‘Tis the Season for PA Prom-Posals

Cole Norell ’15 sets up a picnic to ask Evyn Schmidt ’15 to the prom. (Photo by Evyn Schmidt.)

Long gone are the days when a simple, “Will you go to prom with me?” would pass as a satisfactory method of asking your date to the dance. Along with the added stress of hoping your date says yes, prom proposals have arguably become just as important as the dance itself.

Henry Hose ’14 states, “It’s just the standard that the guy has to be creative. It becomes kind of a competition between the guys for who can do it the best.”

This cancels out the option of guys repeating proposals from  previous years. Hose believes that a weak proposal could send the wrong message.

“Proposals show how much the guy cares about who he’s asking,” he said.

This year, the junior and senior guys have been successful, taking their creativity to the next level.

First time prom goer Cole Norell ’15 surprised Evyn Schmidt ’15 when she received a phone call from Norell, who gave her directions to follow.

“He led me to a little path, and there he was with a picnic set up and flowers,” said Schmidt.

Along with the element of surprise, Norell knew that food was a great way to secure a date.

“He got Noodles mac and cheese, plus guacamole because those are my favorite foods. I think that it was really cute because it was nice to be outside in the Spring weather, and we got to spend time together after he asked,” said Schmidt.

Jeff Leggott ’14 took a more extreme route, asking Maddie Lerum ’14 to prom using fire.

Kate Pulles ’14  helped out with the prom-proposal, telling Lerum that they were on their way to a friend’s house.

“We were driving down a dark dirt road and it was really creepy. I told Kate to lock the doors when we saw smoke just down the road; It looked like a scene from a scary movie,” states Lerum.

Waiting for her there, was “prom?” spelled out in fire on the road. Leggott had carved the word into the road, and put tinfoil and coals in the letters. He then lit it, and Lerum, impressed with the creativity, said yes.

Whether you like extreme, romantic or funny proposals, having a creative method for asking a girl to a dance is a way to ensure a date and a fun night.

Sick of Social Media

PA students take a moment to check Facebook.
PA students take a moment to check Facebook. (Photo illustration by Tone Deinema)

The last decade has been marked by an upsurge in the use of social media, where the constant checking and maintenance of different sites has become a norm. However, some Providence students are becoming irritated with the cons of social media, leading some to even deactivate their accounts.

Between Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, checking these sites daily is time consuming, and becoming even more so as people continue to make accounts. The distraction and time wasting social media creates are reasons people are becoming bored with it.

Christa Peterson’14 said,“I have not been on Facebook in months. There’s too many middle school girls on there putting up mirror selfies clogging up my news feed.”

By now, most people are accustomed to the fact that what you see on social media is only a glimpse of how someone’s life actually is. This realization takes away the excitement and pressure to be like another person based on what you see posted online.

“I don’t even go on social media anymore.” says Madison Lind ’15. “It has kind of lost its charm. People’s lives don’t seem as interesting to me anymore.”

More and more frequently, people are using social media as a means to passive aggressively vent about their daily problems with people. Doing this over Twitter is called subtweeting.

Kate Pulles’ 14 says,“There are some people who tweet three subtweets everyday, which gets annoying. It’s always really funny because you always know who the tweet is about.”

As news feeds are becoming filled with this deemed unimportant information, students are beginning to use these sites less, or are deactivating their accounts.

Eva Sullivan’14 recently deleted her Twitter account. She states, “I realized I didn’t care whatsoever about what other people were doing, and I didn’t understand why I would be putting what I was doing out there. I just find it kind of pointless.”

Even though social media has its cons, it remains a useful tool having many benefits. You can connect with your friends, and also find out about what events you missed.

Lind states, “I think people will always use social media, I think they will use it less frequently.”

Traffic in the Tundra: PA’s Security Officers Get Creative to Cope With the Cold

Officer Oie's gear; Lauren Perinovic
Officer Oie’s gear; Photo by Lauren Perinovic

With the heat blasting and seat warmers turned on, cars passing through the Schmidt Lake Road and Orchid Lane North intersection cannot overlook Providence’s security officers, directing traffic in these record breaking subzero temperatures.

Officer Tim Oie and Officer Dale Duerksen are the school’s current security officers, who prior to joining the PA community, had worked as police officers for 30 years.

After the 2011 Christmas break, they came out of retirement because they both… “wanted something else to do because we’re too young not to work,” stated Officer Oie.

Along with monitoring the school during the day, the officers journey out to the school’s entrance at 7:50 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to direct the traffic passing, leaving, and entering the school. Because Officer Oie and Officer Duerksen had been police officers, directing traffic is not out of the norm. The conditions they have had to do it in, though, are not routine.

On January 26th and 27th with negative temperatures and even more frigid wind chills, Officer Oie proceeded with his job and endured the cold despite the many issues it created. According to the National Weather Service, a person can get frostbite within 5 minutes of being exposed in temperatures of zero and below.

Each morning, the officers are outside for at least forty minutes. During this time, they not only have to direct commuter traffic, but they also must be prepared for unexpected weather conditions.

“There was black ice in the intersection and it was very hard to keep my footing, I had to watch my step. When it’s eighteen below, the rubber [on my shoes] got hard  it was like putting metal on ice,”  stated officer Oie.

Over the years, the officers have had to come up with special techniques in order to stay warm. Officer Oie wears a balaclava to keep his face warm, and doubles up on gloves with hand warmers inside. The temperatures have also created new difficulties. Officer Oie recently had a dilemma with his sunglasses.

“[My] glasses completely frosted over,” stated Officer Oie, “I couldn’t see out of them.”

To solve this problem, he purchased motorcycle glasses that are frost-proof, and won’t obstruct his vision.

Because of the recent temperatures, many schools, for the safety of its staff and students, have chosen to close. This year, Providence has had two “cold-days,” the first was issued by Governor Mark Dayton, and the second was a decision made by Headmaster Dr. Todd Flanders and the administration. When another day with dangerous temperatures occurred, instead of following along with the many other Minnesota schools closing, Providence stayed open.

According to Dr. Flanders in a letter sent out to the PA community, he chose to keep school open because, “I was convinced that the safety of our kids and community would not be compromised by holding school.”

While many of us complain about walking from our cars to the school,  Officer Oie and Officer Duerksen must endure these temperatures for extended periods of time, for our safety.

Opinion: Relishing Second Semester Senior Year

Relieved students exit the gym after completing Semester 1 finals at noon on Friday, January 17th.
Relieved students exit the gym after completing Semester 1 finals at noon on Friday, January 17th.

Congratulations Freshmen! You have officially completed your first semester of high school and have survived the first six out of the total forty-eight final exams you will take at Providence Academy.

I suggest that you make yourself comfortable in this midst of school wide panic and learn to love those blue coated floors that make the gym unrecognizable from the spirit games and pep fests also it hosts.

But for the 2014 Senior Class, Friday the 17th marks our last day of testing alongside the rest of the school, as seniors have the luxury of taking their last final exams in the Lecture Hall.

This is one of the perks of being a second semester senior. By now, everyone’s applications are submitted and students either know where they are going to college, or are waiting to hear back from their schools. One’s fate is out of one’s control.

Emily Prom ’14 said, “It’s exciting knowing where I’m going to college already because it makes school more bearable because it makes me have less stress and worry. School is more fun with less pressure.”

On November 7th, few wanted to be one of the four seniors who were up first to present their senior speech. Despite the excess stress, they got through it and can relax while watching all of the others. Even though nothing beats having your speech done, there are some advantages of having it later in the year. The atmosphere in the room is more relaxed then it was the first day.

Does the senior slack exist? After finals, seniors are wondering what to look forward to second semester.

Paige McAuliffe ‘14 states, “ I think second semester is going to be extremely hard, maybe even harder than first semester.”

Clare Carney ‘14 agrees with McAulliffe but thinks the students will have a different attitude.

“Teachers won’t let up on the work, but its up to each student if they want to slack or not,” states Carney.

Second semester is jam packed with events such as Catholic Schools Week, House Week, Spring Break, and Prom for the Upperclassmen. Specific to the seniors, we have Skip Day, the senior production and of course graduation to look forward to.

As an underclassman, when the seniors graduated, you never thought that day would come. But now as a senior beginning second semester, I realize that the rest of the year will go by even faster. Now, especially, is the time to make a point to take it all in.

Students Recommend Favorite Christmas Music and Movies

Atrium Christmas tree; By Lauren Perinovic
Atrium Christmas tree; By Lauren Perinovic

The Christmas season is primarily marked by the spending of time with family and friends, celebrating the birth of Jesus. While those aspects remain the most significant part of the holiday season, the month of December would not be the same without singing along to your favorite carols, or by watching holiday movies on a cold winter night. The works below are some Providence students’ favorite albums and movies when the holiday season rolls around.

Albums:

Michael Buble; Christmas – Singer, Canadian, Emmy winner, brings girls to tears- no I am not talking about Justin Bieber. Jazz Artist Michael Buble is a Sinatra sound-alike who came out with his Christmas album in 2011.

Nick Pruden’14 states, “I love Michael Buble. It has all my favorite Christmas songs on the album and I listen to it all of the time.”

The most popular songs featured on the album are the White Christmas duet with Shania Twain, and It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas.

Michael Buble's Christmas Album; Michaelbuble.com
Michael Buble’s Christmas Album; Michaelbuble.com

Mariah Carey; Merry Christmas – Vocal powerhouse Mariah Carey released her Christmas album in 1994. It then became the best-selling Christmas album of all time. The timeless songs Carrey sings are perfect to play when your guests are over for holiday events.

Nicole Ogren ’17 states, “ I just love her voice and my favorite Christmas song is All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Advice- All I Want for Christmas is You is the one Christmas song socially acceptable to sing any time of the year.

Scotty McCreery; Christmas with Scotty McCreery – In 2011, country singer Scotty McCreery charmed his way to becoming that years American Idol winner with his gentlemanly  manner and deep southern drawl. His Christmas Album is a new favorite, and appeals to country fanatics alike.

Allie Wooden’14 states, “There’s this one song in his album called Christmas in Heaven that I love. His album is a lot different then the typical albums you hear during the holidays.”

Movies:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas – When a beloved Dr. Seuss book becomes an animated movie, it is sure to become an instant hit. In just 26 minutes, we witness a change of heart in the Grinch, who eventually learns the meaning of Christmas. With a catchy song by the Whovilles, and a cute dog named max, the Grinch is a perfect movie for a variety of ages to enjoy.

Paul Stankey’17 states, “The Grinch is a classic, we watch it every Thanksgiving. Not the version with Jim Carrey- that one is weird!”

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – This movie is about your average suburban family dealing with the challenges their in-laws present during their holiday visit. Everything goes wrong for the hosts, making Christmas anything but enjoyable for the family. This comedy is a good break to escape the stresses of the upcoming final exams.

“Chevy Chase is hilarious. My favorite part is when the Grandma is saying grace,” states Luke Ziesmer ’18.

Frosty the Snowman – Who didn’t want frosty as a best friend at one point in their lives? Although this movie gives you unrealistic expectations of how exciting snowmen could be, the magic of this movie has carried on since 1960.

“He’s a big Snowman who comes alive and I thought that was so cool when I was younger,” states Connor White ’15. “It’s still my favorite Christmas movie.”

You are never too old for Frosty.