The Blackfriar Chronicle - October 2014

Spirit Week Recap Daily competitions mark a successful rally week Page 4

New prior review policy for the BFC Editorial changes mean administrative preview of some articles Page 2

Called to Serve

Editorial Board examines selection of service trips Page 2

“Never bring up a problem without bringing a solution.”

Former Friar Jason Myretus talks about his role with the Mike Missanelli show

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BLACKFRIAR Chronicle

The

www.mpfriarslantern.COM

OCTOBER 2014

VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2

Prom Hits the High Seas

This year’s prom will be on the Spirit of Philadelphia, a luxury cruiser based out of Philadelphia

Legner on Service: “It’s not about stuff.”

Director of Christian Service Larry Legner talks about Senior Christian service projects and the company that organizes half of them.

Justice Bennett ‘16 CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER ising seniors are expected to complete a Christian Service project that usually involves going to international locations to do service for 10-14 days. This year the service location options are: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, New Orleans, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, and a new service site in Fiji. India was also an option, but later cancelled due to a lack of sign-ups.

There are two different programs that Malvern uses for the service projects. Peru, South Africa, India, and the Philippines are all organized through the Augustinian community. Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, New Orleans, and Fiji are all run through a company called Rustic Pathways.

According to Director of Christian Service Mr. Larry Legner, students going to the Augustinian sites stay with the Augustinians. "[Augustinians] help plan it in the country.

They take care of things for me there."

Rustic Pathways hosts the remaining service trips.

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Jack Marchesani ‘15 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF rom is one of the most anticipated events of the Spring.

With students counting down the days until they can get down on the dance floor, it's one of the most important days for juniors and seniors alike.

Last year’s prom was at Drexelbrook, a local special event venue. This year, prom has been relocated to a new place and to a new element. Prom 2015 will be on the Spirit of Philadelphia.

“It all began with the calendar,” said Prom Committee Chair Pat Coffey ‘15.

According to Prom Committee’s Faculty Moderator Miss Zbrzeznj, it was brought to the attention of the committee that Prom had been scheduled the night prior to SATs. In trying to be sensitive to students taking the test, they decided to change the date - which led to exploring other venues.

“After we’d debated about it, it came down to the Spirit [of Philadelphia] and the Union League, a club in Philadelphia,” said Coffey.

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Yik Yak and You New social media app causes a buzz on school campuses Michael McCarthy ‘15 MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY EDITOR n the past few months, a new app has taken the social media world by storm. Yik Yak has been steadily growing in popularity with young adults and teens.

Yik Yak is an anonymous messaging app that allows users to create and view posts within a 1.5 mile radius. Users can expand the conversation by posting replies to existing Yaks. The app is a sort of anonymous Twitter in which you can

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PROM WILL BE HERE / www.spiritcruises.com/philadelphia

The committee decided that the Spirit of Philadelphia would be a more unique option for this year’s prom. They took a day from school in order to go meet with representatives.

“We all loved it. I think this prom will be incredible,” said Coffey.

According to Pat, the boat will feature two dance floors, and the food choice will be a buffet. Seating will be inside on one of three levels. With three decks outside, Prom this year will be complete with scenic views straight out of James Cameron’s Titanic.

Coffey hopes that the rest of the student body is excited as he is for such an incredible prom decision. "To be honest, we've never done anything like this,” he said. “If everything goes according to plan, this could be the best prom yet, and one students will remember forever." n

only connect with those in your immediate area.

However, as the target audience of the app is college students, users may “peek” into Yik Yak pockets at colleges around the nation.

Instead of “likes” or “favorites”, Yakkers can upvote or downvote Yaks. Commenting is allowed, but comments are only seen by selecting the initial Yak. The founders of Yik Yak, two recent graduates of Furman University in South Carolina, created the startup in 2013. The app has picked up huge amounts of steam on college campuses.

“Yik Yak is extremely popular here,” said Tommy Ferrari, a member of the Malvern class of 2014 and current Scranton University freshman, “Many students like to use it, especially on the weekends.”

Rustic Pathways Rustic Pathways was founded in 1983 doing adventures across the outback of Australia, according to Anna LugoschEcker, Director of Group Travels at Rustic Pathway.

Since then, the company has expanded, now offering a variety of services in 17 countries.

Now, 70% of programs are based on community service, according to Lugosch-Ecker. Rustic Pathways focuses on two things. One focus is on community identified service trips, and the second is immersion.

“When developing a service trip, we spend time and talk with the elders...and work with them to find something they think needs to be done,” said Lugosch-Ecker explaining community identified service trips. Immersion is the other key piece. “We want students to become a part of the community during their time there.”

Rustic Pathways first came to Malvern to promote a gap-year program for students. Malvern’s relationship with Rustic Pathways grew beyond that five years ago when a service trip scheduled for Honduras had to be cancelled due to political unrest.

“The week [the Rustic Pathways representatives] were

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However, it has not been all success for the app. On Sunday night, October 12th, Penn State sophomore Jong Seong Shim was arrested and charged with terroristic threats and disorderly conduct after using Yik Yak to threaten to shoot students in the school quad.

What many Yakkers don’t realize is that despite the anonymity of Yakking, Yik Yak tracks its users via location services. This is how Yik Yak is able to restrict your feed to a 1.5 mile radius, restrict the app’s usage at certain locations, and how the authorities were able to track down Shim.

Some Friars may have noticed how > PAGE 7

J. FAUNCE ‘‘16”

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October 2014

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

EDITORIAL Called to Serve Service trips should be motivated by the right reasons Editorial Board another can be controversial. Students may see trips to unfamilvery year, Malvern Prep juniors embark on journeys iar locations as being more impactful to them than a trip within around the world in which they travel to different loca- their own country. One destination may be considered superior tions to give back and to serve those in need. The Christian to another simply because it makes for a better Facebook picture.

Service Trips are intended to be impactful, and for many rising Disappointingly, students have even been caught drinking and seniors they are even lifechanging. smoking on these service trips in the past. The For Malvernians, these trips and what fact that these actions have taken place is telling they intend to stand for embody the attitude that not all students are entirely motivated by the The motivation for and spirit of Christ: giving endlessly witha service trip should desire to help others. out expected reward. And yet, the Editorial We believe that genuine interest in a differbe to serve others, Board of the Blackfriar Chronicle has posed ent culture is valuable in these overseas trips. The no matter where. the question: do students go on these trips for international destinations often deeply impact the right reasons? the lives of students, showing them service on a The concern of the Editorial Board is that different level. However, the main intention of self-interest plays a significant role in Malvern’s Christian Service these trips has always been - and should be - Christian Service. experiences. This self-interest boils down to one point: some trips It is because of this that we believe the motivation for a service are considered better than others. trip should be to serve others, no matter where. Malvern Men are On October 15, juniors selected their service trips. Each stu- committed to service of those less fortunate, regardless of how dent was called up one by one at random and asked where they difficult, how unfamiliar, and how uncomfortable the service is. would like to go to service. Those fortunate picked early filled Thus, all trips, assuming service is done (and it is on all of them), up Dominican Republic, Peru, and Fiji quickly. As selection should be considered to have equal merit, as all trips are organized continued, a distinction between trips that were and were not and driven with the goal of helping those in need. desirable became clear.

Should a choice of service trip location even play into the India had two sign-ups from Malvern Prep, and was dropped experience? Having choice in location may display superiority and completely by St. Augustines Prep in New Jersey. Consequently, inferiority of trips. If students are truly motivated by the desire the trip was cancelled. Costa Rica still has several open slots to do good in any surrounding, does a choice in where they go available. even matter? How do we decide who is more in need or service?

Attempting to deem one service trip more meaningful than Do the Costa Ricans need more than the South Africans? Is the

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Editorial Changes for The Blackfriar Chronicle Procedural change gives prior review to Head of School, Mr. Christian Talbot The Blackfriar Chronicle is now under the prior review of the administration of Malvern Preparatory School. Any article that cites an administrator is subject to a prior review by Mr. Talbot to edit, delay or pull any story that goes out.

The alternative is administrators no longer accepting interviews from the staff of The Blackfriar Chronicle.

According to Mr. Talbot, information presented on the record during an interview may change prior to the newspaper's publication. Some information could be damaging to the school if published.

As this is a private institution, the staff must comply with the request. We are working to the standards set by the Student Press Law Center (SPLC), Pennsylvania School Press Association (PSPA), and Journalism Education Association (JEA), among others, but in addition will now act in accordance with the Malvern administration.

We would like to remind our readers of our 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.

We will do our best to uphold this mission statement under the new policy. n

service done on an international scale more important than what can be done in our own communities? Although students may have legitimate interests in particular locations, it is possible that some students’ choices in location are nearly entirely motivated by self-interest.

The Editorial Board finds nothing wrong with the Service Trips and those who organize them. In fact, we find nothing wrong with the students who go on them. What we do want to change is how students think about these trips and their goals.

The intent of this piece is to not make changes in the running of the service program. Simply put, we want you to analyze how you view these trips. Juniors, what motivated you to pick the trip that you did? How do you plan on living out the Christian ideals that are so central to these trips? Seniors, do you feel that the motivation for your service trip was service-based? How have these trips changed you as men, and changed how you think, now that you’ve returned?

In our September issue, we called the members of the school community to be better citizens. As we’ve done before, we’d like to issue a challenge. Analyze yourselves, and the way you think.

If you’ve gone on a service trip, or if you’re going on one this year, make sure that you are seeking to embody the principles and values that are being conveyed through these trips.

We challenge you, Malvern, to be a good citizens and to make the most of your service trips, not by seeking superficial value, but by attending to the deeper meaning of Christian Service. When we do, we will be better men for it. n

Solution to the NFL’s Catastrophe The problem originates from the struggles of Bureaucracy putting Goodell in power Justice Bennett picking a powerful mentor and riding his coattails until its time to CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER stab him in the back. Not sticking your neck out for the sake of your ay Rice, Greg Hardy, and Adrian Peterson are some of the principles - not having any principles. Being whatever other people biggest names in football. The media has blasted their name want you to be so that...you having nothing inside you at all” out there, and even added some sentiment to the mix, includRoger Goodell embodies the flaw of bureaucracy. He has worked ing various ESPN anchors crying on screen. Women’s rights groups his way up from intern to commissioner, not by excellence but by are in uproar and all around the country maneuvering. Who is his powerful mentor that parents cringe at the idea of whipping their brought him success? You have an array of choices. most-prized possessions.

Commissioner Pete Rozelle, President Lamar Hunt, Who has found themselves at the Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, or perhaps, all three. center of it all? Commissioner Roger He is a product of mirroring what other people Goodell. Many ask how he could have let want him to be. the situation get to this point, and how so So, I’ll tell you how the NFL has let their standmany players could be getting off as easy ards for players fall to this point. It is because the as they have. I will tell you how.

NFL is a business headed by a man that has always It begins in 1982. He started in the stood for what others want him to. The others in this NFL as an administrative intern in the case, are the NFL owners, who just want their team league office under Pete Rozelle. A year to win and make money. How could they possibly later, he interned with the New York Jets, win and sell tickets without their star running back only return to the league office in 1984 and Most Valuable Player of the year? Answer is they as an assistant in Public Relations. In probably wouldn't. And the owners can’t let that hap- William Deresiewicz 1987, Goodell became the assistant to the pen now can they? So, they call the man in charge, Author of ‘Excellent Sheep’ President of one of the two major confergood ol’ Roger. ences in the league. He was mentored by Goodell must give a punishment to some degree, Paul Tagliabue to fill a variety of roles in of course, but never enough that it sends a message football and business operations. or ruins the profit margins for his beloved In a classical “American Dream”-esque fashion, he made owners. He has never developed his way up to NFL Executive Vice President and the principles for which he Chief Operation Officer in December 2001. stands. He is never “stickThen, in 2006 he was made commissioner ing [his] neck out for the by the NFL owners. sake of [his] principles,” At this time, I would like to refer to because he has none. a passage in “Excellent Sheep: The The only way for this miseducation of the American catastrophe in the NFL to be Elite & the way to a meaningful resolved will be a leader that is life” by William Deresiewicz: not a product of bureaucracy, but “Why are the best people so a product of their own moral princioften mired in the middle, while ples, where beating your wife or kids is nonentities become the leaders? not acceptable. n Because what gets you up the ladder isn’t excellence; it is a talent for maneuvering.

Kissing up to the people above you, kicking down to the people below you. Being smooth at cocktail parties, playing office politics

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“What gets you up the ladder isn’t excellence; it is a talent for maneuvering.

Kissing up to the people above you, kicking down to the people below you.”

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

October 2014

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FRIAR LIFE Mandatory Counseling Class Introduced for All Grades

Australian Exchange Malvern recently hosted two exchange students from the land down under Thomas Pero ‘17 REPORTER ustralian students Dylan O’Connor and Tom Pizzy stayed with Matt Heisler ‘16 and Harrison McCurdy ‘16, attended classes at Malvern, and learned about America as a part of Malvern’s growing exchange program.

According to Global Exchange Director Ms. Theresa Lohse, the exchange students hailed from St. Augustine’s College located in Sydney, Australia. Although it is called a college, it is the equivalent of a high school in the United States.

Heisler and McCurdy traveled to Australia in the summer before school started. The Australian students stayed in America for about four weeks in September and October.

Dylan O’Connor noted some key differences between Malvern and St. Augustine’s College. He said, “The school revolves around academics, as well as sporting commitments, but compared to St. Augustines it seems that two-thirds of the students

Four-year curriculum will cover developmental topics, college preparedness, and the college admissions process

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James Canuso ‘17 REPORTER he Malvern Prep Counseling Program has always been well structured and helpful to students, but now the system has been revised. This year the Counseling Department has instituted a counseling class once a cycle into everyone’s schedule, on top of the periodic one-on-one sessions with the students’ personal counselors.

The types of counseling that students will get will depend on their grade level. Ms. Ann Wuetig, who worked on developing the counseling curriculum, provided some insight on the different subject matters covered in each grade.

According to Wuetig, the 9th and 10th grade are indeed very closely related. So are the 11th and 12th.

When students first come to high school in 9th grade, Wuetig says that the class will deal with a lot of developmental issues like social and academic adjustment, time management skills, and important decision making. This includes things like resistance to drugs, alcohol, sex, and internet addiction.

On these topics especially, the Counseling Department felt as though in the past there was not enough education on them for the students. The 10th graders will keep building upon these topics, but in addition start to think about their long term future with career exploration.

“It’s a lot of issues that are developmental, that we feel if students are knowledgeable about them, would give them a strong foundation moving forward into the 11th and 12th grades, and to college and beyond,”

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SYDENY OPERA HOUSE / M. HEISLER

actually want to be here.”

He also went on to say that he agreed with other students who came here in the past that the atmosphere at St. Augustine’s College is much more laid back compared to the environment at Malvern.

Heisler recalled arriving in Australia. “At first it was kind of weird because I went there first so when I got into the airport, it was like, ‘I’m going to be living with you for a month.’”

“It was weird at first, but then you got comfortable pretty quick.

They were a really great family,” said Heisler.

According to Lohse, the foreign exchange program was started by Mrs. Aleida Rosle, a former guidance counselor and Spanish teacher at Malvern, five years ago.

Lohse said she has been involved with the program for two years, but became the Director of the program this year.

She said that the program has plans to expand to include another school in Spain and new exchanges in France and China. n

For more information: www.malvernprep.org/student-life/global-exchange-program

Student Council Officers Inducted New student leaders will “not settle for anything average” Tommy Pero ‘17 Reporter "A leader is one who knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way,” said Algeo, quoting the author John C. Maxwell as he led the induction ceremony for 2014-2015 Student Council.

The October 6 induction ceremony was a feature of the regular Monday morning chapel service, which was moved to the Duffy Center for the occasion.

The senior Student Council executive board leaders were sworn in first. President Ryan Doane, Vice President Peter Calveressi, Secretary John Iannuzzi, and Events Chair Pat Coffey took an oath of office Grade representatives Doug Corsi '15, Doug Mullano '15, Brendan O'Connor '15, Jaxson Hoey '16, Kevin Smyth '16, Sam Stroud '16, Ryan Franks '17, Alex Reber '17, Jack Magargee '18, Sean Oates '18, and Louis Margay '18 were sworn in next. Sophomore, junior, and senior grade representatives were elected at the end of last year, while freshman representatives were elected at the beginning of

this year in homeroom elections.

Malvern’s Student Council “promotes school spirit, fosters leadership, and encourages participation in activities,” according to Mavern’s website. The website also notes that Student Council acts as the liaison between administration and students, initiates new policies for administrative approval, arranges dances and activities, and serves as the corporate leader of the student community.

What will this year’s student council do to enhance student life on campus? President Ryan Doane said, “We already implemented a lot of new change to add a lot of competition. We added the Kings of the Campus. I definitely think this is gonna be the best year yet. We have a great group of guys, and we’re working really hard.”

“We don’t want to settle for anything average,” said Doane. “Everything we used to do we’re trying to take to the next level, and add some new things just to try and get it to the next level.” n

The

BLACKFRIAR Chronicle

said Wuetig.

College is the main focus of the 11th and 12th grades’ curriculum, according to Wuetig.

In 11th grade, they will still be building upon the things they learned in freshman and sophomore year, and they will learn how to apply these ideas to their interests in possible majors and minors in college. They will be doing guided research on a lot of different colleges, and at the end of the year they will focus on writing a college essay.

In the first half of senior year, students will be taken through the college admissions process step by step, which will include the application process, teacher recommendations, and a finalization of the the college list they worked on in junior year. In the second half of the year, counselors will emphasize details on the college life, including time, money management, and living away from home.

Wuetig noted that every counselor contributed ideas to the new curriculum so that each grade can have 20 lessons that are discussed throughout the school year.

Especially with the new schedule, this update of the counseling system provides students a chance to reflect on their excitement and worries about the school year, and to provide feedback on how they are handling the changes, according to Wuetig.

Counselors work with the students to make sure they develop a strong foundation for facing new challenges.

“I have a feeling that after we’ve gone through a full year, and then we look back on it, it will really make sense as to why this class is essential,” said Wuetig. n

The

BLACKFRIAR Chronicle

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. mpfriarslantern1@gmail.com / Twitter @friarslantern1 / facebook.com/TheFriarsLantern EDITORS IN CHIEF Jack Marchesani ‘15 Matthew Lanetti ‘15 MANAGING EDITORS Print: Michael McHugh ‘15 Online: Chris Bunn ‘16 INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER Justice Bennett ‘16 SECTION EDITORS Friar Life Arts Tyler Pizzico ‘17 Andrew Stetser ‘15 Sports Sean Christman ‘17 Patrick Ferraiolo ‘17

MALVERN PREP 2014-15 STUDENT COUNCIL / MALVERN COMMUNICATIONS

Copy Editor Ted Holleran ‘16

Media & Technology Mike McCarthy ‘15 Local/World News Jake Sorensen ‘15

EDITORIAL BOARD All editors Mike Flanagan ‘16 David Wright ‘15 Kieran Ryan ‘18 Jack Walker ‘18

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October 2014

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

FRIAR LIFE Spirit Week Involves Daily Competitions, Student Council Leadership Beards, sumo suits, organization, and leadership built student community and enthusiasm Ryan Franks ‘17 REPORTER pirit Week is a week-long festivity that Student Council plans for a fun and exciting week of activities leading up to Homecoming weekend.

This year, the eventful week kicked off Thursday, October 9 and concluded Friday, October 17. Spirit Week included individual and class competitions, a week-long scavenger hunt, and themed dress-down days.

At the end of the week, the traditional Blue-Grey games were held.

“The most fun and exciting part of Spirit Week is the pep rally, because it is the main time the whole school is together and competing against one another,” according to Student Council President Ryan Doane ‘15.

“We had a bunch of fun activities in store and we hope it was the best Spirit Week yet,” said Doane. “I didn’t want this to be the same old Blue-Grey games, however, I wanted to keep the traditions we already had.”

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Thursday Student council led off the first event with the Scavenger Hunt. This event was all about decoding riddles.

Each clue was about Malvern and the campus and could only be solved with creative thinking. Each student

had to take a selfie with the answer of each clue, and the first to solve all clues won a gift card. The Scavenger Hunt was organized by Senior Brendan O’Connor and the winner of the event was Tait McGlinn ‘16.

A lso on Thursday was our America-themed dress down day.

Faculty and students showed off their patriotism by wearing red, white, and blue outfits. Some of the more outstanding outfits were worn by Ryan Doane ‘15 and Peter Calvaresi ‘15, Sam Sweeney ‘18, and math teacher Mike Rawlings.

Tuesday After the long weekend, Spirit Week continued on Tuesday. Many students dressed like they were spending a day at the beach for the dress-down theme. Students showed off their beach attire with bathing suits, tank tops, and any other clothes that they would usually wear when relaxing on the sand under the hot summer sun.

World Cup soccer was the main event played on this day between eight teams with two players on each team. The games were played after school on the turf field. The winners of the World Cup were awarded Wawa gift cards. Those students were Tommy Wolfe ‘17 and Ryan Sutton ‘17, representing team Ivory Coast.

Wolfe described the event as, “an

TAKING SHOTS AT THE DUNK TANK / R. FR ANKS

FRIARS LOOK ON AS SUMO WRESTLING ENSUES / R. FR ANKS

opportunity to show off [his] soccer skills while having a good time,” along with his partner Sutton. “I was excited to represent the sophomore class and help my class win the Kings of the Campus competition,” said Wolfe.

Thursday Thursday’s festivities included the closest throw and the physics water balloon launching event. In the closest throw competition students used a football to throw into trashcans at different distances. Tommy Wolters ‘17 won a Wawa gift card for his throwing accuracy. Both of these events were played during community time on the football field and track.

Friday Friday was the highlight of the week with the Blue-Grey games.

Students competed in a variety of events at the after school event, including a sumo wrestling competition, class vs. class tug-of-war, 3-point contest, fastest kid, and biggest splash.

The games took place in the O’Neill gym and pool and winners were rewarded with gift cards.

The judging of the Grizzly Adams Beard growing competition also took place Thursday. Students were given two weeks to grow out

their facial hair instead of the usual one week given in past years which made things more interesting and harder to judge. The best and biggest Grizzly Adams beard was judged

by Mr. Legner in favor of freshman Jordan Donaghy, who beat out seniors Luke Hoffman and Matt Pantalone.

The Japanese-style sumo wrestling is a test of pure strength. Math teacher Jim Stinger judged students as they tried to force each other out of a circular ring wearing inflatable sumo costumes. The main event fight between seniors Matt Lanetti and Caleb Kao really entertained the crowd.

The tug-of-war was another contest in which students used their strength. Each class went head to head with one another trying to pull the opposing class over the line. The winning class was the Junior class.

The three point contest was an opportunity for basketball all stars to show the school what they were made of. Two representatives from each class including sharp shooters Will Powers, Joe Fitzpatrick, Jack Dougherty and many more competed in this event. Underdog Quinn McCahon ‘18 won the event in a sudden death match against Sophomore Raymond Barran. McCahon beat out several varsity players.

After that, track coach Mike

Koenig judged the fastest sprinter at Malvern in a 100m dash. Winner Parker Abate ‘15 won a Wawa gift card.

The last event of the week was the biggest splash. This competition was a test of best cannonball technique in the pool. Swim coach Mr. Schiller along with other teachers judged who could create the largest splash in the pool. Caleb Kao ‘15 won the event with a roar of applause from the student body.

A dunk tank was also outside after the games for students to submerge their favorite or least favorite faculty members. Head of School Mr. Talbot, Head of Upper School Mr. Algeo, and Assistant Head of School Mr. Valyo all let students take turns dunking them.

Spirit Week is an important rally week of the school year for the Malvern community. Doane is pleased with how the events ran. “We were organized and executed the new games properly,” he said.

“I really think it was one of the most fun pep rally and Blue-Grey games yet!” n

Malvern Student Council Book Sale Succeeds Ryan Doane leads the school to a successful book sale donating over 1,800 books to Emlen School in Mt. Airy.

Kieran Sweeney ‘15 REPORTER tudent Council President Ryan Doane and the Student Council sponsored a book drive this month. During the week of September 29-October 3, Malvern students were invited to donate books to the Emlen School.

Doane received the idea from a friend, Maggie Curry ‘15, a student at Notre Dame Academy. “[Maggie’s] tutor is heavily involved in the Emlen project, which is a charity that helps support the needs of the Mt. Airy school who can’t afford to get the supplies they need,” said Doane. Curry brought the project to Notre Dame Academy as well.

In order to spark interest in the project, Doane decided to make the drive a competition among all grade levels. Books were requested for readers on a 1st-7th grade level and in good condition.

The class that donated the most books won points in Malvern’s Kings of Campus competition.

Doane initially wasn’t sure that his idea would be a success. “Malvern already does an unbelievable job with service and helping those in need, so I was afraid they would say no because they

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already do too much. But after a meeting with Ms. Lohse and Dr. Dlugos, we agreed that it was worth a shot,” Doane said.

“Mr. Legner also went through hoops to make sure this would work, so I give a great deal of credit to him,” Doane added.

Doane also credited the rest of the student council, who worked tirelessly in this effort.

After his initial anxiety, Doane claimed the endeavor to be a huge success. “The amount of books donated was around 1,825,” said Doane. He was pleased to announce that the senior class alone collected between 600-700 books, winning this round of the Kings of Campus Competition, a Student-Council run event to further school spirit.

“This is the third drive we did for Student Council and I think three is a really good amount to have,” said Doane. He hopes that if the drive continues to be an annual event, it will have a positive impact for the children of the Emlen School. n

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

October 2014

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FRIAR LIFE Student of the Issue: Andrew Hopkins ‘15 Andrew Hopkins ‘15 discusses his lifelong interest in nature and wildlife.

Platon is renowned for his portrait work for major publications

Tommy Pero ‘17 REPORTER ndrew Hopkins is a senior who loves wildlife, birds, and nature. He talked with us about his unique interests and his future plans.

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TP: What are you involved in here at Malvern?

AH: I am involved in the Envirothon Club, which is an outdoors club with Mr. Stewart and some friends of mine, and we do different stuff that has to do with wildlife and nature.

TP: How’d you get involved with that?

AH: Ah, you know. Because I’m really interested in the nature, the environment, and wildlife. And, back when Mr. DiEnna was part of it, I met with him when we were visiting the school, and he just kind of helped me realize my interest and I wanted to join. And I realized it’s what I really enjoy doing -- being with my friends and nature.

TP: What are your other hobbies outside of school?

AH: I watch birds. I collect bird books. I like hiking and camping. I go hunting with my dad which is a lot of fun.

TP: How’d you get involved with all that?

AH: You know, forever I’ve been interested in nature and wildlife. It’s just kind of been a developing passion I’ve realized I like birds.

Tyler Pizzico ‘17 John McGlinn ‘18 FRIAR LIFE EDITOR, CONTRIBUTOR enowned photographer Platon will be visiting campus on Thursday, October 30 as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series at Malvern Prep.

Platon is most commonly known for his portraits of actors, presidents and world leaders, including Vladimir Putin on the cover of Time Magazine in 2007. His presentation will be themed on the anecdote, “Every picture tells a story.”

According to his website, he has taken portraits for Rolling Stone, New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ and the Sunday Times Magazine.

He has been invited to be a keynote speaker on leadership at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Chanel, Nike, Yale University, Oxford University, Wharton University, the National Portrait Gallery in London and International Center of Photography in NY. Now, when he visits the Duffy center, he will add Malvern to the list.

Platon was selected by the Head of School after Mr. Talbot attended a presentation by the artist at SEI in Oaks, PA. Mr. Talbot stated in his blog Teaching Excellence, “Platon exemplifies the student-centered approach to learning that distinguishes Malvern.”

Platon’s visit has sparked competition on campus. In anticipation of the event, Malvern has started a photo contest where students submitted two photos expressing the brotherhood we experience as fellow friars.

This isn’t the first student-learning project that sprung from the Distinguished Speaker series. Last year, a group of students and a group of parents participated in a program on leadership in the Duffy Center. The participants shared their work with Mr. Adam Bryant, a New York Times columnist and bestselling author.

“The project taught me essential leadership skills and how to work well in a group. It was really cool to work with such a distinguished author and learn from his experiences,” said Tommy Pero ‘17, who participated in the Bryant project last year.

All are invited to come to Platon’s talk in the Duffy Center on October 30. It is a unique opportunity to gain some insight on photography and get a true sense of the school theme of ‘creation’ this year. Tickets are available at www.malvernprep.org. n

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Tommy Pero: What’s your background?

Andrew Hopkins: I went to grade school in Nativity BVM, which is located in Media, PA, where I live. I went there from fourth grade to eighth grade, and then I came here [Malvern].

TP: Are there any events for that?

AH: In May, there’s a competition over in Hibernia Park over in Chester County and we participate in that.

A bunch of schools participate and we compete against each other

Photographer to Present as Part of Distinguished Speaker Series

ANDREW HOPKINS ‘15

TP: What are your goals for your senior year?

AH: Probably to maintain my high grades, and to be able to get into the colleges of my choice, especially Cornell University.

TP: What are your goals outside of Malvern, and for the future?

AH: Probably to study the environmental sciences in college, and then find a career like environmental engineering or whatever-- just continue the love of the wildlife and for nature.

Hopkins has over 500 books about birds. He looks to have a great senior year. n

ARTS Do You Hear the People Sing?

Artist of the Issue: Matt Aprahamian ‘15

“A Little Fall of Rain” won’t stop the upcoming Broadway trip to see “Les Miserables”

Senior musician shares about his love for the “axe”

Andrew Stetser ‘15 and has been voted “The Greatest ARTS EDITOR Musical of All Time” by the listeners omewhere beyond the barricade of the online Broadway radio station, is there a world you JemmThree. long to see, yet “The simple answer somewhere beyond the “The connection as to why Malvern chose Lincoln Tunnel is there with theology and the show is because it a show Malvern wants God is incredible in was available,” accordto see. the show.” ing to Roper. “The more On November 19, -Dr. Fry complex answer has to 44 Malvern students > PAGE 6 and Mr. Roper will be traveling up FALL BROADWAY TRIP to New York to see the Broadway Revival of Les Miserables for the Malvern’s winter New York trip.

“I think that the opportunity to see Les Mis in a Broadway production is something you never pass by,” said Mr. Roper, organizer of the New York trip. “It is one of the groundbreaking musicals of the second half of the twentieth century, and it’s going to live on a long time, even beyond the movie.”

November 19, 2014 / $114 Les Mis has been the recipiRegister online at ent of eight Tony awards, has been www.malvernprep.org/student-life/arts made into two PBS concert specials,

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Jack Magargee ‘18 CONTRIBUTOR ave you ever wondered who is jamming out on the electric guitar with Liturgical Music at chapel services? It’s Matt Aprahamian, Class of 2015. For this active member of the arts at Malvern, guitar is more than just a hobby for him; it’s a passion.

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Jack Magargee: How are you involved in the arts at Malvern?

Matt Aprahamian: Freshman year, I joined Malvern’s Jazz Ensemble.

Starting in my sophomore year, I became a member of Malvern’s Guitar Ensemble, and I’ve been playing electric guitar in the Liturgical Music homeroom since last year.

JM: Why did you start playing guitar?

MA: I started playing guitar because it seemed like a cool thing to do. I just wanted to try it! Eventually it turned into a hobby and one of my favorite things to do. I still try to play every day whenever I have some free time.

JM: How long have you played guitar?

MA: I’ve been playing guitar since I was in fifth grade. I was twelve when I started.

JM: Who first taught you guitar?

MA: Originally I took lessons from a private instructor in New Jersey, when I used to live there. I stopped taking lessons my freshman year when I moved to Malvern. Since then I’ve been teaching myself through learning new songs and techniques. I’ve been practicing a lot!

JM: Where do you play? Is it just at Malvern?

MA: I play at Malvern and I also play acoustic guitar at some restaurants during the summer. I used to be in a few bands in middle school but not anymore.

JM: What are you aspiring to do with guitar after your time at Malvern?

MA: I hope to do as much as I can after high school. I want to play guitar in college in whatever ways I can.

MATT APRAHAMIAN ‘15 / A. STETSER

Maybe I will take some guitar classes or join a band. But playing guitar has become a passion of mine and I hope to keep playing for the rest of my life.

Matt is look ing for ward to continuing both his academic and musical career here at Malvern. His passion has definitely become a facet of Malvern’s everyday life. You can see more from Matt at Malvern’s next mass. n

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October 2014

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

FRIAR LIFE More Perspectives From New Faculty and Staff Continuing on from the last issue, three more new faculty members share more about their background, their first impressions, and their future hopes for Malvern.

Christopher Bunn ‘16 Ted Holleran ‘16 MANAGING EDITOR REPORTER

12th grade up near Syracuse Ny in a small town called Skaneateles.

CB:Where did you go to college?

KF:I went to the Universit y of Delaware for undergrad and then Wilmington University for graduate school.

CB:What did you study there?

KF:Undergrad, I was a psychology major, and I got master’s in education for school counseling.

Fr. James Cassidy - Theology TH: What did you do before you came to Malvern?

JC: After I got out of the navy, I went to college off the GI Bill. I went to to Holy Apostles College up in Connecticut. I joined the Order of St. Augustine around 1973. Since then I’ve taught in many places. I taught at Archbishop Carroll High School in DC. I’ve also taught at a high school in Florida and was on the faculty of St. Thomas University. I’ve also worked in parishes and worked in Peru for a time.

TH: When did you first hear of Malvern?

I first heard of Malvern because, well, I’m and Augustinian and it’s an Augustinian school. I first came here in 1975 to do a retreat and that was the first and last time I’ve been to Malvern before now.

TH: What classes are you teaching?

JC: I’m teaching Church History and Moral Theology.

TH: What was your first impression of Malvern?

JC: My first impression of Malvern was that it was beautiful. Coming from working in inner city, this campus is really something.

Mrs. Korin Folan - Counseling CB:Where were you born?

KF:I was born in Tampa, Florida. I grew up, I spent 1st grade through

CB:Have you worked anywhere else before Malvern?

KF:I have. I spent three years in alternative education. I ran the counseling department in the Delaware/New Castle area. I then went to a private school outside of DC, and I was there for 5 years. In the past year, I was in Nashville. My husband was working at Vanderbilt last year, so I worked in a public school last year. So I’ve done second through twelfth grade when I was at the alternate school. I have done 5 years at the private school in DC. I was in a high school. Last year, i was in a high school as well.

CB:What are your first impressions of Malvern like after a month?

KF:I love the school. If I could take everything about I loved about my previous experiences and form one school, I think that Malvern would hit a lot of those things I love. The people, students, and staff, have been so friendly and welcoming. I really have enjoyed my first month here.

CB:What are you looking forward to the most at Malvern?

KF:I am really looking forward to being part of the new counseling curriculum, and getting to know all of the students, even the ones outside of M-P, 9th and 10th grade. It’s just the experiences that Malvern offers.

I have been helping coach the middle school cross country. I really like that at Malvern, there so much outside of counseling for me to do here to get involved.

CB:Outside of your professional life, do you have any hobbies?

KF:I really enjoy hanging out with my family, spending a lot of time. A lot of my family lives down in Rehoboth beach, Delaware. So I spend a lot of time down there during the summer on the weekends. I enjoy running, being outside, doing things like that.

CB:Will you be teaching courses, or will you be just counselling?

KF:This year, I will be doing the counselling classes. I have taught Ap Psychology in the past at the private school in DC. CB:Who will you be counselling?

KF:Ninth and Tenth Grade. I Have the M through P students. There are four [counselors] this year. Mr. Simpsons has some as well. He has some college, and some 9th-10th as well. We’re lucky we have a lot of support here.

CB:What first attracted you to teach at Malvern?

KF:My parents are both from the area, so I knew this school. When my husband took a job at Penn, I started looking and right away there was an opening at malvern. I actually sent in my resume and everything. I got a call a few days later, so....the name. I knew it was a good school, just from being in the area. My parents being from here, and when I brought the name up to them, they said ”Definitely apply.” So, when I did a Skype interview, Mr. Algeo, Fr. Drennan, Mrs.Lewis, and Mr. Simpson. Just seeing them and getting to know them through that interview, I was really excited about the school and the direction it was heading in.

Mrs. Lauren Randle Counseling CB:Where were you born?

LR:I was born in Cape May, New Jersey. That’s where I grew up and where my parents and family still live.

CB:Where did you go to college?

LR:I went to Georgetown University for my undergraduate degree, and then I went to University of Virginia for my master’s degree.

CB:What did you study there?

LR:At georgetown, I went there thinking that i was going to be a Government major. [I] switched to American Studies, and then I pursued my graduate degree. I got a masters in education and higher education administration.

CB:Have you worked anywhere else before?

LR:I have. First, I worked in politics on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. She lost, I had to switch gears.

I worked in Georgetown University in admissions for several years. Then, I got my masters, and I made a big jump across the globe. I worked in Hong Kong at the Canadian International School of Hong Kong before coming here to Malvern.

CB:How was your time in Hong Kong? What was that like?

LR:That was an adventure. It’s a world away, obviously, so you do feel like you're on the other side of the planet, but in a weird way, it felt really comfortable. The international school had a great community, so I had wonderful friends, and everybody speaks english there, so it wasn’t that difficult,. But it was an adventure because I got to travel and got to really see foreign place, and exotic lands and people. The students were professionally and personally inspiring, because they would consider colleges all over the globe. It was an adventure, and there were challenges of course, but I don’t regret a second of it.

CB:Outside of your professional life, what are your hobbies?

LR:It feels like all I do right now is....I just bought a house, so all I do is home improvement stuff. that has become a full time job outside of my real job. I love to travel, obviously, that’s kind of what led me to Hong Kong. Travelling is a big part of my life. I enjoy anything at the beach. I grew up in Cape May, which is right on the beach in New Jersey. I love waterski, I love to go on the boat, I love to swim, have my feet in the sand.

CB:Can you tell us something unusual about yourself?

LR:It was pretty weird that i was a professional driver. So when I first started with the presidential campaign, my job was Chelsea Clinton’s driver. They would fly me all across the country, pick her up at the airport, and drive her to the next ever.

Then get back on the plane to the next event. So I was driving to states that i have never been to, let alone driven in a car. So I guess it’s weird to say that i was a professional driver.

CB:Who will you be advising at Malvern?

LR:I am the associate director of college counseling. Most of the students I work with are grades 11 and 12.

Mostly, during the fall, it’s working with the seniors as they are preparing their college applications. Come Christmas, right after Christmas, the focus will switch to the juniors to get them start thinking about their college application process.

CB:What first attracted you to teach at Malvern?

LR:I decided that I wanted to leave Hong Kong and come closer to home.

It was a great experience, but it was far away from home. I was looking in the Philadelphia area. It’s about 2 hours from my family and where i grew up. There was something about it that felt really familiar. When I came to interview and visit Malvern, i thought it was a beautiful campus.

It felt like I was on a small college.

My younger brother Spencer went to St. Augustine’s and south jersey.

He’s the one that told me about an Augustinian education, and he was

the first one that taught me the word brotherhood, and what that means. I thought that this could be a welcoming and supportive place.

CB:What are your first impressions after a month?

LR:It’s been a whirlwind! It’s a new job, a new town, a new house, all at once for me. But i like the busy pace. I found the people here, both the staff and the students, both extremely approachable and friendly. there is something so comforting to walk across the campus, where you don’t really know all of the people, and everyone says Good Morning and Hello. It immediately puts a smile on your face. So I feel like I found a very inviting environment here.

CB:What are you looking forward to the most at Malvern?

LR:It’s not really so much what I’m getting out of. I think that I do this job because I love helping students find their best match college. I’m hoping to put more into it than what I get out of it. I want to make sure that I’m giving my best advice and counseling support to the boys. I know the college application process can be really stressful;. Helping them find their best match college is what I’m hoping to get out of and put in to this experience n.

> LES MIS, 5 do with the fact that anytime Les Mis becomes available in a professional production, you should go to see it. We’ve already gone to see it once, maybe twice in the twelve years we’ve been formally doing the Broadway trips.”

“I think the show has great messages,” said Dr. Fry, Director of the Malvern Theatre Society. “There’s a lot of connection to what happens in our own community with regards to poverty, prejudice, and people passing judgement. Also, the connection with theology and God is incredible in the show.”

The Broadway trip will also include a ride on the Staten Island Ferry, a visit to the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and lunch at the Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant.

“The stage production itself is extremely powerful, and I’m looking forward to us seeing the new nuances they may have put into this classic production,” said Roper. “Everyone should sign up for this trip.”

There are still seats available to see Les Miserables. Visit Malvern’s website to sign up. n

Get connected. @friarslantern1 TheFriarsLantern

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

October 2014

7

MEDIA AND TECH The Man Behind Mike Missanelli

Bring Your Own Device To School

Former Malvern Student Jason Myrtetus is doing big things in the radio business Ben Yankelitis ‘16 CONTRIBUTOR ports radio is huge in Philadelphia. The number one rated sports talk show on the drive home is on 97.5 The Fanatic which, from 2pm to 6pm, is hosted by Mike Missanelli. Since February 2013, Mike’s producer and partner on the show has been a former Malvern student, Jason Myrtetus.

Since joining the show, Myrtetus has helped the show increase its ratings 24%. He said, “Mike has never been stronger.” However, Jason has had quite a journey to this point in his career.

Jason attended Malvern for three years for his middle school education.

The time Jason spent at Malvern left an impact on him. He left Malvern for a few different reasons, however still holds our school in high regards.

“The all boy school concept was great,” said Myrtetus. “The comradery that it developed with other people was really important.” Even though he is not a religious person, he valued the Catholic aspect of Malvern. “The backdrop of the Augustinian connection to the school was very important and still is now, as a moral compass.”

Myrtetus still remembers and respects many Malvern teachers. He had incredibly nice words to say about Father Wood, Mr. Colameco, Mr. Kindon, Mr. Chinici, Mr. Legner, and Mr. Stewart. Although Jason regrets leaving Malvern and not getting to experience some of the things he would have liked to, such as MECO, he stated that his experience at Malvern “was an important part of making me who I am.”

Myrtetus has worked for CBS Radio at WYSP (currently WIP) as a producer and on-air personality. While at WYSP, he helped lead a number of projects including one of Malvern’s favorite events, Wing Bowl. “[Wing Bowl] is one of those events that there was no day you were happier than when it was over,” said Myrtetus. He was able to see the effect he and his partners had when “20,000 people showed up to see fat guys eat wings.”

After his success at WIP, Jason was hired by 97.5 the Fanatic, WPEN, to help boost ratings for the Mike Missanelli Show.

Myrtetus has a philosophy that the best way to assess your performance on a show is if you felt like you “did good radio.” He does not care about how many people called in, if you felt like you “did good radio,” your show that day was probably successful. He tries not to react quickly to measurements such as TSL. TSL (time spent listening) is a tool used to track how long people listen for and when they tune out. “If the show talked about the Sixers and a few listeners tuned out some people would assume you should not be talking about the Sixers,” said Myrtetus. “You cannot react long term to instant observations.”

Jason helps Mike prepare for the show by sending him the theme of the day. This theme is often a simple topic that will lead the discussion. However, Jason calls this just “the first layer.” He includes two or three more levels sometimes to keep the show refreshing and interesting.

“Mike is at a point in his career where he does not need to worry about the logistical things. My job is for Mike to only have to be concerned about going in, killing it for four hours, then leaving to clear his head,” said Myrtetus.

Myrtetus does many things on the show to help Mike, including objecting to some of his points to create interesting discussion, even if he does not feel

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Technology Department seeks change to student technology plan by encouraging students to bring in their own devices.

M MYRETUS, YANKELITIS, MISSANELLI SHARED STORIES AND ADVICE / B. YANKELITIS

that way. He says he needs to be “Mike’s foil.” Additionally, Jason has created segments on the show to get people laughing. One of the most popular segments is when they do things with Bernie from Broomall, one of Mike’s older listeners. The show will prank call him, test his pop culture knowledge, and have him sing. This all leads into the belief of “doing good radio.”

At 97.5, Jason additionally acts as the pre, intermission, and post game radio show host. This job comes naturally to Jason as he has played hockey since he was young and still continues to coach the game at West Chester.

Jason Myrtetus clearly has had lots of experience in a cutthroat business.

He has obtained many skills and learned a lot of lessons over time, and he has some advice for Malvern students.

“To be successful, in general, you must be willing to put in the work. If you expect anything to be handed to you, you will stand with your hand down for a really long time. Identify what you want, and go get it,” he said. He believes that he became successful by being assertive, passionate and dependable, three necessary traits for a good leader.

Other qualities Jason finds beneficial are problem solving skills. “Never bring up a problem, without bringing a solution,” he said. According to Myrtetus, people who bring up problems and are looking for someone else to resolve it are not leaders. Leaders say, ‘Here’s the problem. I’ve also identified three solutions to the problem.’

Lastly, Jason seeks out people who are not going to do things because that’s the way they have always been done. “Do what comes natural and what you think is going to move the needle. If you do that and stay true to what you believe in, you cannot go wrong.”

Obviously, there is much more behind the Mr. Myrtetus than you hear everyday from 2-6. To hear the full interview visit Friar’s Lantern. n

REVIEW: “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Til It’s…”

David Fincher releases his latest film in an elegant, stylish manor.

Kieran Sweeney ‘15 REPORTER Jaw-dropping, mind-bending, and cringe-inducing, Gone Girl marks the fantastic return of The Social Network director David Fincher. The film circles around Nick Dunne, fearfully searching for his wife Amy. However, this is is not even close to the whole story.

Gone Girl provides an incredibly unpredictable plotline with enough tortuous twists to give audience members headaches.

Not only will viewers leave the film confused, but they will be thinking about it long after the drive home.

The movie presents Fincher at the top of his game, with a keen direction that is precise and sharp.

Although the f ilm runs for 145 minutes, it goes by incredibly

quickly. Just when one thinks something will happen, the opposite thing happens. The story is different from that which is introduced in the trailer, and this appears to be

Matthew Lanetti ‘15 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF a l v e r n’s t e c h n o l o g y department has a new plan for the role of personal devices in school. Students will not be supplied with their own device, but encouraged to bring in their own.

A few years ago, there was some discussion of the possibility of a “1 to 1” policy with student technology, meaning that each student would have their own device. There was a possibility that these devices, either laptops or tablets, would be supplied by the school.

Now, however, that policy has been dropped in pursuit of a different approach. The new policy will encourage students to bring in their own device.

Mr. Street, Assistant Director of Technology explained, “Eventually, the policy will involve a specific list known as the BYAD list, that’s for ‘Bring Your own Approved Device.’” Right now, anybody can bring in any device they want. Street explained that this change in policy will encourage students to use more productivity-oriented technology in the classroom.

Accord i ng to Di rec tor of Technology Mr. Terrence Norko, this BYAD policy will go into effect September 1, 2015. Norko said that it is likely that BYAD will become a suggested policy starting some time this year, but was unable to provide a specific date.

Street said that Malvern’s technology infrastructure could not support a 1:1 policy, “There are certain resource limitations we have,” said Street. Street believes that the 1:1 policy is not a current trend in education. “More colleges and schools are going away from providing a device,” he said.

Some schools in our area do have 1:1 policies and supply students with devices. These schools include Pope John Paul II and Sacred Heart, where students are issued iPads according to their school websites. The Lower Merion School District has continued to issue laptops to all students since the “WebcamGate” scandal in 2010 where it was revealed that the school district had secretly spied on their students through webcams.

According to their websites, our Inter-Ac peers Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and Penn Charter issue laptops to students.

There are many schools near us, however, that are now adopting policies similar to Malvern’s BYAD.

one of its greatest assets.

Gone Girl has a few minor flaws, in spite of a stellar cast and crew. Without giving away any plot details, I will say that there are inconsistencies with the character arcs of both Amy and Nick. When more about them is revealed, the more disrupted the flow of the story becomes.

With that being said, the less the audience knows about the film, the better the film is. Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, as well as unusual castings Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry, all give killer performances (some more so than others).

Well-crafted, smart, stylish, and nail-biting, Gone Girl is a worthy addition to the best films of 2014.

GRADE: A n

> YIK YAK, 1 Yik Yak is blocked on our campus.

Interestingly enough, neither the Malvern Technology department nor Dean of Students office was involved in this blockage. Yik Yak is proactively blocking access to the app itself via “geofencing”. Yik Yak enlisted data provider Maponics in order to obtain the GPS coordinates of over one hundred thousand middle and high schools in the US. That works out to around eighty-five percent of such schools.

The reasoning for this is that the app has enabled a slew of cyberbullying incidents across the nation, for which apps like ask.fm have become notorious. Yik Yak has experienced similar issues in its short history, including a mass shutdown of the app in the city of Chicago.

The app looks to avoid further issues with high school and middle school students, who have been a bane for many a social media app.

Only time will tell if the newest social media phenomenon is in for the long haul, or if its future will be mired by litigation and blockages. n

> PAGE 9

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October 2014

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

SPORTS Water Polo in Full Swing After the team’s first Inter-Ac Title in 2013, seniors Peter Calvaresi, Pat Coffey, and Magnus Sims will lead this year’s squad as they try to repeat.

Alex Reber ‘17 REPORTER alvern Prep’s water polo season is now in full swing. They are coming off a shared Inter-Ac championship with Penn Charter last year, and senior captains Peter Calvaresi, Magnus Sims, and Patrick Coffey look to build off of their performances last season.

The team is currently 4-1 in the Inter-Ac, and have dominated out of conference games, including a 13-10 win over The Hill school and a 9-5 win against La Salle, with goalie Pat Coffey saving 34 shots over those two games and Peter Calvaresi with nine goals There are currently two freshmen on the team who have been able to get ample playing time over the course of the season. Steven Salle and Isaac Salinas are still young, but have had big seasons this year.

“I think the biggest change we have had this year we have had this year has been the additions of two freshmen, Steve Salle and Isaac Salinas, to the starting lineup,” says senior goalkeeper Pat Coffey. “These two guys have done a great job of stepping up and contributing. Other than that, we continue Malvern’s history of a good defense with an aggressive offense.”

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MALVERN PREP WATER POLO / COFFEY

“Our main goal is to win the Inter-Ac and Eastern’s.” says Coffey.

“Last year we won our first Inter-Ac title ever, and we hope to do the same this year. We also plan to return to the championship game again at Easterns and come home with a victory.”

The Friars are coming off a huge 9-8 victory over Penn Charter.

Magnus Sims had four goals and five steals to lead the team in scoring, while Pat Coffey had 17 saves and four steals. This win ties Penn Charter for first in the Inter-Ac, both teams at 5-1 within the league.

The team also dominated over homecoming weekend with a 19-8 win over St. Benedict’s Prep which

puts them up to 15-4 for the season thus far.

With the season beginning to wind down, the Eastern tournament is coming soon. The Friars were able to make the finals last year, but were unable to bring home the championship. With the success that the team has had so far, the team is third in the Eastern Prep water polo rankings as of October 14.

Malvern’s water polo team has had great success over the course of this season, and will share the Inter-Ac championship with Penn Charter. n

Golf Attempts to Repeat Inter-Ac Title After graduating a powerful group of seniors, a new group of players stepped up to lead the 2014 team.

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Malvern Prep Water Polo team captain Patrick Coffey ‘15 is a leader in and out of the pool Patrick Ferraiolo ‘17 SPORTS EDITOR enior MECO leader Patrick Coffey has been a leader for the Malvern Water Polo team this year, and his impact to the team has been immense. His contributions to the team have not only resulted in victories, but have also brought out good character in his teammates. Pat discussed his Malvern experience and his thoughts on this year’s Water Polo team.

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Sean Christman ‘17 Patrick Ferraiolo ‘17 SPORTS EDITORS xpectations were high for the Malvern Prep golf team going into 2014, and they certainly rose to the occasion. After a terrific 2013 campaign in which the team won the Inter-Ac, this year’s team had to replace last year’s seniors Mike Davis (who is now golfing at Princeton), Brendan Hallinan, Alex McLaughlin, and Kevin McGeary.

However, the coaching staff felt confident in this year’s group.

“We’re fortunate to return a talented group of seniors this year,” said Head Coach Gary Duda, “Brendan Bacskai, Mike Lamond, and Mike Szipszky have all been instrumental in our program’s success the past four years.” Coach Duda and Coach Joe Redican stated that their goal was the same as it was every year: win the Inter-Ac. “Last year we lost our number one golfer, Mike Davis, as well as Kevin McGeary; but Nick Miller and Marty McGuckin really filled in for them nicely,” said senior co-captain

Athlete of the Issue: Patrick Coffey ‘15

Mike Szipsky, “They stepped up and were one of the major reasons why we had such a good season.”

In addition, Coach Duda named senior Jack Hagan, junior Mike Miller, and freshman Matt Davis as important contributors.

They started this season with an outstanding 10-0 start and finished the regular season with a 24-5-1 record.

“Yet again, the Haverford school was our closest competitor in the league. Episcopal was also very strong,” said Duda.

Unfortunately, despite all of the hard work the team put in this season, they did not repeat as Inter-Ac Champions. Malvern came in second to Haverford, falling two wins shy of tying the Fords’ 27 victories.

“We needed to win [our last match] in order to win the Inter-Ac, but unfortunately we were not able to do this,” said Szipszky, “We wanted to repeat as Inter-Ac champs, but we fell a few strokes short.”

“I am really happy and proud with how our younger guys played this year and they will give Malvern

a great chance to rebound and bring home an Inter-Ac championship next year,” said Szipszky.

“It was great for us to do so well this season, but second place was disappointing,” added Nick Miller ‘17.

“Hopefully next year we will be able to come back and win the league.”

Even though the team is disappointed in the finish, the season is not entirely over. Players from the team are going to be competing in an individual league championship match at the end of the month.

“The top players in our league will compete for the Bert Linton Individual Championship held at Philadelphia Cricket Club's Militia Hill Course at the end of the month, followed by the PAISSA State Team Championship on October 25th,” said Duda.

At these events, the team is hoping to continue on their previous success. Hopefully, they will be able to continue to produce strong performances. Inter-Ac title or not, one thing is certain: the Malvern Prep Golf Team is going to continue to be a force for years to come. n

Patrick Ferraiolo: Where did you grow up?

Patrick Coffey: I grew up in West Chester. Before I came to Malvern in eighth grade I went to Saints Simon and Jude in West Chester.

P F: H o w h a s y our M a lve r n Experience been?

PC:It has been fantastic! I love Malvern and I couldn’t have asked for a better high school experience.

Malvern has taught me how to be the best person I can be and also how to become a leader.

PF: You play Water Polo. How and when did you get involved in the sport?

PC:I got involved with Water Polo freshman year. I had some older friends who played Water Polo at their high schools, so I thought I would give it a try. Once I started I fell in love with it and have been playing ever since.

PF: What position do you play?

PC:I am the Goalie. I am one of the Captains of the team and my responsibility is to command the defense and limit the number of goals scored.

PF: Playing goalie takes nerves.

What is your mindset when shots are being fired at your net? What is your strategy?

PC: I try to keep calm and focus on the shooter. If I take away his angle for shooting I have a better chance at blocking the shot. My strategy is to use my defenders as shot blockers and funnel the shots towards me.

PF: So how is the team doing so far?

PC:The team is doing well this year with a 15-4 overall record and a 5-1 record in the Inter-Ac. We recently had a huge overtime win against Penn Charter.

PF: What do you affiliate with your teams success?

PC: Our team defense has been the reason why we have done so well this year. We have held most of our opponents to under 6 or 7 goals. This takes a lot of pressure off the offense and allows us to run a more fluid offense.

PF: What has the coaching staff done

PAT COFFEY ‘15 / J. MARCHESANI

to prepare you for these key games?

PC:Coach Schiller and coach Kain do an awesome job preparing us for key games. We run a lot of 3 on 3’s and 5 on 5’s in practice to get guys moving around.

PF: Do you have any personal good luck charms or superstitions?

PC: I don't have any good luck charms but I usually follow the same routine for every game. I will swim about 150 or 200 yards freestyle and then add some breaststroke. After that, I'll pass with Peter [Calvaresi] and Magnus [Sims] before taking shots on the cage. Usually Magnus will warm me up and the rest of the team will get a few shots in before the game.

PF: How has being a MECO leader affected you both personally and with your teammates?

PC:MECO has had a huge impact on my life. It is a great experience and one of my favorite things about Malvern. We haven't had any of the Water Polo guys go on MECO yet, but when they do, it will help us grow closer as teammates and brothers.

PF: What has been your best highlight here and why?

PC: The highlight of my Malvern experience would have to be MECO and/or winning our first Water Polo championship last year. MECO is awesome and is a really good time, and one of the best parts of the Malvern experience for me.

Winning the championship too was unbelievable. Both have been great experiences.

PF: If you were to say one thing to an underclassmen, what would it be?

PC: I would say to enjoy your time here at Malvern. It goes by so quickly.

I can still remember walking in as a nervous freshman not knowing where all my classes were and who my teachers were. Now I consider this place my home and I am really going to miss it next year.

Pat looks forward to the rest of the season, and hopes to finish his Water Polo career at Malvern with an Inter-Ac championship.n

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

October 2014

SPORTS

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BEYOND MALVERN

College Commitments

Weed (Somewhat) Freed in Philadelphia

Alex Reber ‘17 CONTRIBUTOR

With ganja gaining ground in Philly, the thoughts of how this could affect Malvern’s own drug policies arise.

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ontinuing from September’s issue, the Black fria r Chronicle caught up with several of our Friar athletes who have committed to colleges. We asked them to share some perspective and advice about the commitment process.

Chance DiFebbo, Senior, Lacrosse Committed to University of Delaware “One of the factors was how the coaches felt I would fit into their program. Having the opportunity to possibly play in my freshman year was a big incentive. Delaware also has a great academic reputation, with a wide variety of programs to major in, so I will definitely benefit from that as well. My favorite thing about the school is that it is close enough to home for my parents and family to come watch me play. The advice I would give is to work hard both on and off the field. Welcome all the feedback you receive, and use it to motivate you to do better. And most importantly, enjoy the experience.”

University of Delaware: Location - Newark, DE Enrollment - 21,856 Mascot - Blue Hens Baseball Team’s 2014 Record - 26-27

Sam Charlton, Sophomore, Lacrosse Committed to Lehigh University “I want to play for Lehigh because it is an amazing school and the lacrosse program is very good. My favorite thing about the school is the location. It is very close to home and it is a great town. Some advice would be just try hard at what you do and have fun doing it.”

Lehigh University: Location - Bethlehem, PA Enrollment - 7,080 Mascot - Mountain Hawks Lacrosse Team’s 2014 Record - 13-5

Jake Sorensen ‘15 energy going towards arresting peoWORLD NEWS EDITOR ple for what’s now been considered n a 14-2 vote, Philadelphia’s city ‘summary offenses’, as opposed to a council has decided to decrimi- ticket,” said Dean of Students Mr. nalize the possession of an ounce Tim Dougherty. or less of marijuana.

Does this new policy affect After October 20, being caught Chester County or Malvern Prep? with an ounce or less results in a “There have certainly been kids $25 ticket, but there are who have been caught harsher punishments for “The new law or accused of possessing public usage. Perpetrators in Philadelphia marijuana on campus,” receive a $100 fine and said Dougherty. “ We is not even nine hours of community applicable in always have teenagers service.

Philadelphia.” (laughs), [they’re the ones A lt h o u g h M a y o r who] live here. There are -Chester County DA Nutter has expressed good and bad decisions Mr. Thomas Hiogan d issent for t he bi l l, being made here. But I wh ic h was approved don’t think Philadelphia’s back in June, city council’s +12 vote policy is going to affect what we do would override any veto against it. differently out here.”

Regardless of his previous stance on In an interview, District Attorney the issue, Nutter chose to sign the bill of Chester County Thomas P. Hogan into legislation on October 1st. clarified the law’s status in the local Once the bill went into action, area. “The new law in Philadelphia Philadelphia became the largest city will not be considered and will not in America to decriminalize canna- be applied in Chester County,” said bis, albeit in limited quantities.

Mr. Hogan.

“It’s response to a lot of police Hogan pointed out that the

I Shane Muntz, Sophomore, Baseball Virginia Tech “What made me want to play is the fact that I am going to get a chance to play my first year. My favorite thing about Virginia Tech is the campus feel. Even though it is a big time school the campus feels genuine and down to earth. My advice to students who aspire to play a college sport is to really choose a school that is realistic even though it would be cool to say you’re going to a national powerhouse you need to realize that there's going to be five of you [committed every year].”

Virginia Tech University: Location - Blacksburg, VA Enrollment - 31,205 Mascot - Hokies Baseball Team’s 2014 Record 21-31-1 n Photos for this article supplied by the athletes.

> DEVICES, 8 The list of schools with these policies includes West Shore School District, Gettysburg Area School District, and Colonial School District.

Nick Margay ‘15, does not agree with the decision to forgo the “1:1” policy. “I believe the 1:1 policy makes a lot more sense given the huge number of technology products that could be brought in. Regulation with the 1:1 policy will make it easier on the school to track what we are doing.”

Brandon Fronczak ‘15 believes the change in policy will be beneficial, “BYAD allows for more freedom and allows the student to be more comfortable with their technology.”

M a l v e r n ’ s Te c h n o l o g y Department is currently working on several other updates to school technology. According to Street, the Technology Department plans to change the way students and faculty sign on to the wifi network, so that we would only need to sign on once a year. Devices would be remembered by the network and the student body would not need to sign on each time they connect.

By integrating a BYAD policy, the Technology Department believes students will be able to stay productive on-the-go and more mobile throughout the school. n

Don’t see your sport covered here?

The Blackfriar Chronicle needs Sports Reporters.

Reporters’ Meetings Monday & Friday 7:45, Duffy 118.

Donuts sometimes.

Philadelphia law has a few problems.

“The new law in Philadelphia is not even applicable in Philadelphia,” he said. “Criminal laws are set by the state legislature. Philadelphia cannot opt out of a drug possession law any more than Philadelphia can opt out of the law regarding homicides.

“The Chief of the Philadelphia Police Department already pointed this out to the Philadelphia City Council,” said Hogan.

Since the new law will only be effective in the city, Pennsylvania is not included with the 18 other states, including Ohio and New York who have passed similar laws. “We will continue to treat minors in possession of marijuana the same way as always,” said Hogan.

Whether or not this law stretches outside of Philadelphia, its outcomes could signif icantly affect Pennsylvania’s marijuana policy. n

Ebola: Should We Be Scared?

With the virus now reaching the United States, a guest writer gives an explanation of what Ebola does and how it may affect Malvern Arjun Menon ‘15 Although the epidemic is limited to Western Africa, GUEST WRITER, SNHS concerns have been expressed about the Junior Christian fter two people in the U.S. became infected with Service trip to South Africa. Despite those concerns, the Ebola and another died from it, fear of the disease service trip to South Africa will continue. appears to be escalating. Some have called for “The chances of Ebola crossing closed borders and quarantining people arriving from West Africa, others thousands of miles to enter South Africa are slim to none,” urged travel bans on flights to and from affected countries, said Director of Christian Service Mr. Larry Legner. and schools in two states closed their doors temporarily.

That being said, Mr. Legner also said that “safety is Are such actions necessary? Should we be scared? number one.” If Ebola somehow penetrated the borders of Ebola is not an airborne pathogen like the flu. It can South Africa, the trip would be cancelled—similar to how only be transmitted through contact with the Armenia trip was cancelled and replaced an infected person’s blood or other body by the trip to India, according to Legner. fluids, often times through a cut in the skin As a community Since December, Ebola has claimed over or the eyes or mouth. built around 2,300 lives and roughly 4,000 people have Ebola begins with a fever. Then come caritas, what is been infected in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra terrible stomach pains and vomiting. At our responsibility Leone, Nigeria, and Senegal. Modernization this point, those infected usually find when we of Africa has increased the pervasiveness of themselves gasping for air. Next, the virus are faced the virus making it all the more difficult to attacks the internal organs, thereby causwith a global combat. The World Health Organization preing internal bleeding. Then the skin erupts epidemic? dicts that it will take months to contain the in bruises and large blisters and in some outbreak, all the while the disease continues cases, blood pours uncontrollably from the to spiral out of control as families are being nose and eyes. decimated and entire villages are turning into ghost towns.

There is no cure for Ebola. But it can be combated America is situated 4,500 miles from the nearest outby nursing those infected by using fluids and medicines break of Ebola. However, as a service-based community to maintain their blood pressure and by treating other built around caritas, what is our responsibility when we infections that often strike their weakened bodies. This are faced with a global epidemic? gives the body’s immune system a better shot at eradicat“Perhaps we should worry about helping our brothers ing the virus. and sisters in Africa who suffer from the deadly disease The outbreak has been capped within West Africa and its effects, instead of worrying about the unlikely since its inception in New Guinea last December. Experts chance of contracting Ebola here in the U.S.,” said Biology suspect that the disease came from exposure to either teacher Mrs. Anna Geider. monkey or bat blood probably caused by uncooked meat Mr. Legner noted that he is interested in exploring or improper handling of the carcasses of either species a future collaboration with alumnus Dan Kelly ‘99 who which are carriers of the Ebola virus. opened a health care clinic in Sierra Leone. According to Experts say that the chances of an outbreak here are a September 12 story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kelly very slim. U.S. health officials are monitoring a total of 20 has trained over 1000 health care workers on the front airports and border crossings. Even if an Ebola outbreak lines of the outbreak. were to occur here, standard hospital practices would preAs for the persistent Ebola worries with regards to the vent transmission of the disease from rising to the scale service program, Legner said, “I will not let fear dictate that we are currently seeing in Africa. this program.” n

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October 2014

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

BEYOND MALVERN PARTING PERSPECTIVES

Hate Crime in Philly, or Not After a severe attack in Philly, Malvern takes a look out how legislators determine hate crimes, and how they could change in the future.

Jack McClatchy, ‘17 REPORTER n Center City, a gay couple was attacked by a small group late in the evening. Now, three people, two men and a woman, are charged with aggravated assault charges.

It happened on September 11th.

The three charged, Philip Williams, K at her i ne K not t , a nd K e v i n Harrigan, will not be charged with a hate crime, however. The hate crime law in Pennsylvania has no criteria for sexual orientation, which has driven gay rights groups to call on legislators in Harrisburg to make a change.

“I think it [the lack of a law] is a mistake,” Mrs. Harriet Lappas, who teaches AP US Government. “There definitely should be one.”

On October 8, the House Judiciary Committee in Harrisburg voted 19-4 in favor of amending the hate crime law in Pennsylvania to include sexual orientation, along with race, religion, and ethnicity.

One aspect that added another layer to the hate crime was that all three charged were recent alumni

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from Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster. Due to the school being part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Archdiocese and Archbishop Charles Chaput put out statements regarding the attack.

“This afternoon, administrators communicated with the entire Archbishop Wood school community to make it emphatically clear that the school does not, under any circumstances, tolerate or condone the violent and hateful behavior displayed by those who took part in this senseless attack,” the statement from the school read.

“A key part of a Catholic education is forming students to respect the dignity of every human person whether we agree with them or not.

What students do with that formation when they enter the adult world determines their own maturity and dignity, or their lack of it. Violence against anyone, simply because of who they are, is inexcusable and alien to what it means to be a Christian.”

Mrs. Lappas joined with LGBT activists who criticized the statements

>SERVICE, 1 coming...I had to cancel Honduras… so like that (snaps) here I am trying to find a place,” said Legner.

So it was by luck that Malvern ended up working with Rustic Pathways for service, according to Legner. “Now they are getting into other service programs, beyond just us,” said Legner.

“Malvern is exactly the example of a relationship that we want to build with other schools,” said Lugosch-Ecker.

When asked about the reputation of Malvern students on the service trips, Lugosch-Ecker laughed for a few seconds. “You always get glowing praise from service leaders...It is clear students get in line with the vision of the company,” she said.

Fiji Fiji was added as a destination when last year's trip to Jamaica did not meet Legner's expectations. “The seniors that went had a lot of down time, they would go down into a place and they would say ‘oh we didn’t know you were coming’... You know you can’t travel all that way, and spend all that money and not do work,” said Legner. “So, I said ‘ok, we are done’...I contacted Rustic Pathways and asked for a couple of places.”

“We talked about cost, destinations, and...finally decided on Fiji,” said Legner. Fiji was the first service location ever offered

by Rustic Pathways when first bridging out into the service trip market.

“Fiji sounds very exotic. Where they are going is not," said Legner.

Students will be up in the mountains working with a group of people to build a school. "They are going to be living pretty rustically... there is no electric," said Legner. Students will be living on a farm and helping with farming for part of the trip.

Later students will visit the bay area, but they will not be staying at a resort. They will be staying at a Rustic Pathways building.

According to Legner, there will be other students there doing summer program activities, but Malvern students will be doing service work. "Our guys are going to go out into the community.. teaching English, working at a school, helping to build… They will have a day on the beach, a kind of island hopping thing on a boat.”

Selecting Service Destinations Legner recognizes that many of the service destinations are vacation hotspots.

“Most of them are resort destinations. We don’t go to the resort destinations. Look at any of the places we go to and there is a third-world component to those countries,” said Legner.

as not going far enough. “I think it is a mistake. We live in a country where same-sex marriage is legal in nineteen states (twenty-nine by the time of publication, including the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania), and from a civil rights perspective, gays deserve their rights,” she said. “It would be like looking at violence in Birmingham in the 1960’s and not saying it had a racial charge to it. It’s a mistake.”

Malvern is in a unique position coming from the attack, especially with the fall play being The Laramie Project, based on the murder of a gay man in Laramie, Wyoming in 1998.

“Having that [the play] go on is a nice reminder that we need to be more Christ-like, and to learn to accept one another,” said Dr. Fry, Director of Student Life and the Malvern Theatre Theatre Society.

“The fact that this kind of event is still happening in Philadelphia is disappointing,” Fry went on to say, “It is a time where we need to look at ourselves, and say, ‘We still have to respect each other for who we are.’” n

What Laramie Means at Malvern Jack Murphy ‘15, member of Malvern Theatre Society, shares his perspective on being part of the production Jack Murphy ‘15 CONTRIBUTOR s many of you know, Malvern is doing The Laramie Project, the story of Matthew Shepard's brutal attack and death. But it is far more than that. Laramie is also the story of the people who witnessed the event and knew him. It is the story of hate and the story of love.

Here at Malvern, many seniors were only 1 or 2 years old at the time, so nearly every student has no memory of the incident. News of Matthew Shepard’s murder spread nationwide and a light was brought upon hate crimes. Yes, Matthew was gay, but a woman, an African, or any person who faces discrimination could have been in his position.

Shepared was murdered sixteen years ago, yet even today we are still seeing cases like the recent beating of a gay couple in Philadelphia, where laws do not protect certain groups from hate crimes.

Malvern is considered by some to be a “ jock mentality” school.

I disagree with this statement, and for us to put on this show is a huge step. This show will mean more than any production at Malvern before. It is spreading awareness about hate to each student, teacher, and member of the community.

Personally, this show has been a difficult one to tackle. We have a strong community in the Malvern Theatre Society and we all understand the weight that this show holds.

I have seen too many kids bullied both physically and verbally.

Too many times has no one stood up for them. People can say they are sorry all they want, but that can’t solve every problem. Take a plate and smash it into little pieces. Say you’re sorry. Did the plate go back together? Hate leaves lasting scars whether we can see them or not.

This show displays all of the strong feelings with which people hate others. It also shows more love and compassion simply because we are all human, and no one should be treated like that.

Hate is around us all, and most have been on both sides at one point or another. We want to show you how hate can escalate. Come see the Malvern Theater Society perform The Laramie Project. We hope to see you there, and we will do our best to “Say it Right.”n

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“Dominican Republic we work with slaves...that’s where we go. Costa Rica, you think ‘ah it’s paradise. It is, but not where we go. They go up into the mountains, nowhere near the ocean,” said Legner.

“In South Africa, they are going to go on a safari and that is going to be great… but where they are working is third-world. Practically all of them live in huts...about 15-20 feet around. One room, dirt floor...no electric no plumbing.”

“I like to have contact with people. That is number one with Rustic Pathways and with Augustinians; that our guys have to have contact with the local people,” said Legner.

“It is not about stuff...that’s a lesson, and I could tell you about it and you could print it in the newspaper, but they aren’t going to believe it until they go and see it,” said Legner. “I want them to see these people living in these horrible conditions we could never think of, and see that they are happy.”

Legner hopes that student count the service trips as one of the best experiences of their lives.

“My hope is that they get it. We did nothing to get born into the families that we did. You could have been very easily been born in Chulucanas, Peru and be living on a dollar day, if you had that, but you weren’t and we have a responsibility to help those people,” said Legner.

“We come back to our nice houses...but they dont. They stay, and what I am hoping for is that we are the ones that are changed.”n