Author: Kate Neill

Providence Academy boasts many talented athletes that excel in spring sports. The graduating class of 2020 includes participants in golf, baseball, soft ball, and track and field, several of whom have signed letters of intent and been offered scholarships to compete in collegiate athletcis. Due to the current guidelines surrounding COVID-19, these seniors missed out on their final spring seasons. In typical PA fashion, these athletes have found alternative ways to push themselves to excel in their sport and continue to do what they love. 

Fortunately, track athletes can continue to run despite cancellations. Hailey Hohnecker ‘20 and her sister Brooke ‘24 have continued their regular workouts at the track. Hailey is looking forward to her freshman season of basketball at Sioux Falls University next year, and she was counting on the track season to keep her in shape, “Brooke and I are super lucky that our mom coaches track. It gives us access to all of the workouts we would have done this year.” Coach Hohnecker has provided the girls with workouts and even some meet simulations to give the them a taste of the season they should have had. 

Senior baseball captains are also finding ways to work around all the curveballs this pandemic has thrown their way. Since baseball is a team sport, it’s difficult to recreate the memories these players would have made together. This hasn’t stopped captains Joshua Koskie ‘21 and George Wehmann ‘20 from putting in work at the batting cages in Hamel. In addition, managers Helena Peppin ‘20, Angelina Hartley ‘20, and Colleen Newman ‘20 made signs for the seniors and delivered them to their houses in honor of their final season.

“The guys are bummed that we didn’t get a chance to play one last year together. We’re still doing what we can to continue to play baseball, but obviously it’s just not the same as being out at Loretto. We really appreciate that the managers took the time to make this gesture,” commented Wehmann. 

The PA golf team also had to cancel their 2020 season; however, recently Minnesota opened up golf courses and driving ranges to the public. Although the athletes won’t get a chance to represent Providence Academy this year, the juniors and underclassmen can continue to brush up their skills for next season. As for the seniors, they went out on a high note with last year’s state appearance being their final official high school competition.

PA’s athletes were sad to see their seasons come to an end, but they didn’t let that stop them from staying active. Their dedication has driven them to find new ways to compete and better their skills. 

 

COVID-19 has impacted every member of the PA community. Restaurants across the globe have seen a major decline in revenue, and local businesses are among those hurting the most. Without the support of large corporations, they struggle to adapt to new distancing policies and generate necessary revenue. As necessity has often been called “the mother of invention,” many small businesses are getting creative to limit contact, keep customers safe, and keep their door open.

With increased traffic at grocery stores and limited supplies, it can be hard to cook every meal at home. Local restaurants want consumers to look to them for safe meals. There has been a shift in the food industry during this time with establishments making healthy practices and low contact delivery the main priority. Although businesses are working hard to make their product available in creative ways, revenue is still at an all time low.

Mike Neill –who works for the global distribution company, C.H. Robinson– explains the recent trends he has seen, “We have seen a sizable shift in where food is going. Our deliveries to grocery stores are way up versus restaurants.

Over the last decade people have eaten far more meals out than at home. That shifted overnight.” Families are doing their best to stay home and practice social distancing, but in doing so they have made grocery stores more overpopulated than ever before. 

Providence Academy families can avoid another trip to the grocery store while showing their support for Minnesota businesses. Crisp and Green is a MN exclusive that boasts a healthy menu complete with salads, grain bowls, and smoothies. With locations scattered throughout the Twin Cities, it’s a convenient way to take a break from cooking for the day. All locations offer a curbside pick up option so customers won’t

have to leave the safety of their car. This limits risk of exposure and helps maintain a safe environment for workers. 

Another local business that’s doing its best to stay open during this time is Nautical Bowls in Minnetonka. Build your own açaí bowl on their website, then place your order for contact free pick up. The smoothie bowl will be assembled, labeled, and placed on a table out back for your health and convenience. Helena Peppin ‘20 has visited Nautical Bowls many times since they implemented these changes, “The pick up is super easy and contact free. I love to drive down by the lake to

enjoy my food in my car.” Helena recommends adding lots of peanut butter if you decide to stop by for an açaí bowl.

Honey and Mackies, an ice cream shop owned by one of PA’s own, is hopeful that the love for sweet treats will persist through these trying times. With limited store hours, Honey and Mackies is able to safely follow social distancing guidelines. One twitter user commented, “Coming to Honey and Mackies is the most ‘normal’ we’ve felt in weeks.” Enjoy a sweet return to normalcy and help out members of the PA community at the same time!

 

It’s no secret that students of Providence Academy are well-rounded, multi-faceted individuals. In addition to their strong showing in the classroom, over 90 percent of Upper Schoolers participate in PA athletics. They boast similar figures in the arts as well with a variety of courses in the visual, musical, and theatrical arts; however, some of these humble artists manage to fly under the radar.

While the student section cheers on athletes on game day, thespians are met with standing ovations in the performing arts center, and musicians bless hundreds of eager ears in concert, the visual arts sometimes fail to receive equal attention. In order to give the artists the credit they deserve, Upper School art teacher, Mr. Santer, works to circulate student art by emailing examples of award winning pieces and displaying pieces throughout the school for students and faculty to admire. Current exhibits in the atrium include exploits in pointillism, self-portraits, and large murals.

 

Madie Anderson ‘20 currently has two works on display, one of which she titled her “Nerd Drawing”. Anderson incorporated her love for math into this piece; she spent hours creating a self-portrait shaded by hundreds of tiny digits. In addition, Anderson has a large painting on display in the atrium. “My most recent painting is inspired by a photo taken at our favorite family ice cream spot– Wilson’s Restaurant in Door County, Wisconsin.” explains Anderson.  Prints of the painting were sold at the Gala last month.

Candido Palomarez ‘20 has a piece on display depicting a striking woman with long dark hair that flows into a cat. Palomarez’s work consistently stands at the top of the class and peers describe him as “humble and diligent.”

Charlize Pedregosa ‘20 is among the featured students as well, “The left piece is a mature figure reflecting on light and childlike times. The right is a commentary on modern addiction to technology,” clarifies Pedregosa.

Providence Academy boasts over 30 superior ratings in the visual arts. The talent and creativity of these young artists–coupled with Santer’s guidance–makes for an eye-popping program and a welcome change of scenery in common spaces like the atrium. Thanks to Santer’s efforts to showcase student compositions, their work can receive the acknowledgment it deserves.  

 

Spring is approaching, a thaw is setting in.  As snow banks recede, landscapes that have been hidden for months become visible once again, like the Senior Rock, painted last October and long covered by Old Man Winter.

The Providence Academy senior rock is a tradition almost 20 years in the making. During their graduating year, students have a chance to showcase creativity and leave their mark on the school with colors and a layout that represent the class as a whole. Past years have featured patriotic themes, splatter paint, and signatures from each member of the class. The rock is never washed off; instead, each year the paint is layered on top of the previous year’s design, an intentional process that represents the building of tradition, and the lasting impact of each class. This year’s senior’s set out to create what some consider the most unique design to date.

The class of 2020 selected a council to design and plan the painting of the rock. Madeline Anderson ‘20 and Aaron Kim ‘20 led the planning and execution of the project. Anderson left the color palette up to a vote: navy or black. The final verdict was a black base with gold accents. She suggested that the design make a reference to the graduation year “2020”.

“We knew we wanted “2020” to be bold and in front. We also agreed to the theme 2020 vision”, explained Anderson. The council sought extra input from the class, asking for artistic suggestions. The winning design features a black base covered with white glasses to represent the senior class’s clear vision of the future. “We took into consideration many different students’ opinions, and we landed on the design that you can see today”. 

A handful of students worked together to cover the rock with black paint, and then added the vision themed details on top. Once this had dried, each student was invited to sign their initials in the lenses of the glasses. The whole class worked together to showcase their creativity, and the results reflect this! Members of the Providence Academy community take note of the hard work that senior class put in. Math teacher Ms. Erika Greene says that she sees the rock as she walks down the staircase everyday. 

Director of Academics & Curriculum, Mr. Michael Tiffany, is responsible for this long standing tradition.  He shared, “The current rock was installed in the fall of 2011 and was first painted by the class of 2012; the formal tradition of painting the rock came with that graduating class. The initial practice was that seniors painted the rock in the spring shortly before graduation, as did the class of 2012.” 

Like many initiatives, the practice improved over time.  Tiffany noted, “Several years later, I changed it to the fall so that each graduating class could enjoy its own design during the course of its final year”.  He expressed that this year’s class went above and beyond, “This year’s design is the eighth one, and the result is, far and away, the best one yet!”

 

Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church holds a fundraiser each year combining two of the sweetest things on earth: cinnamon rolls and babies. With the help of many pro-life organizations and volunteers, they assemble and sell thousands of cinnamon rolls to benefit young mothers and their babies. The founders of this event, Tom and Lee Ann Silver and Jeff Van Beusekom, started the fundraiser as a way to raise money to combat the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, the decision that officially legalized abortion throughout the country. 

Each year soon after the anniversary of this case, HNOJ asks for volunteers from the pro-life community in and around the Wayzata parish to help bake cinnamon rolls. One family from HNOJ shared they had been volunteering at this event for as long as they can remember. They brought along the whole family, and all of the children contributed in their own way. Their youngest daughter –a self proclaimed cinnamon roll connoisseur– got to work frosting the freshly baked rolls. Her mother explained that the frosting was her favorite part. The little girl exercised her generous nature as she gave all of her rolls extra love, and frosting. Once the rolls had been frosted they were cut and packaged to allow for easy pick up.

After a long morning of baking on Saturday January 25, Tom called together the volunteers to chat about the impact of this event. He emphasized the cause they were contributing to. He informed the group about the heartbreaking 61.7 million abortions performed legally in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade. Tom is a member of A Community Caring for Life.

ACCL works to protect the dignity of human life, “from womb to the tomb,” Tom says. The proceeds from the cinnamon rolls are distributed to six different charities that help provide services to protect unborn lives: Prolife Across America, Southwest Options for Life, Northside Lifecare Center, Prolife Action Ministries, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, and Birthright of Minneapolis. Tom also discussed the political climate of the day. He urged volunteers of voting age to consider this issue when choosing their representatives. Tom and other members of the HNOJ community look to young people to protect this pro-life attitude and use their voices to enact change. What better place to start than baking a delicious breakfast!