March-April 2021
The New Sisters of SMCHS Read about the new St. Mary’s Sister who’ll be teaching some classes next year | page 3
Question of the Month What are you feeling lucky about? | page 11
Talent Show Recap Miss the Talent Show? Here are the results | page 12
St. Mary’s Central High School | 5802 Ridgeland Dr. Bismarck, ND 58503
March-April 2021
LETTER FROM THE LAYOUT EDITOR Dear Reader,
H
ello! I’m Julia and for the past 3 years I’ve been the Layout Editor for the Messenger. If you’ve ever wondered why pictures are blurry or why your name is misspelled, it’s because of me (seriously though, sorry about that). As this is my final regular-scheduled issue in my “career”, I wanted to write this month’s Letter from the Editor. Thank you for picking up an issue! Many hours and planning go into these and nothing’s more fulfilling than seeing someone read them. There’s a lot to unpack in this one. As Prom season approaches, ever wonder why people spend like $900 for a single night? Wanna meet the new sisters who’ll be teaching some classes next year? Didn’t attend the Talent Show? We’ve got you covered. Whether you choose to read the whole thing or just Senior Spotlight just cause you or your friend is in it, I hope you enjoy this issue.
Julia Jaramillo Layout Editor
OUR EDITORS
OUR MISSION
MEGHA BHARADWAJ Editor-in-Chief
JULIA JARAMILLO Layout Editor
JACEK DOJS Feature Editor
MEG HEPPER Entertainment Editor Opinion Editor
ALYSSA FORTNEY Entertainment Editor Opinion Editor
SORAIDA PICHARDO Religion Editor
Eva Rykowsky Lilyanne Haag Margaret Kathol Eva Krebsbach Julianna Lengowski Ruby Tolstad Maja Dojs Fiona Kelly
CONTACT US LAYOUT EDITORS
Jordan Jacobson Hannah Koch Clare Tamisiea Joseph Schweitzer Naomi Schuh Rory Milbradt Bella Sletteland
ON THE COVER On January 29th, students walked over to the Capital from the Academy for the North Dakota March for Life Photo provided by Lisa Koch
TEAGAN BAUER Activities Editor
OUR WRITERS
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.
Maja Dojs Bella Sletteland
Instagram: SMMessenger Email: smmessenger@locstudents.org
READ IT ONLINE https://issuu.com/smmessenger
Table of Contents WHAT’S HAPPENING?
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The New Sisters of SMCHS
Meet Sister Mary Joseph and Sister Scholastica
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Paying for Prom Why spend just under $1000 for a couple of hours?
APRIL 12th One Act Play @ Devil’s Lake APRIL 14th Steel Drum and Jazz Band Concert @ SMCHS Auditorium (7:00 PM) APRIL 19th Vocal Jazz & Pops Concert @ SMCHS Auditorium (7:00 PM)
Judging a Book By Its Cover | pg. 6
APRIL 21th The ROCK @ SMCHS Gym (7:00 PM)
What I Will Miss About St. Mary’s | pg. 6
APRIL 28th Spring Band Concert @ SMCHS Auditorium (7:00 PM)
Movie Reviews | pg. 7 An Easter Recipe | pg. 8 Saint of the Month: St. Joseph | pg. 11 Question of the Month | pg. 11
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Talent Show Recap SMCHS’s got talent! Read about the participants who showed off their skills this year
Senior Spotlight | pg. 13
MAY 1st Prom @ SMCHS Gym MAY 4th Awards Ceremony @ SMCHS GYM (2:00 PM) MAY 5th Athletic Banquet @ SMCHS GYM (6:00 PM) MAY 10th Art & Song Concert @ SMCHS Auditorium (7:00 PM) MAY 14th Band Night Parade @ Capitol (6:30 PM) MAY 19th Music Banquet: Location TBD (6:00 PM) MAY 21th Last Day of School!! MAY 23rd Graduation @ SMCHS Gym (4:00 PM) Events gathered by Megha Bharadwaj
FEATURE
Th e Ne w Sis t e r s o f SM C H S Next year, new Religion courses will be available for students. The Messenger was able to sit down and interview the Sisters who will teach them.
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Written by Bella Sletteland Photos provided by the Sisters
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isters have been teaching in schools for centuries, all over the world. But our very own St. Mary’s High School hasn’t had sisters teaching in it for a long time. Thankfully, that is changing very soon. I am sure that some of you have heard of the new religion classes coming to St. Mary’s next year. These classes will be taught by Sister Scholastica of the St. Mary’s Sisters. I had the privilege of talking with the St. Mary’s Sisters of Bismarck near the end of February. So far, there are three great ladies living in the temporary convent near the Cathedral. I was able to interview Sister Mary Joseph and Sister Scholastica. The St. Mary’s Sisters is a community of the Dominican Order. The purpose of Dominican Sisters is to teach and to prepare other young ladies to become teachers as sisters. At first they plan to stay in Bismarck schools to teach, but eventually will spread out to wherever they will be needed.
Sister Mary Joseph “As Dominican Sisters, the charism is teaching. In order to do that well, we study, and we study a lot. And we find that that is actually how we are able to grow closer to God. When you are close to God, you want to share that with everyone....” -Sister Scholastica
Meet the Sisters
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ister Mary Joseph is the current Superior of the convent and was the first sister in this new community. She came from the Dominican convent in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which currently houses over 150 sisters. Sr. Mary Joseph came to Bismarck in order to prepare for a trip to Australia to start a House of Formation there, but God had a different plan for her. As she stayed in Bismarck and met with Bishop Kagan to talk about her plan, Bishop informed her that the Bismarck diocese was in desperate need of more sisters and a House of Formation for women to enter into an order. So, on June 1, 2020, the St. Mary’s Sisters of the Bismarck Diocese was founded. Sr. Mary Joseph officially became a member on July 22, 2020 after transferring over from Ann Arbor and Sister Scholastica will make her final vows this summer. Currently, the sisters live in a house near the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, but for the future they have bigger plans. Sr. Mary Joseph said that there discussion for a convent to be built in Bismarck. The house will be able to accommodate 180 sisters. It will be a motherhouse, meaning that there will always be sisters in Bismarck after it is built. Women in this region who want to enter the religious life of the
Sister Scholastica Dominicans wouldn’t have to go to the Nashville or Ann Arbor convents, they would be able to enter from here. At this point of this huge process, they are building up funds to start this project.
In LOC Schools
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fter getting the community started this summer, Sr. Mary Joseph began teaching 6th grade Religion classes at the St. Mary’s Academy. She loves working with the students there and being part of the Light of Christ family. She said there will be at least 40 more students next year than during this year, so Sr. Scolastica will work part time at the Academy to help out. Sr. Scholastica will be teaching at our school next year as well. She will be teaching two senior religion classes: Prayer and Spirituality and Introduction to Philosophy. In her course about prayer, she will be teaching how to pray the Divine Office and prayers, including chants. She uses the analogy that the Mass is 4
the diamond in a ring, and the Divine Office is like the stones set around the diamond. Her philosophy class will be an introduction to the history of the big ideas of humanity and how we have used reason over human history to identify the importance of things in our lives. She is most excited to get to know the students, to be back in the classroom, and to share her love for Christ with us all.
Life as a Sister
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esides teaching, the sisters spend a lot of their time in prayer. The sisters told me that one of their favorite parts of the day is praying in community. They pray the Divine Office and the rosary as a community and also meditate and read spiritual texts to keep their minds formed for their purpose. Sr. Mary Joseph explained that praying with others keeps you accountable for your time and builds the fervor of prayer. She said that the community life in general is something she loves. In a community of sisters, you work on the same team to achieve the same goal. You know that you aren’t alone, and you are living with people who are all trying to become saints. I asked the sisters how having responsibilities as a sister and a teacher work together. Sr. Scholastica said, “As Dominican Sisters, the charism is teaching. In order to do that well, we study, and we study a lot. And we find that is actually how we are able to grow closer to God. When you are close to God, you want to share that with everyone. So then it becomes natural to go out and teach, and to be able to be in the schools. It’s a huge gift to be able to share that with the students.” I asked what their advice is for people considering the teaching vocation. Sr. Mary Joseph said, “Remember, it is a vocation. You may pursue it and realize it is not your vocation. You also have to really love kids. It’s not an easy profession… but you do it because you know you were created to do it. You will get a grace and a burn to share what you know. When you are with students you will feel more alive.”
“For young people considering entering the religious life...just know that it is a beautiful life. It is hard, but so is every other calling...” -Sister Scholastica
The St. Mary’s Sisters were established by Bishop Kagan
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“For young people considering entering the religious life, Sr. Scolastica says, “just know that it is a beautiful life. It is hard, but so is every other calling. There are so many graces that you will get that you can be open to it, get to know the sisters, and to reach out if you have a feeling that you are called to it.” Sr. Mary Joseph explained that you often feel it right away if you are called to stay. You either feel at home or you feel that it just isn’t quite right. If you just look at it from a distance, you will never know if you are made for it. It takes getting to know the life of sisters to understand if it is your purpose. The sisters are very excited to be teaching in our schools and to a part of our family. They said that they have seen so many great things going on that they will get to be a part of and add more to, such as our Chapel, our virtue clubs, and Catholic Schools Week. I hope you are as excited as I am to welcome the sisters to St. Mary’s and to get to know these incredible women.
OPINION
PAYING FOR PROM Just under a $1000 for a single night?!
| Teagan Bauer
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Koo Koo’s Nest in Downtown Bismarck where many girls shop for dresses
rom is the one event that many juniors and seniors look forward to the entire year. Students start picking out dresses in January, picking dates in February, getting dresses altered in April, and then they have prom in May. I mean, seriously, prom takes four months of planning for one night. That’s not all, however. Many prom dresses are so expensive it takes a month of a high schoolers paychecks. That’s not including the amount of money spent on shoes, hair, and makeup. The average person spends $920 on prom per year. The real question is, why are people spending so much money for one night? Prom dresses cost anywhere from $100 to $500, if not more. That is a lot of money for one dress that you will wear once. Think about it logically, a family of 5 or more can be fed with $100 for a week. A new iPhone costs $339, and a person would use their phone much more than a dress that was bought for one night. Don’t get me wrong, there are so many prom dresses to choose from. There are dozens of companies that make prom dresses in different shapes and colors, and these dresses don’t cost a pretty penny. Not only is the dress expensive but so is the professional hair and makeup. Is there anything wrong with just curling your hair and putting on mascara? Prom is not only expensive for the female, but also the male. On average it is $200 to rent a suit for one night, unless you get a good deal at Halberstades. Tip: Halberstades has a suit package that includes the jacket, pant, shirt, tie, and pocket square for $170, and you get to keep it. Nevertheless, many guys don’t know different options for getting a suit except renting one. A security camera costs less money than it does to rent a suit for a night, and a security camera has more use than a suit does. So why do people spend so much money on one night? I have come to the conclusion that people spend so much money on prom because it is what society expects from us. Prom is supposed to be this big night where we go out and party and spend a lot of money. But who says prom has to be like that? Why do we have to spend so much money on clothes we will wear once? Why do we need to spend so much money on shoes, makeup, hair, nails? It’s not necessary. Prom is a night for us to have fun and dance, not to have a competition on who spent the most money on their clothes. 6
Judging a Book By Its Cover
We’ve all heard the phrase before, but does it really hold truth?
| Fiona Kelly
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ou can’t judge a book by its cover. We’ve all heard this tired, old refrain before. It has no basis in reality, and is simply a shallow, facile platitude occasionally trotted out by the sorts of people who subscribe to pseudo-inspirational/pseudo-motivational cultural proverbs. There are two ways in which people mean this quote to be taken. The first, is in a literal sense. “That book’s cover may be absolutely unappealing,” they say. “But the content could be better than you think!” The second (and here’s where the “deep” and “meaningful” interpretation of the quote comes into play) is in a more figurative sense, when speaking about those colloquially described as “people”. A refutation of the first: A book’s cover ought to reflect its content. If your book is titled Beige: The Last-Ditch Effort at Normalcy, and is about the dangers of beige walls, the cover should communicate something about that. Perhaps a picture of a beige wall. It’s that simple. Thus, your book will attract its target audience: namely, those who wish to read about the color beige. If, however, the cover of your book was a pastel green, that would be rather confusing to most, and would leave behind it a trail of dissatisfied green loving readers simply not content with the beige to which they have been subjected. Coming back to my original point before it gets lost in all this fog, if your book cover does not communicate enough about your book, fire your cover designer. A refutation of the second: While it is true that you 7
cannot determine someone’s character based solely on physical traits over which they have no control, there are still ways that you can, in fact, “judge a book by its cover”. Now, obviously, I do not subscribe to the way of thought that has people making ridiculous conjectures. “That person has a long nose!” they say. “That is a mark of evil and destitution! We shall shun him, and make him cry out ‘Unclean, Unclean’ whenever we happen to catch a glimpse of him!” That’s clearly ridiculous. However, there are many observations that can be made about people’s characters and habits by simply looking at their appearance: how they dress, how they care for themselves, and how they carry themselves. If, for example, there is someone who wears brighter colors, there are many assumptions that can be made about his character. These assumptions, even if not apparent to us, will sometimes be made subconsciously. Or if the person dresses professionally, there’s another conjecture that can be made about his character. Everyone judges by appearance. It’s human nature. We should, however, try to curb our reliance on snap first impressions, and realize that appearances can be deceiving. In conclusion, I realize that the quote had good intentions. It was an effort to make people less concerned about appearances, and more about personality. That’s all very well and good, but you know what they say about good intentions. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
What I Will Miss About St. Mary’s A satirical farewell letter to SM from a senior | Megha Bharadwaj
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s a graduating senior, I will deeply miss my friends and community at SMCHS...but there are some things I definitely won’t miss at college.
The Loud Male Teachers
Legend says that in any part of the building you can either hear the faint whispers of Mr. Emmel playing the guitar and singing or Mr. Schon making sarcastic comments to the freshman.
The Dress Code Violations
There are two ways to avoid a DCV: 1) Just dress in dress code. 2) Take the back stairs whenever possible.
Substitute Teachers
Here at SMCHS, we have a wide array of substitute teachers, who although I’ve known for 6 years, will somehow manage to mispronounce my name every day.
I have no sarcastic comment here. Jeanne is to this school as the mitochondria is to a cell.
Jeanne
The People
What makes me happy to be at SMCHS isn’t the building or the furniture or even the gold dome. Honestly, it is the people, all of whom the senior class will miss. 8
ENTERTAINMENT MOVIE REVIEWS
Julianna Lengowski
To A l l t h e B o y s : Always and Forever Released around Valentine’s Day to Netflix, the third installment of the To All the Boys series came out on Netflix. If you have been keeping up with the book-turned-movie trilogy, you know that the fate of Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky will be jeopardized by their choices in college. Long distance relationships are notoriously difficult, even for Netflix’s favorite teen rom-com couple. When Peter gets into Stanford and Lara Jean doesn’t, she must pick between a college close to him and one across the country that she fell in love with. Binge watch the first two movies to get the backstory on their relationship and fall in love with the dream pair. I recommend this series if you love rom-coms, or if you just have a tub of ice cream calling your name to be eaten over a cheesy flick.
Godzilla vs.Kong Get ready to see the next epic battle of the monsters in the movie Godzilla vs. Kong. Try not to confuse this movie with the other 36 films about the “King of the Monsters.” Although there have been many movies about the huge dinosaur, this one was an epic fight between King Kong and Godzilla. One of the biggest questions plaguing the brains of fans of the franchises is who is going to win? For those who have not seen movies in each behemoth’s franchize, the odds are stacked against Kong. Godzilla has superior armor, a powerful tail and claws, and can literally shoot a laser out of his mouth. Godzilla has killed multiple other giant monsters that are more powerful than Kong, giving him more experience. King Kong’s latest movie made more money, which might prompt producers to allow him to win, even though Godzilla clearly has superior strength. Check out the movie on March 31, to see who is the real king of the monsters. It is rated PG-13.
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Carrot-Cake Cupcakes | Hannah Koch
The season of Lent has passed and Easter is here. Whether you’ve cut out on snacks, said no to the chocolate, or given up sweets entirely, it’s safe to say we’re all thinking of any treats we’ve given up this Lenten season. As we celebrate Easter, the thought of eating those sweets is most likely often crossing our minds. To celebrate this special holiday, provided below is the recipe for some delicious Easter cupcakes for everyone to appreciate.
2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 & ½ cup oil 2 cups grated carrots 2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. salt 3 cups flour 13 & ½ oz. crushed pineapple 1 cup flaked coconut 3 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. vanilla 1 cup walnuts
This carrot-cake cupcake recipe, a family recipe, is a beloved recipe for a cupcake that celebrates the holiday of Easter when decorated with colorful frosting. Whether you’ve given up sweets or not, these cupcakes will definitely be something for you and your loved ones to enjoy during the Easter season.
Carrot-Cake Cupcake
½ cup margarine 8 oz. cream cheese 4 & ½ cups powdered sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
Bake at 300 degrees until done Decorate and Enjoy! 10
RELIGION
SAINT OF THE MONTH ST. JOSEPH & ST. ANDRE’ BESSETTE
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t. Joseph, foster father of Jesus Christ, was a man of many virtues. He was a model of peace, patience, chastity, and obedience. Joseph showed these virtues by being a father, traveler, and workman. He is the patron saint of the Universal Church, families, fathers, expectant mothers, house sellers, and working people in general. There are many saints who tried to model their life after St. Joseph, and therefore be a person of many virtues. St. Andre’ Bessette built a church in St. Joseph’s name in Montreal, Canada. He started out small and received very little support from his archdiocese. St. Joseph’s Oratory started out as a small wooden shack, but after years of determination and persistence, it was able to develop into a beautiful oratory.
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When people came to St. Andre’s for advice, he always said to people who were in trouble to go to St. Joseph and pray to him for peace and patience. A great way to form a relationship with St. Joseph is to pray the Litany of St. Joseph. It encapsulates all the virtues and roles he lived throughout his life. St. Joseph constantly reminds us of the devoted relationship we should have with God, and to live a life of many virtues. Article by Joseph Schweitzer
I’m feelin’ lucky that I get to be an employee at St. Mary’s Central High School and have great students. -Mr. Doll
I don’t feel lucky because I don’t believe in luck. -Jacob Goettle
I’m feeling lucky about graduating and entering adult life. -Alyssa Rud
I’m not feeling lucky about my grades. -Estella Coghlan
There really has been no luck in this month. -Nate Letteer
Interviews by Bella Sletteland
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
What are you feeling lucky about this month?
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ACTIVITIES
SMCHS’ 2021 Talent Show
| Rory Milbradt
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Pictures provided by FBLA and Rory Milbradt 13
n March 19, at 7:00 pm, the 5th annual St. Mary’s Talent Show took place in the St. Mary’s auditorium hosted by Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Students showed off their talents that ranged from musical artists, comedians, to dancing dinosaurs. The participants all did an outstanding job. These included Allison and Rachel Bleth singing an original song; Elijah Davis, Damien Hartze, Julianna Lengowski, and Pacey Dosch playing an original song called “On Top of a Whale;” Isabella Slettland, Brogan Kral, Margaret Kathol, and Lily Haag dancing to “Saint-O-Saurus;” Savannah Benz singing her very first original song “Without You;” Monica Gardner singing “Consequences” by Camilla Cabello; Joseph Schweitzer singing “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John; John Goettle, Andrew Horner, Lear Rhode, and Elijah Davis singing a sea chanty called “The Wellerman;” Dominic Gardner playing “Rachmaninoff” on piano, and Megha Bharadwaj performing stand-up comedy. Of these participants three winners were chosen by the judges Matt Vollmers, Lindsey Bauer, and Deputy Chief Jason Stugelmeyer. Allison and Rachel Bleth placed third, Joseph Schweitzer placed second, and Savannah Benz took first place. Allison and Rachel touched us with their voices and their song, and with Allison on piano and Rachel on the drum they took our breaths away. Joseph’s voice was amazing and he truly excited the crowd with his dancing. Savannah wowed the audience with her phenomenal voice, guitar playing, and writing skills. All participants were astounding and the crowd loved each and every performance and this talent show will be one that many people will remember.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT An inside look into some of the outside careers of our seniors.
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MATT NATHE | BASEBALL
Interview by Meg Hepper
MESSENGER: How long have you been playing baseball? MATT NATHE: I have been playing since I was around four or five years old. M: What are you looking forward to this season? M: I am looking forward to getting to play outside in the nice weather and hanging out with my teammates M: What is your favorite memory from baseball so far? M: Some of my favorite memories are from the bus rides and wiffle ball games M: What are your goals for this season? M: My goal is for our team to make it to WDA and to improve myself from previous years.
LAURYN HOESEL | TENNIS MESSENGER: What is your position on the team and what do you do in it? LAURYN HOESEL: I am ranked 2nd on the team and we play singles and doubles. M: What is your favorite memory from the tennis team? L: My favorite tennis memory would have to be the pool party the team has after the season ends. M: What is your greatest accomplishment from tennis? L: My greatest accomplishment from tennis would either be getting MVP of the team my sophomore year or getting first place at the West Fargo Tournament at #1 doubles with my partner, Elizabeth Bichler.
Interview by Eva Rykowsky
MADDY ZANDER | SOFTBALL
Interview by Teagan Bauer
MESSENGER: What is your favorite part of softball? MADDY ZANDER: My favorite part is that it is truly a team sport. You can do everything in your power to make it go right but if your teammate on the other end doesn’t do their job it won’t work. No other sport is as much of a team sport for that very reason. M: What will you miss most about leaving high school softball? M: My teammates. I have been playing varsity since seventh grade so I’ve grown up with a few of my teammates and I will miss them and the younger girls as well. M: What do you plan to do after high school? M: After high school I will be attending The University of Jamestown to continue my softball career. I will be majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Coaching and possibly Special Education.
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