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.”

Founded in 2006 by a mother-daughter team, Pam and Emily Philipp, Operation Glass Slipper has made the opportunity of attending high school prom available to every girl struggling with financial circumstances. The organization provides full prom wear and accessories at no cost to girls.

Schools from all over the state set up dress drives for students to donate anything that could help Operation Glass Slipper with their mission. Seniors Katie McClurg and Rose Geiwitz have coordinated BSM’s own Operation Glass Slipper dress drive for the past two years. “We found out about the organization through my cousin [Meredith Montana].  She used to coordinate the dress drive at BSM before she graduated. I really wanted to keep it going because I think it is a great cause and I know how fortunate students at BSM are. I wanted to make sure that other girls are getting the same experience we get from attending Prom,” said McClurg.

In order to encourage students to donate, for every item students brought in, their name was entered into a raffle. At the end of the drive, three names were drawn. Two winners received Spirit Shop gift cards and the grand prize winner won two prom tickets. “The drive was a huge success. We had over 50 dresses brought in. A lot more shoes, purses, and jewelry were donated, as well––way more than we had expected,” said McClurg.

This year’s event was held on March 13 and 14 at the Mall of America. Operation Glass Slipper even provides complimentary alterations on all prom wear. The event was a huge hit for girls in search of their dream dresses.

March 17, BSM vs. Willmar

Junior Sidney Pilarski waited for the officials’ signal before she led her team onto the court against the Willmar Wildcats at the Williams Arena. Coming off of a close win against Minneapolis North in the section championship, the girls were determined to not only make it to, but to win the finals. “Having the game against North just helped us realize that any team can beat us at any time,” said sophomore forward Olivia Antilla. “We just needed to keep our focus and play loose.”

The Haben Center is the home court for the girls, and stepping up to the unfamiliar Williams Arena court called for adjustments. “At first it was a little intimidating but once you got used to it, it was really fun because of the energy from all the fans,” said Pilarski.

Considered a ’second half team’ by head coach Bob Lyons, the Red Knights rallied their way from a five point deficit at halftime to win by a score of 53-39. The sophomore trio led the team in scoring dropping a total of 36 of the teams 53 points — Antilla, with 14 points was assisted by her teammates Khadijah Shumpert and Josie Dillon, who each ended the game with 11 points.

With this come-from-behind win, the Red Knights proved to be a confident team who wanted to bring home the second state championship ever. “We wanted to keep playing hard together as a team and not overlook any team ahead of us,” said junior forward Sarah Kopp.

March 18, BSM vs. Sartell-St. Stephen

Senior guard Tish Alexander put on a clutch performance late in the first half secure yet another come-from-behind win in the semi-final game against Sartell-St. Stephen. Playing in the Target Center, the team was now in the limelight, including playing in the first televised game for some of these girls.

The pressure didn’t get to Alexander, as the senior captain dropped 18 points, 12 coming from beyond the arc, and compiled 5 steals and 5 assists. Alexander’s display of balanced basketball, however, may have overshadowed Antilla’s 18 points, which also contributed to BSM’s semi-final victory.

Their combined performance was contagious to the rest of the team, as the Red Knights went on to outscore the Sabres 69-47. “We hit a couple shots and started getting the feel for things and it all began to fall in place,” said junior forward Sarah Kopp. “We played unselfish basketball to help us come out with a win.”

March 20, BSM vs. Hill-Murray

The final minute of the championship game between BSM and Hill-Murray was the type of ending that sent fans’ blood pressure skyrocketing. With 50 seconds left in the game, Dillon drained a three-pointer when her team was down by four to cut the Pioneers lead to one. On the following inbound play, senior captain guard Tish Alexander stole the ball and passed to Dillon for a layup to put the Red Knights up by one.

Hill-Murray’s sophomore Tessa Chichy put up 24 points and was put to the test at the end of the game, when she was put to the line to shoot two free throws, with her team was down by one. With eyes throughout the Target Center focused on her, Chichy couldn’t come up with the free throws, which led to an intentional foul on Antilla to stop the clock. She extended the lead to three, which held up until the buzzer at the end to give the Red Knights a 41-38 victory.

The game was the team’s third game in a row in which they won in a come-from-behind fashion. “It felt amazing to be a part of a state championship team,” said Kopp. “Everyone dreams of being in the state tournament, but to win it is out of this world.”

Not only did Khadijah Shumpert, Olivia Antilla, and Tish Alexander win a state championship, but they were also nominated to be on the all-tournament team.

“Its such an incredible feeling. I can’t wait to see another state championship banner hanging in the Haben Center,” said Kopp.

KE: How would you say your season went overall?

NT: Overall the season went pretty well. As a team, we had some rough patches, but we fared much better than last year. This season was the first in which I have actually felt a part of a team. We had many more kids come out than in past years and the wrestling room was renovated; it was exciting to finally have an area specifically called the wrestling room and new warmups and gear as well. Individually, I had an awesome season. I took 3rd up in Fargo at the Rumble on the Red tournament where I beat many good wrestlers. Actually throughout the season I defeated 20 ranked wrestlers. So really it couldn’t have gone much better.

KE: What was your hardest match at State?

NT: I would say my hardest match at state was my finals match. I won that match 3-2. I wrestled conservatively, but the kid was very tough, even more so than my previous match where I faced the defending state champion.

KE: How does it feel to be state champion?

NT: Oh my God, its the best feeling I have ever had. Nothing gets better than this. It was simply amazing. I still feel like I’m on top of the world. There were so many setbacks and obstacles that I have faced over the past years in wrestling and now it was all worth it. It was a surreal feeling, at that point after I had won that championship nothing in the world mattered. It was almost like a dream. Finally I had accomplished my dream, my goal, that I had strived to reach over the past few years. I really am becoming greedy. I want that feeling over and over now. There is so much desire to succeed in this sport. Most people will never feel like this, and I feel bad for them, because it is awesome!

KE: Are you looking to wrestle in college?

NT: Yes I will be wrestling in college. Right now, I am undecided where it will be at though.

KE: What will you remember most about wrestling for BSM?

NT: I will remember how we completely rejuvenated the program We had four kids in 9th grade. Me and Alex Peck stuck it out throughout these years, though, and now the program has been revived. Our coach Larry Allar’s goal 10 years out is to be state champions as a team, and it all started with us.

Are you friends with Claire Simmons or Ben Erickson on Facebook? Well guess what? They don’t exist. The Knight Errant created two fake profiles as an experiment about students’ online interactions with social networking. The two profiles had info about themselves, a few pictures, some status updates, and were friends with the Knight Errant staff. There were some Benilde-St. Margaret’s students who rejected their friend requests, but overall, the profiles grew over the past two weeks and now 275 people are friends with Simmons and 407 are friends with Erickson. Only seven students messaged the fakes asking if they knew each other. The most interesting finding was that 28 people deliberately friend requested Simmons and 22 requested Erickson. A scary number, considering students aren’t just accepting strangers, but deliberately adding people that they obviously don’t know.

Although the KE experiment was completely harmless, becoming friends with people you don’t know can be dangerous. And no, rumors that the KE was teaming up with the administration to get students in trouble by becoming friends on Facebook are completely untrue; no one in the administration was even aware of this experiment, and no teachers have had access to the profiles. There are plenty of stories of harassment and online predators that have probably happened to someone you know, and are some of the real dangers of interacting with strangers online.

Also, with the confusing new privacy settings on Facebook, many students’ who previously had their pictures only available to friends, now unknowingly have their settings set so everyone can see their photo albums. This can be very dangerous because even if you are smart enough not to post compromising pictures of yourself, if your friends post them and they aren’t private everyone can access them. Although the BSM administration doesn’t go on Facebook looking for student misbehaving, according to principal Mrs. Mary Andersen parents can see these and there have been incidences where they have sent them in to the school.

Many students don’t realize or believe it is true that when you are applying to colleges or jobs they can often see students’ profiles and pictures. Recently a few seniors accepted college admissions counselors as their friends on Facebook and gave them access to not only their profiles, but many of their friends too. Although she has not directly been told or given proof counselor Mrs. Amanda Anderson has reason to believe that some colleges and universities research their applicants on Facebook. “Colleges want to create pages and are trying to recruit students more on Facebook. And I think a lot of the most competitive school also take time to search through [Facebook] to make sure there is nothing horribly offensive in their posts or on their walls. And they are also looking for pictures of drinking or alluded drug use,” said Mrs. Anderson.

Proving a significant point about how BSM students use social networking, the KE Facebook experiment is just one example of how students misuse their profiles. So go home and check your privacy settings, make sure your friends aren’t posting compromising pictures, and next time someone friend requests you, maybe make sure you can verify they exist before clicking “accept.” (Katie McClurg)

*The profiles created by the KE were solely for this experiment and will be shut down on Sunday March 14.

The Administration on Facebook

In contrast to what most high school students might think, the school administration does not have connections with students on social networking sites. In fact, most teachers and faculty administrators stay away from social connection sites as much as possible.

Mrs. Mary Andersen, senior and junior dean, is one of many administrators who refuses to use social networking sites. “I don’t have a Facebook, and my goal is never to be on Facebook,” said Mrs. Andersen.

Surprisingly, Benilde-St. Margaret’s has not had to deal with issues in busting students over Facebook. ” [The administration] doesn’t go searching for kids breaking rules on the weekend,” said Mrs. Andersen.

But just because the administration does not “Facebook stalk” students does not mean that Facebook is not brought to the administration. “I have had pictures from student parents e-mailed to me, and I assume that they are from Facebook,” said Mrs. Andersen.

Sometimes students themselves bring in Facebook information to the administration. “Once a student printed off a Facebook conversation and asked for help,” said ninth grade dean Ms. Rasmussen.

The administration does step in when either a parent or student presents an issue over Facebook,” Parents have asked BSM to help when facebook gets out of hand because the issue often crosses over to school,” said Mrs. Andersen.

If a student asks a dean for help when dealing with Facebook issues, they will gladly help. “I have helped a student block someone from their Facebook page,” said sophomores dean Mr. Jones.

However, other administration members such as Dr. Sue Skinner, school principal, and Dr. Bob Tift, school president, enjoy the wonders of communication through social networking. “I have a facebook which I use to keep in touch with family,” said Dr. Skinner.

The social networking administration members generally believe that facebook is a useful tool as long as it is used in the right way. “I believe in using the communication tool for good, not evil,” said Dr. Skinner.

The rules for administration when dealing with facebook are basic; they are required to uphold BSM by not disrespecting others, giving out confidential information, or letting it interfere with their job. “Employees can use [social networking] on their own time,” said Dr. Skinner.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s does not enforce restrictions of student and teacher friendships over social networking sites, but advises against it. “[Its] always important for teachers to maintain professional boundaries with students whether that’s on facebook, or even a phone call,” said Dr. Skinner. (Addie Reine)

Online Social Lives of Teachers

Teachers and Facebook may seem like an odd combination, but many of our educators are members of the social networking site. Getting them to accept your friend request is an entirely different matter.

Though the school has not officially set forth rules regarding teacher-student relationships on Facebook, teachers have been advised to be careful, Mrs. Nancy Stockhaus said.

For some teachers, searching their names won’t even bring their pages up as a result. Some use their full name to prevent students from bombarding them with friend-requests; others simply set the privacy levels so high that only they can friend the people they want.

Most teachers have personal policies of not accepting requests from current students. After graduation, however, most teachers’ policies change. Retired photo teacher, Mrs. Sue Jacobson, has accepted a friend request from me now that she I am no longer her student.

“I didn’t want my life to intersect with students in that way,” said Ms. Anna Overbo, who thought about the boundaries she wanted between her private life and her work life. “I’m not [Facebook] friends with any of my current students, but there are some former students I accepted,” said Overbo.

Ms. Kitty Prentice thinks that it might be a good idea to be Facebook friends with more of her students and is even considering an alternate account for just that purpose. The lines are blurry as to how close a teacher can be with a student,” Ms. Prentice said. She thinks that there would be many advantages to having that sort of communication with her students. (Sean Simonson)

Exploring India
Students traveling to India will combine service and sight-seeing over a 14-day period. After their arrival in Delhi on March 27, students will travel to cities such as Agra, where they will visit the famous Taj Mahal and Kerala, the city where the service part of the trip begins. “We will be going through the backwaters, living in a house boat, visiting some of the remote areas of India for five days,” said Ms. Lidibette Guzman, religion teacher and diversity coordinator.

While the service project is not yet finalized, Mrs. Guzman and Social Studies teacher Mrs. Megan Kern are working with a few possibilities; options include volunteering in a school, working with the elderly, or planting trees. India’s culture is certainly a far cry from our comfortable lives in the United States. “How people live sometimes is not related to their happiness in life,” said Mrs. Guzman, citing one of the many insights she hopes the seven participants will gain from this international experience.

Orphanage in South Africa
Exploring Capetown, visiting the prison where Nelson Mandela was held, and experiencing a safari are included in the South Africa trip itinerary, however, the group plans to dedicate most of their time to the orphans at Open Arms in Konga South Africa, an orphanage started by BSM alumni Bob Hickey Solis and his wife Sallie. “We will be in the classes with them, helping them with their English, their homework etc.,” said Spanish teacher Ms. Katie McDonald.

“Originally Jen Deglmann went and listened to Bob Hickey Solis speak to our school last fall, and fell in love with the idea of going there,” said Ms. McDonald. It was this experience that started Deglmenn’s discussions with Ms. McDonald and Ms. Rasmussen and about organizing a spring break trip to South Africa.

Though many students have expressed interest in going on this trip, the group was limited to seven people simply because that’s all the orphanage can accommodate. “They don’t have enough space,” said Ms. McDonald, but she hopes that they can bring more students in the future. “We’re going to see how it goes–if it’s good for our community.”

Bob Hickey Solis and his wife started Open Arms Orphanage to provide a home for children who had been orphaned because of the AIDS/HIV epidemic. “A lot of [the] time when you take these trips, you tend to go down with the feeling that you have so much to give to these people, and then when you come home you realize how much they actually gave to you, you learn so much,” said Ms. McDonald.

Cultural Immersion In Spain
Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, Tarragona, the Prado Museum, el Parque Retiro, Segovia, El Escorial, and El Valle de los Caídos, are just a few of the destinations on the itinerary for the 12 students traveling with BSM to Spain for Spring Break 2010.

Included in the trip is a five-day home stay in Tarragona, where a single student is parred with a family to experience daily life first-hand. “I’m excited to be immersed in the Spanish culture and get to experience what it is like to live with a family that primarily speaks Spanish,” said senior trip participant, Mel Ikola.

Unlike the trips to India and South Africa, Spain has been a past destination for BSM sponsored trips, however, the trip itinerary is changed every year. “We are going to different locations, including Valencia,” said Spanish teacher Ms. Mary Windsor, “We have a longer trip planned, this trip also coincides with Holy Week which is a phenomenon in Spain, the most celebrated holiday of the Spanish calendar.”

Ms. Windsor has traveled to Spain five times, and believes strongly in the importance of world travel. “I hope that this trip will instill a fervor for travel in each trip participant, travel has been something that has grounded me and made me who I am today.”

Q&A: Kelsey Jacobson (South Africa)
KE: What part of the trip are you most excited for?
KJ: I am really excited for staying with the orphans, getting them dressed and ready for school, and walking them to school.
KE: What do you hope to get out of the trip?
KJ: I hope to get a better understanding of the African culture. I’ve been to places like Mexico and Guatemala, but I’ve never experienced African culture.
KE: What are you most nervous for?
KJ: I’m nervous for the language barrier, the kids generally know English but they are still developing their skills.
KE: What convinced you to go on the trip?
KJ: I’ve always wanted to go to Africa, the group of girls sounded like a lot of fun, and the opportunity to go on a mission trip during spring break sounded really fun.

Q&A: Mel Ikola (Spain)
KE: What part of the trip are you most excited for?
MI: I’m very excited for the host family stay in the second week.
KE: What do you hope to get out of the trip?
MI: I hope that my Spanish skills will become influenced by this trip, just to be able to be immersed and learn about Spanish culture.
KE: Are you planning on studying Spanish in college or studying abroad?
MI: I’ve toyed with the idea of minoring in Spanish but right now I’m still not sure. I won’t lose my Spanish.
KE: What convinced you to go on the trip?
MI: When Ms. Windsor brought it up, i thought it sounded really cool and I talked to my mom about it, and she was like ‘you should go’ because she went to Spain when she was in college.
KE: What places are you excited to see?
MI: It’s hard because we have such a limited amount of time, but the art museums, art is really important to me, but Madrid, Barcelona, anything.

Q&A: Allison Ison (India)
KE: What part of the trip are you most excited for?
AI: I’m excited for going on a houseboat, going on the safari and going to the tiger reserve.
KE: Who convinced you to go on the trip?
AI: My friend Hanna Albertson.
KE: Is there anything that you are nervous for?
AI: Getting sick, and people are saying that our boat is going to get bombed.
KE: What do you hope to get out of the trip?
AI: Hopefully learning more about that country, and being around a different culture.

Freshmen’s view
With the first Harry Potter book hitting shelves in 1997, most seniors would have been five years old when first engrossed with the novels. Even at the movie premiere of Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001, twelfth graders were only nine, and freshmen a mere six years old. With the class of 2010 being some of the youngest of the HP fandom, it seems a generation gap has separated the youngsters from experiencing the magic at the same scale.

“The movies are boring. I don’t like the magic, it’s dumb.” — Madeline Roberts
“The books were too long and I didn’t have time to read them.” — Kaitlin Duda
“I just got bored with the books so I stopped.” — Shannon Kraemer
“The books were too long and they had movies out.” — Max Holly

Seniors’ nostalgia
Whether you stayed up all night under your blanket with a book light to finish Sorcerer’s Stone, cried for days over the death of your favorite character, or waited by the mailbox the day you turned eleven to receive your Hogwarts letter via owl, these students can relate. Harry Potter for these students wasn’t just a book series: it was a way of life.

Melissa Plooster
Knight Errant: Whats the longest time you’ve spent reading/partaking in HP activities?
Melissa Plooster: My entire life has been devoted to that wizard.
KE: What magical power would you want to have?
MP: I’d want to be able to see the future and be like Professor Trelawny. She’s basically the coolest woman ever. Or take care of mythical creatures. I wonder if I’d ever see a unicorn.

*Read what else Melissa and other seniors had to say about Harry Potter at http://bsmknighterrant.org/features/2010/02/26/harry-potter-2/

Potter fans look forward to:
Thought your life was over when the seventh book was released in 2007? Not to worry, there’s still plenty of HP fandom with two more movies, an exhibit, and a real universe of Harry Potter to come.

Already having made a stop in near-by Chicago over the summer, Harry Potter: The Exhibition lets fans encounter the real-life props and costumes used in shooting the films, from a giant chess piece to the flying Ford Anglia. Even better, the exhibit is based on the magical locations of the Gryffindor common room, Hagrid’s hut, and the Great Hall. Currently in Boston with plans to hit Toronto for the summer, the exhibit serves as a perfect excuse to travel to Canada over vacation.

With many fans petrified at the end of the film series, thousands were ecstatic to learn that Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows would be released in two parts, the first on November 19th, 2010 and the second on July 15th, 2011. Not only does this prolong the beloved series and allow for another night of fun at a midnight premiere, but the extra length will undoubtedly add to the epic ending of the series.

For all of those desperately seeking a way into Hogwarts, Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida is creating the next best thing. Opening in spring of 2010, the magical amusement park will include an entrance through Hogsmeade station, a recreated Hogwarts castle, rollercoasters entitled “The Dragon Challenge” and “Flight of the Hippogriff,” and a myriad themed shops from Honeydukes and Zonko’s to Ollivanders and The Three Broomsticks.

Timeline:
BOOKS
First book completed: 1995
Sorcerers Stone: June 30, 1997 (UK)
Chamber of Secrets: July 2, 1998 (UK)
Prisoner of Azkaban: July 8, 1999 (UK)
Goblet of Fire: July 8, 2000
Order of the Phoenix: June 21, 2003
Half Blood Prince: July 16, 2005
Deathly Hallows: July 21, 2007

MOVIES
Sorcerers Stone: November 14, 2001
Chamber of Secrets: November 15, 2002
Prisoner of Azkaban: June 4, 2004
Goblet of Fire: November 18, 2005
Order of the Phoenix: July 11, 2007
Half Blood Prince: July 15, 2009

By the numbers:
67: Languages into which the series has been translated.
4,224: Total number of pages in the series.
20: The number of copies of Deathly Hallows sold per second worldwide during the first 24 hours.
400 million+: The number of Harry Potter books sold as of 2008.

The devastation
The earthquake hit just 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital and largest city with a population of 2 million people. The quake knocked down buildings, power lines, and devastated the lives of the some 9 million inhabitants.

Due to a lack of construction standards, Haitian buildings toppled, killing up to 250,000, injuring more than 300,000 and affecting more than 3 million people. This disaster has left the nation in a panic, with people searching for friends and family and fighting over the bare essentials. The most prized possession in Haiti over the last few weeks has been water.

The catastrophe didn’t end there. There were two immediate aftershock quakes measuring at 5.9 and 5.6 on the Richter scale and to date there have been more than 52 after shocks with magnitudes of 4.5 and higher. Repairs to the nation, which was already the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, are reported to cost in the billions.

Student’s ties to Haiti
Though the devastation in Haiti is well known, for one BSM student with family ties to Haiti, everything has hit a little closer to home.
Freshman Rooscol Rozambert is one hundred percent Haitian with his whole family still living in Haiti. Rozambert was born in the U.S. and traveled to Haiti once in 2008. “My parents moved here in 1994 when my mom was pregnant with me. I have 14 family members on her side still there and eight on my dad’s,” said Rozambert.

After the earthquake, it was four days before Rozambert and his parents learned that their entire family was alive and well. “It was a scary couple of days,” said Rozambert, “but I knew everyone was going to be fine.”

Luckily, compared to the tremendous amount of difficulty most of Haiti is going through, Rozambert’s family is surviving and doing what they can to help others. “My family down there isn’t hurting too bad. One of my relatives is a nurse so they are starting a food drive and trying to help everyone who isn’t doing as well.”

Support for Haiti
Since the quake the world has been reaching out to Haiti, sending relief workers, money, and other aid to the impoverished nation. Thus far, the world total of money sent to Haiti is estimated at more than $2 billion which is still only approximately $0.296 per Haitian resident.

Several singers, such as Beyoncé, U2, and Bruce Springsteen, have given their voices for a CD entitled “Hope for Haiti Now.” The album costs $7.99 on iTunes and has already hit number one on the billboard charts since its release on January 22.

BSM has also done its part to contribute relief for Haiti. The Common Basket held on Thursday, February 4, raised over $8,000, all of which will be sent to Haiti.

“I started skating when I was 2 and a half, and started playing hockey at 4 years old,” said Horton. Steinhauser also started playing at about age 3. However, the young boys had different reasons for the start of their hockey career. “My one older brother played,” said Steinhauser, “and [my parents] told me it was hockey or swimming.” Horton, on the other hand, initially took up the sport because his dad had played since he was young and in college.

Both Steinhauser and Horton started out in a league called Miniature Mites, but remember the sport becoming more competitive at age 9 and 10 when they joined the Armstrong Youth Hockey Association. “It was three or four times a week at that point,” said Horton.

High School Hockey
The three to four times a week schedule has now increased to six days a week, only excluding Sunday because of MSHSL regulations. “In season [the players] can put in anywhere between 10 to 25 hours a week with ice time, team meetings, workouts, games, travel, etc.,” said Mr. Ken Pauly, the varsity boys’ hockey coach, “in the off-season it’s more like 10 to 15 depending on how much they are committed to their dry-land training regimen.”

Both players have put in countless hours in their short lives, which is part of the reason Steinhauser and Horton are both in the second year on the boys’ varsity team. “I played varsity last year, but not freshman year because I went to Totino Grace,” said Steinhauser.

Undoubtedly, both players have made a big impact on the team. “Jake is one of the best young leaders that I have ever seen in our hockey program…there is little question that he is putting his own stamp on the program. He just makes everyone more positive,” said Coach Pauly, “and Steinny isn’t going to chat everyone up, but he brings an honesty and intensity to everything that he does. His work ethic and disciplined approach serves as a great example and standard for our entire team.”

Although Horton makes time to also play soccer, Steinhauser plays hockey year round. “[Hockey] is not work for us, it’s fun,” said Steinhauser. Both players agree that being able to be wear the Red Knight jersey with pride is the best part about being on the team, but a winning season of 14 wins, 4 loses and 2 ties is not too bad either. “There a lot of great players, and the coaching staff is great and have been through a lot and know how to put together a winning team,” said Horton.

The Red Knights have big aspirations for the rest of the season as they hope to make a serious run at the Section 6AA tittle. Horton and Steinhauser will remain critical players for the team as they advance further into the season. “Steinny is our top line center so he needs to continue to put the puck in the net and set up his linemates,” said Coach Pauly, “And Horton has to mature quickly as a 10th grader and play mistake-free back on the blueline.”

The Future
Horton and Steinhauser would both like to play in the years ahead of them but do not have any specific plans. “To play college hockey would really be the dream,” said Steinhauser. “I hopefully will have an opportunity to play in college but after that I just want to play for fun and keep it as a big part of my life,” said Horton.

Coach Pauly agrees that both players definitely have the skills to compete at a collegiate level. “Both will play after high school. It’s just a matter of where and who will give them the opportunity. That’s half the battle, finding a coach who likes your game and who has a spot on his roster that matches your skill sets,” said Coach Pauly.