DECEMBER 2014
The Christmas Issue
STAFF
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THE KNIGHT December 2014
EDITORIAL BOARD
ADVISOR - ELISIA HARKINS-JAMES CO EDITORS NICK HALABY CAMERON DE MATTEIS NEWSPAPER EDITOR - ALEX STEPHENSON LAYOUT EDITOR - JANET YEO SPORTS EDITOR-LAUREN CRITTENDEN ADVERTISING MANAGER VICTORIA MARTINEZ
STAFF WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS GABRIELA AVILA - COPY EDITING EMILY GLENNON ANDREW GAVINET JEANNIE GONZALES
GUEST WRITERS
Simone Schwartz-Lombard Umberto Moreno
INSIDE THE KNIGHT MAGAZINE
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Girl’s Golf Recap By Lauren Crittenden
In the beginning of November, the Notre Dame Varsity girl’s golf team wrapped up their 2014 season. This team consists of four All-League members, three CIF-SS Northern Division rings, two college committed athletes, and one heck of a team. Since the beginning of the fall sports season this group of girls have been eyeing the prize. They were ranked number one in the LA Daily News 2014 Golf Season Preview and five of the girls on the post-season team were in the “Golfers to Watch” category. This team had a target on their back all season long. First, there was the nonleague match against Oaks Christian where the Lady Knights won with only a two stroke lead, the closest match in the last four years. Then there were the disappointing finishes in the San Clemente (4th) and Optimist (6th) Tournaments. It was a rough start to say the least, but the girls worked hard, and prevailed under the pressure. “Our success was a combination of how hard everybody worked in the off-season to be confident in their games and the family connection we have,” Coach McClung stated. “This connection is great since the girls want to do well for each other.” The team placed first in Mission League for the 12th time in 13 years, and kept the MVP of the league in the family. “To [win MVP] my senior is just surreal,” said senior Janet Yeo. “I’ve been trying to win this and I’m just happy all my work paid off.” Yeo overcame obstacles of her own. This year she endured a gruelling 9-hole playoff to secure a trip to the Individual CIF-SS Final. “The playoff was very nerve wracking, but also very fun,” commented Yeo. “It’s not an everyday thing you get to do, and to be successful in the end just was incredible.” The team’s success didn’t stop there. The girls travelled to Soule Park in Ojai hoping to capture another CIF championship. “When we arrived at the golf course it was still dark, we even ran out onto the driving range collecting golf balls to practice with,” laughs senior Samantha Winchester. “But after the player’s meeting we wished each other good luck and then we took care of business.” That is definitely true. All four seniors shot in the 70s, contributing to the first place overall score of 390. This final win was the icing on the cake for the four senior captains. Now Winchester and Yeo plan to take their talents to the collegiate level. Both girls committed in November to Cal Poly SLO and Northern Colorado respectively. Currently, the team’s’ focus is designing their third CIF ring. DECEMBER 2014
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My Experience as a Teacher’s Assistant By Simone Schwartz-Lombard “Does anyone else have something to add to the list of class rules?” His eyes blinded by fluffy blonde hair, Charlie’s hand shoots into the air. “Yes, Charlie?” Silence. “Do you have anything to add?” With a self-realizing smirk of humility, Charlie responds, “I’m thinking.” Kindergarten is an awe-inspiring age and year full of learning: social, educational, and in my experience, religious. I do not share the same problem as our friend Jack Nicholson from the film, “The Shining”. All work and no play might make Jack a dull boy, but my job seems to involve a lot more play than work. I am a Rishona, or Teacher’s Assistant, at Temple Isaiah. Getting paid (even minimum wage) and having an income is great. I would even do it for free. Don’t tell my boss. The developmental age of kindergarten is extraordinary. It is the beginning of blossoming personalities and characteristics being formed that will inexorably be transformed and tied into the grown adults these small kiddos will become. The typical stereotypes of every class emerge as well. The tattletale, the troublemaker, the ringleader, and the followers. Each of these roles has their own merits as well as downfalls, and I have learned from all of it. First, the tattletale is worse than the troublemaker. Second, the troublemaker is just misunderstood and feels disliked. Third, the follower is the most loyal of them all. This is just the beginning. It is interesting comparing the kindergarten jungle to the terrain that is high school and eventfully the everglades that will be
college. A prime example of these roles put into action is the week we learned the Ten Commandments. Since talking about death is a bit much for five-year-olds, the rules are simplified and put into terms they can understand. Rather than “don’t steal”, we say “you should always ask first”. During snack time, the kids receive challah and grape juice. Upon a miscalculation and being one grape juice short, the follower stole one of the grape juices from another kid to give to her friend. Extremely sweet, and loyal. But stealing? Right after learning the ten most important rules, one of the first being not to steal? And you might be asking yourself, well, did she ask first? The answer is no. Like I said, both triumphs and pitfalls included. The play yard is really the time to win all the kids over, or the time to be run over. Whether I’m being chased (because I’m the villain) or I’m chasing (because I’m still the villain), as long as they’re smiling, I run faster. Once they trap me with their hula-hoop machines of heroic vengeance, I am taken to my prison, the toy shed. This is, of course, until I am released to be the owner of puppies and kittens, the next game I am happily forced to play. Well, until all the loud, screechy meows and woofs deafen me in my plunder for approval. All of the hardships, work, and sweat are well worth the satisfaction of having four small children fighting to sit on your lap. Quite fulfilling, indeed. DECEMBER 2014
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Teacher’s
Ms. Patarias
Mrs. Wolfe
Mrs. de Artola
Mrs. Aston DECEMBER 2014
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Mrs. Moulton
Mr. Klee
Mrs. Reichert Mr. Good
Knights Mr. Lawrence and Brent
Katrina Villa
I’m in an undergraduate program for clinical nursing leadership at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. Prior to that, I attended Hood College, in Maryland, as an undergrad, and graduated as a Biology major. Ever since I took my first trip to NYC with Mrs. Harkins and our newspaper class back in 2011, I’ve wanted to live in the city. I wanted to finish up my nursing degree and hopefully find a job in the city. It’s pretty much the equivalent of east coast equivalent of LA, but I don’t have to deal with the traffic and I get to experience seasons which I absolutely love. Although I’m not pursuing a degree in journalism, I owe a lot of my writing and public speaking skills to being the newspaper editor at NDHS. Being able to work with a wide variety of individuals is a skill in and of itself, no matter which field one ends up in.
Tara Aquino I’m actually leaving Complex Media, where I’ve been at for 5 years, for a job covering entertainment for Vh1. I started at Complex as an freelancer when I was 19, took a full time job after graduation, and had been writing about movies and TV for them since. I majored in English at Fordham College at Lincoln Center because I knew that my high school AP credits would transfer and allow me to graduate early. I honestly wasn’t looking to get into a career with English; I was just looking to graduate from a good school in New York and get my life outside of school going. Newspaper taught me how to manage and interact with new people. It also gave me confidence as a writer.
Tayce Taylor I am currently a sophomore at the University of Southern California. I am a business major with a design communication minor. My dream, besides attending USC, is to become an entrepreneur in the fashion industry. My brain is stimulated by a balance of academics and creativity (hence my major/minor choices). I learned my most valuable skills in high school through editing the newspaper. I learned how to be an effective leader and communicator. Ms. Harkins appointed myself as well as my good friend, Anna Hovanesyan, as co-editors our junior year. Mrs. Harkins really took a leap of faith with me because I did not have any prior editing or leadership experience beforehand. I felt like I had to prove myself to her, to my team, and to myselfand I think I did that. When I showed up for an interview at the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at USC my senior year, the dean shook my hand and told me that editors in high school exemplified the best skills that they look for in perspective students. If it was not for Mrs. Harkins taking that leap of faith, I’m not sure where I would be today. DECEMBER 2014
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The Knight Editors Edition By Alex Stephenson
Vaughn Himber I am currently a first-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley. My intended college major is Business Administration, since I am interested in eventually working in the field of management consulting and developing greater knowledge of how successful companies work. Being a Notre Dame newspaper editor taught me about the important skills of communication, collaboration, and compromise. As Editor-in-Chief, I had to clearly delegate responsibilities, facilitate conversations, and ensure that everyone on staff knew what they need to be working on to meet deadlines and expectations. The Knight’s team setting enhanced my understanding of how to coordinate the unique perspectives of a talented group of people in ways which would allow everyone to contribute to improving the publication. Learning how to distance myself from my own ideas to accommodate a multiplicity of diverse suggestions allowed me to find ways of building consensus in order to move forward on reaching the magazine’s monthly goals.
Theresa Deocales I am currently a nationally certified Massage Therapist and Health Educator practicing in Indianapolis and Los Angeles. I attended UCSB from 2004-2008. I had every intention of pursuing a Journalism major; however after many discussions with writers and journalists, as well as exploring different courses my first 2 years, I finally declared a major in Political Science with a minor in English. I decided to do so because of my interest as a writer, as well as my desire to remain an active and well-informed citizen, while continuing to strengthen my writing skills, knowledge, and interest in current events, history, and literature. The United States’ reputation with the world was also an intriguing subject to me, and that interest led me to spend a summer studying abroad in Sweden during 2007 in a program discussing US & European relations. When I graduated in 2008, my course of study was aiming toward law school; however the following fall brought the great economic crisis that we are still feeling today. It was a scary and uncertain time to be a new graduate with loans and an unstable economy. These factors, combined with other personal life altering events led me on a journey to become a massage therapist and health educator. The years I worked on The Knight were some of the most formative years of my young adolescent life. Being put on the staff helped me to gain confidence in my writing and working with a diverse staff committed towards the same goals was valuable in and of itself. Becoming Editor in Chief my junior year allowed me to gain experience and insight into leadership roles and the responsibilities of organizing and delegating to colleagues. For more information on Knight editors, please visit ndhsmedia.com DECEMBER 2014
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Letters to en, r u a L r a e D Like l! o o c e r a Hey you a e r a u o Y ! on. s r e p really cool! g in z ama d n a l u f wonder so! I love you cher r a t S n o s Ja
Jenny, I love you girly! Our sleepovers are great! We need to go get cheesecake again. We are crazy but we work because of our craziness! You are my sister! Melissa Galvan
Ashley, I love you so much! You are my sister from another mister. Thanks for being crazy wi th me ! Melissa Galvan DECEMBER 2014
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Friends
By Gabriela Avila
National Friendship Month
Teddy, I didn’t understa nd the p of Inters lot tellar ei ther. Ella Fishe r
Lydia, I love climbing onto the roof of you r g a rage at night and sitting there in the freezin g cold, singing songs as lo ud as we can. Tha nk you for making me craz ier. Cassand ra Pa rker
Hey M ary, You ar e I am so such a sw e et, lov glad t ing fr year! hat I m iend! et you Tracy this Tanusi DECEMBER 2014
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DIY Christmas Ornaments
A fun Christmas activity to do with the whole family is to make personalized Christmas ornaments. This is a simple and inexpensive way to bring everyone together to make even more memories over the holidays.
By: Janet Yeo
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Heart Melting Olaf Ornament Crayon Confetti Explosion Ornament Mini Christmas Tree Snowglobe Slightly Chubby Snowman Thumbprint Rudolph
M e r ry C h r is t m a s ! :)
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All I Want For Christmas... By Lauren Crittenden
The 2014 Christmas shopping season has already begun! To get into the holiday spirit we decided to interview some ND students asking them what they want this Christmas. Colin Fraser, Sophomore: “For Christmas I would like an ‘Arbor Whiskey’ snowboard. I really need one since I’ve outgrown my old one.”
Bernadine Corpin, Freshman: “For Christmas I hope to get a computer. Right now I’m sharing a five-yearold laptop with the rest of my family. It would be great if I could have my own for homework and my own personal things.”
Maryann Mouchemel, Senior: “For Christmas I hope to get a car, specifically the 2015 Chevy Impala. I want a new car so I can drive myself to school on a daily basis.”
DECEMBER 2014
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“You can expect big things from us. We are all determined to win league and put a ‘15 on the board.” - Captain Danielle Roumbos ‘15
Girl’s Basketball The Big Game: ND v. Louisville Expectation: To win league and put a serious run in playoffs Challenge: A new league and number of young players
COLD WEATHER, “We will bring out our best and it will be an interesting match.” -Senior Sofia Pearl on the Harvard Westlake game
Girl’s Water Polo
The Big Game: ND v. Harvard Westlake Expectation: Win League Challenge: A strong score of returning starters with a mix of new Varsity players will make it interesting. Junior Christina Hirn loads up and gets ready for the goal.
DECEMBER 2014
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Boy’s Basketball “We are focused on winning a league title and CIF
championship.” Captain Ben Buckley ‘15 on what the team wants to accomplish
The Big Game: ND v. Crespi Expectations: Make playoffs and possibly win league Challenge: Playing in a tough league with great competition
Senior Owen Manning looks to pass to his teammates.
HOT TEAMS
“We expect to be in the top three of our league and make playoffs this year.” - Captain Sarah Tadeusiak ‘15
Girl’s Soccer The Big Game: ND v. Louisville Expectations: To be one of the tope three teams in league Challenge: Living up to high expectations.
Boy’s Soccer “We got a great group of boys this year and I’m really excited to
see what we can do.”
- Senior Jake Tarlov on the team’s talents
The Big Game: ND v. Loyola Expectations: Make a serious playoff run Challenge: Lots of tough games, one being against Loyola DECEMBER 2014
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The Dangers of Journalism We asked Freshman students from Ms. Aston’s class their opinions on the recent murders of Journalists in the Middle East. By Umberto Moreno The job of being a journalist seems very easy to some people in the world; however, it is no longer considered a “safe” job. Many innocent journalists who are trying to bring out information are being killed more and more often. As a result, the United Nations has just labeled journalism as one of the most dangerous professions in the world. Journalism should not result in death. Nigel Brennan and his colleague, Amanda Lindhout were on an assignment in Somalia. Everything was going well until they were kidnapped. They were tortured, beaten, assaulted, and even forced to convert to Islam. They were eventually let go because of a ransom but that just shows how violent and cruel the journalism world can be. UN’s High Commissioner of Human Rights Navi Pillay stated, “report on human rights violations and bad governance give voice to the victims and the oppressed, and contribute towards raising
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