The Shield_Issue 3_Vol 66 by Bishop Kenny High School

THE

SHIELD

Bishop Kenny High School Volume 66 | Issue 3 Jacksonville, Fla. BKToday.org

Tradition on Pointe

News

Opinion

3 Coffeehouse 3 Food Drive

A&E

10 Maxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Corner 11 Hello, Gorgeous 12 Since You Asked...

Feature

13 Christmas movie review 14 Kenny Kupid 15 Kenny Kravings

Sports

Graphics by Dailey Jackson

5 Community Nutcracker 6 Above-and-beyond Service 8 Anatomy of Christmas

16 Coach Clark

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Shield

The Shield is a member of FSPA. It is published six times a year by journalism students at Bishop Kenny High School 1055 Kingman Ave., Jacksonville, Fla. 32207 phone: (904) 265-9390 fax: (904) 398-5728 The policy of The Shield is to provide a forum for student expression. If you are interested in advertising in The Shield email newspaper@bishopkenny. org for more information. Letters to the editor are encouraged. Please submit them to room 224. Letters must be signed; names can be withheld upon request.

Editor-in-Chief Emily Willis Design & Layout Editor Franchesca Peralta Managing Editor Max Montana Business Manager Niah Aleger Web Manager Megan Yates News Editor Hailey Farah Features Editor Julia Rodriguez Opinion Editor Emily Willis Arts & Entertainment Editor Franchesca Peralta Sports Editor Max Montana

Staff Reporters Rita Albert Kaitlyn Bateh Dailey Jackson Rachel Lechwar Katie Loberger Reilly Nance Tara Shear Mary Shoemaker Destiny Tran Emily Yalch Adviser Jessica Durbin

Follow The Shield on Twitter and Online: @bkhs_newspaper www.bktoday.org

Cover photo: Senior Annie Thornton practices at Mary Pauline Dance Conservatory for her upcoming performance. Photo by Mary Shoemaker

December 2018

News

Music, Mochas and Merriment Arts Department hosts coffeehouse event Emily Yalch | Staff Reporter

Photo by Mary Shoemaker

“The core purpose of Empty Bowls he annual coffeehouse event was annual coffeehouse. Each year, art hosted by the Art Department students create bowls and mugs out of is to raise funds for local food charities on November 14 and showcased clay that are sold to raise money to feed and educate people around issues of poverty and hunger in their community,” performances by students and teachers. those who cannot afford meals. Empty Bowls is an international according to an article on The Kitchn. All proceeds of this event were donated charity, created by a ceramics teacher in com. to the Thanksgiving Food Drive. The event raised a total of six hundred “I think the coffeehouse event was the 1990s. dollars for the Catholic Charities a great success,” music Thanksgiving Food Drive. teacher Collin Clark said. “I’m glad that our school “Lots of students came can have a fun night full of out to perform and even entertainment while still raising more came out to support money for the less fortunate,” them.” junior Sydney Ibera said. This is Clark’s ﬁrst year One of the students who at Bishop Kenny, and he participated in the coffeehouse, teaches chorus, keyboard, guitar and drumline. junior Lacey Taylor, performed “Seeing the students’ “Easy” by Lionel Richie and creativity within their own “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. personal covers of songs “My favorite part is when and their own compositions I get into the rhythm, sing my heart out, and just show people is my favorite part of the the talent God has given me,” event,” Clark said. This was the third Math teacher Kevin Curran plays guitar and sings “Blackbird” by The Beatles. Taylor said.

Sharing the Harvest

Bishop Kenny community gives back to families in need through annual food drive Reilly Nance | Staff Reporter

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul packaged the donated items, creating Club organized the annual Thanksgiving individual bags with a $15 Publix gift food drive from Thursday, Nov. 1 until card to help each family make any other necessary purchases, such as a turkey. Monday, Nov. 19. Students were asked to donate nonThis year, the school decided against perishable food items including typical i n c e n t i v i z i n g s t u d e n t s Thanksgiving food such as stufﬁng, yams donations. For instance, and green beans. The club provided a cardboard box to each teacher, which was placed at the front of each classroom to remind students to contribute. As a school community, this food drive helps feed many families during the holiday season. The Diocese of St. Augustine sent the school a list with the number of bags that needed to be made, and all donations are kept local and given to families within our diocese. “It is the very people standing next to us in the pews at mass,” said club sponsor Noreen Thurson. Gr aphi c by “Those are our very neighbors, the Rita A lbert person that we say hello to on Sunday morning, that’s the person who we are helping.” in the past, the class that At the conclusion of the drive, club donated the highest quantity of items members collected, organized and would win a donut party. The hope was

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that students would donate because it was the right thing to do, not because there was a reward. However, many teachers offered homework passes in exchange for canned goods, which proved a successful motivator. The Bishop Kenny community surpassed the intended goal of the drive. The club packaged 423 bags and ﬁlled the “wish” requests. The school was able to make donations to the Servant Sisters, the Cenocola Community, L’Arche Community, individual local families and to St. Dominic’s Parish in the Diocese of Pensacola. This drive is not only helpful to the families receiving the food, but also the teachers and students donating, as it is a reminder that not everyone is as fortunate as they may assume. “Giving back during the Thanksgiving season makes me feel grateful for what I have,” said Society of St. Vincent de Paul vice-president Claire Evans. “I am grateful for the ability to share what I have with others.”

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The Shield

Digging into the roots of common Christmas customs Kaitlyn Bateh | Staff Reporter

Christmas Tree

n 16th century Germany, Christians began to bring decorated trees into their homes. Wooden Christmas pyramids decorated with evergreens and candles were sometimes built instead of using a tree as an alternative. There is a common belief that Protestant reformer Martin Luther was the ďŹ rst to add candles to a Christmas tree. It was not until 1880 Thomas Edison started to put electric bulbs around his ofďŹ ce during Christmas time. Two years later, Edward Johnson handstrung red, white and blue lights together and put them on his tree. Electric lights for Christmas trees became customary in the United States in 1895, since President Grover Cleveland had a tree decorated in the White House.

Candy Canes

Mistletoe

hristmas candy canes originated in Germany approximately 250 years ago. Originally, they were just white straight sugar sticks, compared to the cane shape and the red and white colors they have today. It wasn’t until 1900 that the red stripes and peppermint ﬂavor were added to candy canes. Candy canes can also have Christian meanings, and certain parts of the canes serve as symbols. For example, the “J”-shape on the candy cane stood for Jesus. The white color of the candy cane is known as symbol for the purity of Christ and the red stripes are a symbol for the blood he shed when he died on the cross. The peppermint ﬂavor also represents the hyssop plant, used for purifying in the Bible.

Santa Claus

istletoe is a plant that can grow on willow, apple and oak trees. The tradition of hanging mistletoe in homes dates back to the time of ancient Druids. It was believed that the plant possessed powers that would bring good luck to homes and keep evil spirits away. Mistletoe was also a sign of love and friendship in Norse mythology, from which the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe came. The custom itself originated in England: a berry was picked from a mistletoe sprig before the person could be kissed, and when they ran out of berries, they could not be kissed.

he origin dates back after the legend of St. Nicholas, which originated around the fourth or fifth century. Several stories have been circulated throughout history as to how stockings came to be, but the story that follows is the most popular. The story says there was a poor, widowed Englishman who had three daughters. St. Nicholas, who was famous for his generosity and kindness, discovered the misfortune of the family and was determined to deliver a very valuable gift. The night of Christmas Eve, St. Nicholas tossed three bags of gold coins down the chimney, which landed in the socks that were hung above the fireplace to dry. The story of the Christmas stockings spread and sparked a new unique tradition. People began to hang their father’s wool socks or even decorated sock-shaped bags and leave them by the fireplace for St. Nicholas.

The Colors of Christmas

olors often associated with Christmas include red, green and gold, which originates from European traditions. Since it was dark and cold around Christmas time, it was common for people to use evergreen boughs such as holly, ivy and mistletoe to decorate and brighten buildings during the winter. Romans used to exchange evergreen branches as a sign of good luck and ancient Egyptians would decorate their homes with palm branches during winter festivals. Red is the color of holly berries, which Christians believed it represented the blood of Jesus when he was crucified on the cross. Bishops also wore robes that contained the color red. St. Nicholas wore this color, and became the color of Santa’s suit as well. Gold is known as a significant color in Christmas because it is the color of the sun. Going back to European traditions in the dark, cold winter, gold was a symbol of warmth. Gold was also given to Jesus as a gift from one of the wise men, and also represents the color of the star the wise men followed to find the newborn.

Graphic by Rita Albert

Opinion

How to come to more merry reality this Christmas season Max Montana | Managing Editor

fter the Christmas carols become white noise, your families’ presents are nestled under the tree and the temperature plummets from 80 degrees to 75 degrees, you may ﬁnd yourself wondering where the luster of the holiday season that you once put on a pedestal has gone. You run through your grand image of Christmas in your head: did I laugh along with my family to the lovable follies of Will Ferrell in “Elf”? Check. Did I drink enough eggnog this year to fund a dairy farmer’s new barn in Wisconsin? Check. Did I leave enough cookies for Santa on the mantle? Check. So, what is the problem? You run through that comforting checklist in your head again and ﬁnd yourself noting that all of these traditions involve shallow and materialistic pieces of the Christmas puzzle. These seemed enough when you were just a kid, but now you realize that there is more to the most wonderful time of the year. You want to go back to the days when racking up presents and staying in your pajamas all day was the meaning of Christmas, but you cannot. So how do you accept this

wisdom and build a more truthful reality out of this chaos? Whether we realize it or not, our old perceptions of things or once accepted truths change over time and challenge us to question what we know and improve ourselves in the process. This could manifest in a person you considered a dear friend secretly talking poorly about you behind your back or a family member becoming deathly ill. What is your responsibility when this happens? It is to simply accept the truth of the new reality you find yourself in, while sacrificing your old perceptions of reality, and create a more honest and virtuous order and version of yourself out of it. That is, however, easier said than done. But not to do this would be to either wallow in despair at the complexities and pain of the new reality or to revert back to accepting a once true, but now false perception of reality. If you land in one of these unfortunate mindsets, you will find yourself poisoning other people’s realities with your self-inflicted confusion. As stated by author and clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson, after you tell a few small

lies, grander lies materialize and, pretty soon, you think whatever you can dream up becomes reality. Sooner or later, rest assured, your lies will be exposed and your relationships will crumple between others and yourself, if it has not already. Plus, feelings of bitterness and anguish will surely arise and you’ll become a slave to your whims to salvage whatever fleeting ‘happiness’ you can find on this earth. That, my friend, is no way to live. To sacrifice the true reality for your comfort would be to contradict what Jesus did for us. He died on the Cross so that our reality would be one where we could all receive forgiveness, construct a just social order and, ultimately, reach Heaven. So, as you wish to go back to the days when the sides (especially stuffing) and your stocking were all that mattered, remember that the more truthful reality of Christmas being a time to celebrate the birth of Christ and your family’s presence is the reality meant for you to accept and embrace.

December 2018

Opinion

Show off your braiding skills to relatives this holiday season Julia Rodriguez | Features Editor

he holidays are upon us and it seems that every year family members want to see what new activities you have been up to. If you do not have any new interests or hobbies, try out one of these cool braids to use as a talking point. Take the time to learn them and show off your skills by sporting a cool braid at Christmas mass and dinner. You can also braid your younger cousins hair to avoid being corralled into the cooking madness. Double French Braids This can be done in French braid style or Dutch braid style. First, start by splitting your hair evenly down your head from the back of your part. Second, take a small section near your face on one side and split it into three. Third, pull the right piece over the middle piece, then do the same with the left piece. Fourth, grab another piece of hair and join it to the right piece and pull over the middle piece. Fifth, grab another piece of hair next to the left piece and combine it to the left piece and pull the left piece over the middle. Continue until you reach the base of your head. Finish off the braid and tie with a hair band. Repeat with the other side of your head.

The Fishtail Braid It looks so intricate, but it is actually very simple. First, separate the hair into two equal parts at the base of your neck. Second, grab a small piece from the far side of the right piece of hair. Third, take the small piece and pull it over the top of the right section and hold it with the left section. Fourth, repeat with the left section and continue until you reach the end of your hair. Tie it off with a hair band. From here, you can add accessories that coordinate with your outﬁt.

The Braided Crown Similar to the last braid, this one can be done in two ways: a French braid or a Dutch braid. Both of them start the same. I personally think that the Dutch style looks better with my hair because it makes my hair look fuller. First, part the front two inches of your hair all the way to one side, close to your ear. Second, grab a small section by your ear and split it in three. Third, pull the right piece under the middle section and then do the same with the left piece. Fourth, grab a small section of hair next to the right and left pieces and add them to the ones you are already holding. Fifth, pull the right section, with the added hair, under the middle and then the left, with the added hair section under the middle. Continue until you wrap around your head. If your hair is long enough, ﬁnish braiding the ends and pin up alongside the beginning of the braid. If you want to do it Dutch style, it is the same process but instead of pulling the side pieces of hair under the middle, you pass it over the middle section. If you do not want your entire head braided, you can stop when you get to your other ear and ﬁnish off the braid. Bobby pin the end of the braid underneath the rest of the hair.

The Shield

Opinion

Since You Asked... “Every Christmas, my mom makes a honey ham using a recipe that was passed down for three generations from my great-grandmother. I don’t feel comfortable eating it with them because I am a vegetarian. How do I respect their traditions while still being true to myself?” - Ann Ty Meat

he ﬁrst thing that you must understand is that you are valid. You have reasonable logic for why you choose not to eat the recipe. Vegetarianism is not only a healthy diet and lifestyle, but also ﬁghting against a form of animal cruelty.

Fight through the push-back. While some will be accepting of your vegetarianism and willing to learn more, there may be people who believe that this way of life is not valid or healthy. We believe that you have done the research and have strong feelings about your diet. If you feel strongly enough and are willing to stand up for what you believe to be right, you will have the perseverance to follow the rest of these steps. Voice your opinion, respectfully. Explain that you would not like any ham and possibly ask what vegetarian options will be on the table. Remember, communication is key any time you are confronted with a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable. If your choices seem limited, try and make a vegetarian side that not only you, but many other members of your family can enjoy as well. This way you can send a message while also providing your family with yet another delicious food to feast on.

Make new traditions. Search the web, or even play around in the kitchen yourself to find a new vegetarian recipe that will be in your family for years to come. Remember, you are a part of your family, too. You have a voice, and your uniqueness can resonate through future generations if you want it to. Test this recipe a few days beforehand, and share it with your family members. If they see that your lifestyle has yummy recipes that are not only tasty, but also healthy, they will be more likely to let it sit upon the traditional orange and red plaid tablecloth on Thanksgiving Day. Reflect with respect. While contemplating all the hundreds of comments you could make about why your great-grandmother’s honey ham is a terrible custom to keep in the family, consider the significance behind the tradition and how it came into fruition. Just as being vegetarian means a lot to you and how you live, keeping up your

Emily Willis | Editor-in-Chief Dailey Jackson | Staff Reporter great-grandmother’s tradition may also mean a lot to your family. Take our suggestions. Even though it may not seem like it, there is a wide variety of food options available to substitute for the mounds of meat and dairy on a traditional Thanksgiving table. Other than the well-known tofu, there is also a brand that can serve as an alternative to turkey, called Tofurky, which can provide you with a vegetarian or vegan “roast,” complete with stufﬁng and gravy. If you’re looking to swap out the honey ham, many companies offer veggie ham and deli meats, or you can opt for a lentil loaf to mimic the look of real ham. But, when in doubt, replace the meat substitutes for foods like eggplant, cauliﬂower, potatoes and beets. Vegetables like these are versatile and can be put into many different dishes to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Dailey

Jackson

December 2018

Arts and Entertainment

“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is classic Christmas tale with pleasant twist Rita Albert | Staff Reporter

he snow coats the buildings of London and glistens on Christmas Eve. The Christmas spirit envelopes the town with wreaths all around and twinkling lights as you follow an owl across the city. The owl suddenly shifts into a mouse as it enters through a small hole in the side of a building. This is the first glimpse of our main character, Clara. “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is based on the ballet by Alexandre Dumas Père’s adaptation of the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, with music by Tchaikovsky and originally choreographed by Marius Petipa. It was first performed in 1892 in Russia and only became popular 100 years later. This movie adaptation begins with a young girl teaching her brother about science, giving us a sense of Clara’s clever and curious personality. Her mother had recently passed and had left each of her three children a final Christmas present. While the eldest sister gets her mother’s favorite dress and the younger brother gets toy soldiers, Clara receives a duochrome blue-silver egg with golden accents adorning it with a unique keyhole but no key to open it. The curiosity of what was inside begins our story. After opening presents at home, Clara and her family go to a Christmas party. Part of the festivities include a scavenger hunt for each individual’s gift, which Clara’s godfather set up around the house. There is a string for each person with their name on it that they follow across the house to find their present. Clara follows her string through

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an ominous tunnel and enters a winter wonderland that we later find out is called the Christmas Tree Forest. I noticed a parallel to the Narnia series with the appearance into the snowy world. She finds the key needed to open the egg in one of the trees but a mouse grabs it and runs away. Here she meets a nutcracker named Captain. It is unveiled that Clara is the princess of this unknown land and her mother had been was queen when she says her name and Captain recognizes it. Clara has to break the news of her mother’s passing to the rulers of the realms. Clara never knew of this other world that her mother was so familiar with and t h i n k s back to a previous discussion she had with her mother in which she hinted of the world of the realms before. The mouse ran into the fourth realm, which are sections of the world, so Clara and Captain followed and met creepy robot Mother Ginger, escaped her grasp and ran to the castle. Mother Ginger is evil and hated because she tried to take over rule of all the realms instead of just governing her own. Clara meets the rulers of the four different realms: the Land of Sweets, the Land of Snowflakes, the Land of Flowers and the Fourth

Realm (previously known as the Land of Amusements). Sugarplum, the ruler of the Land of Sweets, formerly banished Mother Ginger because Mother Ginger was trying to take control over all the realms. The entire movie was very enticing with the Christmas background of it all. The scenery was beautiful and appealing to the eyes with the Christmas colors enchanting the world they were in and rooms with golden and red themes developing an elegant feeling because everything looked expensive and intricate in detail. Everything within the movie felt magical, like something you only dream of seeing. The whole theme matched with the color schemes and the outfit designs made the film feel magical and it really put me into a “Christmasy” mood. The design of the ruler outfits representing their realm were intricate and detailed with either flowers, icicles or glitter. Crack into the Christmas season by watching this classic ballet turned into a lovely film.

Arts and Entertainment

Dear Kenny Kupid,

Dear Ketchup,

This guy and I, let’s call him “Mustard,” have been really good friends for a while now and we’ve dated, like, three times. Despite our good friendship, we only last 10 days boo’d up. Mustard and I started out as BFFs; we talked about everything important to us, like cheese, and the ratio of onion in guacamole. We even talked about future places where we would get married, like maybe a ranch or a music festival where people stay dancing and keep high energy. Anyways, a couple weeks ago, I got tired of Mustard. He stopped agreeing with how much salt should be on french fries. He asked me to stop eating dairy completely. Then, Mustard had the audacity to not laugh at a meme I sent him about getting bread. Who do you know that doesn’t want bread? Nonetheless, that was my ﬁnal straw; I was compelled to break up with him. Unfortunately, now I miss him and I don’t know how to get him back. He won’t answer my calls, text messages or tweets... What should I do? I’m bored and I miss my FaceTime calls with Mustard. He is the only person I know that pours his milk before his cereal... he’s worth living for.

Step 1: Weird ﬂex, but okay... do you really want to brag about a man that enjoys putting his milk before his cereal? That has to be a quality for psychopaths. Rethink your relationship with Mustard and ask yourself if you truly want to live with a man who drops his crispy cereal into an abyss of milk. All the cereal does is sit at the top before you mix it. Whereas, you could be normal and pour the cereal then milk. Do you want to live with this man forever?

Sincerely, Ketchup

Step 2: If you still love Mustard, become in love with the idea about everything you guys could and did have. Make scenarios in your head that will never happen; it’ll help bring Mustard back into your life. An old legend says, if you think hard enough about someone and blink three times then they will appear. Furthermore, when Mustard appears then you could pull up and ask him where has he been. Step 3: If the old myth doesn’t do you any good, then call Mustard repeatedly. He will most likely answer the phone and will never block you or ignore you. The sound of his phone ringing will trigger his ﬁght or ﬂight response and he will be compelled to turn it off. The only way he

could possibly turn it off is to answer the phone or decline your call. And I assure you he won’t do that because Ketchup is the best condiment in the world, except for Chick-ﬁl-A Polynesian sauce. Step 4: Call his legal guardian and/or his siblings to make sure he answers his cellular device. If you were so serious about getting married in a rave then you would have all his family’s contact information. Furthermore, go ahead and ask his siblings to walk in the wedding because there would be no going back. His siblings would be so gassed up that he would have to pick up his phone and plan a whole wedding. Step 5: Sometimes, it be like that. Don’t be broken if Mustard doesn’t ever call you back. Be prepared and willing to move on. He probably isn’t even worth all the trouble... I mean, he pours milk before his cereal. Take that in for a second and really, really process that. To be fair, there are many other sauces out there. Get some relish or ranch, and stop messing with musty men.

Sincerely,

Kenny Kupid

SPIRIT NIGHT FUNDRAISER • MONDAY, JANUARY 14 • 3 PM - 7 PM JOIN US AT 3105 BEACH BLVD. JAX, FL 32207 (904) 398-4326 PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SHIELD

December 2018

Arts and Entertainment

Franchesca Peralta | Design and Layout Editor

group of 15 students, Dawn Huskey, Jessica Durbin and her spouse traveled to Chicago to attend the fall National Journalism Convention from November 1 to 4. Along with learning new tools and skills for the school newspaper and yearbook, we visited world-famous monuments, like Cloud Gate in Millennium Park (known as “The Bean”) and Willis Tower. We experienced fall for the ﬁrst time with Chicago’s 25 mile per hour winds and beautiful falling leaves. And, of course, along the way, we enjoyed some mouth-watering food. If you ever happen to visit the scenic Windy City, try to pop into these two restaurants as they will give you food worth traveling for.

Eggy’s Diner | Classic Burger | $10.95 This cozy diner was located next to a park with an open grassy area filled with families walking their dogs and a view of red and orange leaves falling from the trees. After considering different options from the menu, like Chicken and Waffles or Diner-Style French Toast, I ordered the Classic Burger. The wait was short, but there was still enough time for you to chat with your friends about the jaw-dropping scenery and look around the hipster restaurant with its industrial-chic pendant lighting and chalkboard signs. The burger was cooked well, but not to my liking as the server did not ask how I would like it cooked. The burger was drizzled with Eggy’s sauce, a yellow-white condiment resembling honey mustard, which delivered no significant taste for me, and topped with a toasted bun. Overall, the burger was not terrible, but it also was not the best one I’ve ever had. The timely service, awe-inspiring view and enjoyable overall experience, however, allowed me to enjoy my time at Eggy’s Diner.

Giordano’s | Cheese Deep Dish Pizza | $22.95

Photo by Katie Loberger

We could not visit the great city of Chicago without trying its most famous treat: the deep dish pizza. Giordano’s is a popular, bustling spot located at the Navy Pier. As people from all over the country, and even the world, are eager to fulﬁll their taste buds’ biggest dreams of this famous pizza, it is no surprise that the wait for a seat was long. In addition to the painstakingly long two hour wait for our seat, we also had to wait almost an additional hour for the pizza to cook. We easily passed the time, however, as Giordano’s had an ample amount of starters, thus leading us to devour a plate of Cheesy Breadsticks and, since it was so good, we soon after ordered and demolished a plate of Fried Mozzarella Triangles during our wait. The moment we saw our server bring our coveted cheese deep dish pizza over to our table, cheering could be heard exploding from our table. The moment we lifted the pizza off of the plate, there was a never ending string of cheese coming from the slice. After just one bite, we all knew the hours of waiting had suddenly become worth it. The thick bread and layers of marinara sauce and cheese overwhelm your mouth with every bite you take, giving you a glimpse of heaven every time. The warm, cheesy bites leave you in awe and saying “Oh, my gosh,” every single time. I can, hands down, say that this was the best pizza I have ever had and will probably ever have in my whole entire life. If you are ever in Chicago and there was only one thing you could do, do yourself a favor and have a bite of this pizza. I promise you, your life will be changed forever.

The Shield

Sports

Girls basketball coach Charlsea Clark emphasizes family on and off her court Dailey Jackson | Staff Reporter

Photo courtesy of Charlsea Clark

worked director

way to the Elite Eight last season. Before landing her job at Bishop K e n n y, C l a r k as the o f

operations w o m e n ’s team at the

for the basketball University

of North Florida (UNF). “I got the job at UNF with the women’s basketball team right out of college,” Clark said. “I started to go to school there to get my master’s degree and thought, you know, this might be The girls basketball team surrounds Clark as she offers guidance during a something that I timeout. really want to do.” In 2014, Principal Todd Orlando was many games as possible. She takes after tasked with ﬁlling in as girls’ basketball her biggest inspiration, Pat Summitt, coach until a replacement was found. the University of Tennessee Lady Vols Coach Jerry Buckley met Clark and basketball coach who passed away in suggested her to Orlando, when he 2016, and strives to make each player a realized that she was the missing piece better person on and off the court. “For me, I’m using basketball to try the team needed. and mentor kids and so the biggest part “When I found Coach Clark I knew is just to make sure that I’m playing a that it was going to be nothing but vital part in developing them as a human positive things,” Orlando said. “It’s not being,” Clark said. “So there is a bigger, just about basketball but she cares about totally bigger than basketball, purpose the people that she works with.” and it’s way beyond basketball and As a coach, Clark recognizes the probably every coach or teacher at this importance of family and incorporates school would say that about why they are that into what she calls the “culture” of doing this.” her team. She primarily focuses on traits Senior Janie Citrano has been a player like discipline and accountability to coach on Clark’s team since her sophomore year. her players and establish a bond within “You can tell she’s very passionate the team. about the game and that spreads,” “There’s a high level of accountability Citrano said. “She cares about us as if you’re going to play for me,” Clark said. people and she also cares a lot about the “The culture that I have tired to create culture she has established.” within our program is built on that family Clark constantly echoes this message foundation so everything that we do is in her coaching style, tips and relationship rooted in the love that we have for each with her players. other.” “I think that if the kids know that I love Clark takes solace knowing that them and that I’m invested in them, then there is a greater meaning in her work I can hold them accountable,” Clark said. than simply getting the team to win as Photo courtesy of Charlsea Clark

ith less than a minute left in the game, you dribble the basketball back and forth, ﬁercely darting towards the towering basket when you suddenly stop on a dime. You frantically search for a teammate or an opening to make your shot when you spot your coach out of the corner of your eye. She, along with your teammates on the sidelines, is screaming words of encouragement back at you. You feel a warm energy rising through your body and into your ﬁngertips as you shoot the ball and, swish, it goes straight through the net! This source of leadership and guidance for the Bishop Kenny g i r l s ’ basketball team comes from coach Charlsea Clark. Clark has been coaching the team for four years and even coached t h e team a l l the

December 2018