One of the many clubs that BSM has to offer is Knightlife, a group of over 50 students who have made the decision to live and promote healthy, chemical-free lifestyles. This club focuses on educating students to be smart and safe teenagers as they live their lives at BSM and beyond.
Over the past three years, Knightlife has grown significantly with student participation. Many things draw students towards this beneficial club. “When joining Knightlife, students at BSM get the chance to come together and share the same values of being chemical and alcohol-free during the school year and in the summer,” Vice President Ellie Shideman said.
Chemical Health Counselor Laura Esping is the advisor of this group. As the Chemical Health Counselor of BSM, students feel comfortable with Esping knowing she’s an experienced resource to turn to when needed. “I’m very passionate about people’s journeys in living life, completely aware and awake,” Esping says.
The club consists of regular meetings during homeroom, occasional guest speakers, and constant unity among the group. Students join the club to be a part of a group where they can feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions about such a crucial topic in high school. “Knightlife is really just a good environment to be a part of. Everybody there’s friends. We all love each other. It’s a nice little family inside of BSM,” junior AJ Ulrich said.
This school year, President Dylan Popehn, Vice President Ellie Shideman, and Chemical Health Counselor Laura Esping are doing their part to unite the club and create activities for the group. “So far this school year we have had a police officer come in and he talked about the consequences of drinking underage and driving underage, and we’re planning to do more activities and different displays around the school to promote what Knightlife believes in,” Shideman said.
As president, Popehn has big hopes for this group of students and plans to do all he can to sustain a secure and healthy school environment. “Being the present of Knightlife really helps me to hold myself accountable to make safe and smart decisions and also help others if they are struggling,” Popehn said.
Most recently, guest speaker Officer Luke from the St. Louis Park Police Station, came in to discuss the topic of driving under the influence. “He wasn’t there to scare us students. He was there to just inform us and help us understand what the consequences are if [we were] ever in a position surrounding drugs or alcohol. I think it was super helpful since I feel like a lot of teens don’t always feel comfortable asking those kinds of questions, but it’s really important for us to be educated on this topic,” Shideman said.
The goal of this club is not to simply put a negative label on every substance that ever existed. Instead, the club focuses on teaching safety and the importance of being educated about things you may encounter at some point in high school or beyond.