February 2020 Issue

the

RUBICON

the student newspaper of St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Ave St. Paul, MN 55105 Volume 47. Issue 5.

February 4, 2020

www.rubiconline.com

Students observe democracy in action

Iowa Caucus trip expands political knowledge TOMMY STOLPESTAD THE RUBICON

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RUBICONLINE PHOTO: Annika Rock Senior Arie Walker, Anthony Galloway, Rose McGee, and junior Gabriella Thompson

IT’S A ONCE IN A LIFETIME THING.

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Conversation focuses on values, legacy

Pia Schultz

(ABOVE) Bernie Sanders (LEFT) Elizabeth Warren

ANNIKA ROCK RUBICONLINE

(ABOVE) Pete Buttigieg (LEFT) Amy Klobuchar

With the 2020 presidential election fast approaching, 26 students traveled to Iowa Feb. 2 to deepen their knowledge of the democratic process, more specifically the Iowa Caucus.

Students who signed up for 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Cedar Falls, IA will spend time learning about the social and political culture of the Iowa I DON’T Caucuses, meet candidates, visit a campaign office, and observe the caucuses.

“I just think it’s so cool. It’s like a once in a lifetime thing, like I’m never gonna be NECESSARILY able to see a caucus and I’m never gonna live in Iowa,” senior Pia Schultz said.

SUPPORT A ...

While Iowa is not the only state where a caucus is used, it is unique from other states because it is one of the first major events in the primary presidential election. Candidates who are CANDIDATE, BUT successful in the caucuses have historically been successful later in the election process.

Iowa has been using caucuses to determine candidates since the 1800’s. Caucasus take place in thouIT’LL BE FUN TO sands of different locations in Iowa ranging from churches to houses and, to put it simply, involve debate OBSERVE. among citizens to determine who the candidate of their party should be.

This process happens in both the presidential elections and midterms, but is a process used almost excluWill Rathmanner sively by the Democratic party.

Students, like senior Will Rathmanner look to take the knowledge they will learn from the trip with them into college. “I just think it will be a fun experience and one of my interests in college is political science so watching the Democratic process could really help me in the future,” he said.

With lots to learn about the caucus, political tension is an aspect of the trip, whether it be in the debates or even among the students traveling.

“I think [Dr. Peterson] and Mr. Shulow are gonna do a good job of kind of tamping [political tensions] down. There are a lot of people with different political opinions,” Schultz said. Still, “it’s a political trip so just by nature I think something will bubble up.”

While students of different political backgrounds are taking part in the trip, some believe the unique experience will outweigh any tensions in the group: “I don’t think [there will be tensions]. As one of the conservative members on the trip, I’m just really excited to see the democratic process. I don’t necessarily support any specific candidate, but it’ll be fun to just observe. Also, the candidates are Democrats so there won’t be this big Republican-Democrat tension,” Rathmanner said.

Although it is not true for all attendees, many of the trip participants will be eligible to vote in November. Whether it is watching the Superbowl on the bus down to Iowa, or meeting one of US history teacher Jon Peterson’s friends who hosts a caucus, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for students who are attending: “It’ll be fun to get to know people [on the trip], and then I’m also excited to just see a caucus because they seem crazy,” Schultz said.

Intercultural Club hosted speakers Rose McGee and Anthony Galloway Jan. 27 for the annual MLK assembly. The pair talked history, anti-racism, and the power of community in the 45 minute assembly moderated by senior Arie Walker and junior Gabriella Thompson.

They weaved history lessons, wisdom from their work lives, and personal narratives into every answer.

“We really wanted to have an assembly this year where people were engaged with it because we know in the past we’ve had issues with...really listening to what the speakers had to say,” Thompson said.

Laughter echoed throughout the Huss Center while speakers shared their stories.

Galloway extended the often studied version of Rosa Parks seat-on-the-bus story by sharing details few people knew. The audience laughed when Galloway said, “Rosa Parks was a G.” Students from Intercultural Club opened the assembly by defining five values: equity, unity, resilience, compassion and honesty. McGee and Galloway touched on these values in their discussion and integrated them into stories.

“I felt the assembly was good,” junior Garrett Pauly said. “The people they [Intercultural Club] chose to bring provided interesting and relevant stories.”

PHOTOS: (Sanders) Nicole Tian, (Warren, Buttigieg) Kathy Fang, (Klobuchar, Biden) Grant Tetmeyer via NSPA Campaign 2020 Photo Exchange

MLK ASSEMBLY (continued on p. 2)

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ISSUE INDEX

Joe Biden

A RELIGIOUS LENS

A HAUNTING TALE

Whether in class or conversation, belief shapes minds and hearts.

Read senior Charlie Keillor’s story about a possessed painting.

IN DEPTH pg. 8-9

FEATURE pg. 11

1-3 ... News 4 ... Editorial 5-6 ... Opinions 7 ... Issues 8-9 ... In-Depth 10-11 ... Feature 12-13 ... A&E 14-15 ... Sports 16 ... Photo Story

A STRONG SPIRIT

Learn how athletes win the mental game in their sport.

SPORTS pg. 14 @TheRubiconSPA

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NEWS THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

MLK ASSEMBLY (from p. 1)

“I thought it was really interesting and eye-opening what the speakers had to say about equity because I didn’t really know much about the definition and depth of equity,” sophomore Katherine Bragg said.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a very influential figure in the mid-twentieth century but, in the discussion, was framed as the catalyst for starting a legacy instead of being the focus of the assembly.

Still, “[MLK day and King himself] relates to the way I want to build community with people different than me and who come from different backgrounds, ethnicities, races, sexes and genders.” Pauly said.

US History teacher Aaron Shulow agreed with what the speakers had to say during the assembly: “I think the best reminder came at the end [of the assembly] when they were talking about how we have to take time to pay particular attention to the contributions of the marginalized communities to the American story, while still knowing that they are not separate...That’s really important for me as a teacher; to try to bring in as many distinct perspectives into our story while emphasizing to students that this is the whole story because what is American is very diverse.”

The assembly was followed up with advisory discussions Jan. 29. During that time, advisories were asked to commit to one of the values and determine ways they could focus on that value this year.

Nie awarded top 300 Science Talent Search scholar ELOISE DUNCAN THE RUBICON

On Jan. 8, senior Melissa Nie came to school like it was just a regular Wednesday. However, during her advanced physics class, she left to go to the bathroom, checked her phone, and found out that she was one of the top 300 scholars in the national selected as a finalist in the 2020 Regeneron Science Talent Search.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search, hosted by Society for Science and the Public, is one of the most distinguished and oldest math and science competitions in the United States. Each year, approximately 1,900 high school seniors from around the country apply for the Regeneron STS. From there, 300 students are selected based on their academics, research skills, and strong potential of being a scientist or mathematician, and both the student and school are given a cash prize.

“I was super excited not only because of how cool it is but also because they give you money. They give the top 300 $2,000, and they also give the school the student goes to $2,000, so that will go into the [Advanced Science Research] budget. I was talking to Ms. Baker and she said that the last time they got it they spent it on some cool equipment, and so it is really cool to know that my research was able to give the

school more opportunities,” Nie said.

Last year, Nie submitted a research project titled “Applying Thermopile Array Sensors and Machine Learning to Detect Falls of Older Adults” to the International Science and Engineering Fair, and won third place in the biomedical engineering category.

WAS REALLY “ITCOOL TO

KNOW THAT MY RESEARCH WAS ABLE TO GIVE THE SCHOOL MORE OPPORTUNITIES. Melissa Nie

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“I chose to pursue fall detection because falls are one of the leading causes of injury for older adults--it’s very important for people who have suffered falls to get the help they need. That’s why surveillance systems are necessary, especially in places like nursing homes.

However, those systems are often camera-based, which raises a lot of privacy issues. Thermal sensors are a good alternative because they can collect quality data while operating at a lower resolution, offering

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY: Melissa Nie Senior Melissa Nie posses for a photo at an ISEF convention, where she submitted a project used to help detect falls in elderly adults. She then applied for the Regeneron STS with the same project. more privacy. From that, I used machine learning to develop a platform that could quickly and accurately detect falls with information collected from the sensors,” she said.

To apply for the Regeneron STS, she went through an application process similar to college applications.

“This all started with my ISEF project, which I did the winter of my junior year. Basically, it was using thermal sensors and artificial intelligence to find a way to detect when people fall down. So I competed at ISEF with that, and then I had to write a paper going into the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair. I wrote the paper,

and on Nov. 13 the Regeneron application was due. So I had to submit my paper and fill out a bunch of other things about myself. It was kind of like a college application because it asked for my SAT scores and other stuff like my extracurriculars, and I had to write a bunch of personal statements about why I did my research, the implications, who helped me, and if I had any mentors, and then I had to have two recommenders. It was a whole process, but it was kind of fun because I have a bunch of friends from ISEF who were also applying to it at the same time, so we were all rushing before the deadline together,” Nie said.

Former campaign volunteers hope for Klobuchar presidential success JENNY RIES

THE RUBICON

FAIR USE IMAGE @amyklobuchar on Instagram On this post from Oct. 15, Klobuchar wrote “Excited to take the stage tonight in Ohio for the #DemDebate! Let’s build on our momentum...”

Volunteers hope that she can continue to do just that.

CORRECTIONS POLICY:

The Iowa Caucus Feb. 3 marked a new stage of the presidential race, as the number of democratic candidates was further reduced when some did not come through with the required 15% support.

In a break from the traditional single-candidate endorsement, The New York Times endorsed Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar for the democratic presidential candidate on Jan. 18.

Warren has had consistently high support from the left since the beginning of her campaign, while Klobuchar has slowly built up her backing.

Klobuchar’s profile in the race has raised particularly quickly in the last few months,

Corrections are printed at the bottom of News p. 2. Corrections will be published in the month following the error and, if the story is also published online, it will be corrected following the online corrections policy.

OCTOBER:

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AS A FORMER VOLUNTEER, SEEING KLOBUCHAR GAIN SUPPORT MAKES ME FEEL HAPPY. Annika Rock

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with her campaign claiming about 6% of Iowa support in December, twice what it was in September. In the fourth quarter of 2019, her campaign raised twice what it had raised in the previous quarter.

Sophomore Olivia Szaj volunteered for Klobuchar’s campaign this past summer, primarily doing campaign research for its events manager and doing phone banking.

“I really like her and supported her already, and I agree with her stances on a lot of things and I wanted to be involved in a political campaign… I especially like her stance on the Paris agreement, health care, and I think she is a very smart person,” Szaj said. “I think she would do a great job as president.”

Junior Annika Rock, who also volunteered for Klobuchar’s campaign this summer, said, “As a former volunteer, seeing Klobuchar gain support makes me feel happy, considering I know she works very hard, and so do all the people on her campaign… They work hard to get her message across and spread her name around.”

While her standing is solidifying, she has often not made the top tier of candidates in terms of overall support.

“I think that a lot of people like her, but she’s not the first choice for enough people for her bring her polls up. She’s been doing really well recently though, and I think that the NYT endorsement will help,” Szaj said.

Rock said, “I feel like… considering the republican party and a couple of the democratic candidates, there are some people on two ends of the spectrum,” and Rock believes that the fact that Klobuchar is a moderate candidate is in her favor, as she can appeal to people on both ends of the political spectrum, and potentially bridge the gap between them.

P. 16 PHOTO STORY: Fall Play review was truncated; read the full story at RubicOnline; Parisa Ghawami’s name was spelled Gavami

NEWS THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

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Omar talks foreign policy, historic first term NIKOLAS LIEPINS CONTRIBUTOR

Chants of “send her back!” erupted at one of President Trump’s rallies last July. Now, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar — who represents Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District — has spun it into the slogan for her reelection campaign: “Send her back… to Congress!”

After being catapulted into the spotlight as the first Somali-American elected to Congress in 2018, Omar launched her reelection campaign Thursday night. Joined by local politicians — Minneapolis City Council Vice-President Andrea Jenkins (the first openly transgender woman elected to public office in the United States), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (who preceded Omar as the 5th District Representatives in the House), and Minnesota State Senator Carolyn Laine — Omar made it clear that she isn’t “running for re-election because I enjoyed being the first,” but because she wants to “fight for everyday people, working class people, poor people and every single person who lives on the margins of our society.”

Appointed to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs

by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Omar takes an “inclusive” approach to foreign affairs. In a one-onone interview after the event, Omar said that “the first interaction that people [in foreign countries] would have with an

American used to be through the Peace Corps, and so they associated people who help you read and write and gain useful tools with Americans — there was a generation that had very warm feelings [towards our country].

WANT TO MAKE “ ISURE THAT

THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE ...WHO SEE US AS THE COUNTRY WHO CARES ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD. Ilhan Omar

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“Now, you have a generation that when you say America, all they associate them is with soldiers, because now we have all of these military bases, we have all of these people who are a representative of the United States [...] and are seen as part of that conflict, and so that [...] hardened this negative sentiments about us.”

To combat that negative sentiment, Omar proposes a new foreign affairs plan that focuses on partnership and cooperative development with foreign nations, instead of strong-arming domestic affairs in other countries through direct intervention. “We’re going

PHOTOS: Nikolas Liepins (TOP LEFT) Congresswoman Ilhan Omar dances at the event hosted in the North Loop of Minneapolis. (BOTTOM LEFT) Omar hugs supporters before taking the podium. (CENTER) Omar speaks at her reelection campaign kickoff event Jan. 23. to have more focus on the development piece and what it would look like if we had real partnerships with countries [...] what it looks like for us to actually utilize diplomacy,” she said, “and I’ve asked Secretary Alright: instead of using crippling economic sanctions, instead of going to war, do we have tools in our [diplomacy] toolbox, and she said yes. But muscle memory oftentimes drives our foreign policy. It is easy for us to be like a muscle man, the strong America. But, we get more when we are using the tools in our diplomacy toolbox. When we are creating development opportunities,” she said.

With personal experiences informing the change she wants to make, Omar shared

that her “grandfather had extremely positive sentiments towards America — almost really flowery ideas about what this country was about [...] so I want to make sure that there are more people like my grandfather who see us as the country who cares about the rest of the world, who will invest in the rest of the world.”

In the aforementioned oneon-one interview, Omar shared that one thing that surprised her in her first term was the travel: “I’ve said to Keith Ellison that he should have warned me about the travel, instead of warning me about all of the other challenges because everything else I can handle. I really don’t like being on planes as much as I am on planes and I really don’t like being away

from my kids as much as I am.”

Omar also noted that she is “looking forward to being able to get hearings and pass many of our landmark policies like homes for all and student debt cancellation.”

Finally, she shared that one of her proudest moments in her first term was “becoming the whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, [because] it brings me so much joy to be able to have conversations and bring people to a place where they are either going to fight as hard as I want to fight against the bill that is going to have a negative impact on our lives, or fight as strongly for a bill that will bring about positive change for the people that we represent.”

SAC rolls out the red carpet for winter dance as a surplus of food due to a high food minimum at T&C. There have also been adjustments made towards a better playlist.

“

WE HAVE THE GRAND VISION FOR A RED CARPET.

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Sydney Therien

THE RUBICON PHOTO: Lizzie Kristal Students Activities Committee representatives meet to discuss plans for the upcoming winter dance taking place Feb. 8 at the Town and Country Club in St. Paul.

LIZZIE KRISTAL THE RUBICON

Get ready for the glitz and glamour of this year’s winter dance; the theme is red carpet.

On Feb. 8, the annual winter dance will be held at the Town

and Country Club in St. Paul.

The semi-formal dress code is a perfect fit for the magic that comes with a Hollywood red carpet.

SAC Vice President Sydney Therian said, “We have the grand vision for a red carpet

that goes all the way from the entrance to an actual runway.

We’re going to try and get The Rubicon to take flash photography and have a backdrop like they have at the red carpet.”

The dance will have unique features from past years, such

“We’ve had better communication with the DJ. We’ve formed a list of songs that she shouldn’t play, yet always somehow get played even though no one really likes them,” Therien said.

In addition to the already brimming amenities, SAC is trying to get a photo booth that sends the pictures directly to cell phones and also prints them out.

Therien said the planning has come together: “This dance is easier because it’s supposed to be off campus… I can just say we’re a

whole lot more on top of the ball and a lot more together.

There’s a lot more consensus,” Therien said.

Another change from last year is the added Spirit Week.

SAC chose to add this in order to bring more attention and excitement to the dance.

There will be dress up days the week before, including monochromatic day and denim day, along with fun events.

“We tried doing dress up days for the Winter Dance before but it failed miserably,” SAC co-President Henry Vlietstra said. “It was two years ago.”

In addition to dress up days, there will be a hot chocolate and sledding event on the Tuesday before the dance and a Jeopardy game in Huss on Thursday.

DRESS UP DAYS: Monday - Monochromatic Tuesday - Athletics Gear Wednesday - Flannel Shirts Thursday - Denim Duos Friday - Winter Gear Dance tickets cost $30-40.

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EDITORIAL THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

KNOW THE FACTS PARTY PLATFORMS Resources from the DNC democrats.org Resources from the GOP www.gop.com BOOKMARK bothsides.org

ILLUSTRATION: Adrienne Gaylord POLLY WANTS... A POLITICAL STANCE? Students often repeat their family member’s political beliefs, but this is counterproductive - especially in a discussion-based learning environment. Students should allow their own morals to shape their opinions.

Resist parroting parents’ opinions Instead, lean into personal values and beliefs EDITORIAL

THE RUBICON STAFF

High school is a period of transition, of gained independence in preparation for the “real world” outside of school.

But beyond the emotional growth, American teenagers also experience a change in the role that they play in democracy: at 18, they gain the right to vote for political candidates, an opportunity to elect representatives they believe will approach issues in a way that they support.

While most members of the class of 2020 and many in the class of 2021 will be eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election, even younger students stand to gain by sup-

porting candidates who share their ideals.

Many of the hot button issues in this election—climate change, gun control, women’s reproductive health, and college debt—have profound effects on students’ day-today lives. Backing a candidate means supporting the ideas they have for how to approach these issues. Carefully considering who to elect means taking an active role in ensuring health and safety of the future.

Siding with family members’ political leanings is tempting and may even be an unconscious habit. After all, it is easy to be influenced by others, especially if they are confident in their beliefs.

IT’S TIME TO ASK ‘HAVE I THOUGHT THROUGH ISSUES, POLITICAL CANDIDATES, AND PARTY POLITICS FOR MYSELF?’ Still, most teenagers question the judgment of respected adults at some point; adults do not know everything.

This logic can and should be applied to politics: just because someone older has an opinion does not mean it’s the right opinion.

This doesn’t mean that agreeing with family about support for a particular political candidate or adopting the same stance on an issue is inherently wrong. The values loved ones instill have the potential to shape world views in future generations.

The question is not whether or not to share political opinions, but rather why parents and their teens do or do not share those opinions.

Ask: Have I thought through issues, political candidates, and party politics for myself, or have I simply absorbed what was put in front of me?

It is for necessary for everyone to ask, ‘Why do I think the way that I do?’ In order to

gauge the influence that outside points of view have.

Students must also consider the reaction they expect to get for publicly identifying with a given party or candidate, and whether that affects their views and how they express them.

At a discussion-based school, failing to clarify one’s beliefs can negatively affect learning.

We are encouraged to share well-supported opinions, and dive into topics and exploring conflict.

The this kind of learning-through-sharing is negatively affected when students do not take responsibility for knowing what they think. A discussion works best when participants can describe why they believe what they do. So students’ educations are positively affected when they know what they think and why.

Students heading to the Iowa Caucus should consider the stances that they want to see candidates taking, and which candidates’ ideals align with their own. Students not going to Iowa should also analyze their beliefs by looking at candidate pages, studying party platforms and visiting sites like bothsides.org.

With the privilege of voting comes responsibility. In order for future voters to make the best use of this power, they must examine their personal political beliefs and stances on issues. Doing so facilitates the best possible position to make voting decisions that will bring about the world the majority of voters want to live in.

THE RUBICON St. Paul Academy and Summit School • 1712 Randolph Ave St. Paul, MN 55105 • rubicon.spa@gmail.com • www.RubicOnline.com • @TheRubiconSPA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CHIEF VISUAL EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITORS OPINIONS EDITOR ISSUES EDITOR IN DEPTH EDITOR FEATURE EDITOR ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR SPORTS EDITORS PHOTO STORY EDITOR ILLUSTRATOR

Quinn Christensen Evelyn Lillemoe Lucy Benson Julia Baron, Charlie Johnson Maren Ostrem Meagan Massie Lizzie Kristal Sharee Roman Jenny Ries Salah Abdulkarim, Tommy Stolpestad Eloise Duncan Adrienne Gaylord

DIRECTOR OF RUBICONLINE CREATIVE DESIGN MANAGER PRODUCTION MANAGER SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER NEWS EDITORS OPINIONS EDITORS FEATURE EDITORS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS AUREUS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SPORTS EDITOR VIDEO EDITOR ADVISER PUBLICATIONS ASSISTANT

Melissa Nie Noah Raaum Lynn Reynolds Bobby Verhey Liv Larsen, Elizabeth Trevathan Lara Cayci, Tana Ososki Elle Chen, Annika Rock Lucia Granja, Zekiah Juliusson Sam Hanson Martha Sanchez, Will Schavee Henry Burkhardt Kathryn Campbell, CJE Megan Erickson

CONTRIBUTORS

Clara Garner, Nikolas Liepins STAFF WRITERS

John Becker, Jonas Bray, Alexandra Cardwell, Maddy Fisher, Noa Gross, Catherine Hooley, Mimi Huelster, Lily Malloy, Johnna MelkJohnson, Aryun Nemani, Anna Nowakowski, Leni Nowakowski, Ivy Raya, Thomas Reinhart, Evelyn Sampsell-Jones, Tommy Verhey, Hazel Waltenbaugh, Colin Will

OPINIONS THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

Internet trends can bridge political divides MEAGAN MASSIE THE RUBICON

Through the pain of natural disasters, wars, and poverty that people endure as a community, teens need to find solace in the little things that make them smile. By connecting through humorous things that they find online, teens are able to get a little relief from the tragedies that we face in the news.

Baby Yoda is a prime example of the world coming together online and sharing a cute and relatable symbol as the basis of unity. Baby Yoda first debuted on the Disney+ original series, The Mandalorian. It became popular because Yoda is a pop culture icon from Star Wars and to see him as a baby ignited the love even more.

Things that are small or reflected as baby usually are the most popular because of their cuteness factor.

It’s difficult to live in a world dominated by heartache, so by separating oneself every once in a while from these horrors, teens can take each other a little less seriously and unite over

honduras_es_vida babé yoda>>>>

5

jezuz_is_lit this is the content i follow for

kl0buchar4pres so cute!!

pop culture references.

According to Pennington republicanforlife_ awwwww Creative, a reason why people love memes so much is the fact that they’re like inside jokes that allow someone to connect

TEENS CAN TAKE EACH OTHER A LITTLE LESS SERIOUSLY AND UNITE OVER POP CULTURE REFERENCES.

muslimgirl717 baby yoda is everything

trans__babe quality ! !

__black_and_proud__ 10/10

prolife1989 he’s adorable!

navajoboy22 <3 <3 <3

ILLUSTRATION: Evelyn Lillemoe Gaining its popularity from the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, the character is “The Child” but is celebrated across the internet as Baby Yoda.

with another person in a way even if they know nothing else about the other person.

Inside jokes are a way of social confirmation and acceptance which allows a teen, especially, to feel more integrated into society. Memes also allow teens to feel like they’re apart of something which no matter the scale, can help give a little more meaning so that the loneliness isn’t as strong.

At SPA, students are taught

to be heavily involved in political and environmental issues in our society. They take action and are serious about their endeavors. They need to remember that although students are divided in opinion, they can still find middle ground over Gordon Ramsey memes or the woman who yells at the cat and the cat is frowning back.

Students will send memes

like the “Me explaining to my cat how much I love them versus my cat’s reaction” to their friends in an attempt to brighten their day and vice versa. The effort to show someone that you care about their happiness will make our community more unified and supportive.

As a community, teens relate to and enjoy pop culture memes because the memes give

them a sense of alliance with one another even though they may disagree in opinions. Students need to take a step back from trying to solve the world’s problems and find time to connect with one another over humor and things that make them happier.

As Australia burns, make sure public figures feel the heat Jeff Bezos' $690K USD Australian Bushfire Donation is Less Than 5 Minutes of Income hello

Kim Kardashian West @KimKardashian

Climate Change is real

ILLUSTRATION: Evelyn Lillemoe Kim Kardashian and Jeff Bezos have been criticized for their lack of action in wake of the Australian bushfires.

LUCIA GRANJA THE RUBICON

With the Australian bushfires gathering attention from all over the world, celebrities have been projecting their thoughts across social media.

Media personality Kim Kardashian and Jeff Bezos, the head of Amazon, have recently come under fire for their lazy

actions to help the crisis in Australia. Although bringing any attention, even shallow attention, to an important issue is a good starting point, public figures, especially celebrities, should use their large platforms and money to make a significant impact on an issue.

Shortly after the fires in Australia started gaining attention,

Kardashian tweeted “Climate change is real” with a broken heart emoji, alluding to climate change causing large natural disasters, such as the Australian bush fires.

Kim Kardashian was criticized for tweeting about the significant crisis in Australia instead of taking actions against it, such as donating to help. Many urged Kardashian to publicize her donations. Kardashian argued that she doesn’t need to publicize her donations just because people want her to.

Twitter users argued that if she actually cares about the Australian fires, she should donate to the cause, and publicize those donations so that her fans will follow her lead.

This issue of publicizing donations is complicated, because all though public figures have a right to privacy like everyone

else, they do have a responsibility to use their platform for good. Therefore, public figures, like Kardashian are obligated to publicize their donations so that they are held accountable for the values that they project on social media, and so that they can use their platform positively to raise a lot of money for important issues.

Shortly after Kim Kardashian came under fire for not publicly donating to the Australian fires, Jeff Bezos came under fire for publicly donating to the Australian fires. The president of the multi-billion dollar company Amazon publicly donated 69,000 dollars to the cause, which represented only 0.0006% of his net worth.

Many critics went to twitter to report that 0.0006% of the average American net worth ($93,700) is 56¢.

In comparison, the Austra-

lian government is setting up a $1.4 billion fund to pay for all the damages that the bushfire has caused to the people affected. The band Metallica has donated $75,000, and public figure Kylie Jenner has publicly pledged 1 million dollars. And yet, Bezos’s donation of 69,000, the amount that he earns every five minutes, comes up with 3,070,000 results with a Google search.

Jeff Bezos’s donation should not be getting the amount of attention that it is. Because they are role models, and have the resources to do so, public figures have a responsibility to take genuine action against issues impacting the world. If you see a public figure posting about something they stand for, make sure that they are actually taking action instead of jumping on bandwagons. Support celebrities who care.

“Additional reporting by” followed by the name of the reporter.

style. All pieces must be submitted and will be published with a full name.

published online, will be corrected following the online corrections policy.

EDITORIALS articulate the collective

UPDATES AND CORRECTIONS

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Both may be edited for length and

During the post-critique process, staff members identify inaccuracies and report feedback from readers. The staff publishes corrections when an error is discovered during critique or reported to a staff member. Corrections should be directed to the Editor in Chief or appropriate section editor.

IN PRINT: Corrections are printed at the bottom of News p. 2. Corrections will be printed in the month following the error and, if the story is also

Columbia Scholastic Press Association National Scholastic Press Association MN High School Press Association Quill and Scroll Honor Society

PUBLICATION AWARDS

NSPA All-American, Pacemaker (Online) and Finalist (Print) CSPA Gold Medalist (Hybrid), Silver Crown Award (Hybrid), SNO Distinguished Site JEM All State Gold

6

OPINIONS THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

Banning e-cigs will not slow teen vaping habits

INFORMATION: Truth Initiative INFOGRAPHIC: Evelyn Lillemoe Vapes and other tobacco products can legally be sold to people over the age of 21.

CHARLIE JOHNSON THE RUBICON

Newly passed laws outlawing vapes and other tobacco products to anyone under 21 will fail to stop teen vaping.

Teen vaping has become an epidemic in America in the last five years. The 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that over five million teens use e-cigarettes daily and the cur-

rent death toll for teen vapers has amounted to 57 people.

Recently Congress passed a law that bans the sale of tobacco to anyone under the age of 21.

Though a teenager will no longer be able to walk into a gas station or convenience store and purchase tobacco products, the cycle of teen vaping will not slow down.

Some cities and states have banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes to all ages. Michigan, Rhode Island, and New York were some of the first states than put their foot down on the country wide addiction to e-cigarettes. According to Amy Fairchild, dean of Ohio State University’s college of public health the complete embargo of e-cigarettes will do more harm than good. For adults who were once addicted to smoking cigarettes, vapes provide a less harmful way to deliver nicotine. By banning vape sales, the government is impeding those who are trying

to quit smoking, for which other forms of quitting does not work (patches, gum, lozenges).

Though Fairchild says that vaping is bad for you, she admits that it is a much better alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes.

BY BANNING VAPES, THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT... STOP TEEN ADDICTION. The first modern cigarette was created in the mid 2000s.

Compared to the hundreds of years of smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products, there has been far more research that proves that smoking kills.

By e-cigarettes only being on the market for around fifteen years, there is no concrete evidence that can be linked with severe health detriments.

Teens already hooked on nicotine cannot go cold turkey.

They have an addiction and the addiction should be dealt with by a medical professional. Though banning the sale of vapes in some states may seem like the best way to stop underage tobacco use, it may end up leaving more incarcerated for a habit they acquired before the law or dead because they were afraid to seek help.

Teens who are addicted will find another way to meet their cravings.

The legal drinking age is 21 and yet underage drinking happens regularly in the U.S. It will be the same when it comes to vaping. Just because it is now illegal to those under 21, teens will find a way to get vapes and other e-cigarettes.

The teen vaping epidemic has made nicotine levels skyrocket in the past decade; by banning vapes the government will not succeed in their efforts to stop teen addiction.

Political partisanship impedes impeachment process THOMAS REINHART STAFF WRITER

The talk of American politics right now is the impeachment of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States. Trump’s impeachment and removal from office are plagued with partisanship that undermines the core value of democracy and questions the validity of the Constitution.

When an act of dishonesty occurs, it is only right to restore justice by means of appropriate discipline. Written into the Constitution by the Framers, the impeachment clause states, “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

Trump faces charges of Abuse of Power and Objection of Congress due to his reported involvement in a scheme with Ukraine to benefit himself in the 2020 Election as well as refusing subpoenas issued by the House of Representatives.

PARTISANSHIP UNDERMINES AMERICA’S...

DEMOCRACY. When deciding whether or not Trump should be removed from office or not, the process should revolve around the facts and if they infringe upon the rules put forth by the Constitution. This, unfortunately, is not what is happening in the courthouse. Partisanship, or deci-

sion making based on political parties, dominates Trump’s impeachment process. In the House of Representatives’ vote on the articles of impeachment, not one Republican congressperson voted in favor of the president’s impeachment; Article I had a vote of 229-197 with 229 Democrats and one independent voting in favor, and 195 Republicans and two Democrats voting against the article; Article II had a vote of 230-198 with 228 Democrats and one independent voting in favor of impeachment, and 195 Republicans and three Democrats voting against impeachment.

This hyper-partisanship is detrimental to America. Voting based off of party allegiance and prioritizing saving face harms American democra-

ILLUSTRATION: Thomas Reinhart Democracy suffers when congresspeople and voters alike vote based on party allegiances instead of facts. cy. If rule following is pushed away by this partisanship, who knows what could happen next?

Congresspersons and Senators should make de-

cisions based off of facts and whether or not they violate the rules put forth by the Framers, not their political parties.

Virginia gun rights rally exercises fundamental democratic values

PHOTO: Anthony Crider Flickr CC The Lobby Day for gun rights drew a crowd of over 22,000.

COLIN WILL

STAFF WRITER

Battles for rights, whether justified or not, have long been a respected part of American culture. The country’s founding was a result of one such battle.

It is celebrated, at least retroac-

tively, when people follow this legacy and speak up for what matters to them. The Lobby Day rally for gun rights on Jan. 20 in Richmond, Virginia would have been no different, if not for one worrying aspect: of the 22,000 attendees, around 16,000 were armed.

Throngs of demonstrators, including members of various militias and far-right groups, gathered outside the Virginia Capitol to oppose legislation that would allow the state to restrict Second Amendment rights of dangerous individuals. Photos posted by Business Insider show demonstrators wielding heavy weaponry, including military-grade assault rifles and a grenade launcher.

However, despite Governor Ralph Northam’s declaration of a state of emergency, there

was no violence at the event, and only one arrest, according to the Capitol Police.

AS THREATENING TO DEMOCRACY AS THE EVENT WAS, BANNING IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. Northam’s reaction was not unwarranted: he cited evidence that certain groups had “malicious plans” for the rally, and history suggests that any event where thousands of guns are present less than 100 miles from a nation’s capital needs heavy security. He had every right, as governor of Virginia, to enact the executive order

that temporarily banned guns on capitol grounds. The question is not whether he overstepped his boundaries in limiting freedom of expression for the sake of stability, but whether he went far enough.

The protesters should not have come so heavily armed; Phillip Van Cleave, the president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, which organized the rally, said as much in an article for AmmoLand, recommending that protesters bring handguns instead of long guns. He argued that doing otherwise would send the wrong message about the protest and its intentions. But as threatening to democracy as the event was, banning it would have been worse.

Had Northam decided to ban guns at the rally, he would

have reduced the risk of violence, but at the cost of standing in the face of civil rights and the Constitution. It is essential that protesters can exercise the rights they are fighting to protect. It is a good sign for the state of American democracy that people were able to do so peacefully. Virginia found the perfect balance between freedom and safety: defending both the people and their right to express themselves.

No protest can be successful if it does not shake things up, for without causing a certain amount of disruption, it does not attract enough attention to spark meaningful discourse and bring unheard opinions into the spotlight. Protests can strengthen democracy, but only if the people involved take care not to weaken it.

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ISSUES THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

Breaking out of stigmatization ELOISE DUNCAN THE RUBICON

ILLUSTRATION: Adrienne Gaylord

561 victims have been trafficked in Minnesota since 2007, this number is considered to be high.

1 in 4 victims are children.

HOTLINE Call 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP to 233733

END IT. HerSpace members Lindsay Browne, Isobel Alm, Maggie Fields, and Sevy Hayes draw a red X on their hands in solidarity for human trafficking victims.

The FBI has identified the Twin Cities as being of the 13 cities in the United States with a particularly high rate of child prostitution due to human trafficking. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, in 2015, Minnesota had the third most human trafficking cases in the country. Most human trafficking is unseen by the public and authorities, leading to minimal information being widely known about the problem.

“It isn’t talked about as much as I think it should be. It’s talked about when big things happen, but otherwise it’s something that is just there but rarely mentioned,” HerSpace member Sevy Hayes said.

Human trafficking is the use of fraud, force, or coercion in order to forcibly obtain some sort of act, typically having to do with labor or sex.

The two main categories of human trafficking are labor and sex trafficking, and sub categories such as domestic work, agriculture, and pornography.

In 2018, out of the 10,949 trafficking cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, 7,859 were placed under the sex trafficking category.

Almost 70 percent of the cases reported involved female-identifying victims.

“It is really scary to think that out of every 10 victims, 7 of them are women, and that it is possible to know these people without knowing that they are victims.

Overall, these statistics about human traffick-

ing show how big a problem trafficking is, and how dangerous it can be to everyone, and to certain, more specific groups,” senior Henrik Schleisman said.

According to the Global Slavery Index, around 40 million people globally were victims on any day in 2016. This number includes cases such as sex and labor trafficking, forced marriages, unauthorized organ harvesting, and army recruitment of children.

SHOULD “ WE BE TALKING

ABOUT [HUMAN TRAFFICKING] FROM A YOUNG AGE.

”

Ruby Hoeschen At places like the Mall of America, it is common for security officers to walk customers to their car, especially when it is dark, because the human trafficking industry targets large and busy places like malls. There are over 175 trained security officers at the mall, working towards everyone’s safety.

“We should be talking about [human trafficking] from a younger age, so there is more awareness. For example, when I went to the mall when I was younger, I didn’t know it was a place where a lot of trafficking happens. I was never taught how to be safe, and I am just lucky that I personally have never been put into a position of danger at the mall, and I

know many others have. After finding out that it is a dangerous place, especially for women with trafficking, I definitely go to the mall to shop with more caution, and make sure to never be alone,” junior Ruby Hoeschen said.

Senior Tina Wilkens works at Mall of America, and has had interactions with the mall security, but very rarely for human trafficking issues.

“I look sort of young, so sometimes the security will ask me for ID when it’s after 4 p.m. on Fridays or Saturdays, because of the rule. I just show them my ID to show them I’m older than 16, and it’s fine. They seem to very rarely stop people for safety reasons, it’s usually just for identification, so it doesn’t have much to do with human trafficking,” Wilkens said.

Action towards preventing and educating on human trafficking has been increasing. Places like the National Human Trafficking Hotline support victims by connecting them with services to get help.

The hotline also provides a contact for people to give information about potentially dangerous situations, which they then report to the corresponding authorities.

The End It Movement, created in 2012, is an allied group of organizations and people around the world fighting for increased awareness and prevention of human trafficking to bring the number of victims down to zero. On Feb. 13, the End It Movement encourages people to draw a red x on their hand in support of the movement.

8

IN DE

World Religions class creates perspective allows you to see the different religions for what they Religions have truly are because you are not caught up with personal played a fundamental THE RUBICON belief,” Soll said. role in different culThe World Religions class aims to educate students tures and have been at the heart of significant events on religion, not to convince them of what to believe. throughout human history. The senior elective history Because of this, students in the class have gained a class, World Religions, devotes an entire semester to deeper appreciation and curiosity for the study of restudying various religions through an academic lens. ligions.

In addition, students who take the class have Students hail from a wide variety of backgrounds reaffirmed their belief in the importance of incorporatand religious ing some aspect of religious study into a school that is beliefs, and the not religious. class has an “It is important unbiased take THE CLASS HAS SHOWN to learn about relion an extengion in an academic sive variety of ME THAT RELIGION IS setting. It helps dereligions from SIMPLY AN ORGANIZED construct preconall around the ceived notions about globe.

WAY TO UNDERSTAND THE HUMAN certain traditions by “Pedagogically, providing students the class seeks to EXPERIENCE AND IT HAS MADE ME with the space to model how they MORE INTERESTED THAN I have discussions will hopefully go and ask authenabout learning for EVER WAS IN RELIGION. tic questions,” sethe rest of their nior Abby Hedlives through conMax Soll berg said. versation, expeLooking riences, readings, onward to and reflection. The class features 20+ guests from varthe future, ious religious traditions who sit down and have an insome students in the class believe adding some teractive conversation about their religious experiencmore background on religion before taking es. Students are also required to go out and experience the elective may be beneficial.

3 traditions that are different from any tradition that “I think SPA should introduce theothey currently practice,” World Religions teacher Ben logical thinking to some degree someBollinger Danielson said. time before senior year,” Soll said.

Religious study is not a requirement, and although “I think it would be beneficial there are religious units in classes like World Histoto incorporate more opportury I, it is not required for students to take a religion nities to learn about religion class. World Religions offers a unique opportunity for because it is an essential students to delve into the traditions and beliefs of culaspect of many peoples’ tures around the globe. lives,” Hedberg said.

“I think that [the class] reaffirmed what I knew about religion in the way that all religions are based on the ability to create a community. And it’s sort of reaffirmed that idea that, in a lot of ways, religion is about the creation of a community and not necessarily about what deities someone believes in,” senior Peter Michel said.

Learning about the communities that religions create is a common takeaway from the students in the class.

“The class has shown me that religion is simply an organized way to understand the human experience and it has made me more interested than I ever was in religion,” senior Max Soll said.

Since the class does not focus on one religion more than others, students are able to delve into the facts that show what trajectory different religions have taken throughout history. “[The class] gives a more scholarly perspective and TOMMY STOLPESTAD

THE RUBICON -

Students use faith

Two thirds of th thing in common. of the U.S. was mo gious, according to a study done by Gallup. At St. is a topic often discussed over the Harkness tables about religion often doesn’t leave the classroom. personal religion can be hard for many because m swer big picture and deeply personal questions, an to peers about those topics and even scarier to dis Religious tensions in the United States as well a more and more polarizing every day. Many facto American conversation, especially for teenagers.

Center surveyed 13 to 17 year olds in the U.S. 5% surveyed said that they often spoke to their pee of boys and 35% of girls said that they sometime about religion, and 68% of boys and 59% of girls s spoke to their peers about religion. Despite the religion among peers and even close friends, reli central part of many students’ lives.

Junior Aman Rahman has been active in her f she was young.

“My parents would always take me for Fri jid… and I always went to Sunday school u three years ago, and I’ve always been Quran and just staying close to just have a lot of these habits was younger, that have s said.

Like Rahman man has alw her pla

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EVELYN LILLEMOE

CHIEF VISUAL EDITOR

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EPTH FEBRUARY 2020

as influence for life

he United States has one . Religion. In 2017, 67% oderately or highly reliPaul Academy, religion in history class, but talk . Talking to peers about most religious beliefs annd it can be scary to talk sagree on them. as world wide are getting ors force religion out of In 2019, Pew Research % of boys and 6% of girls ers about religion, 26% es spoke to their friends said they rarely or never lack of conversation of igion continues to be a

faith, Sunni Islam, since

iday prayers at the Masuntil I graduated two or n very active in reading my beliefs. Even now I s I’ve established since I stuck with me,” Rahman

n, Freshman Becca Richways been very active in ace of worship.

“Growing up, my parents made me go to religious school every Sunday and

S

9

Wednesday for the entire school year. Basically from birth my par- everything that was said to me, because I just was… really impressionable, and ents have raised me and my brothers as Jews. I met some of my best now I’ve realized like there’s some parts of Judaism that I don’t really identify friends in my Hebrew school classroom so really close with. We did with and I don’t feel super attached to. But that’s great because I’m part of the stuff on Friday nights and we followed a lot of Jewish rituals so it’s reformed Jewish community. So that’s more of ‘you follow what you want to always just been like this constant thing in my life that like I don’t follow and what’s meaningful to you.’ After my bat mitzvah my parents really think a ton about, it’s just that’s just part of me,” Richman said. gave me the freedom to choose what parts of Judaism I want to be a part of and Junior Isabel Togramadjian is part of the Armenian Orthodox which holidays I celebrate and when I go to services and [when I] spend time Church, a subset of Christianity closely related to the Eastern Or- in the synagogue.... I chose to stay pretty involved in the community… I loved it thodox Church. Togramadjian has always been religious and she has so much growing up. Now I’m learning Hebrew and I’m going to Jewish camp. seen her views transform from something she was taught to some- I guess I’ve gotten more into cultural Judaism rather than religious Judaism,” thing she truly believes in.

Richman said.

“Generally, just because I went to church and Sunday school, I Rather than strict beliefs, Richman finds comfort in the people she has conkind of had a sense that I believe a God, but then it wasn’t until I was nected with through religion. older that I actually kind of started to think about what that meant,” “It’s given me a sense of community over the years. I’ve switched schools a she said. couple times and I’ve always had this one group of people that I can come back For Togramadjian, religion is a place to draw her morals from. She to and this one place that I feel very welcome. And half my family is Jewish, so finds strength in the clarity of religion.

I have really good memories with my grandparents and my cousins celebrating “Religion gives me a direct source for where I draw my morals holidays and doing other Jewish traditions and all of that… it’s just been the from… having a direct place where those [morals] are coming from, source of community and something that me and my friends and my family and they’re laid out clearly... I think that just helps me to like be can all share,” Richman said. stronger in them. Because they’re written out and coming from Rahman feels being Muslim impacts the way she interacts with others. somewhere, it’s not as easy to convince yourself to like move away “For me, it gives me a real connection to my family, also it gives me a good from them,” Togramadjian said. way to connect with people because in Islam there are so many like rules and Morals are a major part of junior Izzy Medrano’s faith as well. teachings that basically... make us good people. And I guess it’s just having a Religion, to her, is less about believing in every detail, in every positive impact on how I think about things,” Rahman said. word of the bible, and more about believing in a greater power Rahman has felt the impact of religion on all parts of her life. and about treating others with kind“[Islam has] helped shape me into who I am and it allows me to be comfortness and compassion. Because of able with myself,” she said. this she views herself as loosely Richman has also felt religion as a source of comfort throughout her life.

Catholic. But this was not always “[Judaism] has always been in the case. Medrano has seen her my life and honestly I don’t know beliefs transform with age and the where I’d be without it. It’s always [JUDAISM] HAS ALWAYS influences of those around her. Her been this sense of like support and maternal grandparents are Catholic help and just love,” Richman said.

BEEN IN MY LIFE AND with strict beliefs and she grew up Beliefs, religious or not, shape HONESTLY I DON’T KNOW going to a Catholic elementary school. the way people live life.

Those sources of religion, as well as her Medrano’s beliefs are comprised WHERE I’D BE WITHOUT IT. IT’S ALWAYS parents, impacted her religious views of hope. tremendously when she was young, “I want to believe that… we BEEN THIS SENSE OF LIKE SUPPORT AND but her beliefs have changed will go somewhere when we die HELP AND JUST LOVE. as she grew up and was and [that] there’s a greater powexposed to more religious er who maybe has a plan and Becca Richman narratives. we’re here for a purpose; to “When I was younger serve others and try and live I had drilled into me the the greatest life that we can,” traditional Catholic style of religion, but now being Medrano said. at SPA where there’s so many other cultures around Togramadjian finds comfort me and just going through history class I’ve definiteand clarity in religion. ly started to question more my own personal beliefs “Having a relationship with God helps me to know that I’m not alone ever… and just religion as a whole because there’s so many it helps me understand that life is bigger than just me,” Togramadjian said. different viewpoints here compared to my old school Religion is an incredibly important part of many SPA students where everyone was Catholic. I’ve definitely expanded lives, it has shaped students into who they are today. my view of what religion means to me,” Medrano said.

Richman has also seen a major shift in the way she is religious. She grew up in the synagogue and has continued to be a big part of the community, but her beliefs have changed since she was little.

“When I was younger, I whole heartedly believed

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY: Lizzie Kristal

10

FEATURE THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

Life in the hospital An insider’s perspective CLARA GARNER

successfully and thoroughly complete their duties,” Sheinfield said.

In order to show her grandfather that she cared, Sheinfield showed her support by decorating the room.

CONTRIBUTOR

Whether visiting someone, volunteering, or getting treatments, students have all been to the hospital before. Maybe it is the bland colored halls and rooms, the needles, the aseptic smell that make up the hospitals, whatever the reason people tend to avoid hospitals.

Anyone can tell a story about being in a hospital, but here are some from our community from individuals who have spent long hours in the hospital. 9th grader Sydney Sheinfeld has spent many full days caring for her grandfather by his bedside since he has been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer. Before her grandfather’s cancer took hold Shienfield hadn’t spent much time in the hospital.

“The patients there are always sad...I tend to find hospital room’s gloomy and depressing because you don’t have the ability to access silence due to the constant beeping of various medical devices. My grandfather’s room was especially lonely because the lights were kept off, the windows closed, and the walls were dark orange/brown,”said Shienfield.

Despite her admentation against hospitals, Sheinfield would spent day after day in the hospital by her grandfathers side with the rest of her family.

“The longest I stayed by my grandfathers bedside was roughly 30 minutes because he didn’t want me to visit him in the hospital, and he also wanted space, and the nurse’s kicked us out constantly in order to

DECORATED “ ITHE ROOM WITH POST IT NOTES...

TO LIGHTEN UP THE DARKNESS OF THE ROOM. Sheinfield

”

“I decorated the room with post it notes in an attempt to bring a smile to my grandfather’s face and to lighten up the darkness of the room...I wanted him to have a reminder of how much we love him and think of him even after we left in the evenings...I don’t know if the post its really had a large impact on him during his hospital stay, however, it provided me with some comfort thinking that the blue notes brought a little light and happiness into the room,” said Sheinfield.

Although Sheinfield didn’t enjoy the hospital or her grandpa’s stay there, Sheinfield learned from this experience not only a greater understanding of how the hospital works but also she learned the mental challenge it is for patients and families to live in such a gloom environment.

“We were there every day for roughly a week with various

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY: Sydney Sheinfield EXISTING IN SILENCE. Sheinfield’s grandfather recovers from surgery and discusses paper with his wife. family members and despite the helplessness I felt within the medical environment, I learned how families come together to support one another in times of need. I also gained further understanding into the emotional aspect of the hospital environment and its physical and mental challenges for both the patient and family,” Shienfield said.

Unlike Sheinfeild’s case, Sophomore Sarina Charpentier choose to spend her summer volunteering at the Health Fairview Hospital where her mom works as an addiction counselor.

“I thought that I would do servers out, Feed My Starving Children, or something,” Charpentier said.

When Sarina’s mom heard about the Sophomore year’s required service hours, her mom mentioned that Sarina should look into volunteering at Fairview Hospital. At first, Char-

pentier was hesitant about this job, but after considering the aspect of experiencing something new, she decided to take up this opportunity.

Before she began volunteering at the hospital, Charpentier thought that the hospital was a place for very sick people, and did not consider people having different conditions.

“MHealth Fairview primarily focuses on patients with mental illnesses and theres a range of things that affect people there. This has given me insight on certain illnesses and how they are treated with care.

Mental illness is a serious issue and is often overlooked/disregarded in society.” said Charpentier.

Delivering flowers allowed Charpentier to get to understand not only the people visiting the hospital that she would see at the front desk, but also understand the patients on a deeper level.

FIRST PERSON FEATURE

Kristal hunts for prize LIZZIE KRISTAL THE RUBICON

A minimum $5,000 prize and a year’s supply of Love Your Melon products? And all I have to do is find a little medallion? The basic rules of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt are pretty simple: the medallion is hidden in Ramsey County, there will be a clue released each day starting on Jan. 19 through Jan. 30 in the newspaper and online, and the finder will be rewarded.

How hard could it be?

When first looking into the treasure hunt, I thought I could solve it. Then I stumbled upon a video of where last year’s medallion was hidden. It was wrapped in cutouts of a Rice Krispie cereal box, then was placed in between two leafs so that it wasn’t visible in Long Lake Regional Park. My confi-

I’M “ NOW ESPECIALLY

CONFUSED. MAYBE THE PARK HAD A RUSSIAN NAME OR SOME TIES TO RUSSIA.

”

dence was majorly fractured.

The first clue came around, and all that I got from it was that it’s hidden in a park and I should bring a hot water bottle when I go hunting for it. The second clue said there might be poison ivy there. Clue 3 told me I had to find a park on a map that looked like dog ears, and it came with the word “genuflect”.

THE RUBICON PHOTO: Eloise Duncan Kristal scoots across the ice bank in search of the medallion.

Clue 4 was tricky. I has a few guesses, but they were guesses at best. Perhaps it was hidden in stone that looked like the herringbone pattern. At this point, I was starting to lose hope.

Clue 5 was about Russian hackers hacking the game.

Clue 6 was a bit clearer; the medallion must be hidden at the bottom of a hill and path.

Clue 7 wasn’t as hard as the

earlier ones either; the park either has lights or bonfires some nights, and it’s along three bodies of water. Clue 8 implied that maybe there was a waterfall at the location and that there’s a path next to the stream so that I won’t get wet. Clue 9 is what tipped me to look in Hidden Falls because it’s right near the old Ford Steam Plant. Finally I could give it a shot to search.

I filled my water bottle with

One major lesson Charpentier took away from this experience was that its good to try new things and that you might find new things that you enjoy that wouldn’t expect to.

“Its a learning experience and everyone has a story to tell. there are so many people out there that are struggling that many otherwise overlook” Charpentier said.

For Charpentier, she initially was skeptical about this experience, and once she achieved the required 12 hours, she then went on to keep volunteering at the same hospital, and now has close to 80 hours of service.

After this experience, Charpentier is planning on trying different volunteer opportunities at the same hospital.

To volunteer at this hospital, visit mnhealth.org.

boiling water and took a friend with me to Hidden Falls. We parked and took a short walk on a path made slick with snow until we reached the partially frozen waterfall and stream.

The creek we were in was pretty large, so looking thoroughly in every place wasn’t a possibility. I looked through the stone on the side because it had a pattern that was similar to herringbone, and I looked in the ice up by the waterfall, but no luck.

Even though I didn’t find it with my first attempt, I’m still watching for clues that might give it away. The clues end on Jan. 30, and if no one finds it by then, the prize money is donated to charity. After the hunt is finished, Pioneer Press posts a video of them hiding it, so I’m excited to see where it is so I can see how close I was. Honestly, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t even close to the right site, but it was a blast to give it a shot.

FEATURE THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

11

Boom+GenX+Millennial+GenZ=SPA ADRIENNE GAYLORD THE RUBICON

FREMONT FORSBERG CLASS OF 2020

Gen Z has taken over the school. From sixth grade to senior the students of Saint Paul Academy share a generational connection and perspective.

Yet not everyone in this school is iGen. Faculty and staff range from Millennials to Boomers, giving SPA a wide variety of generational experiences, outlooks, and quirks.

ZEROING IN ON Z

RACHEL YOST-DUBROW US SCIENCE TEACHER

MATT HOVEN US ENGLISH TEACHER

MARY LINCOLN US MATH TEACHER

Zooming around the halls are hundreds of kids born into Generation Z. Gen Z’ers are characterized by their adeptness with technology, their strange sense of humor, and the mystery that lies in their future.

“We know a lot about the world because of all the information at our fingertips, and anything we want to know we can look it up,” senior Fremont Forsberg, oldest student at SPA, said.

Being the first generation to grow up with smart phones has shaped Gen Z. They’ve been able to quickly check facts, finish work, and update each other with only a few taps of a finger since they were little.

The opportunities available to a kid with internet connection are greater than ever.

“We’ve grown up with technology… and that makes us adaptable,” Forsberg said.

New scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations are driving forward modern American society, and Gen Z is prepared to take the torch.

“We finish what they started,” 9th grader Sebastian Landaeta said.

The environment and the economy being handed to Gen Z are not the same ones passed down to previous gen-

erations. It’s a far tricker hand of cards, and Gen Z is aware of that. While other generations took to loud music and acts of teenage rebellion, Gen Z is trying to take control of their own future through protests and walkouts along with average teenage rebellion. The things Gen Z are going through are both new and familiar, and can be seen in the stories of Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers.

MILLENNIAL PROBLEMS Gen Z has grown up with technology their entire lives, but Millennials were the pioneers of childhood + tech.

“We were just starting to see how the internet could be used on a wide scale,” US science teacher Rachel Yost Dubrow said.

Both Gen Z and Millennials take technology more for granted than other generations, but Millennials feel they have a stronger connection than the iGen to actual reality.

“We still would prefer to see someone face to face to have a hard conversation,” Yost Dubrow said.

Millennials are often criticized by older generations for being lazy, babied, or too dependent on the help of others.

“A comparison that millennials don’t work hard enough and that’s why we can’t afford things is not taking into account the amounts of privilege that older generations had,” she said.

Many millennials feel they are being pushed around: “I feel like you hear a lot about Millennials in the news,” Yost Dubrow said. “Like apparently we are ruining all sorts of industries, and we love avocado toast, which I don’t like avocados at all.”

Surely, being called snowflakes hasn’t helped with their massive student debt.

GenX grew up in the 70s, 80s,

GEN X EXPOSED and 90s. They absorbed media through magazines, movies, and MTV, and like most other generations were considered slackers by their parents.

Yet Gen X didn’t enter the adult world with the same opportunities Boomers did. The jobs they were educated for were still taken by Boomers, and no one was prepared for the weight of student debt.

“We saw the jobs dry up.

We saw a lot of money go elsewhere, and we saw hardworking members of our family, who built cars and stuff, retire with quite a bit of money, and then those jobs weren’t replaced,” US English teacher Matt Hoven said.

BUILDING BOOMERS Baby boomers aren’t babies anymore. These children of the silent generation were brought up in the time of hippies, Vietnam, and a bustling postwar economy. The boomers were faced with a smörgåsbord of opportunities. At a young age many were able to dive into a stable career and start families.

“I think we had the advantages of investing in homes,” US math teacher Mary Lincoln said.

These early investments carried on with the boomers, and even as jobs dried up and the economy took a turn, the boomers maintained many of their assets. Lincoln spoke on the role of the rise of corporation, and the large gaps in pay that appeared to set apart the corporate leaders and the people who worked for them.

“I think thats a huge difference and why so many people say we cant get ahead, because they actually can’t get ahead,” Lincoln said.

2020 is a very different time than the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and although the current genera-

tion doesn’t have many of the benefits that were offered to the boomers, there are still major strides that have been made since that make our current society a more pleasant place to live. There has been significant innovation in technology, and progression towards greater social equality. Even though boomers are known for their reluctance with new technology, they still harbor appreciation.

“I think technology is incredible, I’m so thankful for copy-paste. I’m so thankful for forwarding,” Lincoln said.

There’s even more appreciation for the increase in society’s acceptance of people’s differences and expressing themselves without fear.

“There’s absolutely sexism, there’s racism, there’s homophobia, all those things, but I think that in the right environment people can be more themselves,” Lincoln said.

As boomers continue into older and older age their focuses in life shift along with their dynamic with the other generations. There’s a lot of resentment towards the boomers, yet they’re not leaving yet.

These postwar babies still have the capacity to create change in their communities and educate younger generations.

The concept of generations can be confusing. The lines become blurry as generation merges into generation due to the fact that no actual dividing line exists to strictly separate the views of individuals to the year they were born. Yet there are many shared cultural experiences that can be witnessed within generations. Generations can be a system with which one can observe major change in society, and although they may not be tangible, through looking at generations one can learn more about the people around them and the people they will become.

GHOST STORY

Charlie Keillor tells tales about the ancestor spirit in the painting MEAGAN MASSIE THE RUBICON

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY: Charlie Keillor Charlie Keillor stands with the haunted painting in his house.

Darkness crept over the house, cloaking the shadow in an eerie glow. Ancestors in paintings on the walls smile, as if sharing a joke.

What happens when stories become realities?

For senior Charlie Keillor, these kind of experiences have become part of his life.

“It started in my stepfather’s house...He said that he has lived there for a long time and he had this big get together and he had most people in this one room with this painting. It was on the wall and they were all talking about it and how it was

45% of Americans believe ghosts and demons exist YouGov

haunted. And then it just flew off the wall and hit this lady in the head,” Keillor said.

That’s when the frame got its first chip.

The painting is of an old woman dating back a hundred years, encased in an elegant and classic gold frame. Keillor believes that the woman was most likely a distant relative.

Now, this woman is haunting them.

“Another time, the painting came off the wall in the middle of the night. This is a different house, same painting. And it has another knick on it from that because it hit my coffee table at that time,” Keillor said.

Although the painting may get scratched during her attempts at freedom, it doesn’t sway her from trying.

Despite this, Keillor and his family aren’t bothered because the painting is a part of their past and they think that it is very interesting. They still keep the painting in their house on display.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

ARTIST PROFILE

Matenaer alters reality to capture it SHAREE ROMAN THE RUBICON

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY: Ian Matenaer LIGHTHOUSE. “Comparing pictures that I completed this year and the pictures I finished in freshman year shows a big difference,” junior Ian Matenaer said.

Tinkering with the camera settings, photoshop tools, and film rolls, at a young age junior Ian Matenear started exploring the world of photography. But what has kept him interested all these years?

“Since my dad put me into the realm of seeing things through the eye of a photographer, it has kept me to always try to impress my dad with my photos and to make sure that he’s proud of me with my work,” said Matenear.

While Matenaer’s art work focuses on Photoshop, like all students who take the photography classes, they must start from the beginning by learning basics. He had to learn film photography and found that he still enjoyed Photoshop.

This developed into a passion for taking real life photos and manipulating them into something new.

Matenaer primarily uses Photoshop to create his work.

“My dad used Photoshop for a long time and still uses it. It is just a good program all around for photo editing,” Matenaer said.

NOT GOING “ I’M TO TELL PEOPLE HOW TO INTERPRET MY WORK.

”

Ian Matenaer From 9th grade to now, Matenaer’s skills have changed.

Wanting to see how much his skills have grown, he created a project he calls ‘Imaginary Landscape’ to challenge himself and measure his skills. For ‘Imaginary Landscape,’ Matenaer takes photos from nature and alters the main subject into something new and distorted.

“I was inspired to do [the ‘Imaginary Landscape’] project because I wanted to see how I’ve grown since freshman year with my abilities in Photoshop.

Comparing pictures that I completed this year and the pictures I finished in freshmen year shows a big difference in how I’ve learned to use the tools in Photoshop,” said Matenear. “It would be a lot of fun to come back to this kind of work in the future and create pictures that I’m sure will be even better.”

Matenaer will not be continuing his work as an SPA fine arts student. He’s got a different plan in mind.

“I think I’m going to stay as an independent photographer and just find projects as they hit me. I just got back from Italy and I took a bunch of photos there so I’m planning on creating some sort of project with those photos,” Matenaer said.

Matenear’s art work wasn’t created for a message to the community. It was for himself.

“It’s not really supposed to mean anything, just I wanted to see how I developed as an artist, but I guess people could take it in any way that they want, it’s up to them. I’m not going to tell people how to interpret my work,” Matenaer said.

With a clear passion and drive for his work, Matenaer is a thriving young artist.

Olguin takes on outer space in The Pasithea Powder and audio files laying out this space opera. Anyone who enjoys narrative podcasts or has had their interest piqued in any way can check it out on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Castbox, PodBean and Google Play.

CURRENT CONTENT FROM THE PASITHEA POWDER Coming Soon: The Pasithea Powder!

Teaser: Captain Sophie Green Teaser: Dr. Jane Gonzalez Episode One: You Are Mistaken Episode Two: Hypnos Episode Three: Live From The Telescope Episode Four: Stab You In The Eye

Fair Use Photo: The Pasithea Powder Molly Olguin’s podcast The Pasithea Powder stems from her love of audio dramas.

ADRIENNE GAYLORD ILLUSTRATOR

Molly Olguin is not only an US English teacher, but the voice of Dr. Jane Gonzalez, a scientist and wartime traitor.

Olguin has been putting in time outside of school writing, directing, and recording alongside her co-creator, Jackie Hedeman, on their new podcast. Together the two explore interstellar drama in epistolary science fiction thriller podcast The Pasithea Powder.

The Pasithea Powder tells the story of Captain Sophie Green, a recovering soldier who gets pulled back into the chaos she thought she might have escaped. There’s outer space, memory altering drugs, and queer subtext curated into a series of collected voicemails

“

IT’S REALLY FUN AND INTERESTING TO SEE PEOPLE’S REACTIONS. Molly Olguin

”

As for why Olguin chose the podcast format for The Pasithea Powder:“I started falling in love with audio dramas last year--there are so many cool productions out there, and I love the form,” she said.

Podcasts have taken a large step into mainstream media in the last few years. With a large range of genre and subject matter, there’s a podcast for everyone, and their auditory format has opened the doors for creators. The form shows parallels to classic screenplay, but brings in a whole new world of auditory creativity.

According to Olguin, audio storytelling has both benefits and limitations.

“Audio storytelling adds a lot of restriction to how

you can tell your story, while small, DIY production values means you have a lot of freedom about what kind of story to tell,”she said, “as a writer, I thought that was really exciting, and I wanted to try.”

Olguin has been writing with her friend Hedeman for a few years now, but this is their first time creating a podcast, and it’s brought in more people than just the two of them.

“We have a bunch of very cool contributors. Our voice cast is big and far-flung--we have actors in Boston, Seattle, Texas, Philadelphia, and Chicago, to name a few. I’ll give a The Pasithea Powder is Olguin and her friend Hedeman’s first podcast, though they have been writing together for years.

particular shoutout to Annie Moriondo, who composed our theme music, she’s based in New Zealand,” Olguin said.

It’s been a pretty big project.

So far there are two teasers, a ‘coming soon’ introduction, and four thirty-minute episodes. Many more episodes are currently in production.

“It’s really fun and interesting to see people’s reactions to an early point in the story while working on a much later section,” Olguin said.

Teachers spend countless hours viewing student work.

Flip that script, and give The Pasithea Powder a listen.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

MOVIE REVIEW

Gerwig’s Little Women is no small feat MAREN OSTREM THE RUBICON

Since it’s publishing in 1868 and 1869, Little Women, the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott, has been adapted to near exhaustion. Since then there have been 5 movie adaptations, multiple TV shows, a Broadway musical, and even an opera, all exploring the story of the March sisters in different ways.

It could be argued that the story has been exhausted and that there is nothing new to bring to it. However, Greta Gerwig’s delightful 2019 film proves this theory wrong.

The story of Little Women surrounds the four March sisters growing up during the Civil War. With their father off in the war, and just their mother at home, the girls learn important lessons about selflessness, love, and responsibility.

They befriend their neighbor’s grandson, Laurie, who joins in on their adventures. Eventually, the movie follows the sisters as they enter adulthood and leave their home to try and make their own way in the world.

From the beginning, the film seemed destined to be a success. Gerwig made her solo directorial debut with the 2017 movie, Lady Bird, which was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Director. The cast is full of well-known actors, from Meryl Streep (Aunt March) and Laura Dern (Marmee), to Timothee Chalamet (Laurie) and Saoirse Ronan (Jo March).

Part of what makes this movie so remarkable is the chemis-

try and ease between the cast.

The actors portraying the four March sisters, Ronan, Florence Pugh (Amy March), Eliza Scanlen (Beth March), and Emma Watson (Meg March) worked scenes with incredible fluency.

Gerwig has talked about how intentional the fluid dialogue was, describing it as a dance or like music. Lines overlap and interrupt each other. Every scene inside the March house is electric and completely immersive.

THE FILM CLEVERLY BLURS THE LINE BETWEEN REALLIFE ALCOTT AND THE FICTIONAL JO MARCH. The story feels refreshing and new, and is told in a unique way. Rather than progressing in chronological order, the story jumps back and forth between the March sisters as teenagers and as adults. This creative storytelling highlights the many parallels between times, demonstrating how one’s childhood self is always present, influencing future decisions.

It is clear by watching the film that it is not only a love letter to the novel, but to Alcott herself. Alcott had originally based the March family off of her own, and Jo, the main character, was based on herself. For example, the set of the March house was a near exact replicate of the Alcott’s

MUSIC REVIEW

Mac Miller’s posthumous album Circles blends new and old PHOTO: littlewomen.movie Little Women offers both nostalgia and a fresh new take on the classic story. own Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts. Gerwig did a masterful job of weaving Alcott’s own history with the fictional world that she created, making the movie feel incredibly authentic.

The film cleverly blurs the line between real-life Alcott and the fictional Jo by drawing parallels between the publishing of Alcott’s real life novel and Jo’s fictional one, both called Little Women. Towards the end, the film feels semi-biographical, explaining Alcott’s frustrations with publishing at the time, and the negotiations she went through in order to publish her book and receive enough money from it through her character’s similar experiences. Other small details link the author and character, such as Jo being ambidextrous and often sporting hands stained with ink, just like Alcott herself. Alcott is reported to have trained herself to be ambidextrous so she could simply switch hands when she got tired from writing. These small details make die-hard Alcott fans as well as casual movie viewers realize that this movie

is something special.

The entire film was put together with precise detail, and the costuming was no exception. In interviews about the film, Gerwig praised costumer Jacqueline Durran for her thoughtfulness. According to Indie Wire, Gerwig said that each sister was assigned a color and their mother wore clothes that had all four of their colors subtly woven together. Another detail that some sharp-eyed fans may have noticed, was that the characters were constantly borrowing articles of clothing from each other, including Laurie and Jo. All of these details combined to create a world that felt incredibly lived in and natural.

Overall, Little Women is nostalgic while also being fresh and new. Viewers new to the story and mega-fans alike will fall in love with this re-imagined telling of Little Women.

RATING: 5/5

New song “Yummy” cures cases of Bieber fever SPA THINKS “It just sounds like every other generic pop song but with slightly worse lyrics.”

- Rylan Hefner “It’s a catchy but disingenuous way to say ‘I love you’ to your wife.”

- Lori Li “I think it’s a terrible song from a mass produced beat and meaningless lyrics made solely to blow up on tiktok and make Justin money. It’s an insult and mockery of the incredible artistry and innovation being done by others right now.”

- Tyler Christensen

QUINN CHRISTENSEN EDITOR IN CHIEF

After nearly a year-long hiatus, Justin Bieber is back, and in a big way.

In Feb. 2019, Bieber announced that he was taking a break from music. He has not released a full album since Purpose in 2015. Needless to say, his comeback - complete with a new song, tour announcement, and now docu-series - has made a splash.

His new song, “Yummy,” has not been well-received. Not only have listeners mocked the lyrics of the song, but Bieber’s promotional tactics have also received backlash.

Bieber’s Instagram account has been flooded with ads for “Yummy,” with the most overthe-top being a since-deleted post asking fans to get the song to #1. The post, which included several slides on an Instagram carousel - not only asked fans to stream the song, but gave specific instructions on how to

13

ILLUSTRATION: Quinn Christensen Bieber’s Instagram page overflows with posts promoting “Yummy.” help him get another chart-topping single.

Tips included streaming the song at night while fans are sleeping, purchasing it on multiple platforms, and even went so far as to ask fans from

outside the U.S. to buy a new VPN so that their streaming the song would count towards the rankings.

Additionally, Bieber has been doing Instagram live streams in which he goes live with fans, only to ask them to listen to “Yummy.”

The release of the new song is only one piece of Bieber’s comeback, though. He has faced backlash throughout his career, and now he’ll get to tell his side of the story in a new docu-series about his life with his wife, Hailey Baldwin Bieber.

Bieber got his start in 2007 on YouTube, and now he is returning to the platform with his docu-series, Seasons.

The series will focus on his life with wife Hailey Baldwin, and is rumored to also discuss his recent Lyme Disease diagnosis.

The first episode premiered on YouTube on January 27, with new episodes released every Monday and Wednesday.

HENRY BURKHARDT RUBICONLINE

Mac Miller’s death in September of 2018 was a massive shock to the hip-hop community he helped cultivate. Miller was working on a new project before he died, and recently, Miller’s producer Jon Brion and Miller’s family released the posthumous album Circles.

Circles serves as a companion to Miller’s 2018 album entitled Swimming, completing Miller’s original idea for the two albums: “swimming in circles.”

While Miller certainly departed from his earlier sound in Swimming, he has again explored new genres and musical feels in Circles.

Miller’s style in Circles is unique as he blends his older rhythmic, more traditional rap style with more acoustic and moody melodies and instrumentation. An aspect that especially stands out in Miller’s most recent body of work is the relatively sparse instrumentation. Many tracks on the album are made up of mainly synthesizer melodies, baselines, and a relatively basic drum track. Additionally, Miller sings (not raps) for the majority of the album. In fact, “Hands” is the only full rap song on the album. This was certainly a change in Miller’s style, as all of his past albums feature almost exclusively rap songs.

The lyrical content of Circles takes on a much somber mood considering Miller’s abrupt passing. Most songs on the album are, at surface level, optimistic and seemingly carefree.

With lyrics like “Sometimes the going gets so good, but then again it gets pretty rough, but when I have you in my arms, baby, you know I just can’t, I just can’t get enough” and “Today I’m fine,” Miller paints a picture of the day to day life in which he is not bothered by much, seemingly going with the flow. However, he still addresses questions applicable to everyone, leaving room for vulnerability in a way that allows the listener to feel an emotional connection with Miller and his life.

Read the full story at RUBICON online

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SPORTS THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

How Spartan athletes stay mentally strong SHAREE ROMAN THE RUBICON

The anticipation on race day, the cold sweat at the starting gate, and the prospect of either perpetual glory or sinking defeat. For the average spectator, these are concerns barely register as a blip on the consciousness, but winter sport participants - even the most accomplished ones - can get bogged down by the weather and the long stretch of the season.

For senior captain Fremont Forsberg, time management plays a large role in how he stays mentally strong though the ski season. “[For me,] using my free time effectively to get homework done and do things other than skiing [helps keep myself balanced],” said Forsberg.

According to Runner’s World, an organization that did a feature on college athletes, emphasized the burden on managing academics, a social life, and athletic career. Some tips including “treating bedtime like an assignment”, “set a duration of time to study”, “schedule a time to tune out”, and most importantly “when faced with a packed day, ask yourself this question: What’s the most important thing that has to happen today? It might be a workout. It might be work.

Prioritize accordingly.”

As a captain, Forsberg feels a responsibility to keeping his team inspired. Making sure the team does not get burned out is vital to race day and successfulness.

“Making sure everyone is having fun while also getting a good practice” is how Forsberg prevents the team from getting burned out.

He emphasizes that “keeping a lighthearted fun team culture that emphasizes team cooperation and team bonding” is a technique that he uses to keep himself and his team motivated.

For junior Michael Moran,

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY: Lauren Dieperink TEAM BONDING. The Nordic team prioritizes team bonding as a way to stay focused on their goals through the longest stretches of the season. fencer, also emphasizes the importance of time management for succession in sports.

“Consistently being on top of homework. Having a winter sport that practices pretty late into the day, the biggest detriment to that is that you don’t have a lot of flexibility. If you have an something in the evening that comes up and you don’t get to do homework, then you are behind by a day and it sort of piles up. For me taking advantage of the small time from when school ends and practice begins is really important,” said Michael Moran.

Besides practicing time management, Moran attempts to exercise to relieve stress and

“

I MAKE SURE TO FINISH MOST OF MY HOMEWORK, IF NOT ALL, DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. Lauren Dieperink

”

tension for four to six miles at least twice a week.

“I attempt to run in the winter. It is my favorite hobby. So I recommend that if people have a hobby, whether it is outside or inside, that they stick to that.

It sort of keeps you focused on the matters at hand and makes you not think of the dreariness

that is outside right now,” said Moran.

Senior captain, Lauren Dieperink, likes to bond with her teammates when the atmosphere is feeling burned out.

“The Nordic team has a group chat and we text a lot to get hyped up for meets. That helps to be excited and also a lot of times at the end of practice we’ll also play games for some fun,” said Dieperink.

Like most athletes, Dieperink makes sure to stay on top of her schedule so she’ll able to have to do other things than sports and homework.

“I make sure to finish most of my homework, if not all, during the school day so

that after a meet or practice I have time to chill or take a bath or do some self care so that I can relax after a busy day,” Dieperink said.

Above all, Dieperink always makes time for her friends and family.

“During my sports seasons I mostly focus on that sport and homework but I also make sure to make time for my friends and that’s really important to me so that’s what I do with my free time that isn’t occupied,” Dieperink said.

Whether the drive is to hang out with friends or go for a run around block to relieve tension, winter sport mentality plays a large role in athletes lives.

Traditions play a key role in the sports community CHARLIE JOHNSON THE RUBICON

It is a great time to be a fan. January and February are the peak of multiple sports seasons. NFL teams are in the playoff games, college football just crowned a new champion, hockey and basketball are meeting their mid season points, and winter sports like skiing and snowboarding are in the thick of their season.

Sports have the power to bring out the best and worst of people. Whether you are an athlete or simply just a fan one thing is for sure, everyone has their own special traditions.

One thing that is a commonality between athletes and fans is superstition. To sophomore hockey player, Jake Therien, this means a certain way he puts on his pads before a game.

“I always tighten my skates first, and then tighten everything again twice… it’s just kind of autopilot at this point,” Therien said.

For fans like sophomore Clarke Baskerville it is all about a routine.

“Me and my brother before games always go downstairs to a coffee shop in our apartment and we always get breakfast sandwiches...it’s only on game days, it’s a nice way to get ready

before the game starts,” Baskerville said.

For some, being a fan does not need to be as elaborate or time consuming as a special meal or a routine to follow.

For many fans, they pride themselves in the simplicity of spectating. Sophomore Zelda Harmoning encompasses this idea.

“Before I watch soccer games, if I have a jersey I put it on...It’s good support.”

Whatever your tradition may be, no matter how big or small, may be the competitive edge or superstition that pushes your team over the edge,” Harmoning said.

SPA THINKS:

What is your game day tradition?

I LISTEN TO MY FAVORITE SONG “ANIMAL” BEFORE VERY GAME. E.J. Johnson

I’M A BIG FAN OF SUPER BOWL PARTIES. MY FAMILY TAKES THAT SERIOUSLY. Eli Conrad-Wovcha

SPORTS THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

Community reacts to the death of Kobe Bryant

Instagram @kobebryant Kobe Bryant, pictured here with two of his four daughters, was renowned for not only his basketball career but also as a loving father and husband. five championships during BOBBY VERHEY his time with the Los AngeRUBICONLINE

On the morning of Sunday Jan. 26 at 10 a.m., news of a tragic helicopter crash involving NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others spread like wildfire on the internet. Bryant, who was 41 years old, retired in 2016 with

les Lakers and 33,643 points, which ranks 4th in NBA history. Along with that, he also won the Most Valuable Player award in the 2007-08 season and even won an Oscar for his work in the movie “Dear Basketball.” However, the response that Kobe’s death received re-

vealed that he was much more than just a basketball player.

“He was a cultural icon,” junior Eli Conrod-Wovcha said.

“Everyone knows the name Kobe Bryant.”

Senior Griffin Thissen said, “If you are around my age, everyone growing up wanted to be like him, and play like him […] I thought the news was fake. I didn’t want to believe it.”

Other seniors felt the same way.

“I didn’t think it was real, but when it was confirmed I was really sad. He was the stereotypical model of how hard work pays off. He inspired me and so many other basketball players to not only play but actually put in work to get better,” senior Boys Basketball captain Liam Will said.

Sophomore Jayden Jones said, “It’s really weird that it happened so fast. I feel like I just saw him on TV and now he is dead.” Senior Helen Bartlett said, “It’s unbelievable that people can die just like that. I saw a video of him two days ago on Saturday…he was laughing and having fun. And now, he is dead just like that. […] When it’s a celebrity that dies like that, I think it shows just how fragile life is.”

“I feel so bad for his wife and his other daughters,” sophomore Vivian Johnson said.

“I always would say ‘Kobe’ whenever I would throw trash away, and shoot it in like I was in the NBA,” ninth-grader Nathan Cohen said. “It’s going to feel a little different now.”

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Highlights of Bryant’s career 1996: Kobe Bryant is drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers as the 13th pick in the draft 1999: Bryant wins first NBA title.

2000: Bryant has his first 50+ point game, scoring 51 points against the Golden State Warriors.

2001: Bryant wins MVP in the NBA all-star game.

2003: Bryant agrees to a 7 year deal for $136 million.

2005: Bryant scores 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second highest amount of points scored by one player in one game.

INFO: Los Angeles Times

Best local teams for fans to support: Minnesota winter sports consumer guide

As the professional JULIA BARON men’s hockey team since 1997, the THE RUBICON Minnesota Wild have historically been one of the most successful teams in Minnesota, qualifying for the playoffs 4 out of the last five years. Their season spans from October to April, and they currently have a record of 20 wins, 20 losses, and 6 ties, ranking them last of seven teams in the Central Division. Some of their key players are PHOTO: Lorie Shaull Zach Praise, who plays at left-wing, Devan Dubnyk at goalkeeper, Flickr CC and Jason Zucker at left wing. The teams play their home games at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul, and their next home game is Feb. Regardless of their lack of major support, the Whitecaps, Min6 against the Vancouver Canucks. nesota’s professional hockey team, have been extremely successful in the National Women’s Hockey League, finishing first 3 times in PHOTO: the last 10 seasons. Their season started in October and will end jpellgen at the beginning of March. The Whitecaps are currently second in their division, with a record of 10 wins and 6 losses. A few of the Whitecaps’ key players are Allie Thunderstorm, who leads the team with 12 goals, Nicole Schammel with nine goals, and their leading goalkeeper Amanda Leveille with 452 saves so far this season. The team plays at the TRIA Rink in St. Paul, and their next game is Feb 22 against the Buffalo Beauts.

The Whitecaps

Minnesota Wild

Minnesota Roller Derby

Although the Timber- PHOTO SUBMITTED BY: Jack Bogdan wolves, men’s professional basketball, struggled in their early years, they made it to the playoffs in 2018 for the first time in 14 years. Although there’s a small chance of making it to the playoffs this year, they have seen success in a tight division, currently ranking 20:29 teams. Watch Karl-Anthony Towns who in both points (26.5) and rebounds per game (11.7).

Leading in assists per game: Jeff Teague (6.2), Karl-Anthony Towns (4.4), and Shabazz Napier (4.1). The next home game is Feb 5 vs the Atlanta Hawks at the Target Center.

The Timberwolves

T h e Minnesota Roller Derby’s success follows them in and out of the arena. Their bouts take place at the Roy Wilkins, with an average of 1,800-2,000 fans at each event. The players are volunteers; profits from events are donated to organizations, often whose goal is centered around women. There are four teams: the Atomic Bombshells, the Garda Belts, the Daggar Dolls, and the Rockits. The All-Star team travels around the country. The home team semi-final is Feb 15.

PHOTO: MATT Flicker CC

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PHOTO STORY THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2020

The giant cherry on a spoon sits on the frozen landscape.

SCULPTURE GARDEN

The blue and yellow bridge is a perfect spot for a photo shoot.

THE RUBICON PHOTOS: Julia Baron Where: 4801 S Minnehaha Drive Minneapolis, MN Activity: Hike, bike, and enjoy the views.

Price: No cost “I like that it encourages people to be outdoors and encourages a connection with nature,” senior Ayla Straub said.

Kids of varying ages join together for a hockey game.

GROVELAND ICE RINK

The ice rink provides space for both hockey and figure skating.

Where: 2021 St. Clair Ave., Saint Paul, MN

Activity: Ice skating Price: No cost - skates available for free “I really like how it’s in the middle of the Macal ester Groveland community, and I like how accessible it is,” junior Jonas Bray said.

Winter getting you down?

Opt outside with these activities JULIA BARON THE RUBICON

Winter in Minnesota can often be a time where students find themselves cooped inside, not wanting to venture out into the cold.

However, the Twin Cities offer an array of wintertime possibilities, ranging from athletic activities like skating and biking to sightseeing beautiful places such as frozen waterfalls.

ILLUSTRATION: Evelyn Lillemoe

ART SHANTY PROJECTS

Where: Bde Unma/Lake Harriet Activity: Seeing the creative hut designs Price: No cost. Donations of $10-$20 are suggested.

“It’s fun for all ages. It’s like a little village

full of crazy, creative things on the ice,” US French teacher Aimeric Lajuzan said.

Visitors go inside a bright green pollinator hut.

A hut resembling First Avenue draws a line of people.

MINNEHAHA FALLS

Where: 4801 S Minnehaha Drive Minneapolis, MN Activity: Hike, bike, and enjoy the views.

Price: No cost “I like the waterfall, and also the park,” 9th grader Milkii Tigro said.

Walk down flights of stairs to explore the Mississippi River.

Hike above the falls or travel to the stream below .