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The News of The Blake School Since 1916

The Spectrum

The News of The Blake School Since 1916

The Spectrum

The News of The Blake School Since 1916

The Spectrum

Buck break dances at his University of Chicago reunion. He often competes in dance battles with “different formats, but the most common is they’ll have a preliminary round where
everybody dances for 45 seconds or a minute, and sometimes that’s showcase style where they’ll just have one person come up after the other and dance in front of the judges.”

Harold Buck Breaks it Down

Anna Tao, Staff Writer March 16, 2023

Harold Buck has been a common topic among students the past year due to his increasing popularity from dancing in class. He first “caught the wave of suburban breaking in 1984.” Buck continues,...

Stafford stands in front of the debate team’s extensive trophy
case. Not pictured: the rest of the trophies that sit outside of the
debate room. Terveen notes, “[There is] definitely no [pressure to
win]. Although he is of course very proud when teams do well!”

Passionate Debating Minus the Pressure

Faith Zhao, Staff Writer March 7, 2023

Shane Stafford and Sandy Berkowitz were originally debate rivals. Now married, they coach debate together.  The first time they met, they were at a tournament at Princeton University. After the debate,...

Vivien Pihlstrom, Uma Bastodkar, and Leyla Lyu complete a two-day hike to the Trift Hut, above Zermatt. Other attendees not pictured include Obi Nwokocha and Sophia Peterson ‘25.

Students comment on challenges of program

Rhea Balachandran, Staff Writer January 27, 2023

Although many students were ready to return to school on Jan. 3, Swiss Semester students came back to Minnesota from Switzerland for the first time in three months. Leyla Lyu ‘25, Uma Bastodkar ‘25,...

Menge works behind his desk outside the senior lounge. His office is decorated with gifts of gratitude from former students. During his time at Blake he has also been a biology teacher, soccer coach, interim Upper School Director and a grade dean as well as an advisor to a current junior advisory.

Paul Menge Tells Tale of Teaching, Retirement

Kaylee Chen, Staff Writer June 1, 2022
“[Mr. Menge] has been one of the kindest teachers at the school... he’s guided me through my school career. If I have any questions he’s always there.”
Sharing what she loves about teaching, Minoff says, “I just love hearing the students' interpretations of texts. Students will always point out things that I missed even if I am teaching a book that I have taught before or read several times. I think it is so cool to be able to teach the same text over and over again and be able to see new things each time."

Amanda Minoff Shares Balancing Teaching, College Counseling Work, Personal Life

Bernadette Whitely, Features Section Editor December 2, 2021

Amanda Minoff is new to the community this year and has taken to her busy work schedule quickly. Minoff teaches one section of sophomore American Literature and two sections of an English elective for...

From Paulauskas’s time in the military to his government and investigative work, he has experience from across the world in many specialities. Paulauskas had a 34 year career as a Criminal Investigator, sharing that he had “been all over the world doing that.”

Gene Paulauskas Chronicles Career

Zoey Ueland, Staff Writer December 1, 2021

Currently, Gene Paulauskas works as the Lead Security Officer after his tenure began in early Nov. 2020, but this is simply another stepping stone in his long list of successful and unique careers. Represented...

Williams was a player on Season Five of “Jeopardy” on May 23, 1989. She was featured on episode number 1102.

Adventures of Janet Williams

Mackenzie Higgins, Staff Writer November 4, 2021

Janet Williams was not always interested in teaching chemistry. Williams, who grew up in southern Michigan, explains that Chemistry was probably her least favorite class in high school. She didn’t...

Kyle also loves to reread her diverse book collection and watch sports movies, one of her favorites being Rudy.

Ms. Kyle Discusses College Counseling Journey

Nya Manneh, Staff Writer December 18, 2020

Sara Kyle, Director of College Counseling, found her passion for counseling early on. Kyle has worked at Blake as a college counselor for 19 years, but she says that she has “been in college admissions...

A Conversation With Your Counselors: Hobbies, Mental Health, Life

A Conversation With Your Counselors: Hobbies, Mental Health, Life

Nya Manneh, Staff Writer December 5, 2020

When it comes to her job, Counselor Jill Rabinovitz believes that the relationships she fosters with students, families, and coworkers are the most important part of her work. Rabinovitz has worked at...

Thomas makes homemade pasta at Threshing Table Farm, a farm in Wisconsin. She partners with them for farm fresh produce and also has farm dinners outside.

Nicolle Thomas: Cooking up Community

Jack Prince, Co-Editor-in-Chief November 9, 2020

Nicolle Thomas, Blake's Lunch Program Administrator can be in her office crunching numbers, in the food line handing out meals, or in the dishroom cleaning. Wherever you locate her, you will find her wearing...

The Equity Lab came from the Office of Equity and Community Engagement (OECE), pictured above. However, the Lab is only virtual.

Equity Lab Promotes Anti-racism Through Discussion

Nya Manneh, Staff Writer November 8, 2020

With the summer Black Lives Matter movements on the forefront of everyoneís minds, the Equity Lab emerged at an ideal time. The Lab was created by Tyneeta Canonge, the Director of the Office of Equity...

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