On Thanksgiving morning, St. Paul Academy and Summit School Community Actions and Service group members woke up at 1:30 AM and made their way to Cretin-Derham hall to participate in the annual Thanksgiving Meals on Wheels event. The event took place in the school’s cafeteria, which was packed with students, parents, and walls. Down the middle of the room were walls of wholesale food items such as canned corn and packaged gravy packages and pumpkin pie. All along the side of the room was a wall of hundreds of cardboard boxes to be filled with prepackaged Thanksgiving meals. The students immediately set to work, some of them taking a station and placing certain food items into boxes, with other students taking the boxes down the assembly lines. Still other students transported the boxes outside where they were assembled to be shipped off to their recipients. As the volunteers worked, there was a sense of community and satisfaction that, so early in the morning, seemed unbelievable. Every five minutes or so, an adult would shout “Gobble!” and the room would shout the same word as a  reply. About halfway through, reporters from Five Eyewitness News and Fox News came in carrying large video camcorders on their shoulders. Freshman Eli Goldman was interviewed by Five Eyewitness News as he passed finished packages down from the assembly line to a cart.

None of these volunteers were forced to sacrifice their mornings and sleep. Every student who showed up had signed up on their own. Why? Junior Vanessa Miller’s reason was that “everyone deserves to share a meal with their family on Thanksgiving.”

The smell of freshly printed paper, sharpened pencils, and anxiety fills the air as test season emerges for Upper School students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. Despite approaching midterms, nine sophomores and nineteen juniors chose to participate in an extra session of math SAT practice before school on Wednesday, Nov. 12th in an attempt to increase their chances of success regarding the new SAT test format, which will come out in 2016. The practice test was provided by the College Board, the same organization that will release the format of the new SAT. This test consisted of two twenty-minute sections, one of which required the use of a calculator, and was supervised by Upper School math teacher Bill Boulger and Director of College Counseling and Academic Planning, Mary Hill.

“I wasn’t stressed, I didn’t feel rushed, it felt a lot more official [compared to the practice PSAT]…it helped with my anxiety [from the] practice PSAT,” sophomore Heba Sandozi said. Earlier this year, sophomores had their first taste of standardized testing when they took the practice PSAT which also contained questions that were supposed to adhere to the new format. “The test on Oct. 15 was designed by Kaplan…they used the [limited] information the College Board had given them,” Hill said. “[This test] was better simply because it gave a sense of how much time [the students] would have for each section.”

Hill indicated students largely gave positive reviews to the extra testing session. “It gave students exposure to the new testing format, an inside take on what the new testing format would be about,” she said.

Pathways in and out of school have changed a great deal this fall. One of the more recent and noticeable changes is that the typical student entrance by the gym door is locked. Though this change has caused an immediate reaction, it was a decision made with planning and thought.

Ever since the gym doors were locked on Oct. 13, lots of the focus has been on the negative effects of this action. The doors have rerouted students’ paths and has affected how early students must leave their house in the morning.

“[The locked doors] add like 5 minutes to the time it takes to get in the building,” junior Claire Ristau said.

Students may be unaware of why the locked doors are necessary and feel frustration at another long walk from the parking lot. Many students speculate that the door is locked for construction reasons but that is only partially true.

“The gym doors are locked primarily in the interest of security,” Upper School Principal Chris Hughes said, “We want people to access the school in places where we have safety and security officers or other school employees available to watch who is coming in. That’s just basic good practice.”

The gym doors are locked in the morning, but re-open with security present for the convenience of those in after school activities at the end of the day.

Though the locked doors represent security for the school, they mean something different for students, especially for those who need to access the part of the school near the gym.

“[The locked doors] mean I have to leave for school earlier so I can go all the way over by the senior lockers to get inside, then I have to walk all the way over to the freshman lockers, then I have to walk all the way to my advisory [in the language wing],” freshman Terry Cheney said.

A security increase is one overall benefit from locking the doors, but another reason they need to be locked is that construction for the Huss Center for Performing Arts will encroach that space in the near future. “As construction continues, the new building will be linked to the existing gym hallway, which will close off that lobby area at some point, likely near the end of the year,” Hughes said.

A new entry point will be built to connect to the gym lobby but will be more accessible from both parking lots.

Even with these doors locked, administration has ensured that there are ways for student to enter the school building in the morning. In addition to the normal Summit Center doors at Davern Lobby being open, the doors by the lunch room patio have also been unlocked so that there are still two entrances when students are arriving at school.

The slight inconvenience will eventually lead to a new chapter in SPA history but for now it is hard to look past the immediate changes that were caused by the doors being locked.

“[The change] was annoying because the gym doors were where I usually went in. Now I have to walk farther to the sophomore benches, which is where I usually hang out before school,” sophomore Spencer Allen said.

The locked entry doors by the gym is just one of many ways increased security measures and the new performing arts center will change how SPA operates. It has temporarily shifted the way students enter the building and soon it will shift again to a new entrance for the Upper School with a consistent security presence.

“Let’s do the Time Warp again. Let’s do the Time Warp again.”

“Time Warp,” a song featured in the 1975 rock movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is familiar to many students at Saint Paul Academy and Summit School.  In fact, on Dec. 6 the song will be featured as the grand finale of the annual Pops Concert.

“I did not know the song “Time Warp,’ but now I really like it,” junior Rachel Hotvedt said.  Hotvedt sings with Academy Chorale.

This iconic song is not new to the SPA community.  A tradition in the theater department, “Time Warp” is used as a warmup for actors prior to productions.  Director of the Upper School theater program Eric Severson started this ritual when he came to SPA in 2001.

“I cannot fully recall what inspired me to choose that song, but I was working with a group of young people and needed something to get them energized before the show and thought that it might do the trick,” Severson said.

Severson added that “It is fun, it is frivolous, it is silly, but it works.”

Back by popular demand, this will be an encore performance of “Time Warp” at Pops. The last time it was on the Pops program was in 2007 when the concert was held in the Briggs Gymnasium on the Randolph campus.

“I think it is a lot of fun to do and all of the solos are really fun,” senior Halsey Moe said.  Moe also sings with Academy Chorale.

According to US Choir Director Anne Klus, “The song is a great way to incorporate all of the almost 250 singers and instrumentalists together in a big finale to end the Pops Concert.”

The Pops Concert begins at 7:00 p.m. at The O’Shaughnessy on the St. Catherine University campus.  Admission is free.

As exams draw near, students figure out ways to best prepare themselves for the tests. Saint Paul Academy and Summit School schedules exams over the course of the week before winter break in a way that doesn’t force people to sit in a room all day. They are scheduled twice a day over a three day calendar, resulting in studying effectively being a base necessity. Outside of the in-class review days and study sessions offered in some departments, students are recommended to put time and effort into preparing for their exams on their own. How they go about that, can be the difference between a C and a B or a B and an A.

It is never too early to start studying. Freshman Emma Truman thinks that beginning early is beneficial, “I start early. That way, I have time to ask teachers about what I don’t know.” Both sophomore Raffi Toghramadjian and Junior George Stiffman agree that starting early is important: they both start two weeks out for studying.

Although starting early is important, the quality of the studying itself is just as if not more important. One proven method is doing the worksheets given by the teacher.  “If my teacher recommends something, I do them,” Truman said. Toghramadjian thought this way his freshman year, but he changed his approach this year, Now I’m going to look less at the handouts and just write stuff out.” he said. Stiffman agrees with both of them, “I usually outline concepts before using a review sheet to make sure I know the concepts by memory so that I don’t forget them while I’m taking the exam.” he said. Part of his outline involves writing things out like Toghramadjian, “Usually writing material down helps me to remember more ideas from each unit.” he said. The idea behind writing things down is it will build muscle memory and make sure that it is actually memorized.

Another important part of studying is choosing what to study. Toghramadjian has a method for what to study, “I’ll look at the main concepts first, and then I’ll go in depth for each one,” he said. Truman has a similar approach: “I first do a brief overview, isolate what I need to work on,” she said. This is also mirrored by Stiffman, not all subjects warrant the same amount of studying: “For subjects that build upon ideas from previous units, I don’t do as much studying. I make sure that I have the basic concepts down and know how to apply them into ideas in other units.” he said. As important as studying is, knowing what to study can be just as important as knowing how to study.

In the end, how one studies is up to them. Freshman Henry Zietlow understands that not every studying technique will work for everyone: “You study what you want to study because you know the best about yourself,” he said. One important thing for everyone, though, is to not get too stressed. Stiffman emphasizes the importance of relaxation on testing days: “I try to relax beforehand and get away from friends for a bit.” As great as friends are, exams are a time where taking care of one’s self takes precedence of friends. It is also important no matter how one studies to be well rested during exam time and to be feeling as good as possible. As students strive for good grades on tests, one important way to raise the grade is studying in the right way.

Exam Schedule:  Monday, Dec 15 – 9:00-10:30: History, 1:00-2:30: Language.  Tuesday, Dec, 16 – 9:00-10:30: English, 1:00-2:30: Science. Wednesday, Dec. 17 – 9:00-10:30: Math, 1:00-2:30 – Make-up/Elective.

With exams quickly approaching, students are looking for quiet places in the school to hunker down and get some studying done. For plenty, the library is just the spot. “The library is nice because it’s in the middle of everything, so you can go see your teachers, and I like writing on a table,” sophomore Maya Edstrom said. The cubby desks in the library provide a great distraction-free option. “It’s not a table, so I’m sitting alone, so it’s easier to focus on my work,” junior Sam Matenaer said. However, the library can get noisy as a social space, so for true quiet, some folks head elsewhere. When she needs to really focus, Edstrom likes to go to the third floor. “The skyway is more [helpful]  if you really need it completely quiet,” Edstrom said.

When asked where they like to go for a quiet study space, juniors Jane Jackson and Elena Youngdale both chimed in at once: “Fourth floor.” Specifically, they like the open space there, officially named the Bonfoey Room. No one’s ever up there, so it’s quiet. The alcove thing, with the bench that goes into the window is cool. I like sitting there,” Jackson said. “Also it has pillows,” Youngdale added. “I don’t know how clean they are, though.”

Students gather together for the annual wrapping party on Dec. 10. Festive paper rustles as gifts, including an assortment of toys and necessities, are enveloped in pretty decorative wrap. The Adopt-a-Family program provides an opportunity for students to help families have a better holiday by providing gifts.

Adopt-a-Family is run by Project for Pride in Living (PPL)—a non-profit organization founded in the Twin Cities that strives to improve the situations and circumstances of families who aren’t able to sustain affordable housing and education. PPL has served more than 13,000 low-income families annually with the help of over 2,300 volunteers who have contributed more than 61,000 hours of service in 2013 according to their website.

PPL sends SPA advisories who choose to be involved a list of the family members and their gift requests so that the advisory can buy items the family needs. This year, 34 advisories participated in Adopt-a-Family. Most groups made plans and assigned each other jobs and responsibilities for buying gifts.

Before the event, sophomore Hana Martinez said, “A couple of us went shopping together. We all know what we’re contributing; we all know what we’re supposed to be doing.” Martinez is a member of the Beatrice White advisory.

The Adopt-a-Family program does not just benefit families in need but also advisories. Advisories have fun and bond together when they go and shop for gifts.

“It will be like a bonding experience, something we can do together,” sophomore Cole Thompson said. Thompson is a member of the Andrea Bailey advisory.

Seniors Maddie Flom-Staab, Samantha Linn, and Sheila Sullivan are the presidents of Community Action and Service, the group that organizes the event and formed a liaison with the Adopt-a-Family program.“It’s been a tradition since we were freshmen,” Sullivan said.

Community Action and Service has worked with the Adopt-a-Family program for many years, except last year when the event was replaced with Service Day, because it’s an enjoyable and positive experience where people can offer up their services to help families in need. “We want to put a large emphasis on local action and local volunteer work and we know that these gifts are going to families that are in the Twin Cities,” Linn said.

“I think there is something exciting about it because just the idea of helping out someone you don’t even know [to] probably have a better holiday [is] it’s just sort of like a good feeling,” Martinez said. “It’s pretty cool that our school’s doing it.”

The Community Action and Service student group is looking forward to the results of their efforts. “It’s probably our most popular event of the year and with that comes a lot of work and preparation but it’s totally worth it,” Linn said. A wrapping party was hosted in the cafeteria on Dec. 10. The co-presidents also provided baked goods that spiced up the event and added a sprinkle of delight and enthusiasm to the festivities.

The Adopt-a-Family program is a way for SPA to give back to the community in a meaningful way. “I think all advisories in the future should contribute to that [Adopt-a-Family program] because it’s fun and it’s beneficial,” Martinez said. Community Action and Service have plans continue the program into the future and keep it as a tradition because it brings the SPA community together and is an excellent way for students to have fun while contributing to public service.

A swirl of suits, ties, and business dress dominate the crowds as nervous chatter fills the room and high school students wait for ballots to be counted. Armed with only their powers of speech and improvisation, prior research, and a debate partner, students from St. Paul Academy and Summit School who participated in the Novice and Junior Varsity Public Forum debate tournaments, as well as the upcoming National Qualifiers immerse themselves in a highly competitive environment that requires skill, hard work and perseverance.

“The competition [this year] is as strong as it’s ever been … it’s going to take luck and our best debating [to make it into Nationals],” Debate Coach Tom Fones said.

A total of four teams from SPA competed in the National Qualifiers tournament on Dec. 13 at SPA. Seniors Shaan Bijwadia with Thomas Toghramadjian, senior Jordan Hughes with junior George Stiffman, senior Afsar Sandozi with sophomore Sarah Wheaton, and sophomores Shefali Bijwadia with Raffi Toghramadjian were selected based on competition style and skill.

The National Qualifiers tournament has a particularly aggressive format: the double elimination structure dictates that teams who lose twice are pulled immediately from competition, so only a select few can make it through.

Fones believes all four teams from SPA have a fighting chance, although competitors such as Eastview and Chanhassen aren’t far behind.
Hughes agrees: “it’s one thing to be selected for a team [to go to the National Qualifiers]; it’s another thing to succeed [when you’re] put into that kind of competitive environment,” he said.

Having gone to the National Qualifiers tournament last year as well, Hughes recommends the experience and has advice for those who want to participate in the future: “Work hard. Start preparing early, and start showing interest early … this is as far as the season goes, it’s worth striving for.”

As practice for the upcoming National Qualifiers, Varsity debate students attended a tournament on Dec. 6 at SPA to, as Fones put it, “audition their arguments and spend time preparing for what the other schools are doing.” All four teams placed in this tournament, taking the top three places, as well as sixth place among competing area schools.

The Novice and Junior Varsity State tournaments are also important hallmarks for debate students. It has been almost a decade since anyone from the debate program has gone to either one of these tournaments, which occurred on Dec. 5-6.

“It was all about logistics; we’ve always had kids who could do it,” Fones said. “I think there’s been a lot of interest … [the tournament] is just the capping off on what has been a really good season for [both] JV and Novice debaters.”

Freshman Numi Katz also loved attending the tournament, although she advises future debaters to “be prepared. Ben [Konstan, Katz’s partner] and I prepared a lot, and it helped so much,” she said.

In the end, Novice, JV, and Varsity debaters alike drew one conclusion from their experiences in a highly competitive environment: as Hughes said “everyone’s in a good place … [but] putting yourself in the most competitive environment and seeing how you fare always helps.”

UPDATE 12/19/2014: Seniors Shaan Bijwadia with Thomas Toghramadjian and sophomores Shefali Bijwadia with Raffi Toghramadjian qualified for the national tournament and will be competing in Dallas, Texas this coming June.

Which student group qualified two teams for nationals in the 2014-15 season by competing in a tournament in Rosemount? Answer: Quiz Bowl.

This year both Quiz Bowl teams qualified for national competition by securing a top place at a local tournament.

“We tied for ninth out of 72 teams to make nationals,” sophomore Jack Indritz said.

By earning this ninth place finish in the RATRACE or Rosemount Annual Thumb-Racing Academic Competition, teams A and B now have a chance to go to nationals along with the teams that qualified above them. Though both teams qualified they are still raising the funds needed to attend the national tournament.

This success is still a significant achievement for the team because, though they did qualify for nationals last year, they did it much later in the year through regular season matches.

“The team pulled it together with good competitive drive and a strong knowledge base. We had very enthusiastic players that I was glad to have on team. Quiz Bowl could have a good future ahead of it,” sophomore Cole Staples said.

With such a strong team of young players Quiz Bowl could replicate the recent success it has had in future years. Most of the Quiz Bowl team is sophomores and there are no seniors so the team will be looking to have a strong season again next season.

I bounce up and down, toes jamming into the pavement, trying to get a better glimpse of the current speaker and trying to warm my feet, now numb from cold. Signs with red handprints wave above my head and cheers and screams echo from my fellow protesters. With directions from one of the main organizers, we turn and begin to march up towards the highway. Footsteps thunder down the concrete and the beating of helicopter propellers can be heard high above us. Adding to the din are shouts carried by the rallyers of “Black Lives Matter!” and “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”

Our throng of protesters climbs the entrance ramp to an empty freeway with traffic jammed to a complete stop heading the opposite direction. Protesters flood the sectioned off, empty lanes, but also jump over the highway divider and into the standstill of cars on the other side of the road. Signs are held high and some cars honk their horns along to the rhythm of the chants: “Hands up! Don’t shoot!”

I hop up onto the freeway barrier with my friends and look back at the sheer mass of humanity spanning across the freeway lanes. There is no visible end to the crowd, and when you think you might see it, more protesters spill over the entrance ramp. Hundreds, thousands of people are here tonight because of the injustice served in Ferguson, Missouri. One thing we all know is this: The fight for equality between races is far from over.

An unarmed 18-year-old black boy named Michael Brown walks down the street. He encounters a white policeman, Officer Darren Wilson.

The details are disputed, but a heated argument ensued between them and Wilson drew his gun. Wilson went home that night with a faint bruise, and Brown was left dead in the street for four and a half hours with seven bullets in his head and chest. Wilson was not indicted by the grand jury.

Brown’s death Aug. 9 is an individual tragedy and injustice, but in a broader scope it represents just one manifestation of racial inequality in the American justice system which has claimed thousands of other victims. According to a ProPublica analysis of federally collected data on fatal police shootings, young black males are 21 times more likely to be shot dead by police.

So, were Wilson’s shots truly an act of self defense? Or was Brown a victim of deadly racial profiling?

The Grand Jury
Former Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Sol Wachtler said that district attorneys have enough influence on grand juries that they could easily convince them to “indict a ham sandwich,” as the jury only sees what the district attorney wants them to about the case.

This power makes it incredibly rare for federal grand juries not to indict, as they chose to do in Ferguson, though grand juries indict much less frequently in police shootings. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, only 11 of 162,000 prosecuted cases were not indicted in 2010.

A grand jury met in secret for three months to decide whether the evidence warrants indictment, the formal accusation which precedes a trial by jury. Usually, it consists of 23 average citizens. In this case, it consisted of 12: nine white, three black – and agreement between nine or more jurors makes the criminal decision. The tally has not been made public.

Physical evidence did support Wilson’s claim of self defense, and some witnesses even testified that Brown charged at him. This would give Wilson a reasonable cause to defend himself, however, hospital records described Darren Wilson as “well-appearing, well-nourished, in no apparent distress” the night of Brown’s death. While witness reports were conflicting, there was near consensus that Brown put his hands up in apparent surrender before Wilson killed him. Whether Brown’s hands were up or he was charging, were that many shots needed?

In Wilson’s testimony, he dehumanized Brown throughout the description of their altercation, but also explained the fear that drove him to pull the trigger: “I felt like a five-year-old holding onto Hulk Hogan…he looked up at me and had the most intense aggressive face. The only way I can describe it, it looks like a demon, that’s how angry he looked.”

Regardless of whether or not the shots were fired in self defense, Brown’s family said that they “are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions,” and they hope that through peaceful protest, injustice within the justice system will be fought.

The Bigger Picture 

Opinion

Community lacks awareness of current events despite available resources

Within an hour of the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert McCulloch announcing the grand jury decision not to indict Wilson on Nov. 24, President Barack Obama delivered a statement in which he laid out his thoughts on the greater significance of Michael Brown’s death from police brutality.

“We need to recognize that this is not just an issue for Ferguson, this is an issue for America,” Obama said. “Separating that from this particular decision, there are issues in which the law too often feels as if it is being applied in a discriminatory fashion.”

The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, Jeffrey Mittman, issued a statement expressing his concerns and campaigning for the public to take a stand: “…Michael Brown’s tragic death is part of an alarming national trend of officers using excessive force against people of color, often during routine encounters… The officers and police departments are not held accountable.”

The general public has demonstrated a similar reaction to these public authorities, as protests broke out nationwide following the announcement of the grand jury’s decision.

The Protests
“No justice? No peace!” “Black Lives Matter!” “Hands up, don’t shoot!” “Ferguson is everywhere!” “We will not be silent!” People screamed these words nationwide as countless peaceful protests erupted in hopes of making a difference with their words.

According to the Star Tribune, in Minneapolis on Nov. 25, about 1,000 peaceful protesters gathered in front of 3rd Precinct police station to lay down and block roads (north and southbound on Highway 55) and call out for justice.

Not all of the cars were stopped, though.  A pedestrian protester, a 16 year old girl, was taken to Regions Hospital for minor injuries after she was run over by a car that went through the crowd. According to the Star Tribune, “the victim’s vehicle was damaged by a large group of people… while [the driver] was attempting to flee from the mob, he struck a pedestrian. State accident report filed.” Later, the driver’s status was changed from victim to suspect, but charges have not been filed.

In Ferguson, at least at first, it was violent. According to an article from National Public Radio, protesters threw rocks, bottles, and batteries at police, and a patrol car was lit on fire, so the police dispersed crowds with smoke. The situation was such that the Federal Aviation Administration issued a no-fly zone over Ferguson.

A dozen or more commercial buildings were destroyed by fires in Ferguson after the decision not to indict was announced, according to ABC News. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced that around $625,000 in loans would need to be given to affected businesses in the area.

Then, on Black Friday, Nov. 28, there was a nationwide retail boycott to support police brutality victims. According to CNN, the St. Louis Galleria Mall protests caused a temporary shut-down. Every once in a while, protesters would lie down on the floor for what they called a die-in.

The Results
Wilson had been on paid leave since killing Brown (and garnered donations of almost half a million dollars), but resigned on Nov. 29 because the police department received threats of violence if he remained on the force.

Protesters have mixed feelings about Wilson’s resignation. Many feel that he should have been fired long ago, and others feel that it is just a single, tiny step in the right direction that he isn’t on the force.

Brown’s murder gave a cause a martyr and sparked a revolution. It’s a revolution which won’t stop until everyone is able to trust those who are meant to serve and protect them, regardless of the color of their skin.

Q: What is the new policy?

A: In many ways, it’s still the same policy, just over a shorter period of time. The biggest adjustment to the policy was when we would reset the clock on tardies. Instead of a semester long, it will go in terms of quarters.

Q: Can you describe the policy in a word or two?

A: More effective. It will allow for more focused attention on attendance for those students during the quarter. A semester can seem like forever.
What were the factors that went into the decision for a new policy?

The biggest thinking behind it is that it is easier for students to focus on a quarter at a time than semester at a time. A quarter felt a little more balanced. The clock can be reset after a quarter. We also wanted to make sure students had all detentions served. They need to serve all detentions before the clock can be reset.

Q: How will the policy benefit our community?

A: Ultimately, the impact will be that students will have less detention over the course of the year. It gives them more freebies for the year – two per quarter, rather than 4 for the entire year.

Q: Do you think students should react well to the changes?

A: If the assembly response was any indication that [students] are grateful for the opportunity to have tardies reset at the quarter, it seems to be a positive response.

“(cut too…

Projection: ALIENS

Projection: VERSUS

Projection: CHEERLEADERS…,”

reads the script of St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s annual MSHSL competition one act, Aliens vs. Cheerleaders. It’s a short action comedy by Gina Nguyen in which a fictional Saint Valley High’s squad of 4, savvy, buff, bossy cheerleaders defends the community from an alien abduction. Though, ultimately, not without the help of hipster Molly (Maggie Vlietstra) and her nerdy, Harry Potter-esque friend Lewis (Drew Faucet).

“Molly has a lot of spunk. I’m excited to say some of her lines,” Vlietstra said. “It’s easy to exaggerate characters though and Molly is really [comparatively] normal. So it’s like hmm, how would a normal teenager, how would I, actually react in this [bizarre] situation.”

One of the more surprising aspects of Aliens vs. Cheerleaders is that its lead, butt-kicking squad defies traditional stereotypes, a unique twist on the popular cheerleading and Mean Girls paradigms. There’s Tina (Maddie Flom-Staab), the squad’s “queen-bee.” Annnddd the captain of Saint Valley High’s championship debate team, president of the “Young Political Leaders of America” club, and Homecoming Queen. There’s Missy (Taylor Rients), a star varsity athlete who crushes cans on her head and is always “in the mood for some danger.” She’s all brawns.

Gabby (Anna Biggs) reads Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time” for leisure and does perfect hitch-kicks and round-offs. She’s all brains, “a cool nerd,” Biggs said.  Finally, there’s Lucy (Eva Perez-Greene). She’s missing so many brain cells, though her motor skills make up for it, enabling her to kick alien butt with the best of them.

In addition to weekly rehearsals at the SPA Lower School, the cheer squad and their alien opponents will receive professional fighting instruction at the Minneapolis Uppercut boxing gym in the coming weeks because, as Vlietstra noted, “making the fight scenes believable is the biggest challenge.”

Aliens vs. Cheerleaders has Charley’s Angels (the remake) style combat scenes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer camp, and Bring it On inspired cheer. It’s pure comedy.

“Let’s do the Time Warp again. Let’s do the Time Warp again.”

“Time Warp,” a song featured in the 1975 rock movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is familiar to many students at Saint Paul Academy and Summit School.  In fact, on Dec. 6 the song will be featured as the grand finale of the annual Pops Concert.

“I did not know the song “Time Warp,’ but now I really like it,” junior Rachel Hotvedt said.  Hotvedt sings with Academy Chorale.

This iconic song is not new to the SPA community.  A tradition in the theater department, “Time Warp” is used as a warmup for actors prior to productions.  Director of the Upper School theater program Eric Severson started this ritual when he came to SPA in 2001.

“I cannot fully recall what inspired me to choose that song, but I was working with a group of young people and needed something to get them energized before the show and thought that it might do the trick,” Severson said.

Severson added that “It is fun, it is frivolous, it is silly, but it works.”

Back by popular demand, this will be an encore performance of “Time Warp” at Pops. The last time it was on the Pops program was in 2007 when the concert was held in the Briggs Gymnasium on the Randolph campus.

“I think it is a lot of fun to do and all of the solos are really fun,” senior Halsey Moe said.  Moe also sings with Academy Chorale.

According to US Choir Director Anne Klus, “The song is a great way to incorporate all of the almost 250 singers and instrumentalists together in a big finale to end the Pops Concert.”

The Pops Concert begins at 7:00 p.m. at The O’Shaughnessy on the St. Catherine University campus.  Admission is free.

It takes a whopping 22 hours and 25 minutes to make the trek from Cape Town, South Africa to Saint Paul, a large amount of time to spend seated in one place. Despite this, 12 high school students from Cape Town joined St. Paul Academy and Summit School students for a half day to see what the school is like and to learn more about American culture.

On Jan. 8, students from Cedar House Prep School, a school similar to SPA, visited from 9 am-12 pm. During that time, they attended classes, participated in Thursday Student groups, and met SPA students in the halls and at a scheduled meet and greet.

The students are currently engaged in an exchange program with The Blake School. In addition to spending time at Blake, the Dean of Cedar House Prep wanted the students to visit several other schools including SPA and Central High School.

Cedar House Prep student Sarah Rumboll joined Students for Social Justice Global during X-Period. There, she helped the members put letters into envelopes and get them ready to send as a part of their letter writing campaign. “It’s a cool idea and I’m glad I got to get to know a few of the girls in the group,” Rumboll said.

Other Cedar House Prep students, Alex Davis, Ethan Goldberg, Daniel Dippenaar, and Nic Costello joined Art Club. “This is art right here,” Dippenaar said. “This is my talent.”

When asked about the differences between SPA and Cedar House, Prep Goldberg said, “It’s much more like our school.”

The students came from “a suburb where [they] are situated, it is called Kenilworth,” Goldberg said.

SPA students were able to learn about school in a different country and what it is like to be a teenager in South Africa. “They were so funny and I loved talking to them for a little bit. Their lives are so interesting,” sophomore Soph Lundberg said.

Freshman John Gisselquist focuses on his screen, which has a series of music notes on it. Upon further look, the notes seem to form chords, and from those chords a song appears.

“My family is a very musical family and so I’ve been playing piano since first grade, violin for a while along with several other instruments, so I’ve been around music my whole life,” Gisselquist said.

But playing music is different from writing and arranging music. “I started arranging music the summer after fifth grade with my piano teacher,” Gisselquist said. So far, Gisselquist has arranged ‘Carol of the Bells’ for a cappella a few years ago and ‘Say Something’. “They are both pieces which I’m really proud of.”

Currently Gisselquist is arranging ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow-What a Wonderful World’ medley by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.

“I really like making my own adaptations of songs so they will work better for whichever instrument(s) I’m working with and so I’m then able to make the song partly my own,” Gisselquist said.

Arranging music is also a learning experience for Gisselquist, “I’m also simultaneously learning chord structure and music theory because I have to look at the notes that will make up the chord in order for it to sound good.”

Spartan Beats is currently planning it’s performances and have so far learned two pieces, ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen and ‘Creep’ by Radiohead.

“Once [members of Spartan Beats] start taking suggestions for new songs I will show my pieces and hopefully get them performed.”

Besides receiving the classic report card, St. Paul Academy and Summit School students also get the opportunity to read detailed feedback from teachers with their thoughts looking back on the first semester. Each teacher writes a paragraph highlighting successes and things to work on, specific to each individual. Students get one of these paragraphs for all of their classes.

With their advisors, students review the comments and set goals for each class and general goals to improve during the second semester. The goals are based on teacher suggestions within the comments, and also the student’s personal view on what they would like to improve.

“It’s nice because it’s sort of an explanation for the initial reports we get with just our grades,” sophomore Layne Carry said.

The comments provide a unique opportunity for students to understand their teachers’ thoughts and can foster a nice transition into improvement during the second semester.

“It helps me set goals for how to get better during the second semester,” sophomore Jack Johnston said.

Narrative comments were given to students by advisors today, with electronic copies available to families in Veracross tomorrow.

Recently the filtered website list got a new addition that has jolted the community. Many St. Paul Academy and Summit School students were disappointed or angry about the change but it wasn’t a random or meaningless alteration. In reality the Netflix block was necessary for many reasons. “Netflix’s user agreement is written such that you cannot project their videos other than for personal use,” Upper School Technology Coordinator Chris White said. Any use of Netflix in a group is technically illegal, even if it’s for educational purposes. “Teachers that were showing [Netflix videos] in class were inadvertently not following that user agreement,” White said. Though Netflix cannot be watched in groups, individual use is legal anywhere, so why was Netflix added to the blocked sites list? The reason mostly lies with SPA’s bandwidth capabilities. Streaming videos takes up a large amount of space on the bandwidth so when multiple Netflix videos are streamed at once, the bandwidth can fill up very quickly. This in turn slows the internet speed which prevents access for those using it for educational purposes. “When teachers were getting bumped off the network, the number one reason was people using Netflix for personal enjoyment,” White said. There has been no internet crashes since the use of Netflix was banned, which supports the point that Netflix was a major issue when SPA’s internet would crash. Though it will be missed, Netflix needs to be blocked to ensure that the internet is always useable and that everyone in SPA continues to operate under legal terms.

Giving blood. Two words that may seem like a daunting task are actually an easy way to give back to the community. Following with the annual tradition, the Upper School Council at St. Paul Academy and Summit School is organizing a Blood Drive for Upper School students. “I think [The Blood Drive] is a great thing our school does,” sophomore Ella Matticks said. The drive will take place on Tuesday, Feb 3 from 8:15 am to 2:15 pm.

To give blood, a student must be 17 years old, or 16 years old with parental consent.  Some form of photo identification is also required, whether it be a drivers license or a school ID. There are additional requirements, such as weight, which are based on height and gender for young donors, as well as a series of health-related requirements.  “[It is later in the year] because then most of the sophomores will be 16,” sophomore USC representative Moira McCarthy said.

To sign up to give blood or find more information, talk to USC members outside the cafeteria during lunch periods throughout the week.