William Walcher – Providence Academy Word

April 17, 2014April 17, 2014

Teachers Get Fooled!

On April 1st, History teacher Mr. Kevin Keiser found a rather quirky surprise. Adorning his door was a poster featuring a picture of him that stated, “Did you know that Mr. Keiser was seriously considered for the role of Chaucer in the movie The Knight’s Tale?”

“There were two pictures of Chaucer: one historical portrait, and one from the movie (The Knight’s Tale),” said Mr. Keiser. Both of the pictures had my face on them, and one of them had a sort of “swag” posture.”

Sadly, Mr. Keiser was not actually considered for this role. In actuality, this was an April Fools prank conspired by Lower School Art Teacher Mrs. Mary Buffie. This April Fool has allegedly been pulled on previous first year teachers, including one other history teacher, Mr. Ian Skemp. Mr. Keiser said that a week after the prank, he decided to actually watch the movie. He said he, “appreciated its comedy as well as its historical references.”

“I started making these posters my first year when I decided Dr. Flanders needed to have an April Fools prank for no particular reason other than I wanted to test his sense of humor,” said Mrs. Buffie. “I then went on to a few other teachers who I thought could use a smile or chuckle.”

She says that when someone has been pranked by her, they have been “Buff’d”.

“I would like to think the Holy Spirit inspires me to make others smile, but I may just have an odd sense of humor,” said Mrs. Buffie.

Mr. Keiser said that he thought it was definitely funny, and mentioned that he still has the poster hanging in his room.

April 15, 2014April 15, 2014

Annie: PA’s Biggest Production To Date

Student thespians are hard at work getting ready for Providence’s spring musical production of Annie.

Over 40 students tried out for the play, making this the largest of PA’s productions to date.

“This is a larger production than Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” said the musical’s director, Mrs. Melissa Simmons.

Mrs. Simmons said that rehearsals have “been going well. We’ve had some late starts and rehearsals started a little late, but we’re getting on track.”

Mrs. Simmons also commented on the help that people outside of Providence bring to a larger production such as the Spring Musical.

“We bring Katy Stromberg in to do our dance choreography,” said Mrs. Simmons. “She started working with us six years ago when we did Cinderella. We also bring in a costumer from the Gutherie, Sarah Bissonette, and a costumer from the Children’s Theater Company, Ananda Mari Wold.”

The musical also has a pit band, which consists of 12 students.

Annie will be performed the first weekend of May on May 2nd through May 4th.

February 20, 2014March 6, 2014

Boy’s Basketball Team Makes School History

The Providence Academy boy’s basketball team made school history on Tuesday night, when they won against St. Agnes with a score of 57-41. The team currently has a .600 win percentage in the season, and has a season record of 15 wins, the most wins ever recorded in any Providence Academy basketball season!

Gavin Blomberg ’17 said that the season has been going, “Great!”

When asked how the team has been developing this year, Coach Lamar Detert commented, “We keep getting better every day. We are becoming a fundamentally stronger team and the basketball IQ of the team is increasing with every practice. The competitiveness in practice has been impressive and our work ethic has been something we are very proud of. We pride ourselves in trying to do the little things right and do things the right way. Along the way we have had some fun and we’re making some great memories.”

The team has been working hard, with practices every day. They are 5.5 games back in the league in the regular season. The team has a home game scheduled on Friday, 2/21 at 7:00 PM against St. Anthony.

December 18, 2013December 18, 2013

Opinion: Rants and Raves

This post marks the second installment in a series in which the PAW staff shares its opinions about absolutely anything…

Rants

Brrr! – Snow and extreme cold weather conditions are making this month almost unbearable. How will we survive these conditions? Bundle up, don’t forget to wear mittens or gloves, and keep extra cold weather gear in your trunk in the case of a breakdown on the roads. Stay safe this icy season!

Semester I exams – PA’s high school students are already thinking about preparing for their semester exams, which take place two weeks after returning from break. Studying for exams can be quite extensive and tedious and is definitely not something that students look forward to. Wouldn’t it be nice if we took our exams before Christmas break…?

Hustle and bustle – With the holiday season comes holiday shopping. People are looking to buy the newest, coolest things. This is both fun and annoying at times, as stores can get extremely crowded and busy. However, it’s a nice feeling when you have all your shopping done! Next up – wrapping.

Raves

Time Magazine’s Person of the Year – Pope Francis was named as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year! It’s pretty cool to see the Pope as the Person of the Year, because he isn’t a secular icon.

Much needed break almost here – A nice, long, 16 day break is just around the corner for Providence’s students and faculty. This break offers a time for students to sleep in and catch up with their families and friends around Christmas time.

Welcome to 2014! – The New Year is almost here! New Years is known to be a good time to make resolutions, so start thinking about what you want to improve on in 2014. Let’s make this one great!

Timberwolves – The Minnesota Timberwolves are off to a good start this year, with a record of 11-11, on a two game winning streak. Their games are broadcasted on FS North.

November 26, 2013December 13, 2013

Opinion: How Early is Too Early for Christmas?

It’s that time of the year again!

Snow starts to fall, holiday tunes come on the radio, people shop for gifts, and put up trees. We haven’t even celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday yet, but there are already prevalent signs of the Christmas holiday. Some people love to get in the spirit of Christmas long before the day, or even the month of the holiday comes around, but others want to save the spirit of Christmas until the time comes near.

Should we get a head start on Christmas, or should we postpone the festivities until the month actually comes? Do stores start playing Christmas music, and advertising too early?

Ads have already been playing on the radio, and on the TV. Music streaming app Songza recently added a Christmas music category to their service. Car dealers are showboating holiday “deals” on TV. People are decorating their houses with lights, and holiday flair.

In my opinion, it’s okay to get excited about the Christmas season, but we don’t have to act on this excitement until December. If we start celebrating so early, then the actual holiday seems to get less exciting when it comes around. The reason why the Christmas season is so special is because we only reserve it for a short amount of time in our year. We tend to put so much emphasis on the commercial aspect of Christmas, so early on, that we overlook Thanksgiving, too! I asked other students and teachers, who shared their opinions.

Ryan Heaney ’17 says that “November is really too early for Christmas music and commercials.”

History teacher, Mr. Kevin Keiser thinks that, “Before Advent I think is too early.”

Jack Hillen ’14 commented that, “I think you have to wait until at least after Thanksgiving,” for Christmas music and festivities.

Student Leah Barron ’14 said that her favorite Christmas song is “The Grinch Song, because it’s just awesome.”

However, it’s all opinion, so if getting in the Christmas spirit brings joy to you, go ahead and do it!