EDITORIAL: IT’S YOUR STORY. WE JUST HELP TELL IT. A plan for feedback, student outreach, and a better paper for the year ahead
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NEW UPPER SCHOOL SCHEDULE UNVEILED What’s in store for students with the 2016-17 schedule?
FACULTY FAREWELLS
SENIOR COLUMNS
We say farewell to some of Malvern’s beloved teachers, administrators, and staff.
The final word from the 2015-16 senior BFC editors.
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Student Newspaper of Malvern Preparatory School . 418 South Warren Avenue . Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
THE PLACES WE’LL GO Learn where the seniors are headed in our college map.
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VOLUME 16, NUMBER 8
PAGE 20: As the 2015-16 school year comes to a close, we take a look back at some of the highlights of another year of changes, challenges, and celebrations for the Friar community in our year in review.
Social Entrepreneurship closes first year with CEO panel presentations Students in this year’s Honors Social Entrepreneurship class created projects to help people and learned business skills. Tommy Pero ’17 The grading system for the class was not the EDITOR-IN-CHIEF same as a typical Malvern class. The honors level alvern’s newest class has a different course employed “contract grading” in which the class structure that allowed students students determined what an A, C, and F were to pursue a business-like structure to at the beginning of the class and received a grade help people. At the end of corresponding with that scale, the class, some students MR. AARON BRADY according to Brady. secured partnerships for There is no single teacher Director of Experiential Learning described class for Social Entrepreneurship. their product. as a “weaving maze.” Director of Experiential Instead a team of teachers including Mr. Brady, Mr. Learning Mr. Aaron Brady Rogai, Mrs. Lappas, Mr. said the class took both teachers and students out of their comfort zones. DiDomenico, and Mr. Talbot all instructed and “It was a class that didn’t have a definite guided the class. beginning and end,” Brady said. “The students “[The class] is definitely different,” junior in the class kind of decided the route we took… Nick Gatti said. “You go into thinking it’s a class, it was like a weaving maze.” like you’re going to have homework and stuff. But
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2016 Graduation speaker announced The President of St. Augustine Prep will be conveying the Augustinian message, in particular love. Sean Ward ’17 REPORTER he theme of the year for Malvern Prep is caritas, so it makes perfect sense that a long-time Augustinian should convey the message. Fr. Don Reilly has been the president of St. Augustine’s Prep for the past five years. Recently, Head of Upper School Mr. Christian Talbot chose him to be the guest speaker at the Class of 2016’s graduation. Fr. Reilly, who is originally from Lansdale, PA, attended Monsignor Bonner High School and Villanova. He was later ordained a priest in 1974. Since he became an Augustinian Friar, Fr.
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Reilly has maintained connections to Malvern Prep. Because he was the Provincial of St. Thomas of Villanova from 2002 to 2010, Reilly said he was a member of Malvern’s Board of Trustees during that time. Fr. Don Reilly Talbot, who asked Reilly to be the speaker, felt that it was most appropriate for an Augustinian to speak to this year’s graduates about what it means to have attended an Augustinian school. He thinks that an Augustinian will really put into context the three core Malvern values of truth, unity, and love, with a particular emphasis on love. > PAGE 5
May 2016
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The editorial board outlines ways to gather feedback, get a pulse on community reaction, and incorporate student voice. that by bringing hidden opinions and thoughts to the forefront. Editorial Board he words “chronicle” and “lantern” are more than just filler Below we outline ways to interact with us and ensure your ideas for our publication and online affiliate title. For our staff, are heard and your stories are told. they serve as reminders of our goals and our obligations to Last month our editorial concerning the theology curriculum the Malvern community. was likely our most controversial to date and resulted in a larger As the student newspaper for Malvern Prep, we have a mis- discussion and often times passionate disagreement. We aim to sion statement with two main goals in mind: to provide accu- continue this process, in which we write about pertinent issues rate and relevant information to the Malvern community and to in the Malvern community and then open up to be a forum for discussion. offer a forum for intelligent dialogue on all things Malvern. Every editorial we write, we get differing responses from students and faculty alike. We The word ‘chronicle’ is a symbol for the forA CHRONICLE mer. A chronicle is a factual written account of learn from these responses and try to keep them in IS A FACTUAL important or historical events in the order of their mind when writing future editorials. Last month in WRITTEN occurrence. We try and document events on camparticular we learned a lot about communication. ACCOUNT. pus and those that pertain to the Malvern comAlthough the staff editorial is a position taken by the munity, carrying out our due diligence often on editors of our publication, we recognize the imporA LANTERN short timelines. tance of researching the facts in order to present balPROVIDES In that way, we seek to ‘chronicle’ the occuranced opinions. LIGHT TO rences that will affect, interest, and entertain our This issue we published a letter to the editor. WHAT CANNOT Even though there was disagreement, we feel as audience of students, parents, staff, and alumni. BE SEEN. We, however, must admit that it is an incomplete though this response added further perspective and chronicle. more dimensions to the theology editorial. While we rely heavily on the interests and abilities of our As editors, we stand by our work and are not ashamed or staff to cover the news of campus, it would be naive to think we embarrassed but rather proud to have fostered this discussion and could do this without the help of the community at large. We expression, and honored that the individual trusted the paper as know that there are stories that are dying to be told and we want an outlet for his opinions. to do a better job of making the BFC an inclusive paper – one Going forward, we want to build that trust with as many that is written by our reporters but fueled by everyone on campus. members of the community as we can. Although we have tried Next year, we’d like to open up to the student body and fac- to ensure that our editorial board includes a diversity of student ulty for pitch ideas. Everyone has a story. Whether it be via con- experience, our staff is driven by student interest. We recognize versation, email, or a Google Spreadsheet, we want a quick and that it matters to build more student voice in our paper, including members of the student body who are not part of our staff. easy way for each and every one of you to get it to us. When we cover a controversial topic – and in a time of great By student voice, we are referring to the opinions, stories, and change at Malvern, there are many of these. We find that there is experiences of any student on campus, including those who are often a diversity of opinions and rather than smother the resulting not on the newspaper staff. One of our many goals for next year is conversation and possible disagreement, we hope to continue to to feature at least 70% of students in our publication at least once. illuminate it. Looking toward next year, we also plan to reach out to student The purpose of a lantern, in its simplest form, is to provide leaders, including but not limited to sports captains, club leaders, light to what cannot be seen. Going forward, we want to do just honor society representatives, and student council representatives.
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We began this initiative this year by writing a monthly article on student council’s progress. We want to create a connection between and maintain regular communication with these student leaders and our editors. This way we can find out more about what’s happening on campus and see if there’s any changes the students would like to see in their respective areas. If mock trial wins a championship, or a star player goes down to injury, or NHS formed a new service connection, we want to know so we can provide timely, accurate, informative news coverage. But this extends past student leaders to everyone else in the school— even freshmen. There are many ways you can get in contact with us: email (friarslantern@malvernprep.org), Twitter (@ friarslantern1), Instagram (@mpfriarslantern), or on our website (mpfriarslantern.com) through comments. However, we would love it if you came to talk with us in person. Our entire staff would be happy to discuss any part of our paper or offer opportunities for you to contribute. We’d love to hear anything you say from something that you don’t like that the school is doing, to positive or constructive feedback, to something that we should be reporting on that we’re not. We won’t publish anything without your consent, and we will take your feedback seriously. We would like to push this concept further to a student survey that is completed each quarter. We will also plan to send a similar survey out to teachers, faculty, and alumni. As students, this is our school and we should work to make it the best that it could be both for current and future friars. It is highly unlikely that any outside, independent school study could measure and express the views of the students the same or as powerfully as direct comments from the students themselves. As students, we all have our own opinions whether we express them freely or allow societal pressures to bury them. We want to be a safe, convenient outlet for students to make their voices heard. If we are successful, every opinion or story will get the recognition it deserves.i
What I learned from the Mock College Admissions Night The night was hosted in Duffy, and had students from Malvern, Villa, Notre Dame, and Devon Prep. Jack McClatchy ‘17 PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR had been sitting in the Duffy lobby for about half an hour, with my leftovers from dinner at my side, watching the clock. I stayed after school to go to an event hosted by the Director of College Counseling Mr. Ian Harkness, which he called the Mock College Admissions Night, where we would become an admissions committee for Webster University, a fake college based in New York. As the time got closer to 6:30, I saw Mr. Harkness walk through the door with half a dozen admissions directors and representatives from Notre Dame, Northeastern, Lehigh, Gettysburg, High Point, and Davidson. I had recognized a few of them from a college fair I went to at Villanova the night before, and was glad when they recognized me too. I was given a name tag with directions to go to the Learning Commons with my group, led by Derek Fox, an Associate Director of Admissions at Lehigh. There were about ten people in my group, mostly parents. We all sat down and got started looking at the applications. Before we got started, we were told that we had to accept two of the five applications, deny two, and put one on the waitlist. Webster was also a need aware school, meaning that it did not have an unlimited budget for financial aid, and it had just gotten a huge endowment for the rowing program. Then we began to look at the five people who sent in applications: Ann Fulenweider, Christopher Scott, Sharon Jones, Danny Young, and Mark Green.
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Ann was the weakest academically out of the five appliMark’s dad was an orthopedic doctor and alum of Webster, cants, but she had an upward trend in her grades, which Fox and he was a Junior World Champion in rowing. He was midsaid was a really good thing to have. She was dle of the road academically, but had an off year involved in a whole lot of extracurriculars, and in junior year, dropping .3 points in his GPA went to a boarding school in Massachusetts, far At a college from sophomore to junior year. He was a bit lacking in extracurriculars, but had a 1290 away from her home in Florida. Her essay was prep school, you also written like a story, which made it interesting SAT score. His essay was, you guessed it, about need a pretty even with grammatical and syntax errors. rowing. good reason to Christopher was taking almost all AP classes, Danny’s name fit him, as he was applying not attend an and was doing alright in his classes, but had a to college at 16 years old to a school really far event that is this downward trend in his GPA, which was a bit of a away from his home in Alaska. He was a merit helpful. red flag. He also did not do as many extracurricuscholar, member of the National Honors Society, lars as Ann did, but he was very active in them: and was science and japanese student of the year playing guitar, acting, and part of the Philosophy his junior year. His SAT scores were good at Club. His essay was a bit too self-deprecating, almost to the 1220, and ranked 12th in his class of 99. His essay was a bit of point of cringing about his lamenting over his large ears keep- a novel, going into the additional information section of the ing him from a date. Common Application. Sharon was the only non-white applicant: a Sioux Indian So, we had one hour to review all the applications, and in the inner city of Philadelphia. She had amazing grades, decide who to accept, who to deny, and who to waitlist. That ranking fourth in her class of 720 students. Her SAT scores wasn’t all that fun, as everyone had their own opinion about were the worst of the group, not even breaking 1000 with her who they wanted in. To make our decision even harder, Mr. reading and math scores. She was a varsity athlete and was a Harkness came in and said the school wanted a rower because leader in the Peer Alliance Club, but her home life was not of the endowment, and that Ann had forgotten to cite a source ideal, as she lived in a single-parent household. She was also in her project. the first person in her family to apply for college, and that As the hour went on, we debated back and forth who to combined with the rest made me call her “an American success accept and deny. It seemed that for each time we put someone story”, getting a few laughs from the group. Her essay was a bit on the accept or deny list, there were three telling us to hold weird, being about the evils of drugs in poor neighborhoods. on a minute. > PAGE 3
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New schedule announced for 2016-2017 is a monthly student-run publication at Malvern Preparatory School. Its online affiliate is the Friar’s Lantern (www. mpfriarslantern.com). Mission Statement The Blackfriar Chronicle and The Friar’s Lantern are the student-run publications of Malvern Prep. The principal goals of the publications are to provide accurate and relevant information to the Malvern community and to offer a forum for intelligent dialogue on all things Malvern. The reporting for these student publications is conducted thoroughly and edited by student leaders to ensure this accuracy to the best of our ability. In order to fairly provide all points of view, contributions from all members of the Malvern community are welcomed and encouraged through letters of opinion, student reporting, and respectful commentary. Editorial Policy The unsigned editorial represents the consensus of the entire Editorial Board. As a team, we agree and stand behind every word. The Editorial Board is a group of students composed of The Blackfriar Chronicle editors-in-chief, managing editors, chief investigative reporter, section editors, social media editor, podcast editor, a representative of the freshman class, and a representative from the Diversity Awareness Club. The group is meant to include a group of different students so all opinions and voices can be heard.
2014 saw the block schedule. 2015 saw homeroom move and specialty classes created. What’s next? Jack Magargee ’18 MANAGING EDITOR - WEB ext year’s schedule for the upper school will have a fourth period community time and more A schedules. Major features of the new schedule are that all classes will last an hour except for the lunch period, and there will never be three classes in a row. “This is first period, break, second period. Even if you have third period, you only go to two periods in a row,” Dean of Students Mr. Tim Dougherty said. “Then lunch, then fourth period, then you have break and fifth period.” Dougherty and Math Department Leader Ms. Lauren Lesch led the team of teachers and staff that engineered the changes. The team collected input from students and faculty, according to Lesch. According to Dougherty, the changes are for better usage of open time and overall consistency throughout all schedules. “This way, having gone through four periods, anything that has struck [students], confused them, might resonate with them later in the day and they have the opportunity to catch up with that teacher later in the afternoon,” Dougherty said. The Blackfriar Chronicle reported in April that a team of teachers were working on revisions to the schedule for 2016-17, but Lesch and Dougherty were not yet ready to announce the new schedule in the previous issue. i
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Submissions Letters to the editor are encouraged, and may be submitted to Tyler Pizzico (tpizzico70@malvernprep.org), Tommy Pero (tpero70@malvernprep. org) or adviser Kate Plows (kplows@ malvernprep.org). Anonymous letters will not be published. Editors reserve the right to contact writers or edit submissions for reasons of space or clarity. Our staff also welcomes feedback in the comments section of The Friar’s Lantern online, or via our social media. Each comment is subject to review by a moderator or an Editor-in-Chief of the Black Friar Chronicle/Friar’s Lantern. Commenter’s email addresses must be verified, and comments are reviewed for defamation, profanity, obscenity, libel, and invasion of privacy. Not all comments are published.
Please review this policy below. The policy is also posted at mpfriarslantern.com. All of our stories are posted online, and we encourage comments that meet our policy for online comments. The Friar’s Lantern is a student-run blog, an affiliate of the print student newspaper, The Blackfriar Chronicle, intended to bring news to the entire Malvern Prep community and beyond. We encourage your comments and opinions on the stories posted on the Lantern. In order to keep the discussions aligned with the mission of the school and student publications, please follow the following guidelines.
MANAGING EDITORS Print: Ethan Rowley ’18 Online: Jack Magargee ’18 PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR Jack McClatchy ’17 INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER Dan Malloy ’18
EDITORIAL BOARD All editors Member(s) of Class of ’20 - TBA Member(s) of Diversity Club - TBA MARCH CONTRIBUTORS Chase Bennett ’19 Christian Franck ’18 Garrett Hallinan ’19 Michael Harrington ’19 Rohan Jhunjhunwala ’18 Cole Cherian ’22 Joe Lister ’21 Sean Ward ’17 MARCH DESIGN Chase Bennett ’19 Ethan Rowley ’18
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take exception to saying Theology is archaic. I also agree that the teaching of Theology can take on modern formats and reflect the 21st Century teachings of the Catholic Church. This said, and recognizing that Malvern is not a seminary, I believe the student should leave Malvern with a clear understanding of the Catholic Church, its teachings on morality, social justice, and of course the sacraments and the essence of our Faith. How it is taught can always move with the times. Use of technology to present historic relevance, modern current events, and comparative religion studies make up the compendium of the 8 semesters of Theology. It is essential that the Catholic viewpoint be understood and when necessary the counter arguments of other faiths or non-faiths be introduced so that the Malvern student is ready to face the challenges of 21st Century Catholicism in a world without ethics and morality. i
We received several other comments at The Friar’s Lantern. However, as of press date, only one of these comments met our policy for online comments.
EDITORS IN CHIEF Tyler Pizzico ’17 Tommy Pero ’17
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Eric McLaughlin ’18
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
- Captain Robert Boyce
Joining our staff New contributors are welcome throughout the school year. The Blackfriar Chronicle staff meets Monday and Friday each week at 7:45 AM in Duffy 118. Please contact any member of the staff listed below for the most up-to-date meeting schedule.
SECTION EDITORS Friar Life Michael Harrington ’19 Sports Henry Malone ’17 Patrick Ferraiolo ’17 Media & Technology -TBALocal/World News -TBAJack McClatchy ’17 Arts -TBA-
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> MOCK COLLEGE ADMISSIONS, 2 Eventually, we decided to accept Mark and Danny, waitlist Sharon, and deny Ann and Christopher. The groups all came together at the end, and asked questions of the admissions directors. What I learned was that there is no golden ticket to college. You could be in all APs with A+s, and be in three dedicated extracurriculars and amazing standardized test scores, but the college could go for the other guy because his dad was an alum and donor. I also realized how stressful it could be to be on the other end of the application process. We had an hour to go through five applications, and we barely had enough time. Imagine if you work at Notre Dame where you get tens of thousands of applications but can only accept a couple thousand. Before this program, I was trying to think of ways that would make my application perfect: great grades in AP courses, plenty of extracurriculars, good scores on the standardized tests. It’s incredibly stressful to always be trying to get that to happen, and I’m not even sure if it’s worth it. In closing remarks, Fox said that sometimes even
the perfect application won’t guarantee someone a spot at a great school. He said that he’s had to make calls to families whom he’d rejected. When asked why they students did not get in, he didn’t have an answer. At first, that was a bit jarring. Even a perfect application wouldn’t guarantee me a spot at my number one school? But then it got me thinking. Maybe that one bad test I got in the beginning of the year won’t be as devastating as it would be for the kid with a perfect 4.0 who is rejected from Harvard or another Ivy because they didn’t have the right connections. So, when I got home that night, I was feeling better about the mysterious admissions process that had eating at the back of my mind. I just wish that more Malvern students attended. It seemed like there were twice as many Devon Prep students than Malvern. At a college prep school, you need a pretty good reason to not attend an event that is this helpful. The program answered questions I didn’t even know I had. i
Each public posting represents Malvern Prep and is subject to the rules found in the Malvern Prep Student Handbook. Different viewpoints and opinions are welcome, but comments must demonstrate respect. Profanity, insults, and language demonstrating intolerance are unacceptable. Each comment is subject to review by a moderator or an Editor-in-Chief of the Black Friar Chronicle/Friar’s Lantern. Comments are not posted immediately – they are reviewed for defamation, profanity, or libel. Not all comments are published. Please keep comments brief. If you would like to elaborate on your opinion, we encourage you to submit a guest commentary or letter to the editor at mpfriarslantern1@gmail.com The Friar’s Lantern does not permit anonymous comments; a username must be submitted. All comment postings require a verified email address. Email addresses will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments. i
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Five juniors awarded annual scholarships Scholarships awarded for commitment to Malvern and community.
AP exams are in full swing at the close of the year. Some Malvern students are focusing hard to get good scores, but others have no reason to care at all. Dan Malloy ’18 whether or not they will accept AP credit. CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER “You might take AP United States History and get or some Malvern students, taking Advanced credit for history when you enrolled,” Harkness said. “But Placement (AP) classes in high school can free up you might take AP Bio and want to major in Bio, but their college curriculum if they score high enough you won’t get any credit for it. You might get a general on the AP exam. For others, AP classes may not provide elective credit, but they want you to get your education the benefit they thought it would. in Bio there.” AP classes are college-level courses that give students Veteran AP Economics teacher Mr. John Ostick an opportunity to earn college credit while in high school explained that some colleges might not accept APs because by taking the AP exam at the end of of economic reasons. the year. “If they accept the credit, they MR. JOHN OSTICK Gaining college credit means that Believes coverage of will not get the tuition for that class,” material at a college level Ostick said. the college can exempt a student from is valuable, whether or classes relating to the AP subject, Harkness explained that even not credit is accepted. though some colleges do not accept which many colleges do if the student has a score that meets the college’s APs, AP classes are useful for all colcriteria. leges, both ones that accept most credit and ones that This means that students can graduate earlier by being do not. exempt from some freshman year classes. They can also “Colleges like AP,” Harkness said. “They like that it is save money by not having to take the extra class, have a standard curriculum. Everybody goes through the tests nationally, which gives them some pulse check.” more flexibility in their course selection, and be placed in Harkness acknowledged that seniors who know they more advanced classes. will not get AP credit from their colleges may not try to The problem is that some colleges do not allow stuget a good score on the AP exam. dents to place out of classes or even be placed higher in the Shafer witnessed this while in his AP exams. curriculum from their AP tests, according to Marketplace. org. This is affecting students in the Malvern community. “You can tell who this does affect when you look in Head of the Upper School Mr. Ron Algeo has heard the classroom for the AP test and kids have their heads on about this problem from students and their families. He their desks because it does not mean anything to them,” said that accepting APs depends on the course of study Shafer said. Mike McCarthy ’15, who received no credit at Penn they are taking as well as the school. When senior Will Shafer was admitted to the for the 6 AP classes that he took at Malvern, said that he University of Pennsylvania, he only received credit for knew going into most of the tests that they did not matter. only four AP classes out of the nine AP tests that he took “I had to sit through 3 or 4 AP tests last year knowat Malvern. ing that none of them would count,” McCarthy said. “I Shafer noted that Penn’s policy is a strict one, which remember sitting in my AP Calculus exam filling in literaccepts little AP credit. For the subally zigzags on the bubble sheet.” jects they do accept, Shafer said that However, Harkness encouraged ANTHONY ABRON ’14 seniors in this situation to try their Penn wants the maximum score of 5 Got credit at George on the test. best because the student may need the Washington University or AP Government Since he was already admitted to for credit later if he transfers schools or and AP United States Penn, Shafer knew going into most of History. changes his major. AP tests this year that his score did not “You never know when you will matter since no credit would be allotted anyway. He also need that credit,” Harkness said. “That 4 or 5 will never was frustrated with the fact that he had to pay the fees go away.” for the test because it is mandated by Malvern to do so. Ostick has heard many complaints from seniors about “It is definitely something that needs changing, their colleges not accepting credit for AP Economics. He because I have spent over $500 on tests that do not mat- realizes that the decision to try or not to try on the exams ter to me at all,” Shafer said. could be a tough one for some seniors, but he stressed that Shafer said that several of his classmates experienced they should always choose the former. this as well. However, Head of College Counseling Mr. “In reality, some kids do not prepare enough for Ian Harkness said that colleges not accepting AP credit the AP test,” Ostick said. “They take a subject that they is not as big of a trend among all universities as some have a deep understanding of, but they don’t finish it off. Understandable possibly, but unfortunate.” may think. “I don’t know if it is a big trend that colleges are going Senior Sam Li, who is attending the Georgia Institute away from it,” Harkness said. “I think we are feeling it of Technology in the fall, has experienced the opposite of more here because our guys are choosing to enroll in some disinterest during his AP exams. Li said that his school top universities.” offers credit for most if not all APs, but they require high Harkness said that the policy to give AP credit varies scores to count. Li’s major in college will be biomedical engineering, from college to college. He believes that around three quarters of colleges accept scores of 3’s or above. More but for his two most important AP subjects, AP Biology selective universities may accept only 4’s or 5’s, while the and AP Physics, Georgia Tech only accepts a score of 5 most selective universities like the Ivy Leagues would only on both of those exams. He does not think he will achieve accept 5’s or none at all. those scores, and the tests were stressful for him as a result. He noted that those were loose numbers, and that it “I am somewhat frustrated with their policy because is hard to get statistics because the colleges’ decisions on I'm most likely not getting a 5 on biology and physics so AP credit lies with faculty, not admissions. I would have to take the classes again in college,” Li said. The top, most selective universities often accept little “Both physics and biology were on the same testing day so AP credit because they believe they will teach the course my performance was already inhibited. College classes are better than a high school can. harder than AP classes so it won't be an easy grade boost.” “The best of the best places really want you to take AP Calculus AB teacher Mr. Kevin Moore had some their classes,” Harkness said. guidance for students like Li who will have to retake the Harkness notes that a student’s major in college affects class in college. He said that retaking classes in college
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Tommy White ’17 REPORTER n May 16, five Malvern juniors were presented w it h sc hol a r sh ips at Monday morning chapel. This year’s junior scholarship winners were Tyler Pizzico, Ryan Franks, Nate Albergo, Daniel Sullivan, and Adam Yablonski. The assembly started off with Juniors Zach Maher and Gabe Canzanese reading an excerpt from the Confessions of Augustine and the Gospel. Next, Malvern President Fr. Jim Flynn spoke about receiving awards. He said that Christians receive awards with honor and humbleness. They do not brag or tell everyone about it. They are happy with their award, and that is what matters. The f irst award was the Michael P. Walsh ’59 Scholarship and Achievement Award. This scholarship is given in memory of Michael ’59 and Brian Walsh ’63. The Walsh Family chose Adam Yablonski as the recipient this year. According to Mr. A lgeo, Adam is “extremely diligent academically and is a huge family man.” Next was the Norman and Dorot hy Mc Ma hon Awa rd. This award is given to a junior who especially has shown love to Malvern and commitment to both his family and Malvern. This year’s recipient was Tyler Pizzico. “He has always been a positive
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kid and an extremely hard worker. On top of everything else, he is loyal to Malvern and his family,” Algeo said. After that was The Eleanor “Bunky” Mullray Scholarship which is given to a junior who gives a lot to his community and his family. Nate Albergo was this year’s recipient. “He has more than 160 hours of internship services as well as a huge involvement in Empty Bowls. Nate is an extremely smart and hard worker,” Algeo said. The fourth award given was the Thomas F. Swift ’78 Award. This award is given to a junior who is extremely involved in Malvern and very diligent. Ryan Franks was presented with the award this year. “He has done a lot here at Malvern and is a very diligent worker. He is well respected and honored with this award.” Algeo said. The final award, the Basil B. Sullivan ‘51 Scholarship, is given in honor of Basil Sullivan, a former American History teacher and beloved friend to many alumni. Daniel Sullivan received this award. “He has demonstrated a huge involvement athletically and has academic merit. He is extremely loyal to Malvern and is roud to obtain this scholarship,” Algeo said The assembly ended with a prayer led by Fr. Flynn in honor of the recipients and all of the Malvern Community. i
can have positive or negative affects. “It could mean they could get to see the concepts and the applications of it again which would be great,” Moore said. “It could mean they could get bored in the class and decrease engagement, which could trend towards lack of interest in going to the class, which would not be good. But it could help the student be comfortable in their freshman year.” The policy did not factor into Li’s college decision, however. He can make up the classes he would have taken instead during a 5th year, and he is fine with doing that. For Anthony Abron ’14, George Washington University changed their policy for APs in the middle of his freshman year there. When he started, he could not use AP credit for his college general education requirement, but the university changed the policy to allow AP credit for that requirement. This helped Abron tremendously because he got credit for AP Government and AP United States History, which allowed him to be exempt from 3 classes. He can now graduate on time in 4 years, and he had the opportunity to double major in Music and Political Communication. “Overall, [AP] is very helpful,” Abron said. “Do I think it is the same work level that you do in college? No. Overall, I think it is very helpful for students because it can really free up their schedule in college.” Trying his best on his AP exams even though there was no foreseeable way at the time for Abron to gain credit ended up assisting him later. This exactly illustrates the point Harkness and Ostick made about finishing strong on the AP test. Algeo wants students to research the policies of colleges on AP credits before making their decision on where they go. “For students who are looking at colleges, ask those questions,” Algeo said. “How do AP credits work? How many do I need to get? Are there classes that I shouldn’t take because I won’t get credit for it? Would you rather take the AP class and get ready for college even though you won’t get credit for it?” Even if a student’s college never accepts the AP credit, Ostick thinks that AP courses are valuable for a learner in other ways. “Regardless of where AP goes, the coverage of the material at a college level should be an outstanding thing for a high school kid to take whether it is called AP or not, whether the credit is accepted or not,” he said. i
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‘Pizza Guy’ grabbing attention in Stewart New addition to cafeteria staff adds unique options to the pizza grill.
SENIOR MASON ABATE PRESENTS WITH THE HOMELESSNESS GROUP ON MAY 18 / T. PERO
MR. ELLIS WORKING ON PIZZAS / T. PERO
Jack Magargee ’18 MANAGING EDITOR - WEB r. Derek Ellis is his name, and making great food is his game. Picture this: A group of juniors walk out of their dreary AP exam. Trying to kill time before they have to go to class, they walk into Stewart Hall. These students aren’t very hungry. That is until they see a kid eating what looks to be mozzarella sticks on pizza. In a state of excitement, they hustle up to buy this pizza and leave without any regrets. Mozzarella stick pizza is one of Ellis’s many masterpieces. Another highlight is buffalo mac ‘n cheese pizza. Such interesting pizzas have caught the attention of student body, but don’t limit Ellis to just pizza. “He also makes a great bread pudding,” Mr. Tom Gray, Head of Dining Services said. Gray also said Derek’s Carolina Barbeque Sauce is ‘phenomenal.’ But who is the man behind the food? Ellis is recently out of culinary school. He’s filling in for Mr. Vince Long of the Dining Services Department while Long is recovering from a surgery. Ellis’s pizzas are different than pizzas most students traditionally eat. He attributes their success to his freshness in the industry and his age. “I’m young. I’m 20 years old, I just graduated from culinary school, so I can relate to kids,” Ellis said. “You can put anything on pizza, to be honest,” he said. Gray was supportive of Ellis’s unorthodox pizza topping ideas. “They were some funny pizzas. I thought yeah, sure, why not?” Gray said. Ellis’s ideas have been succeeding so far as shown by the hype around them. Students call his pizzas ‘crazy’ because of their original approach. Gray’s thoughts were brief. “He’s a young guy and he eats a lot of pizza,” he said. i
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> GRADUATION SPEAKER, 1 Malvern President Fr. James Flynn, who went to school with Reilly for two years in college, is also confident that he is the perfect man for the job. “He’s an Augustinian and the president of an Augustinian school, so he certainly knows what he is talking about,” he said. Flynn said he is also a very articulate and intelligent speaker. In his speech, Reilly plans to emphasize the message of caritas by connecting it to Augustinian education itself. “The underpinnings of an Augustinian education is to see the face of God through love of and service for neighbor,” he said. Reilly plans to express the theme of seeing God in one another in his speech. He aims to help the Class of 2016 reflect on their Augustinian education and realize the impact it will have on the rest of their lives. “I want to talk about graduation as the commissioning of the graduating class into a world where they will be successful because of the excellent education they received, but also where they should be agents of change who live their life based on the Gospel values,” Reilly said. i
get rewards such as gift cards from sponsors, according to > SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP, 1 it’s not like a class, it’s an actual semi-real-world thing. the student presentation. You’re making contact with people outside of Malvern the The group traveled to Mariana Bracetti Academy and whole time. There’s no curriculum.” talked with students and their principal, who greatly supAccording to Brady, students in the class had to iden- ported their idea. tify a problem in the Philadelphia Area and create a soluThey reached out to Gradelink, a service similar to tion for how to fix or improve it. Schoology. Gradelink liked their idea and presented an “We brainstormed first. We had all these ideas,” Brady opportunity to work together in the future, according to their presentation. said. “And from that list of 100 things we came up with, you know from garbage trucks to food to All four groups presented to a CEO panel consisting of Talbot and alumnus anything. We picked four.” “...It’s not like a Mr. Michael O’Neill, CEO of Preferred The class split into four groups. In addiclass, it’s an actual tion to having one of the class’s teachers as Sands, on May 18. Student groups periodisemi-real-world cally worked with O’Neill and other CEOs its moderator, each group also had an alumni thing. You’re throughout the class. advisor. making contact The issues each team decided to tackle The CEO panel offered feedback on the with people outside were food instability, suicide in teenagers, student presentations and suggestions on of Malvern the healthy eating education for people from their projects. For instance, the CEO panel whole time. There’s lower-incomes, and creating academic incendeveloped the idea of transporting food with no curriculum.” tives for first generation Americans. Uber, according to senior Justice Bennett. The groups had to solve their problems After the presentation to the CEO -Nick Gatti ’17 with no money. “That’s where you really got panel, the class is technically over. However, to get creative,” Brady said. some groups have the potential to continue working on their project in the future. The homelessness group discovered that the main problem with food donations is that there are The suicide group, for example, hopes to hire someone plenty of non-perishable and perishable donations, but to develop their app over the summer and AFSP would there is a lack of transporting the food. like to promote it once it is completed. However, two of Their solution was to use ride-sharing app Uber to the members in the group are graduating seniors and the transport the food. However, Uber has not yet agreed remaining three juniors will have no academic obligation to partner with them, as of the student presentations on to continue the project next year. Wednesday, May 18. One of the departing seniors, Matt Pichola, said he The suicide group designed an app to try to make plans to work on the project in the summer, but he’s not people happier. They are working with the American sure how far it will go. Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and an inde“Our plan is to get [the app] to a point in which we pendent developer to make the app. can either sell our final product or just turn it over to The cost of the app is $6,000, and could potentially be a larger non-profit organization we have been speaking funded by AFSP. If everything runs smoothly, there will with,” Pichola said. be four to seven months before the app is available to the Brady suggested that future classes, including the class masses, according to their presentation. offered in the summer, could potentially take over projects The healthy eating education group connected to from previous years. Brady said this will be an option, but KIND Snacks with alumni help. The group traveled to not a requirement. “We want to allow [future students] to New York to meet with KIND President John Leahy ’71. take [past projects] on if they want,” he said. Leahy liked their project and donated 4,000 snack bars to Part of the student-centered and experiential learning the project, a value of approximately $3,000, according to in the class is that the students decided who does what the student presentation. work and have to hold each other accountable, in place of They also partnered with the Vetri Community a teacher in a usual classroom setting. Partnership. Vetri works with children to take them to Brady said students needed to learn how to manage local markets to show them where their food comes from each other and assign tasks. One of the class’s catchphrases in an effort to educate them about healthy eating. became “who will do what by when?” Vetri received the KIND bar donation, decided they “There were roadblocks here in there, days where we liked working with KIND, and will buy from them in bulk were just fed up and we don’t know what we are supposed in the future to use in their summer camps. Vetri plans to do. We don’t know where we’re going,” Gatti said. to create a KIND themed day centered around KIND However, Gatti saw a positive outcome. “We definitely bars and being kind to others, according to the student got a lot of work done throughout the year,” he said. Talbot shared his own positive reaction in comments presentation. The group created a placemat with healthy eating to the Daily Local published on May 18. information on one side and a layout for a plate and sil“The work is valid in that a social impact project could verware on the other side. Vetri will use these placemats potentially be brought to market, it’s reliable we believe at their summer camps. because if you took these same guys and gave them another The academic incentive group prototyped a website project, they would produce at least as good a project and it is authentic because of the feedback that they will get,” that works as a learning management system such as he said. i Schoology, with the exception that it rewards students who get good grades. Students who achieve better grades would
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FACULT Y AND ST Captain Robert Boyce
Mrs. Pat Nicotera
The former nuclear submarine captain and nuclear power plant chief engineer will move on to teach elsewhere.
Administrative Assistant praised for her calmness and organization looks forward to babysitting.
Tommy Pero ’17 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF aptain Robert W. Boyce will retire from Malvern at the end of this year. He has taught chemistry and physics, brought the AP Chemistry program back, and founded the Robotics Team during his time at Malvern. Teaching is the most recent career path for Boyce. He previously served in the Navy and worked as the Chief Engineer at the Limerick Nuclear Power Plant. Known affectionately as “The Cap,” Boyce is a “Delco Boy” who grew up in Darby, Pennsylvania. He was raised a Catholic and remains a strong Catholic to this day. Neither of Boyce’s parents had education passed sixth grade. He attended Monsignor Bonner High School. He was accepted to Malvern and would have received a scholarship, but did not have a way of getting to school every day. At Bonner, his tuition was $200. At the end of his high school career, Boyce earned the Navy ROTC scholarship that would pay for his college tuition. Without that scholarship, he would not have been able to go to college. Boyce never applied to a single college, but he ended up at the University of Pennsylvania. His guidance counselor at Bonner, Fr. John Melton, managed to get him accepted without ever submitting an application. “Penn was a shock for me after 12 years of Catholic upbringing to find that people didn’t believe the way I believed,” Boyce said. “It was hard.” Academics were also challenging for him at Penn. “I might have been a very good student at Bonner, and I took all the courses that they gave,” he said. “I was so far behind many the people [at Penn] especially in Math and Science that I really struggled to catch up while I was at the university.” Despite his initial struggles, Boyce graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Soon after, he married his highschool sweetheart. “The Navy taught my brand new wife a never-forgotten lesson,” Boyce said. “We were married on Saturday. We arrived Tuesday morning. The following Monday, I left for places unknown and for an indeterminate amount of time.” Boyce entered the Navy’s nuclear power division, specifically working with their submarines. Admiral Hyman Rickover, whom Boyce called one of his best role models, wanted Boyce to work with him in Washington. Boyce said that Rickover tried to persuade him by locking him in a closet for hours, but he stayed resolute in his resolve to go to sea. By the end of his 26 year naval career, he had commanded two submarines. “ My l a s t t o u r w a s i n Washington DC as a program manager,” he said. “It was, without a doubt, from each standpoint of my ethics and morals, the most challenging.” Boyce said that he spent that time “fighting” with Congress and the Navy. At the end of his final tour, Boyce had seven children, three of whom were in college, and he couldn’t afford to be in the Navy. He retired from the Navy and went to work in the nuclear power industry in the early 1990’s. “Did I really want to work in the nuclear power industry? No. I was fully qualified, and it payed very well,” he said. “I made more money in the first year I worked for Exelon than I did for the previous three years or four years in the Navy.” Boyce ran the nuclear power plant in Limerick, Pennsylvania for ten years. From that job, he was able to pay undergraduate tuition for each of his seven children. Ten years later, Boyce would have had to move to Chicago to keep working at the company due to a merger. While he was working at the power plant, Boyce’s wife passed away from cancer.
Tommy White ’17 REPORTER ccording to Head of Upper School Mr. Ron Algeo, Mrs. Pat Nicotera is “the glue that holds Malvern together.” Mrs. Pat Nicotera will retire from her busy role as Administrative Assistant to the Assistant Head of School and Head of Upper School at the end of this academic year. Nicotera worked for Assistant Head of School Mr. Steve Valyo for 17 years, including when Mr. Algeo took the position as the Head of the Upper School in 2013. “She basically took on added duties, and she did that graciously.” Algeo said. Algeo said that Nicotera oversees the schedules of more than 60 faculty members and about 490 Upper School students. She also keeps track of honors certificates and reports. The first time Mrs. Nicotera ever saw Malvern Prep was when her husband was showing her the Malvern Retreat House, where he had attended retreat programs. She was driving around campus when she realized how beautiful it is here. “I was really impressed at the time,” Nicotera said. “ And I said to my husband that if we ever had a boy, that we should send him here.” Years later she saw an ad in the
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CAPTAIN ROBERT BOYCE / T. PERO
“She didn’t ask very much, but she said to me [that] she would like to see the boys that were still at home finish their education, their high school and all, in the area so that they were with family,” Boyce said. “So I told Exelon I would not move to Chicago.” Boyce and Exelon parted ways, and decided he wanted to teach— something he wanted to do all his life but could not afford to do. One of his professors from freshman year at Penn advised him to not teach at universities, but instead to teach at a good secondary school. Boyce recalled the advice. “Teach the sciences and show the students that scientists and engineers are not geeks or weirdos. They can be really good people and, in fact, they have impact on the world,” he said. In 2001, Boyce landed a long-term substitution position at Malvern for the fourth quarter of the 2000-2001 school year. He later became a full time teaching starting the following school year in the fall of 2001. “They took a risk because I had never stood in a classroom like this, but I had taught in the power plant. I had to give lectures, a lot of them. I had given lectures internationally,” he said. “I give to Fr. Flynn, Jim Stewart, Tom Stewart, Steve Valyo a lot of credit for having the guts to hire me as a pig and a poke.” Many students are familiar with Boyce’s varied idioms and expressions. Alex (’15) and Adam (’17) Yablonski have even created an unofficial dictionary for his terms. However, there is a specific purpose behind his idioms. “I’ve dreamed up a lot of this— not dreamed up by throwing words that are in some cases irrelevant, but they emphasize something without ugly terms,” he said. “And, I’ve used them all my time.” After 15 ¼ years of teaching, he will move on from Malvern. He hopes to continue teaching next year, potentially at a community college. “It’s time for me to pack up my sack and head to a different pasture,” he said. Boyce had one final message to Malvern. “Malvern is a gift to the students,” he said. “The students need to realize the benefits of the school, and the teachers who are given the opportunity to teach here need to recognize the responsibility they have for providing to the students more than topical matter. They have an obligation to provide a role model— an ethical and moral role example to the students.”i
MRS. PAT NICOTERA / D. MALLOY
newspaper, applied, and got a position as a receptionist. After working as a receptionist for a year, she became Mr. Valyo’s assistant in 1999. “She was very calm,” Valyo said. “I could tell from the interview process and through my questions that she would work well with the faculty and the staff and that she was a team player.” Valyo not only liked her interview, but he also liked her writing sample. He had Nicotera write a sample about a sensitive issue regarding a student, and Valyo thought she did a great job. He also liked Nicotera’s prior corporate experience. Nicotera ended up working as > PAGE 13
Mrs. Kathy Cunnane Long-time administrative assistant reflects on challenges, close-knit relationships Rohan Jhunjhunwala ’18 REPORTER rs. Kathryn Cunnane has worked at Malvern as an administrative assistant for 26 years. She has decided to retire, and has shared some thoughts on her time here at Malvern in an e-mail interview. Mrs. Kathryn Cunnane described a busy job in the business office, where she often worked important routine tasks such as making copies or gathering supplies. However, she also enjoyed being presented with unique tasks. Cunnane stressed the importance of close-knit interpersonal reactions with colleagues. “My favorite thing is definitely my coworkers, all the people and staff and the students alike... different people [presented] different challenges, that’s what made [each day] interesting.” She also discussed how these close interactions got her through the personnel changes, campus improvements, building improvements and various other changes. Over her 26 year career at Malvern she went through many
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MRS. KATHY CUNNANE MALVERN COMMUNICATIONS
changes, but felt that one of her biggest hurdles to get over was the change in leadership when Malvern switched from Mr. James Stewart to Mr. Christian Talbot as Head of School in 2012. She said that it instituted a “new era with many changes.” Cunnane said that her most stressful day was the day Father Duffy passed away. She enjoyed working closely with Father Duffy, and struggled to adjust to this drastic change at Malvern. > PAGE 13
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TAFF FAREW ELLS Mr. Kevin Whitney Faculty Leader’s Departure is bittersweet. Garrett Hallinan ’19 “I think it is bittersweet,” the freshman history teacher and Middle REPORTER School swimming and track coach said. “Malvern means a lot to Mr. ean of Faculty Coaching and Development Mr. Kevin Whitney, Whitney, a place that consumed thirteen years of his life.” who has taught at Malvern for the past thirteen years, will be Education Services Administrator Mrs. Diane Dougherty, who manleaving for a new role at LaSalle College High School after ages the Learning Commons, said she has learned everything she knows this school year. about Malvern from Mr. Whitney. Mr. Whitney has been a part of Malvern’s community since August “Mr. Whitney is extremely caring and he is funny,” Mrs. Dougherty of 2003. said. “He loves Malvern, and he loves everybody. He is an advocate and a great coach.” “It was around 2002 that I realized I really wanted to get into Whitney has learned something from everybody, and he is proud of teaching,“ Mr. Whitney said. “I got my first job at West Catholic High School as a computer science teacher and I loved it. Then that that. He said will miss Malvern and its community of students, teachers, summer, I saw an advertisement for Malvern Prep, interviewed for faculty, and Augustinians. the job, and I got it.” “I feel like I am losing a part of my soul, and not a day will go by that Whitney has held many titles at Malvern including the I will not miss the people here,” Whitney said. Assistant Dean of Students, the Dean of Students, the Computer “Husband or not, everyone can agree that he is a major part of what Science Department Chair, and the Dean of Faculty Coaching and Malvern stands for and brings that to work everyday and shares it with Development. those around him,” Mrs. Whitney said. “His leaving is a major loss for “When big opportunities presented themselves, I certainly had to the school and community.” earn those things,” he said. “But Father Flynn, Mr. Jim Stewart, Mr. At LaSalle, Mr. Whitney will be the Vice Principal for Academic Leo Kindon, and Mr. Steve Valyo gave me those opportunities and I Affairs. He compared his new role to Head of Upper School Mr. Ron am really thankful for that.” Algeo’s role at Malvern. MR. KEVIN WHITNEY / G. HALLINAN “They have all taught me something different,” Whitney said. “I never thought I would leave Malvern, but as I have gotten older and “They have taught me how to be a great role model, how to connect with God, how to connect my career goals have gotten bigger, taking the job at LaSalle was the best thing for my career,” he said. “I am hoping to make a home there.” with the students, and how to be a great teacher and the things needed for a great classroom.” Despite leaving after this school year, Whitney plans to remain involved with Malvern. Among his many roles at Malvern, Whitney was also a coach. “I have been a part of the Varsity football staff for about nine years, and I was the defensive “My wife and friends will still be here. Count on me being at Malvern football games this fall, coordinator for the Varsity team the last seven years,” Whitney said. “Some of my best memories helping out with a service trip, or chaperoning the Prom,” he said. with the students were winning some Inter-Ac titles and defeating St. Joe’s Prep.” Whitney is forever thankful to Malvern for all it has given him. Whitney was a rector for six MECO retreats, and he loved sharing the experience with the “Who I am now as a person, my connection with God, my wife, and my friends are all because students. of Malvern,” he said. “I may have worked here and I may have influenced students but Malvern “MECO weekends are so refreshing and are a great way to connect with people. They are just had a much greater impact on me.” awesome,” he said. Whitney plans to continue his career in school leadership. “Thirteen years ago, all I wanted to be was a teacher and a coach. As opportunities presented Whitney has shared so many experiences with Malvern’s faculty that he said it is hard to single themselves and as I had success with them, I wanted more,” he said. out particular favorite moments. But he did have one standout memory. “Obviously, one of my favorite moments at Malvern was meeting my wife,” he said. “I met But if the opportunity to lead a school does not emerge, then Whitney said he will be “just Mrs. Whitney [Ms. Pam Zbrzeznj] here in April of 2013, and last September, we married in fine being a teacher and a coach.” “We will see,” Whitney said. i Malvern’s Chapel.” How does Mrs. Whitney feel about her husband leaving for LaSalle?
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Mr. Steve Valyo ’70 Assistant Head of School ending Malvern Prep chapter 50 years from the start. Nick Li ‘17 REPORTER ssistant Head of School Mr. Steve Valyo, will be wrapping up his last year at Malvern Prep this year. Valyo has taught math for 34 years at Malvern in addition to his administrative roles, and has coached at Malvern for twenty years. “I’ll miss the people the most - the guys and the faculty and relationships I’ve built,” Mr. Steve Valyo said. “I have so many friends here, and the day to day interaction with them all is what I’m going to miss.” Valyo, a member of the graduating class of 1970, will be ending the Malvern Prep chapter of his life nearly 50 years from the start. Valyo started teaching at Malvern Prep in 1982. Former math department chair Mr. Bill Gibson initially reached out to Valyo about an opening in the department with the possibility of administrative work and coaching. At the time, Valyo was Dean of Students at a boarding school just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee. Valyo came to Pennsylvania, spoke with Father Duffy, and then started his teaching tenure at Malvern. The first role that Valyo played at Malvern was in the math department. He then became Assistant Dean of Students and eventually Dean of Students. Next was a Dean of Studies role before Head of the Upper School. Now, Valyo is in his third year as the Assistant Head of School. “It’s basically the chief academic officer,” Valyo said of his current role. “[My team and I] oversee the entire academic program. We focus on student life as well, and each member has a specific role to work the day-to-day operations of the school.” Valyo, who has taught everything from fifth grade math to post-grad AP calculus and even a gender equity class at Widener University, said that relationship building, connection making, problem solving, and interacting are his favorite parts of teaching. “[I love] building the memories, experiences, and friendships,” he said. “It’s great when guys challenge me,” Valyo said. “One time, during a trig proof in Honors PreCalc, a student had a proof that was half the length of mine. I always enjoy asking the guys if they have better ways to do things. I love seeing different perspectives.” In addition to teaching, Valyo has done his fair share of coaching.
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Valyo coached for a total of twenty years at Malvern. He coached varsity, junior varsity, and middle school football, varsity golf, and started the middle school golf program. “I’ve always been a real proponent that school doesn’t end at 3:30,” Valyo said. “So much more learning goes on at this campus after school. That’s what makes a well rounded student.” Outside of his work life, Valyo is a very family-oriented man. He and his wife have two daughters and four grandchildren. One daughter lives in Boston with a boy and a girl, and they try to see them once every month. The other daughter lives in Wayne, so many weekends consist of watching the kids’ sports games. A unique tradition in the Valyo family is that as each grandkid reaches the milestone age of ten, he or she gets to take a trip with Road Scholar. Road Scholar provides the Valyos with an educational trip to a location in the US with grandparents and grandchildren. The first trip with Road Scholar was a trip to the Grand Canyon. The second trip consisted of a visit to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. “The Grand Tetons trip was special because the tour guide was a member of a survival show,” Valyo said. “He actually got lost in an avalanche and had to use survival techniques, which he taught the kids.” This year, the Valyos will be visiting Steamboat Springs in Colorado. “I’m not quite sure what to do after leaving,” Valyo said. “I don’t MR. STEVE VALYO / N. LI think I’m going to ‘retire.’ I’m going to do something, but I’m not sure what yet. I plan to reach out to contacts and play it by ear, and we’ll see what happens.” However, before any new work plans, Valyo will first take a two week vacation to Greece with his wife. “My best memories are really all the friendships and relationships I’ve built with the students, faculty, parents, alumni, and really all the stakeholders here,” Valyo said. “There have been changes as far as the buildings and this and that, but as far as the caring faculty and the relationships with the students, I don’t think that’s changed at all. It’s still as vibrant as it was when I went here.” “Since I’ve been here, I’ve been a part of a team that has made an impact on over 3,500 guys that have graduated from Malvern,” Valyo said. “3,500 guys,” he said again. “That is just really special.” i
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SENIOR FAREW ELLS Question everything… including this If I had to boil it down to three Latin phrases… Interroga omnia. Facite quod amatis. Achaeronta movebo. Justice Bennett ’16 ’15-’16 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF f there were just three messages I could leave with every student in this community, they would be: 1. Question everything 2. Do what you want to do - not what you think colleges want you to do 3. Raise hell Too often, we go about life accepting what we are told – or what we observe on first glance – without question. When any institution or person operates without being held accountable and without question, abuse of power begins to take root. In politics, this is realized in our campaign finance system, screwed up and gerrymandered electoral system, corruption, and more. What if someone asked, “Why shouldn’t an independent organization under the Supreme Court draw the electoral districts, instead of the politicians who may benefit from them?” What if someone asked, “Why should we allow money to influence politics?” In the media, it’s why Rolling Stone can publish a story of a fictionalized rape, studies can be misinterpreted, and facts twisted to attract viewers. What if someone asked, “Are we 110 percent certain this happened?” What if someone asked, “Are you sure that’s true, because I read the study and thought it said something else?” What if someone asked, “Is this a fair representation of the events, and is it telling both sides of the story?” In education, it is why student privacy can be compromised for ease, a tradition or ceremony can be abandoned without ever consulting students, and a teacher can influence his or her students by presenting his or her opinion as fact. What if someone asked, “What are the possible downfalls of a totally Google-dependent school?” What if someone asked “What do the students think about this?” What if someone asked “What is the other side of this issue?”
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In our daily lives, it’s why someone can do stupid things to stay in a “friend” group, fall for someone’s self-interested intentions, or end up at a college only because that’s what his parents wanted. What if someone asked, “Why do I even want to be friends with these people if I have to go out of my way to feel like I belong?” What if someone asked, “Why are they telling me this?” What if someone asked, “Will I be happy here?” Those last few self-analytical questions can often be the most important. We should do what makes us happy in life. College isn’t the end goal, and if we do what we love, rather than what we feel we have to do, we produce incredibly more powerful results. Colleges want to see passion and incredible accomplishment in whatever your “thing” is. So try everything until you find it, and then when you do, give it your all. Surround yourself with a team of great people who also love what you do, because you’ll always accomplish more that way than you ever could on your own. You’ll make your favorite memories with them, and cherish the time you get to spend “working” when it’s really just hanging out with friends. If you’re happy with who you are and what you’ve done, the rest will sort itself out. If at the end of a year, two, or even three, you find yourself dreading the work - quit. Never stop trying new things until you find out what you love. Find what you’re willing to work way past midnight for even though you have a test first period. Find what drives you to work instead of watching the next episode of your favorite TV show. Find what keeps your mind working well past the time your head hits your pillow. Then, have the guts to follow whatever your thing is. It’s not always easy and if it was, then everyone would do it. Finally, when you find something that just doesn’t sit right with you, raise hell. Don’t let it boil inside of you - do something about it. One of my favorite quotes is from Steve Jobs. He said, “Everything around you that you call life, was made up by people that were no smarter than you.” If there’s something that bothers you, that you think shouldn’t be as it is, don’t lay back - change it. But before you do that, learn everything there is to know about it. Investigate why it is what it is, what alternatives there are, what consequences every change would have, and more. Be conscientious and deliberate in your approach. Stand up for what you believe in, and be smart in how you do it. Take the high road. Find a grounded and intelligent friend to help check yourself. Remember that a spotlight brings heat with it, but be careful where and when you shine it. If you fight for what you believe in, you won’t regret it. If you do all three of those things, you’ll be three times the person I was ever able to be.i
Trust the process Although you may question your decision, the Malvern “brotherhood” truly lives up to its hype. Michael Droogan ’16 ’15-’16 SPORTS EDITOR ften times actions manifest themselves at times and in ways that you least expect. After being very excited to attend Malvern as an eighth grader, over my first three years at Malvern I questioned my decision on whether or not Malvern was the right choice for me. I heard a lot about the so-called “brotherhood”, but didn’t really feel it first-hand. I started to question its existence. Although there have been many different experiences over the past year that changed my outlook on the brotherhood, it was the second weekend in May in my last year at Malvern that my belief in the brotherhood was truly cemented. After getting surgery to repair the ACL I tore while playing rugby, I had but two options for activity the following weekend: laying in bed or laying on my couch. Both had their pros and cons but ultimately I ended up on the couch for most of the weekend. Normally I wouldn’t complain about sleeping and watching ESPN for most most of the day, but after the tenth hour of hearing Brian Windhorst break down Lebron James’ method to eating pasta, I was starting to get a little bored. Around 3:00 that afternoon, I got texts from now former BFC EIC’s Justice Bennett and Ben Yankelitis insisting upon making the inter-county trek to my house in Havertown to see how I was doing. Furthermore they were adamant about supplying me with all the Rita’s Water Ice a young man could desire. After sitting around talking for a while, my front door jolts open and who but Mr. John Ostick walks into my living room. After running into my mom at the local Wawa and hearing that we had Delco’s Finest Pica’s Pizza, Mr. Ostick made a beeline for the house. In the middle of all the hootin’ and hollerin’ brought about by Mr. Ostick’s jovial presence, I had to stop and take a second to appreciate what was going on around me. Out of their own will, three Friars stopped by my house to make a night that seemed doomed for boredom and some pain, into one filled with stories and laughter. With this, Malvern, I leave you with three pearls of wisdom: 1. Malvern is filled with really special people. Mr. Ostick and people like him are really what set Malvern apart from all the other schools in the area. There are so many people at Malvern who have gone out of their way to assist me just in the past month with my injury. I ask that none of you underclassmen take for granted the people at Malvern how care so much about you. 2. Get Involved. If I could do Malvern over again I would get involved in the different activities and events Malvern offers a lot earlier in my career. It was during extracurricular activities that I really bonded with my fellow Friars and made friendships like the one with Justice and Ben. Even if you don’t love the activity just do it to stay involved with others. 3. Get Uncomfortable. Sort of along the lines of get involved – but try something new. Malvern has so much to offer, I didn’t go into high school thinking I’d love journalism, but here I am today. Maybe journalism isn’t your thing, but there is something here for everyone. Thank you to all of you who made my Malvern experience special. i
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What makes a Malvern man Malvern has made me into the man I am today, and for that I am forever grateful.
Jimmy Faunce ’15-’16 MANAGING EDITOR ear Malvern, For those of you who do not know me, I am the senior that is always yelling at you for walking on the grass, but my name is actually Jimmy Faunce. I am a lifer at Malvern, which means I have been a Friar since 6th grade, and cannot believe that my time as a student has come to an end. I am the man I am today because of Malvern – no doubt in my mind. Malvern gave me so much that I feel that there is no way in the world that I can repay it, but I would like to take this time to acknowledge the things at Malvern that have helped shape me into the man I am today. Obviously I need to start with the faculty. The relationship that we have with our teachers is something that you will not find anywhere else. The personal relationship that I have with multiple faculty members is unparalleled and was one of the main reasons I was so excited to go to school everyday. The
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Our senior editors offer some parting thoughts in their final columns for The Blackfriar Chronicle. The 2016-17 staff is grateful for the seniors’ leadership. They have set an impossibly high bar, but we will aim for it. We wish the BFC seniors – and the entire class of 2016 – many blessings and much luck.
Oyster STD’s, lyric tweets, Crows, and sports bars Thank you Adam Duritz. Ben Yankelitis 15-16 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF es, I am about to lyric tweet and go all angsty teen on you. “The feeling that it’s all a lot of oysters, but no pearls.” - A Long December - Counting Crows I walked alone into a loud sports bar an hour away from my house to interview someone I had only exchanged emails with a couple times. I was scared to death. I didn’t order anything. It was dark. I didn’t think my microphone would pick up any of our conversation. Oysters are everywhere. They are ugly, cracked, and asymmetrical. No one seeks out a pet oyster. Pearls are commonly believed to form when grains of sand settle inside an oyster. However, they are actually formed when invading parasites and viruses from worms enter an oyster. The oyster protects itself from these diseases – possibly oyster STDs, I am not an expert on the topic – by forming a protective shell around the parasite. A pearl. You can even break a natural pearl and white ooze may be secreted, showing its real origin. Did I contract an oyster STD when I walked into that sports bar that night? If I am going to continue with this metaphor, then yes. I went on to talk to Kyle Scott, Malvern grad and founder of the Philly sports blog CrossingBroad.com, inside the sports bar that night. We talked for almost an hour and a half about his job, his experiences, his stories - smiling, laughing, reflecting. He eventually included the article I wrote about him on CrossingBroad, and to this day I still have that tweet pinned at the top of my Twitter account. That oyster STD formed into a pearl, just as all oyster STD’s eventually turn into a pearl. Malvern is a weird place. It has all the teachers, resources, opportunities, and care that a student could ever want or need. Yet, it does not require or force the students to take advantage of anything. You could slide by with good grades, “participate” in a vast array of extracurriculars, and leave without ever getting what Malvern really has to offer. That was me freshman year. I got good grades and “participated” in extracurriculars by doing the bare minimum to qualify for an all-important activity credit. While it appeared I was doing fine, I hated Malvern. I was afraid when walking through the halls. I did not know other people, so why would they care to know me? I did not have that teacher for a class, so why would they care who I was? I was uncomfortable speaking in front of people. My presentation skills were poor. I had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Kenworthey on the speech and debate team. I spent multiple ninth periods (remember those things? - pearl) in her room giving speeches on incredibly random topics. The subject did not matter, the presentation did. I would sway side to side when presenting, so Mrs. Kenworthey worked continuously with me to stop. She gave me positive encouragement, a podium to hold onto, and even a happy “don’t you
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way they talk to us students as equals and take an interest in our lives inside and outside of the classroom shows how much they want us to succeed in life. They serve as role models in their day-to-day action, and their character, faith, dedication, and work ethic are visible in all that they do. My faith has changed and grown tremendously. Malvern encourages each student to develop a relationship with God through prayer, chapel services, and daily communion. However, I think my faith grew the most here when I would stop and look at the many examples of individuals living a faith filled life on campus. The list of examples could go on forever, but for me personally the man that really showed me what it man to be a man of faith, was Mr. DiDomenico. I think that seeing a younger man with such a strong relationship with God helped me realize what kind of man of faith I want to strive to be in life. The final two pieces, I feel, go hand in hand – MECO and the Brotherhood. I am not going to expand on MECO anymore than mentioning it, but I will say that this event brought me closer to my Malvern Brothers and made me keenly aware of the importance of these men in my life. The second piece is The Brotherhood. Freshman year as I signed the Brotherhood book, I am not sure that I fully understood what was meant by this “Brotherhood.” During my sophomore and junior year I thought for sure that I had figured it out. I thought that a Brotherhood was having something in common where we are all united as one - One Malvern. However, it wasn’t until my senior year that I realized that the Brotherhood is not just a common element or even a friendship. The Malvern Brotherhood is the visible respect and, more so, the love that we have for one another. Knowing that this love will never go away is an amazing feeling. I will miss Malvern more than I could even imagined in sixth grade or even the beginning of senior year. And of all of Malvern, I will miss my brothers most. May the Lord watch over all of you brothers and keep you safe. St. Augustine. Pray for us. i
dare do that” look. I improved tremendously over time. -Pearl. I thought Mrs. Kenworthey was the exception, but she was not. She is simply one of the best of an entire community of great people. When you come to Malvern, you have to immediately jump into the great community. Everyone cares about you, loves you, and wants to see you grow. Never be afraid of anyone. Say “hi” to every teacher and student when you pass them while walking to class. If you ever do feel afraid of someone, they are the problem, not you. Nothing bad will ever stem from you asking a question or asking to participate in something. Embrace everything you are a part of both in and out of the classroom. Did I think writing a three page essay on one (1, single) page of a comic book would be easy, fun, or even possible? No. I was contracting another oyster STD, as I stretched my mind in ways I hadn’t done before. I remain incredibly proud of this paper which explored why Alan Moore used the colors he did on page 258 of V For Vendetta. - Pearl. At Saint Augustine’s sophomore year, three other students and I entered a small kitchen and were told to make 100 grilled cheeses. This task did not seem fun at the beginning and I was contracting an oyster STD. However, I washed my hands and together with Cam Williams, Steve Van Ommeran and Colin Wills, created an assembly line, and went on to make the best grilled cheeses ever. - Pearl. During my junior year, I wanted to start a research project. I reached out to my two favorite science teachers and we all agreed I would work to solve the problem of getting clean drinking water for third world countries. I would solve that age-old question by the time I applied for college. Surprisingly, I did not solve the world’s biggest problem. Yet, I learned about potential solutions, science research, and met a lot of great people. - Pearl. Pearls do not always have to come in the form of an award or good grade. Often times the best pearls come from laughing at one of your worst oyster infections. The larger the parasite, the larger the pearl. “The feeling that it’s all a lot of oysters, but no pearls” does not have to be true or permanent. Go out, seek your own oysters and form your own pearls. Next, start to focus on giving pearls back to the community. To form the most amount of pearls, you have to spread oyster STD’s. (Don’t really spread STD’s.) Help younger students, teachers, parents, and siblings. Remember the people who did things for you and pay it forward by doing the same good things for others. Those really are the best pearls. Oyster STDs are not real and the parasites within oysters really are not that harmful. But pearls are indeed real and positively infectious. I burnt a CD a long time ago and included “A Long December” on it for some reason. I have zero idea why I included it, but I did. I started to play it as I made a right turn off of Route 30 every morning to go up the hill to Malvern. As I turned right onto Ring Road each morning the song would end with the lead singer Adam Duritz stating, “I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself to hold on to these moments as they pass.” Cherish the pearls and cherish the oyster STD’s. i
That’s just the wave, waves don’t die Relationships come and go, but the ones I’ve built at Malvern last a lifetime. Christopher Bunn ’16 ’15-’16 MANAGING EDITOR hinking all the way back to the beginning of my freshman year at Malvern, I hit the ground running. Honors Chemistry with Captain Boyce was my first class at Malvern, and an innocent freshman like me couldn’t have possibly known what was in store for me. Even though I was just as nervous as the sophomores in my class, I went into that chemistry room with the same attitude I came into Malvern: eyes, brain, and heart wide open. Balancing the steady flow of lab reports with home life was one of the first of many trials during my time at Malvern. For the most part, Capt. Boyce is only one out of the many people at Malvern that have encouraged me to push myself. Challenging myself has always been my end goal, even if it meant a few more late nights. I started to take on more and more responsibilities as I went through my time at Malvern. Starting with the BFC, I later joined the Academic Competition team, the Mathletes team, and even spent an interesting six
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weeks this year helping to build a robot. As I started to become more involved at Malvern, it become an uphill battle to keep all of my commitments and responsibilities in check. Part of me wondered if each new challenge was going to be the one to break me. At the same time, I knew that I wanted to at the very least try before I threw in the towel. Redefining my limits has become one of the most important skills I have learned here at Malvern, and I am happy to say that I have not found that upper limit yet. Though I can’t say that I was perfect at everything I tried to do, I know for a fact that I gave it my all. Over time, I started to at least get a sense of how all of my interests were to ultimately become part of what I was passionate about. For every triumph, I gained a small piece of the greater picture of who I was. This search for where my own limit was reached a critical point around my junior year. Having signed up for a litany of challenging classes, balancing academics with crew and the Chronicle became a Herculean feat. Even though Mr. Roper swept me away in a sea of vocabulary words and readings from The Canterbury Tales, I had to constantly pushed through my own mental blocks and I came out of junior year scathed, but alive.
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Counselors and administrators are taking steps to keep students safe. Michael Harrington ’19 in senior year, it's incredibly common.” FRIAR LIFE EDITOR Gormley believes that students have primary responsibility to he first fact to note about drug and alcohol use for students take care of themselves and to make responsible choices. “It's not commonplace for someone to make someone drink, is that it is illegal in all instances. “We remind the students all the time that there is no and same with smoking or doing other drugs,” Gormley said. responsible use of alcohol or drugs for teens because it’s illegal,” “At least in my experience, people have a great respect for each Dean of Students Mr. Tim Dougherty said. “It's a problem that other and each other's opinions and beliefs on everything carryschools have faced for a long time. We are no different from ing over into this issue.” other schools.” Freshman Joe Dettore suggested experimenting with alcohol A concern among some faculty is the percentage of students may be common even in the lower grades. that choose to involve themselves in drugs and alcohol. The fac“Usually when there's a party there's usually going to be some ulty does not know exact statistics in the Upper School student type of alcohol there,” Dettore said. “It's bad when people abuse body, but they do know enough to speculate. it, but I don't think it's bad when you are just trying it out.” “I think it is a very hard thing to measure. I really don’t Junior Peer Educator Kyle Hegarty believes that drug and know the answer,” Associate Director of School alcohol use is mildly popular among students. “People that choose to use these substances Counseling Ms. Ann Wuetig said. “I know it is going on to a degree, but I am hopeful it According to the do, but those that aren't interested don't,” is not any higher than the average adolescent Hegarty said. “I don't believe that people are 2014 Monitoring population.” the Future Survey,, pressured one way or the other.” Dougherty thinks that even one case of stu44% of 10th graders Peer Educators is a group that presents drug dent substance use is too many. and 60.2% of 12th and alcohol information to the eighth grade “It’s too popular, I would say,” Dougherty graders drank health classes, and takes field trips where facts said. “In the last four or five years, we've had alcohol. about high-risk behaviors are taught, according to the Malvern Prep website. more than thirty [student cases].” In 2014, Malvern participated in the 29.9% of 10th Hegarty doesn’t think substance usage is Monitoring the Future survey, an ongoing graders and 38.7% something to worry about at Malvern. study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of 12th graders used “I wouldn't say it's a major problem. Drugs of American secondary school students, colany illicit drug. and alcohol are only one small part of the social lege students, and young adults, according to scene among the upper school student body,” its website. Hegarty said. “People that use are generally in The survey results did not provide specific school-wide data. the minority.” However, national trends reported in this survey suggest that Parent Involvement 29.9% of 10th graders and 38.7% of 12th graders used any illicit The Malvern Student Handbook states a strong stance on drug in 2014. This survey suggests that 44% of 10th graders and parent responsibility for responsible and legal behavior concern60.2% of 12th graders drank alcohol. ing drugs and alcohol.A section titled ‘Expectations of Malvern Counseling Strategies Parents’ states, “The Board of Trustees, Administration, and alvern’s administration and counseling department are tak- Faculty of Malvern Prep condemn the practice of any parents ing a proactive approach to communicating with students who willingly and knowingly permit their sons to engage in such and parents about drugs and alcohol use.] activities. It should be expressly understood by all Malvern parMalvern’s Counseling Department deals with drugs and ents that such conduct on their part, including, but not limited alcohol in the student body through a proactive to, providing alcoholic beverages or controlled approach from many different angles., accordsubstances to their sons or other minors, subing to Wuetig. jects their sons to the severest possible penalties imposed by Malvern.” “We are not big on using scare tactics,” “We are not big Wuetig said. “We are big on really talking about on using scare An email sent to parents on September 11 facts and how it affects the mind and the body.” tactics. warning them about parties at Edgely field, a Counseling classes which meet once a park known for parties with underage drinking, cycle for each grade provide an opportunity for We are big on stated, "All too often we become of aware of counselors to teach resistance skills around drug really talking binge drinking, drug overdoses, sexual assaults and alcohol issues, according to the Malvern about facts and how and life-changing accidents with teens after they Curriculum Guide. According to Wuetig, the it affects the mind occur. Rarely are we afforded the opportunity to counseling curriculum also deals with legal and the body.” head off disaster before it occurs, and the School issues around drugs and alcohol. sees this as such unique chance." Ms. Ann Wuetig Associate Director “Some of the consequences with the law Similar emails were sent October 30 and of School Counsleing April 28 regarding Edgely, the Life in Color are also things that some students respond to.” Wuetig said. “We have the police chief come in.” concert, and end-of-year celebrations. “We have to make sure parents are aware. We help parents,” Another main approach is through assemblies, such as Chris Herren’s talk in October 2015. Herren’s speech was a cautionary Dougherty said. “We give them a heads up when there are events tale that described the dangers of abusing drugs and alcohol and that kids may go to and make bad decisions.” their potential effect on a student’s future. The administration wants to make sure that the end of the Student Perspectives year goes as smoothly as possible, and they use these emails to ccording to Wuetig, stopping students before they engage in help with that, according to Dougherty. They want the students drug or alcohol is the Counseling Department’s main goal. to end their year responsibly. However, some students think that drugs and alcohol are already “When school’s winding down and it’s finally sunny, kids a part of the high school experience. sometimes make bad decisions. We want to make sure that the Senior Michael Gormley said that alcohol and drug use in end of they year is a good time of the year,” Dougherty said. his class is common, but may be lower than other classes. “It's “Together with the parents we’re trying to make sure that kids different among different circles,” he said. “By the time you are are acting responsibly.”
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> THAT’S JUST THE WAVE, 9 Lately, as my time at Malvern starts to come to a sudden end, I have started to appreciate the challenges Malvern has given me. I remember wanting to fast-forward past all of the tests and due dates. But now, I wish that I could have slowed down time to fully appreciate the best parts of Malvern. Extensive self-reflection is one of the many skills that I wished that I developed early on. Realizing your entire path in life during high school is near-impossible. Allowing yourself to pursue all your interests to become part of your passion is a much more rewarding way to approach your time at Malvern. Life rewards those who constantly pursue every opportunity, even if it ends in failure. Above all, I would just like to say thank you to those who have supported me. Grinding away
To further aid the Malvern community in preventative measures, an optional drug testing service is available. “We do have a drug testing program,” Wuetig said. “If parents want their sons to be tested, we help implement those tests.” School Nurse Ms. Catherine McGettigan sets up these tests. She thinks that the current program is effective for a few different reasons. “It gives [the students] the option to say, ‘I don’t know when I’m going to be tested,’” McGettigan said, “‘and I certainly don’t want to do this because if I get tested my parents will kill me.’ In that respect I think it’s good.” She also likes the program because students have volunteered themselves for the testing before. According to McGettigan, these students reached out because knowing that they were going to be tested would prevent the students from wanting to use. “I think it’s helpful because it’s a tool for the student to selfmonitor their own behavior,” McGettigan said. She approves of the current system of testing because it helps to effectively recognize students in need of help. But in the end, McGettigan believes that the student must truly want help if any progress is to be made. “I feel it comes back down to the student himself,” Mcgettigan said. “He needs to want that help and he needs to want to fix that, to stop doing what he’s doing.” Front Lines n dealing with these issues, Wuetig says she and her fellow counselors are on the front lines with Dr. Dorothy Sayers, school psychologist, to offer more help if needed. To most effectively deal with the situation, the counselors and Sayers follow Malvern’s policy combined with support for the students involved, according to Wuetig. “If there is an issue, the school counselors are there to assess the situation,” Wuetig said. “If it’s something that we think is a problem, more often than not we’ll refer the student to Dr. Sayers so they can get some extensive counseling.” That front line, however, includes a zero-tolerance policy for drugs or alcohol on campus, according to Dougherty. “You face everything from dean’s warning to suspension to expulsion for a violation,” Dougherty said about Malvern's Drug and Alcohol policy. The school’s policy, as stated in the student handbook, reads: “Any student who possesses, consumes, transports, sells, gives, or otherwise provides another with drugs, drug paraphernalia, and/ or alcohol, or who participates in activities related to said matters, on Malvern Preparatory School property or at any Schoolsponsored function or event may, upon review, face suspension and possible expulsion from the school. This Policy is in force during School, at all School-sponsored events, and during all School trips.” This policy is part of six pages in the student handbook dedicated the the specifics of Malvern’s policies on drugs and alcohol. In more than one instance, this policy refers to possible repercussions for substance use off campus. If Malvern is provided with evidence or observations of a student using alcohol or drugs, on or off-campus, then that student could be subject to a consultation with a counselor, probation with no more strikes, random drug testings, and drug rehabilitation counseling, according to the Malvern Student Handbook. “In the past, police have called us and told us about kids who have had violations. Those students face repercussions,” Dougherty said. The faculty try to prevent these repercussions through many approaches like parent outreach. If their actions make a difference, then they succeeded, according to Dougherty. “As long as parents talk to their kids, I think we’ve won,” Dougherty said. “We’ve won by making sure those conversations take place.”i
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at an article the night before deadline has always been worth it to me because of the inevitable conversation that arose as a result of each month’s publication. Everyone has been incredibly supportive of both me and my ideas. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would feel the most at home at Malvern. Despite a few stumbles along the way, I feel like Malvern has allowed me to become a completely different person than I started at. As Colum McCann said in Let the Great World Spin, “The person we know at first...is not the one we know at last.” i
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Alumni Feature: Mr. Gary Duda ’88 Eighth grade math teacher says Malvern pushed him to work his hardest Ethan Rowley ’18 MANAGING EDITOR lumnus Mr. Gary Duda ’88 says that he has seen many changes at Malvern from his time as a student to the present day. “Malvern has certainly changed from a curricular standpoint, in the way we do things academically, from when I was here,” Duda said. “But I still feel that there’s a sense of family, a sense of togetherness, there’s a love for Malvern at our school and in our community.” “I love the competitive environment here, it’s gotten much more competitive today because back when I was here, the student population was much more diverse in terms of the ability,” said Duda. “Nowadays, we have so many intelligent students, it’s unbelievable. It’s night and day compared now to what it was in the 80s.” Duda scored over 1,000 points during his time as a basketball player at Malvern. “It’s a nice accomplishment but that’s all it really is,” he said. “When I was here we never won an Inter-Ac championship in basketball. My only regret here at Malvern is not winning an Inter-Ac championship in basketball and experiencing that with my really good friends” Despite great success as a basketball and baseball player, Duda says that his MECO weekend was the most prominent memory of the time he spent at Malvern as a student. “It’s the culminating event that really brings a class together,” Duda continued. “There’s a bond going in, but when you’re done with that weekend you go ‘oh man there’s more to what we’re that just coming to class, going to practice, going to extracurriculars, there’s more to it.’” Duda also said that he learned hard work at Malvern, “I didn’t really know if I was working as hard as I possibly could at that time. Malvern pushed me. It was the teachers that pushed me, coaches here pushed me, the experience pushed me.” “We were competitive, we wanted to do well, and Malvern lit that fire,” he said. Despite difficult classes, Duda says that he never found any of his classes to be impossible. “In terms of a class that said, ‘hey look you can’t do this’, I never had one of those here, because there was always a teacher that would be willing to help you. But I had a lot of challenging classes,” he said. Duda cites Mr. Chuck Chinici, Mr. Steve Valyo, Mr. John Ostick, and Mr. Tom McGuire as some of his favorite teachers during his time at Malvern “I can’t remember a teacher that I would say ‘I hated that class because of him or ‘I didn’t like that class because of her’,” Duda said. “I hope that’s still the case, because there are classes that you’re just not going to like, but I hope there’s not classes you don’t like because of the teacher.” Before he was a teacher, Duda got a job right after graduating from college at an accounting firm. Duda says that although the money was great, the 80-hour work weeks were difficult. “I don’t know if you’ve ever worked 80 hours a week, it’s not fun. But that’s what all the first, second, third year hirees do. They work those guys and girls to the bones to see if they can cut it. The money was great but it wasn’t for me” He heard about a job opening for a math teacher at Malvern and applied for the job. “I got a call from the head of the middle school back then, Mr. Tosti, and he said ‘I got good news, Malvern’s going to hire you’” Duda says that although it was weird at first to be colleagues with teachers he himself had as a high schooler, the relationship he shared with them wasn’t much different from he was a student. “the cool thing about going here, is that the relationships that you guys have with your teachers now, they’re not that much different that what you’re gonna have if you come back and teach,” Duda said. “Mr. White came back and he’s teaching now, Mr. Sammartino is back teaching now, so I think what they’re
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> NICOTERA, 6 Valyo’s assistant for 14 years. Then, when Algeo started as Head of Upper School in 2013, she took up more work. “She did an excellent job of keeping me in check,” Algeo said. “Reminding me of things that need to be done and in a timely manner. She got me to where I am supposed to be going in terms of my own schedule and I thought she did a super super job of keeping myself, the faculty, and the students really well organized.” Nicotera believes that one of her greatest accomplishments at Malvern was arranging for online scheduling of parent-teacher conferences. When parents couldn’t come at the designated time to Malvern for conferences, they would call to reschedule over the phone. It got to the point where
finding in their first year is that a lot of the teachers that they really liked are just friends,” Duda said. “They’re more friends than colleagues, even though from a professional standpoint they’re obviously colleagues.” Duda has taught in both the upper school and the middle school, teaching Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Precalculus. He now teaches Algebra I to 8th graders. Duda says the best advice he has ever received came from Father Flynn after he was hired as a teacher. “I said ‘Father, I know that I know the material but I don’t know if I can teach it.’” Duda said. “He [Flynn] said ‘ just be yourself, be yourself, and let those guys know that you’re not perfect. And if they know that, they’ll respect you more” Duda now teaches 8th grade math, and has taught in both the upper and middle schools during his tenure as a teacher at Malvern. “I don’t think I’ve done the same thing on consecutive days for 21 years” “My days here are totally different from one day to the next which is why I love teaching here, because it’s not the same stuff.” “What I take from Malvern first and foremost is you have to have a love for what you do. And if you don’t love what you do, then it's not even worth doing.” “I don’t think I’ve worked a day in 21 years being here at Malvern. My dad used to always say if you find something that you love you’ll never work a day in your life. And I feel that way here. In 21 years I don’t think I’ve ever really worked. “ “What motivates me is that every day when I come here I feel like I can make a difference … do I make a difference in someone’s life every day here? No. That’s not reality,” Duda said. “But I have that opportunity here … you don’t get that opportunity in every profession, and teaching is certainly one of them.” “If you can walk out of here and say ‘you know what, I experienced Malvern,’ not that ‘I got through Malvern,’ or ‘I passed,’ or ‘survived’, that’s a cool thing, because you don’t always get that in life,” Duda said. “If you’ve experienced Malvern, that means you got involved. You just didn’t come to school and go through your thing, do your homework and go home. Duda said, “I feel sorry for those few guys that kind of don’t. That kind of just float through Malvern and just wanna get out of here. I say ‘boy, there’s so much more to it than just stepping inside of a classroom and taking this subject or that subject.’” When it comes to free time, Duda is an avid golfer, and is the coach of the golf team at Malvern, “If I could play golf every day for the rest of my life, my life would be complete” Duda is also a little league baseball coach and a former girls’ softball coach and gradeschool athletic director. “I’m a baseball coach, I coach my son’s little league team. I used to coach girls’ softball when both my daughters were involved in softball.” “As you can see I like to be involved with kids, whatever it is,” Duda said. Duda said that he also loves grilling, “Now’s my favorite time of the year, because whenever I can grill outside on my deck, there’s nothing better.” Going forward, Duda hopes Malvern’s atmosphere and feel stays the same. “I hope that those opportunities for guys in the future to experience the things that I’ve experienced through the MECO program and the teachers and the culture and the love of community,” Duda said. “I hope that doesn’t change going forward because then Malvern wouldn’t be Malvern.” i
Mrs. Nicotera would take hours of work home with her. “I was advocating for [internet scheduling] for a couple of years,” said Nicotera. “And finally my voice was heard, and it has been a huge success.” In retirement, Mrs. Nicotera will help babysit her grandchildren. One of her two daughters just had a new baby in March. It is something she said she will love to do. “Even though at times we may get frustrated about things, working here for 18 years has been a pleasure, and I am grateful for the opportunity,” she said. “We always have to look at the other side of things. It could be worse on the outside. Be happy with what we have here.” i
2015-2016 RECOGNITION PSPA Pennsylvania School Press Association Individual Stories: 11 Superiors 14 Excellents 7 Honorable Mentions Top 5 student newspaper statewide 1st - News Writing: Zac Chan 2nd - Sports Writing: Michael Droogan
Pennsylvania Press Club 1st - Sports Story - Michael Droogan 1st - Editorial - Staff 1st - Singe Page Layout - Staff 1st - Feature Story - Justice Bennett 2nd - News Writing - Chris Bunn 2nd - Feature - Michael Droogan 2nd - Danny Malloy - Sports Story 2nd - Opinion - Justice Bennett 3rd - Feature - Tyler Pizzico Hon. Men. - Feature - Tommy Pero
Youth Journalism International Student Journalist of the Year Justice Bennett 1st - News Team Justice Bennett + Tyler Pizzico 2nd - Sports Feature Michael Droogan Hon. Men. - Cartooning Aaron Salinas Hon. Men. - Editorial - Staff Hon. Men. - Feature Writing Justice Bennett
Journalism Education Association Student Impact Award Justice Bennett
National Scholastic Press Association 8th - Best in Show 16-page tabloid i
> CUNNANE, 6 “It was such a huge loss. I was so grateful to have known him and worked under him,” she said. Cunnane took a lot of experiences away from her time at Malvern. Through all her ups and downs, she says that when spending time at Malvern it is critical to stay involved with both the people and the various programs Malvern has to offer. She said that her time at Malvern was an “enjoyable experience [which was] so valuable.” Cunnane’s co-workers reflect a strong belief that she was a key asset who worked very effectively and kindlywith her colleagues. Mrs. Lorri Wallauer worked closely with Mrs. Cunnane in the Business Off ice. According to Wallauer, Cunnane was a critical asset for Malvern Prep who helped in key day-to-day tasks. Wallauer enjoyed working closely with Cunnane. “She’s a great person, a very funny, very caring person. She would give everybody little gifts here and there,” she said. “Mrs. Cunnane... supported every person here on campus. She would take care of all the supplies. She would make sure everybody had everything they needed for work,” Wallauer said. i
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Sexual assault assembly promotes awareness, dialogue Local experts on the topic of sexual assault came to Malvern during a “D” schedule assembly and shared their perspectives. Dan Malloy ’18 CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER he topic of sexual assault is often difficult to talk about. However, an assembly for the upper school on April 29 addressed exactly that topic, from the perspective of several local experts. Senior Justice Bennett fully organized the event that took place during a “D” schedule in the Duffy Center, according to Associate Director of School Counseling Mrs. Wuetig. The assembly started off with a short video and an opening speech presented by Great Valley alumnus Maggie Kennedy, who founded the “No More” program at her school. The No More program is a campaign to raise public awareness and engage bystanders to help end domestic violence and sexual assault, according to its website. Kennedy explained that awareness and discussion is needed in order to stop sexual assault. She said that two-thirds of Americans have not discussed this problem of sexual assault with their friends and that three-fourths of parents have never discussed sexual assault with their children. The goal of No More is to raise enough awareness about sexual assault until there is nothing to be aware about according to Kennedy. “No More calls on all of us to end the violence experienced by people of all genders, races, sexual identities, and age groups,” she said. Following Kennedy, Assistant District Attorney of Chester County Michael Noone took the stage. He described himself as the “point person” for all sexual assault cases in the county, and he gave a story about his most recent sexual assault cases. He told the true story of Jane (not her real name), a sexual assault victim whose case he recently handled. Jane was a high school graduate at a typical party a week before she was going to college. She was going to study to be a nurse, something Noone says she was “very excited” about. At the party, she met a young man whom she knew from high school. Noone explained that most sexual assaults occur between people who know each other beforehand. Jane never flirted, kissed, or danced with this young man. According to Noone, they were just hanging out among friends at the party. At one point, he stood up to a group a group of other men who verbally harassed her with sexual innuendo. He told them to stop, and this act earned her trust in him. That would all change as the night went on. Jane thought she could trust him to drive her to a friend's house after the party. She got in his car, but instead of driving her to her friend’s house, he said he needed to do something at his apartment first. He and Jane arrived at his apartment. He invited her to join him on the couch to watch TV before driving her home. Jane was getting nervous now, as it was two in the morning and she did not know how to get to her friends house from this location. He shifted closer and closer to Jane, making her more and more uncomfortable. She told him to get away, but he would not. He jumped on top of her, took her clothes off, and raped her. Confused and devastated, she ran out of the apartment to a nearby convenience store, where she sobbed uncontrollably. Someone there called the police, and she was taken to the hospital. There, Noone explained, a sexual assault nurse examiner performed a meticulous examination of her body for evidence. The examiner had to clip her nails, comb her hair, and swab her mouth, vagina, and anus. The examiner asked Jane questions about the last time she had consensual sex, if she was menstruating, and if the man ejaculated and where. This exam took an hour and a half. A couple of days later, Jane met Noone, who told her what had to be done for trial. An initial hearing took place soon after their meeting, but the real trial only could take place around a year later. Over that time period, Jane attempted to kill herself twice, fortunately failing both times. Noone thought that she would never make it through the trial, but she pulled through. Noone said that she was “excellent” on the stand as she described the rape to the court. Her perpetrator was sentenced to jail for “the better part of the next decade” according to Noone. Noone explained that the perpetrator of the crime has to serve parole for at least as long as his sentence in jail, go to sexual counseling for the rest of his life, and to report under Megan’s Law for the rest of his life. “You never want to be in the defendant’s chair,” Noone said.
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MAGGIE KENNEDY SPEAKS ABOUT ‘NO MORE’ PROGRAM / D. MALLOY
Noone said he is often moved by the courage of sexual assault victims. “The most inspiring part of my job is also watching these victims overcome what has happened to them,” Noone said. “That courage is something we do not see often in our daily lives.” He gave a parting word of advice for Malvern students who may face a situation like this. “If you are wondering if it is consensual, then it is not consensual,” Noone said. Next, Ann Juliano, a professor of Law at Villanova University who teaches a class on sexual discrimination, gave her expertise on the subject and how to avoid potential sexual assault. Juliano noted that she was nervous about presenting at a Catholic school about this topic. She gave a disclaimer that she was not advocating for premarital sex or drinking below the age of 21. There is a whole “continuum” of activities that need consent, according to Juliano. “Sexual assault is more than just intercourse. It is a whole range of activities,” she said. Juliano explained to the Malvern students that any uncertainty about a yes means no.
TISHA BROWN FROM CRIME VICTIMS’ CENTER OF CHESTER COUNTY SPEAKS ABOUT RAPE CRISIS RESPONSE / D. MALLOY
“Drunk is not yes, asleep is not yes, a yes from last week is not a yes tonight, and a yes for your friend is not a yes to you,” she said. Juliano said that the best way to make sure the answer is yes is to have a conversation. She explained that in her classes, many students initially think that this conversation could be awkward. Her response? “A night of frustration is better than the potential for a non-consensual encounter and all of the consequences that flow from that, both for you and the other person.” Juliano said. “It’s 2016. If she wants to say yes, she’ll say yes.” The next speaker at the assembly was Tisha Brown from the Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County which provides services, advocacy, accompaniment, and support to victims of all crimes, including sexual assault. Staff from the Crime Victims' Center accompany victims to the type of examination Jane had to go through after her assault. These examinations occur at any time, and Brown said she
has left her son’s basketball championship game, Thanksgiving dinner, and Christmas wrapping to accompany victims of sexual assault during the examination. She makes sure that the victims are okay, and asks them how they are doing every step of the way. She asks them questions like “Do you need a blanket? Do you need to take a minute? Do you need some water? Do you want to wait? Do you want to stop? Because you don’t have to do this.” So, why would she drop everything in her life to help someone in this situation? “We don’t believe that anyone who has been hurt by someone else ought to go through that alone,” Brown said. “We don’t believe that you should sit in that dark hospital room, undressing, alone, giving vivid details of what just happened to a complete stranger.” Although Brown’s role is challenging due to her willingness to drop anything she is doing at any time and the emotional nature of situations, she said it is amazing to witness the victim take his or her power back. “To watch Jane go from a sobbing mess, suicidal thoughts, to saying ‘you know what? He will not get away with this. He will account for what he did,’” Brown said. “That is why we provide that support.” Brown explained that prevention and education also are major goals for their organization. They aim to change people’s mindsets on sexual assault, and make sure they know that it is never okay to let it happen. A change in mindset leads to a change in behavior, and Brown called for the students of Malvern to end any culture of sexual assault in their lives. She challenged students to not participate in rape jokes of any kind, and stated that this would lead to a positive ripple effect. When a positive example spreads, it is easier to take action against any instances of sexual assault that one may witness as a bystander. “You have, not only a right, but a responsibility to call people out,” Brown said. “You have a responsibility to ensure that it does not happen anymore.” Theology teacher Mr. Drew Zagursky came to the stage as the last speaker to share his final thoughts on the assembly. He told the Malvern students that the Catholic faith calls on them to respect all women, like Jesus did for his mother, Mary. “What type of man are you going to be? What type of husband are you going to be?” Zagursky said. “Jesus makes it very obvious that the husband, like he does for his spouse, the Church, has to be willing to die for his bride.” Zagursky wanted the Malvern students to think about and remember this assembly. He called on them to live by the highest standard of respect. “You are Malvern men,” Zagursky said at the conclusion of the presentation. “You are called to a standard that is hopefully being instilled in the most Christian way.” Bennett thought the presentation was a success, judging by the reactions he heard around him. “I think people have said that it was very educational and necessary on campus,” Bennett said. “I have definitely heard that a lot from faculty members.” Bennett addressed one concern that he thought many students had about the assembly. “I think one of the things students are concerned about is false accusations,” Bennett said. “But I think that in talking with the speakers afterward like Professor Juliano and Mr. Noone that it is really not as much of a problem as people think.” Sophomore Scott Sander thought the assembly was a little lengthy, but it confirmed what he already knew about sexual assault. “This presentation did not change the way I think about sexual assault, as it really only confirmed what I had already believed,” Sander said. Sophomore Alex Strimel will remember Noone’s story of Jane the most. “I feel this story helped to further underline the seriousness of the crime and highlight the reasons of why sexual assault is a terrible offense in our world,” Strimel said. The assembly shifted Strimel’s thinking. “This assembly changed my thinking on sexual assault by highlighting the many aspects of the crime,” Strimel said. “This crime's consequences create a ripple effect which greatly affects everyone involved.” i
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Anderson to finish strong in final season After Senior Kyle Anderson battled through an ACL injury during his junior year, he looks to end his Malvern career strong. Patrick Ferraiolo ’17 Another additional silver lining SPORTS EDITOR the injury brought was that during yle Anderson was only seven this time, Kyle’s grades increased. years old when he first picked “School actually became easier up a lacrosse stick - a sport that during my injury,” Anderson said. “I he has now known his whole life. wasn’t really worrying about lacrosse “I started playing in the first at that time, so all my focus went grade,” Anderson said. “I grew up towards my grades.” with the sport because my mom Grades have been a focal point of Kyle’s career here at Malvern, used to play and all my other siblings maintaining a high GPA throughplayed it too.” Currently, Kyle is an essential out all his four years. His academics part of the Malvern Prep Lacrosse along with his athletic ability allowed team, playing as an attackman for him to be recruited to the Harvard the offense. University. “He brings a million goals to the His injury did not affect his team,” head lacrosse coach Mr. John recruitment at all. McEvoy said with a smile. “He truly “I was recruited in my sophomore loves lacrosse just as much as I do, year, so the injury didn’t jeopardize KYLE ANDERSON ’16 APPLIES ICE IN THE TRAINER’S OFFICE / P. FERR AIOLO and there are not that many that do.” my chances,” Kyle said. “The coaches Kyle transferred into Malvern during his sorry for myself and was pretty mad,” Anderson wished me the best in my recovery and said that it Sophomore year and his presence was instantly said. “After that, I just sucked it up and realized did not change anything.” felt. He led the team in goals enroute to a per- there are much worse things in life than a knee Kyle has always been a kid of high standards, fect 24-0 record that was capped with an Inter-Ac injury, and made sure I focused myself on getting but that was personified at a practice during his Championship over Haverford. better as fast as I could.” sophomore year. “It is something that I will truly never forget,” The team lost a great teammate and leader, but “We were a doing an easy drill that Kyle was Anderson said. “To go undefeated is a great accom- McEvoy still tried to make Kyle an integral part great at,” McEvoy said. “The upperclassmen were plishment and I was just glad I could contribute to the team. razing him after he got stopped by the goalie a few to it.” “He helped steer me into the direction of a times in a row.” While on the field, Kyle has one of the toughest coaching role on the team, which helped me gain Clearly frustrated, Kyle retaliated to the jobs - being the scorer. They usually take the most a different perspective of the game,” Kyle added. upperclassmen. shots on the field, but also have to retrieve loose Even though that this was a low point for Kyle, “Kyle said something along the lines of ‘How balls, play defense when the other team is trying it served as a blessing in disguise. many goals do you have?’,” said McEvoy. “All in “I think this was the best thing that ever hap- good nature I responded ‘C’mon Kyle, don't lower to clear on offense, and also feed other teammates for goal opportunities. pened to him,” McEvoy said. “He put everything yourself to their standards.’” But, it is what Kyle does off the field which is into his rehab and trying to get himself better.” Despite the joking demeanor and the good impressive. Going into rehab allowed him to get in bet- nature of the jokes being said, Kyle texted McEvoy “He is dependable, reliable and smart - all the ter shape, improve on the aspects of his game that to apologize for the way he acted. “I felt really bad about what I had said and felt traits you need to be successful in life,” McEvoy needed help, and also become stronger. said. “He’s a great role model for everyone to see. But, being injured and being on the sidelines I made it seem like I was separating myself from If you want to achieve something great, you don’t also provided a mental growth for Kyle. the team,” Anderson said. “I wanted to own up to “Watching from the sidelines gave me a much something I did wrong.” have to look to far.” These traits were put to the test when during different perspective of the game,” Kyle said. “It This would make a lasting impression on the fall of his junior year, Kyle suffered a torn ACL, has just given me a greater appreciation of playing McEvoy. sidelining him for the lacrosse season. It was one of the sport and I go out everyday playing as hard as “Just the thought that it bothered him so much the toughest points of Kyle’s career here at Malvern. I can because I know how quickly something can to text me about it impressed me more than I “There was one night just after I got hurt I felt be taken away.” already had been,” he said. i
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Malvern sailing starting winning tradition Malvern sailing is on pace to capture its second consecutive league championship. in the Fall this year too, according to Cullen. Christian Franck ’18 CONTRIBUTOR “Malvern has such a large lead it doesn't really alvern has another top varsity water sport. It’s matter,” Cullen said. “We won the fall, and came into not crew, or even swimming or water polo. the spring with a large lead.” It’s sailing — and they compete co-ed. The team’s main skippers, Cullen and sophomore Malvern Prep’s sailing team competes at the Louis Margay, have been “sailing really well and have Corinthian Yacht Club on the Delaware River in been building on our lead,” according to Cullen. Essington, Pennsylvania. They compete in two boats Cullen says their success comes from “really good against other schools in Flying Junior (FJ) boats, teamwork between skipper and crew, hard work in according to junior captain and team founder, Kieran practice, and sailing smart.”. Cullen. There are eight members of the sailing team: VIEW FROM A CAPSIZED BOAT / T. PERO Each FJ has two people in it at a time. The person eighth grader Will Himmelreich; freshmen Brendan in the back of the boat is the skipper, who steers the boat and decides what Lord and Ethan Surovcik; sophomores Mikolaj Figurski, Pat Sayers, and Louis strategy they will take. The person in the front of the boat is the crew, who Margay; and juniors and captains Tommy Pero and Kieran Cullen. uses his weight to keep the boat balanced. “We always looking for more kids,” Margay said. “The majority of our team When the wind picks up, it pushes against the sails causing the boat to is underclassmen with little to no sailing experience.” move forward, but also to lean, and potentially capsize. The sailors must lean A very young team isn’t always a good thing. The struggling Philadelphia off the boat to keep it flat and sailing fast, according to Cullen 76ers are a perfect example, however this is not the case on the sailing team. The Inter-Ac does not have a sailing league. Instead Malvern sailis in “It works out well. We are well on our way to win this year, and we are not the Main Line Scholastic Sailing Association (MLSSA) against schools like losing any seniors,” Cullen said. “Most of our tough competition are losing Conestoga, Devon Prep, Harriton, Villa Maria, and Notre Dame, according valuable sailors this year, and we are not losing anyone.” to Cullen. One of their competitors, Notre Dame de Namur, is losing both their A Malvern competes every Sunday in regattas with and against these schools and B boat skippers this year. in two different fleets: the regatta fleet and the open fleet. In the open fleet, Both the A boat, Pat Sayers and Kieran Cullen, and the B boat, Louis sailors compete in a similar boat to an FJ called a 420 as individuals and Margay and Tommy Pero, will be returning next year. not as a team; sailors from different schools will sail together. In the regatta “I think we are set up to be a dominant force in the main line sailing circuit fleet, each school has an A and B boat who compete for their schools in FJ’s, next year and years to come,” Cullen said. i according to Cullen. Malvern competes for the MLSSA championship, the Bell Cup, in the Fall and Spring. Last year, the Friars took home the Bell Cup, and they won
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Harrington completes undefeated season Winning the Inter-Ac tennis title has been James Harrington’s goal since freshman year.
JAMES HARRINGTON / H. MALONE
Henry Malone ’17 SPORTS EDITOR ith most of the sports spotlight in the spring taken by the lacrosse and baseball teams, tennis often finds itself on the bottom of the totem pole in terms of recognition. But senior James Harrington saw to the end of that after finishing 2016 with an unprecedented 10-0 record in Inter-Ac play, taking home the Inter-Ac title in the process. “Winning the Inter-Ac has been a goal of mine ever since I got to Malvern,” Harrington said. “The assistant coach, Dave DiLucia, was the last and only Malvern player to do it, so I gained motivation from him.” Harrington credited his success this year to added work before matches and simply taking it one match at a time. “I began doing longer warm-ups before matches, like jumping rope and doing different forms of stretching.” he said. “My coach always told me to take it one step at a time. I never focused on the big picture, I always focused on the task at hand, which was winning one match at a time.” H a r r i n g ton’s h e a d c o a c h Anthony DeCecco realizes that James’ production will be missed, but is confident that the future of Malvern tennis is very bright. “James has a younger brother coming up, and there are two kids in the middle school so the future is bright,” he said. Although DeCecco doesn’t think Malvern is a tennis powerhouse just yet, he does believe that the potential is there and that Malvern tennis is well on its way to becoming a year round sport. Although he was dominant in almost every match this season, Harrington was not confident in the shot that clinched his undefeated season and championship. “It’s funny, my last shot was actually a fairly weak shot because I had to scramble to get to it,” Harrington said. “However, when my opponent’s ball hit the net, I just remember hearing a loud scream from the crowd and everything hit me all at once. My parents were hugging each other, my teammates were yelling my name. It’s a feeling one can never forget.” i
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Brady expands opportunities for players through USA Football Working with USA Football is a dream come true for Head Football Coach Aaron Brady, and has allowed for further development in his players. Dan Malloy ’18 CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER ending Malvern football players halfway around the world to play in China, or making football an Olympic Sport are lofty goals for any person involved in the game of football. However, Malvern Prep’s Head Football Coach Mr. Aaron Brady is working to achieve these goals among others with USA Football. According to its website, USA Football is American Football’s national governing body and also a current member of the United States Olympic Committee. “It has the role of growing the game at the amateur level,” Senior Director of Business Development at USA Football Mr. Garrett Shea said. “The goal of USA Football is to make the game of football better and safer for all that play,” Shea said. “So for the athletes, the coaches, the parents, the organizers - how do we make the game of football better, but also safer?” USA Football works with mainly high school, middle school, and youth athletes in all genres of football - from tackle to flag COACH BRADY AT USA FOOTBALL CAMP AT MALVERN PREP, 2015 SUPPLIED BY A. BR ADY to 7-on-7 games. Shea said that the organization works hard to educate players, another international event, a week long training camp that but coaches especially, to play the game “better and safer.” He said included teams from Sweden and Mexico. that coaches need to be educated in order for the players to grow. “He loved the environment. He loved the impact we are hav“For a player to become better and safer, they need to have ing on players, parents, and coaches, and he loved the internaconstant coaching and mentoring,” Shea said. “It is the coaches tional side,” Shea said. who are going to make the players better and safer Since then, Brady has been a coach in 8 international games. This includes being the in the long term.” “[Brady] got exposed Through camps and international games, head coach of the American team that won the to USA Football USA Football also provides plenty of opportuniInternational Federation for American Football and what we stand ties for players to get better and to play against U-19 world championship in Kuwait. for from the value He also coaches at various training camps. top competition regionally, nationally, and even standpoint and our character. He is in it for He went to a camp this winter in New Orleans internationally. The organization brings in top a lot more than just high school, collegiate, and even professional to coach women’s international teams who are football on the field.” coaches to work with the players. preparing for the upcoming IFAF Women's -Mr. Garrett Shea That is where Coach Brady enters. World Championship in 2017. Senior Director of Business Development, USA Football In 2009, after having extensive coaching “My group did the running backs,” Brady experience at top schools, including Georgetown, said. “We had a Hungarian, a girl from France, Clarion, Mansfield and Duke, Brady was invited China, Japan, England, Brazil, and some by Shea to coach the defensive line at the International Bowl, a Americans. It was wild.” series of games where different USA teams play Canada. One of Brady’s long term goals at USA Football is to make Shea has known Brady for almost 20 years. He played American football an Olympic Sport. But, in order for that to Division I football with Brady at Rutgers University, where Brady happen, it would have to be a men’s and women’s game as well. was an all-Big East linebacker. As a result, Brady focuses on building up the women’s game After college, Brady got into coaching, where Shea followed through USA Football events. Shea said that American Football is now recognized by the his career. When Shea got to USA Football, 7 years ago, he gave Brady a chance to coach top high school athletes at the International Olympic Committee, meaning it would have a International Bowl. chance at becoming an Olympic sport. Shea acknowledges that According to Shea, Brady loved the experience he had at the this process will take time, but USA Football is working hard event and wanted more. to open up a conversation with their work with women’s and “He got exposed to USA Football and what we stand for from international football. Brady also runs several Regional Development Camps that the value standpoint and our character,” Shea said. “He is in it for a lot more than just football on the field.” bring in regional players and work them out for 2 days. The playCoach Brady was hooked once Shea brought him to work ers are evaluated and also coached by top college coaches at these
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camps. Brady has coached at 3 out of the 26 camps this year, including Charlotte, Milwaukee, and Tampa Bay. Brady said that players from those camps are selected to go to events in the summer, in which players play against each other over 5 different events. The best players from those camps are chosen to play on USA Football’s various international teams, including the International Bowl games that take place during the winter at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Sophomore Tackle Joe Basiura was one of these players selected in 2015. He played for the USA team that beat Canada 49-7. This experience helped Basiura grow and develop as a player. “Meeting the new athletes and coaches was a great time, and learning the different ways that coaches coach was a great way to broaden my exposure to different play types,” Basuira said. “When I was down there, we ran a similar offense to what we run at Malvern, but the technique was a little different so I was exposed to a wider range of technique and playing style.” Brady said that experiences like these are good for any of his players. “The opportunity to play someone from another country is great because it is an unknown,” Brady said. “When you go play the Haverford School or Germantown Academy, you kind of know who they are when you are playing them. When you're playing against Japan or Canada, it is a whole different world.” Brady explained that his involvement with USA Football has opportunities for his other players as well, as he helped to set up a USA Development Camp at Malvern. The camp took place in July 2015, hosting players from 15 different states. Sophomore starting quarterback Kevin Doyle went to the camp. He enjoyed the experience of playing with kids from different parts of the country, like California, Louisiana, Florida, and even Texas. “The camp really helped me get an understanding of the competition not only on a regional level, but a national level as well,” Doyle said. “I also liked how the format of the camp was over a few days so that it was not all jammed pack into one day.” Doyle said the camp made him better as a quarterback, and gave him exposure. “I also think it helped give me exposure and had people acknowledge my skills along with their skills being acknowledged as well,” Doyle said. Brady is thankful that Malvern Prep has allowed him to continue his relationship with USA Football, not only for his career but for the opportunities it has opened up for his players. He said that USA Football experiences like the USA Development Camp and the International Bowl are great for the development of his players at Malvern. “The opportunity for our guys to play against other top-level athletes but also to get the coaching, to be around people that have success or who are successful, it is like math, or a project or a violin,” Brady said. “The more you are around people who have had success, the more you can be successful yourself.” i
Playing multiple sports common for Friars Many coaches at Malvern want their athletes to be doing many different sports, and many students enjoy being on multiple teams Eric McLaughlin ’18 in everything possible,” Brady said. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR “Playing multiple sports allows you to have alvern’s football team has a rigorous more camaraderie with other teammates, as schedule that becomes even more well as it keeps you in better shape to be an all around athlete,” Brady said. intense when team prac“There is a value that make our tice is allowed by the Inter-Ac. “High school is about They have workouts in the spring, football team better if our players experiences. I believe practices start in the summer, are competing for Malvern Prep that during high which lead to three-a-days, and teams in other sports.” school you should by the time the fall season begins, Sophomore Billy Corcoran, a get involved in everything possible.” the team is in midseason form. baseball commit to the University -Mr. Aaron Brady All of this might be concernof Pittsburgh, still decided to play Head Football Coach ing to someone who enjoys playbasketball at Malvern after he ing multiple sports. However, at made his commitment. “I play basketball because I love the game,” Malvern, coaches encourage playing in a variety of athletics. Corcoran said. “I have always enjoyed playing One of these coaches is Head Football baseball and basketball since I was a kid and I Coach, Aaron Brady. like being a part of multiple teams.” “High school is about experiences. I believe Malvern’s coaches have to wait for their that during high school you should get involved players until their previous season ends.
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“I like that I get to be on two different “In the winter and spring, your sport takes precedence over anything that we may do for teams with some of the same and some differfootball,” Brady said. “In the summer, we work ent people,” Fernandez said. “Playing multiple sports lets me build friendships that I probably with our multiple sport athletes to make it all work. We expect that a three sport wouldn’t have if I just played one athlete will need to do all three sport.” “Playing multiple over the summer.” Brady also recommended sports lets me build Junior Zach Fernandez is a playing multiple sports because friendships that I player for both the football and more memories can be made. probably wouldn’t lacrosse teams. “Playing in multiple sports have if I just played “I find it fairly easy to balance gives you more experiences than one sport.” -Zach Fernandez ’17 my time between football, lacrosse, playing in one sport year round. and school,” Fernandez said. “I like These experiences will be memthat the coaches at Malvern allow ories for life — whether you are me to play in different sports and a starter or never play — you are understand when I am in one season versus the still part of a family,” Brady said. other.” “These memories will be cherished later, Fernandez enjoys not only the act of playing and ten years from now no one remembers multiple sports, but the different team atmos- how much you played. More importantly, they pheres that comes with it. remember that you were a part of it,” he said.i
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Artist of the Issue: Dylan Tran ’19
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This talented pianist can be heard frequently tapping away at the keys of the piano in Stewart Hall. Michael Harrington ’19 FRIAR LIFE EDITOR reshman Dylan Tran is an excellent piano player who has performed in many recitals and has exhibited his skill frequently over the years. The only instrument that Tran plays is the piano, but he did try to venture into the world of the baritone a long time ago. “I play the piano, and I think around fourth grade I tried to play the baritone but I stopped after a few weeks,” Tran said. “It wasn’t really for me.” His musical career with the piano started very early, at a mere six years old. His parents wanted him to be able to play an instrument, so Tran chose the piano. He has never looked back since and doesn't intend to learn another instrument. “I started at around the age of 6 years old,” Tran said. “I think my parents wanted me to play an instrument, but they let me choose and I liked the piano the most.” He truly enjoys playing the piano, but he likes classical pianism the best. “I’m a classical pianist. I usually like playing Chopin or Beethoven,” Tran said. As a gifted classical pianist, Tran practices and performs at the Darlington Arts Center in Garnet Valley, PA “We do monthly recitals and yearly recitals,” Tran said. Among all of Tran’s achievements as a pianist, he has one that he is most proud of called the Athena Scholarship. He said he won this competition in middle school. “There’s judges and you play in front of them,” Tran said. “They give you a score and I won that. I was very proud.” Tran loves to play the piano, and if he is able to, he would happily perform for many years to come. “Well, of course, I would play piano for the rest of my life,” he said. “If I am given the opportunity and believe
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DYLAN TRAN ‘19 PLAYS PIANO IN STEWART / M. HARRINGTON
that I am capable, I would like to play professionally.” “I just enjoy it. I like to hear myself play,” Tran said. He highly recommends trying the instrument, and he would tell someone interested this statement. “Love your piano and it won't love you back,” Tran said. “Play it with excellence... And it still won't love you back because it is a piano. However, it will bring you joy.”i
Godspell Jr. shines on the stage
National Art Honor Society completes first Senior Stone
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ait McGlinn, NAHS President, said, “Some of the images include the flags of the 8 countries we did our junior service trips in, the word MECO and the 3 different weekends this year, 2016 because its our graduation year, and I don’t know if it has been painted yet, but we were planning to do a bowling ball and pins to represent the bowling field trip we had sophomore year.” -Dan Malloy i
Trailer Review: Doctor Strange The Sorcerer Supreme hits the silver screen.
Middle School Students are known for being athletes, pioneers of project-based learning, and, after their stellar performance of Godspell Jr., great actors. Cole Cherian ’22 CONTRIBUTOR or the past month, Malvern middle school students and Villa Maria Academy middle school students have been working on Godspell Jr. The play is about the parables in the Gospel of Matthew, and, for many of the students and faculty, it has been an experience of getting closer to God and learning more about the Bible. “I think the play served as a nice reminder of the simple yet powerful messages Jesus tries to tell us each day,” Dr. James Fry, who directed Godspell Jr. said. J.D. Triolo ’20 played Jesus in Godspell Jr. He thought the religious aspect of the play was very important. “It was interesting playing a religious [figure] because it raised my awareness of the Book of Matthew,” Triolo said. Another aspect of the musical was collaborating with Villa Maria Academy students. The practices for the musical were weekdays, weekends, and late nights all week leading into the show weekend. According to Sean Springer ’21, who played Judas and John the Baptist, the rehearsals were a great time to interact with friends from Villa Maria. “I have a lot of friends from Villa that are in the show, so it was nice to see them every week,” Springer said. Springer said it was a really interesting experience to act as somebody else. “It was a really nice opportunity to not be who you are. All of the worries that you have in life go away, because you don’t have to be you. You can be somebody else,” Springer said.
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Godspell Jr. was also a big team effort, according to Springer and Joe Lister ’21, who was a member of the ensemble. “The cast put in a lot of work, and everyone put in a lot of time,” Lister said. “A big part of [Godspell Jr.] was teamwork, in the way that the cast has to work together as one. They have to know when the cut-offs are, when lines begin, and know their cues,” Springer said. Stage crew member Noah Buscaglia '22 and members of the ensemble Chris Krein '21 and Colin Campbell '22 all thought the play was a great experience because they got to show their talents. “It was a great experience for a sixth grader coming to Malvern. It was really nice to know that everyone was supporting you and cheering you on,” Campbell said. “Malvern Theatre Society gave all students who entered the Duffy Arts Center a chance to let their light shine,” Buscaglia said. “Everyone had a big part in contributing to Malvern’s performances. They always find a way to include everyone.” “I think the experience has not only helped me grow as an actor, but it has also helped me grow as a person,” Krein said. Over 20 upper school students from Malvern, Villa, and Notre Dame assisted with the production. Dr. Fry thought that the actors, actresses, and stage crew members did amazing in the show. “What I always find interesting is the amount of incredible talent the middle schoolers bring to the stage,” Fry said. “It never ceases to amaze me how gifted and passionate the students are with regards to the arts.” i
Jack Magargee ’18 MEDIA & TECH EDITOR octor Strange is the most hyped under the radar movie imaginable. Notable actor: check. Notable company: check. But most people will be asking: ‘Dr. Who?’ Dr Strange is a pretty major player in the Marvel Universe. He is among the most powerful figures but his villains are very obscure. That’s why we see Stephen Strange teaming up with other heroes most of the time. This movie has gotten a lot of attention since it was announce Benedict Cumberbatch would be tackling the lead. The villain in Doctor Strange is Baron Mordo, who is related to Hydra. This is an infinitely obscure character. I honestly expected the villain to be Dormammu or Nightmare because they have better powers, are more interesting and are unconventional because they exist in a different world. This movie is already raising eyebrows with its use of white actors and actresses such as Tilda Swinton in typically East-Asian roles. This trailer does not do Dr. Strange justice. It offers less than a glimpse into what will probably be a solid movie, as most Marvel products are. I respect that the people behind this trailer try to show the backstory which a lot of people don’t know but what’s with the clichés? This movie is fighting an uphill battle following Captain America: Civil War and using a largely unknown hero. Overall I think Doctor Strange will be a good movie but I give the trailer a 3 out of 5. I don’t think it was bad at all and it was not amazing. But hey, those effects were incredible. Doctor Strange teleports into theaters November 4, 2016. i
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Top five video games to play this summer
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Movie Review: Captain America: Civil War
Check out these games to play this summer away from the pesky sun. Chase Bennett ’19 CONTRIBUTOR here are millions of games that exist in the virtual world but which ones are good? Which ones are the best to play? Here are some titles that you may not of heard of but you should definitely check out.
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#5: The Division An open-world, first person shooter where you are part of the last resistance. You are part of a group known as “The Division” and there are many like you spread across the world. The game is set in a dystopian NYC in the aftermath of a smallpox outbreak killing millions. Join The Division and combat criminal activity in the city and complete missions amongst the battles.
#4: H1Z1 A spin-off of H1N1, H1Z1 is two games in one. The first game, H1Z1: Just Survive, is to quite literally just survive amongst yourself and zombies or join servers and survive against other players. The other game, H1Z1: King of the Kill, is a “Hunger Games” kind of game where each player must survive in an arena and defeat each other until one is standing as the victor.
#3: Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege A team-based game where each group must complete their objective each round. Similar to “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive”, the defending team must stop the attacking team from entering the building and defusing the bomb with barricades, barbed wire and explosives. The attacking team gets repel from the roof and kick in the windows to force their way in as they attempt to eliminate the other team. A heavily inspired military game makes this one a lot of fun with pals.
#2: Dayz Another heavily inspired military game but with a twist, zombies. You play in a massive world known as Chernarus located in Russia and run for miles on end from town to town. Each player tries their best to get the best military loot from going from towns to heading for military bases or airports for the best stuff. Try to keep zombies and players off your back by scavenging for guns and canned peaches until you can’t carry any more. A very fun and intense game with friends if you are into a survival-military type game.
#1: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End An epic ending to the “Uncharted” series being the fourth in the franchise. A fantastic third person shooter where you play the campaign as “Nathan Drake” in the search for Captain Henry Avery’s long lost ship and treasure. Beat out Rafe and Nadine and team up with your brother Sam in an attempt to grab loot worth up to $400 million. A beautiful display of graphics and well thought out story puts this game at the top of my list for the best game to play this summer. i
Jack McClatchy ’17 PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR hey happen every four years, but not a lot is known about what actually goes on in the halls of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Here are answers to some common questions about the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia. Q: What is the Democratic National Convention? A: The National Convention is when the Democratic Party (and the Republicans for the Republican National Convention) meets to officially nominate a candidate for President. Q: Where is it? A: This year it is going to be in the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Q: When is it? A: The Convention will begin on Monday, July 25 and end on Thursday, July 28. Q: How does the convention work? A: This is where all the delegates from the primaries and caucuses from February, almost a lifetime ago, meet and cast their ballot. If a candidate reaches more than half of the possible pledged delegates, they get the nomination. If not, it gets a bit more complicated. Q: How complicated? A: Well, this is called a brokered or open convention. What this means is no one got the magic number of delegates (2,383 for the Democrats, 1,237 for the Republicans). So, the delegates are then released from their commitments to vote for a certain candidate, and change their vote. Q: When was the last time that it happened? A: The last time that it happened for the Democrats was the 1952 Convention in Chicago, where Adlai Stevenson of Illinois was nominated
T Jack Magargee ’18 MANAGING EDITOR ivil War is upon us. The event Marvel has been foreshadowing since the amalgamating of their franchises in 2012’s The Avengers has finally hit the silver screen. Captain America: Civil War is based on a graphic novel simply called Civil War. This is one of the most well-known stories in all of comics. In it, a tragedy caused by a young team of powerful heroes sparks a national debate on whether superheroes should have to register with the government. The whole Marvel universe picks sides and fights a war. The movie takes inspiration from the graphic novel but is by no means a carbon copy, especially in the end. The main differences are an added villain and a severe lacking of Marvel characters. The villain added was Zemo, who was presented with little regard for the source material. His costume and origin were completely ditched. Marvel got lucky with the permission of Sony to use Spider-man in the movie. He was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise in how true he was to Peter Parker of the page. Another addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe was T’challa, the Black Panther and king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. His appearance was something I had been waiting for for a long time. Chadwick Boseman did a phenomenal job tackling the unique hero. Another new appearance is Giant-Man. Giant-Man is the name Ant-Man adopts in the comics after he gains the ability to grow. The actors were great through and through. From Chris Evans’s Captain America to Stan Lee’s cameo. The effects were great as always, especially in the airport scene’ which may be the greatest scene in the MCU to this point. The cast was incredibly large, so large that many were calling this movie ‘Avengers 2.5.’ Yet the wizards behind the film somehow managed to further each and every one of their stories. Nothing short of a miracle. Overall, I loved this movie. However I give it a 7/10 because of the lacking of major elements of the graphic novel (cough-cough X-Men). However, this may be the can’t-miss movie of the MCU just because of the advancements in the characters and the set-up it leaves for the next three Marvel films, Dr. Strange, Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther. i
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Book Review: The Rule of Three by Eric Walters The story of a somewhat apocalyptic world without any working computers. Michael Harrington ’19 FRIAR LIFE EDITOR ixteen-year old Adam Daley’s life was that of a normal high school student until the fateful day when a massive power outage destroyed virtually all modern technology. Adam and his best friend Todd were doing work at school, like any other day, when everything around them began to shut down. At first everyone thought it might be a normal power outage, but, as they soon realized, this was no normal power outage. The shutdown caused everything with computers to fry, including many cars, phones, laptops, and many other things that were essential to modern living. Adam is somewhat paranoid and scared because of the whole situation. People start going mad, becoming more and more ruthless as the days pass without power. Adam realizes that things must change if he is to survive in his new ever-changing world. His neighbor, a suspected former CIA agent named Herb, realizes the horrible situation quicker than anyone, collecting stockpiles of emergency supplies as soon as he could. As the situation gets worse and worse, Herb plans with Adam’s mother, an experienced police officer, to make their neighborhood of Eden Mills into a place that can survive in the dangerous times. Adam, his mother, and Herb move through the uncertain present knowing only one thing, that the best way to survive is to band together and rely on one another. If you like thrilling stories filled with dangerous moments, hardship, and the strength of human resilience, then The Rule of Three is perfect for you. I encourage you to try it sometime because it is a very enjoyable read. i
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Many changes ahead for middle school
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The Middle School plans to make changes to its students’ schedules, among other changes.
after three ballots. The last time it happened for Republicans was in 1976, when President Gerald Ford beat primary challenger Ronald Reagan by wooing unpledged delegates as neither had enough pledged to win the nomination outright. Q: Does anything else happen at the conventions? A: It is also at the convention that the nominee’s running mate is selected, and the official platform of the party is drawn up. Q: What’s the party platform? A: It comprises the issues that the party will run on. For example, the 2012 Democratic platform called for strengthening social programs, ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and campaign finance reform. Q: Who is allowed on the convention floor? A: There are going to be no spectators at the DNC, only state delegates and press. The deadline for applying for media credentials has already passed. Registered Democrats in the Philadelphia area can sign up to be a volunteer here: https://2016dncvol.my-trs.com/ Q: Alright, I want to be a volunteer. What could I be doing? A: You could be doing anything from manning a call center, posting pictures and videos on social media, or being a greeter. If you have any questions, you can ask at volunteer@phldnc.com. Q: I’m not a registered Democrat and I don’t want to register as one. What can I do to watch the convention? A: Most of the major networks will be covering the convention, especially keynote speeches from the nominee, the running mate, and the committee chair. If you want to watch as much as you can, C-SPAN (350 and 351 on DirecTV, 109, 110, and 111 on Fios, 99, 104, 105, and 1217 on Xfinity) will cover both conventions “from gavel to gavel,” much more than CNN or NBC. i
Guide to Local Elections: Post-Primary Version With the Pennsylvania primary over, the stage is set for this year’s local elections Jack McClatchy ’17 PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR hen people think of the Pennsylvania primary, they either think of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump winning the primary. What they don’t know is that a lot of down-ballot candidates for local offices were selected as well, from State Representative all the way to US Senator. We were able to talk with one such primary victor. Josh Shapiro (D): Running for Attorney General osh Shapiro is the Chair of the Board of Commissioners of Montgomery County, and beat fellow Democrats Steve Zappala and John Morganelli in the primary, getting over 47% of the vote on April 26. “It felt great that all of the hard work we put in over the course of the primary paid off,” he said via email. He also said that he put over 21,000 miles on his car travelling to over 300 campaign stops in the three month primary process. Now that Shapiro is pivoting towards the general election against Senator John Rafferty, saying that he has a “record of reform” from Montgomery County that he plans to bring with him to Harrisburg. “The state Senator and I differ on several key issues,” he said. “Including the need for common sense gun safety laws, defending a woman’s right to choose, protecting and expanding the rights of LGBT Pennsylvanians and protecting our environment.” Shapiro has also gotten a wide range of endorsements from newspapers, prominent Democrats, and Democratic-aligned organizations, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Tribune, former Governor Ed Rendell, Senator Bob Casey, the Planned Parenthood PAC in Pennsylvania, President Barack Obama, and various labor unions. Shapiro said he is “proud” of his list of endorsements. “But at the end of the day the endorsement that matters most is that of a voter,” he said. “So I will continue to share my message all across Pennsylvania to earn each and every vote.” The Blackfriar Chronicle also reached out to state Senator John Rafferty, as well as Katy McGinty and Pat Toomey, the Democratic and Republican candidates for US Senator. They were not available for interview by the press date. i
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SIXTH GRADERS JACK IRISH AND CHRISTIAN HOPKINS PREPARE FOR DEMONSTRATIONS OF LEARNING ON FRIDAY MAY 20 / J. LISTER
Joe Lister ’21 REPORTER here’s three big things that we’ve been talking about as a faculty,” said Pat Sillup, Head of the Middle School. Those “big things” are insulated class time, increased learning opportunities, and student recognition. How do they do these things? Well, the Middle School will have a different schedule to help allow for insulated class time. Community time will start the day, then there are periods one and two. After that, lunch, then the “ensemble block,” and then the day ends with periods three and four according to Sillup. “The day itself becomes clean,” he said. “It will make a lot of sense for students and for the teachers.” The Middle School will still have their eight class schedule; however, they will only have four classes a day, according to Sillup. As for the ensemble block, students will be offered classes like Band, Chorus, or they can take part in other musical endeavors. “All of our guys will be doing an ensemble next year,” Sillup said. That ensemble might be Band, Chorus, or another type of a musical experience. “Whether is guitar, whether is trying a garbage can band type of thing … whether it’s singing in another format rather than chorus, everyone’s going to be doing something,” Sillup said. The Middle School will also be implementing trimesters into their new format for next year. “Trimesters is just a longer grading period,” Sillup said. “A quarter right now is seven to eight weeks, a trimester gives you eleven to twelve weeks.” Sillup thinks that additional time in a term will allow for students to process information more thoroughly. “When that’s done, we have a week that’s going to bridge trimesters, in which those things like winter trips, those things like a class trip is going to launch a specific theme or unit,” Sillup said. Other things like conferences and demonstrations of learning will also take place during that time, according to Sillup. Chris Krein ’21 likes the new trimester format, “because everyone’s getting really lazy for the fourth quarter.” Krein knows that one of his eighth grade classes will be taken away. He said he would really only care if one of the classes he wanted to lose was taken away, but he did not specify which class that was. “The biggest positive is definitely more work ethic,” he said. And after a year of no-cuts for the Middle School, there will now be only one team per sport. “That’s something that we still want to work through,” Sillup said. “The initial goal was ‘how do you create better opportunities for students?’” “We’ve found over the years that more teams doesn’t always equal a better experience for a student,” he said. Sillup thinks it is important for players and coaches to communicate better. “Sixth, seventh and eighth grade baseball don’t all use the same language,” he said. Krein is not excited about the one team rule coming to
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the Middle School. “I’m going to compare it to what it is for lacrosse currently. Around fifty percent of the Middle School is in lacrosse.” He doesn’t want to see a lot of people get cut from the team. Jamie Wasson is the Middle School lacrosse coach, and may have to make cuts to his sixty player team next year. However, he plans not to. “With the lacrosse program, it’s going to be a similar setup to what it is now, with the two teams that are traveling and playing against other schools,” he said. “We’ll just have one team, but within the Middle School lacrosse program, I’ll have a rotating roster for each one of those games.” “I typically take twenty-one kids to a game,” Wasson said. “Next year I’ll probably take twenty-one kids to a game, however, I’ll probably have I-don’t-know-how-many kids playing lacrosse [on one team.]” Wasson thinks that a one team rule would make sports more competitive “in terms of kids that actually make the team.” “Having three teams for the basketball program… I think that kind of waters down the competition level,” he said. Wasson said he has also heard stories about kids who didn’t make a certain team, and then ended up trying and excelling at another sport. The Middle School has also identified three teachers who will be next year’s grade level deans. The Sixth Grade dean will be Wasson, the Seventh Grade dean will be Mr. Leo Kindon, and the Eighth Grade dean will be Mr. Robert Buscaglia, according to Sillup. The application process was a few weeks long, Sillup said. “We asked questions that we feel get at the root of what the position is all about, which in this case was teamwork, chief communicator, someone that’s really gonna be a great touch point for parents,” he said. Wasson said that Sillup sent an email to the faculty, explaining what a grade level dean would do. “The email basically said, ‘this is what a grade level dean would do, if there’s anybody interested, please send an email back,’” according to Wasson. “I did that, and then a week later I sat down in an interview.” The interviewers were Sillup, Mrs. Michele Lott, Mrs. Mary Schreiner, and Mrs. Carissa Casey. “They interviewed me for about an half hour, and asked me about twelve questions,” he said. “They asked questions about leadership, different things that I’ve done over the years,” Wasson said. “[They asked] me to give examples of times when I had to be a leader.” Wasson was also given an example of a situation and asked how he would respond. “It was like like a round table type of thing,” he said. “They were all on one side and I was on the other.” Sillup is enthusiastic about all the changes. “If you look at the way [Christian Talbot, Head of School] framed academic transformation, the idea was to start with the sixth grade group, and then scale that up,” he said. And as Sillup puts it, “We’re here to evolve.” i
Have a great summer, Friars! The
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Refresh yourself about the new modspace, Schoology, PAIS visit, and much more. Editors
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nce summer hits, you may forget how to f ind roots of a function. When you're down at the beach, the last thing you’re going to be worried about is who the Republican candidate was in 1824 — although you may worry about who it is in 2016. But make sure you bring this issue with you so you don’t forget all the awesome, emotional, and impactful things that happened on campus in the 2015-2016 school year. Enjoy this list curated by our editors. Disclaimer: Some tongue-in-cheek humor ahead.
September
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ackpack was laid to rest and replaced with the new learning management system Schoology. Schoology will last a long time, right? The middle school got a new state-of-theart learning commons: the mod space. Many students were surprised to see the trailers – modular classrooms – in the lot between Dougherty and Duffy. Malvern did not not have a ceremony remembering 9/11 in September for the first time since the attacks, so former Editor-inchief Justice Bennett ’16 organized a ceremony with Dr. Oechsle. Our editorial recommended that Malvern should continue the ceremonies in the future to ensure future generations remember this day. Malvern welcomed new teachers Dr. Abate, Mr. Borish, Mr. Haus (I bet he’s happy “New Joe Pa” didn’t stick), Mr. Osinski, Mr. Sammartino, Ms. Waldron, Mr. Pannulla, and Mrs. Wolstenholme and new counselors Mr. Harkness and Mrs. Bittner. Malvern football kicked off their season with two impressive victories: 37-0 vs St. Rita of Cascia at Chicago's Soldier Field and 31-0 against Holy Spirit from Atlantic City. We learned about the Class of 2019 In our first ever survey of the incoming freshmen class, 35.89% of them said they would vote for Donald Trump for president. Only 5.25% said they would vote for Hillary Clinton and 3.5% for Bernie Sanders. 49.7% of freshmen said they came to Malvern mainly for academics, and 81% had been out of the country before coming to Malvern. Pope Francis visited Philadelphia and we didn’t even have the day off. Junior Nick Gatti and sophomore Christian “angel voice” Franck were selected to sing for the Holy Father in the Papal Choir. Ms. Zbrzeznj and Mr. Whitney tied the knot in the chapel on September 19.
October
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alvern’s campus officially became tobacco free, effectively ending the standing tradition of seniors smoking cigars on the Ring Road after graduation. Watch our social media feeds to see what happens at graduation this year. Updates to campus wifi improved availability to student mobile devices. Students were less than thrilled about the new security system and overall system performance, though. Senior Andrew Panzo and the BFC’s very own sophomore Podcast Editor Des “DJ Des” Papariello killed it at homecoming behind the DJ table. The Phillies commemorated the eighth anniversary of the 2008 World Series. Philly sports had an overall great year in 2015. JK. iOS 9 came out to your favorite phone that is also a fruit. It did not receive as much positive response as previous updates.
Somehow a student attended a strategic planning meeting on his day off and didn’t regret it. What a weirdo. He was the only student in attendance. He actually expressed how happy he was to be included in school decisions and hopes that student participation will continue in similar events. The Sixers started their impressive season. They finished dead-last in the NBA with only 10 wins. But hey, at least we hit double digits. John Scargall ‘08 released his first studio album, “Breakthrough,” available in the campus store.
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alvern’s Men’s Chorus performed with Notre Dame’s Women’s Chorale in Love Park on December 12, to benefit the Make-aWish Foundation. T he Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) sent representatives to evaluate the school, the first PAIS evaluation in ten years. Malvern hosted the accreditation committee from November 2-4. (Spoiler: We passed.) Our editorial discussed the practice of “grade grubbing” at Malvern, and proposed a new system to combat its effectiveness. You’re welcome, teachers. Canamac Productions came to Malvern and put on a production of Defamation, a courtroom drama examining race, religion, gender, and class for select Malvern students and others from the area. Malvern, Villa, and Notre Dame all competed in a one-day “bowl off ” for Malvern’s Empty Bowls. Villa and Notre Dame thrashed Malvern 145 to 114 bowls made. Former NBA player and author of Basketball Junkie Chris Herren came to speak to Malvern students about the dangers of drug addiction by telling his own story of addiction. Malvern and Notre Dame hosted a Christmas party for children from St. Patrick’s Parish in Norristown, replacing the longtime Best Nest Christmas party. The party was a success. Some of our editors wore costumes. Another Eagles season ended in disappointment, except this time the madman behind the whole operation was shipped out the door. No more holding up posters of Justin Bieber to call plays. Sorry Philly. #trusttheprocess. Members of the BFC shared Christmas traditions from charming to the bizarre, from celebrating the holiday with Broadway shows to being locked in by family and jumping out a window on Christmas Eve. Founder of The Chastity Project Jason Evert, was scheduled to speak at Malvern on December 11, but his presentation was postponed. A letter to the editor by alumnus Anthony Abron ‘15 presented a perspective on why Malvern did the right thing in postponing Evert’s talk, while a response from John McGlinn ‘18 advocated for him to speak.
January
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n January 9, the Malvern community celebrated the life of Rev. David J. Duffy, O.S.A. '48 at the 10th anniversary of his passing with a Mass in Our Mother of Good Counsel Chapel. Motivational speaker Chris Williams enlightened Malvern underclassmen on his “keys to success” in an assembly on January 5. Juniors received their class rings at the annual ring ceremony. Instagram was never the same. In a game against Springside-Chestnut Hill on January 27, senior basketball player Will Powers scored his 1,000th career point in a 90-50 win, becoming only the 13th player in Malvern history to do so.
Our editorial discussing some problems with the traditional formal dress code foreshadowed some changes to the dress code ahead in February. Malvern hosted Speak Up!, an event that promotes a safe, non-threatening environment for students, parents and educators to share thoughts, questions and concerns about relevant issues for teens and their families. English teacher and Malvern legend Mr. John Bohannon brought the library back “where the sidewalk ends” in the quad on campus. Anyone can share and borrow books, CD’s, or other forms of entertainment. Empty Bowls at Malvern was another big success in raising money for the Bethesda Project, an organization that helps the poor and homeless in the Philadelphia area. The event moved to the larger O'Neill Center and brought in student volunteers from Villa Maria Academy and The Academy of Notre Dame for the first time. Adios, Schoology. After just one year with the system, the Malvern administration announced in January that it will not be used again next year, due to ongoing problems with the system. The school will transition to a new program, OnCampus. Former Editor-in-Chief Justice Bennett ’16 wrote A Light of Exposure, an article on the factors and realities of suicide in our community. Bennett profiled an alumnus who shared a compelling, honest story of surviving suicide. The story reported that Malvern does not train staff in suicide intervention to Pennsylvania’s Act 71 standards for public schools.
February
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n our cover story, we profiled senior Mason Abate, who committed to Elizabethtown College for baseball after beating cancer as a freshman in 2013. We also profiled four of the many other members of our community whose lives have been affected by cancer. Malvern tested a modified version formal dress code with ties and blazers now being optional rather than mandatory. Dean of Students Tim Dougherty revealed in May that this experimental dress code will become the standard formal dress code during the 2016-17 school year. Student Council sponsored “Februhairy.” Students could register to grow facial hair throughout the month by making a $5 donation to Christian Service. The results were fuzzy. The swimming team won their fourth consecutive Inter-Ac championship, winning at Haverford in the final meet of the year. Malvern held its annual blood drive, with 44 members of the Malvern community each donating a pint of blood. Birds in the O’Neill gym forced a last-minute location change to the O’Neill hallway. Junior Andrew Clark hosted the Catch the Cure fundraiser to benef it Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) research. Clark had ALL as a child. His event raised over $12,000. Clark was later named the Student of the Year by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for helping to raise over $171,000 for the organization. Malvern remembered Father Dave Duffy ’48 on Father Duffy Day, February 24. In the spirit of Fr. Duffy’s memory, members of the community were encouraged to perform an act of kindness for someone else.
March
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e reported on a committee of teachers who are investigating changes to Advanced Placement classes at Malvern. Upper School Head Mr. Ron Algeo said that
Blackfriar
Chronicle
no changes are coming soon. The Theology Department announced a new theology curriculum for senior year. Each senior will now take one quarter of each of the following classes: Comparative Religions, Ethics and Christian Service, Faith and Reason, and Human Love and the Divine Plan. Friar Football was set to play their season opener at Georgetown, but the Inter-Ac did not approve the game and it was canceled. Junior Rich Heany was elected Student Council President for next year. Junior Alex Reber will serve as Vice President. At a Town Hall meeting open to all, 79 attendees listened and asked questions in a discussion about Malvern’s plans for the future. Trustee Mr. Steve Cloetingh cited the current strategic plan as producing the “best results seen in 50 years.” Malvern accepted the “Good Seed, Good Oil” award from the Romero center for Malvern’s 11-year participation in the Urban Challenge program. Juniors participate in the Romero Center’s Urban Challenge in Camden during their service weekends. Our editorial offered two different perspectives for what should happen if a Malvern student transitioned genders. Although we did not reach consensus on an approach, our editors agreed that it is a matter of when, not if, Malvern will face this question. The Malvern Prep rugby team went to Ireland from March 24 to April 1. They played three games while touring the Irish countryside. It was a big year for the wrestling team, as 11 wrestlers were named to the All Inter-Ac team. Sophomore Mike Beard and junior Seth Janney were National Champions.
April
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he Christian Service program unveiled a new service destination for current sophomores: Ireland. Another weekend was added for Christian Service next year, as many service sites, including the Romero Center, were not able to handle the large numbers of Malvern students. Mike McGinley, who died April 3, was remembered for his water polo skills and his hard-working personality in a brief but powerful obituary. The Villanova Wildcats claimed the NCAA National Championship trophy with a 77-74 win over North Carolina. Senior walkon and Malvern Prep Alum Kevin Rafferty visited campus to speak with the middle school on April 22. Teachers leading a roadmap team tasked with modifying the modified block schedule spoke with The Blackfriar Chronicle about proposed changes, but as of the printing date, were not ready to release a schedule. Changes to the Malvern Prep website are ahead, chief among them improved mobile compatibility and “unparalleled connectivity” with OnCampus, the successor to Schoology. The project based learning initiatives at Malvern were examined, getting the opinions, hopes, and worries of administrators, teachers, and students. The Middle School announced it would be changing from a quarter and semester system to a trimester system, allowing for more class time that would not be possible under the current system. We asked outgoing seniors about how prepared they felt for college, such how much of a role they played in choosing schools, how the “senior slide” affected them, and the effectiveness of college counseling. i