September 2010

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ubicon September 2010 <volume XXXVIII issue I> St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Ave. St. Paul, MN

In this issue: • Is your backpack too heavy? -Sci/Tech 7 • What does the First Amendment say about hate crimes? -Op/Ed 14 • Want to learn about Minnesota colleges?

-Center

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Welcome

Staff the rubicon

Editor in Chief Nadja Milena

Managing Editor Maddie Butler

Chief Visual Editor Joanna Mendelsohn

News Editor

Noah Shavit-Lonstein

Feature Editor Rebecca Xu

Sci/Tech Editor Allison Wang

Centerspread Editor Iman Jafri

Sports Editor Alex Smith

Op/Ed Editor Rachel Kinney

A & E Editor

September 2010

Letter from the Editor

At first I was afraid, I was petrified...

W

e have made it through the first three weeks of school. The “hello agains” are over, the introductions-- for the most part-- have been made, and the first day back feeling has definitely faded. Knowing we have a year of hard work and little sunlight ahead of us can be daunting. “I was really excited to see people, but now that I have, I’m ready for a another summer vacation,” said Senior Ross Baker, on the very first day of school.

(Ps. Ross: kudos on being one of three great speakers in the very first week of speeches.)

So, the first thrill is gone but, despite the work ahead, the excitement has just begun. Freshman are entering a new world of dances and the occasional English D-Day, sophomores are defining themselves as a class, juniors are (probably) working harder than they’ve ever worked, and seniors are taking classes that they (for the most part) chose themselves and are learning how to apply to college. For a snapshot of local colleges, see Centerspread. We all have our work cut out for us, and honestly, we all have a lot to be excited about.

Here are some things I’ve loved about the first three weeks of school:

1. Meeting so many new teaches and students and knowing that there are still more to meet. This fall,

SPA welcomes 11 new faculty members in almost every discipline. For stories about them that aren’t just about where they’ve studied and worked, see Feature, pp. 4-6.

2. Tablet/One Note frustrations and discoveries. The introduction of this new technology has been

Satire Editor

different for everyone. The halls and classrooms are filled students syncing their homework and learning how to not break their pens. For some OneNote tips, see Sci/Tech p. 7. It’s a learning process, and I think we’re right on track.

Staff Writer

3. Passionate and informed discussions.

Kaia Wahmanholm

August King

Henry Moyers

Contributor Ella Coon

Editorial Cartoon Ria Guest

Sometimes I feel like we study too much History and not enough history in the making. Of course history informs the present, but current events are an incredibly important part of our education. We’ve got to inform ouselves, and reading news is one of the best ways to do so (News is page 3). Thank you to every student that brought up something important that wasn’t directly related to class and every teacher that took time out of class to discuss something that will undoubtedly make history. For more opinions on current events, see our Editorial in Op/Ed, p. 14.

4. Senior speeches. Senior privileges. Senior lounge. Class of ’11, how strange that we’re suddenly rolling like big shots. We have our own room, we’re acquiring our own furniture and we’re sitting in the big kid chairs in assembly. So far, it seems that our class isn’t falling into the trap of thinking we’re done with school as soon as the 12th grade year starts. According to Dean Cummins, 30 people volunteered to be Senior Mentors; a record turnout. Let’s keep it up!

We will survive,

Cover Photo Credit: Joanna Mendelsohn Physics books line the tables in Dr. Helig’s classroom, ready and waiting for students to start the year.

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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 Awards JEM All-State Gold, 2004-2008 JEM All-State Silver, 2009 MHSPA Best in Show, 2004-2008 NSPA First Class with 3 marks of Distinction, 2010 Subscriptions may be purchased by emailing The Rubicon at rubicon.spa@gmail.com The Rubicon does not accept advertisements

In the issue News....................................................................................................................3 Feature..............................................................................................................4-6 Sci &Tech............................................................................................................7 Centerspread...................................................................................................8&9 Sports..........................................................................................................10&11 A &E..................................................................................................................12 Op/Ed..........................................................................................................13&14 Satire..................................................................................................................15 RubiMail

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News

September 2010

Dougherty “bleats” the competition at this year’s Minnesota State Fair What are Nigerian Dwar ves?

For St. Paul Academy and Summit School senior Isabella Dougherty, they are the cutest goats and the best pets you could ever have.

As a child, Isabella grew up with only one thing in mind: goats. While her brothers would visit amusement parks for the rides, Isabella would be perfectly content just sitting in the petting zoo with the goats.

She was awarded the prize of Grand Champion for her showing of Buttons, a twoyear-old Nigerian Dwarf, during this year’s 4H youth division at the State Fair. In the ‘open class’ section, Buttons received 5th place.

“Sometimes you can get first place and grand champion, and in the next show, you could get last place…

It just depends on what the judge is looking for, and sometimes you get lucky,” Isabella said.

Alison Wang Sci/Tech Editor

Photo courtesy: Carolina Friends school website

Filmmaker will speak to faculty Focus of Professional Development presentation will be on Prep School experience As a part of fall faculty day, director and producer André Robert Lee will be presenting to St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s K-12 faculty come Oct. 21. Lee will talk about his most recent project, a documentary near and dear to him: The Prep School Negro.

Lee grew up in the ghettos of Philadelphia. At the age of 14, he received a full scholarship to Germantown Friends School (GFS), one of the most elite schools in the country.

While his education at GFS expanded Lee’s opportunities, he did not always feel comfortable there. According to Lee, before GFS, he had very little contact with people who were neither black nor poor. “It was beyond race,” said Lee. “I was thrust into this environment, and I felt completely overwhelmed.”

Lee’s experience at GFS led him to make his latest documentary, the Prep School Negro. “I kind of had the idea since ninth grade,” said Lee in an e-mail interview. “It was originally a way to tell my family, and deal with, what was happening, because this was changing my entire life.”

In the film, he explores of lives of the “prep school Negroes” of today, and tells his story along with theirs.

“I discovered that a lot of people related to the story and [it helped] that someone else felt so isolated and alone as they did.”

To all students who feel this way, Lee says “First, believe and trust that you belong in that environment if you’re there. And second, vocalize that internal dialogue that’s so real.”

Lee said he will not preach to the SPA faculty, but instead discuss. “I refuse to walk into a place and be like, ‘this is what you should do!’ First I show the movie, then answer their questions, and we work together to address issues.”

Iman Jafri

Centerspread Editor

This year, Nigerian Dwarves were the most prevalent class of goats at the fair. Her 4H competition included people who were operating their own dairy goat farms. And in open class, adult breeders were coming from all over the state with 19-20 goats.

“It’s hard to compete, when you’re going against the people you bought your goats from,” Isabella said. “[Buttons did] really well, considering that I was against all the other big breeders in the state, with about 90 goats each compared to my three.”

However, the competition is not the only reason Isabella loves showing goats. At the state fair, she worked at the “I milked a goat” booth to answer the questions of other Minnesotans.

“Knowing where everything comes from, like what you’re eating and putting in your mouth, is important,” Isabella said.

Submitted Photo: Isabella Doughtery Dougherty has loved goats since she was a child and spreads awareness of agriculture and animal rights as she competes.

“I think it’s important to be there representing the animals,” she said.

But a lot of the people don’t understand the importance of agriculture. Many farmers don’t enjoy bringing animals to the state fair because of the blatant disrespect that fairgoers show toward the animals. “They think it’s funny to feed them ciga-

rettes… or put dirty hay in their mouths,” Isabella said.

“I think it’s important to be there representing the animals.”

From the state fair, Isabella hopes to have shown that agriculture is still relevant to society today.

Lunch trays removed from dining hall Lunch staff plans to save water, money, and calories Alison Wang

St. Paul Sci/Tech Editor Academy and Summit School is now tray-less as part of a nationwide trend to save water and reduce the school’s environmental impact.

Following in the footsteps of the Goodrich campus’s tray removal, the Randolph campus has started its own tray removal at the begin-

ning of the school year. This initiative would reduce the amount of water that SPA sends to its treatment facilities. An estimated annual total of 6,000 gallons would be saved by getting rid of the trays that take 40 gallons per day to wash.

Getting rid of the lunch trays has economic benefits too, saving money on water and chemicals to wash the

trays. With fewer things to wash, SPA will be able to put all the money saved back into the lunch program.

Senior Gavi Levy-Haskell and junior Andrew Bradley agree that eliminating the trays is wise. Bradley believes that taking away the trays will cause students to throw away less of the extra food piled on trays. “People will take smaller amounts of the

food they want, instead of taking a lot more than they need,” Levy-Haskell said.

Other efficiency improvements to the lunchroom include the move of silverware to the end of lines. This move will help students and faculty take only the silverware that they need.

The war is over, the struggle continues Combat ends in Iraq, but troops remain for the time being

Henry Moyers

At the end of August, president Obama announced the end of America’s “combat” in Iraq, but stated that troops remain.

“Tonight, I’d like to talk to you about the end of our combat mission in Iraq, the ongoing security challenges we face, and the need to rebuild our nation here at home,” Obama said. The speech included a developed strategy for ending U.S. involvement and increasing the quality of life in the United States. Obama went on to talk about how war in Iraq weakened the view of America by other countries and created a sense of distrust of the American government at home.

The president thanked troops in the early part of his speech: “Our troops fought block by block to help Iraq seize the chance for a better future.” He reminded viewers that about 100,000 U.S. Staff Writer

troops have been removed from Iraq, and military officials have already closed many U.S. military bases.

He said that “as our military draws down, our dedicated civilian-diplomats, aid workers, and advisors, are moving into the lead to support Iraq as it strengthens its government, resolves political disputes, resettles those displaced by war, and builds ties with the region and the world.”

President Obama and former President George W. Bush spoke about ending the conflict in Iraq the day before the speech. Obama wanted to let Bush know what he was planning and that he was going to address the nation on Iraq. The two came away from the conversation agreeing that there were patriots who supported and opposed the Iraq War, all who have done service for the country.

Although the U.S. will be

pulling out of Iraq, Obama said that the fight against al-Qaeda will continue. He said that, “We will disrupt, dismantle and defeat alQaeda, while preventing Afghanistan from again serving as a base for terrorists.” With Iraq lower on the priority list of the US, more funds and supplies can be relocated to Afghanistan to be used against the insurgents.

President Obama ended the speech by thanking theU.S. troops again for their service, and said that “they are the steel in the ship that is America.”

Upper School Council President Al Johnson felt that Obama’s speech was inadequate to the topic which was being presented.

Johnson said that she would have changed the way that Obama worded his speech, saying that “He should have explained the benefits in a better way and addressed the concerns.” Johnson thought

that Obama was right in ending the war in Iraq, but he expressed it poorly.

Senior Alexander Hassan approves of the end of the war, hoping it will help to establish a stronger Iraq. “It’s good to put responsibility on the Iraqi government, so that the government doesn’t become weak and depend on external forces.”

Upper school history teacher Mr. Finch said that pulling out of Iraq is historically significant. “Iraq is a mixing pot of different parts of Islam. It was controlled by the British, then a dictator and then by the Americans. Iraq never had time to sort anything out, which is important for a large diversity of people.”

Operation: Iraqi Freedom killed 4,420 U.S. soldiers and wounding 31,926. In 2009, America spend $7.3 billion per month on the war. It cost $390,000 to deploy one solider to Iraq.

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Newsbrief Pastor retracts plans to burn Qur’an Terry Jones, the pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida, declared that he would burn copies of the Qur’an to mark the anniversary of September 11. His plan was met with protest from not only Americans, but members of the international Muslim world. Military leaders advised President Obama that if Jones was allowed to burn copies of the Qur’an, US troops might be subject to additional violence in the Middle East. Jones agreed to cancel the burning if he could meet with the Imam in charge of the construction of the Islamic center near ground zero. Speculation lingered on whether copies of the holy Muslim text would be burned or not. On Saturday, September 10, Jones said that “we would definitely not burn the Qur’an, not today, not ever.”

For more information on this subject, visit The Rubicon Opinion/Editorial section.

Ninth grade orientation restructured For freshmen of past SPA school years, the first week of school is filled with freshman orientation and an overnight retreat. This year’s group of freshman, however, had a different experience. Instead of filling up the first days of school with bonding activities, the class of 2014 held their orientation the Monday before school started. Instead of an overnight retreat, freshmen spent a day on campus.

On the orientation day, the freshmen were divided into two groups. One group worked on bonding and learning about the school while the other volunteered at Feed my Starving Children. The two groups switched in the middle of the day. Senior mentors also helped out during activities such as the Scavenger hunt, and freshmen could ask them questions. Instead of spending two days on retreat, freshmen spent the whole Wednesday, September 1 at Baker Park Reserve.

During the retreat, freshmen were broken into groups and participated in two activities. Activates ranged from archery to rock climbing to fishing.

For more up-to the minute News, friend The Rubicon page on Facebook

4 As seasons change, new faces Feature

September 2010

From left to right: Dorothy Goldie, Mollie Ward, Neil Bray, Aimeric Lajuzan, Josephine Auyeung.

“We have at least one teacher in every academic department who was not teaching in the Upper School last year. Schools change. Good, effective teachers change too. They are constantly re-evaluating and refining their lessons, rethinking their curriculum, and making adjustments based on the students they have, new developments in their fields, and simply applying the lessons of experience as they teach.”

-Principal Chris Hughes

Aimeric Lajuzan His headphones blast punk rock.

He likes playing video games. His tattoos are hidden by pants and sleeves, and his excitement at the fastapproaching snowboarding season is visible. No, this is not the portrait of a rebellious student – it is a glimpse at the life of new St. Paul Academy and Summit School US French teacher Aimeric Lajuzan.

Lajuzan has been cultivating his passions from a young age, playing in his first band when he was 15 years old. “I’m really into music,” said Lajuzan, who is currently the lead singer in a Minneapolis-based punk rock band. “I love punk rock, I’ve played that for a long time, but I’m really into hip-hop too, alternative rock, and electro. I even like classical music, and bluegrass… everything really.”

Maddie Butler Managing Editor

Lajuzan has been snowboarding for a long time as well; learning his first year attending University in France and becoming an instructor by his second. “Being with all the other instructors who had been skiing and snowboarding since they were little kids encouraged me to go and get much better,” he said. “I had a lot of friends who were very into the whole freestyle jumping, and sliding, all that stuff, so I spent a lot of time in the park.” Upon moving to Minnesota he looked up the largest ski area he could find – Afton Alps – and has snowboarded there since.

Apart from playing music and hitting the slopes, Lajuzan, who holds degrees from the University of Toulouse and Hamline University, also frequently visits art museums, works at Lac du Bois French

immersion camp (part of Concordia Language Villages), and has recently welcomed a new baby into the family with his wife. Although busy, Lajuzan enjoys the abundance of activities Minnesota offers. “There’s always somewhere to go…It’s incredible, everything that happens here,” he said. “As soon as the sun starts shining there is something to do.”

Nan Dreher

How many national parks can you name?

Not a lot? That’s okay. Upper School history teacher Nan Dreher, a new member of the Rebecca Xu

Feature Editor

St. Paul Academy and Summit School community can name quite a few, and it’s not just because she’s a history lover.

Actually, Dreher began her career as an investment banker.

However, passion overcame her practicality and she went back to graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania to earn her Ph.D. in European History.

During Dreher’s Junior year in graduate school, she decided to study abroad in London.

From there, her greatest interests: national parks, traveling

and history, would intertwine in a union that would last for the next twenty years.

It began in London. She went to graduate school and enjoyed visits to Lake Distric and Stonehenge.

Next it was Philadelphia.

She finished graduate school and married her husband.

Then it was Texas. Her husband received a job offer in Houston, and she was to teach there. She was also able to see the Alamo.

Afterwards it was Wisconsin.

Mollie Ward “A great thing about the Upper School is the kids believe that the teachers have their best interest at heart,” says Mollie Ward, a new faculty member of St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s Upper School History department. While not a new face at SPA, Ward has transitioned from teaching in the Middle School to teaching four periods of United States History and a second semester World History II class.

Described as “sassy”, “very realistic”, and “the best”, US students are eager to have one of their favorite teachers from middle school teach more sophisticated courses. ““Ms. Ward belongs in the Upper School,” Junior Adam Lurie said, “All the tactics she uses as a successful Upper School teacher were put to waste dealing with the immaturity of Middle School students.” Students have said that they like to have Ward as their teacher because of her straightforward teaching style and the way she incorporates her sarcastic personality into her classroom’s environment, having the ability to handle even the rowdiAugust King Satire Editor

She became a teacher at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

Because her stay was brief, she missed her chance to visit the Boundary Waters, but she plans to do so in the future.

Next it was Maryland. She taught at Holton-Arms School in Bethesda and the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore. Living near Washington D.C., she went to the Smithsonian, several historical parks, and Colonial Willamsburg in Virginia. “[Colonial Willamsburg] That was always one of my favorite places to go

est of students. “I can be pretty persuasive, and my logic is hard to refute. (As alumna from SPA ’83) I was a bit of a handful myself,” Ward says, “just the act of returning to school and becoming colleagues with former teachers [is funny], some of whom I had tormented pretty relentlessly through my years there. I still can’t believe Mr. Leiter even talks to me. He was a very young teacher when I had him, and, smelling the blood in the water, went after him like a shark.”

As we get back into the vibe of school, students are starting to get a feel for their classes. So far, Sophomore Will Whitaker could not be happier with his new teacher, “I am glad to have her personality back into the high school hallways where it really belongs” said Whitaker.

as a kid and it was so cool to take my kids there” said Dreher.

Then it was California. She became the new teacher at the Brentwood School in Los Angeles and fell in love with the giant evergreen trees in Sequoia.

Finally it was Minnesota.

Dreher joins SPA as the new Upper School World History and Economics teacher.

After reminiscing about all the places she’s traveled to, Dreher jokes, “I should write a travel guide.”

5 share wisdom, perspectives...

Feature

September 2010

From left to right: Carmen Vanegas, Cindy Richter, Andrew Currie, Susanna Short, Nan Dreher, Andrew Roy.

Cindy Richter Every morning Sports Editor during her senior year, newly titled Assistant Head of School Cindy Richter would get a ride to school from Ran Miner, who at the time was a teacher at St. Paul Academy and Summit School and is now a member of the board of directors.

“I loved those rides to school,” said Richter, “he was an extremely wise and kind Alex Smith

adult presence and it was a nice way to make the transition from home to school.”

“In a way, Mr. Miner’s car rides functioned for me in the same way a conversation with an advisor during advisory group would today,” said Richter.

When Richter was a senior, students did not pick their advisors; they were assigned. Today advisors hold both a personal and academic relationship with students, yet back then it was purely academic.

“The advisor was the person who handed you your report card at the end of the quarter,” said Richter. The 15 minute advisory sessions that are an everyday occurrence today didn’t exist back then.

“How some students use their advisor as a sounding board to vent out their frustration with school or life, I used Mr. Miner in the same way. He also helped give perspective on challenging

Susanna Short things. It was a nice feeling to have an adult to talk to besides your parents.”

While Richter is no longer receiving rides from Miner to school, she now has the responsibility of giving someone else a ride to school: her son. “I am usually running a little late, but I drop off my five year old son at pre-school, and then I rush over [to SPA]” said Richter.

She recognizes that although she very much enjoys them, the car rides with her young son cannot and should not be the same as her car rides with her mentor.

“The conversation [we had] might happen better with an advisor, or some other adult, rather than a parent,” said Richter, “especially when you’re in high school, it is your job to define who you are independently; you need other adults, besides your parents, to have those conversations with.”

Andrew Currie God morgen, lesere af denne artikkelen!

If you didn’t understand that, then you’ve probably never been to Norway- unlike St. Paul Academy’s new fifth grade teacher, Andrew Currie.

Currie got a nine-month teaching job at an elementary school in Norway and enjoyed it so much that he stayed there for Noah Shavit-Lonstein News Editor

two years.

At the beginning of his teaching career, Currie taught for a year at an International Baccalaureate school in Golden Valley, which teaches kindergartners through fifth graders about different cultures and international relations. When his position ended, he heard about an opening at Norway’s Trodheim International School. The school’s international angle was similar to that of his previous job. He had always had an interest in Norwegian culture, as well as relatives in Norway, and decided to apply.

The most obvious change for Currie was the language barrier. Fortunately, the majority of people in Norway spoke English along with Norwegian,

and would talk to him in English until he could pick up some Norwegian. He was also able to teach in English. But not everything was as simple. “My washing machine buttons were all in Norwegian,” said Currie “and so was the stove, not to mention metric units. So everything turned into a little bit of an adventure.”

Another big change was the extreme northern location of Norway. Due to its proximity to the Arctic Circle, the sun is up almost all day in the summer and down almost all day in the winter. Many people adapt by purchasing blinds for summertime and lighting candles in the winter. “It makes it very appealing visually to be outside], even though it’s dark,” said Currie.

Susanna Short loves food.

Growing up in a small, rural town in Michigan, food was the “immediate response to death or birth,” Short said, the celebration of life, and the comfort after loss.

Grief: when Short was 16, two people died in a house fire.

“I just remember my mother tears streaming down her face, hanging up the phone: ‘go to the store, buy thirty pounds of chicken, as much corn as you can and a bunch of fruit!’” The explanation of what had happened would have to wait; cooking needed to commence.

Generosity: “My parents became really engaged in refugee resettlement, and that, probably more than anything, shaped my life.” When Short was in 7th grade, her parents began sponsoring families, mostly from Southeast Asia.

Over the course of ten years, they provided a home for 140 different families who had been living in a state of food insecurity. With the arrival of a new family, her mother would buy a 100 pound bag of rice and place it in the living room with the family’s name on it. “It was a little odd,” she admits. The bag was bigger than the children. “but you could see the family come in... and relax.”

Understanding: Growing up, Short wanted nothing to do with a domestic life. She says she had an attitude of “that’s you, that’s not me, do I look like a girl who wants to wear a gingham?” Short says she was always the “thing from another planet” for her family. It wasn’t until she started having children and began to write a book on Bundt cakes that she started feeling that she’d been too insistent on proclaiming Nadja Milena Editor in Chief

her difference.

“Writing that book was such a coming home of ‘yup, [I] went to college, went to graduate school, have pretty intense intellectual curiosity, I’ve been married to a woman for 20 years, I’m a mom, I’m a Christian, and I love Bundt cakes.’ And I love family recipes, and I love canning. I can confuse lots of people, and that’s beautiful, because that’s who I am.”

-Now, as well as mother of two and counselor, Short runs a catering business. Her approach to counseling and catering are the same: there has to be something at the feast for everybody. “There’s always a dessert that’s gluten free” -she’s seen people cry with joy at finally finding something at a social gathering they can eat -“I always make sure that there is dairy free stuff, that there is healthy food, but if somebody really needs the comfort of a lot of heavy cream and butter, I can do that.”

And that’s exactly how she wants to operate in her position as St. Paul Academy and Summit School Upper School Counselor. “I’m not going to tell you what the menu is. I have lots of menus, and I can get more if I need to learn more, but I need to know what you need, what feeds you.”

6 ... in the school community Feature

September 2010

Carmen Andrew Dorothy Vanegas Roy Goldie Big changes have always been a part Henry Moyers of Andrew Roy’s Staff Writer life. Living in six different countries throughout his childhood, Roy’s transition from inner city Bret Harte Middle School to St. Paul Academy and Summit School should have come easily. But when details about his past teaching career cause SPA Rachel Kinney Op/Ed Editor

Her daughter’s emerald eyes light up at the word “Suyapa,” her name. She rests her hands on her lap, concealing a portion of her jade skirt that matches with the ribbed turtleneck. Covering her hair is a shimmery olive scarf from the Somali Mall that also ties into her outfit’s green theme. Smiling, she says, “She loves big trucks, especially fire trucks. Those are her favorite.”

Suyapa, just over a year old, is the daughter of Carmen Vanegas, a St. Paul Academy and Summit School bilingual science teacher.

Like Vanegas, Suyapa is growing up in a bicultural family, immersed into the cultures of both her mother and father.

Suyapa’s first name comes from her father’s El Salvadorian side. It means “a place with palm trees” in Nawal, the Her middle name, on the other hand, is passed down from Vanegas’s 101-year-old grandmother. It is Florencia, meaning “flowering” in Spanish.

However, even though Spanish is the language Vanegas uses to speak to her daughter, she had never identified solely with her Hispanic roots. Instead, her Spanish background only encompasses a small percentage of the multitude of scattered, European roots she comes from.

“My family is really mixed, so it’s up to me what I emphasize” Vanegas said.

Her mother’s Romani heritage originated from a group of migrants from India that spread throughout Europe. From her Romani heritage, Vanegas had acquired the tradition of covering her hair. Since her years after high school, covering her hair has become the style of dress she feels most comfortable with.

“It frees women to feel comfortable with who they are because the focus is not on their bodies,” Vanegas said. “When I’m dressed this way, I feel like I’m not creating that [judgmental environment] for other women around me.”

Allison Wang Sci/Tech Editor

students’ eyes to grow wide, it’s no surprise that the change was a dramatic one.

Roy went from working at a prominent position at an advertising agency to teaching at Bret Harte, a job that required him to work “3 times as many hours for about a third of the pay,” but that he found incredible satisfying.

A student of an east coast private school, Roy had to learn the advantages and disadvantages of teaching in a public school classroom.

While it is common for an SPA student to use the bathroom during class, at Bret Harte, this was unheard of due to vandalism, arson, and gang activity. 16 kids: the largest SPA class. At Bret Harte, the number was closer to 36.

While An SPA eighth grader learns algebra in math class, Roy taught a number of students who struggled with subtraction and addition, and even helped teach reading classes to students who had never completed a novel in their lives.

At Bret Harte, Roy learned that intelligence is not measured in academic achievement: “All people are intelligent and you may not have amassed the same kinds of knowledge as someone else.”

Andrew Roy now teaches Social Studies in the 8th grade.

“I’m always trying to show these kids the way these cultures operate at their own terms—that’s maybe a less judgmental standpoint.”

From student to alumna to parent to alumni council member to St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s new Director of Institutional Advancement, Dorothy Goldie has been involved with SPA for 50 years, ever since she came to the school in 1960 as a first grader.

“The school didn’t have a kindergarten then,” said Goldie.

A lifer of SPA, Goldie said an experience in her student career that stood out to her was that of her art history class, taught

by Hazel Belvo, in senior year.

“I had never been in a lot of art classes,” remembered Goldie, “and I never had the context of such a broad art history survey class, with visual art spanning from prehistory all the way to the post modern era. Goldie says it was a very transformative experience and led to lifelong interest in and support for the arts.

“There was something in me that resonated in the arts, and Iman Jafri

Centerspread Editor

it was that exposure… that allowed that inclination to take hold… In fact,” said Goldie, “my job just before coming to SPA was running a visual arts organization. Had I not had that class with Ms. Belvo, my career may not have headed in that direction.”

Goldie’s own role in SPA has changed over the years as much as the school has, though she says it has not been strange for her. “You are what you are at the time that you’re in that role,” she said. When Goldie sent her own two sons to SPA, she said her concerns were primarily those of a parent, not necessarily of an alumna.

However: “there are moments, places, where I find myself, and I might as well be 15 again.” Goldie face softened as she described walking down a certain stairwell, holding the railing that same way, thinking “‘how many time have I done this?’ It’s a very powerful feeling.”

Neil Bray Passionate is perhaps the best word to describe Neil Bray, the new Middle School Chinese and Social Studies teacher at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. Passionate about Chinese, passionate about teaching, and most of all, passionate about his family, which consists of his wife Heidi, 7 year old son Jonas, and 17 month old daughter Eliza.

Bray’s passions also lie inside the classroom, “mostly right now I’m doing what I want to be doing; studying Chinese” Bray said, “This is the first time my job has really been Chinese.

What I’m doing here, all these things,” he said as he motioned to his beautifully decorated classroom filled with Chinese characters on red paper “this is what I do this is what I collect these are the things I like to spend my time on.”

Bray has combined his passions for Chinese and for his family by integrating Chinese into his family life. “I only speak Chinese to my daughter,” Bray said “my wife speaks English to her.” With his son Jonas, it’s another story. When Bray and his family moved to China, where they lived for four years, Jonas was three, and spoke no Chinese.

“When we got there he turned from a little boy who just hated where he was … into being somebody who speaks the language beautifully. He is Kaia Wahmanholm A&E Editor

a western boy that has come to Chinese completely as a second language.” Bray described, “[Jonas] and I communicate in English for the most part because for all these years he’s always just spoken to other people in Chinese.” Bray’s wife also understands Chinese, although she doesn’t speak it.

For now, Bray’s two deep passions are easily balanced; “[Chinese] is very much a part of our family life.”

Josephine Auyeung If you’re listing all the places St. Paul Academy and Summit School faculty have ever been, then prepare to get a new piece of paper as Josephine Auyeung joins the community. She has been everywhere.

Auyeung was born and grew up in Hong Kong, China, where she went to school through her first years of college, until she was drawn to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

St. Louis, though a large city, felt smaller in comparison to huge, bustling Hong Kong.

“Hong Kong is so compact, it’s a big city, like New York.”

After getting her masters degree in social work, she moved to Chicago and began doing social work for the Chinese community.

She found this job extremely rewarding, saying that when doing Social work she could go into settings that she could “never have dreamed of.”

Over the course of the next three years, Auyeung found herself working with police officers, judges, and surgeons in order to help her clients.

Next, she moved to Japan, where she had the opportunity to teach elementary and middle school English in Zhengzhou, China.

She traveled through China studying the relationship between language and culture.

She observed how language changed as she traveled from city to city: the subtle differences in speech; the softer and sharper tones in conversation.

Auyeung says that she better learned how to use the local version of the language to express her thoughts and opinions in a more nuanced way.

Auyeung is no stranger to the SPA campus. She began teaching 6-8 Chinese in the Middle School last spring.

This year, she is expanding: she will be teaching Chinese in the Middle and Upper School.

Joanna Mendelsohn Chief Visual Editor

Science & Technology

September 2010

The heavy price of a large backpack Photo Credit: Allison Wang

Carrying too much can have adverse long term effects Rebecca Xu Feature Editor

Brand new backpack for the start of a new school

year: $50.00.

Science Textbook: $120.00.

Math Textbook: $100.00.

History Textbook: $120.00.

Binders for five subjects: $5.50.

A broken back: Not worth it.

When the three o’clock bell echoes throughout St. Paul Academy and Summit School, most students hurry out of their eighth period class and head for their lockers with one thought in mind: What do I need to pack into my backpack today?

While many students lug around heavy backpacks as a daily routine, the weight and inconvenience may not be worth it. Heavy backpacks not only strain students’ backs temporarily, but may cause damaging effects in the long run as well.

According to Family Practitioner Peiyi Wang, “Heavy backpacks strain muscles and joints, which can cause neck, back, and shoulder injuries. Long term effects of wearing heavy backpacks can also cause chronic pains for these areas [neck, back, and shoulders], and sometimes these problems can sustain for a very long time.”

The maximum weight for backpacks is approximately 15% of the student’s body weight. Students are not advised to constantly wear backpacks close to the 15% maximum weight point.

As SPA students advance further in grade levels, some have adjusted their studying strategies to avoid the pain perpetuated by overweight backpacks.

As a student of SPA from middle school to sophomore year, sophomore Ibad Jafri acknowledges how the increasing workload and heavy textbooks share an inverse relationship with the decreasing amount of time available to complete assignments. Jafri says that he has created a study plan that accommodates the weight of his textbooks and usually completes assignments in subjects that require the use of heavy textbooks to avoid a bulky backpack. Carrying a Honors Geometry binder, a World History II textbook, a Chinese book and binder, The Things They Carried, an English binder, and a regular notebook, Jafri’s backpack weighed 13 pounds, expressing the benefits of his strategy.

Students in other grade levels have also adopted the strategy of doing homework with heavy textbooks first. “I want to get my chemistry done in school so I don’t have to take my heavy chemistry book home,” junior Heather Upin said.

Another SPA junior, Ben Palmer, also addresses how SPA’s new computer system has helped him in relieving the weight of backpacks.

“With the new tablet, my binders are less full and I can bring fewer

things to class and home,” he said.

According to Wang, students should also be cautious of how they position their backpacks.

“Wearing one shoulder backpacks puts uneven weight on the body.

Doing that for a long time not only causes strains on one side of the body, but also changes normal body postures by causing one shoulder to become lower than the other,” Wang said. “Always look for a back pack with two wide, padded shoulder straps.”

Some students already understand this information from experience. “I used to wear it [the backpack straps] single, but then my neck started feeling tight,” Upin said.

From the common notions and rumors about senior slump, many students believe that senior year alleviates heavy homework load and hefty backpacks. However on an average day, senior Kira Snyder carries 47.5 pounds of stuff including, several notebooks, multiple binders, a psychology textbook, a calculus textbook, a physics textbook, and her tennis gear to and from school. “I already have back problems,” Snyder said, as she expresses her family’s history of back pains.

So when standing at your locker at 3:00 reflecting on today’s assignments, consider how backpack weight will impact current as well as future physical health.

Cookies: not as sweet as you think website often, other websites can collect that information. An online news service accessing such cookies may begin to display more news biased to your political leaning.

The most notorious company to use “cookie profiling” is Google, who can read third party cookies with their program DoubleClick.

Developers at the Free Art and Technology (F.A.T.) virtual lab have created a plug-in that alerts the user when cookies from different websites that have been visited are sent to Google. The plug-in connects to Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. A large variety of websites send cookies to Google, including Twitter, Goodsearch, and YouTube.

So, what does Google do with all this information? Most of it goes either to Google AdSense, which profiles users’ cookies and provides appropriate advertisements, or to Google Analytics, which analyzes web interactions for the developer of the visited site.

The company has defended use of these cookies, saying that Dou-

Photo Credit: Noah Shavit-Lonstein

Surfing the web can send to internet cookies that collect data on personal information and web browsing habits If you’ve ever been lectured on News Editor internet safety, you’ve probably heard the word “cookie” used.

Not to be confused with web history, which is a computer’s record of online activity, cookies are small text files saved to personal computers that result from accessing different websites. Have you ever noticed how blue links turn purple after being clicked? That’s because the computer has a cookie recording the previous time the link has been clicked. Cookies also remember login codes for many sites, saving the user from the task of logging in each time.

Recently, cookies have been used for alternate purposes. Certain websites can access cookies from other sites. These cookies are known as “third party” cookies. They can be used for profiling, be it by race, class, political views, religion, or information about your household. Each of these brings up their own issue. For example, if you visit a certain political party’s

After visiting three websites, an SPA tablet received approximately 50 cookie text files. Some text files came from websites not even related to the ones visited.

bleClick only sends the cookies to the sites’ developers, and thus any abuse is the developer’s fault.

Some people are concerned about Google’s third party cookie use.

Ryan Singel, staff writer of Wired Magazine, is concerned about what DoubleClick may one day be used for. “Your profile might be used

ote

About 31 teachers in approxiA&E Editor mately 100 classes are using it, all students have access to it and the average student uses it in 3-5 classes daily.

What is this software taking over the St. Paul Academy and Summit School technology program?

Microsoft OneNote 2007, a software designed to eliminate the need for paper notebooks, aids students and teachers alike in organizing notes for various classes.

However, many students find OneNote a little daunting. Read the following basics from Upper School Technology Coordinator Chris White to help ease the OneNote anxiety: Kaia Wahmanholm

Students choose many different styles of backpack to manage their homework load. Junior Sydney Carlson’s wheelie backpack, weighing 23 lbs in total is pictured above: “You don’t feel the weight on our back,” she said. “It’s helpful when you have to carry a lot.” Sophomore Maria Aguilar’s backpack (also above) weighs 12 lbs. However, she carries 6 lbs of soccer equipment everyday as well. “The heavy textbooks, laptop, and soccer equipment all add up to a lot of weight,” she said. “The [thick] straps on my backpack help put less strain on my back.”

Noah Shavit-Lonstein

One

7

against you in court,” Singel said.

“You could be ‘red-lined’ using the profile.”

Fortunately, it’s easy to turn off Google’s use of third party cookie profiles ocomputrers by going to google.com/privacyads. F.A.T.’s plug-in is available at fffff.at/google-alarm/.

Basics • You can make your own notebooks for personal use, like a planner • In fact, you can download one I made by going to Computer->G:classes-> White,Chris-> Students-> Calendar 2010-2011

Right click COPY, back out to H:drive and PASTE. In OneNote, click File-> open -> Notebook-> (navigate back to it on your H: drive) click to highlight and then click on the OPEN button.

• You can make to do lists Type the task, highlight it and click the “Tag” button at the top and it will put a check box next to your task.

• Create a notebook for research on the web • Bring up the page/ picture/text you want to remember. Open OneNote.

Click on “Clip” at the top of the page. OneNote will disappear temporarily and the window behind it will be grayed out.

• Click and drag across the content you would like and it will automatically paste it into OneNote and make a link back to the page and the date you clipped it.

Tips and Tricks • Use OneNote to solve formulas, enter a math problem into OneNote using numbers and +, -, *, and / for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division respectively. Add an equal sign and press the space bar.

OneNote can even compute cosine and sine.

• Create cool background templates for your page. Do this by going to the down arrow next to “New Page,” and click “Page Template” to choose from the multitude of unique backgrounds.

• “Get the most out of Microsoft Office OneNote 2007 by tagging notes as you work and then using the tags to find your notes. Or just search for your notes using OneNote’s search options.”

–Microsoft Website

8

the rubicon|suniemi.org

centerspread

Minnesota College Kickoff

9

New year of school, new year of preparation for the future. Here are some useful facts for SPA students about local colleges.

Cost: According to college counselor Ms. Hill, colleges are labor intensive institutions. They strive to have the best faculty, the best students, and the best facilities. All of these things require money. They also have to provide financial aid for their students. Also, to keep up with other competitive colleges and universities, the colleges must provide the latest and greatest for their students. For example, if one college that is competing with them builds a new student center, a competing college will do the same. college will try to do the same. In Pprivate schools, unlike State University, receive no public funding, making them particularly competitive, and have a higher tuition. there is no public funding, so they must charge more, unlike state universities. State universities have public funding, making it possible for these students to attend college for less.

Competition: With an acceptance rate of 30% in the past year, Carleton College is by definition, the most competitive school in Minnesota. Most of us define a competitive college by a low acceptance rate. Macalester, however, is a close second, with a 38% acceptance rate. College counselor Ms. Hill also states that it is not just the desire to apply; it is the desire to enroll in this particular college. Colleges apparently analyze the yield rate, more than we would think. There are also many new variables that can contribute to the yield and acceptance rates. Attractiveness is also a major component of competition, and colleges market their institutions as prestigious, desirable, etc. Carleton and Macalester alike draw many students nationwide. The number of people that apply and plan to enroll are increasing each year, as Carleton becomes a more desirable school.

A look at a few of the locals: Gustavus Adolphus:

St. Olaf College:

• Gustavus is the first private college in Minnesota to not require ACT or SAT scores on applications.

• Inside the Linnaeus Arboretum grows every tree native to Minnesota.

• Big Hill Farm, founded by students in 2009, supplies food for the cafeteria.

• The Open Doors 2009 Report on International Educational Exchange ranks St. Olaf No. 1 nationally out of bachelor-degree institutions in the number of students who study abroad. More than 120 study programs are offered, in the US and internationally.

Saint Mary’s University:

• Heffron Hall at Saint Mary’s is known to be the second most haunted place in all of Minnesota.

• SPA alum Vinny Erspamer (’08) attends Saint Mary’s, and has heard many ghost stories about the hall. He mentions “cold drafts around 1:45 AM when the priest died, papers blowing on bulletins when there are no windows in the hallway and no air conditioning or heater. Figures standing by bed ends and blood coming from toilets and faucets.A kid who came face to face with father Lesches, the ghost, and punched the ghost in his face and broke nearly every bone in his hand. Invisble forces restraining people from going on the third floor of Heffron Hall.”

St. Catherine University:

• St. Kate’s is the largest women’s school in the country.

• SPA alum Niambi Mitchell (’08) attends St. Kate’s, and thinks the nuns make her school great. “The nuns that are on campus are very nice and open to talk and tell their stories to anyone who is interested.

They always try to change campus for the better. The food is a lot healthier from last year and there is no more smoking allowed on campus.”

Carleton College:

• The first two graduates of Carleton, in the class of 1874, James Dow and Myra Brown got married later that year.

• The computer game many SPA students, and all that attended the Lower School, will remember, The Oregon Trail was created by Carleton students in 1971.

• The last commencement address by former president Bill Clinton during his presidency was given at Carleton on June 10, 2000.

• The Carleton Singing Knights all-male a cappella group, the oldest at the school, performed Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”, and received over 5 million views on their Youtube video. A student made a video for the song after being inspired by the cover called Daft Hands, which has been viewed over 31 million times on Youtube.

• 40% of Carleton’s energy comes from a wind turbine near the college.

Results Mostly A’s – The Sleeper Well, at least you don’t have to deal will insomnia. To sum it up, you are lazy. You will probably only be awake for 30% of the next four years.

Here’s what you should do: Go to the nearest coffee shop and sign up for any discounts. Trust me, you will need it.

QUIZ: What type of college student will you be?

What kind of college student will you be?

1.

It’s the day before school begins, what do you do?

A. What? So soon? I’m going back to sleep.

B. Go to library and study for 8 hours. You can never be too prepared.

C. Sign up for everything. I need to keep myself busy!

D. Party! Never waste a day of summer!

2.

How would you describe your studying habits?

A. Yawn, wake me up in 2 hours.

B. Can’t talk now. I need to spend all night rereading everything so I can pass the exam tomorrow.

C. Too busy to study. Drama club meeting and Soccer game are scheduled at the same time tomorrow!

D. Dorm party. Be Back Tomorrow Morning.

3.

It’s the night before an exam, what do you do?

A. If it’s nighttime, you should sleep.

B. Read. And Read. And Write. And Read somemore.

C. Can’t think about that right now. Gotta keep my mind on the game and promotional posters for the club.

D. Hang out with friends. Study groups are the best, right?

4.

A. B. C. D.

It’s lunch time, what do you eat?

Yay free time! Sleep.

Ramen or a snack bar. Whatever is quickest.

Vegetables and fruits. Gotta keep in shape for the competition tonight.

Nothing. I feel too sick from scarfing down all those pizzas yesterday.

5.

A. B. C. D.

If you could have any pet, which one would you have?

Sloth.

A talking parrot that could recite all my notes.

A cheetah who could take me everywhere.

A unicorn or hippogriff. I need something fun.

6.

A. B. C. D.

Who are you around the most?

Me. My professors.

My teammates and clubmembers.

My friends.

7.

A. B. C. D.

You receive a bad grade on a test, what do you do?

So what?

Scream and cry. And then go find my professor.

What? We got our tests back?

I don’t even remember taking this test.

8.

A. B. C. D.

It’s Spring Break. Where are you?

Home. Where else?

In my dorm, still upset about my ONE bad test grade.

Nationals.

Friends house. Party!

9.

A. B. C. D.

What kinds of classes do you take?

The basics. What else do you need?

Everything. Its essential.

I do more after class.

Enough to get by with my hectic night life.

Mostly B’s – The Bookworm You’re probably one of those people who can memorize 99% of what their reading, and freak out when you realize you didn’t memorize the other 1%. Books are your life.

Studying is your life. A bad grade would mean a midlife crisis for you.

Here’s what you should do: CALM DOWN. Although studying is good, studying too much could scare your teachers and classmates.

Mostly C’s – The Clubber One word describes you – ubiquitous. You are EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING. Being uniformed of anything in your school could just ruin your entire day (which is, by the way, very long).

Here’s what you should do: Focus.

What’s most important to you?

Have you decided on a major yet?

Mostly D’s – The Partier You are terrified of boredom. Partying is your life. By the end of the month, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference between day and night.

Here’s what you should do: Stop partying.

10

Sports

September 2010

2010 Fall Sports Preview Girls’Soccer

Football

Captains

Captains

Becky Engelieter Tania Russel Kristina Kramarczuk

James Adams Robert Romeo Gabe Mast Chris Pichert

Quote to Note “I think, for losing as many seniors as we did, we’re a lot better than a lot of people thought we’d be.”

Quote to Note “ We need to limit our turnovers and our defense needs to do a better job tackling and wrapping up.”

- Senior Captain Tania Russel

- Senior Captain

Gabe Mast

Current Record

Current Record Photo Credit: Alex Smith Senior captain James Adams is the starting quarterback this year.

Girls’ Volleyball Captains Stephanie Hill Isabel LaVercombe

0-3

Girls’ Tennis

Fall...by the Numbers

9000

The combined meters the girls and boys varsity teams run at every Cross Country meet.

29

Quote to Note ““We have a new coaching staff, and, so far there have been a lot of improvements… The program has gotten better.”

3-1-2 Photo Credit: Taylor Billeadeau As the ball soars through the air, junior Jenna O’Brien locates it while fending off an opponent from Holy Angels on September 11. The Spartans were able to come from behind and tie the game.

The number of members in the facebook group created by the girls tennis team.

- Senior Captain Stephanie Hill

4

Current Record

Captains Addie Colton Isabella Dougherty Maddie Butler

The number of total points the girls volleyball team scored in their first win on August 27.

4200

Quote to Note “We’ve got a lot of talent, and people are really driven. We want to win.”

The school record for most yards in season set by last year’s football team.

The amount of state championships the boys soccer program has won.

9

2-7

76

61

- Senior Captain Isabella Dougherty

The amount of goals the girls soccer team scored last year.

The number of students from SPA on the girls’ Swimming and Diving team.

Photo Credit: Joanna Mendelsohn Senior Charlotte Westwater volleys the ball in a match on September 13.

Current Record 6-2

Cross Country Captains Boys: Girls: Carter Peterson Jacqueline Lis Eric Magne Jada Wensman Photo Credit: Alex Smith Senior captain Max Hommeyer would score on this corner against St. Thomas Academy on September 7. The Spartans won 5-0.

Boys’ Soccer

Quote to Note

Captains

- Senior Captain Conor Perkkio

Max Hommeyer Conor Perkkio Nick Forsgren

“ The team is creative offensively and tough defensively. I want the team to go to the section finals.”

Current Record 7-2

Quote to Note “I’m excited. We’re in a better place than we have been in past seasons at this point in the season.”

- Senior Captain Jada Wensman

Current Record

Both teams finished in 5th place in The Battle Creek Park Meet.

Photo Courtesy: Hannah Lodge The Sparks dive into the pool on September 15. The Sparks came in first place in the meet.

Swimming and Diving Quote to Note

Captains

“We have a new diving coach, a new assistant coach, and a new swim coach. We are a pretty young team. But we have potential.”

Ceallach Gibbons Hannah Lodge

- Senior Captain Hannah Lodge

Current Record 1-0 All current records are as of press time

Sports

September 2010

11

Spartan Football’s Converted Backfield The running game consists of an offensive lineman turned fullback, and a wide receiver turned running back. Nonetheless, the conversion of seniors Chris Pichert to running back and Bobby Plummer to fullback have proven to be successful.

Photo Credit: Alex Smith Senior captain Chris Pichert carries the ball and a couple of Concordia Beacons along the way as he rumbles down to the goal line in the home opener on September 3. “[Chris] is one of the biggest and most physical players on the team. It was a smart choice to put him at running back,” said starting center, senior Robert Romeo.

the running back to run through.

“I finally understand the job of the linemen, it’s really important,” Plummer said. “This is the first time I’ve been in a play maker position; it’s way different than being on the line.” Plummer said that he has been working on receiving handoffs from Adams. “I haven’t had too much trouble,” Plummer said.

Pichert played wide receiver and was seen catching passes out on the field last season. In contrast to Plummer, Pichert had been in a play making position and was used to scoring points. The difficult part for Pichert was in understanding the role of the offensive line: “The hardest part is being able to read all the blocks,” Pichert said. As a wide receiver, Pichert never had to worry about this before.

Pichert has had other position changes before in his football career, but he claims this switch is more prominent than others:“I get the ball 65% of the time. I get the ball a lot.” Pichert also stated that he hasn’t found it hard to coordinate with other members of the team, and the switch hasn’t been too tough.

Despite having just entered into new roles on the back field, the two

have already made important contributions to the team. Plummer and Pichert have already developed goals which will hopefully lead to a stronger collective offense for the Spartans. “I hope to get at least 100 yards rushing every game,” said Pichert. This is a realistic goal for Pichert, as he and Plummer will be relied on heavily. Plummer also

“

Bobby’s been one of the best players on the team for a while; it was only a matter of time before he was transferred to fullback.

Robert Romeo

be pushed back; we have to be the one’s pushing the defense,” Plummer said.

Pichert and Plummer have also made strong impressions on their teammates. Starting offensive linemen, senior Andrew Bullard, said that the line was not affected too badly from the loss of Plummer.

“He’s shown promise [as a full back],” Bullard said.

One of the key elements Pichert brings to the table by being the running back is his size. “We usually had a 150lb running back. Now, we have a 215lb running back,” Adams said. Adams also said that Pichert has had a good start to the season. “He’s a beast. He runs hard. He’s a stud on and off the field,” said Adams. Starting center, senior Robert Romeo said, “Bobby’s been one of the best players on the team for a while; it was only a matter of time before he was transferred to fullback.” He commented that although Pichert had switched position in the past, this switch was probably the most significant.“[Chris] is one of the biggest and most physical players on the team. It was a smart choice to put him at running back,” said Romeo.The Spartans next game is on September 24.

“

On the varsity level, most players return to positions they feel comfortable playing.

Whether it is soccer, swimming, track or football, players anticipate and train for a specific spot on the team. For two members of the St. Paul Academy Spartan Football team however, this season will be different.

For seniors Bobby Plummer and Chris Pichert, football season started off with learning new plays as well as the normal conditioning that goes into the first two weeks of practice. As if that wasn’t enough work, the Spartans didn’t have a returning running back or fullback. This meant that both Pichert and Plummer would have to be put at a starting position for the first game. To add even more stress to the situation, this season is senior James Adams’ first year as Varsity quarterback. Plummer and Pichert had a difficult job in an already difficult situation.

In past years, Plummer has played on the offensive and defensive line. Offensive line consists of finding a block and holding it.

In theory, this concept is relatively simple. For a fullback, the plays are more complicated. To perform effectively, a full back works with the offensive line to create a gap for Henry Moyers Staff Writer

stated that he hopes he will have a successful career in the backfield.

“I’ve never scored a touchdownthat would be nice,” Plummer said.

“I want to just do my job and be a positive influence.” Not only will Plummer’s goal help him and Pichert gain yards, but it will also help lead the team and give them the ability to perform better. Plummer also stated that a good goal for the team would be to improve the offensive line. “Linemen can’t

Spartan Stats #25 Chris Pichert Attempts

27

Yards 108

Average/ Run 3.9 Touchdowns

1

Longest

33

Receptions

1

Average/Catch 1

#35 Bobby Plummer Attempts

7

Yards

64

Average/Run 3.8 Touchdowns

0

Longest

Receptions

12 3

Average/Catch 12.3 All stats are from the first two games of the season. “Yards” is the total amount when combining rushing yards and receiving yard.

All information was gathered off of the Spartan Football wikispace. For those interested, stats from games can be found there.

12

Arts & Entertainment

September 2010

A Day At: The Como Park Zoo Feelings of wonder, horror, and Satire Editor excitement all arise when you look the world’s largest land predator in the eyes, knowing that it is strong enough to kill you with one slash of its massive claws.

The Polar Bear Odyssey, just one of the many great exhibits at St. Paul’s very own Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, offers not only an in-your-face experience with the large mammals, but also, luckily, a clear glass casing to assure you that there won’t be a tragic, interspecies accident.

After spending two hours of my Labor Day holiday at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, Senior Maddie Butler and I managed to see the entire premise of the park, ranging from cats to primates, fish to bears, plants to birds, Como Park Zoo & and plenty of Conservatory screaming chilSummer Hours: 10am-6pm dren. Upon arrival, one may (April-September) think a lot of Winter Hours: 10am-4pm the visitors (October-March) might belong at the MinneOpen 365 days a year sota State Fair: Como Town, Admissions Cost: Free a small carnie(Suggested donation $2) amusement park located adjacent to the zoo and conPhoto Credit: Maddie Butler servatory, offers exactly what any August King

Fast Facts:

A

rts round Town

In the Harry M. Drake gallery...

Ceramics Then/Ceramics Now September 30-October 22 FREE www.spa.edu

At the Guthrie...

The Master Butcher’s Singing Club

now - November 6 2 hours, 37 minutes Tickets $29-69 www.guthrietheater.org

At the Minneapolis Institute of Art...

An Embarassment of Riches: Picturing Global Wealth now-January 2, 2011 FREE www.artsmia.org

other carnival would offer: cheap rides, airbrush tattoos, and greasy food; certainly not as exciting as the zoo and conservatory beyond it.

Before you even go into Como, you start on a positive note in the entryway: It is completely free.

While a donation is encouraged (and downright ethical), Como Park Zoo & Conservatory takes pride in being a free recreational site, and respects its generous donors and members of the park who make contributions monthly with discounts on events that cost money.

After getting in, the more traditional zoo experience begins.

Zebras, ostriches, and deer trot around in the same large, enclosed environment, with a sign saying the animals live better lives as individuals if they are put into the shared living grounds. This, and other facts found posted on signs around the park, are all things you would expect to find when visiting a zoo, but the difference between this specific zoo and others I have been to is the apparent happiness of the animals. The MinnesotaNiceness of our state does not exclude the directors of this park, as the animals are given plenty of living space and it is easy to tell that the zookeepers love the animals.

The same goes for not only this group of animals clustered together, but also for the cats we saw, such as the African lion, mul-

tiple snow leopards, and a tiger that nonchalantly posed for the camera.

Until my visit to Como, I hadn’t previously felt so closely related to an animal, until we viewed the orangutans; never before have I seen my devolved past yawn, making me yawn back in response.

The featured exhibit, which changes daily, was The Polar Bear Odyssey, and easily the most enjoyable part of our visit. Featuring two large Arctic Polar Bears, Como recreated the mammal’s nature habitat, while giving it more space for visitors to observe the Polar Bears natural behavior, such as digging, swimming, foraging, and hunting. It wasn’t hard to tell how much the polar bears were enjoying being watched. Over and over again, one polar bear would swim on his back above water, and then dive down, only to push off of the rocks with his huge paws, and then resurface when he got to the other side of the tank. The other polar bear trotted back and forth on the ice, almost as if he thought he was some sort of royalty. To viewers ages 1-85, he most certainly was.

The Como Park Zoo & Conservatory is open 365 days a year, offering an amazing variety of animals and friendly people. After visiting, you too can understand why the much loved park has fulfilled its mission statement: “Creating memories and inspiring appreciation of the natural world.”

Student Playlist: Freshman Nate Truman

Truman shares his top ten songs from across the decades Baby Blue – Dave Matthews Band:

With incredible lyrics and tune, this is easily one of my favorite songs.

There are a few unexpected chord changes in the song that keep you guessing.

Hotel California – The Eagles: A

classic song with incredible guitar that is changing throughout and the lyrics carry a ton of feeling. It makes you feel like you know what their singer is talking about.

Old Man – Neil Young: One of the

most famous Neil Young songs, it has an awesome chorus, and simple, but powerful guitar. The song especially stands out when Neil plays it live.

Layla – Eric Clapton: One of

Clapton’s best, the guitar is fantastic. The intro is one of his signature guitar licks that almost everyone recognized immediately. There’s also a really nice, smooth transition from hard rock, to an almost ballad like tune halfway through the song

Voodoo Child – Jimi Hendrix: This

song really gets the heart and soul of Hendrix and his style, both of which shaped electric guitar as an instrument. It’s a really cool, funky groove, especially at the intro. Both the vocals and the guitar are harsh and unbending throughout.

With a Little Help From My Friends – Joe Cocker: The performance of this

song at Woodstock really captured the heart and soul of the festival. The guy is absolutely brilliant on his vocals, which convey a huge amount of power and emotion.

Dani California – Red Hot Chili Peppers: I like this song because it’s really upbeat with some nice drums, and cool lyrics with an awesome chorus. The chorus carries a really sweet punch to it that makes the song.

Don’t Stop Believing – Journey: Your

classic 80’s music. It’s the kind of song that’s a sort of guilty pleasure. Everything about this song is catchy and makes you just want to crank it up and sing along.

Smooth Criminal – Michael Jackson:

Not only does this song have a sick beat and MJ’s signature voice on its side, the dancing for this is astonishing. This is the song that created Michael’s signature lean. Overall, Smooth Criminal is one of my favorites of the King of Pop.

Dream On – Aerosmith: One of

my favorite Aerosmith songs. It is very good in pretty much every aspect, but not really great in any particular one, but when Tyler starts screaming ‘dream on’ it captures your attention and makes the Photo Credit: Kaia Wahmanholm song really stand out.

Satire

September 2010

Har, Har.

the rubicONION

13

St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s FINEST fictional news source

Office Plus releases Silly Band of unidentifiable shape, creates international crisis and civil unrest “At first I thought it was a UFO, but that just seemed too plain. It’s been circulating the teacher’s lounge here at SPA and none of us can quite tell what it is,” said St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s US Math teacher George Leiter.

An unidentified bracelet released by a company called Office Plus has dumfounded much of the general public. Office Plus itself has no comment and is undergoing a nation-wide boycott of the store due to “their [Office Plus’s] lack of cooperation and congeniality” says Rick Larson head of Public Relations at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

A current trend, Silly Bands are colorful silicone bracelets shaped Ella Coon Contributor

Why should you care? You’re usually inside anyway.

Today’s temperature Partly Cloudy H - 60 L - 52

like animals, or objects, which when placed on a person’s wrist stretch out to become thin colorful bracelets, but when taken off they reform into the object that they originally were.

Office Plus is being pressed to release the identity of the Silly Band, but can abstain legally under copyright laws. Since Crazy Bandz, the original producer of the Silly Bands bracelets, does not have a patent on the bracelets, many generic Silly Bands have been produced and distributed. The confusing Silly Band has been labeled Silly Band “Y” by all major news sources.

“They cannot fathom the repercussions of their actions. Hundreds of people are not even leaving their houses—our offices are

flooded with phone calls. We’ve received more 911 phone calls from this catastrophe than we had from the flooding in Nashville last May” said Larson.

“Silly Bands are like the most fantastic invention ever! They’re like little pets always on your wrist!

I don’t know what I would do without them,” said Claire Flom-Staab, sophomore at SPA, “but since I saw one like the one that was in the news all I can think about is how I can get one. It’s like a Mystery Edition!”

Even though some teens, like Flom-Staab, have coped with the situation well others have had more difficulty, “I used to wear them every day: during football practices, school, bed. But this new one has caused a lot of anxiety. I

SPA’s “Strategic Plan” for new facilities to commence by the time Mr. Bennett retires* See 7C

Obscure students listening to obscure music are obscure See 5A

*photo has been doctored to

Bennett’s predicted appearance in the year 2050

Sophomore Maria Aguilar-Petlin, US Librarian Nick Bancks, and sophomore Nick Scott question the shape of the Silly Band. Usually colorful and shaped, this Silly Band is of a dull tan color and has no distinct figure.

don’t think of them as friends anymore—but enemies,” said Senior Captain Robert Romeo, who plays center for SPA Crazy Bandz stocks have plummeted since the day of release of Silly Band “Y,” even though Silly Bandz the company did not release “Y” they have taken a large leadership role in the management of the crisis.

The original “Crazy Bandz” brand of the popular bracelets

”I thought for sure it was a donut,, but the more I looked at it I decided it was a cheerio—this whole scenario has been quite stressful it’s been difficult to comfort the masses when you yourself are shaken up,” said Dr. Franklin Zumbolt, who received his degree in the modern philosophy of silicon art within socioeconomics of the current era. Zumbolt has been working closely with Crazy Bandz to resolve this crisis.

“Unaware, also, of its intended shape we are working very hard to bring this corrupt company down.

Do not panic, and make no mistake: Office Plus will release the identity of Silly Band “Y”. In the meantime, however, I advise all of you to take a deep breath, relax, and go out buy some more Silly Bands” he said during the Crazy Bandz press release Tuesday.

The RubicONION presents.... RubiSave you an average of two hours!

Spoiling movies for you so you don’t have to watch them in the first place.

4.The woman in the loving couple turns out to be a man. Awkward.

2. The Bride kills Bill. Shocking.

Also, her real name is Beatrice Kiddo.

5.The dog dies.

Sorry everyone.

3.After a trilogy totaling ten hours of walking, a hobbit destroys The Ring.

6.Christopher Nolan ticks everyone off by not actually revealing what happens.

7. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are the same person, and apparently the only way out of it is shooting themselves in the head.

8.The schizophrenic main character has to die for time to continue.

There’s also a scary bunny. I don’t get it either.

(A) Donnie Darko

(F) Marley and Me

(B) The Crying Game

(C) Inception

!?

(H) The Sixth Sense

(E) The Lord of the Rings

(D) Fight Club

(G) Kill Bill

Answers: 1-H, 2-G, 3-E, 4-B, 5-F, 6-C, 7-D, 8-A

1. Bruce Willis has been dead all along.

Sucks for him.

14

Opinion/Editorial

September 2010

The line between Free Speech and a Hate Crime:

Where do you stand?

Free speech can be hateful, but it must remain free The First Amendment is perhaps the most wonderful part of the United States Constitution. The flaws of our country’s government are major, and not to be ignored, but so are the privileges we receive. Speaking out-- against the government, against foreign wars, against the health care bill are a right to which every citizen is legally entitled.

Provided we have a fire permit, we may burn our flag, because even symbolic speech is protected under the First Amendment. Many take their free speech for granted, but it is an extraordinary freedom that citizens are not given in many other countries. As citizens who can speak out without fear of prosecution, it is our patriotic duty to ensure that generations to come may burn flags, peaceably assemble, practice their religion, and publish the truth. We at The Rubicon have a personal understanding of what it means to publish a paper without an administration’s prior review, and what it means to have that right taken away. As student journalists, we feel particularly passionate about defending this right.

However, there are constitutional limits to Freedom of Speech. Anyone who has heard the phrase “you can’t falsely shout ‘fire’ in a crowded theater” understands the gist of the 1919 Supreme Court case “Schenk vs. U.S.” which

ruled that free speech could be denied if it put others in “clear and present danger.” In 1969, Clarence Brandenburg, a member of the Ku Klux Klan, gave a public speech referencing the possibility of violence against Jews and African Americans. He was taken to court. “Brandenburg v. Ohio” specified that the government could not censor inflammatory speech unless it

Qur’an, on the anniversary of September 11th. Jones, the leader of a Pentecostal church in Gainesville, with a following of about 30, wanted to protest the Islamic Community Center being built near Ground Zero.

According to the New York Times, General David H. Petraeus has declared that burning the Qur’an would put American soldiers and civilians

spread from Afghanistan to Gaza to Indonesia. Mobs of people burned down government buildings and raided relief organizations in multiple Afghan provinces. A few days later, the Pentagon announced they had found “no credible evidence” to support the claims: according to them, no one had damaged the Qur’an. Newsweek had inadvertently falsely shouted fire

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

-The First Amendment of the Constitution “is directed and likely to incite imminent lawless action.” It made advocating crime, violence, and unlawful methods of terrorism illegal.

These first few weeks of school, discussions about the line between Free Speech and Hate Crimes have popped up in English classes and over lunch, in Debate, U.S. Social Movements, the Student Political Union and here at The Rubicon, about the line between Free Speech, and Hate Crimes.

In recent news, Florida Pastor Terry Jones announced his plan to burn copies of the Islamic Holy Book, the

overseas in danger. Obama said that this act would be a “recruitment bonanza for alQaida.”

The concerns from General Petraeus and the White House are speculative, but there is precedent for violence when a book that is holy for close to 1.2 billion people is burned.

According to The Washington Post, on May 6, 2010, Newsweek reported that U.S. interrogators in Guantanamo prison had put Qur’ans in toilet and even flushed one down to “rattle” the prisoners. Within the next week, rioting and protests against this desecration of the Holy Book

in a crowded theater. Scores of people were wounded in the riots; 15 died.

Unfortunately, Terry Jones may legally burn Qur’ans, provided he gets his bonfire permit back. He is protected by his First Amendment right to burn books. He wouldn’t have committed a hate crime, because he wouldn’t have committed a crime, but his actions would have been hateful. Despite their legality, his actions implied that his right to free speech could be used to degrade and symbolically threaten others’ freedom of religion, that everyone who practices Islam, including many patri-

otic American citizens should be punished for a group of terrorists who decided that the message of Islam was violence. Ironically, Pastor Jones is doing the same thing.

The media is partially responsible for the harm caused

by Jones; they fanned his flames with attention, which he was seeking. However, their extensive coverage also elicited a national outrage that may have been healthy. Perhaps God told Pastor Jones not to burn the Qur’an, as he said. Perhaps he had gotten the fame he was after. Or perhaps he realized that backing down was the only way to save face the remains of his reputation. We at The Rubicon are not sure, but this we know: It is our duty to protect the First Amendment. It is our duty to let fringe bigots stand up and say the hateful things they want to say. But if those things could endanger troops overseas and American civilians, then it is also our duty to pressure them to stop as we can. It is our duty to call, write, protest, pressure this person with the knowledge that their actions, though legal, violate community norms.

It is our duty to show them, and the rest of the world, that we disagree with their views, that we stand for freedom to practice religion without persecution and hatred as well as freedom of speech.

The Rubicon editorials are representative of the opinions of the editorial board, which is made up of all editors of The Rubicon staff. All other opinion pieces are the opinions of the authors themselves. If you want to share an opinion, send an email to rubicon.spa@gmail.com. These may be published by discretion of The Rubicon staff.

Mini-Editorials

Cartoon Credit: Ria Guest

ImPACT Program

German Exchange

St. Paul Academy and Summit School will begin utilizing the ImPACT program this year for student athletes involved in high-impact sports. The program involves a baseline test which can be compared to a test taken after a head injury. While it can be used for tracking a student’s progress after a head injury, we’re not sure the test will really be more effective at determining the extent of the injury than a different type of concussion test, such as checking the injured athlete’s eyes or seeing a doctor.

The German exchange students arrived from Hamburg this past Sunday. They were met at the airport with a warm welcome from the SPA host families as well as some members of the German program. The students will stay in Minnesota for two weeks, attend some classes at SPA, and will participate in typical American activities. International communication is a large component of the German, and every, exchange program. The Rubicon applauds the effort of the German program, and hopes that the exchange will help to increase SPA’s communication with the outside world.

the

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Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAI D

ubicon

1712 Randolph Ave. St. Paul, MN

St. Paul, MN Permit No. 3400

Game Time: spot the differences Eight changes have been made to the photo at left. Can you spot the differences between this photo and the original, seen on Sports p. 11?

Answers below.

2 3 4 5 6 A

B

C

D

E

F

G

Lesson Plan: Word Search The gird on the right contains the last names of each of the new faculty and staff profiled in this issue of The Rubicon (Feature 4-6), spelled in every direction. Try to find them all!

Word list: Lajuzan Ward Dreher Short Vanegas Roy

Bray Currie Goldie Auyeung Richter

H

1. 2-D: Someone has been lifting weights!

2. 3-E: The piping on the glove has suddenly changed color.

3. 6-A: The logo on his shoe has disappeared.

4. 2-C: Was he always number 55?

5. 2-H: Where did that foot come from?

6. 2-G: Something has happened to the cross on this Concordia playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jersey.

7. 5-D: The Nike logo has been flipped.

8. 5-A: Did someone re-paint the lines?

1

r

the

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAI D

ubicon

St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Ave. St. Paul, MN

St. Paul, MN Permit No. 3400

Game Time: spot the differences Eight changes have been made to the photo at left. Can you spot the differences between this photo and the original, seen on Sports p. 11?

Answers below.

2 3 4 5 6 A

B

C

D

E

F

G

Lesson Plan: Word Search The gird on the right contains the last names of each of the new faculty and staff profiled in this issue of The Rubicon (Feature 4-6), spelled in every direction. Try to find them all!

Word list: Lajuzan Ward Dreher Short Vanegas Roy

Bray Currie Goldie Auyeung Richter

H

1. 2-D: Someone has been lifting weights!

2. 3-E: The piping on the glove has suddenly changed color.

3. 6-A: The logo on his shoe has disappeared.

4. 2-C: Was he always number 55?

5. 2-H: Where did that foot come from?

6. 2-G: Something has happened to the cross on this Concordia playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jersey.

7. 5-D: The Nike logo has been flipped.

8. 5-A: Did someone re-paint the lines?

1