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American Studies class formed to combine American history and literature

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)

American Studies class formed to combine American history and literature

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

Besse stays hot with two more goals against Wayzata

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

Rising actors partake in Les Miserables performance

Junior Shannon Galvin rehearses for the upcoming Les Miserables performance wither her fellow cast members. (Giulia Imholte)

Rising actors partake in Les Miserables performance

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

SOPA bill is ineffective, inefficient, and infringing

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

Mock Trial season testifies the team’s talent

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)

Mock Trial season testifies the team’s talent

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

SportDateOpponentResultW/L
Girls BasketballTue, Feb 07 DeLaSalle54-70L
Boys BasketballTue, Feb 07 DeLaSalle60-59W
Boys HockeyMon, Feb 06 Wayzata4-3 Read StoryW
Girls HockeySat, Feb 04 Totino-Grace9-0 Read StoryW
Boys HockeySat, Feb 04 Spring Lake Park15-0W
WrestlingSat, Feb 04 TBA9th Place
Girls BasketballFri, Feb 03 Spring Lake Park57-39W
Boys BasketballFri, Feb 03 Spring Lake Park67-65 Read StoryW
Girls HockeyThu, Feb 02 Spring Lake Park6-0 Read StoryW
WrestlingThu, Feb 02 Dassel-Cokato21-58L
Girls BasketballTue, Jan 31 Minneapolis Southwest70-38W
Boys HockeyTue, Jan 31 Jefferson7-1 Read StoryW
Click on any sport above to see a full schedule for that sport.
SportDateTimeOpponentLocation
Boys HockeyWed, Feb 08 7:30Shattuck-St. Mary'sShattuck-St. Mary's
Girls BasketballFri, Feb 10 7:15St. Louis ParkSt. Louis Park
WrestlingFri, Feb 10 6:00Chisago LakesHome
Boys HockeySat, Feb 11 2:30Totino-GraceSt. Louis Park
Dance TeamSat, Feb 11 1:00SectionsAustin
Boys HockeyTue, Feb 14 7:00Chisago LakesChisago Lakes
Girls BasketballTue, Feb 14 7:15Columbia HeightsHome
Girls BasketballThu, Feb 16 7:15WaconiaHome
Girls BasketballFri, Feb 17 7:15IrondaleHome
Boys HockeySat, Feb 18 2:30StillwaterSt. Louis Park
WrestlingSat, Feb 18 8:00Section OpponentsTotino-Grace
Girls BasketballTue, Feb 21 7:15St. FrancisHome
Click on any sport above to see a full schedule for that sport.

Poignant film confronts controversial topics

Mary Musilek
November 10, 2008
Filed under Movie Reviews, Reviews

An act of domestic violence, a child cruelly punished by her easily angered father, and the beating of a black housekeeper set the tone for what is to come. Loosely based on life in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees, based on a novel by Sue Monk Kidd, is an emotional and yet enlightening tale about a child growing up with hardships portrayed as common to this time.

Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) is a child who feels motherless right from the start. The movie begins with four year old Lily accidentally killing her mother while her father (Paul Bettany) is beating the mother for packing her things and wanting to leave again. This shocking start reveals the reasons for the way Lily acts throughout the movie: lonely and full of grief, curious about her mother, and desperately wanting to leave her father.

The beginning of the movie is gripping due to the fact that the incidents feel so real and that Lily truly cares about people, even her black housekeeper, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson). Rosaleen was beaten by a white mob and was spending time in the hospital, when Lily arrived to free her and embark on her journey to find out more about her mother and to find the place where she belongs. Guided only by an image her mother left of a black Mary Magdalene with an inscription on the back saying “Tiburon,” Lily leads Rosaleen to this town, hoping to stumble upon another clue that will guide her.

By this point, her father is outraged and although we don’t see much of him, the few scenes he’s in show his irritability and also his desire to be with his daughter again. Lily finds where she needs to be even though she doesn’t know why. Welcomed in to the home of August Boatwright (Queen Latifah), Lily and Rosaleen begin their new lives; Lily helps August by working with the bees and Rosaleen works with August’s sister May Boatwright (Sophie Okonedo) in the kitchen.

The movie’s overall mood is quite sad, but scenes full of humor and happiness are intermixed among the dark scenes. The movie has multiple themes: racial tension, independence, overwhelming grief, class differences, mothering, and love versus hate. The stereotypes and racial prejudices of this time keep the plot moving, but the theme of mothering grasps the audience’s attention and brings emotion to the movie.
Dakota fanning provides a moving performance, along with a powerful performance by Queen Latifah. When Fanning’s character, Lily, experiences flashbacks of killing her mother, Fanning’s true acting talent shines through. Queen Latifah caught the attention of the audience whenever she eloquently spoke about troubles black people experienced, and especially when she talked about the secret life of bees. Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys add to the depth of the cast by depicting believable and emotion-filled characters.
Fanning’s portrayal of Lily is gripping, and as the movie progresses, Lily finds that even though she doesn’t have her birth mother, she is surrounded by women who love her like a mother would and who are willing to treat her as a daughter. August Boatwright also emphasizes that even though it is easy to hate someone or something when you are angry, it is better to show love for the people and ideas you believe in.

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