The Prep April 25, 2018

Loyola Academy Jesuit College Preparatory School

The Loyola Academy Prep Wednesday, April 25, 2018 A.M.D.G.

Volume K Issue VIII

www.goramblers.org

Loyola Gold Wins 2018 State Hockey Championship

What’s Inside?

March Walkout page 3

Spring Service page 4

Honors Dance Concert page 5

Hamilton Club page 6

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The Prep

Editor-in-Chief Madeleine Quackenbush

Moderator Ms. Katie Klein

EDITORIALS

Loyola Academy’s Oldest Organization Founded September 20, 1912

THE

PREP

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Contributors Annie Enrietto, Alejandra DeLeon, Claire Finley, Jonas MAdison, Grace Cutler, Emily Devyor, Eva Vitanovec, Jess Vela, and Brady Reichert

1100 Laramie, Wilmette, Illinois 60091 Phone: 847-256-1100

Letter from the Editor “Coach” is one of the most variant words in the English language. It can mean so many different things – personal trainer, life coach, coach of a team, therapist, etc. It can be interpreted and applied in all sorts of ways, making it very difficult to pin down or define with clarity. Even within

Who Deserves a Voice?

Annie Enrietto Junior Writer

America is known for being the land where our first amendment right of freedom of speech is safeguarded, but is it really? Recently, schools

each specific definition, such as the coach of a team, there are so many

nationwide, including Loyola Academy, took part in a walkout for the

different people, styles, and mindsets that all fall under the same title.

Parkland shooting. Together the country stood in solidarity and remem-

So how can we define a good coach, or a successful coach? The

brance for all the lives lost on February 14 and advocated for change

most basic definition can be determined by number of wins, trophies, championships – statistics that prove a person’s understanding of the sport, and their ability to motivate and teach athletes to

to be brought about, so that no one may ever endure such agony again.

In light of this walkout, a teacher from Rocklin High School in Cali-

execute the steps necessary in order to triumph in competition.

fornia was placed on administrative leave after asking her students if

And I think that we often have a tendency to stop there. We fo-

they thought schools would support walkouts for other issues to the same

cus solely on the win count, the accolades, and disregard the person behind the numbers. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they may do so long as they can get the results we want to see.

extent that they supported the Parkland walkout for gun control. She specifically mentioned another controversial topic, abortion. The teach-

But the best coaches, the ones who are truly successful, go beyond

er didn’t ask for the school to take action, and she wasn’t undermin-

the wins and losses, the plays and race plans, and fill all sorts of roles,

ing anyone’s authority, she was simply dismissed for asking a question.

such as cheerleader, role model, mentor, or even friend. The best coaches that I have encountered are those who are willing to go above and beyond, inconveniencing themselves and making sacrifices in order to

The history teacher, Julianne Benzel, later told news outlets that she told the administration that if schools nationwide are

be present as a supporter for their athletes. Whether they are running

willing to allow students to walk out for one cause, they should

along the track during a race cheering their runners on, or hosting pasta

give the same courtesy and support to a walkout for others.

dinners at their house for their basketball team, these are the people who shape young athletes’ perception of their sport and their world.

Especially in the years of middle school and high school, life is

In response to his teacher being put on leave, one student named Brandon Gillespie organized a pro-life walkout to “honor all of the lives of the

very tumultuous and confusing for students, and the role of coach

millions of aborted babies every year.” The walkout took place on Wednes-

is unique in that it gives an adult a special opportunity to function

day, April 11, and needless to say, it did not receive the same coverage and

as a different sort of authority figure – one that still gives commands and instructions, but can also serve as a unique motivator and supporter for their athletes. Even the coaches of college

hype as the Parkland walkout. Nor was it sanctioned by Gillespie’s school.

In a country where we pride ourselves on our ability to say what we

or professional sports teams can fulfill this role, being a steady

want, is it ok for schools to allow students to publicly express their

force that players can depend on or turn to for help or guidance.

opinions for one topic, but not another? I understand that it wouldn’t

In my opinion, the level to which a person fulfills this role is what determines whether or not they are a truly good or successful coach.

Their ability to win games or races may look good on paper, but the

be practical to allow students to miss school for every cause, otherwise students would come up with a cause to miss school every day. How-

lasting impression that they have on their athletes is what really shapes

ever, how does society decide what topics are worth missing class for?

their identity and their level of success. Anyone can teach a kid to throw

While this article is not intended to criticize the Parkland walk-

a free throw. But, the individual who goes above and beyond when

out, I do believe that there is a double standard that needs to be ac-

it comes to being supportive is what makes an extraordinary coach.

knowledged. Overall, I believe that schools need to allow their

Madeleine Quackenbush

students to exercise their first amendment right, but are they curtail-

Editor-in-Chief

ing it by deciding what topics we are allowed to speak out about?

The Prep

LA NEWS

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

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Taking Strides Towards Action with Walkout Claire Finley A&E Editor Jonas Madison Senior Writer Ever since the shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 14, it’s been a confusing, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking time for everyone. A month later, on March 14, the Loyola community rallied together in response. Loyola students’ actions on March 14 were a part of the National School Walkout Day, where high schools (and even some middle schools) around the country stood in solidarity with the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

At Loyola, students had the choice to either walk out of class to the football field, pray the rosary in the chapel, or stay in class for 17 minutes. Loyola students showed support for the victims of Parkland and a keen inclination towards political participation, as over 1,300 students left their classes at 10 am on that day, and dozens arrived in room 100B throughout the school day to voice their concerns to lawmakers via phone or email.

The shooting was a shocking wake-up call for Loyola, and had an effect on every student. Before the day of the walkout/chapel movement, a lot of planning had to occur. The National Walkout Movement was brought to Loyola Academy when senior students Lauren Mlynek and Jonas Madison created a “Walkout Facebook page” in late February. Within two days of its genesis, the page accumulated over 400 followers that filled the page with hours of bipartisan political dialogue, wishes for the walkout, and support for the movement overall. This page was responsible for communicating information about the logistics of the walkout, attaching an initial local mission statement for the demonstration, and serving as a medium through which student sentiment was politely shared and discussed.

The next week, Dr. Baal, along with various teachers

During the March 14 Walkout, students lined the football field to honor the victims and protest gun violence in America.

Photo Courtesy Jason Kesse

and administrators, invited thirty students, selected for their prominence in leadership positions around the school, to discuss the walkout. It was as a part of this large group that Lauren and Jonas, backed by their social media presence, first got actively involved with administrators in organizing the demonstration on March 14.

Those first two meetings revealed a student body that was deeply passionate about showing support for the victims of the Parkland shooting. The art exhibit hanging in the main lobby, letter writing stations, and the flex-time safety meetings were all created through these initial deliberations.

The thirty student panel was then divided into subcategories to tackle the various aspects of the school’s response: a team of students devoted their efforts to the art demonstrations, another to student outreach and safety, and yet another to organizing the logistics of the walkout itself. It was in these smaller meetings that the students met with Dr. Baal to hash out the physical plan, and to utilize the resources offered by the school.

Out of concerns for student safety, the walkout ultimately convened on the football field – a location that could accommodate the mass number of participants in a space that was secure and local to the school. It was also here that the politics of the walkout were finalized.

Students on Facebook, as well as a profound number of participating students,

wished to explicitly associate Loyola’s demonstration with the National Student Walkout movement about gun control, while many others disagreed due to political alignment or a desire to honor the victims first and foremost.

Concern over the school’s public image, as well as the necessity for administrators to remain apolitical, curbed the initial purpose of the walkout to a neutral (but not any less important) message of solidarity and hope. A concession was made, in addition, to the students keen

ers throughout the day.

Despite the high studentparticipation level, some students had concerns. After the day of the walkout/ chapel movement, students were unhappy with the photographer and the email sent to families that separated Loyola’s walkout from the national one.

Senior Jacqueline Topping believed that student options were misrepresented by denying the right to engage politically on the football field.

Senior Jake Brosnan walked out, but believed that the demonstration felt like a fire drill.

All three were displeased that the political aspect of the walkout was reduced to one conference room.

Senior Michael Muszynski felt that the seventeen minutes of silence was adequate and the administration was given license to intervene, since students had asked permission to walk out.

Two students not participating in the football field demonstration, Luke Phillips and John Williams, were both staunch in stating that the agenda of the

to the voice of the student body. John Williams was an additional participant in the chapel service, who was inspired by the political activism in his fellow students, but also believed that the football field demonstration was turned into something it was not by the administration.

Despite common grumblings about a loss of autonomy, the students of Loyola Academy, whether participants or not, demonstrated a moving political and social dialogue to an extent never previously seen at the school. After the walkout/ prayer in the chapel, The Prep sent out a survey, and around a hundred students from all grades responded.

A good number of the responses to the final question, “What message would you like to send to the Loyola community regarding the walkout?” demonstrated confusion towards the purpose of the walkout and/ or unfounded beliefs about administrative decisions.

In an attempt to reconcile this confusion, we sat down with Dr. Baal to get the facts of what decisions were made

As an alternative to the gathering on the football field, some students gathered in the chapel to pray the rosary as way to honor the victims of the Parkland shooting.

Photo Courtesy Developement Office

on voicing their political inclinations on March 14.

The original idea was to arm students with contact cards to local lawmakers, and utilize the 17 minute demonstration to call and email them. Dr. Baal specifically wished for “there to be no phones out during the walkout,” so it was later determined to allocate room 100B for students to call policy-mak-

walkout was political, and should have been blatantly recognized as such. Luke Phillips was the student responsible for organizing the chapel service, a decision made by his desire to show support to Parkland in a non-political way, stating: “Loss of life is a human issue, not a political issue.”

He, as well as 300 others, prayed in the chapel to lend non-political support

concerning March 14 and why. The biggest statement she wished to convey was that the walkout movement was in fact student-led and student-driven. From the first time she heard that an idea of a walkout on March 14 was circulating, her mind went to “How do we involve the students?” From continued on page 4

4 The Prep

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

LA NEWS

Ramblers’ March 14 Walkout, cont. continued from page 3 the first lunchtime meetings to the final script used on the football field on March 14, students created it all.

Dr. Baal noted that her only positions were to facilitate conversation between students, print orange name tags for the students and faculty walking out, and, above all, make certain that students would be safe.

When asked what she, as principal and voice for our school, wanted the message of March 14 to be, she responded: “I wanted it to be about the human dignity of life and the 17 lives that were lost due to gun violence. I wanted it to be about the lives that are lost on the West Side of Chicago: we have students here who have family members who’ve been killed by gang violence; that’s what

the walkout stood for. How do we pray for the souls of both the people who are dead and pray for the souls of people who feel that their only way in life is to use gun violence? You have to pray on all levels, you know? You need to pray for people who are mentally ill, you need to pray for the doctors who work with the mentally ill. . . It’s about a lot of those things, so I think in those 17 minutes it was a tribute and a memorial to those victims and to other victims who’ve been killed by gun violence, especially in a city like Chicago.”

Dr. Baal acknowledges that there were students whose ideas for the day weren’t implemented, from walking out to the quad (where there wouldn’t be access to a speaker system), to having students call legislators during the walkout.

To specifically address

the idea of calling legislators, she wanted to make it clear that if gun reform is what they really, truly stood for, that “those 17 minutes should become 17 days, 17 weeks, 17 months” dedicated to the political cause.

She states: “That’s what ‘committed to doing justice’ is, that’s what grad-at-grad is. It’s not doing it once for 17 minutes to make a stand, it’s being committed to making a change.”

Ultimately, Dr. Baal encourages students to make sure they have the information before making a judgment, to be aware of how much planning and thought had to go into the walkout, to clearly see that safety was the priority, and to understand how the administration had little influence in the student-led movement.

Now, two months after the Parkland shooting, excitement over the #NeverAgain

Students created signs as a way to convey their message, a demand for change, to lawmakers.

Photo Courtesy Jason Kesse

movement has diminished despite numerous occurrences of guns going off in schools, and being used in violent crimes. This issue still plagues America’s schools and communities.

The walkout scheduled for April 20 to commemorate the victims of the Columbine mass shooting is another outlet through which students can continue their cause towards preventing

violence inflicted by guns.

While governmental resistance is evident – with Governor Bruce Rauner recently vetoing an Illinois bill calling for increased gun license prices – students are banding together in marches, organizing teach-ins regarding policy, and walking out to show that they will not back down from the challenges.

Spring into Service with L’Arche Friends Alejandra DeLeon Junior Writer During spring break, I had a chance to go on a service trip with seven other students and two chaperones to learn about the L’Arche community and their mission. L’Arche is a community where “adults with and without intellectual disabilities live together and share friendship, building a community strengthened by faith.” L’Arche Chicago currently has three group homes: Angel House (the first house to open in Chicago), Friendship House, and Peace House, in the Oak Park area and currently has 10 core members.

We had the chance to meet core members and assistants throughout our stay.

We started our trip on Thursday, April 5, by heading out to the L’Arche community in the afternoon. Once we arrived, we settled in to the houses we were staying at (the girls stayed at Angel House and the boys stayed at Friendship House). After meeting the core members and assistants at the houses and

getting a tour, we headed out to a Seder meal.

We were able to see how a community gathers together on Thursdays and how they would celebrate different religions depending on the core members.

At the Seder, we had an opportunity to meet L’Arche friends and more core members and assistants that we had not met before. After the meal, we helped cleaned up, had reflection, and got some rest for the adventure that awaited us the next day.

On Friday, we were able to see how a typical day in the L’Arche community would look. Some core

members went off to work, while others ran errands.

Similarly, some assistants that did not have to share time that day were out, and some were at home sharing time with the core members.

We later got to learn more about the community from the Director of Development and Engagement, Sarah Ruszkowski, and core member Dana from Angel House. Later on, we divided into groups and did some spring cleaning at Angel House and Peace House. After lunch, we left to do more spring cleaning at Friendship House and got some groceries

Luke Blockovich, Joey Baier, Alejandra DeLeon, and Elena Kittle-Kamp take time to explore the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Photo Courtesy Mr. Leon

to prepare dinner for Angel and Friendship House.

For dinner, we had a taco bar and were able to talk about the day and learn even more about the activities that go on in the L’Arche community. At Angel House, we got to watch and sing along with the Lizzie McGuire movie after having our ice cream sundaes. After reflection, we all got to sleep after a long day.

Saturday morning came around and we made pancakes for our houses. After we met up with the other group, we divided into groups to do the planned activities. My group went to the Garfield Park Conservatory with core members Chris and Tim and assistant Pedro. We got to spend some time with them and walk through the various rooms seeing different plants with their unique characteristics.

Later on, we joined the other group and went to lunch. We shared some of our experiences and caught up. After lunch, we got to hang out with core members and assistants at Friendship House. We spent the time baking, shooting some pool, walking

the dog, Ali, and talking.

Then we headed to Peace House for some pizza and getting to know those at Peace House. We shared stories, watched movies, and played games. After the fun, we headed back for reflection. As we returned to Angel House, core member Dana was waiting for us and we stayed up watching High School Musical.

On Sunday, we had to say our goodbyes to those at our houses and headed off to mass. We were to attend St. Eulalia, a church that two core members attend. After mass, we headed back to Loyola. This trip was a one of a kind experience that I was glad to have. This was like no other service trip and it was great to see the friendships in the community, especially within the houses.

Many thanks to Mr. Leon and Ms. Henslee for being chaperones, and to Mr. Leon and Sarah Ruszkowski for planning this phenomenal trip.

The Prep

LA NEWS

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

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One Acts: Murder and Mayhem in May Emily Devyor LA News Editor It is once again time for the Loyola Academy theatre program to put on its annual student written and directed one acts festival. This year there are seven one acts being performed ranging from dramas to comedies, even including a musical.

Several writers from last year have returned to showcase their work again this year, including Jason Kesse, who last year wrote Hippies Use the Side Door, and this year wrote a musical focused on a girl trying to help save her underwater city of Ebb and the people who reside in it.

Another returning director is Kameron Schueneman, who previously wrote Composition, and this year worked with Alexia Hou-

sakos to write and direct Secre(a)ts, a story about a family who has a daughter with anorexia, and how the family dynamic changes throughout her diagnosis.

This year there will be a continuation of a story that was started last year written

by Nina Wetoska and Lauren Henning: taking place one year after a disastrous vacation at Disney World, two rival families will come together once again for another epically hilarious showdown in The Party.

The final returning playwright is junior Ellie Halleron, who wrote Obergefall vs. Hodges last year, a story focused on gay rights and the historic court case that legalized gay marriage. She has returned with a very different show this year, a comedy involving a girl going to see

a psychic to see in order to contact her dead boyfriend, with unexpected results.

Although there are many returning writers, there are three new writing and directing pairs that have brought shows to the table. Elena Kittle-Kamp and Jack Serio have dipped their toes into the writing pool by writing Dead Man Dancing, a whodunit comedy revolving around a murder that takes place in a silent rave, where the characters are all trying to figure out the culprit without indicting themselves.

There is a second murder mystery show being performed this year titled Mad Mansion by Phoenix Agyepong and Daniel McGhee.

This story revolves around a dinner party hosted by a married couple that goes horribly awry when someone drinks

Writers Phoenix Agyepong and Daniel McGhee work with director Marshall Tenzer to get ready for the One Acts performance in May. Photo Courtesy Eva Vitanovec

poison and suddenly dies.

One by one, more guests die before the couple’s eyes.

The final one act being performed is (Another) Scary Story by Rachel Jalloway and Katie Conway. This show re-

volves around a family living in a house and them finding out that there’s a ghost living in their house with them.

The spring one act festival shows will be performed on May 10 and 11.

The Dance Elements of Earth Anthem Grace Cutler Sophomore Writer The Honors Dance Concert, Earth Anthem, was on Friday, March 23. The concert focused on how natural elements and social change inspire each other and the intermingling of the two in our everyday lives. There were eight pieces, each focusing on a different element of nature, social change, or a combination of the two.

The first dance of the show, choreographed by Elizabeth Smith and Molly Saletta, was called “Structure” and featured the entire class. The piece’s concept is described as: “The social system is taking on a form in which finding out what you want to do is less of an option because your life is too structured, organized, and controlled.”

The dancers dressed in short t-shirt style dresses with oversized suit coats on top.

The costuming for this piece embodied the idea for the piece well and added a lot to the main feeling of the piece.

The dancers used many sharp movements, and the piece incorporated a lot of stiff, quick walking. The dancers made their body completely stiff and rigid when needed, in order to portray the concept of “Structure.”

I especially noticed that the

During the performance of “Fire,” the dance class conveyed the power of the human soul of fire.

Photo Courtesy Mr. Hoffman

dancer’s hands were always straight with slightly spread fingers as they walked, which made them seem almost robotic. They walked with a great sense of purpose and focus, which I think was fitting with the structured quality of the piece.

Another piece of the show, choreographed by Mr. Hoffman and the Honors Dance class was titled “Fire” and featured the entire class.

They envisioned the piece as showing that “The most powerful weapon on Earth is the human soul of fire.”

I thought that this was interesting because I had originally interpreted the piece to be about fire only as the

natural force. However, after reading this quote, I saw that the dance was also about the ability to create change because of the want in your soul for social action.

The costumes for this piece had arm and leg bands with red and yellow fabric strips attached, which moved with the dancers in this high energy piece. The piece had some salsa-influenced elements, which I thought were fun, and created a more eccentric, lively feeling. The high energy and somewhat wild feeling to this piece in comparison with the two slower pieces before and after it made the piece stand out in the show.

The piece directly after

“Fire” was “Wind.” “Wind” was a slower duet, which was captioned in the program as, “Sometimes in the winds of change, we find our true direction.”

Similar to the “Fire” piece, I originally did not see the social change aspect of the piece, but upon reading the caption could see it in the choreography in reflection. It was a shorter piece, but the movement filled the time well and embodied physical wind and the feeling of wind very well.

I liked the fluid movements and the partner work that it included. I thought that both dancers did a really nice job with the piece and had good technique. The dancers wore

long skirts that moved well with them as they danced.

I did not fully understand the concept until after the show, when I looked over the program. I could really see the earth aspect of the show, but did not see the social change aspect very much until afterwards. I started to pick up on the social change ideas during the last number, when one dancer had a peace sign on her dress and was the focal point of the “Unity” number. The show was entertaining and I was never bored or lacking focus on the performance, as the variety of the numbers kept the show interesting.

I thought that the quality of dancing was great. The dancers all had good technique, which I think lent itself nicely to the pieces, and they all were focused on the performance and embodied whatever the concept of each particular piece was well.

This took the entire show to another level, because it helped get the concept of each piece across better, but also made the audience more focused or involved in the piece. I thought that overall the Honors Dance Concert was excellent this year.

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Wednesday, April 25, 2018

LA NEWS

They’ll Tell the Story of Mondays in Rm 108 Eva Vitanovec Junior Writer Hear ye, hear ye! The Loyola Academy Alexander Hamilton Club has officially made its debut in room 108. Founded

by Hamilton fanatics Eva Vitanovec and Claire Finley, this club caters to history buffs and musical theatre lovers alike.

With its first meeting on March 19, this club has become a fun place for students of all grade levels to bond over their love for the founding father, truly proving that there “Ain’t no party like the Federalist party.”

Juniors Eva and Claire worked fervently to create a club with an all-inclusive Hamilton experience. The first meeting kicked off with some classic ice-breakers before diving into a forty-five question Kahoot testing the participants on their Hamilton: An American Musical trivia.

A student under the codename “Labaguette” claimed first place, increasing her chances to win an official piece of Hamilton merchandise provided by the club founders.

Other hit activities included karaoke in the second meeting, but of course, all the members knew every word so showing the lyrics proved to be pointless. Highlights were freshman Grace Hiatt hitting every note of “Burn” with no Phillipa Soo to back her up! Things soon became less structured as the members dove right into a group performance of “Aaron Burr, Sir” and continued right on through “My Shot” without missing a beat.

In addition to the always enjoyable performance of Hamilton the musical, the club also discusses where the cast of Hamilton is now. Hamilton London recently visited the Olivier Awards (comparable to the U.S.’s Tony’s) where they performed the song “Alexander Hamilton” as well as taking home seven awards, including Best Actor going to Giles Terera, the company’s Aaron Burr.

Courtesy of the Hamilton App, the club watched the performance at the Olivier Awards and commented on the similarities and differences they heard and saw at Hamilton Chicago and on the original soundtrack.

Strangely enough, Terera was

Chipping In

On our way to and from school, many of us pass those in need. Not all of us, however, decide to do something about. Junior Arianna Chipp, though, did. She organized gift bags for a shelter in her neighborhood, Chicago North Family Promise.

After passing by the shelter, Arianna decided she wanted to “give back to the community and do something that I normally wouldn’t think about doing.” She decided to put gift bags together to help the people in the shelter.

To help pay for the goodies,

Arianna asked for the help of her group AAYG, and they bonded together to sponsor a bake sale and used the profits to buy items like shampoo, conditioner, soap, body wash, and lotion. She also included food items like clementines and fruit snacks as well as essentials like socks.

On Saturday, April 8, she and her mom dropped them off at the shelter to a very grateful director.

Of the experience, Arianna says, “Putting the packages together was so fun and easy, and I know that they will benefit many people.”

Hopefully, Arianna’s act of kindness will inspire others at the Academy to use their creative thinking and will power to help With the help of AAYG, Arianna put together those around gift bags for a shelter in her neighborhood.

Photo Courtesy Ms. Bea them as well.

given low marks from the club because of his singing voice and apparent British accent.

More than anything, President Eva Vitanovec is working to create an interest in the Revolutionary Era, evident by her complete Alexander

Hamilton costume she fearlessly sports to each meeting.

Other than keeping up with the musical, members are encouraged to learn more about Hamilton’s life and the people who influenced him. Suggestions include watching Turn:

Wa s h i n g t o n ’s Spies and the PBS series John Adams, as well as reading Hamilton

by Ron Chernow.

“The club really incorporates both aspects from Hamilton,” comments Vice President Claire Finley, “when creating it, we wanted to combine our love for the musical with our admiration toward the life of Alexander Hamilton.”

Regardless of if you are a Hamilton fan or not, hanging out with Ms. Amin and Ms. Soni after school every other Monday from 3-4 is too good to miss! So, “Don’t throw away your shot!” to stop by room 108 for our next meeting on May 7 to join in on the fun and see for yourself how the Federalists party!

Say “JES” to the New Jesuit Alejandra DeLeon Junior Writer Fr. Joe Edward Simmons has not only been a mentor for many, but he has influenced various schools in a positive manner. Before break, I had the chance to meet and learn about Fr. Simmons. He attended a Jesuit high school in Milwaukee, Marquette University High School, and later attended Marquette University. He has taught for over five years and has been a Jesuit for 12 years. Here is a glimpse of Fr. Simmons.

Q: Did you always feel that you were called to be a Jesuit?

A: No, I knew I was interested in education and had always imagined having a “normal” family. I never imagined being a priest.

Q: What were you known for in high school?

A: I was known for teacher impersonations.

Q: What activities were you involved in while in high school?

A: I ran cross-country, was on the speech and debate team, and went on retreats.

Q: What are you known for now?

A: I am known for being a good friend (hopefully), being reliable, reading, doing crossword

puzzles, cooking, traveling, and wrestling big questions.

Q: What question do you wrestle with the most?

A: Why does belonging in a religious community matter or not matter?

Q: What have you taught?

A: I have taught English, Theology, Philosophy, Spanish, and Latin.

Q: What are some of you fears?

A: Some of my fears includes failure, disappointing the people I love, and big spiders.

Q: How do you deal with failure?

A: I turn to prayer and see what I can learn from the failure.

Q: What would the name of a class you would teach if you can create a new course?

A: The course would be called Very Good Books: The Catholic Imagination.

It would be a class based off of Theology and Literature.

Q: What is something no one knows about you?

A: Something no one knows about me is that I’ve never seen a Star Wars movie, I’m not interested in wizards, dragons, aliens. I’ve also ran two marathons: Twin Cities and Milwaukee.

Q: What are some of your favorite games?

A: Some of my favorite games include mind

Fr. Simmons connects with students during a presentation in the chapel.

Photo Courtesy Alejandra DeLeon

games with Mr. Lupo, charades, card games, sheep’s head, and touch football.

Q: Any shout outs?

A: Shout out to Fr. Stan for bringing interesting food home.

Despite his short time here at Loyola, Fr. Simmons is a great addition to the faculty and Loyola community. He is always willing to sit down and talk and enjoys conversations with students. He will soon have to leave due to his doctoral studies at Oxford, but we wish him the best of luck as he continues to impact other lives, just like he did at Loyola Academy.

The Prep

FUN & GAMES

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

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The April Prep Challenge

This month, test your sudoku skills with our newest puzzle.

Each row, column, and 3 x 3 box must contain the numbers 1-9 without any repeats. Don’t be fooled by any false guesses as your complete this challenge. Good luck, Ramblers!

1 2 5

7 7

4 3

6

9 8

5

6

2

3

9

4

7

3 6

2 2

8 7

5

Teachers - My Quest to Find out What They Do Sean Callum 1994 Writer While digging through the archives, we find this funny piece of investigative reporting. See if you recognize any of these characters.

Teachers – people we sit and look at five days a week listening to, obeying, taking notes from, and maybe we lick their boots. Are they human? Or are they merely people who only lay on the same evolutionary scale as us or merely organisms bred to live in classrooms and instruct? You know, I can’t help day in and day out, but to start at my teachers with my usual nodding head, and inside wonder, “Have they no life?” Do they have lives outside of the classrooms or does their life revolve around instruction, as it seems?

I couldn’t answer those questions piercing my curiosity. My curiosity grew beyond my control with each class I attended. Last week, in Mr. Dan Seeberg’s class, I couldn’t take it any more.

As I sat there listening to him describe enthusiastically the last scene of Dead Poet’s So-

ciety from the dialogue to the music (he obviously memorized the movie. He wants to be like Keating.) I couldn’t help but shout at him, “My God! What do you do with your weekends?” He didn’t answer. Her just glared at me with rage as if he were saying, “That’s the one question you shouldn’t ask a teacher.” My excitement and enthusiasm suddenly diminished and I felt like a peanut under that glare. But I decided right then and there to go out on a quest and discover what the hell they do on their weekends if they do anything. I had to know.

First, I approached Señor Robert Austin, my Spanish teacher, and casually asked him what he did on weekends. I tried to cover up my excitement, so he wouldn’t have any idea of the quest. He answered honestly. He said he had some friends in Michigan and he chills up there with them; he goes shopping and takes it easy. I said that was very nice; but since I knew he was single, I asked him if he had a woman to keep happy on the weekends.

He said, “Why yes, I do.”

“Who?” I asked.

“Why Lulu…I have Lulu.

She’s my sweetie; we have lots of fun on weekends,” he said with a devilish grin on his face. I asked to see her, and he introduced me.

She’s quite a small woman, no more than 5 inches tall but very voluptuous indeed.

I now understand why Señor looks so tired on Mondays.

She must really keep him busy. I told Señor that they make a good couple, and he said that it is because of that very reason why they’ve been together for so long through all the kidnappings and ransoms – whatever that meant. I then said goodbye and ran out of the room shouting down the hallway with delight. To my surprise, there was actually one teacher who had a life in this school. But I wasn’t done yet.

I then approached Mr. Phil Niemen (you know, the real short guy), my forever Algebra teacher, and asked him what he did on the weekends. He told me he goes out with his girlfriend.

“You mean to tell me that you actually have a love life”? I said.

“Well – yeah,” he said.

I couldn’t believe that I

had actually encountered two teachers in a row who had lives outside of school, and more notably have love lives!

But Mr. Nieman wasn’t done yet. He told me that he trains and runs horses on weekends for Arlington race track.

“Wow.” That’s all I could say. I told him that he looked like the jockey type, because that’s all I could think of, and told him thanks. Then I ran out into the hallway shouting again with excitement.

I had just encountered two teachers who had lives outside of school. The odds of that must be quite slim. But I wasn’t done yet. There was still Mr. Seeberg. I had to face him, I wasn’t going to take the glare this time.

So, I asked him what he did on weekends. He glared at me, but I didn’t let that faze me. I still demanded an answer. He said, “Well, Sean, I build a fence.

Inside, I was wondering if this was yet another one of his dangerous excursions. Well, at least he won’t get a fishhook stuck in his nose this time.

“Just one fence?” I asked.

“Yes, one continuous fence.”

“That’s interesting,” I answered.

“I know, but I have to build it. You see, it builds my masculine ego. My life depresses me. I feel that I’m losing my masculinity. So, I must build fences with my neighbors. It makes me feel manly.

You know, I like making the whole scene picture perfect.

If it is not, I spazz! My wife brings out the lemonade. The kids are playing in the yard and I, Father, am building a fence with my neighbor.

My neighbor continuously insists that I build it higher.

Does he not like me? You know, Sean, good fences make good neighbors. Thoreau once said...hey! Where are you going? Come back here. I’m talking to you G…” Okay, so I was two for three on finding teachers who had outside lives, but I still am happy with the outcome of the quest. I have discovered three teachers, well two teachers, who actually had outside lives, and my opinion of teachers has changed because of this – even of Mr. Seeberg. I feel sorry for him more (just kidding coach)!

8 The Prep

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

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UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS Wednesday, April 25

Baseball @ Glenbrook South @ 4:30 Boys Tennis vs. Latin School @ 4:30 Girls Lacrosse @ New Trier @ 6:30

Thursday, April 26

Softball @ Providence Catholic @ 4:30 Boys Tennis @ De La Salle @ 4:30 Baseball @ Mt. Carmel @ 5:00 Boys Volleyball vs. St. Francis @ 6:00 Girls Water Polo vs. Whitney Young @ 6:00

Friday, April 27

Boys Water Polo Stevenson Tournament vs. Naperville Central Boys Track and Field Meet @ Glenbrook North @ 4:00 Boys Lacrosse @ St. Ignatius @ 5:00

Saturday, April 28

Boys Tennis @ Glenbrook South @ 8:00 Boys Water Polo Stevenson Tournament vs. Brother Rice @ 8:50 Girls Track and Field Meet @ New Trier @ 9:30 Boys Track and Field Meet @ Marquette University High School @ 10:00 Girls Lacrosse vs. Cathedral @ 10:30 Baseball vs. Mt. Carmel @ 11:00

Sports Gold Wins the Gold Brady Reichert Sports Editor March 24, 2018 was a historic day at the United Center as the Loyola Academy Gold team won the State Championship for the first time in 22 years. Taking down a top-ranked team like Stevenson after a battle on the ice in front of a large roaring crowd made the victory that much sweeter.

Early in the game, the Ramblers took many shots, but Stevenson’s skilled allstate goalie, Elias Sandholm, was deflecting solidly. Finally, with 5 minutes and 53 seconds left in the first period, Loyola junior Aidan Finegan sent a left-handed wrist shot into the net for the first goal.

Shortly after Finegan’s goal, however, Stevenson picked up speed. Their star forward, Jackson Leptich, responded by scoring twice in a row before the second period ended. However, a few minutes later Declan Darcy answered back, scoring for the Ramblers to tie the game 2-2.

The rest of the second period and the beginning of the third was a battle as Stevenson picked up momentum, including a power play, and fired many pucks at goalie Hugh Brady. Brady used his talent to turn away three very strong shots in just over a minute’s time.

There was lots of excitement in the cheering crowd as the two teams battled up and down the ice. Then, with only 4 minutes and 15 seconds left to play in the third period, Loyola junior defenseman Nick Liebers sent a longshot that deflected off the stick of a Stevenson player and went straight into the net. There was a lot of activity around the net, and he was able to capitalize on the traffic and score a goal to put the Ramblers ahead.

Stevenson tried to come back and score, but Brady shut them down. Then with only 24 seconds left on the clock, junior Timmy Hackett scored an empty net goal to give Loyola a decisive lead until the end of the game.

Stevenson’s Coach Tom Wood acknowledged Loyola’s skill, attributing

Rambler success in part to great forechecking and pressure on Stevenson’s defense.

The depth of the Gold team, with contributions throughout the season by all of the players, and the coaching led by D.J. LaVarre, was the perfect mix to take state.

Star goalie Hugh Brady felt that winning the championship was “the best and most surreal feeling I’ve ever felt in my life.” When asked what he thought helped the team win, he stated, “The way this team played together and bonded was something I have never experienced before in all my years of playing hockey. “ Junior Owen Boersma credits the win to great leadership saying “Leadership not only came from captains, but just about everyone on the team at some point in the year. We had a lot of injuries...so it took a lot of different people to step up and lead the team at different times.”

While Coach LaVarre regularly reminded the players that it had been 22 years, he now has a new message: State Champions!

Monday, April 30

Boys Tennis @ Evanston @ 4:30 Baseball vs. Marmion Academy @ 5:00 Boys Water Polo vs. Lockport @ 6:00

LAG captains Cooper Prawdzik, Danny Stevens, Jack Purcell, and Matthew Parma with Blackhawks representative gather to accept the Blackhawk cup for the championship win.

Photo Courtesy The Year