theSpectrum

The Blake School v 511 Kenwood Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55403 v Issue I v September 28, 2011 v blakespectrum.org v your voice in print

student life........pg 2-3

news......................pg 4

opinions.............pg 5-7

in-depth.............pg 8-9

a&e.................pg 10-11

sci/tech...........pg 12-13

sports.............pg 15-16

features...............pg 14

Laine HigginsPage Editor

Class of 2012 expresses school spirit

an analysis of the social pressures of saying

“YES” to an invitation

to a dance

Get to know Blake’s new foreign exchange students:

Senior boys, (from left) Duncan Conway, Orion Olsen, Al Barnhart, Spencer Lund, Mac Findlay and Adam Postiglione sport Morphsuits and cheer on the football team as they battled Providence at Aamoth Stadium last Friday

Roger, Ly, Harald & Nicky

FALLFASHION

photo credit: Bailey Dunning

an in-depth look at

SCHOOLL U N C H

R E V A M P I N G the

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Girls Tennisdefeated Breck

Now ranked #1 the state for class A

Steve Jobs resigns as

Apple CEO

The Class of 2012 has over-come their self-confidence issues and blossomed into

a spirited and rowdy class that has succeeded, thus far, in reviv-ing Blake spirit. Although Al Barnhart ’12 claimed “We thought we’d be horrible seniors,” the senior class has breathed life into the formerly dull assemblies and under-attended games. The addition of vibrant green, royal blue and zebra printed Morphsuits to the Blake cheer section’s repertoire adds a factor of enthusiasm and intimi-

dation to sporting events. These unprecedented full-body outfits are a first at Blake, and characterize one of the legacies left behind by the senior class. Assemblies are bright-ened by the resounding call of “seniors, seniors.” Although this cheer is often repetitive at best, it exemplifies the sense of grade unity and pride held by the class of 2012. Also, the homecoming bonfire this year was complete-ly reformatted. In the past, the bonfire was where it was some-what of a joke to publicly humili-ate underclassmen and harass them about their dates. In fact, year’s past, it was a common oc-

Students and faculty that traveled to

Sierra Leone share their story

currence to degrade freshman boys by coating them in baby oil and making the crowd cheer for individuals. In efforts to avoid this structure, the “Bonfire 2.0” consisted of rap battles, a cho-reographed ‘Mantastic’ dance performed by a group of senior boys, skits, singing competi-tions, live music and more. The senior class had also set an impressive academic record. The Class of 2012 has the highest percentage of Na-tional Merit Semifinalists per grade ever recorded in Blake history with eleven seniors re-ceiving this honor. For the record, the Breck School of Mediocrity only

“- Spencer Lund ‘12

My hair burns with a fiery passion for spirit.”

S P I R I T takes the lead

had two National Merit Semifi-nalists. This standard of excel-lence should be admired by all upper school students, regard-less of their graduation year. “We’re trying to be not quite as exclusive when it comes to spirit. Even though the se-niors are the ones who are sup-posed to lead it, we want every-one in the school to be involved,” remarks Meghan Bauer ’12. She continues, “Spirit isn’t that hard to do, it just takes commitment and enthusiasm.” Whether they realize it or not, the Class of 2012 has set a high bar for the following grades to reach. They have transformed their grade into leaders in aca-demics, spirit and charisma.

Student Life 2 The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

Nicole LinkContributing Writer

Freshman year: retrospectively, there are some things I wish I

would’ve known walking through the doors of Northrop two years ago. I knew daunting tasks lay ahead of me; a new building, new people, new teachers - but luckily for the current ninth graders, some veterans have some words of advice: “You should branch out and meet new people in your grade,” said Cali Chaney ‘12. New to Blake last year, Chaney has benefitted from be-ing open to making new friendships. “Participate in school activities you actually like,” of-fered Kate Longley ‘13. Allison Eastham ‘14 warns, “People say that freshman year is

Freshman Year

Isabel Redleaf

Contributing Writer

Last winter, Mi-chelle Atwood ‘14 had just finished mid-year fi-

nals before she packed up her bags and boarded her flight to Europe. Her dad had been offered a job at the Organization for Economic Coop-eration and Development in Paris. Soon after, they finalized plans to move and Michelle and her parents found them-selves in the famous City of Lights. The move from Hopkins, Min-nesota to Paris, France, over 4,000 miles away, was no easy transition. “The first few weeks were hard,” recalls Atwood. “I was jetlagged and really missed Minnesota.” It took her a while to get past the culture shock and adjust to a foreign country. “It still didn’t feel real. It took a while for me to get used to the thought

that I would be living here [in Paris]. Nearly nothing was similar to Minnesota.” Atwood also had to make the switch from living in a relatively quiet suburban neighborhood to an apart-ment in the heart of Paris. “Living in a city is very different. There is much more noise, and it’s odd living in an apart-ment,” explains Atwood. Additionally, the Atwoods have grown acustom to other means of transportation “Public trans-port is so much easier,” she remarks. “And drivers in Paris are frightening.” On the average weekday, Michelle gets up at 7:00am to catch the bus, “just down the road at ‘Place Victor Hugo.’” After about an hour-long ride she arrives in a little town just outside the city called Croissy-Sur Seine where she begins school at 9:00am at the British School of Paris. Michelle describes the British School of Paris, or BSP, as “the opposite of

Jonah SandyPage-Editor

Michelle enjoys a bit of tourism as she settles into her new home in Paris, France.

photo credit: Jonah Sandy

Nat Wagner may seem familiar to many peo-

ple at the upper school. He taught a semester of English here two years ago, and taught Latin in the middle school and up-per school for a number of years. He is now teach-ing World Literature, having recently earned a second MA in English. In addition, Wagner was also running a baseball/softball training facility and acting as “Mr. Mom to his kids.” Wagner says he is most looking forward to “just being back in these halls. I love the intellectual energy at Blake and learn so much from colleagues and students alike”. When asked what is one fun fact that we should know about him, he responded with “I own a pair of lederhosen. No, I won’t wear them to school. The chafing would be un-believable”.

Andy Cantrell can often be spotted in

the math wing where he teaches Calculus and AP Calculus AB. Before com-ing to teach at Blake, he wrote a calculus textbook. Cantrell also re-cently spent a lot of time in Japan, where his wife was on a research trip. He spoke very highly of Japan and it’s people. In addition to his experience with calculus, he taught Astronomy at Yale for five years. Blake is the first high school Cantrell has taught at and when asked what he was most excited about he says, “I am very excited to get to know the students here and share my enthusiasm for both math and ceramics.” As implied, Cantrell is an avid cerami-cist. His work has been ex-hibited and published.

When asked of Claire Harley’s

background, she began with her education at Minnetonka High School and University of Wiscon-sin-Madison. After getting her Master’s in secondary English education, she moved back to Minnesota and began teaching at Blake. Harley’s family is well-versed in perfor-mance arts. “My father owns a recording studio in Minneapolis, and my mom is a singer-songwriter. I coach the dance team at Eagan highschool.” “My first impres-sions were that the stu-dents were very polite and welcoming” claims Harley. “And I think now I’ve been most impressed by the depth of analysis in my students . . . Everyone’s really supportive, and I’m impressed (and intimidat-ed) by their resumes.”

Sanjana Srivastava

Staff Writer

What I Wish I Had Known:

a joke, but that’s so not true. If you don’t prioritize, you won’t do well.” A student outside of school adds, “I wish I hadn’t cared as much about what other people thought… and looked for people that fit well with my personality.” A common theme emerg-es. Freshman year is a substan-tial change and prioritizing your work is important, but, as these students note, you need to make the most of what can seem like an intimidating experience. Sign up for a sport you want to try, say hi to the new kids, and mainly, be yourself. You’ll meet some amazing peo-ple and have an awesome year!

Blake in many ways.” The majority of stu-dents come from all around the world, and Atwood has made friends from Can-ada, Australia, France, Spain, Egypt and South Africa, to name a few. All classes are taught in Eng-lish. “The work isn’t as hard [at the Brit-ish School] as at Blake,” she mentions.

Although Atwood contin-ues to pursue sports at her new school, “they barely have any sports for girls,” she says. “There is girls’ soccer once a week, and it’s not taken anywhere near as seriously as the guys soccer. There’s an attitude that girls can’t play sports.” Moving to a new city can be daunt-ing, let alone one halfway around the world. But living in the great city of Paris has some upsides. “I love steak-frites,” says Atwood of the steak and French fry combo. “The steak here is amazing. I also like pain au chocolat,” a kind of chocolate croissant. “The bread is incredible.” Her favorite spots in Paris are “probably around the Louvre Museum,” home to nearly 35,000 works of art, “and the Place de la Mad-eleine,” a Roman Catholic church that was once a temple ennobling Napoleon’s army. Despite the initial challenges pre-sented by setting into a new country, Mi-chelle is greatly enjoying her life in Paris. Although she is sorely missed by her class-mates, she will likely be returning to Blake in about two years. However, we will hope-fully be seeing her around in the nearer fu-ture – she is visiting Minnesota this October!

Former Blake student, Michelle Atwood, describes the differences between Blake and her current school in Paris

New Teacher Profiles*

*For more teacher profiles, check online at blakespectrum.org

Student Life 3The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

Margaret Graham & Raine Robichaud

Staff Writers

In the past summer, Blake stu-dents—along with two faculty

chaperones (JJ Kahle and Jen-nifer Duronio) went on the Blake trip to Cuernavaca, Mexi-co, an hour south of Mexico City On weekdays, the group went to a local school, “La Escuela Universal” where they worked on their Spanish in small group settings with compassionate and talented Mexican teachers. Free days and after-noons after school were spent relaxing at the school or by exploring the city, including the main square, or “zócalo.” On weekends, the students went on excursions

to different states in Mexico including Oaxaca, Veracruz, Mexico City, museums, scenic

areas, and archeological sites. Sarah Legried ’14 “re-ally liked how you could leave

photo credit: Raine Robichaud

Travelers stop to rest while they observe the sights of Cuernavaca.

your house and go into the middle of the city alone.” She also noted that the less glamorous moments of the trip were sometimes the most memorable: “Well, my favor-ite parts were usually the little things that we did. Such as, walking to school in the morning with my Mexican Mamá or drinking a Manzanita Sol.” Margaret Gra-ham ’14 commented on how fun it was to “dis-cuss the Mexican politics

in comparison to the U.S.” Students learned a lot about cultural and political dif-ferences around the world from Cuernavaca.

Another aspect about what made the experience unique was the constant expo-sure to the Spanish language—in the pandería (bakery), at the dinner table, on the TV, in nearby conversations, the immersion experience made a lasting impact on all the travel-ers. “The most satisfying thing on the trip was toward the end… when I had the ability to sit down for twenty minutes with my host mom and easily have a conver-sation with her,” says Simrun Uppal ’14. “I felt at ease talking to her and was proud to be able to get over that awkward language barrier.” Cuernavaca was an excellent cultural exchange and an unforgettable summer!

Hannah Randolph’13 watches a soccer game with a new friend.

Ned Hartfiel’13 heads to the field in Jokibu

with two admirers tagging along.

Catherine Alpeter’13 visits

with 3-year-old, Esta, on her

front porch.

s i e r r a l e o n e Students and faculty tell their stories of a two-week stay in Western Africa through photos

The group captures one last moment before they depart the villages.

Adele Watkins’13 leads her

class in a group activity.

Natalie Sill’13 with friend, Hawa.

Travelers share their experience in Cuernavaca

News4 The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

Renovation project valued at ten million

Charles VojtaContributing Writer

Ceremony commemorates 9/11 attacksHannah RiceStaff Writer

Stand Up Speak Out

Justice League is a group of students started last year that

is dedicated to social justice of all kinds, they deal with racism, homophobia, sexism, ageism, ableism or any other oppres-sion created in our community and surrounding areas. This year it’s stronger than ever. This summer we par-ticipated in a day-long leader-ship training along with SIACs, Forum, Student Judiciary Board, Community Service Board, and Cornerstone. We all worked together in the morning, and in the af-ternoon we separated into our own groups to work on goal-setting and to get ready for the beginning of the school year. Justice Leaguers learned about the “six steps to nonviolent so-cial change” as well as an 8-step change model. Now, we are work-ing on a safe schools for all

Early in the morning of Septem-ber 11 about fifty members of

the Blake community gathered in the Gordy Aamoth Jr Memorial Stadium to remember those who lost their lives exactly ten years ago in the 9/11 attacks. Gordon “Gordy” Aamoth ’88 worked for Sandler O’Neil and Partners investment banking firm on the 104th floor of the South Tower. He was only 32 years old when he died in the attacks.

Current and past Blake fac-ulty as well as students from all three campuses joined Aamoth’s friends and family to commemorate not only Gordy’s life but also the other 3,000 Americans who died that day. Emily Kahn ’13 participat-ed by reading an anonymous poem called “When All That’s Left of Me is Love…Give Me Away.” Kahn explains, “The cer-emony was very open and focused mainly on 9/11 as a whole. Gordy’s death really impacted the Blake com-munity.”

The stadium and Spirit Rock—10 tons of limestone split by a beam from the South Tower—remain on the Hopkins campus as a symbol of our memories and experiences with 9/11. “The ceremony gave me some closure,” Kahn says. “It’s not that you can really move on from this event, but at least be able to try to understand it. Participating made me feel very con-nected to Blake and our community.” The ceremony included poetry and music from Blake students and fac-ulty, and remarks from Head of School John Gulla and Aamoth’s family.

The Blake School has gone through many ambitious

renovations throughout its years, and these renovations that have shaped our campuses into enjoyable and invigorating settings. Recently, a committe proposed a major Hopkins cam-pus renovation. It would change the layout of the campus and pro-vide us with the proper setting to continue academic success. A multi-level parking

ramp would be added to coun-ter the lack of parking currently available, as well as a renovation to entryway to the drop-off zone. Additions would be added to both the Middle and Lower Schools, and the Art and Science Departments would both see renovations as well. Along the lines of ath-letics, the Blake will add an indoor gymnasium and field house, while adding two extra turf fields along with the exist-ing fields and adding more ten-nis courts on the upper level. Not included in the cur-rent plans, but still being con-

sidered, is the purchase of extra land surrounding the school to add even more fields and pos-sibly a Lifetime Fitness style in-door club. However, such an am-bitious plans requires massive amounts of funding, almost in excess of $10 million, and Blake is still in need of $8 million to be-gin construction. Due to a specific order in which the renovations must be completed, even with proper funding it would still take up to 20 years to complete all of the proposed renovations.

Courtesy of Hopkins Patch Newspaper

Dharani PersaudContributing Writer

Renderings of the Hopkins Campus with some of the proposed additions.

Diagram courtesy of Ken Nivala

While most of us were out enjoying the end of sum-

mer, a controvesy struck Plym-outh. The Northwest Islamic Community Center (NWICC) made an offer to purchase a post office in downtown Plymouth to be used as a religious commu-

Sophomore fights for mosque construction in PlymouthKarl LovaasPage Editor

nity center and worship space. This request has brought mixed feelings from the Plymouth com-munity. So, on August 23th, Fawaz Mohiuddin ’13 testified before the Plymouth City Coun-cil on behalf of the NWICC. After testimony from Mohiuddin and 30 other citi-zens, the city council approved

construction of a mosque at 3300 Plymouth Blvd., directly across from Plymouth City Hall. The site currently hous-es a post office. The USPS and the Northwest Islamic Commu-nity Center reached a tentative purchase agreement earlier this year, but the City Council needed to give final approval before a re-ligious institution began operat-

Orchestra teacher Kate Kowalkoski preforms behind Spirit Rock.

initiative, hoping to reach out to schools in the Minneapolis, Rochester, and Duluth areas. This idea is called Stand Up, Speak Out. Its target is bully-ing in all schools in Minnesota. Bullying of any kind is a common occurrence in both middle school and high school and our aim is to spread aware-ness and reduce its negative ef-fect on the lives of teenagers. Our hard work will cul-minate in a surprise event on

October 11th. Students will be able to sign a pledge, as well as hear anonymous stories of bullying. Right now we are still in the planning stages, but more details will come!

graphic by: Chloe Billadeau ‘11

Middle School MakeoverJustice League kicks off the year with a campaign on bullying; Event on October 11

ing within city limits. Most of the space is not being used at this post office, yet they will continue limited opera-tion at the site with a retail win-dow and P.O. boxes. Worshippers now must drive to Fridley or Hamel for Is-lamic services. Besides offering prayer services, the mosque and com-

munity center will operate youth tutoring services, family events, and charity drives. The Northwest Islamic Community Center organization was established in 2009 to “pro-vide Islamic education and ser-vices to the Northwest suburbs of the Twin Cities.”

Opinions 5The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

adequate work as superlative. Teachers know us as curious and imperfect indi-viduals rather than flawless, one-dimen-sional students. However, Blake parents often ask their children to achieve both aca-demic excellence and happiness without a single failure. This is an impossible ide-al. Blake parents expose their children to failure by placing them in an academi-cally rigorous school, but like the soccer parents, Blake parents too often mini-mize failure when it does occur. When a student scores poorly on a quiz, parents question the teacher’s style of instruction rather than the stu-dent’s effort. When a student complains that he or she does not have friends, par-ents immediately march into the dean’s office for an explanation. When a student does not make varsity, parents demand to talk to the coach. A parental safety net temporarily solves minor problems but leaves a student unprepared to handle his or her own problems in college. Students can help parents to un-derstand that achievement without fail-ure is impossible. Being responsible and transparent about academics is a good first step. When you receive a bad grade, do not immediately blame the teacher.

In a recent Atlantic Magazine article by Lori Gottlieb entitled, “How to Land

Your Kid in Therapy,” the author asserts that the practice of rewarding effort as equal to achievement has created a cul-ture of never-ending praise in America’s high schools and universities. Teachers stamp essays with positive generaliza-tions such as “Great Job!” in place of can-did feedback. Students are commended for completing homework as though the task is optional rather than an academic necessity. At Blake, there is grade deflation in comparison to most American high schools. Comments on papers help us to become better writers instead of praising

STAFF EDITORIAL: The merit of failure

The D A N G E R of STEREOTYPESWhen you walk into math class, your first

thought most likely isn’t that you’re a girl or that girls are supposedly bad at math. You’re probably not thinking, “Oh no, I’m black, and I have to prove that I’m smart.” At least not consciously. That’s the problem with stereotype threat; it’s an unconscious fear of living down to or not living up to stereotypes and not something we’re always aware of. Stereotype threat hinders a per-son’s performance abilities, which at a school like Blake, is practically a death sentence. So, beware, to all ye Blake students; stereo-type threat doesn’t affect just a few minority groups—everybody is subject to one stereo-type or another. Marie Michael oversaw the stereo-type threat training session for teachers. She said, “[Stereotype threat is] not limited to race or gender, but it has to do with whether there’s a stereotype out there… [In a situa-tion of stereotype threat,] your body has a re-sponse. It’s not just mental. Your mind is spin-ning and your working memory doesn’t work as well,” she explained. White students, for example, have been shown to do poorer when compared to Asian counterparts, yet performed better than African Americans of equal intellect. That’s another interesting point; stereotype threat doesn’t affect kids who don’t care for educa-tion. “This doesn’t affect someone who’s not

already high achieving… it’s those students, or those people, who actually fear being seen [as apart of] the stereotype about the larger group,” Michael said. With hallways filled with pictures of white male heads of school, students of color can feel very out of place. They tend to feel isolated, which may result in one less voice in a discussion. As an Asian-American student, I know how intimidating stereotypes can be. Everyone expects Asians to be extremely smart and to get only straight A’s. It puts a lot of pressure on me to perform bet-ter than others, and I frequently feel that I haven’t lived up to the stereotype. There’s hope, though! The most important thing to re-member is that just because the stereotype is there, doesn’t mean it’s right. It’s our job to steer classes and our subconscious away from these molds and real-ize that we’re more than just a stereotype. For example, after you read this article, try to come up with three important values that could define who you are. You may be surprised to find how little you fit a stereotype. Another suggestion is to reach out to freshmen, especially minorities, and let them know

JOBS BILL:

President Obama announced a new jobs bill recently that funds $447

billion to help ‘create’ jobs. But could this bill be dubbed as a second stimulus? With an unemployment rate at 9.1%, and jobless claims during a week in mid September rising to more than 420,000, jobs are now more crucially needed than ever. Republicans over the past week have tried to avoid the bill by all means, but to no avail. The new jobs created out of this bill are primar-ily construction jobs, putting people back in their old boots and jackets. The new American Jobs Act bill wants building, building, and more building. But these jobs are not per-manent, and once the project is com-pleted, the workers will leave the job site, and once again be unemployed. This was the case with jobs created by the stimulus bill. The stimulus bill only ‘stimulated’ busi-nesses for a limited time, then condi-tions returned to the same or worse than before due to layoffs and cut-backs. With the need of actual full time jobs in high demand, these con-struction and short-term blue-collar jobs are not what our country needs. As senator Rand Paul, R-KY, said, “Paying for another stimulus on the backs of job creators in the form of tax hikes is illogical.” President Obama says that the bill is entirely paid for, using tax hikes on corporate jets and other items that wealthy people take, as well as oil and gas loopholes. But how could recent tax cuts, and this new bill balance each other out? The result is the taxes grow-ing higher on Americans. Truth is, we need new jobs. With our unemploy-ment rate extremely high, and the pov-erty rate now at 1 in 6 people, demand is extreme. We need jobs that pay, and those that are actually full time. And we cannot afford to continue spending, with our debt ceil-ing temporarily solved, and our new limit only a few trillion dollars more. This jobs bill could possibly cause a new debate for the debt ceiling in the November 2012 election. The new jobs bill may be too much for us. With the amount of spend-ing being thrown into top gear, an-other $447 billion dollar spend-ing spree will add more to our debt and give us an uncertain future.

Connor SlocumContributing Writer

Beatrice LimContributing Writer

Find out why you did not score well and prepare accordingly next time. Tell-ing your parents how you will improve builds their confidence that you can man-age your own problems. Remind parents that your best effort does not always correlate to high achievement. Letting parents know that failure and disappointment are a part of life forces them to be more cognizant of unreasonably high expectations. Doing YOUR best is different than doing THE best, and the two will not always align. Finally, students need to recog-nize their parents’ intentions. Parents may live vicariously through their chil-dren. If so, they could see success and happiness in their kids lives, and feel more successful and happy in their own lives. This can be unhealthy for the child because the parent(s) may try to dictate what their kid does in order to correct failures in their own past. Parents and students can find a middle ground between achievement and happiness through honest dialogue. If parents recognize that failure is a nor-mal part of the learning process and stu-dents are transparent about how to im-prove, then nobody will need an artificial and patronizing safety net.

Unhealthy learning when expectations determine outcomes

Sometimes scolding can be better than supportingBOOM

or

BUST?

photo courtesy of The Atlantic

that what they’re dealing with isn’t a matter of race. Everyone suffers in freshman year. In fact, they’re still suffering. As a school, we’ve taken steps in the right direction, though this movement must continue for-ward. Blake is getting better at creating di-verse classrooms full of a more equal ratio of boys to girls, and one or two students of color. We have several clubs representing different cultures. These could be expanded and added to, in order to continue to make The Blake School a safe place to learn and thrive.

A except from American-Born Chinese (ABC), notorious from Sophomore English class

photo courtesy of: American-Born Chinese

Opinions6 The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

HOMECOMING?A. Yes B. NoC. “Somebody” already asked me? D. All of the aboveE. None of the above

Homecoming is not mar-riage. But, whenever that

big dance rolls around, the kids in our hallways go into some sort of panic mode. Who should I ask? Who is going to ask me? Should I say yes or no? Yes and no? Kind-of? When we get right down to it, it’s obvious that the pressure mounted on teens surround-ing these dances is absolutely insane. As a group, students are putting way too much em-phasis on the boring and obso-lete topic of dating. A dance is just three hours long and just because you go with a “date” doesn’t mean you actually have to “date.” When I first thought about the issue, my first instinct was to follow the unwritten Blake creed that someone should al-ways say yes. I mean, it’s just for three hours, and maybe ten pictures. But, as I thought about it more and more, I came to understand that saying yes just because you should is a meaningless and ultimately insincere gesture. It gives the person who invited false hope, and the person who accepted the invite is actually lying. In my opinion, if you don’t want

to go with someone, say no. But say no in a polite and respectful way. No long-winded excuses; just no. I don’t think that the person who invited you cares whether or not your grandma’s birthday is that night, or if you’re waiting for that special person to ask you, they’re only looking for one word. Yes or no. One of the biggest reci-pes for disaster is the big public “ask.” When you get half your grade to help you ask some-one, it makes it rather hard for that person to say no. I am the first to admit that I think asking somebody publicly can be totally adorable. I think its fun to get people involved. But when the public “ask” is used as a form of coercion; it loses all its adorable-ness and fun and becomes sort of creepy. Obviously, the answer the person gives when asked publicly may not be the answer they actually mean. Why would anyone want to attend a dance with someone who doesn’t even care for him/her? Even though Homecom-ing is not marriage, everyone should be honest and nobody should feel pressured into going with someone they don’t want to go with; even if it is only three hours and not “until death do us part.”

Anna LeslieStaff Writer

We have to recognize that this is high school. And

like guys of any age, guys in high school sometimes do crazy, irra-tional stunts around girls. Some stunts may be degrading to the young ladies, but they are nor-mally not meant to be supercil-ious. A guy asks a girl to Homecoming. Asking it publicly is Blake’s code of conduct and it greatly diminishes the chance of rejection. It also creates a lot for excitement for Homecoming. The whole purpose of this grand gesture loses its value as soon as a girl is permitted to take back her answer afterwards. I understand the so-cial pressure the girls may feel

during this situation. Hopefully, in the future girls will have the courage to say no right at the outset. But just because you re-gret your initial answer doesn’t mean you can go around the code of conduct and change a yes into a no. That just destroys a guy and might avoid one bad Homecoming, but, it doesn’t teach a lesson to stand up for oneself even in the face of a crowd and say, “NO!” Certainly girls have the ability and right to stand up for themselves. But, a girl shouldn’t hurt a guy by publicly promising to go to the dance with him and retracting that promise later. Just think: What if a guy did the same thing when asked to Sa-dies?

Homecoming: Former student speaks out

When “Yes” is Insincere; it Should be “No”

SURVEY R E S U L T S

Gucky Christenson ‘11

Do you think a male or female being asked to a dance the right to say no?

Do you feel there is social pressure to say yes?

Should the Blake School consider moving away from the “dating format”?

Have you ever wanted to say no and felt you couldn’t/shouldn’t?

Why do you think there is social pressure to say yes?

“That’s just how the Blake School works. If you don’t say yes the other person will feel bad and then everyone finds out, it’s a small community.”

“because it is the thing to do and it seems like everyone does it and if you don’t, its still ok but you seem cooler if you have a date.”

“There is an unwritten rule to say yes. I don’t think it’s an awful thing because usually it makes everyone less scared to ask someone, which I think is healthy. However it’s not unheard of to say no, so i think it’s a healthy balance.“

Results and statistics are a product of a survey taken by 163 Blake Students, from all grades.

Opinions 7The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

A Rebuttal to the Parents Action League

Clare FlanaganStaff Writer

Nine teenage suicides in one year. Imagine the seismic

impact that such events would have here at Blake, or at any other school. The deaths oc-curred mere miles away in the Anoka-Hennepin school district, the largest in the state of Minne-sota. The students were judged for their behavior and their clothing, especially if it de-fied gender norms or suggested that the students might identify as lesbian or gay. As it turns out, the area in which the district lies is represented by politicians with prominent anti-gay agen-das, such as current presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. Not surprisingly, three of the sui-cide victims were gay. Yet here comes the real shocker: throughout all this, no

adult or authority figure stood up to protect these kids. Not because they didn’t want to, but because they couldn’t. The Anoka-Hennepin school district has a neutrality policy in place that prohibits teachers and oth-er staff from discussing sexual orientation in the classroom. It’s unfathomable, but this includes intervening when a student is being mistreated for being or seeming gay. Not without reason, ac-cording to Laurie Thompson, the chairwoman of a citizens’ group called the Parents Action League. “[The policy] keeps our school focused on the unbiased teach-ing of academics and prevents anyone from using children as pawns for social change,” she noted in a recent petition in sup-port of the rule. After all, “homo-sexual behavior exposes partici-pants to many life-threatening health risks,” and “the classroom

environment needs to be solely focused on academics.” Seriously, Mrs. Thomp-son? The “unbiased teaching of academics” seems like a noble goal. But it’s baffling that this woman can value lack of bias so highly and still spout a homo-phobic message under the guise of protecting the children of the school district. Well, who would want their child to be used as

Welcome to the Land of Im-migrants. Where, those

who wish to escape racial preju-dice can seek solace in Life, Lib-erty, and the Pursuit of Happi-ness. Where, the religion of any man, woman, or child is not a

factor in deciding as to whether or not they can partake in any of the given roles of an American citizen. Not anymore. And yet, as one who finds thrill in the pursuit of jus-tice, who finds that it is in fact moral, and not religion, that should in part constitute the way by which we view others, and who seeks to understand that which I have not experienced, I am obliged to ask: Why did this all change? Let’s be a bit honest with ourselves. On that Tuesday, what went through your head? Prejudice? Disgust? Vengeance? Or, were you too young? I don’t even remember what I was do-ing that day, so I couldn’t blame you. A 6 year old shouldn’t feel that sort of emotion. And, in all truth, I was one of the lucky few that didn’t. Between September 11th and September 17th, 645 assaults, shootings, harassment cases, death threats, vandal-ism, and arson cases were all

documented. A Sikh was killed in Arizona because of his beard and turban. Apparently, accord-ing the murderer, he looked like a “towelhead,” and it was his ob-ligation to kill him because Mr. Roque (the perpetrator) “[stood] for America all the way!” For the next 8 years, anyone dark enough to match the leather on their passports was given a one-way ticket through a gauntlet of humiliation and bureaucratic id-iosyncrasy. The saddest part is that it wasn’t only one party that was affected. It wasn’t so much a sim-ple a case of racial prejudice as it was pure hatred. As a backlash to cultural prejudice, a young boy was stabbed 15 times by a group of Pakistani Muslims. Perhaps what frus-trates me the most is what this means for our generation. If anything, the economic and po-litical events of our time will have shaped us. With the onset of augmented racial profiling came the first black president of

The United States. With the col-lapse of Bear Sterns and Lehman Brothers came the advent of the BRIC countries. However, with all of this, there comes a lack of identity. Then again, I shouldn’t be telling you anything new. Ev-eryone’s scared on both sides of the fence. As a schoolmate once told me, “The white people will al-ways be scared of us. In fact, we’ll never stop being scared of them. That’s why we lose [our culture]; we act like them, talk like them, eat like them, and even believe that we are them.” Our identi-ties became the instruments by which a vast majority of “ABCD’s” (American Born Confused Die-sis) would utilize to comply with survival of the fittest. At school, I complain about homework, gos-sip about the oddities of anyone over the age of 21, talk about girls, and fantasize about music. Outside, a book will never touch the ground. Don’t date before you’re 18. A teacher’s word is the scripture of gold and revelation.

Music won’t pay the bills. Your identity becomes a mere prod-uct of your surroundings. You tread the gauntlet carefully. You become a diplomat. It comes to a point where you stop missing ‘home’, not because you’re far away, but because the doors to your own house are locked, the keys changed, the shape unfamiliar, the texture rough. Your passport doesn’t reflect who you truly are, but neither does your ex-perience. I was lucky to only be called “Oreo” with affection. It was a cold, wintery day. Reagan International Air-port smelled of icy diplomacy. No one knew each other. Al Jazeera, Fortune, and The Econo-mist bounded the numb satchel. His uncertainties were evident. “You speak good English. Are you an American?”I could only afford a frigid smile.“I’m not sure: Am I?”

a pawn? And who would want them to be exposed to examples of unhealthy “behavior?” Note that she uses the word “behav-ior,” as if being homosexual is a choice. As if gay kids could “help

Above All Else, Freedom: A quest for self-preservation in light of national tragedyInder Majumdar

Staff Writer

This article is the product of opinion. Any comments and questions can be emailed to the author, and could be subject to discussion in sub-sequent articles published under this column. Should you wish that the author not discuss your question or comment, please notify him appropriately in your email. Please note that this article was written with the intent to spark discussion, not support one specific opinion on an issue.

it.” As if it’s not okay. Indeed, the neutral-ity policy is far from neutral, far from maintaining the balance its innocuous title suggests. Instead, it perpetuates a poisonous and hate-filled status quo, one that has made the Anoka-Hennepin school district one of the most dangerous places in America to be different, to be gay. It prevents hate and inequity from being challenged, and because of this,

> > > > >Far From Neutral

“ allows homophobia to flourish. It values pandering to a political agenda over the safety and well-ness of innocent children. The neutrality policy doesn’t protect kids and improve their learn-

ing experience, as Thompson claims. Rather, it fosters a toxic environment in which students who don’t appear “normal” lead miserable lives. So miserable, in fact, that they would choose to kill themselves. It is unthinkable. It simply must change. Certainly, the real way to protect the kids of Anoka-Hennepin is not to maintain this “gag rule”, to put a stopper on issues that the school board doesn’t like. The real way is to intervene, to educate, to act. To challenge the bully calling a classmate “fag”. To teach chil-dren to be kind, to accept each other for what they are. All of these initiatives require that the district’s stringent neutrality rules be broken. And so what? If adults and children could both speak up – because they wanted to, because they were allowed to – some of those nine kids might still be alive.

It perpetuates a poisonous and hate-filled status quo, one that has made the Anoka-Hennepin school district one of the most danger-ous places in America to be different, to be gay.”

I N D E R S P E C T I V E :

8 The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

ALL ABOUTLunch at Blake

Paul Babel joins Blake staff as new head chef

Freshmen aren’t the only new addition to the lunchroom

Rachel HertzbergContributing Writer

This year, the upper school gained a new executive chef, Paul Babel, whom I met

with in his office by the cafeteria. “My opin-ion of the Blake lunches is [that] you guys get a lot more choices than other schools, and that adds to the color and nutrition,” he says.

Babel spent six years at the Blake middle school, and he’s excited to be able to serve food that younger students won’t eat. He says upper schoolers are willing to try a variety of foods, and this allows him “to add some more color” to meals. Babel has worked at Taher Food Services (the company that provides Blake’s food) for eleven years. Before that, he was a chef at the Eden Prairie City Center.

Blake lunches are “a lot more nutrition oriented” than at other schools, Babel says. “They are a rarity because of all the choic-

es.” For instance, his daughter, who goes to school in Hopkins, sometimes comes home hungry because her school lunches don’t have anything she will eat.

Asian is Babel’s favorite style of food, and in the upcoming year, students may see evidence of his love for fresh flavors. “I like Vietnamese style. Fresh mint, fresh lettuce, star anise.” Many students have already no-ticed how Babel enjoys mixing unexpected foods, for a fun effect. Examples include a dish with both plantains and beef, and a lunch that included Chinese peppers and broccoli knishes.

Babel reflected on how he became a chef. “When I graduated high school I knew already I wanted to be a chef, so I became acquainted with the food service industry at seventeen, eighteen years old. I expected I’d have to work really hard,” says Babel. “It’s re-ally hard work, [but] really fun.”

Senior shares his reasons to love lunch at Café Blake

Colorful meals: a good reason to stay at school for lunch

James ThorntonContributing Writer

Lunch is a central part of the collective weekday experi-

ence here at the Blake school. Over the summer, I worked at Lunds grocery and then traveled to France, the culinary capital of the world. The reason I mention this is not solely to impress the gourmets here at Northrup but to talk about the Blake school lunch program.

As we gather over a warm meal together, we can a step back from the chaos that can mark our beloved Northrup. The nu-merous daily meal options, truly healthful qualities and delicious taste of the food make our pro-gram exceptional, especially when compared to the horrific descriptions of the widely feared public school lunch. This is not to mention the incredible staff here at Blake, who not only make our meals everyday but also go out of their way to be extraordinari-ly friendly and helpful.

At the core of lunch is first and foremost the food. However accomplished a staff might be, whatever the nutrition of a meal, it is all for naught if the elements of a fine meal are overlooked. These include aesthetic presen-tation, balance within the dish, proper cooking of the ingredi-ents, purposeful texture and of course overall taste.

The challenge of fine cook-ing becomes apparent when one considers the gravity each individual item on this long list can have on a meals success or failure. This is the unique dif-ficulty of preparing food, espe-cially considering our chefs do it day after day, changing the menu

constantly to keep it exciting.Evidence is central to con-

vincing any audience here at Blake, so prepare for a veritable highlight reel of our chef’s cook-ing prowess, as I take you into the best of Blake lunch.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Tar-tine. Deceptively simple, this dense, open faced sandwich will have you leaping out of your seat for seconds as soon as you taste it. A foundation of bread houses a layer of boneless chick-en topped with Swiss cheese. It simply doesn’t need anything else.

The Jamaican Style Corned Beef, authenticated with real sweet fried plantains and a side of saffron rice, is a newcomer to this list. The balance made between the delicate yet flavor-ful saffron rice, thickly cut salty corned beef and soft sweet plan-tains creates a memorable meal that is not often seen here in the United States; certainly not in any other school lunch program.

The Tamale bake is a new take on a classic Mexican dish, with a smoky spice that warms you as its hearty texture quickly satisfies the most ravenous of appetites. It is covered casse-role-style with a thick layer of corn bread, which blankets the underlying taco-style beef that gives the meal its flavor. It is seri-ous comfort food, a perfect game day meal.

So Upperclassmen, do we really need to eat out every day with such delicious (and pre-paid) meals? And Underclass-men, should you really eat the same boring pizza every day? I urge you all, take some initiative and taste what the chefs at Café Blake have to offer. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Above: Paul Babel grills many delicious steaks for lunch in the Otis Courtyard.photo credit: Lucia Sandberg

In Depth 9

This June, the classic food pyramid, displayed in cafeterias and on cereal

boxes alike, received a makeover adminis-tered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The new “pyramid” is actually mod-eled after a plate and has been divided into sections to represent what portion of each meal should be made up of the differ-ent food groups (i.e., protein, fruits, grains, vegetables, and dairy). The old shape of the pyramid was difficult for many to un-derstand. It wasn’t visually clear how food

groups should be portioned for each meal. The USDA encourages smaller por-

tions in general and recommends balanc-ing calories by “enjoy[ing] your food, but eat[ing] less.” The USDA also urges Ameri-cans to forego a sugary, carbonated drink and opt for water instead. Grains should be whole grains, and milk should be fat-free or low-fat.

The goal of the new food plate (pic-tured to the left) is to encourage Ameri-cans to eat much healthier, smaller por-tions by providing a clearer visual model. With obesity rates in the United States skyrocketing, (over 1/3 of Americans are overweight) the new plate is certainly a worthwhile effort.

From complex pyramid to comprehensible plateClassic food pyramid receives a makeover

From three cheese tortellini to hot dogs, stuffed pep-

pers to French toast, it is no secret that Café Blake lunches are full of different, delicious options. But the real question is: are these options healthy?

When I walk into the lunchroom I see multiple sta-tions with different varieties of food. There is a salad bar, a sandwich station, two differ-ent hot entrees and a dessert

bar. With all of this food there has to be something healthy here, right?

Café Blake does a good job of keeping meals healthy and appetizing by providing many different options so that students are bound to find something they can eat. Although some of the lunches served at Blake seem like they could be high in calories and pretty unhealthy, the reality is that Café Blake strives to create delicious meals using the most natural and healthy ingredients.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pepperoni pizza may not sound like the healthiest meal, but at Café Blake, students can choose wheat bread instead of white and pizza crust is made out of whole wheat dough which is much more healthy than any-thing Pizza Hut is serving.

Some students may feel like we are getting the short end of the school lunch stick when they hear that public schools serve their students McDonalds, Jimmy Johns, and Chipotle for lunch. However,

the reality is that the food at Café Blake tastes just as good as those chain restaurant meals with about half of the calories.

It is up to students to make lunches as healthy, or as unhealthy, as they want them to be. When asked about lunches at Blake, Upper School Director Anne Gray-beal stated, “Blake lunches are as healthy as you make them. I myself had two slices of cheeseburger pizza today whereas I could have had tor-tellini and a salad. But, all in

all, Café Blake has more, and healthier, lunches than any-where I have ever taught.”

It is clear that we all di-vulge ourselves now and then with the tasty meals Café Blake serves (even if they aren’t the healthiest option), but with such a large variety of food available, it isn’t hard to find something healthy, and tasty, to eat.

Cathryn GrotheContributing Writer

Whole wheat, natural ingredients offer nutritious options to studentsHow healthy are Blake lunches?

Lucia SandbergPage Editor

Fresh vegetables like asparagus, green beans, and beets are all available at Café Blake. Protein-rich salmon is a healthy and delicious option for students.

Right: juniors Ned Hartfiel ‘13 and Chris-topher Chute ‘13 prepare a tasty salad together at the Café Blake salad bar.

source: USDA

“ ”

A&E10 The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

Molly AppleStaff Writer

FLASHBACK TO THE80sWith all this recent talk of

remaking films such as Footloose, everyone’s wonder-ing if Hollywood’s just plain run-ning out of ideas. Remakes are a tricky thing. If done in the right way they can come off as a clever imaginat ive spin-off of the original, but veer too far from or even to close to the original story and there’s a potential disaster. When asked about re-makes she remembers of the 80s, Stacy Helmbrecht-Wilson said, “remaking some movies can be cool, but when movies are so good remaking them can ruin it.” She also said, “The second movie has to be as good or better than the first and if you can’t pull that off then you shouldn’t remake it.” When asked why 80s movies are so popular to remake, Patrick Barry says, “The eight-ies were so good that everyone wants to keep reliving them.” Anne Graybeal says,

While Footloose may seem like just another dance flick, the movie prompts discussion on topics such as the nature of remakes, teen rebellion, even dance culture at Blake

“On a commercial standpoint, musical remakes caption the zeitgeist around programs like Glee, High School Musical or Scrubs.” She explains, “People are finding ways to speak to whatever contemporary need it is that’s making us gravitate towards musicals by making remakes of great old films.”

F o o t -loose, com-ing out Oc-tober 14th starring Ken-ny Wormald and Julianne

Hough, is about a city kid who tries to adapt to life in a very conservative Midwestern town. The town has outlawed pub-lic dancing and rock & roll, but once Wormald’s character Ren MacCormack arrives, he leads the teenagers into a rebellion against the town. Will this musi-cal remake have even the slight-est chance up against the origi-nal? We’ll have to wait and see. With a history of musi-cal remakes, there is also a his-tory of films about adolescent struggles between freedom, rules that adults have made, and

what society says is or isn’t okay. Graybeal reflects on the commu-nity decision of banning grinding when she says, “Every adult who has seen Footloose [1984] agrees with the teens that they should express themselves, but if we use Footloose as a parallel for what’s

happening at Blake, it makes the parents and teachers look like the bad guys when they’re re-ally making their decisions in the best interest of the students.” If, at the end of the day, movie remakes give a reminder of the social values we rely on, or

1984 2011

a topic to discuss with our teach-ers and parents who loved the original, then the more remakes the better. Before seeing the re-make, watch the original and we’ll see if it’s enough of a foot-tapper compared to the first.

Next month’s Footloose is not the only 80s film receiving remake treatment - in addition to last year’s The Karate Kid and Clash of the Titans, the coming years will bring us new ver-sions of classics like Red Dawn, War Games, Poltergeist, Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters and even Dirty Dancing photos courtesy of beyondhollywood.com

and wildaboutmovies.com

Kit KaminskiContributing Writer

Fall Into Fashion

Fall is the best season for fash-ion—from wearing shorts

through September or fabu-lous jackets through October and November, it is the per-fect time to flaunt your style! This fall, don’t be afraid to strut your stuff in leop-ard apparel or a maxi skirt. Dress up simple outfits with great accessories like chande-lier earrings and skinny belts. Also, bright color blocking, if you chose a per-fect palate, can help you hold on to your summer glow. As the warmer tem-peratures start to fade, pair bell bottom jeans or wide leg pants with short boots. This in-creases your height and adds length to your legs without

Some autumnal fashion tips from a Blake fashionistathe need for tall stilettos. Make sure the length of your flared pants fits correctly, so the large silhouette isn’t distracting. As well as pairing short boots with wide leg pants, try them with retro pleats on skirts and sharp collars on shirts. Pleats and collars are never wrong for fall; they pro-vide a clean, polished look that is so easy to mix with a great leather or bomber jacket. Pencil skirts are an-other garment coming back into style this season—wear them with sheer tights and boots to make the trend more casual. Try adding psychedelic furs to simple outfits as the winter rolls around. Also, be noticed with standout gloves—they are stylish, memorable, and per-fect for chilly temperatures. Make sure to pair all

the trends with another gar-ment in a great fall color. Or-ange is the essential hue! Fit orange into your fall wardrobe, as it is radiant and a traditional autumn tone. Another amazing tone for fall is plum; add it in to your look with a cozy sweater or handbag. Some other good shades for fall are deep teal, coffee, cedar and honeysuckle. Step out of your box and try these trends! For the brave fashionista, the biggest trend of the season is polka dots. Mix them in by wear-ing a polka dot trapeze blouse that you can easily pair with jeans, as it is a loud print. Missoni for Target is now available and are a great ways to get your prints into your daily style. Don’t be afraid of color and pattern this fall—embrace the fun!

It makes the parents and teachers look like the bad guys

Color Blockingphotos courtesy of style.com’s Trend Report

Skinny Belt

Polka Dots

TREND ALERT!

A&E 11The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

Adelaide WintonContributing Writer

With so many shows on television claiming they

find America’s true vocal tal-ent, it’s hard to decide what to watch. American Idol, The X Factor, and The Voice all have one thing in common; they are seeking to find the most talent-ed singers in the country. While these shows have similar ideas, it’s the differences that matter. The X Factor is a new show that premiered on Fox last week. Simon Cowell, a former Idol judge known for his harsh criticism, is both a producer and a judge on this show. The X Factor is not only looking for solo artists, but also musical groups, and there is no age limit. Along with Cowell, the other judges include Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid, and Nicole Scherzinger, each of whom is assigned a different group to mentor. The winner of The X Factor will receive a $5 million record deal with Cowell’s record label, Syco Music (Sony Music). The Voice aired its first season this year on NBC, and will return for it’s second season on April 26, 2012. This show works

in three stages, the first being the blind audition, in which con-testants sing to the judges, who can’t see them, forcing them to judge singers only on their sound. The judges include Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Christina Aguilera. The winners are mentored for the battle stage and singers are eliminated until 4 contestants are left and the audience votes on who will be the winner, which last season was Javier Colon. “American idol has been overplayed and The Voice has a new concept,” says Callahan Vertin ’15. “I like that the judg-es can’t judge the contestants based on their appearance.” American Idol has been running for ten seasons straight and will start up again on January 22, 2012 on Fox. In this show, sing-ers perform each week in front of a panel of judges which currently consists of Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, and Randy Jackson, with Ryan Seacrest hosting the show. Viewers vote and one singer is eliminated each

week until only one singer is left: the winner, which last season was Scotty McCreery. American Idol is one of the highest-rated television shows in history, but its popularity may be dwindling. According to Babs Laco ’13, “American Idol used to be really good, but it has gotten worse over the years and it should have ended years ago. To be honest, I didn’t know it was still on TV.” All three show will all be airing new seasons this year, and it will be interesting to watch and see the results of each of these shows. Each show gives singers the opportunity to be the next musical breakout star. Watch them and see who will be in the TV buzz this year.

Does X-Factor have the “it” factor?Students weigh in on their favorite reality TV singing competitions and how Simon Cowell’s new show, The X-Factor, will match up

CAPRICORNDecember 23 -- January 20Try to loosen up a bit and have more fun, Capricorn! You tend to be very professional, which is good, but there are so many exciting things going on in the fall—you should try to enjoy them!

AQUARIUSJanuary 21 -- February 19You tend to be very shy and quiet in public but loud and eccentric with friends. Try to bring that energy out in the open more as you will be able to feel positive, new energy during the full moon(s) in the middle of October because, like Aquarius Shakira, your hips don’t lie.

PISCESFebruary 20 -- March 20Pisces tend to be very under-standing, so talk to a friend who needs you next month. One lucky Pisces will also find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow… you know who you are.

ARIESMarch 21 -- April 20

This month you will feel like singing as some other Aries include Celine Dion, Fergie and Mariah Carey. Perhaps try making a YouTube channel to show off that talent—you could become the next Cathy-May15, WAYHO!

TAURUSApril 21 -- May 21One of the charismatic marks of Taurus is to be solidly built, with big bones and a tendency to gain weight. Fret not: lay off the Twinkies and use these traits to hit the gym and excel in your sport and you will be very pleased with the results.

GEMINIMay 22 -- June 21Like your Gemini symbol, the twins, you will be able to accomplish many things this fall—it will be like there are two of you! Although, I hate to interrupt the good vibes, I’m gonna let you finish but, like fellow Gemini Kanye West, you might find that your personal filter is out of order.

CANCERJune 22 -- July 22Just like fellow Cancer Khloe Kardashian, you will find yourself to be very outgoing this month. In social situations you may find yourself to be the center of attention, so use that outgoingness and get down with your friends!

LEOJuly 23 -- August 21Your ruling planet is the sun, so make sure you soak up the last of it in the next couple weeks. Even though your symbol is the mighty lion, you may be feeling more like a cougar this fall like fellow Leo Madonna, so maybe step back and take a look into yourself. Me-owww.

VIRGOAugust 22 -- September 23Try to come out of your shell a little bit, Virgo. If you push yourself, you might have a very fun time! Fellow Virgo Charlie Sheen revealed his true self and look at how far it got him! Winning.

LIBRASeptember 24 -- October 23Your zodiac sign is the scales, which means you are very bal-anced and levelheaded. Your element is air, so get outside and get some fresh air so you can maintain your balance.

SCORPIOOctober 24 -- November 23Your opposite sign Taurus is feeling quite chatty this month so make sure to keep your secrets to yourself. And, like fellow Scorpio Matthew Mc-Conaughey, others may find you to be very annoying this month so check yourself before you wreck yourself.

SAGITTARIUSNovember 24 -- December 22As Sagittarius’s tend to be outgoing and extroverted, use these positive traits to talk to others who may be shy. Be sure to pay attention in class this fall too, because there are many new things to learn and you tend to not love details.

Sully “Missus Wanda” WhitelyStaff Writer

HOROSCOPES

photo courtesy of charlesblog.allalla.com

“Better than Sweet Martha’s!”These cookies are super thin and super chewy. The dough stores well in the refrigerator for a few days, and as an added bonus, there are no eggs, so the dough can safely be eaten raw. This recipe makes enough dough for 2-3 dozen cookies.

Total Time: 40 minutesHands-on Time: 20 minutes.

What you’ll need:At least two 12 by 15 inch bak-ing sheetsParchment paperElectric mixerWire cooling racks

Ingredients1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room tempera-ture1/2 cup firmly packed light

Anna EhrlichStaff Writer

brown sugar1/3 cup granulated sugar3 tablespoons water1/2 teaspoon vanilla1 cup all-purpose flour3/4 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt1 cup Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chunks* (6 oz.)

*These chocolate chips have a flatter shape, and therefore bake better than regular choco-late chips.

Preparation1. With an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and granu-lated sugar until well blended, 1-2 minutes. Beat in 3 table-spoons water and the vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.2. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat gradually into butter mixture

until well incorporated. The dough will be slightly runny. If dough is still warm, refrigerate for a few minutes so chocolate chips do not melt. If it is at room temperature, stir in chocolate chips.3. Drop dough in 1-tablespoon portions, 2 inches apart, onto cool 12 by 15 inch baking sheets lined with parchment paper.4. Bake in a 300° oven for about 10-12 minutes, then rotate pans for another 4-6 minutes. Cookies should be a pale golden color, but not shiny. They may appear slightly underdone, but the texture will be softer and chewier.5. Let cookies stand on baking sheets for 1-2 minutes, then transfer onto wire cooling racks using a wide spatula. Store cookies in airtight container once cooled for up to two days.

Photo courtesy of Anna Ehrlich

The judges of this year’s X-Factor

Science/Technology12 The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

The Blake IndexJake BarczakPage Editor

Kilograms of resources daily used by the average American : 88

By the average European : 43

Average number of trees that a single porcupine kills in one year : 100

Gallons of water that are consumed daily by a 500-meagwatt coal energy plant : 3,000,000

Gallons used for cooling the plant : 300,000,000

Acres of tropical forest that are destroyed every minute: 60

Amount, in tons, of paper used by Americans annually: 50,000,000

Percentage of the world’s population for which the U.S. accounts : 5

Percentage of the world’s oil that the U.S. consumes: 25

Of the world’s copper : 15

Minimum number of pieces of junk mail that are delivered in the U.S. every four years :

400,000,000,000

Approximate number of stars in the universe : 400,000,000,000

Approximate number of weeks it takes to manufac-ture, fill, sell, recycle and remanufacture an aluminum

beverage can : 6

Percentage of U.S. waste for which products account : 75

Gallons of water used to refine each gallon of gaso-line in the U.S. : 4.7

Gallons of gasoline consumed in the United States each day : 386,000,000

Steve Jobs retires from CEO at AppleChief excecutive officer Tim Cook now heads the mas-sive corporation

In a world where corporate greed runs amok, and cyni-

cism is ever present, only a small fraction of corporations have been operating in the correct way. One of these corporations that has from the beginning set an example as a leading inno-vator in portable electronics is Apple Incorporated. While the departure of Steve Jobs certainly is an unfor-tunate event, it only marks the end of one phase in the history of the company. Steve Jobs had always said that he would step down if he could “no longer meet his du-ties and expectations as Apple’s CEO.” It appears that his case of pancreatic cancer has finally gotten the best of him. He was first diagnosed with the disease in 2004 and after a recent string of medi-cal operations, including a liver transplant; he has decided that he can no longer be a beneficial contributor to the company. While many fans of Apple’s products may disagree, it is comforting to know that he has will still have a high position within the company: Jobs has now been named the chairman of Apple’s Board of Directors, and will still play a major role in supervising the direction of the company. Jobs’ retirement does not mean that we will cease to

Noah AbramovitzStaff Writer

see awe-inspiring products such as the iPad or the iPhone, nor that Apple Incorporated will run into the ground (though their stock did right after Jobs retired). Jobs heartily endorsed the appointment of long time number-two-man Tim Cook as the CEO. Cook has already had much experience at the top, hav-ing filled in for Jobs during his numerous medical leaves of ab-sence. Everyone seems to recog-nize the fact that Cook has been given a seemingly impossible role to fill. Arguably, he needs to be able to replace one of the brightest business visionaries the world seen. In this day, with competing software such as Win-dows 7 for computers and the

Android technology for smart-phones, Apple has reached a crossroads. For the past five years it has been dominating the tech-nology market, pioneering the most intricate and advanced computer hardware and soft-ware. Apple has always put their faith in Steve Jobs, trusting him to lead the company to the top, and right now the worry is understandable. But, according to Steve Jobs they have nothing to fear. In a letter from Jobs to the Apple Board of Directors and the he said, “I believe Apple’s bright-est and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.”

photo courtesy of: flickr.com

Spectrum Staff

Page Editors:

Business Managers:

Staff Writers:

Editors In-Chief: Bailey Dunning & Bennett Winton

Emily MoorePatrick Dunphy

Karl LovaasLucia Sandberg

Jonah SandyJake Barczak

Nolan LindquistEve Liu

Laine Higgins

Student Life:News:Opinions:In-Depth:A&E:Sci/Tech:

Features:Sports:

Alex FeldmanCharles Vojta

Anna EhrlichSully Whitely

Noah AbramovitzHaley Holsather

Iman PakzadClaire Carpenter

Lauren Rondestvedt

Adviser: Anna Reid

Mission Statement: The primary purpose of the Blake School Spectrum is to report news and to explain its meaning and significance to our readers and the community. We hope to inform, entertain and provide a school forum for the unrestricted exchange of ideas and opinions.

Letters to the Editor: Disagree with something that’s in the paper? Have an opinion you want to share? Like to draw editorial cartoons? Take a stand and speak out. Email letters or editorial cartoons to spectrum@blakeschool.org or deliver them anonymously in room 351. Please limit letters to 400 words.

Join Spectrum: Spectrum meets every Tuesday in room 351 during both lunches. Come if you are interested in writing, drawing, designing or taking pictures for our newspaper.

Photographer:Nicky Christensen

Graphic Designer:Kevin Hayes

Sanjana SrivastavaMargaret GrahamRaine Robichaud

Hannah RiceAnna Leslie

Clare FlanaganMolly Apple

said Trockman. “And as water moves through [the floating is-lands], the [lake’s water] qual-ity should improve as it heads out to the Mississippi river. So we are almost using that lake [as a water treatment facility]”. “If…we do the water

quality test [every year], we can see if the water...of [Spring Lake] gets better over time.”

Science/Technology 13The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

Spring Lake Park back on the mapLocal park on the rebound

Haley Holsather

Staff Writer

Photo Credit: Iman Pakzad

Over the course of the sum-mer, Spring Lake, Blake’s

largely unknown and ignored neighbor, underwent a project to reduce pollution and renew natural beauty. “[My environ-mental sciences class has been]

going out onto the lake [for sev-eral years], especially in win-ter, and taking samples…” said Dan Trockman, who teaches environmental sciences at the

upper school, “…and [the lake] exhibits some strange behavior.” Spring Lake is nestled between Kenwood Parkway and Interstate 394 and is not easily visible to passersby, due to the dense thickets of invasive buck-thorn plants surrounding it. The lake was designated as a wildlife refuge in 1983, and since then, its

condition has de-teriorated. “From the neighborhood we get what are called nutrient pollutants, so ni-trates and phos-phates from fer-tilizer . . . So over the years, the lake has just spiraled to lower and low-er water quality,” says Trockman. Plans to clean up the troubled

lake have existed for more than a decade, as it is a tributary of the Mississippi. Today, an emerging technology has been

Geocaching: the hobby of the future?GPS devices empower armchair magellans

the hobby was still young, par-ticipants repeated the mantra: “if you hide it, they will come” to encourage novices to hide their own caches. Now caches have been hidden in almost every nook and cranny imaginable. Some caches are very

well hidden, and re-quire out of the box thinking to discover. One cache requires typing a code into a public telephone to open a panel to the cache-compartment. In Palm Springs, California, a gigantic wooden post covered with shoes is a cache. In Austin, Texas, hob-byists have hidden a cache along “a spooky path”. Some practitio-

ners have tried a variation they call “reverse geocaching”. Fans take a box to a location where it will open and take the prize inside. There are even some caches nearby the Northrop Campus. Students are advised

Have you ever wanted to go on a treasure hunt? With

the right equipment, you can. For hobbyists, geocaching can be an adventurous outdoor trea-sure hunt. All a novice needs to get started is a GPS enabled device (e.g. an iPhone), which can be used to locate the coor-dinates where a “cache” is hid-den. The game is simple: find the cache, sign a logbook, and re-place whatever you take with something of equal or greater value. “Caches” can be all sorts of objects, from a 35 mm film canister to a large bucket. Some are simple plastic containers while others are camouflaged. Geocaching began on May 3, 2000 as the “Great Amer-

Iman Pakzad

Staff Writer

ican GPS Stash Hunt”, when Dave Ulmer placed a black bucket in Beaver Creek, Oregon (near Portland) and posted the coor-dinates on the web. After just 3 days, two people had discovered it. Not long after, more and more people began hiding containers

of their own and posting their locations on the Internet. Soon, the pastime became known as “geocaching”, to avoid the possi-bly negative connotations of the word “stash”. Today, geocaching is a worldwide game. There are even caches in Antarctica. While Above: Iman’s second geocaching hint

Iman’s first geocaching hint. Photo Credit: Iman Pakzad

employed to aid in the cleanup. Floating treatment wet-lands, made by Montana’s Float-ing Island International were installed in the lake to naturally purify the water by mimicking the processes of a natural wet-land in a concentrated, man-

made package. Made of recycled plastic bottles, marine foam, and aquatic plantings, the float-ing islands are environmen-tally friendly and have played

an integral role in many wet-land renewal projects across the country and the world. Over time, naturally oc-curring microbes will come into contact with the porous island structure and adhere to it, creat-ing a “dynamic biofilm layer” de-

signed to consume nutrients in the water and rid it of pollutants. “Bacteria will grow on the [float-ing island] mesh and they will actually [convert] nitrates in the water into nitrogen in the air,”

to search the Sculpture Gar-den. On this page are two photo-graphic hints to help students find a cache near the school, called the SFEN Cache.Searching for a local geo-cache can be a great way to get some exercise, plan a hiking trip, examine beauti-ful scenery, or enjoy the out-

Photo Credit: Roderick Parks, courtesy of flickr.com.

Right: A “stan-dard” geo-cache.

Courtesy Of: Floating Island International.

Pollutants are consumed by microbes on this artificial island, improving water quality.

Photo Credit: Bill Colburn

Blake drawing students in Spring Lake Park

One student’s depiction of a trail near the lake.

doors with friends and family. I encourage you to take out your GPS device and start exploring!

Features14 The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

Exchange students at Blake Something extraordinary happens when people from different cultures join the ordinary life of America. High school is a crucial time in every-one’s life, and becoming an exchange student is a very unique experience. This year, as Blake welcomes four international exchange students,

each from a different country, let’s sit down with Spectrum and get to know them!

Interviewed by Hannah RiceWhat were your first impressions of the United States? Did it live up

to your expectations?My first impression would be that the US is a colorful and lively country. So far my ideas about the US have been quite true, probably because I had heard a good deal about it before. I also noticed that while people tend to be casual, they also dress

up for occasions.

What is your favorite new Ameri-can food? Favorite food back

home? Have you had to try any strange American dishes?

Wow, it’s hard to choose. If I had to pick one, I guess it would be peanut butter sandwich! I know it doesn’t sound good to everyone but I really enjoy it. My fa-vorite back home is ‘pho ga’, a popular Vietnamese dish; it’s sort of white noodle soup with chicken. The weirdest thing I’ve had to eat in the US is probably the deep fried pie, which I had at the Minne-

sota State Fair.

What is it like living with a host family?

My host family is wonderful! I have nev-er stayed abroad before so there are so many things I need to catch up with, and my host family has helped me a lot with it. They have introduced the American way of life to me but at the same time also made sure I feel comfortable and have a good time. It’s only been three weeks but

I feel like we’re already very close.

What sort of music do you listen to?

I like pop, alternative rock, electronic and sometimes hip hop. My all-time favorite is

Westlife, an Irish boyband.

Any hobbies?I love walking, drawing and singing.

Interviewed by Ly TrinhTell me about yourself.

I was born in Stockholm, Sweden and I’ve lived there my whole life. I’m actually also half Norwegian and I spend many of my vacations in our house there. During my free time I enjoy participating in several sports (mostly Nordic and alpine skiing but I also play soccer) and I’m very in-terested in politics. In Sweden, I attend a

small school similar to Blake.

Why did you decide to come to the US? So far what has been similar to and different from your country?

There are several reasons to why I chose to spend a year in the United States. Two of the more obvious reasons are that I want to improve my English and to meet new friends. But another main reason is that I was very tired of my Swedish school. I’ve been at the same school in Sweden for 6 years so I know everybody. Minnesota is in many ways similar to Sweden. The big-gest difference is that all teenagers drive

a car here.

How is Blake? Have you had any problems?

I absolutely love Blake, and I realized that the very first day at school. People are so friendly and the biggest problem was

finding my class on the first day.

Tell me about your host familyI’m staying with the Lindahls. They are very similar to my Swedish family and we’re getting along with each other very

well.

What do you wish to contribute to the Blake community?

I hope to contribute to the school teams in the sports I’m participating in. I also think that I can give another perspective to several topics in my social studies class

since I’m a foreign citizen.

Interviewed by Ly TrinhTell me about yourself: your home-

town, your hobbies, etc.My hometown is in Belgium, it’s a Flemish city. It’s a university city, like Boston in the states, it has many students. It is the first student city in Belgium and I have spent 12 years there. I love music, I listen to it all the time. My favourite is hip hop. I have a band in Belgium with some friends, and

we make rap songs.

What kind of sports do you like?I like group sports like soccer, basket-ball and baseball. I really enjoy fitness and working out; its one of my favourite

things to do.

So far what has been similar to and different from your country?

The biggest difference is probably the relationships between the teachers and students. It is really good, and the teach-ers are fantastic. Blake also uses more

technology.

What is your host family experience?My host mom is about 50 and my host dad is about 55. I feel very good in the family, I can do what I want and I feel like I am

already at home.

What do you wish to contribute to the Blake community?

I’m going to give a senior speech!

Is the weather similar?Very similar to Belgium

What are your plans for homecoming?I heard that you have to be smart so I will wear some nice clothes like everybody and my goal is to have fun with my friends. A junior asked me, Cariana Chambers

13’, so I am definitely going with her.

Interviewed by Karl Lovaas Tell me the basics.

I am from Munich, Germany. I have lived there my entire life. My mother is from Austria and my dad is from California. Many in the Blake community probably remember my older brothers Lucas (’08)

and Gucky (’11).

Did you play any school sports?There aren’t any school sports. It sort of surprises me how much time kids spend after school playing sports. Two hours a day after school would be very uncom-

mon in Germany and Austria.

Have you experienced any sig-nificant differences between your

school in Munich and Blake? Yes; the whole system is totally differ-ent. In Germany I had 12 subjects and here in the US I only have 6, but they are way more intense. Also, the grading sys-tem is totally different, you get way more opportunities to improve your grade here, whereas in Germany your grades are based off of exams and large papers. The teacher/student relationship is also different. In Germany, teachers usually refuse to take emails from students or parents. Here, the relationship feels much

more personal.

What are you looking to get out of this year abroad?

I want to improve my English and have it be my most fluent language. I also would like to get to know more people around the world and get new connections. Be-sides that, another goal is to improve aca-demically and take that back to Germany.

How are the girls at Blake?The girls at Blake are really nice. They are very friendly and smart! No gender barri-ers between boys and girls; they get along

much better.

Ly Trinh ‘13 Harald Eiken ‘13 Roger Ntawukulityayo ‘12 Nicky Christenson ‘14

photo credit: Karl Lovaas

Sports 15The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

Zahara KathawallaContributing Writer

Although it is common for athletes to munch on en-

ergy bars before practices and games alike, some energy bars are more harmful than helpful. Whether you are a pro athlete following in Serena Williams footsteps, or you just want a protein boost before climbing up

the three flights of steps to get to English class, it is important to know which sports bar best suits your needs. Sports bars can have a negative and positive affect on athletes’ health depending on how they are used. Steve Hertz-ler, PhD at Ohio University, con-ducted a study to see if athletes are getting the energy their expecting. The study showed that some sports bars can have

candy-bar like effects. These bars cause a spike in blood sug-ar followed by a rapid decline. Therefore, to prevent this “can-dy bar” reaction, it is important to choose a bar with lots of car-bohydrates. Hertzler’s research proved that consuming a small amount of an energy bar over an extended period improves race performance, be it to the tennis ball or up to Mrs. Reid’s English class on time.

A closer look at the benefits of energy barsRaising the Bar

My favorite flavor of Luna bars is Cookies n’ Cream. I recommend this bar for daily activities. It is the

perfect bar to eat on the run or on the trail, but I would not eat it before a big game because of low amounts of protein (8g) and carbohydrates (23g). Contrary to the popular belief, Luna bars are not enriched with estrogen, and are safe for males to eat.

My favorite flavor of Cliff bar is Chocolate Brownie. Cliff bars are 70% all natural and

a good source of protein (9g), vitamins and minerals, which are important nutrients for sports and other strenuous activities. The 45 grams of carbohydrates serve as a great pre-practice snack to provide energy, or a nutritious post-practice snack that helps build muscle.

Power bars contain lots of protein and is chock-full of carbohydrates. My favorite

flavors are Vanilla Yogurt and Chocolate Peanut-butter. This bar helps build lean tissue muscle, and has the highest-quality protein blend. However, this bar should be eaten in moderation because it is easy to crash after downing its 23 grams of protein.

Girls lacrosse defeated rival Eden Prairie 11-9 for the second year in a row to cap an undefeated season. They are the first team to win back-to-back state titles for girls lacrosse in MSHSL history.

Grant Krieger ‘13 won the 2011 Class A Pole Vault Cham-pionship, clearing the bar on his first attempt at 15 feet.

The Blake girls varsity ten-nis team is looking stronger

than ever this fall with a record of 5-1 and a Class A record of 5-0. Because this year’s team has unusual depth, many of the players are able to play well at singles as well as in a variety of doubles combinations. The ever-changing line-up has forged tight bonds on the team this fall. Kate Fraley ’13 says, “My favorite team tradition is eating at Big Bowl after our first all-day tournament in Pine City. It’s fun to go out to eat and it is our first chance to bond as a team off the court.”

Claire CarpenterStaff Writer

Although the squad lost 3-4 in a very close match to Breck last year in the 4A Section final, Blake beat Breck 6-1 this year on September 15. This win marks an important milestone for the bears tennis squad. According to cocaptain Abby Schell ’12, “Breck is our biggest rival because our match is always a toss up. Our ‘young’ team is now older and more ex-perienced and this is our year to make it to state.” The next home match is Friday, September 30th, against De La Salle. They have a strong and experienced squad, so it should be a great match to watch, so come out and support the Blake tennis team.

#1

#2

#3

Luna Bar

Clif Bar

Power Bar

photo credit: Zahara Kathawalla

photo credit: Zahara Kathawalla

photo credit: Laine Higgins

STATE CHAMPS: Last spring, girls’ lacrosse, boys tennis and track and field brought home state titles

Photo credit: parent submitted

Girls’ tennis victory against Breck earns #1 ranking in state

photo credit: parent submittedCaptains Jen Burdick ‘12 and Abby Schell ‘12 high five between sets dur-ing the team’s victory at the Pine City Tournament.

Doubles partners Ford Traff ‘11 and Kai Skallerud ‘13 defeated a pair from St. Paul Academy 6-3, 6-1 to claim the 2011 Class A State Individuals Doubles Tennis Title. This is Traff’s third consecutive doubles title. He partnered for the championship with Tips Jackley ‘09 in 2009 and Jack Bryant ‘10 in 2010.

Sports 16The Spectrum NewspaperSeptember 28, 2011

Hitting the ground running: Cross Country teams look forward to stellar seasons

Margaret GrahamStaff Writer

photo credit: parent submittedTim Dooley ‘13 winds up for a corner kick.

This year’s Cross Country team is full of promising ath-

letes and is looking forward to an awesome season. Aliya Feroe ’13, a team captain, said,” The girls’ and guys’ cross country teams are not going to stop run-ning until both teams come home on November 5 with a state title.”

Fall Sports Update: take a peek at Blake’s fall sports teams

Girls SoccerCurrent Record: 10-1

Favorite Team Tradition: Besides a long-standing tradition of winning, the girls varsity team’s favorite traditions are making mix tapes, choreographing dances at the team sleep overs, attending the St. Cloud tournament and showing their spirit on freshmen dress up day.

Up & Coming Underclassmen: Korlekuor Akiti ’15 and Maddy Moe ‘15

Season Goals: The girls’ team’s main objective is to win their conference. Beyond winning their conference, the girls want to practice and play with 100% effort, and be there for each other.

Next Home Game: October 1 vs. Sartell St. Ste-phen at 2:00 PM.

Boys SoccerCurrent Record: 4-4-1

Biggest Rival: “Other than Breck, SPA is a big rival and this year marks the 100th

anniversary of [Blake’s sports] rivalry,” remarks Tim Dooley ‘13.

Team Motto: “give ‘em hell.”

Up & Coming Underclassman: C h a r l i e Hartwell ’14 is a solid keeper who comes through in the clutch for us a lot,” according to Dooley.

Best Sound: “The ball hitting the back of the net. It’s pretty satisfactory,” says Dooley.

Next Home Game: September 30 vs. Holy Family at 5:00 PM.

VolleyballCurrent Record: 0-10

Mid-Season Report: According to Nefertitti Johnson ’15, the team “is improving, and I think our playing as a team is a lot bet-ter than last year.”

Biggest Rival: “De La Salle, be-cause they have a very dynamic skill level. We have it in us to win, but we have to have the mentality that we can win,” says Johnson.

Favorite Team Tradition: Team dinners once a month.

Next Home Game: October 4 vs. Brooklyn Center at 6:00 PM.

Current Record: 1-3

Favorite Pre-Game Meal: “My favorite pregame meal would have to be spaghetti,” remarks Tom Blease ’14.

Best Part of Football: “Filling up the water bottles,” says Blease.

Next Home Game: October 6 vs. St. Paul Academy at 7:00 PM.Girls Swim & Dive

Signature Team Cheer: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Dominate!

Favorite Team Tradition: “We walk into meets singing I Want it That Way by the Backstreet Boys,” says Anna Leslie ‘14

Best Quote: “Pain is weakness leaving the body,” -Kris Rosenberg

Favorite Memory: “When we won sections in 2008, we beat Breck by .01, which was amazing. It showed that if we worked hard and stuck together as a team we could win,” recalls Leslie.

Current Record: 5th at Hutchinson Invitational, 10th at Minneapo-lis South Invitational.

Next Home Meet: October 6 vs. Visitation at 5:30 PM.

But the athletes know it’s not going to be an easy goal to reach. Jordan Chancellor ’15 explained, “Both teams are very talented this year, but it’s a long road to state. In order to achieve our goals we have to keep work-ing hard and giving it our all every race.” That’s just what they’ve been doing. So far, the team’s hard work has paid off. The varsity

girls won their first two races and were runners up in their third race. The varsity boys won their first race and were runners up in the next two races. Their success comes from the hard work they put in during prac-tices every day. Not only is the team full of great athletes, but they’re also fantastic teammates. The team is unique in that it is a mixture

of boys, girls, upper and middle school students. As Chris Hall ’14 said, “The team has great spirit and supports each other.” The long runs give the team an opportunity to bond. They run on several bike paths around the middle school cam-pus. Many runners would have to agree that their favorite run is the “Regan Run,” although the distance they run varies daily.

The Cross Country team is one big family. As Coach Gary Lee said, “It is this work ethic and camaraderie that has result-ed in both teams being ranked in the top three in state. It helps that they run fast as well.” The Cross Country state meet is November 5 at St. Olaf College. Everyone should come out to support the team because they’ll pull off a great race!

photo credit: Keith ClarkRight: The girls cross country team looks determined as they take off for their first race of the season. Left: the boys team takes their first strides of a grueling race.

Left: Quarterback Conner Kline ‘12 breaks a tackle. Above: the sun set paints a strik-ing backdrop during the bears homecoming face off against Providence Academy.

Riele Short ‘15 steals a breath during her victory in the 100 butterfly.photo credit: parent submitted

Thanks to Kristyn Siegert, Lauren Rondestvedt, Karl Lovaas and Peyton Crosby for writing (clockwise from left)photo credit: Bailey Dunning

Korlekuor Akiti ‘14 jumps for a header.

Football

photo credit: Nicky Christenson