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
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 if students reading the literary classic have a solid knowledge base of the time period the novel is set in. In an attempts to bridge the gap between literature and history studies, two teachers––Ms. Megan Kern and Ms. Anne Marie Dominguez––have paired up to teach their newly developed class, American Studies, to juniors, combining the... Continue Reading
February 3, 2012
Matt Muenzberg, Sports Editor
“Don’t miss.” That was the thought that ran through the head of senior forward Sanjay Lumpkin when he got the ball under the basket unguarded with three seconds left in the game. Lumpkin made the layup, giving the top ranked boys’ basketball team a 67-65 win over number two Spring Lake Park. “We were just trying to get a screen and roll on the top. The ball went into the corner and I just cut back door and no one was guarding me,” said Lumpkin. The Red Knights struggled to contain Spring Lake Park’s Sean Scott, who had a career night with 36 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks in a packed, pro-Panther gymnasium. Head coach Mr. John Moore admitted that guarding Scott isn’t an exact... 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys Basketball | Fri, Feb 03 | Spring Lake Park | 67-65 | Read Story | W |
| Girls Basketball | Tue, Jan 31 | Minneapolis Southwest | 70-38 | 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 |
| Dance Team | Sat, Jan 28 | Catholic Jamboree | J: 2nd/K: 3rd | ||
| Girls Hockey | Fri, Jan 27 | St. Francis/North Branch | 10-0 | Read Story | W |
| Boys Hockey | Fri, Jan 27 | Moorhead | 2-6 | Read Story | L |
| Wrestling | Fri, Jan 27 | Robbinsdale Cooper | 47-27 | W | |
| Wrestling | Fri, Jan 27 | Mahtomedi | 33-34 | L | |
| Boys Hockey | Thu, Jan 26 | Irondale | 6-1 | Read Story | W |
| Girls Basketball | Thu, Jan 26 | Chisago Lakes | 58 -45 | Read Story | W |
| Sport | Date | Time | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girls Hockey | Sat, Feb 04 | 3:00 | Totino-Grace | Parade Ice Gardens |
| Boys Hockey | Sat, Feb 04 | 7:30 | Spring Lake Park | Blaine |
| Wrestling | Sat, Feb 04 | 9:00 | TBA | Pine Island |
| Girls Basketball | Mon, Feb 06 | 6:00 | DeLaSalle | DeLaSalle |
| 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 |
Board members from AdvancED came to BSM to check that the school is meeting the seven standards which measure how well a school can achieve quality student performance.
Sara Schlueter
March 10, 2009
Filed under News
On February 18, students may have noticed Principal Sue Skinner walking around the school halls with board members following behind her. These board members from AdvancED had to observe various classes and listen to student panels as part of the process to keep BSM’s accredidation.
With 23,000 schools to keep accredited, the national and international corporation AdvancED that came to BSM needed to seek evidence that the school is maintaining a quality education program. For a school to receive accreditation, it must meet high academic standards, engage in continuous improvement, and
demonstrate quality assurance through external review.
AdvancED also needs to verify that the school meets seven standards that they set forth which help to measure how well a school can achieve quality student performance. Each standard has guidelines on what must be achieved and these standards range from teaching and learning to the school’s resources and support systems.
BSM has continued to receive accreditation and demonstrates the use of excellence every five years when the board comes. While the school has never had a problem with accreditation, it still takes some preparations to get the school ready. “Before the accreditation board comes, we have various faculty and staff meetings to look for evidence that we are meeting these standards. We also prepare a report and send it to the accrediting agency,” said Principal Sue Skinner.
What the board does when they come to the school is tour the school and listen to panels of students, parents, board members, and support staff. “They want to get a feel for the school culture and to see if we are meeting their standards,” said Dr. Skinner.
Lindsey Clark, one of the board members who came to evaluate the school, found the panels of the students very informative. “We listened to students from every grade. It was a great experience, both for their suggestions and praise [of the school]. They were really able to back up everything they said with examples,” said Lindsey Clark.
In addition to sitting in on classes, walking through the halls of BSM, and talking to people, the board looks at everything that has anything to do with the school. “We show them binders of master schedules,
finances, Knightly news letters, coach’s handbooks, and anything else they need to look at,” said Dr. Skinner.
BSM had a positive impression on the board members that came, and they enjoyed their experiences. “I really like that no matter who you asked about the vision [of the school], there was the general idea of focusing on mind, body, and spirit. In addition, the school shows a lot of pride,” said Julie one of the board members.
The school will get a report about the accreditation in a few weeks, and it will include what the school needs to improve on. “There is no doubt that we will receive accreditation, and we will continue to make the school a better place,” said Dr. Skinner.
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