April 2019 by St. Mary's Messenger

April 2019

INTERVIEW: MR. VETTER An insight into what last year’s AP English teacher as been up to....in New York City! | page 2

STRESS IS MY BEST FRIEND It’s Stress Awareness Month! | page 6

TEACHERS’ PICKS Learn a bit more about four of our teachers | page 9

April 2019

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR March has come and gone, and the month of April has already brought many ups and down, from two-day snows and a tiring of Lenten promises to light drizzles and the joy of Easter morning. In this mid-April issue, the Messenger reminds its readers of all the good times; and anticipates excitements still to come in this joyful Easter Season.

Kathryn Goettle Editor-in-Chief

OUR MISSION Here at 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. So, before you go trudging through the latest snow, grab a copy of the Messenger and flip through its pages!

OUR EDITORS KATHRYN GOETTLE Editor-in-Chief

JULIA JARAMILLO Layout Editor

GRACE VOLK Feature Editor

MEGHA BHARADWAJ Opinion Editor

ANNA BRAUN Entertainment Editor

ALLISON BRAUN Opinion Editor

HANNAH GARDNER Entertainment Editor

KENDALL TIBOR Religion Editor

ALYSSA RUD Photography

ANDERSON HAGEROTT Sports Editor

10 5 10 12

HOW TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY Earth Day is April 22nd. Here are some ways to give back to mother nature! APRIL MOVIES Recommendations for movies that came out this month DIVINE MERCY Shedding some light on the background of this iconic image

ON THE COVER The Speech Team at the State Speech Tournament. They won 2nd Place as a team and speech coach, Mrs. Rhonda Burckhard, was awarded Coach of the Year.

Allyson Treiber Sydnie Welch Maria Fleck

Jeffrey Savadel Jacob Schepp Jacek Dojs

Website: https://smmessenger.wixsite.com/2018-19 Email: smmessenger@locstudents.org Facebook: SM Messenger Instagram: SMMessenger Twitter: @SM_Messenger

FEATURE

A North Dakotan in New York City

Pictures all provided by Mr. Vetter

Reconnecting with St. Mary’s previous AP English teacher, Mr. Jordan Vetter | Mr. Vetter

ey St. Mary’s! It’s your old pal, Mr. Vetter! I was asked to write the Feature article for the Messenger this month, all about my experience in New York this year. And of course I agreed to do it – how could I say no to you guys?! “By the way, for some extra educational fun, I’ve inserted twelve different commonly confused words into this article for you to determine which is grammatically correct! I used to do this all the time with my AP11 students, and they thought it was so much fun!!! I’m not giving you an answer key though, so if you want to check YOU’RE / YOUR answers, just ask a senior… I’m sure they’d love to engage in some grammatical conversation with you! *WINK*” For any of you who don’t know who I am, I was an English teacher at SM from 2011 to 2018, in addition to being the play director, yearbook advisor, and resident fashion icon (unofficially). This year, though, I’ve been living in Manhattan and going to grad school at Columbia University, where I’m studying to get my M.A. in English Education. It’s been quite an

experience so far, so, for anyone WHO / WHOM might be interested, I’m excited to share with you a little insight into what my time here has been like.

Life in the Big Apple

asically, my life is ALTOGETHER / ALL TOGETHER different from what it was a year ago: a vastly different city, with an entirely different routine, surrounded by completely different faces. But that’s also the fun and the challenge of it pushing yourself to take on something new and seeing if you can pull it off. And so far, it’s been nothing but good. Prior to coming here, I didn’t know a single person in New York. Now, I have no LESS / FEWER than eight friends! Maybe even as many as nine or ten! Definitely not eleven though. Anyway, people back home usually have a lot of questions about what life is like out here, so let me quickly address some of the main differences AMONG / BETWEEN New York City and North Dakota. For one, I don’t have a car here. You just don’t need one. Everyone pretty much walks everywhere. Or, if 2

it’s TO / TOO / TWO far to walk, then the subway gets you anywhere you need to go. Plus there’s not a more authentic “New York” experience than riding a jam-packed, herky-jerky subway car in 100% humidity while buskers play a mariachi version of a Beatles song and everyone stares at their phones pretending not to notice each other. Sounds awesome, right?! One thing that took the most getting used to, though, was my living arrangements. I went from living in my own place with all the space and belongings I needed, to occupying a 100 sq. foot room in a suite with five other guys and eating with dollar-store bowls and plastic utensils. All part of the big-city college experience, I suppose! One really nice difference from ND: this winter was a piece of cake. It didn’t get nearly as cold as I’m used to, and we hardly got any snow all season. This is especially true compared to the weather you all had this winter, which I hear was BRU-TAL! I can’t say I’m sorry to have missed it. I will say this, though: all those North Dakotan winters make you feel like you have a bit of a super power when living anywhere else. It drops below 50 degrees here and people start pulling out THERE / THEY’RE / THEIR heavy coats and scarves. Meanwhile, I’m walking around with a light sweater and a pep in my step. “I went from living in my own place with all the space and belongings I needed, to occupying a 100 sq. foot room in a suite with five other guys and eating with dollar-store bowls and plastic utensils.” Obviously there’s an endless amount of cool stuff to do in New York – it’s probably the biggest perk about living here – and everyone usually wants to know what I’ve all seen and done. I don’t have enough space for specifics so I’ll just say that I’ve GONE / WENT and done a lot of what you’d probably expect someone to do in New York. Landmarks, museums, Broadway shows, music concerts, professional sports games, pigeon dodging – you know, the typical stuff. Lately, though, my main hobby has been to sit in the audience during live tapings of talk shows as a seat filler. I’ve even gotten on national TV a few times that way. People have been coming up to me on the streets asking, “Aren’t you that guy from The Tonight Show audience?” Or, “Didn’t I see your face for like two seconds on Kelly and Ryan?” And I’m like, “Yep, that was me. Here’s your autograph.” But don’t worry, my new celebrity status hasn’t had an EFFECT / AFFECT on my humble Midwestern nature at all.

The City that Sometimes Sleeps

hat’s all the glamorous side of NYC, though. The reality is that I’m not constantly surrounded by celebrities and big flashing lights. Far from it. My day-to-day life is much more normal and mundane. Typically I just hang around campus all day, hitting up the same five or six locations, I.E. / E.G. the sandwich shop across the street, a grocery store in Harlem, one of the many Columbia libraries, etc. (Side note: the libraries here are amazing and that’s where I spend most of my time. That doesn’t make me a nerd though because libraries are cool. Go read a book.) But that’s the difference between living in New York and vacationing in New York. It’s not like the locals here all head to Times Square every night, or spend their weekends hanging out at the Statue of Liberty. Honestly, most of them prefer their evenings to be uneventful and quiet (or as quiet as it ever gets here, at least).

Over a Thousand Miles Away

t’s been a great experience so far, for sure, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss the old days either. I think about SM literally EVERYDAY / EVERY DAY. I think about my old students, my old coworkers, my old classroom. I think about the types of moments that don’t happen anymore…Sitting in a circle and discussing a story like a bunch of smarty pantses. Passing back papers by throwing them straight up in the air and walking away. Pumping up the students for an in-class essay with another bumpin’ rendition of “Everytime We Touch.” Most of all, I just miss seeing and talking to all of you; the daily interactions that you don’t appreciate at first, but eventually come to realize are the substance that makes life so rich. I’m off trying new things, as will many of you soon enough, but I tell you what – it’s nice to have such strong roots to a place that brings you nothing but glorious memories. That’s a quality you can keep with you REGARDLESS / IRREGARDLESS of where you end up in the future. Trust me. As much as “I ♥ NY,” though, I’m also very much looking forward to coming back to ND for the summer break. I can’t wait to hit up all my favorite Bismarck locales again (Target!!). More than anything I look forward to being surrounded by familiar faces again. I think I read somewhere that happiness is only real when shared with others, and as great as other cities are, you just can’t beat returning to the place where an incredible amount of happiness was shared with all the wonderful people in your life. I believe they call that Home. 4

OPINION

How to Celebrate Earth Day We only have one Earth: take care of it | Megha Bharadwaj

arth Day is almost upon us and it’s time we recognize how much we rely on the natural resources around us. Monday, April 22, is Earth day, so here are just a few ways to celebrate how much we really depend on Mother Nature.

1. Start recycling. Recycling is a very easy step we can all do. All this step requires is walking just 5 more steps to reach the recycling bin, rather than throwing away your paper scraps in the trash. This results in increased sustainability and requires minimal effort on your part. If you don’t have a recycling bin at your home, all you have to do is collect your recycling, go to the Bismarck Landfill at 2111 North 52nd Street, Bismarck ND 58501, and drop off your recycling. It’s really that simple and you’ll be shocked at how much you have the ability to lead to a more sustainable future. 2. Use reusable or recyclable coffee cups. Although we love to get our morning Starbucks, if you get coffee that often, there are better cup options available. You can easily get your own reusable coffee cups that Starbucks will gladly fill rather than get another disposable cup. Also, your own cup would let you customize it along with not having to contribute to waste resources everytime you’d like a cup of coffee. And if you do use disposable cups, at least make them recyclable. I know we all really like the (free) coffee in Mr. Emmel’s room, but maybe consider bring your own cup next time. This helps the planet, and Mr. Emmel would be able to spend less on styrofoam cups. 3. Turn off needless electronics. Your mom has probably yelled at you for keeping the space heater plugged in or leaving the lights on in the garage, but she had good reason to. Unplugging your devices, especially when they aren’t in use, adds to the lifetime of your devices and wires, leads to less energy waste, and ultimately saves you a couple bucks a month on your electric bill. These are all simple ways that can have a big impact on our future and the way the future is left for our kids. Whether that impact is good or bad, is up to you to decide.

KIDS. SPORTS. OUTSIDE. SUMMER JOB.

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Pro and Con: April Fool’s Day

| Allyson Treiber

Pro April Fool’s

Does this humorous day stir up more harm than good?

pril Fool’s day is a time for laughter and pranks. Ever since we’ve been little, pranking has been one of our passion. Maybe you hid behind a door and scared the next person who walked into a room or slipped a whoopie cushion under your sibling’s seat at dinner. Whatever your signature prank may be, everyone has one. The fact that everyone has a prank they once did brings us all together. April Fool’s Day should be a time to recreate past pranks and create new ones. It should also be a time to reminisce in past laughter and find new jokes to share. Personally, I think nobody stands out for being an absolute goofball. Instead, I believe we all blend into a light-hearted society who finds joy in making others laugh. However, many people in today’s society are too serious to take time to appreciate this holiday. I believe people need to stop taking themselves so serious and start having actual fun. I’m not saying that you should go out and be totally reckless. I am, however, telling you to get over yourself and live a little. Afterall, you wouldn’t want to be a grandparent and not have any fun memories to share with your grandchildren. If you’ve read this far and don’t have a hilarious story to tell, then April 1st is the time for you. It’s your perfect opportunity to make a memory that will last a lifetime. This day may also be perfect for you to make your debut as an April Fool Prankster!

Anti-April Fool’s

s Obi-Wan Kenobi once said, “Who is more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows him?” And true to his statement, if you follow the traditions of April Fools’ Day, you are most certainly foolish. Why celebrate a day dedicated to dishonesty and untrustworthiness? It basically incentives trickery and lying, just for a quick laugh. This day is only a means for boring, unfunny people to make drawnout and dry jokes that make them feel like they’re funny. The truth is they’re not; they’re still boring, except now, just a little more vicious. As soon as the first of April dawns, you have to go through the entire day unable to trust anyone or anything. Trusted TV stations, newspapers and websites have all participated in this day’s festivities in the past, causing people to distrust everything they hear all day. And announcements that do take place on April Fool’s Day are thought to be false, due to the presence of this holiday. And not to mention that some people take this day too far. Some make inappropriate jokes and misguided tricks, as well as cause mass panic depending on how far the prank goes. Plus no one even knows for sure where this “holiday” originates from. If you ask me, it probably came from an unfunny plebian who thought it would be “funny” and “cute”, while simultaneously upping their comedic levels. That’s just congecture, but still, it could be true. So don’t let anyone tell you, “What’s the harm, what’s the worst that could happen?” Because April Fools’ Day is the worst that could happen, and you’d be a fool to believe otherwise.

| Maria Fleck

Stress is My Best Friend

Stress Awareness Month: 7 Ways to Kick Stress to the Curb | Allison Braun 1 Run screaming out of whatever building you’re in. Not only will you relieve your stress, but other people will also look at you like you’re insane, which is a huge plus. 2 Bury your head in a pillow. It’s scientifically proven that beds are your best

support system during stressful times.

3 Obsess over your stress. When you obsess over your stress you become more

stressed, which helps you accomplish things faster.

4 Eat a lot of food. Stress eating is not only good to relieve stress, but it’s also a

way for you to help prevent yourself from getting kidnapped.

Don’t sleep at all. Sleep is for the weak and you’re not weak.

6 Become a couch potato. If obsessing over your stress isn’t working for you

then just be lazy and forget about all of your responsibilities

7 Bang your head against a wall. It’s hard to focus on stress when you crack

your head open and have to go to the hospital.

Haha, That’s Punny

National Humor Month: 10 Jokes So Bad They’re Good | Allison Braun 1. I started a band called 999 megabytes… we still haven’t gotten a gig. 4. A Mexican was doing a magic trick and he said, “Uno, dos” and then disappeared without a trece.

2. I lost my job at the bank on my very first day. A woman asked me to check her balance, so I pushed her over.

10. I entered ten puns into a contest to see which one would win. No pun in ten did.

3. I have so many jokes about unemployed people. Sadly, none of them work.

9. “How is your long distance relationship going?” “So far, so good.”

5. I was wondering why the frisbee was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

6. I hate how funerals are always at 9 a.m. I’m not really a mourning person.

7. I got hit in the head with a can of soda yesterday. Luckily for me, it was a soft drink.

8. Why does Peter Pan always fly? He Never Lands.

Spring Unsprung

Why Spring is Actually the Worst Season | Julia Jaramillo

usually love winter. I look outside and everything is beautifully covered in a white blanket of snow. However, this year was different. By the end of February, I was about ready to move to any place that did not have a single flake (or slush) of snow. I was very tired of it, but I would rather cryofreeze my way through the next ice age if it meant avoiding the worst season: Spring. Spring is one of the dumbest periods of existence next to Valentine’s Day. Don’t get me wrong; I understand why people love this season. The temperature is going up, the snow is finally melting, plants are actually alive again, and other flowery, rainbow stuff. Spring may look like a happy-go-lucky time under the shiny and bright sun, but that’s just to mask all of its horribleness. I’m going to shed some light on this season to show you why spring is the worst. The worst part are all the allergies. Almost everyone suffers from this. I personally like being able to breathe and I can’t exactly stop to smell the roses if my nose stops doing its job.

Then, there is the rain that brings mosquitoes, which like to bite my leg and leave gross, itchy, red, spots on my legs. A little rain isn’t bad, but a little rain suddenly turns into more rain, which turn into thunderstorms, which turn into power outages. How am I supposed to watch my shows when the TV won’t turn on? It’s also incredibly trippy, like the daylight savings change. Daylight saving time, can I please, pretty please, have my one hour of sleep back? Finally, about one month later and we reach Tax Day! Add another month and it’s the end of school. That’s cool, but also means finals for a lot. Woohoo. I’m not even going go into that one. “Spring is one of the dumbest periods of existance next to Valentine’s Day” As I said, I get why people like this season, but you can’t ignore its faults. And as I just explained above, there are quite a lot of them.

ENTERTAINMENT Master of Bagpipes

An interview with sophomore, Edmund Peliska, and his experience playing the bagpipes | Jacek Dojs MESSENGER: Why did you choose to play the bagpipes EDMUND PELISKA: I have a very musical family, so I was encouraged to learn to play an instrument at an early age. My mother had a friend who played the bagpipes. It seemed like a cool instrument. I have been taking lessons since I was 8. M: Who is mainly paying you to play for them? E: Military families usually and I’m not sure why. M: What events do you normally play for? E: Normally funerals, but I would want to play for a wedding sometime. M: Do you have Scottish ancestry? E: Yes, my grandmother is Scottish. She was a Colquhoun.

The Floating Basket | Anna Braun

veryone loves Easter. It’s the time of the year when you can finally gorge yourself on many different assortments of candy. All specifically what you gave up for Lent. But why not make Easter a fun event? Everyone loves Disney movies, so why not put both together? In this article I will explain to you on how to make an UP themed Easter Basket perfect for everyone. First you will need to gather these supplies: Cardstock/ construction paper Scissors Fun colored Easter eggs

Some wooden skewers A hot glue gun A metal Easter basket

M: How difficult are they to play? Would it be something that someone could play if they gave it 2 weeks of practice? E: You don’t actually play the bagpipe when you start learning. You play on a Chanter to get down the basics and building up your embouchure. You learn this for about a year before you play on an actual bagpipe. (A chanter is a part of the bagpipe where the melody is played. It looks similar to a recorder) M: Is this a hobby or are you looking at a music career ahead? E: Right now, I play for events and it is a business for me, but it’s not a career I’m pursuing. M: Do you play any other instruments? E: I play percussion as well. Now to put it all together: First you will want to look up a picture of the UP house for inspiration. Once you have the picture you want, you will cut out all the shapes you need and put together your house. Next, you will want to take your Easter eggs and glue them onto the ends of your skewers. Make the skewers different lengths do the eggs don’t overlap each other. When you are done with that, glue the skewers on the back of your house. Make sure the glue is dry before doing the next step. Finally, you will want to grab your metal Easter basket and glue your floating egg house onto the front. Make sure you put a lot of glue on to support your masterpiece. When you are finished with the project, fill your basket with all sorts of goodies and give to your Disney loving friend for Easter.

Movie Recommendation: The Truman Show The Truman Show and Free Will | Jacek Dojs

he Truman Show is a classic movie. The plot follows Truman, played by Jim Carrey, as he lives his life, unknowing that he is the star of a 24/7 television show. The show has documented every part of his life from birth. His whole life is controlled by a director that plays the part of a cruel God. Truman slowly catches on that something is wrong and finds out what is going on. As the movie goes on, Truman becomes more and more unstable and eventually sails away from the island. In this article, I will discuss whether Truman has free will. From a young age, Truman has been conditioned to stay on this Garden of Eden that he was put in. The director will not let him die or subject him to unnecessary pain, but at the cost of choice. The director has strategically planted fears in Truman to keep him on his island. He was scolded when he expressed interest in being an explorer. His father died on a fishing trip to build a fear of water travel inside him. He has a fear of dogs that was planted early in his childhood. Truman is given his fears to keep him from leaving and it makes it so that he cannot choose. Truman has no control over the people he meets and socializes

with. His friends and love interests are all chosen for him by an external force and they are all actors. Every conversation he has is scripted to be entertaining for the television show. In a scene where Truman and his childhood best friend are having a meaningful conversation, his best friend is being fed dialogue from the Director himself. We obviously are able to choose who we spend time with, whether this is for the better or not. The people we talk to are not puppets made by God to provoke dramatic scenes, but real people who care for you. In conclusion, what is the difference between the Director and our God? The Director thinks that he loves Truman, but he does not actually give Truman what he needs, a choice to love back. He give Truman this option at the end: to stay in this perfectly curated world made for him, or to live in the real world, where he cannot guarantee that he will be safe. Truman freely chooses to live in the real world. God loves us unconditionally and we are able to say no to his love, even if his love is good for us. We can’t benefit from his grace if we don’t want it or are indifferent to it.

TEACHERS’ PICKS Mr. Effertz

| Allyson Treibor

MESSENGER: What’s the most rewarding thing about being a teacher? MR. EFFERTZ: Good question! Getting to help students with issues outside of the academic sense and watching them overcome their non school struggles. M: What does having the opportunity to practice the faith in your teaching mean to you? E: It means that I can put my theology minor to use and it gives me the opportunity to help students be better than I was at their age. M: What is your favorite part about spring? E: Baseball and frolfing. M: What’s your favorite order at Starbucks? E: That’s hard. I love my coffee. The Trenta violet drink. M: What hopes do you have for your students? E: That they find their true vocation and that they learn to be selfless. M: What is your favorite band and why? E: Rainbow Kitten Surprise because they have the best bluesy harmonies of any band out there. M: Do you play any instruments? E: The baritone. M: How do you connect with music? E: Listening to music is my favorite thing in the world. I associate each song I hear to a memory in my life. Each genre reminds me of a certain friend or family member which helps me to stay in touch with my friends.

M: What was your high school self like? E: Brash and extremely opinionated. I ran my mouth too much and I was a bit of a kiss up so I wouldn’t have to go to the principal office all the time. I still went a few times a year though. M: How would you try to convince a student to go to the University of Mary? E: The professors truly care about you. If you’re serious about it, you can grow tremendously in faith. You’ll leave feeling competent in your area of study to succeed in the workfield. M: Do you prefer sunsets or sunrises E: Sunsets because it’s really fun when you have bonfires. M: What is your favorite Spring memory? E: I would say Easter celebrations at our house with basketball, golfing, and Grandma’s ribs.

Mrs. Snyder

| Julia Jaramillo

MESSENGER: What’s your favorite part about teaching at St. Mary’s? MRS. SNYDER: I think it’s the fun teachers that are here and spending time with the students, you guys are really funny. M: What’s your favorite book? S: That’s a hard one as an English teacher. It would be the short story, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. M: Do you have any hidden talents? S: Miss Vetter thinks I should be a stand-up comedian. I can also rap the “Naked Mole Rap” from Kim Possible M: Do you have any advice for students?

S: It’s really important to build friendships during high school and to learn social skills for when you get into college or leave high school. It’s a lot easier because you already know how to make friends. M: What’s your favorite TV show/movie? S: I’m a huge Parks and Recreations fan, but I also like period dramas like Downton Abbey. Mary Poppins Returns is my favorite. M: What’s your favorite Bible verse? S: It changes. Right now I’m doing a Bible study on the book of John. John 13:1 sticks with me right now. M: Did you always want to be a teacher? S: Yeah, I was sort of a know-it-all as a kid. There was a very short period of time where I wanted to run a hotel back in Golva. M: If you could meet any fictional character for a day, who would you meet? S: I would meet the Narrator from, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. M: Where do you get all your mustaches? S: Amazon

Mrs. Griffin

| Jeffrey Savadel

MESSENGER: What are your favorite books? MRS. GRIFFIN: Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Harry Potter, and The Kite Runner M: What was your senior quote? G: “Nobody’s Perfect.” -Hannah Montana M: What would you teach if you couldn’t teach English? G: Probably psychology because I like to study the human mind and I think it would be fun to analyze people.

M: What’s the biggest change is SMCHS from when you went here until now? G: There are a lot more young teachers now than when I went here. We had a lot of old teachers that retired senior year. M: What is it like teaching at your old high school? G: It’s weird. I can call teachers that I used to have by their first names now. It’s also nice because I really understand the exposure to faith that Saint Mary’s has on its students and I can help be a part of it. M: What are some of your hobbies? G: Reading, going for walks, and drinking coffee. M: What is your favorite high school memory? G: My friend and I joined track to get in shape one year, and after practice we would go and eat tons of Oreos. It was fun. M: What would you name your dream dog? G: A Golden Doodle named Koa, but my husband Trevor really wants to get a dog and name it Guinnes.

Ms. Weisz

| Allyson Treibor

MESSENGER: What inspired you to want to learn Spanish? MS. WEISZ: I was always excited when I was young to learn a different language but my school didn’t have a foreign language teacher. Students could attend classes at ITV before school hours to learn foreign language but I wasn’t allowed to drive. I also lived near the Canadian border so we got their tv and they spoke French. When I was in college, my mom asked me if I wanted to participate in the god’s child project in Guatemala that summer. That opportunity showed me the great need for Spanish speakers in Latin America and in our country. The project mainly was to help serve the poor and it was right where I needed to be. M: Favorite word in Spanish? W: Macanuda and it meant that somebody was in good shape but not scrawny. I always like the sound of it and the connotation that you don’t have to be real thin to be beautiful. M: Favorite childhood movie? W: Mrs. Doubtfire was one but when I was younger I liked Mary Poppins. The Princess Bride is probably my all time favorite. Willow is always a good one! This is the last one, but we really loved The Sandlot as kids too. M: What does saying a prayer before every class mean to you? W: I said in the class the other day that it is the most important part of the class. Our ultimate goal in this life is getting to heaven and this reminds me of getting to that goal and it humbles me. The learning is good and fun but prayer is also important. The prayer reminds me that heaven is where I want to be heading when it’s all said and done. M: How would you describe your journey of faith so far?

W: God has given me many learning experiences. Usually I’ve been a very slow learner but I’ve been very blessed that God is patient, merciful, and all loving. So now more than ever I try to focus on what God’s will is for me in this life rather than forcing my will on God. That was always something that I confused in the past. M: Where did you go to college at? W: I went to University of Jamestown. I studied abroad in Costa Rica and Northern Ireland. I got my teaching certificate at the University of Mary. M: One of your favorite memories from studying abroad? W: I had this bicycle I bought because that was our transportation. It was a heavy bike and wasn’t that good but it was shiny, silver, and new. I worked with women so I saw their husbands and their children and they all wanted that bike! I didn’t know what to do so I told them that I’d raffle it when I would leave. A lady ended up winning it. She was very happy.

April Movies | Anna Braun

T The Best of Enemies - April 5

After - April 12

Shazam - April 5

Breakthrough - April 17

his April is going to be chalk-full of movies for everyone to enjoy. Here are some of the top picks of movies we think you might want to see this month.

Avengers: Endgame - April 26

RELIGION

Saints of the Month

A. St. Agape - catholic.org B. St. John Baptist de la Salle - wikipedia.org C. St. Isidore Seville - wikipedia.org

| Jeffery Savadel & Kendall Tibor St. Agape

ot much is known about Saint Agape. She lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. In A.D. 303, the Emperor issued a decree which made the possession of Sacred Scripture illegal and punishable by death. Despite this, Agape and her sisters kept their texts, and were eventually convicted for it. After refusing to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods, Dulcitius, a governor of Rome, ordered her to be burned alive. She died in the year A.D. 304. Her feast day is April 3.

St. John Baptist de la Salle

orn in France on April 30, Saint John Baptist de la Salle was the oldest child of a noble family. John was ordained as a priest in 1678. He was very involved in working with the poor and education. He founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian schools in 1725 and established the colleges of Rheims in 1687, Paris in 1699, and Saint-Denis in 1709. John also put emphasis in changing learning from individual instruction to classroom teaching. John was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1900, and his feast day is April 7. He is the patron saint of teachers.

St. Isidore Seville

aint Isidore Seville was born in sixth century Spain. His family was very holy, as two of his brothers and one of his sisters are saints. Isidore was a smart and hard-working man. His brother Leander took charge of educating Isidore. Leander was very harsh and punished Isidore if he did not learn quickly enough. Despite this harsh upbringing, Isidore devoted his life to education, becoming one of the greatest teachers in Spain. He promoted the establishment of a seminary in every diocese of Spain, and made sure every subject was taught. Isidore wrote many books, including the topics of grammar, geography, history, astronomy, and theology. He also wrote the Etymologies, his encyclopedia of knowledge, which was popular for another 900 years. Isidore became the bishop of Seville after his brother Leander, the previous bishop, had died. He helped convert the barbarian Visigoths to Christianity. His joy for learning instilled that same fire in the people of Spain, and as a result the Dark Ages were held back from Spain. Living near the age of 80, he died in 636, with a long line of accomplishments behind him.

Ideas for Lent and Easter Activities to grow deeper in your faith | Maria Fleck

ent is almost over and Easter is right around the corner. But there is always time to try something new to grow deeper in your faith during Lent. There are also a few interesting Easter activities happening in the area.

Lent

Easter

Station Churches: On Holy Thursday, an old

Easter Egg Hunt: There are multiple Easter egg hunts

Fish Fry: On Fridays during Lent, Catholics over the age of

Easter Race: Here’s a good way to burn off all those jelly

Living Stations: The St. Mary Academy eighth graders

Easter Services: Whether you are Catholic or not, there is

Catholic tradition is to travel around your city visiting different churches and spend time in adoration with Jesus at the time of his agony in the garden. Most parishes have adoration after their Holy Thursday services, so this is an easy way to make your Holy Week even richer. 14 are asked to abstain from meat. Corpus Christi, Ascension, Christ the King, and Spirit of Life all offer fish fry meals on these days. It’s a delicious way to follow the Lenten observances while supporting your parish.

put on this reenactment of the Way of the Cross every year. There are four performances at 2 PM: April 10th at Cathedral, April 11th at St. Mary’s, April 12th at St. Anne, and April 15th at Christ the King. There will also be a 2:30 performance at SMCHS on April 16th.

around town, and while you can do them in your own backyard too, it can be fun to go out and search for brightly colored plastic eggs. The Dakota Zoo is having one on April 13th starting at 1 PM. The Optimist Club is hosting one the next day, April 14 at the Capitol from 1-3 PM. beans and chocolate bunnies. A little different than a traditional race, you can participate in this Easter run from anywhere you would like. Just log your times online. There four different lengths, 13.1, 10k, 5k, and 1k. Every participant gets a medal. an Easter liturgy happening at your parish. Easter is the most important holiday in all of Christianity, so be sure to spend this holy day with the One who gave you the most beautiful gift of all.

Divine Mercy

Feast of the Divine Mercy: April 28, 2019 | Jacek Dojs

ivine Mercy is the devotion to the mercy given to us by God. The main idea is that the more we give to God the more we get back in his graces. It is a collection of promises from Jesus and several indulgences given by the church. One should let God’s love and mercy flow through oneself and to give mercy freely to others. Divine Mercy Sunday is the Feastday of Saint Faustina Kowalska, who was a nun. She seemed unremarkable to the average person, but she learned to give up the little things for Christ. She had apparitions of Christ and recorded these events in her diary. Her diary was later found by other nuns after her premature death. The painting that is most closely associated with divine mercy was painted by Eugene Kazimierowski. It depicts Christ with two rays shooting out of his heart. The two colors are red and white. They refer to when Jesus was stabbed in his side by a roman soldier and blood and water poured out. Picture found on thedivinemercy.org

SPORTS 20 SENIOR SPOTLIGHT 19 An inside look into some of the athletic careers of our seniors.

20 19

JANA HUTZENBILER | SOCCER

MESSENGER: How long have you been playing soccer? JANA HUTZENBILER: I have been playing soccer for 13 years. M: What have you learned from soccer? J: I have learned to not dwell on mistakes. M: What is your favorite soccer memory? J: When Erin and Abby sang the national anthem for a varsity game. M: What’s your favorite book? S: Looking for Alaska by John Green.

RACHEL NEFF | SOCCER

MESSENGER: How long have you been playing soccer? RACHEL NEFF: I’ve been playing soccer for 13 years. M: What have you learned from soccer? R: I’ve learned that with hard work and determination anything is possible. M: What’s your favorite soccer memory? R: My favorite soccer memory is State my sophomore year in Fargo when we all dyed our hair blue... not the best decision I’ve made. M: What’s your favorite movie genre? R: Scary movies for sureeeee.

CONNOR FEIST | BASEBALL

MESSENGER: How long have you been playing baseball? CONNOR FEIST: I played baseball freshman and sophomore year so this will be my third. M: What have you learned from baseball? C: I’ve learned how to handle life from baseball because the ups and downs often come at the same time. M: What’s your favorite baseball memory?” C: My favorite baseball memory was getting to bat in my first varsity game. There’s nothing quite like the excitement. M: What’s your favorite kind of cookie? C: My favorite kind of cookie is chocolate chip.

COLE WALETZCO | TRACK

MESSENGER: How long have you been in track? COLE WALETZCO: 6 years M: What have you learned from track? C: If you meet someone who is super cocky in track, they are not very good. M: What’s your favorite track memory? C: My favorite memory is Noah’s birthday bash on the bus, on our way back from Williston. M: What is your favorite dessert? C: My favorite dessert is key lime pie.

ALLISON SCHUMACHER | SOFTBALL

MESSENGER: How long have you been playing softball? ALLISON SCHUMACHER: I have been playing since 3rd grade. M: What have you learned from softball? A: I have learned the importance of mental focus in the face of change and adversity. M: What is your favorite softball memory? A: My favorite memory is when the whole team packed into the elevator and it dropped us down to the dark and scary basement where we had to find our own way out. M: What’s your favorite Easter dish? A: My grandma’s hamburger rice!!!

EVAN LEINGANG | TRACK

MESSENGER: How long have you been in track? EVAN LEINGANG: I’ve been in track since I was four years old. M: What events do you compete in? E: Basically, I do everything, except distance running. So, I do the jump, I Sprint 100-400 hurdles, and relays. M: What lessons do you learn from track? E: I learned, that even though it’s not a team sport, there is still a team aspect to it. Everyone still relies on you when it comes to events, such as relays. The biggest life lesson you learn from track is that you get what you put into it since it is mostly an individual sport. You could just be lazy during practice, but you won’t get anything in the long run; but if you push yourself you can achieve any goal you have in track or in life. M: What is your favorite show on Netflix? E: Grey’s Anatomy

KATHRYN GOETTLE | SOCCER

MESSENGER: How long have you been playing soccer? KATHRYN GOETTLE: Since third grade M: What position do you usually play? K: Mostly defense, but I play where the coach puts me. M: What is your favorite thing about soccer? K: My teammates. They’re the people I spend the most time with and work along side them. They’ve become my best friends. M: What is your favorite binge-worthy show? K: Last Man Standing

TAYLOR SCHMIDT | BASEBALL

MESSENGER: How long have you been playing baseball? TAYLOR SCHMIDT: I’ve been playing baseball for about 12 years. M: What position do you play? T: Pitcher M: What is your favorite thing about baseball? T: I like being part of the team, and how I’ve learned a lot about life through playing baseball. M: What is your favorite show on Netflix? T: The Office Senior Spotlight by Kathryn Goettle and Anderson Hagerott

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