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 Basketball | Tue, Feb 07 | DeLaSalle | 54-70 | L | |
| Boys Basketball | Tue, Feb 07 | DeLaSalle | 60-59 | W | |
| Boys Hockey | Mon, Feb 06 | Wayzata | 4-3 | Read Story | W |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Meredith Gallagher
April 28, 2010
Filed under Features, Student Life, Top Stories
For nearly two weeks over spring break, five senior girls travelled to Konga, South Africa to work in Open Arms orphanage. Started by BSM alum Bob Hickey Solis, the orphanage is a safe haven for the children, many of whom were abandoned by their parents. Ms. Nicole Rasmussen and Spanish teacher Ms. Katie McDonald accompanied the Meredith Lawlor, Jen Deglmann, Melissa Plooster, Brittni Palkert, and Kelsey Jacobson on their mission trip to the orphanage.
For the girls, their time in South Africa was more than just a spring break trip–it was about opening their eyes to new experiences and helping others outside of their immediate community. “Its really important for me to travel and get out of my own backyard because I want to learn about other people,” said Meredith Lawlor, one of the students on the trip. “I think the more I see the more I am able to gain a broader perspective on things.”
Brittni Palkert, another student who went to South Africa, also believes in the importance of travelling outside of the country. Along with South Africa, she has been to Mexico to study Monarch butterflies and to Guatemala to work in the orphanage there. “You don’t really realize how similar people across the world are until you go abroad,” she said. “I think if everyone realized how similar other people across the world are and that there aren’t very many differences between us, people would be a lot more open to other cultures and learning from others rather than focusing on all those things that make us different.”
As well as learning about different cultures, the girls also went down specifically to volunteer at the orphanage there. . “I have always had a really big desire to take care of and help people, said Meredith Lawlor, one of the seniors on the trip. “Thats what has really driven me to do mission trips.” Like many of the other girls, she has gone on many trips abroad before. Many of them–Guatemala, Ghana, and now South Africa–have focused on volunteering.
The trip to South Africa opened up all of the girls eyes to a different way of life. “One image that really stuck out to me was seeing one of the little girls taking medicine to treat HIV every night,” said Lawlor. “We never have to face that here, at least in our direct community, and there it was right in front of me.”
The positive experiences at the orphanage outweighed the negative. “Watching the kids all together at meal time and saying prayer together…was very cute,” Palkert said. “The babies even started saying some of the prayer.”
As well as working in the orphanage, the girls were also able to see a some other parts of South Africa. One of the most shocking experiences was seeing the shantytowns outside of Cape Town. “You go from beautiful mansions, and ocean views, and the Wold Cup stadium, to millions of homes made out of cardboard and tin,” said Lawlor. “The poverty gap is huge.”
After returning home, their experiences at the orphanage has still stuck with the girls. “I think about them a lot,” said Palkert. “Every time beyonce comes on the radio I think of them because she was their absolute favorite.”
All of the students on the trip came away from South Africa with a greater appreciation for what they have. “One of the things the kids would always ask us is, ‘Do you have a mom and a dad,’” said Melissa Plooster, another girl on the trip. “I couldn’t help but realize that I take so much for granted, including my parents.”
“Just seeing how happy the kids were after knowing how heart-wrenching some of their pasts were…made me realize how much strength people have,” Palkert said, “Even kids as young as three and four years old.”
The girls would like to return to the orphanage again some day. “I just feel like the bonds that all seven of us created with the people at open arms is much too strong for us to just go there one time and then never share that connection again,” said Palkert. “I’m already trying to think of when it would be a good time to hopefully return.”
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