As part of their goal to be one BSM, the school’s administration organized a convocation last Tuesday. In light of thanksgiving, the convocation was aimed to give thanks, specifically for the students and coaches in extracurricular activities.

Almost 92% of the students at BSM are a part of a sport or club here at BSM. “One of the things that we are thankful for [is] that a lot of our students are involved in all of our athletics and activities. So we have actually one of the one of the largest participation rates of all the schools that are around,” assistant principal Cami Dahlstrom said.

Because of this, the new tradition of a thankfulness ceremony was implemented with inspiration from other schools. During the ceremony, captains from BSM’s extracurricular activities talked about what they were grateful for this fall season. After outlining the highlights, they honored a student in the activity they were thankful for.

These students were awarded ‘legacy medallions’, wooden tokens made by BSM’s engineering department. The idea behind the medallions is for students to pass on the award at graduation, to continue the legacy of what a Red Knight is meant to be. “The students that got [the medallions] are representing one BSM. They’re trying to be inclusive, [and] they’re very encouraging of all their other teammates or club members. So their challenge is to hang on to this coin, and then once they graduate, pass it down to somebody else, to have them do the same thing [in making] everyone feel included,” Dahlstrom said.

Kate Cornell, a member of the dance team who was awarded the medallion, said that the ceremony helped her feel more thankful to be a part of the team. “It makes you feel good, because it makes me feel like I was noticed and that… [we’re] more of a team because I know that they recognize me as a member, and they are grateful to have me on the team,” Cornell said.

With so many participants, captains had to narrow down which student they would honor. “It was kind of hard. We had a lot of people that we could have chosen… we looked at what embodies someone to be like at BSM and who really fulfilled those requirements,” dance team captain Abby Lohmann said.

Dahlstrom believes that the thankfulness convocation is an important tradition to continue, as it helps remind people to take the time to be grateful. “I think in our lives, everything is just going so fast. We a lot of times forget to just stop and be thankful for all the people that help us get through the good times and the bad times, people who are cheering you on and the people who are there when things aren’t going great,” Dahlstrom said.