the
SPECTRUM
“Your Voice in Print”
blakespectrum.org
Issue VIII
Friday | April 28 | 2023
The Blake School
Students Unplug on Catalina Island Kate Rekas & Sofia Perlman | Opinions Editor & Copy Editor
Lilly Anderson
Maren Anderson’s Marine Biology classes from first and second semester had the opportunity to explore Catalina Island in California. Molly Seidel ‘24 describes her time on the island, saying, “I really enjoyed all of the diverse experiences that we were offered like an astronomy hike and different kinds of snorkeling such as in the night and chumming the water and also daytime hikes and sunrise hikes.”
Lilly Anderson
One of the activities the students did was snorkeling during the day and at night. Pictured, Steve Kaback, Lilly and Audrey Anderson ‘23 dressed to go snorkeling. Audrey says, “[The] biggest challenge was definitely the cold water when snorkeling. The wetsuits helped some, but the initial shock of the cold water was definitely something else. But you eventually get used to it.”
Kate Rekas
While on the island, there was no cell service. The students were forced to unplug and enjoy the nature that surrounded them. Audrey Anderson states, “I didn’t really notice. My phone was usually hidden in my backpack so I never really thought about it.” Colin Lee ‘24 also says, “It was good. It felt like a detox, kind of like a cleansing.”
Julie Lythcott-Haims Strikes Chord Community Safety Speaker visits all campuses, imparts stories Zoey Ueland & Mackenzie Higgins | Co-Editors-in-Chief
“N
othing lights me up more than being with young people… This is what I’m ultimately about - [being] with young people trying to figure themselves
early adulthood, interactions with students as well as reflections from parenthood to promote the message that there is no one true “right path.” Originally, LythcottHaims went to Harvard Law School with the intention of helping people. After graduating, she began a career in corporate law but eventually realized she lost this goal amidst pressure to prove herself and her ability to
deep sadness, that’s often when we’re finally able to head our own voice, like, ‘I am so miserable I can’t do this anymore.’ ” She eventually found her place as the Freshman Dean at her undergraduate alma mater, Stanford University, where she met countless students pressured into career paths by their parents that ultimately brought them unhappiness. “I think [Lythcott-
garding their needs, but in doing this, she started to see some of the overparenting behaviors reflected in her interactions with her own kids. “My job is to teach so they can do for themselves because one day I won’t be here, that’s good parenting. So I became a whole lot more compassionate once I realized I’m complicit in the problem I’m critiquing.” she
“My job is to teach so they can do for themselves because one day I won’t be here, that’s good parenting. So I became a whole lot more compassionate once I realized I’m complicit in the problem I’m critiquing.”- Lythcott-Haims out is my passion,” says Julie Lythcott-Haims, this year’s Classes of ‘55 Residency Speaker. Lythcott-Haims began her three day visit with a presentation to the Upper School community in the Juliet Nelson Auditorium wherein she replayed lessons from her most recent book, “Your Turn: How to be an Adult.” She combined tales from childhood and
achieve success. Unfulfilled, Lythcott-Haims debated pivoting her career path to circle back to her desire to help people. “It’s a privilege to say I might quit this and do something else that might make me less money but also when we are miserable, that’s when our voice speaks loudest to us. At some point, when we are suffering in some bodily sense or some
Haims’ speech] did strike a chord with me,” says Matthew Sun ‘24. “There were many relatable aspects of the speech and I think that I speak on behalf of many people [that there’s] many [expectations] and pressures put onto us by our parents.” Disheartened by the stories from students, Lythcott-Haims encouraged them to communicate with their parents re-
says. “I related to the idea about the tension between what other people want you to do and what you want to do,” Taara Verma ‘24 says. “What she had to say about reflecting on her own projections of what she wanted for her kids and being able to recognize that, I thought that was powerful.”
Message quells rumors Mackenzie Higgins | Co-Editor-in-Chief
A
t 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 21, Upper School students and families received a message from Upper School Director, Joe Ruggiero, and Director of Transportation, Safety and Security, Gene Paulauskas, regarding a recent rumored threat to the community. Students and parents had brought concerns to the administration of a student threatening violence who possibly had access to firearms, but after an investigation, administrators concluded that there was no genuine threat to the school’s safety. Ruggiero explains that the decision to notify the community of events and concerns like this “depends on the actual situational context.” He continues, “In this particular case, there was a lot of rumor and conversation that was going on, both among parents and among students about this issue. Much of the informa-
tion was incorrect and also was causing a lot of stress and anxiety for obvious reasons because of the nature of what was being said.” “I think what happens is that it’s like a game of telephone,” Ruggiero adds. “Someone will say something and then someone will hear part of it or think they understand something someone was saying, [and] then tell three friends. Then the parents hear what’s going on and it snowballs into something that it never actually was. We sent something out because we wanted to try to stop [the rumors] as much as possible.” Ruggiero, alongside the Upper School grade deans and Head of School, Anne Stavney, decided “it was much better for us to actually send out some communication to try to let people know that everything was okay and [the issue] had been investigated.” Ruggiero notes that it’s important for students to speak with administrators when they hear about potential safety issues because the only way they can be addressed is if the administration is aware.
Cleo Kilpatrick
Continued on page 2
Throughout every season, Boys Tennis has had one rival: the weather.
Taking advantage of the rich resources and experiences Minneapolis has to offer can make learning experiences so much more impactful.
Most high school students take up sports or clubs as extracurriculars, but Piper Crow ‘24 and Sawyer Guider ‘25 both enjoy flying planes as a hobby.
Sports: Page 7
In-Depth: Page 9
Features: Page 15