February 2022 Issue

the

RUBICON

Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022

ROBOTTERS ADVANCE TO STATE ELIZA FARLEY THE RUBICON

After a well-lauded season, the Robotters First Tech Challenge team will be continuing to the state championship this Friday and Saturday.

Both robotics teams (Autonomice and The Robotters) went to Elk River on Jan. 22 for their final tournament of the regular season.

“Robotics was great, freshman Rohan Kharbanda said.

“I learned a ton and it was exciting to build robots and compete against other teams.”

The Robotters won the Connect Award, which is given to teams that engage in robotics with the community.

The Autonomice were finalists for the Design Award, given to teams that demonstrate a strong understanding of design, and the Collins Aerospace Innovate Award, given to teams who build the most creative and inventive robot.

Championship s will be at Washington Technology Magnet School in St. Paul. Competition begins at 6 p.m. Friday.

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rubiconline.com

the student newspaper of St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Ave St. Paul, MN 55105 Volume 49, Issue 5

@therubiconspa

Red Cross blood drive returns to campus SALAH ABDULKARIM EDITOR IN CHIEF

For nearly the past two years, the country has become accustomed to the large number of shortages that this pandemic has brought. While the SPA blood drive was not possible last year, it has returned this year as students and faculty have been asked to donate blood. The drive took place on Tue. 8, in Driscoll Family Commons.

Currently, the U.S. is facing an unprecedented blood shortage. Blood drives have been a regular tradition for SPA, organized by the Upper School Council (USC) for years. However, due to the multitude of problems posed by the pandemic, a blood drive was not possible last year.

Now that the situation has improved slightly, USC brought back the blood drive on Feb. 8.

This year, the blood drive was able to fill all

RUBICON PHOTO: Hazel Waltenbaugh

GIVING FOR GOOD. The annual Red Cross Blood Drive hosted by USC returned to campus Feb. 8. Junior Simon Assefa donated blood during his free period. “There is no reason not to; you don’t lose anything and you help out a lot of people,” he said.

the spots, and then some.

USC co-president Sophie Cullen said, “There were originally 32 spots for donors to fill when we began doing sign ups, however, we added one more slot at the end making for a total of 33. Nine of the original 32 were filled within the first day of sign ups, and the rest

were quickly filled during the next day of sign ups.

I’m really grateful that people are willing and eager to donate during these uncertain times”.

The system for the blood drive has even made a waitlist accessible to ensure high yield rates, “The Upper School Council is focusing on keeping a

high yield rate this year.

To do this we put in place a plan to remind donors of their appointment and encourage them to cancel as soon as possible if they think they will be unable to make their appointment. By doing this, we can provide their free spot to an alternate donor, who signed up on the waitlist to donate blood,” Cullen said.

Students make up a large percent of the blood donor population, accounting for nearly 25% of all donated blood in 2019. SPA is not the only institution to have canceled its blood drive.

In fact, the Red Cross reported a 62% decline in college and high school blood drives since March 2020. The impact of this shortage is severe and has been deemed a national crisis as it is the worst blood shortage in over a decade. Hospitals rely heavily on blood donations to successfully conduct surgery on pa-

tients. With such a limited blood supply, it can be very difficult, and in some cases impossible, to provide patients with the necessary care.

The national blood shortage played a large role in junior Simon Assefa’s decision to donate.

“I saw there was a national blood shortage, my mom told me it would be a good opportunity since I’m old enough to do it, so I thought I should. In my opinion, there is no reason not to, you don’t lose anything and you help out a lot of people”.

Assefa said.

The revival of the blood drive allowed SPA community members the opportunity to help those in need and save lives. To find another blood drive and schedule a donation, click the QR code here:

Wellness space reallocated for on-site COVID testing SIRI PATTERSON STAFF WRITER

Is that cough really just a cough? Students struggle with this question as COVID cases have been appearing throughout the upper school, and omicron numbers soar nationwide.

To tackle this issue, the school is now offering antigen COVID tests to students showing COVID symptoms and/or significant COVID exposure.

Upper School students can get an antigen test at school if they meet the required criteria and have parental consent, and additionally, each student was sent home Jan. 14, with an at-home BinaxNOW COVID antigen test. The funding for the testing initiative came from the state after SPA staff applied for a Minnesota Department of Health grant.

SEXUAL HEALTH

Remember “the talk”? How effective are conversations like these, and how can parents improve them?

US health assistant Monica Garrido-Mejia worked with a team of staff at SPA to acquire the funding to make the school a safer environment.

“

IT WAS FINE; I JUST WENT TO THE HEALTH OFFICE, THEY TOOK THE TEST, AND I SAT ACROSS THE HALL.” sophomore Mikkel Rawdon

“[We] worked really hard before winter break to get [tests] secured for students and staff,” Garrido-Mejia said.

The grant requires the school to administer tests from campus and report all test results to the state.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Where to administer tests became an issue, as the new student testing program outgrew the health office and the theater makeup room where SPA previously offered tests for faculty. The 10thgrade wellness classroom has been converted into a makeshift test site, with RUBICONLINE PHOTO: Siri Pattison black curtains separating GETTING TESTED. The Wellness room has been conthe space into waiting ar- verted into a COVID antigen testing site after the school eas where students take received state funding for the program. antigen tests and await their results. Wellness classes are now taking ating since Jan. 10, and from CVS and it’s super place in open classrooms there have been around variable,” junior Becca during non-teaching pe- 50 tests administered on Richman said. “I know the Randolph campus, that if I got COVID at riods.

Sophomore Mikkel and roughly the same at school, it would be nice to have an at-home test Rawdon got a COVID test the lower school.

The new testing pro- that I could do.” one morning at school According to MDH, after showing symptoms gram arrived with the omicron wave, which cases in the Twin Cities and having an exposure.

Rawdon said, “It was fine: prompted a shortage of have hit a crest. Despite a backlog of tests, the numI just went to the [health] tests nationwide.

“It’s really hard to ac- ber of infections does apoffice, they took the test, and I sat across the hall.” cess the at-home tests. My pear to be on a decline.

The expanded health of- family has a whole stratfice space has been oper- egy on how to get tests

RECIPE FREE Kicking off the new Food section, meet the editor and learn about five celiac friendly dishes bound to satisfy any appetite.

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1-2 - News • 3-5 Opinion • 6 - Good Question

EUPHORIA RETURNS New season, new spotlight. Season 2 of Euphoria highlights previously underdeveloped plot lines.

• 7- Food • 8-9 - Photo Story • 10 - 11 Feature • 12-13 - Sports • 14-15 - A&E • 16 - Music

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NEWS THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022

One Acts add a intimate feel to theater performances CLAIRE KIM

THE RUBICON

Comedy, drama, and satire: the US One Acts came with lessons learned from the self-produced actors and directors. This year’s performance on Jan. 28 included A Cold Day in Hell directed by Per Johnson and Olivia Szaj, The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong directed by Sam Zelazo and Nan Besse, Cindy and Julie directed by Gray Whitaker-Castaneda and Vivian Johnson, and The Yellow Wallpaper direct-

I LEARNED HOW TO BE FLEXABLE Sophomore Violet Benson

ed by Eric Severson.

The MSHSL competition One Act, The Yellow Wallpaper, is originally a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman; the play is centered around the main character Jane, who believes there are other women lurking behind the

walls of the room she is trapped in. “We have had some of the most exciting and insightful conversations about the meaning of this text and how we translate that to the stage through words and movement,” director Eric Severson said. “The most challenging thing is taking a story that is truly one person’s experience and torment in an isolated room and bringing more voices to flesh out that narrative.”

Freshman Madeline Kim plays the role of Ellen, one of the women Jane believes is behind the wall. “One of the most memorable parts of being in this One Act is the little side conversations and moments before rehearsals, and also my realization, as a somewhat new actor, that movements are a detail almost as important as lines,” she said. Kim added that the physical presence of the actors is a major factor of giving the audience insight into the characters.

After competing, The Yellow Wallpaper will be advancing to compete at state.

The student-directed play A Cold Day in Hell is centered around a man named Steve who has been asked by Satan to turn his own brother to the dark side. Much of the story was able to be changed at the hands of the student directors, requiring flexibility from the actors as well. “Our play has a lot of moments where the script asks the director to change the script at their discretion, and seeing ways in which the cast has done this has been a monumental thing to see,” junior Naci Konar-Steenberg said.

Konar-Steenberg, who has participated in the One Acts every year of high school, points out that everyone involved added their own touch to make a personal and engaging production.

Using the actors’ input, the directors of A Cold Day in Hell could make edits to both the script and the stage. “I’ve learned how stressful being a director is, having never really considered how much work goes into a show outside of rehearsal,” director Per Johnson said. Johnson

PHOTO Reprinted with Permission: John Severson Smugmug

THE ONE ACT PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. Bri Rucker, Milo Zelle, Alice Duncan, Griffin Moore, Valerie Wick and Dom Polley take a bow after performing their One Act entitled The One Act Play that goes wrong, which follows a rag-tag cast of performers attempt to stage a production of a 1920s murder mystery.

wanted the audience to appreciate the work put in by the cast, especially as they had to work through unexpected delays. “They’ve all pulled together to put together a really creative and funny show, and I am very proud of how far the One Act has come,” he said.

Similarly, sophomore Violet Benson hoped the audience could recognize the work put into adding pop culture references as well as the time taken for actors to build their roles.

“I learned how to be flexible and expect the unex-

pected,” Benson said. “We all had to switch roles at one point and I learned how to just keep working at it.”

In addition to the first two One Acts, the performance included two more student-directed plays. A modern-day take on Cinderella and Juliet Capulet, Cindy and Julie tells the story of the two women meeting in the waiting room of their therapist’s office. They discuss their exes, their experiences with love, and the reality of living happily ever after. In a

similar comedic vein, The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong is a demonstration of how members of The Cornley Drama Society suffer through every accident possible while performing a murder mystery play. Ranging from missing lines to falling props, the cast must work through many trials so the audience may (or may not) find out who murdered Charles Haversham.

Read more about One Acts in the photo story on page 8

PEP combats fast fashion by hosting clothing swap for students LEO SAMPSELL-JONES CHIEF VISUAL EDITOR

People for Environmental Protection is hoping to change what students think of when they think of sustainable fashion. On Feb. 7 during X-period, PEP hosted the clothing swap. Over the past week, collection boxes have been set up and students have been dropping off lightly used clothing for the exchange, in the hopes that one of their classmates will have dropped off something that they would wear in turn.

“The intent behind the clothing swap is to decrease, or at least raise awareness about the high amount of fast fashion in our community and in the world.” junior Sila Liljedahl said.

“We were initially drawn to the idea of a clothing swap, because it was a fun activity that

RUBICON PHOTO: Leo Sampsell-Jones

REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE. Junior Sila Liljedahl, a member of PEP, drops off a bag of clothing at a donation box in the Huss center.

the whole school can participate in.” senior Ceci Watson said. “Though a clothing swap is more unconventional than a collection drive, it’s a great way to show that taking steps to help the environment can be simple and fun.”

Fast fashion is a massive issue facing environmentalism. Everyone needs to wear clothes, but the industry that produces them has myriad negative consequences on the environment. According to the Princeton Student Climate Initiative, the fashion industry uses a vast amount of water and microplastics, and clothing is consumed and disposed of at an incredibly high rate. As a result, plenty of companies have taken up the challenge of trying to make clothing without a negative impact on the environment.

“I think there are a lot of pros and cons to the sustainable fashion industry. For one, it is really great and important that the companies in sustainable fashion pay their workers enough, and their materials are more sustainably sourced, and that’s why items cost so much.” Liljedahl said,

CORRECTIONS POLICY Corrections are printed at the bottom of News p. 2. Corrections will be published in the month following the error and, if the story is also published online, will update following the online corrections policy.

“But it’s also extremely inaccessible for the vast majority of people, and I think also sort of continues the cycle of fast fashion and pollution in a way because so many people can’t afford it and resort to cheaper options, and this has a lot to do with systemic problems. That’s why holding things like clothing swaps is good, because we can connect as a community and also recycle and repurpose old clothes.”

“Though clothing that is sustainably made is a huge improvement over clothing made through the fast fashion industry, it can sometimes be very expensive, and has a limited market. That’s why events like this, that promote the use of second hand clothing are a good alternative,” Watson said.

Fashion is a lucrative and ever-changing world.

Trends in consumption come and go, and with

the Internet churning out new trends at an increasingly high rate, replacing clothes at that same rate produces vast amounts of waste. However, clothes that are no longer being worn by their original owner aren’t done for.

“

IT’S A GREAT WAY FOR STUDENTS TO RECYCLE THEIR OLD CLOTHES RATHER THAN THROWING THEM AWAY AND CREATING MORE WASTE. senior Ceci Watson

There is still a use for them.

“There are two main parts to a clothing swap that help sustainability.

Firstly, it’s a great way for

students to recycle their old clothes rather than throwing them away and creating more waste.”

Watson said. “But in a swap you are not only donating clothes, but also receiving them. This means that students can get new clothing without having to participate in the fast fashion industry, which is very harmful for our environment.”

We wanted to do something within the school about fast fashion and bring the community together around a topic that is very prevalent here.” Liljedahl added.

“Instead of a more traditional type of drive where people donate money or items and don’t necessarily get anything back materialistically, we are hoping more people will participate since there is something in it for everyone.”

Fencing 6 - Nora Shaugnessy was misspelled in the Sports Special Edition Nor Shaugnessy. Coach Sasha was misnamed in the Sports Special Edition as Coach Ryan. Greta Magnuson is a junior (not a senior) page 1 November issue. Alexandra’s last name should be added as Cardwell page 8 November issue. Brody Rindelaub is a junior not a senior, page 14 November issue.

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EDITORIAL THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022 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.

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

Salah Abdulkarim Leo Sampsell-Jones

NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR GOOD QUESTION EDITOR FOOD EDITOR IN DEPTH EDITOR FEATURE EDITOR

Hazel Waltenbaugh Maddy Fisher Annie Bai Clara Garner Hobbs Lillygreen Milkii Tigro, S1 Eliza Farley, S2 Orion Kim Catherine Hooley Claire Kim Siri Pattison

SPORTS EDITOR A&E EDITOR MUSIC EDITOR MULTIMEDIA

VISUAL AND INTERACTIVES BEATS MANAGER

Elle Chen Elizabeth Trevathan Henry Burkhardt Tommy Verhey

NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR FEATURE EDITOR A&E EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR

Zadie Martin Zekiah Juliusson Ali Browne Eliana Mann Alexandra Cardwell

CO- DIRECTORS OF ONLINE

RUBICON TV

PODCAST EDITOR ILLUSTRATOR

Ivy Raya Clara McKoy Rita Li Kevin Chen

STAFF WRITERS

Aarushi Bahadur, PJ Bohjanen, Sawyer Bollinger Danielson, Marius Elias Morse, August Gaspard, Charlotte Goings, Carys Hardys, Annika Kim, Mariam Malik, Alison Mitchell, Will Moran, Siri Pattison, Johanna Pierach, Davan Rosen, Georgia Ross, Lucy Thomas, Nellie Wodarz, Annie Zhang

ADVISER

Kathryn Campbell, CJE PUBLICATIONS ASSISTANT

Colton Werner

MEMBERSHIPS

Columbia Scholastic Press Association National Scholastic Press Association MN High School Press Association Quill and Scroll Honor Society

PUBLICATION AWARDS

NSPA All-American, Pacemaker CSPA Gold Medalist CSPA Crown Award Winner SNO Distinguished Site JEM All State Gold

ILLUSRATION: Siri Pattison TRIPLE SELF-PORTRAIT. Art is an essential part of life. Take the time to support local arts and keep your community vibrant. the staff 100% ofagree

Engage with you community: support local artists EDITORIAL THE RUBICON STAFF

Sometimes words aren’t enough. Whether it be sound, music or paint, all forms of art can tell stories that serve as catalysts for social change and express emotion that shapes our world. Pieces may comment on particular societal times or express an artist’s own emotion and thought.

Art is a form of expression, so visiting museums and connecting with art all around means local stories can be learned through a new medium. Artists nowadays experience struggles creatives throughout history faced; and their art can still be something to connect with. Though stories of famous artists’ experiences offer lessons, works closer to home offer lessons that are more meaningful. Maybe it’s a piece about the harshness of winter that only Minnesotans could understand or a reflection on the history of the land the work stands on.

Vincent Van Gogh’s art sells for millions, yet he was virtually unknown while creating his works. Van Gogh struggled with severe mental illness and his art expresses that fact. His works offer insight into his story of struggle, one similar to struggles people face today, offering a mutual ART IS CRUCIAL TO understanding between artist and viewer which serves as a glimmer of hope for those who are struggling.

SOCIETY AND MAKING Producing art is another way to connect with local artists.

Learning how to paint or even taking a class with friends can AN EFFORT TO SUPPORT offer insight into an artist’s life but also can be an enjoyable inLOCAL ARTISTS ENSURES door activity away from freezing temperatures. FOCI arts and Chicago Ave Fire Arts offer classes on glassblowing and other A HAPPY COMMUNITY. forms of art that use heat like neon art or metal sculpture.

With social gatherings limited, income has been a challenge for local artists. Instagram and Etsy are places where many independent artists sell their work. Murals are one other form of art that’s free and local. The Greetings from Minnesota mural is located on the state fairgrounds and a colorful mural of Bob Dylan is in downtown Minneapolis. Local art has another benefit: whether it be small or large, purchasing works from smaller artists means both cheaper prices and unique paintings, photographs, or prints.

Museums like the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Museum of Russian Art and Weisman Art Museum offer great collections of a variety of works, and the Guthrie Theater offers other forms of art to view.

Maybe art sparks a memory of a boring visit to a museum while on a field trip, but art is much more. Viewing art as depictions of narratives or reading an accompanying artist statement can redefine the boring museum trips of the past and provide an enjoyable lens into creatives’ lives throughout time. Art is crucial to society and making an effort to support local artists ensures a happy and vibrant community. Take time to visit local exhibitions and museums displaying art from local artists.

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OPINION THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022

It’s time to bring back Harkness HARKNESS TABLES FACILITATE A PRODUCTIVE AND OPENMINDED WORK ENVIRONMENT. Leo Sampsell-Jones

LEO SAMPSELL-JONES CHIEF VISUAL EDITOR Harkness tables are a cornerstone of the SPA Humanities experience.

They’ve decorated classrooms for years, and have arguably been a core component of the learning environment. These

tables are even advertised as an essential part of Spartan life on every admissions brochure.

However, Harkness tables have been removed from the school due to social distancing guidelines. It is time to bring them back.

Classes are already making the return to the discussion format of a classroom as opposed to the rows of tables of the 2020-21 school year, with students sitting together in circles of pushed-together white desks. The current classroom environment strives to resemble the pre-pandemic classroom model, but still lacks its focal point: the Harkness table.

Harkness tables facilitate a productive and

PHOTO: SPA SmugMug

TURN THE TABLES. Don’t knock it till you try it. The Harkness tables are a key part of the upper school Humanities learning environment, and they need to come back to the classrooms.

open-minded educational environment; when seated around an oval table, it’s hard not to feel like your voice is valued.

SPA prizes discussion and intimacy in its classrooms—small class siz-

es are one of the Upper School’s greatest draws.

By bringing the tables back, the SPA community will reinstate its values, even after a period when the community as a whole has been chal-

lenged.

Most importantly, the freshmen and sophomores at SPA haven’t yet experienced a class set around a Harkness table.

A part of the curriculum that is advertised as being

central has been missing from their entire high school experience. It’s time that the Harkness tables are returned.

Weigh your words: don’t use diagnosis labels as a casual joke

UNDER THE SURFACE. Be careful about how you use medical terminology. It is important not to reduce the depth and complexity that diagnoses entail.

CATHERINE HOOLEY THE RUBICON

Imagine sitting in class before a test: pens are clicking, nerves are running high and suddenly someone blurts, “this class gives me anxiety.”

To some people, that sentence means nothing. To others, it sticks with them; it means a lot more. As

ILLUSTRATION: Catherine Hooley

mental illness becomes less stigmatized, efforts to raise awareness and open conversation have had some adverse effects.

Making the diagnoses of depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses more socially acceptable has led to more conversation, but also more misinfor-

mation and misuse of the terms.

With the increase of conversations regarding mental illness between friends and within social media, diagnoses can be considered trendy. Oftentimes, young people take in so much information from social media and social circles that it be-

comes a prevalent topic in their minds. Being surrounded by a subject easily makes it a topic of relatability among young people.

Humans naturally want to connect with each other. In the same way humans enjoy sharing interests and hobbies as commonalities, mental health is another form of connection. But with connection comes isolation.

No one wants to be left out, so when someone hears their friend talk about their experience with anxiety, they want to be able to relate. When someone shares their experience with depression and someone wants to relate, they might think, “that test made me depressed.” The problem with this is that it leads to more misinformation

and leaves those dealing with mental illness feeling even more isolated.

The constant misuse of medical terminology creates confusion about what a term actually means. Depression is used as a synonym for sad and someone “acting bipolar” just means their attitude or opinion switches a lot. If people start to take the misuse of a diagnosis as truth, it could end up weakening the meaning of the actual illness.

When someone says, “I’m so OCD,” because they keep their room clean, it makes the real disorder seem like a joke.

When the line starts to blur between who is actually struggling and who has a misunderstanding of the definition of the diagnosis, this language

becomes harmful.

When talking about mental illness, it is important not to reduce the depth and complexity that these diagnoses entail. It is okay to make jokes about mental health if it opens or lightens up the conversation, but once those jokes morph into misinformation, it crosses a line. The point of talking more about mental health is to make those who struggle feel less isolated, but minimizing those struggles is doing the opposite.

Mental health is a very complicated subject to tackle. If you are questioning if you are allowed to say something, it is better just to find another word and help fight misinformation surrounding mental health.

published. We do this because we understand that there are people who exist in different spaces using different names and pronouns: people may choose one set of names and pronouns with friends, or in class, or at home, and choose to use different names and pronouns when being reported on in a public forum. We honor and respect an individual’s right to choose the places where they are out and where they prioritize safety, relationship or privacy by using other names and pronoun choices. If a mistake is made in the course of reporting, a correction will be posted with a print or online

story per the corrections policy.

The yearbook may include multiple names and pronouns based on when an individual’s name and pronoun information was shared with staff; yearbooks cannot be edited for names and pronouns after signature printing. No changes will be made to archive stories in any publication.

should not exceed 650 words.

Both may be edited for length and style. All pieces must be submitted and will be published with a full name.

PUBLICATIONS POLICIES PUBLICATION INFO The

Rubicon is published eight times a year. We distribute 450 free copies of each issue to the upper school.

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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 factchecked 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 “Additional reporting by” followed by the reporter name.

EDITORIALS articulate the

collective opinion of The Rubicon staff, while minieditorials, opinions pieces, arts reviews, and columns belong to the author.

NAME AND PRONOUN USE

In our student publications, it is a priority for us to be fair to the lived experience of our sources and our community. While we may clarify use through school records like Veracross, we use the name and pronouns reported to us in interviews and on surveys by the individual we are reporting on. To that end, each interview begins with a request to say and spell the person’s name and to share the pronouns they would like to see published in the story, and the reporter is transparent about where the story will be

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

UPDATES AND CORRECTIONS

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.

OPINION THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022

It’s time to talk about ‘The Talk’

PHILOSOPHICALLY

Sexual health doesn’t have to be a one-time conversation LEO SAMPSELL-JONES CHIEF VISUAL EDITOR

START TALKING Have a specific question in mind. This can help streamline the conversation and allow your parent to better understand your needs.

Keep the mood light. A lot of awkwardness can be avoided if you don’t get yourself stuck in a hole of formality.

Understand the boundaries. There are some things your parents aren’t qualified to talk about or can’t decide for you.

Understand who your parents are. The conversation will obviously vary depending on who you’re having it with.

Do you remember being ten years old, gleefully going about your childhood ways when your parents pulled you to the side and said it was “time you had a conversation”?

Maybe this had been spurred by a sudden need to know where babies come from, or maybe they’d been observing that your smell had gradually been worsening over time. Either way, they put their head in their hands and began to explain to you the basics of a vast egregor that was sexual health. Or maybe they were super enthusiastic and positive, and had prepared you for this conversation since you were a kid, following the latest child therapy trends. Or maybe they handed you a book, said absolutely nothing, and hoped you didn’t find anything out via the Internet.

Whichever form the infamous Talk took for you as a preteen, it definitely was the first major step in your development. But now, you’re a teenager, and you probably haven’t talked to your parents about anything related to sexuality in a long time—but your development isn’t done. Your parents are still resources despite the awkwardness, and your health in all of its facets is important. But how do you do it? How do you bring this up?

Sex education has been researched extensively in recent years, and many have come to the conclusion that it is a necessity. There are two types of sex education often discussed—comprehensive sex education, which focuses on sexual health and safety, and ab-

stinence-only sex education. According to Planned Parenthood, comprehensive sex education is reported to reduce pregnancies in teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 by around 50%, compared to abstinence-only sex education. Learning about sex and all of its caveats in a safe environment has vast benefits compared to being given utterly nothing and having to learn via rumors and the media.

However, comprehensive sex education doesn’t stop when your wellness class ends.

You just happen to have adults right in your corner that have real-life, varied experiences with sexuality—your parents or guardians.

Medical information is great, but one of the most essential things about sexuality is that it is incredibly varied, and sexual and emotional health are linked. No matter how safe you are, there is still a chance that you will end up in an unsafe situation, and you need to have someone you can go to that you trust in case that happens.

There are plenty of resources for parents about talking with their teens about sexual health, but hardly any for teens. Starting the conversation will likely be odd, of course, but over time it should get easier. The conversations can be strictly formal (i.e. what’s the plan if an emergency happens) or they can go beyond that depending on your comfort level. Your parents are a great resource, even if it’s awkward. So, it’s time to have the Talk again. Open up those pathways of communication so you can use them when you need to.

Cosmetic plastic surgery reflects societal pressures ANNIE BAI

Thicker lips. Longer legs. Bigger butts. Perky pecs.

Society profits by being judgemental of appearance, and the influence of social media and pressure to fit the current, conventional definition of attractive has pushed teens to develop increasingly negative perceptions of personal appearance. According to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, in 2020 nearly 230,000 cosmetic surgeries and nearly 140,000 non-invasive cosmetic procedures were performed on teens ages 13-19.

Social media plays a huge role in wanting cosmetic surgery—often not to enhance features, but stemming from a desire to look like someone else. The main reasons teens seek plastic surgery are to boost self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-image.

But is the feeling fleeting as social standards bow to trends? Will the popular nose of 2021 still feel like a good choice in 2031? According to ASPS, the most common invasive cosmetic procedures done on teens are rhinoplasty, which can be performed at 15, otoplasty, performed as young as five, breast augmentation at 15, and chin augmentation during the teenage years.

Though cosmetic plastic surgery may have temporary positive effects socially and emotionally, most teens are unable to completely comprehend the lifetime risks, regardless of parental consent. According to Our Bodies Ourselves, “Requiring parental consent for patients under 18 does not ensure informed consent, since research is lacking on long-term risks for many cosmetic procedures.”

Cosmetic procedures are surgeries—like getting tonsils cut out or having an appendix removed. As with all surgeries, it is possible for complications during and after procedures or the healing process to

165 Number of procedures (thousands)

THE RUBICON

150 135 120 105 90 75 60

2005

2010

Year

5

2015

2020

Data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Infographic by Salah Abdulkarim

The pink plot represents total cosmetic surgical procedures for individuals between the ages of 13 and 19. The yellow plot represents total cosmetic minimally invasive procedures for individuals between the ages of 13 and 19.

go wrong, resulting in major damage. According to the book Our Bodies Ourselves, “potential complications include infection, altered sensation, chronic pain, adhesions, and scarring.” It is best to make these important decisions at a more mature age and after the body has fully grown to prevent surgical complications.

The exception? Medically recommended or gender-affirming procedures. There are times a nose job is performed to clear up adenoids or breast augmentation helps with back problems.

There are other non-surgical ways to boost self-confidence but ultimately, getting plastic surgery is not a decision that should be taken lightly.

Society will always benefit from personal insecurity. Don’t judge others’ choices, and make informed personal choices that put health at the forefront. Permanent bodily change isn’t the only option.

SPEAKING CATHERINE HOOLEY PICKS APART IDEAS, PROFOUND AND INANE

Solipsism: the implications of conciousness CATHERINE HOOLEY THE RUBICON

Have you ever walked into a busy space, maybe a concert, a train station, or just a busy street, and thought about the fact that every person you pass is living their own, seprate life? Every human on earth, all 7.9 billion people, are living their own lives, each one uniquely different from the next. For some, this thought is not bothersome; for others, it is inconceivable. But what if all 7.9 billion people weren’t living their own lives? What if every other person wasn’t even real?

Solipsism is the philosophy that your own reality or existence is the only one that can be known to exist. In theory, your brain can only be sure of the things taking place in your own consciousness. Everything around you, the material items and the people, could all not be real and only be a created reality. This would mean that one person, you, are the only conscious being on this planet.

Other humans, although they look real and act real, are unable to be proved into existence. There is no way to affirm that they are conscious, which brings up the problem of other minds. Although everything around you looks real; it is perceived through you. The outside world is processed through your mind, so the entire universe and its reality is really just… your reality.

The origins of solipsism in the western world date back to Gorgias, a Greek philosopher, but the ideas are similarly connected to ideas from Eastern philosophy such as Taoism. The idea of solipsism is very broad and branches out into more specific forms such as Metaphysical, Epistemological, Methodological, and many more. All of them are based on extreme doubt and skepticism and the failure to believe that anything which is not observable or happening through oneself is not verified.

Although the idea is scary, there isn’t really a benefit when it comes to believing in solipsism. Even if you are the only one that exists, you are still perceiving that other people do, so what’s the point of living like they don’t. This philosophy will never go away because of the nature of the theory, and it can’t really be proven wrong, but it will continue to be looked down upon and disputed by philosophers because of the possible egotistical values and its impracticality.

6

GOOD QUESTION THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022

What factors make someone popular?

ORION KIM

THE RUBICON

Popularity: some people enter high school with the goal of climbing to the very top of the social ladder, while others sit and wonder at the ladder. Why does social hierarchy exist? Why would it matter to be popular anyway?

Junior Addy Eby said, “I think the term popular is outdated and too restrictive for the way such a small community like SPA actually operates. If popular implies being known by a lot of people, that doesn’t really apply because... most people know everyone in their own grade and the grade above.”

The school does a lot to discourage popularity as a contest: there is no Homecoming king and queen and now Snow Week Royalty. But that doesn’t mean that social groups aren’t central to how people perceive and relate to each other in the building.

A recent research study by Dara Greenwood, a professor in the Psychology department at Vassar, showed that it is human nature to want to be accepted by peers: “The need to belong, or to feel positively and consistently connected to others, has been conceptualized as a fundamental human need,” she wrote.

While people are driven to feel a sense of belonging, teens can perceive this in different ways.

Sophomore Nora Schaughnessy said, “I stand out from crowds due to my race in a privileged school with barely any brown students. I know many people and people know me, but I don’t qualify many of the people I know as my friends. I don’t like the term ‘popularity’ because... it [feels like] a middle school term.”

Popularity can be a IT IS PRETTY complicated term. Junior OBVIOUS Riley Erben is generally well known by the majorWHO THE ity of her peers. While ErPOPULAR KIDS ben has a tight social cirARE. cle, she doesn’t judge her own social status. “I don’t 10th grader think I am in the right poBaasit sition to say if I’m popular Mahmood or not,” she said. “I have friends that I am really close with and for me, that is more important than popularity.”

Sophomore Baasit Mahmood agrees with Erben about the importance of close friends: “I have known most of my current friends since the lower school.

These connections have been built over time through common interests.”

He added that, “There’s an element of comfort that I feel like I can talk to them whenever I need to and that’s ultimately the most important part of a friendship.”

So is popularity a key part of success? Of happiness?

According to a study conducted at the University of Virginia, when students focused on “gaining or maintaining their peer affiliation preference rather than focusing on forming stronger close friendships,” they did not benefit in the long term. These relationships had little influence on their future excellence in both their social and academic lives.

Senior Dante Gilbert wouldn’t say he is popular, but he also emphasizes the importance of spending time with close friends. “Being around my friends definitely improves my mood…We just like to hang out, watch movies, go on walks in the park, cook, play games, and other stuff like that.”

According to an article by the Mayo Clinic staff, strong friendships have many benefits. “Good friends are good for your health. Friends can help you celebrate good times and provide support during bad times. Friends prevent isolation and loneliness and give you a chance to offer needed companionship, too,” they said.

So what exactly makes a person popular? If both more popular and less popular people emphasize the importance of close friendships, what exactly is the relevance of social status?

For sophomore Baasit Mahmood, the answer is in the day to day: “I think popularity depends on who someone hangs out with... there are many different friend groups; however, it is pretty obvious who the popular kids are,” he said.

?

?

SPA POLL

How do traits influence social status

RACE. In a poll with 53 students in grades 9-12 responding, a majority of students (73%) either agreed or strongly agreed that race influences popularity.

“

MONEY MATTERS? 48% of students said wealth does influence popularity. academically successful

athletic

extroverted in lots of activites

leadership

physically attractive powerful

adventurous

PERSONALITY TRAITS. Students reported that students they perceive as popular are more likely to be extroverted (64%), physically attractive (60%), athletic (55%), take on roles of power or leadership (26%), be academically successful (22%) and have a sense of adventure (19%).

Do you consider yourself popular at school?

*4% of students said they did not know.

FOOD

WELCOME TO THE FOOD SECTION Just before the beginning of the pandemic, my mom was diagnosed with Celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which people are negatively affected by any exposure to gluten. In light of this diagnosis, I took it upon myself to learn how to bake and cook things that are not gluten free but with modifications to make them celiac friendly. Often when baked goods that are made using gluten are modified to be gluten free are much less tasty than they are normally. I became determined to create gluten free substitutions that

were just as good if not better than the real versions. Through this I grew to be passionate about cooking and baking not only gluten free modified foods, but also foods from a wide variety of cultures and communities. My goal is that the food section will become a place where we can share cultures, stories, and experiences through sharing food traditions, recipes, and histories. I hope to specifically focus on underrepresented diets and cultures within and surrounding our own Saint Paul Academy community. If you have a recipe,

THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022

tradition, or story related to food please reach out to me if you would like to share it with the community. Welcome to the food section and I look forward to sharing stories and recipes the rest of this year through this page and other platforms.

Found in a QR code below is access to my food social media which I started at the beginning of the pandemic and continue to update.

5 CELIAC FRIENDLY DISHES

PIECE OF CAKE. These carrot cupcakes taste good, are celiac friendly, and best of all easy to make. More information can be found by visiting the site using QR code below.

Clara Garner, Food Editor

BREAKFAST Ingredients: 4 Eggs 3/4 cup of Gluten-Free 1-1 Flour 3/4 cup of whole milk(or any other milk you have on hand) 4 TBSP of butter

CLARA GARNER

Celiacs disease is an autoimmune disease with THE RUBICON impacts the way the body processes gluten. If celiac disease goes undiagnosed, someone could develop serious complications including cancer. Because of risks, it is important that people with celiac avoid even the smallest exposure to gluten. Even a crumb of gluten can effect the digestion of someone with celiac. Many foods are naturally celiac friendly such as meats, vegetables, fruits, some grains, and all dairy products. While people with celiac have to be extremely cautious about their possible exposure to gluten. Often, flour based products have gluten. These items can easily be made celiac friendly and gluten-free with small modifications and swaps. While there are certain foods such as croissants and bagels that are nearly impossible to replicate without flour, most other baked goods, with a proper recipe, can be made to taste exactly the same as the real version.

LUNCH

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DUTCH BABY DELIGHT. This is a Dutch baby, a dish that is similar to a pancake.

SNACK

Instructions: 1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Add all ingredients, except your butter, to a blender and blend until fully mixed together.

Ingredients: 2 ripe avocados, ½ a small white onion, 2 TBSP cilantro, 2 cloves of garlic, juice of ½ lime(or around 1 TBSP), 1 small red tomato, 1 pinch of salt Instructions: 1. Cut and de-pit the avocados and add them to a bowl. Mash the avocado in the bowl. Dice the onion and tomato into sizes of your preference. Strip the cilantro stems and mince the cilantro. Mince the garlic cloves.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and add lime juice and salt to your preference.

MIDDAY MEAL. For lunch meat and GF toast with hummus and spinach.

DESSERT

SCRUMPTIOUS SNACK. Guacamole, tortilla chips, lime water, and cherries.

Ingredients: 3 large room temperature egg whites, 1.5 cups almond flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and ¼ tsp cream of tartar

Instructions: 1. Sift almond flour and powdered sugar three or four times and dispose of any large granules left after each sift.

2. Take a stand mixer and clean using cloth with a small amount of lemon juice or white vinegar to clean the mixer from any fat remaining. Add the egg whites to the bowl and once they turn into a soap bubble like foam as the cream of tartar.

SWEET SATISFACTION. Macarons, a great 3. Slowly add the granulated sugar. Try to keep a small steady stream of sugar naturally gluten-free dessert. down the side of the bowl until fully incorporated.

4. Once the sugar is incorporated add in the vanilla and beat the mixture until it forms stiff peaks. You will know when your mixture is at this point when you take out the whisk attachment and you hold it rightside up and the peaks on the whisk do not fall.

5. Gently fold in the dry ingredients about a third at a time. Be pawwtient. If you overmix your macarons will not work properly. Once folding is finished you will know, because you will be able to lift the spatula above the bowl and draw a figure 8 using mixture dripping off the spatula.

6. Put a round tip on a piping bag and put the mixture into the piping bag. Pipe one inch diameter circles onto a lined baking sheet making sure to leave at least a half inch between each one.

7. Tap the tray on the counter to get rid of any bubbles and use a toothpick to help any that are stuck. Let the tray sit on the counter for about 40 minutes or until a thin skin forms over your macaron so that you can run your finger across it without getting any batter on your hand.

8. Bake the macarons at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes making sure to rotate after about 7 minutes.

9. Cool your macarons before removing from the tray and filling with a filling of your preference.

DINNER

DELICOUS DINNER. Soups can easily be the perfect gluten-free dinner.

PHOTOS: @clarascookingcorner on Instagram

8

PHOTO THE RUBICON -

THREE STUDENT SHOWS, ONE COMPETITION SCRIPT

ONE ACTS CURE THE WINTER BLUES THE YELLOW WALLPAPER

PHOTOS Reprinted with Permission: John Severson Smugmug

DANGEROUS GAME. Senior Davyd Barchuk holds senior Annika Brelsford as she swoons. The story of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” originally written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892, describes the deteriorating mental state of a woman kept in the attic of her house by her physician husband. Although he claims the rest order will help his wife overcome her “temporary hysteria,” she instead falls further into madness.

PUPPET STRINGS. Junior Mimi Huelster undoes Brelsford’s corset. Huelster drives Brelsford’s character to extremes during the play, with dire effect.

SKIN DEEP. Senior Sevy Hayes bares her arms. Barchuk’s character, John, meets with Hayes to treat her for “hysteria” over the course of the play.

UTTER BEDLAM. Brelsford destroys the room she’s been confined in for months with the help of the women in her wallpaper.

BREAK FREE. Junior Parisa Ghavami presses from behind the yellow wallpaper. The main character, Jane, hears and sees women in the patterns of her wallpaper; Ghavami is one of them. The intensity of their encounters ramp up throughout the play.

SHARED NARRATIVE. Brelsford writes—something her husband has forbidden­—with the women she sees in her wallpaper.

9

STORY FEBRUARY 2022

CINDY & JULIE

1

2

3

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER

Original story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Adaptation by Jennifer Blackmer Directed by Eric Severson and Akie Kutsunai Jane: Annika Brelsford Helene: Mimi Huelster Hildegard: Parisa Ghavami Elizabeth: Maggie Fried Seniz: Alison Mitchell Betty: Rachel Swenson Ellen: Madeline Kim Gloria: Sevy Hayes John: Davyd Barchuk

CINDY & JULIE LEADING LADIES. 1. Freshman Maddie Pierce sneaks a glance over her magazine at senior Ellie Dawson-Moore. 2. Freshman Cerena Karmaliani finally recognizes Dawson-Moore as the famous Cinderella Charming. 3. Dawson-Moore listens to Pierce describe her life as Juliet Montague (who might return to Juliet Capulet one of these days).

A COLD DAY IN HELL

1

2

By Bruce Kane Directed by Gray WhitakerCastañeda and Vivian Johnson Cinderella: Ellie DawsonMoore Juliet: Maddie Pierce Young Woman: Cerena Karmaliani

A COLD DAY IN HELL

By Keith J. Powell Directed by Per Johnson and Olivia Szaj

3

SLAPSTICK SINNERS. 1. Senior Olivia Fenlon describes what got her into Hell (to the horror of junior Leo Sampsell-Jones). 2. Sophomore Oliver Zhu shrinks from Sampsell-Jones’s “brownie attack,” as senior Naci Konar-Steenberg and sophomore Violet Benson look on. 3. Senior Ellie Murphy (as the Devil) consults with Sampsell-Jones and Konar-Steenberg about the fates of Hell’s denizens.

THE ONE-ACT PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

1

2

3

CHAOS ENSUES. 1. Seniors Milo Zelle, Griffin Moore, and Alice Duncan watch their production fall apart as freshman Ellie Putaski eats popcorn. 2.

Duncan brazenly continues her performance (despite Moore passed out in the back); junior Valerie Wick does damage control. 3. Wick comforts the distraught Moore—in the play-within-the-play, Moore’s fiancé has just been murdered.

Devil: Ellie Murphy Perseus: Sam Gilats Steve: Leo Sampsell-Jones Jane Exelly III: Violet Benson Tony Granding: Oliver Zhu World’s First Lawyer: Naci Konar-Steenberg Calvin: Sal Burkhardt Maggie Anne: Olivia Fenlon Death: Oliver Zhu

THE ONEACT PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

By Henry Lewis, Johnathan Sayer and Henry Shields Directed by Nan Besse and Sam Zelazo Chris (Inspector Carter): Valerie Wick Sandra (Florence Collymoore): Griffin Moore Max (Cecil Haversham): Alice Duncan Robert (Thomas Colleymoore): Milo Zelle Jonathan (Charles Haversham): Ellie Putaski Dennis (Perkins): Bri Rucker Annie: Alyssa Ebert Trevor: Dominik Polley

read mini-reviews of the show in A&E at the

RUBICON

online

10

FEATURE THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022

What’s the word?

Take a look at the popular slang in heavy use today and its definitions.

“Rona” is a shortened version of “coronavirus,” the virus at the center of everyone’s pandemic woes.

Alternatives include “the rona” and “the big C.”

You & A With Nora Shaughnessy

Q: What’s one book you wish everyone would read, and why?

A:

Tree Grows in Brooklyn because it’s beautifully written and made me rethink the society we live in today.

It shows a different perspective of a white girl who’s family is poor and is living in New York.

“Caught in 4K,” is essentially a modernized, internet-conductive version of the old idiom “to catch someone red-handed.”

Popularized by the 2020 game hit Among Us, “sus” is a shortening of “suspicious.” The user of the term usually believes that there are shady activities or that someone is lying, so they accuse that someone of being “sus.” It is often used more ironically than genuinely.

any language and learn it instantly, which one would you pick?

To have drip is to have stellar fashion sense or to have accumulated an aesthetic clout.

“Drip” is often combined with the term “fit” to describe a good outfit- i.e. “drippy fit.”

A: Mandarin, be-

cause it’s one of the hardest languages to ever learn.

Q: What’s your fa-

Through all else, slang stays strong HAZEL WALTENBAUGH THE RUBICON

MATRIAL GIRL. Rane Bice is tested on her knowlede of the latest slang. For the newst edition of word on the street Rubicon staff interveiw teachers on their understanding of new slang terms. fully accepted as an English word referring to both temperature as well as a behavior.

“Normally I won’t use [slang terms] when I’m talking to my parents or teachers, but if

I’m talking to my friends then that’s typically when I would use it. I just feel like I don’t usually use [slang words] in certain settings because it’s sort of improper or unprofessional to talk to adults

A: My favorite

Q: If you could pick

WORD ON THE STREET

Younger generations tend to use slang terms and abbreviated words as a way to connect with those around them. Repurposing old words to give them new meanings, shortening or abbreviating words to facilitate quick communication, or simply creating words or phrases that only the youth culture tends to understand. Oftentimes slang terms have a short lifespan, but can sometimes be permanently integrated into the English language.

One of the most commonly recognized terms that originated as slang is the word ‘cool’. Previously it had exclusively referred to temperature, it started being used as a slang term, and is now

favorite word, and why? word is serendipity because I like pronouncing it.

To yassify something is to force it to undergo a massive, stereotypical glowup. “Yassified” photos often showcase ridiculously facetuned photos of celebrities. The reinvigoration of “yass” coincides with that of other drag-culture derived terms, such as “slay.”

ILLUSTRATION: Leo Sampsell-Jones

Q: What’s your

that way, and they most likely won’t understand it either” junior Remy Frank said.

The younger generations tend to use slang terms because it’s a way of connecting with each

other on a different level than other age groups. It provides a sense of belonging and allows for a feeling of inclusion because you have to be ‘in the know’. Slang terms are also more heavily included in our world today because of the rise of social media and phone use. Abbreviations became more popular as texting became more widely used, and phrases are more easily spread over social media. It’s easier to be involved in youth culture because of how many teenagers are connected over the internet.

vorite thing to do?

A: I love playing tennis with my friends because it’s a very active sport.

Q: What’s your ultimate comfort food?

A: I would have to say Italian food

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Nora Shaughnessy

FEATURE THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022

11

No cat-ant-strophes here: students experiment with the weird and wild in Advanced Science Research MADDY FISHER THE RUBICON

Ant corpses in the freezer. Rotting meat on the counters. Plastic bags in a blender. For students in the Advanced Scientific Research (ASR) class, these unusual things are part of a normal semester.

Focused on developing research skills, ASR students create and conduct a research project over the course of a semester, carrying out their investigation all on their own and writing a full research paper on their topic by the end of the course.

“The idea of the class is to give a student an experience of what it means to be a practicing research scientist,” ASR and biology teacher Cathleen Drilling said.

Though independence is part of the appeal, it can also make the class difficult. “The students realize how often in science classes the teacher is guiding the experiment, making decisions like choosing chemical concentrations, [...] determining how to organize and analyze data,” Drilling said. “Figuring out those details can be challenging.”

Senior Per Johnson participated in the fall semester of ASR and is taking it again during the spring semester. Johnson worked with red harvester ants to determine the impact of global warm-

ing on visual cognition in eusocial insects. “It was a sort of behavioral dynamics study based on increasing the temperature of the incubators that I was keeping the ants inside of,” he said.

To gauge visual cognition, Johnson designed and 3D printed a sort of

“

I WOULD SAY THE MOST INPORTANT THING I’VE LEARNED BOTH FROM MY OWN PEOJECT, AND FROM WATCHING OTHER PEOPLE DO THEIRS, IS THAT SIMPLICITY IS IMPORTANT. Senior Per Johnson

maze. The ants started their journey in a chamber with a singular color and some sugar water.

Afterwards, they moved into a different chamber, where they would face a choice between two different colors, one that was the same as the first color they encountered.

If they remembered and chose the first color, they were rewarded with more sugar water. About 12 out

of 14 ants were successful after a few trials. At increased temperatures, that number dropped to six out of 14.

In a class that requires student independence, details can be hard to figure out. For Johnson, keeping the ants alive proved to be the biggest challenge. “I ended up buying 240 ants for my project,” he said. “The first 120 ants all died before I could really get any experiments done because their moisture levels were off. There wasn’t much research on ants in the laboratory, so it was hard to know how to maintain them. It was kind of just a guessing game. Lots of trial and error, but I figured it out.”

“I would say that the most important thing I’ve learned both from my own project and from watching other people do theirs is that simplicity is important,” he said. “I had all these really big ideas. [...] I eventually realized that it would be way too much work.” Johnson’s original idea included regulating temperature as well as carbon dioxide levels.

“I think that it was a really interesting experience,” he said. “Figuring out what I wanted to study was probably one of the hardest parts, so I would definitely recommend thinking about that beforehand and coming in with some sort of idea.”

Junior Linnea Cooley’s ASR project studies the effect of octocrylene, a chemical UV filter used in sunscreens and cosmetic products, on freshwater diatoms, a type of single-celled algae. Cooley traveled to St. Cloud on a regular basis to work in the Julius Laboratories in Saint Cloud State University. There, she set up her experiment in a temperature controlled chamber and took samples to run tests on. Though the class has been very time-consuming, they feel that their experience was incredibly valuable. “ There’s a really, really big difference between a general science class and ASR,” she said. “There’s so many things that you can’t learn without trying them yourself. ASR provides that real-world experience.”

Whether you want to work with insects or algae or something in between, ASR provides a hyper-independent space to learn about your interests.

Are you interested in learning about the student research occurring here at SPA? During Tutorial on Friday, February 11, the ASR and CSCI students will present their projects prior to heading to the upcoming Science Fair. Presentations will occur in the Design Lab as well as rooms 4130, 4140, and 4165.

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Per Johnson ANT ADVENTURES. An ant explores Johnson’s 3D-printed maze. “It was a sort of behavioral dynamics study based on increasing the temperature of the incubators that I was keeping the ants inside of,” he said.

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Per Johnson MOVE OVER LAB RATS, IT’S TIME FOR LAB ANTS. An ant squirms around in a test tube as a part of Johnson’s project. “The idea of the class is to give a student an experience of what it means to be a practicing research scientist,” US Science teacher Cathleen Drilling said.

Rohweder makes SPA her fresh start SALAH ABDULKARIM EDITOR IN CHEIF

Claire Rohweder, the new Upper School Assistant, as engaged in a broad variety of activities outside of work ranging from Nordic skiing to volunteering her time for research. Born and raised in St. Paul Minnesota, and having lived in Minnesota ever since, Rohweder has developed a passion for educating and various outdoor activities.

With nine years under her belt in the field of education, Rohweder wanted to continue in that field at SPA. “I love working in education. I was looking for a fresh start and, it [SPA] almost feels like you’re in a college. The students are so respectful, and the teachers give students a chance

to spread their wings and be who they are with common areas and flexible class periods. It’s just a really warm and welcoming place to learn,” Rohweder said.

When it comes to time outside of work, Rohweder continues a particular activity she enjoyed from a young age, “One of my favorite things to do is cross country skiing. I’ve been doing it since high school. I enjoy the challenge of seeing how far I can push myself.”

Rohweder also enjoys an activity she picked up more recently, “I’m also a Minnesota Master Naturalist, which basically means I am certified through the University of Minnesota to volunteer at nature centers…I’ve done it for six or seven years…One of my favor-

ite things is doing the frog and toad call survey every year to monitor the water quality. So I’ve learned to identify frogs and toads by their sound, but not necessarily by how they look.,” Rohweder said.

Her interest in becoming a Minnesota Master Naturalist was influenced by a couple factors, “My husband is a wildlife biologist and we’ve always just really loved camping and being outside together. He said, ‘Hey, let’s go do this and see if we can be citizen scientists.’, and we’ve enjoyed doing that together ever since.”

As Rohweder acclimates to SPA’s environment, she is looking forward to meeting members of the SPA community and learning more about them.

MASTER OF ALL TRADES. New Upper School assistant, Claire Rohweder, poses for a headshot. With many intrests, Rohweder enjoys skiing, educating, vouklenterring at nature centers, and a viratey of outdoor activites.

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SPORTS THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022

Don’tMessupDon’tcrackunderpressureDon’tlosefocus Don’tMessupDon’tcrackunderpressure Don’tlosefocusDon’toverstress Don’toverstressDon’tMessup Don’tMessupDon’tcrackDon’tcrackunderpressureDon’tlosefocus underpressure Don’tlosefocusDon’toverstress Don’toverstressDon’tMessup Don’tMessupDon’tcrackunderpressure Don’tcrackunderpressureDon’tloseDon’tlosefocusDon’toverstress focus Don’toverstressDon’tMessup Don’tMessupDon’tcrackunderpressure Don’tcrackunderpressureDon’tlosefocus Don’tlosefocusDon’toverstressDon’toverstressDon’tMessupDon’tcrackunderpressure Don’tMessup Don’tcrackunderpressureDon’tlosefocus Don’tlosefocusDon’toverstress Don’toverstressDon’tMessup Don’tMessupDon’tcrackDon’tcrackunderpressureDon’tlosefocus underpressure Don’tlosefocusDon’toverstress Don’toverstressDon’tMessup Don’tMessupDon’tcrackunderpressure Don’tcrackunderpressureDon’tloseDon’tlosefocusDon’toverstress focus Don’toverstressDon’tMessup Don’tMessupDon’tcrackunderpressure Don’tcrackunderpressureDon’tlosefocus 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reducing pre-game stress

JUST ONE MORE

THING TO PRACTICE MADELINE FISHER THE RUBICON

For many student athletes, playing sports can be an escape from the stress of school and other activities.

Exercise releases endorphins, chemicals that reduce stress hormones and can calm your mind and body.

Ironically, at more elite levels, athletic performance can also bring its own pressures.

Sport-related stress can have many sources. According to the NCAA Sport Science Institute, time demands, performance pressures, the threat of injury, and coaching styles are examples of potential stressors for student athletes. Balancing sports and academics can increase stress, decrease sleep, and limit time and ability to relax.

Senior Sarah Oppenheim plays soccer and softball.

In both sports, Oppenheim sometimes struggles with her own expectations of her performance.

“The pressure comes more from myself than from anything else,” she said. “I have to remind myself that the people around me don’t care as much as I care.”

Though managing stress has been an important part of her career as an athlete, Oppenheim thinks pressure can be beneficial. “Pressure can be bad, but it can also make people work harder. I think if you don’t feel any pressure then you don’t care about the sport.”

Junior Aten-Wa Theba is a former semi-professional snowboarder and an aspiring race car driver. He

also plays goalie for SPA’s soccer program.

For Theba, pressure is not always a bad thing.

“There is pressure that you can choose to feel and pressure that you feel regardless. A lot of the pressure that I often feel is pressure from sponsors or people that support me,” he said. “It can be challenging, but it’s also a reminder that people care.” When he gets stressed, Theba usually listens to music and employs visualization techniques, a sort of consciously controlled preparation for performance where athletes

“

THE PRESSURE COMES FROM MORE FROM MYSELF THAN FROM ANYTHING ELSE. senior Sarah Oppenheim

rehearse a skill, goal, or routine to discourage stress and promote intentional execution.

Junior Jack O’Brien participates in soccer, lacrosse, nordic skiing, and trap shooting. Though he enjoys competing in all, he only ever feels nervous before nordic races.

“It’s different because it’s completely dependent on me; all the responsibility is on me,” he said. “I put a lot

of pressure on myself to do well. I want to be the best on the team.”

Though O’Brien definitely feels stressed before races, he doesn’t have a very effective way of relaxing.

“Usually I complain about [being nervous] to literally anybody who will listen to me complaining,” he said.

“It’s a sort of coping mechanism, but it never works. I am always stressed till I get to the line to start. As soon as the race begins, it goes away.”

Of course, not all pressure is bad. Stress can help athletes grow and develop if adequately managed.

According to KidsHealth, student athletes can reduce stress in a multitude of ways. Deep breathing, targeted muscle relaxation, visualization, routine, meditation, and developing positive self-talk are all methods athletes can use to remain calm.

Pressure will always be an aspect of athletic performance, but it doesn’t have to be central to an athlete’s experience. “The focus is always on your sport or getting better,” Theba said. “Taking a moment for myself is a reminder that I’m doing what I do because I love it, because it makes me happy, and because I’m good at it.”

Taking an active role in managing pressure has been central to Theba’s success. For him, and for many other student athletes, strategies for reducing stress are just another thing to practice.

SPORTS THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022

LAX hopes to take flight in spring

13

CLAIRE KIM

THE RUBICON

Anticipation abounds as girls lacrosse builds their team in preparation for a competitive spring season. As the team plans for an all-new co-op with Nova Classical Academy and St. Agnes School, they begin the search for players and ways to promote the program.

The team has been trying to attract players through clinics at SPA, where those who want to try out the sport before committing have the opportunity to learn the basics. Head coach Taylor Tvedt said, “We hope to continue to grow the program by inviting SPA girls to come and try lacrosse at free clinics throughout the next couple of months,” with the first clinic being held on Jan. 21.

Junior Julia Colbert, who started playing lacrosse in sixth grade, is hopeful that more students will join lacrosse so she can continue to enjoy the sport with others.

Even with the stress of tournaments and training, she sees it as a way to relax. “Lacrosse initially became important to me because I had dedicated a lot of time to it, but now it’s because I genuinely enjoy playing the game.

GIRLS LACROSSE If you are interested in playing or trying out lacrosse, please join the girls’ lacrosse team in pre-season training. We have wall ball every Wednesday morning from 8-8:40 in the big gym and Sunday practices in the afternoon (time TBD) in the big gym. All necessary equipment will be available, and no experience is necessary. There is no commitment to play in the Spring, but it is a good opportunity to try out the sport!

PHOTO: SPA Smugmug

LAX TO THE MAX. Junior Julia Colbert has been involved with lacrosse for many years and wants to branch out to new positions on the team. “My hopes for the next season are that we get a lot of new girls and are able to build SPA’s lacrosse program,” Colbert said.

Members of the team helped potential players learn the basics during several lacrosse

It has become a fun and good way for me to stay active throughout the winter and helps me get my mind off of whatever I am worrying about,” Colbert said. After a successful 2021 season with Visitation, when the team won their conference, she hopes that more players will join to strengthen girls lacrosse this year.

On a personal level, Colbert hopes to fulfill the role of a leader on the

team and improve as a player as well. “Previously, my primary position was defense, but over my club season, I began playing midfield, so I hope to step up for midfield during the school season and become better in this position,” she said. Colbert is willing to face the challenge of both taking on a new position and guiding newer players as she prepares for the season.

Other members of the team want to encourage students to try the sport because of its intense and active appeal. “Lacrosse is important to me because I love the team atmosphere and competitive level,” sophomore Charlotte Goings said. Goings has played the sport for five years and hopes the program can grow with new players. She also predicts improvement as a complete team when the

school season kicks off.

Along with the varsity team, coach Tvedt hopes enough players will join to be able to form a JV team. “We have confirmed a great competition lineup, and are so excited to host games for the first time ever right here at SPA,” she said.

High school participation has been steadily increasing.

According to a 2020 annual report from USA Lacrosse, 210

schools received physical education kits to introduce lacrosse programs.

As the sport grows across the country, the SPA team looks forward to being a part of it during a successful spring season.

Reach out to head coach Taylor Tvedt or Athletic Director Ken McNish to sign up.

Gymnasts make leaps and bounds past competition

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Audrey Leatham JUMP FOR JOY. Sophomore Audrey Leatham overcame the challenge of quitting and got back into competing. “I think my most proud moment was 3 years ago I was the regional vault champion,” Leatham said.

ANNIE BAI

THE RUBICON

What does gymnastics mean to a high school gymnast? According to Gymnastics Zone, the eight C’s of motivation are “Competence, Control, Choices, Connected, Challenge, Collaboration, Creating meaning, and Consequences.” Whether it’s a hobby or a lifelong passion, gymnasts are motivated by different reasons that keep them

in the sport.

AUDREY LEATHAM Sophomore Audrey Leatham is part of Spirit Gymnastics at Hamline University. She competes around seven meets a year including the larger state and regional meets.

Leatham is part of the Xcel program and competes in the highest level, diamond. They usually go to private gyms that hold competitions like

Winter Classic and the Iron Man Invitational that was held January 8 and January 9. “My meets normally go decent for me, this year though, my meets have been more challenging, especially since covid hit. This is the first year that we have been actually competing besides in-house meets.”

Leatham said.

Leatham’s most recent meet was actually her first competition season in two years, which has made it hard to get back into competition mode.

“Earlier this fall I took May through September off, and I expected to quit in October but I was able to get back into gymnastics after taking such a long break and I have been really happy about that choice to stick with it.” Leatham said. It is impressive to have the motivation to continue a sport after deciding to quit and being faced with the challenges covid brought.

This sport is also very great from the aspect of fostering community. “I

have made so many good friends through gymnastics. I also really enjoy how it is always a challenge, I never really get bored of it because there is always more to do, I also really enjoy having a sport that is really fitting for ways to channel my energy.” Leatham said.

Graff trains for more than 10 hours a week during the school year and 12 over the summer.

Although it is a huge commitment, she considers gymnastics her great lifelong passion and has

“

IN GYMNASTICS I LEARNED SOLVEJ GRAFF SO MUCH THAT I Compared to Leatham WON’T LEARN IN who started when she was A CLASSROOM. seven, Junior Solvej Graff has been a gymnast for 15 years and calls herself a “legacy gymnast” as her mother was an athlete too. “In gymnastics I have learned so much that I won’t learn in a classroom. Not just things like how to create a targeted conditioning workout or how to care for all sorts of aches and pains like when the skin peels off your palm where you already ripped off the first two layers.” Graff said. She has learned to improve herself until she reaches her personal satisfaction, preservation, how to analyze problems, and how to fix them.

junior Solvej Graff

devoted herself to it. “I have found a feeling of personal satisfaction as I have reached the top level of my program. Such a fulfillment shows me how I have persevered. I must mention my gratitude as none of what I had done would be possible without the support of my family as well as the caring and dedicated coaches I have had in my years.” Graff said.

When asked as a child

if she wanted to become an olympian, Graff always said no. She admits to have progressed slower than others but she has stuck to gymnastics for all these years because she loves the feeling of flight. “I don’t need the demanding training it takes to compete at the elite level to soar.” Graff said. Even without this demanding training, Graff truly has soared.

“I am the only one who competes an acro series on the 4-inch surface consisting of a dive roll connecting to a freeroll. I don’t know if I truly am the only one but I haven’t heard of another gymnast who does it. ” Graff said.

Each gymnast has their own achievements, definitions of success, and reasons for loving gymnastics. But they each have found their own happiness and motivation in this sport.

14

ARTS / ENTERTAINMENT THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022 WRITE IT DOWN

Tips for taking A+ notes 1. Choose paper materials wisely.

Purchase sturdy notebooks with lines that you like, pens that feel nice in your hand and pencils with graphite. Tip: multiple colors help keep information organized.

2. Use images as guideposts.

Draw dots, stars, arrows, etc. to highlight elements important to review.

3. Only highlight about 20% Don’t try to capture every word of a lecture or every section of a text. Listen for key information.

4. Make them your own.

Using teacher or classmate notes isn’t as effective for memory recall.

COLOR THEORY. Colors add aesthetic and make notes more efficient to read. Color coding is a popular way to organize content.

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Sophie Cullen

Note-taking promotes productivity and creativity ELIZA FARLEY THE RUBICON

Verb tenses, vocabulary sets, variables: unless your mind is like a steel trap, the fine details fall through the cracks. But for those with minds like sieves, don’t despair—an intentional approach to taking notes helps people retain what they’ve learned while also adding an enjoyable aesthetic to things remembered.

“

NOTES DON’T HAVE TO BE SUPER PRETTY OR ORGANIZED AS LONG AS YOU FIND A SYSTEM THAT WORKS FOR YOU.

junior Lindsay Browne

Note-taking is a proven way to boost comprehension in class, but if notes contain more doodles than documentation, it may be time to reevaluate your methods. There are plenty of different ways to organize content, but the key is to keep the process engaging. But how?

Specialized materials are one way that note-taking can become more fun and active. Junior Sila Liljedahl uses Pilot G-2 pens, which she loves to break out when studying. “They’re like gel pens, but not overly watery… [They’re] really easy to write with, and they don’t smudge that easily,” she said.

Junior Lindsay Browne, on the other hand, switches up the way she writes.

“I use a lot of stars, inconsistent capitalization, pictures and drawings… [They] might look sort of random to other people, but since I am more of a visual learner, it helps me a lot,” she said.

Using non-standard symbols while writing keeps the brain active during the note-taking process, but they also help when reviewing; if the symbols act as guideposts, it’s easy to find important information.

Senior Sophie Cullen suggests paper note-taking for optimal engagement. “It’s a more active method of learning content, she said, “and also helps me be more mindful when going over a subject than passively typing notes on a computer.”

Fans of physical notes aren’t without scientific backing. According to a study from 2010, writing things down on paper actually helps you to remember them better. The brain makes better connections and activates more when people put pen to paper, even when simply tracing letters.

Some students, however, prefer to take digital notes. There’s the classic type-in-a-Google-Doc method, but there are also apps for the iPad that allow for note-taking with a stylus. With a stylus, it’s possible to blend the productivity of a computer with the mental benefits of penand-paper writing. These apps, such as Goodnotes or Notability, can make keeping track of multiple subjects a breeze, and the content can be easily edited and rearranged.

An iPad or a computer is also much slimmer than a binder, but maybe not slimmer than a notebook, so bringing your notes to a café is simple and hassle-free.

In the end, whether digital or physical, purely pencil or multi-pen colorscape, notes are primarily a tool for their writer: “Notes don’t have to be super pretty or organized as long as you find a system that works for you,” Browne said.

FROM ONLINE:

The various meanings behind student tattoos read the full story at the:

RUBICON

online

ALI BROWNE

RUBICONLINE

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Jamuna Corsaro

LOVE LANGUAGE. For senior Jamuna Corsaro, her tattoo pays homage to her birth country across the world: “Because a tattoo can be seen as something so permanent, getting my name in Nepali for me represents a connection to my birth country and the cultures / peoples [within it], even if I am growing up in the United States,” Corsaro said.

SUBMITTED PHOTO: Ellie Murphy

FIRST BLOOMS. Senior Ellie Murphy’s flower bouquet tattoo serves as a reminder of her family, but it is the first of many planned images: “I am planning to get a dragonfly and an illustration of a blueberry that’s drawn on a recipe hanging up at my family’s cabin,” she said. Murphy also wants a patchwork sleeve in the future.

Tattoos. A permanent but complex display of the interests, desires, struggles, and aspirations that define a person. Whether a mark of self-expression, a tribute to a loved one, a reminder of a fond memory, or a drawing of a beloved cartoon character, people get tattoos for a variety of reasons, and there is an untold story hiding behind each one.

15 Fans go ape for non-fungible tokens ARTS / ENTERTAINMENT THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022

CLARA GARNER THE RUBICON

NFTs

Fair Use IMAGE: Bored Ape Yacht Club

FUNKY MONKEY. Bored ape #8585 sold for $2.7 million dollars or 696.969 ETH. The popularity of Yacht Club’s apes has only grown since the release of the first one in April 2021, with an average sale price of $300,000.

MONEY MAKER?

PLANET BREAKER?

[TV REVIEW]

What does a Bored Ape Yacht Club Monkey and global warming have in common? NFTs. Sophomore Rowan Hoffman said, “If you can make money off of that, good for you, but at the same time, mining crypto and that whole world is horrible for the environment.”

Hoffman has spent a great deal of time researching and discussing NFTs. There is substantial confusion surrounding NFTs or non-fungible tokens because they require people to understand a complex system of cryptocurrencies and terms.

In the simplest definition, an NFT is the ownership of online information in the shape of an image, video, or audio recording.

The point of an NFT is not necessarily having access to it, though; it is the ownership rights. This is where blockchain comes into play. It works similarly to a bank, holding

and tracking the transaction of cryptocurrencies.

NFTs work as a cryptocurrency and the blockchain as a public record showing every exchange of money. The blockchain holds the proof that someone owns the token.

But this is the point where NFTs get more complicated because once someone owns an NFT, they can make back the money they invested and more by selling it under new conditions.

For example, someone could put royalties on an NFT, which would mean that every time the NFT is sold in the future, the original owner would receive a small percent of the money.

NFTs become even more confusing when their negative impact on the environment comes into the equation. This is because the blockchain that keeps track of all of these transactions uses massive amounts of energy to store data.

According to the Digiconomist’s Bitcoin Energy

Consumption Index, Bitcoin’s energy consumption is estimated at just over 200 terawatt-hours.

One TWh is equivalent to the output of one trillion watts for one hour.

While this specific data is for bitcoin, NFTs often use bitcoin or similar forms of online currency for the transactions. The energy used to buy, create, track and sell NFTs has to come from somewhere and greatly contributes to pollution because most of the energy comes from non-renewable energy sources.

Specifically because of this environmental impact, NFTs and their future have become widely polarizing.

While some see NFTs as a new form of cryptocurrency that could vastly change how money is perceived, others see NFTs as a step in the wrong direction, towards further harm to the environment.

“It’s like owning something, but everyone else uses it,” junior Ryan Spangler said.

While Spangler does not claim to be an expert, he does have a solid understanding of the debate on what NFTs are and what environmental implications they can have.

Both Hoffman and Spangler think that while there is a possibility to make money off of NFTs, they aren’t sure how sustainable the market will be in the long run.

While the future of NFTs is unknown and unpredictable, for the time being, they are a new and creative way to use cryptocurrency and make money on the internet.

Given the current state of the art industry due to the pandemic, NFTs have become a new venue for artists to sell and showcase art virtually. And while this could be an important benefit to NFTs, the way people view them because of their environmental impacts will greatly contribute to the future success or demise of the industry of NFTs.

New year, new plot twists: Euphoria leaves viewers wanting more HOBBS LILLYGREEN THE RUBICON

Engulfed in blaring music and golden light, HBO’s Euphoria season 2 opens with a New Year’s Eve celebration and one last high before a year full of lows.

With familiar faces like Fezco (Angus Cloud), Rue (Zendaya), Maddie, (Alexa Demi), Nate, (Jacob Elordi), and Kat, (Barbie Ferreira), Euphoria’s return builds upon themes and character narratives from the 2019 original season.

Euphoria explores themes of substance use and abuse, but also touches on typical high school topics: figuring out relationships and love, heartbreak and mental illness, the they are portrayed accurately compared to those in 13 Reasons Why and other shows focused on high school.

The original season focused on Jules (Hunter Shafer) and Rue. The return still leaves room for the two to shine, but the space for characters with underdeveloped narratives like Lexi or Fez is ever-expanding.

The second season’s opening episode hints at the spark of an unexpected relationship between Lexi and Fez. Quiet and reserved, Lexi was only known as Rue’s childhood best friend in the first season. In the second, a side of Lexi audiences didn’t know before begins to appear.

Euphoria brings new faces to the table, too.

Dominic Fike, a singer-songwriter with notable tracks trending on Tik Tok, plays Elliot, a character Rue befriends.

Soon the friendship becomes a prominent side story.

Faye, a character Rue connected with in the backseat of a car, is a character many hoped to see again after she trended on social media.

Lexi and Fez aren’t the only unexpected twist to the original story. Cassie, played by Sydney Sweeney, drove with Nate to the new year’s party giving audiences insight into their coming relationship.

Rue’s state after relapsing, her enabling friendship with Elliot and her conflict with Jules are just the tip of the iceberg for what’s to come in the remaining episodes.

The depth of the themes Euphoria explores may feel off-putting, but that’s the very reason the

show is worth the watch.

For people who experience firsthand stories like those found in Euphoria, the show offers a sense of reliability and understanding that their lives aren’t so outlandish.

For those who feel that Euphoria is an inaccurate portrayal of typical American high school, it offers an escape into fictional, issue based narratives one may never hear about.

New perspectives or ones that are relatable,

characters that audiences can sympathize with, cinematic videography and a story immersed in countless twists and turns, Euphoria’s exploration of one high school girl’s journey of sobriety will leave viewers, well, euphoric.

RATING: 5/5

EUPHORIA rating: TV-MA Produced by A24 Writer: Sam Levinson ensemble cast: Zendaya, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith and Sydney Sweeney based on the Israeli show by the same name watch on HBO Max

PHOTOS: @euphoria on Instagram SPOTLIGHT. Fezco, Lexi, Cassie, Elliot, and Jules are some of the characters given more screen time this season.

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MUSIC THE RUBICON - FEBRUARY 2022

Sounds of success: performing experiences CLARA GARNER THE RUBICON

From band to orchestra to choir, or even the school musicals and plays, a majority of students are part of some form of performing arts.

However, some of these students, including those who don’t take music classes, take part in the performing arts outside of school. This means moving from an audience of parents and community members to practically anyone, which raises the stakes when it comes to performing.

KAI SIH: CHAMBER VIOLINIST Senior Kai Sih is a violinist who has been greatly involved in music inside and outside of school. Outside of school, Sih has been a member of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies program, and a member of various chamber groups.

Sih shares that while it may seem difficult to perform in front of a large audience it feels more like they’re “just presenting a face.” Sih has been performing for most of their life and shares that in their experience, “It’s not that different from holding a conversation, where you’re just presenting what the other person wants to see.” Sih shared that their involvement in more formal music performances has decreased because of COVID, but they plan to continue playing the violin and writing more music.

NATHAN MANN: SINGER AND INSTRUMENTALIST Creating one’s own music is another way to be individually involved in music outside of school; senior Nathan Mann has still been a part of both choirs and performing arts at school. In the past, Mann was part of the Phoenix Children’s Choirs; Since moving to

Minnesota, Nathan has been part of some local bands but focuses on writing his own music.

While Mann shares this common aspect with Sih, he has quite a different perspective on performing and stage fright.

He shares that “the stage fright never goes away.”

While he has accumulated experience performing over the years, he still has to work to get over his initial nerves when he steps on stage. Mann looks forward to heading to college next year and sees it as a good opportunity to start a new band and to continue writing more music.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS: Nathan Mann PASSION FOR PIANO. Senior Nathan Mann performed on the keyboard when he was younger (left) and more recently, he performed on piano for a composer’s camp (right). Mann has years of experience with both playing instruments and singing, shown by his involvement with both fields.

DELING CHEN: COMPETITIONBASED PIANIST Freshman Deling Chen performs on a more competitive level and focuses on showcasing her skills to her audience. Chen has been playing the piano since she was three and has gained experience starting with recitals and eventually competing in piano competitions.

Chen approaches performing with similarities to both Sih and Mann.

While Chen occasionally experiences stage fright, she reminds herself, “I’m here to do my job, and my job is to give my best performance.” Chen has enjoyed getting to meet new people and listening to her peers playing; which further inspires her to have “the ability to bring art to others.”

While all three students have different experiences performing, they all offer insight to what it is like to be involved in performing outside of school. Even if you have no aspirations to perform, you can support both local artists and current students through attending upcoming events.

ALUMNI/AE MUSICIANS:

PHOTO: @lutalojones on Instagram

PHOTOS: SPA Smugmug STRING SENSATIONS. Senior Kai Sih accompanies the Academy Chorale during the Pops Concert (right). Sih has played violin for the school orchestra since middle school (left), and their dedication to the instrument is clear through their participation in orchestra programs outside of school as well.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS: Deling Chen PERFORMING PRACTICE. Freshman Deling Chen plays at a recital in fifth grade (left). She has continued performing at larger competitions and regularly practices at home (right). “I prepare for performances by practicing through my pieces and doing a few finger exercises,” Chen said.

LUTALO JONES. SPA alumni Lutalo Jones creates acoustic music with a warm sound. Jones self-produces all aspects of his songs, including instrumentals, and recently toured locally.

The defining features of his music are the guitar chords and soft vocals he uses in tracks such as Warned Her.

PHOTO: @bruisevioletsux on Instagram

BRUISE VIOLET. Grunge punk group Bruise Violet has been performing together since 2015. Featuring SPA alumni Emily Schoonover on guitar, the band has performed at a variety of venues around the Twin Cities.

Their music fuses punk rock and heavy metal, including tracks like Sketchy Jeff and Wasted.