the The Rubicon student newspaper of St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Ave St. Paul, MN 55105 Volume 51, Issue 4 - Dec. 16, 2025
SONIA KHARBANDA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ACROSS BORDERS Students bridge divides between Twin Cities
“All I had to do was cross the river,” senior Oliver Bisanz said, describing how moving from St. Paul to Minneapolis changed his perspective of the Twin Cities. Every morning, about one in five upper school students do just that: cross the Mississippi River to attend school. The river is ever-present, a physical manifestation dividing the cities. As a child, however, Bisanz rarely made this journey. He was content with his Crocus Hill neighborhood and access to restaurants and activities in St. Paul. All that changed a year and a half ago, when he moved to Lowry Hill and discovered the other half of the Twin Cities. He now splits his time between the two, traveling to St. Paul to see friends while exploring his new community. Although he was only recently introduced to Minneapolis, Bisanz prefers its food and city atmosphere. “There’s much more to do compared to St. Paul … It’s also got more people, so that kind of just gives you more of a city vibe, which I like,” he said. The cities’ differences in population and size were echoed in a recent poll of 49 upper school students. When asked to describe each city in three words, respondents frequently referred to Minneapolis as “busy,” “big” and “lively.” On the other hand, St. Paul was often described as “historic,” “calm” and “pretty.” Students most commonly answered that they go to Minneapolis for shows, movies and performances, at 61.2% of respondents, followed by restaurants/cafes (59.2%), concerts (55.1%) and visiting friends (55.1%). Meanwhile, 83.7% of participants said they go to St. Paul to visit friends; other common responses were restaurants/cafes (75.5%) and extracurricular activities (69.4%). continued on pg. 9
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IMMIGRATION INJUNCTION President Donald Trump is targeting the Twin Cities as its latest location for ICE deployment. Read more in NEWS.
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NATIONALISTIC NATURE American nationalism has evolved to an extreme, intensifying problematic prejudices. Read more in OPINIONS.
IN THIS ISSUE:
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BLURRED LINES Recent technological advancements have spurred the growth of genre-bending music. Read more in A&E.
2-3 News • 4-6 Opinions • 7 Health & Wellness • 8-9 In Depth
• 10-11 Feature • 12-13 Sports • 14-15 A&E • 16 Good Question