Claire Hallaway, Photo Story Editor
Senior Claire Hallaway is excited to start another year on the Rubicon as the Photo Story Editor. This is her fourth year on staff. Previously, she served as the Feature Editor, Arts & Entertainment Editor, and a staff writer. She is looking forward to being able to focus on one of her biggest passions, photography for her very last year on staff. Hallaway picked up the passion when she got her very first camera in 5th grade and took both beginning and advanced photography classes through school. She will also start a photojournalism blog for this year. In addition to Hallaway’s role on the staff, she loves to stay active. She participates in the Alpine race team as well as the softball team. Hallaway also enjoys traveling and recently went on the Costa Rica Science Research trip last summer. Hallaway loves journalism for the way it can connect members of the community through the stories everyone holds.
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![[STORY BEHIND THE STORY] How does CVE Georgia Ross design The Rubicon?](https://www.rubiconline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Georgia-podcast-photo-1200x800.png)
![[MIC'D UP] Adele Gjerde glides through the season](https://www.rubiconline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Copy-of-Adele-thumbnail-1200x800.png)
![[ARTIST PROFILE] Clay shifts form and function in Tietel's hands](https://www.rubiconline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/IMG_1346-900x600.jpg)
![Laughter is scientifically shown to improve health, reduce stress, and improve one's mood. Although the end benefits are the same, different things make different students laugh. “[I laugh at] mostly any dumb jokes, puns, memes, stories other people say, funny moments,” sophomore Fremont Forsberg said.](https://www.rubiconline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_0265-900x600.jpg)
![The dance team this year has made larges changes. Unlike other sports teams, the team has combined with Minnehaha Academy for the first time this season, creating a larger team than they had previously. Because of the change, they also don’t have any captains for the first time in over five years. Since Minnehaha just started the team, as a whole they decided that they wouldn’t have captains, because it wouldn’t be completely fair. Ninth grader Ellie Hoppe has been on the St. Paul Academy dance team for three consecutive years and was a captain of the team last year. The team was very small in their previous years which is why the team decided to combine with Minnehaha Academy, who had never had a school dance team before. “Because we’re a co-op with Minnehaha and it’s their first year this year, it didn’t really seem fair that they didn’t have a chance to be a captain,” Hoppe said. “Becoming a co-op made the team larger and people get there at different times now but practice hasn't really changed that much,” Hoppe said. Ninth grader Annika Findlay was also previously on the team, sees the new change as a positive adjustment and a chance to make new friends. The team was also able to grow close quickly since it is so small and close-knit. They bond as a team easily and bonded by pulling pranks on eachother. “This year we’re really into pulling pranks on eachother, generally I’d say that we’re pretty positive and supportive,” Hoppe said. “We’re also a little sassy,” Findlay added. “[One of our pranks was] in our rehearsal space there's an equipment closet and one time a girl was running late and we all hid in there and we set up a phone on face time so that we could see what was happening and then we jumped out,” Hoppe said. “We also told one girl that she didn't submit the costume form in time so she wouldn't be able to compete,” Hoppe said. Hoppe and Findlay both agreed that their team members from Minnehaha are all really supportive and nice and fit right into their team’s environment. The team becomes closer by doing go around or just talking about their days as they stretch or warm up at the beginning of practices. “I think we’ve made a lot of really good new friends just in the first couple of weeks. There aren’t very many of us, but we’re pretty close,” Findlay said “With the Minnehaha girls I was personally a little bit nervous because we didn’t really know them [yet] and we didn’t really know how they’d act and stuff, but they’re all really nice,” Hoppe agreed.](https://www.rubiconline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Dance-Team-900x600.jpg)
