PN 81–30

Volume LXXXI, Issue XXX

St. Louis University High School | Friday, May 12, 2017

Junior Ring 2017

Canvas to be instituted school-wide

E

T

he faculty marched into school last Monday, May 1, to learn more about a new policy for next school year: every teacher in every class will be required to use Canvas, a learning management system (LMS), in an effort to consolidate and ease the learning experience for students.

The decision—proposed by the technology committee and approved by the department chairs on the Instructional Council—came after photo | Mrs. Kathy Chott nearly three years of testing Junior class president and next year’s Student Council president Jack McGrail speaking before

continued on page 4 the Junior Ring Mass and ceremony on Friday.

Departing Faculty

“

Harrison takes her vocals to Visitation Academy

McDermott: Helping guide SLUH one student at a time

BY Zach Hennes and James Pollard

BY Nathan Wild and Jake Hennes

F

or as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

(James 2:26) Some teachers leave animpact on their community with what they say, but the great ones leave their mark with what they do. Combine this quality with a prayerful song and a colorful head scarf and you get theology teacher Danielle Harrison. After six years of teaching theology at St. Louis U. High, Harrison will take her sweet laugh and songs of love to Visitation Academy next fall.

Harrison decided to be-

iPad survey: no change in policy for next year

BY Joseph Reznikov NEWS EDITOR

BY Jack Schweizer CORE STAFF

CORE STAFF, REPORTER

sluh.org/prepnews

come a theology teacher in an effort to give back to her community. After beginning her teaching career at Incarnate Word Academy teaching theology and Scripture, Harrison saw an ad in the newspaper in 2011 for a job opening at SLUH, applied, and was hired for the next fall.

“Part of my life goal is to help people recognize that God desires to be in a relationship with them and loves them for who they are,” said Harrison.

She has taught freshmen every year she has been here, as well as World Religions to seniors for three years. Harrison also has a vast wealth of

Harrison speaking at a faculty retreat.

The weekly student newspaper of St. Louis University High School 4970 Oakland Ave. - St. Louis, MO 63110 (314) 531-0330 ext. 2241 online at sluh.org/prepnews prepnews@sluh.org ©2017 St. Louis University High School Prep News. No material may be reprinted without the permission of the editors and moderator.

STAFF, CORE STAFF

L

earning consultant Connie McDermott will be departing the St. Louis U. High community after 11 years devoted to bettering the lives of countless students and helping them achieve the academic excellence that SLUH has built a reputation upon.

Before joining SLUH, McDermott had worked as a learning consultant for 34 years in the Affton school district. Once a job opened at SLUH, she applied and began her career during the 2006’07 school year.

For the past 11 years, she continued on page 3 has worked with students in a one-on-one setting outside of the classroom. Students schedule meetings to talk about their classes, workload, and certain other areas they want to improve.

McDermott was the first learning consultant that SLUH hired and the department was built around her.

“She led the complete renovation of the learning resource center,” said Librarian Regina Austermann. “It photo | Mrs. Kathy Chott is now very carefully planned

News

Great American Eclipse Dr. Angela Speck came to give a presentation on the ‘Great American Eclipse’ where she discussed the significance of the eclipse, the science behind it, and how to view it safely on Tuesday. Page 2 Features

MXTRO MVB Freshman Gunnar Wurst and a friend from grade school have a unique hobby: they run a clothing company called MXTRO MVB. Page 3

so there is more quiet space to study. It is now very regulated and professional, which I think helps the students focus.”

“Before we had this center, there was just a space in the library they could go to,” said McDermott. “It’s nice to have our own space for them to come to study during their free periods.”

While in college, McDermott earned a degree in speech pathology, a field that focuses on assessing and diagnosing social communication issues. She received a fellowship to study learning disabilities and enjoyed the aspects of language and learning during that time. Her study of language eventually led her to a career as a learning consultant.

With over 41 years serving schools as a learning consultant, McDermott is able to understand how to better help those who seek scholarly advice. A culmination of skill and enthusiasm for her work gives her the best mindset to understand how to help others.

“I work a lot with orga-

ver since the new technology policy of mandatory iPads for freshmen and sophomores and bring your own device (BYOD) for juniors and seniors was administered, faculty and administration have been evaluating this decision. During homeroom right before Christmas break, a survey—created by the Device Evaluation Committee—was given to freshmen, sophomores, juniors, parents, and faculty to further analyze this policy. They had around 700 responses.

“Through the survey we wanted to learn a couple of things,” said college counselor Kevin Crimmins, a member of the Device Evaluation Committee. “We wanted to start with understanding what our students are being asked to do with the device and where are they being asked to do it—in the classroom versus out of the classroom, and are those roughly the same function?

We wanted to get an idea of how they’re (the devices) being used so that we can best

Reflects with senior year coming to a close

BY Samuel J. Chechik EDITOR IN CHIEF

Editor’s note: This past Wednesday at the Panda Express on Watson Road, Editor in Chief Sam Chechik sat down with senior Lancer Li, who came from Nanjing Foreign Language School to St. Louis U. High for the spring semester of the 2014-2015 school year and decided to graduate with the class of 2017 while getting involved in many SLUH activities. The following transcript of the conversation was edited for length.

Sports

College scholarships Four years of hard work at SLUH have meant that many seniors were able to earn scholarships to the colleges that they will be attending next year, check out the lucky scholars. Page 5

Rugby captures second The rugby team made their third straight appearance in the State Championship last weekend, finishes runner up to Kansas City Junior Blues for third straight year.

Page 6

Sports

Lacrosse headed to playoffs Senior Will Farroll breaks the single season scoring record as lacrosse finishes final two regular season games with victories. Page 7

SLUH smashes MCC rivals Volleyball takes down Vianney with ease, and an all-senior lineup handles De Smet on Senior Night. Page 7

Sports

continued on page 4

From exchange student to SLUH grad: Li’s high school journey

Sam Chechik: You’re the first exchange student from continued on page 2 Nanjing to stay at SLUH and

News

understand what device plan would be right for the students.”

The Device Evaluation Committee was comprised of six members of the Instructional Council—Fine Arts Department chair Joan Bugnitz, Theology Department chair Diego Navarro, Foreign Language Department chair Rob Chura, college counselor Kevin Crimmins, Director of Educational Technology Andrea Nunziante, and English Department chair Steve Missey.

Students were asked questions ranging from how frequently they use a device in class versus out of class, what functions are most important to them, how they would rate the iPad, and how they would rate BYOD. Nearly 500 students reported using their device every day outside of class, while only around 75 reported using the device every day inside class. Seventy-three percent of freshman reported using their device more than half of the time during class, while only 26 percent of sophomores and

graduate from the class that you joined. Let me take you back to sophomore year. Why did you decide to stay?

Lancer Li: Because SLUH will provide me with a better transition from high school to college, and that’s one great part. I like being at SLUH because of the people—teachers, students, friends, host families—that really support me, that really open me up for a lot of new experiences and also for practical purposes.

Nanjing Foreign Language school really doesn’t have senior year; well, it does, but for kids going to American colleges, they don’t, so I just

continued on page 3

INDEX 2 News 3

Features

4

Continued from 1

5 Scholarships 6-7 Sports 8 Calendar

Continued from 6-7

2

Prep News

NEWS

May 12, 2017

Volume 81, Issue 30

Speck talks St. Louis solar eclipse preparation

Speck speaking in the Si Commons on Tuesday night.

BY Paul Gillam REPORTER

N

early 30 people gathered in the Si Commons on Thursday Night to hear Dr. Angela Speck, a Professor of Astronomy at the University of Missouri, speak about the Great American Eclipse.

Speck is co-chair of a task group dedicated to ensuring that as many people as possible across the world get to see and experience the Great American Eclipse.

The Great American Eclipse is a total solar eclipse that will pass across the continental United States from the northwestern to the southeastern corners.

Even more exciting is that the path of totality, which is only 70 miles wide, will nearly bisect Missouri in half, even coming within one hundred yards of the back fence of the baseball field.

The last eclipse of this

kind that could be seen from here was in 1442, so this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

When a solar eclipse occurs, the moon’s shadow is cast upon earth. And since the moon is a relatively small celestial body and it is so far away (about 238,900 miles) the shadow is only about 70 miles across. This shadow can be described as “totality”. When in totality, the sun is completely blocked out by the moon and only the corona can be seen.

The corona is a plasmic atmosphere surrounding the sun that extends for millions of kilometers into space and is about 2,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit. At the very longest, totality will last for two minutes and 43 seconds when staying in one place.

Speck began by discussing the phases of the moon, because to understand how and why an eclipse happens, we must understand what role the

photo | Mrs. Kathy Chott

moon plays. A new moon occurs when the moon is between the earth and sun so that the side of the moon facing earth receives no light, rendering it invisible to humans.

But the moon revolves around the earth on a different plane than the plane in which earth revolves around the sun, and a new moon is not always exactly between the earth and sun. Only when the new moon is in both planes, at the intersection, will the moon block out the sun, causing a solar eclipse to occur.

“It was really interesting to see the eclipse’s effects,” said freshman Garrett Seal.

According to Speck, when in totality, it will be as dark as it is during a full moon. The stars will be out, wind currents will pick up, diurnal animals (animals that primarily are awake during the day) will prepare to go to sleep, night insects will come alive, and it will get about

ten degrees colder.

“This eclipse will be the most viewed celestial event in history,” says Speck.

Because of the modern advancements in communication, transportation, and science, more people will know about this eclipse than ever before. It will take the shadow of the moon about 19 minutes to complete its journey across the United States, and nearly 12.2 million Americans are in its pathway.

Speck also talked about how Missouri is one of the best places in the world to view totality. Due to the many state parks, highways, and cities in the path of totality, Missouri has many places to view the eclipse from. The two large airports and many highways provide easy access for travellers (which will be coming from all over the world) to get to ideal viewing spots. Also, the sun will nearly be at its highest point in the sky when totality passes through Missouri, maximizing the opportunity to see it.

“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime,” says science teacher Kathy Chott. “We need to educate ourselves about where we want to be that day and how we want to educate ourselves as far as how to experience it.”

Currently, Chott and several other teachers and students are in the process of developing possible viewing options for the SLUH community.

If you would like to learn more about the eclipse and how the nation if preparing for it, go to http://www.eclipse.aas.org or if you would like to see Speck’s speech at SLUH, a video of the talk will be uploaded onto the SLUHTube page.

Fresh air, family, and friends: McDermott plans retirement (continued from page 1)

nizational skills, study skills, and helping students in a particular course,” said McDermott. “I have been here long enough so I kind of know what the teachers in each course expect them to do and I can guide them in that area.”

She finds very little hardship with her job because of her extensive background on the subject and the adaptable minds of SLUH. “You boys have a wonderful student population here, so it’s really an ideal job for somebody like me to have,” said McDermott. “You boys are so willing to do what you need to do, so I only have to tell you how to do it. Most of the boys just take the suggestions and go.”

McDermott is most fond of the communal aspect of SLUH. She is appreciative of the educational growth through the assistance of numerous people to allow individual students to succeed inside and outside the classrooms. She selflessly believes that her best experiences are when the students succeed.

“I love the community of SLUH. I love the feeling of a caring community. The best experiences are seeing some-

body successful that I have worked with in the classroom if they are having trouble in a course and end up getting a much better grade than they thought,” said McDermott.

“I really enjoy just seeing you boys and watching you through your four years as you develop. It is fun to see the way that you take care of each other and help each other. It’s a really kind community here and it makes me very happy that everyone fits in at SLU High.”

The Rev. Bob Poirier, S.J., a fellow learning consultant,

has worked alongside McDermott and appreciates her devotion to the students she advises.

“Mrs. McDermott was persistent and determined in the support she gave,” said Poirier. “She never gave up on a student. She cared for each student and appreciated each young man and his unique personality. She has left a lasting mark on this Jesuit college preparatory school and on the young men she supported along their way.”

In retirement, McDermott she seeks to slow down

McDermott with students in the Learning Consultant office.

the pace of life and spend more time with loved ones and enjoy her many hobbies.

“Hopefully my three grandchildren will be moving back to Saint Louis,” said McDermott. “I hope to spend some time with them. I also plan to play a lot of tennis and perhaps golf and do the things I want to do. I love outdoor activities like hiking and walking and will travel when I can,” said McDermott. “I have a lot of projects in my house that I want to get done that have piled up.”

photo | Mrs. Kathy Chott

Seniors take home awards in Greek Exam

BY Matt Godar CORE STAFF

S

even St. Louis U. High students found glory in the 2017 National Greek Exam (NGE). Seniors Nick Lally, Grant Hogan, and Danny Trittler won green (third place) ribbons, Sam Bott and Matt Smith won red (second place) ribbons, and Salvatore Vitellaro and Matt Quinlivan won prestigious blue (first place) ribbons.

“I was uber excited and quite shocked,” said Lally.

“The experience was absolutely magical.”

The NGE is an annual test administered by the American Classical League (ACL) to honor the best Greek students across the nation. Formed in 1919, the ACL, like most of America, has been more focused on Latin than Greek in terms of studies. In 2016, over 2300 students took the NGE, of which just 54 percent managed to win a ribbon.

“It feels pretty rewarding to spend all that time learning the ins and outs of the language, and seeing it manifest on my performance in the exam,” said Quinlivan. “It tells me that I’m doing something

right.”

SLUH’s Greek class, exclusive to seniors, is taught every year by Dr. Mary Lee McConaghy, a former Latin teacher and a beloved classical language legend at the U. High.

“During the exam, I felt like I struggled through it at times,” said Quinlivan. “But I felt pretty confident in what Dr. McConaghy had taught us.”

Though the exam was administered back in February, McConaghy and the winners only recently discovered the results.

“I wasn’t even in class that day, but my brother Ben told me I got it, and I was like, ‘well, hot dog’,” said Bott.

“I’m glad I won such a coveted award to end my years at SLUH.” Both Quinlivan and Vitellaro came within one point of a perfect score, answering 39 out of 40 questions correctly.

“I’m happy with where I’m at, but to have gotten that extra point would have been quite satisfying,” said Quinlivan. “To be without closure on that is a bit upsetting.”

Band, choir compete in Missouri Solo and Ensamble Festival, 22 receive ‘1’ rating

BY Sam Ortmann REPORTER

T

he St. Louis U. High band and chorus sent 22 musicians to the Missouri State Solo and Ensemble Festival, on Saturday, April 29.

The group came back with an exemplary rating of 1.

These scores were a relief for band teacher Jeff Pottinger, as he wasn’t certain if all 17 of his students could pull off the exemplary rating.

“I’m always nervous about it and I was concerned that we hadn’t had much time to practice because of the New Orleans trip. We were kind of focusing on that,” said Pottinger. “And judging music is always so subjective. So you never know, you could play in this room and get a 3 and play in that room and get a 1. It depends on the judge, so I’m always a little apprehensive.”

Junior Ben Massenberg, a cello player in the chamber orchestra, played “Gavotte” by Francois-Joseph Gossec and shared Pottinger’s same concerns.

“I didn’t know if I could pull through with this because honestly I hadn’t practiced the piece in a long time and we had just come back from the New Orleans trip,” said Massenberg. “I was very tired, but I had to go to State and I had to play, so the only time I played it before State was to practice with the pianist, which I know wasn’t very good to do.”

Many people, however, including chorus director Addie Akin, were confident

that everything would be fine.

“I was pretty confident that they would do well,” said Akin. “All the guys that were going are really solid singers and not that you ever expect to win or do the best, but I think I would have been very surprised had any of those gentlemen gotten anything less than a 1.”

Junior saxophonist Emanuel Parker echoed Akin’s assurance. He knew his piece, “Neapolitan Tarantella” by Alfred P. Zambarano, was hard, but also knew that he had spent more than enough time practicing and could play it well. Despite the fact that he had run out of time and was unable to finish his piece, he was still almost certain he would get a 1.

While everyone that performed scored wonderfully, one of the more exceptional musicians was junior Sam Pottinger. He performed four pieces total, a solo and ensemble for band and the same for choir, bringing home more awards than anybody else. He also felt confident about his choir parts but was a little more reserved about the band portions. However, every time he left the room he was pleased with the performance of both himself and the people he performed with.

“We put a lot of time and effort in and when you’re done you know that no matter how you did it all caused you to grow as a musician and person,” said Sam.

NEWS

May 12, 2017

Prep News Volume 81, Issue 30

3

Stylin’ threads in a Harrison leaving SLUH for alma mater (continued from page 1) Liam John. ident Kim Walsh. “Danielle lot of stuff with the faculty and basement: Wurst sells knowledge on the scriptures.

Harrison is also known just had a way about her that if staff to help them understand “She is a very high qual- around the school for her gen- you were having a bad day or the Salesian spirituality and custom-made apparel ity bible scholar,” said Theol- uine nature and good heart whatever, she would just come charism. I’ll also be making

BY Riley McEnery STAFF

S

hirts and clothing are taken pretty seriously around the halls of St. Louis U. High. Star Wars Club shirts frantically being sold by English teacher John Kavanaugh, Mission Week apparel, the newest Shirt Club shirts, hockey hoodies, and other items of clothing found in a variety of clubs and activities are prevalent around the school, but perhaps no one takes clothing as seriously as freshman Gunnar Wurst, who has taken up the production and selling of all kinds of homemade apparel with a friend from middle school in the past couple months.

Wurst created the business, MXTRO MVB, with his friend Daivion Crawford, when both were in eighth grade at University City School, and it has boomed ever since.

“We basically were just into clothes, so we decided to start putting clothes together and made drawings, and then it actually started getting printed out and made,” said Wurst.

The business pumps out shirts, hats, hoodies, windbreakers, and all kinds of clothing, all with an original design

by Wurst or Crawford.

The eighth-graders found a way to start printing their clothes through Crawford’s uncle, who owns a small-scale printing studio in his basement.

The boys have been bringing the clothes, entering the designs they want to use, and using the machines to print out their custom apparel for over a year now.

“The designing aspect is my favorite part,” said Wurst.

“And sometimes the recognition is cool. I’ll see a lot of people on the street I don’t even know and they will recognize me.”

MXTRO MVB does a lot of their business through University City School, where the clothing line has a booming popularity. The business is just starting to overflow into the rest of the Saint Louis community.

The clothing line has been featured in the Riverfront Times, and Wurst and Crawford were interviewed for KSDK by Art Holliday recently.

“The goal isn’t just to sell it, it’s also to get it known,” said Wurst. “We do hand to hand selling and online. A lot of it is through our old school, so we sell around there and a lot of kids wear it. That’s basically what we want, for kids to wear it and know about it.”

ogy Department chair Diego Navarro. “She is extremely knowledgable and really knows her stuff.”

Outside the classroom, Harrison did a lot of work with diversity around the school. Through activities like moderating the StudentTeacher Association for Racial Studies (STARS) club to raise awareness about diversity issues by reading and discussing literature, Harrison has helped many students and faculty understand what is at the core of these issues and how to discuss them with knowledge and poise.

“The school will miss her drive for justice and motherlike compassion for all of her students,” said sophomore

that she shares with everyone around her.

“I had her my freshman year and everyday I loved going to theology because it seemed like after every class I felt better,” said senior Nick Lally. “Nowadays I occasionally see her in the hallway and when she says hi to me my day is better.”

“Students and faculty from all over the building would come seeking her advice,” added Navarro. “She made quite an impact.”

Harrison will also be remembered for her bright laughter that always seemed to fill the room.

“I will miss her daily visits, her smile, and her laughter,” said Assistant to the Pres-

Harrison with her freshman class.

up here and give me a laugh.”

Harrison has influenced her students through her advice and motherly love.

“There are two teachers that have influenced me at SLUH and one of them is Mrs. Harrison,” said Lally. “She has influenced me to be myself and to come out of my shell.

She does this everyday by wearing her beautiful headdresses and confidently singing with her amazing voice.”

“She’ll be like a second mom to me forever, even while she’s at Viz,” said senior Christian Moore-Eston. “I’ll miss being able to talk to her every day and being able to have a nice conversation with her. My time with Mrs. Harrison was a lot of singing and just a lot of laughing.”

Next fall, Harrison will be taking on the new position of Mission Integration at her alma mater, Visitation Academy, where she went from first through 12th grade.

“I’m really excited about the job of Mission Integration because I will again get to help people recognize that God loves them and have this relationship with God that feeds them in their daily life,” photo | Mrs. Kathy Chott said Harrison. “I’ll be doing a

up retreats, leading meetings, and working with the Theology and Campus Ministry departments.”

Harrison is excited to go back to Visitation because she remembers what the school did to help guide her into adulthood. However, she is sad to be leaving SLUH and will miss the school a lot.

“I am going to miss SLUH. I love Ignatian spirituality and I have a lot of history with Ignatius and the Jesuits so it felt like coming home when I first came here,” said Harrison. “It was a hard decision to leave. The only thing that could have gotten me to leave SLUH was Viz. It is bittersweet. I’ll just be down highway 40, though.”

The SLUH community will miss Harrison just as much as she will miss the school.

“She does so much around the school in terms of her diversity work and such,” said Navarro. “The school will miss her singing and the talks she gives. You can’t just replace someone like Mrs. Harrison. She did a lot of great stuff in a lot of contexts.”

Li discusses influence of SLUH, American culture, and retreats

(continued from page 1)

don’t want to waste a year of my high school doing nothing. That’s pretty much it.

SC: How have you seen yourself grow throughout your time at SLUH and in the American culture?

LL: Okay, intellectually, from China it’s like all the things you do are pretty much set for you; it’s very standardized, you kind of have to follow the rules, you do have to this thing in 30 minutes and do the next thing, you follow all these procedures—and there you go, you gotta succeed. You take the test, off you go, you’re done, you’re off high school.

Here, you kind of have to worry about more things. You’re applying yourself—I don’t have my parents with me, so I have to plan everything, especially college applications, which is a lot of random things I need to worry about. And all these different things have to be handled by myself, alone, because I don’t have an agency, I don’t have my parents with me, and my parents don’t really understand English that much. It’s just very different.

But other parts, like socially, it’s

very different interacting with other people in America than with people in China. People in China are more reserved, people in China are more closed to themselves—they don’t interact as much; they do interact, but their major task in their lives is studying, and that’s probably it—but here, a huge part of your life is interacting with all kinds of people—with your friends, with your classmates, with your teachers, administrators, with people in different organizations, with your host family, with people you don’t know, people in church, priests, and all these people you have to actually deal with—not like deal with in the negative sense, but deal with in a way that can help you grow and become a better communicator and all these different things just really help me to understand how to interact with people, how to know who I am and what I should be in society.

SC: Although English is your second language, a lot of people at SLUH would consider you one of the best writers and best speakers that’s in our class. What have been the difficulties of having English as your second language and living in America?

artwork | Lancer Li

What was the learning curve like?

LL: Not really. I usually am more conscious of my speaking skills, I believe, than most other people because I feel like if I’m not really getting this message across, I can’t really speak English that well, and I need to improve on whatever stuff.

Whenever I go back to China, I talk to my parents about stuff. For example, I was on my way back from Shanghai to Nanjing. After I got off the plane, I was talking to my parents, my dad specifically, about Donald Trump and his policies, and I was really mad because he actually agrees with me—we were having a very good conversation—but my Chinese just couldn’t function with him, and I was just struggling with Chinese at the time. I was like, “this is just really bad.” I know how to say all these different things in English, but when I’m coming to Chinese, which is my native language, I stumble all the time and I don’t understand why that is the case—it’s probably just because I don’t use it all the time—but for English, not really.

I came here when I was a sophomore and for the first two weeks, I was actually using an electronic dictionary, but after two weeks, I realized that this was nothing I needed to worry about, so I just stopped using it.

SC: Can you pick out some of your favorite SLUH experiences over your three years?

LL: Junior Ring was pretty lit. A ton of them were the dances, SLUH dances and stuff. I go there and I realize, “Holy crap, I know everyone here.” It’s just a different feeling from the first day I go to SLUH and I literally know no one here. It’s a big difference to actually be a part of this community. I really enjoyed being on Kairos, I really enjoyed the Wilderness Retreat, especially when we were out at the cabin or eating the wonderful meals cooked by our faculty and staff. It was an incredible experience

really bonding with my friends in the woods, and I have a lot of fun having deep, philosophical conversations and many incredible experiences like getting baptized and seeing all my friends there.

SC: You’ve had a lot of great experiences while you’ve been here, but what have been some of the worst experiences? Where have you struggled? Where have you fallen?

LL: Well, my computer was water damaged when I was writing my history research paper for Mr. McCarthy’s class, and I spent a lot of time on it. That was a very big hit on me because I just finished leading Kairos and was in a utopian experience, and now I was in this trouble and did not know how to solve it, and I was very close to deadline, and I was really in a mess at the time—that was a really horrible time of the year. There have been some times where I’ve really missed my family, missed my friends, missed going back to China. That’s probably it; I haven’t really had a lot of horrible experiences at SLUH. A lot of mediocre experiences, but not horrible.

SC: What have been some of your favorite involvements you’ve gotten into at SLUH, and how have those helped you on your journey over three years here?

LL: First, I was in the Math Club and actually had a lot of great experiences. The math is not fun at all times, but it was a great experience with my friends Robbie Schaefer, Adam Kleffner, Jake Swyers, and Luke Smith, and we had a lot of fun talking about good math problems.

I had some time to get to know Mr. Hannick for the first time, interacting with him, finding some math questions, going to Columbia to do math competitions.

I had a lot of great times doing service for SLUH, especially freshman service. I spent a lot of time junior year and senior year working on freshman service as an upper-

classman leader, and I really enjoyed working with Ms. Beugg. She is very passionate about social justice, and she really influenced me in a lot of different ways because she really sets an example of being men and women for others. She deeply cares about other people.

Also, Mr. Mueller, Mr. Deves, and Mr. McAnany would go out and help the people who were chronically homeless and really try to bond with them and really try to understand their lives and try to make their day better. That was really good, and I really enjoy being on the Pastoral Teams and talking to my friends and helping out in Campus Ministry.

SC: For the three years you’ve been here at SLUH, you’ve lived with three host families and been away from your family for a long time.

What has that been like trying to manage your high school career and your growth in that time?

LL: It’s hard not to be with them at first. Then you just realize that after I go to college, they’re not going to be around anyway. I’m not trying to diminish their values, but sometimes it’s better to be independent and practice and exercise those skills and become independent through real practices and through real challenges. And I believe those two years really helped me to grow into a more independent adult compared to an average Chinese kid back in China living with their family.

And also being away from my parents has also helped me understand the value of a family, to really appreciate their presence, and not just my immediate family, but also my grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. When people ask me, “How do you feel about not living with your parents?” I always say, “It’s hard, but you just have to accept it.” There are necessary sacrifices coming with it, and with sacrifice, there are benefits, and by challenging myself and

continued on page 8

4

Prep News

NEWS

May 12, 2017

Volume 81, Issue 30

From cut to State: senior Modder discusses his golf journey On Tuesday, May 9, reporter Ethan Schmidt and news editor Joe Reznikov sat down with senior varsity golfer Andrew Modder. Modder will be traveling with the team to Joplin this Sunday morning to compete in the state golf tournament at Twin Hills Country Club. The following conversation details Modder’s journey from getting cut freshman year, to making JV sophomore and junior year, to being the ninth out of ten guys on varsity at the beginning of senior year, to ultimately getting the chance to play in the State Tournament.

Editor’s note: Though Modder is also a sports editor for the Prep News and our usual policy is not to write articles focused on members of our editorial staff, we believe the story significant enough to be shared with the SLUH community, despite this circumstance.

Ethan Schmidt: Can you give us a brief overview of your “rise to success” in the golf program?

Andrew Modder: Sure, so freshman year I came on and I hadn’t played in any competitive golf, but I just kind of went out for fun. I was close to making JV but got cut on the last day, so that kind of hurt. So I worked my butt off over the summer going into sophomore year and made the JV team. I played a good amount and was content, worked hard over the summer before junior year, made JV again, and got to play pretty often. I even got the chance to play a couple varsity matches, so that was nice just to get some experience because I knew I was going to need to make varsity my senior year if I wanted to keep playing high school golf.

This year, five or six guys

were going after three spots, and I ended up getting one of those spots. We keep ten guys on the team, and I was the ninth guy at the beginning of the season, which meant I was going to get to play in one or two matches and definitely not any tournaments. But the first match I played in I got a good enough score to go into the next one, and that just kept going on for the entire season, so I ended up only sitting the first match of the season and played everything else. And now I’ve ended up playing in four tournaments.

Joe Reznikov: What has the emotional journey been like for you? What gave you the drive to try out again sophomore year after getting cut freshman year, and how has that fueled you over the last couple years?

AM: Yeah, I was pretty upset. I can remember I was

Canvas: coming to a class near you (continued from page 1)

Canvas in the classroom, along with numerous hours spent by the committee researching, experimenting, and working through glitches.

The group considered a variety of programs, including Schoology, Blackboard, Moodle, and a developing PowerSchool LMS. But by the end of the process, after positive feedback from the pilot program—a testing phase for teachers and students to experiment with the system—Canvas emerged as the best option.

“Faculty members throughout the building were already using it and were already familiar with it and that certainly helped with adopting it,” said English teacher and member of the technology committee Jen Carroll.

“We’ve already got faculty successfully using it, and we had no reason to switch when it was working quite well for them.”

Over the years, as SLUH adopted more technology, students have been forced to go to a variety of different websites or apps to do their work. Many students jump around each day from Gmail, to Google Drive, to Google calendar, to Turnitin.com, to WebAssign, to PowerSchool, or to physical notebooks to complete their homework.

Canvas, however, attempts to clear up some of this confusion by giving students a single location to access all of their academic related resources; it contains all of the websites students previously had to look up separately.

“We pretty uniformly felt we wanted the students to have a single experience as much as possible in terms of where they would get assignments, where they would check their work, where they would see their grades. So we figured a unified LMS would be crucial to that end,” said Principal Craig Hannick.

Besides helping students, Canvas also provides benefits for teachers, who can use the site to host discussion boards, assign homework, and post

an outline of the class with a calendar.

Unlike a few of the other programs, Canvas can link up with PowerSchool, which gives teachers the ability to post grades, attendance records, and any other student data into Canvas as well.

Theology teacher Jon Ott, a member of the technology committee who has been using Canvas in his class for the past two years, highlighted the master class function called the Commons, which allows different teachers in the same course to work together in Canvas and plot a shared outline of their classes.

“I think back to my first year of teaching. Something like that would have been amazing because it’s like a bird’s eye view of the entire course. … And to have that from the start instead of trying to piece things together on the fly, I think that’s something we could really make some use of,” said Ott. Canvas was also chosen because parents can view their son’s grades and see which assignments have or have not been submitted.

Since many teachers will be learning how to use Canvas for the first time next year, the Technology Committee recognizes it will be a gradual process. Teachers will be required to post, at a minimum, the gradebook and syllabus in Canvas. Andrea Nunziante, head of the technology committee, will also be offering a class in the summer for teachers who have any questions about how to use Canvas.

Even with the extra training sessions, some teachers still have their doubts about learning Canvas.

“It looks like it’s going to be difficult to learn how to use. We had meetings a couple weeks ago, and at the end of the meeting I didn’t walk away feeling very confident,” said foreign language teacher Kevin Moore. “It looks like it’s going to take a lot of work to set up and get going. I hope it really works well.”

Some students think that Canvas will ease the burden of using many different systems.

“I think it’ll make it easier just because I will be able to turn everything into one place,” said sophomore Abe Liberman. “I have two classes this year and had math on it last year, and it works well with all of them.”

Other students, however, view Canvas as an impediment to learning in some classes, and think it is unneeded.

“I think it’s unnecessary for a large chunk of the classes that I am taking,” said junior Barclay Dale. “Classes like Calc and Chem are more paper-based, not electronic classes, so I think all it will do is get in the way.”

Nunziante believes the adjustment period will be challenging, but worth it in the end.

“There is no perfect system out there, but I think that the advantages far more surpass the small glitches we have in the system,” said Nunziante.

artwork | Liam Connolly

playing well that last day of tryouts freshman year and then went triple bogey, double bogey to end tryouts, and that was kind of it for me. Coach Gilbert talked to me after tryouts and encouraged me to get in some tournaments over the summer and play more, and I said “Alright, I want to make this team, so let’s go do it.” I started playing actually competitive golf—not just going out on Sunday mornings with my Dad. In terms of the emotional journey, if you would have asked me the day after I got cut freshman year that I would be in this position being one of the guys going to State senior year, I probably would have slapped you in the face and told you to stop joking around, because this is just awesome and I never could have imagined it. I don’t think I’ve had too much of

an off day since the season began, so it’s great to feel the confidence, almost knowing that you’re going to play well almost every day.

ES: Was there anything that really motivated you (during your training freshman and sophomore year)?

AM: Well Mr. Gilbert is a pretty intense guy; he’s not afraid to get in your face and be blunt with you, so that’s basically what he did after tryouts.

So that really motivated me. I knew I wanted to be able to compete, and I didn’t want to have that same feeling of being distraught. Also my parents definitely pushed me to play a lot over the summer—if I was just sitting with my butt on the couch inside, they came up to me and said “go play golf.” At the beginning of the summer it was them telling me that, but to-

wards the end I was just going out there by my own choice.

ES: Could you go into a little more specifics about what you did over the summer? You said you played in some tournaments; did you do any lifting or body workouts or anything?

AM: I tried to play every day. Freshman year I was all discombobulated; I was just going out there and playing.

So I started focusing on giving myself a routine when I go up to hit a shot and give myself a mindset of “How do I want to play these shots?” So it’s developing a, “What am I comfortable with? What shots can I hit? What shots should I stay away from? How should I approach this type of hole?”

Just developing the experience that’s necessary to compete with these really skilled golfers at these other schools.

continued on page 8

iPad survey analyzes student, faculty satisfaction with iPad

artwork | Jackson DuCharme

(continued from page 1)

juniors reported that they use their device in class more than half of the time.

“We can’t really know why that trend exists,” said Crimmins. “It could be because the work the students are doing is becoming more complicated and thus they are less satisfied with the device; it could be because the juniors that were asked to rate the device were our pilot class and have had the least robust use of it in the classroom whereas the freshman, who rated it very highly, have had teachers who have had three years of practice of using it in their curriculum. I think either of those explanations are completely plausible.”

On a scale of one to five, the mean satisfaction rating of the iPad for freshman was 4.26, sophomores 3.37, and juniors 2.81.

Freshman and sophomore teachers reported a 3.64 mean satisfaction rating with a “same device” policy, but a 3.06 mean satisfaction rating with that same device being an iPad. Junior teachers’ mean satisfaction rating of BYOD is 2.68. The science department had the highest satisfaction rating with the iPad, using it in the vast majority of classes.

“There was not a clear answer from the data, but there was a very clear picture of what’s happening,” said Crimmins. “We can use this as a baseline to measure against the future and see trends; this is just a snapshot in time.”

Survey results indicated

that the functions that are most important to students inside of class are producing written documents such as Google Docs, followed closely by accessing documents on Google Drive and accessing Canvas.

“I don’t believe we’ve really tapped all the features of the iPad that we can,” said Principal Craig Hannick. “Especially as we go to Canvas next year— a web-enabled device—the iPad can be good.”

There was also room for additional comments in the survey. Thirty-three students reported that they would prefer a laptop. Eleven students reported “teacher won’t let me use (my device),” ten students reported “my iPad is a distraction,” and seven students noted “I like taking notes on my iPad.” After analyzing the survey results, the Device Evaluation Committee presented their findings to the Instructional Council, and recommended that SLUH change the technology policy to four years of BYOD. However, the administrative team decided to keep the current program in place,

continuing the pilot period in order to gather more data and continue further analysis.

“The decision was partially based on the results from the survey, partially based on what faculty members have done with the iPad, which was great work,” said Hannick. “Some really nice things for students in terms of their learning and their ability to process that information and deliver that back to the teachers.”

“We don’t have the level of knowledge of the institutional priorities that the principal’s office has, which is why they get to make this decision. It worked the way that it should, and that’s the bottom line of this process,” said Crimmins.”

But at least now we can work forward in a more informed way about what some of the pitfalls are and what we can do better based on the feedback that the students gave.”

Balancing technology’s increasing role at SLUH and still maintaining technology restrictions has been something the Tech and Formation Committee, Device Evaluation Committee and the administrative team have been working through together.

“It’s about a responsible use of technology and its role in formation of students and people,” said Hannick.

“I can see with my work with colleges that even colleges are struggling to strike the balance; this is not unique to us,” said Crimmins.

The committee hopes to do this same survey or a similar one in a couple years, after teachers and students have had more experience with the current policy.

@SLUHPrepNews Follow us for online articles, news, and updates!

May 12, 2017

SCHOLARSHIPS

Prep News Volume 81, Issue 30

Adrian, Benjamin: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Ashford, Jayson: University of Missouri – Columbia – Athletic Augsburger, Christian: Rochester Institute of Technology – Academic Ayala, Carlos: Creighton University – Academic Bacharier, Galen: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic Bailey, Jack: University of Denver – Academic Batschelett, Mitchell: Rhodes College – Academic, National Football Foundation Bazzell, Drew: University of Mississippi – Academic Behr, Charles: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Behr, Michael: Seattle University – Academic Bernabe, Niles: University of Alabama – Academic Berry, Carson: United States Naval Academy – Service Academy Book, Matthew: Fairfield University – Academic Borgmeyer, David: Truman State University – Academic Bott, Samuel: University of Miami – Academic Boxdorfer, Christian: Loyola University – New Orleans – Academic Boyce, Joseph: Texas Christian University – Academic Bozikis, Ronald: Saint Louis University – Jesuit Brinkman, Thomas: University of Dayton – Academic Brock, Zachary: Saint Louis University – Jesuit Brotherton, Patrick: Rockhurst University – Academic, Bright Flight, Jesuit Buescher, Nicholas: University of Dayton – Academic Burke, Colin: John Carroll University – Academic Byrne, Henry: University of Notre Dame – Notre Dame Club of St. Louis Ceriotti, Matthew: Webster University – Academic, Legacy Cibulka, Philip: Purdue University – Academic Clair, Andrew: Bowling Green State University – Athletic Cole, Aidan: Regis University – Music, Jesuit Connaghan, Gordon: Saint Louis University – Academic, Bright Flight, Jesuit Connolly, William: Truman State University – Academic Coriell, Jacob: University of Tulsa – Academic Corker, Nolan: Lindenwood University – Academic, Athletic Coultrip, Xavier: Marquette University – Academic Covelli, Anthony: Webster University – Academic, Alumni Cox, Patrick: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic Dean, Mark: University of Nebraska – Lincoln – Academic Delgado, Nicolas: Saint Louis University – Jesuit Ditto, Donovan: University of Central Missouri – Academic, Athletic Dolan, Michael: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic Donato, Joseph: University of Missouri – Columbia Chick Evans Scholarship for Caddies Elieff, Jacob: Truman State University – Academic Enslin, Mark: Belmont University – Academic Esswein, Robert: Washington University in St. Louis – Academic, Bright Flight Fakhryzada, Syed: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Fentress, Joseph: Iowa State University – Academic Findley, Lucas: Miami University – Oxford – Academic Fisher, Aaron: Webster University – Academic, Bright Flight Flack, Connor: University of Tulsa – Academic Floyd, Erik: Marquette University – Academic, Jesuit Forest, Robert: Saint Louis University – Jesuit Frailey, Benjamin: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic, Bright Flight Gale, Bradley: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic, Bright Flight Gammon, Andrew: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic, Bright Flight Garavaglia, Louis: Quincy University – Academic, Athletic Gartner, Edward: Princeton University – Questbridge, National Merit Gassett, Luke: Lindenwood University – Academic Gatewood, Thomas: University of Southern Indiana – Academic Gerstner, Kevin: University of Tulsa – Academic Godar, Matthew: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Goedeker, Samuel: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic Gordon, David: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit, Community Gorman, Evan: Benedictine College – Academic Gould, Jacob: Loyola University – Chicago – Academic, Jesuit Graman, Robert: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic Grassi, Andrew: Ohio State University – Academic Grasso, Samuel: Creighton University – Academic Green, Victory: Saint Louis University – Jesuit, Loyola Academy Scholarship Grzechowiak, Craig: Truman State University – Academic,

Bright Flight Hambene, Paul: Marquette University – Academic Harmon, Samuel: Boston College – Army ROTC Harris, Michael: Saint Louis University – Jesuit, Flight Heard, Eric: University of Kansas – Academic Heithaus, Dominic: Saint Louis University – Academic, Bright Flight, Jesuit Hempstead, Peter: Indiana University – Bloomington – Academic Henken, Leo: Stanford University – Athletic Hennes, Zachary: Creighton University – Academic Hennessey, Peter: University of Notre Dame – Academic Henning, Grant: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic, Bright Flight Henty, Nathan: Auburn University – Academic Herzberg, Henry: University of Oklahoma – Academic Hogan, Grant: University of Mississippi – Academic Hohenberger, Andrew: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic Horton, Miles: University of Tulsa – Academic Howley, Patrick: Rockhurst University – Academic Hruz, Sean: John Paul the Great Catholic University – Academic Hughes II, Anthony: University of Missouri – St. Louis – Athletic Hummel, David: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic Hunkins, Terence: Mississippi State University – Veterans Hunsaker, Finn: Saint Joseph’s University – Academic, Jesuit Hymes, Alexander: University of Notre Dame – Academic, Notre Dame Club Inserra, Nathan: University of Alabama – Academic Irvine, Kyle: Indiana University – Bloomington – Academic Jackson, Noah: Missouri University of Science and Technology – Academic Jefferson, William: University of Missouri – Columbia – Diversity Johnson, Blake: University of Notre Dame – Academic Kelly, Jack: Marquette University – Academic Kelly, William: University of Wisconsin, Madison Gateway Badger Scholarship Kircher, Jacob: University of Mississippi – Academic Kleffner, Adam: Indiana University – Bloomington – Academic Klein, Michael: Knox College – Academic Knobbe, William: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Krause, Joseph: Rockhurst University – Academic, Jesuit Kroll, Jonathan: University of Kansas – Academic Krueger, Francis: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit, Flight Lally, Nicholas: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Lanter, Blaise: DePaul University – Academic Laughlin, Joseph: Saint Louis University – Academic, Bright Flight, Jesuit Leeker, Thomas: University of Notre Dame – Naval ROTC Lindhorst, Kurt: University of Mississippi – Academic Lipinski, Roman: Indiana University – Bloomington – Academic Love, Chandler: Claflin University – Academic Lymberopoulos, William: Emerson College – Academic McArthur, Michael: University of Denver – Academic McArthur, Peter: University of Denver – Academic McCowan, Devin: Marquette University – Academic McDevitt, Michael: Webster University – Academic McKissic, Brandon: University of Missouri – Kansas City – Athletic Megown, Michael: University of Mississippi – Academic Meissner, Daniel: Iowa State University – Academic, Alumni Milburn, Matthew: Loyola University – Chicago – Jesuit Miner, Jack: University of Alabama – Academic Modde, Ian: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Modder, Andrew: Marquette University – Academic Moore-Eston, Christian: Loyola University – Chicago – Academic, Jesuit Moritz, Timothy: Creighton University – Academic, Jesuit, History Fellowship Mulvihill, Ian: University of Miami – Academic Neuner, Ryan: Chapman University – Academic Nigam, Gaurav: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Nordmann, Thomas: University of Alabama – Academic Northcott, Matthew: Auburn University – Academic O’Toole, Zachary: Spring Hill College – Academic Ottenlips, Drew: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Pabello, Marlon: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Pace, Matthew: Marquette University – Academic Patritti, Joseph: University of Alabama – Academic Peccola, Nicholas: Missouri University of Science and Technology – Academic Piening, Cole: Rockhurst University – Academic, Bright Flight Pitts, Daniel: Ohio State University – Academic Plessner, Devin: University of Missouri – Kansas City –

5

Academic, Bright Flight Pluff, Andrew: Texas Christian University – Academic, Eagle Scout Potter, Nathan: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Preusser, Klaus: Northwestern University – Academic Price, Brian: Xavier University – Academic Prosperi, Maxim: Loyola University – Chicago – Academic, Jesuit Pudlo, Brian: University of Dayton – Academic Putnam, Scott: University of Tulsa – Academic Quinlisk, Liam: Lindenwood University – Academic Quinlivan, Matthew: University of Mississippi – Academic Rechtien, Derek: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic, Bright Flight Reedy, Edward: Indiana University – Bloomington – Academic Reznikov, Joseph: Saint Louis University – Academic, Bright Flight, Jesuit Ruggeri, Michael: University of St. Thomas – Academic Ryan, Christopher: University of Missouri – Kansas City – Academic, Bright Flight Safarian, Jacob: Miami University – Oxford – Academic Schaefer, Robert: University of Notre Dame – Academic Schmitt, Thomas: Regis University – Academic Schulze, Christopher: Rhodes College – Academic Schwartz, Joseph: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Sevastianos, Thomas: DePaul University – Academic Sextro, Luke: University of Alabama – Academic Shaver, Jonathan: Webster University – Academic Shorey, Mitchell: University of Tulsa – Academic Sitek, Daniel: University of Tulsa – Academic Slama, William: Missouri University of Science and Technology – Academic, Bright Flight Smith, Brent: Spring Hill College – Academic, Athletic Smith, Luke: Indiana University – Bloomington – Academic Smith, Matthew: Stanford University – Academic Sondermann, Nicholas: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic Spence, Cameron: University of Southern California – Academic Spezia, Benjamin: Loyola Marymount University – Academic, Jesuit Spezia, Peter: St. Louis College of Pharmacy – Academic Stacker, Johnathon: University of Tulsa – Academic Stelzer, Martin: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Stephens, Mitchell: Loyola University – Chicago – Academic Stobbs, Dale: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Sullivan, Jacob: University of Nebraska – Lincoln – Academic Swyers, Jacob: Miami University – Oxford – Academic Szatkowski, Luke Missouri University of Science and Technology – Academic, Eagle Scout Taaffe, Collin: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Taulbee, Casey: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic, Bright Flight Taulbee, Harrison: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic Trittler, Dan: University of Arkansas – Academic Twardowski, Max: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Uhlenbrock, Adam: University of Dayton – Academic Uhlenbrock, Joseph: University of Dayton – Academic Visintine, Roman: University of Mississippi – Academic Voigt, Brendan: Loyola University – Chicago – Academic, Jesuit Wagner, Andrew: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic Wagner, Daniel: University of Colorado – Boulder – Academic Wahle, Ethan: Creighton University – Academic Webster, Daniel: University of Kansas – Academic Wells, Ian: University of Cincinnati – Academic, National Merit West, Charles: Saint Louis University – Academic, Jesuit Wiegers, Patrick: University of Alabama – Academic Wilmsmeyer, Nicholas: Rockhurst University – Academic, Jesuit Wilson, Alan: Quincy University – Academic, Athletic Winschel, John: University of Alabama – Academic Witzofsky, Matthew: Creighton University – Academic Wobbe, Alexander: Rockhurst University – Academic, Jesuit Wolf, Austin: University of Kansas – Academic Wulff, Matthew: University of Alabama – Academic Zawalski, Thomas: University of Missouri – Columbia – Academic, Bright Flight

Editor’s note: The following list is compiled from the counseling department’s list of senior college scholarships that was delivered to the Prep News. All information on seniors and their scholarships is up-to-date as of Thursday afternoon.

Rugby falls short in State Championship to KC Jr. Blues 27-26

photo | Mr. Guy Sextro

The rugby team yells its traditional “Ziggy” cheer before the State Championship match.

Matthew Quinlan STAFF

T

he St. Louis U. High Varsity Rugby team travelled to Jefferson City to play in the Missouri State Championship Tournament this past weekend, and they lost in the finals to the Kansas City Junior Blues.

The games all took place at Blair Oaks High School, a change in venue from Lincoln

College, where the team had competed for the championship last year. At Blair Oaks has a turf field, which the team is used to playing on, and prevented the impact of any potential rain, which has happened the last two years.

There were eight teams that participated in the tournament: four from St. Louis (the CBC Cadets, Eureka, the St. Louis Mustangs/De Smet team and SLUH), two from

Jefferson City, and two from Kansas City, including the Kansas City Junior Blues.

The Jr. Blues had beaten SLUH the past three years in the Finals, and SLUH was ready to break that streak this year.

“Going into the finals I was nervous, but also confident and excited in our chances. We played the best rugby all year on Saturday,” said senior captain Luke Sex-

tro. “We had heard a bunch of stuff about the Blues on Saturday and we felt really good about the game.”

The players took the field and the Jr. Blues kicked off to SLUH, but the kick was knocked on, giving them the possession back. Shortly after the turnover, one of the Blues scored, bringing the score to 7-0. The Blues scored twice more to make the score 21-0 at halftime.

“We didn’t execute on anything,” said head coach Joe Mueller. “We lost our own put-ins on scrums, we lost our own line-outs even when we weren’t contested, we knocked the ball on, we dropped the kick-offs. We did literally everything that you could possibly do wrong.”

“The first half we fell apart honestly,” said Sextro.

“I’m not quite sure if it was nerves or cockiness or what, but we let them walk all over us and score three tries right away. That just made us mad and we took that anger and stepped up our game.”

The Jr. Bills came out ready to go after half, knowing they had nothing left to lose, but everything left to gain. SLUH kicked off to the Blues and kept them out of the try zone, and regained possession of the ball. With a penalty within ten meters of the Blues’ own try zone, the Blues committed a penalty, giving Sextro an opportunity to quick tap the ball and feed it to Quinlan, who drove it past three defenders for a try, making the score 21-7.

Not long after, sophomore D.J. Sansone crashed through three Blues defenders into the try zone to make the score 21-14, with Chevalier making the conversion.

“I honestly thought after we scored the second one it

was divine intervention,” said senior Eric Heard. “I thought that God wanted us to win that game.”

An offsides call on SLUH set up the Jr. Blues for a field goal from 20 meters away.

They drilled the ball through the posts, making the score 24-14.

The Jr. Bills rebounded on the kickoff, as the Jr. Blues’ lock knocked the ball on, and the scrum was given to SLUH. Senior John Robert hooked the ball back from the scrum to Sextro, who fed it to the back line.

The two teams continued to play, and a holding-up penalty called in favor of the Jr. Blues was overturned in favor of SLUH, giving the Jr. Bills a quick-tap penalty. Chevalier took the ball into contact for 17 meters, before being brought down right in front of the try line. The ball was then pick-and-jammed by junior Teddy Gerard for the try, but Chevalier missed the conversion, making the score 24-19.

After a couple of phases after the initial kickoff by both teams, SLUH was called for not releasing the tackle after tackling one of the Blues’ players, giving the Blues a penalty kick that they elected to use to kick a field goal from 40 meters away to make the score 27-19.

continued on page 8

Inline hockey takes 2nd place in State State bound: Golf advances to with 12-8 loss to Columbia Eagles Joplin for fourth consecutive year Nick Prainito REPORTER

T

he St. Louis U. High varsity Inline hockey team has finished the MOIHA Varsity 3 season with a second-place finish in the State Playoffs. After winning the quarterfinals and the semifinals, the Jr. Bills fell 12-8 in the championship to the Columbia Eagles. However, the Jr. Bills greatly improved over the past year as they improved from the No. 5 seed in 2016 to regular season division champions this year.

SLUH wrapped up the regular season on a high note.

The Jr. Bills played four games in the final weekend of the season: one on Friday, April 28, two on Saturday, and another one on Sunday.

The Jr. Bills mercied the Lafayette Lancers on Friday to clinch first place in the division. The next day was a little tougher, however, as SLUH lost in overtime to St. Mary’s in the first game, and fell to Columbia in the second. Then the squad rebounded to catch a 12-4 win against Lafayette on Sunday to close out the season.

The playoffs started last Friday, May 5, with a matchup against Washington. The Jr. Bills had beaten the Blue Jays

in both of their regular season matches, and the quarterfinal would show the same result: SLUH mercied Washington 12-2 to advance and play the next day. Seniors Matt Wulff and Kurt Lindhorst scored four goals each for the Jr. Bills, and with just over six minutes left to play, sophomore Nick Prainito netted the twelfth goal to end the game.

Next, on Saturday, SLUH played St. Mary’s in the semifinal. Seniors Erik Floyd, Drew Ottenlips, and Wulff scored in the first period, and seniors Dominic Heithaus and Peter Hempstead scored in the second. The Jr. Bills held on to beat the Dragons, 5-2.

Then on Sunday, the Jr. Bills played in the State Championship at the Fenton Forum against the Eagles.

They had split the regular season series, 1-1.

“We came into the game very determined, especially with the large seniors we had on the team that wanted to win,” said Floyd.

Columbia came to play, and scored three quick goals within the first three minutes.

However, Floyd responded with a goal of his own to put the score at 3-1.

The game would contin-

ue to go back and forth for the rest of the first period. At the end, the Jr. Bills were trailing 6-3 after goals by senior Charlie West. Coach Tim O’Neil spoke of the team’s comebacks on the bench to try and motivate the players.

Floyd netted another goal 26 seconds into the second period, but Columbia was on a roll and scored four more goals. Down 10-4 with six minutes left, O’Neil called a timeout and rallied the squad.

“Six goals in Inline is nothing,” he said, consequently sparking a rally. Two goals by Heithaus and goals from West and Floyd put the Jr. Bills down by two with one minute left, causing the Eagles to take a timeout.

Freshman goaltender Peter Lally was pulled, but then SLUH lost the faceoff at center ice, Columbia gained control of the puck, and scored two empty-net goals to win the game, 12-8. The Jr. Bills would have to settle for second place.

Looking toward next year, a core group of seniors are departing, leaving four underclassmen, one of which is a rising senior, to lead the squad.

Andrew Modder SPORTS EDITOR

T

especially on the short par 4s and 5s.

“The Landings is a very scorable course, and I think the conditions we saw on Monday made it even more scorable. I don’t think I’ve ever been out to the course without wind, that wasn’t the case on Monday,” said head coach Scott Gilbert. “You could be aggressive, and if you were straight and long off the tee, you could score for sure.”

Ladue’s Reilly Ahearn certainly took advantage of those opportunities, carding eight birdies with just one bogey to shoot a 7-under par 65.

This tied the record for best score in Missouri on a par-72 course.

Chaminade took home the first qualifying spot for

State, with all five golfers firing on all cylinders, totaling a score of a mere 289 strokes.

The Red Devils were led by Joe Terschluse, who came in second overall with a 2-under 70. The other three scores they kept were one-over 73’s—they dropped a 74.

“The mindset on Monday was that we thought it was again going to be between us and Chaminade, but it really didn’t matter who got first,” said Gilbert. “We just want to be there. That was the goal: to get there. To see the guys play at the level that they played at, and at one point with our first three guys in, being just one stroke off Chaminade. It was neck and neck, but who can complain about the scores

he St. Louis U. High varsity golf team captured second place at the Class 4 Sectional 1 tournament this past Monday, falling short of champion Chaminade by five strokes. Nevertheless, this performance was enough to advance the entire team to the State tournament for the fourth consecutive season.

After squeaking through Districts in second place, the Jr. Bills had to show up and go full throttle from the first tee shot to continue the road to State. This tournament was stacked with talented teams, like Chaminade, De Smet, Mehlville, and Vianney.

“I think the expectations were that we were going to continued on page 8 come out in either first or second and that the cut line was going to be low,” said junior Louie Perotti. “I think we all expected to play well and expected other players to play equally as well.”

Sectionals took place at the Landings at Spirit Golf Club in Chesterfield, a linksstyle course with wide fairways but also very challenging greens, with ridges and steep slopes on nearly all of them. photo | Mr. Scott Gilbert However, the players did have The golf team after their second place finish in Sectionals on several opportunities to score, Monday.

SPORTS

May 12, 2017

Prep News Volume 81, Issue 30

V-ball beats De Smet on Senior Night Lacrosse cruises through final

7

two games, playoffs up next

Stephen Ocampo REPORTER

F

Seniors and their parents at senior night Wednesday night.

Nathan Langhauser STAFF

T

his past week marked the end of the regular season for the St. Louis U. High volleyball team, with big matches against MCC rivals Vianney and De Smet. After a season of ups and downs and some inconsistency within matches, the Jr. Bills seem to have found their groove, resulting in two easy victories, 25-19, 25-12 over Vianney and 25-17, 25-18 over De Smet on senior night.

Having seen both MCC teams earlier in the season, SLUH knew what to expect going into the matches. The Golden Griffins came to SLUH on Tuesday in a battle of the mythical creatures.

The match started as expected, back and forth, both teams fighting for points, giving their best defensive efforts to make touches. However, through spreading the sets around to all the hitters and consistent kills out of the middles, the Jr. Bills built a lead and maintained it throughout the first set, winning 25-19.

“They couldn’t seem to block me, I was getting above them,” said junior middle Matt Coplen. “There were like no blockers on me, they were all on our outsides.”

The second set started in a similar way, but at 12-8 senior Danny Meissner went on a long serving run to push the Jr. Bills to a 21-8 lead, and destroy Vianney morale. A

strong block set on Vianney’s pin hitters funneled attacks to defensive specialist sophomore Brian Venhaus who easily controlled the swings and allowed the Jr. Bills to set up their offense. SLUH went on to win 25-12.

“It felt good to go out and shellac Vianney, it was a good rebound after a week of sickness, hard practices, and a lot of tired players.” said senior Leo Henken. “It’s a good start to our run into the playoffs.”

“We played a really balanced game, we put a lot of pressure on Vianney and they really struggled to get in system and they became really predictable at that point, ” said head coach Jeff Cheak. “I think we are peaking at a good time.”

Wednesday night was the last regular season game for the Jr. Bills, Senior Night against De Smet. Coaching legend Dan Becvar was brought back to announce the seniors and gave some excitement to the team and the crowd before the match began. The seniors were each announced along with a funny moment from their SLUH volleyball career and met their parents on the court.

The match began and the starting lineup consisted of all seniors. Despite his injury, senior Jake Swyers found himself making strong defensive plays and Henken ripped apart the Spartans with four aces to give the Jr. Bills the early lead.

The seniors didn’t back

photo | Brendan Voigt

down, showing off some strong hitting. Senior Sam Grasso made two amazing defensive touches to keep the ball alive, leading to victory in the first set 25-17.

In the second set, Meissner was slated to play some outside hitter, but otherwise the lineup was the same and the seniors began to dominate again. De Smet seemed to have no response to SLUH’s aggressive serving and Henken ended the match with an impressive eight aces.

As the lead built, the seniors were each subbed off, receiving an ovation from the crowd. The underclassmen then finished off what the seniors had started, winning 2518.

“It was really nice to get a lot of the guys in that have been working hard all year.

It was fun to see Danny get a kill after about 18 attempts, but it was more fun to see the fans in the stands being loud.

I wish we could get more fan support like that, it makes the whole game that much more energetic and fun to be at,” said Cheak. “Congratulations to seniors, and it should be a fun playoff run.”

The Jr. Bills finished the regular season 24-2-1, and head into the District Tournament next week beginning Tuesday at SLUH, awaiting the winner of Northwest and Parkway South.

AquaJocks headed back to State Championship vs. Ladue

artwork | Liam Connolly

Ryan Neuner REPORTER

F

or the seventh consecutive year, the St. Louis U. High water polo team has reached the Missouri water polo State Championship.

After a first round bye, the top-seeded Jr. Bills faced Fort Zumwalt West on Saturday, easily defeating the Jaguars 214. The win was truly a team effort, as every player scored, including the goalies: senior Mike Harris and sophomore John McCabe both played in the field

during the second half.

Senior captain Thomas Nordmann, who filled in for the goalies, intentionally let in two goals to let an opposing player with a developmental disability get a goal and an assist.

The scoring was a bit more lopsided against Clayton, whom the Jr. Bills faced in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Senior captain Brandon Trusler scored six goals, while junior Nick Mattingly racked up four goals and four assists. Junior Joe Jellinek recorded five assists

ollowing two blowout wins over the Westminster Wildcats and the O’Fallon Panthers, the St. Louis U. High lacrosse team finished the regular season with a 14-6 record and is now headed to the playoffs.

Bouncing back from a loss from top-ranked MICDS, the Jr. Bills found themselves matched up against Westminster, a program in its first year and comprised entirely of underclassmen.

“This was a chance for us to calm our nerves after these past two games and play as ourselves,” said junior Jake Killian.

Straight from the first faceoff, the Jr. Bills’ focus and physicality seemed too much to handle for the Wildcats as the Jr. Bills dominated at both ends, firing a high number of shots, controlling the ball for most of the half, and stopping almost everything that came on their defensive end of the field. After the first half, the Jr. Bills led 10-1.

With the nine goal lead, SLUH was able to rotate lines more often, allowing those who do not usually get minutes to get time on the field.

The Jr. Bills cruised to a 15-1 win over Westminster.

“I think that it helps the team so we know we have that depth later in the season and

for the younger guys next year to get that confidence on the field,” said junior Austin Hannah.

The following day, the Jr. Bills kept up the same level of play versus the O’Fallon Township Panthers in their last game of the regular season, blowing them out 18-5.

In an effort to receive the No. 4 seed for the playoffs, this game was a much needed win for SLUH. “It could have been the last game on that field for the seniors, so it meant a lot to them,” said Hannah.

From the start, the Jr. Bills played with the same intensity as the previous night, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. A few minutes later, the Panthers put their first point, but senior Patrick Howley responded with a goal of his own, followed by sophomore Charlie Carse sneaking one past the goalie after coming from behind the net less than 30 seconds later.

In the second quarter, though, the Jr. Bills unleashed a flurry of goals on their opponents, scoring seven goals in the quarter from six different people. This gave SLUH a 12-1 lead heading into half.

“Coach told us that this was the first time in a while that our offense came out hot,” said Killian, “and I totally agree.”

As the second half start-

ed, the Jr. Bills did not slow down, netting three more in the first four minutes of the quarter, including senior Will Farroll’s fifth of the night. The team coasted to a 18-5 win over the Panthers for their last regular season game before heading to playoffs.

Farroll’s fifth goal raised his total for the year to 64, breaking SLUH’s single season goal record and receiving the honor of most goals scored in the state.

“If someone was to break it, it would be him because he puts in a lot of work and is a great lacrosse player,” said Hannah.

Despite these records, though, Farroll stays humble and focuses on the success of the team as they head into playoffs.

“It’s always nice to set a record but I’m just trying to do what I can to help my team win,” said Farroll. “But it was a nice bonus.”

With two blowout wins and the regular season behind them, Farroll and the team have their minds set on playoffs.

“We are finding our groove at the right time heading into playoffs,” said junior Kevin Einig.

“If we all play as well as we know we can and not make those mental mistakes,” added Hannah, “Then there’s no one that can stop us.”

Ultimate battles through coaching change, finishes 1-3 at State Joe Lux

REPORTER

T

he St. Louis U. High Ultimate frisbee team had a rocky season this year. With many experienced players returning as well as new talent coming to the team, the team felt confident that they would be able to rebound off of a disappointing 2016 season.

After starting the season 2-0 and with high spirits, the season took an unexpected turn as coach Mark Bradley suddenly decided to retire, leaving the Jr. Bills leaderless.

“It was very abrupt, and it caught us all by surprise,” said junior captain Michael Esson. “It was tough.”

However, two SLUH alumni, Mark McBride (’10) and Jeff Ullery (’10) stepped

up to take the position.

“After I graduated from SLUH, I always knew that I wanted to come back one day and coach this team,” said Ullery. “When I was given the opportunity this year, I couldn’t say no.”

With the sudden coaching change, the team struggled for the rest of the season.

“Once we got our new coaches, it took a little to adapt to our new strategies,” said Esson. The team finished 3-8, but still made it into the State tournament on May 6.

Despite playing well, SLUH did not make it far at State. The team made it through pool play, but was knocked out in the first round of the championship bracket, ending the tournament 1-3.

in the first quarter alone. The final score of 21-1 was the Jr. Bills’ largest margin of victory all year.

Last night, in their 32nd consecutive Final Four appearance, the Jr. Bills punched their ticket to the State Championship by defeating rival Parkway West 12-2. Anchored by Harris’ 10 saves, the team combined for 16 steals in an impressive outing.

Jellinek recorded three goals, senior Luke Smith and juniors Barclay Dale and John Burke added two each, and Nordmann scored the final goal for the Jr. Bills.

The Jr. Bills will play Ladue in the State Championship.

“I’m confident in our team, but I think we’ll play better with a big crowd,” said Trusler.

The game is tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at St. Peters Rec Plex.

Junior Joe Lux passes the disc agianst John Burroughs.

“We had some close games against Edwardsville and Ladue,” said junior captain Adam Hanson. “I thought we could win both of them, but in the end, it didn’t go our way.”

With the disappointing end to the season, Ullery and McBride look forward to improving the team over the summer and returning as a powerhouse next year.

“I am excited for the opportunity to build up the program next year and think we are returning some key pieces that will allow us to be a top contender in our league,” said Ullery. “I would like to see us to live up to the legacy of SLUH Ultimate: be the team that plays the hardest while also having the most fun.”

photo | Mrs. Kathy Chott

8

Prep News

SOMEONE’S FISHY

May 12, 2017

Calendar

Volume 81, Issue 30

Rugby declines National Tournament bid after flurry of injuries at State (continued from page 6)

A couple of minutes later, a SLUH knock-on gave the Jr. Blues a scrum seven meters from their own try zone. The ball was dropped by the Blues’ scrum-half as he took it out of the scrum, giving Sextro the opportunity to steal the ball and slam it down in the try zone. Chevalier made the conversion, making the score 27-26.

The horn sounded for the end of regulation right before the Blues kicked back to SLUH, but since the play wasn’t totally over, SLUH had another chance to capitalize off of a possession. But the ball was knocked on by SLUH off of the kickoff, and the whistle blew, signaling full time.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Jr. Bills won both of the games prior to the Championship, knocking off the Liberty Blue Jays and the Jefferson City Nightmare.

SLUH went into the semifinal match ready to beat the Blue Jays, and seal their spot in the championship match the next day. The Blue Jays were a team with a beefy forward pack, and the Jr. Bills adjusted to the size difference, exploiting the Blue Jays’ lack of fitness to rout them 31-5, with two tries from senior Mike Ruggeri, one from senior Adam Kerwood, one from senior Jacob Coriell, and another from Sextro.

(continued from page 6)

Schedule R

V District Baseball Tournament @ Vianney AP Snack—cinnamon rolls Lunch Special—nacho bar 4:15pm B baseball vs. Vianney

Saturday, May 13 V track in Districts V tennis in individual districts

Monday, May 15

Schedule R V tennis individual districts V Golf @ MSHSAA Championships AP Snack—Chicken Nuggets Lunch Special—Pizza

Vegetarian—Black Bean Burgers 4:30pm V Baseball vs Kirkwood or Gateway STEM

Tuesday, May 16 photo | Mr. Guy Sextro

Junior Matthew Quinlan reaches up to catch the ball off of a botched Jr. Blue lineout.

Before the semifinal match against the Blue Jays, the Jr. Bills had to play Jefferson City in the first round.

“Jeff City was one of the biggest and most athletic teams we played all season.” said senior captain Ryan Houghland. “We set the tone early by meeting their biggest guy with no fear on defense and prevented their big guys from making any incredible plays.”

The team shut the Nightmare out, putting up 40 points with two tries from senior Henry Herzberg (one of which he went through six defenders to touch it down), a two from Chevalier, a try from junior Jack Bunn, and a try from Sextro.

The team did not come out unscathed from this weekend. Herzberg tore two tendons in his shoulder after taking the ball into contact against Liberty.

“After his concussion there was a piece missing for a while, but through that we found a new spot for (senior David) Hummel, who was absolutely stellar for us at center,” said Sextro. “When we got (Herzberg) back we were stoked because we knew he was a big part of our team and to see him go down on Saturday was hard and our team felt it.”

Kerwood also tore his ACL and meniscus and strained his MCL in the championship game, and

there were many players who sustained concussions, including juniors Jake Trunko, Jack Bunn, and Teddy Gerard.

Due to these many injuries, the team has had to withdraw from the National Tournament and end its season prematurely.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this team. We’ve proven to the state and ourselves that we deserve all the respect in the world,” said Sextro. “The seniors gave their all to this team and I couldn’t be more excited for the future of the team.”

“I think we’ve figured out a new and dynamic way to play that will pay dividends down the road,” said Mueller.

Golf grabs second place at Li leaves Sectionals, prepares for Joplin SLUH

coming in?”

SLUH came in just behind Chaminade, losing by five strokes with a total team score of 294. The Jr. Bills competing in Sectionals were seniors Max Twardowski and Andrew Modder, and juniors Perotti, Jack Wachter, and Sam Bricker.

Perotti fired the lowest score for the team, coming in with a 1-under 71, and giving him third individually. Perotti relied on a 3-under performance on the four par 5s due to solid drives, and only made three bogeys on the day.

“I tried to go for the center of the greens and just take my pars as I went. I think having wedges and the shorter (holes) led me to the score I shot,” said Perotti. “My putting was pretty good that day along with the speed of my putts. I feel being able to twoputt or one-putt every green made the day a lot easier and less stressful.”

Wachter played a very steady and consistent round, as he was 1-under through his first 14 holes with two birdies and a bogey. However, two bogeys down the stretch kept him from staying under par, but he still fought to a 1-over 73, tying him for sixth overall.

Twardowski continued his stellar postseason play,

Friday, May 12

firing a two-over 74 with the help of three birdies on the par 5s and smart golf around the rest of the course.

“My round was good, I was definitely pleased with it even though there were a few strokes I left out there,” said Twardowski. “I hit it really good off the tee which put me in a good position for my second shots. I had a lot of birdie opportunities, I just couldn’t get a putt to fall.”

Modder rounded out the team score for SLUH, shooting a 4-over 76, mostly relying on his putter to make two birdies and a good number of par saves due to errant iron shots into greens.

Bricker carded an 83, which was the team’s dropped score. He played solid golf in the beginning of his round, but faltered down the stretch with two double bogeys in his last four holes.

“The consistency is unreal, once in awhile we have one of ours waver a bit, but once they get another opportunity to score they’re right back in the thick of things,” said Gilbert. “We very seldom have this rollercoaster of inconsistencies of players and scores.

Guys are taking care of business and they’re consistent with their play all season.”

With this second place finish, SLUH advances for the

fourth straight season to State, which will be held on Monday in Joplin, Mo. at Twin Hills Country Club. The Jr. Bills look to battle and finally beat Chaminade in postseason play, as they also go toe-to-toe with six other high schools from around the state, including Glendale, Lebanon, Rockhurst, Lafayette, Rock Bridge, and Liberty North.

The tournament spans two days, with each day an 18hole round being played and the lowest combined score after 36 holes taking home the State championship.

“I think we’re all pretty excited for this week, it should be a lot of fun,” said Twardowski. “My goal for the team is to get a top four finish.

I think it would be really neat to bring home a trophy.”

“We have to be better than a seventh or eighth place, and we are, which we’ve shown with the consistency and the depth and the skill level that you guys have,” said Gilbert.

“Whatever happens Monday and Tuesday, the moments you guys share as a team, personal victories that you guys have had this season, and the heart that you guys have displayed all year, that really is what defines your guys’ character and success this season.”

changed

(continued from page 3)

by challenging yourself, we can really grow in the process of becoming a more reflective and more powerful person. I think there is a blessing in that.

SC: What have you learned overall from being engrossed in the American culture and being enrolled at SLUH that will be helpful for your future at Duke and beyond?

LL: When we are sheltered, when we are inside a more reserved, a more secular society, it’s hard to be fully open and bond with other people, and when I’m fully open to other people and try to share who I am, some people are receptive—great—and other people are not receptive—that’s all right. American society, different from Chinese society, is a very diverse one. There are all kinds of different people— people with different personalities, different interests, likes, and dislikes in society, and being in the society really helped me learned how to adapt and how to communicate with every one of them—not every one of them; I’m not the greatest communicator—but how to find a place in society and also find a mission for myself.

AP Lunch

7:00pm

Schedule R

Snack—Mini Tacos Special—Chef ’s Choice Vegetarian—Penne Pasta V Volleyball vs Parkway South/Northwest

Wednesday, May 17

Schedule R

AP Snack—Cinnamon Rolls Lunch Special—Brunch for Lunch

Vegetarian—Turkey Burger

Thursday, May 18

Schedule R

AP Snack—Pizza Sticks Lunch Special—Dominos Pizza

Vegetarian—Grilled Cheese

Friday, May 19

Schedule R

AP Snack—Chicken Rings Lunch Special—Pasta Bar

Vegetarian—Garden Burger calendar | Jack Schweizer

Modder’s drive propels him to State (continued from page 4)

ES: How did it feel making such a big impact on the team after all of your hard work?

AM: To say it shortly, it’s awesome. Just to know that I have been part of the team this year, with the journey to the State Championship this upcoming Monday and Tuesday, and in matches being a score that is taken in the team total. It’s fulfilling to know that what you’re doing out there matters. It’s not just getting put out there because you have to fill a roster spot, like I was a little bit sophomore year.

JR: What did you do once you found out your would be playing at state?

AM: I was ecstatic. I came home and my dad gave me a big high-five. I was telling myself that I was going to go out and play it like any other round. I battled through that [District] and when I found out that I was going to be at Sectionals, my parents

said they were proud of me. I am so happy and grateful that my dad continued to push me to do this, to play after I was considering quitting junior year. I owe it to a lot of motivation from those people.

ES: SLUH is a pretty competitive environment, so do you have any advice to those who have been cut from a sport or extracurricular event?

AM: I think this is a good story for someone who is on the golf team right now. There are some underclassmen who are in the same boat as I was. If you work hard, and you’re determined and motivated and you have people behind you who are supporting you, eventually, it’s going to pan out for you. Even if it’s not in the high school golf season, something will pan out for you if you work hard for it. Sophomore and junior year was mediocre, but now it’s the season I’ve dreamed of for the past four years.

photo | Mr. Scott Gilbert

Modder on the green at the Landings at Spirit Golf Club.