November 2012

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St. Paul Academy & Summit School 1712 Randolph Ave. St. Paul, MN November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

Family food businesses in the SPA Community (Center- 8&9)

Videogame Craze Sweeps the Halls (Feature 6)

Student Album Review (A&E 14)

SPA Pops Concert Approaching!

(News 3)

2 News

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

Finding common ground Affinity group formed amid controversy r “

Ava Gallagher

Illustration/ Staff Writer

Everyone has affinity with someone. Students have affinity with sports teams, play casts, Thursday groups, even advisories.

Affinity is about a common experience; it’s about connecting with others based on what you share.

This year, junior Asialy Bracey-Gardella and senior Serena Hodges have started an affinity group called Common Ground for students of color at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. Students were invited by Gaggle email in early October to meet a few times a week and discuss race related issues, work on homework, etc.

The group’s first meeting was on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at during xperiod in the biology classroom in which they planned what the group hoped to do moving forward. “It’s made as a place for people of color to come and talk about certain things that may not necessarily apply to any of the students that are white.” Bracey-Gardella said.

The group is described by members and leaders as a support group for the students who identify themselves as a person of color and who wish to share their experiences related to that identity in a safe environment. But by safe, they don’t mean free of danger or harassment, group leaders already

This is just a structured affinity group. It’s no different than any other group in this school.

Dean of Diversity Karen Dye consider SPA an environment that is primarily free of harsh or offensive disagreement, if any. Safe in this context means an understanding environment, where no one is put in an uncomfortable position.

Leaders of Common Groundinsist that the group is not about exclusion “Students of color in particular have often shared a different experience than most traditional students here, and most traditional families. For me, what I would want to emphasize is that it’s just like any other group. You know people talk about the Gay Straight Alliance or Intercultural Club…it’s very similar. It’s just being structured because it’s a unique community in our school,” Common Ground advisor Karen Dye

said. Other group advisors include Upper School Chemistry teacher Carmen Vanegas and US History teacher Sushmita Hodges.

As far as affinity groups go, SPA is not alone in creating one— or several. In fact, it is a little behind. Independent schools including Blake and Breck have multiple affinity groups for students of color. “The majority of schools that I talk to have some sort of affinity group. It kind of surprises me that some schools have multiple affinity groups, and we don’t,” Dye said.

Breck has had an affinity group for five years, and they deem themselves successful due to the “chill, welcoming, serious, non judgmental and open minded” nature and environment of the group, said affinity group advisor Nailah Hill. The goal of the Breck affinity group is “to understand and discuss problems or issues in [their] school communities as well as communities outside of the school” Hill said.

Common Ground is a support group, but despite its benevolent intentions, students are not happy about the exclusive element to it all. Senior Dominic Dingess was one of the several students that found the group inappropriate. “It doesn’t seem right to me to have a student group where only people who are minorities are allowed…I mean they’re just getting together to do homework and stuff like that

Photo Credit: Aditi Kulkarni Junior Sam Carlson and Common Ground advisor Karen Dye laugh and smile during a recent meeting. “The majority of schools that I talk to have some sort of affinity group,” Dye said.

“It kind of surprises me that some schools have multiple affinity groups, and we don’t.”

but it just doesn’t seem right to have exclusion within the group,” Dingess said.

Despite opposition, group leaders stand by their decision to start this possible milestone for SPA.“People can think what they like…I mean I can’t tell people what to think…but what you have to know is that it’s not made to exclude white students,” BraceyGardella said.

Dye added that “[The affinity group] is fully supported by [Head of School] Bryn [Roberts] and by Dean [of students Judy] Cummins.

There’s a lot of evidence—statistical research, actually—that shows that schools with affinity groups have students of color that are much more successful because of that support system.” she said.

Moving forward, leaders hope to educate students on what affinity groups really stand for: to foster a supportive environment for those who identify themselves as students of color and wish to share their experiences related to this specific affinity. Common ground meets every other Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. in varying locations.

French Exchange students return home Local students already preparing for exchange to France Lucy Li

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Cover Story Editor

In the first half of this year’s French exchange, students from France got the chance to immerse into Twin Cities culture during their stay in Minnesota.

The purpose of the exchange is to let St. Paul Academy and Summit School students “really understand why [they’ve] been learning the language for all these years,” Upper School French teacher Aimeric Lajuzan said. He hoped that this visit from French students, paired with the trip to France during spring break, will renew students’ interest and encourage them to be more involved in French language and culture.

In the week preceding the exchange student’s arrival, Lajuzan went over several aspects of French culture with his students, such as the French school system.

He looked forward to having his students “being able to discuss all of these things with the students that are coming,” he said.

A total of 53 French exchange students arrived in the evening of

Photo Credit: Lucy Li Junior Charlie Rosenblum poses with his French exchange student, Kevin Faro, who is from Lycée Saint-John Perse in Pau, France. “Everyone is just super friendly and like, it’s not a problem if anyone would come up to you and say, ‘Hi my name is this, and I’m from France,” or if you go up and say, ‘Hi my name is Charlie,’ or something like that,” Rosenblum said.

Oct. 26, and left on Nov. 7th. Before coming to Minnesota, they stayed in New York City for several days. They were from Lycée SaintJohn Perse in Pau, a city on the north of the Pyrénées mountains famous for being the birthplace of Henry IV of France. The exchange students were split among SPA, Minnehaha Academy, and Mounds

Park Academy, with SPA hosting 25 of the students.

Two days before spring break, several SPA french students will leave to go to France to visit for two weeks. SPA students will spend a few days in Paris before arriving at Pau and seeing Lycée Saint-John Perse.

“Having the students come

here is a way to repay the favor for them hosting us [in the spring], and also a way to bring [France] a little bit here,” Lajuzan said. He hoped that SPA students would see “how it’s not just about reading books but it’s also communicating and having fun.”

While here, the French exchange students visited several iconic Minnesotan sites, such as a corn maze and pumpkin patch in Stillwater, the Minnesota History Center, the State Capitol, the Mall of America, and the Walker Art Center. They attended the Upper School Halloween Dance and shadowed their hosts for a day.

The exchange students and hosts also saw an NBA game together. “Basketball is popular in France, so American basketball is like the Holy Grail,” Lajuzan said.

The students were also able to experience Halloween and Election Day. Lajuzan enjoyed being a tour guide. “Taking the [exchange] students around... and seeing their reaction and all that and pointing out different things--I love that, it’s just so fun,” he said.

Plans for the second half of the exchange are already underway.

Q

&A

with a French student and American host

St. Paul Academy junior

Charlie Rosenblum Q: What do you like about this year’s French exchange?

A: Everyone is super nice, so that’s a plus.

Q: What are you looking forward to in the spring?

A: I guess just like view the culture and stuff like that, so view different aspects of life [in France] compared to America’s culture.

French exchange student

Kevin Faro Q: Why are you learning English?

A: I’m really interested in the British monarchy and I’m very fond of the British way of life. And American, too.

Q: What is one of your favorite parts of this trip?

A: Hard to say. New York, [and] Central Park.

News St. Paul Academy and Summit School

November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III

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News in Brief

Incoming congress to be most diverse in history

The 113th Congress, to be sworn in at the new inauguration, will be the most diverse in American history. The incoming senate includes twenty women, the most in history. From New Hampshire will come the first all-female congressional delegation, two senators and two representatives.

Hawaii will be sending Sen. Maize Harono, the first Buddhist senator, to Washington, along with Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu represenentive.

Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin, will be the first LGB senator. Combat veteran Tammy Duckworth of Illinois will become the first disabled female representative, as well as the first born in Thailand. Four different representatives become the first born during the 1980s. Though the demographics of congress remain far from America’s, the growing diversity is part of a trend, and the changes made this year show signs of sticking.

All Photos Credit: Hannah Johnson The Upper School Orchestra rehearses finale “Eye of the Tiger,” for POPS 2012. “I’m really excited for the ending piece,” freshman violinist Vanessa Miller said.

Hirstute seniors raise prostate cancer awareness Seniors Max Lowenthal and Saif Ahmed encouraged male students to skip shaving during the month of November in the final Friday of October. Men all over the world participate in a national event that goes by many names: No Shave November, Novembeard and Movember.

The purpose of this event is to raise awareness for prostate cancer and other forms of cancer. It is also used as a way to raise money. Male students participating in the November challenge have the opportunity to win prizes based on their hair growth.

Above Left -- Senior Melanie Luikart plays the keyboard during an orchestra rehearsal of “Eye of the Tiger.” Above Right -- Blue Band members practice their POPS concert pieces. Pictured left to right: sophomores Brian Heilig and Jackie Olson, junior Sam Carlson, sophomore Shaan Bijwadia, and junior Emun Solomon.

Musicians prepare for Pops Concert

Hannah Johnson

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Sports Editor

Determination, focus, the Eye of the Tiger. These are the attributes that Upper School musicians need in preparation for the annual POPS concert. On Dec. 1, over 200 US students will gather at O’Shaughnessy Auditorium at St. Catherine University for a night of music, ranging from Michael Bublé to the Wild West. Planning for the POPS concert began years in advance, as the school needed to reserve the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium early. The orchestra, choirs and bands all begin working on POPS material at the beginning of the school year.

“We have to start many months in advance trying to think what the finale could be,” US Orchestra teacher Almut Engelhardt said.

“The last few weeks are really, really intense.”

Unlike many years in the past, this year’s POPS concert does not have a theme. “It is just POPS 2012,” Engelhardt said.

Though there is not one theme connecting all of the different performances, a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounds the finale, when all the students come together for a thrilling rendition of Eye of the Tiger.

“I’m looking forward to the ending piece,” freshman violinist Vanessa Miller said.

The Orchestra and Senior Strings ensembles are very excited for the songs they will be performing because they chose them. Engelhardt said that, surprisingly, many of the pieces the students choose are challenging.“They are very unpredictable in this way:

Chorale, Summit Singers, Summit Chamber Singers and Academy Chamber Chorale will sing songs ranging from Jolene by Dolly Parton to Fix You by Coldplay. Choir Director Anne Klus also noted that the Senior Women and Senior Men will be performing their own

“

[The students] are very unpredictable... they choose, very often, the hardest pieces.

US Orchestra teacher Almut Engelhart they choose very often the hardest pieces” Engelhardt said.

Some exciting pieces to look forward too are The Godfather Theme, The Lord of the Rings and Super Mario Kart Theme performed by Senior Strings.

Four choirs will also provide sweet melodies to the concert.

“I’m excited for the POPS concert because we are singing good songs,” freshman Emilee Skadron, a member of Academy Chorale said.

Students from the Academy

pieces.

The choir will be joined by the Gold Band in a rendition of Michael Bublé’s Haven’t Met You Yet Other songs performed by the bands include the James Bond Theme and You Belong with Me by Taylor Swift. Sophomore Andy Gleeman said that the Blue Band looks forward to playing the Sesame Street theme song.

The POPS concert will be held at O’Shaughnessy Auditorium on Dec. 1 at 7:00 pm. Admission is free.

Superstorm Sandy strikes east coast Superstorm Sandy hit the eastern seaboard on Oct. 29, wreaking widespread havoc, affecting everything from voting to the stock market to automobile sales. This natural disaster, according to The Washington Post, was “one of the largest and fiercest storms to menace the East Coast in this year.” The death toll has reached over 113 people nationwide. The U.S. Department of Energy reports over 8.6 people without power as a result of Superstorm Sandy. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proclaimed on November 11th that Sandy related damage could total $30 billion for the state of New York alone. FEMA has granted $200 million in emergency housing assistance as well as putting up 34,000 displaced people in New York and New Jersey metropolitan areas in hotels and motels.

Debate team starts off season with multiple achievements Senior Hagop Toghramadjian remains the no. 1-ranked Public Forum debater in the state of Minnesota, a distinction he has held since early October. Toghramadjian has a record of 23 wins and 9 losses. In local debate tournaments, he has one first place, one second place, and two third place finishes. “"It is very appropriate that Hagop is ranked no. 1 in the state,” coach Tom Fones said. “In addition to being a brilliant student, he is a role model of civility and hard work."

Toghramadjian and his partner, senior Sam Wood, went 5-1 at the Nov. 3 Apple Valley national invitational tournament before losing in an elimination round.

At the same tournament, senior Jeron Mariani and junior Mason Mohring defeated last year’s national champions, moving on to the elimination rounds as well.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School is currently tied for first in state in Public Forum debate.

Fones has been selected to be judge in the state tournament for the 15th consecutive year, a mark of the high respect he holds in the debate community.

Over the weekend of Nov. 17-18, Toghramadjian, Wood, Mariani, and Mohring will attend a national invitational tournament in Chicago. Several local tournaments, including one at SPA, as well as the state tournament and national qualifiers, remain in the season.

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4 Opinion/Editorial November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

STAFF the rubicon

Editor-in-Chief Aditi Kulkarni

Managing Editor Online Editor-in-Chief Ibad Jafri

Chief Visual Editor Nick Scott

News Editor

Thomas Toghramadjian

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Staff Editorial

Racial discussion must be open to all

“

Race is an important issue for everyone.

Op/Ed Editor Andy Monserud

Sports Editor Hannah Johnson

Cover Story Editor Lucy Li

Feature Editor

Noah Shavit-Lonstein

A&E Editor Ellie Fuelling

Around Town Editor Liz Rossman

Food and Nutrition Editor August King

Illustrator & Staff Writer Ava Gallagher

Columnist/Blogger Saif Ahmed

Staff Writers Boraan Abdulkarim Netta Kaplan Kieran McDonald Gita Raman Dhara Singh Nina Zietlow Adviser

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the student newspaper of St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 Memberships Minnesota High School Press Association National Scholastic Press Association Columbia Scholastic Press Association Awards JEM All-State Gold 2012 JEM All-State Silver (RubiconOnline) 2012 MHSPA Best in Show, 201 NSPA All American 2012 CSPA Silver Medal 2012

Who can talk about race?

“Everybody” is the obvious answer. But many students still find it difficult to express opinions on the topic.

Ironically, this is often a result of the color of their skin.

Race is an important issue for everyone. It’s an entirely subjective concept, and everyone, no matter who they are, has different experiences with it. But it’s important to note that this does not make anyone’s opinion more or less valuable.

The suppression of any person’s opinion is detrimental to discussion. Being a community is a collaborative effort, no matter what other groups members identify with. Every student has an opinion, a unique perspective on issues of race as much as any other issue. The argument that people outside a specific group are unable to empathize with members of that group is both hurtful to that member and disruptive to a culture

Editorial Cartoon: Ava Gallagher

Discussion of race, as with any other topic, must include people with all points of view in order to accomplish anything. of tolerance and discussion.

While the political season comes and goes, there’s no denying that racial identity has no season and is always present. Voter ID was a broad issue in the community where many students found it prominent to voice their opinions and arguments. However, one of the most common arguments against the amendment was that it was meant to disenfranchise people of color, and more often than not, this argument killed the conversation rather than fostering an intellectual response or healthy

discussion about Voter ID. While discussing a topic as charged as race can be awkward, it’s important that we take that risk.

We cannot skew intellectual and open discussions on issues for the sake of our own opinions or ideas of political correctness. So the question remains: Is it possible to have inclusive, healthy discussions about race?

When students who voice opinions on issues regarding race are silenced, it prevents discussion.

For students to believe that their views are inherently invalid be-

cause of the color of their skin, no matter what that color may be, is contrary to our values of tolerance, thoughtful discussion and inclusiveness.

If students find themselves saying, “You can’t understand,” they should stop. If students feel as though their opinions aren’t recognized or valued because of their race, they need to own that feeling but start speaking. The conversation may be messy, but productive conversation is the only path to understanding.

Opinion New leaders must Skeptics read too Students have civic recognize mandate much into Petraeus duties too for cooperation scandal Abraham Lincoln once said that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” As Americans emerge from this month’s election, they would be wise to keep that in mind, as our political landscape is no less divided than it has been for the past two years. Democrats held on to both the White House and the Senate, but Republicans are still in control of the House of Representatives. While such a division has occurred several times before, the gridlock of the past two years provides a dark forecast for the next two.

Fortunately, the fact that both parties hold power does not mean they cannot work together. They’ve done it before, and they can do it again. America faces difficult times no matter who’s in power in these next few years. Our leaders would do well to put aside their differences and work for the benefit of all.

The time for partisanship is past. America cannot withstand more gridlock. If anything, this year’s election was a mandate not for any particular candidate, but for nonpartisan discourse.

Former Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus’ resignation was bound to prompt questions. Many have arrived at the conclusion that Petraeus’ resignation was sparked not by his recently-unearthed extramarital affair but by the Sept. 11 attack on the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Petraeus was scheduled to deliver testimony regarding the attack which many thought could have been damaging to the Obama administration. However, the idea that Petraeus’ ousting was forced by a fearful president is preposterous. As more information begins to come out, it is apparent that Petraeus realized that his wrongdoing was on the verge of being discovered by larger groups of people.

The word coming from many Washington insiders is that, contrary to popular belief, the President wanted Petraeus to retain his position. And why shouldn’t he?

Even at his worst, Petraeus has been a highly capable general and CIA director under two presidential administrations. He is sure to be missed.

Election night was a busy and tense night for everybody. Students watching the election had to stay up until eleven or later for definitive answers before knowing who won the presidency and Senate and House seats and whether Minnesota’s two proposed amendments to the state constitution were passed.

Some also volunteered at lastminute phone banking, attended watch parties and were otherwise involved with the election.

In light of this, the school asked teachers not to assign homework unless it was absolutely necessary to their class schedule. So why is it that students at all grade levels reported normal homework amounts? At a school like SPA, students should expect above-average homework levels and a late night once in a while. But is it too much to ask for a homework-free evening on the most important night for our country in the past four years?

One night a year, we all get a free lesson in our nation’s political affairs. Is homework really so important that it must overshadow our single night of self-education?

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

All other opinion pieces are the opinions of the authors themselves.

The Rubicon Letters Policy: The Rubicon welcomes letters to the editor. They can be mailed to us or e-mailed rubicon.spa@gmail.com.

Letters should be limited to 150-200 words and published by discretion of The Rubicon staff.

Opinion/Editorial 5 November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

The Grand Old Party don’t stop

No French Why Republicans are still a force to be reckoned with homework?

Worth a try.

Thomas Toghramadjian r

News Editor

Following the defeat of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and disturbing losses in both houses of Congress, political wonks are forecasting major change in the GOP’s ranks. But no matter what happens before the next Congressional elections in 2014, Republicans can rest assured that their Grand Old Party will still be there. Apart from a few questions of image, conservatives have no reason to change their stances.

President Obama won reelection on a tide of young voters, minorities, and women. Pundits said that the economy would decide this election. It didn’t. Obama won because he addressed specific issues to specific groups.

Obama won an estimated 75% of Hispanic votes nationally in this year’s election. A strongly Catholic, entrepreneurial, and familyoriented demographic, Hispanics overwhelmingly cast their votes for the incumbent despite Republicans’ strength in these areas. The defining issue for them was immigration. Although Obama’s administration has deported record numbers of undocumented immigrants, and visibly failed to deliver on his promised “comprehensive immigration reform,” the Republicans managed to be even more off-putting, vying to be seen as the toughest on illegal immigration during their primary.

Democrats’ monopoly on the Hispanic vote simply isn’t sustainable. Immigration aside, Hispanics are generally socially conservative.

Republicans simply cannot afford to alienate the fastest-growing group in America. As commentators such as Charles Krauthammer have noted, the way forward for the Republicans is to seek to secure

Noah Shavit-Lonstein

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Illustration Credit: Aditi Kulkarni Though the Republican Party is now under enormous scrutiny, the GOP can make a comeback if it keeps its cool and sticks to its strengths.

the border, without prioritizing deportation. High-profile Hispanic conservatives like Florida Senator Marco Rubio and New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez will also help their community feel welcomed by the Republican Party.

Obama also won over a plurality of women, netting 55% of their votes. One key factor in this loss was the misconstrued Republican stand on birth control. Republican opposition to the Obamacare mandate that Catholic institutions provide contraception coverage to their employees led to a common misconception that Republicans opposed birth control in all situations. Also problematic were the two pro-life Republican senatorial candidates that made controversial comments about abortion in instances of rape. These two issues garnered negative attention from young, unmarried women, giving Obama a vast majority of their votes.

Republicans’ shortcomings in the eyes of women necessitate less of a policy change than an educa-

tional campaign. They must set the record straight-- no high-profile Republican politician, from Rick Santorum to Richard Mourdock, supports a ban on birth control.

Religious freedom of conscience is another matter entirely from womens’ rights.

Though Republicans’ hold on women’s votes is not as strong as it could be, one aspect of the right’s so-called “war on women” has not held Republicans back in the least.

Opposition to abortion is a key tenant of the conservative platform, and one that does not alienate women. A 2012 Gallup poll finds that 46% of women identify as “pro-life” while only 42% call themselves “pro-choice.”

The Republican Party doesn’t need to change much. Rather, it must re-brand itself. An electorate that sees the GOP as a modern, viable alternative will be far more receptive to their ideas. First and foremost, they must establish that they serve every American, rich, poor, or middle class, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Democrats

Infographic

of students do not celebrate Thanksgiving

WHAT DO STUDENTS DO? eat a meal watch football host Thanksgiving travel

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AT THE TABLE? 4-7 8-10

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Illustration Credit: Aditi Kulkarni

held on to the Senate and the presidency by defining Republicans as servants of the wealthy. As comically false as this idea is, it almost single-handedly destroyed Romney’s bid for the White House.

Voters must understand that Republicans and Democrats seek the same end- a stronger, more prosperous nation.

Mitt Romney won majorities among men, middle-class voters, and whites. These demographics are significant because they represent large groups without a defining social issue. Mitt Romney may have lost on niche issues, but his victories in majority groups show that he won on more major fronts, including the economy and foreign policy. This is not to say that a white, middle-class male’s ballot is the slightest bit more important than a single Hispanic woman’s. But Romney’s success with the bread and butter of America shows that Republicans have stayed relevant on the main issues. They just have to improve their image to make a full comeback.

The glutton’s favorite holiday, Thanksgiving brings with it daydreams of turkey, potatoes and other delicacies, but also of reconnecting with friends and family across the country. In light of this, The Rubicon conducted a poll asking students about their plans for the holiday weekend.

4-7 Survey of 50 students, grades 8-10 9-12, statistical variation +/- 1-2%

Feature Editor

It’s only been a matter of months since socialist Francois Hollande knocked conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy out of his seat to become President of France. Now, Hollande is back in the headlines with an announcement of sweeping educational change: a ban on homework.

In the minds of many this calls up an image of a ten-year-old president demanding freedom from chores and universal chocolate milk. But Hollande has thought hard about his new idea. “Work should be done at school,” he argues, “rather than at home.” Worries that children with less educated parents, or those from broken homes, have Hollande less ability to complete work at home and therefore fall behind. He wants to make the school a nurturing environment, where all students have a chance to excel. He will replace homework by adding an extra day of instruction to the four-day school week.

Hollande is on the right track with his plan. The focus on reforming education should not be international competition, but national equity. It is a paradigm we could use in America, where we constantly scramble to compete with other world powers, but neglect to provide a stable playing field where any student can advance.

But as well intentioned as it is, will it work? Studies can’t provide a straight answer. A Duke University study showed that not doing homework decreases grades, but increased instructional time can more than make up for it. A disadvantaged Maryland school district that abolished homework found their students scored better on proficiency tests but worse on state standardized tests.

Such a change could cause unforeseen problems. Will lessons be forgotten without the reinforcement of homework? Will parents be able to accommodate students’ new school day and after-school free time? How will France support the plan, which also includes hiring thousands of teachers?

Something has to be done.

Whatever parts of Hollande’s plan work and don’t work, it’s important that he’s not afraid to take bold steps in order to improve his country. Why avoid an idea that might not work in favor of one that we know isn’t working?

Everyone seems to agree that the American education system doesn’t function like it should.

Achievement gaps in race and class are absurdly large. But our ideas are rarely as novel or dramatic as this one. To make real changes, we must embrace uncertainty. For better or for worse, Hollande’s plan does just that. Perhaps here in America it’s time to do the same.

10 or more

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St. Paul Academy and Summit School

November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

Video game craze takes school But how does student body gaming match up to nation?

What games do students like to play?

Fair Use photo from callofduty.com

This series, the most popular in school, allows the user to get deep into the NATO military through a series of wars with Russian and Middle Eastern nationalists, playing in a hyper-detailed interface.

Fair Use photo from planetminecraft.com

Photo Credit: Aditi Kulkarni Seniors [front to back] David Ristau, Cameron Causey, Peter Wood and Josh Gray battle it out in a game of Halo while Claire Anderson looks on in the senior lounge. Halo is a “fun way to compete with your friends- and the games can get very competitive sometimes,” senior Danny O’Shea said. Halo in the lounge has become a phenomenon in recent weeks as a between-class diversion strategy for seniors.

Kieran McDonald

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Staff Writer

Video gaming exists all over the world. Researchers, parents and educators have mixed things to say about whether or not kids should be playing video games, let alone participating in worldwide gaming communities. Some blame violent video games for why kids become violent or anti-social, while others think they have benefits like teaching high level thinking skills.

In an article published in the journal Machines Like Us, six independent research experts and their studies were synthesized in an attempt to determine the positive and negative affects of gaming. The researchers agreed that video games are extremely powerful teaching tools and the research itself suggests that power can be both good and bad. First-person shooter games improve perceptual and attention skills, but violent games may lead to significant increases in desensitization to violence and decreased pro-social behavior.

A Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 99% of boys and 94% of girls play video games on a regular basis and 76% game in virtual communities. Half of the boys surveyed listed a game rated by the industry's system as "Mature" [M] as one of their favorites. Currently, the most popular game in school is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a violent first person shooter game rated “M.” In a survey conducted by The Rubicon, St. Paul Academy and

A creativity-centered game where the user builds and shapes their cubist environment. You can fight monsters and find water in Survival Mode or run free in Creative.

100 What percent of students playOverall games?

100 80 80 60 40 60 20

40 0

20 0

Video games including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, World of Warcraft Girls Overall and Minecraft are among the top Boys games played by students.

Girls The game that showed consisBoys tently interest for the SPA community, equally among boys and girls, is the popular pixelated alternatreality game, Minecraft. “When you start you just can’t stop,” freshman Sam Tipler said. “It doesn’t seem like it should be fun, but it just is.”

Students across the board love Minecraft, with almost equal numbers of players in each grade.

SPA gamers in general don’t game very often: only 19% find the time to game every day with 88% Provide a Social Outlet (42%) gaming a couple times a week or less.

Waste our Time (31%) The biggest question of all though is why do students game?

Make us Smarter (22%) Provide a Social Outlet (42%) What makes video games so adHarm Us (4%) dicting that 99% of boys and Waste our Time (31%) 94% of girls cannot get enough Are Too Violent (1%) of them? Surveys show mixed reMake us Smarter (22%) sponses: some play for fun, some play for a challenge and some play HarmNoah Us (4%) Illustration Credit: Shavit-Lonstein because they have nothing better to do.

Violent (1%) was written inArebyToomany responSo what is SPA’s opinion on dents, as it was not an option writhow gaming affects daily life? ten on the survey.

“They’re really entertaining and Recently, a Halo playing comfun, but they definitely waste our munity has formed among senior time,” freshman Quinn Smith said. boys, creating a popular social acResearchers have their own tivity during free periods. answer.

In an article published in Senior Danny O’Shea said “I Psychological Science, Dr. Przybylski, a got interested in Halo because researcher of the effects of video someone brought the game to games, wrote, “The attraction to school and passed it around. It’s playing video games and what a fun way to compete with your friends, and the games can get makes them fun is that it gives peovery competitive sometimes. I like ple the chance to think about a role the fact that we can have lots of they would ideally like to take and people all playing [Halo] together.” then get a chance to play that role.”

Fair Use photo from thinkwithportals.com

The “portal” here refers to wormholes that the character can use a gun to create and jump through, useful when trying to escape an intelligent supercomputer.

Students think that video games...

Summit School students grades 9-12, painted a different picture from the national average. The genders responding were balanced almost evenly, with 49% boys and 51% girls responding. Surprisingly, only 69% of respondents said they gamed.

Of those who do game the data revealed that younger males at SPA are more likely to play video games than any other group.

Violent video games were by far the most popular among all boys, with Call of Duty; Modern Warfare the most popular at 61.5%. Halo

Fair Use photo from gamechurch.com

This acclaimed role-playing game details a quest to save the world from a dragon, set in a fantasy universe complete with its own language.

Fair Use photo from assassins.wikia.org

In this hotly anticipated game, the lead is an assassin during and around the American revolution. Great for lovers of thrilling violence and historical trivia buffs.

Game choices and graph percentages based on survey data from 100 students, grades 9-12.

Survey Credit: Kieran McDonald Information compiled by Noah Shavit-Lonstein and Saif Ahmed

Fe a t u r e 7 November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Blogs allow students to get creative Netta Kaplan

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Staff Writer

A group of students sit on the couches in the upper library during a free period, laughing and comparing Tumblrs. They’re busy checking in on blogs they follow and re-blogging others’ posts.

Tumblr and other blogging software have become more popular recently, but the main activity is reblogging.

Among these students is ninth grader Laura Slade, one of the few whose Tumblr showcases only her own work. “I love the Tumblr software. It’s easy to use and it’s easy to stay connected to multiple blogs at one time,” Slade said. Her blog is full of photos she has taken of friends, bands, places around town, and her dog.

In order to take all these photos, Slade carries a camera with her to all her classes and whenever she goes out with friends. “Whenever I see a good subject for a photo, I think about how I might capture it and not ruin the feel of that moment. It makes me think about preserving things.”

Slade isn’t the only one; many students have blogs through Tumblr, Wordpress, and other media sharing web sites. Sophomore Kailey Wendlandt has a YouTube Channel with well over four million hits. She participates in an alternate kind of blog: the video blog, or “vlog” for short. “YouTube is a very informative, easy to use internet community,” Wendlandt said. Her videos range from giving advice to speaking Arabic to singing and performing her own music.

While most of the comments

on her videos are positive and encouraging, she does get some negative feedback on her channel. “It really makes you conscious of how affective negative feedback can be,” Wendlandt said. “It takes a lot of hard work, six hours maybe on each video. It takes that long just to get ready: to prepare all the content that you’re going to speak about in the video, and the actual editing processes, and uploading it.”

Senior Emily Nordquist used Google’s Blogger service to create another type of blog--one to share her writing. “Essentially, it started as a business project that I worked with some friends on, and then it moved into doing it for fun because I liked to see what people had to say in terms of youth culture and their opinions on music and art and all sorts of things like that,” Nordquist said. She doesn’t plan on being any kind of writer in the future, but she does think that writing is a very important skill to have in any career.

Blogging has become more popular in recent years - it’s a way to express yourself in a public way, but it’s also somewhat private.

“Since there are so many people, some people feel safer posting things because they think, ‘No one I know will be able to find this very easily,’” Slade said. The pull of being able to share something anonymously with the world is very strong for some people, but Slade warns of the dangers. “Someone could stumble upon it, and it may have a negative impact,” she said.

“It’s nice to feel like you have a little bit of freedom from people you know seeing it, but you need to be cautious of someone finding it.” Still, for many students in the current generation, the risk of

Screen shot Credit: Aditi Kulkarni Freshman Laura Slade’s photography blog, made through the Tumblr platform. “I love the Tumblr software. It’s easy to use and it’s easy to stay connected to multiple blogs at one time,” Slade said. Tumblr is a blogging site with a focus on re-blogging other’s posts.

Screen shots Credit: Noah Shavit-Lonstein Left: Freshman Miriam Tibbets’ collection of writings on Figment, a community where writers, especially youth writerrs, are able to share their works. Right: Senior Emily Nordquist’s blog on Google’s Blogspot,a free platform for anyone with a Google account.

International students expand their world view Nina Zietlow

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Staff Writer

Imagine living in a place where English isn’t the official language, where the food and clothing are different, and where the customs are not the same as those in the United States. For some people, living in a new place might feel like a dream come true and for others it might seem terrifying.

Many students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School have had the unique experience of living abroad. Though the countries they have lived in and the experiences they have had are unique one thing is clear: living in a new place is challenging but very rewarding.

“I like learning about what different people are like in different countries,” freshman Liza Bukingolts said.

Bukingolts has spent twelve of her summers living in Russia with her family members. She is fluent in Russian and thinks of Russia as her second home.

Bukingolts said that people in

Russia act differently than people in the United States.

“I think the biggest difference is that people don’t say hi to you when you walk down the streets [in Russia],” Bukingolts said.

Junior Meera Singh and her family lived in Tokyo, Japan for five years because of her father’s job.

She said that she liked how easy it was to get around. Tokyo has an advanced subway system making it easy to travel the city even if you don’t have a car. This can backfire, though. The narrow streets and complicated train routes make it easy to get lost.

“Tokyo was a big confusing city,” Singh said.

On top of that, living in a place where Japanese is the major language makes it hard to communicate.

Because Japan is an ocean away, “I didn’t get to see extended family or friends in America very often,” Singh said.

Despite those challenges Singh appreciates the people that she met and the experience she had in Japan. She agrees with Buckingolts;

people behave differently from people in the U.S. “Japanese people were more orderly; they were more polite and cared a lot about rules,” Singh said.

The culture of the U.S. seems very familiar to those who have always lived here but as the world becomes continually more globalized there is no normal culture or typical way of life. For Bukingolts and Singh, this lesson is experienced firsthand.

Want to learn more about Russia or Japan?

Click this QR Code to Lonely Planet online.

Junior Meera Singh (age 13 in photo), wears a black and white Kimono while wading in the Odaiba hot spring theme park with sister freshman Dhara Singh (age 11 in photo) in Japan. “Japanese people were more orderly; they were more polite and cared a lot about rules,” Meera Singh said.

Submitted Photo: Dhara Singh

November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

Family businesses inv 8th grader john Soranno learns life lessons from business

Boraan Abdulkarim

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Staff Writer

“A business offers you freedom, and you select what you do, and when you do it. Having a small business is a great thing,” John Soranno, Sr., owner of Punch Neapolitan Pizza and St. Paul Academy and Summit School parent of eighth grader John Soranno, said.

Both Sorannos have an overall positive view on owning a business as a family. John Soranno, Sr. claims that owning a restaurant affects his family life “only in positive ways,” and that “there’s really no downside to owning a business.”

“Owning a business affords you the freedom to do what you want,” John Soranno, Sr. said. He listed as an example: “I can pick my son up at school if I’m free.” Owning a business supplies a way to hand pick a system of getting things done, or as John Soranno, Sr. put it: “[Selecting] what you do, and when you do it.”

Running a business, like other things, has its catches. For the Sorannos, though, those catches don’t mean a dead end. “It doesn’t really affect us as a family; it can sometimes create stress over issues, but it feels pretty normal,” John Soranno said.

Punch Pizza is in the midst of building an eighth location, and in that, has already passed a milestone

for most family run businesses in terms of expansion. “When I first opened [the] Highland [location] sixteen years ago, I just wanted to have one restaurant, and it was hard just to make that successful,” John Soranno, Sr. said.

But that didn’t stop him. He doesn’t lack modesty in saying, “I still consider it a small business.”

“I like that my family worked hard and succeeded, and it makes me proud of my dad and family,” John Soranno said.

Hard work pays off and teaches valuable lessons, even if it takes some getting used to. This is the rule that holds together the Soranno family’s story. “My dad always has to deal with one thing or another, but I’ve gotten more and more used to it so it doesn’t affect me as much as it use to,” John Soranno said. “It teaches me life lessons, being able to see how to manage people and deal with situations in business,” he continued.

Similarly, John Soranno, Sr. said, “I don’t think you ever learn anything valuable the easy way. All the good lessons come the hard way.

You learn lots of life lessons the hard way.” He also added, “I think all business is hard. I think everything is hard, whether you’re a musician, actor or businessman. Whether you run Walmart or Punch Pizza, it’s a lot of work.”

Photo Credit: Boraan Abdulkarim Above: Punch co-owner, John Soranno, Sr. presents a Neapolitan pizza to the camera in the kitchen of one of his restaurants. Below: Soranno reaches into the oven to grab a pizza. Soranno founded Punch Pizza in 1996, and believes that opening and running his business has influenced his family life “only in positive ways,” he said.

Did you know?

The creation of Punch Pizza was inspired by a move to Italy when John Soranno, Sr. was eight years old.

Photo Credit: Boraan Abdulkarim

“

It teaches me life lessons, being able to see how to manage people and deal with situations in business.

Photo submitted by John Soranno, Sr. Eighth grader John Soranno stands in front of a tiled pizza oven at a Punch restaurant that can be found on Grand Avenue in St. Paul.

eighth grader John Soranno

Photo Credit: Boraan Abdulkarim Punch Pizza can be found on Grand Avenue and at several other locations in the Twin Cities.

Although the business is expanding, “I still consider it a small business,” John Soranno, Sr. said.

Junior Eddy Sharifkhani manages the Downtowner on Sundays

Punch Neapolitan Pizza

Downtowner Woodfire Grill and Burger Moe’s

8

C ove r

Izzy’s Ice Cream

Junior Anda So

start to head home. Most students are usually faced with the, “So, how Staff Writer was school?” Some students at SPA might stop at the Employees Only Three o’clock, the bell rings. Im- door at a local restaurant to tell their mediately afterwards is the typical parents about the day’s events. chaos as students try to push their Running an ice cream store isn’t way to their lockers and pack their easy. It isn’t just a matter of throwbags. As soon as these students ing a bunch of chairs and tables in manage their way out the doors, the center of a room and hiring a whether it’s right after dismissal, or couple employees. “I have a tremenafter theater or soccer practice, they dous amount of respect and honor for my peers that work in or run family-owned businesses. It takes a tremendous level of commitment,” Jeff Sommers, owner of Izzy’s ice cream and father of junior Anda Sommers and freshman Ora Hammel said.

Anda Sommers also said, “It makes me feel compassion towards family-run businesses if something goes wrong because I know how much families are invested in their busiPhoto Credit: Boraan Abdulkarim nesses.”

Responsibility comes Izzy’s sells over 150 flavors of ice cream and other treats.

“Most Sundays I go and help with making cake crust out of on many different levels.

Graham crackers and Oreo crumbs,” said Ora Hammel.

There’s responsibility

Boraan Abdulkarim

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for chores, responsibility for grades, for behavior. But the responsibility that comes as a side to owning a restaurant is immense. Those who really care about the outcome of their business put more apparent effort into it. “If I know another kid with a family run business, I can guess that they have a job there and that they learn about businesses. Sometimes you can tell whether their parents work a lot based on their facial expressions,” said Hammel. That is the difference between a perky cashier and a server who’s been working two shifts without rest.

Jeff Sommers’ representation of obvious effort is “hard work and persistence, [and] that it’s really, really important to give a great product and great customer service.” He continued, “And when we do those two things consistently and well, our customers appreciate our efforts and reward us by coming back a second or third time, or maybe in some cases, ten or thirty times.”

Family-owned businesses are called that for a reason. It takes the whole family to make it work—not just the parents. “Most Sundays I go and help with making cake crusts out of graham cracker and Oreo crumbs. I also help with mak-

Stor y

November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

volve the entire family up opening a restaurant soon after.”

After opening his first restaurant, Around Town Editor Moe Sharifkhani returned to Iran and married Eddy’s mother, Nazi.

If there’s one thing junior Eddy “For years the restaurant had been Sharifkhani has learned from be- called the Downtowner Cafe, but ing a child of restaurant owners, it when my mom and my father came is that “waking up early makes you back and made renovations to the successful.” For Sharifkhani, the place, it became the Downtowner Downtowner Woodfire Grill and Woodfire Grill,” Sharifkhani said.

Burger Moe’s have become the cenA few years after the changes to ter of family activity for him and his the Downtowner Woodfire Grill, the parents.

Sharifkhani purchased the property “I go to the Downtowner Wood- across the street and opened Burger fire Grill every morning for break- Moe’s. fast,” Sharifkhani said, “and work Since last year, Sharifkhani has there on Sunday’s helping to manage been helping out at the Downtownthe restaurant.” For the past twenty er Woodfire Grill, where he is learnyears the Downtowner has become a ing more about the workplace and landmark restaurant for diners along his parent’s business.

West 7th Street in St. Paul.

“Sometimes we get to meet senaIn addition the Downtowner tors, lawyers, and owners of teams Woodfire Grill, Sharifkhani parents like the Minnesota Wild,” Sharalso own Burger Moe’s, a burger ifkhani said. “But once when I was joint named after his father, across working at the restaurant, I was seatthe street. ing customers and tripped them by The Downtowner Woodfire Grill accident.” and Burger Moe’s have played a Despite the restaurant becoming dominant role in Sharifkhani family a major part of Sharifkhani’s daily history. When asked how his father, life, he has other aspirations and Moe Sharifkhani, got into the restau- plans to diverge from the restaurant rant business, Sharifkhani respond- business. “I personally don’t want to ed, “My father didn’t want to run a run a family business. My parent’s business... he had to.” have been in the restaurant busi“When my father came to Amer- ness for so long, I think I want to ica from his homeland, Iran, he only do something different,” Sharifkhani had two or three hundred dollars. said. “But I have learned a lot from He had planned to study medicine my parent’s business, especially that but because he wasn’t a U.S. citizen in order to be successful you have and didn’t have enough money he to wake up early cause my parent’s couldn’t. So he had to do something wake up early and are usually at the that didn’t cost as much,” Shar- restaurant before six in the mornifkhani said. “He attended the Uni- ing to make sure everything is okay versity of Wisconsin-River Falls and when the servers come at seven.” studied business, in which he ended

9

Liz Rossman

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Junior Eddy Sharifkhani makes a reservation for customers at the host stand in the Downtowner Woodfire Grill, an American-Persian restaurant owned and founded by his father, Moe Sharifkhani. “I go to the Downtowner Woodfire Grill every morning for breakfast, and work on there on Sunday’s helping to manage the restaurant,” Sharifkhani said.

“

Waking up early makes you successful. junior Eddy Sharifkhani

Photo submitted by Eddy Sharifkhani

ommers and freshman Ora Hammel gain responsibility and learn the importance of persistency ing cupcakes,” Hammel said. “This summer I worked a lot on decorating ice cream cakes, and that was fun. My sister [Anda] worked a lot during the summer in the office, with checks and bills with my mom and stuff. My mom does a lot of organizing and office work.”

This definitely implies a large commitment to time, but, according to Jeff Sommers, Anda Sommers and Ora Hammel, it is time well spent. “I work on a daily basis as many as 12 hours. For instance, today I’ve been working since 7 a.m.,” Jeff Sommers said.

This connects to the same reason his daughter Anda said she will “never, ever, ever” go into business when she is older, with her given reason being “way to much stress for me.”

But, for the rewarding element, Jeff Sommers said, “It allows us to innovate and take a leadership role in society. It allows us to mentor young people and model excellence.

And we get to have some fun.”

“I have mixed feelings about it. I see a lot of the stressful and negative parts of running a business and obviously that’s hard for our family. On the other hand I am constantly impressed with how

“

... I am constantly impressed with how much my parents accomplished. junior Anda Sommers much my parents accomplished,” Anda Sommers said.

“I think it’s really cool. Most families work in an office and have a boss, but my parents are the boss...

And I get free ice cream!” Hammel said.

When I was little I would draw signs and my dad would put them up in the store, that was fun,” Anda Sommers recalled.

In terms of how much the business cuts into family time, Hammel remarked that “sometimes they [my parents] talk about work on the weekends, and it doesn’t really bother us, and sometimes it’s cool to hear

what’s up.” Hammel added, “Since my parents both have the same job, they like to bring work into the house.”

Similarly, her sister Anda Sommers said, “Izzy’s is super time consuming. Unlike some jobs where you work for a set time, my parents are constantly working. We will be sitting around the dinner table and my parents will be doing work... it makes life at home very chaotic. It’s always a struggle finding rides and putting meals together.”

Her father’s response about the responsibility with respect to time was: “Yeah, sometimes it’s for

Photo Credit: Boraan Abdulkarim Jeff Sommers and Lara Hammel own an ice cream store, Izzy’s Ice Cream, which can be found on the corner of Marshall Avenue and Cleveland Avenue in St. Paul. “I have a tremendous amount of respect and honor for my peers that work in or run family-owned businesses,” Sommers said.

the better, and sometimes for the worse,” he said.

How do we learn to succeed?

What makes a small business grow and thrive? What separates the 30% of non-failing family owned businesses from the majority? It’s safe to call this one a win for the element of experience. “I get to learn a lot about businesses, and for when I get a real job, I’m currently gaining experience in how to act as an employee towards the boss and hear a lot of these things. I learn from Izzy’s

workers’ mistakes,” Hammel said.

Anda Sommers gave an example: “Like if an employee accidentally unplugs a freezer and all the ice cream melts not only do we lose money but my dad has to drop whatever he is doing and go help.” She connects this to “the importance of persistence. My parents constantly face challenges and have to work at overcoming them. They never give up on what’s important to them and I think that’s a good lesson.”

10 S p o r t s

‘TIS THE SEASON St. Paul Academy and Summit School

November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III

Nordic Ski Team excited for new faces and future triumph

Hannah Johnson

r Sports Editor/ Broadcast

The Nordic Ski team is looking to expand its membership and trophy case. Over 70 students signed up for the team, bringing high hopes for a fun and successful season.

“We have a huge number of skiers, more than we have had in the past,” senior captain Melanie Luikart said.

The team hopes for a lot of snow this winter, as last year’s dry winter resulted in difficult practice plans and many cancelled meets.

Until there is snow, the team works on strength and conditioning and roller skiing to prepare for the season.

Last year, sophomore Ellen McCarthy qualified for the state meet, a feat that the team looks repeat this year. “As a team we have some really strong skiers this year,” Luikart said. “We are hoping to do really well at sections in order to continue on to State.”

Submitted Photo: Mickey Scott Seniors Melanie Luikart, Ariana Amini and Ellen Swenson fight to the finish at last year’s Peter Westra Sprints. “We are hoping to do really well in sections in order to continue on to State,” Luikart said. The team has over seventy students signed up, grades 7-12, this winter.

FOR SKIING<

>FOR HOCKEY

Boys and Girls Hockey skate hard to improve conference standings

Photo Credit: Hannah Johnson The Boys Hockey team works hard on scoring in a recent practice. “I think we’d like to win the Tri-Metro and then make a run in sections,” senior captain Cameron Causey said.

Ibad Jafri

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Managing Editor Online Editor-in-Chief

Over the course of the past few years, the Boys Varsity Hockey team has made tremendous strides.

The team has gone from being a cellar-dweller in the Tri-Metro Conference to holding its own and finishing with a record of 8-14-3 last season.

Senior captain Cameron Causey looks to continue that improvement under new coach Bill Owens.

In light of the new coach, “we’ll probably change all of our systems,” Causey said.

Yet although there may be some stumbling blocks along the way, Causey is optimistic about the team’s chances. “We have some good freshmen coming in, so that should help. We’ve also got some older kids who have improved a lot in the last few years,” Causey said.

This year, the Spartans may even contend for postseason success. “I think we’d like to win the Tri-Metro and then make a run in sections.”

Ibad Jafri

Photo Credit: Hannah Johnson Freshman Catherine Johnson bikes in the training room with the rest of the hockey team during a recent weight room session. “We have been working very hard on and of the ice,” junior captain Alev Baysoy said.

Girls Varsity Hockey captain Alev Baysoy has taken great measures to ensure that the upcoming season will be even better than the previous one. This work ethic has also become a key part of the team. “We have been working very hard on and off ice and the competitive spirit is something that is always prevalent,” Baysoy said.

The current goal is to “push our team to it’s maximum potential because I know we can go to state if we work hard,” Baysoy said. “We are a very competitive team and we strive to do well.”

Baysoy also took time throughout the summer to enter a training camp focused on fitness. Increased strength will be combined with the

r

Managing Editor Online Editor-in-Chief

mental aspects of the game this season.

“We stress formation a lot through our program, and it is definitely one of our strengths,” Baysoy said. She expects the work will pay off.

Spor ts St. Paul Academy and Summit School

November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III

11

>FOR BASKETBALL Success in last year’s section tournament motivates Boys and Girls Basketball teams to stay competitive Tommy Toghramadjian

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Photo Credit: Nick Scott Senior Spencer Egly (24) and junior Connor Allen (22) block a shot at last year’s game against Mounds Park Academy. “We have a great group of guys who love to work hard and enjoy being part of the team atmosphere,” Egly said.

Thomas Toghramadjian

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News Editor

After last season ended with a heartbreaking overtime loss to Concordia Academy in the sectional semifinals last year, Boys Varsity Basketball returns with the

same starting lineup.

“I don't think we need to change much, we just need to make sure we stay focused and work towards a common goal and play as a team,” senior captain Spencer Egly said. The same team that pulled out a stunning victory against Minnehaha in last year’s sectional tour-

nament expects to drive deep in this year’s tournament.

“I think we can really make a run deep into sections and make it to state. We have a great group of guys who love to work hard and enjoy being part of the team atmosphere,” Egly said.

News Editor

Girls Varsity Basketball enters the 2012-2013 season after graduating several senior players. The only returning starter is senior Lauren Ademite, and the starting lineup includes only two upperclassmen. Regardless, the team hopes to build on the success of last season, when they made it to the second round of the tournament for the first time in years.

“I think we will be pretty competitive playing against teams in our conference this year considering how many starters we lost,” se-

nior captain Maddie Hanson said.

“We have a really young team, so a lot of room to improve throughout the season.”

Hanson touts the matchups against Blake, Brooklyn Center, and Visitation as some this year’s most important games.

FOR WINTER>SPORTS FOR DANCING Dance team to focus on fun

Hannah Johnson

r Sports Editor/ Broadcast

Even though their last season ended in disappointment, the Spartan Dance team is optimistic about the upcoming season. Last year the team finished in second place at a section meet, but a miscommunication led to the team not competing in further competition.

Still, the team looks to focus on the main goal of any sport: having fun. “This year it seems like it

is going to be a lot more fun and just for the love of dance instead of to win,” junior captain Jessica Wen said.

The team is much smaller than years before but they are still focused and ready to have a good time. The team performs during halftime at basketball games along with other competitions against other schools.

Submitted Photo: Jonathan Sogin Jonathan Sogin skis around the gates at a meet last year. “We’re trying to get more people to come to captains’ practices, and we’re having more meetings and informational things.” Sogin said.

School presence a goal for Alpine Ski team Andy Monserud

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Opinion/Editorial Editor

The Alpine Ski Team is used to second billing. As SPA’s lesserknown ski team, they often don’t get the attention they deserve.

Junior co-captains Jonathan Sogin, Chris Gast and sophomore Julia Hansen aim to change that. The team is on a steady upward slope in competition, and hope to capi-

talize. “That’s our general trend: improvement,” Sogin said. “We’re definitely not the best in the conference,” but those tables show signs of turning.

“It’s a young team,” Sogin said.

“There’s definitely about as many middle schooler as high schoolers.”

This young team leaves room for plenty of growth.

In the meantime, Sogin and his co-captains are focusing on improving the team’s presence in the

school. “We’re trying to get more people to come to captains’ practices, and we’re having more meetings and informational things.” He hopes this will expand the team, whose members currently number in the early teens. The team has dry-land and captain’s practice at school and will begin practicing at Buck Hill ski hill in December.

Submitted Photo: Laura Slade The Spartan dance team poses before performing at a dance competition last year. “This year it seems like it is going to be a lot more fun and just for the love of dance instead of to win,” junior captain Jessica Wen said.

12

Fo o d a n d N u t r i t i o n

November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

Families cook, serve, eat well Cover Story restaurants receive rave reviews Punch Neapolitan Pizza

Photo Credit: Boraan Abdulkarim Izzy’s Ice Cream Cafe offers 36 flavors to choose from daily of their 150 original recipes. No matter the flavor, Izzy’s has perfect flavor combinations for everyone.

Izzy’s Ice Cream Ellie Fuelling

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Photo Credit: Ellie Fuelling Although Punch Neapolitan Pizza offers a variety of classics on their menu, a pizza can easily suffice as its own heavenly meal.

Ellie Fuelling

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A&E Editor

Punch Neapolitan Pizza, over all, feels warm. With warm pizzas, warm ovens and a warm atmosphere, the restaurant welcomes customers into a world of traditional pizzas. Punch prides itself on fresh ingredients.

The restaurant cooks up pizzas based on those made in Naples, pizza’s birthplace. Main ingredients including mozzarella cheese and San Marzano tomatoes are flown in from Naples, ensuring the integrity of each and every pizza.

Chefs cook their pizzas in a huge, wood-burning pizza oven and their crusts come out tasting so delicious these pizzas can be their own meal. The mozzarella

cheese is spread unevenly across the pizza so some bites are only sauce and crust, but this combination is so fresh and tasty that it doesn’t even matter.

With a long wooden table in the center of the room, the atmosphere of the restaurant evokes family style dinners and a familiarity and warmth rarely seen in restaurants. The pizzas are so far removed from greasy, lukewarm pizzas delivered in a box that it seems silly to place them in the same category.

Punch pizzas are cooked to order in a pizza oven and placed at the table, steaming and tasting like the epitome of freshness.

Prices are reasonable for dinner, especially if pizzas are shared between friends with classic pizzas ranging from $6.25 to $11.65.

Punch Neapolitan Pizza stores take pride in their fresh ingredients and their traditional pizzas. And they should. Taking a bite out of a warm, freshly baked pizza with gooey mozzarella and crisp tomato sauce is pure heaven.

Price range: $6.25-$11.65 Hours: 11 am - 10 pm on weekdays, weekend times depend on location

Locations:

Cleveland Ave S in Highland Park Crystal View Rd in Eden Prairie Calhoun Village Shopping Center Hennepin Ave in Minneapolis Wayzata Blvd E in Wayzata Grand Ave in St. Paul Stadium Village in Minneapolis

A&E Editor

Licking a freezing ice cream cone on a cold, blustery night may not sound like a traditional winter activity, but the customers at Izzy’s Ice Cream café would have to disagree. Moms with strollers and kids with sticky, smiling faces huddle at Izzy’s any time of the year, eager for a scoop (with Izzy scoop) of creamy, delicious ice cream.

A major draw to Izzy’s is the extra, tiny, scoop of ice cream, called an Izzy, customers get on top of their main ice cream, free of charge. The Norwegian Chai scoop with a chocolate Izzy turned out to be positively delicious, with the Izzy blending well with smooth chai. There is nothing better than hand-made ice cream in a warm, fresh waffle cone.

With 36 flavors to choose from daily, and over 150 flavors total, Izzy’s has a perfect favor combination for everyone. Izzy’s has been open for 12 years and the crowds continue to clamor for their signature scoop. Along with mouthwatering, high-quality ice cream, Izzy’s offers a variety of flavors

that other shops just can’t compete with, including such unique flavors as cream cheese, cereal milk and Spongebob. The store also hosts a flavor contest where customers can submit a flavor they would like to try, and they taste and select the winners. The winner of 2011 was Mango Django, mango ice cream with honey, vinegar, poppy seeds and spices.

Along with ice cream, Izzy’s offers catering and their own creation called an Izzy Pop. This cute, perfectly sized treat is a scoop of ice cream dipped in chocolate and put on a stick, ready to eat.

These added incentives add to the uniqueness of the store, but in the end it’s the high quality ice cream that draws crowds.

It doesn’t matter if the wind outside is colder than the ice cream, make sure to check out Izzy’s Ice Cream Cafe, a unique store with every imaginable flavor under the sun.

Price range: $3.00-$8.00 Hours:

12 pm - 9 pm on Sunday-Thursday, 12 pm - 10 pm on Friday & Saturday

Location:

Marshall Avenue in St. Paul

downtowner woodfire grill Saif Ahmed

r

Columnist/Blogger

The atmosphere is a blend of woodsy lodge and sophisticated urban restaurant, with a very relaxing, aromatic wood smoke smell.

Hardly a restaurant around has this kind of friendly, professional service, and the food is top notch.

The restaurant is gorgeous -beautiful craftsmanship and architecture within, white tablecloths -- very rich-looking.

The restaurant prides itself on delectable pizzas with the classy woodfire taste. The Thai Chicken pizza in particular embodies the flavors that the Downtowner felicitates.

Not only was the pizza delicious, but the fettuccine alfredo was as well; the way the flavors blended together was near perfect.

The best part however, was dessert, specifically the apple crisp. A large scoop of ice cream sits on top of warm and freshly made apple crisp. The combination of these two sweet and savory desserts is as close to heaven as you can get on Earth.

Price Range: $9.95-$31.95 Hours: 7 am to 9 pm on weekdays, 7 am to 11 pm on Saturdays, 8 am to 9 pm on Sundays

Location:

West 7th Street in St. Paul

Photo used with permission from Downtowner Woodfire Grill Downtowner Woodfire Grill showcases beautiful craftsmanship and architecture in and out and a menu that will make any patron’s mouth water. Thai Chicken pizza is one signature item from the Downtowner that will tease any taste palate.

A r o u n d Tow n 13 November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

SERVED A LA PUMPKIN St. Paul Academy and Summit School

PUMPKIN SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE. THE NEWEST CREATIONS ARRIVE AT LOCAL STORES.

Photo Credit: Hannah Johnson Juniors Isabelle Johnson and Mary Merrill enjoy Starbuck’s newest seasonal drink, the Pumpkin Spice Latte. “Pumpkin Spice becomes our most popular flavor once we get it,” Starbucks barsita Anja Witek said.

Hannah Johnson

r Sports Editor/ Broadcast

It is almost impossible to escape pumpkins during the fall. Spooky Jack O'Lanterns guard doorsteps and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown appears on TV. Both the Highland Village shopping center and Grand Avenue are making sure that food is no exception to this pumpkin craze.

No matter what type of food one is craving, the Highland Village shopping center provides many pumpkin options for a hungry stomach. Some of these scrumptious treats include pumpkin pie Blizzards at Dairy Queen, pumpkin pancakes at the Highland Grill and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies at Lunds grocery store.

Employees at these shops notice a high demand for these pumpkin flavors in the fall. “Pumpkin Spice becomes our most popular flavor once we get it,” Starbucks barista Anja Witek said.

Some of these hungry customers include St. Paul Academy and Summit School students. “Pumpkin Spice at Starbucks is so good,” sophomore Aliza Rahman said.

Rahman said that she likes eating pumpkin foods in the fall because it is the only time it is available and it reminds her of the warm fall colors. Many other SPA students take advantage of this seasonal specials on chilly fall days after sports practices. Junior Mary Merrill raved about pumpkin bagels, which “we have a lot during the tennis season as our snack,” she said.

For students looking to expand

their pumpkin taste buds, SPA’s neighborhood is home to many more tasty eateries. Only minutes away from the school is Grand Avenue, where more stores sell pumpkin themed foods . Many students go to the Breadsmith Bakery only blocks away from school for a delicious treat. “I like the pumpkin bread from Breadsmith,” sophomore Maddie Kett said. Further along Grand Avenue sits Cafe Latte, where pumpkin white chocolate cheesecake receives rave reviews from sophomore Neerja Thakkar. Thakkar also recommends Trader Joe’s, on Randolph Avenue, for more pumpkin options. “I like pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin ravioli from Trader Joe’s,” Thakkar said.

All Food Photos Credit: Aditi Kulkarni From top to bottom: Breadsmith pumpkin bread and pumpkin scone, Trader Joe’s pumpkin ravioli are amongst favorite pumpkin snacks St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s students are enjoying this season. “I like pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin ravioli from Trader Joe’s,” sophomore Neerja Thakkar said.

14 A r t s & E n t e r t a i n m e n t November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

August Blues sings an upbeat tune The band’s first album, Out of the Blue, wows audiences with soft acoustic tunes Album

Review Ibad Jafri

r

Managing Editor Online Editor-in-Chief

Acoustic songs have been played and positively received for years. A soft guitar and consistent drumbeat are familiar to many a music aficionado.

But McKenna Selissen’s voice is a completely new commodity. Her vocal expertise, along with the guitar of Cavan Denning and the drum beats of junior Dylan White, combine adeptly in folk-rock band August Blues.

The talent inherent in the group comes through on their first album, Out of the Blue.

White recalls his friendship with Denning, with whom he has been best friends since early childhood.

“Once we got around to fifth,

sixth grade we both started playing instruments, and then we just started playing around together,” White said.

From there, their musical en-

“

We always have a really good time whether we’re just playing in concerts or practicing in someone’s house. junior Dylan White deavors took off. “We formed a few minor bands.

We ended up getting a singer and bassist and played a couple of talent shows and we realized that we really liked it. Afterwards, we heard this girl sing at a couple of the talent shows we played and we thought that she sounded absolutely amazing. ” White said.

That girl was Selissen.

“Dylan, Cavan and I have

played music together since 8th grade, but formed the band last January,” Selissen said.

Perhaps most instrumental in the creation of this band was the shared love of performing in each others’ company. “I love hanging out with them,” White said. “We always have a really good time whether we’re just playing in concerts or practicing at someone’s house. The atmosphere as a whole is really fun.”

A few months after their formation, August Blues played at SPA’s 2012 Battle of the Bands. Their performance was received overwhelmingly positively. “I remember everyone watching starting to die down, but as soon as they came on everyone ran up to the stage,” sophomore Mansuda Arora said.

“They were so amazing. At first, we thought it was a recording.”

The trio looks to continue their work hot off the release of their first album.“We’re going to keep practicing, taking it day-by-day,” White said. “We’ve got a couple of gigs already coming up in November and December. Hopefully we can learn a lot more songs and even create some more, and, if all goes well, a second album should be in the works.”

Photo submitted by Dylan White Junior Dylan White poses with his band, August Blues, along with McKenna Selissen and Cavan Denning. White’s band recently released their first album, Out of the Blue. “We always have a really good time whether we’re just playing in concerts or practicing at someone’s house. The atmosphere as a whole is really fun,” White said about his band.

See upcoming appearances and hear songs at August Blues on Facebook.

Photo used with permission from the August Blues Facebook page

Skyfall remains true to its roots, but ultimately lacks punch Andy Monserud

r

Op/ Ed Editor

James Bond has been the subject of much conversation lately.

Were he a real spy, this would be concerning. But he’s not, and the chatter around Bond’s latest exploits is nothing but good news for Double-O-Seven. The latest Bond movie, Skyfall, has been dubbed the best yet by many Bond fans.

To a first-time Bond viewer, that doesn’t say much for the billion-dollar franchise, because Skyfall is not an excellent movie. It’s a good movie, but the viewer can’t help but think that after 50 years, Bond has to have been better.

That said, Skyfall is everything a Bond movie should be: fast, suspenseful, witty and saturated with fast cars and beautiful women.

The plot revolves around an attack on MI6 by an unknown party, an attack which only underscores the idea that the organization is behind the times. The attacker turns out to be a former MI6 agent (Javier Bardem) with an unhealthy obsession with spy boss M, played immaculately by veteran Judi Dench.

Bardem, too, is gloriously creepy, despite a criminal lack of screen time. Without these performances, Skyfall would just be another Bond movie.

Sprinkled throughout the film are references to earlier films: mentions of exploding pens, conspicuously placed mirrors and an appearance by a certain beige car.

All these supplement the greater theme that Bond’s getting old.

About time, too. It’s been 48 years since Auric Goldfinger spoke the iconic phrase “no, Mr. Bond, I

expect you to die.” Who knew he would have to wait so long? At long last, Bond has to face the idea of mortality.

All this would make the movie much better if it meant anything.

By the film’s end, Bond is, as ever, back on assignment. Nothing changes. Double-O-Seven returns to his life of good scotch, bad pick-up lines and constant brawling without a second thought.

Perhaps it’s too much to ask of a cash-cow such as Bond to change his formula. But even a new Bond watcher can see that the franchise is going nowhere. Skyfall promised to be revolutionary, and it wasn’t. It was just another pretty good movie. Ah, well. At least the theme song is catchy, and a reminder that some things don’t need to be changed.

Photo used with permission from Flickr Creative Commons

Ar ts & Enter tainment

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

15

Hazel Belvo

Artist Teacher Pioneer

Photo credit: Lucy Li

Belvo returns with paintings full of joy, loss, growth Lucy Li

r

Cover Story Editor

Although Hazel Belvo’s Drake Gallery Exhibit, Four Decades of Painting, covers selections of her work from 1974 to 2011, the story of her love of art reaches far before then.

Belvo taught in the art department at St. Paul Academy and Summit School from 1972 to 1989.

Belvo’s art has been exhibited for 50 years and can be found in many collections including the Minneapolis Institute of Art and Minnesota Historical Society.

Along with Upper School Arts Department Chair Marty Nash, she is part of the Women’s Art Resources of Minnesota, a group for women artists. Belvo is also a retired chair of the Division of Fine Art at MCAD and an instructor at Grand Marais Art Colony, where artists gather from all over the world. She and her partner, Marcia Cushmore, share a studio in Minneapolis.

“I would say I am a storyteller and I like stories, I like narrative,” Belvo said. “So the paintings that

you see here in this studio, they all have a story.”

For example, Belvo’s painting of a large tree, which hangs near the entrance of the gallery, depicts a certain tree on the North Shore, called the Spirit Tree by the Objiwas. The Spirit Tree has been the subject of many of Belvo’s paintings since 1961.

When Belvo was a little girl in the 1920’s and 1930’s, she lived on a farm that had a pond. The roots of trees around the pond often curved down into the water. Because of this, Belvo acquired special awe for trees in the early years of her life.

Belvo’s exhibit in the Drake Gallery tells the story of major changes in Belvo’s life, too. In the spring of 1972, Belvo’s oldest son died of leukemia. “One of the things that happened to me was that I couldn’t stand loud noises and everything was so raw in feeling,” Belvo said. “And I couldn’t stand strong color.” Because of this, most of Belvo’s paintings in the 70’s are almost all white.

Belvo didn’t begin to paint with vibrant colors again until the

hospital where Belvo’s son passed away later commissioned her for a painting. “Color has always been really instrumental in my work; maybe one of the main focuses of the visual language is color,” Belvo said.

Belvo says people might call her an “old-fashioned painter.” “I think of [painting] as carving out the surface, what you want to do is give the surface life… and I can do it with a brush better than anything else, I think,” she said.

To Belvo, art is “making something that wasn’t there, making something internal become external so that you can see your inner life.”

“My whole life is about art; it’s such a privilege,” she said. The most magical aspect of being an artist is how fast time flies as she works. “You go in a studio and pick up a brush, maybe it’s ten o’clock in the morning. Before you know it, it’s three o’clock in the afternoon, and you don’t know what happened, it’s just all there in front of you,” Belvo said.

Aside from her studio in Minneapolis, Belvo also paints at a

Photo Credit: Lucy Li Hazel Belvo shows a visitor at the reception her collection of works. Her exhibit, Four Decades of Painting, is on display in the Drake Gallery until Nov. 30. “I think of [painting] as carving out the surface, what you want to do is give the surface life… and I can do it with a brush better than anything else, I think,” she said.

house on Lake Superior with her partner for five months every year.

There, she can experience the riches of nature as much as possible, especially because it allows her to “have one foot on land and one foot in the water,” Belvo said.

“Being in the house is like being on a ship.”

Belvo’s exhibit in the Drake Gallery began Nov. 1 and will end Nov. 30. She’s excited to be back

at St. Paul Academy and Summit School and see some of the people who have been part of the SPA community since she worked here.

Currently, Belvo is also painting a series of 22 paintings called Resurrection that she hopes to find a venue for. Additionally, she has a show at the Bockley Gallery in the April and May of next year that will showcase many of her works on trees.

Belvo co-creates the Art Department 1972 Belvo arrives at SPA and creates the art department

1973-4 Belvo helps students paint the Adam and Eve painting in the Lower Library

1989 Belvo leaves SPA to teach at Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Lucy Li

r

Cover Story Editor

Imagine stepping 40 years back through time and walking through the art hallway. Instead of pots clicking against each other on a shelf and easel after easel of student work, there was barely anything but a Shakespeare room on one side and a few tables. No one took art classes, and the idea of an art department was still fresh and new.

Tom Reed, the headmaster of St. Paul Academy and Summit School at that time, had heard of Belvo’s work at the Bunting Institute at Harvard. Reed asked for her help in building a fine arts department for the school, and Belvo agreed.

Belvo arrived at SPA in 1972, and with current Upper School Ceramics teacher Bob Jewett, pio-

neered an artistic revolution at SPA that lasts to today. Some of their goals were to “equip the studio as if it was going to be a professional studio and treat our students as if they were going to be artists,” Jewett said.

Soon, art classes were set up, and students began to win competitions. Other private schools, such as Blake, Breck, and Mounds Park Academy, sought to model their art department after SPA’s.

“I would say [Belvo]’s a genius at teaching kids how to draw and tap into their inner selves,” Jewett said.

“We were young and so there was a tremendous sense of enthusiasm and energy.”

Mentoring others has always had a special place in Belvo’s heart.

“I love teaching, because I think teaching and making art is like one and the same,” she said.

Because of what Jewett described as “her steadfast belief in herself as an artist,” Belvo orga-

Photo reprinted from the 1977 Ibid Hazel Belvo and Upper School Ceramics teacher Bob Jewett created the Upper School Art Department in 1972. “I would say [Belvo]’s a genius at teaching kids how to draw and tap into their inner selves,” Jewett said.

nized ways for artists to come in and talk to students. Art festivals occurred in which professionals, ranging from potters to glass blowers, set up demonstrations in the courtyard and raised money for the school.

Belvo also helped students paint the Adam and Eve mural in the lower library, which many students walk by today. “There was a

real shared sense of purpose and what was important and that kind of focus has continued on,” Jewett said. In 1989, Belvo left SPA to teach at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD).

“I loved every year, every bit of the time I spent at St. Paul Academy.” Belvo said. “It was very hard to leave.”

16 M i nu t e s o f Fa m e

Gita Raman

r

Staff Writer

For freshman Maggie Vlietstra, there are three rules to a perfect outfit. One: Dress for yourself and not others, enjoy what you're wearing, dress with confidence.

Own it. Two: Have fun, follow your own rules. Three: Make sure that everything goes together. Be cohesive.

Ever since the beginning of the year, people have noticed Vlietstra’s fashionable dresses, skirts and accessories. Whether it is a bedazzled headband and a jean jacket with a scarf or a plain shirt and her pleated peach skirt, Vlietstra’s fashion style causes a buzz in conversation.

Vlietstra buys most of her clothes from Urban Outfitters, Viva, Rewind Vintage and Blacklist Vintage. Some of her consorts in vintage shopping are freshmen Miriam and Alice Tibbetts. “We like to go look at fancy stuff and window shop,” Miriam Tibbetts said.

“A vintage shop is like a treasure hunt; you have to dig until you find it [the right item],” Vlietstra said. She usually buys skirts, dresses, and jewelry, but her tastes move with current fads. “I especially like the cozy sweater trend and wearing lots of fun prints,” Vlietstra said.

Vlietstra gets plenty of in-

A vintage shop is like a treasure hunt; you have to dig until you find [the right item].

Vlietstra inspired by fashion online

Fashionologie

freshman Maggie Vlietstra formation from a variety of fashion blogs. Some of her favorite blogs are Fashionologie, Clothes Horse and Style Bubble. Fashionologie is an up-to-date blog about fashion and who is best-dressed - it already features 2013 spring fashion collections. Clothes Horse is a monthly blog written by Amelia Alvarez, a writer and actress in Los Angeles.

Style Bubble is another popular blog written by London-based writer and editor Susanne Lau. These websites have played a huge role in making Vlietstra more fashion-conscious. “I’ve always been interested in fashion, but last year I started spending a lot of my time reading blogs, reading books, collaging and things like that. And I still do,” Vlietstra said.

One of Vlietstra’s most frequented websites is ModCloth, an online vintage shop.

Vlietstra said her greatest fashion role model is actress Emma Watson. “She has a good sense of style and self,” Vlietstra said.

Although she is but a freshman, Vlietstra has high hopes for a future which may include work in the fashion industry. “I would love to work in the fashion industry!”

Vlietstra said. “It would be really cool to work as a fashion editor or a stylist at a magazine.”

Biggest Fashion role model? “[She] has a good sense of style and self,” Vliestra said.

Emma Watson

Maggie Vlietstra mixes classic fashion and vintage style

“

Vintage goes high tech

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

November 2012. Vol XXXX. Issue III.

Used with permission from David Shankbone on Creative Commons

This online news magazine focuses on fashion, shopping, and designers and has an extensive video and photo library. The quicklinks feature on the home page takes readers to designer specific stories on the site.

Clothes Horse

This blog out of rural Pennsylvania is an artistic personal style blog that features the blogger’s daily outfits as well as magazine editorials, movie reviews, illustrations, and other various visually inspiring things. It can be followed on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instragram.

Style Bubble

Maggie Vlietstra’s 3 rules to fashion 1. Dress for yourself and not others, enjoy what you’re wearing, dress with confidence. Own it.

2. Have fun, follow your own rules.

3. Make sure that everything goes together. Be cohesive.

Photo Credit: Gita Raman

Susanna Lau, known as Susie Bubble, is a writer and editor living and working in London. Her edgy blog covers music, style, travel, and “Beautiful People.”