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IssuePlease RecycleSpectrumSeptember

Blake Upper SchoolSeptember 23,2010

2010

INSIDE:

Continuing The Legacy

NewsBRIEF

Girls & Boys Soccer:Headed For

State?

4StudentsBack @ Blake

After SYA

Steve Carlson & Sydney Perkins

Dafina Bobo & Lizzie Goulland

(Italy)

(China)

Homecoming DanceSaturday September 25th from 8:30-11:30 PM at the Middle School

School Picture DayFriday October 1st

MISP College FairSunday October 10thfrom 12:30-3 PM at Minne-haha Academy

Blake Haunted HouseSaturday October 16th from 7-9 PM at the Middle School

No SchoolFrom October 20-22, all grades have conferences. Katie Emory & Bailey Dunning

Staff Writer & Editor In-Chief

China at Blake:

Read the stories from students and faculty

about their adventures in China.

Photo from 2008 Legacy Day

It is once again the time of year when we have all merrily come back to greet

the hallowed halls of the Blake Upper School. Clubs are starting up and fall sports are already well under way. We have new classes, new students, and new laptops. One thing we can count on to be consistent in this flurry of excitement, though, is Convocation and Legacy Day. On Legacy Day, the upper, middle, and lower schools will gather on the 24th of September to participate in a day dedicated fostering school unity among students of all ages and to instill-ing a sense of community and generos-ity in everyone involved with Blake. Jack Schnettler ‘11 describes Legacy Day as “a great chance for Blake

students to take a day of from school and focus on other things like community service and school unity.” Marc Bogur-sky has told us that the theme this year is Go Green! (And Blue!) because the school “is making significant commitments to be more environmentally conscious.” He also added that we will “cut landfill bound waste significantly, by 70%.” There will also be a variety of differ-ent speakers this year, including Austin Gromatsky ’11, the senior class presi-dent, John Gulla, the head of school, and lower school teacher, Cynthia Hector, who will MC the event. We all then split into small Legacy Day groups, consisting of students from 3 different grades, with 4-year intervals in between each. Mr. Bogursky said we will do similar service projects as last year, including the fleece blanket activity, the global hunger food

packaging activity, along with a new activity, where we will build bird houses for various park systems in Minnesota. Many of the upper school stu-dents enjoy seeing their younger legacy day group members grow from the year before and helping them to have fun in the organized activities. Lucia Sand-berg ‘12 explains that “what makes [Legacy Day] fun is being able to spend time with the middle and lower school kids who we don’t see on a daily basis.”

Congratulations To This Year’s Forum & Community Judiciary

Board Winners!

Forum (9th Grade):Hirsh Shekhar & Margaret Graham

CJB (10th Grade):Adam Johnson & Patrick Lelich

CJB (11th Grade):

Bennett Winton & Marae Pelton-Lipson

CJB (12th Grade):

Name Games:

Are athletic team names the source of gender inequality at

Blake?

Congratulations to the 12 seniors who are National

Merit Scholars!

TBD (no one ran)

School NewsSept 10

02Spectrum

Spectrum Staff

Staff Photographer Sarah LegriedGraphic Designer Kevin Hayes

Business Manager Annie Demane

Advisor Anna Reid

Bailey DunningEditor In-Chief

Hannah PageEditor In-Chief

Sutton Higgins Feature

Bennett Winton Sports

Laine Higgins Variety

Hannah Falvey News

Ellie Alldredge Opinions

As the new school year rolled in, old friends gathered in the hall-

ways and students eased into the fa-miliar routine of school. One thing, however, particularly stood out in these familiar hallways: In addition to backpacks, each student lugged a black bag not much larger than a textbook. Halfway between a brief-case and a pack one might use for camping, these bags were imme-diately met with resistance. Blake students are traditionally tough crit-ics, and we showed these bags no mercy, deeming them cumbersome and unfashionable. One student even referred to their new satchel as “the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.” Others simply refuse to use them. As tough as Blake students are on their new luggage, the admin-istration is equally tough right back at them. Much to the surprise of some students, a significant effort went into selecting these bags for their durabil-ity. Last year, students and faculty with their own laptops tested a total of sixteen different bags in a quest for the most protective laptop bag. (The case recommended by Breck was

quickly dismissed as unqualified.) For the last two years, one AP science class and one AP math class, both of which require computers, test-ran bags as well. “We thought about it for a long time, and there was a lot of energy put into finding the best bag possible,” says technol-ogy guru Dan

Trockman. For stu-dents who remain un-convinced and still want to replace their cases, the procedure is as follows: Before you buy the case, you must explain to Mr. Trockman and other faculty why you need change, and it must be a “good reason,” such as a health is-sue or because you ride a bike. The new bag proposed must be at least as protective as the school’s. He recom-mends a Timbuktu messenger bag

like the one Mr. Hill uses, designed to carry a laptop and a book or two. The administration wants to be fair to the students and take their opinions into account, but there must

be some restrictions since a broken computer costs a student’s fam-ily $500 and the school $700.

“Many schools just stop kids and take their computers,

but we’re trying to be less restrictive,” explains Mr. Trockman. “Punishment

shouldn’t be stopping students from do-ing their schoolwork. We’re trying to allow students to be respon-

sible. “ To the students who are still moan-ing and groaning about the required laptop

bags, Mr. Trockman has some advice: “Get used to it!”

A new Blake school year brings to mind sports practices, friends,

and challenging classes, but not nor-mally car break-ins. Unfortunately, two Blake students’ vehicles were vandalized during the first week of school. One student had a window broken and a GPS-unit stolen, while another had their license plates re-moved. Two other cars were also vandalized that same day, and nei-ther belonged to Blake students.“I think that it was just one person, going through the lots, looking in cars, seeing something of value… [and] grabbing it, “ says Steve Haugh, a security officer at the Upper School. However, don’t think that Blake does nothing to protect stu-dents’ cars from thieves. Blake secu-rity doesn’t just keep track of suspi-cious activity within the school. It also keeps track of the City of Minne-apolis parking lots around the school.

Patrick DunphyStaff Writer

A security van patrols the Parade Stadium and Sculpture Garden park-ing lots during school hours and the driver looks for suspicious activity. Perhaps because of this se-curity measure, break-ins are rare around the Upper School despite the school’s location near down-town Minneapolis. Only one break-in occurred last school year, and no break-ins occurred during the 2008-09 school year. Mr. Haugh thinks that the security van is a good sys-tem for checking suspicious activ-ity, and he does not expect a change in security procedures because of the incidents. These incidents were “just a one-time fluke,” he explained. When asked if the parking lots were safe for Blake students, Mr. Haugh replied that the lots were “probably more [safe] than other parking lots in the area.” However, the lots are not guaranteed to be secure. “We do as best we can to make it safe,” Mr. Haugh assured, “but understand,”

he warned, “it’s still a parking lot… [near]… downtown Minneapolis.” Any parking lot, especially one in an urban environment, is sub-ject to crime. To keep valuables safe, put them in the trunk of your car or store them in a dean’s office. Mr. Haugh stressed that the Blake secu-rity office will store valuables as well. Robberies are an unfortunate possibility when parking in any lot, a possibility that the Blake security of-fice is working hard to prevent. Rob-bieries do not only take away ma-terial goods but also one’s sense of security, and Mr. Haugh understands that: “You feel like such a victim,” he explained, “and I don’t want any-one to have that feeling. It’s scary.”Above all, Mr. Haugh gave the fol-lowing words of advice to students and faculty at Blake: “Don’t give the thieves a reason to smash your window. Put everything away. Keep everything hidden, out of sight.”

An Upward Trend of Car Break-Ins at Blake

Annie PetersonStaff Writer

Laptop Bags Overload Students

Picture Taken By: Laine Higgins

Staff WritersPatrick DunphyAnnie Peterson

Mason HinkeAlex Feldman

Chance LilleheiJack Mortell

Andrew KahnKimmer Potuznik

Perrin BurkeHannah Tieszen

Frieda YeungHannah RiceNatalie Lee

Contributing WritersSam Gibson

Alex GersovitzNatcher PruettKaeli PatchenJonah Sandy

Lucia SandbergAllison Eastham

Steve CarlsonNoah Abramovitz

Christopher HofstatderMasha Berman

Emily Wells

School News 03Spectrum

Sept 10

Kalpit ModiContributing Writer

Alex HerkertContributing Writer

A brand new school year is a year loaded with opportunity, excite-

ment, and fresh experiences unin-fluenced by the year before. Since no two years are alike, you are bound to meet new people and at-tend different classes. However, on the not-so-bright side, there are al-ways issues of anxiety, stress and worry for the upcoming school year. For the incoming class 0f 2014, it is the start of an Upper School career. As many of the 10th, 11th, and 12th graders remember it is a year that is loaded with unfamiliarity. In a typical first day of Upper School: you walk through the front gates staring at the older people already making themselves at home on the couches and benches. You are scared to be late to a class because it create a bad first impression, but you aren’t one hun-dred percent sure where every class is. You fumble around the school and eventually find your class. After that first trip to your first block, every-thing gets easier, you start to get the hang of things and hopefully, relax. For an Upper Schooler, high school is full of new opportunities. As Hirsh Shekhar ’14 and Ryan Stocking ‘14 explained, “There are many more op-

portunities [at the Upper School] than Middle school. There are a lot more clubs to join, for example you have Debate, Math Team, Quiz Bowl etc.” However there is a downside to all of these opportunities – there isn’t enough time to do them all with the amount of work assigned in each

class. Almost all freshmen inter-viewed worried about the homework load and the amount of time it will take to finish the homework. How-ever, sophomores, Anders Ekholm ’13, Babs Laco ’13 and Kylan Duff ’13 explain, “You hear stories about how much work there is in freshmen year, but [it] isn’t as bad as it seems.” For the upperclassmen, a new stress factor arises: Tests and College. In your junior year of high school,

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Expectations & Anxieties for the New Yearyou are bombarded with tests: AP’s, SAT’s, ACT’s etc. On top of that, you have the constant homework load.For seniors a different stress factor is prevalent – college decisions as Audrey Greene ’11 and Grant Laco ‘11 stated, “[Students] are very ner-vous about College Decisions and [the process] of getting into college.” A senior in high school has to write many applications for colleges. How-ever, Tyler Leslie ’11 mentioned, “Being a senior you get off-campus privileges. Also you get to choose pretty much all of your classes.” For teachers a new school year means a new batch of students to teach. However this year, they have one additional means of teach-ing, Laptops. Every upper school student has one laptop, which they can use during class and at home. Therefore, the teachers have a special task of using the laptops as a teach-ing aid for their classes. Enunciating her own excitements for the school year, English teacher, Kate Sullivan enunciated, “One source of excite-ment [for teachers] is putting the technology to the best use [in class].” So, for this 2010-2011 school year, be sure to take the numerous opportunities, face the challenges, enjoy the excite-ments and remember don’t worry.

Homecoming Logo

With homecoming near, you must be wondering, what’s the slo-gan and the design on the t-shirt? This year, to sort of coincide with the release of the first part of the seventh Harry Potter movie, the image will be Bearry Pot-ter. It depicts a bear with a cape and a lightening scar. Creators include Cole S p e n c e r , Romy Ack-burg, Mi-chael Lima, and Sydney Armstrong and many other con-t r i b u t o r s . When getting reactions from stu-dents, Caroline Hunsicker ‘13 said, “I’m so exited. The bears will be the team that lived after our homecom-ing game. We are unbeatable!”. Also, the pins that you can buy during the homecoming week say “Go green, Go blue”, for Blake spirit. The shirts are very exiting, and they will help bring a lot of spirit to Blake during this upcoming week and the week-end following. So bring your money, its worth stopping by to get one.

The recent resurgence of con-flict between students and the ath-letic department over using “wom-en’s” or “men’s” versus “boy’s” and “girl’s” has the student body abuzz. I sat down with athletic di-rector, Jim Lindsay to find out the reason word choice has become a hot topic in the Blake community. There are two main rea-sons the athletic department has banned the use of qualifiers other than “boys’” and “girls’” when refer-ring to Blake sports. The first reason, says Lindsay, is a matter of official policy. “At the most fundamental lev-el, the Minnesota State High School League sponsors girls’ programs and boys’ programs.” It is impor-tant for the athletic department to be consistent with labels, particu-larly in official apparel or literature. However, Lindsay “never thought [us-

ing men’s or women’s] was a conflict” until complaints were brought to him attention four years ago. “Some par-ents were very concerned about put-ting the label of women on what are in some cases 13-15 year old young girls. They felt it was very inappropri-ate.” These concerns sparked a meet-ing between Lindsay and various fe-male coaches. “We decided, let’s be consistent and call ourselves what we really are – boys and girls.” The de-partment decided to use only “boy’s” and “girl’s” in official references to Blake sports team from that moment on – both in announcements and lit-erature as well as on team apparel.Mr. Lindsay asserts that the athletic department enforces this policy as efficiently and equally as possible, but they “can’t control everything that goes on. What we can – and do – control is how we are officially represented.” Official representa-tion was what instigated the minor conflict over the girls’ soccer team

shirts, says Lindsay. The captains of the team came to the athletic depart-ment to inquire about using “wom-en’s” on their shirts, were told no and given the rationale explained above. However, due to misunderstanding between the two parties, the shirts were ordered with the word “ladies’” on them which, while not “women’s” was still not the required “girls’.” The shirts were called back and new ver-sions without a modifier ordered. Mr. Lindsay emphasized that conflict was not intended; “I said this shouldn’t be a distraction, it never was meant to be a controversy, let’s just move on.”

Sutton HigginsPage Editor

Girls and Boys or Women and Men?

Hannah Falvey

Hannah Falvey

Ellie Alldredge

OpinionsSept 10

04Spectrum

Amidst the pages of the Septem-ber Mpls./St. Paul Magazine,

a profile of our own Blake School spawned over a seven-page cen-terfold. The article focused on the profiles of Blake students, past and present, and Blake’s initiative to pro-mote diversity and pluralism. If you read between the lines, however, this article may be neglecting the posi-tive attributes and diversity every Blake student brings to the table. It is apparent that Blake’s recent progressive initiative is ad-mirable; the use of tuition and en-dowment is used to make Blake’s resources and education more acces-sible to student from all backgrounds. Programs like Learning Works have taken off in the right direction, work-ing to make Blake more ethnically and socio-economically diverse. While this article did fully ac-knowledge Blake’s roots as an Ivy League college breeding ground, it went on to criticize a large por-tion of Blake’s student body. The cover picture clearly mocks our “rich kid” mentality and asserts that this attitude must be erased. It also mentioned offhanded comments from past alumni and stu-dents, as well as families who left the school because they were not on board with the new pluralism campaign. Woooahh, back up there. This does not seem like the school I have attended since kindergarten, one that decides to separate and call out members of the community, of any race. The article makes pluralism, di-versity, and widespread acceptance seem like a revolution as opposed to an evolution. It is fair to say that

Editors

’ Repor

t Card

Hannah Tieszen

Staff Writer

our school is evolving to encom-pass more aspects of plurality, but it is unfair to jump to Blake’s past for only negative stories and opinions. I want to see Blake move forward in the right direction. This means that everyone feels welcome, respected, and included—all of which have been core values of the school since the founding. This means that

students should be taught to be caring and honest to their peers and teach-ers every time they walk through the doors to the Blake School. By saying Blake has to revamp the way it works entirely, including its curriculum and attitude of its student body, is in-sinuating that the school was foster-ing solely negative attitudes before.While in reality, many have al-ready embraced the proactive ap-proach that Blake has taken on. As I finished reading the Mpls/St. Paul article, I pondered the men-tion of Chiamamanda Adichie’s, “The

Danger of a Single Story.” Adichie says not to generalize one culture, or to as-sume that a lone person can represent an entire race, socio economic class, or gender. As I look at the opening picture of the article, it tells me “not to think like a rich kid.” The word rich in this picture not only has a negative connotation, but also implies that the wealthy faction of Blake student body

is the only source of Blake’s prob-lems. To generalize a socio-economic class is to paint a single story; just because a family is considered upper class does not mean they foster nega-tive views towards other races or families with less money than them. Here is my take: The article painted a great picture of one part of Blake’s future, but it was incomplete. What about the student body as a whole? Aren’t we all supposed to be one big community, united by green and blue? Disregard the race and class differences of Blake students for

just one moment. How about profiling Blake as one school, with all different factors included? Why not include interviews from kids that are intel-ligent, creative, and driven by a love of learning, regardless of where they came from or what they look like?Blake is filled with students of ev-ery ethnicity, religion and race, but it is also overflowing with differ-ent types of diversity. There are kids who have different learning styles, different ideologies, differ-ent political views, singing talent, sports talent and so much more. I am not trying to put Blake on a high horse; obviously no school is perfect, but why not an article celebrating the strides Blake has made with pluralism and their com-mitment to ALL types of diversity? Students at Blake are more active than ever before in expanding their world perspectives. What the Mpls/St. Paul article neglects to men-tion are the multitude of service trips Blake students take each year, and the work CSB does to focus on community outreach, and so much more. Blake students are already reaching out of the Blake commu-nity to experience something more. So, lets consider this initia-tive: Working together as a whole, without generalizing or isolating anyone. In order to move forward as a school, the whole student body, faculty, and parents should acknowl-edge the parts of the school that need work, but also the parts that deserve praise. The core values still stand: re-spect, courage, integrity, and love of learning. By sticking to these, we can move forward, each individual work-ing to create a united community.

A Response to the Mpls/St. Paul Magazine Article “Blake’s True Colors”My True Colors:

Ellie Alldredge

A to Ms. Graybeal for a fantastic first month of school. You’re officially a Blake bear.

F to the senior class for the lack of CJB applications. Don’t you care about the well-being of your student body?

D to the massive overreaction to the Playa’s Club. All they are trying to do is get Blake fans into the stands.

C to the traffic in the lunchroom. Something has got to change if we want to have more than five minutes to sit down and eat.

Opinions 05SpectrumSept 10

Team Titles: A Source of Gender InequalityPerrin Burke

Staff Writer

Shut Up and Eat!

Lucia Sandberg

Contributing Writer

While many students love to complain about school lunch-

es, you must admit that the chicken strips, mac and cheese and smores bars aren’t half bad. Especially when at most schools, enjoying a school lunch is virtually unheard of. I do have to say, though, that my appetite vanishes when teriyaki chicken and rice are served. Nothing against teriyaki, but the big hunks of chicken are just, well, way too hun-ky for me. And plus, I have to take a stand for the neglected minority of high school students who still have braces (we might be older than mid-dle schoolers, but we’ve still got the scars of eating mashed potatoes, ice cream, and soup for a week). That minor teriyaki detail aside, if we compare our lunch to that of many other schools, we really have a lot to be thankful for. Take a look at the lunch food stereotyped in movies and t.v. shows alike: Mys-tery meat and hotdogs that bounce. Sounds pretty bad to me. While my condolences goes out to those indi-viduals with a mouth full of jewelry every time that teriyaki chicken is served up, school lunch at the Blake School of Excellence really is, well, excellent.

Frieda Yeung

Staff Writer

As homecoming approaches and fall sports are in full swing, it’s

clear that there is no shortage of school spirit here at Blake. The 2011 Playas club have new videos out, stu-dents are out going to games, and everyone is dressing up for spirit week. However, one group of people that has forever been associated with spirit is missing here at Blake: cheer-leaders. But are they really missed? Blake has always had plenty of spirit, and cheerleading is no longer about pom-poms and cute uniforms; in a time when more girls high school sports are developing, cheerleading has developed into its own sport. Cheerleading, in the traditional sense, has become outdated and isn’t necessary out on the fields anymore. To begin with, cheerleading has developed into its own highly athletic sport. It used to exist for the sole purpose of getting fans excited for other sports teams, and because of its history, there is now much de-bate over whether or not cheerlead-ing can really be considered a sport. I am a member of the “cheerleading should be considered a sport” camp, and I have great respect for what cheerleaders are able to do. This

In August, the Blake Girls’ soccer team made fifty-four scrimmage t-

shirts. While seeking consent from Blake athletic director, Jim Lindsay, to wear the shirts, the soccer team was denied approval. Why? Because the shirts said, “Blake Women’s Soc-cer.” When I first heard that Blake female athletic teams were no lon-ger allowed to call ourselves “Blake Women’s (sport)” or “Blake Ladies’ (sport)”, I must admit I was upset. Not surprisingly, so were many of my fellow female athletes. My teammates and I began to discuss almost daily how unfair the new statute was and how we should be able to determine whether or not we are, or are not, women. Personally, I felt as though the denotation from “Women” to “Girls” was demoralizing in a sense, as if ‘Women’ was too strong of a label for

Blake Spirit: Do We Need Pom-Poms to Hear It?sport is not about clapping and kick-ing, but instead dynamic, gymnastic-type routines that involve flipping and dancing and lots of strength. In fact, because of this, I don’t think cheerleading needs to be at other games. Routines would distract from the hard working players on the field, and the game would distract from the meticulous routines cheer-leaders have practiced. If cheerlead-ers do perform at a sports game, they should, at the very least, be half time entertainment and get the attention they deserve. Back when many of our par-ents were in high school, cheerlead-ing was one of the few options for girls to do a school-sponsored sport. Until Title IX was passed in 1972, there was no law requiring gender equality in educational activities. Af-ter the act was passed and as other sports became more popular, cheer-leading was no longer the only option for girls. Gender stereotypes have always been associated with the word “cheerleader.” They are seen in nearly every big screen portrayal of high schools ever, and the CW even has a new show coming out this fall all about competitive cheerleading. Cheerleaders are often depicted as the popular girls who are airheaded,

catty, and mean. They stand on the sidelines to support the guys, and are expected to look pretty like Barbie dolls. Cheerleading on the sidelines is more about the idea of “sex sells” than an actual sport. In addition, boys who want to be cheerleaders sometimes have their sexual orientation ques-tioned. By not having a cheerlead-ing squad, Blake avoids much of the drama we often see in the movies. Cheerleading is evolving and the ste-reotypes are beginning to dissolve, but they are likely to linger for a long time. In the end, here at Blake we have plenty of school spirit without a cheerleading squad. I’ve seen the cheerleaders that other schools have at games and, lets be honest, some-times they’re a drag. If Blake were to have a cheerleading team, it shouldn’t be for the purpose of getting fans motivated in the stands. Blake stu-dents are excellent at supporting one another without being prompted by a cheering squad. With or without cheerleaders, I know Blake students have had and will always have enough spirit to fill the Metrodome with ex-citement when that time comes.

high school level female sports, or that we weren’t powerful enough to have that title on the field. Addition-ally, when the Playa’s Club made an announcement in assembly about Blake Men’s Soccer, the fire beneath us only grew. However, after speak-ing with Mr. Lindsay, my views on the matter have changed. Mr. Lindsay explains that, for a number of different reasons, Blake must refer to its athletics as boys and girls divisions. To begin, “the national federation of high schools sponsor boys and girls athletic programs…at the college level, departments sup-port women and men’s athletics” and therefore Blake must follow the MSHSL’s example. Secondly, a few years ago, a group of parents were concerned that the label “women” for female athletes who are in some cas-es only thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen years old was inappropriate. Further, they believed that it was one more pressure from society telling these girls to “grow up and mature a little

bit faster.” While in a high school divi-sion the reasoning was absolutely sound, I still didn’t understand why a team’s apparel choice had to adjust to the change, espe- cially since tee shirts and sweat- shirts have nothing to do with MSHSL rules. This made me think about many of the warm- u p s made over the previous years for girls’ sports. “Blake Women’s Ten-nis,” “Blake Women’s Soccer,” “Blake Girls Hockey.” The boys’ warm ups, however, have been plain and sim-ple, “Blake Lacrosse,” “Blake Hock-ey,” “Blake Soccer.” Why is it that the girls’ teams included the modifier, but the boys didn’t? Mr. Lindsay explained that, “if you look at all the state championship trophies, up un-til last year the boys’ trophies boasted, ‘Soccer Class A Cham-pions,’ and the girls’ said, “Girls Soccer Class A Champions.’

Why do we even need that modi-fier?” Thinking about the label in

these terms made me real-ize that the stronger state-ment, for both boys’ and

girls’ sports, is simply Blake

Tennis or Blake Soccer.

The ‘Girls’ in front of the ‘Soccer’ insinuates that it’s not quite Blake Soccer, but just a tag-a-long. While obvi-ously the modifier is

needed when differ-entiat- ing between the boys’ and the girls’ teams, Mr. L i n d s ay encourages “that you don’t have to call your-selves girls or boys, just call yourselves Blake Soccer or Blake Lacrosse.”

Picture Taken By: Bailey Dunning

Feature06Spectrum

Sept 10

Where is LuLu NoW?

As the class of 2010 left our halls last May, so did another integral

member of our community. Lulu Ouyang came to Blake to join the class of 2011 in their junior year from her hometown of Beijing, China. While here she joined more activities than many do in their en-tire high school career. She was an important member of the Blake Girls Swim Team, MUN, Math Team, Stepps, and the Spring Musical, Suessical the Musical, to name a few. This year, after a summer of meet-ing lots of friends and spending a month volunteering for the Shang-hai Expo, Lulu returned to the United States to spend her senior year at Miss Porter’s, a girl’s school in Connecticut before she heads off to college somewhere in the US. At Miss Porter’s, she con-

Natalie Lee

Staff Writer

tinues find new things she enjoys, and this semester she’s having fun with Economics and English, two of her favorite classes. Lulu contin-ues to add new extracurriculars to her plate and has begun horseback riding, learning how to brush and tack the horse; she’s looking for-ward to starting to walk soon. The Lacrosse team can also look for-ward to her enthusiasm and dedi-cation, as she plans to try out this spring. As if all that isn’t enough, Lulu continues to do it all and has become a valuable contributor to Miss Porter’s Math and MUN teams. Although Lulu is having a great time out East, she misses her friends, teachers, host families, and “Pepper the kitty.” Lulu will be coming back to Minnesota for the Thanksgiving holidays and can’t wait to meet up with all her friends; if you can’t make it to see her then, she’d love to see you out East!

China is a country of many won-ders, between the Great Wall and

the delicious food. However, high school education does not often cross one’s mind as such a feat. A vast ma-jority of Americans believe China is ahead of us in many arenas, but what about education? How do the United States and China compare when it comes to teaching our future leaders? After researching the topic I found the biggest difference was the way the students were taught. For example, China teaches their stu-dents formulas to memorize and is focused mostly on tests and memo-rization, while schools in the U.S fo-cus on “outside the box” thinking. A study conducted by The Atlantic Magazine put an American teacher in a Chinese school to teach and a Chinese teacher in the States to teach at an American college. In China, the American teacher taught English to a group of students in the equivalent of a third level class at Blake. For one assignment, the teacher asked them to write a fake radio show that was dialogue inten-sive. Some students came up with unique and creative shows, but the majority just used dialogue taken straight from their textbooks. Would you get a good grade if your project was word for word from the school textbook? Not likely. The research-ers also noted that Chinese students receive much more homework than their American counterparts and there is a much greater emphasis on standardized testing. In general, Chinese school systems focus most-

ly on what is inside the textbooks. Now what about the U.S? Teaching at a top public university, the Chinese teacher made a frighten-ing observation. Most of his students had math skills so poor that they wouldn’t have graduated from a Chi-nese high school. While he was im-pressed that the students could solve problems that applied real world knowledge, he was surprised about how little motivation the kids had to learn. After asking for his students to turn in a paper that was assigned previously for no grade he noticed the work was much poorer than that in a paper for a grade; the U.S school system is so result driven that with-out a specific incentive, students did not feel the need to put in any effort. Another study conducted by Jim Stigler, professor at UCLA, evalu-ated differences in teaching styles in various countries. The conclusion? American students, especially in the area of mathematics, “spend most of their time in mathematics classrooms practicing procedures. They rarely spend time engaged in the serious study of mathematical concepts.” Es-sentially, students know how to do something in one particular situation or type of problem, but lack the ability to connect concepts and apply their knowledge to other types. The study cites the massive number of subjects covered in American curriculums as the cause: where Chinese students cover six or seven topics a year, their American counterparts may cover up to 75. Instruction goes a mile wide, but only an inch deep, leaving little

A New School Rival?Christopher Hofstadter

Contributing Writer

230 school days per year x 8.5 hours per school day = 1955 hours of school per year

Quick Look:

CHINA

Some of you may have noticed a bright, new face smiling in the

hallways. The class of 2012 welcomes Stacey Ni, an ex-change student from Shang’hai, to the Blake School. An enthusiastic learner and an op-timistic personali-ty, Stacey describes Blake as “the best part about being in the United States.” S t a c e y ’ s courses include AP Physics, BC Cal-culus and United States history, and she fondly explains that AP English is “very interesting” and enjoyable. Al-though many Blake Students take the small class sizes for granted, Stacey marvels at the in-dividual attention available to Blake Students. At her old school, “there are fifty people in a class that take all of the same subjects together.” Her fa-

Exchange student Stacey Ni has jumped into life at Blake with enthusiasm.

Sutton Higgins

vorite thing about small class sizes is that “there are fewer distractions” from unruly students. Despite the dif-ferences in student-teacher ratio, Sta-cey is no stranger to a heavy course

load. “Chinese students do the same to-tal amount of h o m e w o r k ,” Stacey ex-plains “But we do more phys-ics and math. You write a ton of essays!” These dif-ferences in Chinese and A m e r i c a n education do not phase her as she goes to every class with a smile. Excited to ex-perience a year in Amer-ica, Stacey occasionally

laughs that she “never wants to go back!” because she loves Blake so much. Next time you see Stacey Ni in the halls, be sure to welcome her with a wave and a big smile.

Hannah Rice

Staff Writer

Blake Welcomes Chinese Exchange Student

Average math score of 8th graders on stan-dardized TIMSS test =

605courtesy of: http://www.shielalee.

com/1/previous/2.html

A Chinese classroom

86% literacy rate

12.97% of government expenditures go towards

education

Feature 07Spectrum

Sept 10

An Educator’s ExperienceJonah Sandy

Contributing Writer

This past summer two of our Blake faculty members traveled to Chi-

na to do service work and teach stu-dents. 10th grade science teacher Ms. Williams and Chinese teacher Ms. Johnson par-ticipated in a pro-gram called “Per-spectives: China” which works with migrant children in Shanghai. “In China everyone has a right to an educa-tion,” Ms. Williams says, “but if you move from prov-ince to province, you don’t have as good of rights as Chinese students”. The students that Ms. Williams and Ms. Johnson worked with not only came from China but from all around the world to study Chinese and do community service work around the city. Ms. Williams says the program “tries to help them in a lot of ways, socially and academically”. Ms. Williams first traveled to China in 2001 as a tourist and re-turned in 2003 to take a year long sabbatical teaching English to 7th graders. She observed that Chinese classes were very oriented towards note taking and memorization; often students would commit full bodies

of text to memory. In general she saw little student participation in classes; students learned by absorption rath-er than active engagement. A major advantage she saw in the curriculum was that every student at the school

began study of English at a young age and continued all the way through high school – by the end of their schooling they had a very good grasp on the language. Most of the 7th graders Ms. Wil-liams taught took classes not only dur-

ing the school week but also on Sat-urday and Sunday and felt very pres-sured to do well in school, especially on tests and exams. “The pressure an exam in China [places on students] is very much more than what any single exam does here,” she says. Students also do not participate in any extra curriculars – “just a lot of studying.” “China is a fascinating coun-try because it’s changing so much,” Ms. Williams says. “It’s an interest-ing place to watch change and go through development.” She says China is one of the most amazing and in-triguig places she has ever been, and her experiences visiting the country have only deepeened her interest.

Two Blake faculty members teach in China

Ms. Williams and Ms. Johnson pose for a picture in the Souzho garden.

Janet Williams

room for true comprehension. Ac-cordingly, American students did not perform as well as Chinese students on the standardized TIMSS math exam administered to students in fourth and eighth grades worldwide. So what does this mean for us at Blake? In general, Blake stu-dents are highly motivated, driven people; after all, a core value of the school we attend is love of learning. However, most of the motivation to do well in high school comes from a desire to do well on the ultimate as-signment: college. The stress to do well in order to get into a good col-lege and therefore succeed is not unique to students at Blake or even in America. If anything, this pressure is magnified in China due to the sheer volume of people vying for the lim-ited number of university places. The solution in China? Students spend more time in school and use sum-mer vacations for academic pursuits to get ahead, according to chinadaily.com. Summer break is fun, but the extra time away from school puts us at a disadvantage. Over the course of a student’s lower, middle and high school career, Chinese students re-ceive an average of 756 more days of teaching, not including outside classes that many students in China take. That is the equivalent of about four school years. How good do you think your chances would be apply-ing to college as an eight grader com-peting against high school seniors? Blake teaches us how to write well, problem solve in the real world and be creative, all of which are ad-vantages in both the college process

and the job market. It is the mentality of American students towards school, at Blake and elsewhere, that is a major source of any disadvantages we may have. We long for breaks and dread returning to school. We resent en-tire subject areas if we struggle with them. Take physics. Physics is com-plex and often difficult, but because students expect to struggle with it, they do. When gaps in understanding are reached, students accept their ig-norance as “normal” and maybe don’t even bother to try to grasp the con-cept. If the subject were approached with an open mind and eagerness to learn, students would be more likely to work at it and eventually succeed. Neither the United States nor China has a perfect educational sys-tem. However, if there is anything we can learn from the Chinese, it is to ap-proach school with a positive attitude and dig deeper. Students who love to learn and are genuinely interested in what they are studying do the best and learn the most. When we don’t fully understand concepts, we should try to deepen our understanding rath-er than glossing it over and moving on to the next topic. Ultimately, we don’t have to spend eight hours a day in school to get into college or lead happy, worthwhile lives. However, putting ex-tra effort into our education and even grade-less assignments will benefit us in the long run – if we invest ourselves in everything we do now, we will be engaged in careers or extracurricular activities that don’t give out grades in the future. Learning to be curious is the biggest tool we are given at Blake and it is this that will lead to success.

A New School Rival?Sutton Higgins

Page Editor

180 school days per year x 6.5 hours per school day = 1170 hours of school per year

UNITED STATES

For the first three days in China I stayed in the countryside with my

new classmates for orientation. Vil-lage life was pretty boring, but it was a nice way to be introduced to China for the first time. During orientation, we played TV tetris, hiked a moun-tain, and learned more about each other. After orientation, we drove into the city to meet our families for the next 9 months at the school we would be attending. From that point on, my time has been spent at school or hang-ing out with my host family or with friends, just like back in the States. My life in Beijing has been an

adventure. I’ve gotten lost for more than 2 hours, been mistaken for an African, been told all Black people can fly, picked up a new sport (var-sity jump rope), gone to the Buddhist lama temple and the Confucius tem-ple, discussed the definition of human rights and who decides what’s morally just, and nearly passed out from the mental strain of attempting to have a conversation entirely in Mandarin. It’s an experience I can’t adequately describe beyond saying it’s eye open-ing. I firmly believe that this is what learning is all about; going out into the world and experiencing and em-bracing differences. Everything has been a great experience so far, but I miss everyone in Minnesota, too!

Khyle Eastin

Contributing Writer

The Great Adventures of Khyle

Average math score of 8th graders on stan-dardized TIMSS test =

504

99% literacy rate

5.70% of government expenditures go towards

education

Sutton HigginsA typical Blake classroom

SportsSept 10

08Spectrum

Homecoming is an entire Blake Community get together, filled

with great athletic events. It is an amazing two-day event started off with on Friday with Legacy day and the football game Friday night, and then highlighted with numerous ath-letic events throughout the day on Saturday. The football team will be-gin the athletic festivities by facing St. Paul Central Minutemen at 6:00. Newly aquired to the football team is

“Jared Allen” of the class of 2011, or at least that’s who most people think he is, no one is quite sure. Nevertheless, the rest of the football team and him will put on quite a show for all fans. The girl’s volleyball team starts things off Saturday with a game against St. Agnes at noon. Expect Misty May quality spikes from outside hitter Se-nior captain Annie Demane ‘11, and lovely sets from other captains Ni-cole Cade ’11 and McCall Bliss ’11 and Evalina Bond ’12. The girl’s soc-cer team also plays St. Agnes at noon

Homecoming Previewat Aamoth Stadium. Senior captain Hillary Crowe ’11 stated, “St. Agnes won’t even know what hit them.” The boy’s soccer team wraps things up with the final game at 2:30. Need-less to say, it will be a fine presenta-tion of dribbling, passing, shooting, and inspirational cele-ing. Both fut-bol games will be a showcase of the beautiful game at its finest. Overall, homecoming shall be a fine example of all Blake sports at all levels, middle school through varsity. Simply put, it’s gonna be a rough day for the Aggies.

Sam Gibson

Contributing Writer

Purple & Gold:Vikings versus SaintsWhat a total waste of timeBrett, go mow your lawn

Purple & Gold 2:Vikings versus SaintsJ.A.’s mullet is no moreHe broke Rev Ev’s heart

October Baseball:Twins are on a rollWish Thome was my uncleHe’d take me fishing

Blake Spirit:Spirit has come backThe Challenge Cup is oursMustangs are smelly

Spirit (continued):Speaking of SpiritWe all know it is GersoHe’s got a nice butt

Homecoming:As homecoming nearsTez emerges from his holeHe’s like a groundhog

Bigfoot Sighting:Saw Bigfoot last nightNo wait, that was just Mor-tellHe forgot to shave

Thank You, Spectrum:I am quite lazySpectrum let me write haikusArticles too hard

Sports Haikus

Expect The Best From Blake Football

Mason Hinke

Staff Writer

When football coach Eric Swenson stepped down as head coach

last year, many people wondered who would fill the void and what the future held for Blake Football. Enter football coach John C. Coatta, a vet-eran coach of Brigham Young University and Florida State. Thus, he is not your ordinary high school football coach. Coatta brings charisma, ex-perience, vast football knowl-edge, and a legendary passion for the game. Coach Coatta is fired up and ready to play ev-ery day he comes to practice. He repeatedly comments that he “would do anything to be back in football pads again” and brings an energy to the team’s practices and games that is undeniable. On his expectations of this and future seasons, Coatta said, “this is not a rebuilding year for the

Bears because that is completely un-fair to the seniors.” Rather, he believes that the Bears can be competitive this year in a conference still reeling from the surprise defeat of Minnehaha. As for the future, Coach Coatta believes that with a lot of hard work and pas-sion, the Bears will have a chance to really compete in their conference.

“There is no reason that we as a foot-ball team cannot be competitive this year or in future years,” he said. While the football team has started 0-2 with

Alex Feldman

Staff Writer

tough losses to both St. Croix Luther-an and Brooklyn Center, hopes and expectations for this season still run high. Coach Coatta has been stress-ing the importance of ever player just doing “their job,” nothing more and nothing less. “If you do your job and eleven guys do their job well, the other team will have to be very, very

good to beat us.” Player morale and hopes at the end of last season were certainly not high. How-ever, with Coach Coatta at the helm of Blake’s foot-ball program, it’s hard not to be excited about what’s possible. When asked what he believes in applicable from football coaching to life, Coatta said, “Have passion. Whatever you do, try your best and have

passion.” With this in mind, the foot-ball program works hard everday to help their dreams become reality.

Cross Country VolleyballGirls Tennisby Sanjana Srivastavaby Noah Abramovitz

“This year, we were expect-ing a rebuilding year, but we’ve got a lot of young talent and we plan on making a strong run at state. Expect challenge cup points from our squad this year.” –Brett Szalapski ‘11

Season Record: Girls: 1st , 2nd, 5thBoys: 2nd, 2nd, 9th

Season Record: 1-5

“We’re looking to improve upon last season’s Tri Metro finish and compete at a consistently high-er level this season. A solid core of veterans return and exciting newcomers abound in the young program looking to improve.”--Coach Raina Green

by Steve Carlson

Season Record: 1st, 6-1

“Powerhouse doubles teams and skilled singles players will allow us to have a really solid rest of the season.” -Abra Owens ’11

Poetry inspired by athletics

Lucas Simmons ’12 running the ball up the field Bennett Winton

Sports 09Spectrum

Sept 10

they know I’m a student-athlete. However, at the D-1 programs, I tell the coaches I’m dedicated to going pro.” You may think Mystery Athlete is being cocky, but no, he is just con-fident in his superior abilities. When asked about his favorite part of playing sports, Mystery Athlete responded, “I like fans. I like ‘em a lot.” Brief, yet abundantly eloquent. Furthermore, although Mys-tery Athlete loves the la-dies, he is no longer single nor ready to mingle. When asked about his preferences for his soul-mate, Mystery Athlete replied, “No com-ment. I’ve already got the perfect lady friend.” How cute. Back to sports. Many have compared this week’s Mystery Athlete to a combi-nation of “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” Roger Federer, and the former lead singer of Matchbox

Twenty Rob Thomas. (Mystery Ath-lete is known for being a singer of the finest caliber). When asked about his proudest moment in a Blake School of Integrity Jersey, Mystery Athlete told the saga of the Boys’ Soccer Team

victory over Breck last year. He said, “that win was life-altering, although I’ve participated in several state tour-naments in tennis, nothing will ever compare to the air on the pitch on that fall evening. Life-altering.” Besides

being a master on the soccer pitch, a fulltime dangler on the hockey rink and a straight-up ball-ripper on the tennis court, you can find Mystery Athlete driving around town in his Jeep Wrangler misquoting lines from Plies songs, or enjoying a nice nap in the senior lounge. Finally, when asked about his plans for the future, Mystery Athlete added some final words, say-ing, “you know, it’s hard to say where I’ll be in four years, college, maybe—the NFL, likely—playing in the Bra-zil for the next World Cup, undoubt-edly.” Words like “legend,” “prodigy,” and “phenomenon” are seldom used in a community with so many high-ly successful individuals; however, it is safe to say that when Mystery Athlete’s time at the Blake School of Distinction is over, those words still will not be apt to describe him.

Once upon a time, this issue’s Mys-tery Athlete entered the hallowed

halls of the Blake School of Excel-lence…(The rest of that story is still being written). This issue’s mystery athlete is a man (or a boy, depending on if he is affiliated with the athletic department) of fine taste and even finer athletic ability. In his time at the storied facilities of the Blake School of Higher Learning, Mystery Athlete has racked up a total of eight varsity let-ters on three separate sports teams. Now, being a three-sport athlete (and a two sport captain), you may wonder when Mystery Athlete has time to do school work. When asked whether he was a student-athlete, or the con-troversial athlete-student, Mystery Athlete coolly responded, “You know, when I’m on official recruiting visits at Ivy League schools, I make sure

September Mystery Athlete

Both Girls and Boys Teams Expect the Best

Of all the fall sports teams at Blake, none have higher expectations

than the Blake Girls soccer squad. With fourteen returning letter-win-ners from the 2009 Minnesota State Runner-Up team, it’s obvious these girls are primed to make a state championship run. However, the members of the team have a different mindset. “We’re just going to take it one game at a time,” said Head Coach Paul Menge. So far, they are off to a great start. The girls have a record of 5-1-1 including an impressive 2-1 win over 2009 State champion Orono in the Challenge Cup soccer tourna-ment. But the Bears still have work to do. Assistant Coach Chris Mitch-ell said, “We’ve had success against

tough teams, but we aren’t there yet. We’re still trying to find our ‘groove’.” The team is lead by Captains Claire Wilson ’11, Korleki Akiti ’11, Hillary Crowe ’11, and Addie Adams ’11. A strong core of upper-classmen and young guns like Nicole Kozlak ’13 and Lydia Sutton ’14 add depth to the team. “ Our work ethic is good,” said Mitchell, “We’ve played some teams that gave us valuable ex-perience for later in the season.” The team’s only loss has come to Wayzata, a class 2A school. But according to Coach Mitchell, “We really learned a lot playing against a team of that caliber.” When talking to Adams about team goals for the season, winning state was never mentioned, “Our first goal is to win our conference,” said Adams, the teams starting goal-keeper. “We aren’t going to worry about anything until we accomplish that.” Either way, the Blake com-munity is excited to see how far the team will go. Hopefully the Bears will return to the Metrodome to take care of some unfinished business. “We’ve set high goals for ourselves, but are confident that we will reach them,” Menge says. Expect great things from the Bears this season.

Alex Gersovitz

Contributing Writer

Chance Lillehei

Staff Writer

Jack Mortell

Contributing Writer

BLAKE SOCCER 2010

Bailey Dunning

Coleman Dressen ‘14 steals the ball from an opponent Bailey Dunning

One of the perennially strongest sports team is the Boys Var-

sity soccer team. Just two years removed from being state cham-pions, they are looking to con-tinue their success for fall 2010. Jack Mortell ‘11, George Ordway ‘11 and Charlie Velie ‘11 captain this year’s team. This year’s team is deep in experience with 16 upperclassmen on the roster, but it also includes five freshmen, Ko-rle Akiti, Coleman Dressen, Rahim Omar, Karl Lovaas and JR Bascom. Senier captain Jack Mortell com-mented on the change in teams over the years, “This team is much young-er than the past teams I’ve been on. Yet, with all the young players comes a lot of talent and promise. We look to capitalize on important games this season but not get too ahead of ourselves. The team looks to build off our recent success and carry our momentum into section play and hopefully into the state tournament.” After starting the season off with a tie against Holy Family, the team won their next two games, in-

cluding a 1-0 win over the number one team in section 1a, Simley. After the game, Pat Swearingen’11 described it: “A surprising accomplishment that is credited to lots of first half energy and second half passion to hold onto the victory. We are looking to build on this performance in future games.” The boys soccer team looks to have a very promising season. Afterall, they do have pro-dangler Daniel “Mes-si” Mauer ‘12 out on the pitch. Expect the boys to put forth their best effort and dominate out on the field this fall.

Kevin Hayes

VarietySep 10

10Spectrum

Movie TalkNatcher Pruett

Contributing Writer

It’s All in Your JeansKimmer Potuznik

Staff Writer

New Faculty Inner WeirdsAndrew Kahn

Staff Writer

Seven’s, True Religion, Rock and Re-public, Paige, Hudson, Citizens of

Humanity, Levi’s, and Joe’s. We have all heard the names, but what is so great about designer jeans? There is a wide variety of opinions on design-er jeans within the Blake community. Responses ranged from “they rock!” to “Am I suppose to think they’re spe-cial?” says Casey Colby ‘11. Designer jeans differ from other jeans due to their fabric and their fit. Elinor Mitchell ‘11 states, “They’re durable.” Simple, and true. Designer jeans are made with premi-um denim, a higher quality material that is softer and hand finished. Due to the stretch fibers and uniqueness of the cut, the jeans can last for years without showing wear. And accord-ing to Annie Peterson ’11, “they just fit better.” Gretchen Hoff ’11 agrees

that the premium denim is specifi-cally tailored to mold to fit the cus-tomers body because “they are much more comfortable.” But what about normal jeans? Taylor Rondestvedt ‘11 has “worn the same pair of Abercrombie skin-nies since seventh grade” and Ben Pobuda ‘11 “can buy like ten pairs of

normal jeans for the price of one de-signer one.” Rafael Abramovitz ‘11 commented, “They probably aren’t worth the amount of money.” Designer jeans are obscenely expensive. They range from $120 to $850 a pair, whereas jeans from Gap or American Eagle are about $30. So why do people feel like they need to

Pockets on designer jeans show the brand Laine Higgins

buy name brand jeans? Mason Hinke ’11 answers this question: “It’s all about the little design on the butt.” Jen Burdick ‘12 agrees that, “they have cute pocket designs.” Eliza Coogan ‘11 believes that designer jeans “look cooler than other jeans.” However, contrary to popular belief, Sydney Armstrong ‘11 states that “you can rip and bleach your own jeans.” Although the denim used in designer jeans is better, it doesn’t explain why students are shelling out hundreds of dollars for a pair of jeans? Tim Dooley ‘13 stated, “It’s a status thing. People see you have nice jeans and say, ‘Them some nice jeans! They must have some ca$h.’” Status and popularity drive the consumer market, as well as the halls of our very own school. I’m not saying that designer jeans are good or bad, but think about why people are buying them. Is it for the quality of the jeans or the status of the wearer?

Haven’t seen a movie recently? Don’t worry, there’s plenty com-

ing up in October, ranging from action flicks to Halloween horror movies. The Social Network (PG-13) hits theatres on the first of October. This highly anticipated movie’s cast includes Justin Timberlake and Jessie Eisenberg. The Social Network tells the story of Facebook’s controversial creator, a Harvard computer genius, and the site’s 2003 origin. The film is expected to be a top contender for February’s Academy Awards. Early reviews have called the movie near-perfect. Expect a sharp script, laughs and strong performances. Red (PG-13) comes to the-atres on October 15. It boasts an all-star cast including Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and Bruce Willis. Based on a graphic novel, the action-comedy is about a group of retired CIA agents trying to survive the day. Opening in time for Hallow-een, two horror franchises are back with new installments. Paranormal Activity 2 (Not Yet Rated), the sequel to last year’s demon-haunting hit, de-buts October 22. The newest film in the Saw series, Saw VII 3D (R), opens in theatres on October 29.

“I like that my kids would rather eat sushi than

french fries. I love vinegar. I can sit down and eat a whole jar of saurkraut. I

woke up at 4:00 a.m. today to bake chocolate muffins

for my boys. Is that weird?” -Ms. Reid

“During high school I worked for a photogra-

phy studio (think Glamor Shots). If I found some-

one’s portrait particularly, um, compelling, I printed myself a copy. I now have

a pretty magical collection of senior photos taken

in New Hampshire in the early nineties. Mullets,

you ask? Oh, yes.” -Ms. Sullivan

“I’m not ashamed to both watch and enjoy Jersey

Shore and the Real House-wives of New Jersey. My cats have more accumu-

lated frequent flyer miles than most people.”

-Ms. Graybeal

“I can walk on my hands. I like to cook my own In-

dian food.”-Mr. Mahoney

Laine Higgins

Sarah Legried

Laine Higgins

Laine Higgins

The 2010-2011 school year brings many new faces to Blake. As a wel-come ritual, some of the new faculty were interviewed for Inner Weirds. New faculty members not pictured are math teacher, Mrs. Geitsfield; spanish teacher, Ms. Duronio; and social studies teacher Ms. Graham.

Variety 11Spectrum

Sept 10

A Slice of the Twin Cities

Kaeli Patchen

Contributing Writer

Jonah Sandy

Contributing Writer

Pizza Lucé

Black Sheep Pizza

Pizza Lucé is a great restaurant with satisfying food selections

and an inviting atmosphere. When I first went to the Pizza Lucé location in Hopkins, conveniently located near the Hopkins campus, I was surprised at how crowded it was. The restau-rant was buzzing with life, from the private back area to booths and regu-lar tables. Pizza Lucé’s outdoor eat-ing area is more suitable to warmer weather. Because Pizza Lucé is al-ways teeming with hungry custom-ers, the wait staff is preoccupied. I’d recommend keeping questions short so the waiters have time to answer your inquiries about the menu. Pizza Lucé has a plethora of pizzas, as well as many other choices that accommodate meat lovers and vegetarians alike. They offer a variety of appetizers, a list of both vegetarian

Black Sheep Pizza isn’t much of a sight from the outside, and if

it weren’t for it’s electric sign and amusing scribbled sheep symbol, you might drive right by it. It’s a plain looking brick building, It’s a humble show, but they make some of the best pizza in the Twin Cities. Black Sheep Pizza is a cozy little nook of a restaurant. The staff members at Black Sheep were ex-ceedingly friendly as well as efficient, keeping the tables turning despite the long list of parties waiting to be seated. Black Sheep attracts young people from all around the Metro be-cause of its affordable prices (all piz-zas under $22), chill atmosphere and delicious coal-fired pizza. According to the restaurant, early pizza-makers in the United States used coal burning ovens to make pizza, and today these restau-

and meat-filled hoagies, and an ex-tensive dessert menu. The prices are pretty manageable (About $11.00 for a small pizza, $20.00 for a large, and about $7.00 for the sandwiches.) I or-dered the Mock Chicken Dijon hoagie and a Margherita pizza. I liked how they placed my pan of pizza on a huge can of sweet red peppers because it added a nice touch to the meal’s pre-sentation. My sandwich was excellent and I highly recommend the mock chicken. The margherita pizza had a delicious flavor, but it was heavy on the garlic. Then again, Pizza Lucé is known for their garlic. Just make sure to take one of their sweet after meal mints when you’re done. I had a great time at Pizza Lucé, and I especially enjoyed the vi-brant atmosphere. Even though the food was not exactly what I was ex-pecting, there are so many options that it would be hard to run out of new plates to try.

A mouthwatering cheese pizza from Pizza Lucé Kaeli Patchen

rants continue to use this method to make “some of the best pizza in the world.” Black Sheep Pizza strives to create this experience by using clean burning, virtually emission-free coal and the finest ingredients. The restaurant offers ten dif-ferent kinds of original pizzas. You can also mix and match from their list of over twenty savory toppings to create a personal pie. The pizzas are made with such care and finesse that they could almost be called gourmet. Brought fresh out from the oven, the pizzas are gorgeous – culinary works of art. Although Black Sheep doesn’t offer much besides pizza, the ap-petizers they do have are excellent. I would recommend the Meatball, Ricotta & Garlic pizza and the Chick-en & Pickled Pepper pizza for a bold-er, spicier taste. Order some Mexican Coca Cola or maybe some 1919 Draft Root Beer to go with. If you come on the weekend be prepared for quite a wait, but know that it’s well worth it!Black Sheep Pizza offers coal-fired pizza in the heart of Minneapolis Jonah Sandy

Summer Showcase: A Close-Up of the Martha Bennett Gallery

The exhibit in the Mar-tha Bennett Gallery is

full of student and faculty artwork that was created over the summer. The show includes drawings, photography, paintings and sculptures galore. Make sure you stop by to check out all of your class-mates’ talent. From left: “Summer on a Schooner” by Emily Wells ‘11; “Wish” by Katie McElrath ‘11; “Untitled” by Sammi Cohen ‘12; “Live the Art Series” by Zoe Kosieradzki ‘12 Laine Higgins

Laine Higgins

Page Editor

Back PageSept 10

12Spectrum

Keeping Up With the Kardashians

Jersey Shore

Masha BermanContributing Writer

Perhaps most famous for stars Michaele and Tereq Salahis’ controversial party-crashing debut at the White House, the

Real Housewives of D.C. follows five women living the high life in the nation’s capital. In a city where political power is everything and guest lists can include anyone from senators to secretar-ies of state, tensions are sure to run high. Conflicts between the women can be caused by anything from political scandal to per-sonal grudges. While some people have argued that the show has become centered on the Salahis and their high-profile scan-dal, the housewives claim that this is not the case. “We have five women that have stories that are really interesting and dynamic,” said housewife Mary Amons during an interview on The View. It remains to be seen, however, if a show that began in nation-wide scandal can live up to viewers’ expectations for drama.

*Source: Wikipedia

Emily WellsContributing Writer

Previously known as Jon and Kate Plus Eight, this revised reality show follows the daily life of now-single mother Kate Gosselin as

she raises eight children. After her highly publicized breakup from Jon Gosselin, many people wondered whether a family with eight young children should be exposed to so much limelight. Despite the contro-versy, the show returned for its fifth season this summer. During the first episode of the season both Jon and Kate stated their continu-ing devotion to their children and denied the cheating allegations. Who knows where the show – and their relationship – will lead?

*Source: Wikipedia

The Real Housewives of D.C.

Kate Plus Eight

Currently in its fifth season, Keeping up with the Kardashi-ans follows the Kardashian/Jenner family as they navigate

their way through family, relationships and careers. Centered around the three Kardashian sisters, Khloe, Kourtney, and Kim, the show documents their lives as they search for love, try to find common ground with their mom, and open their own cloth-ing boutique, D-A-S-H. The fifth season brings new love interests for Kim and a possible new living situation for Kourtney, as well as a few surprises for the entire Kardashian/Jenner clan. Tune in to watch all the exciting drama on Sundays at 10/9c on E!.

One of the most popular shows in reality T.V. (and a favorite of both the Blake student body - see above poll - and our own

Upper School Director, Ms. Graybeal), Jersey Shore chronicles the lives of eight housemates living in Seaside Heights, New Jer-sey where they work, play, and party all summer long. In its sec-ond season, the cast of Jersey Shore moves to Miami, where more drama ensues between Snooki, The Situation, JWoww, and oth-ers as new love interests arise and fights break out between the roommates. Filled with catfights, hookups, and overly tanned bodies, Jersey Shore remains the number one watched real-ity show. Watch the season unfold Thursdays at 10/9c on MTV.

Top 10 Reality Shows Blake Students Watch

Emily WellsContributing Writer

Masha BermanContributing Writer

Bailey Dunning

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