The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2014

THE MAN WITH THE CAMPUS PLAN

MALVERN FOOTBALL

This guy has been selected to propose a campus re-design.

He spoke with the BFC about his background and ideas.

Friar football is off to a great start.

How does the rest of the season look? >Page 8

DEDICATION TO THE ARTS, DEDICATION TO A BROTHER The Blackfriar Chronicle staff pays tribute to Brian Hackman ‘05 >Page 12

>Page 5

BLACKFRIAR Chronicle

The

www.mpfriarslantern.COM

SEPTEMBER 2014

VOLUME 15, NUMBER 1

Welcome Back, Friars!

Senior lounge moves to Sullivan Hall Led by Student Council president Ryan Doane, the senior class worked hard to find a home for the senior lounge.

Kieran Sweeney ‘15, John Kuyat ‘15, Michael McHugh ‘15, Jack Marchesani ‘15

Correspondents or the 2014-2015 school year, the senior lounge is moving to the bottom floor of Sullivan Hall.

On Friday, September 19, Doane announced to the senior class via Facebook that the senior lounge has been officially found.

“We were finally able to get the MECO room on the bottom floor of Sullivan Hall thanks to Mr. DiDomenico and Father Flynn. They graciously agreed to switch,” said Doane.

DiDomenico and Mr. Algeo confirmed the new location for the senior lounge to the Blackfriar Chronicle via email.

During a meeting with the senior class on Wednesday, September 3, Dean of Students Mr. Dougherty established that the previous senior lounge on the third floor of Carney Hall was removed because the Dean of Students office needed a room for meetings with both parents and students.

Head of the Upper School Mr. Ron Algeo and Dougherty expressed their sympathy for the loss of the senior lounge and promised that they would do their best to find a new location for one.

According to Doane, a great deal of effort was put forth by the faculty and students to find the perfect location for the new senior lounge.

Doane explored the campus with Mr. Algeo. “We visited > PAGE 6

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The class of 2018 is inducted into the brotherhood of Malvern Prep on Monday, September 8 / J. Bennett

Malvern Adjusts to New School Schedule This Fall Malvern begins its adjustment to the modified block schedule that has left some students and faculty with mixed feelings.

Ryan Franks ‘17 & Matt Lanetti ‘15 Assistant Head of School Mr. Steve Valyo described some Reporter & Editor-in-Chief goals the new schedule seeks to accomplish. “One of the main his September, Malvern began its new modified block reasons was to reduce the frenetic pace of the day and to allow the scheduling system. Some students and faculty feel posischedule to be more student driven than teacher driven,” he said. tive about it - others not so much.

The schedule works, Valyo said, as “almost Some features of the new schedule include nona pure college model. You may meet in a class “We made the sequential class days, mandatory study halls for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and the responswitch to block 9th-11th grades and an open period for seniors, scheduling because sibility is on you to get the work done Tuesday an hour-long block of community time, a shifting and Thursday.” the main survey, taken by students, lunch period, counseling classes, and a different “The schedule has the ability to add more showed high levels electives and classes and is more flexible,” said time for homeroom. of stress when Few students and teachers have experienced Valyo. “It creates less conflicts, for example, in meeting with a schedule where they do not have to go or teach the past, because we have so many honors and AP teachers eight every class each day. Classes meet five days out classes, students couldn’t take band and honors periods a day.” of the eight-day schedule. Students and teachers 4 or AP Spanish because they were at the same -Mr. Ron Algeo must also adjust to extended periods and a daily time. Now with the eight carriers over eight days shifting lunch period. we can move things around.”

“Students had less problems getting the courses According to Head of Upper School Mr. Ron they wanted than ever,” Mr. Valyo concluded.

Algeo, “We made the switch to block scheduling because the main survey, taken by students, showed high levels of stress when meeting with teachers eight periods a day.” > PAGE 7 “Block Scheduling allows student centered initiative and more time to get done class work and understand that material.

What does the Friar community think of the new schedule? We asked.

It also allows for getting homework accomplished easier," Algeo continued.

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Malvern Theatre Society to perform The Laramie Project Cast and staff excited for controversial play related to Malvern’s diversity initiative Andrew Stetser ‘15 Arts Editor his November, the M a l v e r n T h e at r e Society will be performing The Laramie Project, the stor y of the circumstances surrounding Matthew Shepard's murder in Laramie, Wyoming.

M at t he w She pa rd , a homosexual college student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally murdered by two men on October 12, 1998, in what many classified as a hate crime. The play is a series of monologues collected by New York’s Tectonic Theatre Company, a professional theatre company that wanted to bring awareness to the reactions of the people of Wyoming.

“It’s a play that I’ve always wanted to do,” said Dr. James Fry, director of the Malvern Theatre Society. “It’s a show that Mrs. Velardi [MTS’s assistant director] and I have talked about

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> PAGE 10

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September 2014

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

EDITORIAL Students seek better communication “You have to go and get the apple, it doesn’t come to you.”

Editorial Board wonder about student voice and perspective in the strategic plan. here has been a rumor floating around the student body Students, has the administration told you who Trung Le is, that the Blackfriar Chronicle intends to release an article or that he’s proposed new designs for the campus (page 5)? What bashing the administration. is a Capital Fundraiser, and how might it affect you? (Wait for a It is our duty to disperse rumors, bring about student involve- future issue on that one.) Do you know about the school’s stratment, and tell the truth. egy to reach 20% diversity by 2019? These are There are some things that are only achievable key issues that affect you as a student and citizen Effective by those that make an active and conscious effort of this school. How are you expected to learn communication to get them. The path towards the apple is often about them? requires the participation and The Blackfriar Chronicle’s goal is to not only unclear and difficult, but there is no other way. effort of both Over the past few months, the Editorial Board pose key questions, but to also be a mechanism Malvern’s staff of the Blackfriar Chronicle has noticed a need of student voice. This is directly correlated to the and students.

To truly be an need for better communication at our school. for better communication between the Malvern active member Prep administration and the student body. Our We propose a challenge both to Malvern’s of the Malvern members pointed out both specific and general administration and to the student body.

Prep community, requires, you areas for improvement.

The administration is challenged with continguessed it, Unitas.

How many of you didn’t realize you had uously informing the community. Policy changes a summer math packet - something that was should never come to pass without the knowledge announced in the Malvern Weekly, which is not of the students. Whenever possible, involve us in sent to students? How many have heard of the change in sum- making the decisions. This is how we are going to learn what mer classes (page 3, this issue)? Did you know that Malvern has citizenship means. decided to “retire the strategy of integrating technology in the The administration has a slight head start, citing in the latest classroom” (Strategic Plan update, available online)? And where strategic plan, “We are currently devising a Student-Centered were handbooks for the first two weeks of school?

Learning Communication Plan. This plan will be shared with On a larger scale, we have noticed that many students feel our Faculty/Staff and Current Parents for clear and consistent left out of the thought process behind the new schedule, forced to messaging.” A student-centered plan only shared with the faculty venture into a new and confusing world of blocks. (We asked about and parents? this rationale and got some answers in this issue.) Similarly, we Students, do not be discouraged. We have a voice at this

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school, but it will not come easily. Like anything we want, it will not float to us. You must get the apple. One column in the school publication will not change the lack of communication about key issues. But what could?

Students should have a more active role as citizens in the Malvern community. Not only is it the student body’s responsibility to be engaged in activities at Malvern, they also need to be aware of changes in school policy.

Citizenship is the key. In this sense, what does citizenship mean? Caring. Having opinions. Getting involved. This is not just the job of Student Council or the Editorial Board of the BFC. You all have voices that can do a lot more than spread rumors (sound familiar?). Collectively, we must strive to be active participants in our community.

Effective communication requires the participation and effort of both Malvern’s staff and students. To truly be an active member of the Malvern Prep community, requires, you guessed it, Unitas.

We are not claiming to have a perfect solution, but this year our team will seek responsibility and do our part. It’s time everyone does their part and becomes an interested and involved citizen of the school. This is our challenge.

So what’s it going to be, Malvern? Will the apple come to you, or will you go to the apple? n

Share your comments on The Friar’s Lantern mpfriarslantern.com

Trip Outside these Shelt'ring Walls A perspective from living in a developing country.

Justice Bennett ‘16 America, Panamanian teen hangouts consisted of walking around Chief Investigative Reporter the mall or passing around the XBox remote to play FIFA. But fter a round of hellos at the airport I head to a cafeteria- parties felt quite different. style restaurant with all the Panamanians I know. One I was invited to one quince anos. As explained to me, the of the first things my host says is, “If you hear gunfire, quinceanera is the young girl whose birthday it is, and the party is just lay down and cover your head and everything will be alright.” called a quince anos. The quince anos was at Trump Hotel, one of Worst part is that he was not even joking. From that point the biggest hotels in the country, and the cars dropping people off on I knew I was not inside Malvern’s sheltered halls anymore. were usually fancier than the infamous Main Line Mom Mobiles.

I arrive at his apartment and as I sat in my room guarded Upstairs in the party, there are security guards making sure your by barred windows, double-layered barb wire, a 12-lock 6 inch name is on the list. The lobby is filled with Panamanians who thick front door, and 12 foot tall gate, I reflected on the country thought they might just show up and get in somehow. Once in around. I had brown water in the sink. I lived the party, the front stage performers were some in an apartment no bigger than the computer of the most famous artists in Panama.

The true value of lab in Duffy. The only air conditioning was a The bars on either side have loads and loads the exchange should wall unit, and only available in the bedroom. It of alcohol for the minors. It is left up to the be determined by the cultural was 90 degrees fahrenheit daily, with a humidpartygoers to be under control. education and ity of 97%.

Is this so different from a Main Line blowlifestyle experience At school, during gym class, mosquitos, no out? Yes. Of the hundreds of teenagers there, outside of our comfortable homes bigger than a horsefly, would leave red marks not a single one was drunk. The party went from in the Philadelphia the size of quarters on the Panamanians. The 10pm to 3am. suburbs. mosquitos could be carrying yellow fever, or What did the people of Panama think about deadly Dengue, but would the Panamanians Americans? wear bug spray? No. My host family told me that the country sees The culture in Panama is quite different from the one I knew. the American government as "entrometido," or meddling. Why? Americans did not treat Panamanians so well during the time of But parts are familiar.

The students are sharp, and in some ways a lot like us. After the canal construction. Charges of harassment and mistreatment handing back a test graded out of 5, the teacher then sacrifices the against the United States military by the Panamanian authorities remaining hour and a half to debate the scores with the students. forced a halt to “military exercises in Panama” in 1988.

Then the next day, when normal classes resume, the students have The canal construction is actually how Americans got the paper ball wars across the back of the room, while the teacher is name Gringos. Despite our meddling, this is not a derogatory working with a student in the front. term in Panama. It actually roots to when the American solThey listen to the English teacher say “I do not teach English, diers in Panama wore green, and when ordered, they would hear I teaching English to she,” but then come over to me and speak “Green-go!”

The value of going abroad, determined by many of my peers, perfect English. They read The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe in the 10th grade class - the same book I read for summer reading is in the cool views, awesome food, beaches, or the lack of school before my sophomore year.

(Australia). But why? The true value of the exchange should But the best schooling in Panama can be found for $5,000. be determined by the cultural education and lifestyle experience Premier colleges are free or less than $5,000. Students are put in outside of our comfortable homes in the Philadelphia suburbs. n classes with the same academic ability, and all 35 students of the class stay in the same classroom all day and get taught 14 See photos from the recent Panama trip at the Friar’s Lantern classes a week. mpfriarslantern.com Student culture was also both familiar and different. Like

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WALKING PANAMA’S STREETS / J. Faunce

Malvern’s Global Exchange Program Mission • Provide experiences that will help our • • •

students become global citizens and 21st century leaders Provide additional diversity to our School and expose our students to students of different cultures and the world beyond.

Provide cultural exchange opportunities for Malvern students abroad.

Prepare our students for acceptance to leading colleges.

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

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

September 2014

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FRIAR LIFE Seven classes fail summer school Decline in enrollment leads to class cancellations Justice Bennett ‘16 Chief Investigative Reporter alvern's 2014 academic summer classes experienced nearly a 30% drop in enrollment from 2013, according to enrollment figures provided by Assistant Head of School Mr. Steven Valyo.

Seven classes were cancelled, including all three new course offerings - General Etymology, Science Invertebrate Zoology, and Criminal Justice.

Valyo cites the decrease comes from lower sign-ups from outside feeder schools.

The summer classes started June 16, but many of the feeder schools did not end until June 26, according to Valyo. He stated that summer classes could not be shifted back any further because of conflict with the teacher-run Summer Institute program which provided professional development for teachers for two weeks this summer.

Twenty non-Malvern students enrolled in classes this summer, a

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Athlete, Scholar and Pickle-Eater

drop of 15 students since last sumMarch, and April, citing that he mer. But what about sign-ups of “wanted the kids to think earlier” Malvern students dropping from 147 about taking a summer course. to 103 in one year?

“It worked well,” said Chinici. He I n pre v iou s y e a r s , te ac hdoesn’t recall ever receiving a comers promoted their own classes plaint regarding the emails in the past to students and parnine years. ents. T h is su mmer, Te a c h e r and the Communications Director of 21st Century Department advertised Learning, Mr. Kevin the summer classes.

Whitney, who taught According to several three students this past teac hers, t hey were summer, agrees with -Mr. Chinici instructed not to market the decision to not have their own classes this teachers promote their own classes. According year.

History Teacher Mr. Chuck to Whitney, the school should have Chinici taught 3-12 students in his one consistent marketing campaign US History class each year for the for summer courses. “It is up to the past nine summer sessions. However, institution to control promotion,” he said. this summer he found himself with only two students enrolled in his class Associate Director of Communications and PR, Mr. Jim and had to cancel the course.

Mack, said the communications It was his first summer without work in 45 years. department advertised the summer Chinici used to self-promote his classes through two emails to parents class by sending in-school emails to and alumni, blurbs and links to the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. > PAGE 4 He would send email in February,

“The results weren’t quite the same.”

Many firsts in Freshman Orientation Freshmen welcomed in a whole new way Matt Kropiewnicki ‘16 Reporter sleepover, a speaker - and squats.

These were among some of the numerous changes that took place during Freshman Orientation at the end of August. For the first time in years, the freshman slept over on campus during orientation.

The O’Neill Center gym housed the 127 freshman for their two-day orientation on August 26-27.

The idea for the sleepover came from school counselors Mrs. Lewis and Ms. Wuetig, who saw during Outdoors Club trips’ that overnight stays with the students built camaraderie among them. They believed this would be particularly beneficial to newer students, by getting them out of their comfort zones.

“It was a lot of fun, because I got

Student of the Issue: Parker Abate ‘15

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Freshman doing Squats at Orientation / M. Lanetti ‘‘15

to meet some fun kids, and they did a lot of fun activities with us,” said Ryan Gabriel ‘18.

However, according to Josh Hoey ‘18, “for the people who were trying to sleep, it didn’t work out so well.”

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

The sleepover aspect was not the only thing that changed this year.

The orientation committee brought in Keith Wilford, a motivational speaker who taught here before, to > PAGE 12 Editors in Chief Matthew Lanetti ‘15 Jack Marchesani ‘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

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

EDITORIAL BOARD All members of the Mike Flanagan ‘16 student team above David Wright ‘15 2 members of the Class of ‘18 TBA

Chris Butera & Parker Abate on the morning announcements / BFC

Matt Heisler ‘16 Reporter he Class of 2015 has many remarkable students, but one who stands out in the crowd is Parker Abate.

Abate has been at Malvern since the sixth grade, coming in from Saint Pat’s in Malvern. As a middle school student he took advantage of the many opportunities to get involved at Malvern, participating in sports, service, and student council. Throughout high school, he has continued to distinguish himself as a man for all seasons.

Abate is a member of the National Honor Society and on the executive board of the Adelphia Society. As a board member of the Adelphia Society, Abate helps to plan, organize, and run the freshman orientation. This year’s orientation, which was held over the summer, included a scavenger hunt on campus and a sleepover in O’Neill.

In the winter, Abate competes in the long jump and triple jump for the Track and Field team. He started jumping in 6th grade because they had no one else to compete in those events. Once it tried it, he was hooked and has been jumping ever since.

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It is in the spring however, when Abate gets to participate in his true passion, baseball. He lists winning the Inter-Ac championship last year as well as the state championship as his best Malvern memory.

Abate plays outfield for the Malvern baseball team, which is hoping for a “five-peat” Inter-Ac championship this year.

“We have a strong nucleus of guys coming back, and as long as we all play up to our potentials, the ‘fivepeat’ will be a definite possibility,” said Abate.

Like many baseball players, Abate has a few superstitions that he carries out before and during the games. He always ties his left cleat first and you won’t see him stepping on the foul line when he runs on or off the field.

He hopes to continue playing baseball next year at one of four schools: Marymount, Marietta, Misericordia, or York College of Pennsylvania. His work on the TV Studio Club will come in handy as he plans on majoring in Broadcasting at one of these schools.

Abate’s younger brother Mason ‘16 was diagnosed with Leukemia as a freshman. “My faith grew > PAGE 4

Do you have a passion for self expression?

Are you interested in photography?

The Platon Photo Contest wants you!

The world famous photographer Platon will be visiting Malvern at the end of October.

Take a photo of anything on campus that truly represents Malvern to you.

A sports team? Chapel? Two brothers?

Anything you can think of.

These pictures will be displayed in the Duffy Center and will be voted upon by faculty and students for the best picture. The winning picture will be presented to the school upon Platon’s visit.

Contact Coach Brady or Ms. White for more information.

Visit platonphoto.com to see Platon’s work

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September 2014

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

FRIAR LIFE How is the new schedule going?

We asked a few members of the Malvern community what they thought about the first few cycles of the new schedule.

Mr. Rick Poce

ALEX YABLONSKI ‘15

JIM FINNEGAN ‘15

JOE D’ELIA ‘18

Zach Maher ‘17

How do you feel about the new schedule?

Any change always causes a little consternation. Human beings are resilient, therefore I think things will work out just fine.

How do you feel about the new schedule?

Well I had two hours and 40 minutes off one day, so I’m not seeing the added teaching time. There is a part of me that likes having the time off, but I am concerned about not getting through the material on my AP courses, and not crediting.

How do you feel about the new schedule?

I like it because there is more free time and we don’t have every class every day. It allows me to get ahead.

How do you feel about the new schedule?

I think it’s simple once you catch on with it. It’s easy to understand.

How do you feel about the new schedule?

I like it, actually. It gives me more time to get things done with all the study halls.

Is there anything you would like to see changed?

In order to make changes, we will have to see how things work out over time.

Is there anything you would like to see changed?

I would like to see a longer lunch period and more time before sports.

Those are times I used to use to do things, and now I can’t.

Is there anything you would like to see changed?

I want access to a computer during 2nd period. You can’t go in the Learning Commons then because it is middle school community time in there. Malvern should never schedule meetings during community time, because then we have no time to ourselves.

Is there anything you would like to see changed?

Nothing really, I like it the way it is.

Is there anything you would like to see changed?

Honestly, not really. I like how it is laid out.

AARON SALINAS ‘16 Mrs. Diane KIME How do you feel about the new schedule?

It’s lousy, really awful. It’s just overwhelming right now; it’s not organized.

Luke Stratton ‘17

Is there anything you would like to see changed?

Change the first lunch, there are just too many students in it. Having study hall in the cafeteria is a bad idea; it disrupts the study hall.

How do you feel about the new schedule?

I do not like the new schedule because we do not have every class every day. I also do not like the length of each class. You have to sit and listen to teachers lecture for a longer period of time.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW SCHEDULE?

Is there anything you would like to see changed?

I would like to go back to the old schedule where we have eight periods in one day.

Comment online at The Friar’s Lantern

Ethan Klenn ‘18 How do you feel about the new schedule?

Coming from a different middle school, it was difficult to understand the first week. After the first week I was able to get some help from teachers and I figured it all out.I was then able to use it well.

How do you feel about the new schedule?

It allows me to budget my time well which I know I will have to do anyway in college. In college we may not have a class each day, and this new schedule creates that situation. We are given a lot of freedom Is there anything you would like to see changed?

Lunch feels a little short which isn’t really that big of a deal.

Is there anything you would like to see changed?

More time in between classes, just to get my books together. Just an extra minute or two.

Joe Martin ‘15 How do you feel about the new schedule?

No, I do not like the new schedule.

The teachers have not changed the way they teach. The whole purpose was supposed to be for them to change the way they taught.

Is there anything you would like to see changed?

They could lecture for like 20 minutes then make you do work. Some teachers literally lecture for the whole 80 minutes and it’s just not right. I assume this is what college is going to be like not seeing every teacher every day but if the teachers don’t change then they have to change. They came about this schedule change too quickly. Last year’s modified block schedule did not work. n -Ryan Franks ‘17, Matt Lanetti ‘15

> SUMMER CLASSES, 3 summer program website in the Malvern and Alumni Weekly, local newspapers, websites, and a link on the bottom of the home page at malvernprep.org.

In an email correspondence, Mack noted the communications office “does not directly communicate to students.” Mack asked, “Who would have communicated directly to the students?”

“This year, the results weren’t quite the same since I used to put a lot of extra effort into publicizing my course,” said Chinici. "I felt sorry for some of the younger teachers who may have relied on having the summer job.” n

>ABATE, 3 tremendously after Mason’s diagnosis,” said Abate. “My parents are both Catholic, and we all did the only thing we could do in that kind of situation: pray. The prayers of the Malvern community were a huge help as well.”

Mason has been in remission for 15 months now. Through the experience of supporting his brother, Abate has learned “that things could always be worse and to appreciate the good of the present.”

Abate asked prayers for another member of the Malvern brotherhood, Jim Klinges, a 2013 graduate, who was recently diagnosed with a similar type of leukemia.

Away from Malvern, Parker stays busy on his PS4, watching Netflix, hanging with his friends, and either playing baseball or watching it on television.

Did Abate have anything else to share with the Malvern community?

“Yeah, I love pickles.” n

Get connected. @friarslantern1 TheFriarsLantern

www.mpfriarslantern.com Reporters’ meetings Monday & Friday, 7:45 AM

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

September 2014

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FRIAR LIFE Trung Le: The Man with the Campus Plan Trung Le is architect who specializes in redesigning schools, and now, he is planning Malvern’s future campus.

Tommy Pero ‘17 Reporter or the past few years, Malvern Prep has been implementing “21st Century Learning.”

With the help of architect Trung Le, the school is moving towards a 21st century campus.

Le says he has designed schools all over the United States and the Cayman Islands working with a Chicago-based firm called The Third Teacher +, which specializes in redesigning schools, according to the Third Teacher + website.

His designs emphasize natural light, have a large atriums instead of hallways, and have many multipurpose work and teaching spaces, the website states.

According to Head of School, Christian Talbot, Le was selected to redesign the campus because his ideas about a “dynamic learning environment” fit in very well with the goals and ideals of Malvern. Le was chosen out of 3-4 candidates, including the same firm that built the Duffy Center.

Talbot also said that Le thinks the future of learning is the difference between Newtonian Physics and Quantum Physics, meaning the future of learning is about interactions between students, teachers and the space they use, instead of the teacher just lecturing information to the students.

The Blackfriar Chronicle spoke with Le about his background and his vision for Malvern Prep.

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Tommy Pero: Tell me about your background. What inspired you to do what you do?

Trung Le: Well I think I was totally inspired by my high school teachers. A couple of them; one of them was actually my tennis coach and my Calculus teacher. Being an architect - I wouldn’t say it was accidental, but it wasn’t the first thing that I thought

of as a profession. But, there’s a point that I realized that I completely loved math and arts, and discovered architecture is one of those professions those two actually collide.

TP: How do you judge an actual project’s success?

TL: Well, there’s many different ways to judge it. One is that you were given a set of parameters and it has to function in a certain way.

It has to be under budget, so that is one measure of success. But the other more rewarding aspects of success is that you can come back and talk and listen to the people who are using your building and hear great human stories that come out of the environment that they occupy, and how that environment deeply affects who they are as human beings to each other. I think that’s the most rewarding part of my work.

TP: With that definition, have you ever worked on a project that wasn’t so successful?

TL: Yes. Sure. You always have failures, bad decisions, and you make mistakes along the way. But, I think those can be perceived as failures, or they can be perceived as, “Wow! I would never do that again!” Or, asking, “Did I learn a lot from that mistake?” So yeah, there are projects that I could have made better decisions, there’s no doubt about that.

TP: After you design something, what is your goal for how it affects the students in that school?

TL: One simple way is the question: Are you happy? Are you happy being where you’re at? And, are you happy being with your friends? Do you feel safe? Do you feel that you’re engaged? Do you feel that you discovered something that you didn’t know about? I think all these things are really important in the way that we grow as human beings, and yet

nearly impossible to quantify, somehow. But, one way to do it is just to talk to people and hear their stories.

TP: After you’ve designed a school or redesigned it, have you noticed if there is generally a measurable academic improvement?

TL: Yeah. I do not like that question. (laughs) Right now the one means of measurement that says you are learning well is in the form of tests. Nobody enjoys taking tests- actually I’ve never met anybody who enjoys taking tests. And there’s other ways that we can measure success, and I think the whole world is struggling with if taking a test is only one means of seeing progress of learning. And, we know it’s not very rich, because it’s memorization; some people are brilliant, but horrible at taking tests. I think that for us, in going forward, [we] need to find a deeper way to somehow put some values of success to [determine] if something caused you to learn better, or if something caused you to perform better, or if something caused you to have a better relationship with your peers or teachers.

TP: Can you describe one of your most memorable or favorite projects you’ve been involved with?

TL: I would say not memorable, but most impactful. For me, early 2000, I was given the commission to design three new high schools in the Cayman Islands. So in the front end part I was like, “Wow, exotic, I get to design on an island in the Caribbean!” But what became was not an architectural challenge; it was the small, little country where we were trying to reinvent learning all together. So, for me that was the most impactful project, and working with these educators really challenged me to try to think about the physical environment in a very different way that we do teaching and learning.

Trung Le at Malvern Prep / C. Talbot

TP: What will the design be of our typical new building at Malvern?

TL: Well, I think there will be a big push for the buildings to be sustainable. That we can consume less energy.

It would want to leverage more natural daylight, and that it would be able to turn off artificial daylight. I think it will be a healthier, indoor environment building. It has a greater sense of diversity of scale of the spaces.

And, it will give you more choices as to where you want be, who you want to be with, and what you’re actually doing in the building.

TP: So on our specific campus, what do you think are our biggest strengths and challenges?

TL: Well, your strength is that there is a tremendous history of academic success here, and there’s a strong galvanizing force that pulls you together as a community and in faith. And, that might be attributed to the strong Augustinian values. But, I would say that your challenge would also be because of your strength - the idea that we might never want to change anything is also your challenge. n

Mandarin at Malvern For the first time, Mandarin is one of the language courses available to middle and upper school students Jack McClatchy ‘17 Reporter f you think that Spanish or French or Latin are hard languages, wait until you see the new language course.

Here at Malvern, Mandarin Chinese is being offered to both upper and middle school students at Malvern, taught by new teacher Ms. Michelle DelGiorno.

There are currently two classes of the course, one upper school class, with ten students from all grades, and the middle school requires all eighth graders take the course for one quarter.

Ms. DelGiorno was contacted in late December by Mr. Colameco, a history teacher here at Malvern.

DelGiorno began learning Mandarin

I

in 2002, and went to China to study abroad in college, where her oral skills were strengthened.

In class, DelGiorno teaches Simplified rather than Traditional Mandarin. Most of mainland China uses Simplified Chinese, although Traditional is used in the AP exams.

As a teacher, DelGiorno likes to tell the students not only of how to speak Mandarin, but the culture and history of China as well. She utilizes hand gestures to help memorization of numbers and words in Mandarin.

“Since Chinese culture is so vastly different [from ours],” she said, “It is important to immerse yourself into their culture. The series [of videos] I chose teaches the culture through the

language.”

Accord i ng to t he Federa l Government, Mandarin Chinese is one of the hardest languages to learn for native English speakers, along with Korean, Japanese and Arabic.

“The disconnect between the written and spoken language… and the differences in culture can make it very difficult to learn,” said DelGiorno When teaching, Ms. DelGiorno makes sure that she takes things slow in the classroom, especially since Mandarin is such a different language not only from English, but from the other languages offered at Malvern.

Repetition is used a lot in the classroom, as one wrong intonation or one wrong stroke could mean something entirely different in Mandarin. “There

is no magic formula,” she said. “There is a lot of memorization.”

When asked if speaking or reading Mandarin is harder, DelGiorno said, “I would say reading it is harder, because there is a lot more time and

practice [that goes into it], and there is no rhyme or reason.”

“But, a lot of the sounds and tones repeat,” she went on to say, “So if you > PAGE 9

Mrs. DelGiorno teaches her middle school mandarin students / J. McClatch y

6

September 2014

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

FRIAR LIFE New faculty and staff share perspective This year, Malvern has welcomed 11 people to its faculty and staff. Each issue this fall will profile several of our new community members.

Christopher Bunn ‘16 Ted Holleran ‘16 Managing Editor Reporter

Mr. Kevin Moore (Math) CB: Tell me about yourself. Where were you born?

K M: I was born and raised in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. I graduated from Downingtown West High School in 2008. After that, I went to Immaculata. I studied to be a math major, as well in secondary education. I graduated in 2012.

Then, prior to teaching here, I taught a Salesianum down in Wilmington, Delaware. Aside of that, I enjoyed running in college, and I continue to enjoy running. I also have a hobby of drag racing with my family. Then, on top of that, I just got married about a month ago.

CB: What about drag racing do you enjoy?

KM:That’s where I think my love for math originated. So studying the numbers, the times, and whatnot.

CB: Is there anything else unusual about yourself?

K M: Actually, I still sing occasionally at local church. St. Joes in Downingtown. So you have running, drag racing, and singing. I also enjoy golf.

CB: Anywhere specific you golf?

KM: No, just all around.

at Malvern?

KM:Location was [a] huge [factor]. I liked Chester County a lot, as well as growing up around in Chester County, as well as going to Immaculata. I enjoy this area and what it has to offer. I also being part [of] and teaching at a Catholic school.

about 20 minutes over the bridge from Philly.

CB: From the week or so you have been here, what are your first impressions of Malvern?

KM:I have really enjoyed the sense of when you walk on the campus. It reminds me of college at times, in the sense that travelling between building to building, as well having a more relaxed feeling. It doesn’t remind me as much of high school, in the sense that it doesn’t have bells. It definitely is a mature atmosphere, I think, than your typical high school. The sense of the students of getting along.

I noticed that there is a tight bond [between] friends, as well as between activities they do. I really enjoyed the first mass that was celebrated in the chapel. I thought that as soon as the first song “Here I am to Worship” played, I thought [it was] was very nice. It’s contemporary for the students, and it was very enjoyable [way] to start off mass for the school year.

CB: Before Malvern, did you have any experience teaching anywhere else?

MD:I first taught at Malvern 8 years ago. Before Malvern, I didn’t teach anywhere else.

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

KM:I am looking to continue to not only teach, but mentor students as they continue through their high school experience, even past as they go through college. I’ve enjoyed keeping in touch with past students in college, and I look forward to continue to do that. Whether it be just math, or how to best handle time management, I enjoy getting emails and keeping in touch with students because they’re not just my students in the classroom, they continue to be my students. I look forward to continuing to be a teacher/mentor to the students I have now, and as they continue. As well as continue to foster my own spiritual growth while teaching, as well as witnessing.

CB: At Malvern, what courses are you teaching?

KM:At Malvern, I am teaching Algebra 2, and AP Calculus AB. CB: Is there any clubs or sports you will be moderating or coaching?

KM:I coached at Salesianum for cross country and track. I enjoy currently running with the cross country team, maybe eventually becoming more involved with that team. Right now, I enjoy just running, and supporting that team. I’ll enjoy watching other teams compete, I look forward to getting involved in coaching cross country and track.

CB: What first attracted you to teach

Mrs. Michele DelGiorno (Mandarin) CB: Where were you born?

MD:I grew up in South Jersey. It is

CB: Where did you go to college?

What did you study there?

MD:I went to St.Joe’s. I majored in Political Science. My minor was Italian.

CB: Did you teach anywhere else in between [The first time at Malvern and now?]

MD:I taught English in China.

CB: How was that?

MD:That was an awesome experience.

It was very different experience. It wasn’t at a very traditional school. It was just an English language school for adults, so you had to be at least 16 to go there. But it was at a school called Wall Street English that’s in over 100 countries. They had many centers around China.

opportunity arose to teach Chinese, I thought it was a good opportunity to put my Chinese education to good use, and share my passion for Chinese and China with the students here.

Also, to come back to the great community I loved being a part of before.

CB: Reaching back to your first time at Malvern, what were your first impressions of Malvern. What are your first impressions of any changes now?

MD:My first impressions were that it was a welcoming community. It was supportive and helpful. As far as now, I would have to say that those things still ring true. It has certainly progressed into the school of the 21st century.

CB: What are you looking to get out of Malvern?

MD:For me, it not so much what I get out Malvern, but rather what I can put into it. How I can contribute to this great environment and [what I can] bring to the table. I guess as far as get out of it, is to learn from my students and those around me.

CB: Do you have any hobbies?

MD:I like to read a lot. I am into arts and crafts.

CB: Any specific books?

MD:I am into nonfiction books.

Anything that’s not the feel good book of the year is what I read.

CB: Is there anything unusual about yourself?

MD:Unusual? I don’t know.

CB: What courses will you be teaching at Malvern?

MD: I am teaching two [classes of] 8th grade social studies. The course is called “Global Issues”. I have one 8th Chinese class, which every 8th grader has to take for one quarter. And then I have one Upper School Chinese class.

CB: What first attracted you to teach at Malvern?

MD:The first time? I was roommates with Bob Colameco’s daughter in college. One of the social studies teachers became ill, and they needed a long term sub. Mr. Colameco called me and asked me if I would be interested in teaching World Cultures, because I have been to China, and [will be] teaching the students about China.

At the time, teaching seemed like something that I wanted to explore. I hated my job at the time, working for Drexel hospital. So, I thought it was a good opportunity to see what it was like. I loved it, and I stayed for that half a year, and the next year when another teacher took a year sabbatical.

I loved Malvern. I went to China to teach English and a variety of other things.

Why did I come back now? When the

Mr. Joseph Sanchez (Spanish) CB: Where were you born?

JS:I was born in Santiago, Chile.

CB: Where did you go to college?

JS:I went to college here in the states. Wheeling University in West Virginia, a Jesuit university. My undergrad is from National Louis University in Chicago.

CB: Have you taught anywhere else before?

JS:I have taught at many schools.

I’ve taught in Presbyterian, Jewish, Christian schools. All independent schools. Every single one, for 27 years.

Mainly in West Virginia, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

CB: Do you have many hobbies outside of Malvern?

JS:Oh, I have many. I like to work out. Sailing, golf, music shows. I like to see bands. I support the Eagles.

[They] break my heart everyday, but I do my best.

> SENIOR LOUNGE, 1 the office by Mr. Schiller’s room, the bottom floor of Alumni Hall, and many other spots,” said Doane. “But many of the locations had some sort of problem.”

Mr. Algeo listed more locations that were checked out. “We looked in a room in Dougherty Hall, a classroom in Sullivan Hall, the conference room in the Duffy Center, and a closet in Sullivan Hall.” Algeo ruled out the conference room in Duffy, as it is being used for other activites. ”I just asked the question is there even electricity in there [the Sullivan Hall closet], meaning outlets,” continued Algeo. “There actually was, but there is no ventilation... With our insurance company, there is no way we would be able to put a group of kids in a room with no ventilation.”

Doane used Facebook to inform his classmates on the topic. He has polled the senior class multiple times, attempting to consider their personal opinions on the issue.

“My goal, as always, is to make everyone happy, so I don’t want this to be just an ordinary senior lounge,” stated Doane. “I want this to be the best one yet.”

Doane is thankful not only for the support of the Malvern Prep faculty, but also for the support of the senior class.

Doane and the seniors have now began the process of renovating the Sullivan Hall room in order to turn it into the senior lounge. This process will begin with donations from the senior class.

“I look forward to finishing what we started. We need to collect the furniture and necessities to make this the best lounge it can be,” said Doane. n

CB: Can you elaborate more on your basketball career?

JS:I was a member of the Chilean basketball national team for 11 years.

I pretty much played all of the world in national competitions. It was good.

There’s nothing more exciting [than] to wear your country's jersey and listen to your national anthem being played before a game. I went to one Pan-American game, which are the games before the Olympics, but we didn’t make it. We played in Europe for a year, then we went back to finish playing at the Chilean pro-league.

That was the end of my career.

CB: Is there anything else unusual about yourself that you would like to share?

JS:When I was born, I was so long that my mother didn’t see me for a week because the doctors were showing me off to all of their colleagues.

(Laughs.) It was kind of a funny story, but I don’t know anything unusual about me. I live a simple life.

CB: What courses are you teaching at Malvern?

JS:I have 2 [classes] of Spanish 2, and 3 [classes] of Spanish 3 Honors. > NEW TEACHERS, 12

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

September 2014

Friar Life > SCHEDULE, 1 The following are some details about features of the new schedule.

Non-Sequential Class Days The new schedule has eight 'carriers' or class openings over an eightday rotating schedule. But longer class periods mean only a five-period day. This means that each class meets only five out of each eight-day cycle.

Arts Science, History, or English, you have lunch first 11:35-12:10. If you have Math, Language, Study Hall, Art, Health/PE, Computer Science, or Counseling your lunch is at 12:401:15 you have lunch third. A student’s lunch period will change throughout the eight day cycle depending on which class he has third.

Anthony Ciro from the class of 2016 enjoys the shifting lunch period, “I like the fact that we can eat at different times each day, it mixes it up a little,” said Ciro. “It is confusing though, knowing what time you can go to lunch, but over time I will adjust.”

Sophomore Jimmy Kingsbury thinks otherwise, “I want to go back to the old schedule where we have lunch at the same time everyday. If I eat first, I find myself not that hungry, but if I eat third I can’t wait to eat because I’m starving.”

Community Time Community time is a one hour open period everyday that acts as a traditional “break”. For the first 15-30 minutes of community time, all students must report to their respective homerooms. After homeroom, students are allowed to do as they please, whether it be grab a bite to eat at Stewart Hall or finish up some homework in the Learning Commons.

Freshman Liam McKnight says, “I like community time because it gives me an opportunity to get done Extended Periods some my homework. It’s also a nice With fewer periods in a day, the break from class and I’m new schedule includes able to get something to longer classes that work “Getting the eat at the cafeteria.” to eliminate wasted study halls and time between switchcounseling ing classes by having Counseling classes to fit T he cou ns el i ng fewer transitions. First were the most course is designed to period is 60 minutes, difficult part help develop Malvern second is 80 minutes, of creating the Prep st udents into third is 100 minutes, schedule.” adult leaders who are a 65 m inute c lass thoughtful, reflective, and then a 35 minute -Mr. Koenig and make wise decilunch, fourth period is sions. Specif ic skills 60 minutes, and fifth that counselors aim to teach include; period is 55 minutes. goal setting, study skills, decision Students Brian Boyle, Andrew making and resistance skills. Students Clark, and Tommy Wolters do not will also work to increase their emo- like the idea of having only f ive tional intelligence and learn about classes a day as opposed to the standacademic integrity, mental health ard seven. The sophomores stated, issues and how to be more inclu- “We want to go back to the old schedsive in an ever more diverse culture. ule.” Wolters said, “With these longer Counseling takes place during one of classes, it’s hard to keep focused on the study hall slots. the same subject. I tend to lose my Mr. Mike Koenig teaches AP attention after 45 minutes.”

Physics teacher and, in his role as Mr. Koenig was heavily involved Scheduler, organized much of the in the creation of the new schedmodif ied block schedule model. ule. Malvern also worked with “Getting the study halls and coun- Independant School Management, seling classes to fit were the most dif- or ISM, a school management firm ficult part of creating the schedule. I that has a great deal of experience had to make 94 different counseling with high school schedules. classes and individually load them “The first thing we did was gather into the system,” said Koenig. information that ISM wanted,” said Koenig. “They gave us several possible Mandatory Study Halls and Open solutions and after that we met as a Periods committee.”

A mandatory study hall is given Mr. Koenig explained how the to each student grades 9-11 that fits committee’s first priority was to set into the schedule just as the normal absolute parameters, such as school core classes do. A student will have start time and stop time, sliding a study hall five out of the eight day lunches, and longer periods. cycle.

“We [the schedule committee] Seniors are given open periods, were meeting twice a week for weeks not study halls. and weeks and weeks. I wrote the “Seniors have the opportunity schedule, presented it to them, and we to, as they did last year, come in at made edits from there,” said Koenig. homeroom if they have first period Mr. Koenig and Malvern have open, only if they have filled out the invested a significant amount of time form,” said Mr. Dougherty. “Seniors in the new schedule. It may take some also have the ability to leave early if time for the schedule to grow on stutheir last period is an open, if they dents and faculty, and for them to have filled out the form.” make the adjustment. n Shifting Lunch Periods High School lunch is at either one of two times. If you have: Theology,

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Malvern’s “Hometown Hero” becomes a rising star Accountant turned musician makes a big hit with WSTW performance Andrew Stetser ‘15 Arts Editor fter winning a radio contest on 93.7 WSTW, Malvern alum John Scargall’s new song, “The Wind’s Always Gonna Blow” is now the theme for Neumer’s Children’s Hospital new video.

Scargall ‘08, a former member of the Malvern Theatre Society, Men’s Chorus, and Liturgical Music, has teamed up with Christian O’Connor ‘08 to create the song. With Scargall on vocals and O’Connor on guitar, the song is produced under O’Connor’s dad’s company, Phosphorous Records.

After narrowing a set of dozens of entries down to ten, WSTW put the top ten songs on their website for popular vote. The votes were submitted, and “The Wind’s Always Gonna Blow” came out on top.

“Funny enough, the contest wasn’t to actually be in the video,” said Scargall. “The song was just supposed to be used as a theme. The day we won, they played the song on WSTW.” In fact, the day they won the contest, “The Wind’s Always Gonna Blow” trended #1 on WSTW. “We started emailing back and forth between DuPont and Mark Rogers of WSTW. And they asked, ‘Do you want to be in the video?’ We said yes!”

The video includes the doctors, nurses, and patients of DuPont, as well as Scargall, Christian O’Connor, and Christian’s sister, Devon (NDA ‘13).

After the success of the song, John was invited to

A

Christian O’Connor & John Scargall performing in Epping, NH J. Scargall

WSTW’s “Hometown Heros” segment, where he performed the song live, and was interviewed by the host, Mark Rogers.

“I’ve met John on a couple of occasions,” said Rogers.

“He’s a very nice and generous guy, and very willing to be involved. Songwise, I think it turned out to be a great selection and it went along very well with the video. It’s upbeat and has a uplifting message. John’s been very thankful for that, and WSTW thanks him for being very supportive in promoting the show. He’s a very good guy to work with.”

There will be plenty more to come from John Scargall, and the Malvern student body will be hearing “The Wind’s Always Gonna Blow” in chapel, performed by Liturgical Music. n

SPORTS

Athlete of the Issue: Dan Giannascoli ‘15 Giannascoli is kicking his way to the top Patrick Ferraiolo ‘17 Sports Editor t the end of last year, Dan Giannascoli did not expect to be kicking for the Friars this fall, but as we interview him, he explains his wild ride from a soccer player to a starting kicker.

A successful football team is only as good as its kicker.

With an effective kicker, teams can rely on them to either sail a game winning field goal through the uprights or even bomb a kickoff through the end zone for a touchback.

Last year, Malvern had to bid farewell to that type of kicker - John Dolfus.

Giannascoli saw this vacancy as an opportunity.

“I decided to go out for football in the spring at an open tryout when the team was in need of a new kicker, because last year's kicker graduated,” said Giannascoli. “I wasn't set on playing then, but as the season approached I became more committed to play in the fall.

“My incentive to play football has always existed,” he said. “I have wanted to know if I could kick a football since I was a little. I knew I had a big foot in soccer, and was always eager to try kicking a football.”

How does Giannascoli feel about his kicking game so far? “I would say that it is going pretty well. We are still early in the season, but I hope to have a good season in store with some solid numbers to back it up.”

“My kicking ratio for PAT’s have been 8/11, while I am 1/2 in field goal attempts. I have a total of 11 points this season,” he said.

Being a kicker involves tons of stress, and it takes nerves to play the position. But Giannascoli is unfazed by the pressure. “My position is hard only if you make it hard,” he said. “In kicking it's all about mentality. A kicker has to be calm and focused on every kick. Every kick has to be the same and if you let the pressure get to

A

Dan Giannascoli ‘15 / Mrs. Giannascoli

you, you won't succeed. Of course, you need some kicking skills too.”

Giannascoli credits the influence of the coaching staff with much of his success this year.

“The coaching staff has helped me tremendously throughout my weeks playing football,” he said. “I am lucky enough to have two kicking coaches that help me with my mechanics, my motions or even my mentality.

Without them, I would be just a beginner on my own with no guidance.”

During the games, Giannascoli has shined. Perhaps his biggest moment took place during the recent game against St. Mary’s on September 12. With the score tied at 13-13, and only minutes left, Giannascoli booted a 32 yard field goal in between the uprights to give the Friars a 16-13 lead. They held on for the win.

“It was definitely my biggest highlight. Not only did it give us the win, but it was also my longest field goal,” he said.

Like many Friars, Giannascoli hopes to win and repeat the football title as Inter-Ac champs.

Giannascoli is happy with his decision to join the team this year. “I am very glad I played football, every week it is a new challenge, suiting for the games has become an amazing experience that I want to continue. It is really a new environment for me, but the more I get used to it, the more I can't wait to get out onto the field and play for Malvern week after week.” n

8

September 2014

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

SPORTS College Commitments Tyler Pizzico ‘17 Sean Christman ‘17 Friar Life Editor Sports Editor

T

he Black friar 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.

Luke Hoffman Senior, Lacrosse Committed to Quinnipiac University “I got in contact with Quinnipiac after the Under Armour tryouts.

When I got to campus I loved it, and the coaching staff was great.

I wanted to go to a school where I knew I would enjoy myself for four years. My advice would be to get out with your team as much as possible because being with the other guys is what motivated me”.

Quinnipiac University Founded - 1929 Location - Hamden, Connecticut Students - 8,400 Mascot - Bobcats Lacrosse Team’s 2014 Record - 6-8

Matt Klinges Senior, Lacrosse Committed to Drexel University “It was a rigorous process - it was tough to not know where I was going, but after the Under Armour tryouts I was contacted by Drexel. Drexel was coming off their best year in team history, and have great engineering and business programs. You have to make sure you work in the offseason to get yourself ahead of your competition” Drexel University Founded - 1891 Location - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Students - 25,500 Mascot - Dragons Lacrosse Team’s 2014 Record - 13-5

Trevor Morris Senior, Football Committed to Rutgers University “The process was very long and tedious, and it has its ups and downs.

I wanted to stay close, and my family felt that Rutgers was the best place for me. Coach Brady also went to Rutgers and told me it would be a

good fit. They have great academics as well as athletics. You can’t slack on the recruiting process, you have to get on it early and do the little things that end up making the difference” Rutgers University Founded - 1766 Location - New Brunswick - Piscataway, New Jersey Students - 45,000 Mascot - Scarlet Knights Football Team’s 2013 Record - 6-7

Brendan Inglis Senior, Baseball Committed to Lehigh University “I went to showcases and tournaments with All-Star Baseball Academy all across the East Coast you have to market yourself. Lehigh has great engineering, and the campus was great. I also really liked the coaching staff and I knew it was the right choice. You just have to make sure you don’t give up and you keep having fun” Lehigh University Founded - 1865 Location - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Students - 4,880 Mascot - Mountain Hawks Baseball Team’s 2014 Record - 25-24

Chris Butera Senior, Baseball Committed to Lehigh University “It’s a long process, you have to get used to playing in front of college coaches. I started getting my first interest during my sophomore year.

Coach Hilliard played a huge part in my process and guided me through it all. Lehigh was always on my list - it is a top 50 school in the country academically, and the baseball team is competitive every year. My best advice would be that you have to work hard and make sacrifices, but keep it fun because that is the most important part of the sport”.

Don’t see your sport covered here?

The Blackfriar Chronicle needs Sports Reporters.

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

Donuts sometimes.

Alex Hornibrook Senior, Football Committed to University of Pittsburgh “I liked the coaching staff, campus and competition at the University of Pitt. They had the best coaching staff out of all the schools I’ve seen, and the campus is awesome. It’s a place I would see myself going to even if I didn’t play football. For football it really helps to go to college camps in the summer to put yourself in front of college coaches. Its also a huge help if you have a good highlight tape that you can send out to the coaches.”

University of Pittsburgh Founded - 1787 Location - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Students - 28,650 Mascot - Panthers Football Team’s 2013 Record - 7-6

Mike Fay Sophomore, Lacrosse Committed to Notre Dame University “I attended a couple of showcases and did a lot of tournaments with my club team, there’s always coaches lined up on the sidelines watching. I was looking for a balance between academics, athletics, and social life, and Notre Dame had that. The culture at the school is very similar to Malvern’s which made me comfortable right away. The process can be very stressful but if you work hard and have fun things will fall into place” Notre Dame Founded - 1842 Location - South Bend, Indiana Students - 11,700 Mascot - Fighting Irish Lacrosse Team’s 2014 Record - 12-6, National Runner-Up n Photos for this article supplied by the athletes.

> MANDARIN, 5 could master that, it would make your life easier.”

Although the Mandarin program at Malvern is just in its infancy, there is a lot of potential for the program, as it is something totally new and different from the Spanish, French or Latin courses here. With the guidance of Ms. DelGiorno, Mandarin can certainly become a popular language course, further widening Malvern’s horizons in what it teaches on campus. n

OPINION

Does Academic Excellence Hinder Notre Dame Football?

Fighting Irish fans, for years now, have an easy culprit to blame for the indistinguishable achievements of their famed football program.

Ryan Franks Reporter he Un iversit y is renowned for its strict admissions process, and demanding academic excellence from its admissions director, which is what fans say keeps the best players out of the school.

While the school boasts its team’s unprecedented graduation rates and grade point averages, fans and analysts focus on what is happening on the field rather than in the classroom. With a 97% graduation rate, Notre Dame leads all Division I football programs, but the SEC powerhouses are not far behind.

LSU stands 6th with 77%, and Alabama and Florida at 7th and 8th with 75%.

So should Notre Dame trade grades for championships?

This is exactly what Notre Dame radio announcer Allen Pinkett had on his mind when Should Notre he was suspended from his job for 3 games for Dame trade suggesting that the Fighting Irish could benefit grades for from having “a few bad characters” on the team. championships?

“You can’t have a football team full of choir boys,” Pinkett said.

In the 2012 season, the Irish took a trip to the BCS National Championship and the topic quickly died down. Maybe college kids could be exceptional students and phenomenal athletes. This idea did not last long after Notre Dame was embarrassed for three hours straight on national television by the University of Alabama. The Crimson Tide crushed the Irish 42 to 14, capping its third BCS title in just four years, thus raising the idea again that brains and football skill do not come in the same package.

Since the installment of the BCS National Championship game in 1998, Alabama leads all FBS schools with three championships. Florida State, Florida and LSU each have two apiece. Notre Dame has none.

How does a school like Notre Dame win a BCS National Championship then?

Will they have to have the luck of the Irish like in the 2012-2013 season and execute when they get to the title game, or will they have to change their admissions standards to finally achieve greatness?

Notre Dame is all about tradition, and the admission directors are not about to change that and let in athletes who are not qualified or “Irish material”.

TJ Duckett was a top prep football player who, after a heated interview at Notre Dame, went to play for the Michigan State Spartans. He then went on to be a first round NFL draft pick in 2002. In a 2000 Sports Illustrated article, the father of Duckett accused Saracino, a legendary admissions director at Notre Dame, known for scaring away potential stars with difficult questions during interviews, of being too demanding and “insulting” his son.

Over the years, Notre Dame has continued to let athletes slip through their fingers because of the their lack of academic accomplishments and the burden they do not want to carry if they enroll.

Even after the players enroll, they are not done with the school work.

Freshman are required to take rigorous math courses like calculus and must maintain a 2.0 GPA by the end of the year and keep it there. Then, they are closely monitored by personal tutors and forced to attend mandatory study halls.

All of these academic factors contribute to the mediocrity of the university's football team. The academic problems concerning star quarterback Everett Golson and the investigation going on now involving four other players confirms the severity put on grades by Notre Dame. If the school ever wants to compete with SEC heavyweights like Alabama, they need to change their admissions process. Notre Dame has to get their priorities straight. Is it going to continue to be faith, school, football, or will they change it to faith, football, school? n

T

What do you think?

Let us know at mpfriarslantern.com

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

September 2014

9

SPORTS Big hopes for Friar Football

Cross Country sprints towards success

Malvern’s football team looks to succeed this fall

For the better part of a decade, the Malvern Cross Country team has been a strong point for Malvern Sports. But what will this year bring?

Alex Reber ‘17 Reporter ith a new school year beginning, a new football season comes with it. The Friars are coming off an 8-2 season, and are looking to build off of last year’s success this fall.

Many changes have occurred since last year. Malvern hired a new coach, many players graduated, and other players continue to grow and develop. For some players, colleges have already been involved.

A new coach, Aaron Brady, was introduced last spring and came to Malvern from Gonzaga Prep, a private school in Washington DC. Brady has changed this program already during the offseason by inviting incoming freshmen to the team’s summer camps, something that the football team has never done. Coach Brady brings an intense and hard working environment to Quigley Field during practice, and the team hopes that it will translate to success in games this season.

Some Freshmen have even been invited to practice and play with the varsity team. Freshmen like O’Shaan Allison, Cole McCabe, and others, have not gotten ample playing time thus far, but are still a vital part of the team.

Unfortunately, the team lost many notable seniors that will play college sports this fall.

Troy Gallen, who broke multiple rushing records in 2013, is playing football at Delaware University, alongside teammate John Nassib. Nassib played both tight end and defensive end for the Friars, and had great success at both positions. The loss of these two players will impact the team significantly.

Other notable seniors who graduated include Kevin McKnight, Jake Anderson, Matt Brown, Hunter Paulus, and Jordan Majors.

Even with key players leaving, the current senior class is still very strong.

The captains, Trevor Morris and Alex Hornibrook, both look to have big seasons.

Trevor Morris, Alex Hornibrook, and Hayden Mahoney are three players that have currently committed to Division I colleges. Morris will be playing at Rutgers University, Mahoney will be attending the University of Miami, and Hornibrook is going to Pittsburgh University.

When sophomore nose guard Justin Titchenell was asked about the team’s biggest goal of this year, he said, “Probably to win the Inter-Ac. That’s our number one”.

The team started out the season with a 38-27 loss against Roman Catholic on August 29th.

But in their first home game on September 5th, which was televised by Comcast Sportsnet, they won in dominating fashion by a 20+ points. Dymond Wright, running back, had a tremendous game with four touchdowns and over 100 rushing yards.

On Friday, September 15th, Malvern Prep had an away game against St. Mary’s in Annapolis, Maryland. Malvern won 16-13 with a game winning field goal by Danny Giannascoli.

“This year I really look forward to watching the seniors lead Malvern Friars to a great season,” said Sophomore and Malvern football fan Raymond Baran.

“Hornibrook, Trev, and Mahoney really have put the team on their backs this year and are doing a great job leading them. I think also with the help of the student section we could really have a good season.”

It will be interesting to see how this upcoming football season plays out.

With a new coach, new players, and new leaders, this team has the potential to succeed this year. n

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UPCOMING Friar Football Saturday 9.27 10:00 AM - Home vs. TBA

Friday 10.24 TBA - Away @. Penn Charter

Saturday 10.4 1:00 PM - Home vs. St. Joe’s Prep

Saturday 11.1 7:00 PM - Home vs. Episcopal Academy

Friday 10.10 3:30 PM - Away @ Haverford School

Saturday 11.8 1:00 PM - Away @ Springside Chestnut Hill

Saturday 10.18 2:30 PM - Home vs. Germantown Academy

Wednesday 11.26 10:00 AM - Home vs. Bonner/Prendergast

Patrick Ferraiolo ‘17 Sports Editor ear after year, the Malvern Cross Country seems to add Championship trophies to an endless pile of accomplishments, and this year they expect no different.

This year, the cross country team has already won two big invitational meets, the Abington Invitational and the Briarwood Invitational, and dominated a dual meet.

Jaxson Hoey ‘16 won the Briarwood Invitational with the third fastest time ever recorded at the 5K race, 15:30. His time surpassed the school record, and landed him in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Hoey also has high hopes for the team this year. "Our goal since freshman year is to make Nike cross nationals as a team. We have been working hard and building up for about two years now up to the climax which is this year.

Of course our goal is to win Inter-Ac’s, States, and have an undefeated invite season, and get better as individuals, but the Everest of the past couple of years has been getting into the national championship."

At the helm and leading this year’s team are seniors Billy McDevitt and Ryan Doane. Doane, is accustomed to being a leader as he is already the student council president. When the captains were asked about how they were going to lead the team this year, both said their main goal is to motivate their runners into doing their best.

“This year, one of our main goals is to go to Nationals, and I think just talking about that everyday and keeping that in our minds will motivate us to reach it there,” said McDevitt.

Co-captain Doane added, “We are all running much more. A few of us are going to start doubling and get some extra miles in before school. This is a huge year for us and

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CROSS COUNTRY TEAM CELEBRATES WINS AT BRIARWOOD / R. DOANE

we know we have to give it our all.”

“I have plenty of confidence in this year’s team,” said last season’s co-Captain Dan Ferraiolo. “In my opinion, this team has greater talent and experience. We were so close to making the Nike Cross Country Nationals last year, and I have the utmost confidence in them to make a good attempt to get there.”

As they prepare for a challenging second half of the season, the team hopes to keep up the good work. ‘We are all running well right now and intend to keep doing so,” said captain McDevitt.

It is clear that this team is fueled by motivation and hard work as they sprint towards their goal of winning a national championship and repeating their state and Inter-Ac championships. n

Malvern Alum Ryan Nassib Establishes His Presence in the NFL 2008 alum earns backup quarterback job for the Giants Sean Christman ‘17 Sports Editor t has been a busy summer for New York Giants Quarterback and Malvern graduate Ryan Nassib ‘08.

Nassib has matched the high expectations set for him by the Giants’ coaching staff going into this NFL preseason. He has earned the backup spot behind twotime Super Bowl winner Eli Manning.

Nassib was selected in the fourth round as the 110th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Syracuse University.

After a season as the third string quarterback, there were concerns going into this year about his decision making and accuracy after struggling in the 2013-2014 preseason.

The Giants’ preseason began with the annual Hall of Fame Game against the Buffalo Bills. The Giants won the game, and there were highs and lows to Nassib’s performance.

Statistically, he looked fine, throwing for 139 yards and a touchdown. However, he received some criticisms for a pass he threw that hit Bills safety Russ Cockrell in stride for an interception (although later called off due to a penalty).

After the game, questions still remained about whether or not Nassib could beat out veteran Curtis Painter for the second-string quarterback job.

The next game for the Giants was against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which Nassib had a difficult time with his decision making. After relieving Nassib late in the game, Painter played well, leading people to believe he would take the number 2 job from Nassib.

However, a week later, when the Giants played the Indianapolis Colts, Nassib led a comeback at the end of

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the game to win, 27-26. Nassib threw the game winning touchdown pass with just four seconds left to earn the victory. He went 11-for-15 for 158 yards and a touchdown.

The impressive performance kept his momentum going into the next week.

In the following week, the Giants took on the Jets, and Nassib shined. Nassib completed 8 of 12 passes for 103 yards, and threw three touchdown passes. In contrast to his performance against the Steelers, Nassib looked poised and comfortable in the Giants’ offense, and continually led the offense down the field.

This performance, combined with his impressive performance against the Colts, has silenced doubters in his ability to be the backup to Eli Manning. Nassib has locked himself in as the #2 quarterback, making Painter expendable.

In a year where there are doubts about starter Eli Manning’s ability, we may even see Ryan Nassib take his first snaps in an NFL regular season game. n

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September 2014

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

ARTS The Osticks: Theatre Extraordinaires

Artist of the Issue: Mike Shrader ‘15

A family that sings together, stays together.

Get to know one of Malvern’s most talented and creative artists, Mike Shrader.

Andrew Stetser ‘15 Arts Editor or over thirty years, Malvern Prep has known Mr. John Ostick as the economics loving, intramural running, senior social studies teacher, yet there’s more to him and his family than meets the eye.

“I have absolutely no artistic background at all,” stated Mr. Ostick.

“I can’t sing. I can’t dance. But I love the theatre.”

Star ting w ith the Ma lvern B.A.S.H. shows in the eighties, and to the present with their own summer theatre camp, the Osticks have shown their passion and love for the performing arts.

Back at Cardinal O’Hara, Mr. Ostick always wanted to join the arts program, but never could because of his basketball schedule. “Can’t you just put me in as a tree in the background?” Mr. Ostick asked the director.

While teaching at Malvern in the eighties, Mr. Ostick finally got his chance to shine onstage in the B.A.S.H. Shows.

In the eighties and late nineties, Malvern put on an annual faculty, parent, and student run show to raise money for the Malvern Theatre Society. The show usually starred Malvern teachers like Mr. Legner, Mr. Chinici, and Mr. Valyo.

“Mrs. Ostick was always willing to do everything that was needed of her,” said Mr. Legner. “She would sing anything, dance; she was always very helpful. Mr. Ostick was a

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featured person who would do something absolutely ridiculous and would make a fool of himself, but he was always willing to do that. He was a great person to be on that stage with.”

“They were exceptional in the B.A.S.H. shows,” said Mr. Chinici.

“Anytime they were in any of the scenes, they stole the shows.”

The parents were not the only stars in the family, because Jackie Ostick, their daughter, started her career in the B.A.S.H. shows.

Jackie, three years old at the time, starred in a scene called “The Beat Goes On” alongside Mr. Legner’s daughter.

“I was hooked from then on!” states Jackie.

With a degree from DeSales University in musical theatre, Jackie is now playing Mrs. Tubman in the national tour of Judy Blume’s “Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great”.

“I always play the mom, because my dad made me six feet tall with curly, dark hair!” said Jackie.

Even though the B.A.S.H. shows have ended, the Osticks continue to do theatre with their summer theatre camp, Camp Curtain Call.

“I started directing the shows at St. Denis ten years ago,” said Mrs. Ostick. “I work at Villanova [as a nurse practitioner] and I’m off in July and August. So, one of my friends went up to me and said, ‘You should put on a theatre camp during the summer.’ So I put brochures out in Havertown, and from the first year it was really successful.”

“Because of my free time,” said Mrs. Ostick, “and to supplement our income,” said Mr. Ostick, Camp Curtain Call has now been running for six years and is thriving.

Mrs. Ostick, Jackie, and a staff of actors and actresses (including Nick Anderson, MP ‘11) go through four stages of theatre with the kids: singing, acting, dance, and costume/ prop design. Mr. Ostick manages the kitchen, coming up with fun food names. (“I’ll have the High School Musical pizza, please!”)

“Mrs. Ostick takes the leading by example thing to heart,” said Nick Anderson, MP ‘11. “Whether she’s working directly with the kids or describing tasks to the counsellors. she is a real firecracker.”

“Mr. Ostick was my boss at Camp,” said Kristen Harrison, MMA ‘16. “He made camp exciting for the kids everyday. During the hottest week of the summer, he was the one to greet the campers in the morning, and say goodbye to them at dismissal time, handing out treats, or just giving the kids high fives.”

Whether it be on Broadway for Jackie, at St. Dennis for Mrs. Ostick, or in Room 306 for Mr. Ostick, the Osticks will always be performing. n

See video footage from the Osticks’ BASH performances at The Friar’s Lantern mpfriarslantern.com

Ben Yankelitis ‘16 Reporter a l v e r n s e n ior M i k e Shrader is one of Malvern’s most gifted and skilled artists. You probably have seen his work posted on the walls of the Duffy Center. Mike is very dedicated to his work and was in the studio art room while this interview was completed, spending his free time drawing.

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BY: Where are you from and why is art a large part of your life?

MS: I’m from West Chester and I went to Saint Simon and Jude. I took art classes there and kind of enjoyed it. I thought it was a nice little hobby. When I came to Malvern freshman year, I was offered to take Studio Art I and I thought it was a great opportunity to see if art was a passion of mine. After taking studio art freshman and sophomore year, I found that art was an easy way to take a step back from my day and relax.

After that, I have taken studio art all throughout high school.

BY: So you have taken studio art all through high school? What have you learned in your experiences?

MS: I’ve learned how to really be creative and think outside the box.

Obviously with art, in order to create a successful piece, you have to be creative in yourself and find out what you do best. So, I have learned how to use my talents to the best of my ability.

Mike Shrader ‘15 / B. Yankelitis

BY: If you were not at Malvern would you have had the same experience with art in your life?

MS: No. Malvern’s experience with art, especially with the new Duffy Center and all the tools we have here, I don’t think I’d even come close to the experience I’ve had at Malvern.

BY: From any of the classes you have taken, what project have you enjoyed the most?

MS: We had a project last year, where we took a picture of our faces in a pose we chose in a really big piece of a charcoal drawing. That really helped my classmates and I with figure drawing. I really enjoyed it.

BY: Of everything you have learned here at Malvern, what do you hope to take to college and your future life?

MS: I think art is an important skill to have. Say in the business world, you can help with marketing and advertising. It’s a good skill to have.

You can apply being creative to anything to help you be successful in life.

Those are the skills I am going to take from art, especially at Malvern into my future career. n

BY: What kinds of experiences, teachers and pieces you have made, play just continues spreading the message of have had an influence on you? doing for a couple of years now, and it seemed to make sense now being understanding of people who may not MS: I had Mr. Muntz my f irst with our new diversity strategic plan.” be exactly like ‘me’, but may be different from “It seemed to be a good time to put this piece of theatre out others.” three years and this year I have Mrs. there, because the heart and soul of the show is all about acceptSupport for the production at Malvern Prep White. Mr Muntz really knew ing people,” said Fry. me. He was a very relaxing teacher. spreads beyond South Warren Avenue. Fellow When he threw a project out it was According to the Educational Theatre Association, high Augustinians think the show is for the best. school performances of The Laramie Project easy to just get into them and relax.

“It’s a good piece to do, because it really digs into the Just the atmosphere of the art classhave faced multiple challenges and cancellations, “It’s a good piece roots of bigotry and hatred,” said rooms at Malvern have influenced including three in one month in September 2005. to do, because me.

“I hope that protests and controversy wouldn’t Father Peter Donohue, President it really digs happen,” said Mr. Christian Talbot, Malvern’s of Villanova University. “The into the roots of bigotry and individual that was ‘different’ Head of School. “While the story is disturbing hatred.” from the others was beaten up because of both the physical and psychological violence, it’s an incredible piece of drama, story, and killed, and was not doing any-Fr. Peter Donohue and depiction of the human condition.” thing wrong in terms of his interactions with these of parts, and each character has its perspective.” Gatti plays “It’s not obscene; it’s not pornographic; it people. Laramie really looks at all if those issues, Sergeant Hing, Aaron McKinney, and Greg Pierotti.

“I’m really excited for Laramie,” says Kelly Mulhern, VMA doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominator. It’s a work and it’s really an important message to get across at a Catholic, ‘17, “because I think it’s a lot different than Malvern has put on of art,” said Talbot.

Augustinian school.”

Fr. James Flynn, school president, thinks that Laramie will Auditions for Laramie took place on Saturday, August 6. As before. I think that it will give viewers a different view on the be a teachable opportunity for our students. with all Malvern Theatre Society productions, students from Villa issue because it happened in real life.” Mulhern plays an angel “He [Shepard] wasn’t killed because he was gay,” said Fr. Maria Academy, The Academy of Notre Dame, and Malvern Prep and Romaine Patterson.

Flynn. “He was killed because two people couldn’t tolerate that were invited to audition.

“I think Laramie’s a very powerful play,” stated Charles he was gay. That’s the perspective that I would want to get across “The audition process, especially for a show like Laramie, Malone ‘15. “I think the majority of the people on Malvern’s to the student body.” was great,” says Ally Carbonar, NDA ‘17. “You’re in an environ- campus are very open to gay rights and homosexuality in general, “People can agree or disagree with homosexual lifestyles. But ment where nobody’s going to laugh at you, and you’re free to so I don’t think that there will be that much controversy surwe can’t kill someone because we disagree with them. We can’t make mistakes, and MTS is just a great place to be. I think that, rounding the play.” Malone plays Andrew Gomez and Reverend beat someone up because we disagree with them,” said Fr. Flynn. because of this, Malvern is well capable of performing The Laramie Fred Phillips.

“The whole goal and underlying message of the play is about Project.” Carbonar plays Amanda Gronich and Zubaida Ula. The Laramie Project runs November 6, 7, 14, and 15 in the “I’m excited to do this play,” says Nick Gatti ‘17. “I actually Duffy Arts theatre. After the run of Laramie, Mrs. Judy Shepard, acceptance and awareness, and helping people become more aware of their own thoughts about certain things,” said Dr. Dorothy hadn’t heard of it before auditions, so I looked it up online, and mother of Matthew Shepard, will be coming to speak to the Sayers, school psychologist and Diversity Club moderator. “The I was skeptical at first. But now, I’m excited that there’s a lot community on November 18.n > LARAMIE, 1

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

September 2014

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MEDIA and TechNOLOGY Fall Movie Preview

Fall TV Preview

A look into this season’s most hotly anticipated films

What new shows will you watch while you have your homework sitting on your lap incompleted?

Kieran Sweeney ‘15 Reporter very year, there are a number of highly anticipated films released in the fall. From drama and romance to action and adventure, these f ilms are surely worth the price of admission.

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5. “The Skeleton Twins” Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader star as twins in this drama about death and bad life can get in certain situations. Both stars are best known for their work as various characters on Saturday Night Live. However, Wiig and Hader break out of their comedic shells to star in this dramatic work. Preliminary screenings of The Skeleton Twins are currently earning the film superb reviews and has won awards the Sundance Film Festival.

4. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” The Hunger Games franchise has undoubtedly proven to be the best young adult film franchise since the conclusion of the magical Harry

Potter film series. Fans were stunned by the violent plot line of the first film, but it was interesting enough to keep hordes of them coming to the theatres. With the release of Catching Fire, the world of Panem expanded, the characters grew stronger, and the tone grew darker. Being one of the biggest films of 2013, Catching Fire left many fans hungry for the next installment. Without further ado, here comes Mockingjay – Part 1. The format of this film will inevitably be different from the previous two films, as there are no Hunger Games in this story. It will certainly be interesting to see a broken Katniss attempt to embody the face of rebellion.

3. “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby” Another superb innovation, Rigby is a film split into three separate parts.

One part focuses on the man of the relationship, another revolves around Rigby herself, while the final part tells the story from both perspectives. The films are titled Him, Her, and Them respectively. What makes this a hotly anticipated film is its unique narrative framework, although the casting (Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy) does not hurt the situation. Rigby will be released in early September.

2. Interstellar Christopher Nolan is one of my personal favorite directors. His 2010 released movie, Inception, is fantastic, and Nolan has produced the three brilliant and innovatively realistic films of the Dark Knight Trilogy.

Interstellar, in following the footsteps of Nolan’s previous films, will surely be a story that affects its viewers for a long time after they leave the theater.

1. Gone Girl Being a fan of David Fincher’s style in films like The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I was thrilled to see Fincher’s return with a brand new feature film. Upon seeing the trailer, I could not be more excited. It has a similar tone to the films listed above, and it seems like it will be a great mystery film that will undoubtedly provide wild twists and turns. With a star filled cast, Gone Girl looks like an early front runner in the race for the 2015 Oscars. Gone Girl is based on the book of the same name by author Gillian Flynn and hits theaters in October. n

Visit Kieran’s blog for more reviews kieranscritiques.wordpress.com

Ben Yankelitis ‘16 Reporter As a new school year begins, so does a new season for television. Every network has been airing a significant amount of advertisements for their new shows. With the networks constantly shoving new shows in your face, you can feel quite overwhelmed.

Nevertheless, we must be prepared for this fall season. Here are some early reviews and reactions.

Gotham (Fox) If the success of the recent Batman trilogy proved anything, it is that America loves the Dark Knight. So someone at Fox had the brilliant idea of making a show about Bruce Wayne’s city, Gotham. However, it is missing one thing…

Batman! The show is about Detective Gordon investigating the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Bruce is only a child and the lack of the Batman character in Gotham may lessen the interests of viewers. The show will still be worth a look as it will show the origins of many of Batman’s villains.

Mulaney (Fox) You may have seen his stand up special New In Town on Netflix. You probably have seen his greatest creation, the character of Stefon, played by Bill Hader on Saturday Night Live. John Mulaney is one of the funniest and brightest writers and comedians of the past five years. He now travels to your TV looking to emulate the classic, Seinfeld, by placing standup within the sitcom.

If Mulaney can follow Seinfeld ’s structure and use New In Town’s comedy Mulaney will surely be a hit.

NCIS: New Orleans (CBS) I was able to obtain the discussions about the pitch of this show from an unnamed unreal source.

“We need a new show. Something totally different.”

“Well how about another crime investigation show, just in a different city.”

“Bold and new. I like it.”

I may be proven wrong as the formula is “if it works use it again”, but another crime show seems to be excessive.

Forever (ABC) A doctor is immortal. Whenever he approaches death he wakes up in the Chicago River. He studies dead bodies in the hopes of learning about his immortality. I am just as uninterested as you. I have probably lost you so I will try and bring you back in. Super cookie. Now that you are back, yes, it is clear this show will be canceled after a few episodes.

Selfie (ABC) Selfie is simply destined to fail. It is about a woman who wants to become famous over Instagram by taking, you guessed it…. Selfies. She realizes she cannot become famous with online “friends” and needs to go out into the world to make real friends. I think it’s safe to say the only thing that is worth laughing at is the premise of this show. n

FRIARS ON NEWS

Friars on Ferguson Members of the school community share thoughts about the Ferguson riots Jack McClatchy ‘17, Jake Sorensen ‘15 Reporter, News Editor hat happened at Ferguson hasn’t gone unnoticed by Malvern Prep. The students and faculty have opinions of their own.

This August’s riots in Ferguson, Missouri resulted from the shooting of African American teenager Michael Brown. The riots raised questions on not only race relations in the United States, but also the increasing militarization of police, as pictures of officers in fatigues circulated in the media.

The Blackfriar Chronicle interviewed members of the Malvern community for their perspective on Ferguson.

According to school counselor Dr. Dorothy Sayers, it wasn’t just the shooting that caused the riots. “[The shooting of Michael Brown] was the straw that broke the camel’s back in Ferguson,” said Sayers. “It was an incident that made people furious, and it was a huge snowball effect.”

That furious reaction led to the alleged harshness of the police when dealing with the riots. “It appears that the police were out to keep the peace, at the cost of the people,” said Mr. Legner... The

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way [the police] treated the people brought me back to the 1960’s, when the police were beating everyone in peaceful protests.”

“There were people doing illegal things, however,” added Legner. “The police should have went after them, and not the peaceful protesters.” “... When the governor enacted the curfew, [it turned into] ‘Protest all you can peacefully! Until here, where we have to lock you in your houses,” said Mr. Tim Dougherty, Dean of Students.

“The response [from police] was ‘You don’t belong in your community. We’ll take care of you.’ Not a great response.”

The reaction of police, already controversial, was made even more so by the fact there were almost no non-white officers - only three out of the 53-officer force.

“There’s something disturbing in the fact that the police force is predominantly white in an overwhelmingly African-American community,” said Dougherty.

Three out of 53 non-white officers isn’t the only reason people in Ferguson may feel a distrust for the police. In other cities with similar racial tension, notably in Los Angeles and New York, there is a police policy called “Stop and Frisk” to combat crime

in high-crime areas, which allows police to search anyone for drugs or weapons without a warrant.

“I don’t think the policy is inherently racist,” Dr. Sayers said, “It’s our own implicit associations that make it look racist.”

Mr. Dougherty disagrees. “You can’t institutionalize racism.

I think there is a statistic that shows that… blacks are more likely to be stopped and frisked, it is whites who are just as likely or, even more likely to be carrying contraband.”

According to the New York Civil Liberties Union in 2011, “a weapon was found in only 1.8 percent of blacks and Latinos frisked, as compared to a weapon being found in 3.8 percent of whites frisked."

Mr. Dougherty said that he hasn’t seen any mistrust of authority at Malvern. However, he went on to say, “I’m going to do things that people here won’t like… As long as everyone understands I come from a position of respect, even when I am not telling them something they like, the community cares about each individual.” n

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September 2014

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE

BEYOND MALVERN Temple No Longer Requires SAT Scores For Admission Schools cite socioeconomic barriers for underrepresented populations among reasons for change Christopher Bunn ‘16 Managing Editor s college students around the nation start to gear up for school, colleges are already looking ahead to next year’s incoming class. Temple University announced a new option for students looking for a spot in their fall 2015 class.

Called “The Temple Option,” this new program allows applicants that have a weak score in standardized tests to have another option to prove that they are a good fit for Temple.

Rather than submitting a score, applicants can complete a set of special, short answer questions. These questions are meant to give trained readers an idea about the applicant’s personality. Temple believes that the answers to these questions are a better reflection of a prospective student than a standardized score alone.

In a press release from July 29, 2014, Temple’s provost, Hai-Lung Dai, mentions how this move will help to break down the socioeconomic barriers underprivileged applicants face. “...if we are to stay true to our mission of access and affordability, we cannot ignore the mounting evidence that standardized test scores inject socioeconomic bias into the admissions and financial aid equations. By evaluating noncognitive factors, we believe we will attract even more highly capable and motivated students.”

While Temple’s move away from standardized scores is controversial, it is hardly alone in this move. Universities such as Kansas State, Wake Forest, and Montclair State have also given students another option in the admissions process.

Many of these universities also cite the same reasons as Temple for eliminating the need for standardized

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testing. In a press release from May 27th 2008, Wake Forest University’s director of admissions Martha Allman places the reasoning for the decision on increasing opportunities for the underprivileged: “By making the SAT and ACT optional, we hope to broaden the applicant pool and increase access at Wake Forest for groups of students who are currently underrepresented at selective universities.”

Even though this option reduces the pressure for prospective students, it does have a few limits and exceptions. Certain groups of applicants, such as international and home-schooled students, still need to submit a test score to be considered for admission. In addition, students who choose to submit an application through the Temple Option cannot switch back to submitting a standardized test score, and vice-versa.

However, in the press release, Temple University is also quick to point out that applicants who apply through the Temple Option are still eligible for aid. This includes need-based financial aid, as well as merit scholarships. In addition, applicants can also be considered in Temple’s Honors program.

Despite these limitations, a wide number of applicants from underprivileged backgrounds are covered under this new change in the admissions process. Students who have been undereducated throughout their life due to their financial situation have another chance to get a collegelevel education. n

> NEW TEACHERS, 6

> ORIENTATION, 3

CB: What first attracted you to teach at Malvern?

JS:I taught down the road, at a church. You’re one of the premier prep schools in the Philadelphia, so when the opportunity came up, and I saw the ad that you’re looking for a Spanish teacher, I didn’t hesitate to send my resume in.

speak to the freshmen.

“He has a great story of perseverance and getting through things,” said Mrs. Lappas, who heads the Orientation Committee. “He was trying to show them that physical endurance and mental endurance go together.”

So, on the second day of orientation, the freshmen all did squats together outside in the area between Duffy and Dougherty.

“He was interesting, for sure,” said Scott Sander ‘18. “The squats he made us do got hard after a while, but he seemed like a nice guy and I thought he did a good job.”

The freshmen also had the opportunity to be introduced to the arts program at Malvern in a whole new way, according to Mrs. Lappas.

Instead of just being told about the types of art classes that Malvern offers, freshmen were afforded the opportunity to sit down with the teachers of the classes they were interested in.

“I think most people understand the athletic component here,” said Mrs. Lappas. “But I think a lot of kids don’t seek out their artistic side as younger kids.”

“And I think introducing them to [the arts] during their first week here is extremely important, because our arts program is phenomenal.”

Another source of help for the freshmen was the Adelphia Society, which is in its second year of operation.

The program allowed the freshmen to be introduced to a junior who would be their mentor over the next 2 years. The junior would mentor a group of 3 freshmen, who would hopefully form a bond with the other two mentees, said Mrs. Lappas.

The main theme of the change this year was to let the freshmen learn what they wanted to know on a need to know basis, according to Mrs. Lappas.

This decision to change orientation came from the Orientation Committee, which was put together by the Strategic Initiative and included Mrs. Lappas, Dr. Fry, Mrs. Day, Ms. Wuetig, and Mrs. Lewis.

As a team, they organized a mission statement saying that they would make sure that freshmen would “start their high school career anxiety free.”

“It was awesome because it gave me 5 or 6 people to work with, who obviously had a new perspective,” said Mrs. Lappas.

Lappas felt like the organization of orientation had fallen all on her in the past. Orientation was much different this year, and according to Mrs. Lappas, it achieved a primary goal.

“From day one when classes started...kids knew each other. It was almost like the first day of school was a month in. It seemed like everyone knew each other because they had formed little bonds with each other during orientation.”

Dan Taylor '18 agrees. "The activities we did...really gave [me] a good feel for the school. Everything we did, I thought it brought us closer to our future classmates and teachers."n

CB: What are your first impressions of Malvern?

JS:I think that it is a community oriented place. I think that it is well known to me, as a new teacher, that your education is student centered.

The way it should be. We are here for you, you should be number one, it is a very friendly community, very dynamic with one goal in mind: to be the best CB: What are you looking forward to getting out of Malvern?

JS: Experience the opportunity to work in an all-boys school.

Participation, get involved in a sport, community. It’s a little different than my other school, especially with your community service. I have never done that, so I’m looking forward to that.

The Camden trip, and all of the help you do for a semester around the area.n

PARTING PERSPECTIVES

Brian Hackman ‘05: Dedication to the Arts A tribute to an alumnus whose voice and outlook were larger than life Blackfriar Chronicle Staff arly this September, one of Malvern’s greatest was laid to rest. Brian Hackman ‘05 passed away on September 1. Brian started at Malvern as “a painfully shy freshman,” and by his senior year, grew into “the voice of Malvern,” said music teacher Mr. Ed Liga. According to Liga, Brian Hackman was an embodiment of the arts program at Malvern.

Brian was an integral part in getting the Duffy Arts Center built at Malvern, according to Liga. He gave the arts department instant credibility with his upbeat personality and his breathtaking voice.

“When he started at Malvern, he was painfully shy, but as he got bigger and his hair got longer, he grew into this sort of persona and developed this larger-than-life voice,” said Liga.

Brian enrolled in Men’s Chorus beginning his freshman year. At that time, the chorus program was just starting and the Duffy Arts Center was not even in existence. Men’s Chorus was rehearsing in the basement of Tolentine, where Dr. Fry’s office is today. “[Brian] was very dedicated to this music department. It was a big part of his life...it was obviously something very important to him. When he sang, he took it very seriously. Even though he was a jokester, when he sang, he was all business,” said Liga.

According to Liga, the music department at Malvern is still benefiting from the class of 2005. He noted that the members of this class took this music program very seriously and are a huge reason this department has become as large as it is today. “[Hackman] wanted to use his voice to change a lot of things,” said Fr. Flynn. “And I’m not talking about ending poverty in Africa, he just wanted to put a smile on people’s faces through his music, and he did.”

Brian is primarily remembered for his voice, but that was not the most memorable thing to Fr. Flynn. “He was a person of a very deep faith, and on the outside he was sort of rough-and-tumble, but when we sat down and talked there was a sort of depth to him that I found very energizing,” said Flynn.

Although he could be overbearing at times, those close to Brian knew that he was a deeply complicated, emotional person who always had the best

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intentions in mind. Brian was constantly going out of his way to help other people out.

“When Father Duffy died he was a freshman at Catholic University,” said Liga. “He took the train up just to sing at his funeral, and I thought they was a really neat thing, because he didn’t need to do it. It was January, the semester was just starting and he would miss some of his classes, but that didn't bother him, he wanted, no, he needed to do this.”

Brian died on September 1 at Brian Hackman ‘05 / 2005 Malvernian age 27. His funeral service was held at Our Lady of Assumption Church in Wayne on September 6. Six members of Men’s Chorus attended and sung at this service in honor of Brian: Michael Gormley ‘16, Phil Daubney ‘15, Jack Murphy ‘15, Jack Marchesani ‘15, Andrew Stetser ‘15 and Christian Franck, along with Mr. Liga. Alumni Jason Sammartino ‘04, Chris Igidbashian ‘05, Dan Landau-Smith ‘05, and Dan Dolente ‘05 also performed with Men’s Chorus.

Brian’s family requested that Malvern’s chorus come and sing four songs during the service, all songs Brian had sung during his time at Malvern.

These four songs were “Soulshine” sung by Mr. Liga, “You Raise Me Up” sung by Phil Daubney, and “Come Sail Away” and “We are One Body” sung by the whole Chorus.

“The pressure of singing a song made famous at your high school by a legend like Brian is pretty great,” said performer Phil Daubney ‘15. “I mean, I knew that no one can perform it better than he did, but at the same time, I felt very connected to his family as I led them in the song of his memory.”

The staff of the Blackfriar Chronicle sends their condolences to the Hackman family. n