March/April 2020 by St. Mary's Messenger

practicing the selected to represent the stat March/April 2020 sport of curl- the annual USSYP Washingt ing sinceis she a sport takes place March 7thwas 7 years played 14th. The Pro Huff on was sta Hills ski ice racing States team, Congress slalom and gia and nt sl alom she work races Horse showing is an ind ivi dual Layne -based in a sport cal led SMCHS’S GOT TALENT Read about what students do outside of school | page 3

STOPPING TO SMELL THE ROSES What good things have come out of this pandemic? | page 7

she writes are contemporary, but she writes Jazz and class ical.

COVID-19’s EFFECT ADULTHOOD How has it evolved ON ABORTION | page 17 over time? | page 10

St. Mary’s Central High School | 5802 Ridgeland Dr. Bismarck, ND 58503

March/April 2020

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Reader,

hope this letter finds you healthy and untroubled. With all of the hardships Covid-19 has brought our community, we decided to combine our March and April articles into one online edition. It is no mystery that all of our lives have been significantly altered in this pandemic. Instead of longing for those high school memories, or seasons of your favorite sport you may have missed, long for what is to come. We have sunshine filled summer days ahead and hope that everything will be normal again. Naturally, your staff here at the Messenger wants to brighten your day by presenting their articles in the pages following this letter. We invite you to relax, take a deep breath, and move forward with us together. With so much uncertainty right now it is imperative we stay connected with each other and our faith because now, more than ever, we need our Lady of Victory praying for us

Allyson Treiber Editor-in-Chief

OUR EDITORS

OUR MISSION

ALLYSON TREIBER Editor-in-Chief

JULIA JARAMILLO Layout Editor

MEGHA BHARADWAJ Feature Editor

ALLISON BRAUN Opinion Editor

ANNA BRAUN Entertainment Editor

KENDALL TIBOR Religion Editor

RYAN BROWN Sports Editor

JEFFREY SAVADEL Photography

ON THE COVER Read about the students who has some serious talent on page 3! Cover by Julia Jaramillo

OUR WRITERS Teagan Bauer Kyle Burns Maja Dojs Emma Fleischaker Soraida Pichardo Alyssa Fortney

Here at the Messenger, we love to see the groups of people huddled around our paper, the proud smile when students read articles about themselves, and the slight laughs as students make fun of our bad attempts at jokes. Our mission at the Messenger is to produce a quality newsletter that provides insight into SMCHS by featuring our own students and their accomplishments and goals.

Hannah Gardner Lilyanne Haag Meg Hepper Jordan Jacobson Margaret Kathol Hannah Koch

Eva Krebsbach Julianna Lengowski Eva Rykowsky Clare Tamisiea Ruby Tolstad

READ IT ONLINE https://issuu.com/smmessenger

Table of Contents SMCHS’s Got Talent pg. 3-5 Gen Z: Technologically Absorbed pg. 8 Is Daylight Savings Time Worth It? pg. 9 Can Money Buy Happiness? pg. 9

I came for Preview Days in October and all of the faculty, staff and students made me feel like a Dragon before I became one. You’re a student to them and they want to help mold your education as well as learning about what they’re interested in. – Alexandra Gallagher (Psychology)

Adulthood pg. 10 Panic Day pg. 10 St. Patrick’s Day Has a New Rule to Follow pg. 12 Movie Review: Mulan pg. 13 Teacher’s Picks pg. 14 The Annunciation pg.16 The Capital Ice Chips pg. 18 Wrestling Recap pg. 18

Real Dragons. Real Stories. St. Mary’s High School grad Alexandra Gallagher has thoroughly enjoyed her experience at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Her involvement in the psychology program has provided her meaningful connections with faculty members in and out of the classroom. She is actively involved in campus activities, most notably as a Dragon Ambassador. She invites you to explore MSUM to see where your story takes you! Join us for an MSUM Junior Preview Day on April 24. Or, check out the many other visit options at mnstate.edu/visit. Minnesota State University Moorhead is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

FEATURE SMCHS’s Got Talent

ARCHERY

ayne Larson competes in competitive archery, which is a year- round sport. There are many competitions throughout the year on one of three indoor or four outdoor courses in the state. He became interested in archery about four years ago when he would practice in his back yard. Since then, he has worked up to competitive archery, which he has been doing for the last three years. Of course, in order to do well, like in any sport, you have to practice. Layne practices an average of eighteen to twenty six hours a week. On a typical competition day, he has to show up around 6:45 a.m. to get his bow checked (which makes sure everything is legal on his bow) and then he warms up. Once he is on the shooting line, he gets two warm-up rounds before official scoring begins. In a typical competition, he has ten score rounds, but there are some that have twenty. The rules for archery change depending on the course you are shooting on, so there’s a lot to know! As you can see, there’s a lot more to archery than most of us realize. Layne plans to shoot collegiate archery at Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota next year. His goal is to make it to an international competition. Best of luck as you take your sport to the next level, Layne!

egha Bharadwaj, a junior at SM, was selected to represent the state at the annual USSYP Washington Week Program which normally takes place March 7th- 14th. The program was started by the United States Congress in 1962 and each year the Hearst Foundation awards 104 high school juniors and seniors across the country the opportunity to participate in this program along with a $10,000 scholarship for any college of their choosing. She started her application in October and found out she was chosen in the beginning of December. She had to study for the USSYP Public Affairs Exam and the two top scorers on the test were chosen to represent ND. She decided to apply after hearing the amazing experience of alumni and is ecstatic that she got selected. Unfortunately, Washington Week got cancelled because of COVID-19, but she is still thankful that she got chosen.

MEGHA BHARADWAJ

LAYNE LARSON

Meet your peers who have some serious skills | Eva Rykowsky, Hannah Gardner, Margaret Kathol, Alexis Maher, Megha Bharadwaj, Eva Kebsbach

UNITED STATES YOUTH SENATE PROGRAM

HUFF HILLS SKI TEAM M

MADI ROEHRL AND KATEE HOLLENBECK

adi and Katie are on the Huff Hills ski racing team, and they compete in slalom and giant slalom races in different ski areas. This is their first year on the race team and it has been a blast! Their team practices on Sundays out at Huff Hills from 2-5 unless they have a competition. For competitions, they have different divisions. For example, they is in the 14-16 year-old category, which goes all the way from ages of 5-18. First they slips the course (meaning she goes through it slowly to see where to turn and feel out the course) Then they warms up and waits for their time to race. They get in the starting gate. Once they starts, the officials start the time and stop when they crosses the finish line. Her coach, Katy Keller, always tells them what they can do better and really gets them pumped up to keep working hard

HORSE SHOWING

orse showing is an individual-based sport. It consists of a set of judges critiquing you throughout each maneuver in the patterns that you’re performing. Each pattern contains different sets of skills pertaining to the specific class (event) you’re competing in, whether that be riding, or the in-hand classes. Aubree started showing at the age of ten. A trainer noticed her riding and saw potential. He then offered to start coaching her. And she still does it to this day! Aubree practices on weekends, 4-5 hours a day. She’ll practice on more weekends during competition time. All of that practice pays off in the horse showing competitions though. Most of Aubree’s shows last anywhere from 4 to 2 weeks. She shows anywhere from Minnesota, to Ohio, to Oklahoma, and anywhere in between, with very few being in North Dakota. Aubree’s usually up all day long, with her performing in the all-around. For Aubree, it’s totally worth it. What motivates Aubree the most is her desire to improve. Ever since she started showing/competing, she wanted to keep getting better and go to the “next level.” Her biggest accomplishment so far was placing 6th in one of her classes at the AQHA Youth World Show, which is like the Olympics for horse-showing, and also winning the North Dakota Year End Youth All-Around 2 years in a row, which is most definitely not easy to do. 4

AUBREE RENNER

CURLING

iza Kirkeide is a sophomore at SMCHS and has been practicing the sport of curling since she was 7 years old. Curling is a sport played on ice and made up of two teams of four players each. The teams take turns sliding large rocks or ‘stones’ toward a target area called the ‘house’. Points are scored for the stones resting closest to the center of the house. Players can spin the stones to ‘curl’ them and the ice can be swept to influence the resting point. The games involves a lot of strategy. Liza typically practices for 4 hours every Saturday and participates in league play with her dad. “I really enjoy curling.” Says Liza, “I think I’m quite good at it and I would like to be in the Olympics one day. I think it would be quite fun!”

MYA WILLIAMS K

SINGING WITH KAT PERKINS

ost of the songs Alexis Maher writes are contemporary, but she also writes Jazz, christian, and classical. She usually finds the chord progression. After that, She sings over the top of it and whatever comes out gets recorded. Sometimes she starts with the lyrics. She comes up with a line or two and then puts a melody to it. Then after that she writes the piano part behind it. She tends to let the song write itself, but sometimes if she wants to portray a particular idea she plans the song out. She wrote her first song when she was 11 and was surprised to find that it was actually good. From there she just kept writing. There are moments when she writes three songs in a week. On the other hand, sometimes it takes her three weeks to finish a song. She has performed at the Saint Mary’s Jazz and Pop concert, talent shows, other concerts and performances. Typically it is Alexis playing the piano and singing at the same time. She writes because it helps her to express herself and her emotions. The first songs she wrote got her through some difficult times in life. However, she still uses music to convey what she is feeling and going through, but she doesn’t write for herself anymore. She writes because it’s her way to give back to the world.

Pictures provided by each individual

ALEXIS MAHER

at Perkins and Mya sing together each summer, where Kate Perkins acts like a teacher or vocal coach. This camp is a part of the Rising Star Foundation, which is meant to give young people the resources needed to make it in the world of contemporary music. When Mya goes to camp, she said “ Kat is very outgoing; she’s kind and she’s definitely a fun person to be around.” She started going to camp Summer of 2017, where they practice for at least 6 hours a day. About her daily routine at camp, Mya said “We get up in the morning; we go to the practice center and we do yoga and we dance. We do vocal warm-ups and then we practice we split off into our separate groups. “ They continue this EVERY DAY! Mya does this because she enjoys meeting new people and likes to sing.

LIZA KIRKIEDE

SONGWRITING

THE CORONAVIRUS N PANDEMIC | Eva Rykowsky

ever has society dealt with such a health crisis since the Spanish Flu in 1918. Schools are closing, community events have been canceled, and traveling has been advised to stop. This, is the Coronavirus of 2019-2020. It started in China, that’s where we thought it would stay. Never would we have even thought it would get this bad to where people are coming in positive with it from our own towns. This is a difficult time for us all. It’s not as simple as traveling to a certain place with an awareness you may catch it, it’s in the community spread. This is why we are all quarantined, afraid to go anywhere but our own homes. We don’t know who’s been exposed. We don’t know what may have been exposed. The worst part is, children may have it, and not know. When the elderly get it, it’s deadly. This is why it’s imperative to stay at home. We don’t want to endanger our elders. Not only that, but we don’t want to expose this virus to those around us. It’s hard to stay quarantined, it’s hard to stay at home all day, which is why some people still travel even though it’s advised not to. This is probably the main reason why the Coronavirus is as bad as it is. People travel, they spread it, expose it to others, then more people get it. This cycle continues and it’s community spreading. Every day, more people are being tested for it. Some results are negative, some are positive. We need to take action and find ways to stay safe during these challenging times in our society.

WHAT TO DO

irst of all, staying six feet apart from those outside our home is important. because we won’t be easily exposed.

Secondly, stay at home and wash hands. By washing our hands we get rid of the germs, and at home our chances of being exposed by people are very low. Now, I don’t know whether or not the objects in our homes have been exposed or not. This leads to my third statement. When going to the store to buy groceries, always stay six feet away from those also there. It may seem strange, but wear plastic gloves when picking out groceries. We don’t know who’s touched it before you and whether or not they’ve been exposed or not. Wear plastic gloves because you can throw them away afterwards. At home, make sure to still wear the gloves and bring the groceries in, but wipe them down first. We want them as clean as possible to prevent exposure. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the only way to stay safe during these difficult times and we will most definitely be talking about this for ages to come. Hopefully these times will go down in the history books where society was able to work together to overcome this pandemic.

NUMBER OF CASES AS OF APRIL 19th

585

NORTH DAKOTA

690,714

UNITED STATES

Information from health.nd.gov and cdc.gov Picture from nytimes.com

A Light in the Darkness

North Dakota spreading positivity all around | Ruby Tolsatd

e have all been affected by the coronavirus in some way or another. Maybe we have a loved one who’s contracted it, or our loved activities have been cancelled. Maybe it’s just being trapped in our houses for some of us. I know for everyone, these are very dark times. Some people, though, are trying to lighten that darkness. In our very own Bismarck, North Dakota, one woman started a trend that has gone worldwide. Mandy Gill, a mom of three, created “A World of Hearts” in which people hang paper hearts in their windows to share love and hope during this dark time. The Facebook page started out in North Dakota, but it quickly spread to the rest of the United States, and then to European countries such as Italy and Germany. All you have to do is cut hearts out of any material you have in your house, and hang them in a window or door facing the street. You can do a whole collage, or just one or two. You can decorate them with glitter and drawings, or you can leave them plain. It’s all spreading the same message of love. In some cities, teachers who haven’t seen their students for a while are parading around town in their cars spreading comfort and providing familiar faces to their

students. I’ve seen this in my own neighborhood, where teachers from Highland Acres Elementary School drove around waving to their students. Governor Burgum has been encouraging us to take walks to get exercise and fresh air. Many people have been taking advantage of that, including myself and my family, and one of my favorite things to do on those walks is to look at all the hearts in the windows and the messages and drawing in chalk on the sidewalks. I’ve seen complex drawings to famous quotes to cute messages from toddlers. This new trend is called “Chalk the Walk” and it encourages people to do just that; leave positive messages and drawings on their sidewalks for walkers to read. In some way or another, we all can spread a little positivity during this time. Social isolation is taking a toll on all of us, but together (from our own houses) we can make it a little better. I encourage you, if you haven’t already, to take the time to hang some hearts in your windows or leave a note on the sidewalk. We can all spread a little light through the darkness. 6

Stopping to Smell the Roses

Some good things that have happened during this time | Kendall Tibor

he Coronavirus has changed life a lot recently. It has obviously caused the loss of loved ones, and cancellation of many events. However, good also seems to sneak its way through bad. The list of good things happening around the world continues to grow amid all of the confusion and fear, and here are just a few of those flowers in the rough. One of the best things to come from this quarantine is the effect it has had on the love of life. More and more stories come about of teens helping get groceries for an elder couple, or nursing homes receiving stacks of cards. One case that I found to be particularly warming was Disneyland’s donations of its excess food to food banks. People have been given the opportunity to come up with new ways of showing affection for others, and they have taken it by the reins.

A. A. A music teacher performs in her front porch Picture from mlive.com B. Zoos are broadcasting some of their animals to watch from home Picture from bostonherald.com

The quarantine has also left us with plenty of time, sometimes a little too much! All this free time has encouraged people to take up old hobbies or improve upon skills they have. Some people have taken up performing music in their neighborhood and others have posted entertaining videos to spice up our daily lives. On another side of the dice of life, people are showing increased love for animals everywhere. Animal shelters around the country have reported a large increase in adoption applications. Zoos and aquariums have held live streams of their animals, helping keep us sane during the quarantine. Nature has also benefited from the quarantine. Air quality across the globe has increased. Endangered animals have begun to repopulate. Bee populations have risen, and the coral reefs are being protected. The coronavirus is undoubtedly not something that is to be celebrated, but what people have done despite is truly a mark towards the amazing nature of humans.

Student Businesses and the Coronavirus How have our own entrepreneurs handled dealt with the crisis? | Kendall Tibor

ith the outbreak of the coronavirus, many businesses around the world have had to shut down in order to help beat the virus. With that in mind, you may be wondering how that affects our SM students who run their own businesses. Today, we hear from two hard working individuals on how their business is going. The first interviewee is Kyle Burns. Kyle runs Capital City Lawn Care, and has had great success in his endeavors. So far, CCLC has not been affected too much by COVID-19. Bismarck and Governor Burgum have not shut down all non-essential business, so he is still able to have his lawn care business up and running. As of now, as Kyle put it CCLC is “very busy doing spring cleanup work!” The nice thing about his line of work is that face to face customer interaction is not necessary. Kyle does the work, and then bills the customer.

Coronavirus may not affect a business. With Morgan Salwei, we see how the pandemic may cause businesses to take a new approach to retail. Morgan runs Sunshine and Mo, selling various food products and crafts. Morgan said she normally doesn’t conduct business until summer, but she is wary of how this season will be, saying “I know that the street fairs this year will be different.” Depending on how things go with the virus, she will need to take into consideration any guidelines for social distancing and sanitary requirements. If things really go south, she may not be able to do any vendor events at all. Morgan has already begun planning ahead, however. She has been considering selling some of her crafts on Etsy if things really go south. So far, these two student businesses are rolling with the punches and doing as much as they can to keep their businesses running.

OPINION

Photo taken Mrs. Kari Stromme

Gen Z: Technologically Absorbed

How has our tech-centered world effect us? | Julianna Lengowski

he years approximately between 1996 and 2010 have fostered the largest and most diverse generation yet. The main factor shaping our generation is that we have grown up with technology at our fingertips. If you are in high school, you have grown up with touch screens, televisions everywhere, voice-controlled technology, and lightweight laptops. When your parents or grandparents need help with hooking up their new television, or simply googling something, chances are, they come to you. Generation Z has been surrounded by advanced technology for as long as they can remember and are highly influenced by social media. The internet is fast-paced and is always changing to spark (and keep) the interest of viewers. Has the internet caused an entire generation to have a short attention span and be self-centered? The short answer is most likely, yes. But to place all the blame of the internet would not be fair or reasonable so what other factors could cause a generation to be possibly self-absorbed and what problems has the generation faced? Being connected to the world has shaped the mindsets of the members of Generation Z. Whether it is the inevitable addiction to our phones, talking to our friends online outside of school, or catching up on the latest internet trends and memes, having technology taken away from the majority of people around the ages of 7-23 causes a reaction similar to taking a substance away from a drug addict. Apart from the obvious addiction to technology, it is not Generation Z’s fault that they have become technologically absorbed. Nature vs Nurture is a huge factor in determining how a person acts around others and how they feel about them self. Generation Z’s parents (Generation X) were born between 1965 and 1980. Divorce rates spiked in the 1970’s causing Generation X to grow up in broken households, searching for security, but rarely finding it. This has caused most Generation X parents to raise their kids in the same way that they grew up: figuring things

out for themselves. Then again, some parents did not want to repeat how their parents raised them, which seems to be a running theme among the generations. Consequently, a large portion of Gen Z have been raised to be “snowflakes,” delicate, sensitive, and codependent. Baby Boomers strived to make the world an easier place for their kids, millennials. With the example of lack of effort, money, and initiative (and an entitled construct) from millennials, Generation X tried to give their kids more freedom compared to the helicopter parenting from the boomers. This freedom has had benefits, such as financial stability due to learning monetary responsibility at a young age. Drug and alcohol use among Generation Z has gone down, and college is a priority on the vast majority of Gen Z’s minds to secure their future in the job force.

According to ABC News, teens spend more than 7 hours on their phone In an on-demand world, people can get most things on the internet in a few milliseconds. Having an instant gratification mindset has seemingly placed Generation Z on a path towards self-centeredness. Some may argue that social media and the internet has caused the generation to become self-absorbed and self-conscious. But only the latter is true for most. While the internet can cause impressionable minds to become self-conscious, self-absorption is not typically caused by the internet. The creation of social media has fulfilled its purpose of connecting people to their friends when they are unable to see or talk to them in person. Self-absorption goes hand in hand with a lack of empathy; a trait of which Generation Z has a large amount. Being the most open-minded and accepting generation yet, uniqueness and differences in race, religion, and opinions have become more acceptable, allowing people to be their most authentic selves. This fact alone, generalizes that Generation Z is open minded and not in fact self-centered. Whether it was the way Generation Z was raised or the influence of technology for as long as we can remember, it is logical to conclude that the largest generation yet is on a path toward success. This generation has a goal to provide to the greater good, rather than solely accomplishing personal career goals. Now all we need to worry about is the next wave of technology slaves: Generation Alpha.

Fun Fact It is said that Benjamin Franklin invented DST, but it’s actually a myth. William Willett invented it in Britian in 1907.

Is Daylight Savings Time Worth It? Is it worth the one hour of sleep? | Margaret Kathol

aylight Saving Time: pain or gain? Daylight Saving Time, or DST, is the process of setting the clocks forward one hour from standard time in the summer, and then back again in the winter. The reason for this controversial law is to make better use of natural sunlight. That’s why it is called the Sunshine Protection Act. But many people are seeing DST as a pain, and want to change it. In fact, most of Arizona and Hawaii don’t participate in it. Is North Dakota going to stop participating in Daylight Saving Time? Senator Dave Oehlke said: “Daylight saving time, from my perspective, just doesn’t make any sense.” He introduced a bill to exclude DST in the state. If the bill were to pass, North Dakota and Minnesoata would be an hour apart, which people see as a problem.

Picture from flicker.com

54% of people would support the ending of daylight saving time. Some people say that DST is still around in order to save energy, but others say it hasn’t ended yet because it would be too complicated to stop now. It is said that Benjamin Franklin invented DST, but it’s actually a myth. William Willett invented it in Britian in 1907. Does DST actually save energy? According to a study in the 1970s by A U.S. Department of Transportation, it was concluded that the total electricity savings associated with DST amounted to about 1 percent in the spring and fall months. When told the reason for daylight saving time the Old Indian said, “Only the government would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom, and have a longer blanket.” Maybe it is time to drop DST, because it is more of a pain than a gain

Can Money Buy Happiness? How much power does it have over us? | Meg Hepper

ost people say money can’t buy you happiness. When I hear that, I hear how warped our perception of money has become. Money can buy happiness. However, this is only if you spend it correctly. Currency holds a lot of power, and it has the power to change lives. We can see throughout history and throughout our current society the ways that money has both built walls and burned them. What matters is not how much money you have or how much money you spend, it is how you spend it. Take Bill Gates, for instance. One of the richest people in the world, and instead of using his money for materials he doesn’t need, he has used some of his fortune to help treat and cure HIV. Putting your money towards others and for the 9

greater good is the only way money can truly buy you happiness. Sure, when you spend money on yourself you are temporarily happy and feel a sense of content, but that feeling is often fleeting. The satisfaction felt after doing something self-serving is much different than the satisfaction felt after doing something for the common good. Yes, money is powerful, but the power that money wields can only make you powerful if you use it for a greater purpose.

Picture from flicker.com

Adulthood

An upcoming stage in life for many of us | Emma Fleishacker

Picture from flicker.com

UBERTY! Now that I got your attention with an awkward adult word, we can jump right into the topic. When does adulthood start? Nowadays we argue over whether the age of adulthood is 18 or 21, but in many cases for men, never. It wasn’t always like this. Back in the day our current middle schoolers would have been taking on jobs that our parents currently do. Let’s just be glad that’s not the case anymore. Many years ago, the age of adulthood for all was puberty. That’s right, once guys got taller and girls had acne, they were seen as ready to begin the next phase of their life. Twelve year old boys were building architectures and women were having their second child. But as time went on, it was deemed too young. Apparently pimple-covered foreheads and first chest hairs aren’t the best indication that a person is ready to become a doctor. The age of adulthood then moved to eighteen. Teenagers. Is there anything more that needs to be said? Back in my parents’ day, eighteen year olds were seen as ADULTS. And then out of nowhere everything changed. 18 year olds were tossed back into the baby carriage as smoking laws shot up to 21 years of age. It was a sad day for the new adults who were stripped of their right to lung cancer. And the age once again shifted to twenty one years of age. The time when one can drink and now smoke. It’s also the time in one’s life when they realize just how broke they are and how crappy their current job truly is. So there you have it folks. The evolution of adulthood. It is constantly shifting. From puberty being too awkward and teenagers being teenagers, to now the magical number of 21. I wonder how long that’ll last. Oh and remember seniors, don’t smoke after graduation, it’s illegal now.

Panic Day

Feel like screaming into pillow? There’s a day for that! | Eva Kresbach

o you find yourself worrying about vocations, college plans, your science project? Coronavirus? Do you ever think that you’re simply going to lose your mind? Well, you’re in luck, because on March 9 Panic Day is celebrated. Panic Day is a day where you can let out all your crazy, stressful emotions. Panic Day should be celebrated in a way where you don’t let anything stay bottled up, and you embrace the feelings of stress you might have in a healthy way. Another way to spend Panic Day would be to figure out new ways to help deal with stress in different ways. Overall, Panic Day is a very useful and helpful day to celebrate!what other factors could cause a generation to be possibly self-absorbed and what problems has the generation faced?

Picture from flicker.com

Picture from edtechteam.com

The Peaks and Valleys of Online Learning Have you adjusted to the system yet? | Eva Rykowsky

lthough school hasn’t been declared out for the year, we can all still tell that we’ll be using online learning for a majority of the year. Many of us have multiple opinions about this, so let’s take a look at the benefits and drawbacks of this new learning system. Looking at the benefits. It’s very nice to be able to wake up later and do the work at your own pace. You have access to all your classes with the swipe of a finger, and can communicate with friends and teachers through text and Google Chat. You have more free time because your classes are done when you finish all the work assigned, and you don’t have to sit for 45 minutes in a classroom. It’s all very nice! To ensure you’re present for the day, all you have to do is answer an attendance question between 9:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m. For most people, it’s a lot less stressful and easy. You can learn and do the assignments at your own pace, and plus, you get Fridays as work days! It all seems amazing, but not everything is perfect about it though. Let’s take a look at the drawbacks. First of all, sometimes it’s easier to learn a lesson when you’re actually at school. Plus, all this independence with managing your own work can be hard. When you’re not actually in person with someone, communications can get confusing. Sometimes it’s best to learn something with a teacher in front of you, rather than on video. Also, with everything online, you never get to actually see your friends in person. For those who enjoy going to school for the people, it can be hard when your only communications are online. Plus, sometimes the online websites don’t always work. There are possible problems with the links your teachers send not working. It’s true, there’s nothing we can really do about it. It’s also true that there are many benefits and drawbacks to this new online learning system. We have to remember though, that the Saint Mary’s teachers and staff are working as hard as they can so we can continue to be educated. So whether we like it or not, we should always be thankful for those fighting for our education! 11

MARCH 25, 2020

First School Day of Distance Learning! The school’s learning distance poster sent out to all the families

ENTERTAINMENT St. Patrick’s Day Has a New Rule to Follow Make this limited-time drink for yourself! | Alyssa Fortney

ince Saint Patrick’s Day is here and everyone is excited for the classic McDonalds Shamrock Shake I thought I would give the people what they have been waiting for: a way to skip the long line and have a shamrock shake in the comfort of their own home! So, without further ado, I present to you the recipe for a shamrock shake.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED 2 cups vanilla ice cream 1 ¼ cups of milk ¼ teaspoon mint extract - or more for stronger taste 9 drops of green food coloring

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup 2 tablespoons whipped cream ½ teaspoon green decorator sugar

Now that you have your shamrock shake ingredients and directions, you can join me in not only wearing something green on St. Patty’s Day, but also drinking something green!

DIRECTIONS Blend ice cream, milk, mint extract, and food coloring together in a blender until smooth. Drizzle chocolate syrup around the inside walls of a tall glass (P.S. This recipe calls for enough ingredients to complete two serving sizes of tall glasses, so if you double the ingredients you should have enough for four tall glasses). Pour shake into glass. Top with whipped cream and green decorator sugar.

Picture by Celia Brekken

Fighting Boredom at its Finest | Alyssa Fortney

o matter if you just started staying home or you started a month ago, we are all going a little stir crazy. So, since we are all going slightly insane I am going to bring some self isolation tips to the table. Now I know that April hasn´t been able to decide if it is winter or summer, but on the days that it decides to be summer, go outside! Family walks are getting annoying I know, but just do it. Or you could call your friends to go on a six feet apart rollerblading date. If there is anyway for you to get outside and be with people (six feet apart of course), do it! On the days that it decides to be winter you can still make it a productive day, I for one have watched New Girl and All American for the seventh time and have made a movie to do list. However, if you´re not as lazy as I am, bake a cake, paint, draw, and just be. Be in the moment, be in the presence of your loved one, be still and encounter God, because what we all need more than anything is to be thankful for this isolation that will allow us to grow into better humans who care for each other, care for the planet, and care for the present moment.

With everyone staying indoors, usage of streaming services like Netflix has grown quite high Picture from businessinsider.com 12

MOVIE REVIEW Mulan

| Julianna Lengowski

he new live-action movie, Mulan, follows the traditional 1998 story of a young girl going to war to save her father from fighting. The basic plot of the live-action film is the same, but many characters have been moved around. Her main love interest, Li Shang, has been replaced and her main enemy has now been switched out for a powerful witch. Mushu will still take part with his witty jokes and commentary for a comic relief in this more serious rendition of the classic Disney movie. There will still be music, but it will not be treated as a musical, breaking the trend of most Disney princess films. The main actors may not be familiar to most American audiences, but these talented actors are well respected and accomplished in China. The movie hits theatres on March 27, 2020 and it is the first live-action Disney movie to receive a PG-13 rating.

Picture from imdb.com

Why St. Patrick’s Day Has Leprecauns Where did these’s gold-loving elves come from? | Eva Rykowsky

ost of us are familiar with the holiday that falls on March 17th - St. Patrick’s Day. But why is it that we have the theme of Leprechauns on this day rather than the saint himself? Let me answer that question for you… We are all familiar with the Leprechaun, small creatures that wear bright green outfits and have mischievous personalities, but why do we celebrate these creatures on the feast day of a saint? We use the Irish theme of Leprechauns because they are a fun symbol of Ireland. As St. Patrick is an Irish saint, and St. Patrick’s day is a national holiday for Ireland, they use the fun theme of the Leprechaun to fully celebrate this saint with his holiday. It’s a fun way for us, as well as Ireland to celebrate this great saint, as well as have fun with stories of Leprechauns on this day. May you all have a fun and blessed St. Patrick’s Day!

Picture from pixabay.com

Miss Kelly: Spanish

Mrs. Dietz: English MESSENGER: How does it feel to come back and teach at St. Mary’s? MRS. DIETZ: It feels like a home actually. St. Mary’s has always felt like home to me. I was a student here for four years and this is my 43rd year teaching, so definately home. M: What made you want to become a teacher. D: I wanted to become a teacher in fifth grade. I admired the teachers I had when I was a grade school student. I’ve always liked school right from the very start in kindergarten so it felt like a very natural thing to do. M: What’s something you’ve learned from your students? D: I have learned so much from my students, including humility from time to time- that’s very important. They have told me things in relationship to the context of things that I’ve taught over the years that I didn’t know. It’s just a leanring experiece becoming a teacher M: What advice do you have for students? D: Make the most of your years in school. Do the best job you can and enjoy. M: If you could take any classes at St. Mary’s besides your own, what would you take? D: Definately history. English classes and history coincide so much, you can’t really teach English coursework without understanding the historical perspective of different eras, so definitely history classes.

Interviews and pictures by Julia Jaramillo

As this issue goes to print, the Messenger was informed that Mrs. Dietz has decided to retire (again) from her teaching job at St. Mary’s. Mrs. Dietz, we wish you the best, and we look forwards to seeing you come up to sub!

TEACHERS’ PICKS

MESSENGER: What made you want to become a Spanish teacher? MISS KELLY: I’ve always known that I wanted to be a teacher. When I got the college, I took my first Spanish class and I was like “Oh, this is amazing, I really love it!” So then I just wanted to show my love for Spanish through teaching. M: What’something you’ve learned from students? K: I’ve learned not to take myself so seriously. Not everything has to like the most important thing in the world and it’s ok to go with the flow and the pace that students need M: If you could take any classes at St. Mary’s besides your own, what would you take? K: I think it would be really fun to take AP Psychology with Mrs. Schuehle, just with all the different things to do like with the egg. M: What’s your favorite place in Spain that you’ve visited? K: My favorite place was called Valencia. It’s along the coast and it was just a really pretty city. It also had like a beach town feel, even though it was a big city. I really loved it there, being able to go to beach and they had fresh fruit on all the trees.

RELIGION

SAINT OF THE MONTH

St. Joseph

Husband of Mary, earthly father of Jesus | Hannah Gardner

n March 19th, we celebrate the feast of Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph is the Father of Jesus and Mary’s husband. He lived as a carpenter and dedicated his life to caring and providing for his family. On Saint Joseph’s feast day, we honor Saint Joseph and recognize his choice to follow God’s will in all situations. He was faced with difficult decisions over the course of his life that helped

to grow more faithful to God and his plan. There are novenas to this saint available online. If prayed, you have the opportunity to build a close connection to Saint Joseph and will be introduced to a way of trusting Christ in difficult situations. Saint Joseph, pray for us!

Picture by Julia Jaramillo

History of St. Patrick’s Day It’s not all about gold coins and rainbows | Hannah Gardner

he feast of Saint Patrick’s day is a day recognized in the Church to celebrate Saint Patrick and what he accomplished over the duration of his life. This day was originally celebrated in Ireland but is now recognized as a holiday in over 10 other countries. This day is commonly celebrated with large parades and festivals. In addition, people often wear green all day. It is typical for Christians to attend mass as well. In other parts of the world, the feast day is celebrated in very similar ways. Countries like Malta, Russia, Scotland, and 15

Korea celebrate their Saint Patrick’s holiday with parades. Even the International Space Station observes this holiday. One of the workers played music for everyone on their tin whistle! In nearly every part of the country, Saint Patrick’s day is celebrated with dancing and celebrating. This is a great way to honor the Catholic saint, Saint Patrick.

The Annunciation | Alexis Maher

he Feast of the Annunciation is celebrated on March 25, nine months before Christmas. The Annunciation, also called Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit to be called Jesus. Gabriel announces to Mary that she will become the mother of God. With Mary’s consent, salvation is brought into the world through Christ. The first phrase that Gabriel says to Mary is “Hail, Full of Grace. The lord is with thee” (Luke 1:28). Hidden with this phase shows a beautiful, deeper meaning of this wonderful event. The first word said to Mary is “hail”. Hail can be commonly translated into the word “rejoice”. This word is commonly used in the Old Testament by prophets to call God’s faithful people of Israel to rejoice over the coming of the great King. God promised that a King would come and that the Lord himself would come and restore the kingdom. This is an exciting moment in time because this announces that Christ is finally coming to save us. The next phrase, “Full of Grace,” is also rich in meaning. This phase portrays that Mary is receiving a great gift from God. The kind of Grace that Mary receives is the Grace that brings about redemption and the work of salvation. So when Mary is announced as “Hail, Full of Grace,” the angel is telling Mary that she has this life of Grace within her. In addition, this Greek word for “Full of Grace” describes an action that can be used in the past but also into the present. This explains that Mary is hearing that she’d already had this life of grace inside of her even before the angel appeared to her. Finally, many scholars note that this phrase “Full of Grace” is given to Mary like a new name. This is shown when the angel addresses her as not Mary, but as “Full of Grace”. Like John Paul II pointed out, this title displays something profound about her soul. Her soul is full of grace. Our greatest saint, Mary did one simple but not easy thing. She listened and accepted God’s will which was to be the mother of Jesus. Have you accepted God’s will in your life? Pray for an understanding of what God is calling you to do and ask Mary for the strength to do it.

A container of Holy Water from Ephesus, Turkey Picture by Julia Jaramillo

While in Guatemala, Senior Kennedy Black, painted a mural in a nutrition center in dedication to baby Gianna Zachmann, who passed away recently. Picture provided by Kennedy’s mom, Alison Black 16

Picture from washingtontimes.com

COVID-19’s Effect on Abortion Clinics

Hospitals have been cancelling non-essential surgeries, abortions fit into the category | Margaret Kathol

ith COVID19 making its way across America, many places are closing. People are losing jobs, everyone is being quarantined, and school has been moved online. This is old news. But there is one service that hasn’t hung up the hat. Some abortion facilities are continuing to run among this crisis. Hospitals are cancelling non-essential surgeries and procedures during the coronavirus outbreak, and that includes abortion. But one facility is still staying open: Planned Parenthood. Meera Shah, a cheif medical officer for Planned Parehnthood in New York City said abortion ‘care’ is “essential and life-affirming.” This directly goes against what physicians say is essential. A non-essential surgery is a procedure that can be postponed for three months with no consequences. Obviously, abortion fits into this category. Parties of people bigger than 10 gathering in the same place goes against social distancing procedures, therefore many businesses are closed for their customers’ and employees’ safety. Several people have expressed their concern online about Planned Parenthood staying open and putting many people at risk. One man from Ohio tweeted: “Why can’t I go to the dentist office but the Abortion Clinic in Kettering is open for business? Elective surgeries are cancelled but you can get an abortion?” Yet PP still claims abortion is essential. Abortion facilites are also sending out for scarce resources such as masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer; things that hospitals 17

need. Another way they are harming our hospitals is their chemically induced abortions. 70 percent of women will end up with complications, causing them to go to the hospital for a procedure. Hospitals do not need this. Planned Parenthood claims that they are staying open in order to provide healthcare to their patients, but they actually stopped doing cancer screening and even closed down the facilites that don’t provide abortion. Planned Parenthood is pushing to stay open for the money. This reveals their true priorities. Clearly, Planned Parenthood thinks they are above the law and are continuing to put people in danger. If they really cared for their patients, they would close; stopping the spread of the virus and leaving more resources available for hospitals.

SPORTS

The Capital Ice Chips | Hannah Gardner

he Capital Ice Chips- the one and only figure skating team in the state of North Dakota.This sport requires a lot of practice and dedication. Elizabeth Fedorchack, Adriel Vetter, and Emily Apert are three ambitious girls up to the challenge. Everyday, the three girls practice in a group of about 16 girls.They work on individual improvements as well as team bonding. Practices start hours before school begins and can go late into the evenings. For their skating competitions, they typically travel long distances because the closest teams are still very far away. On competition weekends, the team gets to explore the city and do team bonding exercises. After spending a day in the city, they have a judged practice in which the judges for the competition watch the girls practice and decide what they will judge in the competition. The performance lasts about three minutes and the theme for their performance is “Amber Alert.” The 2020 national competition was hosted in Rhode Island where the team competed and placed 2nd!

Picture from Elizabeth Fedorchack and Kari Stromme

Wrestling Recap

The Messenger sits down with wrestling coaches Luke Meller and Jayden Ritcher | Julia Jaramillo WHAT IS A QUALITY YOU TRY AND INSTILL IN ALL OF YOUR WRESTLERS? HEAD COACH, LUKE MELLER: One of the qualities I try and instill in all of my wrestlers is confidence. I want the wrestlers to believe that anything they commit themselves to is attainable. JAYDEN RITCHER: There are a bunch of qualities that I and the other coaches try to instill in our wrestlers such as discipline, responsibility, leadership, and an exemplary work ethic. The single most important quality is to instill the attitude of never quitting. Every wrestler is going to be at a different level of strength, technique, comfort, and understanding of the sport which will dictate different goals for each individual wrestler throughout the season in terms of wins and losses. However, every wrestler should have the goal of never giving up in their matches in all situations.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PREGAME RITUALS? L: Our pre-game ritual is praying as a team for sure....Myself? Keeping myself up and walking around to ensure everything is in order for a smooth operating competition. J: Pregame ritual consists of an entire program effort from the coaches down to the youngest wrestlers. The coaching staff attempts to have the best weekly schedule possible to be peaking and feeling our best come time for competition. Carefully planned workouts, tailored drills, pregame workouts, and team prayer all play a critical role in getting ready for competition. Dual days pretty much look like this: Setting up

the dual mat in the gym right after school, pregame workout at 4:00 PM to about 4:45, 5:00 weigh-ins, eat as a team after weigh-ins, pregame warm-up @ 6:00, national Anthem and line-ups at 7:00, prayer after line-ups and team breakdown, then time to rock’n’roll

FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE SEASON? L: I had a bunch of favorite moments in my first season at St. Mary’s. Most of them I won’t forget. But as a coach, my favorite moment this year was when we reached my goal as a coach and filled all 14 weight classes at a home dual. J: My favorite moment of the season was any home dual. The best home dual experience was when we had the “Richter Wrestling Room” dedication. We had an awesome crowd and the gym was electric during the dual. The whole experience is what the wrestling family at Saint Mary’s has been working so hard to build. The wrestling team really showed up and wrestled hard.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO ANYONE WHO WOULD WANT TO JOIN WRESTLING? L: To anyone who would like to join wrestling: I promise you, wrestling is a sport that you will not regret joining. If you work hard and stay dedicated, your athleticism, character, and perseverance is guaranteed to improve! J: We would be extremely happy to have anyone come out for wrestling! I would say to them that the sport of wrestling gives individuals the opportunity to learn many important lifelong lessons that they will never forget.

THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS:

Our Corporate Sponsorship program provides tuition assistance for Light of Christ Catholic Schools students. If you or your company are interested in this unique sponsorship opportunity, please call or text: Toby Schweitzer: 701-220-1507 tschweitzer@lightofchristschools.org Jon Herold: 701-955-0115 jonherold@lightofchristschools.org