March 2013 by SPA Publications

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St. Paul Academy & Summit School 1712 Randolph Ave. St. Paul, MN March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

How do you preserve your culture in a new country?

Cover Story 8-9

COMING TO

AMERICA

2 News

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

Photo Credit: Lucy Li Keynote Speaker Kristiie Rendahl addresses the Upper School. Rendahl shared anecdotes from her experiences in Armenia, Mexico, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and other countries she has visited as a humanitarian and writer. She told the students, “Each story I am telling today is about overcoming adversity.”

Speaker Day focuses on opportunities Dozens of presenters “Bridge Barriers” with their experience Nurse, Veterans Affairs Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder Center Founder, Blood Orange co-author Jugadd Innovation

Simone Ahuja talked about problem solving, common barriers, and the role of creativity in Innovation. Many of the barriers include social and emotional barriers, but also time, misinterpretation, and assumptions. She defined “Jugaad” as a low cost, improvisational problem solving method actively used in emerging markets like India, China, and Brazil. In the U.S., she pointed out that most problem solving is linear, but that programs like the “design thinking” process used at Stanford University’s Photo Credit: Noah Shavit-Lonstein Design School is changing that. Ahuja said that “If we Simone Ahuja broke students into small are trying to solve a problem, let’s make sure we are askgroups for the last half of her session so ing the right questions.” The best way to know that is by they could devise creative solutions to a being empathetic and listening. She emphasized collaboproblem. She said that “If we are trying to solve a problem, let’s make sure we are ration and the process of developing a “low resolution idea,” then getting feedback, then making a higher quality asking the right questions.” prototype. Students in the session spent the last 20 minutes in small groups of 3-4 coming up with two solutions to the task: design a way to keep food cool without electricity. One solution had to be a restrained resource solution and the other was a resource rich solution. Ahuja is the principal and founder of Blood Orange, and co-author of the book Jugaad Innovation: Think Frugal, Be Flexible, Generate Breakthrough Growth.

Associate Professor of Medicine University of Minnesota

Overcoming Obstacles Bridging Barriers

In case you missed it... Joe Rauch, a nurse at the Minneapolis VA Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder Center, spoke about the anatomy and physiology of the human spine. He discussed the consequences of complete or incomplete injury to each bone in the spine, which can result in tetraplegia/quadriplegia or paraplegia. Rauch also showed statistics of spinal injuries causes and trends among different ages and races of patients. For example, 12,000 new cases of spinal cord injuries emerge each year in the United States. Rauch helps patients recover from injury, aiding them in their treatment plans to achieve a “new normal” in life once they return home. He told stories of people using breathing patterns and head movements to drive their wheelchairs, and how some are able to go rock climbing and skiing after rehabilitation. Near the end of the presentation, Rauch showed pictures of the SCI/D center.

Joe Rauch

In past years, Speaker Day was a biennial event. Yet as St. Paul Academy and Summit School enters its third consecutive year with a Speaker Day, held Mar. 6, Upper School Council President Hagop Toghramadjian has learned what to expect from the challenge of organizing such a busy event. “When USC met before school started in August, we all agreed that Speaker Day should be planned in a more organized fashion,” To g h r a m a d j i a n said. USC ensured that several deadlines were set, and made a concerted effort to prevent Speaker Day from taking up all the group’s time as it had in previous years. The theme of this year’s Speaker Day - “Overcoming Obstacles and Bridging Barriers” - encompasses many possible speakers and is different from themes in past years, and as such was of great appeal to USC. To prepare for the event, each member of USC leadership compiled a list of contacts with whom to form a list of possible speakers. After potential speakers were contacted, short biographies were requested so as to allow students to pick which speakers most suit their interests. This follows the trend of previous years, allowing students a great deal of autonomy in selecting which speakers they would like to see. Meanwhile, the officers on the council worked on setting up key-

Simone Ahuja

Managing Editor Online Editor-in-Chief

note speakers. This proved harder than expected, as several high-level speakers expressed interest but later changed their plans. However, USC is pleased with the current keynote speakers, who include journalist and activist Kristie Rendahl and storyteller Kevin Kling. Toghramadjian noted the difficulty of technological coordination in past presentations, and so USC has taken more time than in the past to plan around technological use with US Technology Coordinator Chris White. “ We ’ v e spent more time than expected on planning Speaker Day, because it involves dozens of contacts and hundreds of emails, and we really want it to be a positive experience for the student body,” Toghramadjian said. Nevertheless, Toghramadjian believes that USC has met its deadlines, and completed most of the planning in a more timely and concise manner than in past years. The day opened with Rendahl’s presentation, where she shared stories from her days with the Peace Corps in 2007 to a recent trip to South Africa in February. She said that -- whether implicitly or explicitly, “Each story I am telling today is about overcoming adversity.” After Q&A, students were assigned to two breakout sessions and, from there, went into a rotation that involved time with advisory groups, lunch, and free time. The afternoon culminated in Kling’s presentation, which focused on how stories bridge barriers.

Joseph Thurn

Ibad Jafri

The Rubicon editors share recaps of a few sessions presented on Speaker Day

Associate Professor of Medicine Joseph Thurn of the University of Minnesota spoke of the many problems that complicate the path to finding treatment for HIV. Thurn is a Staff Physician and Hospital Epidemiologist in the Infectious Disease Section of his department. “I think we need to do a lot more,” he said about HIV prevention in the United States. He showed global statistics of HIV and how people in other countries receive antiretroviral therapy for the disease. Thurn claimed that inner city U.S prevalence of HIV is equal to that of Sub-Saharan Africa. “It’s been like a yo-yo,” Thurn said as he swung one arm to demonstrate the timeline of HIV treatment. Problems of developing effective HIV drugs include toxicity, side effects, and costs. Lifestyles of patients also play important roles in preventing and treating HIV. The last slide of Thurn’s presentation showed a picture of Mount Everest. “It’s still an uphill battle,” Thurn said.

News St. Paul Academy and Summit School

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

Authors invited to English classes

News in Brief

Lucy Li

Pani Pilots take first at World Savvy

Cover Story Editor

Everyone writes, but some people turn writing into a way of life. They wake up in the morning and go to work, trying to hit a certain number of words in a day and spending hours editing and revising. “Writing is one of many tools we have to make meaning out of our experience,” Melanie Hoffert, author of Prairie Silence, said. In order for St. Paul Academy and Summit School students to gain an inside look on those who professionally practice this craft, teachers invite authors such as Hoffert into the classroom to share their work and their lives with students. The combination of authors and students who write at a variety of levels allows learning and reality to merge. “You’re practicing being authors but you are also authors,” Upper School English teacher Lucy Polk said about students. “Some kids are new at it, some kids are very practiced at it… and that’s very exciting for that group to get together and really talk to each other.” Polk hopes that students will recognize the lively writing community that exists in the Twin Cities by featuring mostly local authors. In the past, visitors have included Bonnie Blodgett, who wrote Remembering Smell, a memoir depicting Blodgett’s experience of losing her sense of smell. “I wanted her to talk about not just what the experience of losing her smell [was like] but what [she] actually had to do to write a book on that experience. It’s not just recording the experience,” Polk said. In early February, Memoir classes visited the Loft Literary Center to work with Kate St. Vincent Vogl, author of Lost and Found. Vogl gave students prompts to write about and discussed being a memoir author. Junior Drew Blackmun went on the trip. “It’s nice to be able to have real expe-

Photo Credit: Lucy Li Reading and Writing Memoir class works on incorporating dialogue into their writing. Left to right: senior Joelle Destache, juniors Helen Derechin and Ellen Samuelson, senior Karl Hommeyer. Students are encouraged to view themselves as authors in writing courses.

“

I bring this love of words and writing to SPA in hopes that I can inspire the next generation to keep alive the beauty of language as it is conveyed in the words, sentences, paragraphs and pages that tell our stories.

author William Moyers riences from a real author to give us pointers on how to write, what to write, what to leave in, what to keep out,” he said. Likewise, senior Sammy Karon, who also attended the trip, thought that “the speaker was very interesting. I learned what kind of story I should write as an internal thing rather than just mechanics.” Often, teachers contact authors through in a variety of ways, with examples including colleagues, authors’ websites, the Minnesota Council of Teachers of English,

the local independent book publishers, the Loft Literary Center, and the MFA (Master of Fine Arts) programs at Hamline University and the University of Minnesota. “It’s very exciting for kids to see that this is a job that people do,” Polk said. Before a visitor comes, students may prepare writing to revise during the visit. Sometimes, they read excerpts of the author’s work or listen to interviews to become more familiar with him or her in advance.

“We might ask [the authors] to focus on what it’s like to be an author; we might ask them to focus on the actual craft of writing whatever they’re good at writing,” Polk said. Overall, the main objective is to increase the number of voices in the classroom. Many English teachers are themselves writers, but outsiders inject new experiences into the conversation. “I’d love to be able to ignite a creative curiosity in someone,” Hoffert said. “I think we are all innately creative humans, with a similar yearning to make things, whether those things be stories or music or a physical products.” Senior Memoir student Joelle Destache looks forward to “hearing about what helps them write, where they like to write, and what they like to do,” she said. Blackmun agrees with this. “It’ll be nice to have multiple authors’ perspectives because everybody writes in different ways,” he said.

Battle of the Bands cancelled despite opposition Andy Monserud

Op/ Ed Editor

St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s annual Battle of the Bands, held each spring in Historic Briggs Gymnasium, will not take place this year. Instead, the Student Activities Committee is planning another event. The decision to cancel the Battle came after the announcement US mathematics teacher George Leiter’s sabbatical. Leiter coordinates the Battle each year, plays in bands, and makes sure that everything goes smoothly on the big night. Leiter’s absence left a vacuum in the Battle’s organization. SAC co-president Max Lowenthal, who enjoys the Battle, recognized the difficulties involved with putting it on. “Obviously we enjoy school-run events,” he said,

but without enough support from bands, “It’s just another completely SAC-run event.” He adds that “with the absence of Mr. Leiter, we thought that it would be a good time to try something new.” Still, the Battle will be sorely missed by many students as a platform for aspiring musicians to test their mettle and display their talents. “I thought they should have had it,” junior Mary Merrill said. “I really like Battle of the Bands.” She especially enjoys the communal aspect of the Battle. “You get to cheer on your classmates. The first year I went, I didn’t know that any of those people sang or did anything, and they were all so good.” Junior Charlie Southwick agrees. “I’m new this year, so I haven’t gone before, but I like the idea of students showing off their individual skills.”

Students also miss the opportunity presented by the Battle to goof around. Senior David Ristau, whose gag band the Assorted Dictators had planned to perform in this year’s Battle, laments the cancellation. “It’s the worst decision since SPA went trayless,” he said. SAC plans to replace Battle of the Bands with another event, but Lowenthal was hesitant to divulge details. “It will be more of a dance atmosphere,” than the Battle, he said, “but we’re going to try to shake things up.” Lowenthal promises more musical variety than is typical at the dances, and an attempt to expand the appeal of the event to students who don’t usually attend dances. The date is yet to be finalized, but he hints that May 5 is a strong possibility. “We are big supporters of the Battle,” Lowenthal said. “We just

want to try something new ... and make things the best they can be.” Junior Charlotte Hughes is disgruntled about the change. “I would rather have a Battle of the Bands than another dance,” Hughes said. What exactly Lowenthal and the rest of SAC have in store remains to be seen, but beyond a doubt the new event will have big shoes to fill in the court of public opinion.

The Pani Pilots, St. Paul Academy’s World Savvy team, placed first in the performance category at the competition on Mar. 2. Their presentation addressed issues related to water and sustainability in Australia, Bangladesh, and Minnesota. The team consisted of sophomores Evan Miller, Evva Parsons, Evan Leduc, Zeeshawn Abid, Aliza Rahman, Amber Skarjune, and Sarah Little, and are advised by US History teacher Sushmita Hodges and US Science teacher Carmen Vanegas. Three team members also placed first, second, and third in the Action Roundtable: Zeeshawn Abid, Amber Skarjune, and Sarah Little.

Mellick resigns from College Counseling Former Assistant Director of College Counseling Lauren Mellick’s last day at St. Paul Academy and Summit School was on Friday, Mar. 1. Having just started working at SPA at the beginning of the school year, her departure has taken some students, faculty, and parents by surprise. In a farewell email sent out to students are parents on Mar. 1, Mellick said: “[I] thank you all for welcoming me warmly to SPA and I appreciate your support and encouragement in this difficult decision and as I pursue a different opportunity.” Director of College Counseling Mary Hill also sent out a statement to SPA families notifying them of Mellick’s departure to pursue career opportunities in the private sector. SPA sincerely appreciated Mellick’s contribution to the community.

Winter storm Saturn provides rare Snow Day For the first time in recent history, snow closed the Randolph and Goodrich campuses Mar. 5. In a statement to families on Wednesday morning, Head of School Bryn Roberts wrote that “As the streets around both campuses have not been plowed and the snow is forecast to continue throughout the day, we deem it safest for our students and families to close school today.” Winter Storm Saturn dumped nearly a foot of snow on the Twin Cities area. Most students asked said that they did “nothing” with the snow day, except perhaps watch a lot of television.

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4 Opinion/Editorial

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

STAFF the rubicon

Editor-in-Chief Aditi Kulkarni

Managing Editor Online Editor-in-Chief Ibad Jafri

Chief Visual Editor Nick Scott

News Editor

Thomas Toghramadjian

Op/Ed Editor Andy Monserud

Sports Editor Hannah Johnson

Cover Story Editor Lucy Li

Feature Editor

Noah Shavit-Lonstein

A&E Editor Ellie Fuelling

Around Town Editor Liz Rossman

Food and Nutrition Editor August King

Illustrator/Staff Writer Ava Gallagher

Columnist Saif Ahmed

Adviser

Kathryn Campbell

Staff Writers

Boraan Abdulkarim Netta Kaplan Gita Raman Dhara Singh Laura Slade Nina Zietlow

Guest Writer Bilal Askari

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the student newspaper of St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 Memberships Minnesota High School Press Association National Scholastic Press Association Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2012 Awards JEM All-State Gold MHSPA Best in Show NSPA All American w/4 marks of Distinction CSPA Silver Medal

Staff Editorial

Keep socioeconomic diversity in mind With third quarter yielding to spring break, students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School naturally begin to talk about vacation plans. It seems everybody has somewhere to go— a family condo in Florida, a cruise in the Caribbean, or an exchange trip with their language class. As the sunburnt student body returns and pictures from family trips flood Facebook, it’s easy to forget how many students here stayed home out of financial necessity. Despite socioeconomic diversity, a culture of comfortable affluence pervades SPA. The costly tuition supports the conclusion that practically everybody comes from a financially prosperous family. It is easy to forget that financial aid ensures that many students do not conform to this stereotype. Nobody doubts for an instant that varsity athletes can afford to drop $160 on sports equipment and jerseys, or that incoming freshman will buy five books for English alone without thinking twice about it. Worst of all, this costly literary bounty often goes to waste, as shredded copies of the Odyssey and The Scarlet Letter accumulate in the library lost- and - found by the end of the year. While some luxuries, like cash cards for afterschool snacks or Macbooks for home use remain superfluous, sometimes even academic and social success come with a price tag. Princeton Review textbooks for Advanced Placement exams, Col-

Editorial Cartoon Credit: Ava Gallagher

All students bring different talents, skills, resources, and perspectives to the table. We cannot put a price on the value of that diversity. lege Counseling-endorsed summer enrichment programs, and tickets for dances all cost hefty sums of money that some students are reluctant to ask their parents to pay. There’s no use in feeling guilty about your spring break plans, or in tiptoeing around the subject of wealth in everyday conversation. Judgments drawn based on family income, a factor well beyond any young person’s control, accomplish nothing.

There’s no shame in spending two weeks in Milan over spring break, nor is there any humiliation in working at Subway or buying cars or closed used. Our families’ economic situations really determine very little. Extrapolations about another person’s character based on their parents’ salaries make no more sense than conclusions based on race. Wealth is only the tip of the iceberg, but class differences can

have a pervasive effect on students’ perceptions of each other. Nobody on financial aid should consider a classmate entitled, or resent them. Conversely, in an environment where it is possible to bill your parents for everything from puppy chow to homecoming shirts, a sense of entitlement can all too easily develop among wellto-do students. A sense of entitlement that nobody can afford.

Opinion Chavez will Laptop program works best not be missed when standardized Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was not known for clean dealings and transparency in his home nation. From 1999 until his death on Mar. 5, the iron fist with which Chavez ruled Venezuela led to very little in the way of reform while crippling the nation’s democracy. Chavez presided over an era which saw Venezuela attempt expansive economic reforms, but succeed in few. Very little of Chavez’s agenda was successful, and his policy of “21st-Century Socialism” is widely regarded as a failure. Instead, Chavez will be remembered for his staunch opposition to the United States and the instability that ran rife in his earlier terms. He will be remembered for cracking down on his country’s press. He will be remembered for the 2002 coup d’etat which failed to remove him from power. He will be remembered for the 2002-2003 oil strikes which stopped Venezuela’s oil industry. Sadder still, his legacy will be as present in death as it was in life, as very little in Venezuela is likely to change in the coming years.

Every new grade of students moves quickly from joy to annoyance about their school laptops, envying the slightly newer machines of the year below them. The need for a tablet computer narrows possibilities dramatically, as well as driving prices up. After four years of hard use and often less-than-great care, the computers tend to be worn down and require a good deal of tape, compromise, and hope to keep running. But what if students could choose the computer they use? The necessity for a tablet would need to be rethought with relatively few available, but the main issue would be with software discrepancies. The most popular alternatives are Apple products, and the differences between Windows and Mac OS would that it would be difficult for teachers showing how to set up a new OneNote notebook or other similar activities to their students with a different operating system. This might be solved by moving to web-based programs like Google Docs, but those may not always provide the same kind of features. Some programs might also work differently, requiring teach-

ers and tech staff to learn how to operate them on multiple different machines in order to instruct students in their use. Many programs are also completely incompatible with Macs, presenting even more hurdles. As for hardware, there would be various types of chargers and styluses around the school, making borrowing difficult, and projectors would need to have more VGA cables for different connectors. A student missing one of these wouldn’t necessarily be able to borrow one from a friend. The tech and computer system is already complicated enough, and a bring-your-own-device program would only be a time-suck. With the system as complex as it already is, allowing students to bring their own device would, effectively, only make trouble.

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

The Rubicon Letters Policy: The Rubicon welcomes letters to the editor. They can be mailed to us or sent to rubicon.spa@gmail. com. Letters should be limited to 150-200 words and published by discretion of The Rubicon staff.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Opinion/Editorial 5 March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

Your Turn Winner

Schedule change is for the better Bilal Askari

Guest Writer

I will be the first to admit that when news broke of a new schedule in the making, I held the very notion in contempt. Had we not survived the grueling years of middle school to break free of the curse known colloquially as “the block schedule”? Naturally, I was shattered to hear that we would be reverting to such a barbaric age. Realistically speaking, my greatest fear stemmed from the elongated class periods. Like many others, I tend to have trouble focusing on one thing and demonstrating any kind of productivity for extended periods of time. Not surprisingly, the 90-minute block schedule of middle school had always seemed rather excessive. In our current 45-minute period schedule, the shorter class time is one my favorite aspects; it allows for a very appropriate amount of material to be presented in one sitting. In our new schedule, class periods will be 75 minutes long. Personally, I don’t feel as if the added 30 minutes will be as bad as many people – my former self included – think it will be. I know that it will definitely present some difficulties for

at least a month or perhaps longer, but I imagine that I will be able to settle comfortably eventually. After all, I did manage to get used to the 45-minute schedule enough to resent any potential changes. The other major impact in my school life will be derived from the designated lunch period, in conjunction with the cyclic nature of the schedule itself. If there will be fewer academic classes per day, none of which are occupied by a lunch period every day, then that opens up a period in which I can insert another activity into my schedule. For example, I could ill afford to participate in both debate and jazz band this year, so I was forced to drop band as a consequence – simply because I didn’t have any time available. In the new schedule, I will be able to take part in both activities, and could feasibly consider a seminar in scientific research, and still have the designated free time at the end of the day to begin my homework or to meet with my teachers. It works out quite nicely, really. So, is the extra free time worth the sacrifice of the short class periods – and that of the 45 minute lunches for that matter? Honestly, I would say that the answer is a resounding “yes”. Not only is the

Photo Credit: Ava Gallagher The proposed schedule provides more time in and out of class. “...I will be able to take part in both [debate and jazz band], and could feasibly consider a seminar in scientific research, and still have the designated free time at the end of the day to begin my homework or to meet with my teachers. It works out quite nicely, really.”

new schedule designed to optimize our time spent at school, it is based fundamentally around the needs of the student and is engineered to enhance the high school experi-

ence. It introduces a host of new opportunities for students to explore based on their own inclinations, which happens to be a premise very much in line with SPA’s

core values. Hey, I’m just glad I’ll never have to do Fitness for Life for 75 minutes.

Online encyclopedia deserves a better reputation

How long did it take?

What’s so bad about Wikipedia? Boraan Abdulkarim

Staff Writer

Almost any student walking into a class will assume the teacher scowls upon the mention of the oh-so-hated, but ever common Wikipedia. Why all the hate? Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that is open to editing by practically anyone with internet access. Usually, though, it provides a thorough and accurate summary of a topic, and it should be accepted for students to be able to cite Wikipedia as a source for information. Wikipedia is both efficient and informative. When searching for practically anything on the Internet, a relevant Wikipedia link invariably appears at the top of the page. These links provide articles jam packed with information and statistics, conveniently concentrated on one page. Why on earth should we dismiss such a valuable resource? Wikipedia has professional fact checkers to ensure quality content, keeping the website reliable. What’s more, you don’t need a professional fact checker from Wikipedia to attest to facts. If something said on Wikipedia seems a little inadequate, you should verify it. “You should also double check the facts on another website” said freshman

Print Britannica Encyclopedia: Tree

3 min 35 sec not present

Gangnam Style Spelling Bee Geology France Photo Credit: Boraan Abdulkarim It’s quicker, easier and consumes much less space than traditional encyclopedias. So why do teachers give Wikipedia so little credence?

Claudia Rosario. According to a study by the journal Nature, Wikipedia’s accuracy comes extremely close to the Encyclopedia Britannica. The study gave an equal number of articles from both encyclopedias to field experts for review. The experts found about four mistakes in the Wikipedia articles and three in Britannica. So obviously, the fact checkers make a difference. Print encyclopedias also get outdated. Information gets changed

and added. If one has access to a set of print encyclopedias, they probably won’t want to order another costly new set every time one comes out. In that case, Wikipedia is more accurate than a print encyclopedia. I cringe at the sight of shelves of ancient encyclopedias crowding our libraries. Imagine trying to puzzle through, find the right book, and look up whatever is needed. That would take five or more minutes. It isn’t worth the

minutely greater chance of correct information than Wikipedia. Wikipedia is designed to be convenient, accurate, and efficient. Have a conversation with a teacher who doesn’t agree that Wikipedia actually isn’t half bad. It can help make projects less dreadful, and accomplish homework more smoothly.

not present

4 min 05 sec

Wikipedia: Tree

4 sec

Gangnam Style Spelling Bee Geology France

16 sec

11 sec 14 sec

15 sec

6 Opinion/Editorial

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

Laptops make distraction far too easy Dhara Singh

Staff Writer

A few seconds is all it takes to change your laptop screen from school work to any site on the internet. It is a common mistake to think that having this distraction won’t affect school work and that it is possible to do both at the same time. But just having computers in the classroom poses a distraction

for the student getting off task and those around them. A 2010 study by a University of Colorado professor showed that students who took notes on their laptops did an average of 11% worse on tests than the students who took notes the old fashioned way. It is the students’ choice and if they choose not to pay attention during class then it is only affecting them, but when there are

so many distractions that are accessible with one click of the mouse, it is not hard to fall into the trap. It is also true that having laptops and the internet present opportunities that can help improve the learning of students and give them an experience that might not be possible without them. There are cases where it is more beneficial to use paper

and a pencil. In classes like math, computers are used as a learning tool to take notes on and access documents easily. But with access to social networking sites, sport scores, YouTube and online shopping, math is usually a less appealing option. In an infographic presented by onlinecollage.org, studies showed that 62% of the pages opened on students laptops during school are unrelated to the subject.

Photo Credit: Dhara Singh Computers are wonderful tools, but “if pure control is not enough to stay off the internet while doing schoolwork, consider other options that can help you stay on task,” Singh writes.

It is not the teachers’ job to take up class time to monitor every students laptop activity, but it is also a high standard that students are expected to be on task all the time. One way to ensure that the students are doing what they should is to minimize computer use in class. Computers should not be gone completely, but when they are not helping, then they are harming. Laptops as a distraction is an even larger problem at home. When doing homework on the computer, it is easy to get distracted with instant messaging, reading an article or watching a video. It is possible to be working on homework at the same time, but the quality will not be as good. It may seem like its not wasting time, but doing two or more things at the same time ensures that neither will be done to full capacity. It is better to make time to just do homework and make sure that you have no opportunity to get distracted, and to have other time set aside to go on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Reddit, or Tumblr. If pure self control is not enough to stay off the internet while doing school work, consider options that can help you. Applications such as Focus Me, Tiny Filter, Nanny, Self Control exist to help regulate which sites users can go on for a certain amount of time. The easiest way to assure you don’t get distracted is to get off the screen and interact with the material and each other, face to face. Computers will always be a distraction, but restricting the sites you can go onto and trying to stay of the computer as much as possible, are ways to limit it.

Keystone pipeline will lead to environmental disaster Nina Zietlow

Staff Writer

The Canadian oil and gas company TransCanada wishes to begin building an oil pipeline that will boast carrying some of the dirtiest oil in the world, oil from the Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada. Tar Sands oil is a type of bituminous sands, a mixture of sand and clay saturated in petroleum. the pipeline would carry the oil from Alberta down to the Gulf of Mexico. The pipeline would safely double the amount of Tar Sands oil that the United States is currently importing through an active pipeline that carries oil to St Louis, Missouri. Most of this oil would not even stay in the United States. The drop in our economy, the widespread use of natural gas and the increased use of public transportation and hybrid cars has caused a decline in the United States’ demand for oil. Most of the Tar Sands oil would instead be shipped overseas to China and other manufacturing giants who have a higher demand for oil than we do.

900,000 gallons of oil per day

first pipeline had 12 spills in one year

400 million gallons of water per day

100 Fort Chipewyan residents have died from cancer since drilling began

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The Keystone XL Pipeline would promote use of the dirtiest oil in the world.

Illustration Credit: Nina Zietlow The proposed pipeline has already exacted a toll on the environments it passes through.

The Keystone XL Pipeline is a bad idea. It would promote the use of the dirtiest oil in the world. The high refining process it takes to manufacture tar sands oil produces three times as much carbon dioxide as conventional oil. This is the equivalent of putting six

million cars on the road. It takes three barrels of water to produce one barrel of oil, and many of the toxic chemicals used in the extraction process are dangerous carcinogens that would jeopardize public health. On top of all this the use of the tar sands oil is a prime case

of poor environmental justice. The tar sands sit on top of what was sacred land for the Lubicon indigenous people, and the toxins from the project causing high rates of cancer, asthma, and miscarriages among the local communities. The main reason for the United

State’s enthusiasm in the project is the 20,000 jobs TransCanada predicts the pipline will create. This statistic, though inviting, is misleading. in reality, according to the Cornell University Global Labor Institute, only about 500-1400 temporary U.S. jobs would be created. The Keystone XL pipeline would be a direct assault on the environment and public health. In his inaugural address President Barack Obama talked about considering climate change a serious issue and taking immediate action. The government must support research into alternative energy such as wind and solar, and as a community we must generally cut down on the amount of energy we use everyday, and not give in to big oil. This pipeline would ensure the exact opposite of that. If President Obama wishes to ensure that his administration meet the goals they set in regards to climate change, nixing this pipeline is the first step. A handful of jobs, though valuable, is not worth the destruction and disorder that such a project would leave in its wake.

Opinion/Editorial St. Paul Academy and Summit School

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

MacFarlane’s Oscar humor sleazy and sickening

1,168 million Catholics

117 cardinal electors

483

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[He] sang a song about seeing actresses’ breasts in movies without giving any context of the scenes, four of which depicted rape.

277

177

New pope must reflect shifting population, beliefs of Church Netta Kaplan

Staff Writer

In recent months, the Catholic Church has come under fire for a series of pedophilia scandals as well as for its strongly traditionalist positions. With the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the first in over 600 years, there could be a more proactive pope, but it’s unlikely that the cardinals will elect one who will make actual reforms within the church. Pope Benedict XVI, is well-known for his conservative policies and his fight against the increasing secularization of the church. While there are no plausible candidates who would try to move on issues such as the ordination of women or end the celibacy restrictions on priests, with 42% of Catholics in Latin America, it is possible that for the first time in over 1,500 years, there could be a non-European pope. Still, it is highly unlikely that the next pope will accurately reflect the majority of followers of the religion, and this is an injustice. Catholics have a right to be led by someone who

will lead them and work for them to make their lives better. The strongest contender for the papacy is Cardinal Angelo Scolo of Italy, but Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana does have a chance to become the 266th pope. Turkson has expressed his willingness to condone the use of condoms in some instances for married couples, but there are no other strong candidates with views as liberal as these. The heads of the Catholic Church have outdated beliefs that need to change because they do not reflect the followers of the religion and don’t adjust to their needs. Most Catholics today have significantly less traditional views than those heading the religion, with almost 34% worldwide believing a woman should be able to get an abortion for any reason, a view very different from that of the church. While only a quarter of the world’s Catholics are European, 52% of the College of Cardinals is European, leaving them the voting majority. One of the largest issues the next pope will face is the collapse of Catholic numbers in Europe, where the religion has

been losing followers since 1960. Despite this lacking in Europe, the Catholic Church has made little effort to focus on Catholics in other parts of the world, even though these groups make up most Catholics. The Catholic Church remains Eurocentric even when most of its followers aren’t European, and this needs to change. For an institution so important in the history of global expansion, it is unable to expand in necessary ways for changing demographics. It needs to be able to change with its followers, not remain rooted in tradition that, while important, holds it back from achieving its true goals. This weakened ability to lead in his old age has led Pope Benedict XVI to step down as pope. Hopefully, a new and more globally aware pope will be chosen by the end of March, one who will be able to effectively and evenly lead the global Catholic community in a way that reflects modern changes and ideas.

Laura Slade

Staff Writer r The Oscars are often better

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Illustration Credit: Netta Kaplan Despite having less than a quarter of the world’s Catholics, Europe is the home of over half the voting cardinals. Meanwhile Latin America, home of almost twice as many Catholics as Europe, is represented by only 19 of the 117 cardinals.

Take charge of illness by staying home Gita Raman

Staff Writer

Your head aches. Your throat is sore. You barely slept. But the test in Math, lab in Science, and Harkness Discussion in history just can’t be missed. For many students, being sick and coming to school is the norm. We come to school with runny noses, annoying coughs, and painful headaches, and sometimes fluctating temperatures. This is not good. Students who are sick should most probably be at home. Not only because it would be better for you, but according to a study published at CNN.com, if one person gets sick in a large group environment, eventually most everyone in

that group will get sick. At St. Paul Academy and summit School, this is particularly hard because of the four to five different types of homework for every day of class missed. This can be hard on students because all the homework piles on, and considering all of the missed class lessons, it may be difficult to understand the homework. Many students cannot afford to miss a day of school with all of these factors at hand, so they persist and come to school while being sick. But viral illness is contagious. In fact, this winter Minnesota has had the largest flu outbreak in history according to Minnesota Health Department. The flu was widespread in Minnesota, along with most of Midwest. Symptoms of the flu include fever, cough,

sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. Should students really share this with classmates at school? Germs spread constantly, through the sharing of common objects including pencils and pens. We share these things constantly at SPA -- which means we share our viruses, too. There are several ways to prevent colds; if you feel the symptoms of a cold, keep yourself hydrated with water and juice. Staying home and getting rest, allows the body to heal and develop immunity to future illness. The Center for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends you stay at home for twenty-four hours if you have flu symptoms.

Illustration Credit: Aditi Kulkarni

known for their own dramas than for that of the movies they recognize. But this year, something was very amiss at Hollywood’s most famous awards ceremony. The biggest discussions of the Academy Awards aren’t about the films that won or the speeches and performances that took place, but host Seth MacFarlane’s crude, and very often disrespectful jokes. MacFarlane is known for the often crude humor of his satirical TV cartoons Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, and American Dad, so it wasn’t entirely surprising that he pushed the limits of acceptable humor. But MacFarlane took the boundaries of television and of society in general and walked all over them with jokes about bulimia, domestic abuse and assassination. He even sexualized nine-year-old Best Actress nominee Quvenzhané Wallis and sang a song about seeing actresses’ breasts in movies without giving any context of the scenes, four of which depicted rape. MacFarlane spent a large chunk of the night abusing his audience with sexist remarks that implied that women can only get into positions of power because they can’t let anything go, that their only purpose in Hollywood is to make famous men seem even more wanted and to show moviegoers their breasts under the false impression that they were making art. While his supporters spout a variety of excuses to rationalize his comments, none make remarks like these acceptable. The Oscars are watched all over the world, and their audience includes everyone from young girls who learn society’s beauty ideals from their televisions to abuse victims that are afraid to report their abuse because the jokes make it seem like what their abuser has done to them is okay. While the Academy intended to put on a comedic show, they should have known the filth that they were getting themselves into. The misfortune that people endure by no choice of their own should never be taken lightly, much less be held in their face.

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

Sharing slices of the world

C ove r

Where are we from? Wher we been? Many of the teach students who make up our s not associate themselves wi one part of the world. Below them share their other home

The Hodges family live with Ind Andy Monserud

Op/ Ed Editor

Even if one moves from one end of a planet to the other, some things remain the same. For Upper School History teacher Sushmita Hodges, that was education. Hodges came to the United States from her home in New Delhi, India when she was 21 years old. She moved to the small college town of Muncie, Indiana to get her PhD at Ball State University. Much of Hodges’ early life was centered on her education, and her immigration was no exception. “I was in school straight from kindergarten to PhD program,” she said. “No breaks, nothing.” She went to a high school run by Irish Sisters of Loreto, an order of nuns to which Mother Teresa once belonged, at a convent in New Delhi. “I really attribute the foundations of my education to the Irish nuns under whose guidance I was able to complete my high school education,” she said. Hodges started her undergraduate education at Lady Shri Ram College just before she turned sixteen and graduated in three years. There, she took an interest in history, which would be her major and eventually her career. It was in graduate school that Hodges first considered going overseas. She took an American history course with a professor who had studied at Berkeley with historian Kenneth Stampp. “He was my first introduction to the desire to come to the states for graduate school,” she said. A maternal aunt who taught at Ball State University drew Hodges to Muncie to finish her graduate degree and her PhD. Even though she had just moved halfway across the earth, still more challenging to Hodges was adjusting to small-town America after spending her entire life in New Delhi, whose population today is estimated at 17 million. By contrast, Muncie’s population numbers at about 70,000 today and was still smaller in 1981, when Hodges moved there. “Moving from New Delhi, which is a large, cosmopolitan city, to Muncie was kind of a reverse culture shock,” she said. Hodges found a community among her fellow international students at the university. Hodges had a little more difficulty adjusting to her next home. “I think the biggest shock was actually after I got married and we moved to Batesville, Indiana,” she said. Hodges moved to Batesville, a town of around 4,000 in southeast Indiana, because her husband Mark had a job there. “The only thing it has is Hillenbrand industries,” which produces caskets and hospital beds, among other things. “That was definitely a village,” Hodges chuckled.

Hodges still occasionally returns to India, but her visits decreased in frequency when her parents came to live in the United States. They initially had planned to spend summers in the States and winters in India, but their declining health forced them to relocate permanently to the U.S. Hodges last returned to India in 2010, when both her parents died. “When the kids were younger, one year they would come and we would go another year,” she said, “but…in the last decade we’ve probably been there a couple of times.” Hodges still identifies strongly with her Indian roots. “As I’ve grown older, and having older children, it seems that a lot of my upbringing and values are still very grounded in my Indian identity,” she said. Her youngest daughter, senior Serena Hodges, says that her family’s Indian heritage has a noticeable impact on her way of life. “It’s there in little ways, little parts of my day,” she said. “She cooks a lot of Indian food…and she likes to watch lots of Bollywood, so there’s music and those movies,” she said. “Little things like that are very much a part of our family culture.” And yet there’s also a certain amount of disconnect. “When we visited India, a lot of the family and friends that we met didn’t really think that we were Indian,” she said. “When we’re here people are very aware that we’re Indian, or at least part Indian, but there people…just thought that we were American.” Of course, like her mother, who has now spent slightly more time in the U.S. than in India, she’s a little bit of both.

Photo submitted by: Sushmita Hodges Upper School history teacher Dr. Sushmita Hodges poses in a photo taken in June of 1986. “....It seems that a lot of my upbringing and values are still very grounded in my Indian identity,” she said.

Stor y

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

re have hers and school do ith only w, a few of es.

dian roots

Two students share experiences of immigration and dual citizenship Liz Rossman

Around Town Editor

Every year over 10,000 immigrants enter the United States to become citizens. Some of them compose the student body here at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. Seniors Chinaza Nwaneri and Rachel Ketz are citizens of more than one country. Having been born abroad or having a parent from a different country, these two seniors are dual citizens, meaning that they are a citizen of two countries at the same time. The US is no doubt a country made up of immigrants. Assistant Director of the Center for Immigration Studies John Wahala estimates 20 percent of all children in the United States have foreign-born parents and by 2040 one in three children will be raised in an immigrant household. Students born in Central America, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico make up nearly 80 percent of all immigration to the United States. For seniors Nwaneri and Ketz, celebrating their heritage is a daily ritual. Senior Chinaza Nwaneri immigrated to America from Nigeria as a young child, moving into the suburbs of Woodbury. “Being a dual citizen is like the best of both worlds in my eyes,” Nwaneri said. “I’m glad that I get to have this gift of being part of more than one culture nor will I ever regret it.” Nwaneri’s family first came to the U.S. in 1997, and since then Nwaneri hasn’t traveled back to Nigeria since. “I don’t get to visit a lot. My mom is the only one that has gone more than once.” Although difficult to visit Nigeria, Nwaneri always keeps in touch with relatives. “My relatives

Illustration and Photo Credit: Lucy Li Seniors Rachel Ketz and Chinaza Nwaneri sit back to back on a bench. “I am so grateful to be able to call England a home away from home,” Ketz said. In a similar sense, “Being a dual citizen is like the best of both worlds in my eyes,” Nwaneri said.

visit us here in the U.S. a ton. My grandma comes every summer, and uncles and aunts visit as well often,” Nwaneri said. For Senior Rachel Ketz, England has always been a second home, making over twenty five trips to England since she can remember. “My family and I try and go there every year,” Ketz said. “My parents and I usually spend a day in London before we drive down to the Southwest where most of my family lives.” With a British mother and an American father, Ketz holds a dual citizenship between the US and the UK. “Having a dual citizenship means I can work anywhere in Europe and If I want to live in the UK one day I can just go and I don’t have to worry about applying for a green card,” Ketz explained. Because her family doesn’t live next door, Ketz has learned to value them all the more. “I am so grateful to be able to call England a home away from home,” said Ketz. “When in the U.S., I often

Countries Illustrations Credit: Lucy Li

get homesick for England.” When visiting England Ketz usually spends her time in the southwest relaxing at “various beaches and watching movies.” Amongst what seems like thousands of extended family members all over the world, from South Africa to Puerto Rico, Ketz has enjoyed being a bridesmaids in two very traditional English wedding. Ketz says being a dual citizen provides her with a more well rounded view on life and has taught her to have a “bigger appreciation for different culture around the world.” Proud to be both a U.S. and UK citizen, Ketz sometimes “gets picked on for saying words funny or using British terms like Boot (instead of trunk) or Mac (instead of rain jacket)” but is used to it now. “I have a lifelong passion for travel and that is partly responsible because of all the opportunities I’ve had to visit my family overseas,” said Ketz.

“

When I came here, I had absolutely nothing. Upper School Fine Arts teacher Almut Engelhardt

Engelhardt immigrants from Europe’s center of music and to the United States Andy Monserud

Photo Credit: Lucy Li Upper School Fine Arts teacher Almut Engelhardt, who immigrated here from Germany, poses with her violin. “I really feel like I have two homes now,” Engelhardt said.

To read about Upper School Spanish teacher Rolando Castellano’s immigration from Cuba, go to www.rubiconline.com

Op/ Ed Editor

When Orchestra teacher and conductor Almut Engelhardt came to the United States from Germany, she left her entire life behind. A new immigrant with no job, she was forced to completely rebuild her life. Engelhardt emigrated with her husband, a native-born American. The two met while on tour with the Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra, in which both were soloists, Engelhardt on violin and husband Christopher Kachian on guitar. After living for some years in Germany, they arrived in the United States on Sept. 8, 1991 after her husband was offered a tenured position at the University of St. Thomas. “It would have been hard for him to get something equivalent in Germany,” Engelhardt said. Her husband had a new job, but Engelhardt had to start over. “When I came here, I had absolutely nothing,” she said. “In Germany, I was playing in a symphony, and here I had no job.” She searched for employment while adjusting to life on

the west side of the Atlantic. She spoke English, but portions of American culture, particularly in Minnesota, were alien to her. “The longer you live in a country, the more you become aware of the difference in how people approach things,” she said. As one example, she points out that “in Germany, people are much more direct and...criticism is not personal,” whereas “here, usually criticism is perceived to be personal.” Engelhardt hadn’t initially intended to teach, despite coming from seven generations of teachers. When she was offered her current position at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, she was initially ambivalent toward it. “I took the job because I didn’t want to be unemployed,” she said, “but I ended up loving it. So that was a good development.” For years after leaving Germany, Engelhardt would return frequently to visit her family. While she doesn’t get to make as many trips back now as she used to, she still spends the majority of every summer in Germany. She often misses it, but she’s also attached to her life in America. “I really feel like I have two homes now,” she said.

10 S p o r t s

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

Life is a Circus Lucy Li

Cover Story Editor

Magic comes alive at the circus. Charming awe out of the audience, performers crisscross as they fly through the air, flip across the stage, and fold out into splits. Music jitters across the stage, poles held by tightrope walkers bow toward the ground, and clowns whip out laughter at a jumping pace. Senior Nick Zelle and alumnus Jonah Finkelstein have followed their passions for the circus in the aerial arts and acrobatics. Photo submitted by: Nick Zelle

Senior Nick Zelle auditioned for professional circus

Photo submitted by: Nick Zelle Senior Nick Zelle hangs on to a trapeze by his head in a recent circus performance. “I can hang from my neck or my toes or my heels, and then I can release and do a flip and catch it again,” Zelle said.

Doing the splits on the ground sounds like a pretty difficult task for some people, but senior Nick Zelle can do them in the air while hanging upside down. Zelle was inspired by Cirque du Soleil to perform in the circus. He has practiced with Xelias for eleven years, performing aerial arts and handstands. In the summer, he tours New England with Circus Smirkus, staying at each location for two to four days and traveling in vans. Aerial arts is “anything hanging,” Zelle said. “That’s why I love circus: it can be anything.” He has performed with and without music, and as improvisation and as

“

Probably my favorite thing about performances [is] seeing the emotional reactions and having people talk to me afterwards. senior Nick Zelle routine. “[Aerial arts] is a unique art form because it’s also a sport, and besides dance it’s kind of the only art that is also athletic. It satisfies both of those areas for me... it’s kind of like gymnastics

but there’s more creativity and freedom to it,” Zelle said. He mostly does rope and solo trapeze. “I can hang from my neck or my toes or my heels, and then I can release and do a flip and

catch it again,” Zelle said. He does not perform with a net, and has gone as high as 45 to 50 feet in the air. Handstands are his second major act, and he uses three feet high stilts-like “canes” that allow him to twist on his hands. In early February, Zelle auditioned for professional circus schools in Canada, and will know the final results in March. “I just really like inspiring people,” Zelle said. “Probably my favorite thing about performances [is] like seeing the emotional reactions and having people talk to me afterwards.”

Finkelstein (‘08) enjoys thrill of performing daring acts

Current students are not the only way St. Paul Academy and Summit School brushes up against the circus. Jonah Finkelstein, an alumnus of the class of ‘08, currently performs over the summer with Xelias Aerial Arts Studio while completing a degree in engineering at the University of Minnesota. World record holder and famous wirewalker Nik Wallenda encouraged Finkelstein to keep circus in his life at the beginning of his freshman year of college, and the two of them continue to work together. Along with wirewalking, Finkelstein also does “jump rope, hand balancing, table slide, and juggling acts.” He can train up to six hours a day for six days a week in preparation for risky acts. “[In] my first

show I was performing a sevenperson pyramid on a 35 foot high wire, a trick that claimed two lives in 1962,” he said. Part of his ability to do such tricks comes from intense concentration. “That focus, and ability to turn off all fear is more difficult to achieve than the physical skill,” he said. “If I asked you to walk a 2x4 a foot of the ground you would do it no problem, [but] if it was 1000 feet off the ground you most likely wouldn’t, even though it is just as easy.” “It is an exhilarating feeling, knowing that a five eighth inch cable (about the size of a nickel) is all that stands between the ground and me,” he said. Finkelstein also finds wirewalking a good way to relieve stress from school.

Finkelstein’s favorite aspect of touring is getting to know fellow performers very well. “An extremely tight bond is formed and whether it has been 5 days or 10 years since you have seen them last that bond is always there,” he said. For aspiring circus performers, Finkelstein advised them to “Have fun! Circus can be the best job in the world, but can also become just another job if you are not careful. I know so many younger kids and professionals who are so hard and so critical on themselves. They are no longer having fun, and I think it shows when they perform. Put the joy back in the art, have fun, [be] cause that truly is what it should be about.”

Photo submitted by: Jonah Finkelstein Jonah Finkelstein (left) performs a high wire act with Xelias Aerial Arts studio. “It is an exhilarating feeling, knowing that a five eigth inch cable (about the size of a nickel) is all that stands between the ground and me,” Finkelstein said.

Spor ts St. Paul Academy and Summit School

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

Spartan fencers dominate competition

Both mens and womens teams place in state meet Tommy Toghramadjian

News Editor

As the last minute of the period ticked away, senior Marie Siliciano fought hard to stay alive. In the final round of the prestigious Midwest Fencing Tournament in Indiana, her opponent had fourteen hits on her, needing only one more to win the bout. Forcing herself to slow the pace dictated by her aggressive opponent, Siliciano attempted a simple striking action, one that had not worked previously in the round. Miraculously, she scored her fourteenth hit, evening the score. The first hit of the next period would decide the outcome of the entire tournament. In the minute of coaching allowed between periods, Siliciano conferred with coach Zach Moss “[Moss] came up and said, sort of as a joke, ‘If you can do that again, that would be great,’” Siliciano said. Thirty seconds later, she did. Such results have become commonplace for the St. Paul Academy and Summit School fencing team, which was crowned state champion after a final tournament on Sunday, Feb. 24. The weekend tournament, where senior captain Francesco DiCaprio won first in Mens Epee, Siliciano took second in Womens Epee, senior Peter Driscoll won fourth in Mens Foil, and junior Steven Go-Rosenberg won fifth in Mens Sabre, marked the end to a historic season for the fencing team. DiCaprio’s victory came after a rough start in his pool bouts, where

Photo submitted by: Peter Driscoll Senior captain Marie Siliciano lunged at an opponent at the Midwest Fencing Tournament in Culver, Indiana on Jan. 26. “We do have a lot of seniors this year, so it’ll be a little tricky [next year].” Silicano said.

he lost to the fencer he would ultimately face in the championship round. “I was fencing very stiffly and I felt tense,” DiCaprio said. However, he still did well enough to move into the direct elimination rounds, where he gained confidence after a string of victories. In his final bout, he gained an early lead over his opponent and coasted to a 15-12 victory. “We needed everybody to fence at their best, which they did. It was a great way to end the season,” DiCaprio said of the state title.

“

We needed everybody to fence their best, which they did. It was a great way to end the season. senior Francesco DiCaprio

Led by a strong contingent of seniors, the fencing team beat out rival Blake Academy to win first in state for the 2012-2013 season. The team competed in a variety of local meets and tournaments, which lasted anywhere from a few hours to an entire day. Fencing teams are not common in Minnesota, so the SPA squad repeatedly faced the same opponents over the course of the season. “Last week we drove out to Victoria, Minnesota to face Holy Family for the third time. But we beat them, so it was fun,” Siliciano said. The team put up another strong showing at the SPA Invitational on Jan. 26, where DiCaprio won first, Siliciano won second, and 8th grader Colin O’Hern won third. With several top fencers graduating this spring, the fencing team may have some difficulty in defending its state championship. Nonetheless, Siliciano remains optimistic. “We do have a lot of seniors this year, so it’ll be a little bit tricky [next year]. But a lot of the younger fencers we have aren’t necessarily new fencers; they’ve been fencing for three or four years since the beginning of the program,” Siliciano said. “We have some very strong freshmen, and good 8th graders,” she said. While such a dominant season may be hard to replicate, a core of younger players will have a chance to prove themselves in years to come. But until then, SPA fencers can congratulate themselves for an outstanding year of work.

march madness.

March is an in-between period for sports seasons, many teams winding down the winter season or gearing up for the Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball tournament. March Madness started in 1939 as a single elimination tournament with just eight teams, but has now expanded to 68 teams. Selection Sunday takes place on Mar. 17 this year, when the seeding of the tournament is announced. St. Paul Academy and Summit School students have their own method of celebrating this NCAA College Basketball tournament. Avid sports fan Ben Braman set up his own bracket this year, inviting people around the school to submit their own brackets. “There is such a big following for college sports in the United States, and a lot of friends want to compare brackets and see who has the best one by making it a competition,” he said. thinks that “The Big 10 is going to have a really good tournament as a conference.”

student predictions Kent Hanson, freshman

”

I think the Big 10 is so strong this year, so I’m pulling for a Big10 team to win it this year- maybe Indiana, Michigan, or Michigan State.

Aliza Rahman, sophomore

Josh Gray, senior

Honestly, I usually root for the underdogs.

There are a lot of good teams this year, but I think Michigan State will go all the way.

”

Illustration Credit: Aditi Kulkarni

12 Fe a t u r e

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

A new kind of texting

Snapchat photo messages self-destruct after being seen Andy Monserud

Op/Ed Editor

Click-send. Click-send. Forget Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The newest social media craze doesn’t even require typing. And it’s quickly become one of the most popular smartphone applications in the world, with approximately 60 million messages sent per day, according to The New York Times. Snapchat is a popular smartphone application that allows users to send and receive photos with the guarantee that they won’t go anywhere else. The application is steadily gaining popularity, primarily among teenage users. The efficiency and availability of the free smartphone app has brought it popularity, skepticism and extraordinary press coverage. Snapchat is most notable for the impermanence of its content. “They look at it, they laugh, and then it’s gone,” said senior Joelle Destache, a frequent Snapchat

user. This represents a shift in the existing social-media paradigm. In the digital age, where everything and anything can be made very, very public, Snapchat offers some degree of security. Photos are automatically deleted within a 1 to 10 second period after viewing, and the app notifies the sender immediately if the recipient takes a screen grab. Snapchat was developed by a group of Stanford University programmers and released in September 2011. The software is a fairly small app with a cartoon ghost as its icon. What’s more, Snapchat is completely free and is not currently making a profit, though creator Evan Spiegel has hinted at plans to monetize soon with advertising. Critics have pointed out Snapchat’s potential for sexting, but Spiegel has said time and time again that it is neither intended for nor particularly conducive to sexting. Junior Charlie Rosenblum, a fairly new Snapchat user, says that while Snapchat sexting is a very real possibility, it’s not the point.

“A lot of people use anything for that kind of purpose,” he said, “but I think the majority doesn’t.” Destache got the app early this winter, and uses it countless times a day. She describes Snapchat as “real-time picture messaging.” She says that the appeal of Snapchat lies in its efficiency and the range of messages one can communicate with it. “You can really express what you’re trying to say to someone” with pictures of facial expressions, something that texting can’t do as easily. She also often uses Snapchat to take pictures of the area around her in order to give friends a better idea of what’s going on. In fact, the developers created the app as a response to modern social networking. The dissappearing photos help prevent lasting effects of often image-concious social media users. “People are living with this massive burden of managing a digital version of themselves,” Spiegel said in an interview with Forbes. “It’s taken all of the fun out of communicating.”

Screenshot Credit: Noah Shavit-Lonstein Juniors Harrisen Egly, Clare McGlincey and Alida Mitau, all Snapchat users, are seen in a screenshot from Snapchat on an iPad. The app allows users to take photos which are destroyed within under ten seconds, so students do not have to act as image-conscious when communicating and taking photos of themselves.

Whatever the deeper implications of Snapchat may be, Destache and Rosenblum use it for one simple reason. “It’s kind of fun,” Rosenblum said. That is, af-

ter all, the initial intent of the app. Hopefully, the trappings will help make it safer.

School bubble leaves little room for romance

All Photos Credit: Ava Gallagher Students have differing views on how, and whether, to have relationships in school. Junior Frank Nahurski, above, finds it fairly easy: “It is great to be able to see her every day in the same normal, safe environment.” On the other hand, freshman Lukas Kelsey-Friedmann feels that “it’s hard to find someone who’s not super shallow and selfish, because we’re teenagers.”

Ava Gallagher

Illustrator/Staff Writer

Word travels fast at a small school. In high school, it is typical for students to take notice of relationships and spread the word, and at our small private school, relationships instantly become public information and gossip. Relationships at St. Paul Academy and Summit School are affected by the fishbowl effect, meaning students in relationships are intensely observed and critiqued like they are fish in a bowl.

This lack of privacy is what could make dating at SPA a slightly unappealing idea. For those who are not in favor of publicly displaying their affections or romantic feelings, a small private school where everyone knows everything about everyone else can be a disastrous place for an intimate and serious relationship. However, for most SPA couples, the small size of their environment does not put much of a negative twist on their relationships. Senior Julian D’Rozario focuses on the positives of going to the same small school as his girl-

friend: “I get to see her on a day to day basis, and we get to drive to school together since we both live in Edina,” D’Rozario said. He does recognize some negative aspects of this, saying that “if you broke up with someone it would be kind of awkward because you can’t really get away from them,” but overall, he is not bothered by the SPA dating culture. “How big SPA is doesn’t affect my relationship,” D’Rozario said, “For me personally, it’s not a big deal.” Junior Frank Nahurski, who is in a relationship, enjoy the time he gets to spend with his girlfriend

at school, and think fondly of the fact that they attend the same school. “It is great to be able to see her every day in the same normal, safe environment. There is never too large a gap in time when I get to see her,” Nahurski said. The main unfavorable aspect of dating for students is the fact that options are limited, and there is not a huge number of people to choose from. For many students, the tight social space provides few options, and social norms shrink the pool even further. In comparison to other schools, “there are less people to pick from, so that makes dating harder. Plus it makes getting away from your ex harder,” D’Rozario said. While students may have broad views on what it’s like to date within school, a survey shows the student body is in agreement on many other things. Students broadly agreed that couples at school tend to display their affec-

tion very publicly. Most students also found dating disinteresting or time-consuming: Over 72% of students said they were not in a relationship, although only about half of students said that SPA lacked the dating culture of other schools. Although most older students are comfortable with having relationships within the school, many freshmen and sophomores disapprove of the idea, and do not consider the SPA environment a good one for a relationship. For Lukas Kelsey-Friedemann, a freshman, the idea of dating at SPA is fairly repulsive. “Other couples are boring,” Kelsey-Friedemann said, “People at SPA don’t know how to have a relationship.” For Kelsey-Friedemann, relationships in high school are just a bad idea in general: “High school love is cool if you have a cool [significant other], but it’s hard to find one who’s not super shallow and selfish because we’re teenagers,” he said.

Fe a t u r e 13 March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Students head down long road to college Hannah Johnson

r Sports Editor/ Broadcast

College. The word alone brings a rush of sighs, groans and nervousness from almost every St. Paul Academy and Summit School student. The college search process, which starts for all SPA students during sophomore year, is a culmination of standardized testing, researching, studying and decision-making. During the month of March, members of the sophomore, junior and senior classes reach new heights on the road to college acceptance, including visiting potential colleges, taking the SAT and ACT and hearing back from schools. Students share their experiences with college preparation.

Sophomores explore options During sophomore year, the thought of college still seems distant and unclear. Students are assigned to their college counselors, Jill Apple or Mary Hill, with whom they meet on occasional History Department Days. “They talked about summer programs that we could do and they talked about

basically setting up [college and career readiness website] Naviance,” sophomore Bella Martinez said. With the ACT and SAT tests far off, most sophomores are focusing more on their summer plans rather than cramming for standardized tests. Along with plenty of volunteering, sophomore Afsar Sandozi

is thinking about her future activities. “For the summer I am getting stuff planned out, I am trying not to worry about the ACT or SAT,” Sandozi said. Sophomores meet in large groups about once a month to learn about Advanced Placement and SAT Subject tests along with more Naviance exploration.

Photo Credit: Noah Shavit-Lonstein Tenth graders meet with college counselor Mary Hill to take a personality inventory quiz. The online quiz allows them to explore their interests and think about college majors. The sophomore class has met briefly with college counselors to “talk about summer programs that we could do and they talked about basically setting up [college and career readiness website] Naviance,” sophomore Bella Martinez said.

Junior Sarah Coleman prepares to dig in to a stack of SAT and ACT preparation books . She’s found the challenges of junior year to be daunting. “The most difficult part is keeping everything balanced,” Coleman said of the year. “[I’m] keeping grades up, college counseling, social life... [and] it all just sort of meshes together.

Juniors prepare, test Junior year makes St. Paul Academy and Summit School students feel like sought-after celebrities. Colleges bombard students with endless brochures, programs, e-mails and reminders. Junior Sarah Coleman knows this first hand and has a very clever way of controlling this excess recruiting. “I have an entire hamper at my house devoted solely to letters from different colleges and it weighs like 20 pounds,” Coleman said. Coleman said that along with the overwhelming communication with colleges, it is important to stay on top of all the other aspects of

her life. “The most difficult part is keeping everything balanced... keeping grades up, college counseling, social life... it all just sort of meshes together,” Coleman said. “It is hard to put as much time as you would like into each.” In their weekly college counseling sessions, juniors are given time to reach out to colleges they are interested in to get more information, such as brochures and magazines. Reaching out to potential matches for colleges will help juniors prepare for the dreaded application process in senior year.

Photo Illustration credit: Hannah Johnson

Seniors visit, apply, decide and plan for college life

Photo Illustration credit: Noah Shavit-Lonstein Senior Karl Hommeyer examines the college counseling board, full of potential college choices. Even for seniors, the choice can be daunting. Senior Kate Larsen filled out nine applications this year, but says she isn’t worried. “It’s a bit nerve wracking having to wait until the end of March to hear back, but I don’t have my heart set on any one school so I’m not going to be heartbroken,” she said.

Finally, senior year arrives. Though many television shows make the last year of high school seem like a breeze, this is not the case for most St. Paul Academy and Summit School seniors. Senior Kate Larsen knows this stress firsthand. “I am a big procrastinator, so I would leave everything to the last minute. It was awful when I had several apps due on the same day and a test or project in school the next day,” Larsen said. Most of the college-centered stress senior year revolves around the application process. Many colleges and universities accept the Common Application while others use their own individual application for admission. “I did nine apps, and only two of those were not on the Common App, so they didn’t take too long. I would advise younger students to start filling out the Common App during the

summer before senior year so you can focus on the supplements,” Larsen said. Larsen explained that the supplement essays for each college took her the most time to complete. “The supplements I did weren’t particularly long or difficult but I know people who had really wacky ones that took a ton of time to answer,” she said. Still waiting to hear back from several schools, Larsen maintains a positive attitude about her applications.. “It’s a bit nerve wracking having to wait until the end of March to hear back, but I don’t have my heart set on any one school so I’m not going to be heartbroken,” Larsen said. “I don’t believe that there is only one right school for anybody. Each school is what you make of it. I think everything will work out for the best and even if I end up not liking my school, I can always transfer.”

14 A r t s & E n t e r t a i n m e n t

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

Cloud Cult remains up in the air Minnesota band stays local and true to its roots Minowa said. “Before, some things used to bother me, but now I’m trying to be true and trying to lose the ego and trying to tie in the wholeness of everything.” After nine previous albums, Minowa also realized “how important it is to give yourself as much space and time as you need,” specifiCraig Minowa, Arlen Peiffer, Shannon Frid-Rubin, Daniel cally in regards to process. Zamzow, Sarah Elhardt-Perbix, Connie Minowa, and Scott “The song writing process West compose the Minnesota based band Cloud Cult. “To for me bleeds over the course be in an area that has a thriving music and arts scene like the Minneapolis/St. Paul area is pretty huge,” Craig Minowa of a whole day,” Minowa said. said. “Usually I’ll wake up at night as far as It feels All photos used with permission from Earthology Records and write something … I can This story originally appeared in write guitar parts and write 360 Journalism from the University genres go,” he said. “We try to expose really nice to own 100% of the drum parts and put it all toof St. Thomas. the palette to as many musical music. Every song is kind of gether and then imagine the band.” ingredients as possible. Hav- like one of our little kids.” Ibad Jafri The process is also highly ing the instrumentation that Managing Editor collaborative. “I brought what we have right now gives us an Taking a spiritual journey Online Editor-in-Chief I had written to them last fall opportunity to approach every Cloud Cult has molded its and they put their input into it song a little bit differently.” affinities into a spirit that has Craig Minowa’s refined tenand told me what could be betpermeated all its work. “For or tugs at the heartstrings with Cloud Cult and the environment all of the Cloud Cult albums ter and how to approach it in a notable emotion, as fans of Yet Cloud Cult’s mission there’s been a spiritual journey, live way,” Minowa said. “In the experimental indie band Cloud has long transcended musicol- a search for a higher power and process of finding out things Cult know. ogy. The group is renowned some meaning in life,” Minowa that might do better live, we “Nothing here can get in for their commitment to enyour way,” Minowa descants vironmentalism and their inon “You’re the Only Thing in dependent status, which place Your Way,” the opening track the band outside of the mainon Cloud Cult’s newest album, stream and make them relucLove. Recent success has also tant to sign with any major shown that very little seems to label. “Initially, our environbe getting in Cloud Cult’s way mental criteria were just too these days. high for us to be able to sign In the 18 years since Cloud with any label, just because Cult’s inception, perhaps the during our earlier albums, beonly thing that has been conCraig Minowa ing a green band wasn’t really a stant for the Minneapolistrendy thing,” Minowa recalled. based band has been Minowa’s “Most of the labels would cut said. Hence, the band’s focus find out things that might work voice, which alternates seamcorners as much as they could, on an over arching, perhaps better on the recording. Milessly between folksy crooning and if it would cost a nickel impossible-to-tr uly-define nowa takes pride in the Cloud and agonized howls. more for a CD to have some theme of Love. According to Cult’s uniqueness, noting that The latter is highlighted on environmental consciousness Minowa, “all the songs are us “for the most part, it’s a very Love, the band’s first new althen they wouldn’t want it.” trying to figure out how to different process from other bum in close to three years, and However, Minowa is con- command our love and figur- bands.” longtime fans will find it to be a That’s reflected in the altent with the Cloud Cult’s de- ing out how to get the best out welcome addition to the band’s bum’s details. cision to remain independent. of our love.” already-vast repertoire. Tracks Savvy harmonizing is heard “Music is a very sacred art form That love has taken years like “Complicated Creation” for me, personally, and with to build, and the time spent on on tracks like It Takes a Lot and and “Falling” display not only Cloud Cult in particular,” Mi- Love, as creative expression, is a first single, 1x1x1. After all, MiCloud Cult’s renowned lyrinowa noted. As such, the band reflection of Cloud Cult’s long- nowa firmly believes that Cloud cal expertise but the versatilaffiliates itself “not with any lasting efforts to make a band Cult took all possible measures ity of Minowa’s vocals. They specific religion but just a big- of great value to others. “On “to make sure that this one was also exhibit an ability to dwell ger-than-us-all kind of picture, one level, it feels like putting just right.” Again, the creative on widely-varying material and and so it felt weird to confine my best intentions into it just process serves Cloud Cult well. instrumentations -- a point of ownership of the songs to a to make something that would “The final step [when writing pride for Minowa. major label that could then use be helpful to some people,” a song] is the harmony imple“The music is really diverse, mentation; [the members of them as a commercial product.

“

When you come back home, you feel really proud of where you come from.

the band] record their individual parts. A lot of that blends on top of what was there before, or if there was a better idea altogether then it just becomes a part of that.” It is no small feat that Cloud Cult was able to find the time and energy for such an outstanding effort. The band has maintained a packed schedule since Light Chasers, which is their most commercially successful album to date. The album made it as far as the Billboard Charts and brought Cloud Cult into the public eye, bringing them national renown. In addition to a fair amount of touring, Cloud Cult scored for National Geographic program Expedition Grizzly, which details the relationship between man and bear. Cloud Cult created “12 to 15 hours of original material [in the process],” Minowa said. Touring has also provided Minowa with a refreshed perspective on the band’s roots in Minnesota. “To be in an area that has a thriving music and arts scene like the Minneapolis, St. Paul area is pretty huge,” Minowa says. “Being on tour, it’s interesting how many cities you go to that are of comparable size but are struggling a bit more on that level. When you come back home you feel really proud of where you come from.” Looking towards the future

Yet at this point, Minowa is reserving judgment for Love. While he’ll know the public’s reaction once the album drops Mar. 5, as well as following a highly-anticipated Cloud Cult concert at First Avenue and 7th Street Entry on Apr. 27, he still cannot shake his close bond from his work. “You end up putting so much time into something, getting so close to it and so intimate, that I’m still at the point where I don’t yet know the impacts of the experience yet,” he said. “Hopefully years from now I don’t feel the same.”

Ar ts & Enter tainment

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

Students take fashion from runway to hallway

Applying trends seen during fashion week, and making them unique, is a tricky process Hannah Johnson

r Sports Editor/ Broadcast

As spring arrives, the snow on the ground begins to melt and the sun begins to shine. Many Minne-

Olivia Black

sotans awake from fashion hibernation and shed their winter coats for spring apparel. Major designers, runways and fashion magazines have predicted a spring season full of bright colors, chiffons, wedges and lots of

sunshine. Two of St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s own fashionistas share their tips on how to bring styles on the runway to the school hallways.

With negative degree windchill and snowstorms galore, it is understandable that many Minnesotans would want to wear nothing but long underwear and parkas. Sophomore fashionista Olivia Black is determined to not let the cold weather take away from her style. “It is really hard [to dress in style], especially in Minnesota,” Black said. “So many people are not into high fashion.” Without access to fashion hubs like New York City, Paris and Milan, Black relies on the internet for fashion tips. Black finds inspiration from websites such as Vogue, Teen Vogue, Allure and whowhatwear.com.

Some of Black’s favorite designers include Rebecca Minkoff, Marc Jacobs, Wildfox Couture and the always classic and cool Chanel. When she sees pieces on the runway or online that she loves, Black tends to turn to her closet. “You look at certain aspects of an outfit and look at your wardrobe that you can put into an outfit,” Black said. Black notes that bright colors and chiffon are the trends to watch for this spring. Her spring fashion staple is a pair of platform wedge shoes “because I can wear them with anything,” Black said. Black’s “eclectic” style fits any spring occasion with an ease.

Photo credit: Hannah Johnson

Emma Chang On the topic of spring fashion, junior Emma Chang becomes visibly excited as her eyes grow wider and a huge smile flashes across her face. “It has been really exciting and the designers this year really came out with beautiful things,” Chang said. She said that her favorite runway shows included Elie Saab, a Lebanese designer, and Carolina Herrera, a legendary designer who has outfitted many First Ladies.

“I really liked the patterns that many of the designers put in their work,” Chang said. “Also many of them went for the mary jane shoe to pair with all their outfits which I thought was really smart.” Chang predicts these mary janes, pointed leather heels with straps, along with bright colors and pastels will be some of this spring’s biggest trends. To bring the looks of big name designers to school, Chang keeps

it simple. “I usually study what the designer’s main concept was of their fashion show and I try to find a color that was in the runway,” Chang said. She also looks at the clothes she already owns to find outfits with the same “essence” as those on the runway. Just as many trends come and go in the fashion world, Chang’s “ever-changing” style will also continue to evolve and transform.

Photo credit: Hannah Johnson

Hairspray actors strap on their dancing shoes Noah Shavit-Lonstein

Feature Editor

For several weeks, thirty to forty eager, if tired, Hairspray cast members crowded the tiny Goodrich Campus stage, hoping not to bump into each other as they ran through their dance moves. Lessons from choreographer Karis Sloss included the Madison, the Pony, the Jerk, and the Mashed Potato. Sloss struggled to demonstrate some of the more elaborate early-rock dance steps to the teens. “I’ve been thinking the whole weekend about how to break down a Mashed Potato,” she explained to them, laughing, “and I’m still not sure how to do it.” Students performing in this spring’s musical were part of a “dance boot camp” organized by Director and Upper School English teacher Eric Severson. Hairspray is a much more dance-based show than previous musicals including City of Angels (2011) and The Drowsy Chaperone (2012). As

Severson put it, “plain and simple, this show moves.” Students participating in the boot camp are getting a glance of 1960s flashback moves. Hairspray focuses on a peppy but not conventionally beautiful teen in the early 60’s trying to desegregate a popular dance TV program. The musical was based off of a non-musical film by eccentric filmmaker John Waters. Known and often loved for its high-energy music and feel, the adaptation swept the Tony Awards in 2002 for its Broadway showing. Later, the show became a star-studded hit film in 2007, becoming the third highest-grossing musical film of all time. The show has been breaking records at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, too. An unprecedented 63 students auditioned for the spring musical, meaning that the managers of the show could not accept everyone into the production, as they were able to in most years. The long rehearsal process, es-

“

Plain and simple, this show moves. Director Eric Severson pecially starting early and focused on dancing, can be tough. “For the freshmen and some sophomores, it’s hard to get to the lower school,” freshman Nissa Rolf, who is playing a citizen of Baltimore, in the show, explained. “Tech week can be harrowing, considering homework and such.” However, Rolf is still enamored with the process. “It’s kind of like a sports team. You’re with each other almost every day, making music and entertaining each other.”

Photo credit: Ellie Fuelling Seniors Claire Flom-Staab and Cam Murray practice dance moves like the Stroll and the Madison. “It’s kind of like a sports team,” freshman Nissa Rolf said about the rehearsal process. “You’re with each other every day, making music and entertaining each other.”

16 M i nu t e s o f Fa m e March 2013. Vol XXXX. Issue VI.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

A love for Colombia and language Spanish amity Lizbeth Sierra hopes to transform perspectives of her home country

Photo Credit: Liz Rossman Spanish amity Lizbeth Sierra works with Upper School Spanish teacher Rafaela Salido to prepare for class. Sierra arrived at St. Paul Academy and Summit School in January and currently stays with sophomore Evan Leduc’s family. “My home city is quite big, with more than a million inhabitants,” she said. “However, what I like the most about Cucuta is that all my family is there; that’s why I go there every vacation (Holy Week, Summer, Christmas).”

Thomas Toghramadjian

News Editor

Lizbeth Sierra concedes that Colombia may not have a very positive reputation in the eyes of international observers. But one of her greatest goals during her time at St. Paul Academy and Summit School is to change that perception. “I know that the only thing that people know about Colombia is drugs, guerillas, maybe Shakira or Sofia Vergara, but I want to teach other things about my country,” she said. As a teachers’ assistant in the Upper and Middle schools, Sierra hopes to educate students about Colombia’s redeeming qualities. “We have beautiful landscapes, and people are very kind in Colombia, especially with foreigners who go there,” she said. “I also think that our Spanish is better than the Spanish from Argentina

with Spanish amity Lizbeth Sierra

or Mexico.” She also fondly remembers her hometown of Cucuta, on the border with Venezuela, a city known as “The Gem of the North” and “City Forest” for its lush surroundings. “We really like to dance and to go out. I think it happens mainly because of the weather; we have many opportunities to be outside,” she said of her social life in Colombia. However, Cucuta has a greater draw for Sierra than its landscape. “What I like the most about Cucuta is that all my family is there; that’s why I go there every vacation, for Holy Week, Summer, and Christmas,” she said. Sierra applied to an amity program in the United States in order to improve her command of the English language, although she is already a fluent speaker due to her studies at Universidad Nacional, a prestigious Colombian university with a mere 10% acceptance rate. Upon finishing her major, Si-

erra became a teacher’s assistant there. She views her school as one of Colombia’s greatest features. “Its campus is the biggest in the country and it’s very nice to see how much diversity you can find there; people from every corner in the country and the world, too. There are many people who go there to learn Spanish, of different religions, colors, races,” she said. Sierra’s first response came from SPA, an ideal situation because she had friends in Minnesota. She is staying with the family of sophomore Evan Leduc. The transition from Colombia to Minnesota proved manageable for Sierra, although it took some adjustment. One of the greatest differences she noticed lay in driving etiquette. “You really respect pedestrians; that doesn’t happen in Colombia,” she said. On the other hand, Sierra did not find Minnesotan food to be an improvement, deploring the quality of the soups served in the

“ My main purpose is to be a really good English speaker. Spanish amity Lizbeth Sierra SPA lunchroom. Ultimately, Sierra plans to teach English as a second language at her university in Colombia. She hopes to reach a level of fluency that allows her to teach Spanish to English speakers or English to Spanish speakers. “My main purpose is to be a really good English speaker,” she said.

Above all, Sierra has noticed the quality of education at SPA. “I like to see all the extra-curricular activities that you do here. It’s been very surprising for me that you guys, besides being very, very good students, play different sports, play an instrument, sing, dance, act, write, are artists, etc. I really wish we had all the same opportunities in Colombia.”

Q: What was your home town in Q: Did you go to Universidad Q: What was your best experience in Minnesota so far? Colombia like? Nacional? If not, where did you A: In Minnesota my best experi- U.S. was to go to New York. My ence has been to go to the Target family and I went there to see my A: My home town is Cucuta, a city study in Colombia? brother [sophomore Evan in the border with Venezuela. ... A: Yes, I studied at the Universi- Center to see a basketball game of host Leduc] at Carnegie Hall. I was very Cucuta has different nicknames, such as “City Without Borders,” “Gem of the North,” and “City Forest”.... As it is located in the border with Venezuela, Cucuta is a very important center in Colombia. I like my city because people are very nice and happy. ... Another thing that I really like about Cucuta is its food. My favorite ones are empanadas and tamales.

dad Nacional. This is a public university and it’s considered one of the best universities in my country. I have always felt very proud of having studied there, because it’s very difficult to get into this university. You have to take an exam that evaluates math, reading comprehension, history and social studies, and abstract reasoning.

the Timberwolves vs. LA Clippers. It was very nice for me because, although I am not a basketball player, I love to see this sport. Besides, that was [something] very American or “gringo” to see the cheerleaders, the presenters of FOX Sports, the sounds, all the contests and the activities that are between each period of the game. And my best experience in the

happy there. My dream before coming to the U.S. was to visit New York, walk in Times Square, visit Broadway, see all those famous, amazing skyscrapers. To be there and to see that my dream came true was just awesome.