March 2015 issue

March 2015. Volume 42. Issue 6.

THE RUBICON the student newspaper of S t . P a u l A c a d e m y & S u m m i t S c h o o l - 1 7 1 2 R a n d o l p h Av e n u e - S t . P a u l , M N 5 5 1 0 5 w w w. r u b i c o n l i n e . c o m

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EN TU R E From staycations to foreign exchanges: students explore life through travel and adventure Cover Story p. 8-9

Cultural assumptions: thinking outside the box goes a long way

of rickshaws and illness: students share funny travel stories

to speak or not to speak: should you join a discussion without doing your research?

InDepth p.10-11

Student Life p.16

Opinions p.5

COVER DESIGN: Boraan Abdulkarim, Diane Huang, Netta Kaplan

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March 2015. Volume 42. Issue 6.

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

V

EN TU R E From staycations to foreign exchanges: students explore life through travel and adventure Cover Story p. 8-9

cultural assumptions: thinking outside the box goes a long way inDepth p.10-11

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of rickshaws and illness: students share funny travel stories

to speak or not to speak: should you join a discussion without doing your research?

Student Life p.16

Opinions p.4

Students reflect on travel experiences in Cover Story P. 8-9 and share dream vacation locations in Student Life P. 16.

Quiz Bowl team ranks sixth in state, beats rival Mounds Park

Quiz Bowl Team Members freshman Peter Blanchfield, sophomores Cole Staples and Paul Watkins, and junior Netta Kaplan prepare to answer questions on the television stage during State Quiz Bowl on Feb. 19. Sophomores Jack Indritz and Sarah Wheaton also participated in

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NEWS

PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Commers the event, taking sixth place,

PAWS bake sale benefits Heifer International

@RubicOnline

with the rest of the team

THE RUBICON

March 2015

The Rubicon staff recaps a few sessions from Speaker Day Students and faculty attended two breakout sessions in the morning, running 50 minutes each, to hear varied immigration perspectives.

Lucy Polk Cultural Differences

PHOTO CREDIT: Diane Huang

Two time world fancy-dance champion Larry Yazzie performs for students and faculty during Speaker Day’s final gathering in Brigg’s Gymnasium on Mar. 6. Yazzie dances in a hand-crafted regalia that was “made with prayer, time, and patience,” Yazzie said.

Speaker Day focuses on immigration Voices heard from both native and non-native perspectives Boraan Abdulkarim Chief Visual Editor

Senior Speeches are a regular part of any St. Paul Academy and Summit School student’s weekly routine. They’re hardly unfamiliar. In this same vein, the biannual Upper School Speaker Day took place on Mar. 6. This year brought in SPA parents, local speakers, and other individuals to speak with students in small groups about their given experiences and fields of expertise, all of which fall under this year’s theme, Immigration and Cultural Diversity: Experiences and Identity. “We chose this theme because the topics covered in this theme have been very prevalent in the SPA community this year,” Upper School Council member Numi Katz said.

The event was organized by USC as it is every other year. “We choose speakers that have insight into this theme, for example people involved in immigration law and immigrants themselves. We try to create a diversity in roles and experiences even within the speakers themselves so that students understand that even within this theme there are different viewpoints and experiences,” Katz said. To promote this goal, USC gave its speakers only broad guidelines to base their speech-

es on. “We provide the speakers with the day’s theme and ask them to speak on their individual experiences within this theme and timeframe,” Katz said.

I want you to realize how hard [immigrants] are working to be here.

D i re c t o r o f C A I R - M N Jaylani Hussein The day was kicked off with two keynote speakers. First, University of Minnesota professor Ryan Allen presented political and statistical facts concerning immigration, including graphs conveying increasing trends of immigration and border patrol, in addition to discussing a proposed legislation regarding a path to citizenship. “We have a series of policies…that have been unambiguously based on race. We need comprehensive immigration reform and we need it yesterday,” he said.

Immediately afterward, Director of the Minnesota Chapter of

the Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR-MN) Jaylani Hussein spoke about a number of aspects of Somali immigration, from refugee camp to initial culture shock to difficulty being accepted in workplaces and outside communities. “The experience is very challenging, and I want you to realize how hard [immigrants] are working to be here,” Hussein said. He urged the audience to envision themselves stranded in a foreign country, unable to speak the language and bearing minimal knowledge about the society they have been thrust into. “Coming here is a challenge but also a blessing,” he said.

After a Q&A session in which Hussein and Allen answered students’ questions together, students dispersed to their assigned individual speakers.

After these breakout sessions, senior Isabella LaBlanc introduced speakers John and Lonna Hunter, who spoke about immigration from a Native American perspective, namely the experiences of the Ho-Chunk and Winnebago tribes. An iconoclastic definition of immigrant was presented, that all Americans are immigrants to a land once owned entirely by Native populations.

This idea provided a fresh take on discussing immigration to a primarily non-immigrant student

body.

Speaker day is a longstanding tradition at SPA, and reevaluating the significance of hosting it is important. “The purpose of Speaker Day is for students to learn about issues pertaining to this years theme, and to gain perspective on the importance of cultural diversity, by hearing the stories of the speakers brought in,” Katz said. “I find it imperative that our community is exposed to these stories and can view this topic from many perspectives.”

This year’s speaker day yielded a great deal of positive reactions, but they all catered primarily to one overall effect: an open mind.

The eclectic mix of perceptions of immigration, from those who had immigrated to Native Americans who had observed and lived the impact of it served to provide students with exposure to a concept that is a reality for many people.

The discussions that arose between sessions were indicative of a renewed sense of the word Immigrant, punctuated with phrases like “I had no idea” or “I never would have imagined”. In the words of Hussein, “When someone can actually see you, talk to you, that’s when we get to a place of understanding, not fear.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Javier Whitaker-Castaneda

In her speaker day presentation, Upper School English teacher Lucy Polk talked about her immigration from the Netherlands and the culture differences she experienced between the United States and the Netherlands.

Rolando Castellanos A Family’s Journey

PHOTO CREDIT: Javier Whitaker-Castaneda

Many students know Señor Rolando Castellanos as an Upper School Spanish teacher, but on Speaker Day, he shared the story of how he got here, alone, from Cuba.

Tony Sanneh Soccer and Service

PHOTO CREDIT: Emily Thissen

A man of many talents, retired pro soccer player and St. Paul Academy and Summit School alum Tony Sanneh talked to students about leadership in the community, his immigration, and his foundation.

Corrections Policy:

During the post-critique process, staff members will identify inaccuracies and report on feedback from readers. Corrections will be printed in the next edition of the newspaper in the News section.

Jan/Feb Corrections:

News: Quotes in “Preparations underway for Speaker Day” were misattributed to Upper School math teacher Jim McVeety but were said by Upper School Council President Thomas Toghramadjian. InDepth: Salt-N-Pepa was misspelled. A&E: Drew Fawcett’s name was misspelled and he is a freshman, not a junior. Sports: Ben Pette’s name was misspelled.

Isaac Forsgren’s name was misspelled. Ella Hommeyer is a junior, not a sophomore.

Alarm sends students outside, then to Drake when sprinklers deploy

Students do the wave while they wait in Drake Arena to return to classes after the sprinkler system was activated in the gym.

The sprinkler was activated when a student accidentally hit a pipe

Drake Arena was filled over capacity on Feb. 24 during school hours when an alarm sent students first outside, then to Drake Arena until emergency personnel arrived. Freshman Grant Gunderson was in the gym for Fitness for Life class when the incident occurred: “Some kid threw a basketball up into the sprinkler system and it went off in the gym,” Gunderson said.

Students returned to school, missing the first 10 minutes of Tutorial.

With the exception of Orchestra being canceled, most classes resumed as normal. There were no injuries; only wet property.

with a ball.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Clare Tipler

March 2015

THE RUBICON

Spring Break brings school-sponsored travel German exchange travels to Hamburg, Germany Gita Raman Social Media Editor

Submitted photo: Haseena Hamzawala

Students on a previous odyssey trip to Utah go on a hike. “I’m really excited because it will be nice to get away from technology,” junior Ella Hommeyer said.

Spring Odyssey explores Utah Emily Thissen Sports Editor

The Spring Odyssey will take place in the Utah canyonlands over Spring Break. Students in grades 10, 11, and 12 are all invited to attend the eight day expedition involving hiking, camping, and learning wilderness skills.

“I am looking forward to seeing the night sky away from the city. It is going to be beautiful,” senior Sandhya Ramachandran said.

“Odyssey offers lessons in self-reliance and leadership that are much different than what you can learn in other activities. There are not a lot of times in our current society when people get to experience that kind of self-reliance,” faculty Odyssey leader Matt Edens said.

The fall, winter, and spring Odyssey trips are seven-day outdoor expeditions that usually occur a couple times a year. However, a lack of interest in recent years has limited the number of expeditions led.

There are no requirements of prior outdoor experience — the training leading up to the trip teaches students everything they need to know. Training includes basic first aid, how to evaluate conditions, and how to minimize risks. This is important due to the unpredictable conditions and the fact that at times the group could be two days away from medical help. The group takes other precautions as well, with group leaders carrying satellite phones at all times.

The eight days in the wilderness involve first a group expedition, then a solo stay, and, finally, a students only expedition. “I’m really excited because it will be nice to get away from technology and people and just take a break from everything,” junior Ella Hommeyer said.

In the spirit of cultural exchange and language immersion at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, an exchange trip to Germany will be hosted for German-speaking students in 2015.

This exchange has been happening since 1996.

This year’s exchange participants will visit the Heisenberg-Gymnasium, a high school in Hamburg, Germany.

Students are set to leave the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport on Mar. 12 and return on Mar. 26.

Upper School German teacher Jutta Crowder has organized this

year’s exchange to and from Germany.

The Heisenberg-Gymnasium is about 4,000 miles away from SPA. There, students will learn about a foreign culture through immersive exposure to foreign language.

“I think that is the most important thing to have in a language immersion experience.

When you try out your language skills and you do it from first thing in the morning, all day long.

And the second thing is to have another look as a culture and in return, see our culture in another perspective,” Crowder said.

On these journeys to Germany,

PHOTO CREDIT: Gita Raman

Students going on the German Exchange pose for a photo during one of the tutorial sessions that were held for students to learn more about the trip. “The most important thing for me is that I will end the trip with improved German speaking skills,“ senior Luke Bishop said.

Crowder finds a special moment in each and every trip. “After a week or ten days, all of a sudden it feels like your ears pop, and you go ‘Oh, I get it’. You start to understand and it is so exciting. It is so exciting for me [to see students understanding]. I love that,” Crowder said.

“The most important thing for me is that I will end the trip with improved German speaking skills,” senior Luke Bishop said.

Along with improving speaking skills, Bishop hopes to become closer with his classmates and see what it is like to be independent.

Spanish-speaking students to fly to Spain

Submitted Photo: Eva Perez-Greene

Students visit Marbella Beach in Andalusia, Spain over Spring Break 2013 on the Spanish trip. From left to right are alums of class of 2014 Emma Chang and Claire Foussard, and senior Eva Perez-Greene

Nina Zietlow Feature Editor

When learning a language, there is no tool more valuable or challenging than total immersion.

While exchange trips are pop-

ular among students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, travel offers an equally enriching opportunity for language growth and cultural understanding.

This Spring Break approximately 20 SPA Spanish students will stroll the streets of Barcelo-

na and Seville, absorbing the rich culture of these Spanish cities and enjoying the food, climate, and language of Spain.

“I’m especially excited to see all of the old architecture in Spain, since it’s a lot older than any of the architecture here in America. It’s going to be beautiful,” junior Miriam Tibbetts said.

Students will stay in Spain for 11 days. The students will arrive in Barcelona Mar. 14-18. From there, the group will fly to Seville and stay there until Mar. 25.

During the stay in Seville, students will go on day excursions to sites such as the city of Cordoba

and Pueblos Blancos.

“I’m also very excited to see “los Pueblos Blancos” in Andalusia,” Tibbetts said.

In addition to exploring Spain, the trip’s main focus is to help students learn Spanish.

“I chose to do the trip because it’s a goal of mine to become fluent in Spanish,” Tibbetts said. “I am also really interested in learning more about Spanish culture.

It’s going to be fun!” Tibbetts said.

French exchange group goes to Toulouse, France Javier Whitaker-Castañeda

Cover Story Editor

Student exchanges are undoubtedly a fantastic way to experience a language but they have more to give students than just speaking practice.

Over the course of two weeks in early February, French students from Lycée St Exupéry, a school in Blagnac which is a suburb of Toulouse, came to stay in Minnesota. They had a chance to interact one on one with English speakers at St. Paul Academy and Summit School and to explore Minnesota.

Over spring break when they go to France, SPA students look to experience French culture take advantage of everything that the exchange has to offer. On Feb. 26

students going on the exchange attended a quick info session as part of final preparations before the trip.

Trip advisers Aimeric Lajuzan, Sophie Kerman, and Eric Severson took the opportunity to cover topics ranging from pickpocketing, the trip’s schedule, and how to do “la bise,” the typical greeting of a kiss on each cheek. They also that SPA students will be completely immersed in French culture during the exchange.

“It’s the cross-cultural dimension that is incredibly important,” Lajuzan said.

Students will spend four days in Paris with a chance to visit attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Afterwards they will travel by train to Blagnac to

PHOTO CREDIT: Javier Whitaker-Castaneda

Students gather in the French Room to learn more about the French exchange that will happen during Spring Break. “I’m excited to go to France for the first time and eat a lot of pastries and cheese and experience it all with my friends,” junior Caroline Montague said.

start the student exchange part of trip. They will stay with their host families and spend time at their host student’s school. “[I am looking forward to] visiting and seeing how their school works … and also eating their food,” junior Justin Zanaska said.

The exchange plans to give students a unique opportunity to explore French culture. “Students

spend time working on different language skills [in class] but there are not many opportunities to interact with native French students.

Exchanges help bringing the culture into the school and it means we are sure that all of our students get to interact with students their age,” Lajuzan said.

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Op i n ion s

THE RUBICON

The Rubicon

S taff

2014-15 Editor-in-Chief Eva Perez-Greene Chief Visual Editor Boraan Abdulkarim Managing Editor Netta Kaplan Online Editor-in-Chief Diane Huang Social Media Editor Gita Raman News Editor Clare Tipler Opinions Editor Amodhya Samarakoon Sports Editor Emily Thissen Cover Story Editor Javier Whitaker-Castañeda Feature Editor Nina Zietlow Student Life Editor Noor Qureishy Arts & Entertainment Editor Meghan Joyce In Depth Editor Mari Knudson Science & Technology Editor Paul Watkins Columns Editor Thomas Toghramadjian Arts Critic Patrick Commers Staff Writers Iya Abdulkarim Marlee Baron Peter Blanchfield Lauren Boettcher Raffa Buettner-Salido Dianne Caravela Lexi Hilton Sophie Jaro Lucas Johnson Shaymus O’Brien

the rubicon AWARDS JEM All-State Gold (Print and Online) MHSPA Best in Show (Print and Online NSPA First Place w/marks of distinction CSPA Gold Medal CSPA Crown Award Finalist MEMBERSHIPS National Scholastic Press Association Columbia Scholastic Press Association Minnesota High School Press Association

March 2015

STAFF EDITORIAL

Ignorance and indifference to socioeconomic diversity persist The subtle yet pervasive notion that having less money makes one inferior is not only elitist, but it is false.

It’s not kind, and it definitely not “classy.”

Fifty Shades of Grey topped box offices in its opening weekend: but how would this novel turned film have performed if its protagonist, Christian Grey, wasn’t a billionaire?

Wealth colors how actions are perceived and what access is granted, yet it is frequently absent from student conversation at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. Students casually fling around their insensitive critiques of SPA lunches, faculty, facilities, and more, while few stop to think about the way these comments make them sound. What’s worse, even fewer stop to think about the way these comments are making the people around them feel.

It all too easy to assume that everyone comes from the same socioeconomic background, that everyone’s family can pay SPA’s tuition in full. Yet we know this is not true--not by any stretch of the imagination. Our habitual attitude of ignorance and, in some cases, indifference, to the effects of bragging and flaunting money, if we have it, creates a silent, unacknowledged tension.

EDITORIAL CARTOON: Meghan Joyce

WEALTH COLORS how actions are perceived and what access is granted, yet it is frequently absent from student conversation at St. Paul Academy and Summit School.

The subtle yet pervasive notion that having less money makes one inferior is not only elitist, but it is false. It’s not kind, and it definitely not “classy.” Too many students simply refuse to recognize that socioeconomic entitlement divides the community, fostering a slow, bubbling resentment in all parties involved, not least in those who have less, socioeconomically speaking.

Two years ago, this same month, The Rubicon staff published an editorial encouraging students to embrace socioeconomic diversity and squelch economic entitlement. However, not enough progress has been made since this piece was published-not in the month of March, not over the course of the past few year.

The administration itself has done much in the past two years: financial aid programs have grown and new scholarships have become a significant part of the admissions process. In 2012, the Malone Family Foundation

gave a $2 million dollar grant to assist students who need 30% tuition (or more) covered in order to attend SPA. In 2014, the Redleaf Scholarship Program began, offering up to 50% of its recipients’ tuition for the entirety of their Upper School academic careers.These programs are bringing students from all financial backgrounds into the student population.

But there’s still more work to do in classes, among students.

Along with identities of race and religion, socioeconomic diversity is pushed aside or looked at from a limited academic viewpoint.

We analyze class hierarchies in global history and interpret literature through the lens of socionomic theory. But how do class disparities shape the present and what are we going to do about it? These discussions have their place in our curriculum too.

Recently, groups like Common Ground and USC have done great work, especially on MLK Day and Speaker Day. They have

encouraged students to open up to others’ identities, on a personal, not just on an academic level. We can and should share our different socioeconomic backgrounds around the Harkness tables too. Affluence does not define this community as a whole.

SPA needs to make some changes, subtle and overt, if it’s to meet growing levels of economic diversity in all grades.

We must never assume that class identity is a black and white issue, but see that it is nuanced and personal and many, many shades of grey. We can consider low cost, inclusive social activities built around making memories instead of proving status. We can be conscious of words and avoid bragging. Above all, we can understand that there is a fine line between sharing and bragging-that our words have the power to define our realities.

Mini-Editorials Chinese New Year should Dress Code policy update be celebrated in the long overdue, talk must Upper School continue Once again, the New Year has passed with little fanfare or acknowledgement in the Upper School—Lunar New Year, that is.

However, on Feb. 19, the Middle School celebrated in style with a Lunar New Year assembly, complete with lion dancers and flying pieces of cabbage. This tradition should continue into the Upper School.

Lunar New Year is an all-inclusive holiday, celebrated in countries from Brazil to Cambodia, and is not limited to the few that may still follow the Lunar calendar. Even so, such a large celebration that spans over a week has been relatively ignored in the Upper School.

While a full-scale assembly dedicated to the Lunar New Year may be a lot to ask for, a brief announcement at assembly, traditional Lunar New Year’s music during Friday assembly, New Year’s cuisine offered at lunch, or just a simple Blue Sheet entry would be just enough to spread the spirit of the Lunar New Year.

Students invested a great deal of time and energy into challenging the previous dress code.

Last year, from heated conversations in the halls, to memorable senior speeches on the subject, to a lengthy survey from Upper School Council, the school was buzzing with talk about the dress code lasy year.

But what happened to these discussions? Many students felt confident that a new Upper School dress code would be announced at the start of the second semester.

However, the end of third quarter second is nearing and talk of bra straps, crop tops, and yoga pants have ceased.

An update from USC and the administration is long overdue.

The conversation should be re-instigated. Students deserve to know where the dress code stands and what the next steps will be.

School spirit must always be loud, engaged and, above all, positive March announcements began with a reminder from Upper School Principal Chris Hughes that cheering at sporting events should be “loud, engaged, and positive,” not against the other team or indicative of any sense of superiority.

This announcement was brought on by a Boys’ hockey game, where the term spirit lost all meaning. Cheering and displaying school spirit at sporting events does not mean yelling demeaning or pompous chants at the opposing teams.

If fans have more fun spouting rude chants instead of encouraging ones then students’ mentality needs to shift towards positive cheering.

It’s time for the fans to find the true spirit of sportsmanship: attend games, support the players without elitist chants towards the other team, and celebrate the quality of play.

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

Letters Policy

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

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

Our Mission

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

Op i n ion s

The rubicon

March 2015

To speak or not to speak?

Judging peers on a lack of knowledge prevents the deepening of conversation

Mari Knudson In Depth Editor

Students sit around a Harkness table, nervously glancing at each other in silence until a confident few speak up. However, as those few students finish speaking, the conversation dies off for lack of new insights.

Many students believe that they are not educated enough to speak on the topic and keep their mouths shut out of fear that they will be deemed ignorant or uninformed by their peers. As a result, the conversation lacks the additional views and perspectives that these students could provide.

A common fear for students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School is that if they haven’t researched a topic enough, they will be perceived as less intelligent by their peers for speaking on that topic. However, this prevents the addition of new voices to the conversation which can deepen discussions.

Researching a topic and reading various views from credible sources can deepen a student’s understanding of a subject. However, when students are afraid to speak because they believe they have not reached some golden standard of research, the desire to be well educated and avoid negative judgment begins to have adverse effects on discussions.

The subtle ways which students pass judgment upon their peers range from passive aggressive expressions, to unnecessarily scrutinizing questions, to simply ignoring another student’s comment. Regardless of method, this judgment breaks down one’s self-esteem.

While some of the reasons for this fear to speak lie in those who hold them, the focus on intellectualism that exists at SPA contributes measurably to the problem. In some cases, it should be acceptable for students to speak from an emotional and personal standpoint even if they lack extensive research on the subject. Students should not present their personal experiences as fact that represents a larger group, but introducing how a topic affects their own lives is valid information.

Some parts of discussions by nature require previous research and facts, but all discussions require the analysis and synthesis of those facts.

While students and anyone in this community may be afraid of seeming ignorant, they should realize that not knowing every-

thing but participating anyway is certainly acceptable.

Curiosity and the desire to educate oneself require students to ask questions and make mistakes. In order to help combat the fear surrounding ignorance at SPA, students should stop judging others for what they do not know, and more importantly, stop judging themselves.

In attending SPA, students desire to learn and gain a deeper understanding of the world they live in. No student knows the one definitive answer to every question, and therefore no one has the right to criticize their peers during a discussion. Everyone should also keep in mind that a high school student cannot truly be an expert on a subject, no matter the number of articles they’ve read.

If students could not only acknowledge, but truly believe, that no one student has more or less authority to speak than another, then SPA would advance significantly as a place of learning.

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Basis from a conglomerate of elements necessary to further discussion Diane Huang It’s that kid again, the one that didn’t do the reading yet insists on participating during the class discussion. They lack the knowledge to form an opinion off of, yet somehow the student manages to speak more than any other participant who read the material. In classes like English or History, opinions on the reading are invalid if they are baseless, and this isn’t different when applied to discussions on current events.

At St. Paul Academy and Summit School, some students claim discussions stray into an “over-intellectualized” state. The idea of “over-intellectualizing” suggests that students distance themselves emotionally and adhere to facts with such fervor that they harm both their own understanding of a topic and the people with whom they discuss.

While over-intellectualizing does not advance discussion, students cannot drop the responsibility of reading the news and learning the facts.

A valid opinion cannot be formed without basis. Reading at least one article from a

Online Editor in Chief

reliable news source satisfies this condition. In other cases, basis could also mean perspective, personal or otherwise. In most cases though, basis is a conglomerate of all these elements.

Reading the text, news sources and many published opinions ensures that participants have a similar understanding of what is to be discussed.

A quick review of last night’s reading by a friend does not suffice for a class discussion.

Similarly, while providing helpful insights, listening to often biased personal and emotional changed statements by friends or family does not suffice on its own. To fully understand a topic and form an opinion, one must learn what opinions exist within their community, emotional and intellectual.

Though current events and issues are very real, many people do not realize their impact without experiencing or hearing about it firsthand from someone they care about. Over-intellectualizing lies in the dissociation of current events; students too quickly offer opinions on a topic rather than stopping and learning more about it, especially from the peers.

Lastly, though basis can be found in many ways, an opinion is limited to the extent of its basis. Students who present their personal experiences are by no means authorities or experts on the topic, whether self-assigned or assigned by others.

Those who speak about personal experiences with racism or sexism, among other -isms, do not speak for the entirety of their demographic.

Nonetheless, personal experiences from peers should be respected.

Learning more about a topic does not end once a discussion begins; the more students are willing to reveal what they know to others, the more everyone learns about a topic.

Before conducting discussions, allocating time to gather knowledge would greatly improve the quality of the following discussion. The more students expand their bases and express eagerness to do so, the more worthwhile and enriching discussions will become.

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Op i n ion s

The Rubicon

March 2015

Language exchanges allow full embrace of cultures

Illustration credit: Wordle.net

Emily Thissen Sports Editor

Walking down the streets of a new city, breathing in smells of local food, hearing snippets of a

conversation in a language that is not familiar. For years, select St. Paul Academy and Summit School students travel to Spain, France, or Germany on language exchange trips and return back

feeling accomplished, with improvement in their language skills after experiencing a new culture firsthand.

Some students choose to participate in the trip and others in

the exchanges, and some feel inspired to go on both. With each happening every other year, the opportunity is something that shouldn’t be allowed to slip by.

To learn a language through immersion in the culture provides meaningful and lasting benefits.

Completely surrounding oneself with the culture, language, and vibe of a country creates an exciting learning environment. Students will experience everything firsthand; the food, the unique activities, culture, and even learning some slang terms that most wouldn’t know.

The idea of being in a place where this new language becomes the primary form of communication pushes the use of the language as much as possible. The language exchange trips provide a new form of learning other than

sitting in a classroom. From seeing the sights in the ancient cities in Spain, to speaking and getting to know a host family in France, all of the situations are new and unique, allowing for an interesting way to learn.

For any students who are skeptical about participating in these trips: take a risk. Whether that means going on the trip or the exchange, pushing oneself to be put in exciting, possibly uncomfortable, and exciting situations will ultimately be beneficial. No matter the language, country, or type of trip, students will experience adventures, improve their language skills, and create unforgettable memories with strangers and friends alike.

Bring Latin back into the Upper School language curriculum

become Latin language lovers.

Furthermore, SPA welcomes classically-educated students; however, these former Latin scholars are forced to discontinue their progress toward Latin literacy in the school setting.

Latin’s potential did not fall with the Roman Empire. Rather, Latin’s deceased status makes it a unique contribution to every

curriculum. Before the school can resurrect Latin in the curriculum, the student body must show interest in rejuvenating this lost language.

If a student is a potential scientist, anthropologist, lawyer, or linguist, he should confabulate with his favorite science, history, debate, or English teacher on the common Latin roots of their sub-

to discuss Isl am is it nt o ta

class/at sc ho ol?

Very important

Somewhat important

Not important

to discuss cu is it rre nt n ta

Very important

in class/at sc nts ho ve ol te

When news of the three students shot near UNC Chapel Hill broke, students were asked to take a moment of silence in assembly on Feb. 10 to recognize the loss.

Students encouraged the community to deepen discussion of the news and of Islamophobia.

The Rubicon polled 20% of the student body, 9-12, to see if this request was met with success.

Which of your classes have taken time to address this current event?

latin’s potential did not fall with the Roman Empire. It’s status as a dead language doesn’t keep Latin from having a variety of modern uses.

ia in ob ph

Current events need to be a regular focus

Illustration credit: Sophie Jaro

How imp or

Is Latin a dead language? In the Upper School classrooms, it is. St. Paul Academy and Summit School boasts a Cum Laude Society (Latin for “with praise”), Latin dictum on the assembly podium, and a history of teaching Latin until the 1990’s.

However, Latin is currently nowhere to be found on the SPA course list, and is an odious omission. Latin should be reincorporated into the SPA curriculum.

Latin’s status as a dead language, which is to say it’s not spoken, leads to the incorrect assumption that it lacks modern applications.

The Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal by M. K. Henry estimated that 12 Latin word roots and 20 prefixes can generate over 100,000 English words. Latin is the main and most recent root language to date.

A common claim circulates that the English language’s Latin roots give scholars an unmistakable advantage in deciphering complicated words in science, and spelling and on the SAT. According to Thomas Cooper in The Modern Language Journal, Latin students score an average of 150 points higher on the SAT than students who take other languages in school.

How im po r

Staff Writer

Furthermore, within the obituary of the dearly-departed Latin language, savage rumors abound in the form of obnoxiously misused Latin phrases. For example, how can one who has never taken Latin know the proper declensions of words including “alumnus,” “alumna,” or “data”?

Malapropisms have infiltrated modern language by means of poor popular interpretation.

Today, “carpe diem,” used as a synonym for “YOLO,” contradicts the authentic definition. Although “carpe diem” aphorizes the uncontrollable nature of the future, it encourages industriousness to seize present opportunities rather than reject opportunity for momentary pleasure, so it’s more about prudence or temperance. The use of Latin phrases beyond the most common and conventional ones is troublesome without learning their basic Latin origins.

E.G., exempli gratia, “for the sake of an example,” has a subtle but significant difference from “i.e.” or id est which means “that is.” Just a dose of Latin education can correct unintended blunders, greatly improving vocabulary and perceived intelligence.

Eventually, after bonding with Latin philosophers and puzzling over Latin’s charming irregular verb forms, students may even

Somewhat important

?

Sophie Jaro

Not important

Have any of your classes discussed the issue of Islamophobia?

ject’s specific vocabulary.

As the omnipresence of Latin is recognized by SPA scholars, the administration should restore the ruins in the language hallway by reinstating Latin in the course list.

And, after all, Quidquid latine dictum sit altum viditur, i.e.

Whatever is said in Latin sounds profound.

Fast Fact One-third of Americans reported no prejudice toward Muslims, yet have unfavorable views of Islam.

G a l l u p Po l l, 2 0 0 9 Poll Credit: Nina Zietlow Infographic: Paul Watkins

Fe at ur e 7

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How to get involved

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Cara Pomerantz

SOPHOMORE CARA POMERANTZ on a beach in C osta Rica where she volunteered last summer. “It’s very interesting to see how the rest of the world lives, the United States is kind of an outlier,”

Bringing a new meaning to vacation

Pomerantz said.

Students combine volunteering and travel on service trips

Noor Qureishy Student Life Editor

A group of students bask in the Nicaraguan sun, taking care of orphans on an island. A thin layer of dust and grime coats the back of an Urdu textbook, as a student attempts to help a squirming toddler learn the day’s lesson in a crowded city in Pakistan.

Scrambling to grasp discarded trash before it’s carried away by the rising tide, students run along the beaches of Costa Rica, to improve the environment.

Whether it’s to experience a new lifestyle, gain knowledge of other cultures and languages, or aid people in need, volunteering abroad is something that requires a huge amount of skill and commitment. Some students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School choose to volunteer abroad over the summer, hoping to aid others more directly “It was enlightening to learn about other people’s cultures … [volunteering abroad is] a more cohesive experience [than volunteering locally], you’re not just leaving your house for a couple of hours,” sophomore Cara Pomerantz said.

Pomerantz volunteered in Costa Rica, she painted murals, dug trenches for sidewalks, built bleachers, planted trees, cleaned beaches and relocated turtles during her time there. She found the experience both fun and eyeopening.

“It’s very interesting to see how the rest of the world lives.

The United States is kind of an outlier,” she said.

In addition to learning about the culture and lifestyle of the Costa Rican family she stayed with during her trip, Pomerantz also developed her Spanish speaking skills, which helped her academically.

Junior Kent Hanson has been involved with Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, an international service organization inspired

by Christian values for nearly eight years. He first got involved through his church.

“Back 7 or 8 years ago my church combined with another

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Kent Hanson

JUNIOR KENT HANSON works with children through the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos Organization in Nicaragua over the summer. “Once you go, you will understand that it’s definitely more advantageous to actually travel down there,” Hanson said.

I walked in, and it was like all those worries weren’t there anymore. I felt a connection to the people there, because I’m also Pakistani...

s o p h o m o re Ta b e e r N a q v i

church. So, in order for people to get to know each other my family started this mission trip that goes every year to Nicaragua,” Hanson said.

Hanson believes strongly in the success of hands-on service, rather than just monetary donations. “I’m aware of the debate on whether its worth it to actually have a trip down [to Nicaragua] compared to sending the money that travel would cost down, but once you go, you will understand that it’s definitely more advantageous to actually travel down there,” he said.

Over the years, Hanson has helped build houses, farm, paint and entertain the children that live at the NPM orphanage he volunteers at. Although he enjoys doing all of these activities, his favorite part of the experience is building connections with the locals.

“The kids there don’t have any figures to look up to. It’s kind of

special being able to return every year and knowing that there’s some consistency … recognizing the same kids every year,” he said.

Hanson also improves his Spanish speaking skills on his trips abroad. “I lived in Costa Rica when I was in second grade for a year, so … I’m fluent in Spanish [and going to Nicaragua] helps me maintain that,” he said.

On a deeper level, Hanson has discovered his passion through these trips. “It changed what I wanted to do with my life. I want to help the world,” he said.

The benefits gained from this mode of service are, in Hanson’s opinion, especially beneficial for SPA students. “[I gained] an awareness of what’s going on in the world. I think a lot of kids at SPA haven’t had that experience, so they don’t understand the struggles that a lot of people go through in the world. Its a good reminder every year [when I go]

to Nicaragua, understanding that we live a pretty privileged life,” he said.

Sophomore Tabeer Naqvi has had her own share of overseas service experiences, having volunteered at an SOS orphanage in Lahore, last summer, one of many sites in Pakistan that is part of the larger global service project called SOS Children’s Villages International. Naqvi’s experience hit her a little closer to home, as she used to live in Pakistan as a child.

“I walked in, and it was like all those worries weren’t there anymore. I felt a connection to the people there, because I’m also a Pakistani … it was a change for me, because I come from a family where we have everything, and they [the orphans] lived very simply. It gave me a sense of peace,” she said.

Naqvi was part of a teaching program at the orphanage, and she was assigned to a threeyear-old boy, the youngest at the orphanage. “When I think of an orphanage, I think sad and gloomy, but it [the SOS orphanage] wasn’t like that.There was a sense of belonging for each kid,” she said.

Naqvi was at the SOS orphanage during the month of Ramadan, so she was fasting during the hours that she volunteered. “It was nice for me to do it during Ramadan because I felt like I was actually doing something [to help other people] and appreciate what I have,” she said. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk in order to develop self-control and foster an appreciation for their material wealth.

Overall, Naqvi had a wonderful experience,saying that volunteering at the orphanage “re-established the sense of community I have with Pakistan.

I learned that you don’t need a lot of things to be happy.”

Naqvi believes that volunteering abroad is beneficial for all students, not just people who come from a certain country.

“Its always good to see how other people live their lives,” she said.

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Rachel Hotvedt

JUNIOR RACHEL HOTVEDT Volunteered with Impact Lives organization in the Dominican Republic over the summer.

Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos Organization - A Christian Organization that offers opportunities to volunteer in South and Central American countries.

- www.nph.org

Rustic Pathways - Offers youth volunteer programs in 17 different countries - volunteer opportunities ranging from building homes to providing first-aid services.

- www.rusticpathways.com ISV Student Volunteer Program -Offers international vounteer programs that focus on enviromental sustainibality and child care -Highest rated international volunteer program - www.isvolunteers.org

Cross-Cultural Solutions -Opportunities to work with schools and travel in five different countries around the globe -Designed for students aged 15-17

-www.crossculturalsolutions.org

8

C o v er S tory MARCH 2015

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9

HEADLINE ILLUSTRATION: Javier Whitaker-Castañeda

SOPHOMORE SOPH LUNDBERG waves a firecracker wand on Chinese New Year so that the loud sounds and fire ward off evil spirits

Noor Qureishy Student Life Editor

Unfamiliar clothes, buildings, foods, and languages dominate the landscape as a jumble of sights, sounds, and tastes overwhelm the senses, leaving one exhilarated and apprehensive at the same time. Transformative and invaluable, the experiences and skills gained from living abroad inspire students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School both academically and personally. “[I learned] how people communicate in different cultures on different topics … I became more cultured, more sensitive to issues in other countries, because I’d experienced them,” junior Claire Ristau said. Ristau

moved to Tervuren, Belgium in 2007, and lived there for three years, from the beginning of third grade to the end of fifth grade. because of her father’s job at the international company, 3M. Although Ristau had trouble adjusting to the change in language and culture at the beginning, the exposure eventually benefited her. “I learned how to speak French pretty well. In World History II, [living abroad] helped me because I knew all the cities and countries. [It also helped] me in English, because I had to help other kids write properly [when I was in Belgium],” she said.

Nonetheless, Ristau obtained more than academic benefits from her time in Belgium. “I picked up a healthy

Lundberg lived and attended school in China for six years (non-consecutively). “[Living in China] was the majority of my childhood, it was not necessarily the greatest but it was definetly exciting,” Lundberg said.

I became more cultured, more sensitive to issues in other countries because I’d experienced them. j u n i o r C l a i re Ristau

lifestyle,” she said. “At restaurants the proportions are very small so I sort of adapted to small portions at meals rather than oversized American portions. I walked places a lot more and biked rather than drove just because everything was so close.” Ristau remembers adopting smaller, more nutritious portion sizes that mirrored European habits of proper eating during her time in Belgium, a practice she since has retained.

However, living abroad has its own share of drawbacks. Ristau’s athletic career suffered, making it harder for her to once she moved back to America. “[Living abroad] did set me back in sports, since women don’t really play sports in Europe,” she said. Ristau also

had a difficult time adapting to the foreign environment. “[It was hard] adjusting to a completely different culture, you’re super homesick. I wanted to be normal and live in America,” she said.

Freshman Henry Zietlow also lived overseas, his stay lasting about five years in two separate countries. Zietlow was born in Singapore and lived there until he was five, when he moved to Japan, spending a fair amount of his early elementary school years abroad due to his father’s job as a tax lawyer. Like Ristau, Zietlow also gained some language skills: “[I] learned a bit of Malaysian,” he said, although he doesn’t remember most of it now.

Zietlow didn’t face the same lan-

guage barriers in Singapore as Ristau did during her time in Belgium. He remembers the environment in Singapore as being quite similar to that of the United States. “Most people speak English, so its not that different from the US. A lot of the same brands [for clothing and food] were there,” he said.

Japan, however, was a completely different story. “The language barrier was a bit of an issue. Nobody in my family spoke much Japanese at all, so doing stuff like going to restaurants was sometimes difficult. But nonetheless, there was still a lot of English-speaking people surrounding us, so it wasn’t a terrible issue,” Zietlow said.

Zietlow enjoyed living in a part of the world outside the US and appreciated the starkly different environment and culture. “Singapore was a lot more busy [compared to America], and a lot bigger, it also seemed more diverse … [Japan] was definitely busier, and more chaotic in the cities. The small towns often seemed more rustic, and less commercialized than American towns,” he said.

He remembers his first impressions of Minnesota with fondness, and a bit of nostalgia: “the cold was shocking.

[I missed] the people, the atmosphere, and the markets [from my childhood]; they all seemed more energetic and bustling in Japan and Singapore,” he said.

JUNIOR CLAIRE RISTAU stands in Grand Place square in Brussels, Belgium with her brother and father.

JUNIOR EMMA TAUSSIG stands in FRESHMAN HENRY ZIETLOW

front of a train in the and his sister,

Rembrandtplein in

junior NIna Zietlow, wear kimonos in their house in Japan.

Amsterdam.

SOPHOMORE SOPH LUNDBERG and her parents standing in front of the Shanghai Skyline.

FRESHMAN HENRY ZIETLOW poses before

JUNIOR EMMA TAUSSIG bites into a stroopwafel at the market near her

SOPHOMORE SOPH LUNDBERG sits in front of the Shanghai American

house in the Netherlands.

School where she attended for her freshman year of high school.

Although many students spend well over a year overseas when their families make the decision to move abroad, much shorter stays are also routine. This is especially true for junior Emma Taussig, who spent six months in Amsterdam when she was in the third grade for her mother’s university exchange. “I lived in an apartment. We would look out of the kitchen window and see a swan floating down the canal … we could bike everywhere, our everyday transportation was just biking,” Taussig said. “It was an in interesting experience for me as a young child, trying to speak with people that didn’t always know what I was saying,” she said, referring to Dutch speakers in Amsterdam.

As a result of her time there, Taussig learned an important lesson: “a lot of Americans don’t realize [that

non-Americans] shouldn’t be obligated to learn your language. If they don’t speak English you should put in an effort to try to communicate,” she said.

Unlike Ristau and Zietlow, Taussig had no problem getting used to life in Amsterdam. “A lot of people think living in a country takes a lot of time to settle down in, but it was pretty fast for me,” she said. Taussig attributes her ability to adapt to new living situations to the numerous school changes she’s endured in the past and her love of Amsterdam. “I’ve been to a number of schools so its pretty easy for me to get integrated,” she said.

Sophomore Soph Lundberg shares Taussig’s ability to adapt; a quality that served her well as a child in living abroad “[Living in China] was the majority of my childhood, it was

not necessarily the greatest, but it was definitely exciting,” she said. Lundberg first moved to China in 2006, staying until 2011. In addition to those five years, Lundberg spent her freshman year in China and returned to SPA for sophomore year due to the somewhat erratic nature of her mother’s job.

Life in China was, to say the least, drastically different from life in America. “I couldn’t use Facebook, or YouTube, or Snapchat without getting a virtual private network,” Lundberg said. “You can’t watch certain channels, unless you get pirated satellite from the Philippines … I hadn’t watched Disney channel as a child because I could only get it [legally] from iTunes or when I came back for the summer,” she added.

Besides learning her way around

media restriction laws abroad, Lundberg acquired Chinese language skills and a rare ability to handle other people.“I definitely learned how to deal with people better, they come and go a lot so you kind of learn to adapt to new situations. [I learned] a lot of social skills, like how to interact with people [I didn’t] know,” she said. “It was a humbling experience.”

Born and raised in Switzerland, Jordan Moradian lived in Zurich, for eleven years before coming to SPA in sixth grade after his family moved to Minnesota due to his dad’s drug research company, MD Biosciences. Despite his roots in Switzerland, Moradian didn’t find his move to Minnesota difficult. “My grandparents lived here, so I would come here every summer … I had a few friends because I went to camp here so moving

a waterfall in Japan with his sister, junior Nina Zietlow.

When I’m talking about different ideas and beliefs, I feel like I’m more open-minded about it. s e n i o r J o rd a n Moradian

here, coming to school here wasn’t very difficult. It was a good experience, I wanted a change,” he said.

More than anything else, Moradian gained an immense wealth of language experience and skill.

“English was what I spoke at home, but I learned Swiss-German too,” he said. “I find it easier to learn Romantic languages because I grew up in Switzerland [and] I was exposed to multiple languages [including] French and Italian.” Currently, Moradian has taken Spanish up to level 5 at SPA, and is now in French 3. “When I go back to Switzerland, [Swiss-German] all comes back within a day or two,” he said.

However, there were drawbacks to living in Switzerland. “It’s not nearly as diverse there, I was one of the only Jewish kids at school...they don’t have

extra curricular activities tied in with the school either,” he said. Moradian believes the exposure has helped him during discussions at SPA. “When I’m talking about different ideas and beliefs, I feel like I’m more open-minded about it,” he said.

Each student struggled with their own personal challenges during their time living abroad, experiencing both joy and heartache along the way. Students developed emotional connections with the countries they had lived in, as those places became an intrinsic part of their past. As Taussig said: “I cried because I had to go there, and then I cried because I had to go back.”

SUBMITTED PHOTOS: Soph Lundberg Claire Ristau Emma Taussig Henry Zietlow

10 In Dep t h

March 2015

THE RUBICON

Culture and Inclusion terms defined Culture

is a system of beliefs, values, attitudes and lifestyles of a particular group of people.

The culture of a particular person will influence the way they perceive gender, race, religion, ability, sexuality, and other diversity.

Cultural Assumption

happens when we believe that a person has particular values and attitudes based on their cultural background. Cultural assumptions are based on stereotypes.

Stereotypes

are assumptions made about a person based on superficial (often visible) characteristics.

Diversity

Living it

29%

percentage of SPA students who report being visibly diverse.

junior Elena youngdale

Learning about it

35%

of students believe that there needs to be more education and action around combatting cultural assumptions.

17%

of students responded that they are often on the receiving end of a cultural assumption.

Seeing and hearing it

94%

is welcoming an individual or group as an essential part of a community.

Equity

of students report witnessing a misguided cultural assumption at school.

Speaking it

Cultural definitions are reprinted from English Hub and Merriam-Webster online.

are used against. “It bugs me because it’s like I’m supposed to be good at [something], but then sometimes I’m not good at it....I feel like people are just saying ‘You have to be this if you’re Chinese,’ but I’m not, so then what am I?” Youngdale said.

Photo IllustrationS: Mari Knudson

Amodhya Samarakoon Opinions Editor

They attempt to speak though no sound escapes. They attempt to move, but hit a wall instead.

They try again and again but keep running into the same barriers.

Often the people around them cannot look past the box to the person it encloses.

These boxes are all composed of stereotypes, truths, and casual statements of ignorance. They have the power to confine, insult, compliment, or forcibly hold people within them. Exceptional individuals, entire cultures are silenced or amplified depending on how they fit within these boxes of cultural assumption.

Assumptions go beyond what can be seen

Inclusion

The information in sidebar boxes came from the results of a poll given to approximately 100 members of the Upper School student body, with 50% of the students polled responding. The responses were distributed amongst grades 9-12, with at least 20% of respondents coming from each grade level. Demographic data was checked against the data reported at Living Diversity on the SPA webpage.

limit and “box in” those they

Experiencing it

is the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization.

is freedom from bias or favoritism.

poses to illustrate how cultural assumptions can

65%

of students said that they are aware of cultural assumptions and try to address them when they are made.

Sophomore Hana Martinez identifies with Puerto Rican culture, but said that because of her fair skin tone she is often labeled as a white American. “[People’s] perspective of me shifts when they figure out that I’m not white. It’s just a different attitude,” Martinez said.

She said that people often ask her how to swear in Spanish, which she does speak, “...and it’s uncomfortable because they’re just walking up to me and saying a bunch of terrible words...it’s not fun.”

Similar to Martinez, freshman Numi Katz, who identifies as Israeli and practices Judaism, states that people do not realize that she is Israeli until she specifically says it.

“Most people don’t know because I don’t have an accent,” Katz said.

While this misguided assumption does allow for there to be misunderstandings about her cul-

ture, Katz does not believe that people necessarily harbor bad intentions when asking questions or making an assumption.

There’s a fine line between insensitive and offensive talk “Of course there are always ignorant, culturally insensitive comments that follow up my statement of being an Israeli immigrant but, for the most part, I think people are just curious,” Katz said.

On the other hand, Martinez hears many racial jokes directed towards her: “[Some students] at SPA like to make pickup lines or jokes that revolve around [Latin American culture]...jokes that are borderline offensive,” she said.

Martinez strives to make it clear that she is a proud Puerto Rican, despite the jokes which follow.“I think that being Puerto Rican is an important part of me so I want people to know.” She wishes people would realize and acknowledge that “everybody expresses themselves differently, so just because somebody acts or looks a certain way doesn’t mean they don’t identify with a certain group.”

She states that ideas people develop about her based on stereotypes of Puerto Rican culture dictate multiple parts of her identity. However, she does not believe that an individual’s culture decides all elements of their identity. “You can’t assume that one culture connects with one religion,” Martinez said.

Stereotypes don’t bring anyone closer to cultural understanding Most of the time, students may feel that they have to brush off

Everybody expresses themselves differently, so just because somebdy acts or looks a certain way, it doesn’t mean that they don’t identify with a certain group. s o p h o m o re H a n a Martinez

the stereotypes they are associated with and pretend they are not bothered. However, this can be difficult when stereotypes, boxes, begin to confine or define the cultures intrinsic to most people’s identity.

Sophomore Enzo Vinholi who identifies as Brazilian, American, and Italian, states that he often hears pickpocketing jokes directed towards his Brazilian heritage.

“I like to think that I can take [offensive jokes] as non-offensive, but when you look at Brazil, for example, and the poverty struggle and people having to [pickpocket] for a living it can sometimes make me angry.”

Similarly, junior Elena Youngdale who identifies as Chinese and American, said “It bugs me because it’s like I’m supposed to be good at [something], but then sometimes I’m not good at it....I feel like people are just saying ‘You have to be this if you’re Chinese,’ but I’m not, so then what am I?” While so many aspects of stereotypes impact individuals negatively, perhaps there are some which, while they can never define every single individual, hold some truth.

In Dep t h 11

March 2015

THE RUBICON

CULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS It’s essential to think outside the box

junior delante payton tries to escape from an illustrated box composed of the negative impact of cultural assumptions. Cultural assumptions, which hold little to no truth to them, can severely restrict the lives of those they are applied to. “The reality of stereotypes is that [they] infiltrate every aspect of one’s life, whether you like it or not,” senior Aliza Rahman said.

Junior Danish Mahmood who identifies as a Pakistani-American Muslim, said that, “In terms of terrorism and Islam, there is no truth in those assumptions...

But...I mean, there would have to be a population of ‘smart Asians’ in order for that stereotype to exist,” Mahmood said.

He tends to respond humorously to people stating the smart Asian stereotype but realizes that not everyone sees it that way.

Mahmood does, however, understand why that stereotype may be true and why so many Asians fit it: “Life in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, China, and so on, is so much more rigorous than the life in America. In America, you can become successful in life by pursuing a sport, an instrument, or a role in some play. In Pakistan, you become successful by becoming an engineer, a doctor or an architect.”

He states that the mentality of immigrant or first generation American parents who’ve experienced the pressures in other cultures tends to result in high standards academically, which is an element that could influence stereotypes about Asians.

People combat multiple stereotypes and assumptions Other stereotypes and assumptions severely box and label based on religion and skin color combined, and senior Aliza Rahman elaborates on her experiences with this. Rahman identifies as a Pakistani-American Muslim. A stereotype she feels personally is the Islamophobic view of Islam and the misguided belief that Muslims are terrorists.

Another assumption is that all Muslims are uneducated, that “everyone in Pakistan lives in villages [without] a lot of education.

[And] people usually assume that I wasn’t born in America or can’t speak English very well,” Rahman said.

“The reality of stereotypes is that [they] infiltrate every aspect of one’s life, whether you like it or not” she said.

Cultural assumptions and stereotypes cause harm

While more general and less directly insulting assumptions are tolerated more or less by Mahmood, others regarding Pakistan

and Islam make him feel as if the world is expecting him to do harm. He said that when he tells people of his religion or ethnicity, they respond with questions like “Isn’t that a dangerous place?” or “Aren’t they in the news everyday?”

However, Mahmood does his best to combat these views of Islam through presenting his culture how he truly views it, something quite the contrary to stereotypes formed from information gathered in the news.

“If the religion of Islam forces its followers to kill 130+ children in a Pakistani school, then I am not a Muslim. It is simple as that.

But I am a Muslim and I know that Islam is a religion of peace, love and benevolence...If you want your culture to stay alive, you have to defend it – but do so peacefully.”

What do misguided assumptions ultimately cause?

“It ranges from a bit of awkwardness to a confusion with identity. Like anything, insecurity makes it worse.”

freshman Sabrina Rucker .

“Students to divide who they are at home and who they are at SPA, because they begin not to trust those at SPA to support their culture or understand it, and would prefer to hide that part of themselves.”

senior Sandhya Ramachandran .

“They can cause animosity between individuals, as well as prevent an individual from understanding the flow of current events taking place in regions where said cultures are dominant.”

sophomore Cole Thompson .

It is every person’s duty to look beyond the boxes Culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or any similar trait are all ideas which posses unique meanings for each individual who identifies with that specific trait.

While there are overlaps and gray areas between cultural truth, individual truth and stereotype, looking beyond the box at the person within should be the goal for all students.

Whether someone is pounding their fists on the walls, sitting comfortably inside or fill out each corner and fit the box perfectly, they are still individuals. Finding similarities between cultural stereotypes and the people of that culture can be easy, but there will always be those who stray outside of society’s expectations. Expanding one’s knowledge of the truths and untruths alike, and understanding the good and the bad which accompany being boxed, is key.

There are endless experiences and interactions with cultural stereotypes—not all bad—but also not all stemming from truth.

Acknowledging the individual stories, and how they may or may not fit a larger picture of a group, can help deepen conversations, expand views and break down boxes.

What are some ways to prevent misguided cultural assumptions?

“We need to make people feel comfortable enough to... confront people who make insensitive and destructive cultural assumptions. I’m not exactly sure of the solution but cultural assumptions within our school community are pretty reflective of the attitude towards these cultures on national and global levels.”

senior Deniz Kihtir .

“Misguided assumptions can be prevented by fully understanding the benefits or choices of all ethnicities, races, religions, and other categories.”

freshman Jack Herrmann .

Famous Snapchatters share stories worth following

JUNIORS LIZA BUKINGOLTZ AND Caroline

Read more at RubicOnline

Montague use Snapchat to send pictures to their friends and set as their Stories.

PHOTO CREDIT: Meghan Joyce

Rafael Buettner-Salido Staff Writer

Snapchat is the newest social media phenomenon that virtually everybody uses. Celebrities who millions of people know about along with people that nobody knew, have begun to use Snapchat, not only to allow their friends to see what they are up to, but their fans as well. Some have gained huge followings

A rt s & En t erta i n m en t 12

just by what they post as their Story, which anyone can see for 24 hours.

Snapchat, by it’s own description on iTunes, was designed for users to “Enjoy fast, fun mobile conversation! Snap a photo or a video, add a caption, and send to a friend.” For the most part, this captures how users Snapchat. The picture or video taken can last anywhere from 1 to 10 seconds before it will disappear forever (unless the picture is screenshotted or replayed).

THE RUBICON

March 2015

Finding the best fast food restaurant Marlee Baron Staff Writer

It’s three o’clock, school’s out, and students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School are ready for an after school snack.

Finding something cheap to eat on the way home is easy, with a fast food chain every mile, but which one has the best food? The fast food restaurants reviewed are McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, Arby’s, and Burger King.

Hamburger

Wendy’s- 4.5/5 Dairy Queen- 4/5 Burger King- 2.5/5 Arby’s- N/A McDonalds’- 2/5

Nothing is better then a fresh burger, but most fast food restaurants receive their burgers frozen. When burgers are shipped to Wendy’s, they aren’t frozen, and that freshness is reflected in the taste. Similarly fresh lettuce, tomato, onion, and sauce complement the burger nicely. For other burgers, such as the McDonald’s burger, lackluster flavors disappointed. Wendy’s also had the hottest burger, whereas the ones at McDonald’s and Burger King were lukewarm at best. Wendy’s is a bit farther away from SPA, so for students looking for convenience, the second best burger was from Dairy Queen, within walking distance from school.

Fries

Wendy’s- 3.5/5 Dairy Queen- 3.5/5 Burger King- 2.5/5 Arby’s- 4.5/5 McDonald’s- 4/5

The McDonalds fries are known throughout the SPA community, and everywhere else, for being hot, salty and fried to per-

fection. For the curly fry lovers, Arby’s has curly fries that even surpassed McDonald’s in heat and in flavor.

Shake

Wendy’s- 4.5/5 Dairy Queen- 2/5 Burger King- 4.5/5 Arby’s- 3.5/5 McDonald’s- 1.5/5

Dairy Queen is famous for its variety of delicious frozen treats, and its shakes are memorably tasty. Wendy’s, however, known for its Frosty, had the best shake.

The Frosty is slightly thicker than a shake, and is available in chocolate or vanilla. If you want a traditional shake which you can drink through a straw easily, Burger King had the best and most easily drinkable option.

Largely at fast food restaurants, vegetarians are out of luck, but, out of every restaurant, one did offer a veggie burger. Burger King offers a veggie burger, even though it isn’t clearly shown on the menu.

Wendy’s claims to offer a veggie burger but in reality it is just a bun with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, melted cheese and some sort of sauce. Vegetarians can also order the veggie quesadilla from Dairy Queen. People with Celiac Disease, though, are out of luck at every one of these restaurants, with none of them offering a gluten free bun.

Dietary Restrictions Wendy’s- 0.5/5 Dairy Queen- 3/5 Burger King- 4/5 Arby’s- N/A McDonald’s- N/A

PHOTOS CREDIT: Marlee Baron

FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS offer inexpensive food for students in a rush, though sometimes convenience comes at the cost of quality.

Dianne Caravela

Pu n

Staff Writer

ch

l o g y? o e i P or

PHOTO CREDIT: Dianne Caravela

PIEOLOGY PIZZERIA offers easily customizable pizza, whereas Punch serves “traditional Neapolitan pizza in a traditional Neapolitan atmosphere,” sophomore John Soranno

When it comes to pizza, the Twin Cities are full of options.

For years, the classic Neapolitan, oven fired pizza Punch Pizza in Highland Park offers has been the go-to restaurant for many St. Paul Academy and Summit School students. But with the opening of the new Pieology Pizzeria in Highland, has Punch met its match?

Sophomore

Kate Bond said that Punch is very popular among her friends. “I’ve never heard someone say they didn’t like [Punch],” Bond said.

If you’re going solely for

the best deal, Pieology is the way to go. The pizzas are around the same size, perfect for one or two people. Pieology offers a buildyour-own pizza with unlimited toppings for eight dollars, while Punch’s pizzas, around the same size, are nine to 13 dollars, with pricier toppings.

Pieology also wins in the speed category, living up to their slogan of a “personally inspired pizza in just 5 hot minutes.” While Punch advertises that their pizza is done after only 90 seconds in an 800 degree oven, huge crowds tend to slow service.

The pizzas themselves are also quite different. Although Pieology’s open flame oven is similar to Punch’s famed wood-fired oven, Pieology’s crust is much crunchier than Punch’s, like that of a flatbread pizza, compared to Punch’s chewier crust. “I really like the stove fired crust Punch offers” Bond said. “I always get the Margarita pizza.”

Sophomore John Soranno, whose father is co-founder of Punch, said some of his favorites include the Bufalina, the Margarita Extra, and the Palermo. “The fundamentals of the pizza that have to be there are the dough, the tomato, the cheese, the salt, the oil and the cooking of the pizza,” Soranno said.

Punch’s topping options are more classical and feature specialty items: prosciutto, salami, and anchovy, and fancier toppings like piparras pepper, saracene olives, and their specialty mozzarella di bufala. Pieology toppings include three types of cheeses, seven meats, olives, peppers, basil, and corn. They also offer seven varieties of sauce and a gluten free pizza crust, unlike Punch.

But in salad options, Punch has more variety, with six salad options to Pieology’s two, and similar prices. For dessert, Punch offers Izzy’s ice cream along with a few other house made desserts.

Pieology only offers cinnamon sugar strips.

When it comes to atmosphere, Pieology’s is more modern and metallic, comparable to a Chipotle restaurant, while Punch’s is more classic Italian, hectic and homey, especially at their Highland location. “[Punch has] traditional Neapolitan pizza in a traditional Neapolitan atmosphere,” Soranno said.

Pieology provides a unique pizza experience where the customer builds their own pizza for a fixed price. Those tight on time or money should definitely give Pieology a try. But for a classic Neapolitan pizza, Punch is still the place to go.

In the mood for movies?

READ PATRICK COMMERS at his blog, Rated R For Reviewed, for reviews on the latest movies, including those of the Oscar best picture

Twitter roundup!

Students share Oscars reactions

March 2015

nominees.

www.RatedRForReviewed. wordpress.com

A rt s & En t erta i n m en t 13

Bibbitty, boppitty, box office

Disney remakes Cinderella, other classic cartoons

Iya Abdulkarim Staff Writer

Keeping the glass slippers and pumpkin carriage as the icons of the story, the trailers for Disney’s new Cinderella movie gives viewers a glance at the actors, costumes, and set of the upcoming movie.

The cast includes Lily James as Cinderella, Richard Madden as Prince Charming, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother. Many Disney fans are looking forward to the remake of the 65 year-old film and are excited to see what Disney has and hasn’t changed.

Cinderella already premiered earlier this year at the Berlin Film Festival, where James wore Jimmy Choo’s version of the glass slipper. In 1951, the original film was also premiered at the first Berlin Film Festival.

Cinderella isn’t the only recent Disney live action remake—Alice in Wonderland

was released in 2010 starring Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, and Anne Hathaway. Last summer, Maleficent, the retold tale of Sleeping Beauty transformed Angelina Jolie into a seemingly evil queen. Not only this, but a new Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson as Belle is also set to begin filming later this year. “I think it’s a good idea.

People liked the first [films],” junior Rachel Hotvedt said, “and people enjoy them [the remakes].”

FAIR USE IMAGE: movies.disney.com

Quite clearly, Disney has taken on the challenge of remaking some of its original films. “It doesn’t hurt to have a remake,” freshman Jessica Citron said.

“There will always be the original.”

Live action films like these require considerate cast selection. Simply having actors and good costumes adds an entirely new dimension to the movie which cartoons lack, changing the mood of the story. “Live actions seems a lot more interesting and new,” freshman Drew Fawcett said.

Having actors won’t be the only change, the storyline

will show some alterations as well, including the fact that Cinderella meets the prince prior to the ball, and a new scene in which the name Cinderella is developed.

In an interview with TrailerAddict, director Kenneth Branagh said “[Cinderella’s] journey is to be the living exemplar of using goodness as kind of a superpower,” he said.

This idea allows viewers to see her as a more powerful person, and not just another princess. The trailer also portrays Cinderella as an independent woman — with both of these characteristics, it’s clear that Disney is attempting to recreate Cinderella as a princess whom people will appreciate and draw inspiration from rather than criticize.

THE RUBICON

FAIR USE IMAGE: Disney’s Cinderella Movie, 1950

“I don’t think that Disney movies are at the point where they are so original that it would ruin it to make a new one,” Fawcett said, so no harm done by watching the movie. “I usually like seeing remakes. I’ll definitely see it,” Hotvedt said.

Cinderella will be in theaters Mar. 13, and Disney’s short film Frozen Fever will be shown before the film.

Harper Lee returns with new novel Go Set A Watchman

FAIR USE IMAGE: harpercollins.com

HARPER LEE’S new novel, Go Set a Watchman, is the sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, which sophomore Cait Gibbons and will be released on Jul. 14.

Sophie Jaro Staff Writer

A monumental two million copies of Harper Lee’s long-lost novel Go Set a Watchman will be printed and sold around the world this summer, nearly six decades after the book was originally written. Stranger still, Lee, now 88 and living in an assisted living facility due to poor physical and mental health, had vowed never to publish again. Perhaps the epic status of To Kill a Mockingbird intimidated even its author.

In its 55 years of print, To Kill a Mockingbird’s status has changed

from literary masterpiece to a school primer on the civil rights issues in the 1930s South. What do St. Paul Academy and Summit School students think about this unusual, gotta-have phenomenon?

Junior Cait Gibbons articulated the common opinion that To Kill a Mockingbird is “a well-written, iconic book.” Other SPA students, unable to recall details of Mockingbird, showed tepid interest in the upcoming Go Set a Watchman’s entertainment value, though most seem to be aware this follow-up book has literary value and historical significance.

Perhaps this is because To Kill a Mockingbird has sold a million copies every year since its release. Within 10 days of its announcement, Go Set a Watchman hurtled to the top of the Amazon Bestseller list. Evidence of the impressive reaction to the release and an opportunity to add to the unreleased book’s popularity can be found at Amazon.

Despite the encouraging response from English teachers and Amazon customers around the world, some SPA students reacted to the release with questionable enthusiasm. Unimpressed, senior Brian Heilig recalled what he has read about the book in the news: “like the original book, but with flashbacks.” Heilig, with seniors Eliot Tong and Roy Larkins, take turns listing the original book’s

I’m... reading Go Set A Watchman to see if she [Lee] can meet our expectations with a new book. s o p h o m o re S a r a h W h e a t o n memorable themes and characters. Tong hit the points of racial and judicial injustices toward the black Tom Robinson. Larkins remembered Robert Ewell antagonizing Atticus Finch in the courts of Maycomb. The seniors became animated as Heilig detailed the Maycomb kids’ erroneous assumptions about their mysterious, yet morally-principled neighbor, Boo Radley.

Go Set a Watchman is neither a departure from nor an orthodox sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird.

According to National Public Radio, Go Set a Watchman was actually written before To Kill a Mockingbird. The most exciting escapades of To Kill a Mockingbird are reprocessed fragments of Go Set a Watchman, making the “new” novel more like a dusty first draft of the instant classic.

The already-bestseller reboots To Kill a Mockingbird star Scout, her lawyer father, and her hometown Maycomb, but features a time frame shifted twenty years into the future. Just as To Kill a

Mockingbird has become a classroom staple, Go Set a Watchman’s new time period, the racial rumpus of the 1950s, has potential to provide an updated view of civil rights to students. In an interview with The Guardian regarding Lee’s new release, Dr. Ian Patterson of Cambridge University contemptuously said, “I can’t but imagine it must be of historical interest rather than anything else, at this point.”

Sophomore Sarah Wheaton challenged this expert’s opinion.

“I really liked To Kill a Mockingbird, but Lee has never written anything else. I’m looking forward to reading Go Set a Watchman to see if she can meet our expectations with a new book,” she said.

Most members of the modern literary community agree that Lee is still an amateur writer, having only drafted three books and publishing one. Somehow, despite her lack of experience, Lee has synthesized enough success for people to regard her limited

work with renown. This oddity deserves respect.

The literary and SPA community are concerned the increasingly frail Lee is not getting respect for her original wishes, but is being manipulated by her lawyer, who found the long-last draft in an attic last summer. Lee, who has always shied away from the spotlight, suddenly wants Go Set a Watchman to see the light of day. Suspiciously, the book remains unacknowledged by Lee’s official website. Contradicting previous statements and her quiet character, Lee announced the release of her new, old book to the shock of millions of her fans.

“People are worried she might be being exploited... and people wonder why she is releasing it now, at the most vulnerable position in her life,” sophomore Heba Sandozi said. Sandozi also said that she is aware Lee was left forgetful, blind, and deaf after suffering a stroke in 2007. Next, Lee’s physical and mental impairments were intensified upon the recent loss of her 103-year old sister and lawyer, nicknamed by her neighbors “Atticus in a skirt,” according to The Washington Post.

Despite the undetermined entertainment value and suspicious circumstances of publication, the release of Go Set a Watchman will be watched by all upon its release on Jul. 14.

The Guthrie’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream delivers spirited performance

Michaelson) dances with the Fairy Queen (Nike Kadri) in a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

FAIR USE IMAGE: The Guthrie Theater

14 A rt s THE RUBICON

PUCK (Tyler

Read more at RubicOnline

Eva Perez-Greene Editor-in-Chief

The Guthrie Theater has pulled out all the stops for Artistic Director Joe Dowling’s final, signature production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Steampunk meets tribal costumes designed by the Tony Award-winning Ricardo Hernandez create a raw, majestic feel. The

diverse dance and musical numbers throughout are dynamic.

Dowling and co-director David Bolger have kept things low to the ground, so to speak, though the effect remains dreamy, ethereal. In fact, in what is a rare Guthrie company move, Midsummer audiences sit on the Wurtele Thrust theatre-in-the-round style stage itself, all but eliminating the barrier between actor and audience, fantasy and reality.

& En t erta i n m en t March 2015

Ingrid Topp-Johnson breaks it down with mixtapes

Lauren Boettcher Staff Writer

When someone says they’re a DJ, the statement tends to paint a picture of them spinning records or turning knobs on a keyboard while jumping up and down in a crowded room with strobe lights spinning above them, but this is not always the case. They express their love for music in as many different ways as there are music genres. Junior Ingrid Topp-Johnson, or as she is more comonly known in the DJ industry, Milquetoast Mystique, creates playlists and mixtapes she shares with her friends and family.

Creating these playlists is not always very time consuming, if thought is put into it beforehand: “When I am making a playlist, I usually come up with a very specific idea and then sit down at a computer and create in within half an hour,” Topp- Johnson said. Her playlists and mixes incorporate a variety of musical genres. Her favorite genres include yé-yé pop, a 1960s pop genre originating in France, Italy, and Spain, and doowop, a combination of rock and roll and R&B that gained popularity in the United States in the late 1950s. She also enjoys incor-

As I grew up and I found music that resontated with me personally, I would make mix CDs out of that.

junior Ingrid To p p -J o h n s o n

PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Boettcher

JUNIOR INGRID TOPP-JOHNSON poses with some of her recent mixtapes. “When I am making a playlist, I usually come up with a very specific idea and then sit down at a computer and create in within half an hour,” Topp- Johnson said.

porating genres like disco, country, and early punk.

Topp-Johnson says she was first exposed to mixing music and playlist building by her father.

“My dad would always make playlists that we would listen to when we drove, so as I grew up and I found music that resonated with me personally I would make mix CDs out of that,” she

said. Topp-Johnson deejayed her first dance in middle school, and hopes to DJ another in the future: “There are tentative plans that I might DJ a dance [for the Upper School] at some time, but we’ll see if that happens,” Topp-Johnson said.

Ingrid Topp-Johnson is currently collaborating on a mixtape with Grace Clark, a junior

at St. Paul Preparatory School.

The mixtape is titled American Pimiento, will earlier this spring.

“American Pimiento is both an amalgamation of and homage to all the culture that influences us,” Topp-Johnson said on what influenced the mixtape.The specific music on it is still yet to be determined. Topp-Johnson pre-

said. “[K-Pop] was this cleaner, different take on a culture I was already used to, and that was very appealing.”

Vega’s appraisal is right on, as K-Pop really is all about the image. It’s understood that in this culture, first one watches K-Pop, then one listens to it. “The lyrics are usually very disappointing.

But when it comes to K-Pop, the lyrics really aren’t the point. Because companies are really trying to make their products go international, the image ends up being much more important, and that’s when I tend to focus on,” Vega added.

Freshman Emilia Topp-Johnson started watching K-Pop videos in seventh grade, around the same time Vega did. “K-Pop is really fun. The music videos are interesting. They really make the songs. You can never really tell what’s going on [in them] and it’s really funny,” she said.

Topp-Johnson’s favorite artist, or “idol” as they’re called in South Korean culture, is South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer G-Dragon, a major inspiration to Vega as well.

“G-Dragon produces a lot of the music for his entire band and other bands, and he’s written mu-

sic for fashion companies and directed fashioned shows. He has gone beyond K-Pop and become an international fashion icon.

G-Dragon is also friends with a bunch of models. He’s one of the people I look up to in terms of working hard,” Vega said.

But K-Pop has a darker side.

Since its surge in international popularity over the last two decades, K-Pop’s diverse fanbases have found each other through the establishment of numerous enormous online clubs, each worshipping a specific boy or girl band, idol, or sub-movement. The entire culture—everything from its music to its fashions—has so rapidly engendered a sense of zeal bordering on fanaticism, social scientists’ interests have been piqued.

“I think it’s kind of creepy that they make pillows with their [K-Pop stars’] faces on them,” junior Navodhya Samarakoon said.“Creepy” is an understatement. The most obsessed in South Korea have broken into idols’ home, stolen their valuables, photographed them in their sleep, and sent bloody love letters among other things, forcing South Korea’s fed to revisit its privacy and anti-harassment laws.

This is not hyperbole, as Vega, a former member of one of K-Pop’s notorious fan clubs, blackjack (for 2NE1), can attest: “[Fans] get competitive to a point where the idols... get uncomfortable with it and that, to me, felt like a form of disrespect. It was interesting, the online dealio with K-Pop. But after a while, I just got a little disturbed. Once you learn more about the culture, you realize how obsessed others are and distance yourself,” he said.

Ultimately, K-Pop is what the listener makes of it. Freshman Freddy Keillor thinks K-Pop “caters to those... trying to immerse themselves in another culture, another language.” This much is clear: bubbly is back and uniting people everywhere in the process.

dicts that her love for all genres of music will not dwindle in the future, she plans on keeping it as a hobby. “I don’t see a career for myself in music, but I’ll probably never stop making mix CDs for myself and for my friends,” she said.

Korean Pop music brings bubbly back internationally Eva Perez-Greene Editor-in-Chief

Since the rise of YouTube in the past few years, the entertainment industry has bought, literally and figuratively, into the notion of music videos as art. Gone are the days of relegating music videos to teenage MTV, and nowhere is this more evident than in South Korea, the Korean Pop industry’s epicenter. K-Pop, a modern form of South Korean pop music known for its unique audiovisual bent and dance-pop, electronic, and rock roots knows no limits.

The “Korean Wave” has hit the shores of every continent, its internet-based culture, elaborate music videos, and sugary, neon aesthetic captivating diverse and (mostly) young adult audiences. All of which makes sense in light of the fact that K-Pop is, at its core, a mixture of Eastern and Western influences, invented and marketed by the young, for the young.

Senior Jesus Vega was taken with K-Pop after watching a single music video in middle school.

“It was 2NE1’s I Am The Best. If you’ve seen the video, it’s very catchy as most K-Pop videos are.

It was very poppy and visual— that’s what caught my eye,” he

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: Meghan Joyce

K-POP MUSIC VIDEOS are generally very bright and bubbly. “Most K-Pop videos are...very poppy and visual— that’s what caught my eye,” Vega said.

Captains’ practices prepare track team for the upcoming season

THE VARSITY TRACK CAPTAINS meet, planning for the upcoming season during a pre-season meeting on March 4 in the Lecture Room. The captains will be holding practice beginning the week of March 8.

Pre-season workouts prepare the Track and Field team at St. Paul Academy and Summit School for success as they began captains practices the week of March 8.

The practices are optional but encouraged to ensure optimal performance during the regular

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Lauren Hansen

season. The practices will be led by the captains of the team. Captains of the team include seniors Mike Destache and Jackson Lea for the boys team, and seniors Julia Hansen and Mary Naas and juniors Lexi Hilton and Hallie Sogin for the girls team.

Sp ort s15

march 2015

THE RUBICON

Spartans’ hard work throughout season pays off

PHOTO CREDIT: Emily Thissen

THE UNITED GIRLS VARSITY HOCKEY TEAM finished their regular season with a

PHOTO CREDIT: Emily Thissen

17-7-1 record. They came out strong in sections, making it to the finals, losing 2-3 against South St. Paul in a tough fought game. Some highlights of the season were sophomore’s Lauren Boettchers 14

BOYS VARSITY HOCKEY finished

regular season goals, with a total of 25 points, ranked third in the team statistics.

second in its section after a tough loss against Mahtomedi. The team had a successful 21-4 record in the regular season.

PHOTO CREDIT: Clare Tipler

THE FENCING TEAM worked hard all season, which payed off in an exceptional state win for both the boys’ and girls’ teams. Standout performances included junior Milo Wittenberg who achieved second place individually, and senior Eva Zaydman who won placed third individually.

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Val Hart SUBMITTED PHOTO: David Matenaer

BOYS’ VARSITY SWIMMING AND DIVING

PHOTO CREDIT: Breandan Gibbons

finished a strong season with a conference

championship, and 6-1 record for their regular season meets. Five SPA swimmers were given All-Con-

THE BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM finished their regular season with a 17-9 record. With

ference honors, including juniors Karsten Runquist and Sam Matenear, sophomore Matt Suzuki, and

strong contributions from the whole team, standout players included junior Dalante Peyton with 471

freshmen Breandan Gibbons and Ned Laird-Raylor.

points and 119 rebounds and senior Abdulsalan Osman with 233 points and 165 rebounds.

THE NORDIC SKI TEAM had a strong season, topping it off with a strong run in the State meet. Three of the skiiers from the girls nordic team went to state. The girls’ Nordic team also won the IMAC conference.

Yoga provides relaxing and energizing escape Clare Tipler News Editor

Stress and homework are parts of everyday life for St. Paul Academy and Summit School students, many striving to combat this by doing yoga. Conventional sports provide a release of this stress, but yoga, a different athletic endeavor, can also help students live more peacefully.

According to The Art of Living, yoga literally means to unite or integrate and is focused on the harmonization of body, mind, and breath by using breathing techniques, meditation, and yoga poses. Yoga was first practiced in India more than 5,000 years ago and continues to be practiced all over the world.

Yoga involves strenuous movements in that it is a lot of body movement, but these motions are calming and serene.

According to the Mayo Clinic, yoga fights stress and promotes health and fitness.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gita Raman

BOYS’ VARSITY HOCKEY PLAYERS JUNIOR JUSTIN JALLEN AND SOPHOMORE RILEY BOWMAN do the Downward dog yoga position. They both tried yoga with their team for he first time last year. “Yoga was a very relaxing experience and I felt that it helped me connect with all my teammates on a spiritual level,” Bowman said.

Students use yoga to add calm to their otherwise hectic lives and to get a good workout in, but also have some fun. “Apart from the physical strength that I've gained [from doing yoga], it has taught me how to find moments of serenity and silence in the constant chaos of my life,” senior Samantha Linn said. Linn

does yoga sculpt at CorePower Yoga, finding that it helps reduce stress, and is and easy way to add calm to her life.

When most people think about yoga, absurd body positions come to mind, but that is not all yoga is. “It's a good workout,” junior Lexi Bottern said, “plus, it takes a lot of stress

out of my life.”

A specific type of yoga called Yoga Sculpt combines “body weight exercises with yoga poses” Linn said, and is a good way to “stay in shape.” Linn and Bottern both do yoga sculpt at CorePower Yoga, enjoying the mixture of strength and serenity it brings.

Though it is a common misconception that only women do yoga, many men participate as well. At SPA, the Boys’ Varsity Hockey team tried yoga to “help us all play better and be more balanced,” senior captain Jordan Moradian said. In addition to it being a great team or group activity, yoga can also be beneficial for individuals. “Yoga loosens me up for my games,” Moradian said.

While yoga can be challenging, but the movements are generally easy on the body, making yoga suitable for anyone.

“I would recommend anyone to give it a try,” Linn said.

Get your yoga on in the Twin Cities One Yoga Studio Minneapolis Your Yoga Minneapolis Healing Elements Minneapolis River Garden Yoga St.Paul Core Pilates Studio St. Paul St.Paul Yoga Center St.Paul LifeCore Yoga North Oaks Green Lotus Yoga & Healing Center Mendota Heights CorePower Yoga Studio & Spa Edina

16 S t uden t L i fe MARCH 2015. Vol. 42. Issue 6.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Get a stamp in your passport

NORTH AMERICA

ASIA

6%

London

SOUTH AMERICA

45%

Paris

12%

Rio de Janeiro

Rome

ANTARCTICA

4%

23%

EUROPE

AFRICA

WHERE IN THE WORLD DO YOU WANT TO GO?

4%

This map was created by sizing continents according to how many OCEANIA students in a survey The Rubicon 6% conducted wanted to visit them.

Cities that people especially wanted to see are marked as well.

So … How was your trip?

INFOGRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION: Netta Kaplan

Memorable vacations make for remarkable stories Amodhya Samarakoon Opinions Editor

Sitting in a classroom, a student randomly smiles as memories of that one epic, hilarious, incredible vacation envelops all prior academic-related thoughts.

From watching the cricket World Cup in Australia to riding a flooding Rickshaw in Pakistan, traveling can open one’s eyes to fascinating foreign cultures or forge familial bonds which stretch across oceans and floorboards alike.

Is there a doctor here?

Many of the vacation moments that stick with travelers are unexpected issues or opportunities that delay or reroute the trip.

For sophomore Samantha Bluhm, a memorable vacation moment happened when her family took a cruise to Africa and around Europe.

“An old lady had a heart attack or something [and] the ship made a side trip to a port so the lady could go to the hospital,” Bluhm said.

At the time, her brother had a fever of 103 degrees, and it was 110 degrees outside, “[The ship stopped] in the middle of the night so when everybody got up in the morning, expecting to be in the port, we were still out at sea,” she said.

Bluhm’s memories of her vacation revolve mainly around bonding with her parents and brother, despite unexpected and uncomfortable events such as getting sick at sea.

Scream and cheer Motivation for traveling can range from casual sightseeing, to visiting family, to huge events, or a combination as was the case for

freshman Adnan Askari’s desire to watch the Cricket World Cup live in Australia which coincided with his parents dream of visiting the country.

The Cricket World Cup happens every four years, so any opportunity to watch it live was not something Askari could let pass.

“Even after the most mundane of plays, the stadium echoed with screams and applause. This, coupled with the fact that I got to see cricketers that I’ve looked up to for essentially my entire life, live, made for an experience that I’ll never forget,” he said.

Askari also recalled the enjoyment he felt sightseeing at places such as the Sydney Opera House and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef.

Cultural collision ahead As many travelers do, Upper School Spanish teacher Rolando Castellanos has developed a passion for other countries’ history, geography and culture. He recently visited South East Asia, specifically Singapore and Cambodia.

He was amazed by Singapore’s architecture, sights and people.

“There is such an incredible diversity of peoples and cultures in one little island that’s ultra-modern, yet has a very strong cultural identity. Each group has its own little neighborhood that’s almost like going to visit India, the Middle East, or China yet [they’re] a few blocks from skyscrapers.”

Similarly, Askari states that “Although my family makes regular trips across the U.S. to visit family, trips outside the country are very rare. I enjoy [them] most because they give me the opportunity to learn about how other countries differ from the U.S. For example, I learned that in Australia, voting is required by law, and anyone who doesn’t can be arrested.”

Featured travel at RubicOnline

Semester away teaches lifelong lessons

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Adnan Askari

FRESHMAN ADNAN ASKARI HOLDS the Pakistani flag in front of the Hagley Oval in Christchurch New Zealand for the Pakistan and West Indies Cricket World Cup Match with the rest of his family. “I got to see cricketers that I’ve looked up to for essentially my entire life ... [it] made for an experience that I’ll never forget,” Askari said.

Do you need a license for that?

While visiting other countries can provide amazing experiences, a vacation need not involve 10 hour flights, tropical-disease vaccinations or frolicking on foreign sand near distant seas, they can happen within the state or country. For sophomore Muneil Rizvi, his fondest memories involved bonding over unexpectedly hilarious driving encounters.

While his family was in New York, “A car came up behind us, it honked and honked ... my dad went off to the side and let the car pass ... then my dad went behind him and started honking at him too, doing the same thing he did to us ... that car got really angry, he made hand motions [telling us] he wanted pull over and fight it out.”

While this may seem like any normal event that probably happens often, Rizvi finds amusement and joy in small, random events which often occur during his family’s vacations. He shares another driving experience

(there’s just something about cars that bring families together) that he vividly remembers when with his family in Pakistan: “We were driving down the road while it was raining, and I looked out of the window. And, on the driveway of a house there was a man just sitting on a chair with ropes tied around him and a police officer standing behind. And then, water started flooding into our car.”

Where to next?

Vacations allow travelers to experience new cultures and languages, but the most important component seems to be having family and friends to share the experience, and creating memories that stick long after tans fade and pictures are transferred off SD cards.

It’s the “random things that happen that you don’t plan on and have to problem-solve to get out of [that] make vacations interesting,” Rizvi said.

SUBMITTED PHOTO: OIivia Black

SENIOR OLIVIA BLACK relaxes with her fellow Oxbow students on a beach near San Franciso. “I [learned that everything was connected] and realized that my work in environmental science could be linked to what I was learning in history,” Black said.

Lauren Boettcher Staff Writer

For a few students, spending the day 10,000 feet above sea level is an unparalled opportunity.

Others view a day spent learning about the Brooklyn Bridge while sitting on its planks a day well spent.

For many students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, opportunities like these have become obtainable through the Semester Away Programs. A variety of programs across the nation partner with SPA to give students the chance to spend an entire semester outside of Minnesota and experience learning in a completely different environment.

Read the story at www.rubiconline.com