April 2019 Issue

TWINS CITIES MURALS

CORPORATIONS

From Bezos to Benioff, the rise of corporations owning newspapers has raised questions surrounding the ethics of privately owned journalism.

Learn the best way to optimize your morning routine. Waking up, exercising, and eating breakfast, this guide has it all.

AROUND TOWN pg. 8

OPINIONS pg. 6

@therubiconspa @TheRubiconSPA TheRubicon.SPA The Rubicon

MORNING ROUTINES

Explore the diverse assortment of beautiful murals spread throughout the Twin Cities.

HEALTH pg. 10

the

the student newspaper of St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Ave, St. Paul, MN 55105 Volume 46. Issue 6.

April 30, 2019.

www.rubiconline.com

Latinos Unidos honors

Cinco de Mayo

RUBICONLINE PHOTOS: Koji Gutzmann

MINGLE. Students and faculty mingle together as they celebrate Cinco De Mayo.

KOJI GUTZMANN RUBICONLINE Laughter fills the air, along with upbeat Latin American music. Students dance and help themselves to food, enjoying the warm weather. On April 4, Intercultural Club hosted their annual Cinco de Mayo festival in the Lilly courtyard during X-period. Cinco de Mayo is a yearly celebration that commemorates the Mexican Army’s victory at the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862 against the French Empire. Intercultural Club’s Cinco de Mayo festival honored this victory by sharing food, music, and a piĂąata with Upper School students. “Organizing Cinco de Mayo can be a lot of work but it pays off. It’s really important for me because I believe students need to experience and learn about different cultures,â€? said sophomore Karla Garcia.

DANCE. Sophomores Karla Garcia and Lynn Reynolds dance hand in hand together.

SNACK. Upper school students dish up snacks that were provided by IC for the Cinco de Mayo festival.

ISSUE INDEX

1-3 ... New 10 ... Health

4-5 ... Opinions 11 ... Feature

WARMTH. Seniors Mashal Naqvi and Isabel Saavedra-Weis enjoy the warm weather and energizing music.

6 ... Editorial 12-13 ... A&E

7 ... Sci-Tech 14-16 ... Sports

Additional reporting by Maren Ostrem 8-9 ... Around Town

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NEWS THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

Speaker Day educates on ethics in STEM JENNY RIES THE RUBICON EDITOR

All Photos from SPA SmugMug Sam McVeety, SPA alumni and current Google employee was the keynote speaker for Speaker Day.

Melissa Krasnow, class of ‘95 was one of the featured speakers.

Lisa MacDonald, class of ‘87, spoke about the use of biometrics in everyday life.

Another speaker day has passed, and despite an unfortunately-timed rainstorm, students and USC members alike feel that it was a success. As a nod to the brand new, STEM-oriented, Schilling Center, Upper School Council felt the theme ‘intersection of science and ethics’ was only fitting. The day, Monday, April 22, started with students listening to the keynote speaker, SPA-alum turned Google-programmer, Sam McVeety. USC selected 27 speakers, each specializing in a different form of science, with experience dealing with how ethics inform their work. USC divided them so that each student attended two morning sessions, each with a different speaker. This went smoothly for the most part, except for a few logistical details that USC had to iron out on the day-of. In the afternoon, USC planned for students to divide into groups and do service projects, either around SPA or with Friends of the Mississippi River, but these activities were rained-out, so students instead watched either The Imitation Game or Hidden Figures.

Despite the change of plans, many students left Speaker Day thinking.

USC treasurer Nikolas Liepins said, “The hope is that our students will walk away having a more informed sense of what’s

“

I THINK IT IS INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT”S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE WITH ROBOTS.

”

- Elianah Cohen going on in the ethics community in a variety of different fields, whether it be bioethics or targeted marketing, biometrics.

Just having a more well-rounded sense of how ethics play a role in various scientific fields.”

In terms of lining Speaker Day up with the construction of the Schilling Center, he said, “Along with the emerging and growing science scene… across the globe, we’re ready to help increase the education around it.”

Sophomore Elianah Cohen reflected on one of the speakers she listened to.

“I learned more about robots and... I think that it is interesting to see what’s going to happen in the future with robots… having [the same] rights as people,” she said.

As far as the ethics of this, Cohen isn’t convinced:, “Robots aren’t the same as people, so I think that it wouldn’t be good if they took away the rights of people, because there is still inequality in the world, so I think that…

we need to focus on inequality [with]in ourselves, instead of giving equality to robots,.” Cohen said.

As for the weather and logistical issues on Speaker Day, junior USC representative Ananya Narayan said, “There were some unexpected bumps and hurdles, but we’ve been managing to stay on top of them. There were some room assignments that got weird for speakers, but we figured that out. Most of the thing was the weather, but we still managed to get kids into watching movies and things like that.”

Besides this, members of USC thought that, in general, speaker day inspired the reflection in students that they were looking for.

Liepins said, “I’d say that a lot of people were, at the start, perhaps apprehensive, but once they got to their speaker sections and got engaged, they found… more of a depth of interest in the subject. So I think, as far as that goes, ultimately we’ve seen a lot of the attitude we were hoping to.”

As to whether she thought that students were taking what USC intended them to from the day, Narayan said, “I really hope they are. I think that the topic is extremely important and that the speakers have been doing a really great job, from what I’ve heard, at explaining to kids about why it’s important. From what I’ve heard from my friends, they’ve all been really enjoying it.”

SADD focuses on safe driving GSA moves away from Day of Silence

TOMMY STOLPESTAD THE RUBICON EDITOR As technology continues to become increasingly ingrained into our lives, new problems arise surrounding the safety and policies concerning technology in day to day life. One of the most prevalent problems is that of texting and driving. According to the Center for Disease Control, nine people die in car crashes every day in the United States as a result of distracted driving, and roughly 1,000 people are injured in daily crashes due to drivers being distracted. While distracted driving is not solely texting and driving, Minnesota Legislation has recognized the problem that cell phones pose, and passed the Hands-Free Bill in mid March.

In an attempt to lower the number of crashes and fatalities that cell phones cause, this bill makes it so drivers are only allowed to manually use their phone for emergencies. Starting on August 1st, officers will be enforcing this rule in hopes of making the roads a safer place.

At SPA, students have taken initiative to help stop peers from texting and driving. Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) has focused their efforts on spreading awareness

MEAGAN MASSIE THE RUBICON EDITOR In 2017 alone, 3,166 died in ing distracted driv . ts en accid In 2017, 9% of fatal crashes involved distracted driving.

THE RUBICON PHOTO: Evelyn Lillemoe INFOGRAPHIC: Maren Ostrem Information: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. about the dangers of distracted driving. Whether it is signs in the parking lot or ribbons on car doors, the club has done their fair share to remind the SPA body not to text and drive.

SADD is making sure students are aware of the serious risks texting and driving can cause. “This year, the other presidents and I, are really just trying to make students aware of what could happen [as a result of distracted driving] and also to let them know that whether you are on your phone or not while driving, you are still responsible for your life and the life of oth-

ers,” said SADD President, Janie Brunell.

Every year, SADD takes steps to show the student body how dangerous distracted driving is, .

“Every April, we tie red ribbons on car doors in the parking lot just to remind people to drive safe. We do that in April because it is SADD awareness month,” explained Brunell.

With Minnesota legislation on their side, members of SADD are hoping the new hands-free bill will make texting and driving less of a problem in the future.

The silence is deafening.

Their voices remain unheard; no sound escapes them as their friends, their family, their school, and their country talks over them. Society has tried to silence members of the LGBTQ community and has often succeeded. Many LGBTQ people and allies take part in the Day of Silence to raise awareness of how the LGBTQ community has been oppressed and silenced in the United States. The day is held across the United States every third Friday of April.

However, the Gender and Sexuality Acceptance Club has something different in mind this year.

“GSA has decided not to do Day of Silence this year. As a club, we’ve decided that the LGBTQ community has been silenced for long enough, so we will not be participating because it seems counterproductive to what the queer community had been doing for years now,” junior Victoria Greenman, a member of GSA, said.

The LGBTQ community will not stop fighting until they have a voice. The SPA community has been more supportive

than other schools, however, GSA would like to show other schools that they can no longer be silenced. They believe that it perpetuates the silence.

“If LGBTQ people’s voices around the world are erased every day in schools, why should we have to continue that silence, just in a more noticeable way?” GSA president Zoe Hermer-Cisek said.

The environment in which one works or learns can influence how well someone is able to make a stand. If a student would choose to partake in the Day of Silence, the student would have to participate in classroom activities all while exercising their right to protest against the system.

“I remember in my freshman year, Day of Silence landed on a Harkness discussion that was a significant part of my grade for the quarter. I had to break my silence for part of the class so that I could participate, but I was very conflicted about making that decision,” Hermer-Cisek said.

The National Day of Silence was scheduled for Apr. 12.

Read the full story at

RUBICON online

NEWS Spring concerts showcase student talent

THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

Self defense class teaches life skills

LUCY BENSON THE RUBICON EDITOR

“A lot.” That’s how many SPA concerts 9th grader Spencer Burris-Brown has been apart of. “I’ve been doing choir since 6th grade and I was in it throughout sixth grade and then I did the concert last semester,” Burris-Brown said.

Now in Academy Chorale, Burris-Brown shares a glimpse into the lineup for this years concert.

“This year we’re singing a pair of Mozart songs...a lot of Latin songs and a couple of other ones.”

While he notes that Choir Director Anne Klus chooses the songs, if he could pick?

“All of the Pentatonix songs,” Burris-Brown said in regards to what he would make his own lineup for the concert.

Burris-Browns main com-

“

I THINK THE MUSIC IS ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD SO I’M JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO SINGING IT AND PERFORMING IT.

”

- Spencer BurrisBrown plaint is with the tech of the performance itself. “Just the Huss stage is too bright and I think it’s pretty hard to stand there for like an hour or two but the actual format itself seems fine.”

Though he does have favorite songs from the set. “I like City Gold Heaven and Lacrimosa, the Mozart song, the most...I feel like they just sound good, they’re like more fun to sing.”

While the performance is quickly approaching, there is still work to be done for the choir. “that’s kind of ‘until all of us are, we are none of us free’, it’s just that [phrase] repeated for like fifteen pages and because of that it’s kind of hard to know when there are like little shifts... so I think we have to practice that a little bit more.”

For choir this year’s concert is no anomaly but Burris-Brown is still looking forward to the concert.

“I won’t be able to do choir next year... I’m taking too many classes so just the last time for a year,” Burris-Brown said. “I think the music is actually pretty good so I’m just looking forward to just singing and performing.”

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April marks the review of Senior Projects KAT ST. MARTIN NORBURG THE RUBICON EDITOR

RUBICONLINE PHOTO: Izzy Gisser CLAWS. HerSpace co-presidents Adelia Bergner and Nitya Thakkar practice the “front cat” move.

IZZY GISSER RUBICONLINE EDITOR Members of the SPA community gathered in Bigelow Commons on April 17 for a session lead by Not Me! a Minnesota based organization focused on “violence prevention training and education.” Not Me! lead trainer, Karla Rapp, led participants through self defense maneuvers and precautionary strategies.

Self defense has traditionally been incorporated into the annual senior retreat but was not included this year. Several club

“

I TOOK THE CLASS BECAUSE... I FEEL LIKE IT’S SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW BEFORE GOING OFF TO COLLEGE. It WAS SCARY BUT HONESTLY REALLLY HELPFUL. - Eliza Reedy

”

leaders saw the value of these lessons and hoped to bring back self defense training and make it accessible to the student body.

“I took the class because I’ve never done any sort of self defense and I feel like it’s something I should know before going off to college,” said senior and member of Peer Helpers, Eliza Reedy. “It was scary, but honestly really helpful to have time to really consider how I’d react if I was in a dangerous situation and know how to change that mindset.”

RUBICONLINE PHOTO: Izzy Gisser NOT ME. Students learn defense tactics from Not Me!.

Didn’t attend the class?

Here are some self defense tips.

- Make yourself hard to hold. Squirm, kick, slap, and thrash.

- Target vulnerable areas such as groin, eyes, or nose.

- If you’re being choked, target the person’s thumbs.

RUBICONLINE PHOTO: Izzy Gisser SELF DEFENSE. Lead trainer Karla Rapp demonstrates a self defense technique with senior Isabel Saavedra-Weiss. .

Senior Project: a month off the school schedule, a chance to experience new things, to grow and explore one’s interests, and — to most students who aren’t seniors --a complete mystery. Senior project advisors Steve Heilig and Tom Fones gather a committee of students and faculty to go through and approve every senior’s project.

Heilig has been one of the Senior Project advisors for the last three years, but has been assisting students in their project processes for years before that.

“The purpose of Senior Project is to give you a chance to really grow, to try things outside of the walls of SPA. There is a mentor, who can assess how you’re doing and give you pointers on how to improve, so it really is a chance to grow,” Heilig said.

The Senior Project is composed of multiple components, with a main internship that most students spend the majority of their time at. Seniors also need to complete at least 12 hours of volunteering at a service organization, and a one hour informational interview with someone from a chosen career field.

Jazz Ward will intern with Hennepin County Judge Christian Sande.

“He works in family court. I’ll be helping around the office with administrative stuff, like shredding old documents, writing briefings for him before he goes in,” Ward said.

Peter Moore will be focusing on two different things for his project. The first internship will be with a sports nutrition company.

“I’ll be driving to Boulder, Colorado, and I’ll be working with a sports nutrition company called Skratch Labs. I’ve been using this company’s products for years,” Moore said.

Moore will also be spending his time in Boulder training with his cycling coach.

Joe Kase will be traveling a little farther from Minnesota for his Senior Project.

“I am going to Korea for two weeks, and then the other two weeks I’ll be doing stuff related to the trip. During the Korea trip I’ll be with my mom, who’s an adoptee... We’re going to tour different important cultural sites in Korea, as well as the orphanages,” Kase said.

In order to prepare for such an extensive trip, Kase will be spending a week at the Korean Service Institute of Minnesota.

All seniors will be starting their Project on May 6, and you can check out where each senior is at RubicOnline.

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EDITORIAL THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

EDITORIAL CARTOON: Evelyn Lillemoe PATHOS v.s. LOGOS. Oftentimes in the classroom, students have to pick between the intellectual or the emotional when supporting an argument. Keeping the ethics side in mind would help bridge differences and find common ground.

Make room for ethics in academics THE RUBICON STAFF EDITORIAL

A

common technique for writing argumentative essays is to use three different types of arguments: logos, the logical appeal, pathos, the emotional appeal, and ethos, the ethical appeal. Students at St. Paul Academy are more than familiar with the pathos and logos aspects, as well as the struggle of attempting to create space for both in the classroom. But where does ethos lie in our classrooms?

A set of clear and transparent ethics that a class can agree upon could bridge the gap between emotional and intellectual arguments.

One of the myths of the intellectual vs. emotional debate is that it’s either / or. In reality, both are valid and must be considered. Emotional arguments should be met with empathy, and empathy stems from ethics. Moral emotions can serve as a bridge between someone who thinks of a situation intellectually and someone who, because of their life experiences, engages with the same situation emotionally.

If emotional and intellectual arguments involve bringing different experiences and perspectives to the table, establishing shared morals can help in finding common ground even when it seems like there is none. Instead of speaking idea to idea, we must speak human to human. In order for that to happen, students and

“ MORAL EMOTIONS

CAN SERVE AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN SOMEONE WHO THINKS OF A SITUATION INTELLECTUALLY AND SOMEONE WHO...ENGAGES WITH THE SAME SITUATION EMOTIONALLY.

”

teachers must be deliberate about creating a space for the ethos side of an argument or perspective.

Harkness discussions in particular, which are meant to help students learn how to discuss ideas respectfully within an academic context, would benefit from an established set of classroom morals. If the goal is to win an argument, either intellectual or emotional arguments might do the trick. However, if the goal of discussion is to expand perspectives and open new avenues of thought, shared ethics is vital.

Each person has a moral compass that tells us what is right and what is wrong, and because of this, we often agree on more than we think we do. When one person is approaching an argument emotionally and the other

is approaching it intellectually, returning to their shared senses of right and wrong could help bridge the gap.

The theme of Speaker Day addressed this issue on Apr. 22 with each speaker focusing on the intersections between science and ethics. Speaker Day was a perfect example of how ethics, academics,and emotional aspects of an issue all intersect with one another in the scientific world.

Don’t let this conversation die.

Whether it is establishing a shared set of morals that can guide classroom discussions, or simply using ethos in addition to logos and pathos, carry conversations about ethics and its role in intellectual spaces back into the classroom.

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

Jack Benson Quinn Christensen Chloe Morse Andrew Johnson Maren Ostrem, Lucy Sandeen Lizzie Kristal, Kat St. MartinNorburg Lucy Benson, Meagan Massie Jasper Green Eloise Duncan, Evelyn Lillemoe Julia Baron, Tommy Stolpestad Sharee Roman Jenny Ries Claire Hallaway

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STAFF WRITERS

Salah Abdulkarim, Mason Brooks, Lara Cayci, Clara Garner, Adrienne Gaylord, Lucia Granja, Tessah Green, Charlie Johnson, Zekiah Juliusson, Charlie Keillor, Harper Lux, Anna Perleberg, Mukeil Rizvi, Annika Rock, Katya Sjaastad, Elizabeth Trevathan ADVISER

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OPINIONS THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

Trump’s corruption qualifies him for impeachment MAREN OSTREM THE RUBICON EDITOR

The idea of corruption is one that comes up often, particularly when talking about the United States Government. With the Mueller report on President Trump released in mid April, the concept of corruption has been tossed around constantly, dominating news networks and social media. However, while it is widely believed that the Trump administration has committed actions that could be considered corrupt, many of these actions are, shockingly, legal. According to the Atlantic, this includes: making changes to foreign policy for personal gain, sabotaging an investigation, and lying in order to gain votes.

This raises the question of what our government values.

As teenagers who are soon to be entering adulthood, we will con-

tinue to be affected by politics for the rest of our lives. The actions and values prioritized will leave a long-lasting impact on our life.

The Mueller report is attempting to expose the twisted acts of the current administration, but because of outdated laws, it may not be entirely successful. These actions that could be considered cause for impeachment may not be taken as seriously as they should be.

The accusations against Trump include but are not limited to, as quoted from page 156 of the Mueller report: “efforts to remove the Special Counsel and to reverse the effect of the Attorney General’s recusal; to the attempted use of official power to limit the scope of the investigation; to direct and indirect contacts with witnesses with the potential to influence their testimony.�

In the earlier cited Atlantic article, journalist Franklin Foer

claimed that the Mueller report scandal is worse than Watergate.

If Foer is correct then it is undeniable that Trump should be a candidate for impeachment.

After all, after Watergate, Nixon resigned. Unfortunately, what Nixon did was against the law.

Some of the things Trump has done may not have been against the law.

TURN “DON’T A BLIND

EYE TO THE CORRUPTION IN OUR GOVERNMENT.

�

So what do we, as students, do about this? After all, this is the President we’re talking about it may seem pretty far removed

from our everyday lives as students. The answer is simple - do your research, pay attention to what’s going on. Don’t turn a blind eye to the corruption in our government. Right now it may seem like your actions would in no way impact the actions of the United States Government, but we will not always be students. Besides, just because we’re students does not mean that we have to sit back and ignore the decisions being made by our government that will affect us for the rest of our lives. Take a look at the March for Our Lives movement. Thousands of students nationwide, taking a stand for gun control, demanding change.

Teenagers have power and when we band together we can do amazing things. When looking into the future, it is vital that we pay attention, starting now. It is only then that our generation will make real change.

Notre Dame donations reveal true values of the wealthy The money lavished on the cathedral exposes the power of eurocentrism LUCY SANDEEN THE RUBICON EDITOR The Notre Dame Cathedral, a beloved symbol of France’s rich history of culture and art ingrained into international popular culture, burned from April 15 to April 16, 2019 due to what is thought to be an accidental cause. President Emmanuel Macron announced that he wants to rebuild the cathedral within five years. Within hours, France’s most wealthy dynasties contributed generous donations to the cathedral’s restoration, and over one billion dollars were raised in the next two days.

While many lauded the donors for their contributions, others admonished donors for choosing to spend millions to aid a building while people, cities, and other religious structures in different countries are struggling. The donations also sparked backlash and protest over France’s growing economic inequality, and Yellow Vest protesters continued to demonstrate on the streets of Paris with renewed anger. Some Twitter users were vocal about how Flint, MI is still without clean water and that a donation of $55 million would fix the cri-

sis. Others pointed out that the Vatican itself has around $8 billion in assets, according to CNN Money in 2016. These are all valid points, but the true issue lies not in all of the assorted ways wealthy individuals could have spent their money. The fact that they chose to donate millions to the Notre Dame instead of struggling people across the globe is reflective of a greater question: how do we grapple with a neglect of art and history alongside with an apparent disregard for escalating global humanitarian crises?

Both cultural heritage and humanitarian crises deal with the expression of humanity and are evidence of a fundamentally reactive state of mind. Too often, we deny the existence of issues that provoke discomfort or fear until we have a tragedy on our hands, and only then do we react.

The issue becomes even more apparent when you look at the geographic and racial makeup of these crises. While gun violence disproportionately affects people of color, women, and children in America, genocide targets minorities, and those in poverty and in developing countries first feel the effects of climate change,

art, culture, and history are subjects that often only the wealthy elite have the privilege of caring about. The enthusiasm and experience with which billionaires donated to Notre Dame reminds us of how most of the world’s wealthy are removed from the realities that the majority of the global population have to face every day.

Culture, art, and history are undeniably important. But the Notre Dame does not represent how we value cultural heritage; the Brazil National Museum has received a fraction of the amount of donations that the Notre Dame has. The Notre Dame fire is evidence of an infatuation with eurocentric cultural heritage.

If the Notre Dame fire is a personal loss for you and you are moved to donate, go ahead. Charity and philanthropy are not inherently bad; the problem arises when resources are directed only towards Western and white culture and issues. It’s also important to consider what inspires you to donate. Art and religion, like any other cultural heritage, deserves to be valued equally and consistently, not just in the face of European tragedy.

INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN: Lizzie Kristal

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

PUBLICATION INFO The Rubicon

is published eight times a year. We distribute 750 copies of each issue to the Upper School which are available for free.

ADVERTISING The Rubicon does not accept advertisements.

ANONYMOUS SOURCES Although

it is always preferable to use names when reporting, there are times when it is necessary to protect those we report on. In the case of a student, the use of grade level as a name designation (i.e. Sophomore Student) will be the preferred method of anonymity.

BY LINES credit the individual who

conducted interviews, drafted, revised and fact-checked an assigned story.

Shared bylines are given to joint effort assignments, with reporters listed alphabetically by last name. Stories that include supplemental materials include a credit at the bottom that states

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Assemblies are disrespectful to students’ time JACK BENSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Picture sitting in assembly, waiting as a seemingly endless list of groups receive recognition while all you can think about is the productive activities you could be doing.

Everyday (except Wednesday) students utilize a 45 minute x-period to meet with clubs, participate in elected/selected groups, and catch up on homework. Unfortunately, x-period has become burdened with so many different uses that sacrificing it can have a serious detriment to a student’s schedule.

The fact that we lose x-period for speeches can be accepted, as speeches are an essential part of the St. Paul Academy experience.

However, when it comes to award assemblies, a student loses 45 minutes of their day to an event that could be replaced by a short email.

Teachers and administrators have the desire to recognize students for their hard work and achievements, but this recognition should not steal time the students utilize for their hard work and to pursue achievements. Having awards assemblies during x-period, multiple times a year, signifies that the recognition of a select group of students is more of a priority than every students’ free time during x-period.

Having the assemblies spread between speeches is a step in the right direction, but why should we have to wait for speeches when these announcements could easily reach the entire student body in an email?

Getting completely rid of awards assemblies will allow students to stop wasting their time sitting in the Huss center when they could be working with their clubs or other extra-curricular activities. While many students have a free period or two to catch up on homework or meet with teachers, x-periods are the only designated time slots set aside for students to focus on clubs or other activities, academic and not. Taking away what little allotted free time students have is unproductive.

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

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

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

EDITORIALS articulate the collective

UPDATES AND CORRECTIONS

MEMBERSHIPS

opinion of The Rubicon staff, while mini-editorials, opinions pieces, arts reviews, and columns belong to the author.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Opinions are welcomed as Letters to the Editor or Submitted Opinions and may be published in the print or edition. Letters to the Editor should not exceed 400 words and Submitted Opinions should not exceed 650 words.

Both may be edited for length and

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

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

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OPINIONS THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

Billionaires aquire news outlets MEAGAN MASSIE THE RUBICON EDITOR Should the public worry for their privacy and understanding of news if it’s owner’s public presence is in conflict with journalism ethics? The Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos is also the CEO of Amazon and bought the publication for $250 million in 2013. In recent news, Amazon has been accused of listening in on their customers and collecting data based on what they say and what they search on their devices through the home improvement device, Alexa. Because this goes against the journalistic principle of transparency, their ethics might conflict with the journalistic approach of the Washington Post. People have become increasingly worried about their privacy at home with their smart devices.

Bezos is not the only billionaire who owns a media company.

Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, owns Time Magazine. John Hen-

“

IF THEY ABANDON THEIR INVESTMENT, THE LEGACY OF THE NEWSPAPER WILL BE LOST.

ry, owner of the Boston Red Sox, owns the Boston Globe. Warren Buffett, business mogul, owns 70 daily newspapers across the country. One of the biggest news outlet owners is Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox Corporations. Recently, there has been talk of whether he is fit to own that many news outlets. It’s difficult to decipher who should be allowed to own influential publications.

Because the 21st century has been labelled as the fastest growing technology era, print newspapers have become increasingly

�

INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN: Lizzie Kristal BILLIONAIRES OWN NEWS OUTLETS. Famous billionaires and their net worths aquire popular news outlets outside the fields of their expertise, alongside the companies they already own and run. less popular; some newspapers have been on the cusp of dying out and community-based publications are shrinking or closing altogether. These billionaires are the reason many have not completely gone bankrupt. They have invested a lot into these companies and as a result, the media outlets’ online news has flourished. The most problematic aspect of billionaires owning newspapers is that when their investments fail, then they might pull their business. At the end of the day, the successful business-

men might not keep a business going for an ethical purpose; they might abandon their investment and then the legacy of the newspaper will be lost. It is all determined on the morals and patience of the billionaire. Some might wait for a profit to turnover and some might pull out, but there may be concern for the publications to write more of what is popular and profitable rather than informing the audience.

The public is skeptical of these news outlets and have a skewed perception that the media is

consistently biased, even when sometimes they aren’t. Public and famous figures, like Bezos, may undermine the credibility of the publications that they are trying to save. Media outlets and the other companies need to be separated so that the public can see that the companies are not colluding and becoming biased.

The media needs to show that they can be trusted because the public won’t do that for them.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Take a moment to appreciate the design of the learning spaces around us

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- Jay Dearness

INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN: Lizzie Kristal TAKE A SEAT. Community spaces have plenty of room for students to socialize and study.

EVELYN LILLEMOE THE RUBICON EDITOR If you take a walk through our school, you will always see people. People doing homework, talking, working on a project, drawing, painting, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with friends. Our school is filled

with spaces that are perfect for all of those different things. The beauty and comfort that is present in our school is something that many students may take for granted. There is beauty in the stained glass windows from the old main that are now a part of the new areas. There is beauty in the huge windows in Schilling

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[BEAUTY IS] THE MELDING OF FUNCTIONALITY AND AESTHETICS IN JUST THE RIGHT PROPORTIONS TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED RESULT.

and Huss that let the sun light brighten our day, that let us be so close to snow as it falls, that let us constantly be a part of the nature around us. There is beauty in all the people gathered around the school. There is beauty in the art that students are making displayed around the school.

This beauty often goes underap-

preciated. As a student body we should be more appreciative and aware of the privileges that we have in our spaces.

Jay Dearness is an artist and designer who has a PhD on beauty and design and how they work together. “Beauty is not aesthetics alone,â€? Dearness said. He believes beauty is “the melding of functionality and aesthetics in just the right proportions to achieve the desired result‌ True beauty in design is when the two [functional and aesthetic elements] work so seamlessly with each other it feels like poetry walking in the space,â€? Dearness said.

When that balance is present,

it can have significant results.According to the International Well Building Institute, the perceived beauty, or perceived lack of beauty, in an environment can impact the health, well-being, and behaviour of those in that environment. Environments perceived as beautiful can even positively affect your learning. This shows the importance of what we see as beauty in the spaces we spend our time in, especially when we are learning.

Alberto PĂŠrez-GĂłmez is the Director of History and Theory of Architecture at McGill University. He said that, “when successful, architecture allows for participation in meaningful action, conveying to the participant an understanding of his or her place in the world‌it opens up a clearing for the individual’s experience of purpose.â€?

SPA is lucky in that we can afford these sought after goals. Not all students have places to just relax at school. Not all students have quiet places where they can do their homework at school. Not all students have places that are pleasant and enjoyable to be in at school. So when you are spending time in a beautiful area, at SPA or someplace else, look around and take a moment to enjoy being in such a beautiful space.

Coffee

FEATURE

Chocolate THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

7

The sweets spots of Saint Paul Mademoiselle Miel

Cafe Astoria CHLOE MORSE MANAGING EDITOR Situated on the corner of Leech St. and Grand Ave. in downtown St. Paul, Cafe Astoria offers both beautiful drinks and a productive atmosphere. The cafe is known for its meticulously crafted drinks, such as the 24K Latte, as well as the delicious flavor of their coffee.

Cafe Astoria has nearly a wall

of windows in the front, allow natural lighting to seep to even the back of the cafe. With plenty of wooden tables, as well as beautiful wooden floorboards, Cafe Astoria offers a homey, old-fashioned experience.

Come to Cafe Astoria to experience a coffee shop that offers newfangled drinks, but welcomes you with the same warmth as a grandmother’s hug.

FRENCH SWEETS. The chocolatier makes all the chocolate treats from scratch, starting from cacao nibs and honeybees on the roof.

A charming chocolaterie tucked away in a small brick building off of Kellogg Blvd, Mademoiselle Miel offers a refreshingly calm atmosphere, and beautiful chocolates. All the chocolates are made on site from cacao nibs, and all feature one main ingredient: honey from the honey bees that the owner, Susan Brown, keeps on the roof.

The inside of the store is small, but tastefully decorated with plants, white paint, and chocolate or honey themed decorations. A few tables by the window offer a view into downtown St. Paul, letting plenty of natural light flood the store.

Come to Mademoiselle Miel if you are seeking a delicious and photogenic journey.

THE RUBICON PHOTOS: CHLOE MORSE COLOR IN THE CITY. Cafe Astoria has a quiet and hip ambiance that makes it a must go.

Henze and Moerer build a stable friendship IF I WAS “ GOING TO RUN SHAREE ROMAN THE RUBICON EDITOR

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY: ANDREA MOERER HORSIN’ AROUND. Junior Sonja Henze and US History Teacher Andrea Moerer often run into each other at horse stables outside of the city. “She was like “call me Andrea” which was really hard and took a long time,” Henze said.

There’s nothing more awkward than seeing teachers outside of school. An accidental run in can happen anywhere from the grocery store to the bus stop.

Whatever the situation may be, seeing teachers in a public setting can be a weird experience - for both students and teachers.

“Kids look terrified,” Upper School history teacher Andrea Moerer said. “They either act really goofy or they don’t say much at all and they look really scared.”

Moerer is well aware of the students’ discomfort.

“Last year someone said — in a really joking manner — that they only thought of us as teachers and that we have no life outside of school,” she said.

Though seeing students in public can be uncomfortable, it doesn’t always have to be.

A less awkward experience for Moerer came up at an unlikely lo-

cation: her horse stables.

Junior Sonja Henze and Moerer have a history of running into each other at different horse stables over the years.

“My family owns horses,” Moerer said, “and when we were at a barn last year, a young woman came to the barn and she had an SPA athletic thing on. It turns out it was Sonja Henze, so we got to know each other,” Moerer said, “but then she left the barn and I was like ‘oh that’s too bad because she was lovely.”

Time passed, “and then,” Moerer said, “we [also] left the barn and we ended up at the barn Sonja [had moved to].”

It was a pleasant coincidence.

Now, Henze and Moerer have formed a bond of friendship through horseback riding and run ins outside of school.

“At first it was kinda weird.

Especially because she was like ‘Hey, I’m Dr. Moerer’ and I didn’t really know who she was,” Hen-

INTO ANY TEACHER OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL, I WOULD WANT IT TO BE [DR. MOERER.] - Sonja Henze

”

ze said, “but now it is totally fine.

She is super sweet and it isn’t awkward anymore.”

Henze is glad she got to know Moerer outside of school, seeing her once or twice a week at the stables.

“She is such an amazing person. If I was going to run into any teacher outside of school,” Henze said, “I would want it to be her.”

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AROUND

THE RUBICON

TWIN CITIE

See the art

Go on a street art scavenger hunt

Route #1: Downtown Minneapolis

1

2

Faces and Positi 1010 Currie Ave

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2

3 1

Music Wall 94 S 10th Street Minneapolis THE RUBICON PHOTOS: Jasper Green

Route #2: Downtown St. Paul

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4

7 Lancer Auto Service 270 E 8th St., St. Paul

5 4

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Voices of Hope 109 E. 9th St., St. Paul

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6 Sisters & Hope 249 4th St E, Saint Paul

Route #3: MacGroveland 9

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Braided Snelling Ave & Sherbourne St.

D

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TOWN

N - APRIL 2019

ES MURALS

t of the city

Murals brighten city streets JASPER GREEN THE RUBICON EDITOR

tivity e, Minneapolis

When cities fail to make walking fun and entertaining, murals are there to bring life to the community.

“I like murals, especially when they are on the sides of urban buildings. There are some cool ones that I’ve seen around the downtowns and it kind of just spices up the appearance of the buildings. When there are older ones that have kind of grimy old bricks, the pop of color that a mural provides is nice to see. The artwork is a cool juxtaposition in an urban setting,” senior Adelia Bergner said.

For senior Lucie Hoeschen, murals bring a sense of home to a mundane urban landscape.

“When I see a mural on the side of the road, it brightens up my day I guess. There is something very homely about having a piece of art on the side of an emotionless building. I think that we should definitely strive to bring more murals to the Twin Cities,” Hoeschen said.

For Bergner, murals increase the amount of WHEN THERE ARE attention she pays towards buildings and keeps them from all looking the same.

OLDER [BUILDINGS] “I definitely think that we should try to work THAT HAVE OLD, to have more murals. Not only do they look cool, but a lot of times when you’re walking around the GRIMY BRICKS, city all of the buildings look the same. And this THE POP OF COLOR makes them more eye catching. I’m more likely to walk up to the building to see what’s going on and THAT THE MURAL to take pictures there. It encourages individuality PROVIDES IS NICE TO SEE. and I know that a lot of murals around St. Paul and Minneapolis are done by local artists, so muTHE ARTWORK IS A COOL rals are a way you can support local artists within JUXTAPOSITION IN AN your community and help them gain more attention,” Bergner said.

URBAN SETTING. Bergner believes that a catalogue should be made to keep track of new and existing murals to - Adelia Bergner increase awareness.

“Sometimes it’s hard to find murals, you see them and you’re like cool, but then you don’t see it for a while and you forget where it was. I think it would be cool if there was a website that kept track of murals and you could go there to find cool ones,” Bergner said.

While many murals are commissioned, others are done without permission, and for Bergner, this is never okay on historic buildings.

“Some street art, like graffiti, is vandalism. I think it’s a problem when it’s on historic old buildings because it takes away from the history of the building itself. I don’t think I have an opinion if it’s on abandoned buildings or like a train as much, but when its a historic structure that’s when I start to feel like it’s disrespectful,” Bergner said.

For Hoeschen, graffiti can provide something fun to look at while driving on the highway.

“I mostly do not like graffiti, but when it’s on like the side of the highway it can be fun to look at. I think that when gangs use graffiti that can be problematic, but when it is done by artists who wanted to be expressive, I think it can be beneficial even if it is not commissioned,” Hoeschen said.

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Bob Dylan Mural 1, S 5th St, Minneapolis FAIR USE IMAGE: Flickr Creative Commons Rick Vink

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Pedro’s Park 504 Robert St. N, St Paul

Cheese Market Coffee Bean Montgomery St. & Myrtle Ave, St. Paul

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Lucy Mural 1459 St. Claire Ave

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Whole Foods Mural 1575 Selby Ave, St. Paul

Turf Club 1601 University Ave W, St. Paul

10

SCI-TECH

THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

Aluminum air batteries

Are they right for industrial application?

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RESEARCHERS FROM MIT DEVELOPED A BATERY DESIGN THAT ‘EXTENDS THE LIFE’ OF REUSABLE BATTERIES.

�

According to Sci Tech Daily, researchers have found a way to slow down corrosion that disintegrates metal-air batteries that are used to power carbon-forward initiatives. Instead of using lithium batteries, which hold charge for a long period of time but are too bulky and costly, researchers

As the technology scene in America continues to evolve with a nationwide focus on innovation, the issue of battery life in practical applications has come to fruition. These shifts are not happening by mistake; the country as a whole is placing more of an emphasis on going green and preserving the natural environment by any means possible in order to stave off concerns regarding global warming and a depletion of natural resources that threatens to evaporate without a change in worldwide behavior. Americans are turning to the aspects of their life that are most prevalent in their daily routines to reduce their carbon footprint, but in order to do so, battery life in these applications must be improved. To address this problem, researchers from MIT developed a battery design that “extends the life� of reusable batteries.

“introduced an oil barrier between the aluminium electrode and the electrolyte� that cuts the battery loss from 80 percent to .02 percent in a month, which according to the researchers, is more than a “thousand-fold� change. These researchers believe that these aluminium-air batteries may be the only feasible replacement for gasoline, the fuel that powers non-electric cars.

As a result, the time, money, and energy saved by improving their power-holding abilities will be instrumental in moving the carbon preservation movement forward. For example, researchers say that a person could park their car in a driveway, leave the battery on, and in a month, the car would still be functional.

Also, powering cars, aluminum batteries can also serve as general power sources in various “remote� locations and as supplements to “built in rechargeable batteries� for other objects or applications in technology.

As reported by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the increased shelf time this battery improvement brings will help facilitate greater change outside the “niche� areas in which it is being applied today.

Researchers note that the implementation of new aluminum-air batteries will open more doors toward new technologies, which could extend past the issue of carbon emissions and into fields such as computer and solar power. With the amount of gasoline and lithium batteries being used across the nation to power electricity in homes exceeding that of the projectable national budget, shifting towards the battery-forward aluminum air battery system could revolutionize the way families interact with electricity in the future. Without

ANDREW JOHNSON THE RUBICON EDITOR

INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN: Lizzie Kristal CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE. After investigating the prices of critical metals in battery production. it’s clear that aluminum is the cheapest option. having to worry as much about the amount of energy being used and the cost that is associated with each product, people could spend more time on solving other issues that arise without having to concern themselves with gargantuan electric bills and low-battery computers. With researchers already achieving an one thousand-fold improvement, there is no telling what the next steps could be in revolutionizing how the public thinks about technology’s impact on the world.

Of course, to do this, aluminum-air batteries must become the “norm� in American society, which isn’t immediately possible.With the help of young researchers and even high school students, the future can be speed up. In order to continue the fight against global warming, carbon emissions, and depleted gasoline, young people must continue to push for the implementation of these efficient technologies, even if the status quo proves to be unaccepting of change.

Change-makers must continue to educate themselves and talk to people who care about the issue to create a tangible difference, and supporting private research initiatives like those done by MIT researchers is paramount to moving the world forward in a prosperous, cost-effective, and environmentally mindful direction.

OK Go Sandbox performs music through science LUCY BENSON THE RUBICON EDITOR

PHOTO REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION: OK GO SANDBOX THE ONE MOMENT. OK Go Sandboxas created a series of videos focusing on different scientific princples. In this video, OK GO SANDBOX creatively teachers students about algebra, principles of gravity and how a 4 second shot becomes an amazing 4 minute video.

As they describe themselves on their website, “OK Go is a band. They like to make stuff.�

This comes through not just in their music but also in their videos. Whether it be dancing in anti-gravity, a coordinated rube goldberg machine set to their song “This too shall pass,� or a video filmed in only 4 seconds but slowed down to match the beat of their songs, the band’s creativity and love for science is showcased in their elaborate and well planned music videos.

Made popular for these very creative and unique videos, rock band OK Go launched Ok Go Sandbox. A website that creates science lessons from the groups complex and eye catching videos.

The site, a collaboration with St. Thomas’s own Playful Learning Lab provides teachers with lesson plans that surround the videos content.

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THE BAND’S CREATIVITY AND LOVE FOR SCIENCE IS SHOWCASED IN THEIR ELEBORATE AND WELL PLANNED MUSIC VIDEOS.

�

For example take OK Go’s zero gravity video, filmed in an airplane, and in one take, for their song “Upside Down & In-

side Out.� The lesson plan to accompany this delves into parabola science as well as what they call “Art in microgravity.� Each sub topic has videos that walk viewers through how these aspects connect to the video and how students can experiment for themselves.

With a focus on STEAM, art is also made a priority by OK Go Sandbox. This comes into play when the group explains the more creative and aesthetic aspects of their videos. Without relying on virtual affects the videos become an intersection of creativity in science. Fostering an environment where it is not one without the other, but instead the two working together to create a work of art and a thought provoking science experiment of sorts.

HEALTH THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

How to...

11

MAXIMIZE the

MORNING for energy all day THE RUBICON PHOTOS: Eloise Duncan WAKE UP CALL. Use an alarm to wake up every morning and consider programming your cell alarm it to play an upbeat song.

Morning routines of SPA ELOISE DUNCAN THE RUBICON EDITOR It’s 6:30 a.m. on Monday morning.

The alarm is sounding. With a jolt awake from the irritating, monotonous sound, you hit the snooze button: ‘Just five more minutes, and then I’ll get up.’

Or so you think.

The five minutes pass and the alarm sounds again. The snooze is hit once more.

Five minutes later, when the alarm sounds a third time, you sluggishly drag yourself out of bed and check your phone.

The time allotted for getting ready for school has been cut short, so you rush to get ready in the bathroom, throw on some clothes, grab your backpack and run into the kitchen to shovel down a quick breakfast before leaving the house to try to make it to school on time.

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WHETHER OR NOT YOUR MORNING ROUTINE LOOKS SIMILAR TO THIS, MOST TEENAGERS CAN ATTEST TO FEELING RUSHED AS THEY WAKE UP FOR SCHOOL.

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Whether or not your morning routine looks similar to this, most teenagers can attest to feeling rushed as they wake up early for school.

However, mornings do not have to look or feel like that.

There are research-based, healthier alternatives.

Time to wake up Waking up and getting out of bed can prove to be difficult for many students early in the morning; in fact, more than half the students who took The Rubicon poll this month reponded that they hit the snooze button.

Why is that a problem? According to ASAP Science on YouTube, hitting the snooze doesn’t let you finish a rapid eye momement (REM) cycle; instead, it starts the sleep cycle over again, so when the alarm buzzer sounds the next time, the body feels even less rested.

There are ways to make waking up and getting out of bed easier.

One solution to the problem is putting the device used for a morning alarm across the room.

Doing this makes it necessary to get out of bed and move around to turn it off.

Another way to start the morning well is to choose an upbeat song instead of a buzzer for an alarm sound; then, change it up every once in a while.

In an Austrialian study conducted this spring at RMIT in Melbourne, scientists examined how 50 people woke up each morning and the impact this had on their mental performance in the hours after getting out of bed.

They found that people who woke up listening to melodic music suffered lower levels of sleep inertia compared to those who woke up to a classical beeping alarm sound.

If getting out of bed after the alarm is the challenge, consider setting the alarm five minutes earlier or five minutes later to align it closer to your natural REM cycle.

HYGIENE. Sophomore Addie Morrisette brushes her teeth in the mirror.

of students take more than 30 minutes to get ready

49.3%

Get the blood pumping While it can be hard to fit exercise into a rushed morning, it proves to pay off.

Still, 73% of students who answered the poll never work out in the mornings, and only 8% work out every day.

Exercise helps keep the Body Mass Index (BMI) in normal ranges: “Exercising in the morning burns more fat than later in the day. If you exercise in the morning after fasting all night, you’re going to burn the carbohydrates and sugars stored in your muscles and liver,” Dr. George Welch, a cardiologist, said.

Working out in the morning improves memory and brain power. In fact, “...engaging in a program of regular exercise of moderate intensity over six months or a year is associated with an increase in the volume of selected brain regions,” said Dr. Scott McGinnis, a neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor in neurology at Harvard Medical School.

It does not have to be a long workout regime; it just has to be aerobic.

Here are some quick ideas to squeeze exercise into the morning: • As you walk up or down stairs -- at home, on your walk, at school -- do some highknees, buttkicks, or lunges.

• If you watch TV in the morning, try to do some pushups, crunches, and maybe lift some weights while watching.

• Bike or walk to school

32.4 % of students pack their backpacks the night before

Eat a big breakfast Around 90% of students who answered the poll eat breakfast before school at least once a week. The other 10% never eat breakfast before school, and 40% don’t eat it every day.

Breakfast has many benefits, as long as the breakfast choice is right. Breakfast can provide more energy for the day, improve brain power, as well as provide essential nutrition.

However, reaching Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or another high-processed cereal in the morning can cause sluggishness during the day. Not only do they contain more than the recommended daily amount of sugar, they are high in sodium which is dehydrating.

If you have some time in the morning for a longer breakfast, here are some healthy ideas to improve mood and concentration from the Mayo Clinic: • Eggs • Yogurt Parfait • Fruit Smoothie • Banana Pancakes • Steele-cut Oatmeal Worried about time? Prepare a smoothie the night before and leave it in the fridge; do the same with overnight oats.

Toast with peanut butter or jam is also a quick option, or a healthy granola bar.

56.2 % of students hit snooze at least once

Hydrate = H20 Another healthy habit to start in the mornings is simply drinking a glass of water... and continue drinking water throughout the day.

According to Brain MD, being hydrated improves concentration and cognition, helps balance mood and emotions, maintains memory function by increasing blood flow and oxygen to your brain, and reduces stress.

Getting out of bed first things, fueling your body with a healthy breakfast, and drinking water throughout the day can help to make the most of not just the morning but the whole day.

So next time, instead of hitting snooze, try rising and shining first thing.

12

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

Reviews:

THE RUBICON PHOTO: Elizabeth Trevathan DRAWING. Besse displays her artwork in the art wing

Artist looks to modern animation for inspiration Q&A with Nan Besse ELIZABETH TREVATHAN STAFF WRITER

Q: A: Q: A: Q: A:

Q: A:

Q: A:

Could you explain what types of art you do most often?

I like to do just hand drawings like on paper but I also I’m trying to do like animation and kind of stop motion digitally using the art. I guess, but those are like my two main ones.

What are you doing to learn towards and to get to that goal?

I’m just reading a lot of books, honestly. I’m kind of trying to self teach myself. I’m also like taking two camps in the summer, and then hopefully, taking two semester classes next year.

Where did you get the idea to kind of take your handdrawn drawings and bring it towards animation?

Honestly, I’ve always thought that was really cool because I loved watching movies like as a kid and still do now, and then I love writing on the side. So it’s kind of like getting to combine the two of them into something that a bunch of other people can see, and enjoy just like not just writing and not just drawing because it’s kind of like choosing between both of them as hard, so just choosing something that combines the two of them. It’s pretty cool.

Do you have any like good mentors or like favorite animations that you would you like to turn to for inspiration?

I mean, like as far as like studios, I mean like obviously all the big ones like DreamWorks was the first one that I really liked and obviously like, a bunch of like, I guess like Japanese animation studios are pretty cool. Like studio Ghibli and then another one that I don’t remember the name of, but that one and then also like as far as like film directors like Peter Docter and Tim Burton. That’s kind of like, that’s where I was like, first introduced into like the mystery kind of creepy genre.

Do you think animation and, stop motion are more accessible to a lot of people and more people are wanting to see it?

Definitely, since I mean like going in the future, it’s kind of media and movies and films kind of like where it’s kind of going I feel like. Not as much about books, I mean I love books and writing a book like you’re doing was really cool, but it’s just, I think in the future. I think that’s kind of where art is going is more towards like digitally and as more technology grows.

Read the full interview at

RUBICON online

lossier Play disappoints with sheer colors and microplastics LARA CAYCI STAFF WRITER

Glossier is a brand that carries a line of makeup and skin care, both designed to create a healthy complexion and a natural glow to fit their “no-makeup-makeup” aesthetic. Their motto: “skin first, makeup second, smile always”. Glossier has stayed within their comfort zone

with each new product; however, they have branched out with the new release of their sister brand, Glossier Play. The new Playground line includes four products — Colorslide gel-pencil eyeliner, Niteshine highlighter, Glitter Gelée eyeshadow, and Vinylic Lip lacquer — all available in

Glitter Gelée

The Glitter Gelée is a 3-gram pot of chunky glitter in a transparent gel base, priced at $14.

The quality of the product is what is expected from such a high-quality brand; it’s buildable and dries down well. It is difficult to remove with makeup remover, despite the brand claiming the opposite, and it is essentially impossible to properly apply without purchasing tools for application, further hiking up the price.

It was appalling to learn that the second main ingredient in the Glitter Gelée is Polyethylene

Niteshine

This is the only product from the line that impressed me. It blends into the skin nicely and gives you the ‘I drink 8 glasses of water a day and eat my vegetables’ natural glow. Since it is very light and natural on the skin, it will most likely suit all skin-types. This highlighter is

terephthalate, or PET, the same stuff plastic bottles are made of.

It’s estimated that around three percent of global annual plastic waste enters the oceans each year, approximately 8 million tons in total. To put this into retrospective, most non biodegradable plastics that end in the Pacific Ocean most likely get pulled around by a series of currents until it is deposited in the massive (1.6 million square kilometers) island of waste accumulating in the North Pacific. Regardless of how I felt about the application

of this glitter product before reading the ingredients, it would be very hard to repurchase this item with a clean conscience knowing that the microplastics would most likely get ingested by marine life. It is surprising that Glossier, a multimillion company that brands itself as progressive and eco-friendly, would value whether their plastics were biodegradable or not. Glossier should utilize its large platform by producing eco-friendly products and consider the health of t h e environment.

PHOTOS TAKEN FROM: GLOSSIER WEBSITE

an upgraded version of their past hit product “Haloscope” with a few improvements; it’s less oily and has more concentrated pigment. The main ingredient is Isododecane, a water-insoluble colorless fluid

Vinylic Lip Lacquer Personally, I was expecting more bold and dramatic colors than what their preceding lip-products have provided.

While the colors are beautiful, the product was way too sheer to be considered a “lip vinyl” and has the same sheen as a decent chapstick. While this is not much of an issue because this formula

a multitude of bright colors.

Glossier Play’s vast new range of saturated shades and dense glitters promises to grab the image of the clean-faced, dewyskinned Glossier girl and throw her out the window. By rebranding themselves in this way, Glossier is taking a bold risk to enhance their target audience with these new products.

is similar to what Glossier customers would generally enjoy, receiving this product was extremely underwhelming, considering what the promotional images were suggesting. It would be better to advertise this as a sheer lipstick so that the customers’ expectations could be better aligned with what they receive.

that is often used in skincare products. Its non-polarity helps prevent the evaporation of water from the skin.

Niteshine is of high quality and worth the high price (if you care about the skincare advantages).

Colorslide These eyeliners and their multitude of vivid colors were what I was highly anticipating the most from this line, so I really wanted to like them. They apply easily, are very smooth, and the colors are just as vibrant as they are in the images, but the product creases all over your eyelid in the span of an hour or two. Using a setting spray or an eyelid primer doesn’t help with the problem, so it was very disappointing.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

13

Staff writers chime in on current trends Poké House and Tea Bar provides trendy hangout spot for students THE RUBICON PHOTO: Evelyn Lillemoe ENDLESS FLAVORS. New restaurant close to SPA has countless options for a tasty meal.

ADRIENNE GAYLORD STAFF WRITER With a fun menu, great service, and convenient location, Poké House and Tea Bar is a great place to grab a tasty bite with your friends. All you need to do is walk two blocks away from school and grab some poké for some after-school decompression. The second you step in you’re greeted with the comforting smell of warm rice and roe.

There’s natural light streaming in from the big windows. Behind the counter you can see the poké, sushi burritos, and tea being crafted. To the left is some comfortable, but limited, seating, and right in front is the counter.

The Poké House has created an easy-to-use system. You can order either a house special poké bowl or you can build your own. If you build your own bowl or burrito, you are given a fill-in-the-bubble sheet with all the ingredients you have to choose from, and you simply fill it in and hand it over. For drinks, there are a vast amount of milk teas, smoothies, frappes, and more. Not to mention the bobas, jellies, whipped cream, and countless other additions.

There’s an almost unlimited amount of combinations, making it possible to walk out each time with a completely new meal. After you’ve ordered, you pay, and wait for your food. The wait is short, and you are given

your meal within minutes of the order. The place is designed to be easy for take-out. The container that the meal comes in is portable, so it’s easy to carry out if the generally smallish area, only offering two seated tables and a hightop bar facing the windows, is full.

Poké is a Hawaiian dish, so being paired with bubble tea, which originates from Taiwan, is a somewhat new combination that reflects a mixture onto two trends. Bubble tea has become increasingly popular over the years, and recently Poké has also become more widely known, especially for its visual appeal. The restaurant itself also has a visual appeal with its light-stained wood tables, natural lighting,

and light bulbs that are designed to look retro. The restaurants appearance is not the only good part; the food is really tasty as well. The ingredients taste fresh, especially since you can watch the preparation. If you don’t like raw fish there are cooked options, including chicken and tofu. The employees carefully make each dish so that it looks like a little piece of art:skillfully prepared and beautifully proportioned.

There’s no controversial flavor pairings or exceedingly crazy flavors in the bowl; the simplicity is charming. Also, the sushi burritos can not be ignored. They are a creative addition to the menu that thoroughly pays off. As far as the tea goes, it was hit or miss.

Sometimes the flavor was really on point, sometimes it was lack-

luster. The heart shaped jellies were unique, but the tea they were in could have had better flavor. The mango smoothie had the taste from all of the oranges, bananas, and mangos it included, and tasted fresh, but the richness could have been stronger.

Pricewise, it’s pretty reasonable for a well proportioned meal. A signature dish plus a tea is around $14. They also have Apple Pay, which other places may not have. They also have their entire menu for delivery on GrubHub and Doordash, along with the menu itself on the Poké House and Tea Bar website.

They’re doing an excellent job at being a friendly, convenient, and a generally enjoyable restaurant.

Free Spirit showcases Khalid’s artistic growth HARPER LUX STAFF WRITER The mix of buoyant compositions and woeful melodies found in Khalid’s most recent album, Free Spirit, encapsulates what seems to be a universal adolescent experience. In the 57 minutes the 17-song album runs, the serenade that is Free Spirit illustrates the full extent of Khalid’s angst and heartbreak. Throughout the album, Khalid cautions against the complications of love and friendship, creating a raw and authentic rendering from his personal experiences. A testament to his growing artistic confidence and musical talent, Khalid experiments with various instrumentals and topics, with allusions to drugs, sex, and heartbreak. Consistent with Khalid’s musical MO, Free Spirit’s cadence and pulsing beats bring to life the nostalgia of youth and adventure.

“Talk” and “Right Back,” pro-

vide a break from the somewhat monotonous tone of the album as upbeat and optimistic songs, while “Hundred,” articulates the artist’s anxiety around the connotations of fame (he sings, “Everybody wants a favor, everybody needs me; But I’m too busy trying to fight away all of my demons”). Although songs like “Right Back,” demonstrate the magnitude of Khalid’s vocal and creative range as the more cheery songs on the album, “Bad Luck,” and “Hundred,” follow more closely the artist’s mournful and slow tempo found on Free Spirit.

Khalid’s Free Spirit emphasizes and expands on all of the qualities found in the artist’s previous work in his album American Teen and his EP Suncity.

Khalid’s debut album, American Teen, released in 2017, runs just under an hour with 15 songs. As the title may suggest, the melodies and lyrics of each song are reminiscent of the love, rebellion, and naivety found in America’s youth. Just as in Free Spirit,

the album exudes the melancholy accompanying heartbreak and unrequited love.

Suncity, Khalid’s second album, released just a year after his chart-topping American Teen, shares the same slow, R&B-style swelling beats and rhythms.

Since his debut as an R&B artist in 2016 with the popular single “Location,” Khalid’s musical capacity has evolved to encompass more emotional depth than previously. Although listeners could argue the R&B singer has been relatively static in his style and melody, he has broadened his repertoire of topics explored in each song. Free Spirit provides itself as an emotional outlet for Khalid more noticeably than in either American Teen or Suncity; he confides in “Alive”: “Mainly I’ve been living out of spite; Grim Reaper; Just give me one more night; I need another chance to say goodbye; I shouldn’t have to die to feel alive.” Having established himself as an impassioned person on his two earlier albums,

PHOTO TAKEN FROM: KHALID OFFICIAL WEBSITE SATURDAY NIGHTS. Khalid channels his vulnerability into his new album. it’s clear that Khalid uses Free Spirit as an expository album for his emotions, chronicling equally toxic, ambiguous relationships, and optimism.

Although “Better,” and “Talk,” receive the most radio play, it’s the lesser-known tracks like “Paradise,” and “Bad Luck,” that demonstrate Khalid’s musical caliber and in which he invests

the most emotion. Overall, Free Spirit is a beautifully-crafted continuation of Khalid’s candid and expressive talent; whether in the car, with the volume up high, or from headphones in the quiet of the library while studying, Khalid’s Free Spirit warrants a listen.

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SPORTS THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

Spring sports previews Tennis aims for state

THE RUBICON PHOTO: Maren Ostrem EYES ON THE BALL. Junior Brennan Keogh waits for the ball.

MAREN OSTREM THE RUBICON EDITOR

Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. The bright neon yellow tennis ball bounces back and forth across the court, the spectator’s eyes struggling to keep up. Boys Varsity Tennis has started out the season with a record of 1 win and 2 losses.

Senior Jeffrey Huang, who has been playing on varsity tennis since seventh grade and now serves as one of the captains, says that the main goal for their team this year is to win state.

“We’ve always been in contention to win a state title this year is not any different,” Huang said.

“

WE’VE ALWAYS PRIDED OURSELVES ON... CHEERING EACH OTHER ON. - Jeffrey Huang

”

Sophomore Luka Shaker-Check agrees, “We’ve gone to state these last three years. This year, I mean, we’ll see, we’ve got some tough competition, but it’s certainly something we can do.”

In order to do this, the team must combine their technique

with their spirit. “We’ve always prided ourselves on being technically sound and then also keeping ourselves upbeat during matches and always cheering each other on, so we can win [matches],” Huang said.

Shaker-Check describes the type of bonding that the team practices, “We’re a close team, you know, we always wait until everyone’s done with all their matches, we cheer each other on, you know, help each other out during practice stuff like that.”

The boy’s varsity tennis team has a long season ahead of them. Their upcoming games are on April 30 at home, and on May 6 at St. Thomas Academy.

Softball prioritizes team culture to reach potential MAREN OSTREM THE RUBICON EDITOR

Girls softball has started off the season with a record of 0 wins and 1 loss. Junior and co-captain Kathleen Bishop has dedicated the season to positive reinforcement and a growth mindset.

“We have a lot of new players and people that are new to softball so it’s kind of exciting that we’re able to hopefully make some progress with them and get to know them... we definitely have a lot of potential and that’s really exciting,” Bishop said.

With new players on the team, Bishop values a welcom-

ing environment. “Team culture wise [we will] hopefully spend some time together outside of actually playing, like team dinners and things like that just to make sure that they know that they’re welcome,” she said.

9th grader Vee Szaj is new to not only the SPA team, but softball itself. “If you do anything, they’re just super nice.

And if you do anything wrong, they’re like, ‘you got it’... Everybody is just super supportive of each other,” Szaj said.

What happens in practice shapes the team environment as well as what happens during games.

“Throughout practices giving helpful feedback and definitely encouragement, I think is key.

You don’t necessarily need to be the most technically sound player but if you’re getting feedback that’s positive... that’s going to help you [improve],” Bishop said.

Overall, the softball team is a fountain of positivity and growth.“For us, it doesn’t matter so much as winning games or what the final score is. It’s more of how did we do as a team and if we’re improving and having fun and giving the effort that we talked about, we’re going to make errors sometimes and that’s okay,” Bishop said.

THE RUBICON PHOTO: Maren Ostrem STRETCH. Softball plays catch while doing lunges. The team is focusing on camaraderie this season.

Baseball endures weather and loss of senior players JASPER GREEN THE RUBICON EDITOR

THE RUBICON PHOTO: Julia Baron WARMUP. Members of the boys baseball team take advantage of the warm weather.

Slowed down by this year’s extended snow duration, the Baseball team is excited to begin having regular practices outside.

“We practice for about two hours a day, usually we are outside, but since the snow’s been happening, we’ve had to be inside. So, that has slowed down the beginning of our season and that means we’ve been doing a lot more hitting in the batting cages and the gym. But, now that the snow is melting we hope to start getting some good training in outside,” senior Jonathan Pomerantz said.”

“The snow has been a problem, but we’re getting outside to prac-

tice now. The sun feels nice,” senior captain Will Christakos said.

The team remains strong in talent and the new players have melded into the team nicely.

“We’ve lost three pretty important seniors this year, but we’ve done a pretty good job replacing them and the team’s looking good. It doesn’t have any major gaps between the returning and new players,” Pomerantz said.

Senior leadership helps to keep the younger players engaged during difficult games.

“Some of the star players this year are Andrew and Ryan, they’ve done a great job at leading the team during our practices and when things start to go south during our games they are there to keep the team

grounded,” Christakos said.

The main rival for the Baseball team is Minnehaha and over the past couple of years, the team has been working towards being able to beat them.

“Our primary goal is to have a winning season, but I’d say more importantly to the team is that we beat Minnehaha this year. We’ve gotten close in the past couple of years but we think we can get them this year,” Pomerantz said.

Christakos believes that the team has remained strong despite losing players to the Ultimate team.

“This being my last season on the Varsity Baseball team.

I hope to lead the younger kids to keep the team successful and motivated,” Christakos said.

Track and Field prides itself on productive practices LIZZIE KRISTAL THE RUBICON EDITOR

The starting gun sounds and the runners all whizz by, leaving a gust of wind behind them as they blur across the track. The practices for the meets show to be difficult, but that doesn’t make the team give up. Captain Tommy Allen says, “Practice is pretty fun. Everyone’s willing to work hard. Workouts are tough, but everyone is up to it.”

The practice routine starts with a couple laps around the track, then warm up with some dynamics, they split into individual groups (sprints, long-distance, throws, etc.), then complete a workout, and end in stretches and rolling out.

“I think everybody is fun in practice. Seems to be pretty loose and everybody’s laughing,” says Allen.

Unfortunately, their practices can’t make up for their lack of numbers.

“

OUR TEAM’S NOT THE BIGGEST... [BUT] WE DO WELL FOR THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE. - Tommy Allen

”

“Our team’s not the biggest… we do well for the amount of people that we have, but we just don’t have the number of that compete with teams,” says Allen.

This mostly applies to the boys side though. There’s a decently sized girls team, but the boys team doesn’t have enough players to be a strong competitor.

“Last year, Minnehaha had like 80 boys and we had like 15, so it’s hard to compete with that,” says Allen.

RUBICONLINE PHOTO: Noor Christava SPRINT. Junior Tommy Allen races around the track.

SPORTS THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

15

Girls lacrosse seeks to bond across school lines JASPER GREEN THE RUBICON EDITOR

IBID PHOTO:Maggie Qin Youngdale DETERMINED. Members of the co-op girls lacrosse team battle for the ball during a game.

Being a co-op Lacrosse team between SPA and Visitation, the few girls who are on it see new faces from other schools each season that they haven’t met yet through school “It’s funny because I show up and there are people I’ve never seen before on the same team as me,” senior captain Betsy Romans said.

It can be disheartening to not have many people from one’s own school on their school sports team and team members are always looking to recruit new girls from SPA to go out for Lacrosse.

“We’re always trying to recruit new players to the team.

I tell them that it doesn’t mat-

ter how good they are because we’re just looking to have fun on the turf and have a good time with each other. We still want to be competitive, but as a captain I don’t think that a negative thinking and talking environment is a good place for a team to be able to succeed and enjoy the season,” Romans said.

While overcoming the barrier of being a co-op team is no easy task, there are high expectations among coaches and players for the season. With building team chemistry at the core of the program, the United lacrosse team looks to overcome their early season win drought and put a win on the stat sheet in their next game against St. Croix Preparatory Academy.

Boys lacrosse aims to redeem themselves addition of South Saint Paul just have to do,” says Swanson.

The first game of the boys lacrosse season ended in a loss of 2-16, but that’s not how the rest of the season is planned to go. After playing against Roseville Area High School on April 16, the lacrosse team composed of six schools hopes to improve their record from last year.

Senior lacrosse player Will Swanson says, “My personal goal for the team is to get above a 50% record [of wins].”

The team lost some good players, especially their goalie from last year, but after an

to the team, the new players will give the team a boost.

“Hopefully that [South Saint Paul] will be a new addition to our defense so our defense this year is going to be pretty good,” said Swanson.

Practicing is less complicated due to the new addition of players, making it harder to jump right into advanced drills.

“I wish we could get a little bit farther past just having to drill in passing and catching. I wish we could get past that and get started doing more advanced drills, but we have a lot of new players so it’s something we

PRACTICE. Senior captain Lily Nestor refines her stroke.

THE RUBICON PHOTO: Sharee Roman

LIZZIE KRISTAL THE RUBICON EDITOR

Girls golf focuses on fun and retaining new younger players SHAREE ROMAN THE RUBICON EDITOR The girls golf team ended it’s last season with nothing but optimism for the future.

Since then, senior captain Lily Nestor has been emphasizing that golf is fun, not torture.

“It is not a sport where you should get on your self when something went wrong. It is just a game. It is not the end of the world,” Nestor said.

With her years of experience and positivity about the game, Nestor brings many goals to the stage this year.

“So we have a very small team this year compared to oth-

er years and the team is very young...Mainly what I am working on is showing the younger girls on the team that golf is really fun because I really want them to continue,” Nestor said.

Nestor strongly believes that mentality plays a large role in the success of the game.

“The message I want to send is to stay positive because golf is just a mental game. The minute you start thinking negatively or getting on yourself for making a bad, then the rest of your game is going to go down hill.”

The SPA girls golf team is heading in the right direction with Nestor at the front line.

Despite being from such a wide variety of schools, the players are closely knit both on and off the field.

“I think everyone on the team is like pretty close. At this point, you know, we’re from different schools, so that kind of raw friends helps. We hang out outside of school and practice,” says Swanson.

Looking forward into the season, the toughest competition will be Blake. They’re looking to be the best in the section, and the lacrosse team is hoping to get more goals against them than last year.

THE RUBICON PHOTO: Lizzie Kristal OFFENSE. A player faces off against the RAHS team.

Boys golf team emphasizes consistency and positive mindsets for upcoming season SHAREE ROMAN THE RUBICON EDITOR

Last season, the boy’s golf team were successful but still looked for ways to improve in the future. New captain, senior William Welsh, has been playing golf since he was 10 years old.

“Honestly, I’m not sure why I started playing golf. But I love golf because it allows me to forget everything that’s going on in other parts of my life and just feel at ease,” said Welsh.

As a person who has consistently been playing golf for 8 years, Welsh wishes to spread his mentality to his team.

“My hope for our team is that we will all become more consistent golfers...The hardest part about golf is the mind set. It’s easy for one shot or hole to get you in the wrong mindset, and once you’re in that mindset it’s extremely hard to get out of it,” said Welsh With Welsh’s new expectations for the team’s attendance to practice and win against Delasalle in the first match of the year, the golf team is looking to have a great 2019 season.

THE RUBICON PHOTO: Sharee Roman PUTTING. Senior captain William Welsh putts on the green.

16

SPORTS THE RUBICON - APRIL 2019

Inclusivity drives Ultimate growth

Media lacks female sports coverage

ELOISE DUNCAN THE RUBICON EDITOR

KAT ST. MARTINNORBURG THE RUBICON EDITOR

Ultimate Frisbee has been appearing on college and high school campuses across the nation, and St. Paul Academy is not excluded from this trend. Since Ultimate was first introduced three years ago, the club has been growing increasingly popular.

While not technically a sport affiliated with the school, it is the largest athletic team out of any SPA teams.

Lucie Hoeschen, one of the girl’s team co-captains, has noticed huge growth specifically in the girl’s team.

“The first year before I joined it was a co-ed team and their were three girls. The second year the program grew to 60 kids, and we had a full girls team with about 20 girls, and this year we have about 25,” Hoeschen said.

Hoeschen attributes a large part of Ultimate’s growing pop-

RUBICONLINE PHOTOS: Mimi Geller AROUND THE MARK. Senior captain Rachael Johnson passes the frisbee around a defender. ularity to its versatility and welcoming environment.

“I think it’s becoming more popular because it’s a really nice environment for both competitive people and people who just want to try something to try it.

Our main goal is having fun,” Hoeschen said.

“ISEVERYONE SUPER

WELCOMING AND ENCOURAGING. - Sophie Cullen

”

9th grader Sophie Cullen decided to join the Ultimate team on the recommendation of other friends and teammates, and because of a winter sport rivalry.

“At the beginning of the Alpine season, we play the Nordic

team in a game of Ultimate Frisbee, so the better we can get at it the better chance of us winning,” Cullen said.

As a newcomer to the team, one thing that Cullen really likes is the dynamic and attitudes.

“It’s been great really, even though I’m the only freshman girl, everyone is super welcoming and encouraging. I’m very glad I did it, because I knew I’d enjoy it, but I didn’t think I’d enjoy it this much. Heckman and Lockwood, the coaches, are so encouraging.

The team is amazing, I couldn’t ask for a more supportive group of girls,” Cullen said.

Sophomore Isabel Wolpert agrees that one of the most prominent things about her Ultimate experience is the team.

“It’s been really fun, the team is super loving and supportive no matter what, even if you have a bad play, someone’s always cheering for you on the sidelines.

Even in practice too, the coaches are really supportive. It’s a good environment,” Wolpert said.

Wolpert was going to join last year, but due to an injury she had to wait until this year to join.

One of her favorite things is seeing everybody learn.

“It’s really fun to watch everyone improve, even in just the past two weeks we’ve all just improved. Watching everyone get better and building our self confidence has been really fun,” Wolpert said.

Cullen’s favorite thing about Ultimate is her teammates.

“At the end of practice we gather in a giant group and then give people compliments of what they did during practice that we really liked. So that’s really encouraging, and creates a positive vibe. I think something important about this team is that we embrace mistakes, and we learn from them,” Cullen said.

Kijewski ensures SPA athlete health TOMMY STOLPESTAD RUBICON EDITOR Whether it is scheduling games or getting new equipment, there are many key pieces into making the athletic program at Saint Paul Academy and Summit School run smoothly and successfully. Luckily, the student athletes at SPA are always able to receive the best treatment for injury, whether minor or major, thanks to athletic trainer, Lauren Kijewski.

Kijewski works with student athletes in the training room every day after school to diagnose injuries, help students with physical therapy, and tape up athletes before practices or games. On top of this, Kijewski is the trainer at SPA practices and games for all sports to help out players on the field or court.

Kijewski’s background in sports medicine makes her a well rounded trainer who can adhere to the needs of all student ath-

letes at SPA. “I have worked at a physical medicine clinic, where I learned a posture restoration technique, then I worked at a concussion clinic, and now I work here,” Kijewski said.

While being a trainer is a familiar realm for Kijewski, some aspects of working at SPA are different than other professions in the sports medicine world.

“In the other jobs, I worked with patients of all ages, and I was in a clinic. [At SPA] I work in the athletic training room and at the school. In this job I also get to go out to practices; I get to watch practices and watch games and get more sideline action. I get to run out on the field where in those other jobs, I wasn’t able to do that. All of these things make [being a trainer at SPA] my favorite job I have had,” explained Kijewski.

While many aspects of her job can make being an athletic trainer tiresome and strenuous,

THE RUBICON PHOTO: Tommy Stoplestad GOOD AS NEW. Kijewski wraps a student athlete’s ankle. their is always one thing that keeps her coming back.

“My favorite part is hanging

out with the athletes, you guys make me laugh and make my job a lot of fun,” said Kijewski.

Major sports leagues such Major sports leagues such as the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA are popular across the country. However, something is missing from all of these. These major sports leagues consist of men, and men only.

Not only are there few major sports leagues for women, but in the large sports leagues they can participate in, they are given less money. The winners of the 2015 Women’s World Cup were awarded 2 million dollars, while the in the 2015 Men’s World Cup, the winners were awarded 35 million dollars. Not only are teams given less, individual women are as well. In the 2018 Forbes Highest Paid Athletes list, there are no women represented. The average salary for WNBA players is around $75,000 in comparison to the $840,000 average salary of the NBA. There is reason for this, however. The NBA brings in an exponentially larger amount of money than the WNBA, which is due to the larger amount of attention given to men’s sports.

When told about the different amounts of money given to men’s teams versus women’s teams, students were baffled.

“They train the same; sometimes girls have to train harder because of their body type.

There is a lot of effort that goes into both teams, so they should be paid equally,” said sophomore Jasmine White.

The gender wage gap has decreased significantly in the past few years. Around 83% of sports reward everyone the same prize money, compared to 70% in 2014.

Even though the money given has become more equal, there is still less attention given to women’s sports.

“You can see in the way women’s and men’s sports are covered.

Women’s sports get a lot less coverage, even though some have had a better winning record,” said senior Maggie Hlavka.

This discrepancy is not as prominent at SPA, despite the large discrepancy between major men and women teams and athletes.

“I find [the attention to the different sports teams] fairly equal. There’s just not a lot of sports coverage in general at our school in comparison to a lot of other schools,” said White.

“There isn’t as much difference in attention at SPA; it’s pretty even between girls and boys teams,” said Hlavka.

Overall, the gender discrepancy in sports has decreased. However, there still is a long way to go in order to make it even. Major sports leagues only consist of men, and therefore get the most coverage, and also a larger paycheck.