson and Topp-Johnson both have entries.

Students can read the blog to get a good sense of what the council is really about.

Museum programs like the WACTAC not only connect students to a subject like art or science, but to other teenagers who share some of their same passions.

“My favorite part of WACTAC is the people...meeting and being around everyone. The environment is crucially different than SPA, and with the added elements of art, critical thinking, and no bounds discussion,” Jackson said.

13

Walker Art Teen Art Council provides members enriching real-world experiences Some other museum opportunities include programs at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Children’s Museum. Students can use websites like VolunteerMatch.org to locate a variety of options to suit their interests and availability.

Opportunities like these allow teens to connect with others who share the same passions, engage themselves at a deeper level in their interest, and help other teenagers get involved as well.

“Being part of an interest-based community through these museum opportunities helps you figure out what you love most,” Jackson said.

The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies

Fans await the highly anticipated sequel’s release

PHOTO CREDIT: Dianne Caravela JUNIOR ALICE TIBBETTS holds up some of her much-loved Hobbit merchandise.

“I’ve come to appreciate some of the characters more because of how well they are acted, especially Gandalf and Bilbo,” she said.

Dianne Caravela Staff Writer

Raging fires burn towns to the ground, massive armies gather on misty mountains. Evil lurks not only in the shadows, but in the hearts of the characters the world

has grown to love. The final installment in the Hobbit trilogy, The Battle of Five Armies comes out Dec. 17.

The last movie, The Desolation of Smaug, left off with the immense dragon, Smaug, flying toward the human settlement of Laketown, ready to destroy it.

Meanwhile, even darker trouble has begun as Gandalf is captured by the Necromancer. Left on the edge of their seats, many Saint Paul Academy and Summit School students eagerly await the release of the final film.

Sophomore Ali Duval said that she could not be more excited for the movie. “There’s going to be a bunch of stuff like fire and Smaug,” Duval said. Another perk for Duval is that one of her favorite actors, Martin Freeman, stars as reluctant adventurer Bilbo Baggins.

Junior Alice Tibbetts is also impressed with the casting of the movie. “I’ve come to appreciate some of the characters more be-

cause of how well they are acted, especially Gandalf and Bilbo,” Tibbetts said.

Tibbetts is also excited for the huge concluding battle which is sure to be visually stunning. “I’m excited for all the action, but definitely not for any of the deaths,” Tibbetts said.

Sophomore Andrew Michel is also eager for the next movie.

He said he thinks the best part of the movies will be the extra plot that has been added. “Even if you have read the books, I think you’ll get some surprises,” he said.

Duval and Michel are avid fans of Lord of the Rings even though they have not read the series in its entirety. “I’ve tried three times to read the books, but I stop after getting halfway through every time,” Duval said. Michel got

Illustration: Meghan Joyce The DRAgon smaug rules over the Lonely Mountain and guards the arkenstone, which the dwarves (and Bilbo) seek to return to its rightful owners. Their adventure had the unexpected side effect of drawing Smaug

halfway through the second book, The Two Towers, before stopping. “Finishing them is on my to-do list,” he said.

Tibbetts, on the other hand, grew up with the books, as her dad read them to her and her siblings when they were young. “I’d draw pictures to go along with every chapter,” Tibbetts said.

Both devoted fans and newcomers to the series can enjoy this

out of the mountain and on a destructive rampage through Middle Earth.

enthralling trilogy, so if you’re looking for a reward for finishing exams, treat yourself to the thrilling ride The Battle of Five Armies is sure to be.

14 Sp ort s

DECEMBER 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Zietlow brings holiday classic to life

Hard work and dedication to make Clara’s Dream production a success

Noor Qureishy Student Life Editor

Submitted Photo: Nina Zietlow

JUnior nina zietlow rehearses the Flower Corps dance for Clara’s Dream. “It takes a lot of work because [in the picture] the part I’m doing you have to do with your partner, and to stay together and be in sync while still being expressive with the movement is hard,” Zietlow said.

Noor Qureishy Student Life Editor Amodhya Samarakoon Opinions Editor

Elegant figures spiral onstage, costumes fluttering like Christmas snow, accompanied by a swell of orchestral music and the rapt attention of an enchanted audience. With the ability to tell stories purely through graceful movement, ballet is a demanding form of dance that only a few can pursue as a serious form of art.

Junior Nina Zietlow is one of these dedicated dancers. She’s participating in a production called Clara’s Dream, a variation of the classic ballet story, The Nutcracker, playing at the Macalester College Theater from Dec. 18 to Dec. 21.

Zietlow has been a serious ballet dancer for about five years, ever since she decided she wanted to take it to the next level when she was twelve: “When I was younger, I absolutely hated [ballet]…[then I] went to see the production of Billy Elliot [the musical] and I was like ‘I want

“

[The Nutcracker is] one of my favorite ballets ... I like the story it tells and the diversity of emotion. junior Nina Zietlow

”

to do that, that’s super cool,’” Zietlow said. She is part of the dance company called Saint Paul Ballet, which provides classes for aspiring dancers as well as performances for the public. Through Saint Paul Ballet, Zietlow performed in The Nutcracker for the first time last year, and has also been part of productions such as Peter Pan, The Enchanted Toy Shop, and Cinderella.

Zietlow got involved with The Nutcracker, a serious commit-

ment both physically and timewise, due to her love of the show.

“It’s one of my favorite ballets…

I like the story it tells and the diversity of emotion,” she said. A classic, two-act production, The Nutcracker was originally created by Tchaikovsky, who put together both the music and the storyline. Adapted from E. T. A. Hoffman’s novel, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, this production is treasured for its grand, sweeping symphonic works, rich in both inspiration and originality. Although Zietlow is performing a variation of The Nutcracker called Clara’s Dream, the show follows the same storyline, music, and history that applies to The Nutcracker of the productions.

Although she’s in the “land of sweets”, “Chinese dance”, and the famous party scene, Zietlow’s role in the flower corps, at the end of the “land of sweets” section is her hardest. “It’s hard to get into a character, especially when you’re playing a flower,” Zietlow said. “I strive for perfect technique which isn’t exactly what most people do…but by really trying to perfect the steps, I think I’m more able to

express myself and let myself be in charge of the scene,” she said.

However, ballet dancing is a very challenging activity, requiring extensive physical ability and more flexibility than most sports.

Not only does Zietlow have to master her steps on stage, she has to match her movements with those of all the other ballet dancers she’s coordinating with to create a seamless performance. This requires twenty hours a week for rehearsal. “It’s a very individualized thing, but at the same time you have to work with everyone and engage…it requires a huge amount of connection and a huge amount of thought,” she said, referring to the ways ballet dancers have to both manipulate their bodies as they dance and express their characters at the same time.

Regardless of the challenges, Zietlow views ballet as an integral part of her life. “It’s a really great experience … it pushes [me] to do things that most people just cannot do.”

Want to see the show?

Fair Use Image: Saint Paul Ballet

Macalester College Theater 1600 Grand Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 Dec. 18 at 7:00 p.m.

Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 at 1:00 p.m.

Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 at 2:00 p.m.

Adult tickets: $20 Child/senior/student tickets: $16 Student/educator $10 rush tickets available at the box office 15 minutes prior to performance.

Find more information at www.spcballet.org

Sp ort s

DECEMBER 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Show your Spartan Spirit over break Boys Basketball Jan. 2 at 7:00 @ SPA vs St. Croix Prep Girls Basketball: Dec. 19 at 7:00 @ Visitation vs Visitation Boys Hockey: Dec. 20 at 3:00 @ Drake vs Owatonna Girls Hockey: Dec. 23 at 3:00 @ Phalen Arena vs St. Paul Blades

15

Athletes work hard, practice over break Catherine Braman Online Editor-in-Chief

At the conclusion of first semester finals, many students will breathe a huge sigh of relief and settle into the long, relaxing break until the second semester starts in Jan. 6. For the winter athletes at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, there is no time off from practicing, training, and competing in their sports.

The reaction from athletes about not having some rest and relaxation is generally positive.

“I am perfectly okay with practice over winter break and in fact, I really like it,” junior hockey player David Nicholson said.

For senior Julia Hansen, captain of the alpine ski team, the opportunity to ski over the winter break is not a sacrifice at all; it is a lot of fun. “I think our coaches expect all of us to ski over break.

Because we are all on ski team and because we love skiing,” Hansen said. “[The alpine ski team] will have some practices while we are away [from school] because we have a lot of good snow in De-

PHOTO CREDIT: Catherine Braman

junior goaltender david nicholson practices at Drake Arena

Dec. 8. “I am

perfectly okay with practice over Winter Break and in fact, I really like it,” Nicholson said.

cember and the beginning of January,” Hansen said.

The girls varsity basketball team has a more relaxed nature about practice and training over break. “Our coaches are usually pretty good, not scheduling too many practices around the holidays,” senior captain Katie Ademite said. The squad is small and with some families traveling over break, there are only games scheduled at the beginning and end of the break.

The bottom line is “if you are in town, you are expected to be at practice,” Ademite said. The

Ademite family has a couple of student athletes in the house. “We don’t travel over break which is fine. I wouldn’t want to take too much time off from training.”

Since athletes do not have to worry about academic commitments over the break, they tend to have more time to focus on their particular sport. In fact, it can be a prime time for practice and improvement. Hansen added that “we all want to get better, so we are all going to be at Buck Hill, Wild Mountain, Afton Alps at some point over the break to ski.”

Hockey is a year round sport

for Nicholson and his family has adapted to his schedule especially around the holidays. “I have been playing hockey since I was very young so we never really traveled during the winter vacation anyway,” Nicholson said. He highlighted that it is important for the team to continue playing together without a break so the players can maintain a high level of intensity that the team needs to be competitive.

Skiing over break does not affect the Hansen family schedule. “Everyone in my family skis, so it is pretty easy,” Hansen said. Sometimes her family will take a trip and go skiing over the winter break. “For example, we have gone to Lutsen [near Duluth] in past years and we ski a lot when we are there,” Hansen said.

Whether she skis with teammates, her family, or alone, Hansen loves to be on the slopes.

The boys varsity hockey team, they will be traveling to Duluth over break to play in a tournament on Dec. 29-31. The alpine ski team will compete at Wild Mountain on Dec. 19.

Multi-sport athletes endeavor to balance academics

“

Just spend the free time you have at school wisely. s o p h o m o re L a u re n Hansen

Submitted photo: Lauren Hansen

Sophomore Lauren Hansen plays soccer in a game against Visitation. “After school we either go to dry-land for Alpine or we go to Buck Hill. I get home at, like, seven. I go soccer until ten, then I go home, do my homework, shower, and sleep,” Hansen said.

BEN MELLIN Staff Writer

Every high school athlete has experienced the problem of balancing homework and sports.

For the select high school student whose passion is sports, this balance becomes trickier, often because of multiple practices per night. These student athletes work extraordinarily hard every day, operating on low amounts of sleep because of late practices and even later homework sessions.

Sophomore Lauren Hansen, a skier, runner, and soccer player, juggles multiple sports practices and homework daily. “After school I either go to dry-land for Alpine or we go to Buck Hill, I get home at, like, seven. I go to soccer until ten, then I go home, do my homework, shower, and sleep,” Hansen said. Lauren plays 14 hours of sports a week, and

manages to complete her homework every day.

“I try to do a lot of it in school, but outside of school I end up having to spend an hour and a half to two hours [on my homework],” Hansen said.

What is her tip for finishing homework every night? “Just spend the free time you have at school wisely, don’t mess around during your free periods or waste your time socializing, because you don’t have much time, so the time that you do have in school. You need to manage your time wisely; otherwise you won’t get anything done,” Hansen said.

Freshman Ned Laird-Raylor, a year round swimmer, has a similar tip to Hansen’s. “Use your school time…[homework] is definitely do-able with sports, it is just kind of hard because you have to manage your time really well.” Laird-Raylor said.

Not only do student athletes have to complete homework in short periods of time, they also have to find time to scarf down food everyday. Laird-Raylor’s sports practices interfere with dinner time almost every day. For club swimming, Laird-Raylor has to eat two dinners, a small one before swimming and a small one after.

For school swimming, Laird-Raylor tries to chow on the car ride home from swimming, or he eats a quick dinner when he gets home. “[To deal with the mealtime problems] I kind of eat throughout the day, always.”

Laird-Raylor said.

Laird-Raylor said that the coaches recommend consuming chocolate milk as a muscle recovery drink. “And I am not going to question that because I love chocolate milk,” Laird-Raylor said.

He also recommends eating granola bars and fruit to keep energy levels up.

The commitment to each of these sports is quite large, considering a soccer game lasts for about an hour and a half and a swim meet can last almost twice as long. According to Laird-Raylor, club swim meets can last for over 6 hours over a two day period.

Many people will question how student athletes have such a commitment to the sport, and a lot of the athletes simply love their sport and are very passionate about playing it. For Laird-Raylor, swimming is more about the results than the actual swimming.

“I enjoy swimming and I do like getting better a lot…I have to push myself or else I don’t stay with it, I get bored and I don’t like the results,” Laird-Raylor said.

He is trying to say that the more dedicated you are, the better results you get and the good results encourage you to push yourself harder everyday. Student athletes are quite talented, and with 15 hours a week of sports, it is hard to question their dedication.

Submitted photo: Lauren Hansen

sophomore lauren hansen skis at a meet during the 2013-14 season. Ski meets are a large commitment, which Hansen manages her time around. “I try to do a lot of [work] in school, but outside of school I end up having to spend an hour and a half to two hours [on my homework on my own], Hansen said.

16 s t uden t l i fe december 2014. Vol XLII. Issue IV.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Short films serve as creative outlets, exploratory forms Runquist expresses himself through short filmmaking project

Photo illustrations: Noor Qureishy Submitted photos: Karsten Runquist

junior karsten runquist SHOOTS his short movie Separation, which tells the story of two tragically separated rubber fish lovers and is one of three short film projects he’s finished so far this year. “I’ve tried to make one big movie every year, but I realized that I really wanted to make more so I challenged myself to do this,” Runquist said.

Eva Perez-Greene Editor-in-Chief

Photo Submissions: Karsten Runquist Photo illustration: Diane Huang

Junior karsten runquist used the stop-motion style of filming to create his short film Separation. He took a series of static photos in various positions that when combined, create the appearance of motion.

Artistic inspiration is everywhere, yet few feel bold enough to take the plunge and create something unique with it when they find it. Junior Karsten Runquist, a self-taught filmmaker, has challenged himself this year to produce one original short film per month. From his more mature horror short, Yum, to his youthful stop-motion short, Separation, Runquist is stretching his curiosity for the medium and producing great work, too.

He has created longer films for submission to the annual St. Paul Academy and Summit School Film Festival twice, but was drawn to short films, those less invested vehicles for experimentation which appeal to both aspiring film artists and virtuosos alike.

“I tried to make one big movie every year, but I realized that I really wanted to make more so I challenged myself to do this,” Runquist said.

There is no official theme for the film project, though Runquist admits his aim is to create products with the

kind of vibrancy and freshness that the artist Pharrell Williams has recently branded. “[Pharrell is] a huge inspiration just because he’s very colorful and different and that’s what I’m trying to be with my films. As creative as possible,” Runquist said.

video, with editing,” he said. “I used to make these weird Parkour videos. Then it grew into this film thing and I realized that I liked making story videos.”

Runquist’s most recent film Separation, a smooth stop motion flick inspired by Wes Anderson’s lauded Fantastic Mr. Fox, is one

[Pharrell is] very colorful and different and that’s what I’m trying to be with my films. As creative as possible. junior Karsten Runquist

Finding the time to feel as creative as possible, let alone acting on those feelings, is hard enough for most busy SPA students. But where there’s a will, or perhaps an urge to create, there is a way. Runquist has managed to immerse himself in both of his passions-swimming and film- at once. “I’m on a swim team so while I’m swimming, I usually come up with the ideas a lot,” Runquist said, noting the daily time he gets to listen to his own thoughts while swimming laps at practice.

Runquist’s artistic strengths lie in his handling and placement of the camera, as well as his editing.

“That’s how I started getting into

such example of his editing and filming strengths. It is about two love-stricken fishes, carelessly separated by their owner, their ultimate reunion tenuous at best.

Finding Nemo and “Romeo and Juliet” currents run throughout.

“They’re in a bathroom, they’re bathtub fish, and this guy who lives there just separates them,” Runquist said. “Like rubber ducky fishes though, not actual fish!” Runquist describes the process of making a stop motion film, which he taught himself, as difficult yet very fun.

His October short Yum is a venture into horror, a genre exceptionally demanding for its subtle balance of shock and catharsis.

“Yum is about a girl who’s just trying to eat her snack when some mysterious thing keeps taking a bite out of it without her seeing. I don’t want to spoil the rest in case someone watches it,” Runquist said. Yum is darker in tone than most of Runquist’s upbeat pieces, yet it preserves the same daring playfulness, the same “what if?” attitude in his other works.

Runquist’s September film Smiles for Miles, the very first in his shorts project, is a strange love story. “It’s about this guy who falls in love with this inflatable ball. He’s just trying to find love I guess,” he described. “And ya, it’s like [Spike Jonze’s] Her,” (in which a man falls in love with his voice operating system) Runquist jumped in to say.

Citing Napoleon Dynamite, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Pixar films in general, it’s evident Runquist aims for light quirk in his films, regardless of the particular subject matter at hand. Eventually, he hopes to develop his interests in film a professional in the industry. “I’d like to be either a filmer or a director--anything that involves film I guess. I’d like to go to NYU because they have a really good film program,” Runquist said.

Whether or not he goes on to become a professional, Runquist’s monthly shorts are worth checking out on his YouTube channel “Karsten Runquist.” “I really try to make them as unique as possible.” he said. “Subscribe to my channel!”