blakespectrum.org
MONDAY | DECEMBER 15 | 2025
ISSUE V
Rathmann Departs
ICE Raids Affect Somali Families, MN Community unites despite hardship Ben Aviles | Co-Editorin-Chief
A submitted by Rathmann
Rathmann will be moving on to a new role as the director of sales & business development for Thor Leadership Group. His last day as Athletic Director is Dec. 19.
after Blake. He sees Athletic Director reflects on 13 years at Blake sport alumni take the next chapFaith Zhao | Creative Director
N
ick Rathmann first came to Blake 21 years ago as the ninth grade basketball coach. “Blake is an awesome place,” said Rathmann, who, after eight years of having various roles such as JV baseball and varsity football coach, Middle School lunchroom supervisor, 6th grade social studies teacher, finally became the athletic director. His vision for Blake has consistently stayed the same: “dials and buckets.” “I try to look at everything we do and say, where can we turn the dial a little bit? Where can we make things a little better?” reflected Rathmann. During his time at the school, he implemented the turf on Aamoth and the ice arena, made major changes to tennis courts and baseball
fields, updated the gym, and started new programs like Ultimate Frisbee. “We did significant multimillion dollar enhancements to a lot of facilities that our kids get to use. We have some of the best facilities in the state,” said Rathmann. “We’ve really tried to make the incredible work that students do in the classroom with all of our amazing teachers and do the same in a different way with athletics.” Despite all of his physical achievements, Rathmann firmly stated, “It's not me. It's a team of people always, and there's really talented people here at Blake: 3 awesome assistant ADs. 144 amazing coaches…Anne Stavney, Maren Anderson, all the deans, college counseling, admissions, transportation, security, billings and grounds… we work with every department…we're part of
a bigger team at Blake.” Rathmann continued, “All the coaches that we’ve worked with have given me so much good growth…you learn a little bit from every person you interact with, and we interact with a lot of people.” His deep appreciation for the people around him was greatly influenced by the late Rod Anderson, former 40 year social studies teacher at the Upper School and “legendary hockey coach.” “I had lunch with him every Wednesday at the Upper School, and he would just tell me stories about how things were…and he taught me about people.” While winning state titles is always a joy, Rathmann said, “it’s [about] the other moments that I get to see that no one else sees. [Those] are the [memories] I remember the most.” Rathmann sees athletes succeed at their
ters of their lives–weddings, birth announcements, or job changes. Rathmann saw growth. “My favorite things have always been the kids, the student athletes.” Rathmann said with a huge smile. “It's knowing people’s names, the highfives, cheering them on, the fist pumps, and being there for the moment.” A moment that’s been precious to him is the last moment. Rathmann said, “when [the] last match is over as a senior, it's hard to watch, but [I] watch kids cry…that just means it was all worth it. I get excited about that [because it] means we did our job. It was worth it… that experience is special.” As he closes this chapter of his own life, he concluded with the foundation that started it all: “it's about people. I’ve been blessed to be around some great people.”
The Blake School
n allegedly fraudulent organization, “Feeding Our Future,” stole millions during the pandemic under the guise of feeding children. The fraud case involves members of the Somali community. Donald Trump and other voices on the right have been outspoken on the incident. They have promoted anti-Somali rhetoric and directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Trump has called Minnesota a "hub of fraudulent money laundering activity,” asserting “Democrats allowed a $1+ billion heist to take place.” Trump’s asserted figure is strongly disputed by a Star Tribune analysis, which suggested the alleged figure closer to $152 million. Many of the 78 charged are part of the Somali community. After learning about the fraud, a member of the Somali community, Shucayb Harir ‘26, realized, “It was going to be used against us and used as a sort of headpiece to characterize the entire Somali
community.” Trump asserted, “She’s [ Representative Ilhan Omar] garbage. Her friends are garbage. These aren’t people who work.” Harir disputes, “They're forgetting that Somalis are just really like anybody else.” “Somali immigrants have a goal in mind: to create a space for their families to grow and to create a life that they didn't have.” Omar asserted in a Dec. 4 New York Times opinion piece, “We are doctors, teachers, police officers, and elected leaders working to make our country better.” In addition to rhetoric, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deployed ICE agents to the Twin Cities. In a project named “Operation Metro Surge,” ICE has seized 12 people in Minneapolis, including five Somali residents. Other ICE raids have occurred, including the 24-hour detainment of an Edina-born Somali woman. Such incidents have led Harir to think, “This can happen to us.” He continued, “As a small community, we keep each other at heart, we're all like sisters and brothers, and we all care about each other, so to see one or two or three get hurt is a hit to all of us.”
Ben Aviles
A popular space for many members of the Somali community is the Karmel Mall, located just two miles from the Upper School.
New Gatsby Exhibit Provokes Thought Free MIA experience on view through March Chloe Kern | Staff Writer
T Chloe Kern
A rare first edition of “The Great Gatsby” is on view at the exhibit.
Chloe Kern
A pairing of Mike Lynch lithograph and a Gatsby quote about the symbolic green light on display in the exhibit.
o honor the hundredth anniversary of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) curated a free exhibition, “Gatsby at 100,” on view through March 22, 2026, to position the novel within its contemporary visual context. For the most part, the artwork on display was created during the 1920s, prompting a constant conversation between the book through quotations on the informational plaques and the vi-
sual trends of the time. The works on display, ranging from photographs and prints to paintings and drawings to sculpture and furniture, “embody the decadence, excess, and social upheaval” of The Great Gatsby, according to MIA’s website. Among the works on display is a rare first edition of Fitzgerald’s novel, with the disembodied, spectral gaze from Francis Cugat’s “Celestial Eyes” hovering on the dust jacket. A visitor to the exhibit, Joe, commented that the display “brings out the ten-
sion of the 1920s—there are pieces that look quaint and parochial amidst pieces that are…modern.” Tension comes to light for modern-day viewers through an intentional curation of varying artistic styles and movements, all designed to reflect the conversations between works during the Jazz Age and their continued relevance today. The exhibit is separated into two galleries: the “Bodies” room focuses on the human figure, and many of the “ The Great Gatsby” quotations focus on charac-
ter description. The “Places” gallery includes works that reflect physical spaces and landscapes. According to the gallery’s description, “Place is nearly a character in ‘The Great Gatsby.’” The exhibit draws attention to two facets of textual story–setting and character– and juxtaposes them with their visual counterparts. Altogether, the exhibition frames the novel within its artistic context with sensitivity to the modern viewer. The curation brings the book to current appreciation, according to the entry text, “in an era that, like [Gatsby’s] own, pulses with ambition and excess.”