Pond Hockey Tournament raises $50,035 for Jablonski February 1, 2012 at 7:58 pm
Students and teachers swap outfits for Catholic Schools Week February 1, 2012 at 7:58 am
Catholic Schools Week kicks off with pjs and honors February 1, 2012 at 7:58 am
One Act play takes second place at sub-sections February 1, 2012 at 7:57 am
Youth In Goverment members lobby for government changes February 1, 2012 at 7:56 am

American Literature teacher Ms. Anne Marie Dominguez teaches The Great Gatsby to her students in the newly developed class, American Studies, alongside U.S. History teacher Ms. Megan Kern. (Chris Bell)
February 3, 2012
Nicole Sarquis, Staff Writer
History teachers tend to ramble off unrelatable facts about flappers, bootlegging, and the ease of life in the “Roaring 20s” during a typical U.S. History class, leaving their students with no real understanding of the subject. At the same time, English teachers’ enthusiasm over F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” can only be understood... Continue Reading
February 6, 2012
Matt Muenzberg, Sports Editor
“We need our Kyle Rau,” said boys’ hockey head coach Mr. Ken Pauly, referencing the former Eden Prairie Eagle who not only led the team in scoring on their way to last year’s state championship, but also consistently showed up when his team needed a goal. BSM’s Kyle Rau is junior forward Grant Besse, who has been on a roll lately, averaging over 2.8 goals a game in his last seven games. He twice found the back of the net and added an assist in a 4-3 win over section rival Wayzata on Monday, Feb. 6. With section seeding on the line, there was a playoff-like atmosphere at the packed Plymouth Ice Center. “I loved it,” said Besse. “I thrive on that stuff.” Head-to-head match-ups... Continue Reading

Junior Shannon Galvin rehearses for the upcoming Les Miserables performance wither her fellow cast members. (Giulia Imholte)
January 27, 2012
Emily Kline, Staff Writer
Blue Water Theatre Company, one of the Twin Cities’ top performing arts groups for youth, is taking on “Les Misérables,” one of musical theatre’s most famous works, for their winter production. Juniors Rachel Hogen and Shannon Galvin, along with sophomore Rachel Wallace, joined the cast in late November and are currently in rehearsals for the... Continue Reading
February 1, 2012
Nick Hillson, Staff Writer
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a bill running through Congress in an attempt to curb the illegal uploading and downloading of copyrighted information and programs. Unfortunately, due to extremely vague wording and unclear definitions, the censorship proposed could extend to websites such as Facebook, various e-mails, and any other free forum. Not only is SOPA ineffective for all but the technologically impaired, but it violates our rights and benefits only a small handful of elites. SOPA works by requiring websites and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to search through sent information and to censor any infringing material. Not only does this ignore the privacy guaranteed in the Constitution... Continue Reading

The Mock Trial team had a succesful season at several competitions due to immense practice and help from professional lawyers. (Photo courtesy of Jim Vogl)
February 3, 2012
Mallory Hoch, Staff Writer
Beginning in October, the Mock Trial team has practiced every night from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in room 121 in preparation for upcoming competitions. Coming to a close on January 31st, the season ended on a strong note, making it to subsections before loosing their last competition. The season commenced with general practices to help initiate new members.... Continue Reading
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Result | W/L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girls Hockey | Sat, Feb 04 | Totino-Grace | 9-0 | Read Story | W |
| Boys Hockey | Sat, Feb 04 | Spring Lake Park | 15-0 | W | |
| Wrestling | Sat, Feb 04 | TBA | 9th Place | ||
| Girls Basketball | Fri, Feb 03 | Spring Lake Park | 57-39 | W | |
| Boys Basketball | Fri, Feb 03 | Spring Lake Park | 67-65 | Read Story | W |
| Girls Hockey | Thu, Feb 02 | Spring Lake Park | 6-0 | Read Story | W |
| Wrestling | Thu, Feb 02 | Dassel-Cokato | 21-58 | L | |
| Girls Basketball | Tue, Jan 31 | Minneapolis Southwest | 70-38 | W | |
| Boys Hockey | Tue, Jan 31 | Jefferson | 7-1 | Read Story | W |
| Girls Hockey | Sat, Jan 28 | Hill-Murray | 1-3 | Read Story | L |
| Boys Basketball | Sat, Jan 28 | North Branch | 82-21 | Read Story | W |
| Girls Basketball | Sat, Jan 28 | North Branch | 66-40 | Read Story | W |
| Sport | Date | Time | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys Hockey | Wed, Feb 08 | 7:30 | Shattuck-St. Mary's | Shattuck-St. Mary's |
| Girls Basketball | Fri, Feb 10 | 7:15 | St. Louis Park | St. Louis Park |
| Wrestling | Fri, Feb 10 | 6:00 | Chisago Lakes | Home |
| Boys Hockey | Sat, Feb 11 | 2:30 | Totino-Grace | St. Louis Park |
| Dance Team | Sat, Feb 11 | 1:00 | Sections | Austin |
| Boys Hockey | Tue, Feb 14 | 7:00 | Chisago Lakes | Chisago Lakes |
| Girls Basketball | Tue, Feb 14 | 7:15 | Columbia Heights | Home |
| Girls Basketball | Thu, Feb 16 | 7:15 | Waconia | Home |
| Girls Basketball | Fri, Feb 17 | 7:15 | Irondale | Home |
| Boys Hockey | Sat, Feb 18 | 2:30 | Stillwater | St. Louis Park |
| Wrestling | Sat, Feb 18 | 8:00 | Section Opponents | Totino-Grace |
| Girls Basketball | Tue, Feb 21 | 7:15 | St. Francis | Home |
Alana Profit and Morgan Rogers
May 14, 2010
Filed under Opinions
Pro-Backpacks
Backpacks have become an integral part of the student experience, and taking them away would inevitably cause some logistical problems.
First, for the unfortunate student who has Weisgram AP Government in the North Building, then follows it up with Glover Statistics, Band in the North Building, then Lex Chemistry, and has a locker that touches the freshman hallway, they have to either schlep two full sized and one medium textbook with them all morning, or try to game the system and make it to class on time.
Extending passing time would help to alleviate this problem, but there are two main problems with this theory: the administration probably wouldn’t go for it, and students really wouldn’t want to stay at school any longer than absolutely necessary.
One solution being talked about is keeping a set of texts in the classroom, but it’s unreasonable for teachers to give out enough texts for students to keep and have a class copy. Some classes don’t have enough usable books to hand out and ordering new books is expensive. Since we already have enough books with the current system, it is also unnecessary.
For most people, their backpacks also contain some of the student’s identity. We know who we can go to to nab some hand sanitizer, tissues, Sharpies, or a pair of scissors, but without backpacks, students won’t be able to carry these items around, leading to more irritation on the part of the teacher when they’ll constantly be asked for a pencil or looseleaf.
Spacemakers, “shoulder bags,” pencil bags, and purses aren’t compartmentalized, so they don’t satisfy student’s organizational needs, and as far as backpacks go, they’re as essential as a sunny day: often overlooked, but missed sorely when it’s gone.
Anti-Backpack
Whether or not BSM is truly considering a no backpack rule, they should take a look at the advantages this rule would have. Backpacks are not only a cause for inconveniences in the hallways but attribute to much bigger problems like back pain.
I was walking down the hallway, in front of a boy who suddenly whipped around to walk the other direction to catch up with a friend. His backpack nailed me in the process and now I am blessed with a lovely zipper mark across the face. A simple solution to this problem would be to eliminate the cause; the backpack.
With a collection of textbooks—Calculus, Chemistry, Spanish, History and Religion—my backpack has the potential to weigh just as much as me. I am not alone though, nearly every student has at minimum two textbooks. These books are not light and when added to the other things such as clothing, pencil cases and sports equipment, a backpack becomes a plethora of unnecessary items to be carried all throughout the day.
I go to my locker between every two classes at minimum, but some people do not go to their lockers at all during the school day. Many people, mostly guys, choose to carry the contents of their locker on their backs. This rule would force boys and girls alike to keep their books in their locker and only get what they need for the class they are going to.
The junior high has already implemented this rule, and in doing so are building a healthier future for their students. Backpacks put too much pressure on students’ backs and as a person with back issues already I would love for a new rule to make BSM anti-backpack.
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